No no, it's not some crazy pre-christian heathen cult mumbo jumbo, the 'Rites of Spring' were a 'Post Hardcore' band in the mid 1980's.
Local Punk Rock icon Grant Forsythe, from the historic band 'Neighbourhood Watch' (Neighborhood Watch, is a Cali Punk band), was my mentor/teacher around 1986. I lived around the corner from Nick Oliver, the bands original drummer and I had met Grant through Nick and soon was hanging out at Neighbourhood Watch practices.
My first band K.G.Wolfe, that I started with Scott Buffet and a couple other kids from New Maryland in around 1985/'86 was originally influenced by the Heavy Metal band's we were into, but soon after I had met Grant and started hanging out with the 'Punks', my influences were to begin to change vastly as I came under the influence of Grant and the music he was opening my mind to.
Bands like Seattle's 'The Accused', 'D.o.A.', 'SNFU', 'Battalion of Saints', early demo's and album by Brazil's 'Sepultura' were just a few of the bands that Grant introduced me to.
All the while, I had still be listening to CHSR-FM's 'The Crazy Train', but meeting Nick, he introduced me to a show I hadn't been listening to and that was his show 'Institutionalized', like the 'Crazy Train', Nick's show had been broadcasting for some years. 'Institutionalized', like the 'Crazy Train', soon began to nurture my young mind with the latest, craziest and best in 'Punk Rock' and 'Hardcore' music.
It was one night I was listening to Nick, when this band came on the air. Now, having been recently exposed to the screaming, twisted, not quite demonic, but evil crazy vocals of Blaine 'Fart' from 'The Accused', I wasn't shocked by the vocal style I was hearing, I was seduced by it and the music was frantic and unlike anything I'd ever heard before.
After the song played, I immediately called Nick and asked who it was that he just played, I don't recall what he said about the band, just the name, Washington D.C.'s 'Rites of Spring'.
Nick and I arranged to meet up and he lent me the band's debut album, which using my Brother's stereo, I ripped off the album onto a cassette (I still have that cassette to this day!)
Like I said, 'Rites of Spring' was a Hardcore band from Washington D.C., Apparently the band only played a string of shows in the D.C. area. Members of 'Rites of Spring' went on to play in Fugazi, with their producer Ian MacKaye of Hardcore icons 'Minor Threat'. I had always got mixed up about Ian's role with 'Rites of Spring', for a long time I had always thought that MacKaye was a member of the band, but he had produced their album and then him and other members went on to make up 'Fugazi', another major Punk outfit of the late '80's / 90's.
What really grabbed me about 'Rites of Spring's' music was singer Guy Picciotto's vocals... His voice was raw, screaming, one could almost feel like the man was in constant screaming pain to sing like that and the music just fit his vocals so well. The guitars and music were frantic and desperate, but in some cases it would all die down and then in a crescendo that became an epic tidal wave of sound that would overwhelm your mind and soul.
Picciotto's lyrics were also inflammatory, not in the sense of being caustic or offensive, but just like his vocals them-self, the lyrics told of the pain of life, the endurance of it and the struggle to remain alive.
The first track that I had heard on 'Institutionalized' was 'Deeper Than Inside', but once I had bootlegged the entire album from Nick, I fell in love with the album, aside from Iron Maiden, SLAYER, Ministry and Faith No More, 'Rites Of Spring's debut album became one of my most listened to albums.
Although one of my absolute favorite albums EVER. It was only in maybe 2002 or so when I actually purchased the album on CD. I'd love to acquire a vinyl copy of it, I know back in the day it was available on vinyl, but I haven't checked out whether it's been reissued or not.
The album from start to finish is absolutely flooring, but some of my favorite tracks off the album are, 'Deeper Than Inside', 'Hain's Point', 'Drink Deep', which literally blew my mind when I first heard it, lyrically it's an absolutely stunning and raw song, 'Theme', 'By Design' and 'End On End'.
'End on End' is an epic track that never seems to end, it has major crescendo's in it and at points in the track one might think that singer Picciotto is actually in the throes of death itself.
Check out this track and you can find some live and recorded 'Rites of Spring' on Youtube.
Last thing to say about this band is that reading around on the internet, it is often said that 'Rites of Spring' were the first "Emo" band. A label that past members of the band and I as a major fan totally and unequivocally reject.
Albeit Guy Picciotto's vocals and lyrics are, I guess 'emotional', i don't find anything "Emo" about the band, nor would I even say that they were the purveyors of 'Screamo', another 'Post Hardcore' genre.... When I was at CHSR, the station manager 'Bondo' and I would make fun of all these 'genres' people were making up... Our favorite was from a Punk band that described themselves as.... 'Penis Punk'....
Rites of Spring were just heavy as fuck, loud, abrasive and not easily digested by the norm. I'm glad that they were a short lived band, as so many of the bands I've 'discovered' in their debut days went on to become HUGE bands and I'd feel like I'd lost the relationship I had with them, thinking that only a few people of the masses liked these bands and were huge fans of them.
I couldn't get the damn 'Insert video' function to grab 'Deeper Than Inside' from Youtube, so I'll leave you with the link and the lyrics:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXO07xupJzk
Deeper Than Inside - Rite of Spring:
I'm going down, going down
Deeper than inside
The world is my fuse
And once inside gonna tear
Till there's nothing left to find
And you wonder just how close close-up can be?
Can't you see? Can't you see?
I had a dream all my thoughts turned to real lips
And the world is my fuse
And just a dream, just a dream can bring me to my knees
And you wonder just how tight skin deep can be?
Can't you see? Can't you see?
I'm going down, going down
Deeper than inside
The world is my fuse
And from inside
Outside can just fall apart
And you wonder
Just how lost inside can be?
Local Punk Rock icon Grant Forsythe, from the historic band 'Neighbourhood Watch' (Neighborhood Watch, is a Cali Punk band), was my mentor/teacher around 1986. I lived around the corner from Nick Oliver, the bands original drummer and I had met Grant through Nick and soon was hanging out at Neighbourhood Watch practices.
My first band K.G.Wolfe, that I started with Scott Buffet and a couple other kids from New Maryland in around 1985/'86 was originally influenced by the Heavy Metal band's we were into, but soon after I had met Grant and started hanging out with the 'Punks', my influences were to begin to change vastly as I came under the influence of Grant and the music he was opening my mind to.
Bands like Seattle's 'The Accused', 'D.o.A.', 'SNFU', 'Battalion of Saints', early demo's and album by Brazil's 'Sepultura' were just a few of the bands that Grant introduced me to.
All the while, I had still be listening to CHSR-FM's 'The Crazy Train', but meeting Nick, he introduced me to a show I hadn't been listening to and that was his show 'Institutionalized', like the 'Crazy Train', Nick's show had been broadcasting for some years. 'Institutionalized', like the 'Crazy Train', soon began to nurture my young mind with the latest, craziest and best in 'Punk Rock' and 'Hardcore' music.
It was one night I was listening to Nick, when this band came on the air. Now, having been recently exposed to the screaming, twisted, not quite demonic, but evil crazy vocals of Blaine 'Fart' from 'The Accused', I wasn't shocked by the vocal style I was hearing, I was seduced by it and the music was frantic and unlike anything I'd ever heard before.
After the song played, I immediately called Nick and asked who it was that he just played, I don't recall what he said about the band, just the name, Washington D.C.'s 'Rites of Spring'.
Nick and I arranged to meet up and he lent me the band's debut album, which using my Brother's stereo, I ripped off the album onto a cassette (I still have that cassette to this day!)
Washington D.C.'s 'Rites of Spring' self titled debut album
Like I said, 'Rites of Spring' was a Hardcore band from Washington D.C., Apparently the band only played a string of shows in the D.C. area. Members of 'Rites of Spring' went on to play in Fugazi, with their producer Ian MacKaye of Hardcore icons 'Minor Threat'. I had always got mixed up about Ian's role with 'Rites of Spring', for a long time I had always thought that MacKaye was a member of the band, but he had produced their album and then him and other members went on to make up 'Fugazi', another major Punk outfit of the late '80's / 90's.
What really grabbed me about 'Rites of Spring's' music was singer Guy Picciotto's vocals... His voice was raw, screaming, one could almost feel like the man was in constant screaming pain to sing like that and the music just fit his vocals so well. The guitars and music were frantic and desperate, but in some cases it would all die down and then in a crescendo that became an epic tidal wave of sound that would overwhelm your mind and soul.
Picciotto's lyrics were also inflammatory, not in the sense of being caustic or offensive, but just like his vocals them-self, the lyrics told of the pain of life, the endurance of it and the struggle to remain alive.
The first track that I had heard on 'Institutionalized' was 'Deeper Than Inside', but once I had bootlegged the entire album from Nick, I fell in love with the album, aside from Iron Maiden, SLAYER, Ministry and Faith No More, 'Rites Of Spring's debut album became one of my most listened to albums.
Although one of my absolute favorite albums EVER. It was only in maybe 2002 or so when I actually purchased the album on CD. I'd love to acquire a vinyl copy of it, I know back in the day it was available on vinyl, but I haven't checked out whether it's been reissued or not.
The album from start to finish is absolutely flooring, but some of my favorite tracks off the album are, 'Deeper Than Inside', 'Hain's Point', 'Drink Deep', which literally blew my mind when I first heard it, lyrically it's an absolutely stunning and raw song, 'Theme', 'By Design' and 'End On End'.
'End on End' is an epic track that never seems to end, it has major crescendo's in it and at points in the track one might think that singer Picciotto is actually in the throes of death itself.
Last thing to say about this band is that reading around on the internet, it is often said that 'Rites of Spring' were the first "Emo" band. A label that past members of the band and I as a major fan totally and unequivocally reject.
Albeit Guy Picciotto's vocals and lyrics are, I guess 'emotional', i don't find anything "Emo" about the band, nor would I even say that they were the purveyors of 'Screamo', another 'Post Hardcore' genre.... When I was at CHSR, the station manager 'Bondo' and I would make fun of all these 'genres' people were making up... Our favorite was from a Punk band that described themselves as.... 'Penis Punk'....
Rites of Spring were just heavy as fuck, loud, abrasive and not easily digested by the norm. I'm glad that they were a short lived band, as so many of the bands I've 'discovered' in their debut days went on to become HUGE bands and I'd feel like I'd lost the relationship I had with them, thinking that only a few people of the masses liked these bands and were huge fans of them.
I couldn't get the damn 'Insert video' function to grab 'Deeper Than Inside' from Youtube, so I'll leave you with the link and the lyrics:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXO07xupJzk
Deeper Than Inside - Rite of Spring:
I'm going down, going down
Deeper than inside
The world is my fuse
And once inside gonna tear
Till there's nothing left to find
And you wonder just how close close-up can be?
Can't you see? Can't you see?
I had a dream all my thoughts turned to real lips
And the world is my fuse
And just a dream, just a dream can bring me to my knees
And you wonder just how tight skin deep can be?
Can't you see? Can't you see?
I'm going down, going down
Deeper than inside
The world is my fuse
And from inside
Outside can just fall apart
And you wonder
Just how lost inside can be?
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