Pura Mania is from Vancouver, British Columbia and features Cabeza from the band Fracaso on vocals, former Spectres' Zach Batalden on Guitar, Jason Renix on the bass as well as former Sore Points Mitch Allen on drums. This band has been around for a while now, releasing a couple of 7"'s and a cassette back in 2014. La Banda Es La Ley is the band's second long player, following 2017's Cerebros Punk. All of the songs are sung in Spanish but don't worry, Spanish was the first language I spoke as a kid and even I can't make out some of the lyrics. When you consume yourself in this record, you'll find that the universal language of punk rock translates just fine in your mind.  With this new album, Pura Mania's songs seem more focused, razor sharp and going straight for the throat. Theses guys blast out a unique, punchy, and very charismatic brand of punk rock. It's loud, it's catchy and sung by a dude with very throaty vocals. Like he's hoars...

T-Red - Partie 1984-1985 LP (Nausea Records) This Belgian three piece formed in 1981 when the band members where still in high school! As you can see by the title of the record, the band was unfortunately short lived. Before disbanding however, they managed to record a 4-track promo tape called Partie , which is all included here. The fine folks at Nausea decided to include the band's 8 track demo to make this a bonafide full length release, and thank the maker they did! The original band members just uncovered these tracks just a couple of years ago! This is the kind of thing that actually does keep me up at night. The thought that a brilliant band like this exists in obscurity out there somewhere and it just passes me by like a warm breeze in the night. All of the tracks here have been restored and remastered too by the way and they sound great! The demo portion of this release sounds excellent, the production is a tiny bit leaner just because that's how it was originally rec...

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...