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I was a very awkward child, especially in middle school. I didn’t know what to wear, my mom gave me haircuts and my large glasses and braces didn’t help much. Women paid me no mind, and I don’t blame them. I’m wearing a basketball jersey over a white shirt in my 7th grade yearbook picture. I was trying to find my where I belonged, who I would look up to and what I would associate myself with.
When I was sitting in my 8th grade social studies class, a kid named Zach had a hat on that he had marked up with band names and buttons. I remember seeing The Ramones and MXPX and The Clash penned on his hat. I went out and bought MXPX’s At The Show and hated it the first time through. Then I fell in love.
From there I expanded my punk rock collection. I began skateboarding. I went to punk shows. I found my group, people I could relate to and associate with. The friends I made during this time are friends I still have today. We’ve all gotten older. We’ve all changed in a variety of ways, but we still share that brotherhood the punk community is known for.
The Loved Ones, a punk rock band from Philadelphia, are a band that has a lot to owe and has a lot to give when it comes to brotherhood. "Its great to have friends that are creative people,” Dave Hause said, “and people who encourage you to work at your art and take it on tour and support it.”
While The Loved Ones were working on material for their first release, Hause would go on the road with the Bouncing Souls as a guitar tech. The Bouncing Souls took them out on the road right before their EP release on Jade Tree, and they introduced them to Fat Mike of NOFX and owner of Fat Wreck Chords. Not too much later, Fat Mike asked them to join the Fat Wreck family.
Dave explained how the only way a sense of brotherhood can continue is if the favors are returned. “We take bands out with us, and we try and make sure we are cultivating that kind of comradery and offer the type of friendship that has been offered to us. It is what has made this lifestyle fulfilling.”
As I have gotten older, I’ve branched out musically, where there were years in my life when I only listened to punk. I’ll always love punk, but I’ve started to enjoy a variety of music I never appreciated in the past. As I listened to The Loved Ones newest album Build & Burn, I could hear influences you couldn’t hear in previous releases. Their first album featured a more straight-forward punk sound. On this newer record, you can hear the Tom Petty, Springsteen, Beatles, and Billy Joel music that Hause’s parent’s listened to.
Going back to comradery, this album is what it is because of the friendships they have established throughout their career. The album’s producers were Pete Steinkopf and Bryan Keinlen who just so happen to be in The Bouncing Souls. The album features cameos from Franz Nicolay and Tad Kubler from The Hold Steady, who they toured with this past August.
When I asked him who his favorite band was to tour with, it was no surprise he mention The Hold Steady and The Bouncing Souls, and his reasoning was “they are such good friends.”
If you haven’t had the chance to hear their album Build & Burn, listen to “Louisiana” on their myspace. Add them as friends while you are at it. This song showcases a great sense of melody, excellent arrangement and a true punk passion in the vocals. It even has that blue collar Springsteen vibe which works well. This song exhibits a lot of what you will get on the album. I can’t make you go out and buy this album and support this band, but it’d be a lot cooler if you did.
The band was nice enough to give you guys links to download two tracks from the new album:
Sarah's Game
The Bridge
Check them out on tour:
09.15.08 - Starland Ballroom - Sayreville, NJ
09.16.08 - The Electric Factory - Philadelphia, PA
09.17.08 - The Talking Head Club - Baltimore, MD
09.18.08 - The Norva - Norfolk, VA
09.19.08 - House of Blues - North Myrtle Beach, SC
09.20.08 - Headliners - Columbia, SC
09.21.08 - Amos Southend - Charlotte, NC
09.23.08 - Varsity Theatre - Baton Rouge, LA
09.24.08 - House of Blues - Dallas, TX
09.25.08 - Verizon Wireless Theater - Houston, TX
09.26.08 - The Warhol - San Antonio, TX
09.28.08 - Viejas Concerts in the Park - Alpine, CA
09.29.08 - House of Blues - Anaheim, CA
09.30.08 - House of Blues - Anaheim, CA
10.01.08 - Knitting Factory - Los Angeles, CA
10.02.08 - Bottom of the Hill - San Francisco, CA
10.03.08 - Club Underground - Reno, NV
10.04.08 - Kilby Court - Salt Lake City, UT
10.05.08 - Marquis Theatre - Denver, CO
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