Urban Waste (active 1981-1985) was a hardcore punk band that was part of th… Read Full Bio ↴Urban Waste (active 1981-1985) was a hardcore punk band that was part of the New York renaissance of punk in the early 1980s. Much more raw, visceral, and overtly confrontational than their New York punk predecessors, they were contemporaries of Reagan Youth (of which bass player Andy Apathy was an early member), the earliest incarnation of the Beastie Boys, and the Bad Brains. They belonged to a group of bands coming out of the borough of Queens that included Kraut, Gilligan's Revenge (later called Token Entry), Murphy's Law, and the Mob. The band, like many others of the era, was short-lived, and after the breakup several members went on to form Major Conflict.

Their only recorded material is an eight-song 7", which was released in 1982 on Mob Style Records, the record label of fellow hardcore band The Mob (and later as a 12" on Big City Records). The Urban Waste EP has been released by the New York City label Mad at the World Records in its series of New York hardcore reissues from the early 1980s. The EP was also reissued in digital format by the New York based digital label Anthology Recordings.

Roger Miret, lead vocalist for New York hardcore legends Agnostic Front, reportedly cited Urban Waste as the band that got him into hardcore, and has mentioned the group as being one of his favorites of the early NYHC scene.

In 2002 Urban Waste played CBGB's for a 20 year reunion, and record release party for the "reissue" of the 82' E.P. with John Dancy and Johnny Waste with new members Zachary Stough on vocals and A.J. Ricci on Bass. This short lived fun experience ended a few months later, when members lost contact with each other.
The band re-grouped once again in 2008 with three out of four original members - Johnny Waste, Kenny Ahrens, and John Dancy. Playing infrequent shows, and still unable to pull a decent tour together, the band released "Recycled" in late 2010. This was a compilation of old unreleased songs and a few new songs written in this time period. Unable to bring the new material on the road, the album was not well received.
Due to health issues, in 2011 John Dancy had to step down as drummer for the band for an indefinite amount of time. In 2011 singer Kenny Ahrens also had to leave the band for personal health issues. Not wanting to leave another empty chapter in the band's already rocky career, John Kelly aka Johnny Waste sought out new members to continue doing what was best for the band. 2012 has shown to be the strongest year for the band to date, as far as playing out, and writing new material. This is also the first time in the bands career that they have gone overseas, playing Europe in Venlo, The Netherlands on Sept. 22nd 2012. Look out for a new release from the band in 2013, and stay in touch with them on their Facebook page for upcoming tour dates and other info.

Wasted Life
Urban Waste Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Wasted life, Wasted life,
What ever happened to old New York
People are thinking we can't survive
You walk around at night thinking
You're the next wasted life
Don't want any part of it
There's too many killings maybe I'll go out and kill to survive
Wasted Life - Wasted life

Overall Meaning

The song "Wasted Life" by Urban Waste describes the bleak reality of life in New York City during the late 1970s and early 1980s. The lyrics lament the deterioration of the city and how it has transformed into a violent and dangerous place to be. The chorus of the song, "Wasted life, Wasted life, What ever happened to old New York," suggests that the singer feels a sense of nostalgia for a time when New York was not plagued by drugs, crime and violence.

The lyrics also touch on themes of desperation and hopelessness. The lines, "You walk around at night thinking/You're the next wasted life" suggests that the singer feels as though they are on the brink of failure and despair. The mention of "killings" and the idea of "kill(ing) to survive" implies that the singer feels as though they are living in a dog-eat-dog world where only the strong survive.

Overall, Urban Waste's "Wasted Life" is a gritty and powerful commentary on the harsh realities of city life. The lyrics paint a vivid picture of a place where the streets are chaotic, and the future is uncertain. The song resonates with anyone who has ever felt lost or hopeless, and it captures the essence of a time and place that has long since passed.

Line by Line Meaning

Wasted life, Wasted life,
My life is going nowhere, it's all a waste.

What ever happened to old New York
What happened to the old times, when New York was different and better than now?

People are thinking we can't survive
People think we can't make it, that our future is doomed.

You walk around at night thinking
You walk around at night, wondering about your life and what's to come.

You're the next wasted life
You fear that you'll end up being just another wasted life, like so many others around you.

Don't want any part of it
You want nothing to do with this bleak future and lifestyle.

There's too many killings maybe I'll go out and kill to survive
There are too many killings, and maybe you'll have to do the same in order to survive in this harsh environment.

Wasted Life - Wasted life
My life is going to waste and there's nothing I can do to change it.

Contributed by Evan S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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