Steve Adamyk Band: Forever Won’t Wait

Steve Adamyk Band
Forever Won't Wait
Dirtnap
2011-11-15

Though separated by 2,500 miles and 33 (!) years, I have no doubt that the rowdy Ottawan foursome who make up the Steve Adamyk Band have worn out more than a few copies of the seminal 1979 Western Canada punk document Vancouver Complication over the years. Firmly indebted to — and raucously celebrating — power pop/punk circa ’77-’82, Adamyk and bandmates drummer Dave Williams, guitarist Emmanuel Sayer (all ex-Sedatives) and bassist Davey Quesnelle tear through their second album’s 16 tracks with gusto (generously appending the Take It Back EP).

A little tougher in spots than the band’s ’10 debut — dig the big metal solo on “I Run Wild”, the pummeling beat of “Ontario” and the dark thump of “Election Day” (alas, not the Replacements’ b-side) — and those tunes offset the classic, pogoing, bright-as-hell guitars of “Take It Back”, “Bored of Love” (“I don’t wanna say the words that finalize”) and nervy — and Nerves-y — “Never Wake Up”.

Of course they have excellent record collections, covering the Carbonas, the Dickies and Idle Hands. So yeah, the Steve Adamyk Band are trodding territory the likes of Pointed Sticks, DOA, U-J3RK5 and the Diodes did way back when, or that modern day practitioners like Gentleman Jesse, the White Wires or pretty much anyone who calls Dirtnap or Douchemaster home, are doing today, but Forever Won’t Wait is highly recommended to anyone who understood this last sentence.

RATING 7 / 10