While not a new release by any means. Character Assassin, Circle Storms 1996 EP is available again, this time on clear vinyl, for what seems like a limited time. I first heard of Circle Storm when California's Chain of Strength flew into La Guardia Airport, dropping their bags in the Queens, NY living room of what was known as "The SXE House." At the time,
the bands Revelation Records EP was already gaining "Classic" status with it's straightedge anthem True Till Death.
As I got to know the Chain crew personally. I struck up a conversation with Ryan Hoffman where I can swear he talked up the idea of the band Circle Storm and how the name was taken from the D.Y.S. song of the same name.
While the dates between that encounter and the actual formation of the band don't exactly crunch. My memories of the record and the short lived band are strong.
Character Assassin, originally released by Ambassador Records, a label I seem to remember as a flagship label of Revelation Records. (I could be wrong.) Members of Circle Storm featured former and future members of bands such as Justice League, Chain of Strength and Collision.
In that respect, the overall sound reflects that of it's members work both prior and post Circle Storm.
In listening to these seven tracks for the first time in decades. I gained a sense of appreciation for this oft overlooked release.
One that matched the excitement I had when first hearing the name in that long forgotten exchange with Ryan. Good material that was worth revisiting. James Damion RevHQ Order it Here
Here's Part 3 of Noisey's documentary "The Story of Judge". This moving chapter brings up closer to the bands fateful, yet unexpected reunion at Hardcore's Black N' Blue in 2012.
I recall many of the rumors about Mike in the early 90's, but some of the one's hear are like that of the Vikings. I highly recommend keeping up with this series. One can only hope there's a new record in the future with a lot less outside bullshit to ruin one of, if not the best bands to ever come out of New York. Keep hope alive. James Damion
While I don't make it a habit of reviewing reissues or represses of old records. This particular slab of vinyl shook the memory tree enough to warrant a few words. At the time it was released (1988) on Revelation Records. Hardcore had become my life's blood.
When Dan and No For Answer dropped their bags at the SXE house in preparation for the Free For All show and album recording at CBGB's. I took some time to interview them for the second issue of Unite fanzine,
I don't know why, but I did not think these songs would hold up well. For as much as I love 80's Hardcore.
A lot of the music I listened to back then has not aged well. Time just has a way of aging a record, a song or even a memory. Listening to this E.P. for the first time in close to twenty years immediately brought back a flood of memories. How, at the time we waited forever Revelation releases with bated breath. Regardless of familiarity, you know that the latest release was going to satisfy your thirst for excellence. The release of No For An Answer's You Laugh was no joke. Powerful, smart straight edge Hardcore from California that had a message and a purpose. Add to it an iconic cover image that brought to mind earlier bands such as SSD and DYS.
All these years later, the songs still hold up. The message still matters and the music feels as powerful as it did decades ago. Just Say No, You Laugh, When will it End, Liar and About Face were pleasing to hear again. Leaving me with the hope that their follow up A Thought Crusade will soon make the reissue rounds.Fans of band like Insted, Chain of Strength and Unity take note. This one's for you. James Damion Rev HQ Get it Here
Mad at the World records is currently taking preorders for the December reissue of
Token Entry's From Beneath the Streets. Originally released in 1987 on Kevin Seconds
(7 Seconds) Positive Force Records. As is with most reissues, several color versions will be made available. The reissue is a long time coming and has seen it's share of delays. However, if all goes well. It should ship within weeks. James Damion
On the first release of Matthew Wilson (singer Set Your Goals) Calaveras Records.
He successfully turned to the Kickstarter platform to release a limited 10th Anniversary limited 10' vinyl edition of Set Your Goals 2004 demo.
Though I never really followed the band, listening to a band in their early stages always helps when forming an opinion about a band and where they might be going.
Hearing this made me realize they were so much more than a CIV remake or redo.
Positive and uplifting from the start with a sound that found influenced by everything from Hardcore to Emo to Pop Punk. Each of the six songs from the original demo left a lasting impression on me with
"How 'Bout No, Scott" being a personal favorite.
I was excited to see the cover of Jawbreaker's
"Do you still hate me?", until I realized that despite the largess of anyone's love or appreciation of the band. Any attempt at covering or paying tribute to Jawbreaker is only going to make you sound weak and unworthy. This is the only track I can honestly say I did not like. By now, I'd imagine anyone reading this would, ten years later, be more than familiar with the bands sound and direction.
For those who haven't, Set Your Goals fit nicely somewhere between Gorilla Biscuits and Saves the Day. The vinyl edition comes on green splatter vinyl in a 10' fold out cover that opens up to lyrics, liner notes and a collage of images and flyers. "The Reset Demo" also features a digital down for all you MP3 enthusiasts. I highly recommend this. James Damion
When I started writing the first issue of Unite in 1988. I had more than my share of inspirational building blocks and blueprints to ensure that my own endeavor would't fall flat on it's face. Guillotine, Schism, Smorgasbord, Yes Zista and many more had their hand in shaping what became the first and second issue of Unite would look like and even feature.
Imagine my excitement when each of the reprinted six issues showed up on Big Carte just weeks after initiating my search to track down the same issues of Boiling Point I sold on Ebay nearly fifteen years before.
Gone are the colorful covers. Gone are the thick as cardboard pages.What twenty six bucks got me was each of Boiling Points six issues hastily xeroxed on cheap, flimsy, white copy paper. Each held together by a single staple. Though the content is exactly what we saw in those original issues,the cheap quality of the paper and the scans don't come close to accenting or giving proper respect to the great layouts and photos contained in Boiling Point.
Though it's good to look back on many of the old reviews, interviews and correspondence. It's a shame they didn't take any care whatsoever to pay tribute to just that. This seems to be a very short and limited run on Big Cartel, One that will hopefully save you some money in the end. Though it was exciting to look back at a great fanzine from my time. I probably would have been happier tracking down the original copies. These don't seem worth the price in postage.The advertisement mentioned bonus material. I didn't even get a note.
File under "Half Ass". James Damion
Underdog got their start like so many Hardcore bands at the time. Through a conversation between two friends outside CBGB’s. Richie (Youth of Today guitarist) and Russ (an original member of Murphy’s Law) were the glue. They named the band True Blue before ultimately changing it to Underdog. In 1985 they released their self titled 7 inch on New Beginning records. The four song EP became an instant classic and sent a strong message that mediocrity would no longer be the norm in the genre.. Their full length “The Vanishing Point” still stands as one of the great musical achievements of it’s time. Mixing Hardcore with accents of Reggae and Dub. Lyrics ranging from the personal “Vanishing Point” to the sociopolitical “No Matter What”. They were one of those incredible bands that in a sense stood out and transcended the genre. I interviewed the band outside of CBGB’s after what would be Arthur Smilios’ (Gorilla Biscuits, Token Entry etc.)
last performance with the band. Looking back I realize I did a pretty shitty interview that day. Take into consideration I was high as a kite when I did this. Not the smartest thing to be when you’re about to interview one of your favorite bands. The interview would appear in the first issue of Unite.James Damion
James: Why is Arthur leaving the band?
Arthur: (shrugs) Why is Arthur leaving the band?
Russ: Like the guy on the oatmeal commercial says, “It’s the right thing to do.”.
Arthur: The truth is I don’t know.
James: Can you tell me about the recent tour you went out on?
Richie: We did a tour with
Agent Orange and Scream across the country to California. We played in Tijuana with Soulside. Some of our best shows were in Green Bay, Chicago, Kansas City.
Russ: Detroit was good. Seven people showed up. (Insert sarcasm)
Richie: We just started in the Mid West. Went to the West Coast and played a few shows on the way back. It was kind of an abbreviated tour.
James: Do the scenes out there differ much from here in New York? Russ: More Pickets.
Dean: Less Pitbulls
Richie: More people saying, “Y’all are good.”
James: How many songs do you have in your set now?
Richie: Thirteen or Fourteen.
James: Are you playing any covers?
Russ: We haven’t played in a while but it usually varies. We’re going to come up with some new ones. We used to do a Negative Approach cover. Today we did Pressure Drop by the Clash.
James: I heard you had a record deal and a new album on the way.
What's happening?
Richie: The record label was supposed to be bought out by another record company and it didn’t happen so they folded. We’re talking to a lot of labels. Our future plans are to just record the album. It’s going to be called “Over the Edge.”
James: How did the show go for you today considering the bouncers were controlling the stage and not allowing people to stage dive?
Richie: I’ll tell you something. Even after all that happened today, Dennis (infamous CBGB’s bouncer) came up to me and said that we’re his favorite band. He thinks we’re great and he wants a copy of our live off the board tape. He’s not as bad as everyone thinks he is. The bouncers were a little bit better then they have been in the past. No one got punched or anything.
James: From your experience touring, how would you compare the issues with violence at shows with that of New York City?
Russ: I’d say that other towns have a bigger problem with violence at shows than we have here.
James: How has the band changed since the seven inch?
Richie: It’s gotten better.
James: I heard Ernie Parada (Token Entry) was playing with the band for a stretch. How did that go?
Richie: He just filled in for a couple of shows. He did a great job.
James: What ever happened to your old drummer?
Russ: He moved to Florida. He’s in a band called the Doldrums.
James: What bands and styles have had the most influence on Underdog and your sound?
Richie: It’s really hard to answer that question. We’re into so many different types of music.
There’s really no handful of bands we can mention.
James: What situations influence what you write and sing about?
Richie: I try not to get too specifically political. I write songs about whatever is disturbing me. Whatever is moving me or inspiring me. Each song is completely unique.
They’re not written to any specific format.
(At this time Uncle Al from Murphy’s Law sticks his head in to say hello. A strange sound creeps up from Russ’s belly to his throat and makes the van smell of sausage and beer.)
James: What’s next for Underdog.
Richie: I don’t know. Let me look into my crystal ball.
James: There have been a lot of rumors circulating that your breaking up.
Russ: No, we’re just going to record our album.
Foreward; Underdog still play the occasional show. Richie has reformed Into Another.
While Russ fronts the band huge. They both have a show at Brooklyn's St. Vitus.
The bands anthology 'Matchless' and their self titled 7 inch are available at Bridge 9 .
Go scoop it up. James Damion
1989 was a banner year for me. One year removed from High School. I was back in my hometown of Jackson Heights and had published a whopping thousand copies the second issue of Unite, I was in either the studio or a practice space somewhere in Queens or Manhattan and shared what was my first apartment with a couple of Gorilla Biscuits and the drummer for Beyond. My first car was on it's last leg but still kicking. I was going to shows two, three times a week at places like CBGB's, The Anthrax, The Sundance,
The Right Track Inn and The Pyramid to name just a few. Above all, it was a banner year for two music genres I found myself deeply immersed in, Hip Hop and Hardcore. As I begin to collect my very own, opinionated and albeit flawed list of favorites from 1989. I'll present you with my list of favorite LP's to come out of the bursting NYHC scene twenty five long years ago. Feel free to comment with yours. James Damion
I was sifting through some boxes when I came across some old artwork from my zine Unite. Throughout the fanzines four issue print run and four to five year web existence. I had the honor of featuring some pretty special artists. Civ (Gorilla Biscuits, Civ) designed the logo featured in the first issue. Andrew Monserrate (Wolfpack, Stand Proud) illustrated the cover and much of the art for the second issue and Tim (G.AS.P.) Kucynda drew a number of pieces for the seldom seen third issue. During Unite's time online, a number of people contributed art including some possible T shirt designs from a Tom Farkas. (The Nolan Gate. Davenport Cabinets)
"This is Hardcore 2012" lineup and dates announced. The event is taking place in Philadelphia and is scheduled for August 9-12. Tickets will become available May 17 at 12:00pm. Get them early, go nuts! This is Hardcore Fest
