Remembering Puny Human (R.I.P. Jim Starace)

by Mark 'Yeti' Richard · Published November 10, 2024 · Updated November 11, 2024

Puny Human was a hard rock/ stoner band from New York City. Their sound has been compared to older Clutch, mostly due to the vocals sounding similar. The band was active from 1998-2012 and released three full length albums, 2000’s Revenge Is Easy, 2003’s It’s Not The Heat, It’s The Humanity, and 2007’s Universal Freak Out. All three albums were released on Small Stone Records. Tragically, on November 10th 2012, vocalist Jim Starace passed away at the age of 46, with complications from lung cancer. The other members of the band were Jason Diamond on bass, Josh Diamond on guitar, Iann Robinson on drums (1998 – 2005), and John Bongiorno on drums (2005 – 2012).

I am posting this blog on the anniversary of Jim’s death which was twelve years ago today. I was a big fan of Puny Human and was lucky enough to see the band play live one time in Boston, Massachusetts at The Church (formerly known as the Linwood.) I will never forget that show and to this day, Puny Human might just be the best opening band I ever saw. The other two bands playing with them that night were Throttlerod and We’re All Gonna Die. My friend Justin and I arrived at the show early, just after the doors opened. The year was probably 2007 or 2008. I remember the show was on a Saturday night though. There were not a lot of people there when we arrived. It was our first time at that club and they served us free barbecued chicken, which was delicious! Anyways, Puny Human was the opening band that night and it was a little disappointing that more people were not there early to see them. They sounded amazing! Justin and I were in complete awe as to what we were witnessing. Jim Starace was very polarizing and a great front man, cracking jokes in between songs. The whole band seemed to be enjoying themselves. They were super tight and played a short but crushing set. I remember hearing “Greasin’ The Wheel” from the It’s Not The Heat, It’s The Humanity album and “The Bus Will Eventually Crash” and “Number Of The Beauty” both from Universal Freak Out. However, the highlight song for me is when the band played their rendition of “Crazy Horses” from The Osmonds. It was so awesome!

Puny Human was a solid band that I felt was very underrated. It was a rarity for the band to play in Boston so I was really happy I got to see them. Sadly, it was my first and last time. I remember when the band finished their set, everyone there had huge smiles on their faces which says a lot about how good they were live. I will never forget that show and I can’t think of another better opening band that I witnessed in all of my years of going to shows. I will be listening to Puny Human today in honor of the great and underappreciated group from Queens, and as a tribute to Jim Starace.