Greetings from still occupied Minneapolis,
To begin with, let me say THANK YOU to everyone that's been so patient and understanding as it took me a few weeks to dig out from the large volume of mailorder from the last update. As of today (Monday), I am entirely caught up....(except for one order that I'm in touch about lol). I really appreciate everyone's empathy, as I continue to try to juggle different priorities in my life, and keep my little operation moving forward as just one guy in an apartment.
With that being said, I expect it'll also take 2-3 weeks for me to turn over orders from this update too. Thank you for your continued support and compassion.
On that note, what are the other priorities I am juggling?
The big one, of course, is that ICE is still here. We are still occupied. Our struggle in the Twin Cities is not over.
Our running estimate right now is we still have 500 agents here in the Twin Cities. Yes, we are winning. Yes, this number is less than the 1000 it was a month ago, and it's a lot less than the 3000 it was earlier this year. There was a point where I thought such a number would be an acceptable end-point for my own personal involvement.
But as I thought more about it, I realized that it's not.
500 agents is a similar size and scope of the estimated number of agents in Los Angeles and in Chicago....cities that are 3-4 times our size.
500 agents is over double the estimated number of agents in "war ravaged" Portland.
500 agents is 5 times the historical norm for our enforcement region.
We more or less know now that ICE was instructed to "force confrontations", to use brutality to manufacture incidents that would (in the twisted worldview of the Nazi pulling the strings, Stephen Miller) help convince mainstream America that fascist oppression is necessary. Cue bloodthirsty America-hating Nazis like Jonathon Ross, Jesus Ochoa, Raymundo Gutierrez, Edgar Vazquez, Michael Sveum, Brenden Cuni, Padraic Daniel Berlin, David Dubar Jr, Corey Myers, Paul Delgado Jr, Andy Chavez, Tee Rico, Javier Puente, John Bockstanz, John Leslie, Derek Volmering, Paul Beaulieu, and hundreds more that saw the opening to live out their sick fantasies of inflicting pain and agony on human beings, of brutalizing and killing people, that lead to two people executed in the streets, not to mention the countless injured and disappeared.
500 agents is unacceptable. Daily disappearances are unacceptable. Guns in our face, drones in our backyard, local police harassment. It's a continued occupation intended to uphold white supremacy and oppress us residents. It makes me sick to see children on a bus, off to the airport to be rushed away to Dilley concentration camp, or to watch an individual get released after over 3 months of detainment in the Whipple basements, shoved out into the cold with nothing, no job to return to, no housing to return to. Personally, I can't be on the sidelines while this is happening.
We're still fighting every day, every night, until the Twin Cities are free of these Nazi fucks and their disgusting white supremist agenda.
Maybe next time I'll write more about that and about the challenges of keeping people inspired and engaged to continue resistance work after the media has stopped talking about us LOL.
For now, I'll end on plugging this:
Straight from Hiroshima, Japan, I'm so thrilled that fuckin GUDON will come over here for a few gigs:
May 3 (Sunday) - Minneapolis MN at Grease Pit MayDay gig
May 4 (Monday) - Kansas City MO at Howdy
May 5 (Tuesday) - St Louis MO at Sinkhole
May 6 (Wednesday) - Milwaukee WI at Ground Zero
May 7 (Thursday) - Chicago IL at Casa Cafe
Check your local listings for finer details. I've been fortunate to see Gudon two times in Japan over the past bit, and HOLY SHIT they are fucking GREAT right now. I'm so fuuuucking excited for everyone in our region to be able to experience the sheer power and magnitude of Gudon in 2026.
-Dan
--------
APRIL NEW ARRIVALS
First, we got a big drop of the past two rounds of illustrious FOAD releases, some of which are already sold out everywhere else.
Gudon discography 2xLP is immediately relevant because of the upcoming USA tour! And we'll have a couple copies of this on their tour too, alongside an American pressing of their new 7". Totally essential traditional Japanese hardcore, from one of the bands that made it a tradition. If you're too young to have bought the collection on Brickwall back in the day, thank your lucky stars and get it now!
Bring Forth/MFC split 12" is totally new to me and totally the sort of high-velocity, high-impact shit I'm into, but piquing my curiosity even more is the Hyena demos collection LP. I'd never heard any of this material before, just had an awareness these demos existed, but I did buy their proper CD album on Straight Up back in the day and I was really happy to see them tear it up in Tokyo two years ago. I'm so pumped to dive into the demo obscurities that made them one of northern Japan's hidden treasures, I love their style of tough mettalic Japanese hardcore (think Zouo, Ghoul, Gism etc).
I'm also really hyped on this Plutocracy LP reissue because I completely missed this at the time LOL, and as I grow older I only appreciate more and more the totally bonkers, out-of-control power violence style of this crew of bands (Plutocracy, No Less, Agents of Satan, etc).
Obviously there's a fat spread of the world's hardcore.
If you want something domestic, one of my favorite American bands right now, and probably my favorite current fast band, is new Negative Bias EP. I LOOOOVE their thoughtful and considered spin on fastcore, straight from the niche school of Hellnation, and put Razors Edge and Jellyroll Rockheads up in there too. Blazing speed, all momentum and brevity, but with an ear for catchy and playful, rocking riffs that give them such a distinctive personality. Personally I think fast hardcore is in a bit of a lull right now, but it's also true that there's always someone somewhere doing something cool, and Negative Bias is holding it down for all the true believers. Essential.
Something international? Take your pick:
-90's Hungarian punk collection 12"s, collecting shit I have NEVER heard of (well okay, I am familiar with Leukemia and Trottel actually but nonetheless LOL) but it does seem like the kind of shit I'd be into
-Anti-Regimen 2xLP, collecting the demos of this 80's Spanish obscurity that I've also never heard of but also seems fucking great, raw and tuneful in all the ways I like
-Zenocide LP, I hadn't really paid attention to this veteran Japanese band over the years but I heard the new 12" in passing and it made a big impression on me. It has such a bleak and oppressive vibe, very dark and entrancing, as hardcore goes. The label description namedrops Amebix and Rudimentary Peni, sure, with its plodding tempos and blackened riffing, I see it.
But if you only like old shit, Dexkoncierto demo LP gets the BIGGEST RECOMMENDATION. Completely ferocious and unhinged hardcore from one of the great classics of 90s Colombia, a time and place that I think is one of my top 3 favorite scenes for punk music. This is the shit that makes my world tun 'round.
If you already know it and you need something brand spankin new to keep you excited, Abyecta new 7" single is turning a lot of heads and it captured my attention too. While the previous 7"s didn't leave an impression on me, I think this new one showcases improved riff-crafting and songwriting, sees them in-the-zone having refined their style to an ideal spot. Music for charging your hair and donning your leather jacket.
If you're only needing the most obvious classics, of course you'll need this Laughin Nose first EP reissue. The beginning of the legend, this 1983 debut sees Laughin Nose at their most hardcore, their most aggressive, closer in vibe to their contemporaries of the time like Zouo and Mobs.
But if you want to plunge the depth of obscurities, I highly recommend this new Eristetyt EP. Hardly the most classic Finnish hardcore band, but they have been better than ever since reforming, and this latest 7" is arguably their best work. Fast and loose, full of attitude and momentum, perfected Finnish hardcore in a really traditional style.
And finally, TAPES. We go some interesting crust smashers, like the Disease/Disappoint split tape, the latest from Macedonia's beloved raw d-beat export, and the Solution A tape, a Japan/American project band that caught my ear for the return of Takeshi's iconic vocals.
But I'm even more pleased to present the 2025 demo tapes of my two currently active bands here:
Leech Dealer demo tape is a recording-project power violence band, the latest vision of Iron Mike, one of the guys that helped invent "power violence" in the first place. I guess I meant to put this up for sale earlier but it got lost in the mix, now we're down to the last couple copies. Vinyl debut coming later this year.
Raspberry Tart demo tape plays pop-punk from the UK school a la Snuff, Chopper, Guns'n'Wankers, etc. Our most common feedback is "hey this isn't pop-punk", what?? Pop-punk can't be fast and loose? Pop-punk is still PUNK. Pop-punk is not a dirty term LOL. Leatherface and Fun People/Boom Boom Kid are two of my top 3 favorite bands. This is pop-punk. Playing a Twin Cities gig near you!
-Dan
next:
PATCHES
Japanese hardcore CDs
UKHC
more More MORE
To begin with, let me say THANK YOU to everyone that's been so patient and understanding as it took me a few weeks to dig out from the large volume of mailorder from the last update. As of today (Monday), I am entirely caught up....(except for one order that I'm in touch about lol). I really appreciate everyone's empathy, as I continue to try to juggle different priorities in my life, and keep my little operation moving forward as just one guy in an apartment.
With that being said, I expect it'll also take 2-3 weeks for me to turn over orders from this update too. Thank you for your continued support and compassion.
On that note, what are the other priorities I am juggling?
The big one, of course, is that ICE is still here. We are still occupied. Our struggle in the Twin Cities is not over.
Our running estimate right now is we still have 500 agents here in the Twin Cities. Yes, we are winning. Yes, this number is less than the 1000 it was a month ago, and it's a lot less than the 3000 it was earlier this year. There was a point where I thought such a number would be an acceptable end-point for my own personal involvement.
But as I thought more about it, I realized that it's not.
500 agents is a similar size and scope of the estimated number of agents in Los Angeles and in Chicago....cities that are 3-4 times our size.
500 agents is over double the estimated number of agents in "war ravaged" Portland.
500 agents is 5 times the historical norm for our enforcement region.
We more or less know now that ICE was instructed to "force confrontations", to use brutality to manufacture incidents that would (in the twisted worldview of the Nazi pulling the strings, Stephen Miller) help convince mainstream America that fascist oppression is necessary. Cue bloodthirsty America-hating Nazis like Jonathon Ross, Jesus Ochoa, Raymundo Gutierrez, Edgar Vazquez, Michael Sveum, Brenden Cuni, Padraic Daniel Berlin, David Dubar Jr, Corey Myers, Paul Delgado Jr, Andy Chavez, Tee Rico, Javier Puente, John Bockstanz, John Leslie, Derek Volmering, Paul Beaulieu, and hundreds more that saw the opening to live out their sick fantasies of inflicting pain and agony on human beings, of brutalizing and killing people, that lead to two people executed in the streets, not to mention the countless injured and disappeared.
500 agents is unacceptable. Daily disappearances are unacceptable. Guns in our face, drones in our backyard, local police harassment. It's a continued occupation intended to uphold white supremacy and oppress us residents. It makes me sick to see children on a bus, off to the airport to be rushed away to Dilley concentration camp, or to watch an individual get released after over 3 months of detainment in the Whipple basements, shoved out into the cold with nothing, no job to return to, no housing to return to. Personally, I can't be on the sidelines while this is happening.
We're still fighting every day, every night, until the Twin Cities are free of these Nazi fucks and their disgusting white supremist agenda.
Maybe next time I'll write more about that and about the challenges of keeping people inspired and engaged to continue resistance work after the media has stopped talking about us LOL.
For now, I'll end on plugging this:
Straight from Hiroshima, Japan, I'm so thrilled that fuckin GUDON will come over here for a few gigs:
May 3 (Sunday) - Minneapolis MN at Grease Pit MayDay gig
May 4 (Monday) - Kansas City MO at Howdy
May 5 (Tuesday) - St Louis MO at Sinkhole
May 6 (Wednesday) - Milwaukee WI at Ground Zero
May 7 (Thursday) - Chicago IL at Casa Cafe
Check your local listings for finer details. I've been fortunate to see Gudon two times in Japan over the past bit, and HOLY SHIT they are fucking GREAT right now. I'm so fuuuucking excited for everyone in our region to be able to experience the sheer power and magnitude of Gudon in 2026.
-Dan
--------
APRIL NEW ARRIVALS
First, we got a big drop of the past two rounds of illustrious FOAD releases, some of which are already sold out everywhere else.
Gudon discography 2xLP is immediately relevant because of the upcoming USA tour! And we'll have a couple copies of this on their tour too, alongside an American pressing of their new 7". Totally essential traditional Japanese hardcore, from one of the bands that made it a tradition. If you're too young to have bought the collection on Brickwall back in the day, thank your lucky stars and get it now!
Bring Forth/MFC split 12" is totally new to me and totally the sort of high-velocity, high-impact shit I'm into, but piquing my curiosity even more is the Hyena demos collection LP. I'd never heard any of this material before, just had an awareness these demos existed, but I did buy their proper CD album on Straight Up back in the day and I was really happy to see them tear it up in Tokyo two years ago. I'm so pumped to dive into the demo obscurities that made them one of northern Japan's hidden treasures, I love their style of tough mettalic Japanese hardcore (think Zouo, Ghoul, Gism etc).
I'm also really hyped on this Plutocracy LP reissue because I completely missed this at the time LOL, and as I grow older I only appreciate more and more the totally bonkers, out-of-control power violence style of this crew of bands (Plutocracy, No Less, Agents of Satan, etc).
Obviously there's a fat spread of the world's hardcore.
If you want something domestic, one of my favorite American bands right now, and probably my favorite current fast band, is new Negative Bias EP. I LOOOOVE their thoughtful and considered spin on fastcore, straight from the niche school of Hellnation, and put Razors Edge and Jellyroll Rockheads up in there too. Blazing speed, all momentum and brevity, but with an ear for catchy and playful, rocking riffs that give them such a distinctive personality. Personally I think fast hardcore is in a bit of a lull right now, but it's also true that there's always someone somewhere doing something cool, and Negative Bias is holding it down for all the true believers. Essential.
Something international? Take your pick:
-90's Hungarian punk collection 12"s, collecting shit I have NEVER heard of (well okay, I am familiar with Leukemia and Trottel actually but nonetheless LOL) but it does seem like the kind of shit I'd be into
-Anti-Regimen 2xLP, collecting the demos of this 80's Spanish obscurity that I've also never heard of but also seems fucking great, raw and tuneful in all the ways I like
-Zenocide LP, I hadn't really paid attention to this veteran Japanese band over the years but I heard the new 12" in passing and it made a big impression on me. It has such a bleak and oppressive vibe, very dark and entrancing, as hardcore goes. The label description namedrops Amebix and Rudimentary Peni, sure, with its plodding tempos and blackened riffing, I see it.
But if you only like old shit, Dexkoncierto demo LP gets the BIGGEST RECOMMENDATION. Completely ferocious and unhinged hardcore from one of the great classics of 90s Colombia, a time and place that I think is one of my top 3 favorite scenes for punk music. This is the shit that makes my world tun 'round.
If you already know it and you need something brand spankin new to keep you excited, Abyecta new 7" single is turning a lot of heads and it captured my attention too. While the previous 7"s didn't leave an impression on me, I think this new one showcases improved riff-crafting and songwriting, sees them in-the-zone having refined their style to an ideal spot. Music for charging your hair and donning your leather jacket.
If you're only needing the most obvious classics, of course you'll need this Laughin Nose first EP reissue. The beginning of the legend, this 1983 debut sees Laughin Nose at their most hardcore, their most aggressive, closer in vibe to their contemporaries of the time like Zouo and Mobs.
But if you want to plunge the depth of obscurities, I highly recommend this new Eristetyt EP. Hardly the most classic Finnish hardcore band, but they have been better than ever since reforming, and this latest 7" is arguably their best work. Fast and loose, full of attitude and momentum, perfected Finnish hardcore in a really traditional style.
And finally, TAPES. We go some interesting crust smashers, like the Disease/Disappoint split tape, the latest from Macedonia's beloved raw d-beat export, and the Solution A tape, a Japan/American project band that caught my ear for the return of Takeshi's iconic vocals.
But I'm even more pleased to present the 2025 demo tapes of my two currently active bands here:
Leech Dealer demo tape is a recording-project power violence band, the latest vision of Iron Mike, one of the guys that helped invent "power violence" in the first place. I guess I meant to put this up for sale earlier but it got lost in the mix, now we're down to the last couple copies. Vinyl debut coming later this year.
Raspberry Tart demo tape plays pop-punk from the UK school a la Snuff, Chopper, Guns'n'Wankers, etc. Our most common feedback is "hey this isn't pop-punk", what?? Pop-punk can't be fast and loose? Pop-punk is still PUNK. Pop-punk is not a dirty term LOL. Leatherface and Fun People/Boom Boom Kid are two of my top 3 favorite bands. This is pop-punk. Playing a Twin Cities gig near you!
-Dan
next:
PATCHES
Japanese hardcore CDs
UKHC
more More MORE
The murderer Jonathan Ross told his neighbors he was a botanist,
because he was ashamed of being an ICE agent.
They can wear a mask to hide their face,
but the mask will never hide their sins and their shame.
SEEK FORGIVENESS FROM YOUR GOD, ICE AGENT.
YOU WILL NOT RECEIVE IT FROM ANYONE ELSE
