NEW YORK HARDCORE... or...NYHC for short is one of the most beloved, influential and well known hardcore music scenes to ever grace God's green earth. Kick started in the early 1980's and still alive and kicking here in 2018. Names like Sick Of It All, Madball, Cro-Mags, Breakdown, Killing Time, Burn, Judge, Kill Your Idols, Leeway, Sheer Terror, and Murphy's Law are all bands that have made big impacts on the underground music scene and who are also still very much in the game. With the majority of the bands just listed having members in the 40 and over club the question needs to be asked... who is up next? Who will the next generation of bands be or will the famed NYHC symbol just fade away into the night once the last old-timer hangs up their Docs? This article is here to tell you all not to worry as there are plenty of good bands out this way. In Effect has continuously supported our home town brothers and sisters and will continue to do so. In the first part of this article we bring you 11 bands from NYC to Long Island who are either new or have flown under people’s radars to a degree. The second part showcases NY bands who have previously been featured here on In Effect with a current day check in to see how they're making out. We listed 11 here but could have gone a lot deeper with our reach as there is an abundance of good young talent here and we will continue to try and get those bands who are putting in the work their due. Long live NYHC!
Illustration by: Reid Chancellor. Graphics by: Bas Spierings
JUKAI... LONG ISLAND
JUKAI is: Zach- vocals, Kyle Fee- guitar/back-up vocals, Kyle Beshaw- guitar, Steve- drums/back-up vocals, and Ian- bass.
Jukai started in the spring of 2012. Jukai released a self-titled demo in October of 2012 and another demo in 2014. Both are now remastered and on a 12” called “Prologue”, available through Trip Machine Labs. Both demos/”Prologue” feature the original frontman, Matt Reed. In November 2015, Matt left the band, Zach switched from bass to vocals, and Ian joined on bass. Jukai did a split with Bottom Out. In April of 2016, Jukai released the EP “Devoid Of Hope,” courtesy of Mass Movement and Reconsider Records. In December 2016, Jukai put out a split with Recycled Earth, courtesy of Reconsider Records. In December 2017, Jukai released a sampler of two songs that will be on their upcoming release which will be a 6 song EP due out by the end of 2018.
Jukai are no strangers to hitting the road since their first tour which was down the East Coast with Sanction to the FYA Fest in Tampa, FL (2016). The summer of 2016 saw them tour with Blistered and in February of 2017 they did a West Coast tour with Jesus Piece, Year Of The Knife, Hands Of God, and Vamachara. Earlier this year they again toured down to the FYA Fest with Dead Heat and The Fight. On top of playing FYA Fest each year since 2016 they have also made appearances at This Is Hardcore Fest (PA), For The Children (CA), and United Blood (VA) and have shared the stage with notable acts like: Indecision, Bane, Cro-Mags, All Out War, Foundation, Code Orange, Ringworm and a ton more. August of 2018 will see Jukai head overseas for the first time with dates in Europe from August 9th through the 18th.
On the name Jukai Zach said:
“Matt (the original frontman) read about the forest in Japan and felt that the name matched the lyrical content and vibe of the band. We also were fighting over stupid band names for a good month, so we just went with that. It was the best we could come up with at the time.”
On their lyrical content:
“Many of the lyrics are about death and losing people to addiction, as well as unfortunate circumstances, depression, living an unfulfilled life regardless of how hard you work, political corruption, societal issues like institutional discrimination, desensitization to violence, and moral decline.”
Catch Jukai on the social media outlet of your choice: BANDCAMP, FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM, or TWITTER
CRAZY EDDIE... NYC
CRAZY EDDIE is: Chucky Brown- vocals, Lenny Bednarz- guitar, Kevin Smith- bass, and Jason Madrock-drums. The idea for the band was hatched by Brown and Bednarz in December of 2016 and practices started in April of 2017. Their tracks “Fucked Up” and “Out Of Luck” appeared on a limited edition cassette compilation put out by Wardance Records under the title “Urban Styles Mix Tape”. Those tracks can be found online HERE. Next up for Crazy Eddie is a 12 song digital release which will be titled “Eddie Drops Out Of College” and should be available for free download in April. There is also talk of a possible vinyl release of this recording as well.
On the name Crazy Eddie Lenny told us:
“When we started, we hadn't even thought of the name thing yet. We kicked around a few things but nothing really grabbed us. I wanted a name that was synonymous with NYC and for some reason Crazy Eddie popped in my head, I had visions of my childhood and those God damn Crazy Eddie ads on TV. Also a lot of guys from my block when I was a kid loved smoking dust and Crazy Eddie was what guys smoked. They'd take the walk up to 116th Street and get wet and do crazy shit. When I brought it up to the guys as a band name, they liked it, and to be honest we couldn't think of anything else. Also on a side note when Chucky and I talked about starting a band we talked about what style we wanted to play and it came down to going back to roots hardcore… and doing it for real. We felt a lot of bands weren't really touching it. Plus it is what we all cut our teeth on and thought it would be great to do it.”
Members of Crazy Eddie have a long list of other underground bands they have been a part of including: Without A Cause, Fahrenheit 451, District 9, Dominican Day Parade, Well Excuse Me Princess, Another Distraction, Out For Blood, The Wasted, Abject!, Foiled Again, Face The Truth, God’s Green Earth, Down Low and Vultus. After playing bass in all of his previous bands this is Chucky Brown’s first band where he is the lead singer. Keep up to date on Crazy Eddie shit by checking out their FACEBOOK page.
Photo by: MICHELLE MENNONA
KRIMEWATCH...NYC
KRIMEWATCH is: Emma Hendry- bass, Sean Joyce- guitar, Rhylli Ogiura- vocals, and Shayne Benz- drums.
On the bands origins up to today Shayne told us:
“We started in the August of 2016. Emma asked me to come jam with her in Brooklyn. I was living there at the time, and we were both learning our instruments. She showed me a bunch of riffs she wrote and after a few practices Sean and Rhylli joined. As of right now, we have a demo and a 2 song promo. Our 12" LP is due out soon, within the next few months on Lockin' Out Records.”
To date Krimewatch has played all over including the East and West Coasts of the U.S.... a “bunch” in Texas as well as other stops across the Southern U.S.. Internationally the band has also played in Toronto, the U.K. and Scandinavia.
“We are about promoting positivity, encouraging women and people of color to engage and participate and punk. We have a Bandcamp which is a good way to contact us about show inquiries. I run a distro- Teeny Tiny PP where I post merch from time to time.”
Hit up their BANDCAMP HERE. Photo by: ANGELA OWENS
HANGMAN... LONG ISLAND
HANGMAN based out of Long Island, NY display a lot of hustle and heart as they seem to pop up on shows up and down the East Coast regularly. Here is what their guitarist Michael Smith had to tell us about the band…
“Hangman is made up of 5 guys. Dan Mulligan on vocals, Michael Smith on guitar, Ron Seagraves on drums, Seb Skaar on bass, and Harold Griffin on guitar. Me and Dan met going to school in Queens in 2012. The rest of us met going to shows in the tri-state area. The name had just been an idea I had for a little while… was not my top choice, but it was the one that we all could agree on. The band started to come together in late 2014. We released our demo in 2015 and since then we released Hangman II in 2016, and our most current release “A Vile Decree” which came out late 2017 on Flatspot Records. We’ve been writing some new shit, not really thinking or pushing for a release date as of now but, if I had to guess I would say the latest would be in early 2019. Some of our influences would be Madball, Biohazard, Neglect, Vision Of Disorder, Kickback, Hatebreed, No Innocent Victim, and Tripface."
"Our first “tour” was in the summer of 2016. It was 12 shows down the East Coast with Impact from dirty ass Staten Island. January 2017 we did another run of shows on a similar route with Queensway. They had just released “Swift Minds Of The Darkside” and shit was really starting to pop off for them mid-tour. And now we just got back from California after doing a couple shows with Backtrack, Downpresser, and Minus over there. We’re playing with Madball, Leeway, Wisdom in Chains, and Regulate in Philly on March 2nd and then leave straight from there to Chicago to kick off a run of shows with End It from Baltimore. The day we get back we play Brooklyn with Madball, District 9, Stout, and Regulate. March 30th- April 5th we’re doing another run of shows with Combust and Jab.”
Look for Hangman on the “Bad To My World Tour” with Backtrack, Mizery and Regulate which starts on April 29th in Philadelphia, PA and after headed out to the West Coast finishes up in Brooklyn, NY on May 25th.
HANGMAN can be reached on: BANDCAMP, FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM, and TWITTER.
COMBUST... NYC
COMBUST is: Andrew Vacante- vocals, Manny Muniz- bass, Peter Martingano- guitar, Dave Sarnes- drums, and Alex B- guitar. They got their start in the summer of 2017 and currently have a 6 song demo out on Bandcamp, iTunes, and Spotify. The last track of the demo is a cover of Breakdown’s “Dissed And Dismissed”. The demo is now available on 7” vinyl through Straight And Alert Records based out of France.
“My songs are about what most hardcore bands talk about I guess. It’s not too outside the box...yet. You know… fucked up social and political issues, heartbreak, trust, loving hardcore, personal struggle, depression. All that good stuff. To me personally I feel like we sound like what a NYHC band should sound like. The main idea I had in my mind was just Killing Time and Cro-Mags. We’re just gonna play as much as we can for now and maybe start writing some new stuff eventually. Nothing planned as far as a new release goes but we’ll see. So far we’ve played 4 shows. Our first show was with the Cro-Mags and we just played a show with Trapped Under Ice and No Warning. I’ve always wanted to have a band like this but my other projects just kinda always came first but I’m glad I finally was able to make Combust happen. I’ve been sitting on this name for over a year! I just was sitting down thinking what sounds like a NYHC band that perfectly sums up how I feel.” –Andrew V.
EXAMINE... NYC
EXAMINE got their start in April of 2015 and consist of Mike-bass, Gil-guitar, Shuffles-drums, and Sean-vocals. To date they have released a demo in 2015 which you can check out HERE as well as their first full length which came out in January of 2018 on Dead City Records. The self-titled CD contains 12 songs and was produced by Glen Lorieo from No Redeeming Social Value/Billy Club Sandwich. To date the band has played between 20-30 shows.
On the band’s name Sean said:
“We were throwing around a bunch of names at the start and they all just came up sounding like just generic hardcore band names. They all had a sense of negativity about
them and that isn’t what we wanted to do with this band. So I started thinking more along the lines of before you can right the wrongs of the world, you gotta right the wrongs in yourself, more like
self-reflection and examining yourself before you can change anything out in the world. So “Examine” came up and we all liked it.”
On the topic of lyrics Sean also said:
“Most of them are self-reflective or composites of things I’ve experienced or feel. It’s easy with this band to open up the door when it comes to lyrics and I don’t feel
boxed in or confined when I write. So even if I’m writing about the scene I can kind of approach it from a different angle or perspective.”
And on the band’s approach to hardcore:
“We basically all felt like in this band we wanted to have an open door policy when it came to ideas and writing. So when we write we take it wherever it goes.”
And on the current state of NYHC:
“There are little pockets throughout NY of really great hardcore bands that a lot of people are sleeping on. Wake up and start checking out the bands that you’ve been
passing up on, many of the newer bands won’t disappoint. And thanks to everyone who has shown us love from the get go and supported us, and special thanks to In Effect.”
Stay up to date with EXAMINE by checking in with the following:
EXAMINENYHC, FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM, and TWITTER.
NONE ABOVE ALL... NYC
NONE ABOVE ALL is: Hil-vocals, Cliff-drums, Geo-bass, Lee-guitar. NAA consists of former members from Step 2 Far, Zombie Fight, Blood Of My Brothers and Silence Equals Death. The band started in the late summer of 2015. Bassist Geo joined the band after answering a “shot in the dark” Craigslist ad that was put up before a practice and the current line-up was finalized and has been kicking ass and chewing bubble gum since March 2016.
Up until now, NAA has released two EPs. The first one was titled “Beyond The Frame” which was put out in August 2016. A video for the track “Who’s Next” from that EP can be seen HERE and in September of 2017 they released the 9 song “Climate Of Hostility”. New music is in the works and could be out by the end of 2018. Since their debut show in July of 2016 NAA has played out about once a month mostly in the NYC area but have also traveled out to NJ and PA to play shows and are actively looking to play more out of NY shows. If you book… hit ‘em up.
“Since we’ve started, the feedback has been great and we’re extremely thankful for the positive vibes and local support. I guess the one thing we can say is you’ll enjoy yourself at our shows no matter who you are. We’re here for a good time but are far from a party band. Hopefully everyone can relate to some of the stuff we yell about. So check us out and support your local shows wherever you may be.”- Hil
NONE ABOVE ALL make it easy to find out more about them with:
THE LIONS CAGE... NYC
THE LIONS CAGE is: is Bobby-vocals, Joe- guitar, Rob-drums, and Brian-bass. They got their start in June of 2016 and have played approximately 30 shows to date. They have 2 demos out… “Demo 2016” which contains 5 songs, and the 4 song “Raw” demo which came out in 2017. Heavy Dose Records out of Denver recently put out the 2016 demo out on 7” vinyl with remastering by Will Killigsworth. In early March the band started work on a new 8 song 12” EP that will feature 4 songs from their “Raw” tape plus 4 more which have not been played out live as of yet.
On the name The Lions Cage:
“The Lion's Cage is a metaphor for facing your wildest emotions, feelings, and experiences, good or bad, head on. It's the idea that you must go into the vortex and survive to truly understand yourself and your place in the world. It's about getting torn up and beating the shit out of stuff. It's about not being in the eye of the storm but in the outflow with all the flying debris. Plus it’s a cool sounding name. Shout out to Maxim.”
On their lyrics and song topics:
“We touch on everything that affects us as individuals that have grown up on the outskirts of society, whether that be catching a tag and having fun, the stress of everyday life due to a corrupt and unfair system built to oppress and depress us and our completely broken criminal justice system. We didn't come into this trying to be a political band but it’s pretty hard not to be with how in your face this fucked up world is.”
Influences:
“Long answer: We collectively have a deep and passionate respect and love for the hardcore/punk subculture. It is by far one of the coolest things to come from the underground, despite its many shortcomings. And we all love the classic bands that existed, still exist, and all the new bands that rule today. But as far as band influences we listen to EVERYTHING and we think it is important to listen to everything. One of the worst shortcomings of hardcore/punk is when people are in a copy of a copy of a copy of a copy of a copy of a copy of a band. That's the most boring shit. If it makes enough copies of itself the page becomes blank. People need to listen to it all to have a better understanding of how music in general works. Soul, RnB, Rock, any era of Hip Hop, Techno, Post-Punk... it’s all cool and has an important place in a diverse and decent musical plane. Short answer: The Cro-Mags and Integrity.”- Brian
Contact them via email at: thelionscagenyhc@gmail.com or at a show… Check out their music HERE.
THE THIRD KIND... NYC
THE THIRD KIND is: Taras Apuzzo-guitar, Joe Vincent-guitar, Richard Muller- bass/vocals and Shonen-drums. The Third Kind started in the summer of 2015 and released their 4 song demo digitally in October of 2016. In January of 2018 they released an 8 song CD which is also available through their Bandcamp page as well as other streaming services. In addition to their new release the band has more new songs already written and hope to be back in the studio within the next couple of months. They have played about a dozen shows to date. Members of The Third Kind also play in: Bowhead, Vice Massacre, All Out War, Straphangers and Bastard Clan. Listen and find out more by checking out their BANDCAMP and FACEBOOK pages.
HOTHEADS... NYC
Formed in 2016, HOTHEADS is: Darren-guitar, Emma-bass, Shaun- vocals, Reggie-guitar, and Ron-drums. In August of 2016 they released a 5 song cassette with Just A Audial and then in March of 2017 they put out a “reheated” version with a different cover and 2 additional songs. In October of 2017 they put out another cassette titled “Promotional Heat” with 3 more songs. All of their songs can be downloaded for free via their BANDCAMP page. New music from Hotheads is expected in 2018 “when Emma’s knee gets better”. They have played between 15-20 shows to date and have reached as far away as Toronto and Los Angeles. Influences are old New York classics like Antidote, Warzone, Breakdown and some newer stuff like 86 Mentality. Members of Hotheads are also currently in: Krimewatch, Deflect, Prayer Chain, Sleight of Hand, Outskirts, and Skell.
On the name HOTHEADS:
“Hotheads was something I always loved from hockey announcers, when two dudes would square up and they would say something like "looks like we've got ourselves a couple of hotheads here".
And on their lyrical content:
“The songs are generally about the conflicts that come up in a twenty to thirty something's daily life. Work being shit, rich scumbags, two-faced people, fucked up politics, etc.”
Photo by: ANGELA OWENS
THE AVOIDERS... LONG ISLAND
Long Island’s THE AVOIDERS got their start in June of 2014 and are made up by the following people: John Browne- vocals, Dan McKasty- bass Craig Stanford- guitars, and Leppie drums. They put out an 8 song EP titled “procrasti-NATION” in 2015 and just released the brand new 13 song “Worthless” in February. “Worthless” took about a year to complete from start to finish and was recorded over multiple sessions by Mike Gatto and self-released DIY style by the band. It is available online and also on CD which you can pick up at their live shows and if you can’t make it to one of their shows just get in touch with them. To date they have played close to 100 shows in the NY/NJ area playing as far away as Delaware. The most “punk rock” sounding band in this article has a long list of influences including: Bad Religion, The Misfits, Black Flag, Descendents, Down By Law, Pennywise, GBH, Channel 3, The Exploited, Bouncing Souls, RKL, Discharge and Bad Brains.
ON THE NAME THE AVOIDERS JOHN TOLD US:
“The name came about because The Avoiders were a nameless side project of ours for a while. We avoided writing music so much we called ourselves The Avoiders!”
LYRICS:
“I guess most of our lyrics are based off of struggle and human condition but we also like to have fun and make fun of ourselves. We try to attack problems seriously with our lyrics but at the same time we like to make people laugh.”
WHAT TO EXPECT AT ONE OF THEIR SHOWS:
“As far as live shows go you can expect us to be raw in your face and loud. We feed off the energy of the crowd. We love when the crowd is right up front and sings along to our songs and slam dancing. You can always expect us to play our hearts out and do the best we can.”
FIND OUT MORE BY CHECKING OUT THEIR FACEBOOK & BANDCAMP PAGES.
Photo by: RICH ZOELLER.
THE FOLLOWING BANDS HAVE BEEN PREVIOUSLY INTERVIEWED HERE ON IN EFFECT.
CLICK ON THEIR PHOTOS TO READ THOSE OLDER INTERVIEWS.
BACKTRACK... LONG ISLAND
Released their 3rd full length album in November of 2017 titled “Bad To My World” on Bridge Nine Records and consistently touring throughout the world. Next up is a 24 date run with Mizery, and fellow Long Islander’s Regulate and Hangman that kicks off on April 29th in Philadelphia, PA and runs West before finishing back up in Brooklyn, NY on May 25th.
REGULATE...LONG ISLAND
Follow up to their “Years Of Rage” EP (June 2016) will be an 11 song full length on Edgewood Records due out this June. Also on the “Bad To My World” tour with Backtrack, Mizery and Hangman.
SCARBORO... NEW YORK CITY
Consistently playing NYC area shows, new drummer Eric Dean replaces Gayla Escoda Brooks and studio time in the near future to lay down new tracks.
KING NINE... LONG ISLAND
Not as consistent with playing out live in more recent times...BUT their new one (a still untitled 11 song full length) is due out this Spring on Closed Casket Activities.
ENZIGURI... NEW YORK CITY
Independently released their 13 song “Uptown Boogie Down” full length in April of 2017 and are looking to drop their next release by this fall. 6 Pac Jon on guitar and Matt Monahan on bass have since joined the band since our interview in November of 2015.
REBELMATIC... NEW YORK CITY
One of the freshest sounds coming out of NYC today. Their 4 song “Eat The Monster” EP was released in August of 2017. Played 3 of the 4 songs from that EP live on Tru TV’s Chris Gethard show in September. Have frequently played Brooklyn’s AfroPunk Festival and are often found on bills throughout NYC.
ACHE... NEW YORK CITY
Since our July 2014 interview Ache has become a 5 piece adding a 2nd guitarist making their already heavy sound that much heavier. In December of 2016 Dead City Records released their 9 song “Fade Away” full length. Currently working on their next album which will be titled “Carpe Noctem” with 6 songs already written. Frequently play NYC shows with upcoming ones on April 6th with Kill Your Idols and on April 29th with ska greats Mephiskapheles.
OUT LIVE DEATH... LONG ISLAND
South Shore Long Island dudes who just put out a new full length (March 2018) with State Of Mind Recordings in the 12 song “Has The Past Taught Us Nothing”. Currently looking to fill one of their guitarist spots after their guitarist Lenny moved out of state.
POINT BLANK... NEW YORK CITY/LONG ISLAND
One of the most consistent bands in playing out of state shows from this group as they play up and down the East Coast on almost any given weekend. They feature long time NY scene vet Ken “KWE” Wagner on vocals and Danny Darella who played on the old Underdog 7”. After their May 5th show in Allentown, PA their guitarist Matt will leave the band and Danny switches over from bass to guitar. Not Like You Records released their 8 song “On The DL” release in May of 2016.
THE LAST STAND... NEW YORK CITY
4 piece who are all long-time NY scene vets including 3 quarters of the band Shutdown with 3 releases under their belts since their inception in 2010. Irish Voodoo Records released their 6 song “This Is Real” EP in June of 2017 and they are currently writing new material for its follow up.
A BREED APART... NEW YORK CITY
FUN live band that brings the ruckus playing that old NYHC style. Had drummer issues for a bit but now with a new one in place you should start seeing them in the mix again. “Working on new shit” as well.
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