AD were a hardcore band from California in the mid-2000's...
.... AD is once again a hardcore band from California, in 2012.
Without being limited to any one kind of hardcore or punk subset, AD draws out of its members a loud and abrasive sound that shows a wide range of sounds. Sometimes heavy, sometimes noisy, and almost always fast, AD delivers a compact 6 songs in just over 7 minutes; songs that do not sound rushed, simplified, or anything that a 19 year old with a bandana might call "thrash" or "crust".
There's a little bit of something for everyone in AD's sound, from the metal types to the punk kids, and all stops in between.Four friends getting back together and playing under the name AD, with plenty of experience in other Southern California bands, delivers on these 6 tracks. Here's to hoping for much more in 2012, and not another years long gap in new songs (wink wink, nudge nudge).
Here's a good and diverse (band wise and with the direction some of the covers take) compilation for your sunny and windy weekend.
I picked this CD up quite some time ago in a used bin at the local shop and its been worth every penny and then some. Many of you may have heard some of these tracks if you're a fan of the respective bands, but more than a few of these tracks have also slipped past recognition for far too long.
To say this track or that track are stand out tracks would almost literally take up the entire cd as each band either does a good traditional take on the song or adapts the song to their style and does it nicely. Whether it is the first track with Dave Smalley playing "Death or Glory" and channeling Billy Bragg with just his voice and guitar or Kid Dynamite's fairly traditional send up with hand claps and all- just with a snottier snarl to it (the same could be said for Saves the Day's cover of Clash City Rockers); the whole CD is strong throughout.
I will say that, of all the tracks here, my favorites are One King Down doing "London Calling" and playing it in its fairly intact original form, but as OKD (meaning as a metallic hardcore song), Demon Speed giving "Rock the Casbah" a psycho/rockabilly treatment (really, any treatment other than stripped out synth new wave punk of the original is probably a great treatment- NOTE: the live version Joe Strummer did with the Mescaleros is exceptional as it showcases the true strength of that song), and Lady Luck's introspective feeling "Lost in the Supermarket" shines with the soft female vocals. **I would say that I love the Dropkick Murphys cover of "Guns of Brixton", but the live track loses some of the energy and punch of the studio version they did which is included on their Singles Collection Volume One.
One King Down "London Calling":
The inclusion of some very good ska bands doing very good ska versions of songs is a huge plus for me, both as a fan of ska and a fan of the Clash. The Stubborn All-Stars do an almost ska-country version of "Lose This Skin" while Skinnerbox ends the CD with "Straight to Hell." As is always the case with these kinds of things, there are tracks any and all of us would have liked to hear which did not end up on the CD, but it is a good mix of some of the best known songs and songs that are a bit more secondary.
H-Street were a hardcore band from Austria in the 90's/early 00's. They played a fast and slightly revival type of hardcore- owing a lot to older bands at a time when heavy and chugging riffs still dominated. As the cover would indicate, they were a straight edge band, but their appeal was much wider than that.
With songs about friendships, racism, , and perseverance, they tread some familiar ground at times, but the music and lyrics definitely make for a combination that does not feel rehashed or generic. Add in a cover of a local band (Open Season), some melody to the fast beats, and its a nice 5 song EP that still holds up some 10-12 years later.
Fourth In Line were a hardcore band from Orange County, California in the mid-90's to the early 2000's. They played a style, at least on the tracks here, not too unlike the first album/7inch by Straight Faced. Not too surprisingly, that is how I came into contact with the band, as they seemed to play more than a few times with Straight Faced, and even covered the song "No Gain on the Play" when SF stopped playing almost all of the songs from their "Guilty"lp.
I got this tape at a Showcase Theatre show some time in '96 or '97 when it came out. It shows a good blend of somewhat punky hardcore that could put the band on a show at the time with anyone from bands like the aforementioned Straight Faced to Pennywise (at that time, not now). Songs like Trippin Randy and Religion Killing Policy (which is from 1999 and a compilation) show more of the straight forward Hardcore sound, while "Father" gets a bit of the softer treatment.
All in all, the tape tracks still sounded great after not being played for some 6-7 years now and the songs hold up pretty well- fun, fast, hardcore with just the right touch of punk and humor.
They have a Facebook page which a friend shared with me (thanks Sergio) and seeing as this tape was circa 1996 and the band split in 2001, hopefully there are more tracks out there. It is mentioned in the compilation that they were recording a full-length in 1999, if anyone has other tracks, get in touch with me, I'd love to hear them and can (and would gladly) post them up. E-Mail: it.follows.blog@gmail.com
ADDED: Fourth In Line "Open Wide" album
This Morning I received an email that contained the full length "Open Wide". 10 tracks (11 songs) of more of the same stuff, just more refined and with a bit more hardcore edge to it. Good hardcore from sunny Southern California.... enjoy and thanks to Jeremy for sending it over!
A little change of pace for myself and the majority of It Follows Posts, Burn Everything are a heavy metal/hardcore/technical/whatever you want to call it kind of band. I got this some time ago and have listened to it off and on (thanks to guitarist, Damian, for getting in touch).
The 6 songs here are heavy, technical, and have the bursts of energy and grooving parts that have become more and more prevalent in metallic hardcore. I'm not going to sit here and say things like mathcore or DEP or Burnt By The Sun- rather, its the kind of music that people listening to those bands might get inspired to play. That isn't to say that it sounds like those bands, but they could certainly play on shows with those kinds of bands. The music is not boring at all and the vocals have a good mix of clean screaming/shouting vocals to the deeper screams. The fact that the longest song clocks in at the 3:24 mark definitely helps the overall appeal of this band, for me. Many times bands can become too repetitive in beating a good riff or good idea to death, and as more and more bands seem to be trying to reign in every influence they've ever had and create some stoner tech post-metal (or whatever other clever things you might want to add in), Burn Everything play a good and heavy brand of metal/hardcore that stays fresh throughout; while wrapping it all up with the slightly introspective sounding instrumental aptly named "Crumbling Monolith".
Burn Everything proves that the wheel doesn't need to be re-invented with every single band, just as long as we don't go about flogging it with every riff and every song title along the way.
Say Goodbye were a Hardcore band from Mass. in the early/mid-2000's. They released a demo tape, two 7inch EP's, and a full length LP of fast and completely pissed off hardcore. A distinct Xclaim Records influence can be heard in the music and vocals, especially on early things such as the Demo & Anti-Social EP where the band snarls and buzzsaws their way through a total of 10 songs in 13 minutes between the two releases.
A raw but refined sound shows up on all of their releases, though the Misanthropy 7inch would start to show a little expansion with some of the guitars and bass/drum work. Each of their four releases (you get the first two this time around) stand up now, 8-10 years later. To my knowledge, their stuff has been gone for quite some time now as everything, except for the self-released demo, was released by the defunct Western Front Records (Outbreak, Miracle Mile, Drop It!, Where the Sidewalk Ends).
A good Interview from 2004 can be found over at the old You Breed Like Rats blog HERE. Apparently, their bassist sings for Waste Management and plays bass in Mind Eraser.
I actually picked this up at a show in Ojai with Amendment 18, Terror, Skare Tactic, and maybe In Control and Say Goodbye? The tape was pretty new, so the fact that this demo is approaching 10 years old (which is a crazy thought), my memory is not super clear on it. It may also be that Terror was selling some copies after just getting back from tour. It was around the time their 2 song 7inch had come out and had some limited packaging that seemed a little bit much (to me) like a box or something and it was a one sided 7inch. Again, fuzzy memory, but its more fun to recall than it is to run off and research Terror's releases.
I do remember that Scruffy, A18's bassist at the time, recommended the demo, and since I'd know him for some time and generally trusted his tastes, I bought it. No disappointment. I hear the strongest X Claim Records bands influence in the vocals on this record. Lots of pissed off and fast hardcore with those little temp changes that have tons of toms and give way to a bass break before the song explodes again. Great stuff!
A good continuation of the demo (and from the same general time frame), the band steps up from the 4-track demo recordings to bring a 6-song 7inch that clocks in just a little past 7 minutes. All the things the demo had, just refined into a better recording. Still tons of snarl, fast riffs, bass work that you can actually hear (and appreciate) and those great drums.
Enjoy, at some point the LP and last EP should show up here...
Wear the Mark, originally named My True Love on the demo, were a straight edge hardcore band from Southern California. Angry as shit with a heavy riff sound not too unlike a great band at the time, the Promise (who were originally named My True Love).
Pissed off and sounding like he is about to come unglued, singer Ibi vents some rage and exercises some demons as the band chugs on. Fast and chunky, but the band does just enough to break from standard formulas of angry and heavy, to give the sound that slight difference from its peers.
You get the 6-song "My True Love" demo and the 4-song "Thrown to the Wolves" 7inch, released on the defunct Straight On Records. Members have been or were in a ton of So Cal bands inc. Fortunate Son, Pressvre, Head High, The Miracle Mile, Seven Generations, Final Fight, Force of Change, and guitarist Derek ran Straight On.
A look at the bands old Myspace page shows that there was at least some recording done for an lp, so Derek or any of you guys, if you have those tracks- feel free to email em my way: it.follows.blog@gmail.com
Good emo/hardcore of a 90's influenced slant. I actually know next to nothing about this band. They had come through on tour in maybe 2006-07 and had left some cd's at the local shop, Sounds Like Music. The store had put the cd in the listening station and friends who had seen them had said the band played pretty solid. After hearing a song or two, the $3-4 bucks was a worthwhile gamble ( my only complaint being that the drums are often too low in the recording/mix, especially the snare).
I've never been successful in finding any additional info. on the band- not then, not now. They were a 3-piece band and as best as I can tell, did not do anything other than this EP. Perhaps someone in Minnesota, where theyre from, can chime in and offer a little more insight.
Until that happens, you get 5 tracks of good mid/late 90's influenced emo/hardcore. I won't bore you with comparisons, but this record could have been released on a variety of labels, from No Idea or Jade Tree to Deep Elm (think Brandston's "Trying to Figure Each Other Out" type Deep Elm) or Immigrant Sun.
Life Tyrant were an all too short lived Hardcore band from the Inland Empire, California. Taking the hardcore punk framework and setting it firmly in a metallic influence, the band churned out heavy but fast songs that showed equal doses of their influences.
No screeching vocals, no extravagant guitar showing off, no blast beats- just straight forward heavy, angry, fast. The band shows the varied experiences of band members (having been in or still in Burn Your Life Down, Restrained, Drop It, Bad Lovers, and more) in their sound. Unfortunately, not too long after these recordings the band became rather sporadic and inactive and ultimately ended at some time in early/mid 2008.
These recordings have floated around some, but never really been shared properly, as they deserve to be. 6 tracks, less than 12 minutes- fits pretty nicely in to the kind of heavy hardcore I like the most. Drive fast, be pissed off.
It's 2012 and the blog rolls on. Sometimes at a slower pace as parenthood and job searching do take up time, but this continues on and every effort will be made to keep a (somewhat) regular and consistent flow of posts coming your way.
I'm always interested in hearing from new bands and glad to post recordings. As you can see, I don't "just post music", there's some thought and history into it. Feel free to e-mail me links/zips/info. and what not. The more you send me, the better (info./picture/that kind of stuff).
I'm working on doing another "Mix Tape", working within the framework of a Mix CD time (60-80 minutes). While I have plenty of tracks I can pull from things already posted and yet to be posted, if any of you other would like to be a part of it, feel free to email me. It's no guarantee that you will end up on it and I am far from the reach and awesomeness of something like Toxic Breed, but the first two mix tapes have had a good download rate and a lot of the bands on them saw a good jump in their downloads. FYI- Im not looking for anything special or exclusive, though if you want to send newer tracks, it only helps you more ;)
I love comments and now that Shoutbox has gone "pay only", I love the comments even more. So don't be shy... really.
I also enjoy mixing in old interviews, zines, ads, flyers, pictures, etc- so far, all of this stuff has been culled from my own collection. I am always open to others submissions- You can e-mail scans/pictures. You can also send things to me for scan, which I can return or keep- just email me.
I finally have a tape deck. Its a nice little guy (still looking to upgrade to a proper stereo model) and its brand new, so it has worked like a champ. More tapes should be showing up here (the Amendment 18 & Retribution demos are the first) and like with flyers/pictures, they can be sent to me and returned. Just get in touch via email and we can work something out.
Lastly, as always - thanks to everyone who downloads, shares, comments, links, and so on. These downloads are entirely up for everyone and fellow bloggers, feel free to use them- just a little link back would be appreciated. I've found some great bands in the last year just from visitors to the blog and I'd like to hear even more this year.
Alright, lets get back into the swing of things with this new year and kick it off with a good, pissed off hardcore punk band from Mass.
Angry, hateful, in your face- work sucks, the people in power suck, intoxication numbs the pain. The song 4/20/99 does offer a little more than that, with a point that could be taken by a lot of people. The track For Those In Power offers up a nice anthemy call in it, but overall this little 9 track 7inch, released on Rodent Popsicle delivers what you would expect of a hardcore punk band putting 9 songs on a record.
They released another 7inch (Crashed Out...), & A split with Right Brigade, and a 4 way split with Dropkick Murphys, Slang, and Tom & the Boot Boys. The 4 way split should turn up here in the future; until then, enjoy 9 angry tracks in less than 8 minutes.
Ugly Ass Street Punk is what their lastFM page says. It's pretty on the mark. Ugly, snarled vocals, fairly straight forward music, and lyrics to get fucked up to. If you are looking for some of that magic from your teenage years, or maybe you just found the remains of that last stash from high school.
It isn't necessarily my thing, but the potential for angry and pissed of "work sucks" kind of band is there and perhaps with some more time things will flesh out develop more. They're playing shows and looking to do more, so perhaps 2012 will hold more for this "local" band of sorts (singer Dan, is one of the first people I met even before really "being a punk" was something I comprehended) even though they are based out of San Clemente.
I'm not inclined to use the blog to climb on the soap box about politics or personal views too much, but something like this compels one to say something.
I will be brief, but I will encourage any of you traveling here today or any day in the future to contact your respective congress person and other political representatives and voice your displeasure for these bills. Please do not think that perhaps because you are not a political radical or subversive individual that this bill will not affect how you view the interenet- IT WILL. Do not just take my word for it, read up on it for yourselves
Make your own conclusions. I can say though, it would not be a stretch of the imagination at all to see sites like this one and hosting sites such as mediafire and megaupload be wiped away.
Wikipedia has made it rather easy to contact your reps, please make use of their easy search function:
I'm not much for the end of the year
"Best of..." type lists, especially with the music I listen to. Any given year is filled with just as many new releases as it is filled with new discoveries; and both tend to rule my listening habits fairly evenly. TO THE LEFT you see what lastFM has informed me was my most listened to artists for 2011. Give or take (it only logs my ipod tracks about every fourth or fifth time that I connect it, so these are mostly tracks listened to on the computer itself), the lists looks fairly accurate.
A mix of timeless favorites (Adolescents, Misfits, Minor Threat, Nirvana and more), new releases/discoveries (Arctic Flowers, Written Off, & Youth Avoiders), bands I was listening to as I worked on their respective posts/collections (Straight Faced, the Discipline Engine, the Cable Car Theory, and more), and some favorites whose listen count was elevated by having a newborn child (Aquabats, rjd2 & Aggrolites).
I will say that some of my favorite things released in 2011 (with about 5 minutes thought and with no order to it) were Arctic Flowers lp, some more great Dischord remasters/unreleased stuff (like the Faith demo), the Ratz "Uninformed Youth" 7inch, Youth Avoiders/Zombies Are Pissed split 7inch, Nirvana "Nevermind" (20th anniv), Move Forward "ep", Black Kites/Convulsions Split, & Humans "demo".
New music download posts coming, its going to be another active year with the blog, fear not....
