howsyouredge.com

HYE – Yo, how’s your edge?

JC – Good. It says hi!!

HYE – When did you fully realize what straight edge was? And what does it mean to you now? What role has your big brother Jesse played in this? Finally, how does it feel to be the last NASE (North Andover Straight Edge) dude?

JC – I dont really think there is a set definition of straight edge, and I dont think there should be. I do my own thing and I always X up at RJs shows because I want people to know I’m still proud to be edge. A lot of its just visual, like when I go to the gym and I’m curling 60 lb dumbells I like what it does but more than anything I just like the way it looks!! I just never thought drinking looked good ya know? I mean no diss, I lived in a frat house for a year and I loved those guys… But that’s just my edge, I dont care about anybody else’s or anybody else’s definition. Yeah, and over the years Jesse, Elgin Gains, and I have put our own spin on things and what it is to be edge for us, ya know, we like to lift weights a lot and stay ripped and just take really good care of ourselves. I just gotta stay young man, that’s just who I am. If I started drinking I’d feel like a banker.

HYE – What’s the history of Righteous Jams. Start with Right Brigade and ending up at current time. Feel free to bring up any funny stories from your recent EU tour.

JC – Hm. Well jesse me CC and mullet started Invasion. Then me and CC got bummed that Jesse didnt want to play out more so we started RJ’s with Jimmy Carrol, DFJ and Cooch. Nathan joined the band when it became obvious that Jimmy was too busy with his other bands to put any time into RJs. And then CC got super busy with school so Paul joined the band. When Paul joined I think Righteous Jams really came into its own. Him, Nathan and DFJ were unstoppable! We went to the gym every day of tour, we went tanning every day, we spent some serious hours in Tijuana, we played a show here and there. Paul and DFJ were like twins separated at birth. Some of the shit that those guys are into man…I cant discuss it publicly, lets just say I was uncomfortable a lot of the time!

HYE – Elaborate on Paul RJ and why he’s not in the band.

JC – Well there’s not much to elaborate on. He just cant commit now that he’s married. We all respect his choice. So Derek is playing bass and cooch is on guitar. Who knows what the lineup will be a year from now. I’m hoping Scace is down for good though because he’s my favorite person to be on tour with and he’s a great stage presence.

HYE – Whats up with RJ having a manager and a booking agent now? Who are you guys Seven Mary Three?

JC – Hahahaha. At first RJs was my baby and I really wanted to have total control over everything we did. But it got to a point where the band started to develop its own energy and I had the choice of sacrificing some of that control or halting the band’s momentum. Sometimes having total control over your own band is more hassle and responsibility than its worth. When band members were late for shows 2 years ago, I’d be on the verge of a nervous breakdown, pacing around clubs, calling everybody. Now that’s all Mark’s responsibility. I’m really easy going on tour now, I just get on stage and sing. I don’t organize a thing. It’s a lot of stress off my back, and it allows me to focus on my job which is singing and writing songs. Nathan, DFJ and I are ambitious but we’re in our own worlds. We need an uptight guy like Mark to stay on us like a nagging mother. As far as a booking agent goes…I know that decision is going to rub some people the wrong way. But we decided to do it because we want to play to more people and we want to step up our game and stop doing everything by the seat of our pants. But for everyone who has booked us in the past, our bookiing agent is super chill, her name’s Angie and her compnay is called lucky artist booking. Shes totally down to earth. Shes not snobby or arrogant or anything. And yeah our new stuff sounds like 7 mary 3!

HYE – You have a new album coming out someday, Business As Usual. What can we expect from this full length? What label is it going to be on?

JC – The record is going to be on Kung FU. We put a lot more effort into this record and I like it a lot better than ROD. I wrote the record so that kids would have an entire album to lift to. I put more thought into the lyrics this time around and tried to express who I actually was rather than trying to sound cool or angry or something. Nathan and my friend Buckley helped me edit all the lyrics and they just kept on urging me to come out of my shell more and be honest.

HYE – What happened at the “no moshing” TYF/The Trust show in Lawrence? And what about the autographed hat?

JC – What happened? The kids had their say that’s what happened!! everyone moshed anyway and the show got shut down! Then the Trust signed my hat!

HYE – When is the next issue of Face Tomorrow coming out? What was your favorite interview/piece of that zine?

JC – I am not gonna do another issue. My favorite part of that zine was probably the Jesse interview. I love Jesse. I’ve seen some great front men and no one has shit on Jesse.

HYE – What bands get you psyched these days? Psyched on the edge and psyched on the core?

JC – Iron Boots, Down to Nothing, Rampage, Bane. Most of the music I listen to isn’t hardcore, but all those bands I just mentioned are rad as shit. We’ve played with all those bands and they impressed me every single time.

HYE – Describe your perfect day. Does it involve sleeping until 4pm then nerding it up, or does it involve waking up early, lifting and then perfecting your mosh? As many details as possible, please.

JC – Hahahaha wow! perfecting the mosh! No, I am not a good mosher. A perfect day would involve working out and doing something unexpected. The last perfect day I had was in Cali when we were on tour. We played a sick show, went out to eat, and then went back to my friend’s hot tub. I was having so much fun that I couldn’t sleep so I went to 24 hour fitness for 2 hours, did chest, got back, ate, went in the hot tub again and then we all went to TJ, ate, and then played a show that night.

HYE – How have you gone through hardcore as a guitarist and now a lead singer without one tattoo or even a piercing?

JC – You don’t put bumper stickers on a Mercedes.

HYE – How did you get so into weightlifting and bodybuilding?

JC – When I was in college I was hanging out with this girl all the time. I knew nothing about girls because I’d gone to an all guys prep school. So yeah let’s be honest this girl was my friend and flirted with me or whatever and I just totally fell for her. Hey I was just a beb. People that know me know I’m a really nice guy and that doesn’t fare to well when you’re trying to nail a superficial college girl. Yeah so I fell for her and went for it and I totally got shot right down. I internalized the whole thing and just asked myself “what’s wrong with me?” and it just so happened that right as I was having this internal dialogue I was walking by the cafeteria – and there was my answer. I looked over and saw these three juice heads with orange skin wolfing down food like they’d just returned from Somalia. Their arms looked like beach balls. They had these huge things popping out of their necks (which I later found out were called traps). They had these really blank looks on their faces and didn’t say anything, they just kept on eating while their girlfriends shared a cup of cheerios. So I just said “fuck it!” Totally illogical. I knew at the time how ignorant my mindset was but I didn’t really care. Teen angst, some kids had Morrissey, I had Gold’s Gym. So I started hanging out with these guys. They were just like hardcore kids, you know, extreme, always talked about the same thing. But instead of youth of today and the cro mags it was test and creatine. So they taught me how to lift and eat so that my muscles would grow. I had moderate success. To the people that knew me when I was 150lbs I look huge, but as far as gym culture goes I will always be skinny. I’m ok with that. But for anyone who was as into it as I was for the past four years, it always stems from some sort of internal complex. It’s not just about discipline. Yeah, if you can really transform your body you have discipline, but you also have issues, and they need to be worked out with a shrink not a dumbell!

HYE – How much tuna would you say you eat a week? What’s the current weight lifting schedule look like? Can you elaborate on “anabolica” and “muscle sports?”

JC – I dont eat that much tuna. maybe a can a week. i dont have a set schedule I just work out every muscle group as hard as possible at least once a week. Anabolica! Thats what our German friend Marcel said to us when we stayed at his house. There was a lot lost in translation. We were trying to communicate to him that we wanted to go to the gym. And after a minute he finally realized what we were saying and got this really excited look on his face and said “Anabolica!!! Muscle Sports!” We were like, “YES!!!!”

HYE – Who is your favorite edgeman of all time? And why? Think in terms of inspiration or influence.

JC – This is a tough one but honestly I think it might be Aaron Bedard. Because he’s got nothing to prove ya know, he’s just himself. Everybody who is like super straight edge and super righteous, you know they are kinda funny at first but after a while you realize it’s just a big front you know what I mean? Aaron’s my favorite because you can tell he is just doing his own thing and isn’t trying to impress anyone or whatever. Plus he’s a good friend which makes him cooler to me than any HC hero that I’ve never met.

HYE – How did RJ get hooked up with Chad from NFG?

JC – Nathans good friends with him. He loved RJ from the beginning though, before Nathan was in RJ. I love Chad. His band is awesome too and their new record is the best.

HYE – Which would you have rather seen: the Alone In A Crowd show, the Last Rights show or the Steve Reddy singing for YOT show?

JC – Steve Reddy. Obviously. I love all the YOT songs but when their singer told me to sit down at the reunion it really rubbed me the wrong way and ruined that band for me. I cant listen to them now, the only thing that could redeem them is if Steve Reddy sang.

HYE – It seems as though hardcore bands now more than ever have a reputation of being “players” on tour and living like rock stars. What are your thoughts on this and what is your role in it?

JC – That’s cool I support them. Not my thing never will be. But I mean let’s be honest most of those kids are posers. I mean, I walk into greg’s room and I’m flexing my arms for all my friends, but if Ronnie Coleman walked into the room do you think he’d have to flex for anyone?

HYE – What was your favorite show, and why?

JC – The first FP show at the first and second church. I was still just a beb and I didn’t care about anything. I just wanted to see FP and get all my teen angst out on the dancefloor. HC was the only thing in my life that I actually enjoyed. It was before I discovered working out or girls. FP was the best. Mark Porter was a great frontman. Billpunch was incredible. That was when all the older kids still were into HC, before I became one of the older kids. As goofy as we all were, it was a glorious time.

HYE – What music have you been giving a lot of play lately? How (if it does) does it get shifted when you are chilling with a special lady?

JC – I listen to music that has a good hard beat. You can’t lift to music that doesn’t get your heart pumping. When I lift I listen to Madonna, Life of Agony, Larry Ransom’s Bust it, Wrong Side, Annie, because those bands are hard. When I hang with my girlfriend we listen to a lot of cool shit but do you honestly think I’d give away the keys to the candy store that easily?

HYE – List your top 5 shirts/records you
a) owned and gave away
b) never owned but wanted badly
c) currently own

JC – I gave away an AF shirt with a nazi on it and people hanging from fish hooks. I always wanted a warzone superbowl of HC shirt. The top 5 coolest HC things I own are 1. SSD “Kids” 2. DYS “brotherhood 3. SSD “get it away” 4. the cro mags shirt Jesse gave me when I graduated 5. the life of agony shirt Buckley lent me!

HYE – Set the record straight. Who is the better stage diver: Ed Healy, Mothy, Jay Bill or someone else who surpasses all of them?

JC – My favorite stage diver is Greg’s roomate Zac because he has no idea what a stage dive is hes just losing his mind ya know? All those guys you mentioned are awesome as well.

HYE – Better 7″: Hardcore Pride or Division One Champs?

JC – PORTER.

HYE – Now personally, would you say you have better moves when holding a mic or when rocking a guitar?

JC – I get embarrassed watching either.

HYE – Any closing thoughts, shout outs or positive mental attitude statements?

JC – Thanks a lot to you, bmurph for the interview. You’ve always been a great friend. Thanks to everybody who goes to RJ’s shows. Check out Larryransom.com. Wanna send a shout out to Bob Shedd, Mike Twambly and Louden Swain. Also a shout out to my friend Tim McMahon. I interviewed that guy when i was 16 and he was as chill and down to earth to me then as he was last week when we played with Triple Threat. You can’t say that about everyone.

HYE – Yo, how’s your edge?

RF – I’d say it is doing very well.

HYE – How did it all start for you? Where did you first learn about hardcore?

RF – Well I didn’t really have much interest in music until I was 8 or 9 (80-81) at which time I started to listen to early hip hop music. Basically a kid moved to the neighborhood from Spanish Harlem and we became friends. He and his older brother turned me onto rap. In 1984 I started to lose some interest in the music and became interested in skateboarding and the music was a sort of sidebar. On my first day of High School I walked into woodshop class and took a seat next to the resident metal head. Turned out to be someone I knew from fourth grade. We started to talk about music and he handed me a tape of Black Flag. From that point I became obsessed with punk music. Within weeks I was primarily hooked on West Coast Punk (i.e. Black Flag, Dead Kennedy’s, Circle Jerks, etc.) but also took a liking to Minor Threat. Due to some family experiences I took to the straight edge thing. That was it. At the same time I identified myself as a punk kid and didn’t take to the straight edge scene until 1986.

HYE – Going along with the last question, when did you fully realize what straight edge was? And what does it mean to you now?

RF – I realized what straight edge was with Minor Threat but didn’t become involved in the Straight Edge scene until 1986. In other words where I lived there was just a small scene and no difference between the normal punk kids and the straight edge kid except we didn’t drink, do drugs or smoke. So I was Straight Edge but it wasn’t as a significant part of the punk experience until late 1986 as the number of Straight Edge kids in our area started to increase and we starting going to CBGB’s where straight edge was becoming it’s own subculture within the music. At that point we started to identify ourselves as Straight Edge kids as opposed to punk kids who were straight edge.

HYE – You’ve had a pretty illustrious career as a “band guy.” Break down what bands you have been in and what some of your favorite RELEASEs have been (oh, I kill myself).

RF – I sang for Release (1988-1990), Ressurection (1991-1994), 108 (1993-1996) and The Judas Factor (1998-2000). Of those bands I would say my favorite releases would be Ballads in Blue China (The Judas Factor), Threefold Misery (108) and I Refuse (Ressurection). I really like the Ressurection lp, and songs for that matter, but the recordings are painful. In hindsight $600 and a day isn’t enough to record and mix an album. I can listen to Songs of Separation (108) and Kiss Suicide (The Judas Factor). The rest of it I don’t care for.

HYE – You forgot something pretty important for the first Ressurection show. What was this item, and who eventually let you borrow theirs?

RF – Depends if you are talking about the first show we were booked to play or the first one we played. The answer could range from sneakers to most instruments. I believe you are talking about shoes but they weren’t forgotten rather lost on the way to the show.

HYE – Currently, you are a manager for a large company that specializes in any tasks that are perfect for DIY zine making. How many zines do you think your managerial region is currently producing? Any we should be looking to pick up?

RF – To be honest I don’t think there are any fanzines coming out of my District. There is a stark difference between the scene from my period and today. Today everyone puts out records and does a fanzine because it is extremely easy. Most of the fanzines these days seem to be webzines or blogs verse the paper fanzines of yore. I would have to say I prefer it that way because back in the day kids produced the fanzines because they didn’t pay for them and, well, it would be a shame to see someone get caught doing that in my District! If there is anyone producing a fanzine in my District I have yet to see it. I have received cd’s of some of their bands and things of that nature which is pretty cool. I don’t know that I have found one that I am into but I appreciate it.

HYE – Besides the job, what else is going on with 2k6 Rob Fish? Any current projects or notable happenings?

RF – Well I have two amazing boys. Ras (8) and Chaitan (3) and I currently live in Northern California. I still write a lot but between my children, work and where I live I haven’t done much with what I have written. Due to several different circumstances it seems that my family and I will relocate to the Gainesville, FL area this summer. If that is the case I will most likely begin recording and playing new music since I have some friends in the area who I have worked with before and whom I would like to work with in the future.

HYE – How in touch are you with the current hardcore scene? What bands are currently twisting your screw?

RF – I would say I am on the outside. First and foremost I simply don’t relate with much of what I see and hear today. I don’t maintain that there is anything wrong or less pure about what is out there today but it doesn’t particular interest me. Still I travel a lot, which means a lot of times in hotels, so I tend to look around on the web to check out what is going on in the punk scene. Of the bands that are around and playing today I dig Lords, These Arms are Snakes, The (International) Noise Conspiracy, Champion, Charge, Kill the Messenger, Paint it Black and Accidental Gun Death.

HYE – What is getting lots of play on your stereo these days (core or not)?

RF – Oasis, Drive Like Jehu, Black Flag, Absolution, Desaparecidos, Rollins (Hot Animal Sex Machine), Manic Street Preachers and Cap’n Jazz are the most popular.

HYE – Over the years, you have become more and more spiritual. Does hardcore and spirituality have an intrinsic connection, or are they totally disconnected?

RF – I would say so. Mind you I am speaking in terms of personal spirituality rather than institutional/theological dogma. To me punk/hardcore was always about finding yourself, asserting your values and questioning oneself and those around you; spirituality is a part of that. For those that knew me institutional thought was never my thing although I associated with and was associated with an institution I never really fit or tried to fit in.

HYE – Along the lines of spirituality, I have heard that you were famous for littering. Do you think you have a lot of bad karma to overcome from that?

RF – I think I moved on from that phase before I hit 18. Of all of my youthful misdeeds littering is probably pretty low in terms of the magnitude. Based on my life I am pretty sure I have received my fair share of karma for my missteps.

HYE – What was your favorite show that you didn’t have to perform at and why? What about the best show you played (if you want to break it down per band, fine by me)?

RF – There are a bunch of shows that remain in my head and I really doubt I could claim one to be the best. Corrosion of Conformity at Middlesex County College (Edison, NJ) in 1996 was very cool. I loved COC and that was the first time I got the chance to see them live which was amazing. I remember the envy I had for Ari because he had money to buy COC Boxer Shorts. Fucker. Years later a friend Kevin Nash gave me a old COC Banner which I still have till this day.

Absolutions first show at CBGB’s (was also Raw Deals first show). Absolution opened the show and they played it like it was their show and the rest of the bands didn’t exist. I loved the attitude.

Bl’ast in 2002. Kent McClard put on a Ressurection, Lifetime and Downcast show on our first tour in the upstairs of some club. After the show we are loading out and we hear a band in the main area of the club tuning up. We walk in and there is 1 person there. I remember standing their in disbelief to see Bl’ast, minus Clifford, getting ready to play. They played as a three piece in front of 1 paying person and the members of Lifetime and Ressurection and were amazing. Personally I was never very into Clifford so it was even better.

As far as shows I played a few come to mind from each band:

Ressurection: Lifetime, No Escape and Worlds Collide in Atlantic City. It was towards the beginning of the band and I remember how enjoyable it was to watch the horror on people’s faces when we played. Needless to say we didn’t sound like what they were expecting.

Ressurection, Gorilla Biscuits and NoFX at City Gardens (Trenton, NJ). We received 50 test presses of our ep the day of the show. Chris Daly and I made the covers (attached) and wrote personal messages on each copy. Coincidentally most of the personal messages were to GB making fun of them for their disconnect with Straight Edge. I remember when we played looking over and the GB guys were all watching us and enjoying it. Afterwards we are upstairs in the band room and the GB guys come in and tell us how much they liked us and Walter, whom I didn’t know well at the time, asked for a copy of our record. We snickered and gave it to him. I don’t think he found the message too amusing.

I also remember a show in the Allentown area with Lifetime, Mouthpiece and Concerned I believe. I remember as we finished setting up and turning around to see canisters of mace sitting atop all of the amplifiers and next to the drums. I think we made it half way through the set before the skinhead thing was out of control and lots of mace was sprayed and pool sticks broken. There is a photo from this show that was on the cover of the It’s For Life Comp where I have lots of messages written all over my body for our skinhead friends. I remember that period of Ressurection because literally half of the shows ended in mini riots and violence resulting in tensions with skinheads and bouncers.

108: Too many to name really. Our first show at the Unisound. We had recorded a record and then I quit the band. The band played 3 shows with Vic singing which didn’t work out so 108 broke up. After six months we decided to give it a go and had a 5 month US Tour booked with Shelter. By the time of our first show on May 15, 2003 the record was already out. I just remember setting up there was a lot of excitement and when we hit our first chord everyone went ballistic. The show was out of control because of the pent up energy we had as well as a crowd of 700 or so kids excited to see us and by that time they knew most of the songs. Needless to say it wasn’t a typical first show.

108, Snapcase and Earth Crisis at the Wetlands. I always loved playing this club. Great staff, great sound and fun club. This show was way oversold. I remember seeing a video of it once and literally you couldn’t see the band because of how many people were on stage. I remember a distinct moment when I was practically on top of the drums and Chris, Vic and I all looked at one another and it was just this feeling. Every kid, singing every word and just a great atmosphere.

108 and Refused in Umea, Sweden. This was on 108’s first European tour and Refused were our support band. The shows leading up were amazing. 108 had 2 records out at that point and all of the shows were amazing. I remember before the show in Umea, Refuses hometown, I was standing on the roof of the school we were playing at with Dennis, the singer of Refused, and watching all of the kids coming to the shows on their bikes. I think the average age of the kids was 12. When Doughnuts was playing I was standing on the side of the stage with Kate (108 Guitarist) and Lenny (Roadie) and watching these little kids going nuts. I remember between songs I looked at Kate and Lenny and remarked how damn cute these kids were. we all burst into laughter because it was rare to watch kids at a show and remark at how cute they were. When we played I kept reminding myself, no stage diving, because I would literally kill these kids because they were so small.

The Judas Factor and Bread and Circuits somewhere in the Midwest. I remember when we pulled up to the show and wondering if any kids would be there. The little town looked like a ghost town and it was eerie. Literally it was four blocks and every store was closed but this coffee shop. By the time doors opened it was a really good crowd. It was cool to play with B&C because I liked them and they were a bit older so it was easier to relate to them and just hang out and talk. That was one thing that was really strange for me when I did the tour with The Judas Factor. I felt, and probably was, so much older than most of the kids and felt sort of estranged from the scene. Still the kids were totally amazing and the show was one of my all time favorites.

HYE – In that last question, you give a run down of your favorite shows your bands played at. However, you list the first as Ressurection. You didn’t mention anything Release related. Was this on purpose, or did it just slip your mind?

RF – I tried to remember some specific things from Release but really couldn’t remember anything; at least not a complete story. To be honest I don;t remember a tremendous amount pre 1993… probably a defense mechanism due to all of the shit I went through.

HYE – It has been said that you were various generous with your hardcore gear. What is the best thing you ever gave to someone for buying you lunch?

RF – If you are hungry enough a Release varsity jacket is a very small price to pay.

HYE – List your top 5 shirts/records that you

I was never one to collect records or shirts. I would generally buy them and when I wasn’t interested anymore I would sell them or give them away. Sorry for the bad answer but I never really got into it. If there was a record I wanted and could find it I was more than happy with a tape of it.

HYE – Any final thoughts or closing shout outs?

RF – The past is never as great, or probably in my case not as bad, as we remember it and today and the future are what we make it and how we choose to see it. To me this is especially relevant in terms of how we view the punk/hardcore scene. Since this is a site pertaining to those that were involved with the Straight edge scene I am happy to be one of those who still realizes the value in being drug and alcohol free. At least the two straight edge tattoos and 17 combined X’s don’t require a cover up or witty reasoning.

HYE – Thanks. Also, pics and flyers courtesy of Rob Fish. If you know who took the original shots, please let me know.

Here it is folks. Possibly the only NY Wolfpack interview ever recorded. This interview literally needs no introduction, but I should get some editor notes in there just so I can look professional. If you’ve never heard of Steve Reddy or EVR, you should hang up your boots immediately. Even if you know the Steve Reddy story, sit back and (rot) prepare yourself for a full course on NY Wolfpack, NYHC politics and one or two fight stories. Thanks go out to Steve and all the dudes who compiled the questions. One last note: this interview was originally supposed to appear edited in Owen and Sami’s zine. There was some bad timing or something equally as goofy, and it never happened. Here’s the complete, unedited interview. Enjoy.

Interview by Pete Lynch

Questions by: Sami, Owen, Pete, Cooch, Mir Ali, Joey C (RJ loves the wolfpack!) & Jeff Hess.

Non core pics courtesy of Zusi with a helping hand from Brett Beach. Core pic courtesy of the book “Making a Scene” by Brian Hurley. Also, please note that every pic is a side profile. How that worked out, we’ll never know.

-Those who own the record know absolutely nothing about this band from the LP; can you give a history of the band from start to finish?

I didn’t start the band, my best friend Don Sullivan did. He was in a band called Fit for Abuse and I loved them, Don was awesome and we were like brothers. Well some of the dudes from Fit For Abuse were older and married and it’s not like money was ever a possibility back then so they could do it so much, so don and the original guitar player from Fit For Abuse, Drew, got together with these 3 young metal kids who were coming to shows and could actually play their instruments, and formed wolfpack. Drew was the mastermind, he was into Boston hardcore and he came up with the name and he wrote all the songs. Well one day Don up and joined he marines. Blew all our minds. Out of the blue him and Steve Schneider (the other dude in the cb’s picture with me), just came in and told everyone they had joined the marines. I was like what the fuck. Well they left and they asked me to sing and I said no so they got this other guy and they played a show at 288 Lark St. and the new guy sucked. I was embarrassed for myself, Don and Drew. So they gave him the boot and I came aboard. The Bomp hook up was from this girl Betsie, who was in this band the Raunchettes. They had played some shows in Albany so we got to know them and Don loved one of the chicks in the band so we had been to Rochester to hang with them. Well Betsie ended up marrying Greg (RIP) from Bomp and she turned him on to the demo tape that we had. He wanted to get his label more into hardcore and he wanted to do it with Wolfpack. So we went in the studio and did the record for like $500. We weren’t ready for a full length. Before the record was out Drew had quit the band and we got this poser kid Shane to take his place. Shane’s the graffiti bomber who did the great wolfpack that we are in front of on the back of the album. Shane only lasted one show but he got his picture on the album. Sucks.

We went on one tour. Dave stein set the whole thing up; it was up and down the east coast. I think it only ended up being like 5 shows but it was the end of the band for me. The difference between a hardcore kid and a metal kid was just too much for me to take. We brought along this other metal kid as a roadie, a few months later I ended up beating the shit out of that kid for making a Breakdown flyer for a show that I was doing and it was a drawing of a girl smoking a cig from her heynanunanu. The flyer had my phone number and everything on it so I freaked and I put word out that the kid shouldn’t come to the show. Well he did and I pounded him.

Back to the tour. We played in a small club in West Virginia and some other band must have used the place as a practice space and the metal kid stole a bunch of their equipment. I didn’t find out about it until we got back from tour and were unloading the van. I freaked and said if they didn’t send the shit back to the club in WV. I was out of the band. They kept the stuff and I quit.

-(The only other piece of info I have was when cooch told me you weren’t the first singer and they played some shows in the early 90s with the old singer…. is he correct on that?)

Drew wanted to do the band again and I loved Drew but I wasn’t into it. They ended up replacing me and playing some shows including the Roger Miret benefit at cb’s.

-Unlike virtually every other obscure NYHC record, the LP has pretty much never been booted, do any exist and have you ever thought about releasing it or having someone else release it?

It was probably never booted because it’s not very good. If you check your local record store one may show up in the .99-cent bin.

-Outside of the LP does any other recorded material exist?

Dave Stein and I started Combined Effort Records and our first release was the Albany style 7″ that had four Albany bands on it and wolfpack had either 1 or 2 songs on it, I can’t remember.

-Because the LP never came with an insert, can you finally put an end to the long running confusion of what the lyrics are? Your vocals are some of the most ferocious sounding ever especially on side one and I have wanted to know them forever…

I made an insert for the record. Laid it out in my living room with a typewriter and ruler. I first saw the finished record while I was on tour with YOT. We were at maximum rock and roll house and they had it I was surprised to find no lyric sheet in there but I was in no position to call Greg out on it because the band was already broken up.

-The LP seems to have many themes: the wolfpack, being proud, standing hard and being strong: what led you to write about these themes?

Like I said Drew wrote most of the songs and lyrics. He was a real hardcore kid and those are things that you felt back then just being a hardcore kid. It was kind a merge of looking out for your friends, being tough, and being strong.

-What’s the deal with “Chipmunk in the Road”? The song is listed on the LP but does not appear on the record. Is it just the noise at the end of the song until the needle hits the matrix?

I hated that song. I don’t know if I even sent it off to Bomp. The bass player Doug wrote it and it was just a silly song. I’m glad it never made it on the record.

-Does the black book of hell have a foreword?

I wrote that one. I bought a used car and I financed it and they gave me this little black plastic cover to keep the payment book in and I ended up making most of the payments while the car sat broken down in the parking lot. It was just about getting into something that you don’t really think through but because you signed a paper now you’re fucked. I bought a car, I took college loans, my friends joined the marines, etc.

-What kind of reaction would the wolfpack get, on the dancefloor and on the street?

It was about the same everywhere. No reaction what so ever. Does the expression big in Albany mean anything to you?

-Outside of Ray, you are the only person to ever sing a whole show with Youth Of Today…. what was that like, and do you have any stories from being the roadie on the Break Down The Walls tour? I heard about you and Porcell taking out nazi skins in Houston Texas….care to elaborate?

We were in Walla Walla Washington. One of my favorite all time tour places. Well we were staying with these Mormon kids, love moron kids, and they had a skate ramp. Ray and Porcell are pretty awesome skaters and they were skating. They talked Walter into trying to drop in when he could barely tic-tac back and forth. Well he ended up breaking his ankle and couldn’t go on. That’s a funny story because just that day he and Ray had given themselves funny haircuts. Ray just shaved all these bald patches in his head and then he gave Walter a Mohawk and I think they died it purple. Walter couldn’t leave Walla Walla for a few days and we had to go to Seattle and Portland and then we were coming back to pick him up. Well it was over a weekend and Walter had to go to church. Well I guess Mormon Church is like 3 hours long and the priest or whoever came down of the altar with a microphone and started asking Walter questions. Unreal.

They tried to teach me the songs on bass but I’m no musician. So it was either cancel the shows or I sing and Ray play bass. Portland sucked because someone heckled “let the bass player sing.” Seattle was cool because all the Brotherhood kids made it cool. I feel sorry for any kids who only saw YOT with me singing.

-What about the Shelter riot? Can you give me a recount from your point of view? What exactly happened in front of you? Who started it all? What was the deal with the guy who brought back all the thugs back to the club?

You mean the Boston Shelter riot? Some dudes were out in front of the club drinking all night and when John Lacriox stopped working the door they all came in and started to fuck shit up. They were big and all the kids at the show were small. Ray called from he stage for me to come up and throw them out. Well I don’t think he knew how many of them there were or how big they were. So I went up to this fat kid that was causing most of the trouble and asked him to chill out and he was like FU, and I didn’t want to start with him because there was like this other guy with them that was like 6’6 250lb and wearing a track suit. So Ray had everyone sit down and everyone sat down except them. Well the giant kid smacked some little kid and I sucker punched him. He fell down more because kids were sitting down all around his feet and I landed on him and just kept swinging. Well his friends ratpacked me in like 2 seconds and they got me by the arms and legs and were trying to carry me outside and the big guy was saying get this mofo outside so I can shoot him. Well it was a riot and I managed to get free and get back into the club but I had gotten pounded pretty well and the next weekend Project Kate and I got married so I have a shiner in my wedding photos. Classic white trash style.

-What inspired you to become pride of the pack and when did this idea of becoming the pride of the pack happen upon you?

Drew wrote it. And we use to quote it but there’s a big difference between being tough at a hardcore show and being tough on the street at least back then there was. I’m sure I’ve lost 3/4 of the fights that I’ve been in.

-I understand you are very much into weightlifting…what’s your diet like and what is your normal routine like? Do you believe that ideally, straight edge and weightlifting should go hand in hand?

I was into weight lifting. I’m not in very good shape now even though I have a gym at my house. (lame). EVR and my family keep me pretty busy plus I’m 40 years old now and officially washed up.

-What was the most you ever benched? What year was that?

I remember being able to do around 285.. But I was never really one of those max out kinda guys. Porcell and Richie always wanted to max out I wasn’t into it. My peak year was 1987. I remember working out twice a day.

I believe straight edge goes with everything. Intoxication is insane.

-What is the average day like for you, food wise? Be as specific as necessary. Do you stay away from soy or embrace it? If so, why?

I like tofu.

-What are 3 main factors to running a successful screen printing operation?

I’ll tell you when mine becomes successful.

-What do you remember about the NYHC Puerto Rican twins? They seem to have had an impact as being some of the best moshers ever but they were only around for one summer? Did you know them or what became of them?

After the YOT tour in the summer of 88 was over I dropped out of the scene. I lived on the Krsna farm for the next four years. I kinda missed that whole bad guy smashing people with hammers in the pit thing. When I came back around all those dudes were starting bands so they didn’t want to see shows getting messed up.

-Favorite Cro-Mags mosh part?

That’s a tough one. There’s so much to choose from. The beginning of we gotta know, seekers of the truth, I was a bad mosher so probably my favorite song to dance for was it’s the limit. I think I had a little better flow for the faster songs. I was at the krsna farm when best wishes came out but when I heard the beginning of death camps I was like this shit is awesome. I would have loved to mosh to that. I hope I don’t loose any cred for admitting that.

-What’s the craziest thing you’ve seen in a mosh at cb’s?

I don’t know about craziest but if you want to change the question I’ll tell you some of the best pits I’ve ever seen at cb’s. 7 seconds played with the mob. I was there to see 7 seconds but the mob was awesome and everyone was in the pit dancing for them; JJ, John Watson, Krsna Mike, Karl Mosh, Vinny Stigma, Harley, etc. and I don’t mean the celebrity stage dive I’m talking in the pit thrashing from beginning to end. It was awesome. Plus when WarZone got back together and covered young til I die that was pretty cool.

-Who is your favorite frontman?

Of bands I’ve seen maybe JJ or Kevin seconds. Of bands I didn’t see probably Dave Smalley in DYS. I use to play that record and stare at that picture of him for hours, it that gay? I’ll tell a side story I was on tour with into another and Richie, Gus SXE, and I walked into a health food store and this hot chick from behind the cash register walked up to us and asked if we were in a band and Richie said yes and then she asked me if I was Dave Smalley. High point of my life right there.

-Do you know Elliot Spitzer? Did you ever run into him at the grocery store or anything?

What?

-Any west coast bands you liked?

Sure. But there was a time when you literally had to deny that you liked anything other than nyhc. Suicidal was my first hardcore show. I loved them. Black Flag, lots of stuff.

-Are there any members of any of the bands currently on Equal Vision who can beat you in an arm wrestling match?

I don’t do it too often but I think I’m a pretty good arm wrestler. There’s probably a drummer that can beat me maybe Bob from bane. I don’t know but I’ve got a few bands on the roster now that the guys are so skinny I think if I arm wrestled them I could break their arms in half.

-Did you like the Rollins band?

Shit yea at least the first couple of records. Great show YOT, dag nasty and Rollins in Chicago. Porcell and Sammy got Rollins to go in this photo booth with them.

-Can you tell me about the Sam Mac story? Describe the street fight you were in before you ran into him.

My friend Chris Daily from Smorgasbord use to visit me at the krsna farm when he lived close by and when he showed me that born against 7″ I was kinda shocked. Not because Sam had the balls to do it but by the fact that he thought that we were good friends. I knew him and I hung out in crowds with him but I never hung with the dude alone or talked to him on the phone. Plus I probably saw him 3 or 4 times at cb’s before I moved to the krsna farm but everyone knew I was going and he never came up and said one word to me. They just hated Cappo and wanted to try and one up him. I wrote him a letter from the farm to tell him that I was still the same Steve Wolfpack and that I’d be into writing to him if he wanted. He never wrote back and then Chris Daily showed me some zine where someone asked him about me and he was like I got a letter from that dude whatever. That pissed me off. So I stopped by my friend’s house while I was on my way home from the krsna farm to visit my parents and they told me that Sam’s band was playing in town. They all wanted me to pound him. I was standing in a crowd and he walked by I reached out and grabbed his arm and he was like oh no I knew this day would come please don’t hit me. I couldn’t hit him he’s so small. But while I was talking things out with him and his guitar player Adam, some neighborhood kids came and started fucking kids up outside the show with baseball bats. I went to tackle one kid and some little kid hits me in the mouth with a little piece of pipe. I reached up and my mouth was bleeding pretty well but I felt all my teeth. The dude threw down the pipe and said come on big guy. I wanted to pound him but this other kid came up from behind him and he had a box razor and said he was gonna cut my face so I backed off. Some dude hit Steve Schneider in the head with numbchucks and sent him to the hospital. It was a bad scene but I felt really bad because I felt like I had backed down to that little punk. The next time I came to town I wanted to go hang out near there and get some revenge but my friends told me that he had pressed charges against the kids but he dropped them because the weekend after the fight those same dudes raped and stabbed some girl. Great world we live in.

-Do you like the 2nd DYS LP? Any favorite songs off that record?

I think I may have liked it if I had given it more time but the tide had turned on them and I just kind a went with the flow.

-Was there ever a girl in the Albany HC scene called Helen of Troy? Was she hot?

Steve Schneider married some hardcore girl named Helen and she’s cool. I don’t know if that’s her. I hardly went after hardcore chicks. I work at this place that had tons of metal chicks working there. I usually went for that if you know what I mean.

Afterword:

It’s almost 20 years after wolfpack broke up and I think this is the first wolfpack interview I’ve ever done, thanks it’s been fun.

I like RJ.

Rock on

xstevex