Young Poor & Angry Press

Recently I had my twenty-seventh birthday. For some this is considered still being young, but in the scene I’m now considered middle age. Maybe it’s because the longevity for your average scene kid is only a few years. Most come in, stay for awhile and then move on to other things like fraternities or golfing with friends and forget all about their professed love for the scene. What I’ve noticed over the years is there are certain people who stick around. These people all seem to share the same sense of morals and values despite some of their major differences.

I have a good friend named Laura aka Laura Galaxy. Laura loves guns, she’s got a big tattoo of a confederate flag (no she is not racist, she’s friends with me isn’t she?), believes Jesus Christ is her lord and savior, regularly attends church and hates Hayley Williams from Paramore with a passion. Laura and I couldn’t be more different. I really don’t like guns (although I’m a pretty good shot), I’m a Jew (and an atheist but that’s for another editorial…) and I think that Paramore is pretty damn good and have all their albums.

The big thing Laura and I have in common is the scene (I hate to even use that word because it’s been co-opted by media to portray a group of teenage hipsters who purchase their street cred from a Hot Topic and get their musical tastes from Myspace friends lists.) We both love punk and hardcore. While Laura may worship at a Church she, like me, also finds comfort and acceptance in going to see her favorite hardcore band play. While I disagree with her stances politically (Laura knows very well that I think that the concept of Christianity is retarded, but she loves me anyhow. I know Laura thinks that me being a liberal is pure insanity, but she smiles and listens when I talk about Barack Obama) we both have hatred for intolerance and racism. We accept each others differences because that’s what we’ve learned from the hardcore scene. We’ve found family and friendship here, we’ve built memories here and will have stories to tell our kids. This scene is our home, a part of our value system, and a tie that binds us together as a collective. As Sham 69 once said “If the kids are united, we will never be divided.”

It’s been now fifteen years since I heard my first punk and hardcore albums. Fifteen years since I started my love affair with this scene. The scene’s face has changed over the years. Ska was huge, then punk, and now it seems hardcore and metal are taking center stage. The kids seem so much younger than they were before (and maybe they are, it’s hard to tell because anyone under the age of 21 looks the same to me now) and the styles of clothing have changed. The one thing that hasn’t are people like Laura and myself. While we might wear nice clothing to work for important meetings, we might have big world issues we feel passionately about, but we still always find solace and comfort in a good hardcore or punk album. The one thing we’ve both learned in our lifetime in this scene is that growing up doesn’t necessarily mean growing out of the things you love, it’s adding more things to that list.

Music, like everything else in life, is an ever-evolving, ever-progressing animal. It must be this way in order to survive as an art form, otherwise it grows stagnant and dies. It’s always moving forward (and sometimes backwards) into new and different places, constantly adapting to an ever-changing world. Music affects a culture as much as the culture affects the music, and this – amongst many other factors – is why you have trends. Right now in terms of the aggressive underground side of things, deathcore is all the rage. Suicide Silence, Bring Me The Horizon, Whitechapel, and Winds of Plague are just a few of the more popular examples. A few years ago, it was melodic metalcore that was big with bands like Atreyu and Avenged Sevenfold. Before that, faster, more punk-oriented hardcore had made a comeback and bands like American Nightmare and Bane were ruling the underground circuit while nu-metal had became the biggest thing since grunge to hit the mainstream. The point is, every form of music has it’s day in the sun, popularity-wise, and what’s “hip” is always changing. Over the past few years we’ve seen a huge resurgence in the popularity of extreme, aggressive music, with the whole New Wave of American Heavy Metal movement as well as the rise in popularity of metalcore and deathcore. With this comes a lot of exciting, unique and talented artists that are pushing the boundaries of what you would call hardcore and metal, as well as a considerably higher amount of horrific, soulless drivel that makes more discerning music-lovers such as myself cringe and long for the “good ol’ days.”

The attitudes and styles of the people who are into music likewise evolve and progress along with the music, and this is what brings me to my point. Kids nowadays are very ignorant of the roots of the music they love and support so dearly, and are quite spoiled when it comes to how they are exposed to and able to digest music. I first started getting into punk and metal in 1996, and was exposed to my first few hardcore bands in 97 although at the time to me they just sounded like punk and metal and I was unaware that there was an actual hardcore “scene.” It wasn’t until August of 1999 that I attended my first hardcore show. A band called Execution Style, several members of which went on to play in notable bands like Terror, First Blood and Alcatraz, and a band called Grange 15 played at this ice cream shop in Santa Rosa, CA, my hometown. Along with them played a couple of nu metal bands including a rapcore group called Third Degree, members of which went on to play in a hardcore band called S.E.E.D. that I will probably write about in depth at some point, as they had a huge impact on me as a person through their music, message and friendship. It wasn’t a very big show, but it was my first glimpse into the crazy world of the hardcore scene and a pivotal moment in my life as a music lover. “These people are like…spin-kicking, and they look like they’re fighting invisible ninjas!?! WTF?! Oh shit that guy just got his tooth knocked out! Holy shit this is crazy!” It was a pretty eye-opening experience, and left me thirsting for more. What was this insanity I had stumbled upon? Why do they mosh like that? What’s with everyone wearing jerseys and windbreakers? Hatebreed is a hardcore band? I thought they were just a metal band with punk-sounding parts! Weird!

As I got more and more into the scene and got exposed to more bands, I developed an unquenchable desire for MORE and I longed to learn as much as possible about every facet of this exciting subculture. This brings me back to the fact that kids nowadays are very ignorant to the history of hardcore and metal. They don’t know their roots, and furthermore, most don’t have that unending desire for knowledge that I had. I recently read an interview with Born of Osiris and they didn’t know who Danzig was. More importantly, they didn’t care who he was and saw nothing wrong with their lack of knowledge on someone who has been very influential on the metal, punk and hardcore scenes.

Mind you, with the exception of The Misfits, I’m not a fan of anything Glenn Danzig has done, but what bothered me was the attitude these kids had towards not knowing their roots. They straight up said “we don’t care about that old shit!” This is an attitude I’ve seen shared by a large number of newer kids, and I feel that it directly contributes to underground aggressive music nowadays essentially being a massive sea of shit, punctuated by the occasional gem here and there. Bands like Suicide Silence and the like obviously listen to Cannibal Corpse and Slayer, but then you have the hundreds of bands that rip off Suicide Silence and I bet you the majority of those kids have never listened to a single Cannibal Corpse song. I bet most of them haven’t even heard of Morbid Angel or Suffocation, and most probably wouldn’t give any of the aforementioned bands a chance. All they care about is their breakdowns and their two steps, and would rather post the “Top 10 Br00tal Keyboard Breakdowns Of All Time” on Youtube than actually take the time to look beyond what’s easily accessible and well-marketed.

At the same time, I guess I can’t really blame it solely on the kids. Music has changed drastically over the past few years, and the scene has become over saturated with more bands than you could possibly ever hope to keep track of. Wanna get into a new band? It’s just a mouse-click away on Myspace or LastFM! Getting bored of that new Oceano album? Just peep their top friends, there’s plenty of other like-sounding bands for you to get into on there! Bands get signed off how many friends and plays they have on Myspace alone. This is a far cry from when I first started getting into hardcore and metal music, when there was no Myspace, no music blogs, and Napster had marked the beginning of the “download age” and was causing all sorts of controversy. I resorted to scouring the thank you lists in CD liner notes, word of mouth, and hoping and assuming that a band on a certain label would be good, even if I hadn’t heard them before. The used section for punk and metal in in various Bay Area music stores were my personal music heavens, and I got into shitloads of new bands that way.

I distinctly remember rummaging through the used section in Amoeba Records in San Francisco and coming across an album by a band called Bird of Ill Omen. The unique name caught my eye and I noticed that they were signed to Eulogy Records. At the time, Eulogy had a pretty-kick ass roster, so I figured they might be worth listening to and bought the album and sure enough, the band was badass! Coalesce, Arsis, Lifetime and Strife were other examples of bands I got into in this fashion. After giving these bands a listen, I’d peep their thank you lists for ideas on other new bands to check out. Then there was networking with friends and acquaintances that I had met through going to shows and constantly discussing different bands. “Oh bro, you gotta hear this band Poison the Well! They’re fucking crazy! They got like metal parts and breakdowns, but still have like a hardcore vibe, but they got some emo singing parts!” I remember the first time I saw Poison the Well was at Gilman shortly after they had put out “The Opposite of December.” By attending this show I got into two bands that I had previously been unaware of – Unearth and Sworn Enemy, both of which were still fairly new at that point. All of this led to a very rewarding and interesting musical experience for me, both as a music lover and as a musician.

In the years since then, the hardcore scene has changed a whole lot. Bands and kids come and go like the wind. As a subculture, hardcore has grown considerably in size and popularity. Bands like Terror sell 30,000 plus copies in the U.S. of their respective new album like it’s nothing. The usual Bay Area hardcore show back in 00-02 would have anywhere from 40-200 people at it depending on the band and the venue. Now you’ll see 100-400 people easily, and bigger metalcore bands like Bleeding Through and Emmure sell out decent-sized venues that hold 600 kids. With this massive growth in the hardcore and metal population comes a comparable growth in the amount of bands that are out there. Back then through my various means, I could easily get into a few new bands every couple of weeks.

Now I can spend 30 minutes on Myspace and get into 30 new bands easily. Granted 29 of them will suck balls, but what does that matter? The point is, the internet has completely changed the way people get into and digest music, and in my eyes has made the musical experience far less personal and exciting. As with anything, with bad invariably comes good, and I think that overall the internet and the ease it lends to getting into music has been a blessing for the underground. It’s also made the musical climate a lot more competitive and because there’s so many bands it makes it a lot harder to stand out, which means bands have to work extra hard and really try and push the envelope if they want to get noticed.

Also, in a way, it’s still hard to get into music – GOOD music, that is. Like I said earlier, for every 30 bands maybe 1 is actually decent or good, and every great once in awhile you’ll come across something truly special. This is a great thing for discerning music fans like me who enjoy music with substance, style and soul, rather than the mindless nonsense that’s heavily marketed by most labels, because in a way there still is the search – that hunger – for something meaningful musically, and when such a thing is found, it’s a truly exciting moment.

The overall point I’m trying to make here is best surmised by the following Ignite lyrics: “Know your history!” Becoming acquainted with who and what inspired your favorite artists and bands can only enrich your own musical experience, and I believe that if more people took this kind of approach it would in turn greatly improve the depth and quality of of a scene that has overall become ridden with blandness and mediocrity.

Long Island’s favorite hardcore sons have become the latest of several bands to jump ship from Trustkill and the second (the first being Bleeding Through) to continue on to Portland, Oregon-based Rise Records. The label’s press release concerning the signing is as follows:

“Rise Records is ecstatic to announce the signing of Long Island’s THIS IS HELL.
Since June of 2004, This Is Hell has been killing it with their signature brand of hardcore.
The band will release their 3rd full length in Spring 2010.  In the meantime, be sure to
catch the band on tour.”

Additionally, TIH vocalist Travis Reilly has the following comments:

“For those of you who haven’t heard yet, we’ve found a new home at Rise Records. We have heard nothing but good things about the label and we are excited to work with them. Expect a new full length from us around spring time of 2010.”

www.myspace.com/thisishell
www.riserecords.com

When you think “pop-star” you think of Madonna, Britney and other one named female singers that ooze sexuality and lust on the stage with a bunch of back-up dancers. At least that’s what I thought when I came across the press release for Sony Red’s new “pop-star” Becca. That is until I listened to the digital download they sent me. Immediately I was taken back to the late 70s/early 80s where female punk rockers ruled the roost with their own unique style of pop mixed with punk intensity and edgy lyrics.

I sat down with Becca on a normal chaotic Monday for her, the release of her new EP just days away from hitting every major digital outlet. I’ve interviewed a lot of people thus far, most of them come off either one of two ways. Either they’re comfident and somewhat cocky about their craft or they’re humble and hard to break through their creative shell. What surprised me most was that Becca wasn’t either of those things.

The 20 year old grew up in the industry during the time when most people her age were dealing with school crushes and homework. Becca was busy honing her craft with the woman who found her, Meredith Brooks. The Portland girl moved to Los Angeles and quickly began working. The hard work has finally come, as her new EP hits soon when we talk. “It’s this crazy feeling. You work for something and it seems like work, but then you stop and it’s just this shocking feeling when it finally works out,” Becca exclaims. There is a tone of genuine shock to her voice. The shock that only comes when you really work for what you want.

While her peers in school are busy about to graduate college, she’s been touring in Japan, Sony testing her out on the market there. Becca playing the massive 2008 Summer Sonic Festival is Osaka festival to a packed audience. “It was awesome! Like it’s a totally different crowd than here in America. There if I scream and throw my arm up in the air, they all do it too. It’s really cool.” At heart, Becca is a big time geek confessing that she loves Japanese animation and comics known as manga. “I wanted to know more, so I went in and had them give me their most popular stuff. I loved all of it. Especially Death Note.” She recently attended and played a comic book convention. “It was cool to see all these people really into it. Like people spend a lot of time and effort into the costumes and they look just like who they’re dressed up as.”

Becca is trying to break the mold of the stereotypical female pop-rock musician. Her glam-punk image is a start, but what captures your attention is the furocity she delievers her lyrics. When asked about her inspiration, she paused for a second pondering. “Well, I’m always writing. I mean there is always something going on to write about. It’s never been a problem.” A far cry from those whose lack of inspiration are shown in hiring song writers. You can tell by talking to her she’s not at all caught up in the “rock star” mentality most get when making the jump to Los Angeles at such an early age. She recognizes this is a lot of work and seems not to think of it as such. “Yeah it’s a lot, but I find ways to relax. I love it though, it’s hard to settle down!”

After the EP there is more work to be done, as Becca is already putting the finishing touches on her full length that will be debuting in 2010 along with touring. “I’m really excited to be touring and the album coming out. I mean it’s just all so unreal, I don’t think it’s settled in yet.”