Suburbia...Suburbia...SUBURBIA!
A history of underground and independent music from Rockland County New York
Suburbia…..Suburbia…..SUBURBIA!
Oh how these words burned like ignited aerosol from the lips of Steve Veraja, lead singer and guitarist of the legendary Rockland County hardcore punk band Borscht back in 1982. Only someone like Steve, who grew up in, and lived the daily sterility of Rockland County N.Y. (the rather non-descript, and culturally void suburban wasteland situated 20 miles north of New York City) could viciously backload that simple phrase with so much angst, venom and rage that it actually leapt out of the cheap 4 Track recording like a rabid animal! Many musicians and artists from Rockland County dabbled with this disconnected rage over the years…..some found their voice, others channeled this despair into different paths of expression, yet in the end it was the suburban experience that defined us all, and yet, at the same time consumed us all!
We felt it only proper to name this blog “Suburbia…Suburbia…SUBURBIA” not only as an homage to the legendary band Borscht, but as a rallying cry to all the bands from Rockland County over the years, who operated outside the box…..underground, independent, and without direction, doing it simply because it had to be done, living it because it was all you fucking knew!
This blog will attempt to do the near impossible….to chronicle the history of the underground and independent music scenes in Rockland County throughout the years. This will most definitely be an imperfect science….yet we will do our best to make sure that each band past and present, and worthy of a post has their moment in the sun.
The successful bands from Rockland who made it out, and had some success will be well known to the readers of this blog, but more importantly….this blog is about remembering the blips in time, the unknown opening bands, the one off show calamities, the background faces who attended shows, the hastily assembled, and distributed demo tapes, the street corner gatherings, the drunken parties with 10 bands on the bill, and most of all… the young kids of Rockland, who grabbed instruments, bashed away in their garages and basements, and said FUCK YOU……I have something to say, even if you choose to ignore me! This scene may have existed in a vacuum, but it was our fucking vacuum, and it should be remembered!
Chris Skelly
June 20th 2011
Oh how these words burned like ignited aerosol from the lips of Steve Veraja, lead singer and guitarist of the legendary Rockland County hardcore punk band Borscht back in 1982. Only someone like Steve, who grew up in, and lived the daily sterility of Rockland County N.Y. (the rather non-descript, and culturally void suburban wasteland situated 20 miles north of New York City) could viciously backload that simple phrase with so much angst, venom and rage that it actually leapt out of the cheap 4 Track recording like a rabid animal! Many musicians and artists from Rockland County dabbled with this disconnected rage over the years…..some found their voice, others channeled this despair into different paths of expression, yet in the end it was the suburban experience that defined us all, and yet, at the same time consumed us all!
We felt it only proper to name this blog “Suburbia…Suburbia…SUBURBIA” not only as an homage to the legendary band Borscht, but as a rallying cry to all the bands from Rockland County over the years, who operated outside the box…..underground, independent, and without direction, doing it simply because it had to be done, living it because it was all you fucking knew!
This blog will attempt to do the near impossible….to chronicle the history of the underground and independent music scenes in Rockland County throughout the years. This will most definitely be an imperfect science….yet we will do our best to make sure that each band past and present, and worthy of a post has their moment in the sun.
The successful bands from Rockland who made it out, and had some success will be well known to the readers of this blog, but more importantly….this blog is about remembering the blips in time, the unknown opening bands, the one off show calamities, the background faces who attended shows, the hastily assembled, and distributed demo tapes, the street corner gatherings, the drunken parties with 10 bands on the bill, and most of all… the young kids of Rockland, who grabbed instruments, bashed away in their garages and basements, and said FUCK YOU……I have something to say, even if you choose to ignore me! This scene may have existed in a vacuum, but it was our fucking vacuum, and it should be remembered!
Chris Skelly
June 20th 2011
News and Updates
02/02/2012..New Post "Monoxide" added to the Metal section.
02/01/2012..New post "Out of Darkness" added to the Metal section.
02/01/2012..New Post "Mutilation" added to the Metal section.
01/30/2012..New Post "Permanent Damnage" added to the Metal section.
01/27/2012..New Post "Malicious Onslaught" added to the Metal section.
01/26/2012..New Post "KIllpower" added the the Metal section.
01/25/2012..New Post "Torment" added to the Metal section.
01/24/2012..New Post "Bar Sinister" added to the Metal section.
01/24/2012..New Post "Sectorian" added to the Metal section.
01/24/2012..New Post "Atlas Shrugged" added to the Hardcore section.
01/24/2012..New Post "Aenone" added to the Indie, Emo,Pop (Other) section.
01/24/2012..New Post "Dough Boys" added to the Pink Section.
01/24/2012..New Post "Gibson Girls" added to the Indie, Emo,Pop (Other) section.
01/10/2012..New Post "Naked Statue" added to the Indie, Emo,Pop (Other) section.
01/10/2012..New Post "Decomposed" added to the Metal section.
11/15/2011...New Post "Proper ID" added to the Punk section.
11/11/2011...New Post "Drill" added to Indie, Emo,Pop (Other) section.
09/14/2011...New Post "Sadistik Ritual" added to the Heavy Metal section.
09/14/2011...New Post "Disillusion" added to the Hardcore section.
07/09/2011...New Post "Mariner Four" added to the Indie, Emo.Pop (Other) section.
07/07/2011...New post "Hostile Rage" added to the "Heavy Metal" section.
07/07/2011...New post "Geek Attack" added to the "Hardcore" section.
07/04/2011...First post "Borscht" added to the "Punk" section.
07/04/2011...New post "Dahlia Seed" added to "Indie,Emo,Pop (Other) section.
07/03/2011...New post "Selective Outrage" added to the "Heavy Metal" section.
07/01/2011...New post "Syianic" added to the "Heavy Metal" section.
07/01/2011...New post "Agonyflower" added to the "Indie, Emo, Pop (Other)" section.
07/01/2011...First post "Riphouse" added to the "Heavy Metal" section.
06/30/2011...First post "Psychotronic Men" added to the "Indie, Emo, Pop (Other)" section.
06/28/2011...First post "At All Cost" added to the "Hardcore" section.
02/01/2012..New post "Out of Darkness" added to the Metal section.
02/01/2012..New Post "Mutilation" added to the Metal section.
01/30/2012..New Post "Permanent Damnage" added to the Metal section.
01/27/2012..New Post "Malicious Onslaught" added to the Metal section.
01/26/2012..New Post "KIllpower" added the the Metal section.
01/25/2012..New Post "Torment" added to the Metal section.
01/24/2012..New Post "Bar Sinister" added to the Metal section.
01/24/2012..New Post "Sectorian" added to the Metal section.
01/24/2012..New Post "Atlas Shrugged" added to the Hardcore section.
01/24/2012..New Post "Aenone" added to the Indie, Emo,Pop (Other) section.
01/24/2012..New Post "Dough Boys" added to the Pink Section.
01/24/2012..New Post "Gibson Girls" added to the Indie, Emo,Pop (Other) section.
01/10/2012..New Post "Naked Statue" added to the Indie, Emo,Pop (Other) section.
01/10/2012..New Post "Decomposed" added to the Metal section.
11/15/2011...New Post "Proper ID" added to the Punk section.
11/11/2011...New Post "Drill" added to Indie, Emo,Pop (Other) section.
09/14/2011...New Post "Sadistik Ritual" added to the Heavy Metal section.
09/14/2011...New Post "Disillusion" added to the Hardcore section.
07/09/2011...New Post "Mariner Four" added to the Indie, Emo.Pop (Other) section.
07/07/2011...New post "Hostile Rage" added to the "Heavy Metal" section.
07/07/2011...New post "Geek Attack" added to the "Hardcore" section.
07/04/2011...First post "Borscht" added to the "Punk" section.
07/04/2011...New post "Dahlia Seed" added to "Indie,Emo,Pop (Other) section.
07/03/2011...New post "Selective Outrage" added to the "Heavy Metal" section.
07/01/2011...New post "Syianic" added to the "Heavy Metal" section.
07/01/2011...New post "Agonyflower" added to the "Indie, Emo, Pop (Other)" section.
07/01/2011...First post "Riphouse" added to the "Heavy Metal" section.
06/30/2011...First post "Psychotronic Men" added to the "Indie, Emo, Pop (Other)" section.
06/28/2011...First post "At All Cost" added to the "Hardcore" section.