Bones brigade

Thrasher Magazine, July, 2004 by Oakland L. Childers

A BAND OF FOUR YOUNG Beantown punks, Bones Brigade, named its first record I Hate Myself When I'm Not Skateboarding. What else do you need to know about them?

First off, some people have pads older than these guys, who range in age from 18 to 22. The youngest--singer Brian--is still in high school and has to work band practice around little things like homework and taking out the trash. It's a big decision: Harvard or hardcore? For Brian, the school of hard knocks is the logical choice.

"It's pretty sick," says Brian. "My parents are going crazy with me touring, but whatever."

The band got together when guitarist Charlton Hessian and Phil "Skulls" Harwood, the band's bass player, met at Northeastern University. The pair took daily trips on the train to skate downtown Boston where they met Mullet, their drummer. All three had been in bands before, so it seemed natural to get something going. All the bad music they were hearing on skate videos made it pretty easy to decide what to play.

"There's just not enough punk in skating anymore," says Skulls.

Like a lot of skate rock bands, the kids in Bones Brigade didn't have much of a plan other than skating and playing punk rock. In fact, they say they only had three goals when they started the band--to have people listen to them while they were skating, to get kids into skating, and to get written up in Thrasher. Congratulations boys, you've made it to the top!

"We can all die now," says Skulls. Actually, these guys probably have quite a bit ahead of them, judging by what they've accomplished so far.

With the energy of youth and junk food fueling its fire, it didn't take long for Bones Brigade to get noticed. The band started playing out and recording whenever they weren't skating, and soon a tape of their songs found its way into the hands of hardcore legend Ray Porcell, who immediately recognized the honest simplicity and precision of Bones Brigade. "He just flipped his lid," says Skulls.

Porcell signed Bones Brigade to his up-and coming Fight Fire With Fire label, recording and releasing/ Hate Myself When I'm Not Skateboarding. Another record is already in the works.

What Bones Brigade lacks in age it more than makes up for in raw punk power. I Hate Myself When I'm Not Skateboarding is packed with shotgun-blast songs about skating, rocking out and having fun.

They know their roots--skate rock is back, and Bones Brigade is running wild in the streets.

BONES BRIGADE'S TOP FIVE SONGS IN SKATE VIDEOS

1. The Skatenigs' "Lets Go Get Cokes"--Flip/Sorry

2. Suicidal Tendencies' "Can't Bring Me Down"--DC Video

3. Iron Maiden's "Hallowed Be Thy Name"--Toy Machine/Welcome To Hell

4. Charlie Daniels' Band's "Devil Went Down to Georgia"--Black Label/Black Out

5. Slayer's "South of Heaven"--Zero/Misled Youth