Strung Out

Though largely obsolescent in the marketplace, old-school pop-punk bands still pack clubs. Fans welcome the opportunity to see their heroes play full shows indoors, as they did in the pre-Warped days. Strung Out won't even make a cameo on the festival circuit this summer, instead working an itinerary that's faithful to the title of its 2003 concert album, Live in a Dive. The California quintet wrote "Rottin' Apple," an evocative look at soul-deadening burnout, back in 1996, and by tinkering with its style, the group has staved off the "face of misery" that song describes. Strung Out's earliest material throbs with paranoid intensity, its midperiod work includes serrated metal riffs and piercing solos, and its recent efforts range from elegant horror-rock (2004's Exile in Oblivion) to clarion power pop (last year's Blackhawks Over Los Angeles). Strung Out incorporates all eras into its 20-song sets, with Jason Cruz's malleable, tuneful vocals and Jordan Burns' apoplectic drumbeats the unifying constants.