FM KNIVES
Useless and Modern (Broken Rekkids)
Reviewed by DJ Johnson


FM Knives are a good old fashioned punk band from Sacramento, California. I did some Net surfing to find some info on them, and the few pictures I found suggest they might have actually been around playing punk in 1977. Who knows? Well, they do, but I'm not sure. I know they sound far more authentic than 95% of the current crop of indie punkers and 100% of the major label success stories. It's mostly three-chord, fast, funny, entertaining as hell, well played, and it leaves you wanting more.

When I say fast, I'm talking Stiff Little Fingers fast, not Ramones fast. Just thought you might wanna know.

The titles alone are entertaining. "Dead Pink" brings curiosity and a giggle, "Useless & Modern" sums up my own feelings about a lot of shit and is, therefore, funny, and who couldn't laugh at and love a song called "If Only You Knew How Much I Fucking Hate You"? If the song had as much poison and darkness as the title, it wouldn't fly, and it sure as hell wouldn't be FM Knives. Nope, the song doesn't come off quite as vicious as you expect. Not by half. It's as much fun as the rest of the record, and that's a considerable amount of fun.

So who are these guys? Searching their resumes online finds that only bassist Chris Olson shows up in less than a zillion bands. He played in Rock The Light before joining FM Knives. Jason Patrone (vocals) has a hell of a list, including The Groovie Ghoulies and Los Huevos. The latter of those bands seems to be the meeting point for these guys, as all but Olson were members. Guitarist Chris Woodhouse has played every instrument on the planet with every band on the planet, including Los Huevos and The Pretty Girls. The list I found took up more than a computer screen. Drummer Ed Carrol is a veteran of Los Huevos, The Pretty Girls, Rigor Mortis Acid Bath, Stoned Jehovah and on and on and on... Clearly, these aren't some green kids learning to play their instruments after they've already been in the studio. If you miss the fun part of punk, and you're tired of the clone kids, maybe it's time to put your trust in the pros. This is a real punk band having a real good time, and it rubs off easily on you.

© 2003 - DJ Johnson