HAVE HEARTBLACKLISTEDKilling the Dream

Plus reviews and more of:

Betrayed, Verse, Another Breath, Set Your Goals, Operation Ivy, Heads Up, and Worlds Apart

News Briefby Max Montez

Shows this monthAugust 12-13: Death or Glory Fest with 7 Seconds, Whiskey Rebels, Monster Squad, Pressure Point, Hoods, Hanover Saints, The Roustabouts, The Abuse, Strongarm & The Bullies, Los Dryheavies, Red Handed, Dcoi, The Avengers, Angel City Outcasts, Madhouse Disciples, Call to Arms, and many more @ Woodland Plainfield StationAugust 17: Gorilla Biscuits, Comeback Kid, Murphy’s Law, Allegiance, Lights Out @ The PoundAugust 18: Gorilla Biscuits, Comeback Kid, Murphy’s Law, Set Your Goals, First Blood @ The PoundAugust 19: Hoodsfest 5 with Hoods, Worlds Apart, Murder Practice, Folsom, Call to Arms, Hammerfist, Stompout, Turn it Around, and more @ The CaveAugust 25: Thought Riot, The Scare, Nothington, and more @ GilmanAugust 25: Changing Face, Murder Practice, Worlds Apart, and more @ Unity Skate ShopAugust 26: Look Back and Laugh, Lewd Acts, Pressure, Conquest for Death and more @ Gilman

Feel free to contact us at:eastbaycommunique@gmail.com or myspace.com/eastbaycommunique

Lifetime begins re-cording upcoming release in Brooklyn

Lifetime recently started recording at Atomic Recording Studios. This will be the band’s first new release since Jersey’s Best Dancers in 1997. They will be working with Jesse Cannon on production and Steve Evetts will be doing the mixing. The band will release a two-song single in the fall and will then release a full-length in 2007 on Decaydence records.

Boysetsfire disbands Boysetsfire announced their break-

up recently, they posted this on their website, “It is not with a heavy heart that we write these words but with a head held high. we wanted to collec-tively inform you that BOYSETSFIRE has decided to retire. thank you all for your support and belief in us over the last 12 years... please know it meant the world to us.” The band is still plan-ning on finishing their European tour and doing one or two final shows.

Writers:Jordan Mills, Max Montez, Kyle Shapiro, Melissa Simpson, Jason Sitek and Randy Staat

Photography and Photo-Editing:Oralia Cecaci and Lydia HamiltonCover design by Dustin Cox

East Bay Communique

Classic CornerOperation Ivy - EnergyLookout 1989

by Max MontezThere really isn’t much I can say

about this album that has not already been said. The best way to sum up Energy in one word would have to be “legendary.” The London Calling of East Bay punk, except better. Very few records have accomplished what Energy has, and very few bands have accomplished what Operation Ivy ac-complished with just this one record.

Nineteen tracks, all classics, all anthems (even if one of them is a cover). This album is not only the

perfect blend of ska and punk, and not only the perfect docu-mentation of the early stages of a legacy and a movement, but it’s also the perfect summer album.

It would be easy to go on about this album forever, but it’s all been stated again and again; plain and simple, En-ergy is the most important album to come out of the East Bay and maybe even the punk scene as a whole.

LOCALS ONLYWorlds ApartDemo

Worlds Apart is a new band in the Northern California metal/hardcore scene that came from the ashes of Never Back Down and Charlie Hustle. Their 3 song E.P. that was recorded earlier this year brings you some fast but brutal and heavy songs that are guaranteed to please fans of Hoods, Terror and Until the End. The lyrical content is filled with anger and hate, as well as issues such as dealing with personal struggles, standing strong and thinking for yourself. Worlds Apart is gaining respect in the area, and it is definitely deserved. With a solid sound, and a solid live show, expect Worlds Apart to be playing in your area soon.

by Randy Staat

Heads Up!12 Songs is a Full-Length, Bro!

Heads Up’s first release, also being their first “full-length,” isn’t something you’re about to be bored with. 12 songs clocking in at about 13 minutes, 12 Songs is a Full-Length, Bro! leaves you wanting to hear more. Heads Up’s influences range all over hardcore, from Down to Nothing to Kid Dynamite to Champion, you can spot the diver-sity all over the record; and the lyrical content makes this one of the funnest records out now. Some of the songs are about serious issues with friends and expression, while others are about the upcoming Die Hard 4 and “gettin’ digits at the pool.” Do yourself a favor and download this record now.

by Max Montez

How did Killing the Dream hook up your Japan tour?

Basically, the dude who put out our record over there, he had taken over Comeback Kid’s Japan tour, he does a label called Alliance out there. We had expressed interest about going over there before our record came out and we went on tour with Comeback Kid and got to hang out with them and he kinda brought it up, that it was a possibility. We didn’t really believe it at first, but as it became more realistic we had to do it.

In September you guys released In Place Apart, how was it releasing that on Deathwish?

It wasn’t that much different, we’ve been really lucky with labels and everything’s gone well for us. It wasn’t that big of a switch from Rival, which was one of the reasons that we wanted to do work with Deathwish. It really reminded me of Rival and the way Kyle did stuff, it’s just nice to know you have someone backing you up no matter what. We can’t tour as much and they always ask us how we feel about things and we couldn’t ask for anything more. It’s the perfect label for us.

How did you guys get the tour with Ruiner going?

We didn’t really know them as much, but Isaac had heard about them and the record that had come out on 1917, and we were on tour on the East Coast and he picked it up from a distro or something, and we listened to it in the van and we were like, “Holy Shit who is this?” and it was Ruiner, and we talked about tour and they talked to us about doing something in the winter time and we just couldn’t pull it off and it just happened that we were going out around the same time and they really liked the record. I haven’t met them but I think Isaac has a couple times, but outside of just planning something for tour I haven’t really met them.

What’s the story behind 39th and Glisan, it seems a few bands have that for a song title?

It’s a secret (laughs). It’s all definitely connected... It’s not actually a secret. A couple of years ago we went on tour with Verse and all their shit got jacked in South Carolina, so they had to roll with us the whole tour in our van, and so we got really close with them, ‘cus they’re awesome dudes. And we had played a bunch of shows with The Answer, Sinking Ships, and The Physical Challenge, it was the last night of the tour in Portland and we were just messing around and we just decided to like go bury shit

Killing theInterview with Kill-ing The Dream vocalist Elijah HornerDream

by Max Montez

(laughs). It was just like stupid, so we just went out and it was like the closest place we found, and we didn’t have a shovel so we just used like old CD’s or something like that and the first time it rained it probably came up. It was at like the street corner, but we all said we were gonna write a song about tour and stuff. So that’s kind of how it came about. Verse’s isn’t called “39th and Glisan” but he says it in the song, good enough.

Is there any connection with the name of the band and the name of the book, Killng the Dream?

No, we were like bummed when we found out about it, we did like a Google search after we named the band it came up and we were like, “Oh shit it’s a book!” I don’t think its like got any sort of slant, but even still it’s kind of a bummer I would hate to see someone see one of our shirts

and think its associated. But I don’t think a lot of people know the book.

What are the band’s plans after the tour with Runer?

After the Japan tour, we’re gonna cool it on tour, that’s as much as we can do with school and work; and overall we’re not a big touring band. Some of us are super into it and some of us are just like babies, well basically me. But, we lost Joel and Bart, and so we’ve kind of been trying to feel out our writing process and see if it’s gonna work out and try to see if we can do a new record, and if it happens it happens, and if it doesn’t, we’ll figure it out from there, but we’ve been trying to feel it out and write stuff. So when we get home we’ll try and like take a break for a minute and kind of like hang out. But we always play like gillions of local shows every month so I’m sure that’s not gonna change.

photo by Oralia Cecaci

Have HeartInterview with Have Heart vocalist Patrick Flynnby Max Montez

How cool is it to tour with Verse and Shipwreck with them being from your area?

Well, we’re all from New England, Verse is from Providence, RI. Shipwreck and Have Heart are from the Boston area of MA, it’s amazing that we’re on tour together just in a sense that, I was looking around the other day and realized that pretty much all my best friends, my close friends the type of people that you can really open up to and you can really give them an idea of your true spirit everything like that. All those people that I know in my life that are good to me, and I’m actually touring with them like my room-mate Sean McCentry from Shipwreck and J.D., who filled in for Have Heart last summer, and then all the dudes from Verse; I’ve grown up watching Sean, Eric, and Matt, it’s wonderful. I’ve known them since I first got into hardcore watching What Feeds the Fire and to be on tour with Verse for the second time is amazing. Both those bands have this depth in their lyrical content and on top of that they’re our friends. I honestly couldn’t ask for a better tour.

You dedicated “Watch Me Rise” to your brother, what’s the song about?

The song is about my brother basically, not to get too in-depth or anything like that but he has struggled within his life with addictions and I wrote it like I was in his shoes and

thinking about that, and what it would be like to suffer from addiction and hear what the rest of the world has to tell you and the world pretty much looks down upon you in that they say you’re pretty much on guard the rest of your life and once you’re addicted you’re never gonna break free of that stuff, and it’s that type of repetition and hearing that over and over that keeps you down and I wrote that for him as a type of empathy trying to understand that people in those positions aren’t dangerous or anything like that, they’re probably the strongest people around because they’re fighting an internal struggle every single day and I find it incredibly remarkable to see people living

photo by Lydia Hamilton

with their addictions and their daily struggles and they’re surviving every day, day in and day out, and when they fall back down and relapse, they get back up. I honestly couldn’t do that, and I find the most inspiration to be in the lame and the sick and the poor, because those people are fighting every day and that’s a strength I’m pretty sure that I don’t have, and I look to them in times when I need strength.

What are the other messages prevalent on the new record or even on What Counts, or the demo?

Well on the new record, The Things We Carry, I thought it would be a good title, I got the idea from the book, The Things They Carried, my father was actually in Vietnam and he always drilled that book into my head, he said it was one of the best books ever written about Vietnam, and I remember reading it and there was a chapter talking about the things they carried, the actual things that they carried like canteens, bags, and guns, and stuff like that, and essentially the whole book is about the hardships and experiences they go through, and those are the things that they carried. And I thought that would just be a great title for an album that talks about various experiences. Have Heart’s a straight edge band and we also wanna open the idea of straight edge as not just straight edge pride… which is great, but talk about the things that go hand-in-hand with being straight edge and the current that you’re going up against if you’re living a life free of sexual promiscuity, free of drinking, partying, and substance abuse you’re gonna be going through

a lot of personal damage and day to day stuff like revenge, bridges are gonna be burned. In my mind it’s a very straight edge record but in a sense we’re talking about the other daily things you go through, like regret, family and personal struggles, watching close family members go down, abuse towards the world and how people treat eachother; I feel as being straight edge, with a clear mind, I can see how people treat eachother under the influence of a substance. It’s got a straight edge vibe to it, but it’s not the Hardcore Pride 7” it’s a straight edge record and it deals with a lot of things that go hand-in-hand with living that lifestyle.

How was writing the new record different than the previous releases?

Writing this record wasn’t very different in the process of how we do it, whenever we write a song we definitely don’t have one person write a song and bring it to the table. Someone usually comes up with a riff or an idea. I’ll think of an idea and someone writes a riff for it and then we all have our say with what we want to add to it, we feel that’s the most effective because everyone has their say in the process of writing and therefore it’s the most dynamic and the most diverse and essentially we’re all happy. It was very different this time just because in the past year we’ve had two member changes. We got a new drummer and a new guitar player, and Shawn who actually plays drums for Verse, he’s an incredible drummer, he’s not held back by norms of drum style. He has many ideas for songs. Same thing with Kel, I feel like all he

does is sit in his room and think about riffs and what can match the vibe of the songs and the lyrics I write. When it comes to putting the lyrics to it, it also comes hand-in-hand like when I have an idea for a song, I have to make sure the music fits with the mood of the song, I think that’s very important. But other than that it, wasn’t much different because we all did the same way. It’s very hectic, we wrote it over the span of eight months. We were constantly arguing and we hated doing it, but we’re really happy with it and the blood, sweat, and tears that we put into it really paid off, and even if it doesn’t go over too well, we’re really happy with what we came out with. I think we did the best we possibly could with what we were given and we were given a lot, so we’re happy.

Future plans for Have Heart?

In the fall we’re planning on going to the UK with Down to Nothing, who in my mind are one of the leading straight edge bands right now, we recently played with them in their hometown of Richmond, VA and I haven’t seen a show like that, with that much striaght edge pride or energy, passion, and sincerity since

Ten Yard Fight shows, like their last show or In My Eyes’ last show or the type of energy you see in those videos. I haven’t seen that anywhere since and Down to Nothing had that going on, That band is carrying the torch in straight edge in my opinion, so I’m really excited to do a week in UK with them. Then after that we’re doing a full European tour in December with Shipwreck and one other band, it’s gonna be a three-band package tour. We’re planning on doing many weekends with Ruiner. I haven’t been as motivated on a band as much in a long time as I have been on Ruiner. We’ve done a couple shows with them on this tour, and it’s like when you’re at a show and not many people are moshing and you wanna mosh but you don’t wanna be the one-man-mosh, when I was young I never gave a shit about that, as I’ve gotten older I noticed that I hold back when no one else is moshing, but that band brings the 14-year-old out of me who doesn’t give a shit and I just can’t hold back. So we’re gonna do a ton of weekends with them, I think we’re gonna do a West Coast weekend with Betrayed and there’s talks about doiong a full US tour with Ceremony at some point, so we’re really looking forward to those.

photo by Lydia Hamilton

When you said, “Tim’s leaving blacklisted, we’re not leaving him,” what did you mean?

When the decision was made to break up I was a little hot-headed so I jumped to more of a conclusion than I should have, but after driving across the country to play this fest (Sound and Fury). I got to talk to my band members, but not the one who was quitting, the reason we were breaking up. I guess things became more clear for us, so maybe things aren’t what they seem. We still have a lot more talking to do. It’s hard to explain. Tim had a problem and he left Blacklisted, and it sucked because me and him were together from the beginning. He played bass originally and then guitar and he left and it just felt like a weird spot. Should I just do this band with all people who haven’t been in the band the whole time, is that cheesy? But then we said we were gonna break up, so then if we kept playing would I lose some integrity? “Now they’re just playing, make up your mind.” But at the end of the day it’s my band so whatever. So we’ll see, I’m sure something will happen

Your lyrics are pretty dark, are there specific events that the songs are about?

I just write about what I know. I don’t live some dark existence where I sit in my room and write poetry. I just think that some people have problems and people deal with them different ways

and that’s my way of dealing with them ‘cus I don’t have any other outlet. In the first song on the record I say, “I tried working, it just didn’t seem to work out, so I tried college, but I just wound up dropping out,” and I did. I tried to go to work because I thought that’s what you should do, and I didn’t like it. I tried to go to college and I just had problems, it wasn’t for me. But it seems like here in hardcore, a lot of people play fests and say, “it sucks you’re here all day,” but for me it’s great, I’d rather be able to play music and live normal than have to wake up and work every day or go to college and get a degree then have to worry about pushing that off on someone to get a job. That’s just not for me. Hardcore’s just… not so much where I fit in, even in hardcore I don’t feel like I fit in, because sometimes there’s controversy around me, which is stupid, but I fit in at the same too. It’s like two sides of a coin, but there’s more good than bad so this is like my place to fit in.

What’s next for Blacklisted?

To be honest, I don’t know what’s up with Tim. We don’t speak so I don’t know what’s up with him; as far Blacklisted goes, I guess there’s gonna be a lot more talking about it and see what happens, it seems stupid it’s so dramatic, if we do a new band or keep doing Blacklisted, I guess we’ll see. Either way, me and the other guys in Blacklisted will still be making music together and doing something, so it should be cool.

Blacklisted I n t e r v i e w with vocalist, George Hirsch

by Max Montez

time it has even more melody and hits harder than their previous record. “Start a Fire” brings the album to a halt, with a slower but passionate and melodic sound, The title track “From Anger and Rage” is one of the best and most diverse songs on the album, as well as “Lost”. The album ends with chanting the phrase “Revolt! Rebel! Resist! Resist!” which seems a perfect way to end the album. From Anger and Rage is filled with an urge to the listener to question everything you are told, and researching for yourself to find truth. Vocalist, Sean Murphy, has so many things to say and he has one of the best voices, and band in hardcore to back it up. From Anger and Rage is definitely one of the best hardcore albums to come out this year.

Reviews

10RS

From Anger and Rage, the new album from Rhode Island’s Verse has been one of the most a n t i c i p a t e d

releases in hardcore this year, and after one listen, you’ll know what all the hype was about. The album starts off with “Weather To a Stone” which starts the album off fast, but later breaking it down half way through the song with a riff that could easily be compared to Judge or classic heavier hardcore acts. “Weather to a Stone” leads right into a mid tempo rhythmic drum beat in the beginning of “Hard to Breathe”, in this song and many others, Verse plays off of their style that was defined on Rebuild but this

From Anger and Rage

This long awaited release from the Bay Area’s own Set Your Goals is nothing short of great. Mutiny!

starts out with the track “Work In Progress,” the song starts out acoustic but then breaks off into the bands catchy brand of poppy hardcore. This album is well put together and it easily flows from song to song. The song “This Very Moment,” which was previously released on a demo has been rerecorded in better quality and a little change in the

vocals. My favorite track on the album would probably be “To Be Continued.” Set Your Goals still stays true to their roots and the title track of the album proves that their heart will always be in the right place. This album could be recommended for fans of New Found Glory and Lifetime or just pop punk in general. But unlike these bands all their songs aren’t about girls, which is proven in the track “This Song Is Definitely NOT About A Girl.” Its perfect for sing-alongs with friends and car rides. Set Your Goals is a band that you either hate or love. So you choose whether you hate or love this album.

8MS

Mutiny!

Mill City is another excellent release from York’s Another Breath. This is the bands first full-length album

and does everything right. Another Breath innovates like no other band in hardcore today. In fact, Mill City builds off of their E.P., Not Now, Not Ever, in the best ways possible. Excellent

progressive guitar work and drum beats that are not normally heard on a hardcore record have been thrown into the mix, which gives Another Breath a truly unique sound. Among all of the stellar tracks on Mill City, “Diesel and Gunpowder” is surely the one that will make you grin with happiness. Mill City is long for a hardcore album, but it never becomes stale or repetitive and unfortunately, is over before you know it.

10KS

Mill City

Boston-based straight edge outfit Have Heart releases their third effort, The Things We Carry, which redefines

hardcore, and gives new meaning to the word innovative. The record is flawless, and showcases the musical talent of the band perfectly. Have Heart has something to say, as well as something to offer to the hardcore scene, and they’ll be damned if they are not heard. You can feel the

desperation and anger in the vocals on the track “The Machinist” when singer, Patrick Flynn, speaks of how the corporate agenda begins to consume humans and more or less turn them into machines. The track “Watch Me Rise” is a personal song about Flynn’s brother who battles through addiction. The Things We Carry is uplifting and moving. It hits home to anyone who has an open mind. As Have Heart’s popularity begins to grow, it won’t be uncommon for you to hear them being referred to as the new Bane.

The Things We Carry

10JM

B e t r a y e d makes sure that guitar shred (courtesy of Todd Jones) and Straight Edge are far from

dead in today’s hardcore scene. This is a FAST hardcore record, but even the slower songs pack intensity that most bands are unable to capture in an anthemic track. There is an almost 50-50 balance of old and new songs

on the LP, which disappointed me a little, because I was hoping for almost all new material. This is the only fault on the album in my opinion. Stand out new songs include “I Am Not Afraid,” “Substance,” and “Work for It,” while the old guns of Betrayed’s arsenal like “Understand,” “Consequence,” and “Light in the Dark” still get the listener pumped. This band has the talent on record to match their success, and the live performance to prove it.

Substance

9JS

Help save the Tri-valley DIY scene!

There will be a meeting Mon-day September 18 at 7pm with the Livermore Youth Commis-sion to propose a plan for a new all ages, DIY venue in Liver-more. The meeting will be right next to the Livermore Police Station at 1110 S. Livermore Ave. Please come and support.

MONDAY SEPTEMBER 18

7pm

For more information on this event or any zine-related inquiries contact us at via email at eastbaycommunique@gmail.com