Publication:
Profane Existence

Author:
Felix Von Havoc

Profane Existence 44
I had a good time at the 14th annual punx picnic here in Minneapolis. There must have been 200 punks in the park. I kept thinking to myself though. “how come we never get this many people coming out to punk shows?” For the past few years Minneapolis has been a very difficult place to set up DIY punk shows. In the 80’s clubs like the 7th St. Entry and Goofy’s catered to the new punk/hardcore scene and outside that the Garage Productions collective set up shows at Whittier Park. There were also shows at the Big House and other house parties. This pattern began to unravel when the 80’s HC scene started to fade away into grunge, metal and rock and the new hardcore/punk scene emerged. The late 80’s early 90’s scene was heavily focused on the 7th st. Entry Sunday Matinee. When First Avenue decided to stop doing all ages shows in the early 90’s the Sonic Warp Collective formed and started promoting all ages punk shows renting out the Heart of the Beast Puppet Theatre. After a good run of shows the shooting at the Oi Polloi show pretty much brought this to a halt. Things went really underground for a while, but the Emma Center, Speedboat, Whole and of course lots of basement/house shows filled the gap. Anyone who was around in those days can remember now legendary bands like Crudos and Drop Dead playing to like 10 or 20 kids in a basement.

When the scene got going again here in the mid 90’s there was a big rush of enthusiasm for punk after the opening of Extreme Noise. Out of this enthusiasm emerged a more confident, active and connected group of kids eager to set up DIY all ages shows. The result was a collective that opened the Studio of the Stars on the west bank and set up dozens of basement shows. After the Studio of the Stars was shut down by the city (due to complaints about noise and drinking) Myself and others set up the Bombshelter. This basement punk club hosted some pretty rad shows in it’s run. However, I started to get really burned out with booking shows. I got really frustrated with having to shake down kids at the door for money, breaking up fights, mopping up puke and trying to keep people from drinking in front of the venue. After the Gauze and Halloween 98 shows I figured I’d gone as far as I good in DIY booking and hung up my hat. I was so bitter and jaded I didn’t even want to go to shows any more. Luckily some members of the PE collective took over and started the Bombshelter back up again. This ended in tragedy though with the Police Riot that left the Bombshelter closed and many local punks beaten and jailed. Shows moved underground again to the basement of Extreme Noise, and house shows. Then more local punk/activists started the Insurrection Center which was more of a community center space than show space but still hosted some wicked shows until it closed.

Since the closing of the Insurrection Center there hasn’t been a true DIY punk venue in Minneapolis. A town that could probably support one. I had pretty much washed my hands of booking until I went on tour with DS 13 and Vitamin X and traveled across America from Sea to Shining Sea and saw how much other scenes had their shit together. Places like Mr. Roboto Collective, ABC No Rio, and Gilman St. really made me think that our scene was lagging behind and that all it took was people to get fired up and get their shit in gear and we could have our own DIY show space. In the summer of 2000 a lot of bands had to skip Minneapolis on tour because there were just no places to play. The day after I got home from the DS 13 tour I was walking down the block to get some Mountain Dew and saw a “space for rent” sign in a small local art gallery. I started asking around and found that there was an artists collective trying to put together enough people to rent out this vacant art gallery. The space was in the ‘hood just around the corner from the old Bombshelter and not the likely place for neighbors or cops to complain. I put money down on the space and quickly put the word out to organize a new show collective.

Out of this rush of activity the Independent Music Foundation was formed. This group aims to book all ages DIY shows with the goal of eventually opening our own all ages DIY punk venue in Minneapolis. You can read more about the IMF and it’s mission, check out flyers from old shows and read about upcoming shows at http://www.nosmallcompass.com/imf.html There was an initial “honeymoon period” in which lots of bands played the new space (Babylon art and cultural center) and lots of people were involved in the collective. However, after almost two years numerous problems, conflicts and disputes have emerged. I’m going to run through some of the issues and responses to try to help people get a better understanding of some of the issues involved in all ages DIY show booking.

When the IMF started it was composed of a very broad cross section of people from the scene into all kinds of different punk/hardcore music. Some of these people drifted away. Others got angry at the way things were going and quit. At this point our collective has narrowed it’s focus to a few subgenres of punk for a number of reasons. First and foremost is staffing the shows and the tastes of the collective members. Most of the people on the collective are hardcore kids, with a few people into street punk, indie/emo type stuff and more garagey punk, plus a little bit of METAL. Our collective does pretty good with hardcore bands with a big all ages draw. Our limitations are quickly reached when we branch out into more traditional punk rock, crust and am rep type noise rock. The hall we normally do shows at sounds like shit and is drug and alcohol free. Despite having a pretty decent PA, the fact that the hall is used most of the time as an art gallery means we cannot add any sort of permanent sound attenuation to improve the rooms acoustics. Also, it has been the policy of our collective from day one that our shows would be all ages, drug, alcohol and violence free. Our reasoning being that there are already plenty of places to see bands where drugs and alcohol and fighting are the norm. We wanted to create an alternative to the mainstream commercial youth culture where people could unite around the music in a safe non discriminatory environment. In the past the police have always used underage drinking as the pretext to shut down venues, and the fights that have gotten clubs shut down were always alcohol related. However, a significant segment of the scene finds punk music and alcohol inseparable. While most people have showed respect and not brought booze into the venue, or at the least been very discreet about it, others went out of their way to show disrespect to our policies by bringing in booze. Very quickly volunteers quit signing up to staff shows that drew a drinking crowd. No one likes being a cop and telling people who should no better to follow the rules. After a few months a lot of the staff from the punk end of the scene defected from the collective and the remaining (mostly hardcore) staff became less and less interested in booking shows that would require a lot of onerous volunteer time. I tried to address some of the biggest complaints (poor sound, bad location, no drinking) by moving some shows to the Red Sea Bar (Kylesa, From Ashes Rise) but a lot of people complained about that place too. The other big complaint is that our collective has a “nobody rides for free” policy at the door. A significant segment of the scene is used to getting into shows for free. This leads to a lot of frustration arguing with people who want to get in free and then having to deal with bumrushers and gatecrashers intent on getting in free no matter what the cost. Once again, no one likes to volunteer for a show where you spend half the night throwing people out and trying to shake down the anklebiters at the door. I learned a long time ago that the best way to get into shows for free was to start setting up shows yourself or to start a band.

Since this point most punk and crust shows have moved into either basement house parties or bar shows. The IMF collective has survived fine and still does quite a few shows but is very selective about the shows it takes on, passing on a lot more shows than it books. Our long-term goal is still to open a legit all ages club like Gilman St. or ABC No Rio that has all the permits, license, and other bullshit required by the city so the cops can’t shut it down and it will remain a permanent fixture for the local DIY all ages scene. However, that point is still a long way off. Since we started, the Triple Rock has built a new show room and is interested in doing some all ages shows. However, the economics of this place dictate that it is not cost effective to do shows that draw less than 100 people. And there are a very many shows these days that draw less than 100 people.

Which brings me to this, our scene needs a new show space that will meet the demands of the local punk and crust scene. People’s biggest complaints about the Babylon are the poor sound, no drinking policy, location in a bad neighborhood and high door price. I won’t argue that those aren’t all legitimate complaints. I think it’s time for the local scene to get organized and open another Bombshelter/Insurrection Center type punk show space that will go at least some way to address these complaints. I personally would like to see the Profane Existence Collective show some leadership and be an umbrella organization to get some new blood active in show booking. The zine has a wide local circulation and the message board gets lots of locals looking at it. I think these channels of communication could be utilized to get people together and start booking more shows as a complement to the shows already being booked by the IMF. Fact is there has to be a DIY alternative to shows that are too big to hold in someone’s basement and not big enough for the Triple Rock. Indeed, so few people are interested in doing basement shows right now such a space would pretty much have to take on all the shows drawing less than 100 people. I still think that in the next few years the whole scene could pull together to establish a permanent all ages venue, but I would hate to see another year or two of bands skipping the Twin Cities on tour and local bands reduced to playing bars and basements limiting their audience. I don’t personally think 21 over shows are very DIY and I would hate to see Minneapolis turn into a “bar punk” scene where younger kids can’t see bands and the message of the music gets totally overwealmed by the consumerist aspect of such shows.

Therefore I would issue this invitation to everyone who wants to see true DIY punk and crust shows in the TC. It’s time to get organized and start the ball rolling. And this challenge, to those who don’t like the way shows are being set up currently, it’s time to get organized and set up shows the way you think they ought to be done.


Record Reviews

No Time Left s/t 10”

Buffalo’s No Time Left are one of the most critically under rated hardcore bands in America today. These guys deliver a knock out cocktail mixed with equal parts of early 80’s hardcore, late 80’s SE hardcore, and mid 80’s boston style hard rock/hardcore crossover. The first No Time Left 7” Zero Effort Solution was one my top ten picks for the last few years of hardcore and this 10” is a pretty epic follow up. The savage thrash attack is on, with lots of punch, good shouted choruses and most of all wicked 70’s hard rock style guitar leads mixed with the thrash. I know that sounds wack, but foghat style breakdowns in SE thrash never sounded so rad and some of the bass lines remind me of Tony Erba’s blown out Grand Funk goes Hardcore rock influenced style. I would maybe compare it to Tear It Up, RNR, or Nine Shocks Terror but that’s just to put in some musical context. Lyrically Nick tackles a lot of issues, mostly dealing with the desire for social change, a better world, a better scene and the apathy that faces the rebel set on change. Each song lyric has a paragraph or two of explanations so you can see that there is more at work here than “coded messages in slowed down songs”. This is a powerhouse fucking record!
625 PO Box 423413, San Francisco, CA, 94142 www.625thrash.com

Career Suicide s/t

Abolutely over the top 1982 style raw hardcore punk. I would compare this to Boston Not LA era hardcore, early LA hardcore punk and old Canadian HC like Genetic Control and Stretch Marks. This is a perfect release for Kangaroo, totally raw in your face snotty hardcore punk in the early 80’s style the way Henk likes it. If you like 81-82 sounding stuff like Amdi Petersen’s Arme or Total Fury you will eat this up. 7 tracks, all very catchy, fast paced without going all the way over into 83-84 type thrash speeds. Really aggro vocals that sound like a pissed off teenager. I can’t recommend this record enough, one of the best I’ve heard all summer.
Kangaroo, Middenweg 13, 1098 AA Amsterdam, Holland

Final Bloodbath 7”
I think this is the second 7” by Japan’s Final Bloodbath. Wicked Japanese D-beat raw punk in the Disclose tradition. I would compare this especially to Hear Nothing era Discharge, Disclose and Clusterbombunit. Very fuzzed out raw production not unlike Disclose, probably closer to Discharge’s live sound than the production on Hear Nothing See Nothing Say Nothing. I think the most stand out part is the Bonesesque guitar leads and pick slides. I think their guitarist is willing to go a little further over the top with the leads than say Gloom or Disclose do. Their last 7” was also really good, and similarly had some wicked guitar work. Black and white cover with a pretty generic photo of the back of studded leather jackets, lyrics about government lies, and the fight for freedom for the individual in society. If you are a fan of the genre this is a must.
PaankLevyt, 1-4-9 TAS201,Hatanaka, Niiza, Saitama, 352-0012 Japan

Disclose the sound of Disaster cassette
Disclose have advanced over the past decade to become masters of the dis core genre. As far as I know they coined the term “D-Beat Raw Punk” and they remain the masters. Raw fuzzed out d-beat ragers in the Discharge, Shitlickers, Anti-Cimex tradition. Ostensibly Disclose has moved into some more Broken Bones influenced territory, but I certainly don’t hear it on this release. Instead it’s raw, raging, pummeling d-beat raw punk fury. I would compare the guitar sound to that of flesh sizzling at the touch of a branding iron. Vocals that sound like they are shouted out from the bottom of a deep well, bass and drums that pound like industrial pile drivers. And of course scorching Bones style guitar leads. Sick like a cancer ward.
Distort-PO Box 3400, Wallington CT, 07057
GOTA-POBox 511, Whippany, NJ 07981

Gouka 1 2 3 4 5 Chaos 7” ep
Fast paced aggressive Japanese hardcore. I find this bands sound kind of on the edge between the crustier raw punk bands like Framtid, Disclose, Contrast Attitude and Decieving Society and the more polished Death Side influenced bands. Like most Japanese hardcore this is tight, well played, finely crafted, bombastic, powerful and driving. Gouka’s singer has some raspy vocals that sound like they were recorded over the phone from jail. Solid catchy riffs and judicious guitar leads make this a tasty ripper on all counts. I think Gouka’s tracks on the Six Weeks Omnibus LP were totally mind blowing and this ep delivers more of the same raw punk carnage. Translators Note: According to Takashi of Sweet Jap Gouka means “luxury”
Partners in Crime, 6250 NE 6th Ave, Portland OR 97211

Fourteen or Fight, S/T 7”

Great hard charging early 80’s style hardcore from Chicago. Good raw catchy riffs, with lots of hooks and bite. A touch of melody keeps this from being full on thrash, but it’s still got lots of punk aggression. Excellent well thought out political lyrics addressing domestic violence by afgan war vets, economic inequality, consumerist youth culture and the struggle of the kids against the man. Ex MK Ultra and Charles Bronson, if you care, for the record it’s way better than Bronson and as good as MK Ultra. Opportunity’s Truncheon is a real standout track here, a really wicked guitar riff, pummeling dope bass breakdown…smokin’.
Lengua Armada, 1010 ½ Riverine Ave, Santa Ana, CA 92701

V/A Dark Thoughts 7”
For the most part Tribute Comps are disposable novelties. But every now and then one comes along that is just the right mix of bands with subject matter and each band does it right the first time. This is one such stand out comp. What Happens Next, Holier Than Thou, Caustic Christ and Municipal Waste pay their respects to the glory days of Corrosion of Conformity. Each of the bands is perfectly matched to the song and sound to which they pay their respects. Caustic Christ turns Radid Dogs into a crusty dirge that makes you feel like you just woke up hung over and beat up in a jail cell. Municipal Waste’s versions of Intervention and Minds are Controlled sound pretty close to the originals, but if you had blindfolded me and played me this without telling me what bands were on it, I would still have guessed Minds are Controlled was being done by the Waste. What Happens Next’s rendition of Prayer is out fucking rageous, Devon has the vocal style so perfect I wonder if there isn’t some COC Karoake going on in the studio. Holier Than Thou manges to make Citizen and Not For Me sound like they were recorded in Oxnard in 83. I swear they sped it up and added some sort of Ventura/Oxnard flavor that reeks of crossover left in the So Cal sun too long. Pretty radical cover art on this too. This is an All Killer No Filler release!!
Clay Newell, 6208 Mc Cullar, Haltom City, TX 76117

Minor Threat first demo tape, 7”
To most of us this material is pretty familiar, it all appears on the first Minor Threat ep and this demo has been bootlegged before. Regardless, this legit Dischord release sets the record straight with some nice new photos, purple vinyl and a proper mastering job. In my world Discharge and Minor Threat are the two best, most important bands EVER so any new material from these guys is better than almost anything else released this year. Bands come and bands go, but at the CORE there is early 80’s Washington DC style hardcore punk rock played by Minor Threat and the Bad Brains and almost everything else follows from these roots. Essential.
Dischord, 3819 Beecher St NW, Washington DC, 20007

Publication Date:
January 1, 2003

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