The 30 Year Anniversary Flag of Democracy show was one I was not going to miss. Plenty of Lehigh Valley hardcore luminaries also made the trek to O'Reillys (it is a bar, but the bar was shut down and the bands just played in a back room). The vibe at the show was perfect. Plenty of old school hardcore punks hanging out in the parking lot, drinking brews, talking about the first time they saw F.O.D., the first time they saw a punk or hardcore show, what impact it had on their lives...
It was great to see old friends and talk to some Philly people I don't always get to see; Chuck Meehan (ex-YDI bassist, Philly show promoter extraordinaire), Joel from Plow United and Ex-Friends and the original F.O.D. drummer, Mike Giannone who is now a Thereminist in the Divine Hand Ensemble.
Up first were the Mainline C#%k$ucker$. I had never heard of this Philly band but was blown away with their direct, abusive, lo-fi hardcore punk energy. I hope to see more of this band. The drummer rocks!
Check out The Mainline C#ck$ucker$ demo here.
The Heels fit in on this legendary bill. Classic 80s hardcore punk with a Youth Brigade feel.
The Heels began in 2006, but they are ex-Pagan Babies (among others) and old school in their own right. Vocalist Mike McManus reminisced between songs about seeing the Minutemen in Philly as his first show and how F.O.D. and hardcore influenced his life.
This was my first time seeing the Heels. Their version of Minor Threat's "Betray" was so good, I closed my eyes and felt like I was seeing Minor Threat in 1980-whatever. Spot on. It was that good. Also "that good" was the Heels version of Pagan Babies "In A Lifetime". I had forgotten how much I loved that song.
The Heels also get mega points for Mike's PJ Stock Phantoms jersey. Hell of a scrapper that Stock character!
YDI was my first hardcore show. It went down at G's Beef & Brew in Allentown way back when... Yeah, I was excited to see YDI again after all these years.
YDI are legendary. Their "A Place in the Sun" is one of those ten hardcore 7"s every hardcore fan wants/needs.
Seeing YDI play "Out For Blood", "I Killed My Family", "Not Sh#t", "Mad At The World" and "Why Die?" was simply heaven for me. 46 felt like 16 for 30 minutes.
One of the best things about early hardcore for me, was the chaotic feel that things could just fall apart or blow up at any second, yet somehow, it all stays together, pushing on. A symbolic statement for that early hardcore sound and representative of our lives.
YDI still has this chaos that I love so much!
I never actually got to see YDI with Chuck on bass, but now I have seen YDI with Chuck in the audience! Thank you to YDI for beginning my love of going to hardcore shows. Cheers!
Vintage YDI photo with Chuck
I have attempted to see Iron Cross three or four times in my life. Fittingly, tonight was the night I finally got to see the DC skinhead/hardcore legends. No riot, nor booking problems this time around!
Getting to see Iron Cross perform "You're A Rebel", "Fight 'Em All" and "Crucified" after listening to their music for the last 30 years was something I will remember for the next 30 years.
Pretty sure the current Iron Cross bassist wasn't born when some of these songs were written!
But I think he gets it!
I believe Sab Grey (vocals) is the only original member remaining. Thanks for putting this lineup together.
One of the first shows I was involved in helping set up was F.O.D, Youthful Agression (just realized that Rich YA was at this show too), Constraint and the Russian Meatsquats on December 23, 1984 @ West Catty Playground Building. The flyer for the show is on the back cover of my zine F.O.E. #2.
F.O.D. has held an important part of my life for three decades. I can still remember seeing them at Abe's in Philly tearing things up like I had never seen before.
Bob FOD (looking like Brad Pitt) says "Hello to Steph with a PH"
Cheers!
I consider myself lucky to have seen F.O.D. close to a hundred times. Well, let's see, thirty years, some of those years I saw them ten times, some only once. So yeah. I also consider myself lucky to share a friendship with Bob, Dave and Jim. Those familiar with Up To No Good Radio know that Bob FOD is a frequent on air guest of ours.
F.O.D. are part of a Philadelphia scene that was one of the most original during the days of 80s hardcore. The bands all had a unique sound while other scenes seemed to want to cultivated a similar sound. No one sounds like F.O.D. There is not another band on the planet that can do what these three gentlemen can do.
The melodic undertones of their songs counter the dissonant hardcore sound and manic, hyper and utterly unrealistic tempos create a distinctive and thoroughly enjoyable sound. Thirty years and no sell out. Thirty years and the only thing they gained was some weight. Thirty years and they didn't change their sound and have not lost one bit of their authenticity or drive.
2012/13 has been exciting for F.O.D. fans. The "Chinese Food" cassette was found and released. The "Shatter Your Day" LP was reissued with a treasure trove of extra tracks.
The always present between song chatter and laughter.
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Thank you Dave, Jim and Bob.
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