Troops Of Tomorrow — TWWL

Troops are back with another taste of raucous Oi!-influenced hardcore. While their demo was a solid effort, this new single goes far beyond it. These three songs clock in at under five minutes — there's no filler involved. The vocals still growl their way through simple but powerful lyrics, but the music is a lot tighter and more varied. Really good production too. It's been a while since I've been this stoked on Oi, especially the opening riff to 'TWWL.' Turn this up real loud, and just try not to sing along with "the world won't listen!"

Troops of Tomorrow — TWWL Single

Track Listing:

1. The Edge
2. Dear John
3. TWWL

Troops of Tomorrow are an oldschool streetpunk band from Washington, DC. Check them out, they're starting to get big. So far they've put out a demo and this single, and hopefully more soon.

www.myspace.com/troopsoftomorrowdc

Snuff Daddy — Grindhouse Vol. 1

Snuff Daddy return with another full-length. It's the same kind of goofy rap, but better produced and with a great flow between songs. I might prefer the lyrics on Party Sharks (they give fewer fucks), but there's no doubt that this album is just better quality in general. Well-done sampling, so many pop-culture references (Aladdin, Lost, Twilight, Animorphs, etc.), really solid delivery – they put some serious time into this. Songs about girls, crews, Dry Spell, friends, fighting, it's all here. Wonder why it's called Grindhouse? They answer that too.

Snuff Daddy — Grindhouse Vol. 1

Track Listing:

1. Greet Death
2. Make It
3. Siren
4. Dry Daddy
5. Goin' In
6. Make Love
7. Middle Finger
8. Crew Ain't Shit
9. Feet Feel Good
10. Talk To 'Em
11. Party Dream
12. Goldfish

Snuff Daddy are a Virginia hip-hop group, with ties to RVA hardcore. Check it out.

www.myspace.com/snuffdaddyva

Billy Bragg — Joe Strummer Tribute

If you don't know who the Clash were, what are you doing on a punk rock blog? And if you don't know who Billy Bragg is, I'm disappointed with you. This is Billy playing a tribute set to Joe's life two months after he died in December 2002. He opens with some of his own songs and closes with a few of his favorite Clash tunes, interspersing the whole set with pithy anecdotes about Joe. This was also shortly before Tony Blair decided to roll into Iraq with America, so there's lots of talk of that as well (the altered lyrics to 'Great Leap Forward' are brilliant), and a general focus on politics in general. This was recorded with a hand-held mic, not a soundboard, but while it's relatively lo-fi the atmosphere of the crowd comes across great – there are plenty of singalongs and commentary on what Billy's saying. It's nice to hear a brilliant musician celebrating the life and works of another brilliant musician.

Billy Bragg — Joe Strummer Tribute (Feb. 22, 2003)

Track Listing:

1. A New England
2. World Turned Upside Down
3. Between The Wars
4. Like Soldiers Do
5. The Price Of Oil
6. Joe & Woody (That's My Fuckin' Telecaster)
7. All You Fascists
8. Power In A Union
9. Waiting For The Great Leap Forward/Lover's Town (Not Revisited!)/Safe European Home
10. Groovy Times
11. Pressure Drop
12. White Man In Hammersmith Palais
13. Police & Thieves
14. Garrageland

Billy Bragg is a musician and political activist who blends folk songs, punk rock, and concepts of political protest in a fantastic manner. Listening to him is like hearing Woody Guthrie and Joe Strummer singing a duet. He's coming to DC on sunday, maybe I'll see you there.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Bragg

http://www.billybragg.co.uk/

Lackey Die — S/T

Another classic from Charlottesville in the early 80s. My buddy Sam Richardson, of Got Myself Zine (and a shit ton of bands) fame, started a record label partially just to release this. Long story short, these dudes were all locals, and while they recorded twice (in 1984 and 1985) nothing ever got released — until now. These songs are all textbook examples of early hardcore: simple songs, high energy, a great mix of humor and anger. There's nothing too original about the music, but it's well written and so sincerely played that it's hard not to get into it. Big support to Sam for doing this, records like this should never be forgotten.

Lackey Die — S/T 7" 

Track Listing:

1. Get Rich Plan
2. No Choice
3. Mercy Killing
4. You Better Run
5. Puberty
6. Fantasy Island
7. Nuclear Employment
8. Never Change

From Feel It Records: "Lackey Die was the first hardcore band from the small city of Charlottesville, Virginia. Starting out in 1982, they played furious, no-bullshit hardcore. During this time they recorded two studio sessions, one at Floodzone Studios (White Cross, Unseen Force) and another at the now-famous Inner Ear Studios (Minor Threat, Bad Brains, etc.) The band broke up in late 1985, leaving behind only some local fans and a couple mentions in MRR scene reports. 25 years later, the master tapes have been re-discovered and remastered for vinyl. You'll see why Lackey Die would fit in perfectly on an old Southern hardcore mixtape alongside bands like C.O.C., early HONOR ROLE, BEEF PEOPLE, LANDLORDS, NEON CHRIST, etc. This release is fully authorized and is limited to 500 copies w/ hand-screened sleeves."

http://feelitrecords.blogspot.com/

Tough Luck — Missing Pieces Demo

This demo brings me back to the early days of Swamp Thing, or maybe Step Above. Fast, hard, angry hardcore with respectable breakdowns. It has a definite Richmond sound too, in both the vocals and the songwriting. Good recording quality as well. The lyrics are solid and the music well-written and executed, although there's nothing too groundbreaking about either. Tight jams, good energy, and plenty of mosh opportunities (moshortunities?). I'm digging it.

Tough Luck — Missing Pieces Demo 2010

Track Listing:

1. Martyrs
2. Missing Pieces
3. Failure
4. Welded Shut
5. Push Comes To Shove
6. Lowlife
7. Bite Your Tongue

Tough Luck is a pretty new youth band from Richmond. They have two demos out, both solid. Looks like they're playing shows around the state (one's coming up in Cville on September 25). Go see them live.

http://www.myspace.com/toughluckhc