Maximum Penalty "Superlife" & "Independent" CDs

With a new record out and some recent touring NYC pioneers Maximum Penalty have been receiving a well deserved rekindling of interest from younger and older kids alike. MP started getting noticed over 20 years ago with their 1989 demo. I along with many others fell in love with them due to their songs on the "Where the Wild Things Are" compilation on Blackout records. People everywhere loved singer Jim Williams unique vocals with the ability to bust out great patterns with nothing short of style. Over the years they put out a few EPs and records that in my opinion, were awesome. Many of my friends couldn't get past the song "Hate" and seemed to just want different versions of that early song. I told them they were crazy and appreciated the experimentation that MP did throughout the 90s. To me these guys embodied what I love about hardcore. Some of their songs are melodic, some have great sing a longs, some are down right moody, and other songs are poppy. The one factor that was always present with these guys though was an underlying sense of heaviness not quite in a typical way. Simply enough, it had balls and originality.

I hate to be that guy who claims to have been waving their flag over 15 years ago (which I was haha) and I'm not bitter that kids are now checking them out. In fact, I'm quite happy because I've always been one who wants to share the great bands that are slightly off the beaten path. And MP are just what the scene needed recently. The band still consists of core members / song writers including; singer Jim, guitarist Joe, & drummer Darren. They were recently joined by Buske on bass (Promise, Terror, Ragmen, Another Victim, etc...) and Rey (who i think was in Elements DEC (awesome stuff!), and One4One possibly). What a great line up. A few months back they released "Life & Times" on Reaper Records who just keep flooring me with every release. Talk about a label that's been upping the ante the past few years!

I have uploaded some of Maximum Penalty middle of the road releases here. They are from 1996-1997 and have many stand out tracks! Don't get mad if you hear a horn section here or there as those songs still kill it too. Just remember that was almost 15 years ago all ready. Enjoy.



"Independent" released in 1996 by Idjit Records.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD



"Superlife" released in 1997 by Gypsy records.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD



Maximum Penalty / Reaper Records webstore
MP on myspace: click here

NEW SCHOOL "live @ Club Babyhead 12-30-94" video

So stoked someone sent us this link...

For all you closet New School fans (check an old post here "Strategy Rhyme"). I want to be in a band that sounds like this so bad (sans the ponytails).

DIGRESSION "From These Ashes" CD

Digression were one the bigger bands during the mid to late 90s in Erie. Whenever they would play tons of kids would be singing along and stage diving. They had a pretty good run despite many line up changes. Here is a little insight into the band care of their guitarist Mike "Wiz" Wisniewski.



Years of bands existence: 1994 - 1998
Band members: The main members were Mike Wisniewski, Joe Nolan, Jay Teriberi, and Jon Burdick
Throughout the years there were a lot of different members that came and went....Steve Heatherington, Dan Quiggle, Bill Gerhelin, Mike Schwenk, and a couple of other temporary members but I can't remember their names.



Releases / year released:

Demo - 1995
Controlled 7" (Surprise Attack Records) - 1996
From These Ashes full length (Endless Records) - ?



Interesting stories form live shows, tour, recording sessions for particular releases, etc:

We seemed to have a rash of quitting that made for some interesting situations. We had a singer named Jason once that joined the band and after about a month he just disappeared and it was right before his first show. We had heard from the grapvine that he moved to Florida, but he never contacted us or let us know he was moving.

Literally the day after we finished recording our demo, our singer (Dan Q.) announced to us that he was leaving the band. Every time the band seemed to gain momentum, someone ended up quitting which ultimately took its toll on the band.

On our way to our first show of a mini-tour, the wheel of our trailer flew off while we were going 70 on the highway. It was early in the morning on 4th of July too. We ended up have to get towed off the highway to a parking lot & getting a wheel from a junkyard since everywhere was closed.



Why did the band break up: Couldn't keep a permanent singer

Did members join other bands: Joe went on to be in a couple of other bands & is currently in Smoke & Mirrors. Jon, Steve, and myself were in Fire at zero gravity for a couple of years.

"From These Ashes" 
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD

Last Man Standing "Geography" CD

Last summer Last Man Standing played a reunion show and at that show they had a brand new release. You might think that is kind of weird for a band that had been broken up for over 15 years… but we think it’s still very cool none the less! They played a great mix of post hardcore with a wide variety of aggressive elements. Michael Haley who played drums for LMS from 1992-94 hit us up and gave us permission to post it on here for all to enjoy which we thought was really awesome of him.



Last Man Standing is:
Ben Frazier – vocals
Jim Beveridge – guitar
Pat Bova – guitar
Pat Kowalski – bass
Mike Haley - drums



What’s the story with this release just now coming out after having been recorded in 1993?

Michael Haley - We recorded a final full length that was never finished until this summer. We never mixed / mastered or pressed it. I got it finished before the CB 20 reunion show at The Beer Mug as a final nod and to give everybody a finished product. Ben did the art and layout and I oversaw the mixing, mastering and pressing.

Can you give us a little bit on the break up of LMS?

Michael Haley - So we broke up in late 93, We were at our practice space above Shooter's and we were trying to initiate a new bass player since Pat Kowalski was leaving for school in Santa Fe, New Mexico and it was turning into a rough transition because replacing Kowalski wasn't going to be easy and the prospects were few. Needless to say the band as a whole was feeling the pressure since we had some upcoming shows. The tension between Pat Bova and Jim Beveridge was also at an all time high, the reason being that Pat was starting to bring more song ideas to the table but some of them didn't fit with the direction of the band. They had more of a rockabilly type feel and we were more or less post hardcore / rock and roll influenced. We had a feeling that Pat Bova also wanted to start his own band to pursue his song ideas. While we were at practice Jim and Pat Bova became involved in a heated discussion but I can't remember what is was all about so I don't want to speculate. I do believe the argument had a lot more to do with creative differences and personality conflict. I am not sure who said they were quitting first but in a matter of five minutes the band was done and Ben and I were looking at each other kind of dumb founded. Later Ben and I were approached by Mike Ski to start a new melodic hardcore project but for whatever reason it never got off the ground.



Did any of the guys go on to form other bands?

Michael Haley - Ben went on to front two bands, Crutch and The Stopgap Measure and he now lives in Rochester, NY. Jim Beveridge now lives in Avon, OH where he fronts his rock band Trainwreck Radio. Pat Kowalski and Pat Bova both live in Albuquerque, NM where they started a rockabilly band called Bovine which split and now perform as the Long Gone Trio, another rockabilly band. I live in Tacoma, Wa and play drums in two bands, The Peabodys, a pop punk band from Portland, OR and The Legend Of Bigfoot, a indie rock band from Tacoma, WA.



Last Man Standing “Geography” CD
Recorded in 1993, released 2009
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD

1. Your Walls
2. Closet
3. Somebody’s Daughter
4. Time Alone
5. Y’know?
6. My Mask
7. Drained
8. If I Could
9. Oldintronew / Not Mine

Out Of Hand "Practice Tape 1990"

Somehow I wound up with a blank tape simply labeled “Out Of Hand Practice Tape 1990”. It sat in my collection for probably 10+ years until I finally checked it out. I was pleasantly surprised at how good it sounded! Obviously it's a little rough around the edges as it sounds like it was recorded on a 4 track and it's a good 20 years old now! I had previously released a song of theirs on the Erie Scene Report compilation Surprise Attack Records put out in 1996 and always really liked their song on there. To me it also represented a part of Erie Hardcore history in its early years. - EMS

Lead singer Ben Frazier did us the honor of answering a few questions about the band.

Years of bands existence: 1990.

Band members:
Ben Frazier - Vocals
Roger Hurlburt - Guitar
Brian Rieger - Lead Guitar
Mike Ski - Bass
Steve Rieger - Drums

Releases / year released:
S/T Demo, 1990

I joined the band under pretty odd circumstances -- Rob Whipple was the band's original singer, but a few weeks before the first show, he told the guys he couldn't make it because of an out-of-town hockey tournament he was playing in. The other guys kind of put their feelers out for another singer, but in the meantime had decided to play the show anyway, with Mike, Roger and Brian trading off instruments and each taking turns signing the songs each had written. A few days before the first show, I was talking on the phone with Mike — being the opportunistic jerk that I am, I volunteered myself for the position. (Mike and I had played together in a very short-lived project that never left his basement, along with Dan Parry and Gary Braunns.) Someone got the idea that I should just audition on stage at the show by singing the Raw Deal cover, so that's what we did. The show had a really great turnout (it was a "First Anniversary" show at the Continental), and we went over really well. At the end of the set, people were yelling for more, but the guys didn't have anything else to play. So they called me back up and we played the Raw Deal cover a second time. It was a blast, and the rest is history.

Why did the band break up?

If I remember correctly, the Rieger brothers felt as though the band was taking up too much of their time. They went in to the project with a "just for fun" attitude, and as we started playing more and more shows, I think they felt as though it was taking too much away from their full-time metal band, Talon. They broke the news to the rest of the band just before playing a basement show at Tim Scott's house in Harborcreek. I showed up late and missed the announcement, and when I got there, just went up to Roger, who just started talking about starting a new band, etc. I was pretty confused. The split was amicable, though, and we agreed to play one last show at the Continental. A few months after that, we did an impromptu reunion (again at the Continental) during a Face Value / Endpoint show when we were all in attendance.

Did members join other bands?

Mike started Mean Season with Tim Stinedurf, Roger formed Antagonist (pka Wayward) with Jason Hoderny and Shawn Rekitt, and I formed Last Man Standing with Jim Beveridge.

DOWNLOAD the 11 song practice tape here.

Lost "Self Titled" 7"

Lost was a band that many of my friends would talk about in this mystical way as if it was just something that you had to have experienced first hand. Well unfortunately I didn't. But that didn't stop my intrigue. Maybe it was fate since this blog just started but I jumped on eBay and came across this 7" and got it for a steal. It's really cool to come across something that is from over 20 years ago (it even still had a Lost sticker inside). I bet many people who were into this band have not heard these songs in long time. So hopefully maybe someone who was around during this era & can fill in some blanks, or even better yet one of the band members might come across this. Either way I'm hoping to get more and more people writing memoirs for this thing whether you were fans/friends of the band, or you were actually directly involved. Either way you should take 5 minutes to write something and send it our way. I've got some people working on stuff as I type this and I think the reader involvement will be crucial to making this blog interesting. So please get in touch... lakeeffect814[at]gmail[dot]com

LOST: Brian - vocals, Jim - guitar, Craig - bass, Pete - drums.
(Bob Rhodes played bass on this recording and was credited for co-writing tracks 3 & 4)




Lost "s/t" 7" from 1989
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD
1. 99%
2. More
3. The Clown
4. Cut Out the Heart

lyric sheet:

Never Say Never "Demos & Down This Road" CDs

Never Say Never was a great mix of catchy melodic style hardcore punk with a bit of a pop punk influence to them. They came from Northeast, PA just outside of Erie and played many shows in the late 90s. NSN had some great grooves and some really catchy sing alongs. All of the members were very talented and exceptional song writers as these tracks will surely get stuck in your head. The first is a collection of their 2 early demos followed by their CD debut and sadly final recording.

Never Say Never was:
Dana Castaldo, J Morey, Phil Lavarone, & Jon Miller



Never Say Never “Demos”
1. Your Own Way
2. What You Believe
3. Favorite Company
4. Running Away
5. In The End
6. Choices / Can’t Relate
7. Nowhere to Run



Never Say Never “Down This Road” CD
Released 2001 – Barcode Records #002
1. Through the Glass
2. Out of Sight
3. Choices
4. Mind Your Own
5. Fade Away
6. Act Now
7. Quick to Judge
8. What We Do
9. In The End

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD

Abnegation "final 2 songs"

As you noticed we reposted the Abnegation discography from Path To Misery blog previously. Well after numerous members of the band had left bassist Dave Steele took over the vocal duties. They shed the vegan straight edge ethos and went for more of a death metal image. Some people loved it and a lot of people hated it. Regardless it was what it was and Doug, Chris, & Dave didn’t give a flying fuck what anyone had to say. In fact I think they loved the controversy. They released a full length on Good Life records from Belgium that featured some re-recorded older tracks and a handful of new material written by the 3 piece. After that CD came out they did one final recording. It was for a compilation called “One Hell of a Compilation” on Blasphemour Records. I personally felt like these two songs were awesome so here they are for everyone else to check. I feel like these were overlooked. One of the best dudes ever, Dave Steele, gave us a little insight to the recording of these two tracks.

“Ok so these last two songs of abnegation went far beyond anything and everything! It was one of the most fun recording sessions ever! We recorded at a house studio in Erie, PA called "HONEYBEAR STUDIOS". Honeybear studios was run by a minister of a Catholic Idealist church. So needless to say, we showed up and he had the look of fear… ha Dave Steele, Chris Leonard, and Doug Corey showing up with beer and instruments. This being right after Chris had gotten a pretty bad tattoo on his arm (no details as he covered it now but very shocking tattoo!) Chris was well known for his drumming skills and really one of the best! Chris was also known for his OCD patterns and made us go through the songs many times until he felt good and safe with the end product! Doing like the start 4 counts 18 times and taking drumming gloves on and off a few times in between! Amazing!

So halfway through the music recording one of the ministers people came in that he takes care of through the church and starts banging his head and yelling evil stuff at us and were all at a loss cause he looked like a preppie jock guy who turned out to be crazy drunk! Dude went upstairs to use the bathroom and then well didn’t make it cause he fell down the stairs onto the landing, then the minister runs over and talks to him and they start talking in the kitchen where drunk guy proceeds to cry on the ministers shoulder, pretty epic, troubled fellow we figured!

So that plays on for bout 45 minutes then we get back to recording, then vocals come into play during the next session and well, I think that scared the poopie out of the poor old minister, as I had to record in the sound booth, and once I opened up for the first time he cringed in his chair and put his head into his hands and started shaking his head a bit! All in all a pretty fun and amazing recording session for sure!

This recording:
Chris Leonard – drums, Doug Corey – guitar, Dave Steele - Vocals

Date of recording was like 1998 or 99 I’m not too certain but right round then! ha that makes me old! Holy crap!” - Dave Steele



Abnegation "One Hell of a Compilation" CD
https://www.mediafire.com/?f7islos4swbgbjd
8. Drug Programming
16. Sample 1 / Pig Juice

Brother's Keeper "Box Office Smash" EPK

"This was footage filmed during their 2001 touring. It's a little insight into the band and songs from the "Box Office Smash" recording from that time. Filmed & edited by Doug Spangenberg from High Roller Studios. The line up at that time was Mike Ski - vocals, Scott Emhoff & Mike Peters - guitar, EMS - bass / bgv, & Rich Cali - drums."

Fight Of The Day "Demo"

Fight of the Day was a project between 3 teenage friends who all happened to be talented musicians. Initially Scott, Andy, & Adam were all in Neverfall before Adam left to join Disciple. This project features 3 songs where all of the guys take turns on pretty much every instrument. I'm sure it was meant all in good fun. I don't think too many of these cassettes made it out there but it's still an interesting listen.



Fight of the Day "demo"
Recorded July 1997
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD
1. There It Will End (Adam Salaga - vocals & guitar, Scott Turk - bass, Andy Berlin - drums)
2. Washed Ashore (Andy Berlin - vocals, Scott Turk - guitar, Adam Salaga - bass & drums)
3. It Means Nothing (Scott Turk - vocals & drums, Andy - guitar, Adam Salaga - bass)

MOTHER SHIP "Vital Indecision" Cassette

You might remember Mother Ship who I had previously done a posting on. Well this is one of their other cassette tapes that I recently got a hold of (thanx Adam!). You might recognize the first track that was featured on the Erie Scene Report but on side B you will hear another hard to find gem called "CHAMP". Pretty cool.



MOTHER SHIP "Vital Indecision" Cassette - Preschool Records
Recorded 1995
Matt Salusky - Vocals, Dave Quiggle - guitar, Brian Oborski - bass, Mike Shreve - drums

1. Vital Indecision
2. Champ

http://www.mediafire.com/file/32q82p1itfoy92t/mothership_VitalIndecision.zip

NEVERFALL "Discography"

Neverfall was a mid 90s Erie Hardcore band that had a good deal of success. They definitely got kids moving here in their home town with their fusion of metallic hardcore akin to Snapcase meets Strife. Alongside their friends in Brother’s Keeper, Disciple, & Digression these guys were the next up to really make some waves and were flying the Erie Hardcore banner. I especially liked their final release “Symbols of Inner Self” as I felt the song writing was at their peak and the intensity was at an all time high for the band. I can’t even remember if they really played a final show or anything. They definitely had a good run though that I think a lot of new Erie kids will appreciate hearing this stuff. Unfortunately as with most bands they were plagued by line up changes but we were lucky enough to get a few recordings from them over their years of existence. I’m pretty sure this is everything they had recorded and after many years of all of this being hard to find and out of print I offer it to you.



Alternative cover:


Neverfall “first demo” Cassette - self released
Recorded May 1996
Jeff Johns – vocals, J. Mozdy – guitar, Scott Turk – guitar, Adam Salaga – bass, Andy Berlin – drums
1. Accept
2. Right Through
3. Out
4. Neverfall

Neverfall “Healed” Cassette – Ritual Records #002
Recorded December 1996
Jeff Johns – vocals, J. Mozdi – guitar, Scott Turck – guitar, Brian Hanson – bass, Andy Berlin – drums
1. Healed
2. The Hardest Things
3. 814
4. Chance





Neverfall “8-1-Forever Split with Disciple” Cassette – Surprise Attack Records
Recorded May 1997

Justin Calabrese – vocals, J. Mozdi – guitar, Scott Turk – guitar, Jay Danowski – bass, Andy Berlin – drums
1. Healed
2. Bound By Silence (this version was also on Goodfellow Records “The Difference Between Us” CD compilation)
3. Right Through

Neverfall “Symbols of Inner Self” CD – Shandle Records #004
Justin Calabrese – vocals, J. Mozdi – guitar, Scott Turk – guitar, Jay Danowski – bass, Andy Berlin – drums
Recorded December 1997
1. Full Cycle
2. Outlet
3. Bound By Silence
4. Self Extention
5. Symbols of Inner Self
6. Face the Storm

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD

END TO END "s/t" 7"

End To End "s/t" 7"
Recorded Dec 1989 = Foundation Records #002

DOWNLOAD:
http://www.mediafire.com/download/yrayrqs7c0ioy2a/EndToEnd.zip

REALITY "something hurts" 7"

Early 90's Reality from Salt Lake City, Utah was Chris Carlton - guitar, Trent Falcone - vocals, Brad Butterfield - bass, Justin Spencer - drums, & Spencer Jacobs - guitar. They played a style of hardcore similar to later Insight meets Outspoken. I've had this 7" in my collection for ages and never really ever heard anyone talk about them or read anything about them in zines around that time. I always felt like it had a great sound to it and liked the vibe they were going for during this era.



REALITY "something hurts" 7"
Released 1992 on Flatline records
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD


1. Something Hurts
2. It Takes More
3. Chain of Fools
4. Black

LAST MAN STANDING "Unseen" 7"

Anyone who knows me can tell you I'm a bit of a nostalgic Erie Hardcore & Punk nerd. This area has spawned so many well known bands and on the other end of the spectrum, obscure gems. I'm always eager to hear about new and old bands from the area at any given time of the day. In the mid 90s I released the Erie Hardcore Scene Report CD that featured some of my former band mates earlier bands called Out of Hand. The singer from that band, Ben Frazier, had also fronted another early Erie punk band called Last Man Standing that all of my older friends would rave about. I met Ben several times through mutual friends and he was always super nice and energetic guy. I missed a lot of the early 90s era of Erie as I didn't live in the region yet but I've heard many stories of the salad days of a lot of our friends. The Continental Ballroom on 20th and Plum St in Erie was a mainstay for punk and hardcore concerts for many years. This coming weekend is a little celebration in honor of those times. The list of bands that came through the tin foil lounge (check out the ceiling in the pic below) is legendary. I played my very first show in Erie, PA there and it will forever be ingrained in my memory as one of the most exciting times of my life. So if you've got the time this weekend to see some old school Erie vets dust off a few old songs come out to the Beermug as Last Man Standing is playing. Below is a 7" of theirs that I found on Ebay a few years back. To anyone interested in the Erie music scene it's a nice taste of the eclecticism that has been produced here over the years. Even though a lot of people like to stereotype what the "Erie Sound" is Last Man Standing is even further proof that there was and still is a lot of diversity in the area. I look forward to Saturday night this weekend.

Last Man Standing was on this recording:
Ben Frazier - vocals
Jim Beveridge - guitar
Pat Bova - guitar
Pat Kowalski - bass
Don Grace - drums


Last Man Standing @ the Continental Ballroom




LMS Live in Perry Square


LAST MAN STANDING "Unseen" 7"
Released in 1992 on Smog Veil Records
https://www.mediafire.com/?cvfqklxdob2e3wt
1. Boy
2. Temple
3. Tainted
4. Stigma