If this post reads a little different, there's a sure reason as to why!
My
name is Samantha (legharpy), and I run a blog called "Do You Feel At Home?" dedicated to archiving and rambling on and on about emo from the
90s to the ever-so-strange aughts. I'm ecstatic to have been invited as a
coauthor here on CanadianWasteland to share my deranged blabbering
every once in a while, and all for a blog I sincerely care about! Ben, Maya, and Tenzin's blood, sweat, and hours spent scanning and routinely
preserving music for their amassing public archive has been a remarkable
influence on me, to say the very least, and I'd like to extend my
thanks for their kindness and graciousness towards allowing some
headcase like me a little time to share the things I and all of us are
distinctly passionate for here! Thanks so much! Now...
In
all honesty, there are some days where, while skimming through the
hopelessly tangled (and nigh endless) emonomicron, I find myself in a
rut... wandering, aimless, all strewn about... lost. For every band that
treads the water of my mind, a good handful simply drift downstream,
eventually falling over the precipice of my ear canals about as quickly
as they entered them. It's a darn
shame, too, as I've quite the tendency to lazily gloss over bands that I
would, under any other circumstances, praise to high hell... and,
admittedly, it gets me into a few pools of hot water sometimes...
however, some bands, and certainly not a small number of them, manage to
permanently set up camp on the harbors of my brain, with this band
right here being a shining example. The very second I decided to feast
my rapidly deteriorating ears upon them, I was swooning with adoration
and voracious infatuation, of which soon turned into a full-blown
long-term obsession of mine... So, what band is it? Well, you read the
darn title, didn't ya?
Another
Sevenfold (whom I will henceforth refer to as "Another 7x" for brevity
(and no, NOT Avenged Sevenfold... even the band has to do a double-take
when they pass by their section in a record store... it's hysterical!))
was a humble little three-piece screamo outfit hailing from
Elizabethtown, North Carolina (of all places), and operated from roughly
1995 to May of 1999. Running their forks across the chalkboard of
passion and touting their unmistakable shrillness at the forefront of
their efforts, these three carved a path of sharp and unapologetically
raw poignancy whose presence still lingers just shy of three decades
later. While their tenure was rather diminutive, clocking in at a meager
four years, compared to many of their peers, it's quite the respectable
run, as an uncountable number of groups called it quits after only one
year, or heck, even just a few months! That's a point of discussion I
tend to touch on routinely, as it simply breaks my heart every time I
see it... It's always such a shame, but, I suppose it's not all that
surprising anymore, especially with all the knowledge I now possess, so,
I won't dwell on it any further. Moving on!
Whenever I hear an obsessed, and, admittedly, deranged screamo fan (such as I) decree
that they've never once in their life heard of this lil' ole band, my
mind is instantaneously catapulted into a debilitating state of obscene
bewilderment. How could someone such as yourself, someone who's so
adamantly engrossed in this nasty, bewitching little genre, possibly not
have heard of Another 7x? My stupefaction tumbles well far and down the
escarpment of rationality, and, by the time I reach the valley floor,
the discombobulation has likely ground my brain to a fine paste. Am I
overreacting? Oh, you betcha... but, c'mon, can ya blame a girl? Well, I
suppose you can, and you most likely should for your own safety, at the
very least... Anyhoodles. All that to say, and to put it succinctly; it
positively boggles my feeble little mind how so few people have heard
of this band! Gosh, it really does turn me into a total headcase, too...
but, I can't help it! My insatiable hunger to spread the Another 7x
gospel simply knows no bounds, and this post, this post right here,
shall be my megaphone in which I'll use to disrupt the quietest of
public spaces!
Now, though this humble little high-school trio were in existence for
quite an admirable number of years, one would be surprised to learn
that, despite such a short (yet comparatively lengthy) career, these
three well-nigh never played shows outside of the Carolinas! Oh, and
speaking of those three, I've yet to list their names... of which I made
the same mistake last time. My apologies. Another 7x was composed of William and James Daniel on bass and drums respectively, with Joseph Matthew
on guitar and vocals. For a simple three-piece, their sound was, in
some bizarre way (and likely only in my eyes), larger than life, and my
goodness, Joey's screams are strident and wholly heartbreaking! Granted,
I should save my ravenous gushing for later, so, that's precisely what
I'll do. Ahem... I could not possibly fathom what this bands true
influence could have and very likely would have been had they toured
outside of their home states only a teeny-tiny bit more frequently, and,
even in spite of their relatively landlocked operations, their
influence was and still is certainly bountiful! Not to mention, the
bands they shared the stage with are simply a treat to read through, as
we've acts such as Stretch Armstrong, Watership Down, The Appleseed Cast (now I'm pissed), The Emotional Strain, MxPx (really?), and, of course, Griver! So, from all I can gather, I've not a doubt in my mind that these boys could hold their own when the lights hit em!
Right
about here is where I would place an embed to a live performance
uploaded on YouTube or what have you, but, alas, none exist online. It's
a darn shame, too, as I've always, and I mean always wanted to see one!
I'm sure they were a riot live, no question!
Circling back around... that influence had to have come from somewhere,
yeah? What's the deets on that? When did these three up and decide,
"Hey, why aren't we ravaging peoples ability to hear?" Well, for
starters, these boys had known each other for a good long while, meeting
sometime during 4th grade, though, of course, the band obviously
wouldn't start then... that'd be ludicrous. Another 7x would take shape
around the time they entered 9th grade, and, unfortunately, these three
lived in a small little town, and one that certainly wasn't musically
rollicking! The only town close enough that did indeed possess some
semblance of a scene was Wilmington, so, twas where they went. From
there, the band would pin together their guitar strap of influences,
and, how they eventually stumbled their way unto their sound is nothing
short of a mystery to me... but, I suppose musical proficiency comes
with maturity! So, once they did that whole maturing thing, and, of
course, amidst their time maturing, the three began to commit some of
their work to tape... finally...
Now, I've been
waffling on and on about history and what have ya, so, how's about the
music, hey? What did these three put out? Well... bluntly, two releases.
Yes, two... Wait, actually, that's a lie, they had six releases!
Unfortunately, though, it's not all sunshine and rainbows, as four of
them are behind lock & key (the band would rather the material
remain unheard), that being their four demo tapes, of which the dates of
their release can be easily viewed via the bands website... which is still live! The list of the tapes is as follows:
January 1996. 4 song cassette
March 1996. 3 song cassette
September 1996. 4 song cassette
February 1997. 7 song cassette
The first three of those tapes were sent out to a kind soul by the name of Paul, the very same Paul who ran the label Motherbox back in the mid to late '90s! When receiving the first tape sometime in the early spring of '96, he thought to himself, "This is some pretty good screamy emo, but the quality of the tape wasn’t so hot",
so, with that, he politely filed it away, though he did indeed enjoy
what he heard! About a month or two passes, and, lo and behold, a tape
from the very same band arrives in his mailbox! Then another! By that
point, Paul had heard all that he needed to hear; he dug what these
three were cooking up, so, out of the kindness of his heart, he decided
to put out the bands first record. Cut and dried! With that, Another 7x
would mosey on up to Pennsylvania, and quickly
record their sole full-length effort, all with the gracious assistance
of Mr.
Motherbox readily at their fingertips.
The 11 song self-titled CD
would see its release in April of '97, and, by and large, has to be one
of screamo's most wholly recondite pieces of plastic (as is the release
to follow). The twinkle in these three's eyes as they play are an
elegantly strung together bodice of peculiar needles, earnestly piercing
your tympanic membrane, leaving naught but enchanted ringing, with
stars swirling around your cranium as you sway and rock in bedazzlement
of their scintillating
and humble musical glint. This ole number is a heart-wrenching,
earnest, and unassuming offering of poignant and lovingly hopeful
screamo. It's one that's horridly shrill, and fuzzily coarse, all
endearingly so. It's unostentatious, and rather recherché
for an entire full-length of its nature and makeup, I'd say... it tends
to recrudesce in my mind how unheard of this band goes. It really does.
For a record as soundly assembled as this one here, I feel as though
many are remiss to not pay forth to this band some of their supremely
precious attention. It encapsulates a large variety of 90s screamo's
many idiosyncrasies that I positively swoon over, and, succinctly, is
one of its offerings that I decree (though it's obvious) gets glossed
over and dismissed all too frequently. I've hopes that one day, some
day, it's audience will felicitously stumble across it, and subsequently
fall for it just as painfully as I did... at their own risk, of course... and
I foresee a future where a slew of hopeless emo obsessives (just like
me) are soaring with adoration for this band and their material... but,
for now, I wait for the day I see it receive a tithe of the attention
their contemporaries amass yearly. Not that it's some travesty, of
course. They were just a gaggle of kids making some alright music for
the fun of it! Now, as for its obscurity, I'd say there's no reason to
worry, as it's a remarkably easy record to get your grubby little hands
on! A small assortment of copies are currently for sale (at the time of
writing this post), and I've never seen the release page lack listings.
Not once! If you do indeed take a keen interest in this record or band, I
sincerely recommend picking up a copy. Such a delightfully
inconspicuous package!
(Driftingwiththeice also has a lovely post regarding this disc, however, if you'd prefer to stay here, this record is available to download!)
1. Misadventures Of Me
2. Certainly Star
3. Furney Rising
4. Short And Sweet
5. So That's How They Get The Ship In The Bottle
6. Staircase
7. Daymare
8. Genie
9. Jacks And Hopscotch
10. Right Of Center
11. If Only I Could Conquer The World
Their
trend of inconspicuousness continues (and, unfortunately, ends) the
August of the following year with their second and final release, which was, in
fact, not released by Motherbox, but instead released by Fond Of Fabrication, which was run by two kids from Greenville, NC named Scott
and Gabe! The record in question is their beautifully entitled EP Thousand Star Serissa,
whose name derives from a type of shrub used for making bonsai. Now,
for every shred of hyperbole, and for every iota of bombastic enthusiasm
and verbose aggrandizement I sloppily jot down, there always comes a
time where, no matter the word, no matter the phrase, no matter the
intensity of the monsoon of over-exuberance that pours from my lips, the
stream from my faucet of superlatives wanes to nothing more than a
series of scattered spritz, and subsequently, to nothing more than
feeble drips. Sometimes I'm so taken aback, so gobsmacked, and so in awe
that my words... they just sorta... fail me, y'know? Could this be
another one of those cases? Hahaha, funny, but no, as every single
little thing I said in regards to their full-length applies to this
release, and for some songs, doubly so!
With an
entire genre whose bedrock is practically comprised of 7"s, it's
exceedingly rare for one so unassuming to stand and scintillate leagues
above their peers (no matter how poor of a pressing it may be), of whom are just as wonderful based on their own
merit alone. However, some are undeniably worthy of a higher pedestal,
so they take their seat atop the clouds, casting down the rays of their
brilliance, illuminating the coarse dirt below, ultimately putting the
sun to shame. Some records are so distinctly congenial that I,
admittedly, praise them to a degree that seems, for lack of a better
term, religious, as if I'm a wayward messenger for some nondescript
church (or, more appropriately, cult), and my one sole prerogative is to
spread the good word. The gospel, if you may. Well, I've to say, it's
far from any sort of a secret that I acclaim some records to an
obscenely hyperbolic extent... treating them like royalty, if you
will... and I mean, hey... what can I say? I'm passionate! Sometimes a
girl just has to place her favorites atop their seat in her personal
"emo pantheon", adorning them with their regal robes (plastic sleeves)
and indefatigable scepter of boundless musical enjoyment (tonearm,
cartridge, and stylus)... and this, I'd say, is certainly one of those
7"s! I positively fell in love with it the very second I did lay my ears
upon the treasures stored amidst its grooves, and, in all honesty, I
don't think I've ever been quite the same since. Both this 7" and the
bands only CD have coaxed from my eyes many a tear, and many times over,
I should add. Sometimes a band just satiates a sweet tooth ya didn't
even know you had, hey? Heck, that's pretty much how I ended up here in
the first place... and now I can never leave. Oh well, so be it!
Anyhoodles. As for where to acquire this, I sincerely wish I had
somewhere to point ya like I did earlier, but, alas, 'tis not the case.
If you ever see a copy of this humble beauty for sale, do not miss your
opportunity to nab it! I mean it!
A1. One Man Pilot
A2. From These Waters Of Epsom Wells
B1. From This World To That Which Is To Come: Delivered Under The Similitude Of A Dream
This
would be where I begin my closing statements, but, fortunately, I've
one more surprise, that being some stellar unreleased/demo tracks, of
which I'm overjoyed to have been shown! Assembled here are six songs of
whose release statuses are, admittedly, up in the air, as by this point,
deducing (let alone attempting to remember) what tape they were
released on and/or if they were even released at all is, to keep it
blunt, not happening... however, they are irrefragably official, that I
know (just simply don't have the dates for the recordings)! There's some positively
wondrous stuff here, ranging from spectacularly moody instrumentals, to
tracks that veer more on the side of what I'd deem "harrowing". It
certainly is a lovely batch of songs, that's for sure, and I'm over the
moon for more people to discover these, as there's absolutely no
possible way I would've stumbled across these on my own! You can thank Joey (vocals, guitar) for having these up, as well
as for their websites continued availability, by the way... so, thanks, Joey! Enjoy!
Demos & Unreleased
1. Thunderstorms and Sometimes
2. Ten Dollars
3. Second Hand Rose
4. Louis A
5. Fractals and The Chaos Theory
6. Crosstown Traffic
See y'all again soon...
Au revoir!
