CHOKE ON A LAUGH
COAL was a short-lived music fanzine that existed during the year 2Ol9, aiming to document the Antelope Valley music scene that was going through a wave of activity during that period before being killed off during the COVID pandemic. It ran for two issues, a third was cancelled after preperations were made for it. At the bottom of this page you can read the published issues by clicking on the covers. They will redirect you to scans uploaded onto the Internet Archive, as the files are to large to upload to the Neocities webhosting service.
COAL was a passion project, to a fault. Every copy was handmade - pages were printed then copied at local stores offering copy machines, and each copy were hand assembled and stapled. They were intended to be sold at $5 each, however most copies were simply given away at shows or mailed to bands that were interviewed in attempt to spread word across the country.
The writing is juvenile, and showcases a dreadful ironic and self-depricating sense of humor. However, the actual interviews were insightful and hopefully helped spread word of the subjects. If this zine were to of been made today, the interviews would be the sole content of it.
The COAL name has been utilized as label of sorts to release music as well, click on the label button to see the releases. If you're interested in a copy, I can ship one out to you for the cost of shipping and handeling ($3). Check the contact page and write to me.
Issue One: Februrary 2Ol9
Issue one includes interviews with The Freekees, Nihilith, and Lucretia, as well as a write-up on the history of the AV music scene and a piece written about urban legends pertaining to man-eating trees. The original plan for the zine was that each issue would've included pieces on urban legends, however this idea was scrapped after the first issue as it was nothing more than a personal interest that had nothing to do with the music. Filler, in other words.
While the Freekees were actually based in Santa Clarita, some of their members worked at a local record store called Voodoo Vinyl which hosted free live shows every week for roughly a year and a half. Naturally, they were candidates for an interview. Nihilith, the only AV band to be interviewed, performed regularly in the area, and had an EP released with a split to come out not long after this issue was published. Lucretia, from Connecticut, toured with the local AV band Post-Nothing, performing a show with them at Voodo Vinyl one evening in August 2Ol8.
Issue Two: July 2Ol9
Issue two includes interviews with In Decline, Snitch, Crushed!?, and The Downsides, as well as a lengthy self-help "parody" on how to ruin social relationships. It also features an art piece kindly submitted by Wisconsin-based artist Jason "EVIL" Covelli.
In Decline have been around for a few years, releasing music and playing local shows. They shared members with This Place Is A Zoo and Life For A Life. Snitch already broke up by the time the interview was conducted, leaving behind multiple splits in their wake. The Downsides just released an EP and promoted it with a music video. They organized a show at the Lancaster Museum of Art and History's satellite building, this issue was printed the day of and was given away at the event. Crushed!? (from New Mexicao) toured in the Antelope Valley once, playing a show at Voodoo Vinyl.
Issue Three: Fall 2Ol9
Issue three was barely a work-in-progress before it was cancelled. It would've included an interview with AV stalwarts How Scandinavian, and a plan was made to have it include a sampler CD of material written by local bands. It would've been packaged in a manilla envelope, to include both the zine and disc, and Jason "EVIL" Covelli was commissioned to make the artwork for this deluxe package. If you click the image on the left, then you will be able to see the full image. COALZine would've had a table at the Pomona Zine Festival, but that had to be cancelled as a result of car troubles I was facing at the time.
