SR-71

Taking their name from the fastest airplane ever built, the alternative rock foursome SR-71 are here to stand and deliver jaunty punk songs with a corporate rock edge. Coming together in the early '90s in their native Baltimore, SR-71 -- guitarist frontman Mitch Allan, bassist Jeff Reid, drummer Dan Garvin, and guitarist Mark Beauchemin -- lunge into quick swirling three chord loops and spastic excitement, similar to punk-pop revivalists such as Blink 182 and Less Than Jake. SR-71's raw punching sound reflects the band's deep influential roots in British punk bands such as UK Subs and the Sex Pistols, but they also cite respect for the Beatles, Queen, Duran Duran, and The Police. Their debut for RCA, Now You See Inside, was released in summer 2000. It eventually went gold, however changes loomed ahead. Within a year the band saw the departure of Garvin and welcomed drummer John Allen. The new four-piece resumed schedule for a sophomore record. Tomorrow boasted a slicked sound from SR-71 and appeared in fall 2002. ~ MacKenzie Wilson