Hudson Valley Hardcore with Grave Heist
Hudson Valley Hardcore: Grave Heist
Grave Heist was my introduction to the Hudson Valley Hardcore scene. I was aware of the Albany scene, but never anything between Albany and New York City.
I found their crossover thrash sound at a show at Second Nature Skate Park in my hometown of Peekskill, New York back in June of 2023. I got the tape for their first EP, released in May 2023: Future World Order, a thrashy, reverb-laden 11-minute release. And from there I realized, just by following Instagram accounts and looking around that there was a lot in the Hudson Valley. To be able to interview them now as the kick-off to my Hudson Valley Hardcore series for Doors at Seven definitely seems appropriate.
Grave Heist has had three releases. May 2023’s Future World Order, October 2023’s Gravedust, a split EP with New Jersey’s Jawdust, and “Time 2 Die”, a single released in December 2023. They have performed around the Hudson Valley and a few shows outside of it.
How and when did you guys form?
We formed in early 2023 – Zach and I (Ethan) have been making music since we were in middle school. This band started with us writing music under the name High Stick – I think I wrote the entire first EP myself, but I don’t think you can find it anywhere. Anyway, soon after that, we recruited Dan Shaw to play drums and Josh Obijiski to play second guitar, and with our old bassist we recorded a couple of EPs within the year. Recently we added Kevin Platt on bass and he’s been a great fit. We like to say we started the heist in 2023, and we’ve been heisting ever since.
What’s the lineup of Grave Heist?
The current lineup is:
Vocals – Ethan Portes-Chaikin
Guitar – Zach Kenny
Drums – Dan Shaw
Guitar – Josh Obijiski
Bass – Kevin Platt
Who would you say are your major influences in terms of sound?
I’d say bands like Power Trip and Backtrack are big for Kenny and I. Josh loves bands like Leeway and Mastodon. Dan loves bands like Into Another and Candiria. I can’t speak for Kevin because he’s new to the band, but I bet he likes Mariah Carey, haha.
You’ve had a few releases in the past year. How would you say your sound has changed with the releases, if at all? (I’ve noticed the mixes are different from the Future World Order EP)
Future World Order was mixed by me and it was kind of a stylistic choice to lay all that reverb down on there. We were really heavy into Power Trip at the time and kind of didn’t know exactly where the band was gonna go. I think we found more of our groove with the addition of Josh and the Gravedust EP release. That EP shows off more of what we’ll be doing in the future. Time 2 Die was kind of a one-off bop. In my opinion, nothing we’ve released compares to what we’re about to drop – it’s gonna blow out some knees and break a few backs, nah mean?
What are the plans for the future? Tours? Releases?
I don’t wanna get too much into it since we’re so close anyway, but we have a release coming out that I’ve teased on our Instagram – I’ll be posting the date here and there for those who might have missed out. However, I WILL say that you can expect a single in the very near future – depending on when this interview drops! With the new release, we plan on doing a little tour of the Tri-state area and slightly beyond, and hopefully, we’ll press some vinyl. We’re also trying some new things that we’ve never done before – peer pressure and all that! Haha, nah but we do intend to branch out a bit from our old way of doing things.
What are your favorite songs you’ve written for Grave Heist?
Ahhh, we’re going there hahaha. I’m critical of the old stuff, but if we’re not counting the songs we’ve got coming out, I’d say my favorite song we’ve released thus far is “Never Enough”. There are a lot of dynamics to that song and the riffs are really groovy. It also carries weight – the lyrics are personal to me, written about issues with my mom and never feeling good enough growing up. I think everyone in the band loves Blind Hate and Territory as well.
Anyone in the band have other projects?
Zach is in a beatdown/hardcore band called Shoot Da 5. They hail from Long Island and rip it up hard. We just played a show together in Brooklyn at Lucky 13 Saloon – great bar, great venue, great promoter. Anyway, Shoot Da 5 is crazy and when you aren’t listening to us, you should be listening to them…but don’t forget us!
How have the responses to your releases been?
Honestly, really great! It’s crazy because hearing this new stuff and how hard it blows our old stuff out of the water is very humbling – people love our old stuff which is great, but if they loved that, I can’t imagine how they’ll feel about the new shiz. Somebody already told us it’s like four steps up from our old stuff – that’s pretty dope. Oh, and it’s always a good sign when we see even some of the old heads coming out of “mosh retirement” – makes me feel like we are doing something right!
What have your experiences with the Hudson Valley scene been like? How has the DIY aspect of it been?
I used to co-run a booking company called Brown Table. We had done great things for the scene I think, and they’ll continue to do great things in the future. While in Brown Table I noticed that so many assets of the scene – promoters, photographers, bands, fans – all work together to keep the local scene alive. As locals, we don’t get a lot of help from the big promoters, as they usually cater to their friends – but people like Andrew from Heavy HV, Holly from Outsider Magazine, Dave from FACE Photo, and many others are out there working the get the local bands some good attention and bigger spots – and I think that’s really what’s keeping the DIY scene alive.
Favorite venue in the area to perform at?
Oof, this is tough. I’d have to say either Quinnz Pinz or Reason & Ruckus – both venues are just so cool and well-laid out. We’ve had some of our best shows in both of those places. The Grange will always feel like home to us, and also the OCNY Vet Center is quickly becoming my favorite local venue.
Any advice to people thinking of forming a hardcore band?
DO IT! DO IT NOW! DO IT RIGHT NOW! WHY AREN’T YOU DOING IT YET? Seriously though, I’m speaking directly to the youth right now – screw all us old heads for a second – you guys are the future. We need the youth to carry on the legacy of good hardcore and keep this music alive and breathing. One thing I’ve noticed is that our most well-attended shows are usually filled with youngbloods and kids who are just getting into this scene – let’s keep that momentum going because that’s what drives people to pick up an instrument, or yell at a mic. Shout out to all them dawgs that come to our shows and throw down.
Favorite local bands?
SO MANY TO LIST: Abuse Ritual, Servant of Sorrow, Gone Mad, RBNX, Quiet, Hell’s Teeth, Exitum, Low Fiction, New Vision, Burn It Down, Trouble Bound, Burn the Ships, World’s Demise. It’s late, and I know there are bands I’m missing, but I can’t think of them right now, haha. We love all of those bands and anyone we may have missed.
Where on social media can people find you?
Instagram. It’s all we have right now. Well, we have X, but nobody uses that anymore. Yuck.