In 2023, just at the point where the world was getting back on its feet having spent a few years knocked out by a global pandemic, the legendary Michael des Barres teamed up with pop/rock pianist Kris “Fingers” Rodgers and recorded a couple of excellent singles. Although, on paper, a union between the relatively young, relatively unknown musician and the veteran vocalist seemed like a slightly odd one, the contrast of styles and coming together of two generations actually worked. Both ‘Bounce Back Baby’ and ‘Soul Shake’ were brilliantly upbeat affairs that genuinely brought out the very best in both musical parties.
Tag Archives: rum bar records
THE REAL GONE SINGLES BAR #138
With January now underway, this visit to the Singles Bar offers a great and varied selection of new and recent sounds. We’ve got a pair of power pop bangers, the return of some industrial legends, some alternative electronica from a band making their debut in 2026, and more besides. There should be more than enough here to remind people that Real Gone is so much more than “a metal site”, setting us off with best foot forward for the coming year! As always, we hope you find something new to enjoy…
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Real Gone Presents: A Boston Round-Up, December 2025
It’s been a couple of months since Real Gone last visited Boston, but the city has continued to deliver more than its fair share of underground sounds. In this round up, we bring you ten of the more interesting cuts that have landed in our inbox, ranging from blue collar rock, to cinematic pop rock, and even a dash of punk. Those of you who have followed us for some time will certainly recognise a couple of these names by now, but we hope you find something new to enjoy!
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Listen: The Peppermint Kicks deliver a ‘Number One Record’
In the middle of the “lockdown years”,The Peppermint Kicks released their debut album, a ten track collection of retro workouts, pretty much guaranteed to thrill fans of the musicians involved. Like many releases on the Rum Bar label, it received positive praise from the underground press, but didn’t really reach beyond “cult status”.
DUCK & COVER – No Hounds In The Cluster
Between 2020 and 2025, Boston band Duck & Cover released a succession of digital singles and EPs that showcased their sometimes ragged, sometimes retro, often enjoyable rock sounds very effectively. The material didn’t necessarily reach beyond a cult audience, but the band’s various college rock and noisy power pop influences often struck a chord with those who stumbled across the band’s work.
2025’s semi-punky ‘Bored of The City’ was actually one of Duck & Cover’s finest numbers to date, and this didn’t escape the notice of Rum Bar Records. Taking the digital wares from that six year stretch and adding a previously unreleased nugget, they gave the material its first physical send off at the end of that year with the fourteen track ‘No Hounds In The Cluster’ – a collection that plays brilliantly as an album in its own right.