Rev Fun Facts

[reasontorevelate]

FUN FACT
Last week we filled you in on some of the details about how Chain Of Strength got their name. This week Jon Roa (Justice League, End To End) informed us that this wasn't the only band name that Ryan Hoffman (Chain Of Strength) got from him. As mentioned before, Roa practiced with Hoffman and company a couple of times when the band was forming, and all agreed that it wasn't working out so the other members moved on, taking Roa's suggested name Chain Of Strength with them. After Chain had become established, Roa told Hoffman he wanted to call his new band Circle Storm. Not long after that, Hoffman's side project did an impromptu set on the East Coast and called themselves, you guessed it, Circle Storm.

Later that year, Hoffman was at Roa's house and Roa was able to tell him was annoyed that Hoffman had taken yet another one of his band name ideas. Hoffman said, "Naming a band is easy!" Then he looked around the room, grabbed the nearest book, "End To End," by Henry Rollins, and said "End To End, that's your new band's name." Which Roa took to heart and used.

[reasontorevelate]

FUN FACT

Depeche Mode, Black Sabbath, and Born Against are three very different bands from very different musical worlds. But they are all connected through common artwork.

The trail starts with an issue of Mind Alive magazine published in 1968 featuring a newborn baby on the cover. The photograph, was subsequently altered and used on the "New Life" single from Depeche Mode in 1981. A couple of years later, Black Sabbath used it on their "Born Again" album from 1983. It was from this album cover that Born Against took their band logo, using the lettering from the title of the Sabbath record and adding an "ST" to the end of it.

Check out the trail of fun here:
revhq.com/images/misc/404/DepecheSabbathBornAgainst.jpg

[reasontorevelate]

FUN FACT

This week we've got a puzzle for you: What do early-'80s Swedish hardcore band Arroganta Agitatorer, mid-'80s German thrash metal band Sodom, and NYHC stalwarts Agnostic Front have in common? You might think
nothing at all, but you'd be wrong. The answer is that all three bands used the same image as inspiration for their own artwork.

The image in question, that of a soldier wearing a gas mask and holding an M-16 in a graveyard, is probably most recognizable in the world of American hardcore as being a mid-80s Agnostic Front t-shirt design drawn by Sean Taggart. But the same image was used as the basis for the cover painting of Sodom's "Persecution Mania" LP in 1987, and even earlier by Arroganta Agitatorer as the cover of their 1983 EP "Arrogans."

So the remaining question is whether all of the artwork was sourced from a single original image, or was Arroganta the origin? If you have any clues, let us know...

Check out all three renderings here:

revhq.com/images/misc/404/ArrogantaAgitatorer.jpg

[reasontorevelate]

FUN FACT

If you own a copy of Bold's self-titled 7" from 1989, you may have wondered why the band was pictured as a three-piece on the back cover of the record. The photo, from left to right, shows guitarist Tom Capone, vocalist Matt Warnke, and drummer Drew Thomas. But bass player Tim Brooks is missing. The shoot was sometime in the spring of 1989, and legend has it that Tim, still in high school at the time, had an AP biology test that he couldn't miss, so he had to sit out the photo session.

Meticulous observers out there may notice that Tom Capone is wearing the same shirt in the Bold photo as he wears on the back cover of Shelter's "Perfection Of Desire" LP. And while his freshly cut hair and boyish good looks are the same, that LP photo was indeed taken on a different day by Shelter frontman Ray Cappo at the Anthrax during their recording session.

If you don't feel like digging out both records, see the two photos here:

revhq.com/images/misc/404/TomCaponeBoldShelter.jpg

[reasontorevelate]

FUN FACT
Judge's debut EP, "New York Crew," 7" came out before the band actually played a single show and was recorded while the band was a two-man project. So you may be wondering, where did the photos of Mike Judge and Porcell on the back cover of the record come from, and how did the original lineup form? Close observers of the Judge documentary "There Will Be Quiet" will have noticed that Drew Thomas [Bold, Youth Of Today, Into Another] played drums at their first show, which means that Judge has had four of the great NYHC drummers play with them at one time or another: Mike Judge, Drew Thomas, Luke Abbey and Sammy Siegler. We were wondering what the story was, so we went straight to the source. Mike Judge clarified:

"I have no idea about the Porcell pic but looking at the pic of me, it's after the West Coast shows on Youth Of Today's "Break Down The Walls" tour [while Mike was playing drums for YOT]. I got that tattoo from Jack Rudy while we were crashing at Dan O's [No For An Answer] house on that tour and it looks healed. Also, if I remember right, Porcell called me a week or so after the 7" came out and said we should open up at the Anthrax that coming Friday. I think Bold were playing. We rehearsed once at Fury's that Friday afternoon. Jimmy Yu helped me write "Fed Up!" so when it was time to make a band, he was a logical choice. Drew [Bold] was in the city at the time...so he said he would play drums because it was Bold's show. We rehearsed at Fury's and then headed out to Connecticut for the gig."

[circlestorm69]

Dec 22, 2015 23:00:17 GMT reasontorevelate said:

FUN FACT

Also, if I remember right, Porcell called me a week or so after the 7" came out and said we should open up at the Anthrax that coming Friday. I think Bold were playing. We rehearsed once at Fury's that Friday afternoon. Jimmy Yu helped me write "Fed Up!" so when it was time to make a band, he was a logical choice. Drew [Bold] was in the city at the time...so he said he would play drums because it was Bold's show.

:-)

[reasontorevelate]

FUN FACT
"Big Take Over" is one of the best known Bad Brains songs from their famed self-titled debut cassette on ROIR. But did you know that the song contained a secret message?

At the beginning of the track, you can hear some beeping that could easily be mistaken for just randomly toggled feedback on a guitar, but it's actually a message in Morse code. The liner notes give credit to Dave Id for the message that, when translated, reads "DESTROY BABYLON UNITE ISRAEL." Dave Id, also known as Dave Hahn, was the one-time manager of the Bad Brains, drummer for NYHC band The Mad (as well as having done a stint in the Cro-Mags) and is responsible for organizing the New York Thrash compilation. Unfortunately, Hahn is no longer with us, but he definitely left his mark on the scene.

Check out the song with Morse code here if you don't want to break out your cassette (or any of the other formats the album has been released on):
 

[reasontorevelate]

FUN FACT
Fans of hardcore know Dan O'Mahony as the vocalist of No For An Answer, Carry Nation, 411 and, more recently, Done Dying. But if you're a fan of wrestling, you may have heard of another Dan O'Mahony.

The late grandfather of hardcore's O'Mahony was none other than Danno O'Mahony, a former NWA (National Wrestling Alliance) wrestler, which was once the biggest governing wrestling body in the world. He was known for his signature move, the Irish Whip, and became the NWA World Heavyweight Champion in 1935. His hometown of Ballydehob in County Cork, Ireland, even has a statue erected to honor his memory. Check out the family resemblance here:

revhq.com/images/misc/404/DannoOmahony.jpg 

[reasontorevelate]

FUN FACT

We've all heard of celebrity sightings at punk and hardcore shows over the years, but it's rare to catch someone in the act, so to speak. But back in December of 1989, photographer KRK Dominguez unknowingly captured one such sighting on film: current multi-talented star Jack Black, as a young and virtually unknown 20-year-old, in the pit during a set by Orange County hardcore band Visual Discrimination at the Country Club in Reseda, CA. The lineup that night was Carry Nation, Visual Discrimination, Insted, and Bad Religion: a show that was recorded live with some of the songs appearing on the "No Control At The Country Club" live 7" on Nemesis Records.

In the photo, Jack Black (off to the left) also happens to be standing next to Randy Johnson from Against The Wall and Pushed Aside (in the Judge t-shirt). In a bizarre twist of fate, Randy currently works with Jack Black's former high school principal. Check out the photo here:

revhq.com/images/misc/404/JackBlackCountryClub.jpg

[reasontorevelate]

FUN FACT

Quicksand fans out there who have diligently scoured the liner notes of their records may have noticed the publishing company name "BOTS" and wondered what it stood for. The acronym actually refers to "Bagels On The Square," a 24-hour bagel joint in NYC's West Village that the band used to frequent. Quicksand's guitarist Tom Capone filled us in on the origin of the name, and then we asked frontman Walter Schreifels about it. This is what he had to say:

"Bagels On The Square was the absolute best bagel in Manhattan in the late '80s/early '90s. They were also very progressive offering different varieties of tofu cream cheese for the vegan crowd, which was very small at that time, BTW. It was Quicksand's favorite spot; whatever disagreements or squabbles we might have during rehearsal or on stage, going to BOTS brought us together so when it came time to come up with a publishing company name, it was the obvious point of agreement. BOTS still exists but I don't know anyone that works there anymore, it's probably changed owners a few times but for a while I knew the whole squad, a couple of them became fans of the band. Now that I'm talking about it, I could go for an everything bagel with soy nut crunch vegan cream cheese and a nap."

www.yelp.com/biz_photos/tompkins-square-bagels-new-york?select=BTCxkTu8xcV9kf0-UoJsIw

[reasontorevelate]

FUN FACT

Not all Revelation Records releases were originally recorded with the intention of being put out by the label -- some of them were originally just demos. Here's a list of all of the ones that we can think of that fit that bill, in order of release:

Revelation's first release, Warzone's "Lower East Side Crew" 7", was actually a compilation of songs culled from two separate demos.

No For An Answer's "You Laugh" EP was the band's demo sans their cover of "Last Warning" by Agnostic Front, which was left off the 7".

Chain Of Strength's "True Till Death" 7" was originally a demo, which when played for Ray Cappo in guitarist Ryan Hoffman's car at Chain's first-ever live show at the Yester Years Club in Pomona, CA, got the band singed to Revelation. Legend has it that the band then asked when they should go and record for their new release, and Cappo said something along the lines of "Don't re-record this, this is perfect," and the rest is history.

Inside Out's "No Spiritual Surrender" EP actually included the songs from their demo with an incredible remix and different track sequence.

Texas Is The Reason's first self-titled 7" was originally a demo that the band sent around, finding its home as REV47.

Burn's "Last Great Sea" was a demo recording that was sent around to labels in 1992 but didn't see the light of day as an actual release until Rev put it out 10 years later as a 7".

Did we miss any?

[reasontorevelate]

FUN FACT
We've mentioned hardcore/punk musicians like Josh Freese from the Vandals playing for bigger rock bands such as Guns N Roses and Devo, and Todd Youth from Warzone playing for Glen Campbell and Cheap Trick. But they're not the only punk luminaries who have made names for themselves in the mainstream music world.

Chuck Treece was a member of Bad Brains, McRad, and Underdog, but his musical talents later carried him far outside out of the punk scene. Here's a short list of some of the other artists that he's added to his credits: Billy Joel, The Roots, Pearl Jam, Moistboyz, Sting, Amy Grant, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Gym Class Heroes, G. Love And Special Sauce, Schooly D, Tyga, and dozens more.

[reasontorevelate]

FUN FACT
Despite being from different coasts and having different agendas, Suicidal Tendencies and Youth of Today were on a similar trajectory, converging in the late '80s.

Both bands were breaking up and reforming in '86-'87, with Suicidal Tendencies retooling their lineup for their second LP and Youth of Today reforming after a short break with new members in tow. Both bands subsequently signed to the same label, Caroline Records, releasing their "comeback" records about a year apart. Suicidal Tendencies' "Join the Army" LP came out in 1987, with the first lyric of the opening track announcing that "He's Back!" (referring to the "Suicidal Maniac"). Then in 1988, Youth of Today's debut Caroline LP, "We're Not In This Alone," had a similar proclamation on the first song, with frontman Ray Cappo declaring "We're Back!" (referring to the band's reformation).

On a side note, "Join the Army" was produced by Les Claypool, whose band Primus would also join the fold at Caroline Records with 1990's "Frizzle Fry."

[reasontorevelate]

FUN FACT

As with artists from all genres, punk and hardcore bands are heavily influenced by their forefathers and cover songs are a regular occurrence as a tribute to the favorites. For good reason, the DC scene had a lot of fans of Wire's "Pink Flag" LP. The 1977 debut full-length from the UK punk/post-punk godfathers garnered cover versions not once, not twice, not even three times, but at least four times by bands from the '80s DC scene.

The obvious place to start is with Minor Threat's version of Wire's "12XU" that graced the "Flex Your Head" compilation LP in 1982, a cover song that clearly shows the parallels between the sound of the UK band and the bands of the DC punk scene. A couple of years later, Second Wind, which featured ex-members of Minor Threat and DC's Youth Brigade, covered another Wire song, "Mr. Suit," on their sole 12" EP, "Security," released in 1984. Then 1987 brought two covers of Wire's "Ex-Lion Tamer": one on Soul Side's "Less Deep Inside Keeps" LP, released on Sammich Records, and another on DC hardcore export Henry Rollins' solo EP, "Drive By Shooting," which he released under the name "Henrietta Collins and the Wifebeating Childhaters." Lastly, Dag Nasty came back with a raging version of "12XU" on the 12" single "Trouble Is" in 1988.

[colintappe]

Jul 30, 2016 17:19:29 GMT reasontorevelate said:

FUN FACTOn a side note, "Join the Army" was produced by Les Claypool, whose band Primus would also join the fold at Caroline Records with 1990's "Frizzle Fry."

Fun fact: that's a different les claypool. Get it together, igby...
www.discogs.com/artist/267773-Lester-Claypool

[reasontorevelate]

Well spotted!
Too much hassle to check all this stuff, so I naively assume it all to be truth.

[reasontorevelate]

FUN FACT
The late Shirley Temple was a child star whose filmography dates back to the early 1930s, with a career that included acting, singing and dancing. She may be best remembered for the song "On The Good Ship Lollipop" from the 1934 film Bright Eyes, but her musical talent was also passed down to the next generation, and, surprisingly, to the late-'80s punk scene.
   Shirley Temple's daughter, born Lori Black, was involved in the punk scene in Northern California and played bass in the obscure but seminal crossover/thrash band Clown Alley, releasing an LP in 1986 on Alchemy Records, a label that also released records by RKL, Neurosis and Poison Idea, just to name a few. Black later replaced original Melvins bass player Matt Lukin, who left the band in 1987 to form Mudhoney, and subsequently recorded on several Melvins releases such as "Ozma," "Bullhead," and "Eggnog."

[reasontorevelate]

FUN FACT
In the 2016 reboot of the Ghostbusters franchise, the crew responds to a call at a concert hall. As they walk through the lobby, you can see T-shirts for both Revelation Records and The Rival Mob for sale at one of the merch booths. Then, later, you can see band logos for Nails and The Rival Mob, along with a few others, on the fest banner hanging to the side of the stage. Check them out here:
revhq.com/images/misc/404/Ghostbusters2016.jpg

[reasontorevelate]

FUN FACT
We recently came across a cover version of The Standells' "Sometimes Good Guys Don't Wear White" by the late-'70s punk band The Cramps - a song popularized in hardcore circles by Minor Threat who famously covered it on their swan-song single "Salad Days." Knowing that members of Minor Threat were fans, we wondered if The Cramps' version is what inspired them to cover the song. We asked vocalist Ian MacKaye for the story and this is what he had to say:

"The Cramps had an enormous impact on me. They headlined the first punk show I went to and I never looked back after that. I remember that they did a cover of 'Good Guys,' but I can't say that this led us to do the song. I remember listening to the original version by The Standells to get the lyrics and I suspect that was the version that inspired us to do the song. Strange that I can't really remember how that song got into our heads."

On a side note, if you look closely at the cover of the above mentioned Minor Threat single which has their version of "Good Guys" on it, you can see guitarist Brian Baker wearing a Cramps sweatshirt coincidently. If not, here's an image of it, along with an outtake from the same photo session, showing the sweatshirt more clearly:
revhq.com/images/misc/404/MinorThreatCramps.jpg 

[reasontorevelate]

FUN FACT
Last week we told you about the appearance of some early-80s DC hardcore flyers in an episode of the FX show The Americans. But there's another hardcore connection to the show that we didn't know about until now, this one behind the scenes.

Parris Mayhew, original guitar player for the groundbreaking NY hardcore band Cro-Mags, is now a camera operator for TV and movies, and actually worked on the aforementioned episode of The Americans (along with many more). He's also been behind the camera on other shows such as Kings and Orange Is the New Black, and films such as Factory Girl, Sorority Row, A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints (which has some punk connections we've mentioned in the past), and, most recently, the upcoming family comedy, A Dog's Purpose. Mayhew delved into directing as well, his most notable credit probably being Onyx's "Slam" music video from 1993, the longest running #1 video on MTV ever.

On a side note, while researching this, we discovered an interesting tidbit about Parris' father, the late country music legend Aubrey Mayhew. The senior Mayhew produced records for several artists including Johnny Paycheck, and was also known as a JFK aficionado, having published a book about the subject in 1966 (The World's Tribute To John F. Kennedy In Medallic Art) and even going so far as to actually purchase the Texas School Book Depository at auction in 1970.

[reasontorevelate]

FUN FACT:
If you're a fan of the Bad Brains, you're most likely familiar with the song "Attitude" from their eponymous 1982 album (aka "the ROIR cassette"). The lyrics state that they "got that P.M.A.," referring to a positive mental attitude, but where did they get that concept?

Bad Brains vocalist H.R. revealed in more than one interview that his father turned him onto a book by American author Napoleon Hill entitled "Think And Grow Rich" from 1937. The concept of having a positive mental attitude came from the author (who later even co-wrote a book titled "Success Through A Positive Mental Attitude"), and made its way into the mind of H.R. and multiple lyrics of the Bad Brains. References can be heard in the aforementioned track "Attitude" and also in "Supertouch/Shitfit," influencing generations of fans to come. Subsequent bands in the hardcore scene carried on this theme, a good example being the track "PMA" by Unity of Orange County CA, with lyrics exclaiming "think positive, live positive, act positive -- positive mental attitude!"

[reasontorevelate]

FUN FACT
Canadian punk legends SNFU are known for their energetic live shows, animated frontman Chi Pig, and consistent releases of melodic punk rock over the course of eight full-lengths and 30 years. If you're a fan of the band, you may have noticed a very particular similarity between their kind-of long, quirky album titles.

Starting with "...And No One Else Wanted To Play" in 1985, all of the band's full-length releases have had album titles with exactly seven words in them. Recently, when asked why they did that, Chi Pig simply said they starting doing it because no other band had ever done it before. For even more fun, count them all for a total of 56 words:

...And No One Else Wanted to Play (1985)
If You Swear, You'll Catch No Fish (1986)
Better Than a Stick in the Eye (1988)
Something Green and Leafy This Way Comes (1993)
The One Voted Most Likely to Succeed (1995)
FYULABA (1996) ("Fuck You Up Like A Bad Accident")
In the Meantime and In Between Time (2004)
Never Trouble Trouble Until Trouble Troubles You (2013)

[Raven X Army]

Jan 9, 2017 20:28:37 GMT reasontorevelate said:

If You Swear, You'll Catch No Fish (1986)

8 words

[reasontorevelate]

FUN FACT

Last week we told you about some hardcore/punk records from bands that were recorded by one sole individual. This week, we're upping the ante and have compiled a list of band recordings done by two people.

Knife Fight - Their "Isolated" EP on Painkiller was recorded entirely by vocalist Jon Westbrook along with drummer Nick T.

A Chorus Of Disapproval - Sans one track, their entire LP, "Truth Gives Wings To Strength," was recorded solely with guitarist Jeff Banks performing the drum, bass and guitar tracks with Isaac Golub doing the vocals.
Mayday - Their first 7", "The Underdark," featured a drum machine, and Craig and Lance before they had a full-fledged lineup and did a split with Integrity.
Egg Hunt - Former Minor Threat members Jeff Nelson's and Ian MacKaye's project recording from the summer of 1986 while on a trip to the UK, released as a two-song single, with Jeff Nelson on drums and Ian laying down vocal, bass and guitar tracks.
Discrepancy - Current OC hardcore band's demo was recorded by vocalist Nick and drummer Justin Raya.
Mind Eraser - Their first demo was recorded entirely by members DFJ and Chris Corry.
Voicebox - Project featuring Dan O'Mahoney from NFAA on vocals along with McRad/Underdog member Chuck Treece doing all the music.
God Forget - Another Dan O'Mahoney affair, this time with Dan's 411 bandmate Kevin Murphy doing all of the music.
Damnation A.D. - Tidal Records' Damnation A.D. 7" had everything recorded by member Ken Olden with vocal duties by Mike McTernan.
and
Judge - the famed "New York Crew" EP , with vocals and drums recorded by Mike Judge, and bass and guitar duties being covered by Porcell.

[reasontorevelate]

FUN FACT

Quite a few albums have been recorded over the years that never saw the light of day, either due to bands breaking up, labels folding, or other reasons. Here are a few that were scrapped and later re-recorded, some in their entirety.

Youth Brigade's original 1982 version of their "Sound & Fury" LP was taken out of print shortly after being released as the band wasn't happy with the final product. They subsequently re-recorded the album with a drastically different track list, released in 1983 under the same name.
Fugazi's "In On The Killtaker," LP, as released in 1993, was actually the second version of the recording that the band did. Original sessions for the record were done with producer Steve Albini at Chicago Recording Company studios, but were ultimately scrapped as the band was unhappy with their performances. Fugazi ended up re-recording it with longtime Dischord Records cohorts Don Zientara and Ted Niceley at Inner Ear Studios.
7 Seconds recorded an album entitled "United We Stand," intended to be released on Alternative Tentacles in 1983. For one reason or another, it was shelved. A good number of the tracks on this were subsequently re-recorded and released on "The Crew" a year later, becoming the bands first full-length. A couple of the songs from the original recording came out later as the "Blasts From The Past" EP in 1985, and later the session was released in its entirety as the "Old School" LP in 1995.
Judge's "Bringin' It Down" LP - originally recorded at Chung King House Of Metal in NYC, the band, unhappy with the production of the recording, scrapped the session and re-recorded it almost in its entirety at Normandy Sound, but not before 110 copies of the orignal version were pressed.