Legendary New York hardcore band Judge storms Manila

Legendary New York hardcore band Judge storms Manila

by rick olivares picture by mel lacson dolorico

Mike Ferraro quietly sat in a corner at the second floor of the 123 Block. A member of Sleeping Boy Collective, the independent show promoter that brought in Ferraro’s legendary New York hardcore band Judge to Manila, placed a table a few feet away to keep away inquisitive fans who hoped for a selfie.

Ferraro, wearing olive drab military fatigues and a baseball cap drawn closely to cover his eyes, sat back and was lost in thought.

This wasn’t like that night in 1991 when he told guitarist, John Porcell, the gig was over. “Porcell,” he said looking at his bandmate who was with him since their days with Youth of Today. “I think I’m done.”

Porcell recalls that moment. Thousands of miles away from New York City, Judge is in Manila as part of their Southeast Asian Tour; their first time to hit this part of the world. Porcell was upstairs some three hours before his band was scheduled to hit the stage. He took a look at my records that I asked him to sign. “I don’t have my records anymore,” he softly said. He flipped over the long player, No Apologies: The “Chung King” Sessions that recounted that moment where Ferraro talked to him about his decision to hang it up.

The liner notes end with Porcell’s thoughts after Ferraro just called it quits. “Somehow, I knew it was coming.”

The legendary guitarist nodded with his mind racing back to those chaotic days when fights were routine at Judge gigs and matters were spinning out of control. “That was then. This is now,” quipped Porcell who then signed my records, smiled, and posed for a photo.

Nearly 30 years later, Judge is hitting parts of the world they never even imagined. “It is amazing,” shyly admitted Ferraro later when we sat down for an interview. “That we get to do this again, but it is different. I didn’t have the means to get these shows done before. Now, it’s great. The whole tour has been great. It is amazing to see young fans know our songs and that they mean something considering they were written a long time ago.”

And that begs the inevitable question. There has been no new record since 1990. Judge reformed in 2013, are there any plans to record a new album?

Earlier, Judge drummer Sammy Siegler sat down with the Insektlife Cycle bassist Joy Legason and myself who were catching up. What followed was a good 25 minutes of talk about music, politics, and Judge.

“I don’t know if we should record new songs,” suggested Siegler who admitted the band has never really talked about it. “If we do that, I have to wonder how they will stack up to the old songs. Will it be just as good? But that’s something for Mike and Porcell to figure out.”

“Me?” laughed Ferraro. “I am ready to go. I’ve known Porcell a long time. I’m just waiting for him.”

That is however, for another time. The fans who trooped to the 123 Block didn’t have to wait too long after the final opening act got off the stage. “The Imperial March (Darth Vader’s Theme)” came on then Judge launched into “Take Me Away” and the crowd nuclear.

“So this is Manila on a Monday,” observed Ferraro after the intro and before tearing off into those buzz saw songs with metallic riffs.

It was an incredible sight. I’ve seen all those videos of the band performing in CBGB’s and other famous spots. I’ve watched dozens of times the documentary, There Will Be Quiet, which is the story of Judge. I was weaned on a steady diet of New York hardcore in the mid to late 1980s, but of all the bands that I listened to – Agnostic Front, Gorilla Biscuits, Youth of Today, and the Cro-Mags, it is Judge that I liked with its straight edge message.

And now, here there were performing their classics as the few in the crowd who declared too that they were “fed up”. When Ferraro screamed, “You’ve lost” from “In My Way” and thrust the microphone in front of the blessed few in front of the stage, they screamed back the rest of the line, “my respect!”

For their penultimate song, “Warriors,” the crowd summoned what was left of their energy to join in the chorus, “Never forget the warriors!”

Who indeed would forget these hardcore warriors?

It was a sight to see. Bleeping New York Hardcore. The most militant of the straight edge bands was here and the messages that they sang so fiercely and proudly about decades ago, still rings true today.

The pursuit of a then-young Filipino kid from Manila in search of those precious original pressings of Judge albums took me from Bleecker Bob’s in Greenwich Village to Kim’s in the East Village and eventually back closer to home with Mutilated Records in Manila.

Ferraro dutifully signed my records and couldn’t help but notice one that wasn’t of theirs but definitely not out of place. It was Warzone’s first extended play album Lower East Side. “Yeah, I know this very well,” softly said Ferraro.

The burly singer pulls out the liner notes and runs his finger on the quote from his late colleague Ray “Raybeez” Barbieri: “Read the lyrics. Feel the passion. It all comes from our hearts. Like the famous saying goes, ‘No mess. No fuss. Just pure impact.’”

Ferraro nodded and smiled.

Oh, yes there was quiet and then pure impact.

After a cool and surreal night where after exiting into the early hours of the morn, I wondered if this was real. I entered with a pair of Judge records that were unsigned.

I exited with the What It Meant compilation bearing a stamp most unexpected and well, lasting. It had the New York Hardcore logo as penciled in by Judge.

Storms do leaving lasting impressions.

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My pics from the show of Judge in Manila
Click on the link for pictures with Mike Judge, Porcell and Sam Seigler