No one means more to New York City than Most Precious Blood and nothing is more important to Most Precious Blood than being from New York City. This band is carrying “Gotham City Hardcore” into the next generation.

From their lyrics and music straight down to their stark black and white aesthetics, you know where Most Precious Blood is from and where they stand. Their take-no-shit work ethic has become notorious within the scene and remains unparalleled. They are frighteningly focused with a touring schedule that would even make Black Flag shudder.

Over the years, “Most Precious Blood” has become synonymous with perseverance. Anyone that follows the band knows their tour stories are an inspiring tale of human will and fearless dedication to their art. MPB stands for forever trudging forward in the face of immortal adversity. When the gas gage hits empty at every turn and a plague of locusts fill the sky, Most Precious Blood persist, making it thirteen+ hours to the next show with one headlight and four flat tires. They get on stage, plug in their amps and proceed to blow the backs out of peoples skulls like it was Elm Street in November of 1963.

Most Precious Blood began in Brooklyn, New York during the summer of 2000, following the implosion of Indecision. After Indecision’s unexpected final show (at a American Indian biker bar in El Paso, Texas – attended by approximately 43 people), Rachel and Justin took the three-day drive back to NYC in a rental car, separate from the rest of the band. The pair had time to do a lot of soul searching. By the time they’d reached Brooklyn, without blinking, the two had put together a new band called Most Precious Blood.

From the beginning MPB decided to build their new band from the ground up. They went from headlining shows with Indecision to opening shows with MPB. MPB didn't call on favors from their past. They were poised not to have MPB become just another "ex-member" band out for glory. They wanted to do things the old fashioned way; record a demo, play some shows, record a 7'', tour some more and then record an album. This process may seem quite antiquated now with bands coming out with albums right out of the box followed by five week European jaunts; but it was crucial to MPB to do things the right way; the hard way.

MPB was truly born out of the bitterness towards all the people who were pulling ripcords out of the hardcore scene at the time and Rachel and Justin's desire to keep moving and writing music. MPB focused on creating a stripped down sound reminiscent of the scene they grew up in and bands they grew up listening to. They were poised to continue carrying the torch for the new generation of NYHC that Indecision had prematurely dropped. But as years went by, Most Precious Blood became its own animal with a new vision – not just a continuation of their former band.

MPB wear their influences proudly on their sleeves, citing everyone from Agnostic Front to Unbroken, Sick Of It All to Outspoken and the Cro-Mags to Undertow as major influences. With this, MPB have created a unique style, which joins the intensity and rage of their NYHC mentors along with the dark and depressing aesthetics of bands like Sisters of Mercy and The Cure. Haunting melodies and heavier-than-gravity riffs have become Most Precious Blood's modus operandi.

The MPB line-up history is quite a tangled and confusing web of incest (read: former member sharing, instrument swapping, etc.) The original four-piece line-up was Justin on guitar, Rachel on bass, Tom Sheehan on vocals (Indecision vocalist 93-98) and Pete LaRussa on drums. With this line up the band played its first three shows; a show at Brooklyn’s L'Amour, a show at CBGB's the following day (where the band covered Killing Time’s “Backtrack” as their encore) and a blistering set at Under The Couch in Atlanta. The band started the only way they knew how; the way it should be done; by recording a demo (on cassette, not CDR). The 6-song demo caught the attention of Trustkill Records. Pete LaRussa was soon replaced by Pat Flynn (Indecision drummer 93-2000). Thus began the infamous Spinal Tap-esque legacy of Most Precious drummers.

With Pat on drums the band did damage up and down the East coast and started writing for a full length album. Justin was unexpectedly hospitalized for two months+ towards the end of 2000 with a rare respiratory ailment known as Pleurisy. Once Justin was released the band entered the studio and quickly recorded the 12 song "Nothing In Vain" for Trustkill Records. The line up for this record was Justin on guitar, Rachel on bass, Tom sang and Pat played drums – with Pat exiting the band immediately after the completion of his drum tracks. Sean McCann immediately replaced Pat on drums. Also around this time, Rachel decided to switch back to playing guitar and the band added Matt Miller on bass. Matt had recently moved from Atlanta to NYC to pursue a cooking career.

"Nothing In Vain" was originally scheduled for release on September 11, 2001 but wound up coming out sometime later in November on Trustkill Records.

It was around this time the band decided to go full time and begin touring constantly. The decision was made at Chin Chin Palace, a vegan/vegetarian Chinese restaurant in Staten Island, NY. Indecision was infamous for their unrelenting touring schedule and work ethic. And even though MPB hadn't started out with the same full-time intentions, it wasn’t long before MPB would hit the pavement just as hard and just as much. In the break between Indecision's disbanding and MPB's decision to go full time, the members landed some interesting jobs and it was a hard decision for the band to get up and hit the road again so vigorously, leaving some out of the ordinary and challenging jobs behind. Rachel was doing autopsies for the chief medical examiner in New York City, Tom was a forensic psychologist and Justin was doing voiceovers for the Howard Stern show on K-Rock 92.3 FM in New York City.

MPB did some serious touring in support of "Nothing In Vain". MPB headlined CBGB's what seemed like every week, set up a successful benefit post-9/11, as well as incessantly touring the U.S. with Sick Of It All, Andrew W.K., Thursday, Throwdown, The Hope Conspiracy, Bleeding Through, Bane, The Promise and Reach The Sky among others.

Sometime in early 2003, the band parted ways with Tom, although the band didn't have an immediate replacement in mind. After a meeting at Red Bamboo Soul Cafe in New York City, Rob Fusco (former One King Down vocalist) was asked to replace Tom on vocals. Rob visited Brooklyn during a giant snowstorm in February of 2003 to audition. The band was virtually snowed in at their Brooklyn compound and could barely make it to the rehearsal studio in the outskirts of Staten Island. When they finally made their way to the rehearsal space, they decided to start with a Gorilla Biscuits song to break the ice. After Rob finished the line "don't spoil memories of the way things were" he was asked to join the band permanently. Rob went back home, left his job as a chess instructor and the band left, literally, three days later on a U.S. tour in support of Biohazard with their new frontman in tow.

With a renewed passion and a solidified line-up the band hit the road harder than ever with Rob on vocals, Justin and Rachel on guitar, Matt on bass and Sean on drums. The band toured with A.F.I., Sick Of It All, Madball, Give Up The Ghost, Rise Against, Terror and From Autumn To Ashes just to name a few.

After touring Europe with Madball in July, MPB returned to the studio during the late summer of 2003 to begin recording what would become the 11-song "Our Lady of Annihilation". The album received a lot of attention before it was even released because of the controversial cover artwork by Justin Borucki. Speculation of those who hadn't seen the art turned into frenzy. Some cried "blasphemy!” most cried "genius!” Issues of censorship came up as rumors spread that the band would be forced to alter and compromise the artwork to please the Wal-Mart chain who was refusing to stock the CD with the art as is. A bitter, and highly publicized, battle between the band and distributor ensued. In true hardcore form, the band stuck to their guns and won the right to have the album art remain unchanged; releasing "Our Lady of Annihilation" in November of 2003 on Trustkill Records. The record explodes from the first rumble of Justin’s guitar to the final spit of Rob’s last words. With Rachel’s Sonic Youth-esque melody and Matt’s rumbling low end like that of a derailed subway car, “Our Lady” received great praise throughout the hardcore community and beyond.

Most Precious Blood pride themselves on being musicians, which to them means being a fan of all styles of music. "As a musician I can find something to appreciate in just about any style you can throw at me". MPB have always worn their influences on their sleeves and have always preached the importance of knowing and embracing your "roots". "Our Lady" gives musical nods to everyone from Sick Of It All to Bauhaus, so listen close.

Since the release of "Our Lady Of Annihilation", the band has been on the road non-stop in the U.S. and Europe. MPB has been busy leaving people in awe of their live show. MPB also been quite busy replacing drummers and as of this writing the band is up to drummer #9 (and hoping to stop there).

The members of MPB are dedicated to their craft and still embrace a real hands on DIY ethic, an ethic they grew up on. Justin and Rachel design and screen most of the bands t-shirts and run the bands website. Rachel also plays in an all girl hardcore/metal band called the Wage of Sin.

MPB support a vegan/vegetarian lifestyle and are strong supporters of groups such as PETA and the ASPCA.

Research the roots of Most Precious Blood...

Justin has played guitar for Indecision, Milhouse and The Judas Factor. You can find releases from all these bands at http://www.gokartrecords.com

Rob first sang for the Albany, NY straightedge hardcore band One King Down. You can find their catalog here...

Rachel played bass for Tapeworm, S.F.A., Milhouse and Cause For Alarm just to name a few. Rachel also played guitar in Indecision from 97-2000. You can find the Milhouse & Indecision albums at Go Kart Records The others you'd have to dig around for.