Crumbsuckers

Crumbsuckers was a 1980s hardcore/metal/crossover band that formed in 1982 on Long Island by bass player Gary Meskil in their home town of Baldwin. In June 1983, the band with singer Dave Brady recorded a demo called "The Crumbsucker Cave" at their rehearsal space with five songs, including a cover of Chubby Checker's "The Twist". In early 1985, they also added Chuck Lenihan as a second guitarist.

They were one of the first to mix the two genres, in their debut album Life Of Dreams. The songs were written by Gary Meskil, Dave Wynn, Chuck Lenihan, Dave Brady and two songs featured lyrics by new vocalist Chris Notaro. Notaro, known for his gruff voice and unintelligible lyrics, was a founding member of a Long Island hardcore band named Krackdown. The Crumbsuckers were at the forefront of the hardcore and metal crossover movement with bands such as Agnostic Front, The Cro-Mags, and DRI.

In the spring of 1987, guitarist Dave Wynn left the band and after a few guitarists came and went, Robbie Koebler stepped in to record Beast On My Back, known to fans as "B.O.M.B.". A highnote of this recording was the guitar-driven track, "Initial Shock". Some felt that guitarists Koebler and Lenihan were overlooked by mainstream fans because of the limited vocal style of Notaro.

In 1989, the band finally broke up due to musical differences and disagreements as to which direction the band should go. They reunited on August 3, 2006 in New York City to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the album Life of Dreams.