Kill Your Idols
Encyclopedia
- For the Sonic YouthSonic YouthSonic Youth is an American alternative rock band from New York City, formed in 1981. The current lineup consists of Thurston Moore , Kim Gordon , Lee Ranaldo , Steve Shelley , and Mark Ibold .In their early career, Sonic Youth was associated with the No Wave art and music scene in New York City...
EP, see Kill Yr IdolsKill Yr IdolsKill Yr Idols is a 1983 EP by the rock band Sonic Youth, originally released only in Germany.In 1995, the tracks on Kill Yr Idols not found on 1983's Confusion Is Sex were appended to the DGC reissue of that album.-Side one:...
.
Kill Your Idols was a hardcore punk
Hardcore punk
Hardcore punk is an underground music genre that originated in the late 1970s, following the mainstream success of punk rock. Hardcore is generally faster, thicker, and heavier than earlier punk rock. The origin of the term "hardcore punk" is uncertain. The Vancouver-based band D.O.A...
band from Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
/New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. The band was active from 1995 through 2007. They were signed to SideOneDummy Records
SideOneDummy Records
SideOneDummy Records is a Los Angeles-based independent record label whose roster focuses mostly on punk and related genres. Founded in 1995 by Joe Sib and Bill Armstrong, who continue to run it today, the label has built a reputation for its diverse roster of artists ranging from third wave ska...
.
Their releases on SideOneDummy were Funeral for a Feeling (2001), a split with 7 Seconds in 2004, and From Companionship to Competition (2005). Other notable releases by the band were No Gimmicks Needed and This is just the beginning... which were released on the New York hardcore label Blackout! records, owned and operated by Bill Wilson.
The band released many 7" EPs, splits with other bands (including Full Speed Ahead, Fisticuffs, Voorhees
Voorhees (band)
Voorhees is a hardcore punk band formed in Durham, England. From early 1990 until late 2001 they released numerous records on various international record labels and toured Europe and the USA frequently...
, Good Riddance
Good Riddance
Good Riddance was a punk rock band from Santa Cruz, California. They released seven full-length studio albums on Fat Wreck Chords, and their final album was a live recording of their farewell concert in 2007. Led by vocalist Russ Rankin, the band's longtime lineup included guitarist Luke Pabich,...
, and Poison Idea
Poison Idea
Poison Idea was an American hardcore punk band formed in Portland, Oregon in 1980. The band originally dissolved in 1993, but has been playing intermittently since 1998.-Formation, 1980's and 90's:...
), compilation tracks, and full length LPs in their 11-year run. Most of their records were released on vinyl as well as compact disc. Some were released on different colors of vinyl, different sleeve covers, hand numbered tour presses, and picture discs, making their records a favorite among collectors.
They cite Poison Idea, Negative Approach
Negative Approach
Negative Approach is an American hardcore punk band, formed in Detroit, Michigan in 1981. The band is considered among of the pioneers of hardcore punk, particularly in the Midwest region. Like most hardcore bands, Negative Approach was little known in its day outside of its hometown...
, Sheer Terror
Sheer Terror
Sheer Terror was an American hardcore punk band from New York City. The band was one of the first to combine elements of heavy metal with a hardcore punk base, pioneering a heavier style of hardcore that would become popular in the following decades. Formed in late 1984, the band, stayed together...
, Agnostic Front
Agnostic Front
Agnostic Front is an American hardcore band. The band began playing hardcore similar to their contemporaries, and were thrust to the forefront of the burgeoning New York hardcore scene in the mid-1980s with their widely regarded 1984 classic Victim in Pain before evolving to incorporate thrash...
, Minor Threat
Minor Threat
Minor Threat was an American hardcore punk band formed in Washington, D.C. in 1980 and disbanded in 1983. The band was relatively short-lived, but had a strong influence on the hardcore punk music scene, both stylistically and in establishing a "do it yourself" ethic for music distribution and...
, Warzone
Warzone (band)
Warzone was an American hardcore punk band formed on the Lower East Side of Manhattan in 1982. The band helped develop the New York hardcore sound, the hardcore skinhead style and the youth crew subgenre...
, Sick of It All
Sick of It All
Sick of It All is an American hardcore punk band from Queens, New York. Formed in 1986, the band consisted of brothers Lou Koller on vocals and Pete Koller on lead guitar, Rich Cipriano on bass, and Armand Majidi on drums. There have been only two member changes since their inception, with Max...
, and 7 Seconds as some of their influences. KYI was very fast and had a loud, dirty, dual guitar sound with shouted vocals. They employed hints of melody in their song structure. Although they derived many of their influences from California and D.C. style hardcore, they were considered a New York hardcore
New York hardcore
New York hardcore refers to hardcore punk and metalcore music created in New York City and to the subculture associated with that music. New York hardcore grew out of the hardcore scene established in Washington, D.C., by bands such as Bad Brains and Minor Threat. Hardcore '81 is an album by the...
band.
History
Kill Your Idols took its name from a Situated Chaos song of the same name. Situated Chaos was a Long Island hardcore band that existed in the late 1980s. Founding members Andy West and Gary Bennett chose the name because the lyrics of the song reflected how they felt about hardcore. Also, Andy and Gary were introduced to one another and asked about forming an old-school hardcore band by a mutual friend named Vinnie Segerra, who was the frontman of Situated Chaos. Segerra also ran a DIY ("Do it yourselfDo it yourself
Do it yourself is a term used to describe building, modifying, or repairing of something without the aid of experts or professionals...
") label called Mint-Tone Records, which released a 7" EP by Gary's first band Big Sniff, which was also melodic hardcore. After the band broke up, Vinnie put him in touch with Andy.
Vinnie Segerra played a big role in the beginning of KYI. Once they released their first demo, which was recorded at their first live performance at CBGB
CBGB
CBGB was a music club at 315 Bowery at Bleecker Street in the borough of Manhattan in New York City.Founded by Hilly Kristal in 1973, it was originally intended to feature its namesake musical styles, but became a forum for American punk and New Wave bands like Ramones, Misfits, Television, the...
, Vinnie got them their first record deal with Bitter Sweet Records. After the label was shut down, KYI was forced to bring the masters of their first ever, self-financed studio recording to another common acquaintance in the hardcore scene. Brett Clarin of Long Island's None Of The Above Records came to the band's rescue, and the "12 inch EP" was released. The band then booked their first-ever summer tour down the east coast of the United States. It wasn't long after when the band was signed to Bill Wilson's Blackout! label.
For the next six or seven years, the band toured relentlessly across the United States, parts of Canada, Europe, and even a short tour in Japan and Korea. The band toured with many other important hardcore/punk bands of the day including H2O
H2O (American band)
-Prologue:Prior to the formation of H2O, in the early-mid-1980s, Todd Morse and Rusty Pistachio were part of the speed punk band "Roadside Petz". This band featured Wayne Williams on drums...
, Good Riddance, The Casualties
The Casualties
The Casualties are an American street punk band from New York City, New York, formed in 1990.-Biography:The Casualties members aimed to return to what they viewed as the "golden era" of street punk, embodied by bands such as The Exploited, Charged GBH , which they believed had disappeared by...
, 7 Seconds, Agnostic Front, Death by Stereo
Death by Stereo
Death by Stereo is a hardcore punk band formed in Orange County, California circa 1996 by frontman Efrem Schulz. They are well known for their energetic performances and intricate guitar work...
, The Nerve Agents
The Nerve Agents
The Nerve Agents were an American hardcore punk band formed by Andy Outbreak and Eric Ozenne .Their angry brand of music juxtaposed yelled, sometimes ranting vocals with distorted and often chorus laden chords, complex bass lines and fast-paced percussion...
, Kid Dynamite, and many others. Along the way, the band was picked up by Joe Sib and Bill Armstrong's SideOneDummy Records, a major independent based in California. This afforded the band more widespread distribution, college radio play, and offers to tour with much bigger bands and play much larger venues. By this time, the band was almost completely burned out from the road, and took to only playing locally, mostly at CBGB, and recording from time to time. Interest in other musical projects and family life soon contributed to the breakup of the group. They played their final shows in May 2007 in Philadelphia, New Jersey, and New York.
Their last show ever was held at a VFW hall in eastern Long Island. Right before the band went on, the show was raided by local police and fire officials and was shut down due to over-occupancy. Local hardcore fans and friends of the band quickly reorganized the event later the same night in the parking lot of a band rehearsal space in an industrial area. Complete with a P.A. system and full backline, the band ripped through as many of their songs as they could before the police arrived again.
Throughout their career, KYI earned a small but loyal grassroots following of underground punk and hardcore fans. Most of KYI's songs dealt with depression, anxiety, the pain of loss, day-to-day problems, and the social politics of the punk scene.
The band prided themselves on their DIY ethic, and largely worked with similarly oriented promoters and record labels. The band never took on a manager, and only took on a booking agent for a short time when their touring schedule was at its peak.
Other projects
Members of Kill Your Idols have continued to play music since the breakup of the band. Paul Delaney joined None More BlackNone More Black
None More Black is a New Jersey-based melodic punk outfit on Fat Wreck Chords, formed by lead singer / guitarist Jason Shevchuk after the demise of his previous band, Philadelphia's Kid Dynamite...
, leaving KYI for approximately two years to pursue his time with them, only to come back to KYI and finish off the final European tour and the last Stateside shows. Deathcycle is a hardcore/metal/punk crossover band founded by Gary Bennett and Ron Grimaldi, with Paul Delaney joining the ranks somewhere along the way. Celebrity Murders is a hardcore/metal band founded by Mike D'Lorenzo and Brian Meehan. S.S.S.P. (Skinhead
Skinhead
A skinhead is a member of a subculture that originated among working class youths in the United Kingdom in the 1960s, and then spread to other parts of the world. Named for their close-cropped or shaven heads, the first skinheads were greatly influenced by West Indian rude boys and British mods,...
s Still Scare People) is a hardcore/Oi!
Oi!
Oi! is a working class subgenre of punk rock that originated in the United Kingdom in the late 1970s. The music and its associated subculture had the goal of bringing together punks, skinheads and other working-class youths ....
style project founded by Vinnie Value and Mike De Lorenzo. All of these bands were operating toward the end of KYI's tenure. More recently, Black Anvil, a black metal
Black metal
Black metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. Common traits include fast tempos, shrieked vocals, highly distorted guitars played with tremolo picking, blast beat drumming, raw recording, and unconventional song structure....
style band, was formed by KYI members Paul Delaney, Gary Bennett, and Raeph Glicken.
Members
- Andy West - Vocals
- Gary Bennett - Guitars
- Brian Meehan - Guitars
- Paul Delaney - Bass
- Vinnie Value - Drums
Other members
- Raeph Glicken - Drums
- Mike D'Lorenzo - Bass
- Jim Conaboy - Drums
- Dave Oster - Drums
- Ron Grimaldi - Drums
- John Leonardi - Bass
- Mike Walter - Guitar
- Jon Abarno - Guitar
- Dan Lerch - Bass
- Mike Disseto - Guitar
LPs
- No Gimmicks NeededNo Gimmicks NeededNo Gimmicks Needed is the debut full-length studio album from New York hardcore punk band, Kill Your Idols. It was released in July 2000 on Blackout Records.-Track listing:#"Right Now" – 1:43 #"Wake up Sheep" – 1:44...
(Blackout!Blackout RecordsBlackout! Records was an independent record label which specialized in the hardcore punk genre.It was formed in 1988 by Bill Wilson – now forever known as "Bill Blackout" – and, together with friend Jim Gibson, the label released its first record – a New York hardcore compilation...
2000) - Funeral For A FeelingFuneral for a FeelingFuneral For a Feeling is the second full-length studio album from New York hardcore punk band, Kill Your Idols. It was released in July 2001 on SideOneDummy Records.-Track listing:#"Madly" – 2:35 #"Young at Heart" – 2:03...
(Side One DummySideOneDummy RecordsSideOneDummy Records is a Los Angeles-based independent record label whose roster focuses mostly on punk and related genres. Founded in 1995 by Joe Sib and Bill Armstrong, who continue to run it today, the label has built a reputation for its diverse roster of artists ranging from third wave ska...
2001) - Kill Your Idols (Grapes Of Wrath / Reflections Records 2002)
- features re-recordings of tracks that were previously released on compilations and split EPs
- From Companionship To CompetitionFrom Companionship to CompetitionFrom Companionship to Competition is the third full-length studio album from New York hardcore punk band, Kill Your Idols. It was released in January 2005 on SideOneDummy Records.-Track listing:# "Intro/Blown Up, Burnt Out"–1:31...
(Side One DummySideOneDummy RecordsSideOneDummy Records is a Los Angeles-based independent record label whose roster focuses mostly on punk and related genres. Founded in 1995 by Joe Sib and Bill Armstrong, who continue to run it today, the label has built a reputation for its diverse roster of artists ranging from third wave ska...
2005)
EPs
- Kill Your Idols 12" E.P. (None of the Above Records, 1997)
- This Is Just The Beginning (Blackout!Blackout RecordsBlackout! Records was an independent record label which specialized in the hardcore punk genre.It was formed in 1988 by Bill Wilson – now forever known as "Bill Blackout" – and, together with friend Jim Gibson, the label released its first record – a New York hardcore compilation...
1998) - Funeral For A Feeling (Side One DummySideOneDummy RecordsSideOneDummy Records is a Los Angeles-based independent record label whose roster focuses mostly on punk and related genres. Founded in 1995 by Joe Sib and Bill Armstrong, who continue to run it today, the label has built a reputation for its diverse roster of artists ranging from third wave ska...
2001)- 3 tracks from Funeral For A FeelingFuneral for a FeelingFuneral For a Feeling is the second full-length studio album from New York hardcore punk band, Kill Your Idols. It was released in July 2001 on SideOneDummy Records.-Track listing:#"Madly" – 2:35 #"Young at Heart" – 2:03...
and 1 unreleased track
- 3 tracks from Funeral For A Feeling
- For Our Friends (Life Line Records 2004)
- Salmon Swim Upstream (Vicious Circle Records 2007)
Split EPs
- I Hate The Kids, Split EP w/ Fisticuffs (Motherbox, 1998)
- Split EP w/ Full Speed Ahead (Hellbent! Records, 2000)
- Split EP w/ The Nerve AgentsThe Nerve AgentsThe Nerve Agents were an American hardcore punk band formed by Andy Outbreak and Eric Ozenne .Their angry brand of music juxtaposed yelled, sometimes ranting vocals with distorted and often chorus laden chords, complex bass lines and fast-paced percussion...
(Mankind Records, 2000) - Split EP w/ VoorheesVoorhees (band)Voorhees is a hardcore punk band formed in Durham, England. From early 1990 until late 2001 they released numerous records on various international record labels and toured Europe and the USA frequently...
(Indecision RecordsIndecision RecordsIndecision Records is an independent American hardcore punk record label which was started by Dave Mandel in 1995. It is based in Garden Grove, California. Until around 2001, it was based in nearby Huntington Beach. Both cities are within Orange County...
2000) - Split EPGood Riddance/Kill Your Idols Split EPGood Riddance / Kill Your Idols is a split EP by the hardcore punk bands Good Riddance and Kill Your Idols, released November 20, 2001 through Jade Tree.- Reception :...
w/ Good RiddanceGood RiddanceGood Riddance was a punk rock band from Santa Cruz, California. They released seven full-length studio albums on Fat Wreck Chords, and their final album was a live recording of their farewell concert in 2007. Led by vocalist Russ Rankin, the band's longtime lineup included guitarist Luke Pabich,...
(Jade Tree RecordsJade Tree RecordsJade Tree International, Inc. was an independent record label formed by Darren Walters and Tim Owen in August 1991, out of Wilmington, Delaware....
2001) - Split EP w/ Crime In StereoCrime In StereoCrime in Stereo was a Long Island-based melodic hardcore band. Comparable to Dag Nasty, Brand New, and Lifetime, the band released their debut, a split with New York's Kill Your Idols, in 2003 on hardcore label Blackout! Records...
(Blackout!Blackout RecordsBlackout! Records was an independent record label which specialized in the hardcore punk genre.It was formed in 1988 by Bill Wilson – now forever known as "Bill Blackout" – and, together with friend Jim Gibson, the label released its first record – a New York hardcore compilation...
2003) - Split EP w/ 7 Seconds (Side One DummySideOneDummy RecordsSideOneDummy Records is a Los Angeles-based independent record label whose roster focuses mostly on punk and related genres. Founded in 1995 by Joe Sib and Bill Armstrong, who continue to run it today, the label has built a reputation for its diverse roster of artists ranging from third wave ska...
2004)- all songs from From Companionship To CompetitionFrom Companionship to CompetitionFrom Companionship to Competition is the third full-length studio album from New York hardcore punk band, Kill Your Idols. It was released in January 2005 on SideOneDummy Records.-Track listing:# "Intro/Blown Up, Burnt Out"–1:31...
LP
- all songs from From Companionship To Competition
- Live on WLUW, Live Split EP w/ Modern Life Is WarModern Life Is WarModern Life Is War , was a Marshalltown, Iowa-based melodic hardcore punk band. They were known for their incendiary live shows and unique take on the melodic hardcore and hardcore sound, usually avoiding standard songs structures and almost entirely abandoning the use of breakdowns...
(Life Line Records 2005 - Split EP w/ Poison IdeaPoison IdeaPoison Idea was an American hardcore punk band formed in Portland, Oregon in 1980. The band originally dissolved in 1993, but has been playing intermittently since 1998.-Formation, 1980's and 90's:...
(TKO Records 2007)- all songs from Funeral For A FeelingFuneral for a FeelingFuneral For a Feeling is the second full-length studio album from New York hardcore punk band, Kill Your Idols. It was released in July 2001 on SideOneDummy Records.-Track listing:#"Madly" – 2:35 #"Young at Heart" – 2:03...
LP
- all songs from Funeral For A Feeling
Collections
- 4 3/4" CD (None of the Above Records, 1998)
- collects the 12" E.P. with 3 live sessions
- This Is Just The Beginning (Blackout!Blackout RecordsBlackout! Records was an independent record label which specialized in the hardcore punk genre.It was formed in 1988 by Bill Wilson – now forever known as "Bill Blackout" – and, together with friend Jim Gibson, the label released its first record – a New York hardcore compilation...
/ Cortex Records 1998)- Vinyl only European release, collects This Is Just The Beginning EP and the 12" E.P.
- The Skinnier Years (Vicious Circle / State Of Grace Records 2002)
- collects early recording sessions and the Live At CBGB Demo
- Something Started Here (Life Line / Get Outta Town Records 2007)
- collects compilation appearances and split EPs
External links
- Kill Your Idols Myspace profile
- Kill Your Idols at SideOneDummy RecordsSideOneDummy RecordsSideOneDummy Records is a Los Angeles-based independent record label whose roster focuses mostly on punk and related genres. Founded in 1995 by Joe Sib and Bill Armstrong, who continue to run it today, the label has built a reputation for its diverse roster of artists ranging from third wave ska...