The Bronx

NEW RELEASE: KILLED BY DEAF- A PUNK TRIBUTE TO MOTORHEAD

Motörhead! That’s the article! Just kidding! In celebration of the legendary Motörhead’s 50th anniversary in 2025, a new compilation/tribute album has been released featuring 14 punk rock greats to honor the loudest band on Earth with a new tribute album: Killed By Deaf: A Punk Tribute to Motörhead. Motörhead was always one of those bands that could crossover with the punk and metal crowds. So it’s quite fun to hear all these bands pay tribute to one of the bands that really started it all. Classic and newer punk bands like Rancid, Pennywise, The Bronx, Lagwagon, Fear, GBH, The Damned, and Slaughterhouse rightfully put their spin on these seminal tracks. Yes, there are classic songs like “Ace Of Spades” and “Born To Raise Hell” but, the really cool part of this record is the deeper cut song choices. I really have to say Rancid’s version of “Sex & Death” is absolutely superb. Lars Frederickson of Rancid is a giant Motörhead fan and it shows through in a great fashion! Closing out the record is a collaboration between Motörhead and The Damned on the song “Neat Neat Neat.” Take a few minutes and celebrate the awesomeness of Motörhead and dig into these tracks and discover something you might have missed along the way!

Track Listing:

1. Ace of Spades (Pennywise)

2. Sex & Death (Rancid)

3. Over the Top (The Bronx)

4. Rock ‘n’ Roll (Lagwagon)

5. The Chase Is Better Than The Catch (Fear)

6. Bomber (GBH)

7. Stay Clean (Murphy’s Law)

8. Love Me Like a Reptile (Slaughterhouse)

9. The Hammer (The Casualties)

10. Born to Raise Hell (Anti-Nowhere League)

11. No Voices in the Sky (Love Canal)

12. Overkill (Soldiers of Destruction)

13. Iron Fist (Wisdom in Chains)

14. Neat Neat Neat (Motörhead & The Damned)

Killed By Deaf- A Punk Tribute To Motörhead:

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:

New Release: The Bronx- White Shadow

The Bronx are back!!! Well to me they are. It’s been a little while since I’ve enjoyed anything new from The Bronx but, thankfully their new single “White Shadow” from their upcoming Joe Baressi produced album, The Bronx VI (out August 27) is one hell of a rockin song. I’ve been waiting for them to find the fire again and it sure seems like they have found it. Having Evil Joe at the helm seems to have helped some too. The production and tones on this song are fantastic. “White Shadow” feels like there’s a sense of urgency to it and it’s crushing. The 11 song album is sure to be one hell of a record. I for one am very excited by this news!!


The Bronx- White Shadow:

Live Review: Thrice at The Wiltern

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One of the best feelings in the world, at least to me, is seeing a band live that you haven’t seen in a long time and they absolutely kill. Last night at The Wiltern in Los Angeles, Thrice wrapped up their tour and they without a doubt surpassed any expectations I had and got rid of any lingering thoughts I had about the band. Touring in support of their new (and 10th) album Palms, Thrice ripped through their 100 minute set with a real sense of vigor and power that I haven’t seen from them since I saw them on The Artist and The Ambulance cycle.

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Before I get into how commanding and in the zone Thrice was, I’d like to talk about the direct support, The Bronx. For many years I was a huge fan of the band but, over the last few years I had slowly given up on them. They really lost me with all the Mariachi El Bronx stuff they did and their “punk rock” side became a bit watered down (that’s just my opinion). This night though, my mind was changed a bit. The Bronx went off last night and it reminded me of what drew me into them in the first place. Singer Matt Caughthran was a man on a mission last night. His presence alone was captivating. Their set was chock full of old gems and new songs. Certain songs like “Knifeman,” “Heart Attack American,” and “History’s Stranglers” killed. Their set this evening gave me a renewed sense of enjoying the band. Matt even got in the crowd for a few songs to get the crowd pumped and into it.  The one kicker I still have is the rest of the band besides Matt, seem very stagnate. Matt can’t be the only one that gets really into it. All in all though, The Bronx seemed to be finding their “punk rock” side again. I hope that energy carries over to their next record.
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Now the main event. Thrice took the stage a little after 9:00pm and for the next hour and forty minutes, they absolutely owned The Wiltern. Starting their set with “Only Us” was perfect and set the tone for what was to come. As their set raged on with songs like “The Artist in The Ambulance,” “Hurricane,” “Red Sky,” “Black Honey,” and “Anthology,” you could feel the bands energy radiate through the crowd. The roars of sing alongs at times almost was louder than Dustin on stage. Songs from their new album like “The Grey,” “The Dark,” “A Branch In The River,” “Hold Up A Light” and “Beyond The Pines” sounded superb and better live than they do on the record. A few other highlights of their set were  “Firebreather,” “Beggars,” “In Exile,” and “Paper Tigers,” the latter of which really go the crowd in a frenzy. Before playing the song, Dustin Kensrue told the crowd to be careful with this one. Their encore, though only a couple songs, went way back to The Illusion of Safety as they blasted through old classics “Deadbolt,” and To Awake and Avenge The Dead.” I have to give praise to each memeber of the band. Riley Breckinridge looked and sounded so damn comfortable playing his drums. It seemed like it was second nature. Bassist Ed Breckinridge was right in the pocket and totally in the zone as he thrashed around getting more and more into the set as the night went on. Teppei Teranishi has always had this calm demeanor when on stage but, this evening, even he was letting loose a bit more and leaving it all out there. And finally Dustin Kensrue, who also celebrated his birthday this evening, was unstoppable. Even with a raspy voice, which you would have had no idea until he mentioned it, was on fire. His command of the stage and crowd was astounding. I haven’t seen all four of them this good in a long time. I will even go as far as saying that this might just be the best show I’ve ever seen them do.

The four guys that make up Thrice each play a distinct role in not just creating the sound and if it were anyone else playing with them, it sure wouldn’t sound right. Every song picked for their set was perfect and impressionable. They managed to cover all their basis of picking gems from each of their albums. As a fan of the band dating back to The Illusion of Safety, it’s been really interesting to listen and watch the bands growth. They’ve always been true to themselves and what they want to create. Sure they lost me for a bit but, since they returned with To Be Everywhere Is To Be Nowhere, I’ve been back and it’s been amazing to be a fan of the band again. I can’t wait to see where the go next and their next tour.

Thrice Set List:
01) Only Us
02) Image Of The Invincible
03) The Artist in the Ambulance
04) Hurricane
05) A Branch In The River
06) Red Sky
07) Black Honey
08) Daedalus
09) The Grey
10) Anthology
11) Firebreather
12) The Dark
13) In Exile
14) Beggars
15) Hold Up A Light
16) Stare At The Sun
17) Paper Tigers
18) The Long Defeat
19) Beyond The Pines
Encore:
20) Deadbolt
21) To Awake and Avenge The Dead

Photos By: Alisa Lacy

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: