Hard Response

brooklyn - 8-17-2007 at 06:42 AM

...is BACK. Their new album is hardhitting metallic HC. get it. It's a DYI release that deserves a listen!!

Check out www.hardresponse.com (where you can also download their old material)

JawnDiablo - 8-17-2007 at 06:57 AM

i remember them
we booked a show at my pals parent's bar in North Philly.
they were one of the only bands to show up
damn 94 seems like a ong time ago

Siczine.com - 8-17-2007 at 02:45 PM

These guys are the shit.

hardtone - 8-17-2007 at 03:21 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by juandiablo
i remember them
we booked a show at my pals parent's bar in North Philly.
they were one of the only bands to show up
damn 94 seems like a ong time ago

I remember that bar; it could have been a good show if all the other bands graced our presence by making an appearance.

Thanks for the kind words?

DAK - 8-17-2007 at 03:27 PM

I dig it.

hardtone - 8-17-2007 at 03:36 PM

Hit us up on MySpace...

JawnDiablo - 8-17-2007 at 04:04 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by hardtone

Quote:

Originally posted by juandiablo
i remember them
we booked a show at my pals parent's bar in North Philly.
they were one of the only bands to show up
damn 94 seems like a ong time ago

I remember that bar; it could have been a good show if all the other bands graced our presence by making an appearance.

Thanks for the kind words?

it was a pretty good place , but avoing getting shot walking from the car to the bar was a different situation all together.
all the dudes that came up with yous were nice dudes too.

hardtone - 8-18-2007 at 02:34 PM

True I came back from THIS IS HARDCORE, and that area was a trainwreck also. Hardcore shows are always hosted in the nicest areas...

Siczine.com - 8-18-2007 at 03:27 PM

Got to love the sketchy venue, the shortlived Boiler Room in Philly closed because kids wouldn't go because it was in North Philly.

JawnDiablo - 8-18-2007 at 04:22 PM

I don't go into N Philly either. I like coming out to my car and having all 4 wheels there....

ENDERA.x - 8-18-2007 at 06:20 PM

Awesome band.
The new shit on the Myspace is really good.

From the HR blog:

New CD is out. It's the perfect soundtrack for a bad day...
Current mood: Disgusted
Category: Disgusted Music

Here we are? It's 2007 and I'm still in disbelief as to the state of this world. We as a people, as a race of so called intelligent beings have pushed ourselves down the path of extinction. We ignore strong scientific evidence that we are destroying this planet. We support our leaders that use religion to manipulate our perception while they execute their profitable agenda. We alienate ourselves globally only increasing the probability of being attacked. We allow the media to numb our minds with who is fucking Paris Hilton, while our overly stretched armed forces have their active duty extended to 15 months. We buy into this bullshit marketing campaign that the drug company's push convincing us there is a magic pill solution for every one of their fabricated syndromes.

Maybe I'm the fool? Maybe I should take drugs, go to church, believe that our journalists & politicians are telling the truth, and throw my trash in a local park stream while coasting through life thinking we are the best in the world. At what point do we realize that our constitution was designed to prevent this nation from becoming what it is today.

With all this being said "Hostile Environment" pretty much sums up how I feel today. As a father and a husband I often wonder what my children's life will be like if we continue to ignore the truth and proceed with our present course. In each passing day I lose faith in humanities abilities to prevent our own uncertain future?

~tone

JawnDiablo - 8-18-2007 at 07:00 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by ENDERA.x
Awesome band.
The new shit on the Myspace is really good.

From the HR blog:

New CD is out. It's the perfect soundtrack for a bad day...
Current mood: Disgusted
Category: Disgusted Music

Here we are? It's 2007 and I'm still in disbelief as to the state of this world. We as a people, as a race of so called intelligent beings have pushed ourselves down the path of extinction. We ignore strong scientific evidence that we are destroying this planet. We support our leaders that use religion to manipulate our perception while they execute their profitable agenda. We alienate ourselves globally only increasing the probability of being attacked. We allow the media to numb our minds with who is fucking Paris Hilton, while our overly stretched armed forces have their active duty extended to 15 months. We buy into this bullshit marketing campaign that the drug company's push convincing us there is a magic pill solution for every one of their fabricated syndromes.

Maybe I'm the fool? Maybe I should take drugs, go to church, believe that our journalists & politicians are telling the truth, and throw my trash in a local park stream while coasting through life thinking we are the best in the world. At what point do we realize that our constitution was designed to prevent this nation from becoming what it is today.

With all this being said "Hostile Environment" pretty much sums up how I feel today. As a father and a husband I often wonder what my children's life will be like if we continue to ignore the truth and proceed with our present course. In each passing day I lose faith in humanities abilities to prevent our own uncertain future?

~tone

fuck that's what I think every fuckin day....

DaveMoral - 8-19-2007 at 01:17 AM

THAT's a great blog.

I think about that shit all the time. I don't know what can prevent or head off a certain doom... maybe nothing. I believe in the end times prophecies of Islam... so maybe there's nothing we can do because a sufficient number of people won't awaken to the bullshit that's going down AND do something about it. Maybe most of us need to be wiped out, starting in the so-called developed world, to bring some sanity back to the planet. Let Mama Nature come back into some sort of balance and then work towards keeping our heads on straight as our species grows out of its new dark age and into, hopefully, a more enlightened one where mankind lives in harmony with Earth and Heaven.

CR83 - 8-20-2007 at 11:28 AM

Just clicked the site and checked the media section. Fantastic stuff. I don't even think it needs more cow bell.

Good shit. Thanks for the heads up.

BDx13 - 8-20-2007 at 05:46 PM

first off, tone, great to have you here on the thorp board.

i can't even begin guess how many times i saw hard response back in the day. coming up in west chester, and with these dudes right in DE, they were always playing nearby - Philly, Unisound, wherever. i think they were the only hardcore band from delaware back in 1990!

hardtone - 8-21-2007 at 04:50 PM

Thanks BD; I'm surprised anybody remembers us. There must be a lot of PA/Philly people on this board.

On a different note, are there any decent labels that are looking for bands, right now? We have self-released our second record ?Hostile Environment?, but are having trouble on the distribution side of things. I see other bands cropping up and signing deals fairly quickly but it seems like we are invisible to the current Hardcore labels. Back in our day, we never had so much trouble getting on a small label, now shit it tuff.

Any ideas?

Siczine.com - 8-21-2007 at 05:23 PM

Have you tried the local Spook City Records?

hardtone - 8-21-2007 at 06:03 PM

Spookcity folded
Abacus folded
Malfuction merged with Deathwish

We sent stuff to the following lables:

CREEP/BLACKOUT RECORDS
EULOGY RECORDINGS
ORGANIZED CRIME RECORDS
ALVERAN RECORDS
DEATHWISH RECORDS
SPOOK CITY RECORDS
THORP RECORDS
BRIDGE NINE RECORDS
STILLBORN RECORDS
TRUSTKILL RECORDS

None of them got back to us...

ENDERA.x - 8-21-2007 at 09:32 PM

try Bridge 9?

Siczine.com - 8-22-2007 at 03:27 PM

For maybe a start...try a389 records, they aren't as big as the labels mentioned but they specialize in bringing back bands into the minds of todays generations.
Could also try 1917 Records which has worked with Guns Up, Donnybrook, Life or Death etc,.

ENDERA.x - 8-22-2007 at 05:08 PM

1917 are a great label.
yeah try them, and, Bridge 9.

Also look into Rivalry Rec.

JUICE MAYNE MSHC - 8-22-2007 at 05:26 PM

getting on a label is almost 100% who you know. You really have to know someone at whatever label or have a good friend who does. It's how my band got on Thorp, and how I got my brother's band on Spook City, and how they're on Double Or Nothing now.

hardtone - 8-22-2007 at 10:32 PM

I think you are right juice, I'll check out Rivalry Records, 1917 Records, and Double Or Nothing Records. At this point it can't hurt to send them something. I know Dom from a389 Records, but I thought he was too busy with Pulling Teeth...

BDx13 - 8-22-2007 at 11:18 PM

in considering the labels mentioned, a389 sounds like it might be a good fit. especially if you know dom.

just out of curiousity, how is Hard Response being billed these days? you guys started playing out again just last year, right? so i guess what i'm asking is... when you started up again, where you being booked as this old-school band that was coming out of retirement and immeditely landing top slots, or was it like "who? you can go on first!"

hardtone - 8-23-2007 at 01:20 AM

We are booked as an old-school band...

We have been really lucky when it comes to landing decent shows, so we kind of skipped over the "you can go on first" thing. I would say when it has comes to line-up placement, we have been in the middle usually just before the headlining band. So I can?t complain about that?

Here is the list of bands we have shared the stage with since getting back together:

20 Bulls Each
25 Ta Life
Agnostic Front
All Else Failed
All Out War
Bad Luck 13
Bloodclot
Blackthroat
Billy Club Sandwich
Bulldog Courage
Colin of Arabia
Diehard
Death Before Dishonor
Dead & Buried
EveryDayDollars
Few And The Proud
Barricade
Gut Instinct
Homicidal
Kingdom
Necktie
Pulling Teeth
Madball
NJ Bloodline
Ramallah
Reign Supreme
Redtops
Since The Flood
Shattered Realm
Stormwatch
Strength For A Reason
Stout
SugarDaddie
Seventh Star
Taken By Force
Underdog
Unyoung Heroes
Walleye
Wisdom In Chains

This is to name a few?

Muttley - 8-23-2007 at 01:56 AM

Tone I gotta talk to you about settin some shit up in Dware.

bombidol - 8-25-2007 at 03:06 AM

Just joined the boards. We (20 Bulls Each) played with HR in Delaware a few weeks ago and they were fucking awesome. One of the better bands we've played with in our 6 years together by far. Enjoyed their set a whole lot and the guys were real nice to us, real stand up dudes.
We are havin the same problem label wise, we have a split CD comin out this year with a band from San Fran (we are from Ireland) and we are lookin to get a label involved but its a nightmare.

BDx13 - 8-25-2007 at 08:46 AM

yo, what's up bombidol? welcome to the thorp boards.
a few members were talking your band up just a few weeks ago - good stuff!

my guess as to why you (or any other band for that matter) may be having a hard time finding a label to work with is that the industry sucks at the moment. unless you're looking at a band with a significant and reliable sales history, the question of whether or not you'll actually make back the money you invest in production and marketing (never mind actually turning a profit) is a big one. sucks.

bombidol - 8-25-2007 at 02:19 PM

Yeah man, Its driving us nuts. We've put out all our last few CDs ourselves but its getting to the stage where we need help to get stuff out there. I mean we are on iTunes and shit but physical CD sales we need someone to fight for us.
Anyway back to HR, awesome band!

hardtone - 8-25-2007 at 10:44 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Muttley
Tone I gotta talk to you about settin some shit up in Dware.

Yeah hit me up...

Hey bombidol,

How did the rest of your tour go?

Yeah it's defiantly getting harder to get any kind of label support. I check out some of the ?SIGNED BANDS? in hardcore today, and about half of them are really shitty when it comes to writing goods songs. I mean we could write a 3-minute breakdown, but that would be boring to listen to?

bombidol - 8-27-2007 at 01:01 PM

Tour went pretty well man, sold out of merch and CDs so thats always a good sign. Doing a split CD with The Sick outta San Fran later this year so lookin for a label to get involved www.myspace.com/thesick
Just got home from the states this mornin!

hardtone - 9-1-2007 at 04:36 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by BD
yo, what's up bombidol? welcome to the thorp boards.
a few members were talking your band up just a few weeks ago - good stuff!

my guess as to why you (or any other band for that matter) may be having a hard time finding a label to work with is that the industry sucks at the moment. unless you're looking at a band with a significant and reliable sales history, the question of whether or not you'll actually make back the money you invest in production and marketing (never mind actually turning a profit) is a big one. sucks.

I hear what your saying BD, but right now we are already planning our next CD and Hostile just got released in April.

I agree with bombidol we can only do so much internally before you need an external resource to lend a hand. It?s not like we are expecting a label to do everything for us so we can sit back and do nothing.

I do all the booking,
Write 80% of the lyrics
Manage the web site & MySpace page
Design the graphics, including web banners and most web-based content, all HR show flyers, logos & t-shirt art
I research web-based zines & labels for reviews & press kit submissions.
And of coarse message board trolling like RIGHT NOW?

Chris my guitar player does web development like online email components (in the works)
Setting up paypal accounts, merch buttons & updating the merch info for new products.
Setting up merchant accounts with CD Baby, InterPunk, Amazon, and Itunes.
Mailing out CDs for reviews & press kit submissions.
Coordinating the printing of all shirts, stickers and making sure what I design is prepped for the printing process?

Plus Chris and me designed the layout for our last CD and coordinated the pressing of it as well.

We are not lazy by any stretch, but can a nigga get one rib? Just one?

Jason the Magnificent - 9-1-2007 at 08:05 PM

ah just saw this thread...you guys are running a tighter operation than most record labels. I really don't see what else you could get from a label that you aren't already doing yourselves.

hardtone - 9-1-2007 at 10:36 PM

Brick & mortar distribution and some external resources would be helpful. See the problem with only having online access to your music is that most people just download it for free. People have told us they love the CD but they downloaded it (for free, how can I get mad). So it?s good for spreading your sound but doesn?t help to raise money to finance the next release. That?s what we are trying to accomplish to make the band self-sustaining financially speaking?

Labels especially European ones can help subsidize the workload and help book the bands on some of these fests that are going on in Europe. Right now we need to establish more domestic & international connections (with promoters) for this purpose and to start outsourcing the design work for logo & shirts (which we have started to do).

Maybe your right Jason, maybe a label wouldn?t be all that much better, who knows?

Murk - 9-1-2007 at 10:43 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by hardtone
People have told us they love the CD but they downloaded it.

that's fucked up.

hardtone - 9-1-2007 at 11:31 PM

Kids are cheap, not me if I really like a band I buy the CD and rip it to my IPOD then shelve the CD for back-up copy.

Jason the Magnificent - 9-1-2007 at 11:32 PM

Have you sent your CD's to Very and Rev? Any record store that will order things for kids that come in and ask can order through their distributors that somehow get stuff from Very and Rev. You have to think too that some kid isn't going into Tower records looking for a Hard Response CD. Sure, it's nice to have your CD sitting on the rack for some kid who otherwise wouldn't know about you...but you have to realistically consider how often that is...1 in 10,000? It's different if you're on a MAJOR major where you have ads everywhere and point of purchase displays, etc...but for a HC band...its a rock and a hard place really.

Most bigger labels, Thorp and B9 being two of the most notable don't readily have stuff available in record stores unless some employee is in the know.

A record label can definitely help with promotion, but then again...where do you really see this stuff promoted? On the net. I'm not seeing Thorp, B9 or Spook City ads in Rolling Stone...so again, it's all a matter of how much of the headache/footwork you want to shoulder yourself.

Murk - 9-1-2007 at 11:45 PM

maybe i read too much into it.

if i "love" a CD, it's gettin' bought.

hardtone - 9-1-2007 at 11:50 PM

I did buy both RAMALLAH CDs from the Virgin Record store, and my drummer got his copy of "Kill A Celebrity" from Best Buy. Plus believe it or not Hot Topic carries Facedown Records releases (not that I like any of those bands). Just using that for more of an example. Some HC labels do have decent distro when it comes to the medium sized record chains; obviously I?m not talking about Wal-Mart or Target, but Tower fits that example?

And we have not tried to start a distro deal with Very or Rev, but that is a good idea though.

Thanks bro...

Jason the Magnificent - 9-2-2007 at 12:17 AM

Yeah try it, basically send them a copy of the Cd and the one sheet if you have one and in a week or two get ahold of them and ask if they want any. Very will take anything, Rev is slightly pickier. Usually if they want it they'll take 10 CD's and see what happens.

RevDistribution / Attn: Adam Lentz
7456 Lorge Circle
Huntington Beach, CA 92647

I forget who the contact is at Very, but if you send it to the address on their site and write "attention purchasing" on the bottom you'd be fine, or call them and ask who to direct it to.

You can also sell CD's over at interpunk.com again, not bricks and mortar, but another place to have some CD's at and since they only take like 5 at a time its nothing to stress over...if they sell send them more.

hardtone - 9-2-2007 at 09:41 PM

Here is the online distro we sell through: