KICKING OFF 2024 WITH THESE JAN/FEB SHOWS.
THE EVER-PROLIFIC SEATTLE-BASED VIDEOGRAPHER VANGUARDIST MEDIA HAS RECENTLY UPLOADED MEM//BRANE'S SET AT LUCKY LIQUOR (TUKWILA, WA) FROM EARLY OCTOBER. OTHER BANDS ON THE BILL WERE RITUAL KILLING (BELLINGHAM), TEARS OF JOY (TACOMA), AND TINO VALPA (NEW HAMPSHIRE).
SETLIST:
UNSHEATHER UNSHEATHED GRANDMA'S HOUSE ONCE AGAIN LAST SATURDAY. SOME AMIDST THE THRONG CONVULSED AND CONTORTED, OTHERS JUST STOOD AND STARED. FOOTAGE CAPTURED BY NATE KHAN. DEMO CASSETTE IS IN THE WORKS.
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GUDON - FUSHUU DEMO CS (1984)
CHROME - 3RD FROM THE SUN (1982)
NOMAD - 自殺 12" (2013)
TRIAGE - POWER BEAT 7" (2016)
PERDITION - 9 TRACK KASSETT (2010)
CANI - GUAI A VOI! 7" (1983)
AXEFEAR - DEMO CS (2022)
TOWER 7 - ENTRANCE TO A LIVING ORGANISM CS (2020)
STATE MANUFACTURED TERROR - DEMO CS (2023)
QUESTION - S/T 7" (2007)
ELLIE IS SUCH A VITAL FORCE TO THE BELLINGHAM PUNK COMMUNITY, FROM FRONTING MEM//BRANE WITH HER FIERCE VOCALS TO PHOTOGRAPHING PERFORMERS WITH HER COMPASSIONATE EYE AT EVERY SHOW SHE ATTENDS. HERE'S THE LINK TO THE GOFUNDME THAT WILL HELP HER PAY FOR HER FEMININE FACIALIZATION SURGERY- PLEASE SUPPORT WITH A DONATION IF YOU CAN! AND COME SEE MEM//BRANE PERFORM TONIGHT AT REPEATING GOSSIP (AT THE BLUE ROOM) IN BELLINGHAM.
PURITAN IS A RECENTLY-FORMED HARDCORE GROUP FROM THE NORTHERN SEATTLE AREA. THIS BAND FEATURES MATT FROM SPURR AND VAST CHAINS ON VOCALS, AND BIRD OF GUILT AND KILLCAM ON DRUMS. STREAMLINED PROJECTILE OF MALIGNANCY WITH ABUNDANT EARLY-80S EAST COAST HC INSPIRATION- SSD, URBAN WASTE, ETC. CLICK BELOW TO LISTEN TO THEIR REHEARSAL DEMO HOT OFF THE PRESS, EDITION OF 5, PURE LO-FI NASTINESS:
CONDOMINIUM IS A LONG-RUNNING HARDCORE PUNK TRIO FROM MINNEAPOLIS. THEIR SOUND IS PEPPERED WITH AWKWARD TEMPOS, RHYTHMIC CHANGES, AND WEIRD CHORDS THAT HAVE MADE THEM A CHALLENGE FOR THE MOSH-MINDED, BUT THAT GENERATE A SATISFYING MAELSTROM OF DISSONANT RAW ENERGY.
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12-02-23 UNSHEATHER + SPURR + TYL + ICEWALL @ GRANDMA'S HOUSE
12-04-23 SPIRAL DEMISE (DEBUT) + CAPILLARY + PURITAN + BAD IMAGE @ GRANDMA'S HOUSE
12-06-23 MEM//BRANE @ REPEATING GOSSIP (BLUE ROOM)
THIS SHIT GETS ME RILED! VERMIN WAS A GREAT BAND FROM GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA, THAT EXISTED BETWEEN 2013 AND 2015. THEY DELIVERED A STREAMLINED MID-TEMPO ATTACK THAT DRAWS HEAVILY FROM U.K. ANARCHO AND PEACE-PUNK TRADITIONS. VERMIN THEY PLAYED MANY SHOWS WITH A TOP-TIER ROSTER OF SCENE CONTEMPORARIES SUCH AS PROCESS, ECTOPLASM, ALLERGY, EXIT DUST, SODA, AND SUCKLE. SOME OF THESE BANDS SPAWNED OUT OF THE REMNANTS OF THE MIGHTY MAUSER THAT ENDED AROUND 2012.
IT SEEMS LIKE VERMIN EVEN MADE IT TO THE WEST COAST, BASED ON THE FOOTAGE OF THEM PLAYING LOS ANGELES AND PORTLAND THAT I FOUND. FOR GREAT DOCUMENTATION OF THE GAINESVILLE PUNK AND EXPERIMENTAL MUSIC SCENE, THE ANDREW CHADWICK ARCHIVE IS A GREAT RESOURCE. HERE'S A YOUTUBE PLAYLIST I MADE FOR THIS BAND:
I REFUSE IT! WAS AN EXPERIMENTAL HARDCORE PUNK BAND FROM FIRENZE (FLORENCE), ITALIA, ACTIVE 1982 TO 1987. SUPPLEMENTAL PERCUSSION, BIZARRE VOCAL AND STUDIO EFFECTS, VARIETY IN TEMPO AND TIME SIGNATURE, OCCASIONAL HARMONICA OR SAXOPHONE BLASTS, AND TAPE MANIPULATION IMBUE THEIR RECORDINGS WITH A QUIRKY CHAOTIC INTENSITY NOT SO REMOVED FROM THE OFF-KILTER STYLINGS OF AMERICAN PUNK BANDS LIKE FLIPPER AND SACCHARINE TRUST. DIG IT!
SFREGIO PERMANENTE (SPLIT LP WITH CCM) (1983)
SOGNI A DOPPIE VIE 7" EP (1984)
M 12" EP (1986)
DEEP RECESS HAS RECENTLY SHAPE-SHIFTED INTO QUARTET FORM WITH ADDITION OF GUITARIST COURTNEY AND PLAYED TWO BELLINGHAM SHOWS - MAKESHIFT ART SPACE ON 11-4 AND THE WATERFRONT SKATEPARK (CHESTNUT OVERPASS) ON 11-10. THIS WEEK WE ARE EXCITED TO RECORD OUR FIRST CASSETTE WITH OUR FRIEND AIDEN BLAU. CHECK OUT SOME VIDEOS BELOW:
FOOTAGE 11-04-23
FOOTAGE 11-10-23
WE HAVE ALSO BEEN BUSY SCREEN-PRINTING TWO ORIGINAL SHIRT DESIGNS WHICH WILL BE AVAILABLE AT UPCOMING SHOWS AND ALSO (POSSIBLY) ONLINE. HERE'S A PREVIEW OF ONE OF THE DESIGNS:
DEEP RECESS IS CURRENTLY KYLE (GTR/VOX/SAMPLES), TYLER (BASS), COURTNEY (GTR), AND DANIEL (DRUMS).
ANYONE WHO'S EVER TALKED TO ME FOR ANY LENGTH OF TIME ABOUT HARDCORE PUNK HAS MOST LIKELY HEARD ME BRING UP HOLOGRAM. PECULIAR EXPERIMENTAL ELEMENTS SEEP INTO THE SEAMS OF THEIR CHURNING AND BRISTLY OFF-KITLER SONIC ATTACK. THE SPECIFICITY OF VISION AND PRECISION OF EXECUTION MAKES IT UNSURPRISING TO FIND THAT THE 'BAND' IS IN FACT THE BRAINCHILD OF A SINGLE PERSON: ONE BRENDAN REICHHARDT, CURRENTLY OF RICHMOND, VA (PREVIOUSLY OF WASHINGTON D.C. AS WELL AS AUSTIN, TX).
THE LIST OF TOP-TIER PUNK AND HARDCORE PROJECTS WITH BRENDAN'S INVOLVEMENT IS NOTHING SHORT OF INCREDIBLE- FROM THE FEROCIOUS AND PSYCHEDELIC NASTINESS OF KOMBAT TO THE VAN VLIET-ESQUE DIVORCE HORSE AND CHOIR CHERRY, FROM THE BREAKNECK FASTPUNK OF CLOSET CHRIST, CRYIN' HAND, SQK FROMME, CICADA, HAUNTED MANSION AND DAUNTING NIGHTMARE, TO THE ABSTRACT ELECTRONIC EXPERIMENT LANGUAGE AND THE NO-WAVE OF THE ORIGINAL DREAM HOME CS. AND THAT IS JUST TO NAME SOME OF THE MORE RECENT PROJECTS ASIDE FROM HOLOGRAM WHICH HAVE POPPED ONTO MY RADAR. MANY OF THESE BANDS AND PROJECTS ARE REPRESENTED IN THE EVER-EXPANDING CATALOG OF BRENDAN'S DREAM HOME LABEL.
I FIRST WITNESSED HOLOGRAM PERFORM AT THE SMELL IN LOS ANGELES ON THEIR FIRST WEST COAST TOUR IN 2019. THAT SET IS DOCUMENTED HERE. THE MOST RECENT TIME I HAVE SEEN THEM WAS AT THE VERA PROJECT IN SEATTLE IN 2022. I HOPE TO CATCH THEM OR ANOTHER BRENDAN BAND LIVE AGAIN IN 2024! EXPLORE BRENDAN'S MUSIC BELOW WITH SOME COMPILATIONS OF FOOTAGE AND DIGITIZED CASSETTES:
HOLOGRAM (2018-)
DAUNTING NIGHTMARE (2022-)
SQK FROMME (2021-)
CHOIR CHERRY (2017-18)
CLOSET CHRIST (2016-17)
KOMBAT (2015-17)
KREMLIN (TORONTO, ON, CAN) IS ONE OF THOSE RARE BANDS THAT TAKES EVERYTHING I FIND GREAT IN HARDCORE PUNK AND FUNNELS IT INTO A SUPREME SYNTHESIS- POWER TRIO, NODS TO D-BEAT, TAPED TO 4-TRACK, BAND ARTWORK DONE BY A 2 OR 3-YEAR-OLD, THE RIFFS!THE RIFFS!THE RIFFS! A NATURAL CHEMISTRY BETWEEN THE BROTHERS BURGESS ON STRINGS AND THE RELENTLESS FURY OF IVAN ROBERTS-DAVIES'S DRUMMING CONSPIRE TO GENERATE A SONIC ONSLAUGHT THAT BALANCES THE RAUCOUS WITH THE PRECISE, GERMINATING SOMETHING ULTIMATELY APPROACHABLE WITHOUT COMPROMISING INTENSITY. EXPLORE THE KREMLIN DISCOGRAPHY BELOW (CLICK THE PICS):
KREMLIN'S SECRET SIBLING, BASSIST HARRY'S SIDE PROJECT HARHAA WAS A DELIGHTFUL RECENT DISCOVERY FOR ME. A COUPLE HOME-TAPED CASSETTES FROM 2012ISH IS ALL WE CAN REASONABLY EVER EXPECT TO SEE FROM THIS PROJECT. LISTEN TO DEMO 2 HERE. I'M CURRENTLY ON THE HUNT FOR THE OTHER TAPE, ENTITLED FUTURE DISORDER.
DRUMMER IVAN HAS BEEN MANY PUNK GROUPS CENTRAL TO THE TORONTO SCENE OVER THE PAST TWO DECADES, AMONG THEM: TERMINAL STATE, SCHOOL JERKS, S.H.I.T., AND FARANG.
SLAG HIVE IS A BELLINGHAM-BASED HARDCORE-DEATH-METAL QUARTET. HERE IS SOME VHS OF THEIR IN-COSTUME PERFORMANCE FROM FRIDAY NIGHT, WHERE THEY OPENED THE COMBINED ALBUM-RELEASE SHOW FOR OTHER LOCAL HEAVY ACTS MELANCHOLIA AND DRYLAND. GUITARIST KYLE WAS DRESSED AS FROZEN JACK TORRANCE IN KUBRICK'S THE SHINING. VOCALIST MATT ALSO DOES VOCALS IN RITUAL KILLING, AND KYLE DOES GUITAR AND VOCALS IN DEEP RECESS.
UP NOW ON MY YT MUSIC VARIETY CHANNEL DORMAIS VU: THE KRAXXA DEMO FROM 2014! KRAXXA WAS A BAND FROM VICTORIA, BC (I ALWAYS FORGET HOW CLOSE IT IS TO BELLINGHAM - 44 MILES AS THE CROW FLIES) ACTIVE FROM 2014-2019(?), THAT HONED THEIR OWN STYLE OF MID-TEMPO NASTINESS. THE CHARMING STRAIGHT-FORWARDNESS AND THOUGHTFUL SONG STRUCTURES PROVIDE AN EFFECTIVE DELIVERY SYSTEM FOR GIVE-NO-FUCKS RIFFAGE AND NIHILISTIC VOCALS SPAT IN CLASSIC ANARCHO FASHION. FAVORITE TRACKS ON HERE ARE 'FORFEIT' AND 'CAGED LIVING'.
THE RAW UNDERBELLY OF MUSIC, ESPECIALLY PUNK/HC, SEEMS TO APPROACH THE INTRICATE INTERMESHEDNESS OF THE RHIZOME AND MYCELIUM, OF THE ARACHNEAN DESIGN, OF THE STAR-BED WITH CONSTELLATIONS IN AN UNENDING PROCESS OF RECONFIGURATION. ON OCCASION IT IS AMUSING AND PERHAPS ENRICHING TO TRACE THREADS THAT REVEAL THEMSELVES FROM THE CREVICES AND SPACES OF NEGLECT WITHIN THIS FINE LATTICEWORK. "THREADS" IS A SERIES FOR THESE TRACINGS.
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THREAD #1
THE PLACE: BAY AREA, CALIFORNIA
THE YEARS: ~2008-2012
THE BANDS: MÖRPHEME, YADOKAI, VACCUUM, METH SORES, EFFLUXUS, ITANSHA, MUTANT CROSS
THE BAND MÖRPHEME HIT THE BAY IN 2008. THEIR DEMO WAS FOLLOWED BY A SPLIT WITH D-CLONE THE FOLLOWING YEAR, AND NUMEROUS BANDS IN THE MÖRPHEME PERIPHERY PURSUED NOISY RAWPUNK THAT ALSO EMBRACED THE VOID-ESQUE CHAOS OF CRUCIFIX. FOR ME THIS IS EPITOMISED IN THE DISCOGRAPHY OF YADOKAI, ESPECIALLY THEIR FILTHY FIRST OFFERING THE STERILE ENVIRONMENT DEMO. OTHER NOTABLE RELEASES IN THIS TERRITORY INCLUDE MUTANT CROSS'S BASED DEATH CRAWLS EP, VACCUUM'S SECOND S/T EP (ALSO CHECK OUT THEIR BIZARRE SPACE-FI DEMO), METH SORES'S DEATH VIGIL CS, AND THE EFFLUXUS LIFE DESTRUKTION EP. MANY OF THE PROJECTS IN THIS VEIN WERE SPAWNED WITH DIRECT OR INDIRECT INVOLVEMENT OF MÖRPHEME GUITARIST DAIKI KUSUHARA, WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE SPECTACULAR RAW ITANSHA-PARANOIA TAPE FROM 2011 (ALSO CHECK OUT HIS MRR REVIEWS), BUT MOVED FROM THE BAY AREA TO SAN DIEGO IN 2012.
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WITH ALL THE DUE FERVOR AROUND PHILLY METAL-PUNK BEHEMOTHS DEVIL MASTER AND ZORN AT THIS MOMENT, NEGLECT NOT THE WICKED OFF-KILTER SONIC STABBINGS OF THEIR NOW-DEFUNCT HARDCORE/DEATHROCK COUNTERPART BLANK SPELL
FYI A NOT-INSUBSTANTIAL CHUNK OF THE BLANK SPELL DISCOGRAPHY IS ON SPOTIFY NOW. ALSO FFO OF DEVIL MASTER/ZORN: CHECK OUT CASSIDY'S PREVIOUS BAND CAPE OF BATS. THE NEW HAUNTER EP IS KILLER AS WELL. HAUNTER IS TOURING WITH ZORN IN CALIFORNIA IN MID-NOVEMBER. CASSIDY ALSO DOES DRUMS/VOX IN THE TWO-PIECE DESTRUCTOS.
NOW MY FISTS WILL SET YOU STRAIGHT
AND REARRANGE YOUR SMILING FACE
THE FIRST OFFERING FROM BELLINGHAM'S RITUAL KILLING IS SEVEN MINUTES OF MERCILESS METALLIC HC PUNISHMENT
MATT - VOX
PEDRO - GUITAR
ADAM - GUITAR
HAYDEN - BASS
DANTE - DRUMS
LISTEN & DOWNLOAD THE DEMO HERE.
WATCH SOME PAST R.K. LIVE SETS:
GRANDMA'S HOUSE 05-05-23
SKYLARK CAFE 08-11-23
LUCKY LIQUOR 10-06-23
10-29-23 MEM//BRANE AS ANTI-CIMEX @ LUCKY LIQUOR (TUKWILA, WA)
10-30-23 MEM//BRANE AS ANTI-CIMEX & UNSHEATHER AS DEVO @ GRANDMA'S HOUSE
11-04-23 DEEP RECESS & MEM//BRANE @ MAKESHIFT ART SPACE
11-10-23 DEEP RECESS & UNSHEATHER @ WATERFRONT SKATE PARK
11-11-23 MEM//BRANE @ PIZZA TWIST (ROOSEVELT WAY NE, SEATTLE, WA)
11-18-23 MEM//BRANE @ THE CAVERN
NEW INSTALLMENT OF MS-TV FEATURING A LIVE SET BY MEM//BRANE AND A DOUBLE MUSIC VIDEO BY SEATTLE THRASH-LORDS VACUUM
LIVE SESH RECORDED AUGUST 13, 2023
[ CLICK THE PIC ]
