Grindcore House Coffee

Over the weekend, I decided to check out a place I had heard of for a while, but never really visited myself. Grindcore House Coffee is located on 1515 South 4th Street on the corner in Philadelphia. It's a vegan coffee shop and cafe. I went with two other people and got tea, coffee, and apple cider. The coffee was good, nothing super but good. I ordered a new kind of tea that I have never tried and it was pretty good. They make their own teabags and such, so I imagine their other teas are very good. What really stood out about the visit was the cider. The cup of caramel cider I tried was the best cider I have ever had, and I do not exaggerate at all. They also have vegan bagels and other vegan foods as well. Definitely worth checking out if you're in the area.

http://grindcorehouse.com/

Artist - Nick Blinko

While on the subject of Rudimentary Peni, I thought I should bring up their singer's artwork. Mostly a lot of dark pen and ink drawling, some use paint as well. I would say the style is dark and extremely busy in many cases, with the pictures having very intricate designs on everything. Some of his artwork was made while he was admitted into a mental hospital. Very abstract. Make your own opinion on it.

Here are links to some websites with his work:

http://www.outsiderart.co.uk/blinko.htm

http://www.myspace.com/50970952/photos/albums/my-photos/492877

http://www.deathrock.com/rudimentarypeni/art/gallery.html

Rudimentary Peni - Farce

Rudimentary Peni is an anarcho band from the 80's hailing from the UK. Yet another band with a very unique sound, unlike any I have heard. Songs range from mid-fast to slower songs. Lyricallly, this band is at the top. Whether they are serious or satirical, they are extremely well written and use a high vocabulary, which is always a plus, especially if the bands use them correctly. Standout songs are Cosmetic Plague, Sacrifice and Bloody Jellies, but this is yet another album that is solid from start to finish.

Download Here 

Meanwhile - Same Shit New Millennium

Meanwhile is a Swedish band that started around 1989 known as Dischange, but switched to Meanwhile in 93. This particular record is heavy and fast. Very fast. I have no idea who to compare it to, but maybe just a louder faster Discharge? I feel their sound is very unique. This is yet another recording in which the bass really stands out. The bass and guitar seem like equally important pieces and are high paced. Standout tracks are, well all of them in my opinion. This is a solid album from start to finish of heavy Swedish D-beat.

 Download Here

Detestation - S/T

Detestation is a dbeat band from Portland, Oregon. They stick with hardcore dbeat and they do a damn good job at it. The powerful female vocalist makes a great sound and standouts from most other dbeat bands, reminding me of a mix of Nausea's singer and Antischism's singer. The guitarist is decent, not going anywhere too technical, but not bad. The drummer great and fast, which is what to expect from an established dbeat band. The thing that stands out the most, and the least is the bassist. The bassist is sick, but unfortunately the bass levels are not very high and the bass also has a bland tone, but great basslines can be heard if you listen hard enough. This is a great album, but I dislike their cover of Republika's "Nao Mais". Standout songs are "Back from the Dead" and "Circle the Wagons".

Download Here

Raise Up Roof Beams

Raise Up Roof Beams is a folk band from central PA. They started out sometime around 2000-2006. To me they have a central PA feel, if that makes any sense. Not really punk, but just some good music. They have a nice mix of banjo, keyboard, guitar, harmonica and a myriad of other instruments. The vocalist has a good voice of which I cannot really compare anyone to. They have two albums out that I know of: "Fingers and Photons" and "Oh, Great Paradox". I believe I enjoy Fingers and Photons better, but both are very good albums. I was going to post one of the albums, but I could not find any free downloads, so I'll just supply links to their sites and such.

http://www.myspace.com/raiseuproofbeams

http://www.purevolume.com/raiseuproofbeams 

http://www.youtube.com/user/raiseuproofbeams 

Antishcism - Still Life

12" from on of my favorite bands. Antischism is from South Carolina and is a raw noisy experience. The singer belts lyrics dealing with typical anarcho ideals, ie Animal rights, effects of war and the general destruction humans create. Most the songs are fast paced with the exception of only what I can call intro tracks. The big standout on this album are Greedy Bastards. I cannot really compare this band to any others, so give it a listen and form your own opinion on it.

 Download Here

Wolfbrigade - A D-beat Odyssey

A somewhat mini LP by Wolfbrigade, but by all means worth getting. Wolfbrigade is a Swedish D-Beat band originally called Wolfpack. They changed their name around '98 because it was also the name of a neo-nazi gang. They started off with Jonsson, the singer of Anti-cimex, but he was eventually replaced with Micke (who sings on this record). Overall brutal sound with six blazing tracks of nonstop Dbeat. Most songs are around three minutes with the exception of "Idioternas Parad", which is a slower song in general. The most standout track in my opinion is "Realisation Av VälFärden", which starts out with just guitar as the drums and rest of the band blast in. I challenge anyone to sit still through this record.

Download Here