BRINGING TOKYO, JAPAN to the USA

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?

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

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

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

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!