Broken Bodies — Demo Tape

Broken Bodies has been around for a little while, but has in recent years undergone some lineup changes and to some extent started anew. Their current sound is a little like Verse or something, at least in the vocals and the sense that it's a little on the experimental/modern end of the core. It's cool though, with good delivery and production, and lots of tempo changes (and you know I'm all about some tempo changes). Lyrics seem intelligent and thought out, and it's generally a cohesive sound.  See what you think:

Broken Bodies — Demo Tape (2010)

Track Listing:

1. I
2. II
3. III
4. IV

Broken Bodies are a DC hardcore band. They were known as Control for a while, but are now back to Broken Bodies. Go see them live.

http://www.myspace.com/controldchc
http://brokenbodies.tumblr.com/

Deathrats — 7 Inch

Deathrats play really thrashy, fast hardcore with lots of feedback. That plus the female vocalist make them sound a little like Punch. Sweet riffs, powerful vocals, plus intelligent lyrics on feminism and some good old fashioned social critique. Definitely check this out.

Deathrats — 7 Inch (2009)

Track Listing:

1. Sense Of Entitlement
2. I'm Fine
3. Self Obsessed
4. Girl Style
5. Fuck It
6. Let Down

Deathrats are a DC hardcore band, with members of Lotus Fucker. They're playing lots of shows now, try and go see them.

http://deathratsdc.blogspot.com/

Lyrics are here: http://deathrats.wordpress.com/

The Guilt — Demo

The Guilt has been a recent DC staple for a couple years, playing the occasional show and generally rocking out to positive reviews. This demo is from a year or two back with their old lineup, and is very well-produced. It's raw, urgent hardcore punk, really fast and with powerful, harsh vocals. Really cool jams.

The Guilt — Demo

Track Listing

1. The Guilt
2. From The Sun God
3. This Finger Blames
4. 718
5. Depression
6. Spiders
7. When Annihilated
8. Smarna 
9. We Are All Guilty

The Guilt is a hardcore punk band from DC, with members of Mass Movement of the Moth. They just went through a lineup change, but it looks like they're getting going again. No real website or anything, but they can be emailed at jamesdoubek [at] gmail dot com

Crooked Teeth — Demo

Crooked Teeth are a really new band from Richmond, with members of Total Wreck and No Way Out. It's pretty straight-forward hardcore punk jams, but with lots of energy and passion, plus a girl singer sprinting through the lines. Sounds sweet. Go check them out, they're playing shows in the area pretty often.

Crooked Teeth — Demo 2010

Track Listing:

1. Synapse
2. Poison
3. Crooked Teeth
4. Duke Nukem 64
5. Yellow
6. Double Monster

Female-fronted hardcore punk from Richmond. Sick grooves. No actual transvestites.

www.myspace.com/crookedteethrva

Snuff Daddy — Party Sharks

The debut LP by Snuff Daddy. This isn't hardcore, or even punk. It's actually party-driven hip-hop by some dudes from Richmond and the Beach. Not my typical fare, I know. But the beats are sick, there's lots of energy, and it features Alex Kaps, aka Lil Lex, aka Young Creep, a really nice World War dude I met in Guatemala five or six years ago. The lyrics are pretty ridiculous for the most part, but they bring up Richmond hardcore a couple times, and have some witty things to say, plus a Warzone-referencing intro bit. I'm not all that into hip-hop, so I can't really compare it to anything, but it's fun, it's catchy, it's "dope." Check it out.

Snuff Daddy — Party Sharks LP

Track Listing:

1. Intro
2. Pom Poms
3. Frat Boys
4. Fight Me
5. Click Go Hard
6. Buku Money
7. iPhone
8. 2 Up 2 Down
9. Do You
10. Silly Jeans
11. Sugar Walls
12. Handlebars
13. Punk Music

Richmond hip-hop. Ya heard?

www.myspace.com/snuffdaddyva

Insurgency — Persist To Resist

Streetpunk Uploads Part 7

The full-length by Charlottesville's own Insurgency, with members of Total Wreck. Really well done streetpunk songs on many subjects, all propelled by Erik's gruff and super-intense vocals. These are probably some of the most singalong-friendly songs ever written; literally every song has a chorus that you can get into even if you're seeing them live without ever having heard them before. The mix on this is really unique, as in I've never heard instruments and vocals that sound like this on a record before. It's sweet. Go listen.

Insurgency — Persist To Resist LP

Track Listing:

1. Intro
2. Death Wish
3. Drown
4. Life As We Know It
5. Gothic Fuck
6. Absent Minded
7. New Direction
8. Indecision
9. Call My Shots
10. Nothing Left
11. Swindler
12. Wasting Away
13. Nothing's Changed

The only true punk band in Charlottesville for a long while. A syrupy Ramones-infused center coated with crispy bits of something even rawer and more urgent. Seriously, it's really solid punk, fast and rough but still a little melodic, with a strange ability to come out as really deep and honest. Originally started in 2001 under the name Weapon of Choice, switched to The Insurgency, dropped the 'The' and went on their first tour in 2006. In the middle of that tour the band had a few days off, and Kyle, the original bassist, went back to Cville, found his girlfriend with some other dude, wrecked said dude, and broke his wrist and fingers in the process, leaving him unable to play and the band pissed they had to cancel what remained of the tour. They got a new bassist. After teaching Tos all the songs, they did an even more jaded tour. Some dudes have since left the band, but they've sort of reformed with new members. Hopefully they'll pick it up again soon.

www.myspace.com/insurgencypunx

The Social Dropouts — Horrors Of Reality EP

Streetpunk Uploads Part 6

A 4 song EP by the Social Dropouts, with a very different lineup from on the Danger EP. Max from Vomit Up Blood is now handling vocal duties (and he's probably the most entertaining frontman I've ever seen). The way I heard it, everyone was very, very drunk when these tracks were laid down, and so things are a little rough. But that just makes it even more punk rock, and the jams are still very solid. Good music, good dudes. Download this.

The Social Dropouts — Horrors Of Reality EP 

Track Listing:

1. Mass Identity
2. Drink And Destroy
3. Bloodstained Doves
4. Horrors Of Reality

The Social Dropouts have been the biggest punk band in Richmond for years. They've played innumerable shows, released a couple EPs, gone on tour, and generally rocked out really hard. Apparently they're breaking up soon, which I'm pretty bummed about.

http://www.myspace.com/thesocialdropouts

The Stabones — Amateurs EP

Streetpunk Uploads Part 5

This EP is pretty straight-forward punk rock, with in emphasis on the rock. See, the Staboners like to party, hard. Most of the songs on here are about partying, or being prevented from partying. But even so, they've been probably the longest-lasting punk band in Charlottesville, and are still playing shows, usually at parties. Classic songs about bus driving an not getting laid at the prom. Word.

The Stabones — Amateurs EP

Track Listing:

1. Doormats
2. I Wanna Be A Couch Potato
3. Bite Out Of Crime
4. Don't Wanna Drive This Bus No More
5. Jack To Beam
6. Shoulder Tapping
7. Didn't Get Laid At The Prom
8. Bitch Slap
9. The Stabones
10. Days Belong To Me
11. Take It Away

Founded by several UVA busdrivers, the Boners turned out to be one of the biggest drinking bands Chartown has to offer. Fueled by an unstoppable desire to party hard and rock harder, they were a fixture when I was coming up, playing almost every show there was in town — although there weren't many. They're still a fixture, playing a few shows every month or two, but usually with bigger, more party bands, like the Pietasters. Bartley, the singer, is a really nice dude, who has a habit of drinking too much to stay standing as his shows progress.

www.myspace.com/thestabones