by BBG

Black Army Jacket Demo Tape cover

Black Army Jacket was an American grindcore / power violence band... Their ex-members can now be found in bands like Hope Collapse, Municipal Waste, Matt Pond PA, Burnt By The Sun and Birds of Prey.

The band was started by Andrew Orlando (ex-guitarist of Milhouse and owner of Reservoir Records) and Carlos Ramirez... both fans of bands like Terrorizer, Assück and Napalm Death and wanted to create a band in those styles. ...Queens, NY-based Chainsaw Safety Records would go on to release the band's The Path of Two Swords As One 7" and the band started to tour regionally shortly after... [Soon after] Dave Witte joined the band on drums. Now a four piece, they toured with California's Benumb and Noothgrush.

In 1998, BAJ... wrote throughout the year and entered the studio with Dean Rispler (Killing Time, 25 Ta Life) in the producer chair. The resulting album, 222, saw the musicians incorporating hints of death and black metal along with some more traditional elements of hardcore to their sound. They toured extensively to support their debut.

... Rob Lawi and the band parted ways shortly afterwards. Bassist Carlos Ramirez then became their vocalist and New Jersey native Tom Hayden joined in to fill the bass slot. Another native Jersey musician, John Adubato, was also asked to join to make Black Army Jacket a two guitar unit.

They came home from tour in mid 1999 and began to write newer, more technical material... [but] after a tough show in Worcester, MA the band decided to break up. Adubato and Witte then formed Burnt by the Sun, whilst Ramirez started melodic rockers Lakota a few years later. Andrew Orlando went on to join Anodyne and then Disnihil in the early 2000s. - [Wiki]

The show is one of two lined up for the great Black Army Jacket with the second being Best Friends Day in Richmond, VA on Aug 19 - 22:

Continue reading "Black Army Jacket reuniting to play Cake Shop & Best Friends Day in Virginia (lineup) "

words by Kim Kelly with intro by BBG, photos by Diana Lee Zadlo

Woe ruling

Those of you who travel in the underground metal circles, and live to tell about it, have probably encountered Kim Kelly. The current Philadelphian, whose credits include Terrorizer, Hails & Horns, Metal Injection, Noisecreep, her own PR company (CatharsisPR) and many other ventures, is probably the girl you see on the verge of whiplash in the front row of Eyehategod, or the smiley one with the invisible orange.

In her latest travels, Kelly took a trip to Richmond to take in the Heart of Winter Fest at Alley Katz in Richmond, VA (Friday, Jan 29- Saturday, Jan 30, 2010). The two-day festival featured appearances from Woe, Bastard Sapling, Battlemaster, Evoken, and many others. The "Winter" fest was also, appropriately enough, hit with a major storm that buried the mid-Atlantic in snow. Rather than get buried south of the Mason-Dixon line amidst 24 inches, she and Diana Lee Zadlo opted to leave before it was over, or as the kids call it, GTFO. Her full story is below...

Continue reading "Heart of Winter Fest 2010 (Woe & snow) in words & pics "

Harlem Shakes @ Highline Ballroom (more by Ryan Muir)

Well... our van was broken into in Richmond, VA. It sucks. The crackhead stole some of Jose's clothes and his passport, a microkorg keyboard, our sampler, and Todd's extra strings (!?). We're getting everything sorted now -- new passport expedited, new sampler sent out to Chicago where we'll be for friday (RIBFEST) -- but godDAMN it never feels good to be robbed. Violating, angry-making and all that. Anyway, things seem to be righting themselves (knock on wood), but if you see us in the coming final week of our tour, come give us a hug. We could use it, bigtime.

Love,
HS

Phish show - Hampton 2009 (karinihadalumpyhead)

Some Phish fans are leaving Hampton a little lighter than when they arrived for the band's weekend reunion.

Police said Monday they confiscated about $1.2 million in illegal drugs and more than $68,000 in cash from concertgoers. Authorities also arrested 194 Phish fans during the three-night celebration of the band's return to the stage after a nearly five-year absence.

Most of the arrests were for drug possession, use and distribution, police said.

Tourism officials had estimated 75,000 fans would be coming to the coastal Virginia city. Nearly 200 law enforcement officers worked the weekend event, with the Vermont-based band picking up the tab. [Yahoo]