Standing for "Skateboarding Totally Rules Everything Else Totally Sucks," Vancouver's S.T.R.E.E.T.S. is a bit of an anomaly in the world of modern punk rock. While most punk bands are choosing to either get arty on our asses or to chase commercial success by adding pop (ugh!) to the mix, Bobognargnar, the latest by the S.T.R.E.E.T.S. gang, keeps things old-school. S.T.R.E.E.T.S. is first and foremost a skate band. Their music is for skateboarders by skateboarders and if you don't like it, you can go fuck yourself. Hey, I'm just passing on the message. The boys in the band treat skating like a religion. This is nowhere more apparent by the pledges they make to the great god Bobognar at the beginning of the record. Sounding like a cross between Black Flag and Suicidal Tendencies, the music of S.T.R.E.E.T.S. is made for slamdancing and skating. As such, the lyrical content is about things that city skaters will appreciate. They take themselves for revolutionaries on "Shred Back The Night," but, ultimately, they lose their legitimacy as intellects on songs such as album opener "Worms," the story of a "wicked sesh" that is threatened by the presence of police officers, in their words, "those stupid pigs." "Georgia St. R.I.P.S." is a song inspired by a house that saw many good times and unpaid rents. Unfortunately, the "Skateboarding Is Not A Crime" mentality of the late 80s in which S.T.R.E.E.T.S. is stuck is no longer relevant. Skateboarding has been co-opted and has been part of mainstream pop culture for a long time now. Ultimately, this leaves Bobognargnar sounding almost retro, appealing to only the most diehard of skate-fiends. And I know there are a lot of them out there.

By Ryan Wugalter
Aug 31, 2003