No free lunch The Leftovers are more than yesterday's table scraps BY JOE S. HARRINGTON

On their debut album, Stop Drop Rock N’ Roll — released this week on Muscle City Records — the Leftovers, Portland’s latest teencore aggregation, make a convincing argument for why kids should still be allowed to play punk rock. With two members of the band — bassist/vocalist Kurt Baker and guitarist Andrew Rice — still in high school (Deering, my alma mater, no less), youth is definitely a factor in their rebounding-off-the-walls hormonally charged ethos. While the Leftovers hearken back to the singalong tendencies of such past melodic-punk greats as the Ramones, Queers, and Screeching Weasel, the experience they represent is wrought by the drama of growing up in a time where adolescence is little more than a bridge between childhood (if it even exists anymore) and a lifetime of decision and, worse yet, responsibility. Teenagehood ain’t what it used to be, after all — I mean, when I went to Deering, the kids bought drugs in the parking lot from guys with names like "Itchy" Demerit and "Beaver" Jordan; now they get their drugs — in the form of Prozac, Ritalin, and other mood-control substances — from doctors and their parents.

Let’s face it, the average kid nowadays is carrying around a lot of cluttered psychological baggage. But even in these over-paternalistic, super-reactionary times, kids still find trouble . . . perhaps more than ever. Luckily, there’s still the pursuit of rock and roll to keep ’em at least halfway off the streets.

Not all the members of the Leftovers are technically "teenagers" — even if, at 19, drummer Adam Woronoff still qualifies, the fact he’s doing a first year at Berklee School of Music in Boston shows he’s maturing fast. At 25, guitarist Drew Perez — a veteran of such previous Portland punk outfits as Don’t Hit Your Sister and 16 Pin — is the oldest member of the group. How does he feel about playing with these kids?

"I love it!" He says. "Look at Greg Arnold when he was in Fury 440! I have no problem playing the geezer role."

Perez says one of the advantages of playing with these youngsters is their un-jadedness: "These guys haven’t seen a lot of the ugly backstabbing side of the music business yet. They haven’t been turned off yet, and are still all about playing. They’re absolutely brilliant musicians and great kids!"

The Leftovers may be young but they’re obviously wise beyond their years (as, admittedly, I find most kids are nowadays). Take, for example, the anthemic "New Rock Alternative," where, with topical profundity, the Leftovers lament the passing of the rock-and-roll era: "Everything has gone all wrong," Rice sings, "When I can hear the same old song/ Coming from the room right next to me . . ." We all know bad taste oughta be illegal, and the Leftovers are willing to take a stand. It’s pretty impressive that these kids are even aware that a rock tradition exists, let alone willing to defend it! (And let’s face it, they — and we — know Good Charlotte ain’t it.) As the song says: "Just imagine what rock and roll could have been/ Without all these shitty trends." Imagine indeed — but hey, even when I was in high school the status quo was ruled by REO Speedwagon, not the Ramones. (You didn’t think all those drugs made anyone smart did you?)

Baker — who happens to be Student Council President — describes the band’s humble beginnings as "a normal high-school band that hadn’t got much of a sound yet." Rehearsing in a little basement room on Mitten Street, located on Outer Congress (their first EP was entitled Mitten Street Special), the band — at that time a trio — "played a lot of three-chord pop punk" according to Baker.

"It’s easy for any band to play three chords but you got to have heart and it’s the same with any music," he says. "You hear a lot of emo bands with these poetic lyrics that don’t make sense. You could get a book on architectural design and write emo lyrics . . ."

"And then cry about it," adds Perez.

So how have local audiences — typically more known for their wet-fish detachment than for their desire to truly get down — greeted these upstarts? "People seem to be responding more to emo-core or whatever," says Baker.

"There’s not a lot of bands like us in Portland," says Perez. "Seems kids are kind of divided, like they won’t mix two genres — kinda like vodka and whiskey: Don’t do it! We play a lot of shows with emo bands and the fans all stand there and glare at us."

Despite this indifference, the Leftovers are becoming well known for their explosive live show.

"We played at Bath State Park. It was a Battle of the Bands," Perez says. "There was a decent prize and we decided to go absolutely batshit onstage and it turned out to be a template for future shows."

"At the end of the show we’re exhausted," Baker says. "The stage is a mess, there’s drum stuff all over. One thing I hate to see is a band who just stands there. If you don’t want to be there, get offstage."

Joe S. Harrington can be reached at joesh@ix.netcom.com

The Leftovers play a CD-release show, with Big D and the Kids Table, the Ska Rockets, the Guts, and the Hi Fivin’ White Guys, at the Station, on Sunday, Feb. 13. Call (207) (207) 773-3466.