So what was your entre into the world where denim, leather n’ demonology reign supreme? Where you adore the goat and sway to the symphony of deee-struction? Every man (or woman) has a tale to tell. Here’s mine. You’re gonna hear a lot of names you might be unfamiliar with, especially if you’re a member of Attack Attack! (Or just plain anyone under 23!) You’re gonna be thinking, “Damn, this fucker is old!” Yeah, well just remember that I’ve seen seen stuff that would make you shit Perrier with jealousy. I’m definitely old enough to have seen Minor Threat, Cliff Burton-era Metallica… the list goes on… before most of you were a tadpole in yer pappy’s population paste.

Let’s start at Discharge. I could go back and trace the whole history of early 80’s hardcore for you, but neither of us have the time or attention span. Let’s just say, the minute I heard these Stroke-on-Trent monsters of the nuclear reactor riff on the monstrous Hear Nothing, See Nothing, Say Nothing album, I nearly pissed my pants. It was the gateway to something far heavier than I had ever heard on a scratchy 7” from the new record store that had opened in Boston called Newbury Comics.

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Without Tesco Vee, Touch & Go would not exist. Without Touch & Go, we might never have heard Big Black and Scratch Acid, nor their antecedents Shellac and The Jesus Lizard. So for that alone we should all give thanks and praise to him. Then, of course, there’s The Meatmen, which remains his gas-guzzling off road vehicle for obnoxious, offensive, and olfactory sounds, as evident as ever on this year’s self-released Pope On A Rope. Fresh off a decade-long hiatus and reignited ’cause it feels so good, Tesco’s act has got a few shows lined up next week in Philadelphia, New York City, and Cambridge/Boston, and Satan willing he’ll have a whole mess of merchandise and CDs in tow. Perhaps the new DVD The Devil’s In The Details Volume 1, full of footage and filth from the last 28 years, might be available too! Go on, East Coasters, and treat yourself to meat. But for now, feast your eyes on this recent live footage replete with classic Tesco banter.

-GS