BAD RELIGION AND GREEN DAY REMIND ME OF BUTT THINGS -
IN THE CLUB... WITH JON HENDREN
It can be startling how a song, a voice, or a sound can stir up memories I hadn't thought about in a while. Seems like I can be minding my own business when "Dragula" comes out of nowhere and reminds me of the day I got my cat and she threw up all over my bed. With two beloved staple bands from my youth back in the rotation this week, I've been on a small tour of my own childhood, and I think it's important to loop you in on a couple of the things going on over here.
The first big memory came about with the new Bad Religion release. Try as I might, I can't shake the feeling that these guys sound like a really, really good high school band. Listen to any track on the thing—heck, any track in their repertoire—and it comes off feeling not quite adult, but still way better than whatever the other 17 year-olds are putting out. Greg Graffin's vocals have all the weight of that early bloomer in shop class who already had a full beard and a checking account, and his lyrics don't betray that idea whatsoever. Pretty fitting that putting True North on blast earlier this week had memories of a particular class springing to mind, from when I suppose I was on a serious Bad Religion kick.