PUSHED ASIDE
Pushed Aside was formed during the summer/fall of 1988. Scott Snowden (drums) and Jeff Carlyle (guitar) started jamming together in Scott's house when both of their current bands were beginning to fall apart. They soon hooked up with John Coyle who was playing guitar in Straight Arm and started putting songs together. At this time they had the unofficial name of Linedrive. They added Randy Johnson on bass and John would become the singer. Soon after, John decided he wanted to play for Stand Alone (which was the new name for Straight Arm) on a full time basis. Randy then shifted to singing and Chris Nyhus became the full time bass player. John Coyle would later form and sing in a couple other important hardcore bands, Outspoken and Kill The Messenger.
In Feburary of 1989, Pushed Aside went to Spot Studios to record their 5 song demo. All members were late for the early recording time because of the Hard Stance show the night before. The Offspring also played this show and played a set that was well over an hour long that pushed the beginning of Hard Stance's set time back to 1:30AM in the morning, much to the dismay of the hardcore crowd that came to see Hard Stance. Nobody heard their alarms at 6AM because their ears were still ringing from the powerfully loud performance hours earlier. Although more than 2 hours late, Pushed Aside put together a recording of songs that many consider one of the great hardcore demos of that era.
Combining influences of Cro Mags, Bad Brains, Raw Deal and Beyond, the demo was sold through Zed Records and a few mail order magazine ads. Soon the demo was being dubbed and passed along throughout the hardcore community worldwide. Less than a month after this recording, Pushed Aside played their first real show at the Country Club in Reseda. It was a pay-to-play gig that included Freewill, Stand Alone and Against the Wall. Bands were required to sell 50 tickets each so there was a surprisingly decent and energized crowd for this large of a venue, although it was far from sold out. This was pretty much one of the first hardcore gigs at the Country Club, which later would become famous in hardcore lore during this crucial time, because pretty much every important hardcore band of the day passed through it.
News was spreading fast through magazine reviews and word of mouth, and soon Big Frank Harrison, who had just begun Nemesis records, wanted to put out the demo as Pushed Aside's first 7". Although work was put into this project, certain members of the band felt that new songs should be written and recorded for the 7", so the project was shelved. If released, this record would of been released right after the Offpring 12" and Vision 7"
During this time Andy Alvarez contacted the band and asked to join. Andy added a more metal guitar sound which can be heard on the Waiting track that was on the "Generation Of Hope Compilation 7" recorded in mid 1989. With Pushed Aside a 5-piece, Big Frank hooked them up as the opening band on the now legendary hardcore show, "The Icemen Cometh", which included Slapshot, No For An Answer and Hard Stance. This show is documented on the Nemesis 7" with the same name.
Soon after, Pushed Aside played some shows at Spanky's, another legendary hardcore spot, before they even had a stage, and played the Country Club again a few months later. Playing with band such as Gorilla Biscuits, Inside Out, Chain Of Strength, Slapshot, No For An Answer, Hard Stance, Swiz, Freewill, Social Justice, Against The Wall, Stand Alone and Positive Approach, Pushed Aside established itself as one of the important Southern California hardcore bands of its era in a very sort time.
Unfortunately, because of internal disagreements within the band's direction, Pushed Aside broke up in late summer of 1989, after less than a year together. Because of this, and the lack of any vinyl release, the band was never able to reach its full potential or recognition.
