THEY GROW UP SO FAST

Redd Kross has always been one of those bands, kind of a one band scene. They started out in 1980, with brothers Jeff and Steve McDonald always the band's core. Their earliest gigs were shared bills with punk and hard core bands (their first gig was opening for Black Flag, when they were still in their mid-teens), and though they were in the thick of it, they never really adhered to any unwritten cool check list. They basically created their own. They were so young, it wasn't necessary to identify 100% with punk or hardcore. So they didn't really have to fit a particular mold, with other bands, or other kids their age; which benefited them in the long run. Because Redd Kross has always done things the Redd Kross way, and after thirty years, they've gotten pretty fucking good at it.

I could run down their complete dossier, but, really, it's all at Wikipedia. Suffice it say that, although they're not really ground breakers, they are a damn fine rock band, in the purest sense of the word. That's not to say that they just turn it up and go. Though naturally, as brothers, it would seem likely that the McDonald's voices would mesh well with each others; but theirs sound so incredibly well together, that it's more than just blood. It's experience. To the point that, in some of their later stuff, the vocals are downright Beatles-esqe. But, they don't sound like the Beatles, because they don't take themselves that serious. Even though they're in their forties, they never seemed to have left the playground (and I mean that in a good way). In short, they have all the ingredients. They started without a mold. They learned to write good songs, play well, and sing well. They're don't take themselves dreadfully serious, and, most important, they do turn it up.

"I wrote the music to this song when I was thirteen." Performing their early 80's Posh Boy Records EP live at Club Lingerie, Oct 10, 2010. Nice to know that they can still be sloppy when they want to.

I won't go so far as saying their shit has never stunk, but you know what? I'll listen to just about anything that they've put out because, chances are, it'll be worth hearing. Can you think of any band's thirty year output that you can say that about? Shit, the Stones don't even get on that list.

Program notes: One thing to add about the above video is that they were opening for Sonic Youth (who performed Daydream Nation in it's entirety). The night was a celebration for Rodney Bingenheimer, for "getting" a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame. On to the audio: Once I started thinking about "Switchblade Sister" (mp3 below) as Redd Kross doing Mott the Hoople, I began to really dig it. Next, I found an Abba cover (also below), so I couldn't resist. After that, a couple more to contrast and compare. It's really interesting to listen to "The Faith Healer" and "Burn Out" back to back, to hear what a few decades of playing together sounds like. Then there's an mp3 of a live set, from a Vancouver show in the 90's. It's a band recording, so the sound is really good, as is the performance. And, what prompted this post, a download posted on a blog, of the out-of-print Teen Babes From Monsanto album. It's from the mid-era (late 80's), when they were tight, and rocking it loud; before they got a little power pop-ish. I can't figure out if the "Annie's Gone" video is creepy, stupid or genius (if that's the case, it must be zef). The video down there with Cherie Curie kind of reminds me of L7. Rather than me post a whole bunch more videos, you should just go the Redd Kross site for more. They're big on video over there.

~ NOTE: ALL MEDIA IS HOSTED BY THE BLOGS & SITES NAMED BELOW ~

Music:
Redd Kross - Switchblade Sister mp3 at The Vague
Redd Kross - Dancing Queen mp3 at 4Share
Redd Kross - The Faith Healer and 2 more mp3s at Recidivism (Direct linking disabled. Go to the end of their post.)
Redd Kross - Burn Out (early 80's) mp3 at Recidivism (Direct linking disabled. Go to the end of their post.)
Redd Kross - Live set, Vancouver, 90's, mp3 at ReddKross.com
Redd Kross - Teen Babes From Monsanto LP, download at Bloodjunkies
Video:
Redd Kross - Yesterday Once More video at YouTube
Redd Kross - Downtown (Live, Madrid, 2007) video at YouTube
Redd Kross - Annie's Gone video at YouTube
Redd Kross with Cherie Curie - Neon Angels on the Road to Ruin (live) at YouTube
Redd Kross Channel at YouTube
Read:
Redd Kross Official site
Redd Kross at Wikipedia

P.S. Did you click the hosting site link for "Switchblade Sister", a site for a band called the Vague? If not, you should. It almost looks like a fake site, I'll leave it at that. Let's just say that if they're not in the Hall of Douchbags, they should be.