Sidekick Kato- 1st Class Chump

Sidekick Kato is an Emo and Indie Rock band from Des Plaines, IL. This album came out in 1996 on Johanns Face Records. Sidekick Kato is one of my favorite bands from the Chicago underground scene. Back in 1996 when this record came out Emo and Indie Rock meant very different things than they do today. They were just different genres that were part of the hardcore scene at the time and they were seen in a positive light. Sidekick Kato was called a drunk emo band because they were always drunk at every show they played. There was a much deeper meaning though because they were fantastic musicians and at different times their music sounded melodic and perfect and then a couple minutes later their music sounded heavy and like it was all going to fall apart. This is the true essence of their music and the real reason why they were called a drunk emo band. Sidekick Kato is so dynamic and so intricate and the music they write is quite complex sounding and shockingly beautiful. This is the kind of Emo where the singer violently falls on the floor screaming his guts out because his lyrics are so filled with emotion. Some of you may know that Emo used to be called emocore and that was just another name for emotional hardcore. There is no doubt that Sidekick Kato is truly a heavy band and the singer has some amazing screaming vocals on this album. Todd Pot from Apocalypse Hoboken is a backing vocalist and Matt Skiba from Alkaline Trio is a backing vocalist as well. This is like the perfect album and I have been listening to this album since it was first released in 1996. They are a truly legendary band in the Chicago scene because their style of drunk emo had never been attempted before but many Chicago bands tried to emulate their style. The only problem is none of these bands came close to sounding as good as Sidekick Kato. I just don't think they had the talent to pull it off. Although it might be a bygone era for this type of Emo and Indie Rock their most loyal fans still care and have been checking out Sidekick Kato at their most recent reunion shows. They're even selling new shirts on the bands website that are quite fashionable and I may be interested in buying a couple shirts. Sidekick Kato has meant so much to me in my life and I hope my readers will get something out of them as well. This is a classic release and also an essential album for you to add to your collection. Take a chance and you will be rewarded with a downright legendary record. Thanks so much for reading.
​Kevin

Shorebreak- Path Of Survival

Shorebreak is a Hardcore and Metalcore band from Barcelona, Spain. This album was released by Good Life Recordings in 1998. I was on vacation in Barcelona with my parents and I received a flyer for a show with Better Than A Thousand and Shorebreak. The show was at a squat in Barcelona and I loved Better Than A Thousand and had heard good things about Shorebreak. I was down to go and I was super excited to see my first show in Europe and I was excited to see what the Barcelona hardcore scene had to offer. The opening band was Shorebreak and right away the singer took of his hoodie and he was wearing a classic Earth Crisis shirt and that really caught my attention because Earth Crisis was definitely one of the best bands of the time. Then when they started playing it was not like they were just some opening band but a well oiled machine of Barcelona hardcore. They were simply amazing oozing passion from every pore. Every guitar riff gave you goosebumps and every scream made the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. I got the crowd going as well. Shorebreak put on a totally awesome show in front of their home fans. Now back to the album Path Of Survival. I really love this album and it has been described as what it would sound like if Morning Again was from Spain. That is an amazing description and that would make so many people want to check this record out. You can definitely tell that they are from Spain because one song is in their native tongue and anytime they're not screaming you can tell from their accents that english is their second language. This makes the album very unique because it's like they are telling us we are from Spain and we are proud to be from Spain. But Shorebreak is for sure a Hardcore and Metalcore band through and through. I also remember when they performed live I talked to the singer and he spoke excellent english so we were able to actually talk for a while that night. The guitar riffing is exceptional and the mood of this album is very somber sounding. When listening to the vocals you can feel the singers pain and loss and his fear and sorrow. His screaming is just epic and the emotion in his voice will bring you to your knees sobbing. This is a really heavy album but that makes the melodic parts of this record that much more impactful. This is such an amazing album and it's for sure a modern classic. What makes this record so special is the band lets you into their emotional psyche and the mellow parts of this album play such an important role in the creation of their beautiful music. No doubt this band is heavy but there is so much more going on in their music. I implore you to check out this record. I think you will be very happy that you did. Thanks so much for reading.
Kevin