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....
While there were 16 less games on the regular season schedule, this NBA playoffs has already been as exciting as the last few. Sadly, a few teams have lost key players and this will now have an effect on next NBA season. While that does suck, that's for another day.
The 8 remaining NBA teams provide a good mix of young and old players, and this should be a good race to the finals. A lot of analysts are picking Spurs/Thunder and Heat/Celtics from this crop of teams. While I do agree with the Heat and Celtics, I am not so sure that the Thunder will send the Lakers home from these playoffs.
I do think the Celtics will continue on against the Philadelphia 76ers and win that series in no more than 6 games. I only expect it to take them 5 though. Kevin Garnett has definitely come out of the hot tub time machine with a vengeance. I don't know how many people would have expected Garnett to be averaging 20 and 10 through the first 7 games of the playoffs. I do remember saying to a coworker at the beginning of the season that this schedule was built for teams like the Celtics and Spurs. All they had to do was make it through the season. Obviously with the Celtics you are rolling the dice on a lot of players staying healthy enough to win at least 11 more games. While I am not sure how realistic of a goal that is, I am certain they will give Miami or Indiana a run for their money. I do respect Philadelphia as a team and I do expect them to win a game or two in this series, but it is Boston's to win. Clearly Rajon Rondo is still a little bitter with the way things ended last season. If this is Kevin Garnett's last run, he's sure making it a good one.
Losing Chris Bosh was a bigger blow than some people may realize, but I still can't see the Pacers giving the Heat all that much trouble. I know they are a deep, well coached team, but after seeing them barely get by a depleted Magic team, I just can't see them giving the Heat much trouble. Even if Bosh is out for this series, I still the Heat winning it in five or six games at most. Unless of course Danny Granger can find a way to get into his groove. LeBron is clearly in beast mode now and I don't see many players slowing him down the rest of the way.
In the west, it's not quite as exciting as the East. When the Spurs are involved, it can never be as exciting as the other choice though I guess. That's just what they might do though, bore everyone to sleep en route to an NBA championship. Every year, the Spurs quietly seem to advance throughout the regular season and you never know what to expect from them. While they had the best record in the regular season and they have been dominant down the stretch, anything is possible in the playoffs. Obviously, the Spurs have every reason to be the favorite in the West this year, but as these playoffs have shown a lot can change over the course of one game. I do expect the Spurs to beat the Clippers in no more than five games though. I have talked a lot of trash about Blake Griffin and the Clippers this year. I would like to say however that my prediction in this series has nothing to do with hating on Griffin. If he were at 100%, I could see the Clippers giving the Spurs a serious run for their money. I don't think they would have enough to beat them at full strength though. The Clippers need another solid scorer and defender if they want to be a real threat over the next few years. This Lakers/Thunder series would already be a mini-NBA Finals even if it weren't for the Metta World Artest hype that is attached to it. Thanks in large part to a really horrible decision by MWP this series might be as watched as the NBA Finals itself. If the Spurs make the Finals, this series will probably double the Finals in TV ratings, too. I have seen quite a few predictions in the media and spoken to a few friends and most people seem to be picking the Thunder to win this series. The Thunder have a great young roster and Scott Brooks is one of the best coaches in the NBA currently. This team has been built out of the bottom-feeders that they were when they moved from Seattle a few years back. Since then, they have built their roster around Kevin Durant, adding great young players like Russell Westbrook, Serge Ibaka and James Harden to go along with solid veterans like Nick Collison, Derek Fisher, and Kendrick Perkins. I realize Perkins could easily be lumped in with the youngsters, but winning championships adds years of experience, or so I have heard. The Lakers on the other hand were built for these exact playoffs, and they all have been through this rodeo before. A couple of them have had a few good playoff runs that have ended WITH THEMCELEBRATING LIKE CHAMPIONS ... In 2008, the Grizzlies gift wrapped Pau Gasol to them and helped them start this current run. Then in 2009, after he lost with the Houston Rockets to LA in 7 games, Artest basically made it clear while the Lakers were beating the Nuggets and Magic that he was going to be in LA next season. Three years and two more championships later, here we are. The funny thing to me about this series is how evenly matched both teams really are in my opinion. Sure, the Thunder have a better bench (on paper) and a better point guard, but as I said before, experience goes a long way in these playoffs. The Lakers have enough experience to hand out to all the other remaining playoff teams. At the end of the day, there's going to be a lot of deciding factors for which team will make it into the next round. For the Thunder, I think they need to get out early and make it hard for LA to keep the pace. Russell Westbrook is one of the best point guards in the NBA and if he gets it going, LA could be bringing Steve Blake off the bench early and often in this series. Oklahoma City does have a deeper bench and if they can properly utilize it they could make this a difficult series for the Lake show. It will be interesting to see what Derek Fisher brings to the table in this series. Of course, this isn't the first time he has been to the playoffs without
the Lakers. It will however be his first time facing Kobe and the
Lakers in the playoffs. Have your Kleenex on hand for that. For the Lakers, they could make this a really easy series if they all show up and keep their elbows to themselves. I really can't think of too many teams that have a starting five that is as talented and experienced as that of the Lakers. Of course, you have to wonder if Ramon Sessions can keep up for a long run. He is the lone inexperienced member of the Lakers core. If Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol can play to their talents though, it really might not matter if Sessions is any better than mediocre during this series. If Gasol and Bynum are at the top of their games, the Thunder will not have enough depth to match inside and the Lakers will win this series in six games. Of course, I expect Bynum to take at least one game off during this series. I still think the Lakers can win this series though. Finally and most importantly, this series will depend very heavily on the existence of Metta World Peace. Most casual NBA fans know him now as they did in 2003, as a decent NBA player who has done some really nasty things when in the spotlight. While they are right in their assessment, there is a lot more to it than that. Just before MWP threw his elbow that knocked James Harden to the ground, he was experiencing one of the greatest stretches of his NBA career. We all know of MWP as a lockdown defender, but during the 7 games Kobe Bryant missed MWP averaged over 16 points per game, more than double his season average. He was well on his way to another great game before he threw that vicious elbow, too. Point being, he might not be the smartest or nicest player in the league but Metta World Peace possesses the intangibles that could put this Lakers team over the top. Of course, the same could be said about a few other members of this team. If his defense is on during this series, Kevin Durant will be in for a long series. Lakers in 7.
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....
