Nothing Left

Punk rock on an acoustic guitar never sounded this good before. Recorded live at Fulcrum Records, this CD offers up a glimpse of a punk rock show where the band is one guy—Nothing Left, a.k.a Brad Finney—and his guitar. The songwriting is decent, and Brad’s grasp of three guitar chords combined with his vocal skills make for a group of songs that present a style of ringing chords with fast changes and a fast rhythm. Listen to just a few of them and you’ll get the gist. Brad covers Social Distortion’s “Mommy’s Little Monster,” staying true to his own style while honoring that band’s hard-driving sound. His stage presence oozes with confidence when he tries to get his 10 audience members—he counted them—to sing the chorus of the anti-war song, “The Plea,” encouraging the crowd: “and it goes one world, or no world at all.” The best track is No. 4, “Pieces for Everyone,” on which we hear Brad smash his old acoustic guitar while the audience howls with expletives and approval.