REVIEWS OF THE ROTTEN AND THE CLASS WAR KIDS

From the crucil Equalizing X Distort radio show/zine/blog…both albums available from Rebel Time Records, Interpunk, CD Baby, Itunes, etc…

THE ROTTEN
ENEMY OF THE STATE

THE ROTTEN have been slugging it out for ten years now and this is their second CD. This is the follow up to “Circus of the Demented” that came out in 2003. The band is self-described as a ’77 style punk band, but it is ’77 style in that BLANKS ’77 way. It is a fusion of punk and hardcore. And with the vocalists gruff sounding vocals they totally remind me of DOA. It is a mid-paced type of hardcore. And the title of this release even seems like a combination of DOA songs “The Enemy” and “Smash the State”. The band has some drinking and fighting songs like “K.W.D.P.”, but they also have songs about unhealthy partying like “No Good at All”. They make good arguments for atheism with songs like “God’s Helping”. And then they express their appreciation for greaser culture with “50’s ….Pontiac….”. It’s all kids counter culture so chalk it up to kindred spirits I suppose. Songs like “Oh’ Dell” and “Human Disaster” are totally pointed commentaries which I love to see. And songs like “Scenewrecker” and “Punk Love” are totally scene specific, which I also like to see because you should write about what you know and if you are immersed in the punk scene you know about shit going down. What I am trying to say is these cats are well rounded and genuine as far as punk bands go. A healthy dose of serious and fun. This will be a long time listening release.

THE CLASS WAR KIDS
REFLECTION! RAGE! REBELLION!

THE CLASS WAR KIDS play a pop punk charged by hardcore not unlike WEDNESDAY NIGHT HEROES or KNUCKLEHEAD or PROPAGHANDHI or the FALLOUT or HOSTAGE LIFE. The examples in ….Canada…. are boundless. And as you listen to “Reflection! Rage! Rebellion!” the songs bleed one into the next which is an old RAMONES trick. Like a military drill sergeant the momentum runs from the politics of food to security culture to economic cheerleading. And it’s all set to sing-a-long choruses which makes for a soundtrack for your social conscience. Bands like this give me hope. Hope for the scene and hope for a chance at a tomorrow. Keep on keeping on.

AUDIO INTERVIEW WITH THE CLASS WAR KIDS

Check out an almost 2-hour interview with THE CLASS WAR KIDS…they were interviewed last week on AWOL RADIO (“Political outrage, ecology, anarchism and resistance are common themes on the show”) out of Kitchener-Waterloo…

Head to the AWOL RADIO webpage to download the show.

It’s the show labelled: “August 20 Dan and Alex host the Class War Kids for the whole two hours where we talk punk rawk, politics, robocop and more.”

Right click and “Save Target As”…

Deep Thoughts by Nick Handy of Broadcast Zero

From the Broadcast Zero Myspace Blog…

The Ontario Crossroads

So we’ve got like seven shows coming up to close out this month. After sweating to death for the past few days I am reminded why we typically do not play shows in August…we don’t fancy dying on stage Judge Dread style or any style for that matter. But there is a good reason for these shows…

It appears that all of our favourite bands felt the urge to converge on Ontario at the exact same fucking time. So what did we do, well not much. Hmmm..that story sucks.

No, we actually made sure as hell that we’d be playing a number of shows with our favourite people form East to West.

Obviously THE rebel spell is Canada’s finest punk rock band from Vancouver….and they’re good kissers, especially that Todd fellow. They’re playing like 15 shows in Ontario so make sur eyou check them out regardless of whether or not we’re playing.

Class War Kids….whatever….only one of the best pure political punk bands I know of. Some of you may wonder what I mean by pure…well, read their lyrics sheet….these guys are chalked full of message and no fluff: specific and to the point, a sign that they know what they’re talking about. Not like those cheezy quasi-politpunks that sing about stuff like “Someone start a revolution, we’ve got four but we need more” kind of non-specific slogan chanting like you find in some bands. If you didn’t catch them the first time through Ontario, catch them on their way back to Newfoundland.

Jesse Lebourdais from the band Cambridge (Vancouver) is touring his solo acoustic act which is some real wicked shit. He’s a super talented guy who is frightened of me when I’m drunk and bowling but he put together an excellent solo project and you shoudl all check it out….immediately.

Noelle from Chaos, Disorder and Panic is a longtime show promoter out in Chilliwack, BC and she’s put on countless shows for countless bands and does it because she loves exactly what we love: building and supporting a scene that stretches across the entire country. She’s been an important contributor to that development and she’s making her first trip across Canada with her friends in GSTS marketing her specific brand of spoken-word experimental message-filled songs.

Also bands that aren’t touring but are playing shows during this time period include good friends and also people committed to building a scene are End Program from Toronto who are affiliated with the collective High Art for the Low Down who also put on countless shows in whatever venues they can find to support touring and local acts.

Subsistence from Montreal will also be heading down here for a show. There was no better moment that watching Phil from Subsistence get dragged out of one of our many local pubs screaming, “I don’t speak English!! They don’t understand!!” He was absolutely bombed but I think he was getting dragged out bombed or sober so at least he was the funner of the two. Those guys are wicked though so check them out.

And of course Final Four are playing the Hamilton show and they’ve always been one of my favourite bands except I don’t actually know them beyond the brief time we spent at the last Hamilton show we played together but they’re awesome so check them out.

The who point of the story is that four years ago none of these bands knew each other and now we get the opportunity to set up shows and play shows across the entire country and it just goes to show that a scene for this kind of punk rock exists across the country and its held together by touring bands and promoters who love the music.

nick

CLASS WAR KIDS – REVIEW FROM ABSOLUTE UNDERGROUND ZINE

From the latest issue of Absolute Underground…

THE CLASS WAR KIDS
Reflection! Rage! Rebellion! – Rebel Time Records

An apt title for this album from these Newfoundland punks. Poignant and personal songs set to the tone of straight-forward, no frills punk rock. Sounds from the streets that make you want to get up and throw a Molotov Cocktail at City Hall while waving a Pride flag and putting a brick thought the nearest Starbucks. Chock full of sing-a-long chorus’ and catchy riffs, it is sure to please anyone who digs bands like The Rebel Spell, Broadcast Zero and the plethora of other bands appealing to those with kindred spirits and full of angst. (Pauly Hardcore)