Swingin’ Utters
The Swingin’ Utters have been kicking around the San Francisco Bay Area for 25 years now. They’ve met their wives and their best friends on these streets; they’ve grown and aged right here in the Bay Area. This has ignited the very essence of what goes into their value system and more importantly their music, because it is a reflection of those experiences. For example, the band took a break to raise their families, right at the height of their popularity! Did it faze them? Not really. Darius became a plumber. Johnny honed his drawing skills and started a screen printing business in his garage. Spike continued singing for all-star cover band Me First and the Gimme Gimmes. No one really knows how Greg spends his time. He is sort of a mystery. That’s the thing with these guys. It is family first, with music always germinating within those life choices. During the Utters’ semi-hiatus, they all continued playing music in bands like Druglords of the Avenues, the Re-volts and Filthing Thieving Bastards. Their life experiences influence what goes into their records. A case in point is their debut: 1995’s The Streets of San Francisco; their first full length and an essential “streetpunk” masterpiece. Fat Mike took notice of their grit and honesty, and signed them to Fat Wreck Chords. From there they put out a ton of great records, including A Juvenile Product of the Working Class, Five Lessons Learned, Brazen Head, Swingin’ Utters and Dead Flowers, Bottles, Bluegrass, and Bones. For 10 years the Utters' toured relentlessly with the likes of Rancid, NOFX, Dropkick Murphys and everyone in between. Which brings us back to celebrating their 25th anniversary, the band fully recharged with their second album in three years and no signs of slowing down anytime soon.
With their latest opus Poorly Formed, Swingin’ Utters continue to shatter musical boundaries. Obviously they’ve got the punk rock end of the spectrum nailed, and have always had a flare for folk and coun¬try as well, but this album sees them hone their indie/post-punk/garage-rock skills. Part of that is due to the emergence of Jack Dalrymple (of One Man Army fame) as a contributing songwriter for the first time since he officially joined the band and started recording with them on their last full-length. Mix that with Johnny and Darius’ well established songwriting prowess, and round it out with their collective pop sensibilities, and what you end up with is a truly unforgettable album. Picture some classic Swingin’ Utters with a dash of Gang of Four and a pinch of The Strokes, all wrapped up in a bunch of catchy melodies and you’ll start to get an idea of what you’re in for with Poorly Formed.
RIYL: One Man Army, Dead To Me, Me First and the Gimme Gimmes, NOFX, Dropkick Murphys
TRY: #1, 2, 3, 5
CLEAN & DIRTY Versions of the Album Here:
https://www.piratepirate.com/downloads/
More Info Here:
http://swinginutters.com
http://www.fatwreck.com/band/index/20
https://www.facebook.com/swinginutters
http://www.last.fm/music/Swingin'+Utters
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swingin'_Utters