Loading summary
Transcript1 lines
- [00:00]
A
Hey, it's Alan and I just wanted to let you know that you can now listen to the ongoing history of new music, early and ad free on Amazon Music included with Prime. This program is sponsored by BetterHelp. We've all got that go to person who we can talk to when life gets stressful and weird, which is good, but what about when that doesn't work? As good as they might be, they're not trained and may not have all the answers. When that happens, you need someone who knows more and is qualified to deal with your issues on a professional level. This is why BetterHelp exists. Quality counselors who meet localized standards for vetting and care delivery. These are experienced and qualified people. After filling out a short questionnaire, you'll be matched with a therapist that fits your needs and typically that match is perfect. But if you feel the need for someone else, no problem. Switch therapists at any time for no cost. You can even pause your sessions when you need to. BetterHelp is super flexible and is Hitrust certified and complies with GDPR standards, which means they meet some of the highest global standards for data Privacy. With over 5 million people supported to date globally, BetterHelp is now available in Canada with a network of counselors who have expertise in a wide range of specialties and with a 4.9 out of 5 rating based on over 1.7 million client reviews, Better BetterHelp makes counseling affordable and convenient. And like I said, you can switch counselors at any time for no cost. Here's the deal. Listeners to this podcast get 10% off their first month@betterhelp.com ongoing that's betterhelp.com ongoing this episode is brought to you by State Farm. Checking off the boxes on your to do list is a great feeling. And when it comes to checking off coverage, a State Farm agent can help you choose an option that's right for you. Whether you prefer talking in person, person on the phone, or using the award winning app, it's nice knowing you have help finding coverage that best fits your needs. Like a good neighbor, State Farm Is There One of the things that makes rock great is the energy and the power that comes with the music. And depending where you go, that energy and power varies. If you're looking to exercise a little aggression and anger and frustration, you have several choices. There are various flavors of metal that can serve your purpose, ranging from the melodic think Metallica's Enter Sandman, for example, along with Sabbath and Ozzy, to the straight from hell insanity of Black and Death Metal industrial music is another option. Guitars, synthesizers and driving beats from acts like Nine Inch Nails and Marilyn Manson and Ministry. A third option is punk rock. It comes in many, many flavors, so there's almost something for everyone and. But if you really want pure adrenaline, something super aggressive, something super physical, something primal and something that can be dangerous and violent, there's one particular part of the punk world that you'll find very attractive. It's a space where things can't be too hard, too fast, or too angry. And for many people it's become a lifestyle and even a life saver. It isn't for everyone, but as we'll see, its influence has extended far, far beyond just a bunch of guys yelling over loud guitars. Misunderstood, maybe. Important, definitely. This is the history of hardcore. This is the ongoing history of new music. Podcast with Alan Cross. I was in my room and I was just like staring at the wall, thinking about everything, setting out, thinking about nothing. And then my mom came in and I didn't even know she. She called my name and I didn't hear it and she started screaming, mike, Mike. Out of Venice, California. That's suicidal tendencies with institutionalized from their 1983 self titled debut album. It's a great example of California hardcore and the beginnings of thrash metal and bits of skate punk. Hello again, I'm Alan Cross and, well, I'll just say it, I'm going to warn you, this program is filled with the hardest and fastest and angriest punk rock ever made. There is a lot of adrenaline and testosterone flowing here, so, you know, beware. It's not music for the faint of hearts, but it is part of a much larger community of music that's been influential in many different ways throughout the decades, including being an essential catalyst for the rise of indie record labels. In a world dominated by majors, hardcore deserves its own history. Let's begin with a definition of what we're dealing with. Hardcore punk, or just hardcore if you prefer, is a subgenre, obviously of punk rock. Its creators loved the faster and heavier end of the original punk rock bands, but they also had. Well, they had some grievances that they needed to express. Hippies in their culture disgusted them. Broken homes and ruined families destroyed them. Capitalist exploitation, yuppies, consumerism, corrupt politicians. They also aren't crazy about high and mighty rock stars or the posers of new wave with their skinny ties and eyeliner. The weasels of the established recorded music industry. And sometimes the people behind hardcore just wanted to get wasted. The punk rock styles, the Sex Pistols, the Ramones and the Clash were an influence, but so was the heavy metal of the era. The aim was to play harder, faster and louder than everyone else. Technique and virtuosity only if it helped you play harder, faster and louder. Melody, eh? Wimpy shouting and screaming was more important. Hardcore first took root on the east and west coasts of North America in the late 1970s, specifically in Vancouver, San Francisco, Southern California, Washington D.C. boston and New York City. The UK also had its own hardcore scenes and from there it spread to Italy and Japan. Maybe the best way to break things down is regionally. These scenes all emerged practically simultaneously and were linked together by bands who toured non stop using a network of hardcore friendly venues and fans. Let's begin in Los Angeles and the areas south of the city. The original punk rock scene was gone by about 1979 and in its place was a new type of punk that was stripped down even further. Guitars, bass, drums, vocalists, that's it. The traditional verse, chorus, verse, song structure wasn't necessary. In fact, if everything could be said in 32 seconds or less, so be it. The first hardcore record from the American west coast seems to be by a band from Santa Ana called the Middle Class that appeared in January 1979. It was a four track EP that was over in four minutes and 55 seconds. Yeah, four songs done in less than five minutes. This is the title track and it's called out of Vogue. That's the kind of stuff that would never be considered by commercial radio or any kind of major record label. So the middle class formed their own indie label called Joke Records. We'll come back to that strategy again and again, like right now. Released at almost exactly the same time, and I mean within days of each other, was Black Flag's Nervous Breakdown. It was marginally longer, four songs over five minutes and 13 seconds. So you know. And the band also had to form its own record label to get it out. Greg Ginn, the founder of the band, which had come together in 1977 under the name Panic, had a side hustle selling ham radio electronics through the mail. He called his company Solid State Tuners. When the group couldn't get anyone to put out the record, Greg and bass player Chuck Dukowski formed sst, which is short for Solid State Tuners. And let me just play you side one of this, the title track of Black Flag's Nervous Breakdown EP released in January 1979. We'll come back to Black Flag a little later. Within months they were joined by a long, long list of other groups closely related to Flag were the Circle Jerks, a band from LA formed by Keith Morris, a former singer for Black Flag. Over the years the Circle Jerks have been name checked as influences by Dave Grohl, Flea of the Chili Peppers and the Offspring. So yeah, pretty important. The first Circle Jerks album was called Group Sex. 14 songs that were done in 15 minutes and 25 seconds. Not a lot of fat here. The opening track runs all of 23 seconds. Innocent until I'm proven guilty Deny everything Deny everything I'm being framed it's all a setup Deny everything tonight Everything Also from the period was the one and only album from the Germs. They were led by the self destructive Darby Crash and featured Pat Smear on guitar. And yes, that is the same Pat Smear who would later tour with Nirvana and is now part of the Foo Fighters. And at one point they had an all female rhythm section, a real rarity for the time. The Germs first single recorded on a two track Sony reel to reel recorder in Pat's garage was forming. This is considered to be an early hardcore classic. The original record was made in 1977 and when the vinyl came out it was accompanied by this warning. This record causes ear cancer. Unfortunately, the Germs didn't last too long. Crash took his own life by ODing on heroin in a suicide pact with a friend on December 7, 1980, the day before John Lennon was shot. Oh, and his friend survived. Another essential early hardcore band was Bad Religion. They came together in 1980 when a bunch of high school students inspired by the likes of Black Flag, the Circle Jerks and the Germs decided that they wanted a piece of the action. When no one would release their debut ep, they formed their own indie label and they called it Epitaph. The record featured six songs that were over in 9 minutes and 41 seconds. And it all began with a song called Bad Religion. Bad religion from their 1980 debut EP issued on their own Epitaph Records. Now Epitaph, of course, would later become one of the most important indie labels in the entire world. They were the ones who took a chance on a band called the Offspring. And I think we all know how that story turned out. California was the center of hardcore culture with so many bands in LA and Orange county and the suburbs to the north. The Minutemen, the Descendants, Agent Orange, the Adolescence, Social Distortion, Red Cross. Talk to Eddie Vedder or Dave Grohl and they'll tell you how some of these bands were really, really important to their musical education. Now let's go up the coast of San Francisco. Although the place had a hippie history, or maybe because of it, the Bay Area became a magnet for hardcore punk bands. And no other band was more important than the Dead Kennedys. Their roots go back to about 1979, and they ended up being the most political of all the early hardcore bands. Their name gave them problems, you know, sort of super tasteless. So they often had to perform under pseudonyms. And like so many other bands that we've talked about, they had to form their own indie label to get their music out. DK's guitarist East Bay Ray formed Alternative Tentacles in 1979, and it eventually became the home of a ton of other hardcore and punk bands over the years. But its main client was the Dead Kennedys. Their first single was this from June 1979. It's called California Uber Alles. California, California, California. The Dead Kennedys, featuring singer Jello Biafra, who would later run for mayor of San Francisco. He finished fourth, and also to become a very powerful public speaker who continues to rail against censorship. Okay, that's a quick overview of hardcore in Southern California. Now let's move up the coast to Vancouver. That's next. This program is sponsored by BetterHelp. We've all got that. Go to person who we can talk to when life gets stressful and weird, which is good, but what about when that doesn't work? As good as they might be, they're not trained and may not have all the answers. When that happens, you need someone who knows more and is qualified to deal with your issues on a professional level. This is why BetterHelp exists. Quality counselors who meet localized standards for vetting and care delivery. These are experienced and qualified people. After filling out a short questionnaire, you'll be matched with a therapist that fits your needs. And typically that match is perfect. But if you feel the need for someone else, no problem. Switch therapists at any time for no cost. You can even pause your sessions when you need to. BetterHelp is super flexible and is Hitrust certified and complies with GDPR standards, which means they meet some of the highest global standards for data Privacy. With over 5 million people supported to date globally, BetterHelp is now available in Canada with a network of counselors who have expertise in a wide range of specialties. And with a 4.9 out of 5 rating based on over 1.7 million client reviews, BetterHelp makes counseling affordable and convenient. And like I said, you can switch counselors at any time for no cost. Here's the deal Listeners to this podcast get 10% off their first month@betterhelp.com ongoing that's betterhelp.com ongoing Labor Day savings are happening right now at the Home Depot. So what are you working on? Prep for fall with our wide selection of cordless power tools that make it easy to clear your lawn starting at $79. And once the leaves are clear, keep your yard looking fresh with colorful mums that bloom all season long. Shop Labor Day Savings now through September 3rd only at the Home Depot. See select stores for details. Eczema isn't always obvious, but it's real. And so is the relief from EBGLIS. After an initial dosing phase, about 4 in 10 people taking EVGLIS achieved itch relief and clear or almost clear skin at 16 weeks. And most of those people maintain skin that's still more clear at one year with monthly dosing. EBGLIS Liberacizumab LBKZ A250 the 50 milligram per 2 milliliter injection is a prescription medicine used to treat adults and children 12 years of age and older who weigh at least 88 pounds or 40 kilograms with moderate to severe eczema, also called atopic dermatitis that is not well controlled with prescription therapies used on the skin or topicals, or who cannot use topical therapies. Ebglis can be used with or without topical corticosteroids. Don't use if you're allergic to ebglis. Allergic reactions can occur that can be severe eye problems can occur. Tell your doctor if you have new or worsening eye problems. You should not receive a live vaccine when treated with Epglis. Before starting Epglis, tell your doctor if you have a parasitic infection searching for real relief? Ask your doctor about epglis and visit epgliss.lily.com or call 1-800-lilyrx or 1-800-545-5979. This is the history of hardcore punk with a concentration on the early years and the genre's founding fathers. Okay, time for a little geography lesson. If you're in a band on the west coast, it is much easier and much more affordable to tour north south than it is East West. You can blame the Rocky Mountains. It takes time to cross the range and there aren't that many places to play between the western and eastern slopes. So that means for a certain level of band you inhabit a semi distinct ecosystem. You're not cut off from the rest of the continent, but it does affect how you Tour. This is how hardcore, punk and other genres of rock permeated the west coast. From San Diego in the south to to Vancouver in the north. Vancouver's DOA was very much part of this. And while they did tour through Canada, it was often easier to go up and down the west coast playing the same gigs as their hardcore brethren. Once they got south, they headed east and covered more of the US in the process. And this is really important. DOA compiled something called the list. This was a growing list of punk friendly venues and places to stay across North America that was made available and then traded among dozens, maybe hundreds of other like minded bands. This greatly expanded the reach of punk and hardcore throughout the continent. Second, it was DOA that gave this new, harder, faster, louder and more aggressive form of punk its name. On April 22, 1981, the group released their second album. They called it Hardcore 81 and then they toured the hell out of it. The term hardcore caught on and ever since that's been the name for this subgenre of punk. Here's the first song from that album. It's DOA with DOA. DOA with their namesake song from their album Hardcore 81. By the way, DOA also had to form their own indie label to get their music out there and they called it Sudden Death Records. One more bit of geography. The north south flow of punk and hardcore bands meant that these groups played a lot of underserved cities and towns. When it came to tours, they had to play somewhere, so they would play anywhere and that included the Seattle area. At the time, the Pacific Northwest was sort of off the grid when it came to major touring acts. So if you wanted to see live music, it was much easier to catch a punk show than anything else. And that's how it crossbred with Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath and Hart to eventually become Grunch. That would not have happened without the Rocky Mountains being in the way. Time to move east to Washington dc. Like these other cities, it saw a rise in hardcore at almost exactly the same time. The late 70s and early 80s. And one of the most important of all the early hardcore bands was DC's Bad Brains. They started as a jazz fusion group known as Mind Power. But the more they played, the faster and harder the music got. And that's when they changed their name. Inspired by the Ramones song Bad Brain. By the time they released their debut single in 1980, the tempos were blistering. This track is probably the very first east coast hardcore release. It's called hey to Come Bad Brains or the Bad Brains, Take your pick. From 1980. Tremendously influential to punk kids in the D.C. area. And that included a young Dave Grohl who became completely besotted with them. So were the Beastie Boys and the Chili Peppers and no Doubt and even Guns N Roses thought Bad Brains were great. Another thing, every member of Bad Brains was African American. They were all Rastafarians too. And because they were big Bob Marley fans, they also eventually incorporated reggae into their sound, bringing that genre to a whole new generation of kids. Later, funk and soul and even hip hop was introduced again. Hugely important on so many levels. The other major DC band was Minor Threat. They came together because the members loved Bad Brains. After starting out as a group known as Teen Idols, they reformed as minor threat in 1980. Leader Ian MacKay became a punk rock legend. Two reasons. First of all, Minor Threats music found a lot of fans. But just as important was the ethics that he and the band laid down. They had a serious do it yourself ethic, founding a record label called Discord that would eventually release material by other hardcore bands. Second, they had a strict policy of keeping record prices low and affordable. Third, they would only play all ages gigs with cheap ticket prices. Fourth, if you dig back far enough, you'll see that Minor Threat pointed in the direction of what would become Emoji as early as the mid-1980s. And fifth, MacKay was a big part of this Straight edge movement. No alcohol, no drugs of any kind, no promiscuous sex. And the Straight Edge philosophy continues to this day. It's a lifestyle for a lot of people. And that term straight Edge, along with that philosophy, came out of this one song of the same name. From D.C. we head to New York City. That scene, which also included New Jersey, began to grow when Bad Brains moved in and started playing shows at CBGB squats and wherever else they could find. This was a tough scene. Gigs were sometimes referred to as battlegrounds. Behavior was known as thuggery. And if you wanted to make it with the crowd, you had to endure the proving ground. The music was a little different too. Guitars tended to play by muting chords with the whole palm. Some people called this the New York hardcore chug. A lot of people forget that the Beastie Boys began as a hardcore punk group who discovered hip hop later. They were part of that scene. So were groups like Agnostic Front, the CRO Mags and the Misfits. In fact, let's talk about them for a second. The Misfits were from Jersey. The main guy was Glenn Danzig. Who started the band somewhere around 1976. Armed with his own indie record label. There's that story again. Danzig kept the Misfits going for six years, blending hardcore with horror movies and metal. Here is a short list of bands who say that they were influenced by the Misfits. Metallica, the OffSpring, Green Day, Bi Chemical Romance, Guns N Roses, Foo Fighters, AFI. The Misfits may also have one of the greatest logos of all time and must have sold a million T shirts. This is a track from their debut EP from 1980 entitled Beware. It's called Horror Business. From the New York area, we now go up to Boston. Some of these bands were influenced by Ian MacKay's Straight Edge philosophy. They were so intense that the Straight Edge guys would often brawl with anyone they saw drinking or doing drugs at their shows. Those self appointed Moore Police were locally known as the Boston Crew. You didn't want to mess with them. Other groups kind of liked their drugs and alcohol, and that included the very fierce gangrene. There were other American cities that got caught up in hardcore. Detroit, Phoenix, various spots in Texas, North Carolina, Chicago, and maybe most importantly in the Midwest, Minneapolis. Two bands emerged out of the Twin Cities to become major influences through alt rock. The first was the Replacements. They recorded for a label called Twin Tone and were very much a hardcore act. At first their heroes were the Ramones and the Sex Pistols and the New York Dolls. But as things went on, they became more melodic and their songs had more conventional structures. Thanks to their love for the Rolling Stones and the Beatles. And CCR leader Paul Westerberg grew into a very accomplished songwriter. And the longer the band stayed together, the more they became a power pop band. And the Mats, as they were known, became a force on college and alternative radio in the late 1980s. They even became a thing on MTV for a while. This is from their early days and their debut album, Sorry Ma Forgot to Take out the Trash Replacements and I'm in Trouble. I'm in, you're in, I'm in, you're in Double. The other super important Minneapolis hardcore band is one of the most important American indie bands of all time. Husker do they were a Trio formed in 1979. Starting as pure hardcore, they played loud, they played fast and they played hard. But as time went on, they added more to the recipe. More melody, the occasional bit of vocal harmony, more traditional song structures. And this created a bridge between the rawest of the hardcore bands and something a little more accessible. Huskerdu found a lot of love on college radio and after a series of records, some of which were on Black Flag's SST label, they were signed. My God, to a major record label. Warner scooped them up. But when others saw that Huskerdew was able to maintain complete creative control over their music while being on a major label, they started thinking, well, they're bad. But maybe not completely bad. Huskerdew's success on Warner went a long way to convincing bands like REM And Sonic Youth and ultimately Nirvana to make that jump from indie to major. Huskerdew's greatest indie achievement was a 1984 double album called Zen Arcade, a record that went a long way towards creating what would be categorized as alternative rock. This was a concept record that told the story of a young runaway who discovers that the real world is even worse than what he had to deal with at home. From that is this song Pink Turns to Blue in a moment, but we'll look at a few other countries with bands that contributed to the rise of hardcore. This episode is brought to you by ebay. We all have that piece. The one that's so you. You've basically become known for it. And if you don't yet fashionistas, you'll find it on ebay. That Miu Miu red leather bomber, the Cousteau Barcelona cowboy top. Or that Patagonia fleece in the 2017 colorway. All these finds are all on ebay, along with millions of more main character pieces, pieces backed by authenticity guarantee. Ebay is the place for pre loved and vintage fashion eBay things people love. Mint is still $15 a month for premium wireless and if you haven't made the switch yet, here are 15 reasons why you should 1. It's $15 a month. 2. Seriously, it's $15 a month. 3. No big contracts. 4. I use it. 5. My mom uses it. Are you playing me off? That's what's happening, right? Okay, give it a try. @mintmobile.com Switch upfront payment of 45 for 3 month plan $15 per month equivalent required. New customer offer first 3 months only, then full price plan options available, taxes and fees extra. See mintmobile.com in the 70s, four young women were found dead for nearly 50 years. Their cases went cold. I'm Nancy Hickst, a senior crime reporter for Global News. In the season finale of Crime Beat, I share how how investigators uncovered shocking evidence of a serial killer and hear exclusive interviews with the killer's family. Listen to the full season of Crime Beat early and ad free on Amazon Music by asking Alexa to play the podcast Crime Beat. It's amazing the number of places where hardcore punk caught on during the 1980s. And then again, maybe not. Because all these bands toured relentlessly, often playing inexpensive all ages shows in towns and cities with kids who wanted to belong to some kind of musical scene, but had been left behind by the bigger acts. Canada wasn't immunewe've already talked about doa, but they were far from the only important hardcore band from Canada. In Toronto there was bunch of effin goofs who came out of the Kensington Market neighborhood. Montreal gave us the asexuals. SNFU came from Edmonton, but the west coast had the most fertile ground. The Sub Humans and Dayglo Abortions for example. And then there was no Means no, who started in Victoria and later moved to Vancouver. They ended up occupying a space somewhere between hardcore and metal. If you listen carefully to what they did, you can hear elements of what would become known as post hardcore, A sound that would later birth groups like at the Drive In, Rollins Band, Alexis On Fire, Billy Talent, the Deftones and Silverstein. No Means no was around for 11 albums, the most popular of which was called Wrong. It came out on the Dead Kennedys Alternative Tentacles label in the fall of 1989. Excellent record and one that caught the ear of a pre nevermind, Kurt Cobain. He loved this record. This is called Two Lips, Two Lungs and One Tongue. Hardcore also found homes outside of North America. The Italians had their own scene with bands like Raw Power and Wretched. There was Sweden with mob 47, the refused and a few others. Hardcore was a powerful underground force in Eastern Europe before the fall of the Iron Curtain. It even reached Japan as early as 1977. Then we have the UK home of a hardcore derivative called D Beat, which referred to a distinctive sort of drum pattern that went with a lot of the songs. UK hardcore was an amalgamation of British punk, especially the Sex Pistols and the new wave of British heavy metal bands that appeared at the beginning of the 1980s. The biggest influence from that scene was Motorhead. You might have run across band names like GBH and the Exploited. And then there was Discharge, one of the original D Beat bands. Here's the title track for their 1982 debut album, Hear Nothing, See Nothing, say Nothing, Discharge. Hardcore for sure, but also a very big influence on metal bands like Metallica, Anthrax, Slayer and Sepultura. So what's happened with hardcore punk since the 80s? A couple of things. First of all, we've seen the influence this music has had on metal and in creating post hardcore. Music as well as skate, punk and emo. It was with hardcore that we saw the first mosh pits with slam dancing that was first seen in California and Washington D.C. some women, repulsed by the testosterone of hardcore and its exclusion of women, took matters into their own hands and created the entire riot grrrl movement as a response. Yes, that was at least in part a reaction to the male dominated world of hardcore. And look at all the stuff that came out of the Ride Girl movement. It was through hardcore that the idea of forming your own record label was popularized. People got into politics because of hardcore and we're talking all sides of the political spectrum. This includes Muslim hardcore acts in places like the Middle east and Indonesia who used this style of music to rail against human rights injustices. Hardcore was largely made up of white males, but some of the sound's most important contributors were black and Latino. Hardcore helped create the whole notion of alternative music in the early and middle 1980s, eventually leading major labels to some great bands who in turn influenced the next generation. Honestly, no hardcore, no grunge. The idea of straight edge and living a life without alcohol and drugs. Totally a hardcore thing. And hardcore lives today around the world in a variety of sounds and flavors. For example, there's Baltimore's Turnstile, a group with serious hardcore roots who are taking things in a more experimental direction. This is a song called blackout from their 2021 album Blow. Like I said at the beginning, hardcore is easily misunderstood unless you take a really deep dive into things. Yes, it's heavy and it's loud and it's fast and aggressive and all those things, but its influence on other forms of music metal, emo, riot, girls, grunge is undeniable. It's another example of how something that was once too extreme for most people ends up being important to almost everyone who loves a loud guitar. Podcasts of this program are available through all the usual platforms. Feel free to download as many as you like. I've got a website called ajournalofmusicalthings.com where you can find music news and information every single day. The best thing to do is subscribe to the daily newsletter and we can also connect through Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and even TikTok. Email to Alanancross CA love to hear from you and we'll talk to you soon. Technical productions by Rob Johnston I'm Alan Cross. You've been listening to the ongoing history of New Music podcasts with Alan Cross. Subscribe to the podcast through itunes, Google Play, Stitcher, Spotify, and everywhere you find your Favorite podcasts the End for four years, Noah and Sarah have been clawing out from beneath the Denver airport. They have faced monsters, secret armies, and killing machines. But they're done running. This season on Escaping Denver, the truth is revealed, captives become legends, and a war a thousand years in the making erupts around them. Join us for the end of our story. The final season of escaping Denver drops August 11 on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, and wherever you find your favorite podcasts.