Joey Kelly of Gutterwail Records does it again! This time, he pulls obscure punk group, The Maids, out of the shadows and back into the public eye with the reissue of Back To Bataan. The single has always commanded top dollar within the vinyl buying and trading community, but today, Gutterwail enables punk and vinyl aficionados to finally own this rare slab at a reasonable price. The Maids proudly play lo-fi garage rock at a more punk rock pace. You won’t find any politicized lyrics here, despite singer and guitarist John Ritalin (McCormick) once reminiscing in an editorial about his days living in Berkley and embracing slogans of Abolish The State. While living in a former, self-proclaimed anarchist commune on Parker Street, The Maids were parallel to the burgeoning California punk community but didn’t stick around long enough to see the genre’s explosion in Orange County and Los Angeles. They played a minimal number of gigs, earned a review in Trouser Press, and brief airplay on KTIM radio in the Bay Area before disbanding.
The Maids embraced ’60s garage rock songwriting structures with catchy chorus refrains, unapologetically yelling the single’s title while the backbeat came dangerously close to falling apart in one chaotic mess. Rumors abound that there is more material that has not seen the light of day, but hey, rumors keep legacies, however small, alive and often exceed the actual output of bands. For those wanting to add to their collection without breaking the bank, and for newcomers finally able to hear The Maids, visit Gutterwail Records and tell the collectors you refuse to pay their prices.
https://www.madparade.biz/product-page/the-maids-og-cover
