"Owen" Cash Only Records COR 1387 (2008) 1 Let Go...
2 Kick Myself In The Head...
3 Radioactive Frailty...
4 Way to You
5 Silicone Mushroom
6 Soft Sides Hard Shapes
7 Monkey Robot
8 Graham & Liz
9 Quietly Loud...
10 At Home
11 Best Worst Mistake
12 Cold Meat Pie
13 Conflicted Farewell
produced by SMUG
"Just when you thought punk was dead and nothing good could come out of Los Angeles, SMUG shows up like a breath of fresh air to both a dying city and genre" - Fronteirs, London
Fronted by bassist/vocalist Bret Helm (P.i.L., Doc Tahri), this Los Angeles based band delivers edgy power punk pop songs that are both well crafted and soncially sculpted to ensure a dark, distorted and unsettling ride.
On 'Owen' (their sophmore release), Helm and partner Sean Daniel (drums, guitar, vibes) have taken a serious departure from their debut 'Freshly Stained'. What remains constant is Helm's unique apporach to bass coupled with his intropsective and thought provoking lyrics. However on 'Owen', the band and Helm (melodically speaking) takes more chances pushing the envelope further with massive amounts of low end, distortion and feedback making this gem of a record a truly unique, albeit uncomfortable ride.
"SMUG is like a Vitamin B shot to any record collection" - This really amazing lady named Trina
"Punk hasn't seen a character like Helm since its glory days of artists such as Jello Biafra and Johnny Lydon" -Whisperin & Hollerin, U.K.
SMUG "Freshly Stained" $10.00
SMUG - Freshly Stained Cash Only Records COR 0071 (2007)
1. Passin You Buy..
2. They Never Read The Book
3. Shoulda Wrote a Ballad..
4. Change
5. 3 States 6 Days 1200 Miles..
6. Those That Gave Them Their Name
7. Doubtful..
8. It's Me
9. Most Of All
produced by SMUG
"SMUG offers a welcome alternative to the corporate shlop heard on mainstream radio" - Daily News
blogs and blurbs from fans:
"SMUG is an aggressive American punk style band that can be best described as 'power-punk-pop-rock'. We should call it Progresso, the music that eats like a meal" - Jim F.
"SMUG sounds like a cross between the stylings of 'The Minutemen' and the pop sensibilities of the 'Foo Fighters' with a lot of other facets thrown in" - Joe R.
"the humor and no holds barred insights in the lyrics and music are very cool" - Laura D.
"they're fun!" - Jill P.
"Freshly Stained is like a Vitamin B shot to my CD collection. I like what it says and I love how it sounds. If there was ever a CD made to fill a vast void in music, this is it" - Trina S.
Self described as an edgy power trio that delivers quirky pop songs, L.A. based SMUG does just that and more on their debut album, "Freshly Stained". This is a fun ride of a record with witty lyrics over a myriad of musical textures. Add to the mix a total running time of under forty minutes and you have a record that both invites and rewards multiple listening. There is a spunky yet punkish attitude pervasive throughout that will leave you smiling. The roller coaster pacing which alternates between 'slow' and 'fast' propels the listener happily along, or not. From the rocking opener "Passin' You By"..(Got two tickets to the Friday night show / I called you but you said you couldn't go / I turned around and I called you again / Hey, give me the number of one of your good looking freinds..) to the head bobbing "It's Me"..(I've got something that you want / It's me..) it's hard to believe that there are only three guys making all this racket.
SMUG "Appetizer" $5.00
SMUG - Appetizer ASP-0001 (2005)
1 3 States, 6 Days, 1,200 Miles..
2 Shoulda' Wrote A Ballad
3 Those That Gave Them Their Name..
4 Such History
5 Doubtful (live)..
produced by SMUG
total running time 20:40
After playing together as a unit twice, Rick Musalam (guitar/vocals), Bret Helm (bass/vocals) and drummer Sean Daniel decided to go into a recording studio to capture the immediacy of their time together. Here is where SMUG was created. The plan, simple..three days at a 16 track 2 inch analog recording studio for $1,000.00 to walk with four finished songs. Well, they almost achieved their goal, falling short by the fourth song which is only partially represented here in an instrumental version. Add a live version of 'Doubtful' from the first SMUG show and you end up with the bands very first recorded material. Four of these songs would end up on their debut album, "Freshly Stained" with various adjustments, changes, different tempos, etc. made to the initial versions found here. For collectors and fans who like to say, "I was there when.." 'Appetizer' is a great place to start.
