The Bouncing Souls, The Suicide Machines, The Flatliners, und The Jack Knives

The four band members, Greg Attonito, Pete Steinkopf, Bryan Kienlen, George Rebelo, were all members of bands in high schools in Basking Ridge. After they decided to move to New Brunswick to follow the growing underground music scene there. With a strong fan base formed from students from the nearby Rutgers University, The Bouncing Souls, who took their name from a Doc Marten’s advertisement, became a staple of the local scene, and also brought supporting bands to the forefront at their shows.

The band released their debut album titled “The Good, The Bad & The Argyle” in 1994 on their own independent label, Chunksaah Records. The album was a compilation of all their previous EP’s, and an album of wholly new material, “Manical Laughter” followed two years later. Half of the songs were written in a week, and their new wave punk sound gained them a tour slot with Youth Brigade, and a major label contract with Epitaph Records.

After a slight false start with their third eponymous album, Hopeless Romantic, their fourth album was a huge hit with fans and critics. The band was heralded for their experimental modern take on punk, paired with deep lyrical content.

The turn of the millennium saw some band line up changes and a new album, titled “How I Spent My Summer Vacation”. By this point the band had gained a large following around the world, as they became veterans in the punk scene. More recently they have toured with the likes of Black Flag, and had their music used for Hollywood movies such as “The Manchurian Candidate”. In 2004, the band released an anniversary DVD; “ Do You Remember? 15 Years of the Bouncing Soul”.

The original line up coalesced in 1991 originally under the name Jack Kevorkian and the Suicide Machines. This formation included Jason Navarro (vocals), Dan Lukacinsky (guitar), Jason Brake (bass), and Stefan Rairigh (drums). Over the course of the 1st three years the group experienced several line up changes. Rairigh was replaced by Bill Jennings who was in turn replaced by Derek Grant. The position of bass also opened and closed a few times. Jason Brace was proceeded by Dave Smith, but this lasted only brief time until Royce Nunley took up the role. By this point the group truncated Jack Kevorkian from their name and released their split album with the Rudiments, “Shank for Brains”.

1995 saw the band sign to the Walt Disney subsidiary, Hollywood Records and by 1996 they issued their studio debut album, “Destruction by Definition”. Their sound took musical cues from ska pioneers like The Specials, hardcore punk acts such as Bad Brains, and pinnacle new wavers like the English Beat. It was quickly accepted by the punk community and they even scored a moderate hit with their single “No Face”.

Their follow up album “Battle Hymns” came out in 1998 and acted as a continuation of their ska-core sound. It featured songs that exploded with catchy melodic riffs and blasts of punctual brass. The songs rarely hit over the two minute marker, seeming to disintegrate with visceral excitement before one realized it had begun. The album peaked at no. 127 on the Billboard 200 and it’s track “Give” was included in the Disney original movie “Brink!”.

The Suicide Machines released their 3rd self-titled album on 15 February 2005. The album was spearheaded by the single “Sometimes I Don’t Mind” and closed with the Joe South cover “I Never Promised You a Rose Garden”. The latter of the tracks appeared in the 1999 film “SLC Punk” starring Matthew Lillard and Jason Segel. A year later they issued their album “Steal This Record”, which included an R.E.M. cover and in 2002 they put out their compilation album “The Least Worst of the Suicide Machines”.

The group switched over to the label Side One Dummy in 2003 and issued the albums “A Match and Some Gasoline” and “War Profiteering Is Killing Us All”. Navarro also developed a record label of his own entitled Noise Riot Records” and put out the Suicide Machines’ 2nd compilation album “On The Eve of Destruction: 1991-1995” through it.

The group suddenly broke up in 2006, but have since reformed, playing their 1st reunion show in 2009. From 2010-2014 they have played various festivals like the Fest 9 and Riot Fest as well as sporadic gigs here and there. In 2015 they scheduled a two week tour, in which they would perform their album “The Definition of Destruction” in it’s entirety.

When it comes to punk rock, many bands consider their touring schedule as a badge of honour. The band that plays 250 dates in a year will always be more respected than the one that plays 249, and the one that plays 251... you get where I'm going with this. There are some bands, however, that have toured enough to set them for life in terms of punk rock kudos, and The Flatliners aren't just one of those bands, they're the band that inspired the bands who are like that. Coming together in 2002 with an average age of 14, the band hit the road almost immediately after they formed, making countless circuits of Canadian D.I.Y hardcore shows with only a single demo tape to their name. These shows and that demo, however, scored them a record deal with Stomp Records, who put out their debut album “Destroy To Create” in 2005.

The band had one final release on Stomp after it was reformed into Union Label Group, 2007's charmingly titled “Sleep Is For Bitches EP”, but soon afterwards they were snapped up by Fat Wreck Chords for the release of their second album, “The Great Awake”. However, the band wouldn't get out of the punk rock ghetto until 2010, with the release of their massively acclaimed third album “Cavalcade”, and ever since then, they've remained one of the most exciting and beloved punk acts in the world. However, the most exciting part of The Flatliners by a long shot, is the fact that 13 years into their career and the band are still playing with their original line up. Not to mention how they're all still in their mid-twenties with the best days of their career still ahead of them. There isn't a band alive that wouldn't kill to be in The Flatliners' position, and for that, they come highly recommended.