Riot Fest bands keep punk alive
"What Poor Gods We Do Make: The Story and Music Behind Naked Raygun" (Riot Fest) ...½
In some ways the very definition of "local favorites," Chicago post-punk architects Naked Raygun transcended the colloquial stigma of that term. You'll be hard-pressed to find a local punk rock fan who wasn't affected by the band in some way, yet their template of thick, propulsive rhythms, beerhall choruses and economic, subtly melodic guitar can be found throughout the Chicago -- heck, Midwestern -- punk that followed. In honor of NR's 2006 reformation, this DIY documentary DVD/CD combo attempts to distill why their music remains so special to so many.
In the mid-'80s, NR appealed to everyone from proto-emo "educated" punks to skinhead thugs. The band, peers from The Effigies and Big Black, friends and fans share memories of those formative days, when the punk scene was safely hidden from mainstream fashion and Oz and O'Banion's were the only places to play. With footage from NR's triumphant comeback shows at last year's Riot Fest and pre-party (both included on the accompanying CD), "What Poor Gods" is an ingenious piece of self-promotion as well as an enthusiastic tribute to one of the most crucial independent rock acts in Chicago history.
The Frantic, "Audio & Murder" (Sinister Muse/Empyrean) ...
The Frantic, a teenaged quartet from the southwest 'burbs, know their strengths and stick to them on their debut LP. "Audio & Murder" is 26 minutes of fun, snotty, sing-along pop-punk, more reminiscent of classic Screeching Weasel or NOFX than the sort of super-slick dross you might expect around these parts. Lyrics about girls and failed relationships abound, but never wax maudlin. From the hilariously heartless "Fast Girl" and "Heifer" to the heartfelt country-ish ballad "Movin' Along," these pretension-free songs turn on snappy choruses and boppy rhythms that will bring summer to your stereo long into winter.
-- Jeff Pizek
• Riot Fest 2007 begins at 1:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at the Congress Theater, 2135 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago. Performers include: Saturday: Naked Raygun, Stiff Little Fingers, 7 Seconds, Nekromantix, The Queers, Lower Class Brats, The Methadones, MagnaFUx, Shot Baker, The Heart Attacks, The Copyrights. Sunday: Bad Brains, Sludgeworth, The Casualties, Dillinger Four, The Bollweevils, Youth Brigade, Zero to Sixty, Flatfoot 56, Deal's Gone Bad, The Frantic. $25 per day, $45 for two-day pass. Visit www.myspace.com/riotfest2005.