Though Dead To Me’s noticeable front man is former One Man Army member Jack Dalrymple, the true soul of their music, most importantly recognized in the lyrics, comes from bassist “Chicken”.  Most of the songs serve as recounts of Chicken’s difficult road through childhood and drug abuse.  Once a member of Western Addiction, Chicken’s brilliant lyrics arise from the very struggle he went through going in and out of rehab.  This  openness to share his own life provides a level of intimacy shared with any listener because his experiences are all to real.

And even if you somehow don’t feel this through listening to the record, their live performances only provide a deeper visual.  When I went to see them play in Half Moon Bay last summer (unfortunately already departed ways with Dalrymple) Chicken’s performance alone stood as one of the most intense displays of aggression I have ever seen.  From the first song he had cut open his finger from playing so hard, but didn’t recognize the gushing wound until halfway through the set.  Let’s just say that by the end of the show his bass marveled something Kiss would be jealous of.

In terms of Dead To Me’s unique sound, Jack Dalrymple’s voice is distinct and quite unmistakable.  And paired with his harmonic vocals are the rough edges of Chicken’s voice, resulting in the meld polar opposites to create a perfect combination.  What I also like about this record, coinciding to my earlier reference to rock and roll, are the guitar tones achieved by both Dalrymple and other guitarist Nathan.  Instead of driving the gain on their overdrive, like many punk bands do, they back off a bit to really showcase a vintage sound.  A track where this really presents itself is “Something New”, a song where Chicken also talks about dealing with a close friend’s suicide.

Jack Dalrymple would only record one more EP with the band before settling down to raise a child of his own, thus dramatically changing Dead To Me’s style on their new album “African Elephants”.  I must admit this album took some time to get used to and I still believe nothing matches the dynamics Chicken and Dalrymple shared together.

The best part about “Cuban Ballerina” is how Dead To Me shares their story of struggle by the end of twenty five minutes.  The messages stay short and true, nothing is dragged out, and the production of the music itself perfectly exhibits an original style completely their own.  A therapy session in itself, “Cuban Ballerina” is the perfect story of a rising phoenix:  from the ashes come beauty.

-E.C.H.

I must also emphasize that this post is not about how NOFX is the most “punk” band ever (whatever the hell that means) because I’m saving Minor Threat and The Dead Kennedy’s for another day seeing as that’s an entirely different animal.

NOFX released “Pump Up The Valuum” in 2000 as their eighth full-length LP on Epitaph Records.  In it’s entirety, the album covers fourteen songs in a little over thirty one minutes.  Some of the more memorable track names are “What’s The Matter With Parent’s Today”, “Dinosaurs Will Die”, and “Bottles To The Ground” though anyone who has encountered this record knows every song carries its own hutzpah.

NOFX yields a certain degree of humor completely their own, and its relevance is completely prevalent on “Pump Up The Valuum”.  Although, at the same time I have never quite compared them to bands like The Vandals or Guttermouth, possibly because those bands seem to extract comedy to its maximum limit.  I believe NOFX has mastered this obviously through their extended existence as a band, but also through the wit and ingenuity of Fat Mike’s style (of course not forgetting tracks seven and twelve, if you’ve heard them, which fit a more Vandals-like platform).

At the time I heard this, it provided a new world of speed to the music I listened to. This was mainly because it served a bridge for me from the pop-punk of Sum 41 and Blink 182 to the harder punk I desired.  For anybody trying to find inspiration for punk bass, I can admit to learning most of my strumming patterns from this album alone.  But when you get down to the core of the record, NOFX plays music true to themselves which only puts any listener in a good mood.

The length itself only makes the package of music easy listening, as I found out when I played it five times straight all the way through when I first bought it.  The mixture and manipulation of sounds also contributes to the easy listening.  When I first heard the song “Herojuana” by itself, I found it to be a little bland and an unfortunate deviation from the constantly fast punk I wanted.  However, after hearing it in conjunction with the other tracks, it became a fresh addition to the same beats and guitar patterns.

Bands focus on designing albums this way, along with a general message of who they are.  But you don’t even have to relate to all these songs to enjoy the album.  Though I have never experienced the closing minutes of a bar, I still like “Bottles To The Ground” because it provides insight to who Fat Mike is (If the final track “Theme From A NOFX Album” didn’t).  Coinciding with this, the rest of the songs continue carry a blend of nonsense and rebellious attitudes completely true to who NOFX is.  And in my opinion, that’s the point of punk rock.

-E.C.H.