BLACK N BLUE BOWL 2009

BLACK N BLUE BOWL 2009
by Jason Walsh

Brooklyn was once again host to this year’s fifth annual Black N Blue Bowl, which featured the likes of some of the best in old-school hardcore. Murphy’s Law, Crown of Thornz, Indecision, Stigmata, Discipline, and Walls of Jericho were among the sixteen groups on this year’s roster, which included reunions by Earth Crisis, Bold, and Killing Time as well as the last show by NYHC stalwarts, Subzero. The event has been successfully run by the guys at Black N Blue Productions, “Cousin Joe” Cammarato and Freddy Cricien of the legendary New York Hardcore group, Madball

“It’s been a tradition in our scene for many, many years,” Cricien said. “It somehow got lost along the way over the years and my partner, Joe, and myself, we brought it back.”

Originally dubbed “The Superbowl of Hardcore” back in the mid 80s when the New York Hardcore scene was exploding at venues like CBGB’s in Manhattan, the event ceased to exist. But those who still felt strongly about the movement and passionate for the scene decided it was time to give it back to the fans who had stood by through the years and the bands whose resolve never wavered.

“Man, it’s crazy. If you would have asked me ten years ago if I would be throwing the Superbowl of Hardcore I would have said you’re fucking crazy,” Cammarato said. “I approached Freddy years ago because I had the go to do it and Freddy had the music credentials. I knew I needed some help to get this thing off the ground and we came together. It was meant to be.”

Detroit-based metalcore oufit Walls of Jericho were one of the many who found themselves in NYC for the big day in Brooklyn. Vocalist Candace Kucsulain was excited about taking part in this year’s event.

“Freddy from Madball asked us to do it,” Kucsulain said. “We have much respect for that scene in New York. It was an honor to be part of the show and play on stage with a lot of bands that we grew up touring with. It was a great time. A lot of energy and we look forward to doing it again some time.”

Kucsulain said that aside from once again being able to throw down for the audience from the five boroughs, there were also some great moments for her throughout the day. “Skarhead shooting a video upstairs was definitely a highlight,” she said. “It was good times with good people. Being able to share the stage with Indecision once again. It was my first time seeing Bold and it was a memorable moment.”

Late-80s youth crew legends Bold were one of the big draws of the day, blasting out their now two-decade-old “posicore” straight-edge standards. Guitarist John “Porcell” Porcelly, renown for his work with Youth of Today and Judge, was excited to be back on the stage again with the band.

“Quite honestly, Bold was pretty much broken up and we hadn’t played any shows in about two years,” Porcell said. “Out of the blue, Civ called me and asked if Bold would play the BNB Bowl and I was very psyched to do it since I hadn’t seen any of my New York friends in a while. The other guys felt the same and it was a blast to get together and play again.”

For Porcell, the decision to do the show was the right one, stirring up those old emotions, yet the consummate musician, he wondered if the band would be ready for the gig. “The show was awesome, both for us and the crowd. Like I said, we hadn’t played together in years and since we all live in different parts of the country, we only had a limited amount of time to practice, so I was worried that we wouldn’t be that tight. Amazingly though, everything just came together and we actually sounded better than we ever have.”

The reunion for Porcell saw him reconnecting with many from the NYHC crew that he hadn’t seen in a while. He said he enjoyed seeing bands like Earth Crisis, Urban Waste, Murphy’s Law, and Killing Time as well as seeing Agnostic Front guitarist Vinnie Stigma, whom he dubbed, “the godfather of hardcore,” walking around “talking with his hands.” The day for him had many upsides.

“For me, the highlight was getting to sing the encore for the Bold set,” he said. “On past tours for an encore, I would come out and sing the old Bold song ‘Nailed to the X,’ but this time we decided to do something a little different and I sang ‘NY Crew’ by my old band Judge. The response from the crowd was incredible and people were literally grabbing the mic out of my hands the whole time to sing along. I barely even got to sing it! The energy was intense and it was encouraging and humbling to see that kids were still so passionate about music I made years ago.”

Indecision vocalist Tom Sheehan was also on board when they were approached to do this year’s Black N Blue Bowl. This was a return engagement for the hometown crew from Brooklyn’s Bay Ridge area.

“We played the Superbowl in2006 after having not played together in like eight years,” Sheehan said. “It went incredibly well and we had such a blast that when Joe (Cammarata) had approached us to play again this year, we were totally in. Plus, to be able to play in our hometown with Killing Time, Earth Crisis, Urban Waste, Murphy’s Law, Bold, and all the other great bands was a chance we couldn’t miss. I think it was a solid lineup from beginning to end. Joe and Freddy and BNB seem to outdo themselves every year. The whole thing was a highlight for us. Plus, seeing younger bands like Forfeit and Backtrack totally kill it was great to see.”

Albany’s Stigmata was also on the marquee and came down from upstate New York for the show. Guitarist Jay Sunkes said they decided to play as soon as they were asked.

“We knew it would be a great crowd and a good time and we were right on both,” Sunkes said. “The show went great. Crowd was very into it, singing songs word for word, dancing and grabbing for the mic. I think for most hardcore fans, the music and lyrics had a huge impact on their, and our lives and something that strong don’t fade. For me, it is just the love of the music and the desire to spread our music to as many people as possible. And, it’s just fucking fun to play. Period.”

Porcell said that in this day and age, it’s events like the Black N Blue Bowl that strengthen the scene, bringing the fans together like a family to stand together as one, as in the glory days of hardcore’s initial rise.

“It’s important because it brings some unity back to the New York scene,” he said. “I mean there were hundreds and hundreds of kids from all walks of life, ages, nationalities, but everyone got along because they were there for the music. Back in the day, there weren’t a lot of fights at CBGB’s because there was a sense that we were all outcasts in one way or another and somehow this form of music had brought us together, so we looked out for each other. It was good to see that spirit at the Black N Blue Bowl.”

Black n Blue Productions marketing director, heidiminx, agreed that the relevance of hardcore is part of what makes the BNB Bowl important and its roots are what helps to keep it grounded.

“The scene was born out of DIY and that’s what this event is,” she said. “It’s put together by people in this scene, for this scene. They are way too many corporate shows in so many cities, it seems like those shows are the only shows. It didn’t used to be that way and this show is a testament to hard work and rolling up your sleeves to making something happen because you love it.”

Black N Blue founder Freddy Cricien agreed that this annual event is about more than just a concert with a bunch of bands. It’s about a community. “It’s always been that kind of environment, family, friends, and we want to keep it that way. The people that come to these shows have a lot of respect for what we’re doing and for the people behind the scenes. There’s a lot of respect. It brings a lot of different people together to have a good time in New York City. What more can I say?”