PHOTOS/VIDEOS BY: AGA HAIRESIS, JAMMI YORK, PN PHOTOGRAPHY, STRESS DAVIS & JP GILL

Chances are by now you have been besieged by social media posts about the 2015 Black N Blue Bowl which was held on May 16th and 17th at Webster Hall in NYC. Links, Likes, Shares, You Tubes, Instagrams, Tweets, and all other coverage step aside as In Effect Hardcore wants to drop our two cents in as well...

Where do we even start off? If your new to the game (first off... welcome) the Black 'N Blue Bowl goes back to the late 80's where the shows were held at The Ritz on 11th Street in NYC... and the show actually started off being called the Super Bowl Of Hardcore. Over time things sputtered but the concept was revived in 2005 by Black 'N Blue Productions and in 2008 the name was officially switched from the Super Bowl Of Hardcore to the Black 'N Blue Bowl. The current location where Webster Hall is today is actually that old Ritz club so the connection from yesterday to today is very real and this is the biggest NYHC weekend of the year by far. Many people still refer to the show as the Super Bowl much like many NY Mets fans still call their new stadium "Shea"... but that's a New Yorker's take on things and bringing up baseball in NY can definitely cause some division so let's not go there right now considering this hardcore thing all near and dear to us is all about the unity...right?

2013 saw this 1 day event turn into a 2 day weekender when the demand for a Judge reunion went off the charts and things have stayed at a 2 day event ever since. Even the lineup announcements which came out in mid-February over the Black 'N Blue Radio Takeover Show are somewhat of an event as year in and year out the folks over at BNB do a pretty good job of concealing the bands up until their announcement show when they spill the beans to the masses. ​

DAY 2 IN A NUTSHELL:

Ok, so day 2 was my day this year and the first act to grab my attention was no surprise to me in that it was PA's Wisdom In Chains. Having well over a decade plus of playing under their belts more than qualifies them as scene vets with a shit ton of great tracks to fill up a shorter set like this one or a longer headlining one when need be. To me WIC pretty much does everything I want a hardcore band to do today with a heavy/crunchy sound backed with awesome melodies and breakdowns along the way.The fact that many of their songs have messages that I can relate to (and agree with) is just icing on the cake. They came out playing "Chasing The Dragon" which may seem like an odd title to the uninitiated but the songs meaning goes back to their singers younger days when he went to see one of his first hardcore shows which happened to be a Sick Of It All show. When that chorus kicks in... "BUT LAST NIGHT HARDCORE SAVED MY LIFE" it must have been a great feeling for their frontman Mad Joe to look over to his left on the stage and see SOIA's Craig Setari taking it all in just a few feet away.

WISDOM IN CHAINS by: AGA HAIRESIS

Other old favs like "Land Of Kings", "My Promise", "Dragging Me Down", "Everything You Know", and "Cap City" went over really well to a much smaller contingent of fans than what I expected up near the front of the stage. A show with 12 bands may not have a packed house for maybe the first quarter or even first half of the show but the people who were up front showed some love with many singing the lyrics word for word or doing what they could to get the dance floor moving. New jams "When We Were Young" and "Skinhead Gang" found their way into the mix as well as a nice rendition of the Ramones' "The KKK Took My Baby Away" to close things out. Their new album "The God Rhythm" is due out in just a few weeks and if you are already a fan of WIC prepare to have your head explode upon its release. For those folks out there maybe hearing the name Wisdom In Chains for the first time or only know the name from flyers, t-shirts or elsewhere now is the time to get on board with one of the most real and passionate bands on the hardcore scene today.

WISDOM IN CHAINS BEFORE THEIR BNB 2015 SET. PHOTO BY: AGA HAIRESIS

CT's 100 Demons were up next and were then followed by Long Island's King Nine... Two bands who are really on the metallic side of the hardcore fence and two bands with good followings although that heavier metallic hardcore rarely sticks on me. 100 Demons have been around for well over a decade plus and King Nine pushing 4 or 5 years now but have made more of a name for themselves since they put out their "Scared To Death" album in 2013. Not my thing in both cases but I can respect what they are doing and definitely understand why people get into each of them. 

KING NINE by: Jammi York

After two pulverizing bands that literally beat you into a pulp came the calm AFTER the storm in the form of Dave Smalley. In my eyes this is what future fests anywhere need more of to stay viable and that is diversity within the lineups. Whether it's brand new bands mixed with old school ones or heavier bands followed up with more melodic ones and vice versa. Dave Smalley sang for DYS, All, Down By Law and Dag Nasty. Dave and "friends" performed tracks from the last 3 bands mentioned with Dag Nasty's "Can I Say" making up what seemed to be the bulk of their set and the tracks that got the most out of the crowd as well. For years I have owned a split CD that had Dag's "Can I Say" and " Wig Out At Denkos" (with Peter Corner on vocals) combined on one CD. Athough I have no recollection on how I found out about Dag Nasty or where I bought it I still look at that CD as one that has been played into the ground in multiple cars I have owned and one that will always hold a special place in the memory bank. Having never gotten to see Dag Nasty in action this was a great way to get introduced to the songs live. Dave and crew brought it with a tight set but what really stood out for me was his between song banter and how he is still basically  an 18 year punk in an older guys body. Dave slowed things down between songs and talked to the crowd on various things and it kind of hit me that this is something that has become kind of scarce lately at hardcore shows and something I wish more bands would readopt to get their message across more. Moderate crowd participation was a slight draw back but the music and message were dead on. Great job. 

DAVE SMALLEY by: AGA HAIRESIS

Expire was next followed by Fury Of Five. Expire tours their asses off and are rewarded for it with being one of those bands with alot of buzz about them. They are a heavy band with some choppy Leeway-ish kind of stuff going on which I like but never seem to love. I always get a feeling like I am trying too hard to like Expire and much like their albums when their live set is done I feel indifferent in that it wasn't bad but not too memorable either. They put on a good set and seemed humbled as well as thankful for the opportunity to play the big show. Not bad, just not for me. ​

EXPIRE by: P.N. PHOTOGRAPHY

The Rival Mob from Massachusetts were up next and came out on fire opening with "Hardcore For Hardcore" followed up by one of the most ridiculously sick intros in hardcore today with "Intro Grunt". Follow that up with "Boot Party" and "Mob Justice" and you just set Webster Hall off into a prison riot Rival Mob. Really though... if "Intro Grunt" doesn't do it for ya this may not be the right show for you. The Rival Mob are by far one of the premier acts on the hardcore scene today despite not having any presence on social media and not necessarily being an all-out touring band as well. For a band signed to Revelation Records with a full length out they kind of fly under the radar... (at least here in NY).They are all about substance with not alot of flash but damn are they amazing live and when you do catch them at a setting like this or a This Is Hardcore they remind you why you got sucked into this fucked up music in the first place.

Between songs their singer Brendan is part dry comedian and sometimes a bit quirky in a I may have some dead bodies in my closet type of way. His stage presence is unique in that he can go from these all out bursts of rage flailing around his arms and body then slows it down as he creeps across the stage while glancing out at the crowd. The guy is a one of a kind and makes the whole Rival Mob experience that much more enjoyable. "We Are The Boys" which is a Blitz cover was towards the very end of their set and was a great wind down to one of the top sets of the day/night. 

THE RIVAL MOB by: AGA HAIRESIS

Sick Of It All were up next in a seemingly odd lineup spot being 3rd from last when they were hands down the biggest draw of the day. The way they came out in full attack mode was pretty impressive and it showed. They remind me of an elite athlete that trains non-stop. The fact that they are probably on tour more of the year than they are home is much like that elite athletes training regimen in that as a band they are in top notch shape where everything is just nailed 110% of the time. Pete on guitar doing 360's while raging away & Craig bouncing around like a 20-something year old on bass while the beat is all kept on point is not something you just pick up a week before a big show and get tight. The combo of their tightness AND stage presence is tough to beat and the crowd fed off of their energy. ​

SICK OF IT ALL by: AGA HAIRESIS

Frontman Lou Koller seemed to be in a really good mood having fun with the crowd and was part comedian at points as well. There were a few too many screams of "how are you doing out there Newwwww Yorkkkkkkk!" between songs which kind of made me feel a little like I might be at a big arena gig seeing the Scorpions or Judas Priest perhaps but these guys have been doing this so hard and for so long that they get a pass. Set list wise we got a good mix of the old and the new. From the oldest of the old… (“Clobberin’ Time” and “My Life”) to the newest of the new in “Get Bronx”, “DNC” and “Road Less Traveled” with plenty of variety from everywhere in between in their almost hour long set. A scary moment happened towards the end of their set during (what I think was) “Scratch The Surface”. Somebody in the crowd towards the front hit the deck and went down hard… to the point where SOIA stopped playing and Webster Hall staff started making their way up like someone needed serious medical attention but the injured party apparently got back up and was not as messed up as it may have seemed. Crisis averted and there was maybe one more song after that before they wrapped things up.

SICK OF IT ALL by: AGA HAIRESIS

One of my all-time favorites...the Crumbsuckers were up next. Originally from Baldwin, Long Island but now apparently are mostly spread out across the state of Florida. Many New Yorkers wait till retirement age to move to Florida but the Crumbsuckers must be ahead of the game. They were a band I never got to see as a youth and one I figured I would never see after missing their one previous reunion gig at BB Kings in NYC in 2006. I discovered the Crumbsuckers via a metal magazine that gave their debut album "Life Of Dreams" something like a 96 rating out of a possible 100 in a time where the crossover style was invading the NYHC sound. I ended up buying that debut album shortly after at Slipped Disc Records out in Valley Stream NY and it was a total game changer in my life musically. Many out there like to take a dump all over the reunion band thing and I get it. It can be gimmicky at times and all but prior to the show they announced that they had the majority of the old band back in place minus one Dave Wynn on guitar. The band gave a lot of updates leading up to their spot via social media and they seemed genuine about getting back out on stage and play the old jams one more time.

CHRIS NOTARO & the CRUMBSUCKERS by: AGA HAIRESIS

So after a 3 month lead up the time was finally here as Chris Notaro and crew took the stage to a crowd that was now swelling towards the front of the stage. Earlier in the day even for the middle of the lineup bands there were big pockets in the crowd and you could move pretty freely around Webster Hall but at this point I was kind of sardined into my spot and I just wanted to take it all in. First song in and I'm thinking to myself... who the hell are these guys? Back in their heyday there weren't a ton of band photos taken that got around but the one most of you may remember is a band shot where the majority of the band had mops of hair and their singer Chris wore an Iron Maiden “Powerslave” shirt. The guys playing up on stage definitely make trips to the barber shop now on the regular and sounded tight despite a few hiccups along the way that fell on the timing with the vocals in spots but a very minor flaw but noticeable on more than one or two occasions. The timing on that classic debut was off the charts tight and even on their best night live it would be hard to match it. Once I heard Notaro's voice on that opening song I knew who had the mic in their hands as his voice was...and still is very distinguishable. They belted out track after track off of "Life Of Dreams" and even had their previous vocalist Dave Brady come on up to help out on "Hubrun" at one point during their set. As for "Beast On My Back"... their second album... they unfortunately played a few tracks (maybe two or three) off of this extremely disappointing album. As much as I rave about and love their debut album they laid a complete egg on that follow up but let me keep this positive now because all I walked away with after their set was positive vibes. 

OLD CRUMBSUCKERS SINGER DAVE BRADY BUSTS OUT "HUBRUN". Photo by: P.N. PHOTOGRAPHY

BURN by: AGA HAIRESIS

If you went by the first announcement for this show it would have ended right here but along the way Burn was added and somehow trumped both SOIA and The Crumbsuckers on the bill. Now I am not the biggest Burn fan your ever gonna run into…I did dig that debut 4 song EP and “Shall Be Judged” is an all-time fav of mine but much like when Judge came back a few years ago I felt like there may have been a few people who were getting overexcited. Before you line up for my stoning though I DO like both of the mentioned bands… I just don’t look at either though as top shelf like many seem to do. OK, enough of that… Burn came out and the place literally erupted into mayhem. It was like they brought in a few dozen fresh bodies to go off and the stage diving that was lacking for many of the earlier sets was in full swing with bodies flying everywhere. “Out Of Time” off of that first EP was the third track played and sounded really good and along the way Mark Ryan from Supertouch jumped up with frontman Chaka to bust out “Godhead” as well. “Shall Be Judged” wrapped things up sending everyone home happy as well as black n blue. After 9 bands in a 9 hour span (and maybe 9 beers) I know I was ready for some cookies and milk and to be tucked in back at the crib. Thanks for a great day BNB and all the bands involved! ​

BURN by: P.N. PHOTOGRAPHY

VARIOUS OBSERVATIONS: DAY 2

Stepped out for some lunch at Subway and watched a homeless guy rearrange city garbage cans and newspaper vending machines for about 15 minutes. Re-entry WAS allowed and upon re-entering Webster Hall through a secondary door everyone got a real up close handshake from a real smiley security dude who shook your hand and said "BLACK AND BLUE". (He was really checking your wrist to see if you were legit with the right stamp on your wristband).

Merch heaven with a nice lineup of tables all along the walls from almost every band that was performing. Eddie Sutton from Leeway was out at one of the tables selling some Leeway merch and taking some pics with people as well. On Day 1 Eddie got up on stage with Agents of Man and performed the old Leeway classic "Rise And Fall" with them.

For those looking for some Old New York you got it if you walked outside of Webster Hall right after Burns set. During the last song some motorcyclists out on 11th Street spun out their tires for a few minutes driving a small wall of smoke into Webster Hall. When I walked outside it seemed like East 11th street was transformed into a CBGB'S scene with sweaty and drained bodies covering the entire street in the smoke. Bouncers trying to clear the walkways while the crowd exited right down 11th and essentially blocking all traffic… was a pretty hectic scene.

International flavor… mostly through the power of Zuckerberg I am friends with people from every corner of this planet. Not only did I get to run into tons of old faces from my home area but I also ran into people I knew from the UK, Poland, Japan, The Netherlands and I am sure I am missing some others as well. Some of these people I actually see more than the people who live here! Towards the end of Burn’s set I started handing out flyers and met even more people, many with kind things to say about this website and its predecessor, In Effect Zine. Thank you to all who said thanks or what’s up or just appreciate the work that goes into all of this. See ‘ya next year!

PHOTO BY: JAMMI YORK

OK, just for some FUN (Jimmy G said you just gotta have it) we threw together a wish list or “mock” lineup for Black ‘N Blue Bowl 2016! We upped the lineups for each day by 3 bands, tried to mix in some more bands from abroad and would even consider mixing up the lineups to get more people inside the venue earlier in the day…whatever works! AGAIN, BNB does a great job and in no way do we envy their job of actually going out and doing all of this for real year in and year out… but let’s have a little fun with what COULD be! 

DAY 1, May 14th, 2016… Webster Hall NYC

Safe & Sound (WA), Hot Blood (NJ), VICE (NY), Two Man Advantage (NY), All For Nothing (NL), Yuppicide (NY), Angel Du$t (MD), Down To Nothing (VA), Trapped Under Ice-reunion (MD), Crown Of Thornz (NY), Poison Idea (OR), Violent Reaction (UK), Indecision (NY), Excel (CA), Token Entry-reunion (NY), Terror (CA)

Day 2, May 15th, 2016 Webster Hall, NYC

GLOSS (WA), Kids Insane (Israel), Supreme Commander (DC), The Setup (Belgium), War On Women (MD), Stigma (NY), Rotting Out-reunion (CA), Power Trip (TX), Iron Reagan (VA), Billy Club Sandwich-reunion (NY),  Backtrack (NY), Modern Life Is War (IA), Slapshot (MA), Cause For Alarm-reunion (NY), H2O (NY)

Comeback Kid (Canada)

AND NOW... HOWIE ABRAMS' TWO CENTS!  (IN EFFECT FOR IN EFFECT... BIDDIP...BO!)

No, you didn't ask me, but I wanted to offer up a few takeaways I took away from the awesome 2015 BNB Bowl:

BANDS:

- Show up on time and have your merch set up BEFORE DOORS. There's a lot of stuff to buy at BNB so don't blow it by having your unreliable friend trek your gear to Webster Hall for you in their half broken down station wagon, only to be competing for wall space 2 hours late.

- Invest in a friggin tuner! I know it's hardcore, but tuning up over the PA system sounds like ass and is ANNOYING.

- Communicate with the crowd a little. Your lyrics say a lot, but when you've got hundreds of people standing before you, and you're not saying a damn thing to them throughout your entire set, save for the next song title, you're bound to lose some of their enthusiasm.

- Play to win. Play your set as if you're going to die tomorrow! Playing BNB can catapult your band to another level, so bring it as if your life depends on it. This ain't no basement show, so speak to those in the back of the room, as well as the balcony as if they're up front.

- Try to express more than one emotion. We're all pissed off... That's why we love hardcore in the first place, but no one wants to be screamed at for 15 straight seconds (between songs), let alone for half an hour; especially if heads are only remotely acquainted with your band.

CANDIRIA by: AGA HAIRESIS

ATTENDEES:

- Get BUCK WILD on the dancefloor!!! Too many of the newer jacks are obsessed with trying to dance like someone they've seen do it before. It's goofy and embarrassing. Push the envelope. Respect the etiquette (pick 'em up when they fall etc.) but stop worrying about your form and let it the fuck out! If you didn't knock anyone on their ass, you're not trying hard enough.

- Know the lyrics before grabbing the mic. DUH!!!

- CATCH STAGE DIVERS!!! I saw so many kids hit the deck this weekend, and too many jackoffs side-stepping those incoming. If you can't hack being up front, fall back and let those who care about their fellow mosher take over.

- DON'T DIVE INTO EMPTY POCKETS! Hey genius: if there's no one beneath you, don't try a triple lindy over there!

- Buy Merch. No band is getting rich off of HC, so buy a shirt, or some vinyl or...something. It makes buying food and gas easier for your favorite band. You can buy that overpriced "vintage" shirt or first pressing on e-Bay another time.

TURNSTILE by: AGA HAIRESIS

- Quit your bitchin'! BNB is an incredible event and an incredible accomplishment, especially considering the fact that this was its 11th year running. Maybe your favorite band wasn't on the bill this year. Maybe you think all hardcore shows should be $5... Perhaps you are of the mind that no bands over the average age of 25 should play. You know what??? Nothing is perfect, so if you think you can do better, DO IT! We'd all be happy to come through to YOUR spectacle.

.

- Don't front. Do YOU. No one cares if you have more tattoos than anyone else; no one cares how long you've been down; not a sole cares about the brutal pits you've "survived;" no one gives a rat's ass if you think hardcore was better in the 80's. Be a productive member of this community, and help the next generation carry the torch as best they can. Most importantly, HAVE FUN!

- Go to another show in 2015 that isn't a Fest. Small gigs are the heart and soul of HC and are what this scene thrives on. You'll find some great young cats doing it out there if you'd just quit your old man bitching.

Am I missing anything??? Probably.

EVERYBODY GETS HURT by: AGA HAIRESIS

RUDE AWAKENING by: AGA HAIRESIS

MADBALL by: AGA HAIRESIS

AGENTS OF MAN by: AGA HAIRESIS

FREEDOM by: AGA HAIRESIS

BURN by: JP GILL

THE REGULATORS by: AGA HAIRESIS