CRUCIAL RESPONSE close to releasing V/A - Starting From Zero + Voice Of A Generation no. 4 out soon

CRUCIAL RESPONSE RECORDS sure ain't the most prolific label out there but their dedication and the quality of everything they do is much more appreciated than some hype label releasing a shitload of average records. CRR put out its first release in 1989, has been going with no break ever since and is still run by the same guy. Gotta acknowledge that and pay respect where it's due.

Their current project, the 'Starting from zero' compilation LP, is in the works for quite a while now which isn't surprising at all. I released the VA-HCBBRD LP on my old label SBR and therefore know only too well how much work it is. The last update on the CRR website is from September last year but a few days ago they announced via their twitter channel that they are about to wrap it up soon! With all the awesome bands being featured I shouldn't be the only one who's highly anticipating this release.

Check out the madness:

Echoes (NL), Salad Days (GER), Seein' Red (NL), Sniffing Glue (GER), Evolve (NOR), Right Idea (USA), Commitment Crew (SWE), Injustice System (USA), Dogends (USA), Refrain (AUS), Night Prowler (USA), Times Together (UK), Burial (GER), Zero Progess (USA), Reproach (BE), The Gash (GER), Vitamin X (NL), Sex Drive (NL), Eye-Gouge (AUS), Crucial Section (JP), Violent Reaction (UK), Appraise (Spain), Isolation (GER), Sectarian Violence (INT)

Crucial Pete is also involved with the VOICE OF A GENERATION FANZINE which they started working on in September of last year. This project also seems to see the light of day rather sooner than later:

The wait is over: we are preparing for a new issue of VOICE OF A GENERATION. Number 4 will contain an interview with BLOOD RED from Netherlands who were around in 2004 plus the columns and reviews you'd expect. Blood Red's amazing old five song demo which was recorded at Midas Studios will be added on 7" for this issue. Furthermore we've got some great photos for the next issue: LÄRM, COMMITMENT CREW, DEAD KENNEDYS, HÜSKER DÜ, DAG NASTY, SCREAM, VOID, ARTIFICIAL PEACE, FAITH, SOA...

And it will feature a repress of an INSTED interview from when they were touring europe. No idea though what tour they're relating to.

ROUGH KIDS - the state I'm in LP available

Anyone else stoked on the 2 7"es and 1 split 7" the ROUGH KIDS released so far? I think they're great. Not the best or most original I've ever heard but definitely an enjoyable spin then and again. Yes, there's room for them to improve but that only makes every new release the more interesting. Of course Recordlabels tend to be a little over-enthusiastic when promoting their roster but the below description from SORRY STATE sure has me on the look out for that record to pop up in a local store or distro. Unfortunately international postage (especially with the announced raise) is killing this one for me but I'm sure I will be able to pick it up sooner or later

Building on the sound of their previous two singles, LA's Rough Kids polish things up for their debut full-length on Sorry State. Benefitting from a bigger, more ambitious sound (including a punchy mastering job by Dave Rahn from the Carbonas), Rough Kids trade in classic punk hooks delivered with an intensity that will snare even the toughest hardcore kids. Lovers of '77 punk will flip for the sick Johnny Thunders licks, fans of modern bands like No Hope for the Kids and the Observers will love the big, dark vocal hooks, and the hardcore kids will bang their fist the entire time. A truly outstanding collection of songs.

The mailorder-only version is limited to 100 copies and features orange vinyl and a hand-screened obi strip.

From what I heard the ltd. version is going fast if it ain't already all gone by now.

If you're not familiar with the band at all or wanna give it a listen first although you are.

Here you can stream the whole thing:

Flag or BLACK FLAG or WTF

After two Cro-Mags' there are now also two Black Flag's. And not a quarrel in sight ;)

Well one is actually just called Flag but still what the fuck??? Chuck Dukovski is playing in both but Greg Ginn, the only consistent member of the band who started the band and was there until the end, isn't?!?!? At least the version including Greg is the one with the full name. Everything else would have been even more ridiculous.

With all the re-union craze and apart from this being a one in two re-union I shouldn't be complaining about this one and I wouldn't if they would play some decent club shows but so far all I know of are two appearances at big ass festivals. Are the pioniers of hardcore-punk back to cash in? Well, nothing wrong with earning some money but PLEASE play some small clubs to show your heart's still in it. I've never been a fan of huge stages and especially with Black Flag it won't work for me. I hate the atmosphere and the crowd at those festivals. Fucking Party People. I see enough of those dimwits in the streets every day. No need to go see them gathering in large numbers in my spare time. I want to see Black Flag at a small club with sweat running down the walls, kids singing along, piled up on top of each other and slamming, moshing, strutting and what have you. Not with some idiots who clap their hands and bang their heads. Of course, the GB footage from last years Groezrock was a little different from that but I'm not one for All-inclusive holiday trips and those festivals sure have that same vibe going on and I can't stand that shit. It's not a place where like-minded people get together but a consumerist entertainment for the masses. It's not about supporting each other and doing things yourself but selling and watching. Call me crazy but I always thought that's one thing punk & hardcore was/ is opposed to.

I'm well aware that if a festival gets to a certain size it's unavoidable for it to become like that and I'm not saying you shouldn't go there. All I'm saying is that they don't appeal to me for the above stated reasons and that I want to see Black Flag (or Flag) the way I feel is most suitable for them. In a Punk Club!!!!!

Only playing big festivals is ridiculous!!!

Keith, you're playing Clubshows with OFF! Why not with Flag? Do it!!!

Greg, you have that new band going. So it seems your heart's still in the right place. Do a Clubtour with Black Flag!!!

NIGHT BIRDS recording material for an LP and a 7"

NIGHT BIRDS. What a great band. I like them so much that I had a crazy trip planned out to catch them at the 2011 edition of the R'R Fest in Venlo, Netherlands. They were the only band I really wanted to see that day and from what the rumors had they were to play (if I remember correctly) around 7pm. Also on that day there was another show I wanted to go to. ABFUKK were scheduled to play in Duisburg, Germany around 9pm and since I hadn't seen the folks in quite a while already I did the math and decided that it was no problem to catch two awesome bands in two different cities on one and the same day. So I talked two of my friends into joining me and we went to Venlo early because neither of us had tickets. We arrived like half an hour after the doors opened but had to realize that it was too late already. The show was sold out. Fuck! What to do? Luckily a friend of mine had a spare ticket and some of his buddies were likely to have two more. Great. I bought the ticket and... Of course the other guys already got rid of their surplus before we could get a hold of them. Bummer! But we kept trying. To no avail. Three guys one ticket. Again the question what to do. The others convinced me to take it which I didn't really feel all that well with but admittedly didn't really put up too much of a fight. Come the time Night Birds are scheduled to play and I go inside. Already wondering why there's no bandmerch available anywhere. Some dudes put up their gear and I'm thinking: I never saw a picture of the guys but those fellas sure don't look anything like I'd have guessed but probably that's just my narrowminded thinking' And what have you. It wasn't them. We waited as long as possible but eventually had to leave for the other show so my bros could at least get to see one of the bands they took that trip for. To this day I can only speculate what happened. Fact is I didn't see Night Birds live yet. I hope that will change after they put out that new record on GRAVE MISTAKE & TAKEN BY SURPRISE and hopefully come on another euro trip. I need a second chance. I think I deserved that ;)

NIGHT BIRDS "Born to Die in Suburbia" LP

Yup, that's right! FINALLY a new NIGHT BIRDS full length in the works! NIGHT BIRDS have been pretty busy since 2011's THE OTHER SIDE OF DARKNESS hit the streets; playing a ton of shows (including Europe, the West Coast, and even Hawaii!), releasing the Fresh Kills singles compilation on LP, and most importantly managing to write a TON of new material! They will be hitting the studio exactly one week from today and we are looking to have the new LP out late Spring / early Summer of this year. We know that's pretty far away, but the band also has plans to release a single this Spring (on a label TBA) to tide you over until the new full length drops. NIGHT BIRDS also have a midwest tour booked this April/May with TENEMENT and GIVE, so if you are itching to hear some new tracks, be sure to catch 'em if they hit your town! And of course, the one and only TAKEN BY SURPRISE will be handling the European pressing of the new LP.

Sectarian Violence announce Upward Hostility LP & euro tour

SECTARIAN VIOLENCE is not only a bad ass name for a band they also shred everything to bits! I love that 7" they dropped last year and now they have a full length and another euro tour up their sleeves.

Here's the info from their blog:

Sectarian Violence will be releasing an LP titled "Upward Hostility" on Grave Mistake Records in America and Carry The Weight Records in Europe in March 2013. The ten new songs were recorded on warm, two-inch tape by Kevin Bernstein of Developing Nations Studios in Baltimore, MD at the tail end of the band's US tour last summer.

The record will be released just in time for the band's "Upward Hostility European Tour" hitting England, France, Spain and Portugal in March & April. The title track of the LP is available for preview on the Sectarian Violence Bandcamp:

Grave Mistake have this to say about the LP

GRAVE060: SECTARIAN VIOLENCE "Upward Hostility" LP

For a band with members in three different countries, SECTARIAN VIOLENCE seem to stay busier than most bands that live in the same city! After releasing their debut 7" last year, I was stoked to hear that the band was planning on releasing an LP for 2013. You may have gotten a little sneak preview if you picked up their "Conflict of Interest" demo this summer, but we've got ten blistering new tracks that should be out in time for their European tour this March/April! CARRY THE WEIGHT records will be handling a European pressing.

Carry The Weight have this to say:

So the SECTARIAN VIOLENCE 'Upward Hostility' LP is getting closer to release. We can't wait to unleash these 10 tracks of Straight Edge fury. Pre orders will begin in a couple of weeks. The LP will be out for their European tour in March/April.

And while we're on the topic of the always great Grave Mistake Records here's another LP I'm siked for:

GRAVE061: 86 MENTALITY "Goin' Nowhere Fast" LP

I've been talking about this reissue for a WHILE now ... but guess what? The damn thing has been sent off to the pressing plant, so it's officially going to happen! With both of 86 MENTALITY'S "S/T" 7" and "On the Loose" 7" out of print for some time now, we figured the easiest thing to do to keep this material in print would be to press it on one convenient 12"! This release will contain not only the tracks from those two EPs, but all of the extra tracks (demo track, OTL bonus tracks, covers) that appeared on the CD collection from 2005. So while there is no previously unreleased material, we've got a handful of songs seeing vinyl for the first time! We also plan to have some updated layout tweaks and liner notes, and the entire 12" has been remastered by Dan at Mammoth Sound, and sounds better than ever!

Tiny bit of a last chance to buy the Catharsis 4-LP Box

The Catharsis discography LP box set I mentioned earlier completely sold out from the label during the pre-order season. But if I don't misinterpret Robert/Refuse's words there are a couple of those on their way to Crimethinc. So if you've been sleeping you might want to wake up now and get in touch with them. Maybe you'll get lucky. This is your last chance don't fuck it up!

The re-union shows are in the past now but hate5six, as usually, has got us poor schmucks who couldn't make it to any of those covered.

And while you're in the right mood he also was at the Infest and Left For Dead shows if I remember correctly. Sunday's coming up. Enjoy!

Religious hate in 2013.

Yo,

It's been a while again. You'd guess after 6 weeks of touring with quite a bit of time on your hands to get your online stuff sorted you'd come home and for once be able to not amass all that virtual clutter again but finally be able to stay on it. Well, of course that's far from it.

Besides working through the heaps of shit that piled up at home, spending time with loved ones and finally seeing some good hc/punk shows again there was no time to keep up with everything that's going on online.

Now I'm back on the road, the big workload's handled and my virtual reality sorted again so expect some old news to be refreshed. This time around things look a lot better for a little consistency to work it's way into my (digital) life. Let's see how that turns out.

Everyone probably knows already about that guy being fired for wearing that Shirt to work since Tripple B and SWNK already reported on it. But in case you don't here's a copy/paste of my sources. Shit's fucked up! Fuck your religious intolerance!

Tripple B posted this on their Tumblr

balanceandcomposure:

chrisnosleep:

An employee of Rocketown in Nashville was fired today for wearing a #ISupportSameSexMarriaget-shirt from @hostagecalm. Please repost this, spread the word. Never attend a show at Rocketown or play a show there again. Let the place close down.

it’s 2013.

that’s the same place that tells bands they can’t swear on stage. fuckin jagaloons

and SWNK did this post:

A Rocketown employee, who worked at the Nashville venue for 7 years, was fired for wearing a Hostage Calm shirt.

In reply, the band issued the following statement on Facebook:

EQUALITY UNDER ATTACK: A CALL TO ACTION

Today, on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a longtime supporter of Hostage Calm and marriage equality was fired from his job at the Nashville music venue, Rocketown, for wearing his “I Support Same-Sex Marriage” shirt to work. A friend from Nashville contacted me about the situation and told me of Wes Breedwell, this seven-year employee of Rocketown who now finds himself the victim of discrimination. We called this brave man to hear his story, demonstrate our support, and figure out how we can help.

What I heard from him was a long pattern of discrimination against him for not being Christian and for supporting marriage equality. Rocketown is a Christian-owned non-profit community center and venue: not a church. And yet, over the seven years he has worked there, he’s been denied opportunities for advancement and salary based on his non-Christian beliefs. Today, Rocketown fired him for wearing this shirt commemorating equality (along with his non-Christian activity on social media pages). Wes emphasized that employees routinely wear band shirts at Rocketown. So why did this shirt cause such a problem?

It’s important to note that they didn’t fire him for wearing A SHIRT. They fired him because of what that shirt stands for. For what that shirt threatens.

This shirt represents an idea that all people have the right to live their lives without being told who to love and whose love is more valuable. It represents equality under the law. It represents the freedom to choose.

So how could a youth center not support such a vital, foundational understanding of human freedom and equality as part of their social mission? Hostage Calm has played Rocketown multiple times. In my prior visits, I was under the impression that Rocketown was a positive force in this Nashville community: they had a music venue, skatepark, and other outlets for Nashville youth. But a youth center and music venue cannot be a positive force in the community if it degrades and belittles the value of some of our people based on sexual orientation or gender identity. That is the force that tears communities apart, not that enriches them.

I originally planned to make a post today about Dr. King, the status of his Dream, and how we can all work together to realize equality in modern America. This unfortunate event demonstrates that Dr. King’s Dream is still under threat, and that the struggle of the LGBT community for equal standing under the law is a Civil Rights issue of our time.

Hostage Calm promises to do everything in its power to raise awareness and challenge this injustice in Nashville. We will certainly never play Rocketown again. We’ll continue to post more information as Wes and H.C. take further action. For now, you can help by reposting his story to shine a light on this injustice, and by boycotting the venue. Most of all, please send all your support to Wes Breedwell and his fight for justice.

May Love Prevail,

Cmar, Hostage Calm

Pre-order for the new LP Honeys by PISSED JEANS available

I got into the new year alright. Driving home from a job, overseeing the cities firework-lit skyline and having the Tranzmitors damage my ears even more than they already are sure set the right mood for re-uniting with my wife after having been spatially seperated for way too long.

Coming home this picture presented itself to me:

Home sweet home :)

The year in music then started (Tranzmitors do not count. They were transitional;)) with listening to Tom Waits, Alice Cooper, Sons And Daughters, The Black Crowes and The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion on the 1st. To be followed by The Nuns, an R&B Single session, last years Boston trifecta (Boston Strangler, No Tolerance, Prisoner Abuse) and Terrible Feelings before heading back to work on the 2nd.

Pretty decent start into the new one I'd say and now my first post this year is about one of my favorite bands.

How could a year start out better? Promising. Very promising. Let's hope it keeps on keeping on.

But on to things more interesting for you.

The new PISSED JEANS LP entitled honeys is available for pre-order from Sub Pop Records.

Check out this juicy bit of info from Sub Pop to make you speed up your decision making on whether to pre-order or not:

"If you pre-order Honeys, you’ll receive a limited-edition bonus seven inch featuring Pissed Jeans’ long-lost original demos. Also, if you pre-order Honeys on LP, you’ll receive the limited, colored-vinyl Loser Edition of the record. Both of these opportunities are a while-supplies-last opportunity, so act quickly."

LOSER EDITION!!! I so hope to get that!

And as much as I can't wait to spin that tasty slab of vinyl at home I'm looking forward to rocking the Shirt they also have available as a bundle with either the CD or the LP

What a great design. And there is also another nice Shirt available just not as a pre-order bundle. I like that one too.