I love New York Hardcore. Over the last 15 years, I have had many ups and downs and a lot of people and ideas have come and gone for me. One thing that has always remained constant for me is my love for classic New York Hardcore bands. It is really several factors that have led to this music becoming a soundtrack for me for the better part of my life. The first bands that really got it started for me were Gorilla Biscuits and Agnostic Front. Add the Bad Brains and Cro Mags and you pretty much have my favorite bands in one group. It would be great if all four bands shared a bill at some point. Anyway, I got a lot of great releases on cassette and CD at Record Theatre in Midtown Plaza when I was 15 years old. Among them were Youth of Today- Can't Close My Eyes and Agnostic Front- Live at CBGB. While I had been listening to a lot of Minor Threat and Gorilla Biscuits that summer, these two bands sealed the deal for me. They took the hardcore attitude and made it sound really HARD. Well maybe not YOT as much on their later releases, but man that first EP...I would listen to AF's Live at CBGB CD several times over the next few months, before I finally picked up the "Cause For Alarm/Victim In Pain" CD at Fantastic Records that Christmas. I had found the perfect band for me. Here I was, a 16 year old kid without much guidance and with a neighborhood full of freaks and drugs at my disposal (I grew up a stones throw away from Oxford Square on Monroe Avenue) and yet I turned to this hardcore lifestyle to carry me for the next several years. It made sense and it was really fun seeking out new bands in a time when the internet was only in its earlier stages. Agnostic Front had broken up for the first few years when I was into the scene, so I didn't get the chance to see them for a year or two. I missed the first show they played in this area, partly because I was 16 and rides weren't always easy to come by. I would also like to think that I would not have traveled anywhere at that time for a bill that had One King Down and Earth Crisis on it, even if AF were playing. Those chugga chugga bands weren't really my thing back then. The first time I saw AF came as kind of a surprise to me. I remember they were on the 1999 Warped Tour, but I recall thinking they weren't supposed to play the Buffalo date. They did and it was awesome. It was one of the few times I remember stage diving at the Warped Tour. Not only that, but this is my favorite Warped Tour memory and I will never forget it...7 Seconds was doing one of their tri-annual reunion tours on Warped that summer. I watched them play, which was really fun and positive of course. Then, Agnostic Front was playing on the other small stage on the other side of the park. They were starting right as 7 Seconds was ending for some stupid reason. I rushed across the park right as Pennywise was covering Misfits on the main stage. I got over there right as AF was busting into Victim in Pain. That was the last Warped Tour I ever attended. I can't imagine a better Warped experience. I would go on to see AF a few more times over the next five years, never in Rochester though. I saw them at the Nation in DC in 2001 at the Superbowl of Hardcore. That show could be a whole blog in itself. Bad Brains were the headliner and they only got through a couple songs before the cops came onstage to inform everyone that the show was being shut down. It was shut down because someone got stabbed during Agnostic Front's set, or at least that's what I heard. That's the thing about all of these New York Hardcore bands, they "don't look for trouble, sometimes trouble finds you." Freddy Madball wrote that and it can be said of a lot of these New York bands, or most hardcore bands for that matter. I am not saying that anyone encourages violence or especially for anyone to bring weapons into shows like that, but when you have that many angry people in one room, it's not always going to be a walk in the park. Anyway, I don't remember seeing anyone get stabbed during that AF set in DC, but it was a pretty wild and fun set. I remember right at the beginning of their set, Timmy from No Justice and some other unkown wild man each dove off monitors in a synchronized manner almost. Those things had to have been 10-15 feet off the ground. Those dudes were nuts. When AF got back together, they released two albums basically within a year of each other. I really enjoyed both of these records. When Something's Gotta Give came out, I timed my voicemail perfectly so I would stop talking right as Roger says "It's me or you and Something's Gotta Give." That intro still makes me want to punch holes through walls. I would go on to see AF a few more times in Buffalo and Albany mostly. During those years, I booked hundreds of solid hardcore shows. I got a chance to book most of my favorite bands that I was into during those years. I never got the opportunity to bring Agnostic Front to Rochester. It never really came up for me. I never booked Madball either now that I think about it. I guess you can't book every good Hardcore band. Anyway, I know AF played here when I was a toddler, but I am very excited to finally be able to see them in my hometown. When I saw them at the Black N Blue Bowl in NYC last year, they were still the same exciting band live. I tip my hat to these guys for carrying the torch for this many years. Very few individuals can say that they have lived and breathed hardcore for it's entire existence. To think that AF is still going from city to city and giving young people a chance to see them for the first time is inspiring for this old hardcore kid. So, as this title states AGNOSTIC FRONT ARE PLAYING AT DUB LAND UNDERGROUND JUNE 29! For me, this will be a great night, celebrating new and old hardcore bands. Also on the bill are locals DEATH CAMP, THE WEIGHT WE CARRY, FORKED TONGUES, and Buffalo's CHOSEN ONES. There's info on the EVENT PAGE on advance tickets. The last local hardcore shows that sold out were because I booked them in small venues. This show could legitimately sell out. Agnostic Front are touring celebrating and promoting a lot as always. First, there's the STIGMA ASG GUITAR for guitar nerds and NYHC collectors alike. Then, there's the perfectly timed BRIDGE 9 REISSUE OF LIVE AT CBGBs...I have heard they have been playing this set live. I just might grab the mic at the right time and say "There's a lot of people that aren't going to see tomorrow if they keep fucking around." In case I didn't already make it perfectly clear, I am extremely excited about this show. Over the last few years, I haven't been just active enough to stay interested in hardcore through the apocalypse. Thanks to bands like Agnostic Front for making that possible. If I get around to it, I am going to try to reprint an old interview I did with Roger after they played Warped in 1999....
I love New York Hardcore. Over the last 15 years, I have had many ups and downs and a lot of people and ideas have come and gone for me. One thing that has always remained constant for me is my love for classic New York Hardcore bands. It is really several factors that have led to this music becoming a soundtrack for me for the better part of my life. The first bands that really got it started for me were Gorilla Biscuits and Agnostic Front. Add the Bad Brains and Cro Mags and you pretty much have my favorite bands in one group. It would be great if all four bands shared a bill at some point. Anyway, I got a lot of great releases on cassette and CD at Record Theatre in Midtown Plaza when I was 15 years old. Among them were Youth of Today- Can't Close My Eyes and Agnostic Front- Live at CBGB. While I had been listening to a lot of Minor Threat and Gorilla Biscuits that summer, these two bands sealed the deal for me. They took the hardcore attitude and made it sound really HARD. Well maybe not YOT as much on their later releases, but man that first EP...I would listen to AF's Live at CBGB CD several times over the next few months, before I finally picked up the "Cause For Alarm/Victim In Pain" CD at Fantastic Records that Christmas. I had found the perfect band for me. Here I was, a 16 year old kid without much guidance and with a neighborhood full of freaks and drugs at my disposal (I grew up a stones throw away from Oxford Square on Monroe Avenue) and yet I turned to this hardcore lifestyle to carry me for the next several years. It made sense and it was really fun seeking out new bands in a time when the internet was only in its earlier stages. Agnostic Front had broken up for the first few years when I was into the scene, so I didn't get the chance to see them for a year or two. I missed the first show they played in this area, partly because I was 16 and rides weren't always easy to come by. I would also like to think that I would not have traveled anywhere at that time for a bill that had One King Down and Earth Crisis on it, even if AF were playing. Those chugga chugga bands weren't really my thing back then. The first time I saw AF came as kind of a surprise to me. I remember they were on the 1999 Warped Tour, but I recall thinking they weren't supposed to play the Buffalo date. They did and it was awesome. It was one of the few times I remember stage diving at the Warped Tour. Not only that, but this is my favorite Warped Tour memory and I will never forget it...7 Seconds was doing one of their tri-annual reunion tours on Warped that summer. I watched them play, which was really fun and positive of course. Then, Agnostic Front was playing on the other small stage on the other side of the park. They were starting right as 7 Seconds was ending for some stupid reason. I rushed across the park right as Pennywise was covering Misfits on the main stage. I got over there right as AF was busting into Victim in Pain. That was the last Warped Tour I ever attended. I can't imagine a better Warped experience. I would go on to see AF a few more times over the next five years, never in Rochester though. I saw them at the Nation in DC in 2001 at the Superbowl of Hardcore. That show could be a whole blog in itself. Bad Brains were the headliner and they only got through a couple songs before the cops came onstage to inform everyone that the show was being shut down. It was shut down because someone got stabbed during Agnostic Front's set, or at least that's what I heard. That's the thing about all of these New York Hardcore bands, they "don't look for trouble, sometimes trouble finds you." Freddy Madball wrote that and it can be said of a lot of these New York bands, or most hardcore bands for that matter. I am not saying that anyone encourages violence or especially for anyone to bring weapons into shows like that, but when you have that many angry people in one room, it's not always going to be a walk in the park. Anyway, I don't remember seeing anyone get stabbed during that AF set in DC, but it was a pretty wild and fun set. I remember right at the beginning of their set, Timmy from No Justice and some other unkown wild man each dove off monitors in a synchronized manner almost. Those things had to have been 10-15 feet off the ground. Those dudes were nuts. When AF got back together, they released two albums basically within a year of each other. I really enjoyed both of these records. When Something's Gotta Give came out, I timed my voicemail perfectly so I would stop talking right as Roger says "It's me or you and Something's Gotta Give." That intro still makes me want to punch holes through walls. I would go on to see AF a few more times in Buffalo and Albany mostly. During those years, I booked hundreds of solid hardcore shows. I got a chance to book most of my favorite bands that I was into during those years. I never got the opportunity to bring Agnostic Front to Rochester. It never really came up for me. I never booked Madball either now that I think about it. I guess you can't book every good Hardcore band. Anyway, I know AF played here when I was a toddler, but I am very excited to finally be able to see them in my hometown. When I saw them at the Black N Blue Bowl in NYC last year, they were still the same exciting band live. I tip my hat to these guys for carrying the torch for this many years. Very few individuals can say that they have lived and breathed hardcore for it's entire existence. To think that AF is still going from city to city and giving young people a chance to see them for the first time is inspiring for this old hardcore kid. So, as this title states AGNOSTIC FRONT ARE PLAYING AT DUB LAND UNDERGROUND JUNE 29! For me, this will be a great night, celebrating new and old hardcore bands. Also on the bill are locals DEATH CAMP, THE WEIGHT WE CARRY, FORKED TONGUES, and Buffalo's CHOSEN ONES. There's info on the EVENT PAGE on advance tickets. The last local hardcore shows that sold out were because I booked them in small venues. This show could legitimately sell out. Agnostic Front are touring celebrating and promoting a lot as always. First, there's the STIGMA ASG GUITAR for guitar nerds and NYHC collectors alike. Then, there's the perfectly timed BRIDGE 9 REISSUE OF LIVE AT CBGBs...I have heard they have been playing this set live. I just might grab the mic at the right time and say "There's a lot of people that aren't going to see tomorrow if they keep fucking around." In case I didn't already make it perfectly clear, I am extremely excited about this show. Over the last few years, I haven't been just active enough to stay interested in hardcore through the apocalypse. Thanks to bands like Agnostic Front for making that possible. If I get around to it, I am going to try to reprint an old interview I did with Roger after they played Warped in 1999....
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