Project X was a short-lived

hardcore punk Hardcore punk (also known as simply hardcore) is a punk rock music genre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots can be traced to earlier pu ...

youth crew Youth crew is a music subculture of hardcore punk, which was particularly prominent during the New York hardcore scene of the late 1980s. Youth crew is distinguished from other punk styles by its optimism and moralistic outlook. The original yout ...

band from

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...

, and also the name of their only release, being a five-track EP. The band consisted of members of other prominent NYC hardcore bands

Gorilla Biscuits Gorilla Biscuits are an American hardcore punk band from New York City, New York, United States, formed in 1986. The band currently consists of Anthony "Civ" Civarelli, Walter Schreifels, Arthur Smilios and Luke Abbey, and is signed to Revelati ...

Youth of Today Youth of Today is an American hardcore punk band, initially active from 1985 to 1990 before reforming in 2010. The band played a major role in establishing the " Youth Crew" subculture of hardcore, both espousing and evolving the philosophie ...

, Side by Side and Judge. The band started when John Porcelly (vocalist) and Alex Brown (guitarist) planned to release a 7" compilation of rare, unreleased hardcore from the early 1980s to accompany the seventh issue of their

fanzine A fanzine (blend of '' fan'' and ''magazine'' or ''-zine'') is a non-professional and non-official publication produced by enthusiasts of a particular cultural phenomenon (such as a literary or musical genre) for the pleasure of others who share t ...

, called 'Schism'. When they couldn't acquire the rights to release the compilation, they decided to form a 'project band', record a 7" under its name and release it with the fanzine. Fellow band members were recruited and Project X was formed. "Straight Edge Revenge" was written by John L Hancock III (aka Ratboy) for Youth of Today but was never recorded, because Ray Cappo found the lyrics to be too militant. The record had a pressing of 500, and according to the band's bio on Bridge Nine Records' website, the majority of the records sold out at a gig in

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...

. The record was out of print for 18 years (although it was illegally bootlegged more than once during that time),
but was finally re-released in 2005 on

Bridge Nine Records Bridge 9 Records is an American hardcore punk record label located outside Boston, Massachusetts. Bridge Nine is owned by Chris Wrenn of Salem, Massachusetts, who began the label in 1995 and produced its first release in 1996. The label is name ...

. The band played few shows, estimated as low as five. These included some on the east coast of the United States, and a few during

's European tour in 1989. The 7-inch remained Project X's only recorded output (they were, after all, just a project, and the members were busy with their other bands). So when Porcelly as a joke put ''Project X – The Edge of Quarrel LP'' on his

Maximum RocknRoll ''Maximumrocknroll'', often written as ''Maximum Rocknroll'' and usually abbreviated as ''MRR'', is a not-for-profit monthly zine of punk subculture. Based in San Francisco, ''MRR'' focuses on punk rock and hardcore music, and primarily fea ...

playlist during a

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

visit, record collectors began searching high and low for this fabled LP, but alas, it never existed. The band did however write one song that was only performed live, "Can't Keep Me Down". Later the lyrics were changed, and it became the

song "Live Free" on the band's '' We're Not in This Alone'' album. The band played again a couple of times in 2015 while touring with Gorilla Biscuits.

Former members

*Alex Brown ("Kid Hard") - guitar *

John Porcelly John "Porcell" Porcelly (born 3 February 1967), also known as Paramananda Das, is an American musician, best known as the guitarist for the 1980s hardcore bands Young Republicans, Violent Children, Youth of Today, and Judge. He also sang in P ...

("Slam") - vocals *

Walter Schreifels Walter Schreifels (born March 10, 1969) is an American rock musician and producer from New York City. Career In the late 1980s, he played in many New York hardcore bands, most notably Youth of Today and Gorilla Biscuits, where he was also ...

("N.D.") - bass guitar * Sammy Siegler ("The Youth") - drums

Discography

* ''Project X'' (1987)

References

External links

Complete listing of Project X releases, shows and flyers
{{DEFAULTSORT:Project X Hardcore punk groups from New York (state) Musical groups established in 1987