Oh My Rockness

I’ll admit I was hesitant to check out Nude Beach because they are called... Nude Beach. The last thing anybody needs is for things to get more beachy around here. But I quickly discovered that Brooklyn’s (by way of Long Island) Nude Beach doesn’t sound anything like surfing or waves or haze. At all. Actually, this just sounds like good old American poppy rock ‘n roll.

Nude Beach has an early Elvis Costello/Paul Westerberg vibe going on. You can also make a case for Springsteen. But I hear more like a little bit of early Johnny Cougar (way before the “Wild Night” era - a song I’m totally cool with never hearing again). So just to reiterate. Nude Beach definitely does not sound like Brian Wilson or Phil Spector. And they definitely don’t use reverb. Whew.

So what DOES Nude Beach do? Well, pardner. I’m sure glad you asked that. This good old good time band rocks that scratchy power pop that makes you want to go out and shoot some pool down there at the only sticks hall in town. These songs that are meant to get you “up” might even give you the gumption to go hustle a few of the locals while you’re at it. Or, get hustled yourself. Hell. It’s ok. It’s all good. It’s only money and everyone is there just to have a good old time. I believe that means getting drunk on cloudy mugs of cold beer. But you can interpret a good time any old way you want to. It’s all good. pardner.

If you like bands that just sound like (there’s really no better way to put this) good old rock ‘n roll, you very well might like Nude Beach. If you like music that sounds like an ocean paddle out, this might not be the band for you. This band is for the real people in the small towns. And I do believe there was once a Johnny Cougar song about all that.



Nude Beach play Empty Bottle, on Tuesday, June 25th.

Hector’s Pets are a happy retro (let’s say 1979) power pop (punk) band from NYC - by way of Yeee-Haustin, Texas. This is groovy upon groovy guitar rock ‘n roll, baby. Not groovy like a flower in your hair kind of groovy. Groovy, like a cooler of cans icing down in the back of your pick-up as you backfire your way to a dirt clearing in the middle of nowhere to celebrate the last day of school with your best buds.

Wait. Maybe I’m just thinking of Dazed and Confused. Actually, that works too. Because Hector’s Pets is probably best listened to when dazed and confused. You know what I’m sayin’? Wink wink. (you know i’m talking about people with concussions, right?)

Hector’s Pets are about guitars, guitars, guitars. Guitar riffs. Guitar hooks. Guitar solos. Guitar handclaps (wait, no - those are made by hands). I tell ya, these five guys love their guitars. They’re thick, pure in tone, and come pretty close to being a perfect musical time machine circa 1977 (so I moved it back a couple years - who cares).

And oh yeah, the vocals (courtesy of Wet Pet, which is probably his real name) are solid too. That pure tone thing going on again. And Wet Pet gets Heavy Pet (guitar) + Pocket Pet (bass) + Exotic Pet (percussion) + Teacher’s Pet (drums) to help him sing some nice “oooh oooh oohs” sometimes too. Those are some groovy pets you got there, baby.

Hector’s Pets is for peeps down with Burger Records (great label - doing this whole power punk pop thing wonderfully) + King Tuff (current touring buddies) + other recent Rockness power pop favorites like Pop Zeus + Berraracudas + Warm Soda.

And if you don’t like any of the above - listen to this song below anyway. It’s good for the grooves.



Psychic Twin do not have any shows scheduled....yet....but save them using your MY ROCKNESS ACCOUNT and we'll let YOU know when they're playing Chicago... as soon as WE know. Cool? Cool.

Click here to view all the FREE SUMMER SHOWS >>

SELECT SHOWS ADDED TO THE SITE THIS WEEK

7/19 Chuck Inglish @ Reggie's Rock Club
7/26 The Samples @ The Montrose Room @ InterContinental O'Hare
7/29 Blue Hawaii @ Schubas
8/01 Ulrich Schnauss @ Lincoln Hall
8/02 The Heartless Bastards @ City Winery (Official Lollapalooza Aftershow)
8/06 D'Angelo @ House of Blues Chicago
8/07 D'Angelo @ House of Blues Chicago
8/09 Gauntlet Hair @ Empty Bottle
8/13 Andrew Stockdale (of Wolfmother) @ Double Door
8/17 Gogol Bordello @ Congress Theatre
8/18 Xenia Rubinos @ Empty Bottle
8/20 Hunx & His Punx, Hunters @ Subterranean
8/23 Matthewdavid @ Empty Bottle
8/25 Nightbox @ Schubas
9/05 O'Brother @ Bottom Lounge
9/06 Kaki King @ City Winery
9/20 Sigur Ros @ Auditorium Theatre
9/21 Chelsea Wolfe @ Bottom Lounge
9/21 The Legendary Pink Dots @ Double Door
9/28 Phoenix, The Vaccines @ UIC Pavilion
10/03 Hanni El Khatib, Bass Drum of Death @ Lincoln Hall
10/06 Why? @ Lincoln Hall
10/10 Young Galaxy @ Schubas
10/23 King Khan & The Shrines @ Bottom Lounge
11/01 Kate Nash @ Metro
11/02 Okkervil River @ Metro
12/06 Charles Bradley and His Extraordinaires @ Metro
AND MORE...

VIEW ALL JUST ANNOUNCED SHOWS HERE >>