emily k(nits, watches, and writes) » dupage hardcore

a day’s refrain

emilyooo — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 06:47:11 +0000

It’s been a long time since I’ve done a music post. So. I am here today to share with you my favorite tracks from A Day’s Refrain. I don’t know all that much about them, except that they were from Jersey and played in DuPage quite a few times while they still existed. If I remember correctly they disbanded some time in 2002. I remember seeing one of their last shows in toddd’s basement. I may even have pictures floating around somewhere.

Anyway. Here are a few tracks from their self-titled album, released in (I think) 2001. Wow, 10 years ago. And it still sounds incredible.

A Day's Refrain

We Grow Numb

Rebecca

unreleased tracks from the nineteen of salem

emilyooo — Fri, 21 May 2010 03:56:48 +0000

Apparently people are noticing that I am posting old DuPage Hardcore recordings.

Neat.

So. I was contacted by a former member of The Nineteen of Salem, who subsequently sent me a few of their unreleased tracks in the interest of finally getting them out there somewhere for people to check out. I can’t tell you much more than that. So, enjoy!

Executive Order Number 9066

257 in the Afternoon

Richard

[explicit] from the step forward look west/fork knife spoon split that never was

emilyooo — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 00:25:10 +0000

So back at some point in the past, Step Forward Look West and Fork Knife Spoon planned on releasing a split 7″. It just kind of never happened, and at some point Eric Snyder (guitarist for SFLW) gave me a cd with the unreleased songs on it. Last week while I was back home visiting for spring break I met up with Ryan from SFLW/The DuPage Collective and picked his brain about it. Apparently they were going to outsource the pressing of the vinyl, but the guy they gave their money to disappeared. With the money. And this was after recording and printing the covers. But with the dude gone and the money also gone they forfeited the venture. I also believe not long after/during/whatever was when SFLW parted ways.

But.

Here are the tracks SFLW recorded for the split, posted with permission from the band. Enjoy!

We May be Old but You’re Fucking Boring:

If at First you Don’t Succeed, Keep Fucking Stabbing:

Song about Video Games.:

Four out of Five Indie Rockers Agree We Have no Fucking Talent:

If I had a Body like that I’d Bury it Out Back with the Rest:

Until next time.
ek

.five.fingers.half.a.hand. demo (1998)

emilyooo — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 03:45:21 +0000

It totally blows me away that people out there, particularly in Europe, still have a vested interest in old DuPage Collective releases. Even the people involved directly with the DC haven’t thought about some of these records in years, so the fact that these posts are peaking interest to people out in the vast reaches of the internet is mind-blowing.

I keep coming up with little things here and there that I think are worth sharing, as long as there still seem to be interested parties out there. These mp3s are from the demo of .five.fingers.half.a.hand., a band featuring members of a bunch of other DuPage bands. .five.fingers.half.a.hand. came about in the summer of 1998 and lasted until 2000.

I’m not sure where I got a copy of the demo, but here it is.¹

1. Similes and metaphoars are as useless as a $3 bill.

2. Goddamn bugs whacked us Johnny!

3. The commisar vanishes.

4. A one-way street to what the fuck is going on.

5. Don’t do it Allison Bly!

¹ Also, I’m not sure if the misspellings are intentional or not. I included what the mp3s were titled on my hard drive and I don’t have a hard copy to reference. ↑

step forward look west [nsfw]

emilyooo — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 00:57:17 +0000

I believe this is a 7″ that would be considered ‘self-titled,’ though there is something of a subject line underneath the band name on the record sleeve:

front sleeve

Oh and in case you couldn’t tell, this is a music post.

Ahem.

Step Forward Look West was a band out of the glorious DuPage Hardcore days, though towards the end of it. Well, at least the end of my time involved before I ran off to get numerous college degrees in other states (how dare I?!).

I seriously enjoy this record, still. I think it came out in 2002 at some point, and was recorded in November 2001. I know this because of the rockin’ silk-screened poster that came with buying the 7″. It’s seriously amazing, though too large for me to scan and share. Maybe I’ll take a horrible picture of it someday so you can see it in all its glory.

The names of the songs may very well be the best part of the record.

back sleeve

Now, prepare yourself for fast and loud. Explicit lyrics warning. And it’s probably worth saying that these tracks were ripped from a 7″ record using an ion usb turntable. And not ripped all that well, either. Well, that’s not true. They sound alright.

Side A-

1. a name on the board with three checks only means i can fuck up twice without getting in trouble.

2. you can’t spell “goonies” without the word “go!”

3. a disfunctional family is any family with two or more members.

4. one two three not it!

5. it’s open season on crybabies and you’re fucking next.

Side B-

1. i never thought i’d say the words “i hate you” and fucking mean it.

2. jesus, elvis, and the easter bunny walk into a bar.

3. alice don’t surf.

4. the tcri strikes again!

5. it’s like pissing in a shower with a slow drain and standing in a stagnating pool of your own urine.

Interesting how I believe I completely avoided using any profane words on this blog until this very post. And those profanities coming from just the titles of the songs.

Anyway, listen and enjoy.

Until next time.

The DuPage Collective

the lapis sanctuary

emilyooo — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 23:30:53 +0000

I’ve posted quite a bit of music in the last few days, and had planned on waiting for a while until I shared something else. But it’s my birthday so I’ll do whatever I want!

The Lapis Sanctuary was pretty much my favorite band. The 7″ they released with The DuPage Collective was probably one of the best records to ever be released during the Hayday of DuPage Hardcore.

The Lapis Sanctuary - Front Sleeve

The Lapis Sanctuary - Back Sleeve

I’m not sure how many colors were pressed, but I know that there were clear green ones. Because that’s what I have.

Lapis Sanctuary disc

The insert is probably my favorite part. I love the selection of art and the layout with the lyrics and text.

Insert, pg. 1

Insert, pg. 2

Insert, pg. 3

Insert, pg. 4

Insert, pg. 5

Insert, pg. 6

Insert, pg. 7

Insert, pg. 8

The quality of the recording is really unparalleled. I did my best to make the cleanest digital copy that I could, but let’s be honest. Nothing will ever sound as good as a record played on a turntable through a good set of speakers. But I think these recordings turned out well. The stereo mix is incredible. Such a good album.

1 – Fair-say Question Hearsay

2 – Render Nothing Sacred

3 – Demise of the Half-Empty

4 – In a World of Formal Handshakes …

5 – Functioning on Autopilot

I hope you enjoy this album as much as I do.
ek

the legend that was landmine

emilyooo — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 18:22:17 +0000

So there was this band. Three guys were in it named Blake, Drew, and Mark.

Brief History of Landmine

Landmine Cover

Landmine Sleeve Interior

Side A:

Side B:

The 7″, which took many years to be released, also included live footage of Landmine’s last set at Dupagefest 2001.

Part 1:

Part 2:

Until next time,
ek

The DuPage Collective

and now for something completely different

emilyooo — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 03:30:47 +0000

As some of you may know, I grew up in an area with an amazingly fun and positive hardcore punk scene. This was in the Chicago suburbs, specifically in DuPage county, one of the wealthiest counties in the fine state of Illinois (and of the whole country, to be honest). The burgeoning hardcore punk scene in DuPage was often picked on by the crusty, older, and questionably wiser Chicago hardcore kids, so the kids out in the ‘burbs proudly called themselves part of DuPage County Hardcore.

While going through my old 7″s lately I thought it would be awesome to share some of the music that came out of the hardcore scene.

The first band I’m sharing with you is The Nineteen of Salem. Their untitled 7″ was recorded in August of 2000 and was released by the band (Ryan, Andy, Jon, Karl, Tom, and Ty) and the DuPage Collective if I remember correctly.

The sleeve was screened by hand.

The Nineteen of Salem - Front Cover

The Nineteen of Salem - back cover

The insert includes pictures, lyrics, and explanations by the writer, Ryan.

Nineteen Insert, pg. 1

Nineteen Insert, pg. 2

Nineteen Insert, pg. 3

Nineteen Insert, pg. 4

The record was completely clean. The only way you could tell what side you were on was by looking at the inscription carved into the vinyl.

Nineteen 7"

Side A: Precious Little Angel

Side B: Nice Enough to Get Stabbed in the Back

Enjoy! Tune in for more DuPage Hardcore in the not-too-distant future.