Band Focus: Contraband Contraband was a short-lived trio from Bridgeport that played a style of hook filled melodic punk, sometimes fast enough to approach early So-Cal punk, but definitely informed by what I call the “Connecticut sound”. They wrote some fairly memorable tracks on their sole LP, and had two fantastic entries on the Connecticut Fun comp. “Red Lights Over St. V’s” is probably my favorite track on that comp, and that’s saying a lot. Tragedy did strike the band, although posthumously, as they had already broken up when drummer Rich Salvo passed from an embolism in 1996, and in 1997, Jeff Roberts died in an accident. They did have a second album in the works, though it was never released, sadly. It would have been interesting to see what direction the second album would have taken, as they had some catchy song writing ability, and on the second half of 1986’s “Girls of All Nations” , (presumably recorded at a second session, as the sound differs a bit), they veer towa...
