Murphy's Law (band)

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American hardcore band

title: "Murphy's Law (band)" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1982-establishments-in-new-york-city", "crossover-thrash-groups", "hardcore-punk-groups-from-new-york-(state)", "musical-groups-established-in-1982", "musical-groups-from-new-york-city", "musical-quartets-from-new-york-(state)", "relativity-records-artists"] description: "American hardcore band" topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murphy's_Law_(band)" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary American hardcore band ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox musical artist "]

Field	Value
name	Murphy's Law
image	File:Murphys Law 2024.jpg
caption	Big B, Jimmy Drescher, Walter "Monsta" Ryan
origin	New York City, U.S.
genre	Hardcore punk, skate punk, crossover thrash
years_active	1982–present
label	Profile, Relativity, We Bite, Artemis, NYHC Tattoos, I Scream, Reflex/Wolfpack
current_members
past_members	See below
website
::

Murphy's Law is an American hardcore punk band from New York City, formed in 1982. Vocalist Jimmy Drescher remains the only founding member of the band, and the line-up has consisted of numerous musicians who have performed with a diverse selection of musical acts across multiple genres, such as Skinnerbox, Danzig, The Bouncing Souls, Mucky Pup, Dog Eat Dog, Hanoi Rocks, Fishbone, Agnostic Front, Warzone, the Cro-Mags, D Generation, New York Dolls, Joan Jett & the Blackhearts, The Slackers, Thursday, Skavoovie and the Epitones, White Trash and Glen Campbell. Over the course of their career, Murphy's Law has released five albums, the last of which, The Party's Over, was released in 2001.

History

Murphy's Law's self-titled debut album was released in 1986. Their second album, Back with a Bong!, was released in 1989 on Profile Records, and subsequently re-released on Another Planet Records in 1994, with the previous self-titled album on the same disc. The band underwent a transformation, with Jimmy Drescher being the only remaining member. Alex Morris had been replaced on guitar by Todd Youth – previously of fellow New York City hardcore bands, Agnostic Front and Warzone, and later of Danzig. Chuck Valle replaced Pete Martinez on bass, and Doug E. Beans took over drumming duties from Petey Hines. In 1989, Murphy's Law opened for the Red Hot Chili Peppers on their Mother's Milk tour.

Stylistically, Murphy's Law made a jump on The Best of Times (1991). While the band dabbled in skacore long before it exploded, The Best of Times combined funk, reggae, ska, and hardcore. The album was produced by Fishbone's John "Norwood" Fisher and Philip "Fish" Fisher, containing guest instrumentation from several members of Fishbone.

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7e/Murphy's_Law_Live_in_Poland.jpg" caption="Murphy's Law in 2007"] ::

Dedicated was released by Another Planet on March 19, 1996. The label had already picked up the rights to their previous material from Profile Records and in 1994 had released a split CD with the self-titled and Back with a Bong! albums on the same disc.

The album was produced by Daniel Rey, who also wrote "Greenbud" on the album. It follows 1993's Good for Now EP and the 1991 studio album The Best of Times. Dedicated was dedicated to former bass player, Chuck Valle, who was killed in a knife related incident in 1994. His picture appears on the back page of the CD inlay and a picture of a tattoo inscribed with the words "In Memory of Chuck" appears on the jewel case inlay. The band did not record another album until The Party's Over in 2001, but released singles, compilations, and split EPs with other bands in between. In 2002 Reflex/Wolfpack Records released a European vinyl pressing of The Party's Over.

In 2002, the band appeared in Matthew Barney's film Cremaster 3 along with Agnostic Front. In 2004, the song "Vicky Crown" appeared in a music video montage featuring Nick Mondo in the game Backyard Wrestling 2. In 2008, the song "A Day in the Life" was featured, as well as Jimmy G. himself as the DJ of Liberty City Hardcore (L.C.H.C) radio station in the action videogame Grand Theft Auto IV.

On April 12, 2010, Murphy's Law announced in a MySpace blog entry that they were working on a sixth studio album as well as a DVD and vinyl reissues of their back catalog. On May 4, 2011, it was announced that Murphy's Law were signed to I Scream Records, who were scheduled to release the band's first studio album of original material since 2001's The Party's Over, as well as reissues of their back catalog. The reissued albums were released on CD, digital download, and vinyl in 2014 with previously unreleased bonus tracks. There had been no news or updates on new music from Murphy's Law until April 2025, when the band announced that they were in the studio recording a new album. Their first song in 24 years, "Go, Jimmy, Go!", was released digitally as a single in October 2025.

Members

Current members

James Drescher – lead vocals (1982–present)
Joe James – guitars
Larry The Hunter – guitars
Gary Bennett – guitars
Walter "Monsta" Ryan – drums
Big B – bass

Past members

Guitars

Alex "Uncle Al" Morris (1982–1986)
Todd Youth (Danzig, Chrome Locust, Agnostic Front, Warzone, D Generation, Glen Campbell) (1989–1991, 1996) (died 2018)
Felipe Lithgow (2007-2012)
Jack Flanagan (The Mob) (1993)
Ace Von Johnson (Madcap, The Generators, Duane Peters Gunfight)
Christopher Kerrigan aka "Chris Redd" (Lockdown, Those Hated Hearts, Necktangle, Revenge of the Dragon)
Chris Shannon (Demonspeed)
Dan Nastasi (Dog Eat Dog, Nastasee, Mucky Pup, Kings Never Die)
Erick "Epick" Hartz (Los Dudes, The Boilermakers, Zen Butcher, The Lobrows)
Jason Stickney (CHUD)
Jason Burton (Not A Part of It)
Joe Porfido (Inhuman, Agnostic Front)
Johnny Waste (Urban Waste, Major Conflict)
Rick Bacchus
Sean Kilkenny (Dog Eat Dog, Mucky Pup, Harley's War, Stigma) (died 2021)
Tim Miller (Blanks 77, Broken Heroes)
Rod Martino (Ruder Than You)
A.J. Novello (1997)
Kane Kelly (die Strömms)

Bass

Adam Mucci (1982)
Pete Martinez (1986)
Chuck Valle (Ludichrist, Dripping Goss) (1989–1993)
Felipe Lithgow(2019-2022)
Dean Rispler (1996)
Aaron "White Owl" Collins (Skarhead, White Trash, Butterbrain, Hash)
Anthony Di Masi (The Unopposed)
Ben "Tucks" Orenstein (U.N. Posse)
Brian Ellingham aka Pico Da' Bass (F.O. the Smack Magnet)
Christian Hoffmeister
Dug Donohoe
Eddie Cohen
"Genghis" Jon Carrier
Ghoul Man
J.R.
Phil Caivano (Shrapnel, Blitzspeer, Monster Magnet)
Ron Delux (The Turnbucklers, Unlucky 3, Cinema Nine)
Russel Iglay (Underdog)
Sal Villanueva
Sami Yaffa (Hanoi Rocks, New York Dolls, Joan Jett & the Blackhearts)
Tommy Kennedy
Tommy Sick (DFA, Zyris, SIB)

Drums

Harley Flanagan (Cro-Mags, The Stimulators) (1982)
Petey Hines (Cro-Mags, Handsome) (1986)
Doug Beans (The Functional Idiots, Mearth, The Montalbans, Hellride 102, Aggravated Assault, Defiance) (1989–1991)
Michael McDermott (Skinnerbox, The Bouncing Souls, Joan Jett And The Blackhearts, The Kilograms) (1993)
Eric "Goat" Arce (Crown of Thornz, Skarhead, Merauder, The Misfits) (1996)
Chris Ara (Zombie Vandals, The Krays)
Dan Lettieri
Donny Didjits (Time Bomb 77, Anti Heros, A.P.A, Liberty)
Frank Lema (Half-Life, Freakmode)
Jay Colangelo (American Standard)
John “Solar Skin” Sullivan
Nick Angeleri
Quincy Kirk (Graves, Broken Heroes, Headwound)
Steve Barna (Fake Your Death)
Todd Irwin
Tucker Rule (Thursday)
Vincent Alva rest in peace.
Pokey (1997)

Horns

Angelo Moore – saxophone (1989–1991)
Christopher Dowd – trombone (1989)
Walter Kibby III – trumpet (1989)
Scott Mayo – saxophone (1991)
Reggie Young – trombone (1991)
Fernando Pullam – trumpet (1991)
Jeff "Django" Baker (Skinnerbox, Stubborn All-Stars) – trombone (1993)
Danny Dulin (Skinnerbox, Stubborn All-Stars) – trumpet (1993)
Ben Jaffe (Skavoovie and the Epitones, The Diamond Mines, Eli "Paperboy" Reed and the True Loves) – saxophone
D-Robb (D-Robb and The Shots) – trombone
Jeremy "Mush One" Mushlin (The Slackers) – trumpet, vocals
Johnny Banks – trumpet
John Mulkerin – trumpet
Joseph Bowie – trombone
Raven (Seaton "Chuck" Hancock III) – saxophone

Banjo

Ian Meredith (Clean & Nasty, The Scrub-Ups)

Timeline

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bar:Kibby text:"Walter Kibby III" bar:Pullam text:"Fernando Pullam" bar:Dulin text:"Danny Dulin"

bar:HFlanagan text:"Harley Flanagan" bar:Hines text:"Petey Hines" bar:Deans text:"Doug Beans" bar:McDermott text:"Michael McDermott" bar:Arve text:"Eric Goat Arce" bar:Ara text:"Chris Ara"

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bar:Mucci from:start till:12/31/1983 color:Bass bar:Martinez from:01/01/1986 till:12/31/1986 color:Bass bar:Valle from:01/01/1989 till:12/31/1993 color:Bass bar:Rispler from:01/01/1996 till:12/31/1996 color:Bass bar:Lithog from:01/01/2018 till:end color:Bass

bar:Raven from:start till:12/31/1983 color:Sax bar:Moore from:01/01/1989 till:12/31/1991 color:Sax bar:Mayo from:01/01/1991 till:12/31/1991 color:Sax bar:Raven from:01/01/1996 till:12/31/1996 color:Sax bar:Raven from:01/01/2018 till:end color:Sax

bar:Dowd from:01/01/1989 till:12/31/1989 color:Trom bar:Young from:01/01/1991 till:12/31/1991 color:Trom bar:Baker from:01/01/1993 till:12/31/1993 color:Trom

bar:Kibby from:01/01/1989 till:12/31/1989 color:Trump bar:Pullam from:01/01/1991 till:12/31/1991 color:Trump bar:Dulin from:01/01/1993 till:12/31/1993 color:Trump

bar:HFlanagan from:start till:12/31/1983 color:Drums bar:Hines from:01/01/1986 till:12/31/1986 color:Drums bar:Deans from:01/01/1989 till:12/31/1991 color:Drums bar:McDermott from:01/01/1993 till:12/31/1993 color:Drums bar:Arve from:01/01/1996 till:12/31/1996 color:Drums bar:Ara from:01/01/2018 till:end color:Drums

Discography

Albums

Bong Blast (1983) Spliff Records
Murphy's Law (1986) Profile Records
Back with a Bong! (1989) Profile Records
The Best of Times (1991) Relativity Records
Dedicated (1996) Another Planet
The Party's Over (2001) Artemis Records

Live albums

Beer, Smoke, and Live (2002) P.O.P. Records

Cover albums

Covered (2005) NYHC Tattoos Records

Re-Issued albums

Murphy's Law / Back with a Bong! (1994) Another Planet – split CD
The Best of Times / Good for Now (2000) Artemis Records – split CD

EPs

Good for Now EP (1994) We Bite Records

Music videos

"Panty Raid" (1989)
"What Will the Neighbors Think?" (1996)
"Vicky Crown" (2001)

Singles

"Monster Mash" (1991) Relativity Records – CD single
"My Woman from Tokyo" (1995) – Japan only 7" split single
"What Will the Neighbors Think?" (1996) Another Planet – 7" single
"Genkika" (1996) – Japan only 7" split single
"Kansai Woman" (1996) – Japan only 7" single
"Quality of Life" (1998) NG Records – 7" split single

Compilation albums

How to Start a Fight (1996) Side One Dummy Records
Show & Tell - A Stormy Remembrance of TV Themes (1997) Which? Records
Creepy Crawl Live (1997) Another Planet
Music to Kill For (1998) Triple Crown Records
City Rockers: A Tribute to the Clash (1999) Side One Dummy Records
Never Mind The Sex Pistols: Here's The Tribute (2000) Radical Crown Records
Under the Influence - A Tribute to the Clash, the Cure, and the Smiths (2001) Triple Crown Records
The World Wide Tribute to the Real Oi Volume 2 (2002) I Scream Records
Jager Music Volume 2 (2002) jagermusic.com Records
Warped Tour Compilation (2002) Side One Dummy Records
The Best (2005) NYHC Tattoos Records

References

(June 19, 2018). "The Most Influential Figures of NYHC: Jimmy G. (Murphy's Law) {{!}} Features".
(1999). "[[Encyclopedia of Popular Music". [[Virgin Books]].
(9 April 1992). "MUSIC MURPHY'S LAW : Suds 'n' Sounds : The band, known for its 'loud, grungy' style, is promoting a new album, which contains the tune 'Beer Bath.' So beware.". [[Los Angeles Times]].
Punknews.org. (March 19, 2017). "Murphy's Law - The Party's Over".
(May 25, 2003). "Cremaster 3 (2002)".
(October 21, 2010). "Liberty City Hardcore - Grand Theft Wiki, the GTA wiki". Grandtheftwiki.com.
(April 13, 2010). "New Murphy'S Law Album, A Dvd, And Some Other Cool Shit In The Works! Van Murphy'S Law Op Myspace". Myspace.com.
(April 29, 2025). "Murphy's Law - Recording First Long Player In 24 Years". [[Metal Storm (webzine).
(October 18, 2025). "Murphy's Law - Release First Song In 24 Years". [[Metal Storm (webzine).
(October 18, 2025). "Murphy's Law release "Go, Jimmy, Go", first new single in 24 years and new album on the way". lambgoat.com.

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