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.