Sidekicks

Sam

tracks:

1. Hop On A Sea Cow and Manatee Up
2. I Burned The Crops
3. Bryant Gregst (Gets Nervous)
4. The Island

7in Out of Print

Sidekicks
MySpace

Story

After being in the ï¿½gameï¿½ for a while you get to know people from all over the place. These people tend to tour and come around New York but usually only for a night. Since I like these people immensely I do everything in my power to try to see them. Sometimes though you feel like you are about to die but you make it out anyway. Well, luckily for me I warded off death and was rewarded by catching a set by the Sidekicks. On a great bill their energy and passion stood out. After listening to their album over and over I reached out and asked them if they wanted to do something together. For some strange reason they agreed and Sam is the collective outcome of my good decision making and their poor decision making.

Reviews

Maximum Rock'n Roll #306 reviewed by Andy Darling

Great bursting melodic punk that immediately brings to mind WESTON and the GET UP KIDS. Upbeat, poppy anthems that are very well written any played. Apparently THE SIDEKICKS are from Cleveland, so if you live in Ohio, support them and don't let them go the way of THE GC5. These kids have this shit down pat. There's so much bad shit like this out there that the good shit gets swallowed up by the bad. Know what I'm saying? They also sound a lot like THE ARRIVALS...might even be better (sorry guys). Very good.

Punknews.org reviewed by Brian

The Sidekicks follow up their full-length of last year, So Long, Soggy Dog, with this four-song 7" for pop-punk aficionados Whoa Oh Records. Sam is another dedication to a beloved pet dog of the same name that passed on at one point or another. Though one of the only hints you had from the previous release was the title, a closeup of the seemingly lovable mutt's face with a drawn-on halo on the back cover here gives a face to the name. Sam leans a little bit more towards the reserved quasi-folk-punk side that bubbled up on Soggy Dog, with considerably smooth melodic edges that emphasize vocalist/guitarist Steve Smith's conversational narratives."You, you help me to defy most of my flawed logic," he says in opener "Hop on a Sea Cow & Manatee Up." "In the end, I hope your diligence makes a difference 'cause now all my lights burned out." Yet the band maintains a certain grit through the course of the 7", balancing themselves between, say, American Steel and the Riot Before. "Bryant Gregst (Gets Nervous)" provides a sweet picture of this, letting loose a rambunctious howl between prettier moments of restraint. Sam is a more-than-solid and sincere listen, making for a nice late-year entry that tempts you to carve out a spot for them in your Fest schedule.