The New Jersey hardcore band NINETY SIX (96) launched a free stream of their debut full-length entitled “Caught In The Grips” last week. The album was recorded at Big Blue Meenie Studio with Tim Giles (MADBALL, AGNOSTIC FRONT, TAKING BACK SUNDAY).
I don’t take kindly to reviews, so let the official press release and your own feel speak for itself. Press the play button below – you be the judge :)
Oh, and if you like, grab your copy of the album at this location.
In a genre where loyalty and tradition mean everything, North Jersey’s Ninety Six not only emulate those sentiments, but expands on them with a take on hardcore that seems to of been lost in todays breakdown laden heavy music scene. With their highly respected debut E.P.’s Blizzard and D.O.T.D under their belt, the bands first full-length has just been released surrounded by a massive cloud of praise and publicity.
Ninety-Six’s music is laced with energetic, groove-laden riffs that pays respect and homage to the way hardcore used to be done while staying original. Having already played with hardcore legends such as SICK OF IT ALL, SUICIDAL TENDENCIES, BIOHAZARD, CRO-MAGS , and MADBALL, Ninety Six’s sound continues to grow and garnish praise from those who know the band best, their fans. Ninety-Six is vocalist Corey Donahue, guitarists Patrick DeFrancisci and Mark Gurducci, bassist Giavanni Escamilla and drummer Steve Cerici.
Hi! Welcome, guys. How are you? You’ve just launched the full stream of your new album “Caught In The Grips”. What are your thoughts looking back on it?
Corey:
Really happy the reaction the record has gotten so far. Kids seem to love it and I hope people finally see that we are for real.
Pat:
The release has been awesome we’ve been getting so much positive feedback it’s just been fucking rad.
How did you make the decision to give it for free? Damn, the music industry has changed so much, huh? [smiles]
Pat:
Well we’re selling it through our label and on our Bandcamp for $10 but we felt like we just wanted everybody to hear it so we decided to stream it for free. At the point we’re at in this bands career we’re really just trying to get everything we have to offer to as many people as possible.
What physical formats is it available on?
Corey:
As of now it is available online and in CD format. We are planning to do a Vinyl release in the future so keep an eye out.
Pat:
Yeah we have it printed on actual disc and we also did a limited run of 25 tapedecks made specially for our record release show. Definitely keep an eye out for a vinyl pressing soon.
Cool. How do you remember your time spent at Big Blue Meenie Studio? How was it?
Corey:
It was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had. got to hang with my best friends and eat the best Cuban food everyday. And coffee was free. What more can you ask for?
Pat:
Yeah it was tight recording there it got a little crazy at times but the finished product was definitely worth every second of it.
You once said “Labels aren’t set up to promote music anymore, it’s set up to promote themselves and it’s that greed and overt self interest that leads to the over saturation and production of garbage.” How is your cooperation with Hotfoot Records going? [smiles]
Corey:
Hotfoot believed in us when no one else seemed to give a shit. Jeremy at hotfoot grew up in the hardcore scene and had a soft spot for the songs we wrote so it seemed like a good fit.
Pat:
[laughs] When I said that for the skulls n bones interview awhile back I was pretty fed up with labels only signing bands to jump on trends a lot of the signings and a lot of the records coming out just didn’t seem genuine. When we heard Hotfoot was interested we talked with Jeremy and he really wanted to help us out because he believed in the music and believed in what we were doing. I probably shouldn’t of over generalized but I’ll step down from my soapbox now.
What’s the inspiration behind the album, gentlemen?
Corey:
Everyday life growing up in NJ. Everything from pizza delivery to losing friends to drugs. It has a lot of meaning to us and isn’t about being tuff or complaining about girlfriends. We have so many inspirations in this record that it would be impossible to name them all.
Pat:
I can only speak about the riffs and instrumental side of it but throughout writing this record I went through a few pretty shitty times so I just kind of channeled all of that into some mean riffs and meaner songs.
Ok, there’s a nice buzz around the album, but about the most important aspect of being a hardcore band… which is touring! [smiles] When are you hitting the road? You promised a lot of it, so please share some details with us.
Corey:
Just bought an awesome senior citizens bus for $600 so we plan on driving that baby across the country in April.
Pat:
Yeah we’ll be on tour with our label mates xHONORx and DENOUNCER in early April we’ll be on the road for about 3 weeks so keep an eye open for the show announcements soon.
Alright. What are the chances to see you guys outside the US this year?
Corey:
We are really hoping to get to Europe as soon as possible. It’s something that we almost did last year and that everyone has their sights set on for the future.
Pat:
Hopefully soon.
Damn, I hate the word “soon” [laughs].
Let’s talk New Jersey for a while. How do you support and cultivate your local scene?
Corey:
We play more local shows than most of the bands in this area. Believe me when I say people tell us we play to much so I think we do our part in keeping the scene together.
Pat:
Yeah we’ve kind of had the mentality that if we are physically able to play a show then we’ll play it regardless of how much notice we’re given. We’ve developed a real good relationship with these guys at this place The Meatlocker we play all the time. We’re always down to fill in last minute over there if a touring band is coming through or if a band dropped last minute and they throw us on a lot of really good shows so it works out for everyone.
Cool. What were some of the craziest gigs you ever played?
Pat:
We played a motorcycle clubhouse bar thing in queens once owned by some Mexican motorcycle gang there were stripper poles on stage and stripper cages everywhere (but no strippers…) but anyway the cops rolled up and just shook everyone down hanging out outside I’m sitting at the bar watching this all go down via security camera TV conveniently placed in front of the bar and one of the brolic motorcycle dude takes off his cut and gives a knife the size of my head to the bartender before he went outside and dealt with the situation…..it was definitely strange to say the least.
Say what?! [laughs] Awesome.
Ok, what else would you like us to know about your current endeavors?
Corey:
Working on a music video so keep an eye out for that.
Pat:
Yeah putting together footage for the video other than that more shows in support of the record.
When do you plan to release it?
Pat:
No plans yet we’re still just recording all the footage we can.
Thanks so much for your time, guys! I wish the best of luck to NINETY SIX and hope to hear a lot more from you guys! I bet there’s a whole new world for you in this highly-anticipated “Caught In The Grips” album era. Cheers from Warsaw! [smiles]
Corey:
Thanks so much.
