10 albums that influenced Scott Dempsey of Stretch Arm Strong

Alternative Press teamed up with Stretch Arm Strong for an exclusive vinyl colorway of The Revealing, limited to 250 copies. Head to the AP Shop to grab yours.

Since their inception in 1992, Stretch Arm Strong have brought a lot of light to hardcore with melodic songs and blazing positivity. Now, nearly two decades on from their last LP — 2005’s Free at Last — Stretch Arm Strong have returned triumphantly with a scorching new EP. Recorded with Steve Evetts, who was originally slated to produce their sophomore album, Rituals of Life, the band’s chemistry reignites both naturally and vigorously over the course of six songs. It’s the same revved-up energy that’s found its way into all of their projects, laying down some brightness so people can find their way out of the dark. Upon listening, it makes complete sense that their guitarist Scott Dempsey latched onto bands like 7Seconds, Face To Face, and Gorilla Biscuits when he was younger — all bands that injected mass amounts of style, skill, and positivity into breakneck songs.

Read more: Zulu are expanding the look and feel of hardcore

In honor of the new EP, the Stretch Arm Strong guitarist opened up to us about the many albums that informed his own coming of age, from ’90s hardcore to second-wave emo.

Van Halen – 1984

This is the album/band that started it all with me. I play guitar because of Eddie Van Halen. Now, while I certainly can’t play guitar like Eddie, he is absolutely the reason I picked up a guitar. I am left-handed, but I had a plastic fake guitar that I stripped up just like Frankie and pretended to be Eddie playing right-handed when I was very young. Playing right-handed felt natural when I started taking lessons because of me imitating him at a very young age. I write left-handed, I throw and bat left-handed, but I play guitar right-handed. My first guitar was a Kramer. Yes, some other Van Halen albums may be better, but 1984 was when it hit for me, and to this day it still slaps.

7Seconds – Walk Together, Rock Together

The first positive hardcore band for me. I first saw a 7Seconds sticker on the back of a car outside my first job. That font with the crosshair, or whatever it is, in the “O” looked so damn cool. 7Seconds was definitely my most listened to band in my high school years. The Crew may be the better album, but Walk Together, Rock Together was the album that got me into 7Seconds. It’s a 1A and 1B situation. Both albums are amazing. Ian MacKaye on the backup vocals, too! Song after song banger, and “99 Red Balloons," too. 

ALL – Allroy Sez
I mean, it’s Descendents with Dave Smalley from Dag Nasty singing! Sign me up! Don’t get me wrong — I love Descendents, but they were before my punk time. This album was the first I heard from the Descendents crew, which immediately got me into Descendents as well. I love the songs on Allroy Sez! Freaking love Dave’s voice, too. “Don Quixote” may be my favorite song from ALL. Oh, and Allroy from the Allroy Sez album cover was my first tattoo when I was 17. I later got to sit down with Dave Smalley and interview him when he first came through Columbia with Down By Law. I ran across that footage just recently. Allroy For Prez may be the better of the two Dave Smalley albums, but Allroy Sez was the first ALL/Descendents love for me. 

R.E.M. – Green
R.E.M. was a band that was very influential to me. Green is the first album I heard, and while I may like Document better after I became a die-hard R.E.M. fam, Green was my first. I remember seeing them at Carolina Coliseum on the Green tour in high school. Drivin N Cryin opened. While R.E.M. was not necessarily a punk band, before they got big, they had a very punk style of following. Underground, Athens… those early R.E.M. albums had a very punk roots feel to them. Love Michael Stipe’s lyrics as well!

Gorilla Biscuits – Start Today
Chris [McLane], our vocalist in Stretch Arm Strong, had this record, first press, and I remember the day that Chris first played it for me down the street at his house in 1989. Blown away! That different hardcore punk with the melodic guitar harmonies. You hear those types of guitar harmonies in Stretch Arm Strong songs, and that is largely because of Gorilla Biscuits. It’s way more common today, but that was the first time I heard it like that. This album definitely steered me in a certain direction, and also, it was the first album for me in which there was a song about vegetarianism.

Face To Face – Don’t Turn Away
I had just graduated high school and walked into Hyde & Zeke Records in Gainesville, Florida. I remember seeing the Face To Face 12-inch and loved the cover so much I bought it just because of the cover. P.S.: This was/is the blue version of Dr. Strange. I remember getting home and putting this record on and immediately falling in love with this band. I had never heard of something that had organically found its way to me. To this day, I love every song and can put it on after years and be instantly transported to that time. I’m going to see them this summer play that album front to back.

Earth Crisis – All Out War
Some will say that Firestorm is the better EP. I’ll concede — it is definitely the better recording and definitely the start of the chug revolution. But the All Out War seven-inch, oh man. Just pure emotion. I remember seeing them at the first More Than Music Fest in Dayton, Ohio. I had never heard of Earth Crisis, but when they played that set, it was like nothing I had ever seen or experienced before. People were just going ape shit in a way that was crazy yet refreshing and new to me. I bought the seven-inch from Guav (later became friends with Guav) and booked many Earth Crisis shows in South Carolina. When Firestorm came out, my mind was blown, but this seven-inch was what started the Earth Crisis revolution for me. This EP made me want to try to stop eating meat in 1993 and here I am, in 2024, still vegetarian.

Propagandhi – Less Talk, More Rock
I loved Propagandhi before this album. I’d Rather Be Flag Burning and How To Clean Everything already had me. Then Less Talk, More Rock hit me at a very important time in my life. I read all the liner notes over and over, and if you have a physical copy of that album, you know what I’m talking about. I was really brainwashed, in a really good way if I’m not being clear. That album opened my eyes to so many things. Not to mention every song is a banger from top to bottom. “Consider someone else, Stop consuming animals”. My veg-theme continues.

The Get Up Kids – Woodson EP

Yeah, I know, this is just a four-song EP, but these four songs changed it for me. The riffs, the way Matt and Jim go back and forth on vocals, the song structure, the rawness. I can listen to these four songs, even today, 20-plus years later, and sing along like there’s no tomorrow. “If this night, if this kiss was something real…”

Saves The Day – Can’t Slow Down
I first heard Saves The Day thanks to my roommate at the time, Matt Leveton, in 1997. The demo had great songs, but the quality was a little rough around the edges… it’s fine, it was a demo. The next year, Can’t Slow Down came out. Yes, the album and style was very heavily influenced by Lifetime, and I was a pretty big Lifetime fan, but this album was absolute perfection. Fast, catchy, great recording, clever lyrics, and Chris’ vocal harmonies were so good. This album was not only very influential to me and a bunch of others, but easily a top 10 album for me. Through Being Cool was great, too, and a perfect follow-up to Can’t Slow Down, but not many records can top this one for me.