Latest Posts

Latest Comments

Top 100 Of The Nineties: By The Grace Of God-For The Love Of Indie Rock 7″

By admin on Mar. 2, 2006.

By The Grace Of God
For The Love Of Indie Rock 7”
Victory Records
1996

I remember Victory sending out a newsletter sometime in 1996, probably the summer, about their new releases.  The usual garbage like Snapcase and Earth Crisis had new releases, the One Life Crew controversy was covered, and there was an announcement about a new band called By The Grace Of God.  This band was supposed to have members of Endpoint and apparently had recently played their first show, playing three songs and a Judge cover.  At the time of course crap like Snapcase was huge, real hardcore bands like Devoid Of Faith and Floorpunch were starting to gain momentum, so hearing dudes from Endpoint were doing a band that covered Judge was a good thing.

I got the 7” shortly after.  I was pretty floored by it.  It sounded, by the time period’s standards, pretty “modern” but was still hardcore and a definite return to the older Endpoint style.  Throw in a cover of fucking Plastic Bomb on the CD and I knew this band was good.

I saw them live twice.  One at Manville Elks Lodge with the scab version of Deadguy & C.R.. The other time was of course at the infamous show in Yardley PA.  I actually missed the whole thing!  Our friends in the band Rad opened the show but then Saves The Day was playing so I walked down to the Wawa at the end of the street.  By the time I had come back everything had happened.  Whoops.

By The Grace Of God would go on to record another record for Victory and then one more record on a smaller label.  Members of this band have gone on to be in Black Cross, Good Riddance, and Elliot.

Here is an mp3 of Fissures.

These songs are posted for sample purposes.  I post them so that people can be turned on to cool music and hopefully return the favor for someone else.  Each mp3 will be up for one week and then will be taken down. please support the bands and labels by buying these records and checking them out when they play your town.  DIY hardcore punk bands deserve your support as an alternative to Clear Channel/MTV/RIAA nonsense. 

If you are the artist or copyright holder for this song and would like it removed please email me and it will be removed in a timely manner.

Newz U Can Uze

By admin on Aug. 29, 2005.

Holy crap, a lot of Newz U Can Uze

  • After a couple years of work, Bridge Nine Records is going to be putting out the Schism Fanzine book. I have not had originals of the Schism issues in a couple years, so I am excited to check it out again.
  • In sort of Schism related news, Ronny Little has a new interview with Alex Brown up about Schism’s precursor Loveseat.
  • Porcell is now playing guitar for Bold yet again. I am not really a fan, but good luck to those guys.
  • I am looking forward to the Generations compilation on Revelation Records. There are some great bands on it like Mind Eraser, Robot Whales, and Mental.
  • Scumville is a new UKHC archive. Some of my favorite bands like Voorhees, Heresy, Napalm Death, and Discharge have come from the UK. I hope that this site takes off as Kill From The Heart did.
  • Strange Reaction has had some awesome posts up lately. They have profiled Scared Straight, a favorite Nardcore band of mine. As I note in the comments, Scott Radinsky played pro baseball for the White Sox, Dodgers, and a few other teams. As of a few years ago he owned a skate park in California. He was interviewed for It’s Alive Fanzine and seemed like a very cool dude still. Strange Reaction also has a great post up about Government Issue.
  • Punknews has the fall dates for Henry Rollins’ latest spoken word tour. Hopefully I’ll be hitting up one of the New Jersey shows.
  • Bystander Fanzine has a really awesome interview up with Djini from Absolution. I have always wondered how Djini would be in an interview, and I was not let down by this at all.
  • The Beastie Boys are posting acappella songs on their website to encourage fans to create remixes. They even have a forum for people to talk about and share them. I am not really into or know much about the remix thing, but this sounds cool.
  • Triple Threat has a new website with live mp3’s from their upcoming record.
  • Jello Biafra is going to be doing a 2nd record with The Melvins entitled Sieg Howdy!. I was really into their first record, and was very pleasantly surprised to find out that Jello was the one who came to The Melvins with a lot of the more hardcore (that sound a bit like Bl’ast! I think) sounding songs. Also coming from Alternative Tentacles this fall is a new record from Articles of Faith singer Vic Bondi. Punknews has all the info here.
  • Signifying Nothing’s friend Bart from Ghent Decontrol Fanzine has started his own music blog. So far, he has a preview of his latest issue (NYHC Tribute) and there is more to come. Looks good.
  • Ladies From Neptune has an interview up with the old band Heibel. Good stuff; check them out if you have not.
  • Meanwhile, across the hardcore blogsphere, check out these posts on The Master Tape Compilation, Deadguy, Gastunk, and The Angry Samoans.

Parade Brigade #2 Intro Bust

By admin on Aug. 11, 2005.

These are our personal pages from Parade Brigade #2. Again, mine is very brief.

#2

All I have to say is it’s good to be back! It has been a really long time between issues, shit happens, things just get in the way. In the future we will hopefully be doing this more often. Things have been hectic and priorities change. I can no longer spend 24/7 on hardcore even though I somehow get sucked into doing it sometimes. Hardcore is in my blood, this is the kind of thing which will keep me involved in the scene. I love doing a zine and hopefully I will be doing a lot more with this in the future. This fanzine is dedicated to the memory of Sean Patrick McCabe.

Bill XXX

Playlist-

Radiohead-OK Computer
Atlas Shrugged-LP
American Nightmare-7”
Fit For Abuse-7”
The Killing Flame-Another Breathe LP
The Abused-7”
Quicksand-Slip LP
The Verve-Urban Hymns
Suicidal Tendencies-LP
Negative Approach-All
Negative FX-LP
No For An Answer-All
Supertouch-WNYU
411-WFMU
Rorschach-Protestant
True Blue-Demo
Integrity-In Contrast of Sin
Bikini Kill-The Singles
Kristin Hersh
-Strange Angels
Le Tigre
-First CD

 

____________________________________________________________________________________

We finished this up before the start of the next millennium, but I don’t think we’re gonna be able to get out another one until the summer of 3030. Seriously, this thing has sat on the backburner for quite a while now. Obviously, time is an issue. No one has enough of it, especially when you are an expert on procrastination like me. You may recognize that this issue is a lot shorter than the first one. Believe it or not, it’s not because we’re lazy. Bill thought it would be a good idea to cut out the filler and strengthen the content. I think it’s a change for the better and I hope you agree. Our good friend Justin made some contributions to this issue, which has made things a lot more interesting. He’s a character, to say the least, and an all around good guy. Enjoy.

John XXX

Playlist for Fall 2000

Black Sabbath-All
Cro Mags
-Hard Times In An Age Of Quarrel
Straight Ahead
-All
Sunny Day Real Estate
-LP2
The Nerve Agents
-Days Of The White Owl
KRS One
-A Retrospective
Rorschach
-Protestant
Krakdown
-WNYU
The Who
-All
Burn
-EP
Mos Def
-Black On Both Sides
Eyehategod
-Dopesick
De La Soul
-De La Soul Is Dead
U2
-All That You Can Leave Behind
The Basis for this essay was a reply I made to a discussion on the Rev board about whether or not hardcore is real. It was an interesting topic and a fascinating discussion. I would say the majority of people who replied to this discussion said that hardcore isn’t real. Here’s my take on the subject-

Is hardcore real? I think that’s a silly question. EVERYTHING IS REAL. To me, whatever you experience is real. When I was in tenth grade, hardcore was the most important thing in my life. I was always a good student, but even that seemed fruitless. Sure, I might get into a nice college and get a decent job, but that seemed so remote and austere. What seemed more real was the picture of Side By Side on the inside of my The Way It Is tape that I listened to almost everyday on the bus ride to school. Thinking about the show all week was more important than wondering where I ranked on the high school popularity scale. Of course, everyone believes that their subculture is in the right and everyone else is crazy. I guess the majority of people I went to high school with thought the football game or the kegger was more important than going to Fieldsboro to see Floorpunch and Ignite. I obviously didn’t. Yes hardcore is an escape, but that doesn’t necessarily make it trivial.

I will agree that hardcore is very much outside the rules and regulations of society. Every kid reading this zine must admit that the way you conduct yourselves in conventional society and the scene are very different. There is no established government in the hardcore scene to which everyone is held accountable. We just make up things as we go along, but that’s the way it was in 1982, and that’s the way it is now. Sure, there are certain conventions and values that have emerged over time, but even these are not strictly obeyed. It’s hard not to notice the basic dichotomy that exists in hardcore. For every song about loyalty and friendship, there is one about backstabbing. If someone were to sit down and try to assemble a coherent picture of hardcore, they would end up tearing their hair out.

Still, no one can deny the impact of hardcore on his/her life. It’s impossible to keep one’s life in the outside world and one’s life in the hardcore world apart. Look at how many kids have become vegetarians because they found out about it through hardcore. I might have never become a vegetarian if I never heard No More or met the people I did. How about straight edge? Sure, it’s a “hardcore thing,” but eventually someone asks you why you don’t drink and what do you say? Your religion forbids you to do so? I certainly don’t mosh everywhere (well, almost everywhere) but I’m not ashamed to let people know what I’m about. And when you get down to it, one’s definition of reality is completely subjective. This is more a metaphysical argument than anything. Sure, walking down the street having someone attack you, and leaving them in a pool of blood might not be the life you lead, but does that make it any more or less real? Ask Harley or Bloodclot whether or not it’s real. I don’t think anyone can devote their lives to hardcore. Everyone grows out of it little by little. As sad as it is to say, I have. It’s hardly my sole identity nowadays, although it’s influence will always be felt. If you say it doesn’t really matter in the grand scheme of things, you’re kidding yourself. If it was part of your life, it’s undoubtedly real.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Welcome to my intro, how’s it going? I guess you’re wondering what this kid Ferret’s deal is right (probably not, but I do look good in a thong, was that your thought, wrong again? FUCK YOU!)? Here’s my background: I’m white, suburban, and have a constant smile on my face because my mom makes the best lemonade=the perfect mix for a prospective serial killer. However, my neighbors will never tell you how nice of a guy I was. I’m sort of jaded with the hardcore scene and love my Filipino girlfriend. When I talk about therapy don’t take me seriously because I’ve had plenty of talks about that with my therapist. I always wanted to do a zine, but never had the time. This will be my contribution, I guess, yes perhaps. Did I mention I have an obsession with green tea? Anyways, back to the zine, don’t laugh at the Rain On The Parade interview. It was my first interview and I was anxious. If you think that it is bad, you should check out my Fastbreak interview sessions. I think the reason why they suck so bad now is because I scared the hardcore out of them. If you read this, then I give you cred. If not, I give you the most respect (I don’t blame you!). I need a nap now-end communication.

Playlist-
Led Zeppelin
Converge
Eddie Brandon
Swing Kids
Buddy Holly
Jimmy Eat World
Deadguy
Rain On The Parade
Transmeggetti
Demon Speed
Ipekac
Don Ito
The Cars
Cave In
Rorschach
Coalesce
Napalm Death
Turning Point
Get Up Kids
Brutal Truth
Dillinger Escape Plan
Ink & Dagger
Rush
Canephora
Crucible
Token Entry
Bad Brains
Cro-Mags

Parade Brigade #1

By admin on Aug. 2, 2005.

This is our personal pages from Parade Brigade #1. Nothing much to say here. The Spazz interview was actually in #1 (but the H-Street interview we mention later on wasn’t, huh?). The Kill Your Idols, Speak 714, Purpose, and Nerve Agents interviews are still unreleased to this day. We never got around to interviewing In My Eyes.

Parade Brigade #1
Well, well, a new zine. John and I have combined forces and are now doing a zine together. ITBOAE is dead; not that anyone gives a fuck, but hey why not mention it? I figure fuck, I am the negative one usually so I will let John do all the positive bullshit. I hope that since we are now a *team* that we will be able to bust this shit out more often. I would like, ideally, to do one of these every two to three months. However, John is even more of a nerd than I am, so school always comes first. This issue has Floorpunch, DRI, Arms Reach, The Judas Iscariot, Ensign, and 97a. Look for the next issue to hit trendy bookstores and Camelot’s near you in a few months with Spazz, Kill Your Idols, H-Street, Speak 714, The Purpose, In My Eyes, The Nerve Agents, and Unit Pride.

Playlist-Beyond, Neurosis, Quicksand, Samiam, Floorpunch, Raw Power, SSD, DYS, Impact Unit, Negative Approach, 411, Arms Reach, Negative FX, Full Speed Ahead, Fit For Abuse, 97a, Deadguy, Token Entry, Mainstrike, Anti-Heroes, One Sided War, Killing Time

Thank You List-

Jay Fisher, OAYC, Mickey, D-Tox, Joe OZ, The MPC, Jenn West, Aaron L, Clay, Dan and Melissa Scheme, No Contest, Tears of Frustration, Chris Oliver and The Purpose, The Disturbed, Tim and Traci, David K, Floorpunch, Geoff TDT, Scooter, Brett, SOV, Sue Stormshadow, Greg Miller, Chris Alpino, Adrienne, Gordo and The Parting Shot, Fred Hammer, XClaim! and all of Australia, Crucial Response Records, Highscore, H-Street, Clevo Kids, Susan Wills, Cynthia, Spike and DRI, Sweet Pete and all of Boston, 97a, Reach The Sky, Amanda Cajano, Kill Your Idols, Full Speed Ahead, Fired Up! and all the others…

John
Welcome to the first issue of Parade Brigade Fanzine. This is my first “real attempt” at doing a fanzine, but putting out a fanzine is something I’ve always wanted to do. In 11th grade my friend Justin and I started up a fanzine called We’re Not Gonna Take It. We did interviews with Rain On The Parade and No Redeeming Social Value, but that was about as far as we went. Usually, we would spend too much time skating and hanging out at the shore, and not enough time cutting and pasting. We’re Not Gonna Take It was eventually buried in the illustrious heap of unfinished hardcore fanzines.

Although my initial effort fell flat, putting out a zine remained an unfulfilled dream. Recently, I had the inspiration to start a new fanzine in hopes of bolstering the somewhat anemic Jersey hardcore scene. I wanted to give recognition to the bands I love and construct something that represents my ideas and opinions. Unfortunately, I would have probably just wasted paper on something that I would never finish.

Bill, on the other hand, is an experienced and successful zinester. He began by doing a zine called Assimilation or Oblivion (whose only memory is preserved by Ocean County diehards and of all people Rick Healey). After A or O, Bill worked on What Was Said, In The Blink Of An Eye, and Broken Behind This Wall. Each of these zines delivered Bill’s caustic indictments of the hardcore community and each one included a title stolen from a classic NJHC record. Just when Bill was ready to kick off his next project, Going To AC On A Saturday Night Fanzine, he realized the joke was over and it was time to move on. Therefore, Bill and I teamed up to present you Parade Brigade Fanzine – a clever ploy to cash in on the success of Rain On The Parade and The Bad Brains.

Bill
and I have discussed our goals for the zine at length. Bill and I differ in a few respects, but we share the same idea of what a good hardcore fanzine is supposed to be. We especially want each to be released within a specified period. In other words, we do not want there to be huge gaps between release dates; so we intend to stay on the ball. Consistency is also very important to us. Too many zines gradually decline after the first issue. The following scenario is all too typical: the first issue of the zine includes interviews with Floorpunch and Mainstrike, but by the time the third issue surfaces they are interviewing Morrissey and Gravity Records. I know that many zine editors want their zines to be diverse and open minded, but hardcore means one thing to us. To some people that may seem narrow minded, but perhaps the kids today are too permissive. A hardcore fanzine should have hardcore bands in it.

Lastly, I want our zine to be honest and real. Parade Brigade Fanzine will never contain artsy backgrounds or lugubrious prose. We will never overload our zines with pretensions or skirt away from unpopular statements. Parade Brigade Fanzine will never be about “softened commitments designed to please the crowds.” If there is something that needs to be said, I will say it, in the face of laughter or resentment. I would never go out of my way to offend anyone, but I will never dilute my statements to avoid offending our audience. It seems very odd that I’m making all of these qualifying remarks when Bill is at least a hundred times more sarcastic and critical than me, but I just want people to know what we stand for. There is only one thing left to say: here’s your warning…

© 2012 - Signifying Nothing
Designed by Shauryadeep Chaudhuri
Coded by XHTML Valid

Powered by WordPress