Mad Anthony

What a scorcher! An offering from each band, just enough to gently blow an obscenity or two into your waxy ears, wheeze hot breaths onto your pimply neck, tap your gnarled veins and then pack up and drive far away, leaving you cupping your privates and howling for abuse. Cinci’s Mad Anthony rips through a dissonant garage-punk cocktail with a lil’ swagger and poise … like Glenn Danzig hammered and stumbling his way through an Icarus Line cover set, while Lex-Vegas Kentucky’s Yellowbelts take the twisted perversions of their Louisville counterparts (namely Young Widows), add some classic 70s proto-punk and filter it through the psyche-y flower groove of Love Battery. It’s short, pretty (on nine different colors of vinyl) and has a hand-screened cover. If it doesn’t have you bounding around your neighborhood in a tinfoil hat, moist and incoherent, you’re probably too far gone, anyway. Rock n’ roll, you creeps! –Dylan Chadwick - SLUG Magazine

“For a group of unassuming, good looking young men, their loud and fast punk rock sound was somewhat surprising, but definitely welcome. Playing with intensity, Jones, guitarist Adam Flaig and drummer Marc Sherlock played the small Cherry’s stage like it was a multi thousand seat arena.” - Toronto Examiner

“Ringo knows how to school, and steers Mad Anthony’s bombastic, yet surgically precise sonic hammer with his cutting Danzig croon, while Marc makes splinters out of his searing drumsticks and guitarist Adam Flaig tears his axe apart with his bare hands.” - Bovine Sex Club

“Mad Anthony has created a recognizable yet individual sound and a live show that is powerful, fun, and memorable. Their raucous, garage-based rock and roll is ideal for motivation, driving, and punching large, carnivorous animals, but since their last release, …I Spent All My Money on Speed Metal, they have shown incredible depth in song construction, with their more down-tempo numbers full of evocative guitar work and subtly emotional songwriting. This is a band that is evolving rapidly toward transcendence and it’s imperative to get acquainted with them while they’re still playing intimate venues.” - Always Wear Dress Socks

In the sad state that is known as mainstream music, it’s nice to know that with a little looking around, you can find some good and down to earth old fashioned rock and roll bands. It’s these types of bands that keep my interest and keep me from drowning in whatever the media says is the next big thing I should be listening to. Granted I’m the type of person that knows where to look for the good stuff, I’m still the type to turn over a rock here and there to see and hear whatever I can. One recent rock (as in Classic Rock Magazine) I turned over resulted in me discovering a great band from Cincinnati called Mad Anthony.

Mad Anthony play an adrenaline fueled rock and roll with spikes of punk littered throughout. Two words describe their latest album (released 2009) …I Spent All My Money On Speed Metal, Big Sound. The music isn’t much like anything you’ve heard before, I can guarantee that. Mad Anthony have a true and unique sound that can’t be compared to much anything else. Quirky songwriting, big sound, great production and catchy tunes round up …I Spent All My Money On Speed Metal. There isn’t anything big and fancy added to the album, it isn’t over produced and it’s more organic than artificial. If you don’t believe me, you can stream the entire album (below). And don’t say I didn’t warn you either because I did. Follow the links on the band’s Bandcamp page (click the player below) to grab your physical needs. - The Soda Shop

Everything about the packaging here had me hooked before I heard a note. This is vinyl geek heaven-it’s a split release on mustard yellowish-ish vinyl (one of NINE different potential colors!), with a cover that feels like it was hand silk-screened back in the days before Photoshop, from two bands from the same geographic region (Cincinnati, Ohio and Lexington, Kentucky). It is as if I am back in my college radio station when Clinton was in the White House and the US still had the respect of the world, or at least a decent credit rating. To sweeten the deal here, both bands are fantastic! Mad Anthony is not quite as mad as expected, but “Bear Attack” slugs you like a drunken Danko Jones song. It is a bottom heavy, heavy-handed lump of mid-tempo force. The Yellow Belts play loud, fast, and snotty punk in a classic vein. Revolutionary? No. Sophisticated? No. Awesome? Oh, yes. “War on Science” is a blistering experience, and the stronger of the gems here. However, both would have received heavy rotation on my station. - Jersey Beat

Now, with all that said from the press release I’m going to keep my review nice and short. Both bands are fairly new to me. Mad Anthony was recently featured in a Bandcamp Recommendation article and this is my first exposure to The Yellow Belts. Neither track is a disappointment. Mad Anthony’s track, “Bear Attack” is a deep, heavy, catchy and bass filled number. The Yellow Belts song, “War on Science,” is a much faster almost punk like track. The vocals aren’t as deep. The guitars are mesmerizing and the drums are fast and furious. Both tracks are very catchy.

This is the reason why I like independent hard/stoner rock. Mad Anthony and The Yellow Belts are bands that are so good, they are living proof that real rock and roll isn’t dead. This 7? is a great one because the bands are so different, similar, and so very alike all at the same time. It’s like yin and yang, meant to go together, hand in hand.

Both tracks can be listened to below and even downloaded from the bands for a “Name your price.” If you want the real deal, you can buy the 7? from them HERE or catch them at a show. If you buy only 1 piece of vinyl this year, this split is the one to get. - The Soda Shop

Mad Anthony: “Bear Attack”

Album: 7-inch split w/ The Yellow Belts

My coughing fits unfortunately kept me from seeing Cincinnati, Ohio garage rockers Mad Anthony at Horseshoe Tavern. Frontman Ringo Jones sounds anything but raspy on their newest song ‘Bear Attack.’ His voice is thick and deep enough to scare off any wild animal. Unsnarl your earbuds and download it here.

Sounds like: I should have sucked it up and gone to see some fine Midwest musicianship in the tradition of other Cincinnati bands like The Greenhornes and Buffalo Killers. That’s alright; they seem to love Toronto and will surely be back soon. - Alan Cross - Professional Music Geek

(Phratry) Mad love for Danzig-esque howls and crunchy Middle Earth ghetto rock assaults! - Roctober Magazine

Mad Anthony are an indie rock quartet who call Cincinnati, OH home. They are preparing to release a split 7" with Lexington, KY's The Yellow Belts.

"Bear Attack" is Mad Anthony's high octane rocker with growly, almost drunken vocals. That fits well with The Yellow Belts' contribution, "War on Science", which is absolutely frenetic.

Mad Anthony is coming north of the border for a Toronto show. They'll be playing the Horseshoe Tavern on October 8th with ubiquitous blues-rock darlings Bella Clava.
- Snob's Music Review

Out of all the releases in Phratry Week, the most surprising one is Mad Anthony‘s …I Spent All My Money on Speed Metal, which is actually not speed metal. That would have been somewhat inside Phratry’s considerably varied oeuvre, but instead they throw listeners a loop and release an album by a four-on-the-floor garage rock outfit.

Honestly, the most outsidery thing on the album is the demonic picture on the cover, which is another reason I thought it might actually be Slayer-inspired. Nope. This is every rock band you like. Jim Morrison, Danzig, Toadies, Misfits, Fugazi, Electric Six, The Clash, The Police, new wave, lo-fi, and garage rock all get shout-outs in the press quotes. I have no idea what half of these people are hearing, but that’s the beauty of Mad Anthony (and of rock in general): people hear different parts.

I mostly hear the connections to early 2000s garage rock revivalism, as “Naugahyde” is pretty much a song by The Vines (man, what happened to them?). “Uphill Both Ways” has early Strokes connections, while “Soul” and “Strangest Dream” have a First Impressions of Earth-era sound going on. The roaring, low vocals are chock full of attitude, which only lends credibility to the sound.

These songs are fist-pounding, headbanging rock’n'roll. The melodies are great, the band is tight, and the overall cool is top-notch. Each of these songs stand on their own, but “Beautiful Daughter” and “The Solution to the Indian Problem” rank high in my book. Mad Anthony’s …I Spent All My Money on Speed Metal does have one thing in common with the rest of the Phratry releases: it’s written by guys who did their homework and are subsequently on top of their game. - Independent Clauses

Wow. This 7" is killer. Mad Anthony are a Cincinnati, OH based band who play a sweet style of Punk and garage rock that channels the swagger and snottiness of The Icarus Line and adds the sonic dissonance of bands like Hot Snakes and Rocket From The Crypt (Minus the horn section). Mad Anthony are a must for fans of Obits, Hot Snakes, and The Icarus Line. The second band on the 7" is The Yellow Belts. The Yellow Belts are a Lexington, KY based band who also play punk/garage rock. The main thing that stuck out for me about The Yellowbelts is that they take the "Louisville" sound made popular by bands such as Young Widows and add a Drive Like Jehu vibe to the mix, with great results. The Yellowbelts are a must for fans of Young Widows, Drive Like Jehu, and Trophy Wives. Great 7" guys! I also included Mad Anthony's self titled EP released in 2008 for you to check out as well. Great stuff! - The Elementary Revolt

Mad Anthony = Butthole Surfers + The Conformists
I’m not gonna lie, when I first heard Mad Anthony’s lead-singer Ringo Jones’ voice, I started laughing a little bit. This guy’s voice threw me off. It’s like a mix of Mudhoney’s Mark Arm and Caleb Followill’s from Kings of Leon with a pinch of Chris Farley. But after a few listens through the album, I like it quite a bit. Jones’ strange voice adds an interesting element to the bands’ thick and heavy garage rock. Every song on this album is different from the next, and the guitar work and rhythms are exceptional; it’s something you don’t often hear from bands that take a little pride in sounding sloppy. Even when the band’s music wanders onto the beaten path, the vocals howl in and your ears are taken into brand-new territory. If you want to hear something new with a touch of the familiar, go spend all your money on speed metal, too. –Jon Robertson - Salt Lake Underground Magazine

Mad Anthony.- entrevista 15 de septiembre de 2011....rock and roll de Cincinnati..
Bufff, decir Mad Anthony es una garantía de pasar un buen rato, la mayoría de las respuestas que hemos dado son honestas, pero el cien por cien del tiempo estamos mintiendo, hemos intentado responder las preguntas lo mas directamente posible, pero una vez que lo hicimos rápidamente borramos la respuestas, y pusimos estas respuestas… si no te gustan dínoslo, nos parece muy interesante interactuar con la prensa, y esto es otro ejemplo de lo que puede ocurrir cuando comemos dos barras de Snickers y tenemos una lata de coca cola.
RSR.- ¿Cómo fue esto de hacer una banda como Mad Anthony?
Pues fue uno de los peores momentos, la peor de las épocas… cuando Mad Anthony se formo, y esto todavía continúa empeorando.
RSR.- ¿Cómo podríamos definir vuestro sonido e influencias?
OK, nos podríamos definir como “ear sex” básicamente queremos hacerte el amor por las orejas, cabeza y corazón, todo al mismo tiempo, causando un explosión auditiva que arruine todo tu ser, y dejando otra mancha para que tu madre tenga que limpiarla, los gastos del medico corren de tu cuenta, y en cuanto a las influencias pues Queens of the Stone Age, Fugazi y CCR, pero claro, ahora somos mucho mejores que todos ellos juntos….
RSR.- ¿De que soléis hablar en vuestras canciones y cual es el modelo compositivo?
La ideas de las canciones se toman de varios sitios como pueden ser información comercial, agendas de teléfonos, y DVD´s, primero pasamos esas ideas a alemán, y mas tarde las volvemos a traducir ingles destrozado, y es entonces cuando sale la canción, también son influencias películas clase X, si la música no paga las facturas, repartir pizzas si lo hará,
RSR.- Oye, de que trata vuestra canción They don´t look like us, es mi canción favorita….. me puedes decir algo sobre ella…
Esta canción, They don´t look like us, trata sobre la reforma de la inmigración en Arizona, y bueno, es un comentario social sobre la ignorancia y la falta de respecto de las autoridades hacia la gente inmigrante e incluso a los ciudadanos del Sudeste de los Estado Unidos.
RSR.- ¿Cómo es la escena en Cincinnati (Norte de Kentucky) ?
Cincinnati/ Norte de Kentucky tiene un montón de bandas, es mas un montón de buenas bandas, y debido a esta gran escena pues también hay muchos sitios donde tocar, hay muchos bares donde nos sentimos como en una segunda casa, y también tenemos muchísimo apoyo local.
RSR.- ¿Cómo hacéis para editar vuestra música?
Bueno, trabajamos con un sello que se llama Phratry Records, afincado en Cincinnati, OH, por otro lado, nosotros grabamos y producimos nosotros nuestra propia música, con la ayuda de ingeniero magos locales, y las ediciones las hacemos con Phratry o nosotros mismos.
RSR.- ¿Que me dices de internet… en el bandcamp he visto que no toda vuestra música es libre para descarga?
Muchos creen que Internet solo es bueno para el porno, y nosotros podemos confirmarlo, pero aun así Internet es un gran recurso para que una banda sea escuchada en todo el mundo, nuestra pagina principal es www.madanthonyband.com y nos puedes encontrar también en Facebook o en el bandcamp.
RSR.- ¿Como veis a España desde vuestro refugio americano?
Con binoculares, bueno seriamente, nos encantaría ir a España pero por desgracia, no hablamos francés, pero si puedes conseguirnos algún concierto, de buen gusto lo aprenderíamos.

RSR.- ¿Qué me decís del futuro?
Bien, el futuro es el futuro hasta que se convierte en el presente, y luego es el pasado, y solemos ser sorprendentes.
RSR.- Algo que añadir
Gracias por entrevistarnos, nos encantaría sentarnos contigo y tener un cara a cara, pues somos mas encantadores, aunque mas difíciles de ver en persona… ah, por favor trae el traductor de francés… buen viaje. - Romantic Songs

“With a ton of work put into their sound and a performance that’s already top-notch, you’re sure to be entertained. And you could always throw a beer bottle at them, for old time’s sake.” - Streetvibes

Sometimes split releases pair incongruous bands, but Mad Anthony and The Yellow Belts complement each other perfectly. Each band contributes a song to a 7? of rowdy rock’n'roll. The Yellow Belts’ hard-charging “War on Science” combines the four-on-the-floor urgency of Clutch with elements of the early ’00s rock revival, while Mad Anthony’s “Bear Attack” more directly draws from the Strokes/Hives/Vines rock sounds in songwriting style, guitar sound and overall mood. Both songs are pulled off with ferocity and fervor, making it a completely enjoyable 6:54. If you’re into rock, you’ll be into this. - Independent Clauses

A new release is among a young band’s best benchmarks, and Post Punk provocateurs Mad Anthony are in a celebratory mood with the imminent release of their excellent debut full-length on Phratry Records, I Spent All My Money on Speed Metal.

But even as Mad Anthony prepares to reveal Speed Metal at this Saturday’s release show at the Southgate House and gets ready for a string of hometown and regional dates this fall, there is a somber undercurrent.

With final tracking done and the mixing process beginning this past March, Mad Anthony was devastated by the news that their acclaimed drummer and dear friend Tony Bryant had taken his own life. It was a nearly insurmountable heart punch.

“There were times when we were like, ‘This is it, we get this record out, it’s done,’ ” Mad Anthony vocalist/guitarist Ringo Jones says over drinks at a Northside bar. “Initially, no one wanted to play. We hit bottom.”

“It was a surreal experience,” guitarist Adam Flaig concurs. “I’ve never experienced anything like it, and I hope I never do again.”

In the hours, days and weeks following Bryant’s funeral, Jones, Flaig and bassist Dave Markey dealt with conflicting and overwhelming emotions about the band’s future. Encouraged to continue by loyal fans and Bryant’s family, the trio ultimately realized that maintaining the band was the only logical way to honor Bryant. Speed Metal stands as a testament to the drummer’s powerful presence in Mad Anthony (he also drummed with The Strongest Proof) and to his enduring memory.

“Tony was just so dynamic,” Flaig says. “He was very strong with his hands; he hit his drums harder than anyone I’ve seen. He had a lot of close friends and they’re in our support group. There was a huge gathering of people that loved Tony and supported us no matter what. Even at his funeral, people came up to us and said, ‘We hope you guys continue on.’ ”

“And I think that’s the reason we did,” Jones says.

Speed Metal also happens to be a raucous and noisily melodic snapshot of Mad Anthony three years into the band’s evolution (not counting its first year as The Black Scabs). The album veers wildly from strength to strength — from the blistering opening volley of “Teeth” and the subtle Glam Cowboy Punk of “Uphill Both Ways” to the Stooges homage of “Soul” and the brilliant Post Punk explosion of “Rockets in the Yard.” Although the songwriting was largely done when Bryant joined (he helped write “Teeth,” “Naugahyde” and “They Don’t Look Like Us”), his impact on the album was enormous.

“When he started playing some of the songs we had written, it changed them completely,” says Jones. “A lot of that fell on Dave because he had to lock in with Tony.”

Just like Bryant approaching Mad Anthony to assist when the band’s previous drummer departed last year, The Host drummer Marc Sherlock offered his services after they’d worked with several fill-ins. With The Host on hiatus after guitarist Tim Kindberg’s departure, Sherlock looked to Mad Anthony to quell his creative restlessness.

“They gave me a tape and I stayed in my basement for a couple of weeks,” Sherlock says. “It’s a totally different style than I’m used to playing, a lot more upbeat and energetic. And going on the road has been a blast and a learning experience. These guys want to scream and yell in random cities and sleep in the van.”

Sherlock has already done a number of local dates and a good deal of regional touring with Mad Anthony and will continue in that capacity for the foreseeable future. While working around various work schedules, Mad Anthony seems poised for the next level, though they never take themselves or the business too seriously.

But the band is serious about making music, which is clear when Flaig talks about the band’s forced evolution, the number of drummers that have occupied the seat and Mad Anthony’s present course.

“When you start a band, you think you want to have the same four people the whole time and you have this picture in your mind of bands that you’ve watched growing up,” he says. “The way it’s turned out, it’s been rough, but we’ve been pretty lucky, considering the people we’ve played with and the shows we’ve played. If I could change it, I don’t think I would.”

Bryant’s tragic passing is the crucible that forged the strength of Speed Metal. As such, the band will never forget the path they’ve taken to this point.

“I wasn’t particularly thrilled with this record,” Jones says with surprising honesty. “But after Tony passed away, I had to go out to Vegas for a big convention and I was still pretty broken up and the songs took on a new meaning. All of a sudden, it was the best thing we’ve ever done. They start out as nothing and they turn into something. It blows my mind.” - City Beat

Mad Anthony
Cincinnati • Punk/Post Punk
Like the best Punk, Mad Anthony is so much more than just Punk. On their debut full-length, I Spent All My Money on Speed Metal, the Cincinnati quartet embraces Pop, Soul, Prog and Jazz in much the same way that a python embraces dinner — by squeezing it until the lights dim and then devouring it whole. Mad Anthony makes swinging, swaggering Punk that elbows up to the same bar as The Afghan Whigs, The Stooges, Jawbox and other uniquely-bent purveyors of volume, mayhem and adrenaline. The tumult they create is the soundtrack to a flaming, high-speed car chase using a six-string chainsaw.
Dig it: The music that Transformers would make if they learned how to play Punk Rock and their instruments were missile silos, ammunition dumps and seedy bars. (BB)
9 p.m. Thursday at Jack Potts Tavern - City Beat Midpoint Music Festival Guide

Then it was time to venture over to Jack Potts, a new tenant in the old Jefferson Hall location, a space I always really liked, to check out the maddest band in town, Mad Anthony. My love for these guys is no secret, and so we willingly abandon all hope of journalistic objectivity going forward. Mad Anthony in the studio is a pretty visceral entity, but Mad Anthony in front of an audience is like an indoor hurricane, like a scientific experiment where a volcano’s heat and energy is trapped in a containment unit and and then cracked open in a bar for entertainment purposes.

So what does Mad Anthony play exactly? From its volume and breakneck vigor, it’s Punk, pure and simple, but there is so much more at work here. Vocalist/guitarist Ringo Jones is like Iggy Pop channeling the spirit of Mississippi John Hurt in a Dead Boys tribute, screaming until the veins in his neck stand out like bridge cable under his skin. When Jones and guitarist/vocalist Adam Flaig start trading riffs, there’s a galloping rhythm that suggests Dave Alvin in his seminal Blasters days with a live power line down his trousers. And the rhythm section of power bassist Dave Markey and new drummer Marc Sherlock (taking over for the late, great Tony Bryant), who’s taking a busman’s holiday away from The Host (which is on hiatus while looking for a new guitarist), is thunder personified. The quartet ran through a goodly number of tracks from their new debut full-length, I Spent All My Money on Speed Metal, as well as a blistering, swinging cover of The Stooges’ “I Wanna Be Your Dog,” which Jones dedicated to me (he’s forgiven me for my Michigan heritage).

Last year they were packed like sardines in the Courtyard Cafe’s window, but they could stretch out on Jack Potts more professionally proportioned stage and stretch out they did. A brilliant set by any standard. If you see the name Mad Anthony on a telephone pole, get the information and get there. It will change you. - City Beat Music Blog

"Mad Anthony is one of the bands that deserves your attention" - Rich Shivener - CinWeekly

"Garage rock that transcends trashiness with some arena riffage"
- ROCTOBER MAGAZINE Issue 46 - ROCTOBER MAGAZINE Issue 46

"The orientation sits somewhere in the mid-space between garage and punk, slightly more pumped up than the former and more melodic and with more developed musicianship than the former often displays...The band displays a more sophisticated than usual sense of building melodies, and throwing in rhythm or tempo changes but without sounding like they’re trying to impress anyone"
- Eric Savage, JERSEY BEAT MAGAZINE - Jersey Beat Magazine

William Shakespeare once noted that a rose by any other name would smell as sweet, but the members of Mad Anthony would likely take issue. Guitarist/vocalist Ringo Jones, guitarist Adam Flaig and drummer Daniel "Deadly" Durick shed their previous bands two years ago and assembled as the Black Scabs. Response to the music was good, but reaction to the name was less positive.

"Everybody thought that was a terrible name," says Jones with a laugh. "All the girls hated it."

"It was just embarrassing when a girl would come up to you in a bar and say, 'What's your band's name?' and we'd be like, 'We're the Black Scabs,' and they'd go, 'Alright ... have a good night," says Durick. "It was like, 'Guys, we've got to change this name."

The opportunity came last summer when the band brought in new bassist Dave Markey, whose arrival signaled a shift in the band's sound as well as their perspective. Thus, Mad Anthony was born.

"When we were talking about names, we said something about Mad Anthony and everyone was like, 'No, no," says Jones. "I think it just eventually stuck. Nobody wanted it but it was better than the other names we came up with. The worst part of being in a band is naming it."

With the new bassist and new name came a fresh attitude about the band and its presentation. As Mad Anthony, the quartet started taking a closer look at their gig schedule and making adjustments accordingly.

"It was all about drinking then playing," says Durick. "Then we started to realize it that it should be about playing then drinking."

"We were never really serious about it, but Dave injected a more professional attitude into it," says Jones. "We were playing house parties and shitty clubs. The biggest part of it was we just started writing better music. I don't know if it was Dave or if we just finally hit something that felt right."

Having recorded demos as the Black Scabs for over a year to little effect, the right feeling with Mad Anthony resulted in a sound that suggested a jittery, psychedelicized New Wave spin on the Toadies, with flecks of the Misfits, Fugazi and Electric Six thrown in for color and texture. The turning point came when Mad Anthony got together with Ampline/thistle guitarist Mike Montgomery to record at Candyland Studio, coming away with a solid five-song demo that properly represented Mad Anthony's current sonic profile.

"We learned a lot from Mike -- he's a great producer and he knows what he's doing," says Jones. "We had no idea what we were doing, and Mike helped us out."

"It was actually fun in the studio with him," says Durick. "With the other guy, it was like, 'OK, that's good. Let's go.' And with Mike it was like, 'Hey, we didn't even know you were in here for six hours today.' Plus once we told people we were recording with Mike, more people were interested."

After that, Mad Anthony fell in with the Strongest Proof, playing shows in Lexington and Louisville, which aligned them with the audience they wanted to attract. The next step found them playing area shows with a lot of the bands on Jerry Dirr's Phratry label, which naturally led to a meeting with Dirr.

"Jerry was impressed," says Jones of Dirr's first exposure to the Candyland demo. "He'd come out to see us early on because we were making a little buzz as the Black Scabs -- we'd played a good show at Cincypunk (festival) or something -- then he came to see us on one of the nights when we were hammered and acting like morons, and he was like, 'Nevermind.' But we got reacquainted with him as Mad Anthony and he took us more seriously and said that we'd found our sound. I think there's truth to that, but we're still kind of scattered."

Within a week of hearing the demo, Dirr contacted the band with an offer to release the EP. Following last Friday's CD release show at the Gypsy Hut, Mad Anthony has nearly a solid month of weekend shows booked before Durick leaves for a monthlong excursion in Ecuador.

"It would be great to sell a lot of CDs, but the truth is we're playing with three bands that we love," says Jones. "I'm just a big fan of the Cincinnati scene right now." - CityBeat

"Local CD of the WeeK"
-Spill It: A Music Blog (June 18, 2008)

"MA’s screaming Garage Punk gets a Psychobilly injection courtesy of guitarist/singer Ringo Jones’ menacing vocals. Their recently released five-song EP is full of soulful, sexy tunes that demand sweat and booze." - Spill It: A Music Blog

"straight up punk rock, set to the beating of hard pounding drums and layers of guitar effects.

Making friendships along the way with guys like Mike Montgomery (Thistle, Ampline, Tiberius Records), Jerry Dirr (Knife the Symphony, Phratry Records), as well as bands like the Strongest Proof and Banderas, Mad Anthony now has the support and mindset to take the local music scene by storm. I guess you could even say they sound a bit like a storm. One big, mad storm."

- Adam Rosing CincyPunk.org

Cincinnati sits squarely in the heart of the rust belt, combining Northeastern attitudes with Midwestern sensibility in a fashion that's perhaps unlike anywhere else in the United States. The result of this mish-mash of attitudes and ideals is perhaps nowhere more visible than in Cincinnati’s arts scene, and in particular, the music scene. The mix and meld of style like Punk, Classic Rock and even Grunge is perhaps nowhere more vibrant and carries with it a pragmatic sensibility that you just don't find in cities like New York, Chicago or L.A. Mad Anthony has grown up in this particular Rock N Roll stew, and wears the result flavors well. Their debut release, a self-titled EP from 2008 simultaneously makes you want to dance while exploring the eternal conflict of human nature versus the higher self.

Vocalist/guitarist sounds like a cross between Jim Morrison and Cowboy Mouth's John Thomas Griffin and carries himself vocally with a confidence that never rises to a swagger but has substance throughout the disc. Mad Anthony opens with Strangest Dream and one of the more vibrant guitar licks you're likely to hear. The song is a fun bit of madness that will make you want to dance. The vocal line gets a bit messy with two vocalists at times who sing together but not quite together. Otherwise it’s a great song. Get You High is a gloriously mad Rock N Roll romp with serious drive without ever getting loud. Puget is about the struggle to be a better person, particularly as it applies to relationships. The song is intelligently written and conveys real relationship issues in a raucous Rock tune complete with Police-style chants. Hope Of The Consumption is an angry tune that shows its punk roots all the way back to The Clash. Listen to the guitar work here and you'll know exactly what I'm talking about. Mad Anthony closes out with July 24th, a vibrant punk rocker with some vaguely progressive tendencies. The resolution here is left a bit open, suggesting that the divergence of want and need, of good and evil, in mankind continues and may be examined again.

Mad Anthony sticks to their Lo-Fi, Garage sound throughout the 5 songs on Mad Anthony, driving listeners along in vaguely understated fashion (for Punk) to a highly danceable yet sociological conclusion. The hanging ending is a bit of genius, inviting the listener to come along and find out what comes next. Mad Anthony is good. We're game." - Wildy's World

Review of Mad Anthony's Midpoint Music Festival Performance

"Other local bands turning in quality sets included the Lions Rampant and Mad Anthony...Mad Anthony had no props, just loud, fast and fun rock ‘n’ roll of the post-punk variety. It was a sound too big for the Courtyard Café, and Mad Anthony seemed to know it. The band mercifully provided free earplugs to the listeners."

-Chris Varias, The Cincinnati Enquirer

&

"I hated to leave the LIO proceedings, but I had to motor over to the Courtyard Cafe to catch at least some of Mad Anthony’s set. How to describe the sonic blurt that is Mad Anthony? If some genius figured out a way to change an engine on an airplane in flight at 30,000 feet, Mad Anthony would be the mechanic on that kamakazi mission. If football was a street game where homemade weapons were allowed, Mad Anthony would be the drunken referee shrieking the game’s only rule of “Don’t die.” If a mad scientist gave a tornado a brain and it sucked up a garage full of instruments, Mad Anthony would be the music it made. If you shoved the Stooges, Afghan Whigs, Suicidal Tendencies and Jawbox into a post modern meat grinder, Mad Anthony would be the 10-inch sausage that emerged

Frontman Ringo Jones is a dervish, a man possessed bellowing out lyrics of rage and outrage with a barely tethered grip on sanity while slashing away at his guitar in an almost tribal frenzy. Guitarist Adam Flaig leaned against the Courtyard’s bulletin board and effortlessly peeled off leads that would make James Williamson green with envy, while manically stoic bassist Dave Markey and nuanced basher Tony Bryant provided the only possible rhythm section for this beautifully orchestrated Rock and Roll train wreck. You could almost feel the bolts in the Courtyard’s infrastructure bend and snap under the duress that Mad Anthony was inflicting on it

Jones was quick to note that they had free earplugs available. It was probably a good idea, but I chose to let the sound of Mad Anthony bleed straight into my skull pan, where it ran straight into the vibrations coming up from the floor. That’s where Mad Anthony lives, at the point of impact between sound and sensation. I don’t know if there’s a band in the city right now that approaches Mad Anthony’s live intensity. There aren’t many who would survive the attempt. See them whenever you can. And don’t forget your flak jacket."

-Brian Baker, CityBeat - The Cincinnati Enquirer & CityBeat

"It’s kinda cool, kinda ridiculous, and I’m into the deep, gruff vocals...you can tell these dudes like to have a good time and it shows in their music, so they get major points for that." - Razorcake