SICK OF IT ALL

SICK OF IT ALL
Taking Hardcore Worldwide
by Jason Walsh

One of the bands that are synonymous with New York hardcore is Sick of it All. The guys from the Alley-Way Crew have been touring and putting out inspiring records for over two decades now and have headlined the Black ‘n Blue Bowl in years past. Frontman Lou Koller and Bassist Craig Setari were in attendance this year and talked about why events like this are still an important way of strengthening the scene.

“It’s definitely great,” Koller said. “It’s one of the reasons I’m here. Not only to support my friends in Inhuman, but to support Freddy, Cousin Joe, and everybody at Black ‘n Blue.”

Koller also took the stage tonight with the guys from Inhuman, which features current Agnostic Front members Steve Gallo and Joseph James. He thinks the way that “Cousin Joe” and Freddy Cricien have kept the show independently run is part of its success.

“They actually took a proactive move to bring it back to us instead of relying on bigger corporations or companies to keep hardcore alive,” he said. “You know they come in when hardcore is popular in the mainstream fringes and then when it starts to die down they drop you like you’re yesterday’s news.”

Setari is a long-time member of the New York underground, previously a member in such outfits as Agnostic Front, Youth of Today, and Straight Ahead. He agreed that the guys in Black ‘n Blue have taken the D.I.Y. ethic to a whole new level.

“Over twenty years they’ve been having hardcore Superbowls,” he said. “The difference now is that it’s in the hands of the people as opposed to the ones that weren’t the people. It’s even better now because the people running it are the people that make the music so everyone’s getting treated properly and it’s an in-house production, so to speak.”

Growing up in the scene, Setari is not phased by the aggressive pits that erupt at such venues. What appears to be chaotic mob violence is just a way of self expression and liberation. To him, the message of hardcore is much deeper.

“It’s all about people coming together and getting along,” he said. “I know from the outside in, hardcore looks like it’s pretty rough sometimes, but the reason that happens is because it’s a place to release your emotions. The bottom line is it’s positive to take your frustrations out through music as opposed to violence or crime. Hardcore, I think, is a great thing for kids to get into, as long as they keep their individuality and keep themselves together and not get lost.”

Koller said the show is a throwback to the old days, when the scene was first emerging, but as they have all grown older, they have grown wiser as well.

“That’s the beauty of it. It’s like the way it was in the earlier times, like the late 80s, early 90s, but now it’s at a different level. We know more about the business end because back then we didn’t give a damn about business. It’s a smarter way of having things done.”

Following the show, Sick of it All heads to Europe to tour for a month. They have toured Europe dozens of times and Koller said he always looks forward to crossing the water to see the friends and family he’s made over the past two decades.

“Europe is like a second home to us,” he said. “It’s actually where we are a bigger band than we are in the States. We have a great following over there and they’ve stuck with us. It’s great to see in Europe, where you see people like my age in their late thirties, to people bringing their kids, and their kids are really into it. It’s not like they’re being dragged to the show and forced. They’re really into coming to see us, and bands like Madball and Agnostic Front.”

After a month in Europe, they return to the States for a short break, then continue on to Asia and Africa. They will be hitting some new destinations they have never played before, such as Malaysia, Indonesia, Israel, and Russia. Finally, they hook up with the Dropkick Murphys in Australia. Koller said after the worldwide whirlwind of touring ends, they are going to concentrate on a new album.

“We started writing,” he said. “We gotta start working on the next record more seriously.”

Setari said life on the road isn’t easy, especially on a tour of this scale, but at the end of the day, what they do as a band outweighs being away from home for such long stretches.

“Yeah, it’s hard as in, you’re a little dirty and sometimes you sleep in a bumpy ride, but I’m living out my dreams, so I can’t complain. People are actually paying attention to what I create so it’s really a great thing. A little bit of discomfort is really nothing when you compare it to working for the man, let’s say.”