Did you know that Insted was almost on Revelation Records? No one here can remember if it was actually a possibility or not, but if you believe the promo flyer/poster that was made for the Warzone "Lower East Side Crew" 7" (Rev's first release), they were listed as coming soon. Also noteworthy is the early mention of the New York City Hardcore "Together" compilation 7" as "New York City Straightedge compilation" 7". Apparently the name and concept had to be changed due to the inclusion of Sick Of It All and Supertouch (who probably didn't fit the straight- edge label). Interesting also that Straight Ahead was listed as one of the bands, which unfortunately didn't happen.
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The now iconic gorilla on the cover of the Gorilla Biscuits 7" was drawn by Brian "Billy" Clark from Side By Side (he played bass). He later went on to write and illustrate a few comic books that were published by small independent companies. Titles that we know of are: Bad Moon (Arcane Comix, story loosely based on the MC5 song Sister Anne), Fly In My Eye (Arcane Comix, also included illustra- tions by Clive Barker and comic by Kurt Sayenga), and King of the Dead #0, 1 and 2 (FantaCo Entertainment). The last time we heard from Billy he was still doing illustration, if anyone knows what he's done recently, please let us know.
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Last week we mentioned the early Revelation band Slipknot. If you ever had their 7", you may remember a short sound clip at the end of the record and wondered what that was all about. Slipknot was practicing in a warehouse and took a short break. The guys had been drinking, and one of the guys passed out and fell down some stairs and landed in the basement. When he woke up, he came back upstairs and asked the soon-to-be infamous question captured on the boombox that was still set on "record": "Stymie, why'd you guys put me in the basement...?"
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A lot of record collector's wonder and have asked over the years, "Why weren't "The Way It Is" LP (Rev: 7 ), Youth Of Today "Break Down The Walls" LP (Rev: 8 ), or Bold "Speak Out" LP (Rev: 9 ) originally pressed on colored vinyl?" Most of Revelation's early releases did come on colored vinyl as well as black. The reason these three didn't was because the pressing plant used at the time for those releases didn't offer colored vinyl, so they were all pressed on black. The plant that was used for those first LP's was supposedly the best quality at the time and refused to press on color because they though it would be detrimental to the sound of the records. Eventually all three of those albums were re-pressed on color vinyl. The Side By Side "You're Only Young Once" 7" (Rev:5) and No For An Answer "You Laugh" 7" (Rev:6) weren't on color vinyl either, but those were because the bands didn't want color pressings, rather than a limitation of the pressing plant.
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At the beginning of the Judge song "The Storm II," you can hear the sound of a motorcycle revving its engine. But most people don't know that instead of the sound of the motorcycle, there was originally supposed to be a sound sample excerpt from Martin Luther King Jr's "I Have A Dream" speech, as Judge guitarist Porcell recently revealed:
"For the song 'The Storm II' we originally wanted to have Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech at the beginning, but when Mike (Judge) went to get the record with the speech on it from the library, it had already been lent out. Left with nothing to open the song with, at the last minute we had Don Fury mic up Mike's Harley Davidson right there on the sidewalk in front of the studio. In the end the motorcycle sound was a really cool segue into the song since even then Mike was known as an outlaw biker kind of dude."
In a similar fashion, but with better luck at the checkout counter, Gorilla Biscuits' horn sample at the beginning of the "Start Today" album was from a sound effects record checked out at the library.
--------------- REVHQ FUN FACT --------------- Most people consider Judge's version of "When The Levee Breaks" (on their final recording, "The Storm" ep) a Led Zeppelin cover. Did you know that the song was actually a cover for Led Zeppelin as well? Led Zeppelin was known to re-work blues songs and "When The Levee Breaks" was among them. The song was originally written and performed by Kansas Joe McCoy and Memphis Minnie. On Led Zeppelin's fourth album, where the song appears, they gave writing credit to Minnie since she apparently wrote the lyrics, but none to McCoy for the music.
--------------- REVHQ FUN FACT --------------- The "Misfits skull" is one of the most recognizable images in the world of punk rock, and many people know that its origin is the 1946 film "The Crimson Ghost."
Misfits vocalist Glenn Danzig made another image just as popular in his post-Misfits band Samhain as well as in his later project, Danzig. The "Danzig skull" appeared on Samhain's Initium and later releases as well as on Danzig's solo records.
--------------- REVHQ FUN FACT --------------- Last week we told you about the "Danzig skull" having its origins in the Marvel comic book "Crystar Crystal Warrior" and being "borrowed" by Glenn Danzig for use by his bands.
Another legendary hardcore band followed in Danzig's footsteps by using comic book imagery on their records: Integrity. This infamous Cleveland outfit popularized what is now called the "Integrity skull," but is actually lifted from the "Blood: A Tale" comic which was a 4-issue limited series originally published in 1987 by Marvel Comic's "Epic" imprint.
--------------- REVHQ FUN FACT --------------- If you know something about hardcore you're probably familiar with Judge's album "Bringin' It Down", but did you know that a lesser known band coincidentally beat Judge to the punch when it came to titling their record? The hardcore / punk band Misguided from Queens, New York got their start in the very early '80s hardcore / punk scene, releasing the "Bringing It Down" 7" on Reality Records in 1982. While not known as a straight edge band, the cover of their record did have a big "X" on it. Below the "X" and the band's name, is the title of the record, "Bringing It Down" - they used a "g" instead of the apostrophe - but it's close to the title Judge used for their album. Coincidence or influence? Porcell says there's no connection whatsoever (he was apparently very familiar with the band, but didn't consider them an influence in any way), but you be the Judge (pun intended). revhq.com/images/misc/404/Misguided.jpg
--------------- REVHQ FUN FACT --------------- Band photos can sometimes be deceiving... There are a handful of records which use photos of members' other bands on their artwork. For example, the photo on the cover of the original Ignite demo with Joe Nelson on vocals was actually a photo of Triggerman. The photo on the cover of the Circle Storm "Character Assassin" record was actually a crowd shot from a Chain Of Strength show. The two live photos on Shelter's "Perfection of Desire" were of course taken at Youth Of Today shows because Shelter hadn't done any by that point. We know there are some others, so if you've got the info, let us know!
--------------- REVHQ FUN FACT --------------- Last week we told you about bands using other bands' photos on their releases, and here are a couple more that you sent in:
The cover of Link 80's "17 Reasons" is a picture of Nick from Link 80 singing a song with Subincision. If you look closely, the guitarist behind him is the guy from Subincision, not Link 80.
The first Downset album has a picture of one of their members' former band Social Justice on the back cover.
On the cover of the I Rise/Soul Control split which came out earlier this year on Eightfold Path Records, one of the pictures of I Rise is actually a picture of guitarist Alex playing in an older band called The Message. Alex (guitarist of I Rise) and and his brother Nicky (singer of I Rise) both played in The Message, Nicky on drums and Alex still on guitar.
Possibly by accident, or on purpose, the centerfold photo in the Project X CD on Bridge 9 is actually a photo of Gorilla Biscuits, not Project X, although we think Porcell from Project X is making an appearance in the form of an on-stage sing along with GB in the photo.
And, of course, the cover photo on the Minor Threat "s/s" 12" (which is also used on the cover of their "Complete Discography" CD) is NOT a photo of vocalist Ian MacKaye sitting on the stairs but actually his brother, Alec, from The Faith.
--------------- REVHQ FUN FACT --------------- While digging in the archives here a few months ago we came across the layout for the Bold 7" ep (REV011). Those who have it may be familiar with the "stressed" looking logo on the cover. Someone asked how the effect was done in the pre-computer design age and it was explained that it was as simple as flinging white paint off a brush at a copy of the original logo. The result looked like the logo had a lot of small holes in it. The logo was also used on some shirts and later on their Looking Back 12" ep which included the tracks from the original 7" ep. Here it is, if you haven't seen it: revhq.com/images/covers/large/rev011.jpg
--------------- REVHQ FUN FACT --------------- The cover of Damnation A.D.'s "Kingdom Of Lost Souls" (REV:71) is adorned by a menacing image of three German WWII tanks with a dark orange background. If you're familiar with this record, you may have noticed the name "Merchlinski" written across the top of the cover, and you probably wondered what the meaning was behind it all. Alex Merchlinksky, the bass player for the band, was handed down a board game called "Panzerblitz" from an older brother who had written his name on the game box. The cover image must have had an impact on Alex, as it ended up on the cover of his band's Revelation release. Check out an image of the game box here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panzerblitz
--------------- REVHQ FUN FACT --------------- Did you know that Project X was not just the name of a late 80s tongue-in-cheek straightedge band? There was a movie with Matthew Broderick, an environmental movement and newsletter, a comedy series, a video game, various secret military projects in the US and other countries, a Japanese TV show, a software product made by Apple Computer and probably a lot of other programs called Project X. Who knew? According to Alex Brown (a.k.a. "Kid Hard"), not him, he just thought it was a good name for a semi-secret band.
--------------- REVHQ FUN FACT --------------- We have no idea how anyone found this, but on the TV show Friends in episode 22 of the 9th season, you can see a Shelter flyer in the background as one of the characters is walking down the street. The flyer is for a show at Irving Plaza and also features Dog Eat Dog, H2O, VOD, and Weston. Take a look: revhq.com/images/misc/404/ShelterFriendsSeason9Episode22.jpg
--------------- REVHQ FUN FACT --------------- Did you know that 7 Seconds had a release that made it into the Billboard charts of top selling records back in the day? Their 1989 album "Soulforce Revolution" released on Restless Records got as high as #153 on the Billboard 200 that year. Strange for a punk record that came out before Nirvana, Green Day or The Offspring had mega hits. Here's one site with the listing: allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:w9fwxqy5ldde~T3
--------------- REVHQ FUN FACT --------------- Following up last week's tidbit about 7 Seconds, this week we've got an interesting note from Kevin Seconds' blog (http://blog.kevinseconds.com). Did you know that Kevin was asked to join Dag Nasty shortly after "Can I Say" was recorded? Dave Smalley apparently left the band right before a tour in order to go to graduate school. Take a look at a handwritten note from Brian Baker posted on Kevin's blog: revhq.com/images/misc/404/KevinSecondsDagNasty.jpg
--------------- REVHQ FUN FACT --------------- Only the most die hard vinyl collectors have probably ever even heard of the "Lion sleeve" version of Warzone's "Lower East Side Crew" 7". After a late night assembling Warzone records, the Rev crew for that evening decided to make a couple of special covers for the record. They glued a picture of a hunting lion onto a blank 7" cover, then added the band's name above the picture and the record title below it. After a brief trip to the copy shop only about four of them were made. Two were kept at Revelation and the other couple were given to Malcom Tent who runs Trash American Style, a store in Connecticut. No one knows where Revelation found this picture, but a large framed version of the painting made an appearance recently on the TV show 30 Rock. One of the characters gave the painting as a gift to someone in the episode entitled "Corporate Crush." Two geek points to whoever can tell us the name of the artist and painting.
--------------- REVHQ FUN FACT --------------- There are probably many bands that were more popular than Green Day before that band got "big." There were also plenty of bands who headlined over the Offspring before they had their hits. Farside played more than one show with The Offspring supporting them. Here's a flyer we received recently from a show where Shelter was headlining over Green Day. You can see it here: revhq.com/images/misc/404/ShelterGreenDay.jpg
--------------- REVHQ FUN FACT --------------- Two weeks ago we mentioned a painting that was used on a special cover made for the Warzone "Lower East Side Crew" ep. Thanks to a knowledgeable reader, we have the name of the artist responsible for the painting. His name was George Stubbs and the title is, fittingly, "A Lion Attacking A Horse." Here's a link where you can see a few of his paintings including the one used for the cover: artlife.blogspot.com/2007/05/this-is-modern-art.html
--------------- REVHQ FUN FACT --------------- Did you know that a song by NY punk/hardcore legends Reagan Youth appeared in a major motion picture? It's true. In the 1994 movie "Airheads," Brendan Fraser, Adam Sandler and Steve Buscemi are in a band that play the Reagan Youth song "Degenerated" on a radio station they take over. Of course we carry the record that has the original version of that very song: revhq.com/store.revhq?Page=search&Id=NRA011
--------------- REVHQ FUN FACT --------------- After last week's tidbit about Reagan Youth, a helpful reader sent this in: Did you know that the song "Reagan Youth" by the band Reagan Youth was used in the David Arquette / Courteney Cox Arquette indie film "The Tripper"? It's apparently a pretty funny movie about a guy dressed up as Ronald Reagan who goes around killing hippies.
REVHQ FUN FACT --------------- The Judge "Chung King Can Suck It" LP has always been somewhat enigmatic, being the most rare Revelation Records release and a favorite among vinyl collectors. One long-standing question about it, however, has recently been answered. If you look at the cover of Chung King, you'll notice two Chinese characters above the name of the record. After some research, we found out, perhaps not surprisingly, that the characters mean "Lucky" and "Star."
According to our source, put together they describe a person who is lucky; a person that other people want to be around in hopes that the "lucky" person's good fortune will rub off on them. Ironically, Judge didn't have any luck at Chung King studios and had to re-record the album, which eventually came out as the "Bringin' It Down" LP.
--------------- REVHQ FUN FACT --------------- Harley Flanagan is best known as a founding member of New York hardcore legends The Cro-Mags. Many people are also aware of his earlier punk rock roots drumming for the seminal New York punk band The Stimulators. But did you know that he wasn't The Stimulators' original drummer? It's true. Harley was actually a replacement for their previous drummer, Johnny Blitz, who was the Dead Boys' drummer. The Dead Boys, originally from Ohio, relocated to New York in the mid-'70s and Johnny wound up playing in The Stimulators, but left the band before they were able to record anything. Harley's aunt played guitar in The Stimulators and knew they had a replacement drummer in her nephew, who had been going to shows for years even at his young age. That was how a 12 year-old future Cro-Mag joined The Stimulators and ended up playing drums on -- and appearing on the cover of -- their "Loud Fast Rules!" 7". Here's the sleeve in case you haven't seen it: www.kbdrecords.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/09/stimulators_front.jpg
--------------- REVHQ FUN FACT --------------- Record collectors sometimes try to get all the releases on certain labels in numeric sequence. This effort is often complicated when a label skips a release number for one reason or another (usually because a record is cancelled). There is at least one label that collectors will have a hard time completing a collection for because one "release" was never available in any format. Equal Vision Records #27 was assigned to label owner Steve Reddy's first child. EVR #28, the Project Kate "...The Way Birds Fly" full-length featured Steve's wife, Kate 08 on guitar and vocals, and she mentions on the lyric sheet having a hard time recording because she was eight months pregnant and found it hard to hold her guitar with EVR #27 in the way.
--------------- REVHQ FUN FACT --------------- This may not be fun, but it's a fact. Did you know that a bunch of independent bands including some hardcore bands have protested to Rolling Stone Magazine? The complaint stems from a pull-out section that included their band names being associated with a Camel cigarette advertisement published in the November 15th issue. The list of bands is pretty long and includes Boris, Pissed Jeans, High on Fire, and Fucked Up, among many others. You can read more about it here: www.thedailyswarm.com/swarm/kill-rock-stars-open-letter-rolling-stone/
--------------- REVHQ FUN FACT --------------- Did you ever wonder where the heavy metal horns hand sign comes from? Its origin in music is not certain, but its popularity in metal can be largely attributed to Ronnie James Dio's grandmother. According to several interviews with Dio, after joining Black Sabbath, he wanted a hand sign to use on stage. Ozzy used to use the "V" peace sign, so Dio, wanting something different, decided to use the "corna" (a.k.a. horns), which he remembered his grandmother using to ward off the evil eye. You can read more about the origins of the corna on Wikipedia if you like, but here's a picture of Ronnie James Dio giving the horns: www.upthedownstair.net/pics/dio-horns2.jpg
--------------- REVHQ FUN FACT --------------- The first episode of season 4 of the TV show "Cold Case," originally airing on September 24, 2006, features a familiar voice in the opening scene. According to the plot synopsis, in 1995 two teenage boys went on a shooting spree at a local mall and committed suicide shortly afterwards. The cold case team is prompted to re-open the case when new evidence suggests that there may have been a third shooter who got away.
During the climactic buildup of the opening scene, you can hear a rhythmic bass line and drum beat in the background. Just before the kid fires his gun, you hear a voice in the song scream "I Will Refuse!" That voice you hear is Fugazi/Minor Threat's Ian MacKaye. The band playing was Pailhead, a short-lived industrial side project MacKaye did with Ministry's Al Jourgensen. You can see too much of that episode here:
--------------- REVHQ FUN FACT --------------- Did you ever wonder where the heavy metal horns hand sign comes from? Its origin in music is not certain, but its popularity in metal can be largely attributed to Ronnie James Dio's grandmother. According to several interviews with Dio, after joining Black Sabbath, he wanted a hand sign to use on stage. Ozzy used to use the "V" peace sign, so Dio, wanting something different, decided to use the "corna" (a.k.a. horns), which he remembered his grandmother using to ward off the evil eye. You can read more about the origins of the corna on Wikipedia if you like, but here's a picture of Ronnie James Dio giving the horns: www.upthedownstair.net/pics/dio-horns2.jpg
--------------- REVHQ FUN FACT --------------- The first episode of season 4 of the TV show "Cold Case," originally airing on September 24, 2006, features a familiar voice in the opening scene. According to the plot synopsis, in 1995 two teenage boys went on a shooting spree at a local mall and committed suicide shortly afterwards. The cold case team is prompted to re-open the case when new evidence suggests that there may have been a third shooter who got away.
During the climactic buildup of the opening scene, you can hear a rhythmic bass line and drum beat in the background. Just before the kid fires his gun, you hear a voice in the song scream "I Will Refuse!" That voice you hear is Fugazi/Minor Threat's Ian MacKaye. The band playing was Pailhead, a short-lived industrial side project MacKaye did with Ministry's Al Jourgensen. You can see too much of that episode here:
--------------- REVHQ FUN FACT --------------- According to former SST cohort Joe Carducci, in his new book "Enter Naomi," what became the logo for concert promoter Goldenvoice Productions in Southern California was actually designed by Chuck Dukowski as part of a Black Flag flyer. The powers that be at Goldenvoice must have liked the design, as they kept it and used it for years and it can still be found around to this day. Ironically, or coincidentally, the lettering is in the same font style SST used for their second release, the Minutemen "Paranoid Time" 7". You can check out the logos here: revhq.com/images/misc/404/GoldenvoiceLogos.jpg
--------------- REVHQ FUN FACT --------------- The bands Snapcase and Earth Crisis share a little more in common with each other than you may think. Tim Redmond (Snapcase - drums), Daryl Taberski (Snapcase - vocals) and Dennis Merrick (Earth Crisis - drums) all grew up in the Buffalo hardcore scene and met each other in the late 80s at The River Rock Cafe. But the Buffalo scene is just the beginning: What is unusual is that they all share the same birthday of June 20th (not the same year) and all three went to the same high school in Buffalo (Saint Francis) and they all ended up on the same record label, Victory Records. And of course both bands toured together many times.
--------------- REVHQ FUN FACT --------------- In the new issue of Define The Meaning, former Minor Threat frontman Ian MacKaye revealed that he grew up playing the piano. He had a hard time transitioning from piano to the guitar, however, so when he joined his first band, The Slinkees, he ended up playing bass because it was easier for him, and continued on playing bass in The Teen Idles (later playing guitar for Fugazi). It wasn't until Minor Threat that he jumped from behind an instrument to behind a microphone, belting out some of the most well-known hardcore songs of all time. What you may not know, however, is that songs that ended up being recorded by Minor Threat, including "Stand Up," were originally wrlid itten for piano, as he would write music on the piano and then convert the songs to the other instruments later. If you'd like to read the rest of the in-depth Ian MacKaye interview, you can get the zine here: revhq.com/store.revhq?Page=search&Id=DTM06
--------------- REVHQ FUN FACT --------------- In "The Art Of Getting Over," a book about graffiti by Stephen Powers, an artist who goes by the name Ghost is featured. In one of his pieces you will find a familiar character - the trumpet playing caveman from the back cover of the Gorilla Biscuits "Start Today" record. There's no confirmation as to whether it was influenced by G.B. or the original cartoon character, but you can check it out here: revhq.com/images/misc/404/Graffiti.jpg
--------------- REVHQ FUN FACT --------------- Judging from the number of views the clip has, this is probably old news, but did you know that the grind-metal band Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza was mentioned and played on Tony Danza's TV show? It happened. Take a look:
--------------- REVHQ FUN FACT --------------- Djinji Brown was best known in the hardcore scene as being the vocalist for New York hardcore legends Absolution. He's still involved in music, but he has traded in his mic for a turntable and is now a DJ in Florida. Interestingly, Djinji has a history of music makers in his family, most notably his father, jazz musician Marion Brown. Marion Brown was involved in the '60s avant-garde jazz scene in New York City, releasing records from the '60s through the '80s but is best known in the jazz world for playing on John Coltrane's "Ascension."
In a somewhat related New York hardcore/jazz connection, Some Records (the once hardcore label run at various times by Walter from Quicksand/Gorilla Biscuits, Sammy from Youth Of Today/Side By Side/Judge and Matt Pincus from Judge) released records by the artist Eric Mingus. His father was legendary jazz musician Charles Mingus and, as quoted on the Some Records website, Charles Mingus was "the punkest cat around in the '50s and '60s."
--------------- REVHQ FUN FACT --------------- It's well known that Revelation Records was originally going to be called Schism, but that after much debate, the people involved at the time decided on Revelation instead. Schism was later used by their friends, and the rest is history. The original design for the Warzone 7" (see link below) is one of the only artifacts of this early incarnation of Revelation: revhq.com/images/misc/404/WarzoneSchismLabels.gif
Admittedly, this may have been mentioned earlier, but we didn't start keeping an archive of these emails and "Fun Facts" until late in 1999. If you or someone you know has a collection of the early Revelation emails or even just the Fun Facts and Collector's Corners from 1997, 1998 and/or 1999, we could use your help. Whoever can provide us with a fairly complete list of the early ones from those years will have our enduring gratitude and as a token of our appreciation, we'll pull an original pressing of one of our first few releases from the vault for you. The record will go to the person who submits the most complete list first. Start digging!
--------------- REVHQ FUN FACT --------------- One of this weekend's headliners at the Coachella Music & Arts Festival in California, folk-rock singer/songwriter Jack Johnson isn't a musician you'd ordinarily associate with the punk scene. But it's been revealed in various interviews that while in high school he was in a cover band called Limber Chicken. According to Johnson, they were a Minor Threat cover band but would sometimes do Bad Religion, Descendents and Suicidal Tendencies covers as well. When he wasn't playing punk music with his friends, according to the interviews, he was learning how to play folk-rock and eventually chose that direction.
--------------- REVHQ FUN FACT --------------- Stephen Glover, better known as Steve-O, is world famous for his wild stunts and self-mutilation on the MTV series and feature films "Jackass." He may also be the most famous fan of Gorilla Biscuits, as he took what appears to be a school yearbook photo wearing one of their t-shirts. Being a resident of England at the time may explain the Gorilla Biscuits European Tour t-shirt. Check it out here: revhq.com/images/misc/404/SteveOYearbook.jpg
--------------- REVHQ FUN FACT --------------- Did you know that there was a punk themed pinball machine titled "Punk!" produced in 1982? It was made by the Gottlieb company of Chicago and includes several images of people with punk / new wave haircuts and clothes. The most recognizably punk thing about the machine other than its title is the brick wall artwork with words spraypainted on it that look suspiciously like they wanted to use the names "Dead Boys," "Ramones" and "Sex Pistols" but didn't have permission so they only included some of the letters. You can check it out here: ipdb.org/machine.cgi?id=1877
REVHQ FUN FACT --------------- Someone with a sharp eye spotted a Walking Concert poster (one of Walter Schreifels' later era bands) in the background during a scene in the Will Ferrell movie "Stranger Than Fiction." It's buried behind some other flyers, but it's clearly visible: revhq.com/images/misc/404/StrangerThanFiction.jpg
--------------- REVHQ FUN FACT --------------- In episode #115 of Freaks And Geeks called "Noshing and Moshing," you can hear songs by bands Black Flag and X, among others. On the show, the character Daniel buys the LP "Damaged" by Black Flag and listens to it at home with his headphones on. But there's a mistake -- the show is supposed to take place in 1980, but "Damaged" by Black Flag was not released until December 1981. Maybe they should have used the "Nervous Breakdown" single instead.
--------------- REVHQ FUN FACT --------------- In episode #115 of Freaks And Geeks called "Noshing and Moshing," you can hear songs by bands Black Flag and X, among others. On the show, the character Daniel buys the LP "Damaged" by Black Flag and listens to it at home with his headphones on. But there's a mistake -- the show is supposed to take place in 1980, but "Damaged" by Black Flag was not released until December 1981. Maybe they should have used the "Nervous Breakdown" single instead.
--------------- REVHQ FUN FACT --------------- Rap music has had its influence on hardcore and punk rock for a long time. Bands like Youth Brigade, 7 Seconds and Youth Of Today have "rap" parts in their songs, going all the way back to the early '80s. But some people from the hardcore/punk scene have actually recorded and/or released rap records or ended up in some notable rap rock bands. Here are a few we came up with:
Ken Olden from Battery/Damnation A.D. and Issa from Good Clean Fun released a rap CD under the moniker Fort Knox.
Isaac Golub from A Chorus Of Disapproval put out a rap/rock demo while in the short-lived band CoIntelPro.
Rob Seeman from Naked Angels recorded under the name Rob R Rock, most notably having a track on the Voice Of The Voiceless compilation on Smorgasbord Records, as well as some of his own releases.
Zack De La Rocha from SoCal HC legends Hard Stance/Inside Out, of course, ended up in Rage Against The Machine.
Mike Hartsfield from Outspoken, Chris Lohman from Blackspot and Evan Jacobs from Ice layed down some tracks as the tounge-in-cheek rappers The Sinister Syndicate.
XEdgeX With Dreads recently put out a solo rap CD but was formerly in such bands as Sentient, Vegan Reich, Burn It Down, Tears Of Gaia and Seven Generations.
Rey Oropeza from So Cal's late '80s straight-edge band Social Justice went on to front rap rock band Downset while Rogelio Lozano, Social Justice's guitarist, later played guitar for Cypress Hill.
And, last but not least, the Beastie Boys started out as a hardcore/punk band releasing a 7" on Rat Cage Records, the same label that originally released Agnostic Front's "Victim In Pain" before they made history as a rap group.
--------------- REVHQ FUN FACT --------------- Following up on our fun fact last week about hardcore/punk related people recording rap music, here are a few more that people sent in (thanks):
Lord Ezec of Crown of Thornz, Skarhead and Icepick raps under the moniker of "Danny Diablo." Mark Salomon, lead man of Christian punk/thrash band The Crucified, Outer Circle andÊStavesacre did a rap project in the early '90s called XL and DBD. Freddy Madball has a project with DJ Stress called "Freddy Madball and DJ Stress." Mad Joe and Richie Krutch of Krutch, Out To Win, and Wisdom In Chains have a rap/rock band called Boxcutter. And finally, Dee Dee Ramone, one of the godfathers of punk rock, recorded the rap/rock Dee Dee King "Standing In The Spotlight" album in 1989. For some extra "fun" (as in funny), check out the Dee Dee King cover here: farm4.static.flickr.com/3172/2468278823_ae95893694.jpg?v=0
--------------- REVHQ FUN FACT --------------- Ever wonder where the latter day Youth Of Today "Go Vegetarian" shirt got its inspiration from? Youth Of Today guitarist Porcell had this to say: "Yes, that is an Adopt A Cow shirt from Gita Nagari, which is a Krishna cow protection farm in Pennsylvania that Ray (YOT), me and Steve (Equal Vision Records) lived at at one point or another. I used to take care of the cow barn and Steve took care of the bull barn, we actually used to milk the cows by hand and bale hay, it was awesome. Ray must've picked out the artwork to use for the YOT shirt, I'd ask him if there was any story behind it but he probably just liked the drawing." Not only is the image the same, they used the same type style. Check out the original and the Youth of Today shirt here: revhq.com/images/misc/404/YouthOfTodayGoVegetarian.jpg
--------------- REVHQ FUN FACT --------------- Thanks to RevHQ veteran Larry and a post he spotted on the Livewire-Records.com messageboard, we learned about a t-shirt that used both Musical Youth and Youth Of Today record covers as part of the design. The t-shirt was entitled "Youth VS. Youth" and was made by a clothing company called Rockers NYC. It was inspired by a piece by New York City artist Brian DeGraw called "Youth Of Today." DeGraw's art was comprised of several different mediums, but mainly record covers, and showed both the Musical Youth "Youth Of Today" and the Youth Of Today "Break Down The Walls" LP jackets, contrasting the differences between the reggae influenced Musical Youth and the straight edge Youth Of Today.
--------------- REVHQ FUN FACT --------------- Thanks to RevHQ veteran Larry and a post he spotted on the Livewire-Records.com messageboard, we learned about a t-shirt that used both Musical Youth and Youth Of Today record covers as part of the design. The t-shirt was entitled "Youth VS. Youth" and was made by a clothing company called Rockers NYC. It was inspired by a piece by New York City artist Brian DeGraw called "Youth Of Today." DeGraw's art was comprised of several different mediums, but mainly record covers, and showed both the Musical Youth "Youth Of Today" and the Youth Of Today "Break Down The Walls" LP jackets, contrasting the differences between the reggae influenced Musical Youth and the straight edge Youth Of Today.
--------------- REVHQ FUN FACT --------------- Youth Of Today is well known for being a "New York Hardcore" band, but in the early days, they flew the flag of Connecticut even though only one member of the band was from the Constitution State. Vocalist Ray Cappo is originally from Danbury, CT, and in the early days Y.O.T. would play local clubs (such as the Anthrax) and were a big part of the Connecticut hardcore scene. Some of the earliest Y.O.T. recordings appeared on the compilation album "Connecticut Fun" with other CTHC acts like CIA, 76% Uncertain, Vatican Commandos and Seizure. The other three original members of the band were actually from across the border in New York. It probably wasn't until Ray relocated to the Big Apple that Y.O.T. traded in CTHC for NYHC.
--------------- REVHQ FUN FACT --------------- This week's Fun Fact comes from the Where Are They Now files... The man in this photo may look familiar to fans of 90s-era punk and hardcore. Popeye (a.k.a. Mike Vogelsang), former front man of Orange County melodic hardcore band Farside, has a new job. Though he still does local shows with Jeff Caudill of Gameface fame, Popeye's newest gig is as a voice actor (how do you think he got the name Popeye, anyway?). In between voicing cartoons, commercials and other jobs that call for his versatile tones, he is also actually playing the dad on-screen in a tv commercial for a Japanese energy drink company. Here's the cast photo from the upcoming commercial that will be airing in Los Angeles: revhq.com/images/misc/404/PopeyeCommercial.jpg
--------------- REVHQ FUN FACT --------------- You may remember a couple of tidbits we've found in years past where mainstream catalogs had hardcore/punk related images planted in them. In this newest installment of "hardcore stuff slipped into odd places," we have the bass player from the hardcore band Violation in a Crate & Barrel catalog. He appears in a picture frame wearing a Bane t-shirt and an "XveganX" hat. Check it out here: revhq.com/images/misc/404/CrateAndBarrel.jpg
--------------- REVHQ FUN FACT --------------- You probably know about the Bridge Nine Records' group Death Before Dishonor, and a lot of you will also know that it wasn't the first time that name has been used by a hardcore band. It was also the name of the early-mid 80's NY/NJ outfit comprised of Mark Ryan (later of Supertouch), Mike Judge and Jimmy Yu (both later of Judge) and Jimmy Yu's brother. The phrase has been used by people in military service for a long time, but this is Jimmy Yu's recollection of how he and Mike chose the name for their band (as told to our friends at Double Cross):
"Actually just yesterday, Mike and I were talking about this. I remember driving Mike's car in Montville, getting gas at this gas station in Pine Brook. A biker pulled up and was getting gas. As he is doing that, we were sitting in the car, and we are trying to figure out names. One of us looked over at the biker, and we saw he had a tattoo that said "Death Before Dishonor." Right then, one of us said, "that's it, Death Before Dishonor, that's the band name." That's how I remember that." For the entire Jimmy Yu interview and more, you can check out the zine here: doublecrosswebzine.blogspot.com
--------------- REVHQ FUN FACT --------------- Did you know that New York native and stand-up comedian Todd Barry has a joke about Fugazi on one of his albums? On his "Medium Energy" CD, he comments on Fugazi's insistence that they only play shows with a maximum five dollar door price. He jokes that someone in the band probably wanted to make it six, so they could make enough money to not have roommates at the age of 40. (Worth a chuckle anyway.) On the same album, Todd Barry makes fun of tattoos, and singles out a tattooed guy in his audience. That audience member just happens to be former Revelation Records employee and Tidbit Fanzine editor Dave Sine! And on a side musical note, according to Todd Barry's website, he has also sat in on drums for the indie rock band Yo La Tengo. You can check out some of his clips on YouTube if you're curious.
--------------- REVHQ FUN FACT --------------- Early '80s American hardcore/punk band M.D.C. had very political and socially conscious lyrics and were known for their anti- police brutality stance. In the turbulent times of the '80s underground music scene, police would often show up at big gigs and kill the show or even close down the club permanently. M.D.C. shows were attended - and shut down - by the police on several occasions because the band was considered "anti-cop" due to their lyrics and their semi-eponymous album, "Millions of Dead Cops."
As a result of this trend, at a Los Angeles show in the mid-'80s, M.D.C. decided to outsmart the cops and play first instead of last. The cops never came that night, however, and the crowd was treated to a bonus second set by the headliners when all the other bands were finished, as M.D.C. played again at the end of the night.
--------------- REVHQ FUN FACT --------------- Punk and hardcore fans from the East Coast (and elsewhere) are probably familiar with ABC No Rio, a social center / club in New York City's Lower East Side. Founded in 1980 and rooted in the New York art scene, the center is well known for hosting hardcore and punk shows during the late '80s and early '90s. But despite the club's fame, few people actually know how it got its name. According to Steve Englander, the club's director, the name came from an old sign on a neighboring vacant building that originally read "Abogado y Notario" - Spanish for "Lawyer and Notary." Parts of the sign had worn or fallen off, however, leaving only "Abc No rio" behind.
--------------- REVHQ FUN FACT --------------- Legendary Oxnard, CA punk band Dr. Know helped pave the way for the "Nardcore" scene in the early '80s, with their signature style of metal-tinged hardcore. Almost as legendary as the band itself was their cover artwork, some done by the bass player Ismael Hernandez's brother Jaime.
But did you know that Jaime, along with other brothers Gilbert and Mario, started self-publishing a comic called "Love And Rockets" in 1981? The comic included some punk rock characters and was later published by Fantagraphics Books, ending in 1996 with issue #50 as the brothers split up to work on different projects. They returned to the series in 2001 as "Love And Rockets Volume 2."
Jaime Hernandez's artwork appeared on numerous hardcore/punk record covers and flyers back in the day, including the Ill Repute "What Happens Next" LP. You can check out some of his artwork here: revhq.com/images/misc/404/LoveAndRockets.jpg
--------------- REVHQ FUN FACT --------------- Frontier Records just reissued the "Out Of Vogue" EP by late 70's punk band The Middle Class. Some say it was the first "hardcore" record ever, branching out from punk. Whether or not that's true is a point for debate, but one fact that's not up for debate is that Middle Class guitarist Mike Atta and his wife run a shop also called "Out Of Vogue" in the band's native Orange County, CA. Not surprisingly they specialize in vintage furniture, housewares, clothing etc.
--------------- REVHQ FUN FACT --------------- Did you know that El Duce of the Mentors did backups on a Justice League recording? It happened. Justice League was on a Mystic compilation called "Party Animal" and El Duce did backups and was listed in the liner notes as "Hard On." Another odd thing about the record, and keeping with Mystic's bad reputation among bands, was that Justice League's song was re-named without their permission. The song was called "Hardcore" but when the record came out it was listed as "Attitude" (a word that is repeated in the lyrics).
--------------- REVHQ FUN FACT --------------- Did you know that Baltimore's Trapped Under Ice had cover art on their "Stay Cold" EP (Reaper Records) by famed artist and musician Daniel Higgs? Higgs was the frontman of mid-'80s Marlyand punk band Reptile House and of later-era Dischord Records mainstays Lungfish and now performs as a solo artist.
The connection doesn't end at the cover artwork, however. Daniel Higgs' son Klipa actually plays guitar in the Trapped Under Ice, continuing a 20-odd year punk family tradition.
--------------- REVHQ FUN FACT --------------- If you're familiar with the Chain Of Strength "True Till Death" 7", you may know the photo on the cover along with other photos in the layout were taken at a rehearsal studio. Legend had it that the band had set up a practice and invited friends along so they could take pictures for their upcoming record. While it is true that the photos were taken at a practice space, it was actually a real show open to anyone.
If you look closely at the photos, you can find members of other bands such as Sterling Wilson (Reason To Believe, Inside Out, No For An Answer), Chris Lohman (Blackspot, Collateral Damage, John Henry Holiday), Mike Madrid (Against The Wall, Mindwar, Ashes/Dust), John Coyle (Yuckmouth, Outspoken, Kill The Messenger) and Kevin(sted) Hernandez (Insted).
On a side note, the practice space was located in Anaheim, California, 50 miles from Chain Of Strength's home turf, and was also used by Anaheim's biggest musical export, No Doubt, before they hit the big time.
--------------- REVHQ FUN FACT --------------- Many people know that Revelation was originally going to be called Schism and that name was later used by Porcell and Alex Brown to launch their zine/label and the Judge, Wide Awake and Project X records. But, did you know that RevHQ got the idea for the "HQ" part of its name from Schism? When the internet was becoming widely used in the mid 1990s Revelation wanted a shorter domain name to use in its email address because typing "@revelationrecords.com" seemed too tedious. "Revelation.com" was already taken, so, remembering that the return address rubber stamp that Alex made for Schism said "Skiz HQ," Rev decided to use RevHQ for its email domain. That ended up also being used for the RevHQ online store, which we're still using today obviously.
--------------- REVHQ FUN FACT --------------- WANTED BY ORDER OF REVELATION RECORDS: A free Judge hoodie is being offered for information leading to the identification of a protester in a photo that appeared in the July-Sept 2008 issue of the Open Exchange Magazine from the Bay area.
Said protester was photographed at the Peace Parade in Hollywood, CA on March 15, 2008 while wearing a Judge "New York Crew" t-shirt. This protester was apparently protesting the Peace Parade, not the war itself... Take a look at it here: revhq.com/images/misc/404/OpenExchangeGuyWithJudgeShirt.jpg
Any information on said protester should be sent to webmaster@revhq.com. The first person to properly identify the subject will receive a free Judge hooded sweatshirt from RevHQ.com. All submissions will remain anonymous (even if it's you in the picture).
--------------- REVHQ FUN FACT --------------- Thanks to the internet, the often mocked "punk" episode of the late '70s / early '80s cop show CHiPs can now be easily viewed at your leisure. As you may have heard - or might even remember depending how long in the tooth you are - in the 1982 "Battle Of The Bands" episode of CHiPs, trouble ensues when some punk rockers vandalize a van belonging to a band called Snow Pink. The punk rockers turn out to be in a band too, and their band Pain (fronted by actor William Forsythe) ends up playing in a battle of the bands with the victims of their earlier crime. Fans of the punk band start a huge slam pit to their song and wreak some havoc (the chorus is "I dig pain"), in true early '80s TV punk-sploitation style. Check out the clip here:
--------------- REVHQ FUN FACT --------------- Last week we told you about the punk rock episode of the late '70s/early '80s TV show CHiPs. "Punk-sploitation" was at its peak during this time, with numerous TV shows doing unintentionally hilarious episodes on the subject of punk rockers. Perhaps the first and probably the best-known of these occurences was on the TV show Quincy, M.E. starring Jack Klugman. In the 1982 episode called "Next Stop, Nowhere," an 18 year-old kid named Zack dies while slamdancing at a punk rock club, killed while dancing to "lyrics about death, lack of hope and violence." Quincy's report declares that the punk music Zack listened to was partly to blame for his death, but the main reason was an ice pick in his back. Ever since the show aired, the term "Quincy punk" was used as a slur for posers. There is even a group of kids that named their band "Quincy Punx." If you've never seen it, you can see some of the episode here:
--------------- REVHQ FUN FACT --------------- In a recent episode of the Starz cable TV series "Crash," hip hop music producer Ben (played by actor Dennis Hopper) explains to a colleague that Def Jam Records' first release was recorded by a band called Hose who were "a punk/art related band influenced by Flipper." His point being that from humble beginnings can come genius, as the band Hose featured a young Frederick Jay Rubin on guitar.
Frederick Jay Rubin is now better known as world-famous music producer and Def Jam Records founder Rick Rubin. Rubin began his career playing guitar in Hose, the '80s New York art/punk band who toured the west coast and played with such legendary punk rock bands as the Circle Jerks, Husker Du and the Butthole Surfers. Hose broke up in 1986 as Rubin's music interests moved toward the hip hop scene, and Def Jam put out the Beastie Boys and Run DMC. Rubin later moved west and started the label Def American, producing and releasing albums from Danzig and Slayer (among many others). Rubin also went on to earn producer credits on recordings by the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Johnny Cash, Metallica and countless others.
--------------- REVHQ FUN FACT --------------- If you're familiar with Chain Of Strength then you probably know about their side project, Circle Storm. But did you know that Circle Storm was originally formed by the Chain guys in an attempt to keep Chain Of Strength from having to be the opening band at shows? It's true. If Chain Of Strength were asked to play first on a bill, they would say that there was another band touring with them called Circle Storm who needed to play before them. Chain vocalist Curtis played bass, but couldn't actually play, so he never turned up the volume on his bass, and drummer Alex sang. The first Circle Storm show was at the Anthrax in 1988 with No For An Answer and, of course, Chain Of Strength.
--------------- REVHQ FUN FACT --------------- Finally available again on vinyl are records by Dr. Know and Ill Repute, both on the legendary Southern California punk label Mystic Records. Mystic Records released dozens and dozens of records by as many bands, some known, some obscure and some totally unheard of. There were several Mystic bands, however, that all followed the same path from Mystic Records to one of the biggest punk labels of all time, Epitaph.
Some of Epitaph's earliest releases included records by NOFX, a band that got its start on Mystic. Later Epitaph put out stuff by RKL, another famed Mystic band. Mystic's Scared Straight (later known as Ten Foot Pole) had releases on Epitaph and featured vocalist Scott Radinsky (also of Epitaph band Pulley). Radinsky, as we've mentioned a long time ago, later made a name for himself in professional baseball, playing for the Chicago White Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers, St. Louis Cardinals and the Cleveland Indians.
--------------- REVHQ FUN FACT --------------- We've recently mentioned the appearance of punk rockers on the '80s TV shows ChiPS and Quincy, but punk characters made their mark on the big screen as well. In the 1986 movie "Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home," Captain Kirk and Spock are back on Earth riding a San Francisco city bus when they encounter a "punk rocker." The punk has a portable stereo and is playing his music too loud for Captain Kirk's liking, and Kirk asks him to turn it down. The punker turns up the music to full volume and ignores Kirk's request. Kirk asks him, once again, to turn it down, and in perfect "punk rock" fashion, the punker extends his middle finger. Spock then leans over and applies the famous Vulcan nerve pinch, resulting in the music turning off as the punker passes out, and his head hits the stereo. You can enjoy a clip of that part of the movie here:
--------------- REVHQ FUN FACT --------------- Last week we told you about the 1986 movie "Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home," where Captain Kirk and Spock are riding on a San Francisco city bus when they encounter a "punk rocker" blasting music on a portable stereo. A few readers wrote us asking for the name of the song that was playing during the scene and what band it was. The song was aptly named "I Hate You," and the film credits a band called "Edge Of Etiquette." But don't go looking for any of their records at your local record store, because it wasn't a real band.
The band was actually put together by the film's associate producer, Kirk Thatcher, when he concluded that the music that had originally been chosen for the scene wouldn't accurately represent what a 1980s punk would be listening to. He, along with a couple workers from the sound department, wrote and recorded the song in a little over a day and it was used in the film. Thatcher wrote the lyrics and also lent his voice to the song. Incidentally, Thatcher also thought he should portray the punker, so he shaved his head into a mohawk and dyed it orange, bringing the "genuine" look of an '80s punk rocker to the big screen. Another funny thing is that the song was later used in another movie called "Back To The Beach" in 1987.
--------------- REVHQ FUN FACT --------------- Before Chicago area hardcore band The Repos called it quits this past March, they decided to put out one final record. The band, whose members include Aaron Aspinwall from Charles Bronson, must have loved '80s hardcore, since that last release is an album covering the entire "We're Not In This Alone" LP by Youth Of Today. This recording, aptly titled "Ending On A Positive Note," made it to vinyl in a very limited amount, with only 300 being pressed and sold at their final show. Aaron's former bandmate Mark McCoy (also from Charles Bronson) put out the record on his label, Youth Attack, but good luck trying to find one. Youth Attack is known for their limited pressings. You can see an image of the record here: www.ihateyouthattack.com/images/REPOSCoverFront.jpg
--------------- REVHQ FUN FACT --------------- Did you know that the Sex Pistols were supposed to be a musical guest on Saturday Night Live? Apparently they had been invited to perform on the December 17, 1977 broadcast, but problems with the band members' criminal records created problems with their visas, and so the invitation was extended to Elvis Costello and The Attractions, who were touring North America at the time.
The show was notable for Elvis Costello and The Attractions beginning their scheduled song "Less than Zero" -- about British wartime fascist leader Oswald Mosley -- then suddenly stopping it, with Costello announcing, "I'm sorry, ladies and gentlemen, there's no reason to do this song here." Instead they played "Radio Radio," which SNL had asked them not to play because the song was considered too "anti-media." This reportedly led to Costello being barred from SNL for over ten years. Thanks to Jon Roa and Pete Cook for the info.
--------------- REVHQ FUN FACT --------------- Last week we mentioned Elvis Costello getting banned from Saturday Night Live for stopping mid-song and instead playing "Radio Radio" back in 1977. He later staged a redux of that incident on SNL, this time with the help of the Beastie Boys (and the permission of SNL). In 1999 the Beastie Boys appeared on the show as a musical guest. As they started to play their song "Sabotage," Costello ran out on stage and stopped the song, repeated what he said in 1977, and then launched into "Radio Radio" with the Beastie Boys as the backing band. Thanks to both Porcell and Cesco for sending this tidbit. See it here:
--------------- REVHQ FUN FACT --------------- The Orange County, California hardcore band Carry Nation is known for being named after the legendary prohibitionist as well as for featuring members of No For An Answer and Insted. But did you know that their band logo that appears on the cover of their 7" "Face the Nation" as well as on their t-shirt was actually a drawing of a statue? The sculpture, a gift from the Soviet Union to the United Nations back in 1959, stands in the United Nations garden in New York City. Sculpted by Evgeniy Vuchetich, it is titled "Let Us Beat Swords into Plowshares," a physical representation of the well known phrase expressing man's desire to put an end to war and convert the means of destruction into creative tools for the benefit of mankind. The statue aptly portrays a man holding a hammer in one hand and a sword in the other, which he is making into a plowshare: revhq.com/images/misc/404/CarryNation.jpg --------------- REVHQ FUN FACT --------------- The Southern California hardcore band Grudge was known for their sarcastic humor and lyrics poking fun at the straight edge scene. On their "Project-Ex" 7" from 1989, they raged through such songs as "Drinking's Great" (modeled after Youth Of Today's "Thinking Straight"), "Maw Shut Up!" and others. If you were to look at the lyrics on this release, you would think these guys were anything but straight edge.
But lyrics lie, because members of Grudge were actually in the militant straight edge band A Chorus Of Disapproval. Jerry Hohman, the drummer for Grudge, was in the band A Chorus Of Disapproval for some time and is pictured in the layout to Chorus' discography "Firm Standing Law." He and his brother were also in a pre-Grudge straight edge band called United We Stand, named after the aborted 7 Seconds LP that would have had the same name.
On a side note, Grudge had a track called "Captain Straight Edge" on a compilation cassette in the late '80s and, ironically, ISHC released a CD on Bridge Nine Records with a song of the same name.
--------------- REVHQ FUN FACT --------------- The matrix of a record, for those of you unfamiliar with the term, is the area at the end of the recording (the smooth part near the center of the vinyl, next to the label) where the catalog number, plating number or something else can be etched into the lacquer master when the record is being made, transfering the info or message onto the finished piece of wax.
When the Warzone "Lower East Side Crew" 7" was being mastered (Revelation Records #1), the band wanted the messages "Yo Bo" and "LES Crew" scribed onto the matrix of the record. The mastering guy asked which message they wanted on side A and which message they wanted on side B. No one cared, and the band responded that "it makes no difference." So the mastering guy wrote a note to himself on the paper along with the band's intended messages.
When the time came to inscribe the matrix info onto the lacquer master, he wrote "Yo Bo" on side A, and "LES Crew" on side B. But then he apparently forgot the purpose of his own note and added "makes no diff" into the side B matrix as well.
--------------- REVHQ FUN FACT --------------- Over the years, lots of record labels have been founded/run by people in bands. In fact, some of these people started their labels for the sole purpose of putting out their own bands' records. Here are the ones we could think of, let us know if we missed anything noteworthy.
6131 - Greg Bacon (Betrayed, Internal Affairs) 625 Thrashcore - Max Ward (Spazz, What Happens Next) BYO - Shawn Stern (Youth Brigade) Conversion - Dennis Remsing (Kill The Messenger, Outspoken) Deathwish, Inc. - Jake Bannon (Converge) Dischord - Ian MacKaye (Fugazi, Minor Threat) Epitaph - Brett Gurewitz (Bad Religion) Equal Vision - Steve Reddy (NY Wolfpack) Fat Wreck Chords - Fat Mike (Me First And The Gimme Gimmes, NOFX) Feral Ward - Yannick (His Hero Is Gone) Schism etc. - John "Porcell" Porcelly (Judge, Youth Of Today) High Impact/Jade Tree - Darren Walters (Railhed) Kung Fu - Joe Escalante (The Vandals) Level Plane - Greg Drudy (Hot Cross, Interpol) Lockin' Out - Greg Willmott (Mental) Nemesis - "Big" Frank Harrison (Carry Nation) New Age - Mike Hartsfield (Outspoken, Strife) New Beginning - Billy Rubin (Halfoff, Haywire) Nitro Records - Brian "Dexter" Holland (Offspring) Nyvag - Dennis Lyxzen (International Noise Conspiracy, Refused) Positive Force - Kevin "Seconds" Marvelli (7 Seconds) Revelation Records - Ray Cappo (Shelter, Youth Of Today) Ringside - Evan Jacobs (Ice) Saddle Creek - Conor Oberst (Bright Eyes) Smorgasbord - Jeff Terranova (Up Front) SST - Greg Ginn (Black Flag) Stillborn - Jamey Jasta (Hatebreed) Suicidal - Mike Muir (Infectious Grooves, Suicidal Tendencies) Think Fast! - Ryan O'Conner (Outbreak) Touch & Go - Corey Rusk (Necros) Victory - Tony Brummel (Even Score, Only The Strong) Wishingwell - Pat Dubar (Uniform Choice, Unity) Workshed - Dan O'Mahoney (Carry Nation, No For An Answer)
--------------- REVHQ FUN FACT --------------- Those of you who are familiar with Orange County, CA hardcore legends Uniform Choice probably have heard their classic first LP "Screaming For Change," and you know the song "Don't Quit." The lyrics are memorable, motivating listeners to get back up on their feet when life knocks them down. But these memorable lyrics weren't actually written by the band, and in fact they "borrowed" them for the song. It's true. The lyrics to "Don't Quit" are actually from a motivational poem by an anonymous author and have appeared on cards, plaques and bookmarks everywhere. Here's one example found years ago by Indecision Records' head honcho Dave Mandel: revhq.com/images/misc/404/DontQuit.jpg
--------------- REVHQ FUN FACT --------------- Several weeks ago we told you about the origin of the logo for the hardcore band Carry Nation. The group's guitarist, Gavin Oglesby, is an artist and he based Carry Nation's logo on the famous "Swords Into Ploughshares" statue. Another classic hardcore image created by Oglesby was also inspired by a famous work, but this time it was a photo, not a statue. The Hard Stance "Face Reality" 7" (featuring a young Zack De La Rocha on guitar) included a cover painting by Gavin Oglesby featuring an iconic image of a group of people marching atop a hill under a clouded sky. This painting was actually an interpretation of a famous civil rights-era picture of the Selma-to-Montgomery March for Voting Rights in 1965, photographed by the late James Karales. Check it out here: revhq.com/images/misc/404/HardStance.jpg
--------------- REVHQ FUN FACT --------------- If you know the members of Supertouch or ever saw their page on Revelation Records' "Together" compilation insert you'd know that the band was into sports. Another less obvious clue to that interest is the fact that they used certain color schemes on their t-shirts to pay homage to different football teams. They had shirts that used the colors of the Dolphins, the Steelers and probably others. Thanks to Tru formerly of Malfunction Records for his curiosity about the odd color schemes and Kurtis from Time Flies for finding out the answer.
--------------- REVHQ FUN FACT --------------- Many people know that the late comedian/actor John Belushi was a fan of punk rock. According to John Joseph of the Cro-Mags, Belushi is the guy who got the band Fear to play on Saturday Night Live back in 1981. But did you know that in the movie "Neighbors," starring John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd, there is a scene where you can clearly hear the Dead Kennedys' song "Holiday In Cambodia"? The scene takes place in the kitchen and features Belushi's on-screen punk rock daughter. Check it out here:
--------------- REVHQ FUN FACT --------------- Did you know that Ben Colen, professional skateboard photographer for Girl and Chocolate skateboards among others, was once in a straight edge band called Common Ground? It's true. Ben tells the story of his band, which Gorilla Biscuits songs were his favorites, and much more in an interview for for crailtap.com. You can check it out here:
--------------- REVHQ FUN FACT --------------- If you look at the back cover of certain Rev releases, you'll see a small rectangular box with three letter "A"s in it. Over the years a few people have noticed and asked what it was about (very few, actually). Here's the story: When CD's were completely eclipsing vinyl as the medium to deliver music and digital recording was new, there was a time when some CD's would be marked with "DDD" to advertise that the record was recorded, mastered and duplicated digitally. During that time, many people were realizing that analog recording had certain advantages and a lot of people actually preferred the sound of vinyl to compact disc. So while most albums were mixed to digital tape (DAT) even if they were recorded on analog equipment, Revelation decided that it would be cool to ensure that its vinyl releases were purely analog. So what Rev did was ask their studios to mix those albums simultaneously to both digital and analog tape. The digital tape would be used to make the CDs and the analog tapes would be used for the vinyl master. This meant that the music on those vinyl records never entered the "digital domain" at all during the entire production process. As an unexplained (until now) inside signal to anyone who might know or care, Rev put the "AAA" symbol on some of the records that were produced this way. You can find the symbol on the back of Statue's "Filter The Infection" 12" e.p. and Whirlpool's self-titled album (and probably some others we don't have handy at the moment).
--------------- REVHQ FUN FACT --------------- Did you know that the iconic cover photo on Sick Of It All's first 7" was an altered image? Before people started using computers for photo editing, most retouches had to be done by hand or in a photo lab, usually by a professional. And way back in 1987, someone did a pretty good job of it for this record. If you take a close look at the original photo that was used for the cover of the 7", you can see that someone was "blacked out" of the picture. Someone was standing in the background between Armand and Pete when the photo was taken, but obviously wasn't wanted in the shot when it was used for their record cover. Magically, the person disappeared and was replaced by a re-drawn sidewalk and fence. Hopefully this is the only time that the Alleyway Crew made someone disappear. Thanks to Tim McMahon for pointing this out to us. Check it out here: revhq.com/images/misc/404/SickOfItAll.jpg
--------------- REVHQ FUN FACT --------------- You may know about musician/DJ Moby's ties to the early Connecticut hardcore scene as having been a member of CTHC band Vatican Commandos. But did you know that the Vatican Commandos have a connection to someone else who would later become a well known musician? While Richard "Moby" Hall left the Vatican Commandos after their debut release "Hit Squad For God," the band went on and their second 7", "Just A Frisbee," featured cover artwork by a little known up-and-coming musician/artist/ filmmaker, Robert Cummings, later known to the world as Rob Zombie. Check out the cover art here: revhq.com/images/misc/404/VaticanCommandos.gif
--------------- REVHQ FUN FACT --------------- If you're a fan of the No For An Answer "You Laugh" 7", you may have noticed that the liner notes list the band as having four members: Dan, Gavin, John and Casey. But if you take a closer look at the live group photo that appeared in the layout, you will see that there are actually 5 people on stage. So who was this mystery man? It is none other than Orange County, California's own Rob Haworth. While he was better known for his tenures in Hard Stance, Farside and State Of The Nation, Rob did clock some hours as the second guitarist for No For An Answer and even ended up on the B-side label of the record. And even though he didn't record with the band all was not lost; he is mentioned on the thank you list as "Rob Hayworth (sic) our newest member." Check out the photos here: revhq.com/images/misc/404/RobHaworth.jpg
--------------- REVHQ FUN FACT --------------- Black Flag was originally known as Panic but changed their name early in their career to avoid confusion with another band that was also using the name Panic. The name Black Flag was suggested by guitarist Gren Ginn's brother Raymond Pettibon. Pettibon has been quoted as saying, "If a white flag means surrender, a black flag represents anarchy." After they adopted the new moniker, Raymond Pettibon designed the band's now iconic logo of four black bars along with the words "Black Flag." And while there's no proof that it was any influence on the artwork or the idea for the name, the 1968 book "The Black Flag Of Anarchy" by Corinne Jacker had, of course, a black flag on the cover. Check it out here: revhq.com/images/misc/404/TheBlackFlagOfAnarchy.jpg
--------------- REVHQ FUN FACT --------------- With the success of this year's new Star Trek film, we were reminded that Shai Hulud's Matt Fox once had his own record label, Ides Of March, that was "influenced" by the sci-fi franchise, using the USS Enterprise's ship number (NCC-1701) as his label's selection number prefix ("NCC") and starting catalog number ("1701"). Matt was nice enough to chime in on this connection, and here's what he had to say:
"I have no idea what the hell I was thinking when I made the decision to start releasing records. Truth be told, it probably should never have happened. More than anything, regarding running a label or releasing anything, I think I was most excited about simply referencing the Starship Enterprise on each release's catalog number. Why start with "1" when "1701" works just as well... And it sounds seemingly more legit, especially with the "NCC" that precedes it. Sold. Or, 'Engage,' rather.
"And so was christened Starship Ides Of March into the No Care Ever System of the universe, largely to the same fate as "Enterprise" starring Scott Bakula. At least he had a sexy Vulcan. I can't say for certain, but as far as I can remember Star Trek may very well be the main reason why I ever released a record to begin with. You can add that to your original list of reasons why you think Star Trek sucks. Live long and prosper."
--------------- REVHQ FUN FACT --------------- Last week we told you about bands that were still playing together with only one original member or even zero original members. Many of you wrote in with some that we missed. Here are the new additions:
One original member: Bleeding Through, Breakdown, Cro-Mags, The Exploited, Hoods, The Misfits, Motorhead, Saves The Day, Slapshot.
No original members: Merauder, Zao.
And, we were mistaken last week when we said that Ensign had one original member (Nate). We were wrong, Ensign has no original members. Sorry guys!
--------------- REVHQ FUN FACT --------------- Did you ever wonder where the early punk/oi band Oi Polloi got their name? It's actually word play on "hoi polloi," a fairly common term in the UK, borrowed from Greek, meaning literally, "the many." It has come to mean "the masses" or "common people" generally but it seems that most people, at least in the US, aren't familiar with the term. It came to our attention when someone pointed out that another pun was made using the phrase in the movie Caddyshack. As the main character Danny Noonan, a caddy (and a member of the "lower class") is walking to the yacht christening wearing a captain's jacket and hat, an "upper class" kid (Judge Smails' nephew Spaulding) sarcastically says "Ahoy polloi!" to him. Oddly, the phrase has taken on the opposite meaning in parts of Australia where people use it to refer to the rich.
--------------- REVHQ FUN FACT --------------- In the 2001 Josie And The Pussycats movie, Tara Reid starred as the band's drummer, Melody Valentine. Not knowing how to play drums before they filmed, she needed to learn the basics so she could appear to know what she was doing beind the kit. So the producers decided to get her a drum coach, and the guy they brought in was none other than... (drum roll please) Revelation Records' own Drew Thomas of Bold/Into Another/Youth Of Today. Drew is now in the band God Fires Man along with members of Errortype:11 and Garrison.
You can find Drew credited on IMDB.com as a "music coach" for the film as well as in the credits at the end of the film. Not included on IMDB, however, are the stories about Drew and Tara sharing drinks after practice and Drew getting kicked out of the apartment before her then-boyfriend Carson Daly came home from a long day on the set of MTV's Total Request Live. But you didn't hear that from us.
--------------- REVHQ FUN FACT --------------- In the 2001 Josie And The Pussycats movie, Tara Reid starred as the band's drummer, Melody Valentine. Not knowing how to play drums before they filmed, she needed to learn the basics so she could appear to know what she was doing beind the kit. So the producers decided to get her a drum coach, and the guy they brought in was none other than... (drum roll please) Revelation Records' own Drew Thomas of Bold/Into Another/Youth Of Today. Drew is now in the band God Fires Man along with members of Errortype:11 and Garrison.
You can find Drew credited on IMDB.com as a "music coach" for the film as well as in the credits at the end of the film. Not included on IMDB, however, are the stories about Drew and Tara sharing drinks after practice and Drew getting kicked out of the apartment before her then-boyfriend Carson Daly came home from a long day on the set of MTV's Total Request Live. But you didn't hear that from us.
--------------- REVHQ FUN FACT --------------- If you've ever wondered where the matrix etching on the original Mouthpiece LP came from, vocalist Tim McMahon shared the story as part of his interview in the Burning Fight book.
This is what Tim had to say: "I remember Dave Mandel from Indecision Fanzine (and later Indecision Records) had been staying with me for a month or so right around the time that we were recording. Dave would go to the studio with us while we recorded the LP... When it was time for me to record the vocals, there was one particular song called "Gauge" that I had envisioned someone yelling the word "gauge" in. Since Dave was there we thought we'd give him a shot. Now one thing that I need to mention is that we had a nickname for Dave - Manface. It really meant nothing more than being a play on his last name, Mandel. Anyway, day in and day out we would be there at the studio calling Dave "Manface." After Dave had hopped into the room to record the vocals and had done his level checks and gotten comfortable, Joe, the engineer said, "Take it away, Manface!" to which every single one of us laughed our asses off. (laughs) Up until that point I don't think Joe had even acknowledged Dave's presence, so it was just hilarious to come out of left field with the nickname like he did. We ended up using that on the matrix of the LP."
--------------- REVHQ FUN FACT --------------- Every label's logo has a story and here's the story of the Revelation Records logo straight from Jordan Cooper:
"We used stars on the first few releases as a background which was Rays Cappo's idea. He liked how Dangerhouse Records had black and yellow bars as their background on the labels so he wanted us to have something like that to identify Rev with. We got some Letraset rub-on stars and used them on the first three records we put out. The fourth record was going to be the Gorilla Biscuits 7" and their friend Alex Brown (who would later join the band as a second guitar player) offered to do the layout for them. Alex took the star concept and put the letter "r" in a star and had the label name under it inside a box. Ray, Alex and Porcell all lived together in Brooklyn at the time so Ray saw the artwork before I did. He really liked the idea and called me to tell me about it. From his description over the phone I re-created it. We never ended up using Alex's version because because by the time I actually got a copy of it, we had already used my version on a few things (probably flyers, catalogs and ads). The first release it appeared on was the GB 7" and then the Side By Side and No For An Answer records and repressings of the Sick Of It All 7" too. Shortly after that we were working on the layout for the "New York City Hardcore - The Way It Is" compilation with graphic designer Dave Bett at our main distributor, Important Records, and he offered to clean it up for us. He did and that's basically the logo we've been using ever since." See Alex's original version of the logo here: revhq.com/images/misc/404/GorillaBiscuitsLayout.jpg
--------------- REVHQ FUN FACT --------------- Did you know that former Revelation Records recording artists Battery were originally called Fury? It's true. Around the summer of 1990 in the Washington, DC area, hardcore upstarts Ken Olden, Brian McTernan (a.k.a. "Brian Fury") and others were playing in a band called Fury and even released a demo under this moniker. Coincidentally, some veterans of the DC hardcore scene (including Jason Farrell, Shawn Brown and Alex Daniels from Swiz along with Lunch Meat/ Ignition's Chris Thomson) were also doing a band called Fury. So before the release of their first 7", Ken Olden, Brian McTernan and crew decided to change their name to Battery to avoid any confusion (and to pay tribute to the Metallica song of the same name). Brian McTernan's older brother Mike released the 7" on his label, Deadlock Records. And on the matrix of the 7", Battery sent a parting message out to that competing band, claiming that while they may have changed their name to Battery, they were the real Fury.
--------------- REVHQ FUN FACT --------------- We've mentioned before that the Bold "Speak Out" LP and the other first few LPs that Revelation released were not originally pressed on colored vinyl because the pressing plant used at the time didn't do colored vinyl because they felt the sound quality of the music was better on regular black vinyl.
Some people have since asked why there were green vinyl test pressings of the "Speak Out" record floating around. Well, later, after the original couple of pressings (which had variations such as different matrix inscriptions and gatefold or regular covers), new test pressings had to be made when Revelation moved to California and switched to a new pressing plant. The new plant just happened to have green vinyl on hand for another project being run that day, so the plates for the Bold "Speak Out" record were thrown on the press and a batch of test pressings were made, on colored vinyl.
Ironically, the pressings of the record that followed were on black vinyl again. A colored vinyl version of the Bold "Speak Out" LP eluded collectors up until the last pressing, which were finally done on tan colored vinyl.
--------------- REVHQ FUN FACT --------------- Too many to just be a coincidence, did you ever notice that Dischord Records catalog numbers that are even multiples of ten (i.e. Dischord Records #10, 20, 30, etc.) are all releases from bands that the label's founder, Ian MacKaye, played in? Here's the list:
#10. Minor Threat "Out Of Step" 12"ep #20. Egg Hunt "S/T" 7" #30. Fugazi "S/T" 12"ep #40. Minor Threat "Complete Discography" CD #50. Skewbald/Grand Union 7" #60. Fugazi "Steady Diet Of Nothing" LP #70. Fugazi "In On The Killtaker" LP #80. Fugazi "Instrument" DVD #90. Fugazi "Red Medicine" LP #100. Teen Idles "S/T" 7" #110. Fugazi "End Hits" LP #120. Fugazi "Instrument Of Sound" LP #130. Fugazi "The Argument" LP #140. Minor Threat "First Demo Tape" 7" #150. The Evens "S/T" LP #160. The Evens "Get Evens" LP
Not all of Ian's bands' releases on Dischord follow this formula, however, as there are a few of them with catalog numbers that don't end with zero, such as the Minor Threat "Salad Days" 7" (#15) and the Embrace LP (#24) but it is enough to make you wonder what Dischord 170 is going to be.
--------------- REVHQ FUN FACT --------------- Did you ever wonder where the renowned fastcore/powerviolence label Six Weeks Records got their name? The label was started by Jeff Robinson (Capitalist Casualties) and Athena Kautsch (The Dread) in 1992 after a tour with their bands that lasted, you guessed it, six weeks. When they returned home from the tour, they put together a fanzine documenting their exploits from the six week-long tour and followed it up with a second issue that included a compilation tape. Having previously released her band's records independently, Athena's experience helped the duo put out Six Weeks Records' first release in 1993, which was, unsurprisingly, the Capitalist Casualties/Dread split EP.
--------------- REVHQ FUN FACT --------------- Did you know that Mike Hartsfield, founder of New Age Records, former member of southern California hardcore legends Outspoken and champion of the straight edge, is now a part of XPW, Xtreme Pro Wrestling? Mike's obsession with wrestling has followed him from his childhood into his adult life and now finds him producing and promoting their events. Coincidentally, XPW wrestler Matt Cross (a.k.a. M-Dogg 20) will be a part of the ten-year anniversary XPW event coming up on August 22nd at The Arena in Los Angeles. For those of you who don't know, M-Dogg 20 lives a straight edge lifestyle and can be seen in the ring from time to time with "X"s on his uniform. You can find out more here: www.thexpw.com/
--------------- REVHQ FUN FACT --------------- Everyone listens to music, so it's no surprise to find a "celebrity" checking out a big rock show or mainstream band at the local amphitheatre. It's a little surprising, however, to catch them down in the trenches of the punk/ underground music community, among the more DIY crowds. Here's a list of confirmed sightings from the Southern California area. Send in yours!
Christina Ricci: Good Riddance show at The Anti-Club, Los Angeles Crispin Glover: Unwound show at The PCH Club, Wilmington Corey Feldman: Youth Brigade show at The Troubador, West Hollywood Anthony Kiedis: Lunachicks at Rajis, Hollywood Mark Mothersbaugh: DVDA Show at Juxtapoz party, Key Club, Hollywood Abraham Benrubi ("Larry Kubiac" from Parker Lewis Can't Lose): numerous Southern California shows in the mid-late '80s Elijah Wood: Fu Manchu at the Troubador, Los Angeles Chloe Sevigny watching Fucked Up at Coachella festival Alicia Silverstone: Black Heart Procession at Spaceland, Los Angeles Viggo Mortensen and his son: multiple LA-area Vandals shows "Weird Al" Yankovic: Helmet at Jabberjaw, Los Angeles
--------------- REVHQ FUN FACT --------------- Last week we told you about a few celebrities spotted at various underground/ punk/hardcore shows. Here's a sampling of some more that were sent in:
Sean Penn: Ringworm, Heavy Metal Benefit, Cleveland, Ohio Keifer Sutherland & Julia Roberts: Ramones, Mad Monk, Wilmington, NC Debbie Gibson: Circle Jerks, CBGB Madonna: Rancid, CBGB Susan Sarandon: Fishbone, Cat's Cradle, Chapel Hill, NC Cat Von D: Mars Volta, Palladium, Losa Angeles Dennis Miller & family: Blink 182 etc KROQ Inland Invasion, Devore, CA
Thanks for writing in!
--------------- REVHQ FUN FACT --------------- If you listen to hardcore or punk and/or collect records, then you've probably heard of the Judge "Chung King Can Suck It" LP, the ultra-limited edition release from a 1989 recording that was scrapped by the band and re-recorded and re-released as the legendary "Bringin' It Down" LP.
But did you know that while several hardcore and punk bands recorded at The Chung King House Of Metal including Corrosion Of Conformity, Youth Of Today and others, the studio really made its name by working with hip hop and rap artists? It's true. Early recordings by Run-D.M.C., the Beastie Boys and LL Cool J, to name a few, were all recorded there. Gorilla Biscuits started recording their album Start Today there, but weren't happy with how it was going and decided to go to Don Fury's studio instead.
The studio has since changed its name to "Chung King Recording Studios" and have added artists such as Snoop Dogg, Mos Def and Jay-Z to their client list.
--------------- REVHQ FUN FACT --------------- Harley Flanagan made a name for himself growing up in the late '70s/early '80s New York punk/hardcore scene, playing in legendary bands like the Stimulators, Cro-Mags and, later, Harley's War. But did you know that before he recorded tracks for his first album at the age of twelve, he was already a published author?
It's true. Apparently, when Harley was only nine years old, Charlatan Press in Denmark printed a book called "Stories & Illustrations By Harley." It's described as "Two stories in words and water colors by nine year old Harley," and the book even had an introduction by late beat poet Allen Ginsberg, who wrote that Harley's mother was "a Lower East Side Hippie and a friend of mine." Check out the cover and introduction here: revhq.com/images/misc/404/HarleyBook.jpg
--------------- REVHQ FUN FACT --------------- Actor Charlie Saxton (who plays "Damon Drecker" on HBO's original series "Hung") seems to like No Sleep Records recording artists The Wonder Years enough to open up his jacket and flash the band tee to photographers while at some HBO event. Unfortunately, it landed him in the #8 slot on Posh24.com's worst dressed celebrites list for the week back in June. Check it out here: revhq.com/images/misc/404/TheWonderYears.jpg
--------------- REVHQ FUN FACT --------------- On the cover of the now-classic 1987 Adolescents record "Brats In Battalions," there's a photo of a group of kids holding toy guns, standing in a park. But who were those kids? It turns out they were just local skaters rounded up from the Agnew family's Orange County, CA neighborhood (Rikk and Alfie Agnew were guitarists on the album). The kids were asked to wear flannels and white t-shirts, and meet at Rio Vista Park in Anaheim on a Saturday afternoon circa 1987.
Two of those kids continued on a path into the hardcore/punk community. The second kid from the left in the photo is former New Age/Conversion Records employee and current Animosity Records/Corruption Recordings owner Jason Shad. The second kid from the right is Aaron Calvert, frontman and founding member of early-emo pioneers and Gravity Records recording artists Evergreen. Aaron, still playing music, now performs under the moniker of Winfred E. Eye. Check out the photo here: revhq.com/images/misc/404/AdolescentsBrats.jpg
--------------- REVHQ FUN FACT --------------- Considering how many hardcore and punk records there are in the world, it's no wonder some layouts start to look alike simply by chance. It's a different story, however, when a band purposely sets out to make their record look like another whether as a tribute or parody. Leaving aside punk records that parody mainstream records (like Black Randy's "Pass The Dust, I Think I'm Bowie") and the many "Never Mind The Bollocks" nods, there are still quite a few within the indie/punk/hardcore world. A few cases in point, please let us know any we've missed:
Sweet Diesel's "Search And Annoy" looks like: Chain Of Strength's "True Till Death"
Triple Threat's "Into The Darkness" looks like: 7 Seconds "Walk Together Rock Together" (complete with Brian Walsby artwork)
Judge "New York Crew" looks like: Cockney Rejects "On The Streets Again" 7" cover.
The Ergs "Jersey's Best Prancers" looks like: Lifetime's "Jersey's Best Dancers" (obviously)
And a new release this week that actually gives layout credit to the band they borrowed it from:
Explode And Make Up "S/T," looks like: Bold's "Speak Out"
--------------- REVHQ FUN FACT --------------- Last week we told you about a few releases whose layouts purposely imitated other punk bands' records. We asked you to send us the ones we missed, and here are some of your responses (though some of them parodied more mainstream records - which gives you a much bigger list to choose from of course):
Black Randy and Metrosquad "Pass The Dust I Think I'm Bowie" looks like: David Bowie "Hunky Dory"
Good Clean Fun "Straight Outta Hardcore" looks like: NWA "Straight Outta Compton"
Turbonegro "Ass Cobra" looks like: Beach Boys "Pet Sounds"
Thrice "Beggar" looks like: Elliott "Will You"
Vultures United "Dirt Hearts" looks like: Black Flag "Slip It In"
V/A "This Is Berkeley Not West Bay" looks like: V/A "This Is Boston Not L.A."
and, of course:
V/A "Generations" compilation was modeled after: "New York City Hardcore: The Way It Is"
Thanks to everyone who sent those in!
--------------- REVHQ FUN FACT --------------- Josh Freese is well-known for his membership in long-time So. Cal punk band The Vandals and his part-time work in bands from Devo to Nine Inch Nails, but did you know that Josh's has a relative that was also a musician?
Stan Freese, Josh's father, is a famous tuba player and has worked for the Disney company since the early '70s. He helped open Disney World in 1971 and still works as the Talent Booking and Casting Director at Disneyland in Anaheim, CA. In the 36 years he has worked for the company, he has been the Director of Bands both at Disney World and Disneyland, show director for Tokyo Disneyland and more.
Interestingly, it's been reported that Josh traces his musical roots back to Tomorrowland Terrace, where he got his start on the pro music circuit at age 12 playing with a Disneyland teen-idol cover band in the mid Ô80s. Photos anyone?
--------------- REVHQ FUN FACT --------------- If you've heard Madball's 1988 debut EP "Ball Of Destruction," you may remember the song "Colossal Man." You may have also wondered who the heck they were talking about. According to the song, "Colossal Man was a skinhead" and "he got radiation and grew real big." But did you know Madball was actually referencing a character from a 1957 science fiction movie?
"The Amazing Colossal Man," directed by Bert I. Gordon and starring Glenn Langan, was about a soldier who gets radiation poisoning from an explosion. As the Madball lyrics imply, it causes his hair to fall out and he grows into a giant. But, unlike the song, which says he was killed by the radiation, Colossal Man was actually shot and killed by the U.S. Army. Watch the trailer on YouTube or see the movie poster here: revhq.com/images/misc/404/MadballColossalMan.jpg
--------------- REVHQ FUN FACT --------------- Longtime TSOL frontman Jack Grisham is known for his charismatic, theatrical stage presence, having been the frontman in numerous punk bands over the the past 30 years with a combination of socio/political- meets-gothic horror lyrics and overtones. But did you know that when he's not on stage firing up a crowd he works as a hypnotist and life coach at his Center For Change? According to his website, JackGrisham.com, "Jack Grisham's Center for Change is a full service organization specializing in Hypnosis, NLP, TIME Techniques, EFT, Success Coaching and other modalities to help you overcome the obstacles that prevent you from living life to the fullest." Jack invites you to tap into your "inner winner." Who knew? revhq.com/images/misc/404/JackGrisham.jpg
--------------- REVHQ FUN FACT --------------- There's no limit to the number of places/things bands get their names from. Some take them from the song names of other bands they admire (e.g. Chain Of Strength named themselves after a Justice League song), some come from movie references (e.g. Death By Stereo comes from a line in "The Lost Boys"). But sometimes a band name just happens by accident, as is the case with the legendary Reno, Nevada positive hardcore band 7 Seconds, as frontman Kevin "Seconds" Marvelli has told many times, including in this AMP interview:
"We were big fans of The Dils, they had this EP, '198 Seconds Of The Dils' and I was so in love with punk rock that I would just write album titles on my clothes. This was still when Steve (Youth) and I lived with my mom. We had this desk in this room we shared and I wrote '197 Seconds Of The Dils,' I miswrote the title. Over time, everything else faded, but the '7 Seconds' part was there, and I circled it, I thought it looked cool."
--------------- REVHQ FUN FACT --------------- The now iconic cover of 7 Seconds' "The Crew" LP features a high-contrast, black and white photo of band frontman Kevin "Seconds" Marvelli along with a couple of fans singing along. The photo was taken from the side of the stage during the song "Out Of Touch" at a show in Los Angeles in 1984, which was also being filmed by Flipside Fanzine for release on video. That very moment was captured from the opposite side of the stage and from the front, all of which can be seen on the following YouTube video. Watch at about 5:15 when a kid with a beanie joins the guy with the shaved head to sing along with Kevin. Further in the video, starting at about 5:45, another show goer helps Kevin Seconds finish singing the rest of the song, hanging out on stage and doing backup vocals. This kid was none other than Uniform Choice/Unity drummer Pat Longrie. Pat was also credited as being the photographer who took the insert photo on "The Crew" LP and was also part of The Crew's "Heavy Duty Crew Of 13 Boys Choir," doing backup vocals on the record with 12 other people including fellow Unity member Joe Foster. Check out the video here:
--------------- REVHQ FUN FACT --------------- Former Black Flag/Rollins Band frontman, solo artist and author Henry Rollins is no stranger to mainstream media including some acting roles, occasional cameos and hosting of various TV shows. This year he appeared in 11 episodes of FX's television series Sons Of Anarchy. His character AJ Weston was part of a white separatist group, and Henry said in an interview that AJ is "not the kind of bad guy you root for." Coincidentally, the show Sons Of Anarchy is often abbreviated as SOA, as was Henry's first band, State Of Alert. Check out this photo of Henry from the set of the show, with Misfits tattoo and all. revhq.com/images/misc/404/HenrySonsOfAnarchy.jpg
--------------- REVHQ FUN FACT --------------- Venice, CA punk band Suicidal Tendencies has gone through numerous lineup changes in their 28-year history. If you've seen them play in the past few years, maybe as recently as last weekend, you may have wondered who the rest of the band members were backing up their only original member, vocalist Mike Muir. While not a founding member, current rhythm guitarist Mike Clark has actually been in the band since 1987 and lead guitarist Dean Pleasants has been with them since 1997 and also played in Muir's funk-metal side project Infectious Grooves.
But the most recent additions to their lineup are more well-known outside of the hardcore/punk universe. Bass player Steve Brunner, who's been in the band since 2002, has worked with Snoop Dogg and Erykah Badu among others. Drummer Eric Moore has done time with everyone from Sly & The Family Stone to Bobby Brown, and joined S.T. to replace the bass player's brother, Ron Brunner, who was playing drums for them up until 2008.
chris2far
GI Joe commander appears courtesy of the Adventure Team
Post by reasontorevelate on Dec 6, 2014 16:41:54 GMT
Let's keep this thread alive.
PLEASE POST FUN FACTS, and try to stay on-topic, so that it remains readable. Please try to minimize discussions etc. That way it can become some sort of archive.
Go!
FUN FACT: Gavin Van Vlack was a fixture in the late 80s/early 90s NYHC scene, having played in Side By Side, Absolution, and Burn among other bands. But did you know that he lived in Southern California for a while and played in a short-lived Orange County hardcore band before Burn even formed?
It's true. Back in the late '80s, Gavin moved to Southern California and in 1989 he started a new band with Dan O'Mahony (No For An Answer) on vocals, Josh Stanton on bass, and Steve Larsen (Insted) on drums. The short-lived project was considering the name The Sick Machine, and while they only practiced a handful of times, it was long enough for the would-be hardcore supergroup to complete a couple of songs.
For one reason or another though, it didn't work out. Gavin moved back to the East Coast, taking the songs with him and starting Burn. Dan and Josh stuck together for 411, making a considerable mark on the local scene. But it makes you wonder what could have been if Gavin had stayed.
FUN FACT: Did you know that actor Josh Brolin, best known for his roles in The Goonies, No Country For Old Men and most recently Marvel's Guardians Of The Galaxy, was once the member of a well-known punk band? It's true. Brolin was in an early incarnation of Nardcore legends RKL. Though details are scarce, he played drums for the pre-RKL band Cito Vice Squad (a reference to Montecito, CA, where the band formed in the very early '80s). They eventually became RKL, and Brolin left the band before they released their first record. And though he moved on from the scene long ago, to this day he still talks about the days of having a mohawk and being a punk rock kid.
reasontorevelate
GI Joe commander appears courtesy of the Adventure Team
FUN FACT Did you know that the title for the Quicksand song "Freezing Process" was inspired by a lyric from the band Christian Death? It's true. Walter Schreifels and Tom Capone spun the album "Only Theatre Of Pain" a lot while they were working on songs for the first Quicksand album, "Slip." Rozz Williams' delivery of the line "During the freezing process" in the song "Dream For Mother" made enough of an impression that they titled their own song after it.
Post by reasontorevelate on Jan 31, 2015 17:10:45 GMT
FUN FACT We all know and love John "Porcell" Porcelly of Youth Of Today and Judge fame, but did you ever wonder how he lost the "y" in his last name? This week, Porcell tells us the story:
Here's the deal... I never liked the name John. I thought it was far too ordinary and common, so from a young age everyone called me Porcelly. By 9th grade I had become a full on punk rocker but I still loved to play football and was on the school team. The first day of Freshman practice I walked into the locker room looking like Sid Vicious... spiked hair, leather jacket and combat boots, which back then was pretty outrageous in my preppie high school. Our very Italian and very conservative football coach took one look at me and said "Look at you Porcelly, you're a disgrace to the Italian race! I'm taking the vowel off the end of your name so no one knows you're Italian!" So from that day on he called me Porcell and I guess it just kinda stuck with everyone.
reasontorevelate
GI Joe commander appears courtesy of the Adventure Team
Post by reasontorevelate on Feb 7, 2015 21:31:30 GMT
FUN FACT Brian Baker was, of course, the guitarist for Minor Threat and Dag Nasty, and he currently plays with Bad Religion. But he actually made his on-stage debut with a famous blues/Latin rock guitar player years before he was playing in punk bands.
At the age of twelve, Brian was living in Michigan and had a friend whose family owned a restaurant. Musician Carlos Santana came to the restaurant to eat, and ended up inviting the family to his show that evening at Cobo Hall in Detroit. Brian and his friend went to the venue before the show to catch the sound check, and Brian ended up playing some blues guitar with Santana himself. Impressed with Brian's playing, Santana invited him to come out onstage during the encore that night. Of course Brian obliged, and that's how it happened.
Post by reasontorevelate on Feb 15, 2015 15:32:18 GMT
FUN FACT Last week we told you about how Brian Baker from Minor Threat once played guitar on stage with rock legend Carlos Santana. A very similar thing happened to another band years later, but this time in reverse.
While on tour in 1995, the Circle Jerks were playing at a place called Mississippi Nights in St. Louis, Missouri. The venue was frequented by rock 'n' roll pioneer and St. Louis native Chuck Berry, who happened to be there that night. One thing led to another and Berry ended up on stage with the Circle Jerks, where he played a couple of songs including "Roll Over Beethoven." You can check out a not-very-clear photo of him onstage with the Circle Jerks here: revhq.com/images/misc/404/ChuckBerryWithCircleJerks.jpg
On a side note, back in 1980 Chuck Berry was interviewed by Jet Lag magazine and reviewed a couple of punk rock records. The article was reposted by DangerousMinds.net a while back and is pretty funny. Check it out here: goo.gl/JvmFGf
reasontorevelate
GI Joe commander appears courtesy of the Adventure Team
Post by reasontorevelate on Mar 8, 2015 13:33:02 GMT
FUN FACT Back in the mid-'80s, future No For An Answer vocalist Dan O'Mahony was an avid hardcore artist, drawing characters and logos for flyers, 'zines, and what have you. One of his drawings appeared in issue #4 of Think, a fanzine put out by his friend and future Halfoff vocalist Billy Rubin. The drawing featured a character jumping through the air with a flag pole in one hand, and an "X" on the other.
The drawing must have made an impression on Porcell from Youth Of Today because he re-used the art for an early Youth Of Today t-shirt, with some minor alterations. Dan O says he can't remember the specifics of how it happened, but that he was glad it ended up on the shirt.
Post by reasontorevelate on Aug 22, 2015 8:56:47 GMT
FUN FACT We've mentioned that Chain Of Strength was named after a song by Justice League, a band that featured a couple of guys from Chain. But during a recent visit to RevHQ, Chain members Chris Bratton and Alex Barreto filled us in on a few more details. Here's what they said:
While Chain was in its early stages (and did not yet have a name), the recently disbanded Justice League was asked to play a show with 7 Seconds, Uniform Choice and Youth Of Today. Since the new band wasn't ready to go, guitarist Ryan Hoffman got Justice League back together with a modified lineup, including original vocalist Jon Roa. Roa knew that Hoffman's new band didn't have a singer yet, and he alluded to his interest in being in the band. Roa also suggested that they use "Chain Of Strength" as the band's name, which was a track Roa had written during his time in Justice League. Hoffman liked (and kept) the name, but the band ended up going with a different vocalist (Curt Canales).