Kansas City hardcore punks BURNING BUSH (members of BLINDSIDE USA, DEVIL’S DEN) have recently dropped a demo tape via Delayed Gratification Records, available on cassette, Bandcamp, and streaming services. They’ve been making waves with their recent weekend shows alongside SPINE and FAILURE DRILL and now, they’re gearing up for more excitement with an upcoming performance at the Snow And Flurry Fest in Minneapolis this October, where they’ll share the stage with SUNAMI, INGROWN, HARVEST, and others.
Additionally, BURNING BUSH will play a hometown show on July 26 with DIRECT THREAT, PREVENTION, DOUBT, and more.
Today, we’re stoked to give you a special track by track commentary that will delve into the personal and societal issues behind each song, offering a deeper understanding of this powerful new demo.
BURNING BUSH’s formation story of persistence and passion. Aaron Rhodes, the band’s vocalist, had envisioned the band’s concepts and imagery as far back as late 2018 or early 2019. Despite facing setbacks and member changes, Rhodes’ vision came to life in mid-2023 when the current lineup started writing and practicing together. Their debut performance was opening for TRUTH CULT in the fall.
Describing their sound, Rhodes points to influences like INSIDE OUT, JUDGE, NEGATIVE APPROACH, and MINOR THREAT. Fans of RESTRAINING ORDER, BIG LAUGH, BIB, DESTINY BOND, and ASBESTOS will likely find something to enjoy in BURNING BUSH’s music.
Their demo, recorded under challenging conditions with Alex Tunks of SPINE, features fast, ’80s-influenced hardcore punk with mosh parts and stop-starts, all while addressing themes of social alienation through the lens of Hebrew Bible imagery and Jewish folklore.
The demo’s lyrical content grapples with complex emotions and relationships, exploring themes of social alienation, guilt, shame, and personal growth. The band uses powerful Jewish folklore motifs to convey their messages, drawing parallels between ancient tales and modern struggles.
The full commentary by the band delves into the personal and societal issues that inspired their hard hitting demo.
“The Golem”
Lyrically, this song kicks off with a theme that kind of runs throughout the whole demo. I’ve struggled my whole life with trying to manage relationships — both platonic and romantic — in a healthy manner.
I’ve been known to lash out if I care about someone a lot and I don’t feel like that love is being reciprocated. The golem is a creature from Jewish folklore that’s almost like Frankenstein’s monster though, instead of old body parts, is crafted from clay or mud to protect Jews being persecuted.
But like any man-made monster, it can come back to haunt its creator. My bandmates kick the song off with a bang, a quick two-step part, then move to the youth crew-style gallop that continues straight into “Blood Libel.”
“Blood Libel”
It’s funny; before the song was even recorded and released, I was trying to get people at shows to sing along to it since the chorus is just the words “blood libel” shouted several times in a row. I’m not sure whether those crowds were just uninterested or if I wasn’t enunciating well enough for them to understand those words.
Regardless, one thing I like about the song is its Rev Records type chorus part and its bratty punk rock (somewhere between “Boston, Not L.A.” and “We Must Bleed” in my mind) verses. Just 90 seconds of me shit-talking a handful of liars and freaks using the imagery of the timeless “Jews run the world and sacrifice babies and drink their blood” conspiracy saga.
“Golden Calf”
A song about guilt and shame. A lot of what I’ve done for work is very public-facing — journalism and concert promotion. It also includes dealing with dozens of different people at once and keeping track of how all of those people feel about each other (their politics and personalities) at the same time.
And so, when I screw up, it happens in front of everyone, and the internet remembers everything. But all that aside, it’s also just me agonizing over the fact that there are some arguments and interpersonal decisions that you can never take back or come back from.
This song uses the Old Testament story of Aaron (shoutout to my namesake) building a statue of a golden calf for the Israelites to worship while Moses was gone, schlepping up Mount Sinai to receive the Ten Commandments.
“Burning Bush”
This was the song that set things into motion for this band being a thing. I wrote the lyrics (and barely edited them since jotting them in my notebook) back roughly five years ago after the end of a long relationship, a falling out with a group of friends, and my move out of a punk house into an apartment.
By the time I was settled in, it was winter and I was barely leaving the house, spending all day watching movies and gravitating to the work of Jewish directors like the Coen Brothers, the Safdies, Mel Brooks, and others. Their shared sense of gallows humor and sort of desperate search for meaning inspired the song and allowed me to express my frustration at myself and others, as well as the alienation and isolation that followed all of these events.
Even though this song is our self-titled song, kicks ass instrumental-wise, and does convey themes that fit in with the rest of our material so far, I am a bit embarrassed of some of the lyrics now since I think I’ve grown as a writer since then. I figure I’ve still gotta be thankful for it.
“Self-Immolation”
“Self-Immolation” was the second to last song I wrote lyrics for on the demo (roughly four years after writing “Burning Bush”) yet it mirrors a lot of feelings in that first song; putting myself in positions where I hurt others or get hurt. It’s hard to change.
What’s different in this one is the person who inspired it ended up apologizing and thanking me for the effort I’d put into the friendship when they weren’t returning the favor. It’s hard to watch someone set on a path of self-destruction and rebuff those trying to help.
The band did a cool thing here of creating a lull and a build-up that leads into a brief-yet-sturdy two-step ending. Better to leave them wanting more than to give them too much.
“Covered Mirrors”
In Jewish tradition, during a shiva (a period of mourning observed in the family’s home), the home’s mirrors are covered, in part to allow those mourning to focus on the deceased rather than their own image.
I took this motif and used it for one of hardcore’s most tried and true tropes: a friend’s betrayal. Watching a friend choose vanity and selfishness over love and mutual respect is rough.
The song is about shedding those kinds of people and searching for ones that are willing to treat you the way you deserve to be treated. We’ve ended all of our sets so far with this one and the chaos that often ensues during the breakdown at the end is always fun to watch.
