living on the edge

v/a living on the edge (positive vibes #1)

as it stands intro/resist

step aside winner takes all

dunamis undesirable

device covert

anyone who's been visiting audiosuede v2.o since it's resurrection might remember my first post when i mentioned i would be loosening up this time around and posting some of my own stuff. this might be a good way to ease into that practice a bit.

but the real showcase here and the reason for this post is the track by Woodbridge, VA band Step Aside. a recent post on AVERSIONLINE.COM started the ball rolling. the 6.23.2006 installment featured Richmond, VA post-hardcore band Askance and began a who's-who discussion of sorts in the comments section.

Step Aside were friends with my band, As It Stands, which also appears on this record. we played several shows together back then, usually with Jimmys brother, drummer Tommy Anthony, and his band Case Closed which would more likely ring a bell as Shadowman, as they appeared on the 'Gods Chosen People' lp comp a few years later.

one thing i'd like to point out is that original As It Stands guitarist Craig Moore helped write the song on theis comp but was not given proper credit. we were in the process of a lineup change of sorts and from what i remember things were a bit shaky at that moment. no need to relive that, but it's worth pointing out.

hampton, represent ;)

anyway, you could say that S.A. and A.I.S. kinda hold down the workin' man ethic on one side of this disc. flip the record, however, and it becomes decidely more D.C.

Step Aside featured Askance vocalist Jimmy Anthony (as well as drummer Chris 'Left Foot' Lyman who would go on to play in Mayday with Craig Moore and Lance McLeod of As It Stands) in a decidely heavier environment than the jazzy, mathy and slightly (dare i say) emo leanings of his next outfit. all of those attributes, however, clearly point to Askance guitarist Matt Rankin who is also present on this 1990 compilation.

a band with many incarnations, Device is most likely known for the socio-political, thesaurus-core lyrics of Adam Clay Thompson, a man who (no suprise) is now an award winning journalist. the lineup on this release features Matt Rankin on guitar along with Nathan Camfiord on drums. Nathan would go on to play guitar in this band alongside three Newport News, VA musicians (J. Garfinkel, Ernest Miller and Gut Rochelle) previously of the blistering hardcore band Rebound.

this same exact ensemble of musicians would later go on to write, record and perform as the band Groove with a much different singer. me.

Dunamis...i know absolutely nothing about. enlighten me with your comments.

anyway. hardcore is about as inbred as my hometown, but in a good way. i could probably go on making connections but my head is spinning.

heart.chriswade