PunkForefront

Behind the Chords with The Venomous Pinks By Angela RoseRed

For many musicians forming a band can initiate its unique set of trials and tribulations. It can either lead to a road filled with success or downward spiral towards creative abandonment. Nonetheless, there are a few lucky ones who find their musical mates and fight the good fight to captivate, inspire, and make some fucking noise. PunkForefront’s April Band of the Month, The Venomous Pinks, are the latter of the two. Between a band member quitting on stage mid-show, dealing with the death of a close friend, playing concerts with physical injuries, major lineup additions, image makeovers, overcoming sexism in the scene, and their guitarist moving out of state, it was enough to dissolve the group for good. The Arizona-based band did not back down. If anything, it made the all-female punk foursome indestructible.

The Venomous Pinks formed in 2010 for the simple reason that ‘there really wasn’t any all girl punk bands’ in town. The idea spawned from Vox/Guitarist Drea Doll and their first bass player. The two of them decided to put out a few ads looking for a drummer to complete the lineup. Julie Neff replied to their New Times ad, and ‘The Pinks’ was formed. “It felt right, and it clicked,” Neff explained, “Musically we were on the same page, and it grew from there.” Four short weeks later, the three-piece played their first gig with songs from previous bands and a few new originals. Known for their party ways and never saying “no to a show,” The Pinks drew a buzz quick in the local scene.

They progressed as a band until the then 5-month-pregnant-bass-player suddenly announced she was expecting. Naturally, the shift gave Doll and Neff more one on one time to create new material in her absence. “That was a turning point for the band. When she wasn’t there we wrote kick ass songs,” Neff said. When the bassist returned, the dynamic between the musicians was never the same. The tension eventually erupted on stage at The Drunken Lass in Prescott Arizona. “She quit on stage right before we played. We were actually out of town, which made it more awkward, ” Doll went on to say, and “it was a relief because we wanted to evolve as musicians.”

Luckily, the search for a new bass player did not last long. Doll had been actively speaking to Gaby Kaos about possibly filling a second guitarist/vox spot. Not aware of the recent lineup change, Kaos went to audition with guitar in hand. “That’s what I came with a guitar, and a guitar amp to try out,” Kaos said. By the end of the session, it was obvious they found their newest member.

Immediately, Kaos proved she was not just a rebound and had a lot to offer. Doll recalled their earlier gigs with the original lineup, “Our first show gigs we were wild girls, Duct Tape on titties.” She went on to say, “[The change] came with Gaby Kaos. Do we want to keep it going or do we want to evolve and take it to the next level kind of thing? We had the discussion with each other. Changed the image a little bit, toned down the partying and set goals to play shows we wanted to play. ” Kaos laughed, “I wasn’t going to wear Duct Tape on my titties.”

After releasing two successful EPs, The Pinks went from playing whatever bill they could get on, to only filling headliner slots or gigs with national acts. They were increasing momentum, but still craved a bigger sound and wanted to find a second guitarist. Doll explained how the search was more cautious this time around, “Who are we going to bring in and are they going to fuck up the chemistry we have?” She brought in Corrie Zazzera, which changed to dynamic in a positive way. The band transformed into an unstoppable four piece that gained national attention. Fast-forward to almost two years later, Zazzera announced to the band she was moving to Seattle, Washington. It marked yet another season of change for The Venomous Pinks, which created many discussions and debates.

They decided to keep the lineup and bring in someone to fill in the gaps when Zazzera could not make the commute. Enter Miranda Duffy who was already a Pinks fan and a great musician. Duffy is not only a backup guitarist but also acts as the road crew when she’s not playing. “At this point, all of us including Corrie consider her another member of the band,” said Neff. There is talk in the future to possibly have both Duffy and Zazzera share the stage together. The group is considering different combinations, but for now, Duffy attends weekly practices with the rest of The Pinks and they FaceTime Zazzera to play along live.

Some say long distance relationships never work, but The Venomous Pinks have received nothing but success since Zazzera’s move. They are rocking the main stage at this year’s Vegas Punk Rock Bowling and recently signed to SquidHat Records for their EP “We Do It Better.” The Pinks feel they finally have a musical representation of their individual strengths.

"That’s been a lesson for us, just be yourself and stay true to yourself. That’s kind of like our overall theme of our whole album.” Neff explains, “That’s also something that we want as other people to know that ‘hey don’t do what others want you to do, don’t do what others expect you to do. Just be yourself, ”

Kaos adds, “You connect with all these other bands, at the end of the day it would be nice for other people to connect in the same way.”

Skull Drug is our AZ Punk Band of the Month for August!

by Johnny Gimmick

One of the coolest things about doing this band of the month thing is I get to feature my favorite local acts.  This month, we’ve got thrash/metal punkers Skull Drug from Phoenix on tap. These fun loving dudes are ready to melt your face with their high energy live show and unique style of punk rock.

One of the reasons Skull Drug is unique is because they're Phoenix’s only notable thrash/metal punk band. With their highly entertaining live show that features choreographed moves, jokes, and a lot of fun, Skull Drug is easily the best live punk band in the scene.  

It’s also interesting to note that Skull Drug is the only Porsche-drivin’ punk band on earth.  That’s right, Roger the bassist drives a Porsche.  I saw him post about it on Facebook and now I can’t stop associating these guys with Porsches.  And that’s not a dig... they’re fast, super tight and can please different audiences.

Skull Drug has opened for a Fat Wreck Chords band one week, an old school punk band the next and then played a metal show.  That’s pretty much a normal show schedule for these guys.  And all of those audiences dig these guys because they have a nice blend of straight up fun and straight up punk rock.

The boys just released a killer EP “Wasted Daze” - which you can stream here.

Wasted Daze is a romping 16 minute ride of solid thrash metal punk rock.  The recording quality is solid and the engineer highlighted the best parts of this band - how tight they are and how rad their licks are.  A lot of bands struggle to do one of these things well - Skull Drug does both.

Punk rock can be so damn cliche’. Three or four chords songs are still the norm, so I perk up when I hear bands throwing in break downs and intricate synchronized licks that you don’t hear everyone else doing.  

Skull Drug is not your typical “copy and paste” punk rock and holy shit is it refreshing.  They remind me a lot of PEARS because they do the hardcore style really well, but can also apply that style to other genres and make it sound like their own.  I’m not sure if any of that made sense, but what I’m trying to say is these guys are intriguing because they’re different and they clearly put a lot of effort into their songs.  

They key element that appeals to me about these guys is fun.  When you listen to this EP or you see them play live you can tell they enjoy making music together.  It sounds kinda cheesy, but it makes a difference and the audience always gets more interested when they hit the stage.  They back that shit up with a tight, professionally flowing live set. 

Skull Drug is: Evan on guitar/lead vocals, Roger on bass/vocals, Justin (aka Hoon) on guitar/vocals, and Wyatt on Drums.

Check out this quick interview we did with the guys!:

Punk ForeFront: Describe your music in a sentence or less. Skull Drug: Hardcore/Thrash Punk

PF: What makes you different or interesting? SD: We put more energy into our live show than a lot of bands that we see AND we're the only punk band we know that can get away playing with punk bands and metal bands and have an equally positive response from both groups.

Manoz Zuziaz is July’s AZ Punk Band of the Month.  

by Johnny Gimmick and guest editor/photographer Angela RoseRed

Self-described “ugly punks” (we think they’re kinda cute and cuddly) have come bursting onto the southwest punk world through hard work and DIY ethics.  We have a special treat for you this month!.. Angela RoseRed spent some time on the road with Manoz Zuziaz and documented her trip with a write up and some rad photos!  

One thing that stood out to me as I listened to their music, watched their videos and studied their site was: this band does not give a fuck what you think about them.  They are 100% DIY, don’t care about the “local scene” and will spit in your face without blinking an eye.  This is the kind of punk ethos that gets the teenage anarchist in me pumped up and ready to jump in the mosh pit (then I realize I’m old and would hurt myself.)  

They make their own merch by hand, book their own shows, do their own artwork, the only thing they don’t do themselves is build their equipment (maybe that’s next?).  Anyways, I love obnoxious offensive punk rock and these ugly punks know how to make that work!

I’d like to make a plea to local promoters and local punks: book this band, check them out, and let’s get them involved in the local scene.  Though they don’t care about being part of a “scene” or accepted, these are the kinds of people we desperately need in our scene.  They bring an energy that is unmatched and an attitude that screams punk rock.  Plus, there aren’t many bands in Arizona like them... check it out the video at the end of the article and see what we’re talking about!

We also did an interview with the ugly punks!:

PunkForefront: What makes you different or interesting?

Manoz Zuziaz: We play ugly punk, punk that follows no rules. We play what we want, we say what we want. Its what you feel in the moment, about whats going on around you, punk movement.

We're a sincere band, we dont act in convenience of being popular or accepted in the local punk scene sometimes we offend when we speak our minds weve been around since 2010 one of the few spanish punk bands (lyrics in spanish) these are our songs and ideas, we're not gonna change to be accepted and play perfect for people just to like us this is what the band is you dont like its fine, someone somewhere will understand when I dont know but we sure have a hell of a good time playing.

PF: What's next for you guys?

MZ: We want to record another album and another diy video for the band go to new places meet new people, shows in the maricopa county have gotten really boring with out feeling so thats why we want to play out of state work on songs, make em more spicy with the new members that have come in the band we hope the az punk scene can get it together to unite and fight for something

Here’s Angela’s rundown of her road trip with the band!:

From the Backseat: Manoz Zuziaz Texas Minivan Tour

by Angela RoseRed

It was 4:30 in the morning and I only had one hour of drunken-hazy sleep.  I quickly stumbled outside with bags and camera equipment in hand, to climb inside a minivan with three musicians whom I was barely acquainted with. Texas was the destination, and their mission was to spread the “Manoz Zuziaz Ugly Punk” movement by playing three gigs in three different cities; Houston, Austin, and Dallas.  I was asked to document the five-day adventure.

You might be asking who the hell is Manoz Zuziaz? Manoz Zuziaz is a three-piece street Spanish punk band hailing from Mesa Arizona.  Band members include Jaime Zuzio on guitar/lead vocals, drummer Mayra Tony Hernandez and bass player Juan Garcia. Their in-your-face presence is reminiscent of underground oi punk bands from the 80s with lyrics 100% in Spanish dialect. Song themes range from defying government, equality and individuality. Authentic rage displays in their musical statements and also bleeds onto the band’s artwork. They take D.I.Y. to a whole other level by hand painting their merchandise, recording tracks at home and filming independent videos gorilla style. They pride themselves on being “ugly punks” driving from ideals that looks or stage presence does not have to be produced to perfection as long as the statements are authentic. This raw approach to punk rock is so genuine; I figured out their overall music stance within the first hour on tour.

The ride to our first stop in Houston was filled with anticipation from all sides since Manoz Zuziaz had never toured Texas before. Jaime booked all the gigs through musicians he befriended years ago on Facebook, but has never met in person. Juan just joined the band a few weeks prior, and they were about to play their first live gig together. The nervous energy fueled the show at a dive bar called The White Swan Live. During the set, locals locked arms to form a big circle pit, thrashing around, throwing one another on and off stage. Some screamed along to the lyrics while others just yelled in the moment. It was evident that Texas was going to be good to this band.  

The very next day, we were off to Austin’s Kick Butt Coffee for another gig. The atmosphere was a drastic change from the last venue; a coffee shop with a full-service bar equipped with a swanky stage. When we walked in, it was obvious the place was packed with a tightknit crew of people who have known one another for years. What was great about the situation it was a natural sense of comradery that for the most part supported outsiders. A few even attempted to convince us in relocating permanently to Texas because their scene is always looking to “recruit other punks”.

Last stop was a backyard house party in Dallas, which was truly a perfect ending to the tour. Bands set up their merch tables amongst green trees and chain-linked fences. Friends barbecued food for the whole crew while people trickled in with beers in hand after paying a small house donation. After hours filled with a diverse music range, Manoz Zuziaz closed out the night. The crowd was so amped for their set, fists were immediately held up high while others were hoisted into the air chanting along to the music. For the closer, Jaime impaled Mayra’s drums with his guitar. That in itself was the sign of a wicked good night.

Show stories aside, the moment that explains my overall experience on the Manoz Zuziaz Texas Minivan tour can be simplified in what some would consider a “basic” rock and roll song.  The tour brought the four of us incredibly close, forever bonded by the road. As we traveled back to Arizona, Jaime played an old Social Distortion album. Although English is not his first language and I do not speak Spanish, we were able to communicate and become great friends. As the song “Making Believe” blasted through the speakers I said to myself “I love this song so much."  He replies to me “I like this song.” He then places his hand on his heart and says, “I don’t know what they are saying, but it makes me sad.” Those words instantly brought tears to my eyes because it represented the universal language we all call music. Regardless of what language one speaks, you can feel and experience Manoz Zuziaz’s influential punk enthused statements that penetrate their songs.

RAD PHOTOS FROM THE TOUR FROM ANGELAROSERED!  Please check out her page and LIKE it!  She’s a gem in our scene!

by Johnny Gimmick

We are stoked to announce that No One Wins is our AZ Punk Band of the Month for June 2016.

My favorite part of being the guy who gets to write about PunkForefront’s Band of the Month is getting exposed to new bands that I hadn’t heard before.  This month we have a treat for you!  If you have not yet heard of these guys, we are pretty sure you will be soon!

No One Wins is an Avondale based pop punk / “hardly core” quartet just released a new EP that is bound to turn a few heads in the AZ punk scene.  They have the  “emo-core / pop-core” style (or whatever the hell they’re calling it now) down tight.  They also do straight up pop punk very well.  

Their new EP, “Fail to Plan” - which you can listen to here - has clear moments that remind me of New Found Glory.  NFG prides themselves on hardcore high gain toned guitar and bass (believe it or not) and high register pop punk vocals, these guys do a lot of those things.  I would stop there with the NFG comparisons because these guys can rip and do a lot of other things well that NFG can’t do.

Their lead vocalist, Kurtis Curfew (if that is your real name), is a very good singer.  The guy can flat-out sing.  He works in a few different styles on this EP, some more higher register stuff, some screaming, some straight up pop punk.  I was impressed by his ability to do a few things well, but its his upper register vocals that really turn your head.  Zach, their lead guitarist, absolutely fucking shreds at numerous points on this album.  This guy is a real guitar player, I really enjoyed his work on this album.  All of the musicianship across the board was on point.  John on drums held it down and added some nice hardcore fills and beats, while Tyler added some very nice deep end tone which really solidified that hardcore metal feel they are going for.

I could see No One Wins honing in on one style and blowing up.  If I were managing this band (which I’m not and I would highly advise against), I would encourage them to pick one style.. preferably straight up pop punk and focus on writing those kinds of catchy songs.  They are good a lot of different styles, but I think focusing on one thing will make them really great.  I found their EP to be well recorded with high quality musicianship all around, my only critique would be it’s somewhat all over the place in style.  Sometimes simpler is better, I could be completely off on this one but I think that could make these guys really special.  Don’t get me wrong, the album is dope as shit and you need to check it out and form your own damn opinion!

We did a short interview with the guys and here’s what they had to spray (yeah, I’m still saying that.):

PunkForefront (PF) - Describe your music in a sentence or less.

No One Wins (NOW) - Melodic (poppy punk guy) vocals with some pretty metal drums and shredding lead guitar. I tried coining the phrase "Hardlycore" it has yet to catch on.

PF - What makes No One Wins different or interesting?

NOW - We curse a lot... Just kidding we curse... kind of a lot. Seriously I think it's that we have a style that's kinda hard to pin down. some songs are very 90's pop punk inspired (Rufio, MxPx, Blink 182) and some are very rise against/thrice/alexisonfire inspired but lyrically I've always been inspired by bands like Pennywise or Bad Religion or Propagandi (But I think ska is cool)

PF - What's next for you guys?

NOW - We're hoping to get out there and play more shows... maybe with No Gimmick? also wanting to release another EP next year 2017 we're calling that one "Plan To Fail" but right now we're just gonna be open and continue to work hard to push ourselves as musicians and people.

Listen to their new EP here!  We highly recommend you checking these guys out!!

Our AZ Punk Band of the Month for May 2016 is Contradiktion!

article by: Johnny Personality

Contradiktion is one of my favorite local punk bands.  Why?  Well, they are obnoxious, loud, talk a lot of shit, and they work hard at what they do.  

Don’t let the fact that they’re from Glendale lead you to believe they’re boring.

They’re one of those bands that you look at and think “these guys aren’t a serious band.  They just tell jokes and talk about getting wasted.”  You would be wrong because this trio works hard at their craft.  You’ll often find Billie Russell at home plugging away relentlessly on his acoustic guitar, writing, working hard and honing his craft.

Does he sometimes sing about stupid shit?  Fuck yes he does!.. and it’s both hilarious and genuine.  There is a clear element of fun in their music and fun is what this is all about, right?

You’ll also find Steven (aka Meatbag) is working hard practicing at home or playing in one of his one trillion side projects.  I know because I’ve seen the posts, he’s a diverse and talented guy.  He hits his drums hard, which always pleases live audiences.  I’m sure that Jeremy dude works hard too, it’s clear from his chops.  There is a certain “pop” and “groove” to the work Jeremy and Steven do together to make Contradiktion’s 90s skate punk style extra bouncy. Bouncy, terrible fucking word, best I could come up with.  Sad.  Anyways,...

Here’s a quick little interview we did with the boys:

PunkForefront - Describe your music in a sentence of less:

Contradiktion - 90's skate punk/ rock n roll

PF - What makes Contradiktion different?:

C - 95% of all of our songs are written on acoustic guitar before plugging in. We aren't afraid to step outside of punk music and we play what feels true to us.

PF - What's next?:

C - Our next show is with Left Alone May 20th at Yucca Tap Room. We're also in talks with the band Green Jello for a west coast mini tour later this summer! We are working on a new full length that should be out this fall.

Contradiktion is also celebrating 10 years of being a band this year!  I think they have had 3,000 different members, but hey they made it!  

The trio also released a new EP in September titled, Back Down the Drain Again.  Check it out over on their Facebook page.  

Check out the video for their tune, Back Down the Drain Again here:

Our 1st ever featured Arizona Punk Band of the Month is none other than AZ Street Punk veterans, Reason Unknown.  We got the honor of being the first to review and hear their new album, A New Tomorrow.  

Reason Unknown has been playing around Phoenix for the last 10 years.  One thing I can tell you about their live show is that these guys are professionals.  They get up on stage, rip through their set with very few breaks and nonsense, and say goodnight.  You can tell they rehearse their set and audiences appreciate that.  They’ve gained the respect of local bands and several local promoters over the years and frequently open for national acts.  Not only that, they are really super nice guys.  Alright, enough gushing.  Let’s get onto the album review...

My favorite part about Reason Unknown is when they play as fast and as aggressively as they possibly can.  Almost to the point where their strings are about to break and voices about to crack.  They sprinkle these types of in your face, aggressive punk rock songs into their set, but they don’t overdo it.  They keep you wanting more.  They strike a balance between current anthemic street punk rock and old school hardcore punk.  Their upcoming album, A New Tomorrow, is a solid reflection of a band that wants to show you that they know how to do both.  I think listeners will have a preference between the different styles Reason Unknown plays and will probably want more of their preferred style.  For me, I like the old school hardcore elements of Reason Unknown most.  That’s not to say their street punk anthem style is not rocking, just my personal preference.  I get giddy every time I see these guys going berserk and shouting at the top of their lungs because they can do it so well.  

My favorite tune on A New Tomorrow is Broken Hands and Beer Cans.  It sounds like the kind of song that would involve both of those things and it’s probably inspired by similar events.  Fast, in your face, snotty, aggressive, hardcore punk.  A lot of the bands that try to play that style, let’s face it, suck at their instruments.  Not the case with Reason Unknown.  It’s clear that they worked hard on this album and know what they’re doing.  Check it out!... now, a quick interview with the dudes:

REASON UNKNOWN INTERVIEW:

PF: How would you describe our music? 

RU: We are a loud, fast, and aggressive band that straddles the line between old and new school.

PF: What makes Reason Unknown different? 

RU: We play songs that feel right to us, regardless of style. When we write songs, the goal isn't to write punk rock songs, but songs that are true to who we are.

PF: What's next? 

RU: Our new album will be dropping soon, then we are going to start working on a 3-4 song E.P.

Thank you very much to Reason Unknown for letting us check out their kick ass new album early!  Definitely pick up a copy when it comes out!

- Johnny Personality