Gang Green
Another Wasted Night

After the already recounted 'This Is Boston Not LA', our dear Gang Green releases an EP and the band thus begins an inexorable decline, everyone leaves, the singer Chris Doherty, the true soul of the group, first goes to Jerry's Kids, later plays in a ska band…

In short, the Gang Green experience seems to have waned, leaving behind not even 10 exceptional Hardcore songs. Four years later, in 1985, Doherty decides to revive the Gang Green brand by enlisting Jerry's Kids drummer Brian Betzger and the Stilphen brothers on guitar and bass. After an EP, the band records the album "Another Wasted Night," which marks the beginning of a second life for Gang Green. A new life, indeed, because Chris Doherty has grown and discovered the pleasures of Yankee booze, the "beer" Budweiser (you can't call a drink made with rice a beer), from which he takes blatant quotes: the Gang Green logo is now identical to Budweiser's neon signs, they call themselves King Of The Bands (while Budweiser is the King Of The "Beers") and they even dedicate an album to it. Gang Green, in short, likes to cause trouble: drinking, screwing, moshing, and even skating, another fundamental element of the Gang Green image, which is more present in this album than in other works. They seem like the Circle Jerks transplanted to Boston, but let's remember that This Is Boston Not LA! In fact, unlike the Los Angelenos (and themselves up to 4 years earlier), the length of the tracks has doubled even though almost none exceed the two-and-a-half-minute mark and the songs, although predominantly pure hardcore, have metallic tinges.

Talking about crossover is an exaggeration, as it was just flourishing at that time with bands like C.O.C., D.R.I., and Suicidal Tendencies, even though songs like Alcohol and Skate To Hell fully fit this definition. Alongside these two episodes, the album consists of typical songs from the first Gang Green phase, that is one-minute-long max shots played at an absurd speed, like "Protect & Serve", "Skate Hate" and a "Have Fun" belonging to the previous repertoire. These are accompanied by typical Gang Green production tracks from now on: slow parts and others where they put the pedal to the metal, but with moderation (always looking at the beginnings, of course), like the title track, "Last Chance" and "19th Hole", and the last two songs, where alcohol begins to have its effect: "Voices Carry" and "Sold Out Alabama" (where they combine the calm Lynyrd Skynyrd with a rapid-fire song like "Sold Out", from the early Gang Green period), worthy closures of another destructive day.

The band then moves away from their early influences as on this album and always retains the same formula, which, even though our green band has no pretensions, becomes tiresome after a while. Doherty is always on vocals but the lineup changes often, in 1990 even John Pappe, bassist of D.R.I., joins, but it's already the twilight of the lineup. As if that weren't enough, Gang Green reforms in 1995 and becomes a parody of themselves, churning out albums where they combine new material with covers of their greatest hits®.

This lineup has lasted until today and watch out, they are coming to Italy in April, so let's welcome them with a healthy bottle of Moretti in hand!