Holy Shit its almost 2020 already? Where the hell have I been? Oh that’s right here writing album reviews till the cows come home. Well over 2019, CPRA has accomplished a shit ton. We wrote over 70 news, reviews and concert related items, started our own TV show, and started CPRA Skates! Don’t forget also our team up with AKA Just Miggy and The Kids Are Alright All Ages At Goosetown! On that note don’t miss the next Kids Show with the Potato Pirates on December 15, 2019, 2pm! Check out my Top 5 List of the year below!
#CPRAMusicNews – Greg Antista & The Lonely Streets release their debut video for “Goodnight Ramona”.
We will have a review coming out later this month for this record. All I can is guys and gals, punkers, rockers, rockabilly lovers, you’re gonna love this record! Hit the pre-order info below!
GREG ANTISTA & THE LONELY STREETS Shake, Stomp and StumbleLP/CD/DL
Primal Beat Records
RELEASE DATE: May 17
Pre-order: HERE
Best of 2018 Albums and Ep/Lp Picks by CPRA’s Skabones
It’s been a crazy year here at CPRA. We’ve reviewed so much amazing music this year. We debuted our very first show, “Happy Skanksgiving” at Tennyson Tap. By the way our last show of the year, “Merry Punxmas” is on December 29, 2018. I know we all get a bit tired of these end of the year lists. As admins we all couldn’t possibly agree on overall favorites. So we are going to individually announce our own personal picks.
We reviewed almost 100 albums in 2018. So picking only a few was very tough on me. Happy Holiday and don’t let Krampus get ya! Be sure to pick up a CPRA shirt, patch, or sticker before Christmas! Email soon if you want one by Christmas!
Favorite Tracks: 10 Pound Shoe Blues, 99 Years, Let’s Be Free, Rye Whiskey
Sounds Like: Dave Vanian and The Phantom Chords, Blood Circus, Tiger Army, The Melvins, Mushoney and The Swamp Rats
When talented musicians from other states start moving to Denver, good things happen. I’ve mentioned it many times. I personally think Denver will soon join the likes of LA, Nashville, and NY. The sheer amount of amazing music coming out of Colorado is insane right now. We recently reviewed Ft Collins based, Came And Took It, Denver’s R.A.S.P and today I’m very proud to review, Denver based, The Vashon Seed.
Per the bands Reverb page, “Michael Anderson of Seattle’s Blood Circus joined forces with Russell Lopez of Denver’s The Two-Fifties to create an eclectic rock/hardrock band bathed in blues and punk. Jimmy Roeper is on drums.” Per Russ Lopez, “Jimmy has since left us but we are working with a new drummer, Greg Johnson.” We’ve got our backstory let’s check out the new material!
‘Let’s Be Free’ – This one is heavy on the bass, the drums and guitar are killer.
‘99 Years’ – Super heavy on bass with a western riff. The lyrics are extremely deep.
‘10lb Shoe Blues’ – Here’s some rockabilly swing for you folks. This my personal favorite so far.
‘Whiskey Rye’ – This one is not currently up on their Reverb page. The bass gets even heavier on this track. This one definitely has more of a grunge sound to it. The drums are absolutely heart pounding on this one.
There you have it! If this is just small sample, call me addicted. The mix of different genres from country, grunge, rockabilly and punk make this band stand out among others. I’m very excited to see their future of this band. Be sure to check them out here, https://www.reverbnation.com/thevashonseed .
Sounds Like: The Turbonauts, Dead End, Hayley and The Crushers, Lucy and The Rats, Dick Dale, Tiger Army, and The Cramps.
The one genre we don’t seem to get to review much is by far surf. We reviewed Arvada, Colorado based band The Turbonauts back in May. I realized back then how much I really enjoy listening to surf music in general. I don’t know if it’s the guitar fuzz or the Ventures popularized drum surf beat. As soon as I hear it. I’m already hooked. As I started listening to The Swamp Rats, “Manslaughter Of Natural Magnitude”. That old familiar feeling came back to me.
Now let’s mix in some baddies from the “Monster Era”. Now add in some kick ass scifi references as well. What do you get? This is a homegrown mile high monster of an album. Yeah I’m gonna use some gifs on this review. So prepare yourself now for the epic proportions of cheese like gifs coming your way.
The album starts with ‘Spacehelmet Aquarium’. This song has some great drum work. It’s a great intro into the rest of the record. Now many of these songs are purely instrumental as is this one. I could be wrong, but I think I hear an organ or keyboard in the background. It gives off that surfy, yet kinda creepy feeling.
‘Waterboard Your Neighbor” is up next. For whatever reason this song reminded me of the show CHIPS. No idea why, but probably when the boys are chasing down some baddies. The guitar on this absolutely shreds.
‘Skiffilin Daze’, slows down the record, yet brings it around with a funk beat. This song will sure to be a favorite among those super high in the audience. Haha! ‘Broken UFO’ comes up next on the album. This one brings back the fuzz! I really like the guitar riff on this one.
‘Munsters’, this is cover of the theme song from the hit tv show with the same title. This is a fantastic little cover! It brings back some great memories of watching the show with my grandfather.
‘Creature From The Black Spitune’, this is a rocking song with some some awesome sound clips. The drums return with a vengeance. The title is obvious a fun take on the movie, The ‘Creature From The Black Lagoon’. ‘Benders Family Inn”, now I could be wrong on this one. I think this song may be referring to American serial killers, The Bloody Benders. This is actually the only song I can tell with band vocals. It has great little western twang to it. I really dig the progression towards the end of the song.
‘Rigormortis Blues’, is up next and returns back to a surf sound. This one will get those guys and gals out on the dancefloor. Yet it still retains that creepy, “Monster Mash” feel. ‘Alien LSD’, is the last song on the record. It’s quick and acts as if more of a finally type outro.
The Swamp Rats have crafted a monster. Their psychobilly surf sound is like walking through a cheesy 1960’s monster movie. Except in this movie Frankie Valli is an evil scientist that surfs and makes monsters. If I could change one thing about this album would be the addition of an upright bass. Be sure to check out their music here, https://theswamprats1.bandcamp.com/album/manslaughter-of-natural-magnitude !
Our Favorite Track(s): Cowgirl, Full Speed Dead, Rock Like A Monster, Scorpion, We’re All Gonna Die, and Spooky Action
What do get when you cross great horror punk/scfi and rockabilly? You get Denver’s Turbonaughts! These guys are the latest addition to the CPRA Band Radar Alert. So let’s blast off with them and their soon to be released ep, Zero Gravity Mind.
When I first popped on The Turbonaughts my first thought was this band has a very unique sound. I hear so many mixed influences. It would be near impossible to nail them to one genre. You could call them psychobilly, rockabilly or horror punk. Maybe Dick Dale meets Tiger Army? Let’s check out some tracks. The song, ‘Full Speed Dead’ brings in surf fuzz, with progressive drums, kick ass vocals. This song lends its hand to the listener’s imagination with the sword play sound effects at the end.
‘Rock Like A Monster’ is a throwback to the days of Hollywood’s monster movies. This track has a rocking guitar solo, with a backbeat bass line sure to draw you in. The song, “Scorpion”, well from the band’s soundcloud pays homage to Mortal Kombat’s Scorpion character. Although it’s not really about Scorpion, its basically a love song, about being wrapped around someone.
‘We’re All Gonna Die”, probably one of the harder songs on the album. The chorus and drums will have you bouncing in your car on your way to work. Just keep your eyes on the road. The band is not looking for sacrifice on this one. I kid of course or do I? On ‘Spooky Action”, we get hear the psychobilly side of the band. I absolutely love this song. Again we hear surf punk progressions, rockabilly bass lines, and kick ass drums on this instrumental tune.
‘Cowgirl’, shows off their rockabilly side. There’s strong riffs, with a good bass back, and great vocal melodies. Let’s wrap this one up. The Turbonaughts are great for someone craving some rockabilly surf punk in their lives. Their talent makes for a great listen. I can definitely see these guys playing, Viva Las Vegas next year. Let’s help them get their by sharing their music with your friends and buying some merch.
If their track covers on Soundcloud are anything like their merch, please sign me up! The only current drawback is you either need to wait for a commercial ep release or pick up a physical copy at a show. . Be sure to check them out on Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/theturbonauts/. Don’t miss them with the Turbo A.C.’s at Streets Of London on 5/31/2018!
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