Queens Tribune

On an ordinary Monday night last week, the young rock bank The Boroughs took the same stage that had launched many of their idols at the famed punk club CBGB’s. In front of a sparse crowd, the group blasted a hard-edged, nostalgic brand of rock that would have made those past bands proud, moving around with an enthusiasm more fitting for an audience several times the size.

With few people to impress, The Boroughs performance that night-the head banging, screams and jumps-seemed entirely genuine, much like everything else about the band. The three members enjoy playing punk music, not just playing dress up.

While bands that aspire to be “hard” generally profess their origins from the Lower East Side or Brooklyn (whether real or imagined), The Boroughs make no bones about the fact that they are based out of Astoria. Though most of their shows take place outside their neighborhood, they always let the audience know where they’re from.
“We feel like we’re the bastards of the punk rock scene,” said lead singer and guitarist Ryan Dwork. “It’s sort of our thing.”

Dwork met drummer Grady Feldgus while at the art school in Manhattan, and the two began playing open mic nights around the city before briefly breaking up. The two reunited in 2003 and added bassist Justin Farrell to round out the current band. All three have roots in Queens and presently spend the majority of their time in Astoria.

As products of a working-class background, the groups looks down on other bands wearing $3,000 outfits with high-grade equipment, likely the benefits of a wealthy upbringing. At the CBGB show, The Boroughs only vaguely resembled typical punk rockers-Feldgus even had white tape on the frames of his glasses.

That doesn’t stop listeners from liking their music. The band has played all the Manhattan hotspots, including Arlene’s Grocery and Don Hill’s. They were even selected among thousands of bands to perform in Little Steven’s Underground Garage Rock Festival. Their first album, “Ostrich,” is available now.

All in all, the band, both musically and personally, embodies the true essence of punk: an unconformable honesty not laden with pretentiousness. Just dirty clothes, honest lyrics, simple chords, and a desire to rock hard, even when no one’s in the room.