MORE THAN A WITNESS WELCOMES UNITED MUTATION TO THE FAMILY

The first few months of 2011 will be an ecstatic time to be doing More Than a Witness. I’m thrilled to announce that I will be doing an official reissue for the classic Washington DC hardcore group, United Mutation.

United Mutation were the ultimate demented outsiders of DC hardcore. When you consider the crop of other first wave DC (well, okay, Northern Virginia) hardcore acts who’ve made a name for themselves, only the mighty Void matched United Mutation when it came to playing sheer acid-thrash and freak out, face-melting ‘core. Perhaps the greatest thing about United Mutation is that they sounded truthfully damaged and isolated in the increasingly melodic and straight edged DC hardcore scene. This stuff was revolting, fuzzed-out noise pollution for true punks, the uniquely damaged, and those still turning on, tuning in, and dropping out well into the 1980s.

This is music that was so uniquely ahead of the curve when it came to truly unhinged hardcore punk of the 1980s. Michael Brown’s idiosyncratic vocal style was unquestionably the most deranged in hardcore (or any other style of music for that matter) up until that point. The lyrical themes (thankfully) didn’t manifest themselves in sloganeering or championing vacant leftist political causes like most forgettable bands of the era. Instead the band allowed a vision of their sick, introverted worldview with such a painfully unique and imaginative representation.

This LP (MTAWP 003, my third release) will feature the classic debut 7” EP “Fugitive Family” (originally issued in 1983 as a split release between DSI/Dischord), as well as essential demo recordings, compilation tracks, and unreleased recordings. I’m working closely with the band to assemble the best track list possible. This release will be totally different than and superior to the “Freaks Out” LP that released on European label Bitzcore in the late 80s.

Check back for updates on this release. I’d imagine this will be ready to drop around late February or early March. And of course, this release will be done right: the tracks will be remastered from the original masters, it’ll have an excellent gatefold jacket (I’d imagine with some kind of odd feature that will put me into further credit card debt for at least a little while) packed with liner notes, photos, flyers, and other relevant ephemera.

THE GO-GO'S: THE WHISKEY, HOLLYWOOD, CA. 10.4.78. AUDIENCE RECORDING.

Despite their ubiquitous presence in the annals of new wave and 1980s cultural consciousness, the Go-Go’s began life as a punk rock group. Sharing the same circuit as influential Los Angeles punk groups such as X (they shared a rehearsal spot with them early on), the Germs (Belinda Carlisle was even a transitional early member under the pseudonym of “Dottie Danger”), the first 18 months of the band showed they hadn’t yet reached the seraphic lullabies of their debut album and what was to follow. This lineup featured Belinda Carlisle (vocals), Jane Wiedlin (guitar, vocals), Margot Olaverra (bass), and Elissa Bello (drums). They were a Masque stage mainstay and lived at the Canterbury Apartments, a Los Angeles punk flophouse hangout for key scene players and a variety of criminals, pimps, junkies, newly arrived immigrants, and crazies.

Here they are in all of their coats of glorious baby fat, the Go-Go’s in their infancy, way before they were a visual 1980s new wave affirmative action outfit featuring an array of two sassy punk rockers, two cheerleaders, and one tomboyish metalhead. This performance was recorded live on stage at the world famous Whiskey a Go-Go (fitting, isn’t it?) located in West Hollywood. Perhaps what is most interesting is how this shows you the great contrast between what the group was when they started when compared to when they gained mainstream prominence.

The recording is from an audience source and the quality is rough but listenable. This show consists of several unreleased tracks that have not been (officially) reissued in any form. Part of this show has been bootlegged onto vinyl as a double 7” entitled “Kellogg’s Punk Tarts”.

Track list:

1. We're Here Now

2. B-Movie

3. London Boys

4. Robert Hilburn

5. (Remember) Walking In The Sand

6. Don't Hang Up

7. Fashion Seeker

8. Screaming

9. Party Pose

10. Our Time Has Come

11. Just A Number

12. Living at the Canterbury

DOWNLOAD:
http://www.mediafire.com/?wkv1vd69jhse5cb

THE FREEZE: HARRISBURG, PA. 9.18.83. SOUNDBOARD RECORDING.

The Freeze were permanently misfits in their own time and place; they originated from the isolated location of Cape Cod, were not clandestine about their consumption of party favors contrasted with a fervid Boston straightedge scene, and never became an overt heavy metal failure. I suppose it’s these differences that allocated these guys the independence necessary to the defining their sound and image in their own terms. Cliff Hanger’s lyrics often packed a clever tongue-in-cheek sarcasm whilst more hard line Boston groups took themselves way too seriously and couldn’t write self-referential material to save themselves from the oncoming hard rock fatality. This so called crew (read: clique) considered the Freeze to be Cape Cod high school townies that weren’t hard because they didn’t live in the big city life. Although the Freeze’s lineup over the last 30 years hasn’t remained consistent (Hanger is the only current original member in the outfit), they have outlasted nearly every one of these naysayer groups, performing live with regularity, not simply for chic reminiscence-trip gigs like some of the other classic Boston hardcore groups.

This excellent soundboard recording was captured on September 18. 1983 when the Freeze played Harrisburg, PA, presumably right before their killer “Land of the Lost” debut album was released in ’84 on Modern Method. The performance here is solid; I think this gig is a really accurate sketch of what the Freeze were like live on stage during the early (and best) part of their career.

Track list:

1. Sickly Sweet

2. Nazi Fun

3. The Megawaki Cult

4. Time Bomb

5. Violent Arrest

6. No Exposure

7. Gardener and the Maid

8. Days of Desperation

9. Broken Bones

10. Refrigerator Heaven

11. Go Team Go

12. Neat Neat Neat (The Damned)

DOWNLOAD:

http://www.mediafire.com/?nmwx761num4va66

STOP THE PRESSES - THE YOUNG REPUBLICANS "SABOTAGE YOUR COOKOUT" SLEEVES ARE BEING REPRINTED DUE TO AN ERROR

Late last week I picked up the first pressing of the Young Republicans "Sabotage Your Cookout" 7" EP, the second release on the house label here at More Than a Witness. I was incredibly impressed with how this release turned out except the fact that the 7" jacket had a small (but distracting and unacceptable) printing error on the back of the jacket.

New replacement jackets for this release are going to printed this week and I will hopefully receive them sometime early next week. I will send out all remaining personal orders that did not qualify for the limited edition as soon as I get these replacement jackets. I have not forgotten about you and will send your order as soon as I can.

All limited red vinyl "Cookout Edition" sleeves have been sent out. If you did not receive one, you will be receiving a regular (and far superior) version shortly.

The same goes for all wholesale orders for distributors, labels, web stores, shops, etc. These will be sent out as soon as everything comes in.

I apologize greatly for the delay in receiving orders for this release. It has never been my intention to have it take this long for it to be completed but it's also deeply imperative that this release is exactly how I want it: ultra high-quality and correct, because that's what this material and the buyer of it deserves.

I had this job printed by Imprint, a company that specializes in manufacturing pretty much everything you'd ever need for releasing a record at totally affordable prices. The guys at Imprint are incredibly nice, helpful, highly committed to helping you produce exactly what you need, will get your job done as quickly as possible, their output is high quality and professional.

You can check out the Imprint site here: http://iloveimprint.com/

HERE'S WHERE YOU CAN ORDER THE YOUNG REPUBLICANS "SABOTAGE YOUR COOKOUT" 7" EP (MTAWP 002)

Many of you have written about ordering just the Young Republicans "Sabotage Your Cookout" 7". I had this record listed in the recent distro update list but failed to realize that many people would simply just want to order this conveniently via Paypal. Sorry about that.
Here's some information about the release:

The Young Republicans were a snot-nosed foursome of skinheads who lived in suburban upstate New York near the Connecticut border. Their demo cassette from late 1983 has been one of the most speculated upon and infamous demos in the history of hardcore; some claimed to have heard it, some old-timers claimed they had the demo cassette in their closet only to not deliver anything, and previously the only known copy was hoarded by the owner, refusing to tape it for anyone, including band members.

Perhaps the Young Republicans are best known for what they'd become: 75% of the band (Porcell, Darren Pesce, & Graham Phillips) would later form Youth of Today with Ray Cappo who was playing in Violent Children & Reflex From Pain at the time. The Young Republicans formed the majority of Youth of Today and this lineup recorded the "Can't Close My Eyes" 7" and the rest is history...

This 9 song EP captures the absolute essence of spirited hardcore under the shroud of Reagan: snot-nosed teens going faster MPH while standing in opposition to teachers, parents, rednecks, & suburbia. Highly catchy & classic sounding, this could easily be considered the crucial missing NYHC or CT 7” EP from 1983.

Three tracks on this Young Republicans 7" EP would later be reworked and rerecorded for the debut Youth of Today "Can't Close My Eyes" 7” on Positive Force; “Respect For Authority (None)” became “Stabbed In The Back”, “Backyard Bomb” became “Expectations”, and “High School Rednecks” became Project X's “Straightedge Revenge” note for note on their sole 7" EP on Schism.

I strived to give this the packaging I felt a release like this deserves: a thicker 14 pt glued 7" jacket with an old school style "dip cut" (like a late 70's UK punk 45) along with a nicely done 2-sided 14" x 7" insert that includes lyrics and tons of photos that Porcell excavated from his archive.

The limited "Cookout Edition" sleeve version on red vinyl sold out within a few hours so it's safe to say that it's long gone. The first 150 orders will receive that variation of this release. I wanted a way in which I could show how much I respect when people make the effort to order directly from the label like it was done in the good old days.

ALL OF THESE PRICES INCLUDE POSTAGE:

USA: $7.25 PPD
CANADA: $8.50 PPD
WORLD: $10.75 PPD

PLEASE SELECT WHERE YOU LIVE:

USA $7.25 CANADA $8.50 WORLD $10.75

YOUNG REPUBLICANS "SABOTAGE YOUR COOKOUT" 7" EP IS NOW AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER

Without any further delay, here's the information regarding pre-ordering the second release on my label, the long-awaited Young Republicans "Sabotage Your Cookout" 7" EP.

Finally found after going missing for nearly 25 years, the Young Republicans demo cassette is certainly one of the most elusive and infamous artifacts in the history of hardcore and is truly a special item. Some have claimed that it never existed while others have referred to it as a "holy grail" item. Recorded in ’83 and only given to a handful of close friends, ¾ of the band would later go on to form the initial lineup of the influential group YOUTH OF TODAY. This 9 song EP captures the absolute essence of spirited hardcore under the shroud of Reagan: snot-nosed teens going faster MPH while standing in opposition to teachers, parents, rednecks, & suburbia. Highly catchy & classic sounding, this could easily be considered the crucial missing NYHC or CT 7” EP from 1983.

Three tracks on this Young Republicans 7" EP would later be reworked and rerecorded for the debut Youth of Today "Can't Close My Eyes" 7” on Positive Force; “Respect For Authority (None)” became “Stabbed In The Back”, “Backyard Bomb” became “Expectations”, and “High School Rednecks” became Project X's “Straightedge Revenge” note for note on their sole EP on Schism.

I strived to give this the packaging I felt a release like this deserves: a thicker 14 pt glued 7" jacket with an old school style "dip cut" (like a late 70's UK punk 45) along with a nicely done 2-sided 14" x 7" inserts that includes lyrics and tons of photos that Porcell excavated from his archive.

Now let me dangle a carrot in front of your bunny-like noses. For making the effort to order directly from the label, I am offering a limited version of this release. This is known as the "Cookout Edition" because the sleeve will be hand screen printed on a red/white checkered design that is reminiscent of a cookout tablecloth. This version will feature unique art not found on the regular version and will also be on white colored vinyl.

Sorry, but only one limited version per customer. If you feel there is some extenuating circumstance that warrants more than one, please drop me an email. The first 125 or so orders will receive a limited edition copy and all orders will receive the regular (and in my opinion, superior) version.

Please use the Paypal link below to purchase. All prices are POSTAGE PAID. These limited copies will be shipped out in two weeks when I get the records.

PLEASE SELECT WHERE YOU LIVE:

USA $7.75 CANADA $8.75 WORLD $11.00