Let’s face it: lots of bands sound like the Ramones. Few of them actually have a good reason for doing so, beyond that fab foursome’s undeniably catchy appeal.  Norfolk’s The Rats, however, have a perfectly sensible one: they started out as a Ramones tribute band. Bassist Jeff Lamano answered an ad posted by guitarist Eric Nester (formerly of Left Wing Facists) in 2006, but when they couldn’t find a singer to be their Joey Ramone, they started writing their own tunes and haven’t looked back.

Despite their origins, The Rats’ sound owes more to classic arena rock and the ’70s glam that initially inspired the Ramones, but funneled through straightforward punk rock execution. Their songs bear the classic structure and style of many bands before them across every subgenre of rock imaginable, blending them into a slurry of punk crass, glam sneer and 4/4, guitar-guitar-bass-drums rock dependability. They’re a little too polished to be properly called punk, but they’ve sure got attitude to spare.

The Crueligans, a Charlottesville punk trio, are rocking a much dirtier, rawer sound, with crunching, fuzzed out guitar and a distinct lack of solos. They’ve got that haphazard, don’t-give-an-f-bomb approach to playing, while managing to hold down enough of a melody to stop it from just being noise. Any band that lists Radio Birdman as an influence knows their stuff as far as I’m concerned.
Bringing a slight change-up to the line-up is Two Tone Tony & the Carburetor Cats, a rockabilly act out of Maryland. The band that claims to have been deemed “too traditional” by psychobilly acts and “too psycho” by rockabilly acts straddles the line somewhere in the middle, actually reminding me somewhat of the Red Elvises – minus the Russian accents.

All three bands are playing at The Triple on April 11 at 9pm. Warning: not for the faint of heart. 

UPCOMING EVENTS
What: The Rats
With: The Cruelagins and
Two Tone Tony & the Carburetor Cats
When: Saturday, April 11, 9pm
Where: The Triple
3306 W. Broad St.

WEB | http://www.myspace.com/thenorfolkrats | http://www.myspace.com/triplerva

Thanks Sarah! We hope to see you soon!

-Hank
Two Tone Tony and The Carburator Cats

Sarah,
Thanks for the great write up.

ClayC
the Crueligans