Bzrker

The best way to understand the band and their music from 1989 to 1992, you have to look back at the hardcore history these people were involved in. Growing up in the suburbs of Boston these 5 individuals lead very different paths that would eventually lead them to Chips basement, home of the never ending practice. You have to take it back a few years to 1986 when a group of kids put their heads together to make a band. They had spent a number of years going to Hardcore shows and seeing the bands that everyone wishes they had seen at clubs like Green Street Station, The Channel, The Rat, Ground Zero, The Church the list goes on and on. They were die hard scenesters going to every All Ages show they could afford to, traveling to places outside of Boston like RI and NH just to see their favorite bands. Boston at this time had a unique scene and a huge following for their local bands. There was no internet and MTV was still new and actually played music videos. With nothing much to do, it was normal just to start a band and start making some noise.Chip and Al spent much of 1988 and 89 honing their skills in the band Sucker Punch. They played a number of shows in and around Boston, the most notable with Murphy’s Law at Bunratty’s. With 1989 coming to a close, Sucker Punch would play their last show at Emerson College. Later Sucker Punch would reappear on the Boston Hardcore 1989 – 1991 CD (Taang Records).Having tasted the adrenalin from all these live shows, Chip and Al found themselves rebuilding their band and it’s sound from the ground up. This time they wanted to take it up a notch from Hardcore. Hardcore was its’ solid foundation but all the other twists and turns in their music came from the influences that found their way onto their record players (yes those big round plastic things). Their influences came from every direction, ranging from Hardcore, Punk, Metal, Thrash and yes some Rap. Mix it up like a Molotov cocktail and you got B'zrker. But a two-piece was not going to go anywhere so the search began. Al knew Charlie from the art school they attended in Boston and Joe had been a neighbor for many years. Both loved music and loved to play it. Over Christmas break 1989 they all converged on Al’s frozen garage with Gorilla Amps in tow. Here they wrote the first song to their extensive catalogue “Taking the Law”. They went to Chips house to work out the drums, after one practice and one song something just clicked and the spark was re-born. They continued to write songs while looking for the right singer. After a number of auditions of a few close friends, Tom Habelt was hailed the Reigning Star and work began to prepare for the live show. The only thing holding them back at the time was coming up with a name. B'zrker as a name was a great fit for the band, although its’ spelling would haunt them on almost every marquis and newspaper promotion. They broke their Cherry at The Channel on a Monday night Matinee. This is where all the skeptics came to see us sink or swim. B’zrker was not the hardcore band for everyone, although with their violent pits and “Kill Each Other” attitude it made it real hard to ignore them. The first year was very kind to the band, scoring shows with new bands like Biohazard and Pantera (Oh the stories Phil told our ears at this show). They played a number of shows over the years with bands like Mucky Pup, Sheer Terror, Type-O-Negative and Slap Shot. Their popularity grew through Radio Shows on Tufts University and WFNX and their fan base grew with it. They recorded three different demo tapes, the first was the only one to ever circulate, the second gave birth to the two songs from 1990’s “That’s What You Get” 7” (on Nemesis Records). A second 7” was released in late 1991 on eXchange Records immortalizing “Taking the Law” and “It Never Bends”. The third and final recording session was done for a German Record Label that never materialized. This session spawned the song “Inside (East Coast Assault Compilation). There were a number of songs from this session were never released (Later a CD of some of these songs would circulate as bootleg copies handed from fan to fan). B’zrker disbanded in the spring of 1992, it was time for a change and Grunge had taken root on the eve of the Punk resurgence. Al was the first to move on and start the band Crawl with Scott O’Dowd ex-guitarist of Sucker Punch. Chip, Tom Charlie and Joe continued as a four piece as THUG and released a demo Jumbo Jones. They would stay close and in touch over the years and occasionally show up at each other’s shows.In 1997 as a last minute decision these five would find themselves in the sound museum in Allston practicing together once again. This time for a reunion show, a little rusty and a foggy memory of how each song went they prepared for what would be the last B’zrker show of the 90’s. In Typical B’zrker style they took the stage with a few Technical difficulties but hashed out the classics. The crowd responded with a swollen pit bursting at the seams held together with blood and stitches. Charlie would end the set by smashing his bass and saying I’m done, what better way to bring closure at such a high point.The shows, T-shirts, stickers and music don’t compare to the number of fans that were dedicated to the band. We thank you for all the support over the years and the fun you created for us. Enjoy this page; it’s for all of you.Fuck it up B’zrker Style Man!