Life Of A Spectator

The Grey AM - Video

noreply@blogger.com (christopher) — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 13:53:00 +0000

Spent most of last night cleaning out some old hard drives and consolidating much of the materials I have collected over the years. I hadnt thought about this video in years and just happened upon it in a folder on an old FTP server of mine. There were allows plans to have a video/media section on the One Day Savior site which obviously never came to be.

This video was shot in 2004 if I am not mistaken and was for the track "Back Off The Cuff". I believe it was filmed in 2004 shortly before the band dissolved.

Superstitions Of The Sky - Video

noreply@blogger.com (christopher) — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 19:12:00 +0000

I had intentions of posting this about a year ago when my good friend Vadim sent this to me. To be honest I am not sure why it was shot (perhaps there were plans to add it to their full length?) Either way, its a great video for a truly great song and one that remains one of my favorite releases I had the pleasure of being involved in.

Hope you enjoy it.

My reissue wishlist posted

noreply@blogger.com (Christopher) — Sun, 25 Mar 2007 22:03:00 +0000

Pastepunk recently started a feature entitled "Reissue Wishlist" where they are asking individuals to submit their top 5 records that they would like to see given the reissue treatment. Obviously we are not talking about a reissue by today's standards though(i.e. the adding a bonus track & a DVD 6 weeks after its original release date) Jordan at pastepunk asked me to submit my own list which was quite flattering to say the least, after all who cares about the music I listen to anyway? It was recently posted at the following link. If you are interested please give it a read through. I would love to hear everyone's thoughts and comments.

A new blog is coming in the next day or so by the way. Damn this winter and the virus it brings!

Current: Where Sound Is Understood

noreply@blogger.com (Christopher) — Thu, 08 Mar 2007 01:00:00 +0000

I know you remember those moments. Those first decisive moments when the needle gently touches down on the new vinyl treasure you had just uncovered while aimlessly flipping through mountains of records. Your mind instantly catalogs the emotions and thoughts that race through your mind when something this special hits you. All of the intricate details associated with this gratifying moment are swiftly locked away in memory until the next time you revisit this audio gem. For myself, countless vivid moments all come crashing back upon me whenever I insert the Current "Discography" into my stereo.

From 1992 to 1994, Dearborn, Michigan's Current was my living, breathing, and screaming reincarnation of the legendary Rites of Spring. Unrivaled in raw intensity and an innovative artistic vision, Current's influence helped paved the way for many of their peers and has left a lasting legacy that can be traced to today's punk/hardcore community.

When I first heard the opening guitar riff from their 1992 eight song demo, I was deeply entrenched in the youth crew anthems of Youth of Today and Chain of Strength and with the new "Open E Chug" genre that was starting to take the scene by storm. Though I was quite familiar and a rather casual fan of the Dischord D.C. scene, it was Current's unique and jarring music that brought the likes of Rites of Spring, Embrace, Soulside, Circus Lupus, and Ignition to the very front of my record collection. Perhaps it was because the members of Current were of my age or that I had actually witnessed their live performances in person, Current had opened the door for me to explore a whole side of punk and hardcore I had previously glanced at but really paid no attention to.

The crowning spectacle was the 1994 Dayton, Ohio More Than Music Fest. Not only was this was my first musical fest, it was also my first and last time seeing Current perform. Though I only lived an hour or so away from Current, our paths never crossed and now the anticipation was building with each hour in the sweltering, oppressive summer heat. Unbeknowest to many in attendance, the members of Current unexpectedly seized the stage as their alter-grindcore-ego, Ottawa, and ripped through a blistering, metallic 10 minute set of scathing social/political anthems. Then at the drop of a dime, Current came to life to before our eyes. Hidden within Justin Labo's dischordant,angular guitar chaos where intricate, soaring melodies laced with an odd catchiness. Frantically keeping the pace between the explosive transitions of clean and distorted guitar work, the rhythm section of Derek Brosch and Andy Albus served as a consistent backbone, lending to their songs the shape and cohesion that made them such a powerful experience. The true trademark of Current was the stirring voice of Matt Weeks. Strained passionate screams bursted out of Weeks' frame while he occasionally reverted back to a fragile emotive soft singing voice. His lyrics read like that of freshly unearthed ee cummings poem, wrought with words that were deeply personal and greatly open to interpretation. Though I did find Ottawa's short set gratifying, deep down I was wishing that Current had kept that extra 10 minutes for their own set. It all ended too soon.

In the wake of multiple U.S. tours where they shared the stage with the likes of Heroin, Greyhouse, Rorshach, Native Nod, and Kerosene 454, Current left behind a slew of releases that were mostly released on their own label, Council Records. This entails two 7" singles, a full-length LP (Coliseum), a split 7" with Chino Horde, a Discography CD, a split 7' with Indian Summer on Homemade Records plus various compilations tracks. -Guest written by Scott Sheridan

From The Current Discography CD:
Coliseum
Continued Rantings
Frayed Ends
Leech

Unfortunately their discography is nowhere to be found in online distros and other outlets. Council Records (which was run by Current vocalist Matthias Weeks) has also closed its doors as of late. Hopes to see a reissue of this CD appear bleak, however their various 7"s and one LP can be had on eBay for collector's prices.

The Unamerican Sounds Of Song Of Kerman

noreply@blogger.com (Christopher) — Mon, 19 Feb 2007 23:12:00 +0000

Moo Cow was one of those labels in the mid to late 90s that always kept me guessing. Usually the split 7"s they released were from 2 bands from entirely separate parts of the country whose names didn't even sound familiar to me. The one thing that Moo Cow did have was the ability to discover bands that would go on to be household names (Disembodied, Morning Again, Cave In, Piebald) in the hardcore scene at the time. With that in mind I usually bought just about every record they released, regardless of whether I knew the band's name or not.

Florida's Song Of Kerman were in fact one of those bands. From the very first time that I put "The Unamerican Sounds Of" 12" on I was instantly hooked. They were fast, aggressive, noisy, artsy and what stood out the most was the vocal delivery of Mike Roberts. His vocals were half spoken word half screaming, a unique approach for a band of that time. You felt the pain in his voice, the rage, the feelings that drove him to write the lyrics he did. There is a real sense of beauty in the mood that the band sets, a certain sense of integrity that bands clearly lacked. Roberts' would belt out more lyrics in a single song that most bands could on a full album. Song Of Kerman were often political in their stance on human rights and violence again women, while covering such delicate personal issues as a friend's rape or Roberts' mother's beating at the hands of his father. Perhaps its why in their day they earned the title politicore.

Moo Cow states on their site that "The Unamerican Sounds Of..." was "from beginning to end this is probably the best DIY hardcore record I ever did." Though they were short lived, Song Of Kerman released a 7" on Track Star Records (anyone have a copy to trade or sell?) and a split 7" on Moo Cow with NJ's Handful Of Dust before the release of their debut LP. However shortly before their full length was to go to press, Song Of Kerman disbanded and the CD format was quickly switched to a limited LP for fear of it not selling without the band touring in support of it. For a limited pressing of less than 500 copies I was surprised to see how many of these were still available through various online distributors. Moo Cow owner James Burnham also goes on to say that "If I could give out one record to people when they ask what Moo Cow is about, it would be this one, if I had the copies to give." Yes, this record is as good as Moo Cow describes it and I seriously hope that some of you go out and discover who Song Of Kerman were.

From "The Unamerican Sounds Of..."
And Then I Made The Weeping
The Waltz
Perception Is A Deity
The True Gift Of Life

Yes this record is still available and at very cheap prices from Moo Cow and Very.

Scapegrace: Fall Off The Face Of The Earth

noreply@blogger.com (Christopher) — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 01:30:00 +0000

My facts are going to be shot to shit, because it has been ages since I needed to get them straight, but the only important thing to remember is that Scapegrace fucking ruled.

I am gonna go with 1991, Steve Driscoll (Ethnic/LaMagna) screamed his ass off for the first time with Manny Alonso, Eric Grijalva, and Paul Joyce. In his head, he sounded like Roger Miret, in fact he sounded nothing like anything that anyone had ever heard before. His unbelievable and incomparable vocal styles set the standard for a million bands to come. People still try to rip him off and just cant do it. If I had to make a comparison it would be Rob Fish (108/Ressurection) with a ton more balls. Not that Rob Fish is lacking balls, just that's how insane this dude was!

It is 15 years later and I still can't put into words exactly what "Prayer" makes me feel. From the chugga top to the Praaaaaaaaaaaaaaayer to the infinite detest. Plead is an insane seven inch. It doesn't end there. Every little piece of vinyl this band graced, is a fucking gem! Personal fave is Enzymes. The second song on their contribution to Framework Records "Anger & English" 2x7 compilation. That shit will knock you down.

Here's some brief history: When Scapegrace started playing shows, there was nothing going on. NOTHING. A few bands playing here and there, but nothing with the scene defining qualities of Scapegrace and the bands that followed (1.6 Band, Halfman, Milhouse, Edgar). This is all they had, so they just did it. Their own records, their own shows. No booking agents, no show promoters, no rock venues. No camera phones, nothing. Just Scapegrace.

I know, right, I am terrible at this. They eliminate any use for words. I can't tell you how much I love this band and how much they mean to me. I am gonna name my kids after them. Normally, I could talk for hours, but with Scapegrace, I just want to shut up and listen. Please! Please get into them. And check their shit on myspace -Guest written by Neil Rubenstein

From the "Plead" 7"
Suck The Dead
Prayer

From the split 7" with Conniption
Crumbs

From "The Ones Who Fall Off The Face Of The Earth" 7"
He Thinks I'm Stupid
Food For Worms

Most of these 7"s can easily be found at such distros as Very or Armageddon for a fairly cheap price. Be sure and grab these last remaining copies before they are gone for good.

Cast Iron Hike: No Longer Visible

noreply@blogger.com (Christopher) — Mon, 22 Jan 2007 23:05:00 +0000

I am not going to lie, the only reason I purchased the self titled 7" from Boston, MA's Cast Iron Hike was because of the design. Maybe that was the one great thing about vinyl, you could always take a chance on a band, after all it was usually only 3 bucks. So when I got home and placed the needle to the record I was instantly blown away by the music that blasted from the speakers. The track "Boxed" blared out loudly, Quicksand styled post hardcore guitar riffing and when their vocalist Jacob Brennan started singing I was instantly reminded of Jonah from Only Living Witness. His vocals was melodic, abrasive, emotional and down right moody. Cast Iron Hike's music portrayed a hardcore bands sound with a rock and roll attitude and they pulled it off damn well mind you. Could they have been hardcore's equivalent to AC/DC? Possibly. Cast Iron Hike were just intense in every sense of the word. Their music was down right urgent and while the sound was slow and brooding at times, it was also fast and aggressive the next. Sure their sound wasn't for everyone but if Only Living Witness, Quicksand, Into Another or Helmet is your bag then you need to discover this band.
While the Trustkill ep was my first introduction to Cast Iron Hike they had apparently gotten their start on the now defunct label Big Wheel Recreation. Shortly after the Trustkill record they released a split 7" with Miltown and in 1997 would sign to Victory Records and release their full length entitled "Watch It Burn". The CD was every bit of anger and energy that the band portrayed on their previous releases however this time they had a quality recording to back it up. "Watch It Burn" never let up through all 12 tracks, one song more powerful than the next and a re-recorded version of "Boxed" that just about floored me.
I cannot be certain as to why Cast Iron Hike disbanded sometime after the release of "Watch It Burn" and subsequent google searches have not given me any answers either. What I do know is that guitarist Michael Gallagher is now a member of Isis (as well as an ambient project on Neurot called MGR), rhythm guitarist Christian Pupecki is with Doomriders, Vocalist Jake Brennan has a solo career going which is quite a departure musically from his previous work with CIH and bassist Pete Degraaf is now a member of The Black. Cast Iron Hike still maintain a myspace page that offers more information on the band and their new projects. You can still grab both the Trustkill and Victory releases for relatively cheap prices at Amazon and Interpunk, so be sure and buy a copy or two if these downloads strike your interest.

From the self titled Trustkill 7"/CDep:
Boxed
From the "Watch It Burn" CD:
Reach For The Floor
Swimming Through Sand
Stopped Up And Starving

Early Grace: Running Into Walls

noreply@blogger.com (Christopher) — Fri, 12 Jan 2007 22:19:00 +0000

Sometimes all you need is a split record with the right band for your own band to simply catch on with masses and sometimes it doesn't help at all. Unfortunately it was the latter for Tampa, FL's Early Grace. After a split 7" in 1996 with Boston, MA's Cave In it seemed that Early Grace would quickly become a band that people started to take notice of and would perhaps share some of hardcore spotlight. For whatever reason, Early Grace faded into obscurity.

Their material was a lot like Cave In's very early material mixed with some Instil (pre-You and I) and Reversal Of Man. The fact that Cave In and Early Grace shared the same 7" (just different sides) made it even hard for me in the beginning to decipher who was who without looking at the labels on the record itself. The only real variant was that Early Grace were not as metal and seemed to be drawing from a different influence altogether. They seemed to have a lot in common with the screamo scene and bands like Indian Summer, Inkwell and Puritan. The screams were slightly higher pitched, their guitars weren't as chugga, the singing vocals were often a bit out of key and most importantly their songs were altogether heartfelt. There was something immediate about Early Grace's sound, something that made it feel quite sincere. Sure they had the cliche "what this band and scene means to us" paragraph in their booklet like the other bands of their time did, but with Early Grace it was something much much more than that and the fact that I recently learned that the members were only 17 years of age at the time makes it even more mind blowing. Perhaps that's why to this very day their songs sound so raw and honest.

The band's discography consists of a split 7" with Cave In, a self titled 7", and 7 song 10" entitled "And All I Run Into Are Walls You Have Built" all of which were released on Florida's Independence Day Records (Bright Calm Blue, Reversal Of Man) The CD version of the 10" also contained the self titled 7" as bonus tracks. Quite stunning in appearance, the CD featured a hand screened folded cover with a printed sheet of lyrics and personal statements from the band as well as being hand stamped out of 1000. It looks very Immigrant Sun Records circa 1995.

From the "And All I Run Into Are Walls You Have Built" CD:
Soupcan Listeners
A Fictional Serial Killer
Song 13
Civil Talk

The band also has a myspace page that briefly explains a bit about their history and their current projects. Unfortunately I cannot find any online distributors with the CD still in stock, so try your luck on eBay or some smaller distros.

Also, I know a lot of you are reading and downloading, so please post a comment. Its nice to know that people are out there, so let me know your thoughts and opinions on the bands and the music.

Corrin: On Plutonian Shores

noreply@blogger.com (Christopher) — Sun, 07 Jan 2007 23:16:00 +0000

In my opinion New England was at the forefront of the metalcore scene in the mid 1990s. Bands like Overcast, Barrit, Cave In, Converge were all building up steam and it was not long before they would become a household name in the hardcore market. There was however one band that fell by the wayside during the frenzy and their name was Corrin. Fronted by Jesse Leach (former Killswitch Engage, Nothing Stays Gold and now Seemless) Corrin were certainly as good as the latter bands mentioned, though for one reason or another, they went completely overlooked.

When I first arrived in Providence in 1996, Corrin were a sound that I had never heard before. Yes they were heavy, they clearly had metal and hardcore influences, but what made them different was that they sounded altogether evil. Similar to Overcast, Corrin were musically far more melodic and Jesse's vocals had a far more simple approach than his recent bands display. A sound that seemed to be a staple in the New England area at the time, Corrin would roll through mid paced metal chugging and seamlessly fall into dark melodic instrumental intros and outros. Often the band sounded rather unhinged, not clearly letting a particular part or pattern breathe for too long. Its a listen that while not compelling, is certainly unique in both style and form.

Corrin would release a 7" entitled "Despair Rides On Angels Wings" on Hydra Head in 1995 and a split 7" with Arise from the same recording session. They would go on to record 4 more songs in 1996 that would never be released until the release of the CD "Plutonian Shores" on Infidel which compiled the last material as well as the previously released material from the 7"s and various compilations.

After Corrin disbanded Jesse and guitarist Joe teamed up with former members of Roswell to form a band entitled Needles and shortly thereafter the two founded Nothing Stays Gold. Bassist Chris formed a band some time later with former Corrin drummer Brian called The Game. It was also rumored for awhile that guitarist Chris formed a band with the former Temperance vocalist though I cannot verify if he did or not.

From the "Plutonian Shoes" discography CD:

Corrin - Winter Souls
Corrin - Seed Of Cain

I was surprised to find that there still appears to be a few copies remaining at various distros like Interpunk & Very, so if this band is your jam then go grab one before they are gone.

Gabriel: Connecticut's long lost secret

noreply@blogger.com (Christopher) — Mon, 01 Jan 2007 23:09:00 +0000

Apparently it's quite likely that this demo belonged to my former college roommate and its seems possible simply because I have no idea exactly how I got my hands on it. One thing that is certain is that this demo is by far one of the best. Though I know little about the band's short history, Gabriel hailed from Connecticut in the late 1990s. A time when the CT scene was thriving with young and original bands like Cable, In Vain, Faultline, Hatebreed and Cornerstone.

The band's lineup featured some of Connecticut's veterans with Jeremy "Bubba" Braddock on guitar (who also played guitar for In Vain and currently 100 Demons) as well as Jason Labbe on drums (who later joined The Weigh Down) Unfortunately other than that I have very little information on the band.

What I do know is that Gabriel style was aggressive and melodic, much like In Vain or Council Of Five Nations, who all seemed to share members. By today's standards I guess you could maybe pin it down to a style similar to early Hopesfall or New Day Rising, minus the singing. Gabriel's vocalist Kyle had quite a set of lungs while the backing vocals remind me somewhat of Tripface in that it comes off almost gang styled. They never truly overpowered you, but more seemed to be oriented around a groove much like post hardcore bands of their time. While Cable were noisy and In Vain were far more melodic, Gabriel seemed to be falling right in between. Clearly a band that would have been labeled screamo had they come out a few years later.

I really wish I had more information to pass on, but what I will leave you are the MP3's of their entire demo. Hopefully you will enjoy this as much as I have all these years.

Gabriel - Shank
Gabriel - Hour Glass
Gabriel - Stript Gear
Gabriel - Pond

The Infamous Fifty Two X

noreply@blogger.com (Christopher) — Sun, 12 Mar 2006 01:45:00 +0000

I don't think Long Island had a more infamous band than the 52X. In the late 1990's they were a band that everyone loved to hate and yet everyone somehow hated to admit that they loved, but looking back there will never be another band quite like the 52X. Drummer Joe Gorelick even described his former band as "a crazy, noise core quintet with insane time changes and very odd song titles. That band was very much fun to play in, but comprised of the most insane personalities a band could muster."

To put it bluntly, the 52X became the band that promoters didn't want on the show yet all the kids did. Basically, it was assumed that if they played the show would inevitably get shut down. From blowing snot rockets on the audience, breaking equipment, smashing the lights out, members getting naked, the 52x were as intense as their music made them sound. However it was not their live show that would make the 52x a hardcore household name, it be a song title that would earn them their reputation. Vocalist Ruben simply stated that he hoped a certain female's genitalia would explode and it prompted a boycott from just about every female rights group associated with the hardcore scene. It brought the 52x to the frontline of confrontation, a spot that they would fill proudly until their demise.

Similar to bands like Angel Hair, Heroin and CR, the 52x were controlled chaos to some degree. Hints of rock n roll could be noted throughout their songs, while discordant guitars loosely played over frantic percussion. Vocalist Ruben's high pitched screams and melodic yell seemed to tie it all together, a sound that didn't seem like it made sense at all, yet somehow it did. Songs that built up such aggression, madness, paranoia that by the time you realized just what was happening, it was all over.

Though the band existed for several years, their discography is just about as short as their sets were. They would release a split 7" on Reservoir Records with Milhouse (a band was almost as notorious as the 52x were) and go on to record an ep titled "Liver Damage" that while scheduled to be released on Reservoir, never actually did make it to press. There are countless stories surrounding the reasons why it was never made available, but none which I could ever quote as being credible. While I have also heard that other labels and individuals would attempt to buy the rights to the album over the years, the possible release of the album would circulate around the Long Island rumor mill for years on end. the "Liver Damage" ep (or lack there of) was the perfect ending for a band who throughout their existence was shrouded by mystery and drama.

Members would go on to form the much more rock influenced Dynasty, who were just as controversial, and release (though I have never actually seen a copy) their debut ep on the label The Omega. Members would resurface in other projects over the years such as the Hope Collapse, but none would leave their mark like the 52x had.

From the split 7" with Milhouse:
I Hope Your Pussy Explodes

From the unreleased "Liver Damage" EP:
It Feels Good
Suffer
Cum Feel The Bite

Shift want to be rich

noreply@blogger.com (Christopher) — Sun, 19 Feb 2006 16:50:00 +0000

In the mid 1990's the term post hardcore was rather all encompassing. If you ask me the post hardcore sound was defined by 4 bands Quicksand, Fugazi, Orange 9mm, and Helmet. Post hardcore however became a genre that suddenly became flooded with imitators obviously some way worse than others. Though it was a genre that seemed poised for great success it would never receive as much acclaim as fans and labels expected it to. One band who fits the criteria was New York's Shift.

Shift's debut ep was released on Equal Vision Records in 1994. Titled "Pathos" the ep was heavily influenced by Quicksand, although not as brooding and angry as Quicksand was at the time. "Pathos" was laced heavily with grooves, driving melodic rhythms, and importantly not too complex. Vocalist Joshua Loucka's nasal and fragile voice stand out over the material, at times feeling as if they don’t mesh well, something that in my opinion wasn’t until their second album "Spacesuit" that Loucka really finds his voice.

"Spacesuit" was released in 1995 and by this point Shift had a much clearer concept of what they were trying to achieve. Though similar in style to "Pathos", this record was way more rock influenced and vocalist Loucka became less of a background voice and moved in as one of focal points of the group. Still just as driving, Shift quickened the pace a bit on "Spacesuit" and were not afraid to slow it down with a ballad like "Dress Up". Something that few groups could have pulled off at the time without getting fed to the wolves. Perhaps it was tracks like that which made a label Columbia realize that Shift could be ready for commercial success.

By this time Shift had added second guitarist Mark Holcomb (Nineironspitfire, Dempsey) which filled out a lot of their sound considering this entire time they were only a 3 piece. The band signed to Columbia in 1997 and released the very ambitious rock record "Get In". While it was similar in style to their previous releases, it was clear that Shift was trying to broaden their sound, something that perhaps didn’t sit well with their hardcore fan base. Though listening to it now I can see the obvious maturity of the material, it was clearly the debut single from "Get In" that may have spoiled their stardom. "I Want To Be Rich" was simply too ambitious, too rock star, too everything that hardcore at the time wanted no part of and for some reason rock listeners didn’t want it either.

Although I can find no mention of an official breakup, I assume it wasn’t very long after the release and tours supporting "Get In" that they disbanded. Vocalist Joshua went on to form The Big Collapse which released its debut on The Militia Group before disbanding. Drummer Samantha somehow managed to join Motley Crue and later went on to play alongside Courtney Love in Hole.

I have uploaded a track from each of their three releases. All of these albums can be found for only a few dollars on amazon and ebay, so I highly encourage you to pick them up.

From the "Pathos" EP: Sunflower
From the "Spacesuit" CD: Pinprick
From the "Spacesuit" CD: Dress Up
From the "Get In" CD: In Honor Of Myself
From the "Get In" CD: I Want To Be Rich

Motive: Scripting Torture

noreply@blogger.com (Christopher) — Sat, 17 Dec 2005 01:04:00 +0000

In the mid 1990s, the Long Island scene was thriving and new bands were emerging at an alarming rate. Often times these bands would open a show or two and quickly fall off the map. However one band managed to stand out amongst the pack and grow into what I believe is one of Long Island's most influential bands. Although Motive started out as more of a straightforward hardcore band, it was not until they dismissed their first vocalist that they really got going. Recruiting a vocalist from within, their bass player Atif had to be convinced to fill the void but it was his scream that began to shape a sound that was until then rather incomplete. Shortly after their line up shuffle, Motive released "A Doctrine of Scripted Torture" on Exit/Wreck Age, a record that captured not only their intensity but put the name Motive on every Long Island hardcore show from 1996-1997.

If there was one thing that Motive was not it was metal. Although the metal influence was there, the "metalcore" term had not fully been defined and again it was simply called noisecore. They were fast, discordant, melodic, and down right brutal at times. They ran the gamut of sound and somehow it all managed to work. Similar to early Botch material, Deadguy or 108, Motive were faster and more intense than any band they were compared to. Live they were a wall of noise, constantly flailing from one side of the venue to the other, and wearing their hearts on their sleeves all the while. What made this band truly special was that they really believed in what they were saying. They had convictions, be it political or environmental, they were not afraid to let people know what they were feeling. It never felt like a speech or a sales pitch, what they were was a band who was unafraid to stand out from the pack and be different and I am afraid it was that which eventually led to their break up.

After their 7" the band returned to the studio to record "I Vs. The Beckoning Darkness" The band were beginning to show a more metal influence and seemed to be getting more experimental in their songwriting. While their 7" was raw and intense, "I Vs..." appeared to be more controlled and methodical. Though they both shared similar characteristics, "I Vs..." was pulling the band into a different genre altogether and people knew it. While much of the song writing during the 7" and "I Vs..." album were done as a straight edge band, Motive's new found interests in such intoxicants as Wild Turkey seemed to push them on the verge of what I remember thinking was paranoia. The direction that was documented during the "I Vs..." sessions would eventually progress even further into an almost southern rock/neurosis feel (much like the direction that Cable started to take with their later releases). Their quick paced slowed to a more fluent riff and hints of Buzzov-en or Eyehategod were beginning to peer through.

They would go on to record a demo entitled "Fetus Shall Become Ash", which was meant to serve as a precursor to another full length. However Motive would eventually disband due to what they felt was people not caring any longer. I don’t believe there was an official break up like bands do now and Motive simply faded away. Their guitarist Ryan would re-emerge to form Unearthly Trance, who recently signed to Relapse, a sound that honestly was not that far removed from the later Motive material. You can hear the band's musical progression below and please feel free to make a comment.

From the "A Doctrine Of Scripted Torture" 7": Farewell To The Actor
From the "I Vs. The Beckoning Darkness" CD: The Dormancy Pill
From the "I Vs. The Beckoning Darkness" CD: Icicles
From the "Fetus Shall Become Ash" demo: Implosion Of Existence

The ADVENT of a miracle

noreply@blogger.com (Christopher) — Sun, 04 Dec 2005 23:13:00 +0000

With all this talk about a Tripface discography and their recent profile added to Myspace, I decided to dig up an old demo of sorts. Now I am sure that there is quite a bit of drama surrounding this band and while I do not want to stir up any ill feelings between members, I do feel that this demo deserves another listen.

Shortly after Tripface released the album "Some Part Sorrow" on Exit, their vocalist Scott was no longer in the band. (Whether he left or quit I am sure is a whole other story altogether) The three other Tripface members along with a recently added second guitarist went in search of a vocalist and found one in Tommy Corrigan (of Silent Majority/Blood Red)
The band dubbed themselves ADVENT, quickly recorded a 4 song demo, and after only a handful of shows, disbanded.

Picking up where Tripface had left off, Advent's material was every bit abrasive and metallic as Tripface. While the band did not have the "gang" vocal parts and anthem's that Tripface did, Advent's vocal approach was a bit more subtle and refined. You can see a natural progression from "Some Part Sorrow" to the Advent demo. The band was moving in a more mature direction adding in more melody than Tripface had ever attempted.

After posting the idea of the blog re-discovering this demo, their vocalist replied that this was the worst band he ever did. Others, myself included, beg to differ. In my eyes you are either a fan of Tommy' unique vocal style or you aren't. This demo certainly fits well amongst his catalog of underappreciated bands. Sorry Tommy!

Here is the demo:
Advent - Braille Novel
Advent - Dukes Neutral Corner
Advent - Prince Chicos St
Advent - Earplugs

An Update

noreply@blogger.com (Christopher) — Sun, 04 Dec 2005 21:43:00 +0000

My apologies for not being able to update for several months. On October 29th I was married in Newport, RI. For our honeymoon we spent a week in Newport and upon my return the label released the latest Paulson full length. With the release of the album as well as several upcoming albums planned for 2006, my free time has in fact become more and more limited. Every time I planned to update the blog something else would come up, so a few weeks turned into a few months.

In the interim my friend EMS started another music blog entitled "Coregasm", which has been added to the links. Tom Casey, former bass player from Revolution 9, posted some information on the band as well as the emailing the "Tie That Binds" compilation track to me, which is now available for download:
Revolution 9 - Between Being

I am still encouraging everyone to post a comment, even if it is to say that you did not like something. Its just nice to know that there are people out there reading and downloading.

Fall Victim: Overwhelming The Romans

noreply@blogger.com (Christopher) — Sat, 15 Oct 2005 22:49:00 +0000

Fall Victim was (and still is) one of Long Island's best kept secrets. Arising from the ashes of locals Suspect 7 & 40 Grit and the guitarist/vocalist of Watership Down, few expected the band to became what they did, especially since their former bands had little if any notoriety. What they did become was the opener who outplayed and outsold the headliner and just about every other band on the bill. For a band that lasted only a few short years just about everyone on Long Island had a patch on their bag from a band that seemingly came from out of nowhere and would disappear just as fast.

Their sound was what we all considered to be noisecore back then, a label that I seldom hear used to compare bands these days. Comparisons could be made to early Turmoil, Hourglass, 400 Years or even a more controlled Deadguy, Fall Victim was one of the few Long Island bands not wearing their influences on their sleeves. They would tear through sets of discordant guitars, piercing screams and complete chaos, somehow merging the "screamo" scene with the "metalcore" scene that was quickly dividing on the Island at the time.

Having only recorded a 4 song demo (and performing a radio show) was all they had in terms of a discography. While most bands were recording demos on 4 tracks, Fall Victim's demo recording was more clear and pristine which sounded almost odd considering their genre. It was a recording that worked both for and against them, since flaws can obviously be hidden within a more dirty sounding demo. The vocals were an obvious strongpoint which consisted of two tracks of both screaming and talking that gave the demo a sense of urgency and emotion. A style that sounds similar to the one that the vocalist from Bird Of Ill Omen was going for.

Fall Victim would eventually part ways with vocalist Adam and would go on to recruit frontman Ben Knight and emerge under the odd and rather amusing name "Ichor Of The Ukase." Shortly thereafter originally vocalist Adam would reunite with bass player Andrew (this time on guitar) to form another impressive and underappreciated band named Knives and Greenwater, who went on to release two split 7"s. Adam would go on to form and join bands like I Am The Resurrection, Helen Of Troy and most recently Gospel whose sound both vocally and musically could be traced back to the early blueprints laid with Fall Victim. Guitarist Rick formed End Of World Smile and the drummer Kris would go on to perform with Bandcamp who saw an Atlantic contract be both presented and taken away.
You can hear their demo in its entirety below

Fall Victim "Movement 1"
Fall Victim "Movement 2"
Fall Victim "Movement 3"
Fall Victim "Movement 4"

Bridgewater: Act Two, Scene One

noreply@blogger.com (Christopher) — Sat, 24 Sep 2005 18:03:00 +0000

I can remember when the Very catalog was like the hardcore bible. Anything and everything you could possibly ever want and/or need in hardcore music was in there. If you were in a band or a label and you did not have your records in the Very catalog well, it meant you weren't much of anything. So every six months or so a new Very catalog would arrive in my mailbox and like an 8 year old searching for the toy he wanted for Christmas in the JC Penny catalog, I would simply scan through every page and circle what I wanted to order. Now on one occasion I remember seeing a demo tape and Very usually was not one to pick up demos since I am sure every hardcore band under the sun wanted their demo in the Very catalog. I knew if Very was carrying it, well it had to be good. I went ahead and ordered it and just as I suspected, it was nothing short of amazing.

The band was named Bridgewater and they were from Baltimore, MD. They were described as emotional hardcore like Grade, New Day Rising or Boy Sets Fire, which in today's world would more than likely be a sound similar to Thrice or early Boysnightout. The band also featured a member of Torn Apart (who had just broken up after their Ferret EP was released) as well as Brett from Torn Apart doing back up vocals on the demo. The music had everything you would expect from a Torn Apart hybrid, it had melody, singing, screaming, breakdowns, etc. But while Torn Apart leaned more on being heavy and chaotic most of the time, Bridgewater was way more melodic and for the most part had a vocalist who would primarily sing rather than scream. The comparisons to Grade and New Day Rising are rather impossible not to notice, the music in every way resembles Grade's "And Such Is Progress" while the vocals could literally be lifted from the New Day Rising double 7" on Upheaval. Still though, this was a time when very few bands crossed genres, when there was a fine line between metal and hardcore, and emo bands were referred to as indie-rock, so to simply write them off as cookie cutter was a far stretch to say the least.

After the demo they would go on to record a 7" for the Erie, PA label SA Mob entitled "In One Act" which featured 3 new tracks while the CD version would have the band's demo added as bonus material. I am not certain when Bridgewater disbanded but I somehow stumbled upon their website shortly after their breakup. The band posted one last untitled MP3 for people to download and it was by far the best track of their short existence. Its unclear whether the track was supposed to be recorded for another release or if it was just an ill-fated compilation track, but what is clear is that Bridgewater should not be a band to simply fade into the background. Below in MP3 format is their last track, a track from their 7", as well as one from the demo.

Bridgewater "Untitled"
Bridgewater "Irony In Silouhette"
Bridgewater "Slow To Die"

Both the CD & 7" are still available by various online distributers like Very, Interpunk, and Revelation. However, their former label SA Mob still has copies of both for a very low price. I highly suggest you seek this out.

UPDATE: Chris from Bridgewater happen to find the site and got in touch with me. He gave me the reasons for their break up (which as I assumed confirmed it to be the usual lack of interest/differences amongst members which so often breaks up bands) and one piece of the puzzle that I was unaware of. The band had apparently signed to Dim-Mak shortly before disbanding. He also filled me in on what other members had been up to since the end of Bridgewater. Brodie (bassist) is in Stars Hide Fire, Scott (singer) was in a band called Brachiation, Chris (guitar) was recently in Tiny Black Dots. The band now has themselves a myspace page too (gotta love myspace for all these broken up band's pages)

Revolution 9: Not just a Beatles song

noreply@blogger.com (Christopher) — Sat, 10 Sep 2005 21:32:00 +0000

Before free samplers and sites like purevolume or MP3.com, there used to be these CDs that labels put together called Compilations (my sarcasm is intentional of course) Usually there were a few well known bands that would pretty much sell the comps based on their established name and a bunch of young or no name bands to fill the remainder of the track listing. Occasionally you would get lucky and find a pretty rad band and then you would go off in search of their self released 7", but sometimes those compilation tracks would be the only time you'd ever hear their name again. Such was the case with a Virginia band called Revolution 9.

Back when I first started by label in 1998, I used to trade a great deal of my releases with other labels for their releases. I am not sure how but I ended up speaking over email with Matt from Shandle Records (and of the underrated band Chalkline) One of the releases I received in trade was of a compilation that Shandle released (which was named The Shandle Records Comp Vol. 1) Along with bands like Trademark, Chalkline, and Digression (among a few others) was the Virginia band Revolution 9. They completely stood out among the other bands that were mostly heavier than their melodic post hardcore sound.

Years back I remember thinking they sounded like a Background era Lifetime or the early Silent Majority material. Its definitely a sound that has all but disappeared in hardcore today, while bands like Split Lip, Endpoint, and Walleye had just about perfected it. The vocals are another thing that stands out about this genre because while the music may vary from heavy to driving, the vocalist doesn't really need to scream unnecessarily or break into some big chorus like today's bands. I uploaded all their tracks from the Shandle comp, so give them a listen:

"Free With My Surroundings"
"Dyed In The Wool"
"Vote For The Devil"

I later remember calling Matt from Shandle to tell him just how awesome this band Revolution 9 was and he told me that there was at some point plans to release a record from them which eventually fell through. I am not sure whether it was due to a falling out or the band breaking up, but I never heard their name again after that. A google search this afternoon provided me with some information that the band was comprised of Dayspring (which featured members of Grip and who later went on to Cycle, all of which I own records from, but haven't listen to in years) Actually after learning that I can see similarities to all those bands. So if anyone else has any knowledge of what became of this band or if perhaps they had another release, let me know.

The compilation is still available for sale too for a well spent $3.00 at Very Distribution.

Beltaine: Crowning The Caged Kid

noreply@blogger.com (Christopher) — Thu, 08 Sep 2005 23:47:00 +0000

I kept going back and forth on what band I should actually start this blog with. For the last few days I have been pouring over countless 7"s & compilation CDs as well as tons of memories that coincide with them. The majority of the bands I plan on discussing I actually still listen to on a regular basis. Really the deciding factor was how much material and information was readily available, considering that my spare time these days is rather limited, especially with my wedding being a mere 7 weeks away. Ripping vinyl to my MD player and then to my computer just seemed too time consuming, so I decided it would be best to start with a record that was already in digital format.

Rhode Island's Beltaine remained virtually unknown to anyone outside the New England area in the mid to late 90's. They released a three song 7"s on Watermark (which I never managed to find a copy of), a 2 song 7" on Atomic Action (which served as a precursor to their full length), and a full length on Atomic Action entitled "Crowning The Caged Kid." The Cd was recorded in 1996 and released in 1997, it serves as just about the best documentation of the band.

While their sound is rather hard to pin down you could describe it as something like an early Split Lip meets Fugazi, although vocalist James Quigley's voice is just about as unique as you can get. Though quite nasally, you can really hear the strain and emotion in his voice that is entirely captivating when the band slows down shortly before delivering a driving chorus (tracks like "Skinning Knees" & "And If I Fly Too High" serve as the perfect example) His voice could almost sound similar at times to Jeremy Enignk on SDRE's LP2. The band is rather moody as a whole, roughly comprised of slow drony tracks and the more faster rock songs. Few seem to integrate both styles (the closer "Burner" is one though), but overall the record is balanced by a pretty well thought out arrangement. Here are two songs from the "Crowing The Caged Kid" CD

"If I Fly Too High"
"Skinning Knees"

After I moved from Rhode Island in 1998, I basically fell out of what became of them. I recently discovered after searching for more information to write about them with, that the band I assumed was comprised of their former members was actually Beltaine now under the name Woken By Wire. The name change was apparently the result of a line up change and a way to discard the excess baggage that came along with being a band for 6 or so years. They released a 10" on the label Corleone which seemed to be a bit more rock sounding than their previous works. Drummer Sean had at one point filled in for Blue Tip and members have now gone on to bands like Vincibus Eruptum, Chinese Stars, Anton Bordman & Sidewinder.

I am not sure how available this CD is after all these years, after all I doubt there was more than 1000 pressed. Its been years since I heard of the label Atomic Action being active, however I do remember one of their last ads advertising a split between Beltaine and Kid Kilowatt which was never released.