‘An Open Letter To The Scene’ is a change of pace for Schreifels who, through more than 20 years of making music, is a name more commonly associated with the New York hardcore scene than that of the folk world. Having begun his career playing bass for Youth of Today before moving on to form a number of seminal bands including Gorilla Biscuits and Quicksand, it’s not just a case of playing a part in the development of the American punk movement, he was right there conducting throughout. In 1999 Schreifels formed Rival Schools, who became an instant hit with the release of their one album, ‘United By Fate’, making himself not just the king of the NY punk community, but one of the most important people in the redeveloping emo/post-hardcore genre.

Now 39, Walter lives with his girlfriend and baby daughter in Williamsburg, a trendy neighbourhood in Brooklyn famed for its thriving art community and hipster residents, a relative calm indicative of the upbeat, folky sounds of ‘An Open Letter To The Scene’. Drawing influence from many classic British artists such as Elvis Costello and Syd Barrett, the record embraces Walter’s politically and socially charged past, with stripped down covers of Agnostic Front’s ‘Society Sucker’ and CIV’s ‘Don’t Gotta Prove It’ (a song Walter wrote himself in ’95), and seamlessly blends them in with newer tracks on topics ranging from matters of the heart in ‘She Is To Me’ to the life of celebrity in ‘The Ballad Of Lil’ Kim’. A wonderful, eclectic record showing the continuing growth of one of our generations most influential underground songwriters.