SONG: "Got A Backbeat"
ARTIST: American Steel
ALBUM: "Rogue's March"
YEAR: 1999
PLACE OF ORIGIN: Oakland, California
YEARS ACTIVE: 1995 - present
WHAT I THINK THE SONG IS ABOUT:
"Got A Backbeat" by American Steel, from their 1999 album "Rogue's March", is a song that resonates with themes of working-class struggle, emotional resilience, and the search for meaning amidst hardship.
AMERICAN STEEL DISCOGRAPHY (Full length albums only):
1998 - American Steel (New Disorder Records)
* Did not chart on the Billboard 200
1999 - Rogue's March (Lookout! Records)
* Did not chart on the Billboard 200
2001 - Jagged Thoughts (Lookout! Records)
* Did not chart on the Billboard 200
2007 - Destroy Their Future (Fat Wreck Chords)
* Did not chart on the Billboard 200
2009 - Dear Friends And Gentle Hearts (Fat Wreck Chords)
* Did not chart on the Billboard 200
MY THOUGHTS ON AMERICAN STEEL:
American Steel formed as a band back in 1995, hailing from Oakland, California. Getting their start in what was pretty much a hotbed of sorts for punk rock as bands like Green Day and Rancid were also from the same general area. The band released their debut album in 1998, titled "American Steel". That album helped garner them a deal with Lookout! Records who would go on to release the band's 1999 album, "Rogue's March" and their 2001 album "Jagged Thoughts". In 2002, the band would change their style, as well as their band name, to Communique. This lasted a few years till finally in 2007, the band returned to their punk rock roots and went back to being called American Steel. That year would also be the year that the band signed a deal with legendary punk label Fat Wreck Chords. Under Fat, the band released 2007's "Destroy Their Future" and 2009's "Dear Friends And Gentle Hearts", which would be the band's last full length album released to date. The band's most recent release was the single "State Of Grace" in 2018. American Steel is what I like to call a "gruffy" punk band! I think that's my own created genre but think bands like Hot Water Music or Reach The Sky. Bands which feature, not screaming vocals, but "gravelly", another term I think I made up! American Steel is pretty much an underground band. Maybe if they came out one or two years earlier, they would have maybe caught that initial wave of the mid-90's punk revival. As such, they were never one of the punk bands to stand out in the crowd, but they had their spot within the crowd. But if you are into bands like The Lawrence Arms or Dillinger Four, you'd most likely like the music of American Steel.
SIMILAR ARTISTS:
The Lawrence Arms
None More Black
Dead To Me
Dillinger Four
The Falcon
TEN AMERICAN STEEL SONGS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT:
1. Maria
2. Mean Streak
3. Got A Backbeat
4. State Of Grace
5. Hurtlin'
6. Shrapnel
7. Every New Morning
8. Should Have Died Young (Playing Rock And Roll)
9. Middle Of The Night
10. Your Ass Ain't Laughing Now
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