B9 alum Ceremony are putting together their Home Sick showcase once again this year. This time they will be joined by Cold Cave, Iron Lung, Uniform, Krimewatch, and many more. Home Sick 2 is this Saturday at The Phoenix Theater in Petaluma, CA. Get your tickets HERE.
BRIDGE NINE Launches Imprint Dubbed QUIET PANIC Founded By Ryan Hoffman of CHAIN OF STRENGH
We’re excited to announce that we have teamed up with Ryan Hoffman of Chain Of Strength to launch a brand new imprint label dubbed Quiet Panic. The imprint will also showcase previous Southern Lord production manager and Cobra Music A&R extraordinaire Michael Messina. Inspired by labels such as 4AD,Dischord, and Touch & Go, Quiet Panic are focused on delivering underground art from a diverse pool of talent who aren't afraid to express themselves without limitations. Messina states "You can expect the unexpected. We might release a popular indie band, a kid making beats in his bedroom, or a Norwegian Black Metal band. Nothing is off limits. We just want to establish an environment of creativity and not be pigeonholed into one particular genre". When it came to finding a home for Quiet Panic, Bridge Nine was a no brainer. Hoffman says "Quiet Panic partnering with Bridge Nine is a dream come true. Aligning ourselves with a label whose values and principals originate from DIY hardcore just as ours makes this an amazing collaboration. Bridge Nine offers Quiet Panic 23 years of experience built from the ground up launching essential artists such as American Nightmare, No Warning, Defeater, and Ceremony. This is monumental for us."
The first artist joining the imprint is Philadelphia based Beach Slang, who just wrapped up recording with Robby Takac of the Goo Goo Dolls. Since 2014 Beach Slang's brand of punk tinged rock & roll has catapulted them into being one of the most recognizable and exciting names in underground music today. With a string of albums on beloved emo/indie institution Polyvinyl and even more EPs under their belt, Beach Slang are ready to unleash their next release via Quiet Panic/Bridge Nine.
Beach Slang share teaser for upcoming EP titled 'MPLS'
'MPLS' track-listing:
1. AAA
2. I Hate Alternative Rock
Stay tuned for more information on Quiet Panic and releases to come. Remember, expect the unexpected.
xXx Fanzine Issue 5 Digitized; Featuring Jerry's Kids, Black Flag, Broken Bones, + More
We’ve digitized issue 5 of xXx Fanzine! Read the full issue in its original form HERE; featuring Jerry’s Kids, Black Flag, Broken Bones, and more. Read author Mike Gitter’s reflection below:
”Released just a few months before I graduated high school in 1984, xXx Fanzine# 5 was the issue where things felt like they were coming together. Probably for that reason, it’s still one of my favorites of the zine’s six year run.
While I had yet to discover that half-toning photos would give things more visual punch (THAT’s what those Forced Exposure guys were doing!), I had mastered the art of shrunken typewriter font layouts (borrowing liberally from Flipside, Forced Exposure and sundry rags of record), stepped up my writing and found enough collaborators, photographers and labels who would trade records for ad space to make it look like I was cranking out a semi-legit early-80’s Hardcore-zine. Hell, we even had scene reports and the first few cartoons from Brian Walsby, who would remain part of the xXx gang til the end, and is still a friend to this day. Check out his artwork for the back of the xXx book as well as the accompanying Bridge Nine comp: Still Having Their Say.
I’m sure Brian’s cartoon of Michael Jackson joining the Bad Brains still has him wincing. Remember, it was the early 80’s. Thriller was a thing.
OK, 1984 kicked off strong. Little did future Slapshot members Steve Risteen and Mark McKay know that the January 12th gig they put together at Malden Eagle’s Hall, so Steve’s band at the time, Terminally Ill, could play with The F.U.’s and Jerry’s Kids, would become the first wave of Boston Hardcore’s last stand. It was a killer all-Boston gig on a cold and snowy night. A verging-on-metal D.Y.S was added to the bill: promising that this would be the last time they would play the likes of “Circle Storm” before heading into heavier sonic turf. Of course, as with any gig they played at that point, it was Jerry’s Kids who stole the show. JK’s live was the musical equivalent of an exorcism. Paul Johnson’s photos of their set really show how intense a live prospect they actually were – especially with Chris Doherty slinging second guitar.
Couple of side notes: The opening band at that show was Post-Mortem, who would eventually boast a pre-Anal Cunt Seth Putnum on bass. That was also the show where the swastika-ski-masked Andrew Brady was caught by Bruce Rhodes stage-diving: the very photograph that made the back cover of the D.Y.S. Brotherhood reissue, Wolfpack.
The issues’ explosive cover shot of Chris Doherty, who, at the time, was playing with the likes of Jerry's Kids, Stranglehold and Dicky Barrett’s proto-Bosstones ensemble, The Cheapskates, remains my favorite cover image and thusly became the cover of the xXx Fanzine 1983-88 book. At least for yours truly, that shot has passed into the realm of “iconic”.
The interview with Charlie Harper of the UK Subs done a few months before is probably the most glaring omission from the xXx book. The Subs’ impact on the early days of US hardcore was certainly sizable enough and Charlie has always been a pretty affable bloke, so chock that blunder up to having only so much space to work with and being deluged with a ton of great content. Truthfully, you wouldn’t believe some of the pictures we got our hands on as Chris Wrenn and I were putting the book to rest…oh, for another 60 pages!
While the Subs were in town that time at The Channel, I did manage to corner their then-bassist, Terry “Tezz” Roberts, also known for the being the founding drummer with UK legends, Discharge. Tezz had just parted ways with his brother Tony “Bones” in Broken Bones. Tezz is largely credited as the dude that gave the world the D-Beat and would go on to play with the likes of Ministry before returning to a reinvigorated Discharge on second guitar. Even to this day he’s an affable maniac. It’s an OK chat with a little bit of insight into the pre-Grave New World era Discharge, at best. Probably why that quasi Broken Bones feature didn’t make the book.
One lesser known band that we opted to include in the book from this issue was Western, Mass’ Outpatients. Formed off the back of the legendary Deep Wound by the Helland Brothers: Vis and Scott, the Outpatients took the hardcore energy that Scott vexed with future indie rock heroes: J. Mascis and Lou Barlow and channeled it with Motorhead-ish intent. The trio, rounded out by drummer Mike Kingsbury, became a Bay State regular. Sadly, with the exception of an excellent 1983 demo tape, a track on a Flipside compilation and two tracks on Gerard Cosloy’s Bands That Could Be God comp, the band never focused on recording which has relegated their legacy of incendiary live shows to semi-deep-dive status – with the exception of the xXx book, natch!
A glance through the record review section shows the brine of a few sea-changes afoot. Between the “side-2” slowcore of Black Flag’s My War, The Misfit’s hardcore fixation on Wolfsblood/Earth A.D., Marginal Man’s debut as well as demos from Verbal Assault and Siege, the baby that was no longer cute was exiting salad days and entering its teenage years. Later in the zine, there’s even a live review of featuring none other than Husker Du opening for some Atlanta indie mob called R.E.M.!
Enjoy this issue of xXx which we are presenting in its original form here online. We plan to do this same treatment for all 20 issues – in no particular order, really. Given that our old pal, Chris Doherty is presently recovering from a stroke and there is a benefit gig being held at The Paradise in Boston to help with his medical expenses on January 12, we wanted to get this one in front of old friends and anyone who wasn’t around in 1984 to grab the rag. If you’re in the area, go to the benefit and catch Slapshot, Springa and His Sonic Droogs and a reunion gig from THE OUTLETS (yes, Boston’s greatest power-pop band) all doin’ it for Doherty! Get well Chris. We expect to hear you onstage belting out “Rabies”, “Sold Out” and of course, “Alcohol” very soon!”
-Mike Gitter
How Bridge Nine Turned "Yankees Suck" into Hardcore Punk Gold (& launched American Nightmare, Terror, Have Heart & more!)
If you like hardcore music you've heard of Bridge Nine, and if you like Boston sports you've heard of Sully's, but did you know the sports brand was originally started solely to fund punk albums? When Chris Wrenn was just 19 years old, he started a record label in his dorm room. Then, in the spring of 2000, he walked to Fenway Park from Boston's Mission Hill with friends from his bands and a backpack full of "Yankees Suck" bumper stickers. The plan? To make the much needed money to release a record with his roommates in the band American Nightmare. What happened next took the hardcore music scene of the early 2000's worldwide and cemented Bridge Nine Records as one of its most recognized ambassadors. Read about it courtesy of No Echo HERE!
*Circa 2000 photo of Chris Wrenn and Wes Eisold (American Nightmare) hawking to Sox fans by Kate Bowen.
Death Before Dishonor join the Rebellion 8 tour with Madball, Iron Reagan, and more
Death Before Dishonor will be hitting Europe this spring on the Rebellion 8 tour. Joining them will be Madball, Iron Reagan, Born From Pain, Slope, Brick By Brick, and Ironed Out.
SPINE announce tour with Regional Justice Center, Sex Prisoner, and Harm Done
SPINE are hitting the road in February in support of their latest album Faith. Joining them will be Regional Justice Center and Harm Done, with Sex Prisoner on select dates.
Death Before Dishonor Announce East Coast Tour With Madball
Boston’s Death Before Dishonor have just announced East Coast tour dates with Madball. See below for individual show and ticket information.
Jan-24 Cambridge, MA @ Middle East – Downstairs w/ American War Machine
Jan-25 Asbury Park, NJ @ House of Independents
Jan-26 Elmhurst, NY @ Blackthorn 51
Jan-27 Hamden, CT @ Space Ballroom
xXX Fanzine Issue No.14 Digitized; Interviews with Bad Brains, Motorhead, etc
We've digitized one of the most crucial issues of xXx Fanzine, issue no.14 featuring interviews with the Bad Brains, Motorhead, plus additional content that did not make the book. You can read issue no.14 in its entirety HERE. xXx Fanzine founder Mike Gitter had the following to say about this issue...
"This was the issue where xXx really hit its prime. xXx #14, which featured a generation-charging HR of the Bad Brains by Cindy Mendes, was the first of a triumvirate of covers (#14-Bad Brains, #15-Samhain, #16-Cro-Mags/Agnostic Front) where the zine had really come into its own: layout, pictures, writing, the works. That was a span of issues that is probably the leading reason why xXx still gets a bit of love (and a full book treatment) some 35 years later! It was also the issue where you could see Hardcore's sea-change really start to take hold. The interviews with Dag Nasty and Slapshot saw old schoolers like Brian Baker, Choke and DYS' Jonathan Anastas open up new musical chapters while still sticking to their punk lineage. Meanwhile, Youth of Today had just emerged from the suburbs of Connecticut to reinvigorate old school straight edge with a sound equally cribbing from Boston and NYHC and, in the process, give birth to the divisive sound of "Youth Crew". From what I understand, the interview I did with Ray and Porcell at the old Anthrax club in Stamford, CT was at their fourth-ever show as a band!
As you shift through the 28 pages of this issue, you'll obviously catch a bit of content that didn't make it into the xX Fanzine 1983-88 book. The big hold-out was The Dickies interview...not that I don't love Stan, Leonard and their history of tuneful irreverence. We only had so much space (228 pages) and 20 issues to cull from. In retrospect, the book does have a hardcore bent and there are some glaring omissions including interviews with California's CH3 (issue#3) and the UK Subs (issue #5) that will hopefully see light of day again at some near point.
In addition to focusing on the sound of energized old schoolers and younger scene-shifters, the issue's interviews with binary legends: Motorhead and Bad Brains make it one of the zine's strongest. Our conversation with Lemmy and Phil (who remained Motorhead mainstays til the end) on the 1986 Orgasmatron tour at a show at the Channel opened by the Cro-Mags (!) really shows how plugged in and aware they were of the scenes around them - to the point of Lemmy name-checking Wattie and The Exploited! Meanwhile, my interview with HR set the stage for the Bad Brains I Against I era in our chat backstage at Providence's Living Room.
Add to that record and show reviews including Samhain, YOT, Verbal Assault, Jesus and Marychain (I panned 'em - a teenage me didn't get the J&MC's live show!), Circle Jerks, Husker Du and the very first Slapshot show and it's clear that things were cresting for xXx and the second generation scene around us! Hell, there's even an ad for the Pushead-released Pusmort version of Poison Idea's Kings of Punk on the back cover! Hope you enjoy E-flipping through what is perhaps the strongest overall issue in the zine's 6-year run. Safe to say, there's plenty more xXx to come!"
Cross Me Announce Tour with Dare and Low End
After a brief hiatus Milwaukee’s Cross Me have returned and will be hitting the road this February with Dare and Low End. See dates below…
February 2nd @ JJ’s in Milwaukee, WI
February 3rd @ Moon Palace Books in Minneapolis, MN
February 4th @ Vaudeville Mews in Des Moines, IA
February 5th @ 89th Street Collective in Oklahoma City, OK
February 6th @ The Sinkhole in St. Louis, MO
February 8th and 9th @ LBD Fest in Louisville, KY
War On Women announce European Tour with Petrol Girls
War On Women have just announced a European tour with Petrol Girls. For tickets and more information visit mad-tourbooking.de.
War On Women announce Australian tour with Converge
War On Women have just announced a run of Australian dates with Converge after their appearance at 2019’s Download Festival. See dates below:
03/12 Brisbane, AUS – Crowbar
03/13 Adelaide, AUS – Lion Arts Factory
03/14 Perth, AUS – Rosemount Hotel
Backtrack joining Terror in Europe for the Total Retaliation Tour
Backtrack will be joining Terror, Deez Nuts, and Risk It at the end of the month to begin the European leg of the Total Retaliation Tour. Click HERE for dates and tickets.
Read the digitized 2001 B9 catalog featuring interviews with No Warning, Carry On, + more
We’ve digitized the 2001 Bridge Nine catalog for your reading enjoyment this Thanksgiving! A true blast from the past featuring 16 pages of old advertisements and interviews with No Warning, Carry On, Stop and Think, Death Threat, and more. Check it out HERE.
War On Women's 'Live From Magpie Cage' EP streaming via New Noise
New Noise Magazine are streaming the new War On Women acoustic EP, Live From Magpie Cage, in its entirety. Head there to listen to all five tracks before they officially drop this Friday. The band will also be playing 2 special acoustic shows in support of the release with Good Riddance this week. See dates below:
November 8th @ Brooklyn Bazaar in Brooklyn, NY with Good Riddance, All Torn Up, Counterstrike
November 9th @ Voltage Lounge in Philadelphia, PA with Good Riddance, Crossed Keys, Counterpunch, and Bigwig
Cruel Hand Announce 'Prying Eyes' 10 Year Anniversary Shows
Cruel Hand’s landmark album ‘Prying Eyes’ is officially 10 years old. To celebrate the anniversary they will be hitting the road for a run of East Coast shows. Joining them for all five dates will be Take Offense and Blind Justice.