Album Review: Red Rockers – It’s in Our Blood

Red Rockers were one of the most exciting bands of their era. Coming around out of New Orleans in 1979, the group combined a passionate, left-wing worldview and lyrical sensibility with punk musical values. If that sounds like the Clash, the similarity is no mistake. Not for nothing were Red Rockers often referred to as “the American Clash.”

The band’s story is a fascinating one; taking them from New Orleans to San Francisco and onto the roster of Howie Klein’s upstart indie label 415 Records. Red Rockers recorded and released a fiery debut, Condition Red in 1981. Following a too-familiar career arc, the band underwent personnel changes and a drift toward commercialism. Those shifts proved the proverbial two-edged sword: bigger chart success and accusations of selling out. Their third album had some powerful music on it but was ultimately too slick (and oh! That notorious cover photo). By 1985 it was all over.

The above two paragraphs too-tidily distill Red Rockers’ story. For a fuller treatment, I would recommend Chapters 38-40 of Disturbing the Peace: 415 Records and the Rise of New Wave. Authored by this writer, the book covers the label and its characters in detail, and – like everything in the book – the Red Rockers chapters are based on interviews with several band members and others closely connected to the band.

In the wake of the book’s release, the long out-of-print debut record was reissued, and the band even reunited in late 2023 for a start-to-finish performance of Condition Red (plus other songs) at New Orleans’ Tiptina’s. I’d love to claim credit (or even influence) for all that having happened, but I will not. I am certainly glad it did happen, because they’re a great buncha guys, and the music is top-notch.

Sadly, I wasn’t able to attend the show. And it’s quite likely that very fewreading these words were at Tiptina’s that night. And it’s our loss.

But to the rescue comes It’s in Our Blood, an audio document of the November 11, 2023 concert. On this new LP, the band blasts through 15 songs in 43 minutes. Opening with a cover of the Clash’s “I’m So Bored with the U.S.A.,” the band is simply on fire. Red Rockers’ three mainstays and founding members – John Thomas Griffith, Darren Hill and James Singletary — blast through the songs, exuding all of the passion of the original record. With an enthusiastic hometown audience – like them, many decades older and wiser – Red Rockers peel away any of the metaphorical dust and barnacles that might’ve accumulated in the years since they last played together. Griffith’s growling vocals might come as a bit of a shock to fans of Cowboy Mouth (the band he’s played with in intervening years), but fans of the original record will find Red Rockers’ approach note-perfect.

Red Rockers’ drum chair was occupied by a succession of players; for this reunion show the group was rounded out by Bryan Barberot on drums. He plays with the necessary punky power and precision. Nearly the entire show is captured on the vinyl LP, save for a cover of the Pretenders’ “The Wait” and the Normals’ “Almost Ready,” both featuring guest vocalists. But seeing as those songs – fine as they are – would have taken attention away from the core original material, they’re not missed here. The Clash cover and the inclusion of The Who’s “My Generation” as a medley with Condition Red’s title track hit just the right notes.

A heartfelt liner note essay by a fan and former club publicist is a nice touch, as is the band’s dedication of the album to Howie Klein, who left us last year. And yes, the LP is pressed on red vinyl. Fans of the 1983 single (and MTV hit) “China” aren’t likely to recognize much of anything style- or attitude-wise on It’s in Our Blood, but anyone who thrilled to Condition Red will treasure this record.