Countersteering: An Interview with NYC’s Sonic Taboo
By Staff | December 18, 2025
New York City’s Sonic Taboo is an instrumental power trio that defines their sound as a raw, multi-genre blend of stoner rock, heavy psychedelia, and doom. Eschewing traditional vocal structures to grant themselves greater creative freedom, the band crafts immersive "soundtracks" specifically designed to mirror the visceral experience of a motorcycle ride. Their live performances further this atmosphere by blending songs seamlessly into a continuous, energetic set accompanied by cinematic projections. Since their formation roughly six years ago, the trio—consisting of Paulo Cassio, Fernando Minichiello, and Dylan Lappin—has released two studio albums and a 2025 live record, building a reputation for unfiltered, high-voltage rock that avoids commercial polish in favor of sonic integrity and grit.
What was the driving force behind choosing to be a purely instrumental band, especially given the lyrical tradition often found in rock genres? Does the absence of a vocalist allow for a deeper connection to the "soundtrack" concept?
Paulo Cassio, guitar: Sure thing. As an instrumental band we have more “freedom” to explore our music in different ways, we don’t have to necessarily stick to traditional format like when you have vocals and lyrics (chorus/bridge) that kind of structure. We can cut parts shorter or keep longer, create variations and add more riffs whatever feels right for us, definitely give us more possibilities. Also for the listeners they can interpret in their own way since there is no lyrics to impose a message. It’s definitely more like a soundtrack concept.
The name "Sonic Taboo" is intriguing. What is the story behind the name, and what taboos are you attempting to break or explore with your sound?
The name Sonic Taboo was originally written in a book that I read a long time ago, and stuck with me. Years later when we started the band I thought would be a perfect fit for what we are trying to do…
We are not inventing the wheel here but we thought that would be great if we could to do something a little different from the traditional format, with singer and lyrics and even different from most of instrumental bands that usually have tons of guitar solos or jamming for hours. We all love motorcycles and we choose the concept of writing songs that sound like a bike ride, what we felt when riding or what we would like to listen while riding, so yes that’s our mojo. Again we are not inventing the wheel but we are riding on two!
You're described as stoner rock, but the instrumental nature suggests heavy psych and doom influences. How do you define your specific sound, and what elements do you prioritize when composing new material?
We definitely can’t not be categorized as one single genre and we don’t want that. I think our sound has all the elements you would find in psychedelic/stoner/doom/sludge/space/metal/hard rock. Even in a single song we usually mix those sounds/elements, that’s the freedom of not be stuck to a single genre. We are not afraid of trying new sounds or use different instruments, on our sophomore album “Kind of Venom” we have a track (Space Odyssey) that has a saxophone on it. We also used synth and keyboards in some tracks on the studio albums to add more color and texture to the music.
Very often after our gigs we had people coming to us and asking what kind of genre we are, it’s a pretty cool thing that they can’t easily identify. When you create something new that’s the reaction you suppose to get, so yeah we are at the right direction.
If you had to name three non-biker-related artists or bands that define the sonic bedrock of Sonic Taboo, who would they be?
Black Sabbath, Motörhead and Queens of the Stone Age are definitely a huge influence in our music but I don’t think they are necessarily non-biker related artists because I believe 99% of the biker community love them.
Photo: Dianna Dray
Since your music is designed as a soundtrack, how do you translate the open-road atmosphere into a captivating live show? What can an audience expect from a Sonic Taboo performance?
That’s another thing we try to do in our own original way, and the feedback we get from the live shows has been very positive. Basically we play our set (usually 45min) with no breaks between the songs, literally mixing them together like a DJ set. Also we have a very cool movie/images that we project while we are playing. With this all together we try to give the audience this unique, loud, energetic experience, like a damn bike ride!
You've played major events like Desertfest London, Strange Days Motorcycle Festival 2025, and Desertfest NYC. Is there a particular festival or venue that stands out as a high point, and why?
We had the opportunity to play in such amazing Festivals. Opening the Desert Fest NYC 2023 at a sold out Saint Vitus Bar was insane, get invited to play in UK at Desert Fest London 2024 another one that blew our minds at a packed Legendary Black Heart in Camden. Here in Brooklyn, NY we performed at the Indian Larry Block Party (2022/2025) and was mayhem! This year we played Strange Days Motorcycle Fest in Upstate NY, another sick gig…
Five years after your formation, how do you define success for an instrumental stoner biker trio? Is it getting your music synced to a motorcycle documentary, hitting a new festival, or simply creating the perfect, immersive riff?
We are very grateful for what we achieved in those 5-6 years. We definitely want to keep performing as much as possible, releasing new music, albums and yes , we are always open for new opportunities, like you mentioned, having our music synced to a Motorcycle documentary/ video would be dope. There’s an open road ahead!
What's next for Sonic Taboo? Are you currently writing new material, and are there any new elements you're looking to incorporate into your sound for the next record?
We just released a new album, actually it’s a Live album! CAPTURED LIVE! VOL 1. The album was recorded live at Hesher Studios in Queens, NY. It’s a raw, high-voltage document of a band firing on all cylinders! The album features 12 tracks in total - 4 brand new songs and 8 remained cuts from previous releases all performed live with no overdubs. It’s a honest, unfiltered portrayal of the band in our element - loud, relentless and rooted in the core values of Rock ’n’ Roll. There’s no studio gloss, just energy, chemistry and the grit of real time performance. The album was mixed and mastered by Robin Buyer and will be released on vinyl and CD by Interstellar Smoke Records beginning of 2026. Like the two previous albums (2020’s Sonic Taboo and 2022’s Kind of Venom, to continue the band’s commitment to physical format and sonic integrity.
Sonic Taboo is:
Contact: sonictaboo@gmail.com