There was a time in every scene big and small, old and new where things have begun to deviate from our folk tradition and culture into something that has led the world we live in to feel dirty or wrong in some ways. I hope to do my little part and bring back the aspect of the dirty word “unity”. That’s right, just like my old friend Rick Ta Life, I feel like there is a sense of division amongst bands, kids and our world is not sitting properly aligned the way it used to. I’ve always tried my best to look at someone at a show as an equal important part of the hardcore world. I’ve always tried to see my fellow bands on tour as another piece in this old puzzle. Whether or not it was the stuff I was into, I couldn’t argue or not relate to these guys who were miles from home, dirty, sweating and tired but loving every second of it the way that I did.
I type these words thinking about my first show at Gilman Street. Summer of ’99 Comin’ Correct, Dysphoria, All Bets Off with if my memory serves me Kill The Man Who Questions and Pg. 99 as well as Sworn Vengeance jumping up for songs?? Either way here I am across the country for the first time in my life staring in the eyes of guys from my home city who’ve I never had a real conversation with but being there at that moment we felt more inclined to speak then ever before. This is despite being from the same hometown, being at the same shows and why? Because I was the jerk who started silly shit at shows, got shows shut down and was a little prick and these guys were some of the most thought provoking, sensible guys in the core. I still feel and hold Mike Mckee to that level of quality. Years later and I can talk to him as an old friend because we had that moment where we forgot the nonsense that kept us from communicating at home and really just kicked it out front of Gilman Street.
I bring this memory up and its relevance to what I am trying to say about hardcore now by pointing out that I can’t think of how many shows I’ve played, booked, been to where the connection was so weak. Where the bands didn’t even watch other, where you didn’t even know whom to pay because the band shuffled in and just “did their thing”. We’re all in this thing together, whether you like to dive with your cut off shirts and shirts and think I am wigger for being in a gang and ninjakickin people when I like a song. We all took our time and money and place ourselves in the same room. Does this mean that I want everyone to start a fucking circle jerk? No, I am just saying the connection to the core is so vastly different for so many people over the stretch of the past few years that I don’t see as many bands kickin’ it unless they were already friends, or going out of their way because they know what its like to be in a band too. At This Is Hardcore I watched John Joseph (BloodClot) and Mike Score (All Out War) stand and watch the guys in Have Heart tear the place apart and then go into the back room and tell Agnostic Front about it. I saw two Philadelphia bands that never played together before close out one of the best shows, let alone weekends I’ve ever been to. I can’t tell you how great I feel about the core when I witness the dudes from RingWorm watching ColdWorld or Righteous Jams.
It reminds of the things I mentioned above. Regardless of what you wear, where you’re from or what you’re doing in your own life when you walk through the doors for a show, as a band, as a kid or the promoter the floor is level. We’re all fuckin here, we all chose this shit to ruin our eardrums and get our aggressions out. This is my motivation for another This Is Hardcore Fest. More then ever I watch as bands categorically rise with the trends and alienate one or more crowds as their success blossoms, as one crowd moves from one band, they join another band’s bandwagon. I’ve grown tired of reading the message boards with the public praise for the smallest of bands from the shittiest scenes that never put out more then a few good songs get treated like the next Hardcore Jesus.
Our world as a whole has grown larger and yet so smaller with the availability and access the internet gives us to old music that we all find our mp3 collections growing at such a rapid rate that the strength of the music, the emotional excitement of a “find” becomes more and more necessary to feed the habit and the overall impact these bands are making is weakened altogether. Sure more people are noticing more smaller lesser known bands but in a week they will have gone onto something else. Welcome to the ADHD generation as they say… Or it could be that since we’re just experiencing these bands over the Internet through a computer that the feeling of being there at that moment will never come to you. So you may be excited as hell about the addition of Starkweather’s The CrossBearer but soon after you’ve posted on every board about the greatness of the band you realize there is no time machine, that moment on that cd was then and will not be now you have to move on to the next great thing or something that someone mentioned in regards to that band. We’re growing in our knowledge of these bands but our experiences are becoming more akin to the need/greed instead of the pleasing revelation of showing up to a show to see a new band. Can’t do that, can’t watch a band you don’t know or possibly didn’t like their myspace tunes. Instead you’ll sit at home gripe about the downfall of hardcore and download hundreds of songs in a night to truly only feel the impact of a handful of songs.
So many great bands are OUT NOW. They’re screaming, sweating and bleeding for you and you’re minds have grown closed in your ability to have immediate knowledge of most things past and near present. Fuck even “future” is achievable with the invention of “leaked” CDs. The concept of going to see 5 bands and watching all 5 is an antique model for a world that is no longer around. These kids know what they want and know it so well that they’re programmed to rarely check something in person out, which is ironically so contradictive of their online life. And when we get down to it, not everyone goes to shows every single day so the argument that I am making is that the average hardcore kid spends more time online then at shows per week, thus creating the deviation from the old way of things which was to “check bands out live”. People are influenced and pay too much lip service to what they read online and never make a true evaluation for themselves in person. I’ve found out how many times a band’s myspace song or EP sucks only to fall in love with the band live. I’ve tried many a time to really enjoy Modern Life Is War records and it just falls on deaf ears to me but live they are so engaging and alive that I can’t help but enjoy them. Had I left my first judgment on their CD material, as the end all be all of what I think of them I would never realize how much I enjoy their band live. I am sure as people will read this that they will argue and make exceptions and excuses for themselves but the truth hurts and everyone always try to argue their way out of a bum rap.
The world of ours is opening up and yet the minds that drive it are closing on preconceived notions of their own good sense of judgment that I’ve proven to be maligned solely by Internet interactions with our world. This thing we do is alive. Its never something that can be with someone who’s never been to a show but downloaded everything from the bad brains to the new mongoloids in 6 months but went to 3 shows in that time. The power our world has over other music scenes is in the live show, its intensity, its collective agreement to accept the violent dancing and diving as “part of the show”. When we like a song we punch our friends, when we know a lyric we take the mic from the singer who wrote the song. These are not things someone would dare to do outside of our world. I know this is wishy washy idealistic stuff but god help me if I want to give kids one weekend of all of this greatness that has truly kept my life moving forward. Have them get sweaty and wish the band would play their favorite song so they can move. I want the kids from California to ask the kids from New Jersey where the best place to eat downtown is. I want the kids to see their favorite bands, spend their times rifling through record bins at the distros looking through for that LP they couldn’t find anywhere.
I want people to live this thing that we’ve come to spend our time, money and LOVE on. If I can get you people off of your asses, away from your computer screens (even you weirdo sidekick dudes that love to stand on the floor looking at it like you’re unimpressed by what’s going on around you) and have you make one life connection to this, one truly amazing moment that you will be able to relive in full detail 1,5 or 10 years from now it was worth it.
I am not a talented guy; I rely on the availability and the willingness of the bands to make the shows work. I am lucky that the current crop of hardcore bands have more heart then any I can recall in the past 15 years. They have more of a sense of togetherness and they’re all so god damn good live it hurts to not have a band on the bill that made an impact the last 2 years. It’s these guys that deserve it the most. They leave their lives, their aspirations aren’t to become our doctors and lawyers, they want to fill the back of a van with equipment and ride into the night heading to a town they’ve never been to and shred the place apart. They want to get on stage and have some kid from ½ way around the world take the mic sing the words and do a flip when he’s done. They’ve signed their souls away to make the world of ours continue to go around and if we can all really come together again for one more weekend and let go and just fucking enjoy ourselves the way it was truly meant to be it will all be worth it…
THIS IS HARDCORE 2008.
Friday, December 28, 2007
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
the World's Largest Daisy Chain
Ever feel like the internet has led us astray? How many kids can you say really mean it when they talk about a band, a show or even wear a Tshirt these days?
I am tired of it all. This eternal fucking blow everyone so no one feels left out mentality has gotten some egos a bit too large, and everyone's feelings set on candyass. You couldn't happen to disagree or go out of your way by saying this band or that band sucks. You would have to think about the people behind the bands and think about the fact that it may or may not hurt your band, your zine, your shows, your rep. Fuck all that. I think being in Shattered Realm has protected me from having to be in that terrible circle jerk phenomena going on in the core right now. God bless being the scumbags because no one wants us to really like their band and no one needs us to talk up their band. I am tired of reading about how a band is backed, how this guys a good dude or how much they can't wait for so and so to come through? Its all in effort to help whatever you're doing out.. I used to have this shitty job as a porter at a bowling alley. Real proper, I even got to unclog toilets and watch as my manager/head mechanic would fish out tampons from the women's bathrooms on occasion. There he professed to me the meaning of life and the one thing that holds true is -" Consider the Source". Whenever I read that someone is making a post about another band or something I see who the poster is that is heralding his fellow man's efforts. 9 times out of 10 its a friend or a guy who has a financial interest in the popularity of the band rising. I guess it don't hurt to talk good about your friends but to lie to strangers time and time again out of sake of being popular or god heaven's NOT BE POPULAR!@!$! I don't know how these people get through their lives with such decisions. ha ha.
I book This Is Hardcore Fest and I do shows. I think I still haven't booked a band that I really didn't like. There were 2 or 3 bands the first year that I didn't have back the second and it was more out of them not impressing me or doing well that made the decision an easy one. It also helped that I can't duplicate 2006's lineup every year all over again so no one's feelings are hurt. I write all of this thinking about how many bands are out there now. How many people have risen to scene celebrity in just two year's time. How are some of these guys going to deal with the fact their band really isn't that good? Alot of these bands have potential in that as a whole the scene is doing well with good bands that aren't all exactly alike. But the numbers that are stacking up are showing me that there is an army of clones not unlike the Star Wars Prequels and its going to get ugly. How many Integrity/Ringworm clones can you name these days? How many bands with Pink tshirts were out on tour last year? The ripoffs and the gimmicks are going wild for now, but when we get down to brass tacks its going to go down to substance. Who is really saying anything? Who is making an impact.. Who is not up there on stage wasting up space and stealing 25 minutes of people's lives to walk through the motions? How many dudes truly believe in what they do, what they say, what they wear, who they support and how their actions effect everyone?
This world is so fragile, often like a house of cards. It don't take much for the whole thing to crumble down. The end of Floorpunch,Ten Yard Fight and In My Eyes gave way to the dark times of the rise to metalcore and the hype of A.N. Hardcore rose to defeat the evil Victory records to give birth to all that we would eventually hold in our hands now. The battle for popularity will begin. I've watched these bands grow and they all seem to play nice now but the pickings will start to slim and we will see who is really friend or foe.
Its pathetic to hear a guy give a blowjob to 25 dudes in 15 minutes on stage just so people get into his band. He could spend his time rationally coming from his heart, but truthfully we're watching a bunch of kids live their dream at any cost and sadly that entails accepting an amount of bullshit hollow plastic words with a band that will just go through the motions to say they lived the dream as they walk away from our world once their 15 minutes is up.
I am tired of it all. This eternal fucking blow everyone so no one feels left out mentality has gotten some egos a bit too large, and everyone's feelings set on candyass. You couldn't happen to disagree or go out of your way by saying this band or that band sucks. You would have to think about the people behind the bands and think about the fact that it may or may not hurt your band, your zine, your shows, your rep. Fuck all that. I think being in Shattered Realm has protected me from having to be in that terrible circle jerk phenomena going on in the core right now. God bless being the scumbags because no one wants us to really like their band and no one needs us to talk up their band. I am tired of reading about how a band is backed, how this guys a good dude or how much they can't wait for so and so to come through? Its all in effort to help whatever you're doing out.. I used to have this shitty job as a porter at a bowling alley. Real proper, I even got to unclog toilets and watch as my manager/head mechanic would fish out tampons from the women's bathrooms on occasion. There he professed to me the meaning of life and the one thing that holds true is -" Consider the Source". Whenever I read that someone is making a post about another band or something I see who the poster is that is heralding his fellow man's efforts. 9 times out of 10 its a friend or a guy who has a financial interest in the popularity of the band rising. I guess it don't hurt to talk good about your friends but to lie to strangers time and time again out of sake of being popular or god heaven's NOT BE POPULAR!@!$! I don't know how these people get through their lives with such decisions. ha ha.
I book This Is Hardcore Fest and I do shows. I think I still haven't booked a band that I really didn't like. There were 2 or 3 bands the first year that I didn't have back the second and it was more out of them not impressing me or doing well that made the decision an easy one. It also helped that I can't duplicate 2006's lineup every year all over again so no one's feelings are hurt. I write all of this thinking about how many bands are out there now. How many people have risen to scene celebrity in just two year's time. How are some of these guys going to deal with the fact their band really isn't that good? Alot of these bands have potential in that as a whole the scene is doing well with good bands that aren't all exactly alike. But the numbers that are stacking up are showing me that there is an army of clones not unlike the Star Wars Prequels and its going to get ugly. How many Integrity/Ringworm clones can you name these days? How many bands with Pink tshirts were out on tour last year? The ripoffs and the gimmicks are going wild for now, but when we get down to brass tacks its going to go down to substance. Who is really saying anything? Who is making an impact.. Who is not up there on stage wasting up space and stealing 25 minutes of people's lives to walk through the motions? How many dudes truly believe in what they do, what they say, what they wear, who they support and how their actions effect everyone?
This world is so fragile, often like a house of cards. It don't take much for the whole thing to crumble down. The end of Floorpunch,Ten Yard Fight and In My Eyes gave way to the dark times of the rise to metalcore and the hype of A.N. Hardcore rose to defeat the evil Victory records to give birth to all that we would eventually hold in our hands now. The battle for popularity will begin. I've watched these bands grow and they all seem to play nice now but the pickings will start to slim and we will see who is really friend or foe.
Its pathetic to hear a guy give a blowjob to 25 dudes in 15 minutes on stage just so people get into his band. He could spend his time rationally coming from his heart, but truthfully we're watching a bunch of kids live their dream at any cost and sadly that entails accepting an amount of bullshit hollow plastic words with a band that will just go through the motions to say they lived the dream as they walk away from our world once their 15 minutes is up.
NJ's Hardest
Last Friday we played a show in Kearny, NJ which is just a stone's throw from the pit of hell known as Newark.
There was a time 10 years ago where I spent at least 2 days of my week finding someone willing to drive to Newark and then actually getting up there just for the Thursday night shows at the Pipeline in lovely scenic Newark,NJ. Alot of cool bands that never made it out of obscurity played, alot of bands that have grown to infamy and others to comedy. The thing that kept bringing me back was the fact that it was an entire scene there every week. It didn't really matter who was really playing you could count on at least 75% of the bands from North all the way down the shore line being there. It made for awesome "jump up" sets and bands sharing gear and playing some stuff. There was an ambience that made you truthfully believe that the minute you stepped into the place anything can/would happen. There wasn't any of this "safe" areas in the mosh, it was one of those dark clubs where you could be standing there watching a band like Powerhouse from California and end up with a black eye from Rat Bones because the light hit you from the stage and your peripherals were blinded.
Yea yours truly learned early on to watch everyone and never assume you're safe. But that was just a piece of it. I heard the "New" fury record out front of the Pipeline in Joe None's hoopdie. I met so many dudes and got so many #s and addresses to mail (yes the postal service not the fuckin internet) dudes flyers and contact info. It was a great place to network and get your shit out there. The place was a shithole and a few times I'd made the walk to the club from the train I truly felt blessed to get there in one piece. I met some guys that I am still very close to today, I've met guys that sucked in 97 and the years of drugs and boozing didn't make anything better.
So we show up to this hall in the middle of a block and I instantly start seeing old faces. By the time the first band had gone on I'd run into 20 or more people I can't think of the last time I've seen them. Homicidal played first and really tore it the fuck up. They've got Mike and George"Puda" from Bulldoze, Tomoki (the asian sensation), McG and Dimi (how many bands has this dude hasn't been in?) Very aggressive hard band with nods to the old bands of their members while having an almost thrash influence subtlely in there to boot. Their first song a maniac runs and tackles the stand up sound board and then runs and boots (with a Timberland of course) half the crowd. God I miss those berzerkers.. All in all a "fat" set from a band that needs to get out some more.
We played next and I was psyched for once. Usually we're not using our gear, getting there was a pain in the ass or there is about 134235 things going on aside from us just getting up there to shred. This being what is we haven't played early on a bill in about a year and I miss that need to set the place off. I think in our 25 minutes or so we did just that. I really think that I stay in Shattered Realm sometimes because we have the same ideas about what a good set duration is. Why play 40 minutes when you're not headlining and the place isn't moving to anything you throw out there. Sure there are places in Europe where the mosh is just not happening but that is diffrent then in your home turf and the songs keep going over like a 50 cent track at a white power rally.
We were really psyched on the mention of a Bulldoze set happening later. I remember George needing to borrow our bass again for it and thinking if Chris would show so it would go down. I guess they ended up getting Steve to rock out to an Ipod and learn the stuff. That was just like it was years ago, if you didn't have all your dudes but you could manage with a diffrent guy for a few songs fuck it... it wasn't the songs as much as it was your friends in the room and the feel of the night. By the time Bulldoze got on things had calmed down a notch and I was hoping that it would get crazy again so For The Love Of... would get a proper response. These North Jersey shows go late so the bar makes theirs and everyone pretty much goes from the bar to the bands and back, sometimes a trip or two during the set. By the later bands the berzerker mosh makes way for the guy who think his 35 year old body can move like it did when he was in his early 20s. Always rad to see.
Either way Damien and I had posted up near the sound guy with our asses on the table so we could watch the Bulldoze chaos without having to be in guard the whole time. I guess I've got to the point where I am not going to go and run around and kick and punch everyone for every band. Its not a shamed position but one I wouldn't assume I'd take on this early into my adulthood. I've seen Bulldoze then, I seen then when Kev first got out of jail, and we've played with them. I love the band but didn't need to lash out my aggression during their band. Sometimes there is something in being the voyeur. For us we were laughing already at the few moshers during NJBL's set. Just a bunch of weirdo mosh styles that conflicted making for awesome comedic relief for us. Bulldoze went on and Joe and Tara were standing with us. They were really tight for the jump up set and things were hectic. Enter the long hair berzerker mosh, he was really something. Absolutely fearless of contact with others and injury to himself, he was a true warrior of the mosh. By the end of their set I'd grabbed the mic and danced a bit but with the amount of drunken mosh dudes that were more like moshers then dancers I didn't want to be "that guy" to knock one of them out over mosh beef. I knew they didn't know any better and I figured someone would school them but I didn't have to be me for once. All in all an awesome set and the energy was back and then some.
For The Love Of... what can be said about a truly overlooked innovator in the realm of metalcore. So clean and vicious its an understatement to say that they really stepped out of the game at a time where had they held on they would have been in the ranks of Shadows Fall, God Forbid and later Killswitch Engage. I can't think of it but I know there was more then a few shows with most of those bands together on it in NJ and For The Love Of... coming out with the best response. People never seem to remember the guys who did the work in the trenches. FTLO would play crazy sets with the wildest other bands and it was always worth it. They would bring an anvil onto the stage and strike it with a sledge hammer. Insanity then, and if it was ever done again I imagine these tight pants, bad hair and no idea what metal or hardcore is kids would shit themselves. Either way they got up and despite it being late and some of the crowd vanishing to the bar they were really as tight as they've ever been. Some bands just don't lose and I was very happy we stayed to watch them. Alot of mosh shennigans and what not, really the worst of what happens when people get drunk and start to mosh after midnight, or guys who find themselves to be bigger physically forget that there are things like gravity and physics in play when it comes to the mosh. Oh well. I had a good chuckle a bunch of older guys who made their qualms with the scene back running around moshing living out their glory days. I imagine they felt on top of the world and back in their element. I wonder if they realized how far the world has moved on without them? It always hits me when see people like that if they've ever understand how inconspicuous their time in hardcore was and how silly their words were when they decided to walk away sounded to everyone else?
In the end I was happy to play a show that felt like I was a teenager again. I was really happy to see old friends and enjoy the parallel universe that was that night. It felt like someone opened a portal between 97 and 07 just for a few hours. There was alot of the same characters from both worlds and everyone looks older but for that one night at least everyone acted more like themselves before they got too cool for school.
Thanks to everyone who came out, participated and made the night worth it to be there.
There was a time 10 years ago where I spent at least 2 days of my week finding someone willing to drive to Newark and then actually getting up there just for the Thursday night shows at the Pipeline in lovely scenic Newark,NJ. Alot of cool bands that never made it out of obscurity played, alot of bands that have grown to infamy and others to comedy. The thing that kept bringing me back was the fact that it was an entire scene there every week. It didn't really matter who was really playing you could count on at least 75% of the bands from North all the way down the shore line being there. It made for awesome "jump up" sets and bands sharing gear and playing some stuff. There was an ambience that made you truthfully believe that the minute you stepped into the place anything can/would happen. There wasn't any of this "safe" areas in the mosh, it was one of those dark clubs where you could be standing there watching a band like Powerhouse from California and end up with a black eye from Rat Bones because the light hit you from the stage and your peripherals were blinded.
Yea yours truly learned early on to watch everyone and never assume you're safe. But that was just a piece of it. I heard the "New" fury record out front of the Pipeline in Joe None's hoopdie. I met so many dudes and got so many #s and addresses to mail (yes the postal service not the fuckin internet) dudes flyers and contact info. It was a great place to network and get your shit out there. The place was a shithole and a few times I'd made the walk to the club from the train I truly felt blessed to get there in one piece. I met some guys that I am still very close to today, I've met guys that sucked in 97 and the years of drugs and boozing didn't make anything better.
So we show up to this hall in the middle of a block and I instantly start seeing old faces. By the time the first band had gone on I'd run into 20 or more people I can't think of the last time I've seen them. Homicidal played first and really tore it the fuck up. They've got Mike and George"Puda" from Bulldoze, Tomoki (the asian sensation), McG and Dimi (how many bands has this dude hasn't been in?) Very aggressive hard band with nods to the old bands of their members while having an almost thrash influence subtlely in there to boot. Their first song a maniac runs and tackles the stand up sound board and then runs and boots (with a Timberland of course) half the crowd. God I miss those berzerkers.. All in all a "fat" set from a band that needs to get out some more.
We played next and I was psyched for once. Usually we're not using our gear, getting there was a pain in the ass or there is about 134235 things going on aside from us just getting up there to shred. This being what is we haven't played early on a bill in about a year and I miss that need to set the place off. I think in our 25 minutes or so we did just that. I really think that I stay in Shattered Realm sometimes because we have the same ideas about what a good set duration is. Why play 40 minutes when you're not headlining and the place isn't moving to anything you throw out there. Sure there are places in Europe where the mosh is just not happening but that is diffrent then in your home turf and the songs keep going over like a 50 cent track at a white power rally.
We were really psyched on the mention of a Bulldoze set happening later. I remember George needing to borrow our bass again for it and thinking if Chris would show so it would go down. I guess they ended up getting Steve to rock out to an Ipod and learn the stuff. That was just like it was years ago, if you didn't have all your dudes but you could manage with a diffrent guy for a few songs fuck it... it wasn't the songs as much as it was your friends in the room and the feel of the night. By the time Bulldoze got on things had calmed down a notch and I was hoping that it would get crazy again so For The Love Of... would get a proper response. These North Jersey shows go late so the bar makes theirs and everyone pretty much goes from the bar to the bands and back, sometimes a trip or two during the set. By the later bands the berzerker mosh makes way for the guy who think his 35 year old body can move like it did when he was in his early 20s. Always rad to see.
Either way Damien and I had posted up near the sound guy with our asses on the table so we could watch the Bulldoze chaos without having to be in guard the whole time. I guess I've got to the point where I am not going to go and run around and kick and punch everyone for every band. Its not a shamed position but one I wouldn't assume I'd take on this early into my adulthood. I've seen Bulldoze then, I seen then when Kev first got out of jail, and we've played with them. I love the band but didn't need to lash out my aggression during their band. Sometimes there is something in being the voyeur. For us we were laughing already at the few moshers during NJBL's set. Just a bunch of weirdo mosh styles that conflicted making for awesome comedic relief for us. Bulldoze went on and Joe and Tara were standing with us. They were really tight for the jump up set and things were hectic. Enter the long hair berzerker mosh, he was really something. Absolutely fearless of contact with others and injury to himself, he was a true warrior of the mosh. By the end of their set I'd grabbed the mic and danced a bit but with the amount of drunken mosh dudes that were more like moshers then dancers I didn't want to be "that guy" to knock one of them out over mosh beef. I knew they didn't know any better and I figured someone would school them but I didn't have to be me for once. All in all an awesome set and the energy was back and then some.
For The Love Of... what can be said about a truly overlooked innovator in the realm of metalcore. So clean and vicious its an understatement to say that they really stepped out of the game at a time where had they held on they would have been in the ranks of Shadows Fall, God Forbid and later Killswitch Engage. I can't think of it but I know there was more then a few shows with most of those bands together on it in NJ and For The Love Of... coming out with the best response. People never seem to remember the guys who did the work in the trenches. FTLO would play crazy sets with the wildest other bands and it was always worth it. They would bring an anvil onto the stage and strike it with a sledge hammer. Insanity then, and if it was ever done again I imagine these tight pants, bad hair and no idea what metal or hardcore is kids would shit themselves. Either way they got up and despite it being late and some of the crowd vanishing to the bar they were really as tight as they've ever been. Some bands just don't lose and I was very happy we stayed to watch them. Alot of mosh shennigans and what not, really the worst of what happens when people get drunk and start to mosh after midnight, or guys who find themselves to be bigger physically forget that there are things like gravity and physics in play when it comes to the mosh. Oh well. I had a good chuckle a bunch of older guys who made their qualms with the scene back running around moshing living out their glory days. I imagine they felt on top of the world and back in their element. I wonder if they realized how far the world has moved on without them? It always hits me when see people like that if they've ever understand how inconspicuous their time in hardcore was and how silly their words were when they decided to walk away sounded to everyone else?
In the end I was happy to play a show that felt like I was a teenager again. I was really happy to see old friends and enjoy the parallel universe that was that night. It felt like someone opened a portal between 97 and 07 just for a few hours. There was alot of the same characters from both worlds and everyone looks older but for that one night at least everyone acted more like themselves before they got too cool for school.
Thanks to everyone who came out, participated and made the night worth it to be there.
Thursday, November 29, 2007
When was the last time you had a reason to cry? I could swim in a river of tears if I was strong enough to let them go. My good friend and more then part time mentor speaks often of crying as if it was a body function so regular as eating or using the bathroom. I am not in tune with myself well enough to allow an emotion or two to be so physically present unless its selfish or 
foolish behavior like rage or anger. It’s much easier to harm someone or break something or say something loud or hurtful then it is to relax and allow the emotions swelling within to manifest in tears. I caught myself a few times today losing my cool and tears began to well up. It was right in front of Jake, who was my best friend for the kind years of 11 and 12. He knew me well and it feels good to be close in relation to one another for how much distance has come between us in the last 13 odd years. I am unable to give in or man up as the Man would say and just let go, yet I am devastated by the rational the hardest dude from my hood died because a punk couldn’t beat him i
n a fair one. Over the course of the past 20 or so years not many people could ever beat Ogre. He was the kind of guy who lived in rage and violence. Some scream loud and walk proud of not giving a fuck about jail but he just lived it without ever having to mention it. I can say that he is one of the first people to give me the strength to fight and lose. Lose with the notion that in fighting you’ve proved your worth. It’s a simple concept lost to the era of the drive by, the gang initiation and the thug mentality. “Respect through Fear” as they say. He was not a saint by his actions but I will say that his sense of right and wrong were aligned to what and who was closest to him. Outsiders got nothing more then respect he wanted in return. Not a bitch by any means, hardly a bully and the kind of guy who was fearless in the face of an asswhooping if it meant at the end of the day his point got across to the guy on the other end. 32 years old, shot dead a block from where we once lived. In fact we didn’t make the best impression when we moved to our first real house on the “other” Brill Street, as we’re now known to say from time to time. The local thugs were white kids known as GBC or Get Blunted Crew. Not the toughest and actually in hindsight never more then wiggers who ran from the real fights down the street from Red Brick. Either way after an altercation that led to our window getting broke and a fist fight with the guys in the street, a congregation of Kensington and Frankford cousins stormed into the small corridor blocks looking for vengeance. I remember being told to stay inside and could hear the beatings taking place across the street in the cemetery. As legend and time holds it, the last to get the beating was one of the Grossman twins. Known for their mouth and bravado more for their quick hands and solid street cred, Brian Grossman tried stabbing Ogre 
with a screwdriver in the initial sweep of the 5 x 5 blocks we called home. Making the trip from our house to his house one night he caught up with Brian and leveled him with a single shot. Brian fell to his knees and his head and neck tilted back. Its been said that the sudden rush of blood in his mouth would have choked him to death if he hadn’t been knocked onto his side by a friend. Rash and severe at times, but never without righteousness it felt good to know there was someone who could come down and be there for you w
hen you were in over your head. To think that I stood over him today and say the hardest man from Frankford lying dead today is crushing my heart. One of my first “champions”, the kind of guy who inspired me to be more then what I was is dead for doing the right thing. I could waste time and talk of useless notions such as revenge and how that guy should be found and get the chair, but really what is worth fighting for is already gone. Depleted.
As a lifelong friend spoke at the eulogy today, we never had anything but each other and to be without someone like Ogre is to know there is one less person by your side. As I grew to adulthood and began my own legacy I never felt the need to call on him but I know that he would have b
een there for any of it. In fact the last we spoke he was the one telling me about how the worst part is the wait between being out on bail and being told whether you’re doing time or you’re out Scott free. There are so many things that I think of now that in my reminiscence of our times can be attributed to him that I want to cry. I want to feel the physical relief of
that sorrow knowing someone who’s life impacted yours so greatly is no longer alive because his deeds were struck down by a weaker man. I think of my old excuse for not showing sorrow as “Thugs Don’t Cry” mimicking the over the top B movie at Blockbuster that Samantha would never want to rent. I want to be pitiful and say these words are my tears. I am crying to the world in my grief and hopefully venting this anguish. I walked down Frankford Ave and up the cemetery hill yesterday looking for where he was struck down. I couldn’t find the spot. Later I was told it was a block away from our old house. I wanted to throw up. As I mentioned earlier we had issues there and in fact it got to the point where once my mom found a better spot out of the hood we moved. That was the closure of one chapter and the beginning of the end of my Frankford days. He got us through that rough patch between the apartment on Griscom that was our salvation from the Fonze to the first real house we lived in. It seems as though tragedy strikes all of history’s greatest heroes, Ogre was on his path towards getting a spot out of the hood and getting wifed up w
ith the mother of his children. This tale has no wisdom or lesson to be taught. His actions spoke for him time and time again and I will not relegate this tragedy to the pitfalls of living in a shot ass neighborhood. This was the new way of life, the reason this city and this hood has gone to hell. Damien and I laughed the other day at Mike’s lyric “I’m from the era of the One on One, punching niggas for fun”. Then I think of Ogre being shot dead for being of the caliber of dude to stand up for the small and “shield the weak” as Darius would say.
David Howarth, 32, of Penn Street near Dyre, was found shot once in the chest on Brill Street near Frankford Avenue in the Northeast shortly after 4:30 a.m. yesterday. He was pronounced dead at Frankford-Torresdale Hospital at 5:30 a.m. Detectives were interviewing a possible suspect, but no charges had been filed, said Homicide Sgt. Ron McClane.
foolish behavior like rage or anger. It’s much easier to harm someone or break something or say something loud or hurtful then it is to relax and allow the emotions swelling within to manifest in tears. I caught myself a few times today losing my cool and tears began to well up. It was right in front of Jake, who was my best friend for the kind years of 11 and 12. He knew me well and it feels good to be close in relation to one another for how much distance has come between us in the last 13 odd years. I am unable to give in or man up as the Man would say and just let go, yet I am devastated by the rational the hardest dude from my hood died because a punk couldn’t beat him i
n a fair one. Over the course of the past 20 or so years not many people could ever beat Ogre. He was the kind of guy who lived in rage and violence. Some scream loud and walk proud of not giving a fuck about jail but he just lived it without ever having to mention it. I can say that he is one of the first people to give me the strength to fight and lose. Lose with the notion that in fighting you’ve proved your worth. It’s a simple concept lost to the era of the drive by, the gang initiation and the thug mentality. “Respect through Fear” as they say. He was not a saint by his actions but I will say that his sense of right and wrong were aligned to what and who was closest to him. Outsiders got nothing more then respect he wanted in return. Not a bitch by any means, hardly a bully and the kind of guy who was fearless in the face of an asswhooping if it meant at the end of the day his point got across to the guy on the other end. 32 years old, shot dead a block from where we once lived. In fact we didn’t make the best impression when we moved to our first real house on the “other” Brill Street, as we’re now known to say from time to time. The local thugs were white kids known as GBC or Get Blunted Crew. Not the toughest and actually in hindsight never more then wiggers who ran from the real fights down the street from Red Brick. Either way after an altercation that led to our window getting broke and a fist fight with the guys in the street, a congregation of Kensington and Frankford cousins stormed into the small corridor blocks looking for vengeance. I remember being told to stay inside and could hear the beatings taking place across the street in the cemetery. As legend and time holds it, the last to get the beating was one of the Grossman twins. Known for their mouth and bravado more for their quick hands and solid street cred, Brian Grossman tried stabbing Ogre 
with a screwdriver in the initial sweep of the 5 x 5 blocks we called home. Making the trip from our house to his house one night he caught up with Brian and leveled him with a single shot. Brian fell to his knees and his head and neck tilted back. Its been said that the sudden rush of blood in his mouth would have choked him to death if he hadn’t been knocked onto his side by a friend. Rash and severe at times, but never without righteousness it felt good to know there was someone who could come down and be there for you w
hen you were in over your head. To think that I stood over him today and say the hardest man from Frankford lying dead today is crushing my heart. One of my first “champions”, the kind of guy who inspired me to be more then what I was is dead for doing the right thing. I could waste time and talk of useless notions such as revenge and how that guy should be found and get the chair, but really what is worth fighting for is already gone. Depleted.
As a lifelong friend spoke at the eulogy today, we never had anything but each other and to be without someone like Ogre is to know there is one less person by your side. As I grew to adulthood and began my own legacy I never felt the need to call on him but I know that he would have b
een there for any of it. In fact the last we spoke he was the one telling me about how the worst part is the wait between being out on bail and being told whether you’re doing time or you’re out Scott free. There are so many things that I think of now that in my reminiscence of our times can be attributed to him that I want to cry. I want to feel the physical relief of
that sorrow knowing someone who’s life impacted yours so greatly is no longer alive because his deeds were struck down by a weaker man. I think of my old excuse for not showing sorrow as “Thugs Don’t Cry” mimicking the over the top B movie at Blockbuster that Samantha would never want to rent. I want to be pitiful and say these words are my tears. I am crying to the world in my grief and hopefully venting this anguish. I walked down Frankford Ave and up the cemetery hill yesterday looking for where he was struck down. I couldn’t find the spot. Later I was told it was a block away from our old house. I wanted to throw up. As I mentioned earlier we had issues there and in fact it got to the point where once my mom found a better spot out of the hood we moved. That was the closure of one chapter and the beginning of the end of my Frankford days. He got us through that rough patch between the apartment on Griscom that was our salvation from the Fonze to the first real house we lived in. It seems as though tragedy strikes all of history’s greatest heroes, Ogre was on his path towards getting a spot out of the hood and getting wifed up w
ith the mother of his children. This tale has no wisdom or lesson to be taught. His actions spoke for him time and time again and I will not relegate this tragedy to the pitfalls of living in a shot ass neighborhood. This was the new way of life, the reason this city and this hood has gone to hell. Damien and I laughed the other day at Mike’s lyric “I’m from the era of the One on One, punching niggas for fun”. Then I think of Ogre being shot dead for being of the caliber of dude to stand up for the small and “shield the weak” as Darius would say. Mike old buddy, I guess I’m from that era too, and if it wasn’t for my man Ogre I never would have lived past it.
May He Finally Be Granted Peace...and his Killer be shown True Justice.
David Howarth, 32, of Penn Street near Dyre, was found shot once in the chest on Brill Street near Frankford Avenue in the Northeast shortly after 4:30 a.m. yesterday. He was pronounced dead at Frankford-Torresdale Hospital at 5:30 a.m. Detectives were interviewing a possible suspect, but no charges had been filed, said Homicide Sgt. Ron McClane.Sunday, November 25, 2007
I guess I am a lifer now
http://www.lifersmontreal.com/
I got the chance to have a full out interview for my boy Tremblay's serious blog/zine. Definitely the more definitive interview with me. Totally my style too the way the questions were long enough that I could bounce around and make nonsense out of a well placed question..
Check it out..
I got the chance to have a full out interview for my boy Tremblay's serious blog/zine. Definitely the more definitive interview with me. Totally my style too the way the questions were long enough that I could bounce around and make nonsense out of a well placed question..
Check it out..
Saturday, November 10, 2007
The Man Behind The Curtain
I would like to disclose the truth behind JOEHARDCORE.NET. I figure I will do this before all the legal litigation happens when I start being sponsored and 
making 1000’s a month with all the banner ads that will soon cloud over these humble words.
Joel “JUICE” from Clenched Fist is the guy who registered the URL for me. He has always pushed me in a positive way towards something like this. He drew a cover that I will be putting up here for my failed attempt at a zine in 02. He is a truly supportive, encouraging friend and in thinking about this site and how it just popped up out of an email I got from him, I would like to take the time to micro analyze our friendship and its correlation to the bigger picture that is hardcore.
It was 2000 and I received a CD with a band Clenched Fist from Memphis, TN on it. Later on and into 2001 I was booking Punishment’s first US tour. Via Mike Hood I got Juice’s contact and the game began. Sure enough we had a show and we were truly appreciative of it. Then it was a lot harder to get shows period unless you were booked by an agent, there wasn’t myspace and email was checked at the free library via hotmail addresses. Not every band and his mother decided to go out and tour the states (like it is today). The fact we could hook up with a band of similar interest in a place as far different and removed as Memphis and Philadelphia just reveals the power of hardcore (to nerds like myself) the day of the show we were told to go to his apt and the door would be open. Lets think about that for a minute.Book a band and tell them they can go to your house before you get there. It speaks volumes to the character of my f
riend. It wasn’t too long before he showed and we were hitting it off like we had grown up together. There were varying differences, my love of metallic bands like Dmize and yet amazing shared interests ala the few hardcore videos that made headbangers ball and such.
So we go to play the show and there are only a handful of kids (maybe 20 at most) that are all friends with Clenched Fist at this huge venue. Now typically that would put people in a shitty mood but we were all uplifted by the spark of a new friendship that we didn’t even care or take notice toit. We played first and it was awesome, great sound anda great time. Clenched Fist took the stage and the entire place (all 20 or so of us) was going off. There is something special about a band playing on its home turf. Sooner or later they had run out of songs and started doing covers. At this point Punishment began our usual antics that included at that time naked moshing. Totally unexpected to these kids from Tennessee but t
hat was most of the gag. With clothes back on a few of our guys got on stage and more cover songs were played. This is so not typical of how things were or are. If there is no one at a show its usually a bust. If there are 2 bands playing it’s usually cut and dry sets and then everyone goes their separate ways. The show was quite long and so much fun that it ranks up in the top 10 shows I ever played or was at. Back to Joel’s house where we were paid by the kids and Joel out of pocket just as a token of friendship. I can’t tell you how much that meant to be a band that no one cared being paid by the kids just so we can get to our next show. We had a lot of good talks and we knew we’d be seeing each other soon enough.
The next time we hung out was in St. Louis at the Creepy Crawl where for those of you who know Clenched Fist’s “Welcome To Memphis” cd know at the end there is a live track of Juice telling the crowd that if Joe Hardcore gets naked a
nd goes from end of the club to the other end that they’ll do Madball. Sure enough, in front of St Louis and everyone else that’s just what I did. In fact at one point during the naked moshing I jumped on someone’s shoulders and there was a pic of it fo
r a bit. Definitely great fun times with our new buddies.
Over the course of the next few years we only grew tighter, whether it was Clenched Fist coming to Philadelphia and living at my mom’s house or Punishment or SR stopping by Memphis and being treated to some of the best away from home cooking ever.
Funny enough, that JoeHardcore cartoon face wasn’t born from that but MET (too damn hype/chord) wanting to give me a label under TooDamnHype. He had Juice draw up a caricature face with my signature crooked hat, bad crooked teeth and slobber coming out of my mouth. So fucking funny. I really wish I had my old hard drive shit so I could post that picture. That alone just showcases his talents in being able to draw these awesome characters.
The bonding points for Joel and I go beyond our hardcore pursuits and principles and that’s where the deep connection was made. He and I both grew up with a mom who did all she could for our siblings and us. We both grew up on the have not side of things, in neighborhoods that were less then nice and more often blacker then white. We had a lot to talk about and so much to connect to it really amazes me that I met someone that is my age that grew up so much like I did who just happened to find not only the same music I did but is into so many of the same bands and principles and virtues of the core. Don’t get me wrong we have our bit of differences but they are minute and just something for us to pick on each other about.
Its just incredible to have a friend out there that truly understands not just what you’re into, but what you’re capable of, where you came from and what makes you who you are… I have always thought of hardcore as the great equalizer for those with an ax to grind, a story to tell or a past to work out through healthy doses of aggression but I never would have thought I would get a friend from Memphis who could finish my sentences and fully know some of the pains and bullshit that came from growing up the way that we did.
My friend Joel is still to this day not a tattooer, though I hope now with him in Denver he will explore that avenue. I really look forward to having something by him tattooed on me; in fact I plan to save space just for that eventual occasion. The only real question is whether it will be a PMC tattoo or something else.. maybe a Biohazard logo.
making 1000’s a month with all the banner ads that will soon cloud over these humble words.Joel “JUICE” from Clenched Fist is the guy who registered the URL for me. He has always pushed me in a positive way towards something like this. He drew a cover that I will be putting up here for my failed attempt at a zine in 02. He is a truly supportive, encouraging friend and in thinking about this site and how it just popped up out of an email I got from him, I would like to take the time to micro analyze our friendship and its correlation to the bigger picture that is hardcore.
It was 2000 and I received a CD with a band Clenched Fist from Memphis, TN on it. Later on and into 2001 I was booking Punishment’s first US tour. Via Mike Hood I got Juice’s contact and the game began. Sure enough we had a show and we were truly appreciative of it. Then it was a lot harder to get shows period unless you were booked by an agent, there wasn’t myspace and email was checked at the free library via hotmail addresses. Not every band and his mother decided to go out and tour the states (like it is today). The fact we could hook up with a band of similar interest in a place as far different and removed as Memphis and Philadelphia just reveals the power of hardcore (to nerds like myself) the day of the show we were told to go to his apt and the door would be open. Lets think about that for a minute.Book a band and tell them they can go to your house before you get there. It speaks volumes to the character of my f
riend. It wasn’t too long before he showed and we were hitting it off like we had grown up together. There were varying differences, my love of metallic bands like Dmize and yet amazing shared interests ala the few hardcore videos that made headbangers ball and such.So we go to play the show and there are only a handful of kids (maybe 20 at most) that are all friends with Clenched Fist at this huge venue. Now typically that would put people in a shitty mood but we were all uplifted by the spark of a new friendship that we didn’t even care or take notice toit. We played first and it was awesome, great sound anda great time. Clenched Fist took the stage and the entire place (all 20 or so of us) was going off. There is something special about a band playing on its home turf. Sooner or later they had run out of songs and started doing covers. At this point Punishment began our usual antics that included at that time naked moshing. Totally unexpected to these kids from Tennessee but t
hat was most of the gag. With clothes back on a few of our guys got on stage and more cover songs were played. This is so not typical of how things were or are. If there is no one at a show its usually a bust. If there are 2 bands playing it’s usually cut and dry sets and then everyone goes their separate ways. The show was quite long and so much fun that it ranks up in the top 10 shows I ever played or was at. Back to Joel’s house where we were paid by the kids and Joel out of pocket just as a token of friendship. I can’t tell you how much that meant to be a band that no one cared being paid by the kids just so we can get to our next show. We had a lot of good talks and we knew we’d be seeing each other soon enough.The next time we hung out was in St. Louis at the Creepy Crawl where for those of you who know Clenched Fist’s “Welcome To Memphis” cd know at the end there is a live track of Juice telling the crowd that if Joe Hardcore gets naked a
nd goes from end of the club to the other end that they’ll do Madball. Sure enough, in front of St Louis and everyone else that’s just what I did. In fact at one point during the naked moshing I jumped on someone’s shoulders and there was a pic of it fo
r a bit. Definitely great fun times with our new buddies.Over the course of the next few years we only grew tighter, whether it was Clenched Fist coming to Philadelphia and living at my mom’s house or Punishment or SR stopping by Memphis and being treated to some of the best away from home cooking ever.
When we came to Memphis after Thanksgiving we were treated to a for real Thanksgiving meal prepared b
y Brookie and it was just awesome. Even back then we were always on Joel to try to pursue the tattoo th
ing as he is one of the best artists that I am friends with. He has some much talent it was such a waste that he was rocking a tie and working at a bank. The guy painted this awesome Santa Claus with all these tattoos and a spiked baseball bat on a sheet of plywood, and then cut it out, it was seriously just incredible. Like someone crossed Santa with Bluto from Popeye and everything.
The last Punishment tour with Blacklisted we had one of the greatest moments in touring wiffle ball competition ever. I think we were at the corner of his new house in Memphis for about 4 hours of serious middle of the intersection wiffle ball that would just not end.
The show that night was just awesome and afterwards I was introduced to Down South barbequing with a charcoal “smoker” that gets your coals nice and red hot before you start cooking on them. I can’t tell you how much I wanted one of those things.
The following year I was presented with a gift from Joel at a show in Chicago (SR’s last time there) It was a brand new charcoal smoker with my ugly face hand painted on there with a spatula in my hand and the words master griller like Merauder’s record.
That’s the kind of bond we had. After I tried to get them signed to Too Damn Hype where I worked (years before the smoker) I got
them hooked up with Thorp and that’s how they got the Welcome To Memphis CD. That CD had so much lyrical power for me, I wonder just how a guy could write shit that hit me the way that did.
y Brookie and it was just awesome. Even back then we were always on Joel to try to pursue the tattoo th
ing as he is one of the best artists that I am friends with. He has some much talent it was such a waste that he was rocking a tie and working at a bank. The guy painted this awesome Santa Claus with all these tattoos and a spiked baseball bat on a sheet of plywood, and then cut it out, it was seriously just incredible. Like someone crossed Santa with Bluto from Popeye and everything.
The last Punishment tour with Blacklisted we had one of the greatest moments in touring wiffle ball competition ever. I think we were at the corner of his new house in Memphis for about 4 hours of serious middle of the intersection wiffle ball that would just not end.
The show that night was just awesome and afterwards I was introduced to Down South barbequing with a charcoal “smoker” that gets your coals nice and red hot before you start cooking on them. I can’t tell you how much I wanted one of those things.
The following year I was presented with a gift from Joel at a show in Chicago (SR’s last time there) It was a brand new charcoal smoker with my ugly face hand painted on there with a spatula in my hand and the words master griller like Merauder’s record.
That’s the kind of bond we had. After I tried to get them signed to Too Damn Hype where I worked (years before the smoker) I got
them hooked up with Thorp and that’s how they got the Welcome To Memphis CD. That CD had so much lyrical power for me, I wonder just how a guy could write shit that hit me the way that did. Funny enough, that JoeHardcore cartoon face wasn’t born from that but MET (too damn hype/chord) wanting to give me a label under TooDamnHype. He had Juice draw up a caricature face with my signature crooked hat, bad crooked teeth and slobber coming out of my mouth. So fucking funny. I really wish I had my old hard drive shit so I could post that picture. That alone just showcases his talents in being able to draw these awesome characters.
The bonding points for Joel and I go beyond our hardcore pursuits and principles and that’s where the deep connection was made. He and I both grew up with a mom who did all she could for our siblings and us. We both grew up on the have not side of things, in neighborhoods that were less then nice and more often blacker then white. We had a lot to talk about and so much to connect to it really amazes me that I met someone that is my age that grew up so much like I did who just happened to find not only the same music I did but is into so many of the same bands and principles and virtues of the core. Don’t get me wrong we have our bit of differences but they are minute and just something for us to pick on each other about.
Its just incredible to have a friend out there that truly understands not just what you’re into, but what you’re capable of, where you came from and what makes you who you are… I have always thought of hardcore as the great equalizer for those with an ax to grind, a story to tell or a past to work out through healthy doses of aggression but I never would have thought I would get a friend from Memphis who could finish my sentences and fully know some of the pains and bullshit that came from growing up the way that we did.
My friend Joel is still to this day not a tattooer, though I hope now with him in Denver he will explore that avenue. I really look forward to having something by him tattooed on me; in fact I plan to save space just for that eventual occasion. The only real question is whether it will be a PMC tattoo or something else.. maybe a Biohazard logo.
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
Ten Years Ago
I thought about this some and realized 10 years ago we were all caught up in a band from New Jersey who just came out with a CD called "Time 2 Shine". I remember Bushy getting us a ride to the Pipeline in October of 97 for the record release of Time 2 Shine (yet we had the CD already, in fact we bought it in July off of Rick). Now people will go into detail to talk about the "beef" with Rick and E Town, but at that time it was just starting up. They opened with Shaydee, even though Rick was there the whole show with his minimart distro table. In fact that show in particular I can remember Rick having the sound guy play "Strength Through Unity" over the PA between bands on almost a constant loop. I am sure the band was already upset with Rick by that point because it wasn't much later when I heard about a riff between the two parties over Tshirt printing and what not. Before the internet, Rick used to be the guy who could get you pretty much anything from the smaller labels to the bands who weren't on a label. Case in Point- E Town Concrete, which Rick carried both their demos , the split 7" which was on his label (featuring Second To None on the Bside) and whatever shirts he had of theirs at the time. Which was really cool because even thought you could travel to see Rick every weekend, you might have a chance a shirt by a band that played alot less frequently or close to you. I only mailordered clothing from big labels like Victory and EVR at the time, so Rick was my go to guy for alot of my hardcore shirts.
Back to the Record/topic at hand. I can remember seeing E Town at Beaver College (now Arcadia University) with a ton of bands. Something happened onstage with the band internally there was a bit of a fracas on stage and that was about it. Aside from that time, I think I'd only seen them in Browns Mills and at the Top Of The Roc in Reading previously. It seemed like 97 was going to be E Town's year. First seeing them at the Superbowl of Hardcore at the StonePony in Asbury Park, NJ and thinking how much they'd improved since then, I really made an effort to travel out to a show if I saw E Town on it. I don't remember if it was their raw lyrics or the reaction from the crowd that they got at the time but something clicked with E Town and my group of friends and its funny that 10 years later I still can't help loving them. Time 2 Shine was really one of the better produced soon to be car ride staple of that time. I think we rocked it two times up and back on the way to the Vision " the Kids .." Record Release party. Thats just how it was. We were grimey kids who really didn't have much and most of the lyrical content wasn't wigger garbage to us, but anthems for our late teen angst. I never really heard a band say the kind of things I think aloud before....
Learn to live with pain and you won't complain.
That which doesn't kill you, only makes you stronger.
That which doesn't kill you, only makes you wanna kill.
Now I'm getting mine by taking yours, Time 2 Shine.
All my life I hated those who had more.
But now I'm getting mine by taking yours, Time 2 Shine.
Please excuse my fucked up attitude, but I don't give a fuck about you.
If that don't reach the dirty rough end of town youth in you, nothing else will.
I guess over time they got a bit bigger and as their band grew, their talents musically and lyrically became something that our lil bubble world of hardcore couldn't contain. For me they will always be a huge fuck you type of band worthy of our support. Sure I'd go see bands like Floorpunch or H20, Vision or Shelter.. But you could see look in the pretentious guys' faces when you wore an E Town shirt (if they were even clued in enough to know what it was).
Its kind of sad now that every douche bag over privileged hardcore kid cross references current hip hop lyrics & style into their own hodge podge subculture identity, never really knowing what it really means to be a part of an underground or thugged out or whatever else they're going for in their teen rebellion. Their love of E Town and bands like it have nothing to do with the primal connection that we had then.
I should really give a strong mention to all the mid to late 90's bands that tried and failed miserably to do what E Town did. I think the worst example was 7th Rail Crew from the New England area. There were plenty others out there, but 7th Rail Crew was possibly the worst example ever. At least there were crazy dudes and nasty brawls at E Town's local shows, I think I heard something like 7th Rail Crew was dispised everywhere and never really got a fanbase, though I swear to go they had to have played Sea Sea's in Moosic, PA more then half a dozen times.
Maybe I will set up some time and really explore this matter further and post my inquiries into the worst of the worst mid to late 90's rap wannabe core bands. That would take a monumental amount of effort, but nothing ventured-nothing gained.
Thanks to E Town Concrete, not just for Time 2 Shine or any of their other records, but for being there when I was 17 and needed to lash out and be angry and scream along to angry street anthems..
"Some get a little, and some get none, some catch a bad one" yo, that was my anthem.
17 long hard years of blood tears, nigga you were never there,
Nigga you would never care,
fuck the word cause the world fucked me,
You could take me outta' hard times, but you can't hard times outta' me.
Some Reviews For Ya'll
Damnation A.D. ‘In This Life Or The Next’
Surprising as it was, the return of Damnation A.D. may not completely a bad idea at all. This is pure anger filtered through serious stacked guitars and screamed in rage and frustration. While so many bands are out there trying to persuade us to believe their emotions and lyrics are heartfelt, it takes but a few seconds as each song on In This Life Or The Next to hit before you’re instinctly aware of the sincerity of Damnation’s intentions. One of the bands I missed most from the 90’s is back and they made a hell of a record to re introduce themselves to the world. I was pleasantly surprised to see the rerecorded of The Hangedman and Rain As My Veil as well as Addiction, damn there are some good old songs on here. Interesting “upgrades” so to speak, but all in all I would take them doing some good old tracks so that way when they play live I am not forced to endure an entirely new set of songs from an old favorite like Damnation. Sure to get a few people who haven’t touched a record from Victory in some time listening and might even get some of these know it all whipper snappers who think they got this metal core thing figured out jumping around on the floor. Overall an intense display of aggression from the heavyweight champs of the sorrowfilled hateful hardcore.
Surprising as it was, the return of Damnation A.D. may not completely a bad idea at all. This is pure anger filtered through serious stacked guitars and screamed in rage and frustration. While so many bands are out there trying to persuade us to believe their emotions and lyrics are heartfelt, it takes but a few seconds as each song on In This Life Or The Next to hit before you’re instinctly aware of the sincerity of Damnation’s intentions. One of the bands I missed most from the 90’s is back and they made a hell of a record to re introduce themselves to the world. I was pleasantly surprised to see the rerecorded of The Hangedman and Rain As My Veil as well as Addiction, damn there are some good old songs on here. Interesting “upgrades” so to speak, but all in all I would take them doing some good old tracks so that way when they play live I am not forced to endure an entirely new set of songs from an old favorite like Damnation. Sure to get a few people who haven’t touched a record from Victory in some time listening and might even get some of these know it all whipper snappers who think they got this metal core thing figured out jumping around on the floor. Overall an intense display of aggression from the heavyweight champs of the sorrowfilled hateful hardcore.
Down To Nothing “The Most”
Today they’re standing as one of the only bands left from the beginning of this decade. They’ve been through all the worst ends of this shit and yet have managed to position themselves atop a crop of bands that are more gimmick then substance, more trend then standard. The Most is possibly the best record Revelation has put out in god only knows how many years. Down To Nothing has really outdone themselves on this one, topping my previous favorite release by them (Save It For The Birds/Thorp Records) Great recording, good mix of the fast and slow stuff with the right mixture of singing alongs to keep the whole place moving and involved. They have beefed up their sound and really come at our throats on this one, the production is phenomenal, in fact it’s the aspect of the disc that really pushed this over the top. Good song structures and strong vocals could be weakened with something less, instead this is top notch shit jumping out at you –keeping the cd jamming through the whole time- a perfect LP in under 25 minutes. I really can’t say anymore about this disc without being redundant, yet I will say this is in the running for CD of 2007.
Today they’re standing as one of the only bands left from the beginning of this decade. They’ve been through all the worst ends of this shit and yet have managed to position themselves atop a crop of bands that are more gimmick then substance, more trend then standard. The Most is possibly the best record Revelation has put out in god only knows how many years. Down To Nothing has really outdone themselves on this one, topping my previous favorite release by them (Save It For The Birds/Thorp Records) Great recording, good mix of the fast and slow stuff with the right mixture of singing alongs to keep the whole place moving and involved. They have beefed up their sound and really come at our throats on this one, the production is phenomenal, in fact it’s the aspect of the disc that really pushed this over the top. Good song structures and strong vocals could be weakened with something less, instead this is top notch shit jumping out at you –keeping the cd jamming through the whole time- a perfect LP in under 25 minutes. I really can’t say anymore about this disc without being redundant, yet I will say this is in the running for CD of 2007.
Allegiance “Desperation”
Another great band that has managed to survive most of this decade unscathed and still belting out pure fucking hardcore. They don’t tour as much as a lot of the o
ther bands but they still manage to keep up pace with the leaders of the pack. Desperation is an intense angry piece of the core, delivered fast and it hits hard as nails. I really dig the pace they set and the songs seem to fit well the way they were arranged on the disc, with most of the songs flying by. The title track is the big number on the disc and it hits like a ton of bricks even at 3 minutes long (a near mortal sin for by the numbers hardcore bands) Allegiance has delivered another awesome disc, its ashame they don’t tour more as there is a serious need for more bands rolling with the straight up delivery that these guys have the patent on.
Another great band that has managed to survive most of this decade unscathed and still belting out pure fucking hardcore. They don’t tour as much as a lot of the o
ther bands but they still manage to keep up pace with the leaders of the pack. Desperation is an intense angry piece of the core, delivered fast and it hits hard as nails. I really dig the pace they set and the songs seem to fit well the way they were arranged on the disc, with most of the songs flying by. The title track is the big number on the disc and it hits like a ton of bricks even at 3 minutes long (a near mortal sin for by the numbers hardcore bands) Allegiance has delivered another awesome disc, its ashame they don’t tour more as there is a serious need for more bands rolling with the straight up delivery that these guys have the patent on. Over The Last Few Days
Reunion shows are really just a sad reminder that the more you dedicate yourself to hardcore the less time you will have to develop a "life" that consists of material and professional acquisitions that may make hard times a little easier. Thank the hardcore scene for either remembering how much work Robby Redcheeks put into hardcore or for their love of the "big Reunion" to get the job done at the end of the day. I was so happy to see all the kids and the bands that day, but I wonder how many felt like they were doing good for a family who was truly in need and how many were there for the bragging rights.
I gotta say that Floorpunch was just what this scene needed. So many people talk and talk and talk online (ha just like I'm doing now) and yet when a band gets on stage and give more damn songs in one show then any other time I can ever remember... kids are still standing around scratching their ass. Not to say the finger pointing, diving and front of the crowd wasn't in effect, but it was the middle mass of people standing around and wasting their energy on "pre-mosh" that really reminded that kids today are just "not as into" the moment as we were.
I am well aware of the sheep mentality and follow the leader principles that are constantly on display at every show almost anywhere, but fucking- FLOORPUNCH reunion and people in the middle of the room just standing around really proves that the generation now are either really a bunch of candyasses or we did something wrong here after all.
I can think of just how excited I would get each weekend for the next show and it often featured bands that I'd just seen the weekend before, let alone the excitement of a reunion show - man we would have "torn the roof of that shack" (words of Joey Demaio/Manowar)
I am happy the crowds came, but a little bummed that the energy wasn't there throughout the sets. The band performed rather lengthy sets to fulfill any fanboys wet dream, yet no matter what they played it wasn't enough. Kids will talk about how they were losing and it was the best show in so long, but honestly the contemporary bands on both shows got more of a workout out of the crowd.
I should bash some of the older guys for coming out of hiding to get the dust off and just fill in the cracks after about 2 or 3 songs but I'll leave them be, I am just happy to see old faces.
I think as far as Church benefit shows go- this despite its huge turnout and amazing lineup for me falls short of the Stoney Benefit show. I was there, but my head was elsewhere. It was hard to focus on anything but the minute task at hand. One of the few shows that I knew I was having a good time, but I didn't feel like I was then. I guess it takes standing in a room full of friends with the thought that if he was just here with us everything would have been that much better...
I am very happy that some of the stress will be relieved off of Robby's step dad as he is a good man and has his hands full as it is. I can only hope that their family finds some peace in what little the benefit show did for them. Money may remove financial stress, but the growing pains of being without a mother is something that we can't fix with 10 benefit shows. I am glad I can call Robby a friend and even happier that hardcore did something for him after all the years of him doing for the scene without thought of repayment.
I gotta say that Floorpunch was just what this scene needed. So many people talk and talk and talk online (ha just like I'm doing now) and yet when a band gets on stage and give more damn songs in one show then any other time I can ever remember... kids are still standing around scratching their ass. Not to say the finger pointing, diving and front of the crowd wasn't in effect, but it was the middle mass of people standing around and wasting their energy on "pre-mosh" that really reminded that kids today are just "not as into" the moment as we were.
I am well aware of the sheep mentality and follow the leader principles that are constantly on display at every show almost anywhere, but fucking- FLOORPUNCH reunion and people in the middle of the room just standing around really proves that the generation now are either really a bunch of candyasses or we did something wrong here after all.
I can think of just how excited I would get each weekend for the next show and it often featured bands that I'd just seen the weekend before, let alone the excitement of a reunion show - man we would have "torn the roof of that shack" (words of Joey Demaio/Manowar)
I am happy the crowds came, but a little bummed that the energy wasn't there throughout the sets. The band performed rather lengthy sets to fulfill any fanboys wet dream, yet no matter what they played it wasn't enough. Kids will talk about how they were losing and it was the best show in so long, but honestly the contemporary bands on both shows got more of a workout out of the crowd.
I should bash some of the older guys for coming out of hiding to get the dust off and just fill in the cracks after about 2 or 3 songs but I'll leave them be, I am just happy to see old faces.
I think as far as Church benefit shows go- this despite its huge turnout and amazing lineup for me falls short of the Stoney Benefit show. I was there, but my head was elsewhere. It was hard to focus on anything but the minute task at hand. One of the few shows that I knew I was having a good time, but I didn't feel like I was then. I guess it takes standing in a room full of friends with the thought that if he was just here with us everything would have been that much better...
I am very happy that some of the stress will be relieved off of Robby's step dad as he is a good man and has his hands full as it is. I can only hope that their family finds some peace in what little the benefit show did for them. Money may remove financial stress, but the growing pains of being without a mother is something that we can't fix with 10 benefit shows. I am glad I can call Robby a friend and even happier that hardcore did something for him after all the years of him doing for the scene without thought of repayment.
Sunday, October 14, 2007
The Beginning
The beginning of this site will be the end of me trying to get a paper zine going. Years and years have gone by, the interviews done, the people who backed out an even the motivation to do one in the first place have all come and go. I do my share of half assed reviews and interviews for centerfuse.net and plan to keep doing so but this will be the home of much more. I spend enough damn time on this thing to at least match the efforts of my good friend Joel who got the url and consistently pushed me to do something like this. No promises, no teasing, I will have a bunch of stuff up here before the end of the week. Thanks.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)