SECT is just a NO BULLSHIT, DOWN-THE-LINE, BRUTAL METALLIC HARDCORE BAND made up of members of EARTH CRISIS, RACETRAITOR and UNDYING among OTHERS.  im just feeling so fed up with the turn AMERICAN SOCIETY has taken in the past few months and have been searching for ANYTHING MUSICALLY to constructively sublimate that UNCEASING RAGE and FRUSTRATION at.  with UNCOMPROMISING LYRICS that deal squarely with SYSTEMATIC RACISM, ECONOMIC SLAVERY, RELIGIOUS BELIEFS, ECOLOGICAL CATASTROPHES, DRUG USE and the ANIMAL INDUSTRY, SECT is no doubt a an APT VEHICLE for such AGGRESSION.

definitely a BAND well worth checking out.

there is SOMETHING about the PUNK DIY ETHOS that touches some PEOPLE in a MANNER that allows THEM to bypass BULLSHIT ROADBLOCKS like SELF-DOUBT, INADEQUACY and IMPOSTER COMPLEX and just go for it.  MUSICIAN, SONGWRITER, SERIAL ENTREPRENEUR and AUTHOR JUSTIN PEARSON exemplifies such with his LONG-RUNNING INDEPENDENT LABEL THREE ONE G and MYRIAD of CONFRONTATIONALLY AVANT GARDE MUSICAL PROJECTS over the years including SOME GIRLS, THE LOCUST, RETOX, SWING KIDS, DEAD CROSS and PLANET B.  the RECENT​ DON'T FALL IN LOVE WITH YOURSELF (TURNSTYLE FILMS, 2022) DOCUMENTARY examines his EARLY TRAUMATIC CHILDHOOD and how such NEGLECT and ABUSE at the HANDS of his FATHER (who was MURDERED when he was twelve) in a WARPED SENSE informed his OUTLOOK on LIFE and propelled his DESIRE to make SOMETHING of his LIFE CREATIVELY and attempt to jolt and instigate PEOPLE out of their WAKING SLUMBER.

my FAMILIARITY with PEARSON is originally rooted in the ECCENTRIC and highly EXPERIMENTAL HARDCORE PUNK BAND THE LOCUST, which i was clued into by a CHILDHOOD FRIEND on a TRIP to SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA during the SUMMER of 2001. they were suggested to me based on my LOVE of all things DEVO.  the fact that this FILM finds PEARSON and his BANDMATES confide that the ICONIC AKRON-based arty POST PUNK OUTFIT as a KEY INFLUENCE was INTRIGUING to learn long after the FACT.  in a SIMILAR WAY, both DEVO and THE LOCUST utilized their IDIOSYNCRATIC PRESENTATION as a MEANS of challenging their AUDIENCE.  for DEVO there was a POLITICAL BENT regarding the CONSOLIDATION and GROWING CORPORATIZATION of ART and AMERICAN LIFE that they felt was WATERING-DOWN INDIVIDUALISM and CREATIVITY.  for THE LOCUST, they were revolting against a HOMOGENIZED HARDCORE SCENE that was a lot of POSTURE and FEIGNED AGGRESSION for no REAL REASON that they found ALIENATING and MORALLY BANKRUPT.  the FILM does a GREAT JOB of describing the LINE the BAND walked and the PRICE they paid for their INDIVIDUALITY against a SUBTERRANEAN CULTURE of TOXIC MASCULINITY with no SENSE of IRONY or HUMOR.  when my friend showed me their SELF-TITLED THE LOCUST (GOLD STANDARD LABORATORIES, 1998) RELEASE my INITIAL REACTION was LAUGHTER, not a MOCKING LAUGHTER but one of being OVERWHELMED by the SENSORY OVERLOAD i was experiencing.  not unlike my first time as child listening to THE BUTTHOLE SURFERS, CAPTAIN BEEFHEART or WEEN.

and it stuck with me.

much of the DETAILS presented in this FILM regarding the TRAUMA of PEARSON's CHILDHOOD and his FORMATIVE MUSICAL EXPERIENCES in the UNDERGROUND HARDCORE SCENE of SAN DIEGO are likewise covered in his EXCELLENT MEMOIR FROM THE GRAVEYARD OF THE AROUSAL INDUSTRY (SOFT SKULL, 2010), which i recommend HIGHLY.  my only GRIPE with the FILM is that the TRAJECTORY of his CAREER ends with THE LOCUST and doesnt continue on to other INTERESTING PROJECTS, such as his COLLABORATION with MIKE PATTON (FAITH NO MORE, MR. BUNGLE, FANTOMAS, TOMAHAWK) and DAVE LOMBARDO (SLAYER) in DEAD CROSS or his more decidedly DANCEABLE recent PROJECT PLANET B.  somewhere there is a THIRD ACT to this FILM that needed to be told.

regardless, PEARSON is a COMPELLING ARTIST that is WORTHY of being exposed to a GREATER AUDIENCE and DON'T FALL IN LOVE WITH YOURSELF is a POWERFUL INTRODUCTION to his ART and CAREER.  hopefully itll inspire SOMEONE out there to get up and leave some WRETCHED CIRCUMSTANCE and likewise FEARLESSLY make PROVOCATIVE and MEANINGFUL ART just like he did.

ive always had a DIFFICULT TIME understanding the CULTURE surrounding NEW YORK HARDCORE largely because of what appears to be from the OUTSIDE a CONSIDERABLE AMOUNT of BELLIGERENT MACHO POSTURING in that GENRE.  that and the RIGID and SONICALLY MONOTONOUS NATURE of the MUSIC itself, which eschews things like MELODY in FAVOR of outright SPEED and AGGRESSION.  part of it is a TASTE THING and the other is not being particularly WELL-ACQUAINTED with the CULTURE FIRSTHAND, as it was a largely a GENERATION before MINE.   it could also be that there is no TRANSCENDENT, BREAKOUT BAND from that SCENE that is UNDENIABLE, but rather a CONSTELLATION of SIMILAR-SOUNDING OUTFITS in MADBALL, SICK OF IT ALL, WARZONE, MURPHY'S LAW, URBAN WASTE, CRO-MAGS and AGNOSTIC FRONT.

which is why i feel that THE GODFATHERS OF HARDCORE (MCFARLAND FILMS, 2017) DOCUMENTARY is such a VALUABLE and INFORMATIVE RECORD of a what is no doubt an ICONIC and highly IMPACTFUL CULTURAL SCENE and specifically the ARTISTIC RELATIONSHIP of GUITARIST VINNIE STIGMA and VOCALIST ROGER MIRET of AGNOSTIC FRONT, who combined are a PILLAR of this notoriously INSULAR MUSICAL COMMUNITY.  the CLOSE BROTHERHOOD of those TWO MEN is EMBLEMATIC of the REAL INTIMACY of the SCENE itself, which prides itself on its DIRECT, AUTHENTIC and UNADULTERATED TRUTH-TELLING ABILITY.  this FILM follows them both as they reach past MIDDLE AGE and still RECORD and TOUR furiously more than THREE DECADES into their CAREER. 

STIGMA, the SON of ITALIAN IMMIGRANTS with CLOSE FAMILY BONDS both BLOOD and SCENE-related is the very EMBODIMENT of a PUNK ROCK LIFER, UNWAVERINGLY dedicating his PASSION and FOCUS to AGNOSTIC FRONT and the COMMUNITY that spawned it.  this is seen in the REVEALING FOOTAGE of him in his LOWER EAST SIDE ORIGINS and the near CONSTANT WAVE of FRIENDS and ACQUAINTANCES interrupting his PERSONAL STORIES on the STREET to say hello.  this is a GUY that still lives in the SAME BUILDING he was born in and has witnessed FIRSTHAND the DRAMATIC CHANGES in the FORTUNES of NEW YORK CITY over the last half century, which back in the early 1980s was a DIMINISHED DEN of RAMPANT CRIME and DRUG ADDICTION.  the NEW YORK HARDCORE COMMUNITY emerged within this URBAN LANDSCAPE as a MEANS of promoting POSITIVE CHANGE and a SENSE of SOCIAL COHESION amidst YOUNG PEOPLE with nowhere else to turn than within each other.

at least that was the EXPERIENCE for MIRET, a CUBAN IMMIGRANT who suffered a largely PERIPATETIC CHILDHOOD and an ABSUIVE STEPFATHER who SADISTICALLY traumatized him, his BELOVED MOTHER and his YOUNGER SIBLINGS.  for MIRET, he saw the NEW YORK HARDCORE COMMUNITY as a means of ESCAPE, SALVATION and IDENTITY that empowered him to take charge of his SITUATION.  he even brought in his YOUNGER HALF-BROTHER FREDDY CREICHEN, FUTURE MADBALL FRONTMAN who was still a TEENAGER, into the NEW YORK HARDCORE fold as a means of safeguarding him from his VIOLENT FATHER.  in this SENSE the COMMUNITY was a LITERAL SAFE ZONE, despite the VOLATILITY of URBAN LIFE at the TIME in NEW YORK CITY PROPER.

so for both STIGMA and MIRET there is a CONSIDERABLE AMOUNT of SELF-IDENTITY associated with the SCENE, which makes transitioning into FAMILY LIFE and its ATTENDING RESPONSIBILITIES difficult to incorporate given the BRUTAL RECORDING and TOURING SCHEDULE.  for MIRET in particular having started a YOUNG FAMILY that he is wary to leave for EXTENDED PERIODS, this DILEMMA is a particularly POIGNANT and PAINFUL SUBJECT since he is fiercely LOYAL to both CAMPS.  you get the STRONG SENSE that his longstanding OPEN and HONEST RELATIONSHIP with STIGMA allows him to navigate such with SOME ASSURANCES.  STIGMA is a PUNK ROCK LIFER and MIRET holds onto GUILT for denying him OPPORTUNITIES to live out his SHARED ROCK AND ROLL DREAM.  MIRET's ADULT DAUGHTER, NADIA, from a PREVIOUS RELATIONSHIP perceptively makes the ADROIT COMMENT that her FATHER worries about OTHERS to the DETRIMENT of HIMSELF and during FILMING he is said to have had an UNEXPLAINED HEART ATTACK.  STIGMA openly talks about his worry that his CREATIVE PARTNER's UNRELENTING WORK ETHIC and INABILITY to RELAX and TAKE A BREAK is NEGATIVELY affecting his WORK.  if anything you feel that MIRET is BLESSED with a SOUND SUPPORT SYSTEM of PEOPLE that care about HIM, his HEALTH and his EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING.

that AUTHENTIC INTIMACY and TRUE BROTHERHOOD seems REPRESENTATIVE of what the LARGER MUSICAL COMMUNITY associated with NEW YORK HARDCORE is in practice.  though MIRET worries about STIGMA and impeding his CAREER OPPORTUNITIES by EXTENDED HIATUSES, it is STIGMA in turn that wants MIRET and his MARRIAGE and FAMILY to SUSTAIN and PROSPER in the MIX.  they are mutually SUPPORTIVE even as LIFE CHANGES edge into the DISCUSSION of the BAND and its ABILITY to FUNCTION.  their CONNECTION is based on SHARED VALUES of SELF-SACRIFICE, LOYALTY and HONESTY.  cant think of a BETTER TESTAMENT to a FRIENDSHIP and WORKING RELATIONSHIP initiated by the NEW YORK HARDCORE SCENE they both initially CONNECTED from.

kinda wish this DOCUMENTARY was my INTRODUCTION to the GENRE.  seems to be as STRONG a CASE as any about the GENUINE CORE of the COMMUNITY that surrounds NEW YORK HARDCORE.  as such i cant recommend this FILM enough.  REQUIRED VIEWING in my OPINION.

BREAKUPS are HARD.

i imagine the DIFFICULTY is only COMPOUNDED once you vacate the DIZZYING HEIGHTS of being a universally ADMIRED CRITICAL DARLING and a SO-CALLED SAVIOR of ROCK N ROLL writ large during an otherwise DISPOSABLE ERA of WIDESPREAD MEDIOCRITY within the GENRE.  such was the case with the MINNESOTA HARDCORE BAND HÜSKER DÜ in the 1980s when they transformed PUNK ROCK into something way more MELODICALLY SOPHISTICATED, LYRICALLY AMBITIOUS and EMOTIONALLY INTELLIGENT.  its not HYPERBOLE to state that they paved the way for LIKE-MINDED INDIE / ALTERNATIVE ROCK bands the NEXT DECADE with EVERYONE from THE SMASHING PUMPKINS, GREEN DAY and FOO FIGHTERS to METALLICA, PIXIES, DINOSAUR JR and NIRVANA.
​
the DOCUMENTARY EVERY EVERYTHING: THE MUSIC, LIFE AND TIMES OF GRANT HART (WHAT WERE WE THINKING FILMS, 2013) follows the HÜSKER DÜ CO-SONGWRITER and DRUMMER as he attempts to make SENSE of his CAREER TRAJECTORY both in and beyond the highly INFLUENTIAL 80s HARDCORE BAND.  in essence for GRANT HART, its a very PUBLIC RUMINATION filled with REGRET regarding PAST MISCOMMUNICATIONS, UNWISE CHOICES and MISSED OPPORTUNITIES.  quite HONESTLY, in COLLEGE when i first heard ZEN ARCADE (SST, 1984) and NEW DAY RISING (SST, 1985) while participating with the RADIO STATION, i was made aware of the INDIE ROCK ICON that is HÜSKER DÜ FRONTMAN BOB MOULD and his later 1990s ALTERNATIVE OUTFIT SUGAR, much akin to SAME LEVEL as that of his CELEBRATED PEERS in J MASCIS (DINOSAUR JR), FRANK BLACK (PIXIES), THURSTON MOORE (SONIC YOUTH), CALVIN JOHNSON (BEAT HAPPENING), STEPHEN MALKMUS (PAVEMENT) or LOU BARLOW (SEBADOH).  maybe its because he was the GUITARIST and the PROMINENT PUBLIC FACE of HÜSKER DÜ, but HART definitely UNFAIRLY got the SHORT END OF THE STICK and LARGELY was relegated the STATUS of a REVERED CULT FIGURE. 

worse is that the CAREER of HÜSKER DÜ is somewhat of a CAUTIONARY TALE for YOUNG BANDS of the PERIOD concerning the very REAL PITFALLS of the BUSINESS, specifically the jump from INDEPENDENT RECORD LABELS to the majors.  HUSKER DU was on SST RECORDS, run by GREG GINN of BLACK FLAG fame and the DE FACTO HARDCORE LABEL of the 1980s that had an ECLECTIC ROSTER including MINUTEMEN, SACCHARINE TRUST, DINOSAUR JR, MEAT PUPPETS, SONIC YOUTH and HUSKER DU among OTHERS.  SST was a SHOESTRING OPERATION and much of the VERBAL AGREEMENT was based mutual trust.  HUSKER DU got their RECORDS in STORES and GRACIOUSLY, if not NAIVELY, put their CUT of the REVENUE back into producing more PRODUCT, but ultimately they did not receive much of anything MONETARILY from the SITUATION, despite delivering THREE ALBUMS.  moving to WARNER BROS they allowed REPRESENTATIVES of the LABEL to essentially pick them apart and manipulate their SOUND and PRESENTATION, which resulted in the BAND disbanding under ACRIMONIOUS TERMS with each other after two ALBUMS there.  NARCOTICS may have also been in the MIX as well for HART, but such was an ATTEMPT to curtail the PAINFUL LOSS of IDENTITY and SELF-WORTH associated with his FORMER BAND's REVERED STATUS and SUCCESS.

listening to HART go on MONOTONOUS MONOLOGUE after TIRING MONOLOGUE to the CAMERA about HIMSELF ad nauseam, i can only empathize with that SENSE of TRAUMA and PAIN from FUTILELY attempting to follow-up what was a once in a LIFETIME OPPORTUNITY.  F SCOTT FITZGERALD is FAMOUSLY accredited with stating that "there are no second acts in AMERICAN LIVES," but HART serves as EXAMPLE of SOMEONE chasing his CREATIVE MUSE, whether such be LITERARY or otherwise, despite a markedly DIMINISHED PRESENCE in the SCENE OUTSIDE of a MINUSCULE but DEDICATED CULT FOLLOWING.  it would seem that if you are a TRUE ARTIST, you continue on in spite of APATHY from the OUTSIDE WORLD. 

gotta RESPECT that at least.

this FLM was DEPRESSING and pretty TEDIOUS.  as a HISTORICAL DOCUMENT it is INTERESTING for any FAN of the 80s HARDCORE SCENE, but for a CASUAL LISTENER id advise to stay away since this one feels like a CHARMED MUSICIAN seeking SYMPATHY were they probably shouldnt.  at least that is how i read the DOCUMENTARY.

LONDON's HIGH VIS is an INTERESTING one. 

they have this SOUND that somehow collides the seemingly DISPARATE WORLDS of HARDCORE, POST-PUNK, ACID HOUSE and the more TUNEFUL ASPECTS of BRITPOP (i.e. THE STONE ROSES and OASIS) into a COHESIVE SONIC PACKAGE with MEMORABLE traditionally-crafted MELODIES courtesy of VOCALIST GRAHAM SAYLE.  i would not be surprised if this DUDE turned out to be the next GREAT ENGLISH ROCK N ROLL FRONTMAN in the TRANSCENDENT TRADITION of OLI SYKES, IAN BROWN, FRANK CARTER and LIAM GALLAGHER.  from the very get-go SAYLE has UNDISPUTED EDGE and CHARISMA with a HIGH-ENERGY AIR of AUTHENTICITY to his RAGGED VOCAL DELIVERY which elevates HIGH VIS' ECLECTIC SONIC TEXTURES to a whole NEW LEVEL.

definitely a BAND worth checking out.

never has a more UNLIKELY on-paper PAIRING as the LEGENDARY DEAD KENNEDYS' FRONTMAN JELLO BIAFRA and the unruly BACKWOODS NORTH CAROLINA PSYCHOBILLY MADMAN MOJO NIXON meshed so well in PRACTICE.  the SARDONIC, TONGUE-FIRMLY-IN-CHEEK, COWPUNK PRAIRIE HOME INVASION (ALTERNATIVE TENTACLES, 1994) RELEASE seemingly does the IMPOSSIBLE in finding both COLLABORATORS CREATIVELY FIRING-ON-ALL-CYLINDERS with neither apparently compromising in terms of SONIC AGGRESSION or politically STRIDENT LYRICAL CONTENT.  it is an ABSOLUTE BEST-OF-BOTH-WORLDS SITUATION and an ALBUM for the ages.

like a lot of things concerning HARDCORE and PUNK ROCK, i was clued into PRAIRIE HOME INVASION back in the summer of 2001 on a visit to ORANGE COUNTY catching up with a CHILDHOOD FRIEND who became something of a CONNOISSEUR of the GENRE in the half decade since i departed SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA.  during that INTERIM i was very much into the DEAD KENNEDYS but was NAIVE about BIAFRA's NUMEROUS PROJECTS and COLLABORATIONS after he left the BAND.  my FRIEND changed all of that, clueing me into his SPOKEN WORD ALBUMS as well as CONVENTIONAL HARDCORE EFFORTS with D.O.A. and NOMEANSNO and his more SONICALLY ADVENTUROUS INDUSTRIAL-tinged MINISTRY COLLABORATION with LARD.  as much as i appreciated those RECORDED EFFORTS, it was PRAIRIE HOME INVASION and UNRELENTING COWPUNK TRACKS like "WILL THE FETUS BE ABORTED," "LOVE ME, I'M A LIBERAL," "BUY MY SNAKE OIL" and "CONVOY IN THE SKY" that caught my attention.  it was as if BIAFRA took the BITING, BITTER, DOWNTRODDEN, UNDERDOG ETHOS of TRADITIONAL early 20th century MURDER BALLAD SONGWRITERS like JIMMIE ROGERS and HANK WILLIAMS and reanimated such into the MOLD of HARDCORE with its JARRING SCREEDS against SOCIETY rather than the INDIVIDUAL as with CLASSIC COUNTRY MUSIC. 

for his part NIXON, along with his BACKING BAND THE TOADLIQUORS, has never sounded so ENERGIZED and full of VIGOR.  dismissed as something of a NOVELTY act at worst or a CULT ARTIST at best, the fact that this RECORDING is BIAFRA-fronted really allows his MUSICALITY and TAILORED SONGWRITING to shine through the mix and prove his HUMORLESS DETRACTORS wrong.  speaking of such, its always been WEIRD to me that somehow incorporating HUMOR into your WORK is MISGUIDEDLY interpreted by PROFESSIONAL MUSIC CRITICS as being somehow UNSERIOUS, LIGHT-WEIGHT or DISPOSABLE.  if anything the INCORPORATION of such provides NEEDED LEVITY and an ACKNOWLEDGEMENT of the INNATE COMPLEXITY of the COLLECTIVE HUMAN EXPERIENCE, MULTIPLE PERSPECTIVES and CONFLICTING UNDERSTANDINGS one might bring into a COMPOSITION.  i mean if it was good enough for COLE PORTER, why isnt it good enough for NIXON. i'll never know or fully understand that CRITIQUE.

definitely required listening for any FAN of HARDCORE PUNK ROCK, PSYCHOBILLY, COWPUNK or EXPERIMENTAL MUSIC writ large.  PRAIRIE HOME INVASION will not disappoint.

the TRANSITION from the late 70s mostly NEW YORK CITY and LONDON-based PUNK SCENES to the HARDCORE MOVEMENT that rose up all over the UNITED STATES in its wake during the 1980s is such a PIVOTAL and TRANSFORMATIVE ERA in ROCK AND ROLL HISTORY, not just because of the MUSIC itself and how it EVOLVED, but how the COMMUNITY itself CHANGED and became less corporate and more INDEPENDENT.  that CONSCIOUS SHIFT took the UNBRIDLED ENERGY of the ORIGINAL MOVEMENT, which in POLITICAL TERMS was PERFORMATIVE in NATURE,  and realigned it with already existing PROGRESSIVE-LEANING MOVEMENTS that sought ACTIONABLE CHANGE in the REAL WORLD.

such was the NARRATIVE of POSITIVE FORCE DC, a WASHINGTON DC DIY COMMUNE that was established to provide a MUTUALLY-SUPPORTIVE ORGANIZATIONAL NEXUS for YOUNG PEOPLE to promote and build COMMUNITIES and consolidate POSITIVE CHANGE EFFORTS along DISTINCTLY FEMINIST, ECOLOGICAL, RACIAL, ECONOMIC and POLITICAL FRONTS.  the DOCUMENTARY POSITIVE FORCE: MORE THAN A WITNESS - 30 YEARS OF PUNK POLITICS IN ACTION (PM PRESS, 2014) makes the POINT that PUNK in its INITIAL INCEPTION was all about the INDIVIDUAL and had a SELF-DEFEATING, NAVAL-GAZING, INWARD QUALITY to it where one DEFINED what they were AGAINST, not what they were about.  by the very FACT that it was located in and around the NATION'S CAPITAL, PARTICIPANTS of the DC HARDCORE SCENE were practically inundated with POLITICS as a matter of DAILY LIFE and the IDEA of MORAL OUTRAGE without ACTION was pretty much ANATHEMA to the ETHOS and SPIRIT of the MOVEMENT.  the INFLUENCE of POSITIVE FORCE DC lay in its ability, along with the NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS it collaborated with, was to utilize the CREATIVE CAPITAL of its MEMBERS to spur SOCIAL JUSTICE EFFORTS with PUNK ROCK as a GALVANIZING VEHICLE for such.  the improvised PUNK PERCUSSION PROTESTS the GROUP initially innovated during their 1985 REVOLUTION SUMMER CAMPAIGN, where they banged pots, pans, drums and random bits and bobs across the street from the SOUTH AFRICAN EMBASSY in protest of their OPPRESSIVE APARTHEID REGIME, are EMBLEMATIC of this GROUND-UP VISION of COMMUNAL ACTION.  and its that sense of COMMUNITIES EMPOWERMENT that comes from the MARRIAGE of ART and POLITICS that makes the POSITIVE FORCE DC EXAMPLE so POWERFUL.   

in the NARRATIVE of POSITIVE FORCE: MORE THAN A WITNESS, the PROVERBIAL WRENCH thrown in the MACHINE was the rise of NIRVANA and what that meant regarding the DIY NATURE of PUNK ROCK that was now being CORPORATIZED to some extent.  such spread the GOSPEL throughout the COUNTRY and the WORLD, well beyond the CONFINES of INDEPENDENT CHANNELS, but at what cost?  now KURT COBAIN was known for his PROGRESSIVE POLITICS and promoting ORGANIZATIONS and BENEFITS that championed LGBTQ+ RIGHTS as well as taking RIOT GRRRL ACTS on as OPENERS, so he did what he could with his PLATFORM, but having such underwritten ultimately by a MULTI-NATIONAL CORPORATION leaves such with a COMPLICATED LEGACY.  FAIRLY or UNFAIRLY, the DOCUMENTARY presents FUGAZI as a COUNTEREXAMPLE of a MUCH-REVERED IAN MACKAYE-led BAND that maintained their DIY ETHIC while consciously doing countless REGULAR BENEFIT SHOWS and supported LOCAL COMMUNITY-run CHARITABLE ORGANIZATIONS in the CITIES and TOWNS they played in.  thus ultimately maintaining their VALUES in the PROCESS.  maybe i misread this ARGUMENT, but i dont think comparing COBAIN and MACKAYE is particularly HELPFUL, even within the CONTEXT of the 1990s PUNK SCENE.  both are ADVOCATES that made CERTAIN BUSINESS DECISIONS and both did what they could as a result of such.  especially decades later this PURITY TEST is a bit TRITE and ultimately COUNTER-PRODUCTIVE if your goal is attempting to spur PEOPLE to COMMUNITY ACTION. 

just meet them where they are.

POSITIVE FORCE: MORE THAN A WITNESS is a SHORT but IMPACTFUL DOCUMENTARY that serves as an INTELLIGENT PRIMER into the DC HARDCORE SCENE and the PROGRESSIVE POLITICS at the heart of it, not to mention its LONG-LASTING LEGACY that continues into the 2010s when this FILM was constructed.  the PARTICIPATING INTERVIEWEE LIST is pretty INCREDIBLE, with the POSITIVE FORCE DC CO-FOUNDERS MARK ANDERSEN and MARK JENKINS involved as well as NOTABLE MUSICIANS such as IAN MACKAYE (MINOR THREAT, FUGAZI, THE EVENS), KATHLEEN HANNA (BIKINI KILL), DAVE GROHL (SCREAM, NIRVANA, FOO FIGHTERS), JELLO BIAFRA (DEAD KENNEDYS), IAN SVENONIUS (NATION OF ULYSSES), ALLISON WOLFE (BRATMOBILE), LAURA JANE GRACE (AGAINST ME!), DANBERT NOBACON (CHUMBAWAMBA), BENJI MADDEN (GOOD CHARLOTTE), TED LEO (TED LEO & THE PHARMACISTS) and OMAM EMMET (BEEFEATER).  i have to state plainly that in RETROSPECT it is quite UNFORTUNATE that ALLEGED SERIAL RAPIST JUSTIN SANE (ANTI-FLAG) is prominently utilized in this DOCUMENTARY, serving as a REPRESENTATIVE of the NEW GENERATION of MUSICIANS forwarding the POSITIVE FORCE DC BANNER into the future.  a few years after this FILM SANE has been ACCUSED of having SEXUALLY ASSAULTED some 60 WOMEN and UNDER-AGED GIRLS (one as YOUNG as 12) around the GLOBE and he skipped out to IRELAND before he could be formally brought to TRIAL in the UNITED STATES.

given such, i really wish that the DIRECTOR would consider re-editing this FILM.  there has to be other PROMINENT DC HARDCORE-influenced or LIKE-MINDED MUSICIANS and BANDS (especially ALTERNATIVE ROCK, POST-HARDCORE and METALCORE) from LATER GENERATIONS (DAVEY HAVOK (AFI), RANDY BLYTHE (LAMB OF GOD), KNOCKED LOOSE, GEOFF RICKLY (THURSDAY), CONVERGE, DARYL PALUMBO (GLASSJAW), TURNSTILE and even STEVE AOKI just to name a few OBVIOUS CHOICES) that would be PERFECT for the SAME ROLE in the DOCUMENTARY. 

​just a THOUGHT.

the on-brand SNARKY debut PEACE THRU VANDALISM (EPITAPH, 1982) EP by the ORANGE COUNTY PUNK ROCK veterans THE VANDALS is essentially a COMPELLING DOCUMENT of a SCENE in TRANSITION back in the early 1980s with the WAVE of HARDCORE coming out of the outer counties SURROUNDING LOS ANGELES at the time.  as such SEVERAL of the TRACKS provide ATTENTION to what it was like to be a part of a VOLATILE COMMUNITY that was ACTIVELY TARGETED and OPPRESSED by the POLICE and LOCAL BUSINESSES, as HYPERBOLIC as that now sounds.  but it was a fact of life being a MEMBER of the UNDERGROUND PUNK ROCK COMMUNITY in SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA back during the REAGAN years.

from DOCUMENTARIES such as CLOCKWORK ORANGE COUNTY (ENDURANCE PICTURES, 2012) and AMERICAN HARDCORE (SONY, 2006) to COUNTLESS BOOKS on the FIRST and SECOND WAVES of the LOS ANGELES PUNK ROCK SCENE including ALICE BAG's VIOLENCE GIRL: A CHICANA PUNK STORY (FERAL HOUSE, 2011), GREGG GAFFIN's PUNK PARADOX: A MEMOIR (HACHETTE, 2022), JOHN DOE's UNDER THE BIG BLACK SUN: A PERSONAL HISTORY OF L.A. PUNK (DA CAPO, 2016) and KEITH MORRIS' MY DAMAGE: THE STORY OF A PUNK ROCK SURVIVOR (DA CAPO, 2016), much has been made about the LEGENDARY COSTA MESA VENUE CUCKOO'S NEST and its PATRONS' violent ALTERCATIONS in the streets with the NEIGHBORING COUNTRY BAR ZUBIE'S of which it shared a COMMON parking lot.  quite literally PUNK ROCK FANS felt, with GOOD REASON, as if they were being literally hunted down by a REDNECK CULTURE drunk on its own AUTHORITY.  this SITUATION is famously immortalized in the TRACKS "URBAN STRUGGLE" and "THE LEGEND OF PAT BROWN," the later being a CUCKOO'S NEST REGULAR who was a FRIEND of the BAND and was beyond RECKLESS and single-handedly fought the RIVAL REDNECKS and even some COPS sans backup.  a FOLK HERO of the SCENE basically.

"PIRATE'S LIFE" is about a few of THE VANDALS' BANDMEMBERS going on the FAMOUS DISNEYLAND ATTRACTION PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN on acid and "ANARCHY BURGER (HOLD THE GOVERNMENT)" is a likewise LIGHT-HEARTED PARODY of the RIGHTEOUS, SOCIO-POLITICAL SCREEDS passing as SONGS by their stridently ULTRA-AGGRESSIVE HARDCORE PEERS at the time.  in COMBINATION these two SONGS set the table for the rest of their career, providing a SONGWRITING TEMPLATE that infused the TRANSGRESSIVE SONIC ASSAULT of HARDCORE with a LYRICAL PERSPECTIVE that was CONFRONTATIONAL, but more SARDONIC and BIOGRAPHICAL and far less HIGH-MINDED or explicitly POLITICAL.  tis STRAIN of PUNK ROCK, often tagged MELODIC HARDCORE was likewise innovated by the likes of DESCENDENTS and BAD RELIGION, and influenced COUNTLESS, SUBSEQUENT PUNK ROCK and POP PUNK BANDS notably including NOFX, LAGWAGON, FACE TO FACE, BLINK-182, NEW FOUND GLORY, SUM 41 and so on.

in RETROSPECT my take is that the CONSCIOUS INCORPORATION of HUMOR and SELF-DEPRECATION into the MIX was NECESSARY as it opened up the LYRICAL OUTLOOK to become more SELF-REFLECTIVE and INWARD-LOOKING, as HARDCORE hitherto seemed more about defining ONESELF against an other, whether that be the GOVERNMENT or the POLICE or some other GENERAL CONCEPTION of SOCIETY at large.  in making fun of ONESELF there is a sense of SELF-ACCOUNTABILITY or at least a RECOGNITION that you as an INDIVIDUAL are a PARTICIPANT in the SYSTEM itself.  are there BANDS that are guilty of taking their COMICAL PERSONA a bit too far to the point of being a PREDICTABLE CARICATURE of themselves after a FEW ALBUMS?  absolutely.  but overall, the INCORPORATION of HUMOR doesnt dull the edge of THE VANDALS SOCIETAL CRITIQUES embedded in their MUSIC, if anything its ENGAGING PRESENTATION allows for such to burrow ever more deeply in one's PSYCHE through repeat listens and long-since MEMORIZED and INTERNALIZED PUNCH-LINES.

PEACE THRU VANDALISM is definitely a CLASSIC HARDCORE ALBUM from the period that is well worth checking out.

much as SOUND CITY (ROSWELL FILMS, 2013) was a CLOSE EXAMINATION of the ANALOG RECORDING PROCESS as a FOUNDATIONAL, EQUALIZING EXPERIENCE for MUSICIANS , the more RECENT WHAT DRIVES US (ROSWELL FILMS, 2021) is a COMPANION DOCUMENTARY that similarly finds DIRECTOR and FOO FIGHTERS FRONTMAN DAVE GROHL investigating the TOURING EXPERIENCE as a BEDROCK PURSUIT that both galvanizes and connects all WORKING MUSICIANS regardless of GENRE or STATUS.  as HENRY ROLLINS of HARDCORE PUNK ROCK ICONS BLACK FLAG made FAMOUS with his GET IN THE VAN: ON THE ROAD WITH BLACK FLAG (2.13.61, 1994) MEMOIR, the EXPERIENCE of TOURING endlessly throughout the country in a CONGESTED, OVERLOADED, FAR-TOO-INTIMATE PASSENGER VAN of some VARIETY was a VERITABLE RIGHT OF PASSAGE.  it is an ARDUOUS yet REWARDING PROCESS that all SUCCESSFUL MUSICIANS from a pre-internet age, until recently, went through at some PHASE in their CAREER and connects EVERYONE from U2 to AC/DC, SLAYER to DEAD KENNEDYS, BLACK FLAG to THE BEATLES.

and GROHL makes that INTERCONNECTION between GENERATIONS of MUSICIANS intimately CLEAR as day with what has to be one of the most ECLECTIC and beyond IMPRESSIVE INTERVIEW PARTICIPANT LIST i have ever witnessed, including all THEN-CURRENT MEMBERS of the FOO FIGHTERS, BRIAN JOHNSON (AC/DC), THE EDGE (U2), FLEA (RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS), ANNIE CLARK (ST. VINCENT), PETE STAHL (SCREAM), IAN MACKAYE (MINOR THREAT, FUGAZI), EXENE CERVENKA (X), STEVEN TYLER (AEROSMITH), DAVE LOMABARDO (SLAYER), D.H. PELIGRO (DEAD KENNEDYS), BEN HARPER, SLASH & DUFF MCKAGAN (GUNS N ROSES), KIRA ROESSLER (BLACK FLAG), TONY KANAL (NO DOUBT), CHARLIE GABRIEL (PRESERVATION HALL JAZZ BAND), JENNIFER FINCH (L7) and MIKE WATT (MINUTEMEN) as well as MEMBERS of EMERGING BANDS RADKEY and STARCRAWLER and even RINGO STARR (THE BEATLES).  yes, he even got a freakin' BEATLE to talk about the CRUCIAL ETIQUETTE of admitting when one  has farted in the VAN to avoid DISCONTENT and ARGUMENTS therein.  GREAT STUFF.

but the CENTRAL QUESTION is why?  why leave literally EVERYTHING behind? and why bother with all that HEADACHE and UNCERTAINTY.  WHAT DRIVES US seems to argue that the ANSWER lies in BOTH. 

you RECORD and put out a PRODUCT (maybe) and then take the SHOW on the road as a PROVING GROUND of sorts.  putting your CREATIVE EFFORTS into action and possibly experienced that EUPHORIC MOMENT of having a genuine RECIPROCATED REACTION from a PAYING AUDIENCE.  the TOURING EXPERIENCE completes that CYCLE and is at the very essence of what it means to be a MUSICIAN.  its probably the same REASON SAILORS for centuries took to the UNKNOWN, with its INHERENT PHYSICAL and FINANCIAL RISKS, in search of GLORY.  pre-FILE SHARING and STREAMING was the IDEA that TOURING supported ALBUM SALES, but such EXPECTATIONS have been completely INVERTED for the past two decades whereby NEW RELEASES are an EASY EXCUSE to TOUR as extensively as possible and hopefully make a PROFIT to live off of in the PROCESS. 

that is the DREAM at least. 

it seemed before that there were a few TRAJECTORIES at play.  first, you stayed at the VAN-level of TOURING your ENTIRE CAREER, which is undoubtedly the vast majority of MUSICIANS.  the next is that you rise to a somewhat COMFORTABLE LEVEL of TOURING with LONGEVITY right above the VAN-level, which is the case with MIKE WATT or X for example.  thereafter there is the ladder of COMFORT up to SHARED BUSES and SEPARATE BUSES and the like for massively PROFITABLE TOURING OUTFITS like NO DOUBT, GUNS N' ROSES, U2, METALLICA or AEROSMITH.  WHAT DRIVES US interestingly makes the COGENT POINT that no NEW ACTS in the past twenty years have reached that TOP-LEVEL , ELITE STRATA, instead being somewhere in that decidedly more MODEST, MIDDLE GROUND.  at least before in THEORY there was the NOTION that TOURING in a VAN might lead somewhere.  now not so much.

which is why i felt the most IMPORTANT PERSPECTIVES in the FILM were that of EMERGING BANDS in RADKEY and STARCRAWLER, who both see TOURING devoid of CREATURE COMFORTS for months on end in IDEALISTIC TERMS.  the DIY-level TOURING EXPERIENCE is a means of proving their INTENT and their CRAFT to the MASSES.  in spite of their being more DIGITAL COMPETITION in the ENTERTAINMENT SPACE, the almost ELEMENTAL, VISCERAL EXPERIENCE from both the PERFORMER and AUDIENCE PERSPECTIVE cannot be replicated online or shared in a file.  it is an ELUSIVE once-in-a-lifetime MOMENT that has the POTENTIAL to change lives.  those two young BANDS seem to be TRUE BELIEVERS no doubt.

and that is the OBJECTIVE and the payoff.  and the REASON to leave home and TOUR despite all the OBSTACLES, CHALLENGES and off-stage BULLSHIT.  it is a BELIEF in the POWER of the MUSIC itself.

parodies & text by nacrowe

i have long been CONFUSED by the NEW YORK HARDCORE scene.  i find MYSELF eternally CURIOUS about past CULTURAL MOVEMENTS, their ORIGINS, INTERESTS, PERMUTATIONS and later INFLUENCES from DELTA BLUES, AFROBEAT, CUMBIA and ROOTS REGGAE on down to MODERN DARK WAVE and POST-METAL.  all things being equal i should be interested in NYHC BANDS given their SINGULAR INFLUENCE on later BREAKDOWN-dominant GENRE EXTENSIONS like METALCORE and POST-HARDCORE, which i ADORE.  but no matter how much i investigate, books ive read or BANDS ive listened to, the WHOLE NYHC scene just feels INSULAR and overly CONSERVATIVE in NATURE, both MUSICALLY and SOCIALLY as a CULTURAL PHENOMENON.

maybe its because i havent experienced such in its FULL GLORY.  ive witnessed MADBALL, H₂O  and MURPHY'S LAW decades after their PRIME, and not surprisingly all were UNDERWHELMING at best, OUTMODED and REVANCHIST ANACHRONISMS of both MASCULINITY and PUNK ROCK at WORST.  and the FORMER is the WALL that i have a DISTINCTLY HARD TIME getting past.  the overly ANTAGONISTIC MACHISMO VIBES that feels FORCED and a POOR FIG LEAF for SUBPAR, FORMULAIC and LAZY SONGWRITING and lack of CHARISMA.  PUNK ROCK for me as exemplified by THE CLASH, THE RAMONES and THE SEX PISTOLS (and even LATER BANDS like THE GERMS, DEAD KENNEDYS and BLACK FLAG) was about REVOLUTION as a LIBERATING MINDSET, both POLITICAL and PERSONAL.  that sense that each of us as an INDIVIDUAL has the ABILITY to TRANSCEND our own SELF-IMPOSED LIMITATIONS and IMPACT our COMMUNITY. 

to me NYHC feels like the INVERSION of this MODEL.  it feels like a DUMB JOCK COMMUNITY imposing its REGRESSIVE, MACHO-BULLSHIT NORMATIVE CULTURE on the INDIVIDUAL.  the EXCEPTIONS i see being BAD BRAINS, which is in the former camp (and some would argue is actually a DC HARDCORE BAND), as well as CRO-MAGS and GORILLA BISCUITS.  in my admittedly BIASED OPINION, those BANDS feel both sonically POWERFUL and EMPOWERED as INDIVIDUALS.  no matter how many times ive revisited their CATALOGUES, i just cant get my head around AGNOSTIC FRONT, MURPHY'S LAW, SICK OF IT ALL and MADBALL.  it just feels like they LOST THE PLOT regarding PUNK ROCK and created something ANTITHETICAL to the INTENTION and TRUE NATURE of the FORM.

i know i am in the DARK here.  my ASSUMPTION is that i have not lived NYHC and thus can never fully UNDERSTAND its APPEAL.  there has to be SOMETHING there, as some of my FAVORITE BANDS from GLASSJAW, LAMB OF GOD, A DAY TO REMEMBER, ARCHITECTS, BRING ME THE HORIZON, POISON THE WELL, AT THE DRIVE-IN, CIRCA SURVIVE and even the BEASTIE BOYS (themselves being a part of the NYHC scene back in the 1980s).  i think such is why i find MYSELF going back and trying again and again to reinvestigate that scene to DIMINISHING RETURNS.

​its probably just me.  then again, what do i know?

embedded below is a past DEER GOD RADIO episode on nonprofit internet radio station MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC that includes a playlist celebrating NYHC.  enjoy!

parodies & text by nacrowe

there is an APPARENT, WIDESPREAD DISPOSABILITY with the way MODERN MUSIC is MANUFACTURED, MARKETED and DISSEMINATED.  i dont know when it happened but there seems to have been a moment in the past two decades when BROADER CULTURE got divorced from a sense of COMMUNITY.  i remember back in the mid-90s attending in grade school in SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA and being peripherally aware that much of this MUSIC i heard on the LOCAL RADIO STATION(106.7FM KROQ out of LOS ANGELES) was from a formerly SMALL SCENE up north in SEATTLE and that BANDS like NIRVANA, SOUNDGARDEN, PEARL JAM, ALICE IN CHAINS, SCREAMING TREES, MUDHONEY and so on knew and supported each other pre-FAME.  it was a MOVEMENT of eclectic but LIKE-MINDED BANDS that grew out of a DIY ETHOS and an actively SUPPORTIVE local NETWORK of VENUES, PROMOTERS, COLLEGE RADIO STATION and INDEPENDENT LABELS (such as SUB POP).

when i think about that sense of POSITIVE IMPACT, COMMUNITY IDENTITY and INTENTIONALITY that permeates everything behind the MUSIC, including the BUSINESS itself, i think back to the example of DISCHORD RECORDS out of WASHINGTON DC.  of course the LABEL and its LEGENDARY FOUNDER, IAN MACKAYE of HARDCORE ICONS MINOR THREAT and the equally REVERED POST-HARDCORE LUMINARIES in FUGAZI, founded the DIY IMPRINT as a means of promoting their FRIENDS and the POLITICAL and SOCIAL CAUSES they held DEAR while functioning effectively OUTSIDE of the MAINSTREAM RECORD INDUSTRY.  this SPARTAN ORGANIZATION had MINIMAL BUDGETS and utilized the CREATIVE EFFORTS of SMALL, UPSTART RECORDING STUDIOS (like INNER EAR with PRODUCER DON ZIENTARA) while manufacturing the SINGLES themselves by hand.  all in an effort to support LOCAL TALENT and provide INTERESTING PRODUCT to LIKE-MINDED RECORD STORES nearby and eventual nationwide.  that DIY MODEL has been revisited and reproduced all over the country with PROMINENT EXAMPLES like SST, ALTERNATIVE TENTACLES, LOOKOUT!, FAT WRECK CHORDS and EPITAPH collectively making a SUBSTANTIAL IMPACT on the BROADER CULTURE and providing an ALTERNATIVE ROUTE than MAJOR LABEL DISTRIBUTION.

but that CONVERSATION is more than a bit of an ANACHRONISM at this point.  given that the INTERNET has flooded the ZONE with PRODUCT and no need for wider PHYSICAL DISTRIBUTION, which was the COMPARATIVE ADVANTAGE of MAJOR LABELS in the 80s and 90s, it begs the question of what is the point of LABELS of any denomination in this seemingly LIMITLESS ECOSYSTEM.  and yet DISCHORD RECORDS persists with a STEADY STREAM of QUALITY PRODUCT that maintains the same CORE DIY VALUES that it did 30+ years ago.  it is pretty EXTRAORDINARY.

embedded below is a past DEER GOD RADIO episode on nonprofit internet radio station MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC that includes a playlist celebrating DISCHORD RECORDS.  enjoy!

its always a breath of fresh air to come across NEW BANDS that just CRUSH.  in the past couple of years for me that included GROUPS like BRUTUS, FULL OF HELL, AMYL & THE SNIFFERS, CRYSTAL LAKE and KNOCKED LOOSE.  an equally LYRICALLY and SONICALLY TRANSGRESSIVE BAND that i recently came across that should be a welcome addition to such a list is the MEXICAN QUEERCORE / POST-PUNK / NOISE ROCK BAND HETEROFOBIA.  i know that they are an unapologetically and stridently POLITICAL UNIT with an aggressively DISSONANT and oh so wonderfully CHAOTIC SOUND that immediately caught my attention.  cant even imagine what that must be like being part of the LGBTQIA+ community in MACHISMO-obsessed LATIN AMERICA, but jesus does their ENERGY translate beyond language.

most definitely a BAND worth checking out.

the SEATTLE-based ALTERNATIVE ROCK explosion of early 1990s was a COMPELLING CULTURAL PHENOMENON for so many reasons, none the least of which was how it rendered what was once considered UNDERGROUND, PROVINCIAL and OPAQUE to the frontlines of MAINSTREAM CONSCIOUSNESS.  it must have been an UNPRECEDENTED and UNNERVING situation for the OLD GUARD, LEGACY PUNK bands like THE RAMONES, BAD RELIGION and CIRCLE JERKS  to watch these UPSTART bands storm the gates, many of whom were inspired by and were VOCAL ACOLYTES of theirs.  

the CULTURAL CONTEXT of SOCIAL DISTORTION's fifth release WHITE LIGHT, WHITE HEAT, WHITE TRASH (EPIC, 1996) is one of a CONSCIOUS effort to reset the table with regards to what PUNK ROCK actually entails.  in the mind of FRONTMAN and main SINGER-SONGWRITER MIKE NESS, much of the MOVEMENT had been WATERED-DOWN, COMMERCIALIZED and REPACKAGED with no PALPABLE sense of PASSION or PERSONAL ANGST in the mix.  from his PERSPECTIVE, much of what he saw was AFFECT, POSTURING and PERFORMATIVE PANTOMIME cloaking itself in a CULTURAL MOVEMENT he literally bled and fought for with the establishment of HARDCORE throughout the 1980s.  that being said, i feel like the SHORTCOMING of WHITE LIGHT, WHITE HEAT, WHITE TRASH is ironically its EARNESTNESS.  on tracks like "DOWN ON THE WORLD AGAIN" "I WAS WRONG," "DON'T DRAG ME DOWN," "DEAR LOVER" and "WHEN THE ANGELS SING," NESS absolutely comes across as IMPASSIONED, HONEST and COMMITTED but at the expense of being a bit OVERBEARING and HEAVY-HANDED in the process.  SOCIAL DISTORTION has long maintained a WELL-CRAFTED and seemingly CONSCIOUS balance between the EMOTIONAL VULNERABILITY of its LYRICAL CONTENT and its somewhat DOMINEERING MACHISMO PRESENTATION of such.  when i listen back to this record it just comes off a bit too much in the latter parading as the former (if that makes any sense).  this would change with what i firmly contend is the STRONGEST SOCIAL DISTORTION album to date SEX, LOVE AND ROCK 'N' ROLL (TIME BOMB, 2004), which was recorded years after in the wake of the untimely passing of CO-FOUNDING GUITARIST DENNIS DANNELL from an UNEXPECTED CEREBRAL ANEURYSM.  THEMES surrounding the FRAILTY OF LIFE and LOVE OF FAMILY and celebrating one's COMMUNITY.  with that record the INTERNAL POLITICS of ROCK N ROLL and the MUSIC INDUSTRY seem as INCONSEQUENTIAL as they in fact are.  on that record NESS got back to WRITING about he is best at, REAL LIFE LIVED HARD.

for me WHITE LIGHT, WHITE HEAT, WHITE TRASH is evident of its period in ROCK N ROLL HISTORY when things were shaken up a bit and PUNK VETERANS were a little GUN SHY on what their next best move should be.  my opinion is that this record suffered a bit from trying too hard to be a massively SUCCESSFUL ROCK N ROLL record (i.e. BIG THEMES, BIG CHORUSES, BIG GUTAR LEADS).  NESS is undoubtedly at his best when he is in a corner and fighting his way out of a situation with music.  whether the enemy is ADDICTION, SOCIETY or HIMSELF, the VULNERABILITY his SONGS display as he is in the midst of surviving is his calling card as an ICONIC MUSICIAN. 

i grew up in ORANGE COUNTY in a town neighboring FULLERTON (where SOCIAL DISTORTION originated) called BREA, and i take pride that is NESS is from my area.  i dont want to come off HARSH with this piece as i love the band and especially the HONEST SONGWRITING of NESS, i just dont feel this particular album was his CREATIVE ZENITH (and personally i dont think theyd argue to the contrary).  but man did he rebound with a VENGEANCE on his next effort with SOCIAL DISTORTION and hasnt looked back since.

photo manipulation & text by nacrowe

the aggressively EXPERIMENTAL MUSICIAN JUSTIN PEARSON came to my attention in the early 2000s when a childhood friend of mine in ORANGE COUNTY clued me into THE LOCUST, this INSANE, TECHNICAL GRINDCORE / NOISE ROCK band out of SAN DIEGO that dressed up as insects on stage.  the dude has been a part of COUNTLESS BANDS from that HARDCORE scene throughout the 90s including SWING KIDS and RETOX and has long run his INDEPENDENT label THREE ONE G.  more recently he has collaborated with MIKE PATTON (MR. BUNGLE, FAITH NO MORE, TOMAHAWK, FANTOMAS) and DAVE LOMBARDO (SLAYER, FANTOMAS), along with RETOX GUITARIST MICHAEL CRAIN in DEAD CROSS.  long story short, PEARSON is a CONNOISSEUR of all things EXTREME and THOUGHT-PROVOKING, especially with regards to AVANT-GARDE music he actively promotes.

in recent years he has hosted the CULT AND CULTURE PODCAST with fellow MUSICIAN LUKE HENSHAW who is arguably more PRODUCTION-MINDED and ADEPT songwriting-wise at interweaving LATIN, SCI-FI, HIP HOP, PUNK and CLASSICAL AVANT-GARDE elements into his no-less EXPERIMENTAL catalogue with BANDS like SONIDA DE LA FRONTERA, SATANIC PLANET, VARIATIONS IN THE KEY OF THE AFTERLIFE and PLANET B.  their PODCAST is basically a platform for the promotion of similarly INNOVATIVE MUSICIANS that produce stridently EXPLORATORY fair such as BEN WEINMAN (DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN), NICK REINHART (TERA MELOS), BARNEY GREENWAY and SHANE EMBURY (NAPALM DEATH), BLACK DICE, JOHN REISS (DRIVE LIKE JEHU, HOT SNAKES) and JUAN ALDERATE (THE MARS VOLTA, RACER X, MARILYN MANSON), as well as legendary TRANSGRESSIVE cult FILMMAKER JOHN WATERS (PINK FLAMINGOS, FEMALE TROUBLE) and PEDAL MANUFACTURER EARTHQUAKER DEVICES' CEO JULIE ROBBINS and founder JAMIE STILLMAN.  its always COOL to just sit back and take in long form discussions regarding CREATIVE PEOPLE's INFLUENCES, PROCESSES and INSPIRATIONS for making ART.  it literally never gets old and propels someone less artistically attuned like myself to continue moving forward and keeping my eyes and ears open to UNFAMILIAR TERRITORY along the way.

i see the CULT AND CULTURE PODCAST as vehicle for fighting JADEDNESS, because these guys mention BANDS and ARTISTs ive never come cross before, and thus the education process continues.  definitely recommended and well worth checking out, especially for MODERN fans of EXPERIMENTAL music.

of all the UNDERGROUND ROCK N ROLL bands that have made the IMPROBABLE jump to MAINSTREAM COMMERCIAL SUCCESS over the past few decades, arguably none has had more of a STYLISTIC evolution than that of AFI.  and that is not some disguised slight or passive aggressively barbed way of saying that somehow they are inauthentic or chasing trends, because THAT IS NOT THEM.  i feel strongly that their TRANSITION through HARDCORE, POST PUNK, GOTH ROCK, POWER POP, NEW WAVE and the like are just various aspects of their ARTISTIC AMBITIONS and COMPLEX identity as FOREMOST MUSIC FANS and AFICIONADOS. DIFFERENT EXPRESSIONS of the same truth if you will.  and each record they have seemed to grow in CONFIDENCE and a willingness to alienate their fanbase with further EXPLORATIONS outside their own comfort zone and/or audience expectations.  at this point in their career almost three decades in, the EXPECTATION now is a TRANSFORMED and uniquely REINVIGORATED SOUND each cycle.

but in the pre-BLACK SALES IN THE SUNSET (NITRO, 1999) era of the band, that is to say back when they were on DEXTER HOLLAND's (of OFFSPRING fame) indie label NITRO RECORDS and guitarist JADE PUGET was not an auxiliary studio PRESENCE and not yet a member, the band went through some GROWING PAINS.  in fact, those three early series of albums recorded for NITRO when the band were in their late teens and early 20s showcase a PASSIONATE band with their STRAIGHTFORWARD HARDCORE roots playing to their influences and not necessarily expanding much from them.  none more so than on their third record SHUT YOUR MOUTH AND OPEN YOUR EYES (NITRO, 1997), which suffers from a lack of DIVERSITY in SONGWRITING and INSPIRATION.  what it does have in spades on tracks like "THREE REASONS," "A SINGLE SECOND," "LOWER YOUR HEAD AND TAKE IT IN THE BODY," and "THE DEVIL LOVES YOU" is an UNCEASING PASSION via DYNAMIC frontman DAVEY HAVOK and rolling PUNK ROCK rhythms that would be familiar to anyone with even a PASSING KNOWLEDGE of NOFX, BAD RELIGION, SNAPCASE, REFUSED and so on.  it is a perfectly ADEQUATE HARDCORE-inspired album for the period and its DERIVATIVENESS is part of the APPEAL. 

once PUGET became a full-time band member and, more critically, the second half of an INSPIRED SONGWRITING partnership with HAVOK, the band would pay immediate dividends on its subsequent release BLACK SALES IN THE SUNSET and its likeminded follow-ups THE ART OF DROWNING (NITRO, 2000), SING THE SORROW (NITRO, 2003) and DECEMBERUNDERGROUND (INTERSCOPE, 2006).  those records set the template for the rest of a career UNDAUNTED by EXPERIMENTATION and genre-hopping that showcased their LOVE of all things THE CURE, BAUHAUS, THE SISTERS OF MERCY and JOY DIVISION amongst so much more.

would i recommend the SHUT YOUR MOUTH AND OPEN YOUR EYES album? probably not, but i have nothing against those early records.  to me they are just a CURIOSITY regarding the early DEVELOPMENTAL efforts of what would become a truly PROMINENT CULTURAL FORCE that had not as of yet found its NICHE or GROOVE yet.  it is the sound of a band still searching, which can be INTRIGUING but not something i necessarily return to very often.

i remember visiting a CHILDHOOD FRIEND of mine in SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA way back in the summer of 2001, before our senior year of high school.  at that point it had been years since my FAMILY moved to NIGERIA of all places and i did stints there as well as two years at a NEW ENGLAND boarding school and another year at an INTERNATIONAL school in KUWAIT, where my FAMILY was then situated.  this was a PRE-INTERNET, PRE-STREAMING, even PRE-DOWNLOADING era where my ability to learn about NEW MUSIC OVERSEAS was through CASSETTE MIXTAPES through FRIENDS and FRIENDS OF FRIENDS.  being back in ORANGE COUNTY visiting my old FRIEND was a wakeup call and an EDUCATION because he was plugged in with his ear to the ground and i learned all about bands id never heard of, everything from  local 80s HARDCORE bands like T.S.O.L., AGENT ORANGE, DR. KNOW, CHANNEL 3, THE GERMS, WASTED YOUTH, THE MIDDLE CLASS, D.I., ADOLESCENTS and FEAR to more sonically extreme bands like THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN, CONVERGE, BOTCH and THE LOCUST.  i say all this because in the intervening years i'd traveled throughout AFRICA, EUROPE and the MIDDLE EAST and i came to learn that what i missed out on culturally back at 'home' was the most explosively FRANTIC sounds ever by a bunch of MANIC MUSICIANS dressed as insects.

i mean at the time i had no way of even comprehending a MUSICIAN like JUSTIN PEARSON or the bands he'd been a part of up to that point.  but that was my INTRODUCTION to him and THE LOCUST way back and for whatever reason ive always identified their sound with 9/11 given that their first self-titled THE LOCUST (GOLD STANDARD LABORATORIES, 1998) album was what i was listening to at the time.  regardless, i recently came across PEARSON's FRAUGHT and likewise UNRELENTING FROM THE GRAVEYARD OF THE AROUSAL INDUSTRY (SOFT SKULL, 2010) memoir that conveys a lifetime of SEVERE ABUSE, NEGLECT and TRAUMA.  from his time in ARIZONA where he dealt with the PAIN of watching his mother get routinely PUMMELED by his FATHER, to his DEATH / MURDER under DUBIOUS circumstances that saw his FAMILY relocate to SAN DIEGO and the cycle began a new with his EVENTUAL STEPDAD.  you listen to THE LOCUST or some of his other projects like SOME GIRLS, HEAD WOUND CITY, SWING KIDS or even much later with SATANIC PLANET and DEAD CROSS, and that jagged, DISSONANT SONIC ASSAULTS with UNYIELDING, SPASTIC ENERGY and head-turning ABRUPT TEMPO SHIFTS makes absolute total artistic sense.  GALLOWS HUMOR is a CONSTANT throughout this book as PEARSON deals with a bevy of NEAR-CONSTANT lineup changes and COMMITTED yet DOOMED ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIPS. 

you very much get the sense that the main theme throughout is no doubt  survival by any means necessary as PEARSON, being an only child, showcases much RESILIENCE and SELF-RELIANCE to function and push despite the odds of co-running an INDEPENDENT label (THREE ONE G RECORDS) that seemingly specializes in CHALLENGING, UNCOMMERCIAL MUSIC.  from what i could gather his MOTHER, his label co-owner ALLYSIA EDWARDS and his dog GEE GEE are the triumvirate that make up his extended UNCONDITIONAL SUPPORT SYSTEM.  ROCK N ROLL memoirs are traditionally written by those that had a certain level of SUCCESS or NOTORIETY, so reading FROM THE GRAVEYARD OF THE AROUSAL INDUSTRY is a bit of a OUTLIER in that its subject is somewhat OBSCURE with a dedicated but relatively SLIGHT CULT FOLLOWING.  and i think that is what makes it truly COMPELLING as a read, since PEARSON very much gives you an unadulteratedly BRUTAL PERSPECTIVE of the drive involved in surviving at the margins of the RECORDING INDUSTRY with your wits somewhat intact.

if anything PERSEVERANCE and SELF-CONFIDENCE involved is almost QUIXOTIC in the extreme, but that is what makes the topic so INTRIGUING.  i recommend FROM THE GRAVEYARD OF THE AROUSAL INDUSTRY to anyone interested in learning about what true DIY ETHICS entails from the perspective of a WORKING MUSICIAN and INDEPENDENT small business owner.  in spite of all the PAIN and TRAUMA, id argue this book is evidence that PEARSON is very much living his dream.

i mean this is it. 

when you consider 1980s HARDCORE PUNK ROCK there are arguably a few immediate bands that come to mind: BAD BRAINS, DEAD KENNEDYS, CIRCLE JERKS, MINOR THREAT, D.O.A., THE MISFITS and BLACK FLAG.  and THE FIRST FOUR YEARS (SST, 1983) compilation is in essence a re-release of all the ICONIC pre-HENRY ROLLINS INDEPENDENT EPS such as NERVOUS BREAKDOWN (SST, 1979), JEALOUS AGAIN (SST, 1980) and SIX PACK (SST, 1981) when the band was fronted by a succession of VOCALISTS from KEITH MORRIS to RON REYES to DEZ CADENA.  it doesnt get more ground zero than these AGGRESSIVE and extremely RAW PERFORMANCES of "NERVOUS BREAKDOWN", "NO VALUES," "WASTED," "CLOCKED IN," "WHITE MINORITY" and "FIX ME" in the history of HARDCORE or INDEPENDENT music writ large in the UNITED STATES.

by the time ROLLINS joined in 1981 BLACK FLAG was well on their way to carving out an INDEPENDENT circuit of small veteran affair halls, elks lodges, backyards, bowling alleys and NONTRADITIONAL concert venues that would later be utilized and exploited in the 1990s by ALTERNATIVE ROCK and INDIE ROCK bands alike.  these SONGS were the core of the gospel they spread and BLACK FLAG were nothing if not CULTURAL PIONEERS in that sense, along with fellow travelers in THE CRAMPS, VANCOUVER HARDCORE act D.O.A. and COLLEGE ROCK acts like R.E.M. and THE REPLACEMENTS it should be noted during the same period.

i was aware of the band going back to elementary school years through reading KURT COBAIN interviews where he mentioned them along with the likes of FLIPPER and THE RAINCOATS, but it wasnt until high school that i was clued into them via a childhood friend i was visiting at the turn of the millennium in SOUTHER CALIFORNIA.  through this friend i gained an APPRECIATION and context for what previously i experienced as DISCORDANT NOISE and SLOPPY MUSICIANSHIP.  after that education getting to sear FEAR on that trip it dawned on me the UNRELENTING ENERGY and UNBRIDLED FURY that the MUSIC unleashed in a crowd.  something clicked.  it was as if BLACK FLAG was a soundtrack to that VIOLENT release of pent-up AGGRESSION and FRUSTRATION that comes with living in this country.  that feel of SUBLIMATION rooted in being poked at by superiors at work, in the media, at the bank and at school to conform and acquiesce to the man.  it was TRANSFORMATIVE and the music to me seemed more aligned with another COUNTERCULTURE HERO whose MUSIC i had come to know intimately when my family lived in NIGERIA a few years earlier: FELA KUTI.  GREG GINN's furiously PRIMITIVE GUITAR WORK and these various VOCALISTS screeching their EXPLOSIVE DISSATISFACTION with society all came to be the same COHESIVE EXPRESSION in my understanding and i thank my friend for opening that door for me.  also, the RAYMOND PETTIBON ARTWORK on those early EPs are SINGULAR in their absolute DEVASTATING DEPICTIONS of SOCIETAL COERCION and the physical BRUTALITY of VOILENCE.  as someone that was repeatedly hazed in high school, discovering PETTIBON took me unflinchingly right back to the moment of ABUSE.  the PERFECT primer for the proper MINDSET for listening to BLACK FLAG no doubt.

THE FIRST FOUR YEARS is an ESSENTIAL release by an absolutely ICONIC band.  it is a release well worth checking out and returning to again and again.

parodies by nacrowe

check out HERE this recent streaming video episode of DEER GOD RADIO  celebrating the REVERED PRODUCER / ENGINEER / MIXER and MODERN PURVEYOR of all things LOUD and AGGRESSIVE,  JOE BARRESI!
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​​past episodes of DEER GOD RADIO are available here at the DEER GOD website as well as in the MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC archives.

and if you haven't done so already get the FREE PHONE APP for IOS/ANDROID and enjoy listening to MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC 24/7 at your convenience!

sometimes you are unexpectedly confronted with a group that has NEXT-LEVEL INTENSITY and BALTIMORE's SHARPTOOTH is that band.  this REVERED HARDCORE PUNK ensemble has two STELLAR full-length's on PURE NOISE RECORDS and are led by the UNADULTERATED BRUTALITY of vocalist LAUREN KASHAN, who has utilized her position as a POSITIVE vehicle to both sublimate her TRAUMA and advocate on behalf of TRAUMA victims to seek MENTAL HEALTH assistance.  i think such action takes REAL COURAGE and is indicative of the CHARACTER behind both KASHAN and her bandmates.  recently the band has moved on to new vocalist MELISSA WARD who likewise brings the UNBRIDLED FEROCITY, plus they have a song called "FUCK YOU DONALD TRUMP" so what is there not to love?  definitely looking forward to what the new lineup cooks up.

SHARPTOOTH is definitely worth checking out.

parody by nacrowe

PUNK bands by definition are not meant to last.  just look at that first round of late 70s originators or their HARDCORE brethren during the 1980s, most put out a record or two and then disbanded in near complete OBSCURITY.  such being the case, it is almost ABSURD that NOFX are winding down their forty year, fifteen studio album career with a final tour and probable upcoming release or two for good measure.  not only that, they objectively got better as musicians and songwriters as they went along is which is the absolute opposite ethos of the genre with the TIRED "LIVE FAST, DIE YOUNG" credo.  then again, NOFX always was a band that reveled in being a PARADOX.

more than any other MODERN PUNK band that i can think of, NOFX embodied the SNARKY CONTRARIANISM that came with being FORTHRIGHT and SELF-AWARE to the point of (and sometimes beyond) being SELF-DEPRECATING.  BAD RELIGION was as politically OUTSPOKEN but more SERIOUS, AUTHORITATIVE and ACADEMIC in PRESENTATION and TONE (which makes sense since LYRICIST and contributing SONGWRITER GREG GRAFFIN is in fact a professor).  RANCID were objectively more TALENTED as MUSICIANS and SONGWRITERS, but frontman TIM ARMSTRONG had a more IMPRESSIONISTIC and CONFESSIONAL aspect to his compositions, even the numbers that addressed political issues.  as a GENIUS WORDSMITH, for him it was less about a specific point being addressed and more about exploring a DISPARATE POINT-OF-VIEW and MINDSET in his lyrics.  BLINK-182 expressly borrowed aspects of the SNARKY CONTRARIANISM of NOFX but really dialed down the INTELLIGENCE and SELF-EVIDENT ABSURDIST comedy behind such, leaving just REDUNDANT JUVENILITY in its stead.

and for me, part of the whole SCHTICK around NOFX was that this whole SELF-DIMINISHING "WE'RE JUST A PUNK BAND" routine was a smokescreen for a band that really had a STRONG PRESENCE and sense of AMBITION.  just look at THE DECLINE (FAT WRECK CHORDS, 1999) release and its lone 18+ minute track, complete with SOPHISTICATED LEIHTMOTIFS and thematic callbacks a la opera.  before GREEN DAY and talk of ROCK OPERAS, NOFX had already been there, done that on one masterfully EPIC track.  another case in point was vocalist and main songwriter FAT MIKE's PUNKVOTER.COM campaign to support JOHN KERRY in his 2004 campaign to defeat then-incumbent president GEORGE W. BUSH.  lots of HARDCORE bands going back to the 70 and 80s complained about MARGARET THATCHER and RONALD REAGAN, but how many actively built up a coalition to effect change a la FAT MIKE.  i'll answer that: no one.  the most ADMIRABLE thing about the members of NOFX is that in spite of their DEPRECATING PRESENTATION, these guys are actual doers who take actual real-life risks.  FAT MIKE stuck his neck out and ultimately was not successful in ousting BUSH, but so what.  he acted where his peer group historically only impotently reacts.

my hope is that this is not the end of the road for the band as a CREATIVE ENERY and that if FAT MIKE continues on a solo journey that his former bandmates are common characters along the way, because the band is UNIQUE and has effected change arguably more than any other MODERN PUNK band.  this in spite of their TIRED on-stage dad jokes.

embedded below is a very recent DEER GOD RADIO episode on nonprofit internet radio station MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC that includes a playlist celebrating the career of the iconic SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA PUNK ROCK band NOFX.  enjoy!