Deathwish Inc. signs 108

BDx13 - 1-12-2007 at 10:53 AM

eathwish Inc. has officially added 108 to their roster. Here's the official word:

To this day, the message conveyed on the first flier announcing the formation of 108 perfectly encapsulates the purpose of the band - "Direct Expression. Bypass mind. Bypass intellect. Self to Sound. Against the dead trend. The robot me. The modern social entity stripped of color and vibrancy. Not philosophy. Not religion. True self expressed in sound."

Simply put, 108 has meant a lot of things to a lot of people over the past 14 years, but the initial announcement of the band's arrival on the punk scene in the fall of 1992 remains the most apt description of its guiding spirit. In the 4 years following its formation, 108 constantly toured the US and Europe, releasing 3 extremely popular studio LP's, an EP, a live LP, and various songs on different compilations. When the guitar player decided to intensify his studies in Hinduism in 1996, 108 disbanded.

Fast forward to the summer of 2005 when 108 was asked to play a set at festival. In preparation for this event, the group holed up in a practice studio during the week of the show and found that there was still a natural spark between them and that their old songs had taken on a new life. Two days prior to the show, the festival was cancelled. Within 24 hours, however, 2 shows were put together in Philadelphia. It was at these shows that the excitement of the crowds fueled the energy the band felt in reuniting and prompted the arrangement of a 7-show tour, on the East and West Coasts, in the spring of 2006.

The passion and energy they felt earlier was further nurtured when playing these next 7 shows, which confirmed 108's desire to continue playing and composing again. Over the summer, the band saw the release of Creation. Sustenance. Destruction., a 36-song discography on Equal Vision Records documenting their original output of music, followed by 4 more shows across the US and a quick 10 day, 10-show tour of Europe covering 6 countries. During this period, they began writing new music, and it became clear that the best was yet to come.

The heaviness and intensity of 108's music, fused with the band's spiritual, political, ethical, emotional, and intellectual underpinnings, is an unlikely marriage but one that produces a powerful synthesis in the world of heavy music. The songs on this demo typify this synthesis, with lyrics that speak to our soul-destroying world - "Lose our minds, one day at a time when pain is all we see. Void humanity with stories at 11, monetary interests (define the) bottom line. Lose our soul, one verse at a time when words overcome feeling. Not a lack of this nor a lack of that, it's just our kind. Is this what I wanted to be? I'm dying for something I never wanted to be." (from "Our Kind")

No one can deny that fake fashion posturing and lifeless clone music are on the verge of killing heavy music. Revolted by these trends, those who followed 108, even those who thought they had outgrown the genre, are responding to the band's psychedelic noise infusion, brutal riffage, and incisive lyrics with enthusiasm and profound relief. Those who never experienced the band before have been given access to a band that changes their perception of what a punk band can be. On an undeniable rampage, 108 is shocking listeners back to consciousness and getting them thinking again, feeling again, and banging their heads in defiance at the near-death of heavy music with a message.

In February 2007 the band will record their new album with Kurt Ballou at Godcity studios, to be released on Deathwish later in 2007. In support of this new album, 108 also plans to tour and play shows through the US, Europe, Japan and South America in 2007.

All of us at Deathwish are truly proud to be working with such a landmark creative entity in 108. When they formed, their music and ethos opened up a world of soul and heart within the hardcore/punk community that changed this scene forever. Their ripple effect of influence continues on to this day. We are honored to be part of their legacy...

Robert Fish/Rasaraja - Vocals
Vic Dicara - Guitar/Vocals
Trivikrama dasa - Bass
Tom Hogan - Drums

BDx13 - 1-12-2007 at 10:55 AM

first off, that's a lot of words about a hardcore band.

was anyone into 108 back in the day? i don't think i ever really listened to 'em.

Voodoobillyman - 1-12-2007 at 11:08 AM

Nope, I didn't dig any of that Krishna core crap

Discipline - 1-12-2007 at 03:27 PM

Thought they sucked.

JUICE MAYNE MSHC - 1-12-2007 at 03:37 PM

I thought they sucked too. The first time I saw that NYHC Documentary I watched it with the dudes from AF before a show and every time 108 came on the screen Stigma yelled out "FAST FORWARD!!!!"

Discipline - 1-12-2007 at 03:45 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by JUICE MAYNE MSHC
I thought they sucked too. The first time I saw that NYHC Documentary I watched it with the dudes from AF before a show and every time 108 came on the screen Stigma yelled out "FAST FORWARD!!!!"

Same thing I do when I watch that.

tireironsaint - 1-12-2007 at 03:47 PM

Fuckin' brain handle sportin' idiots. How can a band that is one of the biggest Krishna bands claim to not be religious?

stateofdisgrace - 1-12-2007 at 04:01 PM

not a big fan............

Siczine.com - 1-12-2007 at 05:10 PM

I'm a fan. I don't get down with the whole Krishna thing but that doesn't stop me from enjoying the Cro-Mags. Plus they craft some awesome songs and when the lyrics aren't dealing directly with Krishna they are quite moving. But hey to each his own.

moron - 1-12-2007 at 05:26 PM

I bought one of their albums once. It was all one track which pissed me off so I gave it away to someone. I can't say that's really giving them a fair chance, but it is what it is.

clevohardcore - 1-12-2007 at 05:54 PM

I love this band. 108 were awsome on record AND live. Saw them in 1995 in ERIE PA w/ OVERCAST and a couple other bands. Great show.

"songs of seperation" is and will always be one of the greatest recordings in my eyes. It is the closest thing of real emotion that can be conveyed on cd.

If you listen to that record you can feel real hardcore. Get past all that bullshit of "its krishna crap" Look at it with what it really is. It's hardcore at its finest.

tireironsaint - 1-12-2007 at 07:47 PM

Hardcore at it's finest? Are you on crack? That shit was nothing new, nothing special and wouldn't have ever made a ripple in the water if it weren't for the whole Krishna invasion of the scene. Fuck that shit. I had to deal with the assholes trying to push that shit on kids at shows I put on and I will never forgive them for their part in destroying Hardcore.

Siczine.com - 1-12-2007 at 09:57 PM

Damn dude, it's his opinion. Doesn't mean he has to be on crack to think that. You hate Madball too, but guess what a lot of people would say they are one of their favorite bands, are they on crack too? It's fine you don't like them but don't be an asshole because you don't agree.

tireironsaint - 1-13-2007 at 04:30 AM

Maybe I am being an asshole, but calling something like 108 "Hardcore at it's finest" makes about as much sense to me as calling The Eagles a Honky Tonk band. Obviously, we're all entitled to our own opinions and while there is a good bit of common ground on this board, there are those of us who lie on opposite ends of the spectrum from each other. I do tend to state my opinion in no uncertain terms, but I just call it like I see it. I'm not out to directly insult anyone here, for the most part I think this is a great bunch of people, but just as I do with people I'm around in daily life, I speak my mind in here.

I realize that I'm fairly abrasive on occasion, but it does surprise me a little when that's seen as shocking by people involved in the Hard Core and Punk scenes. I guess it just goes back to how I came up in the scene, having strong opinions was always a large piece of what it meant to me. I know I had to fight for what I thought and even for how I looked, speaking your mind was just another aspect of that.

In all honesty, isn't it a little odd that it's ok for any of us to call out the kids who call that fashioncore emo shit "hardcore", but it's not ok for me to state things the same way about some Krishna band or thugged out Metal band? I think to a certain extent most of us are fairly protective of what we call Hard Core or Punk and aren't afraid to call out people who try to lump us in with Mall Punks or whatever the latest fashion trend that claims to be HC is nowadays. Is what I said any different from that?

I'm also not speaking from prejudice or ignorance on the subject. I was always looking for the next big thing in HC when the Krishna thing came up big. I can admit that I had Shelter and 108 records when they first came out. I tried to see where that road would lead and some of the sounds they put out weren't that different from bands that I still listen to, but when you're leading a bunch of kids into something like a spiritual cult there's a line that's been crossed. I know there are bands that have involved themselves in some of this stuff and they bring it up in their music without coming across as a recruitment drive, Cro-Mags for example. But when you take people who were big names in the SxE scene and have them start heading down that path, there are a lot of impressionable young kids that get swept along and get wrapped up in some fucked up shit. That's why I take such strong issue with Shelter and 108 in particular. They brought the cult mentality to their shows and scenes. They made Krishna out to be the next step in a lifestyle choice that a lot of young kids were taking very seriously. I saw some people get damaged by this shit. I saw a lot of fucked up shit go down with this thing. I remember when Krishna temples were popping up all over the place and their devotees were coming to shows to run recruitment drives on all the kids. Suddenly we had to deal with the fact that there was a secretive religious cult feeding on our scene. I personally had to deal with these people coming from their temples and expecting free admittance to shows so that they could set up tables to try to get kids involved in their shit. Without contributing anything to the scene, they wanted to feed off of it to expand their ranks. I had these people threaten to call the cops to get my shows shut down if I didn't let them come in and set up tables (taking up room we didn't have to give) without even paying the cover charge that we needed to have in order to be able to pay the bands and rent the space we were putting the shows on in. Fuck that.

I guess I got a bit off topic there, but the thought of religion infiltrating the scene still drives me nuts. Does what I said make anymore sense to you now? Again, I'm not trying to insult anyone for their personal opinion, but I firmly believe we all have the right to voice our opinions however we see fit. Toes get stepped on sometimes, but as long as nobody's actually TRYING to stomp on feet I think it's an acceptable consequence.

BDx13 - 1-13-2007 at 11:36 AM

^ wow, i'm coming bakc to read that later!

Discipline - 1-13-2007 at 11:40 AM

I like reading Saint's replies to shit simply because of the honesty.

Plus sometimes they make me laugh my ass off, even when directed at me or something I like.

clevohardcore - 1-13-2007 at 12:53 PM

108 was great. Listen to SONGS OF SEPERATION and tell me that cd doesn't kick ass. I was around back them too and ya the Krishna thing was different but it was part of hardcore.

I ain't goingot defend this anymore. Everyone has there choice in what to listen to. 108 jammed. It was cool to diss on them for there view on religion but one thing is sure that they jammed. Religion aside that band kicked ass.

thedog - 1-13-2007 at 04:36 PM

never liked em.
never bought any of their albums, and i wont be buying this one.

Siczine.com - 1-13-2007 at 06:11 PM

Yeah, I can understand where you're coming from, and I appreciate the fact that you can be blatantly honest.

You brought up a good point, you're right most people are hypocrites. Everyone likes to diss the emo kids, the christian hardcore shit, and I'm guilty of that shit too so I guess I'm one but I think the vast majority of mankind is one way or another. Just what I've seen from people it seems everyone has something contradictory in their personality.

I can certainly understand you not liking any form of religion being pushed upon people in shows and on albums. I can't stand any of that shit either honestly, however, that doesn't stop me from listening to a band that has a different view on the world as long as they aren't pushing it on me. I've never met 108 or seen them live, so if you say that they were pushing shit on people I definitely take your word for it. But, sometimes to me a band is so good they can transcend those boundaries. Cro-Mags weren't the best of people, shit they couldn't even get along half the time but boy if AOQ isn't a classic. To me 108 is a band that does that for me, and it seems Clevohardcore sees eye to eye with me on that.
But with all that said, you're right we all have our opinions and we are more than entitled to them. But I just felt you were being a bit harsh to someone that was just politely giving their 2 cents. I mean, I guess that's a little PC but I just think if someone treats your opinion with respect the least you could do is return the favor.

Quote:

Originally posted by tireironsaint
Maybe I am being an asshole, but calling something like 108 "Hardcore at it's finest" makes about as much sense to me as calling The Eagles a Honky Tonk band. Obviously, we're all entitled to our own opinions and while there is a good bit of common ground on this board, there are those of us who lie on opposite ends of the spectrum from each other. I do tend to state my opinion in no uncertain terms, but I just call it like I see it. I'm not out to directly insult anyone here, for the most part I think this is a great bunch of people, but just as I do with people I'm around in daily life, I speak my mind in here.

I realize that I'm fairly abrasive on occasion, but it does surprise me a little when that's seen as shocking by people involved in the Hard Core and Punk scenes. I guess it just goes back to how I came up in the scene, having strong opinions was always a large piece of what it meant to me. I know I had to fight for what I thought and even for how I looked, speaking your mind was just another aspect of that.

In all honesty, isn't it a little odd that it's ok for any of us to call out the kids who call that fashioncore emo shit "hardcore", but it's not ok for me to state things the same way about some Krishna band or thugged out Metal band? I think to a certain extent most of us are fairly protective of what we call Hard Core or Punk and aren't afraid to call out people who try to lump us in with Mall Punks or whatever the latest fashion trend that claims to be HC is nowadays. Is what I said any different from that?

I'm also not speaking from prejudice or ignorance on the subject. I was always looking for the next big thing in HC when the Krishna thing came up big. I can admit that I had Shelter and 108 records when they first came out. I tried to see where that road would lead and some of the sounds they put out weren't that different from bands that I still listen to, but when you're leading a bunch of kids into something like a spiritual cult there's a line that's been crossed. I know there are bands that have involved themselves in some of this stuff and they bring it up in their music without coming across as a recruitment drive, Cro-Mags for example. But when you take people who were big names in the SxE scene and have them start heading down that path, there are a lot of impressionable young kids that get swept along and get wrapped up in some fucked up shit. That's why I take such strong issue with Shelter and 108 in particular. They brought the cult mentality to their shows and scenes. They made Krishna out to be the next step in a lifestyle choice that a lot of young kids were taking very seriously. I saw some people get damaged by this shit. I saw a lot of fucked up shit go down with this thing. I remember when Krishna temples were popping up all over the place and their devotees were coming to shows to run recruitment drives on all the kids. Suddenly we had to deal with the fact that there was a secretive religious cult feeding on our scene. I personally had to deal with these people coming from their temples and expecting free admittance to shows so that they could set up tables to try to get kids involved in their shit. Without contributing anything to the scene, they wanted to feed off of it to expand their ranks. I had these people threaten to call the cops to get my shows shut down if I didn't let them come in and set up tables (taking up room we didn't have to give) without even paying the cover charge that we needed to have in order to be able to pay the bands and rent the space we were putting the shows on in. Fuck that.

I guess I got a bit off topic there, but the thought of religion infiltrating the scene still drives me nuts. Does what I said make anymore sense to you now? Again, I'm not trying to insult anyone for their personal opinion, but I firmly believe we all have the right to voice our opinions however we see fit. Toes get stepped on sometimes, but as long as nobody's actually TRYING to stomp on feet I think it's an acceptable consequence.

tireironsaint - 1-13-2007 at 08:24 PM

I understand where you're coming from and in all honesty, I'm not trying to disrespect anyone. Sometimes my tone isn't nearly as clear in print as it would be in person. Haven't you ever heard a friend or acquaintance say something that sounded ridiculous to you and you said something along the lines of "are you on crack?" to them with a smile on your face? Maybe if I hadn't coupled that statement with a mini-rant about the band it wouldn't have seemed so harsh, but that's the way it came out.

clevohardcore - 1-13-2007 at 10:09 PM

When it comes to tireiron and most everyone that posts on here regularly I see no dissrespect. Now if some newjack comes to the board and starts talking shit well then a mesageboard-war is on until the douche gets off the board. Tireiron and others have different opinions and that is alot better than having tireiron say 108 is good just to say they are good because I did or sicczine did.

Thats why I post on Thorp and nowhere else anymore. I value everyone regular here. Everyone is honest and doesn't start shit. We talk about music and everything under the sun without much drama. It's cool here.

The only thing personal with tireiron is his dislike for 108. And thats cool. Tireiron just had bad taste thats all.

clevohardcore - 1-13-2007 at 10:10 PM

did anyone even like the 108 song I put on the christmas cd?

Siczine.com - 1-13-2007 at 10:51 PM

I think it's not only mature but cool as shit that people on here can disagree and talk it over without resorting to petty nonsense that's one of the many reasons I have gravitated towards this boards more than any other.
Tireironsaint, I get you. I guess I forget this messageboard is a lot different then the average board. I know what you mean, half the shit me and my boys say amongst each other would catch looks from outsiders. My fault for jumping down your throat and shit, I just assumed which was a mistake.

Jason the Magnificent - 1-14-2007 at 02:42 AM

All I ever heard was the stuff from the NYHC doc and it was some of the worst stuff I've ever heard and I like some shitty music.

Maybe theres somthing that isn't chug chug deedle dee music by them?

tireironsaint - 1-14-2007 at 04:08 AM

It's cool Sic, I understand why you were defensive on it and as I said, I'm kinda known for being an abrasive motherfucker. These things come up from time to time and I think clearing the air occasionally helps us all keep on the same wavelength and not end up being one of those messageboards loaded with nothing but drama.

JawnDiablo - 1-15-2007 at 07:02 AM

I just couldn't get onboard for any of that hairy kristmas shit.

clevohardcore - 1-15-2007 at 07:19 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Boycott Christian HC
There was a great article called "When I was a teenage Hare Krishna" or something like that, where Vic 108 explained what really went down in the days of krishna core and his stance on everything... Can't seem to find it anymore... But yeah, his views might be closer to tireironsaint's than you think.

^^^^^ This is true. And that is what I mean by giving this band a chance. what they represented then and now is different.

Siczine.com - 1-15-2007 at 03:09 PM

Quote:

http://www.static-void.org/Zine/Frames.asp?id=47

There's the link to the article.

Discipline - 1-15-2007 at 05:14 PM

That was really interesting to read. Thanks for posting that.

Siczine.com - 1-15-2007 at 06:20 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by clevohardcore

Quote:

^^^^^ This is true. And that is what I mean by giving this band a chance. what they represented then and now is different.

Yes and if you actually read the lyrics, like the song Woman for instance, that song goes against the grain of Krishna beliefs.

clevohardcore - 1-15-2007 at 11:40 PM

O man that song kicks ass.

Voodoobillyman - 1-16-2007 at 12:30 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by juandiablo
I just couldn't get onboard for any of that hairy kristmas shit.