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Sick Of It All.
If longevity is the sign of success in the hardcore scene, then New York's Sick Of It All are amongst the finest in their league. Founded by brothers Lou and Pete Koller in 1985, they released their first 7" single in 1987. The band originally consisted of Armand Majidi on drums, Rich Cipriano on bass, Pete on guitar and Lou as vocalist. Cipriano was later replaced by Craig Setari and the line up that has held strong for 11 years was formed. Lou remembers, "Armand and Craig were friends of ours, we all hung out together. When we needed a drummer for the demo, Armand helped out, and then just stuck around. Craig didn't join till 1993, but he was there from the beginning. He wrote with us on the first two albums."
It's been 18 years since Sick Of It All formed, and they're still releasing albums and touring the world to packed venues in 2004. When I ask Lou what makes them keep doing what they do, his answer is simple: "Because real jobs suck! That, and we love this music." He goes on further to say "I know everyone says that, but do [other bands] stick it out when the media's gone on to the next trend? Or when there is little or no money?"
He's got a point. Today, punk rock and hardcore is a trend in it's own right, with many bands emulating the fashion and music of a genre that was founded well before some of its members were born. "It has its good and bad parts," says Lou, when asked about the commercial popularity of underground music. "The good thing is a lot more kids will hear your music. The bad thing is, what if they don't get it and it's just a trend to them? Then you're fucked."
Sick Of It All are back on Australian shores to promote their new album 'Life On The Ropes.' Although they've released ten albums, it's been almost four years since their last album. "Hey, it's more like three and a half!" Lou laughs. "We put out a live CD on Fat [Wreck Chords]; that got great reviews and we toured a lot on it. Then we worked on new songs, toured some more, wrote the new CD, went in and recorded it, and the rest is history... in the making!"
While we were speaking of history, I couldn't resist asking how the events of September 11 affected a band that is almost as well known for their New York Pride as they are for their music. "It's a great tragedy and of course we were all deeply affected. Just as we were when we heard about the bombing in Bali or when Afghanistan was bombed. First of all, these things shouldn't be happening; but when they do, everyone should feel for those who were killed. No matter if it's in your city, your country or across the globe. It's all just the super-rich playing with the innocents of the world."
His views are portrayed not only in his lyrics, but they also carry through to the cover art and the boxing analogy in the album's title. "I think everyone feels that way at least once in their life," Lou explains, "In the artwork itself, the kids represent the innocents in the world and the evils have them cornered."
However, the aggression in the band's music and razor sharp lyrics is cast aside when conversation turns to the upcoming tour of Australia. "We love it, but it's so far away," he sighs. "That's why we're not there more. But I think it makes it more special when we do come. I just hope it doesn't take another seven years for us to come back!"
Rachel DeCean
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Sick Of It All play Adelaide Uni Bar on Sat 10 April with support from STR and Shotpointblank.
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