Joey Castillo

New Release: Bad Optix- Raid

Well this is awesome! For the longest time I’ve been hoping for an Operation Ivy reunion and though that hasn’t come to fruition just yet, this new band I will gladly accept in the mean time. Tim Armstrong (Operation Ivy, Rancid, Transplants), Jesse Michaels (Operation Ivy), Joey Castillo (Circle Jerks, The Bronx) and bassist Spencer Pollard (Trash Talk) have unveiled their new project BAD OPTIX and released their debut single “Raid.” The sound of this single features a classic Jamaican influenced ska contrasted with a vocal approach aligned with the brute force of punk for a vibe that’s updated but not completely disconnected from early ska legacy.

Officially forming in March of 2021, the ska-punk pioneers of Armstrong and Michaels, have over 35 years of history together.  Even with the gap between Op Ivy to now, Michaels says, “our creative connection seems to be stronger than ever and all the music we loved back then, we still love.” The idea to form a band came organically one day when Jesse and Tim met up purely with the intent to reconnect. Of course the topic of music came up and when Armstrong started to play some of his new tracks, Michaels was immediately inspired and sparking ideas for vocals. He explains, “As soon as we started writing together, we found that we had the same collaborative energy that we had in the past, so it was natural and fun just to keep going.” Tim also adds, “It came back, just like that. Like when we were kids. There is a special chemistry between us and I don’t take it for granted.”

Now this isn’t Operation Ivy or is it pretending to be. Instead this is something a little different with a vibe that I have a feeling once there are shows, the intensity will be ever growing and bombastic. But my fingers are still crossed hoping for that OP IVY Reunion!

BAD OPTIX- RAID:

Memorable TV Performances: Queens of the Stone Age on SNL 2005
natasha shneider | Tumblr

Back in 2005, when Will Ferrell hosted Saturday Night Live, Queens of the Stone Age made their SNL debut. They were promoting their album Lullabies To Paralyze at this time. Their SNL set consisted of “Little Sister” and “In My Head” both from that record. The reason why this performance is quite memorable is because of the special guest who comes out during the performance of “Little Sister.”

Queens Of The Stone Age on SNL 2005:


https://player.vimeo.com/video/77352132

What Happened?: The Bronx
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In this new category, I will be looking into what happened/what went wrong with certain bands which lead them down the path of mediocrity.

I totally understand the need for bands to evolve and expand upon what they originally set out to do. In most cases I’ll applaud bands for doing that, because it shows their maturity, and their passion of their craft in songwriting takes shape. If there is one thing I can’t stand about those that don’t get it, is that the material they put out just doesn’t cut it. In 2003, Los Angeles based band released their debut album. The Bronx were the band that were bringing back the punk energy that had been missing for many years. Song’s like “They Will Kill Us All (Without Mercy),” “False Alarm,” “Heart Attack American,” “White Tar,” and even the closer “Strobe Life all exhibit the punk rock energy that was a shotgun blast those that had written the genre off. Their second album, while it was a bit slicker in the production side of things, the band evolved within their genre, but still kept true to their laurels of punk rock prowess. Their live shows at this time were so full of energy it was almost like being transported back to the early 80’s at shows with Black Flag, Circle Jerks with the amount of chaos and attitude going on. When the band were about to put out their third album, The Bronx had started a side project called Mariachi El Bronx. Originally the band announced that they would record two new albums, which like their first two albums would both be eponymously titled. There would be a punk album and an album of mariachi influenced songs. So when they were released, the band started noticing that more people were intrigued by their mariachi side of things, thus setting the band up for the end. Over the next few years as fans were waiting for a new Bronx album, we wound up with two more mariachi albums. The attention paid to this really took away from the greatness that the band could have been putting out. By the time their fourth eponymously titled came out, you could tell by listening to it, that the band was just done. The album lacked the heart and passion they once had. Instead it seemed forced and lacked balls. Their live shows grew boring and it just didn’t feel right anymore. Recently, the bands drummer Jorma Vik announced his departure from both groups. And if you’ve ever seen The Bronx, you know how integral he was to the band.

Now, I know I’m being pretty hard on them, but it’s true. They seem to have forgotten their roots thus, letting their fans down to an extent. I can still go back and listen to the first two albums with a smile on my face and remember how awesome they were. This is more of a call to attention that it’s time to let The Bronx be laid to rest. So with Jorma leaving the group, I bid you a farewell too. Thank you for two really great albums and some very memorable shows.

Update: I did see The Bronx a few years back as direct support for Thrice on the latter’s “Palms” tour. It still wasn’t quite right. Matt was still one hell of a frontman. The rest of the band honestly seemed bored. I remember going back and listening to their newer albums after that and it left me with the “meh” feeling. I’m glad they are still going and have the Mariachi El Bronx thing too. It’s just not doing it for me.

The Bronx- The Bronx I:

 

The Bronx- The Bronx II: