Drivin’ N Cryin’ singer’s punk roots revisited
Scavenger of Death reissues Kevn Kinney’s Milwaukee punk beginnings
- Scavenger of Death Records
Before moving to Atlanta and forming local Southern rock heroes Drivin’ N Cryin’, Kevn Kinney’s nickname was Larry Mondello, and from 1980-1983 he cut his teeth singing and writing songs with Milwaukee punks the Prosecutors. Once a rarity, the band’s lone record, 1980’s I’ve Got a Message 7-inch, is available once again thanks to local label Scavenger of Death Records.
The record’s three cuts have a raw punk sound and high-energy pace that will please fans of the Killed By Death series, and the group’s Midwestern punk contemporaries. The title track and “Dead Man” are also strong enough lyrically to please fans of Kinney’s later work and are a sign of what was to come later in his career. The final track, a live version of “Prosecution Rests,” is the highlight, as it spews as much punk bile as any cut by better-known regional contemporaries like the Gizmos.
The group reformed in April with Kinney’s son, Tyler, on drums, opening Drivin’ N Cryin’s two-night stand at the Star Bar. Tyler is no stranger to the label that has re-released his dad’s earliest recordings, as his own young punk outfit, Ralph, had its debut 7-inch released by Scavenger of Death in 2009.