Dry Ink

Dear Editor,

While I am a regular reader of Ink Nineteen , and on the most part agree with the majority of your reviews on punk releases, I was absolutely flabbergasted at two album reviews in particular in your May 19th issue. First, Brian Kruger gave a “big thumbs up” for The Huntingtons High School Rock CD. While I agree with the review, I must point out that CD came out almost ONE YEAR AGO. The Huntingtons have put out two full-lengths since then. While I do understand how clogged things can get reviewing music (I am a music director at my university in Boca Raton), this is kind of ridiculous, especially because your publication has already reviewed the same album months ago. If I remember correctly, the infamous D. Lee Beowulf gave a not-so-optimistic review of High School Rock several issues back.

Second, we run into the same problem with a review of Pivot’s Rock Scissors Papercuts . Our college radio station promoted that album on our station over a year ago. What’s going on? Did you guys not have enough material to fill the pages?

Please do not become too lackadaisical in your review section. I do enjoy picking a hot-off-the-press copy of Ink Nineteen and heading straight for the reviews to get my music fill of the day. But I couldn’t help but laugh out loud when I saw those two reviews, because it just seemed that you guys are willing to shoot yourselves in the foot and think no one would notice.

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Ian Koss responds: The Huntingtons got reviewed twice because they put out so many albums that we can’t tell the new ones from the ones sent as tour support. I didn’t know about Pivot; we reviewed it within a couple of months of receiving it, so someone at their label must have been asleep at the switch.

Still, I agree that the space could have been better used for something fresh. We’ll try to keep a closer eye out. Lately, we’re NEVER at a shortage of material; if you look in our website, you’ll find plenty of reviews, features, and interviews that we just couldn’t fit in print.