Tommy Carroll (Straight Ahead) v. Kirk Hammett (Metallica)

Back in 2003, Howie Abrams (In-Effect Records) made a post on the C-Rap site regarding an incident that occurred at CBGBs the summer of 1987 involving the always outspoken Straight Ahead front man, Tommy Carroll and the budding rock star Kirk Hammett from Metallica. Below is the original post (with an audio sample) followed by an up to date commentary from Howie. Enjoy.




6/22/2003
Okay, here's the story as I remember it: several friends and I were at CBGB for a matinee headlined by one of my all-time favorite bands The Crumbsuckers. If memory serves, this was during the summer of 1987. Tons of kids in the NYHC scene loved the Crumbsuckers. Not only did they have anthemic songs that you could scream along to with their supreme screamer Chris Notaro, they, along with fellow Long Islanders Ludichrist weren't afraid to show the traditionally snobby HC crowd that they could actually play the shit out of their instruments. One of the first great crossover bands for sure. Now enter Straight Ahead front man Tommy Carroll. Don't get me wrong, Tommy was a good friend of mine, but to say he was an extremist is an understatement. He was most definitely on the "keep it real" tip and if he liked a band which was straight edge for instance, his band had to be MORE straight edge. If they played fast, his band had to play faster. If someone was a hard dancer, he made sure everyone felt his presence on the dance floor. You get the picture. So on this particular afternoon, Scott Ian from Anthrax, also a friend of Tommy's, brought Kirk Hammett from Metallica to CB's to turn him onto The Crumbsuckers. Long story short - Kirk loved the band so much he asked if he could join them onstage for a song, and the band was only too happy to oblige. I'll give you one guess who this little situation didn't sit well with. So Kirk is up there ripping shit up with The Crumbsuckers and Tommy makes his way to the stage, grabs the mic. and yells "get that fuckin' rock star off the stage!" He then proceeds to rare back and spit right in Kirk's face. Again, Tommy was my boy, but I couldn't believe what I had just witnessed. So Kirk is freaking out and the band stops playing. Then from out of nowhere, Billy Milano, ALSO a friend of Tommy's, barrels his way through the crowd and gets to Tommy. He grabs him by his shirt and drags him outside the club. Many of us followed to see what was going to happen. Ultimately, not a lot went down out there other than Billy scolding the shit out of Tommy like an angry dad whose kid just got expelled from school, repeating to him over and over how stupid and disrespectful and embarrassing what he had just done was. You could tell Tommy realized what he had done was dumb, but something tells me he would have done it all over again. FYI - Tommy went on to become a struggling Golden Gloves boxer and Kirk Hammett...well he's still a "fuckin' rock star." Not that there's anything wrong with that.
How*Nice

2/27/2012
Awwwww yeah - I remember this well. By the time this happened, many of the CB's matinees were attended by a large contingent of Metalheads. Some were cool and respectful of Hardcore and others, not so much. Ever since Agnostic Front released the Cause for Alarm album, it often felt as if you had to choose a side with regard to "pre-Cause for Alarm" AF, or "I still love them even though this album is totally Metal" AF. It's around this time that the straight edge revival led by Youth of Today was in full effect and most of those bands went out of their way to let the world know they were HC and the crossover thing was not for them. Tommy Carroll, god bless him, was totally against the Metal invasion of HC, even though he and the noise he made with NYC Mayhem helped bring it about, and I think Kirk's presence at a matinee was his moment to let everyone know where he stood. No one saw it coming because most were psyched Kirk Hammett was there to see the Crumbsuckers. If you were there for the music, it was awesome. If you wanted to preserve the essence of the CBGB matinee...I guess it was also an awesome moment and Tommy made sure to seize it. I don't want to dissect this all too much because I'm not Tommy Carroll's brain, but after it happened, those who know Tommy weren't so surprised. He stepped right the fuck up and spit in Kirk's face! Think about how fucking ballsy that is. Hundreds of people watching...BOOM!

TAKE OFFENSE Pre-Orders Available

Chula Vista's finest and easily one of the best Hardcore bands to emerge in the past 15 years, Take Offense, have launched the pre-orders for their newest 4-song release Under The Same Shadow through Reaper Records. If you're at all unfamiliar with the band, below is a track from the aforementioned release.

Sammy Siegler apparently dug into his archives and has unearthed this rejected JUDGE artwork for what was to be used for a flyer before getting axed for being "too evil". The art was done by Bevin Stone who is known for having done the cover art for Leeway's Born To Expire album. Though cool, I definitely don't see it working for JUDGE... but it's an incredible piece of history nonetheless.

Post borrowed from Live Suburbia

AGNOSTIC FRONT Live In Luxembourg (1993)

From the "One Voice" era line-up, which is undeniably the best line-up AF ever carried (taking nothing away from past and current members of course), here is footage from an incredible sounding and well shot and edited show in 1993 from Luxembourg... shirtless, in camo. It doesn't get any better than this.

NYHC: Greetings From New York Video Postcard

In the early 80's you could send postcards in VHS format — cutting edge technology at the time. This particular video postcard from New York features, amongst other things, a look at the early New York Hardcore scene filmed outside CBGB's circa 1983/84. Spot Harley's stage pitting during Cause For Alarm at the 3:40 mark.

Top Ten Releases Of 2011

01. Trapped Under Ice, Big Kiss Goodnight

02. Take Offense, Tables Will Turn

03. Backtrack, Darker Half

04. Crowbar, Sever The Wicked Hand

05. Soul Search, Bury The Blame

06. Mobb Deep, Black Cocaine

07. Dead End Path, Blind Faith

08. Midnight, Satanic Royalty

09. Fire & Ice, Collections

10. Volturyon, Coordinated Mutilation

This year was, without a doubt, the toughest year to choose a Top Ten Releases list... and that's an amazing thing. I've said it for a few years now and I have no shame in repeating myself — this is the best time for Hardcore music in the 20+ years I have been involved. The amount of bands, the sincerity and the true commitment to what these bands and people do is beyond inspiring to me.

Although Hardcore is my first choice in music, it isn't my be all end all. Above are my "hats off" picks for some of this year's true pieces of musical craftsmanship as well as a few picks from some of my favorite musicians and all around favorite people below.

Enjoy.

BRIAN BUSKE (Influential Older Brother)

Anthrax, Worship Music

At The Gates, Purgatory Unleashed (Live At Wacken)

Citizen Fish, Goods

Crowbar, Sever the Wicked Hand

Darkest Hour, The Human Romance

Earth Crisis, Neutralize The Threat

Megadeth, Th1rt3en

Opeth, Heritage

Take Offense, Tables Will Turn

Toxic Holocaust, Conjure & Command
(in no particular order)

PATRICK KITZEL (Reaper Records)

Trapped Under Ice, Big Kiss Goodnight

Take Offense, Tables Will Turn
Backtrack, Darker Half

Ryan Adams, Ashes & Fire

Rival Schools, Pedals

Joell Ortiz, Free Agent

Fire & Ice, Collections

Crowbar, Sever The Wicked Hand

Turnstile, Pressure To Succeed

Sheer Terror, Spite

(in no particular order)

DxJx ROSE (Reaper Records, Path Of Resistance, Halo Tattoos, Cabal)

Radio Lab podcast

NPR Radio

Take Offense, Tables Will Turn

Mastodon, The Hunter

Naysayer, Laid To Rest

Trapped Under Ice, Big Kiss Goodnight

Cold Cave, Enjoy The Light Years

Skull Defekts w/ Daniel Higgs, Peer Amid

Backtrack, Darker Half

(in no particular order)

GUAV (Reaper Records, Cabal)

01. Trapped Under Ice, Big Kiss Goodnight

02. Minority Unit, Clear Minded Fury

03. Giuda, Racey Roller

04. Sydney Ducks, Stray Dogs

05. Cold Stare, Fight Back And Win

06. Naysayer, Laid To Rest

07. Sheer Terror, Spite

08. Earth Crisis, Neutralize The Threat

09. The Clichés/Templars, Split

10. Wugazi, 13 Chambers

SCOTT VOGEL (Terror, S.O.S.)

01. Hot Water Music, 7"
02. Reks, R.E.K.S.
03. Trapped Under Ice, Big Kiss Goodnight
04. Backtrack, Darker Half
05. Coldplay, Mylo Xyloto
06. Freddie Gibbs, Cold Day In Hell
07. Take Offense, Tables Will Turn
08. Ringworm, Scars
09. Rival Schools, Pedals
10. Naysayer, Laid To Rest

SAM TRAPKIN (Trapped Under Ice, Diamond, S.O.S.)

01. Take Offense, Tables Will Turn

02. Foo Fighters, Wasting Light

03. Backtrack, Darker Half

04. The Swellers, Good For Me

05. Freaky Franz, Freaky Tales

06. Polar Bear Club, Clash, Battle, Guilt, Pride

07. Samiam, Trips

08. Naysayer, Laid To Rest

09. I Am The Avalanche, Avalanche United

10. New Found Glory, Radiosurgery

TODD JONES (Nails, Betrayed)

01. Disma, Towards The Megalith

02. Soul Swallower, Devoured

03. New Lows, Harvest Of The Carcass

04. Skin Like Iron, Arrival

05. Acephalix, Interminable Night

06. Rotten Sound, Cursed

07. Merdoso, In Silence

08. Harm's Way, Isolation

09. Permanent Ruin, Demo

10. Brutal Supremacy compilation

STREETxGANG (Mob Mentality, Pit Enthusiast, DPN)

01. Take Offense, Tables Will Turn

02. Trapped Under Ice, Big Kiss Goodnight

03. Title Fight, Shed

04. Rotting Out, Street Prowl

05. Turnstile, Pressure To Succeed

06. Minority Unit, Demo

07. Twitching Tongues, I&I

08. Soul Search, Bury The Blame

09. Out Crowd, split w/ Written Off

10. Diamond, Don't Lose Your Cool

GROATER (Fire & Ice)

01. Trapped Under Ice, Big Kiss Goodnight

02. War Hungry, War Hungry

03. Take Offense, Tables Will Turn

04. Friend Of Foe, Demo 2011

05. Dead End Path, Blind Faith

06. Turnstile, Pressure To Succeed

07. Naysayer, Laid To Rest

08. Backtrack, Darker Half

09. Foundation, When The Smoke Clears

10. Harm's Way, Isolation

JAYCOX (Pit Enthusiast, DPN)
01. Take Offense, Tables Will Turn
02. Trapped Under Ice, Big Kiss Goodnight
03. Backtrack, Darker Half
04. Title Fight, Shed
05. Boston Strangler, Primitive
06. Rotting Out, Street Prowl
07. Foundation, When The Smoke Clears
08. Pains Of Being Pure At Heart, Belong
09. War Hungry, War Hungry
10. Naysayer, Laid To Rest

Karebear's Top Picks For 2011

Trapped Under Ice, Big Kiss Goodnight

I remember well over a year ago, Justice showed me some demos for this record and I was really looking forward to what they were going to create and what it was going to turn into. I've been a firm supporter of this band since day one and the final outcome was a catchy/cohesive Hardcore record that could be dug inside and out of our community. It blends every kind of music that I love and shows many levels of progression from their previous material. Front to back you can tell they took time putting it together. There's number one. 

Pistol, 25 Fa Life

Now, a lot of people say that Hip Hop is dead these days. Well, Hip Hop was truly resurrected with this record. Features some of the OG Jerz greats such as Tame One (Artifacts) and Young Zee (Outsidaz) to name a few, this record did a lot for me. I know how much work was put into this record to make it something special and to me it is. Every track is laced up. The production is math. Everything about it pisses excellence.  That's why this record is on my top ten. "Now I know why these morons didn't sign me, cause ain't a rapper alive that wanna spit behind me".

Daytrader, Last Days Of Rome

This record is great and embellishes everything I love about radio hit rock punk. Did that phrase "radio hit rock punk" make you cringe? Whatever haha. It's nothing over the top or life-changing, but it's is super catchy and had me playing it over and over again. The perfect record to throw on while the train is moving and you drift off and think. The perfect record to hit the beach to and was absolutely my summer jam. Jeff from Run For Cover Records knows how to pick them and with this record he struck gold. Out of Strong Island. Check them out if you like that catchy shit. 

Title Fight, Shed

This record is a true life changer for me. I know for a fact 20 years down the line I'm going to look back and remember it. The record was produced by Walter Schriefels (GB, Quicksand, Rival Schools) which is awesome because the record sounds like it was pulled straight out of the 90's. I'm a sucker for 90's Emo such as Mineral and Sunny Day Real Estate and when I hear this record, I picture Title Fight sharing the stage with them. The record front to back is genuine and heartfelt and got me through a lot of very tough times. I'll hold onto this one forever and I'm sure it will be a classic for generations to come. 

Take Offense, Tables Will Turn 

Here's a record that embodies EVERYTHING I love about Hardcore. It's done so fucking tastefully. Everything on the record hits exactly when you want it to hit. Everything on this record goes exactly where you want it to go. Riff after riff from Greg. A.H., who may have some of the coolest vocals and stage presence I've seen as of late, they have it all. If this was in order, this would be my number one record of the year. So much Suicidal Tendencies worship but pulled off so clean. I've had the pleasure of kickin it with these fools a few times and it's amazing to see how genuinely siked they are to be making the music they do. Take Offense is on another planet when it comes to making music and are in a league of their own. In my life I will have a Take Offense tattoo. Bet me. One band that truly means a lot to me.  If you're sleeping on this band, wake the fuck up. It's their Time2Shine. 

Supertouch, Lost My Way

This record is phenomenal. It's always cool to see a band that's been around so long give a big shit about the music they are writing and make it sound like they haven't missed a beat. Some bands try to recreate something that just isn't there anymore. The flame goes dull and the band burns out. That isn't the case with Supertouch. Every song bleeds passion and it flows so smooth. I've played it over and over again and it still makes me feel just as good as it did when I first heard it. Mark's voice is great and really blends peacefully through the melodic riffs on this record. I love it and you should too. 

Backtrack, Darker Half

If you dig NYHC then you dig this record. Plain and simple. These guys are not only some of my best of friends, they write the hits. I had the pleasure of staying with Sir Nicholas Jett (BSGDNICKGODIE), while he recorded this thing and to see it come together was awesome. Ricky (guitarist) is an excellent guitarist and song crafter. Vitalo (singer) is a youthful Outburst worshipper.  John (OG freak) is a great drummer. Chris (guitar) is a cheebah smoking lunatic. Reggie (bassist) does pottery and reads books. All of these dudes are worlds apart personality wise and I think that chemistry alone makes them memorable and one of the best bands out. Every track is solid. I had the opportunity of singing on the track "Darker Half" (slayed that shit...jk...sorta) and it's one record I'll never forget. The production sounds great and they mixed some of the best of the NYHC legends with their own youthful twist on it. Darker Half. That's what's up. 

Foundation, When The Smoke Clears

This band is from ATL and I'm sure a lot of you reading of this are familiar. If you aren't, this record is a sincere recommendation from me. They are one of if not the most important Straight Edge band of our time in my opinion. To me it sounds like Buried Alive having a baby with Indecision but them putting their own spin on that. Those two bands are bands I love. Foundation is a band that I love. Their live shows are electric and they not only mean a lot to me but to a lot of kids in the Hardcore community. This band isn't a fly by night, important now forget tomorrow band. Thomas (singer) has passion put into every line he writes on paper. That's what I look for. Sincerity. This band is nothing but that and a true staple in our scene. Respect to them and I wish them the best. Also, Hank is my favorite pitter. 

Rotting Out, Street Prowl

This record makes me wish I could skate but I really fucking can't. Its also makes me want to flip cop cars. That's something I can do with the help of a few friends. This is Hardcore/Punk Rock at it's finest. Wally (singer) is an incredible frontman and brings these songs together really well. I was into them before him but I think they are on a whole new level now because of his electricity. Every song is catchy and it's one that you spin a few times before you put on something else. It's raw. It's real. It's in your face. It's west coast as a bitch. It's fun. "Choke on the truth". Nothing else I can really say about it. Check it out for yourself. 

Rival Schools, Pedals

I'm a huge fan of everything that Walter Schriefels touches. Like I said about Supertouch, it's amazing to see a band continue to progress after so many years without burning out. I listened to this record ALL summer. "Wring It Out" might be in my top ten songs of all time. The album as a whole to me is magical. It's everything I love about the 90's but dropped in 2011. Refreshing to say the very least.