BLACK TRAIN JACK

No Reward

1993

You're Not Alone

1994

 

Artist Biography

New York hardcore troupe brought up in the CBGB’s era, owing obvious stylistic debts to Agnostic Front, Murphy’s Law et al. , but with more of an ear for melody. The band centres around local legend Ernie Parada, who had previously formed hardcore semi-legends Token Entry, remaining their drummer for several years. Switching to guitar, he was joined in Black Train Jack by former Token Entry roadies Brian (bass) and four-octave, classically trained vocalist Rob. The line-up was completed by Nick (drums), recruited from the group’s neighbourhood of Astoria, Queens. They took their name, meanwhile, from a touring incident when all four of them headed off-road in Brian’s jeep and ended up in a sewage plant. Henry Rollins’ Hard Volume was playing from the tape-deck, and as the group emerged, covered from head to foot in sewage, they adapted a line from ‘Wreckage’ that stated, appropriately: ‘You’ve got a ticket on the blacktrain, Jack’. Their crunching guitar music was unveiled on a debut album co-produced with manager Anthony Countey, and crossed a street-perspective with the pop sentiments of Bow Wow Wow, or, closer to home, Descendents / All.