The Brooklyn Blast Furnace

So, I had a tattoo appointment with my best friend Ian Shafer, so I incorporated it into an overnight stay at his house so my daughter can hang out with Ian's son since life and schedules always put a damper on getting the kids together. While I was there he said we could do another episode while I was there. No problem. As mentioned from episode 80, the least time he was on, we went through rehab together from 2004-2006. I consider him my brother. He's my best friend, a psycho, a world class tattoo artist, old school punk rock and hardcore kid and without a doubt, one of the best dad's I know. We just shoot the shit for an hour about a bunch of random things off the top of our heads. Always a good dude to speak with. Enjoy.

*Due to the coronavirus, the dates for this convention have been postponed until June 26th through the 28th 2020. The majority of the guests we spoke about have been confirmed for the rescheduled date. That being said, the reason why I am still releasing this episode is because I feel that people need to know about what this man does. And if you're not familiar with what really goes on at a "horror" convention, maybe you'll dig it and wind up attending one in the future. We speak about a lot more other than the convention. Thanks for listening* The Founder and Creator of the New Jersey Horror Con and Film Festival, and filmmaker, Ryan Scott Weber is my guest. I met him at a quiet diner in Somerset, New Jersey to talk horror, his history in his band "Crash Romeo" who used to be signed to "Trustkill Records", what made him pick up a camera to start making music videos and movies. He created one of the newer horror conventions in the Northeast but it stands on it's own with his own twist. He sheds light on independent film makers as well as having actors and actresses for all genres of horror films including some pop culture figures. He also created the "Horror Sideshow Market" which spotlights vendors as well as a few key guests. The New Jersey Horror Con takes place twice a year at the Showboat Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey. If you're in the area, you should attend one and check it out. It's kid friendly and a lot of fun to get away. The next convention is in a couple weeks. From Friday, June 26th through Sunday, June 28th. Enjoy!

The ever controversial and outspoken founding member of first wave New York Hardcore band, the Nihilistics... Ron Rancid is my guest on this episode. He met me at "Generation Records" to chop it for a while. He was nothing short of what most would expect. He doesn't care about what anyone thinks, or feels. We go back to the old days of the "A7" and "CBGB" and the burned out Lower East Side of New York City. From the birth of the band up until now with a new record deal and record in the works to him working in a funeral home then eventually becoming an embalmer to him being questioned for being a Long Island serial killer... yes. A serial killer. If you're easily offended here in 2020, this one isn't for you. I got a little uncomfortable a couple times, but hey, everyone has their own opinions. I hope you enjoy this one. Respect.

It's been 137 episodes since Eddie has been on the podcast. A lot has happened since so I figured he was long overdue for a return visit. We recorded at "Soundwars Studios" in Hoboken, New Jersey. We talk about what's been going on with "Leeway NYC" and what is coming up as far as new music and shows. The relaunch of his podcast, "The Eddie Leeway Podcast" is touched on. We also talk about the beginning days of Leeway and all of the delays and setbacks that seemed to have held the band back with record labels and turmoil within the band. There's some discussion about the mafia, wrestling and some old personal stories as well. Eddie is always an interesting conversation. Happy to call him a friend. Enjoy.

Originally from Long Island, Actor Joseph Covino eventually moved out to Los Angeles to pursue acting after living in the East Village in New York City for awhile. He portrayed John Gotti in the Amazon Limited Series "Kingpin" alongside actor Craig Thomas Rivela (who was on Episode 128) who portrayed Sammy Gravano. We talk a bit about that experience along with what he has done, what's now in production and his future plans. A neighborhood good guy this guy is ova here. Much respect to him for making an effort to link up with me during his short stay back in New York from Los Angeles. I hope you enjoy this one. Check out his IMDB Page here: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2575382/

Ken Sagoes... mostly known for his role as "Roland Kincaid" in "A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors" and "A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master". One of the coolest people I've ever met. He took time out from signing autographs for horror fans at the "Horror Sideshow Market" in Allentown, Pennsylvania to talk to me about his role in those iconic horror movies along with his upbringing and what he has planned for the future. Coming from a very religious family in the south, it wasn't an easy decision to accept the role in those Freddy Krueger movies... he tells a couple funny stories about that. Along with his organization that helps send kids to college. Give this one a listen. Ken is a super nice man. Enjoy. Respect.

Best known as "Duane Bradley" in the cult classic horror trilogy "Basket Case", Kevin Van Hentenryck took a few minutes out of his time from signing autographs at the "Horror Sideshow Market" in Allentown, Pennsylvania to talk with me about the movies he was in, the filming process, director Frank Henenlotter and his true passion which is being a stone sculptor. I grew up watching the first "Basket Case" film so it was really cool on a personal level to have this little talk with him. Enjoy.

One of the people that I've always wanted to speak with is my guest for Episode 144. Steven Blush! Mostly known for writing , "American Hardcore" along with the film of the same name, as well as "American Hair Metal", "Lost Rockers: Broken Dreams & Crashed Careers", "New York Rock: From the Rise of the Velvet Underground to the Fall of CBGB", the founder of "Seconds Magazine", and "The Art of the Interview". He's also a huge record collector and Hardcore historian. Steven invited me to his house in the West Village and gave me the opportunity to sit and talk about what he has done (and it's A LOT) and what he has in store for the near future and beyond. We connected very quickly and this one went by just as fast. I hope you enjoy this. Respect. Visit his website to check out what he's up to along with links to purchase all of his work at: https://stevenblush.com/ We close out the episode with three songs from the "American Hardcore" film. 1. SSD: Boiling Point 2. Articles of Faith: Bad Attitude 3. Battalion of Saints: My Mind's Diseased

Well... Craig "Ahead" Setari of "Sick Of It All" is back along with record producer The Jerry Farley for this ridiculous episode. The New York Pizza Report! This is a two-in-one episode that spanned the course of about twelve days, two different boroughs, two different pizzerias and a lot of banter. We start out at the famous "L&B Spumoni Gardens" in Brooklyn, then about a week or so later we're at "Amore Pizza" in Queens. We discuss and break down the pizza from both places a lot! We discuss food in general, music, producing records, we talk smack, cosmic energy, consciousness, we touch on the impact of members of the hardcore scene that have passed, especially Vinnie Value. There's even a Bigfoot story along with Craig's theory on if Bigfoot exists or not... oh, we discuss food some more as well. The epitome of a podcast episode with absolutely no direction that is all over the place. Sit back, grab yourself a slice or a bowl of spaghetti and enjoy.

Ladies and gentlemen... the return of everyone's favorite Neighborhood Knucklehead. Tattooer at "R&D Tattoo" in Queens, Singer for "Caught In A Trap" and host of the "Neighborhood Knucklehead" Podcast... Rich Fie! This episode felt like it went by in 15 minutes. By the end, you'll hear that we could've easily gone for another two hours. Always entertaining and fun to talk to. Especially when we start talking about his fear of music that even mentions the devil, Ouija Boards, nature... yes, nature and our love of mafia movies. A lot of knucklehead nonsense for sure! Enjoy this one! Respect.

My guests for Episode 141 is an eleven year old sponsored skateboarder, Jacsen Kutik and his awesome father Marc. They drove several hours down to "Generation Records" in the West Village of New York City from the Syracuse area to meet up and do this episode. I've been following Jacsen for a couple of years now. We discuss what drew him to jumping on a skateboard, his progress from when he was a very young child until now, what else he enjoys doing besides ripping it up on a skateboard, his future goals and even some hardcore music. It was an absolute honor to meet and speak with them. I truly believe that this young man is going to become a pro skater. I hope you enjoy this one. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jacsenkutik The song at the end of this episode is titled "Sky" by Sydney Irving. Follow her on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sydneyirvingmusic I created a limited run of shirts for Jacsen in order to support some of his travel expenses to tournaments and skate parks so he can continue to fulfill his dream of becoming a pro skateboarder. You can see them as a pinned post on the Facebook group as well as the Instagram page. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/thebrooklynblastfurnace Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebrooklynblastfurnace If you would like to donate to Jacsen, please PayPal anything you can to: https://www.paypal.me/brooklynblastfurnace

A couple years ago I did a quick five minute Bonus Mini Episode with Dave Neabore from "Dog Eat Dog" and the early days of "Mucky Pup". I see this gentleman often and asked him if he was down to do a proper episode being that I've been a fan of his bands since I was a teenager. He invited me to his home in New Jersey and had a really cool conversation. We go from the beginning of "Mucky Pup" to the formation of "Dog Eat Dog" all the way up to the present where he just got off tour celebrating the 25th Anniversary of their classic "All Boro Kings" record. We talk horror films for a bit since we're both heavily into that stuff as well as him creating horror themed soundtracks. Dave is a class act. I hope you enjoy this. Respect.

A Brooklyn original. Guitarist for Maximum Penalty, Method of Destruction, Fully and Lament... Joe Affe ladies and gentlemen. Joe invited me to his house in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn to chop it up. We talk about all of his bands, past and present, to how much New York City has changed along with the pros and cons of those changes, to horror movies and a bunch in between. I didn't realize that Maximum Penalty opened up for Agnostic Front the night they recorded the classic "Live at CBGB" record. Joe is a criminally underrated and unsung guitar player who has been around forever. A great guy who I've been wanting to get on for a while now. I'm glad it happened. I had a lot of fun talking with him. I hope you enjoy it as well. Respect.

My guests for Episode 138 are Dan Nastasi and Steve Gallo from "Kings Never Die". Both of these guys have been around the scene for a long time, both have toured the world several times over and have played in legendary bands. Agnostic Front, Dog Eat Dog, Leeway, Mucky Pup and Murphy's Law to name a few. But we're not here to focus on that... Kings Never Die ladies and gentleman. The new band. We got together and recorded this at Generation Records in the West Village in New York City to discuss the band and a ton of other things. I laughed throughout most of this one. I hope you enjoy this one as well. Thanks for the continued support into 2020. Respect.

The final episode of The Brooklyn Blast Furnace Podcast for 2019. My guest is, well... I've met this man on several occasions. He's at every horror convention I go to. He has (un)blessed my child. He is a nice guy. He is a possessed priest. He is the purveyor of sin. He is "Father Evil". I sat down and spoke to him at the Horror Sideshow Market in Rahway, New Jersey. The Sideshow Market is created by the people who created the New Jersey Horror Con and Film Festival twice a year. This is a story of a man who was a scared child and turned his fear into a legitimate business within the horror community. A super nice guy under the white contacts, make-up, rosary beads wrapped around his hands and his cassock (Priest robe). Check this out, it's a little different but definitely a unique and interesting story. I hope you enjoy this one. Thank you for the support over the last year. You're all appreciated. Happy New Year! See you next Sunday at midnight in 2020. Respect.