World War IX - Locked In

Damn! I can't believe I haven't updated in over a month! Well, time to get back on track. I've been in a punk rock mood, so here's more of "the best trashy punk band in NYC," to quote myself again.

This is another "single" with Max on vocals, but for some reason, he's not so annoying on these. Actually, his voice kinda works, although of course, Mike would be preferable. Unfortunately, you can't have everything in life.

I remember writing a review for Under the Volcano where I called "The Life" a "punk rock opera" or something equally ridiculous. I'd reprint that review here if I wasn't too lazy to dig through my UTVs to find it.

The images and music were uploaded with Justin Melkmann's consent. Thank you, Justin!

World War IX
Locked In CD
(Elis Eil)
2006

01. The Life

02. Preteen Supermodel

Visit WWIX on MySpace!

World War IX - When a Good Time Turns to Shit

Haven't been feeling very motivated lately, so here's a quick one for the week.

This is an early "single" from WWIX, when Max was still the vocalist. Personally, I never really cared for his vocals - his voice is a bit dopey and onstage he really seemed to be trying too hard. Compare this version of "Treasure Hunt" to the one on Brown Bagging It with Mike's vocals. There's no comparison; Mike's is way, way better.

But the band is top-notch here as always and it's cool to hear the origins of "the best trashy punk band in NYC," to quote myself.

The images and music were uploaded with Justin Melkmann's consent. Thank you, Justin!

World War IX
When a Good Time Turns to Shit CD
(Elis Eil)
2005

01. Intervention

02. Treasure Hunt

Visit WWIX on MySpace!

Jerk Alert - Jerk Alert

Before World War IX, Justin Melkmann swung his left-handed axe in his first band, Jerk Alert.

In his excellent punk rock comic book, Slap in the Face: My Obsession with GG Allin, Justin wrote:

"A comment from a friend of mine, who I was trying to turn on to [The Donnas' debut, Rock and Roll Machine] kinda turned me on my head. He said that the music was good, but nothing special. And if I liked this simple stuff so much, then why don't I just start my own group. I couldn't wrap my mind around this ludicrous concept, but I knew he was right."

He continued:

"About a year later, I was at my friend Julie's karaoke birthday party and it hit me, hard. I'd had no idea she possessed such a great voice--very Joan Jett. She sang Madonna's 'Like a Virgin,' but it sounded nice and rough."

"I knew how to play a handful of chords on the guitar and it was then and there that I got the wacky idea to go ahead and try to start my very own band! Alcohol and karaoke can make for an inspiring combination indeed."

Though much less "hardcore" than WWIX, the songs on this CD stand out for their catchy, almost early '60s pop, melodies (that Frankie Valli influence perhaps?) and strong female vocals.

In various emails, Justin told me, "It's sooooooo innocent...I like it, but man is it...uh....old. sounds really muddy, and we didn't bother to record a second guitar. And that's not good. We were on a Jabbers only tribute cd outta sweden though, and that was freaking great...We were in such a bubble at the time. We didn't know hardly any other bands. Music seemed dead. Now? Christ, there's a great band playing every night of the week."

Hey, it's punk rock!

The images and music were uploaded with Justin Melkmann's consent. Thank you, Justin!

Jerk Alert
Jerk Alert CD
(Jerk Alert)
2000

Download Jerk Alert as a .zip file!

Sample Tracks:

What I Want

Bag Boy

Visit Justin Melkmann Comics!

World War IX - Brown Bagging It

Gearing up for the next issue of The Big Takeover, so I thought I'd get this up before I'm swamped in review hell.

I had heard about Justin Melkmann through "Crazy" Glenn Wernig of the New York Waste, who suggested we connect because of our mutual love of GG Allin. We exchanged a few emails, but they went nowhere. Finally, I met Justin and his girlfriend (now wife) Trish at "Crazy" Glenn's house-warming party. They were super-cool people and I discovered that Justin also shares my love of Black Flag and old hardcore/punk rock as well. He worships Lou Reed, too!

Naturally, I got into Justin's band, World War IX. Unfortunately, the original singer was kind of a douchbag - one of those "trying-too-hard" types. When he split and Mike joined, it was a godsend - just what the band needed. Here's the review I wrote for BT 64:

"This is a significant release in WWIX’s legacy in that it simultaneously announces the arrival of vocalist Mike and the departure of bassist Annick. If you ask me (and I’m assuming you are since you’re reading this), Mike is a far superior vocalist to Max. His gritty street punk voice works a lot better with the music than Max’s dopey monotone. It’s especially evident when comparing two old favorites of mine that appear here, “Treasure Hunt” and “Employee of the Month,” to their older versions. Really, there is no comparison; these are the definitive versions. WWIX include a CD of the songs with the 7”, which to me is a stroke of business genius and something more bands should do. The brown paper bag cover is a nice touch, too."

Hey, any band that combines Damaged-era Black Flag with GG Allin is A-OK in my book.

The images and music were uploaded with Justin Melkmann's consent. Thank you, Justin!

World War IX
Brown Bagging It 7"/CD
(Red Black & Blue)
2008

Download Brown Bagging It as a .zip file!

Sample Track:

Treasure Hunt