Hello Rock Stars!
I had the honor of interviewing the awesome founder of NY’s knifetwister records Raph Copeland!
In this interview we talk about his humble beginnings, how knifetwister records came to be, the tense political climate in NY, the biggest misconceptions people might have about the NY Punk scene and everything in between. Here is his story in his own words, enjoy!
I also had the absolute honor of being interviewed by Mr. Copeland for knifetwister records about VMS, so please go check it out as well! š
About knifetwister (Via Founder Raph Copeland):
knifetwister records is a fast-growing New York-based punk, metal and ska record label and digital interview magazine. Founded by longtime music nut Raph Copeland, it was founded on ethical, artist-friendly principles and simple love for the music scene. Their aim is to help promote the local scene as well as allow great bands to get some exposure and get their music and message out to readers and the general public. While initially starting off with the focus on New York, the magazine has spread to cover the East Coast, Midwest, Southeast, Pacific Northwest, and even Europe.
VMS:
I think like anything, the best place is to start at the beginning!
Tell me about your background and the importance of music in your life.
Raph Copeland, knifetwister records:
Sure, and thank you so much for having me. I was born in the Bronx; my parents left during the massive white flight of the mid 70ās ā city was bankrupt, half of the Bronx was on fire, place was a shooting gallery; everyone who had the means to get out did. I still consider it my home, I even have the license plate BXNY, which comes in handy ā the Bronx can be a rough place, not many people tailgate me.
When I hit my teens, the 80ās metal scene kind of exploded ā I think Def Leppardās Pyromania was my on-ramp, but it was just really fertile ground ā over maybe a one year period, a ton of bands put out some of their best work ā Ozzy, The Scorpions, Ratt, Mƶtley CrĆ¼e, Quiet Riot, Metallica, Priest, Maiden, Dokken, Anthrax, the list goes on. That was it for me, I was hooked. How could a 14-year old watch āThis Is Spinal Tapā and not go all in? Punk came a few years later ā Fear, Murphyās Law, and Suicidal Tendencies were huge for me. Then third wave ska came along ā Less Than Jake, Catch-22, Save Ferris, Reel Big Fish, Buck-O-Nine. I named my son after Tomas Kalnoky, the lead singer/guitarist of Streetlight Manifesto, true story. When Nu-Metal took over, that was bullshit, I bowed out for a while and just listened to old stuff, but then great new stuff started to come out ā The Vandals, Rancid, The Interrupters, Overkill, Dance Hall Crashers, and one more band that Iāll get to later, but I guess you could say Iām a lifer.
VMS:
What inspired you to create knifetwister records?
Raph Copeland, knifetwister records:
Itās something Iāve wanted to do for a long time, at first sort of being on the outside of the music scene, just a random fan, and then now being the famous, highly influential mover and shaker I am today. We wanted to create something different, and be the most ethical record label in the area. We are pretty explicit about artists on our label retaining all the rights to their music and all of their intellectual property. If a band on our label gets a better deal elsewhere, they are more than welcome to take it, with absolutely no hard feelings. We never interfere in the creative process of bands, weāre not going to say āehh, that bass line kinda sucks, Iād do it differentlyā. Iāll probably get more into the whole ethical angle later on in the interview, but thatās kind of the basis.
So, I was at the point of pulling the trigger, and then I won a major 9-ball tournament. Okay, it was a medium-sized tournament, but since I won it, Iām calling it a major one. Iāve won three tournaments, Iām really good, except when Iām not. My life is pool and music ā everything else is just background noise, I donāt have time for stupid stuff like getting my oil changed or eating. Anyway, that was a thousand bucks in my pocket, and I decided to pull the trigger. The website went up the next morning, and got a P. O. Box that afternoon to handle all the millions of letters from bands that desperately want to be on an influential New York label, but accidentally write to us instead.
The operation is really just me, but I added my dog Annika onto the website as a Senior Vice President, just so I could say āweā instead of āIā, you know, sound like a bigger operation. In truth, she actually contributes very little.
VMS:
I know your magazine primarily focuses on punk and metal. What is it about those genres that speaks to you and inspires you? Why is punk important in your opinion?
Raph Copeland, knifetwister records:
First and foremost, if itās not loud, fast and aggressive, Iām not really interested. If you ask me to name, I dunno, a Kanye West or Taylor Swift song, I canāt. Second, the element of non-conformism speaks to me ā my political, social and ethical views donāt really fit neatly in anyoneās box. Punk to a great degree is about non-conformism. This is who I am ā fuck you ā take it or leave it. I love that. Took me many years to get to the point where I could even attempt to put it into practice. Some punk is about drinking beer, getting laid and punching people in the nuts, and thatās fine, itās a big tent and I love that stuff too. Itās no coincidence that the bands I mentioned ā Fear, Murphyās Law, The Vandals ā are piss-your-pants funny at times. But where punk really shines is where it pushes boundaries, makes you think, challenges authority, and makes a statement. Thatās real. Youāre not going to get that by putting on a Limp Bizkit CD.
VMS:
From your perspective, what are your experiences in the New York punk scene, the pros and cons, and how it differs from other music scenes around the country?
Is their anything that would surprise people to know about the NYC punks?
Raph Copeland, knifetwister records:
The New York punk scene is like no other. No offense to you guys out in Vegas, I love what youāre doing with The Scumbags and all the great charitable and progressive stuff, but there are 24 million people in the New York Metro area, our scene is naturally going to be a little larger. You could probably hit 15 venues in one weekend with some coffee and a handful of amphetamines. Iāve been in the punk scene for a long time and often find myself seeing a band and thinking āthese guys rip, how is it Iāve never heard of them?ā Itās because the scene is just huge.
Now this is something that is probably not unique to the New York punk scene, but Iāll give you an example of something that maybe people donāt realize from watching old footage of CBGBās or people stabbing each other with kitchen utensils on the Lower East Side. I was at a Murphyās Law show out in Jersey a few months ago (Jimmy saw me in the audience and blew me a kiss, which was pretty funny). The show was exactly what you would expect from the best punk band in NYC, people slamming into each other, beer flying, just total mayhem. At one point, a woman got hurt. Donāt know exactly what happened, could have been an unrelated medical condition, but she was in serious distress. People there formed a circle around her to keep her safe, helped her out to the ambulance, and sat out there to make sure she was okay. A lot of people not in the punk scene see scary looking people with tattoos and piercings and stuff and make baseless assumptions. These assumptions are wrong. Underneath the sometimes aggressive personae are very often good hearts.
CHAKA at Stereo Garden, Long Island.
VMS:
What can we expect in the future from knifetwister records?
Raph Copeland, knifetwister records:
Oh, weāre going to be huge. Iām going to be sitting behind a desk chomping on a cigar, telling bands to write me a hit single or youāll never work in this business again. Iāll probably have a secretary hired primarily for the size of her breasts who I will constantly tell to hold my calls, and Iāll go out for four martini lunches with other bigwigs who are of course going to be less of a bigwig than I am. I will probably get very comfortable yelling the phrase ādo you know who I am?ā and if I donāt get seated in restaurants right away, some maĆ®tre d’ will be looking for work the next day. Will probably trade in my Honda Civic for whatever the most expensive Mercedes is, and drive like an asshole, and my coke habit will get way worse. I mean, I will develop a coke habit. Sorry, that was a typo.
VMS:
I know I talked about how hard it is for the music scene here in Las Vegas, since we get overshadowed by the LV strip. What needs to be changed to make it stronger for these artists?
Raph Copeland, knifetwister records:
Okay, hereās my idea. We have things like the National Endowment for Arts, that kind of stuff, right? How about this ā letās cut the military defense budget by just 1%, which will free up roughly 800 quadrillion dollars. Weāll set up a New York City Fund for the Arts, and start paying these bands a living wage for performing. Think of the benefit to society if the musicians in our scene didnāt have to work hump jobs and could devote their time to doing what they love. It benefits literally everyone except maybe the CEO of Northrup Grumman wonāt be able to have a third house in Aspen. How about funding The Greater Las Vegas Council On Hardcore Asskickery ā where is the downside to having people with talent and devotion pursue their passions for the greater good? Ok, yeah, Iām a dirty New York socialist pinko commie, I know, but to me this is a no-brainer.
VMS:
Tell me about your experience managing bands such as NY thrash metal band CHAKA. Any crazy stories you wanna share?
Raph Copeland, knifetwister records:
Oh yeah. So Mark Sokoll (bass guitar, vocals) from CHAKA is a brilliant guy, he writes the lyrics and music and is very interested in evolution and anthropology, and we describe the music as Cave Metal, and refer to ourselves as cavemen. So the other night we got together and decided to go out clubbing. We must have clubbed 25 people before the night was through! No, Iām joking, we only hit maybe 7 people tops. Managing CHAKA is great. I mostly agreed to manage them so that I could go up to women in bars, try to make plans with them and say āahhh, I canāt, my band is playing that nightā and then they would think I was cool. Unfortunately, I donāt like bars and I donāt know how to talk to women, so Iām kind of stuck just managing them. But nicest guys in the world, itās really a privilege.
I also manage the band MANiK, also out of Queens, by virtue of knifetwister records having signed them last month, I threw that in there that I get to be the manager (mostly so I can get into shows for free, and also tell women in bars ā¦ never mind, I already mentioned that). These guys are amazing musicians, I actually met them when they opened for CHAKA down in Queens, and they just ripped. At their last show, Danny Sanchez (lead vocals, guitar) spoke out about what ICE is doing to our community, and he was wearing a knifetwister records t-shirt, and I could not have been prouder. Also, theyāre all really good looking guys, and I think that is going to catapult them into possibly a Super Bowl Halftime Show down the road, you know how the industry is.
Watch the CHAKA concert at Stereo Garden, Long Island 04/18/2025:
VMS:
What social or political movements speak to you, or you’re passionate about right now?
Raph Copeland, knifetwister records:
Anything that furthers equality and humanistic principles. I donāt want there to be people hurting each other. Racism, sexism, homophobia, deportations, war, environmental degradation, exploitation, transphobia, food, housing and healthcare insecurity, embargoes, homelessness ā all of this hurts people. Not numbers on a graph, not demographic percentages on a chart ā real human beings. Iām passionate about that. My mom was an anti-nuclear protester in the late 70ās, and brought me along sometimes, and kids accept what they see as normal, right? I though it was normal for your Mom to be getting arrested for her convictions. I was maced by the NYPD during the Iraq War protests in 2003. We marched on DC while pushing my infant daughter in a stroller. I spoke in front of 2000 people this spring at the Hands Off rally here defending the rights of LGBTQ+ youth. At the same time, caring about things has itās downside. It can be really disheartening, even depressing at times. Sometimes I do wish I was one of those 30-something finance bros who donāt care about anything that doesnāt affect them personally. But Iām not.
VMS:
Congratulations on your directorial debut for the band Butterbrain’s song “Hold Tight”. What was that experience like and how did that project come to fruition?
Raph Copeland, knifetwister records:
This is a loooong story. If you donāt like long stories, scroll down, although I seriously doubt anyone else has a story quite like this one. And itās honestly kind of touching, feel free to shed a tear or two, I donāt mind, may even join you.
I was in college in the summer of 1991 (I flunked like three classes and had to make them up) and Iām sitting around watching MTV, which people actually watched back then. And a video came on that changed my life. If I had turned on the TV five minutes later, things would have been very different, and I certainly would not be doing this interview. It was a video for the song Apple Pie, by the band White Trash. A metal band (from Queens, of course). A metal band ā¦ with a three-piece horn section. It was one of the best songs I had ever heard. 20 minutes later I was at Music City in Binghamton, NY handing over my $10.99 for the CD. The whole album slammed, and I had a new favorite band. I wrote to Elektra Records – there was an address in Los Angeles in the liner notes, and they sent me an autographed promotional photo and some other cool stuff. I got a poster and hung it on the wall of my dorm room. This was of course pre-Internet, so I didnāt know much about the band, other than the fact that their music was just head and shoulders above anything coming out in the early 90ās. They put out another album three years later, and I listened to those two albums twice a month for 30 years, I shit you not.
Fast forward to 2021, and White Trash reformed to play Queens Rockfest 2021. My first chance to see them live ā I was upstate in college when they were active. Remember, these guys were my heroes. I spotted Aaron āWhite Owlā Collins, the original bassist, over by the side of the stage. I wanted to approach him, but I was too nervous to and so I just kinda hid behind a tree for like 5 minutes, and my wife is saying ācome on, go over thereā and Iām telling her āI canāt, I canātā. I finally did but I donāt remember what was said at all.
Four of the original members of White Trash went on to form the band Butterbrain, and when I heard their debut EP in 2020, I loved it as much as the White Trash album 30 years ago. For the sake of brevity, Iāll (finally) cut to the chase. I became good friends with Aaron, Brendan and Mike of Butterbrain, all original WT members. Iāve been in their homes, theyāve been to my apartment, weāve all shot pool together. Weāve all been friends long enough now that I feel comfortable with them, but maybe once a week, for just a few minutes, Iāll get a text from one of them and kinda travel back in time and think āwait a second ā I just got a text from the drummer from White Trashā, itās a weird feeling. Mike is going to read this and totally kill me. Shit. Okay, I know what to do, Iāll plug his company, itās called Dispoze-A-Bowl, they make high quality eco-friendly recyclable pipes for smoking ā¦ um, tobacco, and you can find them at their website www.dispozeabowl.com or on Instagram or at a fine retailer near you or even on Amazon if you want to toss some money Jeff Bezos’ way just for fun. Dispoze-A-Bowls are my jam, go check āem out!
Sorry, sidetracked. Aaron asked me to do the video for Butterbrainās song Hold Tight in September of 2024, we were standing outside The Bowery Electric, Iāll never forget it. The video is on YouTube ā go check it out! It has 306 likes and 2 dislikes, I think one of those dislikes was me. It was a lot of pressure, mostly self-imposed. In December, he told me that PunkNews had picked up the exclusive premiere for it ā on Inauguration/MLK day no less. The pressure doubled. Iām there doing a video for my favorite band, and I want to do right by them, and this fucking thing is going to be on the Internet with my name on it long after Iām gone. I was up until 9 AM a few nights working on it. I did dozens of revisions. I almost threw in the towel a few times. But, on Inauguration Day 2025, it went live on PunkNews, and my name is on PunkNews and will be forever and ever unless this Administration blows up the world which is looking kinda likely, but seeing my name on there made it all worth it. Would never do it again though. Well, maybe. Directing a video is like childbirth, when you finish it, youāre like I am NEVER doing that again and then of course a few months later you totally forget about the exquisite pain and morning sickness and everything I went through when I had my kids.
So, to sum up ā I watched a video for a band that changed my life. 34 years later, I directed a video for them. How many people can say that? Thatās not rhetorical, I do wonder. I really do.
Watch Butterbrain’s Music Video for “Hold Tight” on YouTube:
VMS:
I love that you work in the technology field, but it seems your passion and core of who you are is in the creative arts. What is it about music, and creativity on a whole that speaks to you. Do you think creativity and technology can be cohesive, especially with the controversy of AI right now?
Raph Copeland, knifetwister records:
I found AI kind of interesting in the beginning, being a tech guy and an early adopter of new technologies, and I goofed around with it a little, nothing major. But ultimately, AI is a tool, no different than a hammer. You can use a hammer to build a house, or you can use it to crack someoneās head open. A few months ago, as AI was starting to be used for drone strikes, mass surveillance and extrajudicial assassinations, I realized which of the two directions AI was going and decided I was out. When AI was in itās infancy, I bought stock in Oracle and NVIDIA and a few others, and they just kept going up. Two months ago, I dumped all them. I donāt even like to think about the haircut Iām going to end up taking on making that decision, but I wonāt have my money going to kill children that look exactly like mine, only with slightly darker skin. Fuck that.
VMS:
What is the vibe right now in NY since Trump took office.
Have you seen any changes, and how has it personally impacted your life.
Raph Copeland, knifetwister records:
The vibe is pretty shitty, but I donāt want to fall into the rotating villain trope. Trump is a symptom, not a root cause. This is late stage predatory capitalism, and the outcome is entirely predictable. Biden could have reversed all of Trumpās awful policies from his first term, he didnāt; in fact, he increased spending for the worst genocide of our lifetimes. Obama deported way more people than either of them, started the child separation policy, and his drone strokes killed women and children in Afghanistan. Trump has taken it to a new level, but if youāre going to start talking about Democrats this and Republicans that, youāre reducing things to the level of cheering for your own football team and booing the opposing one, which is useless. You do that, youāre doing exactly what corporate oligarchs want you to do. They want left leaning working class people and right leaning working class people to be at each otherās throats instead of working in solidarity against the billionaires who have bought and paid for this broken system. And sadly, itās working.
VMS:
We would love to ask you what music are you listening to right now, and what artists should we keep an eye out for.
Raph Copeland, knifetwister records:
Ok, thereās this absolutely slamming band called We Might Die, youāve probably never heard of them, but I encourage everyone to check them out ā they absolutely rip. Best new band Iāve heard in a long time. Actually, they connected us with the Vegas scene in the first place – we just kind of followed them at random somehow, and they actually messaged to say āthanks for the followā, which nobody frigginā does, and it went from there. But if you want some New York bands to check out ā Butterbrain, CHAKA and MANiK of course, definitely check out Car Bomb Parade, The RBNX, GIFTSHOP, iLL RAiSED, Godās Favorite, No Call No Show, Best Bones, Rebelmatic ā I could go on for half an hour. So I will! Just kidding.
Actually, follow NYHC Comics on Instagram if you want to see whatās up in NY, they put on Hardcore in the 914 monthly, itās blowing up ā Debo and Lee are killing it.
VMS:
What would be your dream artist or band to interview?
Raph Copeland, knifetwister records:
There are a few. The first would require a time machine, which Iām not quite finished building yet, because I have a massive man-crush on David Gilmour (circa 1973 or so) and interviewing Pink Floyd back them would be a good opportunity to meet him back then, Heād probably be shorter than expected, everyone is.
Would also like to interview Faith No More circa 1992, because I have a massive man-crush on Mike Patton ā¦ wait a second. Yeah, this is going in the wrong direction, donāt print that.
There were a few interesting punk bands from the Bronx that I would love to interview, they were kind of offshoots of each other, but mostly I would really just like to interview the bands that my friends are in. Iād rather hear their stories and about their lives than about James Hetfieldās.
VMS:
Tell me about the cool venues in your neck of the woods! Any favorite spots or haunts that you love to go check out the NY music scene?
Raph Copeland, knifetwister records:
Oh my God, is this interview ever going to end?
VMS:
Anyone you would like to thank who has supported you?
Raph Copeland, knifetwister records:
Oh yeah ā musicially, or like personally? Iāll do both. So, Mike, Brendan, Aaron from Butterbrain (Jay and Rob are great too), Mark, Frank and Mike (no relation) from CHAKA, Aaron, Danny, Jeff, Erik and Noe from MANiK, Nicole and Damian from GIFTSHOP, Stephanie who manages We Might Die who is totally awesome. Iām forgetting a lot of people, sorry ā itās late out here.
Personally, Iād like to thank a few people who have been supportive ā KimmY (always a capital Y), Liza, Irene, D-Train, Alex, Ian and Cigarette Steve from my old building, Chad and James from my new building, and the entire cast and crew of the 70ās sitcom Whatās Happening! Everyone always focuses on Rerun but I have to give a special shoutout to Shirl.
Since I live less than a mile from the best pool hall in the country, Iād also like to thank some of the people there, because going there to decompress allows me to keep doing the work Iām doing, so off the top of my head, thanks to Vance, Wayne, Eli, David, James ā thereās way more but Iām just mentioning the people who beat me but not so badly that I go home crying.
And of course my three wonderful kids.
MANiK at Hesher Studio, Queens.
VMS:
Once again, thank you so much for letting me share my story, and I’m so incredibly honored to interview you as well!
Raph Copeland, knifetwister records:
Aww, youāre too kind. I am really starting to love Vegas, you guys are the best. I am totally going there soon, I gotta check out that awesome strip!
For more information about knifetwister records or Raph Copeland, please visit his websites:
www.knifetiwsterrecords.com
www.knifetwistermagazine.com
Instagram: @knifetwisterrecords
Personal Instagram: @giantpinball (if anyone would like to push me from 13 followers up to like 15 or 16)
—-Lara for VMS.