Growing up throughout the 90's to now, I want to believe I've seen and lived through a crucial period in the history of Punk Rock, especially when it comes to its relevance on Long Island. With bands like Brand New, Taking Back Sunday, The Movielife, Crime in Stereo and Patent Pending, who all had a tremendous part in putting Long Island on the map within the punk scene, not much has come out of Long Island since their emergence in the early 2000's.
Other then your usual shows at the VFW or your local bowling alley, the only "real venues" around were in Amityville or The Downtown in Farmingdale. Once the fall of 2005 hit however and The Downtown shut its doors, the Punk scene and all other music out of Long Island seemed to have faded with its closing. For years, it felt like there was a void that needed to be filled and, slowly but surely, it started to build back up over time. New venues started popping up and old ones were being renovated, showcasing amazing acts once again. Not only was punk back on Long Island, it started to thrive and take on a form like no other.
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Since then, it’s been a while since I’ve been to a local show to see who out there is actually doing the scene some justice. Predominantly as a Punk drummer, I myself have tried to form band after band only to have them eventually come to an end due to financial reasons or commitment issues with other members. Not only is it extremely hard to find talented members on Long Island, due to the overwhelming hardcore and metal influence that’s been here, finding a bunch of musicians that have the same goal in mind almost seemed impossible. This past weekend, however, my faith was restored, not only with the scene but with my own endeavors in wanting to get back on stage!
An old friend and ex-band mate, who is now a member of The B-List, invited me to come to their album release show at my old stomping grounds at Amityville Music Hall. I was excited not only to see him perform on stage, but to also be back in a place I myself performed around 10 years prior. I was familiar with their music, having opened for them before with a previous band of mine and from listening to their EP, but had no clue what was in store later that night.
I had heard of the other bands that were playing that night before but was unfamiliar with what they actually sounded like, as I had never took the time to listen to them alone. Opening was the newest band of the bunch, AllOut, an Easy-Core/Pop Punk group full of energy, loaded with catchy harmonization’s both instrumentally and vocally, along with shred-worthy palm-muted riffs and breakdowns, of course. The guys, having only played a couple shows prior, did amazing and definitely brought a smile to my face once they began.
Missing two other bands that played that night, I decided to mingle instead and talked with some great people who brought to light how things have been through my hiatus from going to shows. The best part I found with talking to everyone was certainly the age range, as I was talking to people almost 9 years younger and 9 years older than me. People of all different ages and backgrounds were at this show, and by the end of the night, the place became sold out. Before my friend and his band took the stage, a new friend I made that night was about to with his band, Gutterlife. The second these guys rang out a chord and let out a scream, I ran from the back where I was standing up to the stage and a rush of euphoria and nostalgia hit my ears at 1000 mph. Not since my early days in the hardcore scene have I heard such a great refreshing punk/hardcore group, especially here on Long Island. These guys blew the roof off. The vocals were powerful and fun as their fans loyally chanted back gang vocal parts. People were jumping on each other’s shoulders and the pit was glorious as they played in old school hardcore fashion.
The next band I watched, Giants at Large, couldn’t have done it better. This Pop Punk/Pop Rock group, who cunningly played Third Eye Blind’s “Narcolepsy” in and out of one of their songs, absolutely killed it. Their choruses were catchy like none other and they played tremendously tight. Upbeat drums led the way followed by intricate guitar work and a calm and collective front man who kept the crowd more than engaged. After finishing their set and shouting me out for knowing their 3eb reference, I checked off another band I needed to download ASAP when I got home.
There was much anticipation for this entire show but of course it was mostly geared towards the headliners, The B-List. It’s hard to put into so many words how great of a performance these guys put on. Their frontman sang with so much heart and never once allowed anyone to stand still for a second. My friend on lead guitar delivered as always, shredding face and accompanied by their rhythm guitarist who harmonized beautifully. Their bass player, who happens to also be the front man for Gutterlife, continued to scream along to us stomping around and created even more excitement than during his previous performance. Their drummer drives the band with his fast hands and double bass work that gives the B-List the final cherry on top for being a perfect Pop Punk band.
After the show, I remember walking away with a huge smile on my face thinking “Punk is back, man!”. It felt so refreshing to see an entire show of locals doing it right and leading the way for more bands to join this once thriving scene. It gave me hope that Punk on Long Island could soon return back to its glory days; a time in my life when I made some of the best memories with others who I can never forget.
