Slapshot is an American
hardcore punk
Hardcore punk (also known as simply hardcore) is a punk rock music genre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots can be traced to earlier punk ...
band from
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
,
. The band has been active for over 30 years, releasing eight studio albums and a number of singles and EPs over that time period. Though there have been constant line-up changes, founding member Jack "Choke" Kelly has remained a constant member of the band and its primary vocalist and leader.
History
Slapshot was formed in 1985 by Steve Risteen and Mark McKay, formerly of Terminally Ill; Jack "Choke" Kelly, formerly of
Negative FX
Negative FX was a hardcore punk band from Boston, formed in 1981. Though the band lasted only a short time, playing a total of five shows (six flyers exist), the band was well known for their involvement in the local straight edge scene of the e ...
and Last Rights and
Jonathan Anastas
Jonathan Anastas is an American, Los Angeles-based marketing & advertising executive, and a musician who co-founded a number of Boston hardcore punk bands.
Punk rock musician
From his teen years (recording for the first time at age 15), Anastas ...
, formerly of Decadence and
DYS. Due to the reputations of its members, the band had a relatively high profile even before its debut. The
zine
A zine ( ; short for '' magazine'' or '' fanzine'') is a small-circulation self-published
Self-publishing is the publication of media by its author at their own cost, without the involvement of a publisher. The term usually refers to writ ...
writer Mike Gitter (who was also an A&R executive) wrote "Slapshot is a great live act", before they had ever played in public.
Diverging from their counterparts in the
Boston hardcore
Hardcore punk (also known as simply hardcore) is a punk rock music genre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots can be traced to earlier pun ...
scene, Slapshot decided to make the first album a
24-track
Multitrack recording (MTR), also known as multitracking or tracking, is a method of sound recording developed in 1955 that allows for the separate recording of multiple sound sources or of sound sources recorded at different times to create a ...
recording as opposed to the usual 8 or 16-track hardcore album. To reduce costs, they recorded at night and completed the album in four sessions. ''Back On The Map'' was released by
Taang! Records
Taang! Records is an independent record label with a roster of hardcore punk, punk rock, Oi!, power pop, ska, indie rock, psychedelic, and ambient artists and bands founded by Curtis Casella in Boston, Massachusetts in 1983.
History
Taang! ...
in 1986.
The band's lineup underwent a number of changes in its first few years, although its sound remained consistent. Jordan Wood, formerly of S.T.P. and later of Deathwish, joined as an additional guitarist, but took over bass guitar when Anastas left the band to continue his education. This line up was featured on their sophomore release, Step On It (Taang! Records). In July 1988, Jamie Sciarappa, former bass player of
SS Decontrol
SSD (Society System Decontrol) was a straight edge hardcore punk, hardcore band from Boston. They released two records as SS Decontrol and then formally changed their name to SSD. As SSD they released two more records with a Heavy metal music, ...
, joined the band and Jordan returned to his original slot as a second guitar player. This five-piece lineup recorded the third record, Sudden Death Overtime (Taang! Records).
As the band got ready to record the next record there was a significant line-up change. Jordan left the band returning Slapshot to a single guitar band and Jamie was replaced with Mark and Steve's longtime friend Chris Lauria. Soon after, the band decided to fire Steve Risteen due to what they felt was a lack of guitar skill. It was a very difficult time for the band that is well documented in the Slapshot documentary "Chip On My Shoulder: The Cautionary Tale of Slapshot". Mark McKay eventually also quit (and disconnected himself from the group personally as well) due to multiple issues including a lack of interest in the new material the band was writing.
Their 1993 album ''Blast Furnace'' (We Bite Records) was a move into sample-based industrial/metal/hardcore and only included one original member, Choke, along with a more metal-based backing band including Darryl Sheppard of Slaughter Shack, Barry Hite and Chris Lauria. Slapshot toured Europe that spring, and on the second date of the tour, they recorded a live album in Berlin called ''Live at SO36'' (We Bite Records).
The following year there was another line-up change that resulted in Darryl leaving the band to be replaced by Mike Bowser. They recorded the ''Unconsciousness'' LP (We Bite Records) in Chicago with
Steve Albini
Steve Albini (pronounced ; born July 22, 1962) is an American musician, record producer, audio engineer and music journalist. He was a member of Big Black, Rapeman and Flour, and is a member of Shellac. He is the founder, owner and principal en ...
, ex-member of
Big Black
Big Black was an American punk rock band from Evanston, Illinois, active from 1981 to 1987. Founded by singer and guitarist Steve Albini, the band's initial lineup also included guitarist Santiago Durango and bassist Jeff Pezzati, both of Nake ...
and producer for
Nirvana
( , , ; sa, निर्वाण} ''nirvāṇa'' ; Pali: ''nibbāna''; Prakrit: ''ṇivvāṇa''; literally, "blown out", as in an oil lampRichard Gombrich, ''Theravada Buddhism: A Social History from Ancient Benāres to Modern Colombo.' ...
.
In August 1994 Slapshot went off to Europe for a two-month tour with Ignite and a split 7-inch single record was released to promote it. The tour kicked off at the Hultsfred Festival in Sweden on August 11 and ended on October 4 in Germany. Slapshot played 50 shows in 7 countries in 54 days.
Around the time Unconsciousness was being recorded tragedy fell upon the band. Ex-guitar and bass player Jordan Wood committed suicide. It was this moment that brought Mark McKay back into the group socially and ultimately back into the band.
With its most solid line-up in years Slapshot returned to the studio to record their album, "16 Valve Hate" (Lost & Found Records/Taang! Records) released in 1995. Less than a year later – with the same line-up – the band released "Olde Tyme Hardcore" (Taang! Records, 1996). This album was a return to a more "old-school" hardcore sound and featured a cover of the SSD track "Get It Away".
In July 1997, Slapshot played what was to be their last concert in the United States for five years, in
Plymouth, Massachusetts
Plymouth (; historically known as Plimouth and Plimoth) is a town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. Located in Greater Boston, the town holds a place of great prominence in American history, folklore, and culture, and is known as ...
. They toured Europe in 1999, including a stop at the
Graspop Metal Meeting
Graspop Metal Meeting is a Belgian heavy metal festival held in Dessel each year since 1996, excluding 2020 and 2021 due to covid restrictions. Despite the small size of the festival grounds (upholding a perimeter of only ~4 km) the festiva ...
in Belgium. In December 1999, a Slapshot tribute album called ''
Boston Drops the Gloves: A Tribute to Slapshot'' was released by Flat Records (the label owned by
Ken Casey
Kenneth William Casey Jr. (born April 15, 1969) is an American musician who is a bass guitarist, primary songwriter, and one of the lead singers of the Boston Celtic punk group the Dropkick Murphys. Casey was one of the original members, sta ...
of the
Dropkick Murphys
Dropkick Murphys are an American Celtic punk band formed in Quincy, Massachusetts in 1996. Singer and bassist Ken Casey has been the band's only constant member. Other current members include drummer Matt Kelly (1997– ), singer Al Barr (199 ...
) and
San Francisco
San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...
-based TKO Records. The album included covers by 22 Boston bands.
In 2001, Slapshot issued a new album entitled ''Greatest Hits, Slashes and Crosschecks'' (King Fisher/Century Media) featuring re-recorded and re-mastered versions of classic Slapshot songs, which featured the only recordings of the band with David Link on bass and was the last recorded material with Mike Bowser on guitar.
In 2002 Slapshot played a 15-minute surprise set at The Hideaway in Cambridge, MA as part of a bill alongside
Poison Idea
Poison Idea was an American punk rock band formed in Portland, Oregon, in 1980.
History
Formation, 1980s, and 1990s
Poison Idea was formed in 1980 by vocalist Jerry A. (aka Jerry Lang). The initial lineup consisted of Jerry A., Chris Te ...
,
Kill Your Idols
Kill Your Idols is an American hardcore punk band from New York, active from 1995 through 2007 and again from 2013 to the present. They were signed to SideOneDummy Records. Their releases on SideOne were Funeral for a Feeling (2001), a split w ...
, Thumbs Up! and more. The overall reaction to the short set resulted in a full show being booked at The Hideaway for October 13, 2002. However, the club was forced to close just days before the show was scheduled to happen. On October 26, 2002, Slapshot was finally able to play a full set in the US for the first time in over 5 years. The show was the "6th annual Back to School Jam" in Framingham, MA and also featured Blood for Blood, Converge, Reach The Sky, Panic, No Warning, Some Kind of Hate and a rare set by Stars & Stripes.
Around this time Mike Bowser decided to move to New York for a new job and after a guitar search that ended with Ed Lalli (currently singing for The Welch Boys) they returned to the studio for 2003's ''Digital Warfare'' (I Scream Records) followed by 2005's ''Tear It Down'' (Thorp Records), along with several more European tours.
In 2006, Slapshot released a statement on their website announcing that the band was defunct. However, on June 30, 2007, they played at the Significant Fest 2007 in Clearwater, Florida. Also on the bill were
Killing Time,
108 108 may refer to:
* 108 (number)
* AD 108, a year
* 108 BC, a year
* 108 (artist) (born 1978), Italian street artist
* 108 (band), an American hardcore band
* 108 (emergency telephone number), an emergency telephone number in several states in Ind ...
and Uppercut. In July 2008, they played a couple of dates in Europe, with a stop at the
With Full Force
Full Force (previously With Full Force) is a German heavy metal music, heavy metal and hardcore punk-oriented music festival held annually since 1994. The 2011 edition took place between 1 and 3 July at Roitzschjora airport in Löbnitz.
Lineups ...
festival in Germany. These were to be the last shows featuring Ed Lalli on guitar.
Slapshot played a show at Anchors Up in Haverhill, Massachusetts on November 8, 2008, with
Ten Yard Fight
Ten Yard Fight was an American straight edge, football-themed band formed in 1995 in Boston. Along with In My Eyes and Floorpunch, they spearheaded the youth crew revival in 1997. Ten Yard Fight's "official" last show was in Boston on Octobe ...
, Step Forward, and Word For Word. This show was a warm up for the 2008 Winter Tour with
Energy
In physics, energy (from Ancient Greek: ἐνέργεια, ''enérgeia'', “activity”) is the quantitative property that is transferred to a body or to a physical system, recognizable in the performance of work and in the form of heat a ...
and
All For Nothing, which brought the return of longtime guitarist Mike Bowser and reformed the classic Olde Tyme Hardcore/16 Vale Hate line-up.
Upon returning from the tour Slapshot played as part of the "2008
Hometown Throwdown Hometown Throwdown is an annual music festival held in Greater Boston. It is hosted by the Mighty Mighty Bosstones. The festival features local Boston-area acts, focusing on ska, punk and hardcore bands. The festival is traditionally held in De ...
" in Boston on December 28 at
the Middle East
The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Province), East Thrace (Europea ...
with
The Mighty Mighty Bosstones
The Mighty Mighty Bosstones (informally referred to as The Bosstones and often stylized as The Mighty Mighty BossToneS) were an American ska punk band from Boston, Massachusetts, formed in 1983. From the band's inception, lead vocalist Dicky ...
. Choke joined the Bosstones on stage during their cover of the Slapshot song "What's at Stake".
April 24, 2009, finally brought the world premiere of the long awaited Slapshot documentary film "Chip On My Shoulder: The Cautionary Tale of Slapshot". It premiered at the
Brattle Theatre
The Brattle Theatre is a repertory movie theater located in Brattle Hall at 40 Brattle Street near Harvard Square in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The theatre is a small movie house with one screen. It is one of the few remaining movie theaters, if ...
in Cambridge, MA to a sold out audience as part of the Boston Independent Film Festival. Following its premiere the film was screened as part of a hardcore festival in Toronto Canada which also featured performances by Negative Approach and Supertouch. The film was also screened at the Salt Lake City Film Festival in August 2009. The film was directed and produced by
Ian McFarland (
Blood for Blood) and Anthony "Wrench" Moreschi (
Ten Yard Fight
Ten Yard Fight was an American straight edge, football-themed band formed in 1995 in Boston. Along with In My Eyes and Floorpunch, they spearheaded the youth crew revival in 1997. Ten Yard Fight's "official" last show was in Boston on Octobe ...
) of Killswitch Productions and will be released on DVD by Taang! Records eventually.
After another line-up change (including Chris Lauria moving from bass to guitar) Slapshot headed back to Europe for 10 shows in August 2009 with the support of Frigate which features Chris Lauria of Slapshot, Linda Bean of Stars & Stripes and John Bean formerly of Bitter. The tour, dubbed the '2009 Replacements Tour', went well but late 2009 still brought about another line up change.
The next line up of Slapshot included founding member Jack 'Choke' Kelly, longtime member Chris Laura (back on bass guitar), John Bean on drums and Craig Silverman (formerly of
Only Living Witness and currently of The Enemy Within and the touring guitar player for Blood for Blood) on guitar. The band spent the first 1/2 of 2010 working on new material and hopes to have some new songs recorded before the end of the year. This line-up played the "Gallery East" reunion show in August 2010 after several warm-up shows in Europe.
In 2012, another lineup change brought Nick Charrette in to play bass. On June 6, 2012, the 3 song EP "I Believe" was released on Taang! Records it was the 208th release for the label and the 11th release by Slaphshot on Taang! Ryan Packer joined on bass in late 2012. Benny Grotto joined in November 2014.
February 2015 the band flies to
The Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
to play a secret one-off show for a Dutch friend's birthday party in a small bar in
Goes
Goes () is a city and municipality in the southwestern Netherlands on Zuid-Beveland, in the province of Zeeland. The city of Goes has approximately 27,000 residents.
History
Goes was founded in the 10th century on the edge of a creek: de Korte ...
.
On March 18, 2019, Craig Silverman announced that he was quitting Slapshot via his Instagram page.
Members
Current
*Jack "Choke" Kelly –
vocals
Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...
(1985–present)
*Ryan Packer –
bass (2012–2015, 2018–present)
*Corey Konitz –
drums
A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...
(2018–present)
*John Rioux –
guitar
The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...
(2022–present)
Past
*Steve Risteen – guitar (1985–1992)
*Jonathan Anastas – bass (1985–1987)
*Mark McKay - drums (1985–1992, 1994–2009)
*Jordan Wood - bass (1987–1988), guitar (1986–1987, 1988–1992)
*Jamie Sciarappa - bass (1988–1992)
*Darryl Sheppard – guitar (1993–1994)
*Chris Lauria – bass (1993–2008, 2010–2012, 2016–2018), guitar (2009–2010)
*Barry Hite – drums (1993–1994)
*Mike Bowser - guitar (1994–2003, 2008–2009, 2016–2017)
*Ed Lalli - guitar (2003–2007)
*Craig Silverman - guitar (2010–2016, 2018–2019)
*John Bean - drums (2010–2016)
*Nick Charrette - bass (2012)
*Douglas Mackinnon - drums (2016–2018)
Timeline
Discography
; Studio albums
* ''Step On It'' (1988,
Taang!
Taang! Records is an independent record label with a roster of hardcore punk, punk rock, Oi!, power pop, ska, indie rock, psychedelic, and ambient artists and bands founded by Curtis Casella in Boston, Massachusetts in 1983.
History
Taang! ...
)
* ''Sudden Death Overtime'' (1990, Taang!)
* ''Blast Furnace'' (1993, We Bite)
* ''Unconsciousness'' (1994, We Bite)
* ''16 Valve Hate'' (1995, Lost and Found)
* ''Digital Warfare'' (2003, I Scream)
* ''Slapshot'' (2014, Olde Tyme, Brass City Boss Sounds)
* ''Make America Hate Again'' (2018,
Bridge 9)
; EPs and splits
* ''Back On The Map'' 12-inch (1986, Taang!)
* ''Same Mistake / Might Makes Right'' 7-inch (1988, Taang!)
* ''Firewalker'' 7-inch (1990, Taang!)
* ''Slapshot / Ignite'' split 7-inch (1994, Lost and Found)
* ''Olde Tyme Hardcore'' CD/12" (1996,
Century Media
A century is a period of 100 years. Centuries are numbered ordinally in English and many other languages. The word ''century'' comes from the Latin ''centum'', meaning ''one hundred''. ''Century'' is sometimes abbreviated as c.
A centennial or ...
)
* ''The New England Product Session'' 7-inch (2004, Bridge 9)
* ''Tear It Down'' CD/7" (2005, Thorp, Spook City)
* ''I Believe'' 7-inch (2012, Taang!)
* ''Limited Tour Edition 2012'' 7-inch (2012, S.J.)
* ''Everything Wants to Kill You 7-inch (2014, Old School Cartel, Brass City Boss Sounds)''
; Live albums
* ''Live at SO36'' 12-inch/CD (1993, We Bite)
* ''Live in Germany'' VHS (1993, We Bite)
* ''Super Pro Hardcore'' CD (2005, self-released)
; Compilation albums
* ''The CD'' (1989, Taang!)
* ''Greatest Hits, Slashes And Crosschecks'' (2001, KINGfisher, Century Media)
See also
*
Boston hardcore
Hardcore punk (also known as simply hardcore) is a punk rock music genre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots can be traced to earlier pun ...
References
External links
*
Official MySpace pageJonathan Anastas interview
{{DEFAULTSORT:Slapshot
Musical groups from Boston
Hardcore punk groups from Massachusetts
Straight edge groups