Member Since: 12/27/2003
Band Website: theactualsounds.com
Band Members: Max Bernstein uses strings and picks and sings
Jeremy Bonsall uses strings but no pick
Ben Flanagan uses strings and picks and sings too.
Rob Obee uses sticks and drums
Influences: Good pop + good punk.
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This Is The Worst Day Of My Life (Do You Want To Come Over)
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Sounds Like: The Actual appropriate emo's dark, spidery guitar textures and speedy tempos without kicking out too much over-the-top bloodletting. The Los Angeles band sounds well-schooled in classic punk on its debut album; singer Max
Bernstein has a nice raggedness to his voice, and as a songwriter he knows his way
around both a melodic hook and an understated chorus. *Three stars*
(Rolling Stone Magazine, March 18th, 2004)
If there's any disc in the world that proves pop-punk is still very much
alive and a viable source of enjoyment, let The Actual's debut full-length
be the harbinger of such greatness. This is a sumblime, joyous blend of the
Descendents, Jawbreaker, Treble Charger, Marvelous 3, Shades Apart, and any other pop-punk act with half a brain. Songs on Radio Idaho is a sure-fire
collection of of superbly crafted pop-punk, sans the redundancy and blubber
that affect even the best acts in the genre. Guitarist/vocalist Max
Bernstein coughs up complex yet thoroughly appealing guitar riffs, throaty,
molasses-coated vocals, alongside bassist Jeremy Bonsall's Karl
Alvarez-esque straight-eighth countermelodies and the solid precision of
drummer Jeff Keenan. Radio Idaho is truly one of the year's finest antidotes
to all lackadaisical, uninteresting pop-punk that is Sum 41, Good Charlotte,
and Simple Plan - they're not trying to be cute, funny, nor schtick-laden -
and deserve only the highest of accolades and recommendations. Pop-punk's
brightest honor students have arrived to school all in attendance. Hold
tight!
(Law of Inertia, issue .17)
Crammed full of cavity inducing hooks, Songs on Radio Idaho is a stellar,
well-rounded debut that never loses its direction in delivering sure-fire
power-pop punk cuts. Furthermore, Max Bernstein's gritty vocals happily
don't resemble the nauseous Bubble Yum adolescent whine that's the
regrettable commercial radio norm of late.
(Mean Street Magazine)
Keen poppy-punk. Really good vocal melodies befit the intelligent lyrics and
clever turns-of-phrase. All in all it's a very strong pop record.
(Punk Planet)
Record Label:
Type of Label: Indie