by BBG

Walter Schreifels @ Knitting Factory - BV-CMJ 2008 (more by Zach Dilgard)

Last CMJ, Rival Schools played their first public NYC reunion show at Knitting Factory. It was part of a day-long and free BrooklynVegan party. Right before that happened we interviewed Rival Schools members Walter Schreifels and Sammy Siegler, but only ever posted half of it ("part 1"). As sometimes happens around here, time went on, and the interview got older and older... and then I remembered we had it today. What reminded me was the show that the new Walter Schreifels Band will be playing at Music Hall of Williamsburg this evening (@7:30pm). What better time then to finally post the never-before-seen conclusion? (not to mention it's as relevant now as it was last year) (and better late than never?).

Rival Schools have now been back together for over a year, and though they promised a new album, so far it looks like the newest one will be a solo LP coming out by Walter himself (video preview at the end of the post). He'll play some of those new songs, along with lots of classics, at Music Hall tonight (right after an opening set by Think About Life).

In the second part of the interview below (read part one first), we talked about Youth of Today, Quicksand, Walking Concert, Walter being a dad, and what inspires the old friends today.

{Please note that the interview was conducted before Chi Cheng of the Deftones was involved in a serious car accident. )

Check it out...

Continue reading "an interview w/ Rival Schools (Walter Schreifels & Sammy Siegler) (the long lost part 2)"

words by Black Bubblegum, photos by Chris La Putt & Zach Dilgard

RS by Chris La Putt

RS by Zach Dilgard

After running up and down the stairs of the Knitting Factory to run an errand for the band, I ran backstage and caught a huddled Rival Schools preparing for their set. Whispering back and forth for a moment, the four of them ran up the stairs and hit the stage.... to be greeted by cheers & applause. Definitely a moment that I won't soon forget. I quickly headed upstairs to the balcony in time to catch the band tear into the day's, and United By Fate's, opener "Travel By Telephone". Over the next half hour or so, Rival Schools graced the BrooklynVegan day (now night.. we were a little behind) show with the first six tracks of United By Fate (closing with "Used For Glue") (video below), a cover of The Smiths' "How Soon Is Now?" (made famous during Walter Schreifels' stint in Quicksand), as well as revealing a few new arrows in their quiver ("Big Waves"). All in all, it was what you would expect to see from a Rival Schools show... the Schreifels pogo, Sammy Siegler bouncing up and down on his stool like it was spring-loaded, well-executed start-stop dynamics, and a good-time-by-all.

My only complaint was the mix... I was able to catch the band at Rebel a few days prior (with Trail of Dead and Margot & The Nuclear So & So's), and what I enjoyed the most about that set was how well it highlighted Ian Love's effects-heavy guitar flourishes, something that was lost in the outward mix at the Knitting Factory.

As Walter kindly pointed out on stage, you can check an interview with the band right HERE (part one anyway). Try and catch them in Novemeber at Mercury Lounge and Maxwell's if you can, but if not (both shows are sold out), Walter promised they'd be back much more including with a new album. More pictures, including one of the setlist, and a video from Knitting Factory below...

Continue reading "Rival Schools @ Knitting Factory (BV CMJ) -pics/setlist/video"

Photos by Bryan Bruchman

Sammy & Walter

We have been kind of talking about getting back together, or really continuing on from the work that we had done, for like years. We did some rehearsals like maybe a year and a half or two years ago, and then we did some demos and we have been taking these baby steps. Earlier in the year Sam just said "Hey dude, lets play some fucking shows and shit's gonna happen". [Walter Schreifels]

Rival Schools and Trail of Dead played the invite-only, annual, CMJ-eve Syndicate Party at Rebel on Monday night (10/20). Rival Schools next show is Saturday, October 25th (tomorrow) at 5pm at Knitting Factory. It is public, all ages and FREE.

More pictures of Rival Schools from Monday night below...

Continue reading "Rival Schools @ Rebel (the Syndicate Party), NYC - pics"

by Black Bubblegum

DOWNLOAD: Rival Schools - "Take One For The Team" (MP3)

"So yeah, I draw the line at Quicksand". - Walter

Walter Schreifels. Sam Siegler. Two names of a very select few who defined a sound and a movement in the late 80s and early 90s, New York Hardcore. Building upon the zen-like teachings of prophets with names like HR, MacKaye, and Raybeez, Walter Schreifels and Sammy Siegler cut their teeth in the blooming NYC scene with the legendary Gorilla Biscuits, Youth Of Today, and Judge, as well as Side By Side, and Project X.

Quicksand and CIV, as well as MTV support, multiple LPs and music videos followed, culminating in the reunion of the two Youth of Today bandmates in Rival Schools. Sam and Walter formed the band in 1999, with their lone LP United By Fate coming in 2001. The band split the following year, scrapping existing recordings that were believed to be the basis of the new album. Six years passed, and Walking Concert, Nightmare of You, Head Automatica, and solo work followed until early 2008, when Rival Schools announced their reformation. The announcement was followed by festival dates in Europe, ultimately leading to a handful of US shows.

Which leads us to NYC... The band have lined up a pair of shows at Maxwells and Mercury Lounge in early November which sold out quickly, but the band have also agreed to headline the free BrooklynVegan day party at Knitting Factory on Oct 25th! In part one of their first joint interview ever, we poked and prodded Sammy and Walter about their past & present projects, the old days, and blow-up dolls...

Continue reading "an interview w/ Rival Schools (Walter & Sammy) (part 1)"