by Wheaton Hop
Yup, here we go. This is only my 4th installment and I’m already going with yet another 2019 set from Punk Rock Raduno. What can I say? They’ve got a great thing going on over there and I’d be silly to let this go without a mention so let’s jump into Eggs Alive! In Italy from Canada’s McRackins. It just so happens that it was also the band’s 25th anniversary and about a decade since last playing live, making it all the more special.
If you listened to the last episode of the Dummy Room Podcast, you heard what a long, nightmarish trek it was for the guys to get from Canada to Italy in one piece. Exhaustion and lost instruments were no match for McRackins who landed, albeit late, to the welcoming arms and ears of their friends and fans and managed to dish up a kickass set that, lucky for us, was put to tape. It’s a clean, tight, rich production that I had a great time with and, no doubt, you will too.
These Cluckleheads have been delivering the goods for decades and this set is full of classics you already know and love and, if you’re anything like me, never get tired of listening. Mickey And Mallory, Candy, Pollyanna, We Like To Make Records… (and Spot gets some, ahem, spotlight with That’s It.) The hits are all there, as familiar and energetic as you’d expect. Fil even gets his live vocal debut.
They race into the set with Shut Your Mouth, a drum driven, fast paced number and, from there, treat us to 15 more tracks showcasing slick guitars, rolling, hard hitting drums, and gritty vocals that set the stage for what I can only describe as arena worthy. Let’s face it, these guys deserve, and have earned, playing to packed arenas. Top to bottom, this is a frenzy of Rock N Roll Eggitude.
This release is, quite literally, a global collaboration on a scale never before seen and available on all formats including LP (7 variants), CD, cassette, and yes, 8 track. I did not stutter… 8. Track.
Even if you got to see this set live (lucky bastards), relive the party and grab a copy from these fine outfits (there are several so I apologize if my scrambled brain left anyone out). Release date is June 4th from Punk Rock Raduno, Mom’s Basement Records, Monster Zero, Endless Detention Records, Hey Pizza!, Council-Pop, Little Lost Girl Media for 8 track, Memorable But Not Honorable for cassettes. Word is Eggs Alive! In Italy is selling out like hotcakes so get on it or get poached.
– Wheaton Hop
