Hey everyone, I know many of you have been asking how you can materially support efforts to save the Bug House, so I started a gofundme. Link to donate is in the bio. To anyone who isn’t familiar with the situation, the long story is on the page, but the VERY abridged version is that some deranged person or persons called code enforcement on my brother’s home for reasons completely mysterious to us. Not only did this crush one of the most vital spaces for hardcore/punk/DIY in the region, it displaced my little brother, his three roommates and their wonderful pets. Please consider donating to this, and at the very least, please help this get some visibility by sharing it. Thank you so much to everyone who has reached out. The support has been overwhelming.
You know the drill. Hardcore for Hardcore. Fightback on tour from Baltimore. The Sissy Boys back for the first time in years. Not to be missed for any reason short of death.
Despite recent setbacks, hardcore always finds a way. Share this flyer (and the one I’m posting after this) a million times and turn up for this and every other upcoming HC show in Fort Wayne. Every agency or individual that tries to stamp out culture can suck it. Also, if you were a “fuck the Bug House” clown, do not turn up to this or any of my shows.
Thank you immensely to @_subliminally_ and @slamcity_skatepark for helping to house the stuff I already had on the calendar this spring/summer.
Yo, The Bug House got condemned. Here is the story in the most succinct way I can manage. Please read to the end.
Last week, myself and other people involved in the house became aware that some kids had started an unhinged rumor that the Bug House was both a money laundering scheme and involved in some sort of human trafficking network. We all did the only sensible thing to do, which is laugh and make jokes about it. The vast majority of people involved in Fort Wayne hardcore did the same, clowning the deeply unhinged goofballs who said this insane bullshit.
Tonight, cops and city inspectors showed up to the house saying they’d received safety complaints about the house from someone to basically every city office that a person could conceivably complain to. Our best guess is that the psychopath who initially started the rumors filed complaints about the house after everyone rightfully clowned them. The problem is that the house is not up to code. Most of the houses on that block aren’t up to code. It’s in a poor neighborhood filled with 150 year old homes. But most houses don’t have lunatics calling the city on them.
The result is that the house was immediately condemned after inspection, meaning my brother and his two roommates who live in the house had to immediately vacate it, along with their pets. To whoever called in those complaints, not only did you shut down a long running DIY venue that has housed some of the best shows that have ever happened in this city, you got several people kicked out of the home they’ve lived in for 8 years. If you’re reading this, you should know that myself and countless other people wish you the absolute worst in life. From the bottom of my heart, I mean it when I say that there is no fate too wretched for you. You have disrupted an entire community and displaced several people in the process, and if there is any justice in this world, you will never feel a moment of true happiness again in your miserable life. Fuck you.
Continued in the comments.
Top to bottom real deal hardcore show at the house in 5 weeks. I expect to see each one of the tri-state area’s best and brightest on the dancefloor for this. Ya booze, ya lose.
I get many booking requests on this page and I say no to 95% of them. For a while now, I’ve been thinking of making an easy reference sheet detailing the types of things I’m not interested in booking, I.E. deathcore, beatdown, haircut metalcore, etc. But I think this is a much more streamlined approach. You may think I’m joking, but I’m not. If no one in your band can extol the virtues of United Blood, Victim In Pain, Cause For Alarm or Live At CBGB, you almost certainly are not the type of band I’m interested in booking. Thanks for your consideration.
(Please note that loving AF does not guarantee you a show.)
Last night was bonkers. Most people paid of any show I’ve ever done at the house. I don’t say that because metrics or numbers actually matter, but just to highlight the insane come up of FWHC over the last several years. X-FORCE is the type of band I’ve wanted to do since I was a kid and I appreciate anyone who supports it. Thanks to @ragedeposit for putting out the tape, @alexprinzbach for the insane design work, @themayoroflouisville for printing shirts, all the bands that played and anyone who activated the dancefloor last night. If you weren’t able to attend but still wanna grab a tee, hit the link in the bio to grab leftovers. Limited sizes and quantities. Straight Edge.
The rumors are true: I’ve booked another banger. The last No Guard show at the house was a unifying experience of legendary proportions. With Basic Needs in the mix, I believe we’ll achieve unprecedented levels of unity. Punks, skins and coremen on the dancefloor together. Just picture it, folks. Beautiful.
Alright, running this back one time because Shiloh accidentally double booked Totaled. Staring Contest from Indy is stepping in for them, and they’ll have a fill in so they are technically straight edge for this one show. Three weeks from today. Several styles of core all representing the region. Don’t miss this. Stay tuned for a benefit show to help buy Shiloh a calendar.
Thanks for pulling up last night, everyone. If you haven’t been coming around that long, you might not understand that it’s not actually that normal to be able to see bands that are gonna be touring with Cryptopsy soon in an Indiana basement. The only reason that’s possible is because we’ve built a scene here where 100+ pull up, pay their $15 and go off. The Fort Wayne HC and death metal scene continues to be in one of the best states I’ve seen it in my damn near 25 years of involvement. Keep it up. Here’s Blood Monolith crushing.
Alright, last call for the gig tonight. If this is your first show here, consult the map in the second slide. There’s an alley that runs behind the house and ends in a big lot that I’ve circled in red. Park there. If that’s full, use your best judgment and park on the street. Carpool if possible. I should also point out that The Bug House is an “ENTER AT YOUR OWN RISK” situation. Tonight is gonna be packed and probably quite violent. Don’t bring a little kid to this, don’t stand next to where people are dancing if you don’t wanna take a shoe to the head. I expect that there are gonna be a lot of people here and I may have to cap it if it gets too packed. Also a reminder that the no drugs/booze thing is very serious and I will kick you out if I see you with either. And if you vape in the basement, I might hit you with a hammer. Doors are at 7, music will be around 7:30/40. Show up on time if you wanna get in. But don’t show up early and get in the way of bands loading in. Seeya tonight.
