FUTURISK – Player Piano 7”EP

Clark Humphrey Records – Deerfield Beach (1982)

Poison Ivy

Meteoright

Push Me Pull You (Part two)

Lonely Streets

Split Second

Richard Hess – Synthesizer

Jack Howard – Drums & Synthdrums

E. Jeremy Kolosine – vocals & synthesizers

Somewhat of a letdown after their first single. Not terrible – just not especially good. A slightly more commercial new wave sound crept in and the interesting or creepy bits are equally matched with dull and fruity moments. I suppose the vocals annoy me the most - I'm ok with the synths. One must remember that in 1982 bands like this were really blazing new paths in music. Sometimes they just took a wrong turn. Push Me Pull You (Pt 2) is probably the best song here, due in part to its instrumental nature.

FUTURISK – Army Now / What We Have to Have 7”

Clark Humphrey Records – Deerfield Beach (1980)

Jack Howard – drums
Jeremy Kolosine – vocals, synthetic guitars, mandolin
Frank Lardino – synthesizers
Jeff Marcus – did not play bass

Easily the best FLA synth record of the era – at least in part because they picked the right influences – Devo, Gary Numan and not fruitcakes like Howard Jones or whatever that their Tampa brethren looked up to. Both songs are well-crafted, memorable and futuristic as all hell. There’s at least two different covers for this record -this one being the coolest – also has a cool-as-shit nighttime band photo – making these guys look threatening – which they probably weren’t in real life. They made one more 7” and then became so minimalist that they disappeared.

BELTONES -- My Old Man 7"

JUST ADD WATER RECORDS -- Deerfield Beach, 1996

My Old Man
Fuck You Anyway

Bill McFadden -- Vocal, guitar
Chris War -- Bass
Kevin Crook -- Drums
Rob Sessions -- Guitar

No one reviews a Beltones record without mentioning Stiff Little Fingers and this single is part of the reason why. 'My Old Man' starts out with a stacato military drum beat, anthemic guitar, personal lyrics and a guttural vocal straight off of Nobody's Heroes, sans Irish accent. Well, maybe there's a little Irish accent in there...

The B-side describes a scene that anyone who punk rock speaks to has experienced a zillion times. 'Fuck You Anyway' sums it up.

Formed in 1994, this band released two full lengths and four 7"s and appeared on several comps. This one is recommended.

BELTONES – Naming My Bullets 7” EP

TKO Records - Deerfield Beach (1998)

Naming My Bullets
Juvenile Delinquent
Suzy is a Heartbreaker v2.0
Let the Bombs Fall

Bill McFadden - vocals, guitar
Chris Arocha - bass
Rob Sessions – guitar
Kevin Crook – drums

The third record by the Beltones may be their best. The Beltones got their start in Broward County, fled North to Gainesville (around the time of this records), eventually defected to Texas and then dissolved. If you like all things Irish, drunk, angry, SLF, etc., the Beltones are for you! I’m not the world’s biggest fan of all of the previous things & these guys were pretty damn derivative – but they usually put on a good show, cared about what they were doing and were from Florida! “Let the Bombs Fall” is a particularly personal song about family tragedy leading to antipathy toward the entire world. Naming my Bullets (the song) is another hit.