GET DEAD, the latest band to join the Fat Wreck family, is an electric/acoustic punk rock band hailing from San Francisco. They were originally drawn together by their love for punk rock, joy of acoustic impurities, desire to keep music simple, and on a lesser scale, their shared affinity for the drink. In fact, GET DEAD’s first band practice allegedly consisted solely of hollowing out some pineapples, filling them with rum, and “getting sticky”, as Sam (lead singer) puts it. Regardless of their unorthodox start, they did eventually get on track and have since been creating some of the most earnest and satisfying punk rock around. After a couple years of playing famously raucous shows in the Bay Area the band’s song writing ability caught the ear of NOFX front man Fat Mike. He offered to produce their next album, Bad News, and it’s got the melodies and hooks to prove it. Bad News features 12 intriguing tracks driven by Sam’s raspy and captivating melodies. Musically, Bad News walks a genre tightrope melding traditional punk rock and acoustic instrumentation (including accordion, horns, and other accents), yet never losing its balance between the two. The album ends up leaving you with a feeling of visceral, gritty sincerity that’ll have you hoisting a pint glasses and screaming along. For comparison’s sake, Bad News is a cocktail of early Against Me!, mixed with elements of Swingin’ Utters, The Pouges, Hot Water Music, and topped off with a twist of US Bombs. Shaken, not stirred, of course… Be careful, it’s quite intoxicating.
