XXX Fanzine: 1984 Spotify Playlist

We have launched our second playlist in the xXx Fanzine Spotify series. This time, we cover the year 1984 with 19 songs curated by xXx's own Mike Gitter.

Gitter comments "In the year of George Orwell's dystopic classic, 1984, punk and hardcore were forging themselves into something new. The "old guard" had largely called it quits the year before, with the likes of Minor Threat, The Misfits and The Faith packing it in as scenes got bigger and a step removed from their original sense ofDIY inspiration (and desperation). What was coming into focus was a sea-change in the underground as the likes of Black Flag, Die Kreuzen and Corrosion of Conformity began to explore heavier, more intricate sounds as others, including Husker Du and Channel 3, pushed their songwriting beyond sheer speed and brazen slogans. As documented on Maximum Rock N Roll's Welcome To 1984 compilation, the worldwide scene was also changing, growing larger with bands ranging from Finland's Terveet Kadet, all the way to Italy's blistering Raw Power to the roughshod sweetness of Canada's The Nils pushing themselves to the forefront. In was the beginning of something new; the beginning of punk's season of soul searching. "

LISTEN HERE
Hardcore was coming of age.

H2O 'Don Fury Demo Session EP' available for pre-order now!

H2O 'Don Fury Demo Session EP' available for pre-order now! In December of 1994, H2O recorded six songs with Don Fury. Originally split and released as a four song demo and a two song 7 inch, this session has been re-mastered and released together for the first time on 12" vinyl via Bridge Nine. Re-mastered and now available on a one sided 12" with a beautifully illustrated B-side by @DanSmithism

Pre-orders for The Eulogy 'Last Days' are live!

Pre-orders for The Eulogy 'Last Days' are live! Head over to b9store.com/theeulogy to get limited vinyl. Head to bridge9.bandcamp.com to hear a brand new track 👊

LABOR DAY WEEKEND SALE STARTS NOW

LABOR DAY WEEKEND SALE STARTS NOW!

Stream Entire Backtrack 7" Flexi - Bad to My World b/w Breaking Loose

You can now hear the entire @BacktrackNYHC flexi 7" Bad To My World b/w Breaking Loose (exclusive B-side) right now on Spotify / iTunes/ Bandcamp / etc! #BadToMyWorld Listen to both songs and if you haven't ordered the 32 page fanzine / flexi preview to the album, grab it at B9Store.com/backtrack shipping next week!

Nomads Premiere Crucifix/Agnostic Front Cover; Still Having Their Say Compilation Revealed

After an extended gestation period, legendary underground music journalist and A&R man Mike Gitter’s xXx Fanzine (1983-1988) Hardcore & Punk in the Eighties is almost upon us — and the epic amalgamation of revolutionary history, hard-won contemporary wisdom, and vivifying sound promises to be well worth the wait.

“Over nearly four years the xXx book blossomed into something a lot more weighty than just a collection of re-printed interviews and reviews from a well-regarded 80’s hardcore zine,” Gitter tells Decibel of the tome which also brings in new interviews with “musical prime-movers” such as Ian MacKaye, Keith Morris and members of Agnostic Front, Bad Brains and Cro-Mags to provide added depth and context. “It became a snapshot of some seismic changes in underground music — everything from Black Flag’s creepy-crawl into the sounds of bands like the Melvins and Soundgarden, the punk-metal crossover, the straight-edge stomp of the youth crew to weighty personas like Rollins, Danzig, Mascis and Mould putting their footprints deep into the mainstream-to-come. Really, punk’s season of soul-searching.”

“[Nomads are] a great L.A. band that plays with passion and fury, [waving] the flag for a time when punk and hardcore were not mutually exclusive,” Gitter says.

Yet despite already locking down the “required reading” end of things, Gitter & Co. further sweeten the pot by tossing a crazy nineteen song covers comp into the mix featuring Tombs’ take on Samhain, American Nightmare knocking out a Cro-Mags jam, Shai Hulud channeling Raw Power, Voivod reinterpreting Die Kreuzen, and — exclusively streaming via Decibel Magazine — a revelatory melding of Crucifix’ “How, When, Where” and Agnostic Front’s “The Eliminator” courtesy Nomads. Cover art and official tracklisting for the Still Having Their Say Compilation can be found below.

1. Strife - Who Are You? (Void)

2. Done Dying - Blending In (Government Issue)

3. Letlive - Fix Me (Black Flag)

4. Trial - Money (Embrace)

5. H2O - Safe (Dag Nasty)

6. Nomads - How When Where / The Eliminator (Cruxifix / Agnostic Front)

7. Walter Schriefels - Society Suckers (Agnostic Front)

8. Tombs - Kiss Of Steel (Samhain)

9. Voivod - Man In The Trees (Die Kreuzen)

10. Aeges - Hungry Child (Corrosion Of Conformity)

11. Last Light - A Wish To Dream (Uniform Choice)

12. Fuck You Pay Me - Religious Wars (Subhumans)

13. Jesse Leech - Salad Days (Minor Threat)

14. Shai Hulud - Raw Power (Raw Power)

15. True Rivals - Coolidge (Descendents)

16. Fu Manchu - When The Shit Hits The Fan (Circle Jerks)

17. Gallows - The Possibility Of Life's Destruction (Discharge)

18. American Nightmare - It's The Limit (Cro-Mags)

19. Riverboat Gamblers - Hate The Police (The Dicks)

Backtrack Unveil New Song + Pre-Orders For New Magazine/Flexi

Long Island five-piece Backtrack are thrilled to unveil their new single, “Bad To My World,” which will appear on a limited edition zine/flexi combo available digitally on September 1st and physically on September 8th from Bridge Nine (pre-order) or directly from the band on the Life & Death Tour.  The flexi also includes a b-side “Breaking Loose” and is combined with a 32-page fanzine curated by Backtrack which features art, illustrations, lyrics, stories, collages and more.

Listen to “Bad To My World” here.

The track will also appear on the Backtrack’s forthcoming new full-length, due out later this year on Bridge Nine.  While details revolving around the album are currently under wraps, the roster of main players behind the album has already stoked plenty of anticipation; topping the list are one of the East Coast’s most coveted engineers Dean Baltulonis behind the boards and Terror’s Nick Jett producing.  The album - Backtrack’s third - will be following up 2014’s Lost In Life, a somewhat tribute to the NYHC hardcore that catalyzed Backtrack’s existence. By integrating dynamic, hook-laden overdrive into their go-for-the-jugular sound, Backtrack were able to concoct a collection of material that proved to be their most remarkable yet. Exploring open-dialogue themes of personal identity, social alienation and finding solace in struggle, Lost In Life has set the bar high for the punk vets. 

Additionally, Backtrack will canvas North America in September and October on the year’s most exciting hardcore tour - the Life & Death Tour.  Backtrack will appear alongside No Warning, Twitching Tongues, Higher Power, and Vein on the duration of the tour.  Regional support will be comprised of impressive acts such as Terror, Down to Nothing, Bitter End (who are celebrating the 10 year anniversary of Climate of Fear) and Bracewar in select markets.  Check out the tour’s full routing below.

More news coming soon from Bridge Nine and Backtrack.

LIFE & DEATH TOUR 2017

Feat. No Warning, Backtrack, Twitching Tongues, Higher Power, Vein

September 8Los Angeles, CA @ Union *

September 9Berkeley, CA @ Gilman Street *

September 10Santa Cruz, CA @ The Catalyst

September 11Anaheim, CA @ Chain Reaction

September 12San Diego, CA @ SOMA

September 13Mesa, AZ @ The Nile

September 15Dallas, TX @ The Door ***

September 16San Antonio, TX @ Korova ***

September 17Houston, TX @ Walters ***

September 21Chicago, IL @ Bottom Lounge **

September 22Louisville, KY @ The Art Sanctuary **

September 23Detroit, MI @ The Ritz **

September 24Rochester, NY @ German House **

September 25Montreal, QC @ Foufounes **

September 26Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Bazaar **

September 27Cambridge, MA @ Hardcore Stadium **

September 28Philadelphia, PA @ Underground Arts **

September 29Wilmington, NC @ Morning Glory Coffeehouse ****

September 30Atlanta, GA @ Masquerade ****

October 1Tampa, FL @ Transitions ****

* w/ Terror

** w/ Down to Nothing

*** w/ Bitter End

**** w/ Bracewar

October 2Richmond, VA @ Canal Club

November 4Eindhoven, Netherlands @ Sound Of Revolution Festival (Backtrack only)

xXx Fanzine launches limited 24 Page Mini-Zine + 7" Flexi

Today we have launched pre-orders for the xXx Fanzine mini-zine + 7" flexi. This 24 page mini-zine gives you just a taste of the madness in the upcoming 288 page book, xXx Fanzine 1983-1988 Hardcore & Punk In The Eighties. More of companion piece than a preview, this zine features additional photographs and interviews that didn't make the book as well as some crucial pieces lifted from the book itself. In these 24 pages you'll find photographs, interviews, and features from Channel 3, SSD, GBH, Dag Nasty, Descendents, Murphy's Law, and much more. Also included is a Nomads 7" flexi, which features the band covering Crucifix's "How When And Where" which flawlessly transitions into Agnostic Front's crossover classic "The Eliminator". This is strictly limited to 1000 copies total. Once these are gone, they are gone forever. Available at B9Store.com/xXx

The Eulogy sign to Bridge Nine; Last Days EP Coming Soon

With a virtual all-star team of hardcore lifers, The Eulogy is anxious to follow up on their first release with a new EP called ‘Last Days,' due out on September 22nd from Bridge Nine Records. The 5-song record is an absolute banger, serving up classic hardcore with a modern touch. With Matt Henderson at the helm there is a strong embrace of the classic NYHC sound that he was such a huge part of while playing in Agnostic Front and Madball; “This isn’t some nostalgia trip” said Henderson. “There are other elements to the sound. We are tuned down which gives us a much heavier feel. The band was founded by guys from NY, Boston and New Jersey so of course we bring that to the table, there are also elements of early punk and death metal.”  The Eulogy is a band of 5 guys that are playing for the love of the game. “We play some shows first and sometimes last. We don’t care, we just like playing hardcore” said bass player Kevin Norton

Formed in 2012, The Eulogy a Southern California-based hardcore punk band started by Henderson (Madball, Agnostic Front), Norton (Eye for an Eye, Straight Faced), Doug MacKinnon (Slapshot, Ignite) and Pete Reilly (Mouthpiece).  After auditioning several potential singers, the band ran into old friend Sergio Chavez while watching LA’s Terror play a show in Orange County, and he was a perfect fit and The Eulogy had its first lineup. Doug left and drummer Derek Muraski soon joined to record The Eulogy’s self-titled EP released in 2015 on Flatspot Records. Derek was soon replaced by veteran Marc Jackson (Throwdown, Bleeding Through) who has been an integral part of The Eulogy both as a drummer and helping write the music. Over the last two years, the band has been playing shows all over the West Coast supporting bands like H2O, Madball and the Cro Mags while developing a loyal following of their own. 

xXx Fanzine: 1983 Spotify Playlist

1983 was hardcore's golden year. Classics like Minor Threat's Out of Step, SS Decontrol's Get It Away and the Misfit's Wolfsblood/Earth A.D. were being released - shortly before some of these legendary outfits were bidding fond adieu to the crew (present day reunions, notwithstanding). Hardcore and the DIY tropes of the day were inspiration aplenty for the bystanders to form bands and onlookers to write and publish their own zines. xXx was no exception. Inspired by the fertile Boston scene, chocked full of great bands including early interview subjects like Fall River, MA agit-punks, The Proletariat and Cape Cod's The Freeze (whose "No Exposure" was a song-grenade in their war against local hardcore bible, Forced Exposure), xXx emerged in June 1983, just in time to be sold at a Dead Kennedys gig in Waltham, Mass. The layouts and writing were nothing short of raw and naive - but completely from the heart and honest. From the straight-minded bludgeon of Negative Approach or Jerry's Kids to the California screaming of Suicidal Tendencies and the Circle Jerks, the 19 songs on this playlist pack the punch that was Hardcore '83.

xXx Fanzine: 1983 Playlist

xXx Fanzine (1983-1988) Hardcore & Punk In The Eighties Book Coming Soon

xXx Fanzine (1983-1988) Hardcore & Punk in the Eighties isn’t a mere collection of articles, reviews and photographs from one of Hardcore America’s best-known fanzines - it’s a chronicle of punk’s evolution in the 80’s; a story of music and ideologies in motion. xXx’s story picks up while the first wave of hardcore was in full swing. Major players including Minor Threat had already released landmark records and bands were loading up station wagons to play now infamous venues like The Channel, A7 or D.C. Space.

While based in Boston, xXx’s main writer and editor, Mike Gitter, not only concentrated on his own city’s burgeoning scene, spear-headed by bands like SS Decontrol and D.Y.S., but looked to other states and countries for xXx’s reportage. This hardcover, 11"x11", 288-page book documents a time when hardcore and punk were not mutually exclusive and bands and cities had a chance to develop their own diverse and strident sounds.

This creative ethos and aural zeitgeist is literally spelt out on the 19-song compilation that’s included with xXx Fanzine, with either download card or limited edition 12inch; a wide variety of current hardcore, punk and hard music luminaries including Strife, letlive., Fu Manchu and The Riverboat Gamblers contributed their interpretations to some of the most influential songs to come from xXx’s original era.

Now, in addition to reproducing (and restoring) countless interviews and pages from the ‘zine itself, xXx Fanzine re-interviews countless bands and musical prime-movers including Ian MacKaye, Keith Morris and members of Agnostic Front, Bad Brains and Cro-Mags to give the book a rare ‘then and now’ perspective. xXx Fanzine (1983-1988), Hardcore & Punk in the Eighties isn’t merely a look back at hardcore’s salad days, but a unique look at how punk’s music and message shook the mainstream itself.

xXx Fanzine (1983-1988) Hardcore & Punk in the Eighties features: 
Minor Threat, Misfits, Necros, Circle Jerks, Suicidal Tendencies, Husker Du, Jerry’s Kids, Black Flag, D.O.A., G.B.H, Void, Negative Approach, 7 Seconds, D.Y.S., Scream, Metallica, Corrosion of Conformity, Minutemen, The Exploited, Anthrax, Subhumans, Dead Kennedys, SSD, Henry Rollins, Descendents, Bad Brains, Youth of Today, Motorhead, Dag Nasty, Snapshot, Samhain, Agnostic Front, Cro-Mags, Bad Religion, Fugazi, and more…

xXx Fanzine (1983-1988) Hardcore & Punk in the Eighties is slated to be released on November 10th 2017.

Life & Death Tour 2017

Life & Death Tour 2017 announced!

09/08 – Los Angeles, CA @ Union (w/ Terror)
09/09 – Berkeley, CA @ Gilman Street (w/ Terror)
09/10 – Santa Cruz, CA @ The Catalyst
09/11 – Anaheim, CA @ Chain Reaction
09/12 – San Diego, CA @ Soma
09/13 – Mesa, AZ @ The Nile
09/15 – Dallas, TX @ The Door (w/ Bitter End)
09/16 – San Antonio, TX @ The Korova (w/ Bitter End)
09/17 – Houston, TX @ Walters (w/ Bitter End)
09/21 – Chicago, IL @ The Bottom Lounge (w/ Down To Nothing)
09/22 – Louisville, KY @ The Art Sanctuary (w/ Down To Nothing)
09/23 – Detroit, MI @ The Ritz (w/ Down To Nothing)
09/24 – Rochester, NY @ German House (w/ Down To Nothing)
09/25 – Montreal, QC @ Le Foufounes (w/ Down To Nothing)
09/26 – Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Bazaar (w/ Down To Nothing)
09/27 – Cambridge, MA @ Hardcore Stadium (w/ Down To Nothing)
09/28 – Philadelphia, PA @ Underground (w/ Down To Nothing)
09/29 – Charlotte, NC @ Rabbit Hole (w/ Bracewar)
09/30 – Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade (w/ Bracewar)
10/01 – Tampa, FL @ Transitions (w/ Bracewar)

FOURTH OF JULY SALE

Starting today and running through July 4th, we are offering 20% off almost everything! Use code: JULY4 at b9store.com

Spine Announce Run Of Shows with Stone

Spine have announced yet another run of shows this summer, this time with fellow midwest brethren Stone (Members of Expire and Cross Me). More news on Spine coming soon. 

August 11th @ Triple Zero in Milwaukee, WI
August 12th @ The Klubhaus in Minneapolis, MN
August 13th @ Milk Run in Omaha, NE

Spine Announce July Weekend Of Shows

Bridge Nine's latest addition, Spine, will be hitting the road in July for a brief stint of shows. Additional information on each show can be found below. Spine will be hitting the studio later this summer to record their Bridge Nine debut LP. More news on Spine forthcoming. 

July 7th @ Outland Ballroom in Springfield, MO
July 8th @ Vino's Pizza in Little Rock, AR
July 9th @ Mosh House Live in Memphis, TN