Post #200: Tragedy - No End In Sight

Tragedy at Thee Parkside, SF, CA, 2008 (photo by Brian Dooley)

When I restarted Primitive Offerings a few months back, it was, in part, because the 20th anniversary occasions had really started piling up for me. 2000 was a really good year, no? It was the first year I ever really lived on my own; the Baltimore Chop and I lived in a cruddy two-bedroom apartment out in Baltimore County after I got kicked out of college. We went to shows all the time, especially since they didn't drink at the time, so I could have a few and not stress driving drunk. There were countless great records that came out that year. And the movies...oh, the movies from 2000! "O Brother...", "Pitch Black", "Almost Famous", "Ghost Dog", "High Fidelity": when I wasn't at a show, at work, or back at school, I was probably in the theatre, turning a single feature in a double. So, yeah, for me, other than going all year without a date, it was a really good year.

2000 was the year the first Tragedy LP came out. I didn't know much about them. I knew this was the new His Hero Is Gone/Deathreat band, the fourth member was the guy who ran the Great American Steak Religion label, and they were out of Portland instead of Memphis. I had really mixed feelings about crust at the time. I loved the music and the politics; I hated the scene, so I figured, much like HHIG, I'd never see these guys, because I didn't want to be the only person there looking like a skinhead. What can I say; I was super-insecure about myself in 2000.

Flash forward a couple years to 2002. The Art Space and the Bloodshed open within months of each other, each one offering slightly different yet complimentary takes on DIY punk and hardcore. It was easier navigating city shows; I lived a block from Reptilian, worked at the record store when I wasn't at school, helped remodel and run CCAS. Tragedy's second LP, "Vengeance", comes out, and it carpet bombs everything. I couldn't help but pay attention. They go on tour, and I get to see them! The gang in Kerum had this verbal meme at the time, based on a review they received from a German zine. When something was awesome, they'd yell "HAMMER!" I spent most of Tragedy's set at the Bloodshed yelling "HAMMER!" and head banging.

Time goes on. Tragedy does a split with Sweden's Totalitär in 2003, tours Europe and releases a pair of re-recorded "Vengeance" tracks, then releases "Nerve Damage" in 2006. I was in a different headspace by then; I still loved the music, but I stopped going to shows, a newlywed trying to live a straight life for my spouse. Tragedy played the Ottobar behind "Nerve Damage". I didn't attend. I still rocked the CD I'd picked up from Reptilian's new store.

Five years pass. My wife and I split up. I move back to Baltimore. Tragedy plays the first day of Maryland Deathfest, on a bill with Cathedral, Buzzov•en, Lack of Interest, and Noisear. A buddy offers to sneak me into the show, but I bail to hang out with my girlfriend, who proceeds to berate me for not going to the show. But what can I say? I had work in the morning, and standing around during a bunch of bands I didn't love for one that I did didn't seem appealing. The next year, Tragedy releases "Darker Days Ahead", their fourth (and to date final) LP. It's much closer to the metal side of crust than the punk; I'm not in love with it. For me, the best part of the record is David D'Andrea's cover art.

Time keeps on ticking by. It's 2018. I live north of Seattle, having gone from Baltimore to Atlanta to the Pacific Northwest in the course of three years. I've been laid off from my job for close to a year. I've had a breakdown which led to hospitalization. I'm living off the kindness of family, food banks, and selling off records. Things are not great. I guess at some point I'd added myself to Ebullition's e-mail list, which announces a new Tragedy 12". I debate spending the little money I have on a record, then go with downloading the EP from Tragedy's new Bandcamp page. As indifferent as I was to "Darker Days Ahead", I am that thrilled by "Fury". It was a return to the form I expected.

So it's been almost two years to the day that "Fury" was released, and 20 years since the self-titled LP came out. To celebrate, I've put together the below comp for your listening pleasure. You get my three favorite songs from each 12", along with one song each from their three single releases. Everything is ordered chronologically, past to present. This is not at all complete; I invite you to track down all of their releases. Tragedy remains a powerful force in DIY music. I hope this helps explain why.

Click here to download.