Graphics by: Bas Spierings

Just a little over 2 weeks ago Josh Derr hit me up with the idea for this article you are about to check out. These types of articles that mix in numerous bands generally take forever to complete and I initially thought that there would be not enough time before Father's day hit. The questions were quickly thrown together at a backyard barbeque that had a bunch of hardcore people at and about 15 minutes later Josh was interviewing the first 3 people for this piece. The ball got rolling pretty fast after that and the number of interviews snowballed on us as most everyone we asked who was a “hardcore dad” wanted in. Today is Father’s Day 2017 and this article is dedicated to all good dads everywhere. Shout out to those moms as well!  Many thanks to all who took part in sharing a little piece of their personal lives here and to Josh for coming up with the concept for this article and for pushing me towards it when the clock was ticking.

The questions asked at each interview were:

 

1: How many kids do you have and how old are they?

2: What do they think of hardcore music/and your band?

2A:How old were they when they first saw you live?

3: What is your top proud dad moment or moments?

4: They say you’ll do anything for your kids. What’s the sappiest or least “hardcore” thing you have done?

5: What would be your ideal or best Father’s Day gift this year? 

VINCE SPINA- GUITAR- EDGEWISE

1: I have one daughter and she is 24.

 

2: Well she loves hardcore, and I guess she likes Edgewise. She's been going to shows for a while… some of her favorite bands are All Out War, AFI, and Foundation.

 

2A: She was probably 24 since we just got back together recently. She missed our first couple shows, but she's gotten to see us in the past year.

 

3: Probably when she graduated from college.

 

4: Well it never actually happened, but she's really into history and there was a point when she was in elementary school that I was ready to become a Civil War reenactor because she was too young to be on the battlefield. I was fine with it, but it never materialized. Actually I have a better answer than that. I'm not Caitlin's biological father, and her biological father wasn't really around, but recently he came back around when her biological grandfather passed away. We were leaving somewhere we had seen her biological father, and I guess he had tried to interact with her but she wasn't really having it. Then later we were at a 7-11 and we were talking about it and she said “What do I need him for, I already have a dad.” So yeah, we had this crazy moment in some 7-11.

 

5: Probably just hang out. Make sure she comes over, have my wife Anne here and just hang out, that's it.

 

WATCH: EDGEWISE

MIKE SCORE- VOCALS- ALL OUT WAR

1: I have two kids. Jillian is 8 and Matthew is 5.

 

2: They've grown up in a hardcore/metal household, so for them, it's very normal. Their mom, Michelle, was in a band and listens to punk/hardcore, so between the two of us they have had plenty of exposure. Both kids love it, but I don't think they have any idea that it's not the norm or how special it is. They like mommy's band better than daddy's band. 

 

2A: Both kids have seen plenty of videos, but never live. I plan to change all that at This Is Hardcore this year. Joe puts on a great event and I think that will be the best way to break them in. There's plenty of action both inside and out to keep their interest. We've decided that's the best show to permanently corrupt them.

 

3: There are so many, but I will say when my daughter really started to want me to teach her how to play baseball and told me how much she loved that time together and when my son told me his favorite song was “Iron Man” by Black Sabbath. He has no idea the song is not about the super hero. 

 

4: Again, that's a daily thing and there are so many corny things we all do as parents. I cried when they were both born and I dressed as the Tin Man for Halloween once. 

 

5: I told them I wanted skull rings and a Discharge shirt, but I'm pretty sure I'm getting a tie and some finger paintings. I'll be happy either way.

 

WATCH: ALL OUT WAR

MIKE GALLO- BASS- AGNOSTIC FRONT

1: I have one daughter. She will be 2 in September.

 

2: She's pretty young. I don't really know what she thinks of it right now. But she's never complained when I put it on.

 

2A: Rosie's first show was Cocksparrer, Black Flag and Agnostic Front. in Asbury Park New Jersey at Punk Rock Bowling. Not bad for a first show. She was ten months old.

 

3: Well like I said before, she is still really young… not even two years old yet so I'd have to say that my proudest moment was when she was born. It's definitely a pretty intense experience. I'm sure as she gets older more of these moments will come about.

 

4: I guess singing Barney songs to her. That's not too hardcore but yes I would do anything for her and I'm sure there will be more cheesy stuff I'll do for the love of her.

 

5: Unfortunately I won't be home on Father's Day this year. So for me if it was possible to spend time with my baby and my girl that would be the best gift.

 

WATCH: AGNOSTIC FRONT

RICH O’BRIEN- VOCALS- DARKSIDE NYC

1: I have 3 daughters: 19,18 and 8.


2: They've known me to play in bands their entire lives, but I have no idea what they think. I don't ever make any kind of big deal about it. Most of the places I play are real fucking dumps and dives; not really family-friendly. My older kids listened to a lot of different stuff growing up. We raised ‘em on "good music", but never made it mandatory or dressed ‘em up in mini metal or punk outfits. It was always "if you wanna wear the shirt, ‘ya gotta know the albums", haha! They like DRI and the Zero Boys a lot. We took them to see AC/DC and Slayer when they were real young. They've been to hardcore shows at CB's before it closed. My youngest is really into punk and oi! which is fuckin hilarious. She loves The Business and Cock Sparrer. I wonder what her teacher would think if she ever heard her singing her favorites: "Drinking and driving is so much fun", or "put ‘em up against the wall and shoot ‘em". 

2A: I had my wife bring my two older kids to an Agnostic Front show at CBGB’s around 2005. The older one was into it and had me put her on my shoulders and go toward the front to see better. The other was complaining about the smell and how loud it was. And don't judge me… they had earplugs. The following year they came to see me play drums with Everyday Dollars. They climbed up to that little platform in the corner and had the best seats in the house. The band right after us was of the "tough-guy/beatdown" variety. As they began their set, the singer starts bellowing into the mic for "ALL YOU MUTHERFUCKERS MOVE THE FUCK UP!!" Really going on about it for like a full minute. At this point we're by the front door with equipment, and one of my daughters goes "what if no one wants to move up... because they suck?" I was dying.

Last year, I had my little one and it was the same day of that big Dr. Know benefit in Tompkins Square Park. So I just took her. She bugged out hard on a bunch of drunk crusties trying to kick down a fence, haha. There were actually a lot of kids and most of them looked bored as hell! Their parents dragged then out in a 90-degree heat to watch fuckin bands. I know I was bribing mine with playground breaks and ice cream. At one point, Tim Chunks from Token Entry thanked all the people for bringing their kids, "the future of hardcore". I looked around at dozens of kids all playing with phones and thought "no way-it dies here" hahaha!

3: I have a lot of proud dad moments. My kids are all smart and super-talented. All high achievers in school. We spent a lot of our nights and weekends shuttling back and forth to award ceremonies, school jazz band performances, swim meets, track meets, dance recitals, parades, soccer games, lacrosse games. This is in direct contrast to how I was at their ages, by the way.

4: I've watched every cartoon, every kid movie, done theme parks, played with dolls, slept with pink stuffed animals for pillows-you name it. I suppose I could have sat around "being hardcore" and "representing the real" instead, but then I would have missed out on a lot of precious moments. Time flies, and you don't get too many second chances in this life. 

5: Last year, we went hiking in the Palisades, by the State Line Lookout and ended up crossing these giant boulders along the shore. Then these giant steps all the way back up the cliff. We took a couple of breaks. Right under the main viewing area there are hawks flying all around. That was a really cool day. I'm ambivalent about gifts; I can buy my own shit. Hanging out, spending time and doing stuff with the family is what's important. 

 

WATCH: DARKSIDE NYC

JOE AFFE- GUITAR- MAXIMUM PENALTY

1: Just one my daughter, Julianna who is 9.

 

2: She’s been to shows since she was young…This Is Hardcore Fest and random MP shows.  She understood that they were loud and crowded and loved it. It really wasn’t till the Dr. Know Benefit in Tompkins Square Park last year where I could see that she really got into it! Won’t stop taking about it… millions of questions!

 

2A: We had her with us at the Black ‘N Blue Bowl at Webster Hall in 2011 when she was 4.

 

3: That’s a toss-up. It would have to be when she received high honors in science two years in a row or when she mastered the length of an Olympic sized swimming pool by herself!

 

4: I can’t keep count with this one, there are so many. She has a big heart like me! Aside from the countless tea parties we’ve enjoyed together… the most “un-hardcore” would have to be letting her paint my nails to match the dogs!

 

5: Boba Fett socks!

 

WATCH: MAXIMUM PENALTY

"CREATURE"- VOCALS- REBELMATIC

 

 

1: Two kids. My boy is 5 and my daughter is 3.

 

2: They seem to like some songs. My son always says “you're going to band practice?”

 

2A: My son saw me live when he was one year old and my daughter will see me perform for the first time this Father's Day at Punk Island at Randall’s Island.

 

3: A top moment is when I cut the umbilical cord for both of my babies and I held them in my arms for the first time. Besides that, hearing them say daddy the first time.

 

4: The sappiest would be painting my face and sing silly children songs with them but I would do that in front of the hardest dudes… Any day!

 

5: The best gift would be them seeing me perform. 

 

WATCH: REBELMATIC

CHRIS WRENN- OWNER- BRIDGE NINE RECORDS

1: I have one daughter, Georgia. She'll be 6 in July.

 

2: She has mixed opinions about the kind of music that I release, she seems to like (or at least tolerate) some of the heavy stuff, but has gravitated towards Candy Hearts, a decisively not-heavy, poppy band that I've released a few records for.

 

2A: Since I run a label and I'm not in a band she's never seen me perform in front of people, but she's spent plenty of time at the office and even has her own work desk next to mine. It's not nearly as exciting but she has a lot of art supplies to work with.

 

3: Where do you even start?  So many things. From seeing her in the perfect outfit she picks out herself in the morning, to watching her run into her classroom (if it's a school day) or going on an adventure after school or on the weekend. Learning with her, watching her try things for the first time. Letting her read to me before she goes to bed at night and seeing her progress.

 

4: Oh, you name it. I sing everything to her, for starters. We skip across streets holding hands, if she asks me to do my best ballerina twirl for her, I don't care if I'm in the middle of a grocery store, I'll do it. I'd probably have been mortified watching myself before having a daughter, but none of that matters. I want her to laugh, but I also don't want her to care about what other people think.

 

5: Just a nice experience. The hand-made gifts and cards are adorable and a bonus (especially now when she's spelling everything phonetically), but just going out and spending the day together doing something new and fun is all that matters.  

 

CHECK IT: BRIDGE NINE RECORDS

GREG- BASS- REASON TO FIGHT

1: I have 2 kids, my daughter, Devyn, is 7 and a half years old and her brother, Declan is almost 1 and a half.

 

2: My daughter Devyn gets it. She knows my band and recognizes our songs. She's been wearing Reason To Fight shirts since she was born. Her Nana Sue in England even knitted her a Reason To Fight wool sweater that she would always wear to day care. She can do a great hardcore singing voice and slam dances in the kitchen to our songs, Wisdom In Chains and Madball. But, she really likes The Interrupters, The Bouncing Souls, Beastie Boys, and anything acoustic or reggae. My son, Declan just jumps up and down and does a good hardcore vocal/Cookie Monster impression. 
 

2A: Since both me and my wife work full-time and I have been booking shows for the last 15 years. My daughter was coming to work with me and helping me set up shows in a car seat since birth. Then my wife would pick her up on her way home, before the music started. She was about 6 months old the first time she saw me play a matinee. At this point she has been to shows all over Providence and at The Middle East and Midway Cafe in Boston and I brought her down to the Dr. Know benefit at Tompkins Square Park in NYC last year. So she has seen Token Entry, Breakdown, Cro-Mags, Antidote and Maximum Penalty at a hardcore matinee in NYC. Which is pretty cool for a 7 year old. My son's first show was this March at the House of Blues in Boston. We got to open for Dropkick Murphy's and the Interrupters and I didn't want them to miss it. They were both on the side of the stage the whole time, with their giant head phones, loving every second. 
 

3: There's so many proud father moments so far. The first ones that come to mind are when I hear the stories my daughter tells about me at school. She sees me as a rock ‘n roll plumbing version of Batman. She had to tell the class what her parents do for a living. She said, "My dad helps his friends and hurts bad people and strangers, then he rocks with his band every night." The first time she was able to read one of her books to me was one. The latest thing I was really proud of was when she learned how to swim across the pool that I take her to underwater. The week before she wouldn't even put her head under. When I asked how she learned to do it, she said, "I just felt brave tonight dad." Also she is always telling me how she stands up to bullies who were picking on her or smaller kids at school. And she is not afraid to speak her mind. I will never be mad at her for defending herself or her friends. My son is still young, but he impresses us every day. He was walking at 8 and a half months and I have video of him climbing a 6' ladder at 10 months old. He's fearless. As much as I love the cuteness of these first few years, I can't wait to watch him grow into a man. 
 

4: There's not much that I wouldn't do for my kids. And I think that's pretty hardcore in itself, even if it's dancing to Taylor Swift at the father/daughter dance or taking her clothes shopping. They come first. Parenthood is a powerful force. It changes the way you think and how you view the world. The biggest sacrifice I've made was giving up drinking almost 7 years ago to be a better father. It's hard enough waking up early on Saturday morning to play with the kids after working all week, then playing a show on a Friday night. I didn't want to be that miserable hungover dad, who was too sick or tired to have fun with them on my only days off. Or worse… death or jail. 
 

5: Every night when I get home from work, I get a huge pig pile hug from both kids. And I make sure I tell them that I love them daily, and I get it right back, so everyday feels like Father's Day. So I'll either take them to the aquarium, zoo, or out on a boat. Then we'll probably come home and cook a big meal. That would be more than enough.

 

WATCH: REASON TO FIGHT

MYK- VOCALS- TWO MAN ADVANTAGE

1: I have one son, Vladimir, age 15.

 

2: Vlad loves punk, metal and some ska. He loves the band (Two Man Advantage) and comes to shows often. He jumps on stage with us as often as we will allow him and if we aren’t careful he will take the mic’s from myself or Drunk Bastard in a heartbeat.

 

2A. Technically, he was inutero. My wife came to a show we did at a record store while she was pregnant. He probably saw us for the first time when he was 3-ish. We did an outside show at Tompkins Square Park and he played in the playground next to the stage. We got him a set of those big airport style headphones.

 

3: Of course, when he was born. But in reality, he never ceases to amaze me. He is such a kind hearted kid. He sees the best in people, almost to a fault. I was proud when he played his first hockey game, and then volunteered to play goalie when the team’s regular guy didn’t show up. Now he is a goalie on his high school team. I was proud of his deciding to play lacrosse, a sport I personally was not a fan of. It really showed him stepping out and becoming his own man and making his own choices and life paths. I am proud seeing him walk into a show and stepping away to talk to people, not just tailing me around. They really are all best moments. They are achievements in growing up and becoming your own person. Ultimately, my best dad moment is knowing I helped (mom does all the important lifting, school, homework, etc) raise a quality person who very likely is going to be a better human than I am.

 

4: My son isn’t into a lot of stuff that would fall under the “sappy” realm. He likes wrestling, video games, horror movies, hockey, lacrosse and punk rock. I guess, all time, would probably go back to when he was much younger. I have been to Sesame Street Live, Sesame Place, The Wiggles Live and I am sure a couple I have forgotten. We tend to do a lot of geeky things together. Toy stores, conventions Live Comicon, and video game swap meets. I am not into video games personally, but I guess that is something I do often for him as he still isn’t old enough to drive. Let’s put it this way, the guys at the local vintage game store all know me by name.

 

5: Well, that is a loaded question if I have ever seen one. The answer is of course to be with your family. If you want to know what weird item would be perfect, it would be some vintage Star Wars toy, a Nightmare Before Christmas item or one of the few original Our Army At War comics I am missing. Yes, I’m a geek past the punk rock world.

 

WATCH: TWO MAN ADVANTAGE

ARMAND MAJIDI- DRUMS- SICK OF IT ALL

1: Two, my son is 18 and my daughter is 16.

 

2: It's more of a curiosity than anything.  They're fascinated sometimes by how people lose their minds at shows, but they don't appreciate the aggression of the music.  The more melodic Sick of it All songs are the only ones they've ever showed any fondness for. The screaming bums them out.

 

2A: My son was a little over a year old, when we played Jersey on the “Life On The Ropes” tour back in '99. He looked like he was hypnotized and I was surprised the show held his attention for as long as it did. My daughter saw us first at the Glass House in Pomona, CA when she was 3, but she was more interested in the pool table backstage.

 

3: I don't have one moment that jumps to mind, besides the days they were born, but I'm reminded all the time of how proud I am of them by looking at the big picture. Any time they drive me nuts with this or that, and I think how rough I have it, I step back and thank my lucky stars that I'm actually blessed with two genuinely good, honest, intelligent kids.  

 

4: Sorry, but I can't think of one really embarrassing moment to tell you about.  My family life is one long, un-hardcore sappiness - we speak to each other pretty often in a weird, kind of special language, but that's just us at home. The kids like it for the most part, unless it's in front of their friends!

 

5: A vacation and beer, which is what I'm getting!  A trip upstate with the whole fam, staying right next to a good microbrewery. I just wish the kids could drink with us, like in Europe!

 

WATCH: SICK OF IT ALL

SCOTT EARTH- VOCALS- SILENCE EQUALS DEATH

1: Just one. Cooper, he is 10 years old.

 

2: He’s not a huge hardcore fan. I always say that I’m kind of happy about that because then he’s having a good life and has no need for aggressive music screaming about personal problems and injustice. He likes some of our songs. We record at my house and he was here with his friend while we were recording a new song and they were dancing around the room saying “we actually like this one!” Haha!

 

2A: He was 3. We got him some cool headphones that my wife said Gwyneth Paltrow uses for her kids.

 

3: He’s an amazingly compassionate kid. Always wants to give money to charity or the homeless and not only cares about animals but chooses to remain vegetarian even though I allow him to make his own choices.

 

4: His best friend was having a birthday party and they wanted me to dress up as a clown. So, I did!

 

5: When I was younger we didn’t have much money and I always felt bad I couldn’t buy my parents gifts. My mother used to tell me it meant more when I would make a card for her. I never believed it until I had my own kid. Whatever he takes the time to make me always means the world to me.

 

WATCH: SILENCE EQUALS DEATH

LORD SETT 13- VOCALS-

THE BAD LUCK 13 RIOT EXTRAVAGANZA

 

1: I have 3 daughters – 19, 16 and 11.

 

2: They like being known for having the cool dad who's in a hardcore band.

 

2A: The first one was 12 years old after Hellfest was cancelled and we played the Troc for the first time. The other 2 were when we played This is Hardcore in 2014.

 

3. Well, I really don't know. I can't pick one.

 

4: My sappiest moment was that Fall Out Boy was playing the Liacouras Center and I had to take all my daughters. The highlight of Fall Out Boy was seeing Mikey X get on stage and sing, and I said “Look another hardcore kid at this Fall Out Boy concert.” So yeah, I had to sit through that horrible music with my daughters.

 

5: I once got a new 9mm handgun.

 

WATCH: THE BAD LUCK 13

TIM MCMAHON- VOCALS- SEARCH

1: I have three kids, my first is my son Trevor, he’s 14, my second is my daughter Taryn, she’s 10 and my third is my son Travis, he’s 5.

 

2: They’re all aware of my band/bands and hardcore music and I’m sure out of respect for their dad, tell me they like my bands, but they certainly don’t listen to the music on their own. They’re young kids, they don’t have any friends that are into hardcore and at this point it doesn’t have much of a relevance to them, so I totally understand. I’ve never tried shoving hardcore or my bands down their throats. If they take interest in it on their own, I’m happy to talk to them about it and share anything with them, but it’s not something I’d ever force on them.

 

2A: My first son, Trevor, was born in 2003 and I started my fourth band, Triple Threat in 2004. I know Trevor was at our first show with Insted, so he was a year old. Obviously he was just a baby and we had him wear ear protection and kept him in the back of the club. My daughter was born in 2007, I don’t recall exactly which show was her first, but I do remember bringing her to the last show for The First Step and she was a baby. Again, like Trevor, we kept her off to the side of the stage and with ear protection and I remember her sleeping throughout the set. My son Travis was born in 2011 and I really can’t remember what his first show was. I’m going to guess that it was one of the Mouthpiece reunion shows we played, but I don’t recall the specific show. These days, unless it’s super convenient, we don’t really bother taking the kids to shows with us. Sometimes one of them might ask to come to a show I’m playing with Search and if it’s doable, I’ll bring them, but generally it’s much easier to just let them stay with the grandparents on show nights.

 

3: My oldest son, Trevor, asks questions once in a while and I love that he cares enough to ask. I remember him asking me what it was that I liked about Youth Of Today so much and why were they such an important band to me. He sees me wear the shirts, he hears them played in the car, he’s met and hung out with both Ray and Porcell and their kids, so he’s got a unique perspective on the whole thing. I think he respects it and that’s enough to make me proud.

 

4: I try to do things for my kids every day, even if its little things, they all count and kids cherish those moments, just like I do. My youngest, Travis, might ask me to go jump on the trampoline in our back yard with him and I’ll do it every time. If he cares enough to ask me, it’s the least I can do. My daughter Taryn, will often ask me to take her for bike rides. Again, I’m happy to do it and I know she enjoys the one on one time with me, so I’ll rarely say no. As for my oldest, Trevor, he’s way into video games. I don’t play video games at all and generally have zero interest in them, but if he wants to talk to me about them, I will tune in and pay attention to every word. I will ask questions and give feedback as much as he wants. Like I said, it’s the little things that count. They know I love them and they know I’d do anything for them, but having three kids, it’s easy for one to not get the attention another is getting, so I really try and make it a point to share the attention as equally as I can.

 

5: Not sure that I have an ideal Father's Day gift. Usually I just hang with the family, maybe go to breakfast or dinner. This year, for the first time in 14 years, my wife and I are leaving the kids with their grandparents and we're spending the weekend in Philly together. We'll go to dinner, do a few touristy type things, just get away.

 

LISTEN: SEARCH

WES FORTIER- GUITAR- DEATH THREAT, CROWNS OF KINGS

1: I have 3 kids. My oldest boy, Lennon is 9, my daughter Hazel is 6, and my youngest boy, Cain, just turned 2. 

2: I don't think they think about it much haha. I've tried to show them some videos on the internet, they've seen me play live a couple times, but I don't think they really get what I do... they want to listen to Bruno Mars, and the Moana soundtrack. Lennon's favorite band is Imagine Dragons, and Hazel knows just about every word to every pop song she's ever heard. She's similar to me in that regard. I couldn't tell you where my other shoe is right now, but I can remember every word to a song I haven't heard in 20 years. 

2A: Lennon was 3, and he came to see Death Threat play with Supertouch, and Call It Arson at the Webster Underground in Hartford. The first time Hazel saw Death Threat was at the Bushwick Block Party in 2013 that we played with Action Bronson in Brooklyn, NY.  They also both saw Crowns Of Kings soon after that. At one point I handed the microphone off to Hazel to sing "let it go" haha. Cain has yet to see us. Hopefully soon!

3: It's hard to say... there are a lot of great moments. I really like seeing them work hard at what they want to do. Lennon plays hockey, baseball, and does jujitsu and MMA. Hazel does dance, gymnastics, cheerleading, and baseball. Cain runs around the house all day with a hockey stick shooting balls and yelling "goal" haha. The 2 older kids are both doing great in school, and truly care about people around them. They're the first ones to notice if there's something wrong, and try to help. They're really good kids.  


4: Oh, there's a full list! Haha. Hazel will watch these dance videos where she mimics what the people are doing during the songs. I have done this with her on multiple occasions, usually to make her laugh. Whatever it takes! 

5: I can't really think of anything I want or need... if they let me sleep late, and the sun is out it would be a bonus, but I've heard rumors that I may be getting a grill haha. Total dad gift!

 

WATCH: DEATH THREAT

JOSH BOTTOMLEY- GUITAR- CHEECH

1: I have two kids, a daughter, Madison, who is 3-years old and a son, Brayden, who is 4 and a half months old.

 

2: My daughter thinks it’s too loud, haha. She asks to hear my music then I put it on and she says, “No daddy, not the loud ones.” She also doesn’t hear the vocals as a voice, just a noise. She says, “When’s the singing coming in?” I tell her “He [Brad] is singing.” And she says “No he isn’t!” My son is too young for that…well, he’s heard it, but can’t give his opinion just yet.

 

2A: Both are too young for hardcore shows, though my daughter could probably go now. Maybe next time we do an all ages. Sometimes she likes when I play guitar in the house, but usually she just asks me to stop because she can’t hear her TV show. Sometimes I’ll play along to a cartoon theme song, like Doc McStuffins, thinking that will get her more into it, but she says “No daddy, Doc sings this song.” My son loves when I play for him, but it’s always unplugged and chill, not a full-on CHEECH set.

 

3: This is so hard to answer because there are so many. I love when they try something, fail, and try again until they accomplish the goal. That could be my son rolling over, or my daughter opening a magic marker. It doesn’t matter what it is, just that they didn’t give up and that they feel that sense of accomplishment at the end. But my real proudest moments are seeing my daughter be polite to people without my wife and I telling her to be. Asking “please” and saying “thank you” for things. Showing empathy when others are hurt or sad and being genuinely appreciative of the gifts she receives. Of course, she has her tantrum/selfish moments, (she IS only three), but overall she is very kind and caring and willing to share, and I think those are the best possible personality traits my wife and I can pass down to the next generation of humanity.

 

4: Again, so hard to answer, because there are so many! I know that there are pictures and/or video of me with bows in my hair, or wearing some silly necklace, or doing some dumb dance. But all of it is to make my kids happy, so I don’t care, as long as they aren’t posted online! It’s funny though because hardcore isn’t just an adolescent game anymore. I know so many people in bands that have kids that have all done the same stupid things for their children at some point. When I had my first kid, I felt like I became part of that club. Now I’ll go to a show and be swapping potty-training stories with other hardcore/punk/metal dudes and ladies and don’t think anything of it.

 

5: I’m pretty easy. A hug, a card and a few hours of uninterrupted time to get some projects in my house finished and I am good.

 

LISTEN: CHEECH

JOE SONGCO- DRUMS- OUTBURST

1: My wife and I have been blessed with two children. Parker: 12 and his little sister Halen is 9.

 

2: Parker's got the punk rock gene. He likes Green Day, Korn and Metallica and he gets exposed to punk and hardcore through osmosis as he spends a lot of time in the car with me, listening to whatever I put on. Halen is a girly girl who loves Z-100 music like Ariana Grande, Taylor Swift and Hailee Steinfeld but she does like Paramore, so maybe there's hope for her yet.

 

2A: They have only seen You Tube clips of Outburst, never seen the real thing...yet.

 

3: I spend a lot of time playing basketball with Parker in the yard so I love whenever he throws a nice looking pass (most kids his age don't pass) or makes a strong move to score in one of his youth league games. Halen is on her way to being a heck of a dancer and just this past spring she won first place and received the highest score for 12 and under dancers in a recent competition.

 

4: For Parker's 12th birthday, I stood outside of Best Buy in the freezing cold for 3 hours with him for a midnight release of the Nintendo Switch console. I looked around and saw a number of dads doing the same thing so that made me feel good about myself but we were all surrounded and far outnumbered by much younger video gaming fans. That made me feel pretty middle-aged. For Halen, I once took her on a daddy-daughter date to see the Broadway show "Beautiful" which is based on the life of Carole King. So there I am singing along with the audience to "You've Got A Friend" and Halen whispers to me "I know this song from (Disney Channel show) Austin & Ally. And I was like "Oh yeah, they sure did sing that, didn't they". Carole King is tried and true New York, but not very hardcore.

 

5: Time. That's more valuable than any gift wrapped socks, underwear or cologne. There will come a day where they'll ask me to drop them off at the mall so they can walk around with their friends. That's when it all starts, so it's super important to me to spend time with them on Father's Day. Gotta cherish it, you know?

 

LISTEN: OUTBURST

STEVE DELLA CROCE- GUITAR- THE LAST STAND

Thanks Chris for including me in this. Special thanks to my wife, Stephanie, because not only did she make me a dad she is an amazing and fun mom who teaches our kids about having fun, being artistic, and becoming good people.

 

1: We have 2 kids, Charlie is 7 and Rosie is 5.

 

2: My kids love music in general, almost anything that comes on gets them dancing. I know they like hardcore and heavy music because we have videos of them each singing TLS songs, Shutdown songs, Agnostic Front (“Gotta Go”), plus lots of other punk and heavy bands. I give all the credit to my wife, Stephanie because she is a music lover and she is constantly exposing our kids to new music, singing and dancing with them, even making a dance routine for Charlie's school talent show. He's starting to play drums now (his choice), thanks to Uncle Jimmy McCormack (my drummer) for giving him the drum set.

 

2A: Charlie was about 4 when he saw me play for the first time. They've both seen videos of me though. Hopefully, we'll get Rosie to a show this year. 

 

3: Proud dad moments happen all the time so it’s hard to narrow down, but anytime I see one of them helping another kid without being told to usually gets me. Charlie once saw his cousin choking and knew right away to get me and help him. Rosie is a lovable kid and she's always hugging her friends at school. I'm proud that they're sweet kids who like being around people because my wife and I grew up being very shy. 

 

4: Sappy stuff usually goes along with having a daughter. I'm pretty sure she's put makeup on me (not goth either) and she's always putting clips in my hair. I don't even try to fight it, she's pretty convincing when she wants to be.

 

5: Not sure what the ideal gift would be because I'm not big on gifts for myself but it would be great if we could play a show and have my kids there with Jimmy and Dion's (my bandmates) kids too. We get to have all the families together at parties and the kids have a good time together. Would be nice to have them at more shows together. 

 

LISTEN: THE LAST STAND

KEN WAGNER- VOCALS- POINT BLANK

 

1: I have two kids. My daughter Kayla will be 16 and my son Kyle will be 14. Both have birthdays at the end of this month.

 

2/2A: As far as my band they haven't seen me live but have watched the band's YouTube vids and they think I'm crazy HA! My daughter recently said I'm not in a real band unless I'm on iTunes. Well I showed her… we are now up on iTunes, she smiled...Both of them bought Point Blank sweatshirts and rep them to school all the time.

 

3: Both of my kids are doing very well in school, high honors and I'm very proud of that.

 

4: When my daughter was like 4 she was having a hard time sleeping in her new bed, so I used to sleep next to her on the floor until she feel sleep.

 

5: I am not big on buying gifts. When my kids were younger and they made me something I appreciated and cherished it more than anything. These days we just spend the day together. 

 

WATCH: POINT BLANK

GARY MUTTLEY- BASS- BILLY CLUB SANDWICH

1: I have three kids... Lucas and Emma are twins and they are 11, and Sophia is 10.


2: When they were younger they didn't really understand it, they just thought it was cool that daddy played music. Now they're getting to that age where they are like a sponge with information and they ask a lot of questions about the band, the music... they ask about the meanings of the songs… which can get a little messy with some of our songs haha. It’s crazy how nowadays kids are exposed to new music through YouTube and the internet. Because of that they don't necessarily think about genres so they just like what they like. Alice Cooper, Metallica, Queen, the Ramones, pop music, classic rock.

2A: They've only come out to one show so far when they were very small. We played at a beach club for the Bronx Underground. I had my kids there, Martin had his kids, Phil Irate had his son there too. It was like family day. My kids just ran around in the grass in the back and watched us play. It was fun. Sometime soon I'll get them out to see the band again. In the meantime they watch the videos of us on YouTube... sometimes they see them before I do.

3: I have those moments almost constantly at this age so it's impossible to pick one. I'm proud to see that each of them has developed in their own direction. Lucas is into technology, he knows how to do a lot with computers and set up TV’s and things like that. Emma is very creative with art and writing but is also into science and special science projects. And Sophia loves sports, she plays baseball and basketball and she likes watching UFC and wrestling with me. Oh and they beat my ass in fighting games like Mortal Kombat, should I be proud of that?

4: Nothing too crazy... probably figuring out some pop songs on guitar because they asked me to. Or sitting with the girls watching “Monster High” movies (and falling asleep).

5: I'd like them to pay MY way at Dave & Busters for a day and see how it feels hahaha. Seriously I'm not a gift guy, so I'd just be happy to have them around and do something fun, whether it’s an arcade or an amusement park or something like that.

 

WATCH: BILLY CLUB SANDWICH

RUSS IGLAY (UNDERDOG) & SON. PHOTO BY: MATTIS PHOTO

RIZ FAROOQI- GUITAR- DAGGER

1: We’re a one and done kinda family. One. That’s it. Forever. She’s 5 and a half now. 

 

2: She’s totally not into it. She isn’t into heavy stuff AT ALL. I joke around with my friends and say that I only got into heavy music because my own life was such a mess. So the fact that she’s not into heavy music must mean we’ve been raising her right! Haha…the day she actually likes heavy music I’m going to have to sit her down and ask her what’s going on in her life! 

 

2A: My daughter was about 18 months old the first time she saw us. Us being my previous band King Ly Chee. It was cool because I brought her out on stage at one of China’s biggest music festivals called MIDI that we were playing at. I think when we were playing there must’ve been about 1000 people and she loved every moment of it. 
 

3: Has nothing to do with music. My favorite moments are always when she does something that she’s been working on for months and then finally is able to do it all on her own. Like a couple months ago she was finally able to use the big kid swings on her own near where we live here in Hong Kong and I was stoked! She has a very independent spirit so lives for the times when she is able to do things on her own without adult help. I think another thing that makes me proud is that she is a mixed race child - I’m Pakistani and my wife is Chinese - and so it’s really cool that she revels in being part of these two cultures. She currently attends a Christian school but we’re Muslim, so it’s pretty cool to see her, at this young age, grapple with something as complex as religion. She’s already trying to figure it all out and figure out what she believes. 
 

4: Singing fucking Taylor Swift or Miley Cyrus with her in the car at the top of our lungs on our way to school every morning. EVERY. MORNING. 
 

5: For real? A clean fucking house. This girl just doesn’t have it in her to clean up after herself.

 

LISTEN: DAGGER

BAS SPIERINGS- IN EFFECT GRAPHICS LORD

1: I am married to a lovely wife, Natasja and we have 2 kids. A boy who is 17 years, his name is Robin, who actually is from another marriage Natasja had. I came into his life when he was 1. I consider him as my own son. Besides Robin we have a daughter who is 14 years named Leiah (after a Swedish emo-core band). 

 

2: My son isn't into music at all. Sometimes he listens to some techno or the radio but that's it. He is a Playstation fan and spends a lot of time playing games. My daughter is into music a lot, just not into hardcore. Her favorite music is dance music and hip hop. She is a street dancer and loves doing that. But sometimes suddenly she sings a long with some noise bands like Tool, Pennywise, Foo Fighters or Soundgarden.

 

2A: I am organizing my first Smelt Hardcore Party on the 10th of June. Smelt is an idea I had for a few years. I live near the town of Den Bosch (Netherlands). Between 1988 and 2000 there was a big hardcore scene and the venue "Willem 2" was the place to be. I'm sure a lot of band members who did a European tour know this venue and have good memories. Nowadays this venue has more commercial programming and there is not much room for hardcore/punk. I stepped in and found in WSC Skatepark a venue who is perfect to help me with my ideas. It is a great venue for 300 people and includes a skatepark. Skateboarding and hardcore/punk together in one.. Who doesn't wanna play there? My daughter and some friends intend to be there. This will be an interesting evening cause none of them are into this music… they're supporting dad in this.

 

3: My son graduating from high school. In the Netherlands kids graduate at the age of 16 to 18, depends which college you are following. My son wants to work with animals, in a zoo or a shelter. An honest and grateful job. I am proud he is so loving towards animals. So that was a great moment. I was very proud of him.

 

4: In the Netherlands/ Belgium we have a girl act called "K3", they make the worst music but every small girl is a big fan.. We went 2 times. I survived.

 

5: As a father I would be happy with a good car wash for my cars but The NYHC Chronicles Film package would be nice as well. 

PAUL TURANO- VOCALS- OUT LIVE DEATH

1: I have 2 kids and 2 more on the way. My daughter is 8 and my son is 7. My wife and I are expecting twins (a boy and a girl) on August. 2.

 

2: My kids are into the music. I wouldn’t call them super fans of it, but they get into it. They think the whole thing is cool and crazy in a good way.

 

2A: They haven’t seen me play live yet, but they have seen videos and they always laugh at me jumping around on stage and how the crowd dances. I can’t wait for them to see it in person.

 

3: My top proud dad moment for both of kids came at their kindergarten graduation. Yes, I know they are SUPPOSED to graduate from kindergarten, but when you see them growing up into caring, smart individuals and hearing it from their teachers, it makes me take a step back and just be grateful for all that they are. I also am super proud of my daughter on the soccer field and my son on the wrestling mat, because I know how hard they work at it and when their hard work pays off, it really lights me up.

 

4: The least hardcore thing that we do in my house is our Friday night dance parties. The music is anything but hardcore. They show me the new moves, I show them some of the old ones and we just have a good time. Sprinkle in a slow dance here and there and it’s a good night. I love seeing them laugh so, not that it’s hard, but I will go out of my way to make an ass out of myself.

 

5: Well, they are big into buying mugs. They bought a mug for my ex-wife, my current wife and I got one last year. So I kind of hinted I didn’t need one of those. Since their mother and I are divorced and they split the time between the 2 houses, I think the best gift would be just having them there and playing some wiffle-ball or hanging at the beach.

 

LISTEN: OUT LIVE DEATH

MATT SMITH- GUITAR- NATION OF WOLVES

1: I have a daughter who is 20 months, and one that will be born in about 2 months.

 

2: She doesn't respond well to hardcore music in the car, she cries until I put on her songs. So she's not much of a fan yet!

 

2A: They have not seen me live yet.

 

3: So far just witnessing my daughter's birth.

 

4: I took my daughter to see Raffy at the Keswick Theater. Raffy is a children's singer who has been around since the 70's - in fact my wife actually grew up listening to him. It's children's folk music, but it's definitely not “cool”. However, I will say that I saw another dad at the concert with an 'X' tattoo on his neck and a Civ- “Set Your Goals” shirt so it's definitely our generation taking our kids to see music they like.

 

5: Honestly right now just being with my daughter, and if she lets me kiss her because she's in a phase where she'll push me away and say “No Dada.” But if she says she loves me that’s all I need.

 

LISTEN: NATION OF WOLVES

JOE STANLEY- VOCALS-  DEPARTED

1. Just one 2 year old girl named Violet. 

 

2: She seems to be into it. Bobs her head to it. Imitates me singing, pretends to mosh. 
 

2A: Haha 3 months old at the East Coast Tsunami Fest. 

 

3. I don’t know there are so many. She's at the age where she's learning new stuff every day but the one that comes to mind is, we were at a coffee shop and this man that had a disability probably due to a stroke wanted to buy her a cookie. He said little girl really loud and to a kid that’s probably scary. He held the cookie out and she looked at me for approval and went up to him and said her version of thank you. 2 points there , #1 she checked with me first because her gut told her to question if it was ok to go up to someone she didn't know. #2 she didn't shy away from the guy for having a disability, she treated him the same as everyone else. I thought to myself maybe I am teaching her well.
 

4. I carried a giant stuffed unicorn to the car. 
 

5. Everyday is a gift for me. She's with me all the time and I wouldn't want it any other way. But one thing I'm looking forward to is her seeing me perform at This Is Hardcore.

 

LISTEN: DEPARTED

PIERRE PELBU- VOCALS- KNUCKLEDUST

1: I have two little blessings, my daughter who is 7 and my son who is soon to be 1.

 

2: To be honest I'm not sure what my daughter thinks of hardcore music or my band. I feel she's still too young to watch our music videos due to the violence. My son seems to love all music. As soon as he hears it he's bopping his head.

2A: They haven't seen me on stage yet.

3: I'm proud of everything my kids are, do, and have done but especially my daughter's open mindedness to new foods that I expose her to.

4: I love going wild at soft play centers with my daughter. Always have fun and I have no shame, haha!

 

5: My kids are the best gift I could ever ask for so I feel truly blessed.

 

WATCH: KNUCKLEDUST

JOHN “JOHNNY WASTE” KELLY- GUITAR- URBAN WASTE

1: I have two sons, John is 18 years old and Christian is 10yrs old.

 

2: My youngest says "hardcore" is okay in his book. He also likes my band and the messages we express in our music. My older son thinks that it’s awesome that I have something I'm passionate about. He also finds it impressive that I have been doing it for so long. It isn't his favorite music but he can definitely appreciate it.

 

2A: John was 11 years old the first time. He saw us at the Knitting Factory in 2010. Christian saw us at Tompkins Square Park in 2014, he was 7years old. We also practice at my house, so they see or hear us live at least once a week.

 

3: Proud moments are anytime the three of us are together doing something fun or productive. Whether it's working on a project around the house, going to a ball-game or exploring the world. We're always learning from each other, and whenever my kids learn something new that I taught them, there's no prouder moment than that.

 

4: I'm golden, both kids couldn't think of one damn thing! Oh, and they're smart too!

 

5: Good weather, great food and being together with family. Happy Father's Day to you Chris, and to all the other great dads out there too, cheers!

 

LISTEN: URBAN WASTE

JOSHUA LATSHAW- GUITAR- BOY SETS FIRE

1: Three… Jonah is 23, Emerson is 17, and Eli is 12.

2: Jonah grew up with Boy Sets Fire so he was and is a huge fan. Em only cares when I can say I played with pop stars at the same festival- one time I got her a Macklemore autograph and she was stoked. Eli is a thug who likes that Molly Percocet song- mumble rap.

2A: Jonah used to come to shows in a car seat- so pretty young. Eli and Em would come to the “important shows” if they can get in backstage and get good catering.

3: Jonah and I are in a metal band called Supreme Ritual so every time we play a show is pretty awesome! Eli and Em are always performing in dance so there are a ton of proud moments.

4: Being a “dance dad” helping out backstage at a nutcracker is very weird for me!

5: Oh Mrs. Latshaw knows what I want! (Pictured here: Eli, Joshua, and Emerson)

 

WATCH: BOY SETS FIRE

FREDDY CRICIEN- VOCALS- MADBALL

1: I have two wonderful children. My son Is 5 and my daughter is 1. Shout out to their mom, my love and better half, for giving birth to them! Also, holding down the fort when I'm gone! 

 

2: Neither of them are into hardcore per se….they both just love music in general. I don't sit around and listen to tons and tons of hardcore. When I do, my little one starts banging her head… my son did the same thing when he was her age! Pretty funny - it's totally unprompted, just a natural reaction to the heavier stuff… hardcore, punk, etc. I’m not sure what they think about Madball. I think they like it? Maybe they're just being polite. They certainly like the Ramones and the Clash, haha!

 

 

2A: My son was a year and half… 2 maybe? I brought him out to a BNB Bowl we played, then again when he was a little older… he's been to a couple shows. He liked it but he was tired. It was getting late… I could see it on his face. My daughter has not seen me live yet. When I'm writing songs… coming up with vocal ideas or even riffs and singing them into my phone, she'll sometimes get involved. It's pretty hilarious so I'm curious to see her reaction. My son writes as well… he's got hooks for days! 

 

3: Not to sound mushy, but man I have proud dad moments from when I wake up to when I go to bed… with both my children. They make me proud and I really learn from them! Too many moments to name. 

 

4: That hardcore shit goes out the window with your kids. I'd do anything for them… who wouldn't? When it comes to your children all bets are off… in both the most positive way and "negative".  I'll cry, laugh, be goofy with them… whatever. No shame in my game. Also though, you mess with them, it's going to get as hardcore as it can possibly get. That goes for anyone. But yeah man I'm mushy, sappy…all that. They're my world. It's just what it is. 

 

5: Just to be with my family and maybe a coffee mug… haha! 

 

WATCH: MADBALL