Winter Update

I took it a bit easy this fall with the distro, mostly as I was saving up to release a 12" by...  Well, more on that later, tthe distro is going to expand into a label this spring.  I'm only planning to release one record at a time to roll the money from one to the next.  I'll announce the first one in the coming weeks when the artwork is completed by Sugi, who has done innumerable classic Japanese record covers, shirts, and flier designs.  So to catch up, I went to Japan for a week at the end of November.  Good trip, arrived and got to hang out with Slowmotions and FUK guys at the end of their tour, saw Forward, Zone, and 鉄アレイ (Tetsu Arrey) at EarthDOM (phenomenal show from all three bands, Forward with their new drummer playing a mix of early songs and four new ones, Zone making a rare Tokyo appearance, and 鉄アレイ not missing a note with the recent addition of Keiro (Akutare/Super Frisky) on guitar), and then things came to a wretched halt when I woke up the next morning and proceeded to throw up for 24 hours from a stomach virus.  Went to the hospital to make sure I wasn't getting dehydrated and then slept all day, meaning I missed the Burning Leather tour final with AI, Slowmotions, Forward, GATES and Nanox.  Squeezed in a whopping 30 minutes of record shopping the next day, took care of some other stuff and then went across the country to Hiroshima where I met Guy san (Bloodsucker Records, Origin of M).  Got to see Origin of M practice (killer), got some good stuff at Guy's store Misery, and hung out at Dumb Records (cool Ramones/garage punk record label, coffee shop and bar).  Woke up early the next morning to take the shinkansen back across the country and flew home the next day.  The trip was way too short, I felt like I barely had any time in Tokyo and wish I could have hung out longer in Hiroshima.

But I did bring back a few things, namely recent Bloodsucker releases and a few old 7"s.  First up is the Fight Back/Hazard split CD.  Hazard are long running Tokyo punks, maybe you know them from the split with Extinct Government or the recent full length CD, and they now have Eiji (ex DSB) drumming for them.  Raw recording, turn it up and destroy your speakers.  Fight Back is the return of Tokurow, ex Bastard vocalist, with Iron Fist Tatsushima (Die You Bastard!, Crow, GISM etc) drumming.  Crushing D beat/thrash hardcore, almost Swedish sounding.  

Next up from Bloodsucker is the debut ep from Waterbed.  Mellow sounds from the drummer from  鉄アレイ and the singer from Lip Cream.  I only got a few copies for people who are willing to take a chance on something unexpected, and Guy san gave me some screened patches that I'll include with them.  

I also got a handful of the last copies of the Gudon "Early Years" CD and some stickers to go with them.  This is all the insane early noise core that wasn't included on the discography on Bloodsucker and Partners In Crime, both demos and the flexi.  

Also the third Crossface CD, the Veihaiz CD (burly hardcore), both Persevere 7"s (UK punk style) and some other odds and ends. The first Nightbringer 7" came out in November, and the second one will hopefully be out by the end of winter.  Nightbringer 7" is on colored vinyl.

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Also new is the No Problem/Doomsday Hour CD on Under the Surface.  Doomsday Hour are from California, ex Star Strangled Bastards, and No Problem are the original bassist from Paintbox and the singer from Geshpenst and Sticks In Throat.  Got a few copies of the Nightmare "Bloodsucker Years" CD, crucial material from the 7"s and comp after the first LP and before the CD on Dan Doh.  Definitely some of my favorite stuff from them.