So I just got an email from my friend Alexander in Germany that there is a boot of the Cursed Two LP going around, and before I get a bunch of questions or emails about it, I just wanted to say...GOOD!
I was hoping to reissue this myself but it got over-complicated. Chris at Goodfellow was and still is a dear old friend of mine, and his label is defunct. The complication was never with him but the people that backed GFR financially and so, "own" it. I've been trying to get an answer out of the businessmen who own my sentiments for over 3 years now, just your basic "blink once if you won't sue me for putting out my own records years after you let them go out of print", and they've been blowing me off or telling me to come talk math while simultaneously trying to sell it to labels which are friends of mine, which then gets back to me. So it's been your basic classic Sit On The Catalog / Highest Bidder routine, a favorite move of middle management and heartless manipulators since the dawn of the phonograph. One thing I've always loved in hardcore is that it doesn't work like that. Our culture and our ideas are more important than commodities, and will always find a way to break through the bullshit. I'm very glad to see that it's still the case in 2012. They made 800 of the Cursed II LP (and I had to twist their arm to even do vinyl in 2005. How are CDs doing for you now?) which were gone in two weeks and then never repressed, so even the original print was under-run and it turned into a way-overpriced Ebay record. So, if it looks and sounds good, and it's cheap and accessible, this Cursed II boot sure as hell has my blessing. And yes, DWI is doing a great-looking redux of Cursed One this year. Check in with them for news on that. Now we just need a III and it's complete!
So thanks to Alex for the heads up, thank you Anonymous Euro for your efforts, and to the Heartless Manipulators (if you see this) - you can save the indignant email that you know you were never otherwise going to send, and go back to blowing it off. Our world isn't waiting for anyone's permission.
--- EPILOGUE ---
Hey, there's not often anything to post officially about Cursed so while I'm at it, let me bring everything up to speed, because I still get asked a lot. Cursed is done as of one fucked up day in Germany but realistically, the many fucked up days that led up to it. Some of us still play in our bands, and some don't, but there's not going to be any more Cursed activity beyond represses of records, and definitely no reunion shows (someone's gotta not do it). Some very old friendships were casualties of our band and we're already years out of touch with each other. It was a wild ride and I don't think any of us would take it back for anything, despite the wreckage. A lot is made of bands like ours after the fact, especially in the internet age. Realistically, it was never grandiose, never larger than life. It was actually a lot smaller most of the time. We played our asses off at 30 confused people with their hands in their pockets in every town in the world for years, and loved it that way. We wouldn't have had this for a life if certain bands hadn't impacted us like they did, so it's great to see and hear that Cursed inspired a lot of younger and newer bands. But don't idolize. Anybody. Ever. I'll tell you for a fact that your band is better than ours simply because it's alive, it exists and you do it.
Take Care.
CC
9 comments:
As I've mentioned before, I got "III", saw you guys got jacked, called it a day, my ex-girl kicked me to the curb. What a time!
But before, it was all fucking Glory: thanks to you & all the Cursed bros for the direct shot in the arm musically and all the killer music.
*FACT* like most mags, it's roughly 50% gold, 50% shit, but UK "Terrorizer" set the Cursed ball rolling for me. This was '03 and in that era of "mathcore" techiness, the review was almost twisting it's nipples about the pure direct, unpretentious power of the band; that it formed it's own identity out of heavy musical heroes like Black Flag, Discharge and "any of the Autopsy-worshipping Swedes of the early 90s." Yes, that last point was a signal flare to me. Rest = History.
Geek question: You always highlighted that the best bands draw on influences that inform what they do. With that in mind, how do you feel about the surplus of d-beat/crust/grind bands that have gotten filthier & Sunlight Sound-loving? We all know some of the candidates & they're pretty good (many of them on Prosthetic, SL etc.)... but Cursed definitely drew on that source out of love, not "trend" or whatever.
Do you guys feel imitated & irritated or happy that your band played a real role in showing bands how to devastate ass with balls.
I'd think Cursed would be entitled to be all Suge Knight about the issue: "When I hit bricks, it All belongs to Me."
Its seriously difficult not to idolise when you're dealing with a band the caliber of cursed
But we will try
^^^ Exactly, dude.
But props for that statement Chris - honest & stirring, for real.
I was also too harsh in the past, joking that Trap Them must be clicking their heels that Cursed split & Disfear are inactive... but that's pretty much surface bullshit. By way of analogy I guess, if Cursed are Entombed, TxTx would be their Dismember ie. great bands with a lot of common ground, but also with their own identities & MO.
Again, Well Put by CC. Thanks again to all the Cursed for ROCKING. RIP.
Cursed is and always will be one of my favorite bands. Of course I wish the band alive, but nothing lasts forever. I´d be very happy to purchase a copy of I and II on vinyl, because I only have these cds.
See ya fellas.
Hélio
Brazil
Always good to hear from you, Colohan. Looking forward to the repress of One, as it's the only one I'm missing.
You stayed the night at my house once when on the road for Cursed II and left me a list of foreign horror films to check out and for the life of me I have no idea where I tucked it. The films I got to before I misplaced the list were excellent though.
Unrelated- did you love "I Saw The Devil"?
Hey Luke. Thanks man. I'm glad you got some way through that list, I definitely did love I Saw The Devil. It was almost on par with Old Boy!
Helio - Deathwish is going to be reissuing One some time soon, so you should be able to snag one of those good and cheap, and there's a European bootleg of Two going around, I don't know where to steer you to for it though.
Nick - Trap Them are (were?) awesome, 110% all the time. unfortunately they've been inactive since shortly after the tour we (BL) did with them last year. I hope those guys press on or go on to other things.
I´ve just uploaded today a video from your show in madrid from 2005(¿?).
I think i´ll remember this show for my entire life... was so fucking loud dudes...
great times!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3BmoFTCUyg&feature=share
Glad to see new pressings are making it out despite those bloodsuckers best efforts. I was excited to find a review I had written about III for stereokiller had found its way on your site but embarrassed to see it's the rough draft I accidentally uploaded that took me weeks to get the webmaster to allow me to edit. It probably doesn't matter now but if you'd like i've got the fixed copy without the embarrassing errors. email is jason.lamphere@gmail.com
side note: I feel the message "don't trust me or anyone else in music to make your opinions for you" that you regularly express to be one of the most honest and important messages a young person growing up in music could hear and one that most musicians would not be willing to say themselves with so many opinions of their own they'd like others to inherit.
I like your blog you have a very strong opinion and i really like that i had an experience with all of this, funeral in richmond hill. Thanks for the post!
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