RUGGED EDGE – Gangs in Heat / Two Face 7”

No Label – Miami – 1986

I usually tried to avoid seeing these guys – back in the day. I didn’t always succeed. Around 1986, I was fairly sick of watching a bunch of dudes clobber each other on the dance floor to a unwavering loud dull roar. Two face is a slower, unspectacular song – and dumb. Gangs in Heat is similarly dumb, but has a nice Motorhead-thing going. I will have to do more research (buy their other record(s)) to determine if I was wrong to avoid these ne’er-do-wells.

THE REACTIONS – Love You 7” EP

Reaction Records – Ft. Lauderdale (1981)

Nights on End

Marianne

I Can’t Help It

Rebel Rousers

Tony Suppa -vocals

Issac Baruch – guitar

Johnny Salton – bass

Joey Maya – drums

The Reactions shoulda been huge. America could have really used a good rough-around the edges power pop band around 1980. Exceptional songwriting, vocals and playing - halfway between punk & power pop. But, alas, they were from Florida and I believe they didn’t tour (I could be wrong). There’s a blurb on the back cover about the Reactions breaking up so the singer could join the family business due to lack of success in the rock world – oh well. The other Reactions bounced around in other bands, most famously, bassist Johnny Salton switched to guitar and became the Keith Richards/Johnny Thunders of S. Fla. Joey Maya was even in an early version of Roach Motel for about 2 days.

Love You is near perfect – but not as good as their first record. They rerecorded Marianne for some reason & Rebel Rousers is their weakest song on record. They had a dozen or so other excellent songs at the time that can currently be found on the internet. Two songs from around this time showed up on Rick Lennick’s Florida Explosion tape in 1985. Besides RR, every song on this record could have been a hit. The production’s a little thin, but with songs this good – who cares?

ROACH MOTEL -- What the Hell, It's 7" EP

DESTROY RECORDS -- Gainesville/Fort Lauderdale (1984)

Brooke Shields Must Die
Frenzy
Nothing to Lose
What If Your Mom Liked Drugs?
Chowburger
I Wanna Keep My Gun

Bob Fetz -- vocals
Jeff Hodapp -- guitar
Frank Mullin
Russ Avery -- bass (and embezzlement)

The sophomore effort by the Black-Flag-and-Budweiser fueled Roach Motel starts out with a punk anthem, 'Brooke Shields Must Die,' that is worthy of anything on the first record. Shields, by the way, was a prepubescent movie star that I imagine is long forgotten, although she's apparently still alive. The only role of hers I can recall is the promo line that opens the first 'Rodney on the ROQ' LA punk comp. Oh, forget about Brooke Shields already. Brooke Shields must DIE!

Back to Roach Motel. This is a solid followup to 'Roach and Roll' and doesn't deviate much from the established RM hardcore punk formula. The new addition to the band, Russ Avery, contributes two great songs and apparently ripped off and bankrupted the band as well. But 'What if Your Mom Liked Drugs' (written with Hodapp) and 'I Wanna Keep My Gun' are worth something, which should somehow be (or have been) taken into account in the final settlement. 'Frenzy' and 'Nothing to Lose' are great too. Fine record.

News flash - Sources report, after viewing a My Name is Earl-a-thon, Mr. Avery recently returned all missbegotten monies and was readmitted to the Punk Rock League of Gentlemen.

RUBY CADILAC – Ten Seconds to Hell / Black Widow 7”

Lady in Black – Ft. Lauderdale (1986)

Ruby Cadilac

3 other wenches

As the record’s cover attests, the 80’s were a crazy time. The A-side is sub-Runaways meets metal - Lita Ford trying to record with $150.00. The B-side is sort of sleazy bar band blues metal. You REALLY have to be in the right mood to listen to this, but it seems to be growing on me. Worth it for the cover alone.

RADIOBAGHDAD – 1st (?) 7”

Dick Dog records -Coral Springs (1994)?

Give Up
Stanley Bing
Brutus
Dick Dog

Based on this record’s cover, a relatively recent show and my fading memory, I was expecting this to be total backward ballcap wearin’ slob-punk. In reality, Stanley Bing and Brutus are great punk / post punk with a heavy influence of Fugazi’s better songs. I think their positive aspects started eroding after this record – but another record is in the vault – so we’ll see…Though, if you absolutely have to have a butt smoking a cigarette on your cover – you should go full color – or better yet go back to the drawing board.

RICH RAGS – Rejected Dentist Office Music

Orange Records Ltd. – Land O’ Lakes (1979)

On the Level
Rejection
Fast Foods
Straight Girl

John Donniacuo – guitar
Kacy Ross – guitar
Jeffery Levy – drums
Nancy Sebek - backing vocals
Mark Scott – guitar
John Comerford – bass

Having more than two guitarists in a band, unless you’re Lynyrd Skynyrd or Glen Branca, is just an excuse for being too gutless to kick a superfluous friend outta the band. Then you wind up splitting your $30 after the show six ways instead of five. Except for a handful of people, Florida didn’t start figuring out punk rock/new wave until about 1981, and these guys are no exception. I wasn’t aware of their existence back in the day – or the existence of Land O’ Lakes (near Tampa I’m told), for that matter. Three of the four songs are not bad in a 70’s rock type of way, though a little clunky in parts. This is somewhat interesting in that it was released on that David Peel character’s Orange Records label, making them label-mates with everyone’s favorite dead guy, GG Allin. These folks put out one more single and currently have an elaborate website devoted to themselves.

RADON 4-song EP

NO IDEA -- 1992, Gainesville

Bill Clower -- drums

Dave Rohm -- guitar, vocal

Brent Wilson -- guitar, vocal

Radon

Welcome Home

Exhaustra

Facial Disobedience

This record challenges two of your most deeply held assumptions: 1) All pop-punk sucks and 2) All No Idea releases suck.

On the first point, you may argue this is a bit too raw to be called pop-punk, but by 1992 standards it did earn that label. Besides, this record is so catchy, its ridiculous. The chorus of the song 'Radon' compels singing along, even some la-da-da-das, so you might want to listen to it while you're alone to avoid embarrassment.

The record offers some surprising lyrical insights, such as "you will crawl on your belly and you will eat dirt all the days of your life, and so will I, la-da-da-da." They are so right.

Your second point doesn't deserve an answer. This is a fine record and you should apologize for getting drunk and mouthing off about people who are trying their best.