Roadsaw
Roadsaw
Small Stone

I owe a lot to my many years spent as a revolutionary in Sleazegrinder’s army, including my love for all things rock n’ roll in Boston. Early into this millennium I developed an unchecked focus on such bands as Cocked n’ Loaded, Cracktorch, Rock City Crimewave, Milligram, Coke Dealer, and The Humanoids. If only my town had a scene like that, man. And that’s saying nothing of Wild Zero, Noble Rot, and the legendary (in my mind, anyway) Kari Nations. But the king daddy of ‘em all was — and is — Roadsaw (a nod to their off-shoots, Antler and Quitter, as well), the one band who preceded and survived all others. Led by the godfather’s of Boston rock, Ian Ross (guitar), Tim Catz (bass), and Craig Riggs (vocals), Roadsaw have been hammering out Southern-dipped fuzz n’ roll songs for about 18 years now, publishing consistently punishing albums that seem to get a tad slicker and sleazier every time out, to the point now where Roadsaw just can’t help but exude a rock star God confidence larger than the sun. The proof on Roadsaw, their sixth full-length release, is Riggs’ vocal harmonies, which elevate thick-riffed songs like “Dead and Buried,” “Thinking of Me,” “Motel Shoot Out,” and “Song X” into searing arena hits, and any one of Ross’ petulant solos, which attack like a lust-hungry fiend, feverishly and often. Stoner rock rarely contains this kind of excitement, my friends. The band can still play quick and deadly, too, as evidenced by the mean n’ tasty rawk of “Weight in Gold,” “The Getaway” and “Too Much is Not Enough,” and what would a Roadsaw album be without its quintessential ballad, “Electric Heaven,” which stays plugged in but meanders about in a psych-haze of doom-like opulence before delivering the catchiest chorus on the entire album. No doubt about it; the bar has been set…and it’s really fucking high.

Listen to “Dead And Buried” from Roadsaw!

Airbourne
No Guts. No Glory.
Roadrunner

It’s always a real riot when people slag bands like Airbourne by saying things like, “Don’t we already have an AC/DC?” You know, as far as I’m concerned, if you sound exactly like AC/DC you are doing something right, so keep on with yo’ bad self, ’cause AC/DC is the pinnacle of rock n’ roll revelry. Stealing their high-powered engine for your midnight rumble down the highway of fun is hardly a crime. In fact, it’s a noble thing to do. The truth of the matter is, any band worth their salt will have elements of The Stooges, Thin Lizzy, Black Sabbath, or AC/DC in their music. Ok, that might be a bit of an oversimplification, but it’s certainly not a reach (and I’m trying to make a point), and if you’d rather cut out the middlemen and get your rock n’ roll fix right from the source, I’m all for it. Why wouldn’t you? But it’s a real let down if you’re missing out on bands like New American Shame, Supagroup, Cocked N’ Loaded, Tokyo Dragons, Rose Tattoo, and Airbourne just because we already have an AC/DC.

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Sun Gods in Exile
Black Light, White Lines
Small Stone

Christ, the last feral sound I heard coming out of Boston was probably Cocked N’ Loaded and that seems to me to be some time ago. Ok, so Sun Gods in Exile are technically from Portland, Maine, but they’ve got Boston ties (guitarist Anthony D’Agostino was in Cortez) and that good ol’ Americana rawk vibe that so many bands in Beantown had a monopoly on just a few years ago. Bands like Roadsaw, Cracktorch, Crash and Burn, and Quitter immediately come to mind, which is some goddamn ELITE company, mister. So point a finger anywhere you want at the map because this bitchin’ action will work just about anywhere.

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