Urban Waste 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 that was part of the New York

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...

 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

Reagan Youth

Reagan Youth is an American punk rock band formed by singer Dave Rubinstein and guitarist Paul Bakija in Queens, New York in early 1980. They are known for introducing the style of hardcore punk to the East Coast punk scene, but were also a part of the peace punk movement...

 (of which bass player Andy Apathy was an early member), the earliest incarnation of the Beastie Boys

Beastie Boys

Beastie Boys are an American hip hop trio from New York City. The group consists of Mike D who plays the drums, MCA who plays the bass, and Ad-Rock who plays the guitar....

, and the Bad Brains

Bad Brains

Bad Brains is an American hardcore punk band formed in Washington, D.C., in 1977. They are widely regarded as among the pioneers of hardcore punk, though the band's members objected to this term to describe their music. They are also an adept reggae band, while later recordings featured elements of...

. They belonged to a group of bands coming out of the borough of Queens that included Kraut

Kraut

Kraut is a German word recorded in English from 1918 onwards as a derogatory term for a German, particularly a German soldier during World War I and World War II. Its earlier meaning in English was as a synonym for sauerkraut, a traditional German and central European food.- Etymological...

, Gilligan's Revenge (later called Token Entry), Murphy's Law

Murphy's Law (band)

Murphy's Law is an American hardcore band from New York City, New York, formed in 1982. While vocalist Jimmy Gestapo remains the only founding member of the band, the line-up has consisted of former members of bands such as Skinnerbox, Danzig, The Bouncing Souls, Mucky Pup, Dog Eat Dog, Hanoi...

, and The Mob. The band, like many others of the era, was short-lived, and after the breakup several members went on to form Major Conflict.

Urban Waste recently re-grouped with three out of four original members - Johnny Waste, Kenny Ahrens, and John Dancy with new bassist Sonny Baron.

Their only recorded material is an eight-song 7"

Extended play

An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...

, 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. The EP was also reissued in digital format by the New York based digital label Anthology Recordings

Anthology Recordings

Anthology Recordings is an all digital reissue label, providing an online outlet for rare and out-of-print music of all eras, genres and cultures...

.

Roger Miret, lead vocalist for 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...

 legends 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...

, 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

NYHC

NYHC commonly refers to:* New York hardcore, an underground music scene* N.Y.H.C. , a documentary on the New York hardcore scene...

scene.

The band has been reunited since 2008, with the semi original lineup of Johnny Waste, John Dancy and Kenny Ahrens. They are currently playing shows and recording new material.

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) limited press 750 black, 250 red, ??? hand spray painted covers by band,

• URBAN WASTE Recycled CD (Nicotine Records 2011)