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Hey there Sorry Staters. Thanks for checking out our Halloween week newsletter. I hope everyone who enjoys this time of the year is having fun. Whatever you end up doing on the night, have a good time. I don’t tend to dress up these days and will probably be at home watching old Hammer House Of Horror films. My favorites of the genre. Not that I am a big horror buff to be honest. I like the old classics mostly over the newer, darker stuff and have never really been into the super violent and gory end of things. I’m a bit of wuss when it comes to all that stuff. Unless it’s done in an over-the-top comedic way, then I can just about stomach it.

You’ll need to talk to Jeff or the others here at SSR for a Halloween film recommendation, if one is needed. I’m sure Jeff will have a great one here in this very newsletter. I’m going to stick to music and records though for my pick this week, but it is one that Jeff turned me on to. A few months back we had beefed up the metal section here at the store with some choice imports that Jeff had ordered from one of our overseas vendors. It was an opportunity for us to put some cool and interesting titles on the floor for our customers, and ones that they perhaps might not know or see much. Whilst working one day, Jeff and I listened to a bunch of them, but there was one that stood out for me, and it was called Sin Will Find You Out by a group called Original Sin. It was from 1986 and purported to be an all-girl speed metal band from New York. Cool. The front cover has a bit of cheesy shot of an almost topless woman tearing off her bra, but on the back is a photo of the band. They look like cool punk metal goth chicks that could be in a band. The only thing is they weren’t. There never was a band. It was a studio band and totally fake. Damn. However, it is a good record and rocks and has great catchy tunes with titles like Bitches From Hell and is still definitely worth hearing and getting to know.

So, a bit of backstory. The album was one of several metal-sploitation albums that the Canadian label Cobra was putting out at the time. That label was managed by a fellow named Zoran Busic, who managed Canadian group Saga. The actual musical talent behind these releases was mostly provided by a guy called David DeFeis, a keyboardist, writer and vocalist from New York. For the Original Sin album, he had his sister Danae sing. She’s credited as Danielle Draconis. Guitars are played by Edward Pursino, who’s listed as Cynthia Taylor. He plays on some of the other fake metal bands on the Cobra label with David DeFeis. On bass is Joe O’Reilly, called Pandora Fox on the record and on drums is Mark Edwards. His pseudonym was Darlene Destructo. Brilliant. Not sure who the actual girls pictured on the record cover are and if one is at least Danae DeFeis. I guess they were girlfriends of the musicians and scenesters around at the time. I’ll need to consult Jeff; maybe he knows. Besides their fake band activities, David, Ed and Joe were in a real metal band, Virgin Steele. Their label Cobra had just released what is considered a classic, the album Noble Savage, by them the previous year. To give you some idea of what these musicians were doing at the time.

The Original Sin album doesn’t hang about. Just over thirty minutes and ten songs of banging speed metal with titles such as the previously mentioned Bitches From Hell, and To The Devil A Daughter and Enchantress Of Death. How can you go wrong? It’s a great Halloween metal spin. Of course, I am not an expert and don’t know too much about these sorts of things, so I might be way off, and more experienced heads might not think it’s all that great. I don’t know. I guess click the link here and check it out yourself. I like it and think it rocks. It would have been way cooler if it really was an all-girl band for sure, but it is still real musicians and real humans singing and not AI, so it at least has that going for it. Whatever, I thought it was cool, even if the cover is a bit Benny Hill meets Page Three Girl. Looks like the album came out in Canada, America and the U.K. at the time and is now being made available by German label High Roller Records. They seem to do a nice job on their reissues, and the price point is decent too. Kudos to them. Originals don’t seem to go for that much, but a nice copy will probably set you back fifty bills.

Before I sign off and let you get back to your trick or treating, I want to mention that our Raleigh shop still has some great horror movie soundtracks left in the bins and a bunch of cool metal and punk records that will sound great this time of the year, or at any other time. If you are local, try and stop in if you haven’t already. But don’t worry, we do our best to make sure there are killer records in the bins whenever you come by to shop and say hello.

Finally, I must mention that there have been a bunch of cool, fun and interesting new release records coming through of late. I’m a sucker for anything that sounds like UK DIY or C86. That indie sound that isn’t punk but isn’t bed-wetter wimp either. Preferably with female vocals alongside male. There has been a continuous lineage of bands since picking up that mantle and carrying on. Not only in the UK and Ireland but in Europe and particularly here in the US. Labels like Slumberland and the new Inscrutable over here, for instance, are releasing great records by new indie bands.

I’d like to quickly list three new ones that came in that I liked and want to recommend.

Firstly, from Richmond, K9 and their album Thrills. We just got copies hand-delivered the other week (thank you) and I really like this one. It’s got a lot of charm but has bite too. Good mix of male and female vocals, good songs. Take a listen.

The Inscrutable Records label has their #10 release out, and it’s a likable lo-fi, bedroom pop album called Permanent Opposite. Essentially a solo, one-man project from Jared Leibowich covering emotional issues that most of us may have dealt with or might be going through and can relate to. Worth checking out if you like this sort of thing.

Lastly, underscoring how good the Richmond scene is, another interesting one from there. This time courtesy of Sarah Everton and her project called Added Dimensions. The album is titled Jane From Preoccupied America. Swell Maps fans will instantly get that reference. Again, I liked this one a lot. Seems to hit that nerve in me. We were playing this in the store when we first got it in, and my ears pricked up immediately. I don’t want to throw out lazy journalistic comparisons saying it sounds like this or that, but if you like decent lo-fi, indie post-punk flavors, then you should give this one and the records above a listen.

Okay, cheers everyone. Thanks for taking the time to read our newsletter. Thank you for supporting record stores and the artists who make the records that we champion. It’s important and appreciated.

-Dom

What’s up my Sorry State fiends and ghouls?

Only a few days left until All Hallows Eve, can you believe it? The best day of the year falls on a Friday this time, so I’m hoping it ends up being a night to remember. I will most likely be spending my Halloween in Richmond this year. I’ve heard there’s a parade and a cover show, so that sounds like fun. Hope all you readers out there have some fun and spooky plans as well.

Wanted to mention that Public Acid is playing our first gig in a while, which is coming up in Philly on November 9th. It’s Dark Thoughts’ LP release show, along with Beton Arme and KOS. I imagine it’ll be a really good one. Then, a couple weeks after that, Usman and I will travel to Stockholm to hang out for a week and go see Totalitär and Missbrukarna. Any friends in Sweden hit us up! We’d love to get together and hang out :)

Might take me a minute to get to my staff pick, but follow me here…

So, the other night, I watched the 1986 classic Trick or Treat. This movie is a great snapshot of 80s heavy metal and horror coming together. For those unfamiliar with this film, the plot focuses on our protagonist Eddie, also known by his nickname “Ragman,” who is a total outcast at school and heavy metal fanatic. He learns that the singer of his favorite band, controversial figure Sammi Curr, has died tragically in a house fire. A local radio DJ personality, played by Gene Simmons giving a hilarious performance, gifts Eddie an acetate of an unreleased Sammi Curr album entitled “Songs in the Key of Death”… Pretty funny, I wonder if Stevie ever heard about this. Eddie is tormented by the voice of Sammi from beyond the grave. If Eddie plays the acetate on Halloween night, Sammi will be resurrected from the dead! Hilarious 80s cheese in all its glory. Ozzy Osbourne makes a great cameo as an evangelical moral crusader, raving against the filth in heavy metal lyrics. It’s hilarious. Ozzy’s character along with the general depiction of demonizing heavy metal culture must be a reference to political conservatism and its effect on pop culture during that 80s era. My brain immediately thought of Dee Snider’s hearing with the PMRC, as well as the “de-metalling” segment in Decline of Western Civilization—Part II. But it’s a great movie; would recommend.

Sorry for the overly long synopsis. I get passionate; what can I say? But my whole point is that one of the most notable things about Trick or Treat is the soundtrack. Used as the songs performed by Sammi Curr and his fictional band in the movie, the entire soundtrack was recorded by the band Fastway. Fastway featured Fast Eddie Clarke on guitar after he left Motorhead. The singer of Fastway went on to be in some band that sings about four-leaf clovers, where people wear kilts to their shows or something like that… Anyway, it’s cool to have a soundtrack that’s just as memorable as the movie itself.

Fuck man, that was a long-winded, roundabout way to get to my staff pick, but here we go:

Basically, my overall theme here is horror soundtracks. Sorry State just got in these cassettes, which I’m stoked to say perfectly encapsulate the essence and same love that I have for 80s horror soundscapes. I’m talking about this new tape by a project called The Ancient Pulse. If you couldn’t already tell by the artwork and packaging, based on the aliases/pseudonyms alone, I’m pretty sure this recording is the work of Austin from Blazing Eye and Bungee from Personal Damage (not to mention all of Sorry State’s killer artwork as of late). This tape is awesome. It advertises: “WARNING: SPINE-CHILLING SOUNDS OF THE DEPRAVED UNDERWORLD ...PROCEED WITH CAUTION!!” With each track, these compositions are like a love letter to the cold, creepy synthwave scores of all our favorite 80s horror favorites. As soon as the first track “Hair on The Inside” cold opens with a werewolf howl, which sounds like a soundbite lifted straight off of a novelty “Halloween Horrors” sound effects record, I feel like I’m instantly riding on a wave of nostalgia. It’s like the perfect music to play at your Halloween party, in the background of your haunted house… you name it!

The Ancient Pulse captures everything grandiose and terrifying, while simultaneously hilariously cheesy and corny about horror movie soundtracks, all compiled within this recording. It’s got everything: hazy, atmospheric and instantly recognizable synth sounds, smokin’ hot 80s shredding guitar leads, a canned and artificial, yet driving and propulsive drum machine, wolves howling, lightning striking, a heartbeat pumping at increasing velocity, crows squawking, doors slowly creaking open… but for all the atmospheric, experimental passages, the tape has some serious bops as well. The track “Grave Dancing” is a perfect example. It’s super groovy and danceable, providing some fun levity from all the spookiness. Difficult not to imagine Linnea Quigley gettin’ down in a graveyard to this track.

The sounds and orchestration of these tracks are so well-done and authentic, it’s almost hard to believe it was created by 2 punks in their bedrooms. Maybe Vestron Video was able to kick in for the budget? But seriously, it’s so cool that these dudes are this talented beyond writing great punk and hardcore music. The eerie, smoky sonic landscapes are on par with the classic synth score work of John Carpenter. Funny enough, looking at the credits on the Ancient Pulse Bandcamp, this dude Irfan is thanked for letting them borrow his Juno-106 synthesizer. Carpenter famously used this synth on all his classic movie scores, whether we’re talking the iconic, fear-inducing title theme from Halloween, or the isolating, melancholic adventure you’ll never come back from in Escape from New York. What’s even funnier is that I know Irfan, and I was just laughing reading his name credited while remembering Public Acid driving with Irfan to go get burritos at 3am while we were in East LA. So cool.

Hearing this tape, the way it makes me feel honestly, is that it’s so damn good, it almost makes you wish there was a horror movie that actually existed—a movie as classic and deserving enough to have a soundtrack this great to be paired along with it. Who knows? Maybe the Ancient Pulse will be commissioned to score a badass punk-horror crossover as good as Return of the Living Dead one day. Considering how much great punk and hardcore exists out there, and how interest remains consistent in horror movies these days, I’m surprised a movie like this hasn’t happened yet. I feel like a fresh punk-horror classic is long overdue.

Anyway, that’s all I’ve got. Seriously, check this Ancient Pulse tape out. It’s so fuckin’ rad.

‘Til next week when Halloween will be behind us :(

-Jeff

It’s been a busy couple of weeks here in Raleigh, which is why we didn’t get a newsletter out last week, and also probably why I’m writing this right now on my couch, covered in a warm, fuzzy blanket, because I’ve called out sick from work the past two days. Being sick sucks, but if it was an unavoidable side effect of everything I’ve been up to, I’d say it was worth it.

First up, Will from To Live a Lie Records booked a hardcore show at RUMAH headlined by Dry Socket from Portland. Sadly, I missed the first band, but I got to see Natural End play a solid set of tough hardcore and MERC rip through a set of gnarly, old-school sounding power violence in the vein of Crossed Out. MERC had a unique sound, and I couldn’t figure out how they were generating it until I asked one of the band members. Turns out they’re a guitar-less band featuring one regular four-string bass and a Bass VI as the second set of strings. I’d never seen that setup before, and I really liked it… I know there’s a reason most bands use the same instrument setup, but I still like to hear folks fuck with the formula now and again. Dry Socket closed the night with a ripping set that got everyone moving. The band had a very dialed-in sound, a super tight performance, and their singer oozed charisma… I’d catch them if you have the opportunity.

Then on Sunday evening, Rigorous Institution rolled through Raleigh on their current tour. I booked this gig and hosted the band at my house, so my stress level was considerably higher for this one. This was the first gig I’d booked (or even been to) at a new venue in town called Cannonball Music Hall, and it worked out well I think. The environment is perhaps a little sterile because everything is so new, but they had great sound and the staff there did a great job making everything run like clockwork. Richmond’s Gnostics kicked off the night playing (if I remember correctly) their third show ever. Gnostics feature Rigorous Institution’s original guitarist Scully and have a similar neanderthal riffing style as the early Rigorous stuff, balanced out with a lot of atmosphere and some cool anarcho-inspired parts (I loved when their drummer joined in on vocals). Gnostics has a tape out soon on Roachleg Records, so watch out for that. Raleigh’s Paranoid Maniac played next and were on fire, ripping through a short set of their hyper-fast, left-of-center hardcore. I love it when a local band plays and you see all the touring musicians slowly gather in front of the stage as they realize how great the local band is. Hopefully we can get P Mane to play out more in the future. Then Rigorous closed the show and demolished everything. I was glad I booked this at a proper venue as the band sounded monstrous and their unique vocals popped just like they should. I’d seen Rigorous play a few years ago in Richmond, but on the tail end of a long-ish tour they sounded extremely tight and powerful. Like Gnostics, there’s a new Rigorous record coming soon on Roachleg that you need to watch out for… the Raleigh gig was actually the first tour date where the LP was for sale, since Sorry State is helping Roachleg with the distribution.

The show marathon continued on Monday with what was probably the main event for most people, Golpe’s long-awaited return to Raleigh. Plastique Pigs, a new Raleigh band whose name you’ve probably seen in the flyers section of the SSR newsletter over the past few months, opened the gig with their first set since Usman joined the band on drums. Usman hadn’t learned all the songs yet, so the set was quite short, but goddamn it ripped. I don’t think we’ve announced it anywhere, but Plastique Pigs have a demo tape coming out soon on Sorry State, and fans of hooky USHC like Government Warning need to watch out for that. Next up was my first set playing bass for Starving Bomb, and I think that went alright. We played the songs OK, though it’s tough for a three-piece to get the crowd revved up. One band that never has an issue revving up a crowd is Golpe, and they obliterated RUMAH that night. It took a song or two for everyone to loosen up, but before you knew it, bodies were flying and the venue was a sea of smiling faces, everyone reveling in what a great band we were seeing. Long live Golpe! If you have the chance to see them on this current US tour, please don’t miss it. Given the way the world is going, a return trip is not a given.

After 3 gigs in four days, I got a small respite before we had a big rager at my house for Usman’s 35th birthday. Invertebrates had a show in Asheville on Saturday night, and they kindly came down to NC a night early to celebrate Usman’s birthday. Our friends Marty and Terence also made the drive down from Richmond for the get-together. Music was blasted, the fire pit was lit, about 40 gazillion beers were consumed (I am responsible for exactly one of those LOL), and everyone had a great time. I think I slept until 3PM the next day though.

I haven’t had a ton of time to listen to records in the midst of all this partying and show-going… in fact, there are a bunch of new arrivals at Sorry State I’m eager to check out. But one LP I’ve put on a few times lately is my staff pick for this week:

Gary Numan: Telekon LP (1980, ATCO Records)

Since I’m an 80s baby, Gary Numan has been part of my world for as long as I can remember. But it wasn’t until the 2000s that I realized the depth of the world beyond “Cars.” The Tubeway Army stuff and The Pleasure Principle have been in regular rotation since then, but I’d never gotten around to checking out much of Gary’s post-Pleasure Principle material. A few weeks ago I picked up a copy of Telekon in some bargain bin or another, and then another few weeks went by until I pulled it out of my “to listen” pile and put it on the turntable. Something about it perfectly matched the mood of the fall weather we’ve been having in Raleigh, and I’ve spun it several times since.

When I read other people’s takes on Telekon online, the prevailing wisdom seems to be that Telekon presents a “more sophisticated” or “subtler” version of Gary Numan than the one we heard on The Pleasure Principle. I think that’s fair. It’s hard to put my finger on, but something about Telekon seems less in love with the sound of the synthesizer than The Pleasure Principle. The arrangements are more three-dimensional, instruments floating in and out of the mix slowly and gracefully. The songs seem less tethered to pop gestalt, taking on a novelistic quality that ebbs and flows and wanders in a way that feels very organic. Though maybe people just think it sounds more sophisticated because violins play what would otherwise be a synth melody on “The Joy Circuit.” It does sound a bit upper crust, I guess.

Even though Numan’s music is often described as cold or icy, like I said Telekon feels like perfect fall music. It’s so organic-sounding that a color palette of leaves changing to red and yellow feels like the perfect window dressing, and the way the album takes in so much seems right for a time of year when the seasons change before your eyes. Get yourself a warm blanket and a hot toddy, throw this one on, and see if you agree.

Mecht Mensch: Anthology 12” (No Coast Records) Wisconsin’s No Coast Records brings us a release hardcore punk collectors have been salivating over for years: a complete anthology of recordings by their 80s hardcore hometown heroes Mecht Mensch! If you love 80s US hardcore and don’t know Mecht Mensch’s 1983 Acceptance EP, then boy do I have a treat for you. This is quite simply one of the greatest American hardcore records, and that it hasn’t been repressed since its original release is practically criminal. Of course, that gets rectified here, with all five tracks from Acceptance right up front on this collection, sounding great mastered from the original source tapes. One thing Anthology brings into focus is how crucial Butch Vig’s recording was to Acceptance’s awesomeness. Don’t get me wrong; Mecht Mensch was a great hardcore band, as evidenced by the other recordings that appear here. They had great songs, played with power and precision, and did their part to the highest standard, but when you combine that with Butch Vig’s production on Acceptance, it really launches this session into the stratosphere. The guitar sound on Acceptance is just perfect for me… warm, subtle, beefy, and just a little sparkly. I’m no Butch Vig Stan, but he did a great fucking job on these tracks. (One tiny nit-pick with the sequencing… I wish the two outtakes from the Acceptance session, which originally appeared on The Master Tape Vol 2, were right next to the Acceptance tracks rather than in the middle of side 2, but that’s a minor quibble.) Everyone needs those Acceptance tracks, but hardcore heads also need the rest of this LP, which gathers all of Mecht Mensch’s material into one place for the very first time. There’s the split cassette with their buddies the Tar Babies (which I’d only heard as sub-par cassette rips) and all the assorted appearances on compilations like Party or Go Home, The Master Tape, Meathouse, America’s Dairyland, and Barefoot & Pregnant. While these tracks aren’t as utterly perfect as Acceptance, they’re fucking great, and essential for anyone who loves Acceptance and wants to hear more. Anthology also comes with a thick booklet full of flyers, paste-ups, and other ephemera, as well as some beautiful photography on the gatefold and poster insert. The liner notes by Robin Davies tantalizingly mention post-Acceptance material that never got recorded, and that will haunt my dreams… I can’t tell you how much I would love to hear the “post-hardcore” era of Mecht Mensch. Thankfully, though, No Coast has crossed “great quality version of the Tar Babies split cassette tracks” off the long list of things I need to hear before I die. Whether you’re getting Acceptance into your collection for the first time or filling out your picture of Mecht Mensch beyond the EP, this LP is one of 2025’s essential releases for the 80s US hardcore fanatic.

Hello fellow Sorry Staters! It’s been a busy week here at Sorry State! We have a bunch of new releases that we have listed on the site and have been continuing to list all these quality used items that everyone seems to be snatching up quickly. This week is going to be a short one for me. I honestly have not been mentally in a good place to really soak up any new music; even trying to put together a staff pick has been difficult. So one of things I have done during my day is to just live in my thoughts, whether that be working in silence at work (as much as I can), driving to no podcasts or music and just trying to meditate when I get off of work before I walk into my house. I know I talk about it a lot on my picks, but mental health is important, and go to therapy if you can!

When I have been listing to music, I have been listening to some older 90s emo groups. One in particular that I went back to the most was Jejune. Jejune was a group that formed in 1996 in the second wave of emo rock. Some of the best records they put out were their split records with Jimmy Eat World before they sold out to become a college corporate rock band. They toured with Braid, The Get Kids and Piebald. Luckily, there has been word of the band re-releasing their catalog on Numero Group, including the rare, hard to find Jimmy Eat World split and their first album, Junk.

Short but sweet this week! I hope everyone has a great week and continues to keep us busy by buying all this used stuff we have been posting. Here’s to hoping I get my groove back in the coming weeks. Cheers ya’ll and thanks for reading!

What’s up Sorry State readers? I hope everyone has had a nice week. I had been slacking on going to the theater the last month or two, so I’ve been getting after it the last couple weeks. I was lucky enough to catch a showing of 2001: A Space Odyssey at a theater here last week. It’s one of those movies where any time I see it’s playing in a theater, I’m gonna make a point to go. Every time I watch this movie, I’m reminded of why it’s my all-time favorite. Everything about it is so amazing. It builds so much tension with such little dialogue. It also just looks incredible as well. It blows my mind that this movie came out in 1968 and it still looks this good. Not to mention how relevant it still is with all the dumbass, evil AI shit going on today. This movie may seem slow or boring to some (incorrect) people, but this movie always flies by for me when I watch it, maybe cause I just enjoy it so much and I don’t want it to end. I know it’s October and I should write about some horror classic, but this movie can be pretty spooky too. Well, I don’t know if spooky is the right word, but it can definitely be pretty nerve-racking, especially the scenes where the only audio is that close-up, heavy-ass breathing. That’s why it’s so great to see this movie in a nice, loud theater, cause so much of the sounds make up the movie. Also, of course, the iconic soundtrack to the movie as well, consisting of classical compositions like Also Sprach Zarathustra and Blue Danube Waltz. The pairing of those with those beautiful shots of space and futuristic spaceships is so cool. I’m sure everyone reading this has watched this stone-cold classic before, so this is a reminder for you to roll up a mean one and throw this one on some night soon.

Hi and thanks for reading. Not sure if y’all saw, but NO FUCKER has two new 7”s they just released. I was pretty into their previous EP Tombs. They released a flexi around the same time/right before that 7” entitled No Future, and the sound on that one is fucking insane, like in the best way possible. I wonder what these new ones will sound like, and I Iook forward to hearing them. I mean obviously they are gunna sound like DISCHARGE, haha, but you know what I mean. I am not sure when this stuff was recorded since I don’t have a copy yet. The main reason I wonder that is cos they have a new drummer now, Joe BB. Joe is absolutely pummeling and has played drums in bands for well over a decade. FAIRYTALE and SALVAJE PUNK were some of his more recent bands that I really thought ripped like hell. I learned that NO FUCKER’s previous drummer Luke had passed away when I saw them at the LIFE gig in Richmond last month. Really sad. NO FUCKER tore up that stage at the gig. JJ’s guitar work is like that of a genius. It’s obvious he has a serious influence from Kawakami, especially in the way that he plays solos. It’s not often, if ever, that someone can really master that style. Anyways, we have a nice stack on the way - so keep an eye out if you need a copy!

Moving on to WRETCHED. We just restocked a few copies of this compilation entitled Libero E Selvaggio. This comp includes all their 7”s and their split tracks with INDIGESTI, spanning from 1982 to 1988. While that 1988 7” In ControLuce sounds significantly different from their earlier material, I still love it so much. I ignorantly used to favor the later WRETCHED stuff, namely the 1986 12” La Tua Morte Non Aspetta. It wasn’t too long before I could really appreciate the chaotic intensity of their earlier stuff, and now I can’t believe I ever favored the later stuff, haha. I know they sound more solid and less sloppy later, but they sound so unbelievably raw on their first few records with a truly unique and original sound. Anyways, this compilation came out a while ago now, and I think we just got some copies from that initial pressing. I know there was a box set reissue as well that came out at the same time. I think I still have one of those, although it seems like they are not so easy to come by now. On this 12” version, the vinyl comes housed in a gatefold sleeve with a bunch of pictures I had never seen before on the inside. The layout is pretty simple, but they have nice scans of all the 7” covers on the inner sleeve, with lyrics included as well. It would be cool if they had English translations, like most if not all the original records, but I understand that might have made the layout a bit too messy. I’m not really sure if all the stuff on this compilation had been reissued and/or bootlegged previously, but having all these tracks in one place is more than ideal if you ask me. Those original 7”s just get harder and harder to find these days, especially that iconic split with INDIGESTI. If you don’t already have their records or the box set, I would say this compilation is a must-have! Alright, that’s all I have for today. Cheers and thanks for reading, and thanks for your support!

Hi there everyone. Thanks for clicking on our newsletter. Hopefully we find you well.

I write this week still high on a full four days of music from attending a small festival this past weekend: Shakori Hills Grassroots Festival Of Music And Dance, to give it its full title. A wonderful small boutique music festival that is into its second decade and just under an hour away from Raleigh. I used to attend this biannual festival regularly, but for several reasons I haven’t been able to these past few years. I chose a great one to return to. The whole four days from Thursday to Sunday was wonderful. I saw great music being performed by so many talented artists. I hung out with old friends, met new ones and generally had a nice chill time. Although just an hour away, I always camp the entire five nights there and take the opportunity to disconnect from the outside world and recharge myself mentally and spiritually. In years gone by, there was no cell phone service or internet, which made the disconnect even more complete, but technology marches on, and now there is wi-fi available. I still barely looked at my phone other than to pass on a message or two, and certainly wasn’t walking around with it. However, I will admit to watching the Chelsea vs Liverpool game. Although not the result I wanted, I was in such a good mood that it wasn’t going to spoil my day. Mushrooms for breakfast will do that for you.

What I love about this festival is that it is all about the music and the love for it. Created by musicians for fellow musicians and friends to come together and play and enjoy. No egos, no big corporate sponsors, no trying to appeal to the lowest common denominator as far as artist booking goes, no huge crowds, no stress. Just good vibes and camaraderie. It sounds a bit hippie, and perhaps it is, but I’d rather that than some huge event sponsored by Evil Beer. At Shakori, you at least get to enjoy the free filtered well water that is accessible around the site. I always fill up my canteen on leaving for one last drink on the drive home. It’s good water. There’s also no closed off V.I.P. area here. Artists and festival goers, for the most part, rub shoulder to shoulder and are all together. I love seeing an artist play and then later running into them or having a meal with them or something. That happens all the time. I have had the privilege to meet so many cool people over a bite to eat or a cup of coffee.

I also attend the festival to participate. My buddies and I run what is known as the Vinyl Lounge, where we host a dance party late nights and play records between bands throughout the day. We have a lot of fun. I enjoy spinning during the day and often play stuff I wouldn’t generally get to as a DJ. The vibe is more mellow and laid-back. I broke out some jazz and bluegrass for instance. My fellow DJs are no slouches though, and bring some of the best music knowledge and selection skills to the festival. I’m always honored and humbled to be in such company. I see them busting out killer tune after killer tune and think how lucky I am to hear these jams direct from vinyl played through a fat sound system.

I feel like if I listed all the great sets I saw it would go on for a while. I also don’t want to mention some and forget others. I definitely whooped it up watching Del McCoury though. That was a lot of fun. So was seeing The Meters legend George Porter Jr. and his band. A lot of the fun about this festival is seeing artists that you don’t know, who blow you away. The bill is always packed with amazing talent, and every year I come away with a new favorite. The festival does a great job of bringing in a diverse set of acts from all over the world. It’s not just American roots music. There’s Afro, Latin, Cumbia, Celtic, you name it. Getting to see the musicians play so close also adds to the appeal, and you will witness some incredible individual performances. I have to say that this year the drummers really stood out. They killed it. Great stuff. Rather than ramble on more on the topic, here’s a link to the festival line-up and bios for those interested.

A few days away from the store, and a lot has happened. Looks like a bunch of very cool titles have come in. I have a lot of catching up to do. As do you guys. Go visit our webstore and take a look. I was excited to see that one of my most favorite and treasured artists of all time has a new record out, and so it was a no-brainer as to what my pick was going to be for record of the week this newsletter. It has become a tradition now. If he has a new record out, I’m going to pick it as my choice. I’m referring to Gruff Rhys from Wales, solo artist and member of Super Furry Animals. His new album is called Dim Probs and is out on Rock Action Records.

The album is his ninth solo album and the third to be sung entirely in Welsh. If you include the ones made for his previous bands Ffa Coffi Pawb and Super Furry Animals, that total goes to seven I believe. The title of this latest translates simply as “no probs.” It’s got all the trademark song crafting style that fans have loved from Gruff all these years. Beautiful melodies sung over his signature strumming guitar sound. Interesting percussion elements added, and on this one he is joined by fellow Welsh musicians Cate Le Bon and H. Hawkline. I’m not too familiar with the latter, but the former is great, and we have stocked her records here.

As I only bought the album yesterday and have only played it twice, it is a little early to give a detailed track by track review. Not that I do that much anyway in these things. LoL. I can tell you though that I enjoyed the record a lot and the quality control hasn’t dropped off one bit. Not that I would ever expect it from Gruff. He hasn’t made a bad record yet in my opinion in the thirty-plus years that I have been a fan.

So, it’s been a great couple of weeks for me musically. I saw Johnny Marr the other week, went to the festival this week and have Golpe to look forward to very soon. Give thanks for the good things in life.

Quick postscript. Another of my favorite singers, Lady Wray, has a new one out called Cover Girl. I’ve plugged her two previous albums on Big Crown in past newsletters and urge any of you who are into contemporary soul and r&b to check her out. This latest is tipped to be her best yet, and I am excited to dive in and find out.

And if all that wasn’t enough, it looks like we have some interesting compilations in stock too. The punk one called Cease & Resist - Sonic Subversion & Anarcho Punk In The UK 1979-86 looks cool and very well put together. Lots for us all to check out.

Happy listening. Thanks for reading and for supporting us and all the music that we carry and love so much. Cheers – Dom

What’s up Sorry Staters?

How’s everyone doing? I’m having a pretty nice start to my October. Many welcome distractions from all the fucked up craziness going on in the world. At least there are positive things to look forward to. Very excited for our friends in Golpe to return and play Raleigh in a couple weeks. Rigorous Institution plays here the day before as well. Hell yeah.

I’ve been trying my best to get into the October spirit like I always do. I began decorating the store with all kinds of spiders, webs, bats, skeletons, and pumpkins. Still more work to be done, but it’s looking pretty spoopy. So yeah, I’ve been watching a lot of movies. As I mentioned last week, there’s a local theater here in Raleigh that does cool screenings of horror movies in October. I’ve been seeing movies in the theater a lot lately, which is rad. But man, I went to go see the latest David Cronenberg movie The Shrouds the other day… do people like this movie? What a piece of shit. Sorry to be harsh. And that’s coming from someone who loves Cronenberg movies. I felt like the main actor reminded me of Tommy Wiseau in The Room. Superfluous, meandering shots of this half-naked old man, which evolved into what came across like an excuse for this guy to insist on these overindulgent, creepy, cringey love-making scenes with younger actresses. Stilted, bad dialogue. No plot point of the movie mattered or contributed to the ending. I sat there watching the credits being like, “What the fuck did I just watch?” Yikes.

Anyway, enough complaining about that. Last night I went to see Bride Of Re-Animator. While I’ve seen the original Re-Animator and its Lovecraftian sister movie From Beyond many times, it had been several years since I’d watched the sequel. It’s interesting that Re-Animator came out in 1985, and the concept wasn’t revisited until this film in 1990. Jeffrey Combs returns as the iconic Dr. Herbert West, leaning even more heavily into an exaggerated portrayal of the character with an awesome performance. His delivery on all of his quippy, deadpan one-liners is excellent. The whole theater would erupt with laughter in perfect timing for each of his beats; it was great.

The effects in the original Re-Animator are killer—undead walking, talking severed heads and all that. But Bride Of Re-Animator brings the fantastical, splatter-tastic gruesomeness to the next level. What I had forgotten is that all the gore effects in Bride were the work of Screaming Mad George. What a fuckin’ legend. I’m a huge fan. My initial exposure to Screaming Mad George’s special FX work was when I first saw the Nightmare On Elm Street sequels that he worked on. He’s worked on tons of big movies, but another sleeper one I’ll mention is his work on Society, just a gem of hilarious, yet sickening body horror. But when I was younger and watching his work in these 80s horror flicks, this was loooong before I made the connection to the punk world, which is that Screaming Mad George was the singer of late 70s NY punk legends The Mad. The spooning of the eyeball was a small hint of what was to come.

A brief explanation of the movie, for those unfamiliar: Dr. Herbert West and Dr. Dan Cain are performing experimental research in the basement of their home, a former mortuary. West is secretly stealing severed body parts from the hospital where they both work. With these severed body parts, West and Cain attempt to assemble a super-human of sorts, stitching these limbs together… the legs of a dancer, the face of a beautiful woman who died tragically young of cancer, and most importantly, the heart of Cain’s fiancée who passed away. They plan to use West’s same glowing re-animating agent from the first movie, but rather than reawaken the dead, they will use it to give life to a new creature altogether. Meanwhile, the severed head of the villainous Dr. Hill is accidentally re-animated and seeks vengeance! You know, that old thing we’ve seen time after time (*wink*wink, just kidding).

It’s a wild ride. The blending of the levity of humor alongside the gory gruesomeness strikes a perfect balance, and probably makes it easier for casual viewers to stomach. Screaming Mad George’s FX work on the zombie bride, as well as all the other severed limbs and creatures, is just incredible. A grotesque yet beautiful visual spectacle. And especially impressive knowing all the work is practical effects. I’m such a nerd for that kinda stuff. Not to mention that this screening was a 4K remastered print for the big screen. In theory, I might think I would have problems with the whole 4K thing, worrying it might look too digital or something. In fact, it still looked organic like the old movie, just crisper, clearer, and more vivid.

Anyway, that’s all I’ve got for this week. Tune in next week to read me blab about more spooky horror goodness. As always, thanks for reading.

‘Til next week,

-Jeff

Sorry again for not getting a newsletter out last week. Running Sorry State is always a balancing act, and last week it felt like all the plates came crashing to the ground. I needed a few days to recover, but now I’m back to pushing the rock uphill. It’s bound to happen from time to time, and I appreciate everyone’s patience when it does.

Last week I went out to Local 506 in Chapel Hill to check out Sacred Bones artist Anika play. I don’t think I’ve talked it in the newsletter at all (aside from maybe a brief mention in the new arrivals section), but Anika’s new album, Abyss, has been one of my most played records of the year so far. I spend so much time listening to contemporary hardcore punk that not much non-punk new music penetrates my orbit. Anika was on my radar, though, because Rich from ISS and Paranoid Maniac recommended her old band, Exploded View, to me at some point. I picked up one of Exploded View’s records in the clearance bin at Chaz’s Records in Durham a few years ago and spun it a lot, and when I read the description of Abyss and realized Anika was the singer, I gave it a spin. I liked Abyss right away and have kept returning to it all summer. Anika’s rich, deep vocals and evocative lyrics carry over from Exploded View, but there’s a kind of 90s alt-rock heaviness to the record that really does it for me. It’s like Nico singing for Dinosaur Jr or something. I urge you to check out Abyss if that sounds at all like it might be interesting to you.

The show was an interesting experience. Before the gig, I hit Mediterranean Deli, one of my favorite restaurants in Chapel Hill, which had been closed for several years after a fire destroyed their space. Med Deli is located right near the beloved (and sadly now-defunct) Chapel Hill venue the Nightlight, and I always used to joke that it was responsible for many a sluggish set from Raleigh punk bands who ate a big, nap-inducing meal there before the gig. The meal was everything I remembered and more, and I walked up the street to Local 506 in a great mood. I knew absolutely no one at the gig, which was kind of nice. I arrived just as the opening band was finishing, and rather than make a new friend, I passed the time between sets planning SSR’s staff meeting on my phone.

Anika’s set was excellent, though not entirely what I expected. She is based in the UK (I think), but the rest of her band wasn’t along for the trip. The ensemble for tonight was Anika on vocals, a guitarist whose name I didn’t catch playing all those reverb-drenched shoegaze-y parts, and one of Anika’s bandmates from Exploded View on drums. The bass and other effects came from a backing track, which had its pluses and minuses. On the plus side, the sound was absolutely incredible, and almost indistinguishable from the record… it felt like blasting Abyss on the best sound system in the world. But I got the impression that playing along to backing tracks kept the members’ performances on a tight leash… even subtle things about Anika’s performance, like the inflection of the words and the way she would periodically overload the mic, sounded eerily like the record. There were a few moments of spontaneity, though, like how Anika jumped into the crowd for the punky “Out of the Shadows,” and a couple of stripped-down tunes (including a Yoko Ono cover) without the backing track at the end of the set. Since I didn’t know anyone, I kind of bolted at the end of the set. Anika was posted up at the merch table chatting with people, and while I wanted to know why she speaks with an English accent but sings with a German accent, I was too shy to ask.

Anika’s set was the kickoff for a busy couple of weeks of shows in this area. I always say it’s feast or famine for shows in Raleigh, and we’re feasting right now. Sadly, I had to miss the Catharsis show at Kings on Friday, but it looked like it ruled. This Friday, Will from To Live a Lie Records is putting on Dry Socket and a bunch of other bands at RUMAH, then Rigorous Institution plays on Sunday at a new venue called Cannonball Music Hall, and then Golpe returns on Monday, which will also be my debut as the bassist for Starving Bomb. And then after that, maybe I’ll rest a bit.

Oh yeah, I’m supposed to choose a record as my staff pick, right? Let’s go with this 1980 compilation from New Zealand, which I’ve been listening to a lot lately. Its title is a bit confusing… I’ve seen it referred to as Four Stars, ****, and various combinations of the two. It originally came out on a label called Sausage Records, and it features a few tracks each from four bands: Life in the Fridge Exists, Wallsockets, Naked Spots Dance, and Beat Rhythm Fashion. For the first two bands, Four Stars was the only material they released; Naked Spots Dance managed an album in 1983, while Beat Rhythm Fashion released 3 singles before breaking up in 1982. All four bands sound like they could have been on the early Rough Trade roster, playing scrappy renditions of punk that had only recently acquired the “post-” prefix. That’s one of my favorite eras of music, and these groups have a similar vibe to the Raincoats, Swell Maps, the Slits, etc… arty weirdos who walked through punk’s door found more than just power chords and tired rock cliches.

One clear highlight is the opening track, “Have You Checked the Children,” by Life in the Fridge Exists. Full of angry young woman energy, the song rises above your typical DIY clatter with a particularly impassioned delivery and some clever wordplay. I love the line, “your sons and your daughters / are working in saunas,” which is exactly the kind of clever half-rhyme that makes me smile. Maybe saunas are stigmatized in New Zealand, but in my 21st-century American brain there doesn’t appear to be anything so bad about working at a sauna. The image, for me, pushes the song into the realm of the surreal, the singer getting all worked up about something that doesn’t seem like a big deal at all. I’m struggling to explain where the language’s power comes from, but it’s there for me.

My copy of Four Stars is a bootleg that came out in 2020. The original is impossibly rare… only 250 copies pressed, and the Discogs median currently stands at $340 USD (one copy is currently for sale for $450). I could be wrong, but it appears the bootleg copy I have may come from the same source as two other semi-recent bootleg compilations: The Buntington Long Playing Record and Scaling Triangles (the latter of which we carried at Sorry State). All three titles have similar packaging and a similar MO, bringing a very obscure regional compilation back into print at a budget price. Everyone has an opinion on bootlegs, but I say god bless the folks responsible for these. Compilations are a logistical nightmare in the first place, and I can’t imagine what it would take to officially reissue a small regional compilation from 40 years ago… just contacting the bands would be a challenge, not to mention getting them all signed on for a reissue. A bootleg is a quick and dirty option, and since I don’t think there’s much money to be made in this enterprise, all can be forgiven in the name of spreading around some great art. I can’t help but wonder, though… if these three compilations are all part of the same series, are there others I’ve missed? Please let me know if there are!

Haram: ليش الجنة بيتبلش في الجهنم؟ Why Does Paradise Begin in Hell 12" (Toxic State Records) New York City hardcore punk band Haram returns with their first new recordings in six years. While Haram’s previous records have all been striking, this new album explodes into technicolor without leaving the heaviness or intensity of their previous work behind. If you’ve been following Haram since their inception, you’ll notice right away that this new album has more ambitious production than previous Haram records, not only capturing the the richest and most powerful tones we’ve heard from any of the band’s recordings, but also making space in the mix for each player’s contribution to shine and allowing the music to go places only hinted at on previous records. Don’t get me wrong, there is a lot of straightforward hardcore punk on ليش الجنة بيتبلش في الجهنم؟ Why Does Paradise Begin in Hell, and it is excellent. The album’s lead single, “Persecution – اضطهاد,” puts the band’s existing fans in their happy place with a hooky, mid-paced riff meant to get the pit agitated, ably set off by an arrangement that ebbs and flows eloquently. With a solid decade of experience, Haram attacks hardcore with the skill and precision of veterans, building their songs around infectious main riffs (see “Sinner – كافر” and “Secret – سر”) and arranging them to maximize their power and impact. But it’s the spaces where Haram departs from the hardcore playbook that really stand out. There’s a lot more lead guitar on ليش الجنة بيتبلش في الجهنم؟ Why Does Paradise Begin in Hell than on previous Haram records, and their guitarist has a unique style, avoiding both the pentatonic patterns and chromatic anarchy that typify hardcore lead playing in favor of melodies and lines that lean heavily on middle eastern modes and scales. These leads sometime get deployed as more or less traditional rock guitar solos (see “Sinner – كافر”), but they’re even cooler when they function as the song’s main instrumental hook, as in “The Last Night – ليل من اخر ليل.” And then there’s the drumming, which is also both creative and powerfully performed. I’m not sure I’ve paid much attention to Haram’s drums in the past, but they’re total fire here, largely avoiding fills in favor of repetitive, typically tom-centered beats that ride the line between propelling the songs and peppering them with interesting rhythmic syncopation. And then there are Nader’s vocals, which are the star of the show for most listeners, I’m sure. Arabic’s cadences and palette of sounds aren’t something you hear paired with hardcore punk every day, and they pull against these songs’ rhythms in exciting ways, with Nader’s performance soaked in passion and energy. I only wish I could read Arabic so I could understand the songs directly rather than through the English translations. As we expect from both Haram and Toxic State, the packaging is also exquisite, with a unique and evocative color scheme on the hand-screened LP jacket, a big poster, and an illustrated lyric booklet. If you love bands who take hardcore punk to new places while maintaining the intensity and directness that make the genre great, Haram’s new LP is one of 2015’s un-missable releases.

Hello fellow Sorry Staters! Not too much going on in my world, except the obvious that I seem to mention every week. It just seems to continue to get more daunting to process and think about the political climate of the world, so sometimes I just need to shut down, turn it off, and get off of social media for a little while to give my brain and anxiety a little break. They recently announced a festival with a handful of dates called Slide Away Festival. I mention it because I’m very excited that Hum is reforming after the drummer’s death to play these festival dates. Shows are happening in New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles. I will probably make the trip to New York to see them in Brooklyn with none other than the Swirlies supporting the show. I am very excited!

I have been having a bit of writer’s block when it comes to picking out a record and talking about it. So I just randomly picked a CD out of my collection this week, and it just so happened to be a record I am really fond of. Mainly because I looked up to this band member throughout all of my teenage years discovering punk for the first time and then later discovering what punk could be in my 40s. I pulled out the CD, The Evens—Get Evens. This is the second album out of the three that they have recorded so far. Looking back at older reviews of this album when it first came out, folks did not give it very good reviews, stating that it was lazy and not as groundbreaking as the first self-titled album. Once I revisited this record, I just could not agree with those statements. Yes, the first self-titled album is really really good, but the second one just shows them mature into their odd indie folk-rock sound. The guitars sounded like they had more depth, and Ian MacKaye’s wife, Amy Farina, the drummer in the band, sounded way tighter and more intentional in what she was playing. Together, it finally came into a really tight and cohesive project. Maybe folks like the first album better because of the lo-fi grittiness of the recording, which most of the time is what I prefer, but this album found them at their best musically.

That is all I have for this week folks! Just a reminder since you made it to the bottom of the newsletter (thank you!) we have been listing a HUGE grindcore collection we picked up a week or so ago, and ya’ll are eating it up. We are listing things daily, so please continue to check the webstore if that is your thing.