Huntingtons: "Muerto, Carcel, O Rocanrol"
During the summer between 6th and 7th grade, a friend gave me an unmarked cassette. He had an older brother who listened to a lot of different music. Anyway, not only was the cassette unlabeled, it was so worn that it was no longer even clear which side was A or B. Nor did my friend care to tell me what was on the cassette. He just said: “Listen to this, it’s my brother’s current favorite band.”
That night when I went to bed, I put it in my little boombox and pressed play while I got right up next to the speakers because I didn’t have earphones and I didn’t want to get in trouble for listening to music when I was supposed to be going to sleep. This was my introduction to punk rock.
I now know that my entry was Side B of Social Distortion’s classic Mommy’s Little Monster. But I didn’t know that at the time. I just knew that this was music whose immediacy I related with. The angst and what seemed to me to be a quagmire of suburban-consumerist-apathy.
That entry led me to bands like T.S.O.L., The Damned, The Vandals, J.F.A., Decsendents, Dead Kennedys, The Misfits, The Exploited, and too many others to mention, though, in one way or another, many of them all seemed to pay homage in some way to The Ramones. That’s not to say that there were a lot of bands intentionally trying to sound like the Ramones, it was just that the Ramones had put something into the DNA of punk rock in a way that it was difficult for many bands not to owe something to the Ramones. But, then again, of course, there were bands that were intentionally trying to sound like the Ramones.
Is it possible to write about Baltimore punk band Huntingtons without referencing The Ramones? Probably, but this is not that piece. The band has worn their affections on their sleeves and they’ve never been shy of their love for The Ramones. The Hungtingtons not only released an album of Ramones covers called (tongue-in-cheek?) File Under Ramones that was so convincing that Joey Ramone picked them as his backing band for two shows at the legendary CBGBs.
Muerto, Carcel, o Rocanrol is the band’s first new music in 17 years and their 23rd release in all. Though the band has gone through a series of lineup changes over the years, the sound has remained consistent and this time around the band is made up of: Mike Holt (vocals/bass) Jonathan “Cliffy” Walker (guitars/vocals) Josh Blackway (guitars/vocals) and Chris Eller (drums).
The album charges out of the gate with the title track, letting you know exactly what themes we’re going to explore.
On the couch at 9:30,
Can’t keep my eyes open any more
Got no interest in the TV
Might be new, but I’ve seen it all before
Took a listen, to your playlist,
Tried my best, but man, it’s not my thing
The Modern Royals might get your worship
but if you ask me J is still the king
It’s fine by me to not agree
and I’m aware
but I’m too old to care
How do punks grow up? Maybe punk rock was never meant to grow up? The Huntington’s new album clings to the angst and energy of youth but sees through weary eyes. Time takes its toll and weighs us down. Alcohol reliance comes up several times, leading one to wonder just how autobiographical the lyrics might be. These is still fast-paced pop-punk but it’s seen too much to pretend to be carefree. But neither does it take itself too seriously. The band’s press release reflects on the title’s significance:
“Muerto” (Dead) is where the band could have been, had they given up on their career completely in 2005, when they played a “final show”. “Carcel” (Jail) is where they would be had they continued using the same 3 chords, playing the same small clubs, covering endless amounts of Ramones songs and never branching out or taking risks. “O Rocanrol” (Or Rock-N-Roll) is where they are: doing what they want, when they want, and doing it louder, faster, with more attitude and a deeper meaning behind the songs.”
My favorite track “Not Penny’s Boat” looks soberly at growing old, admitting that sometimes life is hard and doesn’t seem to make sense.
“Can’t focus on what I can’t change
Got too much on my mind
Been wasting too much time
Today, I put hope in the wrong place”
“Remember when we said
that we’d never do it any other way?
But now, looking through the looking glass,
it seems too late.”
The band recently released “Thank God For The Bomb” as the second single along with a short documentary about the song and the album. Again we hear the angst of aging punks trying to reconcile growing up in a genre that doesn’t want to.
“Met so many people
Been so many places
But the end is always near
So we press on
’Till it’s all gone
Thankful for the ones who’ve carried on
There’s no worry about tomorrow
Tomorrow’s just another day
It’s ours; we take it where we want to
There’s never been a price to pay
We’ll be OK”
We press on, thankful for the ones who’ve carried on.
Catch the band out on tour:
2/7 - Baltimore, MD @ Zen West
2/8 - Lancaster, PA @ Chameleon Club
2/29 - Atlantic City, NJ @ Bourre
3/28 - Washington DC @ the Velvet Lounge
4/1 - Baltimore, MD @ the Ottobar
4/25 - Philadelphia, PA @ Connie’s Ric Rac
5/23 - Wilmington, DE @ 1984
7/16-19 - Bergamo Italy @ Punk Rock Raduno
8/7-8 - Frostburg, MD @ Savage Mountain Fest
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