The Thons “Raw Real Rock,” “30 Foot Snake”

(thethons.com) I’d been hearing murmurs of an interesting new garage band in town, and this is a case where I’m glad to learn that the folks spreading such words have no idea what garage really is. Garage rock was kids from Skokie trying to play like art students from England trying to play like cats from the South Side of Chicago. The Thons are guys from Chicago playing like the British guys who didn’t give a damn about the blues. This is all out Buzzcock-y, even making one or two Joy Diversions here and there. The more recent “30 Foot Snake” album has one slice of All-American heartland rock (appropriately titled “Strummy Song”) but for the most part these guys do a remarkable invocation of interesting 70s punk without becoming a self-conscious parody. I’m Thon-derstruck!