SOUNDCHECK
Does Texas Is The Reason have an identity crista?
The band is comprised of former members of hard-
core heavyweights Shelter, 108, Resurrection and
Fountainhead, yet their first full-length, Do You
Know Who You Are?, is not quite for the mosh
inclined. That said, the songs are driving and
aggressive, but have a Sunny Day Real Estate
element. Mature? Perhaps, conndering Jawbox's J
Robbins worked the knobs. Favorite tracks are
"Johnny on the Spor" and "Jack with One Eye" as
well as the band's first 7", which is also on
Revelation... Sense Field doesn't disappoint with
the follow-up to their near-classte. 1994 release,
Killed For Less. Although Building doesn't have
favorites like "Sage" to fall back on, it definitely
stands on its own. Not for the tough guy, beat down
crowd necessarily, Jonathan Bunch's vocals are
still tenso and strained. And songs like "Overstand"
and "Shallow Grave" have the patented Sense Field
1-just-want-to-boogie feeling to them-JE...
Stanford Prison Experiment are one of those rare
bands that have brains AND brawn. Their shows
pummel the audience, but they're never self-indul
gent or gratuitous, and their songs are packed with
beefy riffs and lyrics that are pissed off without
being plasy. Song titles like "You're the Vulgarian"
(name that movie reference). "Hardcore Idiot," and
"(Very) Put Out," will let you know they're up to
something different. The Goto Hunch, SPE's sec-
and and most recent album, was produced by
Fugazi producer Ted Nicely, apparently the perfect
choice for groups who aren't afraid to do a little
thinking-DBM Originally situated in Vancouver,
BC, in 1993, Pluto has since taken off to orbit the
universe, leaving behind a blazing trail of indie
releases that includes a 7" and their first full-
length. Cool Way To Feel. Momentarily returning
to touch base with Virgin Records to release the Curt
And Paste EP and a self-titled full-length major
label debut, they are illuminating the earth once
again, this time armed with graff-edged pop-rock
melodies. "We just thought there was a big void as
far as there being music that you can drive to or
drink to," says vocalist/guitarist fan Jones, "so we
made it." While the album was recorded in
Berkeley, CA, with the production assistance of
Buzzcocks Neill King, the mixing took place during
a Philadelphian blizzard by The Butcher Brothers.
"We've always loved Urge Overkill, so we sent
them a tape and said we wanted them to mix our
album, and they [responded] right away. We're like
Strung Out
the 5th band they've ever worked on together"..
Suburban Teenage Wasteland Blues, a Fat Wreck
Chords release by Ventura County pankers Strung
Out, comprises postical phaseology backed by a
vigorous hardcore crunch. With beautifully written
lyrics that consists of political messages and emo-
tional personal anguish, all 13 songs explode with
The Reverend Horton Heat
fast, furious, power-laden heaviness Hellbent
rockabilly rawness à la pounding drums, heavy gui-
tar riffing, and melodic stand-up bass aptitude is
the majority make-up of It's Martini Time by rockers
The Reverend Horton Heat. While the record's
driving vocals assist in packing a powerful punch, it
doesn't compare to what can be expected live... A
superb international hip hop collaboration bas
graced us via Helatively Recordings. Set off by the
polished scratching abilities and tight production
skills of Japan's DJ Honda, his self-titled release
retains consistent flavor, Lyrical syntax intensifies
the mix with freestyle flows from the likes of
Redman, Common, Sadat X. Grand Puba. Bis
Markle. The Beatouts, and Tha Alkaholiks, as
well as the fluid dexterity of GURU and DJ Premiere
on "What You Expected"... Late-breaking news...
Sense Field just signed to Warner Bros... Les
Claypool and the Holy Mackerel is not a remnant
of a broken-up Primus. While ex-drummer Tim
Alexander and the rest of the members of Primus
did part ways due to reported creative differences,
causing the David Lefkowitz/Figurehead manage-
ment offices to be inundated with calls from aapit-
ing musicians, the group will remain intact with ex-
Limbomaniacs/current Les Claypool and the Holy
Mackerel drummer Brain nilling the seat. JT Tha
Bigga Figga and the Fillmore Posse allegedly
rashed Was during his set at San Francisco's DNA
Lounge with malicious intent to injure-JKH
Pennywise bassist Jason Thirsk died by his
own hand in late July. He was found shot in the
chest on the back patio of his Hermosa Beach, CA,
home. He did not leave a note. Thirsk was one of
the founding members of Pennywise and wrote
many of their best-loved songs. He had been
asked to leave the group earlier this year because
of a reported drinking problem. Recently, he had
been playing and recording with former
Descendents and Doggy Style members in
Humble Gods. Thirsk's death is especially sad-
dening and shocking because of the life-affirming
quality of his lyrics. Looking back on many of his
words, though, it seems his sense of mortality was
perhaps more acute than anyone realized,
though the positive message he conveyed seems
to ring even truer now: "Your life is not the only
one that you affect/don't you realize that a part of
all of us will die inside when you, yourself, are
dead." Jason Thirsk 1968-1998-MW
It's fun. Our shows are a place where you can ge and be yourself and look the
way you want to. Now it's gotten so fashionable, and we're not about that.
We're about the spirit. This is what's within our hearts. I went from being a
hardcore kid to my college was being a roadie for Sick Of It All, and I gradu-
ated, and now I'm doing my band. This is my life. Everything has inspired me
from the West Coast to the East Coast, from Youth Brigade to
Embrace to Agnostic Front, and we're putting it all together,
and it's something positive. Do you want to talk about what
prompted you to become straight-edge? I'm 26 years old
H2O
A rootsy New York hardcore band in the tradition of 80s East Coast punk
has made its way back to the Bay Area for the second time. With only one
full-length record (Self-titled) accredited to them, H20's set at Berkeley,
CA's Berkeley Square incited a crowd response that is usually reserved
for bands that have been together much longer than a few years... Why
don't you tell me what sort of things you were into before
H20? Vocalist, Toby Morse: I was born in Massachusetts,
moved to Rhode Island, grew up with all the guys in Verbal
Assault and saw all of my first shows there. Then we
moved to Maryland, and we started going to
shows in DC, me and my brother [guitarist,
Todd Morsel, seeing like, Embrace and Soul Side
and Scream, and my brother had a band there.
When I was eighteen, I moved to New York City,
and I lived with Timmy Chunks from Token
Entry, and I ended up living with Civ from
Gorilla Biscuits, living with all the Sick Of It All
guys, and then I became a roadie for them. My
brother was still in Maryland, and then he
moved up to New York to try to make it with his
band, and I was a roadie for 5 or 6 years. Then.
when we did our first tour, we were having
problems with our drummer, and my brother was
having problems with his bass player, so when we came back, my brother
joined the band with his drummer. It's the best decision I've ever made
having my brother in the band. I met Adam Blake, and he told me he joined
the band five weeks ago. How has that been going? It's been awesome. We
were having problems with our hass player, so we gave Adam a call, because
on this tour we did with him previously, he pretty much rolled in the van
with us the whole time, and we totally clicked. He's a great kid. When we
called him, he had just quit Shelter, so it worked out perfectly. Can you sum-
marize the band's philosophy? We're all about the spirit of '88. There are 80
many different scenes now, and we're about bringing people together where
now, and I've never tried a cigarette or a joint or a
beer, ever. Are you a vegetarian, too? Yeah, I've
been a vegetarian since 1988, and I've been vegan
for exactly one year. What's the cover art on your
record all about? Our friend John Reed came up
with it. The number 3 is the band lucky number. It's
the 3rd band everybody's been in except for me, me
and my brother are 3 years apart, and we did the
album in 3 days. We just got one of our bills from
our booking agent, and it was 8333. How about the
name H207 When I was a roadie for Sick Of It All, if
there was no opening act, I'd go up there and do
this screaming song, and kids started yelling for it
at shows. "H₂Or They took me on the road because
I was a friend, not because of my technical skills, and so at one of their last
shows, with Rancid at the Whiskey, I did "My Love is Real," and everybody
really liked it. Pete and those guys wrote the music for "Five Year Plan," and
I wrote the lyrics on the plane ride in Japan with them, and when we got
back, I got my ass in gear and did it for real. Do you skateboard at all? There
was a time in my life where I was heavily into skating vert, and on tour 1
bring a skateboard, usually, and streetskate. I do tricks from the 80s like
bonelesses and handplants, and I do grinds and stuff like that. When I skate,
I totally miss being a full-time skater like I was when I was younger. I think
it's a great lifestyle. I support it 100%-JKH
DBH: Darren Brady-Harris, JE Joseph Epstein, JKH: Jasmine K Huynh, MW: Morgan Walker
A Mind is a
terrible thing...
Grade
Name: Phall McRance
School: Really high school
Kindy Garter
Teacher MCP Enis
the Urge
RECEIVING The
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PUSHERMAN LOOKED
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