Taking it back to the 90's with this complete soundboard recording of the SLIGHT SLAPPERS set in 1997 at Fiesta Grande #5 at 924 Gilman Street. Growing up on the east coast, I never got to see any of the Fiesta Grande shows, so it's a real treat to get to listen to these recordings in full, as I was a big fan of the Fiesta Comes Alive compilation. I did get to see Slight Slappers a couple times when they came out here last, what a fun live band. I don't know if the tape conveys it accurately but I have a joint burning and it is sitting just fine with me. What a great band. Hopefully you dig 'em too, crank this one! - DH
SLIGHT SLAPPERS - January 10th, 1997 @ 924 Gilman St, Berkeley, CA
Time for a bit more VICTIM'S FAMILY, live at the Cotati Cabaret in Cotati, CA on May 24th, 1989. This is a first gen dub. Shayne over at 3.Cameras.And.A.Microphone has the master, and has a video with the audio edited in which you can see HERE. It's badass. Well, here's the inferior audio source. The only reason I'm even posting it at all is because I did some EQ'ing on it for my own archive and figured I'd share it. So here ya go! This is a fantastic set, if you like VF then you'll love this. If I find out the setlist, I'll be sure to edit it into the post. Also, might as make the WAV downloadable for shits and giggles
VICTIM'S FAMILY - May 24th, 1989 @ Cotati Cabaret, Cotati, CA
It's Monday here, so time for another demo, this time from Massachusetts hardcore punks OUTPATIENTS and their 1983 demo, "Basement Tape". It's fast, it's pissed, it's punk as fuck and totally badass. Certainly a band that I never heard of, but I'm happy to have finally been exposed to them as they rip. The first song on the tape, "Fight" is an absolute belter, and it doesn't let up until the tape is over. It's also worth noting that this band has Vis Helland on guitar, who was also in the very extremely super killer band Deep Wound, which I would have to imagine most readers are aware of and into.
Sadly, this tape is just a dub, not an original. Maybe I'll cross paths with it someday but for now this'll do. Has this ever been officially released anywhere? Well, I doubt it's in print even if it was so yeah, just play the recording loud and have a good time like I am right now. Cheers! -DH
MINUTEMEN! Another incredible audience recording of Minutemen live in 1982. I haven't heard of other bands on this bill, so it's not some huge legendary gig like they would often play. Just another headlining almost home town but not quite show. And they kill it just as hard as any of those bigger shows. Thinking about it, I don't know if I've heard a "bad" Minutemen show, at least not in terms of their performance. I never saw them live, but it would seem they brought their A game every damn time. So if anyone shares their insight or memories of this show, that would be great. In the meantime, enjoy the killer set! - DH
MINUTEMEN - November 19th, 1982 @ Anti-Club, Hollywood, CA
It's Thursday, the day I now use to post recordings specifically from lesser known bands. This one is a local band from the city I grew up in, Rochester, New York. The band is called PIGMASTER. They are a weirdo metal band, a genre mashing anomaly that I would compare to Mr Bungle, though they sound nothing like Mr Bungle at all. But they do jump from genre to genre, often times within the same song, while also incorporating bits they "borrow" from other older songs by far more popular bands. They were a very fun live band. And I needed that in 1995. When I grew up and was a teenager, art was far more important to me than music, so while I grew up on metal, my dad listened to all the classic bands like Motorhead, Priest, Maiden, Sabbath, etc and all the neighborhood kids liked the "newer" bands like Megadeth and Slayer and anything on Headbanger's Ball on MTV, it wa smore background music that wasn't at the forefront of my attention. I liked it because it helped give me some inspiration for drawing monsters, demons, zombies, etc. When I did finally discover pot and music and made that my obsession, I was more of an alt-rock, grunge kid. By the early 90's though my tastes were leaning towards heavy music and death metal was very much on the constant rotation. In 1995 I was expanding into DIY grindcore and hardcore. So basically, it was so much angry and serious music, all day every day. Pigmaster came along and there shows were heavy, but also weird and silly and just plain fun, the kind of fun I wasn't used to seeing or hearing. So I really took to them, heck, I'm not kidding when I say I needed them. It helped that 1995 was also another peak year of taking acid, I was on a LOT of acid. Acid and Pigmaster went very well together. They didn't last long, playing their first show in early 1995 and then playing their last sometime in early 1997. They self released a demo and a CD, appeared on a local compilation with their final recording, the brilliant song "Carl Sagan". Luckily I was really, REALLY into them, so I'd record them whenever I could, or bother anyone else that happened to record them until they gave me a copy. This was one of those recordings. I believe this was from a video Spoth shot, and he had a decent camera that could sometimes capture decent enough audio, and he would dub those down to tape for me. Thanks Spoth!
Also, as an added bonus, Erik Burke from Lethargy, and I think Ozzy from Pigmaster had this band with one song called PHILLIP'S HEAD and this was the one time they performed it, just before the Pigmaster set. I have no idea who else was in the band. So yeah, here's PHILLIP'S HEAD and PIGMASTER. If you like weird silly music, that's still heavy, check it out. - DH
PHILLIP'S HEAD & PIGMASTER - November 4th, 1995 @ Vertex, Rochester, NY
Have you ever heard of THE GUILT PARADE from Canada? If yes, then you will dig this post I suppose, an upload of their first demo, 1986's "Animals That Talk Like Men". If you are like me however, then you hadn't heard of these folks. But now I have, and so have you. It's fun 80's punk rock. Upbeat and snotty, as it should be I guess. There's some really decent songs like "Religion In American Life", and "Ode To An Asshole". I'm not sure if they had any sort of impact beyond their local scene, but I certainly ain't mad listening to this, if they were local to me and I wasn't 11 years old at the time and had any interest ion punk rock shows, I wouldn't mind having them as a band to see. Anyhoo, enjoy this wether it's new to you or not. - DH
THE GUILT PARADE - "Animals That Talk Like Men" 1986 Demo
Not sure why this BLACK FLAG live set from The On Broadway isn't on Youtube, so I'm correcting that today. Not sure what the deal is with this, I'm surprised it doesn't have an official release. I see bootlegs on discogs and ebay though. Here's to jamming it for free!
So this is a mighty, mighty set. Perhaps my favorite Black Flag set, the one that if I had a time machine but could only pick one Black Flag show, would be the one. Chuck Biscuits is on drums and that dude is just such a great drummer, he kills these songs. Rollins is intense, and everybody seems to play great, though I guess the guitar amp does choose to be uncooperative for a moment there. It's just a friendly reminder that this is indeed live music, and so there will be chaos and catastrophe hand in hand with all the sweat and anger. Sounds like this was recorded by one of the local stations so the sound is badass, though I did come in with a quick and hot EQ job to boost the thing up a bit more, now it's even badassier. Be a cool person and play this loud, ideally with your preferred strain of marijuana and some coffee. That's what I'm doing! - DH
BLACK FLAG - July 23rd, 1982 @ The On Broadway, San Francisco, CA
LARM! Here's a rippin' soundboard recording of the band playing in Venlo, in 1985. No idea who else was on the show, or even what venue it was. Regardless, it's badass. Gonna keep this post short because I have no idea what to write about it. I imagine ya'll already know who LARM is, and if for some reason you don't, google that shit mfr! - DH
I've always loved a good compilation, I am always gonna pick one up when I see 'em, though I feel like I don't really see them often anymore, and if I do, it's just a digital comp. Boooo. So today I have a treat, this is the MEXICOPILACION compilation released on cassette in 1988 fromNo Estamos Conformes Tapes. I think it's the only thing they ever released, but that's ok. I wasn't familiar with any of the bands so it was all new to me. Lots of very lo-fi raw as fuuuuk punk. If this sounds like something you'd dig, go for it! Get some! - DH
DEAD KENNEDYS in 1979! What a treat! The DK's played four sets in two nights at the Hong Kong Cafe on August 16th and 17th, 1979, opening for VS. Someone had the smart idea to record at least one of the sets, no idea if they got the others. But this exists and I'm down for it. I shouldn't have to say anything more about this, because it's the DK's in 1979 and also because I'm baked and trying to listen to this again myself. - DH
4/23/23 EDIT: I was sent an incomplete version of this set, plus a complete recording of the 2nd set, and the date on it was August 17th, so mystery solved! Thanks to Vince for sorting that out!
DEAD KENNEDYS - August 17th, 1979 @ Hong Kong Cafe, Los Amgeles, CA
Today's offering is from SUBVERT, a punk band from the Pacific Northwest. I know nothing about them, though I feel like I've seen their name on fliers and seen them get mentioned favorably on the ol social medias. Here's a noisy raw audience recording of them opening for Neurosis and Final Conflict at 924 Gilman St in January of 1988. Glad someone recorded this, as I hadn't come across any other Subvert live recordings yet. It's an audience recording too, which is a nice change from Gilman soundboards I often post, which have mixes that clearly were not made for the tapes and can be a challenging listen. Though this recording does have moment early one when it's interrupted by a young Steve Von Till yelling into the recorder. It's a bit funny that this is before Steve was in Neurosis too, just him chillin at a Subvert / Neurosis show as a fan. Anyhoo, hope ya dig this as much as I do! - DH
SUBVERT - January 2nd, 1988 @ 924 Gilman St, Berkeley, CA
STIKKY! Here's yet another recording of this hilarious band. I'm not sure but I assume this was at Sproul Plaza, it sounds outdoors. The tape just says UCB, which I take to mean UC Berkeley. They open with a Raw Power cover and then just keep ripping for another half hour or so. A lot of these tapes came from Chris Dodge, so expect more Stikky shows and rehearsals to be posted over time, hopefully you dig it as much as I do! - DH
STIKKY - April 11th, 1987 @ UC Berkeley, Berkeley, CA
So today's offering is a live set from NAKED RAYGUN, from the Anti-Club in Hollywood, CA in 1984. Just in case you missed that in the title above. Gonna be honest here, I am pretty unfamiliar with this band, so I ain't got much to write about this. I think I've heard a few songs once, it didn't click for whatever reason, and life went on. This is a post for the folks that do dig them though, hopefully those folks find this post and enjoy it. Hopefully they are stoned and playing this loud! - DH
NAKED RAYGUN - September 28th, 1984 @ Anti-Club, Hollywood, CA
ANTIDOTE! A classic staple of early NYHC, from a time period when their local peers would have been bands like Cause For Alarm, Reagan Youth, Urban Waste, and many others. What a time to have been in that scene and seeing these shows! So glad someone recorded this, as they only released a single 7" and some demos (ain't gonna bother counting the metal releases from when they reformed in the late 80's). There's just not much out there, though a few sets have wound up on some re-releases and the Grand Theft Audio CD.
So this show was recorded in Washington DC by someone out in the audience. It's noisy and heavy and punk as fuck. I don't know anything else about it, what venue, who played, or anything. Not even the setlist. If I do get anything I'll be sure to edit it into this post. For now, just play loud! DH
A belter of an audience recording from the mighty CAPITOL PUNISHMENT from Fresno, California. I don't know anything about this show, no idea who else played or anything, but I'm glad the recording exists. Yet another band I was too young and too far away to ever witness live myself, so I'll have to live vicariously through these rough, noisy recordings. The power of Capitol Punishment still cuts through, so if you like them, perhaps you'll be down with this upload too. Enjoy! - DH
CAPITOL PUNISHMENT - August 30th, 1986 @ VIS Club, San Francisco, CA
Today's offering is the HERESY demo recorded on January 12th, 1985. This appears on the Heresy 85-87 compilation, but despite that I thought it still had worth as an upload to hear the recording on it's own, as it would have appeared on tapes from the tape trading days of the '80's, which is the time period this tape itself was dubbed. So yeah, jam the Heresy, and get that LP or CD! - DH
SS DECONTROL! or SSD! I'm not exactly certain if this is the right date or venue, I think the J card had the next day written on it. But there's no known show the next day, so odds are this is the one. I thought maybe it was the March 27th show at The Channel, but it's clearly not as they have to stop and restart their cover of Walking In The Sand at this show, and also they promote the 27th show at the very end of this one. If anyone knows for certain, I'll edit in the info, or maybe just make a whole new post. It does kinda bug me that Springa talks about being back in Boston, and I can't imagine someone from the area calling it that. It would be like me being onstage at a show in Oakland and referring to it as Berkeley or San Jose. No. Nononono. Lol, so maybe this is all wrong and I'll have to do a big edit. Until then, just enjoy the SSD! - DH
SS DECONTROL - March 4th, 1983 @ VFW Hall, Boston, MA
Here's a live tape from BAD BRAINS that I haven't seen yet, live at The Ritz in New York City on July 13th, 1987. It stars off with a shoutout to Circle Jerks and Living Colour, so I assume they were on the bill, which would have made this awesome show just that much more incredible. Certainly envious of all those in attendance, though thankfully someone had the mind to record at least the BB set. It's an ok sounding audience tape, I didn't do any EQ'ing, it's just a straight rip. Perhaps someday I'll give it another go and spend some time EQ'ing it to see if I can improve the sound. As it is though, it's Bad Brains, I'll take any and all Bad Brains, especially sets I haven't heard before. Hope ya dig it! - DH
BAD BRAINS - July 13th, 1987 @ The Ritz, New York City, NY
Kicking this month off with a rare soundboard recording of classic VERBAL ABUSE, live in New York City in December of 1984. The tape just said The Ritz 12/84, so I am guessing it was the New York City venue, as they were having bigger punk shows at the time, and VA was out there on tour in December of 1984. Not all the dates are known, there's big gaps with nothing over on the VA page on Metallipromo.com, but they totally did a few shows in NYC, that much can be seen. Wouldn't be un reasonable to assume they also got on a bigger show happening around then. If anyone knows for sure, comment below! Or I'll edit in any info if someone fells me in elsewhere.
So yeah, classic Verbal Abuse with Nicki on vocals. I haven't encountered any early VA yet, so it's a treat. Hopefully ya dig it. - DH
VERBAL ABUSE - December 1984 @ The Ritz, New York City, NY
Here's a badass audience recording of a set from Michigan grinders REPULSION! It's a set full of their classics from Horrified, plus a cover of Bob Dylan's "Knockin' On Heaven's Door", though this is more like a cover of Guns N Roses' version of the song. They also warm up with a variety of GnR licks before breaking into the cover at the beginning of their set, so yeah. The GnR version wasn't officially released at this point but they were doing it live at that point, and had been part of a set broadcast by MTV if my memory serves me right. Anyhoo, we ain't here to talk about GnR, this is a Repulsion set! So, no exact date is known for this show as far as I know. No idea who else played or if a flyer still exists. There is a video though, that's probably where this tape was sourced from. Just in case it's not the same, or if this is a lower gen tape, I'm posting it up for ya'll. I did do a little EQ work on this for a minute to help boost some of the low end and the guitars a bit, so it sounds a bit better than it did on this tape. Enjoy! - DH
VICTIM'S FAMILY! I don't have a lot of VF to post, but I have some, and this is one of those. I've listened to this a few times and have been excited to share it. Today feels like a good day to share the VF so here ya go. I don't know anything about this show, but it's a decent audience recording, a nice change from the Gilman soundboards that had super uneven mixes. I didn't do any EQ'ing of this show either, it's just a straight rip from the tape. Shows like this make me wish I grew up in the bay and was perhaps a few years older. I liked listening to bands like them, or NoMeansNo. At least I've seen Victim's Family a couple times since living out here, better late than never! Anyhoo, enjoy the tape! Shayne over at 3 Cameras And A Microphone probably has a better copy he'll upload eventually, but until then, this is it. Cheers! - DH
VICTIM'S FAMILY - February 28th, 1988 @ 924 Gilman St, Berkeley, CA
MINDROT! I enjoy the early years of this band, as well as their later output. This tape sits right about in the middle. It's a demo for material that would wind up on their Relapse LP, "Dawning", but this is obviously far more raw, and also is from an earlier lineup in the band, as Mauz is still playing guitar with them. At least, I assume that since the tape originated with him, which he sent to Chris Dodge before winding up in my possession nearly 3 decades later. Now, I'm not super familiar with their Relapse stuff, I own it, and have listened to it numerous times over the years, just not enough to pick up on how this tape compares to the record. Were there any substantial changes to thee songs? Did some get cut or replaced? I have no idea, but if anyone has any insight, let me know. Perhaps I'll hear from Dan Kaufman about this and can edit any info back in this post. For now, play loud and get sad. - DH
MINDROT - Live in the Studio Demo #4, February 2nd, 1993
Here's a gem for you powerviolence and hardcore enthusiasts! CAPITALIST CASUALTIES live at 924 Gilman St, in 1990! This predates them going to SoCal and meeting up with bands like MITB and Crossed Out, before powerviolence was a scene or even a word. Now, I don't know much about the show specifically, none of the other bands are on here. And looking through the Gilman show guide, I see no mention of them playing a show in January 1990. Perhaps they were added to a show after a flyer was made, perhaps it's a mistake from the taper, who knows. I'm just gonna go by what's on the tape for now. Regardless, it's an imperfect audience recording of a very early CC show, it is what it is. I think it's god damned awesome, hopefully you do as well. RIP Shawn and Spider Mike. - DH
CAPITALIST CASUALTIES - January 1990, @ 924 Gilman St, Berkeley, CA
I get why people like well produced music, I like it to, especially the older I get, I appreciate the time and effort that goes into making a recording that packs the right punch, that captures the skill of the musicians and their subtle signatures in their playing, that has just that right balance of studio wizardry and live playing, and that sounds good on any system you play it on. But dammit, I also just love that raw hurricane that is grindcore, that hyper mess of riffs and blastbeats, the unintelligible lyrics, and the rawer the better. When I got into grindcore in the mid 90's, I loved those old basement shows, and demos from bands that seemed to be playing in their own basements around a single cheap microphone. And while I get older and my tastes evolve, I still have room for hearing that feedback drenched tsunami played as loud as possible.
So this old live recording of EXTREME NOISE TERROR really hits the spot. I don't know anything about the specific show at the time I'm posting this, perhaps someone will share a memory or any knowledge they have about it. But it's short, it's fast, and it's pissed. If that sounds good to you, then here ya go! - DH
EXTREME NOISE TERROR - August 12th, 1986 Nacton, UK
MINUTEMEN were a powerhouse, a punk band that needs no introduction. With their song compositions, their talent, their lyrics, they are a band I feel smarter when I listen to them. I love pounding, visceral hardcore that just hits that primal anger and energy, but Minutemen were the kind of band that just lights some other part of me on fire, while still being punk as fuck too. This is yet another band that I wish I was old enough and more in touch to have seen live, and I'm envious of those that did get to see them over the course of their run. I am also grateful to be able to spend a little time with them via these tapes, and thanks to those who spent their time and energy recording them and preserving this stuff.
So in regards to this specific show, I have no info on it other than what's on the flyer, an outdoor show with Red Cross and some others I haven't heard of before. It's an audience tape, and sounds fairly decent. This is a straight rip, I didn't do any EQ'ing, just some volume adjustment. I don't know the setlist, but if someone posts it I'll be sure to edit into this post. Cheers! - DH
MINUTEMEN - May 22nd, 1982 @ Wilson Park, Torrance, CA
CAVITY is a Florida sludge band that I imagine anyone my age would remember, they were super prolific with releasing albums and 7"s. It has been a great long while since I've listened to anything by them, so I really looked forward to re-acquainting myself with their songs. Burned a joint, got my coffee, and got comfortable. And it did not disappoint. I never did get to see them live however, sure wish I grew up where I live now, as I would have been at this show for sure. Thankfully Chris Dodge had it recorded through the soundboard and it actually sounds pretty damn sick. So perhaps you should also be firing up that coffee or weed or both and cranking this one up. - DH
CAVITY - January 10th, 1997 @ 924 Gilman St, Berkeley, CA
Time for another demo, and this time it is one from CONFRONTATION, a punk band that came from Huntington Beach, CA in the late 80's, and lasted until the early 90's. This band features members that went on to several more great SoCal bands like Dystopia, Mindrot, Phobia, and more. Fast, raw, pissed off, crusty punk, just like nature intended. Enjoy the look back in time, seems like it was a killer period to have bands or to be going to shows, SoCal has been home to so much incredible music, this included. - DH
GODSPEED YOU! BLACK EMPEROR is a band I rarely I have time to slow down enough to fully listen to, though when I have those rare times I really appreciate it. I've been sitting on this again waiting for a day when I have time to sit and relisten to it fully, but as a parent to an active young child, I might as well be waiting for a unicorn to drop out of the sky armed with a bag of rare tapes and a giant bag of weed. So it's going up as I get my kid ready for a full day of activities starting with kickboxing in an hour. I'll listen to them as I get ready and pretend it's actually going to be a calm, quiet day.
About this tape, it came from a lot I bought off ebay, which was mainly old hardcore and punk live tapes and demos, and then a handful of North Carolina recordings, many labeled with a "master" sticker. This one wasn't, so maybe it's not a master, or maybe the taper just forgot or didn't have the sticker. Or maybe it's just a low gen copy. Either way, it's GY!BE and it's from 1999 and it sounds pretty decent for an audience recording. Thanks to whoever taped this. Setlist is taken from setlist.fm so apologies if it's incorrect. Now on to that kickboxing! - DH
GODSPEED YOU! BLACK EMPEROR - October 3rd, 1999 @ Cat's Cradle, Carrboro, NC
Here's some Japanese punk for ya via OUTO. I'm not super familiar with them, beyond that "I Like Cola" song, though I did download their discography years ago and would throw it on every once in a while. I liked what I heard but it didn't ever grab me like some other bands from Japan did. But hey, music is like that. It can be fun to hear but not everything can be your favorite and occupy space in your head . I still appreciate a chance to hear them live through this tape, hopefully you do as well! - DH
Here's some demos from MINOR THREAT. These ain't the same ones that wound up on the 7", so I have no clue what the source for these could be. Perhaps it's a rehearsal recording? I imagine the first few songs are, after "Guilty Of Being White" it seems like a different session, perhaps that one is in a studio? I'll edit in any info I can find, and a tracklist, for now just play it loud and enjoy. - DH
Another banger of a set from DEAD KENNEDYS, live in Berkeley, CA in 1981! Not gonna waste time writing much about this, as anyone clicking on this knows it's gonna be rad as hell. A killer recording too, broadcast over the radio, though I'm not sure which station aired it. Bless their hearts for doing it though, and for the person who recorded it as well. - DH
DEAD KENENDYS - June 28th, 1981 @ The Keystone, Berkeley, CA
Here's a set from SIDE BY SIDE, a shortlived New York hardcore band. They only released a single EP and was on a comp or two, and never toured as far as I know. Personally, they don't really stand out that much, but if you want more of that late 80's NYHC, then this will scratch that itch for sure. They may not have been the most original band, but they also weren't bad at all. Nopw, I don't think I EQ'd this one at all, and it's got so much high end, that I kinda wish I had. This will probably wind up in a pile to re-transfer and EQ at some point in a few years. But it'll do for now. - DH
SIDE BY SIDE - July 30th, 1987 @ WNYU, New York City, NY
