Worlds Collide

The show was at Saint Stephen's Church in Washington DC in spring 1991. The line up was Device, No Escape, Worlds Collide, Turning Point and BURN. At the time Worlds Collide was the only band I wasn't familiar with. Device and No Escape played great sets (they'll both get a post sooner or later) and we watched the next band set up...

They began to play. I would learn later that they were playing the intro to 'Object Of Desire'. We were hooked. Metallic hardcore and just the right heavy beat. As the song hit the first of a few breakdowns, a figure walked out on to the stage and stood to the left of the drums. He began paced back and forth, wringing his hands. The song went on. The tension built. What was happening? Were there vocals at all? As the third build started, the guy sprinted out from his place near the drums and jumped right into the crowd for the first line of the song "SEX! So easily caught in it's snare...".WOOOOAH.


That was my introduction to Worlds Collide. After the set they passed out free cassettes with their three song demo. And that demo was AMAZING...and is a completely different recording than what was released on their 7" or two full lengths.

An early shirt shirt, UPRISE Designs 1991

As they played more shows, out came the zine interviews as well as the critics. And the critics had a lot to discuss. While most bands offered a single shirt for sale, Worlds Collide had an assortment of designs as well as embroidered ball caps and knit beanies. They appeared on 'Hangin With Mtv' (as audience members, but pushed the band on camera). They spoke often about getting their dreams of becoming 'bigger' and the jealousy of other DC area bands who weren't as 'popular' as they were. A bit of a departure from other bands of the time period like AVAIL, Downcast or Mouthpiece to be sure...

Solace Fanzine, 1993

Still, I'll put those early shows up against any hardcore band of the period. The skill and passion was certainly there. Some of the best shows I've ever seen.

+ Download 'Object Of Desire' (7" EP) 1992
+ Download 'Pain Is Temporary' (CD) 1995
+ Download 'All Hope Abandon' (LP) 1994

AND if ANYONE happens to have a copy of that ORIGINAL demo PLEASE get in touch. And as I said before, that original demo is not included in any release. Yes, I know many people think it's part of the 'Pain In Temporary' CD, it's not. That's the EP and the 'Get Ross' Live record. The demo contained no guitar solos, talking samples or wild vocals. It was raw and reflected the live show. Because of that I didn't own any of the above records until AFTER I lost my demo in 1994. They all just paled in comparison.

Connection

It's no secret that we love Avail.  I frequently have "all Avail" days and only listen to their records.  So I figured I'd start my first post of 2010 with a little tribute to them.

The namesake of this blog is from the title of an Avail 7" that came out on Catheter-Assembly in 1992.  It was recorded, but not released before the band broke up the first time.  The guitarist Joe was either about to have a kid, or just had one, and that was that.  I don't know the in's and out's of why exactly- so I will leave it to a page from Bitch Magazine #3 (May 1992) for a first-ish hand (albeit vague) explanation:

Anyhow- I remember hearing that there was an impending break-up and a farewell show.  So on May 1st 1992, some friends and I drove down to Richmond to see them off at The Metro.  Almost 18 years later, I still vividly remember Tim Barry playing the floor tom during the song "March".  Towards the end of the song he picked up the drum and repeatedly hit his head against it.  He was a bloody mess, but totally caught up in the weight and intensity of the moment.  Fucking punk rock.  Enjoy a little recording of the song "Connection" from that show...

Fugazi : A Life Changer

It was 1991. We were both in High School and had a fair amount of experience in the punk / hardcore world. Living in Northern Virgina we had made several evening trips out to the 9:30 Club in Washington DC to see Bad Religion and a few other larger bands. We had even seen Fugazi a few times, crammed in the back of Sanctuary Theater or Wilson Center. At one of these shows I grabbed a flyer for what was being called the 'Punk Percussion Protest' which was to take place on the White House lawn.

Yes, I said the White House lawn. It seems impossible in this post 9/11 world, but back in the 80's and 90's the area around the White House was fairly open. You could drive right by the front and see the large number of protest groups who were essentially camped there. For this particular show the group Positive Force has gained permission to set up their 'percussion' protest group (a large amount of punks banging on old drums, pots and pans, etc) and a small stage. The reason for the protest? The first Gulf War.

It's hard to describe the energy on the stage during that show. It was snowing for part of the set, freezing rain for the rest. Being in the very front was unreal. The drums were spraying water with each hit and the amps were draped in plastic, guitars slick with water. Yet, with all this bad weather just the IDEA that Fugazi would stop playing was impossible. That's why they are one of the best of all time. The message and the music were one in the same...

Askance

Most of the hardcore I gravitate to has some sort of message.  Weather it be about politics, love, tragedy, oppression, prejudice, etc.- I am touched most by music that has a message I can relate to and believe in.  I am also inspired by seeing bands play live.  Few things move me like a powerful, sincere, emotional show.

In the early 90's, Askance embodied both the message and the moving live show.  Hailing from Richmond, they were also somewhat 'local' to the DC area.  Consisting of members from Device, Step Aside, and As It Stands- Askance regularly played shows with the likes of Born Against, Rorschach, Avail, Four Walls Falling, and so on.  They handed out lyric sheets at shows (a practice I still STRONGLY believe in) and talked about song meanings before playing them.  Live, they brought with them an energy and an urgency that could only be pulled off by people that truly gave a shit- which almost always resulted in a floored audience.

Musically they were much more complex than many of the other snare/bass, open E chord bands playing at the time.  No sing-along choruses, no 'mosh' parts, and no guitar solos.  Instead they had complex songs lead by drumming of the likes I'd never heard before (and still haven't).  Anyone who has seen or heard them would agree that the unique, intricate, ants-in-your-pants drumming style is/was the most memorable musical component of Askance.  On the recorded material- the vocals came across much more tame and whiney than in live performances.  At first listen they can be off-putting, but give it a few listens and they grow on you.

Askance was Matt Rankin, Brad Goodwin, Jimmy Anthony, Craig Henry and Jon Bone.  From 1991 to 1993, they put out a four song demo (with Rob Kelshian from Avail, Ipecac, Shadowman on guitar), two songs that showed up on compilations (Old Glory's God's Chosen People and Allied's Emergency Broadcast System), and a four song 7".  The 7" was released on Catheter Assembly, and had a booklet with contributions from all five band members.

Included in each download are scans of the lyric sheets.  I encourage you to read them, as it will give you a better sense of what Askance was about.

Fuck your pride, we stole this.

Demo
Emergency Broadcast System
God's Chosen People
you'll never be the mannequin 7"

Civ Talks Hardcore on 'Good Day Fox' circa 1990

This video is great for a lot of reasons, but my favorite aspect is how the adults act so virtuous while having little to no understanding of their topic. The best person you can find to debate a hardcore frontman is a father of seven kids? That fact alone makes him worthy to discuss this topic? Wow, no wonder kids get so bummed on adults.

And how's that backhanded jab at the end? "Thank you for a sensible discussion on a nonsensical subject..."

In Defense Of Reality? Really?

Yes, in 1990 I was a fan a Shelter. In listening to Quest For Certainty (the CD collection of their first 7"s) I can't imagine why. The music is HARDLY hardcore, the songs are poorly written and those vocals...awful. I mean, beyond awful. Maybe we were all hearing Ray scream like in Youth Of Today in our heads. Add the crummy, bullshit religious garbage...OK, you get the idea.

But in really thinking about it, there were two things. First, there were very few hardcore bands out there at that time that would play so consistently. We were hungry for anything and back then there weren't thousands of My Space pages filled with hardcore. Second, the live shows were incredible. Any one who saw one would have to agree. Ray still had it, throwing himself across the stage, going nuts. Vic on guitar? Unreal. The early shows were amazing. And yes, they would play with all types of bands from Rorschach to Worlds Collide to Born Against (OK, this show was canceled, but still) and all the other heavies of the period.

It's hard listen now and picture those shows, but damn it, they were solid...even with the worst material possible. And that says something. Not sure what...but something.

And just for the hell of it, check out Ray's current website (Krishna yoga! How's that pose?) and Vic's Vedic astrology
readings you can order online (from $9 to $252!) Yikes.

Download Quest For Certainty

The First Judge 7"

Dobek over at Crucial Times has posted a number of MP3 rips from each version of the first Judge 7", New York Crew. Yes, the very first Schism very is posted. An yes, it rules. Dobek has a killer record collection so poke around over there. His site is one of the reasons I got so into The Jam.