The Repos/Auslander/Known Abuser/some Clevo noise band at the Bunker, 9/5/14

Show review: The Repos/Auslander/Known Abuser/Cleveland noise act, at the Bunker, September 5^th, 2014

Now, this was a weird show, and it would eventually be in a good way.  I spent 3 hours driving around at my job, and another 3 driving to Grand Rapids from Detroit- the long drive was enough, not to mention the freak storm that knocked out a bunch of power all over the state later on, that I drove right fucking through.  Eventually, I made it to Grand Rapids for a record store trip (got a nice haul), a stop at a local pizza place (surprisingly good), and a show.

The show starts around 10:30, which is way later than usual for a Grand Rapids show (usually, these are dead on time, short sets, everyone's up and out of there in time to get 8 hours of sleep and go to work in the morning).  The first band (not sure if it was Broth or if it was a band who replaced them) was some noise project that seemed like it was straight out of a college art class- take elements that don't usually mix together, and mix them together, and call it art.  The problem with this, is that it sucked, even from a "broaden your horizons" perspective.  Some noise isn't too bad, some of it is even good- but this, this seemed so contrived and by-the-book for a musical endeavor that I couldn't take it seriously, but they did leave me a nice opportunity to nod off and get some rest.

The second band went on maybe 10 minutes after the first one, so I thought it might be flowing really well, as per usual for a G.R. show.  Known Abuser went on, and they did a fucking HAUNTING cover of "How Much Art Can You Take" (by SSD) that rivaled the original.  The originals were not far removed from the style of the Repos, to the point of where I thought I was watching the Repos and was waiting for them to do some songs that I knew, which never happened outside of the first song.  So, with this in mind, I was kinda bummed, and wandered around looking for people I knew, only to find that there weren't much of any friendly faces at that point.

I retired back to the couch for the third band, Auslander, who played this really rhythmic "out with the boys" kind of Oi!  Not bad for what it was, but given that I was very tired and the music was kind of dry and mundane (like most Oi!, mind you), I quit paying much in the way of attention.  I'd like to see these guys in Detroit, I feel as though they'd have quite a bit more ability to interest the crowds here.

After an hour and a half of waiting for the Repos to go on, I was about to leave, since I had to work in the morning and had a 2.5 hour drive ahead of me.  I noticed that a drummer was setting up equipment, but it seemed like everyone had filed out like the show was over, so I went upstairs to piss to see if that was indeed the case.  It kind of looked like it, but I held out hope for a few more minutes until I could buy some much-needed Repos merch.  I did this, and I noticed more people filing back down and more band members setting up.  FUCKING FINALLY!  The Repos were going on!

They were of course the last band of the night, and there was no explanation given as to why they went on late.  They went on, and blasted away their demented 80s-style fast/faster/fastest hardcore punk, the way I've always envisioned it.  Though I didn't know a few of the songs they did, I did know a few of them, "Valium Coccoon", "Pig Acts", and I think they also did "Kids Don't Care".  It was brief, but energetic, volatile, yet friendly and welcoming, the way a hardcore/punk set should be.

Also, after the set was over, I ran into the folks in Snakes and Detain (some of the nicest folks I know, and some of the only Grand Rapids people I'm fond of), and had a merry time with them until I had to depart for Detroit.  It was worth the long drives and sleep deprivation the next day.

-Aunty Social

Ghoul Gang X-Mas show review- 12/18/12 at the Magic Stick

Ghoul Gang X-Mas show review- December 18^th, 2012 at the Magic Stick

Freedom, Retribution, Weed Nap, Heat Lightning, From Hell, Build & Destroy, Face Reality, Ghoul Gang, and Rzl Dzl

As a stacked local line-up, I just knew I had to be at this.  As such, I took the day off work and caught a ride down there.  As I arrived, sound check for Freedom was just starting.  Thankfully, I was right on time.

Freedom went on a couple of minutes later, the first to do so.  They blasted through a quick set of youth crew-influenced powerviolence, or vice versa, whatever is suited to the subjective definition of the band’s sound (in other words, whichever YOU like more).  Fast and very short, the songs hardly eclipse a minute, if that.  Some of the band’s newer song stretched on for a bit longer than that, but make no mistake- this is definitely hardcore that everyone has time for.  Singer Denny has a strong voice that manages to mix both the mile-a-minute powerviolence sound with the rough, tough, slower youth crew sound.  It’ll take one longer to fap than to listen to a set by these guys, so no doubt, do the latter before the former, if at all separately.

Next was Retribution, who have been playing out more as of late, following a mild hibernation that has clearly led to the band becoming far more energized.  The set they did this time around, though not as stellar as the ones they’ve done recently (opening for Expire, Trial, and Twitching Tongues, respectively), was still pretty solid.  The material on their “Consumed” 7” is always energetic live, and some of their newer stuff, particularly the one about gay marriage and the moral clusterfuck churches seem to be preoccupied with at the moment, are even harder-hitting.  After a few years of sporadic activity and only a demo released, it seems that Kenny Smith and Retribution are at long last moving forward and accumulating much-deserved fans of their 90s-style straight-edge hardcore.

Weed Nap followed after this, jamming out their brand of funky, janky party punk.  This was some weird music, yet it was some very interesting stuff.  Still in its early development stages, I anticipate a decent EP to come out soon.  Think garage, janky, funky, punky.  Close enough.

After them came Heat Lightning, a band play jam music in the punkiest way possible.  This is definitely not music to have to read the lyrics to or soak in all the vibes, art, and meaning of the band to, but it is absolutely high quality, fun music to listen to.  I was not disappointed with it, I’ll put it that way.  Some music is to be taken in with absolute seriousness and the vibe/aesthetic to be fully absorbed, and other music is meant to be taken lightly, to be enjoyed, and be played loudly at parties.  This is the latter, and I couldn’t be happier with it.  Jam these jams.

After Heat Lightning was From Hell, who radiated dark energy with their slower, demonic style of hardcore.  Their brand of punk rock, though different from the more positive and fun styles of their friends, was strangely fitting.  The rearing of a dark, ugly sound has been a staple for Detroit for quite some time, and the current harbinger of this sound is From Hell, who have been around since roughly 2010, sludging it up with a demo and currently working on a 7”.

Build and Destroy came on next, and seemed as though they had improved since I last took notice of them around two years ago (at the Refuge benefit show in November ’10).  Sporting a party-style 90s hardcore with a subtle hip-hop influence, the band was very crowd-friendly, two-steps and gang vocals all around- the locals definitely seemed to know the words to the songs.  This is fascinating, as the band (to my knowledge, at least) has only a demo a good circulation of fans who spread the word, from Detroiters to, uh… Philadelphians, I guess, would be the word.  These guys do live up to the hype, so long as you understand that the music isn’t excessively serious or unique- it’s just fun hardcore.

Next came Face Reality, who is one of the best bands to come out of Michigan punk-wise in a long time.  The band came out full-force, and save for a couple moments where singer James’ voice went out, the band was totally on point, largely opting to play the newer material, which is much heavier and “harder”, so to speak.  Crowd participation was pretty strong, and people were singing moving for the majority of the duration of the set (yours truly included)- the only time the band stopped was to thank a few folks for their contributions to the scene, and it was, all in all, a pretty energetic and united vibe in the room.  Truly a sign of good things to come, and some already here.

Ghoul Gang and Rzl Dzl closed out the show, but due to my ride situation, I was unable to catch these two sets (much thanks to Ryan Coleman of Heat Lightning for that ride!).  However, the Ghoul Gang is not that unlike in its punky jam band vibe, and Rzl Dzl is the more hardcore side of party punk music- fun and light-hearted, and including Haroun Khan as a member.

Ultimately, the show drew a lot of different faces (I am more of a “punker” than a hardcore kid, I suppose) and truly drew them all together under one roof, for one purpose.  All in all, a great example of a Detroit show done right- I haven’t experienced an all-local show this awesome in quite some time.  This is how it’s done.

-Aunty Social

The Hysterics, Swimsuit, and Dry Eyes at the Neutral Zone, 9/17/12 show review

The Hysterics, Swimsuit, and Dry Eyes at the Neutral Zone, 9/17/12 show review

I finagled quite a bit to make this show fit my schedule- go in two hours early, skip my lunch break, drive right out to the show after punching out, etc.  Hopefully the inconvenience would be worth it.

Oh man, was it ever.  Local high school band Dry Eyes went on first (they were one or two songs into the set when I got there), and though they were young and a bit difficult to define, it seemed like horror-influenced, hardcore-related punk.  I’m not sure if it has a name, but it’s pretty good.  I wasn’t headbanging or moshing, but this band has some good riffage.  I’ll be keeping an eye and an ear out for Dry Eyes- you should too.

Next on the bill was Swimsuit, an arty punk-indie rock mix.  Though this was one of the weirder band I’ve seen, and I doubt I would play music like this or see this band on the regular, this was truly talented music (i.e. they could play their instruments and write a euphonious song) and it was enjoyable.  That much I can respect- props for being different and still good.

Closing out was the band I’d been dying to see, the Hysterics, from Olympia, Washington.  It has a member of Outlook and has a reputation unto itself, so I was excited.  Holy shit- this was one of the more electrifying sets I’ve seen this year.  I have never seen someone be so righteously angry wear such a happy shirt.  Seriously, the singer rocked a Cheerios shirt while blasting out one of the most energetic sets I’ve seen- on top of it all, it is a band of all females- not that it matters, but it is awesome nonetheless.  This quartet just powered through their set, song after song with nary a break, save to explain a song’s meaning (about street harassment, which, as a dude who loves women, has never seemed like an effective flirtatious or networking tactic).  These four females furiously cut through and jammed out hardcore that could have come straight from the 80s, and I wouldn’t have known the difference.  What a band- what a group of awesome people and killer musicians (punk musicians, that is).  This performance was right up there with Hoax’s two performances and Tragedy’s performance- gnarly as FUCK.

I teetered on whether I would attend this or Ceremony later that week in Lansing.  Glad I chose this one.  I would have seriously missed out.

-Aunty Social

My Friends, the Pit Fest III: Indianapolis, IN September 7th-8th show review

My Friends, the Pit Fest III:  Indianapolis, IN September 7^th-8^th show review

Though a musically prosperous weekend, it was truly a weird experience, mostly due to members of Bald Pig (though it was no fault of their own; they were just being who they are).  Nonetheless, everyone was nice, and the experience was an excellent one- truly a sign of what could be in Michigan.  The basement was very small, not much bigger than that of hometown basement venue the Halfway House.  Traffic was crowded (people, not so much automobiles), but it was well worth the discomfort.  However, the show got a bit of a false start, as the rain that Friday night (September 7^th) was pouring rather heavily…

First on were the Zodiacs, local garage-influenced hardcore punk group (local to Indianapolis, not MI).  Though very short and hard to judge, it was not unlike Kommie Kilpatrick and their weirdo, short, punky blasts of old-school hardcore.  I’d like to hear more.

Next was Overpower, a very heavy, angry, local powerviolence band.  Mind Eraser, Spine, and Lack of Interest come to mind- though these guys are a little more tuned down than the latter.  Also a short set, this was alright, but the meathead mentality the singer gave off was more than a little off-putting.  I like a pissed-off singer as much as anyone, but I prefer the guy who’s mad about something real, and the line “Buy the Spine 7” or you’re FUCKING DUMB” clued in he was not.  Oh well- a small mind merely means that there is room to grow.

Then, No Master started playing.  Forty seconds into their first jam, the torrential rainfall got the better of the electrical system, and the power went out.  The show was unfortunately done for the night.  We missed out on the Inservibles and a few others.  Luckily, most of the bands just adjusted the schedule to play the next day- phew.  After finding some solace at a local punk house where I was allowed to sleep (by no small help of a man named Asman- thank you!), I witnessed much in the way of a weirdness foreign and inexplicable to me- I did get to watch Aliens, however; it was a minor plus in an otherwise bizarre evening.  I woke up the next day reinvigorated and explored the town a bit.  After finding little to enjoy, I burned time until the show had to start at 6 (by reading a national road map, Animal Farm, trying to sleep, and watching the locals act out their very dramatic lives).  Though the time crawled, I managed to make it ‘til the start of the show.

Opening was thrashy local youth crew, Blind Justice (whom I, and I’m sure others, had initially mistaken to be the band from the same name from New Jersey).  Much like the Zodiacs of the night before, this set was over with in a matter of about eight minutes- as opposed to the low-fi hardcore the latter band had, this was straight youth crew in the vein of Straight Ahead, a harder-edged 7 Seconds, and maybe a little Infest.  In that eight minutes, they crammed in probably about as many songs as there were minutes, barely stopping in between- just how punk ought to be played.

Next was Side FX, the local band whose members helped organize the show.  Again, a less than ten minute set, played with unwavering fury.  This is basically 80s hardcore with a modern twist- modern hardcore mixed with the bands of old like Siege, Deep Wound, early SSD, and the like.  Intense and straight to the point.

Civilized, from Denver, went on next.  They mixed newer, slower hardcore with older, faster hardcore, though after a couple of songs, it didn’t seem to fit, and I traveled outside to get my merch buying out of the way.  I didn’t hate it, but I wasn’t taken in very much by it, either.

Next was Bald Pig, a new-ish contemporary of the Kansas City group Spine.  The vocalist went a bit nuts as the band raged, spewing out words as he seemed to lose all self-control, crawling on the floor for some very cool reason.  The powerviolence was strong in this hardcore band- the image of Pantera’s “Vulgar Display of Power” would be far more fitting on this band, because that’s all one would want to do while this band’s music is playing.

After that was the band Mugger, from Columbus, Ohio.  I cannot, for the life of me, remember what this band was like.  I can recall no particular unpleasantries about them, and they jammed a few righteous tunes, I’m sure.  They have a demo tape floating around in a few distros.

No Master joined the party, following this.  This band is absolutely influenced by the D-beat, studs, and spikes sorts of bands, but they came off as being more or less a simple hardcore band, breakdowns and all.  Now that’s a fusion I’ve wanted to see done well, and No Master is undoubtedly the first band in a long, long time to do that successfully.  This set did not have its power cut abruptly, and the band raged for a good fifteen minute set- one of the better displays of the night.

Spine was after this.  Though a band incurring some hype in the hardcore community, they have deserved it, and put on a quick ten to twelve minute set of powerviolence-laced hardcore, that either flew by at breakneck speed or crawled at a snail’s pace, heavy as shit.   This was also the release show for the band’s “Subhuman” EP, which was nabbed by many a showgoer (myself included- review forthcoming on that one!).  A band one could call “hard”, but still enjoyable for being fast as well.

Following was Negative Degree, a hardcore band in the vein of all the poorly-recorded hardcore bands of the 80s (that we all know and love).  This was the band that really got everyone moving for the rest of the show, and it was exciting to see all these hardcore kids who knew all the words to this band’s songs (despite them not being on any kind of “big” label, and being all the way from Denver), dancing to them the way I’ve always remembered mosh pits being- that is, like a bumper car ride, but with a bunch of lanky kids hyped on a mixture of excitement, energy, and either the straight edge, caffeine, or booze, depending on the fans’ personal indulgence preferences.  Hardcore as it should be, no doubt.

Cadaver Dog was next.  I can’t remember much about this set either, but the vocalist was good at being scary as fuck.  By this time, I think I had mostly lost my mental composure waiting for Hoax to play.

The Ropes were the next band.  This band reminded me of early 90s hardcore, along the lines of Strife, maybe a less political Earth Crisis, and the like.  However, they had some faster verse parts with regard to the music, as opposed to being all chugga-chugga.  The basement packed to near capacity for these guys, and even form the near-back of the room, I could see the crowd was hype on these guys.  I enjoyed it, but I was all too eagerly anticipating the next two bands, Hoax and Salvation.  Still a good set.

Next to last was Salvation.  All I knew about these guys was that they shared members with Hoax, and that was enough to get my attention if only for a moment.  However, after the band got started, they had my attention MUCH more firmly.  This was hardcore punk for the psychopath- fit my slightly deranged persona well.  Despite not being overly heavy, the intensity was akin to a house fire burning three stories high, heating and simultaneously destroying all around it.  The singer was as unbalanced as I’d ever seen any singer, from H8 Inc. to Hoax to G.I.S.M. and back.  Finally, when they got to their last song “House of the Beating Hell”, I realized this was the theme song for deranged, deviant, distorted minds- it was a song that made me want to hurt people, in the best way possible.  It was truly transcendental.

Closing was Hoax, who set off the entire room when they started.  Damn near the whole crowd knew all the words to their songs, and screamed them loud as the singer raged in his trademark insane way.  Not since I witnessed a set by Hellmouth in February 2010 have I been afraid of a vocalist onstage- this man is a kindred spirit for sheer unbalanced genius (not that I’m a genius, but I like to think I have relatively unique perspective above the minds of others).  The music is bone-crushing, brutally angry low-fi hardcore punk with the bleakest lyrics ever written, sung/screamed over the anthems.  The band must have blasted out every single song in their discography, aside from their trademark anti-homophobia song, and the crowd could not have been happier with this.  This is one of the most important bands of modern hardcore, and time will show them to be one of the higher-echelon bands of all time as well, I believe.  Simple, yet so extremely, unshakably intense and angry- this is the one band whose show I would be happy to get face-punched at.
That was the end of the show at the I.H.O.P. (International House of Pitting, not the delicious restaurant chain), but there would be an after-show with Negative Degree and the Ropes at a pizza parlor a bit further down into the city.  After picking multiple brains to learn the address of the place (why did so many people get there, yet no one seemed to know the address itself), I finally got it and drove down (again, thanks Asman!).  The show was just getting set up as I walked in, so I grabbed a few tasty slices of pizza as the bands set up and the crowd arrived one by one.

Negative Degree went on first.  Though doing a few songs they had done at the earlier show, they did a few odd songs one wouldn’t expect, including a cover of “Ain’t No Feeble Bastard” that made me overjoyed, because I didn’t expect at all to hear an 80s hardcore band cover Discharge (usually, it’s all D-beat bands who bow at the throne of the band)- it was very welcome.  The crowd was much more spread out, and noticeably moved around that much more.  It was cool to see this many punks in one room, a pizza parlor lobby, dancing around like lunatics.

The Ropes followed, and also did a few odd songs, and tricked the crowd into thinking they were gonna do “We Gotta Know”, because they played the intro part, then cut into a different cover song I didn’t know- still gnarly anyways.  After the set ended, I talked to a few of the locals and the guys in Negative Degree, and nabbed a cheap hotel for the night (being around that many people for so long had me feeling claustrophobic as fuck).  The next day, it was a long drive back home, but seeing as how I got to eat at a Waffle House and see the variety of farming fields along the freeway, I wasn’t too bored.  Lessons to be learned from this trip:  Find a place to stay with friends if at all possible, even if it’s awkward, and it sucks traveling more than two hours by one’s self.

-Aunty Social

Freedom, Grizzlies, Discourse, Hollow Earth, Sawchuk, and From Hell at the Halfway House, March 7th show review

Show review:  Freedom, Grizzlies, Discourse, Hollow Earth, Sawchuk, and From Hell at the Halfway House, March 7^th, 2012

This was a show to which not attending seemed to be an inconsiderable option- four bands that I was seeing live for the first time, one that I hadn’t seen in about a year and a half, and one that almost always rips, all playing at a gnarly new DIY venue, on a fuckin’ Wednesday!  How could a practicing punk possibly refuse such a show?

My investment turned out to be well worth it; I arrived early, welcomed by a group of younger dudes who dug what I was doing (with the fanzine).  I always get a feeling that what I’m doing is worth the time and effort when people express interest and a desire to participate, and I certainly got that vibe from this small group of folks.  So, I entered the house, high on life and quite a bit of caffeine (source- Mountain Dew), read for what this place had to offer.  People began to pile in as the first band warmed up…

Freedom turned up their amps and blasted out a quick, energetic set of less-than-a-minute songs, one after another.  Armed with a few originals and a couple of covers, the set (though it was over in about ten minutes) lacked no energy in that short span of time.  Aiming for United Blood-era Agnostic Front and Straight Ahead styles of hardcore, these guys have a lot of potential, and this was only their second show!  Think a mix of the two aforementioned bands, and you have Freedom, proud Detroit straight-edge in-your-face youth crew.

Next was another new-ish band called Grizzlies.  These dudes played heavy, chugging hardcore that a few bands of today have been taking up- bands like Harm’s Way, War Hound, the Mongoloids, Take Offense… and it’s not entirely a bad thing.  The band is still in its formative stages, making its own niche of what that band exactly is.  Not my usual sort of jam, but they did a pretty cool Weekend Nachos cover, so I have hope.

Following that was group of touring dudes Discourse.  Having heard the demo, I had mixed feelings on how these guys would do- it was just alright, so would they be just alright live too?  Nope- they killed it, and brought an interesting sound to the table:  Youth crew, but downtuned, dark, and not lacking in speed; perhaps a more succinct description would be Skitsystem meets Bold, or Straight Ahead meets Gasmask Terror.  On top of being a genre that isn’t played out yet, the set just ripped.  What they lacked in the demo, they showed in their live performance.  The band was gnarly as fuck- I’ll be listening for these guys as they progress, and potentially release a 7”.

Next was the first touring band from Detroit, preparing for a sweet two and a half week tour, Hollow Earth.  Though somewhat of a new band, they were already loaded with fresh songs, and were picked up by Panic Records very swiftly.  This style of hardcore that Hollow Earth plays is somewhat new; the likes of Great Reversals and (to a much lesser extent) Fisherking have started playing it here in Michigan, but the melodic hardcore with generalized lyrics about the world ending (in a non-crusty way) has not taken off much.  However, this set was impassioned, if not energetic.  Not a bad band- I’ll be on the lookout.

The second band from Detroit about to set out for a tour was Sawchuk.  I had seen these guys before at the Bohemian House (R.I.P. sorta) in 2010, but after a somewhat lengthy hiatus and some band and member retooling, the band changed and improved their sound, now sporting a 90s hardcore vibe.  Also, the band came with a few 7” EPs for sale, something that they had trouble with before (that is, having merch).  The band powered through an anthemic, slow/ fast alternating speed sound, and to much crowd avail; many people in the room (basement) knew the words to the songs, and one guy, clad in cubicle work-wear, was copy room moshing, grinding his fax off- awesome.  For a band that prefers breakdowns to breakneck speed, these guys ripped.  I would have preferred a Bob Probert or Gordie Howe reference for a band name, but Sawchuk was a killer goalie too.

Closing was From Hell.  What’s odd about these guys is that they are good live, but the demo they’ve got (from 2010) is very “meh”.  Heavy, hard, and dingy, they’ve got a formula for success, and they showed their strong suit here; hopefully they can churn out a record that suits their live presence- Southern Lord, Halo Of Flies, Rodent Popsicle, Overdose On, Hell City, Deer Healer, IFB… they’re worth a 7” investment.

This was a great show, a fun place to hang out at, and I can safely say that THIS is the place to book for Detroit DIY shows, along with the CAID, the Bearcave, the MUG, and Refuge (Dearborn is close enough).  We’re on our way back up!

-Aunty Social