Blackmarket Syndicate
Houston, Texas, United States
Music
Press
From the opening riff of “The Sun Goes Down in Houston”, it is evident that Blackmarket Syndicate is destined for greatness outside the borders of the Lone Star state. An energetic live show has garnered the band opening slots for punk-rock heavyweights such as Rancid, Street Dogs, TSOL, Fear and Reverend Horton Heat. The band captures how rock ‘n’ roll can be dangerous yet fun, reminiscent of a young Social Distortion by mixing rockabilly licks with the East Bay/ Hellcat Records sound.
The band formed in 2007, originally under their former moniker, Deathbed Repentance. In true DIY fashion, they self-released their first record in August of 2007 called Why Do We Even Try? off their own label, Time’s Up Records. Continuing with the DIY-mantra, they independently booked shows all over the country.
Blackmarket Syndicate just finished the recording process of their second album, which was produced by the Street Dogs bassist Johnny Rioux.
In just a mere two years, this band has done what most bands simply do not have enough focus and dedication to accomplish. Setting goals and meeting them. The sun might go down in Houston, but there is still a bright future on the horizon for Blackmarket Syndicate.
“We’ve accomplished more than I ever would have expected to,” says guitarist Randy Rost. “There is still much more that we still have to do though. We simply feel the need to create music that people can be impacted by”
-Michal Damante, 2009 - Houston Chronicle
“I will admit that H-town punk has had me despairing for some time. This is not the case at all in any way shape or form with Blackmarket Syndicate’s “Why Do We Even Try?”. This album hits every touchstone of the genre from the Ramones to Generation X to Billy Bragg. Loud-yet-tuneful guitars, raw throated vocals and self effacing lyrics paint a vivid picture of a dying modern world wrecked by corruption. Singer, Randy Rost bellows and croons like Mike Ness in his prime. My personal highpoint would have to be the anthemic “Heads You Win Tails I Lose”, with its danceable catchiness and bone chilling autobiographical account of life at the bottom of the barrel. So, color me impressed. Blackmarket Syndicate have well and trully blown me away. This beautifully Nihilistic album serves as both a toast as well as an amazed confession that life has lasted as long as it already has.”
-Jeremy Hart - Space City Rock
“We get a lot of demo submissions from groups all over the planet. We hear lots of bands, but we were very impressed with this next band. They’re called Deathbed Repentance (now known as Blackmarket Syndicate). The song is called Heads You Win, Tails I Lose. It’s pretty fuckin’ good. They’re a band from Houston Texas. They’ve been together since early this year. They’ve played with a lot of our buddies including the Whiskey Rebels, Born to Lose and Angel City Outcasts. The song we played was taken off of their debut LP which is titled “Why Do We Even Try?”. It’s obvious who their influences are... The Clash. Social Distortion. The voice is amazing. great. Definately a band that is going places”.
-Lars Frederiksen
Provided courtesy of Russ Brown, XM Radio. 2007 - XM Satelite Radio
Discography
Why Do We Even Try?(10 song LP)- Times Up! Records 2007
"Heads You Win, Tails I Lose"(Broadcasted 11/24/07, 11/27/07, 2/03/08, 8/16/08 on XM 53)
"Sun Goes Down In Houston"(broadcasted 4/14/09 on Houston's 94.5 the BUZZ fm)
"Blood Money"(broadcasted 4/14/09 on Houston's 94.5 the BUZZ fm)
-----------------------------------
Hymns for the Disenfranchised (11 song LP)-production complete. Release pending.
Photos
Bio
Blackmarket Syndicate is a four piece band from Houston, Texas, whose anthemic music recaptures the spirit, passion, and urgency from the golden age of Punk. Since their inception in 2007, the group has performed countless shows in their hometown and across the United States, sharing stages with many internationally recognized acts as well as simultaneously generating their own loyal following from coast to coast. During this time, their continual “go for broke” attitude has ensured not only their survival, but also their developement as artists. Insisting on not settling for mediocrity has been paramount in distinguishing their pure charisma from the mass amount of novelty that dominates the music industry today.
After gaining momentum locally, Blackmarket Syndicate went into the studio to record their first full-length album, which would be titled “Why Do We Even Try?”. The record was met with wide aclaim from fans, and received radio airplay from Houston’s 94.5 The Buzz FM (as featured artist of the week) ,in addition to also being put into rotation on XM Fungus 53’s Rancid Radio. 100% DIY, the band released and distributed the record on their own label and embarked on two U.S. tours in order to support it.
Upon completing the tours for their first release, Blackmarket Syndicate regrouped to begin preparation for their sophomore effort. Determined to create a truly compelling body of work, the group spent several months in the writing process. The result was eleven inspired songs which cultivated a unique, genuine and powerful new direction for an album that would be definitevely their own. To their good fortune, punk rock hall of famer Johnny Rioux offered his abilities as engineer/ producer, contributing invaluable knowledge and guidance toward the completion of the record. Johnny’s vision and dedication to the project allowed for a masterful product that exceeded any and all expectations the band could have imagined. The upcoming Album will be titled “Hymns for the Disenfranchised”.
Currently, Blackmarket Syndicate continues to perform the explosive shows they are known for, whilst anticipating the pending release of their groundbreaking new record. Their relentless drive and uncompromising ethos have enabled them to realize all of the goals they have set for themselves throughout their career thus far. They demonstrate this same determination today, sacrificing any and all of their resources for the advancement of their music.
Links
