Musical division: Common Rider disappoints

This Is Unity Music

Common Rider

Hopeless Records

In the…

This Is Unity Music

Common Rider

Hopeless Records

In the early ’90s when punk was hard-core – or more hard-core than the punk of today – Operation Ivy rocked stages with the hardcore fans thrashing in the pits.

Then Op Ivy split up and along came a band by the name of Rancid. You may have heard of them.

Another band came from Op Ivy’s breakup: Common Rider.

Common Rider was formed in 1999 by Jesse Michaels, formerly of Op Ivy, and with the addition of the rhythm section of Dan Lumley and Mass Giorgini, both with previous experience from bands including Squirtgun and Screeching Weasel.

Common Rider released their first full-length album titled Last Wave Rockers on Panic Button Records in 1999, and now take on record stores with their second full-length release in This Is Unity Music, released in early September.

This Is Unity Music falls short in a number of areas because every song sounds the same. The songs on this album try to mix a California surfer style to a mediocre punk sound – like the Beach Boys mixed with The Mighty Mighty Bosstones.

The album does see bright light in a few minor areas as the sound quality is better than that of their first album and there is a slight trace of catchy lyrics in songs like the opener, “Firewall” and the closer, “Longshot.” And it seems that everything else in between falls short of par for the course in making a standout record.

The three members all live in different states. This presents difficulties when they are trying to play live shows. But they are currently on the road in their first nationwide tour, taking the stage with the likes of Jimmy Eat World, Anti-Flag and Bouncing Souls on the Plea For Peace Tour, which played Pittsburgh in September.