Total Wreck — Demo 2009

So, Total Wreck are the biggest band in Chartown at the present, and it's easy to see why. This is their demo from round abouts of a year ago; there are many like it, but this one is mine. You can still get one of your own if you contact the band, they're just giving them away now. Anyway, it's really solid Negative Approach Worshiping Fastcore, and I'm guessing you'll like it. There's even a small fan base in Europe for some mysterious reason. If you want to see the direction Charlottesville (and Richmond) is moving in, this is it.

Total Wreck — Demo 2009

Track Listing:

1. Suicide Trap 
2. Suffocation 
3. Day By Day 
4. Dead Inside 
5. Asleep 
6. Quicksand 
7. Shut In 

Total Wreck: 2009

Pat — Vox
Patrick — Guitars
Straume — Bass
Jack — Drummage

From the ashes of Shin Kick arose a new, faster, louder, more depressing thrash band. Pat's obsessions with sleeping and asthma really come out. He should be a doctor. Really though, TW have somehow risen to be on the top of the scene, and really seem to be going farther than any of us have before. They already pulled off a three-week, hijinks-filled tour around this half of the country. They have a solid demo, and are currently working on throwing down a 7 inch. Hopefully we'll get to see them thrashing it up on a three-month world tour in support of their fourth LP in a couple years. Hopefully.

www.myspace.com/totalwreckva

Ordeal — It's Getting Harder To Stay Young And Stupid

Just recently, Sam Uriss mentioned how it must be a big ordeal to move through a crowd if you're really fat and smoke a lot of weed. Well, that reminded me of this little demo from a while back. It's by the band Ordeal, from way over in Washington state. See, over there there's a thing called the Legitimate Brotherhood, where basically a lot of the hardcore bands from the entire Pacific Northwest are friends and have a nice website to show themselves off. This is a demo I got off of there, among many others. This is one of the better ones, at least of you're into more youth crew-y stuff. It's just some interesting jams, kind of along the lines of Floorpunch.

Ordeal — It's Getting Harder To Stay Young And Stupid Demo 2004

Track Listing:

1. Lost Time
2. Cultural Awareness
3. New Age
4. Fear Of Failure
5. One Lie
6. Gave It Away

Band Bio from the Legitimate Bros site:

Ordeal was Bellingham Straight Edge. We played hardcore, straight up and down. This band started just as the Ripped To Shreds era was coming to an close. We had long talked of doing a project in the style of our favorite bands of the "Youth Crew" era. We played our first show in the winter of 2003 and recorded our demo just after the new year. We were a D street staple and played a handful of hype shows from Vancouver, BC to Olympia. Some heads were more interested in pop punk bands, some heads moved, some heads fell off their edge and some even did a combination of those things. The band was pretty much dead sometime in 2005 just after our first and only tour down the west coast, although we would make a rare appearance now and again before playing our last show ever reuniting to open things up for our friends in Blue Monday's last show. Shortly after this another founding member broke making that the absolute final time Ordeal would take the stage. Peace

Legitimate Band Site

For All Time — Bridges Don't Burn Fast Enough

This might be my favorite album ever, after like Start Today. No band from Charlottesville has ever managed to get a wide audience, and unfortunately For All Time is no exception. Hopefully though I can get that to change, especially for this album. Sound quality here isn't perfect, and there are literally no pictures to be found online relating to this band. But regardless, the point is that this album is unerringly honest, sincere, and thoughtful, in a way that few enough hardcore bands ever achieve.

Really, if you're going to download anything from this blog, it should probably be this. This music means more than typed words can ever express.

For All Time — Bridges Don't Burn Fast Enough

Track Listing:

1. ...And This Is Why You'll Forget Me In A Week
2. 300 Miles
3. Dictionary Defining Loss
4. These Simple Words
5. Disappearing Wrists
6. Breathing The Same Air
7. Souls Don't Die

The early 2000's saw a rebirth of hardcore throughout the US; our local contribution was For All Time, a band that defies description. Hard and melodic and way too intense, it's one of the most real things I've ever heard. The music is really together and intelligent, but the vocals are too passionate to stay anywhere near on time. It's powerful. After a couple of years at UVA (including a show which brought DTN to town, opening at the Beetnix's first gig, and playing a big fest on the Lawn), they broke up, and the singer and guitarist moved to Richmond to found Permanent.

WEREBEAR

So these are the only tracks Werebear ever got around to recording; HooHooDilly and Werebear Attack are actually pretty sweet, and along with the Ballad of Namfoodle were recorded at the MRC. I'm still kind of bummed we never recorded Lannister's Hound or Earthbound, but you gotta appreesh what you got, I guess. Anyway, this is the most ridiculousness Cville experienced since Vomit Up Blood, and it deserves to be remembered.

Werebear — Demo 2008

Track Listing:

1. The Ballad of Namfoodle
2. Werebear Attack
3. HooHooDilly

Werebear: 2008

Chappell — Voxbox

Patrick — Solos

Marley — Deep riffs

Thannie — Slammin skins

Charlottesville's knights of the thrash forest, as Lynchburg Matt put it. We started as a joke band, trying to play heavy, solo-driven songs about Chappy's favorite subjects: Legos, DND, and gynophobia. The concept quickly snowballed into a full-fledged fantasy-metal project, including costumes for the live shows, buying Lair of the Minotaur CDs, and sore necks from headbanging too enthusiastically. The songs began to include just about every nerdy thing we could think of, including fantasy novels, movies, and video games, and Chappy's dog. By the end we had a few really tight songs, like Lannister's Hound and Earthbound, but unfortunately they were never recorded. One of the most fun/shameful things I've ever done.

www.myspace.com/xwerexbearx

Straight Edge Music — MyFoxBoston

This has been passing around the web for a couple days now. I thought I'd share it with whomever else.

I guess it's just cool to see the edge and the core in general getting some positive press. I mean, at least it's not the Nat Geo special.

Swamp Thing — S/T Demo 2006

This is the first thing Swamp Thing ever put out, way back in 2006. I picked it up at some show or other a couple years ago, when they were just getting started. It's ridiculously good. Actually, it's my favorite Swamp Thing release. It's rawer and in some way more sincere than anything else they've put out; maybe it has something to do with it being recorded by drummer Mike Reaves in his basement. Mike's good as fuck at mixing, so that doesn't mean it's bad in any way. Really it's just more basic and rougher around the edges, and really showcases what they were all about. Seriously, backed hard.

PS. This was a really low-key release, in paper cases without an insert, so there's no cover art. Anyway, I just went ahead and picked this picture cause Chris is in the background. Sweet.

Swamp Thing — S/T Demo '06

Track Listing:

1. Intro/My Attack
2. The Easy Way
3. Square One
4. Fuck The Corner Office
5. Golden Years

Swamp Thing is one of the best bands in Richmond, judging by their crowd response if nothing else. They started several years back with a bunch of WWC dudes, most of them edge, on the first wave of a bunch of youth bands after Army Of Fun. They put out a demo, a 7", and recently a full-length on 6131, all solid. I've seen them countless times, and it's always good.

www.myspace.com/swampthingrva 

Vomit Up Blood — S/T EP

This was the second release by Vomit Up Blood. I believe it was recorded in a live sesh at Starr Hill through the soundboard, and actually sounds really sweet for it. Anyway, this is some good quality fun, a little bit technical and a lotta bit ridiculous if you ever figure out the lyrics. Get into it!

Vomit Up Blood — Vomit Up Blood EP

Track Listing:

1. Duke's Mayonnaise Tastes Better
2. Godzilla
3. Hi-V
4. How Can The Energizer Bunny Keep Going And Going And Going With Two Broken Arms?
5. Injustice: The Taco Bell Song

A deadly serious band of Hulkomania enthusiasts. Hardcore played by punks has never been so real. Songs about Godzilla, the Cheesy Gordita Crunch, falling down stairs, and immortal squatters, with a small bit of For All Time influence and a lot of torn shirts. The various final and reunion shows were a highlight of my show-going experience.

www.myspace.com/vomitupblood2k6

Mob Mentality — Demo '08

This was the only release by the Charlottesville Mob Mentality. It started as a school project and progressed from there. This is the demo they ended up recording in 2008 at the MRC to help make a name for themselves. It's a pretty solid blend of punk and early hardcore; they always covered World Up My Ass by Circle Jerks if that's any indication of anything. Anyway, here's more Charlottesville history in case you somehow missed it:

Mob Mentality — Demo '08

Track Listing:

1. Distant
2. Civil Servants
3. My Way
4. Pushed Around

Mob Mentality: 2007-2008

Christos — Vocals
Phipps — Guitar
Chris — Bass
Eric — Drums

Mob Mentality started as an innocuous school project, named after a very uninnocuous event in a park. Jake and Christos started playing some music, and then a couple other Murray students started helping out. It eventually became a full-on band. Somehow I ended up filling in on bass at as many shows as Chris actually played. The show with Wednesday Night Heroes at Rocks in Richmond restored my faith in punk. Not even a dozen shows, but always a solid opening act.

www.myspace.com/mobmentalitypunks

Chaos Days — Demo

This is a demo I got for free at some show at Alley Katz in Richmond a few years ago. I don't really remember if I heard anything about them there, but whatever. It's five songs of poppy hardcore, kind of like Title Fight only maybe a little lighter. Also, they're from England, and are apparently pretty popular there. Anyway, I there's at least a couple of interesting jams on here, so check it.

Chaos Days — Demo

Track Listing:

1. Another Noose
2. Diamonds...
3. Thanks Again
4. Until The Sun Sets Tonight
5. Glory Bound

Chaos Days are from somewhere in England, probably London. They've been around a couple of years, and have done at least one US tour. It looks like they now have a full-length, and are in the process of putting out a split with All Or Nothing. Yeap.

www.myspace.com/chaosdays

Demagogue — S/T

This is the best stuff Demagogue ever recorded, which isn't necessarily saying much. We did put over 30 hours into it though, so at least it sounds pretty good. This was another MRC project, so thanks to Corey and everyone else who helped out. Basically, this is all the songs we had towards the end of our existence, and we had big plans to release this as a full-length in the summer of '07. Unfortunately, we dissolved before that ever happened. I'm mostly just uploading this because a lot of people never heard it, and it sort of showcases a different side of Charlottesville. Some of the songs on here are pretty interesting, and we never really sounded like any other band, which was pretty cool. Anyway, if you're interested:

Demagogue — Demagogue

Track Listing:

1. Charlottesville
2. Family Whore
3. Selling Yourself Short
4. Nullified
5. Untitled
6. Inquisition
7. Food For Though

PS. Let me know if you want to hear any of the earlier Demagiggle stuff, we can all make fun of Motivation again.

Band Bio from the hardcopy zine:

Demagogue: 2006-2007

Patrick — Guitar/Vocals
Sam — Guitar/Vocals
Marley — Bass/Vocals
Alethea — Drums/Vocals

Originally a small side project from M2S, Demagogue was built around Patrick and his then-girlfriend Alethea. Jake Phipps showed up to the first practice, but phased himself out and was eventually replaced by Sam Richardson, at which point we cranked up the rock. It wasn't very good. It was hardly punk, and contained far too many awkward screams and yelps. That being said, I got a lot better a bass during our 6-8 hour per week practice sessions, and we managed to create some interesting, if unusual songs. We spent like 30+ hours in the MRC's studio trying to record and mix an LP, which unfortunately never saw the light of day; however, I recently got my hands on a copy, and I have to say, we were on to something… too bad that that something was so strange and ephemeral that it serves as an example of our potential, rather than our actual quality.

www.myspace.com/upthesubordinates

The Death of Mistakes Means the Death of Rock

Here's a quick article I found on NPR. Anyone else ever get this feeling?

The Death of Mistakes Means the Death of Rock — NPR

I mean, the same thing applies to hardcore now. Music today sounds a lot more professional than anything from back in the 80s, but it often lacks personality. Every band between like 1977-1986 or so is easily recognizable, but that's not so true today. I don't know, just thinking out loud.

Down To Nothing — Higher Learning 7"

This 7" was Down To Nothing's debut on legendary Revelation Records. It's two original songs, Higher Learning (which was rerecorded for The Most LP) and the otherwise-unreleased Alright Already, plus a 4 Walls Falling cover. It's a Rev release, so it sounds really good, as it was used as something of a promotion for their existence on the label. This is actually my favorite recording of Higher Learning, which is just a really good song to begin with. Alright Already is cool simply because it shows a different side of DTN, blending some upstrokes with really simple core riffage. The love and respect given to Richmond scene predecessors 4 Walls Falling is actually one of the things I like most about DTN, and they of course do a really solid cover here, even getting the original singer of the band in on guest vox. Backed hard.

Down To Nothing — Higher Learning 7"

Track Listing:

1. Higher Learning
2. Alright Already
3. Burn It! (4 Walls Falling)

What can I say about DTN that isn't common knowledge? This is the biggest band from Richtown, Va since Count Me Out or 4 Walls Falling, and with good reason. I'm not about saying anything too personal on a band like this, but I'll leave it with saying their live shows are consistently some of the funnest and most intense I've ever seen — and I've seen them a lot.

www.myspace.com/downtonothing

Army Of Fun — S/T 7"

I got this 7" as a bonus with an issue of a zine I picked up for $2 at a show in Richmond sometime this last year. Apparently a stack of them had laying around since 2007, and the band decided to give them out with the zine to get rid of them. As I recall, they also did a reunion at that show, and played a really fun Op Ivy cover. The music is relatively basic on this, but its really youthful and, well, fun. Sound quality isn't great, but neither is it horrible. Anyway, it's some good Richmond Hardcore. Also, the cover art is really sweet. Check it out.

Army Of Fun — Army Of Fun

Track List:

1. Bite The Bullet
2. State Statistic
3. Walk Away
4. Small Talk
5. Born To Lose
6. Jocks For God

Army of Fun was composed of dudes from Richmond's World War Crew a couple years back. This was a time when not too many kids were doing much, and the music scene in RVA was mostly just Down To Nothing and Bracewar. Some younger kids got together and started jamming as Army Of Fun, and recorded this 7". They never really went anywhere as a band, but as I recall their activity sort of jumpstarted a whole bunch of other kids to start playing, leading to several other bands — most notably fellow World War band Swamp Thing.

www.myspace.com/armyoffun

Full Court Press — Wreck Basketball Demo '07

The Full Court Press demo was recorded over a couple days at the MRC in the later part of 2007. It was a lot of fun, especially once all the naughty words were cut out due to the lyrics policy, leaving it sounding like some radio version of an MTV song. We went back in and patched up the vocals, and actually came out with a demo we were pretty proud of. Sure, the musicwriting is hackneyed and everything we ever wrote (other than The Realness) is on the same subject, but it was still a lot of fun. The recording quality on this is pretty good, and we spent a little while mixing it. Unfortunately, the files are really large, which I apologize for, but it's still pretty solid overall.

Full Court Press — Wreck Basketball Demo

Track Listing:

1. The Realness/FCP
2. Sick And Tired
3. Broken Promises
4. Warning

Band bio from the hardcopy zine:

Full Court Press: 2007-2008

Jake Schmitt — Vocals
Chris Becker — Guitar
Marley Grant — Bass
Jesse Uriss — Drums

Kind of a reaction to the streetpunk / 80's hardcore vibe going on in town, FCP formed to give a desperately needed modern 'core or youth crew touch to local music. Originally Noah and Jake were going to split vox, but Noah pulled out after a few months and left us stranded. We persevered though, and put out a 4-song demo of epic cruciality, and started bringing the mosh to DUST. It wasn't really that good or that inventive, but FCP formed a cult of personality, and people always sang along. Some of the most intense live shows this town has ever had were from us; The Realness personally ruined a few people's nights. There are some videos floating around on YouTube, if you care to look.

Anyway, we got around to recording another demo with Daniel at the end of the summer of Two-thousand and Hate, but that has mysteriously disappeared. We did, too, shortly thereafter, because Jake went off to college. However, one of our final shows, with Weekend Nachos at the Bridge, will forever define for me all that a Charlottesville show can be. If you were there, you know.

www.myspace.com/fullcourtpresshc

Shin Kick — Anger Attack Demo '07

This is the original demo that we put out half way through 2007. We recorded and mixed it in like an hour at the MRC in downtown Charlottesville. It has as many covers as originals, and Dre says ridiculous things somewhere in just about every song. Anyway, it has better quality recording than the later demo, but the vocals had to be censored a little bit due to the MRC's lyrics policy. Oh well, can't complain too much when you're recording for free. This upload is the re-release version, which has a live-basement recording of Brobleed from the short period when Pat played drums and Dre was on second guitar. Oh, nostalgia.

Shin Kick — Anger Attack Demo '07

Track Listing:

1. Closed Venue
2. Filler (Minor Threat)
3. I'm A Nerd (Honor Role)
4. Kicked Out
5. Straight Edge Revenge (Project X)
6. What Is This?
7. Brobleed

Here's the band bio from the hardcopy zine:
Shin Kick: 2006-2008

Marley — Vox
Sam — Guitar
Straume — Bass
Dre — Drums

Where do I begin? Shin Kick was the band that put Cville back on the map. It was a side project from the then-big M2S and Demagiggle, because Sam wanted to start an 80's hardcore band with me. We recruited Dre and Straume, recorded a demo that had as many covers as originals, played the single MRC show we ever booked, and had the maximum amount of fun possible. At the end of the summer of '07, Dre went to the farm and Pat stepped in to be our drummer. This is when things got serious. With a functioning band as impetus, Sam started booking shows at DUST. I can't begin to say how important Sam, and his connection to Curt at DUST, has been to the scene. At least 90% of the shows any of us played were there; it was literally vital. 

Anyway, months passed, xSKx played assloads of shows and almost as many sweet 80's covers, and Cville began to actually produce music, other bands forming to help out on those same shows. Eventually we recorded a low-quality EP in Sam's basement (while his mom made us lots of delicious food), and went on tour, the first band to do so since Insurgency's misadventure. For more on that, get in touch with me or read Got Myself #1. Unfortunately, we had kind of played ourselves out by the end of that spring; the sets were always basically the same, and it got to be more of a hassle to play than was worth. By the end of the year we had thrown in the towel. Maybe we weren't the best band, but we sure as hell tried. We were Charlottesville hardcore punk, nothing more, nothing less. No regrets.

www.myspace.com/angerattack

The Landlords - Hey It's A Teenage House Party! LP

Hey It's A Teenage House Party! is really, really solid, especially considering it came out in like 1982 from bumfuck Virginia. It was released by singer John Beers' Catch Trout Records, and has enjoyed some underground fame as one of the best unknown 80's hardcore records. It has that same ironic vibe as like Angry Samoans or early Reagan Youth. Plus Dave Smalley of DYS / Dag Nasty fame did back-up vocals on 'Nuns in Black Leather' so you know it's good. Anyway, get into it.

The Landlords — Hey It's A Teenage House Party! LP

Track List:

1. Exogamy
2. Every Day's A Holiday
3. Girls
4. Bathroom Bigot
5. Parent's Weekend
6. No Good Woman
7. Kids
8. My Monotony
9. Termination
10. Nuns In Black Leather
11. Let's Be Negative
12. More Guts Tonight
13. 99th Floor (Moving Sidewalks)
14. School For The Deaf/Lets Go!
15. Washington Post
16. I Hate School
17. Amputee
18. Mutant Hangout
19. The Pain Isn't Over
20. Sinners In The Hands Of An Angry God

Around the same time as Minor Threat was getting things going in DC, the Landlords were playing to the sleepy hippie town of Charlottesville. Somehow there was actually a reasonably scene in 'Ch-ville' in the early 80's, played mostly by UVa kids and a few townies. The Landlords were sweet, and put out an awesome, if unknown LP.

Sup?

Okay, so I guess I'm basically just trying to put some music-related thoughts and jams on the on-line. Hopefully I can upload some good shit, mostly hardcore but I make no promises of sticking with that. I'm probably gonna end up focusing on VA and DC, but we'll see how it turns out. Anyway, let me know what you think.

~ Marley