Hardcore Heydays 1981-1988

Strutter - April 8, 1988

I got bubkis on this one though I did attend it for a short time. I think I knew a high school acquaintance, Tim Freeman, who was the drummer of one of these bands - Lethal Steel is my bet. Currently Strutter is a Kiss tribute band that had it's genesis in 1988, but they were from Akron.

Jodie Foster's Army (JFA) - April 5-6, 1986

JFA - now these guys were great adding in a a surf punk aesthetic. Not bad since they hail from the great southwestern deserts near Phoenix, AZ. They still get a listening to from me now and again - especially "Beach Blanket Bongout", their cover of "Walk, Don't Run" and other instrumentals. I don't recognize any of the other acts, but I enjoyed a pair of summers with little else than JFA in the background.

The Wallmen - April 5, 1986

This one was a tough one as I'm unfamiliar with almost every aspect of this show and had to look up virtually everything. The Wallmen are described as "schizoid psychedelic/garage rock ... inspired by Andy Warhol's random pop frescos, by Dada's irreverent nonsense,and by Allen Ginsberg's beat poetry" - in other words: not my thing at all. "Supersonic Witchcraft Cookies" is the name of the cassette they had just released. I can't even assuredly identify the venue, the promoter ?Dead Judys? or even the supporting band names on the bill other than the Bicycle Thieves. A band called Death is on the bill but it is certainly not the Orlando based death metal pioneers of the same name. But for a clip-art ensemble of a flyer it deserves entry here - note the DEVO reference near top left and for the life of me I can't even identify the demonic gargoyle imps in the foreground. The central one was on a movie poster I can't find.

Vandals - April 3, 1985

I believe this is the second show I'd ever been to but can't recall. Again it would have been a good one and the Vandals' work seem timeless to me today.
As for RKO - I can't find any reference for them nor for the Pariah I think this is. I do remember Groovie Ghoulies being around though: Appetite for Adrenochrome

Cro-Mags - March 31, 198?

NY/HC was harder to access in those days and I didn't have any pen-pals in NYC so didn't get much art from there. But what a scene! So many great acts: Cro-Mags, Agnostic Front, Reagan Youth, Murphy's Law and of course the Anthrax derivative: Stormtroopers of Death.

Circle Jerks - March 29, 1986

What could be more upsetting to parents than bands named Butthole Surfers and Circle Jerks? My kind of Easter indeed.

And the alternate

Dag Nasty - March 29, 1987

I don't remember Dag Nasty though I know they are still active. Doggy Style however, did some fine work years before Snoop took the moniker in an entirely different direction.

The mailer

The poster

Venom - March 28, 1986

Venom - wow. They, more than anyone, pushed me toward preferring more metal than a punker was allowed to peaceably enjoy at the time. Boundaries were clearly delimited and there was quite a light-hearted rivalry between the punks and the "rockers". Anyone in a Maiden muscle-t was beggin' for a haranguing.
What subversive lyrical content too - a totally different form of "dangerous", anti-social content than the political commentary from the likes of say DK or MDC. and they made Tipper Gore's list of the "Filthy Fifteen" for their brand of black metal occultism. Sadly, the mice got to this one and ate off a corner.

Agent Orange - March 25, 1988

Agent Orange - another legend I never particularly warmed to though their music was a staple with the skater crowd I ~~ran~~ skated with. Also note the Chili Peppers in 1988 - though they already had three albums out by then, they were at their very best in these early days.

Poster version with the addition of I.G.D. (Infectious Garage Disease) - an ensemble that didn't take off.