A forgotten chapter in Charlottesville punk history

Have you ever had a period in your life, be it several years or a single day, when, in retrospect, everything that happened seems to have been of utmost importance? Despite the drama, the craziness and perhaps the very real harm that was done, looking back it all seems so beautiful and golden that you wish you could keep it forever, like a flower frozen in amber.

The Big Fun Glossary captures just such a moment: “state-of-the art youth hedonism” as practiced in Charlottesville in the mid-’90s. It reads like a reality show version of On The Road, a devil’s dictionary filled with gossip, social criticism, and philosophical musings, where people with names like Morgan Anarchy and Diana the Redhead live in a state of enlightened poverty and angry joie de vivre, hoisting jugs of cheap wine like weapons in a war against the straight-laced forces of oppression.

Read about it here, via C-ville Weekly.

Stone Angels — Within The Witch

Stone Angels are a metal band from the battered city of Christchurch in New Zealand. They play between a mix of genres, with elements of sludge, doom, and even rock all thrown together in a surprisingly clean and compelling manner; it's sometimes grindy but never grimey. The recording is pristine, and even though metal of this sort is not my preferred cup of tea, I'm definitely digging the tone of the album. Read the bio section below to get an idea of the context. These dudes clearly know their music, and I hope they make it out to the States before too long.

Stone Angels — Within The Witch

Track Listing:

1. The Dark
2. Within The Witch
3. White Light, White Noise
4. Bleeding Black
5. Withdrawing The Jinn
6. Grave
7. Coffin Cross

Stone Angels are a newish metal band from Christchurch, NZ. I'll let them say it in their own words: "The album is named 'Within The Witch' and is really an ad-lib artistic release in the wake of 10,000+ earthquakes which have been smashing the city of Christchurch, in New Zealand's South Island over the past year and a half. Christchurch itself as a city is really no more and the energy from such an event has had very few positive effects other than maybe as a source of inspiration for artists, musicians and creative writers alike. Within The Witch is a by product of the environment, and summarises the atmosphere and feeling of this broken city to a tee. It really is an interesting listen."

http://stoneangels666.blogspot.com/
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Stone-Angels/249012665121631

Hightide Hotel — Secret Somethings Vol. 2

Hightide Hotel play a sort of airy, contemplative pop-punk or alt-rock that sounds like nostalgia made sound. Reminds me of a less distortiony Hold Tight!, but with less haste and more vocal harmonies. This well-recorded album has a good flow and good energy and makes for solid background tunes in any situation, although I'd be hesitant to call it an upper. Solid, sincere tunes for sure.

Hightide Hotel — Secret Somethings Vol. 2 (2011)

Track Listing:

1. Intro
2. Ballad
3. Ultimatum
4. Hollow
5. Your Bed
6. My Bed
7. Hospital Green
8. Malice
9. Closer
10. Outro

Hightide Hotel is a five piece from Philadelphia.

http://hightidehotel.bandcamp.com/
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Hightide-Hotel/100540060010431

Police & Thieves — Fracturing

Alright, it's that time when we ring in our silly Western notion of the new year (10 days after the solstice? Cause we're astronomically incompetent?) and I'm not really one for long lists. But I can give you a Top One list, so with no further adieu: the year's best album for me is by DC's hardest rockers, Police & Thieves. They've refined the style they had been building in their earlier efforts into something faster, but also more thought-out, more musically varied, even more intelligent. It sort of reminds me of the changes that created In My Eyes' Nothing To Hide LP, although P&T still draw heavily on influences like Dag Nasty. Carlos even get's a little melodic on the vocals a couple times, and I really dig it. Lyrics follow the same trends as before, mixing the personal and political with ease. The guitar work is crunch and precise with cool song structures, and the songs flow one to the next almost perfectly. My personal favorite is "Crusades," but every track on here is a banger. For real, give these dudes a listen.

Police & Thieves — Fracturing LP (2011)

Track Listing:

1. Thieves Intro
2. All Saints
3. Urgency Of Now
4. Suburban Life Decay
5. Doubt Crusades
6. Campaigns
7. Race To The End

Police & Thieves hail from the hallowed grounds of Washington DC, the intellectual inheritors to a musical tradition decades old. Basically, they sound awesome, mixing energy and passion with impressive songwriting and effort. They are, of course, named after the Junior Murvin song, although most people are probably more familiar with the cover the Clash released on their debut album. They've been around for almost 5 years now, with a couple EPs, a new demo, and now this LP. Go see them live.

Get merch and find show dates athttp://www.myspace.com/policethieves, or http://www.facebook.com/pages/Police-Thieves/22668852750

Volver — Santa Cruz

Volver is a crucial hardcore/Rev Summer style band from Guatemala City. They recorded these songs with the legendary Don Fury last year. This EP is some of the most solid, thought out post-hardcore I've heard in recent years. I'm reminded of bands like Give, Cloak/Dagger, or the more straightforward moments of Lion of Judah, with a delivery at times reminiscent of Peligro Social (though that might just be that language; Spanish is anything but unpoetic). Some really cool moments interspersed with frenetic, intriguing structure changes. Most solid.

Volver — Santa Cruz EP (2010)

Track Listing:

1. Miel
2. Me Hundo
3. Guatemala Está Muerta
4. Reprogramar, Activar

Volver is a 5 piece band from Guatemala. They have released a demo tape, a 7” called Guatemala Está Muerta and the Santa Cruz EP.  They are currently recording a new EP due out real soon. You can buy all their stuff on our bandcamp site or get the 7” and Santa Cruz tape from Bajo Presión Records.

http://volver.bandcamp.com/
http://www.facebook.com/VolverCC
http://guatemalaestamuerta.wordpress.com/
http://www.bajopresionrecords.com/

Plant — Friendship. Love. Truth.

Plant's debut demo, a type of arty stoner metal or hardcore rock that's fast and raw and intricate. Members of Swamp Thing and Snuff Daddy. It's complex enough to come out as really high intensity, with a wall of sound made by everything being a little blown out, but still sounds approachable and simple on a superficial level. Real talk, listen to these dudes.

Plant — Friendship. Love. Truth. (2011)

Track Listing:

1. Without A Heart
2. Spilling Sand
3. Alone, Alone
4. Yeshi Dhonden

Plant is a real time band, just getting started.

http://plantnyc.bandcamp.com/

Wild Life — Speak

Wild Life is my most recent band. We set out to play some Rev Summer style tunes, but I don't know how well we hit that mark. What we did end up playing is (in my opinion) some cool, complex tunes that turned out to be a lot more contemplative and serious than what I usually play. I honestly don't know of any other bands to compare us to, except maybe the spirit of certain groups like Fugazi or later Turning Point. We never managed to find a singer, so me and Slagle, one of the guitarists, split vocal duties. Members of No Brainer, Slugz, The Volstead Agents, etc. I wrote most of the lyrics, so I've linked the song titles to what was on my mind when I was writing them. Check it out:

Wild Life — Speak Demo 2011

Track Listing:

1. Zeitgeist
2. Villa El Salvador
3. Speak
4. Monasukapanough

Wild Life is a new band from Charlottesville, Virginia. No shows played, and probably none ever will be. Thanks to Jake, Claire, Hannah, and Daniel for helping us out.

http://wild-life.bandcamp.com/

In Between — Demo

The worst part about this demo is that it's too short. These tunes are so smooth they disappear before you really grasp what all is going on. It's like listening to Lifetime, with the multiple guitars doing their own thing while the vocals lead, except that the vocals sound more like the dude from Silent Majority/Capital than Ari Katz. Some really smart song structure, powerful semi-melodic vocals, and awesome energy go a long way. Members of Praise, Sacred Love, and Broken Bodies. Solid melodic hardcore of the kind that's all too rare.

In Between — Demo 2011

Track Listing:

1. Luckiest
2. GBSB
3. Different Language
4. Lyons Mill
5. A Little More

"From Baltimore MD, our influences include Lifetime, Silent Majority, Dag Nasty, Turning Point, Gorilla Biscuits, Hot Water Music." I'd call that a fair assessment.

http://www.facebook.com/LuckyPierre3
http://photoboothrecords.bandcamp.com/album/demo

Moms — Demo 2011

Moms is a noisy, sometimes-fast band comprised of some dudes from Charlottesville (and now sort of Richmond), playing some noisy, angry hardcore. The first track reminds me of dissonant, Cali-style punk, similar to what Raindance or even Sucker Punch used to play in town. The rest of the demo moves on into more straightforward hardcore territory, with some thrashy, negative tunes good for the Cville Mosh (where you run back and forth in front of the band. It sounds lame, but you do it really fast!) They also hit some cool musical moments, like the intro to "Remorse Code," which sounds like Fugazi until it turns into Poison Idea. Good dudes, backed hard.

Moms — Demo 2011

Track Listing:

1. Anatomy
2. Lascivious
3. Tooth
4. Inwardly Crippled/Outwardly Stunted
5. Fuck
6. Remorse Code

Moms is a noise punk band from the mean streets of Chartown. Get wild.

http://moms.bandcamp.com/

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

Malatese — Absurd Constructor

Malatese describe themselves variously as "nerve punk" and "trance punk," and I guess that's a good way to understand them. These tunes are weird, in a really good way. The music walks the fine line between adventurous punk and what I would term "hard indie," with a bit more shoe gazing than than your average DIY group and a fair bit more aggression than any other band with a similarly twee name. It's a psychological turn of tune, mixing various elements of oldschool punk, surf, and rock melodies, all overlaid by droning vocals that, while unusual, fit the music really well. This is pretty obviously a home recording, but considering it's the home of a music industry major, that's not really a strike against it. For me, this is some solid chilltimes music; to most people this would be more suited as a soundtrack for pogo. Either way, it's pretty cool.

Malatese — Absurd Constructor EP

Track Listing:

1. Paradise
2. World Panic
3. Mother Night
4. Shadow Figures

Malatese is a punk band from Harrisonburg, Va., deep in the cool little JMU music scene there. Word on the campus is they're named after an intriguing book collection. They have several upcoming shows, of particular note is:
4/14: @ Magnolia House, Charlottesville VA w/ Bunnybrains
4/25: @ The Galaxy Hut, Arlington VA w/ Buck Gooter

http://malatese.bandcamp.com/
http://www.myspace.com/malatese
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Malatese/134837331193