The month of June has arrived, the sixth month of the year, according to the calendar. The year hasn’t ended yet but so far, it has been an awesome year for hardcore and hardcore adjacent genres. Countless of new music releases has been flooding social media. The current generation has been spoiled with an abundance of the latest tunes from some of hardcore’s finest. Local shows all over the nation are packing out their venues, welcoming touring acts and bringing all the kids out. Festivals containing everyone’s favorite band have been taking place all over North America, inviting a whole new wave of kids and young adults who happen to wander into the genre’s abyss, speculating the fun and mayhem, then tweeting about it or using Tik Tok to document the madness. With a few months left to go, things are only heating up as the summer is making a grand entrance.

Flyover Fest 2023

Flyover Fest ( formerly known as Act Like You Know aka Promcore) is an annual festival in Tulsa. Oklahoma. From as far as I know, the fest normally happens in the autumn season. It’s a good 4- 5 hour drive for a North Texan so it’s best to pile in with your friends and hightail it to 35 north and keep going. I became aware of the fest in 2021 when it was known as Promcore. It was my first out of state festival so there was a new, fresh level of excitement present. The two characteristics about the festival struck my attention: the festival helps raise funds for Oklahomans of Equality, health clinic /organization who not only provides health care, but also community services and events. They have bingo nights, Dungeons and Dragons meets, scout troop meetings, etc. The second characteristic is the super stacked lineups the fest hosts. From the looks of it, this is the biggest year yet and its going to be fun. Like any other fest, Flyover contains an array of bands within the realm of hardcore, all sharing a stage or two over a two or three-day period. What catches my attention is, in comparison to, there are bands listed I haven’t heard of before. Much like any other fan of the genre, it compels to me to check out more music from different areas I wasn’t totally aware of. A glance at the flyer for the festival, it wasn’t difficult to point out unfamiliar bands.

Promcore 2021 was an awesome experience I will not forget. I didn’t think it could get any better after that. The following year took me by surprise. Along with the name change to Act Like You Know, the lineup was incredible. A handful of Dallas- Fort Worth bands played, including Ozone and Amnesia Gardens. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to make it to the fest that year, but judging by Hate5Six videos, it was a blast I wish I didn’t miss. It’s 2023, the name has changed once again, and the lineup is crazy to say the least. It is a bit difficult to say what band I’m more excited to see. It’s a split between bands I can’t wait to see and bands I never seen before. It raises the level of anticipation to watch them live. Better hurry to get your tickets. With a line up like this, I can only assume tickets are moving fast as lightening. Tap here or the image above to get your tickets.

Sanity Slip ep release There Is No One To Save Us

There’s not much need for an introduction for an ep that is as heavy and vicious as Sanity Slip’s latest ep There’s No One to Save Us. Alongside OKC’s heavyweights Peeling Flesh, Sanity Slip is one of the few bands who introduced contemporary slam to my listening pleasure. When it was announced the San Antonio band was going to release a sophomore ep, my intuition told me to prepare for auditory haymakers. Sure enough, on the day of the ep release and days after, I found myself wearing the stank face for a full 14 minutes. Listening to There’s No One to Save Us, I wonder how these talented musicians can crank out the sound of brutality on an extreme level. It’s fascinating, as to the reason why people gravitate to it. The d- beat parts, barbaric breakdowns, death metal’s necessary components and hardcore undertone meshed together and compacted into a short but explosive work of art. There should be no doubt about one thing: There’s No One To Save Us is the audio representation of it’s extremely graphic cover.

Check out their ep on

Bandcamp

Spotify

Apple

Killer’s Tacos Closed after July 1st

Yesterday, Denton’s beloved taco shop and venue announced their closing after July 1st. After 7 wonderful years of service, the folks at Killers decided it was time to reach an end. Co- owner Jeff is retiring, and they are selling the property to a local restaurateur and musician. It’s a bittersweet moment for a chunk of locals across DFW.

Yes, venues come and go all the time, everyone is well aware of the fact. Killers isn’t just a venue though, it felt more like an “home away from home” space. For those who have never stepped foot inside Killers, it was an astoundingly small venue/ restaurant that hosted an abundance of huge shows and mini festivals. Tons of memories and good times have taken place in this venue, memories the people will never forget.

I can remember back a few years ago when my first interaction with Killers Tacos was booking small rap shows, back when I used to rap. It was a short-lived period of time, but it helped me understand about being behind the scenes of booking a show. Within the same time frame, a number of metalcore, hardcore and punk bands found Killers as their home for shows in Denton County. Small shows at Killers looked large and large shows looked stuffed with people crammed inside. Experiencing a show at Killers was more of a vibe than anything else. What made Killers special was the people who worked there and how accommodating they were. Jeff and the employees embraced the music culture and served the community well. For the past 7 years, Killers was a Denton gem everyone loved and appreciated with their hearts. I hate to see the venue go but the show must go on. Thank you Killers Tacos for everything you have done for the community. We love you.