Max Bernstein uses strings and picks and sings
Jeremy Bonsall uses strings but no pick
Ben Flanagan uses strings and picks and sings too.
Rob Obee uses sticks and drums
The Actual appropriate emo's dark, spidery guitar textures and speedy tempos without kicking out too much over-the-top bloodletting. The Los Angeles band sounds well-schooled in classic punk on its debut album; singer Max
Bernstein has a nice raggedness to his voice, and as a songwriter he knows his way
around both a melodic hook and an understated chorus. *Three stars*
(Rolling Stone Magazine, March 18th, 2004)
If there's any disc in the world that proves pop-punk is still very much
alive and a viable source of enjoyment, let The Actual's debut full-length
be the harbinger of such greatness. This is a sumblime, joyous blend of the
Descendents, Jawbreaker, Treble Charger, Marvelous 3, Shades Apart, and any other pop-punk act with half a brain. Songs on Radio Idaho is a sure-fire
collection of of superbly crafted pop-punk, sans the redundancy and blubber
that affect even the best acts in the genre. Guitarist/vocalist Max
Bernstein coughs up complex yet thoroughly appealing guitar riffs, throaty,
molasses-coated vocals, alongside bassist Jeremy Bonsall's Karl
Alvarez-esque straight-eighth countermelodies and the solid precision of
drummer Jeff Keenan. Radio Idaho is truly one of the year's finest antidotes
to all lackadaisical, uninteresting pop-punk that is Sum 41, Good Charlotte,
and Simple Plan - they're not trying to be cute, funny, nor schtick-laden -
and deserve only the highest of accolades and recommendations. Pop-punk's
brightest honor students have arrived to school all in attendance. Hold
tight!
(Law of Inertia, issue .17)
Crammed full of cavity inducing hooks, Songs on Radio Idaho is a stellar,
well-rounded debut that never loses its direction in delivering sure-fire
power-pop punk cuts. Furthermore, Max Bernstein's gritty vocals happily
don't resemble the nauseous Bubble Yum adolescent whine that's the
regrettable commercial radio norm of late.
(Mean Street Magazine)
Keen poppy-punk. Really good vocal melodies befit the intelligent lyrics and
clever turns-of-phrase. All in all it's a very strong pop record.
(Punk Planet)
“We never let starvation or icy roads get in our way”,
muses Max Bernstein, singer/guitarist of The Actual.
Indeed, the ultra-literate rock combo, rounded out
by guitarist + singer Ben Flanagan, Jeremy Bonsall on bass
and Rob Obee on drums have covered many a
mile on little more than a healthy dose of
we-think-we-can and an '82 Econoline that thankfully
shares that sentiment. Shortly after their first show
on Easter Sunday of 2001, The Actual have spent most
of their time on tour playing pretty much to anyone
who would listen at just about any place that would
book them, sometimes with questionable results. "We
played to a room full of angry bikers in Idaho once.
That caused me to rethink my booking policy," says Max.
Thankfully, people DID start to listen, and one of
those people was rock legend Scott Weiland of Stone
Temple Pilots and Velvet Revolver, who promptly signed
the band to his new RED/New West/SonyBMG co-venture Softdrive
Records. Scott took the band out of the bars and
basements and onto a string of arena shows with Velvet
Revolver, and co-produced the bands new album. "We
played a hotel bar in Nevada to 12 people one night
and the next night pulled our van up to the Aladdin in
Las Vegas and played to 4,000 people. It was pretty
ridiculous." adds Max.
The album, "In Stitches" is a fantastic 13-song
juggernaut of smart, catchy post-punk that while sung
from the heart is obviously carefully filtered through
a serious set of brains (Max is the son of writer Nora
Ephron and Watergate journalist Carl Bernstein - the
band's literary complexity is pretty unavoidable.)
The leadoff single "This Is The Worst Day of My Life
(Do You Want To Come Over)" might be the catchiest
song since "It's a Small World" until it morphs into a
grandiose Queen-esque outro. "Dancing On The
Perimeter" channels Placebo, The Go-Gos and Husker Du
into a dance-punk anthem about being afraid of
dancing. "Stay In My Rectangle" sounds like
Alkaline Trio taking a shot at Dinosaur Jr.'s best
work. Jeremy’s stacatto lines weave around Max and Ben's raspy vocals which thankfully nothing like the typical over-earnest emo
whine that has become inescapable.
Listen up for The Actual stopping by your town soon look for "In Stitches" in stores everywhere.
"this is the worst day of my LIFE!!" i must be a space shot. i saw you guys with Ozma last June at the Middle East In Boston. i havent really been using my myspace account much cuz of facebook, i should have wondered why it said "Actual 2001-2007" You arent done? i listen to your Cd every day at the gym and i wear my "Actual" T-shirts with pride......wow this really is the worst day of my life "what did i do to deserve this" love you guys rock on!
how sad is my life! im the top rep of a band which has dismembered! :( its ok! max has an amazing new project and ben is gonna be in fresno with his project wich just blows my mind even if i cant make it! but thanks for a great run! <3
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