This show happened on January 2nd, 1989. It was a benefit show for Agnostic Front frontman Roger Miret who was facing legal troubles.
Special thanks to Brendan Rafferty for scanning this in.
Sunday, January 3, 2016
We found the flyer for the greatest show ever
Special thanks to Brendan Rafferty for scanning this in.
Monday, December 28, 2015
Rest In Peace Lemmy Kilmister
I just found out about the passing of Ian Fraser Kilmister (affectionately known as Lemmy) a half hour ago. I spent half of the day making arrangements to see my grandfather, who is also on his way out, only to cap off my day with this news. In a lot of ways the stories are the same. People with a profound impact on my life, people who got to lead great lives themselves, and whose ending is something that I've been expecting for a little bit. It hasn't been an easy day.
I know that anytime these high profile deaths happen, people say "what does it matter to you? You didn't actually know them. You never met them." What's the point of music then? What's the point of going to shows? What's the point of any of this? Lemmy wasn't a guy I got to share a cigarette with ever, but that doesn't mean his existence didn't impact countless lives. His charisma, his personality, his music, the way he dressed, the way his voice sounded are all things we gravitated toward and wanted to be. I used to joke that I was smoking a pack a day because I wanted my voice to sound like Lemmy's. His existence mattered to me and his death matters to me and to you and to everyone else because the impacts he made mattered. We talk a lot about things like 'influence', 'heroes', and 'legends'. In the subculture, that begins and ends with Motorhead and Lemmy. There is an alpha and omega and it's him. It was, it is, and it ever shall be. There are benchmarks for how to live in this subculture and he laid a lot of them out for us. He taught us how to carry ourselves like made men doing what we wanted on our terms. He was a larger than life personality. He lived sex, drugs, and rock and roll the way it should be. He wasn't the braggart that the Rolling Stones or Led Zeppelin were about it. Lemmy's world was his and his friends'. What went on in it belonged to them, never for the outsiders. Partying like there's no tomorrow is not G7 on the jukebox. It isn't something you parlay into a role in Pirates of the Caribbean. It is something that you use toward personal exorcism, only sharing it with a select group of people who understand why you do it. That was how Lemmy lived. That's what Motorhead was about. That is what punk music is about. It isn't for everyone and it is self-destructive. He got it. He made it. To the initiated ones, "Lemmy is God" isn't just a quote from the movie Airheads, it's the honest truth.
I really don't know what to say about Lemmy that hasn't already been said or won't be said in the coming days. I once heard someone say during a eulogy that "there aren't enough words worthy enough to measure the departed person's impact and value". As a writer I like to pride myself on being able to find the words for any situation and circumstance. How do you sum up Lemmy? You can't. There aren't enough words worthy enough to measure his impact and value. I've been writing this whole time and I haven't said anything that really measures what Lemmy meant to this whole subculture. He influenced countless bands. An entire galaxy of them. All of them wanted to be like him and Motorhead. Everyone from Metallica to Inepsy. Imagine a world without Motorhead and I'll show you a world without punk music. It doesn't happen without them.
In September, Lemmy infamously and sadly declared "I can't do it" onstage during a performance because his body couldn't physically handle the strain from playing anymore. We knew the end was coming then. Studies have shown that when a man's wife dies, he typically doesn't last much longer after. A lot of factors are attributed to this, but the major one is simply the man just loses the will to go on. Lemmy's first love in life was music. While he didn't give it up exactly, it wasn't the same. His body had finally betrayed him and quit at 69 years old. Three months later, he was gone.
I'm sitting here and I'm struggling with the death of a 70 year old British man I never met. That sounds really stupid, doesn't it? For a lot of us, a lot of you who read this, and for a lot of you who know me, you understand that it's more than that. The small rooms we crowd into, the bad decisions we make, the friends we keep, the way we dress... it is all more than that. Lemmy Kilmister wasn't another rocker. He wasn't another musician. He's the guy who helped build all of this. He's the one that showed us the way. A lot of people say "Lemmy is God" because Steve Buscemi said it in a movie once. Most of them will never really understand what that truly means. Lemmy is gone, but he will never die because gods don't die.
Wednesday, December 9, 2015
X-Japan
I want to preface this with a few things. First of all, this is my first time writing anything in depth since I was still in school, about 15 years ago, and its terrifying. Secondly, there are people out there that could write an encyclopedia on X-Japan, and I am not one of them. There is so much information out there about them, and so much documentation of every little thing that they did, from every song at every gig ever played, to the exact guitar Hide or Pata used at each gig and so much more. Anything that I could write will not be as thorough as others could write, but I hope to touch on a few things that many of these X-fanatics tend to overlook. Not because of their lack of knowledge about the band, but because most of them don't come from a hardcore punk background. There are a few other punks in America that have been into this stuff way longer than me, have much more impressive collections, knowledge of bands, and general knowledge of the whole scene. I'm not claiming to be a pro on any of this. Just a fan wanting to share some of the reasons all this stuff became so interesting to me. I think its actually amazing music and would hope to turn a few people on to listening to X and some similar bands. People like Thomas, Caiazzo, Tommy and many more were jamming this stuff way before I ever took the time to look into it, and I just wanted to give respect where its due.
A quick biography of the band...Drummer and founder Yoshiki started playing music at a very young age. He was a classically trained piano player and began music theory lessons at the age of four. After discovering Kiss and other American hard rock bands, he decided to switch to drums. His father committed suicide, something that he witnessed, and he stated that event in his life lead him to want to play fast and aggressive music, which fueled many records to come. He started his first band, Dynamite, in 1977 alongside future X singer Toshi. Dynamite would eventually change its name to Noise, and finally break up in 1982. That same year, Yoshiki and Toshi started X. They released two singles, 1985's "I'll Kill You", and 1986's "Orgasm".The latter is considered by many as one of the best Japanese metal records ever. After many inconsistent lineups, with the only stable members being Toshi and Yoshiki, they finally solidified the full band in 1987 with Toshi on vocals, Yohsiki on drums, Pata on guitar, Hide on guitar, and Taiji on bass. This lineup would begin to play out regularly, selling out many of Japan's larger live houses. This "indies era" is considered the best X era by many fans. The gigs were raw, energetic and they quickly became one of the biggest bands in Japan's underground scene. In August of '87, at a gig at the Kyoto Sports Valley (my favorite X show ever, the whole thing is on YouTube, go watch it now), they released their first VHS, a format that the band would continue to use throughout their career, and something that helped their sales immensely between album releases.
A quick biography of the band...Drummer and founder Yoshiki started playing music at a very young age. He was a classically trained piano player and began music theory lessons at the age of four. After discovering Kiss and other American hard rock bands, he decided to switch to drums. His father committed suicide, something that he witnessed, and he stated that event in his life lead him to want to play fast and aggressive music, which fueled many records to come. He started his first band, Dynamite, in 1977 alongside future X singer Toshi. Dynamite would eventually change its name to Noise, and finally break up in 1982. That same year, Yoshiki and Toshi started X. They released two singles, 1985's "I'll Kill You", and 1986's "Orgasm".The latter is considered by many as one of the best Japanese metal records ever. After many inconsistent lineups, with the only stable members being Toshi and Yoshiki, they finally solidified the full band in 1987 with Toshi on vocals, Yohsiki on drums, Pata on guitar, Hide on guitar, and Taiji on bass. This lineup would begin to play out regularly, selling out many of Japan's larger live houses. This "indies era" is considered the best X era by many fans. The gigs were raw, energetic and they quickly became one of the biggest bands in Japan's underground scene. In August of '87, at a gig at the Kyoto Sports Valley (my favorite X show ever, the whole thing is on YouTube, go watch it now), they released their first VHS, a format that the band would continue to use throughout their career, and something that helped their sales immensely between album releases.
A year later, in 1988, they would self-release their first full length album, Vanishing Vision, on drummer Yoshiki's own label, Extasy Records. The first press of 10,000 sold out within a week, and over time they would sell close to a million copies. A year later they signed to CBS/Sony and released their second album, Blue Blood. With the release of this record, they became one of the biggest bands in Japan, selling out massive venues and becoming huge celebrities in their country. They would release three more studio albums, a handful of VHS, and many CD singles before their initial break-up in 1997. The band sold out the 55,000 capacity Tokyo Dome eighteen times, making them one of the few acts to ever sell it out, alongside the Rolling Stones and Michael Jackson. After their 1997 split, they would take a ten year hiatus and reform in 2008, with Pata, Toshi and Yoshiki being the only members from the early days. A world tour and several international gigs would follow. The band is now planning to release its first studio album since 1996's Dahlia on March 12 of 2016, along with a massive gig at London's Wembley Stadium.
Not being Japanese, I can never fully understand the love (or hate) that millions of people have for this band. They were the biggest rock band in Asia for over a decade, and continue to play giant international shows, including recently selling out Madison Square Garden, a show that I was fortunate enough to attend. It's insane to me that a band can become so big, and so famous somewhere in the world, and be virtually unknown elsewhere. Everyone in the world knows Green Day, but ask anyone in the USA who X-Japan is and 9.9 times out 10 they will have no idea who you're talking about. Their fame in Japan is like something you would see in a movie. I recently saw a video of Yoshiki talking about how much he likes living in LA part time, because when he's in Japan he can't go into public without being mobbed by people. In the same interview he said he was talking with his friend, David Bowie, about how he deals with this and how hard it is. When they were recording their fourth album, The Art of Life, Yoshiki really wanted to record in a studio called One on One in Hollywood. He was told that the studio had the best drum sound in the world. This other band called Metallica had the studio booked for almost a year straight to record The Black Album and Yoshiki was pretty much laughed at for wanting to record there, being an unknown foreign artist in America. So he turned around and bought the studio and they recorded The Art of Life there. They were that kind of famous.
I first heard them when I was in high school. A friend of mine had a DVD of theirs and all we could talk about while we watched it was how big their hair was. I don't even remember what the songs were, or if I even liked what I heard. It's kind of a blur. I remember there being a piano, lots of blood, roses, and I was just shocked by how they looked (fitting considering their slogan, "Crime of Visual Shock"). For a few years, I had the name burned into my head, but never really gave them a listening chance. It wasn't until I went to Japan for the first time that I really started paying attention. My first trip there I was surprised that so many people I met listened to this band. And it seemed like everyone's house I went to had stacks of VHS, books, CD's, etc. I began looking into them and realized that the music really clicked with me. It was completely different than anything I was into at the time, but as soon as Blue Blood kicked in on my first listen, I was hooked. Right around the time I got back from that first trip, Thomas had just released a new issue of Evil Minded Zine with the whole issue dedicated to visual kei and Japanese metal. This became my bible for a bit. The whole world was new to me, and having accessible information via his zine really opened up the door for me to find some of the music that has become my favorite ever. I owe him a big thanks for that.
Something that really caught my attention in his zine was the mention of a band called L.O.X., which stands for Lip Cream, Orange, X. This was a crazy collision of worlds for me, and suddenly everything started to make sense. L.O.X. (originally called Masami and LOX) was a project band featuring Naoki from Lip Cream/The Comes on guitar, Yoshiki from X-Japan on drums, Act from Orange/S.K.V.(Sakevi of GISM's side project) on bass, and originally Masami from Ghoul on vocals. After Masami ended up in a coma in '89, they released an album entitled Shake Hand with different vocalists on each track. Among these singers were Toshi from X-Japan, Ishiya from Death Side/Forward, Butaman from Tetsu Arrei, and even Naoki from Lip Cream sings a song. There's also a live video with Tokurow from Bastard on vocals! There were a few other vocalists, but we'll keep it at these for the sake of this article. The album was released on CD and LP format and put out on the infamous S.E.X./Sunshine Sherbert label that also gave us the first Tetsu Arrei LP. When I first read this, I knew that I had to start digging deeper. Here was this band, X, that I was becoming obsessed with, and their members shared a project with some of the most legendary Japanese hardcore personnel ever. L.O.X. is kind of surrounded in mystery though. On the album, Yoshiki goes under an alias instead of his real name. Many believe because this was shortly after X had signed with a major label, and he was under contract to not release any material with another label. His face is even blurred out on the band photo. This always confused me though because Toshi is listed on the CD, and his picture is on there as well. Maybe Yoshiki was just being mysterious, or maybe he had some deal with ownership to the X rights that we don't know about it. Either way, the album is a ripper, its pretty easy to find and there's a few YouTube videos out there. There is some video of them performing with Masami very early on, but its hard to find.
Shortly after discovering L.O.X., on a hunt for more information relating X to the punk scene, I noticed that X drummer and founder Yoshiki ran the famous Extasy Records. While most of their releases were of up and coming bands tied to the visual kei scene, looking at the catalog I saw that the second release on the label was Poison's 1986 Mystery Temptation EP. For those that don't know, Poison (later called Poison Arts) was Chelsea's first band before Death Side. If you haven't heard it you need to, and I'd suggest starting with the flexi, this EP on Extasy, or the Kick Rock 12". Also on Extasy Records, in 1990 was an awesome band called Virus. While their music was more thrash metal, their bass player Noboru was in another band called Ogreish Organism, who had a ripping CD in 1993 on the legendary Selfish Records. Chelsea also played guitar on about half the songs on this CD (while the other half of the guitar tracks were done by Zigyaku from Bastard/Gudon). Also in this band was Minoru, bassist of The Comes/Lip Cream and more recently Color Rice Men and Eiefits. As you can see, both the metal and hardcore scenes were very intertwined at times. It makes sense, as some of these original Burning Spirits bands had such amazing guitar work, and definitely had a metallic feel from time to time. Speaking of Chelsea, in January of 1989, he, alongside Ishiya, Butaman, Baki from Gastunk, and a handful of others entered CBS Sony Roppongi Studio in Tokyo to sing back up vocals on X's first major label release, Blue Blood. The album would sell more than 700,000 copies initially, be certified gold, and spend more than 100 weeks in the Japan Oricon Top 100 charts. A year later is when L.O.X. would record their only album. The connection and friendship seemed to last through all the years when X was growing in popularity. Even on their Dahlia LP, which was their final studio album before their initial break up and a complete removal from their thrash/speed metal roots, as well as being certified gold selling more than half a million copies and topping the Japan charts for 15 weeks, they still thank Tetsu Arrei and Death Side on the album.
When I initially started looking for X's connections to punk, it seemed to be mostly through Yoshiki and Extasy Records. Talking with members of some of the original Burning Spirits bands, I learned that he was an old friend of a lot of those guys, and was involved in the punk scene in one way or another. Which makes sense after learning about all the stuff I've mentioned so far. I heard a couple stories about him from some of these older guys. One of which that Yoshiki's infamous hair, half spiked up/half long flowing locks, was just a mere mistake. He was on his way to a punk gig in Tokyo, and he was doing his hair (either on the way or before he left) and didn't have time finish it. He only got halfway through, and that look just stuck with him and became iconic. Its even become the silhouette of his Hello Kitty character, Yoshikitty. But I wondered if he was the only member of X that had connection to the punk scene and if he just invited his friends to sing backups on Blue Blood or where else a connection was made. Then I learned of the origins of Hide.
Although not an original member, Hide quickly became X's biggest celebrity. He joined on second guitar before the recording of their first full length, Vanishing Vision, and ended up being a major force of the band until they initially split in 1997. He also enjoyed more success as a solo artist, both at the same time and after X's split, than any other member. His fame was cut short in 1998 after his death, a questionable suicide or autoerotic asphyxiation gone bad. His death was dubbed the end of Japanese teenage rebellion by the press, and his funeral procession, which can be seen on YouTube, is comparable to something you would've seen for a king or someone of that importance. There were approximately 50,000 people in attendance at his funeral, and nearly 60 were hospitalized and close to 200 were treated on scene for self-inflicted injuries. The scene at the funeral was crazy with young fans literally throwing themselves over the barriers and onto the street, bashing their faces into the pavement as his hearse passed by them. There were also a string of copycat suicides. It was a national phenomenon when he died. It shocked the country and changed the face of pop culture in Japan forever. I'm telling you all this to illustrate just how big his celebrity was. I don't know who to compare him to in American popular music, because I can't think of a single mega-celebrity in America who had that much influence on culture, but also played on records with legends on the same level as Ghoul, Lip Cream and City Indian.
Not being Japanese, I can never fully understand the love (or hate) that millions of people have for this band. They were the biggest rock band in Asia for over a decade, and continue to play giant international shows, including recently selling out Madison Square Garden, a show that I was fortunate enough to attend. It's insane to me that a band can become so big, and so famous somewhere in the world, and be virtually unknown elsewhere. Everyone in the world knows Green Day, but ask anyone in the USA who X-Japan is and 9.9 times out 10 they will have no idea who you're talking about. Their fame in Japan is like something you would see in a movie. I recently saw a video of Yoshiki talking about how much he likes living in LA part time, because when he's in Japan he can't go into public without being mobbed by people. In the same interview he said he was talking with his friend, David Bowie, about how he deals with this and how hard it is. When they were recording their fourth album, The Art of Life, Yoshiki really wanted to record in a studio called One on One in Hollywood. He was told that the studio had the best drum sound in the world. This other band called Metallica had the studio booked for almost a year straight to record The Black Album and Yoshiki was pretty much laughed at for wanting to record there, being an unknown foreign artist in America. So he turned around and bought the studio and they recorded The Art of Life there. They were that kind of famous.
I first heard them when I was in high school. A friend of mine had a DVD of theirs and all we could talk about while we watched it was how big their hair was. I don't even remember what the songs were, or if I even liked what I heard. It's kind of a blur. I remember there being a piano, lots of blood, roses, and I was just shocked by how they looked (fitting considering their slogan, "Crime of Visual Shock"). For a few years, I had the name burned into my head, but never really gave them a listening chance. It wasn't until I went to Japan for the first time that I really started paying attention. My first trip there I was surprised that so many people I met listened to this band. And it seemed like everyone's house I went to had stacks of VHS, books, CD's, etc. I began looking into them and realized that the music really clicked with me. It was completely different than anything I was into at the time, but as soon as Blue Blood kicked in on my first listen, I was hooked. Right around the time I got back from that first trip, Thomas had just released a new issue of Evil Minded Zine with the whole issue dedicated to visual kei and Japanese metal. This became my bible for a bit. The whole world was new to me, and having accessible information via his zine really opened up the door for me to find some of the music that has become my favorite ever. I owe him a big thanks for that.
Something that really caught my attention in his zine was the mention of a band called L.O.X., which stands for Lip Cream, Orange, X. This was a crazy collision of worlds for me, and suddenly everything started to make sense. L.O.X. (originally called Masami and LOX) was a project band featuring Naoki from Lip Cream/The Comes on guitar, Yoshiki from X-Japan on drums, Act from Orange/S.K.V.(Sakevi of GISM's side project) on bass, and originally Masami from Ghoul on vocals. After Masami ended up in a coma in '89, they released an album entitled Shake Hand with different vocalists on each track. Among these singers were Toshi from X-Japan, Ishiya from Death Side/Forward, Butaman from Tetsu Arrei, and even Naoki from Lip Cream sings a song. There's also a live video with Tokurow from Bastard on vocals! There were a few other vocalists, but we'll keep it at these for the sake of this article. The album was released on CD and LP format and put out on the infamous S.E.X./Sunshine Sherbert label that also gave us the first Tetsu Arrei LP. When I first read this, I knew that I had to start digging deeper. Here was this band, X, that I was becoming obsessed with, and their members shared a project with some of the most legendary Japanese hardcore personnel ever. L.O.X. is kind of surrounded in mystery though. On the album, Yoshiki goes under an alias instead of his real name. Many believe because this was shortly after X had signed with a major label, and he was under contract to not release any material with another label. His face is even blurred out on the band photo. This always confused me though because Toshi is listed on the CD, and his picture is on there as well. Maybe Yoshiki was just being mysterious, or maybe he had some deal with ownership to the X rights that we don't know about it. Either way, the album is a ripper, its pretty easy to find and there's a few YouTube videos out there. There is some video of them performing with Masami very early on, but its hard to find.
Shortly after discovering L.O.X., on a hunt for more information relating X to the punk scene, I noticed that X drummer and founder Yoshiki ran the famous Extasy Records. While most of their releases were of up and coming bands tied to the visual kei scene, looking at the catalog I saw that the second release on the label was Poison's 1986 Mystery Temptation EP. For those that don't know, Poison (later called Poison Arts) was Chelsea's first band before Death Side. If you haven't heard it you need to, and I'd suggest starting with the flexi, this EP on Extasy, or the Kick Rock 12". Also on Extasy Records, in 1990 was an awesome band called Virus. While their music was more thrash metal, their bass player Noboru was in another band called Ogreish Organism, who had a ripping CD in 1993 on the legendary Selfish Records. Chelsea also played guitar on about half the songs on this CD (while the other half of the guitar tracks were done by Zigyaku from Bastard/Gudon). Also in this band was Minoru, bassist of The Comes/Lip Cream and more recently Color Rice Men and Eiefits. As you can see, both the metal and hardcore scenes were very intertwined at times. It makes sense, as some of these original Burning Spirits bands had such amazing guitar work, and definitely had a metallic feel from time to time. Speaking of Chelsea, in January of 1989, he, alongside Ishiya, Butaman, Baki from Gastunk, and a handful of others entered CBS Sony Roppongi Studio in Tokyo to sing back up vocals on X's first major label release, Blue Blood. The album would sell more than 700,000 copies initially, be certified gold, and spend more than 100 weeks in the Japan Oricon Top 100 charts. A year later is when L.O.X. would record their only album. The connection and friendship seemed to last through all the years when X was growing in popularity. Even on their Dahlia LP, which was their final studio album before their initial break up and a complete removal from their thrash/speed metal roots, as well as being certified gold selling more than half a million copies and topping the Japan charts for 15 weeks, they still thank Tetsu Arrei and Death Side on the album.
When I initially started looking for X's connections to punk, it seemed to be mostly through Yoshiki and Extasy Records. Talking with members of some of the original Burning Spirits bands, I learned that he was an old friend of a lot of those guys, and was involved in the punk scene in one way or another. Which makes sense after learning about all the stuff I've mentioned so far. I heard a couple stories about him from some of these older guys. One of which that Yoshiki's infamous hair, half spiked up/half long flowing locks, was just a mere mistake. He was on his way to a punk gig in Tokyo, and he was doing his hair (either on the way or before he left) and didn't have time finish it. He only got halfway through, and that look just stuck with him and became iconic. Its even become the silhouette of his Hello Kitty character, Yoshikitty. But I wondered if he was the only member of X that had connection to the punk scene and if he just invited his friends to sing backups on Blue Blood or where else a connection was made. Then I learned of the origins of Hide.
Although not an original member, Hide quickly became X's biggest celebrity. He joined on second guitar before the recording of their first full length, Vanishing Vision, and ended up being a major force of the band until they initially split in 1997. He also enjoyed more success as a solo artist, both at the same time and after X's split, than any other member. His fame was cut short in 1998 after his death, a questionable suicide or autoerotic asphyxiation gone bad. His death was dubbed the end of Japanese teenage rebellion by the press, and his funeral procession, which can be seen on YouTube, is comparable to something you would've seen for a king or someone of that importance. There were approximately 50,000 people in attendance at his funeral, and nearly 60 were hospitalized and close to 200 were treated on scene for self-inflicted injuries. The scene at the funeral was crazy with young fans literally throwing themselves over the barriers and onto the street, bashing their faces into the pavement as his hearse passed by them. There were also a string of copycat suicides. It was a national phenomenon when he died. It shocked the country and changed the face of pop culture in Japan forever. I'm telling you all this to illustrate just how big his celebrity was. I don't know who to compare him to in American popular music, because I can't think of a single mega-celebrity in America who had that much influence on culture, but also played on records with legends on the same level as Ghoul, Lip Cream and City Indian.
This band is called Saver Tiger (originally called Saber Tiger and later known as Yokosuka Saver Tiger). This was Hide's first band, formed in 1981. They played a fair amount of live gigs and released an 8" flexi in 1985 (#1 want list item). The next year they contributed two tracks to the Devil Must Be Driven Out By Devil compilation from Hold Up records. The guitar playing on the record, especially the song "Dead Angle", has some serious Burning Spirits feel to it. In my opinion, these are some of the best Hide riffs ever. In 1987, Saver Tiger would break up and Hide would think to stop playing music all together. Shortly after this, Yoshiki asked him to join X and the rest is history. Although he didn't contribute too much songwriting to X's catalog (Yoshiki wrote about 98% of their material, guitar parts, lyrics, composure of songs, etc), a Saver Tiger song he wrote called "Sadistic Emotion" was taken for X, changed to "Sadistic Desire", and became a staple song in their set for almost their entire existence. Not to mention, a fan favorite, and my favorite X song hands down. His solo stuff was more rock than anything. It was experimental and it was the 90's, so almost anything went. He collaborated with numerous famous American musicians, was friends with Marilyn Manson, and lived in LA for a while. There is a retrospect CD of the Saver Tiger stuff, called The Origin of Hide that you should be able to find online rather easily. Side note- (Two other members of Saver Tiger went on to join the band D'erlanger, who are worth a mention. Their demo tape, Birth of the Splendid Beast, is one of my top 3 Japanese metal demos, and their first EP, Girl, is an absolute ripping thrash metal release. They would later change their style to a more goth sound with the release of their first LP, La Vie En Rose and continue to make music through the 2000's.)
I haven't been able to find much on the other X members relating to the punk scene. It may be out there, or it may have just been Hide and Yoshiki. Pata, while an amazing guitarist, really lacked on the solo stuff. And his early bands were nothing of a great mention, at least on the relation to hardcore topic. Taiji was strictly metal, and after leaving X, joined the famous Japanese hair metal band Loudness, who had a bit of commercial success in America at the time. But regardless, X were more than a band. They created a cultural movement that shook the normality of Japanese society that can still be felt to this day. On my last trip to Japan I was able to visit Hide's grave in Yokosuka. It was an intense experience to say the least. Going there to pay homage to a guitar player that has influenced me greatly was powerful enough, and to go there with members of Disclose and Deceiving Society and see how much it meant to them was even more surreal. Something about X really clicked with a certain age group in Japan and those people, no matter what musical path they went down, still love them to this day. If you haven't heard them, take a minute to check out some of their stuff. The early demos and first two EP's are raw and awesome. Classic Japanese metal. The first 2 LP's are flawless in my eyes. The rest is open to conversation, I like it all, but many that I know do not. The first LP, Vanishing Vision, was self-released, and has sold roughly 800,000 copies since its release in 1988. Think about that next time your band is trying to push those 500 EP's you spent your summer working to pay for. We've all been there.
I haven't been able to find much on the other X members relating to the punk scene. It may be out there, or it may have just been Hide and Yoshiki. Pata, while an amazing guitarist, really lacked on the solo stuff. And his early bands were nothing of a great mention, at least on the relation to hardcore topic. Taiji was strictly metal, and after leaving X, joined the famous Japanese hair metal band Loudness, who had a bit of commercial success in America at the time. But regardless, X were more than a band. They created a cultural movement that shook the normality of Japanese society that can still be felt to this day. On my last trip to Japan I was able to visit Hide's grave in Yokosuka. It was an intense experience to say the least. Going there to pay homage to a guitar player that has influenced me greatly was powerful enough, and to go there with members of Disclose and Deceiving Society and see how much it meant to them was even more surreal. Something about X really clicked with a certain age group in Japan and those people, no matter what musical path they went down, still love them to this day. If you haven't heard them, take a minute to check out some of their stuff. The early demos and first two EP's are raw and awesome. Classic Japanese metal. The first 2 LP's are flawless in my eyes. The rest is open to conversation, I like it all, but many that I know do not. The first LP, Vanishing Vision, was self-released, and has sold roughly 800,000 copies since its release in 1988. Think about that next time your band is trying to push those 500 EP's you spent your summer working to pay for. We've all been there.
Included are the band's four full-length albums and a compilation of their singles.
- Jakke Sullivan
Monday, November 30, 2015
New Band Spotlight: Oaf
Oaf was brought to Justified Arrogance's attention after we grossly overlooked them on our Best of 2015 list. From the minute we heard "Cheat II", we knew we messed up.
The Pacific Northwest might be the most underrated mean scene in the country. While it is true that the area did briefly produce a number of melodic hardcore bands in the 2000s like Champion and Go It Alone as well as being home to the thinking man's hardcore band Trial, the Pacific Northwest has otherwise had a pretty proud history of spawning some of the meanest and most aggressive bands in hardcore punk. Bands like Brotherhood (who wrote one of the hardest straight edge songs ever) laid down a foundation for what PNW hardcore should be: a punch to the mouth, no bullshit, and to the point. Since then bands like Iron Lung, Cold Sweat, Walls, and countless others have followed this template, helping to fortify the region into a subculture stronghold.
Oaf is the newest product of the PNW. Hailing from Vancouver, BC and beginning in 2014, the band has grown exponentially from an idea to a sound in the last year. On their 2014 demo, the band played to what they wanted to sound like. They tried to capture all of the elements that their PNW predecessors had perfected before them. The demo itself is good and, by itself, is quite good. In September 2015, the band released their debut EP Consume. The time between releases gave the band time to put it all together. The production, the vocals, and most importantly, the control on the record shows the band finally understood where they came from. The vocals are dripping with vitriol, there is a ton of feedback promoting discomfort, the bass is overpowering at times, the guitar is piercing, and even the drums sound abrasive. Oaf plays a sound that makes it seem like they want you to hate them.
The PNW still hates the world. Check them out.
https://oafbc.bandcamp.com/releases
The Pacific Northwest might be the most underrated mean scene in the country. While it is true that the area did briefly produce a number of melodic hardcore bands in the 2000s like Champion and Go It Alone as well as being home to the thinking man's hardcore band Trial, the Pacific Northwest has otherwise had a pretty proud history of spawning some of the meanest and most aggressive bands in hardcore punk. Bands like Brotherhood (who wrote one of the hardest straight edge songs ever) laid down a foundation for what PNW hardcore should be: a punch to the mouth, no bullshit, and to the point. Since then bands like Iron Lung, Cold Sweat, Walls, and countless others have followed this template, helping to fortify the region into a subculture stronghold.
Oaf is the newest product of the PNW. Hailing from Vancouver, BC and beginning in 2014, the band has grown exponentially from an idea to a sound in the last year. On their 2014 demo, the band played to what they wanted to sound like. They tried to capture all of the elements that their PNW predecessors had perfected before them. The demo itself is good and, by itself, is quite good. In September 2015, the band released their debut EP Consume. The time between releases gave the band time to put it all together. The production, the vocals, and most importantly, the control on the record shows the band finally understood where they came from. The vocals are dripping with vitriol, there is a ton of feedback promoting discomfort, the bass is overpowering at times, the guitar is piercing, and even the drums sound abrasive. Oaf plays a sound that makes it seem like they want you to hate them.
The PNW still hates the world. Check them out.
https://oafbc.bandcamp.com/releases
Monday, November 23, 2015
Interview: Riley Gale (Power Trip)
I met Riley Gale eleven years ago at a No Warning show when he spinkicked me in the ribs. We have been friends ever since.
In 2008, Riley Gale started Power Trip with a group of Dallas musicians. I was lucky enough to book their first show. The first intro they ever played was a cover of Leeway's "The Future (Ain't What It Used To Be)". They ended up playing it three times. The first time was because there was an equipment malfunction (which they laughed about). The second time they nailed it. The third time was because one of the group's best friends was late and missed it so they played it one more time. Those three performances of that intro told the story about Power Trip: nuanced, talented, had personality, and loyal to their friends. That's really why Power Trip have gotten as far as they have. Because when you listen to their music you can hear the music tell you "we scoured through all of the subculture, learned what was good, and are doing it better". It's honest and special. Gale's lyrics are the combination of his own life experiences along with his educational background in rhetoric. The result is a band that people will be talking about well into next generation.
The band recently finished recording their second album in Denton, Texas. I was able to get a little bit of Gale's time to ask about the last couple of years and the new album.
Tell me about the Ryan Adams saga. The whole story is pretty bizarre and worth telling.
Gale: I guess that started around August 2013, right after the album came out. He tweeted at our account about how much he liked the record and then Ryan came out to a show in LA and bought a couple shirts, maybe a record. He was pretty quiet, weird, didn’t really hang out just watched the set and left. He contacted us about recording with him and even though I was apprehensive, Blake wanted to pursue. Ryan was kind of a dick when we began asking about details, and he got really defensive when I brought up the fact we have a producer (Arthur). That left a sour taste in my mouth. I mean, I’ve heard of this guy before I knew he liked my band, and didn’t really dig his music. I didn’t like it when I checked it out again either. That was over a year ago. I’ve seen pictures of him wearing our shirt at shows and just didn’t really pay any mind. Then about a month ago, or whenever he dropped that Taylor Swift cover album, I tried listening to it and HATED it. Then like a day after I gave that a whirl a friend from high school sent me a dopey picture of Ryan playing live and was asking about him, because he didn’t know that he was a fan. That set me off. So I made a not so nice instragram post clowning him – I said he was a turd so big no toilet could flush. Turns out, we had a mutual friend, so that got back to Ryan in a couple hours. He sent me a private message and it actually made me feel kind of bad – He was definitely bummed, I could tell it hurt his feelings and he was actually a pretty damned big fan of the band. But I was also conflicted - why should I care what a multi-millionaire sad boy thinks? On the other hand, unless they’re some ignorant racist/homophobic piece of shit, which Ryan is not, then I should never just make fun of a fan. In my mind, punk taught me to accept anyone that was accepting of me. So I came to the conclusion that even if I wasn’t big on this dude’s vibe or his music, I shouldn’t clown a real supporter of our music. We talked on the phone and texted and squashed the whole thing. There were definitely some interesting exchanges, but at this point I’ll respect the dude’s right to privacy.
You guys might be one of the first bands to pick up a hardcore grand slam. You've played Chaos In Tejas, Not Dead Yet, This Is Hardcore, Black N Blue, Beserktown, and Fun Fun Fun Fest since Manifest Decimation has come out. How do you explain Power Trip being able to successfully play all of these festivals to so many different crowds?
Gale: Don’t say “No” if there’s a demand and if the offer even mildly piques and interest. We like to put ourselves out there and play line ups that interest us. We’ve never gone begging to be on a fest, we’re always approached about being added to these badass fests, and that’s an awesome feeling.
You guys are in the studio right now recording your second full-length album. With all the time that has passed since Manifest Decimation came out, what are you (and the rest of the band) being conscious of with this new album?
Gale: For Blake and Chris, who mostly handle the music, I think the idea was to take the riffs to the gym and do some serious cardio and heavy lifting. Songs are faster and shorter, and the heavier parts are heavier. It’s a good progression. For me, the thing at the front of my mind is how to make it catchier without losing substance or at least my own satisfaction with my output. There’s an opportunity to reach a wider audience on this one - a lot of great parts on the record where a quick catchy line could really take a song from good to great. The only obstacle for myself is that I still want to be satisfied with what I am actually saying – I refuse to shoehorn in a bunch of random words just because the syllables will sound good over the music. So, I’m mostly concentrating on finding that balance between substance and accessibility.
Manifest's lyrics were largely concerned with questioning the norms and constraints society imposes on everyone. From the lyrics of “Crossbreaker” (religion) to “Power Trip” (man's law), you resound a pretty powerful theme throughout the entire album. I'd even go so far as to say that lyrically Manifest is a concept album. Was this by design? Are there any specific topics or ideas you're aiming to drive home in your lyrics on the upcoming album?
Gale: I wouldn’t call it a concept album but it definitely had some broad themes that carried over into every song. If it had an overall theme I’d say it’s – why do you think and behave the way you do? Why do we let those in power think and behave the way THEY do? It’s about self-awareness and I think self-awareness can be very empowering. It’s very much an US vs. THEM standpoint, but it’s also about just being fucking educated, being able to back up your beliefs before you set your sights on an enemy. If I can help make a listener’s stances become more solid, or even crumble a previous notion, whatever helps them see their enemies a little bit clearer, than I’ve succeeded in my goal as a vocalist.
Changing gears for a second, how has the ride been the last couple years with the band? I'm talking about playing shows to thousands of people, having people whose music you idolized when you were younger tell you how much love Power Trip, etc. Is it still a trip or something that you've been able to get used to?
Gale: It’s been awesome and I’m absurdly lucky. Often times it’s just surreal, like getting a call from Ryan Adams because you talked shit about him. I’m important to somebody like that? Why? From my POV I don’t DO anything except jump around and yell, but some people find inspiration in that and I gotta roll with it. We HAVE to stay humble though, because ultimately punk/metal/hardcore/subculture is a tumultuous culture and it can turn on you at any moment. I always tell my friends, if my ego gets too big for my britches, then kick my fucking ass. My friends have permission to kick my fucking ass and knock me down a peg. Attempting to stay ever thankful and humbled is crucial to me.
Beyond what you've already been able to do, what are you looking toward for Power Trip's future?
Gale: I have no expectations. It could all blow up tomorrow. The goal is to keep trying and pushing ourselves until it stops being motivating or fun. If we could somehow just pull a Bolt Thrower and write a perfect album and just say, “That’s it’s, we did it. This is the epitome of Power Trip. This is the perfect ‘Power Trip’ album” I’d be happy and content with putting the band down…but we’re not anywhere close to that yet.
When can we expect the album and does it have a name yet?
Gale: Hopefully before summer really kicks off next year. With no delays, it takes about 3 months to get a record pressed from the moment of having everything ready. Music, artwork, lay out… all that. The title comes last. I have ideas, but I have to be able to look at everything in the big picture before I can commit to a title.
So now that the tour with Lamb of God has been announced, how are you feeling about it? What are you expecting (other than getting to see a wall of death every night)?
Gale: I’m thrilled. I was joking around about how fucked up it would be if I tried to call for the “Wall of death” as the openers every night… probably not the best idea. Anyway, this is our first real big opportunity to do something I would consider “mainstream”. Besides a band like, I don’t know, Hatebreed… I couldn’t ask for a better “big” metal band to take us out than Lamb of God. Obviously touring with the legends in motherfucking Anthrax is the highlight but Lamb of God is clearly going to be drawing out huge crowds. I’ve always said, put us in a room of people who like metal, and we’ll win them over. I feel like this is that moment – there will be plenty of people who will be aware of all 4 bands on the tour, but there will be plenty of clueless people I hope we can convert into PT fans. Full disclosure: I’ve never really listened to Lamb of God… but I know they’re huge, and I’m grateful as hell they’ve invited us. It was supposed to be Kylesa but they couldn’t do it so we’re extremely lucky. I’ve had a lot of friends tell me that the LoG dudes are still very much involved with the subculture which is always a plus for me. Also, having our friends in Deafheaven on the tour will help us have some established camaraderie. I’m not the type of dude to go pressing myself on Scott Ian or something. So having Deafheaven around… they’re great guys, having some friends already on the tour is huge relief for me.
In 2008, Riley Gale started Power Trip with a group of Dallas musicians. I was lucky enough to book their first show. The first intro they ever played was a cover of Leeway's "The Future (Ain't What It Used To Be)". They ended up playing it three times. The first time was because there was an equipment malfunction (which they laughed about). The second time they nailed it. The third time was because one of the group's best friends was late and missed it so they played it one more time. Those three performances of that intro told the story about Power Trip: nuanced, talented, had personality, and loyal to their friends. That's really why Power Trip have gotten as far as they have. Because when you listen to their music you can hear the music tell you "we scoured through all of the subculture, learned what was good, and are doing it better". It's honest and special. Gale's lyrics are the combination of his own life experiences along with his educational background in rhetoric. The result is a band that people will be talking about well into next generation.
The band recently finished recording their second album in Denton, Texas. I was able to get a little bit of Gale's time to ask about the last couple of years and the new album.
Tell me about the Ryan Adams saga. The whole story is pretty bizarre and worth telling.
Gale: I guess that started around August 2013, right after the album came out. He tweeted at our account about how much he liked the record and then Ryan came out to a show in LA and bought a couple shirts, maybe a record. He was pretty quiet, weird, didn’t really hang out just watched the set and left. He contacted us about recording with him and even though I was apprehensive, Blake wanted to pursue. Ryan was kind of a dick when we began asking about details, and he got really defensive when I brought up the fact we have a producer (Arthur). That left a sour taste in my mouth. I mean, I’ve heard of this guy before I knew he liked my band, and didn’t really dig his music. I didn’t like it when I checked it out again either. That was over a year ago. I’ve seen pictures of him wearing our shirt at shows and just didn’t really pay any mind. Then about a month ago, or whenever he dropped that Taylor Swift cover album, I tried listening to it and HATED it. Then like a day after I gave that a whirl a friend from high school sent me a dopey picture of Ryan playing live and was asking about him, because he didn’t know that he was a fan. That set me off. So I made a not so nice instragram post clowning him – I said he was a turd so big no toilet could flush. Turns out, we had a mutual friend, so that got back to Ryan in a couple hours. He sent me a private message and it actually made me feel kind of bad – He was definitely bummed, I could tell it hurt his feelings and he was actually a pretty damned big fan of the band. But I was also conflicted - why should I care what a multi-millionaire sad boy thinks? On the other hand, unless they’re some ignorant racist/homophobic piece of shit, which Ryan is not, then I should never just make fun of a fan. In my mind, punk taught me to accept anyone that was accepting of me. So I came to the conclusion that even if I wasn’t big on this dude’s vibe or his music, I shouldn’t clown a real supporter of our music. We talked on the phone and texted and squashed the whole thing. There were definitely some interesting exchanges, but at this point I’ll respect the dude’s right to privacy.
You guys might be one of the first bands to pick up a hardcore grand slam. You've played Chaos In Tejas, Not Dead Yet, This Is Hardcore, Black N Blue, Beserktown, and Fun Fun Fun Fest since Manifest Decimation has come out. How do you explain Power Trip being able to successfully play all of these festivals to so many different crowds?
Gale: Don’t say “No” if there’s a demand and if the offer even mildly piques and interest. We like to put ourselves out there and play line ups that interest us. We’ve never gone begging to be on a fest, we’re always approached about being added to these badass fests, and that’s an awesome feeling.
You guys are in the studio right now recording your second full-length album. With all the time that has passed since Manifest Decimation came out, what are you (and the rest of the band) being conscious of with this new album?
Gale: For Blake and Chris, who mostly handle the music, I think the idea was to take the riffs to the gym and do some serious cardio and heavy lifting. Songs are faster and shorter, and the heavier parts are heavier. It’s a good progression. For me, the thing at the front of my mind is how to make it catchier without losing substance or at least my own satisfaction with my output. There’s an opportunity to reach a wider audience on this one - a lot of great parts on the record where a quick catchy line could really take a song from good to great. The only obstacle for myself is that I still want to be satisfied with what I am actually saying – I refuse to shoehorn in a bunch of random words just because the syllables will sound good over the music. So, I’m mostly concentrating on finding that balance between substance and accessibility.
Manifest's lyrics were largely concerned with questioning the norms and constraints society imposes on everyone. From the lyrics of “Crossbreaker” (religion) to “Power Trip” (man's law), you resound a pretty powerful theme throughout the entire album. I'd even go so far as to say that lyrically Manifest is a concept album. Was this by design? Are there any specific topics or ideas you're aiming to drive home in your lyrics on the upcoming album?
Gale: I wouldn’t call it a concept album but it definitely had some broad themes that carried over into every song. If it had an overall theme I’d say it’s – why do you think and behave the way you do? Why do we let those in power think and behave the way THEY do? It’s about self-awareness and I think self-awareness can be very empowering. It’s very much an US vs. THEM standpoint, but it’s also about just being fucking educated, being able to back up your beliefs before you set your sights on an enemy. If I can help make a listener’s stances become more solid, or even crumble a previous notion, whatever helps them see their enemies a little bit clearer, than I’ve succeeded in my goal as a vocalist.
Changing gears for a second, how has the ride been the last couple years with the band? I'm talking about playing shows to thousands of people, having people whose music you idolized when you were younger tell you how much love Power Trip, etc. Is it still a trip or something that you've been able to get used to?
Gale: It’s been awesome and I’m absurdly lucky. Often times it’s just surreal, like getting a call from Ryan Adams because you talked shit about him. I’m important to somebody like that? Why? From my POV I don’t DO anything except jump around and yell, but some people find inspiration in that and I gotta roll with it. We HAVE to stay humble though, because ultimately punk/metal/hardcore/subculture is a tumultuous culture and it can turn on you at any moment. I always tell my friends, if my ego gets too big for my britches, then kick my fucking ass. My friends have permission to kick my fucking ass and knock me down a peg. Attempting to stay ever thankful and humbled is crucial to me.
Beyond what you've already been able to do, what are you looking toward for Power Trip's future?
Gale: I have no expectations. It could all blow up tomorrow. The goal is to keep trying and pushing ourselves until it stops being motivating or fun. If we could somehow just pull a Bolt Thrower and write a perfect album and just say, “That’s it’s, we did it. This is the epitome of Power Trip. This is the perfect ‘Power Trip’ album” I’d be happy and content with putting the band down…but we’re not anywhere close to that yet.
When can we expect the album and does it have a name yet?
Gale: Hopefully before summer really kicks off next year. With no delays, it takes about 3 months to get a record pressed from the moment of having everything ready. Music, artwork, lay out… all that. The title comes last. I have ideas, but I have to be able to look at everything in the big picture before I can commit to a title.
So now that the tour with Lamb of God has been announced, how are you feeling about it? What are you expecting (other than getting to see a wall of death every night)?
Gale: I’m thrilled. I was joking around about how fucked up it would be if I tried to call for the “Wall of death” as the openers every night… probably not the best idea. Anyway, this is our first real big opportunity to do something I would consider “mainstream”. Besides a band like, I don’t know, Hatebreed… I couldn’t ask for a better “big” metal band to take us out than Lamb of God. Obviously touring with the legends in motherfucking Anthrax is the highlight but Lamb of God is clearly going to be drawing out huge crowds. I’ve always said, put us in a room of people who like metal, and we’ll win them over. I feel like this is that moment – there will be plenty of people who will be aware of all 4 bands on the tour, but there will be plenty of clueless people I hope we can convert into PT fans. Full disclosure: I’ve never really listened to Lamb of God… but I know they’re huge, and I’m grateful as hell they’ve invited us. It was supposed to be Kylesa but they couldn’t do it so we’re extremely lucky. I’ve had a lot of friends tell me that the LoG dudes are still very much involved with the subculture which is always a plus for me. Also, having our friends in Deafheaven on the tour will help us have some established camaraderie. I’m not the type of dude to go pressing myself on Scott Ian or something. So having Deafheaven around… they’re great guys, having some friends already on the tour is huge relief for me.
Last question: what are you reading these days and how is it?
Gale: I’ve been on a heavy comic book kick. Right now I’m blazing through Jodorowsky’s entire The Incal saga and it’s been a lot of fun. I can’t really hang with the heavy big name super hero stuff, there’s not enough substance for me there, but I’ve found tons of material that is both deep and highly entertaining. I’ve read stuff that’s made me laugh, made me scared, and made me think. I’m just learning what an expressive medium that comics and graphic novels can be – they can tackle any complex subject by using the right words, tones, images, etc… and part of the pleasure of reading them is using your imagination to fill in some of the blanks that comics leave for the reader. It’s also just easier to read in the van, which is why I started reading them in the first place. I kept getting motion sickness from smaller text and I was also just burnt out on reading text heavy critical theory so I wanted something easier and more digestible but still rewarding. Comics are a perfect medium for all of that.
Gale: I’ve been on a heavy comic book kick. Right now I’m blazing through Jodorowsky’s entire The Incal saga and it’s been a lot of fun. I can’t really hang with the heavy big name super hero stuff, there’s not enough substance for me there, but I’ve found tons of material that is both deep and highly entertaining. I’ve read stuff that’s made me laugh, made me scared, and made me think. I’m just learning what an expressive medium that comics and graphic novels can be – they can tackle any complex subject by using the right words, tones, images, etc… and part of the pleasure of reading them is using your imagination to fill in some of the blanks that comics leave for the reader. It’s also just easier to read in the van, which is why I started reading them in the first place. I kept getting motion sickness from smaller text and I was also just burnt out on reading text heavy critical theory so I wanted something easier and more digestible but still rewarding. Comics are a perfect medium for all of that.
Power Trip will be on tour with Lamb of God, Anthrax, and Deafheaven through most of the winter season. Tour dates are below:
If you'd like to read more about Power Trip and download their discography, check out their entry from 2014:
Thursday, November 19, 2015
Japanese Legends Invade The West (G.I.S.M. & Death Side)
What an insane day it has been for fans of Japanese hardcore punk.
By now you've heard the news. G.I.S.M. are playing in Holland on April 15th at the Roadburn Festival. This is their first show in thirteen years. More importantly, it is their first show outside of Japan ever. In the place of the late Randy Uchida is Souichi Hisatake (Forward, Gudon, Insane Youth AD). There are only a few people on earth who could ever hope to play in Randy's stead, Souichi is one of them. G.I.S.M. are fortunate to have enlisted his services. While many people are hoping to see Sakevi do some of his antics (something this blog derides), it will be interesting to see how the set will go. There are a million questions going into it. Will they play all of Detestation? How will M.A.N. songs sound should they play them? Will they play cuts off SoniCRIME TheRapy? I hope that the people in the room in Holland are there for the right reasons and not because they hope to see a freak show.
Not long after 9 PM EST this evening, news broke that Death Side will be playing the United States for the first time ever. The show will take place April 16th in New York City. For you ambitious types, yes, this does mean that you can see G.I.S.M. in Europe and try to hop on a flight back to New York for Death Side. The band reunited last August in Tokyo at a show held in honor of their late guitarist Chelsea. Since then, the band has played other shows and look poised to finally make their Western Hemisphere debut. There is no other information on this show yet, but when the lineup and venue are released, we will post it.
The last question to wonder in the wake of all must be "Gauze can't be too far off now, right?"
Monday, November 16, 2015
Artist Profile: Matthew Adis
Art is an important aspect of the subculture. A lot of us who arrive here have done so because the world doesn't make sense for us. We come to the subculture where we find ourselves or learn more about who we already were. For a lot of us that means starting a band and playing music. For others it means starting a zine. For one group, it is art. Artists in the subculture pour themselves into their work in an environment that allows for them to explore the morbid, disturbing, and agitating. Few environments are as conducive to these creative elements as the subculture. Artists' work end up on flyers, shirts, record covers, and everywhere else in between. Too often, many of these artists will end up becoming overlooked. Justified Arrogance will be doing artist profiles to celebrate some of the subculture's best artists and their work.
-Noted Zines/Books (newest to oldest)-
'The Threshold of Atrocity'
'The Criminal Lipstick'
'The Earwig'
'The Life Unsaid'
'Cloud Removal'
'God On Drugs'
Zines, prints, shirts, and other items can be purchased below. Adis can be contacted through his store if you would like to inquire about commissions.
http://matthewadis.bigcartel.com/
http://matthewadis.bigcartel.com/
Merch: Reality Asylum Pins
Another feature of the new Justified Arrogance direction. We do not shill, so much as we share. We don't promote something we personally wouldn't buy. It is important to celebrate innovation and excellence at all levels of the subculture. This includes the production of merchandise. If you are working to create something that no one has seen before or just doing it better than most, Justified Arrogance will take the time to praise your products.
Reality Asylum Pins are a company that have been around for a little less than a year. In that time, they have worked to create pins representing some of the finest bands. From Japan they have selected G.I.S.M. (an incredible production, I just received mine today) and Gauze. Out of the UK they have chosen Discharge and Crass (one of the nicest productions of the band's iconic logo I've ever seen). They also work with great contemporary bands like G.L.O.S.S. and Kromosom.
Enamel pins have recently emerged as one of the hottest / trendy accessories. Reality Asylum shares the same sentiment Justified Arrogance does: why just do something when you can do something no one else is and do it better?
Keep up the good work, guys.
http://realityasylum.bigcartel.com/
http://realityasylum.bigcartel.com/
http://realityasylum.bigcartel.com/
http://realityasylum.bigcartel.com/
http://realityasylum.bigcartel.com/
Reality Asylum Pins are a company that have been around for a little less than a year. In that time, they have worked to create pins representing some of the finest bands. From Japan they have selected G.I.S.M. (an incredible production, I just received mine today) and Gauze. Out of the UK they have chosen Discharge and Crass (one of the nicest productions of the band's iconic logo I've ever seen). They also work with great contemporary bands like G.L.O.S.S. and Kromosom.
Enamel pins have recently emerged as one of the hottest / trendy accessories. Reality Asylum shares the same sentiment Justified Arrogance does: why just do something when you can do something no one else is and do it better?
Keep up the good work, guys.
http://realityasylum.bigcartel.com/
http://realityasylum.bigcartel.com/
http://realityasylum.bigcartel.com/
http://realityasylum.bigcartel.com/
http://realityasylum.bigcartel.com/
Thursday, November 12, 2015
New Band Spotlight: Smear
Middle America has become a hotbed for a barrage of up and coming bands in the last few years. Some of the strongholds in this new wave of Middle American hardcore punk are the stalwart city of Austin, Northwest Indiana, St. Louis, Chicago, and Dallas.
Dallas' scene in particular has seen a great deal of growth. From just Power Trip, Wiccans, and Tolar, the scene has come to also include great bands like Sin Motivo, The Sentenced, and Slimy Member. One band you may not have heard is Smear. The band has been around for about a year but had not really found their legs until the last few months. The band is made up of Austin Carroll and Austin Waymire and newcomer drummer Keaton Khonsari. It was the addition of Khonsari that pushed the band over the top. What's beautiful about a band like Smear is that they're clearly in that phase where they're figuring out their identity but are mature enough to understand that they need to be their own band. On Smear's latest release Smeared the band juxtaposes two music styles to make sure audiences don't corral and dismissed. Musically, the band's sound can be likened to a lot of the current Midwestern weirdo bands. The music does have a lot more bite to it and this is thanks in no small part to Khonsari's strong drumwork. The vocals are reminiscent of the first wave of Boston hardcore. There's a lot of grounded anger in it.
Smear are only just getting started. Too often young kids want to make a band for the sake of making a band. They're not concerned with being original or having ambition to tour and release music. Smear are the antithesis of that. They refuse to be written off and will work hard to make sure that they won't be. They will be touring the east coast in January. Do not miss them.
Below is a link for their bandcamp where you can download Smeared free of charge
https://smeartx.bandcamp.com/
Dallas' scene in particular has seen a great deal of growth. From just Power Trip, Wiccans, and Tolar, the scene has come to also include great bands like Sin Motivo, The Sentenced, and Slimy Member. One band you may not have heard is Smear. The band has been around for about a year but had not really found their legs until the last few months. The band is made up of Austin Carroll and Austin Waymire and newcomer drummer Keaton Khonsari. It was the addition of Khonsari that pushed the band over the top. What's beautiful about a band like Smear is that they're clearly in that phase where they're figuring out their identity but are mature enough to understand that they need to be their own band. On Smear's latest release Smeared the band juxtaposes two music styles to make sure audiences don't corral and dismissed. Musically, the band's sound can be likened to a lot of the current Midwestern weirdo bands. The music does have a lot more bite to it and this is thanks in no small part to Khonsari's strong drumwork. The vocals are reminiscent of the first wave of Boston hardcore. There's a lot of grounded anger in it.
Smear are only just getting started. Too often young kids want to make a band for the sake of making a band. They're not concerned with being original or having ambition to tour and release music. Smear are the antithesis of that. They refuse to be written off and will work hard to make sure that they won't be. They will be touring the east coast in January. Do not miss them.
Below is a link for their bandcamp where you can download Smeared free of charge
https://smeartx.bandcamp.com/
Wednesday, November 11, 2015
Drunkdriver
This post in no way, shape, or form condones or apologizes for those who commit sexual assault. Sexual assault is a very serious crime and should be treated as such. Any commentary in this piece that could be construed as "positive" is exclusively in reference to the band as a singular entity and not personal praise for drummer Jeremy Villalobos.
People have a funny way of expunging things from history. When Chris Benoit was found to have murdered his wife, child, and ultimately himself, the WWE made it a point to erase him from history. Never mind the fact that before this happened, Chris Benoit was considered to be the most skilled North American born wrestler of all time. Now in many wrestling circles, the name Benoit is a dirty word. Forget his accolades, forget his abilities. In our worst moments, everything we were and everything we had ever accomplished become meaningless. It is a scary thought. That one decision can make society erase you from existence.
Here's a fact of life: punctuation matters. We can make a tragic misstep and stamp a period to it thus ending this part of it (or entirely). We can put a question mark on it, meaning what we were or where we're going is clouded in uncertainty. We can add an exclamation point to emphatically restate who we already were. Ultimately we write our own stories and we can determine how they're punctuated. The biggest tragedies in our lives are always our own doing. I'm not talking about 'if an iceberg hits your cruise liner' kind of tragedy. I'm talking about the kinds of things that get us written out of history and make people uncomfortable at the mention of our name. Life is something that becomes increasingly out of our control as we get older, but despite that we will always have the choice on whether or not we want to be a villain.
We shouldn't forgive Villalobos for what he did because it is unforgivable. What he did is one of the worst things a person can do to someone (and in his case it was to multiple women). At the same time, we shouldn't forget Drunkdriver. What happened at the end aside, the band's other members put their lives into it and it isn't fair that a highly accomplished section of their careers is now a taboo. When people look at Drunkdriver now, it is a discussion on the punctuation to their existence. Some people look at what happened and say it was a period. They're partially right. There are a great deal of people who used what happened as a reason to never talk about Drunkdriver ever again. Other people would look at what happened as a question mark. No one knows how far Drunkdriver would have gone. We will never know. They ended due to an extreme personal calamity. It wasn't because they lost it or they weren't going anywhere. They were the best they had ever been with the world in front of them. That's Drunkdriver's legacy. Question marks, incredible recordings, and an ending that people can never reconcile.
http://www.mediafire.com/download/3kevjkptb51cdk3/Drunkdriver.rar
People have a funny way of expunging things from history. When Chris Benoit was found to have murdered his wife, child, and ultimately himself, the WWE made it a point to erase him from history. Never mind the fact that before this happened, Chris Benoit was considered to be the most skilled North American born wrestler of all time. Now in many wrestling circles, the name Benoit is a dirty word. Forget his accolades, forget his abilities. In our worst moments, everything we were and everything we had ever accomplished become meaningless. It is a scary thought. That one decision can make society erase you from existence.
Drunkdriver is a band. They existed. They were from New York. They played for a few years and were beloved across multiple scenes. They broke up in the face of a scandal surrounding the drummer and accusations of sexual assault. These are the facts. We can denounce them and pretend they didn't exist, but does it change the band? People can point to the drummer's scandal, where others can just as easily point out that the vocalist Michael Berdan (now of Uniform) quickly decried the band's accused drummer. Furthermore, he made the statement upon his departure that he could not live with himself if he had continued on with the band. As people, we choose to only see one side of the coin.
What makes the case of Drunkdriver so tragic (beyond the obvious trauma suffered by the victims) is that they had it all. This was a band that was a rising star across the punk, indie, hardcore, and noise scenes. They were on the same career trajectory as No Age and were destined for bigger things. They released two LPs, Born Pregnant (on the eminent Parts Unknown Records) and a self-titled LP that was released posthumously as the scandal broke out in the build up to the band's record release show. Both of these LPs are perfect. Berdan's vocals have a hint of desperation to them that are unique (even in punk music where desperate sounding vocals are common). His vocals howl out as if he's looking for something (but doesn't know what) to missing something (and is unable to get it). Imagine that feeling you get when you feel like you've lost yourself. Now imagine if there was no way possible to reconcile that feeling. That you were lost but you kept trying to fix it because you're oblivious to the fact that you can't find yourself. Guitarist Kristy Greene creates a soundscape that envelops listeners. The minute you turn on a Drunkdriver song, you are in their world where the sky seems a little darker and the air a little harder to breathe. What you hear on those records is special. We don't know what would have happened with Drunkdriver. That's the band's legacy. They weren't a run of the mill band. They weren't figuring things out. They were quickly on the come up having made a reputation as masters of their sound. You can't help but come away from a Drunkdriver listening session without asking yourself "why?"
We shouldn't forgive Villalobos for what he did because it is unforgivable. What he did is one of the worst things a person can do to someone (and in his case it was to multiple women). At the same time, we shouldn't forget Drunkdriver. What happened at the end aside, the band's other members put their lives into it and it isn't fair that a highly accomplished section of their careers is now a taboo. When people look at Drunkdriver now, it is a discussion on the punctuation to their existence. Some people look at what happened and say it was a period. They're partially right. There are a great deal of people who used what happened as a reason to never talk about Drunkdriver ever again. Other people would look at what happened as a question mark. No one knows how far Drunkdriver would have gone. We will never know. They ended due to an extreme personal calamity. It wasn't because they lost it or they weren't going anywhere. They were the best they had ever been with the world in front of them. That's Drunkdriver's legacy. Question marks, incredible recordings, and an ending that people can never reconcile.
http://www.mediafire.com/download/3kevjkptb51cdk3/Drunkdriver.rar
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