photos by Kurt Christensen

John Joseph addresses the crowd @ Webster Hall Friday night - 7/6/12 (video below)

Before things took a turn for the worse and got all stabby, Webster Hall hosted performances from Vision of Disorder, Sai-Nam and Absolution as part of a five band bill that would have also included Sick of It All and Cro-Mags if the CBGB Festival Friday show didn't end early. Pictures from the relatively peaceful opening to the show are in this post.

As discussed, things got ugly when ex-Cro-Mags bassist Harley Flanagan, who is known for not being happy that Cro-Mags continue without him, allegedly assaulted current Cro-Mags members with a hunting knife before the Cro-Mags set. Harley has been charged with assault and criminal possession of a weapon.

John Joseph and his version of Cro-Mags (that was scheduled to play Webster Hall but instead got cut) issued the following statement:

WE... as a band are truly sorry for the way it all turned out in every regard even the ex-member who's family is now effected by his choices. Our prayers go out to them as well as Mike C., and the others who were hurt, but it was 'his' choice to come to our concert with a hunting knife, standing by our dressing door. Who knows what his actual intent was, obviously he wasn't there with it to cut bread for a peace offering as he was heard saying outside he was putting an end to us playing without him. Let's move on now & stop the trash-talking. Keep that PMA - that's what we are all about.

PMA indeed.

That's a picture of John telling the Webster Hall crowd that the show is over on Friday. You can watch video of it below.

The NY Times talked to John too:

John Joseph, the band's lead singer, said that Mr. Flanagan had been at odds with other members of the Cro-Mags since he left the band in 2000 and had not been permitted to rejoin.

"This dude has been a negative thorn in the side of this band forever," Mr. Joseph said. "I hope he gets what's coming to him."

Few bands were as energetic as the Cro-Mags during the heyday of the Lower East Side hard-core scene in the mid- to late 1980s. Their first record, "The Age of Quarrel," featured an illustration of a mushroom cloud on the cover and driving songs with shouted lyrics about existential fear and the limits of anarchism.

In many ways the songs were a reflection of the world as seen by Mr. Flanagan, who left school at an early age and began hanging out on the decaying streets of the Lower East Side, where rent was cheap, abandoned buildings proliferated and the drug trade flourished.

The hard-core scene gradually become less visible, said Clayton Patterson, a photographer on the Lower East Side who has documented many of the bands, but it has experienced a revival in recent years.

The crowd was waiting for the Cro-Mags on Friday night when Mr. Flanagan darted from the dressing room while yelling something that onlookers could not make out, according to a spectator, Elie Perler, 30.

The NY Post points out:

Joseph warned CBGB Festival organizers that Flanagan wasn't wanted, but he wound up obtaining a press pass.
"Get somebody on the door who knows what he looks like," Joseph said he warned. "They didn't take that threat seriously."

For those people that "don't believe the hype", somehow have faith that this is one big government conspiracy, or that it actually wasn't Harley Flanagan that attacked two in the VIP area at "Weber Hall", you can contribute to the Free Harley Flanagan fund. 119 days to go on this crowdsourcing effort and they are currently at 0.988% towards their $50k goal. Good luck with that one.

If you missed Vision of Disorder, you can catch them in NYC again at Music Hall of Williamsburg on November 24th, tickets go on AMEX presale at noon on Wednesday (7/11) and regular sale on Friday.

More pictures of a peaceful Webster Hall before the storm, and video of John Joseph addressing the crowd, below.

Continue reading "pics from the Cro-Mags show (before it shut down), a statement from John Joseph, a new VOD show & a... fundraiser for Harley"

Lou with Refused at Terminal 5 (more by BBG)

As originally discovered back in January, and further confirmed in Summerstage's 2012 schedule (but previously with no artists) CBGB is throwing a festival...

The four-day festival is scheduled to begin on July 5 and will showcase about 300 rock bands. Concerts will take place at around 30 places, from large stages like Central Park Summerstage and Webster Hall to small clubs like the Trash Bar in Williamsburg and the Living Room on the Lower East Side...

The festival will also stage a free concert in Central Park with Guided by Voices, the Pains of Being Pure at Heart and Cloud Nothings [on July 7]. A few veteran rockers have agreed to appear: David Johansen, a former member of the New York Dolls, has committed to do a show, as has the Baseball Project, the supergroup formed by Peter Buck of R.E.M. and Steve Wynn of Dream Syndicate. -[NY Times]

A few other confirmed shows as part of the festival have emerged too. Sick of It All will join Vision of Disorder, Cro-Mags, Absolution and Sai Nam for a show at Webster Hall on July 6th. Tickets are on sale.

D Generation will headline Bowery Electric on July 7th with ROMANS, Brass Knuckle Evangelists and The Bamboo Kids. Tickets are on sale.

Stay tuned for more (including the full lineup announcement).

words & photos by BBG

In a new tradition of sorts (now three years running... pics from 2009 and 2010), Cro-Mags will play a holiday show, this time at Highline Ballroom on 12/30 with Supertouch, Subzero, and Sai Nam (mems Trapped Under Ice, Breakdown, Skarhead). Tickets are on sale.

Fans of Skarhead can also look towards Santos on 12/17 when they team with Murphy's Law, Lordz Of Brooklyn, Apathy + Reef The Lost Cauze + Slaine (performing as a group), Darkside NYC and others (tickets).

Cro-Mags are currently preparing to play some dates in Florida. All tour dates and a belated second set of pictures of Cro-Mags at the House of Vans this past summer (first set here) is below.

Continue reading "Cro-Mags add NYC show over Holidays --- dates & live pics"