BlogJuly 25, 2015 7:52 PM ET

Taking Back Sunday accused of riff thievery - listen for yourself

An amusing little exchange took place two days ago on the Facebook page of Ryan Hardwick, member of Cleveland, Ohio punk band Lawskof. Hardwick was commenting on his distaste for the APMAs (that award show Alternative Press puts on), and when Taking Back Sunday guitarist Eddie Reyes replied to Hardwick's post, Hardwick took the opportunity to confront Reyes about stealing one of his band's riffs:


Ryan Hardwick vs Eddie Reyes of Taking Back Sunday


It's difficult to discern just how much animosity Hardwick harbors (see below), but the main riff of each song sounds pretty much identical. Listen to both (if you can stomach it).







It's hard to dispute Hardwick's claim. Regardless, Reyes didn't seem particularly phased:


Taking Back Sunday's Eddie Reyes dismisses rift theft accusation


Notice that last comment from Hardwick. Unless he's being sarcastic, it would seem that he and Reyes either spoke on the side and settled things, or he was never that angry to begin with. But that doesn't change the fact that Taking Back Sunday borrowed Lawskof's riff. It should be noted that the two bands played a few shows together in 2013, after Lawskof had written their song, and prior to Taking Back Sunday writing theirs. It's possible that this is a case of so-called "subconscious plagiarism," or, Taking Back Sunday just flat out stole the riff.

Sigh. I can't believe I've typed this much about Taking Back Sunday. Forgive me.

42 comments

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anonymous 7/25/2015 5:18:55 PM

FRONZ HERE... SUCK MY fck

zerofender 7/25/2015 5:20:35 PM

At least you apologized for it Webby.

anonymous 7/25/2015 5:26:05 PM

It's three fcking notes. You could play that on fcking dental floss

anonymous 7/25/2015 5:38:28 PM

Ooooh, I thought the dentist meant something else when he said I wasn't flossing enough...

anonymous 7/25/2015 6:07:02 PM

Remember when whitechapel stole a kingmaker riff. Guilt by Kingmaker is older and Saw is the Law by whitechapel has the exact same riff

anonymous 7/25/2015 6:14:59 PM

If TBS really stole their riff, this four note riff that sucks ass, then somebody needs to teach TBS how to steal riffs. This whole news article is ridiculous, who the fck cares. About as pointless as a drummer saying another drummer stole his basic punk beat

anonymous 7/25/2015 9:02:33 PM

They are both friends of mine. It's all good. Fake beef.

anonymous 7/25/2015 10:53:57 PM

This is such a generic riff and scale, there's not much to be stealing ... especially since the pattern in TBS's arrangement is a bit different all while using the notes in the same way. Is this just for attention? Probably.

anonymous 7/25/2015 10:58:16 PM

It is the FRONZIE here and suck my fck xD bitch are always typin off WHO KNOWS WHAT on their lap tops and the click clack in of the keyboard keeps poundin away xD who knows and if the tking black Sunday stole the riff - the way Adam Lazarus spins the microphone around his body makes me a believer and TELL ALL UR FRIENDS ain't nothin but a blessin for the kids by the kids - get with the chop suey and lets all jam out to the tunes my fethered friends! Laata TBS~ BSIGPS

anonymous 7/26/2015 7:52:04 AM

most bands in this genre sound the same anyway, haha. but it seems like a blatant grab.

anonymous 7/26/2015 7:58:16 AM

^ Bryan Stars in gay porn

anonymous 7/26/2015 8:06:05 AM

Lawskof is the poor mans H20 lol

anonymous 7/26/2015 8:11:33 AM

The riff isn't very creative but TBS definitely took it. They are just too similar. And since TBS has heard Lawskof play it live before it aint just a coincidence. That said, both songs blow (TBS's is better though) and Adam Lazzara is beyond annoying.

anonymous 7/26/2015 8:13:31 AM

I've got a bad feeling about this, i've got a bad feeling about this

anonymous 7/26/2015 8:17:59 AM

Stealing one his band's riffs Stealing one his band's riffs Stealing one his band's riffs Stealing one his band's riffs Stealing one his band's riffs Stealing one his band's riffs Stealing one his band's riffs Stealing one his band's riffs Stealing one his band's riffs Stealing one his band's riffs

anonymous 7/26/2015 8:38:15 AM

This is stupid. All of this over a few notes? I can understand if it was a complete rip off but its just a few notes that go into a diffrrent sound into their song TBS is still amazing. But a lot of bands always get similar notes. Doesnt mean they're ripping another band off

anonymous 7/26/2015 8:58:23 AM

no one actually knows who the band that isnt taking back sunday is right?

anonymous 7/26/2015 8:59:19 AM

OMG. They used a pentatonic scale riff that has been used about a gazillion times. Lame story!

anonymous 7/26/2015 9:00:58 AM

tbs is super talented, i highly doubt they needed to take a riff like that, most likely just coincidence. besides the opening simple riff the songs stray apart quite a bit.

anonymous 7/26/2015 9:13:34 AM

Every riff played in new songs has been played before by someone else. Come on, they aren't even that similar! And I have to say, listening to both songs, it belongs in the Taking Back Sunday track. It fits a lot better. But who am I to say?!

anonymous 7/26/2015 9:25:34 AM

Sounds like some local band is butt hurt that they never made it out of their home town. Must be a slow news day when you post about Facebook comments.

anonymous 7/26/2015 9:46:29 AM

Listen to both (if you can stomach it). Lambsuck, these two songs are not my cup of tea, but they sound better than most of the bands you guys promote. Good job TMZ of hardcore/metal .

anonymous 7/26/2015 9:53:48 AM

oh look, somebody told Eddie Reyes about this article and he posted like the last 6 comments before mine. It's not a pentatonic scale, fool. It's major scale notes above a chord progression and it's the same in both songs. It isn't Beethoven but it was most certainly stolen.

anonymous 7/26/2015 10:12:30 AM

This dude actually is an old school guy. He played in wreack havok

anonymous 7/26/2015 11:23:23 AM

Both wrong, obviously it's in harmonic minor and it's under a chord progression. That being said songs sound simmilar at most. I'm sure the prior inspired the latter

anonymous 7/26/2015 11:49:39 AM

Yeah they stole Brand New lyrics too.

anonymous 7/26/2015 2:12:37 PM

pretty sure dude who's not in TBS didn't really give a fck in the first place

anonymous 7/26/2015 2:26:01 PM

More stories about how adam was dating the chick from eisley, got a 19 year old chick who worked at the local Starbucks pregnant then got a DUI

anonymous 7/26/2015 2:32:04 PM

Who cares? And hey now, TBS's first release was good, I can't lie. Other than that...it was all poopie-ca ca from there.

anonymous 7/26/2015 5:24:04 PM

Who cares? The riff is so simple i could play it with my c**k slaping the fretboard. F**k it, let me get hard beforehand and slap the frets at half speed to make it sound extra br00tal so emmure can use it... S*it story suck my f**k

anonymous 7/26/2015 5:29:40 PM

Who cares? The riff is so simple i could play it with my c**k slaping the fretboard. F**k it, let me get hard beforehand and slap the frets at half speed to make it sound extra br00tal so emmure can use it... S*it story suck my f**k

anonymous 7/26/2015 7:48:41 PM

When listening to the first song for a second I thought that was the taking back sunday song. It sounds like they have borrowed more influence from tbs than vice versa.

anonymous 7/26/2015 8:03:21 PM

Apart from the slight variations to the riff in both songs, the reason it sounds so damn similar is that both songs are in the same key. I would think if the guitarist from TBS was trying to jack that riff he would at least transpose it into another key. I believe this is probably a case of subconscious plagiarism but I could be wrong. I've written riffs that have sounded similar to songs that I had been recently listening to.

anonymous 7/26/2015 10:14:53 PM

Too bad tbs does it better

anonymous 7/26/2015 11:16:20 PM

Can't wait to steal this riff and write a song about both of these song suck dong.

anonymous 7/27/2015 4:59:03 AM

That riff can kiss my balls!!!

anonymous 7/27/2015 5:46:30 AM

Whoever said it was in harmonic minor is incorrect, it is in a major key, and the melody does appear to be drawn from the pentatonic mode.

anonymous 7/27/2015 8:52:48 AM

The singer of Lawksmith or whatever sounds like someone intentionally slowed his vocals down to just be annoyingly flat. Either way, you can find me sucking Fronz's fck later.

anonymous 7/27/2015 11:13:58 AM

It's clearly in harmonic minor, it's so obvious! You would have to be mentally impaired to believe it's in a major key! You hear how sad the singer sounds singing it and it's very harmonic per se! Only highly trained musical prodigies like me could determine this but it is good that you at least tried!

anonymous 7/27/2015 11:19:49 AM

Of course it's in major ya dingus!

anonymous 7/27/2015 11:35:14 AM

it's totally not pentatonic but how is it harmonic minor???

anonymous 7/27/2015 10:40:11 PM

NSDwhoa > Lawskof