My G.B.H. Scar

For most of 1989 and 1990 I spent most of my time traveling from Long Island to the Lower East Side looking around for a squatter girl named "Stormy." Every time I would find her she was with this dude named "Recon." Recon scared the shit out of me. He looked like Wattie from the Exploited and his liberty spiked mohawk was stiff from crazy glue and dirt and colored with spray paint. He had a crazy look in his eyes like he probably killed someone or wouldn't mind doing it. Many scars in his face. Stormy and Recon were homeless together. One afternoon I found them on St Marks Place and earlier that week I found out from a girl named Lisa who wore Sick Of It All and Killing Time shirts everyday to school that G.B.H, Sick of it All and Killing Time were playing the Ritz that night. I went to the city to find Stormy to tell her about the G.B.H show. Stormy and Recon told me to open the back door for them to run into the show for free. They told me which door and to be there at a certain time.

I get to the Ritz on 54th street and wait by this back door area to try to sneak Stormy and Recon into the show. I actually didn't have the balls to open the door. It was my first big hardcore show ever. Killing Time opened the show. I only knew the song "Fools Die" at the time. I had never been to a show with a mosh pit like that before. It was full of skinheads, punks, metal heads, hardcore kids and just crazy fuckers. This long hair dude in a Danzig shirt was going nuts during Killing Time. I was just watching the pit like crazy. For some reason about 6 skinheads started punching the Danzig kid in the head. He fell to the floor and they started stomping him with their steel toe boots. The Danzig dude was bleeding everywhere. I'm standing next to my friend Lisa and she says "Look that's Jimmy G from Murphy's Law!" Jimmy came out of nowhere and stopped the skins from killing the long hair Danzig dude in my eyes. Not sure if Jimmy remembers or knows this but it was my first encounter with him.

The show just got more wild from there! Sick Of It All came on and I started crowd surfing. During G.B.H. the bouncer was sick of me already on top of the crowd. He pulled me by my hair and punched me in the face then I cut my arm open between the stage and the barricade. It was so much blood that he let me go. I noticed of all people that dude Recon trying to help me back over the barricade. Thanks to Recon I made it over but I ended up falling face first into the pit onto the floor and busted my nose open. 25 years or so later I can still see that scar on my arm from that night at G.B.H.

The Hemp Riot

In May of 1993 I had a hardcore punk/ska band called Bushmon. We got offered to play the NYC Hemp Rally. It was the 20th annual Hemp concert in Washington Square Park. This event was mostly hippie bands through the years but this year they decided to have hip hop, reggae and punk rock music all day. Sounds like a good idea I thought to myself. All coming together for the love of hemp. The first two punk bands played and got bottles and random things thrown at them on stage. It was a group of black dudes around 20 of them screaming get this white boy music off the stage. I myself was stoned beyond belief and for some reason thought once my band got on stage it would be a different situation for us. It was close to one thousand people outside in Washington Square Park that hot day. I was in the best mood. Blunt after blunt. The organizers of the Hemp Rally took the stage to introduce my band. I had a deep hate for police at the time and was simply disgusted at a few arrests I noticed outside of the park. I looked out to the biggest crowd I had ever played to at that point and I was high as hell. I screamed into the mic looking at cops in the distance and said "Freedom!? There is no fucking Freedom!!" And blasted into a fast punk song with the band.

That group of black dudes started moving towards the front of the stage screaming "look at this nigga, he look stupid." What the fuck is wrong with this nigga?" Puerto Ricans and black people don't play this type of music!" Meanwhile about 100 punks moved in and started a huge mosh pit. We ended the first song then some random tall white homeless dude moved towards the front of the stage and spit in my face. I went back and forth with him for a few and the band kicked into the next two songs. During the 3rd song I noticed some kids holding their heads and faces in the pit. The group of black dudes started punching all the punk kids in the head and a few got smashed over the head with 40 ounce beer bottles.

Broken glass everywhere in the pit. I stopped the show and my drummer Tunde came out from behind the kit to confront the crowd with me. Punks and hardcore kids were getting beat up everywhere. Some kids wouldn't stop moshing and others started to fight back. Most notably a very young Stza from Choking Victim/Leftover Crack. I watched Stza get smashed in the head. His head was bloody and I pulled him up on stage to safety. At that point I had enough and started kicking random people in the head. It all turned into a full riot with hundreds of people fighting and breaking things everywhere. That's when someone shot a gun and hundreds of people went running for their lives. Cops moved in and started beating more people. Two cops grabbed me and escorted me out of the park because I still had a mic. There were never any more bands at a Hemp Rally in NYC ever again.

TV Stuff

In 1991 I was basically a punk rock kid who skipped college classes and followed Fishbone around on tour. I attended the first Lollapalooza and I was blasting hardcore punk records everyday. The way I dressed drastically changed to a traditional punk rock style that year. I grew one long green dreadlock in front of my face that I called my "Devilslock" I was trying be like a black version of Doyle from the Misfits. My music and punk lifestyle was too much for my neighbors and shocking to my mom and my family on Long Island. Mom kicked me out of the house and I Ieft Long Island and moved to the Lower East Side. I met a squatter kid named "Gator" We both slept in Tompkins Square Park for a few days. Gator was obsessed with GG Allin. Gator and I would go to the Mars Bar on East 1st street around the corner from CBGB. At Mars Bar worked a girl named "Indy" who let me stay with her off the streets until I found a job. I eventually ended up working at Trash & Vaudeville.

A year had passed since I was kicked out of my mom's house and I was on my own paying rent with roommates. I had not spoken to my mom or anyone in my family for a year. Nirvana's "Nevermind" had taken over the world. Every sucker wanted to know more about punks. One day I'm standing at work and this nerdy guy approached me and asked "What does your mom think about the way you look?" I said "Fuck Off!" He said "I don't mean any disrespect I'm from the Jane Pratt show and we are looking for someone like you." I said "Fuck you!" The nerdy TV dude walked away but came back 3 days in a row. The 3rd time I was like what is it that you want me to do?" He said just talk with your mom about being punk on TV. I told him I haven't spoken to her in about a year and maybe I'll do it if she says yes because we should probably talk this thing out. So me and mom go on the Jane Pratt show. It was a national TV show. A talk show. It was called "My Mom thinks I dress like a tramp" or something. I got about 6 of my friends and we all headed down to this TV show. Most of my friends were drunk.

Mom and I got into a straight up argument about me being punk on national TV. The TV crowd sided with me that I shouldn't have been kicked out of the house for being punk. After the show it still took some time for mom and I to work things out and today we laugh about all of this. I had what some would call 15 minutes of fame. Everywhere I went random punks would stop me and tell me how much it meant to see me on TV and it helped them deal with parents. This local celebrity thing went on for a few years until I changed my look. The Rikki Lake show came looking for me. They agreed to pay me if I would come on the show and talk about being punk. When I went down to the taping it was a show about "Bad Boys" they wanted me to explain why I think each dude is a rebel by the way they dress. I was so pissed off. So when it was my time to walk out on the Rikki Lake set I decided to mosh through the door and mosh into the guests sitting in their seats. Let's see how "Rebellious" these dudes really are. I broke chairs and a wall from the set fell down. To my knowledge That Rikki Lake show never aired. I had many threats from her people about damages. Many years later Afro Punk happened. The Jane Pratt show footage of me and my mom found a whole new audience. A young James Spooner the creator of Afro Punk is one of my friends that came down to the taping with me that day in 1992.

Click link below to watch Ryan and his mom on the Jane Pratt Show

‪https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpwZELAKad8&feature=youtu.be

Been Caught Stealing?

One day at work at Trash & Vaudeville NYC in 1994 this dude with sunglasses walked in the store and asked me if I could help him find some jeans. I said sure I'll help you out. The dude told me his size then I started searching. The dude started looking very suspicious. I noticed he was always paying attention to what I was looking at and where I was in the store. I found his size in jeans and then he walked away but I was keeping an eye on this dude. I then see the dude select a sleeveless black button up shirt. He then took it off the hanger looked around rolled it up and put it under his arm. It was rolled up so small you couldn't see it. The dude dropped the jeans then started walking straight for the front door of the store. I said "Hey man where the hell are you going with that shirt under your arm?" The dude says "Here you go man you can have the shirt back I wasn't trying to steal it." I snatched the shirt from his hand and said "Whatever." The dude then says can I still buy some jeans? I said "Whatever!" At this point I'm being a total dick. He asked for another size and I told him search for it yourself while staring at him like I was going to kick his ass. The dude goes into the fitting room then comes out without wearing his sunglasses. I'm still staring at him. Then all of a sudden I'm thinking to myself no it can't be!!!!! All of a sudden I recognized this dude as being one of my favorite musicians at the time.

I slowly and nervously walked up to him and said "Are you Dave Navarro?" He says "Yes I wasn't trying to steal that shirt man." I'm like dude no it's totally cool. I'm a big fan. Dave Navarro then says "Prove it. Prove you’re a big fan!!" I said well I have seen Jane's Addiction at the Ritz NYC with a band called the Buck Pets. That was considered an old school Jane's show. Dave then says your wrong the opening band was 24-7 Spyz. We went back and forth for awhile then Dave goes "Dude your right it was the Buck Pets. Whatever happened to that band?" We laughed about that for a few then he started talking about Bad Brains because I was wearing a Bad Brains shirt. He stayed there talking with me about music for about an hour. Dave then told me he just joined the Red Hot Chili Peppers and they had a show at the Academy NYC that week and asked if I was going. I told him that show is sold out and I didn't have the money even if tickets were available. Dave said don't worry about that. He put me on the guest list. I went to see him play in RHCP and watched from a VIP section. All night people in VIP kept staring at me and my friend Joel (RIP). Joel told people I was in Fishbone and he was Perry Farrell and some people believed us. The next day after the show I was off work but when I came back my co-workers told me "Dave Navarro came here looking for you!" I was like "What the fuck!" That same day Dave Navarro walks back into the store with Flea and Chad Smith from RHCP. Dave asked "Were you at the show? Why didn't you say hi?" I told him "It's kinda hard to find you after the show." They all hung out for a while in the store and Dave finally bought those jeans. 

Outside the Megadeth show was about 4 skateboarders. I started talking to them and they said they had weed and asked if I wanted to smoke. I invited them back to Orange 9mm's tour bus before the show. I put on the album "Chaos AD" by Sepultura and we started a mosh pit on the tour bus stoned. Chaka came onto the bus and started moshing with me and the skateboarders to Sepultura. Unfortunately I jumped up on top of everyone and accidentally busted Chaka's nose open 30 minutes before he was to play an arena opening for Megadeth. The tour manager Chad was so pissed off. He said "Why the hell are you guys moshing on the tour bus? Ryan go to the merch table please." I have to take Chaka to the emergency room now.

I was freaking out thinking I was fired from the tour and on the next bus home for sure. I was thinking Orange 9mm would have to cancel the Megadeth show. 40 minutes later I hear from the stage "Hello Fargo we are Orange 9mm!!" I was thinking "Thank you God!" The tour went on and we hooked up with Chevelle, Machine Head and Sevendust. The Orange 9mm guys knew Sevendust and were good friends with them. I remember the drummer from Orange 9mm Matt Cross telling me to be open minded because Sevendust puts on a good show. I hated Sevendust. I was a NYHC kid who was into Candiria and Vision of Disorder heavily at the time. I punched the guitar tech Eric in the face one night because he was going on and on about Sevendust. It got annoying. Nu Metal was huge in 1999 and I got annoyed easily in those days talking about music. Debating what's good or bad music.

After a few weeks of seeing Lajon the singer from Sevendust everyday and getting stoned with him they grew on me. Lajon even told me "I respect you telling me you’re not into my band but I hope to win you over by the end of the tour." By the end of the tour I was doing stage dives for them. I spent most of my time on Machine Head's tour bus after shows. It was a party bus. Adam from Machine Head was my drinking buddy. Robb Flynn knew a lot about NYHC and was super nice to me everyday. We did whiskey shots a lot. He told me I got him pumped up when he would see me dancing for them. Over the weeks I met Tommy Lee and Slipknot and many others. I watched Slipknot incite a riot in Texas after getting into a fight with the bouncers. I passed out sleeping on the bus the night Orange 9mm ended up hanging out with Pantera at their strip club in Dallas. That sucked. The one night that really still gets to me until this day when I passed out sleeping on that tour was not hanging with Deftones. In Sacramento California the show was Slipknot, Machine Head and Orange 9mm. I'm setting up my merch booth and all the dudes from Deftones walk by my merch booth. Deftones were my favorite band at the time. I thought to myself here is the night I get to hang with Chino Moreno the singer. For some reason I was super tired and actually packed up the merch early and crashed out on the tour bus that night. It was supposed to be only an hour. This is what happened while I was asleep.

All of the Deftones came on the bus drank beers and smoked. Then invited everyone who was awake back to their studio and performed a set that would become the "White Pony" album. Then they all went skateboarding in their studio on a built in half pipe. After Deftones practice everyone went back to Orange 9mm's tour bus and hung out again. I was still asleep in the back. Bus call happened and we started to drive out of town. Abe the Deftones drummer forgot his keys on the bus and we drove back to give him his keys and I was in the back of the bus for all of this and never woke up or got to hang with Deftones. I still don't know why no one woke me up!!! The tour rolled on and I was pissed about the Deftones thing for days. In Spokane, Washington the show was Machine Head and Orange 9mm. Chaka and I noticed most dudes in the crowd had swastika tattoos. It was so insane. Chaka comes up to me and says "I got a ride to the book store and everyone in the car had swastika tattoos." I said "I was at the merch booth and all the dudes buying shirts had swastika tattoos but everyone was super nice and bought a lot of merch." Chaka said "we are the only two black people in this building so we have to watch each other's back tonight!" I still until this day don't know what was up with that swastika stuff. One cool little thing that happened on this tour is I noticed where Kurt Cobain carved his name in the wall backstage at a punk club called "Rock Candy" in Seattle. Of course there are groupie stories I witnessed first hand but I will leave that to your imagination. Let's just say the line "do you want to see what a tour bus looks like?" goes a long way on the road. It was Orange 9mm's last tour ever and I will never forget it and they killed it every night!!!

Banned In NYC

In 1994 I was living in an artist loft in Bushwick, Brooklyn with a bunch of punks. We often had rent show parties. The last rent party show No Commercial Value played. (later, they became Choking Victim and Leftover Crack). Funkface and a very drunk Home 33 also played the rent party. It literally took two days for me to kick some crust punks out of the loft. It was a huge space with punks camped out sleeping in corners. Those times living there in the artist loft with all the art, music and drugs was the inspiration lyrically for my hardcore band Home 33. I had many great times in Home 33. When the band started downtown Lower East Side NYC was still kind of dangerous. CBGB, ABC No Rio, The Gas Station, Nightingales Bar and Coney Island High were our clubs.

I started the band with Rob Rodrigues who was a very well known pro skateboarder and NYHC veteran. We recorded a demo that a dude named Alec played all the time. Alec was in the ska band Agent 99 and later went on to play with Choking Victim and Leftover Crack. Alec played our demo for a guy named Fred who was from Profile/Another Planet Records. We played this one infamous show at the Nightingales Bar on the Lower East Side with a band called Tapeworm which featured a young Rachel from Indecision. All my punk friends came out. We packed Nightingales Bar. Everyone knew words to the Home 33 demo. Kids were diving off the bar. I remember seeing Bryan from Bouncing Souls there and the dude Fred from Profile Records was there too.

I was notorious for pulling down my pants at shows in those days mostly for shock value. It happened lots of times. That night I played about three songs with my dick hanging out. Home 33 got banned from many clubs. Most notably was the Continental. The show at Continental was packed. I jumped on top of the crowd and ended up on top of the bar. In the process some bottles got smashed and some people got kicked with my steel toe boots. After the show Continental said we were not getting paid and there was a guy waiting outside with a broken bottle ready to cut me for smashing his drink. Me and the dude went back and forth with fuck you to each other but nothing else happened. After that one show someone from Continental made a few calls and we literally couldn't play any clubs for months. We got banned around NYC.

Danny then rolls up the biggest blunt and says "Doc tell Ryan about the “God Of Love” Bad Brains tour." Dr know then tells me HR stories for hours of crazy things that happened over the years. HR went to jail at that time on that “God Of Love” tour in Lawrence, Kansas that's what we talked about the most. Dr Know spent time with my guitar player Alan and would stop by everyday during the recording of that album. Dr Know's wife would stop by and bring us cookies and brownies and amazing snacks everyday. When we finished recording the album Danny took me to the flower shop. I bought a bunch of flowers for Dr Know's wife. It was a thank you for bringing us snacks to the studio everyday for almost two weeks. Dr Know had a beautiful home. It was a white house on a hill with a huge yard and a big porch surrounded by trees. I remember seeing a basketball pole that was basically a tree. The other guys stayed around the car and I walked up to Dr Know's door and literally knocked for about 10 minutes but no one answered the door. I left the flowers with a note on the porch.

Once the Home 33 album dropped we got shows again. We got a mini tour with Napalm Death, Sheer Terror and Kiss it Goodbye. We played many of the early H20 shows too. I booked Vision of Disorder's first Manhattan gig at the Wetlands with Home 33. We shared the stage with countless great bands like Warzone, Earth Crisis, Madball, Downset, Burn, NRSV, Yuppicide, Glassjaw, Crown Of Thorns and many others. I was still up to my old tricks. I pulled my pants down and played a song naked in front of a sold out 108 and H20 show at the Wetlands because I didn't like a few kids in the front of the stage. We always thought we were outcast at shows because back then most people didn't get it. So I was like fuck it. Suck my dick! Hands down my favorite place Home 33 ever played was a punk rock garage in Westwood, NJ called 234 Garage. Home 33 were regulars there alongside bands like Rest Assured and AFI. Even Sick Of It All played there. The best backyard shows ever! Home 33 had many lineup changes. The first happened in 1997 and for a short time I was singing in No Redeeming Social Value before the 2nd lineup of Home 33 happened. By the end of it all Home 33 made one demo, two albums, two 7 inch records and made it on to many compilations. Looking back I wouldn't change a thing. Yeah Continental I wouldn't change a thing!!

Ryan currently sings in the NYC band ACHE. Click on the image below to visit their page as well as the link below to hear their June 2014 demo.