The So So Glos

Drawing from the Clash's raw punk drive, the Stooges' gritty garage sound, and the Kinks' classic 1960s pop, Brooklyn's So So Glos formed as a politically charged punk band in New York. Alex on lead vocals and bass, his brother Ryan Levine on guitar, and stepbrother Zach Staggers on drums had performed together since childhood in projects such as SPITT, Urban Eyze, and Every Other Weekend, yet only started extensive touring after adding guitarist Matt Elkin in 2007—the same year their self-titled debut album appeared. Irritated by the scarcity of under-21 clubs back home, they teamed with D.I.Y. promoter Todd P in 2008 to launch the all-ages Market Hotel space, after which they hit the road supporting Titus Andronicus and Santigold stateside plus the Virgins and ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of the Dead across the U.K. The following year brought the Tourism/Terrorism EP, succeeded in 2010 by Low Back Chain Shift. That same year the Market Hotel closed, prompting the group to establish Shea Stadium as a fresh D.I.Y. hub for local punks; the venue soon grew past Brooklyn and drew acts nationwide. Their second album, the breakthrough Blowout, arrived in 2013 and earned spots on numerous major publications' year-end lists. While crafting its successor the band nearly collapsed, but they completed and issued their third LP, Kamikaze, in 2016.