Nox Boys “Nox Boys” 2014. Get Hip Recordings. Another band we saw this past weekend at Bay View Bash was Blawnox, Pennsylvania’s garage punk, country/rockabilly-twinged rockers, Nox Boys, who played an excellently rowdy set. At one point they encouraged some dude who was dressed as a chicken to first come on stage and then to crowd surf, which devolved into another dude simply running around carrying chicken guy over his head until they collapsed. (I left the Bash soon after that because being taken out by a crowd-surfing chicken is not going to be my rock-n-roll swan song.) Lead singer/guitarist Zach Keim had a more successful crowd-surfing experience later in the show (check out the band’s Insta feed for photos.)

The country-twinge part of the garage punk sound – and what makes Nox Boys stand out from the rest of the very crowded garage – comes courtesy of Bob Powers (who is a good generation or two older than the rest of the very young band) on slide guitar who provides a solidly talented and unique slippery twang to the band’s trash-swamp vibe. Not exactly psychobilly but close. Their stated influences/faves are Black Lips, Elvis, Buddy Holly, The Orwells, Pow Wows, The Misunderstood, Cynics (Get Hip’s co-owner is Gregg Kostelich of the Cynics), Swamp Rats, Ty Segall, 1,2,3, Ricky Nelson, Black Flag, Duane Eddy, Bob Dylan and Link Wray and going into the street fest I was totally unfamiliar with Nox Boys so listening to their debut (and only, though it sounds like another one is coming out soon) album with basically fresh ears, I can totally hear a lot of these influences, especially on the Buddy Holly-ish, 50′s inspired – in both sound and title – “Susie Lee” and the 60′s Cynics-y, Link Wray-ish “Mrs. Jackson.”  My top tracks are the super-catchy “Military School,” the grungy “Mr. No One” and the riotously dark and stomping album closer “Save Me.” You can stream the entire album on their website.