Keeping things new and fresh can be a challenge for many musicians these days with the amount of bands flooding the internet every single day. Whether it be punk, pop punk, street punk or whatever other sub genre pulled out of the air to justify somebody's sound is currently the trend, putting together an album you can sit back, throw on repeat and still enjoy the third time around is no simple task.
However, it is a true testament to these guys with their recent efforts in putting together a killer record. From beginning to end, you cant help but try and sing along even if you don't know the words having heard these songs for the first time. I actually found myself listening to "I Found the One" a few times before moving on to the rest of the album just so that I could try and learn the lyrics.
Teenage Bottlerocket blow the doors off with their latest release Tales From Wyoming available online and in stores March 31st 2015. You can order the album along with other merch here.
Once you press play, you are once again front row and centre to a solid album that makes you feel like you are in the room watching these boys rock out. The introductory track "In My Head" gives Tales From Wyoming a powerful start to the record that only promises to please fans from beginning to end. Ray's voice punches through and brings us back to familiar territory with Teenage Bottlerocket, yet the album offers a crisp and polished new sound. The distorted guitars and Miguel's deadly bass lines set up the listener to some of the best we have received from the boys yet.
The album is not just a re visiting of previous releases, nor is it a departure from those endeavours either. Tales From Wyoming gives us an earful of songs that do not stray too far from their early roots in the punk rock scene, however does touch on some subjects that will be new to fans. On one of the tracks called "TV Set", you can hear Teenage Bottlerocket's ability to delve into more serious subjects without becoming overly preachy and still keep a tone that is both sombre and enjoyable to listen to. Its a refreshing approach to singing about the worlds current state of affairs few bands are able to hone without sounding pompous.
Teenage Bottlerocket. Photo used with the permission of Miguel Chen.
We also get a taste of the regular goods in songs like "Haunted House" and "Too Much La Colina", bringing Kody to the front of the vocal delivery. The lyrics are catchy as hell, the guitar riffs so infectious that you find yourself unknowingly nodding your head along as you listen.
When its time to shake up the tempo of the album, we have "I Wanna Die" which gets gritty right from beginning to end. Its raw, fast and ultimately a good time to listen to and again proof that the boys dont just stick to one formula of getting things done and aren't afraid to kick it into high gear.
"First Time" gives us an opportunity to listen to Ray's vocal ability and songwriting talent. It is perhaps one of the most stripped down and honest tunes we have heard on a Teenage Bottlerocket album about a subject that is clearly close to the chest. I have to say this was one of my favourites.
Tales From Wyoming is witness to some of the best songwriting performed by Teenage Bottlerocket. In having steadily become a staple in the punk rock world, this latest release leaves us wanting to listen to it over and over again. This record is sure to become a fan favourite and is a true display that these boys have carved their way into the roster of essential punk rock bands that will be sticking around with no real end in sight.
Teenage Bottlerocket is currently on tour in support of Tales From Wyoming and if you have never had a chance to see them live, do yourself a favour, check out your local show listings and check them out. They are one helluva good time.
Teenage Bottlerocket plays the Ship and Anchor with The Copyrights June 10th in Calgary.
Julius Sumner Miller Band of Calgary AB. Pic by Mark Preston
For just over two years now, Calgary Punk Shows has been a force in the promoting of local punk rock talent. On occasion also posting for hard rock or thrash metal, the aim since the beginning has been to promote Calgary's loud and proud bands, primarily focusing on the Punk Rock scene.
From the obscure to the well known local talent, Joel Threat, the founder of the Calgary Punk Shows facebook and Twitter page, has always tried to keep content current and up to speed.
I recently had a chat with my good friend about why he decided to start Calgary Punk Shows.
"Originally, it was just a page where I could throw up posters of shows that I knew about so that friends of mine could know about the shows that were going on that I knew about, and at the same time they could do the same so that we all kind of knew what was going on at the time. Then it just kind of caught on publicly, and more and more people knew about it."
That wasn't the whole reason however. Joel continued to share with me his discontent in the support for underground talent:
"Whenever I would go to a show, I found that there was all these awesome bands, but never alot of people at the show. Like this one time I saw a band called Streetlight Saints and I thought, 'Man these guys rule!' but there was like 2 people watching them. There were people in the bar, but they weren't there for the Saints, and I thought a band this good needed way more support than that. Maybe its not a lack of promotion, but not enough of it. So that's the other reason I started the page. To help out with that"
Streetlight Saints of Calgary AB. Pic by Mark Preston
Joel feels that while there has been a small turnaround in the support of providing venues for punk rock shows, Calgary still has a steep hill to climb.
Gone are the days of decent all ages shows and venues for the kids of Calgary to congregate on a weekend to enjoy some excellent punk rock music. To search and (even harder) to find such an event has proven to be daunting. This is something that Joel hopes, with enough exposure and the right type of promoting, club owners and others alike may open up their doors, not only to the underage crowds, but all who enjoy some fun live music.
A few venues around town have already been making headway for some time in the way of supporting the scene, and the hope is to see more. Venues like Night Owl, Ship and Anchor, Dickens Pub and Tubby Dog already host shows on almost a weekly basis and Calgary Punk Shows advertises these venues regularly on facebook and on Twitter so the fans do not miss out on the latest and loudest our city has to offer.
In addition to posters and shout outs to many of the local talent, Calgary Punk Shows also runs a Podcast currently hosted through Soundcloud. You can listen to the latest, and previous episodes here
While the focus of the podcast has always been local, the mix is truly fresh and never repetitive, with the exception of a featured artist music being played throughout. (Listen to the Darius Koski from Swingin Utters episode here). The podcast also features bands from around the world that may have not been heard on Canadian soil before, or seldom heard entirely, as well as staples in the punk rock world such as Bad Religion, Good Riddance, The Bouncing Souls, Propagandhi to name a few.
Along with playing music and highlighting local music, the Calgary Punk Shows Podcast has also been recently interviewing Canadian, as well as international musicians from the scene, and promoting tours coming through town.
In connection with the support in Calgary of the punk rock scene, Calgary Punk Shows asks artist and fans alike to share and promote the facebook page and podcast to "spread the word" as Joel puts it, so that others who may not have heard about whats going on, are afforded the opportunity to join in.
The Mandates of Calgary AB
"The support for the scene is lacking in our city. We need people to come out to the shows, and to spread the word about what's going on. If you are a band, and have a show coming up, or you want us to play your music on an upcoming episode, send us a message, and we'll do that for you. We WANT you to be heard."
Head on over to the Calgary Punk Shows facebook or Twitter page to check out whats going on this weekend in our city.
-Jay Caption-
