Circle Enthusiast

Spencer Chamberlain - Circle Enthusiast. Follow along as I explore the relationship between two of my passions; circles, and loud, abrasive noises. My primary focus is typically photographing hardcore shows in and around the western New York area, so if that's the sort of thing that interests you, please feel free to follow along at realityfilter.tumblr.com

[circleenthusiast]

The Record Store Day 2016 Celebrated Summer Records exclusive version of Nothing Less; Mindset’s final 7″. A fantastic sendoff for a great band. 

Trying to track down the test for this release to complete the collection, so we’ll see how that goes… If anyone has one to sell, Let’s make a deal!

React! Records-RXR-053-Mindset - Nothing Less (RSD 2016-Coke Bottle Clear #46/50)

[circleenthusiast]

Another Mindset 7″, because like I’ll probably say a million times more, I LOVE this band. This is the Winter Tour 2009 version of ‘REALPOWER.’ Everyone looks so young. Was this really all that long ago? I still remember listening to these songs on repeat for a couple hours at night, fighting off sleep, as I drove down to Virginia after seeing them play for the first time at A Time We’ll Remember in 2009, having drove down to Lemoyne, PA that morning from my home in Rochester, NY. It’s funny how things like that kind of stay with you, but for whatever reason, I always make that association when I listen to this record.

It’s always bothered me that I only managed to see Mindset a handful of times due to something always seeming to get in the way, but I’m looking forward to the final Toronto show, as well as their proper send off at React Showcase in May.

React! Records-RXR-003-Mindset - REALPOWER (2009 Winter Tour-Black /110)

[circleenthusiast]

So, I just received this today. Triple-B just repressed Fury’s Kingdom Come 7″, on  brilliantly beautiful translucent purple vinyl. Unfortunately that purple doesn’t show up so well on a scanner, so you’ll have to take me at my word.

Fury just released a three-song promo tape for their upcoming 2016 LP on Triple-B, and I personally can’t wait for that record to happen, so a fresh pressing of Kingdom Come works as a perfect segue into that.

Also, congratulations to @triplebrecords on ten years of putting out music from fantastic bands. Sam does a lot of work for this label, and happens to be a part of two of my favorite demos to be released in the past few months, Labeled, and WARFARE. Keep it up.

Triple-B Records-TBR-049-Fury - Kingdom Come (3rd Pressing-Purple /500)

[circleenthusiast]

Youngblood Records have a history of putting out consistently great records, and for me, both of the 7″s from Fired Up are without question near the very top. Aside from being a personal favorite from YB, I think this particular variant is one of the coolest looking records I own. And actually, this record has a TON of really beautiful variants. I don’t see a lot of clear vinyl with specks like this, so this one has always stood out to me as something really unique.

Youngblood Records-YB-26-Fired Up - When The Lights Go Out (Summer Tour 2006 Cover-Clear w/ Black Specks 44/150)

[circleenthusiast]

How We Are were, and remain one of my favorite hometown bands, and bands in general, of all-time. To Teach A Hundred is one of my favorite records of the 2000′s, and to this day I still find myself getting “If It Kills Me” stuck in my head on a regular basis.

“To Teach A Hundred” was initially released as a CD in 2006, and it wasn’t until the band had already broken up that it saw a proper vinyl release in 2009 from Stop Whining, Start Winning Records as “To Teach A Hundred And One,” complete with an extra song at the end of the LP. After having a nightmare of a time with the pressing plant, Musicol, some of the copies were given the ol’ Chung King treatment. I’m not absolutely certain on the pressing information on this, but I believe 100 of them were released with this cover, and maybe 500 in total.

Rory has a new band called Coming Down that recaptures some of the same energy that made HWA so great, and I’d recommend visiting their bandcamp and giving their demo a listen. comingdown.bandcamp.com.

SWX2-005-How We Are - To Teach A Hundred And One (Chung King Cover-Black /100)

[circleenthusiast]

A really fantastic, shortly-lived band from the Pacific Northwest, ON was comprised of the individuals responsible for creating some of the most beloved hardcore bands to come out of that region of the last fifteen years. Released in 2008, during the infancy of Aram Arslanian’s React! Records (I think this released between RXR-001 and 002, but I may be mistaken), “Vital Times” would be ON’s first and only release outside of React!, and this particular variant was made to commemorate the occasion of their first show. I will forever love any and all things within the React bubble. A fantastic label that’s always been in the hands of fantastic people. You know what they say; If it ain’t React!, it ain’t worth a fuck.

Also, just take a look at the lineup of that show.

LEGITIMATEBROS-ON-001-ON - Vital Times (First Show-Clear Green 58/75)

[circleenthusiast]

Another band calling it a day in 2016. The record release version of Foundation’s 2009 7″ on Six Feet Under Records, “Hang Your Head”.

SFU-030-Foundation - Hang Your Head (Record Release-Red, White, and Blue 026/103)

[circleenthusiast]

I’m marking the launch of this page with one of my favorite records, released by the band that’s influenced me more than any other over the past ten years. Mindset is playing their final show on May 13, 2016, and just released what will be their final record, “Nothing Less.” “REALPOWER” was the record that made me fall in love with this band, and this is the Record Release Show pressing of that 7″.

RXR-003-Mindset - REALPOWER (Record Release Show-Clear Red 20/78)