Scarboro from NYC manage to combine a unique blend of hardcore punk at the same time giving respect to their roots but also remaining fresh and energetic. It was about time for me to talk with the guys about various topics, so read here!
YOU GUYS HAVE A NEW E.P. OUT SOON, SO TELL US SOMETHING ABOUT THAT. WHAT ARE THE SONGS ABOUT, HOW WAS THE MAKING PROCESS AND ARE THERE ANY DIFFERENCES ON THE NEW RECORD FROM THE OLDER MATERIAL?
SHI: We’re pretty stoked to get the new E.P. “Wolves on the Radio” out to the masses which will happen sometime this fall. The recording process was pretty straightforward. As with our last record we worked with our good friend and producer Francisco Botero at Studio G Brooklyn. It was also the last recording our old drummer Eric did before leaving to be a papa. We’re stoked though to have Vinny who played with Murphy’s Law behind the kit, he’s a real beast. We joke that we’re the easiest band to work with in the studio because we really trust Francisco behind the mixing board and we’re pretty efficient when it comes to laying down tracks so we don’t end up doing multiple takes etc. we all know what we’re supposed to do and just get the job done.
As for song meanings, I suffer from depression and don’t shy away from it, the last record if you pay close attention is really about grappling with that in not the healthiest of ways. This recording reflects a turning point of sorts and I like to think of it as a more positive record with songs focusing on overcoming shit and just an all out more fun and positive take. Like the title track for example which is written from the perspective, and for, the bands we’ve shared the stage with.
JACK: The record making process was amazing! Francisco is always a pleasure to work with and creating something under the roof of Studio G always feels great. That studio was hand built by people who carry the same DIY ethos that were instilled in all of us from the punk scene. The owners all came up playing CBGB’s, each contributing their part to the fabric of the NYC punk and hardcore scene in their own ways. I don’t know where else we could have made it happen.
VINNY: Yeah really stoked on being a part of this new upcoming band, i feel it has soul and power behind the words, meanings and actual sounds. When I asked to be a part of the the band and first joined I was honored and surprised as well to be included. These guys put in much heart to it and I respect that, plus.. the tunes are great and should be broadcasted old and clear. Being with Murphy’s Law for 6 years, you learn… a lot. I love Jimmy G and have the much respect for that man and as a brother, as a friend, as well as the the whole NYHC scene alike. Watching, learning and seeing them in videos from Miami since I was 15. SOIA, GB, Cro-Mags w/ (MACKIE) and John Joseph. Including Harley.
IS SCARBORO POLITICAL BAND? DO YOU GUYS HAVE POLITICAL LYRICS? WHAT IS THE INSPIRATION FOR THE LYRICS?
SHI: I mean we all have our own political views but as far as being a political band I would say no, there are plenty of bands out there that deal in that vein and are way better at it then I think I could ever be. The inspiration for the lyrics really come from lived experiences and the experiences of those close to me. Samsara for instance is about fighting back against society’s conditioning of people tied to an economic system. So I guess you could say that’s political but it’s more about the fight against the philosophical underpinnings that drive that conditioning than a particular political worldview.
JACK: There are definitely political undertones through out the music but it always seems to manifest itself into more of a comment about how we are a product of that environment. It’s hard to have a clear conscience and state of mental health when you know what’s going on all around you politically.
VINNY: My political views are indispensable, I love our country… although I’m Peruvian, but hate our government. I love NYC. It changed many perspectives in my life.
FOR ME YOU PLAY A UNQUE MIX OF RAMONES AND CIRCLE JERKS OLD SCHOOL PUNK WITH HARDCORE. DO YOU CONSIDER YOURSELVES TO BE NEW YORK HARDCORE BAND?
SHI: First of all that comparison is humbling so thank you for even thinking about us in the same breath as those greats. Speaking for myself, growing up in NYC I have a lot of respect for the New York Hardcore scene and we’ve had the honor to share the stage with some of those legends. There’s no doubt our sound is influenced by early New York Hardcore, that said I’m hesitant to throw that label around. I feel like we’re still paying our dues so I leave it to our listeners to make the
VINNY: For sure, we all have a mix of influences, in our own way… some major influences for me include the Adolescents (got no friends) hit me like a ton of bricks.. NOFX with the fast beat and as I’ve stated before, I’ve learned a lot being in ML. Scarboro should def be apart of the NYC punk scene as well as a NYHC symbol as it represents so much since it started. I’m nobody to talk but from what I’ve experienced, its a united family. Remaining strong, pushing forward. Not about the looks… about what we go through everyday. The love, the passion, the music.
MANY PEOPLE THINK THAT NEW YORK HARDCORE LOST IT` S TOUCH AND BECAME FASHION THESE DAYS. IS IT SO? PERSONALLY, NEW YORK HARDCORE BANDS ARE THE MAIN REASON WHY I GOT INTO PUNK HARDCORE SCENE, I STARTED WITH SICK OF IT ALL, AF, CRO-MAGS, BIOHAZARD AND ALL THE OTHERS, SO IT WILL ALWAYS BE IN MY HEART IN SPECIAL PLACE. ARE YOU SOMEHOW PROUD TO BE THE PART OF SUCH VAST MUSIC HISTORY?
SHI: The bands I see as the next generation of NYHC bands are anything but “fashion” and know their roots and respect them so I think any rumblings of hardcore being dead are premature. There’s a lot of bands the past decade or so that ran with the “hardcore” label but are just dudes in makeup who like to take advantage of young girls but I don’t think that anyone confused them with NYHC.
It’s funny you ask about the history portion. We were recently invited to open up for Kill Your Idols and Fireburn and as the new kids on the block it was really fucking crazy being backstage having Todd Youth and Jimmy Gestapo waxing poetic about the early Murphy’s Law days to us like we were old buds. Chilling with Israel Joseph from the Brains like it was a normal thing and then listening to Warzone get covered by surviving members from the side of the stage really blew our minds. It dawned on us I think that we whether we intended it or not, we’re lucky to be part of that legacy and have a responsibility not to drop the fucking ball hahaha.
JACK: As Shi said, I don’t really get the sense that there is anyone in it for the fashion specifically. I feel like anyone pursuing that is in for a rude awakening, because there is so much more you deal with by being in a band than you even realize. Is your Mohawk gonna save you when you’re broken down on the side of the road and everyone in the van is at each other’s throats because someone ate somebody else’s cereal that morning?
VINNY: NYHC will never die. Punk, rock, punk rock -hardcore, will always like and continue. Hardcore is what you make of it, the feeling. The core. No one will EVER take advantage of anyone.. go to the shows and support. Playing with TY for a bit was blast when he played guitar back in 2013 in ML, but unfortunately didn’t last. Later, While In ML, touring with SOIA.. its not about fashion at all… its about making it to the shows and presenting and representing the love and passion you feel from how it began, giving the crowd all you’ve got.. expressing repressed anger, fear, love… Armand for example is a beast on the vocals… more so on the drums. But these guys aren’t bullies or try “hard”. They do their best for themselves and for their families for years as they have been. Same as AF and H2O. Jimmy G, my brother, has shown me how it really feels like to be on an open stage on the road with your brothers.. its all about feeling man.
IS NEW YORK GENTRIFIED AND TOO PEACEFULL, AGNOSTIC FRONT GUYS SAID THAT NYC BECAME TOO SAFE AND TOO TOURIST FRIENDLY AND LOST IT` S SENSE OF DANGER AND THAT OLD VIBE. WHAT DO YOU THINK? ARE THE OLD TALES OF GANGS, VIOLENCE AND CBGB-S TRUE?
SHI: I was born in ‘82 so I came “of age” as the Giuliani era was in full swing shutting down a lot of old New York, and then Bloomberg came and finished the job. While the Bowery and L.E.S. still has its underbelly;it’s a shadow of what it used to be. You’re more likely to run into a drunken frat bro in a pink polo and boat shoes than some vagrant you need to fight off. There’s a giant Whole Foods there and CBGB’s is a high end fashion shop. I was born and raised in Queens and that had its own set of dangers and crews etc. with a different flavor than what was going on in the LES. Nowadays getting mugged or anything like that doesn’t even cross my mind anymore. So I think it’s safe to say the Ag Front guys are 100% correct in their assessment.
HOW ARE YOU SATISFIED WITH WTF RECORDS? IS THERE A CONTRACT DEAL THAT YOU SIGNED WITH THEM OR IS IT ALL BASED ON FRIENDSHIP AND HANDSHAKE?
SHI: WTF and Tim, the owner, have been super cool to us. We signed with them for the first record and had the freedom to explore other options for this record but we stuck with WTF because we feel Tim’s heart is in punk and hardcore and he gives us the freedom to do what we want and support us as much as possible and that’s a rare thing these days.
DO YOU STILL REMEMBER YOUR FIRST PUNK OR HARDCORE SHOW THAT YOU ATTENDED? WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE BANDS AND HOW IS LIVING IN GENERAL? DO YOU GUYS HAVE DAYTIME JOBS?
SHI: I remember my first hardcore show because I got a spin kick to the face that chipped my tooth and thought it was the coolest shit in the world. It was Cause for Alarm at the Wetlands, another great NYC venue that is no more. First punk show was Green Day ‘95. I know that might be an uncool answer but I’m sick of people giving that band shit given that for a lot of people my generation and younger, they opened the door to discovering the classic punk and hardcore bands. Right now I’m focusing on Scarboro full-time, raising my kids, and I went back to school to get my Masters degree but I came out of the non-profit world.
JACK: Well my first show was Warped Tour at the age of 12 or 13, it was the only All Ages event that I could seem to get into, cause I was already listening to these bands when I was 11. I got to see Bouncing Souls, Joan Jett, Less Than Jake, Against Me!, NOFX, the Casualties, and more that day. So I kind of had a realization that day that I definitely wanted to be on a stage like that one day touring the world. As for a day job I bartend at a whiskey bar and do freelance record engineering/producing out of Studio G. I like to keep my jobs this way because it allows me to take time off when I need to.
VINNY: My first punk show was with ALL… my sister took me when I was 12, snuck me into a show on South Beach, Miami … and remember saying where is she? As she dove into the crowd and all her friends protected me…. those were the first memories I had knowing that music was fast and fun, first time I started tapping my fingers on the radio… a few years later asked my pops to buy me a kit. Rest is history. Yeah I work part time at Bmcc and have my own kit as well an electronic kit to practice on at home.
DO YOU TOUR A LOT? HAVE YOU PLAYED EUROPE? IF SO, COULD YOU TELL THE MAIN DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE EUROPEAN AND THE US CROWDS?
SHI: We do more short runs and weekenders which I think has become the norm for most bands, but hope to get out more on this record. We recently were added to the M.A.D. Tour Booking roster and are in the works of figuring out our first European tour which we are stoked about. We know they have a great reputation and the bands on their roster speak for themselves so we’ll be happy to answer the second part of this question later this year.
IS THERE SUCH A THING AS AMERICAN DREAM?
SHI: The American Dream is dead.
JACK: American nightmare seems to be more fitting.
VINNY: There is no American dream.
10.THAT IS ALL FOR THE FIRST TIME. FOR THE END, WHAT ARE THE FUTURE PLANS FOR SCARBORO?
SHI: Future plans are to hit the road on this record and definitely hit up Europe in this cycle. Long-term we’re toying with adding an additional guitarist, and I’d like to keep hitting up places we’ve never been. I’ve been talking to a friend who grew up in the punk scene in Mexico and is still connected with a band down there that’s pretty big in Latin America that we’d love to tour with and I’ve always wanted to do a tour in Japan especially since I have some good friends in Tokyo that I owe visits to. But that’s down the road and probably with another full length under our belt before that happens.
KRAYKULLA-WEBZINE 