Absolution Reunion
By admin on Sep. 22, 2008.
For the first time in a very long time I drove up to this show with my friend John. We hit a ton of rain on the way up but, thankfully, by the time we got to New York City it was gone besides some lightning. John and I caught up on what each other was up to and laughed at the antics of the world around us.
On the way up we listened to Dave K’s 1988-1990 NYHC mix.
Upon arriving in Hoboken and trying to find a parking spot for probably around twenty to thirty minutes I quickly realized why I can’t stand that city. Yuppies and “norms” everywhere going to bars and other social gathering. On the way home we had to watch adults stumble out of bars bombed out of their minds. Pathetic. Thankfully, we went directly to the PATH train and got to 9th street pretty quickly where we met up with our friend Dave.
A cab ride later we were in front of the club. I have seen a variety of bands at The Knitting Factory, from 7 Seconds to Kristin Hersh’s solo act. These days I am not really a people person, even worse than before, so when we got in the club I tried to make my way inside as quick as possible to check out whoever was playing.
We ended up getting inside while Maximum Penalty was setting us, which was fine by me. I had not seen MP in many years (I think the last time was in 1996 with Hogan’s Heroes and Vision…) so I did not know what to expect from them. The records they released in the nineties weren’t too hot but I love their demo from 1989, which is one of the best attempts at combining Bad Brains style hardcore with Alleyway Crew style mosh parts.
Despite some new songs that were a bit on the long side, I thought MP played well enough. They busted out most of the demo plus the songs from the Blackout! compilation. A huge pile on for Acceptance ended their set in excellent fashion.
Now this a reunion I just did not think I would ever see. After that haphazardly put together discography CD in the late 90′s (98? 99?) I perceived bad blood between band members and the chance of a reunion being near zero. I made my way up front and slid off to the side where some friends stood so I would be out of the way of the kickboxing (take it back to the nineties, please) and other jerky bullshit. My original plans had been to dance and dive and generally have fun but after running earlier in the day my stomach never settled (at the time I was a little under the weather) so I decided to pass. Soon enough Gavin came out along with Sergio (Collapse, Quicksand), who was filling in on bass, and their fill in drummer Doug (formerly of Slapshot, Speak 714, and other bands).
After a few minutes of tuning Djinji came out to a rather loud round of applause. Quickly they were flying into As We Are (no intro?!?) and from there they proceeded to play a pretty good set. In the beginning they were a little sloppy but that changed after a few songs. For some reason Gavin’s guitar was really, really, low in the mix for a handful of songs as well. Djinji had great things to say between songs and the band went off hard.
I was hoping on the way out to find Djinji so I could mention how much I appreciate his father’s playing with John Coltrane on the Ascension album, but the band had disappeared into the backstage area. Ascension is one of my favorite Coltrane albums. There is an excellent reissue CD from a few years back which combines both versions (as the story goes, I guess, one version came out but was recalled and the second version was then released in subsequent pressings) onto one CD. I tend to like the second version (they are long suites) more, but you can’t go wrong with either one.
After getting the cold shoulder from a few long time “friends” I decided to go find Dave and John and start heading back to New Jersey. We ended up at the World Trade Center PATH station and from there parted ways and headed home. Absolution and Maximum Penalty are playing ABC No Rio in a few weeks. I don’t think I am going to be able to make it, but I would advise others to check them out while they can. There are rumors of a more organized discography CD in the works as well.
Signifying Nothing Episode Zero
By admin on Apr. 21, 2006.
Signifying Nothing Episode Zero
Playlist
Cro Mags-It’s The Limit
Rorschach-In The Year Of Our Lord
Black Flag-I’ve Got To Run
Neurosis-Stripped
BGK-Arms Race
Cadgers-Punanen Vaara
Integrity-Darkness
Calvary-Revenant
Adrenalin OD-Trans Am
7 Seconds-In Your Face
Breakdown-Street Fight
All Chrome-Cap Log
Government Warning-Ghost Town
Boris-Woman Of Screen
Voices Forming Weapons-Machine Gun Tongue
Kristin Hersh-Your Dirty Answer
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
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Kristin Hersh
By admin on Jan. 16, 2006.
Kristin Hersh is one of my favorite people ever. I love her solo work and her work in the incredible Throwing Muses. Her blog is great; she talks about family, friends, and her music. Her most recent entry, about her family getting ready for tour (she brings her family on tour…cool!) is hilarious and has this story in the middle:
We drove across the country one summer when we all had shaved heads (August in New Orleans’ll make anybody reach for the razor) and people seemed to think we were a tiny cult. The kids wanted to play this up by only referring to each other as “Brother” and “Sister” but that’s because they’re not scared of anything (they say they got the idea from the Berenstain Bears — which they always thought was a little creepy). That whole trip, waitresses would drop our pancakes on the table and skitter away before we…I don’t know, recruited them I guess, and this worried us. We much prefer the safety of invisibility.
Ha! The Berenstain Bears part is the best part.
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Parade Brigade #3
By admin on Aug. 30, 2005.
Parade Brigade #3 was thrown together in about 72 hours and it shows. John and I were driving to school on a Wednesday morning and I suddenly just had to have it out for a show that Friday evening. Both interviews in this issue (Fit For Abuse + Shark Attack) were done sometime that week and most of it was haphazardly laid out the night before at about
This would be the end for Parade Brigade Fanzine. A variety of personal and interpersonal problems would cause this zine to cease to exist. I remember Bob Shedd asking me at a show sometime in the summer if the next issue was ready yet and John turned to him and said something like “we still do that zine?” Doh.
John and I did most of the work this time around. Our friend Ryan did some reviews and helped me with layout and copying. At this point Justin was pretty much out of “the scene,” so he bailed on helping this time around. I wish I had gotten him more involved, now more than ever. These days having someone like Ferret to do a fanzine with would be a fucking honor.
John’s “confession” about breaking edge drew a bit of criticism and a few letters. None of them was overly negative, but it was still amusing.
We never interviewed Out Cold and Voices Forming Weapons broke up before we could get to them. I did interview The Nerve Agents but it remains unreleased to this day. John did an interview with Carry On that would also have been included.
On Parade…
Only four months between issues? Could it really happen? Yeah, welcome back to The Parade Brigade Fanzine. With the recent rise in shows and good bands popping up we will be doing this zine on a more consistent basis I think. It is very frustrating when there is no one to read your zine and even more frustrating when there are no bands you really want to be associated with. This zine has always been about supporting hardcore punk and always will be. It’s hard to put out a zine when you think most of the kids and bands around you are completely full of shit. It is even harder to put out a zine when those same kids spend an enormous amount of time dissing you and trying to pull freshman Psych 101 shit with your mind. That said, why should I let a bunch of little shit-heads ruin it for me? The ones who talk the biggest game always fall the hardest. Fuck em all man, who needs them. The big space of time between issues one and two was spent growing up a lot. I know myself I went through a lot of changes and I know the rest of The Parade Brigade staff did the same. I think we are a lot more focused and way stronger right now. Nothing has changed other than the length of each issue really. We have stripped down the bullshit and each issue will now be ten pulse-pounding pages. This format is much easier for us to navigate so you will see a lot more of us in the future. I would also like us to be more socially conscious in the future, which will become a lot more apparent starting next issue. Please consider going vegetarian if you haven’t already and please vote pro choice. Fuck the moral majority that is creeping back into hardcore.
Bill Wend
3/24/01
The Winter 00-01 Playlist
Youth of Today-All
Ignition-Complete Services
Outburst-Miles To Go
Gang Starr-Full Clip
Killing Flame-Another Breath
Cro Mags-Demo + Age of Quarrel
Faith-Side of split
Fit For Abuse-Mindless Violence
Shark Attack-Blood In The Water
Champion-Demo
Verbal Assault-Trial
No For An Answer-Hawker Show Tape
Pagan Babies-Next
SSD-Get It Away
Speak 714-Knee Deep In Guilt
Kristin Hersh-Strings
Pearl Jam-Ten
Mouthpiece-What Was Said
DYS-Brotherhood
Big thanks to Christina Garcia for the pictures! Thanks to Charlie Fogel for the cover art.
Look for Parade Brigade #4 in June with Out Cold, The Nerve Agents, and Voices Forming Weapons.
I guess for other people it’s easy to move on after they have fallen off the edge, but not for me. I think it’s because straight edge was never just a trend that I followed or a label that just stuck. As cliché and corny as it may sound, straight edge was for me a way of life. It was something that I could always count on so that adjustment is pretty hard. Then there is always the matter of how will people treat you now that you’re not straight edge anymore, especially the people you know who are still straight edge. Will they treat you the same or will they think you’re a hypocrite? Will they treat you like a pariah now or accept you for who you are? It’s definitely weird telling people that you’re no longer straight edge. You try to gauge their reactions, but the way some people respond is very surprising. I expected to lose respect from a lot of my friends or at least get the cold shoulder from some people. Most of my friends have been pretty understanding and I’m thankful for that.
I have dealt with the social ramifications of not being straight edge anymore, but there are other issues that remain. Most important among those issues is how does one approach the philosophical dilemma left in the wake. After spending almost six years of my life abstaining from those chemicals and speaking out against them, one feels like a goddamn hypocrite. Still, you can’t live your life feeling guilty or even regretful. So what happens next? Well, I’ve decided to give up on metaphysics. I thought straight edge was the one rock solid foundation in my life, and if you can’t depend on the one thing that you counted on the most then you’re in deep shit. But even more, you realize that as life goes on and gets more complicated, there’s no such thing as a firm foothold in this world… not even straight edge. The only thing you can really depend on is yourself and your ability to choose. Straight edge is probably the healthiest way to live your life, but it’s just an idea. It’s a good start, but it cannot function as a moral code. So to place straight edge above everything else is ridiculous. I’ll remain true till death, but only if that means staying true to myself and not some ideology.
John Piorkowski
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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.
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
Turning Point
Get Up Kids
Brutal Truth
Dillinger Escape Plan
Ink & Dagger
Rush
Canephora
Crucible
Token Entry
Bad Brains
Cro-Mags
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