Harley's War - "Hardcore All-Stars" CD/DVD Review (MVD Audio)

After the 2001 ‘break-up’ of the Cro-Mags, bassist/vocalist Harley Flanagan wasted no time going out with his solo project Harley’s War. Harley’s War’s first disc, entitled Cro-Mag, came out in 2002 and featured seven new tracks (which included a ‘who’s who’ of NYHC), four demos 1982-1983 (which include early versions of “Do Onto Others” and “Don’t Tread on Me”) and a live track from 1981 from the Stimulators.



In 2009, MVD reissued Cro-Mag as a CD/DVD set entitled Hardcore All-Stars. This reissue adds five additional studio tracks and a complete sixteen-track live show from the final hardcore matinee at CBGB (Oct. '06) but drops the Stimulators live track (which sounded a bit dodgy so no great loss).



Genre labels can be a dangerous thing…A number of reviews have called the Cro-Mags the “first cross-over band” but I always considered them strictly hardcore (and later metal). My definition of “cross-over” is the hip-hop/metal hybrid of bands like Biohazard and Anthrax. Getting back on point, the twelve new studio tracks on Harley’s Hardcore All-Stars CD capture the raw intensity of this hip-hop/metal crossover sound and Harley throws a bit of old-school punk and oi into the mix.



These new tracks features Harley on vocals and bass; ‘Crazy’ Jay Vento and Rocky George are the primary guitarists but Vinnie Stigma and Gabby Abularach (x-Cro Mags) guest on a couple of tracks; Ryan Krieger (x-Cro Mags) is on drums and Harley shares the mic with Micky Fitz (of The Business) on “Spirit of ‘77”. This later track also includes Vinnie Stigma and the band pays tribute to the Ramones with a chorus from “Blitzkrieg Bop”. This portion of the disc ends with the gang vocal sing-along on “NYHC X-mas”, which also features Vinnie Stigma along with Mike Gallo, Jimmy G. and Phil Calvano.







The next four tracks are demos from 1982-3 that feature Harley on all instruments and vocals and these tracks give an early look into the rage and power of the Cro-Mags. One can also hear the common theme of coming from “the streets” in Harley’s music from the early version of “Don’t Tread on Me” and the previously unreleased demo “Dead End Kids” to the newer tracks “Criminal” and “Who Survived”. The disc closes with a 16-track live performance from Oct. 2006 from the “final hardcore matinee” at CBGB (the video portion can be found as a bonus feature on the Cro-Mags “The Final Quarrel” DVD).



Harley’s War (new tracks):

• "Hardcore LAMF"

• "Nightmare"

• "You Don't Know"

• "Hardcore NYHC-OG"

• "Last Days"

• "Criminal for Life"

• "Parasite"

• "Spirit of '77"

• "Urban Screams (C-Squat)"

• "Scarred for Life"

• "Who Survived"

• "NYHC X-Mas"



1982 Demos:

• "Don't Tread on Me"

• "Wake Up (Do Unto Others)"

• "Dead End Kids"

• "Why Don't You"



CBGB, NYC Oct. ‘06:

• "Intro"

• "Signs of the Times"

• "World Peace"

• "Show You No Mercy"

• "Malfunction"

• "Days of Confusion"

• "Street Justice"

• "Survival of the Streets"

• "Don't Tread on Me"

• "Do Unto Others"

• "Last Days"

• "Crush the Demoniac"

• "It's the Limit"

• "Life of My Own"

• "Hard Times"

• "We Gotta Know



The real bonus is the DVD which includes high-quality live footage from CBGB along with an in-depth interview with Harley. The NYC live footage is classic – while Harley’s War featured a rotating line-up, most of the footage is split between a 2002 show where the lineup was Rocky George and "Crazy' Jazy Vento on guitar and Gary Sullivan on drums and the "Last Hardcore Matinee" show which took place in October 2006. Various special guests on some of the other footage include Vinnie Sitgma, Sean Kilkenny, John Joseph, Daryl Jennifer and Jorge Merauder.







The DVD also includes live footage from Germany and Japan, music videos for the songs “Hardcore” and “Who Survived” along with Harley reminiscing in CBGB post-closure (also found on The Final Quarrel DVD).



Live footage from various CBGB shows:

• "Death Camps"

• "Criminal"

• "Who Survived?"

• "Spirit of '77"

• "Urban Screams"

• "Down But Not Out"

• "Sign of the Times"

• "Regulator" (Bad Brains cover)

• "Life of My Own"

• "Can You Feel"

• "World Peace"

• "Malfunction"

• "Steal My Crown"



Remaining tracks Are From the "Last Hardcore Matinee" show:

• "Street Justice"

• "Survival of the Streets"

• "Don't Tread on Me"

• "It's the Limit"

• "Crush the Demoniac"

• "Life of My Own"

• "Hard Times"

• "We Gotta Know"

w/ Will 'Cavman' Dahl, Joe Affe, Walter Ryan and Craig Ahead (on two tracks)



Links:

Harley Flanagan

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All Pigs Must Die - "God Is War" CD Review (Southern Lord)

Latest tracks by apmd



There is something to be said for the sheer b*lls to name your band “All Pigs Must Die” and these guys have the brutal hardcore chops to back up the name. About ten years ago, I tried to pull together a hardcore band and had people interested in playing with me but they backed away after I told them I was planning on naming the band “Satanic Death Piggy” and wanted to work a Bobby BeauSoleil song into the set.



Following in the same vein as some of the crusty, brutal thrash-metal that Southern Lord has been putting out as of late, the label is issuing All Pigs Must Die’s debut full-length, God Is War, on August 16th. This disc is the follow-up to the band’s self-titled 2010 EP (Deathwish). All Pigs Must Die features vocalist Kevin Baker (Hope Conspiracy), former Bloodhorse members Adam Wentworth (guitars, x-The Red Chord) and Matt Woods (bass), and Ben Kollar from Converge on drums. Given that this is a MA-based band that shares a member with Converge, it was probably a given that this disc was recorded with Kurt Ballou at his Godcity Studio.



This new eight-track disc (33 minutes) finds the band spitting enough hate and venom to sound like one of the bands from the early Florida metal scene (Obituary, Deicide) crossed with a Swedish death metal band. At the core though, God is War is primal d-beat style hardcore album. Vocalist Kevin Baker delivers his lyrics which touch on the realities of life in a harsh bark backed by Ben Kollar’s pounding blast beats coupled with buzz-saw guitar tones and crushing grooves from Wentworth and Woods. The band doesn’t stray too much from their core sound but most songs get up in the three – four minute range so the songs have a chance to build their own identities without racing by in a blur of brutality. The band even slows down (slightly) on the eight minute brooding closer “Sadistic Vindicator”.

All Pigs Must Die (Full Set) from hate5six on Vimeo.

All Pigs Must Die’s God Is War is coming out in limited edition mail order version on both CD and vinyl (with Florian Bertmer art) through Southern Lord’s webstore. The mail order version of the CD is a 2xCD set which contains the band’s first EP as a bonus disc and the vinyl pressing is on 180 gram clear vinyl and is limited to 500 copies.



All Pigs Must Die have dropped out of the lineup for the Converge show at House of Vans and posted the following to the band's Facebook page: "Brooklyn, due to scheduling errors we will no longer be playing the House of Vans show that was originally announced for Thurs August 25th and is now changed to a day earlier on Weds August 24th. We promise to make it up in the near future. See you soon."



Links:

All Pigs Must Die

Southern Lord

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It Prevails - "Stroma" CD Review (Mediaskare) // Show at Party Expo on Aug. 18th

Portland metalcore band It Prevails just released their third full-length, Stroma (Mediaskare Records), which is their strongest to-date. Continuing with the ‘tradition’ of having lineup shakeups with each new release, this disc marks the return of original drummer Aaron Marsh and early-on rhythm guitarist Nic Toten. The band is currently off on “The Beautiful & Spineless Tour” coast-to-coast tour. which stops at Party Expo in Brooklyn on August 18th. The lineup for the tour includes No Bragging Rights (tour headliners), We Are Defiance, Onward To Olympas and Boys No Good (8/8 – 8/14) & Burning Twilight (9/3 – 9/6).

This new disc, Stroma, is the followup to 2009’s Capture & Embrace and, musically, it continues in the same melodic hardcore vein. The disc starts out with the barreling, high-energy track “Holes” and doesn’t let off the throttle until the disc’s twelve tracks (40 minutes) have run their course. While the band retains the melodic hooks of past releases, this time around, the guitar leads have been de-emphasized in favor of more percussion-heavy, melodic “full band” sound.

Lyrically, the band continues to write about the “struggles, life lessons, negative situations, and mistakes” and principal songwriter / vocalist Ian Fike delivers these predominately uplifting lyrics seamlessly switching between his clean and heavy vocals (the later delivered in a higher pitch than on previous releases). The track “Break Away” showcases the depth and versatility of Fike’s vocals and the track includes guest vocals from Brendan Foley of Betrayal. Adam Jackson from Twelve Tribes also makes a guest appearance on this disc and joins Ficke on the track “Artisan”.



It Prevails obviously sees this disc as a turning point for the band as, in a recent interview with Rock Edition, Ian Fike talked about the album’s title and how Stroma means “the framework, the building base of something. When me and Aaron were putting the skeletons of the songs together — Aaron kept saying this is the framework of our new ideas, this is what we’ve grown into….writing ‘Stroma,’ it was so much fun. We had all these riffs, and it was very natural how it all came together.”

“The Beautiful & Spineless" Tour Dates
08/05 Lewisville, TX – Dad’s Venue
08/06 San Antonio, TX – The White Rabbit
08/07 Austin, TX – TBA
08/08 Baton Rouge, LA – Here Today Gone Tomorrow
08/09 Mobile, AL – American Legion Post 88
08/10 Daytona Beach, FL – Stingrays
08/11 Tampa, FL – Transitions Art Gallery
08/12 Jacksonville, FL – The Pit
08/13 Douglasville, GA – The 7 Venue
08/14 Raleigh, NC – The Brewery
08/15 Fredericksburg, VA – The Refuge
08/16 Linthicum, MD – LHUMC
08/17 Lemoyne, PA – The Champ
08/18 Brooklyn, NY – Party Expo
08/19 Albany, NY – Bogie’s
08/20 Manchester, NH – Rocko’s
08/21 Buffalo, NY – Broadway Joe’s
08/22 Pittsburgh, PA – 42nd Street Rock House
08/23 Columbus, OH – TBA
08/24 Mt. Clemens, MI – The Hayloft
08/25 Toledo, OH – Frankies
08/26 Steger, IL – Another Hall In The Wall
08/27 St. Louis, MO – Fubar
08/28 Omaha, NE – The Commons
08/29 Wichita, KS – The Eagles Lodge
08/30 Tulsa, OK – Reverb
08/31 Denver, CO – TBA
09/01 Ogden, UT – Mojo’s
09/02 Boise, ID – The Grange Hall
09/03 Spokane, WA – The A Club
09/04 Pullman, WA – The Bell Tower
09/05 Portland, OR – TBA
09/06 Klamath Falls, OR – Yesterday’s Plaza
09/07 Rocklin, CA – Studio 21
09/08 Stockton, CA – Plea For Peace
09/09 Bakersfield, CA – The Dome
09/10 Anaheim, CA – Chain Reaction
09/11 Tempe, AZ – The Fixx

Links:
It Prevails

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Totimoshi: Desert Death Rock Band Plays St. Vitus on August 20th // Ltd. Edition Split 7" with The Melvins Available at Show

California trio, Totimoshi, will kick off their long-awaited North American tour tomorrow in Scottsdale, Arizona. The band will spread its unique brand of heavy desert death rock across nearly 30 cities, before winding down on September 3, 2011 in Tucson, Arizona.

The band will be touring in support of their soon-to-be-unleashed Avenger full-length, set to drop on August 16, 2011 via At A Loss Recordings. Avenger was produced by Toshi Kasai (Melvins, Shrinebuilder, Tool), mastered by John Golden (Melvins, Mike Watt, OM) and includes appearances by Dale Crover (Altamont, The Melvins, Shrinebuilder), Brent Hinds (Mastodon) and Scott Kelly (Neurosis, Shrinebuilder).

Additionally, Totimoshi will be selling copies of their new, very limited split 7" with the Melvins (released through Volcom) throughout the tour. Commented guitarist/vocalist Antonio Aguilar: "Totimoshi is honored to be sharing a 7" with one of our favorite bands in the world, the Melvins. There will only be 1000 pressed and 200 available through us, so you better get out to the venues!"



Totimoshi U.S. Tour 2011:
8/04/2011 Chaser's - Scottsdale, AZ w/ Greenhaven
8/05/2011 The Due Return - Santa Fe, NM
8/06/2011 3 Kings Tavern - Denver, CO w/ Ume, Self Service
8/07/2011 Duffy’s - Lincoln, NE
8/08/2011 Off Minor - Dubuque, IA
8/09/2011 Garibalid’s - Milwaukee, WI w/ Sleestak, Like Like The Death Deaths
8/10/2011 The Frequency - Madison, WI
8/11/2011 Ultra Lounge - Chicago, IL
8/12/2011 Mac’s Bar - Lansing, MI
8/13/2011 Stone Tavern - Kent, OH w/ Rebreather, The Unclean
8/14/2011 Hard Luck - Toronto, ON
8/15/2011 TBA - Montreal, QC
8/17/2011 O’Brien’s - Cambridge, MA
8/19/2011 TBA - Providence, RI
8/20/2011 Saint Vitus - Brooklyn, NY (Advance tickets are $10)
8/21/2011 Golden West - Baltimore, MD
8/22/2011 Strange Matter - Richmond, VA
8/23/2011 The Casbah - Durham, NC
8/26/2011 Milestone - Charlotte, NC w / Music Hates You
8/27/2011 The Drunken Unicorn - Atlanta, GA w/ Zoroaster
8/28/2011 Hi Tone Café - Memphis, TN
8/29/2011 Siberia - New Orleans, LA
8/30/2011 The Mink - Houston, TX
8/31/2011 Scoot Inn - Austin, TX w/ Vaz, Pygmie Shrews
9/01/2011 Korova Basement - San Antonio, TX
9/03/2011 Vaudeville - Tucson, AZ

Links:
Totimoshi

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A.A. Bondy Premiers "The Heart Is Willing" from Forthcoming Disc "Believers" // Headlining Show at Bowery Ballroom on Nov. 22nd

AA Bondy - The Heart Is Willing by fatpossum

(photo: Ted Newsome)
A.A. Bondy premiered the first song, "The Heart Is Willing," off his upcoming third album Believers earlier this week on NPR Music's All Songs Considered blog. Believers will be released September 13th, 2011 via Fat Possum and a pre-order is now live on the label's website (click on the photo above to go to the pre-order site).

Bondy has also announced an extensive month-long US headlining tour in November, launching on the 1st at the Urban Lounge in Salt Lake City, UT, and wrapping up at the Bowery Ballroom in New York, NY, on the 22nd. He's already confirmed to play a handful of West Coast shows in late September and early October. A full itinerary is below and more dates will be announced soon.

Believers offers ten new songs by Bondy, "conjured during and between dreams, in bare rooms, and on the late night streets of America." The album was recorded in spring 2011 by Rob Schnapf at Mant/Kingsize Studios in Glassell Park, California, with help from musicians including Ben Lester (drums, piano, pedal steel) and Macey Taylor (bass). Believers is the follow-up to Bondy's 2009 album When The Devil's Loose, which was praised by American Songwriter, Filter, NPR, Nylon, Relix, SPIN, Time Out New York, and V Magazine, among many others. American Hearts, his debut, was released in 2008.

A.A. Bondy Tour Dates:
SEPT. 28 -- SAN DIEGO, CA -- THE CASBAH
SEPT. 30 -- LOS ANGELES, CA -- EAGLE ROCK CENTER FOR THE ARTS
OCT. 4 -- PORTLAND, OR -- MISSISSIPPI STUDIOS
OCT. 6 -- SEATTLE, WA -- TRACTOR TAVERN
OCT. 7 -- VANCOUVER, BC -- MEDIA CLUB
NOV. 1 -- SALT LAKE CITY, UT -- URBAN LOUNGE
NOV. 2 -- DENVER, CO -- HI DIVE
NOV. 4 -- OMAHA, NE -- THE WAITING ROOM
NOV. 5 -- MINNEAPOLIS, MN -- 7TH STREET ENTRY
NOV. 7 -- MADISON, WI -- HIGH NOON
NOV. 8 -- CHICAGO, IL -- LINCOLN HALL
NOV. 10 -- NASHVILLE, TN -- MERCY LOUNGE
NOV. 11 -- LITTLE ROCK, AR -- STICKYZ CHICKEN SHACK
NOV. 12 -- DALLAS, TX -- PROPHET BAR
NOV. 13 -- AUSTIN, TX -- THE PARISH
NOV. 15 -- OXFORD, MS -- PROUD LARRY'S
NOV. 16 -- ATLANTA, GA -- THE EARL
NOV. 17 -- KNOXVILLE, TN -- PILOT LIGHT
NOV. 18 -- CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA -- THE SOUTHERN
NOV. 19 -- WASHINGTON, DC -- ROCK 'N ROLL HOTEL
NOV. 21 -- PHILADELPHIA, PA -- FIRST UNITARIAN CHURCH
NOV. 22 -- NEW YORK, NY -- BOWERY BALLROOM

There is no opening act (currently) listed for A.A. Bondy's show at Bowery Ballroom. Tickets are $15 the Bowery Ballroom's site lists doors at 8PM and the show at 9PM.

Links:
A.A. Bondy

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The Residents - "Dolor Generar" CD Review (Ralph)

Before shuttering Ralph Records last year, The Residents’ final limited-edition release was Dollar General, which contained the music the played over the PA before and after shows on the Talking Light tour. This sixteen track / 48 minute disc follows in the same vein as Ten Little Piggies and The Ughs! and is a collection of experimental instrumental tracks. The first half of the disc predominately focuses around some creative percussion work and the various Eskimo-style clangings and bangings are coupled with jazz-flavored, polyrhythmic instrumentation which makes some of these tracks sound like King Crimson gone industrial. Intermixed across the disc, The Residents pull out some dark-hued atmospheric/cinematic numbers but never completely step away from the disc’s percussive core.

This latest release from the band, Dolor Generar - Una Noche Lost en Van Horn Texas, is a reissue of Dollar General, but this release includes two additional songs which brings the total running time up to 57 minutes. This new disc is available as a CD-R through Amazon/Ralph Records and is described as “[a]n abstract instrumental album of strange beauty, Dolor Generar is the soundtrack for an unusual night in Texas. Used as pre-show music for the Residents' TALKING LIGHT touring show, this album set the mood for the bizarre stories of ghosts and the missing Carlos.”

It is hard to write an in-depth review of an ambient album (Eno's Ambient series kept coming to mind when listening to this disc) as the overall album is about tones, textures and moods rather than individual songs. Like the aforementioned Eno series, this disc is pleasant listening experience, and there are a couple tracks that are somewhat distinctive but there isn't enough substance to keep most of the individual tracks memorable once the disc is done. Fans of the band probably have both versions of this disc already but other discs (like Meet the Residents or Eskimo) are probably more interesting places to start for novices.

Dolor Generar Track List:
1. Black Scars
2. Burning Madrone
3. Mary Achi
4. Memory of Transgression
5. Rats Fight for Water
6. Restrained in the Ward
7. Carlos Buys a Round
8. Dollhouse
9. Last Rites for Bilibago
10. Blow Row
11. The Red Powder
12. Shoeless Thorn Game
13. Temple of the Dragan
14. War Zone
15. Hassled by Mamasan
16. Drunk Again in Van Horn Texas
17. Oil Jobber
18. Una Noche Lost

Links:
The Residents

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Marissa Nadler & Faces on Film - Photos & Review from Littlefield, Brooklyn, NY 7-31-11

Faces on Film - Manitoba (Acoustic) by mikefiore333

Faces on Film (which is the musical alias of multi-instrumentalist Mike Fiore) opened the show for Marissa Nadler at Littlefield. I wasn't that familiar with Faces on Film's music prior to listening to Mike's acoustic set but his rich, emotive voice reminded me of Mark Kozelek (Red House Painters) or Ours' Jimmy Gnecco. One of the standout tracks from his set was "Manitoba" and a full-band version of this tracks has been added to the iTunes reissue of Faces on Film's second disc, Some Weather.





Marissa Nadler started her set by reaching into her back catalogue for the songs "Hyacinth" and "Salutations in the Dark" before coming coming back to the present with "Little King" (from the new self-titled disc). Marissa switched between a 6- and 12-string acoustic but it was her beautiful, haunting voice that was the focal point of each song.





Mike Fiore returned to the stage midway through Marissa's set to play guitar and add backing vocals which gave Marissa a chance to free herself from her guitar. Some of the standout tracks from the second-half of the set were "The Sun Always Reminds Me of You" and "In Your Lair, Bear" (both from the new self-titled disc) and a solo cover of Leonard Cohen's "Famous Blue Raincoat".







Links:
Marissa Nadler

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