Wilkes-Barre's Frostbite opened the show. I didn't know who they were but I was told that they were ex-members of True Identity, who were a great old school band that released a few 7 inches and broke up, like so many hardcore bands do. So that gave me hope that Frostbite would be good, and they were pretty decent. They reminded me of No Warning and sounded like they'd be right at home on the Bridge 9 label. The only thing I didn't like was they all played and sang with that uber-serious "hardcore face". The rest of the crowd must not have like it either because they stood like statues for their set. I was suprised because I remember True Identity being one of those bands that would really engage a crowd. That's my only complaint though, the sound was good but the presentation wasn't there. Their last song was a cover of Billy Joel's "Pressure" and it was fucking rad. Their singer Alex gave us a CD after they took down and if their live sound is any indication I'm betting its going to be good. You can look for my review on the REVIEWS page next week sometime.

I was stoked to see One Up again! They were one of my favorite bands at Posi Numbers Fest last year, matter of fact guitarist Brian Cavanaugh told me that's where they met Thanatos. You could tell the 2 bands were friends because the Thanatos guys who weren't working the merch table were front-row-center for One Up's set. They're a straight edge band but they're not assholes about it so it's cool they don't mind sharing a bill with non-sXe bands. They started by getting the crowd to start a slow clap. It built up for a minute and it led into that "Rock and Roll Part 2" song they play at football games. It sounds stupid but it got the crowd riled up and fist pumping in no time! Their first actual song was what I hoped it would be, "It's Time To Believe". One Up can get a bit preach-y, but not about straight edge, just about the scene and importance of sticking together and unity. Those themes really shown through in the songs that followed, "Shape Up Or Ship Out", "To All the Fakers", "Rally the Troops" and "Wind Of Change". I think they played every song from their cassette tape demo and a few new ones I didn't recognize. Vocalist Ron did his trademark water spew from the drum riser when they played "Drown Out the Noise", and the crowd loved it. They were joined by Kurt Thanatos when they ended with their namesake song "One Up" and brought the house down. They promised a CD release next year and Brian said, "We'll invite Thanatos to share our night the way they wanted us to share theirs". It was rad and what positive hardcore is all about!

Thanatos really put on a show for their big night. They took to the floor about 9, plugged in and the sound of cymbals and a slow droning minor chord echoed through the place. The crowd of friends and longtime fans cheered them a warm welcome and formed a half circle in front as Ant started pacing back and forth. After a few minutes guitarist Kurt let out a gutteral scream and the droning minor chord transitioned into the one-two punch of the "20 Minutes of Euphoria/Be My Brother" combo, that opens up the new album. Then on it was all-out fast-paced fury as they played all their signature songs, one right after another, including "Strong Inside", "Teamwork", "Push Harder Than Before". The crowd new every word and shouted along so loud, there were times you could hear them more than the band singing. Most of the set was stuff off the new album but they played some deep cuts too, like "In Due Time" from their Cashetta Sessions Demo and "Nail on the Head" from the Jumpstart Recs Best of PA Punk & Hardcore comp. They only stopped once, Kurt and Ant told a quick story about how influential punk rock and hardcore was to them right before they played "Old Songs (New Hope)", at over the 2 min mark was probably the longest song of the night. They closed the set with a cover of the Pat Benetar song "Heartbreaker". A few of the guys stripped down to their boxers for it, it was funny as hell. They thanked One Up and Frostbite for sharing the night with them, then some of the guys from both bands joined them for 2 classic hardcore covers, Better Than 1000's "Just One" and Floorpunch's "Let It Ride". As the music rang out Sammy threw down his bass and jumped into the crowd, while the One Up guys hoisted Ant and threw him into the drums. The two guitarists, Kurt and Chris climbed the PA stacks and beat their chests like gorillas, I don't know why but it was funny. Afterward they sat at their merch table, talking with friends and new fans.

Frostbite and One Up were good but Thanatos slayed it. This was their night. They embody what positive hardcore is about right in their mission statement, in the lyrics to "It Begins Now": "Doing our part to make this world a bit more fun / We won't quit until we're done / Hard, fast, true, pure sound / IT BEGINS NOW!". Check out the new album and one of their shows for proof that positive hardcore still lives!