"Stay Weird, Stay Wild, Stay Free!"

"Fuck what you like." Says Brain, A.R.E Weapons' lead singer. And I totally agree with him, it doesn't matter what you like or listen to, any of you. This band is all that matters right now.
Coming straight out of New Work City with the force of a freight train in 2000 with their self-titled debut, these dudes play some of the best semi-synthed, punk, bad ass rock n roll (good bad not evil) to come out since Joy Division or the early Misfits. And the lyrics, sheeesh! When I heard about them, obviously tried right away to download all of their shit that I could, but even I couldn't find much from their 3 LP's. Then my boss, Mr. A-ron the downt0wn of aNYthing / Off Bowery fame (plug) threw a party last Monday on new years eve and enlisted in the Weapons along with The Virgins to set the mood. My brother and I were so psyched having fallen in love with the 4 or 5 songs I was able to freeload from the interweb by them. So we're standing outside of the Mercury Lounge waiting for A-ron to get there and up walks Brain who got my brother and I inside. The show was better than we could have ever imagined. A week or so goes by, blah blah blah, and Brain comes by the store we are opening for the brand I work for, Off Bowery and he brought he some of their compact discs. Turns out, after listening to all of their albums, they are the best band out right now. Yeaaah shithead, I said it. Read what another journalist said,

"A.R.E. Weapons make music that makes you feel like a cool warrior who’s just cut the head off his mortal enemy and is holding high to triumphant cheers on the battlefield."

Their new album, which was released September, is better than the first two. Nearly every song is an anthem with these dudes, and they're about as infectious as AIDS. Whether it's "Let's go to Time Square, let's go to Time Square, let's go to Time Square, yeah!" Or "Stay weird, stay wild, stay free." Or "Sweee-eeeee-eeet Jesuuus, Jesuuus", this band rules it with the realest lyrics one could muster. Like,
"you got a style that you think is rare, here's a quarter buddy, call someone who cares."
If that's not enough for you, stop reading my babble. Here are a couple tracks for your virgin ears, if you want their albums, go buy 'em, numbnuts.

Freeloads:

From 'A.R.E Weapons'
01. Don't Be Scared
09. Street Gang
10. Hey World

From 'Free In The Streets' (Defend Records, 2005)
01. These Tears
05. Reggie

From 'Modern Mayhem' (Defend Records, 2007)
02. Let's go to Time Square
04. Weird Wild Free
08. Sweet Jesus
09. Dreamers
14. Do You Wanna Hang Around?