Fuzz Evil ‘Smear’-ing Boise with Punk-Rock Doom Tonight

Posted in Interviews with tags on 05/22/2025 by Kurt Orzeck

To use the most groan-inducing rhyme that we can conjure at the moment, buzz is building around Fuzz Evil, a distortion-heavy desert-doom quartet set to perform tonight at Realms Arcade in Boise. The four dudes share a strong affinity for the Stooges, and it shows in the ensconcing Smear Merchants, a new full-length the band unveiled almost two months ago to the day.

Fuzz Evil hail from Sierra Vista, Arizona, and feature drummer Kenneth (Cajun) Adam, baritone guitarist Preston Jennings, guitarist/vocalist Wayne Rudell, and bassist/vocalist Joseph Rudell. (As you probably surmised, the Rudells are brothers.) In addition to Smear Merchants‘ 10 slow-but-somehow-still-catchy songs, Smear Merchants marks a watershed moment for Fuzz Evil, as they reconfigured themselves from a trio into a four-piece.

Joseph (affectionately called “Joey” by his mother) humored us with his answers to a slew of questions we tossed Fuzz Evil’s way just three days ago.

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Now Playing: Felgrave, DVNE, A Flock Named Murder

Posted in Album Reviews, Reviews with tags , , , , on 05/22/2025 by Kurt Orzeck

Hop over to Treble‘s Patreon page to read my pithy remarks about the five records I’m most hooked on at the moment. No spoilers. Oh, wait, I’m gonna have to get around to changing the headline to this post …. and the image … and the tags. Cripes. Pretend you didn’t see any of those things and just clink on the link.

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Club Night’s ‘Joy Coming Down’: Two Cent Review

Posted in Album Reviews, Reviews with tags on 05/22/2025 by Kurt Orzeck

Joy Coming Down is an expertly crafted piece of work, as if Club Night—comprising guitarist Ian Tatum, bassist Devin Trainer, singer Josh Bertram and keyboardist/drummer Nick Cowman—can already see themselves playing it in full if not this year then on tours 10, 20 and 30 years from now. Read my lengthy review of the record on Treble.

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Blood Monolith’s ‘Calling of Fire’: Two Cent Review

Posted in Album Reviews, Reviews with tags on 05/21/2025 by Kurt Orzeck

Don’t seep on my first story for Post-Trash, a new music website that launched six months ago and is catching on like an out of control blaze. In my first contribution to the website, I review The Calling of Fire, for which Profound Lore brain scramblers Blood Monolith relentlessly punish listeners over the course of 28 minutes.

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Exclusive Album Premiere: Wipes’ ‘Wipes’

Posted in Exclusives, Interviews, News with tags on 05/21/2025 by Kurt Orzeck

Wipes are declaring Don’t Tell My Parents with the new LP that the noise-punk band will issue through Hex Records on Friday. But The Bad Penny is telling everyone we know about the righteously rambunctious by exclusively presenting a stream of the entire album today.

Not to be confused with Wipers, the influential Portland post-punk band that both Nirvana and the Melvins covered, the rather similar-sounding Wipes are still in their toddler years and hail from Allentown, Pennsylvania. Wipes carry the heavily distorted torch previously held by Wipers but are even more committed to making exuberant, off-kilter noise.

The band released new cuts “Social Mask” and “Stone Eater” earlier this year. Now, check out Don’t Tell My Parents in its entirety:

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M(h)aol Meld Feminist Punk With Animal-Activism

Posted in Interviews with tags on 05/20/2025 by Kurt Orzeck

Dublin’s feminist-punk/animal-activists M(h)aol littered their new record with copious references to their precious pets. Get better acquainted with the band in my recent New Noise interview with the Merge Records musicians.

Pet Sounds #49: M(h)aol Maintains Merge Records’ Track Record of Dog-Loving LPs

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Exclusive: Miracle Blood Are in for a Bloody Good Time With Epic Tour

Posted in Exclusives, Interviews, My City Rules, News with tags , on 05/19/2025 by Kurt Orzeck

Noise punks Miracle Blood are ready to bring the ruckus with an ambitious tour starting July 11 in Buffalo, NY, running through August 2 in Washington DC.

The Beantown badasses are also on the docket for the fifth edition of the ultra-underground Caterwaul Fest in Minneapolis on May 26. In between Caterwaul and the onset of their summer trek, the band will hit up Portsmouth, New Hampshire (June 13); Troy, New York (June 24); and Boston (June 28).

Miracle Blood certainly aren’t allergic to playing live, and this new jaunt will be their most extensive one to date.

“Play new material in front of crowds to kind of see what’s landing right and what maybe needs a little bit more work,” cofounder/guitarist/vocalist Andrew Wong told The Bad Penny.

With so many upcoming engagements, it’s patently obvious that Miracle Blood–who tout themselves as “gnarly noise-punk for the weird at heart”–are on fi-yah. If noise-punk isn’t your jam, give Miracle Blood a shot nonetheless, as they meld their music with mathcore as well.

Expect scenes like this to unfold frequently during Miracle Blood’s upcoming gigs:

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Friendship Commanders’ Buick Audra Can’t Stop Making Music

Posted in Interviews with tags , on 05/19/2025 by Kurt Orzeck

The impressively prolific Buick Audra could have gone on a hiatus—but instead, the gifted guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter decided to turn her focus from Friendship Commanders and toward her other project, which is also called “Buick Audra.” Read my interview with Audra on New Noise.

Interview: Buick Audra of Friendship Commanders Talks Straight-Up on New LP

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Ataris Frontman’s Dog Helped Save Him From the Brink of Death

Posted in Interviews with tags on 05/18/2025 by Kurt Orzeck

Kristopher Roe, frontman for punk legends the Ataris, has a secret to keeping himself happy, healthy, and sane. He derives superhero invincibility from his beloved dog, which he gushed about for New Noise.

Pet Sounds #48: Like Their Dogs, Ataris Geek Out Over Games

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Slow Crush’s ‘Thirst’: Two Cent Review

Posted in Album Reviews, Reviews with tags on 05/17/2025 by Kurt Orzeck

On the title track to Slow Crush’s new album Thirst, one of the leading hopefuls in shoegaze’s ascendant return urges renewal in this unforgiving world we are all culpable of having brought upon ourselves. Read my Treble review.

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