Where the Wild Things Were... NYHC!

(New York Skins)

There is something legendary and mythical about the New York Hardcore scene. A scene that revolutionized aspects of the hardcore style, and brought an element that you didn’t necessarily always find in the other upstart scenes of DC and Cali. There were larger than life characters, stories you would think only happen in the movies, and a realness and legitimacy to the lifestyle being lived by those involved. I was not around for the 80’s scene, and I grew up in Texas, so my view and opinion is purely subjective to what I have read or learned through others who were there or knew someone who had a good story and so forth. Just everything I have learned over the years in combination with a slew of landmark releases in the punk rock genre have made it a genre that I continually return to and always enjoy. 

Part of the appeal I think is the romanticization of the legit street lifestyle. In a lot of the US punk scenes, a high percentage of the youth getting involved were from the suburbs and were unhappy with the status quo (which is a good thing), but in NYC you had people who grew up in the Lower East Side before it was gentrified , you had people forced to be on the streets and living in squats, and fighting for a place to sleep, or sleeping in Thompkins square and having to deal with the real dangers that accompany their situation. 

( An angsty Suburban Punk)

For a lot of individuals involved in punk rock, they were fed up with their suburban life, so the imagery and struggle of street life seemed real and unmanufactured. Hearing the songs and the lyrics, and meeting these individuals provided an escape from a more mundane existence, and lets people grab a hold of something that wasn’t being forced fed to them but adults, authority figures, media and the commercialization of western culture. New York City was a cultural hub as well, and the centerpiece not just for the state of New York but for a number of surrounding states and there scenes. You had individuals from New Jersey, Connecticut and Pennsylvania all making their way into town for shows, and supporting the burgeoning scene. 

(Danny Diablo and the DMS Crew)

I love to sit around and hear the people from that generation share stories. I venture to the livewire-records board to read old stories form back then because it is fascinating. I don’t pose as if Im from the streets, hell I wouldn’t have lasted a week in the LES at that time, but that does not mean there isn’t something exciting about these extraordinary stories from people who historically helped to develop what you are a part of today. The negative side of the NYC some is that it spawned this “tough guy” image and encouraged a lot of people to flex their shit when there was no need to. It continued to open the door for more thugs who had no connection with the scene, and weren’t invested in helping to foster the community. This attitude spread to other cities and continues to this day, and now you have fake “crews” and “tough” individuals with really no real credentials, but just an inferiority complex and negative self-image that they mask with negative coping skills.

It is not as if the whole new York scene was completely responsible for this. Gangs were involved out in LA quite a bit, there were loads of racists always causing problems and punks have always had to brace themselves for violence from rednecks and jocks. The dangerous atmosphere was part of the intrigue of the scene. Going to a show was a community event, with awesomely aggressive music, and at times you had to make sure that you didn’t piss off the wrong person. The violence and toughness of the early scene seemed less forced, and more a part of the upbringing in contrast to the fake posturing you find a lot of today's members trying to mimic.

(Ritchie Underdog)

Its hard not to be fascinated with some of the people who have been involved, or stories about them. A lot of what I hear, I am uncertain of the full truth and validity, and at times it seems they are tall tales, but they make for a great conversation starter. One story in particular that stands out involves Ritchie Birkenhead, who played in YOT and sang for Underdog. There are a lot of great stories about Ritchie’s younger years, and my favorite involves him on his way to play a show, probably at CBGB or the Ritz. Along the way he is jumped, stabled with a screwdriver (possibly), proceeds to pound the shit out of his attackers, makes his way to the show and performs. Ritchie was known as a scraper from what I have gathered, and while playing with YOT on tour he would be the muscle to fend off racists, and others trying to start trouble with the very vocal group.

Another group of individuals that are shrouded in drama, street life, and awesomeness are the Cro-Mags. At the center of this groups shenanigans are John Joseph (aka Bloodclot) and Harley Flannigan. The Cromags released the seminal hardcore album, “The Age of Quarrel”. The combination of pounding riffs, crossover sensibilities, street awareness, and hare Krishna combined for one of the most genre defining musical outputs. Not too far afterward, internal strife amongst members caused shifts in lineup changes, sound and consistency in performance. The feud between Harley and Bloodclot is legendary in the scene, and continued well into the 00’s, with the Internet serving as a catalyst for amazingly incoherent rants, threats, accusations and overall WWF styled call-outs. I believe Harley at one time threatened to stab JJ with an Aids-infected dirty syringe. The Cro-Mags put out a set of demo's and really only one album worth having, but that album alone has solidified their position in NYHC history, that in combination with their antics. Over the years they have released a number of other releases that are layered with cheesy metallic stylings, and unlistenable vocals by Harley Flannigan who took responsibility when JJ parted ways.

(JJ and Harley)

So what is the NYHC sound? What makes it different than bands from Boston like SSD or the Midwest like Negative Approach? In the early 80’s, not too much, but that changed over time. Early on there was no defined sound except the fast and aggressive hardcore that was coming out at the time. In the late 80’s, you started to see a trend  forming amongst the NYHC bands. The Cromags, Agnostic Front, and Warzone paved the way early on for a tougher sound, combing the power of hardcore with some of the sheer heaviness of metal. In the late 80’s bands like Raw Deal, Breakdown, Madball and Outburst popped up which took those building blocks and added some more groove (influenced by the emerging hip-hop scene) and brought more of a focus on tough mosh parts (which this wave did extremely well). This is what I associate with the NYHC sound. Through the 90’s and into the 2000’s this is what is now associated with the “tough guy” or “mosh” bands. 25 ta life, Crown of Thornz/Skarhead, Bulldoze, Vietnam, Boxcutter, and Fury of Five all helped to further the thuggish image and popularized that attitude amongst the scene.

(Ray and Porcell rockin in)

On the other side of the fence, the mid to late 80;s also was a breeding ground for a more positive brand of hardcore. Propelled by a bunch of Connecticut upstarts and Revelation Records, “Youth Crew”, or “Posi” Straight Edge bands became a force within the scene, and the movement soon spread through the nation due to the message, and energy of the bands involved. . Influenced by the positive hardcore of 7 seconds and the DC straight edge scene, NYC became a stronghold due to bands like Youth of Today, Bold, Gorilla Biscuits and the general revelation records scene. Youth Crew was definitely not the first hardcore style to popularize the idea of straight edge within the scene. DC is the birthplace, with Cali and Boston helping to popularize the drug free lifestyle. Youth of Today did what many thought was impossible and created a thriving SxE scene in NYC. They also helped to introduce the idea of vegetarianism, which has become a prominent theme in punk rock since.

(Me! You! Youth Crew!)

The Youth Crew bands played side by side with other NYHC bands at the time, no matter the style, and overall it seemed like a pretty unified scene through all the different groups. That differs from today( in a national scene kinda way) to where it seems every styles stays within its clique to a degree. What did separate the Youth Crew from the more street oriented bands was their demographic. They were mostly from middle class families, dressed in a jockish fashion (Nike High Tops, Crewcuts, and Champion Hoodies) and thematically focused on different topics. Despite all these differences, you would find bands like YOT and Gorilla Biscuits sharing the stage and hanging out with Agnostic Front or Warzone. There was a mutual respect and enjoyment of what everyone was bringing to the scene at the time.

(Walter Schreifels)

NYHC has such a rich history, and New York City has always been a hotbed for upcoming styles, culture and societal trends, so its no shock that punk rock developed there and progressed even further. You have bands who have gone on to do some pretty big things. Sick of it All and Agnostic Front have huge following all over the world, and have toured relentlessly over the years, and you have many members of NYHC going onto different musical projects that bring them more into the national spotlight. That is no better exemplified than by Walter Schreifels who played in Youth of Today, Gorilla Biscuits, and subbed in many others during his tenure in the scene and has gone on to gain more popularity with Quicksand, CIV, Rival Schools and his solo work. What is shocking though is the decline of NYC being a breeding ground for hardcore. After the 1990's it seemed to slow down quite a bit. I am sure they still have some great bands, and some of the older ones are still trucking along. Outside of a handful of bands I cannot really think of any up and coming hardcore bands breaking out of the NYC scene. We have had a resurgence of older bands doing reunions and making a "comeback", the youth crew bands and a lot of the classic NYHC bands have definitely jumped on the resurgence of their popularity in the younger scene. While I love to a see a reunion (when it is done well, and feels genuine), I would really like to see a scene being built on the current state of hardcore. I know there are many great scenes across the country, and maybe NYC doesnt need to be at the forefront. 

With the advent of this Revelation Records 25^th anniversary show, The Abused and Breakdown playing Chaos in Tejas, and Outburst playing the Black n Blue bowl this year, I figure it would be appropriate to share a little of the NYHC love with the world. This mix contains 40 of my favorite NYHC bands and you can see how they all mesh together, and at the time the diversity is very present. Murphys Law, Burn, Token Entry, Born Against, and so forth are all bands that bring something unique to the NYHC sound, I am by no means an expert, but a fan who loves to  stagedive and highfive.If you find yourself interested in hearing more, these are the top 10 releases that I feel helped to define the genre and remain classic and amazing records to this day.

NYHC Favorite 10 Records  

1. Agnostic Front - Victim in Pain LP

2. Cro-Mags - Age of Quarrel
3. Youth of Today - Break Down the Walls

4. Murphys Law - S/T
5. The Abused - Loud and Clear

6. Warzone - Dont Forget the Struggle, Dont Forget the Streets

7. Raw Deal - Demos

8. Judge - New York Crew

9. Breakdown - Demos

10. Antidote - Thou Shalt Not Kill

Link: SFMTC Vol 16 - Where the Wild Things Were... NYHC.rar

SFMTC Vol. 16 - Where the Wild Things Were... NYHC!!

01. Alone in the Crowd - Is Anybody There

02. Lifes Blood - Left Me Behind

03. Maximum Penalty -Time Flies Fast

04. Warzone  - Fuck Your Attitude

05. Sick of it All - Pushed Too Far

06. Judge - Hear Me

07. Murphys Law - Crucial BBQ

08. Urban Waste – Reject

09. Token Entry - The Edge

10. Citizens Arrest - Utopia

11. Side by Side -  Backfire

12. Agnostic Front - Blind Justice

13. American Standard - Without Asking Why

14. Burn -  Out of Time

15. Raw Deal – Backtrack

16. Youth of Today - Thinking Straight

17. Cro-Mags - Seekers of the Truth

18. Born Against – Eulogy

19. Underdog - Over the Edge

20. Beyond - Save Ourselves

21. Absolution - Dead And Gone

22. Crumsuckers – Trapped

23. Breakdown - Don't Give Up

24. Straight Ahead - Right Idea

25. Bold – You’re the Friend I Don't Need

26. AbombAnation -  Disinherit

27. Rest In Pieces - Be Prepared

28. Leeway - Enforcer (Demo)

29. The Mob -  Step Forward

30. Project X - Where It Ends

31. Antidote - Life As One

32. Outburst - Thin Ice

33. Altercation - Friends Like These (demo)

34. Cause for Alarm -  Cheaters And The Cheated

35. Kraut – Onward

36. Gorilla Biscuits - Time Flies

37. Sheer Terror - Not Giving Up

38. The Abused – Senseless

39. True Colors - Sold My Soul

40. Our Gang -  Something to Say