We have all heard of “Our Band Could Be Your Life’, “Bands That Could Be God”, etc, etc… So with that template in place I offer you my 2018/2019 “ Bands That I Dig More Than You”…( in no particular order)

LONGINGS

 Hailing from scenic Western Massachusetts, this post punk/punk trio have been active for a while now. I caught a stunning live set this summer that seemed to bounce from art-noise to spare, aggressive punk with out skipping a beat. The tension they create is both palpable, unsettling and in the end inspiring… they need to be seen.

HALDOL

Philadelphia’s vibrant scene has spawned so many great bands, but my favorite Philly band of recent vintage is Haldol. Yes, they been around forever. Yes, they have had many members…but from their inception the one constant has been guitarist Geoff Smith, a Nashville transplant that just plain kills it. Heavy, dark, whirling—pick any cool adjective and plug it—prolific AF, one of my favorite bands in the world.

MACHO BOYS

A few years ago we, The Proletariat, played in Portland, Oregon. The bass player for one of the bands on the bill that night, Samantha from Piss Test, was telling me about her other band and how they wanted to play some East Coast shows, that  they had been  recording, and how they were ready to go for it. Well they did! They released new material, they played those East Coast show, hell they played in Europe. Vocalist Teki loves dogs, hates Bird Box and is one of my favorite vocalists… one sick band.

ARCTIC FLOWERS

Staying in the PNW, post-punk veterans Arctic Flowers, a truly brilliant band have consistently produced great song after great song for the longest time and a few months ago released a new LP on the world titled “ Straight to the Hunter.” A great LP that is garnering mad press and rave reviews. They are a band that writes great songs, that kills it live and that supports the PDX scene.

MINIBEAST

Meanwhile back on the East Coast, Providence’s Minibeast scare small children, senior citizens, priests, nuns, pet rabbits, wild turkeys and just about anything with ears.  A relentless, pounding assault on ones hearing and any other senses one may have left. A drummer playing guitar and a few hundred other instruments, a bass player that is in a few hundred bands and another drummer that actually plays drums! They play out a lot—y’all have NO excuse to not catch them—–so just effin’ do it.

HAIRSPRAY QUEEN

In my humble opinion HSQ is the best band in Providence. Take a two guitar attack, a singer that flips around like Linda Blair’s head and Nadia Comaneci mixed together and possibly the best punk drummer I have ever seen and you have HSQ. They have a new single out that rips, they kill it live and they put together tons of shows—the city of Providence should be forever indebted to them.

Mr. AIRPLANE MAN

Guitar—-check.  Drums—–check. Gritty, chunky, bluesy, trippy without the druggy thing, electric, prolific, fun, smart, punk, garage, brilliant. I’ll say no more.

MOVING TARGETS

Yes I have a special place in my heart for people of relatively the same age as myself, that hail from roughly the same geographic area, that play music that shares a similar sonic thread. Yes, I really dig Moving Targets. Outliers, if you will, they straddled the punk/HC fence brilliantly back in the day and continue to do so in their latest incarnation. If you have a chance to catch them live…you simply must.

MATERIAL SUPPORT

NYC’s Material Support are to put it mildly—a fucking monster of a band. Political, smart, driven and on point —-tight AF, with an agenda, a style and as engaging a front person as I have ever seen. I love this band. Their newest release “Terror Prone Nation” is, again, in my opinion, the best punk LP released in 2018.

Richard Brown is a member of the seminal Boston punk band The Proletariat, you can find out where and when to see them next at Proletariatband.com