HARD-ASS RECORDS

SUMMER OF HATE 2012

2011-12-22T16:40:00.000-08:00

    It's been a while since I have updated anything... I have been so busy w/ work/life and haven't had internet access at home/work for months so sorry I haven't been updating the Hard Ass Radio (or anything else for that matter).

    While I have some time on my hands (finally) I have some news for you: SUMMER OF HATE 2012 will again be held @ PEABODY'S in CLEVELAND, OH and the date for 2012's show will be SATURDAY, JULY 14th so mark your calendars and get ready for ultimate mosh annihilation in Northeast Ohio.

    Don't look for any lineup announcements until sometime in late winter/early spring of 2012.Seemed like the 1st day of Winter is a good time to announce this, right? Think warm (and violent) thoughts! Also, don't forget the SUMMER OF HATE 2011 DVD is out NOW... get it here: http://soh2011.bigcartel.com/product/summer-of-hate-2011-live-dvd

LIFE AFTER DEATH - 2011 DEMO

2011-07-29T07:12:00.000-07:00

LIFE AFTER DEATH is a new band from Northwest Indiana. This is rough and rugged straight up hardcore. Angry, brash, and violent, this band impressed highly as the surprise guest at Summer of Hate 2011. Looking forward to seeing great things from this band in the future... if they come to your neck of the woods don't sleep, they won't disappoint live! Download this 4 track Digital MP3 release or free via the link below:

Download LIFE AFTER DEATH 2011 DEMO free by clicking here!

LIFE AFTER DEATH - 2011 DEMO
1. Intro
2. Respect Is Collected
3. Wasted Years
4. Street Mother

THE FINAL BEATDOWN?

2011-05-23T06:44:00.000-07:00

I was told via e-mail from Kevin of Bulldoze that "Summer of hate will be the last show ever for Bulldoze". While this is sad news, we are honored that this legendary band will be doing this at SOH. Over the years we have had many bands that play "beatdown"style hardcore play at SOH... in fact, that is mainly the style of music we have had play the show since it was started half a decade ago so we are thrilled to have the masters of Beatdown play the show!

Now, the only question that remains is who will survive the set? And what will be left of them???

Buy your tickets at the Pay pal link at the top right of this page, or click here to buy them via TICKET WEB, or get them in person at any Defiance Tattoos location. FEEL THE HATE!!!!

SUMMER OF HATE - MOSH OLYMPICS EVENTS

2011-05-15T14:47:00.000-07:00

Below are the OFFICIAL SUMMER OF HATE 2011 MOSH OLYMPICS EVENTS explained in detail. Some events will be judged throughout the entire show... other events will take place over the period of just one song of a selected band's set. All events will be governed by official SOH JUDGES and GOLD, SILVER, and BRONZE medals will be awarded to those who are chosen the winners. Also, the winners will also be given other prizes! What will the prizes be? Cash? Merch? Gift Certificates? You'll have to wait and see! There will be 7 EVENTS total:

EVENT#1: HARDEST MOSH

DURATION: 1 song during BULLDOZE'S set
What better event for one of the hardest and most respected bands of all time? This one is pretty easy to figure out. The people who display the most barbaric and brutal acts of mosh will win medals. BE WARNED: those who take cheap-shots at people standing on the outside/sides of the mosh-zone will hurt their consideration for medals, so punching the 90lb girl w/ glasses standing near the pit won't get you anywhere. However, contact w/ other moshers is encouraged! Anyone who moshes during the selected song will be considered by the judges. Go hard and go for eternal glory!

EVENT #2: KING OF THE PUSH

DURATION: 1 song during CROWD DETERRENT'S set
The old-fashioned push-mosh will be the only form of mosh considered. Keep those legs on the ground, karate kicks won't win this one! Those who manage to push the most people on the ground will receive higher consideration from the judges.

EVENT #3: FREESTYLE STAGE DIVE

DURATION: 1 song during WISDOM IN CHAIN's set
(This event may or may require pre-registration) Only those who dive w/ reckless abandon/no regard for their personal safety will take home a medal! Arial acrobatics are a must. Use the trampoline for added points!

EVENT #4: FREESTYLE MOSH

DURATION: The entire show
This category will be judged in many different areas: Recklessness, Style, Innovation, Quantity, and Brutality or mosh. Only those who's mosh leaves a lasting impression will be considered for medals.

EVENT #5: THIRTY AND UP (THE MASTER'S DIVISION)

DURATION: during COLD AS LIFE'S set

(proof of age will be required) Old Men aged 30 + will show their skills on the dancefloor and show all the youngsters a thing or 2!!!! Of course, everyone regardless of age can still mosh/participate, just those over the age of 30 can win a medal. It is time for you youngsters to prove yourselves as well and hang with the big dogs!!u young

EVENT #6: THE IRONMAN

DURATION: BITTER END'S entire set
(this event may require pre-registration) This one is for those with excellent cardio! The rules are as follows: participants begin moshing as soon as Bitter End strikes the 1st note of their 1st song and do not stop (not even in between songs!). Those who stop moshing at any time are eliminated. You must keep moving and engaging in acts of mosh (determinations will be made by the judges). Of course, those who do not wish to participate in the event are more than welcome to mosh, dive, and sing. You may hassle the participants in any way you wish! Just as long as they don't stop moshing, anything goes!!!

EVENT #7: KING OF THE HILL

DURATION: 1 song during TASTE THE STEEL'S Set
A square (made of duct tape, probably 8ft x 8ft) will be placed in the center of the dancefloor. Spend the most time occupying said space and you win! Judges will watch closely, and decide who they feel occupied the designated space for the longest amount of time. Any acts of mosh may be used to occupy the space or displace someone else. Please, do not participate in this event if you cannot handle being SEVERELY moshed repeatedly and not take it personally.

As for the medals, here is what they will look like:

A panel of judges will be selected and will govern the events. ALL of their decisions will be final. There will be an odd number of Judges to avoid ties and disagreements and they will do their very best to be unbiased in their choosing of Champions. A Ceremony will be held at the end of the show and medals will be given to the winners. The bands will pick which song they want to have the event during and said event will be announced prior to said song/period of duration by SOH Masters Of Ceremonies.

WHO WILL ELEVATE THEMSELVES TO ETERNAL MOSH GLORY??? FIND OUT JULY 9th!!!!!

SUMMER OF HATE 2011 TICKETS & FINAL LINEUP!

2011-04-20T17:07:00.000-07:00

As of June 27th we are done selling tickets via the Pay Pal method, you may still buy tix via the TICKET WEB option (described below) or at the Door/Day of Show. If you bought tix via the Pay Pal/Snail mail method, alll tickets will be mailed out by Tuesday June 28th.

SUMMER OF HATE 2011

"THE MOSH OLYMPICS"

Saturday, July 9th @ Peabody's

2083 East 21st St, Cleveland OH

BULLDOZE, COLD AS LIFE, WISDOM IN CHAINS, STOUT, BITTER END, SUBURBAN SCUM, CROWD DETERRENT, COLIN OF ARABIA, HARM'S WAY, DEEP ROOTED HATE, PALEHORSE, TASTE THE STEEL, LIFELESS, 10 OF SWORDS, HOMEWRECKER, COLD EXISTENCE, LINE OF SCRIMMAGE, DOMESTIC WAR

TICKETS $22.00 in Advance, $26.00 Day Of Show, Doors & Opening Ceremony @ 3pm Sharp. All Ages.

THERE ARE MULTIPLE OPTIONS FOR TICKETS:

- There are online tickets you may buy from TICKET WEB at the link below (they charge a service fee and Sales Tax is included)

- Tickets will be available at the door for $26 (this price includes State Sales Tax of 8% and there is no service fee... venues in OH have been hassled by the State lately for Sales Tax money because they are scraping for $$$)

- You may also buy tickets @ PEABODY'S Box Office or from any DEFIANCE TATTOOS LOCATION with no extra service charges

CLICK HERE FOR ONLINE TICKETS VIA TICKET WEB

__________________________________________________________________
Here's some more general info that may answer any questions you may have:

- There will be 2 stages and no 2 bands will play at the same time 100%

- We do not have control over the ticket provider or the fact that Sales tax must be included in the ticket price. This is one of the only things we could not control in regards to the show since the venue has a contract that all shows go through the same ticket provider. Any service charges and fees the ticket provider charges for pre-sale tickets are out of our hands. The door/day of show price will not have a service charge, nor will tickets bought @ Peabody's Box office.

- There will be re-entry for 21+ only

- 21+ Drink w/ ID

- There will be food (burgers, dogs, etc) on the patio for a reasonable price

- There will NOT be an extra charge at the door for under-21 (Peabody's usually does this, but for this show there will not be any such extra charge for those under 21 years of age)

- The price of the show has increased this year but the promoters will STILL not make a dime off the show regardless of the turnout. ALL monies will be paid to the bands and venue and cover costs. If there is money in excess of the budget, bands will be paid more than what they were promised. Out ultimate goal is to pay the bands above and beyond what was promised... don't you want the bands you came to see get well taken care of? We do! Also, many of the bands this year are coming from places like Texas, Chicago, Boston, and other areas of the East Coast and gas is a major factor for the bands that have to travel to play for you.

We hope that everyone will have a great time this year! We tried our best to bring a good mix of the hardest legends and newer bands. Since we don't make one thin dime off doing the show, the only reason we do it every year is to provide the bands and people who attend with the most enjoyable show possible. Lots of people helped us to book the show this year... thanks to everyone who helped us get this far. FEEL THE HATE!!!!!!!

4/20/11 TEN TO MIDNIGHT

2011-04-16T10:03:00.000-07:00

Be here April 20th @ Ten To Midnight (11:50pm) for a final lineup announcement for SUMMER OF HATE 2011. At that time pre-sale tickets will be available for purchase as well.. This 4/20 even people who are straight edge will have reason to celebrate! See you then!

ULTIMO BEATDOWN "WAR OF THE COLOSSAL BEAST" EP

2011-01-15T15:41:00.000-08:00

4 Tracks of angry hardcore featuring themes of mental illness, alien Gods, and Toho monster movies. In the vein of early Blood For Blood, Cold As Life, Sheer Terror and misc hardcore. Much better quality than the War of The Gargantuas EP from years ago. Members of Crowd Deterrent.

Click here to Download ULTIMO BEATDOWN "WAR OF THE COLOSSAL BEAST" free!

TRACK LISTING:

1. Hands Of The Creator
2. Personality Disorder
3. Mothra's Plea
4. Feelings

Enjoy!

CIRCLE STORM - SPIRIT 7"

2010-12-22T07:29:00.000-08:00

Here is my Christmas gift to you: CIRCLE STORM'S "SPIRIT" 7". This is a GREAT 7", one of my all time favorites. This is an over-looked band that featured members of other famous Posi bands (if you don't know, then you have just been given a homework assignment). This band did an EP that really was terrible, but this 1st 7" was pure gold. 2 tracks of fast Posi Style sXe hardcore out of the 1980's. Hits hard and fast with extremely memorable sing along parts. I remember finding this 7" and being blown away by it when i was in high school and I have always wondered why this 7" is not talked about as much as many similar bands that were inferior. Download it. Love it. Live it. Happy holidays!

Download CIRCLE STORM "SPIRIT" by clicking HERE

1. No One To Blame
2. I Won't Turn Away

Mosh

More news/videos/etc

2010-11-06T12:56:00.000-07:00

RACE RIOT will be doing a show for the holidays. it will be their 1st show since they played their one and only show back in November of last year. It will be a big one so keep your eyes peeled!

Good friends BLOOD IN BLOOD OUT will be playing in Pittsburgh on Friday the 12th of November w/ ICEBERG, GLADIATOR and more. The show is at THE SUBCULTURE. Check the Some good bands that are worthy of your support! Check the following link for show info: THE SUBCULTURE

Lastly, CREEPOUT has posted a video commercial for their full length album "Tribe Called Hardcore" w/ some fun footage and DOMINATE has also posted a video from their "Just Chillin' At The Backyard" EP (which you can download free via the downloads tab at top). Check both the Creepout video posted below, the Dominate video had some issue w/ Youtube and it would not post properly, so check it out via the following link: DOMINATE "NO WAY OUT" VIDEO

Navigation tool bar!

2010-10-24T19:45:00.000-07:00

In case you haven't noticed, I have added a navigation toolbar to the site above. Just trying to make the site easier to navigate, now all you have to do is click on the RELEASES/DOWNLOADS link and you'll be taken to a page to download all the free Hard-Ass Digital releases on one page insted of having to search for them in the blog history. I will be compiling the interviews as well as the horror stuff and other categories very soon for more easy navigation links in the near future.

NEWS YOU CAN USE!

2010-10-07T06:13:00.000-07:00

Things have been pretty inactive here, I haven't been updating the site or the radio player much but I see that there is always a steady amount of visitors to the blog so thanks! I started a new job and don't have access to a computer all day like I used to. We'll have some new stuff in the near future for you to download as well as some new interviews and such. For now, here's some news for you:

CROWD DETERRENT will have a new EP very soon. One more song needs to be finished and the new material will be released. This material sounds much more like their earlier material (Demo through Blood and Family era). I sent a message to Dave to try and get the original 1997 demo (which NO ONE seems to have) so I can hopefully post it here for download in the near future in a re-mastered form. Crowd Deterrent will be returning to Japan in Fall of 2011.

CREEPOUT will have some new releases: their split w/ Integrity will be released in the US on A389 RECORDS so keep a lookout for pre-orders on that. Their full length has been out in Japan, I think a US release is pending. The Lords Of West Tokyo may be back in the US again next summer.

RACE RIOT will have a new record hopefully by the holidays or early 2011. If you don't have the Race Riot demo, make sure to download it here: Race Riot "Crew Life" Demo

ULTIMO BEATDOWN posted some new songs on their Myspace, there is a new version of the classic FEELINGS ad well as a new jam called MENTAL PRISON (which is in rotation on the Hard Ass Radio player as well). Check it out here: Ultimo Beatdown My Space

In other non-band related stuff, Samoan Rob of Crowd Deterrent has opened a new location of his Tattoo shop DEFIANCE TATTOOS in Canfield, OH. Check out their facebook here: DEFIANCE TATTOOS

Keep on keepin on. More new stuff soon!

WHAT WOULD RAYBEEZ DO?

2010-09-29T06:09:00.000-07:00

Shouldn't we all be asking ourselves this question? I think the answers we'd get to this question would be much more profound than the answers we'd find if we asked the same question about Jesus. Besides, who kept the faith harder than Raybeez? Remember, whenever you cannot find the answer you are seeking, always ask yourself "WHAT WOULD RAYBEEZ DO?" and put on a Warzone album.The Hardcore Reality will show you the way!

In all seriousness... go listen to any of the live Warzone stuff that is out there. The LIVE @ CBGB 7" still sends chills down my spine and the track that is on the CREEPY CRAWL comp does as well. To this day, if I was going to try and show someone what definitive HC was, I'd show them those recordings. Some of the best stuff ever. I cannot find any links online to download the Creepy Crawl comp, if someone finds it send it my way. But I posted a link for the live @ CB's 7" below.

Here's a link to download the LIVE @ CBGB'S 7": WARZONE LIVE AT CBGB'S

"WE WON'T FORGET!"

"TOKYO'S BEAST OF MOSH"

2010-08-25T05:38:00.000-07:00

GET INTO THIS. ABSURD HARDSTYLE OUT OF TOKYO, JAPAN. FRIENDS OUT OF JAPAN SAY THIS BAND IS EXCELLENT AND I HEARD THEY RECENTLY CAME TO EUROPE AND WERE HIGHLY IMPRESSIVE. CHECK A VIDEO OF THEM LIVE BELOW. I HAVE SEEN VIDEOS OF THEM ALL DRESSED LIKE COPS AND OTHER ABRUD THINGS WHEN PLAYING LIVE... LOOKS LIKE A SUPER FUN BAND. MAYBE THEY WILL COME TO THE US IN THE NEAR FUTURE...

Alien Rip-Offs/Future Horror in the 80's

2010-06-23T10:21:00.000-07:00

(Before trying to watch the trailers be sure to pause the Hard Ass Radio player on the right!) After the success of ALIEN there was a flood of lower budget "Horror In Space/Future/Alien" movies. This is one of my favorite genres since Alien was a super high-budget movie that had state of the art EVERYTHING... these imitations did not but they certainly gave it the old college try! I often use Alien as a measuring stick foor movies... like compare movies made 5, hell, even 10 years after Alien and Alien makes most of it look like it was made in the 60's in comparison. Making futuristic space ships and gadgets on a low budget generally makes for some good comedy (one movie has a corridor in a spaceship that looks like it is literally lined with Big mac boxes!). But some of these stand on their own as decent/watchable movies despite their meager budgets. Let's discuss!

First up we have my favorite of them all: GALAXY OF TERROR. This movie had an all star cast, featuring everyone from Freddy Kruger himself (Robert Englund) to Mr Hand (Fast Times At Ridgemont High), and Joannie from Happpy Days! How can you not like this movie with that lineup of stars? This nonsense concerns a crew sent to a planet on some bogus mission by some oracle or something. Turns out this planet somehow has the ability to make your worst nightmares come true. There are some imaginitive deaths and some are quite gruesome... this movie certainly has plenty of gore and slime to go around. One of the women is even raped to death by a giant maggot! How could you possibly go wrong with THAT? Turns out whoever survives this journey through their worst nightmares gets to become the new Oracle or something of that like. The art used for this movie is classic and the tag line is one of my favorites: "YOUR COUNTDOWN TO HELL IS ABOUT TO BEGIN!" This is the cream of the crop in regards to the early 80's Space horror movies and is highly watchable.

Next we have HORROR PLANET also known as Insemenoid. This movie features a woman astronaut who is raped by an alien in a cave on a distant planet who gains super strength and turns evil as a result of the alien baby she is impregnated with. Got all that? Seems like a reasonable plot line right? Some very funny scenes of the woman overpowering and man-handling her crew mates. Not as gruesome or shocking as you might think it would be... but it is a fun entry in this genre. The artwork used is some of my favorite as it features women being held by a reptilian claw in outerspace while floating eyes shoot lasers at them

Another solid entry in this genre is CREATURE. This one is very watchable and was a staple of the shelves at just about every video store ever. The Monster is very familiar looking (HR Geiger should have been paid royalties) but this time the alien creature is a very ancient one that has been let loose by a previous space crew when they stumbled upon an ancient "butterfly collection" of misc alien creatures. The Monster has the ability to control minds and can even reanimate dead corpses. This has some great gore scenes (including a great exploding head) and some more nice touches to make this one of the most watchable and entertaining movies of the genre since it throws in some other elements into the mix like Psychic Horror, Zombies, etc. The always great Klus Kinski is on hand too.This is a forgotten winner that everyone needs to see and a staple of many lost Saturday afternoons.

    A more seldom seen entry in this genre is FORBIDDEN WORLD also known as MUTANT. This movie is not to be confused with the later 80's MUTANT that is a really crummy zombie movie that features cover art of a monster that is never seen in the movie. This is a total Alien rip, the alien monster is a dead ringer too. This is extremely gory and is famous for it's scene where the monster is destroyed when it eats the canerous liver and vomits to death.it is for gore enthusiasts and people who want to see every movie in this Space Horror genre only since it is difficult to find and usually expensive when you do. For now you can buy a bootlegged DVD on IOffer or wait till it is eventually released on DVD.

    Lastly we have Italy's input with CONTAMINATION, sometimes called ALIEN CONTAMINATION. This splattery movie has very familiar looking alien eggs on earth, but watch out! If you touch these eggs you will explode! Literally! You can imagine there's some gore since it is Italian and it does involve people exploding. This movie follows the always wacky formula that many other Italian movies of this time period followed which is the movie begins in the city, but somehow they end up by the end in the jungle of some other country. Turns out there is a terrorist organization producing the eggs and using them for their agenda. The end is great as it features a random monster that produces the eggs which is straight out of a Nintendo game like Contra since it is just a giant monster face in a wall. Really silly... those of you who played video games like Contra and the like will really see the resemblance to this monster and a main boss you would see in one of those games. Also, this had lots of the same music that was in ZOMBIE CREEPING FLESH/NIGHT OF THE ZOMBIES, and it is obvious some of those same ppl worked on this movie. Check the trailer below:

    In the 90's there were some other decent Space Horror movies worth noting like DARK SIDE OF THE MOON, DARK UNIVERSE (that was rated EM "Extremely Mature" instead of the standard R for no good reason since is it is pretty tame) and the big budget EVENT HORIZON. There are many more movies in this genre and I am sure I missed some, so please feel free to post about them yourself if you feel there are any I missed. Enjoy some trailers! Be sure to PAUSE THE HARD-ASS RADIO player 1st!

90's Scfi-Fi/Action

2010-06-16T08:27:00.000-07:00

In the late 80's and early 90's there was a glut of Sci Fi/Action/Horror movies, most were direct to video. many of these were a result of the success of movies like Predator, Terminator 2, etc. Today I am going to focus on 2 great movies in this genre that are all but forgotten: "I COME IN PEACE" (1991) and "SPLIT SECOND" 1992).

I COME IN PEACE (aka Dark Angel) stars Ivan Draggo himself DOLPH LUNDGREN as a tough/good cop on the streets of Houston who runs afoul of an evil alien drug dealer that if killing drug addicts to harvest their adrenaline the body produces when high on heroin (by taking it from their brains) which is apperently a very rare drug on whatever planet he comes from. The alien is played by MATTHIAS HUES, who stands about 6' 6" and in the movie appears to be even taller than Lundgren (who towers over the rest of the cast) which makes the final showdown between these 2 pretty impressive. The alien does not speak any words other than a robotic "I COME IN PEACE". There is a good alien cop on hand that tells Lundgren that it is important to kill the bad alien because if he returns to his home planet w/ the drugs, then many other intergalactic drug dealers will come to earth to harvest more drugs and it will be "a slaughter". The movie is low on gore content and the basic idea is a poor man's Predator (esp considering the Alien's weaponry) set in a big city, but this movie is more than watchable. It has a nice Government cover-up/asshole FBI agent subplot and enough tough cop/one liners to keep you chuckling as well as big explosions. Also, this was released/distributed by one of my favorite 90's video companies: Media. They sure don't make movies like this anymore!

Some of the best lines from I Come In Peace:

FBI Agent: "The Difference between me and you is I am a team player" LUNDGREN: "Yea? Well your team sucks!"

ALIEN: "I Come in peace" LUNDGREN: "And you go in pieces, asshole!"

Next we have SPLIT SECOND with everybody's favorite tough guy RUGER HAUER. This is set in the future in England where global warming has caused flooding problems and some kind of monster that looks like a nastier version of the liquid metal T-1000 from Terminator 2 is ripping people's hearts out. This one features Sex In The City's KIM KATRALL in a pre-menopausal role and yes, you get to see her boobies. Also it features a funny cameo by Motorhead's LEMMY where he gives a (biased) endorsement of his band's music. Hauer has to figure out who or WHAT is behind all these heart-rippings and it turns out that that silly liquid metal monster is the devil! (Whoops! Did I ruin that for you?). Plenty of tough guy stuff here as well as horror elements. A fun movie to watch. I believe this one was actually released in theaters but did very poorly. The monster looks really cool but it is seldomly seen due to the movie's meager budget which was for sure wasted on paying washed-up Hauer.

Both are all but forgotten movies that you can easily find for $1 or so a pop on Amazon on VHS. Great movies to have in your collection or to waste a saturday afternoon watching esp if you are looking for some macho dudes vs monsters movies! Check some video from both movies below! (Make sure to pause the Hard Ass Radio player 1st!)

KUNIHYDE "CLEVELANDER" of CREEPOUT Interview

2010-05-25T07:50:00.000-07:00

Anyone who follows this blog knows I love Japanese hardcore. CREEPOUT is a band that me and Rob found years back and wanted to bring their music to the US. This June they are returning to do 2 US shows (June 17th in Indiana and June 19th @ Summer of Hate in Cleveland). I hit up Kunihyde (aka Japanese Clevelander), Creepout's vocalist to do an interview and he was more than happy to answer my questions about the band's recent activities, tour w/ integrity, and more! I am most impressed with his responses... his English has vastly improved since we 1st met years ago. Now if only I could get a handle on Japanese like that!

HA: Tell us about Creepout's history

KUNIHYDE: ok,We're formed in 2002 with me and Tak. And keepin'on playing many shows and released some comp, splits. On 2008, We made 1st our own stuff called "S.O.S.F" in Japan, and our 1st full length will comes up in Japan and U.S.so sooon!

HA: What are the main differences between shows in Japan and shows in the USA?

KUNIHYDE: Yeah, we have so many different points...We have to pay to play or booking any show at any clubs like $1500 per 1 show...so naturally, ticket's price will be expensive, and normally $18 to $25!
It sucks!! And we have soundcheck before a show. Japan is small country, but so many people is living, esp in big city like Tokyo, so we can't do house show and any small like that. The kids dances same like american's...Mosh is worldwide sports!!

HA: You seem to like American Baseball... how did you learn about it in Japan?

KUNIHYDE: Baseball is like national sports over here too, so in basic, we love baseball since we were born! MLB is highest place about baseball in the world...so i love it.

HA: Japanese hardcore has a long history, which Japanese punk/hardcore bands were a major influence on you?

KUNIHYDE: Gastunk, G.I.S.M, The Willard

HA: How do most Japanese people view Americans?

KUNIHYDE: Most of Japanese can't speak or write in english, so they're afraid of all foreigners! haha, it's weird but true.

HA: What was the best food you ate when you came to the US?

KUNIHYDE: Food!? Oh, I like american BBQ, Hot dogs, Pizza, Grilled chicken, Hamburgers, Steaks, oh of course Mexicans! And i like american beverages...BRISK (Lipton Iced Tea) fuckin'rules!

HA: Which American bands have influenced you the most?

KUNIHYDE: You already know it!! It's pretty difficult to choice one, but...ok, i say Cleveland Hardcore!

HA: Tell us an odd fact about Japan

KUNIHYDE: hummm, it's depends on people, so you should come here to feel it.

HA: What 1st got you into hardcore? How old were you?

KUNIHYDE: Hardcore? Originally, i loved Dead Kennedys, Misfits, Ramones etc, and Cro-mags, SOIA etc, so it's Cro-mags. I think i was 16.

HA: You recently did a split with INTEGRITY and did a tour w/ them in Japan. Tell us about that record and the tour.

KUNIHYDE: You know i love them, so it was like one of my dreams came true! Jukeboxxx record is my friend and they said ok 3 seconds aftter i offered to release! The record is great i think, and Dwid also loves that. was released in ep and cd, both are out of stock though, i will bring some to the Summer of hate next month. The tour was awesome!!! They are good guys than i expected, Jochum brothers are stupid but good, haha anyway it was good time.

HA: What can we expect from Creepout in the future?

KUNIHYDE: Our full length "Tribe called hardcore" will be available soon!! and you can get our shirts at Shop Shogun or NGS records.

HA: What are the best current Japanese HC bands?

KUNIHYDE: So many. NUMB, SAND, ROCKCRIMAZ, DOMINATE, FIGHT IT OUT, EDGE OF SPIRIT, FACECARZ, ETERNAL B... AND MORE AND MORE!!! We think we should spread Japanese bands among overseas.

HA: Any last words?

KUNIHYDE: Thanks Steve for take this interview!!! Support Hardass record everyone! And you should get our album and listen to it again and again, and SEE YA AT SUMMER OF HATE!!!!!

Here is a video of CREEPOUT live in Japan! Make sure to pause the HARD ASS RADIO player before trying to watch it!

RELEASES/DOWNLOADS

2010-04-15T10:23:00.000-07:00

Below are all the official HARD-ASS RECORDS releases for you to download. Scroll down and download them all! Feel free to re-post these and share them as much as you'd like! Enjoy!

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ULTIMO BEATDOWN "WAR OF THE COLOSSAL BEAST" EP - HA008

Ultimo Beatdown's follow-up to the "WAR OF THE GARGANTUAS" EP from years back. 4 tracks of angry style HC, similar to demos era COLD AS LIFE, BLOOD BLOOD and SHEER TERROR. Songs about Alien Gods, Toho Monster movies, and mental illness. Will the band ever play another show? Who knows. Who exactly is in the band? An eternal mystery. Will this EP change your life? Yes! Download it for free via the link provided below.

Click to download ULTIMO BEATDOWN'S "WAR OF THE COLOSSAL BEAST" EP for free!

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DOMINATE "JUST CHILLIN AT THE BACKYARD" EP - HA007

As promised, here is DOMINATE's new EP for FREE DOWNLOAD straight outta Tokyo, Japan! Straight up Hard/Beatdown style that is not for the weak! Similar in styles to BULLDOZE, STOUT and BIOHAZARD as well as others in that vein. This is sure to get you to mosh your room to smithereens and your blood boiling. Brutal Tokyo hardcore.

Click to download DOMINATE'S "JUST CHILLIN AT THE BACKYARD" EP

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RACE RIOT "CREW LIFE" DEMO - HA006

Race Riot is an angry, violent punk band from North East Ohio. This band is anti-racist. This band believes that punk and hardcore music should be violent and dangerous. 5 tracks of fast, angry punk-core. The demo is available for free download via the link below:

Click to Download RACE RIOT "CREW LIFE DEMO"

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THE STRUGGLE "18 SONG DISCOGRAPHY"- HA005

Click here to download "THE STRUGGLE- DISCOGRAPHY"

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CROWD DETERRENT/NUMB "SOSF WORLDWIDE VOLUME 2"- HA003

Full length featuring Ohio's CROWD DETERRENT and Tokyo's kings of hardcore NUMB. Yet another release that bridges continents! NUMB's legendary style of Tokyo Hardcore hits the US at last! This is a release w/ something for fans of NYHC, to Oi and Beatdown. Angry traditional HC from opposite sides of the earth!

Click here to download CROWD DETERRENT/NUMB "SOSF WORLDWIDE VOL 2"

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CROWD DETERRENT/CREEPOUT "SOSF WORLDWIDE VOLUME 1" - HA002

Full length featuring Ohio's CROWD DETERRENT and Tokyo's CREEPOUT. Ohio hardcore meets Japan Clevo style! Includes the Crowd Deterrent's anthems LIVE FOR REVENGE and DOWN TO THROWDOWN. Holy Terror from the far east hits the mainland with this epic release.

Click here to download CROWD DETERRENT/CREEPOUT "SOSF WORLDWIDE VOL 1"

CROWD DETERRENT RECORD RELEASE SHOW FEB 2002

2010-03-03T09:10:00.000-08:00

Dave uploaded this full set of the 2002 CD release show for the album BLOOD AND FAMILY. This show was @ Nyabinghi and Run Devil Run played as well. Some fun stuff... one of the handful of shows in the bands history that featured a full line-up w/ members that practiced the songs. Many of these songs were never played at any other shows. A few fun covers too... Madball, AF, and Motorhead. It is fun to see many ghosts of the past stage diving, singing along, and running wild. This was one of the last really fun/highly attended shows in Youngstown before the scene began to really decline.

*Make sure you pause the Hard-Ass Radio player before you try to watch the videos!

THE END COMETH....

2010-02-15T08:10:00.000-08:00

UNLEASHED SPRING 2010...

Volume problems?

2010-02-11T08:14:00.000-08:00

I was alerted that some people were having problems w/ the Hard Ass Radio player being too loud. I have tried to adjust it, please let me know if the volume is too loud when the player starts or if you have any other issues by leaving a comment below. Thanks!

ASCENSION - CLEVELAND HARDCORE

2010-02-09T09:31:00.000-08:00

In the 90's I went to the video store here in Youngstown and there was a skinny guy w/ glasses wearing a bow tie (all employees there wore them) who worked there. Form the looks of us, he figured me and my friends were into hardcore stuff. He told us about his band ASCENSION and told us they were playing soon w/ Ringworm (a reunion show I believe) and In Cold Blood. From his appearance, you'd never gather he was in such a band, but Chris Wood was a great front man who was known for his wacky stage antics. His band was a rather unique 90's Clevo band. They def had a Clevo sound/influence, but they were a little more metal then the rest and they had a sound all their own (check some of the bass work on the albums). This is a band I see discussed very little and I feel they were one of the better 90's bands out of Cleveland. For your enjoyment I have posted both of Ascension's releases below. Both were released by TOYBOX RECORDS and are way out of print. Please check out both the YEARS OF FIRE EP and the ABOMINATION LP! I especially liked ABOMINATION... that 1st song was a killer!

Click here to download ASCENSION "YEARS OF FIRE" EP free!

Click here to download ASCENSION "ABOMINATION" LP for free!

ABOVE PIC: Chris Wood on vocals. I once saw Ascension play a show w/ Skarhead... kind of an odd lineup. Hopefully I will see this band again someday and hopefully many more people will be able to rediscover this band!

HARD-ASS RADIO UPDATE

2010-01-26T12:39:00.000-08:00

The HARD-ASS RADIO was down for a few days. I had an issue w/ my file storage server and had to delete everything and start all over so there's some fresh new tracks on it but it's up and running again. There was before (probably about and hour and 1/2 of tunes on there now) but I will get more up on it again soon and will keep spreading the Hard-Ass Reality!

New stuff added recently to the playlist:

RINGWORM, VISION, INSULT TO INJURY, CIRCLE JERKS, COCKNEY REJECTS, SUICIDAL TENDENCIES, CAUSE FOR ALARM, BACKFIRE, POWERHOUSE, SNUFF, TJ MAXX, and much more!

STRONG STYLE

2010-01-22T09:26:00.000-08:00

When some friends from Tokyo visited me a few years ago they gave me many CDs, one of which was this CD from a band called STRONG STYLE which was released opn the famed JUKEBOX RECORDS. This is Melodic Japanese Oi/Hardcore at it's best. All the lyrics are in Japanese, as are all the track listings, so I have no idea what the songs are called or what they are saying, but the music is great. They play a style similar to PRESSURE POINT, DISCIPLINE, etc. This CD is 10 tracks of melodic skin-core anthems. There are guest spots on the record by members of STILL YOU ALIVE, one off my favorite and little known Japanese HC bands.

CLICK TO DOWNLOAD "STRONG STYLE'S" ALBUM FOR FREE!

Wish this was in English... but what can ya do? Still some solid tunes!

HOLIDAY UPDATE/NEWS !

2009-12-22T12:37:00.000-08:00

CROWD DETERRENT will be releasing their new EP as an online/digital download ONLY in very early 2010. All new songs. A mix of sounds/styles from the early demos up to the more recent releases.

DOMINATE form Tokyo Japan will be doing a split online/free release right here on Hard Ass Digital in early 2010. The other band and date of availability will be announced VERY soon so keep your eyes peeled!

ULTIMO BEATDOWN was in the studio over the weekend and got all but finished w/ 8 tracks of rugged-core. UB's new EP will be available via free Digital Download right here in early 2010 and UB will also play a show or two!

RACE RIOT will be doing a split w/ a band TBA in 2010. No idea yet if it will be a 7"/vinyl release or a CD/Digital release.

SUMMER OF HATE 2010 is already in the works. Venue, dates, and some of the initial bands TBA early 2010. SOH will be bigger and better than all the other years 100%

The Radio App has been updated w/ lots of new stuff like SUBURBAN SCUM, FEAR, CLENCHED FIST, BIOHAZARD, MERAUDER, BODY COUNT, CHOKING ON REALITY, WARZONE, SINNERS AND SAINTS, NOTHING PERSONAL and many more HC and punk jams.

Check it all out here: HARD-ASS RECORDS DIGITAL BLOG 2010 will be a big year on the Hard Ass Digital site! Please check back often as the radio player will only be updated/added to more and more... as well as new downloads, interviews, and much, much more!

ELVES!

2009-12-20T10:57:00.000-08:00

"They're not working for Santa anymore!" that's the tag line used for this ultra obscure and ultra wacky 80's X-Mas horror treat. it has been a while since I did any horror movie stuff, but it's Christmas and I thought this was the perfect gift so here we go!

Grizzly Adams himself stars as the Santa at a local mall who runs afoul of a girl working at said mall who is involved in some kind of mysterious modern day Nazi plot. it seems that she was selectively bred (her grandfather banged his own daughter to give birth to the perfect girl) to mate with the nazi's ultimate creation: ELVES! I kid you not! Supposedly if the Elves bang this girl on a certain night (Christmas) she will give birth to the ultimate human being and this action will bring aboutt "The Master Race" that the nazis had been dreaming of since Hitler.

But hold on, Santa has something to say about this! There's gun-play, horse-play, incest, and wacky monster elves galor! One not to be missed due to the sheer absurdity of the subject matter at hand. What better way to spend a cold, Christmas night than watching this wonderful gift?

Click here to watch/download ELVES!

CLIP form ELVES:

Grizzly Adams interrupts Christmas Dinner to find out the TRUTH about Elves!

HARD-ASS RADIO IS HERE!

2009-12-14T12:45:00.000-08:00

Unless you are deaf, you noticed that there's a streaming app that randomly plays songs on the blog now. We will be tinkering with this, adding new songs/playlists from time to time. We will play any hardcore/punk music that we see fit. We will put music up that we like, if you'd like to submit your band's music we will be more than happy to check it out, just do not be sad if it doesn't get posted. If you don;t like a song, go to the next one, maybe you'll like it? Maybe not? We post new stuff as well as classics. As usual, we don't make a dime off any of this. At any rate, we will do our best to bring you lots of quality stuff as always!

Current playlist includes: CREEPOUT, UNFORGIVEN, AMERICAN WEREWOLVES, JOHNNY VOMIT, VISION, YOUTH BRIGADE, WISDOM IN CHAINS, TOTAL CHAOS, JOHNNY VOMIT, BLACK LARSON, COLD AS LIFE, MASAKARI, TSOL, KNUCKLEDUST, THE EXPLOITED, GUT INSTINCT, RACE RIOT, CROWD DETERRENT, THE STRUGGLE, TURBO LOVERS, UNREAL CITY, and more!

NEW ULTIMO BEATDOWN EP

2009-12-02T09:14:00.000-08:00

Ultimo Beatdown's new EP "RUGGED" will be out sometime in 2010 here on the HARD ASS Digital Blog. It will be a free release and will have new material as well as re-recorded material form the Demo and WAR OF THE GARGANTUAS EP. The songs will be more of the same: the mysteries of the universe, hard luck, and work wear will all be covered in detail to a mix of NYHC, beatdown, and stoner rock. Prepare for the Rugged excursion!

NEWS! NEWS! NEWS!

2009-11-18T07:55:00.000-08:00

Here's some news you can use (or not):

CREEPOUT is going to be releasing a full length on NGS RECORDS which has changed ownership from our good friend Jason in Chicago to our good friend Dan in Massachusetts. This will be Creepout's 1st full length after many years of EPs, splits,l and demos. Here is a video of Creepout playing on their recent tour w/ VEGAS and INTEGRITY video as well for you to enjoy:

RACE RIOT played their 1st show on Nov 7th and it was a success. The demo is still available for download via the history on this blog at right. The band will be playing more shows in the future, like the one shown ----> on Dec 4th in Cleveland!

CROWD DETERRENT is in the process of re-mastering/re-engineering all of their studio and demo material. Original Drummer DAVE PIETAK is working on obtaining all of the material and some of
the material will have vocals re-recorded and it will all be re-worked so the songs will all have superior quality. This will be the deinitive Crowd discography. The band has 5 new songs all finished but no idea as of now exactly how/when they will be released. Also, Dave will be re-joining the band on drums and Steve will be playing bass.

That's about all for now. Please feel free to check out the blog history for lots of downloads, interviews, and more!

SUBURBAN SCUM (NJ) INTERVIEW + NEW TRACK

2009-10-19T10:45:00.001-07:00

NJ's SUBURBAN SCUM play straight-up East Coast Hardcore. I was impressed with them when they played at this year's SUMMER OF HATE. Check out the interview w/ vocalist Ryan below, and also be sure to check out a new track form their upcoming EP "Internal War" via the link below!

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD NEW SUBURBAN SCUM TRACK from "INTERNAL WAR" EP!

HARD-ASS: Tell us about SUBURBAN SCUM: how long ago did the band start? What kind of releases have you done? Where the did the name come from

RYAN: Suburban Scum started in July 2007 as a complete joke. Me and my drummer Sam were at a party and said we wanted to start a NYHC influenced band since that's what we are into. He said what should we call it. I said Suburban Scum. It fit perfect being as me and him are complete scumbags for the most part or were and we are from the suburbs. Im sure tons of people confuse us for a street punk band but that's not the case. Suburban Scum. Scumbags from the suburbs. As easy as I can put it haha. We have done one super shitty demo that will never see the light of day. Then we did another 4 song demo that again will never see the light of day. Then in the summer of 2008 we did a 4 song demo that we passed around everywhere. We have went through tons of member changes and a bunch of stuff so honestly I can't even say we were a real band till about a year ago. Once Jeremy stepped in on guitar we started to take things a little more serious.

HARD-ASS: What message do you want to convey to people with your music?

RYAN: I want people to recognize that were not just another heavy band with no meaning behind it. I am a person who struggles deeply with depression and that will convey through our latest EP that is set to come out in the coming months on RTF records entitled "Internal War". I hate when people write stuff off. Maybe its not your cup of tea but it doesn't hurt to taste it. I want people to read the lyrics in the booklet when they get it and feel some sort of connection to it. If I can get even one person to feel what I'm saying then I can honestly say im happy. Everyone in this band is in it for a reason and its all real. Whether people recognize that or not I can't change. Were doing this for us because it gets us through our week.

HARD-ASS: It is difficult to get people these days into substance, esp when playing in a "heavy" band. Why do you think that is?

RYAN: I think it's because of how many bands out there that just write completely senseless shit with no meaning behind it. Just writing music to pass the time. There are a few bands that get over looked because of this and its a shame.

HARD-ASS: Tell us about the scene in NJ. What are some of the best bands? What is going on socially (if anything).

RYAN: New Jersey scene is divided into three parts. Well 4. North, Central, South, and New Brunswick haha let me explain. The cool thing about new jersey is there a ton of local bands and everyone is basically doing something different so there is something there for everyone. It hit a dead spot for a while. South Jersey would stay in south jersey. Central jersey wouldn't travel out of central jersey, and north jersey would stay in north jersey. In the past year tons of things have changed. It seems like a lot of kids are opening their eyes to bands they wouldn't normally open their eyes to. Whether it be mutual friends or whatever the case is it still rules. More and more kids are starting to come out and support almost every show. Jersey has been known to be very very selfish and picky when it comes to shows because of how many bands come through here but lately it seems people are a little more appreciative. The best venue in NJ is the stelton church in Edison which is literally 10 minutes from my house. Always backs out. Shout outs to AV for putting up with everyones bullshit and booking solid shit there. NJ has a lot to offer and it could only get stronger. There are a lot of bands I like here and I don't want to miss and single anyone out so Ill name my top three...Disaster, Black Kites, and Fleshtemple...

HARD-ASS: What kinda fast food joints do you have in your area that are not everywhere else? If I went to NJ... where would you take me to eat to have the best food experience?

RYAN: Well everyone creams their pants over the grease trucks so I would probably take you there. Ill tell you what it consists of. Everything horrible that you should only eat once in a while in one sandwich. Fat night...Cheesesteak, mozarella sticks, fries, grease, marinara, all sorts of shit...At least 3,000 calories in one sandwich and it is filled with greatness. A sandwich you can eat and feel like a piece of shit in a good way if that makes any sense. The Grease Trucks in New Brunswick, NJ. Peep it out if you haven't

HARD-ASS: CDs, Vinyl, or Digital Download: which of these formats do you prefer, and which do you think is going to be relevant in the future as far as HC/punk music goes?

RYAN: I honestly like them all and use them all including tape. I think Vinyl is cool for the collectors. Digital Download is good for the internerds and are super helpful. CDS will never go out of style for me as long as cars are still made with CD players. All of these will most likely be used for ever into the future and beyond. Me personally I think Vinyl is the most personal and is just something awesome to hold onto. I'm not a huge vinylhead but I have a few goodies.

HARD-ASS: if you were not involved w/ or never discovered HC what do you think your life would be like/what would you be doing right now?

RYAN: Jesus Christ I honestly have no clue. its been such a big part of my life since I was about 16 or 17 years old that I honestly really have no clue. I would probably be in a lot of trouble. With what only god knows but I would be in trouble. Hardcore has helped me find myself and become a lot more outgoing and passionate. It's the best therapy and the best outlet for me. If I didn't have hardcore I wouldn't be me. Simple as that and I am so greatful to have it as such a huge part in my life. Now more than ever..

HARD-ASS: What are some of the biggest influances on your band musically?

RYAN: Our biggest influence is the world around us and our own lives. We have all hit rock bottom at some point. Physically and emotionally and this band is that outlet. It sounds corny but life is our biggest influence. I constantly make the worst decisions for myself and I almost can't help but do that. I beat myself up over through this band and its a venting tool. Depression can swallow any human being alive. Our main influences are the ups and down's in life.

HARD-ASS: Would you ever participate in a gang-bang?

RYAN: hahaha wild question. Way out of left field. Siked to answer. I mean you only live once. I'll leave it at that. You only live once. Id probably feel super uncomfortable but I mean I'd try it out. If it was like Me Sam and Jeremy and Fingaz I would absolutely do it. Shit would be an experience. A tale the weird uncle tells when hes like fucking 60 and his nephew is growing hair on his nuts and hiding porn mags under his bed. Long story short. Would I? Yes. Would it be weird? Yup. Would it be a cool story? Yup.

HARD-ASS: What bands do you feel are the most relevent band in HC right now?

RYAN: It's been said a million times before but I really think Trapped Under Ice is doing their thing right now. They are constantly putting flawless releases and standing for something. They write heavy music with tons of meaning behind it. One of the top dogs. I think my favorite band in hardcore is Blacklisted and I have a few reasons. They constantly keep re inventing themselves and progressing. I relate with almost everything George writes and I connect with almost every song. That band does not care what is considered "cool" in hardcore and have made quite a name for themselves in the past 5 years. Blacklisted means a lot to me. I actually saw them last night and they blew me away as usual. "Sometimes I wonder if i'll remember names, of the faces that just went away with age." Keep in mind these are my answers and im sure my opinions are a lot differnt then anyone else in the band

HARD-ASS: if you could go back in time and see ONE band in it's "prime", what band would it be, when, and why?

RYAN: I watch the NYHC documentary pretty frequently and I could only imagine being around when Madball, District 9, and Crown Of Thornz were all sharing the stage. There isn't one band that I would want to see. I wish I could go back in time and be apart of that NYHC period. See all the cb matinees you see videos from. I'm truly jealous and catch chills hard all throughout that documentary. IT was truly something special and was a beautiful thing that they had.

HARD-ASS: if you could change ONE thing about the scene, what would you change

RYAN: The attitudes. Mainly the elitist attitudes. Anyone who thinks that they are someone because of who they know or how long they have been around. Everyone should be in that room for the same reason and I don't feel that with some people. It sucks. Nothings perfect and I truly only worry about myself but in that sense it's something that semi bums me out. I try and talk to everyone. Especially the younger guys. Everyone should feel like they are apart of something special and if they don't then they are missing the fucking point. Straight up

HARD-ASS: Any final words? Anything you'd like to add?

RYAN: Be on the lookout for the internal war EP coming out on RTF records very very soon. Shout outs to all the NJHC heads and bands doing their thing, all our dogs out in Brooklyn, everyone keeping it real. Also my homie Steve Schramm. 1 love. Jah bless.-R.D.T.

Check out SUBURBAN SCUM'S Myspace

AMERICAN WEREWOLVES "KINGS OF THE CLEVELAND STREETS"

2009-10-15T13:49:00.000-07:00

Just in time for Halloween! We are happy to bring you 4 NEW Tracks from The AMERICAN WEREWOLVES upcoming album! Some of these songs were originally from THE COFFIN BROTHERS ep. Download the 4 songs for FREE via the link below and enjoy!

Click HERE to download AMERICAN WEREWOLVES "KINGS OF THE CLEVELAND STREETS" for FREE!

AMERICAN WEREWOLVES "KINGS OF THE CLEVELAND STREETS" Demo

1. WANDERERS FOREVER
2. THE CONTENDER
3. NOTHING TO LOSE
4. KINGS OF THE CLEVELAND STREETS

RACE RIOT "CREW LIFE" DEMO

2009-10-10T08:50:00.000-07:00

Race Riot is an angry, violent punk band from North East Ohio. This band is anti-racist. This band believes that punk and hardcore music should be violent and dangerous. The demo is available for free download via the link below:

Click to Download RACE RIOT "CREW LIFE DEMO"

RACE RIOT "CREW LIFE" DEMO

1. RACE RIOT
2. NO REGRETS, NO REMORSE
3. SILENCE
4. WOLVES AMONG MEN
5. CREW LIFE

Enjoy!

THE STRUGGLE "DISCOGRAPHY"

2009-10-09T13:26:00.000-07:00

The Struggle

THE STRUGGLE was a band from the early 2000's form Youngstown that featured STEVE ASSAULT (Crowd Deterrent), JON BUTTERY, ZACK V (Shelter, Soul Cries, Inner Revolution), BOB DIRENZO, and ANGEL SULLIVAN (Puppet Government). The band played old-fashioned angry, negative hardcore straight out of the 80's, mixing Warzone w/ Black Sabbath. Lyrically the songs were mainly negative in regards to personal struggles/short-comings, plus a few songs about horror movies. The band did a demo, an EP (for Hardcore's Sake), and had 4 songs on the NGS Rceords "Midwest hardcore" compilation. The band played a few shows out of town and mostly shows in the NEOH/Western PA region. They played a mix of punk and hardcore shows. Their style of hardcore would go over well today.

Included here are all the songs the band ever recorded. 18 tracks. The original demo has been re-engineered/re-mastered as well as some of the other songs. Download it for free via the link below:

DOWNLOAD "THE STRUGGLE- DISCOGRAPHY" FREE - CLICK HERE!

1. Intro
2. On The Front Lines (demo)
3. Will i Ever Learn? (demo)
4. In The Past (demo)
5. The Struggle (demo)
6. What The Fuck is Going On?
7. Uglier Than Sin
8. Law of The Streets
9. 18 & Life (Skid Row)
10. Evergreen
11. They Live
12. On The Front Lines
13. Will I Ever Learn?
14. What we Have
15. Self-Destruct
16. 245 Trioxin
17. Y-Town Is Our Town
18. The Struggle

BIG CHANGES!

2009-10-09T09:08:00.000-07:00

I have changed this form a perosnal blog to the official HARD-ASS RECORDS blog. Here is where we will post new HARD-ASS and related releases in the future. Many will be free downloads. Some may cost a few bones. 1st up will be the RACE RIOT demo. We plan on having many more surprises in the future!

All the old posts form the ASSAULTED Blog will remain up for you to check out if you'd like.

DEMONWARP

2009-05-13T11:33:00.001-07:00

DEMONWARP is one of the most absurd movies ever made.

This is quite a statement to make and I am sure you have heard this all before so just hear me out. I 1st watched Demonwarp on USA's Saturday Nightmares as a kid. I remembered that is was a total monster-mash but not much else. As an adult I re-watched it and my mind was completely blown.

80's horror does not get much wackier than this so buckle your seat belts! We start off with a space ship crashing on earth some 100 or so years ago and some kind of religious guy stumbles upon it. Fast forward to now (which was then 1987) and man (George Kennedy) is in a cabin with his daughter when all of a sudden Bigfoot shows up and takes her away. Next we get a carload of teens going to the same place (did I mention the place is called DEMON WOODS?) trying to investigate the strange goings-ons they had heard about and they run into Mr Kennedy who is roaming the woods in search of the monster that took his daughter. Turns out that Bigfoot is really one of the teen's uncles who disappeared in Demon Woods some time ago and he was turned into Bigfoot by an alien who lives in his crashed spaceship in a cave. Said alien has a robot arm and a scorpion tail and lives in a garbage can (it is supposed to be some robot body I think, but it is obvious it's just a garbage can) and is worshiped by a Satanic priest who sacrifices people to him and feeds it their hearts and then turns the victims into zombies who work on repairing the spaceship. Oh, also if the alien stabs you with it's scorpion tail (which sticks out a slot in the bottom on the garbage can) you turn into a Bigfoot!

Absurdity reigns supreme but this movie is watchable. The sheer volume of things going on is enough to keep you watching till the end. The effects are poor at best with a raggedy Bigfoot suit and sub-par gore. There is also an abundance of naked broads around with bouncing boobies. The end, where the alien is revealed, must be seen to be believed.

This movie is one of my favorites for obvious reasons. It is just so silly and combines so many different aspects into one movie: Bigfoot, Mutants/Aliens, Satanic Sacrifice, The Evil Dead/Cabin In The Woods, Zombies, and more! Sure to grab even the shortest of attention spans, this is one of the most watchable "terrible" movies ever made.

Here's a site that I think you can get the movie from:
DEMONWARP DL

Here is the original trailer for DEMONWARP:

JAPANESE HARDCORE

2009-02-25T07:52:00.000-08:00

In the US we tend to think that our HC is superior to HC in all other nations. Many Americans discount bands form Europe, Japan, or any other country other than the US. But over the years there have been many great bands from other Continents. Today I am going to focus on bands from Japan and introduce you to some bands you may have heard of, and others you may have never heard of. I am going to focus more on the bands which have a modern or NYHC sound. Sure, there are many thrash bands (Lip Cream, etc, etc) which are well known, but many of the bands I am mentioning have a different style and sound which is overlooked in the US for the most part.

NUMB this is Tokyo's longest running and most respected HC band. Starting in the mid 90's, NUMB has held it down in Tokyo and is the premiere HC band. They play a heavy 90's type NYHC sound (think Merauder). Numb has shared the stage with mnay American HC legends over the years. Singer SENTA is well known for his collection of HC shirts... one of the biggest in the world, you name it, he's got it. I have seen magazines which feature him and his shirt collection. I got a book of photography which features fliers form Numb's history, as well as top notch live photography from their shows which is a great documentary book that chronicles the band's music, legacy, and impact on the Japanese scene and even art (their artwork is always top notch). The book is called TIME HAS COME, if you can get a copy, it is a wonderful piece of HC nostalgia which will give those unfamiliar a great look into the world of Japanese HC.

NUMB'S MYSPACE

Here's a video which is a preview of the NUMB THC ART BOOK mentioned.

TJ MAXX (aka TERMINAL JUSTICE MAXX) is another of Japan's oldest and most respected HC bands, starting in the early/mid 90's. A staple of Japanese HC. They play a traditional heavy NYHC sound with some more skinhead aspects mixed in some of the material. To Americans the name may sound silly, but their material and legacy speaks for itself.

TJ MAXX'S MYSPACE

TJ MAXX "HARDER THAN THE CORE" VIDEO

CREEPOUT is Japan's Holy Terror inspired band. Kunhide (aka Japanese Clevelander) is credited with "bringing Cleveland to Japan". Heavily influenced by Integrity and One Life Crew as far as sound goes. They have come to the US to play a few shows the past 2 years and have made an impression on all who have seen them. For those who are into the Clevo sound, this is a band which has more influence musically form OLC than Integ, but still keeps that Holy Terror vibe.

CREEPOUT'S MYSPACE

CREEPOUT "MURDARIO STOMP/CREEPOUT" LIVE VIDEO

ETERNAL B is a band out of Tokyo with a really raw early MADBALL/AF mixed with BREAKDOWN feel. Lots of great artwork too... really mixes modern hip hop type stuff w/ traditional NYHC/skinhead imagery to create some great stuff. I was floored when I was given a copy of their LP. Their sound is really angry and raw. This is one of my favorite bands from Japan.

Eternal B's My Space

ETERNAL B LIVE

There are MANY other great bands from Japan. I only highlighted a few. There are bands that p;lay super heavy beatdown HC like DOMINATE and ROCKRIMAZ. There are other traditional sounding bands like GORILLA CROWZ, STILL YOU ALIVE, FACECARZ, LOYAL TO THE GRAVE and many many more bands which are working and playing hard buillding and supporting their scenes in their home towns. Please check out these bands as well as bands form other countries and continents. Like Raybeez sd "UNITED: WORLDWIDE!"

IVAN of UNFORGIVEN Interview

2009-02-10T11:34:00.001-08:00

Ivan is a guy I met while he was touring with Dead Wrong. I was excited to hear his new project UNFORGIVEN. The Ep "LAST OF THE FEW" was solid. Their track on the Reaper Records "MERCY FOR NONE" 7" comp was def the stand-out track. Here are a few questions I asked Ivan for your enjoyment:

Assault: For starters, tell us about Unforgiven. Who's in the band? What past bands were they involved in?

Ivan: Unforgiven is Me, Ivan Murillo who sang for Dead Wrong, Jay Aust from With Honor/Ambitions/Hamartia on Guitar and Sean Martin on bass, who also plays in I Rise and the Risk Taken and Greg Thomas on guitar who has plays in the Risk taken and has played in Zombie Apocalypse and Shai Halud. We are in the midst of trying to find an edge drummer right now but Jon, who plays guitar in Crowns of kings and Joe from Pale Horse has been helping us out as of late.

Assault: So is the band a "Straight edge band"?

Ivan: Yes, wed like to keep it that way but if we dont find an edge drummer soon, that may have to fall by the wayside.

Assaalt: What are the main messages you hope to convey with your band? Lyrically, musically, and live?

Ivan: I think our lyrics convey everything from personal experiences to current events to things we find wrong with the scene. We run the gamut.

Assault: As far as the HC scene goes, what do you feel are major differences between 2009 and 1997?

Ivan: Well, the advent of filesharing, e-stores and the like have made being a HC kid in 2007 easier for sure and some of that definitely has its pluses and minuses. Im not gonna come out and say that "my time" was better because there is alot of good shit going on in 2009 and HC kids of today have there own preferences and stuff. Somethings have changed for better and for worse.

Assault: What was the 1st HC show you ever attended

Ivan: the first HC show I ever attended was in 1994 at the Tune Inn in New Haven Ct. Integrity headlined and I saw two awesome local bands Jasta 14 and Mindwar. I missed Integrity because my friends older brother who took us there said that had a penchant for no showing, so we wound up leaving early. At the time I was just a young buck who had no clue about what I was missing. Looking back on it now, I cant believe I missed a chance to see classic lineup Integrity! So close yet so far!

Assault: Connecticut seems to have a large group of people who loved/were influenced by Clevo HC. Why is that?

Ivan: Hmmmm thats a good question. I think we have impeccable taste in music haha who knows? I remember when Fear Tomorrow came out and was really doing the Integrity sounding stuff that it just kinda snowballed from there.

Assault: If you had to choose an restaurant to eat your final meal at, which restaurant would it be and what would you order?

Ivan: Wow thats a tuff one! Either Roy Rogers, the meal would be 2 roast beef sandwiches, a holster fry, a 3 piece chicken and a large coke. Or it would be at a good Italian restaurant like Tony Dinapolis in nyc and it would be a huge plate of raviolis and a coke.

Assault: Being from CT, and doing a release/being involved w/ Stillborn Records, you had an opportunity to be close to/watch the rise of Hatebreed from just another band on local shows to the biggest band on earth. Any good stories of early Hatebreed shows/dealings with the band/etc?

Ivan: Seeing the rise of Hatebreed from local heroes to International stars was very cool. As far as stories go, there is a great many to think of let me think. Well there was the time at the Webster Theater in Hartford ct in 1997 that they played a show with Earth Crisis and it erupted into a huge riot. The bouncers were being dicks and the kids and the band, Especially Boulder RIP, weren't having it. Next thing you know, total chaos. 10 cop cars out side of the club. The SDS chant from the Death Threat Last Dayz cd is taken from a video of that show. There was just so many Hatebreed gigs that would erupt into violence. It was a scary/fun/exciting time. There was also the time myself and Jay Reason were driving them to the airport to go on their 1st European tour and they missed the flights and wound up cancelling the tour. But before they cancelled they tried to make a run at going so myself, Jay Reason and the band and all there luggage crammed into Jay's Chevy Blazer and it was just dudes sprawled out everywhere. I remember Boulder was behind the wheel and in front it was Jamey with Jay pretty much sitting on his lap. Every time I get the picture in my head of that situation I cant help but laugh haha.

Assault:You recently got married and had none other than THE IRON SHIEK come to your bachelor party. What was it like to meet the Shiek? What kinda things did he do at the party?

Ivan: It was cool to meet the Iron Sheik. He told some stories and would curse out people on the phone for you if you asked him too. His handler was there with him and didnt let him get too ill, unfortunately. The best part was when Sheik was reading the raffle numbers. He would just repeat the number his handler told him to say and the way hed say the numbers......you really had to be there but it was a riot.

Assault: As far as current bands go, what bands do you feel are relevant bands at this point in time in HC?

Ivan: Id say some of the more well known bands like Blacklisted, Have Heart, Death Before Dishonor, Mongloids,Shipwreck, Mind Eraser and Cold World are all relevent and great. I think there is alot of bands that seem to slip under the radar because kids dont think they are cool enough like Living Hell, Fired Up,Crowns of Kings, Shoot To Kill and COA. Im not saying those bands are not popular because they definitely do good but there is no reason why they shouldnt be up there with the first bands mentioned.

Assault: If you had to choose your favorite "type" of pornography, what would it be? (ie: gang bangs/big tits/trannny/cumshot/etc etc)

Ivan: Hahaha great question! I like pretty standard shit. My prefrences are the more amateur low budge style shit. I dont need no storylines or production values ya know? I like pretty standard shit.

Assault: What would your wife say if she saw you say that?

Ivan: Hmmmmm I dont know. She would prob not be suprised. I mean Im a dude we all take a peek at porno every once in a while.

Assault: Amen. If you had to choose one CT band as your all time favorite which would it be?

Ivan: Id probably go with Hatebreed. The old Hatebreed shows are some of my fondest memories of Hardcore.

Assualt: If you could bring one historical figure to modern times via time machine (ala Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure), who would it be and what would you want to do with said person?

Ivan: That is a great question. I think I would bring back Ben Franklin and just have him tell me about all the shit he did. The guy was a jack of all trades.

Assault: You just met a kid who knows nothing at all about HC. What would be the 1st record you would give to them to introduce them to the world of HC

Ivan: I would give them Black Flag- Damaged. That was the 1st HC record I ever heard and to this day remains my favorite record ever. It is hard, angry and abrasive, which is everything good HC should be.

Assault: What do you think about the current state of Straight Edge? What has changed about it since you 1st became involved in it?

Ivan: I think the current state of Straight Edge isn't that great. But there are a lot of great edge bands doing there thing but it seems nowadays compared to when I was younger there are less Edge kids then there has ever been. I'm sure there will be an Edge resurgence at some point. Seems these things always go in cycles.

Assault: Dead Wrong is doing a show coming up. Dead Wrong's "Hellbomb" is a great early 2000's album. It is currently out of print and difficult to find. Any plans to re-release any of that Dead Wrong material?

Ivan: We would like to re-release it and there have been talks but its been put on hold for the time being. We actually planned on recording a couple new songs for the discog and we will probably do so if it ever happens. We are probably going to play a couple more shows as the year goes on too.

Assault: Is there anything else you'd like to say? Upcoming shows/releases/shout-outs/disses etc?

Ivan: Unforgiven has a new song on the Mercy For None comp that just dropped on Reaper Records. It has some great newer bands like Bad Seed, Brick, Alpha and Omega and Naysayer on it. Check that shit out if you can. Also everyone should check out Blackened, Crowns of Kings, Living Hell, Coldsnapct, Phantoms, The Risk Taken and Hostage Calm, who are all from CT if they havent already. Also, Feb 21 and 22 in Waterbury Ct we are having a benefit show for our friend Rob Lotzko who is serving some jailtime right now on a bullshit charge. It is going to be sick. Also wanna shout out to you and Crowd Deterrent and the whole SOSF family. No disses, I gotta keep my shit positive! PMA!

Check Out the following links:

UNFORGIVEN'S MYSPACE

DEAD WRONG'S MYSPACE

GRIZZLY

2009-01-27T11:51:00.000-08:00

Saturday afternoons were made for trashy movies. When I was a kid I watched every Saturday and saw all kinds of horror movies from the 70's and 80's. One of the movies I remember vividly was GRIZZLY (1976). Not to be confused with NIGHT OF THE GRIZZLY (another Cable TV classic).

Grizzly was one of the many movies that were released following the success of JAWS. These horror movies featured monsters that were really just everyday animals. This genre is often called "Nature On The Rampage" or "Nature Run Amuck" or something like that. This genre was a fun one indeed. There were many other great movies like ALLIGATOR, PIRANHA, DAY OF THE ANIMALS, FROGS and many, many more.

The one thing about Grizzly that makes it great is that it is so over the top. The gore is decent for the time, but it is still so unbelievably fake that it is still fun. Most of the movie features attack by a fake bear arm that rips off limbs of it's victims, later scenes feature a real live action bear. In one scene a horse's head is even ripped off! And in a really low scene (even for a movie like this) an innocent little boy (who is playing w/ a bunny) is mauled and has his legs ripped off (ouch!). Usually little kids are at least spared... but not in grizzly! The saving grace I guess is they say that the kid lives (at least "part of him") but it was still pretty low considering. The end takes the cake as a park ranger shoots the 18ft tall bear with a bazooka which blows it up! Whoops! Guess I gave it away... but you probably wanna watch it even more now that you know there's a bazooka involved.

Here's the original trailer for the movie for you to watch if you've never seen this movie before. For those who have seen it, a trip down memory lane. Movies like this are still a great way to kill a boring afternoon. I can't wait till my son is old enough for me to share this junk with him just like my dad did for me. Enjoy!

LET'S GO TO THE RECORD STORE!

2008-12-31T07:32:00.001-08:00

This last weekend I was in NW Indiana visiting in-laws for the Holidays and I took an hour drive into Chicago to go to Reckless Records. I always look forward to visiting Reckless Records because I always seem to find some gems and it's always worth the drive/time.

It reminds me of being a teenager and taking the trip to Cleveland or Pittsburgh (whenever we could find a ride) to go to the record store in the 90's. This used to be an epic event, one that I always looked forward to. I would take whatever $$$ I had and hope that I find something good. Usually we found some real gems, but sometimes we found little or bought some stuff that completely sucked but that was all part of the fun! If you found good records/CDs/cassettes then that hour + drive was well well worth it, if not at least you got to take a trip/hang with your friends. It seems funny, but finding CRUMBSUCKERS "Life Of Dreams" used on cassette was like hitting pay-dirt and was something that made your friends green with envy (I still have and listen to that cassette!).

I feel this experience is something that is all but missing form today's generation. With all the music available at the click of a button online why would today's generation want to waste that gas $$$ and take a trip to search for anything tangible? Gone are the days of having to trudge your way into the real world and do some digging/work to find out about new bands, or finding an old gem that you never thought you'd never find, or even better, taking a chance on something you had never heard of before and giving it a chance based upon the cover art, name of the band, or the record label it was released on. To me, that was always the most exciting and I found out about so many great bands this way. Sometimes I found greatness, other times I found garbage. But to me it was rewarding regardless because I had invested not only my money for the purchase price, but also money for gas as well as a good chunk of my time. Often I was torn between buying one release or the other because my finds would force me to choose. Would that CD still be there the next time I came back? It may be months... this may have been my only chance to find that rare record!

Another great joy at the record store was finding that gem before anyone else could and your friends would be so pissed. "You're dubbing me that on cassette!" they would say. Often, this would be your one and only chance to snag a rare record/CD/cassette. Amazon.com and Ebay didn't really exist yet, so finding an out of print copy of something you had been searching and searching for was really something to get excited about or in some cases, jealous!

Some of the record stores I liked most are the previously mentioned RECKLESS RECORDS in CHICAGO, CHRIS'S WARPED RECORDS in LAKEWOOD (also about a block down the street was B-WARE VIDEO the only all-Horror video store... RIP!), ULTRASOUND RECORDS in CLEVELAND, BRAVE NEW WORLD in PITTSBURGH, IDE'S in PITTSBURGH and KIND SOUND which was right here in YOUNGSTOWN and was open for about 2 years while we were still in High School, but while Kind Sound was open we all scored some great rceords! I got ONE LIFE CREW "CRIME RIDDEN SOCIETY" there and KILLING TIME "BRIGHTSIDE" LP (original) for $5! The label on it sd "NYHC FORM WHEN THAT MEANT SOMETHING". The guy knew what he had, and he wanted to make sure someone who would appreciate it got their hands on it. And someone did! I even saw shows @ Ultrasound Records. We were sad when that store closed. What a great place!

Today's HC education can be administered in the comfort of one's home over the course of an afternoon. You can find any of these releases online I am sure. But finding a real copy... at a steal of a price, that to me is much more satisfying. It's all about the hunt and knowing you invested your time and your money into something. To me that meant something. Don't be lazy. Take a trip out into the world and do some digging. Take some chances. Invest your time and your money into something and maybe it will mean something more to you. And just maybe you'll find something exciting and have a fun time with your friends!

Here are the items I got at Reckless this past weekend... all for $25 total! ICEMEN "re-issue 7"", UNDERTOW "At Both Ends", GUT INSTINCT "Discography", ENDEAVOR "Crazier Than A Shithouse rat", FARENHEIT 451 "If I Knew Then What I Know Now", and TAD "Infared Riding Hood"

HOLIDAY OF HATE

2008-12-22T08:19:00.000-08:00

Last night we did our Holiday HC show @ Mr Roboto Project in Pittsburgh. it was just a small show w/ 4 local/regional bands: UNREAL CITY, ENEMY MIND, DEATHRIGHT and our band CROWD DETERRENT. Me and Rob decided this would be a free show for all and we paid the venue out of our own pockets.

We showed up and it looked bleak. When we showed up no one was there @ the advertised start time. Perhaps it was because the show was on a Sunday? Maybe it's because it was literally 5 degrees out? Maybe everyone was busy with Christmas stuff? An hour passed and Roboto began to fill up. By the time we started to play there was probably about 100 people in there and we were relieved.

All the bands killed it and everyone had a good time. People even drank the egg nog (and custard nog!) I set out and some adventurous souls even ate the awful fruit cakes. I got very sick to my stomach before show's end... thanks to an ill advised combination of egg nog and mosh. There was a nice crowd of diverse people who got to see some of the Pittsburgh area's best bands for free. I feel this area is growing stronger and we now have a crop of bands that are just as good as anywhere else in the country. I am pleased with how it turned out and would like to thank the people who came to the show and the bands who played for free.

Have a happy Holiday of Hate!

SATURDAY NIGHTMARES!

2008-12-15T11:11:00.000-08:00

As a kid in the late 80's through the early 90's I eagerly awaited Saturday nights. I would camp out in the basement and sleep on the fold out couch and watch USA SATURDAY NIGHTMARES and then USA UP ALL NIGHT which ran till 5am or so showing some really trashy T & A movies. I saw some of the best (and worst) horror movies of all time and this sparked my life long love of horror movies.

I have posted the intros and some of the promos from USA SATURDAY NIGHTMARES below. I wish TV shows like this still existed where you could see movies like BASKET CASE, DAY OF THE DEAD, THE OUTING, DEMONOID, VICE ACADEMY, BIKINI CAR WASH COMPANY and much much more. They just don't show movies like that on TV anymore!

Check out the videos posted and enjoy! If you watched these shows this should be a trip down memory lane... if you are too young then please take the time to experience Cable TV when it was at it's finest! USA Network today should hang it's head in shame. All they show is Law & order and Monk... get that shit outta here! Bring back Saturday Nightmares and quality Cable TV!!!

FULL INTRO w/ "THE BROOD" PROMO

"HELLO MARY LOU: PROM NIGHT 2" PROMO from SATURDAY NIGHTMARES

USA "UP ALL NIGHT" BUMPERS

TRAPPED UNDER ICE INTERVIEW

2008-12-09T08:29:00.001-08:00

Interview conducted via e-mail with TUI vocalist Justice. Questions in bold marked ASSAULT. Answers in plain text marked JUSTICE.

Trapped Under Ice is one of the few more recent bands that excite me. They have impressed me on all 3 of their 7" releases as well as the times I was lucky enough to see them live. They are one of the most relevant bands in HC today. I am no Dan Rather, so some of these interview questions are serious and some are not so serious and just for fun. Hope you have fun reading it!

ASSAULT - Tell us what TRAPPED UNDER ICE is for those who may be living under a rock.

JUSTICE - trapped under ice is a hardcore band consisting of 4 gentleman, including myself, from baltimore; and as of a few weeks ago, one gentleman who resides in richmond. together we take influence from what, to us, are the most entertaining aspects of punk rock and hardcore music, to write and perform hardcore our own music.

ASSAULT - You have toured the US and Europe extensively. What were the major differences regarding the US and European HC scenes? What were some of the better bands you saw/played with in Europe?

JUSTICE - as much difference as there is playing in europe, its crazy to see how similar hardcore is. however, they definitely do some things differently over there. they always feed the bands in europe. while in the US its a cool bonus, but rarely happens. i would also add that US hardcore shows can be a little more violent.. maybe? but i guess that all depends on where you go in the US.

ASSAULT - Do you feel that people in the US give proper respect to international HC bands like ones form Europe and Japan?

JUSTICE - I dont think they do. like almost at all. which sucks. europeans seem to be aware of a lot of music all over the world. definitely not the case here. people should definitely check out creepout and numb from japan. they are incredibly heavy. it seems that they have a good thing going on over there in tokyo, i cant wait to check it out. also, as far as europe goes, there is some hard shit coming from that way too - born from pain, cheap thrills, cold snap, knuckledust, ninebar, six foot ditch and way too many more to name. we just released a split 7" with a band called dirty money from london. they took us and LOJ on the road with them in europe and they're a great band. they'll be visiting much of the US with us, reign supreme, and full blown chaos in january.

ASSAULT - You recently did a bigger US tour w/ Terror and some other bands in a package. Were there differences in this tour form the ones you have done when you would just go out alone for a weekend or week?

JUSTICE - the line up was terror, death before dishonor, the warriors, and cdc. it was definitely a lot different on many levels. bigger stages, bigger audiences, a load in time that we actually had to adhere to!! that's some new shit that we werent use to. also, 2 months is a long time on the road. our equipment that we actually did bring broke in 2 weeks, and we would have been fucked but everyone looked out for us. but even with these large differences, one thing remains the same and that was the hardcore mentality that all the bands maintained. all the bands looked out for us in every way. this was our first big thing and we learned a lot, but if we weren't on tour with real hardcore bands we'd have been stuck in the dessert with no van, no equipment, no hope of playing any shows regardless.

ASSAULT - What was the best show on that tour?

JUSTICE - Honestly i would say cleveland was in the top 3. some, not all, of the cities we played before cleveland were a little rough and i kept telling everyone that it was going to change in ohio. i was definitely right. shit was madness. to add to it we have a lot of really good friends in ohio that made the experience that much better. i couldn't pick a single best show.

ASSAULT - What was the most memorable eating establishment you ate at on tour?

JUSTICE - Mikey hoods took us to this incredible spot. i wish i could recall the name. its funny because EVERYONE in california claims to know where the best burritos are, and they're typically wrong. mikey hoods was definitely correct. his spot ruled. otherwise, i mean, not that i need to tour to go there, but chipotle. thats my favorite. we eat there like 3-4 times a week on tour.

ASSAULT - Has anyone in the band ever shit or pissed their pants on tour? If not, any close calls? Graphic detail please.

JUSTICE - best questions. shit happens. i mean its happened on tour. ill have to save the details though!!

ASSAULT - What do you think is the most negative aspect of the current US HC scene?

JUSTICE - kids who dont get out of the house to actually experience hardcore. kids who pretend to be jaded because they think it makes them look cool, because they saw a cool guy on a messageboard and he was hating. must be what cool kids do, right? kids who talk shit on the internet all together. shitty promoters who bail on shows, or dont pay bands. fools that try to make some money for themself for not doing shit. closed minds

ASSAULT - What do you think is the most positive aspect of the current US HC scene?

JUSTICE - having a place to go and learn new things about the world and people. kids who use the internet as a way to promote true hardcore. good promoters, who book reliable gigs and take care of bands. people who contribute. open minds.

ASSAULT - What ONE band has had the most influence on you musically?

JUSTICE - crown of thornz. i think this is kind of an obvious one. its been my favorite band in the world for a decent amount of time now. consciously or not, a band that means that much to you will have a great influence on your music

ASSAULT - Baltimore is one of my favorite places to play/attend a show. For those who do not know, please tell us about the current HC scene in Baltimore MD.

JUSTICE - we've got a good thing going in baltimore. lots of diverse bands. solid venues. young new kids coming out as well as a lot of the guys who've been into it for a while. what i think is cool about baltimore is it seems to breed hardcore kids with open minds. kids will check out and show respect to any bands that are doing there thing. you'll see a lot of the same people at a stout show that you will see when ruiner plays.

ASSAULT - If you could go back in time and score with ANY chick in history, who would it be? Explain yourself!

JUSTICE - tough question. maybe marilyn monroe? she was such a babe. typical answer i guess.

ASSAULT - What do you hope people can take away form your music whether they are listening to your music or seeing your band live

JUSTICE - hardcore lives!

ASSAULT -What is the most difficult aspect of touring in an underground HC band?

JUSTICE - being broke as fuck and coming home to the reality that you're still broke as fuck.

ASSAULT - Do the current economic woes have an effect on your band?

JUSTICE - well obvious shit like gas prices and such. luckily gas has gone back down a bit. but definitely the economy effects each of us as individuals, and thats what we are. we're 5 individuals who, as long as we can afford to, come together to write music and play it everywhere possible.

ASSAULT - How do you feel about the current economic & political atmosphere in the US?

JUSTICE - sometimes i feel like i dont have a lot to look forward to in the future. just more obstables in between me and "normal" life. though, i could be ok with that. atleast at 22. not forever.

ASSAULT - If you had never discovered HC music, what do you think you'd be doing with your life right now?

JUSTICE - construction. id like to pretend i would have went to school, but i would have probably quit that regardless.

ASSAULT - What is your all time favorite breakfast cereal?

JUSTICE - lucky charms yo!

ASSAULT - What do you hope to accomplish with TUI in the future?

JUSTICE - one of our main goals when we started this band was to not limit ourselves musically, but take aspects from everything we like to branch out and spread the hardcore message. i dont mean playing pop and playing it off like were still a hardcore band; but having something for most everyone that could be attracted to hardcore music.

ASSAULT - Any last words/shout outs/etc? Say whatever you'd like

JUSTICE - shout out to reaper records, a389, dead and gone records. thanks to KM at rock vegas and mission merch for looking out since day 1. ohio has some of the best spots to play hardcore music in 2008. all my homies in richmond. computers are cool but give them keyboards a break every now and again, and give the mosh pit some special attention. and everyone keep an eye out for that new NAYSAYER shit.

Please be sure to check out TUI when they are on tour. Also be sure to pick up any/all of their releases. If you are into straight up/NYHC it will not disappoint. Baltimore HC has been pumping out some of the best bands in HC for some time... please do some digging to find any/all bands mentioned in this interview and all the others that may not have been mentioned!

LIVING BULLDOZER

2008-10-31T10:42:00.000-07:00

I can remember being 16 and in a sea of people. Wearing my gardening gloves w/ an X on them in clothing that was ill-fitting at best. Weighing all 145 lbs (if that) just waiting. Waiting for the band to walk on stage. Waiting for them to hit that 1st note. Waiting to explode. As soon as the band hit that 1st chord, I was off along with many of my peers. We were pushing and shoving with all of our might like human bulldozers to clear out space.

Space for what?

Space to dance!

Once there was enough room to move around freely, it was time to do our hardest and most intimidating moves (or what at the time we thought was intimidating) to make sure that wall around the dance floor did not cave-in. If it did, it was time to put your back to the living wall, spread out your arms, and push backwards with all of your strength.

This is something I rarely see at shows nowadays. A decade or so ago, if you went to a Snapcase or Sick Of it All Show, these actions were the norm. Now the dancefloor is already cleared... usually all the way to the very back wall of the venue. There is no more circle to mosh in, and no more work to clear out said area. Now it is usually just a huge open space in which no one makes any contact... unless they are hitting the person standing 50 feet across the room from them backed up against a wall. Moshing has become much more violent in general which is the main reason for this.

Things will be how they will be, though. Times have just changed and there are kids today who will never really get to experiance what I have described above. I always enjoyed that rush when the band 1st came on stage, and the battle to be able to do your dance moves. There were many shows where I recall having conversations with my peers as to whether or not we'd be able to dance, and we'd all get together in the center to clear out a space before the band got on stage. Some shows, the crowd was mostly punk/metal types, or other outsiders, esp at larger shows. At this time, there were a lot of people who were still in the dark as to what HC was and what HC dancing was. Often the push-mosh would over-take the dancefloor (the push was your enemy), or the crowd would swallow-up any space to be able to move and all your hard work was swallowed-up.

Often, fights would occur, usually with one of the outsiders or someone not very well versed in the ethics of the dancefloor with it's arms being thrown and kicks being spun or the process of keeping the floor open. As I recall, most fights at shows were with/against outsiders, and usually not between people within the scene. Sometimes some kinda beef would emerge between regulars, but not often.

To be able to dance was often an effort which took many people, some of whom you knew well, others you did not, but you always at least recognized their framiliar faces, and real always recognized real, which put you on the same team with the same goal. The mosh today is easily had. The battle for the dancefloor no longer exists... for better, or worse. But I will never forget the rush of my years as being a Human Bulldozer and the friends I made in the process. Many of whom I probably would never have met otherwise.

Asian Invasion in Retrospect

2008-10-22T09:21:00.000-07:00

It's been about 2 weeks now since our 16 friends went back home to Tokyo, Japan. If you read my previous blog, you know who and what I am talking about. From Thursday Oct 9th until the night of Monday October I spent countless hours (and well over 1000 miles) driving my old minivan (which was dragging on the ground in the back) along with many other friends who drove 16 Japanese friends from Cleveland, to Baltimore, to Pittsburgh, to Cleveland (again) back to Youngstown, and then to Cleveland (again).

Thursday Night (the 9th) we drove up to Cleveland Hopkins Airport where we picked up 11 Asians. We were excited to see our friends whom we had met before: Kunhide, Dr Feelgood, etc etc. Also just as exciting was meeting some new faces. After a short mishap with some missing luggage, we loaded up our cars (and I mean LOADED) and drove back to Youngstown. On the car ride back we talked and the language barrier (which was very difficult the 1st time) was much easier for everyone. We got home and everyone went to sleep. The next day would be a very long one...

Friday we loaded up and headed to Baltimore. It took about 6 hours and we arrived on time. The show's line-up was STOUT, TRAPPED UNDER ICE, CROWD DETERRENT, BACKHAND, CREEPOUT and NUMB. Our friends from Baltimore (Danny/Charles/Backhand) had picked up 5 more Asians at the Baltimore airport who would join our cavalcade of minorities and foreigners. The show's attendance was great. Numb set up and walked on stage. They started playing and everyone was eager to hear them... they played sloppy and shouted to the sound guy to fine-tune the sound in the monitors... after 2 sloppy songs and a lot of fine-tuning... Numb walked off stage, much to the confusion of everyone at the show. Was THAT their set??? No, it wasn't, because in Japan, hardcore shows are a much more professional ordeal than it is here in the US with bands doing a real rehearsal/sound check before the show. In American all you do is tap the mic and rip into your set. I ran back stage and told Senta "You have to go back out there! You only have like 15 minutes left for your set time!" they seemed a little confused since American shows are not run quite like Japanese shows but I got them ready to go back out and announced to everyone on the mic what had happened. Numb walked out and ripped into the intro to the Cro Mags "We Gotta Know" and then ripped through the rest of their set. This was my 1st time seeing them, as well as everyone at the show. Numb had never played in the US before, but they have been playing in Japan since 1995. They were incredibly hard and tight, people went off. it was refreshing to see people give such energy to a band they had never heard before... but I have to admit, it would be difficult not to be motivated to move for that band because they were really one of the more solid bands I have ever seen. Creepout got just as good of a response. People went off and sang along. STOUT and TRAPPPED UNDER ICE both killed it as well, the Japanese guys were very excited to get to see both of these bands in their hometown of Baltimore.

After the show we decided to drive about an hour towards Pittsburgh and find a place to crash... this didn't work out too well. Turns out that along rt 70 there were no hotels available because some wacky festivals or something were going on that weekend. So we just kept going to each exit, hoping to find some rooms. We all ended up getting separated and my van load crashed at 5am with 11 of us in 2 rooms. Rob's load of 10 people tried to cram into 1 room at a hotel across the street, but were kicked out in no less than 5 minutes. No one slept very well that night.

The next day we drove to Pittsburgh and all met-up at Pittburgh Mills Mall and then our friend Mike's house. We got to the show @ Roboto at 7:15. The show was supposed to start @ 7:00 and was way overbooked. We had to rush to get everything set up. UNREAL CITY, AMERICAN WEREWOLVES and STEEL NATION kicked off the show and were both A+. This show's turn-out was great as well. NUMB and CREEPOUT took the stage and blew everyone away for the 2nd night in a row. Roboto was wild and violent as usual, Senta from Numb commented on it being one of the most violent shows his band had ever played. We capped the night off by hanging out at the famed Wall across form the O at Pitt University. There were about 50 or so people hanging out eating pizza, and the cops decided to park their cars right on the sidewalk in front of us to make sure we didn't cause any trouble...

That night we drove back to Youngstown. The next day we hung out and grilled, and everyone relaxed. We took the Asians to WORK WEAR DEPOT where they had a field day. Dickies, Carhart, and the like are all very expensive in Japan (they told us Dickie's pants run $50 a pair!). They all loaded up on flannel shirts, Dickie's pants, and all manner of rugged American work wear. Later we loaded up and drove to Cleveland for the last show. The turnout was far better than expected (we thought this would be the dud of the 3 shows) and once again, NUMB and CREEPOUT blew the roof off the place.

The last day we took them to a hotel in Cleveland by the airport so they could grab a shuttle there in the morning when their flight left. Some of them cried tears as they said goodbye. Our journey was over. We were all sad to see them leave.

The weekend was refreshing. We gave all the $$$ we were paid for the shows to CREEPOUT and NUMB. Our goal was to bring their music to the US, and we succeeded. Releasing their songs, as well as bringing them here to play live was our goal, and both were accomplished. it was great to see people mosh and sing for NUMB, a band they had never heard of before seeing them. This is rare today, most people do not even give their energy for bands that release easily accessible records here in the US. It was a great display of the attitude and spirit that 1st got me into HC when I was a teen. People of all races, people from the other side of the earth, people in different states... all coming together to have a good time and support some strangers they had never met before.

I was greatful to see all my friends form there again, and meet new ones like Senta, Ill-T and the rest. I am glad Kunhide, Dr Feelgood, and the others got to meet my son Bruce. I wish Japan wasn't so very far away. We look forward to seeing everyone again next year!

BRINGING TOKYO, JAPAN to the USA

2008-10-07T07:44:00.001-07:00

This upcoming weekend is the yearly visit from our friends from Japan CREEPOUT. We will be doing 3 shows with them (and NUMB, also from japan) in BALTIMORE, PITTSBURGH, and CLEVELAND October 10th, 11th and 12th.

More important than the shows is how we got to know the guys form Creepout and how we became great friends despite living on opposite sides of the planet. One day, me and Rob were sitting at the tattoo shop doing our usual online search for international HC bands. We are big fans of bands from Europe and Japan, as well as other places in the world. We feel there is a wealth of great HC outside of the US which gets overlooked because of pompus attitudes of US superiority, so we search for new bands that we do not get exposed to and the internet has opened the flood gates for us to do so. On the mentioned day, me and Rob found a band form Japan called CREEPOUT. Thye had logos with the Cleveland Indians Chief Wahoo, and the singer's name was "JAPANESE CLEVELANDER". They had a great Clevo influenced sound (OLC/Integrity mixed w/ NYHC) and they seemed like they loved Northeast Ohio. To us, this was a sign. It was a sign that these were people we would get along with great. Also, their music ruled. We wanted to not only meet them, but we wanted to bring their music to the US.

We contacted them and Clevelander (Kunhide) told me he comes to Cleveland every year to see Cleveland Indians games, so we asked them to do a split record with us, and met him up in Cleveland the next time he came to see an Indians game. The 1st time we met, he and his friend (Ychiro) could barely speak english, and I could not speak ANY Japanese, so it was a bit awkward and difficult to communicate. We took them to see Ringworm (one of their favorite bands0 at some awful metal bar in Cleveland... the show was terrible (due to the venue and the crowd of 90% middle aged metal dudes) but they were excited to see Ringworm and meet Human Furnace (they thanked me as though I had introduced them to God). I stayed with them at their hotel that night and we talked more as the language barrier started to break down. The next day i took them to the rceord store and then to Rob's tattoo shop. We had a BBQ and played a show for them in the lobby of the tattoo shop and lots of people came and had a blast. They said it was better than any of the shows they had flown over to attend in NYC of anywhere else. We were sad to see them go home.

Soon after we released our split CD with them and me rob and some others would keep in touch w/ Kunhide, as well as many of his friends in Japan on a daily basis. We sold 500 copies of the CD which we self released on a DIY level on our own HARD ASS RECORDS, mainly in our region where we play shows (NEOH/Western PA) but we also sold them on the internet to ppl all over. Creepout came to play 2 shows that year in the fall and both shows were great, people travled from far off to come see Creepout, and before their set in Cleveland the entire crowd was chanting CREEPOUT! CREEPOUT! CREEPOUT! until they exploded into the 1st riff and the place exploded into one of the wildest sets I have ever experienced. Bodies, fists, couches being thrown... I even saw a guy running around and hitting people with an empty milk jug full of rocks! Truly one of the best shows I have been to in all the years I have been attending, playing, and setting up shows.

At that moment I realized we achieved our goal. We brought Creepout's music to the US, and more importantly, we made some wonderful friends form the other side of the earth in the process. It has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. Who'd have thought that just checking a band out on the internet would lead to all this?

We have just released another split w/ another band from japan (Numb) and we are looking forward to bringing their music to the US as well. Please keep your ears open to music from other countries, HC does not exist soley in the US.

Check out CREEPOUT at their My Space:
http://www.myspace.com/creepout

Who are you and where are you from?

2008-07-09T13:08:00.000-07:00

I have lived in Youngstown, OH my entire life. Where I am from is something that I am proud of (despite it's NUMEROUS and obvious short-comings) and have always done my best to represent who I am and where I am from proudly, and I know that all of my long-time friends from here feel the same as well. I do not just see myself as a representative of my home city, but rather my entire region (Northeast OH/Western PA). I feel EVERYONE should see themselves as a representative of wherever it is they are from. Otherwise, who are you?

In Hardcore, when I was a teen I remember seeing bands which you could always tell exactly where they were from based upon their sound. "Regional Sound" was what it was. Also, a lot of the time you could tell where someone was from just by looking at them... their style of dress and mannerisms could tell you a lot. Today, this is not so much the case. A band that sounds like it is from NYC can be from California, and a band that sounds like it is from Cleveland can be from Europe or a band from NYC sounds like it's from California... in fact, there's not very many bands anymore that I really think "I know EXACTLY where this band is from!" after hearing just a few songs. Also, seeing a band in their hometown, that used to be something special. Seeing a scene's boss band play their hometown was the craziest show you could see that band play... and getting to do a show w/ them was an honor and privilage. Going to a different city used to mean having to learn/respect their customs. Evey place had it's different mosh styles ( and in lots of places some of the things you may do at home were not acceptable), it's different crews, different styles of dress, and different/unique sounding bands. There are still some places and people that are like this, but they are few and far between.

Many scenes have simply lost their identity. I have noted a major decline in the idea that you have to support the bands, promoters, and people from your home region in order to have a strong, functioning scene. People are looking elsewhere. The grass always seems greener somewhere else, and driving out of town to go to a big fest, or a city that has cooler/hipper shows/people is all too easy now that everybody "knows" everyone via My Space. A person or band can be blacklisted from their scene for being a thief or an all-around cock sucker (a decade or more ago, this was like a death sentence) but now all you have to do is get on My Space and beg for shows in other places and your band can tour all over and never even have to play in your home city or you can just go elsewhere and blend into the crowd of all the others who do the same. There are tons of bands and people who do this. I mean, don't get me wrong, stuff like this happened in the past, but the internet has made it so much easier to just by-pass your local scene. Bands no longer have to pay dues. They no longer have to work hard in their hometown and build cred and hook up touring bands w/ good shows in their hometown order to get ones in other places... My Space bulletins will take care of that. Post enough of them and someone will book your band. There are hundreds of hack bands who's demo should never make it past their city limits.

In the late 90's we worked hard to build a scene in our town of Youngstown. For a 5 year period, we had regular shows. the shows were not the biggest in the world, we would not have 500 people show up or anything, but we had enough people and bands to have a functioning scene w/ regulars who attended every show. The scene we had was independant of surrounding cities like Cleveland and Pittsburgh and we had our own mosh styles, crews, sound, and ethics. Even though everything fell apart and now nothing is left of those days, we are still proud of the work we did and what we accomplished by putting our city on the hardcore map... at least for a little while. We hope that someday it will rise again, but the attitudes we find form the new generation do not have any interest in building anything here. They are only interested in touring and conquering the world... only problem is, without a homebase to stand on, that is a tough thing to accomplish. Scenes like ours used to pop up all over, and most faded away... but some remained and endured.

I miss the days of local and regional scenes. If you come form a place that has a strong local scene/sound/etc... please support it. Don't let it die. Support the bands, promoters, and people that represent your scene. Me and my friends do our best to try and build something in our area which will be unique and special. Something that if you come here for a show, it will leave a lasting impression. All the fancy shoes and My Space friends in the world cannot compare to the sense of pride and accomplishment that comes from knowing that a band from your town blew-up because YOU supported them. Knowing that your scene is respected as a result of YOUR work and support. Knowing that YOU are part of something real.

Respect to the people who work hard to support their local scenes. The promoters who book grass roots shows. The bands who support touring bands. The bands who are writing songs with a distinct/unique sound which indentify them and your area. And to the people who devote their time and money on a regular basis to support the promoters and bands.

Are you proud to be who you are and where you are from?

Headaches & Rewards

2008-07-06T06:21:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we did our big yearly show that we throw each year called SUMMER OF HATE in Cleveland. Me, Rob, and Trevor set up the show and we were concerned that due to rising gas prices and the overall current state of division in the world of "hardcore" in 2008 that the show may not go so well.

I showed up to the show at 5:30 (late) and the show was to start at 6. There was already a line of people standing outside and a good number of others scattered down the street... our worries of a show w/ low turn out were put to ease. at this point I was running around with a clip board trying to find and organize the bands and tell them exactly when and where they were playing. I then went into the club and the people working there told me the schedule of times/bands differed from the one they were given previously... and tried to tell me that mine was incorrect. After some time and talking to 10 different people, it was straightened out. At this point, it was 6:15 and the doors had not been opened and we were already off the time schedule which we made for the show. Furthermore, the venue told me they would not let anyone in the show without being patted-down and searched for weapons. As people were finally allowed to start to trickle in (and I do mean trickle) the 1st bands had to be started at the same time to allow all 13 bands ample time to play and stick to our posted time schedule. Also, coordinating equipment for the bands to use, trying to get the guest lists sorted out (the venue didn't want to allow 7 PEOPLE for the entire show!) and whatever else was going wrong. At this point, I remembered why I stopped doing shows 5 years ago.

Eventually, everything was back on track and any/all troubles of the early goings ons were forgotten. All the bands showed up and played at the scheduled times and everything ran smoothly. We got over 300 people to come to a show which was booked, promoted, and run by us... for us. There were no fights, but there were quite a few broken noses and jaws (including mine). All the bands were either the best of the best bands from our region and bands that we felt best represent the best in HC from the US. At the end of thre night we were paid exactly the amount of $$$ by the club that we had promised the bands and we paid every dime (plus some extra out of our pockets) to the bands. Myself, Rob, or Trevor made no profit (as promised). In a socialist/ideal world of hardcore, all shows would go this way, but usually someone makes a profit off a show (whenever there is one to be made, of course), or someone gets in a fight, or some bands cancel... but that's just reality. I am just thankful that all of our work provided a great time/show for everyone who attended and all the bands that played. To me, that was enough justification for all of the headaches and hard work we put into it and was a far greater reward than any profit we could have made off the show if we'd have charged double the price for admission. Also, seeing old faces come out that we have not seen in years was great and also reward enough.

Every band played a great set. WISDOM IN CHAINS ended the night with an hour+ set which included the majority of their material from all of their albums and blew the roof off the place. It was great to see so much energy after such a long, hot, and physically demanding show. We had been worried that the crowd might not have any energy left by the end to give to bands like KNOW THE SCORE, STOUT, and WISDOM IN CHAINS, but all the bands had awsome sets and it was great at the end of the night to talk to the bands and hear them ask us "when can you bring us back???". All the other bands (NO END IN SIGHT, BACKHAND, A DEATH & A PROMISE, TASTE THE STEEL, RIGHT IDEA, COFFIN BROTHERS) all gave it their all as did the crowd. it was great to see so much positive energy and pretty much no negative energy come out of the show.

We look forward to doing the show again next year. Please support your local bands and promoters who are doing shows by us, for us.

HOOLIGAN DAYS

2008-06-17T08:24:00.000-07:00

Everyone has memories of "the best of times". Talking to old friends, we all seem to agree that the memories of one time and one place in particular stand out above all others. That place was HOOLIGAN INK. I ran into a guy just the other night, and he sd "It's a wonder no one ever died at that fuckin place!"... no statement could be more true regarding Hooligan's!

Hooligan's is a tattoo shop on the South Side of Youngstown, OH... aka "The Armpit of America", and sometimes "Murder Capital of America" (some years). Hooligan's was no ordinary tattoo shop. There were regularly hardcore and punk shows in the basement staring in 1999. The basement was dark, creepy, and covered with graffiti. You walked in to the shows from the back alley (which regularly had stolen/chopped cars, gutted and sitting on blocks) and down a creaky hallway (watch your step... you might fall through one of the holes) and as you approached the stairs to go down, you saw in front of you the infamous "THIS WAY TO HELL" sign on the wall at the bottom of the stairs. Once you got down there, you saw walls covered w/ graffiti and blood (the "Blood Wall" was a wall where you would rub the blood your wounds, usually head wounds), and often you'd see a giant rat (or rats) scurry away. Sometimes the floor was covered in water (or even sewage) because the pipes leaked or got broken during a show. The poles that supported the ceiling were wrapped in barbed wire. Displayed proudly on the wall were crude weapons like baseball bats w/ nails through them and axe handles wrapped in barbed wire... and they looked like they had been used! All this was what you saw before the show even started!

Hooligan's shows were "anything goes" and were generally wild. Since it was in a bad part of town, only die-hards came to the shows... outcasts and ugly types were the norm, the rest of the sheep steered clear. There was NEVER a fight at ANY Hooligan's show... and for good reason. One look at the people at the show and the neighborhood.... you knew that no one was coming to save your ass if shit got out of hand. The staple of Hooligan's shows was CROWD DETERRENT who played nearly every show, and PITBOSS 2000. We tried to bring in the best of the best of bands we could get to play such a dump at the time, here's a few of the bands that came through and played Hooligan's: PITBOSS 2000, KILL YOUR IDOLS, INDECISION, BLANKS 77, 25 TA LIFE/COMIN CORRECT, RUN DEVIL RUN, REACH THE SKY, ONE LIFE CREW, PROBLEM SOLVER REVOLVER, MUSHMOUTH, DEATH BEFORE DISHONOR, DONNYBROOK, and many many more. The shows often featured skinheads running around w/ ski masks, and people wielding machetes. Straight Edgers and drunks moshed side by side, mowhawked punks and varsity jacket wearing hardcore folk smashed one another on the dancefloor. Age, style, race... none of that mattered. If you were into underground/angry music, you loved the shows at Hooligan's.

The best show/pinnacle of Hooligan's was the "Final" Pitboss 2000 show. This show featured PITBOSS 2000, CROWD DETERRENT, PROBLEM SOLVER REVOLVER, and NO RETREAT. The basement was filled to capacity (see the pic below)
It was difficult to tell where the crowd ended and the band began. At the end of the show, MEAN STEVE form One Life Crew came out and preformed 3 songs from CRIME RIDDEN SOCIETY. He had not been seen at any show for years, and this was pre-OLC reunion. Steve came out, sd very little, and the place erupted. Those 3 songs were one of the most fun times I have ever had in my entire life. I still watch the video of those songs and get chills. (pic below from OLC set)

(Pic below: 25 ta Life) The shows went on for about 4 or 5 years, then they died off. there was a "final" show featuring CROWD DETERRENT, DONNYBROOK, INTERNAL AFFAIRS and LOSING STREAK. The show was disappointingly uneventful until the final band, Crowd Deterrent played... then the place erupted into a frenzy of punks, skins, straight edges, and any kind of person you could think of moshing, stomping, kicking, swinging weapons, throwing fireworks... just what everyone had expected form the get-go. It was a fitting finale... although there was one more event at Hooligan's, the Crowd Deterrent "Down To Throwdown video was shot there.

I could probably write for hours about all the things that happened there. All the people who came and went and even passed away. The daily antics and characters that worked at and hung out at Hooligan's could fill a novel, but I just wanted to focus on the shows. It was a place where there were literally no rules. You could do whatever you wanted. It was truly a wild place which was not for everyone... many were too scared to even attend a show there, even if a band they liked was playing. I can recall bands that I booked to play there, and I would tell them to watch when they got into town, and to not turn off the main roads if they got lost... they would tell me "yea yea yea... we're from Brooklyn! We can handle it", and then when the same band pulled up to Hooligan's, they looked at me in astonishment and sd "What the fuck kinda place is this??? Is our van gonna be safe here? It looks like someone drove a tank through this city!" and I replied " I dunno... you're from Brooklyn... you tell me".

Hooligan's will forever stand out in my mind truly as the best times of my life. Where else could you see someone getting their head stitched up in the back alley with a needle and thread against a backdrop of a burned out/stolen car? Where else was there a mile-long spool of barbed wire sitting out for you to literally do as you pleased with it? Where else would you go to a show and see a refrigerator thrown at the crowd? Where else could you mosh in raw sewage? Nowhere, there's where. (pic below: original "Hooligan Crew")

The shop is still in operation today as a tattoo shop, the shows have stopped and the place is cleaned up from the days of wild debauchery. If you go there, and ask nice, they might just let you go to the basement and see where all the action went down.

Summer of Hate 2008

2008-05-27T10:08:00.000-07:00

Me and some of my friends set up a show which we do yearly called SUMMER OF HATE.

The show is an attempt to build strength in our regional scene, but having 1/2 bands from the region and 1/2 bands form out of the area (which are some of the best HC has to offer).

I offer no shameless promotion here. Since the show is NOT FOR PROFIT, how could I? The people who put it on will make no profit, and all $$$'s made will go towards paying the bands. And if we do not make enough we will pay the bands what we promised them out of our own pockets.

We made sure the show cost no more than $6. We did this for a few reasons, 1st because gas is so damn high. 2nd because we wanted to show kids that you CAN do a show for $6. I see shows that have 5 bands, 4 of which crappy locals, and the promoters try and charge $15! This show stands as a testament to all that there are still people who care about the scene and no making a profit, and hopefully it will inspire more kids to selflessly book shows in our region.

Also, we realize that if gas prices continue to escalate, the days of big shows like this will be long gone. So we hope that this show will really be a great time because we do not know if we will be doing this show next year, and even if we do. we do not know if we will be able to bring in out of state bands like STOUT, WISDOM IN CHAINS, and KNOW THE SCORE.

The show's line up is: WISDOM IN CHAINS, CROWD DETERRENT, STOUT, KNOW THE SCORE, UNREAL CITY, RIGHT IDEA, TASTE THE STEEL, POUND FOR POUND, TRICERATOPS, DEATHRIGHT, BACKHAND, NO END IN SIGHT. Show starts @ 6:00pm, it is ALL AGES. There will be 2 stages and a schedule of set times posted. You can get more info at hyttp://www.myspace.com/summerofhate2008

Come out and have a great time with us!