Dave Smalley has returned with his newest outfit Don’t Sleep who has released the video for “Promise Made.” Smalley previously has been a member of Dag Nasty, DYS, ALL and Down By Law, while the other members of Don’t Sleep have appeared in The Commercials, Junction and Very Americans.
Of the new single, Smalley says:
“‘We believe in the promise made — keep in mind the promise made!’ This is a song about hardcore and growing up in this music, one that is much more than just notes — hardcore means taking care of each other, and trying to make things better, one day at a time, against all odds, starting with ourselves. As a line in the song says: ‘It shaped me, and it shaped you!’ Chances are if you are reading these words, you are a hardcore lifer. That is awesome! It doesn’t mean you have to listen to hc 24/7 — although that is certainly cool too — and there is huge value in other genres of music — metal, reggae and ska, jazz, you name it, But for sure, punk rock and hardcore refined us, from putty into steel. This song is sort of the grown-up continuation to that idea, which is: we’re still going. We believe in the promise made. In that way I guess it’s kind of a love song to hardcore.”
The single will feature on the band’s just-announced sophomore record, See Change, coming 2 June from End Hits Records.
Bad Dad (occasionally called Ed) has been on the periphery of the punk and punk-adjacent scene for over twenty years. While many contributors to this site have musical experience and talent, Ed’s musical claim to fame comes from his time in arguably the most punk rock Blockbuster Video district in NJ where he worked alongside members of Blanks 77, Best Hit TV and Brian Fallon. He is more than just an awful father to his 2 daughters, he is also a dreadful husband, a subpar writer, a terrible dresser and has a severe deficiency in all things talent… but hey, at least he’s self-aware, amirite?
Check out the pathetic attempts at photography on his insta at https://www.instagram.com/bad_dad_photography/
