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"

photos by Konstantin Sergeyev

Hard Skin at Bruar Falls on 10/25/10

There are few punk/hardcore shows on the way in the next few weeks, but we'd be remiss without mentioning the surprise Hard Skin show that took place at Bruar Falls on 10/25/10. The show was one of two NYC shows for the comedic UK Oi band, as they also played Europa with Forgetters on Friday, 10/22 with The Rival Mob.

"Fat Bob had mentioned at the forgetters show on Friday that Hard Skin were playing on Monday night before they skipped back across the pond. Given the the rarity of their shows and the proximity to Drew's place, it seemed prudent to make it across the water to Colonial Williamsburg....

...The Hard Skin boys took the stage around the 11 o'clock hour and stirred the room up with a whole lot of Oi! Bruar may be a little small to contain such friskiness, but it was a pretty polite crowd despite the large drunk punk contingent and truth be told, the JS-NYC/ab rock Voltron was no paragon of sobriety by this point either. I had a good time, even given the curious tire deflations I returned to find on my iron steed when we got outside. Luckily, they were deflated and not punctured and Drew had a pump, so the good guys lived to ride another day. Good times all around. Not sure where/if HS are maintaining the web presence in this day and age, but you would do well to spend your weak American dollar on some of their swag and bring them back. Set to Googling, fresh-cut, and remember Hard Skin are good clean-cut fun." [Jaded Scenester]

Pictures from the Bruar Falls show adorn this post. Forgetters will play Bruar Falls TONIGHT (11/2) with Younger Lovers and Little Victory.

The Rival Mob is next scheduled to play with Sheer Terror at Webster Hall on November 28th. Breakdown, The Templars, Stigma, and Seizure Crypt are also on board and tickets are on sale.

Madball will play The Studio at Webster Hall on 12/13 with Lionheart, Bitter End as part of a string of dates for the trio. Incendiary will join them as local support. Ticket info is forthcoming, but full tour dates are below. Madball recently dropped their new LP Empire and parted ways with drummer Jay Weinberg (son of Max Weinberg).

Easy Action, featuring John Brannon of Negative Approach, will team up with The Men to play The Acheron on 11/15. The all ages show kicks off at 8PM. Easy Action tour dates are below.

The Queers will play Mercury Lounge on Jan 22nd. Tickets are on sale. The show is part of a short string of East Coast dates in 2011 that also includes Maxwell's one day before NYC; additional dates are below.

In a show dubbed "Brooklyn's Finest" (though BBG would beg to differ), Life of Agony will team up with Biohazard and Vision of Disorder to play Best Buy Theater on 12/16. Tickets are on sale.

And finally, LA's Youth Brigade (not the DC one with releases on Dischord) will play Mercury Lounge on 11/14. The show will be proceeded by a documentary on BYO Records and the band. Tickets are on sale.

All tour dates and more pictures of Hard Skin at Bruar Falls are below...

Continue reading "Hard Skin played CMJ (pics) w/ Forgetters ++ more upcoming punk/hardcore shows (Madball, Easy Action, LOA, Queers, etc) "

photos by Kurt Christensen, words by BBG

Vision of Disorder

Vision of Disorder re-re-reunited to play Gramercy on Friday, 8/20, alongside Incendiary, Reign Supreme, and The Judas Syndrome. Still no firm date for the upcoming VOD LP, but the band has announced that they hope to have it out this year.

VOD has no future tour dates on their upcoming sked, but Incendiary and The Judas Syndrome do. Incendiary will play Baltimore with Cro-Mags in addition to dates in NJ and Boston, while The Judas Syndrome will support Despised Icon, Misery Index, and Revocation at Europa on 9/11 (tickets).

Incendiary tour dates and tons more pics from Irving are below...

Continue reading "Vision of Disorder, Incendiary, Reign Supreme & The Judas Syndrome played Gramercy Theatre (pics)"

by BBG

Vision of Disorder at Irving Plaza (photo by Keith Wick)

More hardcore reunions!

Reunited Long Island metalcore-rs Vision of Disorder have a new show scheduled at Gramercy Theater on August 20th. Tickets are on sale, but no word on who will support the reactivated team. VOD is currently working on new material that will appear on an upcoming LP.

Yuppicide brought their ska-influenced hardcore to their first show in twelve years at Black & Blue Bowl, and the band has added a second NYC show at Santos on July 10th with Primitive Weapons and Old Yorke. Tickets are on sale. The show is one of two US dates currently scheduled, as the band is also scheduled to play El N Gee Club in New London, CT on 7/31 after their appearance at the Full Force Festival in Germany on 7/3.

NYC's Inside Out will play their first show in 21 years at Santos Party House with Razorblade Handgrenade, No Tolerance, Vigilant Hotel and Activator on August 14th (tickets). NYC's Inside Out is not to be confused with the west coast version, which featured Zach of Rage Against The Machine and Vic of 108/Burn.

Finally, Grey Area will reunite for a show at Cake Shop on June 25th with Static Radio and The Revelling. Tickets are on sale (for the show that IS at Cake Shop - not Europa like the ticket link says). For the unfamiliar, the band features members of Warzone, Kill Your Idols, Black Train Jack, and Token Entry melding their sound into a more melodic approach to NYHC that yielded two LPs. At one point the band featured bassist Syd Butler (of Les Savy Fav), though it is not known who will fill in on bass at Cake Shop. It's one of two upcoming shows or the band. The other is in Philly. Flyer below.

Don't forget the forthcoming Deathcycle show (at 538 Johnson on 7/31, and a second TBA) as well as 1.6 Band, who originally reformed in 2009 and will play Cake Shop (not The Studio at Webster Hall) on June 27th with Substratus and Dump Body.

On a different note, Sick of It All played Gramercy on 6/11 (Friday). How was it?

Continue reading "VOD, Yuppicide, Inside Out, Grey Area, Deathcycle, 1.6 Band & other hardcore bands playing shows (dates)"

Back in April we posted an interview with Jonah Matranga who is putting out a new Far album, and playing Mercury Lounge solo on May 21st (tickets). Since then he added a NJ show at Maxwell's. That happens to be TONIGHT (5/19). Tickets are still available.

Speaking of NJ shows, that Hold Steady show happening at Starland Ballroom is on sale. The band's NYC shows at Bowery Ballroom and Music Hall of Williamsburg are sold out.

The June 22nd NY Dolls show at Music Halll of Williamsburg is not yet sold out, and now they too are playing a NJ show at Starland Ballroom. The June 20th date goes on sale Wednesday at noon.

Poison the Well is co-headlining every date on a "10 For $10 summer tour" - ten bands for $10. Bands will vary at each stop.

Freddy Cricien of Madball said, "This 10 for 10 tour concept is way overdue in my opinion. I'm glad and thankful, that the people involved, stepped up to actually make something like this happen! Our genre (Hardcore) in the states, is in a "strange" place right now. There is somewhat of a lack of appreciation for this "sub-culture". A lot of people want to say they know certain bands, or are affiliated with this underground scene,etc,etc... Because it gives them some credibility, it sounds cool! Well, this is everyone's chance to re-introduce themselves, and actually get involved with a very unique and authentic genre/movement. It's also a chance for all of us, the bands, to show our stuff as well!"

Tickets are now on pre-sale for the tour that stops at Starland Ballroom (NJ) and Terminal 5 (NYC). NYC (tickets on sale Friday) gets Madball, Poison the Well, Terror, Vision, War of Ages, The Ghost Inside, Death Before Dishonor, Trapped Under Ice, Crime in Stereo, and This is Hell. NJ (tickets on sale Friday) has VOD (Vision and Vision of Disorder on the same bill) instead of Madball.

Tickets also recently went on sale for H2O, Sick of it All, Agnostic Front, and many other shows. All 10 for $10 dates below...

Continue reading "Jonah Matranga, Hold Steady, NY Dolls, Starland Ballroom, 10 for $10, VOD, Madball & other tickets"

by Black Bubblegum

Brooklyn's own Life of Agony have dropped off a gift just in time for the holidays... a pair of NYC area shows! Tickets are on sale for Dec 13th at Starland Ballroom in Sayreville, NJ (here) and Dec 14th at the The Blender Theater in NYC (here). The Blender show will keep it family, with Spoiler NYC (featuring Alan Robert of L.O.A.) and My Mortality (featuring Sal Abruscato of L.O.A./Type O Negative) serving as appetizers. Keith Caputo (vocals) has been busy on the solo tip as well... currently promoting his latest record, A Fondness for Hometown Scars and the tour-only release Dass-Berdache, a collection of rarities and demos.

Speaking of NY hardcore-like/metal-like bands, Vision of Disorder have announced that in addition to that previously mentioned Dead In New York live DVD and their lone show at Irving Plaza (tickets are still available), the band is currently working on NEW material for a summer/ fall 2009 release and on the hunt for a new label.

LOA's Keith Caputo recently played a now rare solo show at Mercury Lounge in NYC. Although he played no LOA material, Alan Robert did join him on stage for a second. A video interview with Alan and Joey Z, and those dates below...

Continue reading "Life of Agony announce 2 NYC-area shows, VOD recording"

by Black Bubblegum

DOWNLOAD: Khanate - "Wings From Spine" (MP3 Excerpt)
DOWNLOAD: Grey Machine - Vultures Descend (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Outlaw Order - Siege Mentality (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Millions - "Lest the Professor Catches Fire"(MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Orphan - "Bogman"(MP3)

Hmm.... who's guitar rig could this be?

In his own special way, Stephen O'Malley dropped a bunch of news on his upcoming projects via a detailed discography. SOMA posted the following unreleased, unannounced records:

SUNN O)))
Che (SUNN O))) & Pan Sonic do a Suicide cover, pic 10" 2009)
Dimensions (TBA) (2xCD & 2xLP 2009)

Æthenor
Faking Gold & Murder (CD & LP 2008)

Khanate
Clean Hands Go Foul (LP & Picture Disc 2008, CD & CD Japan 2009)

So, TWO new sunn o))) records, a Khanate, AND an Æthenor record! We knew that sunn 0))) was working on a new record, but a quick search turned up that Blast First (Petite) will drop that sunn 0))) and Pan Sonic pic 10". On further review, Æthenor's website reveals the following:

David Tibet sings and contributes lyrics on the forthcoming Æthenor album; other guests are Kristoffer Rygg (Ulver) and long time Æthenor collaborator Alexander Tucker [who just played ATP].

Tentatively titled 'Faking Gold and Murder' from a line in the text, Æthenor is the project of Sunn O)))'s Stephen O'Malley, Vincent de Roguin (Shora) and Daniel O'Sullivan (Guapo)

Most importantly though, what the hell is that Khanate record Clean Hands Go Foul?!? Stephen O'Malley had this to say:

The long lost 4th KHANATE album Clean Hands Go Foul will finally emerge later this year. This was recorded directly after the Capture & Release album at Bisi Studio Brooklyn February 2005.

James Plotkin, bassist for Khanate, posted one unreleased song excerpt to his website, "Wings From Spine" which is downloadable above. Will "Wings" appear on Clean Hands Go Foul? Who knows, but in the meantime prepare for the thundering evil doom of the mighty Khanate! On a related note, Plotkin's Khlyst, is taking orders for Chaos Live, a multicamera live DVD shot at Hydra Head's CMJ show in 2006. While you're there, pick up Boris's limited-to-1000 Floorshaker 12".

Mastodon's Brent Hinds had a little run-in with King Khan over the weekend, and while we have heard King Khan's side of the story, ridiculous pictures included, we haven't heard a peep from Brent Hinds. My thoughts echo that of one astute Blabbermouth reader: "The real victim here is the beer". Brann Dailor of Mastodon was recently interviewed by Metal Injection.

Justin Broadrick (Jesu, ex-Godflesh) dropped a bombshell of sorts.... a new project, Grey Machine, featuring Aaron Turner (Isis), Diarmuid Dalton (Jesu), and Dave Cochrane (Transitional)! From the upcoming album Disconnected, the band posted "Vultures Rise" available for download above!

Crom is back on the west coast, but evidence from their east coast killing spree is popping up all over the net. Check out pics from their show in Worcester, MA at Return To The Pit, an interview with a shirtless Crom at Vice magazine, as well as audio (and video below) from their appearance at WFMU.

Crom Live at WFMU, Mayhem, Amon Amarth, Baroness, Tweak Bird, Bison BC and more below.....

Continue reading "This Week In METAL (09/30/08)"

by Black Bubblegum

NYC hardcore (update: metalcore) legends Vision Of Disorder have reunited (again), and will play a show at Club Loaded in Farmingdale, NY. Tickets are on sale.

The band is readying a DVD for release which was shot at their 2006 reunion shows in Levittown, NY. Video trailer and reunion flyer below....

Continue reading "Vision of Disorder (VOD) reuniting again, releasing DVD"