A Different Age...Show # 159

Coming out of Liverpool in England, The Dead 60s started out as Resthome, then Pinhole. As Pinhole the band recorded some songs, opened for Green Day in 2002 and even recorded a BBC session with John Peel. The name change occurred in 2003, with the band also changing direction a bit. The band would add more reggae, dub, and ska into their music as well as punk. The band sounds influenced by bands such as The Clash, Gang of Four, The Specials, King Tubby, and Lee "Scratch" Perry. The band consists of Matt McManamon (guitar/vocals), Ben Gordon (guitar), Charlie Turner (bass/vocals), and Bryan Johnson on drums. The band signed to Deltasonic records in 2004, "You're Not the Law" was released as a single, the song featured organ, heavy reggae/dub influenced bass and catchy lyrics; The song sounded influenced by British ska legends, The Specials. "Riot Radio" followed as a single. The song is a energetic ska, punk flavored track with phaser guitar sounding like a mix of Gang of Four and Ska; It reached # 30 on the UK charts.

Both Versions of Dead 60s first album.

The actual Dead 60s album was released in 2005, but it was released in different versions. In the UK, the red album version was released featuring a different track listing than the US version which is known as the yellow album version. The difference between the two albums is the European/UK version of the album featured the songs "Ghostfaced Killer" and "Soul Survivor", as opposed the the US version which featured "New Town Disaster" and "Just Another Love Song" instead. A limited edition of the red album was released with a bonus disc featuring dub remixes. Also the version of "Riot Radio" was re-recorded for this album. The album was recorded in Liverpool, and produced by a group of producers called Central Nervous System. The album was released on Epic Records in the USA, Sony/BMG in Japan, and Deltasonic in the UK. "A Different Age" was a punk influenced rocker, "Control This", "Loaded Gun", and "Horizontal" are also rock tracks. "Train To Nowhere" is a slow reggae influenced track, while "We Get Low" and "Red Light" offer reggae and ska variety; Also the song "Ghostfaced Killer" is a fast ska track sounding heavily influenced by one of The Specials faster songs. The album overall was a punk, new wave, dub, ska, and reggae album drawing in influences from various the spectrum's of theses genres, sounding original and unique at the same time.

"Stand Up" is the first single from their second album titled Time To Take Sides. This time the band travelled to New York City where they worked with producer David Kahne, who has worked with acts such as The Strokes, 311, and New Order. The album is set to be released in September of 2007, it features eleven tracks (and two bonus tracks if you order the import version). The majority of the songs for this album were worked out live while on tour, the result is something different than the bands first self titled release. The songs have more melody, and more new wave sounding influence than punk or dub. "Stand Up" the first single, is a mellow and energetic song with short stabbing guitar parts in the catchy chorus. "Start a War" is a song with a Motown sounding bassline with ska and David Bowie sounding guitar, while the chorus has new wave sounding guitar as well. "All Over By Midnight" is an energetic fast paced rock song with ska influence, dirty guitar riffs, and a climbing bassline as the lyrics "It's All Over By Midnight" ring through your head. "Liar" is a song that sounds influenced by the bands new wave and punk favourites. "Seven Early Days" shows the band returning to their dub and reggae influences. Other interesting tracks include "Desert Sun", "Dull Town", and "Beat Generation". Time To Take Sides shows more promise for the band, who shows that they are not a one album band. As of February of 2008, the band split up and are no longer together. You can visit their website at http://www.dead60s.com/

Also this week I played Young Rival, who are a Canadian band from Hamilton, Ontario. The band used to be called Ride Theory (who I also played), and they are currently working on a new album. To hear some of their new material and for more info visit Young Rival's website.

Here's the play list:

1. Offspring – smash it up
2. Arctic Monkeys – old yellow bricks
3. Hater – tot finder
4. Love Me Nots – cry
5. Bob Dylan – tombstone blues
6. 101ers – sweet revenge
7. Ride Theory – got me on the run
8. Young Rival – 415 (demo)
9. Subways – somewhere
10. Empire Dogs – the dogs
11. Fiction Plane – death machine
12. Radiohead – pop is dead
13. Action Makes – get the joke
14. Marble Index – missing file
15. The Midways – a lot like me
16. The Locusts Have No King - goodman on a strange horse
17. The Whammies(redux) – double whammy
18. Johnny Thunders – pipeline
19. Mach Kung-Fu – Singapore ’66
20. Caesars – we got to leave
21. Pearl Jam – anything in between
22. The D4 – outta blues
23. Compulsive Gamblers – stop & think it over
24. Dead 60s – start a war
25. Dead 60s – all over by midnight

Videos:

Stand Up
Riot Radio (Version 1)
Riot Radio (Version 2)
You're Not The Law
Ghostfaced Killer
Ghostfaced Killer (Remix with members of Madness)
Loaded Gun
The Last Resort