Swingin’ Utters
Live in a Dive (Fat Wreck Chords)

The new live disc from San Francisco's Swingin' Utters, Live in a Dive, captures the intensity of their shows with virtually no flaws and, above all, actually sounds really good. Opening track "Don't Ask Why" kicks things into classic punk- and oi-influenced overdrive, showing why they've steadily built a loyal following over the past decade, from the old days in Santa Cruz (as Johnny Peebucks and the Swingin' Utters) to their current incarnation, which has successfully toured the United States and Europe. On "Five Lessons Learned," Johnny Bonnel's snarled vocals merge with jackhammer drums and searing guitars to create a punk anthem worthy of comparison to that of any ’77-era group, and their cover of Cock Sparrer's "I Got Your Number" pays tribute to the old-school bands that influenced them in the first place. The band bring out an acoustic guitar on a few numbers, but these songs don't rock any less; "Fruitless Fortunes" still teems with all the working-class attitude and piss and vinegar that make Swingin' Utters one of the best live bands out there today. Swingin' Utters play Fri/16, Slim's, S.F. (415) 255-0333. (Sean McCourt)

Theory of Ruin
Front Line Poster Child (Escape Artist)

It was at some random backyard kegger in the Mission District that I first saw Theory of Ruin. They were loud as fuck, not only in terms of decibels but also in their riveting attitude, bravado, and emotive fury. It was a will-to-power hurricane of pure expression that used the vehicle of guitars, drums, and amplifiers to deliver a message too damn big for fragile flesh alone. Emotions, imagination, and intellect are always bigger than the poor mules that bear them, and TOR's new EP, Front Line Poster Child, exemplifies the difference in scale. The band's music doesn't fit comfortably in the confines of recorded media; the document is inadequate in comparison to the source. The vocals wrung out in barking, hoarse shreds; the jagged guitars in sharp interplay with precise, bludgeoning drums; the nimble compositional style offset by thunderous punctuations and protracted textures - it's fierce enough but a little cramped on CD. Tracks like "That's Why I Drink Too" and "Double Negative" are certainly part of a tradition of post-punk grindcore music by bands like Shellac and the Jesus Lizard. But all that music-critic supposition goes away in the face of the band's shock-and-awe performance. The CD will kick your ass, but only at a show will you get a real glimpse of Theory of Ruin's true holy terror. (Josh Wilson)


Mail stuff for review to Sarah Han, Bay Guardian Building, 135 Mississippi St., S.F. CA 94107.