[Over the next few weeks, we'll be
presenting our
favorite local songs of the year, counting down from No. 25 to No. 1,
one track a day. Today, we take an in-depth look at song No. 10 on the
list -- and, please, feel free to click after the jump to grab a free download of the track. Also
after the jump, check out songs No. 50-11 in the Top 50 list that will
update as it grows...]
Out of all of the great punk bands to have been birthed in the Denton house party scene (The Riverboat Gamblers, Teenage Cool Kids, Bad Sports), perhaps none have been as revered The Marked Men, the early '00s area juggernaut co-helmed by Mark Ryan and Jeff Burke.
But Marked Men shows and records are few and far between these days. Sure, the band released Ghosts in 2009 after a three-year hiatus, but, aside from one-off reunion shows here and there, that band's largely been known in recent years as an entity of the past.
Fortunately, though, for fans for fast-moving pop-punk, this hasn't turned out to be the death knell for each of the band's contributors. Really: In early 2010, Ryan, with some help from Marked Men drummer Mike Throneberry, as well as newer Denton punk talents, such as Bad Sports' Daniel Fried and Gregory Rutherford and The Uptown Bums' Stephen Svacina, very much proved himself alive and well, releasing a four-track home recording under the name of Mind Spiders. It would turn out to be far and away the top collection of area punk songs we'd hear all year.
Bonus mp3:
Mind Spiders -- "Worlds Destroyed"
Mind Spiders -- "Worlds Destroyed"
