Total Vibration

This past weekend, Chris Moore (Magrudergrind, Coke Bust, Sick Fix, D.O.C.) and Nick “Tape” put on a hardcore festival called Damaged City at St. Stephen’s, literally two blocks from my house in Washington, D.C. The whole thing was, from what I could tell, a massive success, spanning age groups and generating serious goodwill for a city that had once been a hardcore haven and aims to reclaim the title.

But the music festivals with the most impact are those that turn you onto bands you’d never hear or experience otherwise. Sure, it was rad to see old and modern legends like Negative Approach, Double Negative and 86 Mentality up close — not too mention Government Issue’s John Stabb joining Coke Bust on an insane cover of Pentagram’s “Forever My Queen” (!) — but there was a slew of younger hardcore bands I’d never heard of, mostly because I tend to keep up with metal and experimental music these days. So without further ado, here are my top three Damaged City Fest discoveries:

• D.C.’s own Give, with a serious Rites of Spring-on-Stooges vibe. More melodic than anything else at the fest, which, looking back, stood out more because of it.
• Hounds of Hate doesn’t bring anything new to classic ’80s-style straight-edge hardcore — ain’t broke, don’t fix it — but the energy was right and the songs were solid. Besides, I’m bound to be endeared to you if you say, “Wherever we live, we are always proud sons of the District of Columbia.”
• Hysterics were, by far, the “holy hell where has this band been all of my life” moment. I walked into the Olympia band’s set halfway through and immediately made my way to the front. These four ladies are doing that  run-off-the-rails Black Flag-y hardcore better than anyone. But the real kicker was the doomy, feedback-damaged My War-style closer, a real ugly piece of bile. I mean, THAT RIFF. I think I’ve found my new favorite hardcore band.
• Bonus: If you follow me on the Twitters, you know of my enthusiasm for Baltimore’s up-and-coming thrash metal band Noisem. Formerly known as Necropsy, these friggin’ teens (no joke, the drummer is 15) played the after party and downright tore The Pinch’s basement asunder. It was bittersweet to realize this would be the last time I’d see these kids in such a small space — Noisem is gonna explode, just you watch.