by rudyards | May 27th, 2012
The Cry! (Portland, OR)
http://www.facebook.com/RamonLP4?ref=name#!/thecrypdx
The CRY! is four young guys from PDX who have reinvented the 2 min pop song for the next generation. Merging ’77 Punk with 50′s Doowop vocals and jangle of 60′s Pop-rock, The CRY! has created an energetic “New-Old School” sound that is earning them fans all across the country!
“These kids from the PDX get my vote as the “next big thing” to come out of the Northwest. A perfect fusion of doo-wop, pop and punk translates onstage with a “beyond their years” skill set and unrivaled, cohesive camaraderie.” - Tim Basaraba - Nada Mucho
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“When The Cry showed up for their gig at the International Pop Overthrow festival in Seattle, I was pleasantly suprised to see such young men sporting ’60s styled clothes and haircuts. I was intrigued, and couldn’t wait to see their set. Well, they delivered the goods: lots of ’60s and ’70s inspired tunes spiked with in your face vocals, hooks galore, and enough energy to light up the city of Bend! These kids were taught well, and if this is the wave of the future, I hope they ride it for many years to come!”” - David Bash - Founder/CEO,The International Pop Overthrow Festival
Something Fierce (Houston, TX)
http://www.somethingfiercemusic.com/
Something Fierce is a three-piece punk/pop band from Houston, Texas whose music combines the sound and attitude of first-wave 1977 punk with an energy and outlook that’s thoroughly contemporary, updating the attack of the Clash and the Buzzcocks for the 21st century.
Something Fierce were founded in 2005 by guitarist and lead vocalist Steven Garcia (ex-Gun Crazy and Born Liars) and bassist and vocalist Niki Sevven (formerly with the Neckbreakers); the group went though several drummers before teaming up with Andrew Keith, who they recognized from his frequent presence at local shows and parties.
In 2006, Something Fierce recorded their debut album, Come for the Bastards, which they released themselves. The release was followed by frequent touring through the Southwest, with occasional road trips into the South and Midwest; they group also recorded a handful of 7″ releases, including a split single with the Hangouts. In 2008, Something Fierce released their second full-length album, There Are No Answers; while the first pressing of the album was distributed by the band itself, the Portland, Oregon-based punk label Dirtnap Records liked the disc and reissued it after signing the band in 2009.
The band continued to tour extensively and released a 7″ on Action Town Records in 2010 before recording their third album, Don’t Be So Cruel, in 2011. The third album found Something Fierce’s sound evolving in a more sophisticated, pop-influenced direction without losing sight of their punk roots. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
The Wrong Ones (Houston, TX)
http://www.myspace.com/thewrongoneshouston
“The end of the world has been on people’s minds lately, what with the Mayans apparently penciling in the apocalypse next year and the Rapture rain-checked for October of this ‘un. That preoccupation with the end of the world is why we skipped straight to ‘Doomsday Transmission” on the Wrongs Ones’ new album, Deceiver (Cutthroat Records).
In most of their moments, the Wrong Ones are a textbook punk band. That’s not meant as a knock against them, but what expectations you hold in your head when you’re told that an album is a punk album will be met within standard parameters when you throw on Deceiver. True, it’s a bit angrier than modern punk, and there is a curious lack of artistic difference in that sung vitriol.” – Houston Press
