Artist: Avail
Album(s): Dixie/4AM Friday/Over The James
Label: Jade Tree
Reviewed BY: Chaz

Avail is quite possibly the best punk band from the dirty South. The South isn't really a hot bed for any type of underground music (unless you count Florida which no one does). This being said does not take anything away from the legendary punk band Avail. In the 1990's, Avail released three of the best punk rock albums of that decade. Dixie (1994), 4am Friday (1996) and Over The James (1998) were all released on Lookout Records and have since been some of the most influential punk albums of the past 20 years. Avail isn't one of those bands that are going to sell out arenas or have a top 40 hit but they have always played punk the way it always should be. Punk rock should be played fast, hard and kept truthful and raw.

Jade Tree Records has decided to re-issue and re-master the three classics with some amazing bonuses. All three albums have all new liner notes and tons of rare live photos. Dixie has all of the original twelve tracks but that's not all. It has their two song 7" Attempt to Regress and their nine song 10" Live at the Kingshead Inn.
4am Friday has all of the fifteen original tracks and also an addition fifteen live tracks that were recorded in 1997 at Bottom of the Hill in San Francisco. Over The James has all fourteen original tracks. It also includes their songs from their split Fall of Richmond with (Young) Pioneers. Also it features covers of Elvis, Billy Joel and Embrace. How amazing is all of that? If you are an Avail fan, you probably have a humongous smile on your face. If you are not an Avail fan, you need to be. Amazing re-issues from Jade Tree and Avail.