As many of you may know, this months issue of Sound is the last. It’s a total bummer for me to see such a great platform for local art and music die, but all is not lost -Sound has merged with City Arts and will live on through that publication.

For those who haven’t had a chance to pick up a copy, here is a scan of the article I wrote for the upcoming Undertow and Unbroken reunion show at El Corazon. I typed out the body of the article beneath the scans. Read on and see ya in the pit.

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In the past five years, the American hardcore scene has been flooded with reunions. From New York youth crew bands Gorilla Biscuits and Bold to southern California straight edgeflag carriers Strife and Carry On, it seems every few months, another classic band is popping up from the woodwork, ready to take one more swing.

Some call it cashing in; others, just nostalgic fun.

“A reunion is awesome,” says 37-year-old Heiress vocalist …

Shook Ones
The Unquotable A.M.H (Paper + Plastick)
4.5 stars

Five years ago, Shook Ones were practicing in a cramped Bellingham basement well known for its sewage leaks and untimely rat infestations. Looking back, this was the perfect breeding ground for the band’s gritty, melodic sound—call it pop-punk by way of hardcore. It wasn’t long until the band released a promising demo and a debut LP. Graduating from the tight-knit Bellingham music scene, the band moved south to Seattle, recruited drummer Jimmy Walsh from Philadelphia, embarked on tour after tour and released a second full-length and a slew of 7-inches.

Few hardcore-related bands have the longevity to last for three albums—the long rides in cramped vans have a tendency to break even the most solid bands. Even more rare is for this third record to top all previous efforts. But that’s just what Shook Ones has done with its junior release, the band’s first on Paper + Plastick Records, a new label founded by Vinnie

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Photo by Casey Nolan

Northwest hardcore kids were given a rare treat this past Monday, as Boston hardcore band Bane played a small, intimate Portland pizza parlor the size of a typical Capitol Hill studio apartment. With pizza ovens blazing, 70 (or so) of us crammed into the tiny little space, screaming and sweating until our shirts felt like a second layer of skin. During the bands second-to-last song, the microphone cable broke. Without flinching, vocalist Aaron Bedard continued on, belting out the lyrics to Count Me Out as the entire room erupted in one unified chant of “I’ll be here tomorrow/I’ll be here next year/Justlike this X on the back of my hand/Not going nowhere.”

Photo by David Kasnic

Stepping foot into the Viaduct Friday night, it was obvious to everyone just how much time and dedication went into getting everything ready for Rain Fest. With a newly remodeled building, including a raised roof, more room for merch tables and a fresh paint job, this years Fest was set to go. Forty-four bands in three days? Go for it.

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In just a few short days, Tacoma will be invaded by hundreds of screaming, stagediving hardcore kids. In case you haven’t read my article in this months issue of Sound (hint hint), this coming weekend marks the third anniversary of Rain Fest, a three-day hardcore music festival held at the Viaduct, an all-ages Tacoma venue.

If you are heading down for Rain Fest I will advise you not to just watch the big name headliners like Comeback Kid and the Warriors - take a chance on local northwest hardcore bands.

Here’s a day-by-day run down of all the local bands…

 FRIDAY

May 22

Vanguard: This band plays heavy, Hatebreed inspired hardcore with thought provoking lyrics. If you like Terror, Bury Your Dead or….Hatebreed, this is your band : myspace.com/vanguardhc

Ill Intent: Thrashy, pissed, fast - all these words are overused in relation to hardcore bands, but in all honesty, it’s the best description I can give.  Fronted by the always hilarious Floppy Matt, these dudes are always down to party: myspace.com/illintent206

Poverty Bay Saints: Combining Oi! punk and hardcore, Seattle’s Poverty Bay …

In an attempt to shake this blog back to life (aka bring myself to put effort into something that could be much sweeter than it currently is) I have decided to start posting free music every week.

All of the links I plan to provide are easily extractable with a program known as WinRar. Download this free program and unlock your pathway to free local hardcore music.

For the first installment, I bring to you live recordings from a new-ish five-piece Olympia hardcore band known as Sixes. Matching heavy 90’s influenced hardcore with overt political messages, Sixes shows a ton of promise. Make sure to catch them May 22 at Rain Fest.

This set was recorded live on my weekly radio show, Dead Air on Wednesday, April 15, 2009. It might be available in the future via tape, CD or 7 inch. Who knows? But for now, enjoy these mp3s and mosh a hole in your living room wall.

 SIXES- Live on Dead Air

Here’s an article I wrote a little over a year back for a Bellingham music rag called What’s Up! Magazine. Props go out to Brent Cole for letting me cover such a sweet band for his publication. Due to a member change or two, some of the info is probably out of date. Whatever dude, it’s hardcore, right?

Since the article was written, Black Breath went on tour, put out a new 12″ EP, drank some beers and played a few local shows. If you haven’t checked them out yet, please do yourself a favor and peep it right now.
www.myspace.com/blackbreath

Black Breath’s next show is March 31 at Neumo’s with Wolves in the Throne Room, Pelican and Tombs. Now that’s a lineup.

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Black Breath isn’t just a hardcore band, a punk band or a metal band. Black Breath is the soundtrack for drinking 40 cans of Pabst Blue Ribbon, pissing yourself and blacking out in your own front lawn.

With a line-up that reads like a Bellingham dream team of

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After four years of constant touring, Seattle hip-hop influenced hardcore band Furious Styles has broken up. The band made the announcement official Wednesday evening via Myspace. Quickly, responses from Furious fans across the globe appeared, flooding the bulletin with pleas to continue on.

In a comment posted to the Bridge Nine hardcore message board, Furious Styles  vocalist Mike “Mexi Mike” Torres wrote,”To put it simply, it stopped being fun. I always said ‘when I stop having fun, I’ll stop doing this band.’”

The final Furious show will be held May 21 at the Viaduct in Tacoma. More information on the show will be posted as soon as it becomes available.

Like I mentioned in my most recent post, Sunday the 15th of February is the official first Rain Fest 2009 announcement.

It’s looking pretty stacked so far. Out of this first batch, I have to say I’m the most excited to see Cold World. As soon as the opening riff to Dedicated to Babies Who Came Feet First is played I will commence destruction of anything around me. No one is safe. Stoked. Here’s the lineup so far with a little note from me after each band. Mosh.

RAIN FEST 2009
MAY 22, 23, and 24
Tacoma WA

Announcement 1, February 15th

BROADWAY CALLS (Northwest pop-punk on SideOneDummy Records)

CEREMONY (closed last years fest, gnarly thrash from the Bay Area)

COLD WORLD (Wilkes Barre, PA hip-hop influenced hardcore that’s worth the hype)

DANGERS (wild, fast, raging, pissed)

GRAF ORLOCK (cinema-grind. Get into it!)

HAMMER BROS (You are moshing)

KILLING THE DREAM (melodic metallic hardcore)

PRESSURE POINT (OI! OI! OI! OI!)

ROTTING OUT (LA hardcore with a love for classic punk)

SABERTOOTH ZOMBIE (Bay Area trash hardcore. Dirty)

WISDOM IN CHAINS (East Coast Blood for Blood worship)

WHISKEY REBELS (Think Bouncing Souls)

Wow, it really doesn’t feel like a year has gone by, does it? If you weren’t at last years Rain Fest in the beautiful heart of South Tacoma (blech!), you surely missed out. Highlights? How do I even start? How about Cleveland metallic hardcore giants Ringworm igniting the dance floor into a violent pit of spinkicks, Dangers’ ceiling-high pile-ons, Paint it Black’s hilarious onstage banter or Ceremony’s 30-second bursts of rage?

I guess that’s an ok start. In what will be Rain Fest Round 3, this year’s Rain Fest is sure to be huge. The three-day hardcore fest is held at the Viaduct during the weekend of May 22nd-24th (yes, the same weekend as Sasquatch).

It was recently confirmed that the first Rain Fest 2009 announcement will be made this coming Sunday, February 15. Since everything is being held hush-hush and none of the bookers seem to have very loose lips, I can only imagine the bands that will be booked this year.

After this Sunday, I will be posting the lineup, but for now, it’s wishlist time.

KEVIN’S RAIN FEST 2009 …