Immersed Zine

JIU JITSU 

Young enough to still be developing their skills, Jiu-Jitsu, a five piece Charlotte Hardcore band “against fascism,” has only been making music for about a year consistently and is already making waves in the North Carolina hardcore scene. Calling back to sounds similar to Backtrack’s earliest album Darker Half and lyrics that compare to Incendiary’s entire discography, the group of young guys really caught my attention with their aggressive instrumentals and anti-fascist verses. It is safe to say that Jiu-Jitsu live has a consuming energy that calls a crowd already at arms willing to throw bows in a sea of people trying to start a push pit. Though they are in the studio currently recording new music to release, the band released a four song Demo EP in June 2023. This EP lets you taste that same consumptuous energy in four songs that perfectly meld together in an endless loop that I couldn’t help but let cycle through time and time again. 

The Bops 

1. PROJECTION

It is no secret that I personally love a silly sample. End It, Baltimore hardcore band, does it best and this compares in that same silly senseless way. We are met with a high end tone fading into a recording  of a perceivably old-head stressing to someone that they HAVE to listen to Jiu-Jitsu. The sample is actually Carlos of Carlitos Dogs, who actually stole the mic and organically said this to hype everyone including the band up at the opening of their first set. I have no arguments with Carlos because I am here to tell you the exact same thing. 

“You are your own nightmare!” 

“You think that I’m a problem? You’re the hero? You think that I need fixing? When the evils inside of you? You got it fucking twisted.”

With no pun intended, maybe I am projecting my own experiences with the world onto this album, (though you all must know that is kind of my whole schtick) to me this song is anti-narcotic/opioids coded or just generally anti-establishment, which of course a group with a tagline of “hardcore against fascism” I really expect nothing less, but for a demo EP, I was impressed with how hype the kids (sorry guys, it’s not an insult) got me, a self proclaimed critic who is fairly picky. 

2. WAR CRY

The second track and my own vote for best lyrics on the EP, this song leaves you ready with bricks in hand. They don’t leave room for any sort of confusion on where they stand and that is exactly why I fuck with this EP so much. I look forward to the other heavy hitters they have coming in 2024.

“There’s people out there, just like you and me,

 they walk they talk but they cant fucking see.

They have no question.

They have no fucking clue. No Independent thought, they’re told what to do.

They are told to listen. They are told to hate. They want control over what we create.

This is my war cry. There’s no debate.

They are the pawns of a neo-fascist state. Open your fuckings eyes.”

I don’t even know if I have much to say or add in regards to dissecting these lyrics because I just thoroughly enjoyed them that much. I cover various genres but the world knows Hardcore is close to my heart and I have written various opinions on white men flooding the scene with no substance being offered lyrically when we are (or should be) as a community fighting against oppression and fighting for liberation of all people. Calling out the complacent and otherwise unempathetic is exactly what I look for when I am choosing lyrics to scream in a mob of people throwing limbs, elbows and kicks.

“I’m not your enemy, all though you are mine.” A pungent point to make as a group of white men writing about fascism and white supremacy (they go hand in hand). What I took from this was other white or privileged people seeing these men as equals/same but driving the point home that they don’t stand for those morals and will be holding people accountable despite assumptions white supremacists may make based on their skin color.

3. MOVEMENT : 

Slow and sludgy we get brought into this song straight from the last. I keep making the joke that War Cry into Movement is my favorite song on the EP because of how beautifully they flow together in chaotic unison. The rhythm section comes in with a scrumptious repetitive riff to get the crowd moving even if no one is prepared. You can’t help but to throw full fists. Hug it out after. If you’re caught pushing people, you’re either getting called out by the vocalist Christian or you’re getting kicked in the head by someone cartwheeling through you. Stay Ready. 

“It’s time to start a motherfucking movement”

Lyrically I love the double meaning behind “It’s time to start a motherfucking movement” Clearly the boys want you to mosh and have a good time, but the lyrics provide a more evident message for active civil disobedience for actual change. It is truly “Charlotte Hardcore Against Fascism” at its finest.

4. TOO FAR 

“You pushed me too far this time” 

Great way to end a first demo 4 song EP. RUN to this EP so you can rip your teeth through it and then sit on the bench with the rest of us while we wait for the next release from them.  

Interview

How’d you all come together as a band, tell us a little about your “story” starting jiu-jitsu?

Jiu-Jitsu stemmed originally from a combined desire by all of us to bring hardcore to the youth of Charlotte. Anthony and Riley have known eachother since middle school in Statesville, NC and learned a lot about DIY music from one of their highschool teachers (member of Dear Kavalier and Elowel). Riley went on to begin going to local punk and metal shows and began making music more casually with Garret, Josh, and occasionally Anthony as well. 

Anthony met Christian, who had been attending DIY shows in Charlotte since he as in highschool in Matthews, while in a field class at UNCC in the middle of the woods. They became fast friends and Christian then invited Anthony to attend a Pieced Up and Two Piece headliner show at the Skylark, which Anthony credits as what made him truly fall in love with hardcore. 

There shortly after, Anthony went to Riley and Christian and asked them to help him form a hardcore band in the vein of those beatdown bands, as well as bands like Knocked Loose, Mindforce, Sunami and the local punk bands they had been seeing in Charlotte at the time. He came up with the name Jiu-Jitsu because he had been doing the martial art and thought the controlled violence and outlet for aggression had lots of ties to hardcore. Anthony’s, as well as everyone else’s,  desire to do this stemmed from a lack of representation of younger people in Charlotte hardcore, with most of the hardcore fans and band members being in at least their late twenties and the younger people mostly being into punk.

We began writing, and recruited Josh and Garret to fill our lineup. Within a few weeks, we had a few songs in the works. Anthony then got a gig on a local festival Tiff Tantrum of No Anger Control was setting up after a band had dropped off and offered him the spot for Jiu-Jitsu. We practiced and rehearsed relentlessly to get enough songs ready and pushed the show on social media relentlessly. When the day came, to our surprise, around 300 kids showed up to see us play 2nd on a 7 band bill. Since then, we released a demo of our first 4 songs we wrote, have played with bands/have made friends from all over the country, met some of our musical inspirations, have begun playing shows across the state and hope to continue growing the band and making as many memories possible along the way. 

What are your goals for 2024?

-Keep writing heavier and heavier riffs

-Release at least 1 EP (which we are well on the way to).

-Play everywhere we possibly can.

-Play Overcome Fest

-Get on a Hate5Six video.

-End push pits.

What do you have coming up to tell people about?

We have shows across NC in January and February! 

Jan 26th- Greensboro at Above board

Feb 7th- Charlotte at The Milestone

Feb 16th- Raleigh at Kings (DBB20)

Feb 24th- Winston Salem at the Den

Many more shows this year TBA!

We have begun Recording, so look out for a release in the near future! “And it’s still gonna be jiu-jitsu, just a lil heavier, and even more moshable” 

Rating & Closing Thoughts ! 

I think we can expect fruitful and positive things for Jiu-Jitsu and simultaneously hope the new music is as hard as this Demo EP.