The Clams - The Complete Clams

Out now on Rum Bar Records, The Complete Clams brings the recorded output of one of the most overlooked Twin Cities bands of the 1980s back into print -- where it deserves to be. The Clams were Cindy Lawson (guitar, lead vocals), Patty Jansen (bass), Karen Cusack (drums), and Roxie Terry (lead guitar). Between 1986 and 1988, they released two singles and one 12" EP. The Complete Clams compiles the songs from all three releases along with some additional rarities to form one really great 15-track album. While anyone with fond memories of seeing The Clams live in the later '80s will be thrilled with this collection, this is by no means a "for fans only" type release. Listening to this album, I can't help noticing how well it fits in with Rum Bar's existing catalog full of glam rock, garage rock, power pop, and straight-forward rock and roll. Cindy Lawson was (and still is!) an absolute powerhouse on lead vocals. She and Roxie Terry formed a bad-ass tandem a la Jagger/Richards and Johansen/Thunders. It's no surprise, then, to hear the Stonesy vibes of "Run Baby Run" and a most formidable cover of the New York Dolls' "Human Being." What I enjoy about this collection is that it captures a very versatile rock and roll band. Debut single "What's Wrong With This Picture?" is jangly guitar pop at its finest. Second single "Train Song" is raw, high-energy rock and roll straight out of the bar. By the time The Clams released their EP Exile On Lake Street, they were trying everything from cool Pretenders-ish rock ("He's Like Heroin") to anthemic, thundering rock and roll ("Let Me Drive") to infectious power pop ("Give Me A Reason") to edgy new wave ("Eat My Words"). Unearthed from an obscure Pendulum Records compilation album, "The Desperate Kind" is The Clams' punkiest track-- and one of its very best! The album also features several live covers which give you a sense of some of the band's influences and a feel for what it would have been like to experience The Clams in person. Buy this album if you want to hear the coolest-ever version of "We're an American Band"! 

Whether you're a Minneapolis/St. Paul music scene historian or simply want to discover a really great garage rock and roll band that has gone largely unrecognized for decades, The Complete Clams is a highly recommended purchase. What a voice Cindy Lawson has! Be on the lookout for a reissue of her latest solo EP New Tricks -- releasing next Friday on Rum Bar Records!

-L.R.

https://rumbarrecords.bandcamp.com/album/the-complete-clams
https://cindylawson.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/RumBarRecords

Rock N Roll Manifesto 7" series Vol. II

The Rock N Roll Manifesto, the king of all underground rock and roll radio shows, has released the second volume in its series of compilation seven-inches. Volume I, which featured Tiger Touch, Fret Rattles, JJ & The Real Jerks, and the mighty Missile Studs, set quite a precedent for this series. So how do you top a lineup like that? If you're Greg Lonesome, you reach out to the legendary Sonny Vincent. That's right: Rock N Roll Manifesto 7" Series Vol. II kicks off with "Over A Cliff," an unreleased track from Sonny freaking Vincent! And this isn't just a Sonny Vincent song: it's a killer Sonny Vincent song! Vincent mentions being proud of his involvement with this compilation since it reflects the passion people have for music in physical formats. And that's really the point of this 7" series. These EPs are made to be records. Volume II, like Volume I before it, is the total package. The tunes smoke, the artwork (by Rob Sheley) is amazing, and the vinyl comes in three different colors (canary yellow, milky clear with canary splatter, and black with canary haze). Also included is a really slick lyric sheet with full information on each track. It's not just about hearing the music: it's about adding a super fucking cool record to your collection! Joining Sonny Vincent on this release are three of the finest bands in the underground universe: London post-punk greats Miscalculations, Swedish garage-punk sensations The Manikins, and Pennsylvania's rock and roll force of nature The Judex. Three of the four tracks are previously unreleased, and the Judex track is appearing on vinyl for the first time. All in all, this is an absolute monster of a record. It's limited to 500 copies -- which are available through Stamp Out Disco (Australia), No Front Teeth Records (UK), Hyperloop Records (UK), and the Rock N Roll Manifesto Bandcamp. To the best of my knowledge, this release is not currently available digitally. But you can trust that it's well-worth your cash if Greg Lonesome curated it! Follow the links below to order the record and check out more music from all of these tremendous artists!  

-L.R.

https://rnrmanifesto.bandcamp.com/merch/rnrm-7-series-vol-ii-ltd-edition-of-500-in-3-colors-of-vinyl
https://stampoutdisco.bandcamp.com/album/rnrm-7-series-vol-ii-ltd-edition-of-500-in-3-colors-of-vinyl
https://www.nofrontteeth.co.uk/
https://sonnyvincenttestors.bandcamp.com/music
https://thejudex.bandcamp.com/
https://miscalculations.bandcamp.com/
https://themanikinsofficial.bandcamp.com/

http://rnrmanifesto.com/

Brad Marino - "Another Sad and Lonely Night"

What could be more perfect than Brad Marino covering Bobby Fuller? If Bobby Fuller was Buddy Holly's rightful heir, Marino is in many ways a modern-day Bobby Fuller. He plays a timeless style of rock and roll steeped in the tradition of the two-to-three minute pop song. While Fuller's life and career were tragically cut short, he left behind a treasure trove of great American rock and roll with his band The Bobby Fuller Four. While Marino was in Atlanta for Downsouth Showdown earlier this year, he and his pals Geoff Palmer and Zack Sprague recorded some new songs at Joe King's Scabby Road Studio. One of the tracks they laid down was a cover of "Another Sad and Lonely Night," one of Bobby Fuller's best original songs. Marino has released the track as a digital single, and of course it's totally amazing. You can hear the reverence for Fuller's classic original, but Marino puts his own twist on it as he always does with his covers. And, yes, that's Mr. Joe King on backing vocals! If you're a Brad Marino fan and don't own any music by the Bobby Fuller Four, that situation needs to be rectified immediately. And if you're a Bobby Fuller fan who has happened to stumble upon this post, do yourself a favor and check out all of Brad Marino's releases!

-L.R.

https://bradmarino.bandcamp.com/track/another-sad-and-lonely-night-single
https://www.facebook.com/bradmarinomusic

Night Court - Nervous Birds! Too

Vancouver trio Night Court is quickly becoming one of my favorite Canadian punk rock bands. Admittedly, I have a lot of favorite Canadian punk bands. But Night Court is definitely in that mix! The band has just released Nervous Birds! Too, the second half of its debut album duology. Jiffy, Emilor, and Dave are back with 13 more super-catchy tracks that blur the lines between punk, pop, new wave/post-punk, and indie rock. It's perfect that the album was co-released by the American label Snappy Little Numbers since it's nothing but snappy little numbers! I love this band because it takes so many things I like in music (great hooks, raw energy, clever/humorous lyrics) and pulls them together in a unique and highly original way. Listening to Nervous Birds! Too, I can understand why Night Court's debut album had to be a duology. Nervous Birds! Too is as good or maybe even better than Nervous Birds! One. This band genuinely had 26 album-worthy tracks to work with! A 26-track album would have been a little much, yet I'd be hard-pressed to name any songs that could have been left out. Why not double the fun? 

Nervous Birds! One left us wanting more; Nervous Birds! Too delivers exactly that. Each track sinks its hooks into you quickly and gets out just in time for the next one to the do the same. Even at an average length of just 90 seconds, these tunes are splendidly-crafted and built to keep you coming back for more. In keeping with the delightful uniqueness of this band, lyrics address topics varying from dark times to strange dreams to the Titanic to sewage pipes to birds to the contagiousness of positive thinking to Canadians' constant need to apologize. If you welcome music that's punky, poppy, lo-fi, noisy, and quirky all at the same time, this band and this album are for you. Nervous Birds! Too is available on cassette from Debt Offensive Records and Snappy Little Numbers. Whether you're Canadian or not, you'll be sorry if you miss out!,

-L.R.

https://debtoffensiverecords.bandcamp.com/album/nervous-birds-too
https://nightcourtpunk.bandcamp.com/
https://snappylittlenumbers.bandcamp.com/album/nervous-birds-too
https://www.facebook.com/nightcourtpunk
https://www.facebook.com/snappylittlenumbers
https://www.facebook.com/debtoffensiverecs

The Dogmatics - Drop That Needle

I can still remember how excited I was when I first heard that The Dogmatics would be putting out new material for the first time in decades. It has been two-and-a-half years already since the release of the band's "comeback" EP She's the One -- which turned out to be every bit as good as I had hoped. Advance singles released in recent months had me thinking that the follow-up Drop That Needle would be even better. I was not wrong! Out today on Rum Bar Records, Drop That Needle finds the best band to ever come out of Boston in fine form. Push play, and you'll be delighted to hear that The Dogmatics still sound like The Dogmatics. But by no means does this release fall into the "for fans only" category. Far from resting on their laurels, The Dogmatics are quickly establishing themselves as one of the most excellent garage rock and roll bands going today. I previously referred to the the title track as the "ultimate garage rocker" and see no reason to disagree with myself. "Automat Kalashnikov," the first Dogmatics song to be written and sung by Peter O' Halloran, is a crackling return to the band's punk rock roots. "Think Twice" is unlike anything you've ever heard from The Dogmatics before. This folk tune is a collaboration with James Young (from Peter O' Halloran & The Hired Men), who sings lead vocals and plays mandolin. I hope The Dogmatics do more songs like this in the future! The Jerry Lehane penned rocker "Don't Break My Heart" sounds like the best Rockpile song you never heard. Finishing off the EP is "Acid Rain," a song written by the late, great Paul O' Halloran and featuring his brother Peter on lead vocals. This was the track I was most excited to hear, and it does not disappoint! You can feel Paul's spirit in this recording, and his lyrics are truly chilling in the wake of what's been happening to our environment in recent decades. What a wonderful tribute to Paul O' Halloran! To this day, there is no Dogmatics without him. 

"Aging like fine wine" is undoubtedly one of the most egregious music reviewer clichés in the book, but it certainly describes The Dogmatics to a T. Put on Drop That Needle, and you'll hear sounds that are both familiar and full of surprises. Not content to be remembered for their old classics, The Dogmatics are well on their way to authoring a whole slew of new ones. This band honors the past but is not stuck in it. And as the garage/punk/rock and roll scene continues to flourish at the grass roots level, it's a joy to see more and more people becoming hip to an eternal truth: The Dogmatics rule!

-L.R.

https://rumbarrecords.bandcamp.com/album/drop-that-needle
https://www.facebook.com/RumBarRecords
https://www.facebook.com/thedogmatics
https://thedogmatics.com/

Dirty Truckers - The Tisbury Joneser

The Tisbury Joneser is the fourth full-length album from The Dirty Truckers. Out today on Rum Bar Records, this is the first long player in over 13 years from this Boston-based rock and roll institution. Having anthologized tracks from existing Dirty Truckers releases on two previous occasions, Rum Bar proudly brings into the world 10 new songs of heart-on-sleeve dive bar rock and roll from unsung songwriting great Tom Baker and his illustrious partners-in-crime (John Brookhouse on lead guitar, Jamie Griffith on bass, and Johnny "Rock" Lynch on drums). The Tisbury Joneser was a lockdown recording project. If it took an unprecedented global pandemic to get these guys to make another record, well there's a silver lining for you! When it comes to The Dirty Truckers or any Tom Baker project, you know exactly what to expect: no-nonsense blue collar rock and roll for fans of The Replacements, Rolling Stones, and everything that's good in between. The Westerberg/Stinson influence looms large on this release as the splendid tracks "Cut Me Loose," "(You've Got The) Shakes Again," and "Remember One" tip the cap to early, late, and classic period Replacements. The Stones influence is more literal this time: the band tears into an inspired rendition of Exile on Main St. Side 4 opener "All Down the Line." As always, Baker shows himself to be a formidable songwriter in the realm of straight-forward rock and roll. There are few better at crafting a hooky tune with heart and guts. While lean and mean at just ten tracks, The Tisbury Joneser covers an awful lot of ground. Standout numbers highlight the band's flair for everything from rootsy pop ("Just Forget It") to heartland rock ("I Feel Nothing") to raucous rock and roll ("Keep It in the Vault"). Every time I get to the end of this album, I'm left wanting more. 

The Tisbury Joneser finds The Dirty Truckers continuing to not fix what isn't broke. There will always be a place in the world for a band like this that aspires to nothing more than to write great songs and rock the hell out of 'em! No less of an authority than Jerry Lehane points to this album as solid proof that rock and roll is alive and well. What else needs to be said? The Tisbury Joneser is an album best enjoyed loud in tandem with the cheapest, coldest beer you can find. Koozie included if you buy one of the special bundles!

-L.R.

https://rumbarrecords.bandcamp.com/album/the-tisbury-joneser
https://www.facebook.com/RumBarRecords
https://dirtytruckers.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/TheDirtyTruckers

Extra Arms - "Big Dogs"

One of my most eagerly-anticipated albums of 2022 is set to release June 3 on Forge Again Records. What Is Even Happening Right Now? will be the third full-band album from Detroit-based loud power pop foursome Extra Arms. It's hard for me to believe it was seven years ago already that I fell in love with Ryan Allen's solo album Heart String Soul. Back then, "Extra Arms" was just a funny way to convey that Allen could play a whole lot of instruments. Eventually he found some permanent bandmates and made Extra Arms a bona fide rock band. I've never been disappointed with any release that Allen has been involved with. Extra Arms in particular hit a sweet spot for me because they recall a time when indie/alternative rock truly rocked! In advance of What Is Even Happening Right Now? (a perfect album title for this moment in time!), the band has released the single and video "Big Dogs." In typical Extra Arms style, this song is a killer slice of powerful pop. "Big Dogs," it turns out, is a love song to man's best friend. It was inspired by Allen's special relationship with Willie Nelson, his partner's dog. Yet the song is more universal than that, exploring the powerful connection we can have with another living being in spite of not being able to fully converse with them. If you, as I, have ever longed to know the inner thoughts of your four-legged soulmate, you will understand what a profound song "Big Dogs" is. And the video is an absolute delight! With less than a month to go until the new record releases, I am getting majorly pumped for more new tunes from Extra Arms. This just might be the album of the summer! Hit up Forge Again's Bandcamp to pre-order the vinyl. 

-L.R.

https://forgeagainrecords.bandcamp.com/album/what-is-even-happening-right-now
https://extraarms.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/ryanallenandhisextraarms
https://www.extraarmsband.com/
https://www.instagram.com/extraarms/