Band: Luxury Teeth
From: Baltimore, Maryland
Their formation story:
(Dave, vocals): "During the pandemic I started feeling like I was failing at having outlets with most of the world shut down. So I had started writing songs/ideas down like I did when I was still in functioning (maybe not the best adjective) punk rock bands before (previously I had fronted The Homeowners and Copstabber) ....but there was no real goal or objective other than just turning to what I knew to get all my crazy out.
"I wasn't looking for any project or jumping at any offers just because a buddy needed a singer for their new projects until I felt like it. hen Shaun (drums for LT) called me up one night and for whatever reason it felt right that night. A few days later I was meeting Russell and Frank at the practice spot. Turns out I knew both of them from previous bands (Die Cheerleader Die, National Razor) from way back but we hadn't really kept up.
"A few months later we brought Drew in on second guitars, who was another mutual friend of most everyone, and the lineup solidified. A flurry of rad shows, several recordings and a fucking hundred thousand laughs and we're just getting started."
Their sound in their own words:
"At the end of the day, it really is just 'hardcore punk,' heavy on the 'punk.' All of our influences are all over the map. Musically, I have a lot of Tesco Vee/Meatmen in my style but I try to really stretch my range and hit as many styles as I can. The band musically sticks to a lot of the tried and true originators, both East Coast and West. I feel like one of the reasons I specify the West is that Luxury Teeth keeps Frank (bass) as prominent as possible and definitely another lead instrument in the band.
"I feel like the California people seemed like they did that a lot from Adolescents and Minutemen up through Rancid and that era We also employ a 2-guitar attack which allows us lots of options in terms of who has opportunities to shine one way while the other guy is doing their own thing. It gives us a chance to do some really cool and tough stuff while keeping shit super catchy and melodic in spite of all the yelling.
"I think if you're looking for really aggressive stuff with socially conscious and funny lyrics then we offer a lot of that....right now you only get a little but soon there will be a bunch more tunes for people to digest."
Latest release info:
"Might Join a Cult is our debut 7" and features 2 original songs and a Butthole Surfers cover. The title track is a song about a person who has struggled trying to fit into different scenes/communities/social circles and continues to feel isolated and alone.
"The various attempts at religious affiliation seem to have really been particularly unfulfilling and the narrator decides that since he's seen through all of their bullshit, maybe joining a cult might be the answer. I mean, at the very least if this cult shit works out then I'll probably die soon and in the meantime I might get high and/or laid and best of all....my god will lie directly to my face and that seems infinitely more worthwhile. Will it work out? Who fucking knows....but I'll try anything once.
"The other original is called 'Type of Friend' and this is our take on the tried-and-true 'friends anthem' and how through all the fights and blood and tears y'all were always there for each other and all that jazz, we tackle how friendship doesn't know any borders....from Baltimore to the Netherlands (shout out Louiza) I got your back! Even if we have to ratchet up the violence a little now and then.
"Then we cover the classic Butthole Surfers jam 'Goofy's Concern.' This was the first cover song we learned as a new band starting up and it fit our needs as a band of dudes still learning how to play off of each other because it is just balls to the wall driving screaming awesomeness that even if it's not refined....it'll make you wanna rock....and when you are first starting to play out and the people in the crowd don't really know your originals....you sure as fuck better have a cool ass cover song to get them back into it."
Future plans:
"The immediate future has us hopefully selling a shit ton of these 7"s so we can finish paying off the full-length we have coming out on DCxPC Records. They are essentially a 'Live Album Only' label. That was their schtick and they have put out a ton of really cool releases (The Goons, Two Man Advantage, Ratchet Boys, Ann Beretta). Now they are partially switching up and doing a series called Live & Dead where one side of the 12" is a live set and the other (Dead) side is Studio Recordings.
"So we have the rest of the studio stuff where the 7" songs came from on that side and a live recording of the set we played at the Ottobar, here in Baltimore opening for GBH. It was also a special celebration of life for a friend of all of ours and employee of the Ottobar who had been murdered after the last time GBH played that bar. So the show was booked for months and then a week or so before the show, the guy who killed Tom and slashed my friend Marty's face (who had been released from jail already) died his own painful death so we also got to celebrate that sack of fuck finally dying which was delightful.
"So on one side you get about 22 minutes of studio jams and the other side you get about 22 minutes of wildboy live show activities. And there's a lot of different songs on the 2 sides so it won't be like buying the same record on both sides either [laughs]."
What other bands from their region should we check out?
"Rabid City is the first one that comes to mind. I'm not sure you can do it much better than them. Knub is great, and they just continue to get more awesome and interesting musically as they grow as a band. Meth Rats are fucking amazing, Distinguished Gentlemen, Indictments, Hamilton Outlaw, Megazillion.....there's a lot.
"Baltimore has always had such a rich and amazing culture of aggressive music but the punk/hardcore out here has always been so great. I really grew up on the Next Step Up/Stout/Gut Instinct-era of Baltimore hardcore and I've been through so many bands that will never really be remembered unless you were there and so many bands that have become household names now like Ravagers, End It and Turnstile.
"I know we are blessed in this area and I'm proud to contribute what I've been able to contribute to the history of hardcore and punk in Charm City."
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Luxury Teeth on social media: Instagram
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