Tuesday, July 2, 2019

The Menace Society - Demo (2003)


Honestly ska, and specifically ska punk, hadn't really been my thing since I was around 13/14 years old. Here and there some stuff will catch my ear, and I've never been particularly opposed to it, but generally I will tune it out if it isn't 1st or 2nd wave. That being said, something about the Menace Society was different. From the first exposure I had I saw immediately that the energy level was nearly unbeaten, their performance was chaotic, and above all the dudes were having so much fun it was impossible for me to not get into it. As soon as they'd won me over, they sealed my fate by busting out a note for note cover of Iron Maiden's "the Trooper" and I was floored. Over the years that passed I got to know the dudes a little better, we shared a stage together at Valentine's more than a few times, and shared more than a few beers a lot of times.


They released an entire discography CD, but as you know that isn't my style to post it all in one shot. Always better to leave the people wanting more, yeah? The rest will go up eventually but for now this will have to hold you over. This material was always my favorite, though later stuff certainly had some real standouts like the classic "Beer Run," the instrumental "Save Fugi," and a hilarious fuck you to local staple Kevin Jackson. I think the earlier stuff appeals to me more mostly because of the harshness of it compared to when they got a little more refined down the line, however that's in no way an indicator of decline in quality. This demo has a lot of catchy uptemo ska shit with a good dance beat with the occasional straight up punk part and even a little hardcore influence peppered in there. After they split up in 2007 members went on to play in projects like Acid Reflux, Chlorine, Girls of Porn, and PartyHorn. Stick around after the last song for a secret track.


Tracklist:
  1. Menace Society
  2. Egos
  3. Material Possession
  4. Free Thought
  5. Suburbia
  6. When Pigs Fly

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