The Smoke Bombs smash and grab fistfuls of British Street Punk in one hand and early 1980’s Southern California hardcore in the other. They then take it to an old abandoned warehouse downtown where they mix it up and add some secret ingredients. They then stuff some ping pong balls full of it and create a device that emits a dense, hard hitting brand of punk rock into the atmosphere immediately upon ignition. They hurl these handmade concoctions at unsuspecting audiences and it causes the foundation beneath the arid desert floors to quake. So remove any loose articles of clothing and strap your shoes on tight, The Smoke Bombs have arrived and the room you’re in is about to turn upside down! This interview originally appeared in Audio Ammunition on July 21st, 2014 Interview by J Castro Introductions! Please tell us who you all are and what’s your function in The Smoke Bombs: LAYTON: Lead Vocals, Rhythm Guitar BRANDON: I’m Brandon Meunier and I play guitar in The Smoke Bombs. JASON: Ja...

What makes a good pop punk band? Surely it’s not musical skill; The Ramones have been hounded for years over their technical simplicity and yet they remain kings. It most certainly isn’t lyrics; most pop punk bands use the simplest of words to describe everyday mundane events, love, hate and every emotion in between. What I feel makes a good pop punk band is the ability to emotionally throw yourself into your music, admitting imperfection, vulnerability, and most importantly, just have pure, unpolluted fun. Long Beach, NY’s, The New Rochelles take all of these qualities, stuff them into very loud amplifiers and blast it at you like confetti cannons. What makes most grownups so boring? Whatever it is listening to the New Rochelles will help in steering clear of it! This interview originally appeared in Audio Ammunition on July 24th, 2014 Interview by J Castro First off, who’s all in the band and what is everyone’s function in The New Rochelles? RONNIE: I'm Ronnie Rochelle. I'm t...

Atlantic Thrills – A Day at The Beach 7” (Almost Ready Records) According to the bands bio, this Providence, RI band can play anything from full blown nuclear mushroom cloud garage punk to fun in the sun drenched surf ditties; let this record stand as exhibit “A” as evidence to why the above statement is 100% truthful. The A side, “A Day at The Beach” is the perfect soundtrack to a warm day on the sand, dancing, frolicking about and even playing volleyball with an oversized beach ball. The B Side, “Hold Your Tongue,” is a 1960’s garage Rock N’ Roll stomp-o-rama similar to The Monk’s song “Complication.” Atlantic Thrills effortlessly deliver the goods . . . and then some! – Jay Castro Ausmuteants – Amusements LP (Goner Records) Dusty Australian synth-punk band of apocalyptic doomsayers Ausmutants bring us songs pieced together with duct tape, scrap metal and ultra melodic hooks all wrapped in shell casings of bleakness and urgency. Ausmutants immediately remind me of contemporary ba...

In a perfect world, there would be a tribute statue erected in Norway with the likeness of Yum Yums front man Morten Henrikson. For years he’s been strumming away writing and performing glowing pop songs, just the way the Norse God of pop songs intended. Songs that are so jam packed with guitar hooks and genuinely heartfelt lyrics that you instantly feel a connection with them. Sometimes I feel like maybe that's why bands like The Yum Yums aren't as popular as they should be; it's almost too emotionally “real” for most people to take. That's why all these disconnected theatrical rock star puppets rule the airwaves. So where is this Norse God of pop songs and why isn't he striking down all of these fraudulent poets of musical swill you ask? Why he's too busy writing songs for his band The Yum Yums! This interview originally appeared in Audio Ammunition on June 17th, 2014 Interview by Jay Castro What is the origin story of your band Morten? I know you have h...

In the late 1990’s, The Dimestore Haloes, along with a handful other bands were the soundtrack to my young adulthood. I felt a connection with a lot of these bands not only because of their greatness but also because they were all around the same age as me. Then suddenly they all started retreating back to the corners of the country from which they all came. This was now the mid 00's, a time in underground punk that I call “the dark times.” A time when good bands and labels were few and far between, compared to the salad days of the mid to late 1990's that is. But now it’s 2014 and the genre is experiencing a resurgence of sorts and Chaz and Kevin of The Dimestore Haloes are back, this time as The Cheap Cassettes, a glam, power-pop powerhouse that hits you like a pair of difibulators to the chest. The Cheap Cassettes are here to send Rock N’ Roll energy back into the pulse less hearts of America! This interview originally appeared in Audio Ammunition on June 17, 2014 Interview...

Durban Poison have been quietly stirring an old black cauldron full of high energy, dark, and driving punk Rock N’ Roll in shadowy woods of Victoria, British Colombia since 2009. They’ve obtained an ancient book of black magic spells, reached deep into its pages and summoned spirits through ritualistic ceremonies that have bestowed upon them similar Rock N’ Roll powers as people such as Cheetah Chrome, Dee Dee Ramone, Suzi Quatro, and Scott Asheton. The men and women of Durban Poison now walk the earth with these powers/curses. Their curse comes to fruition when these individuals, that seem normal when they’re alone, gather together and suddenly chaotic, bruises inducing, riff riddled Rock N’ Roll rips from their souls and melts the flesh off anyone who happens to be nearby. Walk cautiously and listen carefully; you never know when these individuals will be gathering in your town. This interview originally appeared in Audio Ammunition on June 11, 2014 Interview by J Castro Okay Matti, ...

Father Figures play a distinctive brand of tightly coiled, aggressive, trapezoidal post punk rave ups. If you compare Rock N’ Roll to a cannon ball and punk rock is that cannon firing directly at your head, then Father Figures take that cannon and aim it at you at an angle. As their music fires away it wildly ricochets, gaining momentum so you can’t tell where and when it’s going to hit. Way back when piano pounding wild man Jerry Lee Lewis earned his nickname “The Killer.” If you want to compare rock musicians to assassins then Father Figures aren’t the boorish thug hit men with the big loud guns, they’re cold calculating ninjas you won’t ever see coming. Razorcake magazine says they “meld urgency with intelligence, catchiness with dissonance, and sophistication with blunt force.” Now if that’s not the poison dart into the ocular cavity I don’t know what is! This interview originally appeared in Audio Ammunition on May 29th, 2014 Interview by Jay Castro Please introduce your...

(photo by Aaron Oxborrow) For decades power pop and punk rock have had a history together. However, to successfully execute this merger a band needs to possess a sort of X factor, a certain something that allows a person to open up like a dropped book on a busy street and let passersby to peer into the pages of their lives, their souls. To do this well, there can be nothing artificial, the feelings and emotions that come through those amplifiers must be genuine no matter what instrument is being used as the conduit. Primitive Hearts have raw and sincere reactions to the world around them and they present their findings to you in song form and you’ll soon realize that their hearts are far from “primitive.” This Interview originally appeared in Audio Ammunition on May 29th, 2014 Interview by Jay Castro First off Paul, I would like to thank you for taking time and doing this interview; I know you are a busy individual, well…. I’m assuming. Let’s start with names of all in Primitive Hearts...