The Okmoniks and Nobunny just headed out on tour this month and are making their way through the Midwest this weekend stopping tonight in Chicago at the Empty Bottle, and in Milwaukee on Saturday at Franks Power Plant. As their tour van, which is probably one of the funnest places on Earth, rolls down the tarred surface of the US interstate highway system, they will spread their collective gospel of acrid bubblegum pop to the hungry masses aching for a reason to crack open a beer. Both bands armed with new albums, and their shared enthusiasm for bring out the party, will certainly make for some of the most memorable shows of the summer.
Hailing from Tuscon, Arizona, the Okmoniks have been blasting their organ fete since 2002 and released a handful of singles over the years, all to high acclaim. The recently released full length, "Party Fever" came out this spring on Slovenly Records and lives up to the anticipation left by the preceding records quite well. The contagiousness of their full-bore brand of fun-loving rock'n'roll hedonism is apparent on their album, and hardly slows down for a breather as the summer hits roll out, track after track. As a band known for their high energy, the Okmoniks fervor translates as well on record as it does live, and their shows are guaranteed to turn any sedated audience into a toga-donning, beer-soaked party machine!
The drummer for the Okmoniks, Justine Champlin is quickly becoming known for being attached to the most recognizable nutsack in underground music. His work with the Sneaky Pinks and Nobunny have certainly perpetuated the recent rise of grubby bubblegum we're all knee deep in recently. Nobunny is certainly on the right track updating the formula left by the founding fathers, GG Allin and of course the Ramones. He incorporates infectious and intoxicating pop songs with lyrical content that exude the sort of idiotic brilliance that turns everyone into the life of the party. He proves so on his debut album "Love Visions," out on Bubbledumb Records, as he stuffs pop sentiment in a brown paper bag and leaves it ablaze on the doorstep of modern underground music.
In Chicago, A/V Murder, the dangerous new troupe centered around Jim McCann, open the show along with The Yolks. In Milwaukee on Saturday the long-missed Romance Novels emerge for an opening slot with Eric & the Happy Thoughts who also have an album due out on Bubbledumb Records this summer.
And check out Nobunny's "Boneyard" video crafted by Owen Cook, right here...
