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Political Blast: Former Santa Cruz punks P.A.W.N.S. turn out a mind-blowing collection on their latest. Notes From The Underground Farewell Fury: Top-of-the-heap local punks call it quits after rocking SC for most of the '90s By Matt Koumaras ANCHORS TO THE PUNK SCENE since '93, Fury 66 has disbanded. With the exception of Good Riddance, Fury 66 has been Santa Cruz's most productive and well-known punk band during the past six or seven years. You know you've made it as a punk band when in the back of the Maximum Rock 'N Roll classifieds section some fan in Kansas lists Fury 66 as a favorite band. Let's raise a toast to them (nonalcoholic, of course) for all the intense live shows, positive messages--and most importantly for letting people know around the country that not everyone in Santa Cruz bathes in granola while smoking out to the latest Spin Doctors album. (Music is still in their blood, by the way. Joe Clements was spotted last week banging the drums steel-cage-style for Boston Crab up at Stevenson College.) CD Review: P.A.W.N.S. This former Santa Cruz band is now fighting authority and always winning up in Chico. Just like a passionate Yuletide kiss from Uncle Buck, some things never change--eight mind-blowing songs clocking in under 18 minutes. Saint Ann's zippy vocals sound as provocative as ever. Ray Dehated's guitar sends out heat-seeking shrapnel. And L.D.B. Clark's tenacious drumming pummels you kamikaze style. What truly separates the P.A.W.N.S. from the majority of their punk peers is the quality of their lyrics. "Human Economy" lists sordid conspiracies that 60 Minutes would hog-tie Andy Rooney at a luau for: "Smoke a half a pack a day despite what the surgeon general says. Why keep your body clean? They'll just feed it to the machine!" "Assembly Line" is about working 9 to 5, handing your paycheck right back to your boss and ultimately not being able to afford a cemetery plot when you die--cheers! St. Anne's celestial chants on "United We Fall" conjure up images of a divine two-headed Siouxsie Sioux/Eve Libertine creation. The AK-47 drumming that takes place on "Livestock of Fools" proves more thrilling than that little gizmo I ordered called "The Tongue" from the back of a Cosmopolitan magazine. Awesome fadeout chorus of "Justice will prevail with repetition ... repetition" on "Just Us." "Conformity Jane" tells the sad tale of a trendy fashion victim who keeps jumping on musical scenes to find happiness. The demented kazoo choir on "Ukrainian Kazoo" shows that political punks laugh like the rest of us--they just look a lot meaner when they do it. Write the P.A.W.N.S. at 480 Ash St., Chico, 95928 or [email protected]. Live Rocks Santa Cruz Rocks, a production company based in the Santa Cruz Mountains, kicked off the first of a series of live shows last month with Ohms, Dylyzma and Galadriel at the Felton Community Hall. Inspired by the success of Bad Monkey Records' Santa Cruz Sucks releases, the company intends to put out a compilation of their upcoming live performances from local bands. Grab a pen and jot down that Santa Cruz now officially sucks, rocks--and, on special engagements, rocks & tacos. Bands can send demos for future shows to Santa Cruz Rocks, Box 1233, Boulder Creek, 95066. Upcoming The Huxtables, Soba and HBA play Skinny's Friday; also Friday, District 17, Boxleitner and Funeral Dinner play Radio Free Records in San Jose (2626 Union Ave). [ Santa Cruz | MetroActive Central | Archives ]