MORNING AFTER: BRAD HANCOCK MEMORIAL SHOW

This isn't going to be a typical play-by-play of the show the other night, because we're still trying to process everything.

In short, it was amazing. It was one of the most fun shows I've ever been a part of and I wanted to thank Blake and Jessica for everything they did to get it together. Thanks, also, to all the bands that played, everyone that donated raffle prizes, and everyone that showed up early and/or stayed late.

Seven Daggers, Close Grip, Despite Despair, Skeiff D'Bargg, City to City, Cherem, Aftermath of a Trainwreck, Tamerlane, Pushing Up Daisies and Clear were all fantastic and heartfelt appreciation goes out to each and every person in those bands for dedicating your time, energy, and heart to getting your sets ready over the past few months.

I, like most of you I'm sure, spent a long time yesterday searching Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and YouTube for pictures and videos from the show. You guys did a great job of being in the moment during the show, but also documenting it, so good job on that front. It's a hard thing to pull off these days.

If you have footage (of any kind) from the show, feel free to send me a link at trevorhale@gmail.com. I'd be happy to post videos and photos from the show up here over the next few days/weeks.

There won't be a lot of new content on GCA going forward, but there may be some. Dan and I didn't quite finish all the 101's we had planned, but we'd like to. Our goal is to finish the rest and roll them out over the course of a few weeks and maybe get them all collected into a zine at some point this year. Fingers crossed on that.

Thanks again to everyone that reads this site, commented and shared Facebook posts, came to the show, threw punches and kicks, and had a good fucking time.

Thanks to Byron (of Skeiff D'Bargg) for the City to City set below. Hopefully there's more to come.

SLHC MUSIC ARCHIVE: SEASON OF THE SPRING

We forgot to feature a Salt Lake Hardcore release from our archive on Wednesday so we're gonna drop this in place of our One Voice column this week. And the record is... Season of the Spring's 1993, self-titled full-length.

The album marked the culmination of the Bad Yodeler's 10-year run. After a number of releases under the Yodeler moniker, the band chose a new name, Season of the Spring, and recorded a full-length that epitomized the metal-meets-hardcore-meets-rock sound that it honed during the 80s. Sadly, it would be their final release. I can't speak for other Salt Lake City acts but I can vouch that this record had a major influence on my work in City to City.

Download

ONE VOICE: BROOK LUND

Brook Lund fronted some of Salt Lake's favorite/most-infamous hardcore acts: Dead Last, Carcano 6.5, Aftermath of a Trainwreck/Victims and the mighty Moshalicious. He handled vocal duties for Cherem on a tour that Billy couldn't make it out on, and most recently he played bass in the band City to City. He's also the proud proprietor of downtown Salt Lake's popular Este Pizzeria.

How were you introduced to the Salt Lake Hardcore scene?

I had been in to punk and HC since i was 11 or 12 from skate boarding videos, and Thrasher magazines. But I had never been to a true Hardcore show until i was probably 15 or 16. Then in the fall of 1998 Casey and Matt Whalie started bringing me around to shows on the regular. Sort of a weird time for shows in slc, great bands though. Seeing a show with Triphammer, Climb, Clear, and Lazarus Project about every other weekend.

Memorable SLHC moments?

There are so many good memories. There have been so many tours that at the time i felt like i was in sheer hell but looking back was amazing. Thinking back about any Cherem/Aftermath tour always makes me laugh.

Probably my best memory though was when about 30 of us went to 2001 Hellfest in NY.

Favorite Salt Lake Hardcore band? 

My most favorite band that has come from slc has to be Triphammer. I really enjoyed Climb too. I really have to give it to Reflect too. I dont think ive been as stoked on a local band since the days of Triphammer/Clear/ Climb.

How has the Salt Lake Hardcore scene impacted your life?

Just about everyone of my closest friends I have met though the HC scene. Everybody always talks about the violence of the SLCHC scene but they never talk about the true brotherhood. I truly believe if youve been shunned from this scene its something YOU did. Everybody i have met has never been anything but super sincere with me.

What are your thoughts on the state of Hardcore and its future?

Ive got one more year before Im allowed to be fully jaded, but really the current state of hardcore makes me sick. The level of insincerity is overwhelming. It may have always been this way and i am just now realizing it. The biggest thing is I think everybody needs to realize this is for fun, stop taking it so fucking serious! Its not a job. Its not a way to make money, its not a way to be famous. I look around at shows and see so many kids with such serious faces. SMILE HAVE A GOOD TIME!

POLL RESULTS: ALBEE SQUARE IS YOUR FAVORITE VENUE OF THE 2000s

You can't mention hardcore from the beginning of the 2000s without bringing up Albee Square. Just yesterday, a close friend of mine took a Facebook poll that asked him how he and I met and his answer was, "Probably at a show at Albee."  Blake and Scott brought in so many great bands (Integrity, Ringworm, Amendment 18... the list could go on for days) and there was always a sense that the venue was alive for all the right reasons. Salt Lake bands like Aftermath of a Trainwreck, Cherem, and Skeiff d' Bargg played some of their most historic shows in that big, lofty space.

The Vortex came in second. This makes a lot of sense since The Vortex was very much the Albee Square of the second half of the 2000s. Blake and Sias brought dozens and dozens of great bands and made just as many memories for locals. Salt Lake acts like Tamerlane, Up River, Cool Your Jets, Shutout, XReflectX, and City to City really got their start in that, once again, big, lofty space. And  the new generation of Ogden Hardcore bands journeyed south for the first times to play shows there. 

Thankfully, everyone remembers the Junction(s) in the correct light and chose not to vote for them. (Though there were some amazing shows at those places... Bad Luck 13?)

Here's the Top 3:

Albee Square - 31 (29%)

Vortex - 21 (20%)

DV8 - 18 (17%)

What are your thoughts?

POLL RESULTS: BEST GCA SHOW OF 2009

And the winner is... Tamerlane, City to City, Collapse and Dogwelder at Baxter's Cafe on April 8th.

4/8 - Tamerlane/City to City - 29 (35%)
9/18 - Broadway Calls/Reviver - 17 (20%)
5/8 - Life or Death/Dismantled - 13 (16%)
8/13 - Xibalba/Tamerlane - 12 (14%)
7/9 - Unrestrained/Parasitic Skies - 6 (7%)
4/19 - Braveyoung/Collapse - 4 (4%)

NEW VIDEO: CITY TO CITY IN OGDEN

Catch the whole set at the Salt Lake Hardcore Video Archive.

THIS TUESDAY! REVIVER, ONE CLEAN LIFE, CITY TO CITY IN OGDEN

CLINTON'S DREAMS (DURING CITY TO CITY'S RECORDING SESSION)

This explains a lot...

MUSIC TO BE DOWNLOADED: GCA MIXTAPE, CITY TO CITY, REVIVER, ONE CLEAN LIFE

A handful of records have gone up for download lately. Get your hands on em'!

GCA MixTape: Volume One - Download
City to City - Vision: The Complete Works - Download
Reviver - Versificator - Download
One Clean Life - 2009 Demo - Download

DOWNLOAD CITY TO CITY'S VISION NOW!

DOWNLOAD the complete works of City to City plus flyers, photos, lyrics, and assorted nostalgia:

1. Disgraces - Demo 2009 - Unreleased
2. On Affluence and Apathy - Demo 2009 - Unreleased
3. Vision - Demo 2009 - Unreleased
4. 9th and Broadway - Demo 2009 - GCA MixTape
5. Brain Dead, Blood Thirsty - Demo 2007
6. City Lights - Demo 2007
7. Holy Napalm - Demo 2007
8. Broken Knuckles, Broken Hearts - Unreleased
9. Disgraces - Demo 2007

So, download! And...

CITY TO CITY - THE MAKING OF VISION

To save you download time, we've decided to post the City to City in the studio documentary online. Vision will be up later tonight. Enjoy its making:

CITY TO CITY'S VISION WILL GO ONLINE TONIGHT! PREPARE TO DOWNLOAD.

Both demos. Studio footage. Live footage. Complete lyrics book. Flyers/Photos/Nostalgia. Chocked full of great, great memories.

HUGE GCA UPDATE! THE MIX TAPE COMETH AND MORE...

The first GCA Mix Tape will be up this coming Monday, December 7th at Noon! That's 11 unreleased tracks from Utah's finest. FREE!

1. Tamerlane - Dreams

2. One Clean Life - Hey World

3. Dogwelder - Smells Like Mean Spirit

4. To A Close - Up & Black

5. Reviver - New Lows

6. Collapse - Quicksand

7. Right On Track - You Were There

8. Dead As Lions - W.A.R.

9. Reach - Before It's Lost

10. City to City - 9th & Broadway

11. Glacial - Behind Your Beard

In other GCA news, Monday will also see the launch of 3 regular columns here on the site. First, the Salt Lake Hardcore 101 section will receive a major jump start. Every Monday you'll find a new article on a classic Salt Lake City band, label, shop, zine, or venue! Look out for Deadfall 101 Monday morning!

Second, we're launching the Salt Lake Hardcore Music Archive. Updated every Wednesday, this section will host a constantly expanding database of downloadable Salt Lake Hardcore classics... past to present. Tune in next Wednesday for the chance to acquire one of Salt Lake's most-overlooked/important/excellent records, the Better Way Demo!

And finally, every single Friday you'll find a new article by the name of One Voice. It will feature a 5 question mini-interview with those who've helped shape Salt Lake Hardcore Punk. Our first voice will be from Troy Trujillo (11th Street Electric Gallery, Opened Up).

CITY TO CITY - DECEMBER 22

Quite possibly the last time you'll ever get a chance to see this band. Mark your calendars.

And look out for unreleased tunes from City to City, Reviver and One Clean Life on the GCA Mix Tape!

SALT LAKE HARDCORE 101: SKEIFF D' BARGG

• Skeiff d'Bargg on MySpace

SDB's longest running line-up. Circa 2004.
Jake, Blake, Dan, Robbie, Little E

On a cold Fall evening in 2003, Blake Foard, Dan Fletcher and Eddie Golub sat around a table at the infamous Salt Lake Coffee Break. The subject of discussion? A new Salt Lake Hardcore band. Coming from Aftermath of a Trainwreck, Cherem and Tamerlane respectively, the trio sought to break from the more metallic sound of their other outfits and create something more aligned with the late 80s sounds of Slapshot and Judge. One or two practices later, the project dissolved.

Some months after that, Dan got a call from Blake. "Hey Dan," Blake said, "I'm doing a show for Integrity... you want to get that band back together and open?" Integrity being one of Dan's favorite bands he agreed, then proceeded to slamdance around his apartment air guitaring the opening riff to "Micha."

The two enlisted Jake of Aftermath of a Trainwreck and Trevor of Cherem on guitar and bass and dragged Skerv down from Ogden to play drums. The plan: to play fast, traditional, old school hardcore in Salt Lake City. This was a crazy idea to say the least considering it had been years since a Salt Lake band had attempted to write a song without a breakdown.

Another chance meeting at the Coffee Break would provide the band with its ridiculous name. Various members of the Salt Lake hardcore scene sat around a ring of couches. One of those in attendance, a guy named Andrew, struck up a conversation with a neighboring group of girls.

"Have you ladies seen the movie, Skeiff d'Bargg," asked Andrew.

"No, what's that?"

"You haven't seen Skeiff d'Bargg? Starring Terrance Jeffreyson and Honyierpo Fishpound?"

"Umm, no, what's it about?"

"Well, it's about a gang of Japanese bikers that go back in time..."

A few days before the Integrity show, the band was without a name. "Let's call it Skeiff d'Bargg," Blake said to Dan. "Okay." And the dumbest name in the history of Salt Lake hardcore was set in stone.

The show went off without a hitch.

Well, except that the band didn't know any of their songs except covers of Sick of it All's "Clobberin' Time" and Judge's "New York Crew" and kids mainly stood around confused over the lack of breakdowns. Oh, and when the band distributed the iron-on merchandise they made in the minutes before the show, Tyler of Aftermath got a purple, XXL turtleneck with kick me screened on the back. The set went better for Skeiff than it did for Tyler.

But Skeiff was born!

Rob Mini-Marts was brought in on drums shortly after and became an integral part of the band--by this I mean, the only part with the motivation to book recording time, make merch, write song and lyrics, etc. etc. Bassists included at one time or another "Kick Me" Tyler, Byron of Creation and Little E.

The band unofficially released a number of demos, most notably 2005's Jean Claude Van Demo, and recorded nearly 30 songs that would become This Is All We Know: The Skeiff d' Bargg Discography--limited to something like 60 or 70. (There would have been more copies but Blake, Jake and Dan decided to spend more time laminating garbage than making sleeves at Kinkos before the show.)

Anthems like "Drug Free for Christ's Sakes" and "Fuck the Cops" won the hearts of many, but continued to leave them motionless and confused by the lack of breakdowns.

Skeiff provided a soundtrack for many infamous Salt Lake Hardcore shows including the DRI riot in the DV8 Basement, the one at Albee Square where the homeless guy died in the street and the New Year's Eve show where the kid went into a seizure.

Perhaps the highlight of the band's career came when they convinced studio genius and hardcore veteran Andy Patterson to record vocals on a cover of the Cro-Mags' "Hard Times." The track was hidden at the end of one of the band's many demos.

Constant line-up changes brought Skeiff to a halt in 2005. Blake continued to play with Aftermath of a Trainwreck and went on to form Cool Your Jets, Gloves Off and Dismantled. Dan continued on with Cherem before doing time with First Blood, Gloves Off and City to City. Jake vanished. Robbie played with Shutout, Asthma Attack and worked on his solo project, the Vanilla Gorilla, before moving to Seattle where he plays in the band Media Mind.

Skeiff's music can be found at their MySpace page.

CITY TO CITY POSTS NEW SONGS

Check out a re-mixed version of "Vision" and the new song "On Affluence and Apathy" over at the band's MySpace page.

CITY TO CITY POSTS NEW SONG

Check out "Vision" from the band's upcoming split with Collapse on their myspace page. HERE.

MORNING AFTER: DOGWELDER'S RESURRECTION

Collapse has been working hard writing new music for their forthcoming split with City to City and as they debuted their new tunes, it was clear their hard work has paid off. The band has built a haunting, melodic sound atop the the chops its members honed with Salt Lake's fallen Cherem and Aftermath of a Trainwreck. Atop that, Richard's vocals get stronger with each show, combining the demonic screams of The Human Furnace with an oi twist along the lines of Blitz or Anti-Heroes.

The triumphant return of Salt Lake's heaviest band, both sonically and physically, Dogwelder, followed. In the two years since the band's last show, Joe Jackson of Shutout/Skinned Elbow Records has taken on the bass spot, Jason O'Hara (formerly of Classic Assholes) picked up the drumsticks and Jared, who is rumored to be the greatest electrician in Utah, came on as a second guitarist. The band's resurrection, and especially its new song, showed promise of great things to come.

City to City—fresh out of the studio and armed with three new songs—took the stage for the first time in six months and made everyone's night. The fast-paced, melodic hardcore of their old classics and the post-hardcore direction of the new material was a great mix. Sing-a-long's and pile-ons were in full effect and the band continues to prove that they are one of Salt Lake's finest.

Tamerlane. What more can be said about Tamerlane? Except maybe that they need to finish and release that album they're sitting on and play more shows.

Dogwelder

Dogwelder - 4/8/09 from Grudge City Activities on Vimeo.

City to City

City to City - Disgraces - 4/8/09 from Grudge City Activities on Vimeo.

Tamerlane

Tamerlane - New Song - 4/8/09 from Grudge City Activities on Vimeo.

NEW-AND-IMPROVED GCA VIDEO ARCHIVE

We're working on getting a GCA YouTube channel up and running (there's a link in the sidebar called GCA Video Archive). It's a work in progress, but we can upload more videos to YouTube than we can to Vimeo, so it's moving pretty fast. Keep checking back for more.

Full sets from Cherem, Collapse, City to City, Dogwelder, Tamerlane, Gloves Off and Aftermath of a Trainwreck, as well as, songs from Dismantled, Cool Your Jets and Bring the Gallows are already up!

THE GCAcast DEBUT!

Download MP3 in Zip Format here. Slow connections.
Download MP3 here. Fast connections.

The debut of the GCA Podcast features a Dogwelder interview, a sneak preview of the new City to City recordings and hilarious discussions about Integrity, celebrity nudity, Opened Up, Warren G, Aftermath of the Trainwreck's lack of lyrics, Lady Gaga, Casey's deep love of Tamerlane, why prudes don't shop at Whole Foods, IBC Root Beer, the Ukranian Police Force and why it's Tom's fault that Casey was late for his soccer game.

The GCAcast will be up on iTunes pending approval so you will be able to subscribe to it soon.