Johnny Manchild And The Poor Bastards - Side Effects

Up-and-coming alt rock outfit Johnny Manchild And The Poor Bastards have just released a new track accompanied by a politically-scathing satirical video for “Stacks!”. The song and corresponding video were inspired by the hypocrisy of our current social climate, referencing the tragic California fires. Of the song, Johnny Manchild explains, “The lyrics reference the Palisades fires, the theories thrown out about social diversity being to blame, and the general violence and vitriol we see towards our own people.” Of the video he added, “This video essentially takes the themes of the song, and amplifies them to the absurd. The music video combines two separate ideas from our director YingChen Shu, one being a cult theme and the other being a political campaign. I thought it was fitting to integrate them, as it doesn’t seem so far off from the truth, given our country’s current cult of personality.”

Johnny Manchlld And The Poor Bastards’ new album, SIDE EFFECTS, is due out on July 24th. SIDE EFFECTS is produced, engineered, mixed, and arranged by Johnny Manchild himself. The new release expands their sound from its solid base of alt-rock with a power pop punk influence and piano to include heavier guitars, a full horn section, and hints of industrial noise, along with rapid-fire vocals.

Since 2016, Johnny Manchild has led an ever-evolving musical lineup, affectionately dubbed The Poor Bastards. The collective has produced five albums, a multitude of singles and videos and has participated in numerous tours. Manchild’s genesis took place in Oklahoma City, where at the ripe age of 8, he began to hone his musical abilities in a cover band before joining his first original band at 10 years old. At 12, he began building a rudimentary home studio and teaching himself all the instruments needed to record his early attempts at songs. He continued cutting his teeth by performing in punk bands and recording bands in the OKC area, until graduating high school and joining the US Army Band. Shortly after the completion of his basic training, he enrolled in the jazz performance program at the University of Central Oklahoma, refining his skills until his efforts resulted in his debut album, VALENCIA, in 2017.

From his first release, Johnny Manchild has attracted a devout following who will literally follow him anywhere. With each offering the numbers have grown, and the word of Manchild has spread. In 2024, he self-booked 52 fan-hosted house shows in 3 days, touring over six weeks throughout America and Canada to meet his fans where they were. In support of SIDE EFFECTS, Johnny Manchild And The Poor Bastards will kick off an extensive United States tour in their hometown of Oklahoma City, OK on album release date, Friday, July 24th. The dates will run through the end of September and will also include several Canadian stops. See full dates HERE and contact us with any requests!