NFC Miscellaneous content NFC Competitions NFC Competition #10
The 1st Prize:

"Our Band Could Be Your Life: Scenes From The American Indie Underground 1981-1991", a book by M. Azerrad.

This spectacular 522-page book explores the story of the bands Black Flag, The Minutemen, Mission of Burma, Minor Threat, Hüsker Dü, Replacements, Sonic Youth, Butthole Surfers, Big Black, Dinosaur Jr., Fugazi, Mudhoney and Beat Happening. "Michael Azerrad's OUR BAND COULD BE YOUR LIFE vividly traces the arc of the American indie underground in the Eighties, from obscure beginnings to the point a decade later when the mainstream sat up and took notice. Featuring scores of interviews with band members, label heads, and others within the inner circle, OUR BAND COULD BE YOUR LIFE is the first book ever to delve deeply into the gritty realities of life on music's cutting edge in the Eighties, a time when setting one's sights low was virtually a political statement." Obviously, the book also mentions Nirvana several times, but it must be stressed that it does not focus on this band. Michael Azerrad is, however, author of the legendary book "Come As You Are: The Story of Nirvana" which is considered to be the best Nirvana book in the community. The copy of OUR BAND COULD BE YOUR LIFE that you can win in this contest was autographed by the author, Michael Azerrad, in February 2002. Don't miss out! Special thanks to Shannon Byrne, associate publicist at Little, Brown and Company for providing the book. Also thanks to Mr. Azerrad. Visit the publisher's website here. View the book cover here.


The 2nd Prize:

"NIRVANA" - A photo book by Steve Gullick and Stephen Sweet. We have one more copy of this book left, which is a collection of photos by the two esteemed photographers who followed Nirvana on some of their most famous tour stops. This book is a sort of follow-up to 1999's "Winterlong" which featured photos of the same photographers along with Martyn Goodacre. Though, unlike it's predecessor, this book features several color photos and a much longer introduction by legendary journalist Everett True. The photos in the book were shot at Nirvana shows such as 12/03/89 London, 10/27/90 Nottingham, Reading '91, 12/04/91 Manchester, Stockholm '92 and MTV's 12/13/93 show in Seattle. Not to be missed if you like Nirvana photos! "What was Nirvana? A celebration of much that was glorious about our lives. How can that be captured in a couple of grainy frames? It can't." Special thanks to Sarah Marusek, Vision On publishing and Steve Gullick. View cover here.


The 3rd Prize:

"Live Through This - American Rock Music In The Nineties" book. The aforementioned Everett True is the author of this brand new book, describing the grunge movement of the early 90's. The book begins with an extensive chapter on Nirvana, consisting of tales from Everett's meetings and interviews with the band members, as well as his account of putting Courtney Love and Kurt Cobain together. This is not a Nirvana book, however. The rest of the book goes into the stories of bands such as Bikini Kill, Beat Happening, TAD, Earth, Screaming Trees, Mudhoney, Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, The Melvins and many others. "Foremost in the scene were Nirvana, who almost single-handedly brought grunge into the popular consciousness with their seminal album Nevermind. From their underground roots in the Pacific Northwest, the group achieved world fame and Cobain had the mantle of 'spokesman for a generation' thrust upon him. This was, arguably, the last era of great rock music, and it is shrouded in stories and rumours. Everett True, the man who introduced Kurt to Courtney, and brought grunge to the outside world, knows what it really felt like to be there." The 3rd prize is a copy of this 300-page book. Special thanks to John Scardino of Scardino Associates and Virgin Books for providing the prize. View the cover here.


The 4th Prize:

Tickets to the Olympia Music Fair in London, UK. This prize is a bit different from the others. You can win two tickets, which will gain you and a friend free entry to the music fair. The Olympia fair, taking place on May 4th and 5th is "the major annual fair in the UK - dedicated to the discerning music fan." "It's show time! - the annual Olympia Music fair returns on Saturday and Sunday 4th and 5th May to this World famous venue in the heart of the UK's capital. At this massive event, you'll be able to buy CDs and vinyl PLUS memorabilia, DVDs, books, videos, tapes, posters, autographs etc. In a top quality well-lit, carpeted Hall, you'll find all the major UK dealers plus traders from USA, Australia, Canada and all over Europe. In addition there will be guest appearances at the event." More info here.

Notice: Unlike the other prizes, a winner of this one will be drawn already on April 28. In addition, only people entering the contest from the UK will be able to win this particular prize. Thanks to Rob Lythall.


The 5th Prize:

"NFC Compilation: Volume II". One lucky winner will be getting a copy of this double-CDR. The CD-R is a compilation of songs, submitted by people who post on the NFC Discussion Board. These people, or their bands, have recorded a lot of great songs that have - for the most part - been re-mastered and collected on two CDs. Among other things the CDs offer a lot of nice covers of songs such as "Old Age", "Everlong", "Verse Chorus Verse", "Disarm" and others. Thanks to all the talented artists who contributed. Since the mp3 files comprising the CDs are not available for download, this great album can be difficult to get hold of.


Out of the 477 people who entered their name to this competition, and answered all questions correct, the following winners have been randomly selected on January 1st, 2003:

First Prize: Jakob Dybro Johansen [ alting_var_smukkere_i_1994@hotmail.com ]
Second Prize: Jeroen de Wit [ jeroendewit10@hetnet.nl ]
Third Prize: Blake Harris [ BlakeTyner@aol.com ]
Fourth Prize: Kaine Pringal [ kaine@punkrock.co.uk ]
Fifth Prize: Shane Averette [ bosoxfan87@aol.com ]