PUNK’S NOT DEAD AFTER ALL

Honestly, I’ve grown rather jaded by the punk rock scene over the last five years or so, which is why I’m glad my first encounter with Children 18:3 was a promotional photo. They certainly didn’t look like any of the recent crop of pop-punk rockers—instead, the harshly-lit black-and-white photo showed a band that looked dredged up from the backstage of some old-school New York City punk show. Clearly, this band was something special.

Far away from the smoky venues of New York, siblings David, Seth and Lee Marie Hostetter formed the three-piece Children 18:3 in central Minnesota, where they not-so-quietly honed their rock & roll skills while not working on the family farm. And what can I say? With super-energetic performances that make the songs actually fun to listen to, and influences from east coast to west coast, old school to new wave (I can even forgive the one song that borderlines on ska), they rock. The melodies are catchy and the vocals are bold, with great interplay between the male and female voices, as the singing duties are shared by David and Lee Marie. Standout songs include “LCM,” “Homemade Valentine” and “Ditches.” But really, if you like punk, this is an album not to be missed.

-- Andrew Scates