Those Meddling Kids have released their first album sooner than they had originally thought and plan to break into the punk rock charts with it. Frontman Johnny McDougal was quoted as saying "We were just buzzing on all cylinders. Everything was clicking and working so we thought to skip the next single release and just work on an album." Big time producer Tony Visconti was hired to work on the album with the kids and was said to have very little in the mix. "These guys knew what they wanted and already have their sound. I worked with them a bit on levelling out some of their songs sonically because a lot of their songs that are on the album are from old self produced demos. So there was only re-recording and mastering to do. But the guys mostly helmed the operation from the start. It's always good to run into a group of musicians that are in control. The only problem I had was keeping some of them from partying to hard in the studio. Replacing broken equipment is costly."

The track listing is as follows and the standout tracks are highlighted with asterisks. The album itself is a punk rock masterpiece with some unexpected twists. Among the distortion and feedback I was surprised to find a gem in every song. It has the general gist of a good punk rock album. Again TMK throws in some songs that are goofy as hell bu all their own. I'm beginning to like the fact that they enjoy writing about ninjas, zombies, and getting drunk on moonshine because it's enjoyable even if it's done totally as tongue in cheek with an innate seriousness. I'm sure pirates will be next. They do put their sillieness aside though and dwell into more serious topics. I just have to point out the one's that just stuck out in my mind. I couldn't reach Johnny for comment on the album but hope to hear from him soon.

Those Meddling Kids:
1. I Fell In Love With A Ninja Master
2. Delightfully Tacky
3. Whisky Bent And Hell Bound*
4. Red, White, Black, and Blue
5. Git Yer Shine On*
6. Talkin' Ramen and Broccoli Cheese Blues*
7. Outside The Box
8. Punk and Disorderly
9. Do or Do Not, There Is No Try
10. The Working Man's Dead*

Track 3- This was very unexpected for me but these guys are obviously making a nod to their origins of being from West Virginia by putting together a surprisingly good Hank Jr. cover. Hearing Johnny put on his best Hank voice and actually play out the fiddle parts on his guitar is once again an amazing testament to his guitar playing ability. You don't expect punk rockers to bust out country with reverb and distortion then manage to make it sound good. But they pulled it off masterfully.

Track 5- The liner notes for this song are as such and written by Johnny. "We kind of owe a debt to Hank Sr. and The Gourds for this one. Alt Country is something a lot of us listen too and we wanted to crank it up a notch. So we mixed in some mandolin, banjo, steel guitar, and some fiddle from some local bluegrass dudes that we know. Then add us playin' along with our punk rock guitars and we got a result we didn't expect. There was beauty in all that mayhem. We were damn proud of how it came out. Much thanks to the Grass Kickers for helping us out." That all really just speaks for itself and the eclectic mix of instruments though odd at first broke open for a rather good bluegrass punk rock romp about getting drunk down by the river and hanging out with your buddies on a saturday night. Punkgrass? I don't know what to call it really.

6. Another twist from these new punk rockers. A homage to Bob Dylan with a song where Johnny does nothing but speak about the adventures of being dirt poor and going into the kitchen to scrounge up some food. Very bluesy and less distorted at first but it builds in the end which makes the track more listenable. It almost turns into something that would sound like the Flat Duo Jets doing some blues folk punk. Best line in the song, "Opened up the fridge and didn't see shit. Chunk of burger, that was it. Green, a week old, better throw it out. Damn it I'm hungry!" Then he rips into a solo that would make Bobby proud.

10. The Working Man's Dead I was told by many who are familiar with the band is a tribute to Johnny's Dad. It's a very punk rock song that talks about the evils and hardships that a blue collar man must face along with his end results. Poignant lyrics here. "Nothing to show for his 30 years but a closed factory, busted shoulder, and a heart slowly going. We'll give you money to say we're sorry for killing you. But you were worth your work. The American Dream is expendable." The screaming guitars and the way Johnny howls in protest at his father's company for treating him like an animal becomes an anthem that every working man can pump his fist too. Johnny's father wrote the liner notes for the song actually. He writes, "I just want to thank my boy for saying all the things I wanted to say. Compressing 30 years into a little over 3 minutes. I'm very proud that he stands up for what he believes is wrong in the world." There is Johnny's response written in the thank you's to this which says "Dad you broke your back to raise us and make sure we all got by. You taught me that standing up for what you believe in is the greatest strength a person can have. I can't thank you enough for all you've done. I love you pops." I have to say the back story and all the little displays of father to son love that came from this was very touching. There's more to these guys than they try and let on.

In summary TMK have made quite a stir with this reviewer and the album in its entirety is a punk rock album with some eclectic twists thrown in. They are carving their own path in what is defined as punk rock in the genre as a whole. They seem to be going the way of their influence Sublime but are instead trying to infuse blues, country, and bluegrass into the distorted and reverbified landscape of punk rock. It's what makes them unique in their own right when they decide to go that route instead of just doing a traditional fast and heavy punk rock tune. If they keep writing music in this way they'll definitely define a whole new era of how punk rock is looked at. I hope their next album has more of these little twists and they continue to experiment with their influences as they progress in their career.

Johnny: I gotta say, that's kinda flattering. Though I consider this album to go out to while on a bender. When you're so drunk that the lines on the highway all kinda just blend together. But yeah, thanks for the nice words about the album. Coke ain't my thing though. I'm strictly a booze and weed man myself.

Johnny: Hey that's awesome man. We're pretty stoked that a guy like yourself would like us. Since we're just breakin' into the scene it's kinda weird running into the real rockers. But I'll definitely take you up on boozing when we decide to come your way.