Face To Face - Blind

  Forming in Victorville, California in 1991 (the original line up featuring Trevor Keith (vocals, guitar), Matt Riddle (bass) and Rob Kurth (drums) ), Face To Face have released numerous highly rated records and are currently holed up in Bill Stevenson's Blasting Room studios recording a new album which will be released on Fat Wreck Chords. The current line up still sees Keith fronting the band and also features Scott Shiflett (bass), Chad Yaro (guitar) and Danny Thompson (drums).

  As well as putting out great records, they're also a bloody good live act, I only caught them the once (and that was over a decade ago at an upstairs Manchester student venue (I'm pretty sure it was The Hop And Grape) but I still have fond memories of a top night.

  The song I'm posting is one that you know is going to be a winner right from the very first second when the vocals kick in. This is Blind.....

What if I'm right and you are wrong? What if you knew it all along?
What if I figured out that I did not belong?
What if it always bothered me? What if I never did believe?
Would it be wrong if I decided I should leave?

If I pretended I was blind, and struck it from my mind,
Would it still be there?
What if I'd do anything to make it seem all right?
It's all right.

What if it's all inside my head? What if those words were never said?
Would it be easier if I could just forget?
What if I didn't run away? Could it be any other way?
Would it be wrong if I decided I should stay?

If I pretended I was blind, and struck it from my mind,
Would it still be there?
What if I'd do anything to make it seem all right?
It's all right, it's all right.
It's all right, it's all right.
It's all right.

If I pretended I was blind, and struck it from my mind,
Would it still be there?
What if I'd do anything to make it seem all right?
It's all right.

What if I'm right and you are wrong? What if you knew it all along?
What if I figured out that I did not belong?
What if it always bothered me? What if I never did believe?
Would it be wrong if I decided I should leave?

 

Dirt - Mother

   Back in the mists of time when I was an impressionable young lad, a lot of my beliefs and ideals were formed by listening to music. I like to think that punk helped give me a conscience and taught me to ask questions about the world I lived in. One such band that had an impact, though I didn't agree with them on everything, were Crass. They weren't scared to preach their ideals and had a massive influence on a generation of like minded kids, many of whom formed bands themselves to get their own messages across. One of those bands are featured today.

  Dirt (Death Is Reality Today), formed in 1980 by Gary Buckley and Deno, were an anarcho punk band that combined the energy of the punk movement with their own anti authoritarian ideals to create an exciting addition to the wave of new acts that for a brief moment in time were seen as a genuine threat by the media and by the type of people in high places that prefer the general public to be rather more docile and conformist.

  The band in those early days also featured Fox (drums), Vomit (bass), Mo (guitar) and Lou (rhythm guitar) though there would be numerous line up changes and the band split and reformed several times.

  The song I'm posting was originally intended to be a single but wasn't released until it appeared in 1996 on the Black And White compilation, it's called Mother.....

You bore me once,
You gave me life,
You gave me freedom.

But now like ropes,
You have me bound,
With love I not wish to have.

You make me hate,
My will you take,
Give me identity,
I drown in the crowd,
Give me identity,
Do not be proud.

You forced me out,
Into this gutless world.
You dragged me from your womb.

Who gave you the right?
I was fine where I was.

Now look what you have created,
A selfish a gutless afterbirth,
With no reason,
No purpose,
No future.

You give me kindness,
I give you treason,
You ask for honesty,
I ask for reason,
You take my hand,
I take your life.

The clock is turned
you no longer have earned
The right of my obedience

Once you've gone
Nothing can go wrong,
I'm free,
I'm living,
I'm dead.

Oh mother
Oh mother
Oh mother

Defiance - No Future No Hope

  A street punk anthem from the 90's today....

  Defiance are from Portland, Oregon (a city which has produced more than it's fair share of killer bands), who formed in 1993 by members of 3 bands; Deprived, Unamused and Resist.

  Since then they've released a string of great albums, singles and eps, have been cited as major influences by the likes of Anti Flag and The Unseen, undergone numerous line up changes and toured the world playing with many of the genres best acts.

  As good a song of it's type as you'll find, this is the title track of their 1996 album No Future, No Hope......

every day that goes by it all seems the same
people work and people slave and piss their lives away
people taking and never getting it's all the same old shit
while everything around us is crumbling bit by bit
you fuck right off if you think that i 'll play a part
in this system that was doomed right from the start
a system built on slavery, domination, and degradation
production and consumption and over all corruption
fuck right off if you think you have a say
in this system that takes your life away
you can rock the boat or rock the vote the choice is up to you
but i won't put faith in those who are fucking me and you
i don't give a shit if the system falls to pieces
if it all fucking stops if it all fucking ceases
it's not getting any better and it couldn't get much worse
the only hope and dream i have is to watch it all destroyed

[Chorus:]
there ain't no future and there ain't no hope
for humankind or change within the system
there ain't no future and there ain't no hope
in a fucked up system that takes your life away
there ain't no future and there ain't no hope
rules and regulations getting in our way
there ain't no future and there ain't no hope
the only hope and dream i have is to watch it all destroyed

Chopper - Porcelain

 

  Fast paced pop punk from Wakefield, West Yorkshire today....

  Founded in 1994 by Dave and Becky Worton, Crackle Records was a UK record label that played a vital part in flying the flag for pop punk music both at home and abroad, releasing music by some of their favourite bands. These included Skimmer, Milloy,  Sicko, J Church, Dillinger Four, Crocodile God, and many more. Their first release was by a band who were regular features on the label and who are featured here today.

  Formed also in 1994, Chopper's (and Crackle's) first release was the Said And Done 7"ep. This was followed by the singles Self-Preservation Society, For Youth And Valour and Porcelain. There was also a Japanese tour split ep with Broccoli and a split ep with Blew. Album wise, it wasn't until 1998 that they released Last Call For The Dancers (though Crackle had compiled their earlier material together for the previous year's Did You Hear That?). There's also Static (The Complete Recordings 1994-1998) which you can check out here : https://chopper.bandcamp.com/album/static-the-complete-recordings-1994-1998 

  The song I'm posting today is possibly their best known. Released in 1996 and the title track of the Porcelain ep, it featured Sean Hunter (vocals), Dan Gibson (bass), Dave Stringer (guitar), Joe Maples (drums) and Chris Charlton (guitar). Also featured on backing vocals were Shona Horne and Leatherface's Frankie Stubbs (who also recorded and engineered it).......  

 

Last Sons Of Krypton - Atom Bomb

 

   Today's song is a mid 90's slab of trashy, obnoxious brilliance that's "heading straight for you".....

  I'm only guessing here but I assume that Last Sons Of Krypton got their name from a novel by Elliot S. Maggin called Superman : Last Son Of Krypton which was published in 1978. What I do know is that the band were from Manitowoc, Wisconsin and that they were aged between 16-18 when they got together in 1995. The line up on today's song was Robert J Zeman (RJ) (vocals), Brad X (guitar/vocals), Ann (bass) and Trent Machut (drums).

  Influenced by bands like The Stooges, The Germs and by early Rip Off Records releases, they played a raw, primitive garage style of punk which was good enough to see them make the cover of MaximumRockNRoll.  RJ quit the band shortly after moving to Florida and despite Joe Lambert coming in on vocals they didn't last much longer.

  Fast forward to 2015 and they're back together again, 15th April saw them play their first gig in 18 years and a compilation album of their music called Teenage Trash has recently been released (you can check it out here : https://lastsonsofkrypton.bandcamp.com/album/teenage-trash).

  Not sure why but one song that doesn't feature on that album is Atom Bomb. A lo fi diy blast of pure teenage exuberance, you can hear it below......

 

The Mute-Ants - Dump Your Boyfriend

 "HEY NOW LITTLE GIRL
  I HAVE GOT A PLAN
  YOU CAN DUMP YOUR BOYFRIEND YEAH
  AND I CAN BE YOUR MAN...."  


  Back in time today to the mid 90's and a band called The Mute-Ants. From West Palm Beach, Florida and active between 95-99 they were a pop punk outfit comprising of Jason Mutation (vocals, guitar), Joey Go-Go Pop (aka Joe Generator) (drums), Dave Ant (aka Dave Dipshit) (bass, vocals) and Ryan Imal (aka Ryanus Rex)(guitar vocals). Today's song comes from their debut single (1996's Introducing...). Other releases included Planet Of The Mute-Ants and Rollin' In The Thunder and they also managed a full length which was titled The Terrible Tunes Of.....

  If you're in the mood for some old school, dumb but fun pop punk, give them a listen. This is Dump Your Boyfriend......

Showcase Showdown - Police, Police

Fuck Authority.......There's been a long list of anti police punk rock songs, many of them have been very good indeed and a few have already appeared in this blog. Here's another..... Showcase showdown were a Boston band who were active from 1993-2000. They put out a couple of albums, Appetite Of Kings (1996) and Permanent Stains (1999) as well as several cassettes and singles. Describing themselves as "a super fast pogo punk band" they featured Albert Genna (vocals), Tom Cloherty (guitar), Victoria Arthur (bass) and Steve Maxwell (drums) (Arthur and Cloherty later formed The Spitzz). Click the link below, crank up the volume and pogo round your room to todays song, this is a song that was later covered by Social Circkle, this is Police, Police.....

Well, take us back to another day,
(When) they'd give you a helping-hand,
And then get out of your way,
When they were dressed in long blue coats,
And their pockets were stuffed full of crispy notes.
POLICE POLICE, bring back the friendly police!
They'll take you downtown is what they say,
They hide their badges each and every way,
When the clock says two am,
You'd better stay away from them.
POLICE POLICE, bring back the friendly police!
They don't leave their cars to patrol on foot,
Better hope they never give you a second look,
They'll run you down or they'll shoot you dead,
Cuz there's nothing running in their heads.
POLICE POLICE, bring back the friendly police!

The Spastics - Cherry Pop

Back to the mid 90's today for the offensively named The Spastics. Featuring the pissed off vocals of Elka Zolot, guitar licks from Justin Schenburg, Lisa Schenburg on bass duties and Ian McClean pounding away on drums, this song was from their first 45 which came out on the infamous Rip Off Records. As you might expect from a band who's members also played with the likes of The Trashwomen, Rip Offs, Bobbyteens, Infections and Spoiled Brats, this is a punked up dose of garage n roll but it's also catchy as hell. Ladies and Gentleman, I give you Cherry Pop.....

The Wongs - Jerkin' It To The Trashwomen

It's the start of a new week, let's have something fast, raucous and fun. The Wongs were a band from Arizona who were active from the mid 90's until the turn of the century, they released an album on Rip Off records called Reanimate My Baby, but the song I've chosen is possibly their masterpiece and can be found on their debut ep, Get Away!, which was released in 1996. A tribute to the all female early 90's garage band, this is Jerkin' It To The Trashwomen.....