Hoods live @ Danville Grange Hall videos

I was pretty stoked when I stumbled across these videos the other night, and I figured that I had to post them on the blog. This Hoods set was filmed by Eric Fortner (Downshift) at the Danville Grange Hall back in January of 1997. Big thanks to Eric for always being cool about sharing his music and video footage. This very early Hoods line-up featured Mikey on guitar, Mario playing Bass, Billy (someone please correct me if I’m wrong) on drums and Mike Miranda (aka Mike Spaulding) on vocals. Mike Hodson (Lockjaw .44, Strength By Strength, Through It All) also makes a guest vocal appearance somewhere around the end of the first video that continues onto the second video.

Despite the fact that this video is chopped into three parts, this is still is a pretty good quality set, especially when considering the time frame. The band plays mostly earlier stuff here (first ep, demo tracks, new blood, etc.) and closes with a pair of Agnostic Front covers (“Last Warning” and “Friend or Foe”) which was definitely a Hoods-staple for years. Videos like this definitely make me miss the Grange Hall. On a related note, be on the lookout for more Hoods-related posts very soon, and if you haven’t done so already, be sure to download any records of theirs that I’ve already posted.

Hoods - Endless Pain

Sorry for the lack of posts lately, school and exams have been keeping me pretty busy this week… the blog will be back on track by the weekend though. Hopefully this post will tide you guys over in the meantime.

Mikey was nice enough (thanks again Mikey) to give me permission to post the older/out of print Hoods material here on the blog, so without further due here is “Endless Pain”. Originally released through Stillborn Records, this EP is pretty much what I would consider to be a classic Hardcore record. This 7-song EP was recorded back in 1998 at Matt Erich’s studio in Sacramento, the bands line-up at the time consisted of Mikey, Ben, Mario and Jeremy (definitely my favorite Hoods line-up).

It might be considered somewhat low-budget sounding by today’s standards, but honestly I love the production on this record. I think that Matt Erich always did a great job of capturing the band’s sound and this record is no exception. Hoods were really starting to get a lot heavier around the time and you can definitely hear the growth since the “New Blood” record. Next to the “Alone” EP, this is probably my favorite Hoods release.

Sort of a side note, but the title track ”Endless Pain” appears on the “Alone” EP as well as the “California Hardcore: A Call to Arms” comp, and some of these songs were also later re-recorded for the Above This World album. I would hope that most of the local Bay Area heads probably own this one already, but for those that somehow missed out, here it is. Definitelly an underrated classic in my opinion, do yourself a favor and check it out.

Download

V/A - Ten Years Later... The Comp

I’ve been trying to keep the posts less personal and more focused on the music itself, but I wanted to share my memories and feelings about this awesome record…

Somewhere around late 1997, when I was about 15 and still only a sophomore in High School, I asked this Skinhead kid that I knew to make me a mix tape of some good local Oi! bands. At this point I had really only been going to punk shows for about a year or two and I was still only just discovering a lot of bands. After bugging my friend for about two or three weeks, he finally showed up at school with a tape for me. When he gave it to me at lunch, he said something to the effect of “this isn’t what you asked for, but it’s a lot better… trust me”. Honestly at first glance I was pretty bummed out, there were a handful of bands listed that I recognized, but it was mostly just a lot of stuff that I was unfamiliar with. When I finally got home from school I put the tape on… I was completely blown away. When I came back to school the next day, I asked my friend where he had gotten all of those songs and where could I find those records… he told me that he had just made me a tape copy of this new compilation that had just come out called “Ten Years Later…”.

I didn’t necessarily realize it at the time, but this compilation was amongst a handful of records that really had a huge influence on me. Although I was already somewhat familiar with bands like AFI, Bouncing Souls, 7 Seconds, Redemption 87 and Rancid, this was my first real exposure to more local hardcore bands like Model American, Powerhouse, Second Coming, Hoods and Rely. This release pretty much served as a ‘gateway drug’ to something that would very quickly take over my life. From that point on I was pretty much just going to any show that I could get to, whether it was Punk, Hardcore, Oi! or whatever…

“Ten Years Later… the Comp” was originally released in 1997 through Bossa Nova Records from Alameda, the label was also run by Eric Ozenne of Redemption 87 and the Nerve Agents. Unfortunately this cd is now out of print and appears to be pretty hard to find. The bands featured are: Model American, Trial, AFI, Collateral Damage, Bouncing Souls, Ignite, Edgewise, Maximum Penalty, Powerhouse, Down By Law, Daltonic, Ensign, Second Coming, 7 Seconds, the Struggle Buggies, Pressure Point, Intent To Injure, Downer, Mouthpiece, Redemption 87, Swingin’ Utters, Triggerman, Hoods, Brand New Unit, Rancid, Rely, 454 Big Block & Strain. “Ten Years Later…” showcased an excellent mix of genres and styles, with bands from all over the country, as well as many older NorCal acts. As with most any compilation, there are a couple of duds, but I’d definitely say that this thing is 95% awesome. There are also plenty of alternate recordings, cover songs and exclusive tracks on here as well… so if you dig any of these bands, definitely check out this release.

Download

V/A - California Hardcore: A Call To Arms

Sorry for the lack of updates over the weekend, I have been pretty busy lately. Hopefully we can start things off strong this week… I had been mentally debating about what to post first this week, but without further due here is the “California Hardcore: A Call to Arms” compilation. Definitely a classic release in my opinion, this record had a huge impact on me as a kid, and served as my introduction to a few bands that I was only just discovering at the time. This was also the first release from San Ramon label, Breakout Records (now defunct) back in early 1998 (this was released by Gain Ground Records in Europe).

I’ve always felt that this record was (and still is) a pretty good representation of what was happening in California at the time. Although most of this material can be found on other releases, there are some exclusive songs on here as well. The bands featured are: Hoods, Powerhouse, AFI, Forced Life, Built To Last, Redemption 87, No Innocent Victim, Downshift, Fury 66, Model American, Second Coming & Ignite.

Pretty good mix of some different styles here, while still retaining a metal-free, ‘straight up’ Hardcore feel to the record. A criminally underrated release, it’s a shame that it’s no longer in print. I’d definitely recommend this compilation to anyone interested in seeing what was happening out here in California during the late 1990’s, or just to anyone interested in tracing their Hardcore roots. Enjoy.

Download

Hoods - Alone

I think it’s safe to assume that most of us are familiar with Sacramento’s Hoods. They have been doing their thing for over fifteen years now and despite countless line-up changes they are still touring worldwide and releasing records regularly. This cd ep was recorded back in 1998 at Matt Erich’s Studios (this place was responsible for a lot of recordings in those years) with what most would probably consider to be the strongest Hoods lineup (Mikey, Ben, Mario, Jeremy).

“Alone” was released on Breakout Records sometime in late 1998/early 1999. They were definitely one of my favorite bands around this time, and this record remains as one of my all-time favorites. Unfortunately (as best I can tell), it has since gone out of print. Even back then, Hoods were definitely a force to be reckoned with, they were always so solid live, and their shows were amazing and scary at the same time. Along with “Endless Pain” this is probably my favorite record from them. This is a classic NorCal recording from a band that has been holding it down for well over a decade and a half. See where it started.

Download