VARIOUS ARTISTS
punk rock is your friend 6
KUNG FU
Kung Fu Records has put out another spirited punk rock compilation, befriending a whole new crop of ears on PUNK ROCK IS YOUR FRIEND 6. Opening with the Beach Boy-esque power punk of The Vandals, and including bands such as Tsunami Bomb, H2O, Throwrag, and Bouncing Souls, this 23-track collection spotlights some of the best and brightest punk bands that haven’t been overexposed to the point of nausea yet still have some notoriety. Bouncy tracks like Audio Karate’s “She Looks Good” sandwiched beside the harder edged punk of Underminded and the uncompromising rawness of The God Awfuls showcase the wide array of punk today, giving this comp a little snippet for everyone to enjoy. www.kungfurecords.com

– Mike SOS


MIKE MANNE AND TIGER BLUES
mr. blues and i
INDEPENDENT
The Tiger blues band may be LI's busiest band and Monster Mike Manne makes it happen.  They are releasing their 2nd disk, Mr. Blues and I and it is filled with the same fire that their live sets are known for.  Manne provides Southside axe that flies and soars on nimble fingers and fretwork.  The songs are a combo of covers and self written blues.  The band is tight, the rhythms clean and authoritative, the vocals powerful and the groove is moving.  The disk opens with "Come Back Baby" and precedes to cover a finely selected group of classics and 4 Manne-ish compositions. Mike's singing is effective and direct and he exhibits from a unique melismatic quality and sense of phrasing.  My favorite cuts included the cooking "Texas Stomp", a psychedelic rendition of Buddy Miles' "Them Changes", a cool and jazzy read on Grover Washington Jr's "Mister Magic" and the final extended jam of "Elizabeth Reed."  Mike and band have put out some fine, strong cuts in an interesting and well produced disk.  Congrats to all.

– Doc Blues


NONE MORE EVIL
whore
LSE
Long Island metal clan None More Evil are a dark hard rock band not unlike Danzig or Dope whose latest 11-track eardrum cracker WHORE is an unapologetic commentary of the sad state of suburban life. Merging the wares of Godsmack and Korn, this trio’s caustic crunch is just as suitable for the strip club as it is for the moshpit, as songs like the industrially tinged title track and the brooding “Blame Me” are straight up angst ridden tunes guaranteed to unleash your animalistic instincts. A solid recording that keeps the guitars punishingly low and the vocals slightly synthetic assist WHORE in achieving the dirty grooves and demonic tuned down madness that should have hard rock fans with a penchant for the foreboding something to get excited about.
www.nonemoreevil.com

– Mike SOS


BIG FRANK AND THE HEALERS
vintage 1040
ManHatTone 1040
Vintage 1040 is a snapshot in time. It represents a small sliver of NYC blues history.  This disk was recorded by music maven Leonard Kunstadt in 1995.  Kunstadt was Victoria Spivey's constant companion from the 50s until her death.  He also helped keep her record label alive and it was documenting and recording of this band featuring Big Frank Mirra and the Healers that Lenny focused his energies at the end of his life.  Never released as the planned Spivey 1040, it lay dormant from 95-05.  It has finally seen the light of day and it is full of Frank's guitar which boogies and shuffles with hot intensity and it also includes the reigning NYC queen of the keys, Dona Oxford.  This was Oxford before her migration to the epicenter in Chicago and she was deep down and funky with a decided New Orleans slant to her playing and singing.  The band renders a full palette of slow blues, Texas shuffles and Hound Dog style boogies covering the likes of Elmore James, Victoria Spivey, JB Hutto, Koko Taylor and an original written by Mirra called "I Love You, Baby."  Frank and Dona share the vocal duties.  The disk is a time capsule example of big city blues, especially as it existed in the mid-90s in the Big Apple and is a sweet listen.

– Doc Blues


JUST SURRENDER
if these streets could talk
EAST WEST
Just when you thought it was safe, another suburban whining rock band comes barreling through, demanding the love of teenage girls and sensitive boys everywhere. Just Surrender is the name of the aforementioned entity, and while the band’s 10-track excursion plays it safely between the wares of Taking Back Sunday and Brand New, this Poughkeepsie, NY based quartet’s keen sense of melody, contagious choruses, and spirited musicianship on tracks like “You Tell A Tale” and “Our Work of Art” displays that they’re not just a bunch of cardboard cut-outs playing a role. If you think that the pop-punk genre is super saturated with bargain basement acts, taking a listen to Just Surrender will be quite a refreshing experience.
www.justsurrender.net

– Mike SOS


MIGHTY HIGH
mighty high
SELF-RELEASED
Mighty High is a quartet from Brooklyn that not only remembers the decadence of rock, but also espouses all of its virtues rather unapologetically. On the band’s smoking five-track presentation, traces of ‘70s hard rock, metallic punk rock, and massive drug and alcohol use are apparent, as equal parts of Motorhead, Murphy’s Law, and Hanoi Rocks emanate through songs like “Escape from Daytop” and “Breakin’ Shit”. Abandon all reason and get sloppy with these guys, there’s plenty of room on their caravan of chaos.
www.mightyhigh.net

– Mike SOS