up the (pizza)punx.

some famous asshole once asked, "what is a party without pizza?".

a party without pizza is not a party at all (doiii), and punks and rock'n'rollers all across this great world are taking note of this seemingly minor social detail. so now, here, in this great year of 2009, we have a widespread outbreak of Pizza Punk bands. they are fun. they are funny. they spread the party jamz like no others.

local heroes Johnny & the Limelites are the real deal. the proto-pizzapunks, if you will. they were rockin' out about pizza before pretty much anyone, and are true party professionals. check their debut (one-song) "Pizza Party" 7" single. it's a r'n'r punk rock fun-times gem, complete with a slew of backing vocals, frenetic "pizza party!" shouts and a lot of crazy Stones guitar style. it is, literally for real totally, like a party coming out of your speakers (or headphones). keep an eye out for their upcoming single on Chicago distro/label, Rocket Reducer. also, seeing them live is a very highly recommended experience, so do so (they wear awesome outfits and bring pizza to their gigs!!).

next up: Personal & the Pizzas. ironically, it was a member of Johnny & the Limelites who hipped me to this wonderful and ridiculous band. Personal & the Pizzas pull a total daygo schtick and, i shit you not, pull it off well. they are, of course, from... New Jersey (ahem). all skepticism aside, their first single (on GOOK Entertainment) is #1 A+ quality listening. if you like trashy classic punk (Ramones, NY Dolls, Dictators, Stooges), simple rock and roll licks, and fun, then CHECK IT! there are hilarious spoken interludes amongst songs like "I Don't Wanna Be No Personal Pizza" and "I Can Read." Rob's House Records recently put out a split 7" with P&TPs and Bobby Ubangi...another great slab, although one of the two P&TPs tracks is on the first 7".

the next band i'm gonna throw out there might be a little controversial, since they may end up falling more into the "burger punk" genre (?), BUT they sing a whole lot of pizza-themed tunes. Happy Burger are a french punk band, therefore taking the party-food punk trend international! they play power-poppy, messy and snotty punk on the lo-fi tip. fun and catchy as hell. they have a single recently released on Douchemaster Records (one of the best record labels in existence, btw) which features songs like "Pizza All Around" and "The Ballad of Ray Kroc." you know who Ray Kroc is, right? he bought out the McDonald brothers in the 1950s (or something like that). the first franchised McDonald's was in Des Plaines IL, opened by Kroc. my dad is 60 years old and still can't stop talking about when that place opened and how he would walk down the street for a nickel burger. great, dad.