A diamond in the rough, from my vinyl vault: Dischord's Faith/Void split- a DC Hardcore masterpiece!

Cover to Faith side

When I was younger and diving into the treasure chest of punk rock's glorious past, along my way I like many other people of that age interested in that music, inevitably stumbled across Minor Threat. Arguably more interesting, or certainly at least equally interesting-- was when I looked on the back and noticed the small logo reading: Dischord Records.

So naturally, I was curious-- what label put this out!? Do they have more stuff like this!? Why this light-bulb hadn't struck my peers as well and/or more often, I have no clue! Next thing I knew, I was looking into the label and its amazing catalog of material, and at some point while digging around stumbled on this record; not realizing my new favorite album in this realm of hardcore would soon be more appropriately thought of as simply an all time favorite. Recently I made a little trip to Skinnies Records to pick up this classic split.

Faith and Void were two powerhouse D.C. hardcore bands in, and also rather different from each other as well. Part of what makes this record particularly intriguing is that though they might not have been the most groundbreaking bands of their time, within punk or hardcore-- but they were certainly different from most bands of their style. Even more so they were rather different from each other, making this an extremely neat pairing of groups for a split.

Faith side of lyrics sheet

Faith was a high-energy band fronted by a particularly striking front-man-- Alec Mackaye who gave off a rather sincere style of both his lyrics coupled with his aggressive delivery behind the mic. Faith was surprisingly at times rather melodic for a hardcore group, and what made them so unique was how well written their songs are, it's strange to bring up terms like poppy and dare I even say digestible, and yet strangely they also feel rather appropriate when Faith comes to mind.

When the record suddenly rips open with, "It's Time" and its grooving heavy riff, the energy just keeps building and mounting together-- until Alec belts out his grand declaration in the chorus with, "I'm gonna' make society bleed!" Its very interesting that this opening song is actually quite slow for this band; yet the bar for the level of intensity on the whole record has been set in this one moment, and it almost seems unthinkable that it could never once let up or fall below when the bar was set so high from the get-go.

"Trapped", is an amazing song-- a song that often after listening to side A of this record can get stuck in your head for hours-- who knew hardcore could be this catchy!?! Its approach to social situations is the perfect example of how lyrically this band is above and beyond other hardcore groups. "You're X'd!" is another classic song, a propulsive tune bursting with an emotional depth to the lyrics on the subject of straight-edge quite possibly never matched by anyone ever since.

Cover to Void side.

Void is insanely interesting from start to finish. Their style was so explosive and wild, which is no small accomplishment in a form of music where things are already high-speed and blaring full blast at all times.  Although Void is very guilty of something most hardcore bands always try to do: play as fast as possible at all times! However, unlike most other bands-- Void executed this to the max and almost effortlessly!

The guitarist Bubba Dupree played wild licks and solos-- shredding and bordering on heavy metal (which they later would stylistically shift to), yet rhythmically and song structure-wise still within the confines of hardcore. He had amazing control and technique with the whammy bar, and it's definitely a key component in what made Void so much more exciting and drastically different from other hardcore bands.

Void side of lyrics sheet

The ferocity of vocalist John Weiffenbach and his mischievous behavior behind the mic are trademark to the bands sound as well. Lyrically, Void was also very interesting, but for totally different reasons than Faith. They had an eerie spooky vibe to their content full of violence with songs like, "Time to Die" and, "Condensed Flesh; as well as a confrontational in-your-face attitude with their anthems, "Ignorant People" and arguably the highlight of side B, "My Rules".

This reissue edition of the record comes complete with a digital download, and a killer lyric/photo sheet inside. This is definitely a must-own for any punk/hardcore collectors, and if you somehow haven't managed to come across this yet, then you are about to have that same light-bulb mentioned earlier shine your way!

John Weiffenbach

John Weiffenbach

D.C. Hardcore film, "Punk the Capital" on Kickstarter + from my vinyl vault: Faith's, "Subject To Change + the First Demo"

DC punk/hardcore film: Punk the Capital

When I first heard that there was a film being made that will be tackling the history of punk/hardcore in Washington D.C., I  totally flipped out!!!! I'm a huge fan of punk & hardcore in general; specifically the D.C. scene and many of the groups on Dischord Records that were very involved and integral parts of it.

As a kid/teenager, I was incredibly inspired by this scene. I spent all weekend usually with a small group of friends jamming to early D.C. hardcore bands; we'd play covers of Government Issue's, "Bored To Death", "Asshole", and, "Hour of One",  the Faith's, "You're X'd!" and, "No Choice", the Teen Idles, "I Drink Milk", S.O.A.'s, "Draw A Blank"and, "Gonna' Have To Fight"-- the list goes on! At that particular time we were too young to drive to go to many shows ourselves, much less play anywhere at that point in time-- we just hung out all weekend, and took turns switching instruments; teaching each other any new covers we learned, printed out the lyrics and all took turns doing vocals for a couple covers each, etc. Even though we weren't a serious band at the time and didn't gig, it was such a great time, and also provided the insight necessary to develop in order to be in bands that went out and played later on.

Faith's, "Subject To Change plus first demo" LP.

So naturally, when I discovered that they were having a Kickstarter to help complete the project, I was super excited and ready to contribute. In my choice of contributing $40 to the completion of this film I not only get to go to a private screening at the Black Cat for it, but also later will receive it on a 2-disc DVD. Perhaps most importantly, in a neat small way-- I get to give something back towards the scene that was a huge inspiration to me and one of the principal reasons I decided to play music in the first place; by contributing, it helps ensure this music will be properly documented as it rightfully should be.

I've also been happily immersing myself in the reissues Dischord has put out of some older and previously never officially released material; most recently being Faith's, "Subject to Change plus first demo. I just ordered this about a week ago, and it just came today right in time for all the excitement and hype of this film, as members of Faith are some of the many people interviewed in the film, as revealed in a trailer that has been posted.

Back of, "Subject to Change".

On this particular re-release of, "Subject to Change" the original 8 tracks that consist of that album are all put on to side A. The only thing excluded is the ridiculously long and exhausting looping laugh that was at the end of the record. Instead, now side B contains all of the bands first demo, which after being remastered; sounds full of new life and perfectly captures the intensity of the group in their earlier stages as a band. For a demo, its surprisingly incredible quality; its just as great quality-wise and just as impressive as the other side of the record, despite being a demo.

What's really exciting about, "Subject to Change" was that for this particular album the group had expanded their line-up to now also having Eddie Janney on second guitar, which really added to the dynamics and brought a new sense of melody into their sound. The contrast of this stylistic change with the demo featuring just the single guitar of Michael Hampton on side A is interesting and shows the groups growth and change of direction, its still furious relentless hardcore, but the melodic undertones of the additional guitar did make a significant change compared to the average run-of-the-mill hardcore bands that unlike Faith don't stand the test of time.

Inner sleeve cover w/Eddie Janney

What sets aside the D.C. hardcore scene of that time and Faith was the incredible songs that these bands were writing. Musically these groups certainly had similarities being within the genre "constraints" (for lack of a better term) of hardcore; however, the spirit and energy of the D.C. hardcore scene of that time will probably never be matched or surpassed. These groups, and Faith in particular proved themselves a force to be reckoned with, by presenting unique song structures into hardcore along with a sense of melody (see the song, "Untitled" for example). The lyrics were also incredibly passionate, and thought provoking.

Back of inner sleeve w/lyrics.

You could pick up your finger and randomly point to any song on the lyric sheet and find an intelligence that is quite contrary to the stereotype often expected of hardcore. "Untitled", "In Control", and "No Choice" are all just a few shining examples. Behind a great hardcore band is a great frontman-- in this case Alec MacKaye. The guy not only penned the groups incredible lyrics, but his undeniably unique tone to his voice and remarkable stage presence (if you youtube some live footage, you will definitely see!) created a channel for the energy of this relentless hardcore sound to travel.

I'm extremely thrilled that I'll be attending a fundraiser at the Black Cat this Tuesday for Punk The Capital that will have a Q & A with the filmmakers Paul Bishow and James Schneider, and hope they succeed in documenting this incredible moment in punk music. For any of those as equally as excited for this film as I am, here is the Kickstarter link: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1137256310/punk-the-capital-straight-from-washington-dc