GODDAMMITBOYHOWDY …is REZ punk

These Browning boys are something special because they’re something different. They have experiences that a lot of angry white kids don’t have. Goddammitboyhowdy’s brand of punk simultaneously embraces and disregards the “outsiderness” of coming from the reservation. The Blackfeet rez is a slice of Northern Montana overshadowed and underpaid by the East entrance of Glacier National Park. These Rez kids have the energy of the snowmelt coming off Logan Pass and their music will maul your face in Night of the Grizzly style. I love their style of authentic punk music that has something real to say.

But I don’t want their unique native background to overshadow the quality of their music. These guys are awesome musicians first. Their new 7” GDBH IS REZ PUNK is a great press and includes a cd of even more tracks put out under Marty’s label Minor Bird Records. It’s a piece of art, with a hand printed sleeve of the Blackfeet Nation’s seal. Their other release is super-punk packaged in a brown-bag that ironically draws attention to the other, more problematic, item wrapped in a brown bag.

GDBH’s popularity is growing. A friend of mine visiting from Olympia picked up their disc after he saw a Goddammitboyhowdy patch stitched to some Oly punk’s obligatory hoody. Will this music spark a new generation of the American Indian or inspire other AIM wannabes? I don’t know. I do know (or I may be projecting here) that the energy of their live shows can stoke a revolutionary flame or make you wish you were a native too.

Check out this video, can you feel it?

SAY 'YES' TO BIRD'S MILE HOME
Unless you've been living under a rock for the past few years, you've probably gotten the opportunity to have had Missoula's own Bird's Mile Home send you on your way completely worn out and unable to get their damn songs out of your head no matter how many times you hum them. What can't this band do? From getting a hall full of seniors shakin' their butts on the dance floor to whipping the kids into a fury with Circle Jerks covers and thrashing originals, these guys bring to mind the best elements of the Minutemen, Fifteen, hell even the Boss. The semi-recent addition of cellist Genevieve Smith completes the picture by perfectly fleshing out the songs and adding a hint of melody to the addictingly gruff delievery of Bird's Mile Home's rolickin' jams.

With lyrics that tell a rollercoaster ride of a story - goddamn I'm a sucker for this kind of stuff - and songs that make it nearly impossible to pinpoint their sound (folk? punk? weird?), Bird's Mile Home's recently released debut LP on local upstart Minor Bird Records (Total Organizer Marty Hill, yes!) sets the bar for Missoula's underground music scene. Don't sit on this - get a head start by picking up the record now and learn the songs so you too can impress your friends by finger-pointing at all the right places and adding your own drunken rendition to the songs' chorus.