ONE VOICE: AARON HUNSAKER

Better known in the hardcore scene as "Foeknawledge," Aaron Husaker's endeavors in hip-hop turned a lot of kids onto "hardcore" concepts like political awareness, animals rights, and drug-free living during the early 2000s.

After a long hiatus, Foekus jumped back on the mic last October to celebrate the Eleventh Street Electric Gallery's 3rd Anniversary. But with the man's busy schedule as a full-time father, yoga instructor and counselor to SLC youth, no one's sure if it'll happen again. Cross your fingers...

How were you introduced to the Salt Lake Hardcore scene?

I met some straight edge homies around town. I had just gotten out of jail and was over using drugs and drinking. These cats were cool and liked to play c-lo. We started chillin then they started dragging me to shows. I grew up on punk rock but had no experince with the more contemporary hardcore movement. I went to one show and was hooked.

Memorable SLHC moments?

Foekus and Cherem! It all started as a joke and the shit was way fun. Watching people get really wild while I was on stage was dope.


Favorite SLHC bands?

I like Reflect because they covered a 108 song. Mostly old bands though like Bad Yodelers and Season of the Spring. Cool Your Jets was pretty tight too...I don't know, lots of shit I guess.

How has the Salt Lake Hardcore scene impacted your life?

Well, I was an emcee who got into the vegan/straight edge, so I took a lot of social and political influence from hardcore that just straight up made me a better person. Plus all my best homies I ever had came out of the hardcore scene.

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

I don't really listen to a whole lot of new shit but if the band covers a 108 song or some shit, I will be stage dives and high fives all day. I like some of the new bands but I am more into the old sound. i have nothing to say really though, as long as people are having fun.

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?

ONE VOICE

One Voice asks 5 simple questions of people who've helped shape the Salt Lake Hardcore scene.

- Troy Trujillo - Eleventh Street Electric Gallery, Opened Up
- Mike Turley - XReflectX
- Matt Mascarenas - Reviver and so many more...
- Brook Lund - Aftermath of a Trainwreck, City to City
- Aaron Hunsaker - Foekus (and Cherem!)
- Josh "Spidey" Rathbun - Dogwelder, SLHC Blog
- Bill French - Cherem, 78 Days After Death, Deadfall, Up River

GCA VIDEO ARCHIVE UPDATED!

A whole bunch of new stuff over at the GCA YouTube site, so head over and check it out.

Here's a little sample...

FAREWELL XREFLECTX

MORNING AFTER: GCA ANNIVERSARY SHOW

Again, I can't thank everyone enough—you guys came out and made this show awesome and you guys continue to visit the site and make everything we're doing worthwhile. That said, on to the review.

The time constraints at New Song Underground are kind of a bummer, but it all worked out in the end.

Collapse started the evening off and tore through five songs in a little under 20 minutes. Hopefully we'll have the recording up soon because we're excited for you to hear it.

Seattle's xParasitic Skiesx was next and they added a welcome twist to the vegan-straight edge sound that everyone is accustomed to. They've got a 7" coming out on Seventh Dagger soon, so keep an eye out for that.

After that was Unrestrained from Portland, OR. These guys picked up the pieces of The Dead Unknown and took them to the next level. Their love of 90s hardcore shined through and made them one of the highlights of the evening.

Connecticut's Signs of Hope were after that, making their first stop in Utah since a Wild Mushroom Pizza show way back in the summer of 2006. The fast, traditional hardcore was the perfect anthem for the sing-a-longs and (could it be true?) circle pits.

Last, but certainly not least, was Salt Lake's own xReflectx. With this being their second to last show ever, the boys were in fine form—despite a few technical difficulties that were easily overcome. The band put on a solid show (as usual) and only showed how big of a void will be left in the Salt Lake City Hardcore scene once they're gone.

GCA ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY SHOW DETAILS

New Song Underground (850 South 800 East) has some time constraints due to their location, and since we're kind of lacking in available venues right now we're going to have to abide by their curfew to stay on their good side.

That means the show will start at 6 PM and end at 9 PM. Here's the breakdown of how things will go tonight:

DOORS - 5:30 PM - $8
COLLAPSE - 6:00 to 6:20
SIGNS OF HOPE - 6:35 - 7:00
PARASITIC SKIES - 7:15 - 7:40
UNRESTRAINED - 7:55 - 8:20
xREFLECTx - 8:35 - 9:00

xREFLECTx only has two shows left, so make sure you come out and show your support to one of the best local bands Salt Lake City has ever had. Sucks they're breaking up, but a wise man once said it's better to burn out than to fade away.

Up River CD's will be available so you'll be able to pick one of those up.

And did we mention free cupcakes? A few regular, a few vegan and all of them delicious.

See you tonight.

xREFLECTx CALLS IT A DAY

From the band's Myspace -

we have decided to throw in the towel. our last two shows will be tomorrow and july 16th. thank you to everyone who has ever shown support for us as a band and/or our local music scene.
-mike/reflect

GCA One Year Anniversary Show
THURSDAY JULY 9th
UNRESTRAINED
PARASITIC SKIES
SIGNS OF HOPE
REFLECT
COLLAPSE
@New Song Underground - 850 S. 800 E. SLC
from 6pm to 9pm $8

Our End
THURSDAY JULY 16th
THE SEPARATION
REFLECT
TO A CLOSE
+more tba
@Art Gallery - 1501 S. Main St. SLC

XReflectX - Tranquility from Grudge City Activities on Vimeo.

TONIGHT'S SHOW PARTIALLY MOVED TO BAXTER'S

Everyone make your way to Baxter's Cafe.

Reviver, Rebuilt and Horizons were kind enough to let Reflect and Tamerlane jump on their show.

Gaza had already taken all their equipment back to Layton, so they won't be playing.

But everyone should still head over and check out the show. It starts at 7 PM.

Baxter's Cafe 1615 South State St.

ACACIA STRAIN SHOW CANCELLED

Apparently The Acacia Strain's van broke down just outside of Las Vegas about an hour ago, so the show is a no-go. Sorry to everyone that was looking forward to seeing them, Gaza, Tamerlane or xReflectx.

All those bands will be playing again soon, though. So keep your eyes on the shows section.

And we wish The Acacia Strain luck at the blackjack table—er, I mean mechanic.

RIPPLExEFFECT FEATURES LIFELESS, TRIPHAMMER

The Ripple Effect blog, run by Mike Turley of XReflectX, has posted downloads of hard-to-find Lifeless and Triphammer recordings. Check 'em out now.

PARASITIC SKIES TO RELEASE 7" WITH SKINNED ELBOW

News from Joe Jackson at Skinned Elbow: "Parasitic Skies will be releasing a 7" on Skinned Elbow Records in June, which will be followed by a tour. They'll be having a 7" release show at the end of June in Seatle and will be playing Salt Lake in July."

We'll keep you posted on the progression of the record.

Parasitic Skies will be playing New Song Underground on July 9 with Unrestrained, Signs of Hope, Collapse and xReflectx.

XREFLECTX REVIEWED IN RED PULSE MAGAZINE

xReflectx
The Hourglass End
Skinned Elbow Records

xReflectx have been turning heads since their first show and the three-song demo they brought with them. The band shot to the top of the local Salt Lake City hardcore scene and even gained some international recognition selling the demo to people all the way from Japan. With its first full-length album, The Hourglass End, the band shows they are just getting started and haven’t even tapped into their full potential. Songs such as “1:11 a.m.” bend an already established genre in a new direction and vocalist Mike Turley has a style all his own. The emotion and raw honesty in “The Abandoned” only scratches the surface of what the five members of xReflectx might be capable of in the near future. If you’re looking for the future of Salt Lake City hardcore, this is the band to watch.

UPCOMING SHOWS

Salt Lake City

March 19 - Baxter's - Crooked Ways, Reviver, One Clean Life
March 31 - Club Sound - The Acacia Strain, Tamerlane, XReflectX, Gaza
April 8 - New Song Underground - Tamerlane, City to City, Dogwelder, Collapse, Impact
April 10 - Baxter's Coffee - Energy, Defeater, Reviver, One Clean Life
May 9 - TBA - Local Show*
May 30 - TBA - Local Show*

*Get in touch if you want to play either of these. The others are fully booked or not affiliated with GCA.

Ogden

March 14 - TBA - No Truce, Steel Nation, Water Board

Other not-directly-hardcore-related shows can be found over there to the right...

Tamerlane from Grudge City Activities on Vimeo.




xReflectx - Exile from Grudge City Activities on Vimeo.

MORNING AFTER: TIME FOR CHANGE

Time for Change, Convicted and Harm's Way were welcomed to Salt Lake City by 24 hours of straight snowfall. Thanks to everyone who braved the icy roads and an extra special thanks goes out to Josh for putting on the show.

XReflectX opened the show with the first performance of their epic song, 1:11 A.M., ever. If you haven't picked up the band's debut full-length, The Hourglass End, from Skinned Elbow Records yet, it's worth the money just to hear this song. Idanho also debuted some intense, axe-wielding, riff-smoking, crowd-slamdancing action, nearly upstaging his band's excellent performance.

The Windy City's Convicted and Harm's Way played next, sharing equipment and all but one member. Convicted impressed many with their intense brand of Napalm Death gloom, Integrity crunch and Cro-Mags structure. Harm's Way answered with a slightly rawer brand of Napalm Death gloom and Integrity crunch complimented by frenetic structures ala Infest. Rumors of ski-masked, crowd-moshing merauders turned out to be just rumors but both bands won over a lot of fans in Salt Lake. Special thanks go out to Chad Long for the color commentary.

Salt Lake's Collapse gets tighter and tighter with each show and tonight's performance followed suit. The band took a break from recording their forthcoming seven inch with Kevin Corkrey--who's also recorded Cherem and City to City--to play the show and gave a sneak preview of great things to come with the songs "My Last," "Rebuild" and "Collapse." (You can now hear these tunes at the band's MySpace Page.)

Southern California's Time for Change headlined the evening, carrying the torches of So Cal hardcore forebears Inside Out, Outspoken and Strife--fast sing-alongs, catchy two-steps and open-E breakdowns. While the band'll need a couple more SLC shows to sink their sing-alongs in, a cover of One King Down's "More Hate Than Fear" set the entire room off (Check it out below).

A couple snowball fights and some free coffee later, the evening came to an end. Thanks again to everyone who came out and Josh for making this show happen.

Time For Change - One King Down Cover from Grudge City Activities on Vimeo.

TIME FOR CHANGE/xREFLECTx SHOW - JANUARY 6th

Southern California's own Time For Change will be making a stop in Salt Lake City early next year, so clear your calendars.

TODD FROM STARKWEATHER SAYS THANK YOU

It was 40 insane hours. It was 2 time zones. It was 4 flights. It was one of the best shows Starkweather has ever played. It was one of the best shows ever because of you, not us. We were ragged, we fucked up, we were exhausted in sick from the altitude, but we were also given the opportunity to play in front of people that cared about us, people that felt, on a visceral level, what Starkweather was and still is about. There are the obvious thank you's; Nate for risking putting his money on the line, there was Clint who kept things organized on our end, Casey who apparently hatched this whole fucked up scheme, Trevor and the kind guys in Tamerlane who loaned us there gear, Jack for his bitter humor and for being the only only straight up thug looking motherfucker to ever have Nietsche tattoed on his neck, Mike for shuttling us from the airport to our hotel and for the kind words he shared with me, Brook from Este for his hospitality, Slug Magazine, the City Weekly, my brother Colin for the hotel rooms, food, travel expertise, and calm 'American Psycho' like demeanor, Mister Murren for properly representing da Bronx, and last but definitely not least, Jan Vermeerbergen for making the trip from Antwerp, Belgium, for being the ONLY guy who could get Starkweather to Europe, for putting out the amazing 'Croatoan' vinyl, and for providing endless humor when things got tense.

Not so obvious thank you's:

Every single person that walked through the door at Club Sound. You, and not us, made this show the success and amazing memory that it was. You made sure that Nate made his money back, made us feel like family, and whether you stayed for our set or not, you made us feel like the 20 year olds that we haven't been for a long time.

The Mormon Church for making it feel not so wrong to want to bang very young girls.

The Red Iguana for serving up the best fucking Mexican food I've ever had.

Pat the van driver, Club Sound and their soundman, xReflectx, and Sleeping Giant for bringing their sizable followings and for rocking the fucking house

X43X BLOG FEATURES XREFLECTX

X43X is run by Justin, singer of Portland's sadly-deceased Dead Unknown. The blog features info on and downloads from '90s hardcore acts from Chain of Strength to Torn Apart. It's mission: to make sure the era's awesome, hard-to-find hardcore doesn't go the way of the buffalo.

So it's fitting that he should feature our own XReflectX. Check out the piece here. And check out his new band, Unrestrained, while you're at it. They rule!

ONE WEEK AND TWO MORNINGS AFTER: STARKWEATHER

First things first. Thank you to the 400-or-so of you who came out in the cold to make this show so excellent. We appreciate the support more than we could ever express in words.

Thank you to Starkweather for coming all the way out west. I'm confident I'm speaking for many when I say I never thought I would see you perform and the show far surpassed my highest expectations.

We should all be thankful for Tamerlane, Sleeping Giant and XReflectX--three examples of the amazing talent and dedication that Salt Lake City has to offer.

And finally, many thanks to Slug Magazine, City Weekly, Red Pulse Magazine, Club Sound, Este Pizza, Greywhale Music and anyone who helped spread the word about the show by tacking up flyers, posting online bulletins or telling friends.

All that can be said about the show is that each of the bands played their hearts out. Fun was had by all and memories were made.

Videos and pictures will be posted for weeks to come, including an interview with Starkweather. These will give a much better picture of the evening than some hazy recap. Find pictures at the GCA Photo Archive and videos at the GCA Video Archive.




Tamerlane from Grudge City Activities on Vimeo.


Sleeping Giant - Dynasty from Grudge City Activities on Vimeo.


XReflectX - Tranquility from Grudge City Activities on Vimeo.

xREFLECTx VIDEO

Here's the first of probably many videos from last weekends show.

xReflectx from Grudge City Activities on Vimeo.