8-15 Skull Fest 11 Opening show, Schizofrenia, VAASKA, Fuckin Lovers, SexPill, Nandas, Charged DIS, Pittsburgh @Babyland

The opening show for Skull Fest. I love Skull Fest. All the festive punks, scumbags, and otherwise. Babyland is the perfect place for a show part of Skull Fest. At the beginning of the day all kinds of people were drinking the Skull Fest poison pouch.

Charged DIS - Pittsburgh punk rock. Dusty Hanna plays guitar and shredded the whole time. The singer was ok.

Nandas - From New York. Slower hardcore punk. Lady singer, lady drummer. Good set.

Sex Pill - A 3 piece. They were good. Some discussion about the gender of the bass player.

Fuckin Lovers - One of the better bands of the day. The singer had an awful haircut, but it wasn't awful too. From Philly, hardcore punk. Very good.

Vaaska - The best band of the show. D beat style hardcore punk with Spanish Lyrics. I think someone in this band is also in Power Trip. Good heavy bang your head shit.

Schizofrenia - Japanese band. Fast and good. Enjoyed the set.

After the show there were just as many people hanging out, but no juice pouches to be found. Either everyone was too hammered too early, or they weren't satisfied with the juice pouch. I suspect the first.

8-2 Stick to Your Guns, Counterparts, Terror, Sanction, Year of the Knife, Pittsburgh @Rex Theater

The first show after This is Hardcore fest is sometimes a letdown. Not this one though.

Year of the Knife - From Delaware. Heavy hardcore. Seen them before, they were pretty good.

Sanction - Very good set. Sometime of their breakdowns were crazy heavy, it was cool. They've been around before a bunch of times, always been good.

Terror - The best band of the night by far. The new songs are good too, like Mental Demolition. At this point they have too many good songs to play them all. They'd need a 2 hour set. But the song selection was tight and Scott Vogel is always the best. The t-shirt game was a little off, that was a big surprise.

Counterparts - Didn't play. Van trouble.

Stick to Your Guns - A little too singy for me. Can't get into it.

Highs - Terror, Sanction, Year of the Knife
Low's - Nothing.

7-28 This is Hardcore Fest, Gorilla Biscuits, Cro-Mags, Breakdown, Death Threat, Old Firm Casuals, Maximum Penalty, Regulate, On Broken Wings, Eyes of the Lord, No Option, Spine, Regional Justice Center, Aggressive Dogs, Gulch, Guillotine, Vatican, Fixation, Philly @Franklin Music Hall

The first two days of This is Hardcore were awesome. Sunday did not disappoint either. Per tradition we didn't get there on time. We picked Aggressive Dogs as the first band we wanted to get there to see. I wasn't feeling very good on this morning. Luckily as the day went on my stomach was feeling better. At the diner late Saturday I had too much sweet stuff. Some berry stuffed french toast and a slice of Boston Creme Pie. It was good at the time, not in the morning though.

Fixation - Missed them.

Vatican - Missed them.

Guillotine - Missed them.

Gulch - Missed them.

Aggressive Dogs - They've been playing as a band since the mid 80s and have a wide variety of songs. It looked like only two members of the band were able to make it, and they played with a few American fill ins. The lead singer is good and the songs were good. Crowd response was mild, as expected. Good set that I'll most likely never get to see again.

Regional Justice Center - Fastcore from Washington state. They were good, I think I like the recordings a little better than the live set. Cool band I wanted to see.

Spine - Missed them.

No Option - Very good band. Saw them at the Smiling Moose a few months ago. They got a really good response from the crowd. Hardcore.

Eyes of the Lord - Not a huge fan of the recordings. Car beer.

On Broken Wings - Car beer. Had 0 interest in seeing this. Did they even play? I can't seem to find a single picture of the set or reference to them actually playing.

Regulate - Good set, not a great set. I really like a handfull of their songs, and they sounded pretty good. But last year's set was killer and hard to follow up.

Maximum Penalty - Good old style band. A little bit rappy. Didn't get a whole lot of respect from the crowd. But that's normal for them at This is Hardcore.

Old Firm Casuals - More of oi punk than hardcore. I like the style of music and would like to see more of this at TIHC, but bands leaning a little more aggressive. They were good. It was cool to see Lars from Rancid play, hadn't ever been to a show of theirs or any of his side projects. They didn't get much crowd response, but there were more people standing up front for them than there was for Max Pen. Rumor after the set is that Lars was pissed about the minimal response from the crowd.

Death Threat - Killed it. They played everything from the first release and it was very good. Lots of angel dust stories. Probably the best I've seen them. Oh, they showed up too, that's a plus.

Breakdown - Killed it as always. The old jams are classic. Great frontman, great response.

Cro-Mags - Perfect band to lead into GB. I had seen them at TIHC before to lukewarm reception. Not this year, shit was on fire this time around. JJ and crew killed it.

Gorilla Biscuits - Killed it as expected. They recently had a death in the band, but they're still a great live show. Played to a full house and it was awesome.

Best bands for Sunday:
1 Cro-Mags
2 Gorilla Biscuits
3 Breakdown
4 Death Threat

Best bands of the Fest:
1 Wisdom in Chains 2 Cro-Mags 3 Harms Way 4 Agnostic Front 5 Drain 6 Facewreck

In summation the hooker hotel and the diner delivered as always. The new car was perfect. The parking situation was the best it's ever been, under a tree every time. The bands were awesome. The crowd was awesome. Perfect hardcore vacation. PAHC on top always.

7-27 This is Hardcore Fest, Saves the Day, Off, Agnostic Front, Wisdom in Chains, Ecostrike, Downpresser, Billy Club Sandwich, Into Another, Trail of Lies, Hoods, Queensway, Hangman, Laid 2 Rest, Kaonashi, One Step Closer, Magnitude, Drain, Shackled, Anxious, Section H8, Philly @Franklin Music Hall

Friday was an awesome show. I didn't know near as many bands on the second day, so we weren't in such a rush to get there. At one point we weren't sure what bands we were watching. The catch was Hangman, things must have been running pretty well ahead of time because we missed Hangman and didn't realize it. The goal was to get in to see Drain.

Section H8 - Missed them. I've heard of them before, from Philly I think.

Anxious - Missed them and hadn't heard of them before.

Shackled - Missed them. No idea.

Drain - Hardcore from Cali. Awesome set, the singer looked super happy the entire time. The songs were fun and groovy. Very happy we arrived right on time. Surf hardcore. The Drain swim trunks are top notch.

Magnitude - This was merch and haircut time. Missed them, but my friends said they were really really good. I should have watched.

One Step Closer - They were really good. Not as heavy as many other bands at the fest. Wilkes Barre Hardcore. I think they cover a Linkin Park song sometimes? Maybe?

Kaonashi - Missed them. Beer time. I heard people talking about the set being good and stuff.

Laid 2 Rest - I heard some hype about this band going into the fest but I didn't hear anything about them after they played.

Hangman - Missed them, though I wanted to see them. Poor execution.

Queensway - I like this band but not too much. Ok hardcore, very much in the vein of Hoods. I've seen them before.

Hoods - I thought this set was going to be a dud. It was very good. They've been playing for a long time and they got pretty good respect from the crowd.

Trail of Lies - Missed them.

Billy Club Sandwich - Missed them. Not a big fan of the recordings.

Downpresser - Missed them.

Ecostrike - Straight edge from Florida. They were ok. I think this is the singer from Blistered. Decent set. Decent crowd response.

Wisdom in Chains - This day went from low speed to high gear really quick. The new songs are killer, the old jams are killer. Great music and great vocals. As always the singalong was on, plenty of stagedives. I don't know what the pit was doing because that was firmly behind me.

Agnostic Front - Another band that I've seen at TIHC in the past and get no reception whatsoever. But this year was different. Very solid response for the old heads playing the old shit. The sound was a little shitty in terms of vocal volume for about half the set. Best I've ever seen them.

OFF! - Not a huge fan of the set. It was good in the hardcore punk way, but with the singer from Black Flag and The Circle Jerks, you kinda want to hear at least a cover. The best part of the set was when Jimmy Gestapo came out and made run of the singer. Dude is so funny. I love Jimmy G from Murphys Law. Crowd support was minimal. It's tough to get a fitting band to play before Saves the Day headlining a hardcore fest.

Saves the Day - I had this pegged for a poorly attended snooze fest. I was super wrong. The singalongs were on. The stagedives were on. The crowd response was amazing compared to what I expected. I liked the set and thought they sounded good.

Best bands:
1 Wisdom in Chains
2 Agnostic Front
3 Drain

7-26 This is Hardcore Fest, Code Orange, 100 Demons, Harms Way, All Out War, Jesus Piece, Death Before Dishonor, Inclination, Eternal Sleep, Bloodbather, Enemy Mind, Facewreck, Payback, Philly @Franklin Music Hall

Going into the fest I thought Fridays show was pretty obviously the most stacked. Perfect way to kick off TIHC weekend 2019. I know there was a pre-show on Thursday, but we didn't attend so this was the beginning for us. This was Pittsburgh day at TIHC.

Payback - I hate that they open the doors like 5 minutes before any bands play so almost everyone is waiting in line outside missing them. Not usually a big deal for me, but on this day I really wanted to see everyone. Payback sounded good from outside.

Facewreck - The best new band in hardcore. A funny band when you get past all the mosh. We missed the first half of the set because of the line getting in. Singer had a few funny lines about following proper protocol while entering the venue. Good tough guy banter also. Great energy from the crowd for the second band of the day, and one of the best sets of the day. Pittsburgh band #1.

Enemy Mind - A heavier hardcore sound. More metal involved here. I like this band, and they sounded really good. Pittsburgh band #2.

Bloodbather - Super heavy hardcore from Florida I think. They were pretty good.

Eternal Sleep - They've been playing songs from their most recent album for a few years and it's good to hear they are going to record again. They played all the bangers like Red Herring and Dead Like Me, and the new song was good too. A really strong set. Pittsburgh band #3.

Inclination - Heavy straight edge hardcore. They were good. The crowd was into it big time. They have some really good songs. Killed it at times.

Death Before Dishonor - Old heads releasing a new album. The old songs were good, the new songs were good too. They started the trend of bands who I've seen at TIHC to really poor reception in the past who were treated much better by the crowd this time around.

Jesus Piece - When this band plays you can expect the pit to get scary. No difference this time. I really like Jesus Piece but I make sure to stay something like 15 feet back from the edge of the pit because someone is getting wrecked. Bang your head to this stuff.

All Out War - They almost always play, and they almost always kill it. They did it again. More old heads dropping a new album to great reception. So freaking heavy and a perfect band to go together with the rest of the show.

Harms Way - My favorite set of the day. Hulk is a good front man for a band so heavy. The new songs are good, the older bangers are still good. I'll always get down to their live set. Killed it, no surprise I think the whole building felt that way.

100 Demons - There were no disappointments on this day, but 100 Demons was the closest. They didn't sound bad, it just wasn't great. They played with the original singer for the first time in almost 20 years, and evidently those guys for a long stretch didn't get along at all. The songs were good and I very much prefer the old singer to the current one. That first album is a complete banger. Crowd support was good, but not as intense as anticipated.

Code Orange - Pittsburgh band #4. It's amazing to me this band's live show right now versus the first time I saw them like a decade ago in a punk house living room with 6 people in it. The live show is pretty much uncontested in hardcore right now. They walk the line between a hardcore show and maybe an industrial metal feel with the lighting and video stuff. I noticed some of the older songs I really like they played updated versions of the songs. Interesting. No need to say they killed it and are the perfect band to headline Fridays show.

My high expectations for this day weren't let down. Every band was worth watching. The crowd was awesome and reasonably respectful.

Best Bands:
1 Harms Way
2 Facewreck
3 Eternal Sleep

6-7 Sworn Enemy, 156 Silence, Inconsolable Wretch, Circle of Caina, New Kensington @Preserving Hardcore

This was my first time going to Preserving Hardcore. I hadn't ever been to New Kensington before. I was under the impression that New Kens was a dump. After getting there it turns out that New Kens is a dump. That's ok. Preserving Hardcore is in a great basement spot right next to the PJ's. Nice record store, nice little show space. A little tight once people start dancing, but the mosh was pretty respectable all night.

Unfortunately I don't know any of the bands that played before Sworn Enemy. I didn't know them going in, and I don't think even one band clearly said what their name is. So even when leaving I didn't know who was who. After doing some googling I think I might have figured it out.

Circle of Caina - Heavy hardcore metal. Nothing too memorable here.

Inconsolable Wretch - Heavy hardcore metal. The guitarist is the singer. I think other than Sworn Enemy they were the best band of the night.

156 Silence - The best known local on the bill. They are good and heavy hardcore. Again, nothing too memorable.

Sworn Enemy - Pretty much killed it. They played a few new songs too. One of them is real good, it's the song they have the video for. The new album is hit and miss, but the live set was awesome. They hadn't been in Pittsburgh for a decade, it was good to have them back. I should have got the white shirt.

Preserving Hardcore museum was pretty awesome. I wasn't expecting so much. A lot of local band shit in there, which is awesome. Some awesome old jerseys in there like the 25 Ta Life hockey jersey. Great place, too bad it's like an hour and a half from where I live or I'd go there all the time.

Highs - Sworn Enemy, the space.

Lows - Nothing.

6-6 Ringworm, Unreal City, The Grip, Pittsburgh @Rock Room

This show hadn't been announced for very long. Somewhat of a last minute thing. I'm thinking Ringworm wanted a warm up show for their tour. The Rock Room was a great place to do such a thing.

The Grip - Good band. Good energy. Younger folks playing hardcore punk. More hardcore than punk. I like the singers cross country skiing move. Philly band. Not sure if they're on tour or what. Had nice white hats for sale.

Unreal City - Awesome band. Good songs. Same singer as Eternal Sleep. They really occupy the same space in hardcore as Eternal Sleep but Unreal City isn't as heavy and a little faster. Maybe more friendly sounding. Good set, good Pittsburgh band.

Ringworm - Well known Cleveland hardcore metal. The new album is good, and they played some headbangers off of it. I like it how they're fine with slumming it up at the Rock Room on short notice. Good energy, killer riffs always.

Hi's - Everything, pierogie night

Low's - Turnout was a little bit light.