Gino and the Goons with Personality Cult

With a name like Gino and the Goons and tracks such as “Sex, Drugs & Paranoia” and “You Can’t Get Away With M**der” you kind of know what you’re getting with these guys. That's primal and puerile budget punk rock that captures the spirit of a humid Western Florida night in a shit hole bar. Bugs crashing into naked light bulbs, cold beers going warmer quicker than the parole violator at the bar will shank you and a bunch of middle aged guys over in the corner smashing out a loose interpretation of rock and roll.

Led by Gino Gambino, the Goons play rowdy punk rock that holds up it’s pint to the Ramones, Chuck Berry, Willie Nelson, Nervous Eaters, and Motorhead. It sounds like being in the middle of a really tense house party.

Swarming in like bees on acid, North Carolina's Personality Cult let their guitars ring with tension and dive in as a rhythmic pulse frantically pushes forward. There’s an anxious exuberance to it, with jittery stops and starts, but it’s undeniably anthemic with howling vocals and quick and dirty solos that burst at an unnerving point. Played fast and loud, it they rip, blending the best elements of bands like Oh Sees and The Buzzcocks, creating their own boiling power-pop tinged punk mayhem.

Host or Publisher Rubies on Five Points