I am so fucking stoked on LA VOZ right now! They come out of the same LA “Raw Ponx” scene as bands such as TUBERCULOSIS, RAYOS X, RABIA AL SISTEMA, and POLISKITZO, and play high-energy, timeless yet fresh-sounding hardcore sung in Spanish.  I had the chance to catch them while in LA over the weekend, and before they played, I was told that seeing them would be “like 2001 all over again.” Given that some of my favorite hardcore came out during this era, and that the person telling me this doesn’t hyperbolize, I was already super excited to see them, and they actually exceeded my expectations live.  Comparisons to LIFE’S HALT go beyond the superficial.

Check out their MySpace page for the usual riffraff.  Not sure how many demos they still have, but a 7″ will be out soon on Lengua Armada.  I’m listening to these songs as I write this, and they hone the best elements of those on their demo.

LA VOZ + circle pit! (photo by OldHC Robert)

Also, I want to give a huge kudos to this scene.  I’d seen TUBERCULOSIS and RAYOS X up here, but seeing them in their own town and watching these kids, who probably have more reason to be punk than most, getting excited, dancing, singing along to all their friends’ bands, and making shit happen in general was rad and super inspiring.  Along with a bunch of great bands, this scene has also spawned a record store, radio show (not just an internet one either), and Fronteras Desarmadas, which is both a print and video zine with contributions from a lot of these kids.  For more info and updates, check out myspace.com/rawponxla.

ZOMBIE DOGS is a raging all female, pro-bike, pro-skating, pro-caffeine, pro-feminism, pro-fun hardcore band from Brooklyn. The world (or at least the punk world) would be a better place if more bands fit this description. I’m gonna stop there and point you in the direction of their songs at myspace.com/zombiedogsnyc. Please tour the west coast, or at least play NYC when I’m out there in early May, preferably with DEATH FIRST and NOMOS. Thanks in advance.

Zombie Dogs! (Photo by Dave Sanders)

Here’s what Layla had to say about their demo in the July 2009 Maximum Rocknroll:

Really raw and rudimentary, (in the best sense of the word), all-lady-made hardcore from Brooklyn.  It comes with this rad lyric book/tape cover, with songs about creepy feminist for fucks dudes, street harassment and skateboarding!  It’s so refreshing hearing challenging, thoughtful feminist and goofy lyrics in this genre of hardcore.  So rad!!  Tamara has the coolest voice, it’s really tough sounding but not in a SPITBOY way, more like a more hardcore Jenna from MIKA MIKO.  She has a similar cool throaty/snotty thing, but this is way more aggro!  The guitar sound is so blown out, and listening to this just makes me think of the endless eternal sound of basement hardcore bands.  It’s a good feeling listening to a tape on which the riffs bring to mind Flex Your Head, but girls made it, so much cooler than another generi-dude band.

Boston has got to have one of the best hardcore punk scenes in America right now. The new SOCIAL CIRCKLE LP is one of my favorites of the year, LYBIANS played one of the best Bay Area shows this year, there’s that NO TOLERANCE 7″, MIND ERASER and the bands associated with Painkiller have been getting a lot of attention of course, and although both BLANK STARE and RED THREAD broke up this year, I’ve been longtime fans of both bands.  This year has also seen killer demos from. among others. FOREIGN OBJECTS, CONFINES, and BLOODY GEARS, the latter of which are the subject of this week’s New Band Spotlight. Layla picked out this demo a few months back and asked if I wanted to review it, and I happily obliged:

With the ringing out of the first song’s main riff, the tone is set for these bitter, beaten-down, and captivating songs that are exceptional even by 7″ standards. This band already has a sound that’s their own, but likely draws from THE OBSERVERS and LEATHERFACE,and there’s something very Midwest about these songs as well, making me think of early ARTICLES OF FAITH and HUSKER DU. If Side A is the soundtrack to a frustrated, grey day, driven by disillusionment to live out of one’s own head, Side B it is that day’s night, as the desperation grows and all there is to look forward to is more days and nights of the same.

This demo can be downloaded at bloodygears.blogspot.com, and I believe will be pressed to vinyl soon. Let’s hope they tour in 2010!

The band, and friends

Along with LOTUS FUCKER, NO MINION, and THE GUILT, DEATHRATS can be added to the list of killer DC hardcore bands that have started up in the last couple of years.  This band’s demo knocked me on my ass a few months ago, and it was just pressed on 7″ by To Live A Lie, limited to 300 or something. Here’s the review I did in MRR magazine:

One of the best hardcore demos I’ve heard in a long-ass time. DEATHRATS play ‘dark and heavy’ hardcore that is likely influenced by bands such as DROPDEAD, DEATHREAT, TO WHAT END?, and SKITSYSTEM among others, with a lot of great riffs, cool instrument breaks, crucial feedback at exactly the right moments, and vocal phrasing that works really well with the music, all played a bit faster than usual for this style. Christine’s livid vocals seriously send chills down my spine, and there’s a refreshing earnestness and intelligence to her anger, as she takes on people that project their own misery onto how they treat others, how the male gaze keeps her from developing a positive self-image on her own terms, and how the need for girls to stop hating each other and band together is just as relevant now as it was in the heyday of Riot Grrrl. All of this serves as further proof that girls/women in punk have more reason to be pissed than their male counterparts…

The band’s blog can be found at deathratsdc.blogspot.com, with show info and downloads and what not.