Jason Tate
02/15/05, 12:20 PM
Veteran California punk outfit Pennywise will reissue four of its classic albums through Epitaph Records on March 8th 2005. The group’s beloved 1991 label debut Pennywise, 1993’s scorching Unknown Road, 1995’s explosive, inspirational About Time, and 1997’s emotional and pivotal Full Circle have all been fully re-mastered and will boast expanded artwork.
With these reissues, fans of Pennywise -- one of the most revered and longstanding bands in the punk rock scene -- will now be able to hear these landmark records as originally intended due to drastic technological improvements since these recordings were originally converted from analog to digital for CD production in the 1990s.
In addition to housing many of the group’s timeless tunes, including live favorites like “Rules,” “Homeless” and the original version of “Bro Hymn,” the newly re-mastered Pennywise appends the previously unreleased track “Psycho 89”. Meanwhile, Unknown Road, viewed by many as the quintessential So Cal hardcore record of the ‘90s, brings the outfit’s independent, uplifting outlook to classic tracks like “Homesick,” the title track, “You Can Demand” and “It’s Up To Me.”
Augmenting the punk rock explosion of 1995, About Time detonates with sonic social observations like “Perfect People” and “Same Old Story”, plus positive, powerful assaults like “Try” and “Every Single Day”. Perhaps most notable of all is the emotionally-fueled Full Circle, which finds the band coming together to cope with the tragic death of co-founding bassist Jason Thirsk through inspired tracks like “Fight Til You Die”, “Society” and a stirring reworking of “Bro Hymn.”
Formed in 1988 by vocalist Jim Lindberg, guitarist Fletcher Dragge, bassist Thirsk and drummer Byron McMackin, Pennywise inked with Epitaph for its heralded 1991 album. In defiance of the grunge movement of the time, the disc helped to define the emerging West Coast punk scene. Remarkably, 1993's Unknown Road sold a few hundred thousand copies and – not surprisingly – at the height of the punk resurgence of 1994 the major labels came calling. But Pennywise elected to stay put and released another Epitaph smash with ‘95’s About Time. When the devastating loss of Thirsk the next year put the future of the collective in serious doubt, they rallied and regrouped with new bassist Randy Bradbury for Full Circle.
The popularity of Pennywise continued to swell in recent years, with 1999's Straight Ahead, a subsequent 2000 concert album Live at the Key Club and the band’s critically lauded 2001 disc Land of the Free? An ensuing tour was highlighted by a sell-out gig at the 14,000-seat Long Beach Arena and while Pennywise took a year off for introspection, the group reemerged stronger than ever in 2003 as evidenced by the glowing accolades From The Ashes received.
As Pennywise fans celebrate these long-overdue reissues, the band continues to look toward the future and is currently at work on its highly-anticipated eighth studio album with eyes on a late 2005 release.
With these reissues, fans of Pennywise -- one of the most revered and longstanding bands in the punk rock scene -- will now be able to hear these landmark records as originally intended due to drastic technological improvements since these recordings were originally converted from analog to digital for CD production in the 1990s.
In addition to housing many of the group’s timeless tunes, including live favorites like “Rules,” “Homeless” and the original version of “Bro Hymn,” the newly re-mastered Pennywise appends the previously unreleased track “Psycho 89”. Meanwhile, Unknown Road, viewed by many as the quintessential So Cal hardcore record of the ‘90s, brings the outfit’s independent, uplifting outlook to classic tracks like “Homesick,” the title track, “You Can Demand” and “It’s Up To Me.”
Augmenting the punk rock explosion of 1995, About Time detonates with sonic social observations like “Perfect People” and “Same Old Story”, plus positive, powerful assaults like “Try” and “Every Single Day”. Perhaps most notable of all is the emotionally-fueled Full Circle, which finds the band coming together to cope with the tragic death of co-founding bassist Jason Thirsk through inspired tracks like “Fight Til You Die”, “Society” and a stirring reworking of “Bro Hymn.”
Formed in 1988 by vocalist Jim Lindberg, guitarist Fletcher Dragge, bassist Thirsk and drummer Byron McMackin, Pennywise inked with Epitaph for its heralded 1991 album. In defiance of the grunge movement of the time, the disc helped to define the emerging West Coast punk scene. Remarkably, 1993's Unknown Road sold a few hundred thousand copies and – not surprisingly – at the height of the punk resurgence of 1994 the major labels came calling. But Pennywise elected to stay put and released another Epitaph smash with ‘95’s About Time. When the devastating loss of Thirsk the next year put the future of the collective in serious doubt, they rallied and regrouped with new bassist Randy Bradbury for Full Circle.
The popularity of Pennywise continued to swell in recent years, with 1999's Straight Ahead, a subsequent 2000 concert album Live at the Key Club and the band’s critically lauded 2001 disc Land of the Free? An ensuing tour was highlighted by a sell-out gig at the 14,000-seat Long Beach Arena and while Pennywise took a year off for introspection, the group reemerged stronger than ever in 2003 as evidenced by the glowing accolades From The Ashes received.
As Pennywise fans celebrate these long-overdue reissues, the band continues to look toward the future and is currently at work on its highly-anticipated eighth studio album with eyes on a late 2005 release.