Red Hare's Dischord/Hellfire co-released 8 song lp only found it's way onto my radar very recently, but it's quickly earned a spot on my top records of 2013. So much so that I felt compelled to write about it in what will hopefully become a blog for my musings on both the local Atlanta music scene and what's going on the wider music scene that catches my ears.
First, a bit of a history lesson.
Red Hare are a four piece hardcore punk band made of scene veterans Shawn Brown, Jason Farrell, Dave Eight and Jason Gorelick. The former three previously played together in Swiz and Sweetbelly Freakdown and Joe has played with Jason in both Bluetip and Retisonic.
Swiz's take on hardcore punk was an interesting one. Forming in 1987, right after the 'Revolution Summer' bands of their hometown would make their mark, but just as the 'Youth Crew' scene in New York City was coming to fruition, they melded AC/DC riffs with the melodic sensibilities of the former, and the aggression and song structures of the latter, to create something all together all their own.
Following their break-up in 1990 Brown, Farrell, Eight and drummer Alex Daniels would re-group in 1997 as Sweetbelly Freakdown releasing a 7" and long-player on Jade Tree (who would also posthumously release Swiz's discography) before disbanding.
Fast forward to 2013 and following three years of bouncing songs back and forth via email, 3/4 of Swiz/Sweetbelly Freakdown are back at it again as Red Hare.
So what we have here is essentially Swiz Version 3.0, but that being said, it would be extremely unfair to tarnish this band with the 'ex-members of ___' brush for a few reasons.
The recording itself (by none other than musician/producer extraordinaire J. Robbins) sounds great, the instruments are mixed well together and the vocals are what I'd call right in the pocket.
The music, whilst obviously fairly evocative of the members' previous bands, and perhaps a smidgen of Fugazi, is, for lack of a better descriptive, fucking banging and had I heard Red Hare blind without knowing who or where they were from, I'd swear this was music being made by a bunch of 20 somethings.
My favourite track on the album would have to be side A/track 2 cut 'Be Half', which starts off as a fast AC/DC-esque riff before morphing onto a mid-paced groove leading into the verse that I don't think the Grinch himself would not like before Brown's vocals kick in. I remember the first time I heard the song I could barely contain the shit-eating grin on my face.
The songs on the record touch on topical subjects such as dwelling on the past ('Horace'), the non-anonimnity of the internet age ('Dialed In') and the shadiness inherent in politics ('Message to the brick'), i.e. things we all get irked about and could write a kick-ass hardcore punk song about or two.
I'm just glad these four gentlemen did, because it's a worthy addition to the harDCore cannon. Do not sleep on this one, y'hear?
