Riding the Rock Revival

As much as I hate to admit it, the older I get, the more deranged and farfetched my musical tastes become. Having been essentially brought up on the spastic pop-punk rock of bands like Lagwagon and Screeching Weasel, it doesn't seem right that only a few years later I'm screaming my ass off at an Elvis Costello concert or desperately searching for any and all releases by Ryan Adams. I suppose, like all people, you just grow up and appreciate different genres of music. Often as fans, we criticize our heroes for expanding their creative wings and producing songs that resemble everything they seemed to be against in the beginning. Some of these creative experiments come out sounding forced, as if they were pressured to "change teams" by the powers that be. Some of them come out entirely unscathed and are incredible pieces of art. Some of these bands don't really give a damn what anyone thinks, even though they may have secretly crept aboard the garage rock wave that currently dominates underground music in the Bay Area and around the country.
One such band is the old school punk crew One Man Army. I had the opportunity to see this band in their early days at my first "real" show with Swingin' Utters in '98 at the now defunct Sacramento club, Bojangles (a.k.a. the Cattle Club as some locals will recall). This event coincided with my obsession of obtaining any punk album I could get my grubby hands on. I have since visited the band during a new chapter in my musical journey; a chapter where they most definitely fit into the "straight-ahead rock with attitude" category. The band recently "changed teams" by making the move from Adeline Records (Billie Joe from Green Day's label), to the much more established BYO records. Since, they have gained a sizeable following from a new generation of fans that aren't necessarily enamored with the idea of bashing people's heads in during slam pits.
Guitarist and vocalist Jack Dalrymple elaborates, saying "Punk's not so hot anymore," though he seems to not fully understand why. "But we love the rock!" he continues as we discuss the state of music in the Bay Area prior to their recent headlining date at Slim's in San Francisco. Bassist Heiko Schrepel joins us and insists that the band's influences are not restricted to just punk rock, but to anything that they hear that strikes them. It's no secret that a new trend has been oozing its way into our collective psyches, and that trend is lo-fi production, matching suits and damn catchy songs, or more descriptively, garage rock. No sooner do I mention this observation to the two, that I get a name drop of just about every underground '60s revival band that exists in the Bay Area today.
Schrepel states, "There's a lot of cool bands coming out in this area right now, things are definitely getting back to that stoner rock, '60s to '70s garage sound around here." Considering the fact that One Man Army is about as D.I.Y. (not to mention gutter punk) as it gets nowadays, these revelations regarding their wayward musical influences and observations are potential cred bombshells with their hardcore fans.
The band recently completed a tour of the states with the likes of Nekromantix, The Explosion and Madcap.
"This tour was under our own power. It's more honest and it's a lot of fucking fun. We toured with really, really great bands this time," states Dalrymple. Somewhat recent lineup changes have made the band much more palatable with rock fans, or as Dalrymple puts it, "I am the one man left in the army. It's all great though, this is the best it's been. We're ten times better now."
Drummer Chip Hanna is the most recent addition, having come onboard in 2001 from U.S. Bombs. But perhaps the most appealing and dynamic ingredient in the band's rock potion is Schrepel. About as punk as it gets (complete with the tattoos, capped teeth and tight ass, high-water jeans), the Army's bassist prances around stage much in the same manner as long-gone hair metal bands.
The group has released numerous EPs during their six-year career, and three full-length albums, the most recent of which, Rumors and Headlines, demonstrates the effects that switching labels can have on recording. Dalrymple mentions," [BYO has] a great bunch of guys over there, a lot of good bands too."
"Every label has different things that help you out," adds Schrepel. A much more polished album, Rumors… sticks to the tried-and-true punk ethics of songwriting, but instills in the listener a deep sense of longing to refrain from being pigeonholed into the great abyss that the term "punk" creates. Maybe it's the fact that Dalrymple doesn't turn the gain all the way up on his amps - as each and every other band in his genre does - creating a stripped down feel to their songs. Or perhaps it's the way Schrepel goofs with the audience with his menacing grin or the way Hanna's hulk-like arms flex with each beat of the drums. I simply can't help but feel that, like me, these guys have learned to accept that getting older means embracing all music, not just punk. From that opening spot at Bojangle's in Sacto, to the headlining gig at Slim's, each of us has shifted our ideas of what good music is. So, I suppose that leaves us with the future of the band, which looks bright indeed. Already known as one of the hardest working bands in the business today with their virtual non-stop touring schedule, Dalrymple answers my inquiries of their future plans with, "Tour, tour, tour. We go on tour with Alkaline Trio in late January again." As for Chico fans that are waiting to see them again, the group assures me that they will be back. "It's always great when we play in Chico. We wanted to go to Chico sometime again," states Dalrymple.
The band's desire to reach out and visit all their fans, via their constant moving about, is what essentially connects the fans to them. Is this why said fans don't realize that One Man Army are really rock 'n' roll fiends at heart? We may never know.

Bookmark: