Jordan Cooper: The Jersey Beat Interview Part
2
Meanwhile, the scene that had begun as a sloppy,
nihilistic antidote to the flaccid sound of
pop music was changing in many ways. The sound
was different; Hardcore took the Minor Threat-driven
concept of speed and added a thicker, almost
metal edge to it, while, at the same time,
preserving the heavier breakdown and stomp
parts that were the foundation of Hardcore’s
sound. It incorporated a lot of the English
Oi sound and theory; it embraced cultures
and sounds like Reggae (check out Underdog’s
“Mass Movement”) and the two-toned
traditions of Ska. The look changed as well;
what had once been a fashion dominated by
mohawks, leather jackets and heavy engineer
boots was being replaced by what came to be
known as the “Youth Crew” look:
sneakers, windbreakers, Champion hoodies and
baggy shorts. It was style that was heavily
influenced by (and liberally borrowed from)
both Skate and Hip Hop culture. More often
than not haircuts were short; either completely
shaved (which was very radical for a time
period better known for teased-out “Metal”
hair) or, sometimes, almost military-like
flat tops. Tattoos were a huge part of Hardcore
culture as well and it was common for Hardcore
kids to wear their allegiances on their skin.
They were willing to bleed and scar for their
devotion.
Inside Rev HQ
“One thing I liked about Hardcore was
that appearance didn't matter,” remembers
Cooper. “You could wear whatever you
felt comfortable wearing. Punks had a look,
but Hardcore kids really didn't. There were
Hardcore kids with mohawks, shaved heads,
long hair, regular hair, punk hair. I think
the whole “Youth Crew” look got
started by kids looking at bands like Minor
Threat, SSD, DYS and seeing a sort of clean-cut-but-still-Punk
look and trying to refine that. I don't personally
know because I don’t think I consciously
followed anything like that.” Fashion
was only a small part of the scene and Hardcore,
almost by definition, eschewed fashion and
the superficiality that goes with it. If anything,
what became known as “Hardcore fashion”
was born more out of necessity than a conscious
desire to cultivate a “look.”
Hardcore shows were very athletic events.
Have you ever tried to back-flip off a six
foot high stage wearing five pounds of leather,
denim jeans that were skin tight, and heavy
biker boots with chains wrapped around them?
Revelation was on the cusp of this revolution,
both in music and style. While the Warzone
record launched the label, it would take a
couple more releases to really solidify its
identity. The second Revelation record, a
compilation of NYHC bands that was designed
and put together by Cappo, showcased some
of the best of the CBGB’s Sunday matinee
stalwarts. Several bands who later went on
to represent the best that Hardcore had to
offer were featured on this first 7”
compilation titled New York City Hardcore:
Together. Classic groups like Gorilla Biscuits,
Bold, Side By Side, Supertouch and Sick of
it All made their first Revelation appearances
on this record. It was also the first time
Youth of Today appeared on a Revelation release.
“Ray was trying to get behind the idea
of unity and have a bunch of different bands
on one record. That’s why he picked
the name of the 7”: Together, which
shortly thereafter also became the name and
idea behind a Youth of Today song.”
Again, the connections came from Ray. With
his high profile as the leader of Youth of
Today and his position as the unofficial spokesperson
for what was being called the “second
wave of Straight Edge” it was easy.
He moved within a community that was very
close-knit and familiar. This had a huge impact
on the overall sound that Revelation would
become known for, as evidenced on Together.
Unity was the theme and the sounding call
for a generation. The seven bands that appeared
on the record all sounded the same; and it
was little wonder: the scene was tiny and
the pool of musicians was miniscule. It was
a small, incestuous circle that made a tight,
similar noise, and it made for a powerful
connection between label and sound. Not only
did the Together EP help establish Revelation
as a label, it made them a recognizable brand.
After the Together record the influence of
Revelation fanned out through New York’s
scene. Jordan and Ray got together with NYHC
kingpins Sick of It All, who were already
scene veterans and known for their intensely
volatile live shows throughout the city. It
was a big stepping stone in the journey from
putting out friends’ records to becoming
a legitimate label.
“I don’t exactly
remember this but, according to Lou (Koller,
singer for Sick of It All) we were talking
outside on the steps of the Norwalk Anthrax
and he says that I asked them if they wanted
to do a record. As I remember it Ray asked
them, so who knows?” It was a casual,
inauspicious meeting that proved to be a pivotal
moment in the life of Revelation. Though Sick
of It All only released one record on Rev
it was an integral part of the label’s
beginning.
Sick of it All’s self-titled debut is
still considered a classic. It represented
an expansion of Revelation’s personality.
While the rest of the roster was comprised
(for the most part) of Straight-Edge bands
who wrote clear-headed lyrics about honesty,
integrity and sobriety, Sick of It All had
a different feel. They were darker, more introspective,
and not at all the finger-pointing accusers
that Straight Edge music had seen over the
years. They weren’t at odds with the
Straight Edge philosophy; they were just trying
to do something different. They even made
a point to write the lyric “Straight
Edge or not, it don’t matter to me.
You can be what you want to be…”
It was a significant line if only to show
the inclusionary practices of a scene that
whose hallmarks were friendship and respect.
The same went for Revelation; the only requirement
for a band to be Rev-worthy was its ability
to throw down. Politics and philosophy, while
certainly important ideals, were never the
main focus of what these guys set out to do:
the music was. As far as being a “Straight
Edge” label, it was more of a case of
association than intent.
Quicksand - Photo by Shawn Scallen
“Ray and Youth of Today were a big
part of the Straight Edge scene, so his involvement
with the label made that connection. I never
felt any responsibility, really, other than
to try to treat the subject fairly when asked
about it. Ray had been pushing Straight Edge
since ’85 and a lot of Straight Edge
bands started after Youth of Today really
started pushing the idea. I don’t really
think of the era as the ‘revival’
of Straight Edge; I think of it as the congealing
of Straight Edge as an identity. It started
out as just an idea; a way to get away from
a lot of the stuff that was going on with
Punks in the early 80’s. I think Youth
of Today was part of the group of people who
liked it and thought it was a good thing to
identify with. Ray was Straight Edge, Porcell
and all his friends were Straight Edge and
some of that just rubbed off on Revelation.”
Revelation soon established itself as an independent
force and a musical barometer of the NYHC
scene. It was only a matter of time before
the releases began to come out regularly and
the label was firmly entrenched in the culture
it was celebrating.
“I think a lot of small labels transition
from just doing one or two releases into a
snowball effect where more just keep coming.
That’s pretty much what happened for
Revelation. Friends’ bands kept doing
stuff and we kept asking if we could release
it.” The momentum and the mounting responsibilities
also meant that Jordan’s life in music
was changing.
“I loved the music but being involved
with the label took a lot of my attention
away from the music for music’s sake.
I started worrying about things like getting
lyrics sheets printed, making t-shirts and
all that stuff. The shows almost became distractions;
at every show I had to talk about logistics
with bands. I remember the shows being big;
the Anthrax was doing amazing shows back then,
every weekend was packed, and I would help
the bands sell their shirts and records and
stuff.”
In 1988 Hardcore really exploded. There was
a proliferation of new bands appearing and
thriving due to a passionate audience and
an intensely supportive word-of-mouth network.
For Cooper (and almost all of the bands in
the scene) that network was crucial.
“That's how all the bands toured back
in the 80s. Ray knew guys in New York and
Rhode Island who knew people in Massachusetts,
Nevada, California, and so on, and they would
set up shows for each others' bands. I think
Sean Stern or Ian MacKaye talked about it
in Another State of Mind pretty accurately.
Punks and Hardcore kids formed a network and
kept in touch; they traded tapes and records
and helped each other set up shows and tours.
They distributed ‘zines and records
and got places to stay if you wanted to move
or whatever.” The shows were what spurred
the legends and venues like CBGB’s in
New York, City Gardens in Trenton NJ, and
Club Pizazz in Philadelphia were what helped
keep the scene going. Without places to play
(and a strict “all-ages” policy)
a lot of these bands would have died and the
scene would have been little more than a footnote.
With these outlets and many more popping up
all the time, the scene was thriving. Revelation
was not the only label in the game and New
York wasn’t the only place for Hardcore.
New York was, however, the most notorious
place (deserved or not) for rough crowds and
cataclysmic brawls. As with the Punk that
had come before, the Hardcore scene was marked
by violence. Gigs sometimes turned into riots
that ended shows and often brought police.
Even bands that spoke of unity and tolerance
would look out onto the dance floors and see
scuffles. Sometimes the violence got out of
hand.
“I think, at least in NY, the fights
with neighborhood gangs and some of the other
violence wasn't really visible to me. For
me the main rough aspect of Hardcore was going
to New York and having to dealing with some
of the lower east side neighborhoods themselves.
There was a lot of poverty and quite a bit
of drug selling and buying going on, and there's
always the tension of potential violence or
harassment in those kinds of areas. At CB's
or the Pyramid or any of the other clubs and
record stores I felt pretty safe. By the end
of the 80s a lot of that area was already
starting to go upscale, so a lot of that was
changing anyway.
“The pit was always a place where you
might get some pain or bruises, but usually
nothing major or intentional unless there
were some dicks in there - which I guess was
common enough. I usually didn't get near the
pit at the bigger shows for that reason; there
were always some people who thought the point
was to see what kind of punches or kicks you
could get away with throwing. As far as fights
go, I really don't remember any particular
fights. I don't think there was ever a single
fight at the Stamford Anthrax that I saw.
In Norwalk there were probably some fights
that came from dancing related scuffles, but
to me it never seemed like that big of a deal.
I don't think anyone ever really got hurt
there. I know there have been people who have
gotten seriously injured at bigger venues
from jumping off a stage or getting jumped
on from the stage, so that's really the worst
thing I remember happening. The other thing
that happened occasionally at crossover-type
Metal shows was groups of posers looking for
other people who they themselves deemed as
posers to gang up on. I remember one Danzig
show at the Ritz where this group of kids
I'd never seen before were just running through
the crowd picking out easy-looking, solitary
targets, and pounding on them. I'm pretty
sure Raybeez had most of them thrown out before
the second band played, though.”
