Murphy's Law is an influential American

hardcore punk Hardcore punk (commonly abbreviated to hardcore or hXc) is a punk rock music genre#subtypes, subgenre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots ...

band from New York City, formed in 1982. While vocalist Jimmy Drescher remains the only founding member of the band, the line-up has consisted of numerous musicians who have performed with a diverse selection of musical acts across multiple genres, such as Skinnerbox, Danzig, The Bouncing Souls, Mucky Pup, Dog Eat Dog,

Hanoi Rocks Hanoi Rocks were a Finnish Rock music, rock band formed in 1979. They were the first Finnish band to chart in the UK and they were also popular in Japan. By 1984, the band was considered to be on the verge of an international breakthrough when ...

Fishbone Fishbone is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1979, the band plays a fusion of ska, punk, funk, metal, reggae, and soul. AllMusic has described the group as "one of the most distinctive and eclectic alternative ...

Agnostic Front Agnostic Front is an American hardcore punk band from New York City. Founded in 1980, the band is considered an important influence on the New York hardcore scene, as well as a pioneer of the crossover thrash genre. History First era (1980– ...

, Warzone, the

Cro-Mags The Cro-Mags are an American hardcore punk band from New York City. The band, which has garnered a strong cult following, has released six studio albums, with the first two considered the most influential. With a Hare Krishna background, they ...

, D Generation,

New York Dolls New York Dolls were an American rock music, rock band formed in New York City in 1971. Along with the Velvet Underground, the MC5, and the Stooges, they were one of the first bands of the early punk rock scenes. Although the band never achieved ...

Joan Jett & the Blackhearts Joan Jett and the Blackhearts is an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1979 as a conjunction of lead musician, singer and songwriter Joan Jett and the backup band. It has undergone many lineup changes since its inception, w ...

, The Slackers,

Thursday Thursday is the day of the week between Wednesday and Friday. According to the ISO 8601 international standard, it is the fourth day of the week. In countries which adopt the "Sunday-first" convention, it is the fifth day of the week. Name Th ...

, Skavoovie and the Epitones,

White Trash White trash is a derogatory term in American English for poor white people, especially in the rural areas of the southern United States. The label signifies a social class within the white population, especially those perceived to have a ...

and

Glen Campbell Glen Travis Campbell (April 22, 1936 – August 8, 2017) was an American country musician and actor. He was best known for a series of hit songs in the 1960s and 1970s, and for hosting ''The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour'' on CBS television from ...

. Over the course of their career, Murphy's Law has released five albums, the last of which, '' The Party's Over'', was released in 2001.

History

''Murphy's Law'' and ''Back with a Bong'' (1986–1990)

Released in 1986, Murphy's Law's self-titled debut album features fast-paced, short songs with more mosh sections; however, they also managed to blend in some laid-back Californian punk sounds and even blues into the stomping New York hardcore anthems. Some of the songs on this album could also be credited as an influence on the burgeoning

thrash metal Thrash metal (or simply thrash) is an Extreme metal, extreme subgenre of heavy metal music characterized by its overall aggression and fast tempo.Kahn-Harris, Keith, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'', pp. 2–3, 9. Oxford: Berg, ...

scene which had taken to incorporating elements of New York hardcore into their sound and general song structure – for instance,

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and S.O.D., whose '' Speak English or Die'' album (even being released a year before the actual registration of Murphy's Law eponymous) predated this release. They shared a common interest in the lyrical themes of drinking, smoking, and partying with the likes of Boston hardcore band,

Gang Green Gang Green is an American punk rock band originally from Braintree, Massachusetts. Chris Doherty (guitar), Bill Manley (bass) and Mike Dean (drums) started the band in 1980 and broke up in 1983. Doherty reformed Gang Green the following year, ...

as well as the California-based punk band

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– another trait which separates them from the

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leanings of fellow New York Hardcore bands. On later albums they diversified with experiments into ska. The album spawned a few live favorites which were devised to "get the party going" – "Fun", "Beer", and "Care Bear" being just a small selection. '' Back with a Bong'' was released in 1989 on

Profile Records Profile Records was one of the earliest hip hop labels. As well as hip-hop they released disco, dance, and electro records. History In 1980, Cory Robbins, who was 23 at the time and had worked briefly for MCA, wanted to start a record label ...

, featuring the fan favorite "Attack of the Killer Beers", and subsequently re-released on Another Planet Records in 1994, with the previous self-titled album on the same disc. It came three years after the previous album and the band had undergone somewhat of a transformation with Jimmy Drescher the only remaining member. Alex Morris had been replaced on guitar by Todd Youth – previously of fellow New York City hardcore bands,

and Warzone, and later of Danzig. Chuck Valle replaced Pete Martinez on bass, and Doug E. Beans took over drumming duties from Petey Hines. In 1989, Murphy's Law opened for the

Red Hot Chili Peppers The Red Hot Chili Peppers are an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1982, consisting of Anthony Kiedis (vocals), Flea (musician), Flea (bass), John Frusciante (guitar), and Chad Smith (drums). Their music incorporates elements of a ...

on their Mother's Milk tour.

''The Best of Times'' (1991–1992)

Murphy's Law ushered in the 1990s with a reinvigorated blast of their debauchery-laced brand of comedic punk. Stylistically, Murphy's Law made quite a jump on '' The Best of Times''. The band did dabble in skacore long before it exploded, but was always pretty much a flat-out hardcore unit in the 1980s. ''The Best of Times'' finds Jimmy Drescher and friends combining

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African-American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African-Americans in the ...

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica during the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its Jamaican diaspora, diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, "Do the Reggay", was the first ...

, ska, and hardcore into their own distinct brew, shedding any dogmatic restrictions applied to the standards of their genre in the 1980s. Production by

's John "Norwood" Fisher and Philip "Fish" Fisher lends authenticity and diversity to ''The Best of Times,'' as does the added instrumentation by several members of

. Covers of

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and

Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris (; Judkins; born May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American and Ghanaian singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. He is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th c ...

provide some insight into Murphy's Law's inclusion as a group supporting people and fellow bands of all races and creeds. While Murphy's Law continued to expand musically on ''The Best of Times'', the subject matter doesn't otherwise stray too far from earlier work. Songs about pot, beer, girls, and cars showcase the glorious immaturity and quest for fun that pretty much define Murphy's Law. When the band does get serious, which is not very often, it's in the interest of unity and friendship. The title track is basically a fan tribute, thanking a small but loyal group of followers for the support that's enabled Murphy's Law to continue the party. The ska-tinged but heavy "1%" revels in the outcast-minded punk rock ethos, giving nod to those who embrace the good and bad of surfing the fringe of culture and society. Classic Murphy's Law rage surfaces on "Harder Than Who", an attack on the mindless aggression and competition that sometimes rule the hardcore scene.

''Good for Now'', death of Chuck Valle and two more albums (1993–2009)

Murphy's Law collected a bunch of stomping, fast and

anthem An anthem is a musical composition of celebration, usually used as a symbol for a distinct group, particularly the national anthems of countries. Originally, and in music theory and religious contexts, it also refers more particularly to sho ...

-style hardcore punk songs for this. It was their first studio album in five years since '' The Best of Times.'' The personnel differed from previous efforts; however, Jimmy G's vocals still provide the sound's basis. As with prior albums, the lyrics revolve mainly around smoking, drinking, and partying. A blur of

melodic hardcore Melodic hardcore is a broadly defined subgenre of hardcore punk with a strong emphasis on melody in its guitar work. The style often includes guitar harmonies, riffs using octave chords, as well as broken chords. Additionally, lyrics tend towar ...

eventually gives way near the end to some saxophone-led ska. Dedication was released by Another Planet on March 19, 1996. The label had already picked up the rights to their previous material from

and in 1994 had released a split CD with their self-titled and ''Back with a Bong'' albums on the same disc. The album was produced by Daniel Rey who had previously worked with

The Ramones The Ramones were an American punk rock band formed in the New York City neighborhood Forest Hills, Queens in 1974. Known for helping establish the punk movement in the United States and elsewhere, the Ramones are often recognized as one of t ...

, The Misfits, and even Boston hardcore punk band

– with whom Murphy's Law share a lyrical penchant. He also wrote one of the songs for this album, "Greenbud". It follows 1993's ''Good for Now'' EP and the 1991 studio album, ''The Best of Times.'' The album Dedicated, released in 1996, was dedicated to former bass player, Chuck Valle, who was tragically killed in a knife related incident in 1994. His picture appears on the back page of the CD inlay and a picture of a tattoo inscribed with the words "In Memory of Chuck" appears on the jewel case inlay. The band did not record another album until '' The Party's Over'' in 2001, but had plenty of singles, compilation, and split EPs with other bands in between. In 2002 Reflex/Wolfpack Records released a European vinyl pressing of ''The Party's Over.'' Listeners find former D Generation guitarist Rick Bacchus, bassist Sal Villaneuva (Demonspeed), and drummer Eric Arce ( Skarhead) joining forces with original Murphy's Law frontman Jimmy G and producer Daniel Rey (

Ramones The Ramones were an American punk rock band formed in the New York City neighborhood Forest Hills, Queens in 1974. Known for helping establish the punk movement in the United States and elsewhere, the Ramones are often recognized as one of th ...

, The Misfits, and White Zombie). The result of this 2001 collaboration is 15 tracks of blistering, rowdy, and fast club punk. The song "The Party's Over" refers to the former Mayor Rudolph Giuliani's intense "clean up" of the Big Apple. There are few musical departures on this predominately speedy punk album. "Walking Alone" incorporates a bit of a reggae vibe, while a saxophone line accents "Skinhead Girl", a cover of the song originally by Symarip, that takes the tempo down a notch to a swaggering groove while staying true to

punk Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...

form.

I Scream Records (2010–present)

On April 12, 2010, Murphy's Law announced in a

MySpace Myspace (formerly stylized as MySpace, currently myspace; and sometimes my␣, with an elongated Whitespace character#Substitute images, open box symbol) is a social networking service based in the United States. Launched on August 1, 2003, it w ...

blog entry that they were working on a sixth studio album as well as a DVD and vinyl reissues of their back catalog. On May 4, 2011, it was announced that Murphy's Law were signed to I Scream Records, who were scheduled to release the band's first studio album of original material since 2001's '' The Party's Over'', as well as reissues of their back catalog. The reissued albums were released on CD, digital download, and vinyl in 2014 with previously unreleased bonus tracks. There had been no news or updates on new music from Murphy's Law until April 2025, when the band announced that they were in the studio recording a new album.

Media

In 2002, the band appeared in

Matthew Barney Matthew Barney (born March 25, 1967) is an American contemporary artist and film director who works in the fields of sculpture, film, photography and drawing. His works explore connections among geography, biology, geology and mythology as well ...

's film '' Cremaster 3'' along with Agnostic Front. In 2004, the song "Vicky Crown" appeared in a music video montage featuring Nick Mondo in the game '' Backyard Wrestling 2''. In 2008, the song "A Day in the Life" was featured, as well as Jimmy G. himself as the DJ of Liberty City Hardcore (L.C.H.C) radio station in the action videogame ''

Grand Theft Auto IV ''Grand Theft Auto IV'' is a 2008 action-adventure game developed by Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. It is the sixth main entry in the Grand Theft Auto, ''Grand Theft Auto'' series, following 2004's ''Grand Theft Auto: San And ...

''.

Members

Murphy's Law has gone through numerous line-up changes over its four decade history with Jimmy Drescher as its only constant member.

Current members

* James Drescher – lead vocals (1982–present) * Joe James – guitars * Larry The Hunter – guitars * Gary Bennett – guitars * Walter "Monsta" Ryan – drums * Big B – bass

Past members

Guitars

* Alex "Uncle Al" Morris (1982–1986) * Todd Youth ( Danzig, Chrome Locust,

, Warzone, D Generation,

) (1989–1991, 1996) (died 2018) *Felipe Lithgow (2007-2012) * Jack Flanagan (The Mob) (1993) * Ace Von Johnson (Madcap, The Generators, Duane Peters Gunfight) * Christopher Kerrigan aka "Chris Redd" (Lockdown, Those Hated Hearts, Necktangle, Revenge of the Dragon) * Chris Shannon (Demonspeed) * Dan Nastasi (Dog Eat Dog, Nastasee, Mucky Pup, Kings Never Die) * Erick "Epick" Hartz (Los Dudes, The Boilermakers, Zen Butcher, The Lobrows) * Jason Stickney (CHUD) * Jason Burton (Not A Part of It) * Joe Porfido (Inhuman,

) * Johnny Waste (Urban Waste, Major Conflict) * Larry "the Hunter" Nieroda ( Subzero, Stigma, Son of Skam, Loved & Hated, Inhuman, Sheer Terror, Kings Never Die) * Rick Bacchus * Sean Kilkenny (Dog Eat Dog, Mucky Pup, Harley's War, Stigma) (died 2021) * Tim Miller ( Blanks 77,Broken Heroes) * Rod Martino (

Ruder Than You Ruder Than You is an American ska band that was founded in 1989 at Penn State University and, in 1991, the group relocated to Philadelphia. While ska and reggae stylings have always provided the common musical thread, over the past 15 plus y ...

) * A.J. Novello (1997) * Kane Kelly (die Strömms)

Bass

* Adam Mucci (1982) * Pete Martinez (1986) * Chuck Valle (

Ludichrist Ludichrist is an American crossover thrash band formed in Long Island, New York in 1984. They are one of the crossover movement's most prominent groups, alongside Dirty Rotten Imbeciles, D.R.I. History Early history and recordings Ludichr ...

, Dripping Goss) (1989–1993) *Felipe Lithgow(2019-2022) * Dean Rispler (1996) * Aaron "White Owl" Collins ( Skarhead,

, Butterbrain, Hash) * Anthony Di Masi (The Unopposed) * Ben "Tucks" Orenstein (U.N. Posse) * Brian Ellingham aka Pico Da' Bass (F.O. the Smack Magnet) * Christian Hoffmeister * Dug Donohoe * Eddie Cohen * "Genghis" Jon Carrier * Ghoul Man * J.R. * Phil Caivano (Shrapnel, Blitzspeer, Monster Magnet) * Ron Delux (The Turnbucklers, Unlucky 3, Cinema Nine) * Russel Iglay (Underdog) * Sal Villanueva * Sami Yaffa (Hanoi Rocks,

) * Tommy Kennedy * Tommy Sick (DFA, Zyris, SIB)

Drums

* Harley Flanagan (

, The Stimulators) (1982) * Petey Hines (

, Handsome) (1986) * Doug Beans (The Functional Idiots, Mearth, The Montalbans, Hellride 102, Aggravated Assault, Defiance) (1989–1991) * Michael McDermott (Skinnerbox, The Bouncing Souls,

Joan Jett And The Blackhearts Joan Jett and the Blackhearts is an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1979 as a conjunction of lead musician, singer and songwriter Joan Jett and the backup band. It has undergone many lineup changes since its inception, ...

, The Kilograms) (1993) * Eric "Goat" Arce ( Crown of Thornz, Skarhead, Merauder, The Misfits) (1996) * Chris Ara (Zombie Vandals, The Krays) * Dan Lettieri * Donny Didjits (Time Bomb 77, Anti Heros, A.P.A, Liberty) * Frank Lema (Half-Life, Freakmode) * Jay Colangelo (American Standard) * John “Solar Skin” Sullivan * Nick Angeleri * Quincy Kirk ( Graves, Broken Heroes, Headwound) * Steve Barna (Fake Your Death) * Todd Irwin * Tucker Rule (

) * Vincent Alva rest in peace. * Pokey (1997)

Horns

* Angelo Moore – saxophone (1989–1991) * Christopher Dowd – trombone (1989) * Walter Kibby III – trumpet (1989) * Scott Mayo – saxophone (1991) * Reggie Young – trombone (1991) * Fernando Pullam – trumpet (1991) * Jeff "Django" Baker (Skinnerbox, Stubborn All-Stars) – trombone (1993) * Danny Dulin (Skinnerbox, Stubborn All-Stars) – trumpet (1993) * Ben Jaffe (Skavoovie and the Epitones, The Diamond Mines, Eli "Paperboy" Reed and the True Loves) – saxophone * D-Robb (D-Robb and The Shots) – trombone * Jeremy "Mush One" Mushlin (The Slackers) – trumpet, vocals * Johnny Banks – trumpet * John Mulkerin – trumpet * Joseph Bowie – trombone * Raven (Seaton "Chuck" Hancock III) – saxophone

Timeline

Discography

Albums

* ''Bong Blast'' (1983) Spliff Records * '' Murphy's Law'' (1986)

* '' Back with a Bong'' (1989) Profile Records * '' The Best of Times'' (1991)

Relativity Records Relativity Records was an American record label founded by Barry Kobrin at the site of his vinyl record shop, Important Record Distributors (IRD) in metropolitan New York City. The IRD distribution name was later known as RED Distribution and ag ...

* '' Dedicated'' (1996) Another Planet * '' The Party's Over'' (2001) Artemis Records

Live albums

* ''Beer, Smoke, and Live'' (2002) P.O.P. Records

Cover albums

* ''Covered'' (2005) NYHC Tattoos Records

Re-Issued albums

* '' Murphy's Law'' / '' Back with a Bong'' (1994) Another Planet – split CD * ''The Best of Times'' / ''Good for Now'' (2000) Artemis Records – split CD

EPs

* ''Good for Now'' EP (1994) We Bite Records

Music videos

* "Panty Raid" (1989) * "What Will the Neighbors Think?" (1996) * "Vicky Crown" (2001)

Singles

* "Monster Mash" (1991)

– CD single * "My Woman from Tokyo" (1995) – Japan only 7" split single * "What Will the Neighbors Think?" (1996) Another Planet – 7" single * "Genkika" (1996) – Japan only 7" split single * "Kansai Woman" (1996) – Japan only 7" single * "Quality of Life" (1998) NG Records – 7" split single

Compilation albums

* ''How to Start a Fight'' (1996) Side One Dummy Records * ''Show & Tell - A Stormy Remembrance of TV Themes'' (1997) Which? Records * ''Creepy Crawl Live'' (1997) Another Planet * ''Music to Kill For'' (1998) Triple Crown Records * ''City Rockers: A Tribute to the Clash'' (1999) Side One Dummy Records * '' Never Mind The Sex Pistols: Here's The Tribute'' (2000) Radical Crown Records * ''Under the Influence - A Tribute to the Clash, the Cure, and the Smiths'' (2001) Triple Crown Records * ''The World Wide Tribute to the Real Oi Volume 2'' (2002) I Scream Records * ''Jager Music Volume 2'' (2002) jagermusic.com Records * ''Warped Tour Compilation'' (2002) Side One Dummy Records * ''The Best'' (2005) NYHC Tattoos Records

References

External links

* * * at Crawlspace Booking {{DEFAULTSORT:Murphy's Law (band) 1982 establishments in New York City Crossover thrash groups Hardcore punk groups from New York (state) Musical groups established in 1982 Musical groups from New York City Musical quartets from New York (state) Relativity Records artists