Friday, July 27, 2012

Saturday, July 14, 2012

Posted by Anonymous |

Although Triggerman's Learning To Lie was released digitally via iTunes and Amazon almost two months ago, the vinyl version wasn't released until mid-June and Scott Foster at 1124 Records was kind enough to send me a free copy of it, so I figured that I'd do a short write-up on it as a thank you to him.  The main reason why I'm calling it a write-up and not a review is because, as I've previously mentioned here, I've known Triggerman singer/frontman Joe Nelson for over 30 years and, much like with my brother Evan's Orange County Hardcore Scenester documentary film, I simply cannot be impartial enough to review it per se ("friends love friends' bands" and all that).

The first thing that I'll say about Learning To Lie is that if you downloaded and enjoyed the Triggerman Dead Wait demo and Sinker 7" that I posted on here in the first half of 2010, then you're DEFINITELY going to want to check out Learning To Lie.  Almost all of those songs were re-recorded for and included on Learning To Lie and, with the addition of Ignite's Brett Rasmussen on bass and '80s punk legend Derek O'Brien on drums, sound absolutely fantastic.

Whether you're into '80s hardcore or '90s hardcore (or both), you're no doubt aware of and are probably a fan of the artwork/graphics of Triggerman guitarist Gavin Oglesby as he is responsible for some of the most iconic album/EP covers from both decades.  Well, to say that he has outdone himself with both the album cover and the packaging for Learning To Lie would be a colossal understatement.  Simply put, this is one of the most stunning looking LPs that I've ever seen in my entire life.  In the thank you list for either Uniform Choice's Screaming For Change or Unity's You Are One (whose covers were both designed by Oglesby), the phrase "The Essence of Art" was included in his thank you.  Truer words were never spoken in the history of the English language, ESPECIALLY with regard to Learning To Lie.

To purchase the LP, click here.

Friday, July 13, 2012

Posted by xjustinx | File under : , , , ,

Over the weekend of 6/29 - 6/30, Undertow played their two final shows, and here is some video from both of them.

Friday, 6/29/12 @ Black Lodge in Seattle.  This was their "secret" set.



Saturday, 6/30/12 @ Neumos in Seattle with Ron Guardipee singing two Brotherhood songs at the beginning of the set.



And here's some Unrestrained video from the Black Lodge on Friday night.

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Posted by xjustinx | File under : , , ,

Galleons Lap are famous for being the post-hardcore project of Greg Anderson (Brotherhood, Statement, Engine Kid, Sunn, Southern Lord Records) upon moving back to Seattle from a brief stint in San Diego.  The band also featured Nate Mendel (Brotherhood, Christ On A Crutch, Diddly Squat, Sunny Day Real Estate, Foo Fighters), Eric Akre (Christ On A Crutch, Diddly Squat) and Lenny Richardson.  This is much more mellow than the bands the members had previously been in, but it still maintains their punk leanings when necessary.  Themes & Variations initially came out as a self released cassette and then was pressed to 12" by Scorch Records.

Galleons Lap - Themes & Variations
[self released cassette - 1991]
Posted by xjustinx | File under : , ,

Earlier this year, Chip made a post about Fires & Floods, a band containing members of One King Down, Shai Hulud, Most Precious Blood, etc.  Well, their LP is now up for pre-order from Bitter Melody Records.  They still have a bandcamp page up where you can listen to three tracks if you need a refresher before making an order.

Pressing info:
75- clear
125 - grey
300 - black

Posted by xjustinx | File under : , ,

Great Reversals had to travel down a long road to get this 10" EP to see the light of day.  It was going to be released via American Enemy Records, but something went awry and the band was left holding the bag on the bill at the pressing plant.  They were able to pull it together to get the release into their hands, and I'm glad they did, because it's a stellar document of a band coming into their own.

In the past, Great Reversals have always garnered comparisons to the likes of Bane and Trial.  While those comparisons still make sense, they have been able to take them and harness them into their own brand of melodic hardcore.  The tones on the vinyl are great, with all instruments meshing well.  The chunky passages carry a lot of power, but the true beauty of this record is the melody.  There are melodic guitar parts that don't just ride in the background.  Instead, they have the ability to propel each song to it's climax and inevitable end.

Of great note for this record is also the lyrics.  They deal with the struggles of drummer, Eric, while raising his eight year old son that is both deaf and autistic.  For me, the best hardcore is always about struggle, desperation and the depths of the human spirit, and this 10" is no exception to that.  The four songs contained on To The Ends Of The Earth showcase a person searching for answers and the desire to be able to communicate those seemingly unfindable answers to someone that he loves.

In addition to the 10" which is available through Great Reversals own webstore (and many distros), it is now available on CD as well with extra tracks from their split 7" with They Came In Waves and an Unbroken cover.  I'm unsure of the pressing info, but the 10" is out there on black vinyl and blue vinyl, and I highly suggest you pick one up.

Sunday, July 8, 2012

Posted by xjustinx | File under : , , ,
Hateful Youth - 5/17/87 in Spokane, WA with DRI.

In recent times, I've gotten to know Ron Guardipee a bit and he has been kind enough to send me some tapes for mp3 conversion.  Over time, some of these tapes will be pre-Brotherhood, thus showcasing the genesis of what would become the straight edge scene in the Pacific Northwest.

For a period of a few years in the mid 1980s, Ron moved to Spokane, WA and sang for a band called Hateful Youth from 86-87 before moving back to Seattle and joining Brotherhood on vocals.  You can definitely hear a big crossover vibe with this recording that could be likened to Cryptic Slaughter and The Accused.  With seven tracks totaling nine minutes, there are some total ragers.

Hateful Youth  - I'm Pissed Off...But I Don't Know At What
[Demo 1986]



Thursday, July 5, 2012

Posted by Anonymous |


Preorder info coming soon.

In the meantime, here's an ICE Acoustic video.

Sunday, July 1, 2012

Posted by xjustinx | File under : , , ,
Undertow played their final show last night, and hopefully some video and pictures will turn up real soon.  In the meantime, there are a few leftover copies of a cassette that Demian put together for his Dead Accents label of Undertow's live set on WPSC from our post two years ago.  There are only a handful of them left, and they're only $5, so swoop in while you can.

This was made for the final Undertow show on June 30th, 2012. 150 copies made for the people who came by and shared that evening with us. We have some left over and think you should buy it. Totally punk as fuck cassettes with black and white covers. Each cover has a hand painted spot color. This is a recording from a radio show Undertow played in the Summer of 1993 in New Jersey.