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

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/

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/

The Elderly — Old Time Quality Virginia Drunk Ass Punk Rock

I figure it's time to get back to my Charlottesville roots. The Elderly were another first-half-of-the-decade local punk band, sort of the same time period as Riot Act or Barracks Road. For a lot of people, The Elderly were the best band from that era, and with good reason. Their sound is self-described as "Angry Samoans getting butt-fucked by Iggy Pop while shooting dope with Johnny Thunders," and that's actually closer to the truth than you might expect. The Elderly play punk rock, with an emphasis on the rock — these dudes can really jam out. This album is something approaching a discography, although it might be missing a recording or two. Sound's great, music's great, a cover of the Dead Milkmen to boot — this is a cool piece of history.

The Elderly — Old Time Quality Virginia Drunk Ass Punk Rock

Track Listing:

1. Beer
2. Dangerous Erection
3. Get The Fuck Off My Lawn
4. Got Me Good
5. High School Mentality
6. Let's Go
7. Liar
8. National Drinking Day
9. Never Liked You
10. Spitballs
11. The Thing That Only Eats Hippies (Dead Milkmen)
12. We Are The Elderly
13. High School Mentality (live)
14. Liar (live)

Bio: "The Elderly is an old school punk rock (with some roll in there) band from Virginia. We formed in late 1999 after the demise of our band Guilty By Association. Many member changes later, the current line-up is as follows: "Scary" Larry Houchens (drums, b/vox) and Josh "Old Man" Mustin (guitar, lead vox). We are influenced by old punk, 50's rock and country, metal, girl groups, some new punk and garage too, you name it. We are known mostly for our fun attitude and very high-energy shows that leave you wanting more."

http://www.myspace.com/theelderlypunks

Daniel rocking out up in the front — last show at the Tokyo Rose

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

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/

Stay Gold — S/T

Stay Gold were a melodic hardcore band unlike any other. As in, they sound like no one else. It's hard to describe, but the music is some of the most thought-out and rounded this scene has ever produced, taking a lot of influence both from punk bands like Good Riddance and from hardcore like Turning Point. The vocals are really what sets this band apart though, it's almost a spoken-word delivery but with a lot of conviction. The lyrics are different too, they rely on vignettes and analysis, along with the more traditional personal narratives, hitting an emotional level you don't see to often. It's sort of like a collection of short stories, if that makes sense. Anyway, this band might not be for everyone, but it's nevertheless a compelling piece of hardcore history. One of my favorite bands, at least.

Stay Gold — Self-titled 7" (2001)

Track Listing:

1. Once I…
2. Remember Me
3. Black Eyes
4. TGIF
5. Just Say No

From Indecision Records: Eagle Barber (Drums/Vocals) and Chad Repp (Vocals) came up with an idea for a band during the summer of 1998 or 1999, who really knows? Anyways, at that time in Seattle, music was leaning toward the "metal" side of the equation and Chad and Eagle wanted to start a band that was reminiscent of their influences. Bands like Hot Water Music, 88 Fingers Louie, Turning Point and Bane could be considered there "core" influences but they also had much broader musical tastes, from Split Lip to Bad Brains.

After working on a few songs in their cramped Capital Hill apartment they recruited Ross Swanes (Guitar) and Chris Jahn (Guitar) and rounded out the line up with Chris' younger brother Matt Jahn on bass. Taking the name Stay Gold they practiced, played some shows, had some fun, recorded a demo, and had some more fun. Matt decided to go to Europe to play the bag pipes (not kidding), it's a bit more complex than that but he went traveling. Stay Gold liked having two Jahns in the band so they got Cam Jahn, the middle brother of the three to play bass.

From that point Stay Gold was pretty solid: Aram/Anchor records put Stay Gold’s s/t 7"/CDep, a few short west coast tours commenced…good times. Then Indecision signed the boys of gold to do a few records. So out came the 7”/CDep, "Caught up in the Moment", and the full length CD "Pills and Advice" with the vinyl of that record coming out on the European label Years From Now Records.

Now the details get fuzzy…more tours, and more chaos, Chris quit and moved to New York and Paul Betinson joined Stay Gold on guitar to do a U.S. tour. Stay Gold played what was to be their last show on August 18, 2002 at Hell’s Kitchen in Tacoma, Washington with Champion, Terror, and Allegiance.

Demagogue — Bad Blood EP

Figure I might as well put up more tunes from my first real band. This EP was six of Demagiggle's first songs, plus a SLF cover. It's a strange cross-section of punk, kind of crusty, a little bit hardcore, a definite late-70s influence. Keep in mind that we were all under 18 though, so it's a little weird. It was also recorded after Jake left but before Sam joined, so it's really heavy with the Patrick/Alethea influence, also very weird. This was recorded by Corey at the MRC, so it sounds pretty good, at least. It also has the hit single 'Motivation,' the first time I ever sang on a recording. SO POS. Actually it's all kind of silly looking back, but we had some fun times. Now it's just another piece of Charlottesville history, I guess.

You can also check out our unreleased LP if you're interested here.

Demagogue — Bad Blood EP 

Track Listing:

1. A King And His Crown
2. Motivation
3. Up The Subordinates
4. Tainted Water
5. Pedestal
6. Sleepless In Sedation
7. Alternative Ulster (Stiff Little Fingers)

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

Dry Spell — Demo

Dry Spell's debut demo from a couple years back. If you're from the area and you've never heard them, either you don't know what the core is or you're living under a boulder. At the bottom of a mine shaft. These dudes rip, it's hardcore but it riffs a lot on mid-tempo rock'n'roll. Really awesome style with some growly vocals. This demo is a little crunchy but sounds fine, pretty good mix. Some killer tunes on here too, especially 'Pig Meat.'

Dry Spell — Demo

Track Listing:

1. World Of Shit
2. Road Rage
3. Pig Meat
4. Freak Acts

Dry Spell are a sick nasty band from Richmond. They have a raucous live set, they're a lot of fun. They have a couple seven inches out that you should pick up. Snuff Daddy even has a song about them. Don't miss out on this.

http://www.myspace.com/dryspellusa
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Dry-Spell/258157774702

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/

Down To Nothing — Demo 2002

This was one of the first things Down To Nothing ever recorded, when they were just getting started. It's almost a decade later, but this demo still holds its own with the rest of their releases. The recording quality is pretty solid, and the music and vocals are classic DTN — with the exception of being a little more metalcore. But the unbridled rage and hard breakdowns are still there, and the straight edge vibe is pervasive to say the least. The song 'Burn' was rerecorded on 'Splitting Headache,' and 'I Hope It's Worth It,' the secret song on 'Save It For The Birds' is on here too. Pretty good stuff.

Down To Nothing — Demo 2002

Track Listing:

1. Keep Your Head Up
2. Burn
3. Life Of The Party
4. Used Up
5. Contaminated
6. Stand Down
7. I Hope It's Worth It

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 writing 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

Go It Alone — Hollywood North Demo

This demo is sweet. The guitar is crunchy and sound quality isn't quite perfect, but the energy and passion Go It Alone was known for is definitely there. They recorded this demo before they ever even played a show — in fact they didn't play together as a band for over a year after recording this. But they knew what they were doing, and as with a lot of Pacific Northwest bands there's a kind of desperation in the sound that makes it really urgent and angsty. Must be the rain. Anyway, despite the rough conditions when it was recorded, this demo is sweet, with well-written songs and classic lyrics. Some of these tunes appeared later on Vancouver Gold and The Only Blood Between Us with the song structure virtually untouched. I guess they got it right the first time.

Go It Alone — Hollywood North Demo

Track Listing:

1. Picking Up The Pieces
2. Close At Hand
3. Reflection
4. Turn It Off
5. Water Finds Its Own Level
6. Go It Alone

Go It Alone was a hardcore band from Vancouver, BC, circa 2002-2007. They released this demo, a  few 7"s and splits, and 2 LPs. There is a photography book commemorating their existence and final show.

http://www.myspace.com/goitalonehc

Sinking Ships — Demo 2004

Sinking Ships may very well hold the title of Most Depressing Melodic Hardcore Band. Lyrically, it's a far cry from Champion — the singers of both bands are brothers, but there seems to be little in common besides the Core. But along with the really sad lyrics are complex music and lots of energy, and something redemptive in the sound. Anyway, this is their first release from way back in 2004, from before they were really doing much. But it's sweet, good enough that they rereleased 6 of the tracks on the Meridian EP and only edited the vocals a little. These are probably my favorite songs by them, mostly for the unique songwriting and powerful delivery.

Sinking Ships — Demo 2004

Track Listing:

1. Int(Chi)Ro
2. Roads Leading Midwest
3. Memorial
4. All Paths Of Glory
5. The Limit
6. Angels Live In My Town
7. Kiss The Sharks

Sinking Ships were a melodic hardcore band from Seattle circa 2004-2008. They released a bunch of demos and splits, the Meridian EP, and the Disconnecting LP on legendary Revelation Records.

http://www.myspace.com/sinkingships

Legit — In Defeat

Legit's other demo. West coast melodic hardcore at its finest, fast and hard and really inventive. Dude has one of the harshest voices I've heard outside of like powerviolence or death metal. The music goes into rare territory for hardcore, hitting 3/4 time and counterposed guitars, and getting a little philosophical with the lyrics. This is really solid stuff.

Legit — In Defeat Demo

Track Listing:

1. Painted Red
2. State Of Mind
3. The Ocho
4. In Defeat

Legit were a melodic hardcore band from Seattle, Washington a couple years back. It doesn't seem like they ever did much, but they did put out two most excellent demos. Members of Go It Alone and Shook Ones. Backed extra hard.

www.myspace.com/legitimatebros

Bane — Live at Rotunda

If you're at all like me, you've been aware of Bane for years and years. They're one of the longest-operating hardcore bands probably ever. And whatever your opinion of the music you have to admit that they put a lot into it. Anyway, I was just thinking of the first time I heard 'Count Me Out' or 'Can We Start Again,' and how powerful and sincere those songs were. And then I discovered that I actually had this live set of Bane's, so I thought I'd share it. Sound quality is alright, for a live hardcore show. But if you have ever heard these songs or seen them live, you know how impressive all of this really is.

Bane — Live at Rotunda 5/27/01

Track Listing:

1. I Once Was Blind
2. Count Me Out
3. Snakes Among Us
4. What Makes Us Strong
5. Can We Start Again

This is Bane. This is hardcore.

You can see a video of the set here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=htczOphmuJg

http://www.myspace.com/banecentral

Down To Nothing — Hem Hem

Happy April 1st!

Yes, it is actually Down To Nothing. They recorded a couple hundred, but really only sold them at one show.

No, I don't know why they thought recording this was a good idea. It is hilarious though!

Down To Nothing — Hem Hem 7"

Track Listing:

1. Park My Car
2. Wildcard
3. His Not His
4. Crucifixion Of The Bunghole
5. Voicemail
6. I Wanna See You Again
7. Yah Yah

www.myspace.com/downtonothing

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/