All this music; Citizens Arrest Vinyl Find

Though I may have stopped in at Singles Going Steady during my first visit to Seattle during my May visit to Seattle. I stopped short of making any purchases due to my fear of return flight and the fear of damage while in transit. A hard choice considering how many friends names, images and personal memories stared me right in the face. Some of whom I've called friends since childhood and my teens. Some of which I've grown to know from social media and reunions. While knowing I'd soon return as a newly transplanted resident.  The chance that those two Citizens Arrest records would be gone were pretty high.

Still in the first days of my new life as a WA resident. I was happy to find out that same record store I visited back in My was a seemingly short walk from my temporary digs on Taylor Ave.I took what tuned out to be a short walk over to Singles Going Steady to see what I could find. From the moment I walked in the door. I felt as if I had been transported to long gone days digging for Hardcore records in New York City. Everything from the Bad Brains "Live at CBGB's 1982" DVD to the many reiusses of classics from bands ranging  from Agnostic Front to Warzone. It wasn't long before I located the two Citizens Arrest records you see below. It wasn't until I brought those records to the counter that I found out the man running the store was a veteran of the early NYHC scene. Before I headed out. We were talking about bands like Reagan Youth and Urban Waste and why we thought their reunions were a joke. In the end. I can definitely see myself sending these back east to an old friend whose photographs are all over these.Only time will tell.

I've posted links to both records, as well as a live set. I highly recommend you checking them out. While the words "Savage" and "Brutal" come to mind. I, myself would have a hard time better describing their approach to Hardcore Punk.

Wardance Records

Citizens Arrest on LastFM

 

 

 

"Demo-Lition" Opening Night Images and Thoughts

Last night Freddy Alva and Eric Wielander celebrated the opening of their installment of the "Demo-Lition" Exhibit with a packed house at the East Village's L'Asso. Featured were a collection of demos and demo art from the colorful 80's, early 90's Hardcore and Punk scene. Featured were demos from such classic bands as The Cro-mags, Breakdown, Violent Children, Sheer Terror, Born Against, NYC Mayhem, Youth of Today and many, many more. The entire show was put together with the greatest of care and looked impressive to say the very least. There were also demo art from many of Hardcore's the less than household names including Our Gang, All For One and Stand Proud. Some of the demos were accompanied by anecdotes by the bands. Something that added a especially personal touch to the whole affair.

Stand Proud guitarist Andrew Monseratte also created the cover  for Unite Fanzine's 2nd issue.

Familiar faces that included Rich Derespina and Ed Sayago (All For One), Hobi & Carol Klapuri and Lew Dimmick (Our Gang), Al Gaydos (Dog Tired, The Deviators), Brian Musikoff (Stuyvesant) and
Eric McGuire made my intention of stopping by for a few minutes to sticking around for a few hours. Running into John Hiltz (Born Against, GreyHouse) after almost twenty years and talking about his infamous basement shows was one of many highlights of my night. Congratulations to Eric & Freddy for a job well done. The work and thought that went into this really showed.  Now get your ass down to  L'Asso's before it's gone.
James Damion

Al & Brian 

Left to Right; Eric, Kristine, Brian

Left to Right; Hobi, John, Rich 

Former Born Against Frontman Sam McPheeters to Read From His New Novel 'The Loom of Ruin"

This Monday night April 2nd former Born Against frontman and current novelist Sam McPheeters will be appearing at St. Marks Books in the East Village to do a reading from his new book titled 'The Loom of Ruin'. St. Marks Books has the reading scheduled from 7:00 - 9:00 PM. The reading will be followed by a cross country reading and spoken word tour that finishes up in Los Angeles CA. on May 30th. If you can't make it to the reading you can purchase a physical copy or download Sam's new book on his website. James Damion

SamMcPheeters.com
St. Marks Books

"The Loom Of Ruin: A Novel Trang Yang is an angry, angry, angry man, neurologically incapable of any emotion but rage. He's also L.A.'s most successful gas station franchise owner. But no one can quite seem to figure out what makes him tick. Not the LAPD, who have long since granted him full immunity. Not his boss, who scrutinizes him with covert psychologists. Not the corporate spies who infiltrate his stations. And certainly not the encroaching FBI, who know only that Trang is involved in something big and dangerous and that time is running out. The Loom Of Ruin is Sam McPheeters' first novel."