Nothing kickstarts a conversation quite like a good song does. Rock ‘n’ roll customarily
stirs up dialogue, provokes emotions and delivers a good time. The Defiant plans to con
tinue this tradition with their distinctive combination of clever, quick-witted,
thought-provoking lyrics and well-crafted punk rock songs.
“All I’ve ever really wanted to do is bring people together and share a message of peace,
love, and unity. With that in mind, the music created by The Defiant could very well be
some of the best I’ve ever had a hand in making, as well as one of the most important
and thoughtful musical experiences of my career. I am thrilled to be a part of it,” – says
frontman Dicky Barrett.
The Defiant is Pete Parada on drums (The Offspring), Greg Camp on guitar (Smash
Mouth), Johnny Rioux on bass (Street Dogs), Joey La Rocca on guitar and keys (The
Briggs), with Dicky Barrett front and center (The Mighty Mighty BossToneS.) Together
the five create a rock n roll pedigree that culminates into a riot of melodic punk.
Parada explains, “It is an insanely solid lineup, like Murderers Row from the 1927 New
York Yankees. This project is a real throwback to when albums felt like books, and songs
were integral chapters in a story. It’s a tribute to the heartbroken, the misunderstood,
the lost and found, the isolated, the fighters, the believers, the wildly hopeful and irratio
nally optimistic.” “I agree with Pete but let’s take it easy with the Yankees analogies”
interjects lifelong Red Sox supporter Barrett.
Rioux adds, “The diversity of the material is great, too. You can hear hints of The Jam,
The Pogues, The Specials and Blur. So many different influences make up this project.
Those influences, along with incredible unifying and biographical lyrics, have resulted
in something I’m really excited about.”
The Defiant will release their ten-song debut album in early 2023 with touring to follow
throughout the year.
When asked about this new musical brotherhood Camp said, “We have all either known
each other or run into each other on the road over the years. But the moment we were
all in the same room at the same time, it was like we had been buddies since birth.”
When it comes to The Defiant the whole is – at the very least – equal to the sum of its not
inconsiderable parts. “For me, the best thing about this group is that we’re so aligned on
just about every aspect of our lives. From our similar musical backgrounds and influ
ences to our general life philosophies, we have much in common and a lot to share,” says
Larocca.
Left Alone
Left Alone’s sixth album, Checkers & Plaid, is coming in dangerously hot - featuring a heavy dosage of high energy Ska (Checkers) and Punk rock anthems (Plaid).
Recorded in a mere five days and engineered/co-produced by TJ Rivera (Mighty Mighty Bosstones & Rancid), the album’s 10 tracks find the California band at its most focused, relentless, and personal - unleashing a constant one-two punch of danceable ska and authentic punk hits. Vocalist/guitarist Elvis Cortez “We went into the studio to record this album like never before. The songs were not over rehearsed, and we built them as we went along.”
Checkers & Plaid sees Left Alone continue their Southern California and Mexican culture clash with Te Quiero Ver, which features guest vocals from Big Javy of Mexican Ska legends, Inspector. Elvis shares, “Javy was on vacation over the weekend in the states and I invited him to a family fiesta on Saturday night. Left Alone was recording Monday so I asked him if he would be into singing on a song idea I had and thankfully he said yes. He is one of my favorite singers and sang his parts in one take, a total pro.”
The album kicks off with ska firecracker The Darkness, which was recently featured on Ska Against Racism, the socially important and bestselling ska compilation, which raised over $80K for Black Lives Matter related charities. While the lyrics of The Darkness touch on the struggles associated with maintaining sobriety (and a little thing called love), Scars stresses the need to move on from toxic environments, and Blackhole is a cautionary tale about avoiding getting sucked into a relationship vortex.
You could be mistaken for thinking the album closer, The Fix was written in response to the pandemic and our desperate need to attend a sweaty punk show amongst our fellow music lovers. However, the song was written and recorded over a year ago. Elvis says, “I wrote this song about how music makes me feel and how important it is to us all. From the artist to fan music is the language we all understand and feel that can unify us all.”
Checkers & Plaid is out... on Smelvis/Hellcat Records.
