Golden Pelicans throw album release party for ‘Grinding for Gruel’ at Will’s Pub

Orlando garage-punk godfathers the Golden Pelicans aren’t quite as active as they used to be, so when they do convene these days, they make it count in short-but-sweet bouts of touring that might take them up and down the East Coast, see them playing a live session on famed indie radio station WFMU in New Jersey, or even a punk fest in Puerto Rico.

And even with drummer Rich Evans increasingly occupied by running Total Punk and the Mayhem on Mills wrestling fed, the band recently found time to lay down a mess of trashy tunes for heavyweight label 12XU – also home to Obnox and former locals Chronophage – run by former Matador Records guiding light Gerald Cosloy. Level up.

The resulting album, which dropped earlier this month, Grinding for Gruel, shows the band in damn fine AC/DC-esque form, tossing out sodden, fatalistic anthems one after the other. Saturday sees the release party for both the Pelicans platter and a self-titled 7-inch from Gainesville opener the Curleys, out on Total Punk.

with Curleys, Future Bartenders | 9 p.m. Saturday, June 22 | Will’s Pub, 1016 N. Mills Ave. | willspub.org | $7

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This article appears in Jun 19-25, 2019.