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Local music blogs weigh in on BMP 2011

BAND: HAVE NOTS

BLOG: PLAYGROUND BOSTON

Boston has a long tradition of unleashing some of the best punk rock on the rest of the world, the product of a caustic mix that includes the working-class mindset, weather-hardened toughness, and a historical tendency toward revolution — all of which make our streets a veritable breeding ground for the genre. The next local band poised to break out into the larger punk rock universe are Have Nots, especially after the release of their second full-length, Proud (Paper & Plastick). One part street punk, one part ska-punk, the rest kick-you-in-the-face frantic — Have Nots are a perfect blend of brutality and melody. Serf City USA (2009) was a machine gun of politically charged two-minute anthems, enough to get the most stoic Boston show-going head-nodder to jump into the circle pit. Proud, released just last month, is a little more tame and diverse; it's polished without being pretty, metaphorical without being monotonous. Proud is a fine example of a band maturing without losing their vitriolic edge. The Nots tour this month with the Swinging Utters. Catch them back home June 23 with the Bouncing Souls at the Middle East.

Bryan Donoghue