There are quite a few old rock ‘n’ roll musicians who’ve taken their instruments out of the attic to get back on stage. For example, a few years ago I saw the heroes of The Sonics live, with an energy probably not lesser to how they performed in the early 60’s. However, there are hardly any of those returnees who still manage to write new hits. Boston 5-piece The Dogmatics, nowadays made up of Jerry Lehane (vocals, guitar), Tom Long (drums), Peter O’Halloran (vocals, guitar), Jimmy O’Halloran (bass), and James Young (vocals, mandolin), are the positive exception, and how! If you’re somehow new to the garage/pub rock outfit: in the mid-’80s they played in almost every small club and backyard party in the US – their releases from that era can be found on the must-have compilation EST 81. In 2019 they were back with the amazing 5-track EP She’s the One (listen to its I Love Rock and Roll and you’ll know what the band’s all about), and now they have released their new EP Drop That Needle. Once again featuring 5 brand new, catchy classics that you’ll immediately like. The title track leans more towards power pop, Automat Kalashnikov and Acid Rain towards punk, Think Twice towards folk, and Don’t Break My Heart towards rockabilly, but at its core it’s all rock ‘n’ roll in the tradition of the names mentioned in the first song. Its lyrics certainly apply for this one: “Drop that needle on the 45 // I wanna hear that record one more time.”
Drop That Needle is out now digitally and on CD through Rum Bar Records.
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