Rum Bar Records serves up rock and roll attitude with ‘Swagger: Second Shot’ comp
Boston’s independent garage rock and power-pop record label kicks off a month of discounts with free 28-track compilation on Friday, March 21
MEDIA PREVIEW: Listen to Rum Bar Records’ ‘Swagger: Second Shot’
Rum Bar offering 15% off all Bandcamp sales through April with code: swagger15
Rum Bar Records on Bandcamp x Downloads and assets folder
In an age of no good deals, Rum Bar serves one up for the scene
Boston, MA [March 21, 2025] – The thing about Swagger, you see, is that it’s infectious.
So when Rum Bar Records served up its first Swagger compilation back in Summer 2023, putting a spotlight on the venerable Boston label’s West Coast roster of bands and artists, it was only a matter of time before the comp’s rock and roll ethos spread across the country.
Now, Rum Bar is serving up another round, as the free, 28-track Swagger: Second Shot compilation hits the label’s Bandcamp page on Friday, March 21. And with this raucous blast of rock and roll action that spans both coasts – and everything in between – comes another round of label discounts, as the tireless Lou Mansdorf offers up a 15% off label-wide discount through April using the code swagger15.
Come for the free comp, and stay for a Nice Price of affordable and cost-friendly rock and roll. The swagger15 discount code is good for all Rum Bar’s physical products, bundles, swag and digital releases via its Bandcamp Shop. There’s also an 80% off offer for Rum Bar’s full digital discography, and Mansdorf is applying the new 15% discount to that as well.
It all helps listeners add some much-needed Swagger to their spring flings.
“I’ve been using the term ‘Swagger’ for the past few years to categorize the music we work with – and our love of dive bar, three-to-four-chord rock and roll,” says Mansdorf. “It’s got a groove with elements of garage, punk, glam and alt-country tossed in. This year we had some new releases and artists we wanted to get heard, mixed it up a little between West Coast and East Coast. We added some more elements of Boston and rebel-rouser Rum Bar acts along with some catalog tracks and came up with a brand new compilation that I think sounds fresh and exciting. I hope listeners will crank up and enjoy it as much as we did putting it together.”
Two years ago, members of bands from The Legendary Swagger, Slamdinistas, and The Dogs helped shape the original Swagger comp. Those three are included here on Swagger: Second Shot, alongside a tidal wave of guitar-based sounds that further position Rum Bar as a national home for garage rock, power-pop, and beyond.
This new Swagger: Second Shot features (in order on the comp): 20th Century Boys, Slamdinistas, Foxy, Joe Jennings MVP’s, Gene Champagne, Brad Marino, Jay Allen and the Archcriminals, The Hellflowers, The Laissez Fairs, Tony Marsico and the Ugly Thingz, Tom Baker, The Ghost Truckers, Miss Georgia Peach, The Hi-End, Junior Varsity, Stop Calling Me Frank, The Lemon Drop Gang, French Girls, The Glimmer Stars, The Hollywood Stars, Watts, Richard Duguay & The Beautiful Decline, The Short Fuses, Tim McCoy, The Cornfed Project, The Legendary Swagger, Mochines, and The Dogs. Hit the full tracklist below.
Swagger: Second Shot is the follow-up to November’s Second Shot compilation, which offered 38 tracks as a free download and retrospective on Rum Bar’s 11th year in the music business. But life moves super fast for Boston’s most trusted label, and a new comp – with bands both new and familiar, and tracks both fresh and classic – was in order.
“With some new projects that I wanted our listers to hear in advance of release and promoting, I felt it was a good opportunity to put together some of what we have been excited about working since the fall,” Mansdorf says, “and to include with what has been released this winter and spring with an advance listen of what’s on tap for summer. With the warm weather coming this felt like a good time to deliver a new sampler that can be cranked up with the windows down.”
And if Mansdorf is behind the wheel, the tunes will be rockin’.
Swagger: Second Shot is an exclusive first look and listen to what Rum Bar has lined up for the coming months, with new releases from SoCal garage punk upstarts Foxy and 20th Century Boys highlighting the calendar. Mansdorf has also included some personal faves, including tracks from The Legendary Swagger, Gene Champagne, The Laissez Fairs, and a new Slamdinistas rager to give some familiarity for those who are already running heavy with the label.
“All these tracks are personal favorites, and I have a personal relationship in some way or another like family with these artists and bands,” says Mansdorf with his usual energy, enthusiasm, and excitement. “The Joe Jennings MVP’s track is one that may have been missed by our scene, as well as Junior Varsity, which is the brainchild of Mighty Joe Vincent (The Pristeens, Devil Dogs), which everyone must hear. Or the brilliant releases from Tony Marsico and the Ugly Thingz, Hollywood Stars, Cornfed Project, The Hi-End, Lemon Drop Gang, The Dogs and Hellflowers. We are also fortunate to have met, and been introduced to, some musicians and artists looked upon as an artist’s artist, including Richard Duguay, Mini Mendez (The Glimmer Stars), Tony Marsico, and Loren Molinare. Thank you guys!”
Those who are new to the Rum Bar operation can look to tracks from Brad Marino, Tom Baker, Miss Georgia Peach (Georgia & Travis Ramin) and Watts (Dan Kopko) to get a proper feel for what Mansdorf has been building for the past dozen years.
“Those guys have been the backbone of Rum Bar Records since our inception and have helped keep this little label that could keep on going,” Mansdorf admits. “Brad, Tom and Dan have been saddled up at the bar since day one. If you want a first listen to really dig into what we do, these artists whether solo or in their previous and current bands have been the blueprint and bedrock for Rum Bar Records.”
Also part of the blueprint: Keep pushing forward. Rum Bar’s sound may have a classic rock and roll vibe to it, but Mansdorf runs his label for the modern age, no small accomplishment given the uneven and difficult music landscape impacting the industry and independents. Though Rum Bar has been scaling down the frequency of its releases, choosing a more selective and refined approach to developing a roster of creatives, it's not turning down the volume that these bands need in order to be heard.
“The last two years had been a little too busy for me to keep up with and we have decided to deliver our releases spaced out a little more over this year which has helped in planning and maintaining our releases at press, radio, and promo,” Mansdorf reveals. “We have been extremely fortunate to keep this going and hope to continue for the foreseeable future.”
But even a scaled-down approach from Rum Bar does laps around Mansdorf’s contemporaries.
A busy 2024 from Rum Bar saw The Amplifier Heads’ collaborative Songs From They Came To Rock enjoy a sustained period of listener interest, press attention, and radio airplay, as well as enjoy label-defining releases from WiMP!, J Prozac, Pavid Vermin, and The Cretins. Full-length albums from The Glimmer Stars, Tony Marsico and the Ugly Thingz, and The Cheap Cassettes also kept things moving forward – and at maximum volume.
So far in these early stages of 2025, Rum Bar has been involved in projects from The Hellflowers, The Legendary Swagger, Tom Baker, and just-released new albums from Miss Georgia Peach and Brad Marino, the latter of which was celebrated as the labels’ 200th release. Rum Bar has also worked and promoted new digital singles from Lynda Mandolyn, Gene Champagne, and Girl With a Hawk, with a calendar of full length releases that includes The Laissez Fairs (March), 20th Century Boys (April), Slamdinistas (April) and Foxy (May).
But wait – there’s more! And Mansdorf is ready to tell the world all about it.
“We have heard rumblings of new music coming this summer from The Spackles, Stop Calling Me Frank, The Hi-End and The Peppermint Kicks, the collaboration from Sal Baglio and Dan Kopko,” Mansdorf reveals. “We will also be working and supporting the brand new album from Muck and the Mires coming out on Dirty Water Records this year. Our biggest announcement to share is the highly anticipated brand new full length release from The Dogmatics due out in July!! That’s right, a brand new full-length album release from The Dogmatics. All of that plus a few more surprises on tap.”
Some call it Swagger, others call it hustle. Rum Bar calls it rock and roll.
It’s infectious. So pass it on.
Rum Bar Records deal code for April:
Everyone is invited to use the swagger15 discount code for all of Rum Bar’s physical products, bundles, swag, and digital releases via its Bandcamp shop from now through the month of April. There’s also an 80% off offer for Rum Bar’s full digital discography, and fans are welcome to combine both discounts – a 95% savings! – for perhaps the greatest rock and roll deal this century.
‘Swagger: Second Shot’ track list compiled by Lou Mansdorf:
20th Century Boys, “Glory Boys”
Slamdinistas, “Oh Yeah”
Foxy, “Rock And Roll Crime”
Joe Jennings MVP’s, “Hotel Bar”
Gene Champagne, “Become Unfriends”
Brad Marino, “Somebody Like Me”
Jay Allen and the Archcriminals, “Be Mine Tonight”
The Hellflowers, “Gone Too Soon”
The Laissez Fairs, “Jennifer Down”
Tony Marsico and the Ugly Thingz, “Jamie Runs Hot”
Tom Baker, “Hook Was Set Deep”
The Ghost Truckers, “Don’t Wait Up For Me”
Miss Georgia Peach, “You’re The Reason Our Kids Are Ugly”
The Hi-End, “Heart of the City”
Junior Varsity, “Everything”
Stop Calling Me Frank, “Dead Flowers”
The Lemon Drop Gang, “Let The World Stay”
French Girls, “Independent Woman”
The Glimmer Stars, “Hey! Hey! Hey!”
The Hollywood Stars, “Shortage Of Love”
Watts, “Shady”
Richard Duguay & The Beautiful Decline, “Mystery”
The Short Fuses, “You Ain’t Shit (Without A Leather Jacket)”
Tim McCoy, “One Man Ugly Sweater Party”
The Cornfed Project, “Out of Town”
The Legendary Swagger, “One More Time”
Mochines, “Miss My Baby”
The Dogs, “Class Of ‘70”
What artists are saying about Rum Bar Records:
“I affectionately call him Captain Lou. A hard loving family man who brings that same energy and spirit to all the music and artists on Rum Bar Records. Thanks to my friend and fellow Peppermint Kick, Dan Kopko, for bringing Captain Lou & I together. Viva la Rum Bar Records!” – Sal Baglio of The Amplifier Heads
“Rum Bar is a fun organization with like-minded people and bands led by Malibu Lou, a music fanatic who is so enthusiastic about all the bands on the label.” – Kevin Patey of The Carnivals
“Rum Bar is like a family. We feel like all the bands are really interested in helping each other out and it’s an instant connection when we see each other at the local shows. Lou is our biggest supporter and an overall great guy who’s helped our music to be heard across the world.” – The Hi End
“The best thing about being on Rum Bar Records is the love and dedication of Lou Friggin Mansdorf!!!” – The Shang Hi Los
“Lou gets our records out there better, much better than we could or would do on our own. He puts the music in front of the right people who will in turn put it in front of MORE of the right people. The radio stations, blogs, zines, podcasters. A real grassroots thing that is groovy and beautiful. Not to mention that so many of the Rum Bar bands are incredible. Just an overwhelming amount of good stuff to listen to. I'm a big fan of many of these people, for reals. They are rock and roll lifers, like I guess we are. I can't imagine working with any other label in the US right now. Rum Bar is where the HITS are!” – Cheap Cassettes
“The best thing about Rum Bar Records is working with Malibu Lou! He really cares about the bands & music he releases. Lou puts a lot of time and effort into getting his records out there for people to hear, which we really appreciate. The other great thing about the label is getting to meet & work with great bands from across the country too!” – Captain JJ from Joe Jenning's MVP's
“Lou's commitment to knowing, supporting, corralling, and promoting garage-rockers and other eclectic adjacent genres provides just enough structure and connective fiber to help bands feel like they are part of a bigger family of artists. My active participation as a creator in the Greater Boston music scene only goes back to 2007. Across the broad spectrum of talent on Rum Bar Records, a majority of people have been at it much longer. Despite that gap, my experience of the artist community in the sphere of The Dogmatics and other bands has been incredibly welcoming, positive, and inspiring. The music business has changed so much, without labels like Rum Bar Records, indie and ‘local’ music scenes would be hurting even worse.” – James Young from The Dogmatics
“I work with Rum Bar Records with several artists that I'm involved with. And the thing about Lou Mansdorf that I love is the passion for RnR music and for the crème de la crème indie bands that he works with. From my own experience, Lou gets in the trenches with his bands and is very creative & passionate & intuitive promoting to the press and radio. I am personally very grateful for Lou & Rum Bar Records.” – Loren Molinare of Plexi Head Management (Tony Marsico, Cruzados, The Hollywood Stars, Slamdinistas, Richard Duguay, and more) and frontman of The Dogs
“The best thing about being on Rum Bar Records is the camaraderie and support between the bands on the label. Some bands and members we’ve known in the past and some more recently we all get along really well. We are big fans of them and they are big fans of us. We are grateful to be on a great label and to call Lou a great friend.” – Stop Calling Me Frank
“I love Rum Bar and Malibu Lou! Lou is sincere and true and full of passion for the music and even more so for the artist as people and as friends. There's just a wonderful vibe in the Rum Bar family that makes you feel great. Being a part of a label full of great bands and positivity is an honor and just the best!” – J. Prozac of The Prozacs
I think [the best thing about being on Rum Bar] is the camaraderie with other great local bands like Streetwalkin’ Cheetahs, The Dogs, Slamdanistas, Cornfed Project, Glimmer Stars, etc. The West Coast chapter of Rum Bar is strong. We’re working on getting some dates with the East Coast chapter next summer, and I think having the ability to connect with bands across the country is pretty great. And I mean Lou is a gem, working so hard for the love of music, it’s the best. Rum Bar is a class act all the way and we’re pretty proud to be a part of it.” – Geoff Yeaton of The Legendary Swagger
“Lou Mansdorf’s drive to bring music lovers the best music that’s out in the world, music that needs to be heard. The artists he chooses to be on his label are just the best and I don’t say that because we’re on the label but because I’m always surprised to hear that a band I love is on our label! Love when that happens! Also, the label’s sense of community. When bands from other cities come to town, or when we go to the East Coast, the welcoming is always endearing! I love Rumbar Records and Lou Mansdorf’s hard work, for me, never goes unnoticed. I am sincerely grateful to be part of the Rum Bar family!” – Gabriel Johns of Slamdinistas
Media praise for Rum Bar Records:
“Write this down: Rum Bar Records is turning into one of the absolute best labels for real rock & roll these days." _Bill Kelly of Bill Kelly's Blackhole Bandstand on SiriusXM’s Little Steven’s Underground Garage
“Boston enclave Rum Bar Records may not have hit the notoriety of, say, Bomp! Records yet, but trust us when we say they have the market cornered on high quality power pop, punk, garage rock, and genre-agnostic rock & roll. This batch of highlights from its most recent round of releases reveals the label at the top of its game right now.” _Michael ‘Denim’ Toland
“My mind spins, like a record on a platter, when I think of how many great bands with so many incredible tunes gets poured out of Rum Bar Records!!” _Rock Never Rusts
“Boston’s Rum Bar Records has, for some increasingly weird reason, not reached the notoriety of fellow travelers like Bomp!, Burger and other labels dedicated to the irresistible pleasures of loud guitars and big-ass hooks. The label’s release schedule is often staggering, encompassing seemingly countless bands playing punk, power pop, glam rock, hard rock, rockabilly, roots rock and/or some blend of all of the above.” _Big Takeover Magazine
“We stumbled through two and a half years of a pandemic shutdown. There are efforts to shake this era off and reboot. That’s the feeling we get from some of the latest Rum Bar Releases.” _Boston Groupie News
“Rum Bar Records is where the Rock & Roll is, kiddos. Go crazy and hit up their Bandcamp page.” _Hanks Alternative Radio
“Rum Bar has long been the home of underrated, under-the-radar garage-rock and power-pop.”_Jim Testa of Jersey Beat
“I picture him (Malibu Lou of Rum Bar Records) with a drink in one hand and his phone in the other – constantly fielding calls from the top garage, punk, and power pop bands on the planet.” _Lord Rutledge of Faster And Louder
“The trustworthy garage/power-pop label Rum Bar that’s a gonzo hybrid of ‘70s bar band trash rock and down ‘n’ dirty punk.” _Off-Shelf
