In the spring of 1997, I realized that the scene I was
involved in was in a really great position. Bands were touring and releasing records; and not only national, but ALSO local shows were generally well attended and exciting.
Buffalo, NY had suffered a down swing in show turnouts a few years prior, with
a lot of shows happening about 30 miles north of the city in Lockport, but by
early 97 things were really good, everyone got along and most shows were at
Discovery records, the Mercury or Showplace Theater(s).
Snapcase had been around for 7 years at that point and had
brought a lot of newer, younger kids around, breathing fresh life and injecting
new ideas into an otherwise rigid scene. Despair had kept around some of the
older guys, Union brought the straight mosh, Lockjaw brought the weird mosh and
Envy brought the fun. Also, the band I was in at the time, No Reason, was doing
way better than expected with a well received 7” and two demos under our belt at the time. Even
newer bands seemed to be holding it down- it was really a thing to behold.
Inspired by the insane "all local" line ups of the early 80’s
DC hardcore scene, I thought it would be a good idea to do a show that was all
the Buffalo Hardcore bands who were “making it happen.” It came together a lot
easier than I thought it would, mainly because everyone in Buffalo at the time
was feeling the same vibe; things were good. Most importantly, Snapcase were
on board to be the “surprise” headliner.
Despair committed to play and realized that it fell during one of their
tours and miraculously did a 20 hour drive straight from Denver, CO to make the
show. It all worked, even after the show got moved from the planned Discovery
Records to the Mercury Theater and the club owner, Dan, and I began butting
heads over it and his security; which reared its head again the following year
when I did another show there.
The show was also Envy's record release for their LP
I can’t believe that it’s been 20 years. I honestly believe
that the Buffalo scene was never that strong again, with so many quality bands
releasing records and touring and inspiring people to come out to shows and
join in. It was a rare occasion were multiple bands were having success in a
very small city, instead of one, maybe two bands being able to draw. There was
a brief heyday with the Funeral Home a few years back, but that revolved around
a PLACE I think more than bands per se. I hate that I'm posting an all "rainbows and balloons" nostalgia post, but really, it was an incredible time to be involved. I've had my ups and downs with the hardcore scene I grew up in, but I have always been proud to have been a part of it and especially proud of this show.
