The new single, the lead track from the group’s second album, Under the Neon Heat, features new band member Frank Agnew (Adolescents, TSOL)
Greg Antista & The Lonely Streets have released the digital single “Down on Commonwealth,” the lead track from the group’s second album, Under the Neon Heat. The single marks the debut of veteran guitarist Frank Agnew in the lineup.
The album follows July 16 on CD, download, and 180-gram hot pink vinyl. The vinyl will be a strictly limited edition of 500 units. All formats come courtesy of Primal Beat Records and are available now for pre-order at Road Dog Merch.
Active in Southern California since 2018, the group’s lineup is comprised of Greg Antista(lead vocals, songwriter, guitar), Frank Agnew (lead guitar, keyboards, vocals), Warren Renfrow (bass, accordion, vocals), and Jorge E. Disguster (drums, vocals).
The members’ previous group affiliations are extensive: Antista (Joyride, Foxy), Agnew (Adolescents, Legal Weapon, T.S.O.L., 45 Grave), Renfrow (Cadillac Tramps, Manic Hispanic, Final Conflict, and tours with Adolescents and the Damned), Disguster (The Hangmen, Mink Daggers, Mr. Mirainga, live shows with Throw Rag).
Down on Commonwealth is a timely first taste of the upcoming Under the Neon Heat. Opening with ringing guitar and a propulsive rhythmic jolt, the song is both a wistful recollection of Antista’s youth and an invitation to engage in discussion about police reform.
Police brutality was a frequent reality for most of the group members during their formative years in the SoCal punk scene, and “Commonwealth” underscores that the problem still exists. The lyric draws attention to Kelly Thomas, a homeless man diagnosed with schizophrenia who died in 2011 after succumbing to injuries from an attack by six members of the Fullerton Police Department.
“The song is a reminiscence about growing up in the Fullerton punk scene,” says Antista. “The intersection of Harbor Boulevard and Commonwealth Avenue is the epicentre of all that. It was home to the first bars we snuck into and the pawn shops where we bought our first guitars.
“We have fond memories of seeing The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Suburbia, The Decline of Western Civilisation, and The Clash’s Rude Boy at the local Wilshire and Fox theatres. But the area has a dark side as well. The homeless situation is out of control. And local residents are still shaken by Kelly Thomas’ beating death by the police. Myself, and other members of the Lonely Streets have taken part in local protests related to his killing.”
A video clip for “Down on Commonwealth” was filmed in August 2020 during a concert Livestream in tribute to local musician Steve Soto (1963-2018). It was the appropriate event for Agnew to make his live debut with The Lonely Streets considering that he had played alongside Soto in both the Adolescents and Legal Weapon.
More news about the album coming soon!
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