Updatesssssss

The show last night went off without a hitch.

Hoglust was RIDICULOUS.
I don't know if this is due to lineup changes or what, but they were so much tighter and so much more intense last night than in previous times I've seen them play. Fast and chaotic is how I like it, fast and chaotic is how Hoglust plays it. Definitely a good time.


Lapse, as expected, totally killed it. I'm not really too sure what's going on with their lineup situation, but I did hear that they're in the process of looking for a new drummer. Despite using a fill-in drummer last night, their set was totally flawless. I spent the past few weeks doing some homework, and actually learning the words to their songs, so singing a long definitely added a whole new element to the experience. I know I speak for the rest of the dudes in Better Times when I say that we really love Lapse, and are pumped to have been able to play 2 consecutive shows with them.

The Carrier was actually pretty good. Like I said in the previous post, it's been a while since I've actually sat down and given their songs a good listen. So that, combined with the PA system being a little fuzzy, made it tough for me to distinguish which of their songs was which. But their set was still enjoyable regardless. The passion and intensity that caught my attention last time I saw The Carrier play was in full-effect last night... and it was hard to walk away from their set with anything other than clenched fists.
Best of luck to those dudes on the rest of their tour!



As far as THE KIDS go.... I really am lucky to belong to a scene that has so many awesome, authentic people as members. It's amazing that after all these years, you can still count on seeing the same faces at every single show.
A few years back I'd always wonder and worry what the scene would be like in the future, when everyone got a little older and got jobs with stricter schedules, etc. I used to worry that everyone would slowly fade out and drift away. But as last night clearly demonstrates, the exact opposite has happened in Buffalo. Granted, we have lost a few people over the years... but the vast majority of the kids that I "came up" with are still around, and are more DOWN for the core than ever.
I would not have it any other way.
I used to go to shows in other cities, envy their huge scenes, and wish we had something like that in Buffalo. I can finally say, beyond a doubt, that what we've got in Buffalo completely meets those expectations I used to have.
As corny as it is to talk about "positivity", it's a really good feeling knowing that you and your band have support... from kids that aren't just fellow hardcore kids, but who have grown to become your personal friends as well.
At a show I'd rather have 50 kids with open minds and good attitudes, who I can count on and who I can consider my personal friends... than have 500 anonymous faces who are just there to hang out and look cool.

So THANK YOU to the kids in the Buffalo hardcore scene. I'm proud to call myself one of you. And proud of the fact that WE created the kind of scene we wanted to have. And WE keep it fresh, alive, and productive.



From here on out, everything Better Times does as a band is dedicated to BUFFALO CREW.





Respek.




-Frank

SHOW TOMORROW!

Just got word from the promoter that the set times are as follows:
DOORS: 7 PM

BETTER TIMES: 7:25 - 7:45
Hoglust: 8:00 - 8:20
Lapse: 8:35 - 8:55
The Carrier 9:10 - ?

Show has to be over by 10PM sharp.


Tomorrow night we're playing SUGAR CITY with Lapse, Hoglust, and The Carrier.

It's been quite some time since the last show we played, which also happened to be our very first show. So I know I speak for the whole band when I say how anxious I am to get back on that floor, get the mic in my hand, and try and make our 7-minutes-worth of songs last 25 whole minutes.

Stoked to be playing with Lapse again.
For no good reason at all I actually forgot that they were on the show until just now.
So now that I've remembered, I'm even more excited for tomorrow.

No Love Lost played with Hoglust over the summer at the Funeral Home, and put on a pretty intense show.
I heard something about some lineup changes they've done lately, so it'll be interesting to see what they've been up to since that Funeral Home show. Definitely looking forward to catching their set.

Playing with The Carrier should be pretty cool.
A few years back I caught them in Toronto with Reign Supreme.
I had a hard time getting into The Carrier at first, so I was a little skeptical before seeing them for the first time. But even though their particular style of hardcore may not exactly be MY cup of tea, they poured so much energy and passion into their songs that I instantly became a fan.
Since that time I burned myself out on them a little bit. I listened to their album No Love Can Save Me a few too many times, and stopped keeping up with them after a while.
Hopefully tomorrow night's show will revive my interest in them a bit, because it's awesome that they're still a band after all this time, and it'd be pretty cool to see what they've been up to since I "grew out of them".



We're running a little behind schedule with the demo's.
Ran into some issues formatting the artwork for the CD's, and I haven't gotten the chance to send everything out to be replicated yet.
HOWEVER... we will have limited edition TAPES available at the show tomorrow, as well as T-SHIRTS.



Hope to see you there.

Yekshemesh



FRANK
XXX

Facebook?

If you use Facebook and feel like "Like"'ing us, head on over to BETTER TIMES FACEBOOK PAGE and click the button.




I know I spent over 9000 minutes explaining how much I DIDN'T want this band to rely on Facebook for e-exposure.

BUT, discussing it with the other dudes in the band has helped me realize that there are actually some advantages to using Facebook. And that avoiding having a Facebook amounts to throwing the proverbial baby out with the hypothetical bathwater.

As far as page format goes, I definitely prefer the blog-style site to the Facebook-style site.
HOWEVER, this blog doesn't let us keep track of WHO is checking us out, and WHERE the checker-outers are from.
We've got a little page counter at the bottom of the blog. But, that doesn't tell me anything about who you are, what you like, where you're from, etc.


If our blog visit-counter gets 1,000 new page views today, and 956 of them come from El Paso, Texas...we have no way of knowing that.
With a Facebook page however, we can see that 956 people from El Paso decided to "Like" us all of a sudden...which lets us know that we'd probably draw a decent sized crowd if we ever played Texas.
Such information could very well motivate us to don cowboy hats, mount our lucky stallions and head south to play some rock-and-roll gigs.


SO, we made a Facebook.
THIS BLOG will still be our primary method of relaying information about our band.
The Facebook will be used for the exclusive purpose of keeping track of WHO is into us, and WHERE they're from... so that we can plan shows/tours/weekends/releases in a more strategic fashion.


If you use Facebook and feel like "Like"'ing us, head on over to BETTER TIMES FACEBOOK PAGE and click the button.




Feedback is crucial to us.
Since more people have Facebook accounts than blogger accounts, I'd rather receive feedback via band Facebook than not receive feedback at all.



Namaste.



-Frank Edge

LYRICS!

A bunch of people have been asking me to post lyrics, because they don't want to wait to get their hands on a CD insert to start preparing for pile-on's and sing-a-longs.

Lyrics are posted in the order they appear on our demo, and on our bandcamp page.

Alright! Let's go!



INTRO - Instrumental

The intro may or may not gain some lyrics as time goes on. If anyone can think of anything catchy to yell during this song in particular, feel free to let me know. We are always open to suggestions.


BAIL OUT

Forty hours in seven days
Paycheck to pay-check.
Apathetic corporate slave,
Your life's a fucking wreck.

Do you recognize yourself?
Tired, taxed and ticked.
If time is money, what's worth more
To a rat on a sinking ship?

Your wallet's filling up
While your days are counting down.
Fancy fucking locks
On fancy fucking doors
In the safest part of town.

What's the price on happiness?
A separate expense account
To tidy up every little mess?

TIRED!
TAXED!
TICKED!

Wall Street is a sinking ship!



48 SECONDS

Swallow your pride
Or just all your teeth.
Polish your lies
And hide underneath
That mountain of shit you think is your home.
Surrounded by friends
But you're still all alone.

This year was the best
But where did it go?
This train-wreck life
Is all you know.

Here's where I should become bitter.
Here's where I could become cruel.
But instead I choose to just be better.
So here's the last 48 seconds that get wasted on you.

LAST FORTY-EIGHT!
WHAT A FUCKING WASTE!
WASTE!


REAL FRIENDS WIN

Five years come and gone,
Memories and countless shows,
No distance is too far
When these kids are my home.

HEADS HELD HIGH!
BACKS TO THE WIND!
We won't get blown away
'Cuz our fire burns within.

Five years come and gone,
Memories and countless shows,
No distance is too far
Better times are all we know.

My friends keep that fire within burning stronger everyday.
And we all know that REAL FRIENDS WIN,
Growing stronger every day
YEAH!


SOONER OR LATER

These years of friendship have gone down the drain
Your fucked up choices will not be your gain.

You looked at your life
And decided you wanted "more".
You changed your ideals, man
Like you never had the Edge before.

Being strung along.
Playing all their games.
When you're all alone,
Then who will you blame?

Take responsibility.
You wanted this to burn,
But I knew pretty soon you'd break.



THE KIDS STILL HAVE THEIR SAY


I will raise my fist
While you hoist that flag.
And I will raise my voice
While you reach to gag.

For far too long
We've looked the other way.
But we're young and proud,
This is what we have to say:

We don't need your drugs.
We don't want your beer.
We won't be your thugs.
We won't buy your fear.

For far too long
We've looked the other way.
But we're young and proud,
This is what I have to say.

PROUD YOUTH! For ourselves.
PROUD YOUTH! For tomorrow.
STRAIGHT EDGE! For a better world.

THE KIDS STILL HAVE THEIR SAY!


BETTER TIMES

Wasting away in these games.
Going to places where people forget our names.
The struggle to find peace inside.

THE WALLS! That hold us down.
THE HATE! That holds us back.
THE PEACE! That's so hard to find.

Wasting away in these games.
Going to places where people forget our names.
The struggle to find peace inside.
Where all these problems coincide.

BETTER TIMES!

Stepping up for our voice to be heard.
It's our job to take action and learn.
Working together for a better life.
Not wasting time standing in line.

THE WALLS! That hold us down.
THE HATE! That holds us back.
THE PEACE! That's so hard to find.
That make us work for better times.

BETTER TIMES!

RECORDINGS

We recently recorded a 7-song demo with Brian Russo.

Last night we all stopped by Brian's house to check out the mastered tracks.
Because we were extremely stoked on how the recordings turned out, we got them bounced to a CD-R so we could share it with you all.


We will be sending these out to have CD's replicated within the next week... so we should have a finished package, cd, case, insert, shrink wrap, etc... ready for sale by our upcoming show on the 13th.

We will also be releasing a limited-edition tape of this demo... so keep your eyes open for updates on how to get your hands on one of those.


In the meantime, we uploaded the demo to a bandcamp webpage.
Feel free to click this link to give it a listen!
Betterxtimes.bandcamp.com