Zero Boys “Vicious Circle” 1982/1987 reissue on Toxic Shock Records. The photo of the band is from this date, September 13th, three years ago when Zero Boys played our neighborhood’s giant street party, Bay View Bash. Zero Boys headlined Rush Mor Record’s stage, playing many of the classic 80′s punk tracks from their debut LP Vicious Circle, originally released on Nimrod Records, and noted that after the last time they played Milwaukee “we probably hung out in your mom’s basement, no, probably your grandma’s basement.”  Zero Boys have always been punk-popular in Wisconsin, likely we have an affinity toward a Midwestern band, though the Midwestern location was a contributing factor to Zero Boys’ short-lived fist iteration (Allmusic notes “Even though the record [Vicious Circle] was to garner critical acclaim and turn the band into one of the legends of early-‘80s hardcore, the band was to fold a year later, citing being ‘landlocked’ in Indianapolis in comparison to the larger national scene.)

Vicious Circle is still one of my favorite early 80′s punk records, it is tight and smart, its punchy, melodic and Germs-esque tracks (singer Paul Mahern told producer/engineer John Helms he wanted his band’s debut LP to “sound like the Germs’ GI”) remain classic 35 years later. Highlights of the record – and the show three years ago – are the blazing fast “Amphetamine Addiction,” the mosh-pit perfect “You Can Touch Me,” and the double punch of anthem-worthy tracks “Livin’ in the 80′s” and “Civilizations Dying.” Here is a link to “Civilizations Dying” at the Bay View Bash in 2014 – some of my friends are front-and-center, air-punching, head-banging and singing along (I’m in the crowd somewhere, but too short to show up on film).