THE 1984 DRAFT - Makes Good Choices ALBUM REVIEW
Joe Anderl Justin Satinover Eli Alban Chip Heck
THE 1984 DRAFT is not to be confused with the infamous 1984 NFL Draft where the first time in ten years a quarterback was not selected in the first round. The first quarterback selected in 1984 was Boomer Esiason, who was chosen by the Cincinnati Bengals in the second round who was the 38th pick overall.
However, segwaying from "THAT DRAFT", these punk rockers are ALSO from Ohio, Dayton to be exact.
A band of fellow fathers, THE 1984 DRAFT, releases their forth-coming LP "MAKE GOOD CHOICES" a total throwback to the tinted 90's punk rock and indie era, reminiscent of bands like The Replacements, Elvis Costello, and at times (to me at least) a familiar sound of bands like Modern Baseball and The Front Bottoms.
The 1984 Draft's album cover of Makes Good Choices alone speaks waves of the bands dedication and love to family and friendship as it's a photo of lead singer/guitarist Joe Anderl's mother.
If the name Joe Anderl rings a bell, it's because through the years he's paid his share of road worthy dues with the likes of Everytime I Die, H2O and everyone's favorite punk rock partier Andrew W.K .
The 1984 Draft released their "Heisman Trophy Winner" EP via Gas Daddy Go! (the boutique label of former Guided By Voices drummer Don Thrasher) on November 6, 2015. They were also one of 24 Ohio bands featured on the 10th anniversary Aquabear Legion double vinyl compilation that year.
Ironic enough, The NFL caught ear of the band and the NFL Network featured the band via NFL Films, where they captured a live performance in the band’s hometown on January 10, 2014. The documentary aired on April 30, 2014 on the NFL Network and followed print and web features on the band in Sports Illustrated, The Omaha World Herald, New Noise Magazine, and Ghettoblaster Magazine to name a few.
As I said, the Ohio quartet reminds me of super indie punk bands. I love the sound of that "old school, meets new school style", it shows flair (Ric Flair - Wooo), maturity, and the ability to "keep up with the times" rather than get swept away under the rug. The fact that these guys are are punk rock dads as well, shows love and dedication to music as well as family. There are a lot of guys who just toss music away once they "settle down", it's awesome to see that's not the case with these guys. They have the perfect balance of: Family. Music. Career.
I would like to go as far to say that a band like The 1984 Draft (especially this new record Makes Good Choices) reminds me of the older punk bands that had that "poppy and indie" edge where nobody really knew where to categorize them, so they stuck them in indie or pop-punk genres because the times were so obscure. I'm talking about bands like The Swinging Utters, Descendants, and even The Dead Milkmen. Bands like that, are like a fine wine, they're perfect as they are; red, white, or drunk as hell throwing your guts up and age perfectly with time.
TOUR:
July 29 – Blind Bob’s – Dayton, OH August 8 – WYSO – Yellow Springs, OH August 25 – South Park Tavern – Dayton, OH October 20 – Blind Bob’s - Dayton, OH September 1 – Tippapalooza – Tipp City, OH November 2 – Yellow Cab Tavern – Dayton, OH
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