Guerrilla Teens - All The Hits

So we barely had time to cry in our collective beers over the breakup of the mighty Lovesores before Scott "Deluxe" Drake and Saul Koll resurfaced in the exciting new rock and roll force Guerrilla Teens. It was as if the music gods would not allow us to endure a pandemic without a ray of hope. Also on board were ex Humpers guitarist (and O.G. Lovesore) Jeff Fieldhouse, Epoxies/Sex Crime/Suicide Notes drummer Tim Connolly, and bassist Anna Anderson (Suicide Notes). Now that is a bona fide Portland, Oregon punk rock super group! Guerrilla Teens hit the ground running by recording ten killer demo tracks, which were released as five separate digital singles that came and went in the blink of an eye. If you snoozed, you lost. But now you get another crack at all these tunes....if you hurry! 

Launched as a fundraiser for The Oregon Wildfire Relief Fund, All The Hits compiles all of Guerrilla Teens' COVID demos into one blockbuster digital album. This collection is not likely to be available permanently, so I advise jumping on it now! Just as it would have been an oversimplification to call Lovesores a reboot of The Humpers, it's not fully accurate to consider Guerrilla Teens a continuation of Lovesores. But it's no stretch to say that all three of the aforementioned bands are cut from the same cloth. No doubt about it, Scott "Deluxe" Drake is one of the greatest lead singers that rock and roll music has ever produced. After 35 years+ in the game, he sounds as fierce, focused, and fiery as ever. And now he's backed by an epic guitar tandem and a red-hot rhythm section. As you would expect, Guerrilla Teens don't veer too far from that sleazy '70s punk by way of the Stones and Chuck Berry lane ("Tell Me What To Do" and "Black Weather" could easily be mistaken for lost Humpers tracks). But with this particular band, I'm also sensing an affinity for old school garage rock and Stiv Bators inspired dark pop. There are plenty of songs here that will rock the snot out of you but also a few that suggest that Drake and friends have some tricks up their sleeve. And keep in mind that these are all demos recorded in isolation. If it's ever safe for Guerrilla Teens to mingle with the outside world, you all won't know what hit you. 

Be sure to grab All The Hits while you still can. Your purchase will be donated to The Oregon Wildfire Relief Fund. And while you're at it, check out the new single "Barbie's Reality House" that just dropped yesterday. Rock and roll will save us all!

-L.R.

https://guerrillateens.bandcamp.com/album/all-the-hits
https://www.facebook.com/Guerrilla-Teens-103324881410665/

Guerrilla Teens - Dillinger Red

Alright, kids: ya better get cracking on this one! Six days from now, the first two demo tracks ever released by Portland, Oregon punk rock and roll supergroup Guerrilla Teens will be disappearing from the Internet. They will literally self-destruct in the blink of an eye. And lemme tell you, these tracks are HOT! It won't take you long to identify that this mysterious band is fronted by the mighty Scott "Deluxe" Drake (ex Humpers, Lovesores). He's joined by a couple of old partners in crime along with some star players from Portland's formidable punk rock scene. If the breakup of Lovesores had you shedding a tear (trust me, I feel you!), the arrival of Guerrilla Teens will quickly fill that hole in your heart. Oh man, "Dillinger Red" is pure fire! From the ripping twin guitars to the slamming drums and bass to Drake's powerhouse vocal, this song has got everything you could ever desire from punk rock and roll music. It's paired here with "Super Aces (Bonus Poker)", a primal slow burn that's super sleazy in the best possible way. I could say more, but there's no time to monkey around! Cough up a dollar and get these songs downloaded today. Two brand-new demos will be taking their place on Bandcamp next Friday, and I'm sure they won't be around long either. You have been warned!

-L.R.

https://guerrillateens.bandcamp.com/releases
https://www.facebook.com/Guerrilla-Teens-103324881410665

Lovesores - Bats From Planet Skull

Well I've got some good news and some bad news. The bad news is that the Lovesores broke up. The good news is that they've left us a parting gift in the form of one final recording that you can download for free. Bats From Planet Skull debuted on Bandcamp last week - only the second Lovesores full-length album and now sadly the last. But I'm not much for boo-hooing any band's demise. Not every rock and roll band is meant to last forever, and I'd rather have a group that's great for a few years than one that endures for decades in a state of decline or (even worse) mediocrity. I'm not saying that the Lovesores would have declined, but I will say they've bowed out at the very top of their game.

The final Lovesores tally over the past eight years was three singles, a couple of big ten-inches, and two long players - and all of it absolutely great! While there was always enough of a similarity between the Lovesores and Humpers to entice fans of the latter, it never seemed like Scott "Deluxe" Drake's new band was overshadowed by his old one. Drake refused to rest on his laurels, and he managed to assemble what was almost certainly the most formidable punk rock and roll band of the past decade. The lineup was consistent since 2014, with Alex Fast (bass), Boz Bennes (drums), Adam Kattau (guitar), and Saul Koll (guitar) matching every bit of Drake's vocal firepower. You'd have to look far and wide (and probably into the distant past) to find a stronger rhythm section and a more electrifying guitar tandem. More importantly, as a unit these guys forged a brand of rock and roll that was ferocious, exciting, and brought forth from a place deep in the soul. Bats From Planet Skull was recorded live in the basement last year, and it doesn't stray far (or at all) from the band's previous method of operation. This is the Lovesores doing what the Lovesores did best: raucous rock and roll marrying the defiant spirit and irresistible rhythms of the genre's roots to the guts and aggression of original era punk rock.

Kicking off with the blistering fury of "Some For Tomorrow (Some For Tonight)", this record is top-loaded with scorching guitars, an unstoppable beat, and typically red-hot howling on the part of living legend Drake. Even in this time of mandatory isolation, I can only picture these songs being performed in a packed dive bar as bodies fly and liquor flows. The band tears into tracks like "Hot Pants!" and "Psychic Dick" with a force and feeling that can only be summoned if you were born to rock and roll. "Belle in the Belfry" relaxes the pace a tad, then proceeds to hook you with a chorus that you cannot physically resist singing along with. "Bishop Of Worms", which pairs a punching garage rock riff with a classically sneering Drake vocal, is one of the most compelling Lovesores tracks of recent memory. "Creature (At The Top Of The Hill)", featuring music written by Bernadette from Gee Strings, is a stone cold punk ripper that concludes this album and the Lovesores' career in truly roaring fashion. I'm left wanting more, which is exactly the way it ought to be.

Why release an album after your band is broken up? Because you know in your heart that it's the best thing you've ever done! Bats From Planet Skull, just as much as anything the Lovesores released, captures the essence of this tremendous punk rock and roll band. Drake belts out these songs with as much conviction and intensity as ever, and backing him is a band that sounds fully determined to rock you into next week. Far from slowing down, the Lovesores were at full steam to the very end. Let us hope that this album turns out to be a million seller, requiring the assembly of multiple impostor Lovesores bands to meet the worldwide demand for touring, television appearances, and photo ops with world leaders.



-L.R.

https://lovesores.bandcamp.com/album/bats-from-planet-skull
https://www.facebook.com/TheLovesores 

Lovesores - Gods of Ancient Grease

THIS IS HOW YOU DO IT! Following six EPs dating back to 2012, Portland, Oregon's Lovesores finally present their debut LP on Dead Beat Records. I appreciate that there was never a big hurry to get a "proper" album out. Lovesores were hell bent on releasing great rock n' roll records, and it didn't really matter if that meant 7 inches, 10 inches, or 12 inches. At some point you're bringing it so hard that a couple more inches aren't going to make much of a difference. Previous EPs such as Bubblegum Riot (2013) and Rock and Roll Animal (2016) burned as hot as punk rock n' roll gets, and that's the same standard that Gods of Ancient Grease lives up to.

Produced by Portland punk rock legend Thee Slayer Hippy, Gods of Ancient Grease makes little attempt to "progress" or "update" the Lovesores sound. What you're getting here is wild, furious, and 100% from-the-heart rock n' roll steeped in the sleaze and swagger of 1970s American punk. If there's a fountain of youth, Scott "Deluxe" Drake drinks from it copiously on a daily basis. The charisma and unrepentant fuck-all attitude that ooze from his vocals ought to be the envy of every teenage screamer in the business. And as always, Saul Koll and Adam Kattau bring the fire on dual guitars. Add one of the most underrated rhythm sections going (Alex Fast and Boz Bennes) to the mix, and you've got yourself a world-class rock n' roll band! But I suppose you knew that already! If anything, Gods of Ancient Grease finds the band clinging the closest it ever has to its '77 punk roots. Songs like "Exquisite Kicks", "Planet Nein", and "Blue Suede Collar" are vintage Lovesores - coming on with ripping guitars, locking into a mid-tempo groove, and then socking you in the mouth with a huge sing-along chorus. The title track, quite honestly, is one of the most powerful testaments I've heard to the eternal glory of rock n' roll. And then there's the Dead Boys thievery on "Good Girls Don't Scream", which is blatant and highly appreciated! While none of these eight tracks veer far from what you've come to expect from the Lovesores and Scott Drake, I enjoy the creative songwriting touches shown on both of this album's side-enders. "Wednesday Monkeys", with its overt melody and interesting production techniques, is like a rock epic minus the excess. And appropriately enough, "Mission To Mars" gets a little spacey.

I know that "highly anticipated album" is a phrase guys like me often overuse. But it most certainly applies to Gods of Ancient Grease! I used to say that Loveosres were the greatest existing band without a full-length album. Well now they finally have a full-length album, and it's something else! Would I sound a little overzealous if I proclaimed it an instant classic of punk rock n' roll? Of course! But I dare you to listen to this thing and tell me I'm wrong!



-L.R.

https://lovesores.bandcamp.com/album/gods-of-ancient-grease 
https://www.facebook.com/TheLovesores 
https://shop.dead-beat-records.com/collections/dead-beat-releases/products/lovesores-gods-of-ancient-grease-lp 

New Lovesores 10-inch!

How do they do it?! The Lovesores, the reigning kings of full-fury punk rock n' roll, keep blowing me away with every new record they make. It's got to be hard to start at such a high level yet somehow find a way to continually raise the bar. But we are talking about a true force of nature! Rock and Roll Animal, the band's sixth release to date, is easily the best thing it's turned out yet.

Out today on Germany's Hound Gawd! Records, Rock and Roll Animal is already the third 10-inch record in The Lovesores' discography. Clearly they love this format, and with good reason! A ten-inch gives you a little more than a 7-inch - but with the same all-killer, no-filler quality standard. Hell, "all-killer, no-filler" might as well be The Lovesores' motto! I've never heard a sub-par track from this band, and this time they've come through with four more songs that could have been formidable singles in their own right. Scott "Deluxe" Drake - already a hall of fame punk howler - has never sounded better. Saul Koll and Thee Adam Kattau have quickly blossomed into one of the hottest guitar tandems out there - a true modern day Thunders/Sylvain or Kramer/Smith. Boz Bennes and Alex Fast make up the kind of rock solid rhythm section that's the backbone of any truly great rock n' roll band. Stylistically, there are no surprises here. This is The Lovesores doing what they do best: filthy and ferocious '70s punk sleaze forged from the fire of the original era of rock n' roll. Drake brings it on lead vocals with a conviction and urgency that put men half his age to shame. And who wouldn't be excited to sing rock n' roll songs with a band this electrifying backing him?! Simply put, Rock and Roll Animal kicks all kinds of ass! The title track is the perfect way to start off the EP - bringing New York Dolls inspired trashy goodness that's impossible to resist. It's got a great sing-along chorus, and that lead guitar work just smokes! If you're craving something harder and meaner, "The Erotic Adventures of Coca-Cola Jones" is a fast and furious shot of fireball rock n' roll that's over before you even know what hit you. "This Wicked World" is a '77 style head-bobber that showcases Koll and Kattau as a dual guitar force to be reckoned with. And to finish, "When The Lights Go Out" is what you might call "vintage" Scott Drake - a sleazy mid-tempo number bridging the gap between the degenerate ferocity of the Dead Boys and the Rolling Stones at their grittiest. What's not to love?!

If you're a Lovesores fan, this latest slab of vinyl is everything you're hoping for and then some. And if you're not a Lovesores fan, then what in the hell is wrong with you?! Order Rock and Roll Animal on blue or black vinyl from the Hound Gawd shop!



-L.R.

https://lovesores.bandcamp.com/ 
https://www.facebook.com/TheLovesores/
https://www.facebook.com/HoundGawdRecords/
http://www.houndgawd.com/shop/

Lovesores v. Born Loose!

Let's keep this simple. Lovesores and Born Loose are the two greatest punk rock n' roll bands on the planet. Just don't ask me to decide who's #1 and who's #2. Pondering such a choice would cause my head to explode. The connection between these two groups dates back to the '90s glory days of booze-soaked punk rock n' roll - when Scott "Deluxe" Drake was fronting the legendary Humpers and Larry May was fronting the legendary Candy Snatchers. Both men are going strong these days with phenomenal new bands, and a Lovesores/Born Loose split is literally one of the greatest ideas in the history of humankind. And now it's a reality - issued on beautiful 7" vinyl by Catastrophe Records. Here's the premise: Lovesores cover the Candy Snatchers, Born Loose covers The Humpers, and each band contributes a ferocious original. On the cover is a picture of a unicorn with an apparent substance abuse problem.What's not to love about this record?!

I'd honestly say that Lovesores' output so far rivals the best of The Humpers, and that continues with the ripping "Crossed-Eyed Cat". This is down and dirty '70s punk n' roll just the way you like it - smeared in Thunders/Dead Boys street grit and featuring a knockout vocal from the ageless SDD. Yeah! Lovesores then put their distinctive twist on the Candy Snatchers' "Nightcrawler" - and of course it's a mind-blowing rendition! Two songs in, the price of the record has already been fully justified. But flip that bad boy over, and you'll get an equally awesome side from Born Loose!

I recently declared Born Loose's "I Loathe You" 7" the best punk rock single of the last couple years. And here on this split, New York City's finest band continues to destroy all comers! "Whiskey Holiday" is pure sonic debauchery featuring Suke's smoking lead guitar and a signature fire-and-fury vocal from Mr. Larry May. Now that is the kind of holiday I can really get behind! Born Loose then boldly tears into The Humpers classic "Fast, Fucked & Furious". It takes some big balls to cover this song, and almost any other band would fail miserably. But Born Loose is not any other band, and Larry & co. absolutely kill it with their version!

Alright! This split is an essential purchase for longtime Humpers/Candy Snatchers fans and anyone else who loves wild and sleazy punk rock n' roll. Both bands came through with top-tier original songs, and the covers are freaking great! Whatever you gotta pay to get your hands on this thing, do it!



-L.R.

https://lovesores.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/TheLovesores
https://www.facebook.com/bornloose
https://www.facebook.com/catastropherecords

Ten more inches of Lovesores!

Lately I've been thinking that this has probably been my favorite year for new music since the fabled 1997. Yeah, really! And if I needed one last release to take it over the top and certify the all-out supremacy of 2014, now I've got it! Portland's Lovesores - whom we haven't heard from since around this time last year - are back and killing it as always! Focke-Wulf Vs. Spitfire, out on Germany's Hound Gawd! Records, is the band's second ten-inch EP. That's a very underrated format, don't you think? Perhaps the only thing cooler than ten-inch vinyl is Scott "Deluxe" Drake himself - who continues to lead the greatest punk rock n' roll band on the planet. Lovesores welcome new guitarist Saul Koll and do not miss a beat - continuing to power out sweaty, high-energy rock n' roll with the snarl and sleaze of '70s punk. As a guitar tandem, Koll and Adam Kattau are absolutely red-hot. If you like a heavy dose of rock n' roll guitar in your punk music, you're gonna go nuts for this release! And in the event you were expecting signs of mellowing out from Drake after a quarter century of slugging it out in the scene, you will be pleased to discover that he's still a wild man on the mic. I'm telling you, folks: he hasn't lost anything!

If there's a plus side to Lovesores having not yet released an album, it's that the quality of their recorded material has been consistently high. These guys haven't turned out a single song that I didn't think was great. If you combined all of the band's EP tracks into one collection, you'd have an album every bit as good as those early Humpers classics. And the trend continues here - with four more smashers that will have you screaming in delight if you've been lamenting the near-extinction of real rock n' roll. Hearing Drake shout, "You better stop...before somebody gets SHOT!" gives me chills - because I know there's no other person alive who can pull off that line quite the way he does. It's clear that he's having the time of his life fronting this phenomenal band - and these days he's giving us some of the most exciting and inspired music he's ever put his name on. And the addition of sax man Graham Coslett infuses another element of awesome into this fine EP. The title track will just about melt your face off, while "Desperation Now!" is the latest and greatest testament to the immortality of Johnny Thunders. And "Get Off" is my cup of tea all the way: snotty '77 punk with scathing fuck-you lyrics. I would bet the house that crowds go totally crazy for this one.

The question of whether or not two ten-inches are better than one 12-inch is impossible to pose without opening a Pandora's box of dirty jokes. But as far as I'm concerned, Lovesores can plan releases on 8-track, reel to reel, or any format they want if they continue to make music this great! Focke-Wulf Vs. Spitfire, like all the band's prior recordings, is a 100 percent essential purchase. And if next year does bring us a full Lovesores LP, 2015 has a chance to be an even better year than 2014!



-L.R.

http://lovesores.bandcamp.com/album/focke-wulf-vs-spitfire-ep
https://www.facebook.com/TheLovesores
https://www.facebook.com/HoundGawdRecords

Lovesores are back!

Holy crap - the Lovesores have made another record! And if that news doesn't excite you, I really gotta wonder about you! The last time we heard from the Lovesores, I proclaimed the band's Bubblegum Riot ten-inch to be as good as any record that Scott "Deluxe" Drake and Jeff Fieldhouse had ever played on. And I wasn't the only person saying that! If they'd followed it up with another record even half as good, I would have been plenty happy. But they've done far better than that - new EP Formaldehyde picks up where Bubblegum Riot left off, and the "Mick and Keith of punk rock" are still throwing fire like the last 20 years never happened! The blistering title track can be added to the growing list of Lovesores' signature anthems. Drake's vocals are so ferocious and virulent that you'd swear he's holding the secret to eternal youth, and those guitars slash and burn like nobody's business. If you like filthy and furious punk rock n' roll, "Formaldehyde" needs to be on your iPod tonight! You could play this track for almost anyone and successfully pass it off as a long lost punk rock classic from 1977 (or 1993, same difference). Again, the rest of the band (Boz Bennes, Adam Kattau, and Alex Fast) proves to be as formidable of a supporting cast as Drake and Fieldhouse have ever worked with (Damn - listen to those drums!). And stylistically, these two living legends continue to tear into the musical formula they helped define - demonstrating that they're still the best in the business. Accept no imitations! Grab a strong drink with one hand, crank up the volume with the other, and enjoy these killer tunes in all their degenerate glory. Can't wait for an LP!



-L.R.

https://www.facebook.com/TheLovesores
http://lovesores.bandcamp.com/

Lovesores' big ten inch!

I'm just gonna come out and say it: the new Lovesores 10" ranks up there with any record that Scott "Deluxe" Drake and Jeff Fieldhouse have ever played on. I know: that's some mighty big talk considering that The Humpers were one of the greatest bands of their era or any other. But as they say, the proof is in the pudding. Listen for yourself if you don't believe me!

Out now on Rapid Pulse Records, Bubblegum Riot is vintage Drake/Fieldhouse flamethrower punk rock n' roll. And it freaking kills! If you thought that a quarter century in rock n' roll would have mellowed Scott Drake, you thought wrong! He's as full of fire and fury as ever - as if he's been guzzling whiskey straight from the fountain of youth. And let's face it: nobody plays punk rock n' roll guitar like Jeff Fieldhouse. He's like Chuck Berry, Johnny Thunders, and Cheetah Chrome all rolled into one bad mofo! By no means are Drake and Fieldhouse trying to sound like The Humpers. This is a new band, not a franchise reboot. But when these guys put the pedal to the metal and blast the rock n' roll, you know you're getting the goods. If you liked The Humpers, you're gonna love the Lovesores!

With Boz Bennes and Adam Kattau (of Fast Takers) and Alex Fast (of LSD & D) rounding out a red-hot lineup, the Lovesores are truly a force to be reckoned with. They really do fill a void that's been glaring since The Humpers called it a day. The moment "Bubblegum Riot" kicks in, you're immediately transported back to the mid '90s by way of 1977. It's pure energy and steamroller power right out of the gates, and the guitars are on fire! And Drake pours on the vocal piss and vinegar like no one else. "Pull up your pants, girl, you're attracting geese!" has got to be the best line of the year. The EP's six tracks really mix things up nicely, with full-throttle scorchers like "Flamethrower Chic" and "82nd Avenue Breakdown" blending awesomely with the '50s flavored title cut and the anthemic closer "Theme to the Lovesores". Last summer's debut single "Fast Friends" really got this band off on the right foot, but clearly they've taken it to another level in a hurry. I'll put songs like "Her Majesty's Ass" and "Theme to the Lovesores" up there with the truly classic songs of the Humpers' heyday. And having heard so many bands of recent years attempt this style of music to varying degrees of success, it's a thrill to once again hear it done to perfection. How many times can I repeat the phrase "rock n' roll" in one record review? I think you all get the point. You need this record. Get it from Underground Medicine!



-L.R. 

http://lovesores.bandcamp.com/
http://www.facebook.com/TheLovesores

The Lovesores make a record!

Featuring the two founding members of perhaps the greatest punk rock n' roll band this world has ever known, Portland's Lovesores were surely expected to wow us off the bat. And they have. When you've got Scott "Deluxe" Drake on vocals and the man Jeff Fieldhouse on guitar, anything outside of a Humpers style sound would just seem wrong. No worries - Scott, Jeff, and friends haven't strayed from the formula one bit! As the devil intended, The Lovesores play boozy, sweat-drenched rock and roll. They aspire to nothing more or nothing less. On their debut single "Fast Friends", they kick up a hellfire racket of trashed-out '70s punk by way of Chuck Berry. If the masses had any taste, millions of people would have lined up outside of record shops last week to score a copy. I mean, come on. If you like this kind of music (which you clearly do if you're reading my blog!), it just doesn't get any better than this. It's Scott motherfucking Drake! The man's not getting older - he's getting better! And he's got one hell of a band backing him these days. With Boz Bennes and Adam Kattau (of Fast Takers) and Alex Fast (of LSD & D) on board, I'd say this lineup could go toe-to-toe with the mighty Humpers in their prime. This style of music, in the hands of lesser practitioners, can come off as cheeseball cliche. But The Lovesores are what you'd call the gold standard of this genre. "Fast Friends", with its red-hot leads and full-bore degenerate swagger, will have you feeling like it's 1995 all over again. If it doesn't stir your soul, you're a closet Nickelback fan. LP coming out on Devil's Jukebox Records!

-L.R.

http://www.reverbnation.com/thelovesores
http://www.facebook.com/TheLovesores