The Tim Version

Tampa Bay's the Tim Version comes with a pretty good punk rock pedigree, seeing as how these Panhandle ne'er-do-wells have managed to take their wares across most of the U.S. of A., parts of Europe, and Japan, using that old trick: hard work. Individually they hold down some fairly white-collar type jobs, but collectively they gel together well with a nothing-fancy, no-frills kind of attitude.

Of the 12 tracks on their latest disc Decline of the Southern Gentleman, there's a little bit of everything for people who like their punk rock real and not Hot Topic packaged. The songs "Shin Splints" and "Murder" open up the album in hardcore fashion. You'll forget all about Southern gentlemen and open up a bottle of Southern Comfort instead. And why not enjoy it with some booze when an album rocks this hard. The guitar attack comes from the hands of Russ Van Cleave and Scott Laval, while the rhythm is aptly handled by Shawn Watkins (drums) and Mike Paul on bass.

They also take a stab at Tampa author Tim Dorsey's Florida Roadkill with "Tim Dorsey Writes Non-fiction." They slow down the middle of the album with the heartfelt "Too Many Saturday Nights" before tearing through the back nine with some scorchers like "Paradise by the Fluorescent Lights" and "Skilled Labor." After a handful of seven-inchers and a few albums, this record is a good entry into their catalogue and a good first buy for record-buyers looking to inject a little lifeblood into their collections.