What is Rok Lok all about?
The conception of Rok Lok Records took place in the winter of 1998 as I was preparing our first release On the Might of Princes
"The Making of a Conversation" which appeared in August 1999. Early on I knew I wanted to contribute a different voice to Long Island's
creative community. Traffic Violation was already releasing the finest in anthemic punk rock so why should Rok Lok duplicate that?
Punk and Hardcore inspired me to find that individual voice that had always been screaming inside. I saw in many ways my excitement for the community dwindle as the bands, art, and politics became formulaic and being formulaic was everything that Punk and Hardcore shouldn't be. To me Punk and Hardcore has no boundaries and isn't defined by a sound, look or idea it's about defining your own lines. Afterall the soundtrack to my life has been The Minutemen's "Double Nickels on the Dime" for quite some time. With Rok Lok Records I knew that I wanted to extrapolate the potential to which this community can grow and have it's scope widened. They're are so many different unique voices within even our own little community and I felt compelled to make sure more of those voices were heard.
Expression is painful when it is limited and limitation was the state of emergency our community had been in. Over the years I have been fortunate enough to work with such diverse artists who come from all different backgrounds-race, gender, sexual orientation,etc., and be able to help amplify their voices. Whether we've issued the music from a political melodic band such as De La Hoya, lo-fi indie fuzz from Bo Coach, electronic dance punk such as Space Robot Scientists or four track experimentalism from Stars Are Insane, we have always made the point to help paint a more vibrant portrait of Long Island's DIY community. We are not only a diverse community but a strong one.
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