Ears Wide Open: Calamity the Kid

Kevin Bronson on November 25th, 2017

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In his new persona fronting Calamity the Kid, singer-guitarist Sam Doniger wears the Stars and Stripes proudly … and ironically … as a red, white and blue leather jacket. The trio — Doniger with his mate in previous bands Frontrunner and Grim Chimney, bassist Jack Gallagher, and drummer Ben Zelico — this month released their first single “American Muscle.” Not the flag-waver its title might imply, the song is a big, hooky power-pop number speaking to the malaise of a generation sorting through the societal detritus left by its recent forefathers. “I’m sorry if I can’t unwind / Don’t tell me everything will be all right / Growing up in the rubble / raised by American muscle,” Doniger sings over a roller-coast riff. The tune is the first single from Calamity the Kid’s debut EP, “Late Bloomer,” due Feb. 2. More protest songs are promised.

||| Stream: “American Muscle”