Photo: Eden Kittiver

“I love a good pop hook with a bunch of bashing and screaming over it; what’s not to like?” – Jack Endino (Nirvana/ Soundgarden Producer)

“If Bruce Springsteen took a wrong turn at the New Jersey Turnpike and ended up joining a gang of chain-smoking bikers, he might sound a little like Seattle’s Dead Bars.” – Seattle Weekly

“Like it or not, hardcore punk is now classic rock. So with John Maiello’s jarring, gravel-gargling vocals and C.J. Frederick’s full-throttle guitar, Dead Bars’ debut carries a Rainier-scented whiff of nostalgia for more aggro, string-busting times. “Dream Gig” is a feel-good epic about feeling bad, the self-described “aging rocker” of its chorus the musical missing link between then and now.” – City Arts Magazine

“But then some dudes who called themselves Dead Bars got on stage, and when they played a pop punk love song about sharing earplugs in the mosh pit, my heart exploded. The singer sounded like Tim Armstrong trying to sing like Blake Schwarzenbach (or vice versa, I can’t decide) and the band ripped through about 30 minutes worth of songs that carried the same bittersweet but upbeat energy as bands like the Menzingers and Iron Chic.” – The Stranger

“At a glance, it’s a lot like what the Ramones did—make something impossible to duplicate look so simple and attainable.” – Razorcake

“Dead Bars play punk rock like it means something to them, like it should mean something. Dream Gig is an ode to the dreamers and the music that keeps their head in the clouds.” – Dyingscene.com

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“Recommended for fans of bands like Dear Landlord and Iron Chic.” – Noisey/ Vice