MIKE GALLO: BASSIST AGNOSTIC FRONT

1. I am a barber. Been cutting for almost 3 years. 

2. I love my job. Love the people I work with as well. I feel my responsibility as a barber is to make the client feel as comfortable as possible while sitting with me. Letting them know I'm listening to what they have to say. Most barbers just do what ever they feel comfortable with. They don't listen to their clients. Communication is key to making customers come back to you. I never try to rush anyone out of my chair. I'd rather spend the extra time on them, and give a proper cut. People appreciate that. It goes a long way. Quality over quantity.

3. I'm lucky to have the best two jobs ever right now. I would hate to look for another one. But the time may come. I like being creative. I always thought it would be cool to write jingles for commercials. I love to write music.

4. I got hired because of being involved with the music scene. It actually helped me more than anything. I know a lot of people through music. I have met a lot of musicians who are barbers as well. Its a great trade that allows me to still tour the world and have a flexible schedule.

5. The one day I will never forget at my job was a time when I was cutting hair in Brooklyn. I was doing a regular scissor cut on this guy. He kind of turned his head to scratch his face and I nicked his ear with my shears. It wasn't bad at all. I cleaned it up and put this stuff  barbers use call nick safe on it. It stopped the bleeding. But at first I felt my heart in my chest. Thank god I stopped the bleeding right away. I'll never forget that..

RUSTY PISTACHIO: GUITARIST H2O 

1. Musician/Artist. Been doing metal work since 1987.

2. Love working in 3-D with ferrous and non-ferrous metals. I own/operate a company called Pnut Jewelry Inc. I make everything from start to finish. My website has quite a few stock designs, but the custom work is what I like doing the most.

3. College Professor for a Metal Arts program (I have my Masters in Fine Art)

4. Indeed, hired on the spot. Haha.

5. I was asked to share an art space with Painter/Billboard Guerrilla Artist Ron English. Very talented and genuine guy. Shared a space with him in Jersey City for a few years, Really miss the community and company now that I have my own space on the West Coast.

http://www.pnutjewelry.com

JOE CIATTO: DRUMMER NO FACE

1. I am a professional chef that owns an off premise catering corporation. I have been cooking since 1998 and held employment in the industry both before and after culinary school (early 2000's). Our company also owns the Rollin Cubans Food Truck based out of Nassau County, NY doing day to day business to the public as well as private events and parties. For more info check out our website (www.tigerchowcatering.com) Like us on Instagram or Rollin Cubans Food Truck on Facebook and Twitter. If you are without a computer feel free to give us a call anytime (631)-358-2555.

2. If I didn’t love what I do I would have been dead over 10 years ago. My responsibilities are everything and anything under the sun. Along with my vice president we run everything ourselves for the business (cooking, cleaning, repairs, purchasing, ordering, inventory, customer relations and anything else that goes along with this circus (we had to release the bears they were getting hostile, something about the cone hats, they were pissed)

3. Trapeze artist, Bomb sniffing dog, Steel conglomerate tycoon.

4. Yes we like all the same music.

5. A man dropped dead while waiting for coffee in a cafe I used to manage. I got spoken to by the owner because he didn’t appreciate every time someone asked me how I was the day after I responded with "A lot better than Chuck".

SAMMY SIEGLER: NYHC DRUMMER. SIDE BY SIDE, YOUTH OF TODAY, PROJEXT X, JUDGE & many more

1. I’ve always had random hustles to help support my ultimate goal of playing music with my friends. With my daughter being born 5 years ago and my desire to do something other than being in a band, I put the feelers out for something different and slightly more steady. An old friend of mine offered me a job where he worked, it’s a company called Lunchbox, basically marketing, some events, some advertising. I handle all things music related. Essentially when a brand wants to partner with music in some way, I help make that happen. The job was in LA so there was a big change that year all around.
 

2. I do, I’m thankful for the opportunity to do something totally different. I book talent for a program we do, and basically make sure I’m privy to what’s going on in music, it forces me to stay current… Between that and my daughter I know what the fuck is going on with current music, for better or for worse.

3. Creating content, branded content, similar to what I do now, but maybe with more of an edge. It’s a fun time with companies like Netflix, Vessel, Red Bull, and others, it’s all changing and there’s always a desire for music related content which is something I’ve surrounded myself with since I was very young. I like to cook, I could mess with that, I’ve produced a few bands, that’s fun, I could do more of that I suppose. Then of course there’s the whole international spy thing.
 

4. Ha ha, yes I think they all get a kick out of the fact that I actually perform. The CEO was a big skateboarder, I think he has an appreciation for music and the scene I came from. I still get to play, Judge reformed right around when I started this job, it really helps balance things out for me.

5. The one day I will never forget at my job was when... I interviewed Selena Gomez for 45 minutes. Or maybe hanging with Kelly Rowland, that was a fun one.

LENNY BEDNARZ: GUITARIST, FAHRENHEIT 451, DISTRICT 9, WELL EXCUSE ME PRINCESS, DOMINICAN DAY PARADE

1. I'm a union ironworker with local 580, been at it now for about 8 years.   

2. I love my job, it has its ups and downs like anything else, but the pay is great, benefits and such. I do a little of everything from installing curtain wall, welding, fences, store fronts, if it has to do with steel or any types of metal that's my business.                                       

3. Working in a cemetery, no shit. Something about them just interests me. It might be because the dead don't complain or give you lip. Something peaceful like that.                               

4. Have you met any ironworkers? You gotta be kinda fucked up in the head to do the job, Haha. Actually there are a ton of guys that are into hardcore, punk and heavy metal in my local. Tommy from Straight Ahead and Freddy from 25 Ta Life are in my local, just to name a few. But yes I'd still get the job, in fact a few of my bosses have found some of the bands I've been in on fuckin You Tube and for the most part they dig it.                                                               

5. The time I was on the roof of One World Trade Center for the first time, being on that project was a milestone for me, since I knew some people who died on 9/11. It was just an honor for me to work on that project and that's something that I'll never forget. Every time I see that building, it's kinda weird to think I had a hand in building that.

K-LOVE THE SONIC MAXIMIZER: AXE,

NO REDEEMING SOCIAL VALUE

1. Real Estate Broker for the last 8 years.

2. Yes, I do like what I do, although just like anything else in life, some days it sucks ass and I want to kill everyone. My responsibilities are to net my seller clients as much money as humanly possible in the sale of their property in a timely manner with no inconvenience to them, I do this by being an expert negotiator, having superior marketing and creative ideas above and beyond my competition... as well as securing the best possible price and terms for my buyer clients. I spend a great portion of my day on the phone just talking and reasoning with people... I also reach out to people attempting to sell their home on their own to lend guidance...especially when they realize that selling their own home is risky, lengthy, time consuming, and they may be up against legal matters in which they will not have the time, money or resources to handle... I do real estate full time... so I’m always on the job!

3. Besides being a pool boy for a rich widow; my next best job thought would be gravedigger and cemetery grounds keeper (like the Norman Bates and the Showerheads song..), it seems like such a peaceful job,,, everyone around you is at peace... birds chirping, smell of grass in the air. Beyond that... I would love to work for the parks department or DEC and live and work upstate, where there are less people and more trees. Once again I see myself long term in a much quieter environment, like in the mountains and lakes of the great state of NY. 

4. If my boss came to one of the shows.... 1st off I don't have a boss... I am my own boss, and can neither be hired nor fired.. I work strictly on commission... my job and career are always safe in this way... The day I clock in and work under someone else's rules is the day I work for that rich widow or the DEC, and that would be my only exception. but... to get back to the question…if my boss came to one of our shows, he/she would be turned out, taking up residence in the streets of the LES with a "More Tattoos" tattoo on their tits and a  bottle of Olde E in their hand.  The people I work with are 1000 times crazier than me. I've seen some stuff that would make GG Allin humbled.. some of the brokers I've met with over the years are a bunch of freaks.. I am like a choir boy in some respects compared to some of these freaks...I shit you not!

5. The one day i will never forget... I had an appointment in Valley Stream, NY…it was someone selling their home on their own and this guy invited the two best brokers into his house to get an idea of,,, if he put the home on the public market, what could he get for it... so he called yours truly and a partner of mine at the time. We entered the house and were taken back by the absolute destruction of the inside of this house..  there was not one wall, ceiling or surface that was not completely busted up from what looked like a lunatic took to it with a sledgehammer or an ax. All ready I thought to myself... NEXT!  ‘cause to sell this place I would've needed a hypnotist to convince a buyer to purchase this dump....but, since I was there I figured why not go through the motions.. As me and my partner were being shown this wreck of a home we started to get a really weird vibe from this guy... like the kinda vibe that says, this guy keeps bodies in his attic type of thing…I've seen it all before and I'm always prepared to go for the throat and take someone down so I proceeded. As we passed the bedrooms on the 1st floor, we notice a bedroom that had a padlock on it, not from the inside but on the outside, as to keep someone inside from getting outside... not only that but the door itself looked like it had been chewed by a gang of wild pit bulls. The guy went into this story about how the KKK had buried a "coffin" of some sorts in his basement back in the 1950's when his parents owned the house... (thats right folks, look up Valley Stream and KKK, 1950's, you'll find some interesting stuff)... this kinda sparked curiosity and the seller, my partner and I headed down the basement to see what the hell this wack job was talking about! Whatever it was, it was the shape and the size of a coffin, perhaps slightly shorter, and was halfway dug into the floor and completely cemented over. He mentioned that he has been trying to unearth this thing to see what the deal was, but was never able to break through the extra tough cement barrier around this...whatever it was!

Just as this guy was wrapping up his story, we heard a death rattling scream from upstairs follow by what sounded like someone wrestling and shouting.... at this point I politely placed my hand in my pocket and grasped my well concealed weapon of defense that I carry on me , just in case....I looked at my partner and we gave each other that look of.... you ready dude?.. Prepare to get your hands dirty! We said to the guy "what the fuck was that?" The guy shrugged off the incident and mentioned that his mentally handicapped brother who lives at the house is upstairs and getting a little "ant-sy".  The screaming and carrying on continued and me and my partner wrapped up conversation with the homeowner and headed back upstairs ready to take out whoever or whatever was to present itself. At this point I am picturing something out of Texas Chainsaw Massacre and having to fight a bloody battle out of this home.. As we surfaced from the "KKK bunker" and made our way down the hall, the door with the pad lock on it was rattling like a lion was trying to escape from a cat carrier!  Screaming, banging, shrills of insanity and rattling of doors.... it felt like we were taking a tour of a house of horrors. We quickly made our way to the front door, stepped outside and the homeowner asked.... "so what do you think?" Me and my partner where relieved that we didn't have to take anyone down on this day... and replied to the disheveled homeowner " don't call us, we'll call you". I always wondered what happened in, and to that house and the creatures within... the bodies are probably still rotting as we speak. Quick lesson for all  you folks selling their home on their own, having strangers in their house, and entertaining people walking in off the street... if you're a buyer, use a reputable broker... your safer and can negotiate better...If you're a seller,,, it’s safer to use a reputable broker and you will net more money because a broker will attract a more serious and more qualified buyer.....And if you want to hire the best... email me at the address on my business card, or you can go in it all your own and potentially face a house of horrors!

SHONEN OFFENSE: DRUMMER, ON THE OFFENSE

1. I have been working as a paramedic for the FDNY for 5 years now and worked as an EMT-B for the FDNY 3 years prior to becoming a paramedic.

2. There are times when I love my job. I also have to deal with the bullshit politics just like any other job and of course our model citizens of NY. Half of these geniuses think a tooth ache or a cough is a life or death situation. Paramedics have a huge amount of responsibility when it comes to patient care and controlling our current scene. We are the highest medical authority outside of a hospital setting. Everyone on scene (EMT's, lieutenants, firefighters and other resources) are looking at us for direction. We have to diagnose and decide what treatment needs to be done. We need to be a detective on scene. We carry a lot of drugs and we need to be able to distinguish which medication, or electrical therapy (pacing or defibrillating) to treat with or do we need to sedate and intubate. Why is this person not responding: stroke, heart attack, low blood sugar, overdose, internal bleeding causing blood pressure to drop, electrical conduction problem with the heart....? These are the times when we shine. The outcome of our patients largely rests on the decisions and treatments of the paramedics on scene. My favorite jobs are recognizing and treating a heart attack, acquiring a 12 lead EKG, transmitting that EKG to the hospital prior to our arrival, taking that patient straight up to the cath lab and watching the cath lab stent the patient right in front of you is amazing. Even when it's just giving pain medication and splinting an injury. It's nice just to be able to ease their pain and you immediately see the effect of the treatment you give. Knowing you helped someone when they really needed it is when I love my job. Most of the public doesn’t even have a clue what EMT's and paramedics are doing out there every single day.

(Shonen skipped #3)

4. I think the FDNY administrators would definitely have still hired me after seeing On The Offense rock the place down, right after they ran out covering their ears. It takes a set of balls and confidence to do our job well. I don't think your average stamp collector would make a good paramedic. A punk rocker is a perfect fit. We're used to seeing blood and people getting hurt haha.

5. The one day I will never forget at my job was when we picked up a thug who got hit by a car while trying to run across the highway while being chased by the 5.0 in the Bronx. It literally looked like a shark took a bite out of half of his stomach. He was definitely paralyzed after that; as he could not move or feel his legs. That asshole definitely got what he deserved. When we brought him in to the trauma room we found out why he was running from the 5.0. So the kid that he hit in the head with a machete was being treated next to him. That shit went through his skull!  Ain’t karma a bitch?

RUSS IGLAY: BASSIST FOR UNDERDOG, SINGER FOR HUGE

1. I make pizza at our family's restaurant Don's. I pretty much have worked there all my life...I washed dishes and breaded eggplant when I was real young...then I got put to work as soon as I was tall enough to reach the pizza cheese...I was probably about 11. I also worked as a mason's laborer for 5 years and painted houses for 7.

2. Yeah,  I like working in the restaurant...I open every morning...go in, turn the ovens on and get the gravy warming up...make a batch of dough...sort the bread that gets delivered every morning...start making pizza so we have slices ready when we open...this takes about an hour...then we open and make food to order...everything from pizza to grilled cheese on our homemade bread, lasagna, cheesesteaks, vegetarian pizza, gluten free pizza, whole wheat pizza, Buffalo wings, pastas...you name it!

3. If I had to find a new line of work I wouldn't mind working with music or skateboarding...like in a recording studio... something with manufacturing skateboards or even giving lessons.

4. Well, I do work for my parents and they have seen it all...Murphy's Law, Underdog, Huge...they have always supported mine and my brother Dean's bands...so yes...I think I would still have gotten hired. Haha.

5. The one day at my job I will never forget is when the police came in looking for me...and that's a whole other story. Haha. www.donspizzaking.com  ​

JOE KEEFE: BASSIST, YUPPICIDE

1. I own a set building company in NYC called Ready Set Inc, I’ve been in business since 1997, our company motto is –“Faking shit since 97”. We fabricate sets for T.V commercials, still advertising, fashions shows, corporate events etc.      

2. I love my company. I have an incredible crew of talented, hard working, creative people. I oversee the daily operations, do the hiring and firing, bid jobs, trouble shoot, build, paint. Sometimes I do the dishes and clean the toilets.

3. I have no idea. Hopefully it won’t ever come to that. Rob banks maybe.

4. This doesn’t apply to me. Some of my best employees are in bands and I love seeing them kick ass onstage.

5. I almost got killed riding a 12’ section of box truss on top of a freight elevator, we were on the top floor and the operator went up instead of down by accident almost pinning us against the roof of the building, needless to say we don’t ride on top of elevators anymore.

MIKE VALENTE: GUITARIST, BRICK BY BRICK

1. I have been doing loss prevention (catching shoplifters) for about 10 years.

2. I love what I do. Its fun and I feel like I get a lot accomplished. I am responsible for saving company assets by monitoring sales floor activity and "detective" work.

3. If I were to leave here, I would get into tour managing or guitar teching. Maybe booking and management for bands.

4. My boss knows what I do and is very lenient with my schedule. He thinks it's cool that I do what I do. He probably would've still hired me.
 

5. There was a series of homeless people attacking each other and fist fighting over empty cans. It was crazy. It was like a bum riot. There was 15-20 of them going crazy. Over $20 worth of empties. One hid in the men's room while this was going on and ended up passing out on the floor. Of course I snuck in and snapped a pic of him sleeping in urine. 

JASON CARTER: BASSIST, SHEER TERROR

1. I design and sell cabinetry, mostly for kitchens. I’ve been working with cabinetry for about 22 years, first fabricating and finishing in a custom shop that mostly produced commercial casework, then moved into residential design about 16 years ago. 

2. I don’t always love it but there are a lot worse things I can be doing and I am good at it. I definitely take pride and like seeing something that I designed from scratch come together as a final product. There are two sides to it, one is the custom single family type jobs where you get to be more creative and then there are production jobs where you are providing cookie cutter stuff for a 500 unit building.  Both have their pros and cons. Some people only do one or the other but I learned pretty quickly that if you can do both you will always have work and never get bored.

3. Maybe own and run a record store. I don’t really give it too much thought. If I was going to do it over I would have either stuck it out and went to school for architecture or maybe taken my old friend Wayne Z’s advice and took the Department of Sanitation test when I was 19 or 20 years old… I’d be close to retiring now!!!

4. Yeah, my boss is cool with it. I don’t think it would have changed his decision. I think most bosses in general these days are from a generation that’s a little more open minded than in the past.  Plus the kitchen cabinetry industry is filled with nut jobs so I fit right in!!!

5. I did a job in Jersey City, my first high rise project and by today’s standards not even that tall of one. It was 22 stories and the first time I ever went up to the top in the temporary outside elevator (basically a metal cage) I almost shit myself. I friggin’ hate heights. I went up a few times after that but always walked down. I try to take jobs that aren’t much higher than five or six stories these days!

JOE AFFE: GUITARIST, MAXIMUM PENALTY & LAMENT

1. I work for the sanitation department. I've been doing this for about 8 years now.

2. I pick up all house hold trash/recycling and haul them to dumps throughout the city along with city wide snow removal. I love it. I'm not really an office desk type person. 

3. You mean aside from a 3rd rhythm guitar spot for an original Cro-Mags or Leeway line up?

4. Hell no! Haha, just kidding. Absolutely, there are a couple of people from the hardcore scene that work for the city. One of my immediate supervisors actually came to a few Maximum Penalty shows at Coney Island High and The Wetlands. You should see some of the characters that the city hired. I'm the least of their problems.

5. I was working nights in Bed Stuy back in '09 and me and my partner pull the truck up to the corner of Marcus Garvey & Monroe and this brawl spills out of the corner bodega. Fists, bats - blood everywhere. I go to grab the corner basket (don't ask) two guys turn around and tell me to leave the basket (they weren't asking). I just got back in the truck and left, we get to the end the block and 4 shots rang out. Turns out it was a drug beef, 2 kids killed and they kept the gun in the basket.