The Sewer Buddies- “Butt Brains”
I have no daughter or sons.
I have no brothers but three sisters, who are a pain in a butt. (That is not at all true. I just said it because of the title).
Andy has no brothers and like me, he has no brains. ( And though I mention that because of the title, that is unfortunately, very true).
But Andy is the closest person that I will have as a brother. And though younger, he’s more of a big brother to me. And I am fortunate enough to have him and two punk daughters and both are percussionists.
Lindsey Loogie plays drums, sings and writes the songs for this band. Kendra, my other punk daughter, plays tambourine, or so, she proclaims- but I feel in Kendra’s case, this might be in a more of a conceptual artist sort of way.
I’m not really qualified to comment on Kendra’s conceptual, avant-garde art work, but Lindseys’ band, The Sewer Buddies, their concept is to create music that you can introduce kids to punk rock with, along with adults enjoying it, too. But the themes of her songs are geared toward children. Where a lot of classic punk is too raw, too vulgar and clearly, made for adult ears. Lindsey’s lyrics will not offend anyone, even someone as inexperienced, innocent and naïve as me.
WARNING: Do not play G.G. Allin, Fear or Journey for young, impressionable ears. It may cause them irretrievable harm.
But The Sewer Buddies take the melodic catchiness, humor, buoyant energy of early punk like The Ramones and Buzzcocks- and maybe toss in there The Dickies, X-Ray Spec, The Violent Femmes and The Dead Milkmen- and make punk music that is fun, frantic, frivolous and free while also being potent and of substance.
Let’s all sit on the ground in a circle, hold hands and listen:
“Swamp Dogs” moves at a ferociously, fast pace much like the dogs who frolic on Lindsey’s parents farm in New Hampshire. And the fun and wildness and craziness that I’ve seen posted on videos of these golden retrievers on Facebook and Instagram, is perfectly captured in this exciting, wondrous, wonderful tune.
“Hard Times For The Boogey Man,” is about mucus, or more accurately, boogies from your nose! “My nose made the biggest boogie in the world. Held it up and the people cheered…Showed The Boogey Man and he ran away scared.” A lot of the sixties hippie bands would play a boring “blues boogie” beat, but in this case, this song lyrically encourages children not to be scared of imaginary monsters. And for a child like senior, as myself, provides a funny, fun, fantastic song.
“Doggy Dance” trots out like a dog in a rabid trance while the music pounds and punks like an early Damned song. The vocals bleat in a high register recalling Poly Styrene of X-Ray Spec. During the chorus, the background response of “Roo, roo, roo,” signifies a dog’s yelping who’s located the scent of his master. In my case, that would be my Master Beverly. But as Iggy Pop once sang, “Now, I wanna be your dog.” And I want to dance to a song that is so wild and wonderful, expressive and ecstatic and is why I’m now dancing to my favorite song on this EP, and probably, one of the best songs I’ll hear this year.
“Look both ways before you cross the street.” Especially if you’re in downtown Boston and watch out for the Boston bike carriers zipping by you, too. “Looking left, looking right. Better safe than squished.” So begins “Rat Pace” with a moody, descending guitar lick that recalls the band Television before it explodes into a chorus taken at a furious tempo. What then follows is a funk like groove. In art it’s called a triptych, a three paneled painting. Before I get too esoteric let’s just say this is three great songs rolled into one.
The first band I ever saw at The Rat, back in ’77 or ’78, was the Nervous Eaters. They still play occasionally today. In fact the last punk show I saw before the quarantine- they did headline it. And one of their songs is sometimes covered by a great current band, Kermit’s Fingers, and that song is “Shit For Brains.”
I’m aware this EP is called Butt Brains but it made me think of that song ’cause I know it relates to what goes on in Washington D.C. nowadays, around the White House. I mean, the bullshit stench streaming from there is overwhelming.
That being said, I must add that I fear, The Sewer Buddies are trying to corrupt the youth of America with their vile, unconventional, spasmodic displays of energetic, lack of decorum punk songs.
But for this, I feel they should be given a gold letter emblem of recognition, and a National Grant for their contribution to the arts and humanities.
For this is a solid, fun bunch of songs.
But then again, I may just be talking out of my butt.
(Slimedog)
