BLACK TRAIN JACK - Demos & Rarities

Location: New York City

Release: Roadrunner, 1992-1996
Artwork: Ernie Parada

What a band, the've built quite an audience that ranges from regular rockers to hardcore moshers sending everyone back to the days of yore!

They were active, recording music around the mid 90's (but they still play live from time to time), this post is about BTJ rare tracks taken from compilations and singles plus both their demos:

1992 - Five Songs Demo

01. No Reward
02. Guy Like Me
03. Who's That Man
04. It Doesn't Matter
05. Back Up

1992 - 5 Big Hits
01. Time
02. Someday
03. The newest one
04. My Discipline
05. One Love

1993 - Someday Maxi-Single
01. Someday

02.  This Is The Way

03. If I Can

1994 - Handouts Maxi-Single
01. Handouts (LP Version)

02. Handouts (BTJ Sing Along Choir Version)
03. No Use
04. Guy Like Me (featuring Jackie B & The A-Trains)

1995/1996 - Compilations
01. Gratitude (from Flipside R.A.F.R., 1995)
02. Catalina (from Homage - Lots Of Bands Doing Descendents' Songs, 1995)
03. 700 Club (from Punk Uprisings, 1996)

DOWNLOAD [new link 2021!]

After Black Train Jack they went on separte ways and formed many other projects following that same catchy melodic punk formula such as Grey Area, Nine Lives and Higher Giant but what not everybody knows is that Rob Vitali (vox) teamed up recently with dudes in Buried Alive and Maximum Penalty to record a demo under the name American Monster, take a listen:

credits: Orville Dunworth

HIGHER GIANT - The First Five + Al's Moustache

Location: New York

Release: Black Numbers/ Creep Records, 2009

I was just listening to Black Train Jack and started to remember about Ernie Parada's bands, one in special is somewhat underrated: HIGHER GIANT. This short lived super group produced 2 EPs and a total of 9 pop punk tracks in the vein of CIV and Black Train Jack.

The band was comprised of David W. (Kid Dynamite, Paint It Black), J-Sin (Warzone, Grey Area), Alex (The Arsons) and of course Ernie Parada (Token Entry, In Your Face,...). When it comes to melodic shit I'm very specific, there are only a few dudes that can lay down this kind of solid melodic punk and these heavywheights are definetely amongst them.

DOWNLOAD (both EPs)

HIGHER GIANT - Al's Moustache (Black Numbers Records, August 2009)

HIGHER GIANT - The First Five EP (Runner Up/ Creep Records, March 2009)