Generation X
Like many “Generation X” teenagers that grew up in the NYC area in the 80s & 90s I was part of the New York City Hardcore (NYHC) music scene, a genre that would blow up into an international phenomenon. We patronized clubs like A7, CBGB, and Limelight regularly.
A short ride on a Metro North train or a NYC subway and you had the experience of your life! I remember whipping my long hair (long gone now) up and down listening to the Cro-mags blaring from my boombox as the subway rocketed to its next destination.
In my mind’s eye I can still see myself wearing my black MC jacket, and shiny combat boots feeling invincible as I rode along the Hudson River to Manhattan for a show.
The train always seemed to sway and clank in approval of the gritty sound of Agnostic Front blasting through my speakers on the bench next to me. Sometimes an impromptu mosh pit with my friends would start in the railcar causing the conductor to rush in and threaten to throw us off at the next stop.
Living The Life
I was living some of the best moments of my teenage life and I knew It. I wasn’t just a fan of the music scene, but I also was part of it. I was the drummer of a punk band called, “Lady Nicotine,” and we were in the center of the scene playing legendary clubs like Tuxedo Junction in Danbury, Connecticut and NYC clubs like, The Bat Cave, Street level, The Pyramid Club, and more.
I can still smell the weed and feel the sticky beer-soaked floors under my combat boots as I moshed, and dodged stage divers at legendary hardcore shows on the lower east side.
NYHC wasn’t just about great music, it was also about a subculture and lifestyle associated with Hardcore music. We differentiated ourselves from the cultural norms of the day and lived by our own sets of principles.
It was a youth movement fueled by an anti-establishment rebellion set to the background of urban decay, crime and a general sense of disillusionment.
NY Hardcore Evolution
New York hardcore is said to have evolved out of the Hardcore scene established in Washington, D.C. by bands like Rites of Spring, Bad Brians and Minor Threat.
There were a couple of camps in my crowd, the Thrashers (who liked bands like Slayer, and Deicide) and Skin Heads (who liked bands like Cro-mags, and Agnostic Front) I walked the line between both groups. Often at keg parties we clashed but it was in the clubs, the smoke filled, graffiti ridden, gritty splendor of NYC clubs where we came together!
When most people think about music rising out of NYC, the 1970’s Punk scene often comes to mind, but to “Gen X” the rawer uprising of NYC Hardcore spoke to us about the grim realities of urban city life as a teenager of the 1980’s.
Gun violence, robberies, drug addiction, homelessness were a part of the 1980s hardcore tapestry.
One of the earliest memories I have of NYC was my mom taking my brothers and I to the circus at Madison Square Garden and stepping over the dead body of a businessman with his throat cut. I can still see his tie flapping in the wind and his paperwork blowing out of an open brief case spiraling down the sidewalk.
The most shocking thing was the indifference people showed. In the 1980s this type of scene was all too commonplace, unfortunately it is becoming that way again in urban environments.
Agnostic Front and Other Venerable Bands
To many, no band spoke to the realities of the era better than “Agnostic Front.” They released their first independent album, the United Blood EP, followed by the revolutionary album in 1984 called Victim in Pain and it was NY Hardcore at its purest.
Other venerable bands on the scene were Sick of It All, the Cro-mags and Murphy’s Law, all of whom could often be seen playing Sunday matinees at legendary lower eastside establishments like CBGB’s.
Biohazard – Youth Spirit and Struggles
Another iconic group that didn’t initially present itself as a hardcore band but was associated with the New York Hardcore scene was Biohazard. They often shared stages at famed NYC venues with bands like the Cro-mags and Agnostic Front.
They too reflected the spirit and struggles of the youth of our era. They combined hardcore punk/heavy metal with hip hop. Biohazard was founded in 1987 in Brooklyn, New York City by Evan Seinfeld, Bobby Hamble, Anthony Meo (replaced by Danny Schuler before recording their first album), and Billy Graziadei.
Many forlorn Gen Xers look back on the NYC Hardcore years with a sense of loss, or maybe it is just the loss of our youth!
Rocking On Today
No need to be sad, bands like Biohazard, Agnostic Front, Cro-Mags, Sick of it All, Murphy’s Law are all still rocking it today.
I recently saw Biohazard perform (accompanied by my good friends from the groove metal band, Against the Reign) at a notable New York Capital Region venue called Empire Live in Albany NY and it was amazing!
They have not lost a thing! They are better than ever!
I was transported back to a time in my youth when hanging out in NYC clubs was my life. I stood stage side as a mosh pit raged behind me and dodged stage divers as I rocked out to hit songs like “Five Blocks to the Subway” and many more, at one point Billy Graziadei stood on my shoulder as he played.
I had the honor to meet him after the show and get a selfie. Much love to Biohazard, my favorite hardcore band!
I had an amazing night, and for a few hours I felt like I was 18 again and having the time of my life! Generation X still has it.
