FUNERAL FOR A YEAR A VISUAL RECAP OF 2013
FEATURING: a photographic timeline, Brian Audley of Incendiary, Chris Lilli on the LIHC Documentary, an interview with Kill Your Idols, Brand New’s Long Island show, and more...
by Rebecca Lader No. 2
Last year, I put out the first issue of Funeral For A Year. My reasoning behind it is still the same - to be able to share and hold a palpable form of documentation. I’ve saved every ticket stub I’ve ever purchased, created photo books of the trips I’ve taken, and harassed my friends every time we arrived in a new city to allow me to ask a stranger to photograph us with my polaroid camera - so we could have something real that isn’t made up of pixels. This zine is another outlet for me to create something tangible that I can share with this community at the end of each year. Thank you to everyone who has helped me out or contributed to this. It’s REBECCA been a great year!
MARCH 1
BACKTRACK @ 89 NORTH PATCHOGUE
VINNIE CARUANA @ 89 NORTH, PATCHOGUE MIXTAPE FEST
APRIL 5
APRIL 5
CRIME IN STEREO // IRON CHIC @ 89 NORTH, PATCHOGUE MIXTAPE FEST
INCENDIARY @ 89 NORTH, PATCHOGUE MIXTAPE FEST
APRIL 5
BRIAN AUDLEY
GUITARIST OF INCENDIARY What were your expectations for Cost of Living? We didn’t really have many expectations other than wanting it to be the best possible record we felt we could make. We were long over due for another LP. Every time we were close to having enough songs we broke off 2 for one of the split 7”s we did, so it felt like we had been working on it forever. Before it was officially released very few people outside of the band and our close friends had heard it, so i had no idea what the public’s response would be. I was certainly very happy with how it came out, but i never expected all of the positive feedback from so many of our peers and older generations. Do you have a personal favorite song off of the new record? I like “Erase Myself” a lot. That was the last song we wrote for the LP, and I thought it was cool how it came together. We took a lot of ideas that didn’t fit into any of the other songs and arranged them in a way that seemed to work. Are there any themes on the record? Thematically, many of the songs speak to the frustration that comes along with trying to build a life for yourself and survive in a place like New York. Everyone in this band is in their late 20s with a full time career and the standards have changed for our generation. If you were to compare the points we’re all at in our lives with where our parents were at our age, it can make you feel like you’re failing to develop and progress the way you should be. The reality is thing are just much different now and we’re learning that its harder than ever to get ahead. There’s also a song about the Kelly Thomas police brutality case from a few years back that’s pretty self explanatory. continued >
Photo: Angela Owens
How was your experience playing Outbreak Fest in the UK this past September? Outbreak Fest was awesome. It was actually our second time in the UK, the first being a brief DIY tour we booked in February of 2012. Kids over there are excited about any American hardcore band that comes over, let alone a New York Hardcore band and that enthusiasm makes for a great show. We got to play with some awesome UK bands (Abolition, Broken Teeth, Natural Order to name a few) and the hospitality we were treated with was very welcoming. It’s been almost 6 years since Amongst The Filth was first released in 2008. How has Incendiary evolved over the years? Wow i can’t believe it’s been that long already haha. If you told me in 2008 that someday our band would be playing shows in Europe i would’ve called you crazy. We never anticipated playing some of the places we’ve had the opportunity to with this band. We’ve always pushed ourselves to do as much as we could within the limits of our schedules, but as the years went on we’ve pushed those limits even further and gotten to do some really cool stuff. Biggest/most proud accomplishment as a band thus far? Memories that stand out? Our record release show in March was a pretty proud moment for me. We had almost 300 people in a DIY venue, all of our friends’ bands on the line up, and everything ran smooth. A perfect show in my opinion. A lot of time and energy went into our record and it felt great to celebrate it with a show like that. Being included in the upcoming LIHC documentary was very flattering as well. Favorite place you’ve visited on a tour? Craziest tour story? We’ve been to Seattle twice for Rainfest and i love it there. The area where they do the fest is awesome and the vibe is always so fun. Southern California is obviously amazing too and feels like our second home with all of the friends we have there. Without incriminating ourselves, craziest tour story is easily in Ashford, UK. We were partying with some kids from the show that were putting us up for the night. At some point, after most of us had
APRIL 25
INCENDIARY @ THE ACHERON BROOKLYN
passed out and gone to sleep, one of the kids was on drugs and started running around the house with a gas powered chainsaw. I remember lying there thinking a) “what the fuck am i doing here?” and b) this kid is going to kill himself or someone else, cops are going to show up and find 5 americans sleeping in the living room and we’re going to be locked up, haha. Who is your favorite non hardcore band? / Where do you draw musical inspiration? Beyond hardcore/punk/metal, I love a lot of 90’s alternative music. Smashing Pumpkins, Dinosaur Jr, MBV, etc. I wouldn’t say I’m inspired by it musically, but I always thought it was really ambitious for Smashing Pumpkins to release a double LP with so many different sounding songs. I like Silversun Pickups and Torche a lot too as far as current bands go. What can we expect from Incendiary in 2014? Closed Casket Activities will be re-releasing our split 7” with Suburban Scum in early 2014 with all new artwork and I’m pretty excited for it. We still play both of those songs live and it’ll be cool for kids who may have just discovered “Cost of Living” to be able to own an earlier release. Other than that, we’re going to continue playing as much as we can and hopefully make it to some new places for the first time. Anything else you want to talk about? Thanks for asking me to do this. Long Island Hardcore is very important to me and i’m happy to contribute to anything documenting the amazing state it’s in right now.
JUNE 15
INDECISION @ 89 NORTH, PATCHOGUE LONG ISLAND FEST
TITLE FIGHT @ HOUSE OF VANS BROOKLYN
JUNE 27
SOMETHING IN THE WATER DIRECTOR CHRIS LILLI ON THE LIHC DOCUMENTARY
“Something In The Water” is a new feature Documentary on Long Island’s counterculture hardcore music scene. The film examines the progression of Long Island’s hardcore music scene from when it first stepped out of the shadows of the well-established New York City Hardcore scene, to become it’s own, developing it’s own unique sound that has influenced some of today’s mainstream music. My brother and I grew up going to shows on Long Island in the mid 90’s and it had a huge impact on our lives, as I know it did for so many others involved in the scene. We quickly realized that there was more to this scene than just music - it also had a strong sense of community which really helped shape us into the people we are today. Whenever I see anyone I knew from shows I went to growing up we always have great conversations about our experiences. There have been documentaries about so many other music scenes that were influential, but never one on the Long Island hardcore scene, and a lot of influential bands have come out of this scene. I’ve been working in television production for the past 7 years, and figured I have a decent knowledge of production, so I’d give it a shot.
PHOTOS: PAM PIFFARD
It’s been pretty fun (and a ton of work) tracking everyone down and interviewing people that I used to watch in bands growing up. It’s kind of interesting hearing about the scene that existed before I used to go, plus hearing about it from the perspectives of people either booking the shows or playing in the bands. We just raised a little bit of money on Indiegogo, and are beginning the editing of the film at the end of January. We’re hoping to be done editing the film by spring 2014. Through this film, we hope to show audiences the importance of the music that was created in the Long Island Hardcore scene. CHRIS LILLI
AUGUST 24
PITY SEX @ EVEN FLOW BAYSHORE
FIRE & ICE @ SAYVILLE REPUBLICAN CLUB SAYVILLE
SEPTEMBER 20
OCTOBER 25
THE RAMONES
NIRVANA
HALLOWEEN COVER SHOW @ THE BREWHAUS PUB LINDENHURST
KING NINE // CROWN OF THORNZ @ SAYVILLE REPUBLICAN CLUB SAYVILLE
NOVEMBER 24
AN INTERVIEW WITH
KILL YOUR IDOLS What brought about these recent shows? What were your expectations? ANDY: Well, what brought them about for me was a phone call from Gary. I guess it wasn’t quite that simple but it’s something I’ve wanted to do for a while now. So, in a way it was an easy sell. It’s not like I was desperate and would’ve just taken any show, but I was pretty excited. The one thing that did throw me a bit was that we have talked in the past few years about maybe playing again, and we decided it wouldnt be a fest, it would be a Kill Your Idols show, so the people who’ve always supported us would’nt have to sit through 20 bands or whatever. Though obviously as much as we talked about not doing a fest, it was a huge honor once we were asked. I mean, I’ve been to many of the Superbowl of Hardcore shows through the years and the BnB Bowl is really a continuation of that. What a wild thought to think that we were thought highly enough of to be asked to be not just a part of it, but a major part of it! Co-headlining with a band as legendary as Judge (and not to mention playing after Madball). To be honest, as blown away and honored as I was, I was really nervous. I had no idea if people would still remember us, or if kids who came around after we broke up would know us. I knew of course there was a certian amount, but Webster Hall is huge and playing that slot of this fest meant there were some really big expectations of people. So anyway, not knowing what to expect, but being totally thrilled, I still didnt say yes right away (it took about 30 seconds). You guys were awesome at Black N Blue Bowl. Did you decide to add This Is Hardcore and the November shows because of the overwhelmingly positive reaction? PAUL: Thank you. We weren’t expecting it to be what it was at all. Playing between Madball and Judge... tough spot. Mainly playing after Madball. Whatever happens after us isn’t my concern. But, Madball are NOT an easy act to follow, and they weren’t. They destroyed the fucking place. continued >
PHOTO: CARL GUNHOUSE
NOVEMBER 29 & 30
KILL YOUR IDOLS @ SANTOS PARTY HOUSE NEW YORK CITY
PHOTO: ANDY JIMENEZ / HOW WE ARE
So, as soon as it was announced, emails, texts from everywhere came in and we knew we had to keep it brief. We didn’t want to tarnish it and run the “nostalgia” aspect into the ground. Our old booking agent Nick Storch, who is a very close friend to me assisted in working out This Is Hardcore and also suggested “maybe we can do a last show in November and wrap things up,” which sounded like a great idea. I have a few friends in particular that I exchanged words with about us playing again, (Hugo, Melinda, Brendon Casey to name a few) that were sincerely happy for this, and honestly, that was the most rewarding part. I don’t do things for people much anymore. We walk our own path. But, it just seemed like the time to do it. How did you choose the set lists? GARY: We tried to combine what we thought was important to our fans with what’s important or special to us. Also, since this was the “No Gimmicks Needed/Funeral For A Feeling” line-up, we chose not to go past that point. We did stuff from year one, until the Good Riddance and Voorhees splits. To me, this is the “classic” kyi line-up. Not to put down anyone else... Just that I think it was the pinnacle of the bands career.
PAUL: The BNB one came together easily... when it came to the last two shows... I still have an electric bill on my coffee table that looks like a fucking football play with like 40+ songs on it, that became the sets for both days. How were these shows different than or similar to shows in the past? BRIAN: In the past our shows were happening so frequently, we (I) didn’t have a chance to really enjoy them as much as I would have liked. These shows were the opposite; I knew they were few and far between, and that I was going to enjoy myself a great deal. PAUL: To play these songs again, I mean... I play alongside my two brothers currently, so there’s a chemistry there that cannot be touched; and playing alongside Brian and Andy was just as natural. It was fun and I didn’t feel like it was dialed in at all. It’s crazy that we still mean something to people, to our friends, to new faces. These sad miserable songs can still be related to... somehow. So... it wasnt really comparable to the past, rather a step to the side and something totally new and refreshing with a hint of what it was. RAEPH: We are older. A lot of fans were expecting a Long Island show date - was the decision to keep the shows in the city a conscious decision? ANDY: Well, this is the 10,000 dollar question. Everyone’s been asking and making things up and all sorts of stuff. And most likely you’ll get several different answers. But really, I think at first it just kind of worked out this way. We had our friend Nick, who goes way back with us, handle the bookings for these shows. Things just got crazy, after we announced we were playing a show offers started flooding in, and after the BnB show it got even crazier. People forget how often and for how long we toured. We have really close friends and close ties with scenes and kids all over the place. And quite honestly these were people who supported us long before Long Island did. Huh!? What?! Gasp?! Yes, Long Island was not accepting of Kill Your Idols for the first few years. However, there was definitely a small bunch of kids. A lot of the people who were in the bands that made up the Long Island scene at the time liked us, but for the most part, the Long Island scene did not. Now don’t get me wrong, the kids who supported us in the early days were some of the best “fans” a band could have. Most of them literally were there from the beginning all the way til the end (and even for the reunion shows). continued >
These kids didn’t care where we played; they’d see us on Long Island, or the city, PA, or hell, even CA! They didn’t have or care about the whole Long Island Hardcore pride thing. How could we play a Long Island show, and not at least do a Jersey Shore show? Cause again, long before Long Island liked us NJ claimed us as their own! There was a point where we wanted to do a show in NJ and one on LI but really, even after all I just said, things just kind of worked out best this way. We figured the city is perfect, it’s between NJ and LI. GARY: NYC is a central point for a lot of travelers. If you just flew in from Hungary to see us, it’s a lot easier to get to NYC via public transportation than it is to get to, say, Riverhead. Not only that, but the only way to pull off a great hardcore show on LI is to do it total DIY style... Which is great, but not when you sell out a VFW hall and the fire Marshall’s shut it down before you can play... Which, actually happened at our last show 7 years ago.. We moved it to a parking lot with the help of some friends last minute, and it was great, and very special.. But the fact is, about 200 people missed out on it and only got to see it on youtube. So, we wanted to avoid that happening. What has seemed like your biggest accomplishment as a band? PAUL: The fact that it was started by two people, and I was lucky enough to join early on... and it took us all over the world.. from Elko Nevada in a barn, to fucking South Korea. We’ve gotten to do some cool shit, and we continue to do so, in a way where we see very clearly and we’re very realistic. We’ve made some lifelong friends through this and our path just keeps progressing. A highlight for sure was BNB. But overall... our hard work paid off in every way possible just because we’ve always had a sincere following. GARY: Just staying a band for 12 years, making records we are proud of, playing with bands we love, and being able to come back and still have our following. I lived all my dreams through KYI, as well as everything else I do with my guitar. What other bands or projects are you guys involved in these days? PAUL: Black Anvil, which is Gary, Raeph & myself. We’ve just completed record number three and the gates are about to be open rather soon to let out a VERY ugly beast. RAEPH: Black Anvil... GARY: Black Anvil, sometimes Deathcycle.
BRIAN: I’m in a band called Manalive. ANDY: Right now I’m in another hardcore band called Too Many Voices. We’re great! We are working on a record right now and our demo is on bandcamp.com. Anything else you want to add? RAEPH: HAIL DEATH!!!! GARY: Hail Death. PAUL: Thank you for having us. HAIL CHAOS - HAIL SATAN HAIL DEATH!!!! BRIAN: Thank you for caring enough to ask us these questions. ANDY: I’ve always wanted to add 1.249587809 to 639586783 but just haven’t had the time.
PHOTO: CARL GUNHOUSE
DECEMBER 7
NUMBSKULL // SOMERSET THROWER @ SAYVILLE REPUBLICAN CLUB SAYVILLE
CAPITAL @ SAYVILLE REPUBLICAN CLUB SAYVILLE
DECEMBER 7
DECEMBER 18
JON SIMMONS // WALTER SCHREIFELS @ 89 NORTH PATCHOGUE
SAVES THE DAY @ 89 NORTH PATCHOGUE
DECEMBER 18
Brand New at The Paramount in Huntington, NY – December 20, 2013 BY REBECCA UNGARINO
Full disclosure: I have seen Brand New perform live at one venue, and one venue only - The Paramount in Huntington, New York; twice in November 2011 and once in December 2013. I did not attend their performance at a recreational center in Altoona, Pennsylvania in June 2003. I was not in the crowd for Jesse Lacey’s acoustic set at The Downtown, a now defunct venue in Farmingdale, in April 2004. I was not apart of their remarkable rise as a band that Long Island has loved since 2001 into a band whose lyrics are coveted by youth around the world. I am not a friend of the band. I did not listen to Brand New until 2008, two years after their third full-length album, The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me, was released. I turned 14 and bought a copy of the CD whose cover art spells nothing, but features a little girl in a velvet coat. Two taller masked figures stand on a stoop beside her. Devil and God quickly became one of my favorite albums. Five years later, I stood in the middle of an audience I knew nothing about. The only supporting band was the So So Glos. Their high-energy stage presence and glamour was incredibly mismatched with that of Brand New; sullen, minimalistic, nostalgic. Jesse Lacey opened the show with “Was losing all my friends…” and the crowd erupted into a chorus of the minute-long opening of “Sowing Season” that I’ve sung to myself since 14, a sold-out room and ornamental balconied bars shaking above “I AM NOT YOUR FRIEND…” I was elated to hear Devil and God in its entirety as an album that defined the rest of my teenage years; the lyrics’ hollow angst, the reminder and melody of “Jesus Christ” every week that I was dragged to a God-fearing church, the incredible pounding drums that close “Millstone.” I was hoping and looking forward to the next album. Fingers crossed, I thought, that I would soon hear Deja Entendu or Your Favorite Weapon, the albums that easily carry the band’s most beloved hits; “The Boy Who Blocked His Own Shot,” “Seventy Times 7,” “Mixtape,” and “Magazines,” to name some of their more iconic. I hoped to hear the songs that referenced Montauk, premature high school breakups, being “eighteen forever,” and the songs that made Brand New the feels-good-to-feel-bad band, the songs that I craved. Daisy contains very, very little of that.
Brand New @ Music Hall of Williamsburg, 2008
After “(Fork and Knife)” and “Brother,” two interim B-side tracks between the two albums, the ominous, minute-and-a-half-long operatic voice recording in “Vices” that opens Daisy began to reverberate through the room. “WE NEED VICES…” exploded and guitarist Vin Accardi jumped over the barricade and into the crowd. Nearly the entire room, standing general admission, shifted. Oh, well. In an in-depth 2012 interview with Jesse Lacey published on the UK-based Internet zine God Is In The Tv, journalist James Smith asked Lacey about Daisy. Lacey said of the album, “… we felt a certain commotion in our lives that we found very bothersome, and we wanted to express that in that record. The problem was that when we were done with it, it was a lot more chaotic than we thought it was, we laugh about it now, just how tiring that record is to listen to, it’s exhausting.” The answer speaks volumes as for the band’s recognition of how much less compelling Daisy was as an album. Later in the interview, Smith and Lacey have an exchange about how fewer “big” songs appear on Daisy when compared to their previous three albums. A fistfight, interrupted by security guards, broke out in front of the stage halfway through Daisy. The sold-out room cleared out a bit and looked pathetically watered down. Their set ended with Untitled. The disillusionment and confusion that I, and many of the audience members, felt that night about hearing Daisy as opposed to Deja Entendu or Your Favorite Weapon was not because I felt entitled to such a performance. I am not entitled to anything, and neither are the counterparts of my Long Island youth who stood beside me that night. I walked away half-thrilled to hear Devil and God, and half confused. Brand New has gone on very short, sporadic tours throughout the past decade, never promising many shows. The next time they play their home to a sold-out crowd who, for a great deal of the attendees, grew up on their lyrics, I hope they play the ones that mean the most. After all, one of the only bits of minimal stage banter that Lacey uttered the entire night was, “We’re Brand New, and we’re from up the street.”
GENNA HOWARD’S 2013 A REFLECTION ON HER YEAR 2013 was a really cool year. I got to travel a lot, see and meet some really incredible people, and got to see a great deal of bands play some really cool shows. I guess the only way to really sum up my year is with a list of cool punk/hardcore related things from this year. In no particular order... • Paint It Black’s Invisible 7” / Their set at Fest 12
This record is my standout favorite of the year
• Watching the Cro-Mags play in a bowling alley • Rain Fest, my first time at that fest. It was great.
My favorite set of the weekend was Incendiary. The Northwest loves that band. Coolest band I discovered there: Hysterics
• Getting to see Downpresser half a dozen times (and Don’t Need a Reason) • Laura Stevenson’s Wheel, and her super amazing short haircut • Judge’s set at BNB day 1, and Black N Blue bowl for always being the best kick off to summer • Modern Life is War’s Fever Hunting, and getting to see them play at St Vitus • Watching Iron Chic’s fans destroy the barricade at Fest 12 (and The Constant One) • Impromptu trips to Chicago to see American Nightmare • The Motorcycle Industry’s annual reunion show • RVIVR’s The Beauty Between and everything Erica Freas writes
IRON CHIC
MINDSET
• Trapped Under Ice’s last set • The Fest 12 for being the best Fest of the year every year, and the city of Gainesville for having amazing food and amazing people • New York for (still) being the best hardcore scene • Anyone who let me crash on their couch/who gave me rides to shows this year
Cool! 2014 is already shaping up to be a great year.
GENNA
RECAP! DON’T LOOK BACK, BUT NEVER FORGET...
Marie Coneys created artwork for State Lines’ “For The Boats,” which released on July 30.
“Crime In Stereo’s comback show. What a great show.” SAM MAZZA “I’m pretty sure Indecision is one of the only bands to do the whole ‘reunion’ thing right. They play shows when they want without the threat of every show being a LAST SHOW or ONE TIME ONLY. It’s cool to see them a few times a year, even though it would be sick if they were a full time band again. I think I saw them like 3 times in 2013, and goddamn, they never dissappoint. The fact that they’ve started pulling out tracks from the first Most Precious Blood record was an absolute game changer. This show was pretty insane because it was them headlining LI Fest on a smaller stage on out East Long Island. Plus, that Cure cover was next level cool. Any band thinking about reuniting - take a note from Indecision and do it with some finesse.” TERRENCE GULLY
RECAP!
DON’T LOOK BACK, BUT NEVER FORGET...
“One of my personal favorite shows of 2013 was easily Saves the Day’s acoustic show with Walter Schreifels and Jon Simmons at 89 North. Jon Simmons opened the show by performing a few wonderfully written songs of his own, as well as a song from Balance and Composure’s newest album “The Things We Think We’re Missing.” Next was Walter Schreifels’ much anticipated set. It resulted in an amazingly diverse combination of songs from his bands Rival Schools, Gorilla Biscuits, and Quicksand. Lastly was Saves the Day. It’s still difficult to explain how mind-blown I was after they were finished playing. The entire band played an excellent set that consisted of a wide range of songs from most of their albums. They even covered the Smiths’ “There is a Light That Never Goes Out” with Walter Schreifels. They then continued to please the crowd by taking numerous requests that anyone shouted loudly enough. Finally, when most of the crowd thought it was time to leave, Chris Conley sang “Three Miles Down” a capella, came down into the crowd, and played a very intimate set of songs that we sang along to. The show overall was very nostalgic, and a great way to end 2013.” “The new Incendiary LP is one of the coolest records to ever come out of Long Island!” TOM DEANGELIS
“Somerset Thrower’s musicianship on their current and upcoming release will solidify their place as one of the best melodic bands, of the few, to come out of Long Island in years. Hopefully others will follow suit.” JOE DARDANO
CHRISTINA KMETZ
IN LOVING MEMORY
We lost two important people in our community this year. They are dearly missed.
Jesse Barnett
Mitchell Kraeling
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