Emerging from the heart of the South Bay’s vibrant and storied punk rock scene, One Square Miles’ latest offering, ‘Source of Suffering’, produced by Cameron Webb, serves as a captivating successor to their 2018 debut LP, ‘The System’. The new EP marks a bold sonic departure, while simultaneously remaining true to the region’s rich punk rock heritage.
One Square Mile was formed in Hermosa Beach, California in 2017. The band’s name originates from the city of Hermosa Beach, which covers about…wait for it: One square mile of land.
While 1SM is influenced by the many iconic punk and hardcore bands who came out of Hermosa Beach and the South Bay, their approach has been to not place any limits on their sound or style and simply write music that speaks to their lives and experiences.
The band has played over 35 shows this year alone, including a recent stint opening for The C_nts and OFF!.
The band has also released an animated lyric video for the song (directed and edited by lead vocalist Nicolette Vilar).
Watch the lyric video here:
Vilar says, “‘We Talk A Lot’ is a song that dives into that feeling we all feel and have felt, when you’re falling in love with a friend, partner, life, etc… and you just want to take off on an adventure together and have it never end. It’s a wonderful place to be and hopefully, everyone has a chance to experience that at least once in their life. And if it hasn’t happened to you yet, it’s a glimpse into what it could be like and a way to look forward to the day it does happen. The song comes from a sincere place. I had so much fun illustrating and animating the lyric video for this song. I tapped into graphic skills that I hadn’t done in years, so it was truly a fun project from start to finish.”
For the past two decades, Go Betty Go have emphatically established themselves as one of punk rock’s most exciting forces. A gloriously rough-and-tumble sound with melodic aggression, they bring a rich and engaging energy, loaded with lush atmosphere and, at times, an underlying sense of foreboding.
Formed in 2000, in the suburbs of Glendale, California, they entered the LA scene when they were all teens. Go Betty Go is driven by Betty Cisneros’ big, roaring guitar, singer Nicolette Vilar’s soulful, siren call and the momentous urgency of Michelle Rangel’s bass and Aixa Vilar’s tumultuous drumming.
The Latina Punk Quartet swiftly ascended from local shows to a standing-room-only weeknight residency at Los Angeles dive Mr. T’s Bowl, to a national reputation via reams of critical acclaim and non-stop gigging.
Go Betty Go surged through several Warped tours, frequent cross-country tours, an attention-getting invasion of South by Southwest and seemingly had it made. With the release of 2005’s “Nothing is More”, their first full-length album on Side One Dummy Records, they set out to tour yet again. They never finished it—Nicolette, exhausted, unhappy and burned out, suddenly quit. She walked away and the band’s remaining members found themselves at a crossroads.
Miraculously and reunited, after a friend suggested a one-off 2012 gig, all four original members found themselves back together on stage. As if the band had a life of its own, Go Betty Go was back as suddenly as they had split years earlier.
After requests from fans and venues alike to play one last show together, the ladies of GBG gave in to what they thought was their final farewell show, but once they hit the stage, the chemistry that had once brought them together was restored and they were officially back. That renewal and excitement crackled through their last release “Reboot”, like a high-voltage jolt of electricity, reclaiming their rightful prominence as some of the brightest, boldest women in punk rock.
They continued to plow in full force, playing cross-country festivals and venues alike. But like the rest of the world, the band halted and canceled all touring in 2020 due to the pandemic. In 2022, Go Betty Go was hit yet again with their most difficult challenge to date. As the band prepared to enter the studio and record their next album, Betty was diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer. The news was hard, but it brought them closer than ever.
They worked around Betty’s grueling doctor visits, chemotherapy, and surgeries, and when she was having her better days, they managed to squeeze out their latest studio recording “Black and Blue”. The name refers to the difficult and bruised circumstances that the band has dealt with. With the help and support of GBG fans and the music community alike, they all have helped support Betty with her GoFundMe page and through messages of love and support. The band sees no other road, but the one to recovery, as Betty continues her treatment towards being cancer-free. They are optimistically hopeful, supporting Betty as she works on beating her cancer.
Go Betty Go’s upcoming EP release “Black and Blue” will be out in early 2024 via LA-based indie label Wiretap Records.
Since forming a little over a year ago, the Salem-based melodic punk and hardcore quartet has emerged onto the scene at a breakneck pace, quickly earning a reputation around New England on the strength of a well-received initial batch of early songs, a relentless arsenal of riffs, and a ferocious live show that helped earn the crown at the 2023 Rock And Roll Rumble, the esteemed “World Series of Boston Rock,” as well as instant nominations in the punk categories of this year’s Boston and New England Music Awards.
ONE FALL releases its debut EP Spine First!, and it serves as a proper introduction to the Witch City band. Recorded, engineered, and mixed by Kyle Paradis at New Alliance Audio in Somerville, Spine First! is a blistering five-song effort, complete with a closing Bruce Springsteen cover, that blurs ONE FALL’s genre lines even further, capturing the performance speed, snarling intensity, and sweaty playfulness that has instantly put this group – composed of Phill Hunt (guitar), Darren Lourie (bass), Helen McWilliams (vocals and guitar), and Caleb Wheeler (drums and percussion) – on the musical map in their hometown and beyond.
“We’re really excited to have a handful more songs out in the world,” ONE FALL says. “The first EP that we put out was three songs that we recorded in the basement – and we were psyched with how it came out – but we never expected the whirlwind of a year we would have after releasing just those three songs. So it’s awesome that we’ll have some more tracks out there; hopefully folks will find some tracks on this EP that resonate with them and we’ll get to see some more people singing along with our songs at shows – that’s the best feeling in the world.”
Spine First!, fitting for a band that seemingly arrived out of nowhere, wastes no time getting to the beating heart of ONE FALL’s musical vision. Opening track “Rage/Quit” explodes with maximum riffage right off the jump before unfolding its enraptured melody, providing a bit of heartfelt catharsis for the band as it blitzes across three unforgiving minutes. “Surrounder” veers into more metal territory before its street punk attitude pulls it back to ONE FALL’s sonic core, while the dynamic “Raleigh” harkens a sweet dose of ‘80s-inflicted arena rock ambition stirred with skate punk energy. The pummeling “Back to the Wall” showcases ONE FALL’s more aggressive and confrontational side, and an inspired cover of The Boss’ “Born To Run,” a nod to McWilliams’ New Jersey roots, closes the record out with a breathless bang.
And under all the hooks, riffage, and high-voltage energy, McWilliams comes correct with lyrics that match the intensity, surveying the shit show of a society around her and knowing when to keep friends within a tight circle.
Spine First! is a declaration, a very loud and spirited one, that has quickly swelled to become a source of pride. The accolades may come and go, the victories in band competitions may or may not happen again, and the response to the EP is impossible to predict. But Spine First! showcases a new band making the record they want to make, for their friends, family, and themselves, and on their own terms. And they simply cannot wait to show the fucker off.
Joan Jett once said, “Other people will call me a rebel, but I just feel like I’m living my life and doing what I want to do. Sometimes people call that rebellion, especially when you’re a woman.”
Written by Stephen Moss / New Rock City
The Soap Girls are no exception. The girls are no stranger to controversy and hate. They have been on the receiving end of uncouth remarks. They even had a venue owner arrange for 2 staff members to throw fake blood on them, mid song, during a gig at The Union Bar in Hastings, UK. All of this because the band dares to stand up to chauvinistic and conservative views. The owner of the venue, Paul Osman, even took to Facebook to brag about it and called The Soap Girls, “Sell out sluts who are exploiting themselves and damaging the feminist movement.” ** (See Footnote)**
Ironically, this scrutiny isn’t limited to men. In fact, The Soap Girls were just in Teaneck, NJ to play a show at Debonair Music Hall. During the show, there was a group of women feminists who were seemingly upset because of The Soap Girls presence. Apparently, the group feels that the band is promoting a negative view of woman. Perhaps their notion is women should be free to live their life only if it’s first approved by a group of feminists. Despite having some crowd hecklers, The Soap Girls kept the show moving and didn’t even miss a beat. Their stage presence, lively performance, and music made for an amazing show.
This is just a small taste of some of the many encounters that The Soap Girls have had to deal with over their career. Their music reflects that. The Soap Girls are a political punk band who have a strong view of freedom and justice. I was talking to Millie (singer/bassist) about a song that defines the band and she said their song, “Society’s Reject” would be that anthem.
There is nothing more punk rock and bad ass than standing up for what you feel is right and not caring who get’s offended in the process. If you like punk and bands who are not afraid to stand up for what is right, then The Soap Girls is the band for you. They are currently on tour now. Head over to www.thesoapgirls.com and get your tickets to a show near you.
“Never meet your heroes,” is a proverb that can be traced all the way back to Marcel Proust, a French Novelist from the early 1900s. That proverb is still echoed down to this day. Thankfully, there are some influential bands who come along, and not only do they make great music, but they are also generally great people.
Case in point, The Dollyrots. They are a husband and wife team who have been a band since the year 2000. The Dollyrots have had a ton of success, filled with amazing milestones, including, but not limited to, being seasoned pros on The Vans Warped Tour, having multiple songs appear on national TV shows and commercials, and even being signed on Joan Jett’s record label.
Photo by Stephen Moss
On Friday, October 13th, 2023, they released their 8th studio album on their own label, Arrested Youth Records. To celebrate, that night they had an album release party at a venue called Heaven Can Wait in New York City. Before the concert, they had a special VIP acoustic set and a meet and greet.
The Dollyrots are so committed to their fans. They hang out before and after the show and Kelly (the lead singer and bassist) even has a jacket that she lets all her fans sign.
During the album release party, they had their two kids come out on stage and be part of the show. The kids helped play music, told jokes, and performed yo-yo tricks to which added a youthful flair. It’s quite refreshing to see such a loving family who go above and beyond to form a real connection with their fans.
The new album is called, “Night Owl,” and it’s exactly what you would expect from a Dollyrots album. The band describes it this way, “It’s 13 tracks of bubblegummy, sunshiny, angsty, crunchy, sweet, goodness!” Even though I personally love angry, loud, and fast paced punk… there’s something so unique and captivating about The Dollyrots that it makes you want to smile and jump around as they play their style of punk.
Photo Gallery form The Dollyrots performance below. Photography all rights reserved by Stephen Moss / New Rock City, exclusive for the S.L.R. Magazine.
Sacramento, California punk rock band Destroy Boys took their show to New York City’s Irving Plaza on July 14 where they headlined their own mini festival, DestroyFest, a new traveling festival with some of their favorite bands. Band performed together with Gully Boys & Jigsaw Youth.
Written by Andris Jansons
The punk rock band started in 2015 by Sacramento teens Alexia Roditis and Violet Mayugba while they were still in high school. After some lineup changes, they are now joined by drummer Narsai Malik ( since 2018) and David Orozco ( since 2021) on bass. To date band has released three studio albums – Sorry, Mom in 2016, Make Room in 2018 and lastly Open Heart, Open Mouth in 2021. This year band has released two singles “Beg For The Torture” and “Shadow (I’m Breaking Down)”.
Destroy Boys kicked off their 2023 touring schedule with a slot at Coachella in April and supporting Blink 182 and Turnstile for a 2-week run. After finishing up their current North American run in Chicago on July 22nd, Destroy Boys will head to the Europe. See the dates below.
Irving Plaza was pretty much Sold Out, not sure on official status but there was barely any room to walk around, and the band had to make a public plea for the crowd not to push forward in order to give those in the front row more breathing room.
Their music was a new discovery for me personally. While listening to their songs on my music service I had mixed feelings, but their live performance did seal the deal. Their energy was great. Set opened with Drink and American River and followed by Vixen and Cherry Garcia. Band also played both of their new singles. Other notable songs were Crybaby, Locker Room Bully and Duck Eat Duck World. For encore they played Piedmont and their classic hit “I Threw Glass At My Friend’s Eyes and Now I’m On Probation.”
The Oxys from Austin, Texas deliver dirty, punked-up, power pop, gutter rock on their sophomore release titled, Generation Irrelevant. The album drops July 21, 2023 on Cleveland’s Dead Beat Records. Fans of the Dead Boys, Teenage Head, The Damned, and The Heartbreakers will fully appreciate these songs. As Sleazegrinder puts it in Classic Rock Magazine it’s “…first-raising, torn-jean, dead-in-the-gutter rock’n’roll action…”
Generation Irrelevant will street a mere eight months after the band’s debut full length, A Date With The Oxys. The potent songwriting team of guitarist Jason “Ginchy” Kottwitz (Dead Boys, Sylvain Sylvain and The Sylvains) and vocalist “PunkRockPhil” Davis are back with a vengeance.
From opener “Ticking Time Bomb’s” flame-thrower guitars and sky-punching “whoa-whoa” hooks, to “Isolation’s” chiming, intense evocation of pandemic-bred shielding and claustrophobia, to the rumbling “Screaming In Silence,” these tracks deliver what fans have been anticipating.
“As per the usual, I sent Phil a truckload of new demo tracks for this second record.” Ginchy explains, “A few with lyrics and vocal melody, some without. I provide him with my vision to help with direction, but he takes it from there. After Phil-ing in all of the blanks, he sent his favorite tracks back over. I let out a big ‘f*ck yeah’ and we made our way to the studio. What people don’t know is Phil was literally in a coma for many days and on his deathbed prior to the making of this record. It’s nothing short of a miracle the record was ever completed. His ability to come back from that and give a vocal performance with such ferocity is mind blowing. Gabe and Rob couldn’t have been tighter as a rhythm section. I cannot wait to get this show on the road. The live show is punishing with the new material in the set.”
“Having been laid out in a coma, I had to make a vigorous comeback, stronger than ever” says vocalist Phil Davis. “Stepping into the studio to record Generation Irrelevant served as the ideal remedy. With Rob Williamson on the drums and Gabe back on the bass, the rhythm section was punishing, setting the stage for my return. Ginchy and I rose to the challenge of heightened level of aggression on this record, and it shows.”
“We recently added a new rhythm guitarist named Genocide,” Ginchy says. “She nails the guitar parts, and is applying her talents in the areas of video, photography, marketing, and more. Plus she maintains a positive attitude when the struggle of being a musician becomes real. The Oxys are lucky to have her onboard. It’s already been suggested by fans that we change the name of the band to “The Foxys”. I’m guessing they aren’t talking about me.”
Genocide says:“Generation Irrelevant is that painful yet curiously arousing clock to the jaw that says everything we’ve all been thinking: ‘I’m angry, you’re soft, we’re all in this alone so let’s get weird’. Ginchy and Phil truly reveal more of their range as a songwriting duo on this record with more explosive and technical guitar leads and fist-clenching vocal melodies that make swallowing razors seem like a delicacy.”
The band recorded the album at Ice Cream Studios with Matt Parmenter. Ginchy completed the final mix at his home facility. Famed mastering engineer Jack Butcher at Austin’s Enormous Door Studio added the finishing touches. Formats include vinyl LP, CD (which includes two bonus tracks) and digital.
The Galaxy Has Eyes is a young band from Pennsylvania, USA, who somehow have the poise and chemistry of a band who has been together for years and traveled the world.
Written by Stephen Moss / New Rock City
Their sound is raw, gritty, in your face punk. They check off all the boxes and then some for people looking for new bands to obsess over. The members of the band are very talented and excels with their instrument. Kyra, the singer, engages with the crowd and is full of energy. Their songs are extremely catchy. Their live shows are electrifying. I saw them last week and the singer at one point even ran off stage, grabbed me and a few other people and proceeded to start a mosh pit. Kyra got hit in the nose, but that didn’t stop her from getting back on stage and finishing the song like a boss!
The show was played in a large indoor space with vendors and food being served. The event was to showcase women entrepreneurs, artists, vendors, and musicians. Many people were there in addition to fans of the bands. However, as The Galaxy Has Eyes began their set, people went from passive bystanders to active participants. The band pulls you in and doesn’t let go.
I’m honored to say, The Galaxy Has Eyes will be flying all the way to London, England to play my “New Rock City International Music Festival.” You can catch The Galaxy Has Eyes on Saturday, August 12th at “The Black Heart” right in the heart of Camden Town. Trust me, you will regret it if you miss this show.
Irish American Celtic punk band Flogging Molly are in the midst of their North American Winter Tour 2023, with help from Skinny Lister and Anti-Flag. Ultimate punk rock party came to Montclair New Jersey on a beautiful but little chilly Saturday night. However, the amount of beer and dancing made outside cold irrelevant.
Written by Andris Jansons
As soon as you stepped inside the venue, you immediately understood that you were here to party. British folk punk band Skinny Lister got the party going with lively performance that included a lot of dancing, drinking and liberal use of nsfw language. Songs performed included Hamburg Drunk, Company At The Bar and a new song Down On The Barrier. Bands vocalist Lorna Thomas did some crazy acrobatics on her high heel shoes, and offered some free classes for those willing to learn after the set. While for me this was absolutely first time seeing and hearing Skinny Lister, and my personal thoughts are that they play wonderful and uplifting music to have a party to, I will pass on the judgement call to a punk rock specialist and New Rock City punk rock music festival organizer Stephen Moss who was also in the attendance : “I never thought I’d see a musician jump off stage and play an accordion in the crowd like rockstars do at a rock show. Not only that, Skinny Lister had a bass player who played a stand up bass and he would twirl it around like a guitar! This band has such an amazing stage presence. In fact, the female singer even came off stage to arm wrestle me and two other guys in the front row! Their music was great and totally fit the theme of Celtic Punk. They opened up for Anti-Flag and Flogging Molly and totally matched their level.” Well, if that does not get you in Skinny Lister mood, I don’t what will.
Next band on the bill was American punk rock band Anti-Flag from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. If you look at Skinny Lister and Flogging Molly, then inclusion of Anti-Flag would prompt some questions as their music style is more traditional hard hitting punk rock with no elements of folk. Anti-Flag musical message is very political and is strongly left leaning and the band is also known for its advocacy of progressive political movements such as Greenpeace, Amnesty International, and the Occupy movement. So how such a politically charged act would fit between two party animals. Well, absolutely seamlessly. The minute the band hit the stage the crowd got immersed in the aggressive style of bands music delivery. Within the second song the circle pit was open and the constant flow of crowd surfers began. While band toned down their left political message, they rather concentrated on what bot sides of political spectrum would agree – politicians lie and they use government to usurp power, need for equal rights and respect for everyone, and that is something we all get behind. Punk Rock unites not divides. My personal favorite was Die For The Government. That song was literally a bomb. Other songs performed were – The Fight Of Our Lives, The Press Corpse, This The End (For You My Friend) and many others. They also played a medley of some legendary punk rock tunes – Should I Stay Or Should I Go, Blitzkrieg Bop, God Save The Queen and others. Band wrapped their set with Victory Or Death (We Gave ‘Em Hell and Brandenburg Gate. And just like that one more time I go for the experts view from Stephen Moss : “Anti Flag. They came in like a brick to the face! They are the perfect blend of energy, anger, and a political message of equality and justice. They don’t shy away from uncomfortable topics and they love to get the conversation started by making you see what many choose to ignore. In today’s punk scene, you would be hard pressed to find a more honest, and in your face punk band.”
Just in time when beer started to take control of your mind, the ultimate Irish party started. Usually drum set podium is covered with water bottles for the band to drink during the show, but not for proper Irishman, as Guiness outnumbered water by 3 to 1 – at least. The band came on stage missing very important person – Bridget Regan, violinist and vocalist for the band and wife of the bands vocalist David King. Dave explained her absence to the crowd due to an accident she suffered while in Texas, and jokingly pointed to our own Stephen Moss and said: “Her shoulder is as stiff as this guy’s hair (Stephen sports a red mohawk)”. Their music is characterized as Celtic Punk – you know, you take punk rock and combine that with Celtic folk sounds and a lot of beer and you get some proper party Celtic punk rock music that is tons of fun.
The most represented album in their set was 2002 Drunken Lullabies (kind of explains why this felt like a party) – Swagger, The Kilburn High Road, If I Ever Leave This World Alive, What’s Left Of The Flag and title song. From their latest release Anthem, that saw daylight last year, Flogging Molly played four songs. And new material blended with their older one almost seamlessly.
One more time I turn to Stephen (you know, the guy with Mohawk), for his expert take: “Now that the crowd was emotionally ready to start gearing up and making Molotov cocktails, it was time to turn it down a couple of degrees. The headliner was Flogging Molly. They were a nice balance between the warm Irish drinking songs and the angst of punk rock. They lead the crowd in a “Fuck Putin” chant and played new songs as well as some from their first album. When you watch how enthusiastic and energetic they are, it’s hard to believe the singer is 61 years old! I’m 39 and I can’t move like that! Overall, those three bands went together perfectly! It was one amazing show!”
I could not agree more. This fantastic show will continue for one more month as it slowly heads West.
2023 TOUR DATES
2.21 Charleston, SC – Charleston Music Hall
2.22 Asheville, NC – The Orange Peel
2.24 Atlantic City, NJ – Sound Waves at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
2.25 Bethlehem, PA – Wind Creek Event Center
2.26 Huntington, NY – The Paramount
2.28 Worcester, MA – The Palladium
3.1 Syracuse, NY – Landmark Theatre
3.3 Madison, WI – The Sylvee
3.4 Grand Rapids, MI – 20 Monroe Live
3.5 Ft. Wayne, IN – The Clyde Theatre
3.7 Fayetteville, AR – JJ’s Live
3.8 Oklahoma City, OK – Diamond Ballroom
3.10 Kansas City, MO – Harrah’s Voodoo Lounge
3.11 Omaha, NE – The Admiral
3.12 Boulder, CO – Boulder Theater
3.14 Tucson, AZ – Rialto Theatre
3.16 Las Vegas, NV – The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas – Chelsea Theatre
3.17 Los Angeles, CA – Hollywood Palladium*
3.18. Riverside, CA – Riverside Municipal Auditorium*
