by Black Bubblegum

They say that the clothes make the man, but in the music world, the drummer makes the band. That's the only way to explain the string of successes that have followed Dave Witte since he first sat behind the kit as a member of the influential yet under-appreciated Human Remains. Since then, Witte has played with some of the greatest bands in the heavy underground, laying the back beat to names as powerful as Municipal Waste, Discordance Axis, Anodyne, Black Army Jacket, Melt Banana, and we can't forget about Burnt By The Sun.

Burnt By The Sun recently released their swansong, Heart of Darkness, via Relapse Records. In celebration of this last LP, the band will embark on final tour of Europe in October with only one US date scheduled: October 2nd at Cake Shop with Tombs, Black Anvil, Bloodhorse, and Torchbearer. Considering the band members' current undertakings, it isn't out the question to say that this could be their last show for a very very long time.

With that as a primer, I fired some questions at Dave Witte about Municipal Waste, the end of Burnt By The Sun, and the possiblity of him returning to the kit for Human Remains, Discordance Axis or Black Army Jacket. The conversation is below....

Continue reading "an interview w/ Dave Witte (of Burnt by the Sun, Municipal Waste, Human Remains, Black Army Jacket...)"

photos by Tim Griffin

7 Seconds

It's been an eventful time for shows at Webster Hall in NYC. Nine Inch Nails played there Sunday night, and the Bouncing Souls celebrated their 20th anniversary as a band with two shows there on Thursday and Friday.

On Thursday they played with Lifetime (and None More Black). On Friday it was with 7 Seconds and Tim Barry of Avail (who played on the floor). Rob Vitale from Black Train Jack helped sing a song with 7 Seconds. Bouncing Souls covered "Good Lookin' Out" by Sick of It All with Lou Koller from Sick of It All on vocals...

"i haven't seen so many stage dives in sooo long. 7 seconds put on a phenomenal show!!! it was like traveling through a time vortex to an 80's hardcore show! the crowd wasn't even super young or anything like that, i was kind of surprised!

i think this was one of the best new york crowds i've been a part of yet. i don't think i caught one cell phone in the air taking video or 'tweeting' which is a rarity. everyone was part of the pit and everyone wanted to be. amazing.

the bouncing souls totally delivered too, and tim barry [even though i came in not knowing what to expect] put on a super awesome show too! great!!!" [:: smo ::]

Kevin Seconds, who recently sat down and talked to Greg Attonito for us, is now on a solo tour that keeps him in the NYC area for a while. Tickets are still on sale for shows at Asbury Lanes, Maxwell's, First Unitarian Church, and Union Hall.

We posted some pictures of the first Webster Hall show HERE. More from the second night, and that BS setlist, below...

Continue reading "Bouncing Souls, 7 Seconds, Lifetime, Tim Barry & guests played Webster Hall (pics & setlist) & The Trocadero"

by Black Bubblegum

DOWNLOAD: Sick Of It All - "Take The Night Off" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Sick Of It All - "Borstal Breakout" (MP3, Sham 69 cover)
DOWNLOAD: Sick Of It All - "Relentless" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Sick Of It All - "Scratch The Surface" LIVE (MP3)

Sammy Siegler of Rival Schools (and CIV) @ at Irving Plaza (more by Tim Griffin)

Legends of NYHC Sick of It All, will headline Gramercy Theater on June 20th with Bane, Inhuman, and Capital. Tickets are on sale. Full SOIA dates are below.

Besides the SOIA show, Bane and Capital will also join forces with Crime In Stereo, Have Heart, The Agent, Backtrack, and Naysayer at Europa in Brooklyn on April 26th. Tickets are on sale.

In other news, Lou Koller (SOIA) collaborated in 1995 on Set Your Goals, the now out-of-print debut by CIV. Back in October 2008, we found out that there was some movement on the CIV front:

CIV [has stayed]... great friends and since we own our masters, we've been kinda stupid in that we haven't made it available. Since we broke up in 1999, our music has been out in any kind of organized way... digitally or anything. So I think we might put together a discography and just package it up really nice... we've got tons of content and photos... b-sides and videos. I think when that comes out, we will probably have an opportunity to do some shows, nothing on the level of a full tour or anything, but it could be fun. -[Sammy Siegler, Oct 2008]

In other classic NYHC news, HR will headline day two of the Underground Revolution Fest at Gramercy Theatre in May. Reagan Youth, Kraut, Blanks '77, The Allstonians,Hub City Stompers, and many many others are also on the bill. Details and all dates below...

Continue reading "Sick Of It All dates, CIV discography release & the Underground Revolution Fest 2-day NYC lineup"

Cro-Mags (jam) @ Fun Fun Fun Fest (more by Tyler Nutter)

Knitting Factory closes its Tribeca location for good on New Years Eve. I think that's one of the reasons so many good shows are starting to pop up there, one of which is the Anticon anniversary party on December 18th, and another of which is the Cro-Mags (jam) show happening in the main space of the club on December 28th...

Rocks Off Presents The Cro-Mags featuring John Joseph, Mackie, AJ from Leeway & Craig from Sick Of It All plus special guests Wisdom in Chains, Trapped Under Ice & more TBA!

Also coming up at Knitting Factory:

• "Complete Control NYC & Guillotine present One Big Crowd: A tribute to the legendary A7 club w/ over 30 old & new school bands incl. Reagan Youth, Urban Waste, Jerry's Kids, False Prophets, Fatal Rage, Ism, Butch Lust & the Hypocrites, more!" This one is on December 6th, on all three floors. Tickets are only $20. flyer below.
• Tributary Productions Presents: Absolution, No Escape (reunion), Vision, Backtrack. This is December 21st. Tickets are on sale.

Madball (with Mackie on drums) are going on tour with Suicidal Tendencies in December. They play Irving Plaza in NYC on December 4th.

H2O's November 23rd show was moved from Fillmore/Irving Plaza to Blender/Gramercy Theater.

Murphy's Law play Trash Bar in Brooklyn on December 12th.

Killing Time, as recently seen opening for Bad Brains at Irving Plaza, play Fins Pub in Oakdale, NY (Long Island) on the same day as the A7 Fest (12/6).

The video, a whole bunch of flyers, and even more dates, below....

Continue reading "Cro-Mags (jam) @ KF, Absolution (again), an A7 club tribute, Killing Time, Madball & other hardcore news "

photos by Tyler Nutter

"Cro-Mags (jam)" were great, and a huge hit, at Fun Fun Fun Fest in Austin on Sunday, November 9th. They played to a massive, enthusiastic crowd. Who knew there were so many hardcore fans, in Texas, and in Texas and willing to to go see bands at an outdoor festival? I'm sure it helped that the bill also included Bad Brains, not to mention Bouncing Souls, Integrity, and DOA.

As previously posted, the difference between Cro-Mags and Cro-Mags (jam) is that the "jam" version is John Joseph with a mostly new Cro-Mags band that doesn't include Harley Flanagan or Parris Mayhew. And, as previously mentioned, the "jam" band at Fun Fun Fun Fest consisted of an impressive lineup of hardcore alumni. They were John Joseph, AJ from Leeway on guitar, Craig Setari of Sick of it All on bass, and Mackie Jayson (one of Cro-Mags' past drummers and a former member of a million other bands, and currently in Madball) on drums. Collectively they ripped through at least 14 songs that mostly came from the Cro-Mags' 1986 debut album The Age of Quarrel and also included a cover of Wire's "12xU". Lots of people were going nuts. Lots of people knew all the words. Lots of people were slam-dancing, and I think there were more (and more experienced) stage-divers than during any other band's set at the fest.

John Joseph was on a roll with his between-song banter as well. He gave shout-outs to lots of other bands on the bill including Walter and Sammie of Rival Schools, and, of course, Bad Brains who John was also later seen watching from the stage. John also spoke about the government, about living with Ian Mackaye and Henry Rollins after he went AWOL from the military, asked what happened to punk and hardcore meaning something, said 9/11 was an inside job, and found it symbolic that the stage was clearly facing the lit-up Texas State Capitol building that happens to be located in Austin.

More pictures, the setlist, and some videos below...

Continue reading "Cro-Mags (Jam) @ Fun Fun Fun Fest, Austin - pics & setlist"

Photos by Kyle Dean Reinford

If not obvious by the 2008 Fun Fun Fun Fest coverage so far, I was having the most fun (fun fun) over the weekend with all the punk, metal and hardcore on stages 3a and 3b (two connected stages to avoid long times between sets). Highlights and pictures from day one are HERE. Highlights of day two (9/9) were DOA, Frightened Rabbit, the ska punk, politics and crowd of Leftover Crack, Cro-Mags (jam) (John Joseph w/ one of Cro-Mags' past drummers, AJ from Leeway on guitar and Craig Setari of Sick of it All on bass), what I saw of St. Vincent and Black Angels, the vegan sausage pizza, and Bad Brains. I managed to catch a few songs of Islands who sounded great, but totally missed Spinto Band and Annuals. Also saw pieces of Kevin Seconds, Chuck Ragan, and Ben Nichols's solo-frontmen sets. Saw Black Joe Lewis and most of Trash Talk, but neither lived up to my expectations in the daytime festival setting. I went back and forth between the pre-headliner sets of Minus the Bear and Bouncing Souls, and ran over to watch one song of Clap Your Hands Say Yeah during a Bad Brains reggae segment. Despite the competition, CYHSY still pulled in a respectable sized crowd. The stages were far enough away in general, but I could also still hear Alec Ounsworth's unmistakable voice at times between Bad Brains songs depending on where I was standing (I watched Bad Brains from various areas throughout their set). Clipse were headlining on the stage farthest away from Bad Brains so I totally missed them, and Kool Keith, who played that same stage earlier. Bad Brains ended earlier than curfew which meant I got to run over and catch about 20 minutes of Tim and Eric which was a great way (laughing) to end the hectic two day fest.

One unfortunate aspect of the weekend was the dust. It was a problem at ACL this year too. Dry dirt and wind meant you were constantly breathing it in. A signifigant portion of the crowd was wearing bandanas or other gas mask-like things on their faces. I didn't, but I should have because I think it made me a little sick. More pictures from day two below...

Continue reading "Fun Fun Fun Fest 2008 - (some of) day two in photos "

Sick of It all cancelled (according to their website), but the hardcore benefit show at Studio B happening today, Saturday September 27th, is happening which means Studio B is back open, at least for today. According to Studio B's website, the grand re-opening party is Friday October 17th, though there's also an event scheduled for October 12th. FIXED's 4-year annivesary is scheduled for October 25th - during CMJ.

PREVIOUSLY: Studio B closed. Yo Majesty pictures used as evidence??

by Black Bubblegum

Agnostic Front @ Knitting Factory, 8/21/08 (hardcoreshutterbug)

Hardcore is always screaming about unity, and in times like these, it's admirable that those aren't empty threats. A gang of NYHC bands have teamed up for a benefit for two of their own, Dr. Tom and Walter "Monsta" Ryan of Subzero and Merauder who has liver cancer. NYHC legends Sick Of It All, Cro-Mags (jam), Murphy's Law, Maximum Penalty, Subzero, Jasta (aka Jamey Jasta of Hatebreed) and many others are playing a benefit show at Studio B (we'll let you know if that venue changes) on 9/27. Tickets are on sale, check out the flyer down below. If you can't make the show, there are two other ways you can help..... buy yourself a CD and/or sign up for a free website.

What the hell is a Cro-Mags (jam) anyway? No, it isn't Trey Anastasio playing a 25 minute version of "We Gotta Know" nor is it the latest concoction from Smuckers..... Cro-Mags (jam) is the throat of Village Voice cover star John Joseph with a crew of "No-Mags" providing the soundtrack (aka John is the only original member in the group. The other original members have toured as just "Cro-Mags") . The jam band is also on board for this year's Fun Fun Fun Fest along with ALL (who recently reunited), Dead Milkmen (who also reunited), Flipper, Adolescents, Integrity, Young Widows, Trash Talk, Walter Schriefels, Bad Brains, Bouncing Souls and many many many others.

Bad Brains are also playing a NYC show. It's at Irving Plaza on November 6th and tickets are still on sale.

Bouncing Souls AND Sick Of It All are also playing a NYC show, together, at Terminal 5, with Grey Area. Tickets are still available.

In possibly-related, possibly-NYHC news, Vision Of Disorder will put up their dukes with Indecision, Overcast, and Nassau Chainsaw on Nov 16th at Irving Plaza. Who is Nassau Chainsaw, you ask? NC is a collective of musicians from two very different NYHC bands, Neck and Locked in a Vacancy. Tim Williams (VOD), Sal Lococo (Sworn Enemy), and Mike D(Car Bomb) all lend vocals to their album. VOD's Dead in NY DVD is due on November 11th on Koch. Tickets go on sale 8/30 at noon. VOD's last reunion show was at the Crazy Donkey in Farmingdale. This will be their first NYC show in a while.

As we mentioned a couple weeks ago, the original line-up of Biohazard is playing Irving Plaza on Oct 5th. Tickets are on sale. The band recently did the same thing at L'Amours (which is now in Staten Island).

Absolution have also scheduled a second reunion date at ABC No Rio on 10/25, this time with Starkweather.

Walter Schriefels recently reunited with Rival Schools and is playing Maxwell's and Mercury Lounge as well as touring. Mercury Lounge is sold out, but Maxwell's isnt.

Subzero recently opened up for Body Count.

Check out a bunch of related videos and the benefit flyer below....

Continue reading "a benefit, 'Cro-Mags (jam)', a NYC VOD show, Sick of It All, Biohazard & other NY Hardcore-related news"

Continue reading "Bouncing Souls - 2008 Tour Dates, Terminal 5, Sick of It All"

L.C.H.C - Liberty City Hardcore

Liberty City HardcoreDJ: Jimmy Gestapo
Genre: Hardcore Punk

Tracklist:
Murphy's Law - "A Day In The Life"
Maximum Penalty - "All Your Boyz"
Underdog - "Back to Back"
Leeway - "Enforcer"
Sick Of It All - "Injustice System"
Cro-Mags - "It's The Limit"
Sheer Terror - "Just Can't Hate Enough"
Bad Brains - "Right Brigade"
Killing Time - "Tell Tale"
Agnostic Front - "Victim in Pain"

Bloodclot @ Studio B, April 5, 2008 (Destroy Babylon)

Tickets for the five NYC Rancid shows go on sale Saturday @ 10am....

Rancid
AUGUST 13th with Sick Of It All & Bloodclot
AUGUST 14th with Theo and the Skyscrapers & Westbound Train
AUGUST 15th with Capital Radio And Big D & The Kids Table
AUGUST 16th with Murphy's Law & Shiragirl
AUGUST 17th with Madball & Bomb the Music Industry

Continue reading "RANCID - openers & TICKETS +++ Black n Blue Bowl footage"

by Black Bubblegum

The brothers Koller (aka Sick Of It All) won't be there, but the brothers Miret (Roger Miret, Agnostic Front) & Cricien (Freddy Cricien, Madball) will..... and by there I mean the Black & Blue Bowl 2008. This year's festival (FKA the Superbowl Of Hardcore) will take place at Studio B (same as last year) and will feature, in addition to NYHC legends and headliners Agnostic Front & Madball, LA's Terror, a reunited Breakdown, Fahrenheit 451, Backfire, Setback and many others.... Tickets are on sale here.

So just because the Koller brothers won't be there, don't mean they slackin on they pimpin.... au contraire! The boys will be preparing for a two month European tour with Wisdom In Chains, but not before showing the east coast some love... including this Saturday night (Feb 9) at the Highline Ballroom (tickets are still available) with Black & Blue Bowl participants Death Before Dishonor & Bloodclot (featuring John Joseph of the Cro-Mags, who just released his memoirs). SBOH flyer, and all dates, below....

Continue reading "Sick of It All, Agnostic Front, Black n Blue Ball, Tour Dates"

As if this show needed to get any better, Blabbermouth reports that Madball will play with Harley's War, Murphy's Law, Sick of It All, and Agnostic Front at CBGB on October 8th.

Previously
Avail, Underdog & Bouncing Souls opening for Bad Brains
Gorilla Biscuits @ CBGB (Sept 06), NYC | pics
Leeway & Madball | 2006 Tour Dates, CBGB