LIFETIME
Bands break up all the time-it has
almost become a fact of life. But
when New Jersey's Lifetime called it
quits, the hardcore/punk scene lost
something special. The saving
grace? Their new record, Jersey's
Best Dancers, picks up where the
highly acclaimed Hello Bastards left
off. Guitarist Dan Yemin speaks out
about life after Lifetime:
So, what happened?
I don't want to talk too much about
that because I'm still working through it,
but we made a commitment to do the
band full-time and had been on the road
since last June. Then we got to a point
where we were pretty split on whether to
be out on the road full-time or spending
more time at home, and it wasn't a dis-
agreement we could reconcile.
What are the rest of the guys doing?
Ari Katz, the singer, is going to be
doing a band that will be more old
school punk and hardcore. I don't
know what the other guys have
planned right now.
This comes just as you are releasing
Jersey's Best Dancers. What are your
thoughts on the record?
I'm excited. We had a bit more time,
which has an upside and a downside. On
the upside, you can be a perfectionist.
The downside is that you can be a per-
fectionist. I am also a firm believer in the
value of spontaneity in hardcore, and the
risk is that the record is too polished,
which is fine for like Phil Collins or the
Breeders, but isn't fine for our kind of
music. But, we've overcome that.
While Background is slower and
more melodic, Jersey's Best Dancers
and Hello Bastards are go-go-go.
That seems counter to what the rest
of the hardcore scene is doing,
which is to slow everything down.
The early stuff was very deliberate-
ly emotional, not hard. It was all very
deliberately responsive to the New
York scene, which was very macho.
and violent when we were starting out.
But we knew that sort of stuff was
foolish posturing.
Does the breakup put a negative
light over the record for you?
I'm still excited it's coming out, but
the postmortem press thing is getting a
little depressing. It's more like if it
was time for things to end, then it was
time for things to end-relationships
can't last forever. However, I have the
feeling like I will never really know
how far it could have gone.
So, what's next?
I have a new project. It'll be more
influenced by the era before these huge
distinctions between what was consid-
ered hardcore and what was consid-
ered punk. That means more early Bad
Brains, Minor Threat, 7 Seconds. It'll
be more anthem-like and catchy. I've
written about 20 songs since I got.
home from the last Lifetime tour and
have been playing more than ever.
Now we're just looking for a second
guitarist and a vocalist. -Joseph Epstein
The Humpers Plastique Valentine (Epitaph) is some raw-dog,
in-your-face, aggressive guitar shit. As for their live set, how-
feet. Believe it or not, The Humpers are an actual punk band in the
late '90s that gets the crowd slamdancing. Remember that? Seen
opening up for them as of late is a new band by the name of
Nashville
Pussy, who's
guitarist/vocalist
is ex 9 Pound
Hammer
member,
Blaine
Cartwright-a
southern pow-
erhouse if there
ever was one.
He looks like
Lemmy, only
shorter and
ode to Thelonious Monk and a tight new version of "Harlem River Drive."
Occasional male and female vocals accent the always bouncy tracks like goya,
friends over for some soda and pie; Hijacked is a party all its own... KRS-One
delivers I Got Next (Jive Records), his 10th album in 11 years, and you better
believe the shit is bangin'. Not to mention the CD is enhanced, which means
you can throw it in the computer and do all sorts of craziness.
THE HUMPERS Aside from the joints you've already heard on the radio, you also
need to peep "Blowe" featuring Redman, "The Real Hip-Hop,
Part II" featuring Mic Vandalz, "Can't Stop, Won't Stop" pro-
duced by DJ Muggs, and "Just To Prove A Point" where my
man Kris takes it back to '89 and drops lyrics over heavy metal
riffs. KRS-One is like the Ozzy Osbourne of hip-hop-he just
keeps crankin' out album after album. The only difference is, Kris
hasn't fallen off. The beats are still cutting-edge, his rhymes are as
enlightening and powerful as always, and his philosophy remains
accessible for the headstrong. KRS-One, like fine wine, only gets
better with age-CN... Baboon is a leading light among the second
generation of bands spawned by the likes of '70s pop noise giants
Pere Ubu and Throbbing Gristle-a little bit Devo, a little bit
bald on top, and way more aggro. The bassplayer is a fine female | Dinosaur Jr, a little bit early solo Brian Eno. They're from Texas, like fellow
that stands about 6' 3", spits cigarettes and beer into the crowd,
and breathes fire. The other guitar player is a foxy female with big
hair and skimpy outfits, who rocks the socks offa Lita Ford, Joan
Jett, and 7 Year Bitch, and not afraid to throw out a kick or a
mean rock star pose. The drummer thumps, but keeps his place
at the back of the action. Playing music that's faster than
Motörhead and even Dead Boys in its heavy, guitars-up-front
sound, Nashville Pussy is one to definitely look out for-WL... From
the very first bite, Jimmy's Chicken Shack's Pushing The Salmanilla
Envelope (A&M Records) is so finger lickin' good, you won't be able
to put it down. Filled with songs about growing up, conforming.
AIDS, and school, it's funky but not funk, metallic but not metal,
hard but not hardcore, and punky but not punk. This potent mix of
explosive sound fused with humorously insightful lyrics can only be
described as "mutt rock"... Creepy Crawl Live (Another Planet
Records) features NY's finest doing more mosh pit masterpieces
than any other compilation I've heard, delivering a barebones, back-
to-basics hardcore performed at the speed of light! The raw mix-
ture of straight-edge, death
metal, and positive youth move-
ment music will make your ears
bleed. A little incestuous at
times, but that's what a hardcore
scene is all about, right?: feeding
musical psychos The Butthole Surfers (is it something in the water?). The
revenge-of-the-nerds approach works for Baboon because, as on their latest,
Secret Robot Control, through the din of guitar-sound experimentation, kitchen
utensil banging and trombone playing, they almost never lose sight of the
song. The fact that the drums sound like a little toy monkey is actually appro-
priate for the first time in recording history. So is the fact that they're on Wind-
Up Records... Those four monkeys from Millencolin must be exhausted from
all the globetrotting they've done since we last caught up with them. But we
don't feel too sorry, 'cause they get to rest in Sweden. By the sound of their
new record, For Monkeys (Burning Heart/Epitaph), they still have energy to
spare. The band has been dreaming about Mexican food and smooth US curbs
ever since they were last in the States, and they'll soon be gnoshing enchiladas
and shredding K-Mart parking lots again as they tour with an unnamed, quasi-
skate-punk rock festival to an arena near you-MW... The Greyboy Allstars
are back again to deliver the shit we've been waitin' on. Keeping in time with
that distinctive Allstars boogaloo vibe, A Town Called Next (Greyboy Records)
manages to incorporate all their varied jazz interpretations. From the funky licks
of "Turnip's Big Move," through the 15-min straight up jazz jam of "A Town
Staccat08
MURPHY'S LAW
on itself; "live" shows. This inbred conglomeration is chock full of
hardcore-standard anthems complete with "crowd-chanting" cho-
ruses. Standout tracks are "Care Bear" and "Panty Raid" by
Murphy's Law, fronted by world-
renowned Jimmy Drescher, the
court jester of Gotham City; and
"Don't Forget The Struggle, Don't
Forget The Streets" by Warzone.
This music came from the anti-
rock star, non-slick production
guitar, to the real heart & soul
lyrics that challenge your brain and
question your integrity.
Reproductions of old show flyers
on the insert sleeve, and cover
logo done by legendary
punker/artist "Mad" Mark Rude
put the icing on this sonic treat. If
you like the Cro-Mags, Agnostic
Front or Quicksand, you'll
delightfully worship this...
Shootyz Groove combines rap
Called Next," to the rockin'
"Sportscaster," The GBAs prove
they still got it... This one's strict-
ly for the jazzheads out there.
who are lookin' for something to
add to your already impressive
collections. Totally Re-Wired 12 (Acid Jazz/Hollywood Records) flows along that
acid jazz vibe of vocals, hip-hop, dance, reggae and electronics delivered to you
by various artists. Ones to peep especially are Parlour Talk's "Price You Paid,"
Emperors New Clothes' "Dark Light"
and Huge Baby's "Spastic Sister"-in that
order... Buck-O-Nine's Twenty-Eight
Teeth (TVT Records) is the 3rd successful
outlet for the San Diego, CA, boys to
express their love for the ska, punk and
reggae they grew up on. While the whole
disc is pretty much one, fun, fast-paced
whirlwind, I can't help but press repeat á
couple times every time I finish hearing
"Round Kid" and "Jennifer's Cold"... While
I can appreciate country music and have
even found myself attending such concerts
as Wynona Judd's, I couldn't really feel
this new Supersucker's Must've Been High
(Sub Pop). I mean, the music is tight, don't
get me wrong, but wicked rock and anoth-
er Smoke Of Hell is what I crave from these
cowboys-JKH... Everybody wants the
rhymes to a hip-hoppy funk played live by the members-no sam- | spotlight; B-Real followed Muggs' lead and made a semi-solo self-titled with his
pling found here. The two best tracks off their Hipnosis road-dogs, Jacken and Duke. The Psycho Realm (Ruffhouse/Columbia) is a thor-
(Roadrunner Records) release are "Nothing For You" and
"8,000,000 Times." There are tons of ways to deliver the message
through your music and words: you can scream it, sing it, hum it or
rap it, and SG does a very competent job of getting their groove
delivered-JS... The Time Has Come (Mercury Records) marks notch
#13 on the long belt of socio-political spoken word legends, The
Last Poets. Born under a revolutionary star in the late '60s, these
prophets of better days and proper thinking, who've endured 3
generations of national misdirection, have returned once again to
guide young soul brothers and sisters to their roots. The Time... is
not rap, nor is it R&B or anything else you've come across. What it
is, though, is food for your mind and soul. The Poets speak, rap, and
scream messages of love, hate, war, revolution and conspiracy to
tribal drums and slow, jazzy horn loops. With guest sax player
Pharaoh Sanders, drummer Aiyb Dieng, Public Enemy #1
Chuck D and old school hip-hopper DXT, The Poets create a dish
that doesn't just leave your head noddin', it also leaves your brain
throbbin'... I was sent this Marden Hill Hijacked (Stepping Stone)
record and was like, "Who? Marden Hill?" Then, deciding to not be
prejudgemental, I threw it on just as I was getting into the shower.
The next thing I knew, I was dancing around my crib half-naked like
I was Tom Cruise in Risky Business. Marden Hill is juicy, jazzy acidic
music for anyone who loves to get down and swing their rump. 14.
tracks deep. Hijacked runs threw loops like Toucan Sam with an
oughly Soul Assassin-sounding set of songs. It comes complete with dark
imagery, numerous references to mental instability and criminal activity, and is
stuffed with sing-a-long hooks. How does that cliché go?: If you liked Cypress
Hill, you're gonna love The Psycho Realm... In the ragga realm, Born
Jamericans' new platter, Yardcore (Delicious Vinyl) is hittin' as a summer
soundtrack. Digestible dancehall over hip-hop/R&B-type beats, it's like some
cool shit for you and your love to build sandcastles to... The Bronx births MCs
like a Queen Bee, and the latest pick of the litter is Shamus, who offers 5
Uptown-flavored songs with his Serving Life EP, each featuring at least one
guest and plenty of punchlines. With lines like, "...remains raw like the knees
on a skateboarder," we know they're keeping it real for real... Keeping it real-
ly over-hyped, the new Wu-Tang joint, Wu-Tang Forever (Loud Records)
recently dropped, and here are my first impressions: "Damn, I guess cash still
does rule everything around them; the price of this double-CD will have your
pockets on Jenny Craig, and the enclosed Wu-Wear catalog disguised as liner
notes will try to make them anorexic." "Hearing the familiar voices is like see-
ing an old friend again, though." "They're on some positive shit now. I guess
they got their daughters' open ears to think about, but this song 'A Better
Tomorrow' is mad corny, I'll take John Woo's version, thank you." "Their
illest rhymer has always been GZA, he still gets biza." "Ol' Dirty cold gets
dumb too, the song is called 'Dog Shit,' what more do you need to say?"
"There's definitely some Wu-bangers, but there's just too many damn songs on
this shit, a lot of it is just mediocre filler that's gonna put a blister on my fast-
forward finger. I think the album title refers to the playing time"-T54
T54-True 54 JKH-Jasmine K Huynh WL-Wez Lundry CN-Chris Nieratko JS-Jon Stain MW-Morgan Walker
MEFIRST
Alle First gimme GIMME GIMMES
Me
and the
gimmes have
turing:
Jackson
(No Use For A Name)
Spike
(Pittsburgh)
Fat Mike Joey and Dave
FAT (NOFA) (Lagwagon)
a
ball
plus
BOWLING TIPS FROM
THE GUTTER PUNKS
out
NOW
SPECIALISED
CD/LP/Cass
also available:
PEEPSHOW (vhs/pal)
Fat's first video
compilation
WRECK CHORDS FAT WRECK CHORDS P.O. BOX 193690 San Francisco, CA 94119
42
lifetime jersey's best dancers
Lifetime
"JERSEY'S BEST DANCERS"
LP/CD JT1034
JADE
TREE
30
Joan of arc
"A PORTABLE MODEL OF"
LP/CD JT1033
SweetBELLY
FreakDOWN
LP/CD JT1032
GHe promise ring
"THE HORSE LATITUDES"
CD EP JT1031
2310 KENNWYNN RD. WILMINGTON, DE 19810 VISIT OUR HOME PAGE AT: http://www.jadetree.com
E-MAIL US AT: jadetree@jadetree.com SEND A STAMP FOR A FREE CATALOG DISTRIBUTED BY MORDAM
MAILORDER PRICES:
LP: $7 USA/ $9 SURFACE/ $11 AIR CD: $10 USA/ $11 SURFACE/ $13 AIR CD EP: $8 USA/ $9 SURFACE/ $11 AIR
90 THRASHER