We’re BACK…two weeks and two days later, we had to take off for Memorial Day to support fallen soldiers in the Scene. Will this actually turn into a bi-weekly newsletter? Time will show. Continue below for Scheme updates, scene report, recommended media consumptions and a discussion about democore of the thugcore variety.
SCHEME REPORT:
Flagship recording artists ALMIGHTY WATCHING were locked away in the Newhallville Section of New Haven all weekend tracking vocals for their upcoming 7" record and other shit. As of now the record will be finished in mid June along with a debut promo tape to be released ASAP.
As for SCH-02, (REDACTED) should be recording a song in the next couple weeks.
We rolled down to DC earlier this week to dine at the elegant Waffle House in Havre De Grace, Maryland that left Kyle shaking like a nervous dog out of pure anxiety (They brought me my hashbrowns and kept saying "THOSE LOOK LIKE SHIT ON A PLATE"- Kyle). While we were in the area, we conducted a side mission to SHINING LIFE HQ in scenic Silver Springs to pick up some tape duplication machinations for usage at SCHEME HQ (a pink attic full of 3XL 100 DEMONS hoodies and a SUPERTOUCH poster). We were treated to a sneak peek at the In Effect Fanzine anthology that they're releasing in the coming weeks, it is thicc and will be a dope read full of big pants hardcore, small pants hardcore and everything else good in the world.
AW promo tapes should be done later(r) June, something validating the bands existence may also be available at the DAZE Sponsored pop up event a Druthers Coffee on June 19 in Stony Brook, NY.
Also - if you're trying to get some tapes made for your band/label/spoken word, bang thy line and we can figure somethin out to help you out.
SCENE REPORT:
ALL DUE RESPECT demo should be dropping later this week, members of every current western Massachusetts band and Lumpy from the Scene. If you're down with Springfield Stab Metal i.e. PUSHBUTTON WARFARE and The Wire samples, you'll be in the right place. It'll be out soon on Daze / Streets of Hate in the next week or so, with a bunch of shows already booked - one way or another, you shall experience it in due time.
The TERROR EYES demo is out now on Survival Unit - more straightforward hardcore punk from the camp of THE FIGHT. You got Quinnie Stigma on guitar, a logo by Spoiler and one of, if not the best, moshers of the 2010’s singing. What else do you need?
If you're down with the proliferation of hardcore literature and books in recent years - the third volume of Record Afficinado, covering 1985 to 1990, is a must cop. The first two installments, covering early USHC ('78 to '85) and Revelation Records ('87 to '91) respectively, are fantastic reads and I expect nothing less for this volume. Here's to hoping that Volume 4 is in the works now and covering 1990 to 1995.
The last remaining issues of NORTH EAZT TAKEOVER ISSUE #1, the collaboration between Scheme, Daze and S.O.H have been dropped at Connecticut's hardcore hang out Static Era Records, so head down, browse some records and chop it up with some certified OGs.
KYLE’s PLAYLIST:
PUSHBUTTON WARFARE - Discography
JASTA 14 - Demo
HIGHER FORCE - Unreleased LP
PULP - His N Hers
THE FIGHT - Endless Noise
SEED OF PAIN - Champions of Chaos
BATTLE RUINS - 7"
ALMIGHTY WATCHING - The 4 song 7" with the guitar player singing
ALBIN’s PLAYLIST:
BREAKDOWN - Battle Hymnns...
EXPLODING HEARTS - Guitar Romantic
OLIVIA RODRIDGO - SOUR
SEARCH FOR PURPOSE - Eternal Emotion
MAXIMUM PENALTY - Life & Times
CAT POWER - You Are Free
Listen to these songs and others here:
GUEST PLAYLIST VIA RICHIE ARMOUR (RULE THEM ALL)
ft. Danceability™ review via Kyle
POISON IDEA - Deep Sleep - "Richie would never dance to this band"
KILL YOUR IDOLS - I Hate My Guts - "I would never dance to this band"
UNDERDOG - Back To Back - "Richie and myself would probably dance to this"
COLD AS LIFE - Promise - "I would say I would, Richie would not"
PUSHA T - Hard Piano - "I would attend with Richie and the drummer of VOMIT FORTH"
SUGAR - Changes - "SUGAR is my preference in regards to Bob Mould music but I forget they exist, thanks Richie"
LIFETIME - Rodeo Clown - "I got into Lifetime like two years ago, pretty good band, very Richie band"
LEATHERFACE - Not Superstitious - "Come on man."
PHIL OCHS - When I’m Gone - "I used to have an INDECISION shirt with a PHIL OCHS quote..I'd probably like this upon further listening"
CROWN OF THORNZ - Head Check - "My Favorite COT song, I've seen them several times….but I don't remember Richie being there...interesting."
Rambling about RELENTLESS:
While most people have connotations of NYHC / early USHC / etc. when they think about democore, we here at Scheme LLC subscribe to the idea of equal opportunity democore. Today's discussion is Long Island's RELENTLESS: democore for thugcore aficionados? The band only released a handful of demos and a split 7" with Queen's DENIED - I liberated my copy from Europe while on a trip there a couple years ago:
Here is a video of them playing Dr. Shays on Long Island with E. TOWN CONCRETE:
The video is a perfect time capsule for the era - however, the real highlight of the set is around 13:30ish onwards which features some crucial dancin and sidewise visors, including some from pit action from Lorenzo Antonucci of MINDSET NYC / SWORN ENEMY ("Lorenzo in da fuckin house.")
It is important to note Lorenzo, as in recent times, he is an actor / writer in Hollywood. I had started an Amazon Prime series he wrote / acted in, Paradise City, on a whim that has some unintentionally funny parts (i.e. Andrea from The Sopranos discussing moshing on multiple occasions) but is overall pretty bad. The show did catch my interest when in the first episode, the name of the band is called THE RELENTLESS and in the second episode, Lorenzo's character is introduced as Pauly Antignani, a nod to Pauly No Neck, the drummer of SWORN ENEMY, EVERYBODY GETS HURT and VEHEMENT SERENADE among others, who sadly passed away a couple years ago.
It was at this point that I had to pause the show and say to myself: "hol up."
With my mind going wild and asking myself: "what other absurd LI / Queens hardcore lore is hiding in this show?" I knew I had to go straight to the source and DM Lorenzo at 6am on a Saturday morning. I am sad to report that it is not a RELENTLESS reference and besides naming himself about Pauly No Neck, there are no other additional Easter eggs in the show. However, he did have to note that "DENIED was the shit!!", which is straight up facts.
Death Threat - April 1, 2001 - New York at CBGBs
DEATH THREAT, they are my favorite band, OK? I earnestly never shut up about them. I try to convert people, I champion an often misunderstood band and group of individuals, I just can’t stop. They got everything I want, they’re true to the essence of what I think hardcore should be but they do what they want and don’t take any shit. This video specifically highlights a few of my favorite DEATH THREAT attributes; it’s got good dancing, old school covers and some crucial shout outs. 2001 was DEATH THREAT’s renaissance year, they did some huge tours with their then new line up, they stepped out of their past as a late 90s east coast phenomenon and became the world wide hardcore experience they remained to be for a better part of the 2000s. One of the notable events in this vid is the CHAIN OF STRENGTH cover, things like this are no surprise for the learned individuals (me) but people who don't get that DEATH THREAT aren't just notorious CT goons, they get down with the real shit. The icing on this virtual cake is the Aaron Knuckles / Big E from shows duet on Brotherhood. Doesn’t really get much more Connecticut than that.
Roger Miret (Agnostic Front) and his car at CBGB's
Sometimes I love what the YouTube algorithm presents me - sometimes I don't. This is an instance of the latter, where I feel like I've entered into a twisted voyeuristic fantasy and the content is this minute and thirty nine second long video of a confirmed Hungarian man filming Dead Yuppies era Roger Miret outside of CBGBs in 2002, just eating chips near his car. It makes me ask so many questions about how/why this happened and I feel disgusted. If I had to see this, the four people reading this must also experience my pain and feel skeeved out.