Leftöver Crack

Leftöver Crack

Leftöver Crack is an American punk rock band formed in 2000 on the Lower East Side of Manhattan in New York City. The group emerges from Choking Victim, a ska-punk band that releases one low-budget album and a couple of EPs in the 1990s. Leftöver Crack develops a wider sound that draws on ska, hardcore punk, metal and, at times, classical music.

Style and politics

The band writes anti-capitalist songs and promotes far-left political themes. Its lyrics also oppose bigotry and authoritarianism. The group is associated with squatting and veganism, which are part of the lifestyle its members practise.

Band identity and membership

The name is described as an oxymoron, based on the idea that crack cocaine is usually used quickly and is unlikely to be left over. Leftöver Crack has a changing line-up and often draws on musicians from other New York punk bands, including The Stockyard Stoics and The X-Possibles. Stza, Alec and Ezra are the only completely permanent members, although Ezra is absent for most of the 2005 shows because of a blood infection. Brad Logan, also known as Brad Minus from F-Minus, is not part of the line-up for Mediocre Generica.

Related projects

Leftöver Crack, Choking Victim, Morning Glory and INDK share seven members in total. Together, those musicians call themselves the “Crack Rock Steady Seven”.

Live activity

The band has a history of conflict with the NYPD that predates its formation. It is also banned from many venues in New York City, including ABC No Rio, the Knitting Factory and North 6th, though it still sometimes performs at banned spaces, often under different disguises or as solo appearances by Sturgeon.