Aquarium Drunkard Presents: The Rock*A*Teens: A Primer
Last week I had Okkervil River's Will Sheff guest on my SIRIUS XM radio show. I've been a fan of Sheff's music for a decade, but that's not what eventually connected us. Earlier this year, I learned, via this excellent piece he wrote, that Sheff and I share a certain obsession with a long defunct band from the 90s known as...The Rock*A*Teens. Go ahead, say their name out loud. I know you want to.
It turns out the band is coming out of retirement this summer for a set of dates between May and August, from their home in Atlanta up to NYC. In fact, Sheff will be opening their show at (Le) Poisson Rouge in Manhattan, August 10th. And it just keeps getting better: Merge Records is set to reissue the band's final LP, 2000's Sweet Bird of Youth, on vinyl June 3rd.
Riffing on the attitude and snarl of punk rock, Gene Vincent, Pebbles compilations, the Mats and gritty Southern soul music (with undeniable pop instincts), the Rock*A*Teens more than lived up to the promise of their name. This week's playlist is meant to serve as an introduction to the band -- with one caveat: Spotify is missing a couple of their releases. But, hey, one monkey don't stop the show.
ABOUT AQUARIUM DRUNKARD
Based in Los Angeles, Justin Gage is the founder of the long-running, eclectic music blog Aquarium Drunkard. In addition to the blog you can catch his weekly radio show, Fridays, on SIRIUS XMU satellite radio -- noon-2pm EST.
Gage is also the founder of Autumn Tone Records and works as a music consultant and supervisor.