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I can’t even remember the last good thing to come out of Missouri. Wait, yes I can, they were called MU330 and I’ve been missing them. But now Dead City Dregs have surfaced with a demo full of infectious punk rock, breathing life back into the quiet streets of St. Louis.
Their self-titled demo is four hard shots of equal parts sloppy pop-punk and street punk, akin to the Lucky Stiffs, the Vacancies, and Rancid, the latter of which is probably the band’s biggest influence. Fortunately for them, they’ve scored airplay on Rancid Radio and it’s easy to see why. Unlike too much of today’s street punk, Dead City Dregs are clearly more concerned with composing an interesting, enjoyable, and catchy song than focusing on their image and “street credibility” (whatever the fuck that is, anyway). “Weapons” pulls the Rancid leash pretty hard, kicking out a lick ironically almost identical to “Gunshot,” but instead speaking of a nuclear-instigated apocalypse: "Play your hand with fate and hope that there’s a kingdom come / Annihilation’s steady pace there is no separation / It stays its course, obliterates, and shapes a barren wasteland."
The production on the EP is expectedly a little rough and slack, but the Dead City Dregs pull it off well, and it doesn't detract at all from the songs. "Back to the End" is the CD's catchiest track with lyrics that seem derived from the effective simplicity of singer/songwriters like Bob Dylan or Paul Simon: "You’re not a criminal until the day you’re caught / And you ain’t worth a cent until the day you’re bought." "End of the Line" seems a little uninspired and cliché both musically and lyrically but remains catchy nonetheless, while "Dead Air" is another that's heavily influenced by Let's Go!-era Rancid with traditional punk inquiries of "what happened to the radio?": "Transmit the frequency there ain't nothing to hear / Drown out the decibels ringing in my ear / The broadcast tower is losing power / The signal’s fading but our spirit stays the same."
If Dead City Dregs were located in Echo Park or East Bay, it's quite possible they be scouted by Tim Armstrong, especially given Hellcat's recent Rancid-like signings. As it is though, they're representing St. Louis well, and are a definite sign that the lower Midwest just got a little more tolerable.
- www.punknews.org
This here is a sloppy little package that packs a bit of a punch. It started off reminding me a lot of a great band from Ontario called The Blundermen. Sort of Stiff Little Fingers and Clashy, but coming off a little more like early Rancid. These kids are young and off to a really good start. It’s not hard to get a decent recording on the cheap these days, so I’d hope to hear better quality on the full length. I’d check out some more. –Ty Stranglehold
- Gorsky Press, Inc.
I don't know for how long this band has been together, I don't know who they are, I don't know where they're from, I don't know what they look like...
So, what do I know? Well, to start with, I know they rule! I like all four songs on this fantastic demo. This is one of those demos that shouldn't have been a demo but a real release. What we've got here is interesting punk rock with some really great hooks. Great singer, well-played, really good production and kick-face songs. I'm not going to put a label on this band and I'm not going to compare them to any other bands 'cause that might scare you off. Just do yourself a favor and look this band up 'cause if you like punk rock you won't be dissapointed.
/Christer, Mutinyzine.com - www.mutinyzine.com
No matter what you've got to love rancid for inspiring a whole generation of punk rock. Hang on don't go thinking that Dead City Dregs are copy cats, they're not, they just lay in that all familar rock'nroll meets punk rock, catchy big chorus, walking bass style. On this 7 track release, they really showcase a great songwriting style mixed with a bunch of standout songs. Be sure to look out for the title track, 'Landmine' and 'Dead Air'. -Curvball - www.distortedmagazine.com
It’s good to see a band on the up and up, and having reviewed their demo a year ago, the band now release their 7-track mini-album (or EP), entitled ‘Landmine’ on independent label BTTP Records. Coming from Saint Louis, MO, Dead City Dregs are a band that understand the true grit of punk rock, with fiery blistering guitars, catchy rasping vocals, and fast beats. It’s also good to see that whilst this album features all of the songs on the Demo plus another 3, the band haven’t fallen into the trap of over production or re-arranging songs like other bands (Toilet Boys please take a bow), so whilst the sound is crisper than their Demo, it still has balls the size of King Kong.
Title Track ‘Landmine’ starts off the album with it’s fast paced punk rock in the vein of Rancid with distinctive bass lines, and Bryan’s voice which is what you would get if you mixed the voices of Tim Armstrong with Lars Frederiksen and believe me that’s a good thing. Next song, ‘End Of The Line’ is a great punk anthem with catchy verses and added “yeah yeahs” you cant go wrong. Lyrically the song goes, “Midnight, at a red light // Frostbite, in a city on fire // The cats eyes, her nine lives // she’s gonna need ‘em all to make it through the night..” it’s an example of mixing the poetically-streetwise lyrics of sleaze rock with the jabs and upper cut punches of street punk. ‘Dead Air’ pays homage to the radio and how the importance of it seems less relevant in the musical world of today, whilst another of the new songs ‘Black Days’ starts off with fast melodic guitar riffs, before slipping nicely into the simple but effective chugging that sounds so good in punk and its worth pointing out that punk rock is all about messages and standing up for your rights while using music as a vehicle for spreading your ideas, and its therefore this reason that intricate musical arrangements are not required within this genre leaving most showboating for drummers. Next up is the short sharp punk shot in the arm that is, ‘Weapons’ and this is what an anthem is all about in my book. Packed with a beat, and guitar riffs that will raise the dead and have you swinging your arm over your air guitar emulating you heroes, it will rock your socks off and smack your bare all with hysterical joy! Like traditional punk it has a political message as the lyrics goes, “Fast lane no destination // oblivion’s awaiting // go play your hand with fate and hope that there’s a kingdom come // annihilation’s steady pace there is no separation // it stays its course obliterates and shapes a barren wasteland”.
The speeded up jig of ‘Goin’ Back’ keeps the tempo high, mixing up Rancid with Left Alone, its another street punk tune with a rock’n roll edge that is as welcoming and desirable as free tattoos and paying no taxes. Great stuff. This leaves us with the last song, ‘So Long’ which another of the new songs and has a hint of Time Again about it, adding a nice ending to a satisfying EP-cum-mini-album Dead City Dregs are a great band. Yes there a resemblances to bands like Rancid, Time Again, Left Alone and the Casualities, so it would not surprise me if the like of Hellcat or SideOneDummy Records came Sniffing around at some point and lets face it they could do a lot worse. Street punk has a huge fan base and Dead City Dregs are another band panhandling it along nicely to the masses.
- www.roomthirteen.com
St. Louis is not the first place you think of when it comes to punk rock, but that’s all about to change when you hear today’s featured band, Dead City Dregs! Already being praised by internet and print punk ‘zines, their sound is earning them lofty comparisons to early Rancid and other notables! These guys play punk the way it should be, evoking the sweat-soaked memories of summertime skate sessions and loitering in the mall parking lot! Raucous, energetic and authentic, these guys remind us a little bit of another really good band, The Exploding Hearts, sans the more pop-tinged output. Check out ‘End of the Line,” and see why it’s merely the beginning for D.C.D - www.myxer.com
Discography
"Dead City Dregs" -s/t demo- (2007)
"Landmine" -BTTP Records- (2008)
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Bio
Warbird Entertainment is extremely proud to announce yet another band to join the label - St. Louis, MO's Dead City Dregs!! The band is scheduled to release a split 7" with Subwaste later this year. This is not only the band's first release on Warbird but it's also the label's first ever vinyl release! Expect some awesome tunes and colored vinyl everyone! The band is also getting geared up to release a full length album in 2010.
Dead City Dregs are a three-piece punk rock outfit hailing from St. Louis, MO. They formed in the winter of 2006 from the remnants of several local punk bands. They began practicing and writing as a 3-piece with Bryan on guitar/vocals, Jake on bass/vocals, and Tom on drums. In March of 2007, they self-recorded a four song demo and released over a 1,000 copies in the Saint Louis area. The demo received good reviews from Razorcake, Punknews.org, and publications worldwide. The band garnered comparisons to punk mainstays such as The Clash, Rancid, and Stiff Little Fingers. Their songs were featured on "Rancid Radio", a radio show on Sirius, hosted by Lars and Tim members of the iconic punk band Rancid. They have also recieved airplay on several underground and independent stations across the country. Immediately after completing the demo the band added a second guitarist in the form of Mickey Brass. With a full lineup in place they played their first show in support of Time Again (Hellcat) in May of 2007. They continued to play a slew of shows in the midwest sharing the stage with bands Time Again, Street Dogs, The Briggs The Casualties, The Tossers, Left Alone, Far From Finished, Rat City Riot, Big D and the Kids Table and DOA to name a few. Dead City Dregs' first official release was a 7 song EP put out in June 2008. This EP, titled "Landmine", was well received on both the internet and in print publications. Afer the release of the EP the band set out on a three week tour of the West Coast highlighted by shows at the Knitting Factory in Hollywood and shows with both Rat City Riot and Left Alone in their respective home towns. Upon returning from tour Mickey decided to part ways with the band for personal reasons. Jake soon followed suit citing a need to concentrate on his career. While searching for replacements for their departed bandmates, Dead City Dregs put together 2 music videos. The first being a video for their song 'Black Days', which was essentially a compilation of live footage from their '08 tour. The second video shot in 2008 is for their song 'Landmine'. Both videos were produced and edited by members Bryan and Tom reaffirming the band's hardworking DIY ethic. With the addition of Johnny Utah on bass the Dead City Dregs have resurfaced and are currently rehearsing and writing for their follow up release. Keep your eyes and ears open for new songs, releases, shows, and tours.
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