Correction has spent the last year playing shows, progressing as a band and honing a sound that can be best described as ‘90s skate punk meets Dag Nasty and Down By Law—two bands heralded as the precursors of what eventually became the much-maligned genre known as emo. What separates them from what we know of emo today is the complete absence of self-pity, elephantine irony and petty brooding.
What Dag Nasty and Down By Law had was an eloquent fusion of typical, stripped-down punk rock with a well thought-out song structure. This is exactly what to expect from Correction’s music. The elaborate guitar work of Kevin Monyhan and Randy Wolfe playing off each-other’s riffs—you’ll rarely hear the two playing the same exact thing—gives Correction a depth that’s seldom heard in your average punk rock band. Dave Wood’s bass playing is no simple 1-2-3-4 minimalist dribble. Trust me, this fool can play!
Correction’s drummer Craig Allen stays with the strings by way of his hard-hitting beats and ear for the proper fill at the proper time.
Morgan Slipowitz, the band’s vocalist, is the element that keeps Correction grounded to their punk rock roots. He defines his style as the result of “listening to a lot of Jello Biafra and the Dead Kennedys and Propaghandi.”
Slipowitz has played in bands like Gusher and Negative Nancy, among others, so he’s had plenty of time on the mic to get comfortable with his own “rapid fire” vocal delivery.
Each member of Correction has plenty of extra-curricular activities to claim on their resumes. Allen played drums for Downrigger. Monyhan played with Negative Nancy. Wolfe played with The No-Goodniks out of Chico, Calif., All Opposed from Reno and The Emperors. He recently started jamming with Stale Ale.
Correction is a band of cats who know what they’re doing and have the experience not to overdo it.
According to Monyhan, Correction is “not a message-driven band. We just fuckin’ love music with the energy of punk!”
“We have a lot of songs about work. We’re all just basically blue collar,” says Wolfe.
“I’ll be honest with you,” says Wood. “I think this band is still looking for its sound,” a sentiment that the rest of Correction seem to agree with.
Although they recently recorded eight songs with Sacramento producer Mike Schefner (a few of which can be heard at MySpace.com/Correction), the guys don’t see those songs working as an album because of the progressive growth in the band’s sound since they were recorded.
“I could see us doing like a split [album] for some of the songs and another for the others,” says Allen. “Our style has changed, so to put all the songs together wouldn’t really work.”
Correction is planning another session with Schefner that should better capture what the band has become.
As far as long-term rock and roll goals, the group claims no lofty aspirations for stardom or careers in music—they just really love playing punk rock and that’s good enough for them.
Despite the growth of the band, it has a sound that’s stayed consistently its own, and the sound can easily cross the lines of personal taste.
Any fan of good guitar-driven rock and roll should give them a listen.
Aside from playing around Reno, they are also regulars on the Sacramento circuit.