While the technic's spin, the wax is on the melt.

Before I head to work, here is one of my favorite albums "Critical Beatdown" by the Ultramagnetic MC's on Next Plateau, featuring Kool Keith before he took on Dr. Octagon and all those alter egos. This album was super influential on the New York hip hop scene and will always be considered a classic. This album is also one of the most commonly sampled and referenced to albums in modern hip hop. I always wanted to start a band named Critical Beatdown, I think it would be perfect for a hardcore band.

Listen to Kool Keith killing it on "Watch me now, enjoy!:

Before I leave for Backtrack...

...How about some more Backtrack?

Here's my copy of "Deal with the Devil" on Red, a fantastic release. In some ways I like this release more than "Darker Half". I know this is a second pressing but I'm not sure how many were pressed on red. This 7" has awesome artwork, I mean can you really go wrong with any Spoiler art?

Remembering the Tsunami - 1 Year Later

So exactly one year ago today was the Earthquake and Tsunami in Japan. I will never forget where I was when I first heard. I was at the Catalyst in Santa Cruz, CA seeing Evidence and Fashawn when they announced on stage what had happened. The whole atmosphere of the show changed after that and it was much more solemn. Here is a sealed copy of "The Weatherman" by Evidence, found it for only $5, ironically at Streetlight Records in Santa Cruz. Here is a video I shot on my phone of Evidence that night exactly one year ago performing "Mr. Slow Flow" from the Weatherman LP:





I'll never forget being in Santa Cruz the night it happened because the next day Santa Cruz was majorly effected by the Tsunami, with surges causing destruction and boats to be carried out to sea or crashed into each other in the harbor. That day people were actually panicking and leaving Santa Cruz thinking another tsunami might hit on the pacific coast, and I remember how Highway 17 was gridlocked with people trying to get out of Santa Cruz. Pretty surreal. Here is some footage I found of the destruction in Santa Cruz:





Obviously the damage of some boats is nothing compared to all the lives lost in Japan and my heart goes out to them. This just put it in perspective for me, the fact that mother nature is so powerful an event half way around the world was felt all the way out here. Ironically, I'm going back to Santa Cruz tonight on the one year anniversary to see Backtrack and Alpha & Omega.

Valuable trading material

I'm not sure if anyone has seen that show "Doomsday Preppers" but the other day I watched an episode where some couple that doesn't drink alcohol spends thousands of dollars on liquor bottles. Why would they do such a thing, you ask? Because their logic is that when the world ends, people will want alcohol and it will hold immense value for trading purposes. Even though they may never enjoy it themselves, the investment is worth it. That's how I feel about these Ceremony records I got last night at their record release show...

I went last night to the Gilman just to see Cold World. It was also Ceremony's record release and I was in shock how many people were there. They pressed 300 of these blue vinyls for their record release shows. Kids were freaking out at the merch table to get them. By the end of the night they were all gone, because I went to ask if I could buy one more and the merch guy said they just had copies of it on black left. Ceremony is just one of those bands that you either love them or hate them. I can't say I hate them, but they are just not my cup of tea. I am all about good lyrics, and lyrics are what make or break a band for me. I do appreciate that they are doing something different and unique, but to me I just can't get into songs that say the same two lines over and over.

They also had some of these 7"s on clear vinyl for the record release so I scooped this up too. I hope that one day I can trade these to a Ceremony fan that just has to have them for something of more value to me. Cold World was off the fucking hook last night though. The kids were going CRAZY. Shows like this make me feel really old now, I got right up front before they played but had to vacate after one song. I kept thinking to myself "How will I explain a black eye at work on Monday?" I guess that's the shit you have to think about when you get older.

It's a Cold World, keep your long johns on

Since I'm going to see Cold World tonight at the Ceremony record release at the Gilman, I decided to post the Cold World/War Hungry split before I leave. Since I love hip hop, and I love hardcore, it stands to reason that I would love Cold World, right? Cold World has hip hop references in damn near all their songs, and ever since I heard the "Big L Rest in Peace!" line in "Low Places" I have always loved Cold World (Big L is my favorite rapper, ever). Here is the two copies I have, unfortunately the two most generic ones (670 on red/670 on green of the 2nd pressing), but I won them both for $4 on a multiple sale ebay auction so whatever. The layout is pretty cool, it folds out and all the band members have their own page.

Take Offense Pre-Order finally arrived

I really liked Take Offense's "Tables Will Turn" LP so I had to pre order their new EP on Black from Reaper. It's strange, but kind of cool I guess, that they essentially put a 7" on a 12" and one side has no songs on it. I really think they should have taken advantage of the naked side and put a nice screen pressed image on it. Otherwise, I am digging the album art, but it does come with no insert. I haven't had a chance to hear it yet since it just came in yesterday, but I'll be listening to it later. 

I always feel kind of dirty buying something that's the most limited edition press on black vinyl. I just think color vinyl is too overused these days. I miss the days when it was your regular 900 on black, 100 on color or something like that, you know, keeping it simple. Take Offense was supposed to play here in Oakland last week but cancelled the day before and moved the show to Sacramento. I was pissed but hopefully they come back soon, they are always fantastic live.

Update: After sneaking in a couple listens, I really love this Suicidal Tenden.... ahem, I mean Take Offense record. That Suicidal Tendencies reference is NOT a knock on T.O., because Suicidal Tendencies is fucking sick, and so is this EP! I'm about to find an old hat to flip the bill up and write "T.O.ZONE" under it for sure.

I've fallen and I can't turn back...

Here's a copy of the "It's Mine" single with Nas by Mobb Deep, off the Murda Muzik album. My Mobb Deep collection isn't what it used to be. Like 5 years ago I sold my copy of "The Infamous" and "Hell on Earth" for 10 bucks each. What an idiot. I've seen Hell on Earth break the $100 mark on ebay since then, so unless if I find it at a store for a decent price I'll probably never own it. I'm posting these because I just saw Mobb Deep in Oakland on Wednesday night with Locksmith and Richie Cunning at the New Parish in Oakland. Here's a video from my youtube channel below of them playing "Survival of the Fittest" that I shot on my cell phone. It was a pretty sweet show:

Nerve Agents story time

Here is a pretty generic copy of the Nerve Agents' S/T Ep on Revelation on black. Nerve Agents were one of my favorite bands growing up. I was lucky enough to see them live four times. Once at the Gilman (Berkeley), once at Slims (San Francisco) and twice at the Pound (San Francisco). I am going to give a few little stories of my experiences seeing them. When I went to see them at Slims, they were playing with All Bets Off. (I found a flyer of the show actually and am posting it below. For some reason I don't remember Powerhouse actually playing that night though.) Across the street from Slims there was a little liquor store that me and my friends were trying to shoulder tap at to get some beer before the show. I was a pretty inexperienced kid in the scene at that point, still being about 13 and I was wearing a "Condemned 84" shirt. Apparently at the time word had got out that Condemned 84 was racist or something, and I had no idea about it. As we were standing outside the store, some older guys were giving me a hard time about it but I just said I didn't know what they were talking about. After the show we went to walk to our car which was parked at the parking garage that is now Costco, a few blocks away from the venue. Once we got to the car some of them spotted us and beat me up because of the shirt I was wearing. I went home to my mom with a busted lip and black eye, and at the time I told her that I was just "messing around" boxing with one of my friends. She never forgave my friend for that! Even though it was a lie, I told her the real story years later, and she still to this day thinks that my friend (who was about 4 years older than me at the time) really beat me up that day!!! Sorry, dude!

So I seen them twice at the Pound in SF as well. The first time they were opening for either the Unseen or US Bombs. Or maybe both. I really can't remember, and I can't find any flyers online or anything to corroborate that. After all these years and so many different shows, they all kind of blend together. But the night I remember sharply as one of the funnest shows I've EVER been to was their last show they ever played which was at the Pound in December of 2001. They played with Lars and the Bastards, and I think Intrepid AAF opened. So the day started around noon. Me and my friends used to have a liquor store that would sell beer to us in San Jose that was called the Mini mart. We were some of their best customers, going there all the time to get 40s. We would just have to wait outside until it was empty, and then the owner would sell to us. The thought of a bunch of 14 year old kids buying crate fulls of steel reserve 40 ouncers is pretty hilarious when I look back on it. Then we would go drink them all day at this spot in the woods across the street we called the "log spot". So we would have warm ass 211 fortys for that night of the show. The Pound in SF was in a really industrial shitty area of SF and way out in the middle of nowhere really. There was just some fields and a bunch of semi trucks parked all over the place by the venue. I remember that night was rainy and cold as fuck, and sitting out there in some field drinking warm ass 211 fortys before the show. They were really incredible that night, kids were going fucking berzerk hanging from the rafters and shit. I've really never seen anything like it since. It's so sad that they are not around anymore, they were a great band. Below I found some footage of them playing at the Pound in 2001. I may have been at that show, but I know the footage below isn't from their last show and I'm sure they played there a bunch of times. Anyways, enjoy the footage!