Album cover art by RTM!
LOCK/JAW is an LA based punk band with elements of hardcore punk and pop culture, resulting in a niche known as nerd punk or nerdcore. They retain a mean, nasty attitude without taking themselves too seriously. Lock/Jaw has survived several lineup changes throughout their career. The current roster consists of Nate Filichia (The Screaming Skulls, Bate, Train of Thought) on guitar and vocals, Guillermo Hernandez known as Memo (Necrosodomization, Cremated, Eviscerator) on guitar and vocals, and brothers Henry Huezo (Tessatura, Left in Embers, Cremated) and Michael Huezo (Tessatura, Left in Embers), on drums and bass respectively. Together, the members of Lock/Jaw make a unique, eccentric style of punk rock music.
Memo and Nate banded together in the summer of 2010 to cover Blink 182 songs, but their casual jam sessions yielded surprising results. They created many original tracks, with Aldo Rodriguez (Tessatura) on drums and Robin De La Costa Alparaz (Bad Obsession, Far From Affinity) on bass. Robin left shortly before the release of the Rusty Nails EP in 2011, when current bassist Michael Huezo joined. This seminal album defined the agitated, angry sound of Lock/Jaw. There was another lineup change as Aldo left the band, and Henry Huezo took his place as drummer. This resulted in the current incarnation of Lock/Jaw as we know it.
From hardcore jams to poppy party anthems, Lock/Jaw embodies several different aspects of the punk rock spectrum. Their musical style is so heavy that they almost stray into metal territory, reminiscent of crossover thrash. They also have an edge of humor, with song titles like “Death to Hipsters” and “The Ballad of Customer Service”. Some tracks are in your face while others are more subtle. Their music is consistently gnarly and aggressive, while the details of their songs show great variety. With screamed vocals, heavy drumming, distorted guitar, and aggravated bass lines, Lock/Jaw are as extreme as they are talented.
-Chery Lynn