Redemption 87 - The Spidey Sessions 1995

I think most of us would probably agree that Redemption 87 was one of the best and most important Hardcore bands ever to come out of Northern California… along with Second Coming, Powerhouse and Hoods, they were an essential band that played a pivotal role in helping revive Hardcore in the Bay Area (and beyond) during the mid-late 1990’s. Without them, Northern California Hardcore as we know it would not be the same…

Redemption 87 originally formed sometime back in 1995 (thanks due in large part to a mutual friend of the band; Lars Frederiksen of Rancid), with the intention of playing more traditional Hardcore in the vein of bands like Youth Of Today, Bold and Gorilla Biscuits. Having collectively played in such diverse bands as; Unit Pride (Eric), Skankin’ Pickle (Ian), The Hi Fives (Gary) & Token Entry (Timmy) the newly formed group set out to play Hardcore reminiscent of the classic bands that they had all loved so much growing up.

In the following months Redemption 87 would play out whenever possible, often alongside local bands like AFI, Screw 32, Good Riddance and Powerhouse. Touring would prove extremely difficult however, as Timmy Chunks was living in Southern California at the time and was already committed to touring full-time as a guitar-tech and roadie for popular bands like Green Day and L7. Scotty (The Struggle Buggies) would eventually join Redemption 87 as a rhythm and “back-up” guitarist, although he would ultimately be replaced by Jade (later of AFI).

Redemption 87 would eventually go on to release their CLASSIC “self-titled” full length album on New Age Records (Turning Point, Lifetime, Strife, Unbroken) sometime in late 1996. Two years later, the band would issue “All Guns Poolside!” (a collection of unreleased, cover and demo songs) through the legendary Blackout! Records (Sheer Terror, Breakdown, H2O, Outburst) as well. You can hopefully expect to see related-posts for both of those records in the not-so-distant future…

Although these 4-songs (produced by Lars Ferderiksen) were originally recorded sometime back in 1995, this 7” wasn’t released until 1998 when it came out on San Ramon’s Breakout Records (now defunct). Unfortunately, the band was essentially done by this point, and I can vaguely remember them rescheduling their ‘final’ show at Gilman Street several times before “officially” calling quits sometime in late-1998/early-1999 (Redemption 87 would later reunite for a pair of shows in April of 2004).

As we all know, Eric Ozenne later went on to front The Nerve Agents during the late 1990’s and early 2000’s and he subsequently formed Said Radio with fellow Redemption 87 alumni; Gary. This is definitely some classic material from an essential Bay Area band… do yourselves all a favor and check it out.

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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.

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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.

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Redemption 87 live @ Gilman St. photos

These photos of Redemption 87 were taken at Gilman Street by Elizabeth Reilly. I’m not sure of the exact year but I am guessing it was somewhere between 1995 and 1996 (note the Black Fork tag). Especially given the time frame, these are definitely some of the best pictures that I’ve seen, both of the band and from that era.

Seeing Redemption 87 live was always an experience, Eric was a total madman on stage and the crowd reactions were usually equally insane. Their shows had a major impact on me as a kid, and that band was probably a big reason as to why I kept coming back for more. In my opinion, Redemption 87 was hands down, one of the best bands to ever come out of Northern California (Hardcore or otherwise). I plan on doing more Redemption-related posts in the very near future, but until then enjoy these amazing photos. Special thanks to Elizabeth Reilly for taking these pictures, hopefully she doesn’t mind my posting them.