conundrum circle issue 2

8/13/2019 Conundrum Circle issue 2

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Questions and intro by Eric Huber.

CANE AND THE STICKS

Cane and the Sticks have a clever name and a catchy sound. I saw

them open for Kid Congo and the mighty Pink Monkey Birds at Black

Cat in DC, where Cane/Sticks reside, and their pounding punky

rock'n'roll had us on our toes. The sound is reminiscent of all

awesome things of the basement, and none of the smug bullshit from

the first floor. This is a compliment. Here is the electronic exchange

we had:

-Hello, Cane & The Sticks. Could you introduce yourselves, along withyour musical weapon of choice?

Hi. It's...

Liz DeRoche, drums/vocals.

Pete Hayes, guitar/vocals (and interviewee today).

Arthur Noll, bass.

-When I saw you guys at the Black Cat, I remember no statements ormessages other than pure unadulterated Fun. Am I right, or do you have ahidden agenda?

Oh, it can get pretty adulterated, hopefully in a good way. But I've never said


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much from stage and I'm in a fog when I play, and we're mostly focused onplowing through a set without much fuss.

-Do you have a favorite venue in the DC area? I can't decide.

Most of the well-known haunts have their good/bad points. Going way back, DChas always had alternative spaces that breed good new bands. Fort Reno andSt. Stephen's Hall are high on the list.

-What do you think of the term "garage rock?" Is it at all relevant indescribing your music? If not, what would be a better qualifier?

As a tag for a genre it is fine. But I don't think we fit into it. it's been quite a whilesince audiences and bands were made up of draft-eligible juvenile delinquents,hippies, and bikers. To be garage, you have to pretend really hard, and be reallygreasy. With that established, it can be a bottomless pit of potential reinvention,

and I like that. I dearly love the 60s garage bands that arrived from othergalaxies, like the Monks.

-Kid Congo was a perfect match for you guys to play in front of. I assumeyou all got to hang out with him a bit, right? He seemed really goofy, yet anice guy I would assume. Is he just a regular dude, or is he that goofyoffstage?

Dig a little deeper, and you've got the guy who punched holes in the sun on "Fireof Love" and tore it up in the Cramps --who now calls DC home. I sleep better

with that knowledge. He's a giant and is just ridiculously cool. I'd pay admissionto watch him slouch around a stage for an hour with no music.

-Also noticed that you guys have played with Chain and the Gang as wellas Deathfix. I love them both. Any stories about either of thosebands? Speaking of nice seeming goofs (*cough cough Svenonius coughcough*).

Both bands have smart, talented musicians/thinkers who don't sell out, andcontinue to play music that is hard to categorize that people dig. Those last twothings don't usually go together because casual observers need pigeonholes. I

did album art for two Nation of Ulysses LPs and one of their EPs. They were justkids then, and it was encouraging to see how full of ideas they were. Brendan (ofDeathfix) is one of the funnier people I know, and he comes from a very talentedand prolific family. It seems like they do well in whatever they set out to do.

-Arthur, you told me you once lived in Winchester, VA, where I currentlyreside. Holy cow! Is there any hope for us here?


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Yes, just hold on until you can get out. As far as I can tell, you're already got onefoot out the door, bravo. Otherwise, no.

-I noticed that you all had a pretty decent-length set, but on facebook andbandcamp, the only sites that matter to most of the ignorant world, you

only have two songs available. Is there a hidden vault of musicsomewhere, or did you guys just not get a lot or any studio time? Werethose songs even recorded in a studio (I mean, they sound like they wereto me)?

We've got an LP's worth of songs recorded. The ones we have up were done atMagpie Cage with J Robbins. As of a few days ago, there's a new single out.

-Do you have day jobs? How much do they suck? Or are they incrediblywonderful?

No day jobs.

-Any future plans besides taking over the world?

For now, we're planning a short tour with the single, and there are two videos inthe works.

-Thanks so much for your time. I'll let you have the last word. Speak!

Music is everything. Doubt yourself; misgivings are fuel.

The Hardcore Dilemma by Eric Huber

One thing I have learned about punk over time is that each generation ofbands tries to be more dangerous than the last. The recipients of the danger areeither the status quo or anyone who represents it, or much of the time, no one inparticular, and it is more about fun. At least for me. While punk and hardcoresniche is to be dangerous (outside of Green Day and Warped Tour), and this dangerwhen used in a productive way can lead to positive action and/or awesome music,there are a few quandaries I face when basking in an aggressive danger-filled

reverie.One problem I have is that danger seems to equal metal to modern punks. It

seems to me that in order to be more dangerous, punk and especially hardcorebands tend to invoke more elements of extreme metal (grindcore, death metal).This is all dandy, except I am not willing to concede that metal is more dangerousthan punk, which is what this trend implies. Think about it: if punk needs moremetal to be dangerous, doesnt this mean that metal is punks better (or at least

more dangerous) half? Shit.


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CHAIN AND THE GANG / GUERILLA TOSS / BLANCHE BLANCHE BLANCHE

@ Comet Ping Pong, Washington, DC, 12/13/13 by Eric Huber

Proto and contemp and post chillin at the venue

I was tired in the car ride from Winchester. Calm down, I was the passenger. I hadstudied for final exams that weekthis was on Friday night. Other reasons too.Anyway, we get to Comet and they dont have coffee. Im freaking out cuz Im a

caffeine addict and it is like 15 minutes past show time. I go across the street to agas station, drink half a small cup of coffee, feel ready, smoke a square, and go backto Comet, and hallelujah the show hasnt started yet. Gets me a Pabst. Thats usually

fine but I wanted a Yuengling or however you spell it. 0 for 2 Comet, so far so good.Anyway I pay, get stamped, and go onto the floor. 1 for 3, is that I get to the front

when barely anyone is there yet. Apparently I stressed out for no reason. Ok cool,Im ready.

Blanche Blanche Blanche

I liked watching BBB set up. They are from Boston apparently, I guess the singersounds like a Bostone. They seemed friendly. I guess I wasnt ready cuz the first

song (I think it was Breaking Mirrors) started so abruptly I was caught off guard,and then was like fuck yeah. So the female singer is awesome, she has a low-pitchedvoice that really complements and adds to the bands mathy synth driven two guitarnoise influenced punk or indie I think. They were really good, and I downloaded

their album as a result. I mean, I downloaded it on itunes, I must have really wantedit. So also there was one part of their set in which I thought the song and set wereover but they started again in a few seconds. Whoa. Some people might not likehow they started a song off and had to restart (aka fucked up), but I dont really

care about that. Awesome set, and I am really digging your new album!

Guerilla Toss

Also Boston female fronted, with all the rest male. I cant help but notice howawesome females have been in punk-related genres recently; I usually dont careabout gender politics, but I mean Chain and the Gang have three females. I like the

gender balance, it is ideal and non-boring. Anyway so GT is setting up and the leadguitarist starts making a lot of noise with his axe and the singer gets pumped andstarts making vocalizations with him. It was sick. Then I realized that is like how alltheir songs are. Sound good? It was. This bands music is so brutal. I am not readyfor this. I get their CD and they are nice and grateful. Lots of collective pogoingduring their set, I am happy. Trust me, if you think you are tough and shit, listen tothis and try to keep thinking you are tough. It will be hard. You will have just gottenyour ass kicked aurally.


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Chain and the Gang

Ian Svenonius is the frontman of this DC sui generis band. I wrote about him lastissue, oh hold on, tangent:

That article was addressed to Maximum Rocknroll readers, because that is who Iinitially submitted it to. They ended up printing it in the Nov. 2013 issue. I did notthink they would, so I put it in Conundrum Circle issue 1. I was impatient, I guess.Oops, sorry MRR.Tangent over, I was outside smoking a cig so I didnt really see Chain set up.Anyway, when they come on stage Ian has a speech to give, improv as usual. I forgetwhat he said. The highlights for me were watching him jump between vocal lines. Itis so hilarious how he exaggerates his mannerisms. What a baller. Oh I saidhighlights plural. Number 2 is his approaching of the crowd and his interaction withus. I dont know if I ever watched the other musicians like I watched him. He has

such a stage presence. Hes pretty much on par with Dr. Graffin, irrelevantly shown

below with Bad Religion at the 9:30 club.


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REVIEWS

*This issue, Im reviewing a lot of Grave Mistake releases. I might as well say that I

really like that Richmond VA based label. I think other people do too. Hit me up and

lets be friends! [email protected], if you are in Winchester, are aGrave Mistake fan, and I dont know you by now, something is wrong.

THE SHIRKS S/T LP

Washington DCs Shirks abscond the local Dischord Records scene (very diverse

sounding bands, less predictability, less obvious) and tag along with Richmond, VApunk label Grave Mistake (more similar sounding bands that are obviously punx).This Shirks record, however, also absconds the usual Grave Mistake hardcore fare.The guitarists fuzzed-out power chords sound garage-y, and the noise never ends

until the record doeswhich is sooner than I had hoped. Despite the fact thatmonotony of timbre and loud guitars typically lend to hardcores heap o noise, the

singer of the Shirks actually sings notes, and never lets out that climactic releasehenceforth known as the scream, screech, yell, or growl. I think his vocals

actually have some kind of effect on them, which makes this sound garage-y.

That bullshit aside, this is really a punk record. The songwriting is punk andeverything is punk, even the hitherto verbally embellished (by me) guitar. You seefolks, this record hits hard and is fun, which are two of the three main qualificationsfor punkness in sound. The third is weirdness, of which I wish this record had more.Picture them strumming and thumping and beating and shouting (notes) and you

will see that these men are athletes. They break a sweat and try harder than mostbaseball players, I think. The Shirks, actually, might not try hard at all, but the musicis powerful and hard, and that to me is athleticism in execution. I wish the vocalswere as weird as the music, but not every record can be hardcore or D-beat orwhatever. This is a great garage record, a pretty damn good (yet too short) punkrecord, and NOT a hardcore record. That last sentence should give you a hintregarding what my standards are. Fun, punk as fuck, recommended if you can find itin a store. I got it at Smash! Records in DC, for $11 or $12, but that store is pimp asfuck and I doubt many other stores have it. I bring up that store shit because I lacktrust in the postal system. This is my fault not theirs, so dont listen to this chump;

trust yourself! I would go to Grave Mistake Records bandcamp page first actually.

Then after the free listens, I would do whatever I want. But how punk are you? Doyou put your money where your mouth is and support the resistance? Neither do Imost of the time. This is your call. I am glad I have the record on wax. Cannot speakfor the download.

(GRAVE MISTAKE RECORDS, Review by Eric Huber)
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]


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DESPERAT DEMOKRATI ELLER DIKTATUR? 7

What. I found this. Thanks Smash! Swedish D-struction that will seriously makeyou run around in circles right from the first riff. Speaking of, that song Bandloggais about band logos. Mundane? Not to the deadly Desperat. In a way that I will

never understand, Desperat has conjured up more psychopathic anger toward thesubject than ever before witnessed. At least the music seems that waythe lyricsare in Swedish, I believe. Oh my shit! This record kills. A 45 rpm 7 with six songs

total that will make you question any hardcore band that feels the need to use the12 format.

*Smash! is a record store in DC, in case youve been living under a rock. They are offthe hizzy and if you are ever in the area and have a record player, even if you thinkyou hate records, you should check it out because there will be something for you.Fuck, they have CDs and clothes and zines and shit! Fuck! I have a Smash! shirt. Ibring this up not to show off or some bullshit but simply to prove that I dig the shit

out of that store.

(BEACH IMPEDIMENT RECORDS, review by Eric Huber)

SICKOIDS NO HOME E.P. 12

No wonder my dad doesnt like it when I listen tohardcore. He beefs mainly withthe anger. I dont think anger does the Sickoids justice. Their music is too good to

simply be the result of blind anger. They definitely sound angry, but not in anannoying way! I went to a gig in Alexandria VA a while back which featured bands

that sounded like the Sickoids (probably not intentionally) but were nowhere nearas sick as the oids. My point is, bands like Weekend Nachos (someone had a shirt ofthem there in Alex) and Sickoids give the bands I saw at ,,, fuck it, the Lab inAlexandria VA, a reason to exist. I love noise and I hope noisy annoying bands keepcoming out and having places to play. I also hope that at the more ambitious level,bands like the Sickoids keep it up so that the smaller bands will be inspired. Noise issmarter than the puny public likes to think it is, and it will all work out. ThanksSickoids. Once the world ends, all that will be left is noise.

*The Lab, by the way, is mad cool. Dont think Im hating. I hope Im showing love.The Lab gig was mad fun, and to prove it, I will plug it here. Animal Logic are nice

guys with a guitarist who has a Bad Religion hatalways importantand I lovedhow there were like ten people there. Yall were the only band there that my dad

liked. What, is it bad that I went with my dad? This Is Not For You were blastin likesome shit, and I really dug the energy. Apparently they are from around here.Single kick pedal blast beats though! Fuckin sick. Caust played too short. I hate tosay it. The set might have been 15 minutes. I thought they were awesome but Idont know why their set was so short. Sorry to the band that played first with the

drummer in the Heresy shirt. I forgot what you were called; Sokumbitsu?. You


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scared me though. Your music is scary man. I like it but its scary. I like it though,but its mad scary.

Anyway, I like the Sickoids a lot, and I have a poster of them on my wall astestament. It came with the other LP they did, but I still put it up, so Im not like less

cool or anything for not having paid extra for it.

(GRAVE MISTAKE RECORDS / SORRY STATE RECORDS. review by Eric Huber)

NIGHT BIRDS BORN TO DIE IN SUBURBIA 12

Thanks for letting me vent like this. Whoever I should thank (probably not god,he/she might not dig this zine), thank you, cuz this feels good. One of my favoritecurrent bands are the Night mothafuckin Birds. They are almost famous, but whocares. I read an interview in which they said they make most of their money on t-

shirt sales, but who cares. I would buy a fuckin shirt if I thought I needed moreshirts, which I dont. Escape from New York isthe first song on here, and it issurfy, punky, and amazinggggggg! Shut up. I like it a lot. It segues into title trackwhich shreds ass. I also love the part on side B where they say something along thelines of keep telling yourself that your not a selfish piece of shit and I dont thinkthose are the exact lyrics, but aint that punk as fuck??

The way these New Jersey ites write songs is off the top. No grunting bullshit, nomacho man shit. Yet, definitely some speed freak riffs. Nice. Amazing flow fromtrack to track. These guys are the next big thingunfortunately they are on hiatusnow but say they will start again soon. Im sure they will. Best record of the year so

far?

(GRAVE MISTAKE RECORDS, review by Eric Huber)

THE JULIE RUIN RUN FAST 12

I will not use this space to get into what I think about Kathleen Hanna as a person,but instead, as a musician. She has an awesome voice and when she wails I want topogo, fist pump, etc. Whereas in Bikini Kill and Le Tigre Kathleens feminism ismore aggressive, it seems to take a back seat to the quality of the music in this

incarnation of the Julie Ruin. I like Kathleen and I like feminism (even though Im noexpert) and I love her music. Ill take it in whatever form. When me dad and browent to see Julie Ruin at the Black Cat in DC last tour, it was a big event for us andeveryone there. Kathleen Hanna has a legacy, and people flock to her, for better orworse. I dont know man, maybe not, but I certainly flock to her. Her ahahahs are,

mark me, twice if not thrice as cool as Dexter Hollands whoaoaoas. I guarantee

that if you are above 15 years old you will agree. The musical troupe on this albumfeatures Kathi from B-Kill on bass, and she be thumpin it, yo. She is a baller. The


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keyboard player is a dude, and apparently he was in a cabaret band before this? Iwould like to hear them. He is talented, not overbearing in his playing, and an okaysingerI do like the way his voice is used, I guess, in this album but who am I to say.The drummer is also a dude, and while he was certainly an imposing presence onstage, I have a hard time believing that the percussion on the album is done on one

track. Not that it ever claimed to be. I will close with something Kathleen said onstage at B-Cat: There is room for everyone to shine. Preach dat shit! Favoritesongs: Cookie Road (awesome instrumental break, I guess you would call it), andGirls Like Us. The way Kathleen says Girls like us pick up the hot handle and burn

our hands but we get over it makes me want to, I dont know, give her a high five?Some people have beef with her, but I just like her music.

(DISCHORD RECORDS, review by Eric Huber)

RED DONS FAKE MEETS FAILURE 12

How songs can be this well composed and played and still sound punk is beyond me.Red Dons are like ultimate punk. Again, no screaming blast beat shit here. Theyhave a sound that is fuller than shit (two guitars) yet not too overwhelming. A littleenergizing, but not overwhelming, at least not to me. So, if you dont think a recordthat is not overwhelming can still be good, here is my proof that you are wrong. Allthe choruses are catchy as fuck yet the verses and instrumental parts (I hesitate tooversimplify them as riffs) flow perfectly into them and never seem boring. This isan almost flawless record. I dont even know if the word almost is necessary here.

If you are like me and think punk is music, you cannot go wrong with this. I boughta Red Dons patch after hearing this. They have at least one new 7 that came after

this record, and you will almost inevitably be hearing about that soon. Themusicians on this album are amazing. Anyone who thinks punks are not talentedcan shove it. The drummer is the most artful and rocking drummer I have heard allyear. Nothing makes me feel better after a shitty day of school than some Red Dons.

(DERANGED RECORDS, review by Eric Huber)


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ARTLESS ARTLESS 12

Before I go on let me be clearI dont give a shit what MRR thinks about MykelBoard, even though MRR is my favorite zine. I have met Mykel, and he was nice tome. I also really like his columns and never understood why he had to go. His band

is okay in terms of talent, but they are funny as fuck. There are a couple covers onhere that arent really covers, and the song titles are a riot. I dont see anything

wrong with this other than the music being kind of anti-musical to the common ear(not mine), which is probably the point. Its not hardcore though. Thats good, Imjust saying it is weird for non-hardcore to be anti-musical. I like Artless and when Isaw them, well, see last issue. The band, including the horns, are punk as all get out.If you like what you are reading, I am sorry, but you will probably never findanything related to this band anywhere. They played their supposed last show, andthis record might be out of print (not 100% sure). I cant believe I even found it.

Smash! My favorite song on here is the last song, When Youre My Age Youll BeSelling Insurance. Of note is that this record is one sided.

(PLACEBO RECORDS, review by Eric Huber).

COKE BUST CONFINED 12

This noise is coming out of DC??? Sweet. I dont know what I did too piss these guys

off, but for some reason, when I turn on their record they are yelling at me. Everyinstrument on here is angry and aggressive. The drums even do blast beatsoccasionally!! (Is that a new thing in hardcore?) Short record for a 12 inch.Definitely leaves a strong impression though, despite having little in the

memorability department. I like this better than Sectarian Violence, which has atleast one member of Coke Bust. Of note is that this band is straight edge, so CokeBust is kind of an ironic name, I guess? Oh yeah, and also, this comes with a HUGEposter. Actually looks kind of cool in a punk way. The breakdowns/mid-tempoparts on here are obviously written for the sake of variety, but I wouldnt credit thisrecord, or pretty much any aggressive hardcore record, with variety points. MaybeSickoids and Broken Prayer, maybe Im just living under a rock. My favorite song on

here is Nothing to Offer. All negativity aside, pretty much any hardcore kid will

like this record. I think metalheads will find it more discomforting than any of theirmusic. I tense up before the record starts, but the release this record provides isenormous. Would like to see them, someone take me.

(GRAVE MISTAKE RECORDS, review by Eric Huber)

E.D. SEDGWICK WE WEAR WHITE 12

This is that. This is that minimalist funky punk awesomeness. I saw this band withthis lineup, and I was so entertained. These songs are catchier and funner than shit.


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As for this album, it is good as, but the new version of E.D. Sedgwick is meant to beseen. The sense of humor translates to recording as does the tight musicianshipthough. Not bad at all. In fact, this is my favorite album by them. I wished theirprevious albums had more guitar and less keyboard (I think only title track on thisone has keyboard). No offense to Jason Hutto, he rocks face. Honestly, this band

should be more well-known. Reminds me of Suicide with modern equipment, andwith songs that are more composed, and with a lot of guitar noise (see the outro ofGoddam).

(DISCHORD RECORDS, review by Eric Huber)

LEMURIA THE DISTANCE IS SO BIG LP

It would be very hard to not like this. If this isnt punk enough for you, you need tolighten up. Wikipedia calls them indie/punk, but this indie shit has gone too far. I

dont know, go make your noisy anti-music, but how you gonna hate on this? It mayeven be better than Pebble, for fucks sake. Sheena is such a beast on guitar andvocals, and the other two complement her well.

Comparing this to Pebble, the album that came before this, I would say Pebble isprobably simpler musically. The first track on Distance can be interpreted asannouncement of Sheenas extended vocal range and impeccable songwriting. Imean, the whole album seems to loft above me as I am listening, and I feelunworthy. But that is not what Lemuria want. They want us to enjoy, and I do thattoo. My favorite song on here is Oahu, Hawaii. I tried to play it on guitar, but Icant do it justice. How great this album is.

(BRIDGE NINE RECORDS, review by Eric Huber)

BAD RELIGION CHRISTMAS SONGS 12

I dont care what anyone saysthis is an accomplishment. If you say you are a BRfan, but would rather hate on the band for playing these songs instead of enjoyingthem, I would say you are not a BR fan. Im not King Shit either, but I really like this

record. Not at all disappointed. In fact, check this out: When I heard Dissent of Man,I thought that was their best album (and I had all their albums at that point). Then,

when I heard True North, I thought it was their best album. Finally, I thoughtChristmas Songs their best the first maybe 10 (?) times I heard it. And these arecovers, satire, etc. I love you BR. How these songs can be made not-annoying isbeyond me, but yall have pulled it off. Noteworthy is the fact that Hetson does not

play on this album. I wonder what the future holds for BR. Will Gurewitz starttouring with them? He better get his game face on. Props overall, however, thisdoes not have the replay value of other BR, simply cuz its covers.(EPITAPH RECORDS, review by Eric Huber)


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conundrum circle issue 2

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