by Jason Walsh
Special to Louisville.com
That time of year is upon us when the weather starts getting hot, school is a fading memory, and tour buses begin fueling up as rock stars stumble aboard awaiting chanting multitudes in stadiums, amphitheatres, and fields around the country. Yes, the summer festival season has begun, and with that comes astronomical ticket prices amplified by unreasonable service charges, exorbitant parking fees, $12 beers, and merch booths who have tripled their prices since the winter tours. In order to have a good time this summer, many have to pick and chose which tour to attend and then take out a loan to make it there. On top of all this classical corporate swindling, the nation is still in a recession, many people have lost their jobs this past year and are scraping by with little to nothing, leaving their entertainment funds practically nonexistent.
However, there is another option. Members within the hardcore community have come together and created a summer alternative that echoes back to the days of the infamous “Sunday Matinees.” The 10 for $10 Tour will feature ten incredible hardcore acts for a mere ten bucks allowing fans to see hours upon hours of great music without breaking the bank.
“This tour will get a lot of attention,” said Freddy Cricien of Madball. “Look at the bands involved. Some are more established than others but regardless, you have some of the best ‘staple’ and ‘up-and comers’ in the game. If you’re into hardcore or just heavy music in general, you should not miss this show. It’ll be a great one top to bottom.”
Madball will be one of the shared headliners on this year’s 10 for $10 Tour which kicks off on July 9, hitting 32 venues, including Headliners Music Hall in Louisville on July 14. The lineup will be slightly shifting, with bands popping on and off, but the roster is impressive: MADBALL, POISON THE WELL, BANE, TERROR, DEATH BEFORE DISHONOR, VISION OF DISORDER, TRAPPED UNDER ICE, THE GHOST INSIDE, VISION, THE MONGOLOIDS, CRIME IN STEREO, WAR OF AGES, THIS IS HELL.
“I’m very excited to be a part of this for numerous reasons,” Cricien said. “The underground music scene, hardcore in particular needs a tour like this right now. It’s great for the bands involved of course and it’s especially cool for people coming out to support it. Times are tough right now financially. You can’t really beat getting to see this caliber of bands for the price.”
Boston’s Death Before Dishonor just released their latest offering, “Better Ways To Die,” which shows their continued growth and evolution as musicians. Vocalist Bryan Harris agreed that participating in this event was great for the bands and fans alike.
“It’s the coolest thing I ever heard,” Harris said. “I think when you have a ticket price like ten dollars, it makes it a lot more attractive to people, whether they’re into hardcore or not, to go see an event for ten bucks. Exposure alone is great, the bands we get to tour with is going to be fun, and it does hit just about every market. It’s just great for the hardcore and metal core community.”
One of the older bands on the lineup this year is Poison the Well. The guys from South Florida are also co-headlining and one of the few that will be hitting every venue along the way. Guitarist Ryan Primack believes it’s a great opportunity for exposing fans to music they might not otherwise see.
“For any band as far as I see it, playing shows and just getting out there and just playing music you love, that’s got to be the best thing ever,” Primack said. “I also think that for the kids coming to shows, this is great. You may like one or two of the bands but you get to see ten bands. It’s going to be great because it’s a lot of honest music in one day.”
Terror from Los Angeles were on board from the beginning. Frontman Scott Vogel was in talks with organizer Tim Borror from inception and was ready to hit the road from the start.
“The whole thing is amazing,” Vogel said. “First of all, I get to tour again with my favorite band ever, Madball. I know music is something people will always spend their money on cause there are lots of people out there that need music just like I do in this fucked up world or we’re lost. But with this low door price and cool lineup, it gives all the bands and people that come out to support the tour and the organizers a sense of purpose, and at the end of the day, we all know something real and special is going on.”
Baltimore’s Trapped Under Ice heard about the tour from Vogel and jumped at the chance to play. Vocalist Justice Tripp agreed this was a positive event which would expose fans in different cities to a variety of styles within the hardcore realm.
“On a scale of 1-10, this awesome,” Tripp said. “This is a great way to get the music out and get some new fresh eyes and ears to see bands they might not have seen before. It’s definitely true that this tour is a good opportunity to open the eyes of new people to the hardcore scene and to a lot of the smaller bands that people might not necessarily have heard of.”
Bane from Massachusetts were just getting off a plane from Europe when they got the call about the tour. When asked if they were interested and available, the band said yes to both. Drummer Bob Mahoney believes this is the sort of coming together that shows the true colors of the hardcore world.
“It’s always great to bring that sense of community and unity,” Mahoney said. “If everyone respects one another, this will be very memorable. This is my community. From my days in early high school to now, when shit sucked, I had a hardcore show to go to. Now, I get the best of both. Again, I feel with bringing this unity vibe out, it reminds me of why I am still involved in this.”
Long Island’s Vision of Disorder agreed that their involvement was a positive direction for the hardcore scene. Frontman Tim Williams grew up in the New York Hardcore community and has seen how the corporate intervention has tainted the industry.
“Music has become such a business now,” Williams said. “It’s almost depressing. I’m glad we can get involved with a bill that’s for the underground. It’s a rare thing these days and how cool is it for some of the hardcore bands as far as exposure. It’s always good to see something like this. I think it’s just a fun thing that was put together by some old schoolers that may miss shows like this.”
The Ghost Inside from Los Angeles are one of the few West Coast contingents onboard. They have done several recent tours with Terror and when they got word from Vogel about participating, they were down for the cause.
“It’s so cool,” said singer Jonathan Vigil. “And with the way tours are being stacked up nowadays, this could easily be a $20 plus show. It’s really down to earth and rad of all the bands playing because I’m sure everybody took a lot less money than they’re used to just to be a part of the tour and play for all the kids that can’t afford to pay a lot of money for their favorite bands.”
New Jersey’s Vision will be playing a few dates throughout the summer run. Guitarist Peter Tabbot said the guys from the Garden State were “thrilled” for the opportunity to participate in such a positive event.
“It’s a win-win-win for both the bands involved and the kids who come out to the shows,” Tabbot said. “Kids may come for one of the headliners and hopefully be surprised by some of the opening bands and maybe their curiosity will be piqued enough to go pick up an album. Since some of the venues are rather large, it’s a fantastic chance for unparalleled exposure.”
Fellow NJHC locals, The Mongoloids, are one of the younger bands on the bill. Vocalist Greg Falchetto felt that this was a great way for the bands to give back to the kids who support them.
“It’s great for the hardcore scene and hopefully promoters will demand more of these reasonably priced tours,” Falchetto said. “It really shows what hardcore is about. Brotherhood, family, and helping each other. Hopefully people will see this model works and 10 for $10 will be the jump off point for more things like this to happen.
www.myspace.com/10for10tour
