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White Collar Crime’s new record, “Wars Undeclared” possesses an eerie, uncommon beauty. It is a new form of punk rock haunted by organ and piano textures, forlorn love songs, and cocky up-tempo manifestos. “Wars Undeclared” brings an inspired collection of songs that urge you to leap from your seat and occupy reality.

The vocalist, Sander Hicks, channels equal parts Jim Morrison and Jello Biafra, while the rhythm section of the the dexterous Nick Colt (Hootch, The Cabinetmakers) on keyboards, percussion inventor Dale W. Miller (Palomar, Atlantic/Pacific) on drums, and the wiley Jon Berger (Earshot, The Mercantillers) on bass moves between aggro, driving punk riffs to somber and melodic jazz passages. They don’t need long guitar solos….or even a guitar-player! They have something else.

Wait, Punk Rock, with No Guitar?

That’s right, Kids!

This is a band with a sharp, signature sound: catchy, smart, artful punk. It’s minimalist, high-voltage, emotional, hard-driving, and world-changing. It is hungry. It is stuff you will remember. White Collar Crime pokes you in the ribs, and then whispers secrets in your ear. They are dedicated to freeing you from the matrix. They write songs about martyrs to the cause, and other loves lost, 9/11 truth and the police state, the failure of Obama, and their own forsaken illusions about love that fluidly. With an an accumulated 19 years of common wisdom, White Collar Crime is now poised to break new ground and old molds with their unique roles as punk provocateurs.

White Collar Crime started in 1996 as a pit band for the musical play “Sealove, Manager” in Soho, NYC. Playwright/lead singer Sander Hicks is best known as the indie publisher from Soft Skull Press who republished “Fortunate Son.” With his band backing him up every step of the way, Hicks and team took on George W. Bush and Family, from 1999-2001. This was all documented in the award-winning film Horns and Halos, on HBO/Cinemax, and White Collar Crime provided much of the sound-track.
They have played throughout the US, on both coast, including the Warped Tour (DIY Fest stage), Punk Island, the Soft Skull Press/Chicago Book Expo party at Fireside Bowl, and nearly everywhere in New York City including the legendary CBGB’s. After a hiatus, White Collar Crime reformed with its original line-up in 2013. The band got to work playing several successful shows, including a coveted spot opening the NYC tour of the Alternative Records’ super-group Ultra Bide. White Collar Crime have just wrapped up third full-length album, Wars Undeclared. Engineered by Tom Beaujour (Nada Surf, Juliana Hatfield) at Nuthouse Studios, Hoboken, NJ and mixed by Erik Colvin (Gina Villalobos, Overlord) in Hollywood, CA. The band will be soon following the release with a national tour.

The group started in 1996 as a pit band for Hicks’ musical play “Sealove, Manager” at the Ohio Theatre in Soho, NYC. They toured coast to coast throughout the US, at venues like CBGBs, Warped Tour (DIY Fest stage), Punk Island, the Soft Skull Press/Chicago Book Expo party at Fireside Bowl, and nearly everywhere in New York City.

After a hiatus, White Collar Crime reformed with its original line-up in 2013. The band got to work playing several successful shows, including a coveted spot opening the NYC tour of the Alternative Records’ super-group Ultra Bide. White Collar Crime have just wrapped up their third full-length album, Wars Undeclared. It comes out in June of 2015.

With the rise of Jeb Bush as a serious Presidential Contender, Hicks and White Collar Crime will again be stirring the pot, using music and indie media to call the country to a higher state of consciousness. They are in the midst of planning a coalition of punk, hip-hop and spiritual music, to start a new new 2016 national tour, “Occupy Truth: Punk, Hippies, and Hip Hop Against Bush.”

Reviews:

"In a recent performance at Desmond's Tavern, Hicks jumped across tables and lassoed chairs with a microphone cord while staring down nonbelievers. When he called for revolution – at the time he was spinning from a ceiling fan - the band clicked immediately into tight punk cabaret and a friend turned to me and said, ‘this is the best band ever.’”

“I believed him: my neck was shivering and I was ready to storm the White House. WCC are the real thing: Crass and DK, a band for cocktail hour, The Sound of Music, the best live band of 2001.”
—Brandon Stosuy, Prose Acts

“What they’re doing–as individual activists, as an autonomous collective–is far more radical than anything put forth by today’s crop of two-chords-and-a-40-ounce-driven crusties. No guitars, Lounge, Beat and jazz tempos and poetic lyrics concerning everything you’re supposed to hate–racism, sexism, globalization and the corporate oligarchy. You’ll just have to pay closer attention. The most radical DKs record never made. A solid @ plus!”
–Bryan Swirsky, The Big Takeover

“This is a beautifully emotive (quite strange for a punk band!) CD with a far better understanding of songwriting than the WCC’s previous effort, Death to Muzak, yet it still retains an intellectual and even blackly humorous edge sorta like a NY version of Shane McGowan...sorta?! I can easily say that it deserves far more coverage than it will inevitably not get....”
–Bob Smith, Chaotic Order zine, UK

“White Collar Crime, and front man Sander Hicks, go after their ideological enemies in this album. Armed with nary a guitar, and only a bass, a piano, and an array of percussion, this New York City trio sing about class struggle, union solidarity, and unrequited love. They bust the mold wide open with their unique sound, and Hick’s theatrical singing style.”
–VERBICIDE magazine

"Frontman Sander Hicks spews sarcasm and wit like Jello Biafra on a caffeine buzz. The latest disc...is simultaneously shocking and hilarious.
–Flagpole, Athens, GA

"Talk about punk rock! White Collar Crime is doing one helluva job re-inventing punk rock in their own vaudeville type manor. ...Hicks’ unique vocals tremble in an awkward David Byrne manner. With a name like White Collar Crime, it should be quite obvious that the band’s lyrical content focuses on a lot of political matter, yet they do so in a surprisingly catchy manner. If you’re still not convinced of WCC’s unique angle on punk, just check out "The Veils" with Hicks’ vocals sinking down into a Jim Morrison baritone and the keyboards that ring of Le Shok, 60s garage stylings. It’s with bands like WCC that the punk movement (and specifically its politically fueled wing) is able to not suffocate upon its own vomit.”

–Kurt Morris, Action Attack Helicopter