xTHERE IS ONLY ONE TRUTHx: forced down

Saturday, November 5, 2011

forced down

Forced Down was a band that started, essentially out of members of many other bands It became an idea, the idea became a sound, the sound had a look and identity… And it was all built out of what was not happening in our local scene… It never wanted a Label, it never wanted a scene, it wanted to be for everyone… This, at the very time the “scene” was becoming more and more cliquish… we would not…from our artwork to our recordings and our interviews… we were only to be, a band called forced down… The band started in motion by Mike Down and Joey Piro…Mike was singing in local H/C heros “Amenity” who were based out of the south of San Diego in Chula Vista, (all thou he lived in Pacific Beach) and Joey was playing drums in SD Legends PitchFork… Led by John Reese, but based round, and practicing in the North County region of Encinitas…Mike would drive up with John and attend practices, tape recording their songs… He and Joey would talk about similar interests in music which led to them jamming out with a couple bass players…In the blink of and eye they decided to form a band… MIke brought in good friend and singer Rob Osbourne to fill vocal duties and Bass Player Chris Pippin. Rob originally from Texas, was attending school and living in the Kearny Mesa area…Chris was playing in a band the Abyss, and was living in Point Loma… Many Names for the band were tossed around…but it was Rob aka Robb/Base that would brainstorm a “SSD” song title from “the kids will have there say” album entitled “Forced Down Your Throat”…we clipped the end and felt it represented a lot of what mtv and other institutions were doing to the kids of the 80’s…Forcing Products and Culture thru a little machine called Capitalism…today it is no less than ironic how the machine has sold the very parts of what we were creating in opposition to it then… This first incarnation would practice for about 4 months and track a 5-song demo intitled “forgot”… It was crude, recorded 10-9-89 at Tony house of sound using an 8 channel 2 track…and of course recorded live…with a Xeroxed cover…and the first time the DOWN SIDE logo was ever printed on something…we were off… full of idealism, love and anger…of note is the liner note on the tape which was sort of a mission statement for us…it read… As the social values in our society becomes more set in stone, the individual is forgotten. When what the individual stands for goes against the ideas of the mass, and is considered a threat to order, be it right or wrong—-they are forced down—- disciplined to maintain “the order” Some conform, some resist, some fall, and they are forgotten… “time to rise from our knees and live on our feet”

Forced Down is one of the bands who played pre-newschool hardcore. For me Forced Down, Amenity, Hard Stance and Against The Wall are bands who started 90's newschool era, but Forced Down are forgotten and unknown. If you wanna know from what music started 90's this band need your attention.

forced down - 1990 - rise 7'' (vinyl communications)