ivy room presentsSATURDAY JANUARY 6TH----SWINGIN' UTTERSTHE RIVERBOAT GAMBLERSENEMY OF ME ENEMY----Doors 8:00pm / Show 9:00pm$25 Advance / $27 Door----IVY ROOM860 San Pablo Ave, Albany • 21+THE SWINGIN' UTTERSWebsite / Bandcamp / Facebook----While its origin story has gone through more reboots than Batman, Superman and Spider-Man combined, punk rock has been a consistent presence on the musical landscape for more than 40 years. You might be surprised to know, however, that the Swingin’ Utters have been around for nearly as long —the band celebrated their 30th anniversary with a greatest-hits collection in 2019...
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ivy room presentsSATURDAY JANUARY 6TH----SWINGIN' UTTERSTHE RIVERBOAT GAMBLERSENEMY OF ME ENEMY----Doors 8:00pm / Show 9:00pm$25 Advance / $27 Door----IVY ROOM860 San Pablo Ave, Albany • 21+THE SWINGIN' UTTERSWebsite / Bandcamp / Facebook----While its origin story has gone through more reboots than Batman, Superman and Spider-Man combined, punk rock has been a consistent presence on the musical landscape for more than 40 years. You might be surprised to know, however, that the Swingin’ Utters have been around for nearly as long —the band celebrated their 30th anniversary with a greatest-hits collection in 2019. Hell, this Bay Area street-punk band is so well-respected among their peers, there’s even a whole tribute compilation dedicated to their extensive catalog, including covers by the likes of Dropkick Murphys, Fucked Up and Teenage Bottlerocket.Since that comp came out in 2010, the Utters have issued four more full-lengths, each more fiery than the last, with the latest being their ninth proper LP. Recorded at Nu-Tune Studios in Pittsburg, California, by Chris Dugan (Green Day, Iggy Pop), the album is titled Peace And Love, but don’t let that fool you: This isn’t some Haight and Ashbury hippie shit. In fact, according to guitarist/vocalist Darius Koski, Peace And Love’s content is as politically outspoken as the Utters have ever been.“This is, by far, our absolutely most political record we’ve ever done,” Koski says. “We don’t generally write very pointedly political songs. We tend to be a little more vague and abstract. But this one is pretty pointedly disgusted and pissed off and really directly attacking these fuckin’ people in office.”THE RIVERBOAT GAMBLERSBandcamp / Facebook----If The Riverboat Gamblers had had the good sense to die young, they’d be famous by now. Hailing from Austin by way of Denton, the Texas Power Punk 5 piece are almost an institution. Their fiery garage punk has spanned nearly two decades and has spread the world over. People from countries worldwide, aliens from universe-wide, spirit entities from dimensions unknown, would all come to whatever dirty dive club The Gamblers were playing to watch the band collectively impale themselves on the sharpened stake of Rock and Roll. Raucous and unpredictable live shows have become the stuff of legend as injury and blood took center stage, sometimes overshadowing the absolute brilliance of the songs themselves. With iron clad bubble gum pop, emotionally and philosophically informed by trucker speed and free clinic waiting rooms, Riverboat Gamblers have the rare ability to combine a Cheap Trick-ian love of hooks, gang vocals that would make a good skinhead weep, and a pathos and self-lacerating wit that, if one was able to look beyond the band literally kicking the holes in a venue ceiling, was on par with any more congratulated “smart” band.But God is fickle. The Gamblers didn’t die as advertised. Everybody wanted them to be the Johnny Thunders Party Bus or whatever cliche narrative was most desired deep in the fair-weather fan’s heart. But the Gamblers, a bunch of Misfit toys formed in the Denton house show scene, recognize no master or silly pit boss. When they were expected to stay fast, they slowed down, got real odd and sad. Now they’re expected to mature and they’re saying, “actually, no thanks.” The new stuff is as raw and speed driven as right when they were expected to expire in the first place.
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