Reviews and Other Stuff

Ben Weasel and His Iron String Quartet - These Ones Are Bitter - Mendota Records
I've always had huge respect for Ben Weasel as a person and song writer. Whether I agreed with him or disagreed, I've always felt that he was a man who really thought out his ideas. On "These Ones Are Bitter," Ben recruited Mike Kennerty and Chris Gaylor of the American Rejects to play guitar and drums (respectively, while Kennerty pulled double duty as producer as well) and Dan Andriano of the Alkaline Trio on bass. The history of this record is pretty interesting; some of the songs are from Ben's previous, short lived band, Sweet Black and Blue and others are new, but all of them are definitely trademark Ben Weasel songs. They have the distinct elements that I loved about Screeching Weasel, such as catchy melodies and clever lyrics, while raising the over all production value by incorporating more "radio rock" hooks as well as thick layers of guitars. Oddly, what it actually sounds like is some weird bastard child of later era Screeching Weasel and current era NOFX, with hints of early 80's power pop/new wave (sans synths).
Overall, I really like this album, despite fearing what it was going to sound like. I was really worried when I found out that two American Rejects were going to be in the back up band and I had horrible visions of a swoopy haired Ben Weasel staring in an over produced video on MTV. As soon as I heard the lead off track, all my fears went away. This is an extremely honest album and although production credits went to Kennerty, I'm almost positive Ben had absolute final say.
This record is available through download only, so if you're a geezer punk who doesn't "do" digital downloads, sit tight, because the vinyl version comes out in August.
Mendota Recording Company

Speedies - Speedy Delivery (reissue) - Radio Heartbeat
Radio Heartbeat is reissuing a lot of great power pop records that have been slipping through my fingers for years due to inflated collector pricing. I'd like to take this moment and say that "collectors" can blow me. I couldn't care less about which print of a record I'm buying, I just want to songs on the wax or vinyl or magnetic tape or whatever. Collectors be damned, Radio Heartbeat are wonderful people.
Previously, they reissued the first Hubble Bubble album, which was an album that I've been chasing since 1995. Now, they reissued another fine rock record from the post punk/pre-new wave era. While bands like Cheap Trick and Elvis Costello were blowing up, the Speedies were kicking it in the northeast writing hook after hook in some suburban garage. Listening to them, you'd think they were British kids, but they were 100% pure American teenage pop music.
If you want to know where the Exploding Hearts or the Busy Signals came from, the roots are firmly planted in the Speedies (whether they know it or not). If you're into either of these bands, or Gentman Jesse and His men or even the Nice Boys, the Speedies are essential in your record collection.


Rediscovering My Record Collection
I recently picked up the reissue of "Bubblecore!" by the Beatnik Termites and to this day, that band doesn't disappoint. I remember seeing them at the Fireside Bowl and thinking about how someday I'd look back fondly at that band. Normally, I was wrong about stuff like that, but the Termites really are a staple of that era for me and really deserve the cred. Arguably catchier than the Mr T Exeperience, more innocent than the Queers and more lo-fi than the Riverdales; I always felt they were sort of the "underdogs" of the pop punk scene. They never quite broke through the way the "big three" did. They never got the respect that the Queers, Screeching Weasel or MTX received, but the people who are truly hardcore into this sound loved this band. If there were to be a 90's Nuggets collection, the Beatnik Termites would be on it, no doubt.