Bitter Branches drummer Jeff Tirabassi has spearheaded a new compilation, Exhibit A, which benefits the Southern Poverty Law Center and features tracks by an array of cool bands across punk, hardcore, and more, including GEL, FAIM, HIRS Collective, Be Well, Rid of Me, School Drugs, Truth Cult, Every Scar Has A Story, Exhalants, Multicult, Crossed Keys, and more. The comp comes out on October 7, with vinyl co-released by Atomic Action and Hellminded, cassettes by Knife Hits (US), and cassettes by Ugly & Proud and Shove Records (EU). Pre-order it here. Jeff says:
Basically immediately after Bitter Branches released our EP in 2020 we started to connect with other bands with new music, at the time without a live vehicle to play it in person. Couple that with a global pandemic forcing everyone to shelter in place watching the fire catch fire with an unhinged demigod autocratic president being enabled by an enabling Congress, multiple racial charged police killings, peaceful protests being met with further racial charged violent opposition and a vigilante shooter becoming a poster boy hero to the right all being supported by radical militia groups….the kids again needed to have their say. I thought it would be a great idea to collect songs from these bands for a compilation, much like Dischord did for the State of the Union Compilation in 1989. This comp was a game changer/eye opener effecting change and raising awareness through the power of a diverse music scene in DC. We chose the Southern Poverty Law Center as our organization to benefit since they have a single focus of protecting the rights of the disenfranchised. With people under constant attack for their race, sexual orientation, and keeping control of their own bodies, this was the most important cause we all agreed would be the best to focus on.