Cleveland Rocks? Yeah but so does Akron!
Akron’s Rubber City Rebels were one of those first wave bands that helped create something new in American music in the late 70’s. Despite being on a major, the Rebels never enjoyed the success of some of the bands they often shared shows with, and the original band broke up in 1988. After a several year break, 2001 saw the release of a much-overdue CD retrospected which got the band gigging again, and now to follow that up they have their first new studio album in over 20 years, “Pierce My Brain.” So is it any good? Surprisingly the answer is yes, it turns out that bands don’t always get mellower with age. The new album is everything a punk record should be: upbeat, infectious, sarcastic, irreverent, and in a word… fun. The Rubber City Rebels haven’t softened with age, they’ve only grown more confident. Scott Bass
