Dead End Town EP by Mitch Kramer
So I’ve been aware of Mitch Kramer due to common friends, Some Kind of Nightmare, but until recently I’d never listened to him and his rotating cast of supporting artists. What a mistake that was! I’m checking out his new EP, Dead End Town, which you can listen to on bandcamp or order physically via cassette (Yes, I have issues with cassettes, but my issues are mine. Others can do as they wish. As long as good music is being listened to, I can’t really complain.)
Just by the name, I think of Wayne Kramer from the MC5, and then I see the logo in the DK parody, so I’m ready for some punk rock n’ roll, and that’s what I get. It’d be too easy to say they are reminiscent of The Dead Boys or a dirty version of Ramonescore mixed with the New York Dolls. They also remind me of classic bands like The Dicks, The Boys and Poison Idea as well as more recent bands like NYC’s The Bullys (Yes recent is relative since The Bullys were around twenty years ago). In other words this is sick shit. If you like it grimy and dirty with some stank on it, this is for you.
My current favorite of the EP is “Blood Sandwich” I’m not fully sure what it’s about but I dig the 1,2,3,4 we’ll bow to the floor,5, 6,7,8 we became what we hate! All of which is followed by a sick guitar solo!
The song that really threw me for a loop was the last song, “I will always remember”. It’s a slow song with layers of string instruments that makes me think “House of The Rising Sun” despite sounding nothing like that. It's the sort of song that if I hadn’t already been digging the band, I doubt I would have given it its full due, but I’m glad I did. There’s a great melodic “uh uh uh” that comes in around the 50 second mark that’s really dope. The negative is that I want it to happen just one more time at least, but it only happens once until it repeats much later. Denying the listener what seemed like a natural progression to me created a dissonance of joyful longing. I love it, and I wanted to hear it again immediately, but no.
If you download songs or buy cassettes, and enjoy classic punk rock that would have fit on the stage of CBGB’s in the 1970’s then you need to check this out.
Mitch also plays in other rad CT bands: The Lost Riots which at first listen sound like a cleaner version of his solo stuff and The Ratz which sound like they added some UK 82 or early DRI to their sound.
Check them out at
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mitchkramerband
YouTube: https://youtu.be/8vMESyPRbbo