Gorilla Biscuits
Encyclopedia
Gorilla Biscuits are a New York City
-based vegan straight edge
hardcore
band consisting of Anthony "Civ" Civarelli, Walter Schreifels
, Arthur Smilios, Alex Brown and Luke Abbey. The band is currently signed to Revelation Records
.
. All three were fans of the band Agnostic Front
, and started going to hardcore shows at CBGB
on weekends. There they met people like Ray Cappo
and John Porcelly
of the band Youth Of Today
.
Arthur sought to form a hardcore band and asked Civ to act as vocalist. However Civ was not interested in singing, and due to nerves had to face the floor or wall during early gigs. Members of the band Token Entry arranged a gig for the still unnamed band (Gorilla Biscuits used Token Entry's drummer, Ernie Parada for that first show), but needed a name to give it to the promoter. A popular drug in the area at that time was quaaludes, which people called "ape shit," or "gorilla biscuits" due to the pill's large size. Eventually the name evolved into Gorilla Biscuits, and though it was initially only meant to be temporary, they have continued to use it.
The band made a number of low-fi demo tapes which were sold at a dollar store. Their first official t-shirts were blue with an image of a gorilla riding a skateboard and were made using black magic markers and an ink blotter.
in 1988, which later became a hardcore hit. The band toured the United States and Europe twice. In 1989, the band released their first full-length album, Start Today
, which became the biggest selling ever for Revelation Records, and was also the first album that was issued on CD, alongside its vinyl and cassette versions, as part of the routine production. The band started writing material for a second LP (an unreleased song, "Distance", can be seen played by the band during a performance in the 1991 documentary Live In New York) which they never recorded, and eventually disbanded around the year 1992. Some of the members went on to play in a follow-up band, CIV. Besides singing for CIV, Civ now owns a tattoo studio on Long Island. Walter went on to form the post-hardcore
band Quicksand
. He then wrote the songs for and helped produce CIV's first album.
singer Raybeez, and played another show at CBGB on August 14, 2005 as a benefit towards the club's legal costs, and again on September 3, 2006.
In 2006, Revelation Records re-issued their seminal recording Start Today. The album is re-mastered and features in-depth liner notes by Walter Schreifels. They band held a month-long re-union tour during the summer of 2006, and featured both exclusive 7-inches and exclusive Paul Frank
t-shirts only available on tour stops.
In September 2007, Gorilla Biscuits performed a month-long tour across Europe, including stops in Germany, Spain, Switzerland, The Netherlands and England. In celebration of the European Tour, Paul Frank collaborated with Gorilla Biscuits again to produce an exclusive run of Gorilla Biscuits wallets. Only one was sold at each Paul Frank store worldwide.
On May 28, 2011, Gorilla Biscuits headlined the Black N Blue Bowl at Webster Hall
(formerly the Ritz) in New York City
.
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
-based vegan straight edge
Straight edge
Straight edge is a subculture of hardcore punk whose adherents refrain from using alcohol, tobacco, and other recreational drugs. It was a direct reaction to the sexual revolution, hedonism, and excess associated with punk rock. For some, this extends to not engaging in promiscuous sex, following a...
hardcore
Hardcore punk
Hardcore punk is an underground music genre that originated in the late 1970s, following the mainstream success of punk rock. Hardcore is generally faster, thicker, and heavier than earlier punk rock. The origin of the term "hardcore punk" is uncertain. The Vancouver-based band D.O.A...
band consisting of Anthony "Civ" Civarelli, Walter Schreifels
Walter Schreifels
Walter Schreifels is a rock musician and producer from New York City.In the late 1980s, he played in many New York hardcore bands, most notably Youth Of Today and Gorilla Biscuits . After Gorilla Biscuits broke up, he formed the short lived Moondog...
, Arthur Smilios, Alex Brown and Luke Abbey. The band is currently signed to Revelation Records
Revelation Records
Revelation Records is an independent record label focusing originally and primarily on hardcore punk. The label is known for its role in the evolution of hardcore and metallic post-hardcore with important releases by bands such as Youth of Today, Warzone, Sick of It All, Quicksand, Side By Side,...
.
Early career
Gorilla Biscuits were formed when Smilios and Nick Drysdale met Civarelli while they were both attending the same high school on Long IslandLong Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
. All three were fans of the band Agnostic Front
Agnostic Front
Agnostic Front is an American hardcore band. The band began playing hardcore similar to their contemporaries, and were thrust to the forefront of the burgeoning New York hardcore scene in the mid-1980s with their widely regarded 1984 classic Victim in Pain before evolving to incorporate thrash...
, and started going to hardcore shows at CBGB
CBGB
CBGB was a music club at 315 Bowery at Bleecker Street in the borough of Manhattan in New York City.Founded by Hilly Kristal in 1973, it was originally intended to feature its namesake musical styles, but became a forum for American punk and New Wave bands like Ramones, Misfits, Television, the...
on weekends. There they met people like Ray Cappo
Ray Cappo
Ray Cappo is the former vocalist for the hardcore bands Youth of Today, Reflex From Pain, Shelter, Better Than A Thousand, and the project recording "Pour Water On It". This icon of New York hardcore was originally from Connecticut, and played drums for the Connecticut band Violent Children...
and John Porcelly
John Porcelly
John 'Porcell' Porcelly was the guitarist for the American 1980s hardcore bands Young Republicans, Violent Children, Youth Of Today and Judge. He also sang in Project X , and has had stints in other bands such as Bold and Gorilla Biscuits...
of the band Youth Of Today
Youth of Today
Youth of Today is an American hardcore punk straight edge band, formed in 1985 and still in activity. The band played a major role in establishing the Youth Crew subculture of hardcore, both espousing and evolving the philosophies of the straight edge and vegetarian lifestyles.-History:Youth Of...
.
Arthur sought to form a hardcore band and asked Civ to act as vocalist. However Civ was not interested in singing, and due to nerves had to face the floor or wall during early gigs. Members of the band Token Entry arranged a gig for the still unnamed band (Gorilla Biscuits used Token Entry's drummer, Ernie Parada for that first show), but needed a name to give it to the promoter. A popular drug in the area at that time was quaaludes, which people called "ape shit," or "gorilla biscuits" due to the pill's large size. Eventually the name evolved into Gorilla Biscuits, and though it was initially only meant to be temporary, they have continued to use it.
The band made a number of low-fi demo tapes which were sold at a dollar store. Their first official t-shirts were blue with an image of a gorilla riding a skateboard and were made using black magic markers and an ink blotter.
Popularity
Revelation Records featured the early Gorilla Biscuits song "Better Than You" on one of their compilations, and later released the eponymously titled Gorilla Biscuits 7-inch EPExtended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
in 1988, which later became a hardcore hit. The band toured the United States and Europe twice. In 1989, the band released their first full-length album, Start Today
Start Today
Start Today is an LP by Gorilla Biscuits. It is considered an influential recording in hardcore and melodic hardcore. It is also the biggest selling record put out by Revelation Records with copies in excess of 100,000 sold on CD alone.-Track listing:...
, which became the biggest selling ever for Revelation Records, and was also the first album that was issued on CD, alongside its vinyl and cassette versions, as part of the routine production. The band started writing material for a second LP (an unreleased song, "Distance", can be seen played by the band during a performance in the 1991 documentary Live In New York) which they never recorded, and eventually disbanded around the year 1992. Some of the members went on to play in a follow-up band, CIV. Besides singing for CIV, Civ now owns a tattoo studio on Long Island. Walter went on to form the post-hardcore
Post-hardcore
Post-hardcore is a genre of music that developed from hardcore punk, itself an offshoot of the broader punk rock movement. Like post-punk, post-hardcore is a term for a broad constellation of groups...
band Quicksand
Quicksand (band)
Quicksand was an American post-hardcore band from New York City founded in 1990 by singer/songwriter Walter Schreifels. Their debut self-titled EP was followed by two major label albums, Slip and Manic Compression...
. He then wrote the songs for and helped produce CIV's first album.
Re-unions and the future of Gorilla Biscuits
Gorilla Biscuits re-united for one show in October 1997 at CBGB to benefit the family of then recently deceased WarzoneWarzone (band)
Warzone was an American hardcore punk band formed on the Lower East Side of Manhattan in 1982. The band helped develop the New York hardcore sound, the hardcore skinhead style and the youth crew subgenre...
singer Raybeez, and played another show at CBGB on August 14, 2005 as a benefit towards the club's legal costs, and again on September 3, 2006.
In 2006, Revelation Records re-issued their seminal recording Start Today. The album is re-mastered and features in-depth liner notes by Walter Schreifels. They band held a month-long re-union tour during the summer of 2006, and featured both exclusive 7-inches and exclusive Paul Frank
Paul Frank
Paul Frank is an American cartoonist, artist and fashion designer. His creations adorn clothing, accessories, and many other products...
t-shirts only available on tour stops.
In September 2007, Gorilla Biscuits performed a month-long tour across Europe, including stops in Germany, Spain, Switzerland, The Netherlands and England. In celebration of the European Tour, Paul Frank collaborated with Gorilla Biscuits again to produce an exclusive run of Gorilla Biscuits wallets. Only one was sold at each Paul Frank store worldwide.
On May 28, 2011, Gorilla Biscuits headlined the Black N Blue Bowl at Webster Hall
Webster Hall
Webster Hall is a nightclub located at 125 East 11th Street, between Third and Fourth Avenues, near Astor Place, in Manhattan, New York City. Built in 1886, its current incarnation was opened by the Ballinger Brothers in 1992...
(formerly the Ritz) in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
Members
- Anthony Civarelli – vocals. "Civ" went on to form punk rockPunk rockPunk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
band CIV. Starting out with Lava RecordsLava RecordsLava Records is an American based record label, owned by Universal Music Group, and operated through Universal Republic Records.-Company history:...
and Revelation Records, they signed a major-label deal with Atlantic RecordsAtlantic RecordsAtlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
in 1995. They achieved commercial success with the single "Can't Wait One Minute More" , which was also later used in a popular car commercial. Civ is also the owner of a Long Island tattoo studio called Lotus Tattoo. - Walter Schreifels, who played guitar and wrote most of the songs for Gorilla Biscuits, went on to be the frontman in Quicksand, one of the most influential post-hardcore bands. Later, Walter was in Rival SchoolsRival Schools (band)Rival Schools are a post-hardcore band from New York signed to Photo Finish Records, featuring Walter Schreifels on vocals and guitar; Ian Love on guitar; Cache Tolman on bass guitar; and Sam Siegler on drums....
and Walking ConcertWalking ConcertWalking Concert is an indie rock band from New York, featuring Walter Schreifels on vocals and guitar; Jeffery E. Johnson on guitar; Ryan Stratton on bass guitar; and Drew Thomas on drums....
. While in Gorilla Biscuits, Walter went on to sing for the band Moondog. His reasoning being he "wanted to sing for a band. Playing guitar and writing songs for Gorilla Biscuits had always been fun but after a while I wanted to be doing something more." Moondog never actually got off the ground and Quicksand became the band he would front. He has also done extensive producing for other bands and lately he does a lot of solo acoustic shows. He has also been a member of Warzone, Youth of Today and Project XProject X (band)Project X was a short-lived hardcore punk/youth crew band from New York City, and also the name of their only release, being a five-track EP. The band consisted of members of other prominent NYC hardcore bands Gorilla Biscuits, Youth of Today, Side by Side and Judge.The band started when John...
. - Arthur Smilios – bass. Arthur had also played with Token Entry and Underdog for a little while, and after the demise of Gorilla Biscuits joined CIV with Civ.
- Alex Brown – second guitar. He had previously been a member of the straight edge hardcore bands Side By SideSide By Side (band)Side By Side was an American hardcore punk band on Revelation Records. They were a band from NY of youth crew persuasion. Recorded output was limited to a single 7", You're Only Young Once... Their 7" was the fifth record released by Revelation Records....
and Project XProject X (band)Project X was a short-lived hardcore punk/youth crew band from New York City, and also the name of their only release, being a five-track EP. The band consisted of members of other prominent NYC hardcore bands Gorilla Biscuits, Youth of Today, Side by Side and Judge.The band started when John...
, before joining Gorilla Biscuits. He was also behind the New York City-based fanzine and record label SchismSchism RecordsSchism was a hardcore record label and fanzine operated out of New York City in the late 1980s by John Porcelly and Alex Brown . Schism started out as the fanzine, Love Seat, which Brown put out while still living in Iowa...
, together with John Porcelly of Youth Of Today (who also ended up playing bass in a later incarnation of Gorilla Biscuits). - Luke Abbey – drums. While in Gorilla Biscuits, Luke was also a member of Warzone, and had been a part of the first real line-up of JudgeJudge (band)Judge was a New York-based straight edge band; formed in 1987 by Youth of Today guitarist, John "Porcell" Porcelly, and former Youth of Today drummer, Mike "Judge" Ferraro.-History:...
. He was later replaced by Sammy SieglerSammy SieglerSammy Siegler is an American rock drummer, notable for his many contributions to the New York hardcore scene.-With Side By Side:* New York City Hardcore - Together compilation...
in Gorilla Biscuits who had been in the band in the early days, and would go on to be the drummer in CIV. - Eric Fink – bass. Eric (guitar and founding member of Side By Side) played bass in the period between the demo tape and the 7". He is pictured on the NYHC LP with the band, but does not actually play on that recording. He went on to play guitar in Uppercut, and briefly played in Bloodline from Minneapolis.
Discography
| Title | Release date | Notes | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| Original 1987 Tape Demo Gorilla Biscuits | 1987 | Bootleg, can also be found on Walter Sings The Hits. | 99 Records |
| Gorilla Biscuits Gorilla Biscuits (album) Gorilla Biscuits is the self-titled debut 7" of the hardcore band Gorilla Biscuits.-Track listing - 7":All songs written by Walter Schreifels.Side A# "High Hopes" – 2:25# "Big Mouth" – 2:00# "No Reason Why" – 1:53# "GM2" – 0:21Side B... |
1988 | First 7″ LP | Revelation |
| Start Today Start Today Start Today is an LP by Gorilla Biscuits. It is considered an influential recording in hardcore and melodic hardcore. It is also the biggest selling record put out by Revelation Records with copies in excess of 100,000 sold on CD alone.-Track listing:... |
1989 | Their second and final record before disbanding. | Revelation |
| Having A Great Time... Wish You Were Here | 1991 | Last live show, soundboard recording from Germany in 1991. | ? |
| Walter Sings the Hits | 199? | Bootleg, contains a full version of Start Today 12" (w/ Walter on vocals instead of Civ), Moondog 7", Live In Germany 7", Live At The Safari Club 7", Demo '87 7" and Demo '86 7". (made in Germany) | No Label |
| A Puzzle of 38 Pieces | 19?? | Bootleg | ? |
| Live At CBGB =8/14/05 | 2005 | Bootleg | ? |
| 2 Song 7-inch | 2006 | Sold during the 2006 re-union tour. Only 20 copies were sold at each stop. It featured two brand new songs by the original line-up. | Self-released |
Compilations
- New York City Hardcore:TogetherNew York City Hardcore:TogetherNew York City Hardcore:Together is a record that was released as a seven-track 7" in 1987 as Revelation Records #2.The tracks were later re-released on the 18-track CD New York City Hardcore: The Way It Is, also on Revelation Records....
, 7″ (1987, Revelation RecordsRevelation RecordsRevelation Records is an independent record label focusing originally and primarily on hardcore punk. The label is known for its role in the evolution of hardcore and metallic post-hardcore with important releases by bands such as Youth of Today, Warzone, Sick of It All, Quicksand, Side By Side,...
) - New York City Hardcore: The Way It Is, CD (1988/1992 (re-issue), Revelation Records)
- Where the Wild Things Are (1989) Blackout RecordsBlackout RecordsBlackout! Records was an independent record label which specialized in the hardcore punk genre.It was formed in 1988 by Bill Wilson – now forever known as "Bill Blackout" – and, together with friend Jim Gibson, the label released its first record – a New York hardcore compilation...
- Threat: Music That Inspired The MovieThreat (film)Threat is an award-winning independent film about a straightedge "hardcore kid" and a hip hop revolutionary whose friendship is doomed by the intolerance of their respective street tribes...
, CD (2006, Kings Mob ProductionsKings Mob ProductionsKings Mob Productions is a DiY filmmaking and agitprop media-making "anti-corporation" dedicated to creating "new, dangerous, and thought-provoking media."-Background:...
)