CIDER- THE HISTORY OF A VERY UNIMPORTANT BAND
CIDER STARTED BARELY PLAYING ON NEW YEARS DAY 1991 WITH PAUL E. WOG ON GUITAR AND VOCALS AND BOBBY NUTHUMMER ON THE DRUMS.
I WAS BROKE, RECENTLY UNEMPLOYED AND HAD TO MOVE BACK IN WITH MY MOM OR BE HOMELESS. SHE DIDN’T LIKE THAT TOO MUCH. WHILE SHE WAS SLAVING AWAY WORKING 2 JOBS, WE WERE WORKING ON MAKING NOISE IN THE MUSTY, SMELLY BASEMENT. OK, WELL THE REASON IT SMELLED WAS THAT I LIVED DOWN THERE. SHE WAS NEVER HOME AND WE HAD A LOT OF TIME TO MAKE NOISE AND DESTROY EVERYTHING.WE WERE LIKE A BUNCH OF 5 YEAR OLDS. ONLY PROBLEM IS WE WERE IN OUR EARLY TWENTIES.
WE PLAYED SIMPLE, FAST, CATCHY, PISSED OFF SONGS WITH A LOT OF STUPIDITY AND NONSENSE THROWN IN. OUR LYRICS WERE ANGRY, PERSONAL AND SOMETIMES POLITICAL, BUT MOST IMPORTANT WE NEVER LOST OUR SENSE OF HUMOR.WE WENT THROUGH SEVERAL NAME CHANGES INCLUDING GUARANTEED RIOT AND BLOODY WOGS AND SETTLED WITH THE GENERIC NAME OF CIDER.
I KNOW, A LOT OF BANDS NOW HAVE NAMES WITH CIDER IN IT, BUT WE WERE THE FIRST THAT I KNOW OF. IT CAME FROM BOBBY’S LOVE OF THE HARD CIDER AND MAKING IT IN HIS GHETTO ASS BATHTUB. I KNOW IT’S A PRETTY STUPID NAME, BUT AFTER SEVERAL NAME CHANGES, WE STUCK WITH IT.
FOR A WHILE IT WAS JUST THE TWO OF US WITH NO VOCALS. NO ONE REALLY WANTED TO PLAY THAT STYLE OF MUSIC WITH US BACK THEN. THEN I STARTED TO SING BECAUSE IT WAS EASIER TO JUST HAVE TWO OF US IN THE BAND. WE ACTUALLY PLAYED OUT AS A 2-PIECE A FEW TIMES. BACK THEN HARDLY ANYONE WAS PLAYING OLD SCHOOL 80’S HARDCORE AND THEY REALLY DIDN’T WANT TO HEAR IT.
ME AND BOBBY WERE TWO CASUALTIES OF THE OLD CLEVO SCENE THAT HAD SHRIVELED UP AND DIED OUT. WE WERE SICK OF ALL THE DUMB GENERIC STRAIGHT EDGE, EMO, AND SHITTY METAL BANDS THAT INFILTRATED A ONCE GREAT SCENE. WE STARTED PLAYING MUSIC THAT WE WANTED TO STILL HEAR. WE LONGED FOR THE DAYS OF BANDS LIKE ANTIDOTE, CRUDE SS, CCM, THE GUNS AND SOCIAL UNREST. WE TRIED A COUPLE NERDY BASS PLAYERS AND DECIDED TO JUST STICK WITH THE TWO OF US.
THEN WE CONVINCED A2, WHO WAS IN 3 OTHER BANDS, TO PLAY BASS. NOW THE NOISY TRIO WAS COMPLETE. HE PLAYED LIKE WE LIKED, HEAVY AND DISTORTED.
WE THEN STARTED PLAYING SHOWS AND BASEMENT PARTIES WHICH RESULTED IN US NOT BEING ALLOWED TO PLAY ANYWHERE. AT FIRST, THERE WOULD BE LIKE A 15 PERSON TURNOUT. BUT THEN THINGS STARTED TO GROW AND TURN UGLY.
THERE WAS THE FAMOUS KENT RIOT OF ’93 WHICH FEATURED FIRE TRUCKS, POLICE CARS, AND AMBULANCES. NOT TO MENTION COPS GETTING ROCKS THROWN AT THEM. UNDERAGE SEX, A FEW FIST FIGHTS, A FEW ARRESTS, LOTS OF BROKEN GLASS, AND A REAL NICE FIRE TO END IT ALL. IT WOULD TAKE ME HOURS TO TELL YOU THE WHOLE STORY. NEEDLESS TO SAY THE COPS WERE LOOKING FOR ME FOR A FEW WEEKS FOR PROMOTING THE WHOLE DEAL.
WE WEREN’T SOME CRUSTY KISS-ASS BAND AND HAD NO DESIRE TO MAKE FRIENDS BECAUSE EVERYONE WAS SO STUPID BACK THEN. I WANTED TO SHOW MY HATE TO THE WORLD. THERE SEEMED TO BE A SUDDEN REBIRTH OF A SCENE AT THE TIME AND IT WAS FUN, VIOLENT, DRUNK, AND SELF DESTRUCTIVE. AT THE SAME TIME AS WE STARTED CAUSING HAVOC, GOOD BANDS WERE SPRINGING UP LIKE WINDPIPE AND GAG REFLEX.
FROM MEMBERS OF CIDER, SPRANG UP ALL THESE OTHER BANDS LIKE THE INMATES, BRAINWASHED YOUTH, DARVOCETS, AND RUINERS. LATER ON CAME THE GREAT H-100’S.
WE RECORDED A SEVEN INCH AT THE OLD MARS ON DETROIT IN ’93. KORECKY SAID IT WAS THE NOISIEST THING HE EVER RECORDED AND HE HATED IT. THAT WAS A COMPLIMENT OF COURSE. WE RECORDED IT ALL LIVE INCLUDING VOCALS WITH NO EXTRA TRACKS.

Paul Wog and Bobby 1994, Kent Ohio
WEDGE AND CHRIS RUIN DID SOME GREAT WHINY BACKUP VOCALS ON IT THAT MADE IT SOUND SO WONDERFUL. WE WANTED TO SOUND LIVE AND SPONTANEOUS. NO CLEANED UP BULLSHIT LIKE SO MANY OTHERS DO. JUST KEEP THE TAPE ROLLING NO MATTER WHAT.
WE WERE REAL HAPPY WITH THIS RECORDING SURPRISINGLY. WE PUT IT OUT OURSELVES ON NON-COMMERCIAL RECORDS.
I GUESS NO ONE ELSE WOULD HAVE PUT IT OUT. ONLY THROUGH MAILORDER OR FRIENDS AND ONLY 300 WERE MADE. GOOD LUCK FINDING THIS PIECE OF SHIT.
THEN I MOVED AWAY TO THE DESERT FOR 3 YEARS BECAUSE I THOUGHT I WAS GOING TO DIE OF AN OVERDOSE OR END UP IN JAIL IF I STAYED IN CLEVELAND. NOTHING GOT DONE FOR AWHILE. OF COURSE WHEN I DID MOVE AWAY I DID GET ARRESTED A FEW TIMES AND ABUSE SUBSTANCES, EVEN MORE OUT OF BOREDOM.
IN 1996 WE ATTEMPTED TO RECORD WITH THESE NERDS IN WEDGE’S BASEMENT. IT SUCKED AND WE SUCKED. SOME OF THE SONGS WERE SALVAGEABLE, BUT THE POWER WAS LACKING. MAYBE WE’LL RELEASE SOME OF THE GOOD SONGS ON IT ONE DAY.
ANYWAYS WE CONTINUED TO PLAY SOME SHOWS ALWAYS ENDING IN A VERY VIOLENT, DESTRUCTIVE WAY LIKE BERNIE’S BAGELS IN COLUMBUS WITH SLAK AND THE MCSHITZ. TABLES, BAR STOOLS WERE BEING THROWN AT US WHILE WE WERE PLAYING. OF COURSE MOST OF THE PEOPLE WHO DID THIS WERE OUR FRIENDS. THE SHOW ENDED WITH BOBBY THROWING HIS DRUM SET OFF STAGE AT THE CROWD.
I GUESS THAT WAS HIS WAY OF SAYING OUR SET IS OVER. THEN SOMEONE, NO NAMES MENTIONED,PULLED THE FIRE ALARM AND ENDED THE WHOLE SHOW. THIS IS JUST ONE OF MANY SHOWS THAT RESULTED IN US HAVING A BAD NAME WITH THE CLUBS, ESPECIALLY MY NAME. WE NEVER PLAYED OUT TOO OFTEN BECAUSE WE DIDN’T WANT TO BE ONE OF THOSE BANDS THAT PLAYED TOO MUCH AND GOT BORING. ALSO IT WAS VERY HARD TO CONVINCE SOMEONE TO LET US PLAY.
EVERY TIME WE PLAYED, WE WANTED IT TO BE FRESH OR ROTTEN DEPENDING ON HOW YOU LOOK AT IT. AROUND THIS TIME OTHER GREAT HARDCORE BANDS LIKE 9 SHOCKS TERROR, PUNCTURE WOUND AND GSMF WERE THERE TO CAUSE MORE HAVOC AND MAKE THE SCENE GOT EVEN MORE OUT OF CONTROL.
OUR SECOND ATTEMPT AT RECORDING A SECOND RECORD WAS DONE IN OUR TINY ONE ROOM PRACTICE SPACE IN OCTOBER 1998 BY THIS DUMMY WHO DIDN’T KNOW HOW TO RECORD TOO WELL. IT WAS AN 8 TRACK RECORDING AND IT WAS NEVER MIXED BECAUSE WE COULDN’T FIND THE GUY AGAIN AND WE WERE LAZY AND DRUNK BACK THEN. WHAT ELSE IS NEW. WE SCRAPPED THAT RECORDING TOO.
THERE WAS A FEW SONGS THAT CAME OUT DECENT, BUT IN MY OPINION IT DIDN’T TRULY REPRESENT OUR SOUND. HOPEFULLY SOMEDAY WE WILL RE-RECORD SOME OF THESE SONGS. MOST OF THEM ARE ACTUALLY WRITTEN BEFORE THE SEVEN INCH SONGS, BUT WERE RECORDED LATER ON. IF THAT MAKES SENSE.
WELL, AFTER A FEW ATTEMPTS AT FAILED RECORDINGS AND ABOUT 10 YEARS OF NOT RELEASING A RECORD, WE FINALLY LEARNED HOW TO RECORD PROPERLY. WE NEVER WANTED TO RELEASE SOMETHING JUST TO RELEASE IT. IN 2004, WE WENT TO SMOKE N’ MIRRORS STUDIOS IN BROOKLYN, NY AND RECORDED SOMETHING WE WERE VERY SATISFIED WITH.
COMBINING AARON’S IDEAS IN PRODUCING SOMETHING POWERFUL – LIVE AND RAW – AND BOBBY’S CREATIVE IDEAS TO MAKE THE DRUMS SOUND HEAVY AND MY RETARDED IDEAS, WE FINALLY HAD SOMETHING WE WERE PROUD OF. IT WAS RECORDED ALMOST ENTIRELY LIVE INCLUDING VOCALS IN UNDER 4 HOURS AND IT FEELS THAT WAY.
FUCK THAT 75 TRACK OVERPRODUCED, CLEANED UP BULLSHIT. SO FINALLY THE RECORD IS COMING OUT THIS YEAR ON PAINKILLER RECORDS OUT OF BOSTON. WE STILL HAVE ABOUT 10 TO 12 UNRECORDED SONGS. OH WELL.
WELL, IT’S BEEN 13 YEARS NOW. WE STILL PLAY ONCE IN A WHILE AND WE HAVE ACCOMPLISHED NOTHING, BUT WE’VE HAD A LOT OF FUN WITH NOTHING. ANYWAYS, ENOUGH OF MY BABBLING, ENJOY THE HATE.
PAUL E. WOG, OCTOBER 2004
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