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Street Dogs - State of Grace
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I'm sure in some past lapse into irrationality I've expressed the opinion that I hate Maximum RNR.

It's really not their fault either; they just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. A few years back I was headed to Toronto to catch a show on the New Bomb Turks' purported "farewell tour" and just about everything went wrong that could. My ticket hook-up flaked out on me, it was pouring rain and the traffic on the 401 was remarkably unkind; the girlfriend was feeling sick and the friend who had tagged along was more there for the road trip than the music. I must have walked into The Horseshoe, dripping wet from the storm, right as "local openers" were playing. The band was an unkempt five-piece of capital R rockers who at that very moment were putting on some sort of act where each member soloed while the others froze in place. They had the whole outfit too: denim, shades, old band shirts, long messy hair. "Ridiculous. Fuck this band. Fuck this whole botched trip."

My first encounter with Maximum RNR obviously wasn't very kind and I'm sure I let that that whole horrible day warp my opinion for far too long. That must be the case, as years later I stumbled upon their single "Switchblade" and it just blows me away. Here's a tight, high-octane punk rock'n'roll band that's quite simply kicking my ass.

So what's going on here?

It's hard for me to say for sure, at least without revealing how far my head's been stuck up my ass, but the band's self-titled EP is a blazing six song collection that maintains an incredible level of energy throughout. "Stormfront" is a perfect opening track and establishes a breakneck pace that runs throughout the record. Not everything relies on testosterone here, and infectious songs like "Lucky Charm" prove the band has more than a few killer hooks up their collective sleeves. It also helps to have Ian Blurton (Change Of Heart, Blurtonia, Bionic) behind the boards, for there's nobody who understands the potential of the bearded, denim-clad rocker quite like a bearded, denim-clad rocker (he also produced the last two Weakerthans records, but that really doesn't fit my example). If you're into bands along the lines of Zeke, Motorhead, the New Bomb Turks, or a good chunk of the Gearhead Records alumni, this is most definitely for you.

It seems funny to me that since that first show I've run into members of this band more than a few times in various situations and I've had some time to chat with both guitarists Keith Carman and Keith Maurik. These are guys who have an amazing love for rock'n'roll and it comes though when you talk to them just as much as it does on record. Maximum RNR's debut EP is a frenzied, bullshit-free collection of full throttle hard rock and is most definitely worth checking out.



People who liked this also liked:
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    Posted by Anonymous on Friday, January 28, 2005 at 11:25 AM (EST)
    My Score:

    you wrote them off because they support the troops?? haha, how sad your life must be. there's a big difference between supporting the troops and supports the war, dude.

    Posted by Hein on 2005-01-27 19:35:07
    My Score:

    The message below was me.

    Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, January 27, 2005 at 7:30 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    Haha, I thought the remark about reviewers talking too much about their personal lives was quite to the point. In fact, the one you mostly should direct that remark towards would be me. I know it's lame, and I know most people won't give a rats ass about it, but you know... it's just that music is all about emotions and personal interpretation I guess. You never had the feeling that a band sounded so much better after you saw them on a good evening with lots of fun? Or maybe you just hated another band after they made stupid remarks on stage? Maybe the clearest it was for me after interviewing the Vandals and finding out they supported the troops in Iraq. All of a sudden this band didn't mean anything to me anymore. Whenever I listen to one of their songs these days, it reminds me of what they stand for. It was once one of my favorite bands though.

    Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, January 25, 2005 at 12:05 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    to the reviewer: stop acting like a victim. to the guy below: stop talking out of your ass.

    Posted by Anonymous on Monday, January 24, 2005 at 9:12 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    I hate how people who post on this site always feel the need express hatred for bands that aren't getting all the hype or selling a billion records. Just because they weren't featured in Spin doesn't mean they can't rock your ass and aren't worth a listen.

    Posted by shindo on 2005-01-24 20:36:26
    My Score:

    I'm not claiming self-importance, I'm just telling the truth. Again, your criticism has been noted, have a good evening.

    -adam

    Posted by Anonymous on Monday, January 24, 2005 at 7:45 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    what are you, the president? are you really that important that you need to retract previous shit-talking about bands that no one gives a rat's ass about? yawn.

    Posted by shindo on 2005-01-24 17:15:11
    My Score:

    Yeesh... you're one angry dude...

    I agree though, and I tend not to write like this, however I'd made statements publically before that I don't like this band and I felt I should explain it. Sorry man.

    -adam

    Posted by Anonymous on Monday, January 24, 2005 at 3:33 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    Again...what is with the fucking reviewers on this site always having to post their life-story with the band? Do I care about your cry-baby girlfriend who got sick? No. Does anyone else? No. Stop doing that shit and learn to write about the music. Fuck.

    Posted by Anonymous on Monday, January 24, 2005 at 12:40 AM (EST)
    My Score:

    "i thought this had something to do with the zine."

    And then what happened?

    Posted by punkcorekid on 2005-01-23 16:04:18
    My Score:

    i thought this had something to do with the zine.

    Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, January 23, 2005 at 1:00 AM (EST)
    My Score:

    Score is for the New Bomb Turks.

    Score is also for the Radiobeats, who are the next New Bomb Turks.

    -Ken

    Posted by shindo on 2005-01-22 22:11:32
    My Score:

    They used to be Maximum RNB (Who reference of course) but promoters kept expecting them to be an RNB band. So they changed it. Trust me, if you ever see these guys they embody the name 'Maximum RNR' better than most others could.

    -adam

    Posted by CallingLondon on 2005-01-22 20:27:59
    My Score:

    what a god awful band name, even if it was done on purpse which i'm sure it was.

    Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, January 22, 2005 at 3:21 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    saw them open for electric frankenstien

    Posted by TheOneTrueBill on 2005-01-21 16:27:24
    My Score:

    Oh man, a mention of the New Bomb Turks. They were so underrated it's sad.

    Posted by moneenerd on 2005-01-21 16:24:40
    My Score:

    Drink. Fight. Fuck.

    These guys are fucking incredible. And it's true, they literally DESTROY live, especially with their "Mother" cover.

    Posted by boba_fett on 2005-01-21 16:06:09
    My Score:

    lots of self titled albums reviewed today.

    Posted by Anonymous on Friday, January 21, 2005 at 2:24 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    These guys will destroy you live. This is a fucking fantastic band.

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