Everyone Loves OTMOP right? Want another demo track?

Seriously, everyone loves On the Might of Princes right? I don't listen to the albums nearly as much as I used to be even just a thought or mention of the band's name fills my head with so many thoughts and emotions. Who I was and where I was in my life when I discovered this band and how fortunate I felt to see a band this incredible from the beginning to the very end and even into reunions. But most importantly I am transported to a time and place in Long Island DIY that is long gone. And while there are great bands, great venues, and great people today doing stuff on Long Island for me on a personal level nothing feels like it used to back then. And I guess this flier that I am posting here today is a perfect example of what I am talking about. My buddy Steve booked a show at the Local 7 space to raise money so our mutual friend and someone who had given so much of himself to the Long Island DIY community, Jon Contra could be able to have his soon relocated from Florida back to Long Island. Specifics don't matter but what matters is that the Long Island DIY community came out in droves to have music lead to having a very positive effect in the outcome in someone's life away from the bands, basements, zines and potlucks. Sometimes we wrap ourselves up so much in the music, the ideas, the friendships, etc that we forget about the real world and it was awesome to see everyone come together to help a friend. It was such an honor to be playing this show which for me a I really felt was one of the high marks of the Long Island DIY community. In addition to On the Might of Princes, Contra reuniting, Regarding I, Latterman, The Backup Plan, and my band Yes Sensei, Scent of Human History played. This was a night that I will always remember not only for the great music but for the great reason that the show happened and how it was able to help.

For some audio content I have decided to upload a demo version of the On the Might of Princes song "Water vs The Anchor" that appeared on the Creep Records CD compilation The Last Stake Has Been Driven. It was recorded at The Creep House but it is a completely different recording than the version that appears on Where You Are and Where You Want to Be. I imagine when asking fans what is the song that best defines On the Might of Princes, and some will say "For Meg" and others, like myself will say "Water vs The Anchor". I say that because it is the song that hooked you in right away long before the album closer even came through your speakers. Everything about "Water vs The Anchor" is perfect as it showcases all the different musical genres that the band was primarily influenced by and it had great lyrics that were absolutely anthemic in nature. So check out this earlier version as I am not sure how circulated this comp that it appeared on was.

Download ON THE MIGHT OF PRINCES "Water vs The Anchor (Demo)"

Five Days Late "A Few Words For Thought" cassette (Ruckus Records/1999)

This is going to be a real short one today. But all you need to know are two words: pre Latterman. 'Nuff said

Hey Latterman fans here is one more piece to the puzzle in your collections. And no I am not selling this... Here we have the only release from Five Days Late which was three fourths of what went on to become the original line up of Latterman. Five Days Late consisted of future Latterman members Matt Canino (bass/vocals), Phil Douglas (guitar/vocals) and Dan Sposato (guitar), with George Dehaven playing drums. A Few Words for Thought isn't too far off from what early Latterman sounded like with a heavy influence coming from bands like No Use For a Name and Face to Face. Even lyrically it touches on some of the same things that Latterman did in those early years. I know right now somewhere if they hear about this post, both Canino and Douglas are putting their hands to their faces wondering when I'll be done bringing  dusty nuggets out of the past. I think this is it. Or is it...............

Five Days Late A Few Words for Thought track listing
1. Explanation
2. Falling Back
3. How Many Days
4. Starting Point
5. They Are Gone

Download Here

Kiwi "Anarchists Have More Fun" CD (Burn It Down Rebuild/2003)

"This is about having a good time with my friends". Well said Kiwi.

Kiwi was a DIY synth pop/punk band that existed from around 2002 to maybe sometime in 2004. It was originally a duo that consisted of Matthew Winn (Wildebeest/The Fish) on synthesizer and vocals and Jesse Vargas (The Life of Crime/Jack Bandit) on drums/vocals. Later on Mike Campbell of Latterman/Grid Iron/The Brass played bass to turn the duo into a trio. I believe someone else played bass briefly but I am not 100% certain of that or whom it would've been. Kiwi played really fun, dance inducing bouncy synth pop that lyrics that centered around the exuberance and idealism of youth and DIY culture though there was also heavy political tinge to the lyrics that touch on consumption culture, corrupt politics, battling racism, sexism, and homophobia and of course songs about the fucking pigs. Mixing this rather serious lyrical content was dancey, grooving rhythms propelled by airy sounds of synth Kiwi certainly upheld the argument that, yes anarchists do indeed have more fun. Musically speaking if you dig stuff like Devo, Atom & His Package, Robotnicka, Math the Band and even local new wave synth driven locals Space Robot Scientists then chances are you'll dig Kiwi and their full length album Anarchists Have More Fun. It should be noted that the cover I have posted here is actually the cover of the booklet; as the cd and booklet were each housed a unique hand sewn printed fabric sleeve. Each one was different, mine came in a American flag print. I have seen some in flannel and even printed Cowboy art fabrics. Fucking tight.

As far as other releases are concerned to my knowledge the only other release Kiwi had was a split cd with The Lazer which I do not own so if someone out there could share those tunes with me I'd appreciate it. Kiwi were always fun and in hindsight they were the ultimate basement band. Listening to this cd right now makes me want to call them out of retirement to come and play show in my basement. Of course that wouldn't happen. I have to say one of my favorite experiences seeing Kiwi was at some basement in Northport where Jesse Vargas the band's drummer didn't show up but Matthew Winn and Mike Campbell forged ahead by recruiting Ryan Nadieau from Guadalupe/For Those Who Can Not Wait to join them for a unrehearsed impromptu set. Nadieau had never played the songs but fucking nailed it. It was such a fun performance; everyone was dancing and having fun. For me it came at a time in my mid 20s where I was starting to feel out of place at basement shows and just within punk in general but all of that was washed away with such a fun and care free set that Kiwi put on that night. Indeed it certainly was about having a good time with your friends.

Kiwi "Anarchists Have More Fun" track listing
1. Hopping Fences
2. With Friends Like These Who Needs Sleep?
3. All They Can Offer Us
4. We Don't Need No Borders, Let the Revolution Burn!
5. Honor Among Thieves
6. We Hate the Pigs Cause the Pigs Hate Us
7. Hopes, Dreams and Fears
8. Fun House Mirror
9. Who Needs Who?
10. Vitamins and Minerals
11. Dance on the Graves
12. Clap Clap Clap

Download Here

Life Rocks "Ours Minds Are Made Up-There's Going to Be Trouble" CD (Burn It Down Rebuild/2004)

I think I have been pretty clear before about how much I despise folk punk. I never got it. I never understood the fascination with early Against Me or any period of Against Me for that matter...so I imagine it is a bit of a surprise to be sharing this album because Life Rocks and their lone release Our Minds Are Made Up-There's Going to Be Trouble is definitely a folk a punk album, make no mistake about it. Perhaps I give my friends a pass? Or perhaps there are actually some good tunes on the release? I am not known for just liking a friend's project just to be a nice guy because really how is that being supportive of their art by just just being a yes man or a body in audience. There enough pairs of deaf ears to go around why be another.

For those unaware Life Rocks was a project that consisted of Matt Canino (Latterman, Rvivr) and Ian Campbell (Bent Outta Shape) and it was a folk punk project where most of the tunes were focused around two acoustic and two sets of vocals, though there were a few numbers that involve more of traditional electric indie rock set up which are ironically some of the strongest offerings on the album. The songs generally feature poorly tuned acoustic guitars with shouting vocals that at times struggle to stay in key but that is pretty much what the whole charm about folk punk was right? The lyrics are generally focused around a very idealistic, youthful Peter Pan kind of thinking that I have hard time relating to any longer. Out of all of the releases I have shared thus far this is the one that I don't think has aged well as with me as a whole where I can spin it in any regularity BUT with that being said I do certainly believe there is still merit to be found. And more importantly, I know there a fans of both Matt and Ian's related bands who have never heard this and may appreciate it so that in itself is more than enough reason to share. Our Minds Are Made Up-There's Going to Be Trouble is a very honest document and proclamation from two young artists at a time where these songs and the ideas shared were very much alive not only in themselves but the people around them. The Long Island that is sung about in these songs seems like a world away and is just a very different place son in that regards it is hard to relate to. That isn't say that Long Island today doesn't have its own brand of dreamers and scene makers or what have you but there is no arguing that it is totally different. 

Life Rocks "Our Minds Are Made Up-There's Going to Be Trouble" track listing
1. Platt River Vs Long Island Sound
2. Stay Warm, Sweet Dreams
3. Expressways and Empty Skies
4. Smile Real Big
5. Dear Friends
6. North Shore Blues
7. Peanut Butter Garlic Hot Sauce
8. Mountains & The Beach
9. South Shore Blues
10. Keepers of the Fabled City
11. It Takes a Little Bit of Skill and A Little Bit of Not Giving a Fuck


Download Here

Grid Iron "Demo" cd-r (Diner's Club Records/2001)

Initially started as a side project when original Latterman drummer Bryce Hackford had a desire to get out from the behind the kit and it in front of the microphone and guitar amp 'ala Dave Grohl; Grid Iron quickly turned into a full time local band regularly playing shows and doing a few recordings in the process.  Grid Iron played jagged guitar, gruff vocal driven indie rock/emo punk that reminded me of bands like Jawbreaker, Jawbox and very early Karate crossed with 90's emo/punk hybrid stuff like DBS. Eventually, wanting to focus on Grid Iron Hackford left the Latterman fold to be replaced by original Grid Iron drummer Pat Schramm. Funny how things work out eh? On the four song demo Grid Iron was comprised of Hackford on guitar/vocals, Schramm on drums and Chris Cerrone on bass and vocals. After Schramm and Cerrone both left at different points that were replaced by Adam Kuhn (Fellow Project, Small Arms Dealer) and Mike Campbell (Latterman, The Brass) respectively and recorded another cd-r demo as well as a full length CD called "Quieter, Confider" on Burn It Down/Rebuild. Shortly, after the release of the album the band dissolved with members moving on in different directions. A bummer I always enjoyed watching them play and they usually played shows with Yes Sensei which was always fun. We even planned a split cd that never happened for whatever reason, most likely because we took forever to record. We started recording for it than our first bass player quit with that recording being scrapped and most of those songs ended up being re-recorded for our second full length We Who Transplant Sustain. Anyhow...back to Grid Iron, if anyone is interested I do still have a couple of copies of this demo in my distro as well as copies of their full length Quieter, Confider.

Grid Iron "Demo" track listing

1. "Second Song"
2. "Jazz Age"
3. "Tarry Under Docks"
4. "Crater Basin"


Download Here

Latterman "None of These Songs Are About Girls" cd-r (self released/2000)

Today's post will be a quickie due to being a bit short on time but also because I also recently profiled Latterman when I uploaded their demo which hopefully everyone has enjoyed. Oddly enough even though this self released ep came out after the demo only one of the five tracks here were later re-recorded, unlike the songs on the demo, which I suppose makes the tunes here a bit more of a rarity. I'd wager that most Latterman fans never even heard of this ep much less the songs on it.

None of These Songs Are About Girls starts off with the song "There's Never a Reason Not to Party" which to me is "the" Latterman song. It was later re-recorded for their first full length album, Turn Up the Punk We'll Be Singing but I think I prefer the version presented here. I generally don't like re-recorded versions of songs, as there is usually a spark missing that made the original version great. The other tunes on this ep are pretty solid as well, with "Matt Galante's Got It Right" and "Saving Private B" being the stand outs aside from the opening track. "Matt Galante's Got It Right" was also released on volume 2 of the Waggy Fanzine comp CD which if you are looking for physical copies of these tunes will be easier to track down than a copy of None of These Songs Are Bout Girls. I am not sure how many were made but I'd wager no more than 100 and maybe that is even a stretch. Latterman fans fear not I have a few more pretty rare barely known releases that I will be uploading soon.

Latterman None of These Songs Are About Girls track listing
1. "There's Never a Reason Not to Party"
2. "We're Not Having This Argument"
3. "So, It Was a Drag huh?"
4. "Matt Galante's Got It Right"
5. "Saving Private B"


Download Here

Fuck Cops "Demo" cd-r (Burn It Down Rebuild/2003)

Today's post while was certainly going to be posted at some point, is going up as per request of Mac over on Viva La Vinyl. So here you go and enjoy! There was a period (and I guess it still prevails but truthfully "scene" happenings haven't been on my radar for some time now) where good, solid hardcore with thoughtful lyrics gave way to a brand of of melodic "hardcore" nonsense singing some white boy suburban blues that seems to be all the rage on Long Island. I mean what scene doesn't need nearly two dozen Lifetime and Kid Dynamite rip offs? Ugh... Anyhow in 2003 a very short lived band called Fuck Cops (aka The Local Conservative Commission)  was forged by members of Contra, Latterman, Fellow Project, and Grid Iron to remedy the situation and makes Long Island Hardcore not be a four letter word even for a short period of time. Growing up on bands like Dead Kennedys, Born Against and then local hardcore bands like Campaign I could never get into these so called hardcore bands that were popping up all over Long Island that just sang about girls breaking their hearts or whatever the fuck. And while I certainly had my brush with youthful idealism I don't think I ever really thought punk and hardcore lyrics could change the world or whatever but I did (and still do) like that idea of using the form as a means of exchange ideas and being a launch pad for young people to express their anger for shit going in the world. Because look around-there is a lot to get angry about and think those things should be discussed by whatever means necessary, so why not song form? And that is one thing that I just couldn't wrap my head around. Post 9/11 there was even more to be angry about, yet it seems no one was angry enough or wanted to us the forum of punk and hardcore to be a forum to confront or discuss any of that. Long Island "hardcore" seemed content just having a good time and while I support a good time as much as anyone else I also appreciate music and art that has substance. So I guess what I am saying, while I generally am not into preachy types of music or art- I DO appreciate and enjoy music or art that challenges perceptions and goes against the grain. As far as I am concerned the grain on Long Island for too long was hardcore that wasn't all that hard and Fuck Cops were just the edge that was the opposite of what was going and that spoke to me very loudly.

So yeah with a name like Fuck Cops you can certainly expect very political, heavy, metallic at times hardcore. Fuck Cops was short lived but they certainly played a important part in the vibrant DIY punk/hardcore scene on Long Island in the early 2000s. And while most will discard on the basis of being political-for those who were there can attest to how active the scene was with challenging bands of varying genres/sounds but decidedly punk in their actions, and how basement shows, zines, activism and organizing flourished in this period. And Fuck Cops and their members certainly played a huge role in all of that. Thank you Fuck Cops for the brief but rad memories.

Fuck Cops "Demo" track listing

1. "Song Luke"
2. "Song Paul"
3. "Song Mary And The Immaculate Conception"
4. "Song Matthew"


Download Here