I recently had the good fortune to publish a book, written by my old friend Lewis Dimmick. It's a 66 page tome with personal anecdotes of growing up in NYC & being into HC/Metal in the 1980's. Unlike other books about said subject matter, this one is not filled with facts & figures, it's focus is more of a literary approach to capturing a particular moment in time. He accomplishes this by using eloquent prose that at times reaches haiku-like levels in economy of delivery & precise wording with poetic sensibility. I could go on trying to describe it, but why don't I let the words speak for themselves. A huge debt of gratitude to Sean Taggart for drawing such an incredible work of art for the cover.The following is a couple of excerpts from the book. If you like what you read, please pick it up here in full: http://wardancerecords.bigcartel.com/product/this-music-by-lewis-dimmick
EXCERPTS:
Victim In Pain III An explosion rocks the Lower East Side of New York City. Manhole covers blow clear. Rats scatter through the streets. The bursting intro chord that begins the title track to Agnostic Front's Victim in Pain never fails to jolt the system. It's raw and dirty, as New York City was back then, not slick and polished, as New York City is now, as hardcore records are now. It's genius songwriting, though the playing is ordinary; it's clear that what made it onto vinyl is the entirety of the band's capabilities; it's clear they possessed exactly what was needed and no more, which is to say that on this record they achieved the maximum outcome possible with what little they had; they took what little they had and shaped into greatness.
Going Off Walking to the Pyramid Club, I bumped into Jules, the singer for Side By Side. The conversation came around to the fact that Side By Side needed a bass player. I offered my services. "Do you go off when you play?" he immediately asked. Did I jump around a lot when I played? That's what he was asking. Did I jump high in the air when I played, pounding the air with my fist? Did I make psychotic faces when I played, demonized by the music's fury? Did I scream lyrics when I played, scream them straight down the crowd's throat? "Yea, I go off" I said. "You know, if I feel it, if the music moves me". One look at me and I'm sure he could tell I did not go off. I was shy and pudgy, fearful of dramatic movements. which tended to make my flab jiggle. We went our separate ways at The Pyramid Club and never spoke again.
This Music This music that amplified my life This music- this art that survives death, opposes death, that is the furious opposite of death.
This music. These roots. This tribe.
I walk through my silent house this music in my body.
There is a particular vibe of anguish & desperation found in Metal/HC/Punk recordings from South America in the 1980's. Peru's Curriculum Mortis released a demo in '88 called "Sentencia De Muerte"(Death Sentence), that stands among the most vital testaments to an era that most people do not remember or wish to forget.
I wrote the following liner notes to the recently released vinyl Lp reissue (only 500 made) of said demo, on Ultra-Sonido records. The 7 songs, clocking it at 30 minutes or so, manage to encapsulate a decade's worth of a dark chapter in the country's recent history. The obliterating trash metal attack slays everything in its path, bearing witness to a whirlwind maelstrom of events & a generation caught in its clutches.
"Life in Peru during the mid-1980's was a cauldron of simmering tensions threatening to push society over the edge. A Maoist inspired insurgent group promised to level the country into a killing field, Khmer Rouge style. The state's security apparatus responded in kind, through a scorched earth policy, a catch-22 scenario of killing the patient to cure the disease. Teenagers growing up in the capital of Lima had few outlets to channel the overwhelming dread of those times. The worldwide Trash Metal explosion coupled with the more extreme HC/Punk sounds provided a source of inspiration; a way to exorcise the doom & destruction via the creation of their own apocalyptic noise. This wasn't easy, in a country with limited resources: a lack of equipment, indifferent studio engineers, frequent power outages, antagonistic adults/peers & the all-too real possibility of being "mistakenly" shot by the army or the police. It is to Curriculum Mortis credit that in spite of all these obstacles, they succeeded in creating such a vital document. The title of the demo, Sentencia De Muerte, takes on a morbid literal meaning. End times were here; society would either be destroyed or irrevocably altered during the year of zero. The pummeling rhythm section, howling guitar riffs & the agonizing vocals reflect dark days. Listen closely & you'll hear the executioner's song heralding the end of this life/death sentence" Freddy Alva 2012
I recently got a chance to work with my friend Richard Nossar's band, Peruvian Psych/Doom merchants DON JUAN MATUS. A split 7" was just released with legendary 80's Lima Metal/Hard Rock band OXIDO. There's not too much info in english regarding OXIDO, so I decided to write up a brief history along with some questions answered by guitarist & founding member Javier Mosquera.
Pick up the split 7" here, only 300 copies pressed. http://wardancerecords.bigcartel.com/product/oxido-don-juan-matus-split-7
OXIDO started in 1982, founded by 4 teenagers growing up in Lima, Peru. Taking their name, meaning Rust in english, from Judas Priest's cover of Joan Baezs' "Diamonds & Rust". They are heavily influenced by the hard rock sounds of AC/DC, Van Halen/Kiss. The idea is to make a band that combines the dark vibe of Black Sabbath, the potency of Deep Purple/Led Zeppelin & the romanticism of Uriah Heep. First rehearsals consist of acoustic guitars, plastic drums held together with cellophane & rotating musical chairs. By 1983 the line-up has solidified into Fernando De La Flor on vocals, Javier Mosquera on guitar, Jorge (CoCo) Cortes on bass & German Vegas on drums. Their live debut later that year, at a 20-bands festival, lasts approximately 20 seconds due to time constraints. The band continues playing alongside a wide variety of bands, like the Punks in LEUZEMIA, Commercial Rockers FRAGIL, Jazz fusioners MADERO JAZZ & the reformed 70's hard rockers PAX. They go into LOS SHAINS/PAX guitar hero Pico Aguirre's studio to record demos that end up being broadcast over a local Lima Rock station. Towards the end of '84, their vocalist leaves & is replaced by Reynaldo "Culebra" Linares. His magnetic stage presence & potent vocal style is soon overshadowed by increasing dictatorial demands like only singing songs he wrote & insisting the band wear matching outfits onstage, something the other members vehemently oppose.
In 1985, the band parts ways due to divergent views on musical direction, some opt for a heavier sound & others want a more progressive rock style. They soon dissolve & form new bands according to their chosen musical path, but not without first influencing a whole new generation of loud/heavy sonic purveyors, like the Tuesta brothers, who would go on to form MASACRE & kickstart the Heavy Metal scene in Peru.
Flash forward to now, OXIDO are back in 2012 with new recordings/concerts, but I'll let guitarist Javier Mosquera fill you in on the details:
When did the band dissolve & why was nothing released until now?
The band parted ways in late '85. Nothing came out on vinyl in those days because it was very difficult & expensive for us too record anything. We had all just finished school, no one had a job & live appearances were minimal. A lot different than today's readily available recording technology. We did do some (poorly) recorded demos & when we started doing better ones, through experience gained in the studio, we were already breaking up.
The song on the split 7"(Angel De La Muerte) is an old song, when was it re-recorded?
The song is from '84. I think Coco Cortes should remember the exact date, since he composed it. We re-recorded it in march/april of 2012 & finished the mixing when Coco came back to Peru for a concert of his band, MAZO.
You guys are considered the pioneers of Heavy Metal in Peru, what do you think of that term?
I think that the pioneers of Heavy Metal were MASACRE. We played a heavy basic rock style with some Metal elements thrown in on the later songs we wrote. I think we were more in line with being one of the first bands that picked up the legacy of such Peruvian greats like PAX & TARKUS, both heavy rock bands from the 70's. There were few bands playing that style in those years ('83-'84) & we were lucky to play with some heavyweights from the rock scene. Credit goes to people like Hector Cobos, who booked concerts for us with such diverse bands as LEUZEMIA, TV COLOR, PAX etc..
Oxido in 1984
What other groups did you & the other members start after Oxido's breakup?
When we broke up, Coco Cortes started POLVAZO & GRAEL. He later played in TORTURA & KRANIUM & lastly formed MAZO. Myself & the drummer started the progressive Rock band ERA. I then joined DHARMA & ORGUS for brief periods. I formed ALMAS IMMORTALES next & then joined progressive outfit APULUZ in '89-90. Me & the singer launched Oxido in the mid 90's with Giovani Viale on drums & later 2 members of MAZO (Julio 'Naka' Almeida & Billy Astete) replacing German & Coco, but for various reasons, discontinued in '98. I then formed an experimental project called PROTOZOARIO & then lastly started EL VIEJO in 2002, that band lasted until 2011. Oxido played again in 2000 with the bassist of EL VIEJO, Jose Mejia. We've been recording & playing out as of late with all original members except for Coco Cortes, who's been replaced by Orlando Del Carpio from the band RULA.
Do you feel that Oxido is part of a Rock n Roll tradition in Peru, starting with bands like LOS SAICOS in the 60's, TARKUS/PAX in the 70's & you guys in the 80's?
I think that, without planning it, there came to be a dry spell of hard rock in Lima. We were part of the beginning of a movement that got stronger as the years went by with bands like ORGUS, MASACRE, JERUSALEN, MAZO, KRANIUM, SACRA, DHARMA & many more.
Oxido/Don Juan Matus Split 7" 2012 (Wardance/Basilica)
There's a CD coming out with all your old songs right? Are you playing out & planning more recordings?
Yes, that's were we're at. We have 7 songs finished, 3 more to go plus record 2 in a better fashion & re-arrange a couple of more. We are playing out & plan to organize a concert in a couple of months.
How did you get in contact with DON JUAN MATUS? Familiar with their material?
Yes, I know their stuff: heavy psychedelic vein. I played on a couple of songs with them. I got in touch with Richard Nossar/Manolo/Joaquin from DJM, who played together in those days.
Javier Mosquera: "(Metal/Hard Rock) is an alternate universe that allows a vibrational metamorphosis".
What are you up to these days in Peru?
I travel throughout the country doing topographical ground surveys, getting a chance to see a bit of the eco-biology. Also, trying to organize concerts with people related to the bands. I thank you & the guys from DON JUAN MATUS for promoting our material & also Hector Paez, who's supported us with recordings/rehearsals & facilitates in all aspects our work with Oxido.
What does Metal/Hard Rock mean to you now?
It's an alternate universe that allows a Vibrational Metamorphosis.
Thank you for the interview Javier. Rust never dies!
I caught Raw Power at my 1st ever HC show in 1985 @CBGB's & I've been a rabid fan of Punk/HC from that boot-shaped nation ever since. There's something about the way the Italian language, or its english pronunciation, that fits raw HC/Metal & Oi! like a glove: larynx-straining vocals over music threatening to derail at any given moment, were the most extreme sounds to me, long before the advent of Grindcore/Black Metal & what have you. This is a list of stuff that I consider the cream of the crop from that era, people that follow these sounds will know the records like the back of their hands (& then some).
This list is aimed at someone that has, at best, a passing familiarity with these incredible gems that have stood the test of time. Apart from a couple of personal comments for each record, the music will do all the talking, anyway you can find info about each particular band on the web. Speaking of which, most of these 7"s are available for download on the best music blog around http://www.goodbadmusic.com/
There is also a wonderful site, filled with tons of info on bands/labels/zines. Done by people that were there during those halcyon days, check it at: http://www.lovehate80.it/
Another great resource, not in english, but has downloads to just about every Italian band: http://www.accaci.org
So pop open a nice bottle of Chianti, lay out some al dente pasta w/Marinara sauce, blast the tunes & manga to your hearts content.
SHOTGUN SOLUTION- "Shotgun" Ep 1983.
I've sold a lot my records over the years, but there's no way I could let this puppy go: killer vocals, squealing guitar leads, insane subject matter (the song IKYCIMF is about a serial killer: I Keep Your Cunt In My Freezer) an over the top delivery make for a crushing ep. The back cover's great: 4 leather-clad punk/metal looking guys standing on a doorway (The Colosseum?)
CHAIN REACTION- "Gabbie" Ep 1985.
A furious 6-song gem that makes the best out of its zero production values, like most Italian HC ep's from that era. Proof positive that all you needed to come up with a scorcher was laser-like intensity of purpose, an incredibly angry singer & top-notch song-writing. Modern HC bands would do well to look to this as a blueprint/inspiration, but then again, you can't recreate such spontaneous brilliance.
NABAT- "Scenderemo Nelle Strade" Ep 1982
OI!, the bastard child of punk, was (& is) looked on unkindly in some quarters, the undeniable power of the tunes shines on this ep. These Skinheads from Bologna formed in 1979 & after various line-up changes managed to put out 2 7"s, an Lp & tracks on the classic TNT: Skins & Punks comp lp. I always loved their hard, classic sound comparable to the best British Oi! bands like Criminal Class, 4-Skins & The Oppressed.
NEGAZIONE- "Tutti Pazzi" Ep 1985
The title of this post: Tutti Pazzi, meaning "everybody crazy", can be found in this electrifying ep by a band that many in Europe credit with kick-starting the Hardcore explosion due to their relentless touring across the continent, spreading the loud & fast gospel. I was lucky to catch them in NY in 1990, even though by that time they were going in a more melodic rock direction, they still played the older stuff with conviction. The first 2 7''s & their side of the split tape w/Declino were compiled in the 90's as the "Wild Bunch" lp, but all their stuff is incredible: a singer that invokes Void/Die Kruezens vocals at their prime plus a band that can actually play their instruments, all the while not letting that get in the way of conjuring up raw & primal HC.
BULLDOZER- "Fallen Angel" Ep 1984
Italy also had a great metal scene during the 80's, with bands like Fingernails, Schizo, Ghost Rider, Necrodeath & these guys, with a mid-tempo killer blend of Motorhead/Venom metal-punk, years before that (marginal) sub-genre was coined. The artwork & lyrics scream classic dark metal subject matter, but I always loved the flipside to this 7", a song called "Another beer (is what I need)". Proving that killer riffage & inebriation go hand & hand the world over. Bulldozer are still around & have put out tons of records throughout the years.
RAW POWER- "Wop Hour" Ep 1985
My original inspiration for getting into HC a lo Italiano. I rushed to the record store after seeing them play & picked this bad boy up. In hindsight, this ep is a great midway point between the raw insanity of their '83 demo & the in your face brutality of the classic"Screams from the gutter" lp. The image of seeing them in '85 is indelibly etched in my memory; they came out looking more like a Van Halen cover band, with silk scarves, guitarist wearing spandex pants/huge hair & then they proceeded to destroy the place. Not giving a rat's ass about what a HC band is supposed to look like, letting the sonic fury speak volumes. I got the chance to revisit that experience in '98, before their guitarist & founding member Giuseppe, sadly passed away. Wop hour forever.
BASTA- "Non posso soportare questa sporca situazione" Ep 1983
This Oi! 7" always reminded me of the classic split lp by Combat 84/Last Resort. The menacing air of barely contained aggro fits the simple yet brutal tunes to a T, the singer's profile even looks like Last Resort's Roi Pearce on said lp. Other great Oi! bands from that era are Rough, Dioxina, Hope & Glory, Youth, Cani, the aforementioned Nabat & during the later part of the 80's, bands like Asociale & Klasse Kriminale took up the Boots & Braces banner with gusto. Check out the great Bootprints Across Italy comps.
CHEETAH CHROME MOTHERFUCKERS- "Furious Party" Ep 1985
I consider CCM, along with Raw Power & Negazione, the holy trinity of Italian HC. I love everything they did, from the raw recorded underwater feel of the "400 Fascists" 7", the split lp w/I Refuse It & their masterpiece, the out of this world "Into The Void" Lp. I just missed them when they played NY in '86, years later I became good friends with this guy from West Virginia, Java Dave, who drove them across the USA during that tour. He had nothing but good stuff to say about them: down to earth guys that lived & breathed the HC ethos, but became possessed once they got up on stage, with a manic singer who's antics earned them the tag "The Italian Germs".
UPSET NOISE- "Disperazione Nevrotica" Ep 1983
I picked this up in purely based on the label's Rome address printed on the back. It's a smoking 7" with the guitarist playing some cool harmony leads parts interspersed among the galloping trash. One can hear the crossover yet melodic direction that bands like Negazione would go on to during the later part of the 80s, their split 7" with Warfare is amazing as their '88 lp on TVOR.
WRETCHED/INDIGESTI- Split Ep 1982
This list would not be complete without the inclusion of Wretched, if Raw Power, Negazione & CCM are the holy trinity, then Wretched are like the primal, original Godhead source & shit. The energy of the out of control maelstrom contained on their 7"s & 12", could power a large metropolis. For added measure, I included the killer split with Indigesti who, on this recording, sound like the ideal adolescent HC band trashing around on their instruments, with a sound that could have easily fit on the classic US "Flex Your Head"comp.
These are my essential 10 platters, but tons of other 7"s could have been on here like the ones by Kobra, Stigmathe, Rough, Declino, Putrid Fever, Peggio Punx, I Deny, Nerorgasmo, Shocking TV, Fall Out, Reig, I Refuse It, Bed Boys, Underage, Rappresaglia, Cani, Disperazione, Upside... not to mention classic split ep's by Impact/Eu's Arse, Warfare/Upset Noise, Irah/Stalag 17...
Ok, what the hell, I have to include 1 more to my list, the granddaddy of Italian punk: the Hitler SS/Tampax split 7". This record has reached cult status due to its inclusion in the Killed By Death series. It's sloppy, raw, offensive '77 punk that laid the groundwork for the insanity to come. Thank you for reading & I say this with no political connotations whatsoever: FORZA ITALIA!!
Me & my friend Eric Wielander, who did the classic Village Noize fanzine back in the day, recently assembled a Demo Tapes exhibit in NYC. It showcases some classic HC/Punk/Metal demos from '82-'92. Here's an excerpt from the essay for the exhibition, along with some pictures.
The demos will be up for the display through the month of July @L'asso EV on 107 1st. Avenue, open to the public from 11am to 11pm every day.
"In the mid-1980's. Freddy Alva and Eric Wielander were growing up in the New York independent music scene, producing compilations, publishing fanzines, watching scores of Punk and Hardcore bands perform, and reviewing releases. At the same time, bands were self-releasing their recordings (from approximately 4 songs up through album-length material) on cassettes a/k/a "demos". With these releases, with a run of anywhere from 30 to several hundreds if not thousands, teh sleeve art was put in the hands of whichever band member was graphically gifted, or turned over to a friend."
"DEMO-LITION explores the artwork of demo tape/cassette releases from the Hardcore/Punk/Metal scenes circa 1982-1992. Like any release before or after its time, we judge a record by its cover, and we thought it was long overdue to assemble as many covers as we could find to showcase the art that came out of these small-run releases. Some put tremendous detail into the art, most with hand illustrations. For others, the art was an afterthought, it was all about that 4-track demo that was being cut at Don Fury's which would wind up getting duped on a Maxwell LN 60 and put in the hands of some kids at Some Records."
Here's the link for individual photos of the Demos:
This exhibit would not have been possible without the following people who loaned their personal collections: Chris Wynne, Charles Maggio, Chris Bade, Ryan Sikorski, Lewis Dimmick, and Loizos Gatzaris.
Special Thanks to John Woods and Michael Scondotto for Djing the party
Todd Wolenski from Baldy Longhair Records for tapedeck and schwag.
Greg Barris and Robert Benevenga @L'asso EV for the walls.
Eons ago, I did a NYC-based HC record label. Actually between the years of 1990-1994. Those were pivotal times for me & the records I got to put were not only, to use an oft-overused phrase, seminal & widely influential i.e. Citizens Arrest "Light in the Distance" ep, Rorschach's "Needlepack"ep/"Protestant" Lp etc.. They were also released by good friends of mine, so the end result was doubly rewarding; I got to document inspiring sounds by people that I cared about.
I took a "sabbatical" from the HC scene for a good 10-12 years until 2009, when I decided to put up online, an old compilation of mine that never got a proper release. This was the "Fuck Rock- @Abc No Rio '91" comp. An old penpal contacted me about doing a vinyl release of it & before you could say Deja Vu all over again; I was back in business.
I've jumped back feet first into the fray, a 7" was just released on Wardance, by a band called My Rifle. It's made up of guys that I met back in the '80's NYHC scene & it will be a curious experiment to see how they (& myself) react to the reality of being involved in a music genre that by definition is youth-oriented. Things were not supposed to turn out this way, at best, a pit-stop on the way to adulthood. I along with my peers, got into HC in our teens, as a conduit to channel adolescent aggression, differentiate oneself from the crowd & define your views along an alternative sub-culture that embraced non-conformism. How do you reconcile these beliefs in the face of (looming) middle-age? When a career/family/mortgage & well, all the trappings of becoming an adult are upon us, what is it about this loud/fast music that's still appealing?
The best answer I can come up with is that this music, when is made from the heart, is still a visceral punch to your gut. When it becomes embedded in you, it's far-reaching influence can take decades to decipher, but it becomes a part of you. My old friend, Gavin from Absolution, put it best: "Influencing someone (via the music) is our best shot at immortality". If some kid, or kid at heart, can hear these records & go to the sounds that influenced the making of them & repeat ad nausem; all the way to those original pioneers that defined & codified the HC/Punk ethos. Then, it will all be worth it. The added bonus for me is that I get to (once again) put out music by friends that are still making relevant sounds.
Whether those particular tunes these days are of the classic Punk or NYHC variety, Hip-Hop tracks, Country-ish Gothic acoustic ditties; the result & energy are the same. The angst is still there, not as one-dimensional as before. It's more subtle & nuanced, but peel back the layers & you'll still find it there.
Growing younger never seemed so appealing.
Abraham was the singer & guitarist for URGENT FURY, a band that blew me away when I was a teenager & getting into Punk/HC. Their poignant political lyrics coupled with raw aggression & melodic leanings made then an atypical sound that stood out in the mid-80's NY scene. Since UF's ultimate dissolution in '92, Abraham has become a celebrated author, winning tons of writing accolades. He's also been writing new music, since relocating to Berlin. I got a chance to reconnect with him during one of his semi-annual pilgrimages to NYC. There's talk of a UF reunion to coincide with the reissue of their discography in late 2011. http://www.facebook.com/pages/Urgent-FURY/190107927711149
At CBGB's in 1985.
Ok! The big start, a south bronx tale. Tell me a little bit about your background, where you grew up etc..
I was born in the south bronx, where I grew up. Pretty tough turf. Back then in the 70s, it was like somebody had bombed the town: burned-out buildings in rows, empty lots, whole blocks decimated. Not the best place to grow up positive...
Your parents originally from the island?
Yeah, my mom's from Fajardo and my dad's from San Juan. I was 'first generation' born in NY, 'Nuyorquino', part of that first generation born in the USA. Did I bother to mention I'm Puerto Rican?
Ha! So, how did a Nuyorican kid like you get into Punk Rock?
Good question, I was a freak kid. That is, I had a name like 'Abraham', so everyone thought I was Jewish.
I know lots of Puerto Rican guys named Israel & Moses!
My father got me into Rock. When I was a kid he bought me Beatles albums, that changed my life completely. I was obsessed with rock music & soon found other bands I couldn't get enough of: T. Rex, David Bowie (this was 1972 man), Badfinger, The Stones/Kinks... I was looking for anything LOUD & energetic. My father also got me into books & typewriters very young so I was a book nerd. I used to hide the books from the other kids so they wouldn't see them. If they saw you with a book and ask you why you're reading it, don't say it's because you like it! Say it's for a class.
Sounds familiar, I had the same issue growing up, such a shame we had to be undercover with stuff like that.
I know! And dude, I would've killed to know anyone that was into Rock music, everyone around me hated it. Back then rock was 'honky' music. Forget that its roots are as black as John Lee Hooker. Everyone around me was into black stuff: Soul, Funk, stuff that would shortly become Disco.
I take it Disco & early Hip-Hop ruled the streets?
Yeah. mostly black music in the beginning. Remember the Chi-Lites? the Chakachas? How about Dennis Coffey & his funky instrumentals. Stuff like 'Scorpio' and 'Taurus'? Isaac Hayes!!
Jimmy Castor Bunch!
Wow! Yeah, I even have a single from at home from Joe Tex! And the Jackson Five were everywhere. 'The love you save', what a killer song.
So, did you hear The Sex Pistols/Clash first?
Yeah, Punk crawled over to me slowly. I was a big CREEM reader and was already hearing about this stuff from England. The first time I saw the Ramones was on Don Kirschner's rock concert series, I was like, what is this shit? My Ritchie Blackmore sensibilities clashed with it somehow, but I couldn't get them out of my mind. I was a 12-year old with a crush--I was in love. The Sex Pistols I caught on TV too, some special report they did on England & I was flabbergasted by the energy and power.
They inspired you to take up the guitar? What were your first Punk shows?
The Ramones influenced me first, followed by the Sex Pistols. Then I discovered those first shops where I could find import singles... then I met The Jam, The Clash, The Adverts, Slaughter & The Dogs, Wire. YEAH! I had a dream of being in a band already for many years and was even writing songs and putting together 'albums' of them, but it was punk that made me go get a guitar. My first show was actually 999. they came over in 1979. I had just turned 18. My father did not allow me to go out to clubs until I was officially an adult! It was a big fight. I saw all 3 of their shows of theirs. I also caught The Damned, the Reds, Sham 69. AND the biggest thrill was catching The Clash when they first came over in early '79 to play The Palladium. I had to run out & get scalped seats..
Wow, did you catch The Clash at their Bond's residency of 5 shows in a row?
NAH! I did not see them during the Bonds time. I was obsessed with The Clash. To me they were set to change all of rock'n'roll with their fire and passion! Seeing them was my church! I was in the 3rd row, bro!! And Joe Strummer flicked his earnie ball pick right at me! I still have it, but when 'London Calling' came out, I was disgusted and bummed. I saw them again in the fall of '79 and it was a lousy concert. I refused to see them again. The thought that they came along to bring dance music & hip-hop awareness to the world totally infuriated me. I'm from the bronx! I don't need them to do that!!
You never liked 'Rocking the Casbah?'
NOOOO Rock the casbah NOOOO, ugh- 'train in vain'- ugh. Yet I loved them so much, but I guess like many ultra-fans, you put all your hopes on the artist when the artist...gotta go his own way. I blame Mick Jones for all of it. And I still love Joe Strummer. Ok, I forgive Mick too.
Save that souvenir from Joe, Strummer forever! How did Urgent Fury come about? Did you play in any other bands prior?
Yeah, I played in a band I formed in 1980 called White Riot. It lasted for about 6 months and there's a tape of me doing songs, some of which would pop up with Fury. There were other lesser bands I played with, including a pop band & a reggae group of big rastafarians. I was the token 'rock' guy. I was in college when I started Fury. After White Riot fizzled, I 'left' the punk scene. I was playing with Rastafarians uptown, when a friend of mine dragged me to my very first Hardcore show. Hardcore?? I thought that was about porno. The impression the 18 or so bands that played that CBGB's matinee left an indelible mark. Most of them sucked, but the energy, the power, and a few pulled it off enough... My friend connected me with a guy named Zev, who played bass & went to city college like me! So I met him, and he suggested bringing in a friend named Harry Viderci (drums) and there's your Fury right there. I gave them demos I had of some songs & when we went into the studio, we just went for it.
Harry Verduci, I was just gonna ask you about him, played in the legendary Sic* Fuc*s! (Original class of '77 CBGB's band)
Yeah, he played with the Sic* Fuc*s and almost ended up in The Ramones. He's full of stories & he's met virtually everyone. the moment we played, it just clicked, this must have been around 1982.
Were you doing your State Of Fury fanzine by then too?
Nah, took a while, the first issue of State Of Fury came out in Jan, 1986. It was a few pages of rant where I bitched mostly about the Hardcore scene.
I remember picking up State Of Fury because it had a great caption: US out of the South Bronx!
YEAH! That's one of my favorites!
So, did Urgent Fury play with a lot of the early NYHC bands like Agnostic Front? What did you think of the whole Skinhead thing back then?
Well, we never played with AF. We just didn't see eye to eye with many of the dominant bands at the time in NY, the thuggish stupidities that were going on associated with skins, I tended to blame these ignorant trash bands & goons for that. In the beginning we'd play with anyone, but after a show with a band called US Chaos, we decided to be more selective.
I remember seeing you guys in '85/'86 at the Tin Pan Alley club on 47th. street & it was a totally different universe from the CBGB's HC matinees. Did you feel more an affinity for bands like The False Prophets?
Yeah, there were bands that I saw as more 'punk'. Then there were bands that were more 'hardcore'. We ended getting shunted into what was referred to as the 'peace-punk' scene, which I hated too! We played a lot with A.P.P.L.E., False Prophets, Stisism and Marginal Man, and....The HC bands I loved were Heart Attack, Virus, Reagan Youth... There were good ones, don't get me wrong! It was great for us to play Tin Pan alley, because it was directly OUTSIDE of the 'scene'. It was a different place and different people and these 3 gigs we eventually did there were all terrific. There was no place Downtown in the 'scene' you could play that would feel like that.
The first demo came in a bag with a pin right? I wish I still had that pin!
Yeah, we put out a demo cassette. I packed it in a packet with a State Of Fury & a button! I liked the pin, some silhouette of German soldiers jumping off. I'll see if I can find one for you, there were a few out there!
I feel you guys were really undocumented, record-wise, in that period. Were there ever plans for a record back then?
Nah, we never put out a record in the early days. I don't know, we argued too much about what to do. I wasn't so focused or smart. I wanted to play as much as possible but Harry didn't. Harry thought we could get discovered and get a contract. I wanted records but he didn't, so the cassettes were a compromise.
So, you guys disbanded around '87 & came back in the early 90's with a revamped version, how did that come about?
We disbanded a few times, first we lost Zev in '87? Something like that, he got married. then we played with a bassist named Mike but that didn't work out. Me & Harry fought too much so I split the band up again. Then Johnny Stiff (do you remember him?) heard we split up and he said that's no good for the world so he found us Adam Hoffman, a young, full-of-energy bassist who revved us up for a couple of years, up to '90 or '91. I insist that UF is the Spinal Tap of the HC scene, except with us, it's bassists that explode!
Besides booking you guys at Abc No Rio in '90, I was also planning on doing a 7" with you guys in '91. a thousand apologies for my PC Punk stance back then & not agreeing to the simple written agreement you guys drew up. I still kick myself!
Oh wow, you know, it's ME that kicks myself over that & when I think of the lousy split single we did with Youth Gone Mad through one of Harry's deals. We should still do that record though!
Let's do it! So, you broke up again '92, how did that 10" on Broken Records come about?
Well, after Adam left in '91, we found someone else, but we were on our last legs. Me & Harry were fighting too much 'cause I wanted to put out a record but he didn't want to put any money into it. So I split the band & put out the record on Broken, the 10". pretty much without him. It was to be the Urgent Fury farewell.
What's the agenda for the UF reissue you're working on now & can you talk a bit about your current project, Rope Burns?
The reissue is going to include all the tracks from the old 10" plus some extra tracks. It'll be available on vinyl/cd & download. Rope Burns! How nice of you to ask. Rope Burns is the music project I started when I got to Berlin. I play with some people, but it's mostly the place I go to write songs, any songs. see, when I was with Harry, it all had to be HARDCORE!. I'm forming a group here & hope to play out. I mostly make demos: me on guitar, bass, drum machine. I must've made 10 demo albums already. I send them out to people, oddly enough, never to record labels.
Personal request: Can you put out the 'Requiem for Miss America' acoustic tape from '88, I love that!
'Requiem..' Wow! I have the actual 1/4' tape here of that 'album'. I'm gonna walk it over with some other stuff to a studio & see if I can get it digitized. I did the tape in '88 during a hiatus from UF, frustrated that the band was NOT a good vehicle for my musical pursuits. Because I was always making demos, but Harry kept turning down my songs. Not fast enough...
Ok, let's switch gears a bit, how did you get started in your literary career? I started writing when I was little, like about 11 or 12, when my dad bought me my own portable typewriter. I always wrote, but it wasn't until the late 80's that some guy (who knew me because of Fury) published a story of mine in a magazine he put out. This was seen by an editor working on a book, one thing led to another...A woman named Lois Rosenthal approached me & asked if I had any stories for Story magazine. I gave her one she liked & she helped me find an agent
What was the genesis for the short-story collection, 'Boy without a Flag'? Were you surprised by the reaction?
I put a collection together for my agent, 'Boy without..', and he sold that to Milkweed editions. It caused a bit of a stir & I enjoyed it greatly. I got shit for my writing but I knew I was on the right track somehow. It felt right to write these things and maybe expose things some people didn't like exposed.
I remember reading about a possible film adaptation of your first novel, Spidertown?
Yeah, well right after the book came out, people were asking for a novel so I finished something I had been working on: Spidertown. The book was optioned by Columbia Pictures right off the bat. Got me a mention in Variety alongside Robert Rodriguez, we spent a summer together back then because he was eventually slated to write the script (he backed out later, which I think doomed the project). The director was to be Jonathan Demme's cousin, his only recommendation for the assignment: he's the guy that directed Yo! MTV Raps!
Maybe for the best he didn't direct it, bummer, I could totally see it coming out good in the right hands.
I thought so too. The project dragged out through the 90's. I eventually ended up writing a couple of scripts for them though because the one they showed me was so awful, I mean the hack they found rewrote the whole book! The project eventually fizzled out, the studio wanted a big movie, the production company wanted a small one. The trend for that kind of shit (inner-city kids, drug-trafficking) also faded a bit from the limelight... they paid well for those scripts though.
It'll probably come back, there's always an insatiable need for "Urban Grit". So, South by South Bronx is the last novel you wrote, working on a audio version right? Any other fiction in the works?
The audio version is taking a long time! I do have lots of other stuff I'm working on, nothing directly finished. Writing takes time and lately time's been no good pal. I'm really into time travel and future stuff right now. Pretty weird but maybe where I want to go next...
Ok, changing topics once again; you're an expatriate living in Germany now. How did you end up there?
I ended up living in Germany because Spidertown won a young people's award in the house of literature in Vienna. I didn't really wanna go but I had friends in Berlin and they insisted I stop on my way back. So I de-planed in Frankfurt and hopped on a train to Berlin, with something like $120 bucks on me. I was scared shitless, but once I got to Berlin I felt alive & free and just...bouncy. I walked into my friend's kitchen and there's this beautiful woman sitting there. I was late and the first thing she says is, "what took you so long?". The room began spinning...and that's why I ended up in Berlin, though there are plenty of other reasons. The people here are great, you feel a great sense of freedom and openness. It's a wonderful place, still affordable, and I even have health insurance now...And this flag thing: someone asked me on my last tour. Since I 'found' a life in Germany now, am I still the boy without a flag, or do I have a German one now?
Ha, Fly the GDR one now!
I just told the lady I don't care much for flags. I respect certainly what people see in them, but I don't know if I 'have' a flag. I just know when I look at the german flag, I feel good. That's because Puerto Rico is NOT a colony of Germany, dig?
I hear you, I'm impressed by your command of the German language too.
Ohh Vielen Dank! A language I was weirdly obsessed with since I was a kid, like I was preparing for it somehow...
Deja Vu over here, I've got a German father-in-law!
Wow, so when are you guys coming over to Berlin?. There are a lot of Americans popping up over here. Don't know if I like that so much. I don't have many American friends here and I'm not in the ex-pat scene. I didn't come all the way to Berlin to hang out with Yankees! I tend to like the Germans. They seem to have learned from their history. Not like the Americans at all, you see.
There were some great German bands: Upright Citizens, Jingo de Lunch, Spermbirds...Gonna sing in German anytime soon?
Also Neurotic Arseholes, Die Art, Spiel 77...Oh yeah, I should give singing in German a try. Of course, my plans when I get back from NY is to get Urgent Fury started here in Berlin. I have a drummer in mind and if I can pick up a bassist...then maybe my first German song.... ROPE BURNS:http://www.myspace.com/rodmusik
Abraham in the middle with his lovely wife, Jan 2011 NYC.
