Rag Mag 47 - 8/3/2026

What's up rag mag? Hope everyone is hanging in there in all this craziness. Keep our heads up and help out our community. Warning that Creature and co. will be in Maine when the next issue is due to be published, so we may experience technical difficulties publishing from the road, but the issue will be coming!

This week we have Hooked on Sonics with Velvet Deluxxx, The Fight Report with Chessy Renee, Wasteland Chick, and Creature's Double Feature.

Soundtrack to this week's issue: Some just in records and come classics inspired by Mittens making me think of the Didjits last week - Margarets - Hi-Tech Dinner LP (Killer Swankys style noise-punk), Democracy - Party's Over (Unlawful Assembly strikes gold again?), King Khan & BBQ Show - S/t & Mark Sultan - BBQ LP (sounds like summertime to me), Didjits - Fizz Job LP (Rick Sims' best? Such a killer band), and The Dark - Dressing the Corpse (Cleveland hardcore deathrock from 81-84 - total ripper on scat)

Hit us up at ragmagclub@proton.me with flyers, art, feedback, column idea, or just to say hi and let's talk about PUNK!

Hooked on Sonics / Scene report

What a two weeks since our last Rag Mag! Hope all our readers are enjoying the summer. So many shows , so little time. Whyte Lipstick has been hittin the road playing some out of town shows which has been a BLAST.

This week we played at local haunt Obrien's on a tuesday night . It was a RIPPER. SOOOO MUCH FUN . Everyone was so fucking nice. We played a few shows this week ( more in a minute ) But the common theme was everyone in the bands were cool and NICE. I love playing shows when it feels like a big giant hang out. Everyone sweating , dancing just happy to be there. Leave your Diva attitudes at the door ya know?

Ok, back to Obriens. Theres nothing like playing to a packed bar on a Tuesday. What a way to start the week. I felt like I was riding high the rest of the work week from that show . Another beer ? Sure. Do you want ketchup with your fries ?why not live a little. You don't like your meal ? Whatever doesn't bother me! Whenever I play a good show I feel like I have that energy in me for days and I fucking dare you to bring me down. Actually I don't dare you , just let me be happy for a for a hot minute damnit!

OK, I'm on no sleep and scattered so back to Obrien's . We got to play with Freak Phone ( Portland , Maine) , Criminal Kids ( Chicago) and Fools Gold ( Boston).

Freak Phone just came out with a new tape and we got to hear some of the hot new songs including one new disco punk song that totally ruled. I love this band. So much fun energy , with catchy riffs. I could go on and on but you should check them out already! and if you're in New England they are most likely coming to a town near you!

https://freakphone.bandcamp.com/

Next up we got Criminal Kids from Chicago. I am now a mega fan. So much fun and so fucking tight. I FUCKING LOVE ROCK N ROLL . One of my favorite things to see in a band is when you can really tell they're all buds on stage - and baby they have that. Rippers the whole set . I couldn't stop moving. Everyone was headbanging and jumping around next to me , it ruled . I bought the shirt , the record and am now following them on tour. Well not that part - but maybe you should . They're still on the road so maybe they're coming to a town near you!!

check them out here:

https://criminalkids.bandcamp.com/track/bad-blood

Closing out the night we have local boys FOOLS GOLD. They rule . Fun Rock N' Roll with catchy guitar riffs. They brought such a fun positive energy to the stage it was the perfect way to end such a killer night. GO OUT AND SEE THEM NOW. But also check them out here:

https://foolsgoldrnr.bandcamp.com/album/demo

Ps- I wish I took more photos but I was too busy dancing. Anywho - check out all these bands if you are ready to sweat!!!

Next we hit the road up to beautiful Portland , Maine. We played at BLUE last night and it was fucking popping off. Thank you to everyone that came out and extra extra special thanks to FREAK PHONE for hosting and throwing such an incredible night. There was punk , rock n roll , haunting folk harmonies , go-go dancers . It was wild. Unfortunately due to unforseen circumstances Freak Phone couldn't play but that didn't stop them for showing up to support and throw an amazing night - we love you guys!

Kicking off the night was Dirt Bunny. Beautiful , haunting folk with harmonies that send chills down your spine. I've never seen them but they were hypnotizing. I can't find their music online , so if you are reading this and know where to find them please write in!

Next up we had our north shore boys CRIMPS. Love those guys. The crowd loved them too . People were moshing people ,were dancing it ruled . Their songs are catchy punk songs that put you in a good mood. They are also total sweeties . Speaking of sweet and sweat because everyone was there WANTED played a surprise set before us. IT WAS SO GOOD. Josh was also jumping around in a plastic bomber jacket that both looked hot, and hot. I don't know how he didn't pass out . That's a pro for ya.

Both Wanted and Crimps are awesome and play frequently , so you should go check them out live. But till then blast their tunes here:

https://crimps.bandcamp.com/album/crimps-crisis-actors-split

** If you know where you can hear Wanted please let me know. Upon searching it just came up for a bunch of dudes putting out wanted adds for guitar players or girlfriends.

ed. note from creature - found this youtube link with their demo

Closing the night we have Portland band Euphemia. Rock N Roll with powerhouse vocals. They covered the Stooges which is a ok in my book and also payed tribute to the late great Jennifer Finch while belting out
"Shitlist." They even had go-go dancers accompany them on stage so it felt like the right way to end the night.

I also couldn't find their bandcamp , so if you know it send it along. If not look them up and find random videos of their sets!

HERE are also some blurry photos of some of the bands this week. Like I said I was too busy moving and grooving to get some really good pics but you get the idea!

Music rules. Go support your local venue , your local band . DIY forever — Coco

The Fight Report by Chessy Renee

Yoooo rage masters- what the hell is up?! Are you pumped up and pissed off? YOU HAVE EVERY RIGHT TO BE!

Just stopping by to direct you toward some links that I found while perusing the Muslim Justice League’s instagram: This article talks about how Boston police pass along information to ICE.; this one reports on surveillance cameras that were recently added to a shopping center parking lot in Chestnut Hill; and this link for calling representatives to demand an end to the Iran war. 

MJL’s website is here, for more educational resources and ways to get involved.  

Stay vigilant my dudes, take care of yourself and those around you. It’s nuts out here and keeps getting nuttier, so we need each other now more than ever. Alright… peace out

Wasteland Chick

As someone who is absolutely a certified dog trainer and is very educated on the subject (lol no), the tactics used on the Winter Soldier are incredibly similar and nearly metaphorical to the tactics used to (cruelly and poorly) train dogs; Military or otherwise. How so, you may ask? Well, firstly, there is the shared concept of obedience and compliance within both programs. See, with the Winter Soldier Program, the key goal is to get the asset (Bucky) to be completely compliant and unquestioning so it (yes I’m using it as his pronouns, this is to tie in inhuman perspectives, remember?) can perform tasks without conflicting emotion and at complete efficiency; Hence the phrase “Ready to Comply.” Additionally, when reading through the Marvel Wiki article about the Winter Soldier Program, an adjective that shows up frequently to describe the asset is “compliant.” Now, in terms of dog obedience programs, the goal is to train the dog in question to be completely compliant and strictly obey all of its handler’s commands while remaining completely submissive towards the handler’s authority and demands.

To quote from the article, “Dog Obedience Training (and Why We Don’t Call it That!)”: “Obedience means compliance with an order, request, or law or submission to another's authority. Historically, dog training often operated like this: trainers force dogs to obey strict commands and give out severe punishments for non-compliance.” Now, does that sound familiar? Anyways, another similar aspect shared between a random Marvel thing and a legitimate career is punishment. How? Well, in the case of the Winter Soldier Program, when the asset disobeys an order or fails to complete a task, such as the famous mind-wiping scene from Captain America: The Winter Soldier (the “Prep him and start over,” still gives me chills), a punishment is ordered from the asset’s current handler (again, are you picking up on this domain-specific vocabulary?) such as the mind-wiping until the asset once again regains its composure of compliance and obedience. To once again quote from the article, “Dog Obedience Training (and Why We Don’t Call it That!)”: “Obedience means compliance with an order, request, or law or submission to another's authority. Historically, dog training often operated like this: trainers force dogs to obey strict commands and give out severe punishments for non-compliance.”

However, though this likening of punishment based on action may seem enough to definitively say that the Winter Soldier Program and dog training are generically one and the same, I would like to provide a more in-depth and obscure yet so marvelously akin between these two subjects: The effects of punishment. Based on my reading of the book, “The Everything Dog Training and Tricks Book”, that one Winter Soldier article, and the dog article I keep mentioning, I have a weird connection of threads. One being, both forms of dog training information note that excessive amounts or specific amounts of punishment can lead to the aftereffect of aggression that can be negative on both the side of the dog and the side of the handler. To plunge deeper into this idea, the article “Dog Obedience Training (and Why We Don’t Call it That!)” notes that: “Dogs can become fearful or even aggressive when continuously forced to obey commands that feel unsafe for them.” Hmmmmmmmm.

And, in a much more unique but true-ringing concept is delved into within the “Everything Dog Training and Tricks” book, that concept being that: “If punishment is mistimed or too severe, it can often cause the dog to turn and bite whoever is closest. [...] They learn that the presence of other dogs or people means that they are about to get punished, so they will often bite without warning.” Now, once again, does that sound like anything you know about the Winter Soldier? Let me refresh your memory: Do you know that scene in Captain America: The Winter Soldier where the asset is being fixed up by the Hydra doctors after fighting with Cap on the bridge and regaining a sliver of his identity, and has a random memory flashback onslaught, and then chokes a doctor in a sort of blind attack? That is a prime and human (or non-human by characterization in the asset’s case) example of a dog retaining that the presence of other people around them means that they are soon to be punished, and then biting whoever is closest without warning.

To continue with this topic of Captain America: The Winter Soldier discussion, do you remember that guy, Alexander Pierce? Yeah, neither do I, but he does say something very important and related to the topic! He says to the asset when discussing how he needs the asset to continue working on killing Captain America: “"Your work has been a gift to mankind. You shaped the century." Now, remember that thing I said about military dogs? Well, this connects, as Pierce is deliberately describing the asset’s actions as the Winter Soldier positively to encourage the asset to keep doing it, while keeping it uninformed about the actual actions themselves and their combined effects. Now, military dogs are trained to do many Winter-Soldier-esque things on the battlefield when everything is chaos such as patrol and attacking but not killing, right (and in the early days of military dog training, considered living weapons)? Well, when a military dog gets too aggressive, much like the ill-fated kill squad program (in Captain America Civil War, they were all very insane Hydra super soldiers who all got essentially terminated), they are unfortunately euthanised. But, much like Bucky Barnes after he regains his memories and stuff, instead of the owners who mostly foster this dangerous aggression while training being blamed, said blame is shifted onto the dogs or person in this case. Wow! Anyway, that’s all I’ve got, and Jesus, I feel like Little Miss Woods Comma Elle typing up all of this groundbreaking shit in a pretty pink font. I hope this sounds legitimate for an amalgamation of two of my favorite things.

Sincerely, Wasteland Chick

The last 2 weeks have been crazy busy at work for yr ol' pal Creature and with a trip to Maine in my immediate future, time for records and punk shows has been limited. My band Tigers on Vaseline played a fun house show at Ask a Frog last week and had such a fun time - opener Luci Dead Limb was wonderful - such a beautiful voice.

I als made it out to a 7 band Tuesday night show at A1. Ended up only seeing 5 bands as 1 dropped and another showed up super late and I split before they played because I wake up too early for work lol. Super fun show and all the bands were fun! I was most looking forward to Abyecta, who unfortunately kept having technical difficulties with their guitar. Still, band ripped, looked cool as hell, and everyone had fun smashing up that mermaid during their set. I had never heard Fan Club from Seattle, but the name and the matching shirts/denim jackets had me fearing the worst. They also had issues with the guitar during the first song, but then the bass player just kept playing Dirt over and over throughout the set and totally won me over. Very much reminds me of the early 2000s hardcore bands playing garage rock scene and were super energetic live. Rejekts from the North Shore had the kids pitting the hardest. Killer drummer in that band really drove it. Biggest and best surprise for me were the two "with locals" bands - Poof and 4D8K. Poof opened up the show with some raw hardcore punk with some truly wild guitar playing. They had a weird noise effect going throughout which kept things interesting. Psyched to see them again. 4D8K is another local playing speedy old school hardcore punk and they played a ripping set. Always love when the best bands of the night open the show up.

Keeping on the local music, Adam from 4D8K gave me a demo for another band he plays in, Balloon Thief. This paired perfectly with the latest issue of local publication The Pit (The daddy issue). Balloon Thief Hole in My Head is 4 songs of catchy garage punk with some cool guitar tones, falling somewhere between early 2000s Jay Reatard and 90s rip off - Hole in My Head is getting stuck in my head. Always excited to see a new The Pit from Jules at the speedshop as I love sub-culture zines. This issue features The Pit going to the International Mr. Leather 2026 event, which was a FUN read. Check out local shit!

The Pit

https://4d8k.bandcamp.com/album/d1

https://balloonthief.bandcamp.com/

https://pvdpit.org/

Records of the Week

First up is the second e.p. from Japanese punks Vansuut, the Mari E.P. 4 rough catchy tracks of Finn punk that is convincing enough I didnt realize they were Finnish on the first record I heard from them (split with Tiikeri). Fast, raw and played with passion, this band rules. Somebody hook me up with their first record! No bandcamp for this record, but here's the split with Tiikeri (which also fuckin' rips)

https://openupandbleedrecordings.bandcamp.com/album/tiikeri-v-nsuut-split

Next up is a limited LP from Why Worry, a solo project from Janie Too Bad who used to play in personal faves of mine Black Time and Sexaphone. While the spirit of those bands carries through, this is minimalistic, shambolic folk/garage/experimental explorations. Acoustic guitars, weird sounds dropping in and out, tape manipulation, its all here. Sounds haunted in the best way and is a perfect late night come down record. Sit in the dark and zone the fuck out.

https://worstworry.bandcamp.com/

Soul Song of the Day

Soul song of the day is the b-side Fading Away by Bobby Taylor and the Vancouvers. Not much to say on this one, the tune is written by Smokey Robinson and the guitar player is freaking Tommy Chong, what more do you want? Like smoke from a cigarette, it's fading away.

That's it for this week's Rag Mag. Here's some flyers and keep sending stuff in (ragmagclub@proton.me).