News
shows:
TENT REVIVAL WEEKEND!! Blatant Finger plays saturday night at 10pm
Friday and Saturday July 31st and Aug 1st /2009 12:00
PM at The Tent Revival
9000 Canal Rd, Frazeysberg, Ohio 43822
Two days of camping, beer, hot dogs and hamburgers, and a whole lot of
rock ’n’ roll. The bands include Hells Fire Sinners, The Most
Beautiful Losers, Swiss Army Mouth, Scotty Lust & The Two Timers,
Lydia Loveless, Mono to Mono, Cotton Jackson, The Bible Beaters, Evan
Harris & the Driftwood Motion, The Jellyhearts, Blatant Finger, Hotel
War, The Loaded Nuns
September 4th 2009 New Philadelphia OH with Concrete
Trampoline
Road Rash Bash 2010 Cleveland
Blatant Finger now on Pandora.com
PROPS VIDEO will be adding "Story to Tell" in their upcoming BMX video release. Thanks Marco!!
EIGHT FOR THE ROAD 12 inch vinyl available at Magnolia, Johnny Go's, Used
Kids and Lost Weekend. Or paypal tombarrett89 at yahoo.com 8 bucks postage
paid. Then there is always amazon.com
and interpunk.com
Read some recent reviews of EIGHT FOR THE ROAD:
ROCKMETALBANDS.COM [ITALY] REVIEW OF“EIGHT
FOR THE ROAD”
By: Markus Ganzherrlich
Many considered the previous second album "Moving Forward" the
top of their career, while I see it as a rung of the ladder, surmounted
by the brand-new album I am about to analyze.
The Ohio quartet's comeback is a bit short (8 songs for about 23 minutes),
yet in line with the precepts of the genre.
Besides a happy and drunk cover-version of a Rolling Stones' hit, there's
also room for a quite unusual interpretation of "Every Rose Has Its
Thorns", by Poison (USA); the original was romantic and touching,
whereas this new energetic version turns the song upside down, making
it a bag for the next Blatant Finger shows.
The record kicks off fast and tough with the Punk Rock of "Not in
Our World", followed by the old - but not retro - styled "Story
to Tell" and "Heart's Done Breaking" (the latter including
a few southern California Skate Punk structures as well).
The 4-piece's past comparisons were Social Distortion, F Word, the Crowd,
the Clash, Swingin' Utters, Buzzcocks, Generation X, Rancid, the Replacements,
Pegboy, MIA, Kraut, the Freeze, Naked Raygun, Dropkick Murphys, Sloppy
Seconds, Sludgeworth, Screeching Weasel, Alkaline Trio, Green Day and
Nirvana; with the exclusion of the last two bands, the influences repeat
themselves this time, and even include other ones; for instance, the opening
riff in "Washed Ashore" has been literally bag-snatched by Blink
182's repertoire, and it is so plain that we can't talk about a coincidence.
Being malicious often means telling the truth, but I too have to admit
that it connects so smoothly to the rest of the composition, which means
the four guys are pretty capable arrangers (let's render unto Caesar that
which is Caesar's).
And then we get to the highlight of "Eight for the Road", "Hear
No Evil", a Hardcore/Punk track destined to become a classic: tight,
involving, variform, gifted with the best vocals and back-up vocals of
the whole album.
Between the two listenable covers lies "Lost Cause", a short
chip of frantic mid-West Punk played with Hardcore attitude where one
can discern the ghost of Raw Power's "After Your Brain" in the
distance.
In the end, a platter that is not a masterpiece, nevertheless able to
raise your attention and make you move your feet all of the time. If you're
looking for straight fun and you like records that balance between 80's
UK and north-American Punk, don't search elseplace!
RATING: 76/100.
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FIRST COAST NEWS REVIEW OF“EIGHT FOR THE ROAD”
By: Paul Zimmerman
Blatant Finger make no bones about what they play. They play punk rock
and they don't try and hide it, they don't pretend to be complicated,
they just crank up their amps, break out three chords and just blast through
song after song on their debut album, 'Eight for the Road.'
'Eight for the Road' is a raw, rough, and crunchy record that blazes through
it's eight songs in just under 24 minutes and leaves you drenched in sweat.
It's so punk rock that you'll be left wondering why these guys weren't
around in the early 90's hanging out with Social Distortion and Rancid
moshing with Doc Martens and stomping on people's heads. It's loud
brash stuff that despite it's angst still has sense enough to leave something
for your ears to cling to.
If you don't believe me just listen to their rocket fueled cover of, "Tears
Go By;" it's as crunchy as a bag of Lays Potato Chips but will
slam dance around your skull for days. (we won't even mention their
cover of Poison's, "Every Rose Has It's Thorn.") "Lost
Cause," on the other hands just blasts out of the gates and beats
the living daylights out of you with a driving beat and a simple but effective
pack of guitar riffs that chop and grind their way through your ear drums.
'Eight for the Road' is short and sweet but oh so effective. Blatant
Finger aren't complicated and are pretty proud of the fact and that's
what makes them so on point. This is a band that runs on pure energy
and every second of 'Eight for the Road' is packed with enough go go juice
to fuel and aircraft carrier and when it comes to punk rock what more
could you ask for?
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DAILY ROCK [SWITZERLAND] REVIEW OF“EIGHT FOR THE ROAD”
By: CHRISTIAN HAMM
Nostalgique du punk des temps jadis cet opus est pour toi ! Que tu sois
amateur du style britannique dans le sillage des Clash ou de son cousin
Ricain façon Dead Boys, tu ne pourras qu’être conquis
par cette plaque aussi concise qu’efficace. En huit titres, le quatuor
de l’Ohio balance un vieux punk qui fleure bon les années
quatre-vingt. Tout en mid tempo avec de grosses grattes saturées
les Blatant Finger enchaînent des compositions faciles qui tournent
autour des trois minutes – et des trois accords – sur lesquelles
se posent des chants bien éraillés par les années
de foire que le groupe aligne depuis ses premiers shows au début
des années nonante. Même les reprises des Stones et de Poison
ont un agréable arrière-goût de bière chaude
et de pogo!
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OX FANZINE [GERMANY] REVIEW OF“EIGHT FOR THE ROAD”
By: Sebastian Banse
BLATANT FINGER aus Ohio spielen Punk mit Rock'n'Roll-Einschlag, hören
gerne SOCIAL DISTORTION, SWINGIN' UTTERS, U.S. BOMBS und würden auch
gerne so klingen. Leider springt der Funke bei keinem der acht Lieder
wirklich über und man schleppt sich so durch die gut 23 Minuten,
deren einzig wirklicher Lichtblick das ROLLING STONES-Cover "As tears
go by" ist. Wenn die ganze Sache nicht so unglaublich lahmarschig
wirken würde, könnte man sich die Platte ruhig mal anhören,
aber so greift man doch lieber zu den Originalen. Mutig allerdings, POISON
zu covern und dann auch noch mit aufs Album zu nehmen! (5)
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IN YOUR EYES [ITALY] REVIEW OF“EIGHT FOR THE ROAD”
Vecchio caro punk rock da questa banda americana di innamorati delle bmx
e della birra. Il suono è quello del punk primi anni ottanta del
sud della California, quindi Social Disortion e altri. I Blatant Finger
tendono anche ad un suono punk molto europeo, senza dimenticare la loro
tradizione punk, come detto prima.
Il suono non è velocissimo, a volte la lentezza rende di più.
Infatti hanno fatto da supporto a gruppi vecchia scuola come Flogging
Molly, Street Dogs, U.S. Bombs, quindi le coordinate le sapete. Sono un
gruppo sincero, con un'attitudine D.I.Y. e un suono non commerciale. Da
sentire.
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THE DAILY NEWS REVIEW OF“EIGHT FOR THE ROAD”
By: Jeffrey Sisk
Let’s give Ohio-based four-piece Blatant Finger props for at least
trying to move beyond the radio-friendliness of the pop/punk sound by
getting back to basics. “Eight for the Road” isn’t straight
out of the old-school punk mode, but it’s got a harder edge than
many of their contemporaries. In short, Blatant Finger are more like Rancid
than Green Day.
This eight-track collection (hence the album title) starts off in blistering
fashion with “Not in Our World” and “Story to Tell”
before mixing things up with a surprisingly faithful cover of the Rolling
Stones’ “As Tears Go By.” (Less effective, however,
is the Fingers’ tepid reading of the Poison power ballad “Every
Rose Has Its Thorn.”)
But when the band sticks to their own stuff (“Washed Ashore,”
“Heart’s Done Breakin’”) they capture some of
the spirit that once madpowerful.
[3.5 stars]
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OLD SCHOOL PUNK REVIEW OF“EIGHT FOR THE ROAD”
Amazingly tight and catchy like late 80's Government Issue with a beer
buzz. A great six pack, with 2 chaser cover songs. 8 track CD Released
on 89 Records. Hardcore!! Play it again, please!
*********************
PUNKTASTIC.COM REVIEW OF“EIGHT FOR THE ROAD”
BY: Paul
Ohio's Blatant Finger describe themselves as '4 grown men trying to disguise
their alcoholism with a band', which about sums them up nicely. Playing
Social Distortion-esque pop punk there's a booze-fueled fun on this 8
tracker, which includes two covers. One of those covers, 'Every Rose Has
Its Thorn' (yes, that song) is a riot. 'Lost Cause' sums the band up rather
nicely and is a two-minute chunk of throwaway scuzzy punk rock goodness
and if you like the sound of that, don't give the band a finger - give
them a spin instead.
(Three out of Five Stars)
*********************
NO FRONT TEETH REVIEW OF“EIGHT FOR THE ROAD”
BY: Marco
It’s been a few years since BLATANT FINGER’s Last CD ‘Moving
Forward’ on Pelado and it’s great to hear that ‘Eight
For The Road’ continues in their interesting blend of early ‘80’s
Southern Californian punk rock of SOCIAL DISTORTION and BAD RELIGION
and mid ‘90’s Californian TKO-style punk rock in the vein
of SWINGIN’ UTTERS, ONE MAN ARMY, WORKIN’ STIFFS, THOSE UNKNOWN
etc. It’s got a lot of melody running through it but it’s
still tough with a heavy edge too. There’s no real label for BLATANT
FINGER which is a cool thing, fans of streetpunk would certainly dig their
sound but it’s certainly couldn’t be labelled as that…this
is way more sophisticated and melodic and honest, there’s no posing
around with this band and no exaggeration. This mimi-CD is a taster if
what we can expect form their upcoming full-length next year and this
has 6 cool originals as well as a ROLLING STONES and POISON cover.
*********************
88.7 FM WNHU [CT] ADDED “EIGHT FOR THE ROAD”
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TOXIC FLYER FANZINE REVIEW OF“EIGHT FOR THE ROAD”
BY: Billy Whitfield
Well this band has been at it for a while, kicking out a sound of catchy
punk with a bouncing beat that has a "street punk" meets "pop
punk" feel... like an early SOCIAL D or and early DROPKICK MURPHYS.
But you can also hear hints of SLF, CLASH, THE BOMBS, and STREET DOGS...
just good stuff.
Well this Ohio band will just give you some '80s meeting '90s style punk
with some good songs on the record that includes a cover of 'As Tears
Go By' (Faithful) and 'Every Rose Has Its Thorn' (Poison). [VG+]
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ALOOGA RADIO [GERMANY]PLAYING “EIGHT FOR THE ROAD”
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SKRUTT [SWEDEN] REVIEW OF“EIGHT FOR THE ROAD”
You can understand that groups like Rancid and NOFX have inspired a whole
world of punkrock bands and let them sound as them. Blatant Finger isn't
any exception but they do it in their own way in some way. 8 songs, of
which two are covers and one of them is "As Tears Go By" and
I think that they're doing that song really good. They do songs as you
feel to sing along with after that I never have heard the songs and that's
a positive thing, isn't it?.
*********************
PLANET THRASH REVIEW OF“EIGHT FOR THE ROAD”
by Deb
Quite upbeat and bouncy, with grating, edgy vocals – very 80’s
skater punk with a smidgen of rock attitude, but lacking quite severely
in bass. ‘Heart’s Done Breakin’ has a good rhythm,
and the chanting gave it a little push in the right direction. ‘Hear
No Evil’ is a class punk track, with everything I would expect –
commanding, crass vocals, consistent drum rumbles and some top notch guitar
playing, but in comparison, ‘Lost Cause’ was so much better,
but still lacking in the ‘bollocks’ factor.
...Blatant Finger have the basis of a good idea, but they need more pace
(if this had been on vinyl, I would have listened to it on 45rpm, not
33rpm) and dirty guitar solos need to be dirtier. Tom Barrett makes
this what it is, because without him, this is nothing special. A
little nurturing, and the addition and/or subtraction of a few things
can make it right.
*********************
CHLY 101.7 FM [VANCOUVER]ADDED “EIGHT FOR THE ROAD”
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INTERNATIONAL PUNK/HARDCORE REVIEW OF“EIGHT FOR THE ROAD”
by Y.B.
Cute digipack printed on recycled paper. Strong CRIMPSHRINE/ OPERATION
IVY (minus the ska parts)/ PINHEAD GUNPOWDER influences here. Ad a little
JAWBREAKER and some Oi stuff like DROPKICK MURPHYS for good measure. But
where’s the bloody lyric sheet?
*********************
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH INTERVIEW WITH BLATANT FINGER
by Aaron Beck
Playing its first show in more than a year in Columbus, Blatant Finger
will celebrate the release of the compact disc Eight for the Road with
Atomic Drops, the Cheats and the Unholy Four.
Band members Tom Barrett, Fred Sarginger and John Nincehelser recently
answered a few questions about their sound and vision:
Q: What kind of music do you play?
A: Bubblegum oi!, (but) actually (the band) has been described anywhere
from grunge to hard-core to rock 'n' roll to punk. . . . We share a common
thread in appreciating old rock 'n' roll while growing up on the passion
and simplicity of early punk, roots rock and country, and infusing all
that with melodies that are accessible to all. Obvious comparisons: Social
Distortion, Pegboy, Alkaline Trio, One Man Army, Face to Face, U.S. Bombs
and the Swingin' Utters.
Q: Why does your band exist?
A: Blatant Finger grew out of Newark. We originally were skateboard kids
who watched Another State of Mind too many times.
We couldn't find any bands that were sticking to the roots of rock and
punk: three chords delivered with attitude that we heard in all these
bands that were long gone, for the most part. Tom wanted to put something
together and play Joan Jett meets the Misfits, or an "Oi!"-street-punk
version of Green Day.
Q: What is your favorite quote about Blatant Finger?
A: "It's really a great combination and one I'm surprised hasn't
been experimented with in the past or, if it has, at least not with the
success that Blatant Finger has achieved here." -- Under the Volcano
Q: Why should someone come out to see your band?
A: "The gross spectacle of a BF show provides the type of entertainment
that is typically only available in Third World or war-torn countries.
We are certain that our fellow citizens are more than ready to cut loose
and experience straightforward, trend-adverse rock 'n' roll punk in a
campus bar.
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THE PUNK ROCK DEOMONSTRATIONPLAYING “EIGHT FOR THE ROAD”
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INDIE MUSIC STOPREVIEW OF“EIGHT FOR THE ROAD”
by Senior Writer C.W. Ross
This Columbus, Ohio based punk rock band got started in 1993 as a three-piece
band. Since then they've tweaked their lineup and sound to get to where
they are today. The bands had several previous releases, their latest
is titled, Eight for the Road.
The band describes their style as, 'Midwest punk rock-n-roll' and
have been compared sound wise to bands like, Social Distortion, Pegboy,
and the Swingin' Utters to name a few.
Their latest release features a total of 8 songs, 6 of the songs
are originals from the band along with 2 covers. The first cover is, "As
Tears Go By," that was co-written by Rolling Stones Mick Jagger and
Keith Richards, along with Andrew Oldham. The song appeared on the Stone's
1965 December's Children (And Everybody's) release. The songs also been
previously covered by artist Marianne Faithfull, Nancy Sinatra and PP
Arnold.
The last song found on Eight for the Road, "Every Rose has its Thorn,"
is the other cover song found on this release. "Every Rose has its
Thorn," was made famous by the late 80's/early 90's glam hair metal
band Poison. Blatant Finger's version of it is really different
from the original with its driving punk sound. It took me awhile to adjust
to hearing the song in such a different style but the more I listened
to it the more I liked it.
All of the songs found on Eight for the Road have a solid punk base of
fast strummed guitars and rapid drum beats, but the band also adds catchy
melodies in to the mix to make the songs slightly more radio friendly.
Lyrically I think that the biggest point I took away from listening to
this release is, that in life you need to take a stand, and to be true
to yourself.
This is a good solid release that should help the band to continue its
steady progression up the proverbial music ladder.
9-21-08
Thanks to all who came to the release
show. Lots of glass clean up for Bernie's that night. Sorry to Unholy
Four and Cheats for the PA issues during their sets.
12inch vinyl of Eight for the Road is now available
at Lost Weekend Records on High St. in Clintonville and directly through
us for 8 bucks post paid.
It's also available online Interpunk.com.
8-29-08
The new disc has arrived!! Eight for the Road is available in
stores and available online for download at Itunes etc. Locally it is
availble at: Magnolia Thunderpussy, Johnny Go's, Used Kids and Music Go
Round (Bethel Road).
You can order direct from us for 8 bucks, including postage. send an email to booking@blatantfinger.com
Limited color and black vinyl 12" of the new EP will be available in September! Thanks to Jason Goad ingoadwetrust.com for illustrations and The Bloody Irish Boys for the tracks!!!!!!
5-5-08
The new Blatant Finger 8-song CD Eight For The Road will be going to press
within the next week or so. Thanks to Colin at John Schwab Recording.
The cd/12inch/digital release features 5 new songs, one oldie and two
covers with featured guests dropping in for a few surprise tracks.
This
coincides with Blatant Finger's Fifteen Year Anniversary! So, be on the
lookout for new tunes and not much more from us in the next few months.
For the most current BF news click to:
http://www.myspace.com/blatantfinger
Download Blatant Finger songs from iTunes or emusic, verizon's Vcast and most download sites.
Thanks to
CD101 and Akron's diyradio.net for spinning our tunes recently. Make
sure you call CD 101 and request Blatant Finger!
614-221-1011 or email dj@cd101.com and..
90.5FM WCBE -Tune them in on Sunday nights' Roots n Offshoots and request BF.
Blatant Finger