Rock veterans Redd Kross bring new album to Valley Bar concert Sunday

Jeff and Steven McDonald from Los Angeles band Redd Kross have been the coolest guys in the room for the last 45 years. If you don’t believe me, just consider that Steven was 10 years old and playing shows in punk rock venues in the greater L.A. area opening for seminal bands like X and Black Flag, and Jeff was just a few years older. Steven has also gone on to play with Sparks, helped found OFF! and currently plays a mean bass in the legendary Melvins.

I can’t, nor will I ever, deny that I think Redd Kross is one of the single coolest American bands that most people out there have never heard of. There is really no good reason why the McDonald brothers, who grew up in Hawthorne, a South Bay suburb of Los Angeles, aren’t household names, at least in rock 'n' roll-loving houses. It’s a travesty.

Another potential travesty: if their latest record, "Redd Kross," doesn’t win any awards for 2024’s album of the year. It’s a goddamn masterpiece. When I spoke to Steven McDonald about it a few weeks ago while the band was getting ready to leave a part of Hoboken, New Jersey, that McDonald described as a cross between Sesame Street and the “Bada Bing” from the Sopranos, the pride was evident in his voice.

“I definitely feel like ("Redd Kross") is very defining. It feels like a bit of a statement that, you know, it's our self-titled album. I mean, you open up the record, and it's childhood photos of Jeff and I,” McDonald says.

He went on to explain that part of the reason for the childhood photos is that two of the members of Redd Kross live two hours away, so band photos were not easy to come by. Joining the McDonald brothers are guitar player Jason Shapiro and drummer Dale Crover (also a member of Melvins), although Crover did not play drums on "Redd Kross" due to his recovery from back surgery in 2023.

Producer and friend Josh Klinghoffer (formerly of Red Hot Chili Peppers) recorded "Redd Kross" and also contributed the drum tracks in the studio.

“I’ve known Josh for over 20 years (the two played in Beck’s backup band together, as well as Sparks), but I didn’t know he had a studio. We made the song “Born Innocent” (which is the last song on "Redd Kross") while Dale was recovering from back surgery and Josh offered to play drums. He’s such a talented guy and I thought, ‘Why doesn’t he produce the record for us?’ It was great having him because it was just very comfortable for me and it kept Jeff and I on our best behavior,” McDonald says.

As far as siblings go, from the outside it's always seemed like there couldn’t be two better bandmates, but McDonald shared that even the great Redd Kross is not above a bit of sibling shenanigans.

“It seems like (the sibling rivalry) was there more this time by surprise. I didn’t know it until later, but I’m writing so much more, and the little brother is having more of a voice. I think that created a little bit of a creative shift, which I think is healthy because shifting things are good. It keeps things alive,” McDonald says.

The 57-year-old bassist and sometimes lead singer (Jeff McDonald handles the majority of the lead vocals) went on to say that while he may have once seen the tensions caused by the shift toward more shared creativity as being “competitive,” it's also the two brothers breaking away from past roles.

“On 'Redd Kross' there has been a lot of fluidity in the roles, and it’s yielded a great outcome. It’s really exciting for me. I feel like this record, for me, is the record that if someone knew nothing about us but wanted an entrance window, I would feel most confident in saying, ‘Well, just go to (the album)’ because it’s got all the different sorts of elements of what we are capable of and it's executed in a way that I am most proud of,” McDonald says.

He's right. "Redd Kross" does have a little something for everyone. Longtime fans will appreciate how the record spans the band’s storied history without sounding like a carbon copy of anything they've done before.

There are tremendous power pop songs like “Candy Coloured Catastrophe” and “The Main Attraction.” The latter of which could be write out of the Beatles catalog, as well as the incredibly clever, “Good Time Propaganda Band.” For lyrical content, this may very well end up being the best Redd Kross record.

“I’ve written stuff for this record I would not have written before. Personally, I want to really mean whatever it is I’m doing (in life) and I’m willing to be a bit more literal, I think, than my brother is. As much as I like the poeticisms of Bowie and Dylan, and all that, sometimes I’m like, ‘What are they actually saying?’ At this stage of the game, if you’re not willing to be vulnerable, then what’s up?” McDonald asks.

On the track “I’ll Take Your Word For It,” McDonald lays that vulnerability on the line as he calls out unnamed people for being “full of shit” in a refreshingly assertive way. There is a hint of his punk roots in his choice of words, but rather than sharing his message with a sneer, he shares it with wisdom and subtle wit.

2024 promises to be quite a year for Redd Kross. In addition to releasing "Redd Kross" back in June, they're also releasing a book about their lives and careers and have a documentary on the way. The band are also doing their most extensive touring in quite some time, as they stop at the Valley Bar on Sunday night.

Those who attend the show will the see infectious enthusiasm the McDonald brothers have for their now middle-aged band. It will be fun to see what comes next for Redd Kross.

“We're not necessarily being nostalgic, but we're taking stock of our experience. We've looked back at some of the frustrations, but we’re also able to be proud, or even celebratory, about some of it as well. One of the perks of playing music with my brother for so long is that we have so much shared experience,” McDonald says.

Redd Kross. With opening acoustic/DJ set by Dale Crover. 7 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 11. Valley Bar, 130 N. Central Ave. Tickets are available on the Valley Bar website.