This Is Hardcore Podcast

Episode 6 We Win Together, We Fail Together with Kevin Castle http://www.thisishardcorefest.com/podcast/episode6 Kevin Castle or Kevin Scondotto, came from a large family of NYHC bands, Inhuman, Confusion, Lament, Shutdown and the Last Stand. Kevin would find his place within the scene, not on stage, but behind the scenes as a talent buyer, show booker/promoter and also as a manager later on. He would take a position working with promotion with metal labels and eventually would be given the opportunity to bring both Hardcore and Death Metal to a small capacity Queens NY club on Northern Blvd. Castle Heights and Kevin would start slow but quickly worked bringing bands not only from other boros of NYC but the east coast. It would be Kevin's ability to network and promote that would make Castle a stop for touring bands as well as up and coming acts from all over. In this conversation we talked alot about how he curated and ran the shows. His tireless efforts to book metal, rock and hardcore shows while holding down a 40 hr week job as well just shows his drive and capabilities. Over time Castle Heights became a must for bands like Hatebreed, Etown Concrete, Vision of Disorder, Candiria and many many more. Castle Heights would become world known for all bands that would eventually be known as "castle heights" bands. Sworn Enemy, Irate, Billy Club Sandwich, Everybody Gets Hurt, 5 Minute Major and others, would garnish a reputation for wild shows in the 130 cap club, full of hard dancing well beyond the 5 boros and would last until present day. What didn't seem like much at first, really shaped into something through the work Kevin would put into the Billing and constantly bringing new bands and old into the forray. Castle Heights isn't all that Kevin did, and once the club closed he would move over to Blackthorn another club and try his hand there. There is so much to be said for his ability to lay out and explain the goings ons and the business side of things. As a podcaster on the very well known wrestling podcast, Don Tony and Kevin Castle show, He has a gift of gab and his stories and details make this 3 hr podcast fly by. The legacy of Kevin's work is seen to this day in the reverence paid across the world courtesy of the internet for the bands that called Castle Heights home. There are so many great stories and lessons that I don't want to spell them out here. There is a fandom that has grown far and wide for those bands that came from that small venue from queens throughout the world, 20 years later. Its a testament to the comraderie Kevin built, the hard work, the blood, sweat and tears he put into making Castle Heights a legendary venue in a great era of Hardcore, not only for NYHC but for everyone. You can find Kevin on FB at Kevin Scondotto and @kevzcastle on twitter you can find his podcast on youtube

Episode 5 The Winston Wolf of Hardcore Fests with Rich Hall http://www.thisishardcorefest.com/podcast/episode5 Rich Hall is one of the most involved and dedicated promoters from the late 90s and billed some of the most outstanding, diverse and sometimes eclectic shows from 97 to 2011. His impact on Hardcore was felt throughout the country as well with helping at various festivals etc. Starting out helping Tyler King of Kingsize Bookings at the Legendary CBGB's, Rich ushered in a new era into HC at the end of the 90s, working with the bands that would bend and break all the genre trappings. From ISIS, Converge, to American Nightmare, From Autumn To Ashes, Poison the Well, the world of hardcore was once again seeing a new path carved and Rich was in the right place, New York City, at the time to foster these bands, while still getting a lesson from the school of hard knocks from the OG's of NYHC. His talent handling CBGBs and other NYC would lend himself to work with various record labels in promotional depts and later as an A&R. He was recruited to help out a fest in Syracuse, NY which was starting to grow in popularity and became the man who put out fires, ran stages and keep things under control for a few years at Hellfest. We even talk about the fallout of Hellfest 04 and the disaster of Hellfest 2005. His experience and skills were put to the test in various other festivals, including most recently This Is Hardcore. Aside from promoting and working within the Record end of the Music Industry, Rich Hall is a painter who lives in the Pacific Northwest with his wife and son. He still has some plans for the future to despite the state of the world right now so we should stay tuned on what he has up next. This story is a great tale of what anyone who wants to get involved in the backend side of working/running shows has to do to start. He has alot to say, great stories and an inspiring yet direct tone to how he went about learning from the old school and applying it to the new school of his era. He is another creative, obsessive and dedicated person whose story lends to each of our previous episodes and I hope you enjoy his lesson on never vouching for anyone. https://www.richhallartwork.bigcartel.com https:// www.instagram.com/rich_hall You can email him at 1000knives@me.com Rich Photo by Chrissie Good @chrissiegood on IG

This Is Hardcore Podcast Episode #4 http://www.thisishardcorefest.com/podcast/episode4 Be Passionate and Proud of what you do.. with Madison Watkins of Candy Corpse Be Passionate and Proud of what you do Such simple advice given to Madison or Madi as she is more commonly known, by her grandfather would give her the support needed to change her direction at a pivotal moment in life. Madi created Candy Corpse, a brand that started out with pins and stickers and has gone into apparel and other products. What started as a pet project while holding a government job and playing in Year of The Knife, became a full time job for herself. There is a lot to know about her insane creative mind, her tireless almost workaholic level drive and her obsessiveness for order. She is the youngest guest we've had on the podcast, but her story from growing up at hall shows in Delaware to running a very successful business which she started from scratch is inspiring and informative. We talk on the trials and tribulations of a small company finding its niche and becoming a wider known brand. It is truly awesome just how much detail, care and effort goes into everything that she does, be it playing Bass in Year of the Knife or just working on the organization and logistics for the band, or growing out her business and expanding what she has has to offer as a brand.

Episode 3 An Unsung Hero of PAHC ... Chris Spear of Dysphoria http://www.thisishardcorefest.com/podcast/episode3 On this episode, we go deep into one of the unsung heroes of PAHC, Chris Spear, Drummer of Dysphoria & How it Ends. Chris and Joe go through a huge portion of Chris's life from early moments finding Black Sabbath, to teaching himself to play drums. From the beginning of Dysphoria and all the little things from promoting pre internet, finding sources to produce tapes and later cds, you'll hear one of the people in the mid 90s to early 00s who always had his band's best interest in mind. Be it promoting the band at other shows and in record stores on the east coast, to calling promoters to get on shows, through his own booking of shows, Chris delivers an old school how to on just about every aspect of DIY band management, including booking US tours as an unknown independent band in '99. This tour would be a pivotal moment, not only for Chris and Dysphoria, but a life changing experience for Joe Hc, who credits this tour with being one of foundations of his being able to also tour and later book This Is Hardcore fest. Having been friends with Chris for 25 years, Joe and Chris have a more casual yet still informative conversation about all the ins and outs, the ups and downs of what it was like to make things happen in a pre internet music world. I won't ruin how it ends, but I'll say that if you're in a band now, this is the episode that will inspire you to push forward and start working harder. https://dysphoriapahc.bandcamp.com/ CGFaNmLpLW5ZqEXaxn1M http://www.thisishardcorefest.com/podcast/episode3

Addendum ad·den·dum /əˈdendəm/ noun 1. an item of additional material, typically omissions, added at the end of a book or other publication. After 2 episodes, I felt the need to catch people up to speed and chat for a few about the direction of the podcast, the influence of other podcasts and podcasters have had on getting this podcast off the ground. With a great 2 episodes down and another amazing one coming out Friday, I felt like I'd touch on stuff that just wouldn't be worth adding to episodes #1 or #2 just out of sake of length and also didn't want to screw the rhythm of the show up with me talking too much. There is alot to be said for the power of support of community and friendship and also getting a few questions as to why start the podcast, so it felt right between episodes to address some of it and give you some insight to the direction of the next few episodes and also discussing some of the reasons to do it in the first place.

Episode 2 The Unstoppable Sunny Singh of Hate5six.com http://www.thisishardcorefest.com/podcast/episode2 On this episode, Sunny takes us down the rabbithole, from the beginning of his archive collecting, to bmx and early show footage. There is alot in here that hasn't been heard before and 99% is a great blueprint or inspiration to those who are looking to do something and need the drive or extra push to start. From his high school days through college, we follow him to his first year shooting This Is Hardcore. What started off as a novel concept grew Sunny and Hate5six.com from a local videographer to a name that is known throughout the world. Sunny's work would bring hardcore bands live sets to all the corners of the globe, and would later take Sunny out to Europe, Asia and Australia filming bands. Sunny uses Hate5six.com platform to inspire new generations of Hardcore Punk fans, shed new light on old tapes from the past and also shed light on the plight of marginalized peoples struggling against fascists. The interview runs well over 2 hours, but again when you sit down and give it a go, it will breeze by. Sunny has a great story, and incredibly inspiring drive to learn new skills, which would give him the opportunity to further his drive to shoot more bands, deliver more live sets and ultimately change his destiny from a computer programmer to a full documentarian/videographer. There is just too much in this episode to jot down here, but its worth the full time and you will come out having new found understanding and respect for this man's drive or just be inspired by his ingenuity. https://www.hate5six.com https://www.youtube.com/user/hate5six https://www.instagram.com/hate5six/ https://twitter.com/hate5six http://www.thisishardcorefest.com/podcast/episode2

This Is Hardcore Podcast Episode #1 Nobody is born cool and into hardcore and punk, you gotta find your way there... http://www.thisishardcorefest.com/podcast/episode1 An amazing quote from one of hardcore punk's hardest working record label owners. Over the last 25 years, Chris Wrenn has dedicated his life into releasing hundreds of records from both the best up and coming bands, as well as reissuing and archiving some of the great releases of yesterday. Chris speaks on the early days of the label, the trials and tribulations of a preinternet hc scene. He goes over many of the DIY aspects to his promotion and marketing in the early days and how it comes back into play decades later. This is not a short listen, but its full of honesty, inspiration and a wealth of information for those thinking of starting a record label or looking to grow their label or for those who are just fans of the label's catalog and a great story behind the whole thing. At two and half hours long, it goes deep and gets into many aspects that are usually not talked about from distribution, marketing, A&R and the overall curating and control of one of the most successful independent record labels in the world. you can find bridge 9 and chris on social media.. Bridge9.com @BridgeNine on IG, @Bridge9 on Twitter/FB http://www.thisishardcorefest.com/podcast/episode1