Worthless United

Since 1993, New Jersey’s Worthless United has been specializing in the type of melodic yet stomping punk that bands like the Clash, Sham 69 and the Damned were known for during punk’s early years. Worthless United favors an old school punk style and is obviously well aware of the pioneering punk bands that were active in the late 70s and early 80s (especially the British bands of that era). And like the Clash, Worthless United isn’t afraid to write angry political songs. The band’s original lineup was formed in New Brunswick, NJ in 1993 by lead singer Dave Calantoni and bassist Scott Asbury. Worthless United played their first gig at the Stone Pony, the famous New Jersey club that a young Bruce Springsteen often played before he became a superstar. During Worthless United’s first few years, the East Coast outfit went through various lineup changes. In 1996, guitarist/singer Zac Kaplan and drummer Steve Asbury (Scott Asbury’s older brother) came on board—and the Calantoni/Kaplan/Steve Asbury/Scott Asbury lineup was still in place in 2002. Along the way, the New Jersey residents acquired a small following (mostly in the northeastern part of the U.S.) and changed their name from Worthless to Worthless United to avoid being confused with other bands that were also named Worthless. After recording various 7” records (some of which came out on the band’s own label, Metro Recordings) in the �90s, Worthless United put together a full-length album titled Which Side Are You On. That album, which offered a combination of old demos and new material, came out in 2002 on Chunksaah Records (a label that is owned by the Bouncing Souls, another New Jersey combo). It was also in 2002 that Worthless United’s four-song EP, I Am Nothing, was released by the Jersey City, NJ-based Now or Never label. ~ Alex Henderson,