Sick of It All

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Sick of It All

Background information
Origin Queens, New York, USA
Genre(s) New York hardcore
Hardcore punk
Years active 1984–present
Label(s) Revelation Records (1987–1988)
Relativity Records (1988–1993)
EastWest Records (1993–1996)
Elektra Records (1996–1998)
Fat Wreck Chords (1998–2005)
Abacus Records (2005–present)
Website sickofitall.com
Members
Lou Koller
Pete Koller
Craig Setari
Armand Majidi
Former members
Rich Capriano
Max Capshaw

Sick Of It All (SOIA) is a New York hardcore band formed by brothers Lou (vocals) and Pete Koller (guitar), Armand Majidi (drums) and Rich Cipriano (bass) in 1984.

Contents

[edit] History

[edit] Early career (1984-1992)

Hailing from Queens in New York City, Sick of It All was formed alongside New York hardcore bands Straight Ahead, and Rest In Pieces which both featured Majidi and current Sick Of It All bass player Craig Setari. Majidi joined up with the Koller brothers and Rich Cipriano to record the Sick Of It All demo in 1986, after original bassist Mark McNielly and drummer David Lamb left. The band began to play Sunday afternoon matinees at renowned Hardcore venue CBGB's, and soon after released a self-titled 7" on Revelation Records (which was later re-issued on the tenth anniversary of its release, in 1997).

The band signed to Relativity Records in 1988 and released their first full-length, Blood, Sweat And No Tears, in the following year. Their follow-up full-length Just Look Around was released in 1992.

Isotype of the band
Enlarge
Isotype of the band

[edit] Major career (1993-1999)

Although accused of selling out, Sick Of It All released their heaviest record to date on major label EastWest Records, titled Scratch The Surface. The record was a surprise to those who assumed the band would create a more radio-friendly sound. They also recorded a video for "Step Down". The record was also the first recorded with long-time friend and former Straight Ahead, Rest In Pieces, Youth of Today and Agnostic Front bassist Craig Setari, who had replaced Rich Cipriano in early 1993.

The band received bad publicity in December 1992 when Wayne Lo, a mentally-ill student wearing a Sick Of It All shirt, shot and killed two people and wounded several others at Simon's Rock College in Massachusetts. After being inundated with claims that they initiated violence at shows and through their music, the band defended themselves in the press (particularly The New York Times).

The fair success of Scratch The Surface allowed the band to tour worldwide, and it was not until 1997 that they released their second record on the EastWest label, Built To Last. More punk-inspired than their previous effort, Built To Last produced a number of live staples for the band, including "Us vs. Them," "Busted" and "Good Lookin' Out." The album also marked the end of Sick Of It All's contractual agreement with EastWest.

[edit] The Fat Wreck Chords years (1998-2004)

In 1998, Sick of It All signed to independent record label Fat Wreck Chords, owned and run by Fat Mike of Californian band NOFX. After releasing the "Potential For A Fall" single - for which another video was filmed, Call To Arms was released in February 1999. The album featured relatively few traditional Hardcore tracks, as the intensely personal lyrics of songs like "Let Go," "The Future Is Mine," "Morally Confused" "Hindsight," and "Martin" shone through.

The 2000 follow-up was Yours Truly was less critically acclaimed. Despite containing some of the bands favoured live tracks, including "Blown Away," "The Bland Within," "District" and "America," some fans felt alienated by the album's progressive nature and in a recent interview, frontman Lou Koller claimed that the album's cover art probably contributed to its poor reception. 1

In 2001, Sick Of It All released their home video The Story So Far, and a year later a live record was released as part of Fat Wreck's Live In A Dive series. The album showcased tracks from Sick Of It All's entire career up to that point in time.

2003 saw Sick Of It All release their seventh studio album: Life on the Ropes. In 2004, the band also released an album of b-sides, covers and rare tracks entitled Outtakes For The Outcast, which contains some Sick Of It All recordings.

[edit] Current events and the future of the band (2005-present)

In early 2005, Sick Of It All signed on to metal/hardcore label, Abacus Recordings to record the follow-up to Fat Wreck's Life On The Ropes. The new album, titled Death to Tyrants was released on on April 18, 2006.

A tribute to the band, titled Our Impact Will Be Felt, will be released on January 23, 2007 by Abacus Recordings, and will include covers from artists such as Bane, Bleeding Through, Bouncing Souls, Hatebreed, Himsa, Madball, Most Precious Blood, Napalm Death, Pennywise, Rise Against, Sepultura, Stretch Armstrong, Unearth, and Walls of Jericho, to name a few.

[edit] Miscellaneous

  • In 1995, the somewhat dubious German label Lost And Found Records released in Europe only, Spreading The Hardcore Reality and Live In A World Full Of Hate, the latter of which was supposedly recorded live in New Jersey in 1993, but was actually recorded at a chaotic show in Berlin in 1994. This bootleg ruse was created because of the band's contractual obligations at the time.
  • Numerous Sick Of It All fans have tattoos of the "Alleyway Dragon" - the band's official logo. Some people have claimed that the band misappropriated a gang symbol, but the band often claims that the Alleyway Crew was never an actual gang to begin with. A gang of friends, perhaps, but never one with criminal intent. They claim the dragon is a symbol of friendship. The "Alleyway" is a school yard in Flushing, Queens, where the band and all of their friends would gather.
  • Former roadie, Tim Shaw, joined New Jersey's Ensign in 1995 and has been singing for them since.

[edit] Discography

[edit] Video

  • The Story So Far (2001)

[edit] External links

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