June 4th, 2010

So this update is a little behind schedule but isn't that starting to be a running theme with anything Self-Aware? Also if we are mentioning Self-Aware records/zine, then I will give a quick update before I go into this show review. First off we have two new releases out. The first is the Meth Mountain discography tape and the second is the new issue of the print zine, Self-Aware issue #6. The aforementioned tape has 18 tracks and a digital download card. Buy both together for $7ppd. The zine features pieces on, Algernon Cadwallader, Bandname, Raein, Concrete Sox, Entombed and an interview with Make Do and Mend. Alright with that out of the way, here goes...


So when I heard the legendary Eye Hate God was coming through the area, I knew right away I was going to be at one of the shows. After missing D.R.I. in Charlotte, I told myself I wouldn't be a dumbass twice. I decided on going to see them in Spartanburg, SC, and I think it was a great decision. If you are going to see EHG go see them in a shit-hole like South Carolina to make the experience so much better. On the bill with EHG was Withered, Nachmystium, and for some reason Joe Buck of Hank III fame. Honestly in some way I almost expected EHG to sound kind of bad and for all of them to be completely wasted but that wouldn't make me any less of a fan. Withered went on first and were really tight but nothing really stood out to me. I thought to myself that I would have been into this more in like 2005. Definitely tight metal. Nachmystium was next and definitely caught my interest a little bit more with their style of "Americanized" black metal. While I'd consider myself a moderate fan of black metal, I still really can't get super into them. I think some of the issue is how popular black metal seems to be all of a sudden and how many people are miraculously into maybe the most unpeople friendly genre ever. How people are really into Burzum and Emperor as easily as they are today, is just beyond me? While I am a fan of both of those bands I wouldn't never expect as many people to be fans as well. Nachmystium rocked it and then Joe Buck came on next and just totally ruined the momentum for the show with his brand of "solo psycho-billy while looking like Skelotor". What was maybe an hour felt like an excruciating eternity. While in some way it definitely fit with EHG, it doesn't mean I didn't want to rip my ears out. Finally EHG set up and I headed to the front. I really haven't been more excited for a show in a long time and was probably grinning like a madman. Mike Williams definitely seemed a little trashed but everyone else looked like they were sober enough to put on a good show. When Jimmy Bower turned his amp and started chugging some of the most amazingly down tuned riffs I knew this was going to be a religious experience. They finally get going and everything thing sounds phenomenal. Mike Williams might have been a little off but I wouldn't have it any other way. Most of the set consisted of tracks from "Take As Needed For Pain" but for that I am glad. Each song was more awesome than the last and I haven't had as much alcohol thrown on me in a good while. Jimmy Bower accidentally kicked a beer bottle into my roommate's face but I think Wes was proud to have it done by such a living legend. I definitely was not let down and was in fact surprised with how amazing they sounded. While my ticket was $24, I honestly feel like it was worth every penny.

(pictures by the amazing Angie Owens)

May 6th, 2010

First things first, I have to mention that
Self-Aware has a new website. It is currently in the state of eternal UPGRADE but for the time being allows you to keep track of us a lot easier. Go to the link and look at what we have released and our future plans. I will continue to update this as irregularly as I do, so no worries. If you are in the need for some new records or 'zines, then by all means help us out and check out the site.

Keeping with the contribution theme, here goes a show review from my brother, Adam Robbins. He recently went to see NOFX in Oregon and wrote a very brief summary of the show. It is short and sweet just like him.


So recently my girlfriend and I drove down to Eugene to see the infamous NOFX. (I might add that she actually did the driving since I do not have a license). Gauging from the last few times I have seen the band I wasn’t really expecting much of a show, but with my deep love for the band the goes back more than a decade and the simple fact the Jenn had never seen them was reason enough to go. Normally I wouldn’t pay more than 20 dollars for a punk rock show, especially with a opener like Tony Sly, but I figured, "what the hey? Anything could happen." Knowing Fat Mike's history with substance and what not it may have been the last time I could have been able to see them before he pulls a James Brown and is running from the police high on PCP, and then is shot like ‘Pac. So we show up over an hour and a half late, great because we miss Mr. Sly and some crappy band called Teenage Bottle rocket that Fat’s really pumping up these day. Surprisingly it wasn’t too crowded and the level of drunken idiots was down to a minimum. So NOFX finally came on and played quite possibly the best show I have seen in years, playing stuff as far back as Liberal Animation, including a good number of Ska stuff. Fat mike was soberish, El Hefe rocked the house, Smelly killed it, as did Melvin. They must have played for an hour and a half; however, we left after 45 minutes only to get talked into going into a nightclub with my dear friend Anna called The Clownfish, which was fucking clown shoes. So check out NOFX, especially this Cokie the Clown stuff, and steer clear of any place with the name Clownfish.

April 5th, 2010

So this is a really interesting update. I am lucky to have a good friend of mine, Kristen Leake, bringing you a show review, thus bringing a fresh perspective to the webzine. Kristen writes a new blog entitled, Outside The Mosh Pit, so make sure you check it out (especially since she had some nice things to say about Self-Aware). Kristen will be writing some stuff in the summer/fall issue of Self-Aware zine so as long as the spring issue comes out at the end of this month or early March you should see her contributions sooner rather than later. Thanks once again and enjoy!!!



Until March 31st, I felt like the only Charlotte native who has not seen The Junior Astronomers live. The Local 506 in Chapel Hill had a free show consisting of O’ God The White Whale and The Junior Astronomers.

O God The White Whale performed first and I just wasn't feeling it. Granted, I talked to a couple of kids who were there solely to see them. So I suppose it just wasn't my preferred style of music. The band is hardcore with metal undertones... and one of the songs will surprise you with a 10 second rap. What I enjoyed most about their set were their song titles (e.g., I Love Jesus But Sometimes I Drink, I asked her to Dance She Asked me to Die). Nevertheless, I was happy when their set ended. I don't think I was the only one because when The Junior Astronomers stepped on stage, the number of people inside doubled.

Seeing them live was worth the drive to Chapel Hill. These guys are not your typical indie rock band. Their distinctive vocals make it difficult to put them in a general music category. The band's overall sound is raw and unrefined. All of their songs are upbeat so don't be surprised if you unconsciously tap your foot to the beat of each song. This is going to sound old school but I honestly felt like two-stepping during their set! Everyone was dancing. Note, I said dancing and not moshing. No jumping on top of each other, no running into each other, no doing spin kicks or whatever kids do in the pit these days... It was a different atmosphere compared to what I'm used to. Half of the crowd was jumping up and down, and the other half was bobbing their head while swaying their body from side to side. The crowd reciprocated the positive energy The Junior Astronomers emitted. I did not want their set to end... After playing their last song the crowd and I chanted for more. Being the cool guys that they are, they played a couple of requests before calling it a night.



After the show, I talked to a couple of the guys in the band--who by the way, are very nice and easy to talk to. I mentioned how I wished Flavorless Candy was on the set list and they apologized. Terrence (the vocalist) actually looked around for an acoustic guitar to play the song for me. There wasn't one in sight... bummer, but that just shows how genuine the guys are. If you don't know already, they are raising money to buy a trailer so they can tour in the near future. Until that time comes, make sure you see them...even if you have to drive an hour or two. It's well worth it.

March 9th, 2010

It's been a little bit since the last update but isn't it always that way? We have a new print zine wrapping up right now so be sure to pick that up since it is our 6th issue. You will see interviews from Raein, the legendary Italian screamo band and Make Do and Mend, a great post-hardcore band on Panic Records. So it's been a busy past few weeks and there haven't been many shows worth making an update for. I was moving during the DRI show and couldn't make it out and definitely regret it. West should be doing a write-up on that for the print zine if all goes well. So here I go with this update...

Leatherface @ The Milestone (3/09/10)

So I have never really gotten around to listening to Leatherface as often as I wish but when given the opportunity to see such an influential band i try not to pass it up twice in one week and since i had just missed DRI then I figured I was obligated. I wasn't familiar with the rest of the lineup but it wasn't like I was going to see anyone else but Leatherface. I missed the first band and I apologize for not knowing their name. I came in during Riot Before, a Richmond, VA band, who played a by the numbers style revolution punk ala Strike Anywhere but not nearly as good as them. They weren't bad but nothing really grabbed me. The lyrics kept throwing me for a loop with lines like, "mustard seed."

Next up was Yesterday's Ring from Montreal. They played a "loud" country-punk hybrid which often does does sit well with me. It seems to be a good idea the mixing of the two genres but for the most part ends up sounding really cheesy. For example, banjo mixed with pop punk. Once again they weren't bad and were definitely super tight but it wasn't my thing.

Finally Leatherface was slated to go next and the oldest guys in the club took to the stage and tore the place up. The odd thing is that the singer of Leatherface looked a lot like my grandpa in the face and it definitely freaked me out. I probably only knew a small handful of songs but when they played them with such force I felt that I had known them all my life. You realize how many bands have been directly influenced by them and how underrated of a band Leatherface truly is. Bands like Hot Water Music for one wouldd probably not exist if it weren't for Leatherface. I wish the turnout was better so they feel good about coming back. I am totally bummed that more people did not get a chance to come out and witness such an awesome set.

Jan. 31, 2010

Youth Attack Showcase @ Lunchbox (12/28/09)



As soon as I had heard that the Youth Attack winter tour was gonna be coming through Charlotte, I almost hit the roof. I was stoked beyond belief. For anyone not familiar with the Youth Attack winter tour, it consisted of Failures, Aerosols, and Salvation. If for some reason you're not familiar with these bands, you may be familiar with the clusterfuck of "ex/current-members of" list that comprise these bands. Members of Charles Bronson, Orchid, Ampere, Das Oath, Wasteland, Cancer Kids, and Vaccine, among tons of others were all in tow. As I got there around 8:30 for the 8:00 show, I was immediately told that Aerosols had gotten lost, and the show wouldn't start until about 10:00. Undeterred by the hold up, I thumbed through records for a while, and then walked down to Common Market for a drink. Upon my return around 9:30ish, local openers Young & In The Way were almost done setting up. They started a few minutes before 10, and played their brand of heavy hardcore to a pretty thick crowd. After they finished, the first Youth Attack band of the night; Salvation from Pennsylvania took the floor. Salvation fucking ripped through about 12 minutes of some of the most intense hardcore I've seen in a long while. The dichotomy of the band's appearance made me laugh, as the singer, guitarist, and bassist all had skinned heads, and looked mean as fuck, while their drummer seemed to be some kind of Bohemian dude with long hair, with a "Boston's More than a Feelin" mustache, rocking some kind of aboriginal necklace; they fucking ripped though. Failures was up next. This was the band I think everyone (or at least myself) was most fixated on, as it features Charles Bronson's vocalist Mark McCoy. They were one of the absolute tightest breakneck outfits I think I've ever seen. They were fucking flawless, which is almost unseen with a band as fast as they are. You can usually expect some sloppy moments, but not with Failures. They didn't say shit in between songs, it was just violent burst after violent burst of awesome hardcore.


Right after Failures packed their shit, Aerosols took the stage. This band has the lead singer from Ampere playing guitar, and the dude who sang in Wasteland handling vocals, so you knew from the start that it was gonna be good. They had a new bassist in tow, and the night before, the singer had sliced his arm open on a lightbulb while playing in a basement, so the odds weren't necessarily in their favor. They seemed to somewhat struggle through the set a little, but it was still fun to watch, and sounded really good. The band is fucking flawless on record, and if you don't have their albums, then get a hold of them. I'm sure they're hard to find since everything Youth Attack seems to turn to gold, but I know tons of blogs have posted them for download. After the show, I spent wayyy too much money on some records, but don't regret it all, because they may have been the best records I bought all year. If you decided to sleep on this show, then at least check out all of the bands, and punch yourself in the bag for missing one the best shows on 2009. (West Hastey)


Jan 22, 2010

It's been about a month since the last entry but I promise that I wont leave you hanging for as long as I have. Here is a show review of a show that happened about a week ago. Just to let you know we used to post show reviews in the print zine but so much time often passes between each issue I don't feel right letting them be so dated.

Mammoth Grinder @ Lunchbox (1/15/10)



I hadn't seen Mammoth Grinder since this summer and was really stoked to see them again. Every time they come through they blow me away and I'm usually not blown away by jack shit being as jaded as I am. When I arrived at Lunchbox at 8pm I realized it was going to be a good show because people don't often come early for Lunchbox shows and there was already a crowd. A lot of unfamiliar faces too so that is always good. I had to run door while the first band Grids played but it was still a good set. They are a staple of the Charlotte, NC scene and even though I'm not entirely into their sound (Jesus Lizard/Young Widows style noise rock) they definitely put on a good show. I think it was due to them not playing as loud as they normally do so everything sounded crisp and it was nice being able to really hear Bobby their drummer. Next up was Dead City from Memphis, TN and were on tour with Mammoth Grinder. I think a lot of people in Charlotte weren't too into their sound since it was a mix of Entombed, Crowbar, and Integrity but I bet while standing outside the people who were super into Integrity a few years ago were moshing in their minds. I dug them but I definitely think I would have been more into it myself a few years back when all I listened to was Godbelow and Pantera.

Next up was Mammoth Grinder and once again they did not disappoint. Even with a new bass player they still got the goods. When they first start playing people just go berserks and start jumping off each others backs, bonking heads, and just being complete idiots, myself included. I can't remember a dull moment in their set which is a huge feat with my attention span. If you aren't familiar with their sound just envision fast brutal thrash metal played by punks. Lastly is Lowbrow, another local on the bill. This was their return show after being on hiatus due to their guitarist Brendan studying for a semester in Nicaragua. They had a new song and played all the gems off their 7" "Broken Speech" (self advertisement). I will say and sadly so that I didn't feel like they were on top of their game but not playing a show for six months will do that to you. I am really excited for them to be back and I'm fairly sure they will be killing it in no time with a slew of new songs. Overall this was a really awesome show and might be one of my top shows of the year but we will see this year has just begun.