Smart Shoppers Interview

The self proclaimed "dorkwave" band Smart Shoppers came out with their third LP in 2025 and it was one of the most original and entertaining records I listened to last year. Their caffeinated mix of XTC meets The Dickies is loud, bouncy and always obnoxiously poking at your eyeballs. They got the pop hooks, they got the tightly coiled guitar riffs, they got a slide whistle! So call it dorkwave, spazpunk, or jtterrock, Smart Shoppers are here to make sure things stay awkward and eyebrows remain furrowed. 

photo by Adam Ziegenhals

Shock Treatment: Let’s start out with who’s all currently in Smart Shoppers?

Smart Shoppers: Smart Shoppers is and will always be Aaron Smart(Rice) on guitar, Jash Thrift(Stamps) on drums, Norby Shopko (Rev. Norb) on bass, and myself; Joey Shops(Lambert) on vocals and random sounds.

ST: How did you guys all meet and decide to form the band?

SS: Aaron and Jash are brothers-in-law and most of us have known one another for a couple decades at least. There was a time when Norb and I were next door neighbors. Aaron is my oldest's Godfather, and was my best man at my wedding in which Norb was the officiator. There's some history there. 

ST: You guys released your third LP, last year’s Shop Among Us. The first band that’s been on Bulge Records for like 20 years! Can you tell me a little bit about the record?

SS: Well, it's round with another round hole in the center. I am told that if you place the little hole on the spindle part of a phonograph and lower the needle onto the record while the platter revolves at 33.33rpm one will hear 16 songs that start with the letter 'S' and are filled with tasty dorkwavey sounds

ST: How do you feel the new LP compares to the previous two?
SS: This one is a bit more garagey-straight-forward-art-punkish than our previous two efforts. The first being "Dorkwave" and perhaps our most experimentally dorky. Our second full length "Leftovers from Tomorrow" was kind of aptly named after the fact that when we first became a band the songs seemed to write themselves whenever we got together. Within a year or so we had like 25-30 songs- so, the ones we left off of our first record kind of became the bulk "leftovers" making up the 2nd. I learned to get way better production quality which is probably why i was less concerned with trying to spruce things up with silky antics. These songs seemed to stand in their own a lot more probably due to us having been a band now for 6 or so years and having played together long enough to develop more of a chemistry as a band.

ST: Did you have a certain sound you wanted to go for when starting out Smart Shoppers?

Loosely, i suppose? We knew what each other kind of liked, so like it started with Jash and Aaron being between bands and having songs they thought i would like the basis of and asked me to write some lyrics for them. So, from day one it was kind of like -yeah, we ALL like tons of different genres and eras of music "but this one sounds like the kind of song Joe would send me to check out..." type of thing. Norb is like an encyclopedia of music knowledge and Aaron is not far behind; so we sort of knew where our overlapping interests were ahead of time. I will say that we all kind of also agreed early on that a lot of the really cool stuff we all liked was like not straight punk, or new wave, or art rock, or whatever- but like those certain albums and bands that were in the cusp of all of those. Gang of Four, Television, B-52's, Crucifucks, Dead Milkmen, Devo, Buzzcocks etc. Bands that just sounded like they were making the music they liked and wanted to male regardless if anyone cares what they were doing. 

ST: Tell me about a Smart Shoppers show! What do you want the audience to walk away with after seeing you guys live?

SS: We're kind of one of those bands that will probably ALWAYS be better live. If for no other reason that we love playing together. When you're tracking in the studio, sure- it's still fun, but when you're dying of sweat under hot ass lights and out of breath and time seems to stop- I dunno, it's just different. I have no clue what i am going to do before we start and no idea what just happened after. Reckless abandon. On the records you can hear that we have practiced and can play- live you get more of a "these guys are not joking" feeling. We serve our ridiculousness with an unrelenting understanding of the desperate NEED our society has for such unbridled silliness in these overtly serious times. We're not asking folks to stop caring about what is important as much as trying to remind them that having fun is just as important. Saying, fuck feeling bad and worrying and being bogged down with more than i can process for a minute, let's dance like fools! It is folly to think that anything that incorporates humor lacks seriousness, smart shopping means smart consuming- you are what you eat- start consuming better stuff!

ST: What bands do you think people should know/listen to in order to fully appreciate the Smart Shoppers experience?

SS: All the ones i mentioned above, probably the classics of punk, garage, egg punk and new wave. Art punk stuff and lots of 50's and 60's solid gold oldies. We tend to all have a soft spot for that golden rock n' roll era. It doesn't come through as much in Shopper's songs, but we are all big Motown soul fans too. Lots of funk and hardcore and jazz and all sorts of stuff goes into what we like and are influenced by I suppose.

ST: You guys are currently based in the Green Bay, WI area, are there some other local bands you guys like playing with and that you feel people should check out?
SS: Sheesh, yeah, there's a bunch! To be fair the whole Wisconsin/Minnesota/Illinois/Michigan/Ohio/Indiana section of the Midwest is on fire as far as i am concerned. I couldn't pick out only a few without instantly thinking of 5 more i should have typed. If you can't find cool new music to go check out and you live in one of these states- you aren't looking!

ST: What lies ahead in 2026 for Smart Shoppers?
SS: We have a backlog of new songs to work on. There's a big show on April 1st. in GB with Teenage Bottlerocket, another one with our friends Sensor Ghost on March 8th, another secret once in a lifetime show with a sick recently reunited band also sometime in March. A HUGE show with Lousy Sue, Mr. Clit and the Pink Cigarettes (both from Indianapolis), and Unattractive Giant Monster (Minneapolis). Possibly an EP before summer too! 

ST: Where can people go to check out your music and buy your records, either online or in person?
SS: All the usual places online, most of the COOL record shops can at least order our records for you now through Revolver distribution. (Although the coolest ones keep it in stock!) Also, obvs Bandcamp and the Bulge website etc.

 illustration by Angie Vee

My Favorite Records of 1996

I remember four things, right off the top of my head from 1996. I remember collecting Beanie Babies like a fiend with my Mom. We'd drive all around town, from store to store looking for our next beanie fix. I remember playing Mario Kart 64 like a wild eyed maniac, often times shunning food and drink just for the opportunity to play more. I remember being so excited to finally get a Marvel Vs. DC comic book. And I remember buying punk rock records, lot's and lot's of punk records. 

I was lucky to have discovered underground punk music just a few years prior. I didn't know if it was because I was at such a formative age in 1996, but I always held the music that came out during that time particularity close to my heart. I think of it as such a golden era for the genera. But I can tell you one thing, out of the three things I mentioned remembering about 1996, the one thing I still do is listen to the records that came out then. I haven't played Mario Kart, read that crappy Marvel Vs DC crossover comic or set eyes on a little bean filled animal in decades, but I still put on those same records all the damn time. 

Lord Rutledge was telling me about this post he was doing, recounting his favorite records of 1996. I thought this sounded like so much fun that I told him I wanted in on this as well! I can't believe 1996 was 30 years ago! So we decided to do "tandem posts", recalling our favorite records of 1996. We didn't give our entire lists away to each other, a majority of it remains secret. I'm super curious what he'll list, but here's mine, ten LP's and ten 7"s in no particular order. 

LP's 

April March & The Makers - April March Sings Along With The Makers LP (Sympathy For The
Record Industry)
I remember how much of a fan I was of April March's band The Shitbirds and of course I loved The Makers, I mean who didn't! Then I started thinking about the subject matter of some of those Makers songs and I thought...hmm I wonder how that's going to work out. Turns out, it was like chocolate and peanut butter. It worked out so well, April March added such a different dimension to those Makers songs, I actually prefer some of these versions more! This was such a magnificent project, I wish there was a Volume II

The Insomniacs - Out Of It LP (Estrus Records) 
This sound was completely new to me. I mean, I was familiar with all those early British Invasion records that still had such a wild irreverence to them.  My Mom introduced me to all the early Kinks, Who, Stones, Beatles records and I loved them. And here was a new band from New Jersey putting a modern spin to it, but still keeping that unique wild 60's sound. There was that 60's sound and adding the power pop element to it made The Insomniacs a real force to be reckoned with, not only back then but to this very day! The Insomniac's music was pure and untampered brilliance. 

Swingin' Utters - A Juvenile Product of the Working Class LP (Fat Wreck Chords)

I was such a huge fan of The Swingin Utters prior LP The Streets of  San Francisco. I was however not a big fan of Fat Wreck Chords. Which was odd, I liked NOFX, still do. But I was not a fan of the other bands on that label like Lag Wagon, Good Riddance, Strung Out, etc. So I thought this was going to be a huge misstep for Johnny and the boys. Turns out together they cranked out a first rate Utters record. It made the tempos a lot quicker that's for sure. But it was the same band, just faster with the rabbit punches. Perfection! 

The Showcase Showdown  - Appetite Of Kings LP (Elevator Music)
I remember people were saying how the singer is just trying to rip off Jello Biafra. When I finally heard this record, I remember thinking, yeah he sounds kinda like Jello. But a Jello that's been up for 72 hrs on a manic LSD bender! Showcase Showdown played a unique blend of punk rock, tossing in street punk, 77 Pogo, and Oi! into their arsenal. And all the meanest, gnarliest parts of all those too! They sounded like one of those bands that was just barely holding it together, which actually made them sound dangerous, like they actually posed a threat. I hear they recently reunited to play with the Dropkick Murphys. I hope more comes of this! 

The Crumbs - Get All Tangled Up 10" (Far Out Records)

Yeah, it's a 10" but it has 8 songs and technically that makes it an LP! I remember looking at the cover of this record and thinking, whoa these guys look like Pony Boy, Two Bit, Soda Pop and the rest of the Outsiders gang! The Crumbs played Ramones style pop punk with unmatched hooks and the most infectious melodies. Super cool thing about these guys is that they played with such youthful vigor and that made them sound fun. Like you were at a rad house party having the best time and this band was playing their hearts out in the back yard. 

The Registrators - Terminal Boredom LP (Rip-Off Records) 
Josh and I were recently talking to Greg Rip-Off for our podcast and he said this was one of the records he was most proud of putting out on his label. I think any label owner would say that if they were involved in unleashing this absolute titan of a record out into an unsuspecting world. These Japanese wild men made one of the most unforgettable records of the decade and made it sound so effortless. A lo-fi punk band that put in unmeasurable amounts of 77 snarl and swagger along with heaping sides of manic energy and razor sharp guitars. All of that combined hits you like a wrecking ball to the face, and then you get up and beg for more. 

The Strike - A Conscience Left To Struggle With Pockets Full Of Rust LP (

There was something undeniably cool about this band, and it wasn't just the way they dressed. They played anti establishment, proletariat punk rock with a mod twist. I believe I own everything this band ever put out and they never sounded all crazy and wild, they kept it subdued and level headed. They always kept that Mod cool, and that was to be commended. The Strike sounded like a Stiff Little Fingers and The Jam alloy. Battle hardened and forged of fire yet always remained cool as steel. The Strike definitely had one of the most captivating sounds of the 90's. 

Screeching Weasel - Bark Like A Dog LP (Fat Wreck Chords)

Screeching Weasel were one of the first underground punk bands I was introduced to back in the 90's. Their LP Wiggle had just come out and I remember thinking that LP wasn't quite as good as their previous LP My Brain Hurts. I thought, if only they could combine the hooks of My Brain Hurts with the force and velocity of Wiggle they'd have a killer on their hands. Well, they finally did on this record. It took Vapid leaving, then coming back into the fold for Ben and the lads to return to top form and make this exhilarating comeback record. 

The Smugglers - Selling The Sizzle LP (Lookout Records) 

How can I do a list of records from the 90's and not include a Lookout! Records release?! I know I have some Lookout! bands on here, but no actual, official releases on the label until now. I didn't want to do the usual MTX or The Queers so I went with a band that I feel went WAY overlooked on Lookout!. Vancouver's The Smugglers made good time pop punk with a terrific sense humor. The songs on this LP were loud, weird, charismatic and they stuck to your ear hole. I mean, Selling The Sizzle was so much fun and frolicking that it was almost a ska punk record! Just watch the video for "Especially You" for confirmation on all this. I also HIGHLY recommend singer Grant Lawrence's book Dirty Windshields: The Best and Worst of The Smugglers Tour Diaries.  

The Stallions - Hey Baby, Its The Stallions LP (Junk Records) 
This band erupts like a super volcano the second you drop that puny stylus on this hot disc of molten wax. When you listen to this record, you can practically feel the skin blister and peel from your face. The Stallions were from New York but they had huge amounts of Detroit power and sheer Hulk smash infused in their music. The Stallions unique brand of loud, melodic, rock punk was nothing new I suppose. I guess it's like riding a roller coaster you've been on lots of times before. Your knuckles turn white and you gasp for breath every time, no matter how many times you've ridden it. 

7"'S

Tonight - Search My Face b/w That's A Farce 7" (Wallabies Records)
It was the 90's and killer Japanese punk bands were flooding the world's shores with a hostile takeover in mind. Tokyo's Tonight were generals in this invading army. Three girls and one dude unleashed rapid fire power chords that could level continents and crumble mountains. Two blazing lo-fi punk rock lightening bolt and a killer cover of Slaughter and The Dogs "Boston Babies" is all we got from this record. The band released one more 7" then poof, they were gone. I suppose the universe is a big place and Tonight had so many more planets to go and conquer. 

The Drags - Conspiracy b/w That Girl is Coming Around 7" (One Louder Records)
Two mind blowers from the legendary Albuquerque trio. Both songs can now be found on the 45 X 3 comp LP. That's probably a good thing since the B-Side is such a rager it would be a shame for it to get lost in the halls of history and obscurity. Someone once told me a good 7" has the best song on the A-Side and the B-Side features the hit. That's exactly what's going on here. If for some reason you're reading this and you aren't familiar with The Drags, you are doing a disservice to your life. This band, along with a handful of others created the signature sound of the decade. Fuck grunge. 

The Basement Brats - Shining Down 7" (Sneakers Rerecords) 
This was my introduction to Norway's Basement Brats and to say I was knocked on my fat ass would be an understatement. The A-Side, "Shining Down" is quite possibly one of the most perfect rock n roll songs ever written. The melody is so moving, the guitars are turned up to thunderstorm decibels, and the drums form a sturdy foundation for the song to rocket you into the stratosphere. The B-Side is no slouch either. We got a more in your face anti-love theme with two songs "It's Not The Right Time" and the closer "Disconnected Love". This is one of my favorite records that I own and I am considering being buried with it.  

The Dimestore Haloes - Hate My Generation 7" (Junk Records)

This was one of the first newer bands I remember listening to back in the nineties that had more in common with Johnny Thunders and The Heartbreakers than with The Ramones. Yeah, both tunes on here are super catchy but The Dimestore Haloes didn't sacrifice the hooks for speed. This aspect gave this record, and this band for that matter, a unique magnetism for me. It's funny, having talked to a couple of the members of The Dimestore Haloes, and discovering that they are two of the nicest guys you'll ever want to meet is a total mind scrambler for me. I'm pretty sure that if I met them back then though, I would have gotten a Brothel Creeper to my head. 

The Chinese Millionaires - Juvenile Justice 7" (Flying Bomb Records)
The Chinese Millionaires were another band that were 40 story monsters, just stomping on all the measly mortals that got in their way. I own everything this band ever put out and I am here to testify that these Detroit demons never released a bad song. What I thought was cool was that they didn't use any songs off their early 7"'s for their Rip-Off Records LP. And they never released any "rarities" compilations. Talk about you snooze you lose! The Chinese Millionaires took their Pagans worship and conjured up a new weapon of their own, something just as deadly. 

The TKO's - Anthem 7" (Vinyl Pants)
True Cleveland scum rats, The TKO's made their way out of the shadowy underworld and shat out two brilliant 7"'s. Then they had some lineup changes and became The Teenage Knockouts and released a killer 10" on Deadbeat Records in 1999. Through all this they were the same snarling 70's punk n' gutter glam rock n roll band. Years later front man Chic Dagger gathered another group of hired guns and formed the amazing Plain Dealers in 2011. The TKO's seemed more like a gang of pirates than a band of musicians, and that's what made them so fun to listen to. You never knew when the bloody mutiny would ensue. 

The Donnas - Da Doo Ron Ron 7" (Super*Teem! Records) 
The power of rock n roll is an amazing thing. I can stand there and be absolutely astonished by a guitar wizard like Eddie Van Halen and get the same feels from listening to simple, fun, rock n' roll like The Donnas used to hammer out. Yeah, these songs are based on old girl group hooks that are undeniably perfect. But The Donnas used to play them irreverently fast and loud and under a thick cover of sludge. It was those scratches and scuff marks that were all over the early Donnas songs that for me at least, made them shine ever so brightly. 

The Muffs - I'm A Dick 7" (Sympathy For The Record Industry) 
After delivering two perfect LP's, 1993's Self Titled and 1995's Blonder and Blonder I held my breath when this record came out. All the way from the record store and on the long bus ride home I anxiously wondered if one of my favorite bands had finally lost their luster. Did the Muffs still have what it took to be in one of my top spots? The answer was absolutely they did! The A-Side is a loud, melodic, mid tempo original that made my head bop from side to side. The B-Side is a cover of The Amps song "Pacer" which the Muffs made their own by cranking it up a notch. I miss The Muffs so goddamn much it hurts sometimes. 

The Odd Numbers / The Hi Fives split 7" (GI Productions)
If I am remembering correctly, I bought this 7" just because of the Hi-Fives, which I had just bought their amazing LP on Lookout! Records prior to this. This 7" featured two non-LP songs which I was super stoked about. The Hi-Fives more than delivered with their own manic surf/beatnik style rock n roll. One original and a rad cover of "Rip It Up" which the band performed at break neck speed. It was also on this record that I discovered the genius of The Odd Numbers and their spin on British Invasion/Mod stylings. These two bands were totally made to be on a split 7" together! 

The U.S. Bombs - Go Back Home CD EP (Alive Records)
I'd be a total liar if I didn't say what an influence this band had on me in the mid nineties. I remember getting The U.S. Bombs Put Strength In The Final Blow LP and The Stitches 8 X 12 LP together on the same day. These two records sucked the oxygen out of my lungs and left me shaking on the floor in fetal position like Martin Sheen in the beginning of Apocalypse Now! I was a changed man after experiencing the sonic baptism I received from these records. I was lucky enough to see The U.S. Bombs with the lineup on the cover above a couple of times and these guys cratered the earth beneath them. 

Eel Men Interview

Eel Men released their debut LP in 2025 and I can't remember the last time I heard a debut record sound so unique yet fully formed right out of the gate! Is it power pop? Is it post punk? Does it sound a bit like Wire meets Nick Lowe? The answer is yes, yes and yes! Trying to pick apart the Eel Men and pin down  their influences is not an easy task and that's what makes them so great. 

Shock Treatment: Let’s get things going by telling me who is currently in Eel Men and what

everyone does in the band?

Eel Men: Hi Jay and Shock Treatment! We are Jimmy on vocals and guitar, Rory on guitar, Alec

on bass and backing vocals and Matt on Drums.

ST: On your website, it says you guys formed in 2021, what’s the band’s origin story? How did you guys all meet and decide to play together?

EM: We all know each from playing music around north London. Rory and Jimmy have been

in bands together forever and Matt and Alec are brothers who moved over to London

from Atlanta, Georgia years ago. Our first bass player was Dan but he quit the band in

order to follow his dream of becoming a math teacher. We had the idea just before

covid to make a band that played punk music but without worrying about scenes or

punk formats or any of that nonsense.

ST: I believe your first 7" Are You There God It’s Me” b/w “Meantime” came out in

2021 as well. Did one of you guys already have some songs written or did these

songs come together that fast?

EM: Jimmy put the band together and had the first couple songs ready to go. Meantime was

written by Jimmy before we started the band. Are You There God It’s Me was written a

bit after. Nowadays we write more collaboratively. Any of the four of us might bring an

idea into rehearsal and we all flesh it out together.

ST: Both 7”’s and your new LP have all been on No Front Teeth Records, how did you guys hook up with that label?

EM: Jimmy and Rory had released stuff with Marco who runs NFT before in previous

projects. He’s a great bloke who has a proper ethic and attitude for running an

independent label.

ST: And speaking of your absolutely brilliant new LP Stop It, Do Something, can you tell me a bit about it?

EM: I think you can hear on the LP that it's in forward motion. We used some material that is

a bit more punky, but we also didn’t want to hold ourselves back. We wanted to produce

something that doesn’t have constraints. The LP doesn’t just put angst at the center

because that’s been done by everyone, there’s other emotions and ideas in it. The four

of us come from quite different musical backgrounds and scenes. Jimmy takes a lot of

influence from more melodic stuff, whether that’s folk music or rocksteady, Rory is a

blues guitar man, Alec likes funk and soul and jazz, Matt grew up in hardcore bands and

loves country and unlistenable garbage. I think you can hear that in the record. It’s the

most collaborative thing we’ve done yet.

We recorded the record in east London with Ed at Gizzard Studios. Ed’s a great

engineer and his approach to recording is what we like. Most of it was laid down live.

The inspiration for the art work came from a lot of the early Stiff records releases. Alec

and Jimmy labored over that thing for a while. We cut quite a lot of tracks from the

record because we did want to make it cohesive and snappy, being our debut, so you

can look forward to those one day.

ST: You guys have said that Eel Men have played everything from “family friendly

festivals” to “anarchist squats.” Tell me some pros and cons of playing such

diverse gigs?

EM: We’re just up for it man. We just love playing to new audiences and meeting new

people. I think a lot of bands get sucked into playing to the same people over and over.

Why? Where’s the fun in that? We played a small town in the desert in Spain near

Alicante to about 25 people once. They were all so up for it. They all bought records and

some of them knew all the words even though they didn’t really speak English. It was

fucking great. That means just as much to us as playing to 2000 people at a festival

who have easy access to culture. They’re equally as important to us. The important

thing is to engage with who we are playing to and hang out for a drink after. There aren’t

cons.

ST: The band is currently based in London yeah? What are some of your favorite

places to play and bands to play with there?

EM: We sort of formed the band at New River Studios in Harringey, north London. We play

there once or twice a year still and it's a bit like a homecoming gig. We also like playing

at the George Tavern in east London a lot. Venues in London are struggling and closing

day by day, but New River and the George are holding on and doing a great job.

We try to play with bands that we like regardless of how similar their sound is to ours.

Some of our favourite bands we’ve played with in London are Yowl, Rifle, Snub,

Mapache, Middleman.

ST: Maximum Rock N Roll described your sound as having “clear influences yet

sounding fresh and unique”. Did you guys have any particular bands in mind

when starting Eel Men?

EM: Yeah we did, but man has that changed. When we started the band The Love Triangle

was an influence for example. But now when we’re in the rehearsal space we talk about

Ian Dury and anything Eno had his mitts on. When we write we often imagine the parts

being played by different instruments like horns or additional percussion and that

impacts the sound. A lot of Jimmy’s ideas are actually written on piano and translated to

guitar.

ST: What lies in store for the band in 2026?

EM: A lot. We are going to Portugal for three gigs in February. In May we’re self releasing a

10” and going on tour all around Europe in June. We’ve got a smattering of London gigs

coming up in the first half of the year. Album number two will most likely be out at the

tail end of the year. We’re staying busy.

ST: Where can people go, either online or in person, to listen to your music and buy

your records?

EM: www.eelmen.com go there. All the proceeds go directly to us from there and you don’t

have to worry about your money funding a dystopian neoliberal death machine.