NEIGHBORHOOD BRATS from California have decided to call it a day. Formed in San Francisco, the band relocated to South Bay and produced one of the rawest and most honest punk sounds in today’s punk. They thrilled surprised at almost every turn. Rest in peace.
The band posted the following message:
RIP Neighborhood Brats, 2010-2015. Jenny and I had to make a tough decision this morning. Tour schedules, release delays, different lineups, health concerns and the general mayhem of managing a DIY punk rock band in 2015 all led to our decision. We’re super bummed, but stoked that we got to be a part of all of your lives. You’ll probably see us in various projects at some point, so if we’re out and about, please say “hi.” In our “about” section, you can see who played in the band in the various incarnations that basically revolved around where Jenny and I were living and who was available to record/tour. I couldn’t have asked for a better pile of people to have recorded and toured with. This band was my life for 5+ years. It seemed like a nonstop chain of emails, trips to the post office, guitar tune-ups, caffeinated writing sessions and crazy inside jokes. The ups, downs, and everything in-between were more than we ever thought we could pull off. The only other thing I can say is that if some dude from Ohio and a girl from Nebraska can do it, so can you.
George Rager
1/15/15
The line-up was:
Jenny Angelillo (2010-2015) – vocals
George Rager (2010-2015) – guitar/vocals
Mike Shelbourn (2014-2015) – drums
Dan Graziano (2014-2015) – bass
Kirk Podell (2010-2012, 2014) – drums
Jasmine Watson (2010-2012, 2013) – bass
Richie Cardenas (2013) – drums
Tommy Branch (2013) – bass
All releases by NEIGHBORHOOD BRATS are available for streaming below.
Tunnel vision can kill originality and innovation in pretty much every walk of life. It’s easy to get caught up in the safety and familiarity of routine, of existing inside a box, of leaving well enough alone. We’re all so distracted nowadays that often, well enough is the best we can do. Well enough is the new status quo. All anyone really wants is a thing that looks, sounds, feels, smells, or tastes like a thing we already like.
This is also true to a degree when it comes to some bands and their influences, especially in the last 15 years or so. Bad Religion, for example, had to have been influenced by a myriad of bands due to timing, education, and other factors. They didn’t sound like Black Flag, or the Clash, or the Sex Pistols, or Ramones, but a lot of the ideas portrayed by those bands informed what they did and still do. Then Bad Religion deservedly built a huge fanbase and wielded great influence on the next wave of punk bands—the problem was, those bands were primarily influenced by Bad Religion and uh, little else it appeared. The end result, more often than not, rang pretty hollow. It still does.
