Another band who was submitted via email by an overenthusiastic fan. Thanks.

So I head on over to their MySpace page and what do I see? Their main band pic shows the boys in what appear to be baggy jeans and the genre is listed as simply “rock”…so that’s a good start. But you know what? Death and the Lovers LIE. Yep. This band plays by-the-numbers skinny jeans screamo faux hardcore. Once again, they do it very well…but why try to disguise it? By all means, boys, embrace it! You may go far…

I would have to say that of all the local bands doing this type of music Death and the Lovers are the most adept at it. The four songs on their page are all very well produced and executed flawlessly. The guys obviously have the chops…it’s just not my “thing”. But if you can stomach it, turn on any big-time radio station or read the latest music blogs…or talk to any high school sophomore…and you will see that there are plenty of people eating up this type of stuff. Personally, though, I’m hoping that this fad dies out…quickly.

www.myspace.com/deathandthelovers

Found these guys on MySpace (of course) after receiving an email from what I can only assume was a very enthusiastic fan…if not the president of their fanclub. “These guys are the best freaking punk band in Denver!” “They WILL be signed to a major label soon!” “Have what it takes, man!” Those are just a few of the quotes taken from Madeline’s email.

So, anyway, I had also seen their ads and bulletins on the aforementioned MySpace but had never really taken the time to listen so…why not?

First of all, I have to say that I found NO “punk” at all on any of the four songs available on their page. The band also bill themselves as “rock/alternative/hardcore” but, truth be told, they should be classified under “skinny pants rock”, which would be more fitting to their sound. Let’s just say that these guys would probably go over well at The Marquis…as well as at a Fall Out Boy show. Looking over their MySpace page it seems that they played on this year’s Denver Warped Tour stop (On the Ernie Ball Battle of the Bands Stage) and that, too, is fitting…since Warped these days has more to do with marketing and merchandising than true punk rock.

But don’t get me wrong. Vices I Admire do what they do very well (the song “By the Way” is pretty rockin’) and I wouldn’t be surprised if they did get some sort of record deal out of their efforts. But I’d have to warn the boys not to quit their day jobs just yet. Maybe when the deal comes just take a leave of absence from work…’cause chances are they’ll be right back there soon enough. Just the hard facts of life, fellas. Best of luck, though.

www.myspace.com/vicesiadmire

So it’s the day after Thanksgiving and I have nothing to do. One of the guys from Jett Black had handed me a free pass to the show so…why not? I figure that there’s nothing better to do so I head own to the Larimer Lounge early to get my drink on and, hopefully, hear some cool tunes. I have to admit, though, that the only band I’d seen before was Jett Black.

First to go on were HOSS whom I believe are from Ft. Collins but, unfortunately, I only got to catch their last two songs. I’d say that they sound like a cross between the Supersuckers and some hard-edged alt-country bands. At times they even have a more boogie oriented Motorhead feel and, I was told by the bartender, they covered “Ace of Spades” prior to my getting there. I truly liked these guys and plan to check them out again sometime. You should, too…since there were only about a handful of people in the place while they were playing…and most of them seemed to be in the other bands. That’s a shame. You missed out on some GREAT stuff.

www.myspace.com/hossrocks

Next up were another band I’d never heard of before called The Rooster Brothers. I have no freaking idea what these guys were doing on this bill. Typical new country music, if you ask me. Yeah, they played it well but it quite simply bored the hell out of me. I must admit, though, that they did have quite a few friends there…probably the biggest draw of the night. But…BORING!

www.myspace.com/roosterbrothers

Third band on this bill were Ge Three Coffins Ready. Sort of an instrumental surf/rockabilly thing. Not bad…and a whole lot better than the previous band but, to be honest, I was in the mood for some ROCK…so they disappointed me. Not much more to say, really.

www.myspace.com/getthreecoffinsready

Next…we finally got ROCKED! I had never seen nor heard this band, Primasonic, before but I had seen their name here and there. You have to hand it to them…they do have a great look. Reminds you of The Knack…or Men In Black…or even Reservoir Dogs. And I like that. Well, the guitarist on the right of the stage seemed to have just joined the band or been borrowed from another, though…and that’s a shame. They would have seemed more like a group with EVERYONE in uniform. But I digress. The important thing is the music, right? Well, I’d say that they play a cool mix of retro 70’s rock mixed with some 60’s garage fuzz and some good old classic punk rock. But the attitude is 100% PUNK rock. The singer even called himself an asshole at some point! That’s cool. Yeah. Don’t take yourself too seriously. I quite enjoyed these guys and will check them out again. Their singer gave me a copy of their disc after the show (I think he was a bit tipsy) and I might review it later.

www.myspace.com/primasonic

Finally, the band I came to see. Jett Black never fail to impress me. I LOVE these guys.Sure, they have a standup bass but they’re more rockin’ than your typical psychobilly/rockabilly band. They put the pedal to the metal…and damn hard, they do! This was their DVD Release Show and I sincerely hope that the few people there bothered to get one ’cause it ROCKS, too. How can anyone not love this band? And why were there so few people in attendance? Let me tell you…you missed out!

www.myspace.com/jettblackmusic

In order, the highlights of the night were Jett Black, Primasonic, and HOSS. The Rooster Brothers should have stayed in their coop.

They used to plug themselves as “the loudest band in Denver” on their MySpace page but nowadays Holley 750 consider themselves to be “the most hated band in Denver”. Perhaps they’re hated because of the loudness? Perhaps by the people living next door to the rehearsal studio? We may never know the answer to this question…and we don’t really care.

Holley 750 aren’t a bad band, judging by the tunes on their MySpace page, but they do need some work if they want to be taken seriously. The music is pretty well executed (though a bit generic) but the vocals do leave a lot to be desired. There is no need to scream (growl) from start to finish of every single song, is there? Maybe they should seriously consider taking on a new vocalist, as it could really help to push these guys to the next level. But perhaps they’re happy where they’re at. I don’t know….

I’ve yet to see this band live so I can’t judge that aspect but I could tell you that if you like bands such as Zeke (which seems to be their main influence) then you might have some use for Holley 750.

www.myspace.com/therealholley750

These Laramie, WY rockin’ slobs sure know how to kick it with the best of ‘em. As a matter of fact, since getting this disc a couple of months back it’s been in constant rotation at home and on the car CD player. Actually, it’s an AMAZING disc to drive down I-25 or I-70 in the middle of an icestorm with. Yeah…pedal to the metal, motherfuckers!

How can you possibly go wrong with killer songs like “Since the Coke Ran Out (You Ain’t Seemed Right)”? Not only is it quite possibly the awesomest (is that a word?) song title ever…but they back it with some intense rock n’ fuckin’ roll, to boot! Yeah…they deliver the goods, no doubt about it.

Who would ever think that rockin’ sounds like these would come out of cow country? Or maybe that’s the point – when there’s nothing else to do, rock the fuck out!

If you’re a fan of AC/DC, Turbonegro, Zeke, the Backyard Babies, and the like then you cannot go wrong with Looker. I very highly recommend this band…and this disc. Fuckin’ hell yeah!

www.myspace.com/lookerwy

This was my first Danzig show in quite some time and I was pretty anxious to see if the man still has what it takes…but we’ll get to that in a bit. First we must discuss the openers. After all, it’s only fair.

The first band to go on was Suicide City. This Brooklyn, NY band consists of some chick on bass who used to play with Kittie and also that guy Billy from Biohazard. Their sound was a weird mix of nu-hardcore, screamo…and Guns ‘N Roses style hard rock. Overall, they weren’t horrible but most certainly were VERY forgettable. Nothing really stands out about them other than their killer drummer…and how incredibly idiotic and annoying the singer was. Granted, they did get some positive response from the crowd…but it was minimal, at best.

Next up was a new band named Gorgeous Frankenstein made up of ex-Misfits guitarist Doyle on guitar, Blitzkid’s drummer and bass player, and Doyle’s wife Gorgeous George on…the stripper pole. Oh, yeah…Goolsby (Blitzkid’s bassist) also handles the vocals. Anyhow, while the band has a pretty good (though nowadays a bit overdone) look, the music is (yet again) pretty forgettable and generic. Yes, it’s great to see Doyle up on the stage again but, overall, the band seems like nothing more than background music for George’s stripper act.

Third up were Horrorpops and they surprised me. Nice stage presence, complete with two very cute dancers, as well as some very catchy and hooky rockabilly infused tunes. Not exactly my preferred cup of tea but very good, nonetheless.

Finally Danzig took the stage and proceeded to rock the fuck out of the capacity Ogden crowd . Hard to believe that he’s 50+. The man most definitely still has it! This time around he’s joined on stage by Todd Youth (guitar), Steve Zing (bass)…and I forget who the drummer is. Oddly enough, ex Danzig guitarist Tommy Victor was also playing on this night at the Larimer Lounge…with his band, Prong. But, anyway, they played most songs that you’d want to hear from the Danzig catalog as well as some from the recently released Lost Tracks of Danzig disc. The man himself had a ton of energy, which was surprising, considering how he was playing with one arm in a sling. He was also in a GREAT mood…and it’s always cool to see him having a good time on stage. Yep…killer show! But one of the biggest surprises was yet to come…

Right before leaving the stage Glenn mentioned there being another band still to come…and then out came Doyle again, joining the band on stage for a short set of Misfits classics – “Vampira”, “Demonomania”, “We Bite”, and “Skulls”. That, my friends, was (for me) the highlight of the night. Jerry Only may still be out there in a band using the Misfits name…but THIS was a much better version. It was also the closest we will likely ever come to a full Misfits reunion.

So why would I want (or need) to start up yet another blog that no one will likely care about? Well…why the hell not? I’ve been writing for most of my life – everything from fiction to magazine and website features…and even published a few magazines myself until I got sick of it. Every now and then I feel the need to express myself so…why not?

If you like what I have to say, that’s great. If you don’t…well, move on. Doesn’t matter to me in the least. Granted, it’s great to be appreciated for what you do but I do plenty of things that are. THIS is nothing more than another outlet for me. However, feel free to post comments if you get the urge.

F.A.Q.

• Who are you? That’s on a need-to-know basis…and you don’t need to know.
• What’s the meaning behind “77 Rocks”? It’s a reference to the time period which I feel spawned some of the best music ever made.
• Do I know you? It’s very possible.
• How old are you? Old enough to have seen most of my fave bands…before they got fat and jaded.
• Will you review my band/show? Sure. Why not? Just email me show dates and links to your music and I’ll see what I can do for you.
• Can I send you something by regular mail? No.
• Why not?  Because then you’d have my address. Does Batman give everyone the Batcave’s address?
• What’s your email address? You can easily find it on this blog, lazy-ass, but here it is – 77rocks@gmail.com