So when I was up in Philly this past weekend for the Warhead/Forward/Tragedy shows my friends and I were killing time after the early show and I heard someone mention that F.O.D. was playing a house show that night. This was the first I’d heard of it and I thought to myself “damn, that sucks they’re playing at the same time as the late show. I’d love to see FOD.” Well, it turns out that we did have time to go the house show so we braved the sketchy Philly neighborhood that it was in, grabbed supplies from the beer store and before I knew it I was watching motherfucking Flag of Democracy set up some shitty amps in front of us in a tiny basement in Philadelphia.
Honestly, I wasn’t all that enamoured with their set (they only played a couple of songs off of Shatter Your Day and the rest of the songs were both a little too loose and a lot too poppy for my tastes), but it was worth the five bucks I paid at the door to say that I randomly wandered into a basement in Philly and watched FOD play to around 15 people. Here’s a video:
Just a quick note to say the shows this weekend were awesome… it was a long, glorious weekend and as always it will be meticulously documented here. In the meantime enjoy this short clip of Warhead playing live at the First Unitarian Church in Philadelphia.
Just because I’ve been feeling a little adventurous lately, this post is composed entirely of writing about records that I wouldn’t normally think I’d like.
The First Step: What We Know
Whenever I hear the First Step I’m reminded about a likely-apocryphal anecdote about Youth of Today that I read somewhere or another. I think someone asked Ray Cappo why his band was so generic and he insisted that after reading a review of one of his earlier bands (perhaps Violent Children?) that described them as generic hardcore he decided to willfully create the most generic, straightforward hardcore band that he could. Personally, I think that sounds like bullshit… I’m more inclined to believe that Youth of Today were motivated more by their lack of technical ability and their love of fast and hard music than any high-minded concept, but it’s clear that the First Step are working with full intentionality since they wear their genericism proudly on their sleeves (right next to the logo on their 4-sided Uniform Choice shirts!).
At times it can be a bit much, like when the singer yells “It’s time! to UNDERSTAAAAAAAAAAAND!” right when the record begins. I mean, I know it sounds like something a straight edge band would say, but what the fuck does that mean?!?! Are there a lot of straight edge youths out there who are willfully misunderstanding things? On closer inspection it seems as if the song is about other people understanding the songwriter’s decision to be straight edge, but seriously… the idea of hundreds of kids climbing over one another to sing along to that lyric just cracks me up.
Thankfully, though, those moments when the fourth wall breaks are few and far between on this CD. 99% of it is some of the most succinct, powerful straight edge hardcore I’ve heard in ages. The First Step don’t shy away from copping the classic bands’ moves either, whether it’s a simple octave chord line, a 7-seconds-style rap part or a Pat Dubar-esque sung vocal line. Despite the fact that I have no interest at all in the current straight edge scene (in fact, I’d say I have a mild aversion to it) I just can’t stop listening to this thing. And, by the way, the layout is as perfect an homage to the ’88 scene as the music.
Hammer Bros. II
Also in the “straight edge music that I actually like” category is this 7″ from Hammer Bros. that has been sitting in my to-review pile literally for months. It’s not hard to speculate about why it took me so long to spin this one; the artwork is highly questionable, the singer is wearing a Cro-Mags shirt on the back cover and just about everything else about this record screams “generic tough-guy music.” While I can see someone giving this disc that tag without giving it a close listen, this actually grabbed me right off the bat. Not only is it solid, well-played hardcore but there are touches of other influences as well, such as the melodic moments in “This Is It!” that reminded me of first-gen post-hardcore bands like Quicksand and Statue. Sure, this may not be the most well-put-together straight edge band out there, but personally I think it’s nice to see a band that sounds like this employing a more DIY aesthetic. I wouldn’t go so far as to label this essential, but it was certainly a pleasant surprise given my low expectations.
The Ergs: Jersey’s Best Prancers
Admittedly I’m slightly more likely to be found listening to good pop punk than straight edge hardcore, but it still surprises me that I like the Ergs as much as I do. This is a band I would probably pay no attention to if I hadn’t seen them live, but their songwriting blew me away when they played in Durham a few weeks ago and their records have been in near-constant rotation ever since. However, once the always-crucial Don Giovanni Records sent me a copy of their latest, Jersey’s Best Prancers, my copy of the band’s first full-length went into premature retirement. This EP is just so much better than Dorkrockcorkrod that I can’t bring myself to listen to anything else when I want a really catchy melody. The Ergs make their records that much more addictive by having all of these amazing hooks in their songs and then failing to beat the hell out of them like an ordinary pop song. My favorite song, “Aja,” has at least three separate moments that any self-respecting pop band would kill to write, but the damn thing is over in a mere one minute and fourteen seconds! Nothing to do but listen to it again I guess! By the way, that statement applies to the entire EP, which clocks in at a frustratingly short thirteen minutes long.
Oh, and by the way I love that these guys are such music nerds; they drop the names of their favorite bands in lots of songs, and when I recognized that the end of “Aja” references ALL’s cover of Johnny Cash’s “A Boy Named Sue” from the b-side of the “Dot” single I got a little warm, fuzzy feeling thinking about the idea that there are other people geeky enough to own and listen to ALL 7″s.
Ultra Dolphins / Order: Split 7″
Speaking of genres I’m anything but stoked on at the moment, I can’t say I was chomping at the bit to hear this latest release from Blood of the Drash Records, a label I associate primarily with the screamo scene. However, this is another one that was a LOT better than I thought it would be. Actually, I wouldn’t describe this as screamo, but more as a sort of technical, slightly heavy take on art rock. I could see Ultra Dolphins being compared groups like Mission of Burma or Daydream Nation-era Sonic Youth if those bands were wholly devoid of pop influences. Order is in a similar vein but they aren’t shy about dropping potentially sweet vocal melodies into their songs. Perhaps this isn’t something I would listen to all that often, but I must say that I enjoy it while it’s on.
By the way, this post is probably the last you’ll hear from me until the middle of next week as I’m making a last-minute trip to see Forward and Warhead in Philadelphia. It’s going to be a long, complicated and exhausting span of time between Friday night and Tuesday evening, but I’m guessing it’s going to be worth it.
While I’m generally overjoyed whenever there is any kind of hardcore show in North Carolina, I was particularly amped for tonight since this was the very first show I’d booked myself. Chaz’s is such a cool venue that the job really didn’t entail very much; pretty much all “booking” this show meant was reserving Chaz’s, lining up the bands and making sure everyone came out, got amped and donated to the touring bands. Even with this relatively minimal set of responsibilities I was nervous that things wouldn’t go well, but thankfully North Carolina turned out in full force. Usually bills down here might feature one or two hardcore bands balanced by a band or two with more metal, screamo or indie rock leanings and I was curious how much these scenes actually added to the head count at any given show. However, tonight was 100% hardcore and it was probably the best-attended show I’ve been to at Chaz’s thus far. Further, just about everyone donated and we were able to give the Pedestrians a good amount of cash.
More important, though, is that everyone there had an amazing time. Things got started right with a blistering set from Street Sharks, who as always were even better than the last time I saw them. I’m not really sure what else to say about this band since I’ve written about them so many times, so here’s a photo:
Up next former North Carolinians Direct Control played their first set in the Raleigh/Durham area since last Halloween and you could tell the people were hungry. I’ve seen Direct Control play some raging sets in my day but tonight damn near took the cake; they were just fucking vicious, and being in the crowd felt like being in the middle of a gigantic, friendly warzone (if that makes any sense at all). Even better, the set had a really strong party-type vibe with various people joining the band over the course of the set to help out with instruments and vocals.
Finally Chicago’s Pedestrians played and I’m pretty sure they blew away everyone in the place. Usually the NCHC scene digs bands who are really fast, but the Pedestrians’ mid-paced songs are so powerful and pissed-off that people still responded. The crowd was as rowdy and fun as they were for the other two bands and the Pedestrians played a flawless set. Here’s a video of them playing a new song that I can’t wait to hear recorded:
Thanks again to everyone who came out and made this show completely awesome.
I feel kind of weird about shilling on the site, but I am auctioning a few records off on ebay. There’s some good stuff in there so if you have some spare cash check it out:
By the way, you won’t simply be lining my pockets by bidding on these auctions; all of this money is going straight to releasing records on Sorry State Records.
I just realized that a few shows went by a few weeks ago that I didn’t post photos from, so I thought I’d take a moment to do that now. These’ll be short because my memory fades awfully fast.
The almighty Avail played the Cat’s Cradle a few weeks ago and while the crowd wasn’t quite as big as Avail’s past NC shows (a fact I attribute to Avail not having a new record out and the show being during finals week) it was still an amazing show. Avail are pretty much the only bigger band I can think of that can still manage to keep the vibe and atmosphere of a small hardcore show at big clubs like the Cat’s Cradle. Seriously, even 7 Seconds didn’t get this many stage dives (including one from me!). The whole night was just the kind of thing you walk away from with a gigantic, stupid smile on your face. You can see a video of the performance here but the sound is awful; the Cradle has a massive sound system that overwhelmed my camera’s tiny microphone, but I’ve uploaded it just in case anyone cares. As for the photos, you can click here to see those. Here’s a taste anyway, though:
Also, just a few days before the Avail show NCHC heroes Double Negative played a fierce show at the Thrashatorium that I already posted a video of here. To go with that you can see a boatload of amazing photos here but here’s one for everyone:
And check out this crowd shot from the Double Negative show. This is how North Carolina hardcore rolls:
Even though I promised record reviews sometime last week (or maybe it was even the week before) I have made zero progress on the review front. Thus, tonight I’m locking myself in my study and forcing myself to listen to four CDs I have been putting off listening to for some time.
The first up is the debut LP from California’s Nazi Dogs on TKO Records. While I burnt out a bit on the old TKO street punk sound the label has been doing a lot more 70s punk/garage-ish releases lately which is definitely more up my alley. I don’t think TKO has any of the very best bands in that scene besides the Stitches, but the Nazi Dogs put up a respectable showing with this CD. This is the kind of thing I would usually expect from Dead Beat Records: pretty fast tempos, blown-out, raw guitars and kind of lazy-sounding, too-cool-to-be-in-tune vocals that give it a bit of that junkie vibe even though no junkie besides Pig Champion would ever write music this fast. All in all nothing essential, but it has its moments.
Next up is this re-release from New York’s Maximum Penalty. This disc includes their demo from 1989 (a staple in tape-trading circles) and their East Side Story EP. I remember metallic, Victory Records-style hardcore was big when I was just discovering the scene when I was 16 or so, so when the youth crew revival happened around 96 or 97 I signed on in full force and convinced myself that the early 90s were the lowest point in the history of punk rock. Perhaps that’s true, but lately I’ve been hearing a lot of bands from that time period who aren’t nearly as bad as I thought they were. Count Maximum Penalty among that group; there’s a little bit of Burn-esque groove that later (and crappier) bands like Crown of Thornz and VOD would pick up on (it’s more prevalent on the EP), but mostly this is inspired by their city’s classics, i.e. the Abused, Antidote and the Mob. While neither of the records featured here are as essential as those early 80s discs, they certainly hold their own against contemporaries like Beyond, Wide Awake, Supertouch, etc. (not quite as good as Raw Deal though!). If you jock this style you probably already know about this record, but if your copy of the New Breed tape comp is about to break from playing it so much this is definitely one for you.
This is the second EP from the UK’s Ipanema after their impressive debut Je Suis un Base-Ball Bat vs Skull from a few years back. In case you haven’t heard, this band features Wiz from Mega City Four on songwriting, singing and guitar-playing duty, which means you’re hearing one of the most powerful and distinctive voices of the mid-90s UK pop punk renaissance that also included Leatherface, Snuff, Hooton 3 Car, Broccoli and a number of other great bands. Me Me Me pretty much picks up where the last EP left off with the crunchy, almost grungy riffs intact. It’s funny, Wiz managed to avoid grunge the first time around but now that it’s not cool anymore he’s all into it! That wacky guy! While Me Me Me isn’t as knock-you-on-your-butt brilliant as the band’s debut single it’s still essential for any of you Mega City Four fans still lurking around.
Champion and Betrayed are two bands that I’ve been less than enthused about in the past, but have revisited from time to time due to the ridiculous amounts of praise they receive from seemingly every direction. Surprise, surprise, this release does very little to change my opinion of either band. Champion sound exactly like they’ve always sounded; slick straight edge hardcore that owes a large debt to Chain of Strength. Call me crazy, but I think Count Me Out did this style way better; they’re the only band like this I have any desire to listen to besides Chain of Strength themselves. As for Betrayed, as with their debut EP they fail to really grab me here; some of the Brian Baker-influenced guitar leads are pretty catchy, but none of them fail to materialize into a memorable song. I feel like this band is on the verge of doing something genuinely interesting but it’s failing to come together. My prediction: they’ll either turn into really good, original Quicksand-ish hardcore or really bad metalcore at some point in the next 2-3 years.
I just wanted to write a quick post saying thanks to everyone who came out to the show at Bull City Records last night… all the regulars, all of the new kids and most of all the bands who played. I think everyone had an amazing time; all of the bands got amazing responses and we were able to give the Pedestrians more money than any other city on their tour save Boston. Not bad for a part of the state that had essentially no scene to speak of two years ago. The whole picture/video/review litany will be coming soon.
Last night at almost literally the last minute I jumped in the car and drove down to Charlotte to watch the Sex Pistols Experience, a high-concept tribute/imitation of the original group. While I wouldn’t be caught dead watching a Metallica tribute band or some other such absurdity, the fact that the Sex Pistols Experience have gotten very good reviews and have actually been embraced by the Sex Pistols themselves made me want to see this (especially since even if the Sex Pistols toured again they’d probably play gigantic venues). In fact, when the Pistols were recently inducted to the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame I heard they proposed these guys play in their stead rather than staging some self-important reunion of the original band. But before I get into that I had a bit of an adventure getting to the show which I should recount.
I didn’t think I was going to be able to go to this show since my wife needed our family’s only car, but when she decided just a few hours before the show that she didn’t need it after all I jumped in the car. Charlotte is a two-and-a-half-hour drive from Chapel Hill and I barrelled down the highway at about 80 miles per hour the whole way in order to get to the club by 10:30. When I finally arrived the place was locked up and there was a note on the door reading that the show had been moved due to “unforseen circumstances.” Thankfully the promotors had been considerate enough to leave photocopies of Mapquest directions, but being totally unfamiliar with Charlotte I still managed to get lost for around an hour before finally finding the venue. I guess they were trying to literalize the way in which punk rock was difficult to find in London in 1976.
When I finally got inside the Milestone I was pleased to see that it wasn’t the put-together “rock venue” that I was expecting from Amos’, the show’s planned location. This place looked kind of like I expected ABC No Rio to look before I actually went there, with graffiti covering nearly every inch of wall space that wasn’t interrupted by large and likely violently-created holes. Unfortunately, though, the band that was playing wasn’t nearly as punk as their surroundings. I didn’t catch their name, but it was comprised two guys who looked like they would have Travis Barker’s love child if he asked them to playing Blink 182 and Green Day covers (or at the very least songs that ripped off Blink 182 and Green Day) along with a drum machine. They both could sing in key which was an admirable and uncommon trait for a punk band, but their music was absolutely wretched. I tried to get in the spirit, though, realizing that since the Sex Pistols were pretty much the first punk band, when they started playing the only available opening bands would have been terrible 70s pub rock bands and Yes-wannabes. These guys were certainly the 00′s equivalent of that.
Thankfully, though, I only had to watch that band play three or four songs and since they were using the SPE’s backline there was only a very short break between bands. The four actors who comprise the Sex Pistols Experience jumped on stage to little fanfare from the 25 or so people who were in attendance and launched right into “Holidays in the Sun,” and since that’s one of my favorite Sex Pistols songs I took a video:
As I alluded to above, the Sex Pistols Experience aren’t your typical tribute band. They aren’t composed merely of fanboys and wannabe rock stars; they’re actually a troupe of seasoned actors who can also play instruments and every night they do a sort of semi-improvised piece of theatre. I think this approach is perfect for the Sex Pistols, who were so theatrical and had such a put-together feeling even in their original incarnation. However, as with any acting troupe there were disparities in the performances.
Having read countless books and watched countless videos of the original Pistols, I could tell what I thought of each performer right away. Johnny Rotten was eerily like a 50/50 mix of John Lydon circa 1977 and John Lydon circa 2000. Most of his moves—the hunchback posture, the cold stare, etc.—were copped from the younger era, but since all of the actors are obviously quite a bit older than the Sex Pistols were in ’77 (I think they were all in their early 20s) he also cops a bit of the psychedelic gnome persona that John Lydon has cultivated in recent years. Paul Cook was also quite good; while his part is relatively basic, this guy really nailed the weird blank stare that Cook has while he’s playing, which made up for the fact that he didn’t really look too much like Cook then or now. Sid Vicious had hair that was remarkably similar the actual Sid’s, but once you got away from that things were a little shaky… his sneer was a bit too affected (Sid’s was so affected it would seem impossible to ham it up too much, but this guy did) and he was entirely too coherent both musically and verbally, but he did a reasonable job I suppose. As for the Steve Jones guy, while his playing was note-perfect he looked absolutely nothing like Steve Jones and didn’t appear to be interested in playing the part at all. However, he was a dead ringer for Johnny Thunders circa the Anarchy Tour (which is appropriate since Jones stole all his moves from Thunders in the first place), so if these guys ever put together a fake Heartbreakers, a fake Damned and a fake Clash to drive a bus around the English countryside showing up to cancelled tour dates I would highly recommend giving this guy a bright red suit and letting him switch to Thunders.
The band played an extraordinarily long set containing just about every Sex Pistols song you’d want to hear: “Anarchy in the UK,” “Bodies,” the aforementioned “Holidays in the Sun,” “God Save the Queen” and even a few comparatively obscure tracks like “Belsen Was a Gas” and their version of the Who’s “Substitute.” After the full band played a lengthy set that ended with “Anarchy,” Rotten left the stage and the band performed a set of post-Lydon Pistols songs as a three-piece. This was surprising as very few people besides Malcolm McLaren even acknowledge this period of the Sex Pistols (not to mention the fact that they never played live). I never would have expected to hear them do rather mediocre later singles like “Silly Thing,” “Somethin’ Else” and the Sinatra song “My Way,” but it was engaging nonetheless. After that mini-set Rotten came back out and they did a sloppy version of “Submission” and ended with a cover of the Stooges’ “No Fun” that alluded heavily to the Sex Pistols’ final show in San Francisco, with Rotten singing most of the song slumped over in a posture that indicated that he really was having no fun at all.
Speaking of that, I’m not sure how much the band enjoyed playing this show; it’s difficult to tell since they were, to some extent at least, behind the shell of their stage personas, but I’m pretty sure these guys are used to playing for much larger audiences. Hell, they probably would have had a much larger audience if the show had happened at the original venue. However, I think that them being pissed off about the turnout at the gig made them even more like the Sex Pistols, spilling bile and vitriol every which way. My favorite moment of the night was when some drunk girl (there were very few punks in the crowd… just an odd assortment of weirdos, really, which is probably what Sex Pistols shows were like in the 70s) got up on the stage and flashed her bra for everyone. Rotten gave her a kind of stare when she did it, and when the song finished and his voice was audible again he said something to the effect of, “isn’t it great to see fat people having fun?” I think the girl was a bit upset as she left the room after that, but thankfully for the rest of us it made for the night’s most authentically Sex Pistols-ian moment.
You can see a bunch more photos from this show here.
