185 Miles South of Somewhere
I’m stoked to announce this project is complete and the pre-order is live, so…
First, let me say thanks for the overwhelming positive response to this project and to everyone who has already ordered!
In the the late summer of this year, Bob Wilson and I began gathering scene reports from all over the world. Of course we got Los Angeles, NYC, Houston, Boston, DC, and the big US cities, but we also went international and it wasn’t just London, Paris, and Tokyo (all of which are in there). We did our best to go deep and get info on some spots you wouldn’t ever really think about. Did you know that Reunion Island has a scene?
Yeah, that little ass island so small that it’s hidden by its name on the map. When dudes aren’t getting attacked by sharks, they’re slamming to bands like Rakatukas, Pluto Crevé, and Fénwär. Hell yea.
Here’s my main point of doing this project: since Hardcore’s post-Covid explosion, the landscape has completely changed. It seems like so many bands are facing outward, trying to catch a piece of internet hype or national success when the roots of Hardcore are always local. Look at any HC band who’s ever been about anything and they will have a deep connection to their hometown or region. When I say Stoke-on-Trent, what do you think of? I doubt it's their pottery manufacturing. The ‘80s NYC Hardcore bands rode so hard for their scene that they created a whole subgenre. Oh yea, and there’s this one town 60 Miles North of Los Angeles that you may have heard of. I wanted to dive back into the localities - the unique regions which at one time made Hardcore Punk have so much personality.
I hope this zine can serve as our proverbial THEY LIVE shades to help us see that underground DIY scenes are thriving across the globe and are still the backbone of this thing we love. They’re what will still be standing and keeping this thing alive when the popularity, and the money and glory that come with it, dry up.
And while you’re flipping through this sick ass zine, you might as well jam the soundtrack. We put together a cassette compilation featuring 21 of the best bands from 21 different countries. You can get that here too. Or you can stream it on the Rebirth Records Bandcamp right now.
Late note: I just want to drop that this project was inspired by reading Pushead’s 1980s record reviews in MRR and admiration for the record labels Bad Compilation Tapes and TAM89.
And just so I don’t feel like another jackass only trying to sell you something, in the spirit of the comp here are 5 international Hardcore Punk records I’ve been jamming a lot lately:
Judgement (JAPAN) No Reason Why 7” HG Fact Records, 1996
Neutron Bomb was the best two song Punk 7” of the 1970s, and this is the best two-song Hardcore Punk 7” from the 1990s that I can think of. It’s a perfect EP with ferocious drumming that was captured beautifully by this crisp recording. The riffing and the vocals dance on the top of it like only the best shit does. You should celebrate their whole catalog but this one is the crown jewel. Side note - why has no one put all the Judgement 7”s on a 12”?
Disclose (JAPAN) Nightmare or Reality 12”” MCR Company Records, 2001
Unlike fellow Japanese Hardcore legends Judgement who had a limited discography, Disclose put out a plethora of records in their decade-plus run. I’m sure there are some troo psycho punx out there who can jam 100 Disclose songs in a row and then somehow enter back into society to buy bananas or some shit at the store, but most of us have to pick our spots. As a poser of the blown out raw Punk genre, I’m pretty much just on board for the first album from the best of the best. For Disclose, that’s Tragedy, which I’ve dug for a minute, but this band is so good that it’s mandatory to at least poke around the catalog beyond the debut. In the late summer and fall, I was pretty much exclusively jamming the A Mass Of Raw Sound Assault 7”, but now as the weather turns, so do I, and as fall turns to winter, I turn from the A Mass Of Raw Sound Assault 7” back to the Nightmare Or Reality 12”. This is probably my favorite Disclose album, most likely because it’s the most palatable to my virgin, Bad Religion loving, ears. La Vida Es Un Mus did a nice repress of this a handful of years ago, so no excuses.
Aska Kask (SWEDEN) Med Is I Magen Rosa Honung Records, 1985
This record is soaked with melody but the rawness of the ‘80s sounding Punk drums keep it grounded. It's a great example of the recording being the fifth member in the group for some of these 80s bands. The singer walks the line between the two extremes, sometimes sounding really tuneful and sometimes sounding like he has a giant wad of phlegm stuck in his nasal cavity. Crucial.
Beton Combo (WEST-BERLIN) Perfektion Ist Sache Der Götter Aggressive Rockproduktionen Records, 1981
Now that you’re hooked on Aska Kask and need more melody soaked Punk that still maintains that old raw sound, don’t fret…I got you. Peep Beton Combo from West-Berlin. They started playing in the late 70s and had tracks appear on a live comp in 1980, but this is their first studio album and it rules.
The Onion Dolls (BELGIUM) The Kids/Hot Love 7” Twinkle Records, 1979
It seems like all the OG punk bands out of Belgium kicked ass. You probably know The Kids, but the Cell 609 7” from ‘79 and the Revenge 88 (Sketch band name alert - luckily a false alarm) 7” from ‘81 are both rad. My favorite 2-songer 7” from that era and region though is The Onion Dolls 7”. I discovered this band on the Bloodstains Across Belgium comp LP cuz their song “Hot Love” was on it. It rips but I like the A-side even more. “The Kids” rocks much like the early Saints material and with its nearly four minute run time, it’s not in a hurry to stop rocking anytime soon.
Back to the pitch…
That’s me holding a draft. Yours will ship by the end of the year. Tapes too! Thanks for the support!
- ZN
Cool project. Looking forward to the zine landing in my mailbox!
This looks awesome