WaterCoolerGossip

(Jawbreaker at Gilman Street, sometime in the early '90s; photo from San Francisco Audio)

When did we start referring to old school rap as old school? I mean, back in the ‘80s, ABC rhyming/boom bap/high-top fades/four-finger rings were on some next shit. Surely, nobody was referring to any of it as “old school” back then. Reason I mention this is cause I’ve been listening to a lot of emo from the ‘90s lately (Jawbreaker, Sunny Day Real Estate, Texas is the Reason, etc.). Given the state of emo in 2006, is it fair to lump these earlier emo bands into the same category?

In its formative stage, if there was a general message to emo, it was to take punk rock and remove all the style/attitude/bullshit from the equation. The emo sound was emerging out of a punk revival movement, at a time when punk was becoming synonymous with juvenile/obnoxious (Green Day, Offspring, etc.). Is anyone still listening to Dookie or Smash these days? Jawbreaker’s 24 Hour Revenge Therapy never came close to that level of popularity, but it still holds up 12 years after its release.

I went through a brief phase around 8th – 9th grade (back in ’94 – ‘95) when I fell in love with this sound (though the term “emo” hadn’t really caught on yet). At the time, I was a kid torn with contradictions. Going to a magnet school, stuck in these shitty advanced classes; but going to all ages punk shows at Berkeley Square/Gilman Street, writing for punk zines (that’s like the mid ‘90s equiv. of blogging), not caring much for school-related activities. Torn somewhere between hating the system and learning to embrace responsibility. I loved punk rock but didn't really care for being a punk, and bands like Jawbreaker/SDRE/TITR/etc. gave me something I could identify with. Now, about 3 – 4 musical phases later in my life, at a time when I'm mostly disinterested in the latest in indie rock, I find myself coming back to emo. But the emo of the ‘90s, not the emo of 2006.

So, the question I have is: Is it time we can start classifying old school emo as its own sub-genre? I’m just gonna start referring to it as pre-emo.

From 24 Hour Revenge Therapy, my fave album of all time:

Jawbreaker – Boxcar (mp3)
It only takes the first line for Blake Schwarzenbach to form a mission statement and call out every overnight punk of the early ‘90s (you know the type): “You’re not punk and I’m telling everyone/Save your breath, I never was one”

Jawbreaker – Indictment (mp3)
Back in the pre-internet buzz era, it was crucial for bands to make it in their local scene before having a chance of breaking nationally. This was probably the closest thing Jawbreaker had to a hit single, making it to heavy rotation on SF/Bay Area college radio back in ‘94. I remember how genuinely stoked I was when Live 105 gave it a few spins.

Jawbreaker – Ache (mp3)
I don’t know if I really got this song when I first heard it as a 13 year old. Now, at age 25, after living in 4 different cities in 4 years, this captures exactly the way I feel lately: “These days, the people I love are spread so far apart..."

More essential pre-emo:
Sunny Day Real Estate – 48 (mp3)
Braid - Divers (mp3)
Cap’n Jazz – Oh Messy Life (mp3)
Christie Front Drive – Long Out (mp3)
Cursive – Sucker & Dry (mp3)
Texas is the Reason – Something To Forget (Version II) (mp3)

And I would consider the following to be essential pre-screamo:
AFI – God Called in Sick Today (mp3)
At The Drive-in – Initiation (mp3)

P.S. Thanks Wes for having me over as a guest blogger.