PUNK OUTLAW RECORDS LAUNCHES NEW MULTIMEDIA WEBSITE
& SIGNS ROCKABILLY BAND FROM COLOMBIA
- Emerging Label Features Several Newly Signed Bands from Latin America & Announces First Rockabilly Release with Colombia’s “Dorados Rockabilly Trio” -
Los Angeles, CA January 31st, 2012 – Punk Outlaw® Records announced the launch of its newly redesigned website at www.PunkOutlawRecords.com which showcases several newly signed bands from Latin America.
The site also displays greatly enhanced features where fans can preview and listen to the individual artists’ releases and if they choose, purchase and download music. Fans can also view photos and videos from the different bands as well as join the newsletter where they can keep abreast of new releases and receive free music downloads on a periodic basis.
In addition to the label’s recent releases from the label’s original roster, Colombian Punk Rockers “Los Suziox”and Uruguayan Punkabilly stalwarts, “Rudos Wild”, the label recently released its first compilation collection, “Punktology Volume 1 – Free Cuba Now!” which features 16 punk and hardcore tracks from 8 artists from Latin America and the Caribbean.
The label’s site also features the debut release from the label’s first rockabilly band, Colombia’s “Dorados Rockabilly Trio”. The release titled “Conflicto de Espacio Blanco” (White Space Conflict) features six (6) original tracks, in English and Spanish including one dedicated to pin up icon “Bettie Page”.
“The redesigned site will help us more effectively share the musical experience of punk, rockabilly, psychobilly, ska and reggae from our travels all over the world. We plan on signing more bands and releasing more music and we hope that the fans will come to view the site as a valuable resource for discovering new music and artists regardless of their geography” States Robert G. Rose, Founder of the Punk Outlaw Records. “We plan to run the label in a non traditional manner, more like a cooperative, with artists and fans both contributing to and benefiting from the label’s success. We also hope to always keep a higher purpose in mind, experimenting with unique promotional ideas that can also help others” Rose continues.
The fledgling record label hopes to showcase a minimum of at least one new release each month, from a variety of punk genres and subgenres from artists the world over. The label’s current roster of bands include the afore mentioned Los Suziox (Colombia), Rudos Wild (Uruguay), Dorados Rockabilly Trio (Colombia) as well as Punktology Vol. 1 participants, Anti-Everything (Trinidad), Demeter/DMTR (Ecuador), El Terrible Y Los Mongoloides (Peru), Lokekeda (Colombia), Warning (Guatemala) and Fertil Miseria (Colombia). More announcements are expected in the coming weeks.
PUNK OUTLAW RECORDS LANZA UN NUEVO SITIO MULTIMEDIA E INCORPORA UNA BANDA DE ROCKABILLY DE COLOMBIA
El incipiente sello discográfico cuenta con diversas bandas latinoamericanas incorporadas recientemente y anuncia el primer lanzamiento de rockabilly con la banda “Dorados Rockabilly Trio”
Los Ángeles, CA, 31 de enero de 2012 – Punk Outlaw® Records anunció el lanzamiento de su sitio web recientemente rediseñado www.PunkOutlawRecords.com, el cual exhibe diversas bandas latinoamericanas incorporadas recientemente.
El sitio también muestra funciones totalmente mejoradas mediante las cuales los aficionados pueden previsualizar y escuchar los lanzamientos de sus artistas favoritos, y comprar y descargar música si lo desean. Los aficionados también pueden ver fotos y videos de diferentes bandas, así como unirse al boletín informativo con el cual pueden mantenerse al día respecto de los nuevos lanzamientos y recibir descargas de música gratuitas periódicamente.
Además de los lanzamientos recientes de la lista original de artistas del sello discográfico, los artistas colombianos de Punk Rock “Los Suziox” y los gigantes uruguayos del punkabilly, “Rudos Wild”, la discográfica lanzó recientemente su primera colección de compilados, “Punktology Volume 1 – Free Cuba Now!”, la cual cuenta con 16 temas de punk y hardcore de 8 artistas latinoamericanos y caribeños.
El sitio web del sello discográfico también cuenta con el lanzamiento debut de la primera banda de rockabilly de la discográfica, los colombianos “Dorados Rockabilly Trio”. El lanzamiento titulado “Conflicto de Espacio Blanco” cuenta con seis (6) temas originales, en inglés y español, incluido un tema dedicado al ícono del modelaje fotográfico “Bettie Page”.
“El sitio rediseñado nos permitirá compartir de manera más eficiente la experiencia musical del punk, el rockabilly, el psychobilly, el ska y el reggae obtenida en nuestros viajes por todo el mundo. Nuestro plan es incorporar más bandas y lanzar más música, y esperamos que los aficionados vean el sitio como un recurso valioso para descubrir nueva música y nuevos artistas, sin importar el lugar donde se encuentren”, dice Robert G. Rose, fundador de Punk Outlaw Records. “Nuestro plan es administrar la discográfica de una manera no tradicional, más como una cooperativa, con artistas y aficionados que contribuyan al éxito del sello discográfico y se beneficien de él. También esperamos mantener siempre un importante objetivo en mente y experimentar con ideas promocionales exclusivas que también puedan ayudar a otras personas”, continúa Rose.
El novel sello discográfico espera exhibir, al menos, un nuevo lanzamiento por mes de artistas de diferentes géneros y subgéneros del punk de todo el mundo. La lista actual de bandas del sello discográfico incluye a las bandas antes mencionadas: Los Suziox (Colombia), Rudos Wild (Uruguay), Dorados Rockabilly Trio (Colombia), y a los participantes de Punktology Vol. 1: Anti-Everything (Trinidad), Demeter/DMTR (Ecuador), El Terrible Y Los Mongoloides (Perú), Lokekeda (Colombia), Warning (Guatemala) y Fertil Miseria (Colombia). Se esperan más anuncios en las próximas semanas.
Our relationship with Remzcla.com continues. We wrote an article for them in an attempt to explain the Latino influence in the international rockabilly and psychobilly scenes.You may note a few familiar names and some not so familiar.
Check out the article HERE and if you like it, for God’s sake hit “like”, tweet it or facebook it, forward it to your 2 best friends or something.. and if you don’t like it, well, hell.. go ahead and write me a nasty, flaming, annonymous comment, I can take it.
16 Songs from 8 Artists from Latin America & the Caribbean
Click HERE to visit “Punktology Vol. 1″ page in Amazon Music
Click HERE to visit “Punktology Vol. 1″ in i-Tunes
CONTACT: info@punkoutlawrecords.com
PUNK OUTLAW RECORDS’ COMPILATION “FREE CUBA NOW!” ON I-TUNES & AMAZON MUSIC
- Punk Musicians from Latin America & Caribbean Join Label’s Protest of Treatment of Cuban Punks –
New York, NY – December 7th, 2011 – Punk Outlaw® Recordsannounced the release of their first compilation collection, Punktology Volume 1 – Free Cuba Now! The compilation features independent punk and hardcore music from Latin America and the Caribbean and is available on a variety of platforms including i-Tunes,Amazon Music, CD Baby and other leading digital music retailers.
The collection strives to showcase a variety of punk music from Latin America and the Caribbean to North American and European audiences. The title “Free Cuba Now” was chosen to help bring attention to the fact that Cuban punks, as well as many other subcultures on the island nation of Cuba, still suffer from suppression of their freedom of expression at the hands of the Cuban government.
The musical compilation is the first from the fledgling music label and features artists covered in the documentary “Punktology”, which is currently in production at Punk Outlaw’s® production banner and hopes to help shed light on the worldwide influence of punk music in unlikely places, like Cuba.
“While working on the documentary, I visited Cuba and witnessed firsthand the incredible lack of basic freedom of expression we take for granted in much of the western world, when one of our interviewees was arrested for simply speaking to us” states Robert G. Rose, Founder of Punk Outlaw Records and Executive Producer of Punktology. “Punk music is at its best when it’s railing against injustice. This music comes from a variety of bands from different countries, each with their own issues such as social inequality, government corruption and crippling poverty. Yet freedom of expression is a basic human right that most enjoy and we think Cubans and all human beings deserve this right as well.” Rose continues.
Punk Outlaw Records has pledged 25% of the record label’s share of net profits to charitable organizations whose missions are to help Cubans, including, Cuba Skate, a U.S. based charity providing skateboarding equipment, clothing and better opportunities for Cuban youth.
The compilation is currently available for purchase at various digital online retailers including I-tunes, Amazon Music, Zune and more. Visit www.PunkOutlawRecords.com and www.Punktologycd.com for more information and to view a promotional video trailer.
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SPANISH TRANSLATION:
COMPILACIÓN “FREE CUBA NOW!” DE PUNK OUTLAW RECORDS EN I-TUNES
- Los músicos de Punk de Latinoamérica y el Caribe se unen a la protesta del sello discográfico con respecto al trato que se les da a los músicos de punk cubanos -
New York, NY – 7 de Deciembre de 2011 – Punk Outlaw® Records anunció el lanzamiento de su primera compilación Punktology Volume 1 – Free Cuba Now! La compilación incluye música punk y hardcore independiente de Latinoamérica y el Caribe, y está disponible en varias plataformas, incluida i-Tunes,Amazon Music, CD Baby y otros revendedores de música digital.
La colección se esfuerza por presentar una variedad de música punk de Latinoamérica y el Caribe a las audiencias Norteamericana y Europea. Se eligió el título “Free Cuba Now” para contribuir a generar conciencia acerca de que los músicos de punk cubanos, al igual que muchas otras subculturas de la isla de Cuba, todavía sufren la represión de su libertad de expresión que ejerce el gobierno cubano.
La compilación musical es la primera compilación del reciente sello discográfico e incluye a los artistas que forman parte del documental “Punktology”, que actualmente está siendo producido por el banner de producción de Punk Outlaw® y espera contribuir a revelar la influencia internacional de la música punk en lugares insólitos, como Cuba.
“Durante mi trabajo en el documental, visité Cuba y pude comprobar por mí mismo la increíble falta de libertad de expresión básica que damos por sentada en la mayor parte del mundo occidental, cuando uno de nuestros entrevistados fue arrestado simplemente por hablarnos”, afirma Robert G. Rose, Fundador de Punk Outlaw Records y Productor Ejecutivo de Punktology. “El mejor momento de la música punk surge cuando recrimina hechos de injusticia. Diversas bandas de distintos países tocan este tipo de música, cada una con sus propios conflictos, como la desigualdad social, la corrupción del gobierno y la pobreza agobiante. Sin embargo, la libertad de expresión es un derecho humano básico del que gozan la mayoría de las personas, y consideramos que los cubanos y todos los seres humanos merecen este derecho,” sostiene Rose.
Punk Outlaw Records aportó el 25% de las ganancias netas del sello discográfico a organizaciones benéficas cuya misión consiste en ayudar a los cubanos, incluida Cuba Skate (www.CubaSkate.com), una organización benéfica con base en los EE. UU. que proporciona equipos de monopatín, indumentaria y mejores oportunidades a los jóvenes cubanos.
Actualmente, la compilación está disponible para su compra en diversos revendedores de música digital en línea, incluidos I-tunes, Amazon Music, Zune y muchos más. Visite www.PunkOutlawRecords.com y www.Punktologycd.com para obtener más información y ver un avance de un video promocional. SPECIAL THANKS:
- Juan Esteban Almanzar Sanchez – Artwork Design
- Renzo Devia – Cuban Punk Photo
- Camilo Mendoza – Punk Outlaw Records Video Promo Edit
- The Punks in Cuba
- Los Suziox, Rudos Wild, Fertil Miseria, DMTR, Warning, El Terrible Y Los Mongoloides, Anti-Everything & Lokekeda
Listen to some punk music from all over the world. Got some good music you want to share? join the group and upload. In the meantime, enjoy these tunes by our good buddies Los Suziox (Colombia) and Rudos Wild (Uruguay). Disfruta!
Special Thanks to Juan Estaban Lopez from Lokekeda for helping with the artwork. Photo Renzo Devia - Creador Pictures
In December of 2009 I visited Havana, Cuba to help a friend who was working on a documentary film. I brought my own camera, which was pro-sumer, meaning it looked like just a regular personal camcorder any tourist might have but it actually shoots professional video and audio. I wanted to grab some interviews for my own documentary “Punktology… The Worldwide Influence of Punk”.
I had researched and concluded there must be some kind of punk scene there, because the band “Porno Para Ricardo” was making headlines. Turns out the lead member, Gorki Augila was in exile after numerous arrests and harassment by the Cuban government for “social dangerousness” which, according to the website PunkNews.org, is behavior that runs contrary to “communist morality” and allows authorities to detain offenders before they commit an actual crime.
I knew if I found any punks willing to speak on camera, I’d have to be careful. I was not a registered journalist and this was my first time in Cuba. If I were to get in any trouble there was no U.S. Embassy there to help me out. Indeed, I had a young filmmaker friend who had died while in Cuba attending the “Havana Film Festival” with his film just a few years before. I had no idea what to expect and I was excited if a bit nervous.
I was with another, more experienced filmmaker, Camilo, a Colombian-American who was bilingual and had agreed to run camera and translate for me while I ran the interviews.
We went to Calle G or G Street, where I had been told the Los Freakies (the freaks) hang out on a nightly basis. Los Freakies were basically the misfits of Havana, a crowd of hundreds of teens and young adults consisting of goth and metal heads, skateboard kids, emos and yes, a handful of hardcore punks, some sporting mohawks and tattoos. It was a surreal scene.
Los Freakies @ Calle G - Havana, Cuba
The police were close by but they didn’t seem to really be doing anything but watching the Los Freakies hang out and frankly, they looked really bored. In the U.S. that might mean the cops would be grabbing some coffee & donuts or busting a jaywalker. In Cuba, I was to find out it was a recipe for trouble.
We started pre-interviewing a couple of punks who were very eager to be on camera and tell the world about the punk scene and about life in general in Cuba. But just before the camera started rolling, the police spotted us and headed straight for us.
I thought for sure my camera was going to be confiscated. I was prepared to claim tourist status but that wouldn’t explain the microphone. I was racking my brain to explain the microphone when I realized that instead of questioning Camilo and I, the police had focused all their attention on the punks.
In the end after some very brief questioning they took one of our potential interviewees away in handcuffs to jail. The charge? We weren’t told and were not sure. But it is illegal for Cubans to speak to tourists. How long would he remain in jail? What would happen to him there? None of his friends were sure, but their enthusiasm had vanished and they were much more reserved afterward. We could feel the gloom that had set in and realized this was probably a far more serious matter than an overnight stay in the pokie.
I stayed in Cuba just 8 days, but during this time, I was personally in contact with no less than 3 Cubans who were arrested while I was there for very different minor offenses, ranging from not having their “papers in order” to “tourist harassment”. In Cuba, it appears the police have free reign to arrest first and make charges later.
Eventually we learned to be more covert in our operations and amazingly, even after the arrest of one of their own, I had no problems finding other punks who, though they had heard about the arrest, were still willing and eager to speak on camera.
In case you have never seen it, below is a video compilation that we put together shortly after.
That night in Havana, Cuba has bugged me ever since. I’ve never forgotten the shock of seeing someone hauled away in handcuffs, simply for having a conversation. I felt somewhat responsible for that poor guy’s arrest. Had I not had my camera and been nosing around Calle G he would have never been taken to jail.
The Cuban people are desperately poor and most (that don’t have government jobs) subsist on a sub par diet of rice, beans and potatoes.
The tourists in Havana are extremely important to the very limited economy there. As a result tourist are usually protected at all cost. The joke around Havana was that if a tourist were to stab a Cuban for no reason, well the police would promptly arrest the Cuban for “running into the knife” of a tourist and let the tourist go free.
Good, nutritious food and justice are not the only things missing in Cuba. It’s obvious that freedom of expression is in short supply as well and this, I gathered from our interviews, was the most frustrating part for Cubans.
They felt their leaders were old, backwards, out of touch and basically crazy and they were paying the price. When I looked out into the Cuban harbor, I noticed none of the boats had motors. Only rowboats are allowed for Cubans I suppose. Cuba is such a paradise that the government feels the need to keep people prisoner.
At night, I noticed many families in Cuba watched the local Univision (the Spanish TV network) station from Miami, whose signal bled into Cuba. Even this simple pleasure incurred a risk.
I heard stories of police, undercover government officials and citizen informants roaming the streets at night listening for homes that might have been “illegally” watching TV signals from the U.S.
Internet access was a non existent and when I think about it, I’m really surprised there was a punk scene at all in Cuba. Thanks to bands like Porno Para Ricardo and the punks who bravely spoke out to our cameras, though, I have faith that the punk scene is still thriving in Cuba. As you can see from the interviews, they find ways to get internet, music, clothes, etc. despite the U.S. embargo and a paranoid and repressive Cuban government.
Are there worst offenders of freedom of expression than Cuba? Possibly in the middle east (Iran, Syria, etc.) or China (where the U.S. doesn’t dare impose an embargo), North Korea or in some African countries. But for a relatively small island country just a few miles off the coast of Florida, it amazes me that this cold war relic of a place can still cause so much misery.
With all that’s going on in the world today, it would be pretty easy for citizens in the U.S. and other parts of the developed world to forget that Cuba even exist.
Cuban Punks who braved arrest to be interviewed
But having visited the island, I can’t get out of my head the image of the guy being arrested and of his friends’ gloomy dispositions afterward. I can’t help but wonder if the people on camera who told us so candidly how they felt about the Cuban government might also have joined their punk amigos in jail… or worse. I certainly hope not but you never know.
Since my Cuba trip, I’ve traveled to most of Latin America and I’ve been wanting to showcase music from the many excellent punk bands I’ve come in contact with while filming “Punktology”. I was finally able to pull enough music together to put together a compilation.
We’ve decided to name this compilation “Punktology: Volume 1 – Free Cuban Now” in honor of our punk “comrades” in Cuba. We hope to have the compilation out digitally at places like I-tunes, Amazon, etc. by December.
I decided a long time ago that commercial projects in and of themselves were not fulfilling. As the late Steve Jobs said “leave a dent in the universe”. I don’t believe that most people think that freedom of expression should depend on an old dictator finally succumbing to death (and a nice warm place in hell afterward). I believe most people feel that freedom of expression is an inherent right of all mankind regardless of geography.
Other than raise some awareness or make a little noise, I’m not sure what we may accomplish by putting out this compilation, but it is something. And if we do end up actually making any money, well, we’ve pledged support to our buddies at Cuba Skate, a small but passionate start up charity that is working hard to supply skate boarding equipment and better opportunities to Cuban youth
The press release announcing our little venture is below. Please read and if possible, help circulate.
Oh and if you get a chance today, go out and say something controversial or unflattering about your government to a group of people (if your in the U.S. maybe at one of the Occupy Wall Street, etc. events) and enjoy the feeling of walking away free without being thrown in jail. ! Sure feels good doesn’t it?!
Los Suziox (Colombia) - One of the bands featured on Punktology Vol. 1
PUNK OUTLAW RECORDS’ COMPILATION SAYS “FREE CUBA NOW!”
- Emerging Label’s Compilation Features Punk Music from Latin America & Beyond -
New York, NY October, 11th, 2011 – Punk Outlaw® Records announced plans to release their first compilation collection, “Punktology Volume 1 – Free Cuba Now!” which will feature independent punk and hardcore music from Latin America and the Caribbean.
The fledgling digital record label’s objective is to showcase a collection of punk music from emerging musicians in Latin America and the Caribbean to North American and European audiences.
The title “Free Cuba Now” was chosen to help bring attention to the fact that Cuban punks, as well as many other subcultures on the island nation of Cuba, still suffer from oppression and suppression in their freedom of expression at the hands of the Cuban police and government.
The musical compilation is the first from the fledgling music label and features artists covered in the documentary “Punktology”, which is currently being produced by Punk Outlaw® Productions to showcase the worldwide influence of punk music.
“While working on the documentary, I visited Cuba and witnessed firsthand the incredible lack of basic freedom of expression we take for granted in much of the western world when one of our interviewees was arrested, apparently for simply speaking with us” states Robert Rose, Founder of Punk Outlaw Records and Executive Producer of Punktology.
“I believe Punk music is at its best when it’s railing against injustice. The music comes from a variety of bands from different countries, each with their own issues such as social inequality, government corruption and crippling poverty, but freedom of expression is a basic human right that most enjoy and we think Cubans, and all human beings deserve this right as well.” Rose continues.
Punk Outlaw Records has pledged 25% of the record label’s share of net profits to a U.S. based charitable organization, Cuba Skate (www.CubaSkate.com) which provides skateboarding equipment, clothing and works to better opportunities to Cuban youth.
The compilation will be released and available for purchase at various digital online retailers including I-tunes, Amazon Music, Zune and more in December 2011. Visit www.PunkOutlawRecords.com and www.PunkOutlaw.com/po09/2011/10/FreeCubaNow for more information.
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Rudos Wild (Uruguay) - Featured on Punktology Vol. 1
SPANISH VERSION
Nueva York, 11 de Octubre 2011 – Punk Outlaw ® Records ha anunciado planes de lanzar su primera compilación de la colección “Punktology Volumen 1 –Liberen a Cuba ya!”, Que contará con el punk y el hardcore independiente de América Latina y el Caribe.
El objetivo de la nueva disquera digital es mostrar una colección de música punk de los músicos emergentes de América Latina y el Caribe a una audiencia norte americana y europea. El título de “Liberen a Cuba ya!” fue elegido para ayudar a llamar la atención al hecho de que los punks de Cuba, así como muchas otras subculturas en la isla sufren la opresión y la represión de la libertad de expresión por parte del gobierno.
Esta compilación musical es la primera de la disquera digital y los artistas han sido parte del documental “Punktology”, que actualmente está siendo producido por Punk Outlaw ® Producciones para mostrar la influencia mundial de la música punk.
“Mientras trabajaba en el documental, visité Cuba y fui testigo de la increíble falta de libertades básicas de expresión que no apreciamos en gran parte del mundo occidental, cuando uno de nuestros entrevistados fue detenido, al parecer, por el simple hecho de hablar con nosotros”, expresó Robert Rose, fundador de Punk Outlaw Records y productor ejecutivo de Punktology. “Creo que la música Punk esta en su mejor momento cuando está protestando contra la injusticia. La música proviene de una variedad de bandas de diferentes países, cada uno con sus propios Problemas como la desigualdad social, la corrupción gubernamental y la pobreza agobiante, pero la libertad de expresión es un derecho humano básico con la cual la gran mayoria cuenta y creemos que los cubanos, y todos los seres humanos merecen este derecho. ” Rose continúa.
Punk Outlaw Records se ha comprometido a donar 25% de sus ganacias a una organización caritativa con sede en EE.UU., Cuba Skate (www.CubaSkate.com), que ofrece equipos de skateboard, ropa y obras para mejorar las oportunidades de la juventud cubana.
La compilación sera lanzada y disponible para comprar en varias tiendas digitales en internet, incluyendo itunes, Amazon, Zune y más en Diciembre del 2011. Visita www.PunkOutlawRecords.com y www.PunkOutlaw.com/po09/2011/10/FreeCubaNow para más información.
You may have seen that we’ve written a little about the emerging rockabilly and psychobilly scenes in Colombia.
Salidos de la Cripta (Bogota Psychobilly)
We’ve featured interviews with bands likeLos Chiclosos Desmembrados (Dismembered or Chewed Up Gum) and Salidos de la Cripta (Leaving the Crypt) who are representing some emerging psychobilly music from Bogota (more from those bands coming later in the fall btw). If you missed it you can read that archived article HERE.
Well we finally got the video interview/feature from the Dorados edited for your enjoyment so here ya go! The guys spill their knowledge and opinions on what it’s like to be carrying the torch for the rockabilly scene in a legendary punk & metal city like Medellin.
Punk Outlaw Records' "Dorados Rockabilly Trio"
Oh and a bit of exciting news, the guys have a 5 song CD coming out soon. It’s being mixed and put out in the U.S. & beyond by none other than your good buddies right here at Punk Outlaw Records.
So look for news on that this fall as well and congrats to the Dorados Rockabilly Trio, the newest member of our small, but growing family of artists which includes Uruguay’s rowdy punkabilly Rudos Wild and fellow Medellin, Colombianos, the headed for legendary status, Los Suziox.
More exciting news to come soon on this front. We’re just getting started.
Oh and thanks to K’milo Rio from Medellin for editing this little bit of rockabilly gold for us. K’milo had to do some double duty translating and subtitling to English for us non Spanish speakers. His English, like my Spanish, is less than perfect, but as in all things punk, we got it done in good old fashioned DIY Style. Gracias K’milo and bien hecho amigo.
We interrupt our regularly scheduled coverage of the worldwide punk scene for a little shameless self promotion (and free music for you!).
When our good friend and event promoter extraordinaire, Amylulita (check her kick ass Nacothequeevents if you live in NYC), suggested to the fine folks at Remezcla.com that they do a profile on Punk Outlaw Records, I was a bit hesitant for two reasons.
1) We’re a very FLEDGELING punk music label – Punk music isn’t supposed to court promotion right?
2) Were a very FLEDGLING punk music label – Fledgeling, meaning we’re just getting started. What’s to write about?
Then they suggested that we put together a compilation of music for free download from our travels while shooting the documentary“Punktology” and things started to click.
We’ve heard some pretty damn cool punk music over the past couple of years. From Russia to Trinidad to Cuba to all over Latin America, we’ve seen bands working hard, sometimes with sub par equipment and usually no recording budget, doing whatever it takes to get their music out there; to get their message across in whatever DIY way they know how.
I felt we could put a compilation together of at least a small sample of some of this music for people in North America, Europe and other spots across the globe to see how it’s done when it’s done for the pure love of music under sometimes really tough circumstances.
Dead or Alive Free Music Download
So that’s what we did and the result is a nice little music download called El Mix, Volume 6 “Dead or Alive” . Its sort of digital mixed tape if you will of all kinds of punk music, from straight up melodic punk to rockabilly and surf.
I think the mix is good of course, but it’s punk too, not just because of the musical genres and certainly not because it’s all encompassing or representative of all types of music we have heard over the years (11 songs can’t possibly do that justice).
But on our mix are some old songs, so old they were recorded with old analog equipment and a new song, so new it hasn’t even been completely mixed down yet and everything in between.
Isn’t that what punk music is about? Not waiting til everything is pitch perfect like in the god awful pop music business. But letting the sound escape when it’s still raw and in the works and recorded under whatever conditions you can muster… while the feeling is fresh, not manufactured? That’s punk!
And as I said, I think it’s all good stuff. But you be the judge.. Oh and did I mention it’s free? That’s pretty punk too, so help yourselves to 11 tunes of the following 9 artists.
Rudos Wild (Uruguay)
1) Rudos Wild – Our punkabilly buddies from Uruguay. They provided two hardcharging little ditties that will make your hair stand on end. You can download more of their music on i-tunes HERE!
Los Suziox (Colombia)
2) Los Suziox – Our really good punk pals from Medellin, Colombia. Probably the most talented punk band you’ve never heard of. They provided two songs from their past archives that I love. You can download more of their music on i-tunes HERE!
Demeter - DMTR (Ecuador)
3) Demter (DMTR) – Straight from Quito, Ecuador with a kick ass song I fell in love with very first time I heard it.
Freddie & The Drillers (Russian Surf)
4) Freddie and the Drillers – Our surf buddies from St. Petersburg, Russia with a ditty that is technically Spanish as it’s only lyrics are “La curva Peligrosa!” (Dangerous Curves). Love it!
Anti-Everything (Trinidad)
5) Anti-Everything - the ONLY punk band from Trinidad & Tobago and they happen to be very, very good. They also have a new CD coming out soon.
911 (Colombia)
6)Nueve Once- another punk band from Medellin, Colombia, this one holding down the skate-pop punk scene. They have over 30 tunes in the can!
Dorados Rockabilly Trio (Colombia)
7) Dorados Rockabilly Trio – Our first rockabilly band and one of the few in all of Colombia! Their first CD is coming out soon!
Lokekeda (Colombia)
8 ) Lokekeda – Also our pals from Medellin, with an addictive song “Espinas Asesinas”. Give it a listen!
Los Ultraman (Uruguay)
9) Los Ultraman – A really solid surf band from Uruguay who, by the way, have a killer new CD on the way and are hoping to get someone in the U.S. to help them do a vinyl version.
Thanks to all these artist who participated. If you like what you hear, then be sure and visit their websites (just click their names to be taken to their respective sites).
I’d also like to thank Isabela from Remezcla.com for putting it all together.
And you dear viewer/reader/listener/punk fanatic. We hope you’ll enjoy these FREE 11 tunes from 9 artists from all over the globe (well at least Latin America, the Caribbean and Russia).
There’s a plethora of music out there these days, a lot of it free.. but good punk music, well that’s another horse of a different color all together. Enjoy!
Back in February I made a return trip to Montevideo, Uruguay to see my old pals fromRudos Wild. A lot had happened in the year I was away. I signed the guys to my fledgling digital record label “Punk Outlaw Records”, I had begun work on a new travel show “Raw Travel” and I had moved from the U.S. to begin living abroad in Colombia, South America.
Rudos Wild Concert in Montevideo Feb '11
What hadn’t changed was the quality of the music of Rudos Wild and the pure, genuine energy of the band, when they are playing and when they aren’t.
We took advantage of my trip down there to hang out some more. I taped one of their live concerts, chilled at Peyo’s house at a big meat filled BBQ and ended up featuring the band in Raw Travel’s episode on Uruguay/Argentina.
Oh and we also shot a little music video for them for their song, “No Toleramos” (We Won’t Tolerate), which I just love.
Well the video has finally been edited and you get to peek it here first.
Leo 666
It’s dedicated to Leo 666, Rudos Wild bass player who’s been ill and in the hospital. Maybe you should think about eating a steak every now and then amigo! (Leo 666 is a strict vegan in Uruguay of all places, possibly the most meat eating per capita on the planet). Seriously, stay strong my friend and get well soon.
Special thanks to Renzo Devia, Moses Naranjo and Camilo Mendoza who helped shoot and edit the video.
This “review “has been months in the making but I figure if it took Social Distortion 6 years to come out with a new CD then it can take me 6 months to find the time and energy to write about it.
I realize it might be irrelevant at this point, but given that the record company recently released the video for “Machine Gun Blues”, they at least think this CD has a long sales cycle. And you know what, I agree. Happily punk music and Social Distortion don’t follow whatever norms are left of the so called music “industry”.
I also wanted to give myself time to listen to the CD, record, LP, download whatever you call it these days, front to back and back again numerous times. Experience tells me many of my favorite Social D. songs were weeks, months or even years in the listening. Like some exotic piece of sushi, some of the best songs are an acquired taste. Glaring exceptions are my favorite songs from “White Light, White Heat, White Trash” CD. My first.
Social Distortion
I know, I know, I in no way resemble a professional or even unprofessional music “critic”. What qualifies me to even attempt to analyze and pass on my opinions about a work of music?
Well, I am a massive Social Distortion fan, own every song they’ve put out (and some they haven’t) and while I am partially uncomfortable and wholly unqualified to sit in judgment of what took many, much more talented and gifted people months, or in this case years to put together, I’m doing it anyway.
Now what’s more punk rock than that?
ROAD ZOMBIE: My favorite track on the CD. No lyrics just bad ass guitar melodies from Ness and Co. Full disclosure I first heard this track when Social D. played Mulcahey’s pub in Long Island in 2007. Though I had taken in many a Social D. show, I had uncharacteristically worked my way up to the front couple of “rows” and got my first “up close and personal” if you will, of Social D. live. Since then, I fight and maneuver to the front as much as possible for every punk show. I missed punk during my teenage years so now I’m making up for lost time.
In this instance, Mike Ness came out like an outlaw, bandana over face playing this kick ass tune that I later found out to be “Road Zombie”. It was raucous, it was loud and it was vintage Social D. While, I didn’t know the title of the song at the time and had never heard it before, I liked It straight away and now that it’s finally on the old i-pod, have to force myself to listen no more than 3 times in a row per session or I become like that little rat in a cage in those drug addiction tests. Road Zombie is classic Social Distortion and that’s why it’s my favorite track on the CD and probably in my top 10 of Social D songs of all time.
FAVORITE LYRIC: None. Song doesn’t have lyrics. But I imagine it’s about being on the road, touring so much you’ve become a sleep deprived, guitar playing zombie.
CALIFORNIA HUSTLE AND FLOW: Least favorite track on the CD. Ness channels the Rolling Stones and 70s Elvis with the soulful sounding background singers that for my money, just sound out of place. The Stones are legendary but only “alright” to me and Elvis rocked, even during the fat years (“Suspicious Minds” anyone?) but for Social Distortion this style of music doesn’t fly for me. It comes off bluesy, cheesy and decidedly not the least bit punk.
I respect Ness’s freedom to experiment and after this many years he’s certainly earned the right. But for my money, unless you’re into the Black Crowes, then I’d save the 99 cent download on this one.
FAVORITE LYRIC: None really.
GIMME THE SWEET AND LOWDOWN: This song took a while but it grew on me. And while also a touch bluesy. It has a more modern day social d. sound reminiscent of 2004’s “Sex, Love and Rock N Roll” and would have been at home on that CD. FAVORITE LYRIC: “You gotta get right or get left don’t you know”
DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH: An altogether very listenable song, this is not vintage or hardcore punk Social Distortion but the lyrics really get to me. I don’t suppose to know what Ness was thinking when he wrote this one, but it seems like a lyric written by a middle aged punk rocker that’s been through some shit and come through it all the wiser. Feels like he’s talking about himself when he was a teen, or maybe passing along a little wisdom to his own young sons. When the harmonies kick in its hard not to sing along.
FAVORITE LYRIC: “You’re dirty and you’re damaged, all you need is a little love”
MACHINE GUN BLUES: I noticed this was all over satellite radio before the CD was release. Epitaph put together a nice video for it, so I guess this is the official “hit single”.
Yet I still dig it. It’s vintage outlaw Social Distortion. Lyrics take you back to another time in Hollywood when Ness might have been a gangster instead of a punk rocker. Once again, the harmonies on “I’m al…..read…y goooo…nnne”.. (Also a good Eagle’s tune) are hard to beat and I love the theme, which could mean onto the next score but also gone from this life, a foregone conclusion that bad guys don’t win. Machine Gun Blues sounds like an ode to Bonnie and Clyde and the 1930s gangster lifestyle. Certainly not Ness’s first. The video ain’t bad either. In the end, the good guy is the bad guy and he gets his just desserts just as the song suggest.
FAVORITE LYRIC: “I’m sorry for the things I’ve done, if indeed we do cross paths it’s nothing personal”
Some people never understand, it’s just business!
BAKERSFIELD: Ah Bakersfield… heard it many a time at Social D. shows as it sapped the energy out of the crowd and sobered the fans right up. But it’s not a bad song at all… it’s just more country-bluesy, ballady rock and roll from Ness and while if I’m ever in the mood for some “easy listening punk” (hey, it happens), this song will be on the playlist, I’d save the 99 cents on the download and get my fill at the concert cause God knows it’s probably gonna get played. BTW, Bakersfield, home to a few good alt-country artists isn’t THAT bad. I wonder how the Social D. fans in Bakersfield feel about this tune when Ness plays it.
FAVORITE LYRIC: “I can’t seem to make it on my own”
FAR SIDE OF NOWHERE: My buddy “Peyo” from the punkabilly band “Rudos Wild” way down in Uruguay said it best when he joked that this was Ness’s “Shania Twain” song. Exactly! “I wake up and drink my coffee…” “The birds are singing”. So glad Ness pulled himself out of the dirt and filth, but Ness is way too happy go lucky on this one. I’m happy he’s happy but I like it best when he writes me songs about the pain and misery! I guess this one’s for the girls??!!
FAVORITE LYRIC: None
ALONE AND FORSAKEN: This little light weight and predictable ditty grows on you about ½ way through and I can’t accuse Ness to being “too happy” on this one. The melody is mad simple and the lyrics are somewhat sung in a story telling prose. Would I ever download it on its own? Nah… but since it’s on the CD, I give it a good listen every now and again.
FAVORITE LYRIC: “Forsaken, forgotten without any love”.
Been there, felt that.
WRITING ON THE WALL: People might accuse me of losing my edge when I say, I love this song. I’m man enough to admit here publicly that I’m a sentimental wussy more than I usually admit to anyone privately. CONFESSION: I can still tear up when I hear that damned Titanic song! Sorry, was that TMI?
This song sounds like Ness struggling to raise and keep connected to one of his young sons as he’s perhaps reaching that stage when even a rock star dad is not cool anymore. It’s heart tugging, even for me, a dude without kids. Maybe that’s why it connects for me. I probably am at a place in my life where I should / would have expected to have a family and I can imagine what Ness is going through.
Or maybe, he’s just a master lyricist and paints a good if painful picture of the drama in his everyday life. I sure hope his son, if that is indeed who he wrote it for, appreciates it. It’s a classic.
FAVORITE LYRIC: “I’m hopelessly aware of the good and bad traits we share”
CAN’T TAKE IT WITH YOU: Ness revives the soulful backup singers and it seems to work a little better here. And while I generally don’t dig the bluesy elements, I do dig this song and look forward to hearing it in concert sans the 70s style back-up singers.
FAVORITE LYRIC: This song is chock full of ‘em… but “Never seen a hearse with a luggage rack”, not sure if that’s original Ness or not, but it’s simple wisdom that can’t be repeated too often to any credit card carrying North American (of which I’m one). STILL ALIVE: OK, as any fan knows and as mentioned here before, Ness has been in the punk game for a while, seen a lot of stuff and been through a lot. This song is an ode to his lasting power and while it’s well deserved and perhaps had to be written and recorded, I wouldn’t normally download it.
FAVORITE LYRIC: “With a guitar in my hand I stand a little taller” From the back to the front page. From the gutter to the stage”.
TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF: Yeah man, I dig this goodbye song to a former lover (I assume). This song is hard to classify. I guess it’s just a straight ahead rock and roll ballad but I really dig the lyrics, melody and harmonies in the chorus. It’s definitely hooky and not very hard at all but I still like it.
FAVORITE LYRIC: “I’ll walk away but baby take care of yourself”
I WON’T RUN NO MORE: Ness really ends the CD strong with the last few songs and this song is hooky and once again, not very hardcore punk but alas again, I still would download it. Very listenable.
FAVORITE LYRIC: “And when you’re sick and tired of playing all the games and maybe realize that nothing’s gonna change, you said you wanted less, but you really wanted more. There comes a time in life when you must tell yourself, I won’t run no more”
Amen brother!
DOWN HERE (WITH THE REST OF US) – Acoustic: Not a new song, an acoustic version from the tune off the White Light, White Heat CD… and a precursor to Ness’s rumored upcoming acoustic CD.
After hearing “Cold Feelings” acoustic live in concert and now this song acoustic I must say I can’t wait for that one. Acoustic has been over done in many genres, but not in punk. This song is a classic and perfectly displays Ness’s ability to meld honky tonk, roots country with punk for that perfect mix of Punkabilly… which is a major reason why I love this band.
FAVORITE LYRIC: “No one’s immune now to a world full of problems. No one’s exempt now from a world of pain?”
“I tried hard now to do the right thing, yet I wonder why I still do what’s wrong”
“That’s the way it goes and I know how you feel”
So what’s my overall recommendation for “Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes”? Well aside from a great title the CD is pretty solid and has some really good gems in there.
If you are a hard core Social Distortion fan from back in the day, it may not be “punk” enough for you. If you’re more of the type of fan who appreciates the wide variety in this legendary band’s body of work, well this is another bullet in that gun and demonstrates Ness’s versatility.
And if you’ve never heard of Social D. at all, give it a listen, you may dig the songs I hate, and hate the songs I dig. I’m not naive enough to believe it’s my way or the highway kind of thing, I often tend to like things others dismiss and dislike things others rave over (electronic music anyone, no pun intended).
And in the end, who cares what I have to say anyway? Well, nonetheless I said it. And whether anyone cares is immaterial to me. But feel free to write to me and tell me how much you care anyway. He, he.
Last weekend’s punk show in Montevideo featuring my buddies, Rudos Wild was all it was cracked up to be. A celebration as it was Camilo’s (Guitar Rudos Wild) birthday; a reunion, it was my first time back to Uruguay in almost exactly one year; and most importantly a kick ass punk show.
The show got started off with a very good and talented surf punk band which offered a nice warm up for what was to come next, which was a loud, rollicking good punkabilly time from Rudos Wild.
The guys brought me up on stage to help sing a little Social Distortion and I can’t believe I forgot the words to “Cold Feelings” but no one seemed to notice or mind my mumbling certain parts and it was a nice thrill.
The punks crowd in Montevideo is a dedicated bunch and I want to thank them for their hospitality while I was there. Video from the concert as well as photos and video from the Rudos Wild music video shoot to come soon, but in the meantime, feel free to enjoy the pics from the show!
My name is Robert G. Rose (I use my middle initial because I’m not Robert Rose the Jewelry Designer, Robert Rose the football player or any of the other thousands of Robert Rose’s in the world).
I travel all over the world and document punk rock music. This page is dedicated to Punk music and it’s [...]
