Nervosas was the band’s second and final LP. I have no idea which tracks they may have performed back in August but my top tracks include the album opener “Moral Panic” plus the excellent rockers “The Well,” “Parallels,” “Industry” and the stomping noise rock chaos of “Nothing.” Though when interviewed they say the songwriting was a three equal parts process, to my ears the bass is front and center, which makes sense as the vocalist and de facto frontman Jeffrey Kleinman plays bass. About the album he said, “Specifically for myself, trying to write more moving bass lines, and trying to break away from some of the more typical chord progressions that we had used in the past. Lyrically, I really pushed to make the content much more personal and honest than I had in the past. Viewing lyrics as some kind of fucked up therapy session is something I’m sure a lot of writers do, but it was the first time I had ever viewed it that way, and it turned out to be as much terrifying as it was worthwhile.” (New Noise Magazine) That said, the guitar – played by Mickey Mocnik – is great too, metallic edged (like actual metal, not the genre) and the drums get their fair share, too; drummer Nick Schuld engineered the album. (Sidenote: Schuld is a decent amount older than Kleinman and Mocnik and it looks like he’s been in a ton of bands over the years, including a possible stint in Guided by Voices).

Here they are, all significantly younger, from a show 12 years ago:

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I couldn’t find any live videos from Dirtnap 2025 of Personality Cult but here’s one from Dirtnap’s 20th at High Noon in Madison, May ’22 (which we also attended):

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Raw Wave was the band’s debut album – and only Dirtnap release (they have another LP from 2020 on Dine Alone Records). It’s fun, punchy punk, super-catchy and at times dancing on the edge of pop punk, but it’s too weird (and the rhythm too hard) to really make that full commitment. My top tracks are the rapid-fire album opener “I’m Getting Out,” the 80’s dark-wave tinged “Beta Max,” the quirky jerky lightning fast “Headphones,” “Venus Retreat” and “VHS” (which they released as a 12″ ‘loaded’ single in 2017 on Stiff Hombre Records). I’m not sure that they will regroup anytime again soon but damn they were a good time.

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According to the Bandcamp listing for On the Other Side “if there is/has been a “flagship band” for Dirtnap, Marked Men and their various offshoots are it. The band hasn’t released any new material since 2009 (the last album came out in 2008.), and they probably won’t, so this singles comp is as close to a new album as it’s going to get. Marked Men still plays a handful of shows every year, but has no plans to release any further new material.” My top picks on this comp are “Nothing’s Changed” from 2005 (on Shit Sandwich Records), the lightning fast punk’d out “Too Pretty to Fuck” and the mod-punk “Whip Myself” both from 2009 (on No Idea Records), the wicked-beated, power-chord crashing “Like Robots” from 2008 (Dirtnap) and “I Can’t Be Good” from 2003 (Mortville Records). We have several of the Marked Men’s releases (I’m pretty sure all on Dirtnap) but I think this comp might be my favorite in our collection of their material.

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River City Tanlines “I’m Your Negative” test pressing

Alicja Trout at GBUFO Invasion Fest

We saw River City Tanlines play at Dirtnap Records Fest in 2022 (they reformed for the show) and caught frontwoman Alicja Trout’s latest group, Sweet Knives, play up in Green Bay a couple of weekends ago at GBUFO Invasion Fest. She’s incredible!

I’m Your Negative (their first LP of two, the second released in 2012) is wild, intense and catchy as hell. The opener and title track “I’m Your Negative” is a blazing and shaking garage-rocker and definitely one of the best tracks on a record chock-full of great songs: track two “In My Mode Rollin‘” has Stooges’ swagger and “Cryin’ Bleedin’ Dyin’” has some sultry Stray Cat strut. Side B takes things (mostly) down a notch for intensity – more indie flavored with some alt-country undertones: “Not Gonna Think About it Anymore” is sweet, but also kinda dark with a relentless guitar riff that lulls until the next track, “Drowning Dreams,” which very suddenly explodes with all instruments and vocals furiously crashing in and seamlessly continues into the album closer “Gimme All Your Cuts.”

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They also played their single “Give My Regards to the Dancing Girls,” the 60’s style garagey “Looking for Porno?” which weirdly is a total ear worm (I woke up with it playing in my head this morning), the anthemic “Dry Cider,” the rager “Full Dollar,” and “Haunted Neighborhood” plus a slew of other hard pub rockers.

Their bio from their Bandcamp: “When Irish-born Count Vaseline/The Mighty Stef songwriter Stef Murphy met Stiff Little Fingers guitar tech Jamie Mechan in Nashville, Tennessee, it began a musical partnership of the highest order. After cranking out a few tunes at Mechan’s fledgling studio, 302 Sound, the duo started recruiting other musicians. The band was rounded out by drummer Ryan Sweeney (Cheap Time) and Eli Steele (Sweet Knives.) Dubbing themselves The Sleeveens, an Irish term for a trixter, the band got to work. After recording and releasing their highly-touted “Give My Regards To The Dancing Girls” 45rpm single on Sweeney’s Sweet Time Records, they finished off their 11 track debut LP. The quartet were soon approached by longrunning punk label Dirtnap Records (Marked Men, Exploding Hearts) for the album’s 2024 release. The resulting LP is an homage to the kind of classic punk Chiswick, New Rose and Stiff Records were releasing 45 years before The Sleeveens existed. With earworm melodies and screaming guitars, the foursome have crafted one of the best albums of the year. Murphy’s penchant for charmingly brilliant, matter-of-fact lyricism has a similar poetic quality as Mark E. Smith or Jonathan Richman. With expert mastering by Jim Diamond (The White Stripes, The Dirtbombs) to put the finishing touches on the sound, The Sleeveens is a record that is simultaneously uncompromisingly raw and thoughtfully crafted.”

I got a chance to chat with Ryan Sweeney and James Mechan before the show – both super-nice guys! – mostly about touring the Midwest in February (them – “Milwaukee is cold!”) and Nashville (me – “there’s a great yoga studio there!”) (all of us – “the gangs of bachelorettes are the worst!”). We nabbed a couple of t-shirts and stuffed some bills in the pitcher passed around by the green mohawked owner(?)/bartender: Last Rites doesn’t sell tickets or collect at the door (at least not for this show). I hope The Sleeveens had a great time in Milwaukee and come back again soon – they totally rock!

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There’s not much in the way of video for Mind Spiders out there, but here’s a video from Dirtnap Fest featuring Mark Ryan’s performance. I’m pretty sure we were standing towards the back for this set, but I recognize a couple of my friends in the front row 😊

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O-D-EX’s Breaker is the debut release from this solo/collaborative project of The Marked Men’s and Mind Spider’s Mark Ryan (we caught him play at 2022’s Dirtnap Fest) and Micah Why (Kitbashes, Mission Giant, Faux Fox). Copy/pasting Ryan’s summary of the project from a piece on Brooklyn Vegan: “Using my old Electribe sampler and weird digital guitar synth pedal, I can usually bash out an idea and almost have it complete as I’m working on it. I don’t have to bring it to the band to flesh it out. I’ve been obsessed by harsh digital noise and letting go of worrying about analog warmth when recording.” And from the Bandcamp page: “Born out of frustration with analog fetishism and too many human band mates, O-D-EX uses the immediacy of digital noise and trashy drum samples to transmit ideas directly into existence. Main influences: Chrome and Mantronix.” It is VERY electric, super-dark, a very underground 80’s club vibe. Besides “Ley Line,” my top tracks are the opener “Spring Break,” “S Drive” and the breakneck “So Nice” which totally reminds me of Industrial Dance night at the Option back in ’88.

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