Saturday, November 26, 2011

Confusion (NY) studio recordings 1990-1993



Heavy metallic hardcore from Brooklyn, NY. The demos are in the vein of the heavier NYHC bands like Breakdown, Fit Of Anger, Maximum Penalty, Dmize etc. As time went on the band tuned to a more metallic approach, while still retaining an angry as fuck hardcore vibe. They pulled it off better than most in my opinion. Killer shit. Enjoy.

Confusion: The Studio Recordings

My next post will be a Confusion live CD with a set recorded live on WNYU's Crucial Chaos on Feb. 13, 19
92 and a full set from City Gardens recorded in March of 1993. That should be up in about three weeks. The live stuff kills as well. I want to thank bassist Mike Scondotto for all the great music he's decided to share, for all the art and info, and especially for choosing my blog as a home for this monster of a collection. Cheers!

CONFUSION LINEUP:
Mike Fried - vocals 1990-1994, 2003, 2007
Mike Scondotto - bass 1990-1994, 2003, 2007
Mike Price - guitar 1991-1993, 2003, 2007
Dennis the Kid - drums 2003, 2007
Ralph Canovic - drums 1990-1994
Pete Melucci - guitar 1993-1994
Frank Collins - guitar 1990-1992


CONFUSION DISCOGRAPHY:
1990 "Four the Force" demo (100 made, possibly less) recorded in the Fall of 1990 @ Fastlane Studios Brooklyn, NY
1991
"Distorted Visions" demo (100 made, possibly less) recorded in early 1991 @ Fullmoon Studios Brooklyn, NY
1992 "Taste of Hate" 7" on Hardway Records (1,000 pressed) recorded in the Spring of 1992 @ Fastlane Studios Brooklyn, NY
1992 "Beheaded Cadaver" compilation cassette (a Death Metal comp.)
1993 "East Coast Assault" compilation CD on Too Damn Hype Records
1995 "A Call for Unity" compilation CD on Back ta Basics Records, features the track "Storm The Walls", recorded in 1993 @ Fastlane Studios Brooklyn, NY


CONFUSION BIO: by Michael Scondotto
Confusion started in the summer of 1990 as the second wave of NYHC was coming to a violent end. Bands that had initially inspired Confusion (like Killing Time, Breakdown, Sheer Terror, Outburst, etc.) were either breaking up or changing their sounds, and the CBGB Sunday matinees were gone by the fall of 1990. It was also during this time that Brooklyn forged its own scene outside of NYC at places like L'amour and the infamous Crazy Country Club. The bands that made up the Brooklyn scene were Confusion, Patterns, Lament, Merauder, Life of Agony, Darkside NYC, Nobody's Perfect, Judgement Day NYC, and non-Brooklyn bands like Subzero, Dmize, and a little bit later bands like Starkweather, Next Step Up, and All Out War. Confusion's first show was in August of 1990 in a backyard in NJ with Lament, Patterns, Merauder, Dmize and Social Decay...I was there, but I was not the bassist yet. I did become the bassist about a week or 2 later after they kicked out the original bassist and asked me to audition. I was a high school senior and about 2 and half years into Hardcore and my old band Close Call was done so I was like "why not".

 
I don't think by any means that Confusion invented "Deathcore" or the idea to mix real hardcore with Death Metal. One could say that in NYC maybe Sheer Terror may have done that accidentally as early as 1985 on their first demo. But by 1991 our initial HC heroes were dropping like flies and Confusion had become pretty obsessed with bands like Obituary, Morbid Angel, Malevolent Creation, Entombed, Death, and Deicide. So much so that NYHC was no longer a part of our sound, but only in our roots and attitude. We were a metal band completely by 1992, hardly even playing the songs on our 1990 or 1991 demos. We wanted to be the most "brutal" band in Brooklyn and we eventually did just that I would say.

 
In the spring of 1992 we recorded our first and only 7" EP called "Taste of Hate", for the French label Hardway Records. How the owner Stephan (Kickback) found a small band from Brooklyn? Tape trading..ah the lost art! The cover art hand drawn by our friend John from Patterns, who went on to become Candiria's guitarist many years later. Candiria was around back then too, but they were a satanic Death Metal band that didn't even play with hardcore bands until after Confusion called it a day. The record finally came out in the early fall of 1992. Only 1,000 were pressed and it didn't even sell all that great initially since the band didn't tour and "distros" hardly existed. But eventually they all sold and it was never re-pressed to this day. As opposed to the demo songs, the songs were longer and had a Death/Thrash vibe mixed along with it's Hardcore parts for sure.

 
Confusion played both Hardcore and Metal shows, but by 1993/1994 the Metalheads were embracing us much more due to how heavy we had become. We were quite popular in the states of Maryland, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey due to the fact that outside of the five boroughs of NYC, those were the only places we played. The best Hardcore shows for Confusion were the out of state shows and those that we played with our friends' bands in Brooklyn or NYC. But the biggest shows as far as attendance goes were Death Metal shows. We played with Cannibal Corpse, Disincarnate, Cancer, Unleashed, Incantation, and countless others. I remember one show in 1993 with Deicide, Dismember, and Vader in front of 600 kids in our hometown of Brooklyn at the defunct club L'amour. Glen Benton told us how much he liked us and the Hoffman brothers smoked weed with my singer and guitarist.

 
Confusion as a band didn't really get along all that well sometimes. We fought a lot and there was even a time when I was kicked out of the band for like two weeks! Our lead singer Mike was going off to college in Florida and in the summer of 1994 we decided that we would end the band at the end of the year. Our last show was in December at L'amour with the mighty Deicide, and it was a good one. In 4 years time we did 2 demos and a 7" and played a ton of shows. My biggest regret was not ever recording our best material though - the songs that make up the brunt of the infamous City Gardens show in 1993 like "Half Dead", "Gasping For Air", "Seeds of Greed" and later on a sick song called "The Fire Burns All". These songs are very Death Metal, but have mosh parts, no real guitar solos, and are kinda short, thus in my opinion what "Deathcore" should sound like.

 
In the summer of 2002, original Confusion guitarist and founding member Frank Collins was killed in a motorcycle accident in Brooklyn. Although Frank was kicked out of the band in late 1992, we were all still friendly and were shocked by his death. A benefit to raise money for his mother was organized by Rich from Darkside NYC and myself and was held in January 2003 at CBGB's. 


Confusion reformed for the night and played one more time in honor of Frank. It was a sold out show that also reunited Darkside NYC, our "Deathcore" brothers. The lineup also included All Out War, Next Step Up, Shutdown, Bulldoze, Subzero, Kickback, Most Precious Blood, Inhuman, and many more. It was Confusion's first time on stage in nine years and it was a lot of fun, but there was no talk of an actual reformation.
 
Confusion decided to start jamming again in the summer of 2007 and managed to play 2 shows and a small amount of t-shirts were made. One show was in Kearney, NJ with DARKSIDE NYC and ALL OUT WAR and one in Peekskill NY, a festival with a ton of bands including DARKSIDE NYC, INHUMAN and many more. Our next show of that year was supposed to be the memorial show for our friend Javier "SOB" Carpio of MERAUDER, but the Confusion curse struck and we did not end up playing.

 
I have to say, there were a lot of fights at our shows in the 90's and at the shows we were attending at that time. 

 
Brooklyn was pretty crazy, the NYC shows at the time were really crazy and so were our fans and friends...just plain crazy and angry! There was this vibe back then where you really did not know what was going to happen at a show and looking back, it was fucked up a lot of the time. But, I wouldn't trade those days for anything and I have many friends I made from that era that are a part of my life today. You experience good and bad together and you grow up together. So "hello" and "cheers" to everyone from back then who is able to read this and smile or remember this shit fondly.
As I type this it is late November 2011 and after a lot of personal back and forth, I decided to put all of the CONFUSION stuff here on Blogged & Quartered for FREE as a gift to the fans and friends. In the scope of things, Confusion was a small band, but for some reason or other, I get asked and emailed about the band and it sometimes blows my mind. The early 90's were an odd time for Hardcore. Confusion got heavier and heavier, eventually having very little "Core" in our sound, but we were Hardcore kids in our attitude and background for sure.

 
I want to say thank you to Vinny of B&Q and thank you to all who care.
I hope you enjoy the music and I am looking forward to the comments section!

 
CONFUSION:
www.facebook.com/confusiondeathcore

MCS
inh722@yahoo.com

Friday, September 9, 2011

Radio To Saturn - Unreleased LP



Early Guns
Exiled in Pairs
Small Fry
Bleeding Kansas
American Cousin
Puddle Drinking Crow
Rumble Seat
Bee Stung Lips
Beat Down
Porridge

Danny Leo - drums/vocals
Andrew Reuland - guitar/vocals
Nick Forte - guitar/vocals
Tom Marsh - guitar/keyboards

Recorded at The Cold Room in Boston during the winter of 1995/96.
I feel like the material all hangs together really well as an overall statement, but for archival reasons:
The first 7 tunes are all from the same recording session, at some point in 1996. "Beat Down" is an early track of ours, recorded at the same time as our first 7", and it appeared on a limited tape compilation, the name of which escapes me, but also on the comp were some of the earliest released recordings by Modest Mouse. Porridge was the last song we ever recorded at our very last rehearsal, it's just a live demo with overdubbed vocals, but came out really well, and further points towards the direction the band was moving in had we stuck it out.
Enjoy
-Nick Forte

Ripped at 320kbps.
Radio To Saturn - Unearthed

If you saw my previous Radio To Saturn post you know how much i love this band. Members of Native Nod, Rorschach, and The Holy Childhood (just to name a few) playing unique, spacey pop. The music on this unreleased LP has a much more laid back, mellow feel compared to the ep and split recorded a year earlier. I hear a definite Chisel vibe in some of the tracks. Always a welcomed sound. I haven't been this excited about an album in quite some time.

Endless thanks to Nick Forte for sharing this.

For more band info from Nick and others, check out the comments section of the previous RTS post.

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Enuf - 1988 demo (restored)

1987 was the year i got into hardcore. The amount of stuff coming out of the East Coast at the time, especially out of NY and NJ, was overwhelming. Dozens of classic demos, records, and other recordings just flooded the scene between 1987-1989. For me it was like discovering a new world. The 3 demos from the Jersey scene that stand out the most of me would be the Turning Point demo, the Release demo (both would go on to continue recording into the early '90s), and the classic Enuf demo. Half a dozen recorded songs, a handful of shows, and then they were gone.




So here is is. Fully restored. Songs that still sound great after 25 years. Enjoy!

Enuf 1988

Demo lineup:
Ajay James - vocals
Andy White - guitar
Pete Sanchez - bass
Ari Katz - drums

After the demo was recorded, Chip Laturo joined to play 2nd guitar. When Pete left the band, Chip stayed on as the guitarist and Andy moved on to bass duties. The band split up in 1989. Sucks they never recorded more material during the years they played together.

Ari Katz also played drums in Up Front, Courage and Lifetime, just to name a few.

Pete Sanchez was kind enough to write to me and share some info on the demo, his time in the band, and some of his favorite shows with Enuf:

The demo was recorded to my recollection in August/September 1988 at Trax East in South River. The studio was brand new and it was my impression we were one of the first Hardcore bands to record there but I could be wrong. It was also down the street from Andy's house.

When I was in the band there were a couple songs we just stopped playing as they were not that great we probably played some of them at our first couple shows.. After my time I have no idea.

My favorite shows was the first and my last. Our first show was in March of 1988 at Middlesex County College in Edison NJ and we played with Vision and P.E.D. I recall being both nervous and excited and remember drinking a lot of Jolt that night. It was a pretty good debut as I recall. My last show was at Scott Hall at Rutgers in New Brunswick and we played with Vision and Bold. I thought that was by far our best show to date.

As I went back to school full time and then law school, I never really had the time to devote to any band. As for the other guys I am not sure whether the played in any other bands as I have not spoken to them in a long time. But it was a great experience and I am just surprised that anyone even remembers the band never mind the demo.

- Peter Sanchez

For interviews, pictures and other info on the band, check out the always amazing Double Cross site and do a search for Enuf.

The image used for the cover in this post (photo by Ken Salerno) is not the actual demo cover, which i couldn't get a quality scan of unfortunately.

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Bad Brains In The City


This is a compilation of rare, and not so rare, studio and live recordings. All nicely restored from the best possible sources. There are no full sessions or complete live sets. This is more of a collection of the best sounding recordings i could find. Everything flows together quite nicely though, and it turned out better than i expected. Hope you enjoy it as much as i do.

Bad Brains in The City

"Bad Brains in The City" is a nod to both the song Redbone in The City and the Bad Brains taking over New York City in the early '80s after being banned from D.C.

Hard to believe that some these songs, including tracks that were later injected with steroids for the band's self-titled cassette on Roir, and the Rock For Light LP, were written in the late '70s. While the classic rock scene was winding down, and post-punk was thriving with bands writing great songs, the Bad Brains were busy writing blueprints. Taking inspiration from the fresh new punk scene, and introducing the elements that would be the very beginnings of the hardcore sound that exploded in the early '80s. The speed, the anger, the buildups, the breakdowns, the energy... the template. Of course there's countless arguments about "who was the first hardcore band?", and bands like D.O.A. are brought up. Well, i can't tell you who was first, i can only tell you who was the best. In my opinion, by 1981, the Bad Brains had recorded material that is unsurpassed in the genre to this day.

OK, enough ranting about the greatness of the band as i could go on forever about it as i'm sure many others could. On to the recordings in this collection..

First up are four tracks that are reason enough to start downloading. These are demos recorded sometime in 1980. There's no information i can find on these sessions, but they are as essential as any Bad Brains recordings you've heard. These songs sound similar to the 1979 "Black Dots" versions, but these are faster, heavier, and more aggressive. They sound (both production and performance wise) much closer to the sound on the Roir tape than the "Zientara Sessions" on the Black Dots release (recorded on 4-track at Inner Ear Studios). I wouldn't be surprised if they were recorded at 171A Studios, but i'm not sure if they recorded there prior to 1981. The first three tracks are especially vicious, and maybe the earliest true representation of the powerhouse the band would become. There were two other tracks from these sessions not included here. Don't Bother Me, which was unfortunately cut, and Supertouch/Shitfit which had some major drop-outs and other problems. The sound quality on the four demo tracks that did make the cut are excellent. Restored to the best of my abilities from FLAC files and converted to 320kbps mp3s. Absolutely essential.

Next up are three tracks recorded at 171A in NYC by Jay Dublee in 1981. Two rippers (Black Dots and Send You No Flowers) and one Sex Pistols tribute (Redbone in The City), that didn't make it onto the Roir tape, but were finally unearthed and released as a 7" on Cleopatra Cafe Records in 2009. This unofficial release, made in Ethiopia, also included an unreleased reggae influenced track entitled Recognize, recorded live in San Diego on Nov. 10, 1985 at Wabash Hall in San Diego, CA. The band's self-titled cassette on Roir was recorded at 171A from August-October of 1981. Jah Calling, Pay To Cum and I Love I Jah recorded live at 171A on May 16, 1981.

Pay to Cum is from the original 7" version (the band's vinyl debut), originally released on Bad Brains Records in 1980 and both bootlegged and re-released countless times since (to this day). Recorded in December of 1979 at Dots Studio in NY. This track was ripped from a remastered CD version.

The Rat Music For Rat People compilation LP was originally released on Go! Records in 1982. These versions of How Low Can A Punk Get? and Don't Bother Me (printed as "You") were exclusive to this comp, and to me are the definitive recordings of both. Recorded live at The Elite Club in San Francisco on March 20 of 1982. I can only imagine hearing the opening riff to How Low Can A Punk Get? for the first time back in '82. Fuck, nearly 30 years later and this songs wipes the floor with anything considered hardcore recorded during the past two decades. The Rat Music For Rat People comp also included D.O.A., Flipper, Circle Jerks, Crucifix, Dead Kennedys, Black Flag, T.S.O.L., Avengers and The Dils (great song). How's that lineup? Yeah, they don't make 'em like that anymore. The comp was re-released in 1988 on CD Presents Ltd. with new cover art. CD Presents Ltd. followed up Rat Music For Rat People with Vol. 2 in 1984 and Vol. 3 in 1987 (not as great as the first 2, but worth it for the amazing Rocks of Sweden by Naked Raygun and a few other stand-out tracks). CD Presents put out a comp of selected tracks from all 3 LPs, released in 1987 on CD. In my opinion they should have went the whole ten yards and re-released all of it. Once again, these tracks are ripped from remastered CD versions.

Next is one of the best live Bad Brains sets i've yet to hear. A great soundboard recording of Bad Brains tearing up The Elks Center in Philly, PA on January 30 of 1982. This is not the complete set. Supertouch/Shitfit (is this song cursed?) and Riot Squad were both cut off mid-song so i left them off the set. I Also left off Attitude, as it sounds like they didn't have the recording levels adjusted properly yet, and the song has a kind of "wall of noise" sound. After that the set sounds fantastic, and includes all the classics you would expect from an '82 set. The reggae songs sound especially great on here, Rally Round Jah Throne being a personal fave.

As to make up for the three missing tracks, i included Riot Squad and Attitude from a set live at the Filmore, recorded on March 20, 1982. I also included The Regulator and I and I Survive from this set, as they are not on the Elks Center set. The entire Filmore set is available for download on various "pay for mp3" sites, including Amazon. It should be free.

The demo version of Re-Ignition was recorded in 1985. No info on this recording. I prefer this version of the song over the LP version. It's a bit slower and looser, and has a cool little dive-bomb guitar part during the main riff. Hopefully more I Against I demos make their way online. I'd love to hear more.

Next up are 3 songs recorded live at The Bandshell in Daytona Beach, FL. recorded 3/20/87. Excellent sound, excellent performance. I Against I especially kills.

The unreleased song was recorded at Madam's Organ in 1980. Sound is a bit rough on this one but it's a great hardcore song. It's tracks like this and the unreleased song Success from 1979 that makes me wonder just how many tracks the Bad Brains recorded (or just rehearsed) that never saw the light of day.

H.R. - vocals
Dr. Know - guitar
Darryl Jennifer - bass
Earl Hudson - drums

If it's not this lineup, it's not the Bad Brains.

Thursday, July 14, 2011

Lethal Aggression - 1985-1990 Anthology




Lethal Aggression were a crossover hardcore/thrash band from Asbury Park, NJ. One of my favorite bands to ever come out of the NJ hardcore scene. Being from Jersey myself, it was classic NJHC bands like Lethal Aggression, Mental Abuse, Social Decay, Dirge etc that inspired me to start my first band back in 1987. At some point, one of my old bands (possibly S.M.O., one of the many demo-only bands i was in at the time) most likely played with Lethal Aggression. The late '80s/early '90s are a blur to me now. All i remember is that for a while we had one a hell of a scene, and it was a fun time. So here's the music. All ripped at 320. Enjoy!

Lethal Aggression Anthology

The original Lethal Aggression lineup didn't last too long. John Salterelli on vocals, Rob DeFroscia on guitar, Spencer on bass, and Phil Giordano on drums. That incarnation of the band lasted a few shows until Spencer and Phil were replaced by George Yeck and Kenny Lund. With this lineup the band recorded their 1985 demo and first full length LP.

From The Cunt Of The Fucking Whore demo

lineup:
John Salterelli - vocals
Rob DeFroscia - guitar
George Yeck - bass
Kenny Lund - drums

This classic NJHC demo was recorded on Nov. 4, 1985 in a garage in Hoboken. Opium-fueled and cranked out in 3 hours (from 3:30 to 6:30), for less than $60 bucks. My favorite Lethal Aggression recordings by far. In 2001, the demo was released on CD by Relapse Records, along with the band's unreleased Godservation LP from 1991. The demo rip here is not from the Relapse CD. This is a restored version. Nice full sound, no tape hiss or other noises. I personally think it sounds better than the one on the Relapse CD, which is well worth buying (if it's still in print) for the great Godservation album.

Life Is Hard... But That's No Excuse At All! LP

Excellent debut. Re-recorded songs from the demo plus a shitload more. Originally released on both LP and CD by Funhouse Records out of Germany in 1988. Recorded at Waterfront Studios in Hoboken, NJ. Mixed in Ohio and mastered in Germany. In 2007, the CD was re-issued with lots of bonus material. The Circle Pit Of Life demo (2006), the Subliminal Erosion 7" (1990), the "Just Killed Rock n' Roll" 7" (1987), and 2 live tracks from the band's first show. Recorded in May of 1985 at the Brick Roller Forum. All remastered. For some odd reason, the track-list for the LP was changed on this re-issue. Another release well worth hunting down for all the great bonus material. The rip here is from this re-issue, with the tracks put back in the correct order, or as close as possible since their seems to be tracks both missing and added from the original 1988 version.

Between 1987 and 1988 the band contributed tracks to various compilations, including the Complete Death 2 LP (1988 Metal Blade/Death Records) and the live L'Amour Rocks comp LP (1987 Mercenary Records).

Subliminal Erosion 7"

Shortly after the release of the LP, Rob DeFroscia left the band and joined Breakdown. Former Social Decay bassist Dave Gutierrez came in on guitar. With this lineup the band recorded the Subliminal Erosion 7". Originally released on Virulence Records out of France in 1990 with fold-out lyric sheet. Another fine slab of madness, only letting up for the comical Spooge 2. Seems the band could never get away from that song. This rip is also from the 2007 re-issue.

The rehearsal tracks were recorded on 5/5/86. Thanks to the amazing Lockjaw blog for this one. Once again, these tracks have been fully restored and sound much better than the original rip. These rehearsal tracks are fantastic. The band speeds through 9 tracks including a cover of Bad Brains' classic Right Brigade. The rehearsal version of I'll Fight is just furious. It kills the LP version. I get a big NYC Mayhem vibe from these recordings, both in the music and the production. Awesome.

In 2009 Lethal Aggression released the Ad Nauseum full length on Horror Pain Gore Death Productions. 13 new tracks and 36 minutes of live recordings on the "untitled" tracks 14, not credited on the CD. Check it out.

Hopefully this post exposes this great band to some people who may have never heard them. This is stuff that needs to be heard. If you like what you hear, buy whatever is available. It's all top shelf.

For more on the band, check out the great Demo Tapes blog run by Tommy of Social Decay.

side note - there will now be "Easter Eggs" on the blog. If you see anything that is a clickable link (it could be a letter, a word, a comma etc), it leads to a surprise download.

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Youth Korps - 1982




Great hardcore band from Connecticut who released one incredible demo in 1982, played some shows and called it a day. If ever an '80s hardcore band should have stuck it out and released more material, this would be it. Youth Korps were way ahead of their time, being maybe the first band to throw quick 2 second bursts of speed into slower paced hardcore songs. Listen to JB Theme, it's pretty much the blueprint for what bands like Crossed Out perfected 10 years later. Amazing how one obscure demo from 1982 had such an influence, although it's rarely acknowledged in the same way bands like Deep Wound and Siege are. The demo remains an absolute classic of the genre and will always be a personal favorite.

The demo seems extremely popular now though, and litters the internet on various blogs and message boards. I figured i'd post the version i have, as it's the best sounding rip i've heard. As a bonus, i've added on a great sounding rehearsal track (the vocals on this one are vicious), and a quick 4 song live set, with 2 unreleased tracks and an alternate, slower version of Hang On Belushi (thanks to Damaging Noise). All ripped at 320. Enjoy.

Youth Korps 1982

Jon Bauer - vocals
Ed "Wedge" Feltch - guitar
Mike Hurley - bass
Bobby "Pin" Pyn - drums

The demo was recorded on September 18, 1982 at Radiobeat Studios in Boston. Produced and engineered by Lou Giordano. Finally released as a 7" in 1991 by Crucial Response Records out of Germany.

I've seen the demo labeled as the "Quick and the Dead" demo, although i've never seen an actual copy. The demo cover that i've seen online (shown in this post) has an illustration by Al Feldstein, which was used for a cover of an old issue of EC Comic "Tales From the Crypt".

Youth Korps contributed tracks from their demo on the Birth Defect comp tape (1983), and the Brain of Stone comp tape (1984 BCT).

According to online sources, the band formed on November 14, 1981 and broke up on October 25, 1982.

As a side note - there's a file floating around the web of a supposed rehearsal set. Only the first track is legit (the one in this collection), the other 3 or 4 songs are badly recorded versions of demo tracks being passed off as rehearsals.

For more Youth Korps posts, check out Pay No More Than blog, and Rare Punk which has some great scans.

Friday, May 6, 2011

Freewill - 1988



Sorry for the delay. I'm finding myself with much less time for this blog since my work hours changed (and having another kid), but i intend to keep it alive, and have lots of great music on the way. In the works - Jersey Fresh, Mecht Mensch discography, revised Absolution and Warzone collections, and a huge goth punk/deathrock post. Until then..

Freewill were a melodic punk band from California who recorded some excellent music in 1988.

Their legacy is a 7 song demo (cleaned up for this post), and 10 tracks recorded for an LP on Wishingwell Records titled "Sun Return" which was unfortunately never released. Besides some test presses which are out there, this LP was released as the "Almost Again" CD in 1995 by the notorious Lost & Found Records out of Germany.

Describing the music here is a tough one. The songs have a certain charm to them that i just love. It's punk. It's hardcore. But they have a pop, almost emo vibe that makes them unique. Maybe a lo-fi, minimalist Dag Nasty meets Descendents? Most of these tracks wouldn't sound out of place on those old Shredder "The World's In Shreds" comps from the late '80s. There's really no description that will do the band justice, just check it out. Enjoy:

Freewill discography

Scott Gravois - vocals

Paul Cranston - guitar
Charlie Trujillo - drums

Mike Hartsfield - bass
Kevin Necessary - bass

The CD on Lost & Found is a mess. Besides the mixed up and incomplete track list, the CD has
Kevin Necessary credited to playing bass, although i can't find anything else online to confirm he played on any recordings (the demo maybe?). The CD also mistakenly credits Mike Hartsfield as Mark Hartsfield. Mike also played in Outspoken, Strife, Enswell, Solitude, Against the Wall and several other bands. He founded New Age Records in 1988 and co-founded Network Sound Records in the early '90s with Outspoken bandmate Dennis Remsing. You can check out an interviews with Mike Hartsfield here and here. As far as other Freewill members playing in other bands, i have no info.

Shortly after recording for the unreleased LP, Freewill changed their name to Stone Telling and re-recorded 9 of their songs for an album on Network Sound Records, released in 1994 on both LP and CD.

According to the album notes: Recorded in November 1988 at Pendragon Studios in Hermosa Beach, California. Additional recording in August 1990 at EP Productions in Huntington Beach, California.

I've never heard the Stone Telling re-recordings, and really have no desire to.

I've heard rumors of a second unreleased Freewill LP, but have never came across any solid proof. If anyone has any further info on the band, please comment.

Thursday, February 3, 2011

Fuck Rock: ABC No Rio comp LP 1991




This is the final version of the Fuck Rock compilation that came out in 2010 along with the 25th anniversary issue of Artcore Fanzine. I want to thank all the bands & people involved that waited a couple of decades for this record to see the light of day. Eternal gratitude to Welly from Artcore for masterminding the project & Aston from Boss Tuneage records for his role in putting it out. Last but not least, Vin from B&Q for graciously putting this up on this blog. The comp is dedicated to the memory of friends that have passed away since these recordings were made: Francisco (Pancho) Alegria from Huasipungo, Tom Ota from Warning & Pete King (early ABC scenester)- RIP old buddies.
-Freddy Alva


FUCK ROCK


Side A

ABC NO RIO - Intro
Rorschach - Synthetic Intelligence
Warning - Blind Leading The Blind
Citizens Arrest - Pressure's On (Red C)
Animal Crackers - Roadkill
Born Against - Resist Control
GO! - The Dead Ones
Inflatable Children - Ignore Me
Antiem - God Dog

Side B

DJ Chuck Love - Intro
Animal Crackers - Farting Is A Spiritual Release
Citizens Arrest - Touch & Go
GO! - Kept
Inflatable Children - Landshark
Hell No - Deal With It
Huasipungo - Stupid Ambition
Born Against - Well Fed Fuck
GO! - The ABC Song

I'm excited to have this on the blog again. The final version (5 extra tracks) of the long lost ABC comp, excellent sound quality straight from the master tapes. Ripped at 320. Thanks to Freddy and all the bands for letting B&Q be the home for this piece of hardcore history. Enjoy!

Following text taken from the previous Fuck Rock post:

Rorschach
Charles Maggio - vocals / Keith Huckins - guitar / 

Nick Forte - guitar / Chris Laucella - bass / Andrew Gormley - drums
Tom Rusnak replaced Chris on bass in 1992
Synthetic Intelligence. A crushing version of the track that originally appeared on the "Fear of Smell" comp LP (Vermiform 1993). I was lucky enough to see Rorschach a few times back in the early '90s, and they were completely devastating every time. One of the most powerful live bands of the era. Probably of any era.

Warning
Neil - vocals / Todd - guitar (more info as i get it)
Blind Leading The Blind. Great Discharge inspired track. I can't find any info on this band at this time, but i'll be updating this page as more info comes in. If you know anything about this band, please leave a comment.

Citizens Arrest
Daryl Kahan - vocals / Janis Cakars - guitar / 

Joseph Martin - bass / Patrick Winter - drums
Touch & Go / Pressure's On. An alternate recording of Touch & Go from the mighty "Colossus" LP (Wardance 1991) and a cover of Red C's "Pressure's On" from the classic "Flex Your Head" comp LP (Dischord 1982). CxA were my favorite hardcore band of the '90s, yet, as many times as they played ABC, i missed them every time. I'm still kicking myself. They're playing shows again with the original lineup, including Ted Leo who sang on the demo. Fuckin' A!

Animal Crackers
Ted Leo - vocals / Janis Cakars - guitar / Squeaky - guitar /
Charlie Adamec - bass / William Tarrant - drums
Roadkill / Farting Is A Spiritual Release. Christ, i haven't heard Animal Crackers in over 15 years. Fast hardcore punk songs with Ted Leo's vocals adding a pop edge. I'm pretty sure this stuff was recorded around the time he was starting Chisel (who i love).

Born Against
Sam McPheeters - vocals / Adam Woodrow - guitar / 

Javier Villegas - bass / Jon Hiltz - drums
Bret Blue replaced Javier on bass somewhere between '91-'92, so i'm not sure who plays drums on these recordings. Born Against had tons of bassist and drummer changes during their existence (for more info check out the Born Against WFMU Sessions post).
Resist Control / Well Fed Fuck. Resist Control was originally performed by Adam's former band, Life's Blood, and Well Fed Fuck is an alternate recording of the closing track to their "9 Patriotic Hymns For Children" LP (Vermiform 1991). I got to see Born Against at ABN No Rio once (with Merel i think) and they were just insane. I'm not sure what Sam was on, but i wanted some. "We're Jock Gestopo, and this first song is called Born Against".

GO!
Mike Bullshit - vocals / Aaron - guitar / Steve - bass on "The Dead Ones" and "Kept" / Anthony Emo - bass on "The ABC Song" / 

Jim Paradise - drums 
The Dead Ones / Kept / The ABC Song
These tracks are not exclusive versions unfortunately, but GO! was a huge part of the ABC No Rio scene and i'm glad they're represented on the comp. Two tracks from the "There Is No Man" 7" (Tasty Records 1991) and one track (The ABC Song) from the great "Why Suffer?" 7" (Forefront Records 1990). GO! is still putting out records and playing shows. Very fun shows.

Inflatable Children
Derek Stukuls - vocals / Gregory Benton - guitar / 

Gregory Stukuls - guitar / Brian Huppi - bass / Jeff Moynihan - drums
Landshark / Ignore Me
I'm pretty unfamiliar with this band. But i plan of fixing that, as this is killer stuff. Pretty sure "Landshark" is an exclusive track, as it's not on the LP or split. "Ignore Me" was released on the split 7" with Puzzlehead (Old Glory Records 1991). Not sure if this is the same version, as i've never heard that split.


Antiem
Rich Trash - vocals / Jon Hiltz - guitar / Joe Martin - bass /
Melissa York - vocals / Patrick Winter - drums
Dog God. A massive sounding wall of noise by this ABC "supergroup". I couldn't believe this was Rich Trash (Manacled) when i first heard it. He sounds like a rabid dog here, ready to kill someone. Monster of a song. I need more of this.


Hell No
John Woods - vocals / Janis Cakars - guitar / Joe Martin - bass /
Jim Paradise - drums
Deal With It. Yet another band with Janis on guitar and Joe on bass, and yet another great live band. This song sounds familiar, and i'm pretty sure it's a re-working of a song from the first record, with a different name.


Huasipungo
Esneider - vocals / Ivan - guitar ('91-'92) / David Wilentz - bass/guitar ('91-'92) / Mike - bass ('91-'97) / Francisco - drums ('91-'92) / Naoki - drums ('91-'92) / Amanda - guitar/vocals ('92-'93)
Stupid Ambition. I'm not sure the exact lineup of these recordings, as Huasipungo was contantly changing members (and their were more member changes after '92 that i didn't list here). This is a re-recording of one of the band's earlier songs, when they played completely chaotic and frantic hardcore. One of my favorite, and one of the most overlooked and under-appreciated bands of the '90s.