VARIOUS ARTISTS:
A Tale of Rotten Orange: 2 x LP
In the beginning, so many of my favorite bands came from Southern California— Adolescents, Dickies, Black Flag, and Descendents among many others. They shaped a huge part of my life. Somewhere along the line, punk rock from the region became “So-Cal” and was synonymous with big shorts and chain wallets. Some of it was good, but not a lot. I had to search out labels like Hostage and TKO to get my California punk fix. Those labels put out some amazing compilation records showcasing bands from all over the region that were out there ripping it up. This compilation is a fine addition to the tradition. Orange Fight has released a thirty-nine (!) song double LP worth of the best of the best that OrangeCounty has to offer. There is a healthy dose of the stalwarts (Smogtown, The Crowd, Broken Bottles, Bonecrusher, and The Stitches) and some newer stuff (The Junk, Crazy Squeeze, Disguster, Druglords Of The Avenues, and The Piss Pops). It all works and is a compilation that I’ll listen to over and over, just like Tower 13 or The Hostage Situation. I’ll also be on the lookout for records from most of these bands. Mission accomplished! –Ty Stranglehold (Orange Fight, orangefight.com)