A.B.A.Q. – Issue 1
Dylan Chadwick
and Keith Lucius
Self-Published
Street: 09.01
A.B.A.Q. is a relatively thin zine, but what it lacks in number of pages, it makes up for in quality. The content is everything one would expect in a zine, especially the first issue—introduction, top 5s, reviews and an interview (this one with Kansas City hardcore band Sorry Excuse). What makes this stand apart from other zines I’ve read is the wit. A.B.A.Q. is put together by and written from the hearts of Chadwick (who also writes for SLUG) and Lucius, and they’re some damned funny dudes. The “Headlines” section itself is worth the whole break-the-bank American dollar they’re peddling this for, but my personal favorite piece is the review of one of the latest “look-how-the-mighty-have-fallen” releases on the once-great label, Southern Lord—Xibalba’s Hasta La Muerte. To quote: “This record blows,” and “Southern Lord was better when it tried to be a spunk rag for hipster metallers with neck-beards.” Amen, good fellows, and keep this zine going! Purchase it online for a buck at drugdogszine.bigcartel.com. –Gavin Hoffman

Diamond Tooth
Margaret McCarthy and Jacob Barta
Self-Published
Street: 08.02
A collaborative photozine project between Margaret McCarthy and Jacob Barta, Diamond Tooth vies for the distinctive indentity of “a free livin’ summer magic zine.” Delicate pics of city kids gettin’ silly via drugs, nudity and the occasional four-letter obscenity­—it’s a sparse and (dare I say) tasteful rag, more suitable for a quick piss and a morning commute than a drawn-out shitter binge. It’s the kind of typewriter tome that’ll add a spritz o’ zesty chutzpah into your 9-to-5 and won’t bore you trying to shoot ropes of pretentious Jim Morrison-isms all over your mug. F-words abound, the most apt being “fun” and “fancy free.” This is a zine for peepin’ when you need that bug-eyed reminder that your 20s and 30s are there for livin’ and breathin’, suckin’ down life’s marrow like Jell-O shots at the dollar bar, not perched in front of YouTube trying to relive past glories that never actually happened. There are no articles, no recipes, no comix and no record reviews—just great photos, clever captions and the occasional trash-island, art-school nonsense. Train hoppers, graffiti nerds, naked swimmers and any rabble-rouser in the cracks: Don’t sleep. On sale for $2 plus $2 for shipping at diamondtooth.bigcartel.com, or email jaycer@riseup.net –Dylan Chadwick

Filler – Issue #1
Trevor Hale
Old New Records
Street: 08.11
Filler has a lot of … filler. Poetry/prose coat the first and last pages of the zine, some about beach kill, others about super powers. The poetry has strong word choice and is almost tactile. There was clearly some social commentary woven into the poems—I’m just not sure what message they’re trying to convey. Hale, who also wrote the Ghosts of Hardcore Past story in this month’s issue of SLUG (p. 30) knows what he’s doing, and he should be proud of his work. The soft innards of Filler is a pair of interviews: a motorcycle vendor and a photographer. Some of the web addresses in the zine were either out of date or yet to be bought—not sure which. Also, Candace Jeans’ art in the zine was very lightly scanned, so I would urge the reader to check out the artist’s website (candacejean.com). There was no clear theme for the zine, except for “introduc[ing me] to some people [Trevor] knows.” If so, then Hale has some cool friends, and I hope to hear more from them. Pick up a copy for $3 at oldnewsrecords.bigcartel.com. –Alex Cragun