FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 25, 2011
AUTHOR STEVEN BLUSH HEADS WEST CONTINUING
THE AMERICAN HARDCORE, A TRIBAL HISTORY
SERIES OF APPEARANCES
OS ANGELES, LONDON, AND A RETURN TO NEW ENGLAND PLANNED Former Members of Black Flag, Circle Jerks, Adolescents, Kyuss
and more to participate in Los Angeles
New York, NY --- The launch of the Second Edition of American Hardcore by Steven Blush staged critically acclaimed, standing room only events in libraries across New England, and varied settings in the Midwest, Southeast and New York City. Blush has now set his sights on the West Coast, with two special events planned in Los Angeles. On Saturday January 29th, there will be a roundtable discussion held at Vacation Vinyl (3815 West Sunset Blvd. 4pm), titled “The Process of Weeding Out: American Hardcore and The Rise of Stoner Rock.” Special guests include Brant Bjork (Kyuss), Check Dukowski (Black Flag), Mario Lalli (Fatso Jetson), Pete Stahl (Scream, Goatwhore), and Greg Anderson (Southern Lord Records). The author, Vacation Vinyl and artist James O’Mara have teamed to create a special limited edition silk-screened poster that the participants will be available to sign on-site. On Thursday, February 3rd, there will be a second roundtable discussion at Book Soup on Sunset Blvd. in Hollywood (8818 W. Sunset, 7pm). The subject matter will focus on the cultural influence of the Southern California hardcore punk and is titled “Kids of The Black Hole: How L.A. Hardcore Changed the World.” The participants include Keith Morris (Circle Jerks, Off!), Tony Cadena (Adolescents), Lisa Fancher (Frontier Records), and noted punk photographer Edward Colver. Author Steven Blush shared, “having this group of esteemed figureheads from the history of hardcore and punk is flattering. I could not be more thrilled to have all of these major contributors to the scene share their insights with myself and those in attendance.” The L.A. WEEKLY’s Falling James wrote, “Rather than indulging in an ‘I-was-punker-than-you’ nostalgia fest, Blush and his wrecking crew will examine the surprising diverse ways hardcore punk has infiltrated modern mainstream culture and continues to influence DIY efforts in a variety of media and art forms.”
In April and May, the author will continue his "American Hardcore Library Conversations with Steven Blush," with stops in Providence, RI, Albany, NY and others to be announced shortly. Current plans include extending Blush’s visits to the U.K. and Europe, with a confirmed date at Rough Trade Records in London for early-May.
The www.americanhardcorebook.com web site is back on-line after crashing from millions of hits its’ first week live. Blush surprised the world when he uploaded “24 hours of Hardcore” for both download and streaming. The 24-hour playlist of some rare, some obscure early-eighties American hardcore punk continues to be enjoyed by tens of thousands of visitors daily.
AMERICAN HARDCORE: A Tribal History was released in October, 2001 to great success. The book is now in five languages, and led the way to the creation of the acclaimed documentary AMERICAN HARDCORE: The History of American Punk Rock 1980-1986. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2006, and was released theatrically later that year by Sony Pictures Classics. With the resurgence of punk rock, and continued interest in the significant American DIY movement, Blush has expanded the book and will release the second edition on November 1, 2010.
Author Steven Blush promoted hardcore shows in Washington D.C. in the early 80s. He moved to New York in 1986, and founded SECONDS Magazine, publishing 52 issues through the year 2000. Blush has written three books on the subject of rock: AMERICAN HARDCORE: A Tribal History (2001, Feral House); AMERICAN HAIR METAL (2006, Feral House); and .45 DANGEROUS MINDS: The Most Intense Interviews From Seconds Magazine (2005, Creation Books). His writing has appeared in publications including SPIN, Details, PAPER, Interview, Village Voice and The Times of London. For twenty years he worked as a New York City club DJ and promoter, noted for his “Rock Candy” parties at Don Hill’s and sound designs for fashion pioneer Stephen Sprouse.
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
SKH MUSIC:
Steve Karas
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FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
FERAL HOUSE:
Jessica Parfrey
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I'm documenting the American Hardcore Punk music scene because it's being forgotten. It's history is evaporating since as the participants die off or find religion or repress their memories of those dynamics days.
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