Interview with Warcraft скачать в хорошем качестве

Interview with Warcraft

Oral history with early '90s metal band Warcraft, recorded on March 3, 2025, as part of the "Uptown Rumble: Heavy Music in The Bronx" project at The Bronx County Historical Society. Two of the members were present, the ones from The Bronx: Ish (vocals) and Gerson (drummer). The interviewer is Steven Payne, director of The Bronx County Historical Society. In the band's oral history, Ish begins by speaking about his family's roots in Puerto Rico and growing up first in the South Bronx and then moving to the northeast Bronx with his family in his adolescence. He shares his family's, and especially his father's, great love of music. He remembers being surrounded by a musical atmosphere from an early age. He also recalls being exposed to rock music as a child from his cousin, who was listening to bands like Iron Maiden and AC/DC. Ish developed his own love for this kind of music, as well, typically being the only, or one of the only, kids in his elementary and junior high schools who was a rocker. At Harry S. Truman High School and Evander Childs, Ish met other rockers who exposed him to heavier and heavier material. He shares his memories of the concerts he went to during these years and where he would discover new music. One fateful day, he answered an ad for a vocalist from a band out in Queens, Warcraft, and he joined them right as they were starting in 1990. Gerson, for his part, shares his family's background in Puerto Rico and his earliest memories of growing up on Wales Avenue before moving to an apartment near the 187th Street/Third Avenue/Washington Avenue intersection at around age 5 or 6. Here is where his most formative memories stem from, and also where he was introduced to heavy music. He shares memories of being enamored with an Iron Maiden patch on a b-boy's denim jacket, before he even knew who this band was. Gerson started skateboarding with other kids in the neighborhood, and this went hand-in-hand with his developing love for heavy music. At Theodore Roosevelt High School, Gerson met many other metal heads and hardcore kids. He recalls his early efforts to learn guitar and drums, even taking lessons with the drummer from Rampage. Neither Gerson nor Ish remember exactly how they met, but Gerson was proficient enough at drums by that point—at around age 18 or 19—that when Warcraft needed a new drummer, Gerson was able to step in seamlessly. Gerson and Ish share their joint memories of some of the shows that Warcraft played, particularly in Queens and on Long Island, but also at the Metal Madness 1 and 2 shows in 1992 and 1993 in The Bronx—at the Chippewa Club in Westchester Square and St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church on Crotona Avenue. Gerson and Ish also reminisce about recording with Warcraft, being particularly proud of the From His Mind demo released in 1993. They share some of their most memorable shows, touching on how meaningful it was for them to play at CBGBs, as well as the band's overall approach to metal, an especially unique one that did not fit easily into any of the prevailing subgenres of the day. Gerson and Ish end by acknowledging some of the people, including members of Warcraft, who played a large role in this chapter of their lives.