Orange Anxious

It feels funny to be chasing multiple copies of records again. It was about five years ago when I got fed up with that game and took myself out of the cycle of buying every single pressing, but I won't deny, that shit can be fun to do.

When I first saw Anxious play at the Have Heart reunion last summer, I did not really like them. I found the style to be a bit annoying to listen to, and I quickly decided that I didn't need to pay any attention to the band. When it turned out that they were playing the AHC 2019 matinee show, I figured that maybe I'd give their songs a quick listen on Spotify the day before the show. I was quite surprised with how much I loved what I was hearing, and decided to pick up the bands 7 inch at the show. That record turned out to be black vinyl, and since I couldn't stop spinning it I found that I desperately wanted a colored vinyl pressing, and I hunted down the pink vinyl.

Having two copies of the record felt a bit silly, since I only needed the orange vinyl to complete the set. When the Field Agent EP went up for preorder, I decided to grab that orange vinyl I was missing.

So here I sit with three copies of the Anxious 7 inch. It isn't really my favorite record from last year, but it sure is a lot of fun to listen to. I can't wait to see where the band goes from here.

Pink Vinyl Looked Never Better

A week or so ago I posted about the Anxious record that I'd picked up at the band's merch table during the matinee show for the America's Hardcore fest. When I got home, I was disappointed to discover that the record was the common pressing on black vinyl, and this gave me an itch to possibly chase down a colored vinyl pressing.

For some reason this Anxious record really makes me think of those mid-90's bands like Sparkmarker and Policy Of 3, and I just can't stop listening to this 7 inch. While I don't typically get down with multiple copies of records these days, Anxious have got me reconsidering that stance, and I hit up Discogs to find out what was available for the pink vinyl pressing that has been long sold out at the Triple B store. Luckily, the prices haven't gotten ridiculous yet, and I was able to scoop one up for a decent price.

Okay...now that I've the pink vinyl pressing, I want the orange vinyl too...oh, and if anyone wants to part with the record release pressing, hit me up. Damn, every time I think I'm out, they pull me back in.

Too Anxious For AHC 2019

A couple of weeks back I made a trip to Boston to catch the Saturday matinee show of Triple B's America's Hardcore fest. Not counting the Have Heart reunion last summer, it had probably been about two and a half years since I made it out to a hardcore show. God damn. That's embarrassing.

In checking the line up for the three AHC shows, the matinee show was the most interesting for me. It was full of newer bands that I'd just started to get into, so I was looking forward to spending the afternoon seeing what they had to offer live on stage.

The show itself was pure fucking magic for me. Every single band that played were great, and it only magnified my love for the current state of hardcore. I didn't feel like I knew the songs that well for any of the bands, but this old man still got caught up in the excitement and was on the dance floor mixing it up with the kids. Even catching a fist to the mouth during the set for Method Of Doubt couldn't knock the smile off my face. I can't express how happy I was to be at this show.

I originally caught Anxious back at the Have Heart reunion show last summer, and while I was initially enjoying them, after a couple of songs, I just wanted them to stop and I was no longer impressed. Since then, the band released a 7 inch on Triple B, but I didn't bother with it at all. Knowing that they were playing the AHC matinee show, I figured that I might as well check out their songs on Spotify the day before driving down to Boston. Whoa. I kind of liked what I was hearing, and it really reminded me of those melodic hardcore bands from the early 90's. Perhaps I'd initially judged them too harshly. I gave those songs a few spins prior to the show, and catching them live on a small stage at The Middle East sealed the deal...I needed this record.

As I've mentioned, I was on a hardcore high for this Triple B show, and I really wanted to show some support to all the bands that played. No one had any special AHC pressings, but I figured that I would still pick up some 7 inch records from the merch tables. I was very happy to grab the Anxious 7 inch, but once I got home and took a look a record I was disappointed to discover that they were only selling the black vinyl option. Fuck. I was hoping for at least the orange colored vinyl pressing that is still available in the Triple B store. Selling the most common version of your record to people that came to your show feels like I got cheated. Oh well, I still love this record, and now I feel compelled to buy another pressing just to have a more limited option.