Too little direction, too much calculated art, too little
youth - there was nothing like the concentration of
direction and youth and excitement that London
experienced in '76-'77, or LA. saw in '79-'81.
New York, then and since, has had something, a bare, feeble, very scattered something - never honest-to-god kids united behind a
common idea or friend or foe - whatever was there was too thought out, something was there...But an eruption of honest and unaffected youth, energy, sweat,
frustration, and plain teen suss - that's never happened in New York, never really even come close. It's happened in London, it's happened in LA. and San
Francisco, it's even happened in places like Washington D.C., Seattle, and San Antonio, but never in New York.
Until now. It's called Hardcore, which is short for Hardcore Punk. It's aggressive, it's young, it can be intelligent, it can be dumb, it can be skilled or it can be swill, but
always behind it is pure energy, youth, speed, power and force, the likes of which New York has never seen. The Hardcore bands are fueled by Raw Naive Energy,
with an emphasis on all three words.
Hardcore gives energy and sincerity, a drive and conviction that reminds us why punk ever happened in the first place, a stunning and effective kick in the arse in
the midst of all this futurism and white funk pose and an interesting and totally viable alternative to the 'threat' and media poisoning of Oi.
And the New York Hardcore scene stands to be the best of the lot; the bands are the most intelligent, least affected, the most varied and listenable, in short, the
purest and most exciting. But that's not really to slight the scene in the rest of the country.
THOUGH YOU MIGHT not know it (since the non-fanzine music
press has chosen to largely ignore Hardcore) as a dominant scene
and influence Hardcore's already taken over much of the
American underground, most significantly in LA, San Francisco, and
Washington D.C.
And it's eluded New York City for various reasons, but it's in the
Fall and Winter of '81 that Hardcore is finally going to make its mark
and stand in New York, hitting with the full impact, destruction, and
excitement with which it struck the rest of the country.
Kids in New York have been listening, even if the older and more
visible hipsters haven't been; a new generation is re-discovering the
power and the glory of punk, and now New York's Hardcore scene is
about to take off, right under everyone's noses, almost without
warning.
The names of bands like Heart Attack, Even Worse, Undead,
Nihilistics, Bad Brains, Pricks, Misfits, and False Prophets (to
name but a few) aren't so well known today, but they stand to
become the most important names in New York rock in half a decade.
For years, the New York scene has been dominated and defined by
the same people, who after all these years are just tired and bored,
not to mention boring.
They've searched for art and fashion and intellectual stimulation with
their entertainment, and when they haven't found it they've shaped
poor substitutes. Over the years they've moved farther and farther away from any real energy, they've become apathetic and ultimately meaningless old hipster
imposters, and though their clique is small, it is vocal (after its own fashion) and for years it's been more or less in control.
Because of that, people have thought that bands like The Bush Tetras, Contortions, Raybeats, dB's, Lydia Lunch et. al. represent what's going on in New York,
that this is all New York had to offer.
But nearly anyone with two ears and two eyes could see and hear how uniformly duff and phony these bands were (and are); they're either art-damaged poseurs or
nostalgia ridden popsters, with nary an original or truly inspired thought in their collective heads.
Where is the real energy, the pure feelings, the unaffected and honest music? It wasn't there.
New York City finds itself perpetrating nearly every rock mistake there is. But with Hardcore, New York finally has the potential for a real underground that isn't
pretentious - the Hardcores are just being themselves, really.
In many ways, the rise of the Hardcores is just a case of NYC coming to grips with rock reality, instead of the fantasy of art fascism and trendiness that's been
synonomous with new music in this city for the last four or five years.
Today, in September 1981, New York's Hardcore scene is just at the foot of its explosion.
A year ago, there were just two or three hard punk bands gigging around here; today (and I mean literally today - the figure could be quite different ten days from
now), there are roughly fifteen (Heart Attack, Undead, Mob, Nihilistics, Even Worse, Stimulators. Kraut, Influence, Misfits, Bad Brains, Possessed,
Aesthetics, Pricks, Offals, Nekron 99, Attack and Reagen Youth are the ones I can think of at the moment without further research), with literally dozens more
just beginning to gig and rehearse.
It's incredibly exciting, booming, absolutely new and young, and it's difficult not to just blurt out and say wonderful.
IT'S FUNNY HOW it always comes back to Max's Kansas City. That low, narrow, woody, dingy, dark and
somewhat legendary niteclub on Park Avenue South had been falling into a bit of a slump in the last
couple of years; with the rise of the rock disco and state-of-the-art modern video clubs, the quality of Max's
bookings and clientele had quite simply gone to hell. After well over a decade, it looked like the place was
finally dying.
But throughout the spring and summer of '81, Max's (along with two other small rehearsal rooms/occasional
venues in the East Village, A7 and 171A) was the only club regularly booking - or booking at all, for that
matter - Hardcore bands, usually under the guise of something called "Punk Thursday". So Max's had
once again come alive.
Another Thursday in August, nearly midnight, warm enough to know it's summer, but it's fairly comfortable.
You go inside to see the bands, but when there's no one on stage you hang out in front of Max's.
The faces and bodies are young, their dress is truly original (not stolen from London or LA.), they're all
pretty familiar and friendly '- with each other.
Most of all, it's new faces, hanging out for the first time, not the old hipsters, most of the kids don't look over
eighteen - one would guess the average age to be sixteen. Inside a few minutes later. Max's still has a
traditional table and chairs set up; usually it's an inconvenience, and if the band's good enough, it's an
inconvenience that's quickly disposed of.
Half a song into The Undead's set, the tables are trampled underfoot and the chairs are tossed to the side
and back, Max's floor becomes a flailing, skanking blur of elbows, heads, and bodies.
The Undead (not to be Confused with a good but inferior San Franciscan band of the same name) explode
on stage, and the audience returns the energy; it's amazing to see an audience react with such honest
physical energy and expression to something that so deserves to be reacted to.
In a 45 minute set, the three-piece Undead (Bobby Steele, guitar and vocals, Natz, bass, Patrick, drums and
vocals) once again show themselves to be one of the best hyper/Hardcore pop bands around. Steamhammer
fast wall of guitar, heavy slamming backbeat, a simple yet alluring chant/melody shouted or slurred by Bobby
over that.
The word for The Undead is relentless; they hammer, they drive, pound, and beat, but it's all within a
cohesive and infectious context. There's nothing even vaguely unappealing about The Undead.
The Undead are the obvious stars of the New York Hardcore scene. Good looking, smart, experienced, and
accessible. The Undead have a lot of obvious and raw appeal; they're simple without being dumb, fast
without being sloppy, just burning, direct, contact pop.
Bobby Steele, 25, the leader of The Undead, is an impish sort of punk, a friendly and cocky figure topped with a large and lop-sided smile and curly black hair.
Bobby also walks with a very pronounced limp - actually, more of a hobble, and a very painful looking one at that - which on top of his talent and looks adds
considerably to his mystique and charisma.
Along with absolutely skintight black pants, a black walking stick, and wrestling sneakers that go halfway up to his knee, Bobby has the ingredients of a real
character, a real star.
Bobby used to be the guitarist with The Misfits, an area band that was (and is - they continued after Bobby's departure a year ago) probably one of the best, if not
the best, punk bands in America, their only close competition being the Dead Kennedys and The Circle Jerks.
But despite their greatness. The Misfits were (and are) extremely lazy; Bobby formed The Undead in January, and they've practically accomplished more in eight
months than The Misfits have in four years.
Bobby sings in an accented drawl/shout, his right hand strumming in a blur, choruses are memorable and unmistakable. In back of him. Patrick hunches over his
drum kit and attacks it with a sharp, heavy, and adept wallop. Patrick, 26, is tall, thin, vocal, with short cropped yellow-red hair and constant round dark glasses.
Bass player Natz, 17, is boyishly good looking with lots of bright blond hair; he doesn't do much on stage other than play well, and he appears fairly quiet offstage.
The Undead very much personify urban speed, urban grime and action, that sleep-all-day, hop-all-night spirit that puts them in line with any of the great New York
City bands. Put this ace image on top of their great roaring, warped hyper pop, and the ingrediants are all there for one of the lead bands in the New York
Punk Explosion,and one of the best American bands within memory.
TWO OTHER BANDS that stand to figure highly in New York's 'Punk explosion are Heart Attack and Even Worse.
Even Worse are four: Rebecca, who sings. Jack, drums, Bobby, guitar, Eric, bass, and they're all between eighteen
and twenty.
Even Worse play a solid, roaring punk, owing more to the British '76-'77 punksters than to the more recent and
faster American hardcores; not too busy, loud, thick, lyrical music.
Bobby's an interesting and very capable guitarist in the big pummel/ high end solo Steve Jones/Brian James
tradition, and in fact there's a good deal of The Pistols and The Damned showing through in their approach (they
even cover The Damned obscuro "Sick of Being Sick"), and there's some superficial resemblance to old SF faves.
The Avengers, as well.
An essential part of Even Worse's approach and appeal is their dry and rather cynical sense of humor, which
comes across quite well; Even Worse are smart and use their brains well, and their music can back it up: it's not
academic stuff, it's not distant stuff, but it's upfront punk pop done intelligently and, yes, simply.
Even Worse have been around for nearly two years, but the only constant is drummer (and punk/Hardcore
historian) Jack Rabid. This latest, and seemingly most solid, lineup haven't been together that long, under ten gigs
or so. Due to their relative newness, there's still a lot of inspired (and somewhat amusing) amateurishness to
Even Worse, and it can be charming and it can be distracting, but usually it's the former.
In some bizarre and seductive way. Even Worse are almost wholesome - Hardcore with a milk moustache.
Even Worse don't try to be anything on stage but themselves, which is quite nice.
The two very straight (but demented sort of straight) looking band members, Bobby and Eric, frame the two punks
in the band - weedy looking and badge-covered Jack and street ingenue Rebecca.
Rebecca's an attractive and charasmatic sprite, sharp tongued and wide eyed, somewhere between Johnny Rotten
and Liza Minelli. Like the band as a whole, she grows stronger and more confident each gig.
If Rebecca is the centrepiece and charmer of Even Worse, guitarist Bobby is the real talent, and their original
songs are almost all quite good, and sometimes excellent - especially "I Am A Machine" and "We Suck' - loud,
smart, simple, interesting, accessible.
HEART ATTACK MAY not be the most original or the most experienced of the new New York Hardcore, but they are
the single most energetic, and most physical. Heart Attack, like the Undead, are a trio; very young and very
sharp looking (in the new Hardcore sense - cut-off white T-shirts, worn and tight black bondage pants, heavy combat boots and close cropped hair), two Heart
Attacks, guitarist and vocalist Jesse and bassist John, hail from Queens, while drummer Javiar is a fairly recent emigre from Mexico, of all places.
Jesse is 14, John is 17, and Javier is around 18 or 19.
Heart Attack run and burn on hyper Hardcore, hyper speed, hyper energy. Frontman Jesse,
who looks considerably older than he is, shakes and plays like he's just downed a mouthful of
amphetamines; Jesse prowls the stage bug-eyed, reminding one of Killing Joke's Jaz, Joe
Strummer, and Groucho Marx all rolled into one.
He leads his band in a ferocious, joyful attack, a celebration of the pure rush of punk and Hardcore.
In many ways. Heart Attack are a bit of a cliche, but that cliche - overkill teen Hardcore - is
a very good one, at least the way Heart Attack present it.
Like the best and most powerful of the L.A. bands. Heart Attack are very, very physical, very
powerful, and a little frightening. Live, they seem to go so fast and so manicly that nothing could
possibly stop them.
They're wild, fast, loud, but very together with very distinguishable songs, which is one of their chief
selling points. Heart Attack don't so much change chords as spin chords - but they have a precise
impact and they're incredibly tight. A truly remarkable band; in a sense, they're the most
appealing of all the Hardcores, a great threesome putting on a terrific display of energy, skill, youth,
sweat, and spirit
SOME OF THE other new New York Hardcore bands worthy of note include The False Prophets, The Nihilistics, The Mob, and The Influence.
The False Prophets are fierce, colourful, lyrical, and a bit dopey; they don't shy away from admitting a fancy for Mott The Hoople and The Velvet Underground,
and it shows in their sound, which distinguishes them a bit from the rest of the crowd.
They have a fabulous frontman in the very genial and striking Stephen Isolde, and The False Prophets will probably do quite well, and always stay a little
independent and unique within the scene .
The Nihilistics, from Long Island, are incredibly raw and very naively powerful; with a purity and honest energy reminiscent of The Fall, they're a great cross of
inexperience, noise, and never-say-die drive.
They're just beginning to gig, and one of their early demo tapes is among my favourites of the year.
The Influence are noisy, bassy, abrasive, all-black, and might be promising. The Mob, strongly influenced by The Bad Brains (whom you'll hear about in a bit)
have a good deal of heavy metal in them and are a bit phony, but they're probably okay; an earlier incarnation that included Heart Attack bassist John appears to
have been a lot better, but they're still quite listenable, if not terribly original - loud, fast, metallic, sort of dumb, with the occasional good song.
I've heard terrific things about The Pricks, though I haven't seen or heard them myself. That's all I can think of at the moment, that is of the newer bands.
THERE ARE THREE older area punk bands that deserve mention
here - The Stimulators (from New York City), The Bad Brains (from
Washington. D.C.), and The Misfits (from New Jersey).
All three have seen very dry times, and all three have contributed a
lot to the current healthy state of affairs, though only two of the three -
The Misfits and The Bad Brains - really matter now or in the future
scheme of affairs.
The Stimulators are really more of a symbol than a valid musical
group; their somewhat affected heavy-metal sludge punk was amusing
but not very good, but for a long time - from 1978 until 1980 - The
Stimulators were the only steady gigging punk band in New York City.
The Stimulators still exist today, in a notably altered form, but most
of the new bands and audiences are pretty offended by The
Stimulators' prima-donna attitudes, and their lack of talent to back it
up; they consider themselves the reigning group of the Hardcore
scene, which just isn't true - Even Worse, Undead, False Prophets,
Heart Attack, and Nihilistics are all far better, to name but a few -
and what's more, they've tried to separate themselves from the recent
expansion and growth in the scene, considering themselves far above
it.
The Stimulators, who at one time, maybe about a year ago, could've
developed into an important band, are now very definitely a spent
force, and a pretty offensive one at that.
For the record, they put out a surprisingly good 45 in 1979, "Loud Fast Rules", which gives the impression that The Stimulators were far better than they actually
are; it's long out of print and nearly impossible to get a hold of.
The Bad Brains are originally from Washington D.C., but recently they relocated in New York City, and before that they were gigging here almost weekly, anyway.
The Bad Brains are really "a spectacular bunch, very, very different from any other Hardcore band in America. Most noticeably, they are all black, looking and
dressing more like a bunch of slightly stringy rastas than any of their fellow Hardcores.
Musically, half their set is an extremely entertaining display of thrash and volume, and half their set is - surprise - excellent and very well execeuted longer reggae
numbers.
If they did nothing but their reggae, they would still be a really good band - they rank as about the best live reggae I've ever seen - but I suppose their real attraction
is their faster stuff.
They seem to deal in extreme overkill, challenging distortion and total blast-off at every turn, and in fact, there's a certain heavy metal edge to The Bad Brains -
any second they could break Into "Iron Man" and you wouldn't be the least bit surprised - they have that type of sound.
Like many of their colleagues. Bad Brains are largely a physical as well as a musical experience, and they fill a large stage extremely well.
Another thing that makes them different is that their songs are different - fast, -pummelling; but nether that simple - and their musicanship is truly expert, which adds
an interesting touch.
But despite the expertise, the aggression, spirit, and physical and aural attack are all there.
Also, in contrast to The Stimulators, The Bad Brains are extremely supportive of the
growing scene, and stand to serve a very important role in it.
At a recent Peppermint Lounge gig, during one of their reggae numbers, singer H.R.
began to toast "And here are some upcoming shows you should check out..."
The Bad Brains have one honestly phenomenal 45, 1979's "Pay to Cum", which has just
been re-issued.
As said before, New Jersey's Misfits (who've been kicking around in one form or another
since 1977, I think) are one of the two or three best punk bands ever to come out of America,
but for one reason or another they've never tried to assert their claim; they could've been to
east coast punk what the Dead Kennedys were to west coast punk, but for some strange
reason they've never made the effort.
The Misfits seem to put out a 45 annually and gig about as often; they played a sparsely
attended show at Manhattan's Chase Park in mid-August, and their last area gig before that
was Halloween '80 and they probably won't gig again here until Halloween '81.
Each 45 of theirs - there have been four - is great, and two of them have been phenomenal:
1978's "Too Much Horror Business" and the just released "London Dungeon", easily one of
the best singles of '81.
The Misfits come on like a more possessed, more
committed, more demented Damned; they tear
through their material with an incredible amount of
energy, an amazing amount of thrust and rip to their
sound.
They're one of those bands that knock you over with
slabs of wall of power guitar, yet have the melodies,
songs, and direction to back it up.
Image wise, they also come on very strongly; they're
heavily into horror and macabre imagery, black
makeup and clothes and coffins and spooks, and
surprisingly, it works very well.
The Misfits are like an unplayed ace; they have true
greatness in them, and they've shown it on occasion,
but whether they will have any impact on New York
(and America's) punk and Hardcore scene is still a
mystery. Lord knows they certainly could.
THE HARDCORE SCENE is beginning to roll, but it
hasn't quite hit full stride yet. The kids are there, the
bands are there and more and more are forming each
week, but gigs aren't so easily come by (though it's
certainly a lot better than it was just a few months
ago and press and media support is nearly
non-existent.
But a whole brand new underground is being ignited
by Hardcore; fanzines like Blister, Chaos and
Damaged Goods are springing up around New York
virtually out of nowhere, being made and read by kids who aren't jaded, haven't been a part of any scene before, and in fact, haven't really listened to any rock
before they started listening to punk and Hardcore. A weekly half-hour all-punk all-Hardcore radio show I do called Noise - the Show (until recently 'Oi - the Show')
has garnered a tremendous response, and the support for the music I play seems to grow and grow every week. The Hardcores are very definitely out there, and
multiplying rapidly; right now it's just silly for the establishment hipsters to continue to ignore Hardcore, but soon it will be impossible. The press and the promoters
(forget about the radio!) don't like Hardcore at all, and that's a severe understatement. With the exception of Irving Plaza's Chris Gremsky and 99 Records Ed
Bahlman and Ken Sitz, the general attitude of the industry press, and 'cognoscenti' to Hardcore is ridicule, disgust, and the hope that If It's Ignored It'll Go Away.
A lot of New Yorkers will probably he extremely surprised - or at least very amused - by this article; most barely realise that the New York Hardcore scene exists, and
certainly have no idea that it is as potentially important (and dangerous to their staid hipster values) as it is.
Or, most likely and more simply, they just plain hate it.
But once you've been inside the Hardcore underground for a while, once you've felt its power and energy and strength and seen its sheer and growing numbers,
you realise that Hardcore is honestly going to take over New York, even if no-one will admit that or even believe it.
Hardcore has created the first true Us and Them schism in music here in quite a few years, and in this case, the schism is an extremely healthy one.
Hardcore is energy, and you feel like shouting at each and every one of the dying hipsters "Remember energy?! Remember kids?! Remember why you ever got
involved in this thing in the first place?!" . . . That's Hardcore.
And it's so amazingly fresh and new and, well, great. And it would take me a whole other article to write about how Hardcore is totally un-racist and un-sexist, and
how terrific that is.
SOMETHING VERY special is happening ) in New York City, something that has had its parallel in any number of cities any number of times before.
Basically, it's just kids - though that can be a patronising word, let's say new, young listeners - it's these new, young listeners taking control of their own ears and
their own tastes; abandoning the dictums of the press and the established scene-makers, simply people going after the music they want to make and hear,
regardless of whether the hipsters say it's right. New standards.
It's really just a matter of opening your eyes and looking at the direction yesterday's hipsters have gone in.
Futurism, funk, rockabilly, romanticism, and what's next - salsa? Once again, something that was once young and vital has gotten old and boring, and they're
reluctant to step aside; they prefer to be snide and affected.
And once again, there's actually something new and energetic to take its place, reÂdirect it.
The Revolution is over. Long Live the Revolution.
Special thanks to Lyle Hysen and every Hardcore in New York who understands!
THE END
(This article was written in September 1981 and first published in the UK weekly Sounds mag on October 10th 1981)
REPRINTED FROM THE PUNKROCKER ARCHIVES
When I first read the above article in England circa '81 I was just in the Midst of my Stench period, and it was great to hear other bands in far off places were doing
the same kinda shit. Not sure Tim Sommer is everyone's favourite journalist/muso within the then New York Hardcore scene and he definitely had his favourites, but
it's one of the few bits of exposure we got in England and was a good read, as I'm sure you'll aggree. A lot of the bands mentioned can be heard on the
recommended NEW YORK THRASH tape/CD released the following year on ROIR label. Check it out coz its a great insight into the Big Apples first legit street
scene. A review and sleevenotes which spotlights most of the bands in the above scene report can be found below. Bringing you up to date it's good to hear that
New York still has a thriving dayglo punk scene claiming to be as diverse as it's predecessors. Maybe someone will do us a scene report on the current scene??? If
they do id be very pleased to put it online. - Peter Don't Care
youth - there was nothing like the concentration of
direction and youth and excitement that London
experienced in '76-'77, or LA. saw in '79-'81.
New York, then and since, has had something, a bare, feeble, very scattered something - never honest-to-god kids united behind a
common idea or friend or foe - whatever was there was too thought out, something was there...But an eruption of honest and unaffected youth, energy, sweat,
frustration, and plain teen suss - that's never happened in New York, never really even come close. It's happened in London, it's happened in LA. and San
Francisco, it's even happened in places like Washington D.C., Seattle, and San Antonio, but never in New York.
Until now. It's called Hardcore, which is short for Hardcore Punk. It's aggressive, it's young, it can be intelligent, it can be dumb, it can be skilled or it can be swill, but
always behind it is pure energy, youth, speed, power and force, the likes of which New York has never seen. The Hardcore bands are fueled by Raw Naive Energy,
with an emphasis on all three words.
Hardcore gives energy and sincerity, a drive and conviction that reminds us why punk ever happened in the first place, a stunning and effective kick in the arse in
the midst of all this futurism and white funk pose and an interesting and totally viable alternative to the 'threat' and media poisoning of Oi.
And the New York Hardcore scene stands to be the best of the lot; the bands are the most intelligent, least affected, the most varied and listenable, in short, the
purest and most exciting. But that's not really to slight the scene in the rest of the country.
THOUGH YOU MIGHT not know it (since the non-fanzine music
press has chosen to largely ignore Hardcore) as a dominant scene
and influence Hardcore's already taken over much of the
American underground, most significantly in LA, San Francisco, and
Washington D.C.
And it's eluded New York City for various reasons, but it's in the
Fall and Winter of '81 that Hardcore is finally going to make its mark
and stand in New York, hitting with the full impact, destruction, and
excitement with which it struck the rest of the country.
Kids in New York have been listening, even if the older and more
visible hipsters haven't been; a new generation is re-discovering the
power and the glory of punk, and now New York's Hardcore scene is
about to take off, right under everyone's noses, almost without
warning.
The names of bands like Heart Attack, Even Worse, Undead,
Nihilistics, Bad Brains, Pricks, Misfits, and False Prophets (to
name but a few) aren't so well known today, but they stand to
become the most important names in New York rock in half a decade.
For years, the New York scene has been dominated and defined by
the same people, who after all these years are just tired and bored,
not to mention boring.
They've searched for art and fashion and intellectual stimulation with
their entertainment, and when they haven't found it they've shaped
poor substitutes. Over the years they've moved farther and farther away from any real energy, they've become apathetic and ultimately meaningless old hipster
imposters, and though their clique is small, it is vocal (after its own fashion) and for years it's been more or less in control.
Because of that, people have thought that bands like The Bush Tetras, Contortions, Raybeats, dB's, Lydia Lunch et. al. represent what's going on in New York,
that this is all New York had to offer.
But nearly anyone with two ears and two eyes could see and hear how uniformly duff and phony these bands were (and are); they're either art-damaged poseurs or
nostalgia ridden popsters, with nary an original or truly inspired thought in their collective heads.
Where is the real energy, the pure feelings, the unaffected and honest music? It wasn't there.
New York City finds itself perpetrating nearly every rock mistake there is. But with Hardcore, New York finally has the potential for a real underground that isn't
pretentious - the Hardcores are just being themselves, really.
In many ways, the rise of the Hardcores is just a case of NYC coming to grips with rock reality, instead of the fantasy of art fascism and trendiness that's been
synonomous with new music in this city for the last four or five years.
Today, in September 1981, New York's Hardcore scene is just at the foot of its explosion.
A year ago, there were just two or three hard punk bands gigging around here; today (and I mean literally today - the figure could be quite different ten days from
now), there are roughly fifteen (Heart Attack, Undead, Mob, Nihilistics, Even Worse, Stimulators. Kraut, Influence, Misfits, Bad Brains, Possessed,
Aesthetics, Pricks, Offals, Nekron 99, Attack and Reagen Youth are the ones I can think of at the moment without further research), with literally dozens more
just beginning to gig and rehearse.
It's incredibly exciting, booming, absolutely new and young, and it's difficult not to just blurt out and say wonderful.
IT'S FUNNY HOW it always comes back to Max's Kansas City. That low, narrow, woody, dingy, dark and
somewhat legendary niteclub on Park Avenue South had been falling into a bit of a slump in the last
couple of years; with the rise of the rock disco and state-of-the-art modern video clubs, the quality of Max's
bookings and clientele had quite simply gone to hell. After well over a decade, it looked like the place was
finally dying.
But throughout the spring and summer of '81, Max's (along with two other small rehearsal rooms/occasional
venues in the East Village, A7 and 171A) was the only club regularly booking - or booking at all, for that
matter - Hardcore bands, usually under the guise of something called "Punk Thursday". So Max's had
once again come alive.
Another Thursday in August, nearly midnight, warm enough to know it's summer, but it's fairly comfortable.
You go inside to see the bands, but when there's no one on stage you hang out in front of Max's.
The faces and bodies are young, their dress is truly original (not stolen from London or LA.), they're all
pretty familiar and friendly '- with each other.
Most of all, it's new faces, hanging out for the first time, not the old hipsters, most of the kids don't look over
eighteen - one would guess the average age to be sixteen. Inside a few minutes later. Max's still has a
traditional table and chairs set up; usually it's an inconvenience, and if the band's good enough, it's an
inconvenience that's quickly disposed of.
Half a song into The Undead's set, the tables are trampled underfoot and the chairs are tossed to the side
and back, Max's floor becomes a flailing, skanking blur of elbows, heads, and bodies.
The Undead (not to be Confused with a good but inferior San Franciscan band of the same name) explode
on stage, and the audience returns the energy; it's amazing to see an audience react with such honest
physical energy and expression to something that so deserves to be reacted to.
In a 45 minute set, the three-piece Undead (Bobby Steele, guitar and vocals, Natz, bass, Patrick, drums and
vocals) once again show themselves to be one of the best hyper/Hardcore pop bands around. Steamhammer
fast wall of guitar, heavy slamming backbeat, a simple yet alluring chant/melody shouted or slurred by Bobby
over that.
The word for The Undead is relentless; they hammer, they drive, pound, and beat, but it's all within a
cohesive and infectious context. There's nothing even vaguely unappealing about The Undead.
The Undead are the obvious stars of the New York Hardcore scene. Good looking, smart, experienced, and
accessible. The Undead have a lot of obvious and raw appeal; they're simple without being dumb, fast
without being sloppy, just burning, direct, contact pop.
Bobby Steele, 25, the leader of The Undead, is an impish sort of punk, a friendly and cocky figure topped with a large and lop-sided smile and curly black hair.
Bobby also walks with a very pronounced limp - actually, more of a hobble, and a very painful looking one at that - which on top of his talent and looks adds
considerably to his mystique and charisma.
Along with absolutely skintight black pants, a black walking stick, and wrestling sneakers that go halfway up to his knee, Bobby has the ingredients of a real
character, a real star.
Bobby used to be the guitarist with The Misfits, an area band that was (and is - they continued after Bobby's departure a year ago) probably one of the best, if not
the best, punk bands in America, their only close competition being the Dead Kennedys and The Circle Jerks.
But despite their greatness. The Misfits were (and are) extremely lazy; Bobby formed The Undead in January, and they've practically accomplished more in eight
months than The Misfits have in four years.
Bobby sings in an accented drawl/shout, his right hand strumming in a blur, choruses are memorable and unmistakable. In back of him. Patrick hunches over his
drum kit and attacks it with a sharp, heavy, and adept wallop. Patrick, 26, is tall, thin, vocal, with short cropped yellow-red hair and constant round dark glasses.
Bass player Natz, 17, is boyishly good looking with lots of bright blond hair; he doesn't do much on stage other than play well, and he appears fairly quiet offstage.
The Undead very much personify urban speed, urban grime and action, that sleep-all-day, hop-all-night spirit that puts them in line with any of the great New York
City bands. Put this ace image on top of their great roaring, warped hyper pop, and the ingrediants are all there for one of the lead bands in the New York
Punk Explosion,and one of the best American bands within memory.
TWO OTHER BANDS that stand to figure highly in New York's 'Punk explosion are Heart Attack and Even Worse.
Even Worse are four: Rebecca, who sings. Jack, drums, Bobby, guitar, Eric, bass, and they're all between eighteen
and twenty.
Even Worse play a solid, roaring punk, owing more to the British '76-'77 punksters than to the more recent and
faster American hardcores; not too busy, loud, thick, lyrical music.
Bobby's an interesting and very capable guitarist in the big pummel/ high end solo Steve Jones/Brian James
tradition, and in fact there's a good deal of The Pistols and The Damned showing through in their approach (they
even cover The Damned obscuro "Sick of Being Sick"), and there's some superficial resemblance to old SF faves.
The Avengers, as well.
An essential part of Even Worse's approach and appeal is their dry and rather cynical sense of humor, which
comes across quite well; Even Worse are smart and use their brains well, and their music can back it up: it's not
academic stuff, it's not distant stuff, but it's upfront punk pop done intelligently and, yes, simply.
Even Worse have been around for nearly two years, but the only constant is drummer (and punk/Hardcore
historian) Jack Rabid. This latest, and seemingly most solid, lineup haven't been together that long, under ten gigs
or so. Due to their relative newness, there's still a lot of inspired (and somewhat amusing) amateurishness to
Even Worse, and it can be charming and it can be distracting, but usually it's the former.
In some bizarre and seductive way. Even Worse are almost wholesome - Hardcore with a milk moustache.
Even Worse don't try to be anything on stage but themselves, which is quite nice.
The two very straight (but demented sort of straight) looking band members, Bobby and Eric, frame the two punks
in the band - weedy looking and badge-covered Jack and street ingenue Rebecca.
Rebecca's an attractive and charasmatic sprite, sharp tongued and wide eyed, somewhere between Johnny Rotten
and Liza Minelli. Like the band as a whole, she grows stronger and more confident each gig.
If Rebecca is the centrepiece and charmer of Even Worse, guitarist Bobby is the real talent, and their original
songs are almost all quite good, and sometimes excellent - especially "I Am A Machine" and "We Suck' - loud,
smart, simple, interesting, accessible.
HEART ATTACK MAY not be the most original or the most experienced of the new New York Hardcore, but they are
the single most energetic, and most physical. Heart Attack, like the Undead, are a trio; very young and very
sharp looking (in the new Hardcore sense - cut-off white T-shirts, worn and tight black bondage pants, heavy combat boots and close cropped hair), two Heart
Attacks, guitarist and vocalist Jesse and bassist John, hail from Queens, while drummer Javiar is a fairly recent emigre from Mexico, of all places.
Jesse is 14, John is 17, and Javier is around 18 or 19.
Heart Attack run and burn on hyper Hardcore, hyper speed, hyper energy. Frontman Jesse,
who looks considerably older than he is, shakes and plays like he's just downed a mouthful of
amphetamines; Jesse prowls the stage bug-eyed, reminding one of Killing Joke's Jaz, Joe
Strummer, and Groucho Marx all rolled into one.
He leads his band in a ferocious, joyful attack, a celebration of the pure rush of punk and Hardcore.
In many ways. Heart Attack are a bit of a cliche, but that cliche - overkill teen Hardcore - is
a very good one, at least the way Heart Attack present it.
Like the best and most powerful of the L.A. bands. Heart Attack are very, very physical, very
powerful, and a little frightening. Live, they seem to go so fast and so manicly that nothing could
possibly stop them.
They're wild, fast, loud, but very together with very distinguishable songs, which is one of their chief
selling points. Heart Attack don't so much change chords as spin chords - but they have a precise
impact and they're incredibly tight. A truly remarkable band; in a sense, they're the most
appealing of all the Hardcores, a great threesome putting on a terrific display of energy, skill, youth,
sweat, and spirit
SOME OF THE other new New York Hardcore bands worthy of note include The False Prophets, The Nihilistics, The Mob, and The Influence.
The False Prophets are fierce, colourful, lyrical, and a bit dopey; they don't shy away from admitting a fancy for Mott The Hoople and The Velvet Underground,
and it shows in their sound, which distinguishes them a bit from the rest of the crowd.
They have a fabulous frontman in the very genial and striking Stephen Isolde, and The False Prophets will probably do quite well, and always stay a little
independent and unique within the scene .
The Nihilistics, from Long Island, are incredibly raw and very naively powerful; with a purity and honest energy reminiscent of The Fall, they're a great cross of
inexperience, noise, and never-say-die drive.
They're just beginning to gig, and one of their early demo tapes is among my favourites of the year.
The Influence are noisy, bassy, abrasive, all-black, and might be promising. The Mob, strongly influenced by The Bad Brains (whom you'll hear about in a bit)
have a good deal of heavy metal in them and are a bit phony, but they're probably okay; an earlier incarnation that included Heart Attack bassist John appears to
have been a lot better, but they're still quite listenable, if not terribly original - loud, fast, metallic, sort of dumb, with the occasional good song.
I've heard terrific things about The Pricks, though I haven't seen or heard them myself. That's all I can think of at the moment, that is of the newer bands.
THERE ARE THREE older area punk bands that deserve mention
here - The Stimulators (from New York City), The Bad Brains (from
Washington. D.C.), and The Misfits (from New Jersey).
All three have seen very dry times, and all three have contributed a
lot to the current healthy state of affairs, though only two of the three -
The Misfits and The Bad Brains - really matter now or in the future
scheme of affairs.
The Stimulators are really more of a symbol than a valid musical
group; their somewhat affected heavy-metal sludge punk was amusing
but not very good, but for a long time - from 1978 until 1980 - The
Stimulators were the only steady gigging punk band in New York City.
The Stimulators still exist today, in a notably altered form, but most
of the new bands and audiences are pretty offended by The
Stimulators' prima-donna attitudes, and their lack of talent to back it
up; they consider themselves the reigning group of the Hardcore
scene, which just isn't true - Even Worse, Undead, False Prophets,
Heart Attack, and Nihilistics are all far better, to name but a few -
and what's more, they've tried to separate themselves from the recent
expansion and growth in the scene, considering themselves far above
it.
The Stimulators, who at one time, maybe about a year ago, could've
developed into an important band, are now very definitely a spent
force, and a pretty offensive one at that.
For the record, they put out a surprisingly good 45 in 1979, "Loud Fast Rules", which gives the impression that The Stimulators were far better than they actually
are; it's long out of print and nearly impossible to get a hold of.
The Bad Brains are originally from Washington D.C., but recently they relocated in New York City, and before that they were gigging here almost weekly, anyway.
The Bad Brains are really "a spectacular bunch, very, very different from any other Hardcore band in America. Most noticeably, they are all black, looking and
dressing more like a bunch of slightly stringy rastas than any of their fellow Hardcores.
Musically, half their set is an extremely entertaining display of thrash and volume, and half their set is - surprise - excellent and very well execeuted longer reggae
numbers.
If they did nothing but their reggae, they would still be a really good band - they rank as about the best live reggae I've ever seen - but I suppose their real attraction
is their faster stuff.
They seem to deal in extreme overkill, challenging distortion and total blast-off at every turn, and in fact, there's a certain heavy metal edge to The Bad Brains -
any second they could break Into "Iron Man" and you wouldn't be the least bit surprised - they have that type of sound.
Like many of their colleagues. Bad Brains are largely a physical as well as a musical experience, and they fill a large stage extremely well.
Another thing that makes them different is that their songs are different - fast, -pummelling; but nether that simple - and their musicanship is truly expert, which adds
an interesting touch.
But despite the expertise, the aggression, spirit, and physical and aural attack are all there.
Also, in contrast to The Stimulators, The Bad Brains are extremely supportive of the
growing scene, and stand to serve a very important role in it.
At a recent Peppermint Lounge gig, during one of their reggae numbers, singer H.R.
began to toast "And here are some upcoming shows you should check out..."
The Bad Brains have one honestly phenomenal 45, 1979's "Pay to Cum", which has just
been re-issued.
As said before, New Jersey's Misfits (who've been kicking around in one form or another
since 1977, I think) are one of the two or three best punk bands ever to come out of America,
but for one reason or another they've never tried to assert their claim; they could've been to
east coast punk what the Dead Kennedys were to west coast punk, but for some strange
reason they've never made the effort.
The Misfits seem to put out a 45 annually and gig about as often; they played a sparsely
attended show at Manhattan's Chase Park in mid-August, and their last area gig before that
was Halloween '80 and they probably won't gig again here until Halloween '81.
Each 45 of theirs - there have been four - is great, and two of them have been phenomenal:
1978's "Too Much Horror Business" and the just released "London Dungeon", easily one of
the best singles of '81.
The Misfits come on like a more possessed, more
committed, more demented Damned; they tear
through their material with an incredible amount of
energy, an amazing amount of thrust and rip to their
sound.
They're one of those bands that knock you over with
slabs of wall of power guitar, yet have the melodies,
songs, and direction to back it up.
Image wise, they also come on very strongly; they're
heavily into horror and macabre imagery, black
makeup and clothes and coffins and spooks, and
surprisingly, it works very well.
The Misfits are like an unplayed ace; they have true
greatness in them, and they've shown it on occasion,
but whether they will have any impact on New York
(and America's) punk and Hardcore scene is still a
mystery. Lord knows they certainly could.
THE HARDCORE SCENE is beginning to roll, but it
hasn't quite hit full stride yet. The kids are there, the
bands are there and more and more are forming each
week, but gigs aren't so easily come by (though it's
certainly a lot better than it was just a few months
ago and press and media support is nearly
non-existent.
But a whole brand new underground is being ignited
by Hardcore; fanzines like Blister, Chaos and
Damaged Goods are springing up around New York
virtually out of nowhere, being made and read by kids who aren't jaded, haven't been a part of any scene before, and in fact, haven't really listened to any rock
before they started listening to punk and Hardcore. A weekly half-hour all-punk all-Hardcore radio show I do called Noise - the Show (until recently 'Oi - the Show')
has garnered a tremendous response, and the support for the music I play seems to grow and grow every week. The Hardcores are very definitely out there, and
multiplying rapidly; right now it's just silly for the establishment hipsters to continue to ignore Hardcore, but soon it will be impossible. The press and the promoters
(forget about the radio!) don't like Hardcore at all, and that's a severe understatement. With the exception of Irving Plaza's Chris Gremsky and 99 Records Ed
Bahlman and Ken Sitz, the general attitude of the industry press, and 'cognoscenti' to Hardcore is ridicule, disgust, and the hope that If It's Ignored It'll Go Away.
A lot of New Yorkers will probably he extremely surprised - or at least very amused - by this article; most barely realise that the New York Hardcore scene exists, and
certainly have no idea that it is as potentially important (and dangerous to their staid hipster values) as it is.
Or, most likely and more simply, they just plain hate it.
But once you've been inside the Hardcore underground for a while, once you've felt its power and energy and strength and seen its sheer and growing numbers,
you realise that Hardcore is honestly going to take over New York, even if no-one will admit that or even believe it.
Hardcore has created the first true Us and Them schism in music here in quite a few years, and in this case, the schism is an extremely healthy one.
Hardcore is energy, and you feel like shouting at each and every one of the dying hipsters "Remember energy?! Remember kids?! Remember why you ever got
involved in this thing in the first place?!" . . . That's Hardcore.
And it's so amazingly fresh and new and, well, great. And it would take me a whole other article to write about how Hardcore is totally un-racist and un-sexist, and
how terrific that is.
SOMETHING VERY special is happening ) in New York City, something that has had its parallel in any number of cities any number of times before.
Basically, it's just kids - though that can be a patronising word, let's say new, young listeners - it's these new, young listeners taking control of their own ears and
their own tastes; abandoning the dictums of the press and the established scene-makers, simply people going after the music they want to make and hear,
regardless of whether the hipsters say it's right. New standards.
It's really just a matter of opening your eyes and looking at the direction yesterday's hipsters have gone in.
Futurism, funk, rockabilly, romanticism, and what's next - salsa? Once again, something that was once young and vital has gotten old and boring, and they're
reluctant to step aside; they prefer to be snide and affected.
And once again, there's actually something new and energetic to take its place, reÂdirect it.
The Revolution is over. Long Live the Revolution.
Special thanks to Lyle Hysen and every Hardcore in New York who understands!
THE END
(This article was written in September 1981 and first published in the UK weekly Sounds mag on October 10th 1981)
REPRINTED FROM THE PUNKROCKER ARCHIVES
When I first read the above article in England circa '81 I was just in the Midst of my Stench period, and it was great to hear other bands in far off places were doing
the same kinda shit. Not sure Tim Sommer is everyone's favourite journalist/muso within the then New York Hardcore scene and he definitely had his favourites, but
it's one of the few bits of exposure we got in England and was a good read, as I'm sure you'll aggree. A lot of the bands mentioned can be heard on the
recommended NEW YORK THRASH tape/CD released the following year on ROIR label. Check it out coz its a great insight into the Big Apples first legit street
scene. A review and sleevenotes which spotlights most of the bands in the above scene report can be found below. Bringing you up to date it's good to hear that
New York still has a thriving dayglo punk scene claiming to be as diverse as it's predecessors. Maybe someone will do us a scene report on the current scene??? If
they do id be very pleased to put it online. - Peter Don't Care
BEATING THE
NEWYORK
DOLEDRUMS
TIM SOMMER detonates the Early 80's New York Hardcore
Punk Explosion
NEWYORK
DOLEDRUMS
TIM SOMMER detonates the Early 80's New York Hardcore
Punk Explosion
| NEW YORK THRASH ROIR, 1982 Put down the magazine and go buy this. NOW! For those of you in my demographic (I think it’s recently changed from 29-34 to 30-36, since people are getting older, but still religiously listening to punk rock), you should have a couple of the original ROIR (Reachout International Records) cassette-only releases from way back in the dark ages of 1983 or thereabouts. Me, I have two of them: The Dickies We Aren't the World and the Fleshtones. In recent years, oh say over the last eight or so, ROIR decided to re-release these collections on CD. This is an incredible gift to the world of punk rock, as cassettes have a way of disappearing, and the chances of someone finding one today are very rare, unless you scour the yard sales and used music stores with a fine- toothed comb. Most of these recordings are obscure studio out-takes that really were good enough for an album, but were shelved for one reason or another; live recordings that otherwise would never have made it to vinyl (or tape) or collected singles from great bands that didn't have the good fortune of starting out in the mid-1990s, when everyone has a recording deal. New York Thrash, originally released in 1982, features the heart of the New York City (natives or punk emigrants) pre- crossover punk-hardcore era, bands that were heavily influenced by the '77 punks, actually were '77 and pre-'77 punks, or simply picked up a guitar and tried to ape the Sex Pistols and Ramones after hearing a couple of songs on the excellent college radio stations or the punk/New Wave mainstay, WLIR, in the area at the time (that time has since gone, folks -- R.I.P.). New York Thrash features bands like the Mad, Kraut (does anyone who isn't under 30 know who Kraut were? Hello!), Heart Attack, the Undead, and the mighty, mighty Adrenalin O.D. You'll also find bands such as Fiends, the Nihilistics, Even Worse, the False Prophets, the Bad Brains, the Stimulators, and believe it or not, the wet- behind-the-ears Beastie Boys. Why this collection is important to own should be more than obvious: here is genuine punk rock, serious vintage punk. To some it might sound dated, why? Easy: it sounds too punk. Too punk for folks who think the whole "alternative" music happening just appeared out of nothing in 1992. It's important for everyone who reads Ink Nineteen to own a copy of New York Thrash, because you need to understand what really was going on in the early 1980s. If you're watching TV and seeing those retarded ads for 1980s collections, you'll think the entire world was hooked on shit like Frankie Goes to Hollywood or Culture Club. The truth is those bands were as corporate as they come, just like the "alternative" (is that term fucking meaningful any more?) crap we've had to endure since radio discovered the huge market of disgruntled 1990s kids. Sure, some of that "new wave" crap was pretty good, but when I heard real punk rock and hardcore, it did something to me; I was overcome by an incredible, liberating feeling. This is the music that spoke for me then and speaks for me now. (I bought my first leather jacket, when? I'll tell you when: a year and a half ago! I was 34! You spoiled teenage brats with your rich parents who shower you with the money to get your damned tattoos and "punk" costumes, and pick you up after a "punk" show in 1998 better buy this, and you'd better like it and seek out the rest of the albums, if they're collector's items, steal them, make tapes and circulate the tapes all over the country.) If it doesn't speak for you now, and if you consider yourself a punk, die. - David Lee Beowulf (Dec 1998) I found this review on the Ink19.com website: Check out the Discogs site where you can hear the album plus some great pics of all the bands. |
THE WHYS AND HOWS OF NEW YORK PUNK
Punk is a thing that comes from the spontaneous combustion of youth, pure energy, and a sense of honest
naivete that usually only comes briefly in your life — and the bands that had made New York (in) famous in the
second half of the 70's had, by and large, little (if any) of that. In general, New York's music wasn't music for kids,
a voice of young power and aggression, it was music for trendies and thinkers. For most of the mid-to-late 7Q"s,
real Punk was a thing that belonged to Britain and distant parts of America (who remembers the Weirdos, the Dils,
Legionairre's Disease, Avengers, D.O.A., Viletones, Bags, etc., all kicking their collective asses off from 1977
on?). Truly NO NEW YORK.
But what you hear on this cassette documents the change that came about that shook the ossified and D.O.R.
ified New York scene to its very foundations. By late 1981, New York had developed one of the best (though
admittedly not the most appreciated or the most commercially lucrative) REAL Punk scene in the whole country —
and hopefully, this tape can finally prove that to those who weren't here to see it and still won't believe it.
The NY Punk boom of '81 had its seeds in a true NY underground that developed in the late '70's as a reaction to
the critically approved and trendy approved underground that then (as now) dominated the clubs and the media.
By the late '70's, in the midst of New York's whole hipper-than-thou trip, a few bands in and around the city had
begun playing straight-ahead music by and for kids (or kids at heart). The Misfits, Stimulators, Blessed,
Whorelords, Speedies (never a punk band but always a band that stood for kids), the Mad and Bad Brains all had
firm roots in the '70's, and did the tough job of laying the groundwork for the boom that was to follow in later years.
The club scene was virtually closed to punk, and there was only so much "freedom" in the rare and ill-placed
weeknights Max's, CBGB's, or TR3 gig (despite what other sources might say, the attitude of those clubs to punk
was ferfrom enlightened prior to the '81 boom). By 1980, bands like Even Worse, the Offals, Nekrqn 99, and False
Prophets, young, snotty teens with more of a direct line to the current hardcore/punk crop, were fighting (and in
many cases failing) to keep the notion of punk alive in a town that wasn't too interested- This first generation were
the children of the Stimulators, the Bad Brains, (imported from Washington D.C. via Ethiopia) and the early
American and British Punk crew (I remember seeing heavy punk slamming for the first time at Stiff Little Fingers
October '80 American debut at Trax), and soon, another factor would provide more impetus for the forthcoming
boom: that was the West Coast Hardcore explosion.
Bands like the Dead Kennedys, Circle Jerks, and Black Flag had been honing a new, radical punk sound that
exaggerated punk's two obvious elements, noise and speed; for whatever reason, they appealed to and
influenced the east coast punks in a way that the early British outfits never had. In the winter/spring of early '81,
the crucial three of these bands blitzed New York; at the same time and quite independently, a whole new crop of
U.K. bands like the Exploited, Discharge, and Anti Pasti surfaced with a sound based on a similar principle of
thrash and distortion — and once again, this time more kids were listening and inspired to create their own
hardcore. By the summer, hardcore had begun to happen in New York City and bands like Heart Attack, Kraut, the
new Even Worse, Nihilistics, the Undead, and Reagan Youth were
finding increased audiences and (slightly) more interested club bookers. Other survivors like the Bad Brains and
the Misfits found themselves becoming somewhat powerful commodities and almost equal in status to the west
coasters.
The late summer and fall of 1981 was an unbelievably exciting time, no bullshit, and you probably can't have any
idea of what it was like unless you were there and sweating. Punk and new music once again belonged to the
streets, not the art schools and the hipsters. The growth of Noise the Show, constant gigs, more exciting hands
from L.A, and Britain, and the discovery of an unbelievably potent scene in Washington, D.C., all combined to
create more excitement and more inspiration for the New York scene.
So this CD is a document of a great time and some truly great and lasting music. The Mad are the insane heroes
of the late '70's, still remembered by many for the bizarre and grotesque live performances, here showing they
had plenty more to offer; the Bad Brains are similar, remarkable veterans (well documented elsewhere), a punk
rock rastafari miracle that survived and prospered. Even Worse, too, survivor of the lean days, great believers in
traditional punk/pop fun and energy (and with the trinity manifestation of the Bad Brains now also playing as Zion
Train and Musketeers they become the oldest surviving band still on the scene); the False Prophets, from later in
the same period, mad jesters or heavy philosophers or just hardcore s answer to Mott the Hoople with Peter
Gabriel theatrics? The Undead and the Fiends, again more traditional punk bands not afraid of melodies, slower
songs, or blatant pop appeal, both with roots in 70's punk legends — the Fiends descendants of the wild
Whorelords, and the Undead relatives to the mighty Misfits. The Nihilistics and Heart Attack — hard and furious
true hardcore bands, an essential part of that hot summer of '81, Heart Attack with their spring-wound tightness
and force, and the Nihilistics, chose doomy and passionately sincere primitives, one-third Fall, one-third
Discharge, one-third Crass. Kraut? Producer of two of the best 45's of 1981, and my pick for the hope of '82,
roaring, irresistible punk, smart, aware, and fucking great. Who does that leave? Beastie Boys, brief stars
somewhere in the fall, nutty, fun and a bit bizarre, unfortunately dissolving (like the A.W.O.L. Reagan Youth)
before they could reach their full promise; and Adrenalin O.D., young, fun, and with unbelievably good songs,
definitely New York's answer to the Circle Jerks.
So now it's time for the critics and the media to jump on the Hardcore/Punk bandwagon, and I hope this exposure
helps. The bands deserve it, and people should know that there is a great, real New York Punk, there is life after
glorified disco and pretentious 'new music', no wave and new funk, and here it is, right on this CD.
You see, Punk never died — but the punk within some people died, and here's the blessed alternative in the land
of the vibrant and living. There is an honest tradition of NY Punk Rock, the legacy of challenge and energy that
comes from the Velvets to the Dolls to the Heartbreakers to Richard Hell to the Dictators to the Ramones, and
these eleven bands of noise and power are their legitimate progeny. Whatever NY Punk/Hardcore was, it was
honest — to a point - full of more variety than any other scene in the country (eleven bands on this tape and not
one of them sounds alike and all of them have something different — and worthwhile — to offer). That's truly
unique. And it fucking kicked, kicked down the doors and the discos and the trendies and it was real in a way that
will never, never tarnish.
Sleevenotes by TIMSOMMER, 1982
Punk is a thing that comes from the spontaneous combustion of youth, pure energy, and a sense of honest
naivete that usually only comes briefly in your life — and the bands that had made New York (in) famous in the
second half of the 70's had, by and large, little (if any) of that. In general, New York's music wasn't music for kids,
a voice of young power and aggression, it was music for trendies and thinkers. For most of the mid-to-late 7Q"s,
real Punk was a thing that belonged to Britain and distant parts of America (who remembers the Weirdos, the Dils,
Legionairre's Disease, Avengers, D.O.A., Viletones, Bags, etc., all kicking their collective asses off from 1977
on?). Truly NO NEW YORK.
But what you hear on this cassette documents the change that came about that shook the ossified and D.O.R.
ified New York scene to its very foundations. By late 1981, New York had developed one of the best (though
admittedly not the most appreciated or the most commercially lucrative) REAL Punk scene in the whole country —
and hopefully, this tape can finally prove that to those who weren't here to see it and still won't believe it.
The NY Punk boom of '81 had its seeds in a true NY underground that developed in the late '70's as a reaction to
the critically approved and trendy approved underground that then (as now) dominated the clubs and the media.
By the late '70's, in the midst of New York's whole hipper-than-thou trip, a few bands in and around the city had
begun playing straight-ahead music by and for kids (or kids at heart). The Misfits, Stimulators, Blessed,
Whorelords, Speedies (never a punk band but always a band that stood for kids), the Mad and Bad Brains all had
firm roots in the '70's, and did the tough job of laying the groundwork for the boom that was to follow in later years.
The club scene was virtually closed to punk, and there was only so much "freedom" in the rare and ill-placed
weeknights Max's, CBGB's, or TR3 gig (despite what other sources might say, the attitude of those clubs to punk
was ferfrom enlightened prior to the '81 boom). By 1980, bands like Even Worse, the Offals, Nekrqn 99, and False
Prophets, young, snotty teens with more of a direct line to the current hardcore/punk crop, were fighting (and in
many cases failing) to keep the notion of punk alive in a town that wasn't too interested- This first generation were
the children of the Stimulators, the Bad Brains, (imported from Washington D.C. via Ethiopia) and the early
American and British Punk crew (I remember seeing heavy punk slamming for the first time at Stiff Little Fingers
October '80 American debut at Trax), and soon, another factor would provide more impetus for the forthcoming
boom: that was the West Coast Hardcore explosion.
Bands like the Dead Kennedys, Circle Jerks, and Black Flag had been honing a new, radical punk sound that
exaggerated punk's two obvious elements, noise and speed; for whatever reason, they appealed to and
influenced the east coast punks in a way that the early British outfits never had. In the winter/spring of early '81,
the crucial three of these bands blitzed New York; at the same time and quite independently, a whole new crop of
U.K. bands like the Exploited, Discharge, and Anti Pasti surfaced with a sound based on a similar principle of
thrash and distortion — and once again, this time more kids were listening and inspired to create their own
hardcore. By the summer, hardcore had begun to happen in New York City and bands like Heart Attack, Kraut, the
new Even Worse, Nihilistics, the Undead, and Reagan Youth were
finding increased audiences and (slightly) more interested club bookers. Other survivors like the Bad Brains and
the Misfits found themselves becoming somewhat powerful commodities and almost equal in status to the west
coasters.
The late summer and fall of 1981 was an unbelievably exciting time, no bullshit, and you probably can't have any
idea of what it was like unless you were there and sweating. Punk and new music once again belonged to the
streets, not the art schools and the hipsters. The growth of Noise the Show, constant gigs, more exciting hands
from L.A, and Britain, and the discovery of an unbelievably potent scene in Washington, D.C., all combined to
create more excitement and more inspiration for the New York scene.
So this CD is a document of a great time and some truly great and lasting music. The Mad are the insane heroes
of the late '70's, still remembered by many for the bizarre and grotesque live performances, here showing they
had plenty more to offer; the Bad Brains are similar, remarkable veterans (well documented elsewhere), a punk
rock rastafari miracle that survived and prospered. Even Worse, too, survivor of the lean days, great believers in
traditional punk/pop fun and energy (and with the trinity manifestation of the Bad Brains now also playing as Zion
Train and Musketeers they become the oldest surviving band still on the scene); the False Prophets, from later in
the same period, mad jesters or heavy philosophers or just hardcore s answer to Mott the Hoople with Peter
Gabriel theatrics? The Undead and the Fiends, again more traditional punk bands not afraid of melodies, slower
songs, or blatant pop appeal, both with roots in 70's punk legends — the Fiends descendants of the wild
Whorelords, and the Undead relatives to the mighty Misfits. The Nihilistics and Heart Attack — hard and furious
true hardcore bands, an essential part of that hot summer of '81, Heart Attack with their spring-wound tightness
and force, and the Nihilistics, chose doomy and passionately sincere primitives, one-third Fall, one-third
Discharge, one-third Crass. Kraut? Producer of two of the best 45's of 1981, and my pick for the hope of '82,
roaring, irresistible punk, smart, aware, and fucking great. Who does that leave? Beastie Boys, brief stars
somewhere in the fall, nutty, fun and a bit bizarre, unfortunately dissolving (like the A.W.O.L. Reagan Youth)
before they could reach their full promise; and Adrenalin O.D., young, fun, and with unbelievably good songs,
definitely New York's answer to the Circle Jerks.
So now it's time for the critics and the media to jump on the Hardcore/Punk bandwagon, and I hope this exposure
helps. The bands deserve it, and people should know that there is a great, real New York Punk, there is life after
glorified disco and pretentious 'new music', no wave and new funk, and here it is, right on this CD.
You see, Punk never died — but the punk within some people died, and here's the blessed alternative in the land
of the vibrant and living. There is an honest tradition of NY Punk Rock, the legacy of challenge and energy that
comes from the Velvets to the Dolls to the Heartbreakers to Richard Hell to the Dictators to the Ramones, and
these eleven bands of noise and power are their legitimate progeny. Whatever NY Punk/Hardcore was, it was
honest — to a point - full of more variety than any other scene in the country (eleven bands on this tape and not
one of them sounds alike and all of them have something different — and worthwhile — to offer). That's truly
unique. And it fucking kicked, kicked down the doors and the discos and the trendies and it was real in a way that
will never, never tarnish.
Sleevenotes by TIMSOMMER, 1982
ROIR 1982 Tape Compilation, re-issued 1998 CD
01. THE MAD - "I Hate Music"
02. KRAUT - "Getaway"
03. HEART ATTACK - "Shotgun"
04. UNDEAD - "Social Reason"
05. ADRENALIN OD - "New Year's Eve"
06. EVEN WORSE - "Illusion Won Again"
07. FIENDS - "Cry Now"
08. NIHILISTICS - "Here and Now"
09. UNDEAD - "Nightmare"
10. FALSE PROPHETS - "Taxidermist"
11. BAD BRAINS - "Regulator"
12. BEASTIE BOYS - "Riot Fight"
13. NIHILISTICS - "Love and Kisses"
14. FIENDS - "Asian White"
15. KRAUT - "Last Chance"
16. EVEN WORSE - "Emptying the Madhouse"
17. ADRENALIN OD - "Paul's Not Home"
18. FALSE PROPHETS - "Scorched Earth"
19. HEART ATTACK - "God is Dead"
20. THE MAD - "The Hell"
21. BAD BRAINS - "Big Takeover"
22. BEASTIE BOYS - "Beastie"
23. THE STIMULATORS - "M.A.C.H.I.N.E."
24. THE STIMULATORS - "Loud Fast Rules!"
- See more at:
http://deathburger.doodlekit.com/blog/entry/3397833/various-artists-new-york-thrash#sthash.UOkeI2tH.dpuf
01. THE MAD - "I Hate Music"
02. KRAUT - "Getaway"
03. HEART ATTACK - "Shotgun"
04. UNDEAD - "Social Reason"
05. ADRENALIN OD - "New Year's Eve"
06. EVEN WORSE - "Illusion Won Again"
07. FIENDS - "Cry Now"
08. NIHILISTICS - "Here and Now"
09. UNDEAD - "Nightmare"
10. FALSE PROPHETS - "Taxidermist"
11. BAD BRAINS - "Regulator"
12. BEASTIE BOYS - "Riot Fight"
13. NIHILISTICS - "Love and Kisses"
14. FIENDS - "Asian White"
15. KRAUT - "Last Chance"
16. EVEN WORSE - "Emptying the Madhouse"
17. ADRENALIN OD - "Paul's Not Home"
18. FALSE PROPHETS - "Scorched Earth"
19. HEART ATTACK - "God is Dead"
20. THE MAD - "The Hell"
21. BAD BRAINS - "Big Takeover"
22. BEASTIE BOYS - "Beastie"
23. THE STIMULATORS - "M.A.C.H.I.N.E."
24. THE STIMULATORS - "Loud Fast Rules!"
- See more at:
http://deathburger.doodlekit.com/blog/entry/3397833/various-artists-new-york-thrash#sthash.UOkeI2tH.dpuf