I suppose it was only a matter of time before there was a punk rock karaoke, but it still feels a little weird. Hosted by guitarist/emcee Eric Melvin (NOFX), this CD/DVD combo is a tour de force of punk rock history. Joining Melvin in the house band is Greg Hetson (Bad Religion/Circle Jerks/Red Kross), Derek O’Brien (Social Distortion/Adolescents/DI), and Steve Soto (Adolescents/Agent Orange/22 Jacks), all of which are respected names in the punk rock community but none of which are recognizable outside of it.
The project began as a cover band (which then included legendary Mike Watt) of sorts that allowed the fans to sign up and sing along at gigs. This led to a stint on Vans Warped Tour and a lot of good press, which brings us to the newly released CD & DVD. The big names here that will pull in a variety of fans come in the form of guest vocalists on each song, feature Mike Herrera of MXPX, Dicky Barrett of The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Matt Skiba of Alkaline Trio, and Jordan Pundik of New Found Glory, among others.
Overall this is quite simply a karaoke adventure. There are no major surprises here. Each song is true to the original version by bands like Dead Kennedys, Bad Religion, Stiff Little Fingers, Black Flag, Circle Jerks, etc. and is ably played by the house band. The music is set to backgrounds of riots, chaos, and political turmoil for the most part and suits the songs pretty well. If you want to sing along to your favorite punk classics then this is the right proper way to do it. If you’re a fan of karaoke in general and not necessarily punk music then I doubt that this is for you.
Reviewed by Mark Fisher
