Terror - Photo by FaceTheShow.com
A Festival For The Recession: 10 Hardcore
Bands For $10
by Jason Walsh
That time of year is upon us when the weather
starts getting hot, school is a fading memory,
and tour buses begin fueling up as rock stars
stumble aboard awaiting chanting multitudes
in stadiums, amphitheatres, and fields around
the country. Yes, the summer festival season
has begun, and with that comes astronomical
ticket prices amplified by unreasonable service
charges, exorbitant parking fees, $12 beers,
and merch booths who have tripled their prices
since the winter tours. In order to have a
good time this summer, many have to pick and
chose which tour to attend and then take out
a loan to make it there. On top of all this
classical corporate swindling, the nation
is still in a recession, many people have
lost their jobs this past year and are scraping
by with little to nothing, leaving their entertainment
funds practically nonexistent.
However, there is another option. Members
within the hardcore community have come together
and created a summer alternative that echoes
back to the days of the infamous “Sunday
Matinees.” The 10 for $10 Tour will
feature ten incredible hardcore acts for a
mere ten bucks allowing fans to see hours
upon hours of great music without breaking
the bank.
Madball, photo by Helena
BXL
“This tour will get a lot of attention,”
said Freddy Cricien of Madball. “Look
at the bands involved. Some are more established
than others but regardless, you have some
of the best ‘staple’ and ‘up-and
comers’ in the game. If you’re
into hardcore or just heavy music in general,
you should not miss this show. It’ll
be a great one top to bottom.”
Madball will be one of the shared headliners
on this year’s 10 for $10 Tour which
kicks off on July 9, hitting 32 venues, including
Terminal 5 in NYC on July 10 , Northern Lights
in Clifton Park, NY on August 7, and the Starland
Ballroom in Sayreville on August 8. The lineup
will be slightly shifting, with bands popping
on and off, but the roster is impressive:
MADBALL, POISON THE WELL, BANE, TERROR, DEATH
BEFORE DISHONOR, VISION OF DISORDER, TRAPPED
UNDER ICE, THE GHOST INSIDE, VISION, THE MONGOLOIDS,
CRIME IN STEREO, WAR OF AGES, THIS IS HELL.
“I’m very excited to be a part
of this for numerous reasons,” Cricien
said. “The underground music scene,
hardcore in particular needs a tour like this
right now. It’s great for the bands
involved of course and it’s especially
cool for people coming out to support it.
Times are tough right now financially. You
can’t really beat getting to see this
caliber of bands for the price.”
Death Before Dishonor
Photo by Helena BXL
Boston’s Death Before Dishonor just
released their latest offering, “Better
Ways To Die,” which shows their continued
growth and evolution as musicians. Vocalist
Bryan Harris agreed that participating in
this event was great for the bands and fans
alike.
“It’s the coolest thing I ever
heard,” Harris said. “I think
when you have a ticket price like ten dollars,
it makes it a lot more attractive to people,
whether they’re into hardcore or not,
to go see an event for ten bucks. Exposure
alone is great, the bands we get to tour with
is going to be fun, and it does hit just about
every market. It’s just great for the
hardcore and metal core community.”
One of the older bands on the lineup this
year is Poison the Well. The guys from South
Florida are also co-headlining and one of
the few that will be hitting every venue along
the way. Guitarist Ryan Primack believes it’s
a great opportunity for exposing fans to music
they might not otherwise see.
“For any band as far as I see it, playing
shows and just getting out there and just
playing music you love, that’s got to
be the best thing ever,” Primack said.
“I also think that for the kids coming
to shows, this is great. You may like one
or two of the bands but you get to see ten
bands. It’s going to be great because
it’s a lot of honest music in one day.”
Primack also felt that this tour is important
because it can help pick up the morale of
the younger generation in these tough times
without placing a financial burden.
“It’s significant because we’re
all fucked,” he said. “Everyone
is hurting but I think the tour is important
because it’s the realization that we’re
fucked. The bands on the tour are broke probably.
I know we are. Kids across the country aren’t
in the money either. So it’s good, ‘cause
at least we’re all sharing in the fact
that our economy is in the shitter.”
This Is Hell
Terror from Los Angeles were on board from
the beginning. Frontman Scott Vogel was in
talks with organizer Tim Borror from inception
and was ready to hit the road from the start.
“The whole thing is amazing,”
Vogel said. “First of all, I get to
tour again with my favorite band ever, Madball.
I know music is something people will always
spend their money on because there are lots
of people out there that need music just like
I do in this fucked up world or we’re
lost. But with this low door price and cool
lineup, it gives all the bands and people
that come out to support the tour and the
organizers a sense of purpose, and at the
end of the day, we all know something real
and special is going on.”
Baltimore’s Trapped Under Ice heard
about the tour from Vogel and jumped at the
chance to play. Vocalist Justice Tripp agreed
this was a positive event which would expose
fans in different cities to a variety of styles
within the hardcore realm.
“On a scale of 1-10, this awesome,”
Tripp said. “This is a great way to
get the music out and get some new fresh eyes
and ears to see bands they might not have
seen before. It’s definitely true that
this tour is a good opportunity to open the
eyes of new people to the hardcore scene and
to a lot of the smaller bands that people
might not necessarily have heard of.”
Bane from Massachusetts were just getting
off a plane from Europe when they got the
call about the tour. When asked if they were
interested and available, the band said yes
to both. Drummer Bob Mahoney believes this
is the sort of coming together that shows
the true colors of the hardcore world.
“It’s always great to bring that
sense of community and unity,” Mahoney
said. “If everyone respects one another,
this will be very memorable. This is my community.
From my days in early high school to now,
when shit sucked, I had a hardcore show to
go to. Now, I get the best of both. Again,
I feel with bringing this unity vibe out,
it reminds me of why I am still involved in
this.”
Poison The Well
Long Island’s Vision of Disorder agreed
that their involvement was a positive direction
for the hardcore scene. Frontman Tim Williams
grew up in the New York Hardcore community
and has seen how corporate intervention has
tainted the industry.
“Music has become such a business now,”
Williams said. “It’s almost depressing.
I’m glad we can get involved with a
bill that’s for the underground. It’s
a rare thing these days and how cool is it
for some of the hardcore bands as far as exposure.
It’s always good to see something like
this. I think it’s just a fun thing
that was put together by some old schoolers
that may miss shows like this.”
The Ghost Inside from Los Angeles are one
of the few West Coast contingents onboard.
They have done several recent tours with Terror
and when they got word from Vogel about participating,
they were down for the cause.
“It’s so cool,” said singer
Jonathan Vigil. “And with the way tours
are being stacked up nowadays, this could
easily be a $20 plus show. It’s really
down to earth and rad of all the bands playing
because I’m sure everybody took a lot
less money than they’re used to just
to be a part of the tour and play for all
the kids that can’t afford to pay a
lot of money for their favorite bands.”
New Jersey’s Vision will be playing
a few dates throughout the summer run. Guitarist
Peter Tabbot said the guys from the Garden
State were “thrilled” for the
opportunity to participate in such a positive
event.
“It’s a win-win-win for both
the bands involved and the kids who come out
to the shows,” Tabbot said. “Kids
may come for one of the headliners and hopefully
be surprised by some of the opening bands
and maybe their curiosity will be piqued enough
to go pick up an album. Since some of the
venues are rather large, it’s a fantastic
chance for unparalleled exposure.”
Fellow NJHC locals, The Mongoloids, are one
of the younger bands on the bill. Vocalist
Greg Falchetto felt that this was a great
way for the bands to give back to the kids
who support them.
“It’s great for the hardcore
scene and hopefully promoters will demand
more of these reasonably priced tours,”
Falchetto said. “It really shows what
hardcore is about. Brotherhood, family, and
helping each other. Hopefully people will
see this model works and 10 for $10 will be
the jump off point for more things like this
to happen.
www.myspace.com/10for10tour
July 10, 3pm at Terminal 5 in NYC
August 7, 3pm at Northern Lights in Clifton
Park, NY
August 8, 3pm at the Starland Ballroom in
Sayreville, NJ
