Gorilla Biscuits

Gorilla Biscuits

Gorilla Biscuits are a New York hardcore punk band associated with the straight edge and youth crew scenes. They form in 1987 and are active from New York, United States. The group records on Revelation Records.

Name and early identity

The band takes its name from a drug term used in their neighbourhood for a quaalude tablet. They name themselves under pressure after Token Entry unexpectedly gives them a stage appearance, and they originally expect to change the name later. The name remains in use, and it also appears in an early song, Biscuit Power, which includes the line “Gorilla Biscuits in your fucking head, one more time and you’ll be dead...”.

Members and later activity

The group includes Luke Abbey, Alex Brown, Anthony Civarelli, Charlie Garriga, Mark Hayworth, Walter Schreifels, Sammy Siegler and Arthur Smilios. Gorilla Biscuits disband around 1991, then reform for a benefit show at CBGB in New York in 1997 and again in 2005. They play a nationwide reunion tour in 2006, performing nearly all of their songs across the run, and tour Europe for a month in 2007.

Related projects

Walter Schreifels later performs with Quicksand, Rival Schools and Walking Concert. Anthony Civarelli, also known as Civ, later sings in the hardcore punk group CIV and owns the New York City tattoo studio Lotus Tattoos.