Nice and sleazy, muthapunkers!
Usually when I receive demo's from unsigned bands you can tell quite quickly as to the reason's why the band are unsigned, however this is definitely not the case with punk rockers, Dead City Dregs, from St Louis, Missouri, who bring forward some nice punk rock which mixes up The Vandals and Rancid with a hint of sleaze rock, in form of a band like New York Dolls, or Hanoi Rocks.
Here we have a four-track EP, which for once I am left wishing that it was longer. First song, 'Goin' Back' has verses that could well be a Vandals song, with clean vocals, over fast drum beats and chugging guitar riffs, it's real punk rock pleasure! "You're not a criminal until the day you're caught // You're not worth a cent until the day you're bought!" sings out Bryan. Next song, 'End Of The Line' is a long way away from The Vandals with a great slice of sleaze rock, but you can still tell that it is the same band, as the style change is seamless. It definitely has that 70's dirty sleeze to it without the dated high-pitched vocals, giving it a great punk'n'roll feel.
'Weapons' as a song is somewhere between the first two in musical style and hints slightly towards Rancid. It would be easy to rattle off street punk bands, but thankfully as good as these bands are, Dead City Dregs, have a truly original sound that has slight comparisons to many bands without duplicating or being seen as a cover band. Last song, 'Dead Air' once again has the beautiful and unmistakable sound of guitar riffs from a Gibson Les Paul, as the beats remain strong and hard, with a great hook and chorus, but unfortunately all good things must come to an end!
I am often amazed that some bands like Dead City Dregs remain unsigned, when there are so many bands sounding the same out there. I guess the sound isn't fashionable over here in England, whereby we are favouring indie rock, or bubblegum pop, however in their native America, I would've thought that there is a massive market here for catchy rock'n'roll influenced punk. It's this sort of music that the Vans Warped Tour has been showcasing, and okay, there are many fashionable emo bands that are taking a lot of the glory on the tour, with their, 'interestingly dumb' music, but it's this sort of punk rock that will out live those sorts of musical fads.
Due to play along side the great punk outfit, Left Alone next month, this is probably the best unsigned band that I've heard this year. So perhaps the record labels might want to sit up and take notice of a little four piece band called, Dead City Dregs!