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Punk's Punk Picks

There have been a number of punk bands over the years that have grabbed my ears. I have a small list of some of my favourite punk bands that you may or (more than likely) may not have heard.

 The Toy Dolls
This Sunderland UK punk trio has been around since 1979, making some of the best stompin' fun punk rock in the world! I've known of their existence since 1999 (when I first heard their hit Nellie The Elephant (the 1982 version) on the "Doctor Demento" show, of all places), and they have VERY quickly become my all-time favourite punk band ever. Most of their albums start and end with a little theme tune that changes from record to record. How can you not like a group that does that? Another very interesting thing about the Toy Dolls' music is that there's very little (if any) profanity. I give Michael Algar ("Olga") and company a metric ton-and-a-half of respect for that. They know that even young kids buy their music. It's as close to "family-friendly" punk as you can get. They may use the occasional "quaint" British curse ("up the arse", "sodding", etc.), but it just gives the songs character. However, don't mistake their kindness for weakness -- these boys can thrash with the best of them! Olga's guitar work gets faster and better with each album… of which there are 15 and counting! Even though the lineup sometimes changes from record to record (and occasionally from live show to live show... even during the same tour!), it hasn't dulled their senses or stopped them in their tracks. These guys are survivors... and there's 21 years worth of music for the uninitiated to catch up.

 The Real McKenzies
I don't know much about these Rockin' Canadians except they're from Vancouver, British Columbia and they mix punk rock with tartans, Scottish brogues and bagpipes. I gotta give these guys oodles of points for originality! You may not think that the combination would work, but, boy howdy, does it! (of course, you'd have to have some appreciation for bagpipe music…which I do). Maybe someday they'll record a version of "Scotland The Brave" (they've already done "My Bonnie" and "Auld Lang Syne") They have three CDs out -- their latest one is called (amusingly enough): "Clash of the Tartans". Bagpipes and bad Scottish puns -- that's what punk's all about, innit?

Me First and the Gimme Gimmes
The name of this group is worth the price of admission alone! Their strong point is doing covers. For that matter, it's all they do. Not that it's a bad thing... Hell, they've even made that weepy, overplayed hit from the 70's "Seasons in the Sun" by Terry Jacks palatable! If you've ever wondered how a punk version of "Rocket Man", "Fire And Rain", "All My Lovin'" or even "Over The Rainbow" would sound, check out this band.

There are other bands out there that have caught my attention like The Dead Milkmen, Green Day, The Dickies, Smash Mouth (I consider them punk) and Screeching Weasel and of course old skool punk standbys like the Dead Kennedys and the Sex Pistols, but I wanted to focus on the lesser known groups that I like to listen to. If you want to expand your punk horizons, but don't want to blow a wad of cash on albums from groups you never heard of or may not like, get the Fat Wreck Chords compilation "Short Music For Short People". It has 101 groups doing 30-second songs.Or, as I like to call it, "bite-sized chunk punk". That way, if you come across a song you like, it'll make you hungry for more. And as for the ones you hate, well, you won't suffer too long. The CD is also about $8, so your wallet won't feel drained afterward.

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