Ever since discovering Demonstrating My Style, Madball has been a mainstay in my listening habits. I eventually learned about all of NYHC’s legends -bands and people- but in my mind, Freddy, Hoya and the crew always remained on top. Their mix of groove, aggression and energy never fails to get me going, no matter how many times I’ve heard it before. A band that truly “Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop”, not a year goes by without a new record or a new tour. We met with their bassist Hoya Roc a few months ago, before their show with Wisdom in Chains, at Montreal’s landmark club, Foufs.
Pick up their latest record For The Cause through Nuclear Blast records.
Their classic record Hold It Down gets a 20th anniversary reissue treatment. Pick it up through GSR music.
What have you been listening to lately?
I kind of went backwards. Right now, I listen to a lot of old school shit. A lot of The ANIMALS. I’ve been doing a lot of old Funk. I’ll go back and always throw SABBATH on. It’s always a mix of shit but I definitely listen to a lot of old school Rock, from the Animals-era. Like drums and old school keyboard with guitar Rock.
Is that the stuff that you grew up on?
No. I learned how to like it later on. When I was a kid, I just listened to Hip Hop and Hardcore. You know, when you’re a kid in New York, you’re always very one sided. But as I got older I started appreciating old school Rock, CREEDENCE or LYNYRD SKYNYRD. When I was a kid, I would talk shit, “fuck that hillbilly shit!” I love it now because I can appreciate the Punk Rock aspect, them doing something at a time that was different and they didn’t give a fuck if people liked it or not. They would say “Fuck you. This is who we are, This is what we do.” So I kind of like that shit, no matter what you play.
Do you remember the first time you really appreciated music?
Oh yeah. There was always Hip Hop around me, growing up in New York. But the first album I have bought with my own money was Thriller, MICHAEL JACKSON. I had to have it, everybody had to have it. That’s when I realized that I like music. I liked music before that but that I liked music enough to want to buy an album. Then, it was always a mix, even when I got into Hardcore. It tended to be more East Coast Hardcore, I just was spoiled. Later on, I’d appreciate more the other shit but originally, it is New York Hardcore and Hip Hop.
Who are some of your favorite rappers ever? And maybe mention a song that best exemplifies their work.
Oh, there’s so many. RAKIM, you could take anything from him but maybe I Ain’t No Joke. That’s like 101 but that was the shit. Rakim on the Juice soundtrack, you listen to what he says and he kills it. KRS-ONE, My Philosophy, that’s the song. Listen to every word on that song. I literally would listen to that song every day before I went to school and on the way to school I felt like getting into a fight. I don’t know why, the song ain’t about anything negative, it’s about being smart! *Haha*
Of course, I love KOOL G RAP AND POLO, he’s from my neighborhood, I love them. That was kind of the original gangster rapper shit. I love all the classics, of course, like Chuck D and all those guys but G Rap, Rakim and KRS, those are my tops. They got albums. They got a lot more to them than just a couple of songs and their style at the time, there wasn’t many styles out. There wasn’t much, you didn’t know what to sound like, they created something new.
What’s your favorite Kool G Rap song?
Ill Street Blues. One of my favorite songs. Also, It’s A Demo, their first song. Well, it was Kool G Rap & Polo. The DJ was a custodian in my junior high school so when I would dump my tray out in the lunchroom, he was the guy that would take the tray. He was an older guy and everybody was like, “yo, he’s a guy from the hood. He got a song finally coming out.” He was real cool, he came with a Mercedes! *Haha*
Also, the BEATNUTS. I grew up with Juju. My best friend, his older brother taught him how to DJ so I grew up with those guys around me. A lot of DJs, guys who would mix, scratch and produce.
Going into Hardcore, what are some of your favorite records?
Everybody needs Age Of Quarrel (CRO-MAGS), everybody needs Victim In Pain (AGNOSTIC FRONT). Everybody needs Brightside (KILLING TIME/RAW DEAL). Everybody should have Born To Expire (LEEWAY). Everybody should have the first MURPHY’S LAW record.
Of course, AF are family but they were there from the start and they’re still there. Non stop. All the young guys follow the old dudes, setting the bar.
What were the first ones that got you hooked on Hardcore?
My older brother got me into it. He was into Hardcore and Metal so it was always around but I remember hearing Victim In Pain and hearing the first Age Of Quarrel demos and knowing it was something that I liked. I loved SLAYER and SABBATH is my favorite all time band but when I heard AF and CRO-MAGS, I though “This is different than Slayer. This is different than METALLICA.” Something about it sounded way more real and it is way harder, in a more primitive way. Everybody feels the Indian beat *humming a beat*, because it goes back to the roots. Everybody. You could be from Montreal, New York City, we all feel it the same way. Same thing. That’s a 101 but those are the bands that got me in. Oh, BREAKDOWN, the demo. Ridiculous. Those are my go-to’s, you know. I love a whole lot more bands, but those should be a must. Essential.
You mentioned Black Sabbath being your favorite band ever. What puts them on top?
The groove. They played heavy shit, light shit. They brought heavy when heavy wasn’t invented. They had grooves when nobody was doing grooves. Everything. To this day, people are trying to sound like them.
What’s your favorite era?
I mean, of course, the classic early Ozzy, but I love the other stuff too. My first band, called DMIZE, we used to cover Zero The Hero from Born Again, ’cause that track was hard. But I love the Ozzy stuff, the first three or whatever. They play in every way possible. There’s stuff that could be on radio, there’s stuff that you can play at a Hardcore show. It’s heavy, it’s aggressive, but it has universal appeal. That’s special to do with heavy music. You can find a groove in Black Sabbath, you can head bob. Even if you don’t like Rock, you can find something that you like.
One question we asked often is “Name a perfect sequence of three records in a row” and Black Sabbath often comes up. What would you say is their best sequence of three records?
I get confused on the order that they can out. It’s almost like I would have to take songs and make a playlist but even then it’s hard because there’s so many. Any Sabbath record with Ozzy, you could almost flip them around and you could argue it. Sabotage, probably has the most hits. I love them with Dio too. Neon Nights is one of my favorite songs. I think that when you see Heavy Metal in the dictionary, it should be that song. Singing, heavy, riffs, it has everything.
What would you say is the record you’ve listened to most in your life?
Brightside (KILLING TIME). I would almost say that, hands down when I think about it. They’re my favorite band, out of anything. In Hip Hop, I want to hear songs more than albums. It’s kind of different, you know?
Is there any artists that you love in a genre that you typically don’t listen to?
I like a lot of shit. There’s R&B singers. Maybe ALICIA KEYS. If Alicia Keys goes in the room, she’ll start singing and it’ll sound like an album. She’ll actually start playing the piano and fucking kill that. She writes her own music. Amazing.
I love STONE TEMPLE PILOTS. Not that I listen to every song from every album, but the ones I like, I love ’em. People bug when I tell them MICHAEL JACKSON and the JACKSON FIVE. I love a lot of shit. I love CELTIC FROST.
Do you have any unpopular opinion music opinion that you’d like to defend?
Oh, I got a lot! I got one that everybody will hate me for: I hate the RAMONES. *Ohhhh!*Bring it! Bring it! *Hahaha* Everybody flips on me. “They’re the originals!” Yeah, so what? The originals of music were the cavemen hitting on rocks! *Hahaha* Nah, nah. We’re talking about what we like or not! I’d rather listen to AF, I’d rather listen to CRO-MAGS, BREAKDOWN.
Is it about early Punk in general, or the bands themselves?
That’s a good question. I’m not a super Punk guy but I know where it is in the DNA. I love GBH and DISCHARGE but I was more towards the non-Punk Hardcore.
What are some of the most memorable shows you’ve seen?
Oh, the live at CB’s, the AF record? Great show. RAW DEAL/KILLING TIME’s last show at CB’s. That’s one of the best shows I’ve seen just, mayhem. So many shows but those are probably the classics. Once AF played and there was a riot, that was fun. It was memorable for that. There was a lot of good shows but it was those certain bands.
Is CBGB’s your favorite venue ever?
Yeah, and also my most hated. I hate them too, in a way, because they turned their backs on Hardcore. Then, they also reopened it up and it was home but it was the parents that threw their kids out. What kind of parents you are? There’s also a part of “screw your parents”, right? But yeah, CB’s was definitely my favorite club for sure. Sound wise too and everything.
Is there any newer bands that you’ve discovered and really like?
I’m more into looking to find older stuff but I’ll listen to anything new. WISDOM OF CHAINS, I love them. They’re great. I can’t think of anyone but I root for anybody doing it. Anybody who’s out there playing. Go for it. Musicians, we’re a special breed so I root for you. You got work? I’m happy for you! *Haha*
What is the band that you toured with that impressed you the most? The one that you had to watch their set every night? What did you learn from them?
We learned a lot from AF, you know? Being the originals and they took us on and we learned a lot. Learn how to act, how to sound, how to present yourself, how the band should work, respecting crew. All of that.
Can you name five songs that you consider to be perfect?
Any kind of music? Oh, Sweet Leaf, BLACK SABBATH. Michael Jackson, Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough. So many Jackson Five songs. I think the Temptations, My Girl is a perfect song. Sugar Pie Honey Bunch, the FOUR TOPS. So many Bob Marley songs. There’s the classics, the 101’s. What I like about you by The ROMANTICS. Don’t Bring Me Down by the ANIMALS.
*Wisdom in Chains starting their set in the background* WISDOM IN CHAINS has a song on their last record, Better Than I Was, I think it’s a perfect song. I told them. I hope they do it tonight. Let’s go check them out!
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