BONE – Pirate the Islands / The Headlines Have It 7”

Rumble Records – Ft. Lauderdale – 1979

Richard Bone – voices, synthesizers & electronics

Buddy Draise – rhythm devices
John Schavone – bass keyboard
Bill Pimm – guest flute

It really doesn’t matter what this sounds like – the cover’s fuckin’ great! But – in case you’re wondering….this features plenty of synthesizers, creepy vocals, yes – a prominent flute on one song….never quite makes it to the “good” column….almost….but hell it was 1979….I’m sure it was ahead of its time…Said Bone person went on to Shox Lumania in New York and apparently something of a music career….

HELLO SHITTY PEOPLE - EP

This Here Records – Gainesville – 2000(?)

Marketable Melancholy

Dos Gatos
Figure Skator
Punctual Posse
I Kill Butterflies
Deadly Retribution III

Timmy Put – bass and or vocals

Wolski – drums, feathers
Michael Collins – guitar, vocals, liberty
Cinque – breasts and belly

A representative example of the region-rock phenomenon (basically a bunch of drunks who also rock – and leave a trail of empty beer cans stretching from Miami to Chattanooga with stops in Gainesville and other mostly-Southern cities. Songs are mid tempo to fast with gruff vocals, workmanlike musicianship with zero pretentiousness. Actually, pretentiousness in the rock arena can be a good thing – and if I remember correctly, their LP features a side-long ukulele “jam” and was a little more engaging….though – great name and inspired cover! I wondered who drank Busch, now I know it was bats all along.

 

NEON BLUD – Whipps / Eeew Look at that Pickle 7”

Fan Death Records – Tampa 2009

 

Horrible noise-punk from Tampa, I think….Horrible in the best sense of the word. Jarring snotty female vocals over chaotic fast distorted riffs recorded just right. I find it quite catchy. They should be rock stars by now – but alas 99.999% of people hate stuff like this. Some of their other records are a little ponderous – look for this one….

 

 

U-BOATS -- Government Rip Off

Crow Records -- Tampa -- 1982

Government Ripoff

Break Out Tonight

Mike Nelson -- vocals

Jay Jetmore -- guitar

Bob Widenhofer -- bass

Hitler -- drums

The charming German motif (there's both a Hitler and a Widenhofer in this band) fills out this 1982 throwaway classic outta Tampa. However, their teutonic rhythm section was ditched for the U-Boat second 7". They have an LP still later but I've never heard it.

Both songs here are solid hardcore-informed midtempo punk. The stand-out track here is "Break Out Tonight" which they brazenly annexed from the equally obscure Commandos from Massachusetts who had originally titled the track "Stay Out Tonight" on their first 1978 7". There is no indication the song is a cover and given that they changed the words and name, the U-Boats clearly intended to steal it. Yes, that's right, this is a genuine punk rock record. The chorus of the A-side, "We're all into anarchy, the government's ripping off me," confirms it.

Widenhofer, also known as Bobby Skullfucker, also played in Tampa's Jehovah's Sicknesses if memory serves. He later moved to Austin, Texas, and played with the Convulsions in the 1990s.

LETHAL YELLOW -- Declaration of Retardation EP

Stench Records -- Miami -- 1985

Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

In the Mess

Cockroaches

Velveeta Cheese

Spastic and Proud
The Obnoxious Song

Paul Enema -- vocals

Ivan Gripweed -- guitar

Syd Upp - bass

Mike -- drums

Retardation is the most obvious charm of these brave young banana-men. Digging deeper, you'll find laziness and slovenliness as well. It is worth the effort.

The stunted visions here are the first recorded by a couple of prolific South Florida punk social mutants, Ivan Gripweed (nee Osorio) and Paul Enema. Paul went on the lead the Stun Guns, while Ivan could be found in the Jeffersons, F The Band Formerly Known as the John Birch Society and Sick Dick and the Volkswagens. I'm sure there are others.

This is basically what used to be called hardcore, but is looser and sillier than music that word is used to describe today. Every song is catchy and soaking in self-deprecation. Two involve cheese. A sample: "Velveeta, there ain't nothing sweeter...Spread it on your bread or melt it on your head" Depending on your outlook, this may make you laugh, make you cringe or make you hungry.

"The Obnoxious Song" has been the most enduring track, as it appears on the superb Killed by Florida comp for which this site is named. The song also is heard playing on a car radio in John Sheppard's novel "Small Town Punk," which is about punk kids in Sarasota, Florida, in the early '80s.

THE JAMESES -- Rat People / Haunted Rider 7"

Mayo Factory -- Lake Worth -- 2010


Rat People
Haunted Rider

This isn't punk rock, purely speaking. It's lo-fi, but in spite of that it is the instrumentation that makes this such a great single. It has a haunting, droning keyboard over obscure vocals. Great squeaks, whistles and swishes buried in all the murkiness. Snippets of clever lyrical images escape the swamp. No, this is not self-conscious shoegaze crap for which the "sound" trumps the songs. These are real songs, the intensity hidden therein you might miss the first time. It helps if you listen to it at high volume as I am doing right now.

SLIPPERY SLOPES -- Sad Tugs 7"

Florida's Dying -- Orlando -- 2010

Sad Tugs

Pizza I'm Against It

Carburetor

Burnin'

This band plays old school pop-punk in the Queers mold, with songs like "Pizza I'm Against It," the stand-out track. I usually use the label "pop punk" as an insult, but not in this case. This record is not overly slick like pop punk generally is and offers catchy, goofy who-cares attitude. In this recording they go for the reverby vocals like the Jacuzzi Boys and many other bands are doing at the moment, but it is not excessive.

The alernative and superior cover of the record cover prominently features a swastika. Definitely more punk than pop! They're worth catching live as well.

SUPER AIDS – 7"

Ripping Records – Orlando – 2005

Fuck the Wagon

Rock ‘n’ Roll ‘n’ Tits

Girls are for Faggots

Alarm Clock / Hollow End

Nuke ‘em all

Tub of Guts

I just wanna kiss you tonight

Richard – vocals

Sam – guitar & vocals

Dan – bass

Lew – drums

Mike – guitar

The record’s ok – hard, fast punk that almost sounds hardcore except for a more rock’n’roll song structure. Lead guitar parts sound good enough. The song titles give you a good idea of the lyrical concerns. The best part of this release, obviously, is the cover. Those creatures look like they live several miles under the sea – the part where sunlight never reaches.

THE BOOM BOOM BAND – I want to Live 7”

Boom Boom – Miami – 1987

Bobby “Boom Boom” Gold – drums, vocals

John Ross – bass, guitar

Rick Meister – guitar

Extremely cheep record. That’s not smeared shit on the cover – it’s krappy glue that has turned brown over the years. It glues the picture to a standard 45 sleeve. And there’s no B-side. Actually this is way better than I thought it would be. The vocals drag a bit, the guitar-playing is so-so – but the guitar-sound is cool – in a jangley, psych kinda way. I don’t like being dared to dream, tho.

SHIT EAGLE – 7”

Florida’s Dying – Orlando – 2007

Girls at School

So Sad

Gaysted Love

Another fine FDR release. Extremely lo-fi speedy punk crap. I don’t think a lot of thought went into this – but that’s ok. Gaysted Love reminds me of Twin Infinitives era Royal Trux on helium (and speed). The other 2 are more straight forward. On 33 rpm, the singer’s voice is manlier, and it’s a lot heavier – but drags a little. I’d stay with 45.