Ten Foot Pole Insider CD

Punk purists will deny it with every ounce of strength in their scrawny bodies, but the simple fact is that punk rock has benefited greatly from being co-opted by the pop mainstream. Or maybe it's the other way around. Whatever. In any case, there's really no denying that much of the best punk rock is deeply informed by pop songcraft -- grumble all you like about Green Day being a Top 40 band, but at their best, they still write songs as tight and tuneful as Lennon and McCartney did in their heyday. Similar kudos are due to Ten Foot Pole, whose melodic punk rock throbs and roars with equal parts passion and discipline. And the lyrics are just as good: "Hammering Out the Details" is a headlong, panicky rush of a song that deals with the mundane horror of life in the rat race; "I Got Your Letter" includes an apology for not returning a friend's Hunter S. Thompson novel; "Nothing to Lose" seems to be about figuring out the dangers of skiing too fast. Imagine Hüsker Dü with a sense of humor and a tasteful drummer, and you'll have a good idea what to expect. ~ Rick Anderson

Recorded at Motor Studios, San Francisco, California in August 1998.

Audio Mixer: Ryan Greene.

Recording information: Motor Studios, San Francisco, CA (08/1998).

Photographers: Travis Keller; Joseph Richard Negro; Karin Yasuda.

Ten Foot Pole: Dennis (vocals, guitar); Glen (vocals, bass); Steve (guitar); Tony (drums).