The New Frustrations - Rockful Power Punk

		The New Frustrations – Power Pop Rocks (Lawless Records) Why? Why do some bands do just enough to get by, only to produce a batch of mundane tracks that sound like what every other artist has done before? Thank the music gods – or whatever god you bow down to or have tattooed on your back – for bands like The New Frustrations. Even on a short, four-song EP, this five-piece punk band from Plymouth manage to do it all – craft classic hooks, inject harmonies in the right spots, and highlight each musician’s strong points. The band consists of Mike Scagliarini (vocals/guitar), Rick Knapp (guitar/vocals), Brian McCann (drums/vocals), Tom Rose (bass/vocals), and Tim Downie (guitar). Together for two and a half years, The New Frustrations are releasing Power Pop Rocks as a 7-inch (yes, vinyl) and as a digital download in early 2008. Enough of the specifics, let’s get down to what really makes this band – its infectious sound. Picture a sibling rivalry between songs from Gang of Four (“I Found That Essence Rare”), The Jam (“Strange Town”), and The Buzzcocks (“Ever Fallen In Love”), and you’ve got Power Pop Rocks. The opener, “Change My Mind,” brings out the best in Scagliarini, and the rockabilly-ish guitar solo that ends the song is brilliant. The four-song EP also features a cover of “One Last Night,” made famous by the legendary Boston rock band, The Atlantics. Stop what you’re doing, do not pass go, and head directly to the band’s MySpace page. Check out some of the band’s older tracks, particularly “Just Want to Know,” which echoes The Stooges and The Clash. Don’t waste your time listening to all the pop-punk rubbish that’s taking over mainstream radio, modernized late-1970s punk is what really rocks. Rating: 8 out of 10 These guys play Cabby Shack Dec. 22, as part of a benefit concert for the Children’s Christmas Fund. For more information about the band, and to hear some of their other songs, visit www.myspace.com/newfrustrations Ryan Wood The MetroWest Daily News Ryan Wood is a freelance writer who has contributed to Earlash, The Weekly Dig, The Noise, and the London Sun. Send him a music-related email at rwood76@gmail.com. But if you’re looking for Ryan’s bank account info for your dying, former diamond king father in Nigeria, he’s not interested and doesn’t care about your faux father. Shine on you crazy diamond.
		Lord Rutledge Has Spoken - Lucky 13 for The New Frustrations and Review The 2006 Lord Rutledge Awards! Top 20 Songs of 2006 1. Black and Whites- "Fucked Up Heart" 2. The Tattle Tales- "September Girls" 3. Tyvek- "Honda" 4. Beach Patrol- "Trouble, Trouble" 5. Bamboo Kids - "Palpitaions" 6. LiveFastDie- "Amputated" 7. Murder by Guitar- "Rock Bottom" 8. Kidnappers- "I Hate Your Band" 9. The Black and Whites- "You're the Only Girl" 10. The AV Club- "Trouble Girls" 11. Kidnappers- "Goodbye Again" 12. The Black and Whites- "Gonna Move All Night Long" 13. The New Frustrations - "Way Out" 14. The Score- "Transit Vans to Jets" 15. Beach Patrol- "Tease" 16. Kidnappers- "Trainticket" 17. Slaughterhouse Four - "Death Becomes Her" 18. Manikins- "Spend the Night Alone" 19. The Tattle Tales- "Unconditionally" 20. The Steinways- "((Holy Shit) I Can't Believe I Still Don't Have) A Girlfriend" December 2006 The New Frustrations The Canton Session Demo (REVIEW BY LORD RUTLEDGE) Plymouth, Massachusetts's New Frustrations are hands down the best new band I've heard this year. Perhaps it's a little inaccurate, though, to call the band "new". The New Frustrations are comprised almost entirely of former members of The Johnnies, my choice for the most underrated punk group of the '90s (singer/guitarist Dicky Frustration is the "new guy"). Even more unabashedly pop than the '77-styled Johnnies, the New Frustrations follow in the grand punk/powerpop tradition of Boston legends like The Outlets, The Neighborhoods, The Dogmatics, and Real Kids. Taking inspiration from the pop/punk (Undertones, Pointed Sticks), mod revivalist (Jam, Jolt), and powerpop (Beat, Plimsouls) bands of the late '70s and early '80s, the band has debuted with five original songs that would be all over the radio if I ruled the world. In this day and age when the masses equate "pop-punk" with soulless, prefabricated MTV rich kid drivel, it's a true joy to hear a punk/powerpop group that's completely untainted by the past 25 years of musical "progress". There's a good reason why so many of us are so obsessed with the punky pop of the 1979-81 period. It's not nostalgia; it's that the music of that era was so timeless. Those perfect summertime teen-punk anthems will never go out of style. Melody, hooks, harmonies, and memorable choruses won't ever date. These demos could easily have passed for just-unearthed obscurities from the glory days of Boston powerpop. Yet they sound no less vital, fresh, or appealing coming from a current band. I just can't get enough of shit like this: simple, catchy tunes driven by snappy power chords and high-octane drumming. These guys do pop right - they can sing harmonies, write nifty little guitar hooks, and explore the sublime possibilities of lyrics like "Bah bah bah bah bah bah bah bah bah bah bah bah bah". Dicky and Mikey alternate lead vocals - the latter still sounding a bit like Feargal Sharkey with his raspy-yet-melodic delivery, the former sounding remarkably like Dave Barton of The Outlets or Nick Jones of The Pointed Sticks. Fittingly, Dicky takes the mic on a sixth track, a cover of the Pointed Sticks' classic "Out of Luck". Although every track on this disc is stellar, "Way Out" is a real standout and one of the catchiest pop songs of the year. You could sneak it onto one of those Teen Line comps and totally pass it off as some forgotten B-side from 1979. "Just Want To Know" is the most Johnnies-like of the these songs...Nothing wrong with that! "Lonely Man" has got a melody that I can't stop whistling (much to the chagrin of the people standing behind me at the post office). Great demo! Can't wait for a debut album - it should be classic! ---Lord Rutledge December 10, 2006
		New Frustrations Interview by BMO now available on Now Wave. The ALWAYS COOL Brian Mosher, better known as BMO sat with some of the New Frustrations on a Saturday afternoon to discuss music, the state of the New Frustrations Nation and Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. Check it out now. http://www.geocities.com/nowwave/rants/newfrustrations.html
		Excerpt From: RazorCake Brian Mosher's Monthly Column #8 Screams from Boston's Gutters By Brian Mosher (bmosworld.net) Sunday, June 18 @ 00:00:00 EDT The umbrella that is rock’n’roll is big enough to cover a pretty huge variety of bands and artists. Here’s a sampling of three very different bands, all of whom are making a name for themselves in the sticky-floored rock clubs of greater Boston. First up are The New Frustrations, who have risen from the ashes of ‘90s punk greats, The Johnnies, to bring a fresh new pop sensibility to an era which was beginning to become overrun by lo-fi garage fuzz. They’ve got a demo recorded and are shopping for distribution. In the meantime, they’re bringing their hook-filled The Jam meets The Pointed Sticks schtick to every barroom and basement party from Plymouth to Somerville. Fueled by the passion of rhythm guitarist Timmy Frustration (aka, Marsman) and the twin lead vocals of Dicky and Mikey Frustration (not to mention the ultra-coolness of my personal favorite, Tommy Frustration), The New Frustrations are definitely going to be making some serious noise. Remember, you heard it here first. Direct link to Full Article Now Wave Magazine a web-zine for the rock n' roll obsessed Specializing in the coverage of garage, '70s-style punk, and good old rock n' roll music http://www.geocities.com/nowwave/ The New Frustrations the Canton Session demo CD (REVIEW BY JIMMY REJECT) A force to be noticed on the Boston scene. If you miss all those Neighborhoods singles you could never find, this is an accessible way to rediscover all those punk/pop nuances that make an average music geek mutter the word "1980". Alternating between driven, Ramonesy power tunes and sugary quasi-ballads, this is proof that songwriting acumen and pop craftsmanship are rearing their winsome head above the mosh-core murk that for so long kept certain tourists away. This is a great resurfacing of the sound of those records that came out six months before SS Decontrol formed. If you miss the Real Kids (as well as their side project the Taxi Boys), the Neighborhoods, and La Peste, this is a pre release that would make one proud to be from Boston. A legendary musical community is flexing its creative muscle once again, and the New Frustrations are a sample of a once-great city's comeback. SAD NEWS ABOUT JIMMY REJECT - A Tribute to Jimmy on NowWave