NJ's Hardest

Last Friday we played a show in Kearny, NJ which is just a stone's throw from the pit of hell known as Newark.
There was a time 10 years ago where I spent at least 2 days of my week finding someone willing to drive to Newark and then actually getting up there just for the Thursday night shows at the Pipeline in lovely scenic Newark,NJ. Alot of cool bands that never made it out of obscurity played, alot of bands that have grown to infamy and others to comedy. The thing that kept bringing me back was the fact that it was an entire scene there every week. It didn't really matter who was really playing you could count on at least 75% of the bands from North all the way down the shore line being there. It made for awesome "jump up" sets and bands sharing gear and playing some stuff. There was an ambience that made you truthfully believe that the minute you stepped into the place anything can/would happen. There wasn't any of this "safe" areas in the mosh, it was one of those dark clubs where you could be standing there watching a band like Powerhouse from California and end up with a black eye from Rat Bones because the light hit you from the stage and your peripherals were blinded.
Yea yours truly learned early on to watch everyone and never assume you're safe. But that was just a piece of it. I heard the "New" fury record out front of the Pipeline in Joe None's hoopdie. I met so many dudes and got so many #s and addresses to mail (yes the postal service not the fuckin internet) dudes flyers and contact info. It was a great place to network and get your shit out there. The place was a shithole and a few times I'd made the walk to the club from the train I truly felt blessed to get there in one piece. I met some guys that I am still very close to today, I've met guys that sucked in 97 and the years of drugs and boozing didn't make anything better.
So we show up to this hall in the middle of a block and I instantly start seeing old faces. By the time the first band had gone on I'd run into 20 or more people I can't think of the last time I've seen them. Homicidal played first and really tore it the fuck up. They've got Mike and George"Puda" from Bulldoze, Tomoki (the asian sensation), McG and Dimi (how many bands has this dude hasn't been in?) Very aggressive hard band with nods to the old bands of their members while having an almost thrash influence subtlely in there to boot. Their first song a maniac runs and tackles the stand up sound board and then runs and boots (with a Timberland of course) half the crowd. God I miss those berzerkers.. All in all a "fat" set from a band that needs to get out some more.


We played next and I was psyched for once. Usually we're not using our gear, getting there was a pain in the ass or there is about 134235 things going on aside from us just getting up there to shred. This being what is we haven't played early on a bill in about a year and I miss that need to set the place off. I think in our 25 minutes or so we did just that. I really think that I stay in Shattered Realm sometimes because we have the same ideas about what a good set duration is. Why play 40 minutes when you're not headlining and the place isn't moving to anything you throw out there. Sure there are places in Europe where the mosh is just not happening but that is diffrent then in your home turf and the songs keep going over like a 50 cent track at a white power rally.
We were really psyched on the mention of a Bulldoze set happening later. I remember George needing to borrow our bass again for it and thinking if Chris would show so it would go down. I guess they ended up getting Steve to rock out to an Ipod and learn the stuff. That was just like it was years ago, if you didn't have all your dudes but you could manage with a diffrent guy for a few songs fuck it... it wasn't the songs as much as it was your friends in the room and the feel of the night. By the time Bulldoze got on things had calmed down a notch and I was hoping that it would get crazy again so For The Love Of... would get a proper response. These North Jersey shows go late so the bar makes theirs and everyone pretty much goes from the bar to the bands and back, sometimes a trip or two during the set. By the later bands the berzerker mosh makes way for the guy who think his 35 year old body can move like it did when he was in his early 20s. Always rad to see.
Either way Damien and I had posted up near the sound guy with our asses on the table so we could watch the Bulldoze chaos without having to be in guard the whole time. I guess I've got to the point where I am not going to go and run around and kick and punch everyone for every band. Its not a shamed position but one I wouldn't assume I'd take on this early into my adulthood. I've seen Bulldoze then, I seen then when Kev first got out of jail, and we've played with them. I love the band but didn't need to lash out my aggression during their band. Sometimes there is something in being the voyeur. For us we were laughing already at the few moshers during NJBL's set. Just a bunch of weirdo mosh styles that conflicted making for awesome comedic relief for us. Bulldoze went on and Joe and Tara were standing with us. They were really tight for the jump up set and things were hectic. Enter the long hair berzerker mosh, he was really something. Absolutely fearless of contact with others and injury to himself, he was a true warrior of the mosh. By the end of their set I'd grabbed the mic and danced a bit but with the amount of drunken mosh dudes that were more like moshers then dancers I didn't want to be "that guy" to knock one of them out over mosh beef. I knew they didn't know any better and I figured someone would school them but I didn't have to be me for once. All in all an awesome set and the energy was back and then some.
For The Love Of... what can be said about a truly overlooked innovator in the realm of metalcore. So clean and vicious its an understatement to say that they really stepped out of the game at a time where had they held on they would have been in the ranks of Shadows Fall, God Forbid and later Killswitch Engage. I can't think of it but I know there was more then a few shows with most of those bands together on it in NJ and For The Love Of... coming out with the best response. People never seem to remember the guys who did the work in the trenches. FTLO would play crazy sets with the wildest other bands and it was always worth it. They would bring an anvil onto the stage and strike it with a sledge hammer. Insanity then, and if it was ever done again I imagine these tight pants, bad hair and no idea what metal or hardcore is kids would shit themselves. Either way they got up and despite it being late and some of the crowd vanishing to the bar they were really as tight as they've ever been. Some bands just don't lose and I was very happy we stayed to watch them. Alot of mosh shennigans and what not, really the worst of what happens when people get drunk and start to mosh after midnight, or guys who find themselves to be bigger physically forget that there are things like gravity and physics in play when it comes to the mosh. Oh well. I had a good chuckle a bunch of older guys who made their qualms with the scene back running around moshing living out their glory days. I imagine they felt on top of the world and back in their element. I wonder if they realized how far the world has moved on without them? It always hits me when see people like that if they've ever understand how inconspicuous their time in hardcore was and how silly their words were when they decided to walk away sounded to everyone else?
In the end I was happy to play a show that felt like I was a teenager again. I was really happy to see old friends and enjoy the parallel universe that was that night. It felt like someone opened a portal between 97 and 07 just for a few hours. There was alot of the same characters from both worlds and everyone looks older but for that one night at least everyone acted more like themselves before they got too cool for school.
Thanks to everyone who came out, participated and made the night worth it to be there.