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Jeff's Staff Pick: October 2, 2023

What’s up Sorry Staters?

Sorry to all you readers that I skipped writing one of these last week. I usually try to bust some writing out on Thursday morning before the weekend and prior to Daniel sending out the newsletter on Monday. I remember showing up to the store last week and just feeling too busy and too overwhelmed to write anything down. But I’m back baby!

I’m sure you all have been noticing our updates about Sorry State’s 10th anniversary weekend. As I’m writing this, this coming weekend is the last few days of September, which means the fest is only 3 weeks away? Aaaagggh crazy! Make sure you get your tickets NOW. I think weekend passes are almost sold out. It’s gonna be wild. Can’t wait to see everybody and RAGE like barnyard animals.

Speaking of the Anniversary Weekend, one aspect that I’m not sure if I drilled into everyone’s brains properly so far is that we are planning on doing a HUGE drop of used records during that weekend. Lots of rare and original punk and hardcore. A few of these records we acquired years ago, and we’ve had them set aside in anticipation for the big event. But just the other day, we bought a collection from this local dude who had a bunch of cool punk stuff. In his collection, he mostly had a bunch of 80s UK punk stuff, like some Oi! and stuff on No Future. But he also had a bunch of classic LA punk stuff, most notably stuff on Posh Boy.

For whatever reason, as I was pricing this dude’s records, I was digging through his boxes and decided to throw on one of those Rodney On The ROQ compilations. I had never really checked out these comps too in depth before. But in this box, he had ROTR volumes 1, 2, and 3, and I was surprised at how captivating I found them and how much I enjoyed listening to these records. I sat there and listened to all 3 records all the way through. Rodney Bingenheimer seems to be a rather eccentric character. I know that in Los Angeles he was quite the socialite. And because of that, I guess I always associate him with sort of more the 70s glam era, when all the cool celebrities bedazzled in glitter and feathered boas would be binging blow all night at night clubs on the Sunset Strip. So the fact that Rodney was a huge factor in ushering in and championing the emerging LA punk and hardcore scene is so puzzling and interesting to me. On his radio show, Rodney’s personality seemed so gentle and mild-mannered. I’m sure for him to have the Germs on the air was pretty terrifying haha. But hey, he made it happen!

What’s so cool about these comps is that they feel like a real snapshot of what was going on in the LA music scene in general. These compilations were released on the Posh Boy label in conjunction with Flipside Magazine. Each record comes with a fanzine that’s basically like a truncated version of an issue of Flipside and contains interviews and information for each band featured on the comp. With each Rodney On The ROQ compilation, I’m pretty sure Rodney was heavily involved with the curation of songs and liner notes. The format and sequencing of all the bands has a pattern that must be totally intentional. Side A is always loaded with killer early 80s LA hardcore bands like Black Flag, Agent Orange, Adolescents, Shattered Faith, etc. Then the B-side on each volume is much more new wavey stuff and silly novelty songs. Like Volume 2 has the classic new wave hit by Gleaming Spires, “Are You Ready for The Sex Girls?” Which, when this song came on, I just giggled because I remembered first hearing that song on soundtracks for movies like Revenge of The Nerds and stuff like that. Both the 2nd and 3rd edition’s B-sides are front-loaded with tracks by the band Unit 3 With Venus, a new wave band with a pre-teenage girl lead singer. Clearly, this band must have been one of Rodney’s favorites. I mean “Pajama Party” is a rager, for sure. The juxtaposition between the A-side and the B-side makes for a really fun listen. You get all worked up raging to Channel 3 and Ill Repute, and then flip the record over and cool down with some David Hines doing “Land of 1,000 Dances.”

For all the lighthearted innocence perceived from these comps, there is also an underlying element of kinda greasy sexuality. I mean, each record basically has pinup style 60s beehive schoolgirls lookin’ saucy while jamming the hot new tunes. I’m sure it’s all in good fun, just a bit cheeky. One really cool thing I was trippin’ on when reading the fanzines is the interaction between the new wave bands and the hardcore bands. The Bangles are featured on Volume 3, and in the interview, Rodney asks them if they were scared of the “hardcores” being mean. I guess he was referring to a show where The Bangles opened up for Social Distortion. Susanna Hoffs says something like, “We were really nervous they were gonna spit on us, but they were really nice! The guys from Wasted Youth were like tugging on my dress and were drooling over Debbie’s skin-tight pants, but they seemed really cool.” Horny hardcore boys, what can I tell ya?

Welp, I’ll leave ya with that haha. As always, thanks for reading.

‘Til next week,

-Jeff

Jeff's Staff Pick: September 18, 2023

What’s up Sorry Staters?

Yet another week has breezed right past me. What even happened? Oh, I guess I went to Hopscotch here in Raleigh this past weekend. I was lucky that Daniel got hooked up with a few extra wristbands for the festival. So, I thought, why would I not go see Dinosaur Jr. for free? I thought they sounded really great. J Mascis at one point at the end of their set said, “Anything you guys want us to play?” I yelled out, “Lou’s Anxiety Song!” I don’t think they thought it was very funny haha. For some reason, I also went to see Cro-Mags at Slim’s, a tiny little dive bar here in Raleigh. Paranoid Maniac totally RIPPED, and besides that, I don’t really have much positive to say about my experience that night.

In other news, we have announced the finalized lineup for the Sorry State 10th Anniversary Weekend! As well as all the venues where the 4 shows will take place. I’m so excited. By the time this newsletter goes out, I’m pretty sure the pre-sale tickets for individual shows will be up for sale on our webstore. GET YOUR TICKETS NOW. It’s a no-brainer. Let’s rage.

Alright, staff pick time. So, we just got in a stack of these Tiikeri 7”s. How appropriate that I decided to wear the one pale yellow shirt I own when talking about this pale yellow 7” sleeve. As some of you know, I first discovered Tiikeri with their LP Punk Rock Pamaus!!! that came out earlier this year. I already wrote about them in my staff pick from a few months ago. But am I gonna talk about them again? OF COURSE. Sorry, not sorry. This 3-song single originally came out in 2021 and was self-released by the band. But thankfully, the always impeccable Tom over at General Speech just released a beautiful reissue. Aaaand… he’s already sold out too! But Sorry State still has copies! I guess it just goes to show you, there’s something about Tiikeri that’s connecting with all of us punks out there. What can I say, dude? This band is just too infectious. Maybe it’s because we’re all living in a world that happens to be in a particularly bleak state of affairs, and instead of having a stark black & white cover and just being “heavy”, a light-hearted, melodic, and (dare I say?) “fun” punk record coming out is a well-deserved breath of fresh air.

I’m pretty sure all 3 of the songs on this 7” are also on the LP from a few months back. But again, this single first came out in 2021 and I’m almost certain it’s a different recording session. And even though I love the LP, I think I prefer the sound of this single. Even as bubblegum poppy as the songwriting is, the sound is just a bit more raw and gritty. The title track “Punk On Rakkaus” which means “punk is love” (aaaww) is the A-side—and when I say this is a “single,” you should see this thing! On the A-side, the actual grooves for the song are so small, and there’s so much dead wax after the track ends that it’s comical. Almost like they took those LA punk 12” singles I always joke about, and then shrunk it down to miniature size. It’s awesome. Tiikeri’s music, to my ears and as described by General Speech, is like a love letter to late 70s Finnish KBD-style punk and classic punk in general. I feel like Tiikeri’s connecting with that idea resonated with me more after experiencing the band’s presentation on the 7” format. The sleeve is a folded in such a way that instantly reminds of me of old Finnish punk EPs that I’ve literally held in my hands. The band has such a strength for replicating a vintage punk feeling with authenticity.

Okay, but now we’ve gotta talk about the artwork. I can’t help it. As a record nerd, the packaging grabs my attention. On the original pressing, it looks like the band hand-drew the layout for center labels over blank white labels. It’s a big-hole 7”, and Tom took that design and beautifully replicated the hand-drawn aesthetic as a printed label. It looks so great. The word “tiikeri” in Finnish translates to “tiger” in English. And they have a fuckin’ mascot. A little cartoon punk tiger with a studded bracelet. I mean “punk is love”? The layout is smattered with anarchy “A’s” inside of hearts. This record also includes a 16-page booklet, and every page is loaded with goofy and rad cut’n’paste/photocopy eye candy. There’s this one page inside the booklet that’s like a game: There’s a crude drawing of Sid Vicious in his underwear, and there’s and outfit that’s made to look like it’s taped to the page, but you can cut out the clothes and dress him. Let’s see, what else? We’ve got cartoon mice with safety pins through their ears, politicians with vampire fangs, punk crossword puzzles… I really wish I could read Finnish, because so much of the content of the booklet is handwritten text. Maybe I’ll venture to translate it one day. The advertisement for this record on the promo poster says “do you suffer from pogo-less leg syndrome?”, implying that this record will be the remedy you need. I mean, these Finnish dudes are just having a laugh really. And yet, you get this feeling that it’s also a labor of love—so where does the joke end and the passion project begin? It’s a fine line.

Punk is love, baby. Get you some Tiikeri in your life. It’ll brighten your day, I’m sure of it.

Is that all I’ve got? I guess so. As always, thanks for reading.

‘Til next week,

-Jeff

Jeff's Staff Pick: September 11, 2023

What’s up Sorry Staters?

I’ve been stoked to see the excitement surrounding our announcement of Sorry State’s 10th Anniversary celebration. Looking forward to announcing the final lineup with all the bands playing, along with the schedule of when and at what venue they’ll be playing. I know there are possibly some folks out there that don’t need a weekend pass and realistically can’t make it to both days or all the shows. We’ll be selling tickets for the individual shows soon too, so fear not. Perhaps Daniel is already planning on making some announcements in this edition of the newsletter that I don’t know about. Can’t wait!

Really, I should probably be hyping up a new record we’re stocking at the store. Oh well. Instead, I’m gonna talk about a record I was raging to while already a few beers deep. Classic. But hey, it’s been a while since I’ve talked about an old record! The other week, I made my second appearance on Mike from Analog Attack’s What Are You Listening To? podcast. All around cool dude, Scott Langlais showed off his copy of Toxic Reasons’ fourth album Bullets For You. Honestly, it had been quite a while since I’d listened to this record, but Scott inspired me to bust out my copy and throw it on the turntable. For years, I would have claimed that Killed By Remote Control is easily my favorite Toxic Reasons LP. After going into listening to Bullets with fresh ears, now I’m beginning to question my dogmatic perspective on this issue. I was pleasantly surprised at how much I was raging to this record. And now, if someone were to argue that Bullets For You is Toxic Reasons’ best album, I might go along with it.

I love Toxic Reasons, but I know they can be a divisive band for some punks out there. I’ve straight up heard people talk shit about the third and fourth records in particular. Their third entry, Within These Walls, is certainly their softest record. Dare I say new wavey? Toxic Reasons’ logo of the merging of flags was always a clear indication that they incorporate some English sensibilities into their brand of US hardcore punk. On the third record, it definitely sounds like they took some cues from English bands that got more melodic. There’s New Age-era Blitz type guitar parts all over that record—and there are honestly moments on that record that I really like. I mean come on, the cover art on Bullets For You is the same image on the insert of Voice of a Generation. Called ‘em out! Hehe.

But enough about that. I don’t know if “return to form” is the correct way to explain Bullets For You, but they definitely take a clear step toward more aggressive songwriting than the previous record. In some ways, I think Bullets is the band’s heaviest record, but also with some of their strongest and catchiest songwriting. Seriously, I think this record just kills top to bottom. For one thing, there’s no reggae numbers. Which I even think the band does well on an early single like “Ghost Town,” but it’s a welcome decision to avoid them in my book. The more aggressive, faster paced songs almost kinda remind of that slightly metal-inflected sound of English Dogs or Broken Bones. The vibe is kinda like they took the musical elements of a ripper track from an early record like “Destroyer,” but honed a more matured approach to hardcore punk songwriting. There’s some totally killer, speedy guitar licks that sound like the guitar player listened to Kirk Hammet’s guitar shredding on Kill ‘Em All one too many times. What’s fuckin’ brilliant about Toxic Reason’s approach to the ripping tunes though is that on top of the Fast Eddie-style gunslinger guitar riffing, they have huge, sing-along choruses. The song “It’s A Lie” shifts out of this more mathy, punchy descending transition right into a gang chanting “whooooa oh, it’s a lie!” It’s just begging for clenched fists waving in the air and the crowd chanting along. Probably the song most people know off of this record is “God Bless America” because it came out as a single a few years prior. I think that song only appears on the US pressing, and honestly, as much as I do like the song, it’s definitely not my favorite. The whole A-side is just ripper after ripper. Then, the last song on the record is “Gotta Believe,” which is easily the most melodic track. But it’s great! It’s got this sort of mournful, yearning undercurrent to the lyrics and the mood of the melody. This song almost kinda reminds of a song Grant Hart might write on a mid-era Husker Du record.

If you’ve avoided the later era Toxic Reasons output because you were convinced there was nothing cool to hear on them, then it’s time to change that. Do yourself a favor and check out Bullets For You. I hope you love it as much as I do.

Anyway, that’s all I’ve got this week. As always, thanks for reading.

‘Til next week,

-Jeff

Jeff's Staff Pick: September 4, 2023

What’s up Sorry Staters?

It’s funny, now that we’re back into the swing of doing a newsletter once a week, all I can think about is how little I have to talk about haha. Last week, I was struggling to squeeze in all the things I’ve been up to. Whether I was talking about being on tour or whatever. This week just feels kinda regular. And that’s okay!

I guess the major bit of news we’re talking about this week is that Sorry State’s 10 Year Anniversary celebration has been announced! As the sole Sorry State employee who’s been here since opening day, I can’t believe 10 years have already gone by. Crazy talk. I’m so excited for us to announce the lineup of bands playing the fest. Along with the 2 days of stacked gigs, we also plan to have some special surprises at the store. I hope that some of you newsletter readers out there are marking your calendars and getting your travel plans sorted out so that we can see ya in October! It’s gonna be killer.

Anyway, for my staff pick this week, I’m gonna talk about this Blood Money reissue. We’ve sold a handful of these so far, but I thought I’d give it some attention. Weirdly, both of the band’s LPs from the 80’s have been reissued on Svart. Blood Money is an English band, and I know Svart typically reissues bands and artists from Finland. But then again, I guess they did Eyehategod and all kinds of random stuff. I’m mainly gonna focus on Blood Money’s first album Red, Raw and Bleeding!, originally released in 1986. The Svart description designates Blood Money as a cult band in the realm of New Wave of British Heavy Metal. But for 1986, I would say Blood Money was a little late to the game to be considered NWOBHM. I feel like maybe I’ve stumbled across that insane and radical cover art somewhere along my journey, but Blood Money still seem relatively obscure from where I’m standing. That zombie hand holding onto a crudely rendered chainsaw just dripping with blood and innards… Pretty gruesome, pretty rad. Did Razor quietly rip off this cover art a couple years later on Violent Restitution? I’ll let you decide.

I guess I could see where Blood Money could be more comparable with NWOBHM. They surely don’t fit neatly into the thrash metal family tree, a style which was running rampant at the time. To me, Blood Money sounds like a band that still had their foot stuck in the tar of traditional heavy metal but refused to sink with the other dinosaurs. This record brilliantly captures the transition of incorporating elements of speed metal and thrash into a more decidedly operatic, virtuosic style heavy metal band. But alright… lemme get into it… This record sounds INSANE. Like outta control. While I was listening to this the first time, I was just absorbing what the fuck was washing over me. Brought a huge smile to my face. This record is like an exercise in pure ridiculousness. In the BEST way. I mean DUH, if the artwork didn’t leave you to believe that already. When I listen to this record, I just imagine these dudes in the studio in Manchester or wherever, and all huddling to hype themselves up. Like they gave themselves a group pep talk, and were like, “ALRIGHT MATES: FASTER. LOUDER. MORE EXTREME!!” Then they got loaded up on a ton of blow and speed, and this off-the-rails heavy metal masterpiece/trainwreck is what emerged when they yelled, “BREAK!”

The singer’s voice might be a turn-off for some people. Definitely a more theatric, “hear me in the nosebleeds” approach to vocals. Almost more akin to Bruce Dickinson than say James Hetfield… Like my dude is really giving it all he’s got, but he is certainly not as gifted of a singer as Bruce haha. Danny Fox is his name I believe? And for whatever reason, the style and presentation also brings Steve Grimmett from Grim Reaper to mind. It feels like a similar brand of heavy metal if not exactly dead on. Let me explain what splendors you will find contained within this record: Gratuitous double kick. Gratuitous shredding guitar leads that are all over the place and kinda go out of key. Gratuitous use of vocal vibrato. Gratuitous reverb. Gratuitous lightning strike and revving chainsaw sound effects. And then, when you pull out the insert and see what these dudes look like… It’s really the cherry on top. We’re talkin’ greasy, thin mustaches. Tight, ill-fitting tiger stripe and fishnet sleeveless tanks. And of course, a more than necessary, unwieldy amount of studs and chains. Fuck yeah.

Svart always does a great job with their reissues. The packaging looks impeccable. The record even comes on this gorgeous blue smoke vinyl. If you need a fun romp through a long-lost gem of ambitious, extreme and ridiculous 80s heavy metal, then I would highly recommend Blood Money.

Alright, that’s all I’ve got. As always, thanks for reading.

‘Til next week,

-Jeff

Jeff's Staff Pick: August 28, 2023

What’s up Sorry Staters?

How long has it even been since I’ve written one of these? It feels like the crew over here at Sorry State got back into the swing of things with writing for the newsletter for a minute. But looking back now, I guess the last time was already back in July. Scarecrow went on tour and that certainly slowed us down again. Whoops! So it’s almost a month later… But hey, we’re back baby! Speaking of which, I can’t express enough how amazing it was touring with Vidro. I felt spoiled getting to see them absolutely RIP every night. Also though, it really felt like Scarecrow and Vidro made strong friendships in the 9 or so days we spent in a boiling hot van with no A/C together haha. All the gigs in the different cities we visited were great, and everyone who booked the shows and put us up took such good care of us. So rad getting to reconnect with outta-town friends in all the cities we went to.

Some other stuff that’s happened: The day after we said goodbye to Vidro, the Scarecrow crew rolled down to Richmond, and Public Acid played a gig with Appendix. Appendix totally ripped, NY tourist t-shirts and all haha. We came back home for not even a week, and then Scarecrow drove out to Charlotte to play a Thrasher event. We missed the skate event, which I was super bummed about. Someone told us later that at the Mooresville skate park, Andrew Reynolds busted out a huge backside flip while Poison Idea was playing. I could cry. But it’s all good. We got to hang out with the fuckin’ homies in Tozcos! It was officially my birthday when the clock struck midnight on Sunday, and we all went and drank cerveza in a cemetery. True 45 Grave hours. It was indeed “party time.”

Things are gonna be kinda quiet and back to regular routine for a couple weeks. In late September, Meat House will head out to Milwaukee for Unlawful Assembly fest. Woohoo, busy busy busy!

Anyway, enough about my bullshit. Y’all paid any attention to this Мир reissue that just came out on Beach Impediment? Don’t let the name fool you. Even with that Russian character in the name, this band was actually based out of Roanoke, VA. I’d honestly never heard anything about this band before. Apparently, with that spelling, Мир is actually pronounced sorta like “mere”. From what I understand, the band was active in the early-to-mid 80s. The recording contained on this LP was recorded in 1984, and has been remastered from the original reels. I think the band was fairly short-lived, breaking up as early as 1985. It’s cool to discover this recording because it’s another missing piece of the 80s southern hardcore story.

As expected from the mighty Beach Impediment, the packaging looks excellent. The insert is designed with a collage of flyers from shows that Мир played in the 80s. It seems like they were on the bill for some killer shows, having played with big names like Battalion of Saints and Scream. To my surprise, there’s actually several flyers of gigs Мир played with COC, which is super cool! There’s even a flyer from when Мир played The Brewery here in Raleigh. And funny enough, when I listen to this recording, there’s many sonic and stylistic elements of Мир’s sound that remind me of early COC and other NC hardcore bands. The drummer even kinda looks like Reed Mullin! Weirdly, even as soon as the first song kicks in, the raspy, youthful vocals along with the jangly, loose riffing kinda reminds me of Subculture.

While they are clearly a hardcore punk band, there’s some disparate influences going on with Мир’s music. It’s not straight ahead fast hardcore punk the whole time. There’s some slower numbers with super active, spider-walking bass lines. When I was listening to it in the store with Dom, he commented that he heard some definite 60s influences. Which I wouldn’t have necessarily noticed, but I think he’s onto something. On the back cover photo, the singer is wearing a frilly white shirt with what I imagine is a brown suede vest on top, along with a quaffed, shaggy haircut. All this to say that his style appears like he’d fit right in with a photo of a band featured on a Pebbles or Nuggets comp. The guitar also is heavily effected; there’s moments where the reverb almost sounds like he was trying to infuse some surf rock tone into the mix. There’s this one kinda schizophrenic song, where the band alternates between this stripped-down melodic section, but then launches into ripping fast hardcore. That track almost reminds me of that one self-referential song on the Neon Christ 7”. Super cool.

If you’re like me, you’ve had a hankering for plunging even deeper into the undiscovered, obscure gems of 80s USHC. This LP will scratch that itch. This Мир recording definitely deserved to be heard by all the HCPMF’s out there. Do yourself a favor and check this bad boi out. I promise it’s worth your time! Or at least I hope you dig it as much as I do.

Anyway, that’s all I’ve got this week. As always, thanks for reading.

‘Til next week, or at least I assume,

-Jeff

Jeff's Staff Pick: July 27, 2023

What’s up Sorry Staters?

Holy shit, it’s been a while huh? I can’t remember how long it’s been since I sat down to write one of these things—let alone wrap my brain around producing coherent thoughts in written form. I’ll give it my best. I’m honestly feeling just a bit rusty. Time to shake the dust off!

What’s everybody been up to this summer? I feel like since last time we assembled a newsletter I’ve been out of town quite a bit. Shomo Fest 2023 in Philly was a fuckin’ blast. It was rad with Public Acid to reunite with our homies in Warthog. There was epicly hot gig underneath a bridge in Richmond where I got to see Subdued and Nosferatu up close and personal, with dust flying from hard moshtastic dancing and fireworks poppin’ off in the background. Also, my new band Meat House went on tour along with our buddies in Sorry State family members Mutant Strain, playing mostly gigs in the Midwest. Even though the tour was pretty short, it was one of the funnest tours I’ve ever been on. We partied, goofed off, and got into trouble. It ruled. Speaking of which, the Meat House 12” EP is out now, and thanks to everyone who’s grabbed a copy so far! We’re stoked that people seem to be diggin’ it.

In just about one week from today, Scarecrow are going on tour with our friends from Sweden, Vidro! They’re one of the best live bands I’ve seen in recent memory. Hope to some of y’all out at those gigs! Lookin’ forward to it.

So many great new releases have come out since we last did one of these. The new Deletär LP (sold out, but we have more on the way!) and the Nukies 12” pressing of their tape from earlier have both been on heavy rotation in the last week or so. But being the way I am, I thought I’d go a totally different route and talk about a reissue. I would never claim to be an expert on Canadian punk. Some deep cuts I love include the Unruled 7”, the Stretch Marks 7”, the Genetic Control 7”… definitely some serious bangers. But another band I love from Toronto is Youth Youth Youth. They released one 12” EP in 1983 called Sin, and until now in the Lord’s year 2023, the record has never had an official reissue.

The reissue is on a label called Blue Fog Records, which is a Toronto-based label that I think puts out lots of different kinds of music, definitely not just 80s hardcore punk reissues. There are some graphic design elements that they abandon from the original that I miss, but overall, I think it’s a pretty slick, clean looking reissue. You get a lyric insert and a printed inner sleeve with what I always refer to as “punk porn”—just a totally jam-packed collage of cool old black n white photos. Not unlike another compilation that I have called Repackaged, the A-side is the og 1983 EP in its entirety, and then the B-side is demo recordings. . The demos kinda remind of more song-based CA hardcore like Shattered Faith or Code of Honor. But by the time we get to the actual 1983 EP, musically, YYY play fast hardcore, but are definitely on the more melodic, tuneful end of the spectrum. What really stands out to me about YYY though are the lyrics and the singer’s delivery. He’s got that kind of self-serious, earnest demeanor, with often poetic, prophetic lyrics. A couple of the songs rather boldly and emphatically titled things like “Philosophy” or “Greed,” where a Canadian teenager breaks down some heavy topics with defiant conviction and seemingly no sense of irony whatsoever. Which honestly, I’m not even trying to poke fun at it. I just feel like it’s a rare thing to experience nowadays. It’s funny to even draw this comparison, but the vibe is not unlike 7 Seconds, but lyrically, YYY are probably more well-read I would say. Honestly, I feel like Bad Religion’s Suffer owes a debt to Youth Youth Youth from 5 or 6 years prior. YYY is definitely more hardcore and rougher around the edges, but the musicianship is top-notch and they’ve got that similar jangly guitar style and melodic riffing. Even the bass player’s (Paul Bishop’s?) rumbling, scale-walking style reminds me a lot of Jay Bentley.

All that aside, I think this YYY EP is an underappreciated gem of 80s Canadian hardcore. I’m stoked that this record is back in print so all of us hardcore nerds can rage to it without having to track down an original on Discogs and worry about it getting through Canadian customs haha. We’ve sold a few, but we’ve still got a good amount of copies of this reissue in stock here at Sorry State. So scoop one if ya can! Glad to be back on this newsletter grind.

That’s all I’ve got. As always, thanks for reading.

‘Til next week?

-Jeff

Jeff's Staff Pick: June 8, 2023

What’s up Sorry Staters?

Man, what a 3-day weekend I just had. Here we are on Thursday afternoon, and I think I’m still recuperating. I just had the best time in Minneapolis. Maybe it’s just a midwestern thing, but whether it was punks that we met or just random people on the street, everybody in that city was so friendly. Like, genuinely. Will from Desolate Records and his partner Bretton were the top-tier, greatest hosts. They put us up in their beautiful house full of elderly cats for several nights and hung out hard with us every single day. They rule.

The Vans skate event at Familia skate shop was so killer. I honestly wish we’d made it over to the skate park earlier, because I think people had already been skating for a while it seemed like. Ronnie Sandoval was totally shredding for a while, going for huge ass tricks, but then he took a pretty gnarly slam. The demo kinda fizzled out after that. Elijah Berle was ripping it too. I got to briefly meet Tony Trujillo. All the rest of our crew was getting photos with him and stuff, but I was too nervous haha. He was mad cool though. It was kinda cool just to see all these more behind the scenes dudes either filming or taking photos that I recognized from watching King of The Road. The afterparty gig we played was rad too. It was in this weird big open event space that kinda felt like a huge wedding venue, but it was still cool. It was also rad just kickin’ it and goofing off with the Electric Chair dudes—visiting sex shops where everyone could ride a giant mechanical dick. You know, that kinda thing. Then we all went to this late-night swimming spot where I realized that everyone was just super comfortable with being nekkid. Just bodies of all shapes and sizes jumping into the lake. Totally non-sexual… just free, queer, accepting and comfortable. It was a beautiful thing. I, for one, stayed fully clothed and drank beer.

Public Acid all flew back on Sunday afternoon. Then I drove back to Raleigh from Richmond and arrived home at around 4am. THEN, I went to work on Monday morning, and John Scott came and bailed me out so Scarecrow could go play a rad gig with the Subhumans that night. Pretty killer weekend, if you ask me. More mellow this coming weekend, but there’s more fun times on the horizon. I’m stoked.

Anyway, that’s enough gushing about me. Now let’s talk about records you readers need to buy. Usually, Usman is the ambassador of all things Finnish hardcore. But this week, I’ll take a stab at a little write-up about some Finnish stuff that I personally think is killer. You’ll often hear people talk about Kaaos or Riistetyt or whichever band, but I don’t often hear people reference Aivoproteesi. In all fairness, the band never released a proper EP or album during their existence in the early/mid-80s. Aivoproteesi’s most notable contribution to the legacy of Finnish punk is their appearance on the classic Yalta Hi-Life compilation from 1984. Upon first hearing this comp back in the day, the Aivoproteesi songs always stood out to me. As much as love Terveet Kadet and Varaus’s tracks on this comp, for years you could always catch me saying, “Oh, the Aivoproteesi songs are the best thing on that comp.”

Sometimes I’m frustrated when I think bands from the 80s are so killer, but there’s nothing besides a compilation that I can get my hands on. I would’ve loved if Aivoproteesi put out a 7” or something. But nope. My fascination with these comp tracks got me always wondering if this band ever recorded anything else besides the session that appears on the compilation. I tracked down the BCT tape that had all Barabbas Records bands on it, but alas, it was just the Yalta Hi-Life songs. But after years, eureka! In 2020, an EP was released with unreleased Aivoproteesi songs. I managed to get my hands on one, finding out later it was limited to like 80 copies or something crazy. I was bummed when I found out it was a lathe cut, but it actually sounded alright. Now FINALLY, in our lord’s year 2023, a comprehensive compilation LP of Aivoproteesi recordings is now available. The LP is a split release between several labels, including the ever-reliable Hohnie Records, and also Final Doomsday here in the US. The record contains 10 songs from a studio session (including the songs used for Yalta Hi-Life), 4-track demos, and some miscellaneous live recordings. Your classic “throw everything on there” style compilation. I ain’t complaining. It’s not my favorite packaging I’ve ever seen, but the cover art looks kinda cool. It’s a thick gatefold sleeve, and the inside gatefold has a widespread collage of nice looking full-color photos that I’ve never seen before. I kinda wish there was a booklet included instead so all the photos were larger… But hey, beggars can’t be choosers.

If you love all things Finnish punk and are unfamiliar with this Aivoproteesi, I highly recommend you dig into this missing piece of your puzzle. Anyway, that’s all I’ve got. As always, thanks for reading.

‘Til next week,

-Jeff

Jeff's Staff Pick: June 1, 2023

What’s up Sorry Staters?

As the weekend approaches, I’m yet again scrambling to get one of these damn things written. I spent like half an hour trying to get the graphic above put together. It looks so stupid. It’s like one of those tattoos where a shark is busting out of the skin, but it doesn’t even look that cool. But at least it features images related to the key topics contained within this write-up. I’m partially anxious because as soon I leave the store tonight, I’m immediately hopping in my car and driving up to Richmond. Then I’ll wake up at 9am and hop on a plane to Minneapolis. Trust me, I ain’t complaining. I’ve talked about it in previous newsletters, but Public Acid is playing this one-off gig on Saturday. I’m way stoked about this Thrasher event we’re playing. I get to see some of my favorite pro skaters sponsored by Vans rip it up during the day and then go rip it up with Electric Chair that evening? Can’t wait.

Once again, I didn’t know what record to write about. I took the easy way out and decided to write about a record I threw on the other day. I’ve been listening to old LA punk constantly lately. The other day, I listened to the sole release by this band Kaos (not to be confused with the Finnish band Kaaos, spelled with 2 “a’s”). This single, entitled Product of a Sick Mind… was released on What? Records in 1980. This same label released a lot of other early LA punk stuff, namely “Forming,” the first Germs single. Kaos was a short-lived band formed out of the ashes of The Controllers. The A-side track “Alcoholiday” was born to be featured on a Killed By Death comp. Less hardcore sounding than their contemporaries, this song is a sleazy, ramshackle, garagey punk stomper. I’m pretty sure this song appeared on KBD #4, sandwiched in between a bunch of Zero Boys songs. On the B-side, “Top Secret” is a bit faster tempo and reminds of the Randoms’ “Let’s Get Rid of New York” or something similar on Dangerhouse. The last track is a heavy dirge lamenting about not being able to sleep. Funny enough, this final track “Iron Dream” I first heard when the Carbonas covered it. That repetitive refrain “I can’t sleep at night!” I always associated with the Atlanta punk greats. It honestly sounds like a song they could’ve written. So when I finally got into this Kaos single, it was exciting to connect those puzzle pieces.

I scored my copy of Product of a Sick Mind a few years back. I pull it out to jam every once in a while. Funny enough, my copy is the 12” version, so it’s one of those oversized punk singles with plenty of unnecessary dead wax. My favorite style. But there is a more KBD-appropriate 7” single version released the same year. Limited to 200 copies, it’s super rare and has become quite the collector’s item. I’ll stick with my oversized platter.

Weirdly, I haven’t been drinking much lately. And funny how that works, I feel pretty great. But inevitably in Minneapolis I think I’m gonna rage. Time to get my Alcoholiday started.

Welp, that’s all I’ve got. As always, thanks for reading.

‘Til next week,

-Jeff

Jeff's Staff Pick: May 25, 2023

What’s up Sorry Staters?

I had a few people hit me up after last week and check in about my insulin pump and not feeling so well. Well, for those who care, I got my new insulin pump and am feeling much better! Just in time too, because I’d hate to be in a sorry state (hehe) health-wise during all the rad stuff I got coming up in June. I mentioned in a previous newsletter, but next weekend I’m flying to Minneapolis for a skate event hosted by Thrasher. Then, that evening, Public Acid is playing with Electric Chair. It would’ve sucked to be having a hard time with diabetes while being far from home, so I’m glad I’ve got that all sorted. Should be a blast!

I was trying to think about what to write about for my staff pick section this week. It’s always strange timing when several celebrities die within a few days of each other. South Park had a funny episode about that several years ago where the plot revolved the “rule of 3” where celebrities always pass away in groups of 3. Kinda funny. Kinda dark too, I guess haha. It is kind of a weird time we live in. Seems like famous people are at an age where every other week they’re dropping like flies. I don’t know, I honestly have mixed feelings about the nature of “celebrity” in general. Not that I roll my eyes or anything, but when I find myself being bombarded by a flood of social media posts about celebrity/musician/actor X, it becomes a bit exhausting. Like, Tina Turner passing away is sad and all, but I personally don’t have a deep emotional reaction upon receiving that news. But hey, that’s not to diminish anybody’s feeling any type of way about a famous person’s passing.

All that said, Algy Ward died. I’ve decided that’s what I want to write about and I’ll attempt to not be cringey in the process. Maybe my perspective on this comes from the crabby, judgmental part of my brain, but it’s hard for me to think of Algy Ward as a “celebrity.” I understand that he was a public figure that played in bands that many people consider meaningful (myself included), but my reaction to his passing doesn’t feel the same as like when Tom Petty or Olivia Newton-John or whoever passes away. It’s just not the same. I also find myself questioning the character of said famous person when they die. But whatever, maybe that’s not what you’re supposed to care about. I will say that with Algy, he touched upon some records that hold a special in place in my heart—most notably, he played on my favorite record ever made.

I find Algy Ward’s journey pretty interesting. Though I love Music For Pleasure, you could argue it’s basically like The Damned’s sophomore slump. When the band reassembled after Brian James quit, Captain Sensible moved to guitar and they got a particularly interesting fill-in on bass. I don’t know if they had other scab bass players in between, but I’m pretty sure Algy stepped in to take over for Lemmy Kilmeister. Pretty rad. Then the band would make my favorite record ever (probably, so hard to say emphatically) Machine Gun Etiquette. I think Algy was only 19 or 20 at the time. Just before that, he played on The Saints’ Eternally Yours—my personal favorite Saints album. So right there he touched upon 2 legendary punk bands’ third and best albums. The rule of 3 (wink wink). Not too long after leaving The Damned, Algy formed the heavy metal band Tank. And then, bringing it back to Motorhead, Fast Eddie Clark produced Tank’s debut album Filth Hounds of Hades. Pretty Damned good run if you ask me.

Many readers of our newsletter probably know all this info already. I’m not trying to re-write the dude’s autobiography or anything. It’s just when I take a look at Algy’s string of records he played on, I do find it rather mind-blowing. So rad. RIP Algy. Thanks for the music.

Anyway, that’s all I’ve got this week. As always, thanks for reading.

‘Til next week,

-Jeff

Jeff's Staff Pick: May 18, 2023

What’s up Sorry Staters?

Another week, another smattering of records piling up around us here at Sorry State. I’ll be honest, I’m a bit flustered while I’m writing this. I’m the resident diabetic in the Sorry State crew, and I’ve been having a rough go of it for the last 12 hours or so. My insulin pump broke, and all morning I’ve been on and off the phone with both my doctor and customer service for the company who manufactures my pump. I’ll be working at the store today like usual, but keeping an extra close eye on my blood sugar, and sneaking into the bathroom periodically to give myself shots haha. Oh well, such is life. I’m trying to stay positive. Dom is playing “Electricity” by OMD, so that’s helping.

Speaking of music that eases feelings of frustration, I’ve been listening to Eddie & The Hot Rods a whole lot. Specifically, the Life on The Line record. I’m a regular viewer of the Analog Attack YouTube channel, and have tried my best to keep up with the series What Are You Listening To? Mike, the face of Analog Attack, has been cranking out episodes with different special guests every single week. Selfishly, I hope this rate of output doesn’t slow because, as a fellow record nerd, I eat it up. I love seeing dudes bringing good energy and cool records week after week. Should Mike invite me on and give me a chance to be a guest on the show one day, then I’d love it… if I can overcome my deep-seated self-consciousness, that is. Anyway, I digress. Eric Good, Pittsburgh resident and all around cool hardcore dude, talked about Eddie & The Hot Rods when he appeared on a recent episode. This rekindled my interest in the band.

Life On The Line is one of those records that I’ve seen come through the shop a million times, but I’ve never taken a copy home. And it’s not even really an expensive record. Which is weird, because this record is right up my alley. There’s a few bands that I would lump into the category of UK pub rock with a melodic edge that falls right on the heels of the punk explosion. “Do Anything You Wanna Do” is really a song to end all songs in my book. I’ve been listening to that song on constant repeat ad nauseum style. I’ve been in a weird mood over the last couple weeks and the melancholic undercurrent of this song has been striking a real sus-chord with me (get it? I’m such a dork). The song has that perfect blend of early glam a la T Rex, but mixed with a bit Heartbreakers attitude, Stiv Bators Disconnected-era catchiness, and that underlying debt to Mott The Hoople and Bowie. Speaking of which, (they mention this in the Analog Attack episode too) the dude on the front cover of the record kinda looks like Mick Ronson – well, you know, without my face being expertly super-imposed with Photoshop overtop of his haha. The lyrics speak to that feeling of dissatisfaction with your surroundings and desperate yearning for more. Acknowledging feelings of loneliness, but with that hard outer shell of feeling like you’re better off alone. The lyrics are just vague enough to be totally timeless and (for me anyway) relatable. The sentiment is similar on “Quit This Town,” which is also a banger and a bit more of an up-tempo rager than the anthemic opener. And I gotta be honest: the first 2 tracks are where it’s at for me. Eddie and the boys kinda lose me on “Telephone Girl.” That’s not to say there aren’t other great moments on this album. But in my childlike obsessive replay listening habits, I think a single with “Do Anything..” on the A-side and “Quit This Town” on the B would be ideal. Just a damn classic.

Anyway, that’s all I’ve got this week. As always, thanks for reading.

‘Til next week,

-Jeff

Jeff's Staff Pick: May 11, 2023

What’s up Sorry Staters?

Last night was killer. So good meeting our new homies in Lasso. They absolutely killed at the Fruit last night in Durham. I’m feeling a little fried today post intake of MD 20/20 and tequila. Had a good time, though. We’re gonna do it all again on Friday in Norfolk. Woohoo!

I feel the storm of life getting busy with gigs on the horizon already. I’m prepared for a fun and exhausting summer. Public Acid has some cool gigs in June, including a rad event in Minneapolis hosted by Thrasher Magazine. I can’t wait to see Tony Trujilo, Elijah Berle and Lizzie Armanto shred during the day and then go rip a killer gig with Electric Chair that night. Insane. Then we got boss hawg Jim’s fest in Philly. And THEN, Meat House just announced we’re playing a few gigs in the Midwest at the end of the month going into July. Hoping our new record will be out by then. It’s gonna be rad.

Alright, let’s talk about records:

I keep on thinking I’m going to be writing about a new release in the world of hardcore for my staff pick. Alas, here I am talking about yet another pop record, but it’s all connected! I had a vague awareness of this group Nuovo Testamento, mainly because I knew that Giacomo from Tørsö was involved. Their new record, Love Lines, just arrived at Sorry State. I decided to crack a copy open and give it a shot. And I have to admit, it was really difficult for me not to love it. In my mind, I imagined Nuovo Testamento sounding kinda goth. It’s not. It’s like total synth-drenched pop music. When I listen to the songs on this record, everything about it from the synth melodies to the vocal hooks to the production sounds so familiar that I almost question whether it’s exactly like something I’ve heard before. But I think that’s just because they happen to totally nail this very particular brand of 80s synth pop they’re clearly trying to emulate. It’s like they went into the studio where Miami Sound Machine recorded all those 80s hits and simply dusted off the same synthesizers and electronic drum pads used in 1985. It recalls all the hits produced by Stock Aitken Waterman. Total freestyle or HiNRG vibes goin’ on. As much as I expected to hear a record that sounded like Siouxsie & The Banshees, I think Love Lines comes across more like an album by Samantha Fox or Kylie Minogue. People out there probably reflect on this period of 80s pop music as sounding dated or cheesy, but I think Nuovo Testamento does not care. They are dedicated to this sound.

There were already a few music videos for songs off of this record uploaded on YouTube. I half expected to see some neon dayglo colors and like… I dunno, like scrunchies or something. Because when I listen to this record, I’m instantly transported to a rollerskating rink during a romantic couple’s skate. I’m talkin’ disco ball, crimped hair, the whole nine. It pulls on that nostalgic emotional feeling of when you would coyly try to sneak glances at your middle school crush across the room while she was chewing bubblegum leaning up against a pinball machine. Imagery wise, Nuovo Testamento presents a much cooler vision than what my mind conjures. We’re talking moody blue lighting and smoke. Hot people in leather dancing. Were they dripping wet? I can’t remember. Maybe I’m just imagining that. It’s funny to see decidedly punk looking people who I know are connected to the hardcore scene looking tough, walking the streets, but then paired with this music. My man Giacomo is slamming those hexagonal synth drum pads while dressed like a member of Sick of It All… well, either that or a member of Janet Jackson’s Rhythm Nation.

When I listen to this record, I feel like if it was released in 1987, Nuovo Testamento would have been in regular rotation on MTV. The singer Chelsey in another universe could have an 80s pop star, but she’s got decidedly cooler style than Tiffany. The way she navigates vocal melodies is like surgically perfect, simultaneously channeling the coolest singer from your obscure post-punk collection, but then also like… Madonna. And then lyrics… Given the album title, I feel like the lyrics are thematically based around love and relationships in a manner that, for better or worse, don’t exist in our current cultural reality. Intentional or not, maybe this falls more in line with the prophetic expression of love you would find in a lot of 80s synth pop. Whether with demanding confidence or earnestly pleading vulnerability, she belts things like “Show me your emotional siiiide!” It’s awesome.

If you’re trying to hit the rollerskating rink/arcade any time soon, then hit my line. All jokes aside, I think this record is incredibly well-crafted and a super enjoyable listen. Put aside your pretensions about lovey dubby synth pop and give into the best pop record since “You Spin Me Round” by Dead Or Alive. No sarcasm there. That song bangs. So does Nuovo Testamento.

Anyway, hope you had fun reading that one. That’s all I can muster this week.

‘Til next week,

-Jeff

Jeff's Staff Pick: May 4, 2023

What’s up Sorry Staters?

Kinda hard to believe we’re already approaching the end of this week. After this past weekend, my work week was kind of a blur. I had such a blast hanging out in Virginia all weekend. Firstly, in Norfolk on Friday night where Public Acid played with Lethal Means, Spore, and a bunch of other cool bands. Personally, I would’ve gone just to eat those fries at the venue! Then just hanging out all day in Richmond with the homies on Saturday was so awesome. The show on Sunday in Richmond was so killer. I knew to expect Sirkka to be good, but damn, they DESTROYED. So stoked I got to see them and hang out. But then I had to drive thru the night on Sunday and return to work Monday morning. Totally worth being tired for the all the good times. Now I’m ready to celebrate Cinco De Mayo with a margarita or 7.

It’s weird… Every week when time comes around to crank out our little sections for the newsletter, I often feel like I’m scrambling to find a record to talk about. But this time around, I was ready. I’ve been obsessed with this new LP by Tiikeri. I’m pretty sure “Tiikeri” translates to Tiger in English? The band is from Finland, and upon first glance, I assumed this record was a reissue. The flat black & white, haphazard collage-style graphic design looks like a classic record on Propaganda or something. The record even comes with this booklet that looks like a an old cut & paste zine. Then finding out this record is brand new in the year 2023 kinda blew my mind.

Even before the LPs arrived, I streamed Punk Rock Pamaus!!! on bandcamp like I usually do with new releases that we know are due to arrive at the shop. I found myself just sitting there and listening to the entire record. It was just immediately infectious. Maybe I was expecting a ripping Finnish hardcore record, but instead it sounds like Tiikeri is going for that hyper-melodic KBD style Finnish punk from the late 70s. If I were to strip away the visual presentation and understated production, the songs are so saccharine and hyper-melodic that it almost borders on straight up pop punk. In fact, if this record sounded or looked any different, I might even hate it. Usually, when bands write songs that go for the throat in terms of sweet, catchy songwriting, they totally miss the mark. I’m usually instantly turned off. But with Tiikeri, the songs are so good and the overall package is so well put together that I can’t help but just love it. The band also clearly has a sense of humor and lays heavy into some silliness and poking fun at themselves.

Before the first track on the record even starts, the singer shouts, “Okay! Let’s PUNK!!” to kick the whole thing off. It’s hilarious. The record is smattered with cartoon doodles of tigers and cupid’s arrows poking through hearts with circle-A’s on them. The lock groove at the end of side B has the band just chanting “PUNK!” over and over. Oh, and of course there’s also the paper & pencil game on the back cover with an illustration of a bald punker and step-by-step numbered dots so that you can draw on your own mohawk. Everything about this record: the tunes, the lighthearted attitude, the silly yet somehow still cool and uncorny artwork… It all just makes me smile. This record is designed to lift your spirits and put you in a good mood. If you like punk and are able to suspend your bummer over-serious attitude or sense of irony, then let Tiikeri into your life.

Alright, that’s all I’ve got in the tank this round. As always, thanks for reading.

‘Til next week,

-Jeff