“I always liked bluegrass a lot because the tempo is a lot closer to a NOFX beat”: Meet the Bad Ups, the Philadelphia punks inspired by country-and-western, reggae and Chet Atkins

The joyous blast of distorted power chords propelling Life of Sin, the debut album by Philly punks the Bad Ups, are enough of an adrenaline boost that it’s easy to overlook the level of songcraft guitarists Travis McKayle and Mike Dougherty have up their tattooed sleeves.

Raised on the country-and-western tunes his grandfather played at backyard parties and the reggae his Jamaican father played around the house, frontman McKayle’s musical inspirations run as deep as his interest in non-trad instruments – for punk, at least.

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