Rejected and Unwanted PDX Punx Fanzine - Blackwater
The boys are back with their album, "Blackwater", with new drummer Jason Robbins and featuring guest artist Ben Taylor (original member) on Bouzouki. With constant touring, working overtime, booking shows, drinking and good times, you get this very mature album for the kids and the older working class. From the precious excitement of the weekend to the graveing hours of work these boys put in, they've showed they can work, tour, and still fucking party. Definately one of their fastest albums, with songs like "Anthem For The Punx", "Another Drinking Song", and i'll tell ya fucks its good. "Stand Up", and "Take To The Streets" shows these guys are sick and tired of taking shit from society, life, the rich and powerful and cops and are true anthems for Portland rebellion. "The Grindstone", and "Hell" are slower and darker. "The Grindstone" sings about working, being broke, having to pay bills and rent while "Hell" sings about a story of a m an on his death bed who lived a life of sin and is crossed over to hell. Beautiful music with inspiring amazeing lyrics which leads me to conlcude that Rum Rebellion continues to be the champions of the Portland Street Punk Scene.
Profane Existance - Pick Yer Poison
Two Portland bands here on another Rodent Popsicle / Pyrate Punx split release. My brother said he saw RUM REBELLION a while back and said I wouldn�t like them. Well�I, much like this CD, am split. I really like the guys voice, he has a cool singing voice that isn�t raspy or snotty, it�s just cool. I dig the Irish jig, pirate howdown, folk thing they have going on and they are incredibly talented. The arrangements are really cool, a lot of fun and I like how strong the backing vocals are and their ability to play off of the main vocal. But�They lost me when they started shouting �Oi, Oi, Oi�. The lyrics are pretty lighthearted and they state on their site they are not into being political they are more into Punk, Skin and Hooligan unity. HAMMERED GRUNTS share a drummer with RUM REBELION and play more straight forward street punk type stuff. Songs about being punk and pissed pretty much make up their half of this disc. Whenever a band enters i nto a split they, sometimes unfairly, risk being compared to the other and and on this split CD RUM REBELLION takes the (rum?) cake. Even with their chants of �Oi�. (Clusterfuxjosh)
Counter Culture - Pick Yer Poison
Rum Rebellion emerged from Portland, Oregon as an acoustic group in 2005. Their bio describes them as a, �a salty mix of Irish tunes, sea chanteys, oi!, and street punk. A union of maritime instrumentation with street punk energy, folk punk and Irish rock bands.� They are one of the better new bands coming out of the West coast scene, and I am seldom easily impressed. Rum Rebellion emerged from Portland, Oregon as an acoustic group in 2005. Their bio describes them as a, �a salty mix of Irish tunes, sea chanteys, oi!, and street punk. A union of maritime instrumentation with street punk energy, folk punk and Irish rock bands.� They are one of the better new bands coming out of the West coast scene, and I am seldom easily impressed. Rum Rebellion are an interesting and hard hitting mix in a similar vein as the Pogues, Flogging Molly and the Dropkick Murphys, in my opinion, they do it better� [Read More]
Maximum Rock 'N' Roll - Pick Yer Poison
Six tracks apiece from these, er, "pirate-friendly" Portland bands, including a cover each of the others band's song - both of which (original and cover) are included here. Rather cool, actualy. RUM REBELLION has that folk-punk thingy down real good; acoustic (and electric) guitar, tin whistle, mandolin, etc. Fortunately, they dont claim to be Irish, so no weird/phony accents, just some rollickingly good punkified reels and jigs in there with the melodic punk. Somewhat akin to the best of the REAL MACKENZIES if you switched out the bagpipes for a mandolin. HAMMERED GRUNTS play a much more straight-ahead, driving punk/thrash with shouted vocals. Their RUM REBELLION cover has some fantastic lead guitar work. Well worth walking the plank for. (RK)
