Hardcore Heaven: NYC’s Black N’ Blue Bowl
An overview of an amazing event
by: Jason Walsh
Photos by Samma Jamma
The line of kids, grown men and women, and in some cases, grandparents, wrapped down the block in the desolate industrial section of northwest Brooklyn. Just a few streets from the East River, the Chrysler and Empire State buildings peered over the graffitied warehouses and garages, and the only sound on the streets were of the excited fans awaiting the doors of Studio B to open for the Black ‘n Blue Bowl. Formerly known as the Superbowl of Hardcore, the event is in its fourth year now, resurrected from the dead by ‘Cousin Joe’ Cammarata and Freddy Cricien of Madball.
‘It’s been a tradition in our scene for many, many years,’ Cricien said. ‘It somehow got lost along the way over the years and my partner, Joe, and myself, we brought it back.’
The Superbowl of Hardcore was an annual event which started back in the mid 80s when the New York hardcore scene was exploding, not only in Manhattan’s lower east side, but in all the boroughs as well. Over time, the event ceased to exist, but those who still felt strongly about the movement decided it was time to give it back to the fans who had stood by through the years and the bands whose resolve never ended.
‘Man, it’s crazy. If you would have asked me ten years ago if I would be throwing the Superbowl of Hardcore I would have said you’re fucking crazy,’ Cammarata said.
‘I approached Freddy years ago because I had the go to do it and Freddy had the music credentials. I knew I needed some help to get this thing off the ground and we came together. It was meant to be.’
In past years, the lineup at the Black ‘n Blue Bowl has encompassed some of the great bands not only from the New York scene, but from across the nation and world as well. This year proved to be no different and arguably the strongest and most representative of the generations of hardcore, both past and present. Agnostic Front. Madball. Breakdown. Bulldoze. Gorilla Biscuits. Fahrenheit 451. These bands are some of the great ambassadors of NewYork. Also on the bill were guests to the city, representing their own individual scenes, such as Terror from Los Angeles, Death Before Dishonor from Boston, and Backfire from the Netherlands.
‘It’s important in every way for our scene,’ Cricien said. ‘You see the crowd out there, you see all the bands coming together to be a part of it. It just shows people, ya’ know, not only in New York and the tri-state area, but on a worldwide level. I mean you see there are cameras everywhere. People are going to see it everywhere. Europe, Japan, they are going to hear about it one way or another. It just reminds people that this scene, which I feel is a very significant part of the roots of hardcore, is still very much alive and kicking and doing its thing.’
Brick by Brick from Troy, NY, were the first band up to bat. They loaded a bus with all their family and friends from upstate not only to play the show but enjoy the event as well.
‘For us to be able to play this was a dream come true to me,’ said vocalist Rich Roberts. ‘I grew up listening to these bands. For me to share the same stage is fucking unreal.’
Joe Frustration from Tears of Frustration echoed the same sentiment as well. After an eight year hiatus, when the band was offered the opportunity to play alongside some of their hardcore influences, there was no hesitation.
‘I remember I was in junior high school when I saw Agnostic Front live on the Uncle Floyd Show,’ said Frustration. ‘Back then is when I really first got into Agnostic Front and now today I am playing with them.’
One of the more popular bands from the second wave of the New York scene, Fahrenheit 451, were also reuniting once again to play the event.
‘This is a New York hardcore staple,’ said vocalist Armando Bordas. ‘We’ve never played a Superbowl in the city and when this opportunity came up I was like, ‘hell yeah.’ It’s a great thing. It’s part of my childhood and our history here. Collectively, you bring everybody together and everybody has a great time and plays a great show.’
Queens based EGH (Everybody Gets Hurt) were also on the bill and bassist Chris Benetos assured that there is more to this event than just some bands playing a show.
‘This is our friends. This is our family. We’re all an underground scene over here. We stick together.’ Benetos said. ‘It’s real fun and New York City has never been better.’
Though the audience included fans from Europe, Asia, and even a strong contingent that flew in from Puerto Rico just for the show, only one band in the lineup was from abroad. Backfire from the Netherlands had only been in NYC once previously, playing a show many years ago at the now deceased CBGB’s, and while in the country, recorded their last album. Guitarist Wyb Brewer said this also served as Backfire’s release party for their new record, ‘In Harm’s Way’ and was honored to not only be representing their own nation, but the entirety of the European hardcore scene as well.
‘I love it, ‘Brewer said. ‘I grew up listening to New York hardcore bands and now we’re the only European band on the bill. What more could we wish for? It’s unbelievable.’
Promoters had been hinting at a special guest performance and the buzz was on the streets of who it might be. When the veterans of former renown hardcore bands hit the stage, the crowd exploded, even though it was their first performance ever. Vehement Serenade’s debut at the Black ‘n Blue Bowl was warmly received, featuring members of such bands as Cold as Life, Sworn Enemy, and Merauder, as well as frontman Karl Buechner of Earth Crisis and Path of Resistance fame.
‘It’s amazing this scene, and I said that on stage tonight before we played our last song,’ Buechner said. ‘If you told me in high school that I’d be on the same stage as Breakdown, Agnostic Front, and John Joseph, I would have never believed it. It’s awesome to be playing this show and to get the response we did the first time we ever had a set.’
John Joseph, the legendary frontman from NYHC’s forefathers, the Cro-Mags, also was unveiling his new band Bloodclot which also features an all-star lineup. It includes Danny Schuler from Biohazard on drums, as well as former members of the Cro-Mags, Pro-Pain, Merauder, and the Spudmonsters.
‘To me, it’s about the live show.’ Joseph said. ‘People getting ahold of the album, knowing the lyrics and what we’re talking about.’
Joseph reminded that the voice of the hardcore movement is what is most important, and in some cases, being lost along the way.
‘Some band said tonight it ain’t about the message, it’s about the music and I’m like what fucking scene are you in? It is about the message. It’s always been about the message. It’s always been about revolution and questioning authority. These bands wouldn’t even be here if it weren’t for bands like the Bad Brains and the Dead Kennedys and all the bands that stood for something and had a message to deliver. That’s what keeps me going all the time.’
Bloodclot played many of the new songs from their new album, ‘Burn Babylon Burn,’ but truly ignited the crowd when they ended their set with a Bad Brains cover of ‘I Against I’ and two Cro-Mags songs, which included ‘Hard Times’ as the finale.
‘Even when we play live, we still do the Bad Brains and a few Cro-Mags. People expect it. I sang a couple shows with the Bad Brains. That song, the reason we picked that one is, with everything that’s going on in the world, it’s like ‘I against I’ says it all.’
Inhuman is one of the New York bands that has stood the test of time after over a decade and a half, with members who now play in the current Agnostic Front lineup. Frontman Mike Inhuman believes that it is the people who make up the movement and that are the important components; not the industry who tries to sell it as a commodity.
‘If the mainstream doesn’t want to have anything to do with it, I think that’s great.’ Inhuman said. ‘The mainstream isn’t what keeps it alive; it’s the people who love it that keep it alive, especially the younger kids and the older guys who live it. It’s a lifestyle and extension of their family.’
Inhuman had a special guest appearance perform with them. Lou Koller from Sick of it All took time before beginning the band’s international tour to throw down with some old friends in Brooklyn. He affirmed Inhuman’s opinion about the evils of a shady music industry and praised the folks at Black ‘n Blue for doing the show themselves.
‘They actually took a proactive step to bring it back to us instead of relying on bigger corporations or companies to keep hardcore alive,’ Koller said. ‘You know they come in when hardcore is popular in the mainstream fringes and then when it starts to die down they drop you like you’re yesterday’s news.’
Koller’s SOIA bandmate Craig Setari was also pleased to see how the event has changed since its early days.
‘The difference now is that it’s in the hands of the people as opposed to the ones that weren’t the people,’ Setari said. ‘It’s even better now because the people running it are the people that make the music so everyone’s getting treated properly and it’s an in-house production, so to speak.’
In charge of marketing and sponsorship for Black ‘n Blue productions is heidiminx who grew up in the New York scene. She believes that it’s important to ensure that not only the event runs smoothly, but that those involved are protected as well.
‘I know where I came from and I know that corporate America is really interested in alternative culture right now,’ she said. ‘I like to make sure that anytime corporate america is interacting with alt culture that they are treating it with respect. I just care that my friends and my family are properly represented and taken care of.’
The evening brought out some of the biggest names in the New York underground world, but none is more recognizable nor notorious than Jimmy Gestapo from Murphy’s Law. Though his band wasn’t playing, he was there in support of his friends.
‘It shows the strength over our scene that we never thought would be this big,’ Gestapo said. ‘Kids are here from all over the world, Europe, Germany, Italy, Japan. The media tells people what hardcore music is and we’re the people that show what it really is. This event and the turnout just shows that this music is still very valid and still a very strong scene and is getting bigger. I never thought twenty years into Murphy’s Law we’d be at a show this big right now.’
All the way from the West Coast came Terror. In the current circles of modern hardcore they are one of the more popular acts and tonight the fans from the five boroughs showed their love. Frontman Scott Vogel had more to celebrate than just playing alongside some of the bands he admires.
‘Madball is my favorite band in the world, I’ve never seen Breakdown, and Agnostic Front is very influential. We’re based out of LA and being so far from New York we don’t get a chance to play here that much. The weather’s great, everything is set up very smooth, they’ve got kegs of beer, and it’s my 35th birthday so what more could you want.’
Madball was one of the most memorable sets from the show. The pit erupted during their performance, bodies flying, fists pumping, sing-a-longs never ending, but sadly they announced drummer Rigg Ross was leaving the band to be able to spend more time with his family, an agreed honorable decision by all. With that Mackie Jayson, formerly of the Cro-Mags and Bad Brains took to the drums and Ross, with mic in hand, took the stage next to his longtime friend and brother in Madball, Freddy, to sing their last song together as a band. The stage filled with an all-star lineup on every available mic, everyone in house screaming the choruses, and even Rev. Paul Bearer from Sheer Terror joined in the melee.
The evening closed with CIV, who threw down some old Gorilla Biscuits tunes, and then finally, the godfathers of the lower east side, Agnostic Front, who did not disappoint with their current lineup of ‘new blood.’ Assuredly, everyone who attended got a true history lesson in the evolution of hardcore, as well as a chance to see the some of the greatest bands from the past three decades. Drummer Steve Gallo continues to remind the younger generation not to forget their roots and where it all came from.
‘What’s going on today is these kids are losing their culture,’ Gallo said. ‘Hardcore is not just a style of music. It’s a scene. It’s about a movement and it’s about a lifetsyle and having friends. They’re not having that today and I’m kind of frustrated about that to tell you the truth and that’s why this is good for them to start doing this again.’
Freddy from Madball believes in that philosophy as well. He said they will continue the Black ‘n Blue Bowl for as long as they can because its importance is immeasurable.
‘It’s always been that kind of environment, family, friends, and we want to keep it that way. The people that come to these shows have a lot of respect for what we’re doing and for the people behind the scenes. There’s a lot of respect. It brings a lot of different people together to have a good time in New York City. What more can I say?’
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