Tag Archives: punk

(review) Question Mark – ‘Desolation’

Question Mark are no strangers to the pages of this webzine, because we reviewed their record in 2019. This is their brand new full length album containing 15 songs. The music is melodic hardcore punk with lots of nineties no philosophy straightforward skate punk influences thrown in song structures for good measure. That means fast and energetic songs, great guitar melodies, even better vocal lines and backing vocal harmonies. If I must compare this record to some other band of which it reminded me of it would be Good Riddance, especially in vocal department. Like their last album, lyrics are again fine mix of personal and read between the lines political criticism and I love bands to whose lyrics I can relate to. My favorite songs on this beauty are: ‘New Sings of Fury’, ‘Evil Intent’, ‘It’s Over’ and many more, but you will just have to listen and find your own favorite. This Dutch band is fantastic and this new album is a step further from previous release.

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East Coast Punk Rock Band Calling Hours (Feat members of Farside and Don’t Sleep) Release New Album “Say Less” via Revelation Records

Revelation Records and Calling Hours are excited to announce the release of “Say Less” , the debut showcase from the east coast punk/rock band featuring veteran vocalist Popeye Vogelsang ( Farside ) and members of Don’t Sleep . An outcome of various col laborations, Say Less revisits the band members’ melodic punk sensibilities while working in a decidedly contemporary direction . Produced by the legendary Brian McTernan (Turnstile, Hot Water Music, Thrice), Say Less is also a deep dive into the feelings of displacement and discomfort that punctuated Popeye’s move from Ca lifornia to Pennsylvania a few years back — a meditation on th e intersection of sense of place and sense of self.

Listening to the Album: https://open.spotify.com/intl-pt/album/2u7bWeiLCvO65BsCV3TdO3

Accompanying the announcement is the windows – down, heartland punk of “ Curtain Call ,” an obvious single choice to lead the album because it begins with Popeye’s unmistakable vocals being heard front and center. “It’s an instant reminder to Popeye’s fans from his days singing in Farside that his voice is simultaneously uplifting and heavy, soulful and gritty, and powerful and vulnerable,” bassist Garrett Rothman said . “For many of his fans, hearing his voi ce on ‘Curtain Call’ will be like running into an old friend you haven’t seen in years – all the good feelings from the past will immediately come rushing back to you.” Watch the mu sic video for “Curtain Call” on YouTube.

Watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJDuGMEZJ9I

The official story of Calling Hours more accurately begins in 2021, but for vocalist Popeye Vogelsang , the story actually unfolds a few years earlier.

“I was living alone in a one – bedroom apartment in a 1940s building in Los Angeles,” he recalls. “It was a seven – minute walk to Trader Joe’s, an eight – minute walk to my bank, and a nine – minute walk to the post office. I was doing voiceover work full – time. When I had free time, I’d walk to one of the local parks and have a sandwich under a tree. It was like li ving inside of the Andy Griffith show — like I was living in Mayberry, where every day was a sunny day.”

As an established fixture in Southern California — both personally and creatively as the former frontman for melodic hardcore greats Farside — there was little in his routine to suggest at that point that Popeye’s life was headed for any sort of major change. It felt like an ideal life, in fact, until it didn’t. “It was very solitary, and I guess I was OK with that — or at least I told myself that I was OK with that — until I met the woman who is now my wife,” he explains. “ That absolutely changed everything.

As an established fixture in Southern California — both personally and creatively as the former frontman for melodic hardcore greats Farside — there was little in his routine to suggest at that point that Popeye’s life was headed for any sort of major change. It felt like an ideal life, in fact, until it didn’t. “It was very solitary, and I guess I was OK with that — or at least I told myself that I was OK with that — until I met the woman who is now my wife,” he explains. “ That absolutely changed everything.

Among those changes, Popeye uprooted his entire life to move cross – country to the decidedly less metropolitan city of Scranton, P A , where he would eventually come to meet the rest of his new band — guitarists Thomas McGrath and Tony Bavaria , bassist Garrett Rothman , and drummer Jim Bedorf — at the tail end of 2021.

That’s when The Commercials, a band of local heroes featuring McGrath and Bavaria, i nvited Popeye to open a New Years Eve reunion show they were planning. That invitation quickly evolved into the duo offering to become the core of a backing band for Popeye to play with that night, and then eventually, into the idea of becoming a new band altogether — bringing in Rothman and Bedorf from Don’t Sleep.

Mad Caddies released new Single “Baby” on January 17

The Mad Caddies are one of the leading bands in ska and reggae punk. Their long career has taken them to all corners of the world. Now the time has come for the Caddies to travel to new shores with the release of their new album ‘Arrows Room 117’ which is being released jointly by SBÄM Records (Europe) and 55 Rose Reccords (USA). ‘Arrows Room 117’ is the band’s first album since 2018’s “Punk Rocksteady.”

SBÄM has recently just made with their biggest festival to date and work on a 90s punk rock documentary, and has already managed bands like Pulley in their roster. Together with 55 Rose Records, an Orange County-based music label founded by John Barrett, they sign the eighth Mad Caddies Album for 2024.

“Baby is a classic punk rock polka with a horn line that won’t leave your head a groove that will keep your butt shaken and a vocal line that you won’t stop singing.”, says Sean Sellers about the new single “Baby”.

“This is a super fun country Rock song shining light on the golden era of this style of music. It reminds me of Elvis with the production, and how the horns came out. When I first started dating my girlfriend and we fell for each other. I just told her to call me baby and not say my name. I think you get the point”, says Chuck Robertson.

“This album is very personal for me,” elaborates Robertson. “It represents 3 years of hard work back in the woodshed, while half the world stood still. During these strange times I tapped into a new source of creativity and shared new experiences with new friends and great musicians. This body of work and these songs showcase pain and betrayal, love and loss and the bright light of new beginnings.”

“Arrows Room 117” will be released on SBÄM and 55 Rose Records in 2024.

About Mad Caddies:
The Mad Caddies (or the Caddies) is an American ska punk band from Solvang, California. The band formed in 1995 and has released seven full-length albums, one live album, and two EPs. To date, Mad Caddies have sold over 500,000 albums worldwide. 

Current Lineup:
Chuck Robertson – Guitar/Vocals
Jon Gazi – Back/Background Vocals/Percussion
Brandon Landelius – Guitar/Background Vocals
Sean Sellers – Drums
Stepháne Montigny – Trombone/Background Vocals
Jason Lichau – Trumpet/Background Vocals