TARRASQUE

Named after a maneating toad from Dungeons and Dragons, Tarrasque were a thrash band that formed in the mid-80s and crossed over with fans of both the Hawaii hardcore and metal scenes during their time together. They recorded an absolutely crucial five song demo in 199, totally under the influence of Slayer, Exodus and early Metallica with it's headbanging riffs, double time beats and end of the neck shreddity, but I  also hear a rough around the edges, NYHC feel to some the songs that begs for circle pits and two-step moves.


1990 DEMO
Thanks to Rafael Dongon for uploading this!

Tarrasque interview from Magmazine by Shawn Lopes

M.U.G.

Photo credit: Shawn Lopes

M.U.G. are probably my favorite of all the early Hawaii hardcore/punk groups. Originally starting off with a thrash-influenced hardcore sound, M.U.G. quickly started writing more melodic, but no less energetic punk music more influenced by skinhead Oi and ska sounds. M.U.G. was started in 1985 by brothers Mike and Gabe Silva and their friend Ray Bala, three skateboarding teens from the Kalihi Valley. From everyone I've spoke to who knew or had seen M.U.G., this is an important fact. The mid eighties scene was largely composed of kids from the suburbs and scattered military bases, so to have some local kids from a really local town like Kalihi play hardcore punk (a style of music that was not as mainstream or popular as it is today) and to play as hard and fast as M.U.G. did was a revelation.

Originally started as a three piece of Gabe (guitar), Mike (bass/vocals) and Ray (drums) they added Saud on vocals before playing live on KTUH in 1985. At this session they tore through a too-fast set of 10 original thrash ragers like "Victims of Violence" and "Suicidal Run", filling it out with two Suicidal Tendencies and Slayer covers. At the end of the 20 minute session you can hear the DJ asking them if thats all the songs they had...

The lineup changed numerous times over the years, with the constants being Mike (now on vocals full time) and Ray. After a short hiatus in the late 80's, M.U.G. came back with a tighter more melodic style of punk that was no less angry or energetic than their short-fast-loud days. This period is best represented by the song "Under The Gun", which is probably their most enduring and catchy song and one of the greatest songs that has ever come from Hawaii in my opinion; a classically frustrated punk rock gem. M.U.G. experimented with ska and funk in some songs, but mostly kept it rockin', with a high energy live show that brought the punks, the skins and metalheads together in the pit. M.U.G. continued off and on for about ten years, playing their last show in 1996. They went through the scene's various ups and downs (violence at shows, lack of venues etc) and while no one band makes a scene, M.U.G. were definitley a major part of a time where bands,venues and zines were working together to make a stronger more unified scene.

In 2009, Mike M.U.G. compiled and released the Anthology CD, which brings together three live sessions and a 3-song demo. It's highly recommended for any fans of great punk and hardcore music and it's a real undiscovered slice of Hawaii music history. You'll find a link to purchase the CD below.

Live on KTUH, December 30th 1985
Buy the Anthology CD here
MP3's for sale here
M.U.G. Facebook
A more detailed history of M.U.G. can be found here

SOMETHING REALLY OFFENSIVE

Something Really Offensive (S.R.O) played straight up hardcore punk in the Orange County style of the Adolescents, the Vandals, D.I. etc. This is their 1985 demo and it's full of rude, crude party punk tunes about (but not limited to) getting drunk, getting into fights and puking beer. The song "Acid Rain" seems to sober the tape up with something of an environmental message, but really it's all about songs like "Beer Upchuck" and "D.U.I." Mix that with surfy guitar solos and that perfect 1-2-1-2 beat and you got yourself a Hawaii hardcore classic.

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Hawaii Scene Report - Maximum Rock N' Roll March 1985

This is the first scene report from Hawaii published in MRR, written by Lance Hahn in 1985.

Lots of bands on here I have never heard of that probably never recorded, quite a shame.
Apparently there was another published in the 90s...If anyone has a scan of that, I'd love to put it up on the blog.

THE SQUIDS

Another important band of the early 80's punk scene in Honolulu was The Squids. The Squids actually leaned more on the side of new wave, not in a Knackish skinny tie way, but much more in the mutant rock style of Devo, the Suburban Lawns or the B-52's. Lots of faux Farfisa and angular bristled guitar jabbing, with catchy songs to boot- the song "Tourist Riot" is the best song off their self titled seven inch, leading-off with a trancy synth line and detailing a nightmare fantasy of locals at war with the toursit population, leaving singer Beano Shots to scream "Ah, fuck it! I'm gonna move to New York city!" The other tunes show a lot of variety for just a four song single, from the ska tinged "Rio" to the Venturesish surf guitar instrumental "Love Theme From Surf Boy", while ending with the rattling guitar explosions that punctuate "In." They were a fun sounding, kitcshy group with lots of bright pinks and cheesy leisures suits to match the quirky day-gloish music. It was also reissued, for a 20th anniversary 7 inch in 2001, put out by longtime local punk label Hawaiian Express, and copies are still available through their website. Another interesting factoid about the Squids is that Beano Shot's son Matty also became involved in the Hawaii punk scene later on with the bands The Ex-Superheroes and Vax.

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BUY THE REISSUE SEVEN INCH HERE

THE FUCKIN' FLYIN' A-HEADS

The Fuckin' Flying A-Heads are probably one of the oldest, most out-there and uncatergorizable bands in the whole spectrum of Hawaii punk, who have been recently brought back from the netherrealms to reissue reality. Their sole seven inch "Swiss Cheese Back/Watching TV" is complete mindfuckery of the highest caliber, drug punk from head to toe, and Hawaii's only nearest comparison to the art terrorism-nihilist void of Flipper or the Electric Eels. To me, it sounds like a Hawkwind riff dragged through some punk mud, recorded with a broken mic, mixed with a tinkertoy soundboard, and the tapes dunked in a bleach and water solution.It's monotonous mutated music, which is a compliment, mind you, and while the seven inch is an endurance test of patience and attention, it's an unltimately satisfying record if you're a fan of noxious noise.

The FFA were freakish music nerds (read: fans of Frank Zappa,Blue Cheer and Funhouse-era Stooges) who were eager to buckle expectations, be confrontational, noisey and cause a general ruckus. Like most freaks in the late 70's, they found an open door via punk rock. The single was recorded live at a sparsely attended show in Pearl City, at a now exinct place called the Leeward Theatre in January of 1980. After running out a paying crowd with their churning psychnoise, they decided to take it to the next level and piss off/confuse the record buying public by releasing a 7 inch of the event. The record barely sold, not only because of its contents, but because store owners were hesitant to sell something with the word "Fuckin'" in the title. Apparently, Rough Trade bought some copies that circulated in their UK stores, as well as to some California record shops, but that was the extent of it. Good luck finding it in any record shop in Hawaii; I've yet to ever see a copy in any used shops or thrift stores. The band soon relocated to San Francisco, tried their hand at getting gigs at fledgling punk clubs like the Mabuhay Gardens, where they were told by Dirk Dirksen himself that their music was "Too intense- it will likely cause a riot." They played a few gigs in the Bay Area, before the member's other musical and drug commitments effectively dissolved the band. Their singer Eric Ishii passed away from leukemia in Dec. of 2000 but their music lives on with the reissue of their seven inch by De Stijl records.

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BUY THE RE-ISSUED SEVEN INCH HERE
VICE MAGAZINE ARTICLE

CRINGER

For this first post, I figured it’d be fitting to start with a rarely heard recording by Cringer, who are probably the most internationally known punk band from Hawaii. Cringer was led by Lance Hahn, a punk from Waianae (for non locals: Waianae is a working class rural part of west Oahu and sort of notoriously rough) who supposedly was the first guy in Hawaii with a Mohawk. Lance had been in other local bands such as Scarred For Life and Hypo-Depression before forming Cringer in 1985 with the remaining members of Scarred For Life, with Lance on guitar, Gardner Pope on vocals, Dave Carr on drums and Ed Tarantino on bass. The demo below was recorded by Hahn at Kamehameha High School, where he was attending at the time and it’s a pretty descent recording considering the equipment they probably had at their disposal. Eight songs full of catchy hardcore punk with a fun and furious energy that I'd compare closely to maybe a less hyper-active but more rockin' Descendents. Plus there's a cover of Madonna's Burnin' Up (Hey, it was 1985, give 'em a break).

Cringer was only in Hawaii until around 1986 when the band moved to Los Angeles and eventually the Bay Area, where after a few lineup changes, demos and 7 inches, Cringer effectively became J-Church. J-Church were a well-loved band and cornerstone of 90s punk, producing countless singles and LPs through the next decade. Lance Hahn died in 2007 after a series of health complications in the last few years of his life, but remained tirelessly active touring, writing new songs, putting out albums as well as a writing zine and an all encompassing book looking at the UK anarcho punk scene that he drew so much inspiration from as a young punk.Lance Hahn was so incredibly important to the DIY scene and its really amazing and cool that he came from Hawaii.

Cringer Wikipedia
J-Church Wikipedia
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