The Bouncing Souls

The Bouncing Souls

The Bouncing Souls are an infamous band in the world of punk rock. They formed in 1987 and were first produced by BYO Records with The Good, The Bad and The Argyle and Maniacal Laughter. Then by Epitaph, coming out with Bouncing Souls, Hopeless Romantic, Anchors Away and How I Spent My Summer Vacation. They went from playing in basements to having gigs and touring with other legendary bands. The band's name is a reference to an advertising slogan used by punk standards, Doc Martens shoes, in reference to their air-cushioned soles. To this day, tags on Doc Martens read "with Bouncing Soles".

The Bouncing Souls still pulled through with an amazing set to the best of their ability. Some of my favorites were No regrets Today, Hopeless Romantic, I Like Your Mom, the set was much shorter than I had expected. But still the music was sound. With the impetuous strums of the guitar, and the consistent fast beat of the drums, followed with the bass equalizing it all, the songs echoed through the small crowded room full of avid ear waiting and hoping to hear their favorite songs.

There were feet flying through the air and people jumping off stage hoping someone might catch them. I danced up front the whole time heated and thirsty but extremely happy to finally hear them live after all those long drives with them blasting in the back ground. It was quite satisfying. So towards the end I could tell they were fed up with the shitty situation. Or should I say, fucking shitty situation and stopped the set early. NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!! That was what I thought. Really!

So I pushed out for air, happy, yet disappointed. I rung the sweat out of my shirt, went to the Hideaway to finish the night and then went home.

The Bouncing Souls Rocked! I don’t give a fuck what anyone says. The PA and the AC sucked! Check that shit yo!

Photo and Review by Kim Awesome

The Golfcart Rebellion

Whatup nut.. So here's the scoop.....I was at Bikini's Cantina tonight and had the elite privilege of finding a local band by the name of The Golfcart Rebellion...so here is the review.... It’s now 0204 AM on the 23rd of April of this foul year of our lord 2006. The rum has been flowing like a riptide since about 9 and only the die hard regulars had the privilege of sharing this experience.... When I heard about the Vertical Charles breakup, I was shattered (11 March 06) ... I’ve not yet discovered a band with as much presence and energy as VC however, I don’t believe that I’ve been looking in the right places. I was at the local watering hole, Bikini Cantina, (highly recommended... good company, fantastic vibes, and an ensemble of poisons that is sure to push that ulcer as far as it can go), when I came upon a group of 6 guys setting up for what was perceived as an all night set. The name of the band is The Golfcart Rebellion. I was under the illusive impression that Ska as we know it was deceased as far as Oahu was concerned. Lord help me.... I was wrong. After what seemed to be an eternity of set up and sound checks, the band was underway... bringing forth a sound that was deafening to the ear at first, but soon wrapped you in a fusion of brass and electricity that I personally have not seen since Buck-0-Nine in 1997. I was awestruck .. helpless at the mercy of nylon picks scratching down frets, much like that of Social D. It was an absolute shame to find out that The Golfcart Rebellion had only come to perform one set of there musical genius ensemble. The band was opening for Black Square, a band that my wingman and I had walked out on at Boardriders in Kailua a few months back, due to the undulating fact that they were astray from their ska/punk roots and were entirely too reggae. Happily, they have changed a bit since then. My faith in this genre was reassured when I was informed by Kaz and Brian (uber guitar gurus) that The Golfcart Rebellion was to play again on May 6th with another band that I absolutely love by the name of Go Jimmy Go @ the Detox Lounge. During this time of incoherent explanation, Brian handed me a CD of their recorded songs, and some stickers to put on unsuspecting cars parked on my street in Aiea. In closing, I highly stress to those fans of Pimpbot and Black Square to come on out and bask in the sounds of these musical geniuses. You will not be disappointed. www.myspace.com/thegolfcartrebellion www.geocities.com/golfcartrebellion Check 'em out. This rum is entirely too potent... until next time.. Latex n' Razorblades, Fletchdaddy

White Rose

Reprinted with permission from 808 Scene Zine White Rose’s first CD, War Machine, is an album with a message, with a mission. The lyrics are latent with the themes – be aware, question authority, beware of the loss of your freedoms, you are the answer, go out and do something. There is criticism of self-righteous government officials that view other countries as faceless enemies and make greed-based decisions from the comfort of their offices. They warn us not to be distracted by the meaningless frills thrown at us by corporations and governments every day. I am immediately reminded of Orwell’s Big Brother society in 1984 and the theme that “the answer lies in the proles” (i.e. us regular people). White Rose’s succinct messages are integrated with equally hard-hitting punk rock guitar riffs, precise drumming, and intense scream-singing (or sing-screaming, depending on the song). The album begins with the self-titled song, White Rose, driven by quick-moving, progressive power chords and an equally driving cry to the listener to “Open your eyes. Wake up! Wake up!” Now that they’ve got your attention, the rest of the album delivers its message through tempo-changing punk, slower heavy-metalish rock, and some almost poppy-hooky punk complete with hand-clapping. A couple of songs stand out on this album. No Flags, No Masters is a potent mix of words and music, beginning with a driving verse shouting “No Flags, No Masters, what are we fighting for?” that melts into a swanky chorus asserting “Colors of hate – destroy/ God is not a flag – Unite.” The longest song on the album is the punk epic, Who Would Jesus Bomb?, calling out the government for (erroneously) using Christian principles as justification of war: “We are sick of the scandals and the buck is gonna stop with you!/(Criminal, Criminal, You should be on TRIAL!)/ Maybe it’s you, maybe it’s me and all the good people say/ Who would Jesus Bomb?” Resist Despair is a heavy, yet propulsive song that defies stereotyping based on image proclaiming “I am ‘not nothing’ at all/ I am not who you say I am/ I am more than all of this.” The uplifting song feels like it’s about to break free at any moment, just like the people it represents. White Rose’s War Machine will be available soon. It is engineered by Eric Helmkamp, cover art by Winston Smith, and filled with intelligent music by White Rose. What more do you need? www.MySpace.com/whiterosepunk to get yours. Thank you to Katie Whitman for the submission