Regardless of if you’re an avid music fan or just listen to whatever is on, I feel like everyone has a moment where they hear something so good they have to investigate. Over time that band becomes “theirs” and can change the way you feel about music, your own life, or even the world in general. Something just aligns in the universe making you and this artist click. It can be like their music was what you were waiting for all this time.
For me, that band would be The Bouncing Souls. They’re a four piece punk band that started in 1989 in New Brunswick, New Jersey. When I was in 7th and 8th grade, I was really consumed by the more popularly known US punk bands like Rancid, NoFX and Alkaline Trio, but I have an older cousin, Jay, who used to listen to all of those bands plus many, many more when he was a teenager. He would make fun of my lack of knowledge and we’d argue over if a band were washed up or not. Since he proclaimed himself my “older and wiser” cousin, he decided it was his duty to show me other artists. After that whenever we had a family party for the 4th of July or Christmas, he would always come up to me with a huge stack of CDs.
A few years down the road, this tradition kept happening: going to parties and getting a stack but now I could drive so I’d leave the stack in my car. When I was driving to my Dad’s house or out with friends I would put them on. Eventually I got to The Bouncing Souls’ “Maniacal Laughter” and I remembered how Jay had told me, “If you don’t like that CD, you’re hopeless.”
I remember listening to the first song, “Lamar Vannoy” and immediately pressing the back button to listen to it again… and again, and again, and again. It’s just so quick paced, and loud that it got my attention right away. Greg Attonito, the lead singer, has a voice that I could can listen to all day. After getting through the entire CD, I called Jay and told him I would be needing everything the Bouncing Souls have ever put out ASAP.
Eventually, I collected all of their CDs and each song was just as good as the first one I heard. I fell in love with their lyrics, ranging from their crazier ones (“You’re so rad. If you were a fabric you’d be plaid because everybody knows that plaid is so rad. I think about you and I go m-m-m-m-mad”) to the more meaningful ones (“I’ve met some people along the way. Some of them split, some of them stayed… For good or bad, I’ve loved them all”) and everything in between. I felt like Greg Attonito knew exactly what I was trying to say about my life in all aspects... friends, growing up, and how much I appreciated bands like their own. Attonito provided the lyrics and the other three: Pete, Bryan and Michael provided the perfect fast, loud environment those lyrics needed to make their grand appearance.
Since then, I’ve seen the band live at least three times, and have kept up with everything they have been releasing. Last year they celebrated their 20th anniversary with a tour and put out a new song every month of the year. They have slowed down over the years (musically and touring-wise) but they still have the same meaning to me. Regardless of how my music tastes vary over time, The Bouncing Souls are always going to be “my” band.
Here’s a YouTube video of the song “Lamar Vannoy” if you’re interested:
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