Artist: Street Drum Corps
Album: s/t CD/DVD
Label: Warcon Records
Tracks: 8
Review by: Christopher Thomas!

A few years back some friends of mine decided they wanted to start a band. Not just any band, mind you: a dirty old school punk band. And not just any kind of punk: horror punk. The leader of this group was Nate, a large, menacing figure whose icons were the Misfits and Elvis and who had never once played an instrument of any sort. The group called themselves the Ruts and wrote a handful of songs to make their debut at an annual Halloween punk show held every year in our hometown. The amazing thing about this story is not that at that first (and only) show Nate accidentally lit his face on fire and was rushed to the hospital having suffered third degree burns. The amazing part is that this group of guys, most of whom had little or no musical experience, wrote songs. And based on the 45 seconds of music they performed at their first and only show, I know that it would have been an entertaining affair for all in attendance.

Enter Street Drum Corps. Three punk rockers banging wildly on whatever plastic or metal happens to be nearby. It’s STOMP for the Hot Topic crowd (someone somewhere else has definitely used that line before, I just know it). Unfortunately, for what SDC has in punk rock attitude and style, they lack in skill. That is not to say that they can’t keep a beat or that it just sounds like a mess of noise – in fact, the beats SDC create are quite crisp and danceable, if nothing else. Instead, they rely on single stroke rhythms and the interchange of different sounds instead of really wowing the listener with great chops.

The self-titled disc is a short 8 tracks (produced by famed producer DJ Lethal), none of which is an extraordinary listening experience. One gets the distinct feeling that all of these songs would be better seen than heard. Unfortunately, the accompanying DVD proves otherwise. The songs are still flat and lifeless, albeit a little flashier in their presentation. I repeat, these performers are not slouches, they know what they’re doing – they’re just not doing much. Nearly half of the DVD is behind-the-scenes and backstage footage. It’s interesting if you want to know how they achieved certain sounds, but if you’re looking for impressive performances and entertaining shenanigans, you’re looking in the wrong place.

Street Drum Corps and the Ruts are similar in that what they do is simple. They make music despite a lack of technical skill and dress it up for their audience. It’s the look that drives the music. Sadly, for SDC’s debut album, the look doesn’t translate very well to our stereos.