Sat. March 10 

 The Mystery Tramps call their debut full-length CD “Cure for the Common Misconception.” A North Shore-based quartet, the Tramps range in age from 14 to 17. And, so, guitarist-singer Adam Amoroso (the youngest of the bunch) explains the title: “There is common misconception that people think (musicians) who are young kids can’t make an album that’s as good as anyone else. We’re not out here as young kids; we’re just musicians who are ten years younger than people who have music on the radio right now.” Well, put. Succinct. If you didn’t know – that is, if you heard the Tramps blind – you’d say they are a smart, sharp ,punk-pop (and ska and reggae) band in their early 20s , influenced by Green Day, the Clash and the Mighty Mighty Bosstones.
The Tramps, which plays an all-ages CD release show Saturday March 10 at the Middle East Upstairs, formed on Halloween 2005. “We were just friends playing together,” says Amoroso, “doing Green Day covers, and we started getting tighter and tighter, writing better songs.” The band shifts seamlessly among genres, has a knack for a pop hook, bracing guitar leads and impassioned vocals. Nothing amateurish about it. Amoroso and singer-guitarist Eric Grava are the main writers. The former penned one standout, “A World Like This." It starts off with a sarcastic “Society today is a really great place” and moves on to condemn “a bunch of lying Nazis/ Just stay away from them/And they’ll be sure to do the same to you/It ain’t right … But what do I know anyway? I’m just some dumb kid/ In a world like this.” The Tramps are both raging against duplicity and poking a little fun at themselves.
The guys had an EP out in 2005 produced by the New Cars Greg Hawkes. This one was done by Stephen George. If all goes well, the Tramps hope to continue playing dates around Boston and New England. A long-term tour, probably, is not in the cards for a while – there is school and all that. The summer Warped Tour, however, would be a possibility. And they should be asked - they'd fit right in. Saturday’s show with Say When starts at 1 p.m. Tickets: $8.

472 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, 617-864-3278  mideastclub.com