There’s a misguided belief out there that everyone involved in underground, independent and DIY music knows (or should know) all about every band that hails, or ever hailed from, the underground, independent and DIY scene. That’s one painful myth, if just because of the mind-eviscerating headache involved in trying to keep historical track of every permutation of every metal, hardcore and punk band that never caught the attention of a major or large indie label? Then, imagine the crushing defeat that follows when one of your shit-heel friends calls you up touting some awesome obscurity you missed out on when you blinked ten years ago? For the sake of my sanity, I stopped trying to be a comprehensive human musical database a long time ago and prefer to sit back and wait for word-of-mouth recommendations and the growth of the reissue market to help me seem like I know what I’m talking about.
Case in point: recently, I was turned on to local San Diego hardcore punk legends Run For Your Fucking Life courtesy the impeccable taste of Justin Pearson (The Locust, Retox, Deaf Club, Dead Cross, etc.), who just so happens to be reissuing the band’s 2001 rare and self-titled album on his Three One G label. Before a few weeks ago, I knew nothing of RFYFL, but a quick history lesson (i.e. press release) has informed of the band’s hand-to-mouth existence from 1994-2001 during which they were fully engaged in all the DIY cultural hallmarks, including this particular album and its homage to all things dirty, crusty, dreadlocked, patched up, questionably tattooed and early Neurosis, Born Against, Econochrist, Dead and Gone, Poison Idea and 625 Thrash. Today, in celebration of the reissue and availability of Run For Your Fucking Life we present a stream of one heckuva raw and ferocious record. Ordering links below.
Also, do you remember what you were doing on Y2K Eve? If you weren’t bunkered down waiting for planes to start falling from the sky and toasters to start exploding at the first sign of pumpernickel, you might have been taking Prince’s advice and partying it up, albeit with the corner of your eye zeroed in on the possibly end of the world. Down San Diego way, Run For Your Fucking Life and The Locust were playing a sweaty house show to ring in the new year/millennium and luckily enough, footage of said gig has been unearthed and passed our way to share with y’all. Note the inordinate amount dyed black hair, RFYFL’s frontman Jason Weedon’s (who passed away in 2019) brand of audience commiseration, three members of pre-uniform The Locust crammed into the corner of the corner of the room and all the heat-induced nudity. And not a cell phone scroller in sight. Man, what different times!
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