Review: STREET SWEEPER S/T (Shoe City Records)

Out of Boston, MA we have STREET SWEEPER with their debut EP. What you get here is five songs of hard as nails New York style hardcore with a little Clevo flavor thrown in the mix. It is equal parts thrashy fast parts and bouncy mid-paced parts. I like that they give equal love to both, as I've always been more of a fan of hardcore with some speed as opposed to straight mosh the whole time.

Lyrically, Mark deals with both personal and societal trouble. Facing his own demons as well as demons of the world around him. They're simple and straight forward but don't come off as naive. Mark's vocals are raw as fuck and he sounds pissed.

If you're into CRO-MAGS, KILLING TIME, or ONE LIFE CREW, I'd definitely recommend picking this up. I'm not sure what's up with these guys as far as tours and what's not but I'm sue they'll be doing something soon.

Check them out:
Facebook
Band Camp
Shoe City Records

Review: BEWARE Demo 2011

Fresh outta Pennsylvania we have a demo from BEWARE. Dudes from MOTHER OF MERCY, STICK TOGETHER, DAYLIGHT, and BLACK FEATHERS. This is straight up old school youth crew with a very heavy CHAIN OF STRENGTH influence. Everything about this demo sounds like it could have come out in the late 80's, from the guitar tones, Bob's vocals, and just the overall production.

The lyrics deal with topics typical of this genre such as commitment and losing touch with friends, but from more of a pissed off point of view and in a way where they don't come off.

All in all, this demo rips from start to finish. With a lot of bands playing this style these days I'm glad there is a band like this (among a few others), doing it well and keeping it fresh. I can't wait to see with these dudes do next. Look out for a 7 inch somewhat soon on BACK TO BACK RECORDS.

Chech the demo out HERE

-Gutto

Video Interview: Walter Delgado (ROTTING OUT, ALPHA & OMEGA, MINORITY UNIT)

Here it is, what was supposed to be the first interview for Core Life is finally here. Walter was coming up to Nor Cal to hang out and promote Street Prowl, and he called me up with the idea to just film the interview. I couldn't be more stoked on doing it that way and I'm glad he thought of it. We talked about hardcore and the various bands that are constantly keeping Walter busy. Thanks to Justin Benitez for filming and editing this. Here it is:

Review TWITCHING TONGUES Insane & Inhumane (Photobooth Records)

This is the newest offering from Los Angeles' TWITCHING TONGUES. If you don't know anything about TT, it's dudes from RUCKUS, CREATURES, and ALPHA & OMEGA playing TYPE O NEGATIVE/ONLY LIVING WITNESS style hardcore. Real riff laden and singy. This stuff usual ain't my style but these dudes do it well. This EP features two new songs and a cover of PENTAGRAM'S "Forever My Queen". Lyrically it deals with love and heartbreak and such. Musically I definitely think it's a progression from their demo that came out last year (which is also featured on the CD version of I & I).

I & I kicks off with the title track, which starts off with some acoustic guitar before it kicks in hard, before going to back to acoustic guitar and coming back even harder. The mosh part at the end of this song makes me want to rip skyscrapers in half. The second track, "Voluntary Confinement", is real up-tempo and bouncy, lots of grove. Song also ends with a couple of sweet mosh parts. Travis from MINUS/FELL TO LOW drops some vocals on this track too and it sounds awesome.

If any of this sounds like your jam, pick it up. Catch TWITCHING TONGUES on their full US tour with summer with EXPIRE, SOUL SEARCH, and MINUS.

Check them out:
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Twitter
Store
Photobooth Records

- Gutto

Review: Written Off Demo 2011

Out of Louisville, Kentucky we got WRITTEN OFF. This demo consists of 5 songs that all clock in around the 1 minute mark. The songs are a pretty good mix of 80's hardcore and some of the modern youth crew bands from the last 15 or so years. Think Slapshot meets Floorpunch or something along those lines. This is an edge band although they don't seem to talk about it in any of the lyrics. These guys seem to be picking up some attention and it's deserved. If you like hardcore give em a listen.

Check them out:
Band Camp (you can download the demo here)
Facebook

Alpha & Omega/Expire/Take Offense US tour

Three of the best bands in hardcore doing their thing all over the country. If you are in proximity to one of these shows and don't go, you got fucking issues.

Interview: EXPIRE

For my first interview on CORE LIFE we have the Midwest's favorite sons, EXPIRE. These dudes have been hitting it hard for the last two years, touring the United States pretty non-stop. Their second EP Suffer the Cycle is coming out soon on Six Feet Under Records, and I for one am stoked and expect it to be one of the best releases of 2011. You can hear a new track from the record at the Six Feet Under link at the bottom of this. I talked to Josh (vocalist) about the band and about hardcore, here's what he had to say. (Live photos courtesy of keith at Crucial Changes)


Alright first off, how did you get into hardcore/punk? what drew you to it?

Well, I was around 15 and just moved to a new city and started high school all at the same time. Didn't have many friends besides these two punk kids I sat between in math class. They eventually started feeding me music and it took off from there. I really liked the welcoming nature that punk and hardcore kind of had towards someone who didn't feel like they had anywhere else to go. I still see that to this day, and I've made more friends through it, than anything else I could have ever done.

How did EXPIRE come to be? what other bands were dudes in before being in EXPIRE?

EXPIRE was started by Zach, Marcus and Adam the original bass player. They were writing songs and they didn't have a singer yet. Adam brought me in to try out and that's how it all happened. Zach played drums in TAKE CONTROL, Marcus drummed for WHOLEHEARTED, and I sang for BARRIERS NOW BRIDGES.

In the 2 or so years you guys have been a band, you have toured the US quite a bit. Was it your guys plan to hit it hard from the get go?

Yeah, after the tryout the first thing they asked me was "Can you tour?" I don't think we ever looked back. 5 upcoming tours in the works right now. Can't stop, won't stop.

That rules/ Whats your favorite city to play?

Personally, I don't think we've ever had a bad show in St. Louis, MO. Cedar Falls, IA is next in line.

Do you think the Midwest has more of a tight knit scene being so far from the bigger scenes of the coast?

Not so much tight knit being that you have to drive anywhere from 4 to 10 hours to all the major places to play, but with that comes a great deal of appreciation from everyone. We all love each other and it's always nice to see familiar faces.

Do you think this separation that some spots in the Midwest have to the rest of the country reflects a certain sound or attitude that it's bands give off?

You'll see a lot of humility in Midwest bands, and hopefully that reflects when they finally get the chance to play elsewhere.

What are some bands coming up over there that you think people should know about?

It seems like there are all sorts of awesome bands popping up all over the place out that way. There's a lot of great bands that are doing stuff out here. FOCUSEDxMINDS, BENT LIFE, AGRESS, KICKED IN, PICKED CLEAN, RATTLETOOTH, EVERYTHING WENT BLACK and so many more. You don't have to look very hard.

Most of your lyrics seem to deal with some pretty deep seeded personal issues. Was it hard for you at any point to write any of these songs, namely the Grim Rhythm tracks? what were you going through at the time? On the flip side, was it good for you to get some of these things off your chest?

That's why you play in hardcore bands right? To get it all out. I enjoy being able to put my thoughts and feelings out there. Hopefully someone can relate.

Word man I totally agree, I've always seen in at just that.Did the use of Robert Johnson on the cover of Grim Rhythm inspire the name of the record, or was this a decision made after the name was already decided?

The cover came after the name, but it was a perfect fit.

Out soon on Six Feet Under Records


Also agree with that, I was stoked when I saw the name and cover. Six Feet Under Records just announced they'll be releasing your upcoming EP, "Suffer the Cycle". What can we expect from this release? how did you come to work with Dave and SFU?

Dave hit us up about a week after This Is Hardcore, said he enjoyed our set and Grim Rhythm. We're stoked to work with him. STC will be a quick 4 tracks. Just to hold everyone over until we can get a full length written.

Dope man. Alright last question, what do you love about hardcore?

I love that I can act like an idiot on stage every night and make friends doing it.

Perfect. Thanks again for the interview dude

Check em out:
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Myspace
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Big Cartel
Six Feet Under Records

Review: CONDEMNED Vicious Reality EP

Hailing from Tuscon, AZ we got CONDEMNED. This EP is 6 tracks of hard hitting New York/Clevo style hardcore. Think SHEER TERROR, KILLING TIME, IN COLD BLOOD, and ONE LIFE CREW. They have a perfect balance of mosh and fast and its something that I definitely like. The vocalist has a real Paul Bearer style going on and I'm backing it. Some people hate on these kind of vocals but I've always been a fan. The lyrics are nothing groundbreaking but are definitely well written and not cheesy. If I had to pick a favorite track it'd be "DFTS". Hard intro, a couple of raging fast parts, and capped off with a pretty heavy mosh part. Simple and sweet.

If you're into any of the bands mentioned above definitely check them out. They have some spring dates in the Southwest with WITHDRAWAL so look out for those if that's your part of the country. Hopefully they make it out to California soon.

Check them out:
Demo
Facebook
Big Cartel

- Gutto

Review: MINORITY UNIT Demo

A little backround about MINORITY UNIT: Members of SLEEPWALKERS, SOUL SEARCH, and ROTTING OUT playing fast, pissed off, straight edge hardcore. Oh and in case you couldn't tell by the name, they're all Mexican dudes.

A whopping 11 people appear on vocals throughout the 6 song demo, which makes the delivery of said vocals sound fucking awesome. It basically sounds like a bunch of homies hanging out and talking about what pisses them off, which is pretty much what this demo is.

I'd recommend it to anyone that's into hardcore. And if you could catch them live (I'm sure if you live in california, you'll get the opportunity pretty soon), fucking do it. I was at their first two shows and they were some of the funnest sets I've seen in awhile. See for yourself:



You can download the demo HERE
- Gutto

Youth of Today/Mouthpiece/Outspoken SoCal shows

I'm beyond stoked for this. I've been listening to Youth Of Today for nearly a decade, so when I heard they were playing Southern California, suffice to say I was excited. After watching videos from their recent South American tour, it's obvious these dudes still got it. See you there.

- Gutto

Intro

Cro Mags at Thee Parkside in San Francisco, my big head singing along at the bottom left. Photo: Action Jackson


Welcome to CORE LIFE, a blog dedicated to the core. This is something I have been wanting to do for awhile and finally have the time and the means to do so. Expect interviews, reviews, and just cool pictures and videos I feel like posting. I'll have some actual content up within the week. Thanks for checking it out.

- Gutto