It was a summer in the early 1970’s in what would otherwise seem like a  typical night in a Minneapolis suburb. Four teenagers were practicing with their band when they suddenly and suspiciously went missing. This up and coming band these boys were in, who were greatly influenced by groups like The Bay City Rollers and The Ohio Express were regarded by many as being “teen idols in the making” and “the next big thing.” In the year 2012, these boys mysteriously returned unharmed and un-aged. Wherever they were time did not exist. They have returned to this dimension now in its “information age” with a request for us all: disconnect, decompress, strap on your roller skates and fall in love! This Interview originally appeared in Audio Ammunition on November 24th, 2014 Interview by J Castro Shock Treatment: Let us first start out by you guys introducing yourselves and telling us what exactly you do to keep the Cozy machine rolling on. BONKERS: My friends call me Bonkers, so I guess you...

Ever hear some tired old morons making fools of themselves droning on that punk rock isn’t the same as it was back in the old days? Well those boring geezers are right, in a lot of ways it’s better now! Folks that start punk bands nowadays have the benefit of chipping away at bits of different scenes from decades of recorded history. Take Los Angeles’ Rough Kids, they add their own unique zest to an already volatile mixture of punk rock and it makes for a distinct explosive mechanism with a blast force capable of permanently etching the shadows of the people in their audience on to the surrounding walls. Punk rock may not ever save the world but it can help tear it down so we can build a new one on its ashes and Rough Kids makes the perfect demolition device. This interview originally appeared in Audio Ammunition on November 24th, 2014 Interview by J Castro Shock Treatment: Please tell me who’s in the band and what you all do to keep Rough Kids the toughest gang on the block: LUIS: dr...

Gino and the Goons – Shake It! LP (Black Gladiator/Slovenly Recordings/Total Punk) These Floridians know how to get up and get down with the best of ‘em! As soon as you push play, the barn doors fly open and the wild animals come running out like the place is on fire! From the first song, that sets the bar pretty high, there is just no let up. Sleazed up, messed up, but done up right rock n’ roll like DMZ, and Real Kids. I know those are some pretty big names to drop, but Gino and the Goons hold their own right next to them with their heads held high. They chip away at their influences but never copy. You can just tell these are all kindred rock n’ roll spirits looking for a good time. ~ J Castro Sick Thoughts – Fat Kid with a 10 Inch 10” LP (Slovenly Recordings) The Baltimore battering ram is on the loose again and this time it’s added a few inches for more destructive power! This is some pretty trashy, lo-fi, barely controlled blow torch blasts of punk rock that still manages to ...

Crusaders of Love aren’t just an excellent band that take tips from past rock n’ roll royalty like Marc Bolan, Johnny Thunders and Alex Chilton, they’re a force that struggles to preserve a time in rock n’ roll history when music mattered, a time when people took pride in their record collection and actually knew a little about the band that was emblazoned on their T-shirt. I may be preaching to the already converted and it might sound like a terrible cliché in the world of underground rock n’ roll, but evidence seems to show that this ideology is dying in popular culture. Art has been reduced to “entertainment” and consumed like a fast food cheeseburger. Music like what the Crusaders of Love play deserves to be savored. Only then will your soul receive the sustenance it needs and deserves to carry on. This Interview originally appeared in Audio Ammunition on November 7th, 2014 Interview by J Castro Shock Treatment: Let’s start out with some introductions. Who are ...

There was a time in the early 1980’s when I loved MTV and the videos they played, an era when it seemed rock music was still moving in new and exciting directions. The pop and new wave bands then had the ability to echo our own wide-eyed enthusiasm for the times and of the heartbreaking losses in love we went through and put it to terrific pop tunes. Well many listened but few learned, 1-800-BAND are some of the ones that took really good notes. They learned to channel a similar romanticism and inject it into fun and undeniably catchy songs similar to the Pretenders and The Cars. 1-800-BAND do what so many rock n’ roll bands wish they could accomplish: they make something old sound new again! This interview originally appeared in Audio Ammunition on November 7th, 2014 Interview by J Castro Shock Treatment: Ok Al, let’s start off by telling me who’s all in the band and what you all do to earn your place? AL: Al Huckabee on guitar and vocals, Polly Watson on keyboards, Robbie Kongr...

Bearmace – Cold Ones 7” (Zaxxon Records) Yeeooww this is some blistering hardcore coming outta this Montreal foursome. I don’t regularly listen to this type of stuff, just because it reminds me of total macho tough guy posing. But Conor, the vocalist, sounds more like someone that’s fallen down a deep well late at night in the middle of a densely wooded area and just realized there is someone (or something) already down there with him. Another thing I dislike about hardcore is how political issues get shoved down your throat until you gag and throw the disc across the room. Not here though, apparently the bands motto is “believe in nothing”. This I can handle, getting preached to, no thanks! ~ J Castro Sick Thoughts – S/T 7” (Zaxxon Records) This Baltimore, MD band tear it up hard with some seriously savage rock n’ roll guitar hooks, punishing drum poundings and some goblin style, tonsil ripping vocals. This record immediately erects a tall wall of lo-fi noise that only lets ferocity...