So obviously I have been inactive with this thing, but should anyone really take a blog seriously?
Lately my main man Finner has been working on Blank Stare with Sterling, a label that had a running start having already released several tapes from hardcore bands in Ottawa, Toronto and even NY. The latest release was a Canadian version of the RazorXFade LP, something people will surely be seeking out in the years to come. I just wanna quickly mention that I love when a record has geographic variations.
Which brings me to the purpose of this post: Variations. The last line of Issue I of the zine said something to the effect of "Coloured vinyl doesn't matter." I expand on my frustration for this mostly arbitrary variation in a short article I wrote for the inaugural issue of the Blank Stare zine which will be forthcoming in the following weeks. I'll probably be contributing some other stuff too, so look out for that before I really work on Issue II.
Went to the Omegas LP release show in TO, Mad Men opened and were incredible of course. Got the new Omegas LP, which from cover to the songs is incredible. It only makes me laugh when people hate them. Get into it! Mad Men were supposed to have a 7" but it experienced pressing plant delays. Jonah said they might sell some tests instead, which led to Finner and I stressing out over who, when and where was going to be selling them. Needless to say, none were had, so I bought 2 pins instead.
Photos by my brother Logan. It was his first hardcore show.
I also established a new personal record shopping rule. I've long wanted a Cure discography collection, probably since I was about fifteen. Due to the extensive nature of their releases, I figured I would start with the LPs. Well years later I have most the LPs, but there are some rare ones that are holding out (namely Wish and Bloodflowers!!!). So after having not bought any Cure records in a couple years, and after having constantly passing on the singles, I decided if I found a single I didn't own, and it was under $10, it would be a must buy. I have since made an extensive excel sheet to help me with this quest. I then found this amazing website. I wonder if there are similar sites for other cool bands. Anyway, as cool as it is, I'm bummed cause I just found out my copy of Three Imaginary Boys my ex bought me years ago is a 90s boot. Kinda cool I guess, cause the quest continues!
Lastly I'm moving in May, up one floor, so I'm deciding a whole new record storage format. I'll post about that and try to post about other things as they happen.
Also, lots of cool mail order in lately. Maybe I'll post about it on my dumb tumblr. Record store day this Saturday, only excited for Fucked Up and maybe Bad Brains (the LP not Pay to Cum).
Also, who bothers going to record stores that don't have used vinyl when that option is available?
Yeah things are moving along here, but the internet and a blog have been less of a priority. Sorry if I haven't replied to emails regarding trades or whatever, I just didn't have any copies to do so.
Issue I sold out relatively fast, and has been gone for a few months now. Not surprising considering the quality of the 7" alone. For those interested, I'm looking into pressing another 100 copies or so.
Issue II will begin to be made once I finish school on Friday. Anyone's band interested in participating with a 7" release?
I started a lame tumblr which is much easier to update. It's just pictures of records I get and shows I go to, no lame reblogs.
My band, Young Stalin, is basically done. We only had four original songs and played only 7 shows; Ottawa (4), Montreal (2), Toronto (1). We might record our songs later this year, for historical purposes of course. I'll post some live pix at the bottom.
My quality records of 2010 list (with a more detailed analysis in Issue II, I'm sure): GERM ATTAK - Death to Cops (duh!) OMEGAS - Sonic Order EP MAMMOTH GRINDER - Extinction of Humanity URBAN BLIGHT - Total War SURROUNDINGS - S/T NOMOS // THE MEN - Split CS THE MEN - Immaculada ANS // ANB - Tribute to Gang Green CULO - Military Trend VILE GASH - EP NAZI DUST - EP FUCKED UP - Year of the Ox (but more so the B-Side). The split with Serena Maneesh was pretty good too. VACCINE - Human Hatred INEPSY - Madness and Overkill INEPSY // TOXIC HOLOCAUST - split
Young Stalin:
Hanging out:
Thanks to Andrew Carver, Julie and Lemire for photos. Special thanks to Lemire for always coming out, hanging out, photoing out, and being a good dude.
Let's discuss the Zine a bit more with a not so shameless plug. It comes with the latest Germ Attak 7", Death To Cops. Four tracks of that great Germ Attak sound, but all revolving around anti-cop themes. This was a split label effort. I did 100 copies with the zine, and then 3 other labels did 300. Jo's Capitalicide handled Canada, Loud Punk from the US, and Yellow Dog in Europe. A global effort for the group that recently toured Indonesia, Malaysia and Japn after several North American ventures and one in Europe. Each label had the same crazy cover art, done by Scott Benz, but all had their own variations.
Anyways, this post was made simply to hype the new video, by Ottawa local Paul Galipeau. I think more groups should take on music videos. I think they're an awesome medium, and this Germ Attak video is prrof that a simple concept can still be entertaining. Although it inevitably gets used for promotion, I believe that it can be created and exist outside of this purpose. If you're really into the music, you may simply be looking for a new avenue to experience the music. It's part of the reason fanatics love finding demos and live footage. Sure the music is the same, but it's placed in a new context outside of the album it is compiled with. Anyway, here's one track from the Death To Cops 7".
After being assaulted by the police a few short weekends ago, Ontario is now being assaulted with an intense heat wave, so I'm sticking inside to avoid provocation with either. I was spending that last week outside biking, hence no updates.
Any discussion of the police should provoke a discussion of Black Flag. Each action has an equal opposite reaction right? Well, actually I guess even they did not believe it was equal; "Understand we're fighting a war we can't win..." Anyways, a recent thread on VLV (which is currently down so I cannot link you) prompted the following question:
Which is better; the Black Flag or Circle Jerks rendition of the Ginn masterpiece, "Wasted" ?
I think it is pretty crazy that we even have these two versions, both with Morris on vocals. Of course Circle Jerks stole the song, along with other Black Flag tunes such as "I Don't Care" which appears as a demo on Everything Went Black, and "Red Tape," which was never properly released, as well as some Redd Kross songs. Black Flag's response was to re-record "I Don't Care" with new lyrics. This is the song "You Bet We've Got Something Personal Against You!", the last track on the Jealous Again EP.
So which is better? If you know me at all, then you know my vote is being given to Black Flag. Don't get me wrong though, even with the stolen song stigma, Group Sex rips. More interestingly however, is how each respective take on the song represents the group. For example, The Circle Jerks, and Group Sex, are enjoyed by most as a quirky and fast punk band - a great representation of early Cali hardcore. Their version matches this description, with it's sped up tempo, fairly clear guitar sound, and shouted vocals. Black Flag on the other hand are a whole other entity, even if this may not have been established at the time of the Nervous Breakdown release. Even just the way their name is brought up sounds serious and heavy, music verging on psychotic. Their original version of Wasted matches such an identity as it is being formed. For a seminal classic punk 7" (and years before side two of My War was even conceived), the whole sound is heavy as fuck, and not to be messed with. The instrumental opening is simply brooding, whereas the Circle Jerks version jumps in with vocals immediately. The Black Flag version is simply more
In conclusion, the Black Flag version is better because the Circle Jerks version sounds like an angry punk kid, whereas the Black Flag version sounds like a crazy guy who might attack you with a knife. It's simply much more memorable. This will get examined in greater depth later.
Anyway, while we're on a tangent about police or something, remember that you should buy the zine because it comes with the new Germ Attak 7", Death to Cops, with crazy artwork to boot (view side panel). Toronto: my band is playing there on Saturday, I'll bring copies with me.
Sorry for those who ordered zines and have not gotten them yet, I was away in Toronto for NXNE, but I'm back now and they have been shipped. I wished some more Toronto hardcore was playing the fest.
For those who are in Toronto, you can now get copies of the zine at Hits & Misses on Bloor and Rotate This! on Queen West. For those in Ottawa, you can of course meet up with me in person, or Vertigo on Rideau St may still have copies left.
Toronto and NXNE was sweet, long story short saw (in this order) Mudhoney, X, Demon's Claws, Exene and John from X, Man or Astro-Man, Mudhoney, The Stooges, Man or Astro-Man, Cold Cave and a bit of Porcelain Forehead. I took some pictures which I'll upload later if they turn out. Here's a blurry cell phone photo from my Stooges vantage point, standing in front of 20,000 people. Shout out to the guy standing next to me whose shirt comprised of 100 safety pins which slowly would come undone throughout the set.
Also went to 8 record shops in one day; here's the loot from the trip, including a couple things I picked up for friends. Most excited about the Fucked Up 7"s. and the Kill City LP since The Stooges actually played the title track. Gay-Porno resembling VHS tapes are for Finner:
In other Toronto news, my band, Young Stalin is playing the city on July 10th with Point Break from Calgary at Siesta Nouveaux. No flyer yet. But we're playing this show for Ottawa folk.
A week after initially being released, the inaugural issue of the zine about 1/3 gone. Second batch of international orders have shipped, and I hope there are more to come. I'll be in Toronto for NXNE to see the Stooges, X and tons of other bands, so I'll bring some copies down there to attempt to unload on the record shops there. Issue 2 is far away, but anyone with a (good) band who might be interested in releasing a 7" with that issue, get at me.
headed to multiple hemispheres
In other news, this is a repost from the Vinyl Noize blog. Before SST became the infamous record label run by Greg Ginn and Black Flag, it was Ginn's electronics company. Ginn was a smart guy who held many electronics patents, mostly relating to radios. The company's name, Solid State Transmitters, would stick out as he released SST-01, the Nervous Breakdown 7". Listed on eBay now, however, is the real SST-01. The seller doesn't seem to make the connection to the record label. If he did, he'd probably get a lot more attention. Regardless, I'm tempted to bid...
Shipping to the US was cheaper than I thought, so the prices have been reduced. I also added options for buying multiple copies.
To tide you over, watch the progression of the following song. A bit of a departure from the music usually covered here but I was talking about skinhead culture with a friend last night.
The song begins as Moon Hop, by Jamaican Derrick Morgan in 1969. Quickly the song is appropriated by skinhead reggae/ska group Symarip. Later in Derrick Morgan's career, he would cater more closely and purposefully to the skinhead crowd. A decade later, with the explosion of two tone and other post punk wave genres, The Specials bring the song back to popularity, and Trojan would reissue the Symarip version. Show this to friends who doubt the non racist origins of the movement.
This 8.5" x 7" (store with your 7"s!) 24 page zine is now ready.
Contains:
New Germ Attak 7", Death to Cops, hand stamped and numbered out of 100.
Interview with Pink Eyes (Fucked Up, Pink Eye, Millennial Reign)
Belated best of 2009 list
Other ramblings
$5 and this is yours. Buy in person, or use toolbar on the right.
You can contact me at 33.3revolutions@gmail.com to arrange a meet up, or just comment if you want to get a copy.
Alright, everything is compiled and editted, I have new photos thanks to Julie, and I have written some new reviews... so why isn't the zine out?
I keep coming up with new ideas, and thus I keep writing more. So once I finish working on the following pieces, photocopying will begin. This will hopefully by within a week. I wanted to write some things that examined records more closely, as I feel I had been treating them too superficially, as such I'm working on the following:
Humour and Sexuality in Later Years Black Flag
The Cure and The Smiths: Uncomparable Groups Based on Ideas of Identity
Deciphiring Formats: Why Tapes, 7"s or 12"s
I am also about to leave for Toronto in a few hours for the following show, so hopefully I'll have lots of new records to talk about.
Also, Young Stalin are playing a second show; June 27th with Libyans, from Boston, who sound pretty cool. This is again at 443 Kent St. More details coming.
Lately my main man Finner has been working on Blank Stare with Sterling, a label that had a running start having already released several tapes from hardcore bands in Ottawa, Toronto and even NY. The latest release was a Canadian version of the RazorXFade LP, something people will surely be seeking out in the years to come. I just wanna quickly mention that I love when a record has geographic variations.
