Avid readers of this blog will remember from way back that I mentioned an upcoming announcement for a kick-ass book release party. And I've got one. But it did not come without blood and sweat and tears and wanting to give up a few times. (Ask me sometime, and I will whine and wax poetic for you.) Thankfully, this is no time to mope. It's a celebration and a genuine privilege to help out a special little guy. I am thrilled to finally announce the details for this event:



There are several components to this announcement, so I thought I'd use this entry to talk about them. Here is what you need to know about The Anti-Matter Anthology Book Release Party & Benefit:

THE BANDS



SNAPCASE: Okay, holy crap. I just found this random Snapcase video on YouTube and I seriously just started to choke up. How good is this song? I cannot wait for this.

When I first brought up the idea of doing a book release concert, for some reason every single person I knew mentioned Quicksand. Now, okay, I love those guys and I love that band, but when I thought about Anti-Matter and everything special about the Anti-Matter experience for me, there was only one group that I really wanted to see get back together. Snapcase were the quintessential '90s hardcore band to me: They grew up on 1980s punk and hardcore, they grew up in public, and by the time that Progression Through Unlearning came out in 1997, they had become one of the most inspirational and progressive bands I'd ever seen. They challenged the idea that playing aggressive music translated into being macho knuckleheads; they were intelligent, thoughtful, and through it all, amazingly humble.

They also had one of the most amazing live shows of any band that I've ever seen. So much so, that whenever Texas Is The Reason went through Buffalo, we more often than not wound up asking them to play so we could open. A Snapcase show was always a good time to me, and if I was going to throw a party, I knew what I needed to do. I called up Jon Salemi and Daryl Taberski and pleaded my case. Although hesitant at first, Daryl eventually caved. "You know what?" he said. "If anyone was going to get Snapcase back together, it was gonna be you."

They are — and continue to be — one of my favorite bands ever, personally and musically.



108: In the context of a band that first got together in 1992, my tenure as 108's guitarist was negligible at best. Five months, maybe? Whatever the case, it's a credential I'm proud to have on my musical resume. From Songs Of Separation to Curse Of Instinct, 108 blew so many other '90s bands out of the water because they always pushed forward — each record a bit more unhinged; each record a bit more honest. It's a pattern that survived a break-up and a permanent reunion last year: Their new record, A New Beat From A Dead Heart, is definitely their most unfeigned and quite arguably their best.

In my mind, 108 are a bit of a bridge: Vic Dicara spent the late '80s and early '90s in bands like Beyond and Inside Out, while Rob Fish spent his turn of the decade between Release and Ressurection. These are people that understood punk rock and hardcore in the '80s enough to completely deconstruct it for their own '90s version. But what I love about 108 more than anything is that they have been unafraid to evolve: What may have started as a slightly overbearing philosophical project is now possibly one of the least pretentious and wholly honest musical groups this genre has ever seen. I am honored to have them on this bill.



TRIPLE THREAT: I talk so much about the reinvention of hardcore in the '90s that I sometimes neglect to point out something I thought was obvious —which is to say that traditional hardcore and so-called "hardcore revival" music actually thrived throughout most of the decade. One of the era's biggest champions of the classic hardcore sound was also one of its best: Mouthpiece were so authentic, it was almost like they were making classic records in real time.

At some point in 2004, Tim McMahon and Jason Jammer — one-half of Mouthpiece — reunited with guitarist Ed McKirdy and bassist Tim Kriependorf for a band they christened Triple Threat. Surprisingly, the new group applied its straightedge ethos to an almost angular, brasher sound: Triple Threat inadvertently share more in common with bands like Negative Approach and Black Flag than they do Chain Of Strength. And by digging deeper into hardcore's roots, it seems like they've really found themselves: Last year's full-length, Into The Darkness makes a stronger case for hardcore's thrash-and-burn beginnings than almost anything in their personal discographies. It was because of records like this that I was inspired to pick up a guitar or write a zine or book a show. It was bands like Triple Threat that made me psyched to be a hardcore kid. Don't let their opening status fool you: They are a headlining act waiting to happen.

THE BENEFIT



The idea for this show originally began as a desire to lend a hand: A little over a year ago, my dear friend J. Robbins found out that his beautiful son, Callum, had been diagnosed with Type 1 Spinal Muscular Atrophy. This unfortunate news came with unfathomable details: The reality was that most Type 1 SMA babies die before their second birthday. That even after Cal's second birthday, he would still never be able to walk. That the disease would affect his brain's ability to communicate with the voluntary muscles used for crawling, walking, holding up his head, breathing, and swallowing. That there was no cure.

The indie rock scene rallied for Cal with donations and benefit shows, and after talking to J. earlier this week, I understand that this help has really helped Cal. He has been able to undergo therapy that would be unavailable to him by standard insurance programs, and he has been responding to this treatment kindly. Even better, Cal is only months away from his second birthday!

But Cal is not out of the water. There is still a long and incredibly expensive road ahead for J. and his family, and I want nothing more than to help. With The Anti-Matter Anthology coming out — and featuring an interview with J. Robbins inside — I understood that we could all do something positive here, that we could band together and prove that hardcore really is more than just music. We support each other because we are family.

100-percent of the profit from the ticket sales of this show will go to help Cal Robbins. In addition to that, we will be printing a limited edition silkscreened commemorative poster for the event, to be sold at the show and later online, which will also see all of its proceeds going to the fund. (The design will come courtesy of Jesse LeDoux, a brilliant artist and friend that I am psyched to have on board.) And that's not all: In the coming months, I will be personally soliciting bands and record labels from the Anti-Matter era to donate items for a special series of eBay auctions to be announced later. Again, all of the proceeds will go to help Cal. If you think you can help with items for an auction or for potential raffles at the show, feel free to drop me a line. This is something that is important to me, and I will do everything I can to do my part.

For more information or to make a separate donation, please visit Desoto Records' mini-site for Cal.

THE PRE-SALE

Complete information for a very limited pre-sale is forthcoming. Check here for updates! What I can tell you: We will be releasing a special Limited Edition Pre-sale Package for the first 55 people who get through. As of now, each of the 55 people will receive a ticket guaranteeing entry into the show as well as a hand-stamped, numbered, and personalized copy of The Anti-Matter Anthology, which will be handed to you at the show upon arrival. I always loved finding hidden messages on the matrixes of my favorite hardcore records; this is my way of doing that with a book. The special offer will cost only $29.99 — knocking off nearly $10 in retail value and additional fees you'd spend with Ticketmaster. These Pre-Sale Packages will go on sale on Friday, September 28; you'll find a special link to the pre-sale site here shortly.

THE TICKETS

Tickets for the general public will go on sale October 5, through Ticketmaster and the Mercury Lounge Box Office here in New York City. Again, we'll give you complete details and direct links here as they become available.

A huge thanks to all the bands for agreeing to lend their services to the show. And to Tim Edwards at Flower Booking for lending his skills to the cause. And to you for supporting The Anti-Matter Anthology. Let's celebrate.

xo Norman