Punk rock, hardcore music scene still thriving on Long Island with hundreds of shows booked each year
Share this @internewscast.com

From CBGB to the LIE.

Just when you thought it was “so last summer,” the iconic punk rock/emo and hardcore scene is still moshing hard on Long Island.

Long Island, the neighbor of the Big Apple, is renowned for being home to legendary bands like Taking Back Sunday, The Movielife, and Brand New, which is embarking on a tour this summer for the first time since 2017. Promoters have noted that there is no indication of the beloved angsty genre fading away anytime soon.

“Bands from outside the state specifically request to play here on Long Island,” shared Lina Mavruk, 24, a promoter for the Bored Friends Presents booking company and a Lawrence resident, with The Post. “If the dates don’t align, I offer them a slot in a Brooklyn show, but they often prefer to perform at a Long Island hardcore show instead.”

One group currently experiencing the pop/punk and emo wave is WAIVER., which came together in 2021 and captivates audiences with its melancholy and introspective lyrics.

The band – singer Nick Valero, drummer Dan Avellino, bassist Dave Carroll and Joey Valero, and Stin Barrow on guitars – have spent the last few months juggling recording new material with their day jobs and often mingle with their dedicated fans after their sets.

The Valero brothers are Local 3 Electricians from Bethpage, while Avelino is a teacher, Barrow repairs guitars, and Carroll studies music at SUNY Purchase. The latter three hail from Massapequa.

“Nick would teach the audience the lyrics, and everyone would climb on top of each other singing just the one song,” said Carroll, 20, of Massapequa. “On Long Island, people keep coming back having learned more of our songs.”

After then-Mayor Rudy Giuliani’s sweeping nightlife restrictions in the 1990s, the hardcore scene moved to the New Jersey and Long Island suburbs, where shows were initially held everywhere from dive bars to VFW halls. 

Today, Amityville Music Hall (AMH) is the center of Long Island’s hardcore universe and will host roughly 250 events in 2025.

Miles to Go (MTG), Golden Hour Bookings, and Bored Friends are the biggest hardcore, pop/punk, and emo bookers on Long Island, running multiple shows nightly. 

Ronkonkoma native John Scanlon, 33, has been booking shows since 2012 and said he booked 143 shows as the Calendar Manager at AMH and another 165 shows through MTG in 2024. 

“Many factors can indicate how future shows will do,” Scanlon said. “Sometimes a band has a new singer since you last booked them, or no one likes their new record, so no one wants to go to the show this time.”

And the business has been good for Lindenhurst native Steve Levy, who’s photographed about 70 punk rock shows annually since 2021.

“I’ve gotten kicks to the face, and the flash broken off my camera,” said Levy, 30. “I don’t mind that at all.”

Taking photos sometimes gets Levy into shows for free; other times, bands hire him to take portraits or at gigs, but he doesn’t let money get in the way of his place on the scene.

“I value shows, music, and photos, but I more appreciate being in the community and giving something back,” said Levy.

Hardcore punk band Pain of Truth has blown up, performing throughout North America and touring Australia, Colombia, Japan and the UK since their first show in October 2021.

“Long Island hardcore has always been sought after across the world,” says band guitarist Nik Hansen, 28, of Babylon. “It has its own style.”

Hardcore, emo, and pop/punk trace their roots to the West Coast, Washington, DC, and New York City punk-rock scenes of the 1980s.

Chris Payne dedicated a chapter of his book “Where Are Your Boys Tonight? The Oral History of Emo’s Mainstream Explosion 1999-2008” to Long Island’s influence on the national scene. He said the genres have unique personalities.

“Hardcore is punk rock with heavier elements, like screaming and big breakdowns that get everyone moshing,” Payne said. “Emo is a more vulnerable, melodic subgenre that spun out of hardcore in the mid-1980s and during emo’s 2000s commercial heyday, it had a good deal in common with pop-punk as a catchier, more accessible, less intimidating punk rock.” 

For many, their place on Long Island’s scene is longstanding.

Nick Lopardo, a 37-year-old married father of two, has played in local bands since 2006 and now performs solo as “Minimum Champion.”

“Long Island people tend to stay on Long Island,” said Lopardo. “You either do sports or try playing in a band.”

Lopardo has opened for noteworthy hardcore bands such as Agnostic Front, Mad Ball, and Sick of It All, but doesn’t make money doing what he loves. He works as a home heating technician six days a week to fund his recordings and family life.

“I’m not necessarily doing this to get a record deal,” Lopardo said, “but for people to hear my music.”

Share this @internewscast.com
You May Also Like
ESPN tried to destroy me with 'smear campaign' after I left

Former ESPN Employee Claims Network Launched Smear Campaign After Departure

Dan Patrick had the ESPN machine behind him for all those years…
FBI seeking military vet Benjamin Hanil Song suspected in ICE ambush at Texas detention facility

FBI on the hunt for military vet Benjamin Hanil Song in connection with ICE ambush at Texas detention center

The FBI is currently on the lookout for a former military member…
Photo of a smiling baby in a field.

Heartbreaking: 1-Year-Old Dies in Overheated Car as Mom Attends Beauty Appointment

A ONE-year-old boy has died a horrific death after being left in…
Retired Chicago firefighter Patrick McDermott, who saved 3 girls from burning building, finds kidney donor with ABC7 I-Team's help

Retired Chicago Firefighter Who Rescued Three Girls from Fire Gets Kidney Donor Thanks to ABC7 I-Team

CHICAGO (WLS) — In February, the ABC7 I-Team met with Patrick McDermott,…
Jake Paul's message to Ben Askren after his former opponent's health scare

Jake Paul Sends Message to Ben Askren Following Health Scare

Jake Paul is praising former opponent Ben Askren as “one of the…
Man busted with anti-government, anti-Trump documents after Texas ICE ambush suspect phone call, feds say

Federal Authorities Claim Texas ICE Ambush Suspect Found with Anti-Government and Anti-Trump Documents

A man accused of tampering with evidence related to the attack on…
Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron at a joint press conference.

Starmer and Macron Reveal Agreement to Send Back 50 Migrants Weekly from Boats to France

SIR Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron announced today a one-in-one-out arrangement to…
Aryna Sabalenka in heated Wimbledon moment with Amanda Anisimova

Tense Wimbledon Showdown: Aryna Sabalenka vs. Amanda Anisimova

Sorry, not sorry. The final stretch of Amanda Anisimova’s upset of top…
Paul McCartney tour 2025 announced: Cities, dates, how to get tickets

Paul McCartney 2025 Tour Details: Schedule, Locations, and Ticket Information

It’ll be McCartney’s first North American tour since 2022. WASHINGTON — Paul…
Professor Proposes Renaming His School 'George Floyd University'... Then He Really Goes Off the Rails

Professor Suggests Renaming His School ‘George Floyd University’… Then Things Take a Surprising Turn

In this episode of “No, This Isn’t a Satire Piece From the…

31 Workers Rescued Safely After LA Tunnel Collapse

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A total of thirty-one employees were safely evacuated…
Las Vegas woman describing shark attack in Florida.

Woman Attacked by Shark in Florida, Suffers Large ‘Barracuda-Sized Bite’ During Her First Visit

A VISITOR was severely injured when a shark bit her during her…