Great live review of Roger Miret And The Disasters.
Rocker puts on a great show, despite low turnout
My fist is still air-pumping, and my spirit still shouting from a night of killer punk rock from NYC's Roger Miret and the Disasters, who beautifully blistered HYAMP (Huntington Youth Arts and Music Project, 2001R 7th Ave.) with a great sweaty set Tuesday night.
Miret's Web site says the band is "just at home in front of 50 kids as they are in front of 5,000."
Some artists say it's all about the music, but like Young Buck did at the Big Sandy Superstore Arena in the fall, they feign some sort of sickness if the crowd size isn't enough to gas the van and stroke the ego.
But Miret -- the Cuban-born, NYC-streets-raised rocker and front-man for the legendary NYC hardcore and punk band Agnostic Front -- isn't just talking smack. There were only about 50 or so kids -- and one obvious "old-school undercover punk in coffee-stained khakis" -- who showed up at HYAMP for the Tuesday night show.
We were richly rewarded.
In a black T-shirt, head-band and armed with a vintage, cream-colored Fender Telecaster, the muchos tattooed Miret stood among the crowd grooving on the opening acts, then quietly sauntered on stage and ripped up the joint with a Bruce-Springsteen-on-speed Tele-blast of nonstop street-crusted songs such as "Riot, Riot, Riot" and "Street Rock 'n' Roll," that he wrote with the band's guitarist, Rhys Kill.
Most of the night's tunes come from the band's new sophomore release, "1984," which comes out at the end of February in Europe and the United States on Epitaph Records.
Touring for the past two years, Miret and the Disasters (also, Brian Darwas on bass and vocals and Mike Mulieri on drums) played Tuesday night like there was no tomorrow, graciously thanked the opening acts (No Heroes Here, Two Bit Hoods and the Big Bad) and -- unlike so many bands you see -- seemed to actually be having a heck of a time.
If Miret seems happy, he's got good reason.
Agnostic Front too has a new CD ready to come out, "Another Voice," due to hit stores Jan. 25 on Nuclear Blast Records with guest appearances by Hatebreed lead singer Jamey Jasta, Scott Vogel from Terror and Karl Buechner from Earth Crisis.
The CD was produced by Jasta and Zeuss (Shadows Fall, Hatebreed, 100 Demons), and Agnostic Front will be supporting Hatebreed, the Connecticut-based hardcore band that was just nominated for a Grammy Award, on the "Heavyweights Of Hardcore 2" tour throughout January.
As if that isn't enough to shout about, Miret, Jasta and the guys in Agnostic Front will also be featured on a Feb. 14 segment of the Discovery Channel's hit show, "Monster Garage," playing the single, "Peace."
For those who missed the Disasters show, Miret will be back to slam HYAMP with Agnostic Front at 6 p.m. Friday, Jan. 21.
By DAVE LAVENDER - music columnist
href='http://www.herald-dispatch.com/2004/December/24/LFlist2.htm' target='_blank'>herald-dispatch.com