Latch Key Kids

Hot damn, they’re back together… Nearly a decade after they split up, the Latch Key Kids are back together — older, wiser, and hopefully just as good as they were back in the day. I can’t say what they sound like this time ’round, but the old stuff cool California-style hardcore punk a la all them wacky Epitaph bands (think No Use For A Name, Lagwagon, Pennywise, etc.). I’m not a big hardcore fan, but the Kids were/are pretty darn good…

When they were originally together, they put out 2 7″s, one on Skene! Records and the other on Houston’s own now-defunct Drop Out Records, both of which aren’t bad, put in an appearance on the Pinche Flojo Records (also now-defunct, sadly) comp Scene? What Scene? (and a song on the Pinche Flojo 1998 sampler), and even managed two actual full-length albums: Anytime, Anyplace, which is pretty damn cool, and a newer album, Innocence Gone, which I have yet to hear. The band went through quite a few personnel changes, for a while — they were between drummers for a while, w/Jon Guerinot and Sam from Mr. Yuck filling in where needed (and then Cory Worden, also of punkers Animosity, played with ’em), and guitarist Rhino Neumann left the band to play with Fat Chance, his new band, and was replaced by Dillon Sexton on guitar.

This time out, it looks like the lineup’s gonna be Tim G. on vocals, Jonathan on drums, Dave on bass, Dylan on guitar, & Rhino on guitar — badass. They’re playing shows again (including some biggies), which is great news; gonna have to drag my oldtimer ass out of the house sometime soon. Oh, and Tim says they’re currently in the process of recording all new LKK stuff — more news on that when I get it…

• WE LIKE THINGS 2012: Telling you all about the awesome things you (maybe) missed last year.
• Live: Latch Key Kids/The Buzzkillers/Dead to the World/The Hates/Llorona
• WE LIKE THINGS 2011: A ridiculously-late look at what was cool last year.
• Yr. Weekend, Pt. 2: Latch Key Kids + Chris Gray Day + The Eastern Sea + The Sour Notes + Lisa’s Sons + More
• Latch Key Kids, Democracy: The Art of Maintaining a State of Fear
• Reminder Time: Latch Key Kids, This Weekend (And a New Video)
• Early Warning: Latch Key Kids EP Release, Coming in January
• The Wild Moccasins
• Yr. Weekend, Pt. 1: Canned Acoustica + Amon Amarth + Dead to Me (MP3s!) + Bun B + No Hidden Meanings + More
• Balaclavas
• The Literary Greats
• Scale The Summit
• Muhammad Ali
• A Little H-Town Music News Madness
• Yr. Weekend, Pt. 2: Main Street Block Party + NOFX + Latch Key Kids + One Mic Houston + Tattooed For Good + Metal Summit 4 + More