Friday, July 30, 2010

Posted by xCHIPxSEM | File under : , ,
I received an email today from Buske informing me that Another Victim now has a tumblr. The site has footage of the band, MP3s, photos and general information all leading up to the bands performance at this years Bloodaxe Festival in Tokyo (shout out to my dudes in the 168 and 178). Don't forget, you can still order the band's discography, A Bitter End, from Closed Casket Activities (hi Justin) for only $7.

Thursday, July 29, 2010

Posted by Anonymous |


From the 1124 Records website:

It looks like we've lined up THE KILLING FLAME - SAVE YOURSELF LP as our next release and we couldn't be more excited to give these songs a proper vinyl release. The LP will include the 9 songs from the Save Yourself sessions as well as 3-4 songs from the Nine More Lives CD, which only saw a foreign release.

Check back for updates!


Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Posted by Anonymous |
I apologize in advance for beating y'all over the head with the Hardcore for Education organization so often in the past couple of months but I felt that it's founder, André-Tascha Lammé, would make for a good interview, so here we are. Enjoy. - Jake




What is Hardcore for Education and what is it's purpose?

I have a child in the public school system in Sacramento, California. With the current economic climate in this country (especially in California), schools are facing horrendous budget cuts. I have always been active in my community in some manner or other (usually within the political and citizen oversite realms). One of the ways I have been involved is with my son's school, Golden Empire Elementary School. Typical parent stuff such as helping with the annual pancake breakfast. The Principal of my son's school conned me into serving on the School Site Council. Under California's Education Code, each school is required to have a School Site Council and its statutory role is to set the goals and objectives of a school (especially as pertains to the meeting of the objectives set by state and federal law). As a part of this, the School Site Council manages certain budgetary items for the school it services. Over the past year, the Sacramento City Unified School District has repeatedly cut certain budget items targeted towards at-risk kids (such as funds for English Learners). Some budgetary line items received cuts in excess of 50%. After having to vote to cut some staff positions, I was constantly attempting to come up with various ways to obviate the budget cuts (e.g. I convinced some of my clients into donating monies to the school).

I credit the germination of the idea for Hardcore for Education to Dan O'Mahony (No For An Answer, 411, Carry Nation). I had built his website, SilenceLies.com, as a pro-bono gig. Feeling guilty (despite my admonitions), Dan wanted to ask Jordan Cooper at Revelation for any cool stuff that Rev had hanging around the warehouse and send to me as a form of payment. Over subsequent conversations with Dan (and Kevin Seconds and Aram Arslanian), the idea for Hardcore for Education came about: sell some t-shirts and auction off collectible items, such as vinyl, with the proceeds to go to Golden Empire Elementary School.




What kinds of items will be available for purchase at the Hardcore for Education eBay auction fundraiser scheduled in August?

Currently we have two methods we are utilizing to raise money for the school. We are selling two designs of shirts and hoodies (both created by Dan O'Mahony). On those the school makes only about $3.00 or so after paying for shipping and our t-shirt costs. The vehicle we are hoping shall generate the real funds is the auction we shall be holding on eBay (commencing on August 12). I had no problem leverage my friendships and name-dropping (Kev Seconds, Dan O'Mahony) like crazy to get folks to donate materials for the auction. Turns out that I did not really need to do that. The folks who have contributed have gladly done so - enthusiastically and generously. Revelation Records, REACT! Records and Smorgasbord Records donated various colored vinyl and test presses. Ken Salerno (noted hardcore photographer) donated some amazing framed photographs. Various bands (e.g. Mindset) have donated or are donating items and - as word has spread - we are getting unsolicted committments from others. Some folks (who shall remain namesless) have never responded to inquiries made by me and mutual associates. Those have been disappointments, but such is life.


On the HelpGoldenEmpire.com website, you mention how hearing the music of 7 Seconds and seeing them play got you hooked on hardcore. Being as how Stuck In The Past is a '90s hardcore webzine/blog, I was curious to know if you were into any '90s hardcore bands. If so, which one(s)? If not, why not?

I pretty much fell out of active participation in the hardcore scene around 1990. Part of the reason was just life, but part was that I had become disillusioned with the "I am harder than thou" thing that was growing in the scene. I pretty much hunkered down with my positive hardcore collection and stuck with it. Every once in awhile I would listen to something new (e.g. Kev Seconds recommended H2O to me), but for the most part I had come to ignore the scene. When my son and I went to see 7 Seconds play at the REACT! Records showcase earlier this year, my faith in the scene was rekindled. I am enthusiastically back in the scene again.




What do you think it is about hardcore that keeps middle aged folks like you and me interested in it?

I think the answer to that question really depends upon the individual. For me (whether it is listening to old or new stuff), it is the positive values of the scene and the ideals I am attempting to instill in my son. When folks who do not listen to the music hear it playing in my office, I invariably get the "that music sounds so angry". I look at it as more confrontational (in a good way) than angry. During Nancy Reagan's "Just Say No" campaign, I saw a few shirts that said "Just Say Fuck No". In all my efforts (political, community, work, etcetera), I have always believed in giving 150% and pushing HARD for beneficial results when I felt such was warranted. The music (and the energy in the scene) has definitely been a boost of energy for me in my own endeavors and being a dad, I love showing Julian that it is actually cooler to proclaim forcefully when things are fucked up, rather than fall into the same "all about me" mentality that he sees on TV or at school. Living in the city, he sees some pretty fucked up stuff (e.g. a neighbor whose family is falling into the morass of drugs and the resultant negative impact upon the kids).


Are you considering anything long term with regard to Hardcore for Education? If so, would you care to discuss?

For the time being, I am focusing on my son's school. I was hoping to raise approximately $10,000 for Golden Empire through the auction (that is about the amount the school needs to fully fund tutoring for at-risk kids). Although our donors have been extremely generous, there is only so much money that is available from fans collecting records and memorabilia. I have reached out to "bigger" bands and labels through various means (including third parties making introductions), but have not gotten anywhere. I find it somewhat humorous - in a sad sort of way - that folks who do not have a whole lot of money (comparatively) are the ones that are coming through for us, while those with greater resources are silent. With that (slightly negative attitude) stated, I have discussed with several folks the possibility of doing some benefit shows. I am still considering this idea and may pursue this in the fall. I would really love it if other folks would pick up on this concept for their own communities. People do not realize how cash strapped their neighborhood schools are. Schools are handed these regulatory, statutory and judicial requirements and mandates, but have to fight the school district administration for the funding necessary to meet these requirements. What gets lost as a result? Any type of enrichment: music, art, supplemental learning, field trips. Tutoring and other programs for at-risk kids frequently get short-changed as well.




There have been quite a few hardcore benefit shows in the past several years, some of which have included reunions of classic '80s and '90s hardcore bands. If you were to organize a Hardcore for Education benefit show, what band(s) would you most like to have play it and why?

Different bands for different reasons. 7 Seconds, as they are dear friends (and Steve and Troy know what it is like to raise kids and the issues surrounding the public education system). Definitely some of the late 80s/early 90s youth crew-ish bands (I have a bias for much of the east coast bands as I used to live in Connecticut) such as YOT, Judge, Bold, GB, Up Front, Token Entry, et. al. Would definitely love to have a couple of Ernie Perada's other ventures (Black Train Jack and Grey Area). My son's favorite is H2O. Julian's first hardcore show was seeing H2O and the Cro-Mags. He *still* talks about how he got to meet Toby and his son Maximus, and he visits Toby's site OneLifeOneChance.com at least three or four times a week. As I never got to see them when they were in existence, I would love to have Champion (currently vying with NOT SORRY for supremacy as the household's favorite). At the same time, I would want to maximize the level of benefit for the school (and meld in my personal musical tastes) and get bands like Social Distortion and the Mighty Mighty Bosstones. Fuck... I would take Bruce Springsteen and Tom Petty (although I am not necessarily a fan of their music) if the result would be to improve the educational opportunities of at-risk kids.


You are a web designer by day and have designed, among others, Dan O'Mahony's political arts and opinion website Silence Lies. How exactly did you land that gig?

Tis actually a pretty funny story. We met via an online discussion on Kevin Seconds' Facebook page. Kev had posted something lambasting the SCOTUS' decision regarding federal campaign finance (you know, the one that had President Obama complaining about the Supreme Court decision in his State of the Union Address and Justice Alito's mouthed "not true" creating such a fuss). Dan and I and various others were going back on forth on the restriction of funding campaigns. Although we were on opposite sides of the issue, we hit it off as we could both respect each other's arguments. He mentioned that he was starting SilenceLies.com and being an old fan of his (and liking his thinking - even if I did not agree with all his premises), I offered to step up and build/host the website for him (as the fellow who was going to build the site was pretty busy at the time). He saw the other work I had done, liked it and said sure.


In addition to designing the Silence Lies website, you are also it's resident (and self-described) "bleeding heart libertarian" columnist. How would you describe a "bleeding heart libertarian"?

Actually, the term "bleeding heart libertarian" is a progression from what a blogger/syndicated columnist friend of mine (Amy Alkon) called me in her book "I See Rude People". When we first became friends, I was a Republican (and had been for approximately 20 years). I was (and still am) an idealist and an activist (not the march in the streets kind of guy, but the file California Public Records Act requests and sue egregious telemarketers kind of guy). She coined the term for me of "bleeding heart Republican". As a Republican, I always held strong libertarian beliefs. Keep the government (and others) out of my life as much as is humanly possible. A lot of folks equate the term "libertarian" with the Ron/Rand Pauls and some of the nutjobs that follow them. I suppose you would call me a "soft libertarian". I believe in regulatory oversight, but the implmentation of such is frequently so onerous (especially here in California), that all subjects of such regulation spent so much time on frequently useless tasks and are kept from their core competencies. For me, being a libertarian is generally opposing those concepts which restricts the rights of an individual to express their opinions, have gainful employment, receive needed services, etcetera.

Having spent two decades in politics (in political campaigns and working for the California State Assembly), I can assure you that politics is about sticking it to the other side, not necessarily what's best for the community. There are some exceptions to this. I have a friend who is a current Member of the California State Assembly and is currently seeking higher office. He is most assuredly in it for the right reasons and recently faced a major backlash that almost derailed his electoral career because he did what he felt was the best for the State of California and helped broker a deal with the Governor that raised some taxes.

The key to my libertarian beliefs lies in its root word: Liberty. The more that we snip here and clip there, the lesser our individual liberties. In practical terms, this means that both my liberal friends and my conservative friends think I am an idiot. That's fine with me!




If anyone reading this is interested in donating to Hardcore for Education, what should they do?

There are several ways that folks can help out.

1. Buy a T-shirt from HelpGoldenEmpire.com. 100% of the proceeds after printing/shipping costs goes to the school.

2. When the auction starts on August 12 on eBay, find something you like and bid on it.

3. If you are a band or a label or have memorabilia which you would like to donate for the auction, get in touch with us via HelpGoldenEmpire.com. Your donations are tax-deductible (for U.S. tax authorities).

4. If you are a parent, get involved in your own children's school. Unlike in the past, schools are more welcoming of parental involvement. In fact, public schools are statutorily required to facilitate parental engagement/involvement. I was skeptical at first, but I can assure all that the schools are quite receptive to parents wanting to take part. Heck, if my son's school Principal would allow some tattooed chucklehead like me to do something like Hardcore for Education.
Posted by xCHIPxSEM | File under : ,

Finally!!! The new All Out War record, "Into The Killing Fields", is coming out Tuesday, August 3 via Victory Records. We haven't received a promo copy of the record yet but based on how good the last record "Assassins In The House Of God" was, I'm betting this will be right on par. The band hasn't put up a song yet but when they do, we'll keep you posted. Victory is offering a preorder which includes a long sleeve t-shirt and the CD or a long sleeve t-shirt and the release on vinyl. Regardless of how people feel about Victory Records, All Out War is still a solid band and deserves the support. Pick up the record next week or click the preorder links below.

Into The Killing Fields CD and Long Sleeve T-Shirt Package


Into The Killing Fields 2x LP and Long Sleeve T-Shirt Package

Monday, July 26, 2010

Posted by Anonymous |

Sunday, July 25, 2010

Posted by Anonymous |

Saturday, July 24, 2010

Posted by XhcnoirX | File under : , , , ,
Here's a relatively short-lived French band from the late '90s who I feel never really got the recognition they deserved. Which is unfortunate, Children really had something special going on. Anyways, as far as I know this is a complete discography of this band.

Children started off with their 1997 demo called 'Dead - The Story Of A Suicide'. A pretty good 30-minute long demo which already showed some signs of what was about to come. They play mostly heavy & mid-tempo hardcore on here with plenty of massive backup vocals. It still sounds like they were searching for their own sound, not all the songs on here are great, but especially 'Animal Cycle' and outro 'Dead' are awesome.

They then appeared with 2 songs on the classic late '90s French hardcore compilation, 'The Nightmare Remains... In This Other Land', which I posted a while ago.

Next up is their first proper release, the 'Impedimenta' full-length. One of my favorite records to ever come out of France. A massive progression from the demo. Children found their sound, they're experimenting & trying all sorts of things without losing track of writing actual songs. The breaking glass in 'Schizophrenia' for instance blends in so well with (the atmosphere of) the song and is not just a mere sound-effect. Awesome, intense and unique metallic hardcore. Released on Overcome records in 1999 as a digipack CD only, it still manages to impress me to this day.

After the full-length they ended up doing a split 7" with Cave-In which was released in late 1999 on Mosh Bart Industries (a label done by Loïc, one of the people behind Overcome Records). There's just one new Children song on here but still more than worth it. 'Inner War' would've fit perfectly on 'Impedimenta', and is again an awesome track that displays Children's talent perfectly. The Cave-In track is a 'club mix' done by Kurt Ballou of 'Bottom Feeder' from their 'Until Your Heart Stops' album and is fairly forgettable in my opinion.
Everyone hates me, but each me hates you
Children - 'Dead - The Story Of A Suicide' demo
Children - 'Impedimenta' CD
Children / Cave-In split 7"
Children myspace

Thursday, July 22, 2010

Posted by xCHIPxSEM |







As if I didn't have enough on my plate with getting married, running Stuck in the Past and the South Florida blog, working and trying to get a new band off the ground, I along with my fiance, my cousin and my best friend have launched a clothing line called Vessil. This idea stemmed from our trip to Japan back in April when we saw numerous clothing lines and felt like we as a collective had something to bring to the table. We got to work and present to you 6 designs which will be our initial run.
Being the t shirt collector that I am and owning well over 800 band t shirts, some days I wake up and I just don't feel like wearing a band shirt. This helped shift the direction in which we are heading. I wanted something that was fun and simple but had nothing to do with music. My cousin, Erik Lopez aka Art Blur, has been a graphic designer for many years so having him do the design work has taken a huge weight off of our shoulders and given a new flavor to our idea.
Our initial launch will include 7 different designs and we will begin taking pre-orders shortly. For those days when you just feel like something different, try Vessil.
Posted by xCHIPxSEM |
While this has nothing to do with 90s hardcore, please take the time to read this as a favor to me...


If you have anything in your paypal, anything will help. George is one of the DJ's who trained me and has been my friend for over 15 years...Im just trying to do what I can in the community that has always been there for me. We are having a benefit for him tonight at our skating rink in Miami (which I know many of you are nowhere near) but if you can donate anything, it would mean the world to me.

You can donate through Paypal by clicking the link below:

Donations for Boogieman George

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Posted by Anonymous |




Click here to check out the other 2010 Outspoken merch.

Monday, July 19, 2010

Posted by Anonymous |

Yet another '80s hardcore band that had a tremendous impact on '90s hardcore, so that's why I chose to mention this here. Per the DischordOrders Twitter, Dischord will be releasing (or re-releasing rather) Dag Nasty's classic 1986 album Can I Say with vocals by original singer Shawn Brown on 10/11/10. Check out the Dischord website for all the info.

Friday, July 16, 2010

Posted by Anonymous |

The Hardcore for Education eBay auction is fast approaching (tentatively slated for sometime in the first half of August 2010). Here is a brief list of some of the items which will be available . Click here to be kept up to speed on all upcoming items as well as photos of said items and whatnot.

Donor: Revelation Records

Sick of It All, s/t (7", Revelation 3, Clear - this is the Record Store Day Version)
Revelation 100: 15 Year Retrospective (Dual LP, Test Press, Revelation 100)
Beta Minus Mechanic, Disassembly Required (LP, Test Press, CRIS014)
Himsa, Death is Infinite (LP, Test Press, Revelation 106
Ink and Dagger, Experiments in Nocturnal Sound and Energy (7", Test Press, RD003)
Go National, s/t (7", Test Press, RD005)

Donor: REACT! Records

Praise, Growing.Changing.Healing (7", RXR-009, Test Press - 11 of 24)
Praise, Growing.Changing.Healing (7", RXR-009, Pink)
Get The Most, Together (LP, RXR-010, Record Release Edition)
Get The Most, Together (LP, RXR-010, Clear)
Common Cause, Statement of Purpose (LP, RXR-013, Test Press)
Common Cause, Statement of Purpose (LP, RXR-013, Gold)


Hardcore for Education t-shirts and hoodies are now available as well. Click here to purchase.

ALL proceeds will benefit Golden Empire Elementary School.
Posted by xCHIPxSEM |
The votes are in and it looks the SITP tshirts will be printed on black and athletic grey shirts. Thanks so much for all your votes and input. I am currently waiting confirmation from Matt Miller on the images I asked to use so as soon as he receives permission from the bands, they will be printed. More updates as they come but for now thats whats happening on my end. Thanks again for all your support.

Chip XXX

Thursday, July 15, 2010

Posted by xCHIPxSEM | File under : , ,

As One Day Savior Records has been dormant for a few years, I've been picking up some of their releases to make sure I get my hands on them before they also go the way of the Do-Do. I realized that I didn't own the first CD from North Carolina's vegan machine, Undying. So I checked Amazon the other day and found a copy for about $7 used, not a bad find. The picture and description show the One Day Savior release so much to my surprise, when I opened the package, I received the original 5th Column Conspiracy release.
Originally released by 5th Column Conspiracy, a NC-based label, this was later re-released by One Day Savior Records. Again, as so much of what we at Stuck In The Past as well as our readers listen to, this record has since gone out of print leaving it up to us to preserve this. I scanned the layout as well the actual disc art and all are included in the link. I scanned the lyrics but in the end, chose not to include them and here's why: the lyrics are incredibly hard to read (courtesy of the font) and cut off on the spine. If you want them, Ill post them but just offering you guys a heads up. Also, if anyone owns a copy of the One Day Savior release and would like to send us a scan of the layout to post, get in touch and we'll give you full credit.
For now, enjoy the first offering from North Carolina's Undying.

Undying - This Day All Gods Die

http://www.mediafire.com/?jtndg5ityzzzmgv
Posted by Anonymous |

Per Philippe Arama:

This is a song that we recorded in February 2010. It has already been re-recorded and will appear in our new 7" along with 2 other new songs. The release will be handled by an outstanding hardcore label, REACT! Records and will be available before the end of this year. Thanks for reading!

link: http://www.mediafire.com/?gjjy3mmti4g

Winds Of Promise:
Look into these eyes and read sincerity. I'm driven to you by a flow. It's sprung from the soul, encircles the heart and finds its way out in the form of love. It's harder for you to say what we both feel. Crime's won't go unpunished, soon you'll know it's real.
These feelings towards you, profound, intensified. Rebuilding my loss with a question: Will you let me be yours? because I love you more, so much more.
Winds Of Promise are here to stay and I won't have it any other way because these winds of promise with truthful love will end the solace for you.

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Posted by xCHIPxSEM |
Does anyone have a copy of this? The first issue had a scene report for South Florida...Id love either a scan of the report or the physical copy. Please shoot me an email or leave a comment. Thanks

Chip XXX

Dancefloorjustice305@yahoo.com

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Posted by Anonymous |

I realize that CDs are kind of persona non grata at this point but they are and always will be my most preferred music format, so I'm gonna do whatever I can to keep 'em from going extinct. - Jake

Monday, July 12, 2010

Posted by xCHIPxSEM | File under : , , ,

So right about now, you're probably saying to yourself "Who the fuck is Brethren and why is Chip putting them on the blog?". Well the answer is pretty simple...they were one of the first hardcore bands I ever got into. I went to my first show in 1995 and enjoyed myself, so much that I decided to go to Cheers the following week to see whomever was playing. Cheers, from 1995 to 1997, was South Florida's CBGB's. Everyone played there, all the bands that came through played there and it wasn't uncommon to see at least 200 kids sprawled along the wall outside waiting for the doors to open. Brethren had just released their demo "Trapped In Reality" (which I hadnt heard yet nor did I have any idea who they were) and played 2nd on the bill of a list of other bands I can't remember. But as soon as that first note hit, the place exploded. I had never seen kids pileup to sing-a-long before nor had I seen kids dance that hard. The whole experience changed me and pushed me in the direction of who I am now. It turns out that the band featured members of Mindframe, another local Miami band who were pretty big for a while as well as Cavity and Anger. Eventually, I became friends with those guys and after a great 7 inch, they released this full length on Ohev Records which has since gone out of print. They toured a few times (once with Floorpunch I think) and continued to play out in South Florida until the broke up in 2001 or 2002. The band's demo and 7 inch was very much in the tough guy vein with a real heavy sludge influence (Luis, one of the guitar players, had previously been in Cavity as well as Anger so Im sure the sludge influence came from him) but they dropped that in favor of a more straight ahead Madball influence for the full length. While as a whole, Brethren may have not achieved nationwide success as some of their peers in South Florida did, the band was one of the bigger draws in the area for many years and left a lasting impression on me. The never set out to re-invent the wheel but they brought something to the table when many of the bands were going in a much more metalic direction. I hope you enjoy this as much as I do after these many years. Enjoy!

Brethren - To Live Again

http://www.mediafire.com/?tyz4nm4yubz


Saturday, July 10, 2010

Posted by xjustinx | File under : , ,
From 1124 Records:
I'm selling 5 copies of the test pressing of the To Us It Was So Much More - Chain of Strength Double 7"Compilation on 1124 Records.
All 10 songs from the 2 COS 7"s
The record should be out in about 2 weeks but you can get a copy early.

Each one comes in a silk screened cover (courtesy of Chris Daily & DSP) and each record is hand stamped.
The total amount will go to the Peaceable Kingdom charity straight from your paypal payment.
Peaceable Kingdom is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization supported by business and community partners and concerned citizens in the Lehigh Valley of Pennsylvania. They provide care and shelter to animals that are lost, injured or abandoned. They offer no-kill solutions to the growing crisis of dog and cat overpopulation. Whether it's rescuing animals stranded by natural disaster, holding all-night adoption marathons or educating the public on animal welfare, Peaceable Kingdom is always in the forefront.

I am not making a single cent off of these and will cover shipping in the US and share the postage for overseas buyers.

Song List:
Just How Much - The Geeks
True Til Death - One Choice
There Is A Difference - Ambitions
Never Understand - Mindset
Let Down - Unrestrained
Best Of Times - Envision
Too Deep Until Now - Reign Supreme
The Space Between - Offsides
Hurts To Ask - Remission
Through These Eyes - The Defense





Friday, July 9, 2010

Posted by xjustinx |
I could currently use some extra money rolling in, so I've got some auctions up over at Limited Pressing. Here's a list of what's up for sale:

Aftershock / Statecraft split 7" [Slayer covers]
Culture - Born Of You [blue of 200 - Goodlife press]
Endeavor - Constructive Semantics LP
Indecision - Unorthodox LP
Morning Again / 25 Ta Life split 7" [blue]
Morning Again - The Cleanest War [blue of 300 - first press]
Morning Again - The Cleanest War [smokey clear of 500 - second press]
Morning Again - s/t 7" [clear]
Morning Again - Hand Of Hope [blue of 200]
Morning Again - Hand Of Hope [clear of 300]
Morning Again - Hand Of Hope [white of 50]
Morning Again - Martyr [brown of 200]
Morning Again / Shoulder split 7" [first press]
Morning Again / Shoulder split 7" [red of 200]
Morning Again - As Tradition Dies Slowly [baby blue of 208]
Madball - basketball jersey
Trial - Foundation era t-shirt [These days will turn into years...]
Trial - windbreaker

You can check them all out here: Limited Pressing

Thursday, July 8, 2010

Posted by xCHIPxSEM | File under : ,

When Miami's Glasseater broke up, they never played a final show. Fast forward 5 years and here we are. The band is playing its reunion/final show at the end of the month in Miami and will feature both Jason on vocals as well as Julio. The band plan to play a variety of material spanning their entire career. Here's what the band has to say:

Glasseater's final/reunion show. We have been talking about this for over 5 years and now everything has finally fallen into place to where it can happen.

Other bands on the lineup:
Hit Play!
Arsenal 88
Homestretch
Furious Dudes

Come party/dance/mosh with us at Churchills as we give the band an official goodbye.

We will be playing a crazy long set covering every aspect of the bands life. Jason will be singing all the old songs and Julio will be singing all the new ones. We have a bunch of surprises and can't wait for this night to come.

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Posted by xCHIPxSEM | File under : ,
After posting the recent interviews with Rich Thurston (more to come), Mike Warden messaged me asking if he could respond to Rich's comments regarding Conquer The World Records and Culture. Since, quite often, many people have explained their side of the story when it comes to CTW, I thought "let's hear what Mike has to say for once". This is what Mike had to say about Rich's comment and again does not reflect how we at Stuck In The Past feel about Culture, CTW, or any of the parties associated with either.

Rich how come this lie has to permeate through the bands history 10 years later? Damien has already admitted that I did nothing wrong to you guys. I don't know how many times I have to say it but bands had a VERBAL contract I agreed to give all bands 10% of all pressings for FREE and that was it. I always gave bands 10% of the records and pressings the only times where there were delays in getting royalty copies is when I had demands for records and sometimes the mailings were delayed. You can ask John he always got his band copies even when it was only 50 records I was sending out. How many times do I have to explain this. We pressed 2,000 CDS and I made 2,000 COVERS for vinyls and I pressed records in bulk sections 500 here 500 there 300 on black if i remember. There were not even 2,000 culture 12"S pressed I had many covers left over. Labels did not right off the bat press 2,000 records but you got a price break on printing covers when you make x amount of covers. I did this all the time it was routine business with many labels. The answer why there were records popping up is because I had distributors everywhere not too mention over 500 copies went straight to CTWeurope in germany the guy who ran Green Hell Burkhard Junger. He paid me upfront for x amount of records which abled me to press the record up in the first place.
This label was never about money or any schemes or screwing bands over. I don't even care that maybe 3 bands claimed it once, 1 claimed it and they saw that the supposed "controversey" helped them sell records and gain a bigger following. It was my fault for being a nice guy so to speak, for not having any written contracts but this label was never business to me not in the strict sense. Thats why I never put out repetitive garbage or put out something just for the sake of selling mass amounts of records. Whatever I did with CTW I did from the heart. Being shit on and mistreated and shit talked when I put so much effort into helping you guys and other bands was really painful. Imagine that you put so much money and effort and personal interest into something and then just have it turn around and be a huge regret. This label to me was so personal it was like every record I did I was a part of the band.
I already said in another post that you know I apologize for the cover of the album born of you but I never even saw the covers until they arrived. That huge font was not my doing at that time Dave from oversight was doing my graphic designs for me for free and for experience with his design courses at college. Sometimes Ron Jasin would do my layouts IE Morning Again the cleanest war modeled after what Damient sent me. Ok I never claimed to be about the graphics I didn't fully grasp the entire artistic concept of covers and design etc. It wasn't my priority, as I wasn't a designer. I simply did the best I could.
I was always cool with the bands when it was in person you know that. The CD went out of press so fast and you guys screwed me over so fast I didn't have an interest to repress it even if it was going to sell more copies. I don't even have a copy of born of you on cd with the cover and packaging for myself at this time. Once the born of you goodlife bootleg came out I was devastated by what you guys put in there. I couldnt fucking believe what I was seeing with my own eyes. The only reason the goodlife version came out was edward wanted to make money and he didn't give a shit if he was bootlegging my records even though we were already close friends as I put out one of the Nations on fire records. He called me on the phone to tell me personally that he wanted to let me know that he was doing the record no matter what and that "since we were friends he thought he should at least let me know" OK. I had a european office handling all my distribution and promotions based in Germany why the hell did you think you needed another label to make a bootleg of my record? It was completely unnessecary and uncalled for. He didn't have permission to do that record in any way shape or form and since I had massive distribution in europe there was no need. Once edward pressed up the record my european office had a much harder time of selling the us copies because they were cheaper on good life. Once I pissed off the European office the labels financial stream went downhill as I had to deal with other us distributors not paying and all the shit talk going down from you guys and that whole boy sets fire bullshit fiasco. I still put out the records I wanted to put out years later but things were not the same in many regards. You know you tell me that I should just of gotten over it but it affected me so deeply when all you had to do was tell the truth. It was one huge lie.

-Mike Warden

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

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I got an email from my dudes in Ghost Ship letting me know that they have all kinds of stuff going on in their camp as of late. They are gearing up to release a record through Seventh Dagger and have a new shirt to promote the release. If you order the shirt, you receive a 3 song download for the upcoming release. If this is anything like the demo, than Im extremely excited for it. The band has also finished an interview with a UK website/zine called Straight Edge Lifestyle. You can read the interview by clicking here.
Lastly, the band is revamping its Myspace page with a new layout so check there for more info on upcoming shows. Also, I love how in the image it looks like Steve is holding a crow bar (its the railing).

Monday, July 5, 2010

Sunday, July 4, 2010

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One of our readers, Eric, sent me an email telling me that the rumored Earthmover reunion is very much real and looks to be happening on October 30 in Detroit (the same day that I'm getting married so no show for me). I'm going to get in touch with Andy Dempz (Earthmover, +/- Records) and see if I can get some details but for now, the Michigan Hardcore board has a little bit of info. You can see the info by clicking here. Click the image above to see a bigger version and the word "Earthmover" outlined.

Thursday, July 1, 2010

Here we are again, part 2 of my interview with Rich. Sorry for the delay but we should have part 3 up next week and I plan on finishing the interview soon. Again, I want to preface this by stating that the opinions expressed belong to Rich and do not reflect Stuck In The Past as a whole.

EDIT: For some reason, the second half of the interview was cut off. Its fixed now and part 2 in its entirety is now up.

Stuck In The Past: So you guys released Born Of You with Conquer The World. Did you guys start touring right after?

Rich: We never actually did a full tour. We did weekends. To be honest, we never really played anywhere. Chicago, Indianapolis, and Dayton/Cincinnati. We never did a full US tour or anything. We played Syracuse and a few other East Coast cities but again it was all done on weekends.

Stuck In The Past: Who was doing the booking at that time?

Rich: I believe it was (John) Wylie mostly. I did a few here and there. Mostly John though.

Stuck In The Past: After the full length, you guys did a split with Roosevelt.

Rich: yeah. We were good friends with those guys. It just seemed natural to do it. At that time we were down to record and release as much as possible.

Stuck In The Past: Its nice to see a split between bands that play different styles. You guys sounded nothing alike.

Rich: I know. Ha. There were so many bands back during that time and what was the coolest thing about it was that no one sounded the same.

Stuck In The Past: Was it after the release of the split when John and Damien left the band?

Rich: I'm pretty sure thats when yeah, Damien first then John. John's last day in the band is when we opened for Shelter in Melbourne.

Stuck In The Past: Why did they quit?

Rich: Well therein lies the big story. Ha, I think John and Damien just butted heads, Damien quit in Johns car after we had practice one night. I remember it like it was yesterday. John quit after I got arrested and all my bullshit started. John was smart like that. He knows how to play his cards correctly.

Stuck In The Past: And you were arrested because....

Rich: Well...I was with someone that did something and I got arrested for it too. Basically, I got into a fight with a guy and someone I was with, not even a friend, pulled a gun out. Someone else stole something out of the guys car. It turned into an armed robbery charge. Ray from Tension and later Vietnom was also arrested.

Stuck In The Past: Because of the same incident?

Rich: Yes sir.

Stuck In The Past: After John and Damien quit, Mark re-joined?

Rich: Thats all about the arrest? Ha. Well we tried some other singers. Louie that played drums for the original Morning Again lineup sang and I think there was one more. Mark joined eventually.

Stuck In The Past: Whoa theres more about the arrest?

Rich: There is plenty if you reallt want to get into it.

Stuck In The Past: Hell yes I want to know

Rich: Ok.... this may take a while to type so bear with me. All the drama for me can be summed up pretty simply. I was dating a girl. That girl traded up for a more notable scenster. I was friends with said scenster. Now you know the rule about dating your friends exs etc etc. Instead of following that he used my arrest as a way to rally the troops against me. There was a guy named Scoot Haak. He was living in Hollywood, FL. and he was friends with all of us. He got shot and killed at a show in the courtyard of Far Out Records. When I was arrested for armed robbery said scenster used that saying I should have known better. I was involved with guns and after Scott was killed, I should have known better etc etc. One by one, all of my old friends listened to this guy and I eventually lost everyone. It was so frustrating because not only was I arrested for what someone else did but it was so hypocritical. Every single one of my so called friends had guns and sold guns. It was just easy to use me as an example.

Stuck In The Past: Holy shit!

Rich: You have to understand that time in South Florida hardcore. It wasn't safe. It wasn't all stage dives and sing alongs. It was dangerous. Gangs like Zulu Nation and shit like that had people involved in hardcore. Anything could happen at anytime. Have I done things that were shitty? Of course. I made alot of bad decisions. Maybe what happened to me was karmas way of getting me back. Who knows. What I do know is that I was for sure a scapegoat for some people. I have a milloin stories...

Stuck In The Past: I think we should do a regular feature called "Storytime with Rich".

Rich: Well I have plenty of them. I mean some real good ones. Looking back it was a crazy ass time man. It was really out of hand.

Stuck In The Past: So what became of the whole incident?

Rich: Well I had always admitted to punching this guy in the face. I was willing to pay for that crime which I did. Two weeks time served and 3 years probation. I never ratted. I never lied. I had nothing to do with any gun and eventually it came out. Thats why I got probation. I was two months into my probation when we (Culture) went to Europe for the first time. I had to go to court and shit to get permission to go.

Stuck In The Past: And they were okay with it?

Rich: I guess so. Ha. It was job related as far as there were concerned. I played the Shelter show in Melbourne with an ankle monitor on. I got released from jail like two days before the show.

Stuck In The Past: That didn't leave much time for practicing haha.

Rich: Well I was only in jail for two weeks so it wasn't like I forgot the songs. My life back then was lawless and insane. From about 18 to 24 or so it was crazy. I'm really surprised i'm alive to be honest.

Stuck In The Past: What about Greg Fish?

Rich: I was best friends with him for a long time. He was the "scenster" I was speaking about earlier. I loved that guy man. He was one crazy bastard. Half the shit I got into was because of his influence. The only thing I would change would be I would like to have reconciled with him before he died. I found out he died a day or so after we got back from Europe.

Stuck In The Past: I heard he died in the back of someone's truck.

Rich: Yeah. He was drunk and choked on his own vomit from what I was told. I always knew he would die young I just thought it would be in a hail of fire

Stuck In The Past: I remember being at the Earth Crisis show at Cheers in 1997 where Culture got up to play a song and Fish threatened to kill you if you he saw...or something to that extent?

Rich: Ha. Yeah. The funny thing is I dont think he really wanted to. It had built up so much that he had no choice but to continue the nonsense. Before we played I saw him outside. We had words. I didnt back down and nor did he but I know Fish. If he really wanted to fight me he would have right then and there. I had stood next to him so many times before and we would fight all the time. Hell we would go to South Beach and just randomly fight club goers. I know if he really truly wanted to he would have. We played three songs then I left. Being involved in the South Florida hardcore scene back then was not all fun and games. You were constaintly being tested and watched by other people. You could never show weekness and you could never back down. No matter what. I have a great Rich and Fish story if you want to hear it.

Stuck In The Past: Absolutely

Rich: West Palm Beach, Florida. Not sure of the year. Pantera, Biohazard and Machine Head show. For those that don't know, at that time West Palm had a ton of sudo nazi skinheads. Like they were only nazis when there was 20 of them together. Ha. So It was Greg, myself, Josh Williams (Culture drummer)and I can't really think whom else but only like one or maybe two other guys. I was the biggest one. There were easily 30 or so nazi skinheads there. During the Machine Head set they must have recognized either Greg or myself. To make a long story short...the lights go down for Biohazard. We can see these guys circling around us. We were screwed. I remember Greg saying to the other guys..."If any of you pussies run i'll kill you". Ha. The lights come back on. To our pleasant surprise, all of the Non nazi West Palm skinheads were there. Eventually South Florida would know them as Colorblind. Fyi... I was the first person to have a colorblind tattoo. Anyways....It was like 30 on 30 now. We beat the holy hell out of
these guys. I'll never forget the looks on their faces

Stuck In The Past: Was that the Slayer show?

Rich: No, it was Pantera-Biohazard-Machine Head. I'm sure something similar happened at Slayer too though. Ha.

Stuck In The Past: So you guys kicked their asses?

Rich: It was so bad. Those guys got demolished.

Stuck In The Past: Did you ever worry about running into those dudes at a show after that incident?

Rich: Nah. We never really went to West Palm back then for shows and if we did we rolled so deep we didn't worry about shit. Those guys came down to Miami a couple times and got beat so bad that they never came back.

Stuck In The Past: Was it pretty much a fistfight or were weapons involved?

Rich: Good old fashion fists.

Stuck In The Past: Kinda makes you long for the old days...

Rich: Yeah...I mean sometimes there were knives and whatnot but no guns. It was more one on one...hand to hand back then. Like I said...shit was crazy back then. The most important thing to remember about the scene back then was it was so incredibly chaotic. Constant scheming and craziness. You never really knew who was your friend or out to get you. No one hardly ever made good decisions. Did I do alot of shady shit.... absolutely. My middle name was bad decision. However... I took alot of blame and heat for shit that everyone else was doing too. Thats all i'm gonna say about that.
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I feel terrible because I was forwarded this at least a week ago and it slipped through my fingers. Mourningside AD is out on tour now and could use some help with getting to the next show. Check out their merch store and pick up a shirt to help them out. Here are the tour dates...again, sorry guys for taking so long.

June 30 Off Broadway w/Feel Bad Now in Sacramento

July 1 TBA w/Feel Bad Now

July 2 Casey's House w/Feel Bad Now, Lemuria in Bellingham

July 3 Downtown YMCA w/Feel Bad Now, Envision in Seattle

July 5 TBA Southern Oregon w/Feel Bad Now

July 6 San Francisco w/Feel Bad Now