Black Betsy | tr

Due to a massive hype,the sheer volume of fan mail and the vicious rumours circulating around the band,we feel it`s time to uncloak the shroud of secrecy.

The band was formed in `98 or `99,no-one knows nor cares for certain, in a grim inner-city ghetto of Lappeenranta,near the Russian border. The bleakness of such existence moulded the sound to be naturally harsh and violent.Apart from a life of crime,hard drugs and the icy grip of Soviet influence,there wasn`t much to fill the days with.Time was ripe for young hoods to swap their syringes to instruments and start channeling their hatred on other people,through music.Black Betsy was spawned from a freemason-like brotherhood of deranged youths called Knock Out Crew,along with the almighty Another One Dead,their partners- in-crime.They did a few shows together and released a split rehearsal tape in `99.In 2000,Rawley X Productions released `Down For Life`7",with Black Betsy,Resort To Force,Down My Throat and Past Glories.After a promising start and a few more shows,problems started to mount.Line-up problems and Button`s frenzied mood changes escalated to the point that, in 2001,Black Betsy opened up for New Jersey Bloodline and it would be their last show for the next five years.During those years,the band was hibernating,like a beast.The only significant event in the miserable lives of the remaining members was to move to the decadent,ugly capital of Finland...Hellsinki.

After long years of radio silence,things started to liven up.At the very end of 2005,in a desperate attempt to save the band from total extinction,Button contacted Sipowicz.Once a hardcore enthusiast and an avid punk rocker,Sipowicz had deteriorated into a petty thief and a rave maniac,lurking in the seedy corners of all-night rave parties.Years shook off,friendships were renewed and forged stronger than ever.After initiation beating,Sipowicz became a made member of Knock Out Crew. A month later,in January 2006,Black Betsy rose from the ashes and took the stage at the 1st round of Kujavääntö (aka AlleyFight) with Another One Dead and Cutdown,to become a proud part of the notorious Kujavääntö- trinity.

2006-07 has been almost good to the band.Releasing a split cd with 1984 from Connecticut,playing shows frequently,even doing a tour in the heart of darkest winter up in Lapland with Cutdown and Third Man Down, Black Betsy continues to spread the gospel of hatred.

The only original members in the band are Button aka The Strangler and Da Cage.Yaki aka King Kong of the Bong joined a year or so later.This trio has been the hard core of the band (no pun intended) and they have stuck together through thick and thin and,as a resolve,they have sometimes been referred to as Athos,Porthos and Aramis of Hardcore. Finding a suitable bassplayer,however,has been a constant cause of grief and dismay,and it`s no exaggeration to say that there has been at least 25 candidates throughout the bands existence.Again,no-one really knows the facts.The reason for such fluctuation is mostly Button`s bad temper and difficult personality.It is generally believed,although not yet diagnosed,that he suffers from a severe case of paranoid schitzophrenia.



Button - Vicious bastard with a mean streak,collects Hardcore vinyls and enjoys beating up people,almost as much as choking them.

Da Cage - Also a member of brutal-as-fuck Cutdown.Has an unhealthy obsession with proteins and carbohydrates.

Yaki - Artist by nature and a botanical boy wonder.All round nice guy, impossible not to get along with.

Sipowicz - Former Harry Potter-lookalike,has a rap sheet as thick as a phone book.
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