Rather than the whiny, self-indulgent glop some rock bands are throwing up on the wall these days, The Shamey Jays offer up “songs that don’t make you think or cry.”

All four guys in the band have extensive musical résumés and their dues are paid in full. Founder and front man, Billy Gruff, got his start in 1978, fronting a short-lived New York punk band called The Walls. He dabbled quite busily in the addictions and excesses of the 80s and 90s and survived. Barely. Gruff eventually made...