Over the course of five years (1983-1987), Boston’s xXx Fanzine chronicled the rise and rebirth of Hardcore America. The Salad Days. The Death of Hardcore. The Revolution Summer. The Punk-Metal Crossover. Straight-Edge Revivals. Skate-Rock. The Rock Against Reagan. Emo-Core. Brian Walsby Cartoons. Pushead Ads. Com- bat-Core. It’s all here and it all figured into the 20 issues that charted the course of Hardcore’s rise from pure DIY ethic to its impact on something larger – the shockwaves of which are still being felt today.
Slated for publication through Bridge Nine in late 2014, xXx Fanzine 1983-1987, will encompass over 60 interviews done in parking lots and backstages at (mostly) Boston area venues including the Channel, The Rat and countless VFW Halls and Church basements. From Minor Threat and The Misfits to The Cro-Mags and Motorhead to Descendents to Dag Nasty to 7 Seconds and Youth of Today to rare, seldom-granted interviews with the likes of SSD and DYS, this 180 page-plus volume is a vibrant cross-section of the 80’s underground charted by future rock writer and record exec, Mike Gitter. Regarding his newfound partnership with Bridge Nine, Gitter commented, “Working with Chris and B9 came very naturally. They’ve always shown complete attention to quality and substance: Bridge Nine is one of the reasons that hardcore has remained a vital force to this day.”
xXx Fanzine 1983-1987 not merely revisits a crucial juncture in the underground but updates it with current quotes and interviews not merely from the artists featured in the book. The likes of Ian MacKaye, Henry Rollins, Dave Smalley, Vic Bondi, John Brannon, Keith Morris, Roger Miret and members of SS Decontrol, Youth of Today, Bl’ast!, Corrosion of Conformity, Samhain, Void, The Accused and Die Kreuzen are just a few of the bands and personalities who have lent their voices to this book. Through a combination of oral history, written commentary and a lavish trove of photos, reviews, advertisements and flyers, not merely is xXx Fanzine 1983-1987 a document of hardcore’s history but just as importantly shows the head-flexing importance of fanzines to DIY America.
“Without fanzines, the story of American Hardcore would have been very different,” states Down By Law frontman, Dave Smalley, who is featured in the book during his tenures with DYS, Dag Nasty and ALL. “All of us contributed in different ways. Fanzines like xXx were crucial to not merely communication between scenes but also strengthening our inner resolve as we read about and were inspired by the scene that was happening all around us.”
While more information on this release will be coming soon, fans of Hardcore’s many generations can expect more than a few surprises surrounding the release of one of the East Coast’s premier Hardcore zines. In the meantime keep up with xXx Fanzine on Facebook.
