In the world of music it's quite common for musical styles and fads to blow up and fade away, but one thing remains constant, honest, heartfelt quality rock and roll has been driving American music for many, many years. Bands come and go but from time to time we find one that effortlessly marks their territory within this realm of real authentic American music by blending their current and past influences in such a way as to make something new and fresh while at the same time remaining true to their roots. The Filthy 42s have taken a few pages from the history of rock and roll, and written for themselves a unique sound that effortlessly blends many sounds and styles from Garage, Punk, Rock 'N' Roll, to Power Pop and Indie Rock.
Mixing elements of 80's California punk rock (Social Distortion, Descendents, Operation Ivy) with the 60's British Invasion R&R (The Kinks, The Who, The Rolling Stones) and elements (and influences) of historic bands/ artists such as The Clash, Bruce Springsteen, The Jam, Madness (w/o the ska), The Velvet Underground. The Filthy 42s are infectious. You can even hear some influences of more modern retro-rock staples such as The Hives, The White Stripes and the Strokes from time to time in the 42s set, which collectively is sure to convert even the skeptic.
Hailing from the sleepy south New Jersey town of Elmer, THE FILTHY 42s comprised originally of two sets of brothers (Chris & Andy Darby, and Curtis & Keith Elliott), and calling themselves 'The Strangers' until finding out the name was legally taken and changing their name to The Filthy 42s. The members of The Filthy 42s have been playing together in one way or another for many years, and one listen to their debut album "Positively South Jersey" even the novice can tell these guys know how to play both individually and collectively. Shortly after their debut was released, Keith left the band to pursue his prog-rock project 'Athem'. The 42s wasted no time, they quickly picked up longtime friend Mick (on Guitar) to fill out the lineup and to head out on their first full two month US tour in the Fall of 2007.
In Reality, The Filthy 42s have only just begun, and only time will tell where these young guys go. but one thing's for sure, they'll go there with style!
* Promo Excerpt from Boot to Head Records
REVIEWS
"The 42's embody that same [classic punk] spirit and sound, taking a lot of influence from old time rock'n'roll, ala Elvis Presley and Chuck Berry. Also, [influences] like the 101'ers [Joe Strummers pre-CLASH band] the garage rock bands and mod rockers, like The Who and The Kinks, are obvious influences. The final product is something that combines these elements with west coast bands like Social Distortion and The Descendents/All to create a danceable, high energy brand of punk rock. this one is. likely to enter my steady rotation, because it’s very much my pace. Punk rock forever! 3.5 out of 5 stars." - Justin Harlan (www.nerdlives.com)
". British Invasion sounds merge with this band's catchy current round of power pop punk." - (www.punkglobe.com)
"With all the buzz about bands coming out of New Jersey these days, The Filthy 42’s slide [in just] under the radar. influenced by the likes of Social Distortion, Rancid and Operation Ivy. The spirit of ’77 seems to be back, and it will be the Filthy 42’s to lead the way." Noah W.K. (www.jerseybeat.com)
“This New Jersey band… pound out the old school sing-along punk ditties with a reckless abandon that never lets loose of the tightness they achieve as musicians. Fans of old-school punk as old as Social Distortion or as new as Children 18:3 should love these fun-loving guys, too… With these infectious hoooks, I bet these guys could rip a bandage off a fresh wound and make it sound like a "whoa-oh" time of great fun.” HM Magazine - Doug Van Pelt
“… The Filthy 42's supply you with 16 tracks of Indie-Rockish influenced Punk that is melodic and on the whole a decent listen. Kind of early Punk with hints of some of the rawer, newer Indie Rock type bands (one track really reminded me of The Hives)… there's a whole array of influences in their music (another track reminded me a lot of 60's bands like the Kinks) and the Filthy 42's bring 'em together well. Worth checking out." - Sean - Oi! Warning fanzine (UK)
"Catchy punk tunes with some rock 'n' roll overtones… My favorite track was "Just One More Week," which was more on the rock 'n' roll side. Overall, the songs aren't bad. There's some nifty lead guitar work in there, and I even liked the ballad." (RK) Maximum Rock and Roll
