Antidote at Mohawk Place: Preview

Legendary New York City hardcore band Antidote is coming to Buffalo this week! 

I was able to talk with band member Tino Valpa to learn more about the band and bring our readers a little preview of Antidote before the show. If you’re interested in hearing more or just need a show to go to this week, keep reading! 

Lauren: Can you tell me a little bit about the history of Antidote? 

Tino: This is so funny that you ask this because you know, I’ve only been in the band this year. But Antidote formed in 1982 in New York City. It was part of the early wave of American hardcore, playing with bands like Bad Brains and all the agnostic front… The band is known mostly for the 1983 EP Thou Shalt Not Kill, that’s definitely a mainstay in hardcore… It’s stood the test of time well, and it’s still something that a lot of people in hardcore rock appreciate. The band had some membership changes and style changes in the late 80s… and now it’s back with the closest thing you can get to the Thou Shalt Not Kill EP lineup.

Lauren: What made the band decide to come back together after all those years?

Tino: For a band that has been around for almost…39 years, the release catalogue is very spread out. It’s been a very uneven, rocky road between different things happening and certain fire being in the band and the band kind of kicking back and not doing much. I, too, find that strange. What led to this was Antidote actually played right below me in my basement a handful of years ago, and I met Rob, the guitar player, then. He had an issue with his singer that was in the band for most of their career, and… I kind of just ended up talking to him and forming the idea for the new lineup, and we eventually figured to reach out to Lou, the classic vocalist from the EP, and he was down to do it. It’s the most unexpected, random assortment, but it came together and we’ve been doing it and we can’t complain. 

Lauren: Have you performed in Buffalo before?

Tino: Rob seems to think that Antidote has played once in Buffalo. It was a while back. But not in any recent time, so this is kind of going to be a fresh, almost like a first take on it.  

Lauren: How has the performing experience changed over the years that Antidote has been together?

Tino: Speaking to the best of my abilities, they were a very tight unit in the 80s because they would practice, and they lived within close quarters, which is a luxury that we no longer have. But they would practice like three times a week, so they were very tight and they were very tight and very on point. And they always talk about that, how they used to rehearse a lot, so that was definitely a positive attribute to their live sound in the early 80s. The sound of the live change would depend on who was in the band. They had membership changes and they had adopted a more rebel style in the late 80s and early 90s…It seems like it’s changed, and you can see the changes if you watch some of the videos, but I think collectively, the way we’re doing the songs now is very true to the songs and it’s also a favorite of the band, how it sounds now.

Lauren: What is your favorite story about a performance?

Tino: My favorite Antidote experience is before I was in the band. It was when they played here [in his basement in Dover, NH]. Of all the shows I’ve had, and I’ve had a lot, that was my favorite one. The crowd was super high energy and people were stoked to see it. It was one of those things where you had to be there. 

Lauren: What makes your performances special/stand out from other bands?

Tino: Antidote is a band where you can look at the band and you can see that these guys have been through some sh*t. They come from the real era of hardcore, and they live it. It comes from a really genuine place and you can see it, you can hear it, you can hear the genuine anger in Lou’s voice. I’m not saying we’re always the best band or the tightest band, but I feel like Antidote is a very genuine performance when it comes to hardcore punk, and I think people know that and that’s why people still resonate with the band.

Lauren: Where can people find you online?

Tino: The best place is our current social media accounts, @AntidoteNYHC1983 on Facebook and Instagram. 

If you want to see Antidote in person, they have two events on Wednesday, December 1st! 3:30 PM at Revolver Records and the concert at 7 PM at Mohawk Place.