Many punk bands that have emerged from the local scene lack one thing: talent. Fortunately, NosePicker's Union is far from a talentless garage band. Formed from the break up of a terrible metal band their freshman year at Bear Creek, bassist Kevin Meineke and lead guitarist Brian Manter added drummer Dusty Schaller to reform into the "Union" that they are today. After the departure of two previous band members, the band added rhythm guitarist Jeff Nelson and vocalist Erik Fadum to complete the band. Their first self-released album, "Can You Dig It?" blends different forms of punk rock from hardcore to ska/punk and presents talented musicians and creative song writing. Influenced by a diverse selection of musicians and bands that range from B.B. King to AFI, it is no wonder that a lot of experimentation is expressed in the CD. "We did not have our own sound, so we were trying other things," Fadum said. An example of experimentation of sound can be found in the ska/punk style in "EPA," a song that is definitely worthy of any ska enthusiastic, and "Evil," an angst-ridden metal sound with Schaller's excellent head pounding drumming. On "Get Off (My Porch)," a declaration of individualism, NosePicker's Union blends a playful rockabilly style with punk-anthem lyrics: "I got my own religion/I'm free to enjoy/I got my own religion/So get the hell off my porch!" A truly stand-out song is "Need," where Meineke, Nelson and Schaller skillfully complement Manter as he shows off some extraordinary guitar work. The first song on the album, "Wuss," is a story of an alienated individual who gives up defending himself from verbal abuse ("I'm a wuss/I'm a wuss/Beat me up"). Hyperactive and mischievous, "Wuss" is clearly a favorite for NosePicker's Union's fans. "I wrote 'Wuss' because it is the story of my life," Fadum said. In "Oscar (the Grouch)," metal guitar licks are bound to hardcore punk, showing some unique musicians at some of their best. "Oscar" is not only a song about the television personality, but also about an antisocial declaring that he will do whatever he wants ("I wanna be a bum I grow up"). Fadum sarcastically declares, "I still wanna be like you." No thanks to Blink 182's "idiot punk" style, punk rock has only been known for goofball antics, not for punk rock's movements against conformity and racism started by punk legends like The Clash. But NosePicker's Union has surprisingly tackled serious issues of abuse. In "What's Your Problem?", the band expresses concern about the issue of domestic violence ("It wasn't her fault/Leave her alone"). They even dedicated their CD to victims of abuse, simply writing in bold print, "It should never happen." "No one should get abused because everyone is equal," Nelson said. "It is just messed up." The content of the CD is good, but two things weigh the CD down: the mixing is horrible and occasionally it sounds like a rough cut of a decent album. In songs like "Evil" or "DFU," Fadum's vocals are grittier and stronger, but in "Oscar" and "Get Off (My Porch)" it seems to lack edge and angst, which is what the music is trying to portray. "We did not get much practice before we went in (to record)," Fadum admitted. Currently, they are working on their next album, where the band will focus more on a punk sound and will experiment less with other forms of music, like ska and metal. "Our next album is going to be more hardcore (punk)," Manter said. "It will be more aggressive, but nothing bad like death metal or anything like that." Young, innovative and unique, NosePicker's Union's "Can You Dig It?" is a refreshing change for local punk rock fans, though as live performers, they are stronger. As individual musicians, they are talented, but as a collective band, they are superb and fun. When it comes to their fame, the band members simply proclaim that they are "just good friends jamming together." "We are like the 'Breakfast Club,'" Fadum said, "but with a band."