The Johnstones Vs. Keepin' 6

 

(The Johnstones)

(Keepin' 6)

1. Action

2. G7C7

3. Gettin Paid

4. Handle It

5. Raise Your Glass

6. Come Along

The Johnstones and Keepin' 6 have decided to released a split EP together. This album contains three songs from each of the bands. The first three tracks are Keepin' 6 and the  last three are The Johnstones. This album really hits the ska punk scene pretty squarely. These guys go right for the heart of ska and skanking. This album has a similar sound to bands such as The Planet Smashers, Reel Big Fish or even Mustard Plug, so if you like those bands, you could really like both of these guys. They have done a good job here. 

When looking at the recording quality of this album, the album has been recorded to a middle of the road quality. These songs don't feel super clean and overproduced. They kep some of that raw, fast paced, dirty punk rock feel to them, as least with the Keepin' 6 songs. The Johnstones songs are not quite as raw, but still have the same energy as Keepin' 6 just with the added horns. The instrumentation on this album is pretty average here. How hard is it to just play your songs faster? But they do a good job, and the music is fun. These guys in both bands can play, and it's not always about the craziest riffs or chords, so it's nice to listen to this sometimes.

Now onto the vocals and lyrics, Keepin' 6 vocals are harsh and raspy, while still being understandable. His vocals feel passionate and helps it to feel more authentic. He is still pretty clear, so you can get just what he is singing about. With The Johnstones, their vocals are loud, fast and goofy. This makes their music have a more fun approach to it. In some peoples eyes, his make take away from the true music lovers, but we find it fun to listen to, like ska should be. These guys are really nice and clear, so it helps you get their silly lyrics, and stupid jokes within the music. On that note, switching to lyrics, Keepin' 6 are more on the political, mean something side with their lyrics. They are trying to get you to get and feel their message. 

If you are looking for a single to this album, there isn't one, so just pick a song from either band, and you will get an idea of what both of them are about.

Keepin' 6 and The Johnstones have done a split album that seems to work well together. These bands are pretty new and don't have too much of a catalog so far, so any music helps add to this. Being that both bands are friends, this helps get each others fans into the other band. They have done a pretty alright job here. Listen to this album to decide for yourself what you think about it. They have since both called it quits (R.I.P.)

Genre: Ska/Punk/Rock

Release Date: 2005
Location: Ajax/Mississauga, Ontario

Website: http://www.thejohnstonessuck.com/ , http://www.keepin6.com/
Label: None