Straight Opposition show 13 April 2007

Hell yes!

Last Friday's Straight Opposition show was a keeper! Thanks to Apostolis and the Disharmonic crew we got to see another good hardcore gig. Straight Opposition are from Italy and they play heavy as fuck and equally fast hardcore. Imagine the heaviness of Machine Head (!) combined with proper old school hardcore drumming, a killer flattening sound and you get the picture. As for the vox, they're also heavy and distorted without sounding metallic, in the usual European hardcore tradition. Awesome stuff, dude!

Disharmonic also played a hell of a show. These guys keep getting better and better, who knows how far they're gonna take it! But we can surely say that Greece has a hardcore band that can stand up for our country and also make a name for it. Now let's have some more Greek hardcore bands kicking ass! The scene might be on a decline at the moment, but that only means that it's setting itself up again!

I unfortunately didn't get to see Toxic Waste because I got to the venue just before the Disharmonic show. That's because I was working till late afternoon and had to go pick up my friend before the show, so that resulted in us being kinda late. I'm sure they kicked ass, in any case.

It was super cool to catch up with some friends and say hi.. Some old faces, some-but only a few- new ones... The gigs, it seems, are getting smaller and smaller. Also, I know some people who run record shops & say that the kids just don't buy hardcore records anymore. Hey, you know what? Who fucking cares!? Hardcore is not supposed to be a trendy form of music for the masses. It's best to keep it underground, keep it healthy and vibrant, and let the cool kids show up only when SOIA is playing... ha ha ha.

Let's have some more underground gigs like this one!!!

The music, the message

Have things been kinda slow recently, or is it just me and my busy as fuck schedule? I know I've been slacking from writing this blog (before even starting properly!), which will change from now on, I promise. But it seems to me like there ain't any enthusiasm for hardcore these days, at least here in Athens Greece. Since I moved back a couple of months ago, I just can't find what's going on with hardcore activities, and where the heck all the hardcore kids have gone. No shows, no new bands, no nothing. Something's gotta change, and quick.

At the same time, I feel more dedicated now. 25 years old and I'm feeling the strongest I ever have about hardcore! Hardcore picks me up, gives me hope and gets me through the day, especially now that life becomes harder with all the adult responsibilities. I play my records whenever I get the chance to, in the morning when I wake up before work, in the car or anywhere fucking else. With the lack of gigs around, I tend to lose my head and mosh on my own. It's nothing to be ashemed of, friends, and definitely better than going through life half-asleep like so many people I know.

But it's not jus the music. It's also the words, the inspiration, the message behind it all. The truth is that these days I can't listen to a hardcore band that has nothing to say, no matter how hard and fast it might play. I need that message that makes the difference compared to any other sort of music in this whole wide world. That's what speaks to me and keeps me psyched all these years!

I might be a little dissapointed with the current state of hardcore in Greece 07, but I' not about to give up. Maybe it's just a matter of time until a good gig takes place, so I can see all my friends and have my faith restored (not that it needs to be restored, it's not even gone, but anyways...). The bottom line is: I won't despair, and I'll keep on being a hardcore kid no matter what!

Keep it up!

THE FIRST STEP - "What We Know": Best of 2006?

With this post I just want to throw the spotlight on a really, really good hardcore record that came out last year. For me, it's possibly my favorite HC record of 2006, and it's a band that has made quite a name for itself, and for a good reason. The First Step has it all: the music, the message, and a ton of positive energy to give you the biggest smile while moshing your ass off! Their style is fast, old school youth crew with positive, spiritual, friendship and anti-mater lyrics. How much better can it get!?

Let me tell you these guys have got their influences down right. They combine elements from the 88 spirit youth crew bands like Youth Of Today, Chain Of Strength and Gorilla Biscuits but with an extra positive and melodic twist of California straight edge bands like Insted and especially Uniform Choice. Awesome! For anyone who likes 80s hardcore these are all historic, legendary bands and TFS DOES sound as good as them. But TFS has also a personal sound and takes things to a whole new level, as they are good musicians and every instrument makes its presence very strongly. Of course this is helped by the production, which is the job of Walter Schreifels (ex- Gorilla Biscuits, ex-Quicksand, ex-Rival Schools), a legend in his own right.

I've got this on CD by Rivalry Records and it looks pretty good. The booklet is pretty good and it contains the *awesome* inspirational lyrics and the artwork is kind of a homage to the late 80s Revelation bands (b&w moshpit photos, the guitarist doing a superior jump with his Gibson etc). You know the deal! There's also this picture of the band chiling on a dock which is really cool. Rivalry records also put this put on vinyl, and I bet it looks and sounds absolutely spectacular, and it is probably sold out by now.

I didn't know that Carolina, US, had such incendiary bands. I totally recommend this for all the kids who like their hardcore energetic, stripped down but at the same time melodic and multi-layered. Kids: This is a record you will spin again and again. And again...

www.thejourneyofathousandsmiles.com
www.myspace.com/thefirststep
www.rivalryrecords.com

HAVE HEART - The Things We Carry (Bridge 9)

So everyone's been talking about HAVE HEARTand I have been really curious to see what the fuss is all about. For some reason Have Heart has been promoted as this mid-90s HC revival band but I personally don;t find any similarities with that sound. To me it sounds like a modern, metallic-tinged youth crew band that could fit in the whole Comeback Kid/With Honor genre. I mean, take a look at the cover (which by the way I think is great), does that signify mid 90s to you? I don't think so.

Have Heart is the classic example of an American Hardcore band: They've been around for a while, they've self-released a demo that went fucking well, they have a 7" on a small HC label (Think Fast! Records) and they've played their asses off... So now Bridge 9 does the logical thing, which is to snatch them up and release their full-length. What you get is 11 songs of good contemporary American HC, a sound that of course is very much loved here in Europe too. Have Heart has actually played in mainland Europe and England and got some great crowd responses.

Their sound combines the HC harshness and speed, but there is definitely something more 'elegant' going on. There is a lot of tempo exchange, from the 0:56 "Life Is Hard Enough Opener", to some slow moshy songs and some melancholic parts and interludes and whatever. Of course, it is topped up by a crystal-clear production that makes everything sound fucking huge, especially the drums-hear the rolls thunder mercilessly on your head!

The lyrics are also a bit faraway from the classic straight edge HC template. It is sXe domain for sure, but of another school, less loud-mouthed and more though-provoking. There is some sadness in some of those songs, but overall a good message for the kids to read in their bedrooms inbetween the Terror hatefuckyourevenge stuff.

Summing up, Have Heart is one of those bands that is changing the face of Hardcore music today, with this different approach that doesn't pretend to be very hard or or adopt a pretentious stance. The music speaks for itself, and it is good, straight up music for the year 2007.

www.bridge9.com
www.myspace.com/haveheart

p.s. for the record collector freaks: vinyl version recently pressed by Bridge 9 on gatefold 12", solid yellow w/ green splatters. 1000 pieces so hurry if you really want this!

Keep It Real Fest 26 Dec 06

So I'm home for Xmas-- and I'm glad to say there's been some HC action here in Athens to attend. On the 26th, there was Keep It Real fest, organized by my good friend Apostolis of Disarmonic fame. The entrance was only 5 euro and so I met up with a crew of good kids and after a strong as fuck coffee and a long-ish drive, we went to the gig which was @ Rodeo club, the underground (literally) venue opposite Vila Amalias squat.

So OCB was cancelled due to illness or something and the Intruders (?) played, a surf-roackabilly band that was a bit of a poor substitude for a HC fest but I guess shit happens and when it does, the band that fills in is sometimes completely irrelevant with the rest of the bill. So during the Intruders' set I had the chance to eat loads of crisps at the bar and drink my coke, as well as talk to some friends I hadn's seen in a while.

Second up was Toxika Apovlita (Toxic Waste), a band that's been around for ages but this was the first time I would check 'em out. They came out strong with their punkcore/ska style, with a great sound--almost professional (props to the soundman of Rodeo). Hey these guys got an awesome drummer, keep an eye on this dude cause he's ripping sh*t up!

After the Toxika Apovlita set, I was bummed to see that a lot of people left the show. Seems like some arrogant punks were only there to see their friends band. I mean, you pay the whole ticket and then you leave the house before the show is over? That's not punk at all. That's plain crap.

Anyways, after a short break Disharmonic took the stage and they rocked the house like they've been doing for the past few years, improving their 'Madball meets oldschool' every time I see them. There is still some room for improvement, but isn't there always for every band out there? One thing I noticed is that Apostolis keeps changing his vocals until he finds his personal style, he sounds to me a little bit like the singer from Shutdown (Mike Scondoto if I'm not mistaken). Cool shit!

After this sweet show, it was time to roam around the streets of Athens which I hadn't seen for so long, listening to HC tapes with my friends in my car and grabbing a bite, and finally chilling at a bar before ending another cool, energetic and positive HC day!