Bright Lights Always Turn Off - Demo (2006)

    Hailing from Duluth, Minnesota, and wielding only a single-year run, emoviolence and screamo band Bright Lights Always Turn Off is entirely prepared to melt your teeth out of their cavities and leave you with a toothless, satisfied grin. Smashing guitar riffs akin to Jerome’s Dream, The Red Scare, and throat-blistering prepubescent screams fans of Orchid and Louise Cyphre will recognize, BLATO was active in 2006 and was comprised of members including guitarist Odin and vocalist Dan Rude.  

    Empty space has no place in this band, who constantly fill the space between with charming, heartbreaking melodies and pure sound riffs that blast off at breakneck pace, occasionally reminding the listener of black metal. 16 year old Rude presents us the hellish miracle of his acidic wailing of lyrics reflective of his life in and out of juvenile detention centers and other troubles living in Minnesota. Although only 50 handmade cds were burned, their only EP remained relatively undiscovered on MySpace until was it republished on YouTube.

    Duluth isn’t exactly known for its bustling mid 00’s screamo scene, but BLATO remedied their isolation through MySpace and similar chat boards. Bright Lights only played two shows during their split second run; a show in North Wisconsin and Bear Garden’s 2006 EP release show at Rice Lake Town Hall, although I couldn’t find footage of either. After BLATO, Dan Rude and guitarist Odin went on to join emo band Bear Garden from Minneapolis. 

Demo

ST 2006

Introspect - Discography (1991-1997)

    Introspect was a hardcore band from Newtown, Pennsylvania. Eric Wareheim of Elements Of Need, I Am Heaven and Tim & Eric fame played guitar on the 2x7". Introspect played a groovy, driving brand of hardcore that mixed the classic sounds of the NY hardcore scene with the start-stop sounds of the experimental emocore scene in Pennsylvania. The early compilation song and first 7" lean more into the classic hardcore sound while the 2x7" benefits immensely from Eric Wareheim's guitar work and takes on a more diverse sound, making it (IMO) their best work and an instant classic.

    Introspect was intertwined with bands like Frail and Ink & Dagger, touring and and appearing on compilations with the former. If you are going to check out Introspect, start with the track "Muddy Water" off the 2x7", it's a real earworm and one of my favourite tracks to come out of the Pennsylvania scene.

    I believe there is at least one Introspect compilation song that I am missing here (from a tape that included a Frail track as well). Please let me know if you have information about this tape or a rip! 

Discography

ST 7" 1994

ST 2x7" 1994

In Our Blood Compilation 1993

Crash And Britany - Discography (1992-1998)

    Crash And Britany were a indie-emo/ noise rock band from Sacramento, California. The band had an impressive history with live shows; playing Lollapalooza in 1995, opening for Pearl Jam on the big stage with 50k people in attendance as well as playing with bands like Deftones and Seam. Despite having their foot in the door to be swept up by the major label feeding frenzy of the 90s, Crash And Britany never became the next Nirvana, despite having come quite close. 

    Crash And Britany's sound was a unique mix of noise rock, shoegaze and indie-emo that became more and more polished over their 6 year tenure. In my opinion their 1996 5 song recording (later released in 2015) was the peak of their work, making for a compelling and "marketable" sound that could have propelled them to stardom if they just stuck around a few years longer.

    Crash And Britany's wall of noise sound combined with Kelly Slushers hypnotic voice helped the band make a ton of fun and catchy songs, I would recommend this band wholeheartedly for fans of emo as well as fans of the precambrian explosion of 90s alternative. Hopefully someday Crash And Britany will get their due!

    The tracks from the cassettte demo are still missing so if anyone has them or the ability to track them down please let us know!

Solo Releases

In Memory Of Jason Compilation 12"

It Is Chemistry 7" 1996 (G&M Recordings)

Kids Luv You 12" 1995 (Monopoly)

Demo 1994

In Memory Of Jason 12" 1996 (Monopoly)

Underground Sound: Preserving Calgary's Rich Music History - A Mini-Documentary

    I recently had the great pleasure and opportunity to direct a mini-documentary about the Calgary Cassette Preservation Society and the importance of archiving music. For those of you who are unfamiliar, CCPS is a site run by Arif Ansari which holds a vast archive of Calgarian, Albertan and Canadian music dating back to the 1970s. The project started sometime in the 90s when Arif began to digitize some of his favourite cassettes as a passion project. From there, the project spiralled into a full-fledged, extensive archive of hundreds of musicians' and bands work over the last few decades. Each posting has a write-up about the artist, giving it some context and info on the members and style of the music, scans or photos of the physical media as well as a link to listen to it. 

    As an archivist myself, it's mind-blowing to think about the amount of work Arif and the others who have helped him have done. Any city would be lucky to have someone who cares as much as Arif and who puts so much of his time into a project like this. Not many cities have such a vast catalogue of music solely based on the local scene, and I think without Arif and CCPS, so much of this music would have been lost to time. As someone who was born and raised in Calgary, Alberta, it's a fascinating resource that I have learnt so much from and found so many cool bands through. Calgary has such an interesting and distinct scene due to its location and culture and I genuinely never knew that Calgary had such a vibrant punk/emo scene in the late 90s and early 2000s. 

    Getting the chance to speak to Arif himself, as well as Helen Young and Adam Kamis of CJSW has been a life-changing experience that I will never forget. All three of them are treasure troves of information, anecdotes and knowledge I one day hope to have! I think that the documentary I directed with the help of my production/post-production team is very valuable for a city like Calgary where this underground music as well as the importance of archiving goes unnoticed by most. It's a great feeling getting to speak with people who value this sort of archival work as much as I do because, without resources like CJSW's incredible library of physical media or Arif's work with CCPS, we would lose so much music, info and culture that has made Calgary the city it is today. 

Check out the documentary below!

Real Friend - Showcase (2022-Present)

    Real Friend is a band from Calgary, Alberta who formed in 2022 under the name Soylent Green before they lost a member and became Real Friend. The band members are Kyle Pierce, Noah Gall and Ayden Hamilton, the first couple of the three sharing tasks of vocals, guitar and bass while the former is on drums. As of today, they have digitally released one single titled "Serenity Now" and one EP titled "Standard Issue" which can be found on Bandcamp and Spotify. 

    Real Friend is one of the most genre-defying bands I've ever heard, refusing to comply with any one sound and instead experimenting tastefully with aspects of various styles and genres. I would say there is some heavy math-rock influence found within their work as well as a distinct influence from early 90s emo bands like Moss Icon (they even have a song named after the band) or even Indian Summer with a bit more distortion/noise. Their songs vary from mathy, complex and instrumental to noisy and chaotic with distorted vocals piercing through the explosion of sound. 

    To be completely honest I find myself very disillusioned with the scene in my hometown, bands that I genuinely enjoy and doing something truly unique are few and far between, but let me tell you Real Friend is one of them. I had heard they were good but when I first heard Real Friend play I was shocked. The members are not only incredibly musically talented but also have a completely different sound than any other local bands which is hard to do and can be scary. It's easy to copy your favourite bands or blend in with the scene playing mediocre music but Real Friend is braver, they are willing to risk it all to do something genuine and truly their own no matter what anyone thinks. That, above all is why they have my utmost respect. You can be the best musician ever and still play bland, boring music that sounds like 500 other bands, but Real Friend opts to show off their talent and creativity. 

    I had the pleasure of doing the cinematography for the entirety of Real Friend's first music video for their track "Portland, Oregon" alongside Nick Alford who directed the project, Benjamin San Martin who was 1st Assistant Camera and many more who made the project possible. I feel super lucky to have worked with great production/post-production teams as well as be able to work with Real Friend to make a video we are all happy with. 

    Check out Real Friend with the links below!

Spotify

Bandcamp

"Portland, Oregon" Music Video

Saetia, City Of Caterpillar, Pg.99 - Live in Chicago 28/04/2024

    This weekend I was lucky enough to travel to Chicago, Illinois to see Saetia, City Of Caterpillar and Pageninetynine. In addition to seeing three incredible bands, I got to meet people I've been speaking to about music and archiving for over a year. It was genuinely such a surreal experience to meet people who I feel like I know well, but have never met in the flesh. Talking to them about the criminally underrated 90s emo scene felt so refreshing because so few people in my life care about it at all. Shout out to Chelsea (check out her Portland-based radio show Sadderstar.fm!), Elias (check out his incredible podcast Not Just A Phase!), Tenzin (fellow archivist who sometimes writes on this blog as Shasahara), and the lovely Mary! I could go on listing people but you get the idea. I really can't thank you all enough for being in my life and giving me the chance to come to this show and just hang out with you all! You guys are the fucking best! Hope to see you again someday soon. 

    Moving on to the bands themselves, I can't even describe how much this show meant to me. Leading up to the weekend of course I was excited, but the second Pageninetynine started playing their first song a chill ran through me that was indescribable. When I first got into the "emo" scene, all three of these bands were distinct starting points for me, and while I haven't listened to them lately as much as I used to, hearing the songs I had on repeat played live and with breathtaking passion was an entirely new experience for me. While I may never get to see a lot of my favourite bands from the scene, this was a life-changing memory that I know I will hold on to dearly for the rest of my life. I think before the show I just had no idea a live band could make me feel so deeply, I've been to some good concerts but this blew everything far out of the water. The bands and the scene I care so deeply about and spend so much time writing about, listening to, talking about, and being inspired by were genuinely there in front of me and with all the passion and energy that they had in their prime. Being in their presence amongst the vast crowd of people who care just as much as I do felt like a moment of rare connection among so many different individuals, from all over the world. 

    I lucked out and got to see Pageninetynine two nights in a row (thank you so much Elias!), the second being the big sold-out show at Metro, but the first being in a smaller much more intimate venue along with Massa Nera. I couldn't pick a favourite of their sets, they both were mindblowing. However, I will say that on the first night at Subterranean, that feeling of shock and elation really hit me. Being right up by the small stage and watching all (9?10?) members of the band play so perfectly in sync with one another was insane. I can barely manage to play in sync in my three-piece band, I could not imagine doing so with so many people. Despite it being a long time since they were initially an active band, they have not lost their energy or power. They sound just like they always have and continue with their weird performative antics. One vocalist climbed the staircase on stage, hanging from the bars while another member drummed on another's shoes all the while still sounding perfectly tight and on time. After watching countless live sets of my favourite bands in the 90s, this honestly lived up to my expectations and more. I've always liked Pageninetynine but they haven't been at the forefront for me, after seeing them live in their pure chaos, I have a love for them that is stronger than ever. I've never felt so lost within the music at any show ever than when they were playing. They play with such precision and perfection and yet display a contagious chaos I've never experienced in person before. 

(Videos from the PG.99/Massa Nera show the night before)

    City Of Caterpillar has such an interesting sound even within its small scene, the vocalist (who is also in Pageninetynine) has a voice not quite like anyone else I've heard and man can he still use it. The crowd swayed to the melodic, melancholic guitar riffs and went absolutely wild for the heavy bits. After seeing Saetia and Pageninetynine I can't say this is true anymore but leading up to this show City Of Caterpillar was the one I was most excited for as they always resonated with me the most. After seeing the others I have a renewed respect and enjoyment of them, but City Of Caterpillar will always remain a favourite. My favourite track "A Heart Filled Reaction To Dissatisfaction" played live was breathtaking. 

    Saetia is a band I used to love but hadn't listened to in quite a few years up until the show but wow they fucking ripped! I had a sense of nostalgia as I heard their guitars play the songs I obsessed over in my first introduction to emo. Their abrupt shifts between soft, emotional guitar riffs and sung vocals to heavy parts with shrieks cried over them never ceases to amaze me. As a vocalist myself I always find it impossible to shift seamlessly from screams to clean vocals and yet Saetia pulls it off like it's their second nature. I crowd-surfed for the first time in my life during their set and though it was only a few seconds I will always remember how I felt in that moment. Unfortunately, I got no live footage of Saetia because I was too busy in the pit. Whoops!

    On top of Saetia's incredible set, before they played the organization the show was raising money for came out to speak to the crowd. The show's funds went to Chicago Freedom School, an organization that works with black and brown people to fight against prejudice, racism and poverty. As the members spoke about their cause, I felt an overwhelming sense of joy that I could even play a small part in raising money for their cause. The 90s emo scene has always been about more than the music to me and to everyone involved I think. It's about inclusivity, safe spaces, a celebration of differences and minorities, gender equality and celebration. Unfortunately, this message has become harder and harder to come by in the hardcore scene and seems completely absent in my hometown Calgary, Alberta. Hardcore has become a competition for who's the toughest, who's the coolest and if you don't blend perfectly into the crowd, racially, gender-wise, style-wise or as any sort of minority really, you won't be accepted. This is one of the most infuriating things to me because to me hardcore is about a safe space for ANYONE who feels they resonate with the music and scene. Hardcore is about fighting for EVERYONE'S rights regardless of differences. Hardcore is about freedom and fighting oppressors. The fact that this show was raising money for such a valuable and meaningly cause gave it an even deeper meaning to me and I'm sure many more. 

    To quote Pageninetynine in one of my favourite songs: "Hardcore should mean freedom, liking and accepting anything that you like, playing whatever you want, as sloppy as you want, as long as it's good and it has passion."

Staynless - Discography (1996-1999)

    Staynless was a post-hardcore band from Memphis, Tennessee. Like a lot of the bands we have been posting lately, the history behind Staynless remains a relative mystery to me. What I do know is that they put out a fair number of recordings and were talented enough to attract the attention of Steve Albini, who engineered their full length CD. Staynless has a sound that mixes the spidery post-hardcore sounds of bands like Slint, Dis and Shellac with the coiled and anxious intensity of hardcore bands like The Exploder and Engine Down. Mixing the diverse sounds of the Louisville and Richmond scenes is no easy task but Staynless does it in effortless fashion, creating some really compelling and underrated tracks. 

    Just like Barrel, who I covered here before, Staynless seems to be one of those bands that could compete with the best of the best on the cutting edge of the underground post-hardcore scene; they just never really got the credit or attention they deserved. 

Discography

Staynless 7" 1997

Snowfields & Sand Dunes 7" 1997 (Smooth Lips)

Transistor Theory and Circuits Made Simple 1998 (Undecided Records)

Old Salt 7" 2002 (Soul Is Cheap)