Mighty Ducks

Doin' their part to keep that punk spirit underground

by John O'Neill

The familiar refrain "Punk is dead" -- that thunderbolt of judgment generally delivered by older, tamer rockers who once embraced punk as their own -- couldn't be any further from the truth. No need for a moment of silence, a few choice words in Latin, or a retrospective/eulogy delivered from some sorry-ass Patti Smith-type. Nope, real punk is alive and well, maybe even a little leaner, and still waving the finger as it heads into a fourth decade. And while it's living in semi-obscurity, punk is no less vital than it was some 20-plus years ago, when Sid Vicious, that dimwit punk poster boy who single-handedly repulsed a generation of adults, swung his bass across the noggin' of journalist Nick Kent for the ultimate wake-up call.

Take a stroll by the Espresso Bar on a Saturday night or check out Clinton's St. John's gymnasium, and you'll find hundreds of kids going ape for the amped out, three-chord buzzsaw guitars and in-your-face vocals. The fact that punk continues to operate underground is just as much the fault of a fickle music media, who choose to fixate on whatever new sound is being pushed, in much the same manner a baby becomes fascinated by the mobile hanging over his crib (how else do you explain electronica?).

"I've noticed that you can go to a Boston punk show and there'll be 400 kids," says Mark Lind of the Ducky Boys. "We still get no [media] attention . . . nobody touches the punk scene around here."

Formed in 1995, Boston's Ducky Boys have become in short time, one of punk's brighter hopes. A fact that's pretty amazing when you consider the only reason they started playing in the first place was as a way to kill some free time.

"We weren't even thinking we'd play shows," Lind explains of their humble beginning. "We just wanted to see if we could make up our own songs."

After a music reviewer from Boston's now-defunct Pit Report was introduced to the band (bassist/vocalist Lind, Mike Marsden on guitar/vocals, and drummer Jason Messina) at their rehearsal space, the band were talked into making a demo tape that got great reviews in local fanzines. They wound up playing their first gig in Providence, their second at the legendary Rat, and had interest from four record labels after only three live gigs. Signing on with the Atlanta-based GMM Records, self-described as "The World's Shittiest Record Label," the Ducky Boys recorded in Boston at Salad Days with Brian McTernan and released the full-length No Gettin' Out in 1997. With 15 tracks that clocked in under 39 minutes, No Gettin' Out was an effective, straightforward affair that showed a young band with promise but ultimately suffered from redundant production.

"We should have waited to record, we were all in our first band and none of us had studio experience. But we had a buzz going," agrees Lind. "We didn't know what a background vocal was!"

No Gettin' Out did get out though, and the Ducky Boys buzz factor increased as the band continued to win over fans with their no-nonsense style and positive message. They also added a second guitarist to fill out their sound, settling on Mike O'Leary, a fan who was asked to join the night before the sold-out Punk Olympics show because he knew all the songs by heart.

They recorded a second album, Dark Days, with Jim Siegel (Morphine, Sugar) behind the board. Where No Gettin' Out came up short on sound, Dark Days is a more textured, brighter album that chimes as much as it grinds. Complete with sha-la-la-la, and hey-na-na-na choruses, the Ducky Boys have learned the most important lesson that punk is really nothing more than redefining old-fashioned rock and pop in relevant terms. And that's the mark that separates good punk bands from great punk bands. They understand and appreciate music history, and the direct influence old AM radio had on the first wave of American punk.

"Mike is really into the older stuff, and I listen to the oldies station," Lind says. "We do Dion's `The Wanderer' and we're working on `Run Away,' by Del Shannon."

The Ducky Boys have stretched their sound to include a greater number of influences. Hardcore to Oi!, power-pop to cock-rock, Dark Days is a great listen -- the sound of a band who have developed in a year and continue to develop. Currently at work on a third album for GMM, the band promise a few surprises for fans. "We had a guy come down and play organ and keyboard. It's not a Winger power ballad, it kicks in like a real rock song,"Lind says.

The Ducky Boys are slated to open the Rancid show at the Palladium this Saturday night and find themselves at the juncture of bigger things. They'll perform at this year's Bosstones-sponsored "Hometown Throwdown"; and they play New Year's Eve with the Dropkick Murphy's. They'll also head out for a seven-week tour this summer with the Dropkicks (ex-Westie Jamie Lynch filling in for O'Leary) and, with any luck, move to a bigger label.

"GMM does as much as they can for us, so we couldn't be happier, " says Lind. "We'll never get that much attention from a bigger label.

"For now we're just a local band that does weekends away, hopefully, we'll get to be popular the way the Dropkicks did," says Lind of the bands impending date with the big boys. It's a road that has led them from cellar-club shit-holes and keg parties all the way to hanging out with their heroes. As to whether or not commercial success will roll over and open a sleepy eye to them, it doesn't really matter. The Ducky Boys, at least according to both Lind's estimation and their credit report, are in it for the long haul

"We're balls to the flame about the band," says Lind with an easy conviction that comes naturally. "We're in debt up to our ears, my credit card is loaded. For now it's sealed in an envelope! Hopefully we'll pay it off little by little."