New York Hardcore Book_David Koenig_2009

say? I saw The Mentors.

Scott Jarzombek: In 1991 at the Marquee; Sheer Terror, Marauder, Killing Time and Eye for an Eye played. For me, going to NYC without my family was a big deal, I grew up on a farm, so just going to a NY show was mind blowing. NY was still violent, and that show was pretty crazy. I remember just standing along the wall and hoping to make it through the night. I only knew of hardcore from pictures in CD's and zines, it was insane to have that come alive in front of you. The odd thing is for the next year every show I went to was dead besides the last GB shows, a third of the people would be there. I really caught NY hardcore at a low point, everyone was saying it was dead and all my friends were getting into the rave thing, I stuck it out simply because I liked the message and loved the music.

Mark Anthony G.: Officially my first show was by accident. My friend’s father was part owner of a record store and took us down to the city to see The Clash. It was 1981 and I was just 12 at the time. My friend loved the Clash. I was starting to get into the rap seeping up from the nearby Bronx and was excited as hell at the prospect of seeing Kurtis Blow open for them. Much to my chagrin some insane band called the Bad Brains opened that night. That night kind of changed my whole head musically. It actually sent me into a fringe metal direction at first because I had no idea where music like the Bad Brains was from or found. I got some knowledge and started going to shows a few years later beginning with my baptism by fire, a Cro-Mags show. Talk about a life altering moment, when the first chord was struck, I was stuck, and here I still am today.

Steve Distraught: Corrosion of Conformity/Offenders in 1984 in Boston. What made COC great and what I thought was as about as un-rock star as you could get was that they continued to play and shout the vocals to the crowd even though some kids fell into the sound board and the PA cut out. Also Mikey Offender’s bass playing was absolutely amazing.

Chris Daily: I started going to shows on a regular basis in early 1985 when I first moved from PA to Stamford, CT. I did not venture into NYC until real early 1986. I would go to CB’s a few times a month from then on. I would usually meet the Up Front guys in Grand Central Station under the big clock, we would all roll downtown and do some records shopping (Venus, Bleeker Bob’s and Some), eat, then go to CB’s.

Fast Ali: In 1988 (freshman year of high school). Some weird but intriguing kids from school noticed I was writing band names like JFA, DK, Dead Milkmen, AF on my clothes, and figured I had some punk potential. They kidnapped me and took me to a Pipeline matinee. I'm pretty sure it was Underdog’s "Vanishing Point" record release show at the Pipeline. I got in big trouble for going to the bowels of Newark, NJ and coming home so late. Throughout my teenage years, many fights with mom would ensue to support my show habit, especially when I secured the means to get to shows that were farther and farther away, like the Unisound in Redding PA, City gardens in Trenton, and CB's in NYC (Oh my!). A senior in my school was so kind as to come from hillside to where I lived in Cranford, and back to the Pipeline or CB's (totally out of the way) for many shows. I honed the art of hitching rides with much success.