Ugly Music For Ugly People

Don Austin, ladies and gentlemen. Akron's undisputed kings of all things heavy and aggressive. The web store description of their second record is "pissed Ohio hardcore- fast." No offense to Nate Gloom, but that is a huge copout. The best way to describe Don Austin's music is one word- ugly. I once read a review of a Murder-Suicide Pact record calling their music ugly, but this is a whole different dimension. Just look at some of their song titles- "Elegy to Those Alone," "Naked and Drunk," "I Fix Everything With a Hammer," "You Will Never Kick and You Will Die A Junkie," etc. This is not lightweight "I feel sad" bullshit here. Don Austin put forth some of the best music I can imagine as a sound track for depression.

Ignoring the blatantly theived Frank Miller, everything about Don Austin's self-titled debut 7" is original and moving. Heavy without being metal, dark without being dramatic, pummeling without being "brutal", and jagged without being math-y. This is a bit of a challenge to find in your average used bin, but their second 7" titled "Rust Belt Blues" is still available at the Gloom Records website. While not as refined as "Rust Belt Blues" or as dark as their final offering, "Akron," this slab features enough legitimate rage and musicial chops to stand on its own. Find out for yourself here. 8 songs, only one of which clocks in over a minute- you'd think these would be the shortest most direct routes from point A to point B. WRONG. Each song is seething, well crafted, and unpredictable. It sounds as if they used broken chunks of cinder blocks as guitar picks. If you're into Cult Ritual, Otophobia, and any Bob Suren band, you'll love this.

I was first exposed to Don Austin's live show in the summer of 2002. Their basement show in Philadelphia fell through and they were added on to a show featuring straight edge youth crew bands. Don't get me wrong, I was there for the edge bands, too. But of the 150 or so people who were there, maybe 20 watched Don Austin, a quarter of those enjoying the set. They finished up their 20 song set and split. Good call by them- they were the musical and performance highlight of the show. Just another reason why hardcore is one of the few things I truly enjoy in life- sometimes, you get a pleasant surprise. And usually, that surprise is short, sweet, and memorable for years.

Check out Don Austin on MySpace (although I doubt they'll ever update again) and make sure to pick up "Rust Belt Blues" from Gloom Records.