Dylan Feese of the band Goodfellas is organizing an event on September 21st and 22nd to commemorate the 40th anniversary of The Ramones' release of Road to Ruin which spawned the classic punk song "I Wanna Be Sedated". Here's what he had to say about it:
Rhino Records continues its campaign to remind the world that America’s Greatest Band holds steady in its power to move and influence. Stepping up to the plate in an ongoing reissue series that began with their infamous blitzkrieg bop debut, Ramones’ 40th Anniversary Deluxe Edition of punk crossover masterpiece “Road to Ruin” is set for release on the precise anniversary of September 21, 2018, and Louisville tribute act Goodfellas won’t let that day fade into a whisper.
By 1978, the Sex Pistols had successfully left a path of musical and social upheaval that struck fear in the hearts of record companies and radio stations who grew resistant of the burgeoning revolutionary rock n roll sound of Punk across all borders and nations. Ramones refused to die a quiet death at the hands of another. So with the powerhouse production team of Ed Stasium and Tommy Erdelyi in tow, they set out to prove they remained the speed kings of pop prowess deserving of a taste of that Top 40 ganache.
Today, we lovingly look back at an album that didn’t blow the charts wide open, yet still holds up as a fully fledged statement from a band staying true to its vision. Ramones promised us a world built in the image of the Ronettes, the Beach Boys, the New York Dolls, and the Stooges, and they achieved this apex on “Road to Ruin”. It is a genre-bending, genre-creating symphony of controlled cacophony and devastating decadence, the likes of which the band could barely ever achieve again. Like The Clash and The Police, Ramones were keen to keep ahead of the dying first wave of punk and face a future of thoughtful art and an ensuing “New Wave”.
Goodfellasinvites you to join them on September 21, 2018 at Against the Grain Brewery, from 8 to Midnite, for the Cretin Cocktail Party, where beverages inspired by the spirit of Ramones will be served alongside specially curated sound and vision displaying what made them legends. The following day, September 22 at 6 PM, the Blitzkrieg Block Party will resume the Celebration as Goodfellas put on a free, all-ages in-store performance of Ramones classics at Guestroom Records. Immediately following is a screening of Rock n Roll High School at Hilltop Tavern.
