PYKA

Oh geez, I'm sorry - I thought you said you wanted to have your face melted. That's why I chose to share this fierce Connecticut grind act with you....because I thought you wanted you face melted. Tuneless treble rebels on a blast beat bender - you won't be singing along, you'll be running for cover.

TOO FEMME TOO FURIOUS

CABLE

I was a little surprised when I popped in this 1994 demo for the first time in who knows how many years - CABLE doesn't sound dated, and the tracks have all of the power that I remember. Emotionally charged erratic hardcore that acts as a bridge of sorts between early '90s basement DIY and the technically proficient sounds of bands like CAVE IN....a scene that would, by the turn of the century, all but completely remove itself from underground punk and hardcore. Demos like this help quantify some of the frustrations that (some) (older) rockers have with current waves of bands trying to emulate sounds and scenes from the past: bands like CABLE weren't trying to sound like anyone, they were just going for it. This is what happened.

CABLE

WORN LEATHER

I like punk with a weirdo bent, and I'll take tuneful jams for days if they sound just a little off. Combining early Aussie punk vibes with casual, messy pop punk sensibilities and KBD smarts sounds like a good idea, but you won't know how good until you bang on this WORN LEATHER demo from 2014. There's a second tape from the same year (also great), but I'm still sticking with the debut - seven hook filled tracks of mid paced, off kilter weirdo punk? Sold.

WORN LEATHER

WIDE AWAKE

I mentioned this pickup a few days back, five WIDE AWKE tunes dubbed on the backside of the DIASPORA's killer 2001 demo. You've seen the cover of their Schism Records EP forever (slightly different from the homemade art on the cassette version that came into my life, included above), and you figured that you knew what they sounded like, even if you didn't know a thing about the band. You were basically right. Just killer 'core, file alongside UNIFORM CHOICE, early 7 SECONDS, positive NYHC and the like....I'm not exactly sure where this recording falls, some are on that first  EP, some on the 1987 demo....but they all made it onto the discography CD that you can probably snag for cheap. But really, once you hear "Friendship," you might not need the rest of the tracks: "just one simple word I'm sure you've all heard...it's called FRIENDSHIP!!"

WIDE AWAKE

ONE BIG CROWD

Just like the cover says, this 1987 comp is stuffed with punk and hardcore bands from New York, Connecticut and New Jersey. A relatively known acts (VATICAN COMMANDOS, VIOLENT CHILDREN, 76% UNCERTAIN, SHEER TERROR) and some absolute killers that I heard for the first time (JAVI AND THE BASTARDS, UNJUST, KRIEGKOPF). Nearly an hour of jams, and I'm guessing this comp was released years before "metalcore" became a bad word, so don't let that scare you off. It's all punk shits.

ONE BIG CROWD

THE TOTAL END

Maybe you missed this the first time around, do not make the same mistake today. Absolutely mandatory early-'00s crust. This floors me still every time I hear it, and I cannot understand why they are not emblazoned across every studded vest on both sides of the ocean. Members of a ton of other amazing bands, but this stands alone...

CHASING NIGHTMARES

While I'm bummed I can't see DASHER tonight in Atlanta, we are playing with ASSHOLE PARADE, HARSH WORDS and CHEAP ART, so that's pretty killer.

ZONE

Not a long lost demo from the superb Japanese ragers, but a new demo from a Connecticut trio aiming at the hearts of raw punk fans worldwide. Noisy as shit, disjointed and amateurish delivery, howling feedback competing with howling vocals...I'm guessing they are teenagers, and the fire in the lyrics only serves to reinforce this belief. They will prevail, indeed. 

RAW HELL