Grey Area was formed from the ashes of one of the original New York hardcore bands, Warzone. The death of Warzone vocalist Raybeez ultimately forced the untimely break up, but also brought life to Grey Area. Featuring ex members of other great hardcore-punk bands such as Black Train Jack and Token Entry.
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New York Hardcore wasn't ready yet. It wasn't prepared for the death of one of its original contributors, Raybeez of WARZONE. The demise of WARZONE left the remaining members shocked and bewildered, and music stopped for each of them some for time thereafter... until now.
The first of the members to get back into the saddle was Vinny Value who although played drums for WARZONE for five years, kept the moniker of his first hardcore effort NO REDEEMING SOCIAL VALUE. Teaming up with Ernie, who also has some impressive hardcore experience behind him, (BLACK TRAIN JACK, TOKEN ENTRY and IN YOUR FACE) they formed GREYAREA -the perfect blend of both the aggressive style carried over from WARZONE, as well as the melodic content carried over from BLACK TRAIN JACK.
Hooks, hooks, and more hooks, is the way to describe the musical style of GREYAREA. A mature approach towards issues that everyone can identify with, and a highly addictive catchy style. A little cynical, a little tongue in cheek, but overall serious intentions carried over with the most powerful guitar tone and driving drum wizardry existing in hardcore today. Both founding members enthusiastically agree on who the shapers of hardcore were and these involuntarily became the fingerprint influences of GREYAREA's material. Bands like the BAD BRAINS, MINOR THREAT, DESCENDENTS, CRO-MAGS, and of course BLACK TRAIN JACK and WARZONE, all have branches mixed with the roots of GREYAREA's musical style.
After establishing the style of the band, the job of populating the main characters then took priority. Syd Butler, born and raised in Washington D.C. credits the DISCHORD sound as the shaping element of his bass playing style. A veteran bass player, he spent time playing in several bands including DESIDERATA (with Amanda MacKaye, sister of Ian of Fugazi), and a six month stint filling in on bass in BLACK TRAIN JACK. Now relocated to New York, his D.C. roots are adding an interesting edge to the material.
An extra dose of power was added in the person of Jay “J-Sin” Lehroff, also a former WARZONE member, on second guitar. Already having played for years with Vinnie, Jay slid into the role effortlessly and immediately began to add his special touches.
Through songs like "For Real" (a tribute to the late Raybeez), to others such as "The Mirror" which through a familiar metaphor deals with the difficulty of finding one’s true self in a world with so much confusion. This actually becomes the overall theme for the entire record, as GREYAREA captures integrity and sincerity through their music. It's a positive message in a negative world. The punk rock and hardcore music scene is in a rut of unoriginality- GREYAREA combatted this with their infectious and believable music.
Ernie Parada - Vocals, Guitar
Vinny Value - Drums
Jay Lehrhoff - Guitar
Alex Volonino - Bass