Buzzbox

The Dukes, a band named after a string of West Coast car clubs, titled its debut disc 2001: A Punk Oddessey, becoming the first group to take advantage of this timely opportunity. Unlike the epic Stanley Kubrick film that serves as the album’s namesake, The Dukes’ 2001 clocks in at a streamlined seventeen minutes, packing ten tunes into this tiny window. The trio’s formula brings to mind another sci-fi classic (The Time Machine), as it blends an appreciation of ’50s and ’60s hot rod culture with an affinity for playing early-’80s hardcore punk. After shuffling members during the past five years, the members of The Dukes have decided upon a core tight enough to handle rapid-fire transitions and charismatic enough to ensure that their relatively short album makes an impression. Homers for now, with a stretch of local gigs underway, The Dukes hope to eventually extend their Oddessey to far corners of the country. At least Lansing, Michigan, will soon hear of their fury, provided that the duo Bantam Rooster, with whom The Dukes will play, effectively spreads the word to its hometown fans.