SONG: "Pills & Smoke"
ARTIST: Swingin' Utters
ALBUM: "Swingin' Utters"
YEAR: 2000
PLACE OF ORIGIN: Santa Cruz, California
YEARS ACTIVE: 1987 - present
WHAT I THINK THE SONG IS ABOUT:
"Pills & Smoke" appears to be a song about going out and making it on your own. The vocalist knew at 18 years old that he had to set his own path on his own. And though the years were filled with booze, drugs and lots of teenage angst, he seems to have come out of it with his ideals and his soul intact.
SWINGIN' UTTERS DISCOGRAPHY (Full length albums only):
1992 - Scared (Quality Of Life Records)
* did not chart on the Billboard 200
1995 - The Streets Of San Francisco (New Red Archives Records)
* did not chart on the Billboard 200
1996 - More Scared: The House Of Faith Years (SideOneDummy Records)
* did not chart on the Billboard 200
1996 - A Juvenile Product Of The Working Class (Fat Wreck Chords)
* did not chart on the Billboard 200
1998 - Five Lessons Learned (Fat Wreck Chords)
* did not chart on the Billboard 200
2000 - Swingin' Utters (Fat Wreck Chords)
* did not chart on the Billboard 200
2003 - Dead Flowers, Bottles, Bluegrass And Bones (Fat Wreck Chords)
* did not chart on the Billboard 200
2004 - Live In A Dive (Fat Wreck Chords)
* did not chart on the Billboard 200
2008 - Hatest Grits: B-Sides And Bullshit (Fat Wreck Chords)
* did not chart on the Billboard 200
2011 - Here, Under Protest (Fat Wreck Chords)
* did not chart on the Billboard 200
2013 - Poorly Formed (Fat Wreck Chords)
* did not chart on the Billboard 200
2014 - Fistful Of Hollow (Fat Wreck Chords)
* did not chart on the Billboard 200
2018 - Peace And Love (Fat Wreck Chords)
* did not chart on the Billboard 200
MY THOUGHTS ON SWINGIN' UTTERS:
The Swingin' Utters formed as a band back in 1987, hailing from Santa Cruz, California. The band was originally called Johnny Peebucks and the Swingin' Utters. Johnny "Peebucks" Bonnel is the lead singer of the band. By 1994, after some releases, the band changed their name to Swingin' Utters. Many believe their 1995 release, "The Streets Of San Francisco", to be their proper debut. In 1996, the band joined Fat Mike's (NOFX) label, Fat Wreck Chords, where the band has remained to the present day. The band pumped out 4 albums in 7 years from 1996 to 2003. These were 1996's "A Juvenile Product Of The Working Class", 1998's "Five Lessons Learned", 2000's "Swingin' Utters" and 2003's "Dead Flowers, Bottles, Bluegrass And Bones". Though a live album was released in 2004, the band went on pretty much a 7 year hiatus at this point. Luckily for fans of the band, the boys got back together in 2010 and in 2011, they released "Here, Under Protest". This began another streak of 4 albums in 7 years, rounding it out with 2013's "Poorly Formed", 2014's "Fistful Of Hollow" and 2018's "Peace And Love". The Swingin' Utters are an awesome punk rock band. These guys have been going for an amazing 35 years! And the best part is that they are still going strong. The Swingin' Utters are hugely influencial in punk rock circles and they always get utmost respect from the punk rock scene. They can be considered mostly to be a street punk band but they do draw some inspiration from celtic punk and folk punk. The first song I heard from Swingin' Utters was "Pills & Smoke" so yes, I was a little late to the party. "Pills & Smoke" is one of my favorite songs so it set the tone back in 2000, then I worked my way back through the band's catalog. These guys are definitely due for a new album so hopefully that sees the light of day sooner rather than later.
SIMILAR ARTISTS:
Bracket
Lagwagon
Bombshell Rocks
Pulley
No Use For A Name
TEN SWINGIN' UTTERS SONGS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT:
1. Pills & Smoke
2. '39 (Queen cover)
3. Brand New Lungs
4. Windspitting Punk
5. Fistful Of Hollow
6. Human Potential
7. Stuck In A Circle
8. Five Lessons Learned
9. Teenage Genocide
10. All That I Can Give
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