So Revelation Records has just released Violent Reaction's new LP, "Marching On". Unless you've been living under a rock these past years, you know the UK has made a blistering "comeback" of sorts onto the world hardcore stage. With bands like The Flex, Obstruct, Crown Court, Arms Race, True Vision, and a slew of others, this New Wave of British Hardcore (dubbed NWOBHC) doesn't look like it's gonna stop any time soon.
The Staycool Fanzine Crew (basically me and my sister, XX Tonantzin) interviewed Violent Reaction on May 3rd, 2014 outside of the East 7th before their show with The Flex, Stoic Violence, Constant Fear, and Forced Order. The Boys talked about their 2014 US tour, the socio-political context of England, gentrification, and other hardcore stuff. They kept it real.
Go to www.revhq.com to buy "Marching On", it's a rager!
Monday, March 30, 2015
Monday, February 16, 2015
Esperanza Demo (2000): Southern California Hardcore Retrospectives of the late 90's and early 2000's.
Let’s Dig Deeper
In the last 5 years or so I’ve tried my best to keep my ear
to conversations being held in a number of circles deemed as “critical” or
“radical”. When you live in a small town, and you want to stay connected to
whatever is happening it’s important to maintain some kind of link to these
“critical”, “radical”, and “creative” circles, whether it be through social
media, art, culture, scholarship, music, or activism, I’ve tried my best to
find some kind of commonality between these circles. Some of these
commonalities revolve around this basic need for marginalized people to tell
their own stories, to document their own histories and realities, and to do so
by using a broader lens that incorporates history, society, politics,
economics, race, class, gender, age, environment, and location. I’m not sure to
what degree we’ve done this in recent conversations on the hardcore/punk
subculture, but I’ll do my best to dish out my own version of this.
Through social media, through zine fests, through documentaries,
through collectives, and organizations, through art shows, through articles,
through a ton of other mediums, I’ve gotten hints of something that happens in
sparks: the counter narratives by people of color that seek to contextualize
subcultures and social expressions and cultural production within bigger often
oppressive social and historical systems.
Alice Bag’s publishing of Violence Girl, Beyond the Screams Documentary,
AfroPunk Documentary, Ovarian Pyschos Documentary (not sure where they are with
that, I know they had a Kickstarter campaign), Martin Sorrondeguy’s Art
Exhibits, and other events around the state of California, the US, and the rest
of the world. I perceive these to be sparks, because I wish they happened more
often, I wish they had a bigger platform, I wish there was an authentically
receptive community that acknowledged the revolutionary aspects of all
subcultures. Those examples I listed above relate specifically to
hardcore/punk, I know many other subcultures that have embarked on this journey
to tell their own story, whether it be in Hip Hop, Jazz, Corridos (narco
corridos I guess), Salsa, Graffiti, or any other subculture. Within Hip Hop
specifically I’ve noticed that lines have been blurred between subculture and
the narratives devised to contextualize and explain the significance of this
subculture. This has come largely from some circles in academia, where “hip
hop” scholars have emerged. By dissecting the racial and political climate
under which hip hop was born, and by using critical theories on race, gender,
whiteness, blackness, anti-blackness, African American history, criminal
justice system, incarceration, history, capitalism, the Drug War, education,
reproductive health, environmental racism, and everything in between, they have
managed to create a truly comprehensive framework from which we can analyze,
deconstruct, and talk about hip hop. It’s through this realization that I
attempt to turn the focus on other subcultures, in this case our hardcore/punk
subculture.
If we claim to have an interest in revolutionary subcultures
or in revolutionary and radical forms of expression we must push ourselves
beyond our own personal subcultures of interest and see the beauty of struggle
across our communities and the world. So I challenge you. Even those who are
not into hardcore/punk, I challenge you to appreciate a moment in time, I
challenge you to respect a moment of cultural and racial resistance. I
challenge you to acknowledge an era in Los Angeles and Southern California that
saw youth of color create their own responses to the challenges of the “global
city” where “flows of capital, labor,
goods, raw materials, tourists” oppression, racism, inequality and a host of
other phenomena create a social stew that is always at its boiling point. I
suggest you check out sociologist Saskia Sassen’s work. She does a great job at
dissecting what cities across the world have become. Going back to our main
point. I challenge you to learn the history of Southern California's hardcore punk
scene of the late 90’s and early 2000’s.
If we are to talk about the importance of community, autonomy, of youth
of color using art, expression, and cultural production to read, deconstruct,
and challenge the injustices of their world, then we must know this history.
Regardless of your opinion of hardcore/punk as a form of musical expression, I challenge
you to learn this critical history, one demo, one 7” EP, or one LP at a time.
In our first installment, we bring you Esperanza’s self-titled demo recorded in
the year 2000. Enjoy!
The Living Room: Santa Barbara Bound
The Esperanza demo
was recorded by Santa Barbara legend John Lyons at the Living Room on June 4,
2000. The Living Room was this awesome venue in Isla Vista. Isla Vista is an
unincorporated neighborhood in Santa Barbara where UCSB is located. The Living
Room was in this neighborhood. And to be more precise, this location where the
demo was recorded was The Living Room’s second location, the first being in
another part of Santa Barbara, not sure exactly where.
Moving on, I first
saw Esperanza sometime later that year, after the demo was recorded. I want to
say it was like in December or something. I was already 17 at this point and was
itching to start my own hardcore band, which would happen two years later (VYO
Oxnard Straight Edge). As a 17 year old hardcore kid, I was also a bit of a
loser, I guess being low income didn’t help, but the point is I didn’t have a
car. I could drive, but no car. So that week my dad gave me and my homie Mike Doane
a ride to SB. My dad had a lot of connects in SB since he lived and worked
there in Carpinteria’s (an agricultural community in SB) flower nurseries. It
was a school night and he was cool with it too. I got a ride out of it, and he
got to kick it with his homie in Santa Barbara—everyone came out winning. This
particular show featured a pretty cool line up, the headliner being this band
put out by Martin Sorrondeguy’s Lengua Armada Discos, they were called Hog. They came
out all the way from Mexico City if I’m not mistaken. That was the key selling
point for me. They kind of gave me a power violence vibe. Back then, the
internet hadn’t really exhibited its full force on hardcore, so we still found
out about most shows through flyers and word of mouth. I recall seeing a bad
ass flyer for a show Hog would end up doing at the legendary PCH Club in
Wilmington that was kind of a rip on one of Larm’s record/t-shirt designs. The
one where Larm are riding the cow, haha! That show seemed kind of far so I
figured I’d go to this one in Isla Vista.
We got there pretty
early and were hanging out in the parking lot. It was already dark but we
managed. They show eventually started and I only really recall three bands
playing, one I believed was called Bread & Water from Wisconsin, Esperanza,
and Hog. I remember the band Bread & Water (although Ray from Esperanza
remembers another band) having a vocalist with dreads. As far as the sound? I’m
just gonna go and say a crust type vibe? Haha! I mean, when you have dreads and
you play hardcore, unless you’re Bobby Sullivan, you’re probably gonna play
crust. Haha!
Now, as I type this
I have this doubt in my mind and with the benefit of the internet I have just
checked and damn! It seems like Bread & Water is an anarcho punk band from
Dallas, Texas. Female fronted too. The band I thought was Bread & Water had
a male vocalist with dreads. Unless I find the flyer I will not know who the
hell that band was. Damn it. Regardless, the band I saw with the dreaded white
vocalist was anarcho punk/crust sounding as well. They were pretty cool and
seemed really nice. That night however, the stand out for me was Esperanza. Not
sure if they opened or at what point they played, but I just recall being blown
away by the DC style hardcore that graced us that night.
Southern California Hardcore: One Big Happy
Family and Steve Aoki’s Punk Roots
There weren’t that
many people present since the show was during the weekday. That didn’t matter,
as it never matters when you have world class hardcore. Esperanza sounded like
they were some lost Dischord Records band and it was topped off by vocalist
Rich Booher’s distinctive style. I had heard Rich before from another band he
once fronted called Dirty Dirt & The Dirts. I’d heard them on this awesome compilation put out by this
kid from Ojai (a rural community where many wealthy folks live in northern
Ventura County, CA). Guitarist Graham Clise of Annihilation Time and Lecherous
Gaze, who also recently appeared playing guitar with J. Mascis is from Ojai as
well, so you know Ventura County was legit back then too! The compilation was
called As The Sun Sets: A Southern California Hardcore Compilation.
For me it was a
watershed compilation, since it kind of nudged me away from the Profane
Existence/crust stuff I was into and led me to finally start embracing the
beautiful hardcore scene that we had strewn through Oxnard, Ventura, Santa
Barbara, Los Angeles, and Orange County. Esperanza also featured two other
members I had heard of/known about, one was Steve Aoki, who also had a band
featured on the As The Sun Sets compilation. He also ran a venue in Isla Vista
called the Pickle Patch, played in other bands, and was a frequent contributor
to HeartAttack Fanzine. I don’t think much needs to be said about where Steve
Aoki is now. Dude’s huge. Like HUGE!!! Haha! The other dude I had heard about
was Miguel Amezcua, who ran El Grito Records (which at the time was putting out
a lot of diverse hardcore stuff) and who was also another contributor to
HeartAttack Fanzine. At the time I hadn’t known Scott Deitz (drummer) and
Raymon Ruiz (guitars). Raymon Ruiz, would go on to be in two bad ass bands
throughout the mid 2000’s, one being Mugre and the other Descarados (along with Mike/Miguel Amezcua).
From the moment
Esperanza played the first chord I was hooked. The Dischord riffage was beyond
evident and the deal was sealed with Rich’s vocals. After the show I talked to
them and they were all the coolest dudes. I’m not gonna lie, at 17 I was still
kind of star struck when I would meet older dudes that either ran fanzines
(Kent McClard), played in bands, or had some heavier involvement in hardcore
than myself. Now whether we like it or not, all subcultures whether consciously
or not reproduce hierarchies. Hardcore was and is no exception. Some folks I
had met in the past did come off as a little bit more…how should I say? Less
approachable. These dudes were the complete opposite. After the show I remember buying the
demo from Miguel (Mike) and going back to Oxnard. I would go on to see
Esperanza again one more time. In Downtown LA’s Lafayette Community Center. I
believe that show was with E-150 from Spain and What Happens Next? Or it may
have been with Life’s Halt and Tragatelo. I’m not sure. But they shredded once
again. This time I had learned the lyrics and sang along. Rich passed the mic
in that traditional youth crew hardcore fashion. Esperanza’s lyrics were
poetic, political, and encapsulated the rage of social, racial, gendered, and
political injustice. I mean, the insert had an excerpt from Mexico’s revolutionary
indigenous army, the EZLN (Zapatistas) as well as a quote from revolutionary
activist and scholar Angela Davis. What else needs to be said?
You Act Like Everything Is Just Fine…Well,
Not To Me!!!
During the late 90’s
and early 2000’s Southern California, and the US hardcore scene in general was
in one of its renaissances. Or at least it seemed to me. Maybe this perception
is a result of this being the hardcore era I was involved in during my “youth”,
during the formative years of my adolescence. So I guess whichever scene you
are a part of during those crucial years in your life will forever leave an
indelible mark on your soul. Nonetheless, it is undeniable that every cultural
era is different and defined by its own challenges and opportunities. From my
perspective there are notable differences between the present state of
hardcore/punk and the one existent in the late 90’s and early 2000’s. To be
brief, there were more venues back then, at least in my part of California,
Santa Barbara/Ventura/Oxnard. There was a notable hardcore presence in Santa
Barbara that circulated around HeartAttack Fanzine, which was based there.
Ebullition Records, the legendary 90’s hardcore punk label noted for its more
political and DC/Revolution Summer inspired hardcore vibe was also based in
Santa Barbara and was made up of the same folks who ran HeartAttack. Both
Ebulltion and HeartAttack exerted a significant influence on the Santa Barbara
scene, one marked heavily by politics. To me, that was awesome.
Because there were
more venues it seemed as if there were also more shows, a bigger scene, more
fanzines, more networks between the different scenes, and an overall more
politicized voice within hardcore. Today most of this seems to be lost, or at
least minimized. Santa Barbara was important in the respect that it is a
smaller city, non-urban, and was a big hub for subcultural expression and the
subsequent cultural production. Oxnard and Ventura County (where I am from)
felt this. Sandwiched between the LA scene and the SB scenes at the time, it
was only natural for Oxnard to have its own scene flourishing. After all,
Oxnard has a strong subcultural pedigree. Oxnard challenged the traditional
notions of cultural production we usually hold on to (thank you to Mike Amezcua for helping
me articulate it like this), where the urban centers are seen as the sole
producers of all things cultural, artistic, and musical. During the 1980’s
Oxnard produced such legendary hardcore punk bands as Dr. Know, Stalag 13,
Agression, and Ill Repute as well as legendary Xicano artists like Jaime and
Gilberto Hernandez who would go on to create Love & Rockets (which helped
usher in alternative comics). When you add this dynamic past, with the
renaissance going on in LA and Santa Barbara during the late 90’s and early
2000’s it should go without saying that Oxnard established its own presence on
the Southern California hardcore map of that era. During the era of the mid
90’s to the late 90’s Oxnard had a bunch of bands, some of the ones I remember more
clearly were Burning Dog, The Whereabouts, Voice of Defiance, No Motiv, and at
the time, our biggest hardcore exponent: Stand Your Ground (some of the members
would go on to form Oxnard giants In Control). That said, like any other Oxnard
kid of the time it was almost mandatory to like all the old Nardcore bands and
to prove yourself by going to shows to see the contemporary bands. Pretty
standard right? Supporting your scene. However, it took me some time to fully
embrace this. For a number of reasons.
For one, like many
folks who didn’t get into punk during the formative eras, between the late 70’s
and I’d dare to say up until the early 90’s, getting into punk became like some
weird mish mash. For many of us the punk trajectory was all out of order, many
of us getting into it because of the alternative and pop punk explosions of the
mid 90’s, thanks to bands like Nirvana, Green Day, Rancid, and Soundgarden,
etc. As a result, many of us went from one era to the next, skipping bands and
genres all together. I was one of these kids. I got into a lot of the UK 82
stuff, the anarcho punk stuff, then into the crust/Profane Existence stuff as
well. During this time a lot of the hardcore scene in Oxnard was very much into
the straight edge stuff and the metal hardcore stuff, bands like Ten Yard
Fight, Floorpunch, Snapcase, Strife, Earth Crisis, etc. The Victory Records and
Revelation stuff. You get the picture. A lot of this stuff wasn’t my cup of tea
for the most part, since I perceived it to have a jock/macho vibe. Eventually
I’d catch up to speed (with help from the As The Sun Sets Comp) and get into a
lot of the bands every kid in Oxnard liked. For a while I was also turned off
from the Oxnard bands because they all liked all the stuff that seemed
jock/macho. But like I said, I got past it. I ended up liking all the Nardcore
stuff too, but despite liking these bands, learning all the In Control lyrics
from their demo (which I think came out in 1999) and the first EP, something
about the Oxnard bands wasn’t really clicking with me.
By the time I
discovered Los Crudos this void became very clear to me: None of the Oxnard
bands past or (at the time) present articulated the exact feelings I had. We
get into hardcore for a lot of different reasons. For me, one of those reasons
was having a voice that articulated things I was feeling and my own reality. While
Los Crudos was a landmark/watershed moment for many people of color in hardcore
they were not the only ones. Along with Huasipungo in New York, and the scenes
that would eventually sprout in places like Los Angeles hardcore after Los
Crudos and Huasipungo would experience an explicit rearticulating of its racial
politics. While bands like No Motiv, The Whereabouts, Burning Dog, Voice of
Defiance, and Stand Your Ground were defining the hardcore scene of the mid to
late 90’s in Oxnard, bands like KontraAtaque, Tezacrifico, Subsistencia,
Parades End, and Life’s Halt were defining and establishing a politically
infused hardcore that sang about issues related to race, immigration, and
social injustice. For someone who had seen the ravages of industrial
agriculture in my own family, it was a no brainer. The LA hardcore bands
singing about these issues would become foundational for me. Hometown pride was
overpowered by a deeper political analysis on the realities of capitalism,
immigration, race, sexism, etc.
California from the
period of the mid 1990’s to the late 2000’s was marked by a series of heavily
racialized and xenophobic propositions that were largely targeted at people of
color within California. Proposition 187 was a draconian measure aimed at
limiting health, education, and social services for undocumented immigrants,
this was passed in 1994, California’s Three Strikes sentencing law was also
enacted in 1994, this measure required “a defendant convicted of any new
felony, having suffered one prior conviction of a serious felony to be
sentenced to state prison for twice the term otherwise provided for the crime.
If the defendant was convicted of any felony with two or more prior strikes,
the law mandated a state prison term of at least 25 years to life”, this law
disproportionately affected African American males, see Michelle Alexander’s
New Jim Crow for a deeper analysis of measures such as these. 1996 saw the
passage of Proposition 209, which eliminated Affirmative Action in California.
1998 would see the passage of Proposition 227, which severely limited (in many
cases eliminated) bilingual education from public schools. And lastly, the year
2000 saw the passage of Proposition 21, which increased a variety of criminal
penalties for crimes committed by youth and incorporated many youth offenders
into the adult criminal justice system. All, if not most of these propositions
disproportionately affected low income folk and communities of color. Along with the Drug War at
the national level, legislative action at the state and federal levels
reflected a shift that sought to peel back the “gains” made during the civil
rights era. Many of these were essentially attempts at racialized social control
and were pristine examples of American white supremacist governmental policy.
With the exception of Proposition 187, which was later ruled unconstitutional,
most of these propositions continue to this day. If we take a critical look at
the more recent history of this continent and the world we’ll see that these
propositions are a reflection of the legislative mechanisms devised by
colonial/settler-state societies established after the periods of exploration
and colonialism. Settler-state societies which intend to control the land,
bodies, and cultures of the conquered subjects. Imposing their own laws, languages,
world-views, religions, and everything else. These propositions are firm
representations of the state of white supremacy in the US nation-state. The War
in Iraq/Syria/Afghanistan, the Keystone XL Pipeline, the Drug War, the Black
Lives Matter movement, all of these are examples of the continued struggles and
battles we must engage in today. During the late 90’s and early 2000’s,
hardcore decried these injustices. I often wonder what is being done today
within our subculture?
Esperanza was at the forefront of the struggles that called out white privilege and white supremacy within hardcore. Their stance has been largely ignored and forgotten. This is surprising and simultaneously disappointing since there has been a growing number of alternative media sources that attempt to give voice to stories that have often gone untold. During their brief existence Esperanza challenged white privilege within the high contested racial spaces of the Southern California hardcore scene. They went as far as printing t-shirts that said "Fuck Your Privilege". This went on to cause controversy and disrupt a perceived "harmony" and "unity" that pervaded the entire Southern California Hardcore scene. Message boards (popular at the time, predating Facebook) were ravaged by debate, and to put it lightly, "argument" and defamation, songs were written, the scene was "separated". This is what happens when you take radical ideals and call out things for what they are. I will dedicate a post that goes more in depth on this forgotten conflict of Southern California History, not because I want to open old wounds, but because I want to retell a story, a counter narrative that displays the delicate racial string by which hardcore hangs.
By the year 2000 it was clear to me that while I was from Oxnard, and appreciated and loved all the hardcore that came from here, what really spoke to me was what was going on in Los Angeles. The bands from LA actually sang about these issues. As the son of Mexican immigrants who broke their bodies to benefit the agricultural industrial complex and the sweatshops of the US, I needed something, I needed someone who could articulate the anger and alienation I felt at the things I had seen and experienced in Oxnard. One look out the window and I could see the state of bondage people in Oxnard were subjected to—as they broke their bodies over the strawberry fields, exposed to back breaking labor and record levels of pesticides. A state of bondage existent since the early 1900’s. Hardcore from Oxnard, while angry, did not sing about my realities.
Esperanza was at the forefront of the struggles that called out white privilege and white supremacy within hardcore. Their stance has been largely ignored and forgotten. This is surprising and simultaneously disappointing since there has been a growing number of alternative media sources that attempt to give voice to stories that have often gone untold. During their brief existence Esperanza challenged white privilege within the high contested racial spaces of the Southern California hardcore scene. They went as far as printing t-shirts that said "Fuck Your Privilege". This went on to cause controversy and disrupt a perceived "harmony" and "unity" that pervaded the entire Southern California Hardcore scene. Message boards (popular at the time, predating Facebook) were ravaged by debate, and to put it lightly, "argument" and defamation, songs were written, the scene was "separated". This is what happens when you take radical ideals and call out things for what they are. I will dedicate a post that goes more in depth on this forgotten conflict of Southern California History, not because I want to open old wounds, but because I want to retell a story, a counter narrative that displays the delicate racial string by which hardcore hangs.
By the year 2000 it was clear to me that while I was from Oxnard, and appreciated and loved all the hardcore that came from here, what really spoke to me was what was going on in Los Angeles. The bands from LA actually sang about these issues. As the son of Mexican immigrants who broke their bodies to benefit the agricultural industrial complex and the sweatshops of the US, I needed something, I needed someone who could articulate the anger and alienation I felt at the things I had seen and experienced in Oxnard. One look out the window and I could see the state of bondage people in Oxnard were subjected to—as they broke their bodies over the strawberry fields, exposed to back breaking labor and record levels of pesticides. A state of bondage existent since the early 1900’s. Hardcore from Oxnard, while angry, did not sing about my realities.
I had gotten into Los Crudos right as they broke up, missing
their show at the legendary PCH Club. By 1999/2000 LA continued to have a
handful of critical hardcore bands, one of these being Esperanza. When I got
home and read the lyrics I was floored. Lyrics talking shit about Pete Wilson,
who was the Republican governor of California from 1993 to 1999, and one of the
main architects behind all the propositions I mentioned. This is where I felt a
deeper connection to the hardcore coming out of LA. Bands like Esperanza
explicitly articulated the anger many people were feeling in California. Through
songs like the 21st Reason to
Kill Pete Wilson they called out the injustice behind Proposition 21. These
were lyrics talking about real things that were affecting communities across
California! Their excerpt by one of the Zapatista declarations was another
thing that connected deeply with me. Here, a hardcore band from Los Angeles was
using the indigenous world view of people that looked like my grandmothers,
that worked the land like my father, here they were including the revolutionary
world view that challenged white supremacy, not in the traditional way most
hardcore punks envision white supremacy, but in the deeper way, White Supremacy
that rewards whiteness, through institutions such as education, labor, capital,
economics, the legal system, etc. Esperanza were embracing revolutionary voices
from the global south, Esperanza stood against “the international of terror
representing neoliberalism…” Esperanza means “hope” in Spanish, “Hope, above
borders, languages, colors, cultures, sexes, strategies, and thoughts, of all
those who prefer humanity alive”. (from the Zapatista Encuentro, Seven Stories
Press 1998, printed in Esperanza insert). This band was teaching me. Now at the
time, the Zapatista uprising in Mexico was still making waves. And the Zapatista
Uprising was still relatively fresh, having taken place in 1994, where even
bands like Rage Against The Machine (who also came from the hardcore scene)
were singing about it. Some would say that this era had more reasons to be
pissed. But I kind of debate that. By 2000, the Zapatista Uprising had already
been 6 years passed and folks in critical/radical circles across the board
fully embraced it. Many hardcore punks were not the exception. What does seem
to be the exception is the receptiveness of hardcore punk kids back then in
comparison to now. I mean, we still have a whole lot to be angry about, and
events in Mexico, the US, and the rest of the world are still on fire. The
Black Lives Matter movement, the 43 slain students in Mexico, the wars raging
overseas, etc. I ask, where is the receptiveness within hardcore to these
movements?
These are the types of things bands like KontraAtaque,
Esperanza, Tragatelo, Life’s Halt, and Former Members of Alfonsin were singing
about. These were voices that were prominent in the hardcore scene of the late
90’s and early 2000’s. Whether or not you were listening was on you. Emblazoned
above the lyrics sheet for Esperanza was an Angela Davis quote that fiercely
denounced the racism that was represented by the police state, “We Must Learn
to Rejoice When Pigs’ Blood Is Spilled”. Wow. It doesn’t get more radical then
that. The demo ends with a song titled “Today’s Lesson Plan”, denouncing the
indoctrinating and racist public education system (which has been HEAVILY RESEARCHED
and yes people, the public education system of the US has a sordid legacy, like
most public education systems in every nation state), the lyrics reading:
“…a story once
told, about the brave and the bold, so many stories left untold, of people taking
what isn’t sold, we got genocide, we got unwanted signs, we cover the truth
with lies, cause we’ve got so much to hide”.
This demo was a representation of critical pedagogy. Of
revolutionary education that counteracts the dominant narratives of the US
nation-state. For a 17 year old who was enrolled in a public education
institution (with everything that implies) this was part of a different
education process, a critical/decolonial education process that was
authentically pushing me to question everything, but this time from a more well
articulated perspective. Not some abstract lyricism written by kids that were
living in a suburb, rather a well-articulated lyricism made up of a multiracial
hardcore outfit. Made up of members from different cities of California, from
Victorville, Glendora, South Central/Downtown LA, and Santa Barbara. This was a
lyricism by people in different locations of California experiencing these
social forces, deconstructing them using critical scholarship and literature,
analysis, and conversation. All the while, I was having fun listening to fierce
power chords paying homage to the Teen Idles, Government Issue, Minor Threat,
State of Alert, Void, and other DC greats. It was the best of both worlds. If
you want to teach youth, you have to do it in a language, in a form they
understand. The Esperanza demo helped me understand and articulate things I was
feeling in a way that couldn’t have happened if someone had handed me a book
and just told me to read it.
So Many Stories Left
Untold
In the end I’m not
sure about how many shows Esperanza played. Because the members were littered
throughout SoCal I know that for sure it wasn’t always the easiest project to
get off its feet. I know they played a pretty bad ass show with Total Fury and
The Oath around 2002 (I think it was 2002), they played one of the Chicago
Fests (I think it’s safe to say that this was the fest that ushered in the era
of the fests within hardcore, around the same time you had the Positive Numbers
fest, and shortly thereafter the Chaos en Tejas fests, the Chicago Fests
definitely helped set this off), and possibly a tour up to the Bay Area as well
as the occasional shows around SoCal. I think by around 2003 Esperanza called
it quits.
To this day I look back fondly on this demo as one of those
life changing moments, that nudge you in a direction that nurtures the better
elements of the human spirit, the better manifestations of humanity, the sense
of wanting to help others, the sense that cries for social justice, the sense
that pushes you to challenge yourself. At 31, I am still involved in hardcore
punk (after a brief period of questioning in my mid 20’s), and I’m currently an
educator. I like to think of myself as a social justice educator. I’m heavily
involved in my community, currently part of on organization named the
Association of Mexican American Educators, which is Ventura County’s only
social justice oriented education advocacy organization. The Association of
Mexican American Educators (AMAE) is one of the remnants of the myriad social
justice organizations that started in the 1960’s, the ones all those
propositions sought to dismantle. Unlike LA or the Bay Area we don’t have as
many autonomous/radical organizations. We make do with what we have in smaller
towns.
I also publish this fanzine (very close to being done with
issue two), Staycool Fanzine. One final reflection that I stay with is the
necessity for explicitly politically charged hardcore. At least within the US,
it seems that punk (in all of its manifestations and scenes, regardless of
race, gender, class, etc.) has gone through a serious depoliticizing. We
continue to suffer from the same problems, if anything you could even say we’ve
suffered a regression, and yet I don’t see any consistent and well-established
response from the various hardcore communities. I know there may be different
perspectives on why this may have happened. But man, it can be very
discouraging. I certainly hope we can work to remedy this. I, for one, am
willing to take part in any project that seeks to use creativity, art, and
culture, to challenge the multiple forces of oppression that assault our
communities. While hardcore means different things to different people, for me
it is one of the many subcultures existent in the world that embraced
revolutionary change and critical thinking. Maybe sometimes we romanticize our
subcultures too much. But we have to be willing to “dig deeper”, as Esperanza
taught us.
“This is part of my life, not an escape from it” (Esperanza, 2000).
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Sordo Interview (Cultural Wealth in the Hood #2): Oxnard Powerviolence...Cultural Responses by Youth of Color
Greetings fam,
Haven't spoken with y'all since August!!! Again, my apologies...Still in the process of learning how to balance varying responsibilities and reflecting on how I should of done more of this "punk stuff" when I was younger, haha! But who cares, we're doing it now and that's what matters right? This is an interview with Oxnard/El Rio, California's Sordo. Sordo are a powerviolence band. Powerviolence is a more extreme and spastic manifestation of hardcore punk. As explained in the DIY Noise interview below, "powerviolence" emerged as a subculture within punk in the late 80's and early 90's and has continued well into the present day.
Before I forget anything here is the link to the Sordo 7" EP. It is AMAZING!!!!
The involvement of youth of color in subcultures is very deep and needs
to be further unpacked, situated, and contextualized vis a vis other
mechanisms of marginalization, oppression, racialized social control,
inadequate schooling etc.
What healthy, creative, and culturally affirming responses can our youth generate to a world that seems to be forgetting them and neglecting them???
Anyhow, here is the Sordo interview we did a
while back (I believe it was late Summer last year), it's audio with
images of the band. We still haven't completed Staycool Fanzine #2, but we promise
that it will be JAM PACKED and well worth the wait...topics include the
Post Morrissey Xican@ essay, Imaginary Chola Complex essay, band pics,
interviews, a demo release of our sister label for a new band named
Sendero (Revolution Summer meets indigenismo/indigeneity/decolonial
hardcore) and a t-shirt. Keep your eyes peeled.
Staycool Fanzine #1.5
Cultural Wealth in the Hood #2
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Cultural Wealth in the Hood - Interview with Oxnard, CA's first powerviolence label DIY Noise
Well it's been a while since the last post. Like about 7 months or so? Sheesh!!! My apologies!!! Chalk it up to an inability to effectively manage time, being stressed about about teaching, not asking others for help, busting a (I guess it's 'masculine') lone wolf approach to life, etc. That said, the print edition of Staycool (aka STC) Fanzine is about 70% done. Yes, despite all of the challenges to producing an 'old-school' style fanzine I will remain true to the DIY Hardcore Punk fanzine aesthetic of cut and paste. At least until it becomes too much of a headache and my creative pursuits clash with some of my 'professional' responsibilities. The ultimate goal is to intertwine both of these interests/responsibilities and create a curriculum by which youth can express themselves through writing, critical media, and art.
That said, in our first installment of DIY Noise we look at the hardcore punk phenomenon of "powerviolence". Powerviolence is a more extreme, abrasive, and spastic incarnation of punk. It's pretty much the personification (to an extent) of punk rock/hardcore parodies, where folks are just playing fast while screaming lyrics in a spastic and unrestrained manner. Critical/radical deconstructions of the punk subculture (see White Riot: Punk Rock and the Politics of Race) tend to look at the way in which whiteness and the varying manifestations of racism (overt, colorblind, casual, etc.) interact and intersect within a self-proclaimed radically progressive and revolutionary subculture, one in which whiteness itself is an identity that can be traded in for a 'punk' identity. Some critiques of punk focus solely on punk as a 'white' counter-cultural expression and negate the tremendous influence and role people of color have had on this subculture since its inception. In fact, Punks of Color continue to exert a revolutionary role, truly embodying the universal ideals of rebellion.
Currently, the Chicano/Latino punk scenes, the Afro-Punk scene (www.afropunk.com), the Pakistani punk scene, the Indian punk scene, the Central American/Caribbean and South American punk scenes, the multiple Asian and Pacific punk scenes, and the African punk scenes all push the parameters of musical expressions to its limits (it is also crucial to mention the role of queer folk and wombyn in all of these scenes, they ultimately go above and beyond punk). Relying on an anti-corporate and sometimes de-colonial aesthetic punk scenes established by folks of color remind us of the tremendously vibrant and dynamic nature of communities of color throughout the world. They remind us of the tenacity of these communities in the face of social and institutional hurdles, reminding us of the Mos Def lyric from Mathematics, where "hip hop passed all your tall social hurdles like the nationwide projects, prison-industry projects, working class poor better keep your alarm set, streets to loud to ever hear freedom ring". The lyric rings solemnly true.Youth of color in the United States, and worldwide, continue to face perilous realities, the school to prison pipeline, racist criminal justice system, unequal schools, historic deportation rates, racialized War on Terror, Islamophobia, under-served communities, disproportionate unemployment and underemployment, failed Drug War etc. At least in the United States we are living in the age of what legal scholar Michelle Alexander refers to as the New Jim Crow where our African American communities are subjected to punitive and degenerated systems of law. We are living in an era where African Americans and Latinos continuously become incarcerated or die because of an unjust and ineffective Drug War, one in which banks (HSBC, Wells Fargo) play a direct morbid role. With the weight of history, poverty and internalized hate makes our people do heartbreaking things.
Despite this, our communities remain as places of resilience. We create art, culture, and beauty from struggle, inequality, and pain. I suppose this can be healing in some instances.
We only hope we were able to situate the importance of subculture produced by folks of color, specifically Punks of Color. Under this context, we present to you our series, Situating Subculture - Cultural Wealth in the Hood
¡Viva Juchari Uinapikua!
Cultural Wealth in the Hood: Interview with Oxnard, CA's first powerviolence label DIY Noise
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iAxuLrckoZU&feature=youtu.be
That said, in our first installment of DIY Noise we look at the hardcore punk phenomenon of "powerviolence". Powerviolence is a more extreme, abrasive, and spastic incarnation of punk. It's pretty much the personification (to an extent) of punk rock/hardcore parodies, where folks are just playing fast while screaming lyrics in a spastic and unrestrained manner. Critical/radical deconstructions of the punk subculture (see White Riot: Punk Rock and the Politics of Race) tend to look at the way in which whiteness and the varying manifestations of racism (overt, colorblind, casual, etc.) interact and intersect within a self-proclaimed radically progressive and revolutionary subculture, one in which whiteness itself is an identity that can be traded in for a 'punk' identity. Some critiques of punk focus solely on punk as a 'white' counter-cultural expression and negate the tremendous influence and role people of color have had on this subculture since its inception. In fact, Punks of Color continue to exert a revolutionary role, truly embodying the universal ideals of rebellion.
Currently, the Chicano/Latino punk scenes, the Afro-Punk scene (www.afropunk.com), the Pakistani punk scene, the Indian punk scene, the Central American/Caribbean and South American punk scenes, the multiple Asian and Pacific punk scenes, and the African punk scenes all push the parameters of musical expressions to its limits (it is also crucial to mention the role of queer folk and wombyn in all of these scenes, they ultimately go above and beyond punk). Relying on an anti-corporate and sometimes de-colonial aesthetic punk scenes established by folks of color remind us of the tremendously vibrant and dynamic nature of communities of color throughout the world. They remind us of the tenacity of these communities in the face of social and institutional hurdles, reminding us of the Mos Def lyric from Mathematics, where "hip hop passed all your tall social hurdles like the nationwide projects, prison-industry projects, working class poor better keep your alarm set, streets to loud to ever hear freedom ring". The lyric rings solemnly true.Youth of color in the United States, and worldwide, continue to face perilous realities, the school to prison pipeline, racist criminal justice system, unequal schools, historic deportation rates, racialized War on Terror, Islamophobia, under-served communities, disproportionate unemployment and underemployment, failed Drug War etc. At least in the United States we are living in the age of what legal scholar Michelle Alexander refers to as the New Jim Crow where our African American communities are subjected to punitive and degenerated systems of law. We are living in an era where African Americans and Latinos continuously become incarcerated or die because of an unjust and ineffective Drug War, one in which banks (HSBC, Wells Fargo) play a direct morbid role. With the weight of history, poverty and internalized hate makes our people do heartbreaking things.
Despite this, our communities remain as places of resilience. We create art, culture, and beauty from struggle, inequality, and pain. I suppose this can be healing in some instances.
We only hope we were able to situate the importance of subculture produced by folks of color, specifically Punks of Color. Under this context, we present to you our series, Situating Subculture - Cultural Wealth in the Hood
¡Viva Juchari Uinapikua!
Cultural Wealth in the Hood: Interview with Oxnard, CA's first powerviolence label DIY Noise
Friday, January 6, 2012
Insociable Reflections - Marginalization and Mexican Partying
Yo, been a sweet minute since the last update. It's funny how we try to run away from things but they always end up catching up with us right? I guess some of us are just better at pretending everything is okay and we just go through the motions...whatever...Gangstarr said we all must meet our moment of truth...In the mean time here is a little reflection we came up with. Nothing new...I was just tying to fool around with iMovie, haha!
The video is a simplistic and possibly over simplified analysis of the Botas Picudas phenomenon (Mexican pointy boots and Mexican electro music) juxtaposed with the racism and marginalization suffered by indigenous communities in Chihuahua, Mexico. Kinda was just thinking about how cultural imperialism is manifesting itself in Mexico, via the transposable hedonistic American party/club culture (getting fucked up, one night stands, live to party, bullshit we do to numb ourselves and not face certain uncomfortable realities, right?).
To put it in colloquial Chicano English..."Anywayyyyzzzz..." Since the last blog update I started work/teaching and that has always kicked my ass, in addition to taking up a significant portion of my time. That said, I was unable to work on issue number 2 until Winter Break (which just flew by) and so far it looks pretty cool. This issue is gonna deal with "Facing the Pain"...sometimes we just gotta pull up our pants, roll up our sleeves, and say "fuck it" right?
The video is a simplistic and possibly over simplified analysis of the Botas Picudas phenomenon (Mexican pointy boots and Mexican electro music) juxtaposed with the racism and marginalization suffered by indigenous communities in Chihuahua, Mexico. Kinda was just thinking about how cultural imperialism is manifesting itself in Mexico, via the transposable hedonistic American party/club culture (getting fucked up, one night stands, live to party, bullshit we do to numb ourselves and not face certain uncomfortable realities, right?).
To put it in colloquial Chicano English..."Anywayyyyzzzz..." Since the last blog update I started work/teaching and that has always kicked my ass, in addition to taking up a significant portion of my time. That said, I was unable to work on issue number 2 until Winter Break (which just flew by) and so far it looks pretty cool. This issue is gonna deal with "Facing the Pain"...sometimes we just gotta pull up our pants, roll up our sleeves, and say "fuck it" right?
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Staycool Fanzine #1 in Top 10 Fanzines of September for MRR!!!
Yo folks!!! Hope all is well. Finally decided to update the blog after a couple of months of inactivity! Gotta let you all know that Staycool Fanzine #1 was selected as one of the Top 10 Fanzines for the September issue of Maximum Rocknroll! Gotta start hustling on Staycool #2 I suppose!
Here's the proof!!! HAHA!
We got a good review in MRR #340. Hopefully we'll be able to do the print version ASAP and be more consistent with updating the blog.
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Staycool Fanzine #1 Available Now
Interviews with long defunct Los Angeles hardcore giants Life's Halt (which started out as an all Latino/Chicano ensemble), Nevada's Dag Nastesque hardcore stalwarts Faded Grey (I believe a Latino bassist), and Oxnard's Slap-A-Ham revivalists El Mariachi (Multiracial powerviolence kids). Plus articles on race and identity, recipes, and band pics!!! Issue #2 in the works and should be out in a month or so! Let's keep the DIY aesthetic alive!!! If you want a copy just send me an email.
Email: staycoolfanzine@gmail.com
Here's one of the bands we interviewed:
Life's Halt - Vidas (Youngblood Records, 2000)
Email: staycoolfanzine@gmail.com
Here's one of the bands we interviewed:
Life's Halt - Vidas (Youngblood Records, 2000)
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