M.N.P. — Mindecision Demo '85

Surprisingly good 80s hardcore from right nearby in ol' Virginy. Apparently Roanoke actually had a thriving little scene back in the day, and these dudes (M.N.P. – what that stands for I don't know) were one of the better bands. Vaguely reminiscent of the Landlords, but that has more to do with the style of punk at the time and recording style than anything else. But it's fast tunes, snotty vocals, political lyrics, and played by highschool kids. All pretty impressive. More of a full-length than a demo really, and the song structure on some of these is really tight. You need this if you care about southern hardcore at all.

M.N.P. — Mindecision Demo (1985)

Track Listing:

1. Aftermath
2. Assassination
3. Bloody Slaughter
4. Danse Macabre
5. Ending Faster
6. First Impressions
7. Hand In Action
8. Mindecision
9. No Return
10. Silent Screams
11. Sorrow
12. What's War For

From The Roanoke Times: "Мир was a South Roanoke-based foursome of politically conscious high school kids possessed of a rare degree of musicianship for a Roanoke punk band in those days. They were perhaps Roanoke's first touring punkers, playing shows in Richmond and Raleigh. They disbanded in 1985 when three members left for college, and one for prep school."

The band doesn't really have a website, but someone from The Roanoke Times made this interesting site about the punk scene there in the 1980s. Pretty cool stuff. Check it out here: http://www.roanoke.com/extra/punk/mnp.html

End Of A Year — Warm Demo

One of the best post-hardcore bands out there, although I guess that's a pretty ephemeral term. End Of A Year take some influence from Rev Summer bands (note the Embrace song as a band name), and turn it into their own beast. They're pretty big, you should definitely check them out if you've never heard them, cause I certainly don't have the words to describe them.

Anyway, this was a demo from a few months after they got started, but everything that makes them great was already going on even then. A lot of these songs were actually rerecorded on the Disappear Here LP a short time later, so there are some easy comparisons to be made. Basically, these recordings are a little less professional (as in, it sounds like they're having fun), the bass is higher in the mix, and it just generally has a warmer sound (as I guess the title would suggest). If you're a fan, you definitely want to get your sweaty little hands on this, and if you're not yet you might as well start here, cause it only gets better.

End Of A Year — Warm Demo (2004)

Track Listing (might actually be out of order):

1. If You're Not Into It, You're Dead
2. The Birthplace Of Plastic
3. Caldor
4. Hey
5. It Was A Total Nightmare
6. Good To Meet You
7. 60 Degrees 10 Seconds After It Rains
8. Odometer
9. Kentucky Is A Revolution

Band bio: "We wanted to play music we liked so we got together and did it. No one else really liked it and we were pretty comfortable being the band who tours the country but no one really likes. Revelation called one day and it was pretty weird but i like the Kiss It Goodbye record a lot so we decided to go with it. Then that didn't go the way we planned and we started to put out a bunch of 7 inches. Deathwish Inc saw that, and got in touch, it was weird but i really like the Blinding Light album so we decided to go with it. End Bio."

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

http://www.myspace.com/endofayear

Pussywillow — Let Freedom Ring Demo

Pussywillow are a recent band from Harrisonburg, Virginia. This demo opens with a weird monologue on the merits of pussy (go figure), and then rolls into 4 punk rock tunes. The music is pretty interesting, hitting some solid minor chord progressions and controlled dissonance. The vocals on the first tune are in mono, but get more usual, if growlier, after that. Some interesting stuff if you're into western VA bands.

Pussywillow — Let Freedom Ring Demo (2010)

Track Listing:

1. Ten Commandments
2. Mirrored
3. Bell
4. Let Freedom Ring

Pussywillow are a punk rock band from Harrisonburg. It's cool that there's still music coming out of that town since The Frontline (anyone remember them?) and Savage Land.

www.pussywillow.bandcamp.com

Cloak/Dagger — Demo

Cloak/Dagger, one of the most unique bands ever to come out of Richmond, got their start with this demo a couple years back. Originally a side project (members are/were in Count Me Out and Striking Distance), the band blew up pretty quickly, and with good reason. They play refreshingly different tunes, sounding like no one else but still being nothing but hardcore. Intense lyrics meet inventive riffs, in a hard way. The recording has a slight crunch, as any good demo should, and actually most of these songs are sped up and rerecorded on the We Are LP from a few years later. But they're still worthwhile tunes, and this demo is a good place to start from if you've never heard them/gotten into them. They also have a Mexican thing going on, I've seen the singer play in a knit poncho. Whatever, they're still fucking sweet.

Cloak Dagger — Demo (2006)

Track Listing:

1. Sewing Circles
2. Set The Alarm
3. Last Call
4. Violent Times
5. New Year's Resolution
6. Untitled

Cloak/Dagger play a rehash of 80s hardcore themes and stylings, but in a completely different way from other bands. The single-guitar drive, rock'n'roll delivery, and dissonant chord progressions are all instantly recognizable. They have out 2 LPs, several 7"s, and this demo. Get into them, or stay short your whole life.

http://www.myspace.com/wearecloakdagger
http://www.facebook.com/cloakdagger

Hold Tight! — Brother Bear EP

Hold Tight! are a somewhat recent pop-punk band from Richmond. This is one of their first EPs, solid jams along the lines of a more straight-forward Lifetime. You can tell these dudes came up listening to hardcore rather than just Green Day, which is nice. Good production quality, lots of energy and sincerity, fun song structure. What more could you want?

Hold Tight! — Brother Bear EP (2008)

Track Listing:

1. Ready 2 Go
2. Save The Clocktower
3. Hey Peter
4. My Favorite Songs
5. Sledding Gear
6. Brother Bear

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/