Everybody Gets Hurt

EGH
by Jason Walsh

It was 1996 when former members of D-Mize, 25 ta Life, Setback, Fit of Anger, and Outburst came together to form the Queens based Everybody Gets Hurt. EGH has been rolling along strong since, independent and underground, and have found themselves playing the Black ‘n Blue Bowl for a second time. Bassist Chris Benetos said the event is more than just a show.

“This is our friends. This is our family. “We’re all an underground scene over here. We stick together. It’s real fun. New York City has never been better.”

Frontman “Vato Rob” Cullin appreciates what the guys from Black ‘n Blue have done to get the scene in New York alive and energized.

“Cousin Joe brought the New York Superbowl back which was the key,” he said. “All the other bands they come from all over, but New York’s got its own scene, and he’s real big that all the New York bands get their time. He puts it out for a lot of young guys too. He’s a real good dude. It’s a great event. Hardcore.”

The success of EGH lies in their resolve to take all matters that pertain to the band into their own hands. Their current new release, “It Is What It Is: Born to Lose, Live to Win,” is just an example of that D.I.Y. ethic.

“It’s self released,” Benetos said. “We’re an underground hardcore band. We’ve toured the whole world already. Summertime, we should be going back to Europe, but we’ve done the whole world independently. It’s been incredible.”

EGH has used their own contacts and promotional skills to tour the world. In 2002, they released their first full-length album, “The Dark Seeds of Man,” and with the American and Japanese profits, they funded a European tour. “Vato Rob” said you have to be strategic when planning such an endeavor.

“The best time to go is when nobody’s there,” he said. “Summertime, you’ve got such an influx of foreign bands and they throw these monster festivals. By the time you get to the kids, they’re gonna buy their Slayer shirt, they’re gonna buy their Pantera shirt, whomever the big band is, and it’s like trickle down. When your own your own and you do your headline tour in October when there’s no big festivals, or maybe one or two, you do real well when people come to see you. They don’t necessarily go to see a giant festival. You do a lot better.”

He said one of the highlights of their adventures was in the land of the rising sun.

“Japan? Forget about it. Unbelievable over there. They get naked, dance around the tour bus. It’s fucking insane.”

Declining sales in the music industry and shady dealings by major labels have kept the band clear of signing any contracts with the corporate machines. “Vato Rob” believes that all the help they need to succeed as a band can be found within the band itself.

“The record industry is dying,” he said. “Everybody knows that and we were kind of hip to that ten years ago. As soon as the internet came out with the Ipods and the downloading and all this other shit, the writing was on the wall. People were offering you $5000 for a record that took you two years to make. It’s ridiculous and then they’re going to give you tour support, this, that, and the other thing, but at the end of the day, you don’t get paid because you gotta pay all that shit back.”

He preaches self reliance and the basic, age-old hardcore ethic of do it yourself.

“You don’t need a record label. You just gotta be busy. You just got to want it. You want it, you go get it, no problem.”