Wanting to release a new Krutch EP in the year 2001, the band found out that they were unable to do so due to their contractual obligations with Finnish hardcore label, Cartel Records. Not wanting to wait to finish a new Krutch LP, guitarist, Richie Mancuso, decided to rework them and start a new project. He began to put together a proverbial who’s who from the Eastern Pennsylvania and New Jersey hardcore scenes. He started collaborating with former Fury of Five vocalist, James “Stickman” Ismean and former Feeble (current Wisdom in Chains) vocalist Mad Joe Black, to give the songs a hardcore injection of hip-hop. He also added long time friend, Out Ta Win’s Chris Mahmood, to help share guitar duties.
This hardcore super-group delivered the now famous, and extremely hard to find, 4 song EP fittingly titled, “Thug Rock.” Due to popular demand, Boxcutter entered the studio a few years later to record their first full length, “Pitbull Ways,” for World Media in the US and 3D in Japan. A release that is equally hard to find and currently going for over $40 online.
In 2008 Boxcutter began working on their 3rd effort “The Ill Testament” for one of Europe’s biggest hardcore labels, Belgium’s Goodlife Records. Knowing the CD would again not have proper US distribution, long time friend and former Da’ Core Records owner, Eric Corbin, approached the band about a US license for his new label, Screaming Crow. It took several months to iron out the details which resulted in two different releases. The US version contains two bonus tracks taken from the now out of print “Pitbull Ways,” different mastering and completely different artwork. The artwork for the US version was provided by Craig Holloway who also designed the cover of Agnostic Front’s latest effort “Warriors.”
Mixing east coast Hardcore and streetwise Hip-Hop, Boxcutter has again delivered a pit inducing masterpiece. This Is Thug Rock!
Michale Graves blasted onto the music scene in 1995 as the lead singer of one of the most legendary punk rock bands of all time, The Misfits. The band soon kicked off an explosive tour of Europe and the United States dubbed “Resurrection.” Soon after the band signed to Geffen Records and released American Psycho – their first Misfits release in almost twenty years. Michale composed the majortiy of the songs on the album including both singles, “Dig Up Her Bones” and “American Psycho.” The Misfits then embarked on a grueling world tour with one of the biggest heavy metal acts on the planet, Megadeth.
The band shot two music videos. For several weeks the “American Psycho” video was listed on the Sonicnet chart at #2, bookended by Backstreet Boys videos at #1 & #3. Over all the “Psycho” video remained in the Top 5 for nearly a year while videos from many chart-topping acts quickly came and went. Matt Pinfield premiered “Dig up Her Bones” on MTV’s 120 minutes. Both videos have repeatedly been on the top of the charts, listed as the “most downloaded videos on the net” with online outlets like Sonicnet.
T he Misfits next release was a live album entitled, Evil Live II. It was a collection of live songs taken from shows on the relentless and very successful American Psycho tour, along with a limited edition glow-in-the-dark 45 covering the classic song “Monster Mash.”
October 1999 marked a second studio album entitled Famous Monsters released by Roadrunner Records. Upon conclusion of the Famous Monsters world tour at The Mt. Fuji amphitheater in Japan with Marilyn Manson, Japan’s premier rock-n-roll publication Burrn Magazine voted Michale Graves “Vocalist of the Year” and his song “Crying on Saturday Night,” “Song of the Year.” In that time, The Misfits also released their third video for the song “Scream” that was written by Michale. The video was directed by George Romero, who directed Night of The Living Dead. Michale and the band appeared in Romero’s film Bruiser performing “Fiend Without a Face” which was also penned by Michale specifically for Romero’s film. Famous Monsters went on to become the biggest selling title ever for Roadrunner Japan.
Michale continued to tour as usual aside of the off days that The Misfits spent appearing and wrestling on Ted Turners’ WCWs’ Monday Nitro, Thursday Thunder and a pair of pay-per-views. He also appeared in WCW Magazine including a centerfold and exclusive write-up about the band and their wrestling partner Vampiro.
Roadrunner Records followed up Famous Monsters with a wonderful package of previously unreleased studio demos and out takes from the bands beginning in 1996 until 2001 called Cuts from the Crypt.
Michale left The Misfits suddenly in 2001. He independently released a solo record entitled Graves, Web of Dharma supported by two American tours.
In April of 2003, Michale embarked on a new project called Gotham Rd. Gotham Rd. has played hundreds of dates on the U.S. club circuit performing and promoting a seven song, self-titled EP. In May of 2003 NJs’ premier college radio station, 89.5fm WSOU, Seton Hall’s Pirate Radio Station, charted the band at #30 after only several days of rotation. The bands single entitled, “Seasons of The Witch” shot to number 2 and held steady for weeks.
In January of 2005 Michale inked a deal to record and release a new solo record, launching the brand new independent record label, Horror High Records. A national tour followed as Punk Rock is Dead became an underground classic.
In January of 2006 Michale announced a 55 city spring tour to promote death row inmate, Damien Echols book called, Almost Home. Graves’ “Almost Home Campaign,” sought to raise awareness, support and debate concerning the issues surrounding the West Memphis Three. 2006 also saw the release of Michale’s next solo album Return to Earth, also on Horror High.
Upon completion of that tour, Michale put together a short film entitled The Blackness And The Forest that told the story of his “Almost Home Campaign” and the work he continues to do for The West Memphis Three.
Partnering with SOS Records in 2007, Michale released Illusions featuring five songs with lyrics written by Damien Echols. A national acoustic tour soon followed to rave reviews. Also in 2007, Michale got together with Gotham Rd. for a set at HorrorFest in Dallas, TX, and Graves also had a booth at NJ’s Chiller Theater. There he met up with Craig Singer, director of the first feature film that Graves appeared in with The Misfits called Animal Room. They stayed in touch, and when a part came up in a film entitled Perkins 14 directed by Craig in 2008, he suggested Graves audition for a main role in the movie, which he received. Perkins 14 was filmed in Romania and is set to be released as part of HorrorFest’s “8 Films to Die For” coming this fall. His original song from 2002’s Web of Dharma release entitled “Blackbird” was re-recorded for the film, and is used in Graves’s opening scene.
In Romania, Michale recorded demo versions of new songs written and inspired by his experience filming Perkins 14. Those demos, along with live tracks from the Illusions acoustic tour will be released on October 21, 2008 on Screaming Crow Records, while Michale is on another national acoustic tour in support of Illusions as well as this new release entitled, Illusions Live/Viretta Park.
Dan O’Day founded The River City Rebels in 1999 as the guitarist and songwriter and later took over permanent frontman duties in 2002 with the release of No Good, No Time, No Pride.
Brandon Rainer joined The River City Rebels during the recording of their first album in 1999, Racism, Religion and War, playing trombone. In 2005, Rainer switched to playing keyboards for the release of Done With Love. He also plays harmonica and can be heard returning to trombone on “Hades”, the A-side of the 2012 single, Headed to Hell.
J.V.McDonough was active in the Boston music scene of the 90s, most notably as the frontwoman, bass player and songwriter for the old-school-country-influenced garage band, The Magdalenes, and also played bass for jangle-pop geniuses, The Eddies. After taking some time off from band life and relocating to New Hampshire, McDonough plunged wholeheartedly back into music when she joined the River City Rebels in the summer of 2010. She toured regionally with them in October 2010, and joined them for the European tour of April 2011. Her first studio venture with the Rebels is the 2012 released 7”, Headed to Hell.
Guitarist Patrick Brownson has been a longtime part of the Vermont punk and hardcore scene, and was a founding member of veteran Burlington skatepunk band My Revenge. . While attending university in Montreal, Quebec, he played organ for the Indica Records indie/pop act Bonjour Brumaire. Brownson joined the Rebels in 2008, embarking on two national tours with them. He was also instrumental in the creative process contributing to the 2010 release Done With Love before branching out on his own as a singer/songwriter with the band The Flood. A River City Rebel once more, Brownson has taken over lead guitar duties in their latest incarnation and will be an integral part of their next full-length release, to be recorded in the autumn of 2012.
It seemed just a matter of time before Levi Howard would be the drummer for The River City Rebels. He’s been playing in bands in the Upper Valley for as long as the Rebels have existed, crossing paths countless times with them while drumming for The Foodstamps in the early 2000’s, and more recently with The Law Abiders.
Headed to Hell , the new 7” from The River City Rebels, reunites past Rebels Dan McCool (on trumpet) and Chris Jukosky (on acoustic guitar) with the current lineup for a pair of songs that look closely at the darker side of life. Recorded in a single session by Pete Weiss at Verdant Studios in Vermont, Headed to Hell will be released by Screaming Crow in August 2012.
Electric Frankenstein is a four piece entity dedicated to playing loud, aggressive, and melodic Punk Rock and Roll music that recalls a time when people wrote real songs that were truly memorable. Songs that made a difference to your life once you heard them, changing your perspective forever. Remember the first time that you heard the Dead Boys, the Damned, the Ramones, the Weirdos, the Germs, the Avengers, the Misfits, Black Flag, or any of your other favorites? The World felt ready to explode! Everything else soon sounded like shit. Remember when the latest singles you bought meant so much that you got into fist fights with losers who made fun of “your music”? You kicked their ass. Well, that time is here now. With first such bands as Poison Idea, Dwarves, The Action Swingers, Lazy Cowgirls; next, New Bomb Turks, The Humpers, DGeneration, and now Electric Frankenstein, you have to come out of your little nest and once again feel the immanent chaos. Suddenly, its no longer safe; we’re playing for keeps! Time to spell Rock with a capitol ‘R’ again, and don’t forget the Roll! Like one of EF’s songs says, “A Little Bit of Yesterday, A Whole Lot of the Future Now!“.
Formed in the winter of 2001 out of necessity, The Cheats decided to create the kind of band that was lacking in the city – an old-fashioned, late-70’s-style punk rock ‘n roll band. Led by vocalist Todd Porter (aka Todd Cheat – former frontman of Silver Tongued Devil and Eviction), The Cheats have logged many miles on tour, adopting the DIY punk attitude that is crucial to the scene. Now on their second full-length, “Life’s Short…”, The Cheats continue the pillage, leaving nothing in their wake but empty beer bottles and cigarette burns… just like they had always intended to.
The sound of The Cheats is pure rock ‘n roll, tailor-made for beer baths, shout-alongs, and the inevitable purge after a long, hard night of drinking. Ready to provoke such behavior are tracks like the surging “No Time” or the catchy “I Don’t” and the raucous “Endless Vacation.” Not wanting to waste any time, these two-minute bullets of hooks and blazing chords are built to destroy live, and they do just that.
With Porter’s grizzled and gnarly vocals leading the way along with Wez and Eric Wrecker’s dirty power chords, The Cheats bust out a few fun covers, including “Surrender” by Cheap Trick and “Hanging On The Telephone” by Blondie. Both renditions are faithful and pure, showing these punk vets have more in them than reckless abandon. The band also tackles a little known gem written by Demolition 23 which featured Little Steven (Bruce Springsteen) and Michael Monroe (Hanoi Rocks) called “Hammersmith Palais.”
This kind of no-frills, no bullshit punk rock is hard to find these days, as The Cheats have become one of the last ambassadors of a sound that has been overrun with wannabes and scenesters. These ambassadors of the punk creed plan on spreading this gospel of infectious fury to anyone willing to listen, most notably, those who don’t know any better.
A breath of fresh air that happens to smell like stale beer, cigarettes, and dirty sex, The Cheats will be around a lot longer than any of these punk and EMO poseurs will. You need this. You know you do.
BLACK YO)))GA® is vinyasa yoga set to drone, noise, stoner metal, ambient, industrial, space doom, and other traditional meditation music. Incorporating basic poses in a relaxed environment, while focusing on safe body mechanics. A traditional yoga class in practice, you can definitely expect it to be darker than what you may typically associate with yoga. Creating unique soundtracks using music from an eclectic mix of bands (http://www.mixcloud.com/BLACKYOGA/), we create a meditative space for those who may not relate to the birds and the waterfalls… if you know what I mean.
Our goal is to spread the benefits of yoga to a nearly untouched demographic, people like us, the underground art and music communities. People who may battle depression, anxiety, alcoholism, drug addiction, trauma/PTSD, phobias, dark passengers, etc. People who may not feel they fit into the typical yoga classes. People who, in all rights, may need the balance and release of yoga the most to lead rich and fulfilling lives.
“You can’t fully appreciate the light until you understand the darkness.”
Classes instructed by Kimee Massie, with mix-tape soundtracks compiled by Scott Massie & Chad Hammitt of the Innervenus Music Collective.
We also offer private and group private classes. If you’ve got the space, we’ve got the mats!
