Every local punk scene needs a meeting place, often a music venue, no matter how unorthodox that setting might be. In the case of Louisville, KY, that locale just happens to be a pizza joint.
Located at 239 S. 5th Street, Spinelli's Pizzeria has become Louisville's most vital hardcore venue, so it's only fitting that Love & Trust's story begins there. The new outfit brings together several vets from the hardcore community in the spirit of the classic sounds they were influenced by as teens in the late '80s. Love & Trust's origin story began at the aforementioned Spinelli's with vocalist Matt Wieder (he's currently the guitarist in Miracle Drug, and has also played in such bands as Mouthpiece and Automatic) and guitarist Jim Barron (Heartstopper) plotting to get a melodic hardcore band together.
Drummer Thommy Browne (Miracle Drug, By the Grace of God, Enkindel) and bassist Ryan Storey (Constraint, LDB Fest) were soon brought into the fold, and work got started.
Thommy (he also contributes an all-drummer interview series on No Echo) told me via email that "Love & Trust would be equally at home in the clubs and VFW Halls of late '80s NYC or Washington DC, as we would be blasting from the speakers of a Southern California skatepark on any recent weekend." That's a great call on his part. You can hear what he's talking about on Love & Trust's debut release, a 4-track EP recorded by Knocked Loose guitarist Issac Hale in Spring 2019, with vocals tracked by Will Allard (Xerxes, Whips/Chains):
“'Rules of the Body' is a song about sexual freedom," vocalist Matt told me in an email. "It's about breaking the chains put on us by tradition, religion and sometimes even laws. I actually have quite a bit to say on this topic, but it's pretty much impossible to put it all in a two minute hardcore song.
"Too often I think even the most progressive people will pass judgement on someone else's choices if they fall outside of what they deem to be appropriate behavior for themselves. I believe people should be able to express themselves sexually however they want, as often or as little as they want, and in whatever combination of consenting adults they want.”
The Love & Trust EP is being released on cassette by Trip Machine Labs and is available here. You can find Love & Trust on Bandcamp and Instagram.
Also, the band just got announced as a performer on next year's LDB Fest. Love & Trust will be on the Saturday (Feb. 8) lineup alongside such bands as Terror, Fiddlehead, Dead Heat, and Cruel Hand:
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Tagged: by the grace of god, enkindel, love and trust, miracle drug, mouthpiece
