Debut issue of this new half-sized zine compiled by Will Butler himself (To Live A Lie Records). Issue #1 features interviews that highlight a variety of heavy music genres, from the devastating grind of Looking For An Answer, to Idaho’s fastcore maniacs Hummingbird Of Death, up-and-coming powerviolence wrecking crew ACxDC, and the legendary Eric Wood of The Bastard Noise. Among the columnists for this debut issue are Ralph Ferrara of Haunted Hotel Records, Will Toftness of the grind-violence band Hip Cops, and To Live A Lie label artist Matt Gauck, as well as Will Butler’s own musings on life as a label head juggling a full-time job. Don’t Be Swindle is chock full of record reviews that are refreshingly in-depth (when you need them to be) and nicely concise at other times (so you don’t get bored!) There’s even some non-typical show reviews that you’ll have to read yourself to believe. Picking up on his previous zine endeavor in Fastcore Photos, Will displays some of your favorite grinders (hello, Disciples Of Christ) in a fancy spread of photos he took himself at shows. All in all, issue #1 of Don’t Be Swindle is pretty sweet, and definitely recommended for anyone who enjoys fastcore, grind, and powerviolence, and appreciates an MRR-style approach to a music zine.
Available from (updated with links as soon as I verify):
To Live A Lie Records – eBay
Haunted Hotel Records
BSP Records
Blastcat Records
Karasu Killer Records (Japan)
Bastard Noise
ACxDC
Hummingbird of Death
Looking For An Answer
Total Hipster Crusher
Jim Walkley
Vii Caso
Jace Kuhn
