Exclusive Flash Back Photo – Burn
The mighty Burn came through Mesa AZ. October 11, 2017 Burn played with Comeback Kid and Jesus Piece. There is not much I can say about Burn that you do not already know if you are a fan of this New York city band. They put the groove into that New York hardcore sound. Since the fist s/t Revelation Records 7″ bust onto the scene not many have been able to pull that level of hardness and varied cadences. Listen and hear for yourself https://burn.bandcamp.com/album/burn
Parts of both 7″ singles make you want to destroy and sway simultaneously. Also you may feel the urge to headbang or just lose your shit.
First let me paint a picture. The greater Phoenix metro area is not known for being a hotbed for hardcore music. There are punk bands, but anything in the radius of Burn citadel ? Nope.
Also growing up in New Jersey has colored my lenses so to speak. I lived 10 minutes from legendary City Gardens. CBGB and all the Manhattan venues were an hour and a half to the north. Philly is even closer. Needless to say, it was easy to see lots of bands and shows. Population density is just such that there is always a show in nearly any genre.
Fast forward to Phoenix. Seeing Burn play here is super rare. I’m glad I went. Even though I tried t talk myself out of it. Why? When I go see any live music I’m solo. Back east even if I rolled up solo, there was a good chance of seeing a friend or two. Also handfuls of acquaintances. Out here it’s getting better but I still feel like I just moved here and its planet Mars.
In retrospect, I wish I had paid better attention to Jesus Piece and maybe Comeback Kid, but I just could not get into either band. This is not due to the bands. It’s due to my own warped perceptions. Feeling like a lone wolf in a crowded room. It’s intense.
Which brings me to Burn. Those guys tap into their own brand of intensity. The lyrical cadences of hip hop and streets. The hardness of those neighborhoods like old lower east side, the borough of Bronx, Bushwick The feeling you cannot describe that is the NYC (and east coast). Burn are visceral. The beats and riffs chug and plod with power. I slowly stomped around in a circle, no fucks given at the lack of dives or windmills.They brought the A – game that night. As I said before, if you are a fan then you know how they do. They brought that brotherly vibe of NYC with them and I felt less of an outsider. Despite the pit and crowd being less vibrant than I hoped. It ain’t the east coast.
If you see a person wearing an early Revelation shirt out here, I call them tourist.
Getting back on track, Burn was promoting Do Or Die for this show. And yes, they played all the great songs from first 7″ to Last Great Sea, Do or Die, and I am fairly certain there was some songs from Cleanse in there. The Last Great Sea was super drenched in heaviness. Gavin seemed like a piston driving the supercharged engine. Rhythm section? On point. It is just surreal to see this in Mesa, but hella cool nonetheless. The last time I saw Burn was Club Krome in Sayreville NJ circa 2000. The cover of Meat Sheet 5 is a picture of Burn from that show. View it here. https://meatsheetfanzine.com/product/meat-sheet-fanzine-issue-5/ In that photo Vic Di Cara was on guitar. Alan Cage, the original Burn drummer is featured in a quick interview as well.
Finally , the rest of the details of the show are hazy for me. I am left with feeling grateful for getting a chance to see Burn play even almost 5 years later. Great people and music do tend to stay with you like that.
