Mass Movement of the Moth unveils the Maximum Documentation Project

I’m not sure what year it was, probably somewhere around 2005 or 2006, but I finally caught wind of a band of youngsters making music in the suburbs of Washington DC known as Mass Movement of the Moth. By the time I had seen them for the first time, they already had a pretty enthusiastic following in the city and from what I learned had even been on a few tours. They still hadn’t released a full length, but I picked up their self released EP, Finally! and was pretty hooked.

For me, Mass Movement of the Moth dually filled spaces in my sonic life left by the demise of Frodus and The Dismemberment Plan. They were loud and bombastic on the one end. On the other, they were funky and laid down an amazing groove. They had the type of energy you expect out of kids at 19 and 20 just growing into the fact that they are undeniable music wizards. They were onto something, they knew they liked what they were doing, and felt the energy of the audience feeding into them. It was truly an amazing sight to see especially considering they existed in a time when once again, the established acts of DC’s post-punk scene were either distant memories or gone entirely. Mass Movement of the Moth was part of a youth centered movement, who while playing with in the context of an immediate past, had very little to do with it. They made music outside of what their fore bearers did, to a new generation of kids finding DIY and Punk Rock culture.

Within just a few months of each other, Mass Movement of the Moth released a split CD with Richmond, VA’s grunge revivalists Catalyst entitled Two-Thousand and Six Six Six and a fantastic debut album, Outerspace on DC’s Exotic Fever Records. The split with Catalyst captured a very loud, aggressive Mass Movement of the Moth, replete with dual vocals between Bassist Christian Brady and Keyboardist Adam Lake. The breakdowns were spooky, littered with girtty riffage from guitarist Ashly Arnwine and the unruly talented Joey Doubek delivering thunderous drums. Their songs on the split felt like a desert murder mystery show produced in the 70′s. Mass Movement spared no expense in being both aggressive and far out, adding odd time changes, space orgy keyboards and an over all unsettling, but highly pleasant grove.  On “Lightening”, the band gets down right beautiful, with some nice, waverly movements.

Outerspace saw the band at top form. It’s hard to believe that this band of talent only released one album and that they were able to convey so much in that album. Recorded by Jeff Kane, no stranger himself to the suburban wastelands similar to the ones Mass Movement of the Moth came from, Outerspace is filled with a desire to break out and break free from the monotony of houses filled with spies and spooks. It’s a transgressive, futuristic cry from America’s youth, smart enough to know that where they are from and what makes up their suburban neighborhoods is totally fucked, but far too young to do anything in opposition to it. That is, other than shouting at the top of their lungs. Outerspace collects the songs from Mass Movement of the Moth when I got to know them. The screaming and yelling vocals over totally loud and crushing music remains, but in between, the true talents of these young musicians really comes out. Brady’s bass playing, no longer confined just to thumping loudly, is really allowed to take shape in the new space like on songs “Seven” and “Crimps And Ties”. The band also utilized this time to bring out other elements of their song creation including guest vocals, acoustic noodling and new influences. Outerspace was as strong a debut album as any band could have asked for and as it remains the bands finest moment and their unfortunate swan song, future generations of music listeners will just have to embrace it and take it up the mountain.

Mass Movement of the Moth broke up not too long after Outerspace was released. The world saw their debut EP Finally re-recorded and re-released as Finale. The band was working on songs from some compilations at the time they disbanded. Suddenly, Washington DC seemed bleak once more. Around Mass Movement of the Moth were a slew of young bands that seemed to come and go quickly, but they were all filled with excited youth, eager to catch that exciting wave that The Moth was clearly in command of.

For the rest of you, here and now, you can celebrate their entire catalog. Finally launched after a few years of work collecting masters and design, Mass Movement of the Moth have unveiled Maximum Documentation which includes nearly every song they ever released (I believe there is one song missing from an early split). The band is offering their catalog, along with another unreleased batch of demos for free download (although you have the option to donate or purchase remaining physical copies, which I suggest you do). Included on this page is a collection entitled Beyond which features six songs captured from an acoustic performance at American University. This special insight into the band shows the depth these four amazing individuals have.

Today, the band members are spread out on the east coast. Ashley Arnwine is in Philly and last I heard was playing in the awesomely named Birth Noises. Christian Brady is in Richmond and plays in Antlers, a fantastic, mostly instrumental post-rock and soul infused band. Joey Dubek is currently playing bass in Hume who released a very well received EP on Sockets Records late last year. Adam Lake is currently in Richmond as well, eating pizza and generally being the amazing dude that I have always known him to be. Mass Movement of the Moth was a fantastic band, forged full of unencumbered, youthful energy. They managed a modest following in the four or so years they existed. Further, they played in Washington DC in a time where they were needed most. With any luck, the historians of DC’s rich, DIY culture will not overlook this band or the time period in which they existed. They may not have reached the legendary status of the countless bands before them, but they made interesting, intense music in a time when so little of the establishment was paying attention. Their contributions to that history are equally as important, ushering in a new generation of young people to a world in which your friends are your fans and your fans are your friends. Mass Movement of the Moth were intensely DIY, touring the country and making music that was passionate and original. They are missed greatly by this writer, but I am glad this library exists in documentation of the mighty Mass Movement of the Moth.

Best of 2010 – EP’s, Tapes and Singles

I am, and have always been an album kind of guy. The only time I’ve ever liked Mix Tapes was when they had a bunch of stuff I never heard that I knew the creator loved. There is something about continuity that really strikes me. For me, that continuity comes through different twists and turns. But as it is, so much great music gets released in little teasers like the EP, the Demo Tape or the 7″ single. These formats are incredibly frustrating, because almost always they make me want more. Either more music from the band, or a bigger production. They often hint at untapped or unreleased greatness that is lurking in the members or on some assholes hard drive.

2010 was a year I actually got really back into the single and buying 7″ again. It seems a lot of DIY bands are doing tapes and 7″ again. To which I say AWESOME!, especially since they have digital downloads a lot of times so the need to digitize them or collect anthologies down the line are no longer necessary. So here are the best of these formats that found their way into my lap this year.

EP’s
1. No Friends – Traditional Failures – Kiss of Death
Seriously, No Friends is a pretty awesome band. The fact is, I told you this shit was free when it came out. If you don’t know how infectious this band is by now, you are living in the dark ages. This EP was pretty welcomed as I picked up their self titled LP earlier this year. It just extends the fun, playing the full discography from front to back. This is a very good thing.

2. Double Dagger – Masks – Thrill Jockey
I saw Double Dagger open up for the Jesus Lizard in their home town of Baltimore. That show would have been a lot better if the weirdo, solo guy wasn’t in between these two bands. Because it was like seeing the past and the present collide. Double Dagger make really fucking great, art-rock music. Which is hard, because that shit can come off as disingenuous. Smart music that is actually soulful and genuine is hard to come by. Masks on the other hand hints at a band that hit their stride and decided that wasn’t good enough. I really wanted this to be an album because it is so damn good.

3. The Max Levine Ensemble -  Them Steadily Depressing, Low Down Mind Messing, Post Modern Recession Blues – Asian Man
Washington DC has been in a state since 2001. Fugazi, The Dismemberment Plan and Q and Not U broke up since then. The beginning of last century gave us so much hope and it all burnt out so quickly. Little did we know that a pop punk band from Takoma Park, Maryland would emerge. It’s hard to say where the Max Levine Ensemble will go at this point. This EP is the best music they have ever made. If they put out an album building on this, punk rock will get face punched. They are ten years old now, they do not have the recognition they deserve from DC or elsewhere, this EP should be heard by more people. This band should be loved by anyone who likes music.

4. Puerto Rico Flowers – 4 – Fan Death
Fucking Fan Death Records are the real deal. They are just this small label, run by a pair of music geeks who don’t give a fuck about your band. The bands you are into (me included) are trivial. The thing about their shit talk that hit the DC internet in waves this year is that its backed up by some sick fucking bands. Puerto Rico Flowers is one of those bands. This “cold wave” (whatever the fuck that shit is) project of John Sharkey III, the instigating former front man for sludge rockers Clockcleaner, is a total head fuck. It evokes Joy Division, but resonates with a stark, dark, morose tone that would make Ian Curtis turn his head. The band refuses to tour, Sharkey having moved to Australia, and they are all but unwilling to talk publicly about the music. But what is there to say that the songs don’t already say? This is some other world type shit here. Never mind what you are listening to, it sucks.

5. Trap Them – Filth Rations – Southern Lord
Trap Them is actually better in short bursts. Probably because they are so brutal over four songs, that anymore would just cause soul fatigue. Filth Rations is the Providence band’s latest and easily greatest. They are a band that seems to shift and morph between releases, which personally has been a bit off-putting at times. Filth Rations however,  nails it right on the head. It comes on full speed and doesn’t let up. Frankly, it’s fucking incredible. Metal/Hybrid Metal/Hardcore/Post Hardcore, what ever the hell this is, it’s brutal and if you want to hate yourself, which you should because you suck, then get this, now.

Tapes

1. The Gift – S/T Demo – Self released. The Gift are terrifying. They combine song writing with blistering, terrifying noise. This music will boil your skin. The demo tape is loose and crazy, remnants of a band that has grown into their own. With a full length album already on the horizon, this young band is going to ruin lives. The bands these kids were in (Exosus, Turboslut, Anchors, etc) should tell you what you are in for, but only informally. The Gift kills it.

2. Zomes – Improvisations 1 & 2 – Imminent Frequencies. I love Zomes. You can’t get this tape anymore. You should be jealous. This is meditative, universal, space music. I truly can not get enough of Zomes. Ian MacKaye, are you listening? Get Asa in the studio, put out a solid release. I love the lo-fi, but it’s time to put the music world to bed. Zomes.

3. Body Cop – S/T – Fan Death. There is a reason Fan Death are all over this blog post, because those fuckers have their finger on the pulse of the most fucked up music on the planet now. Body Cop is one of the reasons I am sad to leave DC. No shit, they totally blew me away with their fucked up sludge. Body Cop, along with the Gift are redefining and owning DC’s punk rock history.

7″

1.Frodus – Sound Laboratories 1 – Lovitt Records. When I first heard the three songs that make up this 7″ I wanted to cry. This is such a fucking tease from one of my favorite bands as a youth. The Frodus boys were my contemporaries but they made music so beyond their years. Shelby Cinca and Jason Hammacher have finally caught up to their music as musicians and Sound Laboratories 1 is document of a musical duo that has grown up together. I want more, so so so much more than can be reasonably expected. While Liam Wilson from Dillenger Escape plan does a great job on bass, I do miss Nate Burke, who to me was the missing piece. Regardless, this was so important and amazing. FCI is back.

2&3. Give – Boots Of Faith/Going Confetti – Deranged Records, Heaven is Waiting/One – React Records. Right now, in DC, Give is the most important band in operation. That’s a tall order and one I could probably argue against on any given day. But for now, right here, I mean it. These singles, coupled with a self released EP, are a document to a band that needs to be heard more. That the globe isn’t demanding more from Give is a travesty. DC always has best kept secrets, much to my chagrin. Give is that secret now and it needs to stop.

4. Puerto Rico Flowers – 2 – Fan Death Records. No quite as strong as the songs on 4, 2 still offers some really out of earth type music. It’s slow and drowning and punishing to listen to. If you just aren’t depressed enough after listening to 4, then this single will push you over the edge.

5. Too Many Daves/Dude Jams split 7″ – ADD Records. As much as my best of lists are always replete with a lot of really damaged music, I have a soft spot for punk rock. Dudes just bashing out honest or even silly songs will always capture my attention. This single was awesome and seriously, it makes me happy there is a band in the world called Dude Jams.

Interview with Shelby Cinca

Shelby Cinca is a music maker with many voices. Often, when a person is known for a distinct sound, remnants of that sound can be found in other projects that follow. This is not the case with Cinca. After the spazz core group he founded in the 90′s, Frodus, disbanded in 1999, Cinca went on to form The Cassettes, Travelers of Tyme and Triobelisk. Since moving from Washington DC to Sweden, he has started the digital label Swedish Columbia, which includes artists from DC, Sweden and elsewhere. Cinca does graphic design and has also served as an engineer on many projects, a job which is taking up more and more of his time. He has also released a new EP with his Travelers of Tyme which hasn’t released music in quite some time.

Through these different channels, Shelby has created a massive body of work with a precision that many artists do not have in one genre, let alone the groundbreaking work Cinca often creates. Between each project, whether it’s his retro-future DJ jams or his punk rock inspired yelps over fuzzed out guitars, Cinca is a musician and artist aware of every detail. His full on immersion into new ways of musical distribution are at the forefront of what is to come, home-grown labels and brands that benefit the artists who create them, not the media giants who seek only to profit from them’s. While he is quite aware of what a brand can do, his years as a graphic designer informing those capabilities, Cinca is not interested in a faceless relationship. It is the share and share alike nature of Swedish Columbia and all his ventures that truly puts him at the front of the pack.

KYS: How did your label Swedish Columbia come to be?

SC: The label started originally as a flagship to release some t-shirts that my friend Håkan from Division Of Laura Lee and I were working on. The brand eventually morphed to release electronic records by friends from 90s punk bands that wouldn’t otherwise see the light of day. Word spread amongst my peers after I began making my own electronic tunes out of necessity to create some sort of music while on tour. I found out as soon as I started sharing my creations with friends that I wasn’t alone with this and many of my peers made it known that they also want to release something and then it naturally evolved to friends of friends, etc…

KYS: What made you decide to do an all digital label via Bancamp?

SC: Bandcamp was a no brainer decision because everything about it is user-friendly. For DJ types who want super high-quality they can get FLAC and the mp3s are at 320k which is still higher than iTunes and most everyone else. I found Bandcamp soon after their launch and everything about it made sense to me as it solved many problems simultaneously– getting the records out there for “Choose Your Own Price”, an embeddable widget for my website, full-song streaming, downloadable extras, and very detailed statistics.

I think overall the great thing about digital distribution is that you aren’t locking in a release by pressing X amount of physical items that sit on a shelf. You can release some pretty obscure niche music without really worrying about breaking even. Not to mean that I wouldn’t ever press something– but at the moment I like keeping it simple and focusing on getting lots of music out there.

KYS: What type of response have you gotten utilizing Bandcamp and the pay what you want model?

SC: Bandcamp has been awesome– people usually pay more than the minimum amount I ask for. I think if you don’t treat potential customers as criminals and break down the barrier so we are all equal creative people in the same boat  then people usually err on being generous. It feels good to know you are supporting a fellow artist and I think Bandcamp makes it even better since no big multi-national corporation is getting money from the release. It’s totally indie and is the very spirit of punk and DIY. I actually think most blogs and music-press need to start focusing on reviewing Bandcamp releases since that’s where the pulse of underground DIY music is.

KYS: How did you get hooked up with Japanese artist Itaru?

SC: Itaru was the drummer from Atomic Fireball whom Frodus did a split 7″ with in 1999. We kept in contact over the years after touring back in 1999 and he would send me some of the electronic music he was working on occasion. He didn’t have a solid plan with his own music as far as releasing it and I stepped in and offered to help. He’s definitely one of my favorite artists I work with since I feel he has a really unique and challenging approach to what he does.

KYS: One of your post-Frodus projects has been Triobelisk, which feels like video game music and post-culture dance music. I know you started making that music on tour with Frodus and the Cassetes, but you’ve continued to grow with it. What does working in that capacity offer you that some of the more traditional bands you’ve been in can’t?

SC: Triobelisk offers me a way to be in total control of all the decisions and trajectory of it. I can get as nerdy sci-fi gamey with it as I choose which is lots of fun for me. It has opened my mind in approaching instrumental music and  making video-game inspired tracks that could work being DJ’ed or just listened to. I’ve also heavily enjoyed interfacing with different music programs– in particular Ableton Live. It’s really one of the only programs where you can fluidly jam with your own ideas quickly which is very rewarding and it pushes composition + creative sound exploration in more musical ways than in sound-engineer ways as other programs tend to do. Being that within the music and music-software alters how one thinks about sound/composing in ways that a band doesn’t. It is very structured due to it being on a computer so it makes you start thinking a little like that even when you are playing with humans.

I still have a very active imagination and connection to my child-mind and Triobelisk is very much an early childhood idea stemming from really liking the cantina band in Star Wars and the Meco “Star Wars & Other Galactic Funk” LP. I would daydream about being an alien musician on some weird off-world colony. It truly is a childhood dream come to fruition however there aren’t aliens present that we know of but maybe that’s next step after these body scanners are at airports– we will be in Total Recall when alien anatomies are revealed by the scanners such as beings with extra faces on their stomachs!

KYS: The other thing I’ve been really drawn to with Swedish Columbia, aside from the music and the democratic distribution method is the art work for the releases. Each artist has a distinct visual quality, but all are really intense. Can you talk about some of the graphic artists you work with?

SC: Since all you are getting is a square for the artwork I really try and make the covers count. I have done many of the covers but for a while at the beginning of the label I was working with this Finnish artist Sakke Soini to do all the artwork. He is a photoshop wizard and established the aesthetic of Swedish Columbia with some of the first key releases such as: Jonathan Kreinik and his dystopian mini-soundtrack “Return to Precinct 13″, Triobelisk “1″ and Tanimura Midnight “s/t”. I have also used some illustrators such as a comic artist Chris Faccone for the Triobelisk character in “Brain Traveller” and Kurt Lightner (http://flavors.me/kurtlightner) for the new Itaru EP.

KYS: Travelers of Tyme, your project with former Frodus Alumni Jim Cooper recently released a new EP. How did that come about? Had you and Jim been wanting to do this for a while?

SC: Yeah! Jim and I wanted to do this ever since we recorded the first Travelers of Tyme in 1995. Jim moved to Chicago to go to college soon after we recorded the first Frodus album “Molotov Cocktail Party” and we only saw each-other during subsequent summer/winter-breaks so it became hard for us to actually pull off a lot sessions but we did all we could to fit in a few back then. We actually did one remote track for a compilation CD “An Evening in Nivram: A Tribute to The Shadows” in 1996 where we recorded drums and guitars on Jonathan Kreinik’s open-reel 8 track in Arlington, VA and mailed him the tape to Chicago to record the rest. I guess that was a shape of things to come as technology caught up over the past 14 years during our inactivity so now its easy to work remotely.

Travelers of Tyme really returned when I was in Romania this year after my Dad passed away and staying at our family home I kind of just went into high-focus music world in order to deal with it.I began with recording on some songs that Nick Kraly (projectionist for The Cassettes) sent me. Nick then visited me in Romania and we recorded a bunch more tracks and Jim added orchestration/extra-instrumentation on some of them remotely since I knew he was the man for the job. After one particular track with lots of odd instrumentation he said it reminded him of Travelers of Tyme and that we should pick it up again. Well after I finished up most of my parts on the “secret post-Cassettes” project I recorded 20 Travelers of Tyme songs which Jim and I have been fleshing out back and forth ever since. The EP is just a taste for “early adapters”, there is much more to come!

KYS: Also recently you and Jason Hammacher released some new Frodus music with Liam Wilson from Dillenger Escape Plan on bass. You worked with Baltimore producer Joe Mitra, who has been doing a lot of great work with a lot of local bands. How did that session go for you guys?

SC: The session was awesome! Joe was the perfect fit for it as he was an old school fan and knew 100% where we were coming from. We all inspired each-other in a positive way to achieve the best we could do. It really couldn’t have gone better. And in true Frodus fashion we even had some mad-cap happenings like Jason’s car-battery dying and having to sleep in the studio one night and then the next day having to push the car out of the garage while interacting with odd street denizens and having a rap-battle!

KYS: I’ve read you guys are possibly working on more music under the moniker Frodus Sound Laboratories. With you in Sweden and Jason in DC, is this mostly a digital collaboration? Are you guys passing tracks back and forth by email?

SC: Nah- Jason hasn’t had much time to set up a home recording setup and I think we work best by jamming in the same room taking cues from each-others’ musical signals. So we need to block off  time to create. We haven’t done anything in 2010 but I hope to start some sonic experiments in 2011.

KYS: I also read that you and Jason are working with a bunch of different guys from Refused and Darkest Hour. Any chance of collaborating with Nathan Burke? Part of why I ask is it seems both yours and his post-Frodus bands have had similarities in aesthetic. As a fan I’d be really interested to see what the three of you would come up with.

SC: We’re open to it if he has time so we’ll have to see if things align with everyone’s schedules/lives.

Goin Out West Volume 3

William F. Willard here. The editor has really gone off the deep end now. The morning started off way too early. Dehydration kept this rag tag journalistic team up all night (did I mention our fearless editor, Erik K. Gamlem forgot his cord for the camera and as such we are without photos on this excursion, not that chief photographer Erik K Gamlem has taken any pristine shots, save for a few out of the window of our hotel last night. We are in what they call the land of enchantment, and this guy can’t even be bothered to take a few pictures? We are truly doomed).

So we awoke early due to lack of sleep. William F. Willard, prized journalist for sure, does not awake early for any man or child, the right woman however, that’s another story. We mulled about the hotel, catching the new Frodus Sound Laboratories output on the computer stream,  until a breakfast of substance was required to sustain us for our journey. We had Huevos Rancheros and two cups of coffee. So there I thought the fuel would get us through. Little did I know most of my thirst would be quenched not by the great coffee bean, nor the barley and hops that any  first rate wordsmith requires all day, but instead water was all that was on the menu.

Gamlem thinks he did find an apartment however. It’s a quaint place in a yellow and blue building that looks more like a fraternity house for an all gay, all out football team. It’s very colorful. Very blue, and very yellow. But it seems it will accommodate our drinking needs and offer a space to entertain you college co-eds matriculating down at the University of New Mexico.

We missed the new fucking Episode of fucking House M.D. tonight because apparently we are in fucking central time. 7 FUCKING PM. WHO THE FUCK STARTS PRIME TIME TELEVISION AT 7 FUCKING PM? And my illustrious editor doesn’t feel that alcohol is needed to cope with this travesty. If he didn’t have the keys to the rental I would drive that shit to the border and sell it for a six pack of corona and a bus ticket to San Diego. But I don’t know where he hid them. Fuck that guy.

This is a sober, pissed off William F. Willard signing off.

Top 5 Live Musical Experiences

People like lists and I don’t blame them. And I am sick as shit but want to provide “content” to the kids. So in honor of that, here is a listing of the top 5 live musical experiences of my life. I don’t remember all the details so you get what I give you. Suck it.

#5 Zomes – The Writers Center – 2009
Zomes is a musical project by Asa Osbourne. He is best known for his work in Lungfish which is one of the greatest bands to ever exist. That’s an indisputable fact. In fact, I will go so far as to say that Lungfish are the most original guitar-drum-bass-singer band to ever exist. I saw Zomes late last year. There were about 25 people when Asa started. There were about five when he finished. Ian Mackaye and Chad Clark were the other two people I knew, so I’d say that’s about as good of company you can be in. That shit took me to another place inside myself all together. I left my body for the eternity that Asa played. The hum and vibration is still very present. It keyed into my cosmic strings and made me physically aware of them. I can’t really explain this show in words, other then it was an intense physical and psychological experience. And I wasn’t even drunk or high or anything.

#4 Elliot Smith/Tsunami – The Black Cat – Winter 1996
I remember it was the winter and it was snowing outside and it was like Tsunami’s first show in a million years. I got there early. I think I went with my friend Kurt who I used to go to shows with all the time in 95 and 96. He probably drove. We were excited because we had actually heard of Elliot Smith as he had opened for Sebadoh that fall at the 9:30 Club. I remember this show more for Elliot Smith, even though at the time I was really excited to see Tsunami. Like many a 18 year old boys in the mid 90′s tooling around WDC, I had a major crush on Jenny Toomey. But there were a lot of people there to see Elliot Smith. One girl I remember in particular was pretty vocal telling people to shut the hell up and Smith chuckled at the exchange. It was a pretty amazing set to witness. At that point in my life I had never seen anyone play music with just an acoustic guitar and their voice before. But Smith owned the room. I only saw Smith one time after this right during the whole Good Will Hunting media blitz and I was really bummed out about how shitty loud people were. I wish that girl was at that show, punching drunk assholes in the mouth. Anyway, we talked to Smith for like two minutes. He was on tour, alone or like with one friend in a hatch back. It was fucking crazy. But he became my hero that night.

#3 Refused/Frodus – The Black Cat – 1998
When I was in college I wrote record reviews for the school paper. How cool was I? Yea, not that cool really. But I did get the occasional free record that was awesome. One of those records was Refused’s The Shape of Punk to Come. I listened to it, liked it, reviewed it and sent the clipping to my press contact at Epitaph. He called me up that afternoon at my house and left this really grateful message on my parents answering machine (thinking back to those days, cool people used to call my parents house all the time and my dad would answer the phone and be all confused, Tobi Vali called him up once and looked at me like I had three heads when he told me some Bikini Killer lady was on the phone for me) and put me on the guest list for a show I was going to go to anyway. But I thought that was pretty cool. While I have no evidence to back it up, because the film gotten eaten, I took pictures of that show. This was back in the day when shit at the Black Cat was laid back and people recognized me and let me get on the stage to shoot bands. I remember watching Refused from the first explosive chord essentially loose their shit like nothing else I had ever seen in my life. This was a band hell bent on destroying everything in their pathway and they did. Maybe 50 kids, mostly from Fairfax came out that night, but I know most of them on a first name basis and all of them remember that show as a special event in their lives. Though I was certain this band would be huge in a years time they broke up a few weeks later in Harrisburg, VA. I was one of the lucky ones and I don’t forget that shit.

#2 – Fugazi – Malcom X Park – Probably 1996
Look, I’ve seen Fugazi a million times, including the infamous 1993 Ice Cream Eating Mother Fucker show (my first) and a show in maybe 99 at Fort Reno where they only played like 7or 9 songs that were fucking insane. I can’t really differentiate the experiences too much in my jumbled brain. But the Fugazi show that sticks out the most was when they played at Malcom X Park in Washington DC. It’s mostly because of the scenery. It was the first time I’d ever been to that park and was amazed that such a beautiful oasis could exist in the middle of such a shitty city. Something about Fugazi playing in that amazing park has really resonated with me and I have very vivid feelings from that show. I don’t remember the set list or anything, but I have a clear picture of the band on that stage and looking down on downtown DC. It was pretty magical.

#1 – Team Dresch/Bikini Kill – GWU – 1995
This show changed my life. I was a freshman in college, newly free from the reigns of my parents. At that time I was going to at least one show a week. It didn’t matter what band it was, if I could go, I went. The day of this show, I was bummed out because I didn’t have a ride to it and I really wanted to go. My friend Kurt (the one I mentioned above) had to work and so he couldn’t take me. I was eating lunch in the Cafeteria where I ran into the punk girl, Tara. Yea, I went to a suburban Commuter College, so she was THE PUNK GIRL. She was saying she was going to the show and I asked her if I could get a ride. We didn’t know each other very well. I was really shy and I think I kind of made her think I blew her off the first few weeks of school, but she agreed to take me anyway. I had not heard of Team Dresch at that point in my life. They could have been any fucking band as far as I knew. So when four, butchy, punk ladies took the stage (granted Cold Cold Hearts and a band called Estrojet performed before hand, but work with me here) I was taken aback. I knew this was going to be different somehow. And it was. Fucking Jody Bleyle spazzed the fuck out. Donna Dresch thrashed around, making her guitar seem like a toy. Drummer Melissa York at one point got up from behind the drum kit and just yelled into the microphone. The whole fucking place went insane and I don’t think anyone knew who the hell this band was. At the time all I could think was this was a female counterpart to Fugazi. They were just unfucking real. And because of that, I had my eyes opened up for me. Gender Issues, Sexuality, all kinds of political ideologies were introduced to me that night. Not in any argument or academic form. But just seeing four women rock HARDER THEN ANY BAND MADE OF DUDES I HAVE EVER SEEN made me realize that pretty much everything is bullshit and Team Dresch was all that mattered. Not much has changed since then. Nothing I have seen in my life was as good as that night. It was better than any sex I’ve ever had, any drug crazy party I’ve been to, any show I’ve played, any trip that I’ve gone on. It was the quintessential moment in my life and nothing will ever be as good as that. Anyone that tells you they’ve been to an amazing show is lying. Even the other shows I wrote about before here don’t even come close. After Team Dresch played that night I didn’t care about anything else. When Kathleen Hanna told old the boys to move to the back I happily obliged because there was no way Bikini Kill was going to come anywhere near that shit. And I have no idea what they were like because I didn’t care. Team Dresch owns my life.