The Dictators | The Dictators
(Valley Entertainment, Inc.)
Proto-punk legends the Dictators are justifiably viewed as one of the great New York City bands, but their roots are actually in the Hudson Valley. Bassist/vocalist Andy “Adny” Shernoff and lead guitarist Ross “the Boss” Friedman formed the band in 1972 while Shernoff was attending SUNY New Paltz, and their initial woodshedding with original rhythm guitarist Scott “Top Ten” Kempner took place in a rented house in Kerhonkson. With Shernoff now a Mount Tremper resident, the band has returned to their local roots—but their first studio album since 2001’s D.F.F.D. brims with just as much ball-busting Big Apple bravado as ever.
Now down to two original members (Shernoff and Friedman) plus Blue Oyster Cult drummer Albert Bouchard and guitarist/vocalist Keith Roth, the Dictators nonetheless come roaring out of the gate with the exuberant “Let’s Get the Band Back Together,” which happily demonstrates that Shernoff’s wiseass humor and Friedman’s dead-serious leads are both still razor sharp. “God Damn New York,” a love/hate letter to Fun City, is likewise cut from classic Dictators cloth, as is the raucous kiss-off “Thank You and Have a Nice Day.” Other standouts include “Sweet Joey,” a heartfelt tribute to their old Bowery running buddy Joey Ramone, and the ripping cover of “Transmaniacon MC” is a nice nod to the long-running brotherhood between the Dictators and BOC. But the whole thing is “Really Good” (to quote another of the album’s song titles) and should definitely delight any diehard Dictators fan—not to mention anyone else who could do with a dose of classic Noo Yawk rawk ‘n’ roll.
This article appears in March 2025.
