The Bomb

Formed in Chicago during the late 1990s, the Bomb functions as a hard-hitting punk trio anchored by ex-Naked Raygun frontman Jeff Pezzatti on vocals and bass, alongside guitarist John Maxwell and drummer Paul Garcia. The members launched their own Jettison Music label, taking its name from Naked Raygun’s third album, and the imprint has since issued recordings by the Matics and Green. Their first output came with the three-song …Arming EP in 1999, followed the next year by the full-length Torch Songs, which Steve Albini—Pezzatti’s former Big Black bandmate—recorded. Reviewers placed both releases alongside the intense melodic force of late-1980s Raygun yet stopped short of labeling them duplicates. Since their start, the Bomb has played frequent shows in Chicago and Minneapolis, sharing bills with veterans such as the Damned and Grant Hart as well as newer groups like the Pinehurst Kids and the Amazing Crowns.