Above: Richie
pants while Chuck
growls. Opposite
Page: Dean catches
a stick. Right: The
feral pack: Chuck,
Richie, Russ, Dean.
78
BETWAY
TORNTO EXPIRE
undertes
Dog Tales by Mike Gitter Howling Pics by Kristin Callahan
NERDOG
UNDERDOG: Webster's says, "Loser or predicted loser
in a struggle or contest; a victim of injustice or persecution."
UNDERDOG: A fierce power in New York City street
rock-the sort of unit that ignites vigorous, electroshock
tidal waves of head and heart, the sort of force that moves
both the body and the mind.
"A lot of hardcore has become a struggle of style over
substance," says Underdog vocalist Richie Birkenhead.
"We are the substance."
True. In the spirit of their namesake, Underdog has risen
high above the sheer pap that has retarded the spirit of
freedom, creativity and independence that once made the
so-called "underground" so vital. The band (Richie, vocals;
Dean Joseph, drums; Russ Wheeler, bass; Chuck Treece.
guitar) is miles removed from the turgid negativity that has
long plagued the once positive hardcore scene. Hardcore.
you say? Only in the most liberal sense of the word. In com-
parison to the average eighth-generation run of the mill
thrash pack, Underdog has much more to offer
"It seems like the things that don't really matter are all
that's left of hardcore," shrugs Richie. "The same thing
happened with rock and roll, acid rock, glam rock and now,
hardcore. It's the establishment's best weapon against
rebellion in art. They take the most superficial elements, the sur-
face, the look, and turn around and sell them back to the public as
the most appealing elements. That's tragic.
"Just go to shows and eavesdrop. You'll hear kids talking about
how many stage dives they did during the last set or how that per-
son is a 'poseur skinhead.' You'll see them watching each other,
making sure that every aspect of their ritual is in one-hundred per-
cent perfect order rather than putting their energy into what the band
on stage has to offer."-
Underdog's Caroline Records debut, The Vanishing Point, is a
clear-cut stand out, an unforgettable melting pot of hardcore, rock
and dub. It's the sort of record well-seasoned street rock outfits should
be producing, but, unfortunately aren't.
"It's not hard to be original," says Richie, "because each of us
is an individual, and all you have to be is sincere: Uniqueness is
just part and parcel of that sincerity. I think we've always tried to
maintain a unique sound."
History time: Richie and Russell parted ways with NYC hardcore
outfits the Numbskulls and Murphy's Law, respectively, and formed
Underdog in 1985. They recorded a 7" Ep for the New Beginning
label (now out of print and currently fetching upwards of sixty to
seventy bucks at collector's shops). They took on Russ' little brother
Dean and ex-Token Entry/Gorilla Biscuits guitarist Arthur. Time pass-
ed and the 'dog moved to headliner's status at CBGB's hardcore
matinees. Richie split for a few months to guest with straight-edge
heroes Youth of Today, and Carl "The Mosher" (current vocalist for
Iceman) filled his shoes. Richie realized he was more interested in
performing his own material and rejoined. Then Arthur left and
Underdog welcomed aboard the superbly talented Chuck Treece.
Many of you out in Thrasherland are probably familiar with the
celebrated Philly-dude. Chuck has long been recognized as one of
the underground's finest musicians because of the multi-dimensional
flavorings of his previous, now-defunct outfit, McRad. He's just as
well known as one of the East Coast's premier skaters, always ready
and able to assault any given surface. Band-mates Russ and Dean
have also distinguished themselves as accomplished boardsmen.
"We're all pretty similar as skaters," says Russ. "We have our
roots from the old days of skating. We don't look like robots when
we skate; we're more into the old style. You know, grinds, going fast
and getting radical, not how many times you can flip your board
around when you do an aerial. We skate for the real reasons skating
started: to feel good, not so you can look cool."
""Skating's become an accessible trend for people to throw money
into," says Chuck. "It's become a big collateral box. We never had
to dump the money into it that kids do today; Vision's got five fac
tories just for clothes! Powell Peralta's got an automatic answering
service you have to dial connection numbers into. It's ridiculous.
It's become a bunch of dollar signs. If you don't have money, you
can't skate
"Skating's the one thing that definitely controls me," he continues.
"If I don't skate, music is stale to me. I have to keep my body in
tone with my mind-I'm a big lump of nothing without it."
Likewise, social awareness is an integral aspect of what Under-
dog's all about. While the vast bulk of their hardcore matinee cohorts
seem interesting in little more than "keeping the scene together"
or pondering the minuscule dilemma "backstabbing," Richie's hard
hitting lyrics accomplish what few musicians ever achieve: they force
the listener to look outside of himself.
"Sure, there are a lot of cases where we risk being ostracized
by the hardcore scene, but frankly, I don't care," says Birkenhead.)
"I'd rather be disturbing and controversial than so safe that anyone
could like the band. My favorite musicians have always been distur-
bing and thought-provoking; everyone from Bob Dylan to Stiff Little
Fingers to Minor Threat to the Beatles to Bob Marley.
"No Matter What' is the song that hits me the hardest on the
record. What inspired it was thinking about the indigenous people
in this country, Australia, South Africa or wherever, being robbed
of their homeland and their dignity. Look at the native American In-
dians or the Bantu in South Africa or the Australian aborigines. They
were sitting in their own countries minding their own business when.
all of a sudden here come these white conquerors who steal and
rape from them, set up these supposed 'democracies' under their
own flags and rally behind them. This country was founded on
hypocrisy. The Europeans came here and killed off the native people,
built the country on slave labor and cheap Oriental labor, and we're
supposed to be proud of that? I love this country and I hate this coun-
try. It's the greatest place to live in the world, but there's too much
needless suffering.
"A friend of mine, a guy named Leo, was just murdered in Thomp-
kins Square Park because he was homeless and didn't have a place
to sleep. There's so much unhappiness and injustice all around us.
It's not a perfect country and, in fact, it's quite often shameful. The
fact that there's someone like Donald Trump is disgusting"
So what single issue disturbs you the most? What really gets your
blood boiling?
"This ultra-patriotic, dangerously racist nonsense. David Duke, Grand
Wizard of the White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, was just elected
State Representative of Louisiana. Remember that Hitler got his start
as a small time political rabble rouser and was dismissed with a
shrug while the Nazi party came to power. There is definitely a very
visible brand of racists in the country and the disturbing thing is
they're becoming far more articulate and their dogma's catchier and
more palatable than ever. Instead of running around saying things
like "Kill niggers and Jews," they're saying things like "Represent
the constituency." They support dangerous people like Reverend
Farrakhan because he supports separate but equal states based
on race. This country was never founded on nationalism, it was
founded on patriotism and revolution.
"Thomas Jefferson said it best, 'For any real change to take place.
the Liberty Tree should be watered every few years with the seeds
of revolution I agree with that."
79