The Gerunds – Demo (self released)
This Philadelphia outfit features ex-members of Serpico, Thirteen and Grady along side duel singers Mickey Lynch and Peter Cortner. Peter is fondly remembered by many people as the last vocalist standing in Dag Nasty, the breakaway hardcore band from Washington DC in the late 80’s. But let’s be clear – The Gerunds owe nothing to that era at all. These four songs present a new bridge between post punk and the Paisley Underground, and come out sounding wildly fresh and inventive.
1.6 Band – The Checkered Past of All Kings Present 7” (Metastasis)
These guys abuse stop-on-a-dime turns with their trademark cadence and disjointed timing. After a 17 year hiatus, they returned to life with a handful of shows and this record, which is also available as a free download. This is not a band that is trying
to re-capture some lost legacy, in fact nostalgia seems to be the last thing on their minds. This four song record picks up exactly where we last saw them on 1993’s “Pimpin’ Ain’t Easy” 7” EP and moves directly forward. But their greatest achievement is that they succesfully dissassembled hardcore and put it back together using the wrong hand tools. Singer Kevin Egan (Beyond, Last Crime) is still able to challenge and stimulate the audience with his reflective, unapologetic lyrics.
Touch & Go! – book (Bazillion Points)
Unlike the west coast fanzines that influenced them, Touch & Go were more concerned with what was happening in their own backyard. Dave Stimson and Tesco Vee wrote about the midwest bands as they unfolded in front of them. And when they moved their base of operations to Washington DC in 1982, they found themselves in the middle of an emerging scene that stretched from Boston to Virginia. This 546 page coffee table book collects all 22 issues of the original run, plus a ton of flyers, interviews and anecdotes. Sure, the cartoons are juvenile. Some of them are downright embarrassing. But it’s still essential reading.
Cymbals Eat Guitars – Why There Are Mountains (Cymbals Eat Guitars)
There is so much to absorb about this record, it takes repeated listenings to figure everything out. One thing is for sure – these guys are criminally talented musicians and song writers. The songs range from short noisy dirges to psych rock, all of them easily accessible and still experimental in nature. None of the songs arrive at the place they reached with their “Ballad of Nothing”, but they get really damn close.
Hands Tied – reunion shows
When Mouthpiece called it quits in 1995, east coast punk and hardcore was coming out of a long period of violence, huge pants and slow, sludgy metal bands. This parade of bullshit ended that summer, when Earth Crisis were summarily ejected from Middlesex County College during the middle of their set. This was the spark that ignited “The Rebirth of Hardcore”, which was basically a renewed interest in playing fast music and wearing clothes that actually fit. Leading that pack were three holdouts from Mouthpiece – Tim, Ed and Sean, along with drummer Pat Guidotti. Hands Tied played vibrant, positive hardcore that had all the speed and stamina of bands like Unity along with the swelling choruses of Chain of Strength. They also happened to be a great live band who somehow managed to pour 100% of their energy into the crowd at every single show. The band kicks off their reunion shows this month with stops in Philly, DC, Boston, Maryland and Washington DC.
The Nervous – cassette tape (self released)
One of my favorite bands in Denver right now, featuring ex-members of Scott Baio Army, Crestfallen and Line of Descent. This four song tape expands on the Dangerhouse Records sound by adding intelligent lyrics, call-and-return male/female vocals and buzzsaw guitars. The band is led by the charismatic Jennie Mather, a woman who channels both the raw nerve of Alice Bag and the careful confusion of Siouxsie Sioux. If you get a chance to see them live, pay close attention and watch out for swinging instruments.
We Were Promised Jetpacks – These Four Walls (Fat Cat Records)
There’s something really infectious about this record. It was made by four young guys from Edinburgh, Scotland who are on a serious mission. Singer and guitarist Seal Hands (all of the members have code names!) chants, screams and wails his way through eleven songs about houses and clocks and getting his lights punched out. Their sound is very polished, up-tempo post punk, a genre which rarely delivers any kind of depth or creativity. It’s my guilty pleasure of the summer. I can’t wait to see which direction they decide to take next.
Christie Front Drive – s/t (Magic Bullet)
Reissue of their 10 song self-titled record plus a DVD with video footage of their last show in 1996. Unlike a lot of the other bands from this era who simply copied directly from the “emo” playbook, CFD spent a good amount of time crafting songs that broke all kinds of molds. This record is a great reflection of that time before overproduced, commercially accessible pop punk took over.
Our Gang – Uprising LP (Jack Roy)
This LP collects both their 1988 and 1989 demos, both of which were recorded at Don Fury’s Demo Demo Studios. A lot of New York hardcore bands from this era were immediately written off as clones of clones, but Our Gang was up to something different. They were writing songs about losing friends and being homeless when most of their peers were busy trying to write the heaviest mosh part. Although short lived, their appearance on Chaka Malik and Freddy Alva’s New Breed tape compilation cemented them in New York history. Features dudes who would go on to form Born Against, Citizens Arrest and Hell No.
Stiff Little Fingers – Inflammable Material (4 Men With Beards)
This punk classic from 1979 gets the royal treatment on 180 gram vinyl. Definitely worth picking up if you’ve got the cash.
