Suburban Voice archive

Suburban Voice blog #9

2010-09-09T11:44:00.013-04:00

(originally published 2/2/06)

TWO PASSINGS... DIFFERENT CIRCUMSTANCES... A TRIBUTE TO BOTH

Coretta Scott King, widow of the slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. and Tom “Pig Champion” Roberts, the guitar hero for Poison Idea, passed away within a day of each other during the last week of January. Mrs. King had been ill for some time, having suffered a stroke and ovarian cancer. She was 78 years old. After her husband’s assassination, she became a leading light in the battle for equal rights. That included support for gay and lesbian rights. She opposed the current war and occupation of Iraq. She protested apartheid in South Africa. Remember when Ronald Reagan spoke about “constructive engagement” with the racist government of that country?. She led the effort to have her husband’s birthday recognized as a national holiday and that finally happened in 1986—one of the few positive pieces of legislation signed by Reagan.

The current Supreme Court-installed occupant of the White House praised Mrs. King during the State Of The Union address. An ABC report quotes him as saying she was “a beloved, graceful, courageous woman who called America to its founding ideals and carried on a noble dream.” What a hypocrite. It’s completely ironic given his so-called war on terror that curtails people’s civil liberties. It’s ironic given his opposition to gay marriage. It’s ironic that the night he praised Mrs. King, the anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan was forcibly removed and arrested for displaying an anti-war t-shirt. The wife of a Republican congressman was also asked to leave for displaying a pro-war t-shirt... she wasn’t arrested... Sheehan was. A mockery of the first amendment and contrary to what Mrs. King believed. She stood up for her beliefs, often through protests. In this time, non-violent protesters are put under surveillance and labeled as terrorist organizations. Of course, history repeats itself because, in the 60s, Martin Luther King was under constant FBI surveillance.

Coretta Scott King was a great person, an inspiring individual who carried on the work of her husband for nearly 40 years. Her life is to be celebrated as much as her death is to be mourned.

Pig Champion’s contributions may seem slight compared to Mrs. King’s but he left a lasting mark on punk. I still find Poison Idea to be inspiring. “Pick Your King,” their first 7”, is one of the greatest hardcore punk records of all time. It’s in my top 2 (Negative Approach’s first EP is the other one). He had a sound that still resonates to this day—an influence heard in countless bands across the US and overseas. I met Pig a few times, the first time in 1990 when they played at the Rat in Boston and the second time was 12 years later, when they finally made it back to the area, playing a pair of shows at the Pond in Cambridge. For the Rat show, he had to play half the set sitting down. I can’t remember if he did the same in Cambridge but he hadn’t lost his guitar-playing skill. Still solid, still ass-kicking.

I was looking through my box of 7”s after learning of his death, since I felt the best tribute was to play my Poison Idea records. I came across my copy of “Filth Kick” that Pig had personally signed for me. Maybe autographs are cheesy but, coming from that band, it means plenty. I seemed to get a new record from Poison Idea every few weeks in the late 80s. They supported my work and I hope I supported them.

Some may wonder if I should equate these two very different people. Supporters of Mrs. King could be offended that I would mention a punk musician in the same breath. It’s more a matter of timing that I write about them together but I wanted to pay tribute to both of them...

RECORD REVIEWS:

ABUSIVE ACTION (Crucial Response, CD)
Tough modern hardcore that brings both the mosh and speed, topped off with gruff vocals. Punching the right buttons as it hits with brute force and the rage works.(www.crucialresponse.com)

ASBEST-Klaust Rofobi EP (Kick n’ Punch, 7” EP)
A Danish punk band who are thrashier than some of their label compatriots. It’s still got that straight-forward style with spat-out vocals, along with the band’s tight, aggressive sound. 9 short bursts, going through some cool twists and turns along the way. No lyric sheet, all sung in Danish but it still makes a strong connection. I don’t need the translation to feel the passion here.

BLACK MARKET BABY-Coulda... Woulda... Shoulda... (Dr. Strange, CD)
Not a complete anthology (almost half of their “Senseless Offerings” LP isn’t here) but I’m not going to complain. Nope—Black Market Baby were a DC band who didn’t get the acclaim they deserved during their original tenure from 1980-1988... they also got back together in the 90s and there are several unreleased songs here recorded during that time by Government Issue’s Tom Lyle. BMB were outside the insular harDCore scene and they had a sound that was solidly rooted in older punk, with a gritty, tough sound and strong dose of melody. “Downward Christian Soldiers” has long been one of my favorite punk tunes. Starting with a throbbing bass-line and so fucking catchy as vocalist Boyd Farrell rails against TV preachers and religion in general and does quite a convincing job. “Killing Time” and street punkish “America’s Youth” have more of a street-punk flavor. That song and three others are from their earliest recordings. They get darker for “Gunpoint Affection” (MUCH darker), while “Parasite” has a moodiness a bit reminiscent of the Ruts. The later material isn’t always as energetic, although they get it right for “Drunken Bull” and they don’t embarrass themselves. This band was completely underrated and these recordings hold up very well. (www.drstrange.com)

BLACK SHEEP SQUADRON-Foreign Object (Reaper, CD)
Oh yeah—this has already been played a shitload of times in the Quint CD player. Tight, absolutely ripping hardcore punk with speed and guts, although there are more tuneful moments, in a street punk vein—this includes “I Want Out” and “Papers Please.” “Bonehead” alternates between a stomping mosh part and velocity. “More Pain” takes a page from “California Uber Alles” for the intro before exploding. Chuck’s vocals have the same bray as Choke from Slapshot, Negative FX, etc. only meaner. A bone to pick with idiots and morons they come across everyday and succinctly expressed. Fucking TOUGH, without the tough-guy bullshit. (www.reaper-records.com)

BLITZ-Hits (SOS, CD)
Not all hits but a collection of singles, songs from “Voice Of A Generation,” the later “Killing Dream” (done with a rhythm machine) and a pair of songs by Nidge and Mackie, released under the name of Rose Of Victory—one of them being a not-too-bad cover of Bowie’s “Sufragette City.” While the mastering leaves a bit to be desired at times, these songs stand the test of times. Rousing oi anthems such as “Fight To Live,” “Never Surrender,” “Someone’s Gonna Die,” “Razors In The Night,” etc. Gruff vocals and a straight-ahead rawness punctuated by melodic guitar trills. Even the more-polished “New Age” has a catchy hook. Just wish it sounded better, at times.

DSC (Hit The Deck, LP)
Jesus F. Christ, DSC are in a rage. They’ve apparently broken up already and that’s a pity. A full-tilt hardcore onslaught. Manic thrash, along with some crossover squeals and vocals that couldn’t be any angrier-sounding. Occasionally, things are a bit out of sync but, man, this is explosive. They’re not exactly PC, with a song called “Art Fag,” and they distrust the left as much as the right (“Pamphlet Pusher”). Having made those comments, it’s a full-on attack. Good taste in covers—COC and the underrated Canadian band Direct Action.

86 MENTALITY-Goin’ Nowhere Fast (Grave Mistake, CD)
’82 mentality—well, sort of. This DC band is so mean and hard-sounding that you’ll want to punch yourself in the face. The blood will flow and there may also be holes in your walls by the time you’re done. What I’m trying to say is this is bruising stuff that brings back the shaved-noggin sounds of those times—a clean guitar tone but angry as fuck, merging straight-forward hardcore with an oi influence and that’s revealed further on their cover of the 4 Skins’ “Evil.” There’s also a cover of SOA’s “Gonna Hafta Fight” to pay tribute to their roots. An anthology of 86 Mentality’s two 7” EP’s, two live songs and a few unreleased songs, including the covers.. I love how the liner notes say one of those songs, “Final Exit,” is emo-sounding. OK, the chorus almost has a melody but with Steve barking out the words, this ain’t fuckin’ emo. Neither is anything else here. (PO Box 12482, Richmond, VA 23241, www.gravemistakerecords.com)

ENDLESS BLOCKADE-Turn Illness Into A Weapon (Sound Pollution, CD)
Crossed Out-inspired grind and über-heaviness. Pretty fuckin’ tight and, yeah, it’s hammering. I prefer seeing these types of bands live instead of on record but aficionados of blastbeats, lurching riffs and vocals that range from gutteral grunts to electroshock shrieks will find much to like here. (PO Box 17742, Covington, KY 41017, www.sound-pollution.com)

THE FREEZE-I Hate Tourists/Don’t Forget Me Tommy (Schizophrenic, 7”)
A reissue of the Freeze’s classic 1980 single with the cover design faithfully reproduced and an inner sleeve with notes from Clif Hanger. The a-side is a snotty punk gem and, having spent time on their native Cape Cod, I agree completely. The b-side is a ballad with cheesy new-wavish synth that I’ve only listened to a handful of times over the years. It’s still not very good. But you want this for “Tourists,” of course. There’s also a limited amount of these on blue vinyl, with a yellow sleeve. (www.schizophrenicrex.com)

GUILTY HEARTS (Voodoo Rhythm, CD)
Some righteous garage rock. Not righteous in a religious sense—fuck that. The Guilty Hearts are probably aiming for the other place anyway. Loud guitars with raunch and a bluesier approach on a few songs. “Too Far Down,” “Move” and “Him Or Me” shake it hard, while “Turn It Off” introduces organ to the proceedings. The album is wrapped up with a well-done cover of the Gun Club’s “Jack On Fire.” Jeffrey Lee’s ghost makes a visit, but they also have a three-chord whomp that’s hard to resist. (www.voodoorhythm.com)

HAMMER-blue cover (Deranged, 12” EP)
Hammer’s previous EP had a yellow cover. The newer one, with the blue cover, was recorded in 2005. Just so you can tell them apart. Pummeling hardcore with guitars blasting away and vocals that spit out the words with venom and anger. All of the titles are in Japanese but these 7 songs break any language barriers with an aggressive purity. (www.derangedrecords.com)

HJERTESTOP (Kick n’ Punch, 7” EP)
I’m not even sure how you pronounce the name of this band—Her-te-stop? In any case, they’re from Denmark and have that stripped down punk sound that is influenced by early 80s hardcore but not slavish to it. They also have a melodic propensity and I love their economical guitar sound. I know some of these bands don’t like comparisons but if you’re into Amdi Petersens Arme or Young Wasteners, you’ll like this.

INSTANT ASSHOLE-Straight-Edge Failure (Tankcrimes, CD)
John the Baker, from the Burnt Ramen studio, has a new band and a pissed-off attitude, much like his last band The Malnourished, but the musical approach is more in-your-face. This time out, he’s joined by a new crew, including Strung Up drummer Bill. As with many of the Bay Area bands, it’s a loud, fast bruising sound. Walloping, with plenty of thrash but also some snaky, Flag-ish guitar lines. The music isn’t one-dimensional and neither are John’s vocals, either. Sometimes throat-ripping but also dripping with sarcasm. Their credo? Make fuck, buy war. Hey, it’s an update of the 60s slogan and those hippies would be scared shitless by the energy emanating here. Brings to mind another slogan: burn baby burn. (PO Box 3495, Oakland, CA 94609, www.tankcrimes.com)

RAZOR BOIS (Give Praise, CD-R)
Anti-racist oi/street-punk from Moscow. Strongly melodic with loud, buzzing guitars and a UK influence. Two of the songs take more of a ska/punk turn without being cheesy. A lot of energy, here, along with the requisite “oi-oi-oi” chants. There’s also a video clip of their “Razor Bois Anthem.”(Give Praise Records c/o Paul Sunderland, PO Box 494, Barnstable, MA 02630-0494, www.givepraiserecords.com)

STRAIGHT TO HELL-Commence The Apocalypse (Gloom, LP)
Forgive the awful bit of rock crit license here, but Straight To Hell do commence an apocalyptic sound and go out in a blazing inferno of glory (?). The band split up after the Gloom Fest in May ‘05 and recorded this final missive a year before that. Aaron Ulcer remains one of the bitterest men in hardcore and packs on the rage, while STH also rage with non-stop speed. Scandinavian-inspired mayhem without letup. Aaron is blunt in his viewpoints and this line from “Counter-Culture Necrophilia” stands out: “It’s plain to see that punk is dead and you’re all fucking its corpse... I hate your shitty bands, I hate your stupid trends/I hate your fucking social cliques, you never were my friends.” While I’m still involved, I kind of agree with those sentiments but I guess I’m willing to put up with them. In any case, Straight To Hell DID deserve more notice than they may have received. This is a ripper of an album. Limited to 500 copies.(www.gloomrecords.com)

UNDER PRESSURE (Primitive Air Raid, CD)
These guys have improved since their 2004 “Still No Future” album. Better production and a more-focused approach. Inspiration comes from Poison Idea, Swedish hardcore and even a little Motörhead, especially the opening bass-line for “When I’m Alone.” Hoarse vocals and a raw, hard-edged, completely rockin’ sound both in mid-tempo and faster modes and the songwriting exudes anger in a thoughtful manner. (www.primitiveairraid.com)

WASTED TIME (Grave Mistake/Brain Grenade, 7” EP)
Not wasting any time here. This Virginia band fucking KICK it. The intro to “Shameless” is so tough-sounding, it makes me want to punch myself in the face or bang my head against the brick wall near my desk. I’ll settle for circle-moshing around the room. There’s a Negative Approach inspiration here, with the speed and angry vocals, but updating things. There’s even some self-reflection with “Can’t Go Back,” stating “nostalgia doesn’t do it anymore and I don’t know why I try anymore/I try to recapture something that’s gone.” Well, it’s not gone and this isn’t some nostalgia trip. Wasted Time’s angry sound resonates in the here and now. (PO Box 12482, Richmond, VA 23241, www.gravemistakerecords.com)

Suburban Voice blog #8

2010-08-22T13:50:00.016-04:00

(originally published 1/5/06)

Happy New Year... miss me? Sorry about the month between blogs. Hopefully, the two new ones in rapid succession will make up for it. I also blog regularly on my other MySpace page. Check out blog.myspace.com/poisonidea82. I tend to use this more to review music, with political commentary and the other for more personal issues and observations, but there’s politics on there as well. No set rules. Read ‘em both! Tell your friends.

So will someone PLEASE tell the so-called “Reverend” (revere him? HA!) Pat Robertson to shut the fuck up already? It seems as though every time this wackjob opens his mouth, something more outrageous, more offensive to any sane human being comes out of it. I just had on the radio, listening to the Ed Schultz talk show, and he mentioned that Robertson, on his “700 Club” show, said that Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s stroke may be some kind of divine retribution for “dividing God’s land.” According to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, “God considers this land to be his," Robertson said on his TV program “The 700 Club.” “You read the Bible and he says ‘This is my land,’ and for any prime minister of Israel who decides he is going to carve it up and give it away, God says, `No, this is mine.’”

I’m not a huge fan of Sharon... I’m not a radical anti-Zionist but, rather, someone who hopes for a rational solution in Israel/Palestine where people can live in peace. That’s not likely to happen anytime soon, if ever. But Robertson’s comments are beyond the pale and, having had a father who had a stroke and suffered greatly for the last year and a half of his life, I certainly feel some sort of empathy for Sharon’s condition. Robertson called him a friend and expressed concern for his condition.

It’s just the latest shocker from Robertson, who is a fringe character but still gets a lot of mainstream media access. This is a man who called for the assassination of Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez. Here’s what he said: “I don't know about this doctrine of assassination, but if he thinks we're trying to assassinate him, I think that we really ought to go ahead and do it. It's a whole lot cheaper than starting a war.” Condemnation of those comments was swift.

He also warned that God would turn his/her/its back on Dover, PA, where, in the November elections, voters got rid of school board members who had supported the teaching of “intelligent design” (aka creationism) in schools. Robertson’s reaction: “I’d like to say to the good citizens of Dover. If there is a disaster in your area, don’t turn to God, you just rejected Him from your city. And don’t wonder why He hasn’t helped you when problems begin, if they begin. I’m not saying they will, but if they do, just remember, you just voted God out of your city. And if that’s the case, don’t ask for His help because he might not be there.” (quote from People For The American Way website—www.pfaw.org)

I suppose I could just ignore him. He does have the right to his point of view, to spread his venom and he certainly has the tools to do it—his vast media empire. What’s scary is he has followers. I’ve seen the anti-gay marriage stickers, provided by his TV show (see below) on vehicles in the parking lot at a nearby shopping center. My friend, who lives in Robertson’s home-base of Virginia Beach, has a wife who is a TRUE BELIEVER in this kind of fundamentalist tripe. He told me when he came home from work a few weeks ago, she was watching the “700 Club.” I used to tune in for yuks a long time ago but can’t stand it anymore because it’s so scary. Thankfully, watchdog groups such as Americans United For Separation of Church and State (http://www.au.org/site/PageServer) keep an eye on these types of extremists so I don’t have to subject myself to it.

Here's the "700 Club" sticker:

And one I like a lot better:

... and now let's move on to some record reviews...

BOILS

BOILS-From The Bleachers (TKO, CD)
Greg Boil is becoming a sports hooligan—he’s letting his passion for his beloved Philadelphia Eagles and Flyers come to the fore, here, and he even takes it on the chin from the Dropkick Murphys’ Ken Casey, whose phone message needling him about the Patriots’ Super Bowl victory over the Iggles, appears here. I imagine Greg will have even more fodder after his team’s collapse this year. Enough sports analysis—on to music and the Boils’ latest features 25 songs of hardcore, street punk, ska and even one ill-advised country song (“Summer’s Brightest Boy”). Besides the odes to his hometown teams, there are pointed observations about the Catholic church, the endless cycle of warfare and even a critique of spare-changing anarcho punks, which detracts from the real problem of homelessness because it worsens the “social stigma, to fear the homeless man.” A wider-ranging sound and superior production than in the past, with the stylistic variations handled well and catchy as fuck. There’s some storming stuff here. (www.tkorecords.com)

CLUSTERFUCK/RAT BYTE-Split (CD-R demo)
Latest recordings from two Connecticut bands—for a split 7” but, at this time, there’s no label or release date. Hope that won’t be the case for long because this is some hot hardcore punk. Clusterfuck put out a 13 song 7” last year and their credo on that record was “humans disappoint me.” That hasn’t changed with such songs as “Flagfucker,” “Nato Needs Shock Treatment” and “God Told Me To Buy Stocks.” Shit Eating Grin” throws in a stolen Black Sabbath riff for a split second. A quavery, high-timbred singing style adds a distinct element to their driving sound. Skate-thrashers Rat Byte contribute three new songs, starting with a crossover-tinged intro before kicking it into gear. A flailing energy. (www.ratbyte.net)

COMMON ENEMY-Let’s Have Fun (Sick of Talk, 7” EP)
COMMON ENEMY/EYES OF HATE-Circle Pit Split (Scene Destroyer, 7” EP)
TWATS/COMMON ENEMY-Split (Overdose On Records, 7” EP)
“Let’s Have Some Fun” is the newest EP by Philly area band Common Enemy. Speedy hardcore skate punk and sometimes the snaredrum overwhelms things and the ultra-fast parts are one-dimensional but these guys have a winning rawness, especially in the guitar department, and endearingly (?) phlegmy vocal delivery. They also sent along a couple of recent splits. The newest EP is the better of the three but the songs on those splits are also good and the bands they’re paired with do a good job, as well. New Yorkers Eyes of Hate, whose vocalist Al passed away in September of ’05, dish out angry, straight-ahead hardcore punk with a hint of crossover. The Twats favor a buzzsaw punk sound with pissed vocals from the provocatively-monikered Cuntess Twat. The Twats also have a full-length album on Overdose on Records. (Common Enemy website: www.commonenemy2000.com)

DEAD RADICAL-Rottenness (I Deal, 7” EP)
Hammering, yet technical thrash/grind, jamming ten songs on a one-sided 7”. Suffering from some snare-tinniness but it’s played with tightness and pure rage, needless to say. Not a blur—there are some shit-hot guitar riffs, time shifts and throttling interplay without any sense of pretentiousness. And plenty of bile in the lyrical and vocal department.

DECONDITIONED (Beginning Era, LP)
A falling-apart sound. Confrontational vocals in a high, snotty pitch and a sound that doesn’t follow conventional patterns. Double-speed thrash, slower ooze and some Flag-ish damage, particularly in the sputtering leads (I would have said that even if they didn’t cover “No More”). The harder-rocking mid-tempo songs, “Play It Safe” and “Wreck Loose,” are the most memorable. Even with the occasional misfire, this band has a high-energy unpredictability. I also like the pink swirl vinyl and silver cover with spraypainted logo they did for the first press. (www.myspace.com/deconditionedhc)

GENTLEMAN CALLERS-Don’t Say What It Is (Wee Rock, CD)
What ‘it’ is is straight-forward garage rock. Covering the range of pop, folkier touches and R&B-inflected raunch and it’s the latter where they really get cooking, especially for “Hey Little Girl.” They do come across as gentlemen in that things don’t usually get unhinged but the songs are catchy, while Kevin Schneider fashions a serviceable Jagger-copy vocal style. Solid all the way through. (PO Box 333, Springfield, MO 65801, www.weerockrecords.com)

GROSS NATIONAL PRODUCT

GROSS NATIONAL PRODUCT-Hardcore Demo (CD-R demo)
I guess the title explains it. GNP are from Brandon, FL and their bass-player is Bob Suren, head honcho of the Sound Idea store and distro and former shouter for Failure Face and Murder-Suicide Pact. Not every song is a killer and the drums are perhaps a bit too prominent in the mix but their scrappy hardcore punk has a winning spirit. Marley packs a lot of outrage into her high-pitched vocals (she reminds me of a younger Mish from Sado-Nation) and it’s cool hearing her sing GG Allin’s “You Hate Me And I Hate You.”

STORMCROW-Enslaved In Darkness (No Options, LP)
Total fucking heaviness. I’m glad the LP included a note because I was having trouble making out their logo on the cover. Thick slabs of riffage, sub-gutteral vocals and extended song lengths. The whole LP only includes 5 songs. Usually, the tempo is slackened, but these Bay Area crust-metal hellions occasionally pick up the pace. Lyrical matter as grim as the skullcracking sounds—disease, anguish, decay. Really cheery but it fits the mood of the music. (www.myspace.com/nooptionsrecords)

TERMINAL STATE-Your Rules (Deranged, 12” EP)
Toronto band who remind me quite a bit of MassHoles Out Cold, in that they have a raw punk-meets-hardcore sound that strips it down to its bare essence. Simple, snotty, catchy (in my head, at least) songs that average a bit over a minute each. 8 of ‘em and it’s over way too quickly. The direct route is still the best way to go. Why let expansiveness muck things up? (www.derangedrecords.com)

TWATS-Hell In My Pants (Overdose On Records, CD)
As mentioned above, this band from the DC area have an album out—13 songs in well under half an hour and pretty damn scorching. Hardcore/punk/rock ‘n roll with a chip on the shoulder. The Twats ain’t kids, they’re the ones kicking and screaming their way into adulthood and not liking what they see. Bitter memories about younger years, hating jobs (“I’m A Quitter, You Should Be One Too”) and cynical about politics (“Who Peed In Your Wheaties?”)... the latter deals with people adopting politics as a “fashion statement,” as the lyrics put it. As I said earlier, I’m actually burned out on politics a bit, myself—the song’s cynicism is well-founded although I’ll still keep paying attention to the what those fucking politicians are up to and mouthing off about it, whether people want to hear it or not. But I kind of see their point, because there’s often a lot of self-righteous baggage attached to those doing the shouting. (PO Box 525, Fleetwood, PA 19522, www.myspace.com/overdoseonrecords)

Suburban Voice blog #7.5--Best of 2005

2010-08-21T14:33:00.008-04:00

DIRECT CONTROL

(originally published 1/5/06--another unnumbered "tweener" blog)

BEST OF 2005

I imagine it's about freakin' time I posted a new blog. Sorry about the long delay. Here's the first new one--a recap of my favorite records, CD's, demos, etc from 2005, in alphabetical order, although DIRECT CONTROL's "You're Controlled" was my favorite record last year. Here's the list:

BASTARD SONS OF APOCALYPSE-Merciless Slaughter 7” EP/second, s/t 7” EP
BLINDS-Busy With Business demo
BLOWN TO BITS/DEATHTOLL-Split LP
BOMB BUILDER-Deadful Melody 12” EP
BREAKS-Get Saved 7” EP
BRODY’S MILITIA-The Appalachian Twelve Gauge Massacre CD
BURY THE LIVING-All The News That’s Fit To Scream LP
CARDIAC ARREST-s/t 7” EP
CAREER SUICIDE-Invisible Eyes 12" EP
CELEBRITY MURDERS-Time To Kill Space CD
DEAD STOP-Live For Nothing LP
DIRECT CONTROL-You’re Controlled 12” EP/Nuclear Tomorrow 7” EP
FUNERAL SHOCK-s/t LP
GIANT HAYSTACKS-Blunt Instrument LP
GOUKA-Program LP
GOVERNMENT WARNING-No Way Out 7” EP
IRRITATORS-demo
LIFE CRISIS-Unpeaceful Protest 7” EP
LOOK BACK AND LAUGH-s/t LP
OUT COLD-Goodbye Cruel World LP
PEDESTRIANS-Future Shock LP/self-titled 7” EP
POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT-s/t 7” EP
REGULATIONS-s/t LP
RITES-Death Of The Party 7” EP
SCURVY DOGS-Relieve Yourself 7” EP
SELFISH-Cause Pain 12” EP
SET TO EXPLODE-s/t CD
SKITKIDS-Valkomna Till Paradiset... 7” EP
SNAKEBITE-Every Bad Idea Is A Good Idea 7” EP
SPLITTING HEADACHE-s/t 7” EP
SQUARE THE CIRCLE-s/t 7” EP
STRUNG UP-Warfucked 7” EP

Any questions about where you can find certain records, let me know and I'll see if I can point you in the right direction.

CONDENADA

Plenty of cool live shows, as well... I did make it to four of the ‘fests’ this year—including the first LaRivolta Fest in Cambridge, MA, a female-oriented festival with not only music but workshops and featuring some killer sets from BEHIND ENEMY LINES, I OBJECT and CONDENADA. I also made it out to blustery Chicago for a three day fest that was exhausting, was accompanied by some hassles not related to the fest, including one of the worst restaurant meals I’d had in years but more than made up for by spending time with friends and seeing a dazzling array of great bands including, for the first time, BASTARD SONS OF APOCALYPSE, DIRECT CONTROL, RAT BASTARDS, REPOS and, finally after 20 plus years of being a fan, THE STATE. The Saturday show was almost overkill, with 20 bands and I was pretty tapped by the time WORLD BURNS TO DEATH and RIISTETYT played. Other memorable moments—the return of SIN ORDEN, MUNICIPAL WASTE and their springboards for stage diving and crowd surfing rafts and RAMBO’S mock crucifixion.

Albany was the site for the one day Gloom Fest and, in addition to AVSKUM, the band barrage included FUCKED UP, CAREER SUICIDE, DIRECT CONTROL and the thrash-metal mania of TOXIC HOLOCAUST, who I also saw play a sick basement show in Boston.

SKITKIDS

In August, I went to my third Pointless Fest. Hot and sticky all weekend, plus I got caught in a miserable traffic jam on the Jersey Turnpike on the trip down. Maybe not quite on the level of the other Pointless Fests I’ve attended, but worth the trip to see LIMP WRIST, BORN DEAD ICONS for the first time in a few years, CAUSTIC CHRIST, LOOK BACK AND LAUGH, BSA (again), AFTER THE BOMBS and SKITKIDS. I also saw SKITKIDS completely destroy at a basement show in Boston (the Allston Library—R.I.P.), along with CITIZEN FISH. An odd pairing and completely packed but it worked.

Earlier that week, I also saw the SUBHUMANS play a memorable show at the Middle East, one of the few club shows I attended this year. Also on the return circuit, GANG OF FOUR and THE ADOLESCENTS (not together, dum-dum) showed they still had the fire, even while playing lame corporate rock clubs. HIRAX and MUNICIPAL WASTE brought the metal to the small upstairs room at the Middle East club in Cambridge.

As I’ve mentioned in this space before, Re:generation Records has become a focal point for the Boston punk scene—a record store, tattoo parlor and show space about four times a month. The
shows have had a great turnout and there have been impressive ones over the past twelve months—not just out of town bands, either—the Halloween party, with bands covering AC/DC, AVENGERS, BLACK FLAG, SHOWCASE SHOWDOWN (90s Boston punk band) and COCK SPARRER was a blast. The latter was notable for watching Chris Strunk, usually a drummer for SLEEPER CELL, CONVERSIONS and POISON CONTROL, not only handling the vocals but also getting his hair cut on stage by Sue, who co-owns the store. A show in September with TOXIC NARCOTIC, POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT (one of my favorite local bands) and APESHIT left everyone leaving with a good feeling—to me, that’s the mark of a good show—getting you away from the day-to-day shit in your life for awhile.

Other hot shows at Regen this past year included RIISTETYT, DEAD STOP, along with hot new DC band SET TO EXPLODE, SELFISH with HELLSHOCK, AVSKUM, SEEIN RED, with KRIEGSTANZ and BURY THE LIVING, REGULATIONS (one of the year’s best) and Japanese band GOUKA, who drew a smaller crowd and people missed out on this band’s Discharge-inspired attack. Felix Havoc always mentions how it’s cool that so many foreign bands are touring the states now and playing DIY venues—I’ll second that observation. DIRECT CONTROL also made their Boston debut at Regen in early December, along with TERMINAL STATE and it was definitely a memorable evening--especially since I got to make an ass of myself by singing three old Boston hardcore covers with Direct Control.

A few more to mention before bringing this column to a close—a fun show at Harvard University at the end of the summer with HUASIPUNGO, SIN ORDEN, I OBJECT, BSA and their Texas compatriots ARMY OF JESUS and POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT. Finally, PEDESTRIANS brought their hard-hitting melodic punk to the Allston Library, along with the pissed-off hardcore of VIOLENT MINDS, thrash-metallers NECROBEAST and straight-edge locals BLANK STARE. A diverse combination of bands at that show.

With all the personal turmoil endured during '05 and all the other shit going on in the world, these records and these shows definitely provided a refuge, a release, a way to cope... let's hope '06 sees some improvement on both fronts and that the stream of musical catharsis continues...

Suburban Voice blog #7 (plus a show review)

2010-08-21T12:43:00.009-04:00

(originally published 12/4/05)

It's December 4 and it's SNOWING. Blah... and I messed up by not getting a snowblower yet again. I may still luck out and find one but I'm not holding my breath. Hey, in this era of supply and demand, where's the supply? Don't these capitalist snowblower companies want my cash? Sheesh...

Anyway, while I wait for the Patriots/Jets game to start in a bit, let me detail one recent news tidbit from Lynn, MA, the city where I lived for almost 15 years and still visit several times a week to pick up my mail and walk by the beach. Well, when it’s not snowing out—the walkways and sidewalks are usually impassable once that happens—typical Lynn... Lynn, Lynn, not only the city of sin, as the old couplet goes, but also the city of mediocre services. Their mayor, Edward “Chip”Clancy, is a conservative Democrat and he just got re-elected after running unopposed. I remember him from his days as a city councilor and state senator and state rep. I’m trying to remember details of why he’d often piss me off but it’s been awhile—I just recall he was pretty reactionary on many social issues.

Clancy seems to have a real problem with the city’s homeless shelter/soup kitchen, My Brother’s Table, which has been serving the city’s less-fortunate for many years. In fact, I drive by it when I pick up my mail since it’s on the same black, a bit down on the opposite side. I often see people waiting to get in, unable to sit down because, some years ago, the city ordered the removal of the benches where they’d sit. Classy move.

Anyway, how does Clancy plan to deal with homelessness in downtown Lynn? In typically reactionary fashion—chase ‘em out. Get rid of the shelter. The Boston Globe had an article, in late November, about how the city doesn’t plan to renew the lease for the shelter. According to that article, Clancy called the shelter a “‘nuisance’ in a resurgent downtown... Clancy said the nonprofits have not done enough to crack down on approximately 30 homeless people routinely found drunk, loitering, and begging for money downtown... ''Very frankly, I have been dissatisfied over a period of time with both tenants and their lack of responsiveness to complaints about how the serial inebriate population is affecting the surrounding neighborhood,” Clancy said... The two nonprofits now have two years either to negotiate new leases with the city or look for new homes... Clancy's decision comes as Lynn adopts an ambitious Bush administration goal to end chronic homelessness in urban areas by 2012.

I tend not to trust anything that comes out of the Bush administration, certainly not any economic policies. Their agenda certainly doesn’t have the poor’s best interests in mind—look at what happened after Hurricane Katrina, for one thing. Do you really think Bush has a feasible plan to end homelessness? In any case, some advocates for the homeless don’t feel it’s such a great idea. A Quaker publication, Street Spirit, out of Oakland, CA, says this plan is a bad idea because “it steals money from existing poverty programs rather than creating new funding streams, and effectively eliminates the mental health, substance abuse, transitional housing, legal services, child care, and employment training programs that constitute our continuum of care... it is designed to house only those individuals who fit neatly within the federal government's narrow definition of "chronic homelessness" and comprise just 10 percent of the nation's total homeless population, leaving families with children, youth, veterans, seniors, and the working poor out in the cold...” and “because it foolishly assumes that officials in Washington, D.C., are better positioned than we, the people, to determine our own local needs and priorities.”

As the article said, downtown Lynn is supposedly in the midst of a revival. I’ve been hearing about this so-called revival for many years. Maybe it’ll actually happen this time. I’ve noticed some new restaurants opening up—some of them are pretty upscale, way more than I’d probably pay for a meal, to say nothing of some of the residents in that area. According to the same Globe article, “After many years of decline, downtown Lynn is experiencing an urban revival. A $30 million condominium boom has brought new residents and businesses downtown, creating tension with the homeless who frequent city streets, parks, and vacant lots. Police are frequently called to the multiservice center for medical assistance and reports of disturbances and fights.”

Well, yeah, that’s an urban center. Where are these people supposed to go? Pack ‘em off somewhere? Maybe some kind of solution or compromise can be reached. I do see homeless folks who hang around in Central Square and around the post office. Some of them ask me for change on occasion. I don’t know the answer. It’s a balancing act between gentrification and improving an area. You can’t shunt aside the less fortunate. Call me a bleeding-heart. I don’t care and, besides, I’m married to a social worker!

Let’s contrast Clancy’s threat to shut down the shelter with what’s going on in Salem, the next city over. There’s an expanded center to serve the city’s homeless population not only with food and shelter but also educational programs. They did meet some initial resistance but, after a task force study, overcame that resistance. The Salvation Army mission in Salem is also in the process of expanding its facilities. The fact these services are increasingly necessary does speak volumes about the continuing problems of poverty—while Gov. Romney, economic nazi that he is, continues to push for tax cuts and cut to social programs. Still, while Lynn threatens to shut down the shelter, Salem finds a place for it. Clancy claims he’s not “picking on the poor.” It sure seems like it, though.

No easy answers—but I don’t think Clancy’s solution is the right one.

THE REVIEWS:

PEDESTRIANS

THE BREAKS-Get Saved (Firestarter, 7” EP)
St. Louis—home of the Cardinals, vanquished in the ’04 World Series against my beloved Red Sox—and home of this ass-kicking hardcore band. They start with the atheistic anthem, “Breaking The Bible Belt,” and don’t let up from there. Tightly played, speedy and angry as fuck. (www.firestarterrecords.com)

CONVERSIONS (demo tape)
Another of the new Boston hardcore bands who have emerged in the past few months—this one fuses fast, energetic thrash with a clean guitar sound, along with some odd time shifts from an almost art-punk influence (subtle hints of the Big Boys and Minutemen). Terry Cuozzo, formerly the bass-player for Refuseniks and Glory Fades, proves to be a commanding vocalist with a nasty snarl in her voice. Sharply-executed.

DEAD STOP-Live For Nothing (Havoc, LP)
Complete shredability, here—did spell that right? Well, you get the idea. Another shit-hot dose of old-school hardcore punk by this Belgian band, who are calling it quits after a recent US tour. Mainly loud ‘n fast, although the final song, “Letting Go,” slows it down to a tension-filled trot. “Locked Inside” also features a bit slower pace. Otherwise, they thrash like maniacs and the songs have both brevity and catchiness. Nothing complicated here, either musically or lyrically—straight to the point and the simplicity works like a charm. (PO Box 8585, Minneapolis, MN 55408, www.havocrex.com)

FLAK (Police Target, 7” EP)
Raw, speedy hardcore punk—had me thinking of Christ on Parade, a little, although there are some double-speed thrash parts. Rough production, rough vocals, rough songs—you get the idea. Lyrics detailing the carnage caused by mankind, along with a critique of the papacy (“Hitler Pope”). Another Pittsburgh band with a nasty sound and that’s a positive.

GOUKA-Program (Putrid Filth Conspiracy, LP)
There’s no way to avoid the D-word here but that’s Gouka’s inspiration, though it’s not straight tribute like Disclose. In fact, while it’s a raw sound, it’s still accessible. Tempos vary from blazing speed to more reasonably-paced pillage, such as “Program.” The drumming by Morita doesn’t strictly follow a d-beat, either—it’s in there but he adds complext patterns, as well. Blazing guitar and bass and harsh yells from Shinohara (who doubles on bass, here). And the lack of a lyric sheet isn’t a detracting factor—the power provides a direct connection. (www.putridfilth.com)

PEDESTRIANS-Future Shock (Residue, LP/Criminal IQ, CD)
Following a demo and a 7” EP, here’s the first full-length album for this Chicago band and, I’m not lying, I’ve been listening to it almost every day for the last week. That doesn’t happen with too many records anymore. Consider it an endorsement. Pedestrians build on the city’s tradition of combining melody with kick-ass punk rock, while not sounding derivative of anyone. A sound that comes from the gut and that also goes for the lyrics. Although those words take more of a roundabout way to make their point, there’s really no missing the point. Loud, memorable songs, at a mid-to-fast tempo, that stick in your head—there’s a brashness in the production that has warmth and edginess. (Residue: www.residuerecords.com/Criminal IQ: 3540 N. Southport, Chicago, IL 60657, www.criminaliq.com)

POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT

POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT/OUTRAGED-Split (Unholy Thrash, 7” EP)
East coast meets west coast—two thrashing bands. PosiForce continue to effectively mix the speed and mosh quotient. Not quite on the level of their first EP but plenty ripping, nonetheless. Outraged, last heard on a split with Tropiezo, bust out some manic hardcore en Espanol with good results.

SET TO EXPLODE (Grave Mistake, CD-EP)
Classic DC-style hardcore with modern touches by this band that includes people from Striking Distance (vocalist Dave Byrd), Worn Thin and other bands. One part of their theme song “Set To Explode” bears some resemblence to the breakdown from Minor Threat’s “Screaming At A Wall.” For a change of pace, there’s the street punk-ish “Never Give In.” Lots of anger but also a fighting spirit. (PO Box 12482, Richmond, VA 23241, www.gravemistakerecords.com)

SUBURBAN DEATH MACHINE-Not Here To Make Friends (Urban Death Mission, LP)
I guess SDM really don’t want to be your friend, despite the fact their guitarist lives on Friendship Ave!). On their first EP, which came out early in the year, they had a song called “Not My Friend” and, here, there’s the title track, “Go Away” and “I Don’t Need You.” The sound of the misanthrope and the agiation comes out in a thorny hardcore punk sound somewhere between their fellow Pittsburghers (is that the way to say it?) Caustic Christ and Submachine. Many of the songs have a mid-tempo bellicose sound, even adding cowbell for “Go Away.” The final song, “Nothing Lasts Forever,” is repeated from their EP and is a Flipper-like noise-dirge, complete with sax and synth—chaotic but focused. Besides the anti-social sentiments, there are also lyrical brickbats directed at the Bush supporters seeing their kids “coming home in body bags” (“It’s All Your Fault”), racist fuckers and political fuckers. I think that covers it. Brute force, no ignorance. (ianryan1@gmail.com)

TOKYO ELECTRON (Empty, CD)
Down ‘n dirty bluesy punk—with the bass, along with two guitars. A basic sound but, even in its primitivism, there’s a good balance between the roughness and production. There’s a fullness here and it reaches a pinnacle with the concluding track, “Down On The River.” The cover of the Plugz’ “Electrify Me” is well-done and “Miss Ojos” rocks like crazy. From Arizona, not Tokyo and it’ll get your buzz on. (www.empty-records.com)

VARIOUS-Gulf Coast Massacre (Psycho Wolf, LP)
Bands from Texas, Louisiana and Florida—you know, the Gulf Coast, the area ravaged by Hurricane Katrina. A mixed bag of punk, thrash and grind with varying quality though some good stuff, here. A few of the bands are better-known—the dark punk of Murder-Suicide Pact, the thrashable Runnamucks (with an acoustic-tinged, rock ‘n roll intro) and the high-powered Reason Of Insanity. Other bands making their presence felt are the speedy Janitor and Sick Abuse, crush and thrash by Killswitch (a side band for Reason Of Insanity from 2001—in fact, there’s a lot of shared band members/incest here) and the punk rock ‘n roll of Die Rotzz. Bad Eating Habits are better heard on their split with ROI than on the demo-quality songs here and the grindier Pretty Little Flower and Insect Warfare aren’t as memorable either. Overall, thumbs up. (www.myspace.com/11538370)

GOUKA SHOW REVIEW (originally published 11/16/05)

GOUKA at Regeneration Records 11/15

A rainy Tuesday night and Regeneration wasn't quite as packed as other shows I've seen there lately, but those who took a pass on this show missed out. Gouka, from Japan, played a raging set of raw, Discharge-inspired hardcore. A D-beat (I guess, I'm not an expert on this stuff) but more complex patterns, as well, accompanied by ripping guitar and bass and howling vocals. Varying between fast and more medium tempos (think Discharge's "Free Speech For The Dumb"). Pretty much every band I've seen from Japan over the years, no matter the style--whether it was hardcore or street punk or garage (Teengenerate!) have an over-the-top approach and Gouka were no exception.

Sleeper Cell were playing their first show in many months and it could be one of their last. They were out of tune at times and a bit rough, but got it together a bit by set's end.

Man The Conveyors played Profane-style crustcore. Male/female vocals and a thick/heavy sound--you gotta be in the mood and I wasn't, last night...

Suburban Voice blog #6

2010-08-20T18:12:00.021-04:00

(originally published 11/11/05)

ON VETERANS DAY

As usual, I got shit on my mind. Today is Veterans Day. Stephen Colbert was joking on his TV show last night about how there will be a lot more veterans, pretty soon, from the war in Iraq. Ain’t no joke, really, Irony? Perhaps.

I’ve also been hearing in the last few days about what happened in Fallujah about a year back and it’s not pretty. A few of the Air America hosts (Randi Rhodes, Mike Malloy) were ramming the point home without a lot of subtlety. There have been reports that white phosphorous shells were used in Fallujah. Of course, these reports haven’t hit the mainstream US press yet. At least I haven’t seen any reports. This report comes from website of the UK Telegraph newspaper:

“American forces in Iraq used chemical flares against civilians "in a massive and indiscriminate way", an Italian television documentary claimed yesterday... The programme alleged that white phosphorous shells were fired against civilians during the Nov 2004 offensive in Fallujah. The chemical, which burns with an intense brightness, is normally used to illuminate a battlefield at night.

But the documentary said the shells did not illuminate enemy fighters but burned "to the bone" the flesh of civilian victims.
The film, made by RaiNews24, the news channel of state television, quoted a former marine, Jeff Englehart, as saying he saw the bodies of burned children and women after the bombardments.

"Burned bodies. Burned children and burned women. White phosphorous kills indiscriminately. It's a cloud that, within. . . 150 metres of impact, will disperse and will burn every human being or animal."
The Pentagon denied earlier allegations about the use of outlawed weapons, including napalm, at Fallujah.

If you don’t believe that report, how about Field Artillery magazine, an army publication. Courtesy of the Daily Kos website, they excerpt a story, “The Fight For Fallujah,” from an issue earlier this year: “WP [i.e., white phosphorus rounds] proved to be an effective and versatile munition. We used it for screening missions at two breeches and, later in the fight, as a potent psychological weapon against the insurgents in trench lines and spider holes when we could not get effects on them with HE. We fired 'shake and bake' missions at the insurgents, using WP to flush them out and HE to take them out."

Shake and bake? Lovely. What a fucking disgrace. The State Department website is in spin mode, trying to discredit the foreign reports and also says use of white phosphoruous isn’t illegal. Perhaps not illegal, but highly immoral. It was just updated on November 10 and quoted the story from Field Artillery, but the spin was that “white phosphorous shells, which produce smoke, were used in Fallujah not for illumination but for screening purposes, i.e., obscuring troop movements.” I tend not to believe much that comes from my government. Civilians were burned to the bone. Yes, it creates horrific mental images.

Nope, not illegal, but with sickening results. It conjures up memories of the classic 1972 with the children running down a road after a napalm attack. It won a Pulitzer Prize. It was on the cover of Newsweek. Would that magazine or Time put that on the cover now? I wonder...This week’s Newsweek has a cover story about baby boomers turning 60. The current Time’s cover story is called “The Secrets of Ambition: Why Some People Are Most Likely To Succeed.” Real hard news! I’m so glad I let my Newsweek subscription lapse years ago.

By the way, you can see the 1972 photo on this site: www.tate.org.uk/liverpool/ima/rm6/images/vietnamchildren_lg.jpg

Malloy also mentioned that a Marine veteran of the war in Iraq, Dave Airhart, was on the verge of being expelled from Kent State University, where he’s a student. According to the left-wing website Counterpunch:

On October 19, the Kent State Anti-War Committee (KSAWC) stood around the Army recruiters, who had brought a rock-climbing wall to entice students over to talk with them. A member of KSAWC and former Afghanistan and Iraq War veteran, David Airhart decided to show his opposition against the war by exercising his rights of free speech. After filling out liability forms Airhart climbed the rock wall... Once he reached the top he took out a banner, which he held under his jacket, and draped it over the wall. The banner read: Kent, Ohio for Peace... Airhart was forced to climb down the back of the wall because a recruiter was coming up the front, yelling at him. As he was climbing down another recruiter came up the back and proceeded to assault Airhart both verbally and physically by pulling his shirt, forcing him off the wall. Airhart was fined $105. by city police for disorderly conduct and told that he will have to go to judicial affairs at the university where he will face probation or expulsion...”

Let’s not forget that Kent State University was where four students were murdered by the National Guard in 1970 while protesting the Vietnam War. At least Airhart wasn’t shot off the wall when he unfurled his banner.

Airhart gave a speech on November 5 at the Midwest Socialist Conference. As a side note, I’m not a socialist, although right-wing assholes sure love to call me that name from time to time. The conference was sponsored by the International Socialist Organization, a group who I have little or no respect for. Still, these excerpts are telling. Here’s a man who saw things firsthand. A complete transcript of Airhart’s address can be found here: www.traprockpeace.org/kent_state_students/

I spent 4 months in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba and 6 months in Iraq and 7 months in Afghanistan, so I have a pretty well rounded perspective of everything that’s going on in this war on terror.

When I was in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba my unit’s job was to transport the detainee’s coming from Afghanistan to Cuba. We’d transport them on a school bus where we removed all of the seats and all the prisoners would be shoved in there like sardines. We were encouraged to kick them in different sensitive areas like their ribs and parts of their legs if they made the slightest movement like maybe a movement of their finger or they took too deep of a breath. We were encouraged to use severe physical punishment to prevent them from moving. But after a while it became sort of a form of entertainment for a lot of marines to sporadically kick some of these detainees for entertainment purposes. And I started to realize I think then that there are things go on in the military aren’t quite as noble as our government tries to portray...
From there I went to Iraq. I guess I really wasn’t ready for what was in store for me and my unit in Iraq...

When I realized how over the top it was, was after An Nasiriyah. We were supposed to set up a perimeter around the city. We were out of sand bags. We didn’t have enough sand bags to protect our holes from small arms fire and things like that. Conveniently, there was a flour truck driver riding a truck down the highway that was full of canvas flour bags. And sand bags are made out of canvas, so this was perfect for sand bags. We were ordered to open fire on this man - just say, a working family man, and to use his flour bags as sand bags. A lot of guys in my platoon opened fire and the man was killed. And the individuals who didn’t open fire on this man were ordered to remove his body from the truck and throw it off in a ditch on the side of the road and throw some dirt on top of it. And after that, I was an extreme, I guess, sort of anti-war marine (applause).

After An Nasiriyah, we spent most of our time doing vehicle check points where you just stop random civilian drivers and search their vehicles for weapons and things like that. Oftentimes if it was a very confusing situation and the drivers of the vehicles would not understand what we were saying when we told them to stop. And when they wouldn’t stop, we were ordered to open fire on these individuals. That happened on a daily basis. And never once out of all these occasions were there any weapons in these individual’s cars. Usually it was full of family, a husband and a wife and children and they would all be killed. This happened on a daily basis. This was pretty hard to deal with after a while. And people just started to shut down. Maybe part of them wanted to pretend that they killed some innocent little girl for some sort of good cause. But we all know that’s not true.

Read the rest on the site... this is fighting terrorism? Killing innocent civilians? Following orders? And what kind of people will these veterans be when they return to the States? What kind of psychological damage? Or what kind of people were they in the first place? What will set them off? If someone cuts them off in traffic? If someone has 13 items in the 12 item line? I’m engaging in some dark humor but it does get me thinking. There are going to be some veterans returning to civilian life with a whole fucking lot of baggage. And I think about them this Veterans Day. I also think about how Bush, Rumsfeld and the lot of the neo-con scumbags got the US into this situation. It’s criminal...

*****

On the music reviews... seems trivial given the stories above but it’s time for a release here..

TROPIEZO

ASS-END OFFEND-Unchecked Aggression (Poisoned Candy/Wantage, 7” EP)
Ass-End Offend have just split up, with some members planning a move to Portland, but they leave behind a strong 5 song EP to wrap things up. Aggressive hardcore with a mainly fast tempo but not really an old-school throwback. An early Born Against influence, if I wanted to make a comparison. Some complex, dynamic instrumentation but without being masturbatory or pretentious. Blistering songs and blistering sentiments—“Your American Dream Is Our Nightmare” kind of sums it up and “Get Over It Already” is a to-the-point commentary about homophobia. Their “Character Assassins” album, which came out earlier this year, wasn’t bad but this sounds much more focused. (www.poisonedcandy.com)

BLINDS-Busy With Business (No Way, demo)
Teenagers from... not Mars but Sweden and with a cassette-only release on Richmond’s No Way label. Smokin’ garage/punk/hardcore ala Henry Fiat’s Open Sore, Dean Dirg, etc... a clean guitar sound, raspy vocals and ass-kickin’ tunes. “Do You Wanna Slide” cracks the 3 minute mark and pays homage to the pick slide with plenty of string scraping provided for your listening pleasure. I loved it so much, I had to make MP3s for my player (shhh... don’t tell ‘em). Full-length in early ’06... (www.nowayrecords.com)

BULLET TREATEMENT-The Bigger, The Better (Basement, 7” EP)
Four fast thrash-type tunes along the lines of Strike Anywhere or Paint It Black, without as much of the sweetness. “Traitor, Liar, Fake” does get a tad poppier but the other three songs. As long as they keep the rage quotient high, it’s fine with me.

GOVERNMENT WARNING-No Way Out EP (No Way, 7” EP)
Two people from Direct Control are also in this band—Brandon on guitar and Eric on bass and, since the 7”, Brandon has moved behind the drum-kit. Throttling old-school hardcore played loud and fast and with lyrics that deal with life’s frustrations—“Railroaded” tells the story of having to throw on the dress-up clothes and defend yourself in court. “Self-Destruct” is about the ‘ol daily grind. Timeless themes, a timeless style. If you like Direct Control, chances are this will grab ‘ya, as well. If you don’t like Direct Control, what’s wrong with ‘ya? If you haven’t heard them yet, you really need to! (www.nowayrecords.com)

I ATTACK-American Dream (Criminal IQ, 7” EP)
I Attack had a strong LP a few years back that was recommended to me by someone with a distro box at a show—damn if I can remember who it was, but thank you--and this 7” is a kick-ass followup. Full-throttle hardcore punk with tuneful bits. The title track harkens back to Articles of Faith a bit, who also had a song about so-called American dreams and Rob makes it loud and clear he pledges “allegiance to no flags,” and goes on to dump on both “right wing fascist fucks” to “liberal leftist scumbag hippies,” but I get the feeling they’re more on the progressive side of the fence, they just don’t want to align themselves with anyone, stating “one nation, for the punks, to raise the torch of individuality.” I’m a liberal leftist but also believe in the individual. Anyway, solid songs and finishing with an Impulse Manslaughter cover, providing some Chicago hardcore history. (3540 N. Southport, Chicago, IL 60657, www.criminaliq.com)

LAST PRIEST-We All Failed (Old Guard, 7” EP)
A squeal of feedback, a bash of drums and angry vocals lead the way into the debut for Last Priest, with two people (Spencer and Matt) from Find Him and Kill Him. Battering-ram hardcore with howling vocals and a mid-to-fast crunch and a whiff of Bl’ast/Black Flag, though not derivative of those bands. Dark and decaying sounds.

LIFE CRISIS

LIFE CRISIS-Churchstate (Deep Six, 7” EP)
Second ripper in a row for Life Crisis. Shaking off the obvious Poison Idea similarities a bit, but maintaining the loud/hard/fast sound. Not kids, either—let’s hear it for guys (and women) sticking to their guns and blasting out the noise as they get older. Anyway, as America descends further in the clutches of theocratic rule, “Churchstate” is there as a reminder about wrong that is. “Shut Down” is another type of reminder, the age-old idiots-ruining-venues cautionary tale. No caution or anything wrong with the sounds on this 6 song EP. (PO Box 6911, Burbank, CA 91510, www.deepsixrecords.com)

RITES-Death Of The Party (Gloom, 7” EP)
Another 7 songs from the Rites, including a cover of the Zero Boys’ “High Times.” No time to catch your breath and mixing up fast thrashers with slower ones, each song fading into the next. The lyric sheet reads like a ransom note but, scanning it, I see such phrases as “I want blood,” “I’m just leading this life with nothing to show for it” and “I’m freaking out.” Hardcore fucking punk delivered with all the animosity they can muster. (www.gloomrecords.com)

SOCIAL CIRCKLE (demo)
Strong debut by this Boston band—definitely getting inspiration from late 70s punk, early 80s hardcore and a little garage rock. Social Circkle include people who used to be in Sleeper Cell, Refuseniks and the Epidemic (Christian, making the transition from bass-player to vocalist) and it’s not like any of those bands. An 8 song tape with short, energetic songs punctuated by Christian’s expressive/snotty vocals and varying tempos. There’s definitely a move towards this back-to-basics sound—no denying it, but Social Circkle play it well.

TROPIEZO/OUTRAGED-Split (Punx Before Profits, 7” EP)
Both bands on this split tear it up, but in slightly different ways. Tropiezo, the veteran band from Puerto Rico, have a fast, tightly-delivered hardcore style with hints of melody and catchiness. Outraged, from California, are also Latino, with two songs in Spanish and two in English, and add some rawness to the speed. Blaze city. Nice hand-screened cover, too. (www.punksbeforeprofits.org)

VARIOUS-Raw Aggression (Get Revenge, CD)
An accurate title—7 hardcore punk bands on a 56 track anthology of 7” releases on this label and including unreleased songs by three of ‘em. The disc starts off with Get Revenge honchos Life Crisis, whose new 7” is reviewed above and this anthology features their first EP, plus a bonus cover of Negative Approach’s Sick Of Talk.” Continuing along with unfettered rage by Christian Club, Ghidrah, the faster thrash/semi-crossover of Cadaver Dogs and She’s Dead, more thrash by Conflict Resolution and finally Chaotic Mess, who throw in the Peni-inspired “Life Will End,” among the speedier songs. Sometimes, the bands get a bit generic-sounding but there are gems to be found. (www.getrevengerecords.com)

WITCHES WITH DICKS

WITCHES WITH DICKS (demo CD)
Pop/punk with fucking guts... as with another band from around here, Ringers, these guys take their cue from the late 80s Bay Area scene. Rough vocals, rough edges and a loud sound that connects with hooks and a kick to the groin. Loudly stating “we are those kids who fucked up,” exuding in their geekdom, right down to the song titles—“Your Job Does Not Rock Balls,” “How To Cook 40 Humans” and two more. No squishy shit, no Warped junk. Hooray...

Suburban Voice blog #5

2010-08-20T17:45:00.011-04:00

(originally published 10/30/05)

2000 dead in Iraq... 2000 dead! What a terrible waste. To borrow a quote from the Instigators and twist it around a bit, the blood is on Bush’s hands. He’s the reason there are 2000 dead in Iraq and countless others injured, both physically and mentally. To say nothing of how many Iraqis have been killed during the illegal invasion and war started by the US. The right-wing spin-machine is trying to downplay the 2000 deaths by comparing it to past military events. James Carafano with the conservative Heritage Foundations said “It’s still an incredibly low number that doesn’t even equal the number of casualties we had on D-Day.” Hey, Carafano, why don’t you tell that to the families of the soldiers who died in this unnecessary war. This guy also goes on to say the number is “meaningless” and “This president isn't going to change his policy, and Congress isn’t going to make him change his policy. This will all be up for debate in 2008, but until then nothing is going to change.”

He may be right about that unless the Democrats are able to re-take one or both of the houses in 2006 and impeach the whole fucking lot of them. Or if there are more indictments, which just started with Lewis “Scooter” Libby, over the Valerie Plame affair. Maybe it’ll be another Watergate situation... but I’m a cynical guy and there’s a chance we’ll be stuck with this wretched administration for a few more years.

Getting back to Carafano’s comments about D-Day, I’m not an expert on World War II but it was a different situation. Tim Pepin from the University of Alberta (Canada) website The Gateway writes “Such a comparison neglects the obvious differences between the two conflicts to such a degree that it’s made meaningless. The D-Day invasion was an attack on enemies with equal military sophistication, undertaken with a defined and reasonable purpose and initiated in a state of open and agreed-upon warfare.” He goes on to state “Carafano’s comparison is also an insult to the families and memories of the dead soldiers. To juxtapose the death of a soldier in one of the great campaigns of World War II and that of one killed unnecessarily in an illegal, backwards and hopeless occupation is ludicrous and offensive.

That’s how I feel... I first heard the Carafano quotes on a talk show and it sickened me. How long will this madness go on? And what waits for the surviving troops when they return? Will the government still care for them or cast them aside with cutbacks to veterans services? Given the economic conservatism and general heartlessness of the current administration, I don’t hold out a lot of hope.

I’ll keep the political commentary brief in this blog. Let me move on to musical matters... some cool shows the past week or so. The coolest was seeing Swedish band Regulations play at Regeneration Records in Allston, MA. This was of the best bands I've seen all year. If you get the opportunity to see them on this tour, don't pass it up. Stripped-down early 80s hardcore punk mixed with garage (a bit) and the songs are catchy and memorable. They know how to put on a show... Cider didn't go over too well and were a bit disappointing--I like their 7"s but they couldn't really get it together live, except for a few songs here and there. Calling the crowd "pussies" probably didn't endear them, either. Social Circkle are a promising new band, with a back-to-basics punk sound... Born Backwards have a Crossed Out-inspired sound that varies between grind and heavier, lurching stuff. One of the most packed shows I've seen at Regen. It took me all day the next day to recover but it was worth it.

CONVERSIONS

This past Monday (10/24), there was a five band show at Regen, once again. It got started with some ferocious hardcore from the Conversions, with a few former members of the Refuseniks and other bands. Terry, that band's bass-player, is an in-your-face vocalist--literally, and she'll step on your foot, too! It happened to me twice during the set. There were some Minutemen-like time changes with the thrash. Formaldehyde Junkies, from Minneapolis, ripped out the old school hardcore punk. Loose in spots but fuckin' energetic. Unfortunately, they had van problems and have been stuck in Boston pretty much ever since. Rat Byte also have an old-school style and it's well-executed. The Shit, from NYC, play up the goofy side of things with plenty of leaping and flailing and dubious fashion sense (high school gym class fashion and a vocalist with a mask)... fast, spasmatic hardcore. Finally, it was the first time I'd seen Mind Eraser with the five piece lineup and it was CRUSHING. Another band who have Crossed Out for inspiration--heavy, heavy, heavy and then blazing into hyper-speed. Brutal is an overused term but it fits here.

Last night (Friday, 10/28), it was up to UMass-Lowell to see a free show with Jerry’s Kids. A friend of mine kind of tut-tutted the fact I was going to see them when I told him about it earlier this week—I get the feeling he doesn’t approve of old bands re-forming. I don’t see the problem with a nostalgia trip once and awhile and Jerry’s Kids don’t come across as a fossilized unit, anyway. Blazing, aggressive, energetic and they pull it off without looking out of place. There were some older people in the audience but it was the younger kids eating it up, singing along with every song, even grabbing the microphone occasionally--and Rick Jones encouraged it, saying “help a brother out here.” They opened with a cover of “State Violence State Control” by Discharge that kind of fell apart, but after that, it was pretty unstoppable and “I Don’t Belong” gave me the urge to start wrecking things. If I nailed anyone reading this, sorry about that. I wasn’t as into the other bands—Hammer Bros, HTD, Visual Pollution—although Bones Brigade scored with their cover of Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs” (they also closed with “Paranoid”). Not quite as good as their show at MassArt some weeks back but still pretty damn wild.

... and now, some record and CD reviews...

DEAD KENNEDYS-Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables (Manifesto, CD + DVD)
25th anniversary edition of one of the classic punk albums. I’m not just copying press releases—that’s the goddanged truth. This album has aged very well and that’s due to the band’s unique songwriting and arranging and one of the most instantly-recognizable voices in punk, Mr. Jello Biafra. Without getting into the middle of the controversy about the present-day Dead Kennedys, his voice matched with East Bay Ray’s incredible guitar playing and solid rhythmic backup is what made the band so innovative and provocative and it’s hard to imagine it in any other permutation, although there was a second guitarist for awhile and different drummer after “Fresh Fruit.” After 25 years, it’s difficult to remember that there was some shock value with the band’s name and get-under-the-skin songtitles and lyrics. There was the fascistic cautionary tale of “California Über Alles,” the semi-tastelessness of “Kill The Poor” or “Funland At The Beach” (“crushed little kids adorn the boardwalk”) or fantasy of killing off asshole landlords (“Let’s Lynch The Landlord”). But the first time I heard “California Über Alles,” in 1980, it definitely caught my attention. A wide musical scope here—the proto-hardcore of “Drug Me” and “When Ya Get Drafted,” the giddy singalong of “Kill The Poor,” the ominous bassline and sicko guitar intro to “Holiday In Cambodia” and then the tribute/sendup to the king of rock ‘n roll for “Viva Las Vegas.”

If you’ve never heard the album, it lives up to the billing. I never assume people have heard even the most well-known punk albums. Another hook to get people to shell out for the new version is a 55 minute documentary about the early years of the DKs, up through the recording of the album that includes live songs (without any interruption) and interviews with Klaus and Ray, plus a few other chin-strokers that includes Boston’s own Johnny Angel, who tells a funny story about the DKs show at the Rat in ’79. The footage of Jello’s mayoral campaign is definitely a highlight. There’s a certain amount of pompousness to the non-DKs interviewees and I don’t really agree with one person’s observation that they were the prototype for hardcore. They were a part of it but I think other California hardcore bands contributed just as much. One notable absence is Jello and one wishes the documentarians could have had his input about those early years but it’s not surprising he chose not to take part. An entertaining document and the album remains killer. The only downside is the shrunk-down poster is impossible to read. (www.manifesto.com)

DEAN DIRG

DEAN DIRG-26 Kicks To Make The Whole World Pay (Dead Beat, CD)
Two full albums, 26 songs and it doesn’t even break the 30 minute mark. It leaves my head in a spin—a fucking wonderful spin. Stripped-down punk with a clean guitar sound and mixing in garage and hardcore, as well. Dean Dirg, who come from Germany, did a split with Henry Fiat’s Open Sore and it’s from the same muse. Wham-bam songs that don’t give you an opportunity to get comfortable. “Do It Right” is a change of pace, slowing things down and it has a bad-ass catchiness. Today Germany, tomorrow the world and it’s great that these recordings are being given a wider airing ‘cause they’ve been tough to come by until now. (www.dead-beat-records.com)

F-MINUS-Won’t Bleed Me/Failed Society (Black Noise, CD)
The first two F-Minus EPs from ’98, along with two unreleased songs, which are covers of Agnostic Front’s “Victim In Pain” and Negative Approach’s “Negative Approach” (they also cover “Can’t Tell No One” very well). Shredding hardcore punk with an early 80s rawness and pure, undiluted anger, with vocals traded off among Brad, Jen and original guitarist Sarah. They also pay tribute to early LA punk with a cover of Black Randy’s “Trouble At The Cup.” I remember hearing “Failed Society” and it hit me like a slap in the face—this is what hardcore used to fucking sound like and F-Minus were in there at the start of the back-to-basics revival. Bare-bones packaging but the music is also bare-bones and cuts deep and to the quick. (PO Box 419092, SF, CA 94141, www.alternativetentacles.com)

MUNICIPAL WASTE-Hazardous Mutation (Earache, CD)
With “Hazardous Mutation,” the transition of the Waste to the metallic realm is complete. The cover is a post-apocalyptic cartoon with some ugly dudes driving off a dumptruck filled with the dead or barely living. 80s-era thrash given an updating. Many metal records back then suffered from inferior production but, here, it’s clean and not cavernous-sounding. New drummer Dave Witte (Discordance Axis, others) is technically sharp, holding everything together with his precise timekeeping. No epics, no acoustic guitars, no power ballads, just burn. Fast and wailing, with soloing kept economical and always full speed ahead. There’s some sick interplay, such as the break on “Guilty Of Being Tight” (truth in advertising). The lyrics are whimsical and sarcastic but there’s often a message underneath—a warning about the abuse of power or the planet, although sometimes it’s just an affirmation about who they are (“we are the speed metal punks”) or wishing great pain on adversaries (“Nailed Casket”). Don’t read too much into it—just get ready to rage. (www.earache.com)

OFFENDERS-Wanted By Authority (1981-1985) (Kangaroo, CD)
A more or less complete discography of this still-underrated Texas hardcore punk band. More of the youngsters have found out about ‘em in recent years, at least. Anyway, both LP’s are here, along with their first 7” (with a different vocalist), the “I Hate Myself” 7” and one demo track (“Fed Up”). The alternate “Face Down In The Dirt” from the “PEACE” comp isn’t here. Enough details... this fucking KILLS. Fast and intense—bulldozing bass, shit-hot guitar and drumming that overpowers and obliterates. A dollop of metal, especially by the time they got to their second album, “Endless Struggle.” The title track takes an epic, harder rocking turn, with some dramatic organ fills, while the cover of “You Keep Me Hanging On,” done in Vanilla Fudge style, dips a toe in classic rock irony but it’s affectionate. The earliest songs have a snottier punk flavor for “Lost Causes” and “Poor House Energy,” but the original take of “I Hate Myself” indicates what would come later. The dabblings into Clash meets Richard Hell reggae-rock (“Rockin’ The Town,” “One Fine Morning”) aren’t as memorable, at least compared to the balance of material. What a balance, though. Reagan-era hardcore, sun-baked by the Texas heat. (www.kangaroo-records.com)

REGULATIONS-Electric Guitar (Havoc, LP)
Half-new/half-old album released for Swedish band Regulations’ US tour. Side one has 7 new songs—not quite as shit-hot as their self-titled LP but still plenty fine. A tandem of catchy punk with early 80s west coast and garage punk influences. “I Can’t Do Whatever I Want” and “Disease” have some DKs-ish surf guitar to go with the gritty punk. On the flip, it’s their first two 7” EPs (and the first EP was actually originally a demo). Rougher and brasher-sounding. The flail of “Destroy” remains one of their best songs. “We’re Blank” cops a few riffs from the Circle Jerks’ “Live Fast Die Young.” If you missed out on the original vinyl, here’s a way to catch up. Even with the on-the-sleeve influences, there’s an enthusiasm and freshness in the playing that really makes this band stick out. (PO Box 8585, Minneapolis, MN 55408, www.havocrex.com)

REPORT SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY (Alternative Tentacles, CD)
Vic Bondi from Articles of Faith returns in a power trio format with J. Robbins (Jawbox/Burning Airlines) and Darren Zentek (Kerosene 454). Much as AOF was a vehicle to fuel Vic’s rage in the 80s, Report Suspicious Activity is the same during the Bush regime. He still sounds fucking pissed. There’s no missing the point. And just to prove that history repeats itself, in a way, AOF’s “False Security” is re-done here as “Patriot Act.” Same lyrics, same intensity. Different musical shadings here—hard and heavy, but with melodic underpinnings. A few songs aim for a funkier flavor and don’t come off as well. But they pull out the artillery for the likes of “Hardball,” Guantanamo” (harkening back to Vic’s early 90s band, the underrated Alloy), “In On The Killing” (with acoustic rhythm guitar but still edgy) and the faster-paced “Subtle,” with its refrain of “red, white and bullshit.” Refusing to age quietly and, from where I sit, that’s pretty damn inspiring. (PO Box 419092, SF, CA 94141-9092, www.alternativetentacles.com)

SEEIN RED

SEEIN RED (Ebullition, LP)
I hope when I reach the members of Seein Red’s age, I’m still as pissed-off about things. Oh wait a minute—I am their age and, yeah, I kind of feel the same way. Ravaging, rampaging hardcore punk that rails against a long list of issues and concludes by saying, on “Against The Tide,” that “we rather stand up for what we believe in” and “not take the path of least resistance.” Musically, mixing up double-speed thrash and more reasonably-paced songs such as “War Degrades” and “Bloodsuckers” (about scummy landlords). Uncompromising, both musically and lyrically. Much respect for sticking to their guns for so long—the liner notes mention they’ve been playing in bands together for 25 years. (PO Box 680, Goleta, CA 93116, www.ebullition.com)

Suburban Voice blog #4

2010-08-12T10:01:00.000-04:00

BURY THE LIVING

(originally published 10/13/05)

I've written about how I’d be completely fucked if I didn’t have medical insurance. I wrote about how expensive it would be for one of my prescriptions for certain “episodes” I’d been having.

This account will be in my upcoming MRR column but you get to read it here first and there’s a postscript since I wrote it. With those “episodes,” I’d feel disoriented for about 15-20 seconds. I wouldn’t lose consciousness but lose track of what time/day it was and I’d focus on whatever clock was in front of me to get my bearings. After “coming out of it,” I tend to feel okay pretty quickly. These episodes generally happened after I’d been sleeping awhile, usually in the morning. They never followed any pattern. They never happened outside the house, either. I was having them about 4-5 times a week and, in the spring, I mentioned them to the nurse practitioner at my doctor’s office. She got me an appointment with a neurologist and, after a month or so wait, I finally saw him. As an aside, once again, I catch a real break with my insurance. I’ve had to see the nurse frequently the past year because of one of those problems, which is high blood pressure. My co-payment for an appointment is $15. It’s not cheap but I don’t want to think what it would cost without it.

So I saw the neurologist, explained my symptoms and he scheduled an MRI and EEG test right away. The MRI test was a trip and a half. I’m sure some of you have had one, but they put you in a long open-ended tube and it sounds like something is hammering on the outside. It actually sounded kind of like a hip industrial album. The nurse wanted to know if it bothered me and I told her I liked loud music and was picking up on the rhythm a bit.

The EEG test was less fun because I had to stay awake the entire night before and that’s not something that’s easy for me to do. You’re supposed to doze off during the test itself and they measure your brain waves. I don’t think I fell asleep for a long enough period to get a good reading.

After the tests, I went back the neurologist the following week and he said it was possible I was having low-level seizures. He put me on medication for it and I’ve been taking it ever since. It had to be adjusted after a few weeks because it wasn’t working as well as he wanted. Since then, it’s worked fairly well. The frequency of the episodes has decreased but I’m still not perfect. The medication has side-effects. Sometimes, I feel groggy or sleepy or irritable. This is a normal occurrence, apparently.

Anyway, last month, I had to pick up this particular prescription, which cost $40 for a two month supply, with my insurance. Once again, not cheap. I picked it up, got in the car, and I’m glad I wasn’t driving when I saw what it would have cost without the insurance: $249.83. For 120 pills. Yikes! Let's see... that's over $2 per pill. A pill I have to take twice a day. My cost is about 33 cents per pill with the insurance.

I had to go back to the neurologist for a followup appointment a few weeks ago and, since I’m still not completely “cured,” he had me do a 48 hour EEG test. Which definitely wasn’t fun. It was an ambulatory test, at least, so I could go about my business but I had a bunch of electrodes glued to my head and then wrapped in gauze and all that crap was hooked up to a portable monitor I wore on a strap around my waist. It was real fun trying to get a night’s sleep with all that crap on. The line about “electrodes in my head” from GBH’s “Sick Boy” was on my lips more than a few times over that 48 hour time frame. I don’t know what was worse—having all that stuff wrapped up around my head or having to get all the glue out of my hair, afterward. I was never more happy to take a shower. I don’t know how you crusties go so long without bathing. Not my thing. I did have a few episodes during the test since I was off the meds and I’m hoping we can get to the bottom of whatever it is.

Earlier this week, I got the diagnosis for these episodes. It turns out I have a mild form of epilepsy. Those were seizures I’ve been having, although they’re mild ones. It looks as though I’ll be on medication for the rest of my life.

I tell this story not to garner sympathy. It’s more to observe that I can’t imagine being able to do this without insurance. I probably wouldn’t have been able to get the level of medical help I need for this problem and the other ones I’m dealing with or it would have put me in serious debt. I imagine that people in worse economic circumstances, living without insurance, often choose to put off seeing the doctor or live with these kinds of ailments. Or don’t know they have them, such as high blood pressure. Their lives are probably shortened, as a result. I don’t know what the answer is except to say we need some kind of national health insurance. 45 million Americans are uninsured. The number keeps going up. Something’s not right about that...

OK, let’s move on to the record review section...

WASTED TIME

BAD VIBES-All The Right Ways To Do You Wrong (Steel Cage, CD)

All the right ways to kick your motherfucking ass from one end of that dark alley to the other. Pissed-off? Agitated? All that and more. Second corker in a row by the Bad Vibes. Guitars buzzing more than a nest full of hornets and vocals from a man named Geoff who sounds as though he’s having one nasty fucking day. Maybe he had a cheese steak at Pat’s and ran out of Pepto Bismol. Maybe he’s sick of people spelling his name with a J. Maybe not, but you get the idea. Just plain mean, as Out Cold put it. Hard-driving rockin’ rollin’ punk I never tire of hearing. (PO Box 29247, Philadelphia, PA 19125, www.steelcagerecords.com)

BLACK JETTS-Right On Sound (Dead Beat, CD)

Detroit worship much in the same way that the Hellacopters also worshipped it in their early days. The Black Jetts’ album is hit and miss—missing when they opt for more of a soulful emphasis, such as a not-so-great cover of “Get Ready,” but they hit it dead on with the Stooges/Sonic’s Rendevous Band flavor of “Thrill City” (clever), “One Night Stand” and “Right On Sound.” Rump shakin’ rock ‘n roll with loud guitars and plinkin’ piano. Not that strong a vocal presence but it has the requisite amount of arrogant attitude. The stronger tracks have me keeping this disc around. (www.dead-beat-records.com)

BONES BRIGADE-Endless Bummer (Still Holding On, 10” EP)/Older Than Shit, Heavier Than Time (Coalition, CD)

Bones Brigade are a prolific band. “Endless Bummer” is an all-new 13 song effort, following up two previous albums and a few 7”s and a split. Hardcore/thrash metal skatecore—did I get that all in? Flailing riffage and leads and with a crossover vibe that rocks hard and furiously and has a hell-raising looseness. “We Will Destroy You”? Yeah, they just might with speed and adrenalin that fierce. The wildness of the Brigade’s skating passion informs the music quite a bit—it’s played with little caution but still tight. “Older Than Shit” is a compilation of the 7’s and split, plus some unreleased tracks—it features both the earlier 5 piece lineup with Andrew on vocals and the current band with Brian manning the microphone. Brian’s a bit gruffer but both have the same attitude in delivery. Just as wailing and you can hear the band make progress along the way. Includes a number of cover versions—the expected homage to the Faction, Suicidal and the Adolescents but also a cover of the Dead Boys’ “Ain’t Nothing To Do” and “Leavin’ Here,” a Holland-Dozier-Holland song given same treatment Motörhead did for it in the 70s. Throttle city. (Still Holding On: stillholdingon.free.fr /Coalition: www.coalition-records.com)

BROKEN BONES-Dem Bones (SOS, CD)/FOAD (Beer City, CD)

Broken Bones, the early years and the slightly more metal years, at least for some of the material. “Dem Bones” includes their first album, the two 7”s that preceded the album and the “Seeing Through My Eyes” mini-album that followed. Bones had just left Discharge and moved in more of a speed-metal/crossover direction without abandoning the punk roots entirely. It’s a potent combination and, while the production was a bit muffled-sounding, the songs stand up well. Bones is given more room for his guitar prowess but it’s not done at the expense of the song itself. Lots of classic songs here—“Decapitated,” “Liquidated Brains,” “Seeing Through My Eyes,” “Annihilation No. 3,” the slower-paced “Their Living Is My Death” and “Secret Agent.” The 7 songs from “FOAD” aren’t far-removed from “Dem Bones,” although the subsequent “Never Say Die” EP did have more of a metallic flavor and somewhat inferior production. Sandwiched between is a fairly ripping live set from ’86 that includes the cream of the Broken Bones crop, song-wise plus a different take of “Death Is Imminent.” Two loud offerings. (SOS: PO Box 3017, Corona, CA 92878, www.sosrecords.us /Beer City: PO Box 26035, Milwaukee, WI 53226, www.beercityrecords.com)

BURY THE LIVING-All The News That’s Fit To Scream (Prank, LP)

Scream they do—I have a test pressing of the LP here, without a lyric sheet, but a perusal of the titles clearly indicates BTL have plenty on their minds and Pat howls out the words with agitation and fury. “Of God and Country”(another version of which appeared on their anthology CD), “Outsourcing Torture” and, most obviously, “Mr. Bush.” The latter has a brief acappella/spoken part where Pat talks about how this so-called leader doesn’t know shit about what it’s like to work to support a family. Musically, it’s the most-focused this Memphis hardcore band have sounded—to me, it sounds like a cross between Articles of Faith and Devoid of Faith (!). Fast hardcore punk not fitting any easy pigeonhole. A mix of tempos and relying less on the hyper speed than in the past and, as a result, the songs have more impact. (PO Box 410892, SF, CA 94141, www.prankrecords.com)

CELEBRITY MURDERS-Time To Kill Space (Chainsaw Safety, CD)

Murders? Murderous! I don’t want to overuse terminology dealing with the end of life, involuntary or not, but this is some killer hardcore. Raw, jagged and explosive. The sleeve notes brag that everything was recorded analog and it does have that non-sterile production quality. Guitar tones occasionally bring Die Kreuzen or Voivod to mind and there’s also crushing heaviness at times, without turning into metal-core. Screamy without the techno-core elements. Just hard, heavy, usually fast and Artie Philie braying with murder (sorry) in his throat. Quite different from Artie’s other band, the garage rock Shemps... this is the Hyde to Jeckyl, I suppose. Judicious use of samples—pretty sure that’s Vice President Spiro Agnew just before “Learning To Love Capitalism,” while the montage of shyster injury ads precedes the cautionary lyrics of “Victim Culture.” Unstoppable aggression. (PO Box 260318, Bellerose, NY 11426, www.chainsawsafetyrecords.com)

DESOLATION (Prank, LP)

Another test press and it’s missing a song but it’s a ripper. Desolation broke up at about the time that this album was released and just before they were supposed to tour. Talk about shitty timing. Crusty hardcore punk from the Bay Area that was a side band for people from Scurvy Dogs, Born/Dead and Strung Up. A mix of scalding riffage, boil-over speed and dramatic/heavier passages reminiscent of the late 80s UK crossover bands. (PO Box 410892, SF, CA 94141, www.prankrecords.com)

DETESTATION (Profane Existence, CD)

Reissue of the Portland crust-core band’s album, EP plus a few bonus songs. 22 ragers in all. Saira’s piercing siren of a voice hovers above, dropping ideas that take swipes at personal and societal deficiencies while also affirming the path of the true individual, the defiant. Blistering hardcore played hard and fast with sweeping, powerful riffs. Raw but also clean in execution. (PO Box 8722, Minneapolis, MN 55408, www.profaneexistence.com)

DRI-Live At CBGB’s 1984 (Beer City, DVD or CD)

Just what it says. A one-camera shot as DRI rip through 40 of their songs in about three-quarters of an hour. Not the most dynamic stage presence, although Kurt is fairly animated at times. All business, with few stops between songs and they play like a well-oiled machine. Tight and fast as fuck. DRI hadn’t really crossed over to the metal side yet, as this was a year before “Dealing With It” was released and they were touring behind the “Violent Pacification” EP. A ripping time capsule. The DVD also includes a set recorded at the Masonic Hall in Portsmouth, NH on the same tour and the audience appeared to be pretty sparse. Sound/visuals aren’t as good with that set. There’s also a segement with skateboarder Kristian Svitak showing his stuff accompanied by DRI music for a soundtrack. Impressive and better him than me! In addition to the DVD, Beer City also released a CD of the CB’s set as a separate entity. By the way, the sound cuts out for the last several songs due to a board malfunction and was replaced by inferior sound from the video shoot. (PO Box 26035, Milwaukee, WI 53226, www.beercityrecords.com)

KRUNCHIES-In De Winkel (Criminal IQ, CD)

If the three Krunchies were in kindergarten, they’d be declared problem children with all that ranting. Maybe it was missing recess that caused them to grow up and make such a nasty racket. Of course, grown up is a relative term here, although they obviously are trying to fight through it all with such titles as “Sobriety Anxiety” and “Reaffirming My Hatred Of Humanity Through Failed Relationships.” And those are just the first two songs. Psychotic-sounding garage punk/rock ‘n roll. There’s almost a rootsy dimension to the guitar slinging but it’s wedded to ’77 era punk slash and hopped-up speed. Amanda’s vocals are screeching and disconcerting, Kevin’s less-so, but it adds rather than detracts. This is the real down ‘n dirty. (www.criminaliq.com)

MANHANDLERS (Criminal IQ, CD)

Raw, tough garage punk from this Chicago all-woman band and accomplished without really being a retro trip. Bashing and battering their way through 12 short compositions with stripped-down verve. Syd snarls with petulance and attitude and it’s a heady guitar/bass/drums gnash. Not too many hooks, just burn, along the lines of the Smears about a decade ago. Not that new a release but it just showed up in the mail and I’m glad it did. (www.criminaliq.com)

NO THANKS-Are You Ready To Die/Live CBGB’s 1983/Demo 1982 (Mr. Modoreefer, CD-R)

No Thanks were around the NYHC scene in the early to mid 80s but aren’t always as well-remembered as other bands from that time period. I don’t really remember them from “back in the day.” Anyway, that’s about to change with these reissues—three of ‘em in a short stretch. They’d easily fit on one disc, actually. “Are You Ready To Die” was originally released as a 7” in ’83. Straight-ahead, kickass hardcore punk featuring angry-as-fuck vocals by Donna Damage. They also include an unreleased song “Melt Away The Fear,” a mid-tempo, lengthy exercise with a moodier hard rock sound recorded live. Not quite packing the immediacy of the hardcore songs. The live CD has adequate sound and includes live versions of all the songs from the 7” except the title track, plus some otherwise unreleased material. It starts with the instrumental “Surfin’ Ave. A” before kicking into the rage of “Horror.” Jimi’s guitar playing has a frayed edge along with the powerchords and that adds to the overall effect—but the main focus of attention is the band’s power and intensity. Mainly loud and fast, although “Little Minds” takes a slower turn. The demo is just as raging and the hyper-paced “Fuck The Past” may be a fast as anything from that year. The song also intersperses some slower passages with sputtering guitar lines. All different songs from the 7” except for “Aer You Ready To Die.” The packaging for the releases is minimal but made up for by the musical contents. (www.myspace.com/nothankskbd)

RINGERS-Curses (1-2-3-4 Go, CD)

I reviewed this band’s four song demo a few months back and those songs are all here, along with 7 other tracks for the band’s debut album. Based out of Boston, although only two of ‘em live here (one is in Brooklyn, one in Maine—practicing must be a pain!). Loud as fuck melodic punk with irresistible hooks and heart-on-sleeve lyrics. The early 20s/coming-of-age theme runs through a lot of these songs, evaluating ones place in the world, as well as people, places and things that provide love/hate feelings. Punk rock, for instance. The production isn’t too polished and the instruments crash out of the speakers. Slowing it down a bit for “Not Many,” “Hope St.” and “Grind Your Teeth” (the latter with non-cheesy sounding “whooahs”) but the songs otherwise are played at a boisterous clip. (www.1234records.com)

ROTTEN FRUITS-Abomination (Criminal IQ, 7” EP)

“God hates fags? God hates you!” Germ, vocalist for the Rotten Fruits, yelps those words loud and clear on the title track of this four song 7”. Three men, one woman, flying the queer flag high and playing rousing punk rock, along with some reggae for “Skinhead Boys.” The actual title of the song from which I quoted is “A*Bomb*In*A*Nation” and the walking bass-line on the chorus exposes some older rock roots. Limpwrist invaded the straight-edge hardcore scene and the Fruits apparently aim to do the same with the bootboys and girls. More power to ‘em. (www.criminaliq.com)

VEE DEE-Furthur (Criminal IQ, CD)

One fucking solid album for this Chicago trio, probably my favorite release so far from Criminal IQ. A blending that makes you think of different elements—punk, garage and post-punk, with a sharp, jabbingly catchy sound. There’s some Naked Raygun and other early Chicago punk in there but Vee Dee are coy about it. Guitar chords that are equal parts slash and jitter, accompanied by economical arrangements and Dan’s expressive croon. Familiar but also fresh and vibrant as all hell--that’s what keeps drawing me back. (www.criminaliq.com)

WASTED TIME (CD-R demo)

Four well-produced songs from this hard-hitting band out of Virginia Beach. “Shameless” starts with a stomping intro before getting down to raging business. Tight hardcore punk with a speedy modern flavor. Reminds me of Boston’s late A-Team—similar punch and vocal delivery. (wastedtimesucks@yahoo.com)

Suburban Voice blog #3.5

2010-08-11T18:25:00.001-04:00

(This blog, originally published on 6/16/05, didn't have a number but was written between installments #3 and #4 and also appeared in Loud Fast Rules magazine. I thought it was worth re-posting here)

Being somewhat older than a lot of people involved in the punk scene, I’m often asked by the youngsters to talk about the “good old days.” The first thing I tell them is that these are still the good days. That’s only partially true because I have to admit that, while I’m capable of entering a “zone” when seeing a band that’s connecting with me in both a physical and emotional fashion, it’s not quite the same as in my younger days. It was a visceral thrill. Best way I can describe it (someone once chided me for overusing the word visceral in my writing—fuck him!). But the kids want to hear about it. They want to know what it was like to see bands who were around before they were born or in infancy. I sometimes realize how old I’m getting when I hear these kids talking about 2000 as “back in the day.” I sometimes forget how young they were when I ask them if they saw a band that was around in the early 90s and they have to remind me they were in grade school. Reality check!

As I’ve probably mentioned in other columns I’ve written over the years, I had something of a sheltered childhood and adolescence. I was an avid music listener and record collector but didn’t get out much, as they say. I didn’t really see my first live rock show until the summer of ’78 when I was 18. It was at a hockey rink in Danvers, MA and the headlining band was the Nervous Eaters but the show ran all day and, after about 5 hours and the show barely two-thirds over, my friend Leo and I decided to get out. So we didn’t see the Nervous Eaters during their best years. When I finally saw them sometime in the 80s, it was fairly underwhelming. Except for the Eaters, it wasn’t really a punk show, anyway. I remember the first band, Revolver, opened with a cover of Thin Lizzy’s “The Boys Are Back In Town.” I also remember another band, Kill Sound, were pretty fuckin’ rocking, but more metal than punk. We were pretty far up in the bleachers, the bands were on the rink floor and it didn’t have a lot of immediacy or intimacy. Just volume, smoke and roadies wearing “Disco Sucks” t-shirts.

When I got to college that fall, the first place I had to check out was the Rat, the legendary Boston punk club. Leo came up to visit for the weekend from his college and we went there to see a band called the Stompers, who were fairly popular with the more mainstream bar-band scene. Low-rent Springsteen rock ‘n roll, essentially. Leo loved ‘em—he didn’t really ‘get’ punk until years later. I thought they blew. They did get a major label contract later on and I imagine you can find that album in the dollar bin somewhere.

Anyway, I don’t really count those two gigs as my first punk shows. The first official, dyed-in-the-wool punk gig I ever saw was the Plasmatics at that same Rat club in January of 1979. I’d seen the posters for “Butcher Baby” plastered all over Boston and had picked up the EP the week before. I couldn’t convince any of the guys on my dorm floor at BU to go to the show with me so I went alone. It was snowing and I trudged the half mile or so from my dorm to the club. What a freak scene. Lots of degenerate, scary looking people, to this 18 year old.

The opening band was the Molls, who put out a collectible, Killed By Death 7” called “White Stains” and I remember that song. They had a keyboard player who also doubled on electric bassoon, if memory serves me correctly. Or maybe it was another guy, but there was bassoon. An artsy take on punk. They finished and, while the Plasmatics set up, there were video clips of the band showing on the monitors. Finally, the clips ended and there was a blast that came from the stage—there they were. Wendy O. Williams was decked out in a bloodstained Plasmatics’ t-shirt and sheer black see-thru panties. Guys up front groped for her and she kept pulling back at the last second. Wild fuckin’ shit. The set ended with “Butcher Baby.” Someone wearing an execution hood came out with a violin and sawed along. Speaking of sawing, Wendy, of course, sawed a guitar in half with a chainsaw. The set ended, the lights came up and, although each band had one set left, I decided to call it a night—I’d seen what I wanted and when I got back to the dorm, I regaled the guys there with an account of what I’d just seen. They didn’t seem impressed. Too busy listening to the second Boston album or disco. Jimmy, one of the only other punks in my dorm, had already moved out. He was a good guy—he later ran the Underground club in Boston and also managed Mission of Burma.

So that was my live punk rock baptism. Quite an event. 26 years later, I’m still going to shows and I guess I’ve seen quite a few bands. Probably a couple thousand. Who knows. Here are some other memorable ones from my younger years, off the top of my head. All in Boston, Cambridge or environs. I may do a sequel some other time with shows of more recent vintage. Like seeing 9 Shocks Terror in 1997 and that show casting me headfirst back into raw, underground hardcore punk. Or all those sick shows with the New Bomb Turks throughout the 90s. But let’s get into the wayback machine...

THE CLASH, BO DIDDLEY, RENTALS, Harvard Square Theater, 2/16/79

Sometimes, I remember the date, sometimes the month, sometimes the year. I’ll never forget this show. Had to go alone, again, and I’m lucky I got a ticket (price: $7.50) because it sold out in a day or so. No way I was missing my favorite band at the time and it’s still one of my favorite shows. Interesting combination of bands—the Clash insisted that they play with bands that had minority members and women. The Rentals were two man/two woman new wave/garage band who got booed off the stage although, in retrospect, they weren’t that bad. Bo Diddley completely won the crowd over, though. Primal, primitive classic rock ‘n roll and he had it fucking cold, man. Shortly after that, a backdrop of interwoven flags drops and the Clash take the stage and blast out “I’m So Bored With The USA.” I remember my fist pumping furiously for the likes of “Tommy Gun” and “Complete Control.” Even from the balcony, it hit me fucking hard. I saw the OG Clash only one time after that, at the Cape Cod Coliseum in ’82 and then Clash-Lite at the Worcester Centrum around ’84. Definitely not the same.

STIFF LITTLE FINGERS, Paradise, ’80 and ‘81

I think Thrills opened one of these shows. Their guitarist, Johnny Angel, is now a talk host in LA under the name Johnny Wendell. OK pop/punk meets girl group music, always better live. Anyway, SLF were another favorite of mine, from the time I first heard “Suspect Device” in ‘79 and they were touring behind “Nobody’s Heroes” and “Go For It” respectively. Kind of between the original punk and hardcore time frame and, while I was checking out new bands and other styles, I still wanted to hear good old headbanging punk rock. SLF fit the bill, even with their too-long cover of Bob Marley’s “Johnny Was.” Don’t remember what the opening song was in ’80, but in ’81, it was “Roots, Radicals, Rockers and Reggae.” Jake still had the sandpaper snarl going on and they knew how to command a stage.

THE JAM, BOYS LIFE, Channel, summer 1981

2000 or so people jam-med (sorry) into this club. Hot, stifling and my then-girlfriend/now-wife Ellen and I both felt as though we were going to pass out eventually. Boys Life were local mod punk teenagers who had become pals with the Jam and got the opening slot—trio plus sax and pretty good, actually. I went to see them quite a bit back then. The Jam were touring behind “Setting Sons” and I remember singing along to every word of “Private Hell” and some guy with an affected (i.e. fake) British accent also sang along and I think we had our arms over each others shoulders. I remember his parting words to Ellen being “see ‘ya, luv.” The Jam’s ’82 tour, with the two auxiliary players, wasn’t nearly as good. But this show fired on all cylinders and I even recall Weller smiling for a second or two.

KILLING JOKE, Channel, summer 1981

The Channel hosted a ton of great shows throughout the 80s. Mafia run (allegedly), goonish bouncers, cavernous... but I probably saw more good shows there than anywhere else. Here’s a band I got into while stretching the parameters, as I mentioned. Sheets of guitar, a thudding beat and Jaz Coleman making a complete, crazed spectacle of himself. “Pssyche” was the surprise show-stopper. During the opening “Wardance,” Jaz laughed maniacally during the chorus. His face was charred-up to look like a nuclear survivor. Pretty fuckin’ memorable. The best show I saw that year besides...

BLACK FLAG, VITAMIN, Streets, 12/26/81

Streets was a cool, short-lived club in Allston and I managed to see some good bands there in the fall of ’81, mainly TSOL and Anti-Pasti. My friend George worked the door so I even got in for free, most of the time. This was the sickest show, though. The day after Christmas in ’81, filled with angry hardcore youth and I was still kind of an outsider to that scene, at the time. Come to think of it, I never really broke the clique. Anyway, this was shortly after Henry had taken over on vocals and the first time I’d seen Black Flag. I did hear Dez sing during soundcheck, while waiting outside in the cold. An artsy punk band Vitamin opened and got showered with spit and abuse. Black Flag kicked into the opening chords of “TV Party” and the place completely exploded into frenzied slam-dancing. Leo was with me at that show and probably scared shitless. I loved every fucking second of it.

BAD BRAINS, GROINOIDS Maverick’s, 5/1/82

The Brains at a tiny little club in the financial district of Boston. A long narrow room with an outer bar. And the Brains were wicked late, as we say in Mass. As in they showed up at 1:30 AM and the club had to close by 2. Don’t remember much of the Groinoids except they were obnoxious and had a topless woman dancing in front of them. Then a long wait. Ellen and I were about to say fuck it when we saw Earl Hudson walk in the door. Gear came in quickly, there wasn’t a soundcheck. They plugged in and played. All hardcore. No reggae. Absolutely fucking blazing. One of the greatest sets I’ve ever seen. I saw them again the next afternoon at an all-ages show in a different club and it wasn’t nearly as good—started and ended with hardcore but a shit-ton of reggae. But at Maverick’s... holy shit... or holy jah... whatever...

FU’S, SS DECONTROL, MINOR THREAT, PROLETARIAT, Gallery East, 6/12/82

I was just out of college. That was the week I started my job as a management trainee for the Zayre department store chain. This was my first real DIY hardcore punk show in Boston, at a little art gallery space near South Station in Boston. Probably 200 people there, maybe less. The organizers had Minor Threat play second because they wanted to make sure they got to play in case the show got shut down. It didn’t, fortunately. The Proletariat, although not really a hardcore band, were embraced by the Boston hardcore scene and played well. This was first time seeing them... in fact, it was my first time seeing SS Decontrol, as well. I’d seen the FU’s the previous fall, at Streets, when they were a three-piece and they’d improved dramatically in the four-piece lineup. But, of course, the main attraction was Minor Threat and, although I didn’t go near the pit, I was still bowled-over by this band’s insane energy level. I kept focusing on Jeff Nelson’s lightning fast drumming and Ian’s rubber-faced presence. I’d found something that really spoke to me and it was the start of a beautiful friendship... Minor Threat returned twice more in the next year—the following March, with the five piece lineup at a VFW hall in Cambridge (also a sick show, with SSD, Necros, FU’s and the Meatmen) and a year to the day later at the Channel. They were incredible at those shows, too, but the first time was the most memorable. I really felt something that day.

NECROS, NEGATIVE APPROACH, MEATMEN, GANG GREEN, DYS, Gallery East, 8/13/02

The Process of Elimination tour, plus two locals. DYS really sucked at that point—it was before they got Andy Strachan on guitar and the highlight was their cover of “Wipe Out.” Gang Green were a bit off, too. But then the midwesterners took the stage and it was a 1-2-3 punch, especially Negative Approach. Excuse me, Negative FUCKING Approach... Just nuts. John Brannon coldly staring down the audience, harshly barking out the words, neck veins and forehead veins in bold relief. I only knew “Lost Cause” at that point (the 7” wasn’t out yet) but hadn’t yet heard a band this fierce. The Meatmen provided comic relief, the Necros also thrashed energetically and did a cool cover of Sham’s “Rip Off” to end the show but that night belonged to Negative Approach. Their ’83 show at the Channel was decent, their ’84 show with just Brannon remaining less-so but this was a band at the pinnacle of their raw savagery. I should mention that it was shows such as this one that inspired me to start my ‘zine, originally called Suburban Punk. This show was reviewed in the first issue.

MISFITS, FU’S, DYS, NEGATIVE FX, First Cambridge Congregational Church, 12/17/82

Man, did I go home with some bruises after this one. A wild, insane show. Some people did act like assholes (I might have been one—I honestly don’t remember) and raided a refrigerator filled with milk in the basement, all the while singing the Teen Idles’ “I Drink Milk.” Negative FX had really got it together by this point. Choke was sporting a beard and a flannel shirt and there were lumberjack jokes. DYS had also improved and the FU’s were kicking lots of ass by this point, as well. When they did “Green Beret,” a line of people charged from the back of the stage when Sox yelled “hit the beach!” The Misfits raised holy hell, playing songs spanning their whole career. Robo was the drummer at this point and I remember him coming up to me at the end of the show and giving me a pocketful of change for the second issue of my zine.

MISSION OF BURMA, DANGEROUS BIRDS, NEGATIVE FX, Bradford Hotel, 3/12/83

Mission of Burma are one of my all-time favorite local bands. They could be maddeningly inconsistent live but they were on more often than not and created a live sound that was a howling sheet of burn and melody. As time progressed, they were clearly influenced by the hardcore punk boom. Drummer Peter Prescott has been quoted as saying that playing with the Bad Brains was a turning point and Burma found a mutual kinship with the local hardcore community and I definitely remember seeing them at some of those shows. Guitarist/vocalist Roger Miller, unfortunately, had developed tinnitus and Burma announced they’d be splitting and played two final Boston shows at this hotel ballroom in the theater district (it’s now the Roxy club, by the way)—one all-ages, which I attended, and one for the overage crowd. Negative FX were also playing their last show and their buddies started wreaking havoc with stage dives and slamming the minute they started playing. They did get through about 15-20 minutes before the sound got cut and Choke yelled “we ain’t gonna stop, fuck you” as they went into “Might Makes Right” (as heard on the Negative FX/Last Rights CD). Bedlam... it quieted a bit for the artier post-punk of Dangerous Birds (with Thalia Zedek, later of Come) but Burma’s appearance brought out an endless parade of stage diving, even for the more melodic songs. What a way to go out. NFX never did re-form but Burma returned earlier this decade for another go-round and, both live and on disc, it’s been a mighty reincarnation.

CRUCIFIX, SSD, DEEP WOUND, OUTPATIENTS, ALL WHITE JURY, Greenfield Grange, Greenfield, MA, 5/14/83

ROCK AGAINST REAGAN TOUR, UMass Amhert, 5/19/83

I think of these shows together—my first trip to Western Mass, home of Deep Wound and the much-underrated Outpatients, the latter of whom never got their due during their hardcore period (they went metal later on). While at that show, someone handed me a flyer for the Rock Against Reagan show at UMass. There was also one of those in Boston but I managed to miss it, somehow. Crucifix—holy fucking shit. While they weren’t so great at RAR, they had my jaw on the fucking floor at the Greenfield show, shortly after when they opened for Flipper at the Channel and blew them off the stage and later that year back in Greenfield. One of the most powerful US hardcore punk bands I ever had the pleasure of seeing play live.

Western Mass. was a cool scene. Nowhere near as violent as Boston—they were doing circle pits there in ’83 and it had a friendlier, more inclusive vibe to it. The Rock Against Reagan show was on a Thursday, a work day for me but there was no way I was missing it. So I called in sick and loaded up the car with a bunch of friends and we made the 2 ½ hour drive to Amhert. Minor Threat’s “Out Of Step” blasting on my cassette deck in my 1980 Chevy Chevette. Actually, several hours in the car with some of those kids was a bit much. One of ‘em, Chris, regaled us with stories about his dick all the way home and, at one point, offered this observation: “it swallowed a goat once.” HUH? I also think he was the one that was farting incessantly throughout the trip. But those were my first two punk rock roadtrips and many more would follow.

Other things I remember about Rock Against Reagan: DRI playing faster than the speed of light. The fratboy jocks who paraded an American flag through the crowd. Some of ‘em went in the pit and started suckerpunching people, including women. One of ‘em singing the Pistols’ “Belsen Was A Gas” and emphasizing the word Jews. The pigs almost shutting it down during MDC’s set and threatening to confiscate everything because there had supposedly been complaints about noise.. Dave MDC whacking his head on something over the flatbed truck and almost knocking himself cold. The Yippie propaganda I brought home with me and the Rock Against Reagan poster that hung in my one-room apartment for the remaining two years I lived there. I still have it somewhere in the closet.

METALLICA, STEEL ASSASSIN, Channel, Jaunary ‘84

Metallica actually played the Rat in the summer of ’83, opening for Raven and I was outside the club and didn’t go in, LIKE A FUCKING MORON. I wasn’t a moron this time and saw them play in front of maybe 200 people. This was during the “Kill ‘Em All” tour. A few of us hardcore people started slam-dancing but the bouncers made us stop. I guess the metalheads weren’t ready to be caught in a mosh yet. Bad joke but it fits ‘cause Metallica were using Anthrax’s gear—theirs had been stolen and they dedicated “Seek and Destroy” to the thieves. My first more or less underground metal experience—blam! Direct hit. Steel Assassin were local power metallers and all I remember is their singer wore spiked armbands and drew blood on his bicep when he crossed his arms in some kind of metallic pose.

HÜSKER DÜ, ARTICLES OF FAITH, OUTPATIENTS, PERSONALITY CRISIS, Pulaski Hall, Easthampton, MA, 6/21/84

This was part of my “week with Hüsker Dü,” where I saw them three nights in a row, in Providence, Boston and Western Mass., all the while going in everyday and working on little sleep and I was a zombie by week’s end. Actually, the Boston show the day before this was the best Hüsker show that week. It was an invite-only affair at a tiny club, Chet’s Last Call, near the old Boston Garden. They played an all-request set and I got to sing “In A Free Land” with them.

But I list the Easthampton show because it was life-changing. In a way. I got to see Articles of Faith, who were one of the best bands I saw that year. So fucking powerful and furious—two, sometimes three guitars ripping out the chords in tandem and Vic Bondi grasping the mike (when not fettered by a guitar) and getting in people’s faces while voicing the lyrics that meant a lot to this angry 24 year old—mired in a job I despised. The summer of ’84 REALLY sucked, work-wise. I was in a windowless office all day in the basement of a bank, working with chainsmokers and it was pure hell. The hardcore and punk shows were my release. I interviewed Vic and his bandmates that night and feel as though it was a turning point for my zine, which became Suburban Voice, with issue #11 and with Vic appearing on the cover. “Five O’Clock,” “In Your Suit,” “Every Man For Himself”—the songs from their “Give Thanks” album that came out after this show meant so fucking much to me. So did the two previous 7”s, especially “I Got Mine.” I remember sitting in their van, admiring their Mr. T air freshener and also admiring someone who seemed to “get it.” Not hero worship, just respect. Inspiration to get me through the shitty work day.

The interview had a flow and easy conversationality I hadn’t experienced before. Less than a year later, I broke free from my banking career and never looked back. No regrets. Oh yeah, the show—all the bands killed but it was AOF’s night. And in the friendly Western Mass. environs, which meant I could dance and stage dive and not worry about tough-guy bullshit. I also interviewed Mitch from Personality Crisis—what a voice. And I played frisbee with Grant and Bob from the Hüskers. What a fucking week.

RAW POWER, RIISTEYT, PSYCHO, Paradise, 7/30/84

RAW POWER, OUTPATIENTS, NO SYSTEM, others, Pulaski Hall, 7/31/84

FUCK AUTHORITYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!! The foreign hardcore invasion and Raw Power bowled over everyone who saw them that summer. Unstoppable and unforgettable—especially their guitar hero Davide, who also handled the banshee vocal on that song. The show at the Paradise featured the Holy Dolls era-Riistetyt and I don’t recall much about their set except they’d weren’t thrashing as much by then. This was the period where Psycho were a good fast hardcore punk band—loathed by a good chunk of the Boston hardcore scene and it wasn’t always justified. But, man, Raw Power. A dynamo. Sheer hardcore meets metallic fury in those dawning crossover days, before people were calling it that. My band, at the time, No System, opened for them at Pulaski Hall and our set was memorable only for the fact that it was our first as a trio, with me on bass and vocals and I blew out my vocal chords for three days. Raw Power’s bass-player borrowed my 40 watt Peavey bass amp and I can guarantee no better sound ever came out of that device in all the years I’ve owned it. My friend Jane (R.I.P.—I miss you so much) accompanied me to that show and bought a bottle of booze and got the band drunk. She got herself drunk, as well, and it was very interesting trying to find my way back to her house since I didn’t really know the way and she was a bit too messed up to help me. She always got pissed when I told that story. Hope she doesn’t mind now, if she’s reading this. I’m not much of a believer in anything spiritual or the afterlife but something tells me she could still get even, regardless.

VOID, AGNOSTIC FRONT, MURPHY’S LAW, KIL SLUG, Huntington Street YMCA, 8/11/84

This show was as memorable for the extracirricular shenanigans as much as the music... the basement of a Y and there weren’t any more shows after this one, if I remember. Fights and violence all night, as Murphy’s Law and AF were accompanied by a bunch of their thuggish friends. That ‘ol NY/Boston rivalry and the Yankees weren’t even playing! Dicky Barrett got beaten up by about ten of the New Yorkers. It was rough. Once again, don’t remember much of the musical details, except for Void. Void’s only Boston appearance and sick, twisted and killer, from the opening chords of “Who Are You.” They were drunk but man did they shred ‘n wail, as we said back in ’84. Especially Bubba, in his Motley Crue shirt and kerchief. Remember, this was 1984—hardcore still had a fashion code, I think.

JERRY’S KIDS, GANG GREEN, 76 PERCENT UNCERTAIN, Paradise, 12/15/84

This was the show where Springa from SSD declared hardcore was dead and that “we end it here today.” In a way, it was the end of an era because his band and DYS had gone in an execrable metal direction and a lot of people had moved on. Anyway, Springa was making a spectacle of himself during Jerry’s Kids’ set and got roughed up by the bouncers. Plenty of tension at that show but Jerry’s Kids were full-tilt that day. This was the lineup without Chris Doherty and with Dave Aaronson. In all honesty, the lineup with Doherty was the best and I saw them play some absolutely pulverizing sets. Still, it was a benchmark show and a good place to leave off.

Shit, this is getting long. I didn’t even get to the first time I saw Siege and was amazed by their sheer, violent force. Probably the best live local hardcore band of that time. Or the riot at the Youth Brigade show at the Channel in ’83 where someone hocked a loogie at a bouncer and that started a chair-throwing brawl, right during “Sink With California.” Or when Gang Green did their first reunion in the summer of ’84 and Chris Doherty was really drunk. I mean barely able to stand up and he said “I’m not gonna fuckin’ play until you all yell Budweiser.” That’s where the whole Budweiser schtick began. They got through about ten minutes until Chris got on a monitor and dove off and passed out on the stage. He was then carried off by his friends, to wild applause.

So many stories, not enough time... for now...

Suburban Voice blog #3

2010-08-11T18:06:00.000-04:00

JANE (R.I.P.)

(originally published 9/12/05)

Alright, this time it took a month... so here's a nice long installment...

So much I could write about—the insanity never ends but, sometimes, it’s hard to get the outrage running through my brain and coming out of my mouth onto this screen. There’s the devastation of Hurricane Katrina that destroyed the city of New Orleans and wreaked havoc on the surrounding areas as well. There’s the death of Supreme Court Chief Justice William Rehnquist and his less-than-exemplary record, no matter what the mainstream press or Republican machine would want you to believe. Now Bush will have two spots on the Court to fill and it could spell a dangerous time for people who believe in such things as the right to privacy, reproductive choice, the right for people to have the same rights no matter their race, religion, national origin or sexual orientation. Little things like that.

The day I’m posting this column, it’s the fourth anniversary of 9/11. It’s hard not to notice that the weather this past week has been exactly like it was that day—sunny, clear, warm. Absolutely gorgeous. Nicest weather of the year that I wish I could bottle for use when we get hit with the inevitable snowstorms later this winter.

Regarding that day four years ago, I’ve written about my personal take on these events in my own zine and other columns (as well as the blog on my personal page). It bears repeating because, even four years later, it’s still something that weighs on my mind. I still have a hole in my life (hey, the first Police album was damn good—shut up). My best friend, Jane Simpkin, died that day, on the second plane that hit the World Trade Center.

Jane was an amazing person. I don’t say that about many people. She had overcome a tremendous amount of adversity in her life, which I won’t detail, but it was formidable, trust me. She had just started law school and would have been one of the most kick-ass defense attorneys ever—I’m certain of that. She could come across as intimidating at first, with that distinctive British accent of hers. She favored black clothing, had a ton of tattoos and close-cropped hair, to say nothing of the fact that she would let you know her point of view in no uncertain terms, but she was also a friend who was always there for us and was one of the most compassionate, kindest people I’ve ever known. And someone with an easy laugh who had an even sicker sense of humor than myself.

I’d known her since the early 80s—we met through the hardcore scene around ‘83 or ‘84 and, after she went off to college in Michigan, I lost track of her for awhile. I ran into her completely randomly on the street while going to a Nirvana show at an MIT dorm in 1990 and we re-connected. Over the next few years, as we both went through some difficult events, Jane and I became very close friends and she also became one of Ellen’s best friends, as well.

I actually found out that Jane was on that flight by accident. I found out about the attacks while surfing the net and, like everyone else, turned on the TV. The images were mesmerizing and I sat glued, transfixed, pondering the incomprehensible for an hour or so, before deciding to take a break and do my usual morning errands.

En route, I decided to give Jane a call—if anyone would have perspective on this craziness, it would be her. I dialed her number on my cell phone and got her mother, who sounded distraught. She told me that Jane had left for LA that morning and her plane couldn’t be accounted for. I had to immediately pull to the side of the road as this news sank in. She gave me the flight number and promised to call as soon as she heard anything. United Flight 175…

I found out later that day that she had, indeed, been on that plane. The reaction was one of numbness and it took awhile to sink in. You want it just be a bad dream and that’s not the way it is. The last four years seem like an extended bad dream, in a way, for so many reasons—in my own life and observing the divisiveness in this country and the march towards fascism. Yes, fascism.

I still think of Jane almost every day. I tend to think of my close friends as being more my real family than those I’m related to by blood and Jane was definitely someone I thought of as being family. I still do. My sister died that day. So it's September, the weather is calm but the world is still fucked up. The last four years have made me feel more detached and cynical. A part of me died that day. A part I can never get back.

A MIGHTY WIND... AN INADEQUATE RESPONSE...

On to Hurricane Katrina—the aftermath of that storm had me watching CNN more than any other event since, well, 9/11. Switching back and forth between that and Air America Radio. It’s a huge story. I can’t write about every aspect of it but the bungling can’t pass without comment.

The tragedy itself, is bad enough. A city decimated and it’ll never be the same again. People have been permanently displaced and, when the rebuilding and redevelopment of that waterfront region happens, it’s unlikely they’ll be able to return. Incidentally, the contract for that redevelopment has been given to Halliburton. Sound familiar? It should—Dick Cheney used to be their CEO. And the former head of FEMA (the Federal Emergency Management Agency), Joe Allbaugh, now lobbies for Halliburton subsidiary KBR. How fucking cozy. Quite the daisy chain.

Speaking of FEMA, they REALLY fucked this up and their head, Michael Brown, has finally been reassigned. Not fired, necessarily, which is a complete outrage, but he’s been sent back to DC, at least. He was completely unqualified for his position. Brown had no previous disaster experience before getting appointed by an old college pal by the name of, ta-da, Joe Allbaugh. Pure patronage. Pure bullshit. Brown got fired from his previous job with the International Arabian Horse Association. And he was completely clueless while the events were unfolding. The Left-leaning “Democracy Now” website reported:

“... as ten of thousands of people waited in squalid conditions inside the New Orleans Convention Center desperate for food, water, and security, Brown told Paula Zahn's CNN that he was unaware of the conditions even though TV images had shown the plight of the people all day. Brown then appeared to lay blame on the victims of the hurricane when he responded to a question about the probable high death toll saying, “Unfortunately, that's going to be attributable a lot to people who did not heed the advance warnings.”

HE DIDN’T FUCKING KNOW!! Brown had no idea what was going on. And he reacted to the mounting criticism by saying, “People want to lash out at me, lash out at FEMA... I think that's fine. Just lash out, because my job is to continue to save lives.” I don’t even think that merits further comment because it’s so ridiculous. Oh what the hell. Save lives? SAVE LIVES??

What of those victims? You know, the ones who didn’t heed the warnings. First of all, FEMA doesn’t even want people to see the victims, demanding that the press not publish photos of the dead. But some people can’t understand why these victims just didn’t evacuate when they had the chance, not taking into consideration that many couldn’t due to physical or economic limitations. Not everyone has support to assist them with their physical disabilities. Not everyone has a car they can just hop into. Not everyone can afford the gas, especially these days. Not everyone can afford to get on a bus or train—when they were available, that is. Greyhound suspended service the night before the hurricane hit so that option was removed.

Class and race issues have been raised—were the delays by the federal government to rescue or help the victims a result of class and/or racial bias? Was a blind eye turned to the mainly dark-skinned, poor victims? I’ve heard different interpretations about those class and race issues and the cynical part of me does think it comes into play. Some people even went as far as to call it ethnic cleansing.

The San Jose Mercury News puts it into a context in an article (“Katrina revives debate about race in America,” 9/2/05): “In conversations at restaurants, homes, offices, on talk radio and online, it's clear that many blacks and whites view the tragedy of Katrina very differently... the article goes on to quote some prominent African-Americans, among them Jesse Jackson, who “charged that race was "at least a factor" in the slow response.” Rep. Elijah Cummings from Maryland, when asked in a CNN interview if the government would have moved faster if the victims were mainly white, he said, "I think that that's a pretty good probability."

Bush couldn’t even be bothered to get there all that quickly. He did finally cut his month-long (!) vacation short by a few days but the damage was done. Emporer Nero played a fiddle while Rome burned. Bush, on the other hand, was spotted playing a guitar given to him by country singer Matt Wills a day after the hurricane hit New Orleans full-blast. Bush was visiting a naval base in Texas instead of being back in Washington or in the region affected by the hurricane. On the internet, people put photos of the hurricane’s destruction side by side with one of Bush strumming away. According to some guitarists, it was just pretend-playing as he didn’t even have his fret hand in a proper chord formation.

Initially, the criticism of Bush’s tardy handling of the affair did come from all sides of the political spectrum, although since then, attempts to spin the blame on the governor of Louisiana and mayor of New Orleans (both Democrats, incidentally) have begun. But, during the week after the hurricane, field reporters on CNN and, believe it or not, Fox News were pointing out the horrors going on in New Orleans, often to skeptical anchors or hosts in the safety of the studio at home. Even the Manchester Union-Leader, regarded as one of the most right-wing newspapers in the US, had this to say: “A better leader would have flown straight to the disaster zone and announced the immediate mobilization of every available resource to rescue the stranded, find and bury the dead, and keep the survivors fed, clothed, sheltered and free of disease.”

I never thought the day would come where I’d agree with anything in that newspaper but they nailed it. This is a HUGE story and it’s not going away anytime soon. Let’s just hope it leads to some kind of positive change—starting with the Repukes being handed a resounding defeat in the 2006 election. It’s time the bastards fell, to quote a great Stiff Little Fingers song. They also said “don’t believe them... don’t be bitten twice” on that song. How many times do people have to be bitten before they learn their lesson?

WILLIAM REHNQUIST, R.I.P.?

As I mentioned at the top, William Rehnquist died at the age of 80. At this time, Bush has nominated the inexperienced, unproven (that sounds familiar) John Roberts to be Chief Justice. Not just an associate justice and that’s despite the fact he only has a few years of judiciary experience. Since he’d be replacing Rehnquist, it’s a wash, because Roberts is a hardcore right-winger, as was Rehnquist. Roberts was originally supposed to replace the more moderate Sandra Day O’Connor and one wonders what right-winger will be selected to replace her and whether the wishy-washy Democrats will offer any resistance or roll over like they’ve repeatedly done in recent years.

Getting back to Rehnquist, though, he was a consistent, hard-line conservative his whole life. And most-likely a bigot. I heard Harvard professor Alan Dershowitz interviewed on the radio the other night, after he wrote an article highly critical of Rehnquist right after his death. The article appeared on HuffingtonPost.com. Dershowitz offers a scathing indictment, painting Rehnquist as racist and anti-semitic, among other things. In the opening paragraph, he states, “Chief Justice William Rehnquist set back liberty, equality, and human rights perhaps more than any American judge of this generation.” David Corn, on The Nation’s website, writes that Rehnquist “spent much of his adult life trying to restrict the rights of American citizens and to empower further the already-powerful.”

Corn goes on to say “in recent years there has been no other Supreme Curt justice who had a personal history so loaded with racism--or, to be kinder than is warranted, tremendous insensitivity to racial discrimination--as did William Rehnquist. As a law clerk for Justice Robert Jackson in the early 1950s--when the Court was considering the historic Brown v. Board of Education school desegregation case--Rehnquist wrote a memo defending the infamous 1896 decision, Plessy v. Ferguson, which established the separate-but-equal doctrine. Rehnquist noted, "That decision was right and should be reaffirmed." In other words, he favored continuing discrimination and racial segregation. During his 1971 confirmation hearings, after he was nominated to serve as an associate justice on the Supreme Court, he said that memo merely reflected Jackson's view not his own. But few historians have bought that shaky explanation.”

Dershowitz makes similar claims in his article. He also writes, “The young Rehnquist began his legal career as a Republican functionary by obstructing African-American and Hispanic voting at Phoenix polling locations (“Operation Eagle Eye”)... In a word, he started out his political career as a Republican thug.
As for Rehnquist’s anti-semitism, his home in Vermont had a covenant barred sale of the property to ''any member of the Hebrew race.” While in college at Stanford University, Dershowitz also makes the claim he was fond of anti-semitic and racist jokes and that he had “outraged Jewish classmates by goose-stepping and heil-Hitlering with brown-shirted friends in front of a dormitory that housed the school’s few Jewish students.”
Dershowitz sums up Rehnquist’s philosophy this way: “He generally opposed the rights of gays, women, blacks, aliens, and religious minorities. He was a friend of corporations, polluters, right wing Republicans, religious fundamentalists, homophobes, and other bigots.”

I know I’m quoting a lot from Dershowitz’s article but I’ve felt the same way for a long time, watching this man’s career. There’s not a lot I can add, here. Oh yes... one more thing. Let’s not forget that he was one of the five justices who installed George W. Bush as president. Was there any doubt he’d do that? After all, Rehnquist’s loyalty always seemed to be with the Republicans. A loathsome career. One that should not be admired but raised as a cautionary tale of judicial extremism...

FINALLY! RECORDS TO CHASE AWAY THE BLAHS...

LOOK BACK AND LAUGH

THE AFTERMATH-Goodbye To Washington (Grave Mistake, 7” EP)
Goodbye again... this is the Aftermath’s second posthumous release since their 2004 split and their best recording. Mike growls out the words like he might bite your jugular vein and the Aftermath blend crunch with speed. Like their brethren 86 Mentality (I still have to get their new 7”), the Aftermath take inspiration from the rugged early 80s hardcore sound but don’t do a straight-up tribute. The commonality is a purity in execution and the heaviness doesn’t drag it down. A bruising epitaph. (PO Box 12482, Richmond, VA 23241, www.gravemistakerecords.com)

ARMY OF JESUS-Rats In The Walls (self-released, 7” EP)
I was impressed with this band on their recent east coast tour, catching them both in Boston and Philly. Fast, ass-kicking hardcore punk. Raw and scrappy and voicing the frustration of day to day life. A particular issue with religion, in case the name of the band didn’t give it away or the title “Priest Vomits Blood.” No bullshit, just burn.

BASTARD SONS OF APOCALYPSE (Distort, 7” EP)
To paraphrase something my pal Tony from Ohio (no relation to EdfromOhio, thank god) would say, these guys are rippers. Second EP, only 5 songs instead of 6 this time, but the same method of destruction. Raw D-beat hardcore—simple, straightforward and effective. Not quite the same as seeing ‘em live, but it’ll still tear you a new one. (PO Box 80338, Minneapolis, MN 55408, skell_@hotmail.com)

CLOROX GIRLS-This Dimension (Smartguy, CD)
Sharp, snappy and catchy punk. Despite the name, this Portland trio don’t sound like Red Cross, although it’s born from the same snotty spirit. ’77 inspired punk meets garage and with a complete lack of pretense. “This Dimension” is the band’s second album, following up their hot ’04 self-titled debut and there’s been a change in bass-players but no other radical changes. No posing, just power, although the pure pop of “Tara” quiets things down but it picks up again for the smokin’ bonus track “Animal Eyes” (also the b-side of their recent 7”). I don’t have to go into some long diatribe here—the Clorox Girls’ key is brevity and a whole lotta hooks. Simple is better. (3288 21st St., #32, SF, CA 94110, www.smartguyrecords.com)

EASY ACTION-Friends Of Rock & Roll (Reptilian, CD)
John Brannon is indestructible. He’s lived the life and his stare cuts right through anything in its path. Same with that voice of his—rusted, blunt and still exorcistic. Vocalist for one of the greatest hardcore bands ever, Negative Approach. Then he spent years in the hit and miss Laughing Hyenas. With Easy Action, he’s mainly back on track. While the closing organ/soul ballad “What’s Going Down” is a weak conclusion, the balance of Easy Action’s second album rocks hard and furiously, especially “I’m Waiting,” “Get It” and Stones-meets-Stooges “Get The Fuck Out Of My Way.” The bluesier jams are sneakier, the impact subtler yet it eventually worms its way in—Brannon’s performance on “Dead Of Night” is head-grabbing. Hell is still being raised. (www.reptilianrecords.com)

HOSTILE TAKEOVER-Fucking Up And Fallin Hard (625, EP)
Flailing thrash and slow, heavy segments in short, feedback-drenched permutations. A step up from their previous 7” on Crucial Records. Superior production, for one thing. Truth be told, sometimes the tightness sometimes gets lost in the speed—a problem with a lot of thrashier bands but these guys win me over with the manic delivery and smart lyrical take. “Embrace The Tiger” even has a breakdown that conjures up the ’97 youth crew revival without the stupidity. “My Limp Wrist Hoodie Got Me Beat Up” may bring a chuckle but it raises important issues about homophobia and violence. Hostile? Damn right they sound hostile. (www.625thrash.com)

LOOK BACK AND LAUGH (Lengua Armada, LP)
Second album from Look Back and Laugh (there was also a split with Dropdead, in between) and just as throttling. Tobia’s rabid vocals summon demons and the words tackle serious issues with vivid imagery and wordcraft and without being obvious—getting you to think a bit. Same for the artwork of a skeleton drawing blood with a razor and an American flag towel at the ready. Raw, fast songs packing drama and powerchords. It’s an overall effect, as opposed to catchy songwriting and that effect is to bulldoze everything in front of it—sorry to use such pretentious alliteration. Play it loud. You’ll understand what I’m getting at. (band contact: PO Box 3103, Berkeley, CA 94703, www.lookbackandlaugh.net)

MARTYRDÖD-In Extremis (Havoc, LP)
Overpowering, heavy-as-fuck Swedish hardcore. Martyrdöd tune those guitars down low and have a thundering, dramatic thick sound with metallic leanings but it moves like crazy. Somber melodies and texture under the mayhem which features howling vocals accompanied by two guitars, bass and drums pumping it out. Lyrics are in Swedish but the words convey agony and pain and English translations of the titles—“Welcome To The Kingdom Of Death,” “A Collision Course Between Two Worlds,” “Hear Warning!,” give a good indication of the dark-hued themes. Soul-screaming pulverization. (PO Box 8585, Minneapolis, MN 55408, www.havocrex.com)

SCHISM: NEW YORK HARDCORE FANZINE by Alex Brown and Porcell (B9 Press, book)
The first release from Bridge Nine’s publishing arm is a soft-cover compilation of the three issues of this New York hardcore ‘zine, published in 1987 and 1988. Alex Brown had moved to NYC from Iowa, had already published five issues of a zine called Loveseat but changed the name to Schism with issue #6. The book reproduces the original cut and paste layout of the zines and also includes interviews with Project X (Porcell and Alex were the instigators of that band) and reminiscences from both editors and other friends. There’s also an archive of photos and flyers from the period and a Schism discography.

It brings back memories of a certain time—it’s a snapshot and Alex and Porcell were fiercely loyal to their segment of the New York hardcore scene—not just the straight-edge bands but also Warzone, Youth Defense League, Sick Of It All, etc. Very self-contained and protective against who they viewed as critical—Mike Bullshit, George Tabb and MRR, in particular. I have mixed feelings about this era—I was into some of the bands but it felt like a clique and a boys club, to be honest—very little female involvement, at least in the bands (in the photos, few females can be seen). And while I was straight-edge during most of that period, I found the militancy off-putting. The interviews occasionally reveal an uglier side: the one with Youth Defense League is jaw-dropping in the ignorant statements expressed. A dose of unintentional humor and sad at the same time. Their vocalist Nick, in response to a question about whether he agreed with Skrewdriver that black people should get out of England, says “to a certain extent I do. England has been a white country for 900 years” and goes on to say, in essence, that immigrants take up too many jobs. While Alex and Porcell asked the tough questions, they didn’t really challenge Nick on that statement.

Still, this book is entertaining and reading the accounts as they happened does bring the history alive, to use a bad cliché. Among the bands/people interviewed: Al from SSD, Gorilla Biscuits, No For An Answer, Warzone, Bold and Dag Nasty. Schism is a part of hardcore history and it’s good to have it available again, whether you want to romanticize it or approach it from a different perspective. (www.b9press.com)

PROJECT X (Bridge Nine, 7” EP)
Speaking of Project X, Bridge Nine have also reissued the five song EP (well, four full songs and the very short “Cross Me”). Yeah, it’s militant and in-your-face but it’s also some ass-kicking hardcore. Hard not to want to mosh furiously to “Straight Edge Revenge,” “Shutdown” or “Dance Floor Justice.” The slower-paced “Where It Ends” isn’t as intriguing and sounds like the start of the less-savory slow/heavy era. Kind of a guilty pleasure but every time I hear a band cover “Straight Edge Revenge,” I’m in there singing along. (PO Box 990052, Boston, MA 02199, www.bridge9.com)

Suburban Voice blog #2

2010-08-10T17:59:00.000-04:00

GROSS NATIONAL PRODUCT

(originally published 8/11/05)

9 days... not bad for getting another blog together—although a lot of this will end up in AMP Magazine but you folks get first view...

Anyway, as I get ready to drive from my home in Massachusetts to Philly for the Pointless Fest this weekend, I keep thinking of that line from Gang Of Four’s “Cheeseburger” that goes “I hope they keep down the price of gas.” it sure as hell doesn’t seem as though “they” (who are this “they”?) are keeping down the price of gas. Every time I drive by the gas station, it’s gone up again. I just heard that the average price is 47 cents higher than it was a year ago. It cost me about $22 to fill my tank the other day and I have a Corolla. Add in the tolls and it’s not going to be a cheap trip. I’m just glad I have a free place to stay down there. So glad that right after Bush’s energy bill, which is essentially a big corporate giveaway, gas prices continue to skyrocket. Really fucking glad...

So I’m taking this trip and took another trip with my wife Ellen a few weeks ago. That one was down to St. Petersburg, Florida. Now, Florida in the summertime may be a questionable choice and, indeed, the weather was hot, humid and miserable the entire time we were down there. I remember the smiling weather person talking about how the dust storms at St. Pete Beach were going to create some beautiful sunrises and sunsets. No mention of how it would aggravate anyone’s asthma or other breathing problems. Ellen and I spent a little while at the beach on our last day there and our throats killed us until we got home.

But flights were cheap and the Red Sox were playing the Devil Rays down there. Tropicana Field is rather charmless but it’s indoors and air-conditioned. Tickets were plentiful—it’s tough to get tickets at Fenway Park in Boston since the Red Sox won the World Series. Unlike Fenway, the sight lines are decent. No fucking poles in front of you. The crowd was probably 80-20 Sox/D-Rays fans and, instead of the usual 10,000 or so fans, there were about 20,000 each night. The Devil Rays’ mascot, Raymond, was getting heckled and he responded by taking a Sox hat from one kid and rubbing his armpits and ass with it and pretending to moon the crowd—Raymond doesn’t wear pants so he turned around and simulated the act.

We also saw a pretty good hardcore show at Sound Idea Records in Brandon, which is about 45 minutes from St. Pete. Sound Idea is located in one of the endless strip plazas that dot Rt. 60 aka Brandon Blvd. One chain store after another. Ultra-sprawl. I was getting depressed while driving down this stretch. We have a lot of sprawl up here as well but parts of Florida, at least in the Tampa/St. Pete area, just seem like one long stretch of it. The Howard Frankland Bridge that connects Tampa and St. Pete, and is about 7 or 8 miles long, is cool to drive across (when there isn’t any traffic), even with the hazy air. Sound Idea, though, is kind of an oasis—a DIY record store and occasional show space in a nondescript plaza that has a gun shop, an overpriced Italian restaurant and a more reasonably-priced seafood place that we patronized (not bad, either). Local rippers the Holy Mountain played, as did Montreal’s Cobra Noir, who have a dark, heavy, thrashing sound and another local band, Gross National Product, opened up. Even though I didn’t know most of the people there, I felt at home, in my element, so to speak.

Driving around, one easily discerns the difference between the tourist areas and the more impoverished sections—you can’t help but notice all the cash-checking and bail bond stores. South St. Pete looks as though it’s been through some rough times and it’s situated near some gated communities as you get closer to St. Pete Beach. The haves and have-nots. The beach area is kind of tacky, although there were some humorous landmarks, such as the ice cream stand that you print readers can see in this column. And we found some good food—Rib City Grill absolutely fucking rules! We went there twice. It’s a chain but a damn good one.

The nicer part is near the bay—we checked out the Dali Museum, which was a trip. I’m not that into art museums but this held my interest. There’s also the BayWalk, which is an area of overpriced shops and restaurants. The deli there was pretty good but Johnny Rockets sucked ass. Our one miserable meal. I mention BayWalk because there was some controversy surrounding this area in the past few weeks. An ant-war group, St. Pete for Peace (www.stpeteforpeace.org) has been gathering at BayWalk to protest the war and, on August 6, six demonstrators were arrested. According to the St. Petersburg Times, “Saturday night began as it had in the past. Protesters held signs critical of the war and President Bush, and that extolled the virtues of free speech. Between 30 and 50 people joined the demonstration...Things turned more contentious about 8:30 p.m. when police arrested the 13-year-old on a charge of obstructing a city sidewalk. Then Michael O'Neil, 33, was arrested after police said he trespassed on BayWalk property... St. Petersburg police spokesman Bill Proffitt said the two were put in the back of a police escort van but a group of protesters linked arms and surrounded the van.”

A 13 year old kid? You have to be fucking kidding me... the story goes on to quote a patron at the wretched Dan Marino’s restaurant... “I'm here to have a good time, and these people ruin it,” said Shawn Gertsch, 37. "If they want to protest they should go to City Hall. These people seem to have forgotten 9/11.”

That’s just ludicrous—Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11 and the US invaded Iraq under false pretenses. And Gertsch seems to forget about the right to free speech. Asshole...

Finally, the story says “The president of the company that owns and manages BayWalk, Craig Sher, asked the city earlier this year to covert the sidewalk on the north side of Second Avenue N, between First and Second streets, into private property. Sher said protesters have hurt businesses and jeopardized public safety... But patrons themselves have been accused of tarnishing the image. In January, a brawl erupted in the center of the Mediterranean-style courtyard. Police arrested seven adults and seven juveniles on charges ranging from battery on a law enforcement officer to disorderly conduct.

So peaceful protesters jeopardize public safety more than drunken yahoos? I seriously doubt that. If I ever get back to St. Pete, I also doubt that I’ll want to patronize the shops and restaurants at BayWalk again. Unless they show respect for free speech. Trying to turn a public street private indicates they’re more concerned about commerce and creating a safe, sterile mall-like environment where real life can’t intervene.

All in all, Florida isn’t a place I could ever really feel at home. As I said, the weather in the summertime is miserable. There were thunderstorms or the threat of them almost every day. And it’s a so-called “red” state. Governed by Dumbya’s brother Jeb. Let’s not forget this is the state where the 2000 presidential election was stolen. That’s right, STOLEN. A complete recount was quashed. Remember when a bunch of right-wing thugs burst into a library in Tallahassee in an attempt to stop the recount? Incidentally, one of those “legal advisors” was none other than the new US ambassador to the United Nations, bully boy John Bolton. I don’t even have the space to go into why this guy is a poor choice to be the country’s chief diplomat but, trust me, it’s not a good selection. The Senate Foreign Relations committee didn’t think so and decided not recommend Bolton before sending his name to the entire Senate. There never was a vote and then Bush appointed him during a Congressional recess—speaking volumes about the pResident’s arrogance.

Then there’s the matter of voter suppression, spearheaded by the Secretary of State at the time, Katherine “Cruella” Harris, who belongs in prison rather than Congress. She was elected to the US House in 2002 and is now running for the Senate. Good grief. In 2001, the US Commission on Civil Rights “approved a report... that suggests blacks disproportionately had their ballots discounted in Florida's elections, leading to widespread violations of the Voting Rights Act,” that “Black voters had their ballots discounted at a rate far higher than nonblacks,” and the report is “harshly critical of state officials, including Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and Secretary of State Katherine Harris.” (CBSNews.com, 6/8/01). If you want to see a well-done flash presentation on Ms. Harris’ transgressions, go to this link: www.ericblumrich.com/gta.html

That’s why the Voting Rights Act, which passed in 1965, needs to be defended. The 40th anniversary of this groundbreaking legislation was recently commemorated by a march/rally in Atlanta, featuring speeches from, among others, individuals involved in the civil rights struggles of the 60s, including Jesse Jackson and Rep. John Lewis. As some portions of this act come up for review, some Republicans are likely to attempt to weaken it and people need to remain vigilant.

There’s A LOT to remain vigilant about...

I OBJECT

RECORD REVIEWS....

ANS-Romancing The Phone (Banal Existence, 7” EP)
Interesting hardcore by a band from the Dallas area, who have been around since the early part of the decade and were originally known as Defaced. Thrashy skate punk, incorporating DKs and Black Flag inspiration and even jazzy touches. The latter comes out most obviously on “Man On The Phone,” with a conspiratorial tone over a jazz vamp and then they rip into the equally politicized “The Heavy Hand.” Not typical at all.

ATAQUE FRONTAL (Burrito, 7” EP)
A reissue of a 1988 EP by this Peruvian hardcore band. The back cover says it’s “RAW Peruvian hardcore” and that’s truth in advertising. A buzzsaw guitar attack and lysol-gargling vocals. There’s the sporadic lapse in tightness but the boiling over nature of these songs makes up for it and then some. It came out at a time where hardcore and punk were kind of turning to shit, at least in the US—Bob Suren from Burrito’s essay on the sleeve makes that point. Anyway, the six songs from the original EP are appended with a bonus track, “Muerete Dirigente,” that sounds kind of like “I Wanna Be Your Dog” gone hardcore. “Sociedad En Decadencia” crosses over a bit without losing its rawness. Obliterative scorch.

BRODY’S MILITIA-The Appalachian Twelve Gauge Massacre (Sound Pollution, CD)
This is the best release, by far, for this Ohio band. Brody’s Militia ease up on the speed a bit and it makes a big difference. There’s still plenty of velocity but they’ve added some ferocious mid-tempo elements and wanton rock ‘n roll. One thing that won’t change is they still hate humanity. Social climbers, phonies, “self-righteous pricks,” as they put it and politicians on both sides of the aisle. As an avowed leftist, I might say that the right is more of a problem but I know where they’re coming from and share quite a bit of their contempt. Loud, fast, PISSED-OFF as all fuck. This is how it’s done. (PO Box 11742, Covington, KY 41017, www.sound-pollution.com)

BURIAL-Never Give Up... Never Give In (Deranged, CD)
Nope, not about to give up—tempting but if Burial take a defiant stand, why shouldn’t we all make the effort? A somewhat metallic intro (shades of Judas Priest’s “The Metallion”) that leads into a fast paced hardcore punk attack. Some of those heavier guitar licks show up in other places, along with slightly more melodic moments (“Failure”) but the emphasis is hard ‘n fast. The fist is raised, the middle finger extended and this is a solid dose of pure punk. (1166 Chaster Road, Gibsons, BC V0N 1V4, CANADA, www.derangedrecords.com)

HATEPINKS-Plastic Bag Ambitions (TKO, CD)
Snappy poppy pogo punk from this French band, following up the solid “Sehr Gur Rock Und Roll” on Lollipop Records out of France. Jabbing guitars bob, weave and gnash and vocalist Olivier Gasoil (formerly with the Gasolheads, who put out a good 10” EP some years back) has the requisite snotty attitude. Starting with a hearty “un-deux-trois-quatre” and the energetic songs prove to be irresistible. Gotta love the attitude of “Kissing Cops With My Ass” and “I Piss In Swimming Pools.” Not so sure I want to know how Tupperware is involved in lovemaking (“Tupperware Love”) but it’s a good tune, anyway. Living up (or down) to those ambitions. (8941 Atlanta Ave., Huntington Beach, CA 92646, www.tkorecords.com)

I OBJECT-America Today... And Tomorrow EP (Still Holding On, 7” EP)
The latest from one of the hardest working bands in hardcore—this band lives on the road. The first song “Your Destruction” sounds as though it starts in the middle of the track—an abrupt start and I wonder if it’s a mastering error. Not sure but the songs here are idealistic and energetic and the mid-tempo “Chopping You Down” is the standout. Five new songs and a Spitboy cover (“Seriously”). (www.punksbeforeprofits.org)

POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT (Nation Of Finks, 7” EP)
Positively slammin’... vinyl debut for PosiForce, as we call ‘em around here. Fast-paced hardcore punk with sarcastic lyrics that exude passion for the music and disappointment with people who fuck it up (“Hardcore Is A Festering Sea Of Fucking Bullshit”)—a love/hate affair and that’s my take, sometimes. Feedback-squealing guitar lines and a punishing tempo are the setting for Lieber’s rants. “The Good Times Are Killing Me” slows the pace and has a similar feel as Nine Shocks Terror’s anthemic “Not A Fucking Anthem” (hah!). Boston Mass is still a rippin’ town, to borrow a line from another old local band.

REASON OF INSANITY/BAD EATING HABITS-Split (Psychowolf, 7” EP)
Two raw and thrashing bands. Reason Of Insanity are from Texas and Bad Eating Habits from Florida. Staring across the Gulf from each other and each kicking up a storm. Bad Eating Habits have a trebly sound with sickoid guitar ala Urban Waste, prominent drums and rabid vocals. Reason of Insanity also bring the speed but with a slightly cleaner and tighter sound. (411 ½ Lindale, Houston, TX 77022, www.myspace.com/reasonofinsanity)

SCURVY DOGS-Relieve Yourself (Tankcrimes, 7” EP)
Been a fan of this Bay Area band since seeing them at Mission Records in 2000 and they’re still blasting away. Five new songs of angry hardcore punk. Fast and blistering, exuding frustration with daily life and taking a potshot at mindless xenophobia for “Would You Like Freedom Fries With That?,” which discusses the idiocy of boycotting French products because that country opposed the misguided war in Iraq. Walloping. (PO Box 22641, SF, CA 94122, www.tankcrimes.com)

SELFISH-Cause Pain (Feral Ward/Combat Rock Industry, 12” EP)
Six more bruising songs plus an uncredited outro track from the veteran Finnish band Selfish, who raised hell on their recent US tour. Flailing, Japanese-inspired hardcore punk with metallic lead lines. Also bitten by the rock ‘n roll bug, particularly for the mid-tempo title track but it’s mainly fast ‘n ripping. It’ll cause you plenty of pain and you’ll love it. (www.feralward.com)

SEND MORE COPS-Demo 2005 (tape)
Up ‘n coming Boston hardcore. Send More Cops have actually been playing out a few years but these are the first recordings with their (relatively) new guitarist Rob Noyes. Speedy and aggressive thrash, along with circle-pit inducing breakdowns and punctuated by Tommy’s ranting vocals and Ryan’s formidable drum batterie. 7 new songs, along with 9 more recorded in late ’04 and it’s a full-scale assault.

STRUNG UP-Warfucked (Tankcrimes, 7” EP)
The title track talks about how the “Reagan Era’s back” and that’s true in terms of the US foreign policy (only Bush has the US in much more over their heads) and Strung Up’s hardcore arsenal is a throwback, as well. There’s an unhinged quality to their sound, a sense of danger and Strung Up approach the lyrics with both outrage and sarcasm. Raw and thumping and unafraid to add some guitar pyrotechnics, particularly for the last song, “Rock ‘n Roll The Toilet Bowl.” (PO Box 22641, SF, CA 94122, www.tankcrimes.com)

TOXIC NARCOTIC-21st Century Discography (TNR, CD)/Live In Boston (Rodent Popsicle, DVD)
All the recent releases on one disc—including the “We’re All Doomed” album, “Shoot People Not Dope” EP and songs from the split with Misery. A digipak with no insert or other info but it’s a handy package and a devastating one at that. Lyric sheet? You don’t need no stinkin’ lyric sheet to realize Toxic Narcotic are mighty pissed off. TN continue to bludgeon and annihilate well into their second decade of existence. Raw, ugly hardcore punk that eschews melody for pure bile but you still find yourself singing along to the likes of “We’re All Doomed,” “Asshole,” “Shoot People, Not Dope,” etc. A few songs take a reggae-ish turn, which is something one wouldn’t expect. Some love ‘em, some hate ‘em and I’m proud to be in the first camp. Moving on to the DVD, it was filmed last December at Axis in Boston. Kind of an unusual venue for a fiercely DIY band since it’s a suckass corporate rock club and I got one of the most intense patdowns I can ever remember when going in, with the asshole security guy going “it’s for your own good.” Yeah? Fuck off! Anyway, TN rented out the club and made it a free show and the kids turned out in droves. A lot better than their “Live in LA” DVD, with multiple camera angles and really capturing the craziness of that show. 22 songs in all, spanning their entire history, starting with the always-timely “People Suck.” They’re firing on all cylinders throughout. Includes a bonus photo gallery, a sort of “Punk Rock Parking Lot” where they film the waiting throngs pre-show and videos of “Asshole” and “21st Century Catastrophe.” (PO Box 1143, Allston, MA 02134, www.rodentpopsicle.com)

VARIOUS-Internationally Pist 2 (Punx Before Profits, 7” EP)
A worldwide comp with bands from Puerto Rico, Brazil, Indonesia and the good ‘ol (?) USA and different facets of loud hardcore punk. B.U.S.H., the Brazilian band, offer a tuneful critique of the now-conservative “punk,” Dave Smalley. Reaccion explode with blazing guitar and howling male/female vocal tradeoffs. Destrux also have harsh vocals and a speedy assault. Black SS rip out the speed, as well. More adrenalin from Tropiezo and Taste of Flesh. Not groundbreaking but pulling the hardcore community closer together (awwwww) and most of this gets a thumbs up. (www.punksbeforeprofits.org)

Suburban Voice blog #1

2010-08-10T17:50:00.000-04:00

SKITKIDS

Here's the deal. The SV blog started on MySpace and #1-15 were posted there. Since that site seems to be rather moribund these days, I've decided to post those installments here. Consider the reviews a snapshot of my opinions at that point in time. There's always the chance I underrated or--more likely--overrated something back then but they'll stand as written... You'll also notice I wrote about other topics in these blogs, some of them non-musical, while I've pretty much stuck to music content for quite some time. Perhaps that will change again.

Also, keep in mind that many of these records that I reviewed might be out of print so check first before ordering anything. I'm going to check the links and try to update/delete any out of date info I come across. The only other changes will be the addition of some photos here and there since the earlier blogs didn't have too many photos. Enjoy!

If by any chance you're on MySpace, the blog is at http://blog.myspace.com/suburbanvoice

SUBURBAN VOICE BLOG #1 (original publication date 8/2/05)

DIRECT CONTROL

Welcome to my first blog entry—not sure how often I’ll do ‘em or what exactly the content will be but, hopefully, it’ll hold you over until I get my ass in gear and do a new copy of my ‘zine. Some of the material here will most likely show up in my various columns, as well, but you get to read ‘em first. You can’t read ‘em on the hopper, unless you’ve got a laptop and a wireless connection. In that case, you’re all set.

People always ask when there will be a new issue of the zine. In all honesty, I don’t know. I’ve actually been working slowly and steadily on stuff but the one area where I haven’t done shit is interviews. And I’m way behind on the review pile and have to face facts that a lot of those discs probably won’t get dealt with. I feel badly about it but a fair chunk of it fails to make a strong impression one way or the other—actually, most of it is crap I don’t want to spend 30-45 minutes listening to. Don’t take that to mean I’m jaded because there are still occasional releases that break through the clutter and knock me on my ass. That’s the whole reason I continue to write and do a radio show—which, truth be told, is a LOT more fun.

Anyway, there have been other setbacks. Forgive me for dragging personal stuff into this blog—this isn’t LiveJournal, after all, but if you want to know... I started having some health issues earlier this year—spells where I’d feel disoriented for 20-30 seconds and then come out of it. I wouldn’t lose consciousness but would lose track of what time/day it was. Generally, once the episodes (or “attacks” as I call them) ended, I’d be OK. They only happened at home and, for the most part, just early in the day after I’d been sleeping for awhile. I told the nurse at my doctor’s office about the attacks and she had me see a neurologist. I had to wait a month and a half to see him, during which time the attacks continued but, once I explained my situation, he had an MRI and an EEG test run on me within 48 hours and saw me again within a week. Fortunately, the brain tests didn’t reveal anything abnormal about my brain (you can insert your joke here) but he mentioned the possibility I’m having low-level seizures. He started me on some medication and, while I’ve had the occasional attack, there’s been improvement. The downside is the medication makes me sleepy and spacy at times.

I’m trying to take it in stride... friends and family I’ve told about this situation almost seem freaked out by it. Actually, to be honest, it kind of gnaws at my mind, as well, because I’ve never had anything like this happen before. With my father’s death last year and these health problems, it’s inevitable to start thinking about one’s mortality and wonder what the hell’s going on with my body. The neurologist didn’t really offer an explanation as to what’s causing these episodes. So I’m trying to sort it out, keep it under control. And, at the same time, stay on top of my work. Because it’s important to me—I want to keep publishing my zine. Every time I see a cool new zine show up in the mailbox, I get a bit envious because it’s been so long since I published.

And the health problems (the “attacks” aren’t the only thing) make me realize that I’d be completely fucked without health insurance. More accurately, I’m on my wife Ellen’s coverage. I couldn’t afford the office visits or various prescriptions that enable me to function day to day. I cringe at thinking there are people in this country who have similar problems and can’t afford to take care of themselves. Health coverage should be guaranteed—no one should be denied coverage due to their economic situation. But with our free market-loving government, corrupted by the gigantic health care and insurance industries, that’s not going to happen anytime soon.

Anyway, nothing’s going to crush my spirit—I’m trying not to let it happen. In the past few weeks, I’ve seen bands with members who are in their 40s... some are touring the DIY way, some playing clubs but they’re all out there kicking ass. Seein Red, from Holland, came through town a few weeks ago with Kriegstanz, who include Jos from Seein Red and the rippin’ Bury The Living from Tennessee. I’m pretty sure all the guys in Seein’ Red are in their 40s and they started playing music over 20 years ago, most notably with Lärm. Still angry at the world, remaining committed to expressing themselves through words and ferocious music. Doing it the DIY way—their show in Boston was at a record store.

It was also inspiring seeing the Adolescents a few nights later. The show was at one of my least favorite clubs in Boston, Axis, although it wasn’t as oppressive an environment as in the past, although I hate bogus backstage areas and stage barricades. While only Steve Soto and Tony were there from the old days, they had some new blood along with them—19 year old Frank Agnew, Jr. and 15 year old Joe Harrison, who had to replace Frank Agnew, Sr. at the last minute when the latter had knee surgery. I was wondering if they could pull it off and it was a pleasant surprise. They fucking NAILED it—every riff and guitar lead played with perfection and the two kids had the moves. And, if you think about it, when the Adolescents were starting out, they were also fairly young. Rikk Agnew and Casey Royer were in their 20s but the others were teenagers. They ripped through just about the entire first album, a few off the 7” and second album and the best three songs from the new “OC Confidential.” The Adolescents first album has been kicking my ass for over 20 years and it was great to hear those songs still played with vibrant spirit.

Equally vibrant were the Subhumans a few days after that show. Once again, fuck the barriers and backstage area but they also played an energetic set. More people in my age range for whom the fire still burns deeply. No sense they’re going through the motions. The message remaining strong and as relevant now as it did back then—which I suppose is sad commentary on the times in which we live. “Remember the day the country died,” indeed—that applies to the US and with what’s been happening in the UK, with the recent bombings. “No” is still a potent shout of defiance and it felt cathartic to sing along with every word because, goddamn it, in the face of everything, I still remain defiant! From Ashes Rise, on their last tour (or so they say) were also loud and powerful. Once again, the stage barricade affects the intimacy—this is a band I’ve seen in basement and hall spaces and having them right in front of me was a better way to see them but, still, their sheer wall of fury pounds right through your skull.

No barricades at all for at the Allston Library basement space later that week for Citizen Fish and Skitkids. The Cambridge Elks lodge had fallen through at the last minute and this was what was available. I was wondering if it would be a disaster. Mixed feelings of both excitement and trepidation but, holy shit, was this a memorable night. Not too many people bothered watching the Black Flag/Melvins lurch of Deconditioned (good presence, musically lacking on occasion) or the creepy, powerful dark-hued punk of Ciril (who also added an offbeat cover of Bikini Kill’s “Rebel Girl”) but the room was packed like motherfucking sardines for Citizen Fish. Enjoyable ska/punk that had people bopping around and the temperature rose quickly. About half the people cleared out for Skitkids, which was their loss but things got crazier, if you can believe it. Roof panels falling, sweat, blood and mayhem and, oh yeah, it was fun. A rampaging combination of Swede-core brutality and rockin’ chops. I found relative safety next to the drums and had a birdseye view for the craziness.

OK, let’s move on to some record and CD reveiws....

ANOTHER OPPRESSIVE SYSTEM-Discography 2000-2004 (Profane Existence, CD)
An underrated band from Connecticut who have put out a series of 7”s and splits and they’re all compiled here, from newest to oldest and they’ve clearly evolved as a band, while maintaining a similar approach throughout. That style is pillaging Scandi-crust-core with a pair of howling vocalists, a wall of guitar fury and cage-rattling drumming, accompanied by lyrics that explore society’s fucked up nature but also urge to take control of one’s life and not spend it as a spectator. The earliest recordings, recorded for a split with 3 Way Cum, almost border on inept but they really found their footing with their first 7” and split with World on Warfare and the most recent recordings, a split with Swedish band Crossing Chaos, are their most powerful to date. Looking forward to the upcoming album. (PO Box 8722, Minneapolis, MN 55408, www.profaneexistence.com)

DIRECT CONTROL-You’re Controlled (Kangaroo, LP)/Nuclear Tomorrow (Sorry State, 7” EP)
I’m not joking when I say this is one of the best new hardcore bands in a long time. Well, fairly new. Following up a demo and a killer, self-titled 7”, Richmond band Direct Control have released an LP and 7” at around the same time. Early 80s-styled hardcore played with reckless enthusiasm—loud, fast and kicking ass from start to finish on both of these records. The LP gets started with their call to arms “Direct Control,” leading into an anti-Reagan rant—yeah, anti-Reagan but this one’s called “Ronnie’s Dead,” to keep things up to date. Getting political on the likes of “Herd The Cattle” and “War All The Time,” while other songs explore personal interactions, assholes in the punk scene and even an ode to the music itself (“Like It Fast”). The 7” is slightly rougher-sounding but continues in the same vein. Five more shredders and once again mixing up the lyrical content, from the pessimism of “Nuclear Tomorrow” and “World War 3” to the pro-skating sentiments of “Wicked Sick to The Gills.” A straightforward sound but skillfully played, with catchy guitar licks and clever nicks from such bands as Poison Idea and the Circle Jerks. These guys are the real fucking deal. (Kangaroo: Middenweg 13, 1098 AA Amsterdam, HOLLAND www.kangaroo-records.com/Sorry State: 1102 N Greensboro St., Carrboro, NC 27510, www.sorrystaterecords.com)

NEGATIVE FX-Government War Plans (Parts Unknown/Distortion, LP)
Had this one sitting for awhile—actually, I didn’t get it right away and ended up having to use some of my store credit at the wonderful Regeneration Records store, even though I provided the cover photo taken by Claire Sutherland from their last show at the Bradford Hotel in 1983, when they opened one of Mission of Burma’s last shows at the time. Raw demo recordings by this Boston hardcore band that included Choke (later with Last Rights and Slapshot)—many songs ended up on the Taang LP (which was also released posthumously). Martial drumming, short and fast arrangements, except for more mid-paced “Mind Control,” which has a thrashier conclusion, “Turn Your Back,” as well as the oi-ish “Feel Like A Man.” Liner notes by drummer Dave Bass tell the story. Basically, these are practice recordings and you can hear the band going through serious growth spasms but it’s a chunk of history. Didn’t even know these existed until a few years ago. (PO Box 4835, Toms River, NJ 08754, www.partsunknownrecords.com)

REGULATIONS (Havoc, LP)
A full-length—well, if 24 minutes is a full-length but this is a killer album, following two equally impressive 7” EPs. Barbed, energetic punk rock drawing on both early 80s west coast and ’77 era influences. The slashing, catchy guitar riffs are the main focus, along with Otto’s gruff snarl. A taut, jabbing sound and, even in this framework, subtle wrinkles emerge—the nervous guitar line for “I Don’t Need,” the tense intro for “Police Siren” or the speedier tempo on “End It Now.” The lyrics tell personal tales of alienation. also taking note of the world at large (“In 1945,” “Police Siren,” “No More Hell”) and the compressed, stripped down sound belies the anger that’s ready to erupt. All you jaded fucks who think there’s no more worthwhile punk or hardcore should give this one a listen. (PO Box 8585, Minneapolis, MN 55408, www.havocrex.com)

SKITKIDS-Valkomma Till Paradiset... Javla Parasiter (540, 7” EP)
The latest blast from this Swedish wrecking ball is a four song tour EP. I’m too lazy to type out song titles but the first song is a mid-tempo rock ‘n roll meets hardcore blast and then they get down to thrashed-out mania for the second song with nary a second in transition. Same pattern on the lip—a rocker and a speed bomb that will flatten your head without any effort. Burning guitars, tasteful leads and ready to kill. (PO Box 143403, Austin, TX 78714, timmyva3@hotmail.com)

... questions? comments? send me a message!