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Hi Sammy, how did you end up playing drums ?
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My Father and Grandfather both played, they got me into it, when I started playing in bands I just wanted to get better so I could keep up, so I practiced a bunch.
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.How did you end up in the hardcore scene ?
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One of my best friends was Walter from Gorilla Biscuits younger brother, he told me about the band and that they needed a drummer so we hooked up, that was 1985. Before that my sister introduced me to some older kids that had a band, we covered Agnostic Fronts "Power", maybe that was my first introduction.
How was it to be in HC bands at such a young age ?
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It was awesome, they were all like my big brothers, I started at a very young age, it was a special time, definitely more appealing then what was going on in school.
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What was the meaning of hardcore for you ?
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I think back then we were all such good friends, and we were being creative with music, that's what really stood out. As I got older I realized a bit more how rare and special it was that we were all spreading a positive word.
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How this music influenced your life ?
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Hmmm, that's a bit complex, I made some great friendships through the scene, Hardcore turned me onto vegetarianism, straight edge, I saw the world because of it, played some great music, it goes on and on, I think it will continue to impact me till I check out.
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What do you think about the hardcore scene now ?
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I don't follow it too closely, but I'm sure somewhere there is a kid who is as stoked as we were, I'm sure there are good shows going on and dudes are moshing at band practices the way we did.
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You played with "unknown" HC bands and with some "big bands" like Limp Biskit or Glassjaw. Do you see a difference between those two worlds ?
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Sure, different people, different music at different parts of my life. I'm into keeping things different and not repeating myself as much as I can help it. The hardcore scene between say, 85' and 90' for me was totally special and in a place all by itself, everything outside of that was great and just as special but different, make sense ?
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Were you straight-edge and what is your point of view now ?
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I was straight edge for awhile, I had a year or two before I was straight edge where I was into punk and experimented a bit with drugs, I was 11 and 12, smoking cigarettes, trying to be a bad ass. Then I met some of the HC dudes I played music with and they turned me on to straight edge. I'm not these days, however I have a lot of respect for anyone taking that path, especially when in high school when it's not the most popular choice.
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.Do you still feel out of step in the world today ?
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Mmmmm, not really, I live in NY, there are many different steps to get down with in this city. I'm not sure the world is in step with itself.
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How do you feel in the music scene today ?
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How do you feel in the music scene today ?
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The music scene these days seems to be lacking a bit, at least in NY, the venues aren't that exciting, and currently there isn't much of a feeling of any sort of movement, although these things go in cycles, so who knows. It's hard because that scene that I came up with was pretty special, I've gotten off since then, but as far as a "scene" it's really hard to compete with NYC in say 88'.
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What is the most important band you played in for you ?
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What is the most important band you played in for you ?
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I think Youth Of Today, Ray Cappo was an amazing front man, tons of energy, it really felt like we were making a difference, being a straight edge band and touring Europe for two months in 1989 was an adventure.
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What are your favorite releases you played on ?
Glassjaw "Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Silence", and CIV "Set Your Goals" probably.
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Who are the people or bands that had the biggest impact in your life ?
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Who are the people or bands that had the biggest impact in your life ?
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John Porcell and Walter Schreifels as far as people I've played with, we've seen a lot of the world together, made a lot of music together. Daryl Palumbo from Glassjaw as well, I'm playing in Head Autamatica with him now, he's a special dude. Outside of people I've played with? Hmmm, H.R. maybe, Stewart Copeland, Peter Tosh, Coltrane, there are many.
What playing music represents to you ?
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Again, the answer is pretty complex, but in short, it's kind of my favorite way to express myself, it always changes, there are always surprises and at the same time it's a very warm and familiar place for me.
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What kind of music do you listen to today ?
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Everything, my wife turns me on to a lot of new music, I love old hip hop and reggae, ummmm, it's tricky, there are so many different formats these days, ipods, CD's, I still have a lot of vinyl, I'm a bit overwhelmed.
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What are the news with Rival Schools ?
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We just did a tour called Soundwaves in Australia, we're recording a new album, should be done in May and out in August or September, we have a lot of material.
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How was the tour in Australia ?
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It was awesome, played music and went to the beach, great people there, they were into the band.
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What is the meaning of the name "Rival Schools" anyway?
What is the meaning of the name "Rival Schools" anyway?
It's from the video game "Rival Schools United By Fate", maybe it has something to do with the fact that we all came from different bands and came together to do this ? Not sure actually.
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Photo Ryan Muir.
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What do you think of France ?
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I really like it, my sister use to live in Paris and in Avignon, I miss it, it's got a strong culture obviously, that you can only find there, I hope to get back soon.
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What did your sister here ?.
She was married to a French guy for a bit, she always loved France, went there often. She actually went on to teach French back in NY.
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