Permanent — Demo

Permanent were a brilliant band based out of Richmond for a few years in the middle of the last decade. This was their demo from shortly after they formed in 2004, a couple songs of which they carried on to the Sleeping EP. These tunes are all powerful, well-constructed melodic hardcore in the vein of, well, themselves. No one else sounds quite like Permanent ever did. They even have an instrumental closing track, something that can either round out or break a record. Also on this album is an attempt at For All Time's "300 Miles," one of the greatest songs ever to come out of Charlottesville, which unfortunately isn't done justice here. Permanent was never meant to be a metalcore band, I guess. But when they're playing their own style, it's perfect. Nothing else is like this.

Permanent  — Demo (2004)

Track Listing:

1. Square One
2. Devils And Bad Luck
3. 300 Miles (For All Time)
4. Waiting For Rain
5. Days Late
6. Untitled

Permanent originally formed in Richmond with a combination of members of Charlottesville's For All Time and Blacksburg's Hold Me Back. They put out a demo, this EP, a split with Resonance, and Sink|Swim, a masterpiece of melodic hardcore. I can't stress enough the depth of this band. They broke up a few years back, and I'm still bummed I only ever saw them a few times. Still hoping for a reunion.

www.myspace.com/permanent

Alone In A Crowd — Self Titled Reissue

Alone In A Crowd was a short-lived band from the late-80s NYHC scene, with members of Side By Side, Judge, Raw Deal, Breakdown, and Uppercut. You can read the full bio below, but long story short they were really only around long enough to record an EP and play one show. This is pure spontaneity: four songs and a cover (how many bands do I know that have done that? How many bands have I been in?); that kind of impermanent catharsis that hardcore is better than any other genre at producing, and it really comes out in their sound. This reissue of their 7" includes the live recordings from their single show (the conversation between songs is some of the best I've ever heard), so basically it's the same thing twice. But that's good, because it's two different versions of "When Tigers Fight," the hardest song ever written. Also "Teenager In A Box," a cover from Government Issue, an under-appreciated early DCHC band. This is what hardcore should be. Enjoy.

Alone In A Crowd — Self Titled Reissue (1989)

Track Listing:

1. Is Anybody There?
2. Commitment
3. Who You Know
4. When Tigers Fight
5. Teenager In A Box (Government Issue)
6. Is Anybody There? (Live)
7. Commitment (Live)
8. Who You Know (Live)
9. When Tigers Fight (Live)
10. Teenager In A Box (Live)

Reissue Bio: "Although 1988 was just the beginning of Punk Rock & Hardcore for many, for Alone In A Crowd it was their last chance to say what they wanted to, a farewell to a scene they held in such high regard. New York Citys Side By Side had just broken up, it was early 1988 and Jules Massey (vocalist) wanted to form another band. Lars Weiss, who played bass in Side By Side and Uppercut, was the first to be asked, he was to play guitar. Howie, an old friend of Jules, came in to play second guitar. He was later in an early incarnation of Moondog (which later evolved into Quicksand). Lars recruited ex-Breakdown guitarist Carl Porcaro to play bass, who was then playing in Raw Deal (later known as Killing Time). Weiss also brought in Rob Sefcik, who was drumming along side Lars in Uppercut. Songs were written. Soon after the band recorded their debut release at the legendary Don Furys studio. With vocals that were reminiscent of those on the Antidote EP, the same bottom heaviness of The Abused and Negative Approach, and that Don Fury drum sound, this record was a classic from the start. A 7 ep was released on Rhode Islands Flux Records in 1989. Two pressings sold out very quickly and it was never re-issued. Finally, 15 years later, it has been re-issued for the first time on cd with additional studio and live recordings and a video of their only show."

http://www.myspace.com/aloneinacrowdnyhc

The Haverchucks — The Haverchucks 7"

The Haverchucks' new-ish self-titled EP. It's more hard-driving pop-punk, sort of akin to the Ramones if they were more into occasional solo riffs and not dressing like a cartoon. This EP is definitely harder than the demo, faster paced and a little more irate. I'm not into it quite as much (it's not really as groundbreaking and fresh-sounding), but it's still pretty solid, taking a little more influence from some 90s bands. "Work's For Suckers" is an anthemic account of, well, not working a shitty job (the anthropologist within me wants to write about Resistance Communities and Urban Maronage, but I'm holding back). Between these dudes and Hold Tight! I'd say RVA is in a pretty good spot for the future of pop-punk.

The Haverchucks — The Haverchucks 7" (2011)

Track Listing:

1. Ugly
2. Not Impressed
3. I Won't Try
4. Work's For Suckers
5. You Suck

The Haverchucks are a pop-punk band from Richmond, Virginia. They have out a demo and this EP.
http://thehaverchucks.limitedpressing.com/products/10312

http://www.facebook.com/thehaverchucks

Chronic Sick — Cutest Band In Hardcore E.P.

Chronic Sick might well have been the first American punk band to go the direction of full-on irony. I think they were really trying to out-punk the punks. See, they caught a lot of flak in their day for dressing like fuckups (punk), flirting with with swastikas and other ignant symbology (really punk), and writing lyrics that pissed of the burgeoning hardcore scene across the land (PUNX). Mostly it was the first tune off this LP that caused the real controversy, "There Goes the Neighborhood," about some new folks moving to town — "oh my god they're black!" But here's the thing, rather than being an actual racist anthem, these dudes were pointing out the ignorance embodied by bigotry. And in that light — impersonating people you disagree with to point out their flaws (think Colbert) — they're actually a brilliant band (The Landlords had a similar song about rape — in the liner notes they annotated it with "some people actually think like this!"). The rest of the tunes follow similar lines; rather than saying precisely what they mean (a la early Minor Threat, say) you might have to flex your head a bit to get what's going on.

Not only that, but they play some mean riffs. Today, this might be considered pop-punk, or at least going that direction. At the time they were probably just more influenced by 70's punk more than Black Flag, so it comes out really melodic and approachable — ironic, considering the title this EP claims for them. Anyway, sound quality's pretty good considering its age, and the content is just as applicable today. This is a real gem of a record.

Chronic Sick — Cutest Band in Hardcore E.P. (1982)

Track Listing:

1. There Goes The Neighborhood
2. Dress Code
3. Public Suicide
4. Man-Rape Blues
5. Mucho Macho
6. Pain For Profit

From Last.fm: "Chronic Sick were Bobby The “K” (music, lyrics, lead guitar, backing vocals), Greg Gory (Vocals), Arnie Barrs (bass, backing vocals) and Joe Albano (drums). Formed in 1981 in New Jersey, this hardcore punk band had two releases on Mutha Records : “Cutest Band In Hardcore” 12” (Mutha 002), and a self-titled 7” EP (Mutha 008) between 1982 - 83’."

Hostage Calm — Demo

I picked up this 7" a couple years back, really because it had a cool cover and a band with an intelligent name. Turns out these guys have gotten pretty big in recent days. Their current sound isn't really my thing (arty experimental HC-rock, sort of like Ambitions or Energy), but at least at the point when they recorded this demo, they were one of the tightest melodic hardcore bands on the east coast. Some cool riffs, smart lyrics, a powerful drive in the rhythm section, akin to How We Are but with more approachable vocals. The last track is a real banger. Definitely worth checking out.

Hostage Calm — Demo 7"

Track Listing:

1. One Face
2. Greyscale
3. 400,000
4. Weighed Down

From Last.fm: "Hostage Calm is a rock/punk/hardcore band from Connecticut that debuted in the summer of 2007 with a 4-song CD-R Demo, later re-released on a 7” by Headcount Records. Their first LP, Lens, was originally released in May of 2008 on Redscroll Records, also based out of Wallingford. Hostage Calm released their second LP, Hostage Calm, on Run For Cover Records in August 2010."

http://www.myspace.com/hostagecalmct

http://www.facebook.com/HostageCalm

http://hostagecalm.net/

Hold Tight! — To The Kittens!

Hold Tight! debuted with two EPs a couple years ago, Brother Bear and this one, To The Kittens! Want your pop-punk with fun and energy, but also a touch of personalism and some harsh-times sentimentality? Then this is for you. To The Kittens! is a darker album, especially on the highly personal diss track "Charm City," and the acoustic version of "Cornered." A little more Jawbreaker than Lifetime, you could say. They might not have the most original sound, but Hold Tight! does a damn good job of taking the framework of pop-punk and making it something entirely worth listening to.

Hold Tight! — To The Kittens! EP

Track Listing:

1. That's No Moon
2. 18 Degrees
3. Charm City
4. Moo Point
5. Cornered
6. This Whole Place Is Slitherin'

Hold Tight! are dudes from Richmond playing fast, sincere pop-punk. Get into it.

http://holdtightva.tumblr.com/
http://www.facebook.com/holdtightva
http://holdtight.bandcamp.com/

The Mostly Dead — Alive

The Mostly Dead hit their debut a couple years ago with two seven inches, this being one of them. They play a kind of precise hardcore punk with an undertone of rocknroll sensibility. Their recordings are impressively clean, so they sound a little more like a hard rock band than I'm used too. But their tunes are solid and upbeat, enraged but intelligent. Plus they have a song called "Nevernude," which is worth a shit-ton of bonus points in my book. Solid jams, for sure.

The Mostly Dead — Alive 7" (2009)

Track Listing:

1. Stutter
2. One Piece Construct
3. Nevernude
4. You Suck At Interventions
5. Opposition

The Mostly Dead are a band from Washington DC who formed in April of 2008. They have recorded with Brian McTernan (Battery) and Matt Smith (Strike Anywhere) at Salad Days Studio in Baltimore, MD, and Joe Mitra at Developing Nations in Baltimore, MD. They released a couple records: "Slightly" and "Alive" in April of 2009, and "The Day They Turned Us All Into Slaves" in Feb of 2010. They are currently working on new material, and are now getting things restarted with a new bassist.

http://mostlydeaddc.blogspot.com/
http://www.facebook.com/themostlydead
http://themostlydead.bandcamp.com/

Shin Kick — Live Videos

Some super sweet videos of Shin Kick from back in the day. Putting all of these in one place is probably the easiest way for people to find them. There's some pretty cool sets in here, that first show ever at the MRC and some of the classic shows at Dust. Watch me fuck up the lyrics to covers! Watch no one move as we play! Yeah!

This first one is from all the way back in May 2007 at the $1 show we played at the Music Resource Center. Here we cover Straight Edge Revenge by Project X, probably one of two times we ever played it live. It was our first show, and as I recall we basically played the demo and Brobleed. Menace to Society, my unnamed ska band, and Demagogue also played. Thanks to John Russell for filming this.

Next we have us covering Honor Role's "I'm A Nerd" at Dust in July 2008. I had no idea we played it so fast, or that I appear to have epilepsy. Thanks to Scotty for taping this.

A couple weeks later, Scotty filmed us again at Dust and doing another cover, this time Rise Above by Black Flag. This was always a fun tune to play, although it looks like by this time people were already getting a little bored of it.

This is from one of the later shows we played, in September at the Laundromat (actually the basement at Nihal and Mike Reeves' place). Might have been that show with the Libyans, but I could be wrong. We're playing Closed Venue, the first song we ever wrote. I also appear to have a wafro. Thanks to Scotty for shooting this.

Now, these were all I could find online, but there's a chance there are more out there. If anyone knows where one is or decides to upload one they've been sitting on for three years, let me know!

The 40 Boys — Going Nowhere Fast

Saw this band play at Magnolia last week, and it reminded me of what a singularly Charlottesville experience these guys are. See, the 40 Boys are a couple old punk rock heads who got together to play some rocknroll, and do so par excellence. They've been playing shows as long as I've been going to them, and are often as not the best set of the night.

In case you missed it, these dudes are into drinking. Take a gander at the track titles real quick, I'll wait for you. Pretty much every song is about alcohol, with the occasional sidestep to talking about rocknroll. Cause for real, these guys know how to rock. Tony and Porter turn old musical themes into something new with every song, and considering they're a 2-piece they do so with only a small margin for error. Anyway, this is their full length, presented here for you in the Charlottesville tradition of being from a burned CD, so the sound is a little blown out at places. But whatever, these guys are supposed to sound like that. The epitome of party tunes, although they have a couple surprisingly sentimental tracks too (I'm a 40 Boy is always a crowd favorite). Some of the best Cville has to offer.

The 40 Boys — Going Nowhere Fast LP

Track Listing:

1. Intro
2. I Hope I Die From Rocknroll
3. Raise Your Beer
4. Never Too Drunk To Party
5. 40 Boy
6. Let's Get Fucked Up
7. Slut
8. Alcohol's My Woman
9. Rock n Roll Woman
10. I Got No Control
11. I'm A Drunk
12. Happiness In A Can
13. PBR
14. Just To Support My Habit
15. Sick Broke And Drunk
16. I Shot My Girlfriend

The 40 Boys are a rocking and rolling 2-piece from Charlottesville (the "40 Boys are 38 members short" joke never gets old). Members of Riot Act, Dead Beat, The Elderly, Bella Morte, etc. Always worth seeing live.

http://www.myspace.com/the40boys/

Drug Church — Demo

Ok, we're back! (read in Ray Cappo voice), with Drug Church, an Albany band that features Pat Kindlon (from End of A Year) on vocals. The music is in that gray area between melodic hardcore and post-hardcore, reminds me of that Permanent/Resonance split I was spinning earlier. Or like Quicksand, but with Pat dropping his characteristic dry-throated cynicism overtop it all. Think hard, crunchy guitar but with minor 7ths and arpeggios, and sticking to Pat's "fast drums are poison" mentality, not that they're particularly slow. Anyway, it's three cool tunes of good quality, and like the masterpiece that is this song, yo, it'll make you think!

Drug Church — Demo 2011

Track Listing:

1. Visualize Latham
2. Scotia Snake God
3. Pro Attitude

Drug Church is a new band from Albany, NY, with members of Self Defense Family and California.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Drug-Church/137868099608576
www.drugchurch.bandcamp.com