“Salad Days: A Decade Of Punk in Washington, DC (1980-90)” DVD (director: Scott Crawford)

The quintessential DC punk document

A welcomed and superb full-length documentary on the DC punk scene by longtime scene journalist Scott Crawford, “Salad Days” is as comprehensive as they come. Just about every major scene player is interviewed here, including Ian MacKaye, Henry Rollins, Thurston Moore, Dave Grohl, J. Robbins, Craig Wedren, Kevin Seconds, and tons more.  

As well, there’s an abundance of great live footage of all the bands, Dischord-based and otherwise (Positive Force and the straight-edge movements are discussed here, of course, too), including Minor Threat, Fugazi, Marginal Man, Embrace, Egghunt, Government Issue, Dag Nasty, Gray Matter, Beefeater, Holy Rollers, Soulside, and more. Detailing the beginnings and endings of the whole scene, from the earliest teenage days to the alternative explosion of the early 90s, “Salad Days” highlights the reverence and relevance that the punk scene had and continues to have today. It’s a loving portrait of the misfits and freaks behind the scenes making a difference and changing attitudes in a city where bureaucracy and corporate interests undermine basic humanity. For anyone with even a passing interest in classic punk rock and the idealism it embodies, this is a must-see. Superb!

MVD Visual

Peter Pan Speed Rock - “Buckle Up And Shove It!” CD

Rough & tumble punk metal rawk shit!

Dutch punk act PPSR don’t mess around. They’ve been around for 20 years, and this new album is a seriously intense burst of energetic and frenzied punk metal madness. “Get You High” starts things off with a sound reminiscent of Motorhead and Black Flag’s bastard love-child. Pretty damned sweet. And speaking of damned — the band’s superb cover of the Damned’s classic “New Rose” is instantly recognizable and most welcomed. Influences like these don’t lie — Peter Pan Speed Rock know their shit. “Whatever Man” sounds like a maniacal Henry Rollins-era Black Flag, which isn’t a bad thing, either. The rest of the album is just as unrelenting, too.

This album is PPSR holding their influences on their sleeves while making some heavy, balls-out rock and roll without pretense. I can get behind that. Great stuff!

PPSR site

Self Destructo Records Bandcamp

Meatmen - “Savage Sagas From The Meatmen” CD

Ugly, dirty, and ultimately great return from Tesco and friends!

The immortal Tesco Vee and compatriots are back with their first Meatmen album in 5 years, an the first of all new material in over 20! “Savage Sagas” doesn’t tidy things up neatly for the kids, though. Nope, it’s as offensive, raucous, and out of control as ever before. With such family-friendly tunes as “Pissed Hot For Weed”, “The Ballad Of Stinky Penis”, “Big Bloody Booger On The Bathroom Wall”, or “Rock ’N Roll Enema”, you know it’s gonna be fast, hard, and ugly. And it is.

“Men O Meat” opens it all up with 55 seconds of speedy garage punk. “I’m Gonna Fuck You Up” is an anthem of only a minute and a half. Yikes! Tesco, Danny Dirtbag, Hindu Kush, and Bun Length are certainly firing on all cylinders. Production is perfect — raw but clear, and these 20 songs turn in at a quick and bouncy 48 minutes. “Shecky Presents…” is a bit of a comedic interlude, but fear not, kids, as “Speed Kills (But It Sho’ Feels Good)” is a thrashy, metallic punk monster. This one takes me back to the classic days of hardcore punk — with all the subversive nihilism and attitude. I will never tire of this sound. All hail the Meatmen! 

Self Destructo Records

Tesco Vee world

"Punk In Africa" DVD (directors: Keith Jones and Deon Maas)

Superb look at African subculture

This thought-provoking and enlightening documentary traces the evolution of the underground music movement in Africa, from the anti-apartheid rock acts of the early 70s through multiracial punk and hardcore acts of the 80s, and into the modern day.

Obviously a labor of love, "Punk In Africa" is a comprehensive look at the beginnings of "punk" idealism in South Africa and Zimbabwe, where political dissent often leads to police harassment or worse. Bands like Suck, Safari Suits, and Kalahari Surfers were progenitors of modern day African music, melding Western styles with African attitudes and issues. "Punk In Africa" is packed to the hilt with old video footage and tons of interviews with those involved in this scene. It's a beautiful and inspiring look at a punk scene that isn't given the credit it deserves.

I was particularly fascinated how the music itself had developed, with present-day acts like Evicted or Fruits and Veggies being amalgamations of traditional African sounds with Western rock. But beyond styles, it's refreshing to see how music and the arts are still challenging the status quo in Africa, and are continually confronting political issues in these troubled countries. 

A superb documentary, and one anyone remotely interested in underground music should see. 

MVD Visual

Punk In Africa site

Enabler - "All Hail The Void" CD

All hail indeed! These Milwaukee-based terror-core kings (also known as Enabler MKE) here release their full-length CD debut after a number of split EPs and vinyl releases. Coming from a breakneck metal/hardcore direction, Enabler's 12 tracks run roughshod over the listener with seriously throttled riffs, huge drums, and scarred-throat vocals.

The only respite here in the whole 34 minutes are the track breaks. "FATH" opens it up with a moment of acoustic guitar before launching into a fearsome tirade of complex rhythms and guitar mayhem. "Speechless" is punk-metal that absolutely annihilates others who may have similar inspirations. "Fuck Today" has a math-metal breakdown that would make the mighty Meshuggah proud, even. Well played. 

There's not a whole lot I can say about Enabler's "All Hail The Void", aside from the fact that this is a smoking-hot debut from a band that could be among the best out there if they continue this trajectory. I am stunned.

(Southern Lord)

Enablerbook

Black Flag - "Live" DVD

This old VHS transfer captures the band in their Henry Rollins days, in front of a British crowd in 1984. It begins with a daring Rollins reading Henry Miller to the rowdy punk rock audience, certainly a harbinger of his future as a stand-up comic and writer/storyteller. Nonetheless, this soon devolves into a melee of abrasive and wild hardcore/punk, complete with a shirtless Rollins bellowing his lyrics like a feisty bulldog. The band, led by the innovative guitar of Greg Ginn, amply back up the charismatic Rollins, as they roar through classics like "Nervous Breakdown", "Slip It In", "Six Pack", "My War", and plenty more.

It's a fine document of an era long gone, and though watchers should not expect an HD-quality experience, this is a great and rare look at one of American punk's legends. And for Rollins fans, a place to see a thinner, long-haired Rollins in his more youthful, raw element. (Visionary via MVD Visual)

The best Black Flag site out there!

Corrosion Of Conformity (COC3) - "Your Tomorrow Part 1 & 2" 7"

This is the legendary reformed COC -- the lineup responsible for the "crossover" metal/punk holy grail "Animosity" from 1985. After some years with a major label, and several lineup changes, the trio of Mike Dean, Reed Mullin, and Woody Weatherman re-convene (sans sometime vocalist Pepper Keenan) to bring the heavy punk-meets-metal sound screaming into the 2000s here. Part 1 is a thick and sludgy Black Sabbath meets Black Flag assault -- with elements of doom metal sandwiched between speedy Greg Ginn-styled jazz-noise guitars. Part 2 adds another layer of guitar for an even deeper riff-o-rama. Superb and rocking material, and the best I've heard from COC in years! (Southern Lord)

COC official site

Harley's War - "Hardcore All-Stars" CD/DVD

Harley Flanagan is a founding member of veteran New York hardcore band the Cro-Mags, and Harley's War is his outlet for, well, more hardcore fraternizing with friends and associates (some from other bands like Bad Brains, Agnostic Front, Suicidal Tendencies, etc). That said, the music CD's first 12 cuts (the studio stuff) is pretty consistent -- streetwise, often violent, confrontational, and punk-oriented. Don't expect finesse, dynamic, or emotive songs that convey anything besides aggression or attitude here. The thuggy braggadocio of the nu-metal-style "Hardcore NYHC-OG" is pretty unnecessary, but the ramshackle bulldog-punk of "Last Days" is pretty intense, for example. This guy means it, even if nearly every song/assault is a carbon copy of the last. Harley's 1982 demos are cool, classic hardcore in the vein of Minor Threat, albeit with a slightly more metallic approach, perhaps. There's also a live CBGB show, exhibiting the raw, in-your-face aggression of Harley's War. The DVD has a load of live footage (from NY, Germany, and Japan, and with a variety of band lineups), a telling interview with Harley, in which he divulges a bunch of punk/hardcore history, a brief tour of legendary underground music mecca, CBGB's (with Harley and owner Hilly Kristal), a bunch of photos, and a promo video. It's really a huge amount of info, sights, and sounds, and successfully captures the steely, streetwise, and single-minded spirit of New York hardcore from one of the genre's founders. (MVD Audio)

Harley's Cro-Mags site