The Grates

Karaoke -- an unhinged rendition of the Disney chestnut "A Whole New World," to be specific -- brought Australians Patience Hodgson, John Patterson, and Alana Skyring together as musicians, but that sap-soaked turn at the mike didn't exactly foreshadow the classic punk racket on which the trio would build its reputation. Friends since childhood in Brisbane, Hodgson, Patterson, and Skyring honed their lo-fi, hyper-spazzy sound in Patterson's garden shed in the early 2000s with the help of the guitarist's father, who provided ample beer and barbecue. In the space of two years, t...