Throughout history music has reflected the moods and attitudes of a world gone wrong. Los Angeles punk band Rx27 is about to write and reflect upon the life and times we are living in. They are holding a mirror up to society face. A mirror that reflects that our government is telling us lies, make millions and hiding behind religion for the greater good. There is an all out war on the youth. The opioid epidemic, social media, and school shootings, innocent kids have no chance of survival. The politically correct are out to destroy artistic expression with what they deem right and moral. The world has their faces buried in their phones, trying to escape what they cannot. To be disconnected from each other and ignore the death of the American Dream. These are very dark times and RX27 is about to shine a light upon it all.
Everyone wants the truth, but nobody wants to hear it. In the case of RX27, everyone wants you to hear it and once you do, there is no denying it. This band is something special. We all want to be part of this club of misfits and outsiders. This is the band they warned you about. Come take part in something bigger, darker, louder, and faster than you have ever heard before. Rx27 will make you feel things you have never felt before or wish you never did. Their musical influences range from The Dead Boys, Pixies, X, the Misfits, and the Damned, as well as elements from the Goth and New Wave scene. The lyrics will rip your beliefs in half, and the choruses will rattle around your head for days. Their songs tell tales from the dark side of life, the destruction of hope, suicide, drug addiction, love, sex and death. This is not a series of cautionary tales. This is the ugly truth that nobody wants to know, no one wants to hear, and few live to tell. Rx27 are here to show you what you have been doing for far too long. You live a lie. You believe what you want or what you are told, your life is a lie, and you have been fooling yourself for too long. The truth is, life is not fair, no one is promised tomorrow, and there is no such thing as a happy ending. Some are born to live and some are born to die. Each member of this band has seen both sides They are living proof it ain’t over until it’s over.
The members of Rx27 are punk rock veterans hailing from New York City to Hollywood and everywhere in between. They've been around forever. They were at all the shows. They've and played with all the greats. They've played in many bands you've never heard of, but you wish you did. Bassist Thad Coleman has been on stage with everyone, and he's hard to miss. He walks into a room like he owns it, and he plays bass like a melodic runaway freight train. Singer Joie Blaney escaped from NYC to Los Angeles a decade ago to find himself up against everything. He is the eternal misfit with a heart of gold that never wanted anything but a life on his own terms. He has many colors to his vocal abilities. He can go from a guttural croon to a visceral tone that makes you feel what you just heard deep in your soul. Blaney and Coleman stumbled upon each other by chance and founded a musical brotherhood of like minded souls that aren't afraid to be themselves. The duo wrote an Christmas song after Coleman heard Blaney’s body of music. They released the song and decided to write more and eventually they decided to start a band. Armed with an arsenal of songs and a vision, they decided to join together to form Rx27. The name, Blaney explains, reflects society's addiction to the quick fix, feel good, or feel nothing lifestyle. It is the false prescription for positivity, love, and happiness in a world that is far from it. The 27 represents the astrological occurrence that happens between the ages of 27 through 30 called Saturn's Return. It also pays homage to the dreaded 27 Club that has claimed so many people for so long.
The duo needed a guitar player that could play as well as create a mood that reflects the poetry and intensity of the lyrics. Rx27’s lyrics are more like magic spells or incantations than lyrics. They are the type of lyrics you carve in your arm or seethe with envy that you didn’t write it. Their words can bring all your fears to life and leave you in a place you have never been before, praying for a way out.
The boys called upon underground musician/producer, the Dust Warrior, and let him in on what was going down and he was was eager to join in. The dust warrior grew up on the hardcore scene in NYC and ran around the Bowery with the Beastie Boys. The band wanted to bring a female element to sing backup to compliment the various vocal stylings of Blaney. Was there such a women? The band heard echoes chanteuse Ms. Maxine Marti. She was a staple of the LA punk scenes. They loved what they heard and invited her down to record a few demo songs. Ms. Murder is not a back up singer. She is a force of nature and a perfect match for the bands aesthetic .They all realized instantly when Ms. Murder's and Blaney’s vocals joined seamlessly together as one voice. A musical collision of male and female energy. So they offered her the role of co lead singer in the band. Stunned she agreed and the rest is history in the making. The chemistry and songs came together so fast that Rx27 decided to go into the studio with Paul Roessler producing at Kitten Robot Studios to track six songs in 6 days. After a couple of listens Roessler asked the band if they would be into having a Christian Death guitarist Rikk Agnew play on some of their songs. Of course the band jumped at the chance and Mr Agnew plays on 3 of the Rx27s songs. They are talking with labels and managers to see who wants to work on bringing this band to the masses.(Pandemic note**The world is on lockdown and the labels are in a holding pattern but watching thr band closely. Managers are still hovering but the 3 core members are not to be messed with. They are artists, stars and family. You dont fuck with family.)They have fired more drummers and guitar players than most since Blaney and Coleman first got togther.Why you may ask? Because they wont settle.Either should you. They have cheated death a few times since joining up together. This may be devine intervention, God or the devil's favorite band or someone or something is out to get them.
Rx27 have taking a very radical and smart approach to releasing their music. Instead of dumping a bunch of songs they have decide to release a single evry couple of weeks. They treat each release like an event or an art opening. The are making lyric videos, shirts, buttons and sticker to showcase the artwork for each single. They even decided to shoot music videos fro each song, but they may or may not be released on the day of the single release. It keeps them in the public eye and does a slow burn to gain a following. In a world where attention spans fluxuate between 3 seconds or 3 hours, they decided to drop songs with or without warning. They even go as far as make little music trailers for the songs leading up to the release. Is it working? "Its works for us" Blaney says. "We love what we do. And I dont know if anyone is doing what we are so we all said fuck it lets do it to see what happens or until someone rips off our idea.". This way you get a steady stream of Rx27 music, art and merch, whether you want to or not. The first single Gasoline was released in October 2019 and was very well received by the press and music fans alike. So the band decided to kick off 2020 with the second single entitled Chasing Crazy. It will be hitting the streets January as well as a music video directed by underground hip hop director Khrave. Chasing Crazy was called a punk rock anthem by some bloggers. The videois quite the spectacle that spawned the iconic shot of Joie and Maxine with guns in each others moth. The next release will be in March 2020 entitled Welcome to sick city.(Pandemic note***The release schedule was planed in 2019 and the pandemic hit in March of 2020. Sick city was either bad timing or these guys are psychic. Never the less they still released it but not many reviewed it. It hit too close to home too soon) What followed was a song called Hell of a time to rave reviews and a stunning magical video directed again by Khrave in May. Murder Ballad will make its debut in August and the bitter sweet moving track Song of Sorrow will come out in September. but it may or may not be released on the day of the single release.
RX27 came together in such a short time to tell a truth, the truth that we all know but won’t admit. We are killing our own, killing the things that make us feel alive, killing the faith in a better tomorrow that some may never see, killing the belief in the magic of music, life and love, killing the connection to one another and power of the human spirit. Right now there is no hope. There is no redemption or happy endings. Society is ruled by fear, fear of the unknown. There is a big mystery behind this band. Who are they? Where did they come from, and where the hell are they taking us? Welcome to Sick City, boys and girls. Buy yourself a ticket or sneak your way it’s about to start get ready to begin.