Kryovax is a great punk band out of New Jersey. They have an insanely powerful live set and have shared the stage with a ton of awesome bands throughout the Philly scene. They have also released a great EP. I got the band to tell their story...
Introduce yourself…
Brad Venereal- lead vocals
Jonny Koks- guitar/vocals
Neal Nerdypants- bass/vocals
Will Scabiez- drums
How did the band start?
The quick and dirty is that in the spring of 2010, a couple of guys who had outgrown their prior bands and wanted to do something more musically substantial pegged a couple of other guys who hadn't been in bands for a while. We started jamming, writing songs, building chemistry, and the band was born.
How did you come up with the name?
We came up with the name very quickly. The long story is that snagged a slot for our first show 12/29/10, but didn't have a name yet and the people who booked it needed a name so they could promote it and do flyers. Each of us came up with a list of names, The Cryovacs, suggested by Jonny after seeing a Cryovac machine at his job, was the only name none of us disliked, and the band reworked the spelling to Kryovax to avoid any trademark conflicts of anything.
Who would you say are your influences?
We draw influences from many styles including d-beat, street punk, anarcho, crust, crossover thrash, and various non-punk styles of music. We could list all the specific bands and artists who influence us as a band and as individuals, but it would be stupid long.
What is the punk scene like in New Jersey?
The punk scene in southern New Jersey is still reeling from the loss of a crucial venue (Savage Rock School) shutting down, so the scene is slowly rebuilding. New bands continue forming and play backyards, basements, garages, anywhere. We can't speak completely for central New Jersey (i.e. New Brunswick) since we haven't been up there in a minute, but there's people keeping shit going there. No clue what's going on in north Jersey, though. We're most tied to the Philly punk scene and it continues to get stronger. Sure, the loss of Halfway House was a crushing blow to the scene there a few years ago, but new show houses and venues are popping up and bands like Population Zero, Combat Crisis, Bucket Flush and more are ripping shit up like there's no tomorrow. We are proud to be a part of the "Hostile City" punk scene right now.
Describe the song writing process...
There really isn't a hard and fast songwriting process. Just sharing ideas for riffs and lyrics, talking about stuff we feel passionate about, etc. and then trying to turn the mess of ideas into songs.
What have you released?
Besides flatulence? We released our EP "Here Comes the Doomsday" on Broken Liberty Records on 10/22/11.
Who are some of the bands you have done shows with?
Although we've most often played with Philly bands like Population Zero, Bucket Flush, and Combat Crisis, we've had opportunities to play with bands from all over like Hump Yard (NOLA), Refuse Resist (Boston), Short Fuse (Long Island) just to name a few. We hope to play with more bands from more places. We'll play with anyone whether they're hungry, scrappy kids just starting out or more established bands who've been around the block while we were still in diapers. "Big planet, small world" as our bassist likes to say.
Have you toured?
We haven't yet, but we did play a basement show in Long Island once and we definitely hope to tour or at least do some weekend road trips. Hit up NY again, DC, Boston, maybe Chicago. Yeah, that would be fucking sweet!
Do you prefer small clubs or large venues?
Basement shows rule!
Is there a favorite band you like to do shows with?
That's a tough one, because everyone in the band has his personal favorites. All the musicians we've met so far have been pretty cool cats though.
Is there a favorite place you like to do shows at?
Any basement, backyard, garage, abandoned warehouse, or hole-in-the-wall that will have us. If it has a working toilet, even better!
What do you see is the future of Kryovax?
We're just taking things one day at a time and seeing where this crazy roller coaster ride takes us.
How can people contact the band?
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kryovax/112277955508088. Either that or carrier pigeon.
Good dudes and great music.
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