The New Frontier

A Collection of Colorado Punk Bands (Soda Jerk)
by Scott Hefflon

Usually I groan when I get 74-minute comps boasting to be the best of their backyard, but Soda Jerk really came through on this one. 30 fuckin’ songs ranging from pop punk to grimy punk to ska punk to kinda metalish hardcore punk to complete shit. Some bands you’ve hopefully heard of, some you’ll probably hear of soon, and others you’ll hope to never hear again. With the exception of Five Iron Frenzy, every track here is previously unreleased. Careful research (aka skimming the 20-page booklet) brings up some interesting points, some good background info, and a chuckle or two. Them’s good liner notes. Addresses, logos, and photos are supplied in almost every case (including The Family Men who used a photo of Machines of Loving Grace), and the centerspread has a charming “This is Colorado, Not L.A. or Boston” speech. Bands on the frontier: Qualm, Wretch Like Me, Nobodys (sans apostrophe, guys), Electric Summer, Superbuick, Hell’s Half Acre, Tanger, Acrobat Down, The Gamits, Mail Order Children, The Deadites, Los Terribles (covering Face Value), The Down-N-Outs, The Fairlanes (covering The Jesus and Mary Chain), ALL, Five Iron Frenzy, The Family Men, Blacklist, Gutbucket, Inferno, The LaDonnas (covering The Uppercrust), The Facet, The Messy Hairs, The Ginders, The Mansfields, The 8 Bucks Experiment, Fast Action Revolver, Blast-Off Heads, Armchair Martian, and Pinhead Circus.
(PO Box 4056 Boulder, CO 80306)