Madball & Terror live show - 14 March 2010

Well, if there are hardcore shows that don't need an introduction, I guess this should be it:

Hell yeah! When I was growing up and got into hardcore, Madball was the biggest and coolest band around. 'Kings of New York' and stuff. I remember buying Demonstrating My Style and then sitting with a friend on a sidewalk,  checking the photos and being kind of shocked at the DMS tattoo on Hoya's lips! I also remember when they played Athens for the first time (I can't remember the year, possibly 2000 or 2001), there were people who had traveled all the way from Bulgaria to see them as it was their last show before their break up!!! Not much has changed about their approach since then (musically or stylistically). I know they have been getting some type of shit for being 'tough guy' or 'thug' and whatever, but that's just because the scene has become so PC these days. I honestly think that Madball is a band that's full of energy,  keeping it real for some 20 years now without becoming 'mature'. NYHC!

A classic Madball pic - East Coast

As for Terror, they must be the best possible combination, I mean what a warm-up! And it's not even going to be a warm up, I think if anything they will leave people drained. Energetic hateful hardcore from some guys who know what they're doing.  OK I'll stop here cause I feel like an idiot saying things you already know! Just be there and have fun (and save some money during the week so you can buy merch)! Rules are rules and fools are fools, I never cared for none of those

A not so classic Terror pic - West Coast

I just want to give a big props to Hard Times for organizing this show, because around here we rarely get to see 2 big hardcore bands on one show for the price of 1!  I've said it before and I'll say it again: Hardcore in Greece is better now than it ever was. Keep supporting!

Things to do to brighten up a rainy Sunday!

Yup, so the weather is like baaad here in Athens today, but we're not going to let that bother us. With all the good things coming up on the music side, there is just no time to sit and lament, just to discover cool music. We got the Madball and Terror show next week, which should absolutely rule (we'll upload a listing with info on that tomorrow or something), and right after that  we got Shai Hulud and Vitamin X down the line. Like we said before, this is possibly the most busy spring time ever in Greece in relation to hardcore! 

OK, so here are some things I'd like to suggest to check out from the random web-surfing I did today. 

Radio

First of all, I definitely recommend to check out last week's Maximum Rock N Roll's radio show here: MRR Radio #1181 • 2/27/10, it's a pretty good selection of songs with the usual international punk and garagey stuff, some street/Oi and some fast as fuck bands in the mix. Most of all I liked Rotten Ron's    "Hardcore Tattooed on Your Knuckles" session. The thing is that different people are playing the stuff they like and they change every 5 songs or so, therefore it can't get boring. And after all, it's always a must to check back with the classic punk institution that MRR is, and learn what's going on in the HC punk world, see what you missed and even remember some cool bands that you kind of forgot in the midst of all this information overload. So while you're at it, bookmark these guys and check their show every week.

Books

Microcosm Publishing is one of my favorite labels in the punk world. They started out as a zine distribution label, but now they've evolved into a fully functioning publishing house and distributor of all things good and punk (books, zines, stickers, patches, audio books, shirts, videos and other stuff). They even got a proper store in their hometown of Bloomington, IN. Microcosm is all about DIY, self empowerment,  bikes and green stuff. These guys and girls are doing their thing in a more indie than indie way. Their site is a resource that can keep you busy for hours, too. Hafta check 'em out!

Bands

Since today we kinda moved a little from our usual downright hardcore stuff to a little more punk territory, I guessed the band I'll talk about should be in accordance with the above stuff. Therefore, as today I was wandering what the band Latterman is doing and if they're still making records, I'll write about them. If you don't know them, Latterman was (they did break up) a melodic punk band with shouted vocals and positive lyrics, that for some reason I think goes down good with most hardcore fans. They really did it simple and clever, and they conveyed a real 'from the heart' message, and that's why people loved them so much. We're talking about some dedicated fans here! For me, Latterman will be remembered for their cool album covers and funny album titles like None of These Songs Are About Girls (2000), Turn Up the Punk, We'll Be Singing (2002) and No Matter Where We Go...! (2006). Reunion!?

Hardcore Classic: "Victim In Pain" Re-release (Bridge 9 Records)

Agnostic Front's 1984 first full-length album Victim in Pain is considered to be one of the most (if not the most) influential hardcore records ever. It's been characterized as the encyclopedia of NYHC. What's weird is that despite all the talk about this album, it seems to have been kind of forgotten in today's hardcore scene. I truly wonder how many hardcore fans out of ten have this album in their record collections. Good news is that Bridge 9 just did a re-issue of Victim in Pain, and now people can discover this hardcore classic all over again, and with a better sound too as it's been remastered to fit modern standards.

Agnostic Front's Victim in Pain original artwork

That's the starting thing about listening to Victim in Pain; it sounds way more raw and punky than hardcore as people know it these days. Instead of focusing on the heaviness of the sound, AF paved their own style based on speed, with their trademark 1 minute hardcore blasts with mid-tempo breaks (i.e. the self-titled song and Blind Justice). I guess this is the whole structure behind Victim in Pain's simple genius: the exchange between fast/break, start/stop, which obviously creates a hostile effect and grabs the listener's attention. Isn't that what hardcore is about?

On the lyrical department, AF on this album were more politically oriented, mainly focusing on the problems of society's marginalized people and the fascist attitudes they received (and still do). But even at this early stage, it's easy to notice the lyrical standpoint that set hardcore apart from punk's nihilism. That would be no other than the Unity message in songs like United & Strong and Remind Them. Hardcore at that point introduced a new idea in the music world: people who listened to this music would be united and live their lives together and strong AGAINST mainstream society and not just as individual outcasts with no goals. Right here, in Victim in Pain, are the seeds that hardcore used as a template for its philosophy in the next 25 years to come.

Victim in Pain re-issue on Bridge 9 Records

Okay, so now a few things about the re-issue. Victim in Pain is released on CD, vinyl and color vinyl. The CD version also has AF's first EP, United Blood which is also a 'must have'. Collaborating with Agnostic Front for their 25th anniversary, Bridge 9 has also released a bunch of cool merchandise to go with it, like posters, flags, patches, stickers and whatnot. All in all, it's a good chance for younger people to check this classic and catch up on some serious Hardcore History.

www.agnosticfront.com
www.myspaqce.com/agnosticfront
www.bridge9.com

Lost Rockers: the new film from the makers of American Hardcore

Interesting news, everyone! If you liked the awesomeness of the documentary American Hardcore, you should know that its makers are preparing their follow-up film, Lost Rockers. 

History

In 2006, writer Steven Blush and director Paul Rachman joined forces to made a documentary about hardcore in America back in the 80s. It is, in my opinion, one of the best and most thoroughly researched documentaries on hardcore music and culture, with interviews and show clips from bands like Bad Brains, Cro-Mags, Circle Jerks, Black Flag, Minor Threat and countless others. It focuses on the 80-86 period, which really is the period where it all begun and hardcore came into shape. For some incomprehensible reason, the film received quite a bit of criticism from the punk 'media' of the day, but you shouldn't let that bother you at all and definitely check the film out if you already haven't. It offers a lot of insight into this snowballing scene, and of course you get to see your heroes and inspirers tell it like it is!

The 2010 Comeback

So what's new, is that the aforementioned filmmakers have teamed up again, but with a totally different theme this time around:  Lost Rockers. This new film (which as we speak is in its first steps) deals with the darker side of fame. It goes into the lives and minds of people who had the potential, but never quite  made it in the music world. Does it sound familiar? I think that in a way, most of us can identify with a 'lost rocker' of some sort, because we feel like we have something worthwhile to create and gain recognition for, but somehow it never seems to happen..? Well, maybe this film can explain us why! And on a more positive note, Lost Rockers seems like a fascinating documentary because as music lovers, we always want to learn more and more about musicians and how they approach their art form, their lives etc. It doesn't matter so much if they're famous, because fame and quality obviously don't go hand in hand!

You can visit the following website for news and updates on the making of this film: www.lostrockers.com

Rise and Fall - Live Show Review (21 Feb 2010)

What an awesome show last night! Rise and Fall came out a lot harder than I expected, and turned their dark post hardcore into a proper full-energy hardcore show! I think this happens with many other bands as well, and it is good proof that bands keep the hardcore in their approach, even if they depart from its classic musical structures and evolve their sound. Like it's been said before, sometimes hardcore is more about the approach and less about the specific music style (as long as it's good, of course!) 

Moreover, the supporting bands kicked some ass too. Props go to Ruined Families, I Want You Dead and Endsight. One of the highlights were I Want You Dead's free promo demo CD (which rules and will be reviewed here soon) and awesome stickers. Also, I found quite a lot of good shit at the merch stalls,  and  as always at reasonable prices too! But the biggest highlight was honestly the good vibes of the people in the place.When you go home on a Sunday night after a fucking good show where you kicked it with your friends and bought awesome music, it gets kinda hard not to get psyched about the state of Hardcore in 2010!

Here are some pics from the show (thanks goes to Jim Hoppa):

Rise and Fall

Endsight

I Want You Dead