Bios

*Note: While all of these people were interviewed for the book, I unfortunately did not have enough room to include commentary from everyone. Thank you to all for taking your time to share your thoughts, feelings, and memories about nineties hardcore. You all played an essential role in the shaping of Burning Fight!

Jen Angel is the former editor of Maximum Rock N’ Roll and the co-founder of Clamor Magazine. She wrote her personal zine, Fucktooth, for 10 years, ran a zine distro, and published the Zine Yearbook: Volumes 1 through 8. Now she writes for magazines like Bitch, Yes! and In these Times, and works with a cooperative booking agency called Aid & Abet. She lives in Berkeley, California.

Jon Arends played bass for Charles Bronson, The Killers, Edge-Ucate, Long Live Nothing, and Fourteen or Fight. He operated Disgruntled Records from 1994 to 2000. He currently lives in Milwaukee, Wisconsin with his wife, Toun, and their son, Felix. He is also presently playing guitar for Herds.

Jacob Bannon is the vocalist/lyricist of Converge (1991 - present), a solo musician, and a visual artist. He also owns Deathwish/Malfunction record labels with longtime friend, Tre McCarthy.

Duncan Barlow is a novelist who teaches writing and writes critical essays. He still plays music; however, he does not dedicate as much devotion to it as he did when he was playing in punk bands (Endpoint, Guilt, By the Grace of God). He is still very fond of peanut butter, but only eats it on occasion as his metabolism has slowed down in his thirties.

Alex Barreto was played drums in Inside Out. He also played with Hard Stance, Chain of Strength, and Statue, among others.

SevaPriya Barrier created Crumpy and Krsna Grrrl fanzines and was a member of the illustrious Chicks Up Front Posse. She is currently in her last year of law school and she and her partner are eagerly awaiting the arrival of their first child.

Tim Barry is the singer of Avail. “At 38-years-old, Tim Barry is still wasting his life away touring and playing music.”

Todd Beattie played drums for Unbroken, bass guitar in Kill Holiday, and bass and vocals for The Grand Prix. He is currently living in Los Angeles as a store designer, playing guitar, and writing folk songs.

Beau-Beau is back-up vocalist and “cheerleader” for Avail.

Jeff Beckman played guitar and wrote lyrics for Chokehold and other bands including Left for Dead, Our War, and most recently Haymaker. He currently lives in Hamilton, Ontario, with his three kids and his best friend/wife. His only involvement in music lately is doing cover art for a handful of bands he digs.

Scott Beibin was the founder of Bloodlink Records wrote Ascention (the first vegan sxe zine) and Retrieval Inc. zine, organized a ton of shows and tours, was a contributing columnist for Heartattack, Maximum Rock N’ Roll, and others, and pranked The Jerry Springer Show with Justin Pearson from The Locust. Currently, he is still involved with culture jamming and media activism of all sorts. His passion since the nineties has been to bring D.I.Y. culture to the world of film and new media. He is still vegan, resides in West Philadelphia, and travels the planet with his current projects including Lost Film Fest, the Evil Twin Booking Agency, and Hollywood Can Suck It!

Greg Bennick: The former vocalist for Trial is now singing in Between Earth and Sky and has recently completed work on his second documentary film, The Philosopher Kings. He recently went raw and organic, in addition to being vegan and straightedge. This means that in addition to having no friends, that he is hungry almost all of the time.

Chris Boarts-Larson has published the fanzine Slug & Lettuce for the past 20 years. She is a photographer and writer and has been a contributing columnist for Maximum Rock and Roll. She was a collective member of ABC No Rio in the early-nineties and has been actively involved with setting up shows, generally participating, and documenting the international punk scene. She has lived in Pennsylvania, Boston, and New York City and currently resides in Richmond, Virginia.

John Brady played bass in Swing Kids and Sweep the Leg Johnny. He currently lives in Chicago.

Norman Brannon played guitar in Texas is the Reason, Fountainhead, Shelter, Ressurection, and 108 and was also the author of Anti-Matter Fanzine. In 2007, he published his first book, The Anti-Matter Anthology, and went back to school to pursue a career in education. In addition to working on a second book, Brannon is currently exploring noncommercial alternatives to distribute his new music. He lives in Brooklyn, New York.

Stephen Brodsky, guitarist/vocalist of Cave In, says, “I’m very fortunate to have been given quite the ride that Cave In gave to me and my friends. Next stop is the archives: combing through some old cassettes, tapes, and reel-to-reels of rehearsals, demos, and live recordings. Fingers are crossed for this project to see a late 2008 release on Hydra Head. To a future of more broken strings, worn out picks, and dirty earplugs you just can’t seem to find when you most need them.”

Karl Buechner is still the vocalist for Earth Crisis, Path of Resistance, and Freya. He is still vegan and straightedge and co-runs Krom Records.

Aaron Burgess learned more from hardcore than he did from his own dad, which may be why he spent the early-nineties “giving back” by illegally printing his own fanzines (for which he interviewed bands ranging from Born Against to the Nation of Ulysses) on Dad’s office copy machine. In 1996, the brass at Alternative Press evidently saw something in him, and despite being part of the magazine from its nu-metal era to its final resting place in emo, Aaron was given an admittedly insane amount of leeway to cover many of the era’s brightest, if least commercial, hardcore bands while an editor himself at AP. Today, he has similar leeway as the monthly hardcore columnist for Revolver magazine, in addition to regular writing gigs with SPIN, AP, The Onion A.V. Club, Metal Edge and Paper Thin Walls. He lives in Austin, Texas, with his wife and three sons, and his favorite nineties hardcore record is Born Against’s Nine Patriotic Hymns for Children.

Sean Capone is an artist and designer working in video and film. In the early nineties, his fanzine Positron gained notoriety for its mixture of straightedge philosophy and queer/feminist politics. From his homebase in Chicago, he actively photographed the punk, hardcore, and alternative music scenes for over a decade. He currently resides in New York City.

Tom Capone played guitar in Quicksand, Bold, Beyond, and Handsome. He recently did some Bold reunion shows on the East/West Coasts and Europe. He also joined forces with John Joseph and Mackie of legendary Cro-Mags in their project F.V.K. on their European tour. He has recently moved from New York City to settle down and buy a house with his lady in upstate New York. He currently runs a silk screening print shop from the storefront of his home and is a guitar teacher, spreading his best to a new generation of kids. He has also formed a new band that he feels is his best music to date.

Ray (Raghunath) Cappo was the vocalist for Youth of Today, Shelter, and Better than 1000. He currently lives in upstate New York with his wife and four children. He teaches yoga, cleansing and detoxing, and regularly leads retreats, workshops, as well as pilgrimages to India with his students.

David Claibourn was the vocalist for Unbroken.  He currently resides in the St. Louis area. He produces and DJs for Dedication Crew. He also travels to Chicago frequently to play in the band Stabbed By Words. He hopes to soon one day have the same occupation as the book’s author.

Don Clark: “After starting the chaotic hardcore band Training For Utopia in 1996 (and continuing until 1999) I took some time off from music. During that time, I started a design firm called Invisible Creature with my brother Ryan, and we’ve specialized in the music industry. We’ve worked with everyone from Pedro The Lion to Foo Fighters, and have been nominated for three Grammy’s for our album packages. In 2002, Ryan and I also started a new band called Demon Hunter. We have released four records and continue to tour the nation and record.”

Ryan Clark played in Training for Utopia and Focal Point. Currently, he works as Art Director and Principal Designer for Tooth and Nail/Solid State Records and sings for the band Demon Hunter, which has released four albums and done four U.S. tours. Ryan has been married for six years and lives in Seattle.

Tim Cohen (aka Trivikrama dasa) joined 108 in January of 1994 after being asked by Vic in Vrndavana, India. From that time on he traveled with band around the globe several times and helped create and record numerous LPs and EPs. He currently lives in Boston, Massachusetts, and is working as a music therapist. He continues to play music, travel, and record with 108, as well as work on new music with local friends Kurt Ballou and Michael Justinian.

Chris Colohan was the vocalist for Left for Dead, The Swarm, Ruination, and Cursed. He currently lives in Toronto and puts out records on his label, High Anxiety. He is also working on graphic design, collections of writing, and is still thinking too much and sleeping too little.

J.R. Conners was the drummer for Cave-In.

Chris Corvino was a guitarist for Deadguy, as well as a bassist in Lifetime and Ressurection.

John Coyle was the vocalist for Outspoken. “I have two children, Madison and Tyler, both of whom rule my world. I am a family man with an amazing wife, Tina, a great job and a suburban home. Hardcore has made me who I am; it taught me drive, compassion, determination, and to question everything. Those days will always be with me; they have become me and have influenced my children, so if others forget it is of no consequence.”

Freddy Cricien is still the vocalist for Madball. He would like Madball to be remembered as a group of people who live with/by integrity, sincerity, and respect in life and music.

Chris Daly played drums in hardcore bands such as 108, Ressurection, Lifetime, and Out Of Hand, and then went on to play in Texas is the Reason, Jets to Brazil, and Walking Concert. He is currently playing in The Surrounding Areas with Garrett from Texas is the Reason. “I live in Brooklyn, New York, with my lovely wife, and, as a profession, am a hairstylist in New York City. I still regard my ‘Hardcore Days’ as one of the best periods in my life, as well as the foundation to my closest friendships to this very day.”

Ben Davis was drummer for Sleepytime Trio and also writes/records his own solo material.

Tommy Davis played guitar in Prevail and Hassan I Sabbah. He finished a Phd in English and is now an assistant professor of English at the Ohio state university.

Brent Decker played bass and guitar is Racetraitor and has gone on to finish his graduate studies at Tulane University in public health and currently works at the Chicago Project for Violence Prevention on the “CeaseFire Initiative,” which seeks to reduce shootings and killings in Chicago, Baltimore, and Newark. He also works with the Inner-City Muslim Action Network on criminal justice reform in the state of Illinois and continues to fundraise for Hogares de Santa Maria in Santa Apolonia, Guatemala.

Brendan DeSmet sang for Groundwork, Absinthe, and Bury Me Standing from 1990 to 2001. He was responsible for bringing a lot of the other nineties hardcore bands through his hometown of Tucson, Arizona, during that time as well. Running a punk record store, writing for zines, and participating in social activism on behalf of animal and human rights also kept him pretty busy during that time. He still resides in Arizona and currently does an independent record label called Protagonist with his friend Bill Tsitsos, attends to his career in the field of veterinary medicine, and loves to eat vegan junk food.

Vic DiCara played guitar in 108, Inside Out, and Burn, as well as bass in Beyond. “I’m now living in San Diego, after Inland Empire and Los Angeles…and most likely headed on an escape path out of this dying country ASAP. I’m doing 108 and work in web development and online business. I study Hindu philosophy and astrology and would like to be a professional Hindu astrologer at some point in the fairly near future. I have a hobby studio where I tinker around, sometimes record other bands, and write songs. I love the color of peacocks. I like potato chips and chidwa. I love animals, I don’t eat them. My rising sign is Capricorn.”

Brian Dingledine sang for Catharsis (1994-2002) and published the zine Inside Front (1994-2003). He still plays in punk bands, writes for anarchist publishing projects, and lives outside the law.

Kevin Doss was the vocalist for Downcast, guitarist for Not for the Lack of Trying, and vocalist/guitarist for Jara. He is married with two daughters and his currently a fire-fighter for the County of Los Angeles.

Ryan J. Downey was the frontman for early-nineties militant straightedge band Hardball and for late-nineties metal-core band Burn It Down as well as the publisher of Prophet and Superhero fanzines and a longtime contributor to Alternative Press and other publications. Following the dissolution of Burn It Down in 2001, Downey became a writer/producer for MTV News and later an on-air reporter for E!, MSNBC, FEARnet and MySpace TV. He has appeared on VH1 and Fuse as well and started Superhero Artist Management, representing several bands and other talent. He remains committed to liberation theology, straightedge, animal rights, and environmental issues.

Adrienne Droogas sang for Spitboy, Aus Rotten, and Alabama Thunder Pussy (“briefly!”). She was also a contributing columnist for Maximum Rock n Roll, Profane Existence, Slug and Lettuce, plus creator of Too Far and Norton (Unleashed) fanzines.

Chad Dziewior played guitar in Threadbare, the Judas Factor, Downside, Crosscurrent and also played bass in the Trans Megetti, Big Collapse and New Rising Sons. He currently lives in New York City where he works as a production designer/art director for his own company.

Nathan Ellis still plays bass for Coalesce while continuing to make music with the Casket Lottery, Jackie Carol, and Able Baker Fox. He resides with his family in Kansas City, Missouri.

Joseph Epstein covered hardcore, straightedge, and indie rock for nine years for Thrasher Magazine from New York and D.C., interviewing a number of the scene’s top bands. Epstein left New York in 2003 and currently lives in Los Angeles.

Robert Fish was the vocalist for 108, Ressurection, and The Judas Factor. He is now 35, lives in Northern California, hangs out with his two amazing sons, skateboards poorly, and continues to create with 108 and other musical projects.

Nick Forte played guitar in Rorschach. He currently lives in rural upstate New York and continues to make music.

Matt Fox “Shai Hulud is still together and profoundly hating mankind over a decade since the band’s inception. In 2006 they signed to Metal Blade Records who released their third full length album, Misanthropy Pure, on May 27th, 2008, their debut for the label.”

Gavin Frederick was a small time independent record vendor at D.I.Y. shows in the mid to late-nineties. He was one of those responsible - in conjunction with Scott MC of Concurrent Recordings fame - for the infamous I-Defy house from 1995-1997 in Atlanta, Georgia. Now he is the owner of Stickfigure Distribution and its labels, Stickfigure, Vagina Flambe, and A Day Late and a Dollar Short. He is also the talent buyer for the Drunken Unicorn.

Christopher Fry played drums for Policy of 3 and was a founding member of the Cabbage Collective in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He currently plays drums for Melquiades and lives outside of Philadelphia.

Bull Gervasi grew up in New Jersey and has been living in Philadelphia since 1993. He played bass in Policy of 3, Point of View, Four Hundred Years, R.A.M.B.O., and sang for a Misfits cover band (briefly). He’s been to over 40 countries on tour and while doing so has broken a leg, contracted Typhoid Fever, been chased by a monkey and an elephant, been surrounded by macaques, and been naked in a volcano in Indonesia. He currently manages a food co-op and works on issues of sustainability and access to quality food in West Philly and the region.

Michelle (Todd) C. Gonzales, drummer, lyricist, and founding member of Spitboy, holds a B.A. in English and a M.F.A. in English and Creative Writing, both from Mills College. She teaches English full-time at Las Positas College in Livermore, is married (of all things), and lives in Oakland with her husband and son. Michelle, also known as Todd, remembers wanting to form a band like Spitboy because an all-female hardcore band like Spitboy, who were smart, informed, and kick-ass, was the kind of band she always wanted to hear.

Andrew Gormley played drums for Rorschach, Kiss it Goodbye, and Playing Enemy. Recently, he recorded drums for the newest Shai Hulud record, Misanthropy Pure. Last October, he and his wife and had a daughter, which keeps him busy with family activities, but he also engineers at Red Room Studios from time to time.

Josh Grabelle was putting on shows in the early to mid-nineties in his basement in New Jersey while also putting out Trustkill Fanzine. “In 1994 I put out my first record and have been running the label, Trustkill Records, ever since. Trustkill has diversified a bit since the nineties and has started mobile, publishing, and touring companies, as well.”

Jim Grimes was the vocalist for Extinction and wrote Stormtrooper and Tirade fanzines. He was a Chicago show promoter from 1994 to 2002 and still dabbles in putting on the occasional show. He still lives in Chicago and always maintains a love/hate relationship with the scene there. “The edge and being vegan is still going strong. Currently, I am working on a new zine project entitled All the Battles You Fought and Lost.”

Justin “Guav” Guavin did Conviction Fanzine and Conviction Records from 1990 to 1993 and Cabal Clothing from 1994 to 1996. His current work can be found at ActWonDesign.com and guav.com. “I’m currently the art director for the New York office of Bravado Merchandising, a music merchandising company, so I basically design band shirts all day.”

Todd Gullion played in Ice Nine, Burn It Down, and Time In Malta. “Since leaving music in 2004 I have became a Philosophy Graduate Student and Lecturer in San Francisco. I credit hardcore to challenging me to drastically examine and change my life. But eventually, I needed to work the details out in academia through philosophical and religious ethics.”

Steve Hart played guitar in Day of Suffering

Mike Hartsfield was the guitarist Outspoken and ran New Age Records. He eventually went on to play in A18.

Dwid Hellion is the vocalist of Integrity. “Dwid Hellion’s life was immersed within a world existing predominantly of autotheistic art/music/realization, the occult, eroded film creation, quantum physics, and his dearly beloved ones. Dwid Hellion exists in sporadic, fragmented glimpses of time and shadow. The silt stained apparition of Dwid Hellion has been occasionally, albeit often unintentionally, witnessed throughout a small area of Flanders, Belgium, over the past four thousand years (most equate these visions to be unfamiliar with the corner glanced peripheral phantoms of early memory).”

Karl Hlavinka played guitar and drums in Racetraitor and guitar in Killtheslavemaster and Creation is Crucifixion.

Marc Holcomb played guitar in Undertow. After Undertow, he played in Shift and lived in New York for 13 years. He currently lives in Los Angeles and surfs every day.

Jessica Hopper is a music journalist based in Chicago. Her work regularly appears in Chicago Reader and Chicago Tribune. Her first book is due out in 2009 from Workman Publishing.

Keith Huckins played guitar in Rorschach, Deadguy, and Kiss it Goodbye. He now lives in upstate New York in the woods with his wife and dog.

Andy Hurley played drums for Racetraitor, Killtheslavemaster, and Vegan Reich. He is currently the drummer for Fall Out Boy, is still vegan and straightedge, and studies
and pursues his interests in anarcho primitivist politics.

Stacey Iguchi was an active and avid member of the nineties Southern California hardcore scene. She is currently a teacher.

Sean Ingram is still the vocalist for Coalesce. He lives with his family in Lawrence, Kansas and runs a screen-print plant called Blue Collar Press.

Jeff Jelen played guitar in Charles Bronson and M.K. Ultra and is currently involved with a few other musical projects. He is happily married to the singer of Social Coma

Tara Johnson played bass for Disembodied and Martyr A.D. She currently works as a Pastry Chef in Minneapolis where she lives with her husband Joel and their two pugs.

Demian Johnston is currently in a two-piece, drumless noise rock band called Hemingway and has been an illustrator for years since Undertow. He has contributed his illustrations to magazines and newspapers, and bands like Kiss it Goodbye, Converge, Pelican, and These Arms Are Snakes have all used his artwork.

Justin Kane played drums for Disembodied and Martyr A.D. He now has a three and a half year old son Sevin Kane and works a full time job as a store manager. He went to college for Engineering and does live sound and occasional recording.

Neeraj Kane played guitar in The Suicide File, Extinction, and The Hope Conspiracy, among others. He is still active in writing and recording music for various bands and projects. He also taught high school history in inner-city Chicago, and has received his Masters in Education and Curriculum Studies.

Sonny Kay was the vocalist for Angel Hair, The VSS, and Year Future, as well as founder of the Gold Standard Laboratories label which existed from 1993 until 2007. He currently resides in Los Angeles where he occupies his time as a visual artist, graphic designer, and songwriter.

Mike Kirsch is primarily a toilet cleaner based in San Francisco. He has been a witness to, and sometimes participant in, the “radical” punk community since the 1980’s, including associations with music groups like Fuel, Torches to Rome, Bread and Circuits, P.I.C.T.I.H., and others. He struggles regularly to survive and hopefully mitigate some of the poisonous personal/global effects of capitalism, while attempting to develop emotional, physical, and psychological health. He maintains a longstanding blood vendetta and commitment to the destruction of American Empire and its quisling agents.

Garrett Klahn sang and played guitar for Texas is the Reason and played bass for Copper. He went on to play in Solea and is now playing in The Surrounding Arenas, which is in the process of recording a full-length album.

Andrew Kline was the guitarist of Strife. He currently lives in Los Angeles and continues to be involved in music. He owns a street-wear and sneaker boutique in Westlake Village called Tradition and is a writer for Vapors Magazine.

Dirk Lemmenes played bass in Focused. “Focused will always be a huge part of my life because it was so exciting to be involved in a brand new scene right from the start. I like to think that we played a part in creating the ‘Spirit Filled/Christian’ hardcore scene. I will never forget having the opportunity to play with so many influential bands like Strife, Unbroken, The Crucified, Undertow, Earth Crisis, Outspoken, Snapcase, Lifetime, and countless others. It has definitely made me who I am as a musician as I continue to push myself creatively with Stavesacre.”

Chris Logan was the vocalist for Chokehold and runs Goodfellow Records.

Josh Louka was vocalist/guitarist for Shift. He also went on to form Big Collapse.

Steve Lovett was the vocalist for Raid. After Raid, Steve finished college and began working for various environmental groups. Currently, he is living behind the Redwood Curtain of Northern California and work for a large community based environmental restoration organization. Steve has been married for 16 years and has three kids.

Brian Lovro was the vocalist for Threadbare and currently sings for The Blinding Light.

Brian Lowit still runs Lovitt Records

Dennis Lyxzen was the vocalist for Refused and owner of Desperate Fight. “Nowadays I live in the countryside outside of Umeå. I’m still active in the local punk scene with D.I.Y. punk label Ny Våg and The Swedish punk band Invasionen (ex Lost patrol band) and a new band called AC4 that plays really fast old music (featuring David from Refused). I’m also major label rocker in the band The (International) Noise Conspiracy!”

Ian MacKaye the vocalist of Minor Threat and Embrace and vocalist/guitarist for Fugazi. He still runs Dischord Records and performs with The Evens.

Charles Maggio was the vocalist for Rorschach and founder of Gern Blandsten Records. Currently, Charles is husband to Jen and father to twin baby girls (Avery and Mira). As a day job, he is a a Senior Accountant for a wholesale insurance company.

Chaka Malik was the vocalist for Burn and Orange 9mm. “I am currently into new expressions of music that can maintain emotion and force through the new digital medium that we are accustomed to in this day and age. It’s a whole new way of expressing for me with these new tools. The new music, (usefull) across a world environment is what I am interested in. We must all create our useful expression to share ourselves with the human race and anyone else who will listen. One love.”

Dave Mandel is the founder of Indecision Records and Indecision Fanzine. He is perhaps best known for his music photography of some of hardcore’s most significant bands throughout the nineties. He resides Southern California and currently works in sports photography.

Tim Mann was the vocalist for Focused. He still skates as much as possible, makes custom long boards, and his happily married to his wife, Holly.

Peter Martin is a guitarist for Lifetime.

Vique Martin wrote Simba Fanzine from 1992 - 1999, putting out 13 issues over those years. She ran Revelation Europe from 1996 - 1998 and booked many tours/shows during that period through the United Kingdom. She moved from the U.K. to California in 1998 and is currently the manager of Revelation Distribution.

Chris Massey played bass for Prevail, Red Herring, and Department of Homeland Security. He currently lives in the Atlanta area with his wife, Tara, and house full of pets. He works a job of no consequence and spends most of his time ranting about society and the American way of life and daydreaming of living in a shack in the mountains with more black bears as neighbors than humans.

Mark McCoy sang for Charles Bronson. He now runs Youth Attack Records in New York City.

Adam McGrath played guitar in Cave In and currently shares vocals and guitar duties in the band Clouds. He lives in Cambridge with his special lady friend and two cats: Duane and Flea.

Kent McClard did No Answers zine, HeartattaCk and Ebullition Records. He is over 40 and still runs Ebullition Records, and, yes, he is still straight edge and vegan. He doesn’t get to many shows, but he still loves hardcore.

Dave McClure was the bassist for Downcast and Not for the Lack of Trying, as well
as vocalist/bassist for Jara. He became involved in anti-racist, anti-imperialist organization called The Labor Community Strategy Center where he worked as a community organizer. He currently works as a case manager for non-profit called Beyond Shelter that assists homeless families into permanent housing.

Timm McIntosh played guitar in the nineties straightedge hardcore band Trial and also for Champion. Both bands were from Seattle and were an integral part of the straight edge hardcore scene in the Northwest. Currently, Timm spends his time singing for his new band Wait In Vain and running a small label under the moniker of Panic Records. He still resides in Seattle and remains straight edge.

John McKaig is a hardcore show promoter, painter/printmaker/photographer, and art professor. He has been straightedge since 1989 and vegan since 1990. He promoted his first show in the spring of 1989, and was able to do the annual New Year’s Day hardcore shows in Syracuse until January 2007. He taught art at Syracuse University for 12 years, and currently teaches art at the Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan, where he is also booking all-ages hardcore shows.

Tim McMahon was the vocalist for Mouthpiece and Hands Tied. He now lives in Lawrenceville, New Jersey, sings for Triple Threat, is editor of Double Crossed webzine, is married, and is the father of two children. Tim would like to be remembered for is his dedication and commitment to straightedge hardcore. “I was there when the scene was at its peak and I was there when it was at rock bottom. Through it all my beliefs have never swayed and I’ve maintained a legitimate connection to the scene that helped mold me into who I am.”

Mike McTernan sings for Damnation AD and When Tigers Fight. He has toured extensively with Worlds Collide, Battery, and Ashes. A beautiful girl won his heart and he is now living in Philadelphia with her.

Curtis Mead played bass in Split Lip/Chamberlain. He is still playing music in a band called Model/Actress with members of Brainiac, Bullet LaVolta and Juliana Hatfield 3. He has also been known to tour with bands missing bass players (Hundred Reasons and Metroschifter). Currently, he is working on a project with friends Josh Louka (Shift/Big Collapse), Aaron Stewart (Piebald), and Charlie Walker (Split Lip/Chamberlain).

Dennis Merrick is the drummer of Earth Crisis and Path of Resistance.

Steven Andrew Miller played guitar in Unbroken and Kill Holiday, and he now plays in Crushed On You. He is an avid cyclist living in Orange County, California, and refuses to be defined by his job.

Rich Miles played bass in Constantine Sankathi, Sever the Cord, and briefly in Racetraitor.

Moe Mitchell continues to write and perform music with Cipher. He has recently started work on an unnamed electronic music project. Moe remains deeply involved in the black liberation struggle, animal rights, and community autonomy efforts worldwide.

David Moore was the vocalist for Split Lip/Chamberlain. He currently is working on solo material.

Ati Moran was an avid member of the nineties hardcore scene, creating Breaking Free Fanzine, and touring with bands like Unbroken.

Robert Moran played in Unbroken, Caustic Humor, Kill Holliday, Over My Dead Body and Some Girls. He currently plays in music with Narrows. He works for T-Mobile in Seattle, Washington, and lives in Chula Vista, California. He’s married to his wife Diana, and they have two pugs, Rosie and Basil, as well as a cat named Rambo.

Mani Mostofi was the vocalist for Racetraitor. Later, he played in the political garage punk band the Kill Pill. He continued his activism around a variety of peace and justice issues including Palestinian rights and the Iraq War. Mani went on to get a M.A. in Middle Eastern Studies from the University of Texas at Austin and is currently working on J.D. from Fordham Law School in New York, where he studies civil rights and international law.

Mike “Phyte” Mowery ran Phyte Records (1994-2003) and played bass in Good Clean Fun from 1999-2004. He now owns Outerloop Management where he manages many bands who would have never thought they’d need a “manager.” He lives in Washington, D.C.

Ryan Murphy’s most notable time in the nineties hardcore scene was spent playing drums for the Seattle band Undertow, “where I met most of the friends that I still hold close to my heart and created new opportunities for me along the way. Since then, I have remained involved in hardcore and am scheduled to receive a Master’s Degree in Physical Geography in the winter of 2008.”

Aaron Mussett was the vocalist for Disembodied.

Sean Muttaqi currently divides his time between raising a family, running a record label (Uprising Records), teaching Daoist Yoga and Internal Chinese Martial Arts (Baguazhang, Xing yi, Taiji) as well as training in BJJ and Silat, and occasionally producing records (Amir Sulaiman and Dylan Dilinjah). Recently completing the obligatory Muslim Pilgrimage of Hajj, Muttaqi also spends much of his time on social activism within as well as related to the Muslim community.

Adam Nathanson lives in Richmond, Virginia with his wife and children. He teaches Adult Literacy. During the period from 1986 to 1999, he did Constructive Rebellion fanzine and the bands Life’s Blood, Born Against, (Young) Pioneers, and Teargas Rock. He still records Teargas Rock tracks sometimes, and maintains a blog at stakolee.blogspot.com

Sid Niesen was the drummer of Strife.

Chad Neptune is the former bassist of Strongarm. He is currently working as a web-designer, but working harder as a dad and husband. He would most like to be remembered in the hardcore scene for “helping to break down some of the awful stereotypes of Christians.”

Scotty Niemet was a More Than Music Fest organizer, sang in xINEPTx , Bergeron, and the Lack, put out Let Me Live…, and lived in/ran/organized Neilhouse, Legion of Doom, and Firexit D.I.Y. spaces. He also co-owned Voice of the Sky records. He is still living in Columbus, Ohio and runs Leave ‘em Records.

“Positive” Kim Nolan is currently trying to escape from Albuquerque, New Mexico, where she is writing a dissertation on labor rights in U.S. trade policy and teaches in the Department of Political Science. She is the author of the Bark and Grass vegan cookbook and is a member of the Chicks Up Front Posse.

Mickey Nolan booked punk and hardcore shows in eastern Iowa. He currently lives in Chicago, IL.

Kyle Noltemeyer played in Endpoint and Guilt. “I am married with three children and work in the family business. My family and I attend a great church called Sojourn here in Louisville, Kentucky that values what we value most, The Bible, Christ, music and the arts. I am currently in a band called Interstates has recently signed with a record label and is going on a short tour to promote our new release.

Frank “3Gun” Novinec who has been cited as a pioneer of creating the sounds of what every band in the Metal/Hardcore has branched out to be today is currently playing guitar for Hatebreed and running his own clothing line “Beer Wear.” Frank formed Ringworm in high school back in 1989 with best pal James “Human Furnace” Bulloch, a band in which he is still involved with in the writing process to this day. He also played in Integrity during the bands Systems Overload, Humanity Is The Devil and Seasons In The Size Of Days releases, and in more recent years played for Terror as well. Frank can be found on the road with Hatebreed all over the world or at Disney World where he spends most of his recent off time as a new resident to Florida.

Ken Olden was the guitarist for Damnation A.D., Battery, Better Than A Thousand, Worlds Collide, and When Tigers Fight.

Jaime Owens sang for Prevail. After the band, he moved to California and became a camera man/Associate Producer on MTVs Jackass for a year and then worked his way up from intern to Editor at Skateboarder Magazine, where he currently is working today. He resides in San Clemente, California with his wife Kurina and two daughters, Chloe Rose and Grace Lily.

Jose Palafox was the drummer for Swing Kids, Struggle, and Bread and Circuits and is currently working on a project called Baader Brains. He has published articles in Covert Action Quarterly, ColorLines, Z Magazine, Borderlines, S.F. Bay Guardian, and Maximum Rock N’ Roll. He has taught in Chicano/Latino Studies and Sociology at U.C. Berkeley, Stanford University, Mills College, U.C. Santa Cruz, and the University of San Francisco.

Anthony Pappalardo lives in Brooklyn, New York, where he recently co-authored a selected visual history of American hardcore titled Radio Silence with Nathan Nedorostek. He spent the nineties all over the East Coast sweating in clubs, basements, and V.F.W. Halls absorbing every note of music he could. While living in Boston, Massachusetts a high school idea came to fruition in the form of a band named Ten Yard Fight in late 1994. After recording a Demo and 7″ with Ten Yard Fight he founded In My Eyes. Along the way he’s been able to run his mouth about music, skateboarding, and culture for: Slap Magazine, Alternative Press, Mass Appeal, and Swingset Magazine. He still has bruised shins from skateboarding which is getting increasingly difficult with each year past thirty and he records music as the Italian Horn.

Mike Paradise played drums in Downside, Reach, Bloodline, Threadbare, Picturesque, and 108 and is currently playing in a band with Carl Skildum called Seconds Before. “I have been very fortunate to have been involved with all of these bands. I would like anybody that supported these bands in any way, to know how much I appreciate their support and encouragement over the years.”

Ryan Patterson is currently touring the world as singer/guitarist for Coliseum, releasing Louisville music on his label Auxiliary Records, freelance designing with Auxiliary Design, and a partner in band merch store ShirtKiller.com. Every once in a while he “gets the old folks together for Black Cross records and shows.”

Justin Pearson played in Swing Kids and Struggle. He is still playing in The Locust and runs Three One G Records.

Rob Pennington sang for Endpoint and By the Grace of God.  For the past decade he has been teaching students with moderate to severe disabilities. He is currently pursuing his PhD in special education, teaching Wing Chun kung fu, and still intermittently screaming in punk rock bands like Black Cross. He lives in Louisville, Kentucky, with his wonderful wife Becca, three dogs, and two cats.

Dustin Perry played in Snapcase, Threadbare, Bloodline, and Reach. He is currently working on establishing a scholarship in honor of his sister, Stephanie. He is living and working in Buffalo, New York, with his wonderful girlfriend, Sara, and missing Minnesota daily.

Chad Peterson played bass for Strife. He currently works for concert promoter Goldenvoice/AEG Live specializing in legal and artist contracts and working on projects like their Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival as well as their annual Detour Festival. He resides in Los Angeles, California.

John Pettibone was the vocalist for Undertow and Nineironspitfire and booked shows in the Seattle area in the nineties. “I currently play in Himsa, The Vows, IamtheThorn (solo), HolyTerrored (Integrity cover band) and a
few other gems. I manage an all ages club in Seattle called El Corazon and a national promoter, Mike Thrasher presents. I’m happily married, still straightedge and still screaming! My War, My Way!”

Chrissy Piper took photos in the punk/hardcore scene and did a fanzine called Budget and had a photo book called The Unheard Music come out in 1997. Currently, she splits her time between L.A. and the east coast working as a photographer for various record labels, magazines, and clothing companies.

John “Porcell” Porcelly played guitar in Shelter, Youth of Today, and Judge, and he was also the vocalist for Project X. He is currently a graphic designer, yoga enthusiast, and father of two wonderful children.

Kate Reddy of 108 and Project Kate lives in Upstate New York with her husband Steve, who runs Equal Vision Records, and their three kids Kaulini, Subhadra, and Lakshman. “I run a yoga studio with my next door neighbors Raghunath (Ray) Cappo and his wife Bridget, who also have four kids! We grow organic vegetables and plant flowers and eat dinner together most nights.”

Steve Reddy still runs Equal Vision Records and is still a Hare Krishna. He lives with his family in Upstate New York.

Dennis Remsing: “Back in 1989 I started a record label called Conversion Records, which I ran out of my bedroom initially and later out of various garages and warehouses. I was also playing drums in many different hardcore-related bands, Outspoken being the most notable. I am currently married, living in San Francisco, working as a graphic designer, and playing drums in an instrumental band called Glaciers.

Mark Rodgers played drums for Prevail, Rinse, and Minus One. He now lives in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, where he is a business manager. He is married, has two dogs, and is expecting his first child.

Rick Rodney was the vocalist for Strife. He is currently working on various photography and graphic design projects.

Jason Roe was the author of Kill the Robot Fanzine. He lives in New York working as a graphic designer.

Daisy Rooks was a founding member of XChicks Up FrontX, a zine author, and political activist. She currently teaches labor studies at Rutgers University. In her post-punk life, she has been a union organizer, union steward, graduate student, and all around trouble-maker.

D.J. Rose lives in Syracuse, New York, with his wife and four children. He co-owns both Halo Tattoos and Reaper Records. He is one of the triad of vocalists in the vegan straightedge band The Path of Resistance, when they are active. He has the sense of humor of a grandfather. Also, he is a practitioner of “The Law of Love.”

Dave Rosenberg was the drummer of Deadguy and also played in Lifetime. Dave is currently the CEO and founder of an open source software company. He lives in San Francisco with his wife Karen, daughter Kiki, and their dog Duke.

Adam Rubenstein played guitar for Split Lip/Chamberlain. Currently, he is the product manager for Doghouse Records and has also recently co-written and completed an album with David Moore due out late in 2008.

Thomas Rusnak was the bassist for Rorschach. “Following the path music led me down was the right thing for me, not so much because of what I will be remembered for, but rather because of the memories I carry with me from that period in my life. These days I fill up my time writing novellas, playing hardcore music with my wife and kids, and playing in my band King Black Acid.”

Walter Schreifels played in Quicksand, Gorilla Biscuits, Rival Schools, and Walking Concert. He currently lives in Europe and is working on a solo record, as well as a possible Rival Schools reunion.

Kurt Schroeder sang for the band Birthright, after briefly playing for Earth Crisis and other, less notable, bands. He published a D.I.Y. zine (Catalyst), and founded Catalyst Records. He is currently still running Catalyst Records and playing in his new band, Risen.

Caleb Scofield played bass and did vocals for Cave-in and Old Man Gloom, and guitars, bass, and vocals for Zozobra. He is currently living in Boston with his wife and son.

Evan Sellers was one of the vocalists for Prevail. He also did vocals in Red Herring and played drums in Snow in Summer and Homeland Security. He lives in Florence, South Carolina, where he teaches high school social studies, rides his bicycle, and escapes to the mountains whenever he can.

Tim Singer was the voice of No Escape, Deadguy, and Kiss it Goodbye. It fluctuates as to which band he’s proudest of. Before making music, his claim to fame was made covering music with Boiling Point fanzine. But it all became an inescapable part of his life when he saw Agnostic Front at CBGBs in April of 1986. That was real. He still has the itch to do the music thing but can’t seem to find the time. What he’s into more than anything these days is hanging with his wife and three kids in Philadelphia.

Carl Skildum played guitar in Threadbare, Krakatoa, and Picturesque. He is still playing music today in Seconds Before, along with Threadbare drummer Mike Paradise.

Martin Sorrondeguy was the vocalist for Los Crudos and Limp Wrist and ran Lengua Armada Records. He currently lives in California and is working a teacher. Martin is currently in several musical projects, such as Needles and N.N., and is still punk.

James Spooner is an award winning filmmaker credited for starting the Afro-Punk Movement. He still listens to Black Flag regularly and fondly remembers the days when “emo” was a positive alternative to tough guy hardcore.

Taylor Steele was the singer for 4 Walls Falling. He is now 42-years-old, living in Richmond, Virginia, married, a real estate agent, and loves Deathcycle, Tragedy, Gov. Warning, and Double Negative.

Jes Steineger played guitar in Coalesce. As of 2008/2009, he is a doctoral student in the Philosophy of Religions program at the University of Chicago studying under Jean-Luc Marion. He is married with four children and has aspired to live an Orthodox Christian way of life since Fall 2002. He still writes and plays music with Coalesce when he and the rest of the band have time.

Daryl Taberski sang for the Buffalo, New York, band Snapcase. He continues to live in Buffalo where he works as a Clinical Social Worker at a Psychiatric Hospital and also where he owns and operates an Art and Antique shop.

Daniel Traitor played guitar in Racetraitor, Hinckley, Everlast, and Arma Angelus. He has been doing non-profit work in human rights, violence prevention, environmentalism, civil rights and poverty relief, youth development, and fair trade. He continues to play music with Chicago indie bands.

Aaron Turner spent much of the nineties smoking weed and claiming to be straightedge. Today, he is the figurehead of a bizarre religious cult known as Hydra Head Records, an elitist music sect heralded in “the industry” for its ability to sell the same product to its customers in six or seven different colors. Seeking to expand his ridiculous influence, he formed Isis, a band which performs in a style that magazines refer to as “post-metal” and has managed to accumulate further acolytes at an even more alarming rate. Turner also participates in several other musical projects—”bands” with names like Old Man Gloom, House Of Low Culture, Drawing Voices, Vessl, and Lotus Eaters - all of which are merely a front for his megalomaniacal vision of a world filled entirely with A. Ron Turner clones and Italian greyhounds. He also designs album covers, often while laughing all the way to the bank. (bio by J. Bennett)

Gavin Van Vlack was the guitarist in Burn, Absolution, Die 116, and Pry. He tends to forget he’s a musician and thinks that his music is much cooler and more interesting than he is. He’s spent considerable time touring and traveling both as a musician and a competitive athlete. He’s not sure who’s seeking him for questioning, but if they want he lives in Brooklyn with his dog. He lost all his vintage hardcore vinyl in a fire so record collectors can go screw themselves.

Ebro Virumbrales has spent the last 15 years playing in bands like Los Crudos, Charles Bronson, Mk-Ultra, Ruination, and Punch In The Face. He currently lives in Chicago with his wife, Kristen, and continues to play music.

Scott Vogel was the vocalist for Slugfest, Despair, and Buried Alive. He now sings for Terror. In the nineties, Scott was a “kid who loved hardcore. Now I’m an older kid who still loves hardcore.”

Charlie Walker was the drummer of Split Lip/Chamberlain, as well as New End Original.

Darren Walters (Hi-Impact Records, Jade Tree Records, Railhed) lives in Wilmington, Delaware, where he continues to run the Jade Tree label. In addition, Darren teaches full-time in the Music Industry program at Drexel University. In his free time he enjoys spending time with his family, playing soccer, and reading.

Pete Wentz played bass in Racetraitor, Birthright, and Extinction and sang for Arma Angelus. Currently he plays bass for Fall Out Boy, runs his own record label, Decaydance, and his own clothing line, Clandestine Industries.

Nate Wilson played in Monster X and Das Oath. “I live in Brooklyn, New York now. I have toured Europe, Japan, the states with Das Oath. I still do my record label Gloom records (though I’m slower at putting stuff out these days). I’m getting married in June of 2008, and working for a marketing/media company in NYC. I still support all aspects of underground music.”

Scott Winegard played bass for Texas is the Reason and Fountainhead. He went on to play in New End Original and House in Parrish. He is a vegetarian chef in New York City.

Dan Yemin: “I fell in love with punk after hearing The Clash in 1982, and fell in love all over again after seeing Reagan Youth play in 1984. In the nineties we did Lifetime and Kid Dynamite, put out some records that were really exciting for us, did a lot of touring, and I somehow managed to finish my doctorate in psychology without losing my mind. I did a brief stint in Resurrection in the early-nineties as well and played on their first seven-inch. Now I play in Paint It Black, Lifetime, and Armalite and work as a clinical psychologist in private practice. In 2003 I fell in love with another over-achieving punk. We got married in 2007. Life is good.”