Boys On Trial

It seems that once a year we discover a band that not only deserves to be heard, needs to be heard, but demands to be heard. We recently were turned on to this band and now share them as OZ Beat's holiday gift to you. Run (From the City) is only the second time we have made a download available outside of our Media section. Don't waste time locating your password or registering for our Media (although you don't know what you are missing if you don't check out OZ Beat's Media section)--just play this song. BOYS ON TRIAL is our pick as the band to watch for in 2006.
Having yet to see this band play out live, OZ Beat has a significant challenge in describing them. Perhaps it is an advantage because Boys On Trial (BOT) are truly an aural sensation and whatever this three-piece has to add in terms of a visual experience would be orgiastic excess. At OZ Beat we love orgiastic excess but we will have to wait until January 6, 2006, to experience it with Boys On Trial. Too much, too soon serves only to spoil us and we feel fucking spoiled after a few days of non-stop listening to BOT’s release of a recent live show (the official studio release is in the works). As much as OZ Beat swears that we oppose comparing one band with another, we usually find a way to do it. BOT makes it nearly impossible. Is there a new genre called “intelligent taser punk”? How about “ball-busting rock with cherubic vocals”? With BOT, the few times when vocals (and music) go over the top serves only as a quick reminder that this band should not be taken for granted. Attention is mandatory and BOT has earned the right to push limits and show-off a touch. Not because of years spent on the road but because BOT has crafted some exceptional songs.

The song “Leavin’” has a few brief seconds that demand Bowie’s “Ziggy” be reissued with this track on it—then it goes somewhere else completely. OZ Beat doesn’t know where. Long quieted Seattle bulldozers rev up their engines and collide with Muse and Mars Volta and … (fuck, OZ Beat is again referencing other bands but by no means making a comparison).

“Big White Lie” starts with a sweet tight riff that is somewhat misleading to the extent that this riff is going to be both a crystal and heroin trip throughout the song (apologies to BOT for the drug-reference). As is frequent throughout BOT’s live show recording, the drums are so powerfully out-front in the songs that Colin should start playing twenty minutes before the band shows up. Michael’s beautiful vocals soar with confidence. No fucking joke about this—the vocals are stunningly beautiful and threateningly powerful. There has to have been some vocal training along the line. (If not, OZ Beat suggests he get some because his voice is way too precious to risk.) When this band starts playing out on tour you will see what we mean. Adam’s bass holds this project together. Adam’s ability to pierce or massage with his bass playing provides the cement that prevents Michael and Colin from spontaneous combustion.

So there is no doubt, OZ Beat hears three brilliant musicians working magic throughout the songs. And the arrangements ensure that all three of them are fully appreciated.

“Run from the City” is BOT’s first single release. Michael’s vocals are a desperate cry from a bruised and bleeding but undeterred choir boy. Throughout the song the band seems to be wielding a switchblade in order to carve away the last remnants of any vulnerability they have left (or maybe they just want to slice up the bad guys on the planet). BOT’s songs expose massive amounts of vulnerability—within the Uzi-attack of their “take-no-prisoner” songs.

OZ Beat will have much more to say about this band in the near future—but we wanted you to be able to check them out without delay. We look forward to doing our full take on the album when it is released. - www.ozbeatmusic.com

"How exciting to hear a band with the energy of The New York Dolls or Sex Pistols with people who can actually play their instruments and a vocalist who can really sing!!"
- (Another Pretty Face, Zen For Primates, Bummer Tent Records)

"Favorite new band? For once, I don't have to think twice. Boys On Trial are it. They have everything that makes music matter: passion, compassion, deft playing, great sound, all delivered with attitude."
- (WLUW Chicago)

Is there a new genre called “intelligent taser punk”? How about “ball-busting rock with cherubic vocals”? With BOT, the few times when vocals (and music) go over the top serves only as a quick reminder that this band should not be taken for granted. Attention is mandatory and BOT has earned the right to push limits and show-off a touch. Not because of years spent on the road but because BOT has crafted some exceptional songs. - www.ozbeatmusic.com

Boys On Trial are assembling an army of intricate words, blazing bass lines and heart punch drums which are filtering up through the hallways of Chicago’s underground. The ground may not shake when one walks on it…but the quake of Boys On Trial may lead on you on your way…they gain hearts for the right reasons. - Craig Turnwall - Fulcrum Press

¡Guantanamo Boy! pleases with five really outstanding tracks presented for your aural pleasure through the amps of Boys on Trial. Spending as much time as I have listening to the Fall and '90s Dischord releases will prepare you for the onslaught of these boys. High production values along with distinct vocals make a unique listening experience. (EA) - Punk Planet

Boys On Trial blew me away when I first heard them because the anger and the fury in their music is coming from a place of love; a very loud, thunderous and primal place.

- Frisbie, Producer

"An up-and-coming Chicago band that plays music that's punky and post-punky, as this trio seems to have listened to a lot of great music from the late-‘70s and early-‘80s. More importantly, they also have something to say. Now, I'm not saying they are fully articulate lyrically, but they are angry and intelligent, and the five tracks here are good vehicles for dancing about and stomping on their problems. The best of the five is the jagged "Big White Lie", a song made for these times, and many times in the past. This band is a well-oiled machine, with singer Michael Ross's guitar playing bursts of patterned chords, while the bass and drum combo of Adam Knapp and Colin Tahi interlocking perfectly. The verses are almost cod-reggae (a bit reminiscent of Fugazi), revving up in rocking intensity. The band takes on segregation in Chicago, a city whose transportation systems (el and highways) were specifically designed to separate blacks and whites. Ross has a piercing and powerful voice that is great for expressing frustration and disgust. I like how the song takes a few minutes to build to the shouting chorus. This same band is capable of melodic agility, illustrated on the fifth and final track, "Leavin'". While Tahi still drums with reserved urgency, Ross shows off a softer side to his voice. The most accessible song is "Run (From the City)" which starts off softly and builds up the energy pretty quickly, and sports the strongest chorus hook on the disc. This song seethes with the passion of bands like New Model Army and The Jam, though sounding not quite like either. This band has made a lot of strides since I first saw them live, and they are just beginning to fulfill their potential. The playing is already great, and the songs are good, and if they get better, this will be a special band." - Mike Bennett @ Fufkin.com

"An up-and-coming Chicago band that plays music that's punky and post-punky. They also have something to say...they are angry and intelligent, and the five tracks here are good vehicles for dancing about and stomping on their problems." - (Mike Bennett @ Fufkin.com)

Boys On Trial employ a decent assortment of rock on their debut, ¡Guantanamo Boy!, yet what really stands out on this five-song EP is the continuous fervor provided by frontman Michael Ross and his bandmates. Essentially, they often carry a punk rock spirit without falling into a single mold. This trio deserve some credit for taking chances on their first go.
– Max Herman
- Illinois Entertainer