Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Hammer Bros, Swamp Thing, Backtrack, Downpresser, etc. @ Anchor's Up!

I feel like I am back in action. I have been to 2 shows in less than a month, and I don't happen to play these shows. I am siked. haha... Anyway same as the last show @ Anchor's Up, I really wanted to come to this show, and for the first time in a long ass time I didn't have to request a day off to go to a show that I wasn't playing which ruled. Saw kids from the valley back from tour which is awesome, and a lot more people than I thought for a wednesday night show on a schoolnight. A lot of young kids, and kids that are legit into the core which to me is awesome. Keeping it alive in 2010.

DEAD END PATH: I have to say, I did not make the show on time. I did get to see like two or three songs by this band. Which is good. I mean this band is that type of band that I would like to see live, but I wouldn't really listen to their record at home. One thing I have to say is that they listen to Madball and Bulldoze. Which isn't a bad thing.

THE NASTY: New Hampshire kids, feat Tim. Great dude, great band. It's fast as fuck, and they have a good drummer for the type of hardcore they play. It's weird cause I have a friend that called me during the show and I told him about this band and the way to describe it is like they play an american styled Tropiezo hardcore. They have those breakdowns that make me think of Boston area bands with that weird half step down on the bass part of the breakdown. They got a good response, and they have a record out on Arrest Records. Pick it up.

DOWNPRESSER: If I said I really needed to see this show, it was because of this band. They had an amazing set. It was pretty much what I was expecting. And a thing that surprised me even more was that a lot of kids were singing along. Which is awesome, the valley kids always representin' haha. They are like a mix of Machine Head in the Burn Your Eyes era with awesome hardcore. Hard as fuck. They pretty much stole the show in my opinion.

(*Insert me rocking out hard to Merauder on the house PA system*)

BACKTRACK: The last time I saw this band was last year at the NYC Hardcore Bowl (I can't say super before bowl, cause of legality problems, haha). Anyway they were awesome at that show. I was really pumped to see them tonight, another of the reasons I wanted to make the show. Totally tight. It pretty much reminded me of every awesome NYHC band. Like my friend Mike told me after their set. "The only problem with Backtrack is that they're not actually Madball". Agreed, Mike.

SWAMP THING: Never really paid attention to this band. They were like that "extra" band on the bill for me. And they totally took the idea I had for my band to open with Among The Living by Anthrax. Although they only played the intro. I want to play the whole song. They were actually better than I thought.

HAMMER BROS: They never disappoint and always deliver. Amazing set, and it was their first show since they went to Cali to tour with Downpresser. They played My Playground, from the demo days. Kids went insane, but it was mostly the "older" kids destroying the place up. They're recording their last EP next week. And it bums me out. They're pretty much the Valley's band. God, I love them.

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

New Year show @ Anchor's Up

I know it's like almost a week late, but I have to do this. I ate the shit, and forgot to do a review for this show. The whole premise of this show was that I had to go, no matter what. I managed to get there, in a snowstorm, right from work. I love hardcore, haha.

Naysayer. They opened the show. Awesome seeing this band every time, they get better and better. They are like a type of what i'd call a NYHC styled band with some weird but awesome vocals. I may be totally wrong, but the vocals always make me think of Obituary. Not because he sounds like the dude from Obituary but for some weird reason I think of Obituary in the "World Demise" era. I was hoping them to cover Madball, which they didn't but they still played an awesome set. And very humble kids.

Forfeit. One of the reasons I really wanted to go to this show big time. I love Forfeit. They played a set that was a lot of the newer stuff which I am not familiar due to me only having the first 7". I wanted to buy the new stuff, but I don't have a record player, and they didn't have it on CD. Only thing, Ben has to keep timing a lil' better. The Merauder-esque song they played...FUCKING AWESOME.

Cruel Hand. Like three weeks ago, my band played a show with Cruel Hand. I remember seeing them all the time before the "Prying Hands" came out, even before the first full length. It was awesome. Since then they have become more metal, but in an awesome way. They had an amazing set at that show we played, but it wasn't really a hardcore show. I knew this band had gotten big. I didn't know they were this big. Still, I think they deserve the hype. The only thing I didn't like about their set was that the vocals were too loud, and the music rather quiet for even the venue it was.

Down To Nothing. I mean. I had been waiting to see them for like 2 years now. Last time they came around was in the Earth Crisis tour, and I didn't go to that one. The first MA show DTN played and I didn't go. Their set was amazing, super psyched to be there all the kids were going bezerk including myself that came out of mosh retirement only for the night. They played a lot of the songs I was expecting them too. They even played one out of the 50 Lions split. So it was a very solid set. Almost a week later, still happy.

Trapped Under Ice. I keep hearing about this band. I remember my old roomate Tyler being in love with this band and playing them out of his record player non-stop. I don't remember much of the sound. Reminded me of like another band like Guns Up! but better. I liked Guns Up! so I liked this better. That being said, me and my former roomate don't like together anymore so I don't listen to this band anymore, the fact is that I don't remember how they were like, apart from what I remember saying about them. So I was ready to give them another listen. I mean, they were good, but I got bored in their set. Maybe is because I was too happy to just have seen DTN, one of my favorite bands, and then seeing a band that I really don't know after them. I am just going to give them more tries, because W-lo told me they were good, and I usually agree with him when it comes to music. For now, I'll give them a C.

Sunday, January 3, 2010

The Beginning Of A New Decade...

So the 00's are done...

Here come the 10's... how do we call them? "The Teens?"... I don't know, to me it's just a weird way to call a decade. "The Tens" sounds better, it's still weird...

Well, anyway, another day, another week, another month, another year, another decade... think about it. It's something pretty intense when you actually give a thought to it.

So far, in the third day of this new decade, everything seems pretty good. I mean, it's snowed every single day of this decade over here, haha. Anyway, I am doing quite well. A sore throat from singin' along to songs at hardcore shows, that now that i calculate, i have been going to these activities for more than a decade. In 1997 was my first show, I know it was that year, because it was the year my sister graduated high school.

That makes it around 13 years, that's quite more for what people spend in hardcore, a lot thought it was just a phase, i was gonna get tired of it, and go be just another anybody. I am not just your average person. I am different, I am not like the rest. I may be pretty similar to all those I spend a lot of time with, but I don't feel I am "normal". Do I care? Actually, I couldn't give 2 fucks. I am actually proud of it. All the things I've come to know, who I am now, all the places I've been. It's all been a gift from being different and people that relate. That's what hardcore is about. Still alive and thriving, 30 years after it's "official" conception. I look back and 1990 is 20 years ago. I still remember writing dates in my notebook that said 1990. It was 1st grade. I've grown quite a while since then.

The 90's took my friend Julio way before his time. The 00's took my dog, the best friend I ever had, and my grandfather. I miss all three, still to this day, although I actually feel bad for saying this, but I miss my dog more than I miss my friend Julio. I mean, I was in 4th grade, I spent not as much time with him as I did with my puppy, or my gramps. I still don't like to show my feelings at all. I still keep a lot to myself, even when my friends tell me a lot. I guess I have to be strong for everyone. I can't show no weakness, or sadness. I leave it all in song, and blood, and ink on my skin. Be it happiness or sadness. Be it the way I choose to live my life. Be it what I want people to see me like.

Still, I have to say. I am happy. All I have, is all I need. Could I have more? Yes, there's always that which I have on my right wrist that I need. Afraid of it, maybe. Maybe it's not my time. Maybe I don't care. Make your own judgment about it. Am I hurt from leaving all my pain, sorrow, happiness, sadness, stress on the dance floor. This is the only thing I know. And if the night of January 2nd of the year 2010 is a sign of what it's coming. I am more than happy.

I may love you. I may hate you. But remember this is who I am, and this is the only thing i know...