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July 11, 2003

Pine Street Bar and Grill -- Oftentimes, the nook and cranny sub scenes that occur in Northern California can go unnoticed for extended periods of time. The bands continue to push forward and play out like everyone else, yet they don't always comes to the surface as much as others. Since Northern California's vast metal history generally revolves around the Thrash Scenes of both the early 80's (and Metallica) as well as the late 80's early 90's (Exodus, Vio-lence, etc), small factions of bands hardly ever break out into the open.

However, even with that being the case, a sub-scene exists in Northern California and has for many years. The Hardcore Scene. Now, this is not the hardcore scene that many people know, this is the pure hardcore scene, where bands take that New York inspired street level ethic, combine the heavier guitar chops of metal with the quick pulse of the punk sound, and create the decidedly od school blend of hardcore as it was being performed in disgusting New York clubs and bars back in the day. For the July 11th, 2003 show at the Pine Street Bar and Grill, two pure hardcore bands ended the night with solid to impressive sets of music, capping a show that had several styles popping from band to band.

Of the bands that performed, Meris hit the stage for the first time ever, Inablur brought their "nu"-ish blend, Striktnyne showed off their massive work in the studio in the past couple of years while East Bay Exile and Zero Bullshit brought the pure hardcore ethic to the last few hours of the night.

This was the standard Pine Street Bar and Grill fare for this show, good crowds (as the establishment typically has), vibrant atmosphere and plenty of metal, in all forms.

Meris guitarist / vocalist Sean Hugunin and bassist Eli Atkinson live at the Pine Street Bar and Grill

The first band of the night was the debut performance of the heavy handed sound of Meris which features, in its ranks, guitarist / vocalist Sean Hugunin, who also performs with the Guns N' Roses tribute act Rocket Queens. Also featuring drummer Brad Roberts, bassist Eli Atkinson, and guitarist Ryan Buck, Meris brings some really cool and heavy chops to the stage, basically echoing the standard of today's mid-tempo metal style with those huge riffs and occasional twin guitar melody breaks.

For their set, the band performed tracks off their currently available self-titled disc including "As You Wish" and "Hetfield" which both pumped well with the thick guitar line.

Meris is basically built on a mass guitar tone, hitting the precision well as their tunes feature a couple of main riffs defining the direction while the drums and bass provide the back filler music to bring this whole thing to a head. About the only spot where Meris needs development, and really focuses just on Hugunin, is the lead vocals department as the vocals don't match the powerful force this band creates musically. Minor complaint at this point though, as this is the early stages of development for this band. Remarkably heavy though, and very much aligned with what is going on today, with those really heavy handed chops creating some cool massive sounds and feels in each song. These guys are focused and should develop into an accomplished band soon.

Inablur vocalist Chris and guitarist Ben live at the Pine Street Bar and Grill

The second band of the night was the younger act Inablur (pronounced "enabler") who brought their very new school style to the stage with some good energy and underlining hook laden songs. Featuring vocalist Chris, guitarist Ben, bassist Keith, and drummer Curtis, Inablur hits their stride at times, jumping the overall sound well, but it was their on stage mix that held them back a bit, wanting to really feel the guitars with this sound.

On stage, the band performed the tracks, among others, "Suffer" and "Dark", each of which followed pretty closely the standard these guys have created for themselves on stage.

Upon initial listen, it seems as if Chris is dipping into a pseudo-hip hop feel, but that is dismissed quickly as he just utilizes a quick sing approach found on the new school heavy market today. The guitar work here is actually pretty good although it was set way back in the mix of this set, as with a decidedly guitar driven sound like this, Ben's work should be front and center for the audience to hear and feel while the rest of the band hits their stride. Still, with the nod to an accessible style at times, Chris barks, screams and sings at times (while using a dual microphone approach for differing effects) matching the energy that Inablur creates musically. These guys are young and rough around the edges for the most part, but with a heavier guitar feel and overall direction, Inablur would probably be an entertaining and pumped band to check.

Striktnyne live at the Pine Street Bar and Grill

The third band of the night, the Easy Bay act Striktnyne, was bar none the surprise of the night as after a several year layoff, this pure thrash / speed metal act has resurfaced with living proof of the work they have done in the studio. Now featuring a restructured line-up around the mainstay here, guitarist / vocalist Sid Frankosky, Striktnyne was impressive from the first note as they chugged and pumped the pure metal.

On stage, the band performed an extended set of material including "Falling", "Ignite" and "Desire", all of which included this band's signature approach to the sound with blazing fast guitar work and bark in key vocals.

Back in the day, Striktnyne had some talent and were able to pull together a good set (most notably at the since closed Cactus Club), but their on stage ability has jumped tenfold since those days. For the most part, Striktnyne uses a lot of heavy, multiple riff changing songs with plenty of those familiar thrash metal breaks (where a single guitar riff introduces the heavy section of a song), but they do it very loud and quite well now. There were some noticeable holes in their set from time to time (mostly missed beats and muffed vocal lines), but it was a small chip in this huge sounding set. What was most impressive is how they took a predominantly foreign audience and literally transformed it into a frothy metal crowd with fists pumping and horns flashing. Impressive for sure and good to see Frankosky and company back in the fold.

East Bay Exile live at the Pine Street Bar and Grill

The fourth act of the night and the first of the two pure hardcore acts was East Bay Exile who were celebrating the release of a new self-titled disc as well as performing only their third ever show. Featuring an equal cross between punk edged and metal edged hardcore, these guys were a definite highlight of the show with some short, to the point songs and socio-political message.

On stage, the band performed mostly tracks from their aforementioned new disc including "Psycho", "Blown Away", "I Hate You", "Wrong Side of the Tracks", and "Never Forget From Where You Came".

For the most part, East Bay Exile follows the prototypical presence, style, sound and appearance of an all out old school hardcore band, but they do it in a way that brings this extra level of edge and intensity to the stage. Adding to this overall package, their messages are generally wrapped around the social and political commentary, basically inciting the emotional charge inside the head and screaming the entire lyrical line right in each audience member's face (literally). The vocals work right with the guitar tone here, bordering mostly on the punk edge of the sound, with occasional dips into these metallized riffs. East Bay Exile is just an entertaining, intensely hardcore act that wants you to hear them, and hear them now. Here's hoping they play again soon.

Zero Bullshit bassist Toby Williams and vocalist Jerry Donahue live at the Pine Street Bar and Grill

The final act of the night was the Bay Area Institution in old school hardcore, Zero Bullshit. Having existed in one form or another for over nine years now, Zero Bullshit delivers on exactly what they promise, a no frills, nothing special style other than pure, to the point, and loud hardcore punk / metal with a giant attitude attached. Featuring vocalist Jerry Donahue, bassist Toby Williams, guitarist Rich Correa and drummer / vocalist Jim Redens, Zero Bullshit make absolutely no excuses for what they are and deliver musically. And they are exceptionally cool because of it.

On stage, the band plastered through a solid set, never really stopping for any extended time between songs, opting to just slam into another song. There were not too many people left by the time these guys finished, so it made little sense to spend too much time bantering with the crowd. The band finished their time with "I Hate The Cops" and "Better Off Dead".

No other way to describe these guys really, as they are four sizable guys (who seem to all have the same big belly shape to them) who just pound out the hardcore, matching any type of hardcore stereotype and yet giving it a nice ZBS edge. Their sound, on the whole, runs a little heavier than the standard hardcore style, with the vocals grating quickly as well. Donahue's vocals sound as if he has been screaming for countless years as it has that over worn and overused style to it that gives what he says an added bit of wisdom and intensity to the whole package. Zero Bullshit has been around a long time and they pretty much step to the stage do what they have to do, and they do it with the overall air of a band that knows they are good. Entertaining even if nobody was left by this time.

Bottom Line: The Pine checked in with another entertaining night of heavy music, with this one ranging all over the place in terms of pure genre categorization. Pure hardcore is always a good way to go for sure.