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October has passed us by and I find myself feeling a bit of post-Halloween depression. I did feel a bit sad removing the decorations, pulling down all the spider webs and removing all the skulls and pumpkins we scattered all over the store. It was fun while it lasted. Appreciate all you locals who showed spirit and came to the store dressed in costume!

So what can cure these blues? How ‘bout some Charged GBH? I’m not sure how long it’s been since the classic records by the UK rippers GBH have been in print. I know every now and then we would get in used copies of those 00s Earmark pressings, which are fine. They had glossy looking packaging, but I feel like they were kinda pricey. Jah bless Radiation though, because now both iterations of “City Baby” and the singles collection LP are back in stock at Sorry State. I was talking to Dom at the store, and he was telling me that he and John Scott were jamming City Baby Attacked By Rats. I love that record, but I was like did you jam the first one? While of course I was a fan of City Baby, these days I still always gravitate toward Leather, Bristles, Studs and Acne. The reissue we just stocked is actually titled Leather, Bristles, No Survivors, and Sick Boys, which has the first 12” and a couple of the early singles squeezed onto one LP. Don’t get me wrong, City Baby’s Revenge has some bangers on it too. “Drug Party in 526”? Come on, classic.

I’ve loved GBH since I was like 14, the little spikey street punk that I was. While some bands from my street punk days have not aged quite as well for me, GBH still sounds as good to me, if not better than they ever did. That intro to “Race Against Time” still gets my blood boiling and makes me clench my fists. A stoke attack occurs every time I drop the needle. Whereas Discharge represented the stark, serious side of the Clay Records catalog, GBH captures the crude, mutant, brutish meathead, almost even funny side of UK82 hardcore. They’re equal parts Motorhead and Saturday morning cartoon. They’re simultaneously exciting and violently dangerous. Dead serious and cool looking in leather, while also goofy. Classic tracks like “Big Women” always come to mind. The lyrics in Sick Boy, “I’m like a sardine in a can… people taking notes, people in white coats!” Mental case, leather-clad mutant music. And because of that, I feel like GBH is sometimes underestimated. Great songs with catchy, crowd-chantable choruses that contain the perfect dose of heavy metal power. Huge guitars, powerful production. It’s rebellious, street-wise bad boy shit in the best way. I love it.

If you’re a sick boy who’s living their life on the edge of a knife, maybe it’s time to blast some GBH this weekend. This reissue comes with a poster that’s just a giant foldout of Colin, the singer. Kinda centerfoldish… Was he a punk heartthrob back in the day? I dunno…

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

‘Til next week,

-Jeff

What’s up Sorry Staters?

Welcome to an especially spooky edition of our newsletter. I’m hoping the rest of the gang’s staff picks will similarly be in the spirit at the tail end of this October. Halloween is only a few days away and we’re trying to make sure the store is a comfortable place to visit for all the fiends and ghouls out there. I try to celebrate Samhain in as many ways as I can. I wish I were more on the ball with decorating, finding a cool costume, and making big Halloween plans like going to a haunted house or whatever. One thing I do always manage to squeeze in is watching movies.

Over the last several years, the 1989 movie Night of The Demons has become one of my all-time favorites. There’s so much to love about this movie. First off, I love that the events of the movie actually occur on Halloween night. I watch plenty of movies during the season of the witch that are spooky or have some sorta creature or crazed killer running around, but I love a movie that visually exudes the Halloween spirit. The basic plot of the movie is that a group of teenagers all meet at an abandoned crematorium to have a spooky Halloween party. The animated opening credits sequence is so awesome and really sets the mood. The cast of characters is great, namely my favorite dude Stooge, the heavy-set, foul-mouthed punker wearing the pig nose. Not to mention Amelia Kinkade as the party host Angela and the always great scream queen Linnea Quigley as the vain and boy-crazy Suzanne. There’s an angry old man who says horrible shit about kids having fun on Halloween, but then gets what he deserves (I won’t spoil it). The demon make-up effects are top-notch and super memorable, namely Linnea in the lipstick scene. While the film reads as low budget, there are some amazing dolly and POV shots that are super well-done. Blah blah, I could go on and on.

All this said, I gotta talk about the music in the movie. During the main party scene in the movie, all the characters are dancing and pounding beers to this heavy metal tune blasting out of a boombox (which happens to be covered in stickers, and a sneaky COC sticker makes an appearance, hell yeah!). The song that plays in the background is a song called “Computer Date”. If my brief research has any validity to it, I’m pretty sure the song was recorded by the director’s brother Dennis Tenney. If I imagine the scenario when Night of The Demons was being made, I could totally see the director Kevin Tenney being like, “Oh sure, brother Dennis, we can use one of your songs in the movie.” In the background of the scene, the song sounds pretty rockin’. It comes across like the perfect general beer-guzzling heavy metal tune a bunch of rowdy 1980s teenagers would rage to. But what’s crazy is that I’ve read Youtube comments on different uploads of “Computer Date,” and there are several people saying things like, “I remember waiting for this movie to play on HBO just so I could hear this song!” Which is super cool. I’m also pretty sure there wasn’t a soundtrack readily available when this movie came out. It’s interesting to imagine an era when a song that played in a movie was kind of a mystery. This was before internet sleuthing allowed all the information you needed to be right at your fingertips. Before you could watch Night of The Demons on streaming as many times as you wanted, or look up the song on Discogs. You either had to go rent the VHS tape at a video store or hope that it would play on late-night cable. Now, when I pay close attention to the song… Is it the most amazing heavy metal song I’ve ever heard? Not exactly haha. But I will admit that I do kinda love it, maybe in part because of its close association with this movie. It’s corny in some ways, but also charming, tongue-in-cheek, clever, kinda funny, and put together ambitiously. Most of all, the song is super catchy with cool backup harmonies that get stuck in my head. Also, some pretty killer shredding guitar. I would love if there was randomly a 7” single from 1989 with “Computer Date” and some other song from the movie on the b-side. Perhaps featuring some cool cover art with Stooge wearing the pig nose and holding the boom box… Maybe with a speech bubble that says, “Alright dudes!” Or something like that haha.

Songs that accompany horror movies and that don’t have much life beyond the context of the film are so interesting to me. Or cameos from bands, whether it’s Dokken or WASP appearing in Nightmare On Elm St or Ragewar, respectively. I hope you readers out there have your own favorite horror movie banger that you love. Jam “Computer Date” if you haven’t and I hope you love it in the same way I do.

Anyway, that’s all I’ve got this week my fiends and ghouls. Hope you have a killer Halloween. As always, thanks for reading.

‘Til next week,

-Jeff

What’s up Sorry Staters?

As I mentioned earlier this month, for me, October is all about trying to binge as many horror movies as possible. The other night, I went to go hang with my buddy Alex, whose VHS collection would make the selection at a 90s video rental store look like it had slim pickins. We decided to watch 2 movies: The 1988 remake of The Blob and the 1989 Brian Yuzna classic Society.

Both of these flicks have fantastic slime and gore practical effects. While I had seen the classic 50s film The Blob, I had never seen the 80s remake. Alex pitched it to me as being not unlike John Carpenter’s treatment of The Thing. I definitely enjoyed it. Gross, gelatinous fun all the way through. Now, Society I had seen before. It had been a number of years, but what I’d forgotten is that the movie is kind of a slow burn that all builds to the amazing payoff in the final scene. For those of you that have never seen Society, I’m going to try my best not to spoil the big reveal at the end of the movie. But just expect a gooey and gorgeous finale.

Not unlike Society, this has all been a long build up to get to my point in writing this staff pick. Society is truly a glowing example of practical effects in body horror. More importantly, along with his work on many of Yuzna’s other films, the special effects were done by Screaming Mad George! I’m sure many horror fans are aware of Screaming Mad George’s effects work. Some punkers out there may think his career didn’t move far beyond his playing in the seminal KBD band The Mad. Screaming Mad George has done work on one of the Nightmare On Elm St movies (one of my personal favorite franchises), Bride of Re-Animator, and even Predator, among many other genre film bangers. George seems like a true freak and I love it. I was chatting with a friend online the other night after watching Society and she told me about Screaming Mad George’s 90s goth project. She sent me the music video… not as good as Society to say the least. I joked that I wonder if there are people out in the world who ride for 90s goth Screaming Mad George and don’t care about The Mad at all. I guess it’s possible haha.

Anyway, check out these 2 movies, they’re both pretty fun watches. Also, couldn’t hurt to work your way through Screaming Mad George’s IMDB page.

Expect more spooky content next week ;) As always, thanks for reading.

‘Til next week,

-Jeff

What’s up Sorry Staters?

So, the season of the witch is upon us… I dunno if any of you fiends and ghouls are like me, but every time October rolls around, I start getting really excited. October is always my favorite month of the year. The air starts getting cooler, Spirit Halloween has opened its doors down the street, and all I want to do with my time is watch trashy horror flicks on VHS.

For all the grainy, lowbrow Grindhouse films I binge, there are a few more classy, high budget gore romps that make their way into my list of films to watch every year. I kicked off the 1st of the month with Dario Argento’s classic Demons. When I posted about this movie on social media, I jokingly referred to it as the “Negazione of zombie flicks.” Daniel even commented and asked me why I described it that way, to which I responded, “Uh, cuz it’s Italian and it rules!” Hahaha. But of course, the movie is similarly intense and unhinged. While Demons was directed by Lamberto Bava, Argento produced the movie and surely provided some strong credentials for the movie’s notoriety. I’m sure many people are familiar with Argento’s artsy and moody take on horror in films like Suspiria and Inferno. Demons is definitely a more old-fashioned, fun-filled escapade, but beautifully shot and cleverly done. Real quickly, the plot basically revolves around a couple of teenagers who, along with another colorful collection of characters, are given tickets to a free screening for a movie. The audience slowly begins to realize that a mysterious metal mask, which they see in person in the lobby of theater AND depicted in the film, that transforms the characters in the movie into demons is doing the exact same to all people trapped inside this movie theater. And then chaos ensues. It’s great!

One of the main things I wanted to mention about the movie, though, is that in addition to film’s sparse synth-based score, there’s a killer heavy metal soundtrack! A deep cut by Motley Crue plays in one of the early scenes. Funny enough, there are these punker characters that appear mid-way through the movie, cruising the city streets while snorting drugs out of a soda can through a bendy straw. While they’re driving around, “White Wedding” by Billy Idol is playing on the car stereo. Only the most badass tunes are acceptable for these delinquents! Haha. There’s a killer scene where one of the main dudes comes out blazing into the aisles of the movie theater riding a motorcycle while wielding a katana to slice up demons, and “Fast As a Shark” by Accept plays in the background. It’s so sick. “Fast As a Shark” is the ripping opening track on Restless And Wild, which is my personal favorite Accept record. While not listed on the soundtrack, a sleeper banger “Night Danger” by the Danish metal band Pretty Maids plays during the scene where the hostages are tearing apart the theater trying to escape. There’s some Saxon, some Scorpions, tons of fun and heavy rippers to accompany the bloody entertainment contained within.

Hopefully, me talking about horror and heavy metal isn’t too boring for any of you Sorry State readers out there. Expect more spooky-themed musings in the weeks to come as we countdown to Halloween. That’s all I’ve got this week. As always, Thanks for reading.

‘Til next week,

-Jeff

What’s up Sorry Staters?

At first, I thought I might write about that new Krigshoder tape this week. Goddeyum that shit rips!! But instead, I decided to go a different route. Last weekend, me, Usman and our buddy Eric hit the road to go meet up with our good homies the Hardy Boys. Also, we had the first ever Fatal band practice. It was a blast for sure.

The usual scenario hangin’ out over at the Hardy’s crib is to pound beers and blast record after record. At some point, someone threw on this new Black Flag live record. Live At “The On Broadway” 23 July 1982 is such a killer moment captured in Black Flag’s history as a band. Not unlike the My War ’82 demos, this gig in 1982 is a rare snapshot of the brief period that Chuck Biscuits was playing in Black Flag. Henry even has a corny moment where he introduces Biscuits, saying something like, “You remember him from a little band called DOA!?” or something like that haha. As far as I can remember, I’ve never heard the opening song of the setlist “No Martyrs” before. It’s definitely a faster-pace hardcore song in the scheme of the Black Flag catalog. It’s killer. But even when they break into Black Flag classics like “Depression” or “Jealous Again”, the band is just playing with this insane power and ferocity. They maybe never sounded tighter. Henry is also doing some improvisations on the vocals that are super cool. But then when they play early versions of songs from My War, they just sound so fucked up and pissed. His banter in between songs is hilarious, like when he complains about the audience untying his shoes. Then when they go into an early version of “Scream,” Henry goes, “You wanna know what happened to me? Listen to this song.” And then he’s just making the most demented sounding screams of agony you’ve ever heard. They’re just on fire, dude. I’m like, damn are they okay? Clearly not. So yeah, needless to say, I absolutely had to bring a copy of this live record home. And now, Sorry State has copies for all ya filthy animals out there!

Anyway, that’s all I’ve gotta this week. What a killer moment in the Black Flag chronology. I wish this lineup had recorded a proper record, but it’s rad there’s a document to look back on. As always, thanks for reading.

‘Til next week,

-Jeff

I am feeling like a dried-out sardine after the gig Scarecrow and Public Acid played in Richmond last night. Daniel was nice enough to take on driving duties. After the gig, the two of us rode back to Raleigh, arriving promptly at 3am. But the gig was absolutely killer. Would do it again.

At first, I didn’t think I’d be able to muster the energy to write about any records that I’ve enjoyed this week. But then, I decided I could ramble about this Outpatients LP that just came out on Painkiller. For me, Outpatients are one of the unsung great 80s hardcore bands from New England. I’ve always claimed that the classic Bands That Could Be God compilation is worth it for the Outpatients songs alone. Unfortunately, Outpatients never had a proper vinyl release of their own. I guess tapes of their recorded material had floated around for a long time. At some point many years back, I was turned onto the Hardcore Outcasts compilation, which is a collection of the band’s recorded output, all of which varies in quality and audio fidelity. But DAMN, the style of hardcore that Outpatients play is just right up my alley. Raging and turbulent, sometimes kinda dissonant and eerie like Mecht Mensch or something, but then often it’s super tuneful and catchy. Also, I’m a sucker for the vocals. There’s something about the singer’s raspy, shredded voice that reminds so much of Kevin’s vocals on the Subculture LP.

This Readmitted LP on Painkiller is an even more thorough collection of songs than the CD compilation from years ago. The A side is primarily the early hardcore songs and demo-quality recordings. Then, when you flip over to the B-side, Outpatients’ approach to hardcore captures this slightly melodic edge that reminds of when releases on Dischord started to have a similar shift in style during the mid-80s. Like not quite Revolution Summer level softness, but definitely hinting at that sound. “Hardcore Outcasts” seems apt for this young band from Westfield. When listening to their recordings, I hear a band that comes across as earnest and determined. But for whatever reason, maybe because the band was from a smaller town rather than a metropolitan area like Boston, the fidelity isn’t as great, the records never came out, and perhaps they never got the attention they deserved. But hey, who doesn’t love an underdog story? Personally, I listen to the collection of songs on this LP and just imagine if Outpatients had recorded at a place like Inner Ear and released a few 7”s. I bet they would be heavily sought after and held in higher regard like a Deep Wound or whatever. Maybe I’m embellishing, but I really think this is a cool band.

So yeah, got check out Outpatients if you never have. That’s all I’ve got. I’m gonna pound coffee for the rest of the day until the jitters wear off and I pass out. As always, thanks for reading.

‘Til next week,

-Jeff

What’s up Sorry Staters?

Last night was my new band Meat House’s first gig. It was a blast, but as I’m writing this, I am feeling ROUGH from many beers and lack of sleep. But man, Save Our Children and Stunted Youth both fuckin’ ripped! It was a fun gig for sure.

Currently, while I’m here recovering at the store, I’m hanging with Dom and listening to this new Long Knife LP on full blast. Over the years, I’ve definitely been digging Long Knife records here and there. I remember jamming their first LP Wilderness when it first came out like 7 or 8 years ago now, but not really giving proper attention to their records that followed. But now, listening to their new record, charmingly titled Curb Stomp Earth, I feel like I’m listening to dudes who are seasoned with the finest spices from the cabinet. It almost seems silly, but these dudes really sound like fuckin’ pros. I don’t know if “ambitious” is the right word, but this record is dripping with vibe and unexpected moments. Between the choir providing a pronouncement of an intro, piano interludes, and a horn section adding some flavor to the mix, it’s clear that Long Knife is a hardcore band unafraid to take some chances. There’s crazy stuff all over this record. I found myself laughing and shaking my head when a spooky organ out of a Scooby Doo episode has a little solo section. But then the next track kicks in and I’m reminded that I’m listening to an insanely ripping hardcore record. It’s wild.

I mean, the playing is killer… crispy, perfect guitar tone, the bass player is tearing it up, the drums are tight and powerful, and the singer is a total character, like the second coming of Jerry A. Long Knife is from Portland, and there’s obvious nods to later Poison Idea all over this record. I mean, some of the dudes were in that band Fetish with Thee Slayer Hippy. But this record goes beyond trying to do a band that is as “rockin” Poison Idea. I can’t decide if I think all of the accoutrement is over the top and corny… or if this record is totally genius. Normally, I would say keep all this extraneous crap out of my hardcore, but I just feel like Long Knife pulls it off somehow. You know that scene in Walk Hard where Dewey Cox is in the studio and says “10,000 more didgeridoos—an army of didgeridoos!”? It’s almost like I can’t figure out whether Long Knife is out of their mind like Dewey Cox or if they’re actually making the Pet Sounds of hardcore. The presentation and packaging is indulgent too, with a movie poster featuring all the credits on the record. So it does kinda feel like a little “nudge nudge” and that the band is in on the joke. Either that or they literally just do not give a fuck. In my imagination, it’s somewhere between all the dudes really knowing their way around the studio, dialing in a Marshall perfectly, and demanding only the best orchestra in town to appear on their album—OR it’s just a bunch of dudes goofing around, like, “Dude, wouldn’t it be insane if we had a choir open the record?” and everyone in the band laughing about it. Either way, I found myself raging to this record, if not also feeling a bit confused. I mean, you know, in a good way.

Anyway, I suggest you check this new Long Knife record out. I don’t know if I can muster the energy to write anything else. So that’s all I’ve got. As always, thanks for reading.

‘Til next week,

-Jeff

What’s up Sorry Staters?

I rarely mention stuff about Bunker Punks here in my staff pick, but figured I’d give a small update on me n Usman’s label. We (and by we I pretty much just mean Usman) have been scrambling to catch up with the pre-orders for all the Scarecrow records. It seems like we’ll have very few copies (if any) of Scarecrow left over from the pressing after we fulfill everything. So I’m still unsure if we’ll have copies for Sorry State to stock or not. Good news though, we FINALLY have all the packaging in hand for the Fatal 7”. We just need to get those assembled, and then surely Sorry State will stock those. Thanks everyone for your patience!

Soooo, before I get into talking about my staff pick… I’m finding it more and more difficult to conjure the necessary brain juices to write something captivating in these staff picks we all do each week. I apologize in advance if my stream of consciousness-style write-ups basically boil down to: “Duuuurrr, it’s real good dude.” I’m sure my appreciation for the record I’ve chosen to write about this week will be no different. Here we go:

My friends know I have the tendency to gush about how much I love Totalitär, and also similarly ripping hardcore from Sweden. Because of that, I had several people blowing me up and asking, “Dude, have you heard this GEFYR record yet?” I had not, so I immediately went and checked it out. No surprise based on the esteemed opinions of my fellow hardcore nerd homies, but GODDEYUM this LP is a ripper! I don’t know how under the radar this band is flying at the moment, but it seems like everyone in the “Totalitär is the best band ever” camp is getting hip to it pretty quick. I feel like the secret will be out very soon. Some nerd shit, the band hails from Hudiksvall, the same city where Totalitär formed. So naturally, playing killer hardcore with great riffs is in Gefyr’s DNA. The cover art is cool, but unassuming, so when you drop the needle on this thing, you might feel unprepared for the imminent face-melting coming your way. While of course Lanchy’s classic riffing from the Hudiksvall godfathers is a good reference point, there’s something about the speed and ferocity in how Gefyr plays that keeps me from calling them a straight Totalitär tribute. A couple of tracks like “Överbliven, Oförlöst - Undergiven, Viljelös,” plow with such barreling barbaric force and the vocals sound totally shredded and gnarly… to me, the vocals are almost a dead ringer for No Security. For a more contemporary comparison, the whirlwind trapped-in-the-D-hole circular riffs remind a lot of the riffing in Infernöh. A song like “Hatets Anhängare 2” is less pummeling fast, and just has that classic groovy Swedish style riffing that makes you wanna drunkenly surge your way to the front of the crowd to violently and unrelentingly pump your fist.

Of course, as soon as I started freaking over this record, I told Daniel that we should stock copies. We got a stack directly from the label Flyktsoda over in Sweden. I’m not sure many (if any) other US distros are stocking copies of this record. If any of my sub-moronic ramblings convince you enough to check out this record, I highly recommend you jump on it quick!

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

‘Til next week,

-Jeff

What’s up Sorry Staters?

I wish I had more to mention on the personal front, but I’m just gonna dive right in: I’ve been noticing that during the time Scarecrow was outta town for tour there have been several new releases we’ve stocked that I didn’t even notice. I feel like a fool! Somehow, the fact that Personal Damage had already released their 3rd tape and that we already had copies in stock at Sorry State totally breezed right past me. I think Sorry State has had them available through the distro since July, so maybe my excitement will be old news for some of y’all. No surprise, this new tape Violent Ritual fuckin’ RIIIIIPPPS. I loved Personal Damage’s first tape (later released on flexi) so much. And I wouldn’t say that they lost me exactly with their 2nd tape Ambush, but even though I liked it okay, I honestly didn’t like it quite as much. This new tape knocked my socks off though! The title track kicks in so immediate with energy. Some America’s Hardcore-style riffing and snarling attitude. It’s funny man, America’s Hardcore only has 3 studio recordings released on a few compilations, but they’re still such an important reference point for me when you’re talking ripping ass California hardcore. But anyway, this time around, the band’s sense of melody and songwriting does kinda remind me of some New England hardcore like The Freeze. I love the last 2 songs, “Rise And Fall” and “Banned From Society,” which have these catchy call-and-response backup vocals. I think if other hardcore bands tried to incorporate these kinds of vocals, it might come across like “hard” or like cheesy gang vocals, but with Personal Damage, I don’t get that impression. The dudes doing background vocals sound more like a snotty crew of drunks in the background, and the chanting just takes the songs to another level and only makes the choruses more memorable. 5 blistering songs of tight yet sloppy hardcore leaves you broken and battered in just under 6 minutes. Killer.

Short and sweet, just like this tape. Like hardcore? You should probably get this Personal Damage. Anyway, that’s all I’ve got. As always, thanks for reading.

‘Til next week,

-Jeff

What’s up Sorry Staters?

Slowly but surely, I’m starting to adjust back to my normal routine. While Scarecrow was on tour, it was kinda like I was living in a vacuum. I’m really enjoying being back in the store and just being bombarded on a day-to-day basis by new records to check out and digest. Also, seeing friends pop into the shop and chit-chatting has been cool. I missed everybody.

While I’m sure Daniel will bring some attention to it, this week I really wanna talk about this new tape by Shaved Ape. This moniker is the name for a one-man hardcore project. Before Daniel even had sorted out that we were going to release the tape on Sorry State, the first time I heard the tracks on this cassette, my jaw dropped full-force down to the floor. I loved it immediately. Earlier, I just talked about digesting new music—Shaved Ape plays the kind of hardcore that is undigestible and impossible to swallow; it’s more like experiencing blunt-force trauma. Dead silence, and then those quick sticks count off the first song and you know you’re in for a bludgeoning. Ape being in the name of the band feels appropriate. Super raw, uncivilized, primitive… But underneath that gruff, knuckle-dragging demeanor, you can tell this dude knows how to write a damn good hardcore song. Also, he’s just playing his ass off. While unhinged, the playing is so tight and ripping. In some ways, Shaved Ape reminds of the Deaf Mutations 7” from a few years back. Maybe that’s partially due to it being a raw, catchy hardcore solo project, but something about the spirit seems similar. But man, once you open the j-card and read lyrics… Woooooo dawgy this is savage. I don’t think I’ve read lyrics that feel this genuinely fed up and pissed in a long time. “Punchable faces surrounding me… Primate brain tells me to kill. A few more years and I think I will.” The rage is real.

Anyway, I feel like I can only be so eloquent when describing this ripper. Can’t recommend it enough. FFO… uh, good hardcore? Nuff said.

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

‘Til next week,

-Jeff

What’s up Sorry Staters?

Welp, this feels strange. It feels like it’s been a lifetime since I’ve sat down to write for the Sorry State newsletter. As some of you readers know, Daniel, Usman and I have been absent from our home here at SSR HQ while we were on a 30-day+ European tour. We had a blast. There are so many people I wanna shout out, particularly (now that we’ve finally met) our friends for life in Golpe. What a bunch of sweeties. So cool to hang with Bry and all the Sheffield mofos, as well as Mattis and Poffen in Stockholm, finally meeting Jocke from D-Takt and Rapunk!—not to mention all the people in different cities for showing us such great hospitality. Damn, it ruled. But blah blah, I won’t bore you with a long list of all the people I was stoked to see. But suffice it to say that between all the adrenaline-fueled fun moments along with the more challenging moments in our travels, it was a life-affirming experience. Since leaving to the play the fest in Philly back in June, I’ve basically been on the road or in the air to journey and play hardcore punk for quite a while now. It all kinda feels like a blur. Such a blur that I’m having trouble wrapping my head around that it’s the end of August already. My birthday is in just a couple days, and I still feel like summer just started. I’m working my way through some post-tour blues and readjusting to normal life, but it’ll all be cool. It’s weird. I think I’m ready for a break and for life to feel more mellow for a while. But fuck man, knowing how things go, we’ll see how long relaxation lasts.

Anyway, let’s talk about records. Have y’all heard this Gripe LP yet? Goddeyum it’s killer. I think I first heard this band earlier this summer. A buddy might’ve showed it to me for the first time while I was in Philly. But it’s right up my alley. That Amdi Petersens’ Arme style riffing mixed with some chaotic aggression and totally snarling but HOOKY AF vocals. So good. This new LP is cool bc it kinda captures 2 different eras/sounds of the band. Almost like the Herätys LP. The A-side is a new recording, and the B-side is a tape from a couple years ago. It’s funny though, the first recording I heard by Gripe I think is still my favorite, which is their newest tape. Posted on the No Deal channel on YouTube (of course), their 2022 tape is called Déjame Solo. It’s just 4 songs, but I think it’s the best stuff I’ve heard from them yet. The first track “(Estás) Bajo Control” is such a banger, totally catchy ripping mid-paced like APA. But I think that it’s a good thing Gripe’s newest release is their best! I’d prefer that over the “Oh, I only like the demo” syndrome that curses so many bands. Just keeps getting better and better.

I hope this Déjame Solo tape ends up being re-released as a 7”. Fuck man, I’d put it out. But until then, this Como Acabar Contigo Mismo 12” is keeping me stoked about hardcore. Do yourself a favor and blast this hot slab while you’re up to no good.

That’s all I’ve got this round. Glad to be back. Thanks for reading.

‘Til next week,

-Jeff

All I can think about as I’m getting ready to write this is that this might be my last “staff pick” that I’ll be writing for quite a while. This weekend, Scarecrow is playing the stacked lineup at SHOMO FEST 2022 in Philly! Then from there, the rest of Public Acid is picking me up in Philly, and then we’ll drive to New York and fly out on Monday to meet up with Warthog in Amsterdam. Warthog and Public Acid have a gig in Amsterdam, a couple dates in Germany and then we make our way to K-Town Hardcore Fest… So yeah, I’m losing my mind a little bit. But I’m diving into this trip with a positive attitude. I’m sure it will be a blast.

Anyway, enough about me. Let’s talk about records. Recently, I was obsessing over Sick Pleasure once again. Such a vicious and gnarly 7” that bridged the gap between early nihilistic punk and the blazing fast 80s hardcore to come. But Sick Pleasure isn’t what I wanna talk about. Listening to my copy of this 7” the other day had me looking back at other titles on the Subterranean Records catalog. While of course I love the San Francisco scene hardcore offerings like Sick Pleasure or Code Of Honor, there were also a lot of fringe and strange records released on this label. By weird coincidence, Sorry State recently purchased a collection from this dude that had a lot of old California punk and hardcore. While I was pricing this guy’s records, one of the titles that I stumbled on in one of these boxes was Music From Hell by Nervous Gender. I was relatively unfamiliar with this record, but it just happens to be on Subterranean Records. I was chatting with Daniel about it and he said, “Nervous Gender?? Oh, it’s great. I already have that record.” The record is predominantly a dark, synth-heavy and borderline-experimental record. Michael Fox from Sick Pleasure and Code Of Honor is credited as a producer, and also Don Bolles from the Germs seems to be involved with the production as well. I found myself intrigued. Now, upon first listen, I did find the record a bit challenging. It’s definitely a strange record. The layers of looping drum machine and synths patterns make me feel uncomfortable, but I also kinda feel drawn to it. It’s not unlike the Screamers or something, but the songs have even less traditional song structures, and the vibe is much stranger and avant-garde. Even a track like “Nothing To Hide” that has real drums and a more traditional, driving backbeat feels more like a stream of consciousness style rant than an actual song. I’ll be honest, I think I’m still grappling with whether or not I even like this record. I feel like I want to like it. It feels abrasive and confrontational in a way that tickles my interest. Like, maybe it’s supposed to freak you out? I could see how this record could be influential. And looking at the going rate for an original copy, it’s clearly a record that’s desirable and in-demand.

I’ll have to grapple with whether I need to take record this home. Maybe I’ll hide it before the synth/noise nerds have a chance to drool all over it at the store. I feel like I need a chance to throw this record on at home and listen to it super loud in the dark. Have a real weird time by myself. Maybe I’m enjoying a teeth-gritting, uncomfortable listen while I grapple with stress in preparation of international travel. I guess it’ll be a while before I have a chance to enjoy my records at home.

Anyway, if you wanna get have a real weird time this week, go ahead and give Nervous Gender a listen for me. That’s all I’ve got. As always, thanks for reading.

‘Til next week (or probably not),

-Jeff