Giving Unit Pride a second chance

Well it's Christmas time and Adult Crash is busy doing the family thing. Typical stuff...putting up Christmas lights, tree and trip to see Santa. All things that this Scrooge is not doing. I wonder if I'm in store for a horror story of screaming kids on Santa's lap? Not his kids, but the other ones that will be there.

Anyway, I saw an advertisement from Mankind Records promoting some Unit Pride shirts that were made. This is a band that I know little about, but I remember liking one song by them. I guess I didn't like it enough to listen to the rest of their music and so my MP3's have been collecting digital dust for the better part of a decade. I decided to give them another listen and see if I made the right choice in ignoring them all these years.

I don't even know what I have here, but it seems to be an E.P. called "Can't Kill A Dream" based on the artwork I have for it. This is some pretty good straight up posi-hardcore. "Wide Awake" is the song I liked way back when and it still holds up for me now. But there is a monkey wrench in here. What is the deal with the song "Can't Kill A Dream"? It doesn't sound ANYTHING like the rest of the songs on here. Quite frankly, it sounds like a chorus of Care Bears were singing "friendship means the world to me, FRIENDSHIP!" And then you have Barney from Napalm Death singing "You Can't....Kill....A Fucking Dream!" The song sounds great and I wish there was a 7" of more songs that sound like it. Sounds a little rough, but it sounds HARD. So what's the deal with it?  Is it another singer? Demo song? I mean it's night and day. Anyway, I am digging all of these songs a lot and I don't know why I passed on them all these years? It's right up my alley.

I texted Adult Crash about them and this is how it went...

Me: Hey, what do you think of Unit Pride?

Him: "I like the Nerve Agents better."

Me: What do you think of this song? (Can't Kill A Dream)

Him: "Meh. Morrissey is better."

Me: (Rolling my eyes)

D.C.S.

PS: If you're interested in those reprinted shirts you can just click on the link below. Enjoy. 
mankindrecords.storenvy.com

Let's talk about Millions Of Dead Cops

Well, Adult Crash is currently driving up to the in-laws with his old lady and his mini-crew, so I'm holding down the fort while he's gone. I'm not going to get into any political discussion on here because I would rather keep it fun. Having said that, the situation over in Ferguson, MO reminded me of a conversation that I had with Adult Crash before he left. Do you like M.D.C.? I remember asking him if he liked them because I had never really given them a real chance. As it turns out, he never really gave them a chance either. Apparently, we're the only two jackasses in the scene to be clueless about them. So I'm going to give them a listen and see what I've been missing out on.

First things first, I love the artwork. It's something that definitely grabs your attention. I remember being a young punk and seeing that for the first time at a record store and having to do a double take. I thought it was cool but at the same time, I had some mixed feelings about it. I was still new to this thing that we call hardcore/punk and didn't know about the friction between punks and cops/society in general. Obviously, I learned all about it over the years.

The song titles on this record are about what you would expect from a band in the 80's. The only thing missing is an anti-Reagan song. I'm sure they took care of that in later records.

Anyway, I'm digging Dave Dictor's vocals. A lot. He has a certain urgency with his delivery that sounds great. Musically, they sound pretty killer. Actually, they sound a lot better than I expected. Songs like "Corporate Deathburger", "Kill The Light" and "Church & State" are immediate favorites after the first listen. But overall, this whole record is pretty awesome.

Lyrically, I'm impressed with their stance on Homophobia with their song "America's So Straight". I can't think of many forward thinking songs in hardcore from back then. I mean sticking up for gays was just not as popular as making jokes based on stereotypes. I'm getting too serious here....Moving on.

"John Wayne Was A Nazi" is amusing and "Greedy & Pathetic" just rocks. Pretty solid record here. I think I just got something new to listen to over the holiday weekend.

D.C.S.

Samhain in D.C. Halloween 2014

Well look who came into town this past Halloween. Samhain! Adult Crash and I have been talking about going to this show since it was announced. But I have to admit that I didn't think there was any chance that he would actually go. I mean, he's got a whole crew of kids at that baby factory that he calls home. No chance his old lady will let him out to see Samhain and leave her to take the kids out trick or treating on her own. But she let him go. I'm pretty sure he promised to take her out to the ballet or something else like that.

Samhain was playing at the Howard Theater in Washington, D.C. and it's a place that neither of us have ever been to. We were skeptical about the venue since it's not exactly known for hosting punk shows. But it turned out to be a pretty cool joint. Unfortunately, we arrived late because Adult Crash had to at least help the kids get dressed up before coming out to play with me. No biggie. We arrive in time to see Samhain getting set up. Perfect!

We were shocked (note sarcasm) that there were signs everywhere saying that pictures and videos were prohibited. I tried to sneak a couple of pictures anyway for our little blog here, but I was only able to get one good one. Damn light show was fucking going crazy. We definitely saw a couple of people get escorted out for taking pictures / video. Lame...

Anyway, they sounded GREAT! We were definitely loving every minute of this show. They belted out songs from every album. The only bad thing is that the place was so packed that it was hot as fuck in there. I felt like I was watching them perform in Hell. (Pretty sure that would be Danzig's wet dream.) In any case, they got a good response from the crowd and people were singing along all over the place. Overall, kick ass performance. After they were done they treated us with an encore song. I was hoping for a couple more, but no such luck.

People Watching

I know it was Halloween night, but why in the wide world of sports would anybody wear a costume while in the pit? Again, it was hot as fuck in that place. I practically had Bat Wings and I was standing in the back by the bar. Thankfully, the $8 beers ($8 for 12 ounces? Is this FedEx Field?!) I was ordering helped cool me off. And lighten my wallet...

We saw something else that was interesting. A group of about 3 or 4 guys shouting at the band in between songs. They were basically telling the band (as if they could hear them from that far) that they sucked. That Danzig was a douchebag and that he was a sellout. If you really feel that way about the band, why did you pay $40 plus to go to the show? It reminded me of those dumb ass straight edge kids that turned their backs on Youth Of Today at their reunion show in Florida. Let me get this straight...You PAID $40 to talk shit? What sense does that make? Whatever...

After the show ended we mosey on out to the car and I realized that I needed to take a leak. All those expensive ass beers came pounding on the door to be let out. I proceed to drain it in between a couple of cars. Unfortunately, 3 girls were walking up the street across from me and saw me doing my thing. Adult Crash thought it was a good time to embarass me by asking them "how big is it?" One of them put up her index finger and thumb to imply that it was only an inch. I immediately defend myself by saying...You can't even see it from over there! Bad move...They, along with what seemed like the entire neighborhood, erupted in laughter. I hate you Crash...

D.C.S.

Random thoughts

"Old man Adult Crash" here and I want to talk about a couple of things. First off, it was National Edge Day this past weekend and I spent some quality time with my wife and kids at the local pumpkin patch being clean and sober, while Malvo spent his time at some local bars partying like it's 1999. Last I checked, he and his liver are not on speaking terms...

Anyway, a bunch of bands were playing an Edge Day event up in Massachussets and it looked like a good show. Caught In A Crowd, Clear and World War 4 are popular bands we listen to. Not too familiar with the other bands, but I know of them. The flyer you see above is what I would expect for an Edge Day show. But I have to ask...Are Nike's still a big thing in hardcore fashion these days? The varsity jacket is a bit dated too, but I guess if the Air Jordan's are considered "cool" then the jacket must still be cool too. Kinda corny if you ask me. But it's good to see the kids keeping hardcore alive.

The other day, Malvo asked me what hardcore song touched me lyrically in my youth? In typical Malvo fashion, he made sure to add that Morrissey lyrics don't count. Such a narrow mind... Anyway, for me, it was "No More" by Youth of Today. I didn't become vegetarian from that song, but it reinforced things for me and made me take vegetarianism more seriously.

Malvo says that it was "kickback" by Breakdown. He is your stereotypical, angry hardcore kid. "Sorry, been kicked around for too long. Being fucked over just made me strong." That is his favorite lyric in all of hardcore, amongst so many other angry and depressing lyrics. I'm the total opposite of that. I like the posi-stuff, but it's another example of how different we are.

Speaking of how different we are, I like Morrissey. He doesn't. I told him to check out "You are the quarry" and he, to his credit, gave it a chance and didn't care too much for it. Now, he rags on me for liking Morrissey all the time, meanwhile, he likes Katy Perry! That's right, mister "I love negative hardcore" has a soft spot for Katy Perry! Keep that in mind the next time he creates a meme or just wants to talk shit about yours truly.

D.C.S.

Let's take a look at what came in the mail...

Slimer writes:

"Hey, do you guys rock it to Parquet Courts? They're a band from Brooklyn and they definitely have a punk element. They got a song I fuck with called Stoned and Starved."



First of all, is this a joke? Homeboy's name is "Slimer"... Anyway, we've never heard of this band, but we're going to give this guy the benefit of the doubt and take this seriously.

Hmm I fail to hear the "punk element" in this song. It's a catchy rock song, but it's hardly punk to me. Maybe they have other songs that are punk, but this one ain't it. I've listened to a few more songs and they all sound like something I might hear on 120 Minutes, back in the day. MAYBE...

Adult Crash: It's aight. I'd probably reach for 50 different bands before this one, though. It has a retro vibe to it. I could picture it being late 70's NYC stuff. No offense Slimer, but 99% of this blog is about hardcore punk related stuff. This doesn't fall into that category.

D.C.S.

Public Suicide (DC) review

It's Friday and it's a slow day in the office. I should probably be working on my TPS reports, but that can wait till Monday. In the meantime, I'm killing time on social media. And lo and behold I come across another new band from right here in D.C.

That band is Public Suicide and I have to say that I'm impressed. The name of the band grabbed my attention right away along with the artwork. Musically, the band has a power violence sound and the singer kind of sounds like Jon Westbrook of Knife Fight. Even a little grind core-ish vocally. All are redeeming qualities if you ask me.

They have a 5-song demo along with this 6-song S/T / soon to be 7" coming from Caught Up Records. They have some downloads available on Bandcamp for you to enjoy. But don't get them confused with another band from Cali with the same name. That band is not bad either from what I've heard so far. But that is for another day...

D.C.S.

Stage diving debate

Is it ok to stagedive?

So, Noisey has an interesting article about stage diving that caught my attention. It's in regards to some god awful band from California called Joyce Manor. (I checked out some of their songs on iTunes and I will never get that time back.) Apparently, they stopped their show to address some rowdy guys that were stage diving and possibly causing harm to other fans during their set.

Now, I for one don't see the big deal with this move by the band. If there are guys being total dicks and possibly causing harm to others at a show, someone should say something. Having said that, I love seeing stage diving at shows. I don't participate in it anymore, but I love seeing it. I don't do it because I don't want to be mid-air and see the crowd part like the Red Sea. I also don't want to be on the receiving end of it either. Nothing worse than seeing a fat kid dive off and land on top of you. Reminds me of a song by Richmond's on Wheelbite called "Fat Kid Stage Dive".

Let's see what old man Adult Crash has to say about this topic:

The older I get, the less I understand stage diving. I was definitely a stage diver in my youth. I dove with the best of them to all my favorites. Youth of Today is playing tonight? I had my Air Jordan III's laced up and ready to go. Agnostic Front opens up with "Victim In Pain"? My legs are on autopilot and running up to the stage. Floorpunch just announced "Clear" as their last song of the night? I was doing multiple dives during the whole song.

I did all of this until my mid 20's. Then a couple of years after I graduated from college, I sprained my ankle badly while diving. The $300 trip to the emergency room (I had no insurance from 18-30. This was in 1998) smartened me up really quick.

It's fine for people to dive if you see it coming. However, I never felt much sympathy for the guy who landed on people out of nowhere, and then promptly got his ass handed to him by someone really angry about it.

Not to sound all Fugazi, but stage divers, for the most part, are kind of assholes. It's not like they're the only ones that can get hurt. They're taking liberties with everyone else's health as well.

-Adult Crash

Well now...Who wants to bet that he came up with this from his rocking chair? This is how I picture it.

D.C.S.

Salad Days Trailer

Great horny toads! The Salad Days trailer has been released with the announcement that Soul Side is playing with Moss Icon and a third band that has yet to be announced. Been looking forward to this show for quite some time. (And by quite some time, I mean the last couple of weeks since I finally started to appreciate Soul Side.) Looks like it will be at the Black Cat in December and you can bet the farm that I'm dragging Adult Crash with me to see them play. Peep the trailer.

Salad Days Trailer

D.C.S.

Love getting surprises like this

Malvo has put yours truly on blast recently with talk about my lack of commitment to this blog of ours. First of all, I'm not the one geeking out like a 14 year old over a video game. (That game is Destiny by the way.) I get some righteous jams to listen to and this slacker is playing video games. He is a total man-child. I should get in touch with his boss and let him know what he does when he works from home...

So let me tell you about the gift that just showed up in my email. A compilation that apparently is not available in the States yet, but features a couple of bands that we have talked about on here. The comp is called "Stomp-I-Lation" and has 7 songs from Boston Strangler, 9 songs from Waste Management and 9 songs from Peacebreakers.

First off, I don't know if this download is just a bad quality or if the recording is just not great. But as good as these songs are by Boston Strangler, the sound of it leaves something to be desired. Sounds all muddy. But these songs are fucking sweet! This should be their next 7" if it isn't already.They kick off the comp with "Dead Weight" and it sets an awesome tone for the rest of their songs. Fucking love this band.

Next up is Waste Management and the recording sounds a lot better. Which makes me wonder about the Boston Strangler part of this comp... Anyway, these songs by Waste Management are pretty killer. I personally like the hockey reference in "Hurts Tu(Kka R)Ask / Power Abuse". It starts with the beginning of "Hurts To Ask" by Chain Of Strength, but immediately goes into Power Abuse. I'm a big fan of the power violence style and this band knows how to do it well.

Third and final band on this comp is Peacebreakers and I've never heard of them. I'd ask Malvo if he knows anything about them, but the last time I talked to him, he was going on and on about a Deadpool movie being made. Fucking nerd!

Peacebreakers are rad! I don't know if they're from Boston like the other two bands on this comp, but they sure sound like it. The weird thing about their contribution to this comp is that they only have two studio recordings and the rest of the songs are live. I can tell you this much, they sound good live. If anybody has any info on these guys, please send them our way.

All in all, this comp is pretty crucial. Thanks to my boy for hooking me up with this. Great way to kick start my Friday. According to my friend, it's only available to our European friends at the moment. I assume on vinyl. Hopefully this gets a vinyl release in the States sometime soon.

D.C.S.

Second chance listen: Soul Side

It's been a while since our last entry, but we can assure you that we're not being lazy. Well, maybe Adult Crash is being lazy. I mean, who puts his career, family and responsibilities over doing this blog? He does! Selfish bastard...

Anyway, I saw an ad from Dishord promoting a re-issue of Soul Side's album Trigger and Bass/103. Now, neither one of us was into them during their hay day, but I'm gonna give it another chance. Notice I said, "I" would give it another chance. Adult Crash is blaming his work and family schedule on not participating in this entry. Pssh slacker.

First couple of songs are pretty catchy and I'm really digging Bobby Sullivan's vocals. But the song that grabs me right away is "Name In Mind". This song kicks ass! I've now listened to this song like 10 times in a row. It's a little moody with some attitude in the vocals and the music just rocks. Holy crap, how did I not appreciate this years ago?





I've now turned off "Repeat Song" and continuing with the rest of the album and "Problems Faced When Traveling" is just as good! I'm beginning to see why people are getting excited about a possible reunion show for them this year. If that in fact happens, I can assure you that I will be there.

I've now listened to this entire release and I love it! I have their 7" somewhere and I know I probably listened to it like once or twice and never bothered with it again. Gonna have to find that bad boy and make sure I didn't use it as a coaster or something equally stupid.

D.C.S.