The Witzard

PURE HEEL - Freedom from You back cover (CREDIT: MArk Miller, @hmniphoto) Jay Galvin is the guitarist of Buffalo Wrestle-core pioneers PURE HEEL , one of our absolute favorite Punk/Hardcore-adjacent bands in recent years. Galvin is affectionately known within the band as The Captain and somewhat less affectionately known as Captain Annoying. He's been with PURE HEEL since their formation and appears on their earliest recordings starting with their four-track 2016 Demo. Galvin has been recording, making, playing, and releasing msuic since about 1995 and either is currently or was once a member of Bleed for Me, The Bonesaw Romance, Disengage, Face The Panic, P*ssing Match, Serpents of Shiva, Slugfest, thegalvinwilhelmmillerquartet; these including stints playing and making music alongside Scott Reynolds (ALL, The Pavers,) Aaron Ratajczak (Every Time I Die, HOURGLASS,) and Scott Vogel (TERROR, WORLD BE FREE.) In addition to his various musical albilities—Jay has been a singer, guita...

HOURGLASS 2022 line-up (CREDIT: J.P. Pierre) HOURGLASS were a Buffalo, New York-rooted Hardcore Punk/Emo band that was only active from about 1994 or '95 'til 1997. They recently re-formed and re-issued their near-complete discography on Immigrant Sun Records, plus, have signed with HellMinded Records to release some forthcoming new material. HOURGLASS's core line-up includes Michael "Mike" Zebrowski, Gerald Thomas, William "Billy" Wachowiak, and Marcus Nati and for this re-formation, added newest member Aaron "BEERWÜLF" Ratajczak . Some of the more seasoned Hardcore die-hards/regular readers ehre may recognize BEERWÜLF's name from his involvement with Bleed for Me, The Bonesaw Romance, Every Time I Die, Face The Panic, Goodbye Cruel World, Kid Gorgeous, Killshot, Lockjaw, Orations, P*ssing Match, Rhinoceros, and/or The Telltale Signs. We had a chance to speak with guitarist Gerald Thomas on the heels of Discography and prior to the impe...

Pissing Match was formed in the fall and winter of 2013-14 by guitarist Aaron Adkins (Everything Falls Apart, Able Danger, Lewd Dewds,) who had wanted to start a Hardcore band that borrowed from his latest obsession: the short, frantic start-stop frenzy of the Swedish Hardcore duo Pusrad and wed it with the sounds of USHC alumni D.R.I. Koro, and Negative Approach with a splash of toilet humor for sh*ts and giggles. After recording all of the instruments and vocals for a 10-song demo tape clocking in at just over three minutes, Adkins enlisted vocalist Jay Galvin (Slugfest, Face The Panic, PURE HEEL,) who suggested the young pisspot Rob Ohlenschlager (PURE HEEL) on drums and veteran bassist Joe Villella (KDC, Fledging Death, Bleed for Me) to round out the yellow-eyed line-up. After the release of the aforementioned demo tape in 2014, followed by the 6-minute 16-song Break The Seal 7-inch in 2016; the gang quickly marked their territory on the US Hardcore scene. The quartet subseque...