Responses to

This is a very interesting book and I as well wonder if it is published. I was in the scene in 88-94 and found this book to be very cool. Just one thing - Katina's was located in Hadley not in Westfield and I was at that show with Murphy's Law when the fence came down. A lot of good times and memories of Sunday nights.

D
1/26/07

This is a really engaging, visually pleasing and successful documentation of the Western Mass. Hardcore scene... the fragments of memories, the responses to interviews, and the anecdotes written by Lisa and other members of the scene do a really nice job of presenting the scene from those within... Having grown up in the DC area, my teenage years were filled with memories of the DC hardcore scene, so I was particularly impressed with how well Lisa was able to capture the spirit and personality of such an impassioned group of people.

The photos are great, as is the integration of text into the work, it doesn’t read like a photo book with text, or text with supporting pictures, it reads like a cohesive work of art in book form. A work of art and a piece of nostalgia.

Peter
11/20/05

absolutly amazing..great job..

John
9/1/05

HI
I STUMBLED UPON THIS WEBSITE AND SAW A BOOK WRITTEN ALL ABOUT WESTERN MASS
HARDCORE TITLED JUST TO GET AWAY... AN INSIDE LOOK AT WESTERN MASS HARDCORE
1999-2003 BY LISA BLOCH. I WOULD VERY MUCH BE INTERESTED IN BUYING A COPY OF THIS
BOOK BECAUSE IT IS ALL ABOUT THE SCENE THAT I AM PART OF. IF YOU WOULD NOW
HOW I COULD PURCHASE A COPY PLEASE LET ME KNOW.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH
GINA SCIARTILLI
DEFIANTHEARTSX@AOL.COM

Gina
1/14/04

this is great, I wish that there was more people writing about WMHC
it is cool to see other peoples perspectives about it.

Alan
1/2/04

Beautifully put together. I just wished you had stuck with the B & W exposures throughout the book. Very insightful. I believe you've captured what you set out to do (according to you intro).

jim
12/3/03

I really enjoyed this story and all the photographs. When i was in high school, i was part of the CT Punk/Hardcore scene. I played guitar in a now defunct punk rock band called American Upstart and went to a ton of shows. I have some great concert pictures, similar to the ones seen here that i took at
some of the shows i went to.
The part of this book that was especially interesting to me was the part about girls in punk/hardcore. I'm a girl who used to be part of the scene, but then i kinda outgrew it i guess and turned to heavier stuff -- such as Norwegian Black Metal.
Sometimes i miss going to punk rock shows and seeing all the kids having fun in the pit.
Great job on the book. :-)

Drew
12/2/03

is there any way i can order this book, or find a copy anywhere

Stfflittlefingrs
10/9/03

Lisa,
Great stuff. I like it very much. The photo on page 10 is great. Page 14 is also very nice. I love the mix of serene landscapes with the chaos of the rest of it all - pages 22-23 really bring it home ...
Take care.
Fred.

Fred Robertson
7/12/03

I enjoyed "Just To Get Away". The photo essay about the punk scene in Western Mass. The words and images made a significant impression. I associate Western Mass.with scenes of quiet natural beauty and quaint small towns, "Just To Get Away" reassured me that Western Mass' youth are as discontented as ever. Maybe even more so than in a big city. No doubt because of a lack of "venues" for a "scene"--- as one Hardcore member complained. When people and resources do come together it can be quiet an explosion of repressed energy. This intensity was made evident on your website by the way images were combined with excerpts from interviews and stories told about Mass's Hard Core scene. I enjoyed being given a "tour" of a world that I
might not have been so intimately acquainted with. The best part was that I did not have to leave my apartment, or pay an admission fee!!!!!!!!

Nadia
7/17/03

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