Slick Shoes -- Rusty

8/10

"I got a great idea you guys, Slick Shoes!" "Slick Shoes, are you crazy?!"
With that quote straight from The Goonies begins Slick Shoes' extremely enjoyable punk rock debut, Rusty. The band is tight, the drums, bass, and guitar are so fast they're unbelievable. The energetic vocals, sung by a then 14-year-old Ryan Kepke, are to this day unique and pretty damned charming (I think the drummer, Joe Nixon, had a decade on the kid). The band's lyrics cover a wide swath of territory, from the band's faith, to girls, to friendships, to your standard punk rebellion. It's 22 years old, but Rusty still sounds fresh and infectious, sunny attitude percolating throughout, befitting Slick Shoes' SoCal roots.
The middle of 2000, I'd just graduated high school, left a period of caring too much about a bunch of stuff that didn't matter, and was enjoying a seemingly endless summer before college started. Not many things were more enjoyable than booting up Tony Hawk on my Dreamcast, muting the soundtrack, turning up my stereo, and skating around with Slick Shoes.
I'm tapping my feet impossibly fast underneath my desk right now in 2019, jamming on those infinite good vibes.
Also, I ordered this album on vinyl through Tooth &Nail's online store back in the day, and my dog ate it right off the front porch. Still have it, but it skips a little bit, and the sleeve's got holes the size of matzah balls.



1997 Tooth & Nail Records
1. Feeble 1:44
2. Cliche 2:41
3. Regrets 2:56
4. Rusty 2:47
5. Joe's Sick 1:48
6. Proved Me Wrong 2:03
7. Father Son Picnic 1:53
8. Losing Sight 3:23
9. Fall 2:47
10. Walk Out 1:53
11. Bounce 1:49
12. Last 3:09
13. By What Right 1:45
14. Tired of You 2:07
15. What Happens Next 2:26
16. Represent 2:32