[Locals Only] Gross Urge

It's so easy for people to put their music on the Internet these days. So they do (thanks, Al Gore). And sometimes folks do this before their creations are really ready for public consumption. Newsflash: Sometimes musicians aren't so adept at self-evaluation. Then blowhards like me caustically chime in, suggesting more time in the lab, or perhaps delivering some profane command to construct a pyre for their instruments.

This is my advice to Gross Urge, two Orange County brothers (ages 16 and 13) who go by the handles BassPlayer (um, bass) and Baby Carrots (voice, drums): Head back to the garage and work on your chops and songwriting. Y'all have about another decade till you hit your creative primes, and judging by the four songs (clocking in at a walloping 2:43) on your MySpace, you could develop into a band worth hearing—but first, get a better timekeeper.

Gross Urge began life nine months ago, inspired by OC groups such as the Adolescents and the Crowd, as well as by such newer punk outfits as Harpoon Guns. You can grasp Gross Urge's aesthetic from their decision to cover petulant dairy-propaganda song "I Drink Milk" by Teen Idles, an early band of Ian MacKaye's. "Cartoons" is 23 seconds of inchoate rage and bass blurt. "Crazy Neighbor Lady" is a half-minute of snotty thrash. "Cat Killer" features a shaky Goth-punk bass line and a harrowing tale of the titular character.

Suffice it to say, Gross Urge make the less-than-a-minute blasts on Wire's Pink Flag sound like early Genesis. File under: folly of youth.

For more information, visit www.myspace.com/grossurge.

Attention Orange County/Long Beach musicians and bands! Mail your music, along with your vital contact info and a decent high-resolution photo (plus any impending performance dates) for possible review to: Locals Only,OC Weekly, 1666 N. Main St., Ste. 500, Santa Ana, CA 92701. Or just be lazy and e-mail your MySpace link to dsegal@ocweekly.com.