Prepare yourself for swift deafness and rattled bones

With pummeling power chords, blast-spastic drums and howled vocals, Tourist Trap keeps their hardcore punk styling straightforward. Drummer Stuart Bartlett and guitarist Josh Jubinsky keep the songs tight even during coordinated riffage. And the bass – I couldn’t really hear it Sept. 26 at Steamworks … Maybe Erik Hern took to heart Teddy Roosevelt’s favorite West African proverb: “Talk softly and carry a big stick”.

Christiana Patterson’s banshee wail hovers just above the din. She brought an undeniable presence to the recent show, making frequent forays into the audience. Her crowd-cavorting coaxed the already undulating onlookers into all-out acrobatics, and for one song Patterson found a friend in the audience to help her sing.

“I started playing violin when I was five and am classically trained on a bunch of stringed instruments, but this is the first band I’ve ever sang in,” Patterson, a senior chemistry major at UNF, said.

All of Tourist Trap’s songs are originals. Jubinsky, who graduated from UNF with an English degree, writes most of the songs, shows his part to the rest of the band and they write their parts.

“I work in the [Carpenter] Library, so when I get bored, I write lyrics,” Patterson said, who cites Laura Pleasants from Savannah-based metal group Kylesa as a source of serious inspiration.

Tourist Trap’s songs are fast and raucous with oscillations between rapid-fire snare hits and half-time breakdowns. Tourist Trap isn’t a buffet, it’s a steakhouse; the songs don’t have a lot of variety, but the band serves up one dish with mastery – and a dash of feedback.

“Their songs were simple and effective,” concert-goer David Kelly said. “They were energetic, engaging and entertaining, and those are the three things you need.”

On top of playing in Tourist Trap, Jubinsky runs Jax-based Dead Tank Records and plans to release an EP on vinyl. Tourist Trap will also be on two split EPs soon, he said.

The band’s Web site, deadtankdistro.com/touristtrap, has six songs to stream or download and has information about upcoming gigs. Their next show, according to the site, will be Oct. 17 with minor details (such as venue) to be announced.