This past weekend, we went up to the Bay Area to Manic Relapse. It was a good time had by all (although I don't remember much of Saturday night). Anyways, Mario was there with his trusty camera to take a few pics of some of the bands. Here's a few of the ones he managed to take.
Apriori , Manic Relapse III @ WRC
Apriori, Manic Relapse III @ WRC
Ausencia, Manic Relapse III @ WRC
Korrosive @ Los Globos
Apriori, Manic Relapse III @ WRC
Morpheme, Manic Relapse III @ WRC
Somebody take me back in time to this weekend! Normal life is just too boring at times...
I'm fairly new to the photography thing, but I do enjoy snapping pictures of Punx doing their thing. Also pictures of other cool stuff I see in LA or On tour in other cities. I'll try to be consistent with my posts, that's if I'm not too busy being a BOZO. - Mario
I've written about BED BUGS before (you can see what I had to say about that here), but was unable to upload anything really, because their demo had not been officially released yet. Well, I finally managed to pick up their demo tape at their last show with ORDEN MUNDIAL in South Central LA. Killer hardcore that's hard as fuck and never really lets go. While this tape is really good, to really appreciate this band, you just have to see them live. Luckily, they have several shows coming up and they play somewhat often around LA. Check them out March 4 w/ WHO KILLED SPIKEY JACKET?, SSYNDROM, PRIMITIVE PACT, and MUTANT ITCH in Temple City.
GENERACION SUICIDA will be doing a mini tour through Mexico this upcoming week. Venues and info below:
Feb 12 - Tijuana @ Mods Bar
Feb 13 - Guadalajara @ La Kalaka Bar
Feb 14 - DF @ Libelula
We're pretty stoked about this upcoming tour. Mexico has been in the spotlight these past few years thanks in part to a bunch of awesome bands that have been coming out of there. Here a few of my favorites:
TERCER MUNDO
Brutal hardcore! I feel like pretty much everyone loves this band, and for good reason! Too bad I missed them when they played LA, but at least we got to see them when we played together in DF last year. I'm sure you've probably heard this already, but in case you haven't, check them out here.
MUJERCITOS
More raw hardcore from Mexico. This band has members of Inservibles and Muerte. Pretty excited about playing with this band on the 14. It's going to be an unforgettable Valentines Day with MUJERCITOS! You can listen to them (and download their great 2014 demo) here
INSERVIBLES
Speaking of Inservibles... This band is amazing! Hardcore with super reverbed out vocals. Think of nasty, noisy hardcore, mix it with the CRAMPS, and turn it all extra gloomy and you get INSERVIBLES. I'm extremely happy I got to see them play last year in DF. I haven't wanted to puke after seeing a band in so long, but INSERVIBLES got me to that point haha. You can download the 2011 LP here (now you can puke at home too!)
LOS MONJO
Lets not forget this band! LOS MONJO have been doing the whole ESKORBUTO style punk thing for a couple of years now, and they are the masters at what they do. But to compare them just to ESKORBUTO would be a disservice! These guys play a style that is essentially dirty rock n roll that is both melodic and catchy. To really experience it though, you just have to see it live. The closest they've gotten to the states is Tijuana, but rumor has it they may finally be crossing into the USA this year. Lets keep our fingers crossed... Download their LP here
That's just 4 bands, but really there are so many more and I just don't have time to list every single one. Here's a couple of more that I can think of real quick: PUTAS MADRES, MUERTE, AVICHINES, CREMALLERAS, CRIMEN, ZOTZ, NARCOESTADO, etc...
Before I leave, check out this amazing video of MASSACRE 68 and ATOXXXICO in 1994. Sooooo epic!
This fog's got me in a cool post-punk groove, as of late. You know the feeling. The kind where you just want to wear your sunglasses after dark and listen to upbeat (yet gloomy) music. Enter PLEASURE LEFTISTS to fill the void for that music. This tape compiles everything they've released up to 2013 and it's great! Dark post-punk that's both at times brooding and upbeat. They played in South Central about a year ago (which is when I get this tape) and they were great (except for a few minor technical difficulties). I saw them again recently and they were even better the 2nd time around. Anyways, slick your hair back, put on your peacoat and walk into the fog with this tape in your walkman.
I got this tape from el rey de ratas himself, Rafa, in a trade a while back. It came along with a bunch of other cool tapes such as the AVICHINES demo and a really cool mix tape that has nothing but great punk hits from South America (if you want to download that mix tape, you can get it here). EXTERMINACION play blown out, nasty hardcore, and it is fuckin killer! I don't know too much about the band, but from what I've gathered, they are from Colombia and as far as I know this is their only release and it came out in 2011. That kind of sucks because that was 4 years ago, and as I know, a lot of things can (and do) change in such a short amount of time. I really hope this band is still together and has more releases that just haven't made it into my hands yet.
I ripped these recordings from my tape, but I was unable to break up the tracks. Either way, the songs start right away, so it's not too bad.
About 2 weeks ago, GENERACION SUICIDA went on a mini trip to the bay area. It was an interesting trip for me, mainly because the whole time I thought I would be rendered blind at any moment. Let me start from the beginning. About a month ago, I went to the optometrist just to get contact lens exam. However, upon closer inspection, the doctor told me with a frightened expression that my retinas were tearing and had been for some time. Holy shit, my retinas were about to detach. She recommended I see a specialist immediately just to make sure I didn't need surgery. So for the next two weeks after that, I spent every waking moment with the constant fear that any little sneeze, cough, bump, or loud vibration would cause my retinas to become detached. I was finally due to see a specialist the Monday after our bay area trip, so I wasn't in a very upbeat mood the whole time I was in the bay. Anyways... On that Saturday the show was great. Oakland never disappoints that for sure! All the bands were great. TORSO, ISOTOPE, SYNDICATE, and ACRYLICS were all killer! While I tried to be chill through out the show (so as to keep my eyeballs and retinas in their sockets), I did manage to pick up the SYNDICATE demo. This is a really cool demo. Melodic punk in the vein of bands like NEON PISS or NUCLEAR SPRING. I don't really like to compare bands to other bands, but that's exactly what I just did haha. The demo has a raw garage feel as well, something I dig as I don't really like overproduced band recordings. As with most bands in 2015, they have a bandcamp, so you can download all their stuff from there (for free or if you can pitch in a few bucks. It really helps DIY bands!).
Oh, and in case you are wondering, my retinas are fine. The doc took one look and calmly said, "your retinal tears are old and healed on their own already". No surgery required. Hell yeah, I was so stoked to put away that "Braille for Dummies" and wooden cane away... for now.
