Ferret’s Review: Outlast-Take Control
By admin on Apr. 2, 2011.
Outlast
Take Control 7″
Bottled Up Records
A Straight Edge band from New Jersey that sounds like Youth of Today- what is this, 1997? Despite the sarcasm, this is not at all bad. They remind me more of Committed or Ten Yard Fight than Floorpunch. Gang style backups, nice breakdowns, and posi lyrics throughout. Just wish they were more creative with their song titles; they sound a bit generic. For what they do, they do it well. Favorite track = “Power for Change”.
Smash & Grab
By admin on Mar. 4, 2009.
Pictures courtesy of Start Today Fanzine
(Nice Hardware Fanzine shirt on me)
This show was hyped up for awhile as I recall. Smash & Grab was the new band for three members of Floorpunch together with members of Shark Attack and American Nightmare. Yeah, we were pretty curious. Bane and No Warning also played along with a couple others. I think I headed to this show with Jay Fisher and maybe Jim Lundy and a few other friends of ours. Smash & Grab had shirts for sale before they played and I got a chance to catch up with a bunch of friends who I had not seen in awhile. Around this time period (early 2002) I think I kind of vanished from shows at different points.
I recall the band Embrace Today covering Guilty Of Being White. Uh huh. There was some drama at the time about them covering it at a show with some white power skins attending too I think. They also covered an Anthrax (not the excellent UK band, the shitty metal one) song or intro or something.
All of us packed up front for Smash & Grab’s set. I made a point of packing my micro recorder so that I could tape their set. This turn out to be smart as they never played another show.
Smash & Grab took the stage and busted into their intro. A few people moved around, I think I might dove and landed on my ass awkwardly, but most people just watched in anticipation. Their sound was a bit different from Floorpunch reminding me at times of Murphy’s Law, and Burn in one song. After a short set, and no covers strangely enough, they were done.
Some of these songs would end up on the Anger Regiment record on Bridge 9. There are interesting bits in some of the songs, but I don’t think I have listened to it since it came out.
In other news, Intro/Changes is the best Straight Edge song ever.
So here is a zip file of their set from that night. The vocals are pretty low, but you get the idea. I think it is a interesting piece of NJHC ephemera.
Another note: No Warning also played this show…at the time, I was working out a big tape trade with one of their band members (Matt Delong I think?) and it had hit a couple of snags. I was palling around with a friend of theirs in this time period, who I seem to have totally lost track of, so I talked to them about it and got everything settled. Man, I am so happy with the way things go today. People just send zip files back and forth and it is over.
I’m not really a fan, but I packed up front to check them out. No Warning get ready and bust into the Outburst intro. Yes! That got the place moving. They played a decent set, which ended with a Raw Deal cover…I think? Like I said, I’m not really a fan but they sounded good and people totally went off.
We left before Bane played. I don’t think it was anything against them, but we checked out and headed back to the shore.
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Loud & Clear-Self Titled
By admin on Sep. 5, 2006.
Loud & Clear
Self Titled LP
Powered Records
Loud & Clear are a new band with members of Dead Stop & Justice. Not surprisingly based on their namesake, Loud & Clear remind me a lot of The Abused and later 1980′s Straight Edge hardcore like Youth of Today and Brotherhood. Incidentally this also reminds me a bit of the XClaim! demo I helped distribute/put out back in the late nineties. In an era of slick youth crew bands with absolutely no substance this record is pretty raw sounding. This record is exactly what this genre should be sounding like in 2006. I highly recommend this one.
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The First Step-What We Know
By admin on Jun. 12, 2006.
The First Step
What We Know LP
Rivalry Records
I’ve always been pretty lukewarm towards The First Step. Live I have always enjoyed them but on record they are pretty flat sounding. Maybe it is my growing boredom with this style? Well, much like Tragedy last week, this is a record that has been hyped to death. Add that to the fact that Wally from Gorilla Biscuits produced it has left the kids salivating for this one. Well, Wally producing a record does nothing for because that dude hasn’t done anything I like since about 1990 or so. Doesn’t he play crappy indie pop shit now? Ugh. The First Step play 1988 inspired youth crew hardcore that reminds me a lot of the second Insted LP What We Believe. If I was straight edge, sixteen, and hyped up on positive hardcore, I think I would love this record. However, sadly, I am twenty-six, haven’t been straight edge for a long time, and am totally burnt out on this stuff. I can definitely hear Wally’s influence on this too; a lot of these songs sound like unreleased Gorilla Biscuits songs. By the end of side one I was pretty bored with this. If you like this kind of thing though, I think you are gonna love this record.
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Top 100 Of The Nineties: Statue-Filter The Infection
By admin on Mar. 16, 2006.
Statue
Filter The Infection 12”
Revelation Records
1994
I hesitated to buy this for a long time when I was a teenager. I had heard it was members of Chain of Strength but a lot melodic and emo sounding. I wondered if this was another record that may have “shaken a few nails loose” if you know what I mean. Finally, I bit the bullet and picked the record up. I couldn’t be more pleasantly surprised. Statue manage to sound like they came from DC circa 1987 but with enough hardcore still in them to please the youth crew crowd. This is way better than Chain of Strength that is for sure!
I remember the band Parting Shot covering Fueling once here in New Jersey. John and I were so surprised we totally flipped out. Someone once told me there is a video of that out there.
This is still available via Revelation Records. There is a CD of their demo when they were called Something To Say, but that is out of print as far as I know (??).
Here is an mp3 of Reflecting Seductions.
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 month 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.
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