Cynics

Formed more than 20 years ago by the head honcho of Get Hip Recordings, Gregg Kostelich, The Cynics are a garage-punk institution. After more than half a dozen studio albums, two live albums, more than 20 singles and tracks on numerous compilations, the band is still full of power and creativeness. After a long hiatus in the late 1990s the band reunited in July 2000 to play the Las Vegas Grind garage festival (sharing the bill with the Remains, Lyres, Swingin Neckbreakers and many others) and a successful comeback tour of Spain followed in September of the same year. These two events revamped the interest in the Cynics and fuelled them with energy. They continued to tour in 2001 going from LA to Montreal and from Madrid to Mexico City, playing to eagerly enthusiastic crowds everywhere. Their new album, “Here We Are”, may well be their best yet. It covers quite a dynamic range -- from howling, feedback drenched fuzzed out guitar and bass to pounding, primordial beat bashing, all the way to melodic, folk/rock and pop harmonies. Every song on this record is a flawless hit. Killer rip-roaring fuzzed out punk blasts working perfectly side by side with jangly pop tunes. This Pittsburgh band have seen many trends come and go, but through it all, they’ve always stuck to real basic rock’n’roll. And that’s something that’ll never go out of style.