Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Posted by xCHIPxSEM | File under : , ,

Someone asked me to up this some time ago and I just realized I hadn't yet. This band was the precursor to Floorpunch featuring future members of said band as well members of Endeavor. The band was formerly known as Kurbjaw. This was released only on vinyl by Resurrection AD Records, a New Jersey based label that focused mainly on its local scene. To the best of my knowledge, Spirit only released this 7 inch before disbanding. 4 songs of fast old style straight edge hardcore. Again, sorry to whomever requested this before for my taking so long to get it upped.

Spirit - Self Titled

http://www.mediafire.com/?ooyowedv5d0

Sunday, March 28, 2010

Posted by xCHIPxSEM | File under : ,
Yesterday, Monster from Purification sent me an email addressing the rumors that the band has any affiliations with any time of racist movement. Here's what the band had to say on the issue:

In reply to the false rumors that have been circulating, we want to make clear that Purification NEVER had, has or will have anything to do with any xenophobe, nationalist, fascist or nazist movement.
We are outraged by those people filled with envy and hate with nothing better to do that spread false news over the web to put Purification in a bad light.
We invite also whoever has any doubt or question about Purification to talk to us at any of the upcoming European shows.


Warm regards

The band is currently finishing up tracking 2 new songs for the re-release of their full length "Banging The Drums Of War" which will be released through Burning Season Records sometime this summer.

Friday, March 26, 2010

Posted by xCHIPxSEM | File under : , , ,

As mentioned in a post last year, I love ATL's Foundation. Awesome dudes who love the core and tour their asses off finally get the recognition they deserve by signing with Bridge 9 Records. Here's a statement from Bridge 9:

Things are busy here at Bridge Nine Records and we are more than excited to announce another addition to our roster - Atlanta's straight edge hardcore stalwarts Foundation. No strangers to to the road, Foundation has been seen on tour all over the country; most notably with Bane and on Have Heart's final string of shows last Fall. B9 Owner Chris Wrenn said, "We couldn't be happier to sign Foundation - these guys have been working hard over the last few years and officially caught our attention last summer when we were all blown away by their live show. It's important for us as a label to have a solid, straight edge hardcore band and Foundation is the best band in that genre right now. Champion and Have Heart did great things for Bridge Nine in the past decade and after their demise we are excited to pass the torch over to Foundation."

Foundation will be gearing up for a full US tour in May and June alongside Backtrack and Rotting Out before they head to the studio to record their Bridge Nine Records debut. With two releases under their belt (Hang Your Head 7" and S/T 7" on Six Feet Under Records) and influences such as Unbroken and Buried Alive, Foundation's first proper full-length is sure to be one of the best straight-forward hardcore records of the year. Drummer Champ Hammett said, "We can't wait to finish and record the new LP and tour non-stop - we want to hit all the fests and cover the US, hopefully Europe and other parts of the world. Get ready to see us everywhere in 2010 and beyond."

You check out some tunes on their Myspace page. Congrats to my dudes.
Posted by XhcnoirX | File under : , , ,
Knut from Switzerland has been around since 1994 and are still going strong, in fact their new album 'Wonder' will be out in May/June. Their sound can only be described as devastating and crushing. Intense, abrasive and loud stuff, tho they've added more mellow parts to their sound over the years. Here's a self-released and hand-made CD-R of theirs called 'DIY CD1' from 1999, which I got on their European tour with Creation Is Crucifixion. My copy's numbered 009/200 on the CD itself, so I guess there's only 200 of these. From what I gathered it was supposed to be the 1st in a series, but I'm fairly certain they never did a follow-up. It's got the 2 songs off the 'Ordeal' 7" on it (also from 1999) plus an extra song. Great stuff. This CD would later be re-released as a self-titled EP on their current label, Hydrahead, with an additional track (from their split 7" with Tantrum).

That show with CIC was fuckin' loud btw, it was at a squat and the show was in a room without any sort of soundproofing, so the sound bounced around the room a lot... Great sets by both CIC and Knut, but I wish I had worn earplugs that show. Either way, awesome bands, and all shows I've seen of both bands were loud and great.

Knut - DIY CD #1
Knut myspace
Posted by xCHIPxSEM | File under : ,

How I just found out about this is beyond me...Im a bad collector. Anyway, is Cabal clothing back? I dont know but Ill get in touch with Guav and find out. Pretty sure you'll find these on Ebay on Monday for some stupid amount of money. Cabal is printing 24 of these to sell at United Blood fest this weekend. Will Guav be printing more eventually? I'll be crossing my fingers. If you missed our scans of the old Cabal catalog that Guav scanned and sent to us, check it out here.
EDIT: As I was posting this, Guav posted another design that was updated for fest. An updated version of the "Hoods Up" design.
You can follow Cabal on Twitter here.
Posted by xCHIPxSEM | File under : , , , ,
Bound were based out of New Jersey and went on to release a full length and a 7 inch if memory serves. They featured Jason Shevchuk on vocals who would go on to Kid Dynamite and None More Black as well as the original drummer from Reach the Sky. This interview is from I Stand Alone zine #9.


Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Posted by XhcnoirX | File under : , , ,
'Three Steps Back', which was released just last month on Dead City Records is Killing Time's first record since 1996's 'The Method' album, and only the 3rd full-length since their debut-album 'Brightside' was released in 1989. To me, 'Brightside' is one of the best NYHC albums of the late '80s, and singer Anthony Comunale has one of the best throats in NYHC history. However, the records they did since (2 EP's and the aforementioned 'The Method') have been received with mixed reviews. Either you loved em or hated em. I really dig the 'Happy Hour' MCD but wasn't into the other EP, 'Unavoidable' and especially not 'The Method'. They lacked power and direction and overall just didn't do it for me. I also saw Killing Time a few years ago with the singer of Uppercut doing vocals for em, and they seemed uninspired and going thru the motions. So when Chip asked me review their latest record I wasn't sure what to expect.

Right from the start the band makes it pretty clear that Killing Time isn't the straight up NYHC band anymore that they once were. Continuing with the sound of their records since 'Brightside', they have incorporated various musical elements into their sound, from punkrock and street punk and even some metal, making the overall sound a bit more melodic, and at times less heavy and hard. Mind you tho, this does not mean that they abandoned their NYHC roots, far from it. They've expanded on it and in a far more successful way than they tried on 'The Method.' The first 2 tracks on this record, 'Flight Plan' and 'Spaceheater' make it very clear that Killing Time still has what it takes. Great tracks that leave no doubt that Killing Time is back with renewed energy and eagerness, and that they know how to mix styles and influences in a seamless way. When the 3rd track, '24', starts and Anthony is adding melody to his voice, without losing his power, it is pretty clear this is a great album. And it continues from there. Most of the tracks have a melodic hardcore punk sound to them, but somehow it works really well on this album. For the NYHC lover in me, they kept the most NYHC-sounding tracks to end the album. The heaviest and most NYHC-sounding tracks are closing tracks 'Crouch' (with the chorus that holds the album's title) and 'AKB', both really awesome tracks that totally bring 'Brightside' to mind. And yes, they are my favorite tracks of this album, however, apart from 'Mingus', 'Rope A Dope' and 'Lookout' which are enjoyable but don't do a whole lot for me, this is quality stuff. 9 out of 12 songs is a pretty good score.

So all in all, this is a great record. Killing Time sounds totally revitalized and Anthony Communale's voice is still as powerful and distinct as ever. If you want your fix of hardcore/punk, this is a good choice. The record is available on CD and LP from Dead City Records.

Sunday, March 21, 2010

Posted by xCHIPxSEM | File under : ,
My friend Gabe was nice enough to scan and send this to me. Big ups to him for being an all around great dude. This is from the Rev catalog 1998-99 right after the band released "Hearts Once Nourished With Hope and Compassion". Short but a nice little read.
Posted by Anonymous |

We're not ones to post rumors very often but there has been some sort of buzz around Southern California about Outspoken playing a 20th anniversary reunion show sometime in mid-late 2010. As huge fans, we can only hope that this idea actually materializes.

If we hear anything more, we will let you know. Also, check the band's Facebook, Myspace and page on the New Age Records website.

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Outspoken/42761148068
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/11311782
New Age Records: http://www.newagerecords.com/bands/outspoken/



Outspoken "Shadow" from the Eric Allen tribute show @ Masterdome in San Bernardino, CA

Saturday, March 20, 2010

Posted by xCHIPxSEM | File under : ,

The pride of Newburgh, All Out War, will enter the studio in late April to track their 5th full length. Tentatively, the record will be coming out on Victory unless something has changed that Im unaware of. Either way, Im pumped.

Friday, March 19, 2010

Posted by xjustinx | File under : , , ,

A few months ago, I was having a conversation with Tom Sheehan, and he mentioned off hand that Indecision's "Unorthodox" record was never actually mastered, and neither were any of the Indecision recordings prior to it. They were all young, and a bit naive at the time, so they just didn't understand the advantages of mastering a recording. According to Tom, Ron Thal even asked them if they wanted to master it, but they turned down the service, because they didn't think it was necessary. Although Unorthodox is a great record, I'm sure you may have noticed over the years that you really have to crank the living shit out of it to get some decent volume. I chose to give the record a bit of a mastering treatment myself. The lineage of it all went a little something like this:
Unorthodox cd -> 44khz wav -> Adobe Audition 3.0 Mastering Suite ->
WAVs burned to CDR -> Exact Audio Copy v0 vbr mp3s
I think it came out sounding nice. You no longer have to exhaust your stereos volume dial get it loud, and some of the tones have better clarity now. Even though the album was never mastered in the first place, I've labeled it as 'remaster' just so everyone can easily separate it from the original.

Indecision - Unorthodox [remaster]
[1997 - Exit Records]

Thursday, March 18, 2010

Posted by xCHIPxSEM |
Stuck In The Past Distro and Webstore
Stuck In The Past Distro and Webstore

Finally got around to updating the webstore...Ive received loads of stuff so please check it out and see if there is anything you like...help me get out of debt. Many of these I only received 1 or 2 copies of so once they're gone, that's it. Ive also got a few 10 inches that Ill add tomorrow so check back for that.

7 inches
-Abnegation / Chapter - Split
-As I Bleed / Denied Reality - Split
-A Death Between Seasons - Weighing Contradictions Through Gravity
-Dragbody / Burial Ground - Split
-Inner Dam - The Last Second Of Forever
-Mainstrike - Self Titled
-Next2Nothing - To Have Courage, But No Conscience
-Polyglot / Fall From Grace - Split
-Purification - Vessel Of Wrath
-Reinforce - One Life Thug Free
-Reserve 34 - Self Titled
-Shear - ...East Coast '997
-Strength Approach - Just Leaving Home
-Strength Approach - Keep The Standards High
-Strength In Numbers - The Youth
-Trephine - Reprogram...Recondition
-Various Artists - As We Look To The Future

12 Inches
-Disembodied - Psalms Of Sheol (LP)
-Earthmover - Death Carved In Every Word (LP)

CDs
-Amulet - The Burning Sphere
-Another Reason - Take Control
-Bleeding Through - Dust To Ashes
-Capture The Flag - Walking Away From Everything
-Congress - Angry With The Sun
-Day Of Mourning / Clenched Fist - Split
-Disembodied - Psalms Of Sheol (CD)
-Earthmover - Death Carved In Every Word (CD)
-Eighteen Visions - The Best Of
-Eyeball - More Days To Come
-Fragment - Answers
-Holding On - Self Titled
-Holdstrong - Nothing In Return
-The Killing Flame - Another Breath
-Liar - Deathrow Earth
-The Mistake - Fuck Everything Up
-No Reason - I Thought This Was Our Time
-Our War - If You're Not Now...You're Fucking Dead
-Pflanz - Persistence Through An Undying Heart
-The Purpose - Art As A Weapon
-Reaching Forward - Burning The Lies
-Soulstice - Raze The Earth
-Sportswear - ST
-Trephine - Self Titled
-Unborn - Truth Against The World
-Various Artists - All Systems Go!
-Various Artists - Fight The World, Not Each Other: A Tribute To 7 Seconds
-Walls Of Jericho - The Bound Feed The Gagged
-Withdrawn - Seeds Of Inhumanity
Posted by xCHIPxSEM |
Monster from Purification sent me a list of the first groups of bands that have been announced to play this year Fluff Fest. The fest will be July in Rokycany near Pilsen, Czech Republic on July 23, 24, and 25.

FLUFF FEST 2010
23rd, 24th & 25th july 2010
Rokycany near Pilsen, Czech Republic

ANOTHER BREATH [us]
heavy, aggressive and thick hardcore from syracuse , ny. after VERSE and HAVE HEART called it a day, these guys hold the torch of positive sxe hardcore with an intelligent personal approach.

MUNICIPAL WASTE [us]
a chance to put on your denim vest with the VENOM back patch and do some head-banging, or to put on your flip-up baseball cap and do some finger-pointing? the choice is yours, here's MUNICIPAL WASTE!

AMPERE [us]
absolutely the world's leading band in its style. fast and slightly chaotic and screamy hardcore punk. strongly pro-DIY and pro-vegetarian/vegan without stupid pushing or preaching, but living the example. it will be the second time in europe during the band's existence! we are honoured to have this band on the bill. ex-ORCHID members by the way!

RUINER [us]
baltimore hardcore outfit. thick and raw sounding hardcore but still with a slight melodic edge. think of SINKING SHIPS or THE CARRIER.

COMADRE [us]
one of the most hardworking and progressive emo bands of today. based on a brilliant drum/rhythm section and catchy vocals balanced between their blurry and melodic side.

CARPATHIAN [aus]
modern hardcore at its best. HOPE CONSPIRACY meets MODERN LIFE IS WAR.

AMEN RA [bel]
sludge/post-hardcore masters of the genre coming back to fluff fest!

VITAMIN X [ned]
european veterans of classic 80's style thrash hardcore.

THE CARRIER [us]
intense modern hardcore on deathwish records. think of the aggression of BLACKLISTED and the intensity of MODERN LIFE IS WAR combined with interesting personal lyrics...

CRUEL HAND [us]
with members who got their experience in OUTRBREAK and BANE, this bridge nine band plays mid-tempo hardcore like RIGHT BRIGADE.

SISTA SEKUNDEN [swe]
together with REGULATIONS and AC4, these guys hold the banner of swedish melodic and intense punk rock with pride. made up of veterans of the swedish hardcore scene who played in bands like Satanic Surfers, Skitkids, Intensity and many more.

MILES AWAY [aus]
fast-forward old-school hardcore in the best tradition of bands such as CHAMPION or GORILLA BISCUITS on bridge nine records.

OMEGA MASSIF [ger]
instrumental atmospheric post-hardcore. sludgy, doomy and slow as it can be.

UNRESTRAINED [us]
if this band survives their US tour on bicycles, expect some heavy-sounding old-school straightedge hardcore with lots of singalongs

RESSURECTIONISTS [ger]
if you were a fan of SYSTRAL, CAROL or the like, definitely check out the chaotic and brutal emoviolence from the RESURRECTIONISTS.

LEWD ACTS [us]
this band plays hard-to-describe music. it's as furious and insane as their live shows. they are on deathwish records, so you can expect some metallic-sounding dark hardcore, but these guys are way more punk and their music can remind you of BLACK FLAG or other thrash hardcore punk bands.

GADGET [swe]
blasting grindcore with a touch of the NEUROSIS atmosphere. features members of another swedish crust band, DISCONTO.

MELEEH [swe]
one of today's leading swedish screamo bands. emotional post-hardcore combining aggressive and melodic elements. comparable to ENVY and CHILDREN OF FALL.

FORFEIT [us]
traditional new york based hardcore on reaper records in the vein of TRAPPED UNDER ICE, CRO-MAGS and HAVE HEART.

PURIFICATION [it]
after a few years' hiatus, these vegan edge veterans from rome teamed up again. with some lineup changes about to record a few new tracks, do a final short tour in summer...

ROSETTA [us]
crossing the line between hardcore-punk with their throaty screamo vocals and heavy-riffed guitars, and post-rock with their ambient passages and noise effects, packed into a monumental-sounding product. think ISIS and JESU with a punk attitude. on level plane records.

PUNCH [us]
625 thrashcore. fast, raw and powerful with that typical elegance of the bay area fastcore bands.

RAMMING SPEED [us]
uncompromising fast-forward thrash in the best tradition of DRI, NUCLEAR ASSAULT or BONES BRIGADE.

PLAGUE MASS [at]
no god, no master. after all these years, this austrian hardcore/punk outfit continue to keep their ideals in their music. metallic hardcore influenced by CATHARSIS and the like

NINE ELEVEN [fr]
in memory of all the victims of the CIA's overthrow in chile on 9.11.1973. untiring and aggressive new school hardcore like SNAPCASE and HOPE CON.

and more to come!!!


Live in the party tent:
everyday between 3:30pm and 8:00pm

MAINTAIN [us]
aggressive hardcore reminding me of STRIFE or TRIAL.

RUINED FAMILIES [gr]
screamy, heavy and dark hardcore. surely influenced by all the deathwish bands. first ever band from greece at fluff fest.

CITY OF SHIPS [us]
heavy post-hardcore/progressive rock trio in the vein of CITY OF CATERPILLAR or PLANES MISTAKEN FOR STARS.

ULTIMATE BLOWUP [tur]
3 piece powerviolence/fastcore commando hailing from turkey!

YOUR FUCKING NIGHTMARE [cz]
oldschool hardcore in the vein of CARRY ON and CHAIN OF STRENGTH.

NEVER REACH HOME [tur]
fast but still melodic punk rock. give it a try if you are into fat wreck, etc.

AT DAGGERS DROWN [ger]
hardcore punk from berlin. reminds me a bit of AMERICAN NIGHTMARE, DEFEATER and TACKLEBERRY.

CORNERED [ned]
hardcore in the vein of IRONCLAD or TRAPPED UNDER ICE.

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Posted by xjustinx |

It's come to my attention that John Dudeck has taken ill. For those that don't know, John was the founder/owner of Very Distro. I remember buying a 7" in the mid 90s, and their was a small xerox ad for Very Distro inside of it. After sending an SASE (if you don't know what that is, you're not old enough) to get a catalog, I made dozens upon dozens of orders from Very over the years, and spent an untold thousands of dollars. In those early days, I would often get a written note from John along with my order, and he was always a very friendly guy. Simply by starting Very, I know he's had an impact on many people's lives. There's currently a website up that details his illness, and there's even a guestbook where you can leave him your thoughts while he's in the hospital. Please go take a look and drop a line: http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/johndudeck

Monday, March 15, 2010

Posted by xCHIPxSEM | File under : , , , , ,
Once upon a time in the 90's, Trustkill Record released some serious great and legit records from bands like Harvest, Endeavor, Brother's Keeper and Despair. As most labels do when they are starting out, they print up shirts for promotion and one of the most well known was the "Top 10 Straight Edge Lies" design. A few of them make me say "...ummm alright" but some like "my hair is naturally yellow" are good for a laugh. Definitely a good one

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Posted by xCHIPxSEM |

Keepin it real in 2001 (yes this was a joke)


Just a quick little update...Im currently in the process of moving back to Miami so my participation lately has been minimal to say the least. Thankfully everyone else has been stepping up to fill the gaps Ive left. I get into Miami tomrrow night, then on Saturday my fiance's parents come into town. Basically, I won't be able to do much updating until next week. Just wanted to let you guys know...we've got some great stuff planned and the distro is going to be stocked with some great items so check back for that in a few days. Again, I appreciate everyone's patience with me over the next few days.

Chip XXX
Posted by jav |


In June of 2009, Disembodied played Chain Reaction in Anaheim, CA. I set the two shows up, and I really tried to get a mix of "old" and "new" bands. I tried to get SO many OC bands from the 90s and beyond, and not too many people wanted to play believe it or not. One band that I somehow convinced to play was Mean Season.
I've been a huge fan of Mean Season since I first heard the 7" in like 1993. I saw them many times, including their last show. I even somehow wrangled the members together to do 3 songs with me singing at the very last show at the Showcase Theatre in Corona, CA.

Anyway, at these Disembodied shows, I asked the sound guy, Lucas, to record every band. We had talks about doing a live comp, and about doing an "official" Disembodied bootleg of the shows, but nothing really ever came out. In fact, I'm the only person who's ever heard most of these recordings, as we never got around to properly polishing the tracks up, etc.
What you have here is a documentation of the Mean Season set from June 5th, 2009. The band that night was original singer, guitar and bass players Aaron, Brian and Colin, with Steven Miller on 2nd guitar and Matthew Horwitz on drums. Quite a line up. The setlist is awesome, covering songs from their entire discography, as well as a couple of cool covers (you'll have to download to find out what they were).

Enjoy this.
MEAN SEASON 6.5.09

MySpace
Facebook
Indecision Records
Hellfish
Posted by XhcnoirX | File under : , , , , , , ,
As requested by one of our readers, here are the Drowning/Restrain split 7" from 1997 and the self-titled MCD from 1999 by this French band. Hailing from Paris, Drowning started out in 1996 as a heavy NYHC meets beatdown band and over time became a full-on deathmetal band. On the split 7" with Restrain they still played their old tough hardcore with their old line-up, which featured Jean-Marc on vocals, the guy who did Inner Rage Records (Starkweather, Overcast, Kickback, etc...). I have 2 versions of this 7" which was released on Back Ta Basics Records (Rick Ta Life's label for those who don't know... tho I doubt anybody didn't already know this). I scanned in both covers, which are the usual sloppy xeroxed and badly cut covers which were so typical for most BTB releases. The split 7" was released after the band did a demo (which I only have a dub of, so I didn't include it), with this line-up the band also contributed 2 songs to the 'The Nightmare Remains... In This Other Land' compilation I posted not too long ago. Restrain, from Ozone Park NY, play raw mid-tempo NYHC... I also have their 1996 demo, not sure what else they did. Good stuff either way, and a solid split 7" all around.

In mid 1998 singer Ridwan and bassist Stéphane, formerly of Cemetery/Garden Of Silence, joined Drowning, and the band switched their style around quite a bit. They dropped most of their NYHC influences and the metal side of their sound took center-stage. In 1999 the band returned with a self-titled MCD on Belgium's hardest label, Released Power Productions. I remember the first show they played with the new line-up, shortly before the MCD was released. They started their set with 'Veil Of Disguise', the second track of the MCD. Pretty much everybody knew they'd switched to a more metal-oriented style, but very few people had already heard the new songs. Awesome stuff, people loved it. A night to remember. And this MCD is definitely the best Drowning release to date in my opinion. Afterwards they became pretty much a full-on death metal band and they lost me there. But this is a damn good record.

Drowning/Restrain split 7"
Drowning - s/t MCD
Drowning myspace

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Posted by jav | File under : ,
In honor of our 700th post, I thought I would break out something from the 'zine vault. This interview comes from BUT STILL I'M JUST SAYIN' zine, which came out of Huntington Beach in what I'd guess was 1995 or 1996.
Battle lines were drawn. It was very clear to everyone that you were either WITH the infamous Monster Crew, or you were AGAINST them. Being old now, I "get" it. But then, I didn't understand where the animosity came from.
But, it wasn't JUST the Monster Crew that got hated on. I remember walking down the street in Newport Beach on 4th of July, to be heckled by Jim Brown with "yeeeeaaaaah what's up, VEEEEEGAAAAN REIIIIIIIICH?"
Anyway, this is a documentation of a crank call with James Hart by members of the crew that hung around 1134, Blackspot, etc. Judging by his responses, it seems legit to me.
Also, I hope these guys got an A+ in art class for the portrait of James with dreadlocks.


Sunday, March 7, 2010

Posted by Anonymous |
Interviewing your close friends is one thing but interviewing your immediate family members is downright creepy. Nevertheless, here's a recent interview that I did with my brother and my other better half, Evan Jacobs. I chose to make Evan's 15+ year independent film career and his Anhedenia Films imprint the primary focus of this interview but as you'll read, it absolutely ties in with '90s hardcore, particularly in Orange County, California. Enjoy the interview. - Jake

Photo taken by Nathan Napolitano

All of the films that you made in the '90s via your Anhedenia Films imprint starred many heavyweights of the '90s hardcore scene. To kick this interview off, tell some funny or interesting stories about making movies, hanging out and, in general, just spending a great deal of time with those people throughout the '90s.

Well, when I made my third film THE TOLL COLLECTOR, I had clipped my right toenail on my big toe too deeply before Mike Hartsfield and I started shooting it. I was actually on the phone with Chris Lohman right before Collateral Damage played with Eleven-Thirty Four at the Huntington Beach Library when I did it. I knew I had a problem because there was a lot of blood and tissue hanging from it.

All throughout the production, I complained to Hartsfield and he keep insisting that I could fix it with home remedies for curing ingrown toenails. Even when I showed him the mess that was my toenail, he didn't care and, in his words, told me it "wasn't shit." Well, if you watch THE TOLL COLLECTOR closely, you can actually see me limping throughout the entire film!

As for hanging out and other stories, a lot of those are going to be shown and discussed in my documentary ORANGE COUNTY HARDCORE SCENESTER. It covers the Orange County, California hardcore scene from 1990 to 1997.


In addition to most of the actors in your films being from the '90s hardcore scene, your director of photography on many of the films was none other than Mike Hartsfield, New Age Records head honcho and member of many seminal '90s hardcore bands. Discuss how he became such an integral part of Anhedenia Films.

At the time, Mike was doing New Age Records full time. He made his own hours and I was really inspired by that. He was available, he was into movies and as long as I had an idea and was willing to put myself in harm's way, Mike would be there putting himself in harm's way too. The best thing is that Mike and I still work together. We want to make another movie but it's kinda hard with the various projects and other commitments between us. Having said that, we do music videos for bands on his labels and we just started shooting this short documentary for the now defunct band 7 GENERATIONS. Mike is putting out their last record.

Mike is a great guy. I've known him for 18 years and he's constantly been an example for me about how to conduct myself businesswise and as a human being. I'm lucky to have known him for so long and to continue to able to work with him. We also have our periods where we're busy and don't see each other. This might last for a few months or even a year. Whenever we would talk or hang out though, there's never any issues, hang-ups, nothing. I am blessed to have such a rich friendship with him.


How exactly did you decide on what bands and songs would be included on the soundtracks to your films?

I needed music and the movies were an extension of my life, so how could hardcore music not be in them? I love hardcore. The music was (and, in many ways, still is) the soundtrack to my life. I always considered myself fortunate to be able to use that music in my films. I also love that I can watch my films and they serve as a document of what I was listening to the most at that particular time.


Your film CURSE OF INSTINCT: 108's FINAL TOUR painstakingly documented the Hare Krishna hardcore band 108's final U.S. tour in 1996. How and why did you decide on that band as the subject for one of your films?

108 was one of those bands that I may not have been on the same page with in a lot of ways but the best thing about hardcore is that that didn't matter. Their music was and is insanely personal. Their power and passion behind it grabbed me. Also, before I knew anything about the band, I learned that Rob Fish had lost his mother to Lupus. I was 20 year old when I found out about that and I believe that he and I are roughly the same age. I saw all the things he was doing with his bands and I was just impressed that somebody so young could be living their life that way.

I started listening to 108 and Ressurection a lot more after that. I had been a huge fan of Inside Out and I loved how passionate Vic was about his music. I remember Chris Daly, on a 108 tour in 1994, telling me that Vic was MIA. Nobody had heard anything from him for like a week. Then, he showed up with a demo containing something like 10 songs for 108's third record. I loved that!

So, while I am not a Hare Krishna or a vegetarian, none of that mattered. I didn't see myself making a documentary on Krishna. I was making a film on a brutally defiant hardcore band that really stood for something.

I'd also heard some negative things about these guys on tour and some of my friends told me not to make the film. I don't know what was and wasn't true but during my time with those guys, they were hospitable, gracious, funny, entertaining and thought provoking. It made the whole experience one of the most important things I've ever done in my life. I am grateful that they allowed me to document them so intimately.


Do you have any funny or interesting stories/memories from that tour that you'd like to share?

Well, it is all pretty much in the documentary that I made. I shot 22 hours of footage over something like 14 days. I edited it down to 51 minutes. The thing is, those guys were all really funny. I messed up a lot of what I was shooting because they had me laughing so much. I think about things now and I still laugh. Those guys were grinders. They were relentless in touring, making their dates and putting on the best show that they possibly could.


Is CURSE OF INSTINCT: 108's FINAL TOUR ever going to receive a proper DVD release and if so, when? If not, why not?

It might. That is something I need to talk to those guys about. When I made that movie, I was getting them at the final two weeks of a 6 week tour (four of it was in Europe). Vic had just gotten over malaria, Rob started my portion of the tour with bronchitis (and still sang every night) and so I only got a small snippet of the band.

A better way to go might have been to have tried to make a more comprehensive documentary. I just didn't have the money or the time. I had the footage I had from the final two weeks of that tour so that is why I billed it as their final tour in the U.S. That's what it was at the time.

It would be cool to put the movie out on DVD but I'd like to interview those guys again and make that an extra on the DVD.


Your 1999 film SCHUSTERMAN LEVINE: A BOXING FABLE has recently been properly released on DVD in the U.S. (click here to order a copy). In what ways does this DVD differ from the 2 on 1 DOGS IN QUICKSAND/SCHUSTERMAN LEVINE DVD released several years ago?

This new version of SCHUSTERMAN LEVINE: A BOXING FABLE is 70 minutes long instead of only 47, which that other DVD release two years ago was. Also, that other DVD release was a bootleg of sorts as it was licensed to a company who had a falling out with my distributor.

When I completed SCHUSTERMAN LEVINE: A BOXING FABLE in 1999, I got it done after spending $15,000 on it. I had shot a lot of footage and only managed to salvage a 47 minute film. Due to a lack of funds at that point, I couldn't sit in an editing room and "find the film." I had to go in 100% prepared and that is what I did.

Flash forward 11 years and I have a Mac with Final Cut Studio on it. It had always bothered me that SCHUSTERMAN LEVINE: A BOXING FABLE was incomplete. So I started working on it over the weekends. I put in a bunch of interview footage with real fighters, trainers and various other boxing notables talking about Schusterman Levine. I was able to "find the film" now because I had more experience and I didn't have to worry about money.

Now, after watching it in its new form, all I can say is that I don't know where so much of the weirdness that is in this film came from. I mean, it is an odd story, filled with odd characters, inspired by an amalgam of odd movies that I love. I am very happy that it is now available in its proper form.


You are currently hard at work on your 9th film, ORANGE COUNTY HARDCORE SCENESTER. Discuss that film. Also, what's the anticipated release date?

ORANGE COUNTY HARDCORE SCENESTER covers the Orange County, California hardcore scene from 1990 to 1997. It isn't being done like a lot of other documentaries where talking heads tell the story. Don't get me wrong, I love that. I was just really inspired by THE KID STAYS IN THE PICTURE and Stewart Copeland's movie EVERYONE STARES: THE POLICE INSIDE OUT. Those films are told with film, video, still images and they are narrated so that they tell a very interesting story. That is what I am hoping to achieve with ORANGE COUNTY HARDCORE SCENESTER.

Right now, the rough edit of the movie is looking like it's going to be 4 hours long! Ultimately, it will be about 100 minutes. I plan to have the rough cut done by August or September of this year. It will hopefully be completed by November 2010. After that, I want to do a college/festival circuit tour with the film. Then I want to take it to Europe. After that, it will come out on DVD and whatever other formats are popular and being used.


Other upcoming/future projects

I am currently rewriting a horror screenplay called INSECT that will most likely be my next animated movie. It is a cross between PHANTASM and THE GATE.

Beyond that, I have a new screenplay that I am working on titled THAT GUY. It is a distant cousin to a script that I wrote in 2001 called HOW I LOST MY MIND AND KILLED SOMEONE. HOW I LOST MY MIND AND KILLED SOMEONE seems like it's about to get funded and made by director Joel Viertel.

I have a bunch more scripts to write and a new, young adult fiction book that I have written longhand that I need to type up titled JD. It is about a boy named RJ who can't seem to stay out of trouble. His mom is sick, so his grandfather moves in to try to straighten RJ out. His big brother, a neighborhood legend and tough guy, is also due to get out of jail. As you can guess, if you are familiar with the author S.E. Hinton, I am very inspired by her. JD is my RUMBLE FISH.

Friday, March 5, 2010

Posted by xCHIPxSEM | File under : ,

Kurt Catalyst just messaged me saying that the debut full length from Abandon is now available to stream on the Catalyst Records site. We did a review for the record last week and its killer (the record, not my review). Kurt is still taking preorders for the next week or 2, so jump on that before its too late to get a limited tshirt.

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Posted by xCHIPxSEM |

Ghost Ship has signed a deal to release a full length with Seventh Dagger. The record is slated to be released sometime this year though no official date has been set. We'll keep you up to date as we know more but Im pumped for my dudes, keeping the spirit of Syracuse Straight Edge alive. You can still download the demo we posted here.
Posted by XhcnoirX | File under : , , , ,
Neckbrace was a vegan sXe band from the UK in the early to mid '90s. In 1994 they released their only record, a self-titled 7", possible demo('s) notwithstanding. To me, this is a self-titled 7" anyways, but it sometimes shows up on lists with the titles 'Better Way', which is the first song on here, or 'X' cuz of the drawing on the cover. Either way, this 7" is pretty damn solid, mid-tempo chugga chugga from start to finish, all good, I love this sorta stuff. Singer Heath would join Stampin' Ground after this band, and I believe another member did some time in Unborn after this band as well.

The 7" was released by No Cruelty Records out of Germany, which was run by people who at the time affiliated themselves with hardline, they even ran the Hardline Germany chapter. The label was shortlived tho, with only this 7" and an audio cookbook as releases. My copy of the 7" comes with a tiny booklet entitled 'Warum Vegan? Why Vegan?' which holds some information about veganism in both German and English, some addresses and such. The label's address is listed in here as the 'Hardline X Germany' address. I included scans of the booklet as well.

Neckbrace 7"

Monday, March 1, 2010

Posted by xCHIPxSEM | File under : , , ,

Growing up in South Florida, hardcore made a big shift in styles in the early 90s (this is before my time) heading in a much more metal direction. In my opinion, Strongarm was one band who helped shaped this new direction and Culture was the other. I really feel like Culture was a very important and influential band on the 90s hardcore band, especially in Europe. Many of the early releases on Goodlife Recordings were heavily influenced by both Culture and Morning Again. Culture in their band lifetime released a decent amount of records but, as most bands do, they recorded songs that never were released. I've been sitting on these recordings for a year and a half before having the go ahead to release them. I got them from John who allowed me to rip them from the tape and have Justin clean them up. He told me later that if Damien and Rich were okay with it, I could post them. So Justin cleaned them up, mastered them and did an overall great job making them sound great. He also made covers for them as there was no cover art originally. I want to specifiy that this is NOT the re-recorded Born Of You record (aka Mike Warden Can Suck It) that we posted some months back. This hasn't been heard by anyone outside the band since 1994. The LP was recorded in late 1994 or early 1995 right after Damien and John joined the band and features the now classic lineup of John and Rich on guitar, Damien on vocals, Gordon in bass and Josh on drums. Some of these songs were dropped and never re-recorded so this is your only chance to hear them. The second recording is an EP featuring alternate versions of Deforestation and Memento Mori as well as 2 songs that neither Rich nor Mark knew the titles to. This lineup featured John and Rich on guitar, Mark on vocals, Gordon on bass and Josh on drums.
Rich was nice enough to give us the Cliff's Notes to "Culture 101" which you can read below. Big thanks to Rich, John, and Damien for allowing this to be released

Ok. I am gonna just try and wing this with no mistakes. Ha. I'll keep it brief but not to short.
It was the middle of the night somewhere on I95 headed back from Richmond, VA when it hit me. I needed to start a band. Something new and uninfluenced by the sounds of the times. I think the year was probably 1994 or so. I'm not exactly sure. I had moved to Richmond, Va with a friend of mine at the time. I was lucky enough to get to play bass for Grip later know as Dayspring. It was my first real taste of band life. Getting in a van and driving from state to state. I was so hooked. I had never felt such freedom. I was headed back to South Florida. I knew I needed to find some serious dudes to get in this band with me. I didnt know what it was gonna sound like or anything. I just knew I needed some down mother fuckers to set it off. Mark Mitchell has been a friend mine before I left for Richmond. Some of you may know him from Red Roses For A Blue Lady and now he plays bass for Throwdown I think. I wanted him to sing. He had a drummer named Josh Williams. We got back and we wasted no time. We set up shop in Mark's garage and just started playing. We wrote a couple of songs. They sucked. Ha. One day we got together for a practice. I started this riff. Not sure where it came from. Everyone sort of looked at each other with this intense excitement. I played it again and again. Then we started to add to it. Before you knew it we had a song. That song later became Born Of You and Culture was born.
We wrote I think maybe four songs and it was our plan to go record with the now famous Jeremy Staska. Side note... I feel like bands such as Culture and Morning Again helped start what was a wave of hardcore bands to record with Jeremy. He was a solid dude no doubt. Anyways... we wrote some songs and I was just gonna play both guitar tracks and play bass. No big deal. Well Mark decided that he didn't want to pay to record. Needless to say he was out and I ended up singing, playing both guitar tracks and playing bass. To this day I still think the demo was the best thing Culture ever did. Not because I did almost everything on it but because it was the purest form of the band. No outside influence. Just two guys in a garage. So now came the task of finding another guitar player and a bass player. Josh knew a kid named Gordon Tarpley, a sweet surfer beach dude with sweet surfer beach dude dreads. He ended up playing bass. Now to this day I'm still not sure how we found John Wylie to play guitar. I'm not sure if he was a friend of a friend or if later on when we got Damien Moyal that he knew him. I just don't remember. Sorry John. Ha. So after a lot of fill ins and flakes the line up was myself, John Wylie, Damien Moyal, Gordon Tarpley and Josh Williams.
Its important to note that I am sure I am leaving out some details and sort of jumping around but we are talking almost 16 years ago so bear with me. I'm not trying to give you a date by date narrative of the band. Just some basic facts those who are interested may not know.
Okay so now we know the basic formation of the original core members of Culture. I'll never forget our first show. We opened for Sick Of It All and Strife somewhere in Coconut Grove (almost positive this show was at the Kitchen Club in the Grove-Chip). I was so F'n nervous but so ready. We had written I think like seven songs. We really had no idea what we were doing but it was the most fun I had ever had playing a show to this date. Yeah I've played tons of other shows since then but damn that shit was tight. After we played some more shows things started to take off for us. We put a full length out on Conquer The World Records, did a lot of weekend touring. I mean we had no idea how to book a tour or any of that so we just did weekend shows. I knew enough people that we got on some good shows. We were huge in Indianapolis and Chicago. Ha Ha Ha. We then recorded the Deforestation 7" for Catalyst. Somehow Mark got back in the band for a while. John left to start Morning Again. Damien started singing for them then wasn't anymore. He started to do As Friends Rust and Bird Of ill Omen. Well one weekend tour with Mark and we all but begged Damien to come back. We got Steve Looker to take Johns place on guitar.
This is getting exhausting.
So now comes the Goodlife Recordings era. Ha. We recorded a split release with a band called Kindred from Europe. Then we put out a mini cd called Heteronome (ask Damien what the hell that means). We ended up touring Europe and to me that really was the downfall of the band. We were fighting all the time. It didn't matter what it was about. It got to the point where it was no longer fun for me. I loved Europe but hated being there with them. We played so many amazing shows and met so many amazing people but I knew I was done. The band wanted me out to I think. I mean we were a pack of Chiefs with no Indians to rule so eventually one person was gonna be the focus. That was me. I also was a dick so I made it easy for them. When we got home I went to Ohio to visit. They kicked me out while I was gone. It hurt. I mean I was the last original member. Culture was my life for so long that I felt like I had nothing. Eventually that feeling went away and I moved on to other bands. Culture, in many forms, continued on for a bit longer. They re-released the original Conquer The World recording on Goodlife which was cool. All and all I have a lot of good memories. I learned a lot of things about music and the business side as well as things about myself personally. Culture was one of the most important Vegan Straight Edge bands ever. Hands down. We, along with a few others, created a sound that was copied all over the globe. People named bands after our songs. Clothing companies from our lyrics. We influenced a scene. That scene gave me life long memories. I am forever grateful. I miss playing with those guys. I miss the shitty smelly practice spaces. I miss the excitement of writing new songs with them. I want to thank John, Damien, Gordon, Josh, Mark, Jason Dooley, Steve Looker and everyone that ever helped or supported the band. It still means a lot.

The lineups for the recordings are as follows:

The demo was myself (Rich) and Josh Williams
Born Of You was myself (Rich), John, Damian, Gordon and Josh
Deforestation #1 was myself (Rich), John, Josh, Gordon and Mark
Deforestation #2 was myself (Rich), Steve, Josh, Gordon and Damien
Split with Kindred was myself (Rich), Steve, Josh, Gordon and Damian
Heteronome ep was myself (Rich), Steve, Jason Dooley, Gordon and Damien


Culture - The Unreleased LP (EDIT: one track was corrupt but has been fixed. Link works fine now)

http://www.mediafire.com/?yiuulmwvmzz

Culture - Deforestation (Alternate Recording)

http://www.mediafire.com/?2jzjfzmbbxu