Real Talk — Kill Someone You Don't Know

Music is made up of three main elements: melody, harmony, and rhythm. Not all bands are graced with all three, at least not in this punk rock thing. Real Talk, on the other hand, can kick out some serious jams. While essentially a pop-punk band, these dudes play a lot harder and with more energy than a lot of people in that genre. The guitar work isn't jimi but it's damn impressive, and all the tempo changes are sweet. Lyrics are confrontational and intelligent. The thing most people are gonna stumble on is that the vocals are sort of a spoken word thing, sometimes a little bit like rapping (backstory: the singer's parents were home when he was recording and he had to tone it down. They're sort of different live). But these are some of the coolest 90's style pop-punk tunes I've heard since blink-182 jumped the shark.

Real Talk — Kill Someone You Don't Know Demo 2010

Track listing:

1. College
2. Class Trip
3. Lone Wolf
4. High School
5. Punk Things Are Cool
6. Crazy
7. Dance Party

Real Talk are a DC-area band playing an expressive style of melodic, fast pop-punk. Members of Warbound, Coke Bust, and other DC hardcore bands. They've got a show coming up March 19 with No Brainer at AU.

http://killsomeoneyoudontknow.bandcamp.com/
http://www.myspace.com/realtalk6669

Amendment Records Sampler 2011

A cool sampler from a label focusing on Spanish hardcore. The language, not the nationality. Lots of variety between the bands, some sort of remind me of Trial, others of like Cold World; also there's an interesting indie tune in the middle. Of special relevance are two preview tracks from an upcoming split between our friends in Police & Thieves and Remission. The P&T tune has a sick tempo change in the middle, and Remission sounds kind of like Outspoken or Turning Point. Some cool canciones on here. Also reminds me how I need to bone up on my Spanish, I can't quite catch everything being said. But for the xenophobic: several of these are in English, or switch between. There's really no reason not to check this out.

Amendment Records Sampler 2011

Track Listing:

1. Contra Todos Mis Miedos — Colera Mental
2. Contra Todos Mis Miedos — 11-22
3. Entrefuego — Heridas Que Aprenden A Sanar
4. Police & Thieves — We're Not The Only Ones
5. Remission — Seeded
6. Invierno — Escondite
7. Columnas — Proclama
8. Shield — Anima Annihilation
9. En Nuestras Venas — Evasion
10. Waterglass — Valley
11. Remission — Love
12. Contra Todos Mis Miedos — Scusarmi
13. Remains To Be Seen — Spirit
14. Approach — Struggle

http://amendment-records.com/

Feeble — All Dressed Up And Nowhere To Go

Feeble was a pop-punk band from California in the 90s. Travis Barker (from blink-182) played drums; apparently this was his first band out of high school. Given that pedigree, I was  a little unsure of what to expect, and frankly it took me a couple spins to get into this. Mostly the vocals surprised me, they have an uncanny resemblance to 90s rock. Dude hits a far greater range than I was prepared for, even from a pop-punk band. But after I got over my prejudice, I discovered that this is actually tight album, with cool guitar riffs and song structure in general. Pretty good sound quality, and lots of energy. Lyrics are pretty good, not actually as divorced from hardcore themes as the vocals would imply. The music can be a little smarmy (the intro, and this one ska-ish part), but they do play a Dag Nasty cover, and overall I'm impressed. And the drumming is, of course, solid.

Feeble — All Dressed Up And Nowhere To Go EP

Track Listing:

1. Song For My Father
2. Planet Me
3. Remember
4. Best Friends For Tonight
5. Trying (Dag Nasty)

Feeble were from California, roughly 1993-1996. They released only this EP as far as I can tell. Travis Barker on drums, that's pretty cool. Band went on to be Sorry Charlie after Travis left to join the Aquabats. Word.

http://www.myspace.com/sorrycharliemusic
http://www.myspace.com/feeblefontana

Four Walls Falling — Demo '87

4 Walls Falling put out this demo before anything else, way back in 1987. For those who don't know, they were one of the most energetic and politically and environmentally conscious bands ever to come out of Richmond, hitting a national audience by the early 90s. All of these tunes (except the last, untitled one) reappeared on the Culture Shock LP a year later, which is in my opinion their best release. But by Culture Shock the songs were in a different form with altered song structures, so it's kind of cool to hear them in this more stripped down style. As far as I can tell these tracks were ripped off an old cassette, so the sound's a little shaky, but alright overall. I'm digging this demo, especially as it compares to Culture Shock.

Four Walls Falling — Demo 1987

Track Listing:

1. Greed
2. I Witness
3. Search
4. Price Of Silence
5. Filled
6. Untitled

From Last.fm: "Four Walls Falling was an American political hardcore band from Richmond, Virginia from members of Unseen Force and Pledge Allegiance. Known as one of the greatest hardcore bands from the Richmond scene, the band had major success in the hardcore community, recording four 7-inches & an EP. They played their first show with 7 Seconds and Justice League in 1987 and toured the United States in 1992. The band broke up while touring Europe in the summer of 1995. They continued playing many times after including a reunion show at St. Andrews in College Park, Maryland."

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

http://www.myspace.com/fourwallsfalling

The Haverchucks — Demo

Damn catchy pop-punk out of Richmond that just got started recently. Sounds sort of like the Ramones, but with layers of so many other pop-punk and punk rock bands that it's hard to point to any one influence. It's mostly simple song structures and harmonies, and comes out sounding like one of the least ego-driven bands I've heard in a while – these dudes are playing just because it's fun and sounds fucking sweet. The demo is previewable on the Death To False Hope website below (in case I somehow haven't convinced you), and sounds really good. Or just download it, you won't regret it.

The Haverchucks — Demo (2010)

Track Listing:

1. Jimmy's Song
2. Allison Don't Love Me Anymore
3. Work It Out
4. All My Time With You
5. My Own Way

The Haverchucks are a new pop-punk band from Richmond, with a couple of shows coming up. Get into it.

http://www.deathtofalsehoperecords.com/downloads/dtfh072.html

http://www.facebook.com/thehaverchucks

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/