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

BROTHER'S KEEPER "discography"

I recently posted this on the Brother's Keeper facebook page. I could go on for hours with stories about touring, recording, writing songs, etc... We had a good run and I was always proud of what we did despite all of the criticism we received. so I figured with all of the wicked 90s nostalgia going on I'd put this stuff out there for people to check out in case they missed it.

For photos, fliers, and the BK CD/7"/LP pressing discography go to:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Brothers-Keeper/142699002457316

"So apparently we (the actual members of Brother's Keeper) do not have the right to upload songs to the Myspace audio player. The songs I add get removed and I get a warning stating that if i upload more I could be kicked off of Myspace. Awesome, I only spent almost ten years of my life in the band and co-writing the music with the other guys. That's a great feeling to feel like the music you created isn't even yours.

So anyway, to anyone who has ever been interested in hearing or owning our music, here it is i its entirety. Everything from the first recordings, ever CD, 7", split, cover song, and our last demos... it's all in here. Enjoy." - EMS

Discography Volume 1 includes: Foreverneverending LP (all of our early stuff), The Continuum LP, Self-Fulfilling Prophecy EP, Sweet Revenge EP.

Discography Volume 2 includes: Fantasy Killer LP, Five Hits From Hell (Misfits Cover) EP, Oxymoron (Split w/ Disembodied) EP, Box Office Smash EP, a few covers (Slayer, Suicidal Tendencies), 2 other unreleased demo tracks, 1 unfinished instrumental song (when we were recording "Fantasy Killer" the tape machine (yes pre-digital) well it went nuts and in the middle of the song the tape ripped in half when Brian McTernan tried to manually stop it. So we never properly recorded it or finished it. This version was a demo of the music), and a our final 3 song recording.

DOWNLOAD VOL 1:
http://www.mediafire.com/download/ns5zc8l89h3c036/broscreep1.zip
DOWNLOAD VOL 2:
http://www.mediafire.com/download/n8r5f0sabaaz67e/broscreep2.zip

NO JOKE "Discography"

Do we have a treat for you guys today! Greg Gonzalez, guitarist from NO JOKE came across our post of his former band and was cool enough to send some words our way along with tons and tons of mp3s for you all to enjoy. Some of the recordings never really surfaced so this is a real treat. I'm pretty stoked on getting the chance to share these with everyone because the tracks that I had not heard before are fucking awesome. I've had a lot of people from the bands I've posted in here get in touch and everyone is always willing to share some stories and rare recordings. Hopefully contributions like Greg's will keep coming in as this is some really crucial stuff from Western NYHC. Enjoy and thanx Greg! - EMS / Coregasm

---------------------------


“Here is the deal with Jeff Johns. We met him when we played at Club Blitz and signed a deal with him. We were to pay half of the price to record the 7" and he was to pay the other half. He would then press the record (1000 copies), distribute it, and give us records to sell (I think 100 records).

Jeff sent us the money; we recorded the 7" and sent Jeff the master tapes, cover art, and band pics, etc. Then he disappeared. We called repeatedly over a period of months. He kept telling us he would have the records soon. At some point, he sent us a test press of the 7" and then stopped answering our calls.

We went to Chicago to find him, to no avail, and I think we had Dennis' father (an attorney) write Johns a letter. We were all between 17 and 20 at the time and did not have the savvy or resources to solve the problem. Ultimately, we wound up with no 7" after playing a year of shows with no product to sell. That did not help advance the band.

As you can understand, we were pretty upset with Jeff when we recorded our second 7". Thus, the note for him. I think there is also an extra song on one of our recordings with some vocals recorded backwards that lays out our feelings towards him.

In 2002, I did a google search for "No Joke" "Tragedy of the Masses" and found a listing for the TOTM 7" on Larry Ransom's website. I emailed him, and he told me that he bought it in a store (I think in Chicago). I couldn't get him to sell it to me, so I started looking all over for it. Eventually, I found a couple on www.gemm.com and bought one for myself and one for Justin. That is how we got a copy of our own record! Every once a while, another one pops up on that site.

I have posted all the NJ catalog to the site below for you to add to your site. We are cool with you posting all of the music as long as you make it available for free. We just want people to hear it. There are three additional studio recordings we did that not get much distribution (Buffalo, NY EP; New School EP; and Deadtime CD). Here is a list of what is in the folder:

Put into Place Demo 1989:
This was recorded on my four track and sold at shows. The band at that time is Justin, Greg. Dennis, and Rob.

First Demo 1989:
Although this is called First Demo, I think we recorded it second. It is also another recording from my home four track. Clint plays bass on this one.

First Live Show 1989:
This is a recording of our first show. We are opening up for SOIA at the River Rock in Buffalo. The recording is pretty good considering the equipment we used.

Buffalo NY EP 1990
This is a studio recording we made just prior to heading out to Club Blitz. We sold most of the tapes we put out on that trip. The band is the same as the TOTM 7".

TOTM 7"
You might want to check the quality of the 7"s I posted. They may be better than the ones you have.

Into My Words 7"

Practice with Dennis 1991
After Clint left the band, we brought Rob back. This practice recording is Dennis, Justin, and Greg playing "Second Birth" without the bass. We sent Rob a tape of the song so he could learn it while he was away at school.

New School EP 1993 (Fusion)
After Dennis left, Jesse Muscato (Buried Alive) joined the band. We released this three-song studio EP on our own label, run by Justin, called Fusion.

Deadtime CD 1994 (Fusion)
We recorded a full length CD at MetalWorks right before we broke up. The band here is Greg, Justin, Rob, and Jesse. For some reason, we released this under the name Deadtime rather than No Joke. We never distributed it, and I still have a pile of these at my house. The CD contains some new songs we wrote with Jesse and some old ones we wrote when Dennis was in the band. The CD also includes two songs from the New School EP.

If anyone wants more NJ info or wants to get one of the Deadtime cds, email me at gregtastic@aol.com

There are also some old NJ videos on You Tube or here:
www.myspace.com/nojokebuffalo

Thanks again for posting this stuff!"
Greg Gonzalez

DOWNLOAD:
https://www.mediafire.com/?5udb47ht0fmz27k

MOTHER SHIP "Obedience" Cassette

Mother Ship were an early 90’s metallic hardcore crossover style Erie hardcore band featuring bassist Brian "Alfred" Oborski and guitarist Dave Quiggle who later on founded one of Erie’s most well known bands xDisciplex A.D. The 2 of them paired up with brothers Mike (drums) and Matt (vocals) Shreve and churned out a few cassette releases, “Obedience” being one of them. I never had the chance see them live as I did not relocate to Erie until 1995 but many of my friends would often talk about them. Their songs had a bit of a thrash metal sound to them as opposed to the later on stripped down beginnings of xDisciplex A.D.. However you can see where their roots started and can hear the patented Dave Quiggle chugs as well as great bass breaks that Erie bands have always been about. Mother Ship was without a doubt a Christian band and you can hear subject matter of their faith through out the songs. In the instrumental track you can even sample some of these guys weird obsessions with movies and TV as the song is peppered with Star Wars and other samples throughout. The cover art of “Obedience” is some of Dave Quiggle’s earlier published work which is pretty cool as he’s gone on to do many small and huge artists in the world of hardcore and beyond.

I had the opportunity to posthumously release 2 different Mother Ship tracks on the “Erie Scene Report” compilation CD that was released in 1996. It featured another track entitled “Vital Indecision” and a different version of “Narrow Path” also featured here on the demo. At some point the band had a vocalists change and Matt Salusky (heard here on “Vital Indecision) came into play. Matt also later went on to be a founding member of xDisciplex and played drums on their first recording “Lantern”. There’s a whole other demo tape that I used to own with the tracks that Matt sang on but lost over the years. I definitely wish that would surface so I could post it.

xDisciplex A.D. has even given homage to their predecessors Mother Ship by covering 2 of their songs on different occasions. A cover version of “Dead Wrong” appeared on the same previously mentioned Erie Scene Report compilation that I released in 1996. The band recorded it during the “Scarab” 7” sessions. They also later recorded a cover of “Vital Indecision” in 2001 and it was not released until later on on Facedown Records “Doxology” CD. Check out this video of xDisciplex in their early days playing “Dead Wrong” live. This was a show at the Erie Art Annex and P.O.D. actually opened this show up. Yes the same P.O.D. that you are thinking of.



Hopefully some other Mother Ship recordings will surface once I start bugging some of the crew. I’d love to post them for everyone as they are definitely a part of Erie Hardcore history. I’m not really sure as to what led to their demise but a lot of good things came out of their humble beginnings.

Here's a video of Mother Ship @ Cornerstone Fest with Matt Salusky on vocals doing "Vital Indecision". Check out the first few notes as Brain aka Alfred stomps a hole right through the stage.

MOTHER SHIP "Obedience" cassette
self released 1994
http://www.mediafire.com/download/xbnd8se1vw88jo5/mothership_Obedience.zip
1. It Falls
2. Not A Breath
3. Floating Yellow Feathers in the Wake of 50 Ticked Imperial Troops (Instrumental)
4. Dead Wrong
5. Narrow Path
6. Bonus

-----------------

This cassette tape was transferred using my new toy...the Ion Tape2PC deck. After a few hours of battling with my soundcards we made it happen and hopefully will continue. This will make it a lot easier to rip some of these sweet demo tapes I have laying around as my previous methods of using the mic input jacks were only coming out in mono. Get stoked.

NO JOKE 2 x 7"s

No Joke were a Buffalo (West Seneca) area band in the early 90s. They had a bit of a metallic sound popularized by local bands Zero Tolerance & Solid State at the time. No Joke featured Dennis Merrick who later went on to join Earth Crisis & Path of Resistance notoriety. Featured here are two of their 7”s from 1991 and 1992 released on 2 different Illinois based record labels. Not sure of the back story but in the 2nd 7” “Into My Words” the band states “One last note: We all wish Jeff Johns, a slow and painful death. Rot in Hell Buddy!” Jeff Johns was also the name listed on the first 7” as the owner of Statue Records. Wonder if things went sour between the two. Kind of amusing. I enjoy the 2nd 7” "Into My Words" a bit more than “Tragedy of the Masses” as I think the vocals are better. Either way this is a good sample of things going on in Western NY circa 1991. No Joke was Justin – vocals, Greg Gonzales – guitar, Dennis Merrick – drums, and Clint Marriott on bass (later Rob Harris).



DOWNLOAD BOTH 7"s HERE:
https://www.mediafire.com/?bg69qkkoqa2v4ov



NO JOKE “Tragedy of the Masses” 7”
Released on Statue Records 1991 (Statue #3)
1. Lost Soul / Stand and Deliver
2. Misery


NO JOKE “Into My Words” 7”
Released on Crown Records 1992
1. Nevermore
2. Into the End
3. Mark My Words
4. Endtro

FUGAZI "87 demo"

Fugazi is definitely in my top ten bands of all time. After listening to them for just shy of 20 years I can honestly say I like them even more than when I was a young skatepunk rocking out to them in my friends bedroom. of course I got into them just because it was ex members of Minor Threat, Embrace, Rites of Spring and so on... but was pleasantly surprised to hear it was nothing like their previous noteworthy bands. At the time these guys ventured off and did their own thing and paved the road for many (quality) indie bands when emo wasn't such a bad word or tainted sound. Unfortunately I never saw them play and still would love to some day.

This demo recording is rough in some areas and a few of the songs sound very similar to their released versions. At some points in the songs you'll hear little different guitar or vocals parts that are kind of cool, that for one reason or another didn't make the final album versions. Also there's a few decent tracks that were never re-recorded on any of their full lengths (at least that I know of). so this is a pretty cool start to an amazing band that has been the soundtrack to many amazing points of my life.

FUGAZI "1987 demo"
http://www.mediafire.com/download/78mdb0d1lzpplgv/fugazi_Demo87.zip
1. Merchandise
2. (Don Talking)
3. In Defense of Humans
4. Break In
5. Song No 1
6. Bad Mouth
7. The Word
8. And the Same
9. Waiting Room
10. Furniture
11. Joe No 1
12. Joe No 2

HELL NO "self titled" 7"

Pre and post Hell No members were in Citizens Arrest, Kill Van Kull, Moses, All For One, Our Gang, Sleeper (Serpico), Go, Manacled, JJ Paradise Players Club, and also featured Ted Leo on guitar. They played awesome sounding NYC influenced punk and hardcore that sounds somewhat in between the lines of Born Against / Econochrist / Rorschach meets Mind Over Matter / Bad Trip kind of stuff. Very cool guitar riffs with a nice rhythm section and an almost snarling crusty vocal style made this 7" really stand out to me. Listening to it 16 years later from when I got it (mailordered it from the Relapse catalog) I can still pick out all of the reasons and sounds that made me stoked on it. And on top of all of the attitude this band exuded (the lyrics are pretty damn cool) the production is nothing short of some of Don Fury's top notch work. As much as I liked this 7" for one reason or another I never came across any of their other releases. I just found a myspace tonight that seems to have ties to the band. I'm going to seek out the rest of their discography and see if it keeps up with this great debut 7". My fingers are crossed.

Myspace - http://www.myspace.com/hellno1


HELL NO "Self titled" 7"
Released on Wardance Records (WAR #004)
Recorded 9-1-91 @ Don Fury's NYC

http://www.mediafire.com/download/9to94kko980xbes/HellNo.zip

1. Reformer
2. Consequence
3. Disciple
4. Shift

Flyer - V.O.D., Turmoil, Option, BK

1995 Wilkesbarre PA. 717 mofos.

FOOD NOT BOMBS BENEFIT LP

It’s weird to go back and listen to these old compilations that have a place in the heart and soul of the 16 year old me. I hate to say it but I try to be an honest person… if I heard such an eclectic mix of bands on a CD today I would probably cringe and chuck it out of my car window. What happened to that youthful energy I had? That ambitious and inquisitive nature? Everything seemed so new and exciting then. Bands were harder to come by, and putting out records was reserved for those who had the money, gumption, and know how. Politics and being socially conscious were at a great all time high with hardcore, crust, emo, and punk kids. Did we get lazy? Are we too wrapped up in quick fame, technology, business, and egos? With all of the worlds advancements I feel like things have changed so much and everything can sometimes seem like any sort of messages are lost or watered down. If you stand on your soapbox and talk about something you are chastised for being preachy. Remember the phrase “More than Music”? Maybe it’s all part of growing up. I’ll be 32 in just a few days and as much as I try to be as involved with the music scene I feel like I know less and less of what the fuck is going on. I think the 16 year old me would be proud of me in some ways, and in others want to kick me in my 32 year old dick. Who knows? Maybe the 30 year olds in 1994 felt the same way about my generation at the time. Punk rock saved my life and in other ways I feel like it ruined it. There are times that I wish I worked a 9-5 desk job, came home drank a can of Miller Lite, and played Xbox for 8 hours a night. But that’s not me, it’s not in my blood like the music and ideas such as the ones conveyed on this LP that I feel connected to. Maybe there should be a support group for the 30+ “kids” to help each other through our trials and tribulations of coping with everyday. It’s hard to stay blind to the bullshit of the world. Anyway, if that support group is out there, sign me up…

Well enough of that randomness… “A Food Not Bombs Benefit LP” on Inchworm records came out in 1994 with a great mixture of who’s who in the hardcore, metal, and emo world at the time. Many of these bands are still highly revered to this day. I think there’s a reason for this, these bands were ahead of their time and setting the standards for their sub genres. On top of all of that this LP was all about bringing awareness to homelessness, starvation, society's ills, and where our Country’s money is spent. These are all subjects more than relevant today as the US is still pissing away our finances into projects that are not really improving the general quality of life here on our own soil. These cool silkscreened covers (I still have a soft spot for those) also contained a thick zine like liner note booklet. Inside you will find a lot of information about FNB and also each band contributes a page of their lyrics that look like were individually designed by each band, further giving you a sense of their art. Overall everything about this release is what made me fall in love with punk and hardcore. The sense of being pro-active, giving a fuck, and actually getting off of your ass and doing something. I see flyers for benefit shows all over the US these days and there’s not one ounce of info stating what it is even for. I attend shows where there’s canned food drives and I don’t know if kids are doing it because it’s trendy or to save $2 off of the fee. But then at the show no one gets up and talks about where the food is going and what the point of it all was. Listening to this LP gets that fire going in my gut. I appreciate the fact that it can still invoke that sort of reaction out of me.


Various Artists - Food Not Bombs Benefit LP
Released on Inchworm Records in 1994 (IW 001)


http://www.mediafire.com/download/r638s5ssi383q9q/VariousFoodNotBombs.zip

1. Ten Boy Summer - The History Of Blank Pages And The Conscious Decision To Discontinue The Tradition Our Gender Has Been Plagued With
2. Swing Kids - Disease
3. Campaign - Industry Slave
4. Indian Summer - Reflections On Milkweed
5. Starkweather - Mainline
6. Franklin - Slow Into Questionable
7. Fingerprint - Surrender
8. Braille - Capitol (previously mentioned in coregasm)
9. Half Man - Tripped Up (previous 7"s posted in coregasm here)
10. Premonition - Left Unsaid
11. Railhed - End Song
12. Current - Chairtied

THE DIVISION HAS BEGUN "CT HC 1999" 7"

East Coast Empire was a really cool label in the late 90s that paved the way for a few bands. Focusing mainly on really heavy hardcore and also supporting their local scene, I had nothing but respect for these guys. They went away for a few years but now they're back which is pretty cool. This was a sweet 7” comp (man how awesome did comps used to be!?!) that featured some of Connecticut's finest at that time. There’s even a pretty sweet Death Threat track featuring guest vocals from the singer of Divided By Hate that I don’t think surfaced on any of their other releases. Fear Tomorrow has a great heavy sound and ECER released a split with them and Integ2000. I also think the 100 Demons track on here was an exclusive song and boy is it a heavy hitter. All in all I really miss these 7” comps showcasing a local scene. This makes me want to do an all Erie Hardcore 7” on Surprise Attack. Hmmmm…

The Division Has Begun “Connecticut Hardcore MCMXCIX” 7” (mines on clear!)
Released on East Coast Empire (ECER 010)
http://www.mediafire.com/download/f934g39c5brmrgf/ConnecticutHardcoreMCMXCIX.zip
1. Fear Tomorrow “The Wretched:
2. Death Threat “Forgiveness”
3. 100 Demons “Straight to Hell”
4. Divided By Hate “Embers”
5. Mans Ruin “Better Off Dead”

East Coast Empire Records online