Fat Wreck Chords

Johnny Peebucks - Vocals
Darius Koski - Guitar, Vocals, Accordian
Spike - Bass & Vocals
Greg - Drums

San Francisco’s biggest and best punk band, the Swingin’ Utters, have returned to set the scene aright with two powerful releases: their latest studio full length, Dead Flowers, Bottles, Bluegrass, and Bones, and their even more recent live album for Fat’s Live In A Dive series. Where other bands have made a mockery of street punk with their corny gimmicks and posturing, the Utters deliver music brimming with the passion and desperation the genre is known for.

It all started for the Utters back in 1995 with their first full length The Streets of San Francisco, which was released to critical acclaim. As a result, the band received two Bammy’s (Bay Area Music Awards), one of which for best debut album. Their success caught the attention of many others as they were then invited to join the first Warped Tour and later went on to tour with fellow Bay Area punkers, Rancid.

We here at Fat Wreck Chords snatched the Utters up in 1996 in time to release a classic punk record in A Juvenile Product of the Working Class. Considered by many as one of the best punk records of the 90’s, Juvenile Product marked the Utters as the premiere punk outfit from SF. The release of this album sent the Utters into a touring frenzy as they toured the U.S. and Europe for nearly a full year with bands like the Mighty Mighty Bosstones, NOFX, and Social Distortion.

Since then, the Utters have put out some glorious material. Two full lengths: Five Lessons Learned and a self-titled record in late 2000; and two EPs: Sounds Wrong and Brazen Head. Years of hard work and quality releases have firmly established them at the top of the Oi/streetpunk scene and garnered them much respect from their peers, touring nationally with The Dropkick Murphys and The Damned. They’ve even further bolstered their lineup by adding Spike from Me First and the Gimme Gimmes to give them yet another vocalist.

Throughout all these great tours and great records the band has stayed true to their working class ethic and proletariat roots by maintaining their blue-collar day jobs. Other bands pretend to sing about the plight of the working man, the Utters live it six days a week. Chief songwriters Darius and Johnny both have families to support and both work unglamorous day jobs. While Darius makes a living as a truck driver, Johnny works backbreaking hours in the Cinderblock warehouse.

Despite all the adversity and despair that is inherent to a working punk band, you won’t hear a muttered word of regret or resentment from the Swingin’ Utters. Never have they wavered from the righteous road of punk rock and never have they accepted offers from the abomination that is the corporate rock machine. With this latest (and arguably greatest) record, it’s clear that the Utters’ time is now. Dead Flowers, Bottles, Bluegrass, and Bones is a breakthrough record made up of guts, Guinness, guitars, and accordions.

Their latest release makes up the sixth volume in Fat Wreck Chords’ Live In A Dive series that boasts other participants like No Use For A Name and Subhumans. The 23-song CD not only showcases all of the Utters’ hits captured at a sold-out show, but it also comes on an enhanced CD with live footage and interviews. It’s a perfect introduction for new fans, or a consummate release for streetpunks. Oi!