Gutted buildings, shattered dreams, the stench of poverty, corrupt cops and the label of being the murder capital of the USA. These are some of the things that plagued the city of New Orleans before Katrina and have only gotten worst since. This city was founded on the same principles as most other American cities – its government has never looked after those that have been trapped in the cycle of poverty. Millions of dollars were promised by the federal government to help those that were effected by Katrina, but when you look at where the money has gone, not much has reached those who need it the most. I recently watched an episode of “Ross Kemp’s Extreme World” that focused on the problems that New Orleans faces post-Katrinia, and the picture is pretty fucking grim! While watching this show, I could not get the taste of disgust out of my mouth! After watching this 44 minutes of hell, you will realize why EYEHATEGOD named their new single “New Orleans Is The New Vietnam.” FUCK THE RIGHT TO BEAR ARMS, AND ALL CORRUPT COPS! Peep “Ross Kemp’s Extreme World: New Orleans” after the jump!

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CVLT Nation and Ear/Splitters are proud to present Episode One of Hull’s video tour diary! This episode starts the series with Hull killing it in Chicago, IL. They take us through all the nitty gritty of getting ready for a national tour, which includes packing a giant bong and weirding out small town America (and also being weirded out by it). WWE, zombie apocalypse and much more – you have to watch it to understand! Plus check out an awesome gallery of shots from their Chicago show and their remaining tour dates after the jump – they’re heading out northwest this weekend. Stay tuned for future episodes as we follow them from city to city!

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Cailifornia hardcore legends STRIFE are back, and are set to release a new album entitled Witness A Rebirth on Nov. 6th via via 6131 Records. They have recently put up a gallery show that examines their career. Read the words of Anthony Godinez below and peep his photos after the jump…plus we also have some very special video surprises!

A night of community, and tradition of the old ways. A rebirth of the past were everything was learned and shared through d.i.y. zines and writing to bands. The days before convenience of the internet were flyers were past out after shows, where blood of our hands were spilled into creating what we hold true to our hearts. The history and struggle to create the hardcore music scene was deeply displayed on the walls of Pop Up Records in Little Tokyo Los Angeles by photograph installments and years of flyers collected. Strife, a band that has dedicated their lives to holding whats true to the hardcore scene presents ” War Records, Witness A Rebirth. Also the name of their up incoming record on 6131 records. This record and gallery is for the youth to keep the fire and faith alive, War Records runs from Oct 6th through the 28th.

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Today I watched a video that made me think of my old homie Dash Snow, and all of the fun nights we had together. He died way too fucking young, but he did leave his mark on the world in more ways than one. I think everyone who knows him will have different memories of him. For me, Dash represented someone I could always talk about my love of punk rock and Black Flag with. It seemed he was always willing to share whatever he had with his friends. It’s weird that he might have taken his own life, because the last time I saw him at his art show in Los Angeles, he seemed mad fucking happy, but maybe that was a mask for inner pain. He will always live on in my mind in the form of wild nights on the streets of the Lower East Side. More than being an artist, to me he was a sick grafitti artist who was down for whatever to get his tag up all around the city. Today I want to celebrate Dash with photos of the cast of weirdos that were all around us, plus his art, some video footage of him and the recent interview about Dash between Gavin Mcginess and Kathy Grayson…Dash, Harold, Lily and Joey will live forever!

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Have you ever known a person that was a total weirdo, and more punk rock than people who called themselves punk rock? For me, that person was Julien Stranger – from a very early age, I knew this kid was his on his own shit and didn’t give a fuck what people thought about him. We grew up together on the Venice Beach boardwalk of the 70s, then we reconnected on the dirty streets of San Francisco in 1984. When I first saw him skate, my jaw fell with amazement; I was like, what the fuck homie, I didn’t know you could do that shit! He was mad humble with his answer: he just said, you never asked. His company Anti-Hero makes total fucking sense, and you can see how this brand is an extension of his personality. To say I’m proud of him would be an understatement, because many of our friends never made it out of Venice or San Francisco. Watching the Anti-Hero video “Cash Money Vagrant” makes me stoked on a whole other level. That’s why today we are going to show that motherfucker in full. Also, stay tuned for a Julien Stranger retrospective in the near future. In the meantime, check out “Cash Money Vagrant” after the jump…it’s a sick video and the soundtrack is punk as fuck!

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If I had to pick one California band from the 80′s that influenced me the most, it would have to be BLACK FLAG. Every time I saw them, I was left with this feeling of amazement. If you asked ten different people what their favourite line up was, you would get ten different answers. The line up that did it for me was Kira, Greg, Bill and Henry, which happened to be the My War era – this is the sound that made the biggest impact on the world of heavy music, in my opinion. During this era, they played their older tunes with a new kind of energy that took the listener to other plane of sludge. I knew when I was seeing them perform I was watching history in the making. Honestly, the way BLACK FLAG used to break shit down, it was almost like watching a jazz band. This is when Henry really found his voice, and it seemed he felt the most comfortable in his skin while fronting this band! I will never get tired of watching them rip shit and every time they bring my my mind into their world of weirdness. Today we celebrate BLACK FLAG by showing their 1984 UK show in full, and the quality is PERFECT! So after the jump, drink a cup of black coffee and peep this insane gig!

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From the ashes of the 80′s punk scene arose really interesting bands. The kids from the Dischord movement took it to the next level, and in an organic way pretty much created new genres. One band that stood out to me and made me look deep into my emotion was Rites of Spring. Guy Picciotto’s vocals and lyrics were so honest that they still sound relevant to this day. Musically, Rites of Spring laid the foundation for bands like Fugazi and At The Drive In, and many more groups to follow. Every song that they created was a tornado of feelings that were dripping with angular melody. With one album and only 15 live gigs, this band called it quits after only 2 years, but will always have a place in many people’s audio memories! Today CVLT Nation would like to celebrate Rites of Spring with a live video retrospective. Peep the amazing footage after the jump…it’s time to use your Persistent Vision!


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It’s fucking on…Hooded Menace released the new video for their song entitled “Crumbling Insanity.” The directing duties were handled by one of my favourite directors, Justin Oakley. As usual, he was able to capture the essence of the composition with visuals that match perfectly! So after the jump, your eyes out and peep “Crumbling Insanity” by Hooded Menace.

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Black Metal, the most infamous, obscure and mystic genre of metal music. Possessor of an illustrious heritage, often misunderstood, replete of stories and myths behind the figures who make the music. Noisey and VICE are proud to present “One Man Metal” a new three-part documentary with three of the most reclusive figures of the Black Metal scene, Leviathan, Striborg, and Xasthur. They exist on the fringes of Black Metal and rarely have been documented… until now.

In this new documentary, Noisey follows the lives of three enigmatic well known solo artists — Leviathan, Striborg, and Xasthur — producing black metal on the margins of society, these are men who don’t just play the music, but embody what it reflects: isolation, misanthropy, and anger.

Presented in black and white, “One Man Metal” documentary takes us to San Francisco, where Noisey spoke to Jef Whitehead AKA Wrest of Leviathan, Los Angeles, where he shows us the first on-camera interview with Scott Connor, AKA Xasthur who crafts his bleak sounds from a crumbling apartment, and to remote Tasmania where he spoke to Sin Nanna of Striborg, sharing his own and unique vision. Noisey interviewed these exceptional musicians, most of whom had never shown their face on camera before. Peek into this window and see through Noisey’s eyes, the isolated life of these prodigal black metal musicians.

Watch Part I right here:After the jump!
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Long before its introduction to Europe and North America, on islands that dot the vast oceans of this earth, people used bamboo and thread to decorate their skin. In Polynesia and New Zealand, tattoos have long been a part of the defining culture, and tattooing was not only a respected art, it was a way of telling a story about your people and yourself. Fast forward to today, and tattooing has become an integral part of many cultures, including the prison culture and that of deep underground subcultures. Ancient Ink: Blood and Tattoos explores both the history and the contemporary story of tattoos around the world. In this 2008 History Channel documentary, Craig Reynolds travels the globe researching tattoo traditions and practices, and receiving tattoos himself, in places where tattoo is as much a part of the fabric of culture as food and dress. He also visits the criminal aspect of tattooing, exploring the tattoo traditions of the Yakuza in Japan and high security prison tattoo art. Reynolds also explores the circus tattoo traditions, Naval tattoos and new trends of extreme tattooing and body modification that has become popular in North America. After the jump, learn where your ink came from and watch Ancient Ink: Blood and Tattoos.

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