JACK DAVID GILES
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Friday, August 7, 2009
Shark Week
When it's shark week I expect to see shark shows on Discovery 24/7 for the whole week. Not just a couple of hours each night. This year has been a little weak. But the new episodes this year have made up for it.
Just saying!
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Monday, June 29, 2009
Friday, May 29, 2009
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Scott Vogel - interview
This Scott Vogel interview was stolen from the Lifers blog... enjoy!
-I'm good, Terror is good, tour is long but good... 5 more days and its over. I'm feeling a little old. I feel like I need to stop drinking.
Can you tell us how it was growing up in Buffalo? Any good or bad memories that you'd like to share?
-I lived way out in no man's land with my mom and two sisters 'till like 6th grade. Those were care free days. No bills, no worries, just sports and causing trouble. We were pretty broke and shit but I didn't know or care as long as I was having fun. I moved in with my dad cause my mom moved to Houston and that's where real life started. In 8th grade I found Hardcore and weed and forgot about sports. Buffalo is pretty dirty, a working class type city. I had some good friends and some good times. I did a lot of dumb things I regret, dumb drugs, not taking my future seriously, mistreating people, and I had a lot of shit thrown my way too. I guess I'd also say what doesn't kill you makes you strong. A lot of snow, might taco, shitty jobs like washing dishes, driving a cab, telemarketing, shows all over. Buffalo, Erie, Syracuse, Clevo…
How did you get into hardcore music? How was the scene in Buffalo at that time? Best shows that you've seen there? Any fucked up things that you saw at shows that you can share with us?
-I lived way out in no man's land with my mom and two sisters 'till like 6th grade. Those were care free days. No bills, no worries, just sports and causing trouble. We were pretty broke and shit but I didn't know or care as long as I was having fun. I moved in with my dad cause my mom moved to Houston and that's where real life started. In 8th grade I found Hardcore and weed and forgot about sports. Buffalo is pretty dirty, a working class type city. I had some good friends and some good times. I did a lot of dumb things I regret, dumb drugs, not taking my future seriously, mistreating people, and I had a lot of shit thrown my way too. I guess I'd also say what doesn't kill you makes you strong. A lot of snow, might taco, shitty jobs like washing dishes, driving a cab, telemarketing, shows all over. Buffalo, Erie, Syracuse, Clevo…
How did you get into hardcore music? How was the scene in Buffalo at that time? Best shows that you've seen there? Any fucked up things that you saw at shows that you can share with us?
-My brother was into a lot of punk stuff. I wasn't into the look or attitude but I felt the aggression. I would go to some shows. I saw "Another State Of Mind" on Night Flight. Seeing Minor Threat playing in that basement, talking about their way of thinking, their shaved heads, and their live footage totally grabbed me. Next a friend gave me a tape with Don't Forget The Struggle on one side, Victim In Pain on the other, and that was it. I was addicted. Later I bought GB, No For An Answer, Side By Side and SOIA 7 inches in one day.
Fucking amazing day. My first show was DRI, and next week was 7 Seconds with Zero Tolerance. Buffalo at that time was amazing, man. We had it all… Raw Deal, Chain of Strength, Brotherhood, Eye For An Eye… man, I could go on forever. There was a great death metal scene also. I miss those days. I didn't know anyone or any band members or any bullshit. It was just the music and the vibe. Lots of crazy shit went on. Slapshot shows were militant sxe kids, Nazis, punks metal heads. You can image that… Shelter got beaten into the hospital by local thugs, Dwid slapped Darryl Snapcase… man, I love Hardcore.
Why did you move to the West Coast?
-After traveling all over North America and beyond, coming back to Buffalo got depressing. I was in my late 20's, Buried Alive was dying. It was the time for change.
Top 5 bands out of Cali at the moment?
-Best CA shit right now: Donnybrook, IA, Piece By Piece, Wings, Beer and Sports, and Violation.
Fucking amazing day. My first show was DRI, and next week was 7 Seconds with Zero Tolerance. Buffalo at that time was amazing, man. We had it all… Raw Deal, Chain of Strength, Brotherhood, Eye For An Eye… man, I could go on forever. There was a great death metal scene also. I miss those days. I didn't know anyone or any band members or any bullshit. It was just the music and the vibe. Lots of crazy shit went on. Slapshot shows were militant sxe kids, Nazis, punks metal heads. You can image that… Shelter got beaten into the hospital by local thugs, Dwid slapped Darryl Snapcase… man, I love Hardcore.
Why did you move to the West Coast?
-After traveling all over North America and beyond, coming back to Buffalo got depressing. I was in my late 20's, Buried Alive was dying. It was the time for change.
Top 5 bands out of Cali at the moment?
-Best CA shit right now: Donnybrook, IA, Piece By Piece, Wings, Beer and Sports, and Violation.
Who was in Slugfest when you guys started the band? What were your influences back then? Did you guys always play Judge and SOIA covers? How was the reaction? Did you go on tour at some point? What have you guys released? How did Slugfest come to an end?
-Slugfest started in like 1990, with me and my brother. We had a lot of members. The first drummer owned the River Rock Café, so our first show was with Judge. Dope!!!!! We put out a few demos and 7 inch. Later, after we broke up, we recorded some songs that never got recorded before and put out a CD. Reaper Records will most likely do a discography cause the CD is out of press and PK loves the band.We played Buffalo, Syracuse, Albany, up in Canada, Detroit, Erie... that's about it. It was all just fun, always drunk and high while playing. No worries about big bands or big shows.We had a lot of energy then, and covered all sorts of bands: Alone In A Crowd, Turning Point... mad covers. We broke up 'cause Snapcase stole our drummer. Weak, man… Chokehold and Chris were always a part of Slugfest. They were good dudes.
Who formed Despair? Who was writing the music? How was the collaboration with Initial Records? How were Trustkill Records back then? What happened with the band after that Hatebreed tour?
-Despair was the result of a bunch of Buffalo bands ending. All Hardcore kids started it. Band was fun, we got to play a lot and tour and go to Europe. Initial were great, for real. Trustkill was cool but in Europe, he told me I had to pay him for two tour shirts. Wack. I said no more records with you kid, but I guess I never learned my lesson. After the Hatebreed tour we went to Europe, came home and then bass player quit. We called it a day.
Born To Expire or Desperate Measures? What do you think about the later stuff? How was it to have Eddie in the studio? How was the Reunion at CB's?
-Born To Expire. But both are great. I like a lot of the latter songs, but many I don't. Having Eddie record vocals was an honor. He's pretty intense, and strange. Good stories. His voice in unreal, so was the CB's reunion. I felt great that night, what a fucking awesome band, they smoke everyone. How do you get that recording in '86 or whatever? Fuck!!!!!
You've done a lot of shows with just the Six Month Face 7" under your belt. Did you release it on your own? Did you go on tour at some point or were you just playing weekends? How was the reaction to Buried Alive when the lp came out? How was it, dealing with Victory Records? You released a split with Reach The Sky, how did you guys get the idea for the artwork? Best/Worst shows? Why did you release the Last Rites CD after you broke up? Why did you guys break up?
-Buried Alive was pretty strong right away. We got shows easy, we were older and could travel. I said no to being in the band like 5 times, but finally joined. The drummer quit Despair a year before so I didn't want to do it, and yes, he quit Buried Alive a month after the lp dropped. I wanted to kill him. Dudes that quit Hardcore for girls suck. We toured a lot, weekends always. RTS and All Out War were our super friends to play with. Tony was crazy but I respect his insanity and work ethic. We also had a lot of bad shows, but Hellfest was always amazing. Chicago was good too.
Born To Expire or Desperate Measures? What do you think about the later stuff? How was it to have Eddie in the studio? How was the Reunion at CB's?
-Born To Expire. But both are great. I like a lot of the latter songs, but many I don't. Having Eddie record vocals was an honor. He's pretty intense, and strange. Good stories. His voice in unreal, so was the CB's reunion. I felt great that night, what a fucking awesome band, they smoke everyone. How do you get that recording in '86 or whatever? Fuck!!!!!
You've done a lot of shows with just the Six Month Face 7" under your belt. Did you release it on your own? Did you go on tour at some point or were you just playing weekends? How was the reaction to Buried Alive when the lp came out? How was it, dealing with Victory Records? You released a split with Reach The Sky, how did you guys get the idea for the artwork? Best/Worst shows? Why did you release the Last Rites CD after you broke up? Why did you guys break up?
-Buried Alive was pretty strong right away. We got shows easy, we were older and could travel. I said no to being in the band like 5 times, but finally joined. The drummer quit Despair a year before so I didn't want to do it, and yes, he quit Buried Alive a month after the lp dropped. I wanted to kill him. Dudes that quit Hardcore for girls suck. We toured a lot, weekends always. RTS and All Out War were our super friends to play with. Tony was crazy but I respect his insanity and work ethic. We also had a lot of bad shows, but Hellfest was always amazing. Chicago was good too.
The split artwork was RTS's idea. It's a real truck company, so they just took photos. Dave Mandel rules.Last Rites is a joke. It was demo songs that were never supposed to come out. Look at that layout Victory threw together. The recordings were a joke. There are a few cool songs from the first demo session, and the second one was at the end of the band. The songs were getting weak. The band told me to stop talking about Hardcore 'cause they didn't care. They loved Nothingface. Those songs sucked. I did the lyrics a day before cause my heart was not in it. I quit.
Are you still vegetarian?
-No.
What's good/bad in Hardcore right now?
Good:
Bitter End
Iron Age
Will to Live
Mind Piece
Madball
AF
Shattered Realm
Meltdown
DBD
Bracewar
lots more…
traveling the world, making real music, overseas scenes…
Bad:
Downloading and not getting a lyric sheet or layout, Hardcore bands that don't even know what Hardcore is… close minded kids that follow trends…
What's good with Terror? What's coming up? Can you tell us about the line up changes that you've had with the band through the years? What have you guys released so far? How's working with Trustkill right now? What do you think about the shows here in Canada, especially in Quebec ''Stage Dive'' city? Best tour that you've done so far? How's Europe & Autralia treating Terror? How were the shows with Necro? How did you guys get Jedi Mind Tricks to sing on the new ep?
-Holy shit, that's like 100000 questions…
Terror is good. We just put out the new EP. TK wouldn't let us before, so as soon as we fulfilled the contract, we did it. We just demo'd 4 new songs to send to labels. New record will not be on TK.We had the same dudes for like 3 years… Carl quit cause we are insane and he's normal, Frank quit to do Hatebreed… all is good though. I'm happy both are well. Terror is stronger then ever. Martin and Buske rule. We're doing the Earth Crisis reunion in March. First, though, is Japan, Korea and a new album recording in Feb, and then April is Europe with Ignite, so that my life 'till May. Fuck!!!!! It never ends.
-No.
What's good/bad in Hardcore right now?
Good:
Bitter End
Iron Age
Will to Live
Mind Piece
Madball
AF
Shattered Realm
Meltdown
DBD
Bracewar
lots more…
traveling the world, making real music, overseas scenes…
Bad:
Downloading and not getting a lyric sheet or layout, Hardcore bands that don't even know what Hardcore is… close minded kids that follow trends…
What's good with Terror? What's coming up? Can you tell us about the line up changes that you've had with the band through the years? What have you guys released so far? How's working with Trustkill right now? What do you think about the shows here in Canada, especially in Quebec ''Stage Dive'' city? Best tour that you've done so far? How's Europe & Autralia treating Terror? How were the shows with Necro? How did you guys get Jedi Mind Tricks to sing on the new ep?
-Holy shit, that's like 100000 questions…
Terror is good. We just put out the new EP. TK wouldn't let us before, so as soon as we fulfilled the contract, we did it. We just demo'd 4 new songs to send to labels. New record will not be on TK.We had the same dudes for like 3 years… Carl quit cause we are insane and he's normal, Frank quit to do Hatebreed… all is good though. I'm happy both are well. Terror is stronger then ever. Martin and Buske rule. We're doing the Earth Crisis reunion in March. First, though, is Japan, Korea and a new album recording in Feb, and then April is Europe with Ignite, so that my life 'till May. Fuck!!!!! It never ends.
Canada is always good to us, Calgary was the best show on this tour. We love Quebec… fucking love it. Best tour was Europe. SOIA, Madball, Terror, Comeback Kid, Walls of Jericho, The Distance… we are lucky to be able to travel all over the world and get love. Australia is the best. The Necro show was cool but a mess for us. We flew to London, got there late, played earlier than we thought. It was a rushed mess.Slaine from Boston was with Ill Bill, he ripped.Vinnie is my friend, he loves Terror. Hit us up to remix one of their songs 2 years ago. We chill whenever we can. He sounds so dope on the ep. We might do a band. He's a drunk madman with a smart head on his shoulders, I love that dude.Looks like that is the last question about all my dumb bands, thank god
Top 5 NYHC bands? Why?
-Madball, Warzone, Leeway, Merauder and Judge, all for the lyrics, music, style, live shows, attitude, and their energy. I want to mention AF and Alone In A Crowd also.
Favorite Bands in the US & Europe right now?
USA:
Bitter End
Iron Age
The Draft
Down to Nothing
Europe:
Born From Pain
No Turning Back
Rise and Fall
There are great bands in Australia and all over the world, I fucking love it.
Stigmata: Hymns For The Unkown God era or Do Unto Others era? Why?
-All their shit rules. What a great band, so underrated. My fav is the 7 inch with Mike Ski artwork on Victory. Buddy is a great guy, I miss him.
-Madball, Warzone, Leeway, Merauder and Judge, all for the lyrics, music, style, live shows, attitude, and their energy. I want to mention AF and Alone In A Crowd also.
Favorite Bands in the US & Europe right now?
USA:
Bitter End
Iron Age
The Draft
Down to Nothing
Europe:
Born From Pain
No Turning Back
Rise and Fall
There are great bands in Australia and all over the world, I fucking love it.
Stigmata: Hymns For The Unkown God era or Do Unto Others era? Why?
-All their shit rules. What a great band, so underrated. My fav is the 7 inch with Mike Ski artwork on Victory. Buddy is a great guy, I miss him.
Best Gang Starr album? Why? What do you think about Guru's solo project? Favorite Mobb Deep songs? East coast or West coast? Best era?
-Hard To Earn. I love it all. I love the owners. Premo called my phone the other day, it was amazing. They have the greatest vibe man, lyrics, beats, cuts…Not into the new Guru shit much, it's not the same, though I respect his effort. Got to move on. And I'm glad he quit drinking, that's hard to do. Mobb Deep, that new Prodigy solo record is great. Need to get the Havoc one. I love the g unit album, they rip. I'm putting them on after I get threw the longest interview I ever typed. I like both coasts and in between. TI is not the king of the south, Scarface is.
I don't like Outcast, Slaine is dope, Obie Trice is dope, DITC is dope, AG is dope… I gave up on Mos Def and Talib and all that happy weak shit. As a friend of mine once put it, I don't want to listen to hip hop songs about granola bars…
What's the Craziest thing that you've done because of your bad temper?
-Aw man, lots… bad things, not good. I started meeting with a Buddhist monk to learn to mediate and find a better way to get through this fucked up world. That started two years ago and has really helped. I would have lost this band and a lot our friends if I didn't change. I'm still a fucking mess though.
I don't like Outcast, Slaine is dope, Obie Trice is dope, DITC is dope, AG is dope… I gave up on Mos Def and Talib and all that happy weak shit. As a friend of mine once put it, I don't want to listen to hip hop songs about granola bars…
What's the Craziest thing that you've done because of your bad temper?
-Aw man, lots… bad things, not good. I started meeting with a Buddhist monk to learn to mediate and find a better way to get through this fucked up world. That started two years ago and has really helped. I would have lost this band and a lot our friends if I didn't change. I'm still a fucking mess though.
Favorite Metal band?
-Slayer
Any shout-outs or last words?
-Rest in piece SOB.. you were a cool cat.
-Slayer
Any shout-outs or last words?
-Rest in piece SOB.. you were a cool cat.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Friday, May 8, 2009
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Friday, April 10, 2009
Observe and Report
Movie came out today. From the previews it looks really funny. I think Missy and I are seeing it tonight. We saw "Adventure Land" last week. And I thought it was disappointing.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Thursday, March 12, 2009
How to build a totem pole.
I wanna build a totem pole. I really liked them when I was a kid. Apparently you can get a book that shows you how to build them. We'll see...
Monday, February 23, 2009
Carew Tower climb
I climbed the Carew tower in downtown Cincinnati yesterday with some other guys from work. The climb was a benefit for The American Lung Association. In all the climb was 45 stories and over 800 stairs. Fun times by all.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
I look in the mirror, I see a boy not a man
THURS. MARCH 26TH
-HAVE HEART
-POLAR BEAR CLUB
-TRAPPED UNDER ICE
-THE MONGOLOIDS
-LANDMARKS
@ WARSAW ARENA
3509 WARSAW AVE
CINCINNATI, OH 45205
$12 DAY OF SHOW
DOORS AT 7PM
SHOW AT 7:30PM
ALL AGES!
-HAVE HEART
-POLAR BEAR CLUB
-TRAPPED UNDER ICE
-THE MONGOLOIDS
-LANDMARKS
@ WARSAW ARENA
3509 WARSAW AVE
CINCINNATI, OH 45205
$12 DAY OF SHOW
DOORS AT 7PM
SHOW AT 7:30PM
ALL AGES!
Monday, February 2, 2009
Friday, January 30, 2009
Monday, January 26, 2009
Bad Seed
New band made up of younger kids from Wilkes Barre, PA. The demo is really good, you can tell that they have a big NYHC influence. They are going to have a 7inch come out soon on 6131 Records and are going to be featured on the Reaper Records comp. Check out their demo on their myspace...
http://www.myspace.com/badseedpa
Sunday, January 25, 2009
United Blood Festival 2009
March 27th & 28th
-bad seed
-bitter end
-ceremony
-cold world
-converge
-convicted
-cro mags
-cruel hand
-foundation
-forfeit
-have heart
-heathens
-mind eraser
-mother of mercy
-naysayer
-reign surpreme
-rise and fall
-strength for a reason
-title fight
-trapped under ice
-trash talk
-war hungry
@ Alleykatz
Richmond VA
-bad seed
-bitter end
-ceremony
-cold world
-converge
-convicted
-cro mags
-cruel hand
-foundation
-forfeit
-have heart
-heathens
-mind eraser
-mother of mercy
-naysayer
-reign surpreme
-rise and fall
-strength for a reason
-title fight
-trapped under ice
-trash talk
-war hungry
@ Alleykatz
Richmond VA
Friday, January 23, 2009
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Let's get lost tonight...
Lost season 5 returned tonight with a vengeance. Two hour premier making things on the show even more crazy. Best show ever!
Descend time and space...
Descend time and space...
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Dog days
My brother got a bulldog two days ago.
His name is Bruiser. Cool dog.
Charlie wasn't very happy to meet him.
He gets really jealous.
Inauguration Day
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In other news Max Payne came out on DVD today.
I really want to watch this.
.
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Also Trapped Under Ice & Reign Supreme we're awesome last night.
BUST!
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Mercy For None
REAPER RECORDS has a 7" comp coming out Feb. 24th, 2009.
All exclusive tracks with up and coming bands.
featuring:
Naysayer, Bad Seed, Absolute Madness, Unforgiven, Brick, & Alpha Omega.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Internal Affairs - Evil Egyptians 7" EP
Will be the final release from IA.
It'll be released on Malfunction Records soon.
Monday, January 12, 2009
Burning Fight interview
This interview taken from the Double Crossed webzine. Brian Peterson is the guy behind the forthcoming book on Nineties Hardcore. The book is called Burning Fight.
Tell us a bit about yourself and how you got into hardcore. Where and when was this? How would you compare yourself today to the kid that got into hardcore then?
-Okay, well, I'm 32 years old. I'm originally from a small town called Minot, North Dakota, but then I moved to Illinois when I was in high school. Dylan, a childhood friend from Minot who was a skater and all around underground music fan, introduced me to hardcore in junior high, but at the time I was obsessed with hip-hop. I've always been attracted to music with a message and listening to Boogie Down Productions, Public Enemy, Eric B. and Rakim, Big Daddy Kane and others was a pretty eye-opening experience, especially for a kid from a small town in the middle of nowhere. Anyway, I understood the energy of hardcore, but I just wasn't ready for the screaming at first. [laughs] But after listening to a couple mix tapes, some of the bands made an impression on me—especially after I found out what they were screaming about! My family moved to Illinois when I was about 15 and by then I'd already gotten into Nirvana and then more contemporary hardcore or punk influenced bands like Fugazi. From there I got re-introduced to the classic hardcore bands that Dylan introduced me to like Black Flag, Bad Brains, The Misfits, Minor Threat, Youth of Today and so on. It's funny, though, as I didn't even realize there was a thriving hardcore scene happening at the time. I guess I had thought it was all from the past, probably because most rock journalists viewed hardcore or punk as "dead," even though that was really because they weren't truly paying attention to the underground. A friend in Illinois made me a mix tape with some contemporary hardcore bands and soon enough I found myself at shows and not too long after playing in some hardcore bands. My life would never be the same.
As for comparing myself at present to the kid who got into hardcore, I've matured a lot. I was a pretty shy kid, and I didn't feel confident in myself. But hardcore taught me to take my own ideas more seriously. Sure, there are negative sides to the hardcore scene, but I've always found it to be a pretty supportive and encouraging place. I'm now a high school English teacher and if someone would have told me when I was younger that I'd end up in this position now I would have thought they were crazy. [laughs] But that's another thing about hardcore: it taught me that giving back to others – whether it was friends from the scene or strangers on the outside – was important. I could also say being a part of hardcore was like going to college before and while going to a traditional college. I learned as much about life and about myself from my time in hardcore than I did from anything else.
Where did the idea for the book come from, and specifically a book on the 1990's era of hardcore?
-I didn't get directly involved in hardcore until the early-nineties, so that era had a huge impact on my life. As I mentioned earlier, I've always been attracted to music with a message and almost every hardcore band I was exposed to had some sort of message, whether it was political or personal. I also found a lot of the debates and discussions I'd overhear or participate in at shows to be really interesting. While some of the debates – everything from straightedge and animal rights to political and spiritual/philosophical issues – were sometimes taken to absurd levels, I found the ideas to be relevant and important.
Fast forward several years. American Hardcore came out and I thought that book was really amazing. It had such great source material from all those classic bands and it was an entertaining read. But something troubled me. The author insinuated that hardcore died around 1986 and that idea floored me. Sure, that first wave of hardcore moved on around that time, but what about the bands that came after? Nineties hardcore changed my life, as well as the lives of many of my friends. I guess I felt like it was somewhat ignorant to say that hardcore "died," considering that it is still thriving to this day. Along the way, I had written for some zines and magazines, but I grew tired of many places only wanting to run stories on bands with a "buzz"—essentially groups most other publications were covering already. Anyway, an idea occurred to me one day, "No one has documented nineties hardcore in the way the eighties era has been. Maybe I should give it a shot." I started contacting some people for interviews and I found their responses to be really positive and enthusiastic. Everything just snowballed from there.
How have you approached the subject matter? Where do you draw the line, what gets in and stays out? Especially considering the musical definition of "hardcore" is considered by many to have been stretched to its limits if not completely ignored in this decade, defining a "hardcore" band in the 90s seems like it would be difficult for the purpose of a book, no?
-There are so many ways to approach hardcore. The nineties era is no different than any other era in that respect. I'm not trying to "define" what nineties hardcore was on the whole. I've always stated up front that this is just a story about some debates/ideas and some bands told from some people's perspectives. 100 other people would probably write the book 100 different ways. There is no definitive definition of hardcore as I believe that each person has to define it for him/herself. That said, I think one of the most interesting parts of nineties hardcore was the diversity in ideas and sound. Now obviously there are lines that have to be drawn in terms of what hardcore's sound isn't. For instance, I don't see an acoustic jam band fitting the hardcore mold. At the same time, I don't think that hardcore has to necessarily have break downs or traditional sing alongs, as great as those things are. I tried to cover a variety of bands that spoke to a variety of issues and played a variety of styles of hardcore – from the traditional to the experimental. Some will disagree with some of my selections, but I think once people see the book (or even look at the full title of it) it will make sense. I agree, though, that the nineties did stretch the sound of hardcore to its limits, and like I said earlier, to me that's one of the most interesting things about that era. I love traditional sounding hardcore, but I guess what I'm trying to say is that hardcore is just as much about community, ideas, and ethics as it as a specific sound.
What have been the highs and lows of doing the book? If you knew what you were getting yourself into, would you have still started it? What have been some crowning moments or big breakthroughs?
-The highs from the book? Being able to give some attention to these bands, people, zines, and debates that played such an important role in my life. I've felt like a lot of bands from this era have been overlooked for too long, so I hope that what I'm trying to do helps re-focus some attention in this era's direction. It was also really cool to hear so many people's perspective on the issues I'm trying to cover. Lots of really interesting conversations transpired. Lows? Well, I never thought it would take five years to assemble this book. I've spent a pretty outrageous amount of hours interviewing people (I talked to over 150 people over the course of the book) and in some ways I feel like I've had to put other aspects of my life on hold in order to finish it. I've learned more about sacrifice, time management, and multi-tasking then I probably ever wanted to know. [laughs]
Where are you right now in terms of the book, and what happens from here on out?
-We're still wrapping up final edits and layout at this point. Revelation has been extremely supportive and helpful and I'm really excited about the way everything is turning out. Plus, a lot of people from the nineties have been generous enough to donate pictures, flyers, zine covers, etc. Rose Noble, the person doing the layout, is doing a really great job, and I'm stoked to see the finished version! We don't have a definite release date yet, but obviously the Chicago show on May 2nd and 3rd is the date we are shooting for. There is also a California show in the works. Stay tuned for an announcement about that soon at www.burningfightbook.com and www.myspace.com/90shardcore
Tell us a bit about yourself and how you got into hardcore. Where and when was this? How would you compare yourself today to the kid that got into hardcore then?
-Okay, well, I'm 32 years old. I'm originally from a small town called Minot, North Dakota, but then I moved to Illinois when I was in high school. Dylan, a childhood friend from Minot who was a skater and all around underground music fan, introduced me to hardcore in junior high, but at the time I was obsessed with hip-hop. I've always been attracted to music with a message and listening to Boogie Down Productions, Public Enemy, Eric B. and Rakim, Big Daddy Kane and others was a pretty eye-opening experience, especially for a kid from a small town in the middle of nowhere. Anyway, I understood the energy of hardcore, but I just wasn't ready for the screaming at first. [laughs] But after listening to a couple mix tapes, some of the bands made an impression on me—especially after I found out what they were screaming about! My family moved to Illinois when I was about 15 and by then I'd already gotten into Nirvana and then more contemporary hardcore or punk influenced bands like Fugazi. From there I got re-introduced to the classic hardcore bands that Dylan introduced me to like Black Flag, Bad Brains, The Misfits, Minor Threat, Youth of Today and so on. It's funny, though, as I didn't even realize there was a thriving hardcore scene happening at the time. I guess I had thought it was all from the past, probably because most rock journalists viewed hardcore or punk as "dead," even though that was really because they weren't truly paying attention to the underground. A friend in Illinois made me a mix tape with some contemporary hardcore bands and soon enough I found myself at shows and not too long after playing in some hardcore bands. My life would never be the same.
As for comparing myself at present to the kid who got into hardcore, I've matured a lot. I was a pretty shy kid, and I didn't feel confident in myself. But hardcore taught me to take my own ideas more seriously. Sure, there are negative sides to the hardcore scene, but I've always found it to be a pretty supportive and encouraging place. I'm now a high school English teacher and if someone would have told me when I was younger that I'd end up in this position now I would have thought they were crazy. [laughs] But that's another thing about hardcore: it taught me that giving back to others – whether it was friends from the scene or strangers on the outside – was important. I could also say being a part of hardcore was like going to college before and while going to a traditional college. I learned as much about life and about myself from my time in hardcore than I did from anything else.
Where did the idea for the book come from, and specifically a book on the 1990's era of hardcore?
-I didn't get directly involved in hardcore until the early-nineties, so that era had a huge impact on my life. As I mentioned earlier, I've always been attracted to music with a message and almost every hardcore band I was exposed to had some sort of message, whether it was political or personal. I also found a lot of the debates and discussions I'd overhear or participate in at shows to be really interesting. While some of the debates – everything from straightedge and animal rights to political and spiritual/philosophical issues – were sometimes taken to absurd levels, I found the ideas to be relevant and important.
Fast forward several years. American Hardcore came out and I thought that book was really amazing. It had such great source material from all those classic bands and it was an entertaining read. But something troubled me. The author insinuated that hardcore died around 1986 and that idea floored me. Sure, that first wave of hardcore moved on around that time, but what about the bands that came after? Nineties hardcore changed my life, as well as the lives of many of my friends. I guess I felt like it was somewhat ignorant to say that hardcore "died," considering that it is still thriving to this day. Along the way, I had written for some zines and magazines, but I grew tired of many places only wanting to run stories on bands with a "buzz"—essentially groups most other publications were covering already. Anyway, an idea occurred to me one day, "No one has documented nineties hardcore in the way the eighties era has been. Maybe I should give it a shot." I started contacting some people for interviews and I found their responses to be really positive and enthusiastic. Everything just snowballed from there.
How have you approached the subject matter? Where do you draw the line, what gets in and stays out? Especially considering the musical definition of "hardcore" is considered by many to have been stretched to its limits if not completely ignored in this decade, defining a "hardcore" band in the 90s seems like it would be difficult for the purpose of a book, no?
-There are so many ways to approach hardcore. The nineties era is no different than any other era in that respect. I'm not trying to "define" what nineties hardcore was on the whole. I've always stated up front that this is just a story about some debates/ideas and some bands told from some people's perspectives. 100 other people would probably write the book 100 different ways. There is no definitive definition of hardcore as I believe that each person has to define it for him/herself. That said, I think one of the most interesting parts of nineties hardcore was the diversity in ideas and sound. Now obviously there are lines that have to be drawn in terms of what hardcore's sound isn't. For instance, I don't see an acoustic jam band fitting the hardcore mold. At the same time, I don't think that hardcore has to necessarily have break downs or traditional sing alongs, as great as those things are. I tried to cover a variety of bands that spoke to a variety of issues and played a variety of styles of hardcore – from the traditional to the experimental. Some will disagree with some of my selections, but I think once people see the book (or even look at the full title of it) it will make sense. I agree, though, that the nineties did stretch the sound of hardcore to its limits, and like I said earlier, to me that's one of the most interesting things about that era. I love traditional sounding hardcore, but I guess what I'm trying to say is that hardcore is just as much about community, ideas, and ethics as it as a specific sound.
What have been the highs and lows of doing the book? If you knew what you were getting yourself into, would you have still started it? What have been some crowning moments or big breakthroughs?
-The highs from the book? Being able to give some attention to these bands, people, zines, and debates that played such an important role in my life. I've felt like a lot of bands from this era have been overlooked for too long, so I hope that what I'm trying to do helps re-focus some attention in this era's direction. It was also really cool to hear so many people's perspective on the issues I'm trying to cover. Lots of really interesting conversations transpired. Lows? Well, I never thought it would take five years to assemble this book. I've spent a pretty outrageous amount of hours interviewing people (I talked to over 150 people over the course of the book) and in some ways I feel like I've had to put other aspects of my life on hold in order to finish it. I've learned more about sacrifice, time management, and multi-tasking then I probably ever wanted to know. [laughs]
Where are you right now in terms of the book, and what happens from here on out?
-We're still wrapping up final edits and layout at this point. Revelation has been extremely supportive and helpful and I'm really excited about the way everything is turning out. Plus, a lot of people from the nineties have been generous enough to donate pictures, flyers, zine covers, etc. Rose Noble, the person doing the layout, is doing a really great job, and I'm stoked to see the finished version! We don't have a definite release date yet, but obviously the Chicago show on May 2nd and 3rd is the date we are shooting for. There is also a California show in the works. Stay tuned for an announcement about that soon at www.burningfightbook.com and www.myspace.com/90shardcore
BURNING FIGHT
May 2nd & 3rd 2009
90'S HARDCORE BOOK RELEASE SHOW
-UNBROKEN
-DISEMBODIED
-TRIAL
-MOUTHPIECE
-KILLINGTIME
-UNDERDOG
-108
-GUILT
-SPLIT LIP
-THREADBARE
-REACH THE SKY
-DAMNATION A.D.
-RINGWORM
-BANE
-HAVE HEART
-BETRAYED
-BLACKLISTED
-SOUL CONTROL
-THE KILLER
-HARMS WAY
-CONVICTED
-THOUGHT CRUSADE
LOCATION:
Metro
3730 N Clark St
Chicago, IL 60613
90'S HARDCORE BOOK RELEASE SHOW
-UNBROKEN
-DISEMBODIED
-TRIAL
-MOUTHPIECE
-KILLINGTIME
-UNDERDOG
-108
-GUILT
-SPLIT LIP
-THREADBARE
-REACH THE SKY
-DAMNATION A.D.
-RINGWORM
-BANE
-HAVE HEART
-BETRAYED
-BLACKLISTED
-SOUL CONTROL
-THE KILLER
-HARMS WAY
-CONVICTED
-THOUGHT CRUSADE
LOCATION:
Metro
3730 N Clark St
Chicago, IL 60613
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Friday, January 9, 2009
Friendly Neighborhood Spiderman
To celebrate the upcoming inauguration of Barack Obama, Marvel is proud to present an all-new story teaming up one of the world's most recognizable political figures with the world's greatest super hero as President-Elect Obama joins Spider-Man in "Spidey Meets the President!"
Available on January 14th, 2009.
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #583
See the damage...
So this construction company tore down this building next to my house. It was pretty wild to watch the destruction from my window. I took a couple of pictures.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
The party's over...
I took down the christmas tree and the decorations around the house the other day. Also the outside christmas lights. I took the tree down to the train tracks by my house and threw it in the woods. I guess it can decompose back into the earth now. You know like nature intended for it too. Sike!
I found out this week that I love getting hooked up with stuff. I don't even care about getting stuff for free (which is always nice) but I think sometimes I'm even more stoked when I get a huge discount on stuff. Like when you go somewhere and you know somebody and they give you a huge deal on something. Is there anything more satisfying. I go to GNC and get over a $100 worth of workout supplements and get it for under $50. I got my first tattoo done by Carter for $20. I see Terror for free from being on the guest list. I got 6 DVD's from Hollywood video for $30 (shout out to Mark). I got a coffee table from IKEA for $10. It just feels awesome to get something for free or get hooked up by someone for cheap.
In Football news I've been bummed none of my teams have won. UC lost to Virgina Tech in the Orange bowl. Ohio State lost last night to Texas. The Colts lost in the playoffs. You can always count on the Bengals and the Browns to lose and have bad seasons. As far as NFL playoffs the teams left in it that I like are The Giants and Baltimore. Will see what happens.
Hope everyone is well.
PEACE!
I found out this week that I love getting hooked up with stuff. I don't even care about getting stuff for free (which is always nice) but I think sometimes I'm even more stoked when I get a huge discount on stuff. Like when you go somewhere and you know somebody and they give you a huge deal on something. Is there anything more satisfying. I go to GNC and get over a $100 worth of workout supplements and get it for under $50. I got my first tattoo done by Carter for $20. I see Terror for free from being on the guest list. I got 6 DVD's from Hollywood video for $30 (shout out to Mark). I got a coffee table from IKEA for $10. It just feels awesome to get something for free or get hooked up by someone for cheap.
In Football news I've been bummed none of my teams have won. UC lost to Virgina Tech in the Orange bowl. Ohio State lost last night to Texas. The Colts lost in the playoffs. You can always count on the Bengals and the Browns to lose and have bad seasons. As far as NFL playoffs the teams left in it that I like are The Giants and Baltimore. Will see what happens.
Hope everyone is well.
PEACE!
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Work
Photo of me at a fire in West Chester this past summer.
I was on Ladder 57 coming from Deerfield.
(I'm the one in the center of the picture)
I was on Ladder 57 coming from Deerfield.
(I'm the one in the center of the picture)
Friday, January 2, 2009
Look What Josh Got For Christmas post
Sorry for the lack of updates, I know this post is a little late...
UC Bearcats 2008 Big East Conference Champs t-shirt.
LP's - 50Lions, Violation, Carpathian, All Out War, Right Idea, & Ragmen.
7inches - Hatred Surge, Lone Wolf, The Icemen, Alpha Omega, All Out War, Harms Way, Steel Nation, Bitter End. 
$100 dollars, Hollywood video giftcard, Best Buy giftcard, UDF bucks, and a pocket knife (incase I want to rob the place).
Hope everyone had a good New Year.
This is the "Look What Josh Got For Christmas" post
UC Bearcats 2008 Big East Conference Champs t-shirt.
LP's - 50Lions, Violation, Carpathian, All Out War, Right Idea, & Ragmen.
7inches - Hatred Surge, Lone Wolf, The Icemen, Alpha Omega, All Out War, Harms Way, Steel Nation, Bitter End.
DVD's - Lost Season 4, The Dark Knight, Batman Begins.
$100 dollars, Hollywood video giftcard, Best Buy giftcard, UDF bucks, and a pocket knife (incase I want to rob the place).
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