The Flexual Predator (Logo Power #9)

All Seeing Eye

In honor of the fabled Flex/Violent Reaction tour which recently hit Yankee shores, I'm inclined to unearth this guy for the second installment of Flex-based logo discussions.

The show was great, somewhat sparsely attended, but that's what I'd really expect for a hardcore house show in suburban Salt Lake City that wasn't featuring any bands on the Reaper roster *sigh*. Obstruct opened, and I'd received their No Life 7" as part of a trade I'd completed. Rippers for certain and should be sought out by all.

Here's a crappy iPhone/Picstitch shot I got, courtesy of a small room, bad lighting, and my own criminal inability to take pictures that aren't awful. Still, it should showcase SOMETHING from that night.

Top: Violent RXN/Bottom: Walk in the red light w/ the Flex

Violent Reactions set rang perfect, the inclusion of the Cro-Mags "Don't Tread on Me," an obvious hit. City Streets is a damn good LP that you should seek out.

Before the Flex had set up, I'd spent some time in the garage shilling some old T-shirts and making conversation with the singer, mostly about wrestling in the UK. Turns out he was a big Ring of Honor fan, which endeared me to the band even more, and I bought a shirt. (As the picture indicates) they played in front of some red lights, creating an ultra sinister atmosphere, and when they covered "Kickback" by Breakdown, I absolutely saw someone get moshed into (and subsequently through) a wall. Suburban discipline.

This ain't a show review though, so I'll move on to the real "meat" of the matter (i.e. cartoons in hardcore). Skinheads appropriating HC iconography shouldn't raise any eyebrows, but I like the fact that this bloke's got an eyeball drawn on the back of his hand (symbolism there? IDK man), he's planting a Union Jack into a misproportioned globe and he's carrying what's either a boxcutter or a strange looking banana. Excellente. Flexual education. Flexual deviant. Flexual reproduction. God bless a band that opens themselves up to such seamless wordplay.

The Skaggs Savage Rhythm (Weekly Seizure - 11.10.13)

As we whittle down into the nitty gritty, meaty big and bouncy center of the winter holiday sandwich, remember to think about the things that really make life's casserole sweet: zines, riffs and the seasonal pumpkin flavoring of various desserts and hot drinks.

Plenty of fare to report this week (including a copy of the new Neutral Accents fanzine), but I've still gotta chew my way through it. 

I had a friend that used to smoke

1) The Skaggs - Savage Rhythm Demo Tape

I got this one through a euro internet friend (Unionwiththeabsolute) is the only name I know off the cuff, but the point is, he had the decency to send me this (and Lost in Space) zine, even after I totally failed at getting him a Get Down demo on Ebay. Good dude who's been a big supporter of Drug Dogs Zine. The Skaggs take their name from country music singer Ricky Skaggs and play a crooning style of early 2000's Wal-Mart Country...just kidding. They're a German band who take cues from the gritty likes of 86 Mentality, Void and I hear a little bit of SSD in the vocals. There seem to be a lot of european bands playing this style (maybe it's just my misplaced excitement for the Violent Reaction/The Flex tour that's supposed to hit Yankee shores soon) but I don't have any complaints about it. The demo itself sounds like a moderately crisp boombox recording (wish the drums were louder, but it makes the guit sound kinda fuzzed out so that's cool), and they take some stylistic cues from the "drawing Iron Maiden logos on my pee-chee folder" school of artwork (see also: Peacebreakers). Pick one up here because you could do far worse. Shout out to the Freaks and Geeks sample in "Wise Ways," weirdo/spooky guitar lines in "White Lies" and the screamed expletive which caps off "Sorry State." Ultimately, I don't care if you dig my comparisons. I like this tape, and think you should check it out if any of the aforementioned bands flip your cookie.

You know what he's up to now? He's Dead