Album Of The Week: Underdog - Vanishing Point

Underdog - Vanishing Point (1989)

So this is the first of many Album Of The Week entries I'll be doing. This week's focus is on New York's own Underdog. Underdog is probably one of my favorite bands, and this album is great. Mixing everything from hardcore to raggae this album is really ace. When I listen to this album I can only think how different it is from most other NYHC bands. You can definitely hear a major Bad Brains influence, but it also has a grungy feel to it. Some of my personal favorite songs on this album would have to be Mass Movement and Back To Back. Mass Movement is probably the perfect blend of hardcore and raggae. Very soulful and relaxing in the beginning, then goes straight into a burst of hardcore and finally ending with something similar to the beginning. And Back To Back is just an amazing song all around. Every song on the album is. Now I've heard talk about the quality of the recording being horrible, but I disagree. Though most bands from that time did have "better" recording quality, I feel Vanishing Point came out very well. Richie is probably one of the best vocalists of all time and his performance in every song is amazing. If you haven't listened to this album I highly recommend you do. I'll probably upload it sometime this or next week along with the Demos LP.
www.myspace.com/underdognyc
www.underdognyc.com

MINDSET - Baltimore Straight Edge

Mindset at Championship in Lemoyne, PA
Photo by irish.blood

So I thought I'd do a segment on the upcoming Baltimore straight edge sensation, Mindset. Formerly known as the Anti-Wasteoids, Mindset has changed their sound from a thrashy style hardcore band to a more youth crew style of a band.

This album is probably the point in which they changed from the Anti-Wasteoids to Mindset. It appears that on the cover the band is Mindset and the album is entitled Anti-Wasteoids, but when you search for this album via the internet it shows up as the band name being the Anti-Wasteoids and the album being Mindset. In either case, this is a great album and I recommend picking it up. It has a great sound, in my opinion, and it's not set on a particular style. Some songs remind me of Turning Point while others have a more thrashy approach. I'm not sure how much longer it'll be available so I would get it while you still can.

Now I first heard of this band during the Verse 5 year anniversary show earlier this year. Though I liked the majority of the line up at that show, I was probably most excited to see The First Step. After edge day's performance I was just counting down to the time I would be able to see TFS again. Before hand, I had planned on giving Stephen TFS an interview for my friend's zine Too Deep Until Now Zine. I talked to Stephen via AOL instant messenger and he said he was up for it. Sometime after their set I approached him about it we were on our way outside to do it, when Stephen was approached by a drunk Scott Vogel (Terror), who insisted in engaging in conversation with Stephen. That's when I met Mike and Chad of Mindset. I remember walking to Store 24 or something talking about vegetarian/veganism and the likes and eventually we were brought up about music. They said they were in a band called Mindset and that I should check them out. They gave me on of their demos entitled 2Kgr8 (two thousand great). So later on I went home, listened to it, and fell in love instantly. I love this style already, and the lyrics and raw energy put into this demo was amazing. You can definitely hear the Youth Of Today and Turning Point influence, but they take it and add their own originality to it making it a really solid demo.

Fast forward to Connecticut Punk Fest which I attended just a few months ago. I was excited to see Fired Up and Mindset above all, but came to find out Fired Up wasn't playing. Though that was a bummer, I did meet a bunch of great people there. I was also able to see Mindset again, and having both the demo and the Anti-Wasteoids cd I knew a lot of the words so I went nuts. I met the singer, Ev, who was a very nice dude. Hopefully in the future my band Alert can do something with Mindset.

So in closing I say check out Mindset. They are energetic, passionate, and in your face. Soon to be coming out with an EP by React! Records in a few weeks, they are gonna take the scene by storm. www.myspace.com/mindsetsxe

The First Step - "The Last Step" Part 2

The First Step - Most Recent Line Up
Photo by nobodysxhero.com

So for part two of this piece, I'm going to share my personal experience on attending this show and what this band, The First Step, has done for me.

As you should already know, this event took place at Championship Vinyl on September 6th, 2008. The line up of this show was The First Step, Breakthrough, Get The Most, Hostage Calm, Mindset, Warpriest with Sidetracked and Sojourner added last minute. This was probably the most comfortable show I've ever been to. The energy was amazing and everyone was into all of the bands. But before that, let's discuss the events leading up to the start of the last TFS set.

I was fortunate enough to have a friend who was willing to take the 5 1/2 hour drive to Lemoyne, PA to attend this. I'm personally a huge TFS fan, but I don't know many people in the area who also love this band enough to want to go, but my friend Mike Puffer was more than willing to drive, provided that I would help with the gas costs, which of course wouldn't be a problem. So weeks and weeks went by and the countdown to this show came to an end. Saturday morning I woke up probably at 6:00am just from sheer excitement, since we originally planned on leaving at 9:00am. But we didn't end up leaving until 11 or so. The journey began and we entered Connecticut. It was then we all (me, Mike, and his girlfriend Allie) decided that we were hungry and that they heard about a chinese restaurant in Farmington, CT that was Vegan/Vegetarian called China Pan. Eventually we found it and it was the most amazing chinese food I've had upon turning Vegetarian. I tasted some of Allie's barbecue spare ribs and they were very delicious. Then I ordered some General Tso's chicken and I swear it tasted 100% real. It was very delicous.

So after that we left, made a quick stop to Trader Joe's for some apple slices and tea, and headed out for the most crucial show of 2008. Instead of taking 91/95 to the Washington Bridge, we went some alternate way through NY and thought we were lost of a second, but we were on track. We made it to NJ and headed on a road that would lead us straight to Lemoyne. This road also happened to go directly into that Hurricane that was passing up. Visibility was pretty bad so I napped for about 45 minutes or so. After that horrendous rainstorm we came into the clear and drew closer to Lemoyne. Butterflies kicked in. All I thought was "TFS... last show ever." I was bummed and excited at the same time.

We finally got of the exit, stopped at an ATM and drove down the street where the venue was. Lucky for us, we skipped the whole "its so hard to find this venue" trip because there was a sign that read "CHAMP" with an arrow pointing down a driveway. After we turned, the crucial evening began. We were directed to park and we proceeded to the venue. One word went through my mind as I looked around... Crucial. I swear every kid there had some sort of band labelled as youth crew. Youth Of Today, Side By Side, Battery, Fired Up, TFS, Token Entry, Turning Point, you name it, they had it on. I swear it was like looking at a YOT video from 89 or something. I felt so comfortable. As soon as I went in I thought I would buy everything I needed to get it out of the way.

The First Step 2004: Photo by Even Score 2004

List of merch:
TFS - What We Know T Shirt (L - white)
TFS - TFS Crew Shirt (L - black)
TFS - A New Reality Shirt (L - gray)
Mindset - Be The Spark Hoodie (L - white)
Get The Most - React! Shirt (L - white)
TFS - What We Know 12" (blue last show edition)
3 TFS Posters

So about the bands that played.
Warpriest - They were pretty sick from what I've seen. I missed some of the set looking at vinyl but they were good. Kinda reminded me a little of Pulling Teeth. The whole heavy, fast, kinda sludgy at times and had a couple solos. They ruled.

Hostage Calm - Probably one of my favorites of the night. Yeah, this was my first time seeing them even though I live in Western MA. For some reason I kept having to leave shows they played, and now I regret it with all my mind. Musically they were so great. Reminded me of the whole early 90s post hardcore thing but they did it with so much energy, so much passion and I was sucked into it. They definitely grabbed me as a big fan and I'm gonna support this band as much as I can.

Mindset - I mean seriously this is one of the best bands to emerge this year. Great people great music and very passionate. I can see them as one of my favorite bands now and they performed astoundingly, followed with both a YOT and a Turning Point cover just to add a little more wood to the fire. Great great great band check them out www.myspace.com/mindsetsxe
Get The Most - I mean really. This band is very fun and great live. I saw them at Edge Day 07 for the first time and was hooked. And now that I've been listening to them since then, I could let out all my energy and that's what I did. It was great, even though they didn't play the intro to Think it Through haha. Glad they came from Vancouver to play this.

Breakthrough - Never knew too much about this band, but from the 3 songs they played it was very good. I guess the singer couldn't do it anymore, but man were they intense, especially on the last song. Can't wait for that EP to be released.

THE FIRST STEP - This goes without saying, but the best TFS I've ever been apart of. Kids applauded as Stephen came on the stage. It was very sad but at the same time kids were stoked. After a brief speech, they opened with Time To Understand. The place EXPLODED with stage dives and sing a longs. I would describe the set, but I'll just post the videos when they come out.

POST-SHOW
So after the show, or during the show actually Dylan introduced us to the kid who would let us be staying the night. His name was Brad and he was a very cool dude. Very nice and hospitable. We stopped at some place called SHEETZ which was like WaWa but very high tech as you order food from a touch screen and stuff. Pretty cool. After talking about hardcore with him and his friend (whose name I forgot, I'm sorry) we headed to Brad's house in Reading, PA which was cool because it was actually on the way of the direction we'd be heading home on. His house ruled and so did his dog Hobbs (or Hobbes) either way it was great. After a tour of the house we sat in the living room and talked about hardcore (what else?) and waited for his other nighties to come over, 5 dudes/dudettes from Canadia (one of which turned out the be the bassist of Risky Business) all great people. So we sat there until like 4 AM talking about hardcore then went to sleep. In the morning we talked about hardcore some more then me, Mike and Allie proceeded to leave at around 11. We went to some mall called King Of Prussia, then a pizzeria in NJ, then went home. It was awesome.


The First Step set list: (taken from http://stuckinthecity.wordpress.com/2008/09/09/the-first-steps-last-show/)

Pressure's On - Interview With Justin

Honestly I didn't plan on doing this interview for a while, but considering I like to procrastinate in class and Justin was online, I decided why not just do the interview? I mean, it's one over AOL instant messenger, but anything works. Please keep in mind that even though I am talked about in this interview, I am used in the 3rd person. Here it goes:



xOMx: What were your intentions upon starting PO? Justin: My intentions? Make music, have fun, sell my records at Best Buy... the intentions of every band OBVIOUSLY.
xOMx: Haha nice.
Justin: INDEED.
xOMx: Compared to the 2007 Demo, your new EP Barren Wasteland has shown a change of sound and structure. What made you decide to do this and what does the future hold musically for PO?
Justin: That 2007 Demo was very very very limited by the abilities of our drummer at the time, not being able to handle intricate parts, but while playing we also realized, we needed to progress so we dropped the hammer on him and went through like four other drummers. Throughout that time, our guitarist, William Hirst, was writing more songs on guitar. Once we came across our current drummer, Dave Moson, everything pieced together. Still hunting for a bassist we came across Keith Freeman. Everyone coming from different backgrounds has caused us to write some music we never dreamed of coming from Western Mass, but it did and it sounds great.
xOMx: Well that sort of answers the next question, which was going to be about the process of finding an established line up.
Justin: Haha myspace. And other bands. Dave's in a band called All I've Got (www.myspace.com/allivegotx) and Keith is in a band called Alert (www.myspace.com/alertstraightedge). Me and Will are friends with the members of both bands. We asked Dave if he wanted to play drums. He said yes, and we asked Keith to play bass and he said yes. xOMx: Now I understand that you're doing a split 7" with Use Your Head! which is most likely coming out sometime in December, followed by an east coast tour, you're first tour. Are you excited about these progressions and did you ever think you'd come this far with the band? Justin: Oh definitely. I've been wanting to do a split for a while. Doing it with Use Your Head! will be wicked fun. And touring, well that's something I've ALWAYS wanted to do. Having a chance to do this is going to be a great experience and test of will for Pressure's On. We all know the hard times and complications that come with touring. I think it's going to be great.
xOMx: Alright that's great. Now as an influence, what personally has inspired you to even start a band? And what inspires you lyrically and motivates you?
Justin: Well I've been going to shows for about 7 years now and I've seen so many bands. Performing my own music in front of people just seemed like such a rush, but being really young at the time, I was busy with school so I had no time for a band. Once I got out of school I started a band and it was horrible, but right after that me and Will started Pressure's On. Me being a vocalist lets me get out a lot of emotions. That's where a lot of my lyrics come from but some, like the closer off the Barren Wasteland EP, all came from my brain. A story of a man, trapped in the desert. What motivates me is the music, the atmosphere, everything. I love playing shows, I love going to shows. Having people come out to my shows and enjoy themselves is one of the best feelings.
xOMx: Now, being a band from Western Mass, is it difficult establishing support from local kids? Do you feel it's important for the locals to support PO, or Western Mass bands in general?
Justin: Here it goes. Yeah it's difficult. People here have a different vision on what's GOOD and what's the same boring repetitive breakdown after breakdown after breakdown of the same chug chug bullshit. If you're into that, cool, but you're giving hardcore a bad name. Ask anyone on the street what they think hardcore is and they'll say "isn't that the music that goes RAW RAW RAW with the really low boring guitars?" Yeah. The locals out here, some support us, some don't, and some PRETEND to support us. I'm not going to say support your scene, but support bands trying to make a difference. Support original bands, support bands who DON'T fit the mold. Support bands that are doing this all on their own. don't support bands because some dude who's got a mightier than thou mentality supports them. Support them because they deserve it.
xOMx: Great point.

Justin at the Waterfront Tavern 2008
Photo by www.returntothepit.com

Justin: I thought so.
xOMx: On a similar note, there are other bands emerging from Western Mass. All I've Got, Use Your Head!, Alert, Keepin' It Real, and Where I Stand just to name a few. Honestly what direction do you think this place is going?
Justin: To be honest. The quality of bands has nothing to do with the quality of the fans. No ones coming out to shows unless certain bands play. No one's really enjoying hardcore out here. A lot of the bands playing out here have got something to prove, but most just are here for the street cred. We have venues shutting down left and right and no one's opening new ones.
xOMx: So there is a lack of support here it seems. But do you think it'll continue to go on this way? What will it take for kids to get more into the music as opposed to the image?
Justin: Yeah there's a lack of support. It's a downwards trend, gas prices go up, kid's wallets shrink down. No one's got money for shows anymore. No one wants to travel to shows anymore. I'm sure once gas goes down, people will come back.
xOMx: Alright. One last question going back to the band. What do you think the future holds for Pressure's On?
Justin: The future, more shows and a new direction with the music. We're aiming for a more technical sound on the brink of 108 but still a Pressure's On feel. Heavy but still audible. Just be ready for music that people haven't heard coming out from Western Massachusetts
xOMx: Any last remarks?
Justin: Support hard working bands. Be on the look out for Siberia in the next few months featuring ex members of Conqueror, 315, and current members of Pressure's On. DIXXX

Well you have it. Exclusive interview with J-Kirk himself.
Keep an eye and an ear out for Pressure's On, and check them out this sunday October 5th at the Waterfront Tavern in Holyoke with Since The Flood (last show), On Broken Wings, The Miles Between, Outrage, Keepin' It Real, and Before The Sky.

www.myspace.com/popo413