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4/30/2024

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!



4/29/2024

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!




"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)

4/27/2024

Lumber - Discography (1994)

    Lumber was a emocore band from Oakland, California. It seemed like Lumber came and went in a very short period of time, leaving behind only one 7" and a sole LP; both released in 1994. I have had trouble locating any information about this band or media like flyers and live videos so it seems like they were quite elusive in their short active period. Nonetheless, Lumber stands out to be just as good as their California contemporaries like Julia, Evergreen and Shroomunion; despite getting a fraction of the exposure and attention.


    The first thing to note when characterizing this bands sound is 
Singer Johannes "Hansi" Armentrout distinctive high-pitched drawl, it is easy to compare to Aaron Calvert's vocal delivery (of Evergreen); sappy, drawn out and saccharine. The dual boy/girl vocals on Under a Frog are harmonized to a hypnotic degree that really compliments the experimental post hardcore style of instrumentals well. While the vocals are more along the lines of contemporaries Evergreen and Shroomunion; their dizzying song structures are more alike bands like Julia, which Lumber shared a member with (Jeremy Miller). There is a great little cover of The Cure's "Love Song" on the LP that is a favourite, everything about it is absolutely haunting and brilliant. Overall, Lumber had a fresh, cohesive sound that pulls off its experimental aspects extremely well more often than not. Hansi went on to form Truxton after Lumber's dissolution, another great indie-emo band that features his distinct and charming voice. 

    The perviously circulating rips for this band where quite poor quality and missing songs in some cases. If you heard this band before and wrote them off, maybe give them another try with these high quality transfers!


 Stripped 7" 1994 (Vinyl Communications)

υνδερ α Φρογ "Under A Frog" LP 1994 (Rivers End)

4/24/2024

Another Sevenfold - Discography (1996-1999)

    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!


Self-titled
(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!




Thousand Star Serissa

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!

4/21/2024

Humble Ary - Discography (2001-2005)

    Humble Ary was a hardcore band from Denver, Colorado who were active from 2001-2005 and then briefly again in 2012. One member was also in the hardcore/screamo band Green Fuse and experimental hardcore band, The Kindercide. The band released three 7"s (one also released as a 6"), a split 7" with Bailer, and a three-way split 7" with No Cash Value and The Gromos. 

    Like their contemporaries and tour mates The Pine, Humble Ary was a back to basics emo hardcore band that reflected the sounds of the burgenoning 90s "emo" scene while incorporating elements of math rock and post-hardcore into their sound. They had a really refined, well-thought-out sound but were known for their driving, frantic energy and engaging live shows. They had a distinct groove to their chaos and complex rhythmic instrumentals. Their vocals are spirited and yelled but not quite screamed. They are reminiscent of Shotmaker, Policy of 3 or 400 Years at times with their melodic and methodic moodiness.

    Humble Ary toured a number of times, mostly through mid-west America, with one East Coast tour and one show in Winnipeg. Currently we are missing downloads for the the tour CDr! Please let us know if you have these and can share.

Solo Releases

3-way Split

Humble Ary / Bailer Split

Do It For Fun / What You Feel Means Nothing To Me 7"/6" 2003 (Ash From Sweat)


Only A Lack Of Conscience Tour CDr 2003 

Seneca Falls? This Is Twin Falls! 7" 2005 9Ash From Sweat)


Bailer / Humble Ary split 7" 2004 (Ash From Sweat)


No Cash Value / Humble Ary / The Gromos Burning Without Escape... three-way split 7" 2002 (Ash From Sweat)


Left Behind Somewhere 7" 2012 (Ash From Sweat)