Thanksgiving weekend will again be the occasion for a disbanded hardcore group to get back on the stage. Last year, Texas Is the Reason reawakened for a one-off reunion at Irving Plaza, playing two nights due to overwhelming interest. This year it'''s the seminal Buffalo hardcore band Snapcase, scheduled to perform at the Music Hall of Williamsburg on November 24.
The show will mark the release of a book, The Anti-Matter Anthology, and serve as a benefit for former Jawbox frontman J. Robbins' son Callum, who has been diagnosed with a rare, incurable disease. All proceeds will go directly to the family to help with medical costs. The Anti-Matter Anthology is a collection of the hardcore/indie fanzine Anti-Matter, which was created by Norman Brannon, guitar player for Texas Is the Reason. It featured interviews with such heavyweights as Quicksand, Rage Against the Machine, Lifetime, and Shutter to Think and it filled a void left open by other popular punk-rock fanzines of the era. Anti-Matter chronicled a kind of "golden age" of hardcore, post-punk, and indie music, when a family-type atmosphere dominated the scene -- and no band embodied that more than Snapcase. Brannon is hoping to reignite the charitable spirit of the scene and prove once again that "hardcore really is more than just music."
Before disbanding in early 2005, Snapcase released five studio albums via Victory Records and toured the world with bands such as NOFX, Bad Religion, the Deftones, and Atreyu. Progression Through Unlearning (1997) is still considered one of the most important hardcore records of all time. Snapcase epitomized a free-thinking ethos, and even though the members of the band are all straight-edge, they weren't interested in preaching or promoting their views.
At this point, the band does not plan to play more than this single show. Tickets go on sale Friday, October 5, through Ticketmaster and the Mercury Lounge box office. Check here for more information.