Decontrol - Shutdown

With the recent government shutdown, I think it is only appropriate that I post the Decontrol song Shutdown. Here's a video featuring a lot of old photos and flyers from the band's heyday.

Interview Series - Matt "MC" Hyser

I first met Matt around the Spring of 1998 when he was booking shows at Liberty Fire Hall in York. He played in a band called The Underground Conspiracy and that is where he got his nickname of Matt Conspiracy (MC). He went on to play in TMI Generation and then we finally started Decontrol in the Fall of 2000. To say the least he is one of my best friends and one of the craziest people I've ever met. He was a staple in the Pennsylvania scene for many years before recently relocating to Louisville. He booked just about every band you can think of, many of which by phone pre-cell phones, and I remember seeing his mom's house phone number on flyers for years.

Can you name every band you have ever played in?
Underground Conspiracy, TMI Generation, Decontrol, Bete Noire, and Olde Tigers. I've messed around with a few other projects here and there, but nothing really notable. Mitch would probably be pissed if I didn't mention Skin Flute, so there's that.

What was the first show you ever went to?
I honestly don't remember, but I know it was 1995 at the Big City/Zodiac/Fenix or whatever it was called at that point, and then for my birthday that year Blag XIII and the Fanboys played my birthday party in my mom's garage.

What was the first show you ever booked?
First show I ever booked was at Liberty Fire Hall in 1998. Underground Conspiracy, Violation, Squire, The Scam and one other local played. Over 100 people showed up for an all local show that no one had to sell tickets for. That doesn't happen anymore.

How many venues have you run/helped out/booked at?
Countless! At least four different fire halls, two record stores, four or five legitimate venues, three or four houses, and three or four bars. Probably more.

What was it like to move out of York?
It was tough! Almost everyone I've ever known has been connected to me through York somehow. But it was a great decision. Small towns are great, but they can also be very restrictive.

Can you talk about bootlegging videos for a bit?
Hahaha yeah, we were all about bootlegging videos. All the distros were doing it in the 90's so why not us too? The extra money made a lot of stuff possible for the band and the shows we were able to do.

How many times have you seen The Casualties?
More than I can count for over fifteen years now. They still put on a great live show to this day.

What was your all time favorite show you played and/or booked?
This one is really, really tough. I can't pick just one so I'll pick one show I booked from every era:
Liberty Fire Hall - My favorite show I booked was the first one. All locals and a great turnout. Got me hooked on doing shows.
Dillsburg Fire Hall - Can't pick just one, but I booked The Casualties and The Unseen two weeks apart and both shows had over 300 pay at the door. It was unreal. I was able to pay every band way more than their guarantees and still went home with more money than I could have imaginied.
Champ - Kill Your Idols, Forward to Death, The Spark, Decontrol, and Last Sunset. Kill Your Idols had become one of my favorite bands and I was so stoked to have them in central PA.
Post-Champ - I did a lot of shows in a lot of different places, but my favorite was the first show I did at the Skid Row Garage with our friends we met on tour Just Die! and Reignition. It was the start of three years of crazy DIY shows in a tiny space.

There were soooo many other shows that were amazing and fun for countless different reasons, but those four would be my personal highlights.

As far as favorite shows I ever played, there are far too many to list. Almost every show was great for a different reason. We always joke about how Decontrol played everywhere, and we really did. I could name drop countless bands that we've played with, but that's way to cliche. Maybe the best thing was that first real tour we did with Bete Noire in 2007. We bought a shitty old van, turned it into a mobile home and hit the road without a care in the world. We didn't have GPS or fancy cell phones, just printed out directions and a list of contacts for the promoters and venues. We made it with almost no problems and had a blast.

Will there ever be a Decontrol reunion?
I kind of doubt it, but it would be fun. Would people really want to see that? Do we really want to hear people yell for "Shutdown" again? It would be weird going back over all that material and reliving it.

A bunch of stuff has been re-uploaded!

Schoolyard Bully - Demo and Heart Break Curse EP
http://www.sendspace.com/file/0qorsb

Decontrol - If The Price Is Right
http://www.sendspace.com/file/71kqpi

Decontrol - Left For Dead
http://www.sendspace.com/file/8fraw4

x24th Solutionx - s/t 7"
http://www.mediafire.com/?fvxxc4jdc6ifszy

The Alliance - s/t 7"
http://www.sendspace.com/file/q8vh87

Armed Citizens - Citizens On The March 7"
http://www.sendspace.com/file/j1lhw5

Sprocket - Hide The Bodies 7"
http://www.sendspace.com/file/j6j2aw

Caramel Sun/Slacker - split 7"
http://www.sendspace.com/file/dpahml

Feeble - s/t 7"
http://www.sendspace.com/file/92ofl7

Something Rotten In Red Lion - Compilation 7" w/ Armed Citizens, Hellcats, The Scam, Squire
http://www.sendspace.com/file/0zyl58

Those Who Remain - xDEMOx, songs from the split 7" with On Course, and one unreleased song
http://d01.megashares.com/dl/MPW6QDI/Those Who Remain.zip

TMI Generation - s/t
http://www.sendspace.com/file/9g2zg3

Death By Nostalgia - Random demos, and side of split 7" with Boxing Water
http://www.sendspace.com/file/445u96

Rightstart - demos?
http://www.sendspace.com/file/vpsm7z

Chris Bavaria By Himself - The Middletown Demos, Champ Demos
http://www.sendspace.com/file/jncjcp

Courtesy of Steve SWG...

3:6 - Hey! Look at Stupidhead
http://www.mediafire.com/?ozcvndsbzyhikr7

Lost Cause - "all 3 of their demo tapes, their self-titled 7" record, and even a few songs from the 7" record recording session that were unreleased."
http://www.mediafire.com/?igybih7g8223bj6

Resurgents - s/t 7"
http://www.mediafire.com/?x2vzj489xbs3oci

Resurgents - "zip file contains 20 songs from their 4 way split CD, a few compilations, and some unreleased stuff that the vocalist Brett gave me on a Digital Audio Tape in 1997."
http://www.mediafire.com/?7qi21ibpbmn94is

MRR Scene Report

click for bigger version.

This is a "scene report" that I wrote for Maximum Rocknroll when The Champ first opened. I was surprised when they actually printed it.

Out Here Alone Comp

V/A - Out Here Alone
http://www.sendspace.com/file/vjvkad

This was a comp put together when the Out Here Alone site was first launched. Has bands from all over the area in a lot of different genres. The artwork is terrible, so are some of the bands. Definitely some gems in there too though.

The Infomercials - DAEDSIECNIV
Boywunder - Time is not absolute
Last Tuesday - Late night news
Espenshade - 5 & 6 Overhead
Six South - Impatience
Kavanah Star - Up in arms
Dutchland Diesel - Your Town
Via Satellite - Different but same, no different but different
Movies With Heroes - Someday
Derringer - There is a gate way to hell along the banks of the susquehana
Run Run - For stiches
Decontrol - Failed before we start
The Driver - Break me open
Stratford - Tonight
Vincent Price's Orphan Powered Death Machine - Hand me the keys
Nowhere Quick - I/You
Unight - Drugs Suck
Sptsnz - Adventures in androgymy
The Virus - Nowhere to hide
Thinking Machines - 100 Years of firsts
One Perfect Crime - I wanna sin
Clancy 6 - The surgical removal of limbs part 1
The Gunshy - Always right
Empty Promises - Missed chances for homicide
Best Kept Lie - My life your lie
Allison Hill - The death of you

Some more gems...

Resurgents - Self Titled 7 Inch
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=LRXYU2QG

Awesome early 90's pop punk from Carlisle, PA - for fans of Lookout! Records.



Rightstart - random songs
http://www.sendspace.com/file/atd6b8

Another awesome Carlisle band... 90's youth crew revival. For fans of Trial, Floorpunch, In My Eyes.





Schoolyard Bully - The Demo & Heart. Break. Curse. EP
http://www.sendspace.com/file/imxq30

This was Jason Swisher (the singer from Rightstart) next band. A little more modern sounding still awesome though. Guest vocals from Brother's Keeper and Stretch Armstrong.



Running From Dharma - If We Don't Speak LP, Acoustic Demo, Split w/ Hoping For The Better, and Newer Demos
http://www.sendspace.com/file/sc66af

This band was rad, they were together for like 10 years did a bunch of records, even toured w/ Shelter once. For fans of Hot Water Music, Samiam, etc.



Those Who Remain - XDEMOX & Split w/ On Course
http://d01.megashares.com/dl/MPW6QDI/Those Who Remain.zip

This was a youth crew band I sang for in the early 2000's. Past & present members of Van Damage, Comin' Correct, Steel Nation, Mindset.


Decontrol - If The Price Is Right
http://www.sendspace.com/file/0s8s60

PUNX. Old street punk band from York, PA. For fans of The Unseen, A Global Threat.



T.M.I. Generation - s/t
http://www.sendspace.com/file/tgeltm

Another street punk band from central PA. Members went on to Decontrol & The Virus. Do an awesome Business cover. See a young MC on the right...