New single, Band of Color, off our new record on PPM, Ltd. Form. Out February 8th.

 

THE COURSE OF EMPIRE

        

GUILTY PLEASURES: WE'VE ALL GOT 'EM

JUDGE- Like You

I think I'd have to consult NASA to get an accurate idea of how many times I listened to this song in my adolescents. The thing I find most appealing about it is that, unlike most other straight edge hardcore songs,  there's not a lot of blame here. He's seeing something he dislikes in himself in someone else. That's pretty honest. Especially in their world.

Judge is an interesting band to me because they were older and came around after the hey day of New York hardcore. Mike Judge (the singer) was playing in bands during the early 80's and this band didn't really fully form until 1989ish. Plus, you just don't see a lot of guys with beards and dew rags in that scene in general. He was trying to do something more personal and emotive but, they split up when their shows became so violent that they felt their audience was really missing the point.

Fun Fact: Mike Judge was from a neighboring town where I grew up in NJ. He worked at this arcade that was converted from a church (there's a cemetery across the street) where kids from school used to have their birthday parties!