Continuing with today’s theme of the 90s, here’s a great video I discovered on Youtube recently–Grip, later known as Dayspring, playing at the Metro in December of 1992. They’re doing their song “Diffidence,” which was on their first EP, Friction Burn Fatal, released on New Age Records and apparently still available, at least on CD if not vinyl. In the early 90s, straight edge hardcore was branching out musically from the template laid down by Youth Of Today and other late 80s Revelation Records signees. Some bands were getting more emotional, while others were slowing down and bringing in more metallic chugs and mosh parts. Grip kind of did both, as should be apparent from this performance.
This video features Grip’s original 1992-93 incarnation. Ken Penn, the singer, is now a high-fashion photographer. Rhythm guitarist Cam DiNunzio is best remembered today as the guitarist for Denali, though he also played in Lazycain and River City High. Lead guitarist Jon Field has played in the long-running straight-edge band Up Front for over 20 years. Bassist Aaron Connell–who sports a sikha hairdo in the video, reflecting a time when Hare Krishna’s influence on hardcore was at its apex–went on to play in a huge list of bands from Richmond, Philadelphia, and the Pacific Northwest. That list includes everything from the melodic emocore of Christ, the post-hardcore of Harkonen, and metallic hardcore band Himsa. Finally, drummer Rich Green went on to play in Richmond faves Action Patrol and Wardance Orange.
Bonus: this footage was shot at the Metro (upstairs from the current location of Empire), which has been shuttered for 15 years but was once the main punk/hardcore club in Richmond. So you can take one last look at a legendary location that hasn’t been seen in way too long.
Continuing with today’s theme of the 90s, here’s a great video I discovered on Youtube recently–Grip, later known as Dayspring, playing at the Metro in December of 1992. They’re doing their song “Diffidence,” which was on their first EP, Friction Burn Fatal, released on New Age Records and apparently still available, at least on CD if not vinyl. In the early 90s, straight edge hardcore was branching out musically from the template laid down by Youth Of Today and other late 80s Revelation Records signees. Some bands were getting more emotional, while others were slowing down and bringing in more metallic chugs and mosh parts. Grip kind of did both, as should be apparent from this performance.
This video features Grip’s original 1992-93 incarnation. Ken Penn, the singer, is now a high-fashion photographer. Rhythm guitarist Cam DiNunzio is best remembered today as the guitarist for Denali, though he also played in Lazycain and River City High. Lead guitarist Jon Field has played in the long-running straight-edge band Up Front for over 20 years. Bassist Aaron Connell–who sports a sikha hairdo in the video, reflecting a time when Hare Krishna’s influence on hardcore was at its apex–went on to play in a huge list of bands from Richmond, Philadelphia, and the Pacific Northwest. That list includes everything from the melodic emocore of Christ, the post-hardcore of Harkonen, and metallic hardcore band Himsa. Finally, drummer Rich Green went on to play in Richmond faves Action Patrol and Wardance Orange.
Bonus: this footage was shot at the Metro (upstairs from the current location of Empire), which has been shuttered for 15 years but was once the main punk/hardcore club in Richmond. So you can take one last look at a legendary location that hasn’t been seen in way too long.
