Born Losers

Orlando punk veteran Tracey Blades has, over the years, been in an impressive string of great local bands like Fashion! Fashion! and the Image Boys, RunnAmucks and Eat the Elderly. But now he's finally emerging from all the racket and wreckage to front his very own vehicle with Born Losers, who just released their eponymous debut single.

Available now as a name-your-price download on Bandcamp, "Born Losers" is a freewheeling punk anthem that revels in fatalist glory, hurtling toward the cliff with the volume up, the top down and the ghost of Johnny Thunders riding shotgun. It's a fast, loose and catchy drive that mines gold from the gutter.

The live band lineup currently has Nick Mecannic (lead guitar and backing vocals), Jon Lane (bass) and Ryan Went (drums) flanking Blades. But the recording of "Born Losers," which was done about three years ago, features the illustrious likes of Sam Johnson (New Mexican Disaster Squad, Autarx, Grave Return) on lead guitar and Josh "Danger" Dobbs (RunnAmucks, Danger Room Recording Service) on rhythm guitar.

Besides being a good debut, the noteworthy thing about "Born Losers" is that it's an auspicious first taste of a catalog that's already been steadily building for several years. Although his work's just starting to see light now, Blades has kept recording these past few years, and he's amassed two albums of material in the can: a first LP recorded with Dobbs and a second with Joe Queer of the Queers.

As for the release of that music, Blades says he's been in talks with a couple of different record labels, but the most serious so far has been with Joe Queer's All Star Records. So, speaking of stars, it looks like perhaps enough of them are aligning to make Born Losers an Orlando band to keep both an ear and eye on - Orlando Weekly