Sick Of It All 25th Anniversary Show = Legendary

Last night Sick Of It All celebrated their 25th Anniversary at the Webster Hall in New York City. Joining them for a night of real deal Hardcore, were Snapcase, Merauder and Razorblade Handgrenade. We got their as the venue was starting to get filled up, and within 30 minutes it was completely packed with over 1400 kids.

Razorblade Handgrenade from New Jersey kicked off the festivities with some old school style of Hardcore Punk, and as usual got the pit warmed up with some straight up bashing. As soon as the mighty Merauder stepped on stage, they delivered the Gangster Hardcore Metal which they have been notorious for since their inception in 1990. We had a chance to interview their charismatic front-man Jorge Rosado, so keep your eyes and ears peeled for this very special/comical interview!

By the time Snapcase stepped on stage, Webster Hall was one huge Hardcore party. It is amazing to see a room full of people united by their common love of music. If there is one thing that Snapcase knows how to do, is to get people jumping out of control with their perfect blend of Hardcore, Punk and Metal.

As soon as Snapcase stepped of the stage, the crowd started growing anxious as they awaited for their home town heroes to bring their old school antics to a packed venue full of old and new fans. While Sick Of It All are known for bringing a smile into peoples faces, they are also known for inspiring their fans to slam into each other out of control, to stage dive into each other to and make them lose their voice.

After 25 years you might think that they are getting old and mellowing out. Yeah right! Sick Of It All delivers the most energetic display of aggression wherever they may roam. Last night Lou's vocals sounded crisp and chaotic (like they should), Pete's guitar tone made Webster Hall vibrate uncontrollably, Craig's bass made everyone's hearts feel the power, and Armand's drums sounded tight as hell. No surprise there right? After all we are talking about the World Champions Of Hardcore, yes we said it. Last night Sick Of It All proved that they are the World Champions! We have tons of video coming very soon, as well as a very special post show interview with SOIA's singer Lou Koller.

We want to congratulate Sick Of It All for keeping their music intact and powerful for 25 years! We also want to thank all the fans for making it a legendary night, were there were no major incidents. As announced last night by Sick Of It All, they will be performing at this years Black N Blue Bowl on May 28th! Get your tickets today, because this show will also sell out!

"Thank you to everyone who came out to our 25th anniversary show! It was a great turn out, great to see all our old friends! Thanks to Snapcase who we couldn't have done this show with out, Merauder and Raorblade Handgrenade! Special thanks to our crew and everyone who helped us put that show together! NYC see you at the Black-N-Blue Bowl May 28th!" -Sick Of It All

"Hard to believe that Sick Of It All has been doing this for 25 years. We have so much love and respect for them and it's such a huge honor to be a part of this." -Snapcase

We have a ton of LIVE videos coming very soon! But check out this insanity for now!



PHOTO CREDIT: Lionel Bergeron

Related links:
Sick Of It All
Snapcase
Merauder
Razorbalde Handgrenade

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Lou Koller from Sick Of It All makes dreams come true!

Last night we headed to the East Village Radio headquarters to interview Cuz Joe (Black N Blue Productions) and Vinny Stigma (Agnostic Front) about the upcoming "Black N Blue Bowl". The interview came out great and it will be online within the next few weeks, for now we have some exclusive updates which you can read below.

Before interviewing the two Hardcore ambassadors, we ran into Lou Koller of Sick Of It All who was there to promote their upcoming 25th anniversary show at Webster Hall. This very special show will take place on Saturday March 26th and it will feature live performances by Sick Of It All, Snapcase, Merauder and Razor Blade Hand Grenade. You can purchase tickets online by clicking here or at Mercury Lounge.

Since we are all about making people unite, we asked graffiti artist Joe Janaro to come with us and to bring his Sick Of It All painting for Lou and the Black N Blue crew to see it. The response was amazing, and it was real cool to see everyone recognizing Joe's talent.

What made this night very special was that we actually came across Joe after seeing a Sick Of It All graffiti (which you can see below) he had done years ago! We want to thank Lou from Sick Of It All and Cuz Joe for making Joe's dream come true!





Here are some updates about the Black N Blue Bowl:

- Lineup: Gorilla Biscuits, Agnostic Front, Terror, Absolution, Antidote, Maximum Penalty, Backtrack, Down To Nothing, Take Offense, No Turning Back, Bottom Out and a surprise special guest.

- Tickets for the Black N Blue Bowl will be available this Friday at Generation Records and this weekend on Pitchfork NY's website. You can also pick up tickets at New York Hardcore Tattoo and
Lotus Tattoo. Some tickets will be available at the door.

Stay tuned for more details! \m/

Related links:
Black N Blue Productions
You can purchase tickets for Sick Of It All's 25th Anniversary Show right here!
Pitchfork New York
New York Hardcore Tattoo

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The Black N Blue Bowl: Webster Hall takeover

At these years Black N Blue Bowl, Hardcore history was written thanks to the amazing lineup that the BNB Productions team assembled. As soon as I arrived at Webster Hall, the excitement was evident on the streets as kids were anxiously waiting for the controlled chaos to begin. Outside of the venue, we ran into Freddy and Hoya from Madball, Tim Williams from Vision Of Disorder, John Joseph from the Cro Mags, Lou Koller from Sick Of It All, Danny Diablo from Skarhead, Lars Frederiksen from Rancid, Paul Bearer from Sheer Terror, Jimmy Gestapo from Murphy's Law, and Cousin Joe from Black N Blue Productions.

Seeing all this VIP’s of the Hardcore scene in one place was surreal. After all, one of the first things I learned about New York culture was the music created by those who are part of the New York Hardcore family. I can honestly say that this form of music has been a huge part of my life since I was 16; it has definitely helped shape me as an open minded individual. And as much respect as I have for other musical scenes, the bond between the bands and the fans that are part of the New York Hard Core family is incomparable. Let me tell you about what went on at the old Ritz.

Incendiary had the honor of being the first band to step on stage with enough fuel to burn the place down and the kids got right into the flames. Then the BNB Bowl continued to explode with H8 Inc. from Detroit, who made themselves right at home as the global audience present at Webster Hall welcomed them with their fists in the air.

Next up on this Hardcore party, was the band Sand from Japan who are also known as Asia’s masters of breakdowns. These guys impressed the hell out of the audience with their great energy, wild stage presence and most importantly their killer songs. I had the chance to speak with their lead singer Makoto (through an interpreter) and he mentioned that New York Hardcore has been instrumental in the Japanese Hardcore movement. He also mentioned that when Madball was in Japan, Freddy Cricien from Madball promised them that if they made it to the US; he would make sure they played at the BNB Bowl.

Minutes after Sand left everyone sweating profusely, Cruel Hand shook the venue with a fast driven, energetic set: a set that was not for the weak hearted. Next up the surprise of the night: Wisdom In Chains. A band with phenomenal stage presence and with a very tight dynamic sound, as a result the kids went ape shit. I spoke with singer Mad Joe Black right after the band finished their set and he was drenched in adrenaline and absolutely stoked! Then it was time for Trapped Under Ice, who had a rough time following the energetic set that Wisdom In Chains had just completed.

Around 7 PM Supertouch (the night’s special guest) took over center stage, and continued getting the crowd riled up for what was about to unfold. Supertouch were well received by most of the crowd, but some attendees were expecting a lot more from this band. I think the crowd was expecting a special guest of more caliber like Agnostic Front or Sick Of It All.

Then Webster Hall turned into a party of semi-controlled mayhem. The venue was grooving as soon as Skarhead stepped on stage. I had never seen them live, but was aware that they shoot lethal doses of energy into the crowd with their powerful music and stage antics. By the time Skarhead finished their set, everyone was bruised up.

As the night was winding down and some were starting to get tired, Toby and his band H20 charged up everyone’s batteries. It is hard to find a band with the energy of H20, and as a result hundreds of kids kept coming on stage and making their way back into the crowd. It was the Hardcore Olympics!

Soon after H2O finished their exploding set, Yuppicide made their comeback after 12 years of silence. And they made sure that it was felt by all of the Black N Blue Bowl attendees. From the moment they jumped on stage, it was clear that they were absolutely ready to get the crowd stomping and that the band was very excited to be back in front of such a great crowd.

Finally it was time for one of my favorite bands of all time, the mighty Madball, to get on stage and set it off! These guys never cease to blow minds away and they sounded tighter than ever with the addition of their new drummer Jay Weinberg (Max Weinberg’s son). There was not one person standing still or sitting down during their vulgar display of true street Hardcore. I had a chance to talk to Freddy and Hoya, and they said they are making sure that the next Madball album leaves a worldwide mark!

Concluding the night of Hard Core mayhem, the legendary Cro Mags proofed why they are one of the most influential Hardcore bands in history. From the moment they ran on stage, it was nonstop insanity. John Joseph’s vocals sounded crisp and one thing that impressed me is that the entire band knew exactly how to feed the crowd some adrenaline, when some were getting tired.

All in all, it was a fantastic day in which fans from all over the world came to have a great time. There were no major problems and the venue (which was sold out) was very happy with the results. Black N Blue 2010 was an absolute success, and it looks like it will happen again next year, at Webster Hall. Congratulations to the entire Black N Blue family for putting together one of the best shows, if not the best show, of the year! And the fact that there were people from Europe, Scandinavia, Latin America, Asia and even Australia, is proof that New York Hardcore is now Worldwide Hardcore.

ARTIST QUOTES:
Freddy Cricien (Madball):
"Thank you to everyone who supported our event. Whether you were performing or observing, you were part of a historic night.. They'll be more to come!"

John Joseph (Cro Mags):

"It was great to play in front of so many different kinds of people, to me that is the concept behind Hardcore music. I want to thank Freddy and the rest of the Black N Blue team, for putting together such a great show. We had so much fun and that is thanks to what the crowd was feeding to us. This show will be talked about for months to come. And to think that it was all started by the Bad Brains, who couldn't find a place to play back in DC and ended up in New York. Who would have thought that on times were segregation was evident, that a group of African Americans would make such an impact and help give birth to the New York Hardcore scene."

RELATED LINKS:
BNB Productions
Cro Mags
Madball
H2O
Skarhead
Sand
Wisdom In Chains
H8 Inc.
Supertouch

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When I think about what brought me to New York, the first thing that comes to my mind is New York Hard Core. Growing up in Colombia in the mid 90's, back when Pablo Escobar and crew controlled the country through acts of violence. I experienced lots of hardship by watching my own country, become the country of fear. I was around 15 years old when I first heard downset, I know downset are from LA but once I was hooked on the Hard Core movement, I started to listen to New York Hard Core through bands like Sick Of It All, Madball, Agnostic Front, Biohazard, Vision of Disorder and a whole bunch of other bands (mostly through mix tapes).



The Hard Core movement soon became an outlet to a lot of us in Colombia, to the point that a lot of Hard Core bands started to emerge in Colombia. One of those bands was Raiz, who are considered one of the top Hard Core bands to ever come from Colombia. Once Hard Core became part of my life I realized that it was not just a genre of music, it was a family unit! I would go to a show and I would always run into the same crew. And even though we didn't know each other personally, we would always talk about Hard Core, the violent times in Colombia, and share a drink or two or three.



In 1997 I came to visit New York City for the first time and one of the first places I visited was the New York Hard Core mecca: CBGB's. As soon as I stepped inside the bar, the old smell of beer, the darkness of the place and the punk rock vibe had me hooked on the New York Hard Core culture. From that moment on I knew I had to live in New York City one day.



In 1999 I went to the Dynamo Open Air festival in Eindhoven, Holland. The three day weekend was packed with killer acts such as Metallica, Fear Factory, Biohazard, Madball and a bunch of other bands. On the last day of the festival at the main stage, the mighty Biohazard became the first New York Hard Core band I ever saw on live. This same day was the first time that I experienced a full blown circle pit. Then is when I knew that Hard Core was going to be part of my life forever.





Fast forward to 2004, when after driving for 6 hours from upstate New York, I finally arrived in New York Hard Core City. Soon after, I started going to Hard Core shows and realized that it was a very eclectic musical style. I also realized that the same fraternity I experienced in Colombia at Hard Core shows, also existed in New York and it was even stronger. By then Hard Core had become a worldwide musical form and bands like Sick Of It All, Agnostic Front, Madball and Biohazard were playing shows all over the world.



Today, when I tell people that I like Hard Core, they look at me funny or try to convince me that Hard Core is dead. All I got to say is that if Hard Core is really dead, then why are all the top New York Hard Core bands still around? Agnostic Front are still crushing, Sick Of It All just released one of the best records of their career, Cro Mags are still going strong, Madball is working on a new record and playing shows constantly and the same goes with Biohazard and a ton of other legendary bands.



I think it often happens that once a person switches from one musical style to another, they try to undermine the previous style they liked and those who keep it real by sticking to their guns and not falling victims of musical trends. All this is fine with me and I respect it, but it clearly means that they don't understand what Hard Core really is. I personally did not start listening to Hard Core so I could become part of a crew, or to act tough. Hard Core became an outlet of aggression and suffering that has played a huge role in my life.



And yes I like Metal, Hard Rock, Punk Rock, Alternative Music and various other musical styles. I consider myself an open minded person that listens to a particular musical style because it moves me and not because it is the hot trend to follow. I am way too old for that bullshit! When I started this whole movement called Horns Up Rocks one of my goals was to teach all the narrow minded music fans, that there are plenty of other musical styles that are worth considering and respecting. I also decided to give Hard Core the respect it deserves. Tomorrow, when I am covering the Black N Blue Bowl (Super Bowl of Hard Core) it will all make sense to me. I predict a packed house, with Hard Core fans from all over the country with the same goal in mind: pay homage to all the bands that will be performing and have the time of our lives. Just remember that HARD CORE STILL LIVES!







I had the honor of interviewing both Freddy Madball and Cousin Joe, right by East Village Radio after their weekly "Black N Blue Takeover" radio show and we talked about Hard Core and the upcoming "Black N Blue" Bowl.

You can check it out right here!

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RELATED LINKS:

Black N Blue Productions

New York Hard Core Tattoo



HERE IS THE NEW YORK HARD CORE DOCUMENTARY! Courtesy of Velebit Productions.

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Black N Blue Productions presents: THE BLACK N BLUE BOWL

In case you have been living in a shell for the last 20 plus years, you should know that New York Hard Core takes the trophy for being the realest musical scene in the world. It's more than a scene, it's a family. Proof of this is Black N Blue Productions, which is THE Hard Core production company! Lead by Freddy Cricien from NYHC legends Madball and Cousin Joe, Black N Blue is all about spreading the word about underground music on a global scale. Simply put, if it wasn't for Black N Blue Productions, Hard Core music would not be as impacting as it is today.

On May 15th, 2010 history will be made as Black N Blue productions presents "The Black N Blue Bowl", formerly known as "The Super Bowl of Hard Core". I had the honor of interviewing both Freddy Madball and Cousin Joe, right by East Village Radio after their weekly "Black N Blue Takeover" radio show and we talked about Hard Core and the upcoming "Black N Blue" Bowl.
You can check it out right here!

Who is playing?
CRO-MAGS
MADBALL
SKARHEAD
H2O
YUPPICIDE
WISDOM IN CHAINS
TRAPPED UNDER ICE
H8 INC.
CRUEL HAND
And more to come!

Special guest will be announced on Tuesday May 4th on the "Black N Blue Takeover" on East Village Radio, tune in from 8-10 PM!

Where and when is this happening?
Webster Hall in New York City: 125 E. 11th ST. between 3rd and 4th Ave. (That's right, they brought the biggest Hard Core show of the year back to the city!)
SATURDAY MAY 15, 2010
DOORS OPEN AT 2PM
ALL AGES
$25 in advance
$30 day of the show
Tickets are going fast so buy yours now!

Tickets also available at NYHC Tattoos, Brooklyn Monster Factory, and Generation Records

Disposable Cameras Only!!!
****TICKETS ORDERED THROUGH PITCHFORKNY.COM ARE WILL CALL - THEY WILL NOT BE MAILED OUT****
*****PLEASE BRING VALID ID AND PAYPAL RECEIPT TO THE SHOW*****

Lets make this show go into the history books!!! See you there!

Check out the exclusive interview with the Black N Blue Productions team:

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