July 12, 2010 distro update

Hello to all the fellas and ladies out there reading this,
Newest Social Napalm update. I know all you fruitcakes have been spending the summer listening to Katy Perry and the new Lady Gaga, but here's some hardcore punk. It's been a bit (like always) since the last one, but i think this one is worth the wait.

First things i'd like to single out are the Demo Tapes Records releases which are A Touch Of Hysteria and Violent Uprising. Ya, ya, i know these came out a while ago, and a ton of people have them, but whatever. The Demo Tapes label has been doing an magnificent job (quite an understatement really) of finding obscure, old, and forgotten tape, demo, and miscellaneous releases and pressing them to vinyl with superb packaging. Fans of UK punk from the 1980s should love both releases. The Violent Uprising LP comes with a massive booklet that is just amazing to look at visually. Such a huge amount of effort has gone into these releases, and it's an obvious labor of love that could not have come out more perfectly. I only wish i could have gotten their other releases for distro as well.

The pair of new releases on the Rock 'N Roll Disgrace Records label out of New Hampshire are also great and a bit more contemporary (well, one of them anyway). These both really caught me by surprise. Superyob are a fantastic pub rock band from England who originally released this album as a CD only release in 1996. This is the first time it's been available on vinyl. The THUG LP is hard Oi influenced punk done by an original roadie of Rose Tattoo and featuring back ups by Rose Tattoo's Angry Anderson. Fans of Condemned 84, Last Resort, Cock Sparrer, and stomping people while wearing boots 'n braces should take note. You gotta believe!

Last thing is the Concrete Sox live split tape. The Sox side contains a live set from '89 with good sound quality, a couple demo tracks from 1992, plus their tracks from the "Discharged" and "Crust And Anguished" compilations. Fans of the Accused, Unseen Terror, and other bands of that style should dig this.

Attn: People in the Boston and surrounding areas. There is a punk DJ night at the Middle East on the last Tuesday of every month. Hosted typically by two or three locals which thus far have included DJ Skitskreig, DJ Space Cat, DJ Shitwolf, DJ Barry Manilowlife, and others. The next one will be Tuesday, June 29, 2010. Starts at 9:00 or 10:00 PM and goes until about 2:00 AM. No cover charge, totally free. "All ages to pogo//21+ to puke!!!" Covers all types of punk including 77, HC, punk, thrash, crust, Oi!, international, foreign, etc. etc. etc. The Middle East, 480 Mass Ave., Cambridge, MA 02139

Once again i have nothing in the extra features category of this news letter. I was going to try to do an interview with a band, but then i couldn't think of any bands that i wanted to interview for this. Someone write some shit for me please.


Tapes (all official, no bootlegs):
These are from a new shipment of official tape releases under the Ripping Thrash and related banner which includes Ripping Thrash, MUT, Tapes Are Cool, and Bricks In Their Eyes Distro offshoots.

Bugeyed/Concrete Sox - "Live Split Benefit Tape" on MUT $4.00
Originally released in November of 1994 as a benefit for the Hunt Saboteurs Association in England. The Bugeyed side features ten tracks recorded live at an unknown date. Hardcore punk from these British guys. On the B side is of Concrete Sox and features and eight song live set recorded in Italy on March 30, 1989, two tracks from a 1992 demo, two tracks from the "Discharged" comp LP, and their track from the "Crust And Anguished" comp CD in Japan. I wouldn't consider the live stuff to be sound board, but it's pretty well recorded and still features their classic era songs. This is a great tape that i'm very excited to have for distro.

Cowboy Killers/Rectify - "Benefit For The Hunt Saboteurs Association" on MUT $4.00
As the title states this was released as a benefit for the Hunt Saboteurs Association in England in January of 1996. The Cowboy Killers were a pretty prolific band from Wales. They started off as a sort of melodic hardcore band, with several releases on the great Words Of Warning hardcore label and an early 7" on Sound Pollution Records, and became more melodic over time, especially as the pop punk explosion hit in the mid 1990s. I think people into later Stupids material, Snuff, The Sect (whom Cowboy Killers had a split with), and then later on Four Letter Word (also from Wales) will enjoy these. Tracks 1-5 on here come from the "Eddy's Leg - Did It Hurt?" 7" (released in the US by Ransom Note Recordings in 1995), tracks 6 and 9-13 are alt versions of previously released songs, 7 and 8 were previously unreleased, and 14-16 are "from only very limited records" according to the insert. A very solid UK melodic band that's somewhat been forgotten.
Rectify from England (not the straight edge band of the same name) had various releases out including splits with External Menace (on Suspect Device) and Kuru (on Inflammable Material Records) as well as many compilation appearances on "Mind Pollution" LP (Words Of Warning, 1991), "Fukt Az Punx" LP (Devastating Soundworks, 1994), "Aftermath" LP (Profane Existence/Aftermath, 1999), and others. The songs here are taken from various releases including different demos, various live shows, outtakes, comp tracks (from the "Piece By Piece" LP), and a cover song (Selector). Rectify play insightful and socially conscious burly British hardcore.

Grito De Odio/Dirthead split on Tapes Are Cool $4.00
Grito De Odio came out of Spain in the 1990s. Most of the songs here are tracks from 1995. There's 15 tracks here total of politically charged '90s sounding international hardcore with perhaps some slight crust influences. You can hear them at http://www.purevolume.com/gritodeodio to sample the goods. Dirthead comes from Oregon, USA and plays anarcho crust. Dirthead were part of the Portland scene around the same time as bands like Detestation, Yankee Wuss, Axiom, Warmachine, and the Obliterated. I honestly don't know much about them, but a Google search revealed members of Detesation listing them as a band to look out for in their HeartattaCk and Profane Existence interviews. I don't think think they ever made it to vinyl though, and i have no clue if members went on to be in any other bands. A review from Happy House zine Issue 10 stated Dirthead "are reminiscent of a cross between Final Conflict and Doom providing some really cool" songs (???) (can't read the rest of the sentence).

V/A - "Kill Positive" on Tapes Are Cool $4.00
As the subtitle reads: "An Austrian punk & HC compilation 1999," and that about sums it up. I've got to be pretty honest in that i'm not familiar with the vast majority of the bands here, but there are some winners and losers on this. The bands include Programm C, Desperate Cry, Whymandrakes, Reflector, Nineday Wonder, Falltime, H-Street (not the skateboard company, ha), Flatline, Deadzibel, Mastic Scum, E.M.S., Störsender, Animotion, Cleareol, Kobayashi, Konstrukt, Radikalkur, Flowers In Concrete, Moral Majority, Antikörper, Anarchophobia, Strahler 80, Grant, Bloody Mary, Smaug, Valina, Dissonant View, Knallkopf, Käthe Core, ZLF, Bug, and Moronique. Quite a few bands on here!!

V/A - "Tapes Are Cool" on MUT $4.00
Another 1990s tape sampler of DIY hardcore from across the globe. This one is from 1997 and features the likes of Rectify, Boba Fett Youth, MDM, Stab Happy, Halle 54, Urbn DK, Belli-Cosi, DSM, W.O.R.M., Done Lying Down, P.U.S., State Of Filth, Chapando Bares, Manfat, Brandelli D'Odio, Wardance, Hud Sabao, Rajoitus, the New Speakers, Erase Today, Corpus Vile, Bandog, Spithead, Lost In The Supermarket, Sanity Assassins, Acao Direta, Maggot Slayer Overdrive, Vaffan Coulo, Crunch. There's some hits here and some misses, much like any of these tape compilations. Crunch from Italy is a scorcher and are a very underrated band that you can still find their LP compiling their singles on Clean Plate Records for really cheap.


LPs:

Extinct Government CD on E.G.R. $12.50 (THIS IS A CD NOT AN LP!!!!!!!!!!!!)
"Tokyo hardcore godfather!!!! 1st full album." -Shin/Punk And Destroy shop
I don't know that much about Extinct Government to be honest. Their catalog dates back to the mid '90s with split 7"s with Recharge (Epistrophy) and Hazard (Overthrow Records), s/t 7" (Overthrow Records), and "No Justice" LP (Overthrow Records). Pogo influenced hardcore punk from Japan that doesn't fall into the hardcore category or squarely into the pogo subgenre. Clearly influenced by GBH, the Exploited, and other UK82 acts, Extinct Government, like most bands from the country, sound distinctly Japanese. I think fans of Japanese hardcore will already be familiar with them and now maybe some other people can be too.

Superyob - "Aggrophobia" LP on Rock 'N' Roll Disgrace $10.00
"Repress of classic debut of Britain's Superyob, led by legendary pianist Frankie Flame. Take part pub rock, part oi! and a good healthy outpouring of British rock'n'roll, with real world lyrics a million miles away from typical "boots'n'bovver" subject matter. Originally released by Hammer Records, and never pressed on vinyl, this is the original mix, with original art work, cleaned up and looking as good as ever. An all-star amalgam of London Street Rock stalwarts, this supergroup has been pumping out the tunes since 1996. Their last LP from a couple years ago "Quality Street" continues the fact they are one of the only worthwhile bands playing this type of music over the past decade." -RNR Disgrace

T.H.U.G. - s/t LP on Rock 'N' Roll Disgrace $10.00
"Disclaimer once you get past the artwork and some of the lyrics, you can't go wrong.
From the streets of Sydney, Australia, these five menacing, tattooed bruisers don't PLAY their songs so much as BEAT them out of their instruments. T.H.U.G. are aptly-named, and their music is an extension of that. Real-life lyrics take a realistic, if cynical approach to modern life, friends, enemies, skinheads, and coping with the pain of death, wrapped up in tunes that will have you singing along and possibly bashing people in the head while doing so. Taking a nod to classic Aussie bands like Quick & the Dead and Rose Tattoo, as well as the tough British Oi! bands like the 4-Skins and Condemned 84. Featuring guest vocals from Angry Anderson of Rose Tattoo." -RNR Disgrace

Touch Of Hysteria, A - 1983 Demo one-sided 12" on Demo Tapes Records $17.00
"A Touch Of Hysteria from Cumbria, released this demo tape on 96 Tapes back in 1983. It was the only thing the band ever recorded and the Mob's label All The Madmen wanted to release it, but ran out of money. The 5 songs are dark and moody anarcho punk that brings to mind the more depressing bands of the era. From the Mob to Part 1 and a lot of Rudimentary Peni but also Crisis / Theatre Of Hate / the Pack. How this has remained unreleased until now is quite unbelievable." -Demo Tapes Records
Please note, due to the (still) weak U.S. dollar, the actual wholesale price and shipping price on these was a killer, hence the high price.

Violent Uprising - 4 Track EP One Sided 12" on Demo Tapes Records $17.00
"The one and only Demo from Preston's Violent Uprising is a crude and raw 4 track recording of d-beat inspired hardcore. The recording was produced by Bambi from Discharge. The 6 minute, 4 track 12" comes with a 20 page colour booklet and poster." -Demo Tapes Records
Please note, due to the (still) weak U.S. dollar, the actual wholesale price and shipping price on these was a killer, hence the high price.


Zines:

Accept The Darkness Volume 2 $2.00
Second issue here of Accept The Darkness, and it continues on in the same vein as the first. The author is a high school student, and the view points espoused are clearly of someone in that age range in that they are very positive, inspired, and excited about being a part of punk, the nature of DIY, and the potential it holds. Its refreshing to read these thoughts as i think many can relate (or could have at one time) to where he's coming from. That's not to say that i agree with all of it, but i appreciate the sentiment and honesty behind the enthusiasm expressed here. There's a naivety that runs throughout the zine that i love. It's all so fresh and uncomplicated to him. Regarding music, this issue has interviews with Vivid Sekt (Portland) and Brain Killer (Boston), an East Coast what's up feature that includes Bloodkrow Butcher (Lowell, MA), SSR (Richmond, VA), and Crazy Spirit (NYC). There is a piece on some '80s bands that the author wishes to highlight including Asocial (Sweden), The Sexual (Japan), Scapegoats (Germany), and Morbid Humor (England). These are mostly just short overviews on each band and why the author recommends them than in depth bios. The reading content itself is typical of zines of the genre, but the age along with the inspired writing style improve the somewhat generic formula the zine employs. I look forward to this zine continuing to improve on it's above average start.

Dirge #7 $1.00 ppd. or 50¢ with order
Newest issue of Dirge zine out of New York City. This issue is a one pager with only an interview with the band Bog People from Portland, Oregon. A very quick read, and the interview isn't very serious or in depth with pretty superficial questions, but if you're looking for a quick read at a cheap price and are at all interested in Bog People, then this is a solid read. It also contains some photos of Portland and East Coast punk bands.

More Noize #4 $3.00
Fourth issue of More Noize zine from England, and this one is the biggest issue yet packed with tons of info. I'm going to say right off that bat that i do not enjoy most of the bands covered in this zine or the majority of what this scene is about. With that said, i love the author's (Tony) enthusiasm for the type of music that he loves and his commitment to covering it. I really can't get behind the whole 'noisecore' thing. I don't really like the Japanese originators of the style to begin with. And at this point, the trend reminds me of being into 'D-beat' circa 2004 in that the bands that first started the retro trend are well established (Lebenden Toten and The Wankys) and leaps and bounds ahead of the imitators they've spawned (right down to using flowers with their logos just like Lebenden Toten does). It's that pathetic lack of originality and unabashed blatancy with which the third and fourth (and so on) tier bands rip off the front runners that makes this (and every) trend take away from the spark and quality of the bands that do do it well. Just as Disclose ripped off Discharge and then spawned a million clones that all sucked, The Wankys have payed homage to their Japanese heroes in bands like Gai, Chaos CH, etc. only to be then ripped off by a bunch of dumb bands with shitty boom box recordings passed off as 'noisy recordings,' band names and song titles that make no sense in an attempt to mimic another culture's difficulties with the English language (which is condescending to said cultures in my opinion), and 7th grade home room level scribblings for artwork. I dunno, i just can't hang. This trend is so fucking stupid. But what sets this zine apart is that i don't think Tony is some trend hoping poser. He's sincere in his writing, commitment to DIY ethics, love of paper zines, and love of the music. And i respect that even where i may disagree with his taste in places. The features in this issue include lots of editorials and personal opinions, See You In Hell (hardest working band in DIY?) 2009 Brazil tour report, Giftgasattack interview, tons of reviews of various types of punk, some photos, and some other stuff. I think anyone who is sincerely into this scene will love this zine as it's well done. My only complaint with the actual zine itself is that i think the layouts could be a bit more aesthetically pleasing. With that said, this zine is very well done.


DVDs:

Framtid - "Euro Tour DVD" DVD $14.00
"Framtid live footage from whole country of Europe, as well as all the band we've playd with!! 2 hours." -Shin/Punk And Destroy
I honestly haven't had a chance to watch one of these yet, but it compiles Framtid footage from their European tour. The DVD was released in 2009, but i'm not sure if that means the tour was from 2009 (i'm guessing it was probably 2007 or 2008). Comes in shrink wrap in a regular DVD sized cardboard case. It looks nice.