Tuesday, March 12, 2024

HEX 25th ANNIVERSARY SINGLE SERIES- MARCH- NAW COVERING BAD BRAINS!

 


In an attempt to get out of my own comfort zone of bands I already work with, or friends I’ve known for a long period of time, I thought of Atlanta’s NAW for this next cover.  I don’t really know any of them at all. 

The only thing I really knew about about them ahead of time was that I liked their name a lot.  Is it a Southern drawl of saying ‘no’, or is it a phonetic spelling of being chewed up and torn apart?  Could it be both?  Whatever it is it’s clever and I like that.  They have a great way of mixing metallic grungy heaviness with a punk leaning and vocals that alternate seamlessly from almost harrowed clean singing to one of the most evil screams you’re bound to hear.

So when I was drawing up a list of bands and songs I wanted to see covered I knew Bad Brains had to be on that list.  They basically invented hardcore.  And I thought to myself, ‘who, out of current bands that I know and appreciate, can do what they did?  Who has the technical skill to pull it off?  Who has a voice that can emulate HR’s manic howl and anthemic croon all at once?  How low can a punk get?’  And I thought ‘Naw has those qualities and I believe they take an amalgamation of subgenres and mash them into something exciting…. the same way Bad Brains can.’  Naw chose to cover “I Against I” and they stay true to the original’s quick-paced first half but then transform the second half of the song into a freaky mutant sludge befitting a band that has an original streak of their own going on with their own music.  I’d expect no less.  Thank you Naw for contributing “I Against I” to this series.  So yes to Naw.


LISTEN HERE

Monday, March 11, 2024

HEX RECORDS 25th ANNIVERSARY SHOWS!

 



We've done enough hint-dropping, date-reminding, and jibber-jabbing, so it's about time to drop the actual lineup for the Hex Records 25th anniversary shows! It will be held on Friday, May 3rd and Saturday May 4th. Both shows are happening at The Fixin To in Portland. You can get tickets in the link listed.
We're happy to have Gaytheist , Great Falls , The Helm , a couple pals from the East- Brain Cave and Wipes , as well as alumni from Kinghorn , and a some bands we just like- Coffin Apartment and Yellfire ! So maybe see ya in May?


Monday, February 19, 2024

REVIEWS ARE FOR LOVERS

 What's up with February?  All of a sudden literally everything starts happening.  Like, 50,000 records just came out or were announced, and I've bought tickets to like 20 different shows all of a sudden and now I'm checking my calendar for what's happening in like October?  How the heck am I supposed to know that?  I have to check my work calendar probably three times a day just to remember what I'm supposed to be doing that day.  Cut me some slack.  Any way, here's a bunch of cool stuff that caught my interest this last month.

This month I want to lead off with a few bands that I clearly have a conflict of interest in discussing so I’m going to be biased.  But then again, I’m generally talking about stuff that I like anyway, so believe it or not the payolas are not being raked in over here.

First off, the homies in Brain Cave have just released their second full length, "Foot Off the Gas".  I’ve been championing these Cleveland fellas for a few years now and even went on to release a split for them.  They’re a prolific lot, releasing numerous EPs and singles over the years so it’s good to see another full length from them.  This time around they opt for a heavier, chunkier, noisier production and the songs err on a bit of the slower side as opposed to a couple of the 7”s they did recently with the exceptions being the fast opener “Neologism” and mid-point “Displaced”.  They give a try with clean vocals and an almost slacker vibe on “Death Weapons”, which is a change for them.  But for the most part you’re getting what you are accustomed to with this band- gruff vocals and driving, chunky post-hardcore that gives equal love to noise rock as it does melodic heavy punk.

Next is Cower.  Gareth from USA Nails lends his talents to this project, though if I understand it correctly Wayne Adams is the main player here.  Wayne is a well known studio engineer in the UK and has recorded all the USA Nails material, as well as a million other bands and plays in a myriad of other projects (maybe most notably Petbrick).  But Cower isn’t some post-punk/noise rock thing, nor is it some technical death metal band despite the cover art here likely leading one to assume such.  Cower is goth-y industrial music that does find itself dipping it’s toes into post-punk occasionally.  I was really surprised how much their last LP “Boys” stuck with me, as I don’t typically get into this sort of music. But it’s engaging, strangely catchy, and brooding.  “Celestial Devastation” follows a similar course.

OK, so I can’t get through this without giving a heavy nod to the Texans in Porcelain.  Steve has been a trusted pal for several years now and post-Exhalants (yeah, I did a record for them, you see a trend developing here?) he really wanted to go all-in on Unwound worship, and how can you blame the guy?  They’re one of the best to do it.  So along with members of Superthief (who were also pretty stellar) and more I don’t know about Porcelain came to be.  They’ve been sitting on this full length for a hot minute and now it’s out there for all to absorb into their brains.  Despite wearing influences proudly upon the sleeve I’ve always noticed Steve to have a particular way of playing. riffing, and laying out songs and I’ve always found it to be engaging and exciting.  Even though Exhalants often pushed heaviness to the apex you could hear those strange melodies and that exists in Porcelain as well, just minus the overwhelming blast of volume and distortion.  So whether they’re ripping through the quick and abrasive assault in “Vanity” or the huge, gargantuan chorus in “Plastic” Porcelain has offered a solid debut of a record.

Next, Chimes Of Bayonets arrive with their first full length after a couple of 7”s.  The trio have been playing together, some in other bands with each other, for many years and that familiar playing style is represented in full here with a sort of rough and tumble math rock that if you’re old and obscure like me you’ll hear hints of stuff as wide-ranging (yet very cool) as Forstella Ford, Atombombpocketknife, and Kerosene 454.  Oh yeah, and it also comes in this fancy package with a screened clear slipcase thing so it looks extra cool.

OK, so here’s a few things new on my radar and not just bands/musicians I’m already familiar with dropping some stuff that’s spinning my wheels.  First off, Suntouch House went and dropped a new EP out of nowhere so that came as a surprise to me.  Their debut EP last year kicked my ass and why wouldn’t it?  Colonial Wound dudes doing another one of their 5,000 other bands and it all rules.  This time around Suntouch House feels a little more reigned in in a way that sounds like they’re a bit more comfortable with who they are.  It just sounds a bit tighter and this whole thing comes off like an unreleased Deadguy record with a more grooving rhythm section.

Going down some kind of noise rock wormhole I came across the Toronto-based Sundowner and their debut EP “Asbestos Tiles”.  Let me tell ya, it’s pretty wild.  There’s a lot of spit and vitriol going on with these furious punk/noisy jams but they got the good sense to introduce some shimmering leads here and there, like on the almost space-y “Petty Tyrant” and a reprieve of rhythmically chunky and melodic hardcore on “Glazed Eyes”.  I see a lot of promise of what lay ahead for this new band.  Cool stuff.

Edging may have released this record back in the late Summer but it’s just getting to my ears and holy shit, this is some great hot-shit badass punk.  I’m going to make this as simple as I can for you:  when you play ripping punk rock and you add a saxophone to it your band automatically becomes 100 times better.  So congratulations to Edging for discovering that secret recipe, and writing short songs that fall somewhere between the blown-out freak rock of Big Clown and wiry ensemble punk of Mallwalkers.  Bonus points for naming your record “Good Sex Music”.

So, Baratro is a band that Dave Curren, most known for his long time two-ton bass duties in Unsane, started after moving to Italy and joined up with a couple other pisans to continue sonically crushing skulls.  In all honesty, I thought maybe this was just a project because they did one great EP a few years back and then silence.  It’s like there was a pandemic or something that got in the way of being an active band.  So anyways, I wasn’t expecting them to return.  But it’s 2024 and here we are and there’s a Baratro full length.  So not to bring up old shit, but you listen to this and it becomes very clear just how significant Curran’s songwriting was to his time in Unsane.  You hear it all over this.  Not only does the man have one of the heaviest bass tones in all of recorded music history but his dense and ham-fisted riffs are unquestionably the sort of thing to give you a migraine, or make you, as the opening song title implies, “Fight the Parking Meter”.  This is a very easy sort of record for me to get into as it totally speaks my language and if you like aggressive music that will blow your wig off with it’s sheer heaviness than pal, Baratros got you covered.

Finally, J Robbins makes his return with a new solo record after some sporadic singles over the last couple years.  And by ‘solo’ I mean he wrote all these songs, but has some exceptionally wonderful people along to play on  the record with him, including his Report Suspicious Activity and Channels bandmate (and one one of my all-time favorite drummers) Darren Zentek.  J Robbins is up there in that same general age range of people like Ted Leo, Walter Schriffels, and John Reiss whom I all consider to be some of the great American songwriters to emerge from the punk scene of the late 80s and early 90s who are still writing, recording, and playing out incredible music.  J is certainly in that group.  He has a sense of melody like no other and his intricate playing, particular cadence with his vocals, and sense of songcraft (not to mention a wildly talented recording engineer) is completely unique to him.  He’s said in a recent interview that on this record he’s made an attempt to be less obtuse in his lyrics and more straightforward about what’s he conveying, though I’ve always thought he’s had a great way with lyrics and wordplay, and that remains here as well.  Most poignant is how open he is in using songs on “Basilisk” as a means for getting through, and celebrating, the life of his son who sadly passed away a couple years ago after life-long medical complications.  That’s a tough thing to do.  The effort, as a whole, is a great listen.  If you’ve somehow lived under a rock for the last 30 years and don’t know who J Robbins is think maybe stuff like Bob Mould, the aforementioned Ted Leo, or literately any of J’s older bands like Jawbox or Burning Airlines.

Monday, February 12, 2024

MONTHLY COVER SERIES #2: HEADLESS HORSE!




Headless Horse is the project band I was invited to be a part of with Rob Antonucci from Achilles (and like a million other bands) that was started during pandemic stuff.  We had talked about doing a band together for literally 20 years and it finally took shape when we recorded an EP of songs a couple years back.  

I knew that with this covers project I wanted to contribute myself in some way besides just organizing it.  And with that I decided a good band for Headless Horse to tackle would be Sick Of It All.  I realize most of the people who enjoy things I put out look for left-of-center, weird and abrasive, noisy, sludgy, what-have-you.  And I love all of that.  But a big part of my musical DNA is hardcore.  Like, hardcore-for-the-hardcore hardcore.  It’s what I came up in, despite always having a foot in other types of aggressive, or underground music.  There’s a whole boatload of bands from the hardcore scene I have taken a lot of influence from, and I decided Sick Of It All would be a worthy inclusion because they are always there.  They have been a consistent force in music for over three decades.  They’re still one of the best live bands you could go see and have more energy expressed in one song than most bands have in their entire discography.  And still nobody cries while the innocent die and the guilty go free.


Go on and check out "World Full Of Hate" at the link below: 

https://hexrecords.bandcamp.com/track/headless-horse-world-full-of-hate




Sunday, January 28, 2024

NEW REVIEWS

I’m trying a little something different here so bear with me, we’ll see how this shakes out.

Rather than a rote item-by-item roll out of releases I thought I’d frame this as more of a train of thought sort of exercise in stuff I’ve been listening to lately, which is still mostly new.  Mostly.

It’s a new year and I’ve been running reviews in the same way for like a million years.  I even considered stopping doing this altogether, but the thing is, I enjoy writing about stuff I like and sparking discussions about those things.  So that all being said, why not discuss some new (mostly) music?


First off, a band that I had an eye on for the last couple years teased something new in the fall last year and then I kind of forgot about it.  But right as the calendar turned over an entire LP from the St.Louis-based Blight Future popped up and it was a welcome surprise.  I really thought they were a band that kind of called it during pandemic times, but they merely hibernated.  They don’t seem to be a super active band by any means, but I thought they had a cool approach to tried and true hardcore by injecting some very awesome sludgy riffs, interesting transitions, alternating vocals between guitarists Stephen and Emily, and parts that lean into thrash amongst a hefty dose of modern hardcore punk.  It’s quite the stew, but it’s effective.  “Succession Species” is their second self-released full length.


Another surprise I received was a record I actually ordered a couple months ago, I just received it faster than anticipated.  In the past I’ve been hesitant to review reissues because it’s taking space away from new bands.  However, I’ll make exceptions every now and again because this is a reissue of the Angel Hair discography and it’s one of the most looked over, yet batshit insane, hardcore punk records ever.  Angel Hair existed only for a couple years between the early-mid-90s yet their mark is undeniable.  While the band hailed from Colorado they were lumped right into the Gravity Records / San Diego scene of the first wave of what would eventually be known as ‘screamo’.  Their music was a chaotic swirl of guitars being thrown down the stairs, wild drumming and the very distinctive scream and wordplay of vocalist Sonny Kay.  These dudes all went on to a million other bands (notably The VSS, Year Future, Pleasure Forever, Ssold, Rabbits, and more) but this is where they started.  Back in the late 90’s their discography was originally issued as a CD titled “Pregnant With the Senior Class”.  This is the same material- their sole LP, a couple splits, and 7”- all on LP and it’s finally been remixed/remastered so it sounds fucking awesome.  All the original material sounded cool in this otherworldly basement-recorded shitty sort of way that still made the band sound exciting.  This new mix emphasizes all the rad stuff you couldn’t pick up on in the original recordings, as well as some drum and bass treatments that sound crushing.  The record has a new layout that is pretty wild to look at (save for an awful new logo…. seriously, the original one was sooooo much better) and re-titled as “Insect Immortality”.  Seriously, grab this for a lesson on how to play completely spastic and off-the-wall hardcore punk.


Sticking with old stuff, but in a different way, Black Donut Records comes at us again with another covers comp (they did a Melvins one not too far back) and this time it’s all 80’s New Wave covers.  I’ll be honest, I don’t know most of these songs even though I grew up in this era.  So in a way, some of these sound new to me.  The first half of the record is stacked with some really excellent bands such as Science Man, Wipes, Naw, and Basement Family all doing different styles of awesome heavy music/punk/noise rock/whatever.  Actually, there’s just one dud on here because I’m not sure a glam/metalcore-sounding cover of The Eurythmics is at all appealing to me.  But then things wrap up with Seattle’s grungy chonk rockers Glose dirty-ing up “Everybody Wants To Rule the World”, arguably one of the prettiest songs ever written.


OK, ready to get back to new stuff?  Here’s the quick and dirty:  Dry Socket from here in Portland has been completely ripping faces for several years now and their official first full length- appropriately titled "Sorry For Your Loss" given some of the record's subject matter and a sentiment that has seemed to lose most of it's meaning over the last couple years out of sheer exhaustion- just came out.  This thing was written and recorded like 2 or 3 years ago and it’s just now coming out.  Chalk it up to being one of the final (hopefully) lags in the horrible vinyl production bullshit of 2022-ish.  Either way, the fast hardcore crew has introduced a little more variety into their exceptionally speedy tracks by, wait for it, playing fast AND slow.  Yeah, it’s a minor detail.  Even though the whole record is done and over with in probably under 20 minutes it’s not just one quick punch after another.  What I’ve always admired about them is their ability to tap into a raw emotion and parts that genuinely sound pissed off and desperate.  It’s not just playing to a crowd, it’s exorcising personal demons.


On the other coast, featuring other long time pals, Into the Light is a new project of dudes who have spent time in Achilles, How We Are, No Idols, and a million other things playing exactly what someone between the ages of 38-45 believes is post-hardcore.  It’s exactly that.  Which means you get an entire EP of big, spacey riffs, tons of melodies, rock-solid heavy-ass rhythm, and mostly kind of spoken/sung vocals.    You can hear some of the more shoegaze elements of Deftones, the kind of chunky rhythms Quicksand built a foundation of this kind of music on, even a bit of the upbeat sunshine of groups like Sensefield.  I love this stuff, it’s incredibly catchy and well-written and a lot of fun to listen to.


Lastly, a couple blasts of noise rock from two different sides of the coin- both Philly’s sludge grumpsters Eye Flys and Kalamazoo artsy/aggressive duo Bronson Arm both dropped new self-titled LPs this month.  While Eye Flys throw down the most burled of burly in a very direct ‘yeah, we’ve friggin’ heavy’ sort of way Bronson Arm really throw the listener for a loop with an exciting take on what you can do with just guitar and drums by running various effects and left-of-center angularity, but still with dextrous muscle behind their somewhat more manic approach.  It’s cool.  Eye Flys are cool too for those seeking immediate gratification through ham-fisted riffs and fans of their previous material will be completely satisfied I’m sure.

Thursday, January 25, 2024

TOURS!!!!


 Hot shit on a cracker, it's a new year and already there's all these bands and whatnot planning on getting on the road and imploring you to see them in your weird little town, followed by the all-too-familiar response of 'come play Istanbul/Forks/Shrevesport/Ulaan Bataar/Phoenix/whatever'.

Well, they try their best to make it everywhere.  Here's what you get from the bands we work with/have worked with (as well as a couple more hints as to the lineup of the 25th anniversary show(s)):

BRAIN CAVE

2/16/24- Cleveland, OH-  Record release show at Little Rose

2/29/24- Kalamazoo, MI - The Runoff

3/1/24- Chicago, IL - Burlington

3/2/24- Toledo, OH - Ottawa Tavern 

3/3/24- Columbus, OH - Dirty Dungarees


GREAT FALLS

 w/ Botch

March 08 – Prague, CZ – Meet Factory

March 09 – Vienna, AT – Arena

March 10 – Chemnitz, DE – AJZ

March 12 – Berlin, DE – Festsaal Kreuzberg

March 13 – Copenhagen, DK – Vega

March 14 – Hamburg, DE – Uebel & Gefährlich

March 15 – Brussels, BE – Botanique

March 17 – Wiesbaden, DE – Schlachthof

March 18 – Esch-Sur-Alzette, LUX – Rockhal

March 19 – Paris, FR – Elysee Montmartre

March 21 – Bristol, UK – Marble Factory

March 22 – Manchester, UK – New Century Hall

March 23 – London, UK – Electric Ballroom

June 15th- Seattle, WA @ Showbox (w/ Helms Alee too)


w/ Wake

3/29/24- Seattle, WA @ Funhouse

3/30/24- Vancouver, BC @ Rickshaw

3/31/24- Victoria, BC @ Victoria Events Center


5/3-5/4/24- Portland @ The Fixin To (Hex Records 25th anniversary blowout)


DAY JOB

March 5 - Nashville, TN 

March 6 - Birmingham, AL

March 7 - New Orleans, LA 

March 8 - Memphis, TN 

March 9 - St Louis, MO 

March 10 - Chicago, IL 

March 11 Louisville, KY 

March 12 - Pittsburgh, PA 

March 13 - Philly, PA (w/ Wipes)

March 14 - Washington, DC 

March 15 - Richmond, VA 

March 16 - Asheville, NC 

March 17 - Atlanta, GA


WIPES

3/13/24- Philly, PA (w/ Day Job)

5/2/24- 5/5/24- Northwest US tour


GAYTHEIST

5/3-5/4/24- Portland @ Fixin To (Hex Records 25th anniversary blowout)


MUMS

2/24/24- Manchester, UK @ Paper Hat (w/ USA Nails and Blacklisters)

3/9/24- Sheffield, UK

5/17/24- Preston, UK (w/ USA Nails)

6/7/24- Liverpool, UK  (w/ USA Nails)


CHILD BITE

2/9/24- Ferndale, MI @ Curses

2/10/24- Cleveland, OH @ No Class

2/11/24- Louisville, KY @ Portal

2/12/24- St. Louis, MO @ Sinkhole

2/13/24- Kansas City, MO @ Minibar

2/14/24- Lincoln, NE @ Pinnacle Back Arena *

2/15/24- Fargo, ND @ Aquarium

2/16/24- Winnipeg, MB @ Canada Life Centre *

2/17/24- St. Paul, MN @ White Rock Lounge

2/18/24- Green Bay, WI @ Resch Center *

2/19/24- Chicago, IL @ Live Wire Lounge

2/20/24- Grand Rapids, MI @ Van Andel Arena *

2/22/24- NYC @ Madison Square Garden *


*- w/ Pantera, Lamb Of God...  no kidding

Saturday, January 13, 2024

MONTHLY COVER SERIES KICKS OFF WITH ALPHA HOPPER!




It’s the first of the monthly Hex Records 25th anniversary series of covers, and to kick things off we got Alpha Hopper covering “N-Sub Ulysses” by the legendary Nation Of Ulysses! In asking Alpha Hopper if they would consider covering the crazy DC band I thought of them because both bands exhibit(ed) wild energy on stage and in my own history living in Buffalo for a bit the town had a storied legacy of heavy and straight ahead hardcore (which is all well and good), but Alpha Hopper are certainly an outlier of weirdness, same as I think of Ulysses to the DC scene.

You can check out the cover here: