Walter Schreifels: Gorilla Biscuits, Quicksand, Youth of Today & Producing Title Fight

Summary

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HardLore – Episode Recap: Walter Schreifels (Gorilla Biscuits, Quicksand, Youth of Today & Producing Title Fight)

Date: January 29, 2026
Hosts: Colin Young, Bo Lueders
Guest: Walter Schreifels
Podcast: HardLore (Knotfest)

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Episode Overview

This episode features a deep biographical conversation with Walter Schreifels—a foundational figure in hardcore, known for his work with Gorilla Biscuits, Quicksand, and Youth of Today, as well as his production work with bands like Title Fight. Over a sprawling, candid discussion, Walter explores his origins in the New York scene, stories from early band experiences, his evolution as a songwriter, the interwoven histories of genre-defining bands, and reflections on hardcore’s enduring value and changing community. The episode is rich with first-hand lore, musical insights, scene history, and personal philosophy.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Early Life, Musical Upbringing, and Getting Into Punk/Hardcore

• Growing up in Queens and Rockaway Beach

  • Walter describes moving from Rockaway Beach to Astoria during high school.
  • Exposure to music began with his parents’ record collection—yacht rock from his dad (Steely Dan, Doobie Brothers), folk from his mom (Bob Dylan, Neil Young).
  • Found his own taste through late-night TV performances and radio (WLIR), absorbing everything from R.E.M. and Velvet Underground to early UK post-punk (Depeche Mode, The Smiths, Echo & The Bunnymen).
  • Entry into punk came after seeing “Rock and Roll High School” (feat. Ramones); punk appeared tangible and achievable:

    “It looked tangible. I wanted to learn how to play guitar. It seemed like these guys didn’t really know how to play that good, so chances are the entry would be a quicker entry.” (06:03)

• Discovering Hardcore

  • More immersed via specialized radio shows like "The Midnight Riot" which exposed him to NYHC and UK punk.
  • The search for records involved physically exploring Manhattan for cool record stores.
  • Show discovery took longer; networking began through a grocery store job, meeting Arthur (future Gorilla Biscuits bassist), who introduced him to CBGB and the inner NYHC scene.

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2. New York Hardcore Scene—Early to Mid-80s

• Scene Transitions & Band Crossovers (CoC, Leeway, Murphy’s Law, Urban Waste, GB, etc.)

  • The line between punk and metal was blurry—Walter notes early resistance to metal, but appreciation for bands like CoC (“cool version of crossover”), DRI and attitude-laden bands.
  • On Leeway:

    “You didn’t have to like metallic music to recognize that they were doing something really special. Especially if you saw them live, they were fucking way better, I thought.” (12:42)

  • Hardcore was in a “crossover period...in between things” as first-wave bands faded and new acts emerged.

• Community, Danger, and Social Navigation

  • Scene portrayed as mythically dangerous, but “figuring out how to make friends, build community, and being lucky” kept people in.
  • Memorable story about being attacked by skinheads saved by scene affiliation:

    “They realized they were beating up the wrong person because I was in Warzone.” (18:24)

  • The pit and surfing analogies—danger as rite of passage.

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3. Bands: Formation Stories and Evolution

• First Bands & Early Scenes

  • Initial projects included tongue-in-cheek school bands (The Rodents, Not Quite).
  • Started Gorilla Biscuits after moving to Astoria and befriending Arthur and the Token Entry crew.

• Origins of Gorilla Biscuits

  • Name coined from an offhand remark by Siv about drugs (“Gorilla Biscuits” as a drug slang):

    “I go, 'there's the band name. Name. Let’s go.'” (24:50)

  • Influences spanned Descendents, Murphy’s Law, AF, 7 Seconds, and Bad Brains; wanted melody but also fun, energetic, and sometimes silly lyrics.

• Youth of Today Connections

  • Dream was to be on Revelation Records—being asked was “like going out with the prettiest girl at school.”
  • Joined Youth of Today (replacing Craig Setari), toured on “Break Down the Walls,” and contributed significantly to “We’re Not In This Alone” (songwriting for key tracks like “Keep It Up,” “Disengage”).

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4. Musical Approach, Songwriting & Scene Dynamics

• Hardcore’s “Loud vs. Not Loud,” Positivity, and Scene Satire

  • Gorilla Biscuits’ songs intentionally had a sense of fun and tongue-in-cheek earnestness; while not a joke band, they parodied the hyper-seriousness of the scene but meant the positivity.
  • On “Start Today’s” positivity:

    “I wanted to make like 7 Seconds sound pessimistic. I just wanted it to be like the most positive album.” (56:05)

  • Youth crew fashion as subversion of punk anti-jock ideals; blending suburban athletic styles with hip-hop influences and sneaker culture.

• On Thanks Lists and Scene-Building

  • Inclusion of other bands in liner notes was “totally intentional” as a way to “breadcrumb” people into the scene.

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5. Reflections on Scene Shifts: From Youth Crew to Post-Hardcore

• Transition Out of Hardcore and Birth of Quicksand

  • As Gorilla Biscuits wound down (people aging out, shifting interests, internal musical differences), Walter began experimenting (“Moondog” project with future Quicksand members).
  • Quicksand deliberately aimed outside of the hardcore scene and drew on heavier alt-rock influences (Jane’s Addiction, Soundgarden, Fugazi).

• Views on Later Scene Trends

  • Noted frustration as youth crew style became formulaic and as violence in late-80s/early-90s scenes escalated:

    “When you’re a young 20-year-old...you’ll knife somebody. The violence was like out of hand. So I didn’t want to be a part of either scene.” (78:16)

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6. Songwriting, Band Roles, and Production

• On “Start Today” and Lasting Impact

  • Start Today was written at 18–19, a record Walter still sees as “absolutely perfect.”
  • Experiences in bands (and in filling multiple instrumental/lyrical roles) informed songcraft; feedback loop with audiences taught him what worked on stage and on record.

• Instrument Choices and Gear Tales

  • Played a Fender Stratocaster (with EMG pickup) in Gorilla Biscuits era—sold it later on; relayed stories of lost, swapped, and recovered gear, with some original gear now in the hands of new-generation musicians (e.g., members of Candy).

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7. Production, Influence, and Modern Reflections

• Producing Title Fight’s “Shed” (with Will Yip)

  • Recalls being approached via MySpace and working with a new generation inspired by his work, highlighting the cyclical nature of hardcore’s influence.
  • Noted how Internet-age bands receive scene influences in a non-linear, all-at-once way.

• Legacy and Influence

  • Recognizes Quicksand’s influence on bands from Deftones to Chevelle, and even jokes about feeling ripped off by LCD Soundsystem:

    “I think that 'Daft Punk is Playing at My House’ is a Gorilla Biscuit ripoff.” (81:52)

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8. Philosophy: Hardcore’s Enduring Value

• Community as the Core of Hardcore

  • Emphasizes the scene’s people-based, participatory nature:

    “I think I’m so lucky...that the hardcore scene continues to keep re-energizing itself... it’s more valuable now than ever because there’s so few things that are people based. Like this is...” (00:43/58:59/59:40)

  • Hardcore equips people with life skills: networking, self-starting, hustling, and community-building; these skills translate to the “real” world.

• Streaming, Ownership, and Meaning

  • Expresses ambivalence toward streaming—enjoys access to rare music but laments the loss of gatekeeping and investment that made records feel more meaningful. Advocates for more tangible community and releases (“big beautiful party, put our computers in a ditch”). (87:00)

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9. Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Hardcore’s Value:

  “Hardcore is about community... I think people are so isolated now. If you’re gonna be a hardcore, you’re dealing with people. You’re gonna be meeting physical humans.” (59:40–60:17)

• On Songwriting & Positivity:

  “I wanted to make 7 Seconds sound like pessimists. I just wanted [Start Today] to be the most positive album.” (56:05)

• On Scene Fashion & Identity:

  “That subversion of the jock look... rather than being the circle jerk man... you’re gonna dress like you’re a jock from the suburbs. We were also attuned to hip hop—buying fancy sportwear, nice sneakers...” (47:05–49:14)

• On Gear and Loss:

  “I don’t sweat the small stuff, really.” (67:19)

• Closing Advice:

  “Take care of yourselves. Be healthy. Try to make good choices and be good to one another.” (96:09)

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Timestamps for Major Segments

| Timestamp | Discussion | | --- | --- | | 00:29–06:03 | Walter’s musical roots, old NYC, first exposure to punk/hardcore | | 06:26–13:47 | Discovering NYHC, early scene lore, finding bands/the scene | | 15:39–19:56 | Scene dangers, acceptance, violence, surviving the pit | | 20:10–22:50 | Band origins: The Rodents, Not Quite, forming Gorilla Biscuits | | 22:50–30:57 | GB and Youth of Today formation, Revelation Records lore | | 33:37–42:47 | Touring with Youth of Today, scene structure, rivalries, and stories | | 46:38–56:57 | Scene fashion, youth crew look, songwriting philosophy | | 56:57–62:23 | “Start Today” details, scene positivity, GB’s legacy | | 62:23–66:02 | Thanks lists as scene maps, integrity-victory label anecdote | | 70:33–76:41 | Transition from Gorilla Biscuits to Quicksand | | 79:40–83:56 | Reflections on Start Today & Slip, recording philosophies | | 84:06–87:51 | Streaming, meaning of records, music economy today | | 88:13–93:28 | Producing Title Fight/Shed, intergenerational scene linkage | | 94:58–96:09 | Walter’s top hardcore records, final thoughts |

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Final Section: Walter’s Four Essential Hardcore Albums

• Suicidal Tendencies – Suicidal Tendencies
• Dead Kennedys – Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables
• Minor Threat – All EPs lumped as one
• Youth of Today – Break Down the Walls

“It’s kind of like a blueprint for something.” (95:28)

Honorable mentions:
Negative Approach – "Tied Down," Bad Brains – "I Against I," more.

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Closing Words

Walter Schreifels closes with characteristic humility and care:

“Take care of yourselves. Be healthy. Try to make good choices and be good to one another.” (96:09)

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Quick Reference: Notable Quotes

• “I wanted to learn how to play guitar. It seemed like these guys didn’t really know how to play that good, so chances are the entry would be a quicker entry.” (06:03)
• “You didn’t have to like metallic music to recognize that [Leeway] were doing something really special. Especially if you saw them live...” (12:42)
• “Hardcore is about community...I think people are so isolated now.” (59:40)
• “I don’t sweat the small stuff, really.” (67:19)
• “Take care of yourselves...and be good to one another.” (96:09)

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This summary captures the core themes, stories, and insights of the Walter Schreifels HardLore episode—a must-listen for fans of hardcore history, band lore, and scene wisdom.

Transcript

[Walter Schreifels]

I started Gorilla Biscuit and we, you know.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

So Roller biscuits. Is that your first, first hardcore?

[Walter Schreifels]

Like. Yeah.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

37 or 38 years later.

[Walter Schreifels]

Yeah.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

You did one LP.

[Walter Schreifels]

Yeah.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

And you're on top still.

[Walter Schreifels]

Oh man, you know, it's. It's. I think I'm so lucky. The hardcore scene continues to keep re. Energizing itself and re. You know, it's just. And I think it's like more valuable now than ever because there's so few things that are people based. Like this is.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

Hello, welcome. It's hard lore time. How you doing, Bo?

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

I could not be better in this moment.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

This is a big day. This is. Some would say it's decades in the making here.

[Walter Schreifels]

This is.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

We've got here one of the most prolific minds to ever make hardcore music.

[Walter Schreifels]

Right.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

I dare say the original heartthrob in our sport. Queens, New York. Astoria, Queens. Many of your favorite bands. Many of our favorite bands, Bo, Take.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

It away from youth of today. Gorilla Biscuits, Quicksand, Rival schools. Many others, many others.

[Walter Schreifels]

Just leave it there.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

Mr. Walter Schreifels.

[Walter Schreifels]

Hey guys, thanks to be. Thanks for inviting me here.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

Thank you so much.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

Thanks for coming.

[Walter Schreifels]

Yeah.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

I asked him two tie downs ago.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

Okay.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

Been punishing him ever since.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

Here we are, 2026. Can you believe that?

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

No.

[Walter Schreifels]

Yeah. It seems I live in New York and I have noticed there's so many like super futuristic tall buildings. Yeah. But I mean what did I want it to be? The same as it was when I was 20, you know what I mean? It's kind of futuristic and stuff. I guess it's just happening. What are you gonna do? But yeah. 2026. Here we are. Let's deal with it.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

40 years of basically everything good ever.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

Yeah.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

Growing up in Queens. Astoria, Queens.

[Walter Schreifels]

I lived in Astoria, Queens. When I moved, I moved there for high school. You know, my mom moved, so I lived there in high school. But for the majority of my like elementary, junior high and stuff was in Rockaway Beach.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

Rockaway beach, like the songs?

[Walter Schreifels]

Yes.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

How do you find music and how does music evolve to finding punk and hardcore?

[Walter Schreifels]

My first initial music stuff was my parents record collection.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

What'd that look like?

[Walter Schreifels]

My dad had a lot of yacht rock kind of stuff and my mom had more folk kind of stuff like. Yeah. My dad was more Steely Dan, Doobie Brothers and my mom was more Bob Dylan, Donovan, Neil Young. Sure. And so kind of parsed through that stuff. And then I had cousins that were into like just rock and roll, like album oriented rock, you know. So I got living in New York, you get Bruce Springsteen and all that kind of stuff. I used to stay up, Wes. I started to get my own taste. It was from staying up late to watch Saturday Night Live, the Guests. And there were shows. And was very hard to stay up that late when you're like 10, 11 years old.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

I would.

[Walter Schreifels]

You know. And there were shows on even after Saturday Night Live, like Don Kirschner's rock concert, which sounds so ancient. And, you know, I would just discover a band here or there. Then once I was old enough to start buying records, I would. I would even read Rolling. I started to read Rolling Stone. Anything got like, a really good review, I would. I would.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

No matter what it was.

[Walter Schreifels]

Well, you know, we'd have to. The record cover would have to appeal to me. You know, stuff like that. But I. That's how I got into, like, R.E.M. i forgot their first EP when I was probably, like, I don't know, 11 or 12, because it got a great review. Or the Velvet Underground. I got into them when they got reissued in that time. And there was a radio station in New York, it was actually in Long island called WLIR that used to play a lot of imports from the uk. So when all this really cool stuff was happening in the 80s, I would hear on this one particular radio station, like, all the sort of. Like, I heard the Smiths when the first single came out, like all the sort of Depeche Mode, Blanche Roma md, Like, all of that kind of, like electro pop that was coming out of UK in the early 80s. Echo and the Bunnyman, like, a lot of that kind of, like, post punk kind of stuff. Xtc, all that kind of stuff. When that was all happening, I was hearing it on. On this radio station.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

So that came all before punk music for you?

[Walter Schreifels]

Yeah, I mean, you know, I was aware of the Sex Pistols by that time I had seen the rock and roll high school film banger. And I actually went with my cousin. We were gonna go see the Kids Are All Right, which was the who movie. Ended up being a double feature. So we stayed for the second movie, which was Rock and Roll High School.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

Oh, cool.

[Walter Schreifels]

And that really.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

That did it more.

[Walter Schreifels]

I mean, Kids Are All Right was amazing too. That definitely has had a huge impact on me. But rock and roll high school was looking at. It was a view into a music scene that was not big, you know what I mean?

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

Like, it was right there.

[Walter Schreifels]

It was right there, you know, you. You're. I mean, it looked like. It looked like tangible. You know what I mean? Like A I wanted to learn how to play guitar. It seemed like these guys didn't really know how to play that good. So chances are the entry would be a quicker entry. And they just seemed cool. Like they were wearing black leather jackets.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

And talking about your neighborhood.

[Walter Schreifels]

Just. It was funny and fun and. And the lyrics were funny and fun and so I was aware of the Ramones, I was aware of the Sex Pistols. So I think I got into hardcore. You know, I had gotten to Dead Kennedy's album, you know, so these are sort of the big heavy hitter bands that you. I was thinking of it in terms of punk, but then there was a radio show like I think was on Sunday nights on lar. They started to do called the Midnight Riot. And that was all like a lot more punk from the uk, but also New York hardcore. So that's one of the first times I listened. One of the first songs I heard was. Gosh, I remember, like hearing Urban Waste on the radio. Wow. And Beastie Boys for a single.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

And.

[Walter Schreifels]

All these like, you know, alongside gbh, alongside, you know, Anti Nowhere League and all this other kind of stuff.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

Very proto New York hardcore.

[Walter Schreifels]

Yeah, yeah. I mean, the first up, the first seven Inches, I mean, Urban Way seven Inch was on Shit. I can't remember what record label that was, but the Beastie Boys record was on Rat Cage. So that made me more aware of what it was that that was a.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

Thing, something that was really happening that wasn't necessarily in a movie.

[Walter Schreifels]

It was not in a movie.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

Even more tangible.

[Walter Schreifels]

Yeah, that was like, where. What record store am I gonna have to find to find these records? Like, I'm gonna have to go to Manhattan and just walk around areas that I think are cool. There's no way to. To know where the record store was gonna be. You would just go to an area where there was like, you know, St. Mark's Place or something like that. And you just walk through and try to find thing and then another.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

How do you find the shows from there?

[Walter Schreifels]

That took a little while longer. It wasn't really until I moved to Astoria, which was in my sophomore. No, my junior year of high school. I moved in the summer before my junior year and I started working at a grocery store. And Arthur, the bass player of Grilla Biscuits, started working at the grocery store. And I trained him and we were both into the same kind of music. But he had already been going to CBs. Oh, really?

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

Was he already dressed in fancy.

[Walter Schreifels]

He already looked. He wasn't dressing like how he looks now, but he looked Cool and punk. Like, he had, like, bleached hair and, you know, he's wearing vans and you couldn't really get vans at that time. And so he and Kraut were from Astoria, too. Kraut was another band that I was.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

Aware of when we spent the day with Mike Dejon and Jojo from Hurst. We went to the bench at the. At the park in the story next to the Bridge and Crow, the band, that's. That's what they described as.

[Walter Schreifels]

Oh, yeah.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

Kraut and Leeway were like, those are the bands that did it all.

[Walter Schreifels]

I mean, those got to me. Kraut was like. I mean, you listen to their record now, it's like as good as any British rock punk rock record of the time. Like, it's got so many hooks. They had such a cool vibe, their whole thing. I think they were just like a little ahead of the curve, maybe. But they were from Astoria. To me, they were rock stars. But by the time I got to Astoria, they had already kind of crested in a way, I think. And it was sort of like a weird. I think it was 85 time, like, where there was. That first wave of bands have mostly broken up.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

United Blood is out.

[Walter Schreifels]

Yeah.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

Quarrel is about to come out.

[Walter Schreifels]

Af. Yeah. Cause For Alarm had not yet come out. So they were still. There was just sort of, you know, CoC were probably the biggest band and they weren't, you know, they're from the Carolinas. Yeah. They weren't from New York. So New York's, I guess Murphy's Law was probably the biggest band in New York.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

Were you looking at CoC as a hardcore band at the time?

[Walter Schreifels]

No. I thought CoC was a cool version of crossover.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

Yeah.

[Walter Schreifels]

You know, at that time, like, to me, I did not. Was not into metal because metal was, like, way more defined, like. And a lot of it was just like, just garbage, you know what I mean? A lot of it was just like, you know, kids in my high school were into, like, Cinderella or thinking like, you know, Daken was so badass. Like, I can get into Daken and appreciate it now, but.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

Are you hearing Celtic Frost at the time?

[Walter Schreifels]

Yeah. This was the thing. But Celtic Frost was more like. It's. It's harder to look at it now. Like, Celtic Frost was underground music.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

Yeah.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

Yeah.

[Walter Schreifels]

So that had my respect. It just was not my taste. Sure. Because I think it was more.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

You.

[Walter Schreifels]

Know, I just wasn't. I was looking for, like. I wanted to live in, like, a Suicidal Tendencies video. I wanted to be like, don't we all, you know, being punk. You know what I mean? I wanted to be in suburbia and stuff like that, and that sort of, like, Celtic Frost vision of the world was legit and authentic. And I had friends in high school that I could relate to that were into Celtic Frost, but that just was not my aesthetic. That's not where I was aimed. And surely anything that was, like, technically metal played to me was like anathema. And I thought that CoC were coming from a punk place and, like, grabbing that in a way that I thought was, like, cool.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

Yeah.

[Walter Schreifels]

Like, good.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

You say it all the time. He says all the time. Death metal made by punks is. That's the better kind of metric.

[Walter Schreifels]

It's great. There's not so many examples, but, like, DRI were really kind of doing that at that time. But I thought Technocracy by CoC was really good. I saw them at CBs.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

Blind is mine. That's my number one.

[Walter Schreifels]

Yeah.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

I can't believe it.

[Walter Schreifels]

That was a little later, but, yeah, I didn't. I wasn't following them at that point, but they. They were the band. And so New York scene was like. I mean, obviously Murphy's Law was so great. Yeah. And I would say that they were kind of like, in their prime, maybe at that time as the biggest band. Leeway at that time. Like, those guys are younger. Maybe Dijon and Joe.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

Yeah.

[Walter Schreifels]

Not by a lot, but hardcore years. Yeah. Like, our perspectives might be slightly different. Leeway had a demo out at that time. Leeway were not big. They were. They could play CBs, maybe do their own matinee, maybe. But they were. And. And Leeway were kind of, like, way more attuned to that metal crossover thing.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

Yeah.

[Walter Schreifels]

And so I couldn't help but, like, Liyue A, because I knew AJ and I knew Eddie, and they were fucking cool.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

Yeah.

[Walter Schreifels]

And they were like older dudes. And the music was just so good. You didn't have to like metallic music to recognize that they were doing something really special. And especially if you saw them live, they were fucking way better, I thought.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

And the LP took the Born to Expire, took so long to actually come out that it was like this secret amongst your community of, like, we know these songs.

[Walter Schreifels]

Yeah. I mean, it did take a little while. That wasn't unusual, you know what I mean? Because it's bands, you know, wasn't. It took a while before there were even record labels to be interested in this stuff, you know, like the time, like, 85, when leeway, they used to be Called Unruled, but I think by that time they were probably called Leeway, were just sort of early adapters. And I have never really talked to AJ about it, but I guess AJ just really knew how to play fucking metal was insane. Yeah, in a cool way that. That made sense with hardcore, but like, basically, long story short, the scene was, I felt, yeah, in a crossover period, you know, it's like in between things.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

So how do you go from the double feature and looking for these records to your first?

[Walter Schreifels]

So anyway, so I met Arthur and then. So I got invited into like the Token Entry kind of camp because they were. And they were sort of like. They had been in a band called Gorilla Gilligan's Revenge. And they. Token Entry was sort of like their. They were sort of in between too. They were sort of like hardcore punk, but also kind of wanted to be a rock band.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

Right.

[Walter Schreifels]

So they were. A lot of this music was just in between, I think at that time. But anyway, Anthony was the singer. Anthony, who was later in Killing Time, was the singer of Token Entry at that time.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

One of the great.

[Walter Schreifels]

He fucking best dude. He was very much a mentor to. To me and Siv and Ernie as well. Like those Token Entry guys, especially Ernie and Anthony really like, turned us on to different music and through what they were doing, showed us like, you know, what it's like to be in a band and all this kind of stuff. So the first shows I would go to when I. When I moved to Astoria, I used to just start. I started going to the big shows like, you know, Ted Kennedy Circle Jerks, like the big shows that you could read about in the newspaper. And I would look at seabees and I knew that there was something going on there, but I was a little bit scared and I didn't know what day to go. So it wasn't until I went. Until I made friends with Arthur and those guys that I started going to seabees. And that just kind of. It's maybe like a year or so of just kind of like this, like in between sort of mid period. And then within that year, you know, Sick of It all, started playing Gorilla Bizkit, started playing Youth Today, came to New York, you know, just this SC Started to like, really start to match.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

Yeah. So did you have any trouble growing up in this kind of mythically dangerous time and around these mythically dangerous groups of people as an incredibly handsome young man?

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

Oof.

[Walter Schreifels]

I wasn't, you know, I was one of those kind of, you know, not aware of my effect on people.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

At that time.

[Walter Schreifels]

Good for. You know, it's only now that I get into the podcast world that I.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

That you learn everybody's wives. I'm kind of like, you're the hall pass.

[Walter Schreifels]

I just don't know that. Yeah. So I'm learning this now.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

You're doing great.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

You're doing great.

[Walter Schreifels]

I'm trying for you, trying to remain humble.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

But, yeah, this scary time, you're like, you're a smaller guy amongst giants.

[Walter Schreifels]

Oh, yeah. I think that's probably part of the thrill of it. Not just for me, but I think for a lot of people, because it's all relative. There's always somebody that can beat you up or intimidate you. I think the fun of going into the pit and going to these dangerous parts of town and all this kind of stuff is that you get that you survive it. And you're like, I'm kind of a little bit more of a badass today than I was yesterday. You know, if you go into the pit and people are running around, it looks like a bit violent. And people seem to know each other and you don't know them, or people know how to do it and you don't know how to do it, and you jump into that, and that's what keeps coming back. Yeah, but a lot of people don't make it. A lot of people jump in. Some punches them in the head, and they're like, this is not for me. Or they get beat up because they're the new kid, and it's like jail. And they're like, I don't want to go back there. You know, it's a bad place. I think figuring how to, you know, make friends, build community, and being lucky, you know what I mean? Because you could just be there the wrong day.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

Were you accepted and looked out for right away, or are there any, like, key instances coming to mind of a big bad guy coming to your defense for something?

[Walter Schreifels]

I remember because it happens a lot.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

We talked to Craig just the other day.

[Walter Schreifels]

Oh, dude. I came to a call. Let me think of, like, where someone came to my aid.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

Like, no, Walter's cool. I know he's small and handsome, but.

[Walter Schreifels]

Yes, yes. There was once I was walking down the street with a couple of friends or maybe a few friends, and we were walking down Avenue Way, and this group of skinheads came up to us. Arthur was with me. Arthur and I think Gus and these guys just. There's probably four or five of them just attacked us. One of them. One of them was hold me behind and was like, holding my arms and like hitting me in the head. And I was just like, I don't know if you guys have ever been beaten up, but. Or got it. But there's an adrenaline rush. And I was just thinking, like, first of all, it's moving slow. And I was like, this doesn't hurt as bad as I thought this experience would hurt.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

Yeah.

[Walter Schreifels]

You know what I mean? And it said before, I said in my mind is like, they're gonna realize at a certain point that they're beating up the wrong person. Someone's gonna understand it and I'm gonna be okay. And that's ultimately what happened. They realized that they were beating up the wrong person because I was in warzone. And I think one of my guys just kind of made it clear to them that I was in warzone. Like, he's in warzone. You're beating up the wrong guy. And big.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

No, no.

[Walter Schreifels]

So, yeah, but I mean, I didn't like, weaponize it or anything.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

Yeah, of course.

[Walter Schreifels]

You know, there was really. I mean, it was so long ago. I can't really remember how I played. I'm sure it sucked. And I remember the next day my head hurting fucking bad. Like, luckily it wasn't. Like I had bruise on my face, but like my. I was like, oh, my God, I have such a headache. This is like. So that they hit me hard.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

Okay. But that adrenaline saved you in the back.

[Walter Schreifels]

But the adrenaline saved me. It was kind of like when you're. And I think this is a good metaphor for being in the pit too. It's like growing up in Rockaway. You go out when the waves are big and you get knocked down and you're knocked under, so you're spinning and sometimes you don't even know, like, what. Which way is up. But if you keep, like, struggling to get up, you're fucked. It's not gonna help you. What you have to do is.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

Sounds a lot like quicksand.

[Walter Schreifels]

Or quicksand is another one. But you're in there, you're in the pit and you're like, oh, God, I might die. And then just kind of let your body just don't fight it and just kind of find your way out of it.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

Yeah.

[Walter Schreifels]

And then get out of it. And then you're back on the side. You're like, oh, my God, I'm still alive.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

Exactly.

[Walter Schreifels]

Surfing is just like moshing and surfing too. Yeah, it's, it's, it's very similar.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

So you said you're in warzone at the time. Let's Go back a little bit. What was the first band you ever played in?

[Walter Schreifels]

First band I ever played in. We didn't really play like shows at venues and stuff, but like parties and talent shows and stuff like that. We were called the Rodents and we were kind of like being like, you know, sort of punk songs. We had songs making fun of kids in our class and stuff like that. And then we kind of got better at our instruments. We went a little bit more like deeper. And then we became Not Quite sick.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

Sick name.

[Walter Schreifels]

That was pretty sick. And the bass player got like a not quite denim jacket painting on the back of his jacket.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

How long did that band last? How many weeks?

[Walter Schreifels]

In like. Yeah, you know what I mean? In like kid years it was like a long. It was a whole era. But in actual time it was probably like three months.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

Yeah.

[Walter Schreifels]

And then. And then I. I moved. I had a year of high school in Ohio, cuz my dad lived in Ohio. So I. I lived in Toledo, Ohio for my sophomore year of high school. Then I. When I came back, I moved to Astoria.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

Yeah. So then you joined War Zone?

[Walter Schreifels]

Well, Gorilla Biscuits. I started Gorilla Biscuits and we, you know.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

So Gorilla Biscuits, is that your first?

[Walter Schreifels]

First hardcore, like. Yeah.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

Okay.

[Walter Schreifels]

Because I made friends with like Arthur and this token entry crew and we were all in Astoria.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

Yeah.

[Walter Schreifels]

And because the timeline is a little weird.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

It is weird because your first credited appearance on a piece of vinyl is for both Warzone and Youth of Today on the Together comp.

[Walter Schreifels]

And I'm also on Death Before Dishonor. No. What are they called? Super Touch. I'm on that record too, but I'm not credited.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

Really?

[Walter Schreifels]

Yeah. Which is fucked up. Well, that's fine. Mark apologized. We're good. But I.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

Did you play guitar on the whole.

[Walter Schreifels]

I play bass on it.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

Wow.

[Walter Schreifels]

On Search for the Light. And I also played on Youth Today. I played on Youth Today, Gorilla Biscuits, Warzone and Super Touch. Super Touch. I played on four of the seven songs on that first seven inch. So, you know, still waiting for my credit for that.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

No one's still waiting for that 85 bucks.

[Walter Schreifels]

You know what I mean?

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

I really do.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

So Girl Biscuits was the first one.

[Walter Schreifels]

It was the first band that I did. Did that when I moved to Astoria and Met My Heart. This is like. This is gonna be a hardcore band. Okay. And Gorilla Biscuits was like kind of more. I wanted it to be like Descendants, really. Like that was. That was the initial thing.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

Because you can hear that on Start Today.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

Yeah, there's. I mean, there's melody baked in. You Know.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

Yeah.

[Walter Schreifels]

So it kind of evolved as. As like, Straight Edge came in and, you know, youth of today and like that whole youth crew thing, like, it definitely spun gorilla biscuits from sort of like Humorous Descendants slash Murphy's Law AF. Yeah. Influences to something more aligned to 7 seconds and stuff like, you know, in that. That was.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

Sure.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

Did you come up with the name?

[Walter Schreifels]

I didn't come up with it, but I. I. Siv was just talking about different drugs that he. Because he. Yeah, he was in junior high and he was. Siv's been straight edge since then. Like, when I met him, I think he was straight edge. How long were you straight Edge, Walter, in those time? Years. Forever.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

Okay.

[Walter Schreifels]

But regular years. Probably till I was like, probably 20, 21 and then set probably like three or four years.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

You know, those are important years to be straight.

[Walter Schreifels]

I'm grateful for those years. It's true. They've. They set the tone for like, knowing when you're over your skis and. And just keeping yourself surrounding yourself with the right people. Don't put yourself in dangerous situations.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

Absolutely. I never. I'm always so lost on. On Straightedge lineage between old straight edge bands, the formative straight edge bands, like, how long they were Straight Edge when it became this kind of lifetime commitment thing. And then Bo tells me the story of you guys at dinner.

[Walter Schreifels]

Oh, what'd I do? Did I make a Straight Edge show?

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

You and I and our mutual friend. Friend of the show, Jordan Olds.

[Walter Schreifels]

Yeah, I love Jordan.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

Got dinner when Harmsway played at the Bowery Ballroom not too long ago.

[Walter Schreifels]

That was a great night.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

And we were talking about something and you were like, yes, youth crew. Cause I'd mentioned that I was really into youth crew. We were talking about music.

[Walter Schreifels]

Yes.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

I love it. I love. Anyway, guys, margaritas. It was just Jordan and I kind of looked at each other, you know, it was just one of my.

[Walter Schreifels]

Nobody will believe you.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

Yeah, nobody will believe me. So, okay, so Sid was talking about it. You heard it, and you thought.

[Walter Schreifels]

Yeah, he was just talking about drugs that he dealt in junior high. And it was like, he's like yellow sevens, you know, all these, like, drug name things, you know, gorilla biscuits and blah, blah, blah. Just like. What was that one that you just said? And he said, gorilla biscuits. I go, there's the band name. Name. Let's go.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

Wow.

[Walter Schreifels]

Yeah, that was the one.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

And here we are.

[Walter Schreifels]

And he was so cool that he actually went, all right, this sounds good. Which is amazing because you said, that sounds stupid.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

So the GB. I mean, the demo and the 7 inch. The 7 inch is pretty hard.

[Walter Schreifels]

7 inch of gorilla Biscuits.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

Yes.

[Walter Schreifels]

Okay. I like to hear that.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

It's pretty hard, especially compared to. To start today.

[Walter Schreifels]

Yeah.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

It's not as manic and crazy as I can't close my eyes or even break down the walls, which I think are kind of influences. What I mean, you mentioned contemporary.

[Walter Schreifels]

Yeah, contemporary, Yeah, I guess. Definitely Can't Close My Eyes would have been a big one. That was such a huge record. I don't know. I can't remember when Break down the Walls came out, but short. Yeah, certainly. Yeah. That and also being in Youth Today informed my songwriting because I was in. To me, the Youth Today at that time were the absolute best band in a musical way.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

They still are.

[Walter Schreifels]

Yeah. There's the other bands at the time that were absolutely great for all different reasons, but in a musical, I just thought that's the best shit. So I was playing in the band at that time, so I was just.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

Soaking up, sponging it and then applying it.

[Walter Schreifels]

Sponging all the info and then just then using that information to apply. But I think with the 7 inch, similar. But I'm just drawing off a more broader Bad Brains, for sure. And we weren't as good at playing. Not that we ever got that great. But we. We were, you know. But the songs are sort of always had a silliness to them, I thought, for the most part, you know, like.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

You'Re called Gorilla Biscuits.

[Walter Schreifels]

You're called Gorilla Biscuits. And I always wanted to have, like, an overly serious point of view that it's almost funny. Yeah, in a way, like, it's sort of like. There was a band called what they call it Crucial Youth that were, like, making fun of the genre. And I think Gorilla Biscuits, in a way was like, almost right up to the line of that. Except that we meant it. You know what I mean? Yeah, yeah. Like, I think it's really. When I think about it, I had, like, an idea of how when we were talking about the scene before, like, from Youth Today and all that kind of stuff, and seeing shows, like at the Anthrax and in Connecticut versus shows in New York, I guess like a vision of a scene where everybody was, like, cool to each other and supportive and not violent. You know, there's a lyric in Finish what you started, where it goes, Wish I could see music and scene attitude free and nobody's mean. Yeah.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

And it's funny, but is it true?

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

Yeah, right.

[Walter Schreifels]

Exactly. So I always want to play to that. To that.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

So it's a little tongue in cheek.

[Walter Schreifels]

Yeah, yeah, for sure. But I mean. But also real. Yeah, but. But the thing of the New York hardcore scene is like, yo, we don't take no.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

But that's changing with youth today.

[Walter Schreifels]

Yeah. And youth today. We're kind of putting a righteous, you know, finger pointing war zone as well. Sort of cleaning up the nihilism of the scene that had sort of, kind of was done anyway in a way, you know, it's turning the page on all that. So the grill biscuit stuff was like, you got a big mouth. You know, like it's funny. Yeah, I think.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

And that's why you have Rabies doing his part.

[Walter Schreifels]

Rabies is doing. So it starts off. Yeah, but dude, people do have big mouths and I wish they would just shut him up sometimes. You know what I mean? But it's not like. So when you say it's hard musically, I didn't think I wanted people to dance to it. I wanted people to take it seriously in the pit. I didn't want it to be a joke band at all, but I wanted it to be like, have a sense of fun and of joy and of. And of like, you know, earnestness, you know, interesting.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

Amen.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

That song in particular, Big Mouth. The. The kind of harmonic.

[Walter Schreifels]

Yeah, yeah.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

Do you write that?

[Walter Schreifels]

Wrote all of it.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

You wrote all of it?

[Walter Schreifels]

I wrote everything.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

And you were lyricist as well?

[Walter Schreifels]

For everything. Everything. Damn. Wow.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

Good on you, man.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

I mean, some of that stuff, I.

[Walter Schreifels]

Don'T know how I wrote those songs.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

I'll tell you know, it took me. I was literally in my 30s when I figured out what you guys were saying in like Biscuit Power. Like, that's like spelling it out. I had no idea. I didn't know what was going on. Yeah, I didn't know. I thought I was hearing Dragon's Lair. But you're actually saying Dragons Lair.

[Walter Schreifels]

Yeah, for the Dragon's Lair.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

What is the Dragon's Lair?

[Walter Schreifels]

Dragon's Lair is a video game at the time of the. In the 80s where it was like, really cheesy but kind of slick at the time where it was sort of a choose your adventure.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

Yeah.

[Walter Schreifels]

Game. And it was like, with these sort of filmed cartoons. And you'd be like, choose room one, choose two. And then you get through that room. And then you'd be like, okay, you made it this far. Choose this room or that room. It was stupid. I never even really played it, but I just. I think it rhymed with something. Yeah, but better watch out. Better be scared.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

Yeah.

[Walter Schreifels]

Quarter for the Dragon's lair.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

So then, okay, so help my timeline, please. Grill Biscuits was already a thing. How do you get linked up with YouTube today, you think?

[Walter Schreifels]

Because GB were coming up and we were. Dude, our dream was to get on Revelation Records and.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

Such an achievable dream.

[Walter Schreifels]

Yeah, well, I mean, at the time, it was like such a gate. Like, that was the. That was the ultimate thing. I mean, there wasn't really any other records on it. There was like the comp, which we got on. So that was magic. But once we heard that Ray was doing a record label, it was gonna be called Revelation, we just wanted to be down because there was really not really any other record labels in New York. As many bands as there were. And, you know, the bands like Crumb Suckers or Agnostic Front or this is.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

All the, like, Combat Caroline.

[Walter Schreifels]

Yeah, they had all signed to these sort of like, more metal labels. So they were the sort of like, hardcore signing on the metal label. And the metal label was like, had all the shit contracts and all the music business crap.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

Yeah.

[Walter Schreifels]

But they didn't really have the push of like, an actual major label.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

So, I mean, that's still having. It's still how it is right now.

[Walter Schreifels]

Yeah. So you get a certain exposure to an audience, but I wasn't really aiming for that. But those bands had joined that thing. So there was no, like, hardcore independent label at the time. So Revelation came out. We're like, oh, my God, I want to be on Revelation. And, you know, they. I remember Ray and Jordan came up to me at a show at the Ritz and they were like, hey, do you want to go beyond Revelation? Oh, my God, yes. And then it was sort of like, you know, you're going to go out with the prettiest girl at school or something. This is your dream about it. And then nothing. Then, like, nothing happened. And they just. All the communication went dead. And I saw him, oh, we're going to do it. Oh, yeah. You know, some other time also still happening. We'll see what happens or whatever. And so we were on the radar, I guess. I had been playing with Warzone and Craig quit Youth of Today to join Agnostic Front. And they. At a show at the Pyramid, they asked me to play bass. And I was like, fuck, yeah.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

Yeah.

[Walter Schreifels]

I mean, they were. That was basically like joining. Joining the Rolling Stones. Yeah. You know, to me at the time, it's like. And we're going on tour.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

Yeah.

[Walter Schreifels]

So this is like end of High School, 1987. We're going on tour for Break down the Walls.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

First tour.

[Walter Schreifels]

First tour for me. Yeah. US tour. The first US tour for youth today too. Wow.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

Any memories? Any fond memories?

[Walter Schreifels]

Oh my God, so many. I mean it was. It was absolutely epic. You know, we all shaved our heads, we looked like nutjobs. We were all teenagers, shaved heads, driving this van around like every city was. You know, you're just not to be like old about it, but it's like, you know, you're looking at maps, calling people from gas stations, you're talking to kids, you're never talking to adults, you're rarely playing venues. Things you go drive to a city and there's just no show or. You know what I mean, just all this kind of crap. And you're always picking up shows and you're always staying at different people's houses. You know, we were living on a, you know, $5 a day PD for a while until that ran out. Then we were just shoplifting and you know, we played some incredible shows. Like one of the highlights was what we were in Texas, I think, and we got an offer to play a show in LA a few days or a couple days later with the Exploited at Fenders Ballroom, which was like a very. Was the epic hardcore venue in Southern California.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

Is that still around today?

[Walter Schreifels]

No, it's been gone for a long time now.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

There's one of the craziest flyers ever was at Fenders Ball.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

Fenders Ball. It doesn't have a different name now maybe?

[Walter Schreifels]

No, I don't think so. I don't even know if the billing is there or not anymore, to be honest.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

And it is Fender. It was in like the Fender font, wasn't it?

[Walter Schreifels]

Yeah. Hey, for all I know, maybe it was the Fender factory. I had to look into that.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

But was there a show? I could be mistaking it with another one, but there was like you. You played some with maybe Uniform Choice on that tour as well as a seven second show.

[Walter Schreifels]

We played with Uniform Choice, I don't think on that tour, but played with them a couple times. Chibi played with Uniform Choice. Yeah, Uniform Choice and Wish and well Records. That was a big thing too for gb. I mean just like that between Youth and A. And Uniform Choice, Wishing well Records, Revelation Records. These forces were so powerful in hardcore, not only because they were doing something really cool, but they were also. It was only a few years prior, but like they were plugging into the hardcore scene that I wanted to be in. I didn't want to be in a metal scene, I wanted to be in a hardcore scene. So they were referencing Minor Threat. They were referencing Negative Approach. They're referencing ssd. Like, all the bands that, like, I thought that's the scene that I. And they were doing the most creative scene, supporting work. You know, Ray was putting together these matinees at the Pyramid Club. And the scene in New York just had gotten so diverse and awesome. Like, and it just. Yeah. So the tour, anyway, going back to the tour was fantastic. And I met so many everybody place that I went. I would meet, you know, the most core people of a city that were gonna like, write the fanzine, form the band, book the show. And I know a lot of those people from that very first tour that are still like, that's what they do as professional people. And that, you know, how the fuck would I know anybody in Salt Lake City? Like, that just was not gonna happen for me. But now I go pretty deep there.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

Were you a four piece for that tour?

[Walter Schreifels]

Five piece. We had Richie, the singer of Underdog was. Was the guitar player and. And Mike, the drum. The singer of Judge was the drummer.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

The drummer seen as kind of the. The like, wow lineup.

[Walter Schreifels]

It was kind of like an all star.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

Yeah.

[Walter Schreifels]

Although I would have been the scrub at that point. I would have been like. If it was the Super Friends, I would have been like Zan and Jaina or something like that. Because those dudes were like already like the main dudes. Like, we had Batman, Superman and you know.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

Sure. There's a great picture of the five of you.

[Walter Schreifels]

Yeah.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

That is just one of my favorites.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

Is there a secret recording of you singing an Underdog set somewhere?

[Walter Schreifels]

I know that's never happened that I know that I can remember. Although sometimes I'm like, oh, that actually did happen. I don't think so.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

No.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

Are you writing we're not in this alone in the van on this tour.

[Walter Schreifels]

No, but we did write some. Understand. I remember writing on that trip, which was on a comp and together. No, we wrote together before. Also a comp song. Yeah, that's on the comp too. But we wrote Understand. That's the one I remember. And I. I can't remember if we wrote anything else, but I remember writing it on a roof with Ray Sick, which is pretty cool. Pretty cool.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

So how involved were you in writing? We're not in this alone.

[Walter Schreifels]

I wrote the music for. I don't know. A handful of them contributed to some. Like. I wrote Keep It up, choose to Be Banger. I wrote the beginning part of the baseline of. I have to look at the credits.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

Yeah, sure, sure.

[Walter Schreifels]

But I wrote a Handful on that.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

But you were.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

You were very involved in the record overall.

[Walter Schreifels]

Yeah. Yeah. And, you know, and Purcell was writing songs and we would kind of translate Ray's songs. Like, Ray's songs were like, more Time Will Remember.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

Yeah.

[Walter Schreifels]

Flame Still Burns. I feel like they're more sort of theatrical songs, anthems.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

It's like he's writing it as the front.

[Walter Schreifels]

It's more. Yeah. Writing this frontman and Purcell songs are kind of like. He wrote some more, I guess, somewhat Metallica kind of.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

Yeah.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

I mean, Judge is coming, you know.

[Walter Schreifels]

Yeah. So I'd have to look at the thing to break it down. But basically, me, Sam and Purcell wrote a bunch of the songs. Ray. We translated ones that Ray, you know, would kind of like he could play a little bass or he would just articulate it and we would just kind of come up with it for that album. And then for the. The 7 inch that we did afterwards. Disengage. I wrote Disengage music.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

Oh, you know, now you just disproved a folk tale.

[Walter Schreifels]

Yeah.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

I had always heard that the song Disengage was a Judge song that they just didn't use or whatever. And it was used because it's very different. It's very heavy. That's the heaviest youth designation, in my opinion.

[Walter Schreifels]

Yeah, I wrote that one. Wow, guys.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

So we call that hard.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

We do call that hard.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

That's hard.

[Walter Schreifels]

Lord. So that's.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

Who is Les Paz Davis?

[Walter Schreifels]

Les Paz Davis was the guy that.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

The engineer of one of the.

[Walter Schreifels]

I think he was the engineer. Yeah. But he. I don't want to disparage this man, but we're not on this loan. Recording is just really insane. Like, we recorded it at Chung King, which later.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

So he was a guy at Chung King.

[Walter Schreifels]

So he was just. I don't even know. Like, we would record it off hours there. So we would start recording at like midnight and go till like 8 in the morning. So I was delirious. I was a straight edge at the time. So I wasn't like, by anyways, Like, I was just tired, so I was just asleep. Little Sam is like 14 years old or something.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

Just left playing Freak.

[Walter Schreifels]

They recorded all the drums and then the guy Les Paws, with his little paws, recorded over the snare drum. So the snare drum got erased on all of it.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

He Dr. Midnighted Sammy, whatever that.

[Walter Schreifels]

I don't know what that is. I don't know the reference, but if that's what it is. That's called Dr.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

Midnight comes in and does surgery on the.

[Walter Schreifels]

Yeah, he erased the Entire snare track. And so he called Sam, like little kid Sam. Oh, come in. Oh, yeah. I just wanted you to work on a little something, you know, whatever. It's coming a little early. And had him just overdub the snare throughout. So if you listen to the drums with that in mind, you can hear the. The ghost of Sam's old snare drum.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

Yeah.

[Walter Schreifels]

On the other drums mixed in with the snare that the poor little kid just sat going like this. I'd have to ask him.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

Yeah. On the whole record.

[Walter Schreifels]

Do you hold a tight?

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

We'll have some. Sammy's gonna be on at some point.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

This is unbelievable.

[Walter Schreifels]

Yeah.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

Wow.

[Walter Schreifels]

He remembered Sam. You know, we didn't have. We had very limited experience, especially in a place where we had recorded Don Fury's. That was like an eight track room. And we were very familiar with Don and there wasn't really too much going on. Whereas, like, you know, not that Chunk King was particularly fancy, but they did have like a full. You know, it's probably like an SSL or something.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

But they. And they can suck it.

[Walter Schreifels]

You know, surely they can suck it.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

Yeah. So that's what we've heard.

[Walter Schreifels]

I would have. If I was in charge of youth today, I would have said, hey, let's cut our losses and re record this album at Don Fury's. Which is exactly what I did with Gorilla Biscuits. Because we'd so desperately wanted to record at Chung King. Because that's where Beastie Boys had recorded. That's where Public Enemy had recorded. That's where Slayer had recorded Danzig.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

Did they do hello Eights there or something?

[Walter Schreifels]

No, they did not. South Africa. They did south of Heaven there. I think there too. But they surely did. What's the one before south of Heaven?

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

Raining Rain and Blood.

[Walter Schreifels]

Random Blood.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

Was Chung King.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

I'm pretty sure I had no idea.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

Huh.

[Walter Schreifels]

But it probably, for you today, probably would have been more that. I think we were more about the. Like, I remember going to Chunk King and LL was there one night. Oh, like Chuck D was there. So we were just psyched to be there.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

Yeah. I read a story once, maybe another folktale. You're unlocking a lot of things in my brain right now. Danzig was recording at the same time. Yes.

[Walter Schreifels]

This is true.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

There was an elevator that had been painted.

[Walter Schreifels]

Yes. Oh, my God.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

So there was an elevator that had been painted. And who did it first? You guys did it first.

[Walter Schreifels]

I think that Purcell had some, like, little graffiti war with Danzig.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

Yeah. So there was like straight edge shit where written.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

Right.

[Walter Schreifels]

Yeah.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

And Then the next day, it was Devil. And then finally, you guys crossed paths one time. And as you today got in the elevator and somebody said something about straight edge, and Danzig turned around and said, satan and the door is closed.

[Walter Schreifels]

Yeah, yeah.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

Confirmed.

[Walter Schreifels]

I have confirmed that. That that story happened. I was not there. Okay. But Sam and Purcell, I think were. That was their thing. I didn't have anything to do with that.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

Were you a Misfits guy?

[Walter Schreifels]

Yeah. Not. Not. Not like, you know, having a tattoo or caring on that level.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

But.

[Walter Schreifels]

But. No, but that's a. That is people, like. The Misfits are a band that people obsess on. I just, you know, I liked them.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

Okay, pardon this interruption. You know, we hate to interrupt this masterpiece with one of the greatest to ever do it, but we have two very important things to tell you about.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

That's right, we do. Who do we got first?

[Walter Schreifels]

Colin?

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

First off, this episode is brought to you by Guilty Party. It is our favorite menswear store on God's green earth. They're based out of Atlanta, Georgia, co owned by the Drum Rough foundation, and it's where we get all of our favorite denim in the world.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

We got Flathead, Ironheart, Free Note. What's the fancy one you love?

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

Full count. I love it so much.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

The other one, the French one.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

Oh, Studio d' Arte San.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

That's a good one.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

And then I got a pair of these samurai baker pants this week.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

They got red wings, they got belts, they got bags, they got fragrances. Now they got all kinds of stuff.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

You can really change your life with just a few key things from Guilty Party. And if you use Code Hard Lore, you're gonna get 10% off and free shipping for anything over $300. And you can pay in installments, like we do with every decision we make in our entire lives. Every single thing on Earth, a firm owns us. Hard Lore is really brought to you by a firm, but most mostly it's brought to you by Guilty Party. So go to GuiltyParty Co, put some boots in your cart, put some denim in your cart, and if you have any questions about anything in the store, A, hit us up, and we'd be glad to recommend something for you. B, hit up Guilty Party.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

They're the most helpful, friendly, independently owned partner that we have on the show. And we are so happy to be working with them as it is Independent Partner month. Colin, who else do we have?

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

That's right. This episode is also brought to you. If you can believe it, Walter's one of the most prolific hardcore Guitar players.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

Of all time sometimes doesn't even bring guitars to shows.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

It's unbelievable.

[Walter Schreifels]

What do you got?

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

If only he had this Dunnable Asteroid de and used Code Hard lore to get 15% off of it. It's available right now. You can go get one right now or you can build the guitar of your dreams in the Dunnable US custom shop.

[Walter Schreifels]

Wow.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

Tell them about Dunnable guitars, Bo Dunnable.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

Are friends of the show. They have been helping out all kinds of bands, all kinds of musicians. Anthony from God's Hate, Colin, Taylor Young, you name it.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

Mike from yob's got a guitar coming. They have for the very first time, the first ever Doneable seven string guitars. Now you may see a seven string guitar and think of a very specific genre. But Dunnable 7 strings are designed to be a tool for every kind of music. No fan frets. The headstocks are awesome. For the first time they're on there. Seven string history.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

You could tune low, you can play slow, you can do all the things you want to do. Listen, you can't take a normal. You can't take a Les Paul standard guitar. Six string guitar, tune it down to a standard. What are you insane?

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

You're insane.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

Put another string on there. And if you're going to do that, do it with Donnable.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

Do it with Dunnable. So go to the Dunnable site, code hard lore, 15% off site wide. Get a beautiful customer, get a beautiful Factory de guitar. Either way, you're gonna have my favorite guitars in the palms of your mutes.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

It's good.

[Walter Schreifels]

Thank you.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

Back to the episode.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

Let me ask you something. At this time with the youth crew thing, your scene that you guys are all making style clothing.

[Walter Schreifels]

Yeah.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

And the fashion is very specific, very iconic. Where are you pulling this from? Why is this becoming a thing? Obviously I think having an identity is important.

[Walter Schreifels]

Yeah.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

And we can all understand that. Why that one? Why the sports stuff and the athletics?

[Walter Schreifels]

From, from my perspective, you had a city like this. New York City was the hardcore Mecca, you know, at that time, if you lived in New York or if you lived even in surrounding places. So that look was leather jackets, combat boots, you know, ripped jeans, shaved head, flannel shirt. You know, you kind of dressed like the Circle Jerk man, maybe. Sure. And like the guy. Yeah, yeah. And a crossover into like a skinhead look, which I think was very inspired by Harley Flanagan kind of bringing that to New York. And Harley had a lot of influence. So I think a lot of skinhead kind of look. I mean, I wouldn't Say, yeah, because there was other guys into it, obviously, like Vinnie and, And Roger. And I think a lot of people from that era were taking from oi, you know, because OI has this like working class, you know, power to it that I think was very relatable because the New York scene, well, it had all different walks, but I think there was like a real working class, for sure element to it. It wasn't like art schooly, although that existed in the scene, but says fashion wise, I think that was kind of the look. So when you today came, they were coming from the suburbs. They were, they were coming from Danbury, Connecticut. Danbury, Connecticut. So I think, I think those guys came with this sort of jock look. Yeah. And I thought that that was especially for me personally, having come, having spent a year in Ohio where they had football teams and all this kind of crap. And like, you know, the jock look was such a.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

A thing and you're an SSD guy, which.

[Walter Schreifels]

The ssd, they had that and they were ripping it from. From ssd.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

Yeah.

[Walter Schreifels]

So I think it's like this sort of subversion of that look, like where you're, you're, you're. Rather than being the circle jerk man, or, you know, a crossover guy.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

Yeah.

[Walter Schreifels]

You're gonna dress like you're a jock from the suburbs in a way. And. But we were also very attuned to hip hop too. So we were buying like fancy shit too. Fancy sportwear, nice sneakers, so. And that got more and more refined as more of that sneaker mania thing. Because hip hop, hardcore, sneaker fiends, streetwear, street war, hardcore. And hip hop is happening that is like coming together. Like it was just happening at that time. And so we were just very on that and it was identifiable within the scene and different looking. And when I went to height, when I went to high school, they didn't know what the fuck I was doing because I was like throwing this sort of strange pitch at them where I had a shaved head or blonde, I looked weird.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

Jock is, Is from the beginning of punk is the antithesis of punk.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

Right, right.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

And now you're making this, this whole.

[Walter Schreifels]

Group of guys you're taking, you're bringing, you're horseshoeing it.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

Yeah.

[Walter Schreifels]

And so that was how I felt about it because I was obviously not into the jock mentality.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

Yeah.

[Walter Schreifels]

And if you listen to the lyrics of Youth Today, they're not, they're not. I mean, I think there's things that are. They're definitely not jock mentality in terms of. They're about Human rights respect.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

There was one, but it got changed.

[Walter Schreifels]

Which we just might.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

Yeah.

[Walter Schreifels]

Yeah. But that was when they were starting. They were young, and it was cool.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

It was cool. It's still cool.

[Walter Schreifels]

Like, it's still. Like, I would be hard.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

We literally just might.

[Walter Schreifels]

Who's. Who's hard? It's not even saying we're gonna. But we just might.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

We might.

[Walter Schreifels]

And you don't know.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

Yeah.

[Walter Schreifels]

That we would. Will or won't.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

It's amazing.

[Walter Schreifels]

So I think that that was the thread, you know, like, that subversion, and then also that it took, you know, like, Nike. Nike Adidas. My daughter gets so pissed off when I say that. You say Nike sometimes.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

Yeah. I only do that because of the Esoson Reebok Oso Nike video. I don't know if you know that one. Check that one out if you've never seen it.

[Walter Schreifels]

I used. I was original. I think it was originally, to me, Nike, and then it became Nike. Whatever. It doesn't matter. My. My daughter just, like, pissed her off so much when I say Nike. So.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

Were you ever disparagingly called a sneaker?

[Walter Schreifels]

A sneaker?

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

No, sneaker.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

This was a term that I. I read was a derogatory term for the youth crew guys.

[Walter Schreifels]

Wow.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

Maybe they were calling you behind your back.

[Walter Schreifels]

I really hurt my feelings. I'm glad I never. Never happened to me. But we were very into, like, sneaker culture. And. And what would have been like, I'm still into it. Like, I'm wearing fucking, like, to warm up.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

Like, you're swagged out here.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

Yeah, you're pretty swagged up.

[Walter Schreifels]

Yeah. Okay. So I, like, I. I think that that aesthetic just fit really well into it. And it's really cool because when you look at. When you look at, like, when I looked at in my eyes, Minor Threat, I just, like, saw this dude. I didn't know who Ian Kai was, but it's like, this motherfucker looks nuts, dude. He's just wearing a T shirt and his head shaved, and he looks like he's coming out of a fucking concentration camp. And he's got a microphone, and he just. It's black and white and just, like, the look of it, and then, like.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

And then you hear it.

[Walter Schreifels]

And then you hear it, and it's, like, super aggressive, but really sharp and well done. You know what I mean? Like, the quality is there. Not that I was, like, some, like, a music critic at the time, but I was into fucking cool music. You know what I mean? I was into, like. I was in. Or I heard Velvet Underground and REM or stuff like that. The Smiths before I heard Minor Threats.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

Right.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

Which all lended to everything you've done in the latter half of your career.

[Walter Schreifels]

Yeah. And all those influences went into what I was doing with hardcore, even though it was, like, primitive in what it was. But I think that that's the coolness of it.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

Well, speaking of, let's get to Start Today.

[Walter Schreifels]

Yeah.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

Which is thematically and musically, even compared to Youth of Today in Warzone and the first Gorilla Biscuit stuff. A giant leap, in my opinion. Songwriting, lyrical content, record album structure. Cats and Dogs is a song where I know every single word, too. I don't know why, but it's just. Some of it is just written in such a way that is very prolific. How old were you when you wrote Start Today?

[Walter Schreifels]

I was probably 19. That's fucked up. 18. 19. Yeah. That's not right. I remember it was finished. You said I was going on tour in Europe.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

Was that the soccer team tour?

[Walter Schreifels]

That was the soccer team tour. And we had this thing called Be Loud. Like, you just shoot be Loud. Like leeway be loud.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

Great song.

[Walter Schreifels]

And, yeah, we would talk about bands that were loud and bands that were not loud. And Sam and Purcell were saying, like, yeah, grill, this is great, but it's not really loud. And I was like, you fucking assholes. Wow. So, like, we just ended up getting in fights. They would just abuse me for that girl business. Not abuse me, but just, like, subtly dig me. And it worked. But I think, yeah, but I just had gotten so much more, like, putting out. And you've probably experienced this, being in your band and you're doing your songs and our song's fucking dope. And then you play it for the audience and they're into it or they think it's okay or whatever, you know. And then you make a recording, and then people hear it, and then they come back and they're singing the words to you and they know the song.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

It's the best thing in the world.

[Walter Schreifels]

Like, it's not only a good feeling, but it's educational because you're understanding why it works.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

So are you telling us that you're writing Start Today songs based on what you're imagining?

[Walter Schreifels]

People. I understood what made people move.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

You see what I'm getting at here?

[Walter Schreifels]

Yeah. Like, I was in Youth of Today, so I understood. Not that I was like, you know, drawing it out on a fucking chalkboard.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

Yeah.

[Walter Schreifels]

But, like, I understood why these songs work so well and. And also playing the GB 7 inch had come out and we had our own energy going, so it just. I was just well, more well informed, I knew. And there was other records that had come out that I thought were, of course, cool. Like. Yeah, I really loved. And I thought we're pushing the ball forward a little bit. Like, Dagnasty. Can I say, dude, One of my all time favorite records. Such a good record. I mean, he's taking all the cool shit about DC and made it contemporary and a little bit more. Yes, sort of, you know, it had. It had hints of whatever was cool about, you know, say, Rites of Spring. And it had touches of that, but it still had a full fire.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

It had the edge of Smalley.

[Walter Schreifels]

Yeah.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

Brian Baker and Ly. Like, I love.

[Walter Schreifels]

It was a. It was a. It was perfect timing, you know, and it wasn't. So that record was like, oh, you can do something. Sort of. There's. There's a lot of different things you could do.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

I can use octaves.

[Walter Schreifels]

Yes, exactly. I can express melody through octaves. And so that was very directly from. From Dagnassi or Government Issue had put out a record called you'd that I got into, like, right around the time that we started recording Grill Biscuits. And that was J. Robbins played on you. And I think J. Robbins wrote a lot of the material on that. And again, it was like, had the cool things of D.C. in this kind of, like, I thought, progressive way that still was rocking me. And so I think I soaked up a little bit of that and. But also wanted to. Lyrically, I wanted to like, make like seven seconds sound, like, pessimistic. I just want it to be like the most positive album.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

How was that received by your peers at the time?

[Walter Schreifels]

I don't know that anybody really. I guess some people would if someone were critical of it. I don't have like a certain memory of anyone saying this to me, but I think that's probably why the Be Loud thing bothers me.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

Okay.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

That was their way of maybe of.

[Walter Schreifels]

Like dig taking a dig at me that it's not the CRO mags. Because, like, the CRO mags was like.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

Survival of the streets.

[Walter Schreifels]

Yeah. Like, I'm surviving. Like, it's brutality.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

Yeah.

[Walter Schreifels]

Yeah. You know what I mean? Where it's like Gorilla Biscuits is basically saying, hey, everybody, let's not be so brutal.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

Well, you know what's funny is the song competition, which has. Whistling.

[Walter Schreifels]

Yeah.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

Is like. Is a, like one of the better messages anyone can be. I probably heard that record when I was like 16 or so. That's a perfect Message to hear is like we need to work the. The friend. The list of friends on top where you're on the list of friends to drop. It's like that's an amazing. It's like, yeah, I don't need to be the best around the top. And here's this band who ultimately it's their final thing and it's the. It's the like culmination of all this research and work you've been putting.

[Walter Schreifels]

Yeah.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

That is a crazy thing to then yourself be writing when you're 19 years old. That's unbelievable.

[Walter Schreifels]

Yeah, I mean I was writing. I think I was writing to like what the scene. And I think it definitely sort of piggybacking on what I saw as like Ray's from youth. Today's like kind of mission of sort of like cleaning up New York City in this sort of like clean your room sort of way. You know what I mean? And not that wasn't my way, you know what I mean? But trying to make an. A vision of like what this scene would look like if it was how I wanted it cool to be. And I look at the scene tonight and a lot of the shows that we play and it's way more like that.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

I mean 37 or 38 years later.

[Walter Schreifels]

Yeah.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

You did one LP.

[Walter Schreifels]

Yeah.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

And you're on top still.

[Walter Schreifels]

Oh man. You know, it's. It's. I think I'm so lucky, you know what I mean? That this not. Not only just I'm lucky to be where I am today, not by myself this summer's I'm singing the gorilla skills. But it's that the hardcore scene continues to keep just re. Energizing itself and re. You know, it's just. And I think it's like more valuable now than ever because there's so few things that are people based. Like this is.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

You think hardcore is more valuable now than ever?

[Walter Schreifels]

I think so. Because there's just like so much niche stuff and so many things that are just. It doesn't make them. I can't assign a good or a bad label to it. But I think that a lot of the stuff is just. I just think hardcore is about community, you know what I mean? And I think people are so. So isolated now. More so, you know. And. Yeah, and that's just how it is, man. You know, people are like that and. And to different people fight to get about it against it in different ways or maybe not really at all. But if you're gonna be a hardcore, you're dealing with people. Yeah. You know what I mean? You're gonna be talking to people, you're gonna be meeting physical humans.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

It's a participative.

[Walter Schreifels]

Yeah, it's a participative. And you have any role in it that you want. You want to be in a band, grab a guitar, jump on stage, you know, you want to be, you want to be a journalist, you know, start a fucking. Start interviewing people you want to be, you know, you want shows to come to your town, book it, you know what I mean? And the information is the tools are all there to do it. You know what I mean?

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

And like you said on the first tour you ever did, you met all these people who still do those things they were doing now at the top of their profession.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

Yeah, yeah.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

And hardcore kids are silently running the world now in all media. We're all there, we're up top.

[Walter Schreifels]

I think it's because those skills that people built from this young age and in this very on your own go getter kind of way gave, empowered them to have the confidence to, I think, work effectively in what the world currently is. I'm older than you guys, but like, I thought my projection was like, I finish high school, I go to college, I get the job, I do the job for a while, I get the retirement, then I'm retired and then I just kind of like will do whatever those people do. Yeah, like there is no way that's happening anymore for anyone. Like everybody's just like, oh, I graduated the college, okay, now I got whatever all this debt and then I get the job. No, you don't get the job. You're actually going to do the job that you would have done without college or you do get the job and they're doing the job and you're feeling really cool about yourself and then they have a bad quarter. So now you don't have the job and things are not set up. So you have to be able to like hustle and think on your feet and be creative and I think work your, your in your communities, you know what I mean? To be like, hey, I call this person. Because I, you know, I, I don't. I'm not really reading people's resumes, but you know what I mean? Like, I trust certain people to do things well and I have a community and if I don't know them, then someone in my community would know somebody very much. And I think that, that it helps you.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

Last question I have for Gorilla Biscuits. Coded messages and slowed down songs. Yeah, I ironically always wondered what coded messages meant.

[Walter Schreifels]

Coded messages. Like poetry.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

So just like be direct with what you're saying.

[Walter Schreifels]

Yeah. Like, yeah, I was very much into seeing exactly what the thought was. But of course there's. There's like poetry within that. I'm saying it in a way that it rhymes or it puts some image in your mind that like, might help make the point. But it wasn't. I guess I was like, more protective of the sort of straightforwardness of hardcore.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

And slowed down songs. Just like metal. Like.

[Walter Schreifels]

Yeah, metal, just whatever, just YouTube style pop.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

Just fuck. I would. I would rather stage dive.

[Walter Schreifels]

Yeah. Like, I'm here. It is in the voice of something that I even knew about myself. Like, I like coded messages. I was like, I'm into that stuff.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

Sure.

[Walter Schreifels]

But I saw it as a. As a sort of. I guess in the one way I think it reads like a fuck you to anybody that ever changes or does something different. But I think if you. The subtext is like, that's fine. It's gonna happen.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

That is gonna happen. And Lord, did it happen.

[Walter Schreifels]

Yeah. And like, you know, but. But this world, this community right here, right now is about this. Yeah. And. And you know, I could have just as easily said, like, overly chuggy.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

Yeah, yeah. Of course.

[Walter Schreifels]

You know, chime signatures.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

Yeah.

[Walter Schreifels]

You know what I mean? I could have. I could have. I could have had a bone to pick with that too.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

Because how do you feel about overly chuggy time signature?

[Walter Schreifels]

Well, when they're good, they're good.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

Yeah.

[Walter Schreifels]

What are you gonna do? I mean, leeway. Leeway would do things that are like, you know, that. That would be something where people like, you know, friends I have are just still will not like leeway.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

Yeah, sure.

[Walter Schreifels]

Yeah. You know what I mean? But it's just like, dude, what are you gonna do? Yeah, it just is moving.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

It's just good.

[Walter Schreifels]

It's just good.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

These. Sorry, these records that we just talked about, the two Youth Today records, the two Girl Business records in the liner notes and the. The bands that you think that was like finding an actual gold mine.

[Walter Schreifels]

Right.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

For Young me.

[Walter Schreifels]

Right.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

That was the only way I could find more stuff like this.

[Walter Schreifels]

Yeah.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

And then find the stuff that you didn't think.

[Walter Schreifels]

Yeah.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

But maybe those other bands thanked. And that's how I found Turning Point and Wide Awake and instead.

[Walter Schreifels]

Yeah.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

Chain and all those. All the other youth crew bands and everything that would fit there and.

[Walter Schreifels]

Yeah.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

How intentional was that? Or were you like. Were you trying to actively put other bands over?

[Walter Schreifels]

Oh, yeah, yeah.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

Okay, cool.

[Walter Schreifels]

Yeah. Because that's the. I mean, how I Found out about other bands was reading the thanks list. I mean that was like your best. A really, really good way to breadcrumb people to your scene. And also a good way to shout out the people that you respect and you're truly grateful to.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

Yeah. I would have never found ydl, you know.

[Walter Schreifels]

He thanked ydl.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

Yeah.

[Walter Schreifels]

Wow.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

I'm just saying these are examples of just like of the community aspect.

[Walter Schreifels]

Yeah. I mean because we were in the community together. Like we played shows. We were all in the New York scene. So like you look at the New York compilation the the Way it Is, it's a very wide variety band. So they're all fucking good. I don't. I mean every song on it's really cool. I just. I thought with ydl I was like, I think we were competitive with ydl.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

I think it's in the seven inch.

[Walter Schreifels]

Yeah.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

Believe.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

So I want to cross reference the story real quick.

[Walter Schreifels]

Yeah.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

You're on tour. A young. A young man named DWYD gives you a shirt for a band that doesn't exist yet.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

You wear the shirt in Chicago.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

In Chicago, a young Tony Brummell approaches you and says, hey, I want to sign you. He doesn't. I don't think he's put out a single thing yet. You say you can't sign us, but you should check out this band Integrity.

[Walter Schreifels]

Really.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

So you're talking to a label that doesn't exist yet about a band that doesn't exist yet.

[Walter Schreifels]

Wow.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

And that got Integrity signed Victory.

[Walter Schreifels]

You're welcome.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

That's what DWID told us.

[Walter Schreifels]

That's amazing.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

So if you still have that shirt, it's probably maybe five figures. I don't.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

Oh yeah.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

That brings me to a great question. When in your life do you start losing stuff? All the time.

[Walter Schreifels]

I mean like T shirts, no wallets.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

Pedals, passports and guitars.

[Walter Schreifels]

Oh my God. I have not let. I've never lost. I've missed place passport. I'd never lost one for.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

You've forgotten a couple maybe.

[Walter Schreifels]

Yeah. I travel a lot. You know what I mean? I'm moving a lot. So when you're moving it just increases the odds of you losing shit.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

Yeah. But I think your odds of all.

[Walter Schreifels]

The people that you. I might be a little bit more than average.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

Yeah.

[Walter Schreifels]

I don't sweat the small stuff. Really. The short answer.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

So like the Les Paul from We're not in this alone or something, you know.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

Can I ask you about that?

[Walter Schreifels]

Huh?

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

All you guys back in the day. I actually don't know what you played in Grill Biscuits era guitar wise.

[Walter Schreifels]

Fender Strat for. For the two albums.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

That makes sense.

[Walter Schreifels]

But with it with an emg, so it was like little house and like a Metallica.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

Yeah.

[Walter Schreifels]

Guitar.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

Purcell had a Les Paul custom. Yeah. All these guys.

[Walter Schreifels]

Yeah. Had crazy 70s impossible to acquire guitars. How.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

How is that?

[Walter Schreifels]

Yeah, I think it was more. I mean that was a cool guitar then. And he had a JCM 800, which I was very impressed by because that was like an over a thousand dollar.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

Yeah.

[Walter Schreifels]

Investment for a teenager. And those are like 1980. Thousand dollars. Yeah.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

Right.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

That's like $600,000.

[Walter Schreifels]

That is in today's dollars. Yes. Yeah. He had a nice Les Paul, but that would be your only guitar.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

Like a lot of like the chain guys had Les Paul's.

[Walter Schreifels]

There's just like rich kids from California. Okay.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

Gotcha.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

So it's just a money.

[Walter Schreifels]

Kidding.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

I don't know.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

He never probably.

[Walter Schreifels]

Yeah. But they. I had got my Stratocaster from Arthur who sold it to me very inexpensively.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

Gotcha.

[Walter Schreifels]

So I maybe bought it from him for like 500 or $600. Okay. And I had that for a long time. I sold it when I was finished on a tour and I was gonna go travel around Europe and I just didn't really want to carry a guitar around with me. So I sold it. Which I regret. But the guy that I sold it to kept it in the exact same condition.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

Did you get it back?

[Walter Schreifels]

No, I played it. He brought it to a show and I played it. It was awesome. And it was just very heavy and I didn't see myself playing it. He wasn't offering it to me anyway.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

Oh, okay. But this is the gorilla.

[Walter Schreifels]

This is the gorilla Bis guitar. I mean, maybe if I busted his chop, he would sell it to me.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

I think he would.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

What's his name and his address?

[Walter Schreifels]

He's in Holland. I forget his name. Hello.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

Of course.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

Kai's a bull.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

Yeah.

[Walter Schreifels]

Yeah. Maybe don't tell because maybe I should. I don't want him to find out that I know his name when I try to sweeten him up. Sure. Butter him up to get the guitar back.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

Holland guy.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

I do always. Guitars and amps.

[Walter Schreifels]

Those.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

I won't sell those. Pedals and stuff.

[Walter Schreifels]

There's another. And my amplifier from that time too. This is more. I had it through like quicksand days. I sold that too, for some reason. And one of the.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

So you remember all these pieces of gear, these two.

[Walter Schreifels]

And the amplifier, the head. The guy in candy plays it.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

Oh, okay.

[Walter Schreifels]

Oh, cheddar.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

Yeah.

[Walter Schreifels]

It's got to be cheddar.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

Yeah, that's awesome.

[Walter Schreifels]

Well, that's. It still says Walter on the back of it. That's cool. Yeah, we played a show with him, one in Texas. He goes, hey man, I got to something you might want to see. And I was like, What? It's a 2203, I think 800. 800?

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

Yeah, that's. That's the 100 watt one. That's a good amp.

[Walter Schreifels]

So I'm really happy that it's. That it's still rocking and that someone appreciates it.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

I have an 800 also. 2203. It was the Gin Blossoms.

[Walter Schreifels]

Oh, wow.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

Not bad.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

Very cool. Look at us.

[Walter Schreifels]

Here we are.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

So between Gorilla Biscuits and Quicksand. Walk me through that time. How do we get from one to the other?

[Walter Schreifels]

Gorilla Quicksand. So quicksand or Gorilla Biscuits. We. I think it was like we put out the Savages. The album came out a bit late, so we did a summer tour and I think the album came out right at the end of our summer tour in 89. So we sort of didn't really like just the time that it was disjointed. And then Arthur left the band, which kind of shook us a little bit.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

Why did he.

[Walter Schreifels]

He was, you know, we were going to college or we were in college. I just felt he was like into different shit at this point, you know. Thing was, we were just getting growing out of hardcore, I think, a little bit.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

Sure.

[Walter Schreifels]

Getting earrings.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

That'll do it.

[Walter Schreifels]

Wearing necklaces, you know, losing guitars. Just not as into, you know, wanted to go to clubs and meet girls, really. Things like that.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

Regular club music, clubs stuff.

[Walter Schreifels]

That was happening.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

Life. Yeah, life, man.

[Walter Schreifels]

You know, so. And. But. And he was also musically wanted to do something different. Wanted to do something more expansive. So he was starting a band with. With Drew and. And Richie. So it was like a proto. Into another thing.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

Oh, cool.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

Tell me your thoughts on into another. In 1990 you hear like creepy epy and the early into another stuff.

[Walter Schreifels]

Well, I was very. I was living with Drew when they were making Into Another. So like they would. I was amazed by how long they would rehearse and how serious they were. And the other two guys were like really good musicians.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

So Peter Moses.

[Walter Schreifels]

Peter Pete. Yeah. And. And Tony. And they were seemingly on the track to be like Guns N Roses. Like they were going major label 100% world on nomination.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

Wow.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

That's what they wanted. Or that's what seemed like was coming.

[Walter Schreifels]

That's where they were aimed. I felt and there was no reason that it wouldn't come. I mean, I had no idea songs or who knows?

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

Yeah.

[Walter Schreifels]

And I felt it was off ultimately for the hardcore scene, for sure.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

But was that. Did they care about that? Was that the point?

[Walter Schreifels]

I think that they wanted to be a really big stadium rock band, but I think that they also didn't want to die on the vine. So I think they just started making records because I don't think they were just like handing out contract. Guns N Roses concept.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

No, I mean. And then they were on Rev, you.

[Walter Schreifels]

Know, and they were on Rev. And, you know, eventually they did get a very big record contract. And I think it could have been a very big thing. But, you know, there's so many different elements to why, you know, in any sort of field, like why something gets as big as it gets. You know what I mean? It being good is an important one.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

Pretty. Pretty.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

Pretty good.

[Walter Schreifels]

Timing is important.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

Yes.

[Walter Schreifels]

Who tells you about it? The timing, all these things. There's probably like five or six pretty important, powerful things. I think what they were doing was really great onto themselves and didn't have that sort of. It just went to some other band for some reason, that lane. But, yeah, they were great.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

So Arthur leaves gb. You're growing out of hardcore. You're. You have necklaces and earrings now.

[Walter Schreifels]

Yeah.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

Whereas.

[Walter Schreifels]

What.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

Tell me about the formation of Quicksand.

[Walter Schreifels]

I think it started we were doing making the Start Today album. So I had to go on tour with Youth Today, and we had finished all the music for Start Today, but we hadn't finished the vocals. So I had written the lyrics and I said, hey, try the vocals when I'm gone. Here's my vocal guide. So I sang the whole album in, like, basically one take. Okay.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

And does this recording exist somewhere?

[Walter Schreifels]

Yes. It's called Wally Saves the Hit. Wally Sings the Hits.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

That's right.

[Walter Schreifels]

And actually Steve Aoki was the one that put. Put it out. Bootlegged it.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

No kidding.

[Walter Schreifels]

He confessed to me many years later. And so having sung the album and people like, oh, my God, I think this is really great. People that had heard it, because that got out. I was like, why don't I just sing rather than sing and then have to show someone how I want it to be.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

Totally.

[Walter Schreifels]

Like, let's just go straight from. From. From this to this. Because I'm getting. Some people think that it's good enough that I'm getting a compliment. Yeah. So. So then I started doing. I did a. I did a couple rehearsals with Luke and we made A tape called Moondog and Moondog. I think we did one song that got on a comp and people liked. It was good. And some other people heard the. The music off of, you know, this bootleg set and got good response from it. So I said, okay, well, I got it.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

There's something here.

[Walter Schreifels]

There's something here. Yeah. So that led to a Moondog show, which kind of ended. You know, Sam was in the band. Sam Siegler, he replaced Luke, who went away to college. So Luke wasn't really in GB anymore. And. And then Alex was out, which we. I put it up to just. I think it would have been like. It just wasn't. We just weren't that. I personally was like not feeling this forward motion anymore.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

You needed to make the record. But then after that I just didn't.

[Walter Schreifels]

I don't know. I didn't. Maybe I just didn't feel Start Today too in me, you know, and. And because so much of this other shit was happening, you know, I was. These guys, like, Arthur was feeling these different genes. Like, this was not our career. I never thought like grill biscuits was gonna be like, career oriented. It was like something I was doing that I was into and excited about, but felt, you know, I'm still gonna like go to college and do some other shit. And so in the meanwhile, I started to just do other kinds of music that I was interested in. And so that started to. When the seven Inch of Gorilla Biscuits of Quicksand came out, it was just good timing. Like, we were at sort of like doing hardcore related music, but like just at the end of it.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

Yeah.

[Walter Schreifels]

To where hardcore people got it. But it was a bit challenging in a way, but appealing to a wider group of people who just like rock music. Yeah.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

Yeah.

[Walter Schreifels]

Because it's a little heavier. Yeah.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

Is it down tuned?

[Walter Schreifels]

No, but it just was a bit heavier. A little bit more. Yeah. More chugging.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

Yeah, and hooks, you know, hooks.

[Walter Schreifels]

Like more vocal hooks. And you know, because I was into like Jane's Addiction and Soundgarden and said stuff that was coming out of Subhub. So like, that's where I was interested. So I was no longer interested in like SSD and Youth Today and All Youth Today had already broken up and the scene was getting stupid anyway, I thought at the time. And the stupid is maybe too strong of a word, but, like, were there.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

Any bands at the tail end though that you did connect with, like the Raw Deals and the Killing Time?

[Walter Schreifels]

Yeah, I loved shit. That stuff. Like, I love Killing Time. They're amazing talk about heavy riffs, man, it's just like insane. But the. The movement, the scene movement. Besides what was going on with me, the way I saw it was like. It was either like you're in a youth crew, so everybody's the same, everybody's dressing the same, like it's a success. But be careful what you wish for.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

Yeah.

[Walter Schreifels]

Because all the bands sound the same, all the kids look the same. And it's no longer subversive because no one else goes to the shows except for the kids that all agree.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

I got you.

[Walter Schreifels]

And. And the other side of it is the sort of like. I don't know if it would be called the beat down, but this sort of like really like aggressive. Like 100%. Not that.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

Yeah, yeah.

[Walter Schreifels]

So. So I didn't feel really at home there either. And it was really like a lot of violence and people were getting like, you know, when you're like a teen. Young, you're like an older teenager or a young 20 year old. Something like, you'll knife somebody. I wouldn't ever do it. But you know, people that are young are fucking. Fucking crazy. And so the violence was like out of hand.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

Yeah, sure.

[Walter Schreifels]

So that didn't appeal to me. So I didn't really want to write or be a part of either scene too.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

So Quicksand's goal is. I mean, your goal is essentially to play outside of hardcore for the first time in your life.

[Walter Schreifels]

Yeah, I think. I think. Or to. To say something different within it.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

Aside from.

[Walter Schreifels]

Not quite. Yeah, not quite. Was very proud though. A lot of people couldn't handle that. But I guess to kind of like venture out.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

Yeah.

[Walter Schreifels]

From it. And also there was a lot of. Also Fugazi was happening. So it was like another example of like, hey, you can play cool music. That makes sense to. With where you came from.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

You can still be that guy.

[Walter Schreifels]

But you can. But you can expand it musically. So there was just a lot of things that were pointing to that and that's where I was excited to go.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

Okay.

[Walter Schreifels]

And ultimately GB kind of like, you know, because we had gotten more popular because the album, you know, we didn't really feel it in the same way, but we were still getting bookings and people wanted to see the band.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

How do you feel about it now? How to start today? Connect with you now?

[Walter Schreifels]

Perfect.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

It is.

[Walter Schreifels]

Yeah. I don't have a. I don't have like any. There's nothing I can. Could possibly change about it. It's like. And I think that that's maybe unique for any record that I put out. I always thought, oh, that could be a little. That records absolutely perfect.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

How do you feel about Slip?

[Walter Schreifels]

Love it. But it's not per. It's not the record that I envisioned. I just didn't have as much control as I would have liked.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

Did you have a producer?

[Walter Schreifels]

We had a producer. We fired him. We got another producer who was more amenable and cool to us. And so I'm very happy with it and how it all came out. But I would have assumed I would have preferred to record it at Don Fury, which. Yeah, so that was. I did. We did do some of the tracks at Darn Furious because I just dragged my. I was a pain in the ass about it.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

It does sound very good, but that's.

[Walter Schreifels]

My, that was my power was really pain in the ass power, where as opposed to like, Let Me Cook power. So my Let Me Cook power got reduced and so I had to use start flexing my pain in the ass power. And that's how I got the Don Fury songs in there. But yeah, it was recorded and there's probably, like, part of me that was just like not comfortable in, in that environment of like, okay, we're in a big major fancy studio and all that kind of stuff.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

Who put out Slip?

[Walter Schreifels]

That was on Polydor.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

Oh, Lord. That's right.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

Okay. Big step up.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

Big stuff.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

You ever hear the Tool comparisons?

[Walter Schreifels]

I have heard them, but I was not really aware of Tool when we were making music.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

You started the year before.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

Yeah.

[Walter Schreifels]

Yeah.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

Because you were around before.

[Walter Schreifels]

Okay, how about that?

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

So that's pretty cool.

[Walter Schreifels]

Yeah.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

So you can always say that.

[Walter Schreifels]

Yeah.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

And we started a year before.

[Walter Schreifels]

I would let them start the year before and trade with them for their career.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

But do you ever hear in a your riff and other bands and think, huh, like, are you getting for Chevelle song?

[Walter Schreifels]

I feel Chevel. I have. I, I, I was went to the LCD sound system the last. Right before the holiday. And this is my little fun one that I, I, I probably wrong about it, but, like, I think that Daft Punk is playing My house is a, is a Gorilla Biscuit ripoff.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

You think so?

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

That's awesome.

[Walter Schreifels]

I'm gonna check that out. Okay. Okay, I can hear it. You got big mouth.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

Yeah.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

Yeah.

[Walter Schreifels]

And he worked at Tempo, all that. He, he made it more fun and more palatable for most people. But, but the lyrics from Big Mouth Roll. Come on. Yeah. What are you gonna do?

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

Do you know? I think you are the only person. I'll have to ask my friend Mo, who works with Riot Fest. But Riot Fest 2023, you played every day in a different band?

[Walter Schreifels]

Yes. Love Rice.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

Only person ever to do that.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

I think so. Because bands will do every day or something, you know. But he played every single day.

[Walter Schreifels]

Yeah. There's a plaque.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

Oh, is there a plaque?

[Walter Schreifels]

There should be a plaque. There should be a plaque.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

Maybe we'll get you a plaque. We'll see if we can find it.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

Tell me about touring on Slip and the response to the record.

[Walter Schreifels]

Touring was really fun. It was. It was the most I'd ever done. And I think it was really nice to be on a tour bus and we had all the money that we needed to do all the stuff that, you know, I had.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

That's just label giving you money.

[Walter Schreifels]

Yeah. Wow. Yeah, they were flush. I mean, you got it like, they had the whole. This is the time of CDs. Yeah.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

Yeah.

[Walter Schreifels]

So music made and you could not download anything, so everyone had to buy it. The record labels were so flush from people buying CDs, and CDs was a higher profit margin.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

Yeah.

[Walter Schreifels]

So cheap. So I always just think, like, whatever money they're giving us, it's like, thanks to Elton John. Because. Because they're just, you know, we're Polydor. Yeah. They had the catalog, so we would, you know, we're just getting car services, anywhere that we wanted to go. Eating out every night. It's nothing that. Not stacking at all.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

Yeah.

[Walter Schreifels]

But like, in the moment, living. Living a cool lifestyle for a person my age, you know, and being on a bus, having all the shit. And we would just hire our friends anyway and get to pay them, like a cool salary and have a fun time and. And be comfortable. So it was really cool. It was grinding after a while because I think we played like, probably 300 something shows in a year.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

Jesus Christ.

[Walter Schreifels]

So it was. It would get grim. Not grim, but, like, just. Yeah. Tiring. Yeah. In a way.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

I'm going to ask you a question, a little controversial. How do you feel about streaming?

[Walter Schreifels]

Streaming? Well, I would say saved. I would rather it not exist. Because then I saw like a little meme clip about this where it was like, you know, I always thought that the bands that I'm in, like gorilla biscuits, getting to make a record or having a record be popular represents the failure of, like, 10,000 bands. Yeah. That we never have to hear.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

Absolutely. Yeah. That's a fact.

[Walter Schreifels]

And Those people, those 10,000 people went out and lived their lives and did all kinds of fun, cool shit in their own lives. And, you know, their kids are Doing great now and all kinds of fun stuff's happening for them. Whereas now, you know, there's more bands, and I think that's really sweet and cool and. And all that, but the bands can't make money. The art gets true. Gets treated more as advertising or, like. It just doesn't have the same meaning. You know what I mean? The good side of it is I feel like more in control of my career, you know, which is. Which is, like, I can release something or do something whenever I want on the fly. But. And I. And I like that. I'm not like, really. You know, I didn't grow up with computers. I'm not, like, savvy. I'm not really, like, trying to, like, figure out the fucking algorithm or anything. I'm just not that person. And there's young people right now that are doing that and are smart to do it, and I applaud them. But that's not the fucking. That's not the. That is. That's not rock and roll music. I want to make music. I want it to come out when. When. When. On the terms that I want people to anticipate it in a way, and they listen to it and they can talk about it and, you know, invest in it. Because if you invest in something, you're gonna give it. Dude, I've liked some shitty albums for economic reasons. I was like, I'm gonna find out what's good about this album, dude. Cause I think I might have bought a lemon. And some of them are just lemons.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

But, like, that is. That's a great point, is that if you invest in something and you have your $20, whatever it would be, now, $30 into something, you're gonna sit there and look at it, read it.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

I'm gonna get my money's worth.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

I'm gonna get my money's worth. Whereas Skip, Skip, Skip.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

Yeah.

[Walter Schreifels]

Yeah. Oh, dude, this has been shoved up your ass online for, like, the last four months. I've been seeing every aspect of this thing. And then you listen to it and you're like, either like, well, I already know it already, or like, that one song's good, that one song's good. The rest of the album sucks. These guys are. Fucking suck. You know what I mean? And then it's done. And who's next? Who's. That Is. You know what I mean? And that's not a critique of people.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

No.

[Walter Schreifels]

Because people are.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

The entire music library of the world is $10 a month.

[Walter Schreifels]

Yeah.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

And what.

[Walter Schreifels]

How.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

What do you expect?

[Walter Schreifels]

I mean, on the upside of it is like, there's so much music that has been brought to light in my like even in like hardcore or like 60s music, 70s music, that it's like, how was this not the biggest song in the whole world? You know what I mean? And it's like, I fucking love this song. I'm listening to this song like crazy. And I was alive when it came out and I had no idea.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

Yeah.

[Walter Schreifels]

You know, so streaming is allowing me to hear that. So it's not like. I think there's just certain things in the world where they just. It is what it is and you gotta like figure out your own way to relate to it. But like, if it were my choice, I would say let's all make a. Have a big beautiful party, get in line and put our computers in a big ditch. Love it and pat it on the top. And no one does it anymore.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

We'll press this episode on vinyl.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

Vinyl only.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

Yeah.

[Walter Schreifels]

You know what I mean? And then let's just see where we go and let's be nice to build communities and have conversations and you know, not be so neurotic and self conscious.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

Is there a person or group that has come to you telling you, hey, Quick Slip was a huge influence on us that really kind of blew your mind.

[Walter Schreifels]

Yeah, for tons. For years.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

Deftones has to be.

[Walter Schreifels]

Yeah. I mean it's not like as I would say to people, I mean, I don't necessarily consider it glazing, but like what is. If something affected you and you met someone, you could play it cool and I think that's fine too. Maybe you just want to meet someone as a person and not get into what their work is. But sometimes you just are not going to have any time with anybody. So you just say, hey dude, I love your fucking music. You rule meant to me like got me through a time or it. It really influenced how I write or whatever. People have done that for me. So throughout. I mean I'm. I've been very fortunate that the records, you know, not all of them but. But a good grip of them have. Have found audiences that feel strong about them.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

Beautiful.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

We would. We should probably hurry up because I know he wants to catch and it actively going to see hardcore. Wanted to talk to you about working with Title Fight and on the record Shed.

[Walter Schreifels]

Yeah. Oh my God. So fun. Will Yip, the like famous producer recently put up a clip. I was producing this record. Of course Will was working for me at this time.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

And was that in Conshohocken?

[Walter Schreifels]

In Conshohocken, yeah. Magical time. It was just like. It was like, I'm meeting these guys, and when you're talking about someone being influenced by your work, like, that was a. That was a kind of maybe more MySpace era kind of time. I think I was living in Germany, and so this very young guy reaches out to me in MySpace and he says, you know, I got span you. We're gonna have a. We want to make a record, and we'd love for you to produce.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

Was it Ned?

[Walter Schreifels]

Ned. And. And I remember meeting them in Brooklyn and going out to this vegetarian restaurant, and they were all just cool, sweet young guys. And that was the time to me that I was like, this fucking rules. That cool young guys like this are picking up on this kind of part of hardcore and knew everything about it. And they were explaining back to me what. What. What it. What it looks like to someone 20 years younger than me.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

Sure.

[Walter Schreifels]

Or whatever. And it was really cool, you know, and talking about at the time of, like, streaming and stuff, like you said, you know, I remember Ned saying, like, you know, we get all this stuff at the same time. So it's like you're hearing this band lead to that band and this band, and that band doesn't exist. Like, we're getting it all at once.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

Retrospectively. It's all one thing.

[Walter Schreifels]

Yeah. So I found that really interesting. And I think, you know, talking about streaming, like, that makes room for a band, I think, like Outburst.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

Yeah.

[Walter Schreifels]

Like, Jump up the ranks.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

Yeah, absolutely.

[Walter Schreifels]

And there's. There's other ones, but that's one that comes up. Because Outburst was, I thought, a great band, and I played an Outburst, by the way.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

Did you?

[Walter Schreifels]

Yeah, like a couple of shows or a few shows. And I thought they were fucking amazing, but they kind of came out a summer too late, I think, to be it. So. But. But if everything comes at once, you know, it's just about the music 100%.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

That's why when we make our, like, tournament brackets and stuff, we'll do like, Best band of the 80s, best band of the 90s. And people would be like, this band was not big in the 90s. We go, yeah, we know. But retrospectively, is it not better than many of the things.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

Right. Yeah, of course.

[Walter Schreifels]

And I'll look at old bills, old flyers, and see Gorilla Biscuits, like, low on the bill, and remember being so grateful that we were. We were on that. We even got put on the bill, of course. And then, you know, the bands that were way above us are like, you know, whatever. Like, they're still cool. Cool Bands, whatever. But. But just like everybody getting something at once. It just changes that.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

Right.

[Walter Schreifels]

That sort of thing. Anyway, back to title fight. It was just an all star. All star cast. They had made some music. This was like. I went out to Wilkes Barre with them and like we played in there, you know, I think Jamie's Basement and you know, talking about lyrics and song structures and. And then we did the record at Will's and Will was just so cool.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

He rocks.

[Walter Schreifels]

And we just had such a great. Everyone was funny. Those guys were just introducing me to like clips, you know, like, it's hard in the D. Yeah, yeah. You know what I mean? Like things from that era, like, they were. They were.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

They got you on Vine.

[Walter Schreifels]

Yeah, they were just. They were just up on all those clips. And I had never heard of any.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

19, 9 plus 10. You know that one. 21.

[Walter Schreifels]

21. I'm not sure if I know that one. There's another one with like.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

We're gonna know it, whatever it is.

[Walter Schreifels]

Oh. Oh my God. It's like a funny saying. Anyway, there was a whole. They just got me into all these clips. It's gonna conjure me clips.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

Okay.

[Walter Schreifels]

That's what they call them. So I still call them clips.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

I guess we got to get you out of here.

[Walter Schreifels]

But it was a lot of fun. Yeah, it was. It was awesome to like lend something of. And they were very, very open to things that I would suggest. But I was also very careful to like let them cook.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

Yeah.

[Walter Schreifels]

Cuz they.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

Especially at that time, they really smart motherfuckers. They were white hot. Yeah, they were doing.

[Walter Schreifels]

I mean they were. They were touring like non fucking stop and they didn't have it out album out. So I think there's like no stopping them. But. But we. We just had me and Will Yip and all those dudes firing on all cylinders making like a debut record and just being like open to whatever and you just basically. You know. I don't want to boast, but it's like an Ocean's Eleven kind of thing.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

I can see it.

[Walter Schreifels]

It was like mad deep bench science.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

Musical science.

[Walter Schreifels]

Yeah.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

And now is rival schools big part of why they approached you about producing it?

[Walter Schreifels]

I thought it was more probably more civ and just me being who I was. Yeah.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

Your catalog.

[Walter Schreifels]

Yeah, I think just that. That general thing. And I produced some other stuff too. I produced him. I'd also produce the first step. Did you? Yes.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

I didn't know that.

[Walter Schreifels]

Yeah. What we know, I produce. I should take more credit for that. That's a Sick ass album.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

Yes, it is.

[Walter Schreifels]

And they were flying the youth crew flag at a time where I think it was not the most in fashion.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

It was on its way out. Yeah.

[Walter Schreifels]

I found it interesting whenever the time that it happened was not what I was expecting to someone to be nailing that style so hard. And they were, and I loved those. Working with those guys, that was super fun. So, like, that's awesome. I don't even know if that's why Title Fight was anyway, but I think. I'm sure it would have factored in for sure.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

I. I have a feeling it's for everything we just talked about for the last 90 minutes, to be honest with you.

[Walter Schreifels]

Yeah.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

As a final note here, could you let us know and let all of them know your four favorite hardcore records of all time?

[Walter Schreifels]

I mean, the honorable mention list would be vast.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

It always is.

[Walter Schreifels]

But I guess I'm gonna go for the ones that first really hit me hard. And it would be Suicidal Tendencies first album, Fresh Fruit, Rotting Vegetables. I mean, Minor threat records are EPs.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

You can lump them as one.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

That's fine.

[Walter Schreifels]

Okay. So those. And I don't want to say it, but I just got to say break down the walls. So good. It's kind of like a blueprint for something.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

Amen.

[Walter Schreifels]

Yeah. So that's a pretty good setup.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

Pretty good list.

[Walter Schreifels]

Honorable mentions, though, could go on forever. There's so many good ones tied down. Negative approach album is the reason for the season I against I Bad Brains album.

[Host 2 (possibly a podcast host named Bo)]

Yeah, he's a quickness guy.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

I'm a quickness guy. I love it all.

[Walter Schreifels]

Yeah, it's true. So many. Dude, we love hardcore. What are we gonna do?

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

We love hardcore. What are you gonna do?

[Walter Schreifels]

It's too late. You realize at a certain point. It's too late.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

Exactly. Do you have any final words you'd like to leave the people with?

[Walter Schreifels]

Everybody. Take care of yourselves. Be healthy. Try to make good choices and be good to one another.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

Unbelievable. Walter, thank you so much for joining us.

[Walter Schreifels]

Thank you, sir. My pleasure.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

Guys, had a blast.

[Walter Schreifels]

Me too.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

Well, have a great set, and we'll see you all next week.

[Walter Schreifels]

Awesome. Bye.

[Host 1 (possibly a podcast host)]

This episode is brought to you by Mad Vintage.