2657 Productions News - Latest Comments in Reality Control? – Children of Terra

Re: Reality Control? – Children of Terra

mrdwab — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 02:28:00 -0000

If you want the Earth Rapers and Hell Raisers comp, which features a song by Reality Control, head over here: http://twisted-tracks.blogs...

Re: Reality Control? – Children of Terra

ShayKM — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 05:07:18 -0000

John,

As I mentioned in a different email to you, it is important to identify yourself as one of the only Straight-Edge kids around SB at that time. I might have opened your ears to some things in the 'punk universe', but you and Billig were the only kids I knew who were not on full-tilt self-destruction mode vis-a-vis legal and illegal substances. It is actually mind-boggling how few punks in the CA scene were clean in those early years. So, to my mind, as old and befuddled as it is, you are the guy with claim to SE within that little community of HC freaks. I wouldn't be Straight-Edge today were it not for you!

Do you remember how we worshipped that Embrace LP? That was one of those records that just spoke so clearly about everything right and wrong about hardcore in those middle years of gloom. When I think of how much we loved the DC sound at that point it is always that LP that shouts back.

Cheers

Re: Reality Control? – Children of Terra

mrdwab — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 06:52:15 -0000

Hey John,

I see you as one of the "chroniclers" of the scene, if only because you had so painstakingly recorded so much music from those years (whether good or bad...). What I want to know, though, is if your chronicles moved to West Virginia with you. If they have, why haven't more of them made their way online yet? You should FTP them to me and I can post them!

Re: Reality Control? – Children of Terra

John Lyons — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 10:08:48 -0000

Hy Guys!
(Shay, we lost touch again...)
It was a fun time. Shay opened my eyes to a lot of things, vegetarianism, music, politics, straight edge
and the DC scene that was just reaching out across the US, and community. (Shay's father, brother, various friends). It was a somewhat magical time really. Moved out of my parents house, traveled
around the county a bit. I have a soft spot in my heart for those times.

Re: Reality Control? – Children of Terra

mrdwab — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 02:08:14 -0000

Awesome history here, Shay.

I actually didn't move to the US until 1990, so I missed out on experiencing firsthand all of the Nardcore and other contemporary stuff, although John filled me in on some of it bit-by-bit. My "induction" to the scene was more with the Kent/Ebullition scene (and Little Redhead Records and Reality Control? Recordings, of course), but I don't think I ever totally fit in with that crowd. I liked jazz and art-core too much, I guess....

By the way, I hope you've had a chance to check out some of the stuff that John and I have done (Song Sketches in particular). It's totally different from Reality Control, but for me, John was always an awesome friend to play music and hang out with.

Where are you in SE Asia?

Re: Reality Control? – Children of Terra

ShayKM — Sun, 10 Oct 2010 20:09:43 -0000

Ananda,

Sorry about the typo in my earlier post. It should read: ...leaving the band in 1990. Obviously my 'year 2000'
slip says something about my age, and my capacity to collapse time when it suits my subconscious mind.

I do have the song titles for the first demo. I can send these in a few months. I am currently living in S.E. Asia, and working as an academic, so my access to these old goodies is limited. I will be sure to send them after my next trip to the states.

In the meantime, a few quick anecdotes about the SB/Goleta/IV scene in the 1980s might be of interest.
First, between 1983 and 1986 the SB scene experienced a serious boom. This was true both in terms of the number of bands in the wider area - Oxnard to SLO - and in the regularity of shows at various venues. Goldenvoice shows at La Casa or the Goleta Valley Community Center on one night and then three or four house parties the next. It was actually a really big scene: very colorful, very violent, and almost none of the political or social consciousness that would emerge in later years. After 1986 the entire area went into hibernation. Reality Control was never more than a blip within that scene, but it was one of the only 'punk' bands playing during those dead years. As you know, things picked up again from 1990, and the rest is fairly well-documented.

John and I were both SE. Jason and Teo were not. We practiced with intensity on a regular basis at Teo's
in Carpas from 88-90. Before this we would practice in my garage/bedroom on Yananoli, near the train station. When we recorded the first demo we actually carried our equipment from my garage to the recording studio on skateboards. We were all just 15-17 years-old. Just punk kids having fun.

The initial Reality Control sound was modeled on Rudimentary Peni meets Nardcore, or something daft like that. We all loved RKL, and Bomer's drumming in particular. But Jason Fuentes and I were very political. I was seriously into the UK punk scene. All my lyrics reflected this. Considering I wrote this stuff before I was old enough to drive it wasn't entirely stupid.

John Lyons would later add his own style to the band. We were generally just friends having fun. Being punks at that time was depressing. It was dead for the older kids, and the pop-punk scene hadn't taken hold yet. Kent was around, but bands like Downcast were a few years away.

Jason and John and I were probably the most informed punk kids in that area at the time. Meaning that we all wrote to bands around the world, traded tapes, ordered records and 'zines from far-off places and actually listened to bands that most of the CA scene hadn't heard of. I was mad about the Nottingham scene: Heresy, Ripcord, all the mid-80s fast HC out of England. Also, the Dutch scene was raging at that time: L'arm, Seein Red... We also loved the DC sound... who didn't? Right?

I'll send those titles in November. Thanks for putting those songs up Ananda. I haven't listened to that stuff in more than 20 years.

Cheers

Re: Reality Control? – Children of Terra

mrdwab — Sun, 10 Oct 2010 02:16:36 -0000

Hi Shay,

Thanks for the info. It looks like the family tree that I drew many years ago might need some updating if I ever get the inspiration.

I have the comp that you mentioned (Earth Rapers and Hell Raisers, right? With Pissed Happy Children and other fun stuff) but it's in the US, and I'm in India, so it makes it somewhat difficult to post it here ;-)

If you have anything you want to share, I'm glad to host it!

~ Ananda

Re: Reality Control? – Children of Terra

ShayKM — Sat, 09 Oct 2010 06:12:25 -0000

Hey,

The line-up on the first 'Reality Control' demo was Shay, Jason, Dan. We had a great bassist named Zuma, who
left to be a gnarly skinhead. Never saw him again. John Lyons joined when Dan moved to Seattle, late 1987.

John changed the name to Reality Control? (adding question mark) for his zine and label. I never understood why. Should mention that Jamie Billig sang for a while after I left the band in 2000.

Also, there is a comp from Arizona with two of our songs - with main line-up - from around 88-89.

Cheers,
Shay

Re: Reality Control? – Children of Terra

mrdwab — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 01:21:07 -0000

John sent an email mentioning that "Dan was the guitar player, forgot his last name though. Jason Fuentes was on drums, Shey Makenzie was on vocals. I forget who played bass as he was just filling in."

This means that I forgot to include a few people on my (very old) Santa Barbara/Goleta hardcore family tree (http://mrdwab.com/images/sb....