About
HAVE NOTS are a ska influenced punk rock band from Boston MA.
Since self-releasing their debut full length record “Serf City USA” in JAN 2009, they’ve done a lot of things. Named one of Alternative Press Magazine’s 100 bands you need to know in 2011, they’ve spent the majority of the past several years on the road. They’ve toured with or played with genre legends like Dropkick Murphys, Street Dogs, Big D And The Kids Table, Swingin Utters, Less Than Jake and The Mighty Mighty Bosstones. They’ve played to thousands at huge clubs and festivals, and to dozens in cramped basements and dive bars. They’ve had music featured on MTV and The Cartoon Network, and played live on BBC Radio 1 in London. They’ve received glowing reviews in many big national publications and many more tiny scene zines. They’ve sold thousands of records, met some amazing people, and seen some amazing shit. Not half bad for a little ska punk band from Boston.
But really, it all comes down to the music. Their new record “Proud”, released May 3 2011 on Paper and Plastick Records, finds the band coming into their own. Fueled by thought provoking lyrics and the clean/gruff vocal interplay of Matt Pruitt and Jon Cauztik, Proud reflects on topics such as love (“The Years”), loss (“Anywhere But Here”), growing up without selling out (“Proud”), getting old without growing up (“All Or None”), personal accountability for the economic recession (“Freedom of Recession”), and neglect of the US soldiers (“The Brink”). “Jon wrote the song ‘Proud’ about his dad who passed away fifteen years ago,” reveals Patton. “It’s about growing up, and being who you want to be, and the roads you take to get you where you are. When we were trying to decide on a name for the record we tossed around a couple of different ideas, but ultimately decided that, since we were proud of this record, and of the work that we’ve done as a band to get us where we are today, Proud would be a fitting title.”
But don’t take our word for it. Check it out for yourself.
PRESS:
One of the 100 bands you need to know 2011
-Alternative Press
“Do these guys (and their guitars) believe in ever taking a breath or playing a ballad? Thankfully, no. Simply put, this sophomore effort by Have Nots, a gang of Boston punks who like to mix a scally capful of ska in with their high-octane onslaught, roars out of the gate and rarely lets up.”
-The Boston Globe May 2011
“Have Nots have mastered the craft of state-smashin’ ska punk. No gimmicks, no “post-whatever” pretension, no accordion player or anything. But if you like punk rock, you will like this. Fuck, if you don’t like punk, maybe you’ll start to if you listen to the Nots’ four-star-worthy newest, Proud.”
-The Boston Phoenix May 2011
“Have Nots serve up a heady brew that’s equal parts Rancid and Operation Ivy, with a little chaser of Social D to carry it down the pipe all nice and smooth.”
-MyOldKentuckyBlog.com May 2011
“Proud is a punch of highly-focused energy that not only makes an immediate impact but proves to be more than the sum of its parts.”
-Punktastic July 2011
“An abundance of heart, street level politics, and honest emotion. Have Nots manage to cover each idea and topic with soul. Yes, Soul.”
-TheFirstFive August 2011
“Regardless of what’s to come, The Have Nots have already packed an entire career into a few short years, with Proud the latest notch on their belt.”
-DecoyMusic July 2011
“If you get the Suicide Machines, Rancid, and The Dropkick Murphys in a room, and have them get it on, Have Nots would be the love child of that rocking orgy.”
-DyingScene May 2011
“The opening track finds John Cauztik wondering outloud if his dad would be proud with him after all the stuff he’s done. After listening to Proud from front to back, all I can say is yes, yes he would.”
-ThePunkSite May 2011
“This is what punk music is: loud, fast, raw, and easily relatable.”
-OurVinyl.com May 2011
Outlandishly catchy hooks…energetic, laid back (when needed), and full of enough lighthearted melody (with deep lyrics) to be blasted all summer.
-ThePlaylist.net June 2011
