Big thanks to John McHale for hooking me up with copies of each of these, I owe you some tapes next time I'm in Miami. Here are a bunch of tapes from the early 2000's in FL that likely did not exist digitally prior to now. Corny to some, crucial to others, essential to any core scholar from Florida. Read a quick snippet and listen away below.
Face Up - Sweatpants and Hardstances
Members of Clean Cut, another Florida straight edge favorite, put out as an early release on Think Fast Records (which later released Outbreak, Have Heart, The Geeks etc.).
Flame Still Burns - Edge 2001 Demo
Released on Think Fast Records right after the Face Up demo, Flame Still Burns sounds like a adrenaline charged flurry of straight edge hardcore. Taking their namesake from Youth Of Today, the drum and vocal production on this one has me feeling a little overstimulated. I'm thinking they maybe should have followed the advice of another track from the Youth Crew - "Slow Down"! However you slice it, here it is.
Team Effort - Demo
Some members from this band play in some currently active, not-so-much-hardcore bands of now that shall not be named. Doesn't matter! This demo is actually probably the tightest of the bunch. Such a crazy intro name... is the edgeman on the cover clutching some sort of baguette? Not sure. Check these jams out, though!
X Option Zero X - Pure Core Pride Demo 2002
Yellow copies must have been cheaper to run off or something! This demo, musically and lyrically... leaves a bit to be desired. I do love the name Pure Core Pride though, which itself is anything but underwhelming. The oddly proportioned, accidentally manga-like edgeman on the cover is what sells it for me. File under: automatically like this because it's Florida, but don't expect anyone else to get it.
Stream here:
d/l here:
