HVY DRT - Live !!!

This is rarer than rocking horse shit....HVY DRT,...live...wow!

There were a number of reasons I started this blog and one of the main ones was the fact that HVY DRT hadn't appeared anywhere. To me they were a band who deserved to be much better known and appreciated.When I got there 12'', a million years ago, I was knocked out. They epitomised the SoCal sound that I'd hooked into from the rodney on the roq compilations of the early '80's.

So, it was with great suprise and excitement when I was contacted out of the blue by someone who knew the band and said they had a copy of a live tape. They'd managed to give it to someone in a studio who cleaned it up and this is the end result. I've had this for a few months, but as things are mental I've not had the time to post...poor excuse I guess.

I have no idea when this gig was, it wasn't the above date as I found that on a sharepoint site. I'll contact the very kind person who sent me this and update this post later on with facts. All the song titles are 100% correct, so apologies for not knowing the date, but I wanted to get this out there as it deserves to be heard...and appreciated :)

These guys are sooooo tight it's unreal. The songs off the ep are played with such skill they are hard to tell from the studio versions, clearly they're live, but they are tight as hell and played at the same tempo....almost note perfect across this whole show. Really impressive.

This is a real piece of history...a huge thanks to the fellow music obsessive who gave me this copy and the band for just being fucking great.

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Emma Peel - Avenging Punk Rock Godfathers 7'' (1993)

Now here's a band that I wish had continued to produce more as this is such a great 7''.

I have no clue as to how they formed, but I'm thankful they did and left this gem behind in their wake. A band who comprised the following personnel: -

John (Stabb) Schroeder - Vocals
Rob Frankel - Guitar
Steve Hansgen - Bass
Danny Ingram - Drums

This long out of print 7'' was released on Tragic Life records in 1993.

The sound isn't too dissimilar to latter day Government Issue, so you know it has to be good. I've rambled on about the members of this band at various times before and they should be pretty well known to most fans of hardcore. A, possibly, little known fact is that Steve Hansgen joined Boyd Farrell and Mike Dolfi. both ex Black Market Baby, in Rustbuckit a while ago.... a band who's record is soooooooooo song overdue that I've almost worn out my demo copy!!!!

I have a live set of Emmapeel somewhere....I'll upload it one day.

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Dot Dash - Winter Garden Light (2012)

What a lovely way to start a miserable wet and rainy Saturday morning. I check my various e-mail accounts and in the one for this blog I find a link to a band called Dot Dash who grab my attention with the header of "dc band". I click a link and I'm immediately hit by the power of the drumming, the opening track is instantly impressive and hooks me straight in.

Reading further through the e-mail Dot Dash have a real heritage and consist of: -

Terry Banks - Vocals/Guitar (Glo-Worm, The Saturday People, Tree Fort Angst, Julie Ocean)
Bill Crandall - Guitar (Modest Proposal, Adam West)
Hunter Bennett - Bass (Weatherhead, Julie Ocean)
Danny Ingram - Drums (Youth Brigade (dc), Social Suicide, Madhouse, Emmapeel, Strange Boutique, Swervedriver and a few more that I can't think of)

So Danny explains the powerful drumming and with Terry, Hunter and Bill it explains the hook laden songs.

Dot Dash are a very accomplished powerpop/punk pop band, and this album speeds past you at a million miles an hour, not due to it's velocity, but due to the seamless sequence of flawless songs that take you on the musical equivalent of the perfect speed date.

The album starts with Faraway, full of atmosphere, Byrds like guitars and Buzzcocks trade mark "ooohs and ahhhs" and slips into track two, Countdown, equally hook laden and captivating. Before you realise it they've spun your head though a plethora of perfect pop songs and the album is finishing with The Devil's Road. All the intervening songs flow effortlessly into each other and are beautifully constructed with a clear/sharp production. This is a refreshingly uplifting album that I know will sit with me for years to come.

Thanks to the Bandcamp website you can hear the album here. You can also buy the album, for as little as, $7, which is a pittence for such a stunning piece of work.

Their Facebook page can be found here

Condemned to Death - 7'' (1984)

Back to these guys and their self titled 7'' from '84'  Two words...simply, fucking, brilliant.

If you want to know more look here.

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The Proletariat - Marketplace 7'' (1985)

I bought this on one of my regular trips to London to buy records from Rough Trade, Plastic Passion etc. I picked this up new from Tower records.

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Las Mordidas - Demo (1994)

I've mentioned them in a number of posts before, so thought it was time to let this demo see the light of day. As mentioned this band was started by Chris Thompson after Circus Lupus disbanded. The band also included Dug E Bird (Rain Like the sound of Trains, Fidelity Jones, Underground Soldier, Beefeater etc etc), Jerry Busher (Fideliey Jones, Chris Bald 96 etc) & Jon Kirschten (Rain, Chris Bald 96).

Chris Thompson is another of the artists I follow religiously and I'm so glad I do as he NEVER disappoints. So.....as demo tapes go, this one is in the premier league; totally outstanding imo; I love it.

If I could be granted one wish it would be to be born in DC on the same birth date....man I'd have pogo'd so hard I'd be three feet shorter. Anyway...enjoy this Demo; two of the songs were, much, later released by Dischord as a 7''.

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The Monorchid - When the Mutes Begin to Root 7'' (1996)

Oh D.C. how I love thee.

Another great Washington band with a real heritage, The band consisted of: -

Chris Thompson - Vocals
Andy Cone - Guitar
Chris Hamley - Guitar
Andy Coronado -Bass
Tom Allnutt - Drums

While this band may not be a household name, Chris Thompson should be as he's been in, Lunch Meat, Soul Side, Ignition, Circus Lupus, Fury, Las Moridas, Skull Kontrol, Red Eyed Legends and a couple more besides.

The Monorchid offer really good angular hardcore punk n roll. If you like any of the bands above, you'll like this...if you've never heard any of the bands above, why not give this a shot and see what you think. The band released 3 7'' and 2 albums, all are worth tracking down.Chris' vocals on this 7'' always reminded me of Mark E Smith.

This is a vinyl rip, so it comes with free pops and hisses; just like the old days.

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How can you be lonely when your house is haunted?

America's Youth.

RF7 - Fall in 12'' (1982)

Back to these guys after a loooooong time and a really deserving 12''. Released in 1982 on Smoke Seven records, this 12'' is a seamless continuation from the album released the previous year.

Compilation albums were so important back then and I heard these guys via the Public Service comp and thought they were canny. I added them to my wants list and quickly got their first few releases and I've followed the band ever since. I LOVE this 12'' - it never gets old; it might take a few listens to appreciate it as Felix's vocals are aren't instant hit with some.

I truly believe this band are sadly overlooked when it comes to documenting hardcore; they deserve so much better.

Anyway, download and decide for yourself.

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ISM - I Think I Love You (1983)

The early days of hardcore were sometimes confusing for a guy based 1000's of miles from the center. This band were categorized as hardcore, as comicbook and lumped in with the Berts by some, but make no mistake they're really important and were at the epicenter; as soon I got this 7'' I was hooked.

In my opinion, this a great New York band who came my way via a compilation tape and quickly made their way onto my "wants list". They are really chaotic, yet can clearly play their instruments and manage to make a discordant racket sound like the best thing since sliced bread.

This 7'' needs to be heard. A really good band who lasted for far too few years, but they managed to release a couple of albums, and 7'' along with a 12''. I'd suggest getting them all.

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This 7'' is pure genius.

High Back Chairs

As I've said before, I loved following certain artists to see just where they can take their art/craft, call it what you will. Jeff Nelson was a guy I watched from afar and was totally gob-smacked at just how fast he could play drums yet he'd never miss a beat, ever; the guy was a human metronome. When he was in Minor Threat he was just amazing, what a fucking drummer!!!

I followed him, and Ian, from band to band to see where they went, but I lost touch with Jeff, primarily because I stopped buying Flipside around 93(ish), so I had a few lean years where I had to go back to square one and write letters to people to find out, what was what and, where it was happening.

Fast forward to '96 and I get myself on the interweb and things become easier to follow. I did some digging and found out that Jeff had joined a new band called High Back Chairs; this is after Wonderama. This band ARE NOT punk, however, they could be slotted in with latter day Asexuals, but they're as about as far from Minor Threat as you could get.I really liked these and have no issues from switching from MT, to Void to these in a heartbeat.

It appears that their releases are still available on Dischord, so I've grouped 4 songs together as a taster to get a feel for the band. If you like them then plod on over to Dischord where you can buy the real thing online for a very small fee.....go on, they deserve it; so do Dischord.

Of Two Minds = Buy it here
Curiosity and Relief = BUY IT here (this is the best one and it only costs $4 digitally)

The band consisted of

Pater Hynes - Vocals/Guiter
Jim Spellman - Guitar
Charles Steck - Bass/Vocals
Jeff Nelson - Drumming god like person

This is another band who epitomise why I love DC...so many artists so many, many, many bands. You could spend months trying to plan a family tree around this city. Jim was also in Velocity Girl and Julie Ocean, Charles was in Rambling Shadows, Colo(u)r School etc.

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"Dream of a Day" reminds me of sitting outside the "Free Trade" pub in Newcastle with a freezing cold pint of Stella in my hand on a boiling hot summers day, listening to this album on my walkman waiting for friends to turn up so we could get royally drunk. Ah...those were the days.

Major Conflict - How do ya Feel 7'' (1983)

Soon after Urban Waste folded a couple of ex members formed this band, and boy, am I glad they did. I was offered this 7'', but had no clue who it was and then the seller said "it's some ex Urban Waste members" and I tore his hand off; £3 including import fees and I was laughing. I got home, threw in on the turn table and it's never stopped spinning ever since. I still have this piece of plastic sitting in a storage facility somewhere.
 
My love, some might say obsession with American Hardcore is no secret, but I never really had an affinity with New York. I've often thought why it was that I didn't click with NYC, but I still can't put my finger on it and there are far more bands from there that I didn't like than I did. This band are a huge exception.

This isn't Urban Waste, and if you weren't told the bands shared members you'd never know. This is a huge, powerful wall of noise that will knock you off your feet proving that when New York kicked hard it really kicked; the riffs are brilliant. This 7'' should only be played at one volume, and that's full!

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BoB Mould

Thanks to Days of our Youth for alerting me to this.

Bloody Mannequin Orchestra - Roadmap to Relolution (1984)

BMO came onto my radar via a compilation tape I copied from a mate, tbh, as often happened in those days when discovering certain hardcore bands, I had no idea what to make of them. At first I was perplexed at the chaotic noise, it seemed to have no melody or real structure, but after a few listens it clicked. When I got the chance to own this I snapped the sellers hand off. If you've not heard these before then prepare yourself as they are as about as far from an instant hit as it's possible to get....BUT they have a saxophone player and that's worth 90 points in my book.

They sprung into life in 1982 and over the coming months replaced a few people until getting a stable lineup. Names you might know from the band were Sharon Cheslow (guitar) who'd previously been in Chalk Circle, Colin Sears (drums) and Roger Marbury (bass). Sears and Marbury both later formed Dag Nasty with Brian Baker & Shawn Brown. Colin Sears was also in Alloy and the early incarnation of Fugazi. The band were completed by Alex Mahoney  (vocals) and Charles Bennington (Saxophone).

BMO sound nothing like any of those bands, so enjoy or hate whichever it is you feel after getting it. I would strongly advise that you don't give it one listen as it takes a few to sink in. I still love this record.

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The Chris Bald 96 - Uglified 7'' (1990)

I've always had a soft spot for Chris so it was a shame he seemed to have stopped producing music so early on. This predates the album listed here. Again this isn't hardcore, but is interesting music that does hook you in and keeps you interested.

This recording, and the album, had Julian Weber  on drums and Ralf N on bass,

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Songs for Snakes - Charcoal Heather (2012)

Songs for Snakes come out of San Francisco (Kenny why haven't you told me about these?) and make music that just blows the cob webs out of my head. When I listen to this I hear Husker Du, Moving Targets, Asexuals, Jawbreaker, The Replacements...... so it can't be bad!

The band comprise: -

Bill Taylor - Guitar/Vocals
Nick Waters - Bass
Paul Furusho - Drums

Undoubtedly the major comparison that will be made here is with Husker Du; Bill's guitar playing is full of the distortion and melodies that Bob used to spit out in the 80's.

That decades alternative college radio would have gone mad for Songs for Snakes had they been around at the time. The blend they concoct with hooks dripping off the guitar, the beautifully rumbling bass and thundering drums is as close to perfection as I've heard in some time. They are exciting, captivating and wholly satisfying. I love this; it's amazingly good. There isn't a bad track on this album and they've been switching place as to which is my favourite constantly.

To me this is pure punk; classic, melodious, catchy as hell and one that I can sing along with to my hearts content.

Two of the bands releases are available here and you get to choose how much you pay for them. I've bought both of them. If you like this then support the band and buy one of the best releases of the year in Charcoal Heather. Sleep through this is also very good btw.

Have a listen if you don't believe me how good this is. My favourite tracks at the moment are:  Charcoal Heather, The Most Documented Man and FEAR

Adam Yauch - 8/5/1964 - 4/5/2012

I awoke this morning to the sad news that Adam Yauch died yesterday due to cancer.

The Beastie Boys first came to my attention via their the NY compilation and then the Polly Wog Stew 7''; which was great. After that time they were a band a followed sporadically, but each time I dipped my toe into their catalogue it produced results. Rap isn't a genre I have a lot of time for, but the Beastie Boys managed to mix it up into something different and enjoyable each time. Such a shame and he was only 47 as well.

TV is already calling it the end of the BB's, I hope not as they always made me smile. However, to me, the Beastie Boys will always a that crazy hardcore band I discovered 30+ years ago.

RIP.

Mediafire

The internet's not always for porn.

Crackles aside, this is pretty gob smacking.

The Detours- Live

You know, hearing "Hang Ten in East Berlin" by the Detours was a total WTF moment; this is unreal!....people make music like this?...where do I sign up? Forget Discharge, forget the Exploited, forget all that...this is where I'm at.

I "borrowed" a great book from Virgin records in early '81 that listed all the Punk and New Wave records to date and from here me and a mate would compile wants lists. I read about a mythical Detours 7'' that, to this day, I still can't be sure actually exists. I've chased that so many times since...it's never materialised.

About ten years ago I managed to get a few live mp3's of the Detours and I've hunted stuff ever since. Tonight on the off chance I threw the detours and the name of a bootleg album into google and found the following live gig......free to download!!!! Does it get any better than this?

For those that don't know the Detours predated the Adolescents and DI, both of who used songs from the Detours repertoire in their live sets and on vinyl.

Go here to read some great stuff and to see who the band consists of these days....it's a who's who of SoCal.

The Detours

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Finding this has made my-fucking-night......enjoy!

Dead Boys - All the Way Down 12'' (1987)

Here's a 12'', long since deleted and not currently available

Mediafire