ROGER MIRET was only thirteen when punk music first etched itself, like a fresh tattoo, in his skin. He’s been bleeding Hardcore ever since. It wasn’t punk that scarred him for life - it was his life that scarred him for punk. Born in a Havana still reeling from the aftermath of the Cuban Revolution, he came to the United States and grew up in Queens, New York where he learned some of life’s harshest lessons firsthand. He beat the odds and survived, because he had no other choice. While many kids succumbed to the easy temptations of the street and the unrelenting pressures of inner-city life, he turned to music as an outlet for his simmering angst. It was when he heard the Sex Pistols’ Never Mind the Bollocks for the first time that he decided their music-punk-was the only thing that would suffice as the soundtrack for the bitter realities he faced daily. Punk music would never be the same.

It is a rare individual who can claim to have spearheaded a meaningful shift in the musical landscape. But, in 1982, along with Vinnie Stigma, that’s just what ROGER MIRET did. The two formed the nucleus of New York’s legendary AGNOSTIC FRONT and together they resolved to play the hardest, loudest, rawest music they could. Punctuated by Roger’s penetrating, incendiary sociopolitical commentary, AGNOSTIC FRONT ushered in the era of New York Hardcore, turned the seemingly unshakable punk scene on its ringing ear and raised the bar for all those who would follow. Without the benefit of mainstream radio exposure or MTV, they built a worldwide following of fiercely loyal fans who responded not only to the group’s blistering, breakneck rhythms; but, also to the attention ROGER paid to themes of social alienation, state-sponsored, systemic oppression and finally, his vision of unity-all culled from his personal experiences and observations, and all offered up with a brutal, unadulterated honesty that has remained his trademark. Time and time again, however, he proved not only remarkably resilient, but also stunningly versatile ROGER branched out in the mid-1990s, picked up the bass and lent his considerable songwriting experience to the indie-rock quartet Lady Luck, fronted by his wife, singer Denise Miret.

Now, Roger is once again challenging himself and his audience, this time as guitarist and singer for the punk-rock foursome, THE DISASTERS.New Zealand native and guitarist Rhys Kill had only been in the U.S. a short while when he met ROGER. Their mutual enthusiasm for The Clash, Blitz, Stiff Little Fingers and Buzzcocks, among others, made the two fast friends. But, when Rhys joined him to cut a demo of songs ROGER had written, their guitars clicked, too, and they quickly realized they had something more than promising on their hands. Ironically, it was the end of one band that allowed ROGER to take the next step toward solidifying his. When the members of one of Roger’s favorite groups, the Boston-based Oi band The Bruisers, parted company, he invited erstwhile Bruisers bassist Johnny Rioux to accompany him on a second recording of his original material. Johnny wanted to hear the initial recording first and ROGER sent him a copy. Before the first song had ended, Johhny phoned ROGER and joined the group. A few months later and with the eminently talented Rioux on board, the three laid down a second set of recordings, this time with the help of Dropkick Murphys drummer Matt Kelly. The second demo landed in the hands of Rancid guitarist Lars Frederiksen. Lars was impressed and immediately passed the tape to his Rancid cohort and Hellcat Records founder, Tim Armstrong. Instantly Tim recognized the potential of what he heard and welcomed the band into the Hellcat family. ROGER was now poised for a return to his former glory atop New York’s punk scene, but Matt Kelly’s commitments with the Dropkick Murphys left the band without a backbeat. ROGER set his sights on Johnny Kray, lead singer for The Krays, drummer for the NY Rel-x, and another veteran of the New York City punk scene. Once again, ROGER let the demos do the talking and there was no surprise when Johnny agreed. ROGER MIRET AND THE DISASTERS were, at long last, a band. The result: Roger Miret and The Disasters’ self-titled debut. A classic NYC street punk sound loaded with lots of anthems that hark back to punk’s bone-jarring, fist-pumping glory days. Though this marks his growth as a songwriter, he proves what so many have known for over two decades: ROGER MIRET is a punk purist without equal. Consider yourself warned to sing along!