Under The Radar: Reckless Sons

With a lyrical penance to Replacements mastermind Paul Westerberg, and a guitar-led scrum that harkens back to the days of the Dolls, this downtown quartet has been packing clubs in New York’s Lower East Side for close to two years now. But you can even ask NYC’s bums, that’s what happens when the music is perfectly sloppy, and dangerously unhinged.

So, as the story goes, on the strength of their self-released, dirty dusty Texas-produced Don’t You Dare EP, and one hell of a live show, the Reckless Sons stopped the Gotham rock scene dead in its tracks, forcing an entire city to take notice of their garage-y nuggets and punch-drunk rock n roll. Next thing you know? London calling, as the Sons embarked on a month-long tour of Britain, which culminated in a main-stage appearance at Brighton’s Beachdown festival. Produced in deep Brooklyn by Ben Rice (The Mooney Suzuki and Change The Station), their latest Everybody Knows EP is scheduled for a May bow.

With all that said, Reckless Sons are gearing up for their busiest year yet, which kicks off in style at the old CBGB’s space in Manhattan – what fashionistas likely know as the John Varvatos Store – on March 5th.

MP3: "Hate to Love You Again"
Video: "Blood"

“With his grainy voice and dirty hair, frontman Matt Butler is more Pete Doherty than Pete Wentz, and the band’s stripped-down sound makes for a good time (even if they’ve yet to knock up a Simpson). Despite their tender age (Butler is only 21, though his haunting voice and stage swagger suggest slightly more grizzling), the Sons have been rocking” New York city clubs and bars.” – BlackBook Magazine

“Reckless Sons have been accredited with putting the rebellion back into rock 'n' roll.” - Virgin Media

“Reckless Sons rock like the bastard spawn of The Replacements and the New York Dolls, minus the unfocused tendencies of the former and the glam campiness of the latter. Much like the pre-corporate Rolling Stones, Reckless Sons revel in their own honesty, flirting with danger to such a degree that it seems the whole damn thing could explode in their faces at any moment” - Mass Movement