TEENAGE BOTTLEROCKET - THEY CAME FROM THE SHADOWS

11/6/2009 By Keith Carman

Wyoming pop punk rockers Teenage Bottlerocket have made one of their own idols eat his words. And they love it.

Following the release of the band's Fat Wreck Chords debut and fourth album overall, They Came From the Shadows, former Ramones skins man Marky Ramone had to admit that, while not exactly adoring the group upon first listen, he is now onside.

“Originally Marky was not a fan of us,” Teenage Bottlerocket guitarist/vocalist Ray Carlisle recently beamed to Exclaim! “The first time he played our song 'Skate or Die,' on his radio show, apparently he kinda trash-talked it. Now he's playing it more often and he says he's come around on us. I didn't hear it firsthand at the time though. A friend called to say he played our song on his show and had some bad things to say. I can't quote verbatim but basically he said he's not into it. Now he admits he's come around and he's into it.”

Strange that Ramone (born Marc Bell) would pick on TBR, as they commonly abbreviate themselves. Not only were the Ramones victims of outright slagging by radio announcers at their onset in the mid-1970s — before Bell was a part of the band at that — but those same detractors eventually recanted once they started to understand the Ramones.

In other words, history has repeated itself with Ramone conceding a judgement error in the same manner those New York DJs were forced to do. He's admitted fault, going so far as to bring TBR onto his show for a face-to-face chat. Naturally, though, he couldn't help but needle them about his part in establishing their sound.

“Marky Ramone asked me how the Ramones influenced our music,” Carlisle laughs. “They did it by playing great, simple rock'n'roll we can relate to with our songwriting. As far as getting into punk rock by hearing the Ramones, that didn't happen. When I was 15, I heard Green Day. That got me into the Lookout! Records catalogue, then I got into the Fat Wreck Chords catalogue and listened to as much as possible. I discovered the Ramones after Green Day but no one's born with a mohawk.”

Disputes and apologies aside, with even a fleeting listening to They Came From the Shadows, it's clear these guys aren't just another mindless pop punk act. They get what the Ramones are about, but actually strive to move beyond that comparison and be defined on their own terms.

“A lot of people are comfortable with pegging us as a Ramones-core band,” Carlisle says. “We admire the Ramones and take it as a compliment. We can relate to it but we're so much more than that. We're not confined to write that kind of song, though. We're free to do whatever the hell we want. We've always embraced it. It's just that at this point, we want to move past it.”

The new TEENAGE BOTTLEROCKET full length is finally out! They Came From The Shadows can be purchased via cd, vinyl or iTunes by clicking here. While supplies last you can still procure the t-shirt combo by clicking here. Check out what TBR had to say:

Hey everyone! We have a lot of things going on right now! First, our new record “They Came From the Shadows” is out today on Fat Wreck Chords! We’ve also made a video for the first track off of that record, “Skate or Die!!” You can check out the video here! We shot the video over a weekend of good times in our hometown of Laramie Wyoming, hope you like it! Also we’ve uploaded an album of pictures from our recent trip to Japan, check those out here!! AOL Spinner is streaming the new record here!! We have a full US tour coming up next month with the Cobra Skulls!! That tour includes dates with Joey Cape, John Snodgrass, Head, Broadway Calls, Teen Idols, The Dead Milkmen and west coast dates with the Lawrence Arms!!! So check out the video, see some pics from Japan and come see us on the upcoming tour!!! Stokage! TBR

See them live:

10/08/09 Englewood, CO at Moe’s
10/09/09 Kansas City, MO at Record Bar
10/10/09 Chicago, IL at Metro Riot Fest
10/12/09 Louisville, KY at Skull Alley
10/13/09 Atlanta, GA at Masquerade- Hell (down)
10/14/09 Tampa, FL at Orpheum W/ Cobra Skulls
10/15/09 West Palm Beach, FL at Respectable St.
10/16/09 Orlando, FL at Back Booth
10/17/09 Gainesville, FL at The Atlantic Night Spot
10/19/09 Virginia Beach, VA at The Clubhouse
10/20/09 Richmond , VA at Nara Sushi
10/21/09 Baltimore, MD at Otto Bar
10/22/09 Philadelphia, PA at The Barbary
10/23/09 Brooklyn, NY at Europa Night Club CMJ
10/24/09 Long Branch, NJ at Brighton Bar
10/25/09 Cambridge, MA at Middle East Upstairs
10/26/09 Albany, NY at Valentines – Downstairs 120
10/27/09 Toronto, Canada at Kathedral
10/28/09 Pittsburgh, PA at Garfield Artworks
10/29/09 Cleveland, OH at Beachland Ballroom
10/30/09 Grand Rapids, MI at Mixtape
11/01/09 St. Louis, MO at Cicero’s
11/02/09 Oklahoma City, OK at The Conservatory
11/04/09 Las Cruces, NM at Code Red Cafe
11/05/09 Tempe, AZ at The Sets
11/06/09 San Diego, CA at The Casbah
11/07/09 West Hollywood, CA at Troubadour
11/08/09 Anaheim, CA at Chain Reaction
11/09/09 San Luis Obispo, CA at Downtown Brew
11/11/09 San Francisco, CA at Bottom of the Hill
11/12/09 San Francisco, CA at Bottom of the Hill
11/13/09 Portland, OR at Satyricon
11/14/09 Seattle, WA at El Corazon
11/15/09 Vancouver, Canada at Red Room
11/16/09 Spokane, WA at Cretin Hop
11/17/09 Missoula, MT at The Badlander
11/18/09 Sheridan, WY at Scotty’s Skate Castle

TEENAGE BOTTLEROCKET :: SKATE OR DIE