010: Aram Arslanian

Published On May 1, 2015 | I’VE KNOWN YOU TOO LONG, PODCASTS

Dave and Michaelanne welcome Aram in for a very long conversation with topics ranging from Straight Edge to Straight Edge. Don’t worry if that doesn’t interest you, because there’s plenty in between. Aram tells some wonderfully embarrassing tales from his youth, inspiring stories from his present, and issues a difficult challenge that the listener can participate in as well.

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Most of these conversations will contain shorthand speech and insider info that both parties will be familiar with and won’t necessarily stop to explain for the listener. Whenever possible, Dave will provide some after-the-fact definitions and descriptions. Like your own personal eavesdropping translator.

Scroll down for photos.

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

CHAMPION: Straight Edge band Aram played guitar for in the early to mid 2000s. Click HERE.

BETRAYED: Aram sings for this band. Click HERE.

REACT! RECORDS: Record label that Aram started and later passed on to Evan from Mindset. Click HERE.

Sean O’Leary: A funny Canadian man who used to play guitar in a band called STOVEBOLT. Now teaches in Japan.

Mike Kornitsky: Another Canadian, and also pretty hilarious. They do seem to have that trait. Great guy to shoot guns with.

Snuffleupagus: That Elephant friend of Big Bird’s that everyone thinks is an imaginary friend. Do they still do that? Is Sesame Street still on?

SCREWJACK: Hardcore band that Dave played in with a bunch of other awesome dudes in the 90s. Click HERE.

The Edge of Quarrel: Dave’s Punk vs. Straight Edge gang movie from the late 90s. Click HERE.

Pettibone: John Pettibone. Singer for UNDERTOW, HIMSA, and many others. Click HERE.

Ben Verellen: Guitar/Bass player and Vocalist for HARKONEN, HELMS ALEE, and others. Also runs Verellen Amplifiers. Click HERE.

GORILLA BISCUITS: NY Hardcore band with a melodic sound. They pulled a lot of people over to Hardcore who might not otherwise have payed attention. Click HERE.

Ryan From NINEIRONSPITFIRE and THESE ARMS ARE SNAKES: Ryan Frederiksen. Also in THIS BAND.

SIDE BY SIDE: NY Hardcore band who released a classic 7” with iconic artwork on Revelation Records in 1988. Click HERE.

Poltergeist: A very scary movie that they should have never even considered remaking. Just watch the original. Click HERE.

LIFETIME: Just a damn good band. Click HERE.

Laura Secord: We are either talking about THIS or THIS.

The Dutch Kid from The Simpsons: Üter Zörker is his name, and apparently he’s supposed to be German. Click HERE.

Greg Bennick: See episode 1 of this podcast.

TRIAL: Influential NW hardcore band that Greg Bennick sings for. Click HERE.

The Up & Down Club: One of many short-lived locations in Seattle where All Ages Hardcore shows happened in the 90s.

LEFT WITH NOTHING: A metal influenced Hardcore band from Tacoma, Wa that ended up putting out records on Excursion. Click HERE.

“It had been tattoo’d on him by Civ”: Civ is the singer of GORILLA BISCUITS.

Chris Williams: Guitar player for CHAMPION and many others.

“Screaming For Change on Wishingwell”: THIS record, on the hardcore record label Wishingwell Records.

“The One Thing That Still Holds True”: This is a release on Revelation Records of all of CHAIN OF STRENGTH’s recorded material. Click HERE.

CARRY NATION 7”: This was a band featuring Dan O’Mahony from NO FOR AN ANSWER and others. Click HERE.

Kevin Seconds: See episodes 8 and 9 of this podcast.

Rainfest: A 3-Day hardcore music festival held in the NW every May. Click HERE.

JIMMY EAT WORLD: This band got quite big worldwide. Dave likes them a lot and doesn’t care if you don’t. Click HERE.

Clarity: JIMMY EAT WORLD’s 3rd album. Closer to perfect, most bands couldn’t hope for. Click HERE.

Static Prevails: JIMMY EAT WORLD’s 2nd album, Released in 1996. They were almost there. Click HERE.

GORILLA BISCUITS on Purple: This refers to the “Start Today” LP from GB that was originally released on Purple vinyl with embossed lettering on the cover. It is highly sought after.

Disengage on Clear: This refers to the final 7” from the band YOUTH OF TODAY, which was originally pressed on clear vinyl.

Maximumrocknroll classifieds: Maximumrocknroll was the go-to place for punk & hardcore info prior to the rise of the internet, and the classifieds section was a good place to buy rare records prior to Ebay.

“Theory about Porcell’s nose on the Disengage 7”: We explain this pretty well in the podcast, but HERE is the picture we’re talking about.

Edgeland Podcast: A great podcast that features current and ex Straight Edge people in each episode. Click HERE.

AGNOSTIC FRONT: Early NY Hardcore. Highly regarded and still kicking it out. Click HERE.

CBGBs: Legendary NYC music venue. Click HERE.

7 SECONDS: Classic, influential early Hardcore band. Click HERE.

MINOR THREAT: Classic, influential early Hardcore band. Click HERE.

UNDERTOW: Seattle Straight Edge band from the early to mid 90s. Click HERE.

Matt Matsuoka: A true madman. Singer/Guitarist for 10:07, RED ROCKET, THE HIT, and others. Writer/Director of the films “Heartbreak Beat” and “For The Cash.” Has an alter-ego called “Thee Ultramatt”. Has long held that Dave Larson’s film “The Edge Of Quarrel” contains secret gay messages. He also creates animation. HERE IS AN EXAMPLE.

GET THE MOST: NW Hardcore band. Their demo 7” was the first release on Aram’s REACT! label. Click HERE.

The Brozone: This was, at one time, the only room in the house that Michaelanne owns that Dave and their roommate Bob were allowed to set up and control as they pleased. Over the years, many fine schemes were hatched within its protective walls. Today it exists as a shadow of its former glory. A zone, yes, perhaps. But bro? Sadly, no.

The Other Aram Arslanian: THIS GUY.

ORPHAN TRAIN: That is the other Aram’s band. Click HERE.

New Romantic: They might have looked funny, but they made some pretty cool music. Click HERE.

THE CLASH Combat Rock: Classic record. Click HERE.

THE BEASTIE BOYS License To Ill: The first rap LP to top the Billboard charts. Click HERE.

RUN-DMC: Widely acknowledged as one of the most influential acts in the history of hip hop. Click HERE.

PUBLIC ENEMY: They were good, and they scared a lot of white people. Click HERE.

Thrasher: THE crucial skateboarding magazine.

PusZone: Pushead’s column in Thrasher. They are collected HERE.

Noise Forest: Volume 7 of Thrasher’s Skate Rock Compilations. Click HERE.

8 Mile: That Eminem rap movie. Click HERE.

METALLICA: By now, everyone should have heard of this band. They used to be REALLY good. Click HERE.

D.R.I.: This band seems to come up more than most others in these conversations. I’ve linked plenty of good stuff from them in some of the other episode posts.

MORRISSEY: Was the singer of THE SMITHS, now solo with a seriously rabid fan base. Click HERE.

THE SMITHS: The band Morrissey sang in before he went solo. Click HERE.

JUDGE: One of the best SXE Hardcore the ever was or ever will be. Click HERE.

THE CURE: What can you say about the best band on the planet? Click HERE.

“At Both Ends”: UNDERTOW’s LP release on Excursion.

“Stalemate”: UNDERTOW’s 7” release on Excursion.

INDIAN SUMMER: Post-Hardcore band from Oakland, CA. Click HERE.

LOS CRUDOS: 90s Hardcore band from Chicago. Click HERE.

Ron Guardipee: See episode 6 of this podcast.

“From Demian, on Blue”: Meaning from Demian, bass player of the band UNDERTOW, and on Blue vinyl.

JAYHAWKER: A Hardcore band from Bellingham, WA that Bill Baker sang for. Click HERE.

CHRISTOPHER ROBIN: They eventually changed their name to FUNCTION OF HORNETS. Click HERE.

Bill Baker: See episode 3 of this podcast.

Food Not Bombs: A loose-knit group of independent collectives, serving free vegan and vegetarian food to others. Click HERE.

THE MURDER CITY DEVILS: Seattle band that Dave cast as the Punk gang leaders in his movie. Click HERE.

JARA: Hardcore band with a 7” on Ebullition Records. Click HERE.

DOWNCAST: Hardcore band with releases on Ebullition Records. Click HERE.

STRUGGLE: Hardcore band from San Diego. Had a split 7” with UNDERTOW and a number of other releases. Click HERE.

Steve Urkel: That nerd from the show Family Matters. THIS GUY.

FACE TOMORROW: Aram’s early Vancouver, BC SXE Hardcore band.

IN MY EYES: Boston Straight Edge Hardcore band. Click HERE.

BANE: Hardcore band that has been breaking up forever. Here’s hoping they never actually get around to it. Click HERE.

Timm Mac: Guitarist for Trial and owner of Panic Records. Click HERE.

STAYGOLD: A melodic Seattle Hardcore band from the early 2000s. Click HERE.

“Hosoi vs Tony Hawk”: You can see what we’re talking about in THIS CLIP. Also, you should watch the whole Bones Brigade movie. Probably many times.

SHAM 69: An English Punk Rock band from the 70s. Click HERE.

IN FLAMES: Swedish heavy metal band from Gothenburg. Click HERE.

“Playing guitar like Marty McFly”: Like THIS.

CARRY ON: Late 90s/Early 2000s SXE Hardcore band. Click HERE.

NAILS: Powerviolence from Oxnard. Click HERE.

Anchor Records: This was Aram’s first record label. Click HERE.

MINDSET: A SXE Hardcore band. Evan from MINDSET now runs REACT! Records. Click HERE.

Joe Strummer: Co-founder of THE CLASH. Died unexpectedly in 2002. RIP.

YOUTH OF TODAY: Incredibly influential SXE Hardcore band. Click HERE.

KEEP IT CLEAR: Another band Aram plays guitar for. Click HERE.

RIGHT BRIGADE: Boston SXE Hardcore band named after a BAD BRAINS song. Click HERE.

“OK, you guys need to get Bob over here”: This is a reference to Bob Swift, and Michaelanne is correct that he would have added admirably to this part of the conversation.

VERBAL ASSAULT On: “On” was a 10” release from VERBAL ASSAULT that followed up their enormously respected “Trial” LP. Click HERE.

“New Wind, and everything post New Wind”: This refers to all of the records by 7 SECONDS from New Wind forward.

Soulforce Revolution: A 7 SECONDS album from 1989. The song “Satyagraha” is on this record. Click HERE.

Out The Shizzy: A 7 SECONDS album from 1993.

WARZONE Self-titled: Their LP from 1989. Many regard this as total garbage. Decide for yourself HERE.

RESOLUTION 10”: This was Ron’s band after BROTHERHOOD with Dan from SUNNY DAY REAL ESTATE. I know there is video out there somewhere, but I can’t find any at the moment.

GALLEON’S LAP: Almost no one knows about this band and it’s an absolute shame. Click HERE.

IGNITION: Ian MacKaye’s brother’s band. One of Michaelanne’s all-time favorites. Click HERE.

I’m just going to end it here. We go on to talk about a bunch of stuff on Dischord Records. If you don’t know what that stuff is, you have homework.

I’VE KNOWN YOU TOO LONG

David Larson is a screenwriter from the Seattle area who ran an independent record label called EXCURSION for many years. Over the course of the last three decades, Dave has formed friendships with a large number of people who have made an artistic impact, mostly in the world of Punk Rock and Hardcore music. Many of these people have gone on to greater and more varied adventures in the worlds of art, film, music, politics, and activism. In this podcast, Dave uses the timeline of their first meeting to explore back and forth through their histories to try and gain a better understanding of how they came to be the people they are today.

They say history is written by the conquerors, and while none of these campaigns are complete yet, it is time to get some of these tales nailed down before they are lost to time and age.

Check out Dave’s episode of the WORD ON THE STREET podcast HERE.

Check out Dave and Ron Guardipee’s episode of the EDGELAND podcast HERE.

DIG THAT INTRO MUSIC?

That’s Polymorph, a project by my friend Bryar Herrick. He has a ton of stuff you can check out here:

https://polymorph.bandcamp.com/