"CHICAGO--The self-proclaimed founding member of a street gang that purports to exert control through use of violence over hardcore punk rock music in clubs and concert venues in major cities nationwide was arrested yesterday by FBI agents in Los Angeles on a federal extortion charge filed in Chicago. The defendant, Elgin Nathan James, allegedly extorted $5,000 from an unnamed victim, a popular recording artist from the Chicago area, while the victim's band was on tour in late 2005 and early 2006, Patrick J. Fitzgerald, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Robert D. Grant, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, announced today." [FBI]

The street gang they're referring to is the notorious straight-edge crew FSU which stands for Friends Stand United, or as most know it... Fuck Shit Up (or as the FBI document refers to it, "F(_ _ _) S(_ _ _) Up"). The charges continue...

On Nov. 27, 2005, the victim and several friends left a bar in Orlando, Fla., and were jumped by a group of men, some of whom were wearing clothing with logos that said "FSU" and "FSU Nation." The victim escaped with one friend. But another friend and that friend's brother were severely beaten by the gang, the charges allege. About an hour later, the victim received a telephone call from James, and according to the victim, James asked how the victim's trip to Florida was going when the victim had never told James that the victim would be traveling in Florida......

.....On Feb. 25, 2006, under FBI surveillance, the victim met James outside the southern California club and handed James an envelope containing $5,000, which the FBI had provided to the victim, according to the charges

As stated above, these charges are just coming now - over 3 years after the above incident happened. Since then Elgin James moved to LA, released a short film starring Fall Out Boy's Pete Wentz and became a Sundance recognized-filmmaker! More about FSU and Elgin below...

Continue reading "FSU's Elgin James charged by FBI w/ using "Violence to Control Hardcore Punk Rock Music Scene""

by Black Bubblegum

DOWNLOAD: Mouthpiece - "Column" (MP3)

Mouthpiece Reunion at CBGB's in 2000

Thank god for reissues. New Jersey sXe hardcore diplomats Mouthpiece, who originally called it quits in 1996 but played a handful of reunion shows in 2000, have released Can't Kill What's Inside: The Complete Discography out now on Revelation Records. Who was Mouthpiece, you say?

Mouthpiece was a New Jersey straight edge hardcore punk band from 1991 to 1996. While they had only three records, they had a huge fan base during their time together. Often seen as one of the last bands of the youth crew era, or the earliest revival of it, their popularity was due in part to the relative scarcity of other bands in New Jersey at the time. However, many fans and critics alike credited them as a rare voice of reason in comparison to the aggressive trends in straight edge bands at the time. -[Wiki]

Mouthpiece dropped their seminal What Was Said in 1993... Check out "Column" from that record above and check out a really interesting piece on the cover art by vocalist Tim McMahon's blog, Double Cross. McMahon has also run back-stories on Mouthpiece's seven-inch releases, as well as their video for "Cinder" (viewable below).

Mouthpiece, Turning Point (who released their discography via Jade Tree in 2000), Lifetime (who recently came back in action), the more experimental Resurrection (Deathwish has dibs on their discog) and Rorschach (discog on Gern Blandsten) were some of the great bands of the NJHC scene of the early 90s, and luckily this discography affords you the chance to pick up a piece of that legacy without shelling out for shit like this.

video below...

Continue reading "Mouthpiece, Can't Kill What's Inside: Complete Discography"