xXx Archives: CHANNEL3

June 6 2018 marks the 35th anniversary of xXx Fanzine. I'm as surprised as anyone that the product of what seems like a lifetime ago (t was!): a quickly-scribbled, hastily laid-out, xeroxed and stapled together 12 page screed, still warm from local copy shop, would continue to hold plenty of gravitas for yours truly. 

Who would have thought that the zine I rushed out for that Dead Kennedys/Jerry's Kids/The Freeze/Proletariat gig in Waltham, Mass, would be something I'd be involved with three-and-a-half decades later! Let's think back to some of other other cultural touchpoints of the year: 1983! Return of the Jedi was hitting theaters! The cold war was still a thing! The average monthly rent was a whopping $335! As Dan O' Mahoney pointed out in his intro essay in the xXx book, 35 years before that, Eisenhower was still president and Doo Wop was the hit sound of the day. 

Which brings us to what is basically a continuation of the four-year project that still feels like a 288 page "homecoming": xXx Fanzine 1983-88: Hardcore and Punk In The 80's. The 11"x11", 4.5 lb tome, edited by Bridge Nine Records owner, Chris Wrenn neatly encapsulates the best and most focused aspects of the zine's 20 issue run. That said, there was a lot of material that should have made the cut! 

That's to say nothing of the avalanche of amazing photos, flyers and tons of circa 83-88 artifacts that we were coming in after the book was already crammed full and ready to go to press.. Of course, I've been hounding Chris about adding, oh, at least 100 more pages for a second printing! 

So what better time to launch the  "xXx Fanzine Archives" which will continue to highlight interviews, reviews and xXx-related ephemera that didn't make the physical book but will live here and continue to tell the zine's six-year (and beyond) story. First entry: So-Cal punk heroes, Channel3, who are pushing the four-decade mark with no signs of stopping. Their recently-released Put 'Em Up is their best in years, to say nothing of kicking more ass onstage than most bands half their age.  Click HERE to read all about it!

Welcome to the archives! Strange to think, but 35 years later, xXx is still having its say. 

Bridge Nine welcome Beach Rats (Members of Minor Threat, Lifetime, Bouncing Souls)

Bridge Nine is excited to welcome a new edition to its roster: New Jersey's Beach Rats. Beach Rats are a brand new band featuring an all-star cast of scene veterans including Brian Baker (Minor Threat, Dag Nasty, Bad Religion), Ari Katz (Lifetime), plus members from The Bouncing Souls and more. Beach Rats play a brand of hardcore/punk that stays true to their members' roots while creating something completely fresh and urgent. Their debut EP 'Wasted Time' features 5 songs of fast, melodic hardcore punk that will leave the listener begging for more. 'Wasted Time' officially hits stores via Bridge Nine Records on July 27th. Sign up for pre-order notifications HERE.

Track-listing:
1. Lonely For The Night

2. Stay All Night

3. Sports Stink

4. Skins, Brains, and Dubs

5. Wasted Time.

Ruiner Announce European Tour

Ruiner have just announced a run of European shows in July! This will be the bands first tour in Europe since their recent re-formation. See dates below: 

 

 19.07.18 Germany Karlsruhe Die Stadtmitte

20.07.18 Belgium Herk de Stad Rock Herk Festival

21.07.18 UK London Boston Music Room

22.07.18 Germany Oberhausen Kulttempel

23.07.18 Germany Hamburg Hafenklang

24.07.18 Denmark Aalborg 1000 Fryd

25.07.18 Germany Chemnitz AJZ

26.07.18 Poland Warsaw Poglos

27.07.18 Hungary Budapest Dürer Kert

28.07.18 Czech Republic Rokycany Fluff Festival

SPINE Release New Song/Music Video + Pre-Order For 'Faith'

Revolver Magazine is premiering the first track from the upcoming Spine album 'Faith', in stores June 15th. "Warm Now Cold" premieres in conjunction with a music video filmed by Adam DeGross. Check that out HERE.

Pre-orders for 'Faith' are also live now in the B9 Store. Choose from 3 vinyl variants + new merchandise. Pre-order your copy HERE.

Spine Unveil New Album 'Faith'

Kansas City's SPINE return with their second full-length album, 'Faith'. Recorded by Andy Nelson at Bricktop Recordings (Weekend Nachos, Foundation, Harm's Way) in Chicago, IL. SPINE continue seamlessly blending the sounds of NYHC ala Youth Of Today, Cro-Mags, and Agnostic Front with the whiplash speed and intensity of bands like Infest and Siege. With multiple EPs and a full length record already under their belt, these 9 brand new songs are SPINE's hardest and most focused material to date. 'Faith' hits stores on June 15th 2018. To sign up for pre-order notifications, head to b9store.com/spine

TRACK LIST:

1. Gone

2. Warm Now Cold

3. Drawing Lines

4. Crumbling Mind

5. Activist 

6. Your Reason

7. Time To Grow 

8. My World's Corrupt 

9. Faith

Slapshot announce new album 'Make America Hate Again'

Boston hardcore legends Slapshot return with their latest album Make America Hate Again.  An institution in hardcore punk since 1985, Slapshot are still writing music as urgent and relevant as ever.  This 11-track powerhouse was recorded at The Wild Arctic in Portsmouth, NH with Dean Baltulonis (Madball, American Nightmare, No Warning).  30+ years later, Choke and company are still pissed off and evoke the same aggression that gave Slapshot the notorious reputation they have today.

Make America Hate Again will be available on June 1, 2018 from Bridge Nine Records.  More news coming soon.

Make America Hate Again, Track listing:

1.  Edge Break Your Face

2.  Hypocrite

3.  Remedy

4.  Alone

5.  Cry For Help

6.  Trainwreck

7.  I Got Your Number

8.  It’s All About You

9.  Make America Hate Again

10. White Flag

11. One Last Chance

Slapshot is:

Craig Silverman, guitar

Corey Koniz, drums

Ryan Packer, bass

Jack "Choke" Kelly, vocals

War On Women premiere new song "Lone Wolves"

Baltimore’s War On Women were born screaming—at the world, at the status quo, in the face of oppression. The band’s forthcoming album Capture The Flag calcifies that rage, and no one in its wake is safe. Much more than a collection of songs or sonic experiment, Capture The Flag is a call to action that cannot be ignored. 

Today, War On Women have unveiled the second single off of their forthcoming LP. The song, titled “Lone Wolves,” is relevant and vital, touching on mental health issues and the gun violence epidemic that’s plaguing America.  With lyrics like “They don’t care if you live, they don’t care if you die, it’s only ever been about control,” there’s no time more crucial than the present to incite change.  Listen to “Lone Wolves” here.

With hundreds of shows and years of activism behind them, Capture The Flag finds War On Women more dogged than ever. As is their modus operandi, War On Women have not stopped at the music. Capture The Flag will also receive its own college-level companion workbook. Inspired by the academic community’s fervent embrace of their self-titled record, War On Women have decided to not only join the conversation, but also facilitate it. This workbook—which will be available for preorder with Capture The Flag—includes a lyric sheet and song dissections, relevant quotes, a reading list, directory of resources, and national support hotline numbers.

War On Women are neither a crew of young bucks nor a contagion of seasoned legends. They don’t fit neatly into metalloid machismo or hulking hardcore tropes. They have nothing to prove, and there’s nothing more delightfully dangerous than that. 

See War On Women on tour this Spring and look for more news to surface soon:

WAR ON WOMEN - ON TOUR:

April 7  Las Vegas, NV @ Emerge

April 13 Brooklyn, NY @ Saint Vitus

April 14 Lancaster, PA @ Launch Music Conference & Festival

April 15 Philadelphia, PA @ Boot & Saddle 

April 20 Asbury Park, NJ @ Asbury Park Brewery

April 21 Baltimore, MD @ Ottobar *Record Release Show*

May 18 Montreal, QC @ Pouzza Fest

Dead Swans Announce 'Sleepwalkers' UK Shows

Dead Swans have announced 4 special UK shows where they will play their album Sleepwalkers in its entirety. Tickets are available here: http://bit.ly/DeadSwansUK

War On Women announce new album 'Capture The Flag'

Baltimore’s War On Women were born screaming—at the world, at the status quo, in the face of oppression. The band’s forthcoming album Capture The Flag calcifies that rage, and no one in its wake is safe. Much more than a collection of songs or sonic experiment, Capture The Flag is a call to action that cannot be ignored. 

Riff-fueled manifestos are nothing new for War On Women. The co-ed feminist punk troupe has been tackling injustice one song at a time since their 2010 inception. Storming out the gate with teeth gnashing and spitting venom, War On Women’s self-titled 2015 debut crossbred riot grrrl ferocity with the nimble aggression of thrash. Hailed for their crystalline jabs at societal ills, War On Women prove that hardcore can incite change that ripples far beyond the parameters of the stage. 

With hundreds of shows and years of activism behind them, Capture The Flag finds War On Women more dogged than ever. Taking shape over the course of summer 2017, the band’s sophomore effort delves into injustices at both the macro and micro levels. Religious subjugation, gun violence, armchair activists, gender orgasm gap, female genital mutilation, the fetishization of motherhood, and toxic relationships—no breed of oppression defies War On Women’s purview. Recorded with J Robbins in Magpie Cage Recording Studio, Capture The Flag finds the band in their sonic wheelhouse, wedged somewhere between rebellious and rousing. 

Enlisting the talents of their activist predecessors (Kathleen Hanna), glass ceiling shattering contemporaries (Joanna Angel), and own family (Brooks’s daughter Eva), Capture The Flag is a composite character of one of hardcore’s most riling bands. Ceding the gang vocals that peppered their debut album, War On Women opted to cultivate the singular voices of women who have devoted their lives to riling against the powers that be. The result is a crucible of discontent that will inspire as much as it will incense.

Capture The Flag will hit stores on April 13th! Details on pre-orders and new music will be announced shortly.

WAR ON WOMEN - ON TOUR:

April 7 Las Vegas, NV @ Emerge

April 13 Brooklyn, NY @ Saint Vitus

April 14 Lancaster, PA @ Launch Music Conference & Festival

April 15 Philadelphia, PA @ Boot & Saddle 

April 20 Asbury Park, NJ @ Asbury Park Brewery

April 21 Baltimore, MD @ Ottobar *Record Release Show* w/ Bully 

May 18 Montreal, QC @ Pouzza Fest 

B9 Days Of X-Mas Starts Today With 25% Off Music

It's that time of year once again! For those who aren't familiar, every year we do the B9 Days Of X-Mas. Each day, for 9 days, we have a new deal that's only available for 24 hours. Today we kick it off with 25% off all music. This includes vinyl, CDs, tapes, and digital albums. Just use the code MUSIC25 at checkout. Start shopping now!

American Nightmare Winter 2018 Tour

Grab this Crimson Ghost 27"x36" Photomosaic Poster designed by Chris Wrenn in 1997 While You Can

In college Chris Wrenn designed a photomosaic of the #CrimsonGhost for a final project. Started 20 years ago in 1997 and finished in 1998, this was pre-photoshop and was done entirely by hand. There are over 600 photographs of gravestone details from an old cemetery in Poultney, Vermont that made up this originally almost 6 foot tall image, and each one was exposed onto a tiny rectangle of photo paper and printed in a dark room. Chris affixed each print onto a backing board, one at a time. When he moved to Boston, he had a pro photo taken of it and scanned, and ordered a run of big 27"x36" posters made. They'd be rolled by hand in a plastic sleeve and sold from time to time at shows, and Tower Records let Chris set up a little display of them to sell on consignment while he worked there. Sadly, the original work of art has been lost to time but Bridge Nine has the last remaining copies from that original batch up at B9Store.com/posters

XXX FANZINE 1986 SPOTIFY PLAYLIST LAUNCHEDd

This spiffy pic of @brianbakers is your gateway to the super sounds of 1986 that spun round the turntable and inspired many a xXx Fanzine review and interview.   Listen HERE!

Strike Anywhere Announce East Coast Shows

Strike Anywhere have announced a run of East Coast shows! They will be hitting Brooklyn, Philadelphia, Boston, and Washington DC. For more info make sure to head to the band's official page.