Written by: Dr. Slobodan Kotlayich
CIV is one of the bands most eagerly awaited at the Revolution Calling festival in Eindhoven, Netherlands, on November 23rd for an exclusive show. This hardcore band from New York is known for its energetic sound, catchy melodies, and extremely engaging live performances. They emerged in the early ’90s and were often placed in categories where they didn’t quite fit, likely due to their sound being much more complex, as their music combines melodic parts with raw energy and often catchy lyrics. The band’s name comes from their lead singer, Antonio Civarelli. Three members of the band (Civarelli, Siegler, and Smilios) were previously part of the legendary Gorilla Biscuits. Siegler also played in other hardcore bands, including Youth of Today and Judge. Their legacy is big, with each member being an integral part of the New York Hardcore community, to the point where entire books could be written about each one.
As is somewhat known, after the breakup of Gorilla Biscuits, Civarelli opened a tattoo studio on Long Island. When the band Quicksand signed to a major label, Walter Schreifels, although not playing on the same records but he still wrote the lyrics for most of their songs and produced the entire album for Civarelli, leading to the release of “Set Your Goals”. This album generated a lot of interest for the band, especially when the singles such as “Choices Made” and “Can’t Wait One Minute More” were released as music videos. Even today, listening to that debut album reveals numerous good songs, which, in 1995, were met with some reservations. Smilios was replaced by Cash Tolman before the recording of their second full album, “Thirteen Day Getaway”. Shortly after the release of “Thirteen Day Getaway,” CIV disbanded in 2000, but they reunited a several times for one-off festival appearances, including the New York “Black N Blue Bowl” in 2008 and the legendary Belgian “Groezrock” festival in 2011. CIV had another reunion on September 7, 2012, at Webster Hall in New York. CIV has reunited once again to support Shelter on a mini-tour with four shows in the Northeast, this year.
This can certainly be phrased differently beacause their self-titled debut album, released in 1995, contained songs that earned them a dedicated following. The band is often associated with the East Coast punk scene and was part of the same wave of music that included bands like H2O and Snapcase. They released several albums throughout the late ’90s and early 2000s, and although they never achieved the mainstream success as they expected, they left a lasting impact on the hardcore punk community. CIV broke up in the early 2000s, but their music continues to resonate with fans of the genre, as it has lost none of its relevance, even after all these years.
In some individual interviews, when asked whether CIV is a straight edge band, former members said they weren’t a straight edge hardcore band, but that Antonio Civarelli personally is, even though he doesn’t publicly wear the typical straight edge symbols. Given all the reunions and anniversary celebrations, their performance in Eindhoven is truly exciting news, especially as there are expectations for a big return in possible new Gorilla Biscuits shows in the future, also possible Youth of Today comeback, and Shelter has already announced a European tour in 2025. In today’s business-oriented world, that’s just how things goes..
