Andrew Jackson Jihad
Christmas Island
Side One Dummy (2014)
Andrew Jackson Jihad make a return on their new label home, Side One Dummy, after a long tenure on Asian Man Records. Usually when a band makes a jump after a long run, many find a cause for concern. I assure you, there's nothing to worry about. The lyrics are as offbeat as ever and the compositions are still whimsical … Read more
Anti-Flag
The People or The Gun
Side One Dummy (2009)
It takes a lot for me to completely lose faith in some of my favorite bands, and I came pretty close to completely giving up on Anti-Flag after the disaster that was The Bright Lights of America. My faith was then restored a bit after hearing that they left RCA Records and joined the ever growing roster at Side One … Read more
Big D and the Kids Table
Fluent In Stroll
Side One Dummy (2009)
I have to admit that normally I am not a big horns fan. It really has to take the song to another level for it to do anything for me. Unfortunately there is no evidence of that happening on this release. The back-up singers add a bit of texture here and there, but that doesn't help too much when the … Read more
Big D and the Kids Table
Strictly Rude
Side One Dummy (2007)
Ska is dead. Is ska dead? For many of us the answer is yes. I'm sure several of you reading this are doing so simply for nostalgia's sake - a trip down memory lane - having dismissed your love of ska in high school in much the same way you stopped wearing JNCO jeans past middle school. Both, now, are … Read more
Broadway Calls
Good Views, Bad News
Side One Dummy (2009)
It has been two years since Broadway Calls last graced us with a full-length release. But in that time the band has been keeping busy. Their last record caught the ear of Adeline Records, who re-released it, as well as the excellent split 7" with Teenage Bottlerocket last year. In addition, the Oregon trio has kept to the road including … Read more
Chuck Ragan
Covering Ground
Side One Dummy (2011)
With guest spots from Brian Fallon (Gaslight Anthem), Chris Phillips (Squirrel Nut Zippers), Frank Turner, Audra Mae, Rick Steff and Todd Neene (Lucero), and Christopher Thorn (Blind Melon), it would be easy to think of Covering Ground as one of those records that builds itself around special appearances and musical specialties that can’t be re-produced live. Instead, Chuck Ragan’s lengthy … Read more
Chuck Ragan
Gold Country
Side One Dummy (2009)
When Hot Water Music vocalist/guitarist, Chuck Ragan released Feast or Famine, it took a lot of fans by surprise. There have been a lot of punk musicians who form acoustic side projects in their down time, but how many of them sounded as good and authentic as Feast or Famine did? That album carried a very strong folk vibe and … Read more
Chuck Ragan
Los Feliz
Side One Dummy (2007)
Chuck Ragan used to play guitar in Hot Water Music, who happened to be one of my favorite bands of all time. He left Hot Water Music to lead his own life, which left us with The Draft in his place. Now we have a solo effort from Mr. Ragan and I can't help to wonder if Los Feliz were … Read more
Chuck Ragan
Till Midnight
Side One Dummy (2014)
It’s almost at the point where Chuck Ragan has reinvented himself. Sure, he’s always had the voice and he’s done the countrified thing in the past with Rumbleseat, but the level of professionalism and dedication he’s brought to his solo project is worth noting. He’s now released four solo records and built his own momentum beyond the punk rock scene.Till … Read more
Dave Hause
Resolutions EP
Side One Dummy (2012)
We've finally come to the last of Dave Hause's EP series. The final EP comes from Side One Dummy and features covers of Flogging Molly's "Whistles the Wind" and Audra Mae's song, "The River." I'm sad to say, this was probably the most boring of the 5 EPs, but the covers save it. The acoustic version of "Resolutions" present on … Read more
Dusty Rhodes and The River Band
First You Live
Side One Dummy (2007)
With an Americana backbone, Dusty Rhodes and The River Band play a type of rock similar to CCR, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and other sixties acts that incorporated a strong folk/country influence into their sound without being gimmicky. Can't place those names? Then imagine Flogging Molly less punk, more rock n' roll, less Irish, earlier 20th century American. Imagine … Read more
Goldfinger
Hello Destiny
Side One Dummy (2008)
Men in their late-thirties making vague statements about the future's uncertainty under the guise of it being punk rock, there's something concerning about this. It's as if their quarter-life crisis is stretching into mid-life, arresting their development into adulthood. Hello Destiny, the newest album by Goldfinger, finds the SoCal band exactly in this position, angry at the world, rehashing the … Read more
Iron Chic
You Can't Stay Here
Side One Dummy (2017)
Iron Chic has its own kind of poetry. It’s not quite the Off With Their Heads level of self-hatred, but it’s highly self-deprecating to the point of feeling playful and overblown in its drama. Throughout the entire 11-song You Can’t Stay Here there are dozens of snippets I could grab to express this tone. "I’m a stone, you’re a featherJust … Read more
Kill Your Idols
From Companionship to Competition
Side One Dummy (2005)
he new Kill Your Idols record, From Companionship to Competition, is the best mediocre record since Shutdown's Against All Odds was released in 1998. I don't know about you, but I listened to that record constantly, I was psyched about the Brooklyn Youth Crew, and I rocked my Shutdown summer tour shirt until I accidentally turned it pink bleaching my … Read more
Piebald
Accidental Gentlemen
Side One Dummy (2007)
I appreciate humor in music. Being a literary nerd, there's nothing more satisfying than catching a good pun or play on words in the midst of a steady rock beat. Unfortunately, little in today's music scene really delivers. Metalcore (a slowly dying dinosaur), and whatever you call it that Three One G puts out (art school grind-punk?) goes for the … Read more
Restorations
LP2
Side One Dummy (2013)
Is classic rock punk now a genre? I don’t have a whole lot of background with Restorations, other than catching half a set at Fest 11 last year. The energy in the room was powerful and vocalist Jon Loudon had a distinct and memorable voice, of the raspy variety. What I get in LP2, my first recorded introduction to the … Read more
The Casualties
We are All We Have
Side One Dummy (2009)
Yes, this is the same Casualties which have been producing album after album of spiky haired "drunk" punk for some years now. But first, please allow me to digress and paint a picture for you. Turn the dial on the way back machine and sidle up with a steaming cup of coffee for a little "fireside" chat. My first exposure … Read more
The Gaslight Anthem
The '59 Sound
Side One Dummy (2008)
Make no assumptions about it, The Gaslight Anthem are one of the best active rock and roll bands. You can argue over whether they are a punk band or a rock band, but in the end it is all just semantics. It's the same argument that happened thirty years ago with The Clash. It really doesn't matter what side you … Read more
