Urban Waste
Urban Waste (active 1981-84) is a hardcore punk band that was part of the New York renaissance of hardcore punk in the early 1980s. Much more raw, visceral, and overtly confrontational than their New York punk predecessors, they were contemporaries of Reagan Youth (of which bass player Andy Apathy was an early member), the earliest incarnation of the Beastie Boys, and Bad Brains. They belonged to a group of bands coming out of the borough of Queens that included Kraut, Gilligan's Revenge (later called Token Entry), Murphy's Law, and The Mob. [1] The band, like many others of the era, was short-lived, and after the breakup several members went on to form Major Conflict.
Their only recorded material was an eight-song 7", which was released in 1982 on Mob Style Records, the record label of fellow hardcore band The Mob (and later as a 12" on Big City Records). The Urban Waste EP has been released by the New York City label Mad at the World Records in its series of New York hardcore reissues from the early 1980s.[2] The EP was also reissued in digital format by the New York based digital label Anthology Recordings.[3]
Roger Miret, lead vocalist for New York hardcore legends Agnostic Front, reportedly cited Urban Waste as the band that got him into hardcore, and has mentioned the group as being one of his favorites of the early NYHC scene.[4]
In 2002 Urban Waste played CBGB's for a 20 year reunion, and record release party for the "reissue" of the 82' E.P. This short lived fun experience ended a few months later.
The band re-grouped again in 2008 Playing infrequent shows, and still unable to pull a decent tour together, the band released "Recycled" in late 2010. This was a compilation of old unreleased songs and a few new songs written in this time period.
2012 has shown to be the strongest year for the band to date, as far as playing out, and writing new material. This is also the first time in the bands career that they have gone overseas, playing Europe in Venlo, The Netherlands on Sept. 22nd 2012. Look out for a new release from the band in 2014, with new material already being played at their live shows.
Stay in touch with the band on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/urbanwastenyhc for upcoming tour dates and other info. or visit their Official Website at http://www.urbanwaste.net
Discography:
- Urban Waste 7" ep (Mob Style Records, 1982)
- Urban Waste 12"ep reissue (Big City Records)
- Urban Waste CD ep bootleg (Lost and Found Records)
- Urban Waste 12" ep reissue (Mad at the World Records, 2003)
- Urban Waste CD ep reissue (Hungry Eye/ Mad at the World Records, 2003)
- Urban Waste Recycled LP (Rebel Sound Records 2010)
- URBAN WASTE Recycled CD (Nicotine Records - Euro Release 2011)
- Urban Waste 82' E.P. 7" Vinyl (Way back when Records and Even Worse Records 2012)
Current members
J. Gitts - vocals
Johnny Waste - guitar
Nonlee Saito - bass
Jimmy Duke - drums
Past members:
Vocals
Billy Phillips 1981 - 1982
Kenny "Waste" Ahrens 1982 - 2011
Zac Stough 2002 and 2012
Bass
Freddie Watt 1981 - 1982
Andy Apathy 1982 - 1984
A.J. Ricci 2002
Phil Kinkel 2008-2009
Sammy Ahmed 2009
Paul Bakija 2009
Sonny Baron 2009 - 2011
A.J. Ricci 2011 - 2013
Drums
John Dancy 1981 - 2010