January 24, 2010 distro update

Hello everyone,
Hopefully this email update goes a bit better than the total mess that was the last one. The Abnormal Tapes stuff and Ripping Thrash tape releases are listed again because only half the people last time received the update with those included. I'm really pleased to get all of this stuff in as some of it i'd been hoping to get in the distro for a while. The Disclose/Wind Of Pain split live tapes are especially great. I THINK (don't quote me) the Disclose side live set on the split is what eventually would go on to be their "Aspects of War" live 10". It was originally released on tape, and i believe this is that tape release. However, i don't own the 10", so i can't compare. Either way this set is brutal. Just perfectly fucking raw and capturing the power and intensity of the band in a live setting. I can't think of any other word other than "perfect" to describe it. The tape inserts are individually numbered as well. Very nicely done.

Along with the Disclose/Wind Of Pain split tape, the best thing this time i thought was the Voĉo Protesta - "Vojo al Libereco" LP. Expensive, but worth it. Great band with really sincere politics in a time where anarchist politics are so out of vogue in the punk scene or it's thought that you have to be a shitty neo folk crust beardo camp fire band (you know the type) to have anarchist politics. But these guys prove that you can rock and be anarchists. This release reminds me of Disclose singing in Spanish to be honest. Great record, and it's nice to see a band getting back to politics instead of pussyfooting around like everyone else.

A blog project i'd like to promote is Luc from Gasmask Terrör's at http://kangnave.blogspot.com/ . Random musings regarding all types of hardcore and punk from across the world. Be sure to check out the live CBGB's show with Reagan Youth, the Beastie Boys, and the Young And The Useless from November 20, 1982.

The extra shit in this update is an Estranged interview that i've had since their tour here in summer of 2008. Thanks a lot to Matt Breen with his assistance in conducting and recording it. Hopefully people will enjoy reading it.

Haven't had two updates come out in the same month in a couple of years, so with any luck you fucking people won't hear from me again until August.

Full distro list and website can be viewed at http://www.socialnapalm.com/ . Past email updates can be viewed at http://penetration82.blogspot.com/ .

Please remember that PRICES ARE *NOT* POSTAGE PAID. For U.S. (domestic) customers, here are the postage rates for ordering:
$0-$15.00 = $2 shipping
$15.01-$30.00 = $3 shipping
$30.01-$75.00 = $4 shipping
$75.01-$125.00 = $5 shipping
$125.01-$200.00 = $6 shipping
Over $200, email me please.

International customers please get in touch for rates. All international orders are sent via airmail.

We can accept well concealed cash or *postal* (that you get from the post office) money orders made out to "Erik" (NOT Social Napalm). Thanks.

Paypal is accepted, but i do have to charge to include for their fees.

Address is at the end of this email.

Here's what's in stock now:

Tapes:

ABNORMAL TAPES
"Abnormal Tapes was oriented in the punk-HC-crust-grind-noise-experimental-industrial-noise vein or whatever came out of that." -Matjaz, Abnormal Tapes

Abnormal Tapes existed from 1994-2004 and was run by Matjaz Galicic from Slovenia who is still involved in many various noise and DIY projects today. You can check out his website at: http://matjaz.jezakon.com/ . He was kind enough to allow some titles on his former label will be available from Social Napalm on a permanent basis. I'm very excited to have these tapes in the catalog as i think they are both great musically as well as represent the Do-It-Yourself and network of friends ethics of international hardcore punk.

"Who Cares... About The Scene?" tape on Abnormal Tapes $4.00 (Abnormal 01)
"Int. compilation-tape w/Força Macabra, Disclose, Agathocles, Antitude + tons more! Comes w/24-page A5 booklet! (punk-HC-grind)" -Abnormal Tapes

Scum Noise/Bloodsuckers split tape on Abnormal Tapes $4.00 (Abnormal 03)
"HC-crust/HC with metal influences! comes with lyrix sheet" -Abnormal Tapes
Comes with a peach colored insert.

Disclose - "Collection '96-'98" tape on Abnormal Tapes $4.00 (Abnormal 33)
From Japan. "Includes material from 7''-es, compilations, demos! Classic raw d-beat punk!" -Abnormal Tapes
Comes with a pink insert.

Disclose/Wind Of Pain split tape on Abnormal Tapes $4.00 (Abnormal 35)
"Japan/Finland split-tape – raw Dis-punk/crusty HC-punk!!!" -Abnormal Tapes
All tapes are individually numbered and come with a nice gold colored insert


RIPPING THRASH / TAPES ARE COOL / M.U.T. / B.I.T.E. DISTRO releases (different labels done by the same person):
At one point, getting your band on DIY tape compilations like these was a fantastic way to get your name known internationally. These were done with a DIY spirit, in an attempt to expose people to many great new bands. Now most people just use Myspace or some other lame shit. I've always loved tape labels, and i think that Steve ran one of the best over a long period of time, so thanks to Steve Ripping Thrash for allowing me to keep these releases in print, and please check out his site at http://www.rippingthrash.com/

Active Minds/Rashit split on Tapes Are Cool (TAC006) $4.00
Rashit side features 17 tracks of angry, political hardcore punk from Istanbul, Turkey. Their first four are from their split 7" with Ask It Why and the remaining are taken from a demo. Active Minds who have been around since the late '80s have 19 tracks with the first 10 taken from various rare EPs and comps, the next 5 recorded live in Barrow-In-Furness, England in 1992, and the final 3 taken from a live set in Diest, Belgium, 1995.

Grito De Odio - s/t on Tapes Are Cool (TAC023) $4.00
Grito De Odio formed in 1992 in Spain and released an LP, two split 7"s, a split CD, and this tape. Outright political and anarchist as well as anti-organized religion, this tape contains tracks from their 1998 demo and "Ordas de Destruccion" LP. There's a ton of tracks here of angry and abrasive HC crust.

Rashit/Third World Planet split on Tapes Are Cool (TAC028) $4.00
Rashit came from Istanbul, Turkey and played interesting political punk with a wide variety of influences. Third World Shit from Canada existed from early 1995 through 1999. This tape comes in a nicely packaged fold out insert sleeve containing all the lyrics of both bands. Fourteen songs from Third World Planet and thirteen from Rashit. This tape was originally released in 1998.

V/A - "Tapes Are Still Cool!!" (MU 80) $4.00
This should probably be the title of my distro update this month, but that's cool. I know i probably won't sell a copy of any of these tapes, but i still think they're fucking cool. Fuck the rest of you. With that said, a nice, classic 1990s typical tape comp with some great bands and well... some not so great ones. In The Shit, No Fraud, Drunkard, Sanity Assassins, Senseless, A.S.R., Anger Of Bacterias, Urban DK, Kismet, Dirthead, Disorganized, Global Holocaust, W.O.R.M., Rubbish Heap, White Frogs, Ministry Of Ignorance, Sarah, The Accidents, Intervenzione, Krvavi Mandat, Konfettura, Eternit, Obnoxious Race, and Invazija all make up this comp.

V/A - "When The Insane Rule The World" (MU64) $4.00
Strong international cassette compilation from the mid 1990s containing a bunch of great political punk, hardcore, thrash, and crust bands. This tape includes Dystopia (USA), Running Party (Croatia), Halle 54 (Germany), Toxic Narcotic (USA), Dexkoncierto (Columbia), Sanity Assassins (USA), Infesto (Columbia), Sarcasm (England), M.D.M. (England), Still The Same (Sweden), Four Past Midnight (Scotland), and In.Decision (Scotland). This tape is accompanied by two external sheets containing an insert for each band.

V/A - "How Much Evidence Do You Fucking Need?" tape on MUT/Tapes Are Cool (MU 84) $4.00
A benefit compilation for Mark Barnsley who was jailed for his animal rights activities (I'm not sure if he's still currently in jail). Interesting comp with some well known international bands and some obscure ones. Bands range from a wide range of styles and include Family, Dr. Green, Rot, E.M.S., P.U.S., Senseless, Mrtva Budoucnost, Cowboy Killers, Off Target, Acredine, Existench, Indignation, 1.5 kg Of Excellent Puree, Dikije Gitary, Cerebral Turbulency, Gozzilla & Le Tre Bambine Coii Baffi, Toxic Narotic, Rosvett, Urban Strop, Alt T.C., Bastard Son Of Fud, Age Of Chaos, Sanity Assassins, The Tutsis, Third Lung, Disculpa, and Besk. Quite a few.


LPs/12"s/10"s:

Destino Final - "Atrapados" LP on La Vida Es Un Mus Discos $16.00
"Invasión from Barcelona started in 2004, and after several line up changes they finally put out their first album on LVEUM in 2007. In 2008 they put out the 'La Caza' 12" and toured the USA. After the USA tour there were some more line up changes, so they decided to change the name of the band. Destiono Final is the the new name but apart from that, little has changed. 'Atrapados' is an 9 track album of feedback and reverb drenched punk. It takes small slices of classic 80's European hardcore, English Anarcho punk and Discharge and makes something that is dense, desperate and twisted." -Paco/La Vida Es Un Mus Discos

Geriatric Unit – "Permethrin Blues" MLP on La Vida Es Un Mus Discos $16.00
"Geriatric Unit (former members of Heresy, Iron Monkey and Hard To Swallow) are back with another 12 blasts of raging hardcore that sounds like it was made back in the late 80's. Permethrin Blues, their fourth 12”, it's short, gnarly and to the point and had to be cut on 45rpm for maximum impact. It's half Boston Hardcore half middle age men shouting at the world. It's the sound of four people with almost the combined age of 120 still having it. It's punk, it's hardcore and it doesn't give a fuck whether you like it or not. This is pure music played by people that do it for love and if you cut them open would bleed hardcore." -Paco/La Vida Es Un Mus Discos

Lotus Fucker - s/t LP on SPHC $10.00
"The sounds of cicadas against crashing ocean waves at sunset. The process of seeking an answer through distortion and finding it within yourself. Remember your Gauze, Terveet Kädet, Wretched, Shitlickers, Lip Cream, and Confuse records. Recorded in one take, "live-in-the-studio", in the middle of the Baltimore ghetto, at the legendary Barclay House. Mixed and mastered in 10 hours over the following two days." -Dan/Lotus Fucker

Voĉo Protesta - "Vojo al Libereco" LP on La Vida Es Un Mus Discos $16.00
"Tokyo's Voĉo Protesta blend the best of the last fifteen years of Japanese distorted hardcore with the early 80’s European punk attitude. Their sound has changed a touch since their three 7"s - It’s more dynamic, perhaps less Confuse and more Crude SS. However, their ideas are still the same, highly idealistic anarchist lyrics about a better world sang in Esperanto. Their sonic approach is still distorted, primitive and urgent. Fast and angry. 'Vojo el Libereco' is a classic slice of raw hardcore for any fans of Gloom, Framtid, Frigora and other masters of the black and white high contrast artwork. Cover art by Teodoro Hernandez." -Paco/La Vida Es Un Mus Discos

V/A - "Nightmare On Albion St. - Worst Of The 1 In 12 Club Vol. 11" on 1 In 12 Records $11.00
Very thankful to have these in stock. The 1 In 12 Club is a private social club located in Bradford, England that has been operating since the 1988. It's entirely run by a membership union made of punks, anarchists, etc. Many comps came out over the years featuring bands that had played the club in a time recent to when the comp was released. This installment is from 1992 and features bands that had played the club mostly from January to June of 1990 including Bio-Hazard (not THAT one), B.T.F., Disaster, Threshold Shift, Nerverack, Citizen Fish, Mushroom Attack (pre-Fleas 'N Lice), Idiot Gods, Justice League Of America, Primate, Rubber.Leather.Plastic., Robb Johnson, and Rhythm Activism. Some familiar names, and some not so. The stand out and noteworthy track here is by Disaster who released their highly sought after "War Cry" 12" in 1990. Their track here is taken from their final recording session and is great Discharge influenced hardcore. But some of the other bands are good as well. These are left over stock copies that had been rotting in the 1 In 12 Club basement for quite some time. There are some dings on the covers as well as some discoloration on the inserts. The vinyl is all unplayed and in like-new condition. An interesting release that is out of print except for these remaining copies.


Zines:

Accept The Darkness - Volume One $2.00
First issue of this half sized zine covering raw punk, Dis beat, black and white studs 'n spikes punk and hardcore. This zine is done by a 15 year old from New York, and there's an obvious youthful enthusiasm and exuberance that i'm really digging. Some parts of this zine are a little overly inspired by other people's works such as the East Coast Underground Punk Attack section being very close to the Portland City Punk Invasion section of Warning zine. But i think that's just what the author is excited about and attempting to recreate in his own way. If it were a 25 year old doing this, i might have a different viewpoint. I also like the author's opinions in here as he espouses a lot of hardcore ethics in a time when most people just care about owning rare records and playing dress up. In fact, he calls out some of these consumerist types saying "Legions of meat-headed frat boys playing punky dress up flock to the ideas of record collecting snobbery..." in a piece on how the internet made many obscure bands more accessible to him. Perhaps overly simplistic and a bit naive, but it's righteous while lacking pretension. Additionally this first issue also features a band history on Disarm from Sweden, interviews with Perdition from New York and Nerveskade from Portland, and a piece on '80s bands that he loves and thinks are underrated or in need of reissue including Part 1, Vorkriegsphase, Svart Parad, and the Iconoclast. My favorite part of the zine was in the Perdition interview when he bluntly asks the question "Do any of you work?" Everything is done with type writer, white on black, cut 'n paste style, so aesthetically it's on point. Overall, it's refreshing to see this because i'm quite sick of reading American punks go on at length in zines, messageboards, and everywhere else about obscure name drop Japanese bands that released some shitty flexi in 1985 that no one would give a fuck about if it weren't Japanese. So this zine is a welcome and recommended alternative to the "Myspace crust" culture currently permeating American DIY punk. And i think that's what makes it work; it's far less contrived or attempting to impress anyone than a lot of what's coming out. I hope that continues as time goes on. I dunno what zine you did when you were 15, but i'm quite sure this one is better.


Here's what should be in for the next update (DO NOT ORDER YET):

Not sure yet to be quite honest...


Other shit:

ESTRANGED INTERVIEW

Thursday, June 12, 2008

Derek - Bass, vocals
Mark - Guitar, vocals
Keith (not present) - Drums

Interview started off with Boston sports talk which was started just prior to the interview.

Derek: Don't get me started on the Patriots dude.

Breen: Don't get any of us started on the Patriots.

Erik: Question one: How do you feel about Boston sports? (Laughter)

Breen: What are your thoughts on the game tonight?

Derek: I just... I don't really care, just being honest about that one.

Erik: Are you a Trailblazers fan?

Derek: Yeah.

Erik: Alright.

Derek: Yeah, it's football. My sport is football. You should see this Patriots shirt I have though. It has the Patriots logo. It says 18-1 and says New England football, and it has binoculars on the eyes of the logo. It's fucking awesome. (Laughter) I'm a Chargers and Packers fan, so...

Erik: Ahh, Ladainian, come on man.

Derek: Yeah dude, you can't go wrong with that guy.

Erik: That guy's a pussy.

Derek: Oh, come on!

Erik: What the fuck?

Derek: We almost beat you without him.

Erik: He complains about everything!

Derek: We almost beat you without him, that's all i'm saying.

Erik: He's the biggest crybaby in professional sports.

Derek: We had a quarterback with one leg and we almost beat you.

Breen: What about the 14-2 year, the year before?

Derek: Yeah, exactly.

Erik: Yeah, that's a bunch of bullshit. Let's talk about punk rock.

Derek: OK. (Laughter)

Erik: How'd you go from Remains Of The Day to the Estranged, and when did you form?

Derek: We formed about a year and a half ago. Remains broke up in 2003. We just lost the feeling for hardcore, or at least some of us did at that point in time and we just kind of split up and went our separate ways. Then me and the drummer kept doing other bands like Hellshock and stuff like that. And then one day me and Mark got together and just started playing. Just a different style of music that we were both into, and we asked Keith to drum and that's how we were formed again.

Erik: How did you come up with the concept for a Joy Division/Wipers influenced post punk sound as opposed to what you were doing before?

Derek: It was just something that, at least me and him [Mark], were listening to at the time. I don't know, it's just probably where we're from. The Wipers are kind of a big influence on all of us.

Mark: I mean we always listened to that kind of stuff and we just decided that it would be better to start getting really influenced by it. We resembled some of it.

Derek: Yeah, and no one was really doing that in Portland. Not necessarily that it's different but we just wanted to add our own little stuff to it, just try something different.

Erik: Is the fact that you are from Portland helpful or a hindrance? It seems like people expect high quality releases but have preconceived notions of a "PDX sound" to some degree...

Derek: I don't know... Whenever I do interviews and hear about the "PDX sound" I honestly don't know what that means. I think the "PDX sound" that most people think of, they think of bands like Tragedy and stuff like that where it's just like those guys aren't even from Portland. To me, that's the "Tennessee sound," you know? And it's just like they're [people in general] so accustomed to saying the "PDX sound." When I think of "PDX sound," I think of bands like Defiance and Resist and stuff like that. I don't know, that's just me. Bands that are actually from that area. A lot of them grew up there. We're all just transplants.

Mark: I don't think PDX really has a sound.

Derek: Plus, yeah, I mean nowadays there's such a diverse sound. We have so many young bands just playing straight up punk and then there's a black metal scene, there's a stoner metal scene. There's just so many different genres there that it's just ridiculous to keep track of everything.

Erik: I know the band has a Myspace profile. Do you feel Myspace has replaced the need for an actual physical demo? Is Myspace a good thing in DIY punk or have you just come to accept it at this point? What about the fact that it's now owned by Fox News Corporation?

Mark: I hate it. I think Myspace is totally dumb, but i'm guilty of using it and taking advantage of it.

Derek: Yeah, it really does make it easy on bands because you don't have to pay someone to run a fucking website, which I wish we did have our own website because we probably wouldn't think that much about Myspace. But as shitty as it is being run by Fox and whatnot, there are still decent things to go about it. It's just sad that it's to the point where I don't even use my fucking Hotmail anymore to get ahold of friends and stuff. Everyone just Myspaces me. Don't get me wrong, I think that's stupid. I miss just checking my Hotmail account. I used to check that everyday and now I check it like once a week because everyone just Myspaces me. There's pros and cons to it, that's all.

Erik: Do you think bands should still have demo tapes?

Derek: I think demo tapes are good, I think it's a great idea. I loved putting out demos and stuff like that.

Mark: CD-Rs.

Derek: Yeah, or CD-Rs. Just simple things like that.

Erik: What do you have out currently, and can you please talk about these releases?

Derek: We have the "Fast Train" EP that came out first on Black Water. We have the "Sacred Decay" EP that came out on Green Noise. It's a sub label of Dirtnap. The LP on Dirtnap. We have a 7" we're picking up in Austin on Dead Ideas called the "Entranced" 7". Also a split 7" with Autistic Youth on Black Water. And we also have a Portland comp with us on it, Autistic Youth, Sleepwalkers R.I.P., and The Nix. And those are all going to be out during this tour. We don't have them with us right now. That's our catalog so far.

Breen: How'd you get on Dirtnap? Did you shop around or they find out...

Derek: They just asked us. Ken from Dirtnap came to one of our shows and he was interested in releasing a 7" at first. And we told him we were going to the studio to record and LP, and he said he'd like to do the LP as well.

Mark: He's going to pretty much do everything else from here on out.

Derek: We'll probably do 7"s on other labels like we've been doing. But like full lengths and stuff, I prefer to go through Ken. He does a really good job, and I like a lot of the bands on his label. It's really nice. He's a great person to work with.

Erik: Your lyrics seem pretty vague. Who writes them, and is there any specific meaning behind them?

Mark: It's pretty much just me writing the lyrics. They're just about things that come out of my head, personal stuff. I don't know, some political stuff. I'd say like 7/8ths is whatever's in my head, and 1/8th is political or social content.

Erik: How has the tour gone so far, and were you forced to take into account the high price of gas when planning it? Furthermore, how do you think the high price of gas has impacted the DIY touring network?

Derek: It's definitely affected us just because the first four or five shows were such long drives. We were doing 12 hour drives. You had $4.54 a gallon in Sacramento.

Mark: Every four hours we had to fill up.

Derek: Yeah, and it means we try to sell our merch maybe a dollar more than you normally do just for gas prices. And no one has made an issue over it or anything. We sell shirts for $9, 7"s for $4, and stuff. It's just what we've been doing. And when touring bands come to Portland, it's the same thing. When I'm in Portland watching a show and someone's selling an LP for $10 or a shirt for $10, I don't think twice. I'm just like "Well, it makes sense." Fucking gas is expensive.

Erik: You don't fucking scream at them or talk shit about them on messageboards for being sell outs?

Derek: No, I think it's bullshit. You come and watch these bands, and then you complain about how much shit costs. It's not like we're selling a t-shirt for $20 or anything like that. If you think it's too expensive, don't buy the shit. I mean, it's that simple. I don't know...

Erik: With 2008 being an election year, is there any hope for the better once Bush is gone or does it not even fucking matter?

Mark: I don't know how I feel about it.

Derek: To be honest, I found out Obama fucking won the nomination when we were on tour. I had no fucking clue. We were in like Iowa. I haven't really paid much attention to this. I don't really know that much about Obama. I know he's a well spoken individual and stuff like that. I'd rather see him than Hillary, that's about as far as it goes because Hillary is a fucking nut.

Mark: I don't think any of it really matters though.

Derek: Yeah, it really doesn't. When it comes down to voting with the whole Electoral College votes, it doesn't really fucking matter.

Mark: We don't really concern ourselves with political candidates...

Erik: Presidential politics?

Derek: Yeah, it's not a topic in the van, that's for sure. Let's put it that way. (Laughter)

Mark: We're not losing sleep over who's going to win the election.

Erik: It seems not so long ago, punk/hardcore bands were releasing records that were either outright political or at least socially conscious. Now few bands seem to be socially aware or politically charged. It also seems like labels release smaller pressings focused on limited editions, pre-orders, and internet hype. How do you guys feel about this, and what do you think about the state of punk in the future in general?

Mark: I think punk needs to definitely change. It can't just live in the past forever. It needs to evolve or at least take from influences from different genres and incorporate more styles of doing things.

Erik: Do you think it's become just another subculture based on consumerism that revolves around the internet?

Mark: Yeah, kind of, I think. I'd say so.

Derek: It's getting to the point where it seems bands might be starting to run out of ideas. Everything's just kind of getting rehashed. Don't get me wrong, I like listening to old '80s hardcore bands and stuff like that, but it's just like they're all starting to mesh together, and they all sound the same to me. They should add their own little flavor or whatnot to the music.

Erik: Do you think there's room for originality in punk, or do you think the retro thing is a good thing?

Mark: I think seldom happens for originality to occur, but I think it's possible.

Derek: I think people are just kind of stuck in their ways of what they're listening to and what their influences are that they just want to play what they're into. Like i said, there's definite room to add your own flavor or other influences outside of punk to your band. It's just a matter of if you want to do it.

Erik: Do you think it's a dead culture overall or is it dying...?

Derek: I don't think it's dying.

Mark: I think it often can become a parody of itself.

Erik: A little bit?

Mark: More than a little bit. (Laughter) But still, it's doing something.

Erik: What's happening in Portland now?

Derek: Just a lot of shows, it's summer. A slew of bands, there's shows every fucking day 'cause it's summer so everyone and their mom is touring there now. A lot of good bands from all over. We just had Systematic Death, we had Blowback, great Japanese bands to come through. And there's just more to come. More and more bands.

Mark: Portland's dumb, don't move there. Everyone moves there.

Erik: Do you guys get pissed at that?

Mark: It just seems like it's ruining the scenes in other towns. Like if you want to book a show a show on a Monday, some random day, you'll probably have to compete with like 10 other shows.

Derek: Yeah, it's getting really overwhelming, but then again, I can't really talk much because I'm a transplant myself. Granted, I've lived there for nine years. Especially summer, there's just an influx of kids coming there whether they stay or not, it's just really overwhelming. There's always something going on.

Mark: The plethora of punks is kind of annoying at times, I think.

Erik: Could you please talk about Black Water Records; what's been released so far, what is planned, and any specific goals or focus of the label? [Answered by Derek due to Keith's absence from this interview.]

Derek: He's got so many releases coming out like that Blowback LP just came out. He just did the Forca Macabra. He has a lot of licenses to a lot of the old Brazilian punk stuff like Colera, the Sub comp, the Ataque Sonoro comp, the Lixomania EP, I think. There's just a slew of stuff that that guy has in the works, it's ridiculous.

Erik: Any last words?

Derek: Come see us on tour if you want. We're on the road 'til the 29th of June. So check our Myspace page for our tour dates. (Laughter) That's about it.

Mark: Thanks for the interview.

Derek: Hope that answered some of your questions. (Laughter)


Erik SN
P.O. Box 4073
S. Chelmsford, MA
01824-0773
U.S.A.
http://www.socialnapalm.com/