various artists - Dangerously Unstable

Joe from Infest, circa 2016 (photo from @suburban_voice)

I've been following Al Quint on Instagram for a while now, because 1) he's the sort of fan, writer, and booster I've always aspired to be, 2) he's seen so much great music over the years, and 3) he takes the time to document it all. For the uninitiated, Al is the founder and creative force behind Suburban Voice, a zine that started in 1982, transitioned out of print to Myspace in 2003, then switched over to Blogspot in 2006. If Al has an opinion about punk or hardcore, you'd best listen to it, because he's seen damn near all of it.

One of the things I always dug about SV was that you'd often get a record with your zine. Starting with issue #28, you get record reviews, interviews, features, and a slab of vinyl. There are some excellent records in that discography: from the American Standard/Crucial Youth split, to the DC Hardcore tribute that came with issue #36, to the last vinyl release featuring the Trouble, Fit For Abuse, and the Pinkerton Thugs, every record was top notch. In issue #41, Al put out his first compilation CD. He could have cheaped out and let some label put together a Warped Tour-type sampler for his 15th anniversary. Instead, he put out an incredible historical document, calling 20+ years worth of bands and getting a ton of unreleased recordings and demo cuts. Within a year, he'd do it again for issue #43.

"Dangerously Unstable" remains a GREAT snapshot of what was happening in 1999. There's Anti-Flag covering the Buzzcocks, and the Pist AND the Boils, both covering Negative Approach. Oh, there's an Infest track, and Tony Erba makes himself heard with Gordon Solie Motherfuckers and 9 Shocks Terror. I remember this being the reason I tracked down the following year's reissue of Zero Boys' "Vicious Circle" on Panic Button, because "Positive Change" was the second track. Even the lesser lights piqued my interest, because they were here. Al picked 'em; they're worth hearing.

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