All Ages: A New Kind of Citizen

All Ages (www.iloveallages.com)

A New Kind of Citizen

San Francisco’s All Ages works hard.  They have toured much of the U.S. over the years and regularly play shows in Japan.  In fact, they are in the middle of a three month stint on the small and troubled island right now.  My band was fortunate enough to share the stage with them back in February 2011 at a show in Saint Louis.  I was impressed with their musicianship, songwriting, and energetic stage antics.  More importantly, I have always been a sucker for gritty and harmonized vocal melodies over distorted guitars, speedy and active drums, and run away bass lines.  All Ages delivers this style of music in fine form, and that they often write songs about building community, getting engaged in social movements, and calling for youth activism makes them one of my favorite independent melodic punk bands.  Illustrating their commitment to more than entertainment, the band is heavily involved in raising funds for Japanese tsunami victims. 

All Ages’ 2010 full length, A New Kind of Citizen, is loaded with excellent punk and rock songs.  The title track, which I’ll focus on here, is a blazing and chunky blend of harmony, guitars, and drums, with a very nice bass presence provided by the notoriously crazy Tom (pictured to the right).  Starting with a cleanish guitar and bass riff and then quickly moving into a charged classic punk beat and harmonized guitars, the vocals soon cut in with singer Derrik Soares’ distinctive and powerful tone.   Think Rise Against meets Rancid, except with better singing.  Soares’ delivers good timing and inflection throughout the song, punctuating notes at just the right points and still letting the instrumentals breathe.  The refrain “We need a new kind of citizen, hey are you listening, this is a message of truth, directed at the youth,” is super catchy but also poignant because it underscores the main theme of the song:  Get involved, get conscious, and just get off your ass and do something meaningful.  I like the breakdowns and bridge of the tune as well – they help support the totality of the song and message.

Check out this song on their official website under the music tab, and while you are at it, you have to spend some time watching their videos.  Some are moving, and others are just flat out funny.   

Don’t let corporate radio control you.  Buy A New Kind of Citizen from All Ages and show that you give a damn about good guys making good music that matters beyond the existential.