The music, the message #2

First of all let's just say sorry for the inertia of the last couple of weeks, and let us make it absolutely clear that there will be an outburst of activity with this site in the next few days. It's just that we've been bust as fuck with our personal commitments (unfortunately in this game, you gotta make some dough of you want to publish a good zine); but also, we've placed more weight on organizing the actual print zine, and there's so much energy going in to that, so in turn sometimes other things are placed on the backseat for a week or so.

BUT we do have a new section to add in this blog, it's called "Hardcore Personalities" and basically it will be about major figures in the Hardcore scene, people that have influenced Hardcore in a big way and most of us know about already, but with a little bit of extra research and maybe some unknown facts about them. Obviously it will not be about what kind of shampoo Ray Cappo uses or that kind of crap, because for TYS it's all about two simple things: the music and the message so that's what we focus on!

So keep checking back y'all, and keep rocking the good music!

Super old school image taken from brooklybodega.com!

Newz on T.Y.S. #4

So the vacations (and post-vacation syndromes) are finally gone and everyone is back to working mode. Good! For us too it's time to get really busy with our next issue (#4, out on March). We've been receiving some really cool -and much needed- contributions by all kinds of people from all kinds of places , and I can't stress how important this is for T.Y.S. It's all about cooperation! So thanks to the people who have sent us stuff so far, and keep it coming yall!

We' ve decided the next issue is going to have a theme and  it's going to be a street-graffiti- NY hardcore aesthetic issue. We just intend to make it old-school looking, and full of rad artwork! We're having some real graffiti artists doing their thing, and even I, Fotis TYS, will have a humble attempt to revive my skills. I'm just remembering growing up in the 90s, when Hardcore music, graffiti (and urban culture in general) were colliding to create a new thing.. It's all changed now, if you've noticed, I mean people now have healthfood and ear-plugs in their backpacks instead of spray cans and markers. I'm not saying it's wrong; just different.

TYS #4 will be a salute to how we grew up : listening to tapes, talking about bands hanging out at the square, having no shows to go to, no Internet. I still believe in that sh*t. Last week, I was caught by a lady writing on a wall. Ended up having a 1/2 hour chat with her about life and anti-conformism. It's what it's all about.

Images taken from Core 77 and Lifespy

The Hope Conspiracy - Live @ the An Club Sunday 10 JAn 2010

So! Good news everyone: A real hardcore show in Athens! Hope Con is definitely a band worth seeing live; I, for one, just can't  forget their truly intense performance on the 2006 Hellfest DVD. I admit the stuff they play nowadays is darker, more complex etc , but I still count them as a straightforward, down-to-basics hardcore band. I guess it'll all be evident tomorrow during their lives how at the An Club. I'm just really and completely psyched to check good shows  and music that is aggressive, full of  energy , and can actually grab my attention... Just say NO to watered-down hardcore! 

Face Your Enemy - Steal the Crown CD Review

Damn!

is the first that springs to mind when you flip Face Your Enemy's new CD in your stereo. This is beatdown hardcore from Italy, with no sidetracks what-so-ever. From what I've seen, Europe has a tradition of heavier bands with an urban/gangsta/thug approach. This is the style that made hardcore popular in Europe back in the late 90s, with bands like Backfire! and Only Attitude Counts, so it's nice to see it has survived and is still played today!

I got this CD from World's Appreciated Kitsch, the Greek hardcore label and fanzine which, along with a few others, released Steal the Crown (nice title by the way). And as Greece also has a strong liking for brutal hardcore, I can easily see Face Your Enemy coming here in Athens and hit the stage sometime in the near future!

Musically, nothing is really new here, except for some really brutal vocals (of the death metal sort) and some ultra-slow parts that catch your attention. Of course there are no solos or melodic parts, but there are shoutalongs, lots of swearing and cool breaks instead. In general it's the exchange between fast and slow that these guys base their sound on, so you get the picture. The production could be a little better but it's OK (I've heard much much worse)!

So if it sounds like your thing, you should go ahead and check these guys out! I think 2010 will be a strong year for 'em!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

http://www.myspace.com/casertahxc (Face Your Enemy Myspace)
http://www.myspace.com/keepitrealhc (World's Appreciated Kitsch Myspace)

First Post for 2010 - Skarhead's DFF video!

Happy New Year everybody! 2010 kick-starts a lot of action, with a number of concerts lined up here in Athens, as well as many expected releases. TYS will be quite busy, too. We've got a few things in the making, and the new issue should  hit the streets around March (if not earlier). Until then, we'll be distributing some shit, mainly punk DIY press (books, fanzines etc), and some CDs/tapes from friend labels. Here I should mention that if you've got a fanzine and you're interested in distributing or getting it featured here, you should get in contact via our email address (takexyourxshot at yahoo dot com). OK, I think that's nuff newz for one time :) Keep checking back and good luck in 2010! Peace out

------------------------------------------------------------------------

SKARHEAD - "D.F.F" video

What better way to start the 2010 blogging than with a cool video? Here's an already classic by NY thugcore giants Skarhead. It's a nice video. If you think it is all macho bogus tough guy shit, I'd strongly suggest you take a chill pill and loosen up with the politically correct stuff. Danny Diablo, the mastermind behind Skarhead is in my opinion a true hardcore icon! So here it is, Skarhead: Drink Fuck and Fight from their latest output on I Scream Records out now!