"Taking a ride to middle of nowhere / Screaming out loud in the silence of dead air..."
Black Adidas, the musical moniker of Southern Cali's singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist Courtney Ranshaw, is someone who sweats alternative rock through every pore and has for two decades. He might agree with you that all forms of the art he gravitates towards from punk to Brit rock / punk to ska punk, to rockabilly and everything in between is not rocket science but oddly he floats in that scientific world too because after studying physics at Humboldt State University he became an aerospace engineer, a job he held for the past 20 years. A good gig to have for sure but, again, Courtney's need to make music pulls at him like gravity itself.
Black Adidas, the musical moniker of Southern Cali's singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist Courtney Ranshaw, is someone who sweats alternative rock through every pore and has for two decades. He might agree with you that all forms of the art he gravitates towards from punk to Brit rock / punk to ska punk, to rockabilly and everything in between is not rocket science but oddly he floats in that scientific world too because after studying physics at Humboldt State University he became an aerospace engineer, a job he held for the past 20 years. A good gig to have for sure but, again, Courtney's need to make music pulls at him like gravity itself.
Listening to "Strawberry Kisses" and I must tell you that (I believe) I feet his artistic orbits. I immediately thought of the caustic, romantic edges of artists like Psychedelic Furs, Social Distortion and the iconic Los Angeles radio station and tastemakers over at KROQ (especially the circa 1983 to 93 - the halcyon days of Freddie Snakeskin, Richard Blade and, of course, Rodney on The Rock). Courtney bathes his sound in big lipped glam sounds and classic Brit rock too- there is a bit of Mick in his snarl besides Richard Butler.
Black Adidas is:
Kari Child: Drums
Courtney Ranshaw: Vocals, Guitar, Bass, Synthesizer
David Newton: Vocals, Tambourine
Recorded and Mixed by David Newton at Rollercoaster Recording, Burbank CA
Mastered by Mark Chalecki at Little Red Book Mastering, Los Angeles CA
Art by Flesh and Bone Design
-Robb Donker Curtius
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If you enjoy the reviews here please consider helping us out and spreading the word:
THE FACTS AS WE KNOW THEM - PRESS NOTES:
https://blackadidas.com/
https://www.facebook.com/blackadidasmusic
https://twitter.com/theblackadidas
https://www.instagram.com/blackadidasmusic/
https://blackadidas.bandcamp.com/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEF99LpNQNa7m9lAQ2yvSBw
“Don’t need it real/Or be legit/Don’t need it bonafide/I just want free shit” “Free Shit”
Black Adidas is the nom de punk for the musical stylings of Courtney Ranshaw, born and raised in the San Fernando Valley the middle-class son of a policeman father and a nurse mom who grew up listening to the Clash on KROQ and falling in love with rock ‘n’ roll, playing in bands since he was in high school. That nod to vintage U.K. punk continues with his use of the “u” in the titles of tracks like “My Favourite Song” and “Honour Amongst Thieves.”
Through a self-titled 2018 album and a series of one-off singles, Ranshaw’s patented soulful low-register growl evokes the likes of Psychedelic Furs’ Richard Butler, the Clash’s Joe Strummer and the Pogues’ Shane MacGowan, the declamatory fervor of a young Johnny Rotten, the singalong soccer chants of Sham 69’s Jimmy Pursey, and the basso profundo gravitas of a Lou Reed, Iggy Pop, Ian Curtis or Jim Morrison, all represented in the proud punk-rock fan’s own pantheon.
New tracks recorded during the pandemic -- like “My Favourite Song” and the most recent “Strawberry Kisses,” both produced by Dave Newton, the SoCal transplant from Wolverhampton, U.K., who was a guitarist for the Mighty Lemon Drops and Blue Aeroplanes, among others -- show Black Adidas’ stylistic growth from three-chord thrash to post-punk art-rock. Ranshaw played all the instruments on the tracks, except for drums, pointing to Depeche Mode’s genre-busting, guitar-oriented breakthrough Violator and songs like “Personal Jesus” as sonic influences. “Strawberry Kisses,” which began as a riff on the classic “cold sore scene” in This is Spinal Tap, evolved into a love song addressing not only his own passion for music discovery and fandom, but personal relationships also.
“Dave is an amazing producer. He basically lets me do what I want to do, and when I get stuck or lose direction, he brings me back to something that works better,” says Courtney about Newton, whom he first ran into at Tony’s Darts Away, a neighborhood craft beer dive in his Burbank hometown, where he also met his wife, working there as a chef. Newton’s past production work includes such acclaimed bands as the Little Ones, the Blood Arm and Aberdeen.
At its core, Black Adidas’ Ranshaw channels the fury of bands like the Sex Pistols (listen to the “no future” homage in “I See Hate”), the martial ska-punk of Rancid’s Tim Armstrong, Johnny Thunders’ glam-bam-thank-you ma’am Dolls guitar-slinging or classic SoCal OGs such as Black Flag, Bad Religion, Descendents, Offspring, Social Distortion, Agent Orange, Pennywise, NOFX and TSOL, et. al. On the other hand, a song like “Play What We Know” even manages to incorporate some big band jazz flourishes, while “Queen of Hearts” is a romantic valentine to a loved one. “Cocaine Eyes” evokes a seedy Velvet Underground vibe in its cautionary tale about the perils of the morning after.
A true believer in punk’s DIY ethos, Courtney studied physics at Humboldt State University graduating to become an aerospace engineer, the same job he’s held for the past 20 years. That’s right, Black Adidas’ Ranshaw is a rocket scientist who also happens to be a punk rocker, with a degree in physics and a proficiency in math and science which goes well beyond Dee Dee Ramone’s “1-2-3-4” battle cry.
“If you want to get into it, there are social statements in the music,” he says, “But if not, they’re just fun to sing along with.”
Songs like “Free Shit” evince a tongue-in-cheek satirical flair, but Courtney is serious about promoting his music and getting it heard by as many people as possible. He does everything himself, from overseeing the design of the artwork for the album covers to getting them streamed. By personally making radio calls, he’s managed to secure airplay on weekend specialty shows at such influential stations as KROQ/Los Angeles (Kat Corbit’s Locals Only), KXSF/San Francisco (Carolyn Keddy), KEXP (Brian Foss’ Sonic Reducer) and SiriusXM’s Underground Garage (where it was showcased by Dollyrots lead singer Kelly Ogden). Living up to his rallying cry, Courtney has even left boxes of new albums at retail record outlets, encouraging the owners to give them away, planting seeds for future fans. Ranshaw makes music because he has no choice. He’s certainly not doing it for financial gains.
With restrictions on live gatherings being lifted, Ranshaw is anxious to get back out and perform up and down the west coast, from L.A. to Ventura and Santa Barbara to the north, Riverside and Arizona to the east and San Diego to the south. Courtney still has the dream of hopping on a van with a band and touring the world but is also realistic about the future.
Next step is to finish recording another full-length album and release it next year, “hopefully someone else can put it out,” he adds, but Ranshaw’s philosophy remains pretty much the same, a true believer in “Old Fashioned Rock and Roll,” a Black Adidas song where he declares, “Gimme that mud mud mud... That muddy Delta blues.”
“So we play what we know/At every fucking show” “Play What We Know”
For Courtney Ranshaw and Black Adidas, rock ‘n roll, is a way of life.
“I’ve been in bands for most of my life, and it’s just something I have to do,” he says. “I can’t imagine ever not playing and making music.”
Try Black Adidas on for size... the perfect fit for your punk-rock “sole.”
Black Adidas, Courtney Ranshaw, singer songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, DIY ethos, post punk, garage rock, Brit punk, ska punk, alternative rock, KROQ, "Strawberry Kisses",
https://blackadidas.com/
https://www.facebook.com/blackadidasmusic
https://twitter.com/theblackadidas
https://www.instagram.com/blackadidasmusic/
https://blackadidas.bandcamp.com/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEF99LpNQNa7m9lAQ2yvSBw
“Don’t need it real/Or be legit/Don’t need it bonafide/I just want free shit” “Free Shit”
Black Adidas is the nom de punk for the musical stylings of Courtney Ranshaw, born and raised in the San Fernando Valley the middle-class son of a policeman father and a nurse mom who grew up listening to the Clash on KROQ and falling in love with rock ‘n’ roll, playing in bands since he was in high school. That nod to vintage U.K. punk continues with his use of the “u” in the titles of tracks like “My Favourite Song” and “Honour Amongst Thieves.”
Through a self-titled 2018 album and a series of one-off singles, Ranshaw’s patented soulful low-register growl evokes the likes of Psychedelic Furs’ Richard Butler, the Clash’s Joe Strummer and the Pogues’ Shane MacGowan, the declamatory fervor of a young Johnny Rotten, the singalong soccer chants of Sham 69’s Jimmy Pursey, and the basso profundo gravitas of a Lou Reed, Iggy Pop, Ian Curtis or Jim Morrison, all represented in the proud punk-rock fan’s own pantheon.
New tracks recorded during the pandemic -- like “My Favourite Song” and the most recent “Strawberry Kisses,” both produced by Dave Newton, the SoCal transplant from Wolverhampton, U.K., who was a guitarist for the Mighty Lemon Drops and Blue Aeroplanes, among others -- show Black Adidas’ stylistic growth from three-chord thrash to post-punk art-rock. Ranshaw played all the instruments on the tracks, except for drums, pointing to Depeche Mode’s genre-busting, guitar-oriented breakthrough Violator and songs like “Personal Jesus” as sonic influences. “Strawberry Kisses,” which began as a riff on the classic “cold sore scene” in This is Spinal Tap, evolved into a love song addressing not only his own passion for music discovery and fandom, but personal relationships also.
“Dave is an amazing producer. He basically lets me do what I want to do, and when I get stuck or lose direction, he brings me back to something that works better,” says Courtney about Newton, whom he first ran into at Tony’s Darts Away, a neighborhood craft beer dive in his Burbank hometown, where he also met his wife, working there as a chef. Newton’s past production work includes such acclaimed bands as the Little Ones, the Blood Arm and Aberdeen.
At its core, Black Adidas’ Ranshaw channels the fury of bands like the Sex Pistols (listen to the “no future” homage in “I See Hate”), the martial ska-punk of Rancid’s Tim Armstrong, Johnny Thunders’ glam-bam-thank-you ma’am Dolls guitar-slinging or classic SoCal OGs such as Black Flag, Bad Religion, Descendents, Offspring, Social Distortion, Agent Orange, Pennywise, NOFX and TSOL, et. al. On the other hand, a song like “Play What We Know” even manages to incorporate some big band jazz flourishes, while “Queen of Hearts” is a romantic valentine to a loved one. “Cocaine Eyes” evokes a seedy Velvet Underground vibe in its cautionary tale about the perils of the morning after.
A true believer in punk’s DIY ethos, Courtney studied physics at Humboldt State University graduating to become an aerospace engineer, the same job he’s held for the past 20 years. That’s right, Black Adidas’ Ranshaw is a rocket scientist who also happens to be a punk rocker, with a degree in physics and a proficiency in math and science which goes well beyond Dee Dee Ramone’s “1-2-3-4” battle cry.
“If you want to get into it, there are social statements in the music,” he says, “But if not, they’re just fun to sing along with.”
Songs like “Free Shit” evince a tongue-in-cheek satirical flair, but Courtney is serious about promoting his music and getting it heard by as many people as possible. He does everything himself, from overseeing the design of the artwork for the album covers to getting them streamed. By personally making radio calls, he’s managed to secure airplay on weekend specialty shows at such influential stations as KROQ/Los Angeles (Kat Corbit’s Locals Only), KXSF/San Francisco (Carolyn Keddy), KEXP (Brian Foss’ Sonic Reducer) and SiriusXM’s Underground Garage (where it was showcased by Dollyrots lead singer Kelly Ogden). Living up to his rallying cry, Courtney has even left boxes of new albums at retail record outlets, encouraging the owners to give them away, planting seeds for future fans. Ranshaw makes music because he has no choice. He’s certainly not doing it for financial gains.
With restrictions on live gatherings being lifted, Ranshaw is anxious to get back out and perform up and down the west coast, from L.A. to Ventura and Santa Barbara to the north, Riverside and Arizona to the east and San Diego to the south. Courtney still has the dream of hopping on a van with a band and touring the world but is also realistic about the future.
Next step is to finish recording another full-length album and release it next year, “hopefully someone else can put it out,” he adds, but Ranshaw’s philosophy remains pretty much the same, a true believer in “Old Fashioned Rock and Roll,” a Black Adidas song where he declares, “Gimme that mud mud mud... That muddy Delta blues.”
“So we play what we know/At every fucking show” “Play What We Know”
For Courtney Ranshaw and Black Adidas, rock ‘n roll, is a way of life.
“I’ve been in bands for most of my life, and it’s just something I have to do,” he says. “I can’t imagine ever not playing and making music.”
Try Black Adidas on for size... the perfect fit for your punk-rock “sole.”
Black Adidas, Courtney Ranshaw, singer songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, DIY ethos, post punk, garage rock, Brit punk, ska punk, alternative rock, KROQ, "Strawberry Kisses",
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