T.M.I. blog from July 2008.

In the midst of the escalating homegrown youth scare, where you can’t exit your front door without a puncture wound to a main artery. Allegedly. Historically (and without undermining the real tragedy at the core) this all-encompassing paranoia has made for classic films and imagery. Channel 4’s recent kids and weaponry season packed and pulled a few punches in equal measure.

Looking back a few decades, ‘yob’ culture was documented in such a gloriously trashy way, you can’t help but get dewy eyed for the days of Matt Dillon and company getting passionate in ‘Over The Edge’ for the survival of their youth club (the Huey Newtons of the game compared to Shabba Doo and company five years later in Breakdance 2, fighting the same cause by dancing – but Shabba did choreogaph Three 6 Mafia, so it’s all good) in America’s dullest community – New Granada. It’s not dated too badly – YouTube riddled blog entries will become obselete a lot quicker.

Apparently based on a real-life incident, reported in the newspaper article, ‘Mouse Packs: Kids on a Crime Spree’ that’s sadly, impossible to find online, it captures youthful energy and the anarchic byproduct of boredom perfectly.

And in the education system itself, 1982’s ‘Class Of 1984′ only had to look two years into the future to a world where bizarrely dressed youths carried weaponry to school and blared Fear and Teenage Head records before commiting serious assaults. Total b-movie-ism, but a banger that loses it’s shine on these shores in favour of John Hughes’ wisecracking rites of passage.

From the streets, to the educational institutions to behind bars, before Sean Penn made films where he pulled anguished faces and brooded, he was in classics like 1983’s ‘Bad Boys’ where he scuffled with the bad guy from ‘Highlander’ and fertilizer filled radios explode and kill. Note the sensationalist tone of all three trailers.

Two great surly punk-related interviews that can replace the rinsed-out Pistols on Grundy, is members of Agnostic Front, Youth Of Today and Cro Mags on ‘Donahue’ in 1986, and John Lydon and Keith Levine annoying Tom Snyder in 1980. A time before Lydon became a sneering pantomime villain, and had the bulgy-eyed delivery down to an artform.

And to this day, the papers are still demanding that young ‘hoodlums’ are scared straight. Check the footage of youths sent to a maximum security prison from the 1978 documentary ‘Scared Straight’ – with added greatness courtesy of Peter Falk. All hugely entertaining, and this self-congratulatory ‘20 years on…’ footage conveniently omits to mention that participant Angelo Speziale had gone and commited a murder a few years after filming, for which he’d be convicted in 2007. Doh!

But the realness, is the 1984 documentary ‘Streetwise’ – filmed in Seattle, following the lives of a crew of homeless kids. It’s poignant and depressing, but hasn’t been bettered and deserves an official screening beyond ten flash video chapters but it’s better than nothing.

Based, again, on an article, in this case, Life Magazine’s ‘Streets Of The Lost’ – a piece written by Cheryl McCall and photographed by Mary Ellen Clark, which led to a recently republished book, it’s harsh but briliant. And much like ‘Scared Straight’ there’s darker, unfilmed follow-up stories, like that of Roberta, who ended up a victim of the city’s Green River Killer.

Hey sorry I didn’t call or email or text or skype or AIM or twitter with birthday wishes. I did send a message out to the universe – one with love and birthday blessings. Nevertheless, don’t take me not contacting you directly as a sign of not caring. It’s just rather hard to contact someone after they scream obscenities and abuses in between asking demanding that I get out of your life because you can’t handle being my friend. 

Anywho, I hope your 38th birthday was momentous regardless of my presence. For the record I was going to send you a nice goodie bag with:

and

Oh and you know, I’m all about self-improvement. So this one was definitely one I think you should have (maybe you can buy this for yourself):
 

Allright, first interview here at Soulcraft! I feel like a real dickhead making it public after almost one year I received it (Flza sent it back at me on the 2nd of July 2008), anyway, here it is… just to remember one really good hardcore band of the last years!

First of all introduce yourself: who are you? What do you do in life? How much do you like the Cro-Mags?

I am Flza, I played drums in Iron Boots,  I enjoy NY Hardcore, watching movies, hanging out. I work construction for a living.  I install heat and air conditioning. My love for the Cro-Mags is beyond this world. I aspire to be as good as Mackie one day. I even named my dog Mackie. Another band I played drums in (Victim) played with FVK (Cro-Mags) for our record release and Mackie watched our set and afterwards told me I was really good. Basically it made my whole life.  I’ve been inspired by that dude for so long, its the best compliment ive ever gotten. He used my drums that night too and afterwards I wouldnt change the set up for like a month. I also have a Cro-Mag Life tattooo as well as own an O.G. Age of Quarrel Promotional Poster. I’m scared to hang it up.

Now let’s talk about Iron Boots – how did it all start out?

We (Jesse, Dave and I) were all on an insane warzone kick. Dave was still in high school, probably like 17 or so, he definately prayed at the alter of Raybeez. We just decided we needed to do a band together, I had been in seperate bands with both of them, and me and Jesse were always hanging out writing songs, so we figured we’d put some to use. We just wanted to sound like Warzone. We lived, breathed, ate, slept Warzone. We didn’t care about sounding too much like them, for us, the closer we sounded the better. I pretty much tried to play like Lukie Luke as much as I could. And I think it was just natural for us all. We all pretty much just listened to NY stuff for along time already. It was just natural progression. Our boy tommy who was in the band for all the records is like a guitar phenominon, he could play every Metallica song solo included when he was like 14 and Murphy’s Law is his favorite band ever so he was the prefect dude to do a Warzone style band. and the Scrappy is like a Harley Jr. the dude is good at Bass, its insane.

On the 31st of May you guys played your last show, what pushed you to call it quits?

Well, our boy Ryan Braces (who played in the band for a while) was getting married, and wanted to have a crazy bachelor party show, and we were one of his favorite bands and we were already talking about calling it quits, anyway he asked us to play and it just made sense. So we said deinatley! We’ve had line up issues alot, we would get offers to play crazy shows or tours and everything would be ready to go then, one thing or another would fall apart at the seams. So it kinda just discouraged us from moving foward, we were getting a rep for being huge flakes so we just didn’t try to do anything, we were like “we’ll just cancell it anyway, fuck it” then of course we were just kinda stagnant for a while, ocassionally we would try to get things going again but it just never panned out.

From 2003 to 2008 you guys released one demo and two amazing 7″s, was there an LP in the work?

Yeah there was, we wrote about 10 songs with the plans of doing an LP. It was going to be on Parts Unkown Records in the U.S. and Powered Records in Europe. We actually recorded the music twice, for the most part. The first time we got all but solos and vocals recorded on 8 of the new songs. But after listening to it we thought it just sounded like shit (the recording) I didnt like the way the drums sounded and didn’t like the bass tone really. So we said fuck it, and tried again. The second time, all of my drum stuff was locked in a storage unit where we practiced at because no one payed the rent. So I had to use some drums the guy had at his studio and use his cymbals which were cracked and sounded like donkey shit. So obviously we werent going to finish that session. Then we weren’t really happy with the songs and got an idea to re-work the songs, we actually did it, we re-worked them and we all stoked on them. It was definatley a progression of EZ green stuff, but we never took the next step. We’re cursed man…

I love the two songs on the “Generations” compilation, when were those songs recorded? Did you record more unreleased tunes during that session?

Actually both songs on the Generations comp were recorded at the same time as the Easy Green e.p. originally that 7″ wasn’t supposed to come out. 2 songs were meant for the Generations Comp, 2 songs were meant for a split with Cold World and 2 were meant to be exclusive tracks for our CD discography. But Cold World told us they were calling it quits so we decided to make it a 7″ instead.

Which one is your favorite of the records your released and why?

Mine is definatley definatley Easy Green. I love the tone of the record, I love how we kinda progressed from just sounding like Warzone, to adding alot of other influence, (Cro-mags,AF, Altercation) I feel like I reached a new high with my goal of playing like Mackie. Everything about it I was just a lot more happy with. I think the lyrics were more grown up you know, War Dogs is about our friends and families being sent to war. Where we live is a VERY heavily Military populated area. My family is military, my dad is in the navy my brother is in the army. A lot of kids we grew up with made a choice to join the military. That’s just us saying thank you to them, putting their life on the line. The main dude who that was written about (our boy Jeb) went to Iraq and back a couple times. He killed people, saw a lot of shit people in their 80’s will never see.  It’s just crazy to me people would be so selfless.

You guys have toured a lot, although you unfortunately never made it to Europe… favourite show/tour and cool tales from the road?

Dude I don’t know, I don’t have a favorite tour, certain pieces of each tour… but not a whole tour. We played CBGB’s which was a highlight of my life. Now especially that it’s gone, it was such a huge goal. The first time we played Canada was insane, especially Montreal, we went like 8 hours out of our way to pick up Hoodrack (War Hungry) so he could roll with us, that dude just makes a trip fun. He did a little Intro for us and we busted in Clobberin’ Time, I for real felt like I was at CB’s in like ‘87. The shit was so hard. We had DTN dudes fill in for us alot, they did a whole week in california with us (we leached off them) that shit was so cool. We played the first Sound And Fury that week, they helped us out with an east coast weekend like the next week, David played guitar Vinnie Stigma style (unplugged) it ruled. We hit the jersey shore hard. I for real can’t narrow it down. You have no idea how bummed I still am that our Euro tour got cancelled. It would have been insane.  Dead Stop’s last show. OOF

Tell me more about Victim and Stone Thrower (if I remember correctly) – what happened to those bands?

Victim was Me, Jesse, Scrappy Tommy and our Boy Snooky (old school dude for the VB scene, one of my best friends, he took me under his wing when i started going to shows) it was basically a more metal, crossover, meets Ball of Destruction worship band. We started Victim before Iron Boots actually. It was alot of fun, I’m really proud of the Victim LP. Definate NY influence. We called it quits at the beginning of the this year. We were just tired of playing the same show over and over.

Richmond, is it really the best place one will ever be? Any cool bands to check out at the moment?

I love Richmond, it’s been one of my favorite places especially for shows for years, I just moved here a year ago and Dave Boots lives here now too. There’s always stuff to do. The river’s my life right now. I take my dog there at least a couple times a week. It’s a young city. VCU is the the biggest school in Virginia so theres so many college kids every where, you can ride a bike or scooter everywhere. It’s just fun.

You definetly paid a good tribute to NYHC, list your top 3 NYHC bands, LP’s and 7″s…

It changes from time to time but its always in the same ballpark. Right now its:

LPs
Leeway – Desperate Measures
Cro-Mags – Best Wishes
Crown of Thornz – Mentally Vexed

EPs
White Devil – Reincarnate
Burn – Shall Be Judged
Alone In A Crowd

All so hard, all so creative.

Now that Iron Boots is over, are you guys into other bands or planning to do some new ones?

Actually yeah, Me, Hunter (Bracewar) Groater (DTN), Dave(IB) started something, it’s pretty Leeway influenced. Of course other NY bands as well but so far Leeway’s Desperate Measures is a big influence. I’m really stoked on it. Also I have another band with Ryan Braces called No Values, its’ not NY style, it’s fast kinda Suicidal Tendencies and Violent Minds style stuff. A little something different.

Last question: should we consider Iron Boots done for good or is there any hope for something new in the future?

You know I would go ahead and say it’s down for. I’d like to release those songs we wrote but we can’t ever get anything together so I’d say were done.

End this however you want…

Yo, thanks to you for the interview. Thanks to everyone in Europe who was into us. It was a big goal of ours to play Europe, sorry to let you down. We had a lot of fun with the band and that’s all we really set out to do. So goal accomplished. “Everybody out there. Always keep the faith”

Because of this lack of updates some of these are pretty old, still these are some records that I’ve really enjoyed in the last months…

BIRDS OF A FEATHER – THE PAST THE PRESENT [Refuse Records]
myspace.com/xbirdsofafeatherx | refuserecords.prv.pl

I feel stupid reviewing this record almost one year after JP gave it to me last summer at Fluff Fest, no doubt procrastination is a big problem for me… anyway, at least I’m reviewing this while pre-orders are being taken for the vinyl version of the record, which is also featuring a 12″-sized book entitled “The Past The Present 1982-2007: A History of 25 Years of European Straight Edge” written by Marc and JP, documenting the history of the European straight edge scene through bands going from Lärm to Eye of Judgement as well as Mainstrike and whatever else can come to your mind! Musically expect the good old youth crew sound always backed by Bigma’s socially conscious and positive minded lyrics. Get your hands on the LP + book, definately a European hardcore must-have!

CRUEL HAND – PRYING EYES [Bridge 9 Records]
myspace.com/cruelhand | bridge9.com

Started as a side-project featuring members of Outbreak, this band got many people siked since their first 7″ came out in late 2006. Anyway, since then this band managed to put out an amazing LP, tour both the US and Erope and finally sign a deal with Bridge 9. In fact here they are releasing their B9 debut, “Prying Eyes”. Believe me if I say this is going to be one of the heaviest records released this year, and the 12 songs featured on this LP, a perfect mix of hardcore, metal and crossover influences, can only confirm what I’m saying. Aggressive and brutal are the best words to describe the sound of this band, bringing faster parts with some pretty heavy breakdowns, sure to be the soundtrack of some heavy moshing during their live shows. These dudes are constantly touring, so be sure you don’t miss the chance to have some fun on the dancefloor!

DANNY DIABLO – HARDCORE 4 THE COLD HEARTED [Countdown Records]
myspace.com/lordezec | countdownrecords.com

When you hear the name Danny Diablo you pretty much know what to expect, and this release once again confirms that the DD / Countdown Records combo is nothing but a winning team! After more than ten years of activity it’s time for this NYHC icon to have a collection release… and here it is! On these two CD’s you can find more than 50 songs that include Crown of Thornz, Skarhead and Icepick material as well as Lord Ezec’s solo projects featuring guest appearances of OG dudes such as John “Bloodclot” Joseph, Freddy Madball, Lou of Subzero, Craig Ahead, Roger AF, Danny Boy and Everlast of House of Pain, Skinhead Rob, Necro and many others… grab this shit and go TCOB!

H2O – NOTHING TO PROVE [Bridge 9 Records]
myspace.com/h2ofamily | bridge9.com

Finally, after a 7 years long wait, New York’s hardcore legends are back with a brand new record – and let me assure you it was worth waiting this long! After being around for more than 13 years, they couldn’t pick a better title for this record, as they really have nothing to prove at the point they’re at right now. The formula remains the same: hardcore in its purest form with a lot of melody and catchiness, great lyrics and an energy equal to no one around these days. If you were among those who were let down by their last effort “Go!”, as some people said when it came out, this record is definately going to bring you back on a heavy H2O trip. I really don’t know how they managed to do this, but there is no single song on this record that won’t stick in your mind and that you won’t find yourself humming while driving or walking in the street. Just like everything they released in the past, this is going to be a true classic!

IRON AGE – THE SLEEPING EYE [Cyclopean Records]
myspace.com/ironagetexas | cyclopeanrecords.com

Long-anticipated by last year’s “The Way Is Narrow” 7″, the new Iron Age record is something I was really looking forward to… unfortunately, not having too much time because of work and touring kept me out of date on this and I didn’t even know it was out, and when I did, it was already sold out (in a day?! amazing!)… curiosity pushed me to download it as soon as I heard t he news, so here I am listening to one amazing metal record, yeah, that’s what it is, it ain’t cheap metal played by a hardcore band, this is good metal played by an amazing hardcore band! Crossover influences of bands such as Crumbsuckers and Corrosion of Conformity perfectly melts with heavy metal and doom atmospheres. Tee Pee Records is re-releasing this in August to the masses, must grab this masterpiece!

OLDE YORK – EMPIRE STATE [Countdown Records]
myspace.com/oldeyork | countdownrecords.com

Two good friends involved in this release, my brother Luca of Countdown Records and my good NYC friend Blake Farber – the first one’s putting out this record while the second one’s playing guitar on it! Was really looking forward to hear this record and believe me, as soon as you put this into your CD player you’ll be brought back in time to CBGB’s matinees. While a lot of band nowadays are trying to get back to the NYHC thing, this is some real NYHC here, influenced by the likes of Warzone, Sick of It All and Breakdown, their fast and furious style is bound to turn heads. One old New York glory brought back on here too, Eddie Sutton of Leeway, featured on the song Talkin’ Smack. Plenty of good and danceable tunes here, so just make sure to grab this if you want some real New York hardcore!

RANCID – LET THE DOMINOES FALL [Epitaph]
myspace.com/rancid | epitaph.com

Six years passed since their last studio album and I’m pretty sure everyody into these legends of punk rock couldn’t wait anymore to listen to the new record! To be honest I was really excited when I heard the single “Last One To  Die”, it featured every single element that made Rancid what they are now, the catchiness and the intensity that only a classic band like them can keep through the years. Listening to the whole record you can hear how they got back to their earlier sound, the dope bass lines, the rocksteady influences, Lars and Tim unique vocals… it’s all there! Some say it’s already a classic, can’t say that as pretty much their whole discography is, but undoubtely an amazing new chapter in their career!

REMAIN – OUT OF ANGER [Not Just Words Records]
myspace.com/remain | njwrecords.com

Featuring ex-members of The Dead Scenestars and Spirit 84, this band already got me pretty siked with the first 7″ that came out a couple of years ago, and I must admit I really couldn’t wait to get this LP to see what was up with these guys right now. All I can say is that my expectations were fully satisfied – nothing has changed about them, they’re still all about straight to your face hardcore. The 14 songs featured on “Out of Anger” are strongly influenced by bands such as Judge, Floorpunch, Right Brigade and No Warning, with some amazing mosh parts here and there, a strong NYHC vibe, all topped by an energy equal to few. Within way too many hypes and meaningless poses, Remain’s taking back some real deal with no frills!

RUINER – I HEARD THESE DUDES ARE ASSHOLES [Bridge 9 Records]
myspace.com/ruiner | bridge9.com

Baltimore’s Ruiner are the perfect example of how a good DIY mentality and hard work can get you good results. These dudes started out by releasing everything by themselves and are now a world touring band releasing records on one of the biggest hardcore labels around right now. After 4 years as a band here they are with their 2nd release on Bridge 9 Records, which is  a collection featuring their “What Could Possibly Go Right” EP, their split with Portugal’s Day of The Dead as well as their first demo ever. Here’s a record to be considered a proof of dedication and loyalty to being a hardcore band.

THE RIVAL MOB – RAW LIFE [Lockin Out Records]
myspace.com/therivalmob | lockinout.com

I had never heard of this band until the first show of our US tour in March when we played The Democracy Center in Cambridge, MA and one of the band on the bill was in fact The Rival Mob. I must admit that even though I was as stoned as an orangutan I really enjoyed their show, these dudes decided to bring back some really old and unusual shit, influnced by bands such as Abused and Warzone what they do is straight up hardcore, some sweet mosh parts here and there, everything played fast and with no frills, shit is real! After the show their singer was cool enough to hook me up with this LP that I spin from time to time to enjoy some good ‘core!

TRAP THEM – SEIZURES IN BARREN PRAISE [Deathwish Inc.]
myspace.com/trapthem | deathwishinc.com

Allright, this is one of the hardest, heavier and most intense record that came out in 2008, get a fucking clue. People talked about this band called Trap Them and their descriptions didn’t really fit my taste so that I never really got to listen to them until we had the chance to play a show with them on their European tour last year with Grief… I stood open mouth from the first to the last song and ran to their merch table to grab an LP right after the show was over, couldn’t sleep on a band like them! It is pretty hard to define what these guys sound like, all I can say is that their heavy and abrasive sound is something unique and intense, backed by some truly awesome lyrics. The story of a ghost town called “Barren Praise” that will without any doubt make you think about your own life, at least that’s what it did with me…

Now playing:

• Cormega – The Realness
• Diplo DJ set yesterday night was the shit!
• Black Friday ‘29 – The Pursuit of Happiness

Cro-Mags de$troyed last night.