Legendary NYHC bands Shelter & CIV to perform at Space Ballroom
Shelter & CIV w/ Almighty Watching, Clearbody
Thursday, April 4 at 8:00 PM – Doors at 7:00 PM
Space Ballroom • 295 Treadwell Street, Hamden, CT 06514
All Ages
Tickets go on sale Friday, January 12th at 12PM via www.spaceballroom.com
Shelter
Shelter — alongside Snapcase, Strife, Earth Crisis, and Sick of It All — were one of the biggest hardcore bands of the mid-’90s. Led by singer Ray Cappo through a variety of lineups and stylistic shifts, the group preached Hare Krishna religious concepts and played high-energy rock music to audiences worldwide; looking likely, for a time, to achieve huge crossover success in the mainstream, which never quite materialized. Still, they raised questions never before pondered by punk rock; offering up a variety of answers culled from Vedic tradition and scriptures, which were embraced for a handful of years by many fans and challenged by many of Cappo’s punk peers. Ray Cappo came to underground prominence fronting the late-’80s straight-edge group Youth of Today, a band that would eventually spawn Judge, Project X, and major-label rockers Civ, Quicksand, and Rival Schools. He was the vocalist, lyricist, and spokesperson for the group, who led the pack of ’80s positive-thinking, drug-free living, vegetarian hardcore punk “youth crew” outfits. Heco-founded New York’s Revelation Records, which later relocated to Southern California. But, by the end of Youth of Today’s run, he felt dissatisfied, feeling a spiritual yearning. He began to study the teachings of the Hare Krishna movement, and after a trip to India, returned a full-fledged Krishna Consciousness devotee. He decided to make one last album to preach these ideas.
So, together with friends from the band 76% Uncertain, he crafted an album’s worth of spiritually challenging, thought-provoking songs, while moving away from Youth of Today’s screaming vocal style into more melodic singing. The project was issued by Revelation under the band name Shelter; coined to invoke the idea of a devotee seeking “shelter” from his guru, and ultimately, from Krishna, or God. The album, Perfection of Desire, ignited a new attraction to the Krishna ideas within a hardcore scene previously, if less intently, exposed to them by New York’s Cro-Mags. Cappo decided to continue preaching to youth with Shelter as his vehicle. He enlisted some of his old Youth of Today mates to help him go on tour. Shelter toured with Inside Out, and Cappo convinced Inside Out guitarist Vic Dicara to leave his band and join him in the crusade. Together, as devotees, the two preached the religion through hardcore music, and cut the single No Compromise for Cappo’s new Equal Vision imprint, with some other musicians helping out. Dicara soon exited the group,
So, together with friends from the band 76% Uncertain, he crafted an album’s worth of spiritually challenging, thought-provoking songs, while moving away from Youth of Today’s screaming vocal style into more melodic singing. The project was issued by Revelation under the band name Shelter; coined to invoke the idea of a devotee seeking “shelter” from his guru, and ultimately, from Krishna, or God. The album, Perfection of Desire, ignited a new attraction to the Krishna ideas within a hardcore scene previously, if less intently, exposed to them by New York’s Cro-Mags. Cappo decided to continue preaching to youth with Shelter as his vehicle. He enlisted some of his old Youth of Today mates to help him go on tour. Shelter toured with Inside Out, and Cappo convinced Inside Out guitarist Vic Dicara to leave his band and join him in the crusade. Together, as devotees, the two preached the religion through hardcore music, and cut the single No Compromise for Cappo’s new Equal Vision imprint, with some other musicians helping out. Dicara soon exited the group, forming his own Krishna Conscious outfit, 108. Cappo next enlisted his old Youth of Today partner, guitarist Porcell, who had become a devotee himself. Porcell would stay with Shelter for many years through a revolving cast of members, with he and Cappo acting as consistent leaders, songwriters, and spokespersons. Equal Vision collected the band’s first single, along with another called In Defense of Reality, and released them as an album called Quest for Certainty in 1992 (it would be reissued by Revelation a few years later). Cappo gave the label over to his friend and fellow devotee, Steve Reddy. Shelter toured the U.S. and Europe extensively, amassing a large Krishna-minded straight-edge following, and invoking the anger and ire of the more atheist-minded punk rock set. They slept in temples, and chanted outside of gigs, selling the books of sect founder AC Bhaktivedanta Prabhupada at their merchandise tables alongside their records and T-shirts. Cappo also released a book of his own.
Their next album for Equal Vision, 1993’s Attaining the Supreme, was their mellowest and most melodic hardcore offering yet. They toured behind it with Norman Arenas playing second guitar; a New York native who would later form Texas Is the Reason, briefly re-join Shelter, and end up in a group called New End Original. In 1995, Shelter signed a deal with Roadrunner Records that allowed Cappo to also release albums under his own Super Soul Records imprint. The first result of that partnership was Shelter’s Mantra album, one-half a return to the hardcore anthem style of YOT and one-half melodic punk, recorded with bassist Adam Blake and session drummer Dave DiCenso. They toured with Earth Crisis and several other bands. In 1997, in an effort to bolster their commercial appeal, the band issued the poorly received Beyond Planet Earth, a collection of mismatched songs that ran the gamut from hardcore to pop-punk, industrial music, and even ska. White Zombie guitarist J. Yeunger played on one song as a guest, and the group — now including former-108 bassist Franklin Rhi — toured with bands like Goldfinger and No Doubt. They were involved in a very serious van accident while touring for the album, when their driver feel asleep and veered off of a Colorado cliff. Everyone survived, but some had serious injuries which took months to recover from.
Shelter soon parted ways with Roadrunner due to slumping record sales and soaring album budgets. In 2000, they started shopping a raw, self-financed album to prospective labels, eventually releasing When 20 Summers Pass through Victory in the U.S. and Century Media abroad. Though they remained big in South America and parts of Europe, the group’s popularity had waned in the U.S. The Krishna fad had all but died in the hardcore scene, and even the group themselves had, a couple of years prior, begun to distance themselves from full-on preaching. Cappo, who had taken on the “initiated” name “Raganutha Das,” began referring to himself as “Ray” again, and also sang on a couple of albums for straight-edge project band Better Than a Thousand. They said that the Victory album would be their last, but it wasn’t. Despite the departure of longtime collaborator Porcell, partially due to Cappo’s public break from the straight- edge lifestyle, Cappo crafted another Shelter album in 2001, The Purpose, The Passion, and released it on his own record label.
CIV
Named for its founder and lead singer, CIV blends traditional hardcore with an upbeat philosophy and catchy rhythms that take their cue from Adam Ant. The singer, Anthony Civarelli, was formerly a member of New York’s Gorilla Biscuits, which released one album before breaking up in 1992. Civ opened his own tattoo parlor on Long Island before forming a new band, which includes bassist Arthur, guitarist Charlie, and drummer Sammy. The band’s knack for occasionally wearing gold-lamé suits and powder-blue leisure suits at gigs helped them get a record deal, and their first album, Set Your Goals, was released in 1995. Thirteen Day Getaway followed in 1998.
Almighty Watching
Hardcore from New Haven, CT.
Clearbody
Clearbody exists in the liminal space in the moments after waking. does their acerbic, razor-sharp shoegaze cut more deeply than the dreamlike, serpentine arrangements that snake between haunting clarity and blissful resonance.
“Bend Into a Blur” the band’s first ep and follow-up to the 2020 debut “One More Day” highlights the band’s primal influences but shows off a darker, cinematic tone thanks to Jon Markson’s charcoal-tint production.
••••• Message center •••••••
Connecticut business owners:
Connecticut with us! Are you a local business owner in Connecticut looking to boost your visibility and reach more customers? Look no further! Our platform provides a unique opportunity to showcase your business to an engaged audience of people who love and live in Connecticut. By partnering with us, you can reach potential customers who are actively seeking things to do, places to dine, and local merchants and service providers to support. Don’t miss out on this chance to grow your business and connect with the local community!
Connecticut with us!
Get our news straight into your inbox daily
Stay connected with us on social media
Facebook • Instagram • Threads • Tiktok
Join our Reddit community
Share your Connecticut experiences with us by using #findingconnecticut on Instagram
Click here to return to Finding Connecticut’s home page
Looking for the latest news by region, topic and events
Latest news by region
Fairfield County • Hartford County • Litchfield County • Middlesex County • New Haven County • New London County• Tolland County • Windham County
Latest sports news by team
Hartford Wolf Pack • Hartford Yard Goats • Connecticut Sun • Norwich Sea Unicorns •
2024 schedules
Hartford Wolf Pack • Hartford Yard Goats • Connecticut Sun • Norwich Sea Unicorns
Events my region
Fairfield County • Hartford County • Litchfield County • New Haven County • New London County • Middlesex County •Tolland County • Windham County
Events by interest
Art • Sports • Family Friendly • History • Concerts • Farmers’ Markets
Events by the month
January 2024 • February 2024 • March 2024 • April 2024 • May 2024 • June 2024 • July 2024 • August 2024 • September 2024 • October 2024 • November 2024 • December 2024
Events by venue
College Street Music Hall • Space Ballroom • Westville Music Bowl • Wall Street Theater • Hartford Stage • The Bushnell • Goodspeed Opera House • Mohegan Sun