I am Neill

Normally, my mother asks "Who do you think you are?", when I am being scolded for some questionable actions I've committed. And why yes, I am 22...

Anyhoo, this is a very tough question to answer. Superficially, to those around me, I am a dude, son, brother, friend, Mets fan and band-mate. I'd like to think I'm more than just that though.

I suppose I identify myself as part of the punk community. Now punk is a hugely encompassing word. There are so many different cultures/types of music that fall under the umbrella of punk (street, ska, emo, post-hardcore, skate, hardcore, indie-punk, melodic-hardcore, screamo, orgcore, pop-punk [the list goes on and on..]) All of these cultures create set scenes all over the country, and some of these scenes intertwine. Normally, if you're into one scene, say skate punk, you'll also be into another, such as melodic hardcore. Usually, one grows through the scenes as the listener get's older. It's common for a "punk" to start out listening to ska, pop-punk, or street punk, and then evolve to hardcore, and eventually go through different genres with age. It's also quite normal to stick to one type of music for one's entire young adult life. This whole system is actually way too complicated to get fully into for just a blog post, so I won't get too into it, but one thing that might set me apart from most is that I truly appreciate it all. Sure I like some types more than others, but I can enjoy most of it and am quite knowledgeable on the subject (my friends call me "Professor Punk")

I try to go to as many shows as I possibly can. Luckily it's punk, so (pending the venue) I don't usually spend more than 15 bucks on tickets, and they can sometimes be as low as 3 dollars! Those less expensive shows tend to be booked at houses, VFW halls, or other public places. People always seem to be amazed when I explain that I've seen some of my favorite bands in friends' basements, or how a band that sold out Radio City time played to me and 15 other people 3 years prior to, or even how I got to play with my current favorite band in a warehouse in Brooklyn recently. Honestly, I am amazed too, and I consider myself to be very lucky that I'm aware and apart of this community.

I think the song that perfectly sums up the community (and ultimately me) in sound/ideals/and overall aesthetic is Reinventing Axl Rose by Against Me!. Ironically this band signed to a major and kind of turned its back on the principles it time preached, but that's neither here nor there cause this song rules.

Oh, also I have a punk band called Shot Not. Nobody will probably ever hear of or listen to us. We probably won't be even well known or known at all within the punk circle. All 3 of us just do it as a hobby, granted a very expensive and time consuming hobby, but an activity done for fun nonetheless. I believe this is how most bands in the scene operate, because of the inability to make money with the type of music we play. That being said, I've toured the east coast, made a bunch of friends I wouldn't have made otherwise, and have had many unforgettable experiences all thanks to the band and the music. The most fun times of my life have all revolved around punk, and I wouldn't trade that for anything...

...Except maybe for the Mets to win the World Series while I'm alive.