Welcome to this week’s Reno News & Review.
Arguably the most famous band ever to come from Reno is 7Seconds. The hardcore punk band formed here back in 1980 and officially announced their breakup earlier this year (see “Walk off together,” Musicbeat, April 12). The group was based in Sacramento for most of its run, but the band had a huge influence on two or three generations of musicians here in Reno.
In this space in March, I briefly mentioned participating in a neat benefit project. Over three days, 25 Reno bands showed up at the Sound Saloon studio, and in less than an hour apiece, each recorded a cover of a 7Seconds song. That’s 25 bands, 25 songs. All those songs are now being released on a double LP collection called Destroy All That Tradition. That title is a lyric from “Walk Together, Rock Together,” arguably 7Seconds’ best-known song, and it’s also a cheeky comment on the whole idea of paying homage.
I don’t like to write about my band in the paper, but my contribution is just a tiny piece of this puzzle. I sang on 1/25 of the album, and our tune is less than two minutes long. And it’s not like I’m going to make any money off this thing. Sales of the compilation will benefit the Holland Project, the all-ages arts organization that embodies 7Seconds’ “rock together” ethos. More than 100 local musicians and engineers worked on the album, and it features a cover painting by local artist Ahren Hertel. We’d be negligent in our commitment to cover local arts if we didn’t mention it at all.
I’ve heard the whole thing now, and I’ve got to say it’s even better than I anticipated. Among the many highlights: Fall Silent’s rip through “Die Hard,” Hate Recorder’s moody take on “Somebody Help Me Scream,” and Stirr Lightly’s dream pop version of “Walk Together, Rock Together.”
It’s now available to preorder at humaniterroristrecordcollective.bandcamp.com.