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Core values
Crash and Burn and Bane turn up the heat
BY CHRIS RUCKER

Boston’s Crash and Burn have walked the streets carrying the flag for rock and roll for two albums, but with their new The Value of Mistrust (Thorp), the quartet have trimmed down to fighting shape and are getting ready to rumble. They’ve already earned the respect of their local peers: long-time pal Mark Unseen, who guests on Mistrust, says he’s watched C&B grow over the past few years. "The new record is awesome," he gushes. "It combines the raw heaviness of Crash and Burn and the rock sound of Sick Again. They finally found the sound they’re looking for." Read Yellow’s Evan Kenney, who bro’d down with C&B frontman Bill Brown during a wild Amherst night that began with a sweaty basement gig and deteriorated into mayhem involving whiskey, frat boys, and a golf club, puts it more simply: "They’re everything a rock-and-roll band should be." Thanks to Thorp, Mistrust has a serious chance of breaking out from here to Santa Cruz: as Unseen says, it’s a disc that "has something to offer for fans of both hardcore and punk." (Thorp is also hoping to attract metal kids: the label’s advertising says, a bit strangely, that the disc is for fans of Neurosis, Motörhead, and Soundgarden.)

"It’s by far the best thing we’ve ever done," Brown told me a few days before their record-release party last week. "It blows away our first two records. Jim Siegel [producer for Unseen, Dropkick Murphys, and Lost City Angels] did an incredible job recording it. It definitely represents more of what we do live. And I think a lot of people are going to be surprised at how heavy the record is." C&B have put in a ton of road work and dodged a few potentially lethal obstacles: "It’s been five years of DIY tours, line-up changes, and setbacks, like having our van and gear destroyed in an accident in Montana." (Their tour van, taking the name of the band too literally, crashed and then burned.) If you missed last week’s all-ages record-release show, there’s another one coming June 24 at the Middle East. For a taste of what’s to come, check C&B out in the studio this Sunday on New England Product.

Band years are like dog years: a decade is a long time in any event, but in the world of hardcore, being in a band for 10 years is quite a feat. The Boston quintet Bane have reached that milestone, and they’re one of the leaders in a vibrant scene. Their new The Note (Equal Vision) is just their fourth overall, and it’s been three years since their last one, Give Blood. But they’re feeling stronger and sounding better than ever. During their three-year hiatus, mastermind Aaron Dalbec played guitar in Only Crime (Fat Wreck Chords) and Zach Jordon and Pete Chilton formed Silent Drive (Equal Vision). By the time drummer Nick Brannigan left, Bane seemed like an afterthought. But when Reach the Sky broke up, their drummer, Bob Mahoney (who once broke his hand while filling in for Brannigan), came on board and breathed new life into a band whose members had been spending more time on side dishes than on the main course.

Equal Vision GM Dan Sandshaw, for one, was relieved. "Bane is the cornerstone of the label. They’re a reminder of the golden years of hardcore and a symbol of hope for the future of the scene. It’s truly remarkable that a band that has been around for 10 years still has the same passion and integrity as when they started playing. In my opinion, they are the most important hardcore band of the last decade." I’ll second that: The Note is an epic release that could end up on the shelf — or iPod or whatever — of every Alternative Press–reading hardcore kid. I always wondered when Bane were going to get their due. Maybe this is the time.

Chris Rucker is the host of New England Product, which airs Sundays from 9 to 10 p.m. on WFNX 101.7 FM.


Issue Date: June 3 - 9, 2005
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