Sharp Balloons – Memphis Flyer

Sharp Balloons live at Goner Records.

This Saturday night one of the most interesting punk bands to come out of the Goner records scene will reunite for a show at Bar DKDC. Formed after Sector Zero bit the dust, Sharp Balloons featured Joe Simpson (True Sons of Thunder, Rat Traps) Zac Ives (Final Solutions, Son of Vom) and first time bassist Heather Simpson.
<a href='http://sharpballoons.bandcamp.com/track/thors-hammer'>Thors Hammer by Sharp Balloons</a>

Sharp Balloons Reunion at Bar DKDC

The band had an unwritten rule that if a member wrote a song they had to sing it, making for songs that were as unpredictable as they were catchy. Sharp Balloons frequently played the local punk haunts of the last five years, including the final days of the Poplar Lounge, in addition to familiar places like the Buccaneer, the old Hi-Tone, and Murphy’s.
<a href='http://sharpballoons.bandcamp.com/track/metropak'>Metropak by Sharp Balloons</a>

Sharp Balloons Reunion at Bar DKDC (2)

While the gig on Saturday appears to be more of a reunion show than a full fledged re-appearance, Saturday night should serve as an interesting window into the Memphis punk scene of the past. Check out a live video of Sharp Balloons covering the Toy Love song “Pull Down the Shades” in Jackson, Mississippi below, and get to Bar DKDC by 10:30 p.m. this Saturday night. As always, the cover is $7.
<a href='http://sharpballoons.bandcamp.com/track/shark-stuff'>Shark Stuff by Sharp Balloons</a>

Sharp Balloons Reunion at Bar DKDC (3)

Sharp Balloons Reunion at Bar DKDC (4)

Rat Traps

Rat Traps were a band made up of siblings Jeffrey and April Novak, along with Joe Simpson of True Sons of Thunder fame. The band existed in the mid 2000’s and released singles on labels like Kenrock, Your Permanent, and Shattered (a label I’ve mentioned before in this column). Musically sitting somewhere between the Persuaders and the Reatards, Rat Traps played blown out, no-frills garage punk, and they fit in perfectly with their Memphis peers cranking out the same style of budget rock ‘n’ roll. The band was Jeffrey Novak’s first foray into sitting behind the drum kit, but his sloppiness with the sticks lent to the band’s half-baked aesthetic.

While Jeffrey Novak would go on to be in Cheap Time (and most recently Savoy Motel) and Joe Simpson would later play in bands like Sharp Balloons and True Sons of Thunder, this was April Novak’s last foray into playing live, save for a few shows with the short lived cover band The Blue Birds. Rat Traps are a highlight in a very unique era for Memphis garage rock, back when Gonerfest was still in it’s first years and Shattered records was making sure that regional punkers were getting their music released on vinyl. Check out a few Rat Traps songs below, and if you have a line on any of these singles, feel free to hit me up.

Rat Traps Rule, OK? (2)

Rat Traps Rule, OK? (3)

Rat Traps Rule, OK?

“____ Rules, OK?” is a new weekly installment on the Memphis Flyer Music Blog where Music Editor Chris Shaw focuses in on Memphis music past and present.