Steve Bishop
Bass
Steve began playing guitar in high school and has played in many local bands ever since. With influences from pop-punk to metal and post-hardcore the Know Your Enemy hard-rock/hip-hop style was a great fit. Steve joined the band in 2017 after the departure of founding bassist Rob McCann. He loves the NY Giants and hates hotdogs.
Byron Lapola
Drums
Drumming since age 9, Byron has played a vast amount of styles from jazz to indie and deathcore. With influences spanning from swing-era jazz to metalcore and boom bap hip-hop, he was a natural fit when long-time drummer Ralph Ricciardi left the band in 2019 to pursue his education and career ambitions.
About Know Your Enemy
Breaking into the music scene with fervor, Know Your Enemy was thrust into popularity as a powerful and energetic hard rock band. Through an innovative combination of Rock and Metal, coupled with an infusion of Punk and Hip Hop, the band reaches diverse audiences through unique sounds and an iconic stage presence.
Founded in 2014, when rock singer Fonz Rodriguez played along with guitarist Jason Kent, both members found musical chemistry and built on from there. After several lineup changes, the guys were fortunate enough to find chemistry again with Steve Bishop on the bass and Byron Lapola on the drums.
Since then, the band has been shaped into the “Know Your Enemy” that is known today. Their fan base started growing moderately with the release of their first full length “Root of All Evil LP” (2018) and some noteworthy concerts, such as The Rock Carnival (2016), Jersey Shore Festival (2015 -2019), and Smitefest 2019.
Know Your Enemy has been featured in Total Order Indie Magazine, The Aquarian Weekly, and Ever-Metal(.com). They’ve shared the stage with national touring bands like P.O.D., He Is Legend and Hed PE.
Through the years, all band members struggled with different setbacks, including the sale of Trax East recording studio (South River, NJ) while still in the recording process. The studio was shut down before the album was completed, so the tracks had to be mixed elsewhere. Struggles aside, the album was released on time and showed retention to be one of Know Your Enemy’s greatest works to date.
“Root of All Evil is a fearless expression of the frustration in witnessing the division and fracturing of society.” –Fonz, Know Your Enemy.
Know Your Enemy is working on its next release. Three completed tracks are scheduled to be released in July 2020 under the management and guidance of Damon Moreno and The Inner Light Agency (L.A., CA).
Know Your Enemy is more than a band. It’s the mission of making an impact on how we all view society, each other, and ourselves…
