KURSK are tempo changing, throat shredding, dissonant and genre-bending, and they rule. Be sure to check them out. (Mel Hughes, 2008)
So who's in the band, how long have you been going?
Brad: The four of us have been playing since 2003, I think. Our first show was in the spring of 2004 with ISKRA.
Were/are you in any other bands?
Brad: I was in a band called HEAD HITS CONCRETE for a few years previous to KURSK.
Morgan: I was in a band called FUCKMORGUE around the same time KURSK started up I guess. Since then I was in DEAD DOGS, and occasionally perform duties as a mincecore mercenary in ARCHAGATHUS.
Sarah: I played briefly with a band called MAIMED AND SLAUGHTERED. We did a CRASS cover. It was ridiculous.
Andrea: In Vancouver I was briefly in a mess of a cider and sedatives fueled band called CROTCH ROT. In Winnipeg I played in a slightly tidier disaster called MOUSTACHE VON HAVOC. I also just joined a power violence band that can't keep the beat or pick a name yet, if we suck up enough or pay someone we might be allowed to play our first show at Winnipeg's Arson Fest this year.
Brad, are you the token boy member of the band? Like it seems everywhere you read that girls are not into this stuff, blah, blah, blah. KURSK has 3 girls. So, how come you girls are in this band? Have you been inspired by other girls to do things, or did you just get off your backsides and get things going for yourselves?
S: I used to get super stoked over bands like NAUSEA and SCORNED and other bands with ripping female vocalists, so I began thinking... man, why can't I do this sort of shit also? I played around with the idea of starting bands or being in bands for awhile, without any really good push or opportunities arising. It wasn't until I met these kids that it really all fit into place for me. I think that both Morgan and Andrea have been a great influence on my ideas of women in music, and they definitely have driven me and supported me through the times of doubt and hardship.
A: It's been a long evolution of interests for me. When I was younger, bands like TEAM DRESCH, SPITBOY, and SUBMISSION HOLD all inspired me to actually pick up an instrument and start playing music because of what they were saying. At the time, having representation of queer and feminist politics in the music I listened to was really important to me. Musically, though, I am influenced by a whole slew of stuff that has nothing to do with gender - NOMEANSNO and VOIVOD definitely top the list for bass influences anyway. When I first heard INITIAL STATE, I had been playing bass for about two years and realized that I wanted to play heavier music and it didn't have to be this macho or apolitical thing. I think I snuck through the back door to grindcore, or maybe a basement window.
B: Definitely the token man.
M: I kind of feel like I don't even know how to answer this question anymore. Um, I've been inspired by men and women to make music. I play this kind of music because it's what I love and making music with these dudes is pretty rad.
Why name the band after a battle? Any particular reasons?
B: It actually wasn't about the tank battle (that's the KURSK from Finland)... I'd love to say it was named after the magnetic anomaly outside of the Kursk region, but it's more to do with the Russian K-141 sub that went down in the Barents Sea a few years ago [the ship was named after the battle --Ed.]. Thinking about how being presented with your own mortality strips away political identity. It seemed like a good allegory for being tired of political posturing and over-intellectualized, micro-managed responses to circumstances instead of trying to react to your surroundings as a person, with whatever wherewithal you can bring to a situation, and not judging people by some dogmatic ideology.
A: The event really struck me because the press reported it as it happened. Anyone who read the newspapers that day knew that some 20 odd sailors were at the moment trapped at the bottom of the sea. People knew approximately how many hours of oxygen the crew would have left. But, because of the power games leftover from the cold war, people were powerless to help.
A lot of effort seems to go into the covers of your record releases. How important is the visual aspect of your releases?
S: The visual aspect of our releases is just another way to bring the music to life and adds context to what we are playing. One of my favourite things about vinyl is being able to check out the art that bands express themselves with. It's the closest thing to being able to see someone play live, while just holding a record in your hand.
B: Especially in the age of downloading and over-saturation of stock imagery. We are lucky to be friends with a lot of talented people. Andrea has done art for a couple of our covers, the Implication EP and the THINK DON'T PRAY split... Aaron Nichols did the art for the DEFEATIST split, and Michal Majewski did the art for our split with DAMAGE DIGITAL. We're currently working with Chris Ellis from PROTESTANT on the art for our split with LYCANTHROPY.
M: Like Brad said, we've definitely been blessed with having an incredibly talented artist in the band and having run into folks who are similarly inclined and have been kind enough to help us out. There is something still really gratifying about getting a record that looks like someone put a lot of heart and soul into the whole experience, not just in the music. Of course we all own records that are amazing that might have regrettable artwork. But really thoughtful, or even just aesthetically pleasing cover art and liner notes can really add something to the experience of putting a record on, you know?
Do you think that corporate science/medicine has too much free reign over society? Too much of a hold, where people can't choose alternative sources should they desire to do so?
B: It's firmly entrenched. Most post-secondary schools rely heavily on corporate funding from places like Monsanto, etc, the whole infrastructure of farming is being undermined by GMO's and non-seed bearing crops... the medical industry here doesn't seem as thoroughly fucked as it is in the States, with every second pharmaceutical firm shitting out a new product with a million harsh side effects every week, but that may just be a function of the visibility of it here. Laws tighten every day with regards to alternative medicine... very hard to keep a revenue stream going if people can make choices about how to treat themselves without spending obscene amounts of money on over the counter quick fixes.
A: Yeah, it has nothing to do with health or "progress" and everything to do with profit. Doctors start receiving gifts from pharmaceutical companies while they are still in med school -- companies buy their fucking beer for keg parties. By the time they are practicing they don't even question whether to take the free trip to Bermuda for pushing more Loxapine or to the weekend golf trip for encouraging people to take hardly tested medicine for conditions they may not even have. I think all of us, or our family and friends, have received inadequate care or have been more harmed than helped by a backwards health care system.
It seems that society, as a whole, is living in fear. What with CCTV cameras, etc. Yet, people still get mugged, raped, etc. Is society on its last breath? What would you like to see changed, so that people are free to live and not be brought down by fear?
A: Yikes. I struggle with this one. I go back and forth between being completely nihilistic and once in awhile being ashamed out of my apathy by people who have lived through the most horrific experiences imaginable and continue to fight for change. All of the crimes that our standard of living is based on -- sweatshop slavery, land theft and destruction for resource extraction -- are considered non-issues by most people. Yet the media focuses on isolated random violence. I don't know what will help people switch focus from fear of crime and terror to looking at the roots of the problem.
B: If I had the answer to the second half of that question, I'd probably go insane wondering why people can't see it also. If I wanted to be cynical I'd say that it seems like the apparatus building and damage control are often more important than solving problems in the first place.
S: I also think a lot of the fear that wraps up and keeps us in a world of violence and desperation comes from the power and control of money. The influence of corporations, the imbalance of the classes, the struggle to support oneself in a society that is set up to make it quite difficult to get ahead or to sustain a decent living. It takes the feeling of control out of ones hands and creates fear that some 'other' force moves and makes things how they are.
M: I've actually been thinking about this a lot lately, as I'm currently in New York where security culture seems to have become sort of a cultural white noise that people are pretty used to having as a part of their day to day lives. I haven't been here very long, so of course my observations are based on limited experience. I can't say if anyone actually feels safer here because of it. In my view, the iron-fist style of policing and the general attitude in public policy that if the great unwashed masses were left to their own devices, the would just tear each other to pieces is pretty wrong-headed. It seems sort of flaky to say, but I think for the most part, humans generally try to get a long with each other because it's actually more beneficial to them than to be constantly in conflict. Because of the great disparities of wealth and power within most societies, and the increasing size and population of urban areas, I think this tendency of people to try to accommodate and work with each other becomes less and less possible, and unfortunately it becomes replaced by suspicion and fear. I'm not trying to say that human social organization has been or even can be utopian if it;s on a smaller scale, but I think at this point it's going to take a lot more than just taking down the cameras. As far as society being on its last breath, well... if by society you mean the ever-spreading global culture that is mainly informed by Western values, I can never tell. Civilizations rise and fall, it happens over and over again, but it has never happened to one that has been so all-encompassing. I can't tell if that'll go first or if the planet will. It's like the chicken or the egg questions, except it'll be: "which one was last?".
Do you think we will learn lessons from the past? It seems we are doomed to repeating the same mistakes over and over again.
S: I believe the past is rarely seen clearly, and the present is lived without much regard for the future. I think the individual may have enough trouble maintaining how they view their surroundings and themselves, that society as a whole is destined to do the same.
B: On its face it looks like its looping in on itself.
A: Most likely doomed.
Burning Cedar. What's your view on what is happening with Israel/Palestine? Is it too easy to choose sides?
M: That song was actually about the Israeli bombing of Lebanon in the summer of 2006. I don't know, this is a conflict that has its roots way beyond the creation of the state of Israel. I don't find it easy to take sides at all! I sympathize with the people who are living in the path of this conflict every day, on both sides of the wall. I think it's way too easy for people to view both "Palestinians" and "Israelis" and these monolithic entities where everyone who might fall into either of those categories share the same views about the conflict, and to associate policies and attitudes of the Palestinian Authority and the state of Israel with the people who happen to live under their jurisdiction. There is a mythology surrounding both sides that unfortunately, most widely available media does little to dispel.
A: Palestinians have lived in refugee camps since 1948, denied proper health care, access to food and even oil for cooking, and have endured intermittent bulldozing and bombing of their communities. We have to be able to separate people from their leaders. Just because I live inside the borders of Canada doesn't mean I at all support the continuing land left of First Nations across the country. I heard on the radio the other day that currently a majority of Israeli citizens actually favour negotiations with Hamas, but the state acts on its own imperatives. I don't have to believe in the political agendas of Hamas or Fatah to believe that Palestinians have a right to not live in a war zone.
The three 7"s I have of you are on different labels, and two of them are split releases. How did they come about? Do you like sharing split releases and working with different labels?
B: It pretty much just happened that way; our friend Greg from Spiral Objective was in Canada at the time that we recorded the first record, and we've known him for years. A few friends of ours were starting a label locally (CAL-3) and got involved with that release as well. The Level Plane release came about at Aaron (DEFEATIST)'s suggestion. I guess they needed a scapegoat, haha?? Seriously though, it came at a time when I was just getting over a shitty ankle injury. We weren't playing much and we were feeling a pretty big lack of momentum, so it was a really significant thing for us, and also led to a friendship with Greg/Level Plane and another release on that label, the DAMAGE DIGITAL split. That's being co-released with Fuck Yoga from Macedonia. I'd been talking with Ivan for a while, working on some release plans. The split with THINK DON'T PRAY was put out by the bands, they are great folks and great friends, and the world is a sadder place without 'em. We're doing a split with LYCANTHROPY from CZ that Ondra and I have been talking about for quite a while. That's being done by Halo Of Flies (US), Rimbaud (Ireland), and Amertume (France) and a split with HALF GORILLA that is being done by xTRUEx and Just Say No! out of Alberta. I guess we meet a lot of people, that's what it's been all about. We're taking a break from splits for a while, though.
What's in store for the band?
B: Currently we're doing a bit of a member change, as Morgan got hitched in May and is moving to NYC permanently sometime in the fall. Congrats to her and Joel, big shoes to fill, but our pal Loren from BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA is picking up with us for the summer to do some shows and writing, and there will definitely be news when we have permanent arrangements nailed down. We have been delaying working on a full length for Aborted Society for a while now and are itching to get started on it. Thanks for the interview, Mel, we appreciate chance to rant, though we should have recorded the drunken porch chatter that we had before we sat down to start typing!
I agree, Brad, it would have been cool. Maybe some other time, come to Ireland and we can do that. Lots of luck to Morgan, hope life goes well for you in NYC. Thanks to the band for the interview and may they continue to steam ahead, knocking heads and inspiring change as they go.
www.myspace.com/kursk
www.kursk.n3.net
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Sunday, November 14, 2010
SEVERE - Noise Reduction #1 (Fall/Winter 2008)
Severe is a band of thugs and gangsters from the Ohio area. They play brutal blastcore/powerviolence and have a 7" that is now out-of-print. This interview was done around 4-5 months ago.
Name and role in Severe?
Silk Nasty - the Don, financial backing, 625 hookup, Philly associate
Repoman - pushing weight, repo'n people's shit, illegitimate children, gun runner
Payroll - drug trafficking, snitch killer, Severe's payroll, burglary & larceny
Freebird - illegal sex ring, drug running, illegal gambling, putting pressure on the cops
I heard that Severe has been inactive because once Repo got out of jail he decided that he wanted to be a born-again Christian can this be true?
This rumor is false... if it were true the news would have been reporting of finding Repoman's body in a field and the death to another snitch.
How do you guys spend your label advances? I've heard you guys get paid just to have your name on the 625 website?
Shit ya we get paid... you gotta be getting something out of this. We had messed around before with these other Rink-E-Dink Records. But they were only offering us like $7,000 up front. You can't do shit with that. We got offers from Max and he was willing to advance us some loot. 625 is the label that pays me!
Do you guys work regular jobs outside of Severe, or is all your income from robbery and other similar activities?
Fuck a job, I'd rather be getting paid.
How did that whole illegitimate twins thing with Repo turn out?
We had it taken care of...
Since Severe moved to Cincinnati, it seems the crime rate more than doubled. Does your presence make it not safe anymore?
We control the whole Wheeler Street block clique. This city is ours.
How do you feel about the current powerviolence scene? Do you think it's a bunch of kids trying to get rich quick on a trend?
They shouldn't even try to cash in... we got this shit on lock. Stop trying.
Are Christians and snitches the same to you?
Same shit, different pile... beat the weak.
Do the police pose a threat to you?
This question should be, "Do we pose a threat to the police?"...
I heard Gucci is making custom Severe ski masks with some exotic material that breathes better on those hot summer nights, any truth to this rumor?
We got clothing deals with Gucci, Supreme, BAPE, and ROCA Wear. Also be on the lookout for the Jordan 3's and Jordan 5's Severe Editions. Perfect shoes for when you're running from the cops.
Is it true that you have a phone-tap on the police station, and listen for when someone is narking someone out, you find them and remove one more snitch from the population?
People now days have turned snitching into a sport. We just fuck their game up.
What is Severe's next move?
Dropping that new 7"... dominating hardcore. Staying out of jail.
What can we be on the lookout for?
Us driving up next to you, rolling down the windows and a gun pointed at your dome piece. Be on the lookout for that.
Any thank you's or no thank you's?
Shot out's to the Wheel Street Clique, all of our family in the 513 and 614, Cleveland and Columbus you know what it is. Our associates in Philly and also world-wide. Project Pat for holding it down in jail. Big ups to Weed Stealer & Killed In Action (our extended family).
Contact: http://www.myspace.com/youshopatsnitchmart
Name and role in Severe?
Silk Nasty - the Don, financial backing, 625 hookup, Philly associate
Repoman - pushing weight, repo'n people's shit, illegitimate children, gun runner
Payroll - drug trafficking, snitch killer, Severe's payroll, burglary & larceny
Freebird - illegal sex ring, drug running, illegal gambling, putting pressure on the cops
I heard that Severe has been inactive because once Repo got out of jail he decided that he wanted to be a born-again Christian can this be true?
This rumor is false... if it were true the news would have been reporting of finding Repoman's body in a field and the death to another snitch.
How do you guys spend your label advances? I've heard you guys get paid just to have your name on the 625 website?
Shit ya we get paid... you gotta be getting something out of this. We had messed around before with these other Rink-E-Dink Records. But they were only offering us like $7,000 up front. You can't do shit with that. We got offers from Max and he was willing to advance us some loot. 625 is the label that pays me!
Do you guys work regular jobs outside of Severe, or is all your income from robbery and other similar activities?
Fuck a job, I'd rather be getting paid.
How did that whole illegitimate twins thing with Repo turn out?
We had it taken care of...
Since Severe moved to Cincinnati, it seems the crime rate more than doubled. Does your presence make it not safe anymore?
We control the whole Wheeler Street block clique. This city is ours.
How do you feel about the current powerviolence scene? Do you think it's a bunch of kids trying to get rich quick on a trend?
They shouldn't even try to cash in... we got this shit on lock. Stop trying.
Are Christians and snitches the same to you?
Same shit, different pile... beat the weak.
Do the police pose a threat to you?
This question should be, "Do we pose a threat to the police?"...
I heard Gucci is making custom Severe ski masks with some exotic material that breathes better on those hot summer nights, any truth to this rumor?
We got clothing deals with Gucci, Supreme, BAPE, and ROCA Wear. Also be on the lookout for the Jordan 3's and Jordan 5's Severe Editions. Perfect shoes for when you're running from the cops.
Is it true that you have a phone-tap on the police station, and listen for when someone is narking someone out, you find them and remove one more snitch from the population?
People now days have turned snitching into a sport. We just fuck their game up.
What is Severe's next move?
Dropping that new 7"... dominating hardcore. Staying out of jail.
What can we be on the lookout for?
Us driving up next to you, rolling down the windows and a gun pointed at your dome piece. Be on the lookout for that.
Any thank you's or no thank you's?
Shot out's to the Wheel Street Clique, all of our family in the 513 and 614, Cleveland and Columbus you know what it is. Our associates in Philly and also world-wide. Project Pat for holding it down in jail. Big ups to Weed Stealer & Killed In Action (our extended family).
Contact: http://www.myspace.com/youshopatsnitchmart
Thursday, November 11, 2010
MUDLARK - Hornswoggled #5 (unpublished circa Summer 2009)
BLOG NOTE: My friend Jordan once did this zine entitled "Hornswoggled" and he has a small collection of interviews from the last, unpublished, issue that he was kind enough to send my way. Here's the final installment.
I hate to start on a heavy note, but I was recently shocked to learn that your friend Michal Majewski passed away in Squamish just last week. I only met Michal very recently (at a Mudlark show, actually) and then ran into him a few more times in Vancouver and Victoria, and I was really saddened to hear the news. How did you come to meet Michal? Could you tell us about the benefit you played for Michal's family?
I first met Michal when he came out to Van with Mesrine and Suckcess about three or so years ago. We hit it off right away and then a couple months later Mudlark journeyed out east for the first time and he hooked us up amazingly with killer shows, amazing beer / food, and great company. We stayed in contact consistently after that bro down session, we're both grind freaks, and when Mudlark and Scumbelly did our tour this June he jumped in the van with us after a FATO show and came all the way to PEI and then back to Van with us where he was staying with me and ScumbellyBob. I'd like to add that having him with us on that tour was awesome, he was stoked at every show, good or bad, and would always make us keep playing so he could thrash, amazing.
So yeah, after the sad turn of events Gord organized a benefit show to help his family in any way we could as they were always so killer to us. Burn in Hell played first, an amazing band who we were always ranting to him about, seemed fitting, then our favorite locals War Hero, then Osk and Mudlark played. It was the perfect way to tribute a good friend who lived for fast music and art.
When and how did Mudlark form? What bands have you guys played in previously?
Mudlark got together about 4 years ago. We were all playing in other bands at the time. Jay and Gord had a stoner band called Obey the Eye going, and I was playing in Meat of Mankind. We started jamming on the side when we had time, then playing shows a bit, then all of our other bands kind of disintegrated leaving us with lots of time to do Mudlark. So we did.
How is the DIY scene in Vancouver? Is there a healthy network of bands and venues?
I think there is a killer scene right now in Vancouver, other people might say differently but judging by the shows I've seen / played the last year it's awesome right now. There are a ridiculous amount of killer bands right now, all styles, and all the small sub catergories and all that bullshit seem to be merging slowly which is cool as it makes for bigger, funner shows. A lot of touring DIY punk bands that come to Vancouver seem to be fucking stoked on the turnouts and energy of the scene. There's always your bullshit "scene" crap but I try to keep my head down and avoid that waste of energy at all costs. A band is a band, we're all doin' this for fun, period.
Unless I'm wrong (quite plausible), Mudlark started out as a more traditional doom/ sludge band, then eventually brought in more grindcore elements. Why the stylistic change?
I think we've always had grind type shit in our music, but yeah definitely in the past little while we've become faster, live anyway, and I don't know why. That's just the way it happened. I don't think any of us did it on purpose. Personally, playing fast live is super fun, maybe that s why, but, we'll always have sludge/doom elements, that's what Mudlark is.
You guys have a couple new releases out, including a new LP with 7", as well as a split 7" with Half Gorilla. How did the records turn out? Are you happy with the first full length?
Yeah, I think the records came out fucking great. I'm stoked on the job Schizophrenic Records did on the LP & 7" release, we were lucky to have Craig be interested in putting out a record for us, thanks again. I'm stoked on the HG split too, we met those guys three years ago at Arsonfest and immediatly we all knew we should do a project together. Luckily Gord was able to make it happen.
Any new releases in the works?
I think there are some splits coming up in the future, three are being talked about right now, a 7", a 10" and a LP, so we'll see what happens. I'm stoked on the possibility of all of them, time will tell.
Mudlark recently completed a pretty hefty tour across Canada and back. Any highlights or lowlights? Any cities surprise you?
Yeah that was a great tour, Vancouver to PEI and back. There was definitely no lowpoints, a couple weird / dead shows but we still managed to get wasted and make a good night of them. Highlights would be Charlottetown, Calgary, Toronto, and Montreal I guess, it's hard to say. Those shows were all super nuts. Musically, I was blown away by some bands I saw on the east coast, Slave Class, Eyesore, Sound Asleep, and Quebec ragers SOIL OF IGNORANCE!!!!! Check them out, you will shit yer pants. I could go on all night really, we met awesome people everyday and came home with a lot of new friends.
You also play guitar and sing in the band Osk. How did Osk come about? What are the differences between playing in Osk and in Mudlark?
Osk came to life when Meat of Mankind ended. Me and Braden (drummer) wanted to keep playing together so we asked JerseyJay to jump on the bass and we just kept rolling with a different name and new songs. Playing in Osk is a lot different from Mudlark because I'm playing guitar which is what I usually and most often play. Also in Mudlark, Gord comes in with most of the songs finished, in Osk we all come in with songs, and then together edit them or ditch them or leave them how they are. Stylistically, Osk is all over the place, hence the PV tag, where as Mudlark is pretty much set on its course of brutal grind/sludge. Either way, I have a great time playing in both bands.
Any plans for Osk? I know you guys are touring out to Arson Fest this August, anything else planned?
Yep, we did the Arsonfest tour this summer with the northwest coasts best band, War Hero, and it was a blast. As for the future, we've got some things coming out, I think there are 3 splits lined up and this box set thing (ala Tomorrow Will Be Worse) that may or may not ever see the light of day. The next release will be the split with War Hero, stoked on that one. Other than that we tend to take it as it comes, we'll probably tour sometime next year, hopefully in foreign lands, and we've probably got 30-40 songs we need to get recorded before we forget how to play them, and if were lucky we'll get asked to play some sick local shows.
Thanks again for everything, if people wanna get in touch with you, how should they go about that?
Thank you for all help this summer with shows, we had a great time in Nelson and are definitely gunna come back, and if you want to get in touch with us I suppose hit up the MySpace page. Stay grind.
I hate to start on a heavy note, but I was recently shocked to learn that your friend Michal Majewski passed away in Squamish just last week. I only met Michal very recently (at a Mudlark show, actually) and then ran into him a few more times in Vancouver and Victoria, and I was really saddened to hear the news. How did you come to meet Michal? Could you tell us about the benefit you played for Michal's family?
I first met Michal when he came out to Van with Mesrine and Suckcess about three or so years ago. We hit it off right away and then a couple months later Mudlark journeyed out east for the first time and he hooked us up amazingly with killer shows, amazing beer / food, and great company. We stayed in contact consistently after that bro down session, we're both grind freaks, and when Mudlark and Scumbelly did our tour this June he jumped in the van with us after a FATO show and came all the way to PEI and then back to Van with us where he was staying with me and ScumbellyBob. I'd like to add that having him with us on that tour was awesome, he was stoked at every show, good or bad, and would always make us keep playing so he could thrash, amazing.
So yeah, after the sad turn of events Gord organized a benefit show to help his family in any way we could as they were always so killer to us. Burn in Hell played first, an amazing band who we were always ranting to him about, seemed fitting, then our favorite locals War Hero, then Osk and Mudlark played. It was the perfect way to tribute a good friend who lived for fast music and art.
When and how did Mudlark form? What bands have you guys played in previously?
Mudlark got together about 4 years ago. We were all playing in other bands at the time. Jay and Gord had a stoner band called Obey the Eye going, and I was playing in Meat of Mankind. We started jamming on the side when we had time, then playing shows a bit, then all of our other bands kind of disintegrated leaving us with lots of time to do Mudlark. So we did.
How is the DIY scene in Vancouver? Is there a healthy network of bands and venues?
I think there is a killer scene right now in Vancouver, other people might say differently but judging by the shows I've seen / played the last year it's awesome right now. There are a ridiculous amount of killer bands right now, all styles, and all the small sub catergories and all that bullshit seem to be merging slowly which is cool as it makes for bigger, funner shows. A lot of touring DIY punk bands that come to Vancouver seem to be fucking stoked on the turnouts and energy of the scene. There's always your bullshit "scene" crap but I try to keep my head down and avoid that waste of energy at all costs. A band is a band, we're all doin' this for fun, period.
Unless I'm wrong (quite plausible), Mudlark started out as a more traditional doom/ sludge band, then eventually brought in more grindcore elements. Why the stylistic change?
I think we've always had grind type shit in our music, but yeah definitely in the past little while we've become faster, live anyway, and I don't know why. That's just the way it happened. I don't think any of us did it on purpose. Personally, playing fast live is super fun, maybe that s why, but, we'll always have sludge/doom elements, that's what Mudlark is.
You guys have a couple new releases out, including a new LP with 7", as well as a split 7" with Half Gorilla. How did the records turn out? Are you happy with the first full length?
Yeah, I think the records came out fucking great. I'm stoked on the job Schizophrenic Records did on the LP & 7" release, we were lucky to have Craig be interested in putting out a record for us, thanks again. I'm stoked on the HG split too, we met those guys three years ago at Arsonfest and immediatly we all knew we should do a project together. Luckily Gord was able to make it happen.
Any new releases in the works?
I think there are some splits coming up in the future, three are being talked about right now, a 7", a 10" and a LP, so we'll see what happens. I'm stoked on the possibility of all of them, time will tell.
Mudlark recently completed a pretty hefty tour across Canada and back. Any highlights or lowlights? Any cities surprise you?
Yeah that was a great tour, Vancouver to PEI and back. There was definitely no lowpoints, a couple weird / dead shows but we still managed to get wasted and make a good night of them. Highlights would be Charlottetown, Calgary, Toronto, and Montreal I guess, it's hard to say. Those shows were all super nuts. Musically, I was blown away by some bands I saw on the east coast, Slave Class, Eyesore, Sound Asleep, and Quebec ragers SOIL OF IGNORANCE!!!!! Check them out, you will shit yer pants. I could go on all night really, we met awesome people everyday and came home with a lot of new friends.
You also play guitar and sing in the band Osk. How did Osk come about? What are the differences between playing in Osk and in Mudlark?
Osk came to life when Meat of Mankind ended. Me and Braden (drummer) wanted to keep playing together so we asked JerseyJay to jump on the bass and we just kept rolling with a different name and new songs. Playing in Osk is a lot different from Mudlark because I'm playing guitar which is what I usually and most often play. Also in Mudlark, Gord comes in with most of the songs finished, in Osk we all come in with songs, and then together edit them or ditch them or leave them how they are. Stylistically, Osk is all over the place, hence the PV tag, where as Mudlark is pretty much set on its course of brutal grind/sludge. Either way, I have a great time playing in both bands.
Any plans for Osk? I know you guys are touring out to Arson Fest this August, anything else planned?
Yep, we did the Arsonfest tour this summer with the northwest coasts best band, War Hero, and it was a blast. As for the future, we've got some things coming out, I think there are 3 splits lined up and this box set thing (ala Tomorrow Will Be Worse) that may or may not ever see the light of day. The next release will be the split with War Hero, stoked on that one. Other than that we tend to take it as it comes, we'll probably tour sometime next year, hopefully in foreign lands, and we've probably got 30-40 songs we need to get recorded before we forget how to play them, and if were lucky we'll get asked to play some sick local shows.
Thanks again for everything, if people wanna get in touch with you, how should they go about that?
Thank you for all help this summer with shows, we had a great time in Nelson and are definitely gunna come back, and if you want to get in touch with us I suppose hit up the MySpace page. Stay grind.
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
THE KETTLE BLACK - Hornswoggled #5 (unpublished circa Summer 2009)
BLOG NOTE: My friend Jordan once did this zine entitled "Hornswoggled" and he has a small collection of interviews from the last, unpublished, issue that he was kind enough to send my way. Here's the second of three.
How long have you been performing as the Kettle Black? Were you previously in any other bands or projects?
My first show as The Kettle Black was May 29th 2004 at Pub 340 in Vancouver. I played guitar in Jack Feels Fine in the early 90's, bass in The Askmasters in the late 90's, drums in Jang Mo Jib, drums in Ship Shapes at the moment. I used to be called Bystander but changed the name in 2003.
You've got a really unique stage setup. What instruments / gear do you use when you perform?
I play acoustic and electric guitars, bass and synth/piano, I use samples, a couple of loop peddles, a drum machine, analogue and digital delays. I burn candles, trigger lights and use paper mache.
You've done plenty of touring all across Canada. What are some of your favorite cities to play? What are some of the worst?
I like a lot of places, Kamloops, Grand Forks, Ymir are great. Winnipeg, Peterborough, Waterloo, St John's as well, the list is pretty big and I'd still miss someone. It's usually not the city that's bad it's the venue/promoter (or lack of).
Any plans to tour the US or Europe?
I'm working on booking Europe now for shows in November. I tried to do the USA last summer (do it all legit) but it was just a headache and would have ended up costing me $1350 just for the paper work and they could still turn you away at the border if they wanted to. The USA will have to wait for now.
You play all kinds of shows with all sorts of different bands- folk artists, indie rock, punk bands, metal bands, etc. Do you find certain audiences react differently to your music?
Yes and no. There is always someone who gets into it and listens to the lyrics. I have done a few shows where they decide cause I'm a solo act I should be with acoustic singer/songwriter shows and then people don't like that I'm loud, the folk people holding their hands over their ears running out of the venue (no joke). Been told I should just play the quiet songs for these shows but that's not really what I'm doing so I opt out of these shows now. Interesting enough, it's the metal / death metal / punks that are the most open to music. I don't really listen to metal (I listen mostly to folk and indie rock) but have run across some awesome metal bands. They are also usually the nicest people and there for the music.
You record all your own music, in addition to releasing it (as well as other bands') on your own label, Capital Punishment. Was this a necessity for you, or do you simply prefer being self sufficient (or is it both?)
It was the path of least resistance. I would work with someone if they could help me with touring and/or promotion but seems people only want to help you when you don't need their help any more. The recording I always have done. I think I'm getting better at it, I have better mic's these days and I've learned a lot on the way, but to me it's more about the performance than the sound. Capturing that sometimes takes time and the costs / pressure of being in a studio would be unrealistic for me. Organizing the label and releasing the music is another part of it, I like doing all the art work, I do all the distro to stores when I'm touring, I'm pretty open to anyone one who wants to take some discs for physical / mail order distribution. I use only CD-Rs and I hand paint them all to look like vinyl, I do all the manufacturing myself (from burning/painting/cutting all the labels and inserts). For digital distribution I'm on Zunior and The Kettle Black is on iTunes and sites like that, but you still have to get people to go to the site and download, that's where touring comes in. I also have "PayPal What You Can" on my site. You can download the mp3s and PayPal me what you can. It's better than iTunes cause I get all the $$, so if someone leaves $5, I can buy a beer, and so can they with money they save from buying at iTunes. I like being self sufficient, but I do get help from my roommates with printing T-shirts.
Any planned releases for Capital Punishment?
Les Taberfucks recorded last summer in Ottawa but I've been so busy I have not got the mixing done yet, should be soon though. Destination Gutter will be the first thing on the label that I will not have recorded, they are friends from Peterborough (The Spill) and wanted the Capital Punishment logo on their CD.
You're joining Wax Mannequin on bass for an upcoming tour (and opening a number of dates). How did that come about? I always thought Wax Mannequin was a solo enterprise, like yourself.
I played my 4th solo show with Wax in Toronto when I was called Bystander in 2002 at NXNE. Over the years we've become friends and done a lot of shows together in the east. He plays mostly solo but also with a band (Mark Raymond on bass and Aidan Campbell on percussion) in Ontario. We had talked about touring together in the west for a while. I've always been a fan and Mark couldn't do the western shows, so he's asked me to fill in. Mark and Aidan are an awesome rhythm section. I think Wax is awesome but with the backing band it’s huge, It brings the songs to a new level. Hope I can do it justice cause I'm still trying to figure out the songs.
You also recently put out a split 7" with the Ship Shapes from Ottawa. Is vinyl a worthwhile format for you? Can we expect any more The Kettle Black releases on vinyl?
Yea, we did a split single, my first vinyl. It costs more to make and you have to come up with money up front instead of the way I do CD's (make them as I need them). I like the format, I would like to eventually put my stuff out on vinyl. It's more a matter of money.
Thanks again for everything. Any fixations you'd like to share with us? Any final wisdom you'd like to impart?
Eternal life is found in the now, uniforms are a bad idea and yellow snow is not for eating (unless you're into that kind of thing).
How long have you been performing as the Kettle Black? Were you previously in any other bands or projects?
My first show as The Kettle Black was May 29th 2004 at Pub 340 in Vancouver. I played guitar in Jack Feels Fine in the early 90's, bass in The Askmasters in the late 90's, drums in Jang Mo Jib, drums in Ship Shapes at the moment. I used to be called Bystander but changed the name in 2003.
You've got a really unique stage setup. What instruments / gear do you use when you perform?
I play acoustic and electric guitars, bass and synth/piano, I use samples, a couple of loop peddles, a drum machine, analogue and digital delays. I burn candles, trigger lights and use paper mache.
You've done plenty of touring all across Canada. What are some of your favorite cities to play? What are some of the worst?
I like a lot of places, Kamloops, Grand Forks, Ymir are great. Winnipeg, Peterborough, Waterloo, St John's as well, the list is pretty big and I'd still miss someone. It's usually not the city that's bad it's the venue/promoter (or lack of).
Any plans to tour the US or Europe?
I'm working on booking Europe now for shows in November. I tried to do the USA last summer (do it all legit) but it was just a headache and would have ended up costing me $1350 just for the paper work and they could still turn you away at the border if they wanted to. The USA will have to wait for now.
You play all kinds of shows with all sorts of different bands- folk artists, indie rock, punk bands, metal bands, etc. Do you find certain audiences react differently to your music?
Yes and no. There is always someone who gets into it and listens to the lyrics. I have done a few shows where they decide cause I'm a solo act I should be with acoustic singer/songwriter shows and then people don't like that I'm loud, the folk people holding their hands over their ears running out of the venue (no joke). Been told I should just play the quiet songs for these shows but that's not really what I'm doing so I opt out of these shows now. Interesting enough, it's the metal / death metal / punks that are the most open to music. I don't really listen to metal (I listen mostly to folk and indie rock) but have run across some awesome metal bands. They are also usually the nicest people and there for the music.
You record all your own music, in addition to releasing it (as well as other bands') on your own label, Capital Punishment. Was this a necessity for you, or do you simply prefer being self sufficient (or is it both?)
It was the path of least resistance. I would work with someone if they could help me with touring and/or promotion but seems people only want to help you when you don't need their help any more. The recording I always have done. I think I'm getting better at it, I have better mic's these days and I've learned a lot on the way, but to me it's more about the performance than the sound. Capturing that sometimes takes time and the costs / pressure of being in a studio would be unrealistic for me. Organizing the label and releasing the music is another part of it, I like doing all the art work, I do all the distro to stores when I'm touring, I'm pretty open to anyone one who wants to take some discs for physical / mail order distribution. I use only CD-Rs and I hand paint them all to look like vinyl, I do all the manufacturing myself (from burning/painting/cutting all the labels and inserts). For digital distribution I'm on Zunior and The Kettle Black is on iTunes and sites like that, but you still have to get people to go to the site and download, that's where touring comes in. I also have "PayPal What You Can" on my site. You can download the mp3s and PayPal me what you can. It's better than iTunes cause I get all the $$, so if someone leaves $5, I can buy a beer, and so can they with money they save from buying at iTunes. I like being self sufficient, but I do get help from my roommates with printing T-shirts.
Any planned releases for Capital Punishment?
Les Taberfucks recorded last summer in Ottawa but I've been so busy I have not got the mixing done yet, should be soon though. Destination Gutter will be the first thing on the label that I will not have recorded, they are friends from Peterborough (The Spill) and wanted the Capital Punishment logo on their CD.
You're joining Wax Mannequin on bass for an upcoming tour (and opening a number of dates). How did that come about? I always thought Wax Mannequin was a solo enterprise, like yourself.
I played my 4th solo show with Wax in Toronto when I was called Bystander in 2002 at NXNE. Over the years we've become friends and done a lot of shows together in the east. He plays mostly solo but also with a band (Mark Raymond on bass and Aidan Campbell on percussion) in Ontario. We had talked about touring together in the west for a while. I've always been a fan and Mark couldn't do the western shows, so he's asked me to fill in. Mark and Aidan are an awesome rhythm section. I think Wax is awesome but with the backing band it’s huge, It brings the songs to a new level. Hope I can do it justice cause I'm still trying to figure out the songs.
You also recently put out a split 7" with the Ship Shapes from Ottawa. Is vinyl a worthwhile format for you? Can we expect any more The Kettle Black releases on vinyl?
Yea, we did a split single, my first vinyl. It costs more to make and you have to come up with money up front instead of the way I do CD's (make them as I need them). I like the format, I would like to eventually put my stuff out on vinyl. It's more a matter of money.
Thanks again for everything. Any fixations you'd like to share with us? Any final wisdom you'd like to impart?
Eternal life is found in the now, uniforms are a bad idea and yellow snow is not for eating (unless you're into that kind of thing).
XBRAINIAX - Hornswoggled #5 (unpublished circa Summer 2009)
BLOG NOTE: My friend Jordan once did this zine entitled "Hornswoggled" and he has a small collection of interviews from the last, unpublished, issue that he was kind enough to send my way. Here's the first of the batch.
First I wanted to ask about the correct pronunciation. Is it 'Exbrainiacs', 'Brainiacs', 'Brainia', or does the x function as a z-sound, as in xylophone?
It's actually pronounced "Lemon Curry."
You guys recently toured the west coast, how did it go? Discover any new cities or bands on the trip? Any touring plans coming up?
There's a band from LA called Fed Up who were pretty damn good, also a band from SF called Thousands Will Die who were some pretty bitchin' grindcore. Vancouver was the big new city for us. I'd never been there. I thoroughly enjoyed it. It's a really cool place.
When can we expect the new LP? Any EPs or splits in the works?
Well, we'd like to have the LP mixed by the end of the summer. We're spending more time on it than our other releases because there's so much stuff we want to do. We want to get it as polished as we can get it. So, aside from that, I can't really give a time frame. We recorded some extra material for a split, but that release is a little up in the air as of this exact moment.
Most of your releases have been nonstop speed for the most part, but when I saw you in Vancouver you also did some crazy-slow sludge type stuff. Are there gonna be any slow moments on the new album?
The 10+ minute song you heard us play back in Vancouver is called Deprogrammed. It will be appearing on the LP, which is also titled Deprogrammed.
Who designed the hypodermic needle pentagram logo? Taken any flack for it?
It was sort of a group effort. I always really liked that one. Maybe that's why I plastered the new CD with it... Took us awhile to sell all of those "Satanic Dopesmoking" shirts though...
You guys write fairly structured songs, which isn't always the case with bands that play at your speeds. Are you consciously trying to put more effort into your music? Do you find a lot of extreme music to be too generic?
Yeah, I think song structure is the most important thing when it comes to fast music. If you just spam the 'blast beat' button throughout your songs and don't do anything interesting with the parts, it'll get stale quick. I think that's why a lot of bands in extreme hardcore/punk disappear so quick. They are boring. The bands that influenced us the most were more meticulous with their song writing.
Are there any other projects (bands, zines, labels, or otherwise) that you guys are involved with?
Zach, our guitar player, does about one hundred billion different things at a time. He's doing a Japanese noisy hardcore band by himself called Merciless Game. They've done a few split 7"s and tapes and stuff. He's even gotten a band together to go on tour with. He also does Not Very Nice zine and puts out records and shit. I'm working on a few things but nothing I want to divulge at this point. Joe, our bass player, played guitar in I Accuse!. They just played their last show on July 12th.
Thanks a bunch for doing the interview. Where can people get a hold of your stuff?
Our 99 song Hail Fastcore CD is available through us and through To Live a Lie and Ebullition. Email us if you want a copy, XBRAINIAX@GMAIL.COM
Thanks!
First I wanted to ask about the correct pronunciation. Is it 'Exbrainiacs', 'Brainiacs', 'Brainia', or does the x function as a z-sound, as in xylophone?
It's actually pronounced "Lemon Curry."
You guys recently toured the west coast, how did it go? Discover any new cities or bands on the trip? Any touring plans coming up?
There's a band from LA called Fed Up who were pretty damn good, also a band from SF called Thousands Will Die who were some pretty bitchin' grindcore. Vancouver was the big new city for us. I'd never been there. I thoroughly enjoyed it. It's a really cool place.
When can we expect the new LP? Any EPs or splits in the works?
Well, we'd like to have the LP mixed by the end of the summer. We're spending more time on it than our other releases because there's so much stuff we want to do. We want to get it as polished as we can get it. So, aside from that, I can't really give a time frame. We recorded some extra material for a split, but that release is a little up in the air as of this exact moment.
Most of your releases have been nonstop speed for the most part, but when I saw you in Vancouver you also did some crazy-slow sludge type stuff. Are there gonna be any slow moments on the new album?
The 10+ minute song you heard us play back in Vancouver is called Deprogrammed. It will be appearing on the LP, which is also titled Deprogrammed.
Who designed the hypodermic needle pentagram logo? Taken any flack for it?
It was sort of a group effort. I always really liked that one. Maybe that's why I plastered the new CD with it... Took us awhile to sell all of those "Satanic Dopesmoking" shirts though...
You guys write fairly structured songs, which isn't always the case with bands that play at your speeds. Are you consciously trying to put more effort into your music? Do you find a lot of extreme music to be too generic?
Yeah, I think song structure is the most important thing when it comes to fast music. If you just spam the 'blast beat' button throughout your songs and don't do anything interesting with the parts, it'll get stale quick. I think that's why a lot of bands in extreme hardcore/punk disappear so quick. They are boring. The bands that influenced us the most were more meticulous with their song writing.
Are there any other projects (bands, zines, labels, or otherwise) that you guys are involved with?
Zach, our guitar player, does about one hundred billion different things at a time. He's doing a Japanese noisy hardcore band by himself called Merciless Game. They've done a few split 7"s and tapes and stuff. He's even gotten a band together to go on tour with. He also does Not Very Nice zine and puts out records and shit. I'm working on a few things but nothing I want to divulge at this point. Joe, our bass player, played guitar in I Accuse!. They just played their last show on July 12th.
Thanks a bunch for doing the interview. Where can people get a hold of your stuff?
Our 99 song Hail Fastcore CD is available through us and through To Live a Lie and Ebullition. Email us if you want a copy, XBRAINIAX@GMAIL.COM
Thanks!
Monday, November 8, 2010
IN DISGUST - Mindless Mutant #4 (2008)
What's the point in trying to describe a band like In Disgust? Actually, what's the point of interviewing a band like In Disgust? They do not want you to know who or what they are. They include no lyrics and not a shred of information about the band. If you came across their records without ever having seen them they would be a complete mystery to you and that's just the way they want it. Getting straight answers out of these guys was like pulling teeth and I'm pretty sure they've still eluded all my questions without giving up any real information. The music is a relentless blast of hardcore. The music quite literally does not stop it's assault on your ear drums, if you ever get a chance to see them stop at nothing to get your ass in front of their amps. Unfortunately this interview was conducted via email this winter because I'm in the Midwest and they're all the way out in California. Do not get in touch.
Who writes the lyrics for In Disgust, and why are they not included in the records?
Jose: Matt. Fuck lyrics.
What's the point of even writing them then? Why not just be instrumental?
Rich: There isn't a point. Excruciating Terror never had lyrics, so don't expect us to.
They never had lyrics or they never had printed lyrics? I have this theory that bands that don't print their lyrics have dumb or embarrassing lyrics, so who's to say you guys aren't just idiots without any idea of how sing a song?
Rich: What do you consider dumb lyrics?
Pizza, partying... the usual.
Rich: Those lyrics are not dumb.
You do not include pictures of band members in releases, but you use photos of gangbangers. Are you trying to confuse people? What's the deal with the artwork?
Rich: Gang Bangers!
Jose: Cuz that shit is the real deal.
Okay, so then by dodging the question, are you admitting to the fact that you are trying to confuse people?
Rich: We're not fooling anybody. San Jose is nothing but Mexicans and Vietnamese.
Jose: Expect nothing but Vietnamese Crips in the next record. At least it isn't some wack ass MITB ripoff bullshit.
Rich: Or zombies.
Jose: That SMOKE weed!
Above you said "Excruciating Terror never had lyrics so don't expect us to." So are you saying it's ok to ape the style of one band but not another? Or was that a shot at Caution?
Jose: Nah, Caution is the real deal! Caution was talking shit just like we are.
Rich: I'm not biting off anybody. Less is more. I'm just into bold imagery.
Most people who will read this zine are from the Midwest, so for our sake can you explain the scene in Santa Cruz? i.e. bands, venues, record stores, how shows usually go down...
Rich: This is San Jose NOT Houston.
What?
Rich: Exactly.
Jose: We all live in San Jose. San Jose - Drunk ass fuckers. We've been doing sick shows in our basement and there's MACLA. Don't get in touch. We won't do a show for your shitty band. Most shows involve complete drunkenness and breaking something. Mosh Hard.
I am in complete agreement that you should not book shitty bands, however, who are some bands outside of your community that you support?
Jose: WEAKend Nachos.
Rich: HAHAHAHAHA!
Jose: Tom Arley.
Rich: Only bands with legit dudes. No one out for scene fame.
Jose: Anyone we've ever raged with.
I spent a few days in California with ID this summer and you are a self-proclaimed racist band. I would say this is only half truth. Why do you propagate this type of nonsense?
Jose: Are you kidding? I'm Mexican, Rich half Mexican and half Black, and Matt is a Jew. I'm gonna have to play the race card here. We might make stupid ass jokes, but most "PC" people that get angry over that shit need to take a look at themselves.
I'm not kidding. In Oakland you told me with that drunk smile to "Fuck In Disgust. They're a racist band."
Jose: Me or Matt "Jew-Run Media" Gomes?
Rich: It doesn't really matter at all.
Rich, I'm getting the feeling that nothing matters to you. What does matter when it comes to being a punk/hardcore band?
Rich: Nothing. It doesn't matter at all. That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard. I enjoy fast and loud hardcore, supporting legit bands, breaking shit, and stage diving feet first.
I'm thinking of moving to San Jose. Do you support this idea? Who is your ideal new scene member?
Jose: Sure. We could use more hyper angry dudes that mosh hard. Gilman, SF, and Santa Cruz aren't too far. So there's always as how to go to at any time. Ideal scene member? Anyone punk and doesn't give a fuck.
Rich: Can you handle drunks, drugs, fights and shitty bands? Cuz that's all that's in San Jose.
Jose: Must love the Sharks.
Actually I want to move to Santa Cruz to live by the beach. Come to think of it, I want to live anywhere near Maniac. I recognize the fact that he is indeed a Maniac, but where and when did he get that name?
Rich: He was in some really shitty thrash band in SJ that no one liked. His number was on the website and I called him and asked if he wanted to hang. So I picked him up to hang with friends, and the moment he hung out, he arm wrestled two people, then bent the rim off this guy Luke's wheel in half. His dad wouldn't let him go out late, so we dropped him off at home and a half hour later he called us and snuck out of his house. We went to Safeway and he stole some food and we went to John's house, said he was too hot, pulled his pants down, and passed out in the living room. And dude was gone in the morning before we woke up.
I don't know what your songs are about so can you tell me at all what's going on with the lyrics? You don't have to give anything away, just a general overview.
Jose: Fuck man. I don't know. Hatred. Dismal shit. I couldn't tell you. They all come deep from Matty's heart. I know What Comes Around is about his homie that got shot in a home robbery.
Rich: They're not about sweatpants.
Jose: Or about pizza and skateboarding.
Rich: I'm pretty sure most songs are about somebody getting curbed.
Jose: Yeah. Cali Smile.
I agree that songs about skateboarding and pizza are lame, but you print no lyrics so how the fuck are we to know what you're singing about? How do we know you're not just as lame?
Jose: We are lame, but we rage hard so everyone wants to hang with us.
Rich: Just know that they're really hateful.
I heard some gossip about the split 7" artwork with Sidetracked, care to explain?
Jose: They didn't want to use the Virgin de Guadalupe with guns all around her head.
Rich: I think Jay might be Christian, but who cares that guy is legit. Beside I think Haymaker already used that art.
What [sic] does the typical In Disgust show go down?
Jose: Usually a house show.
Rich: Destruction and Mayhem.
Jose: Getting drunk in the van before and after we play.
Rich: Get Loud.
Jose: Do stupid shit.
I would consider myself completely new to the idea of grind, can you fill me in on what's that all about? What's with the anti-music note logo? I've seen that around before, but Matt has it tattooed on his neck, right?
Jose: Get into porno grind.
Rich: It's the international punks is noise symbol.
You played This Is For You Fest all the way over in Florida. How did that go? I wasn't there, so give me the ID play by play.
Jose: I was the fucking bomb!!!!
Rich: We didn't make it farther than the SF Airport.
Wait, you guys didn't even make it to the show? Do tell.
Jose: Denver was snowed out. So we couldn't catch our connecting flight. No drama, just bad weather.
This is from a zine called Slash and Burn: "IN DISGUST sound good but they seem to be trying for this bad ass bullshit gimmick like they are fucking thugs our [sic] something, and to me, it's just coming off as funny and making some killer hardcore sound weak. Either way you get some fast fucking hardcore." This is my point: you've made the band a mystery by not including lyrics and using artwork that our little minds can't comprehend. This might turn some people away from your band, so what do you say to that?
Rich: That's awesome. Who cares. I will not lose any sleep. You'll never see a poser at an In Disgust show.
How many 10"s are there?
Jose: Pressed? I don't know. 600?
Are you gonna record new material?
Jose: I don't think so. It's too much effort.
Rich: Maybe, man. Shit is moving slow at In Disgust headquarters.
Fuck offs?
Jose: Shout outs to all the homies! Gabe, Nick, Jeff, Maniac, Tour Manager Book, Substance Manager Tom Arley, George, Ronnie, Edwardo, Miguel, Weekend Nachos, Mass Grave, PLF, Sidetracked, Bastard Sons Of Apocalypse, Godstomper.
Rich: Terror's "lowest of the low" is the greatest D-Beat record of all time!
Jose: Fuck the Canadian Border Patrol.
Rich: Dear John Caution, Sorry I crushed your nachos.
Who writes the lyrics for In Disgust, and why are they not included in the records?
Jose: Matt. Fuck lyrics.
What's the point of even writing them then? Why not just be instrumental?
Rich: There isn't a point. Excruciating Terror never had lyrics, so don't expect us to.
They never had lyrics or they never had printed lyrics? I have this theory that bands that don't print their lyrics have dumb or embarrassing lyrics, so who's to say you guys aren't just idiots without any idea of how sing a song?
Rich: What do you consider dumb lyrics?
Pizza, partying... the usual.
Rich: Those lyrics are not dumb.
You do not include pictures of band members in releases, but you use photos of gangbangers. Are you trying to confuse people? What's the deal with the artwork?
Rich: Gang Bangers!
Jose: Cuz that shit is the real deal.
Okay, so then by dodging the question, are you admitting to the fact that you are trying to confuse people?
Rich: We're not fooling anybody. San Jose is nothing but Mexicans and Vietnamese.
Jose: Expect nothing but Vietnamese Crips in the next record. At least it isn't some wack ass MITB ripoff bullshit.
Rich: Or zombies.
Jose: That SMOKE weed!
Above you said "Excruciating Terror never had lyrics so don't expect us to." So are you saying it's ok to ape the style of one band but not another? Or was that a shot at Caution?
Jose: Nah, Caution is the real deal! Caution was talking shit just like we are.
Rich: I'm not biting off anybody. Less is more. I'm just into bold imagery.
Most people who will read this zine are from the Midwest, so for our sake can you explain the scene in Santa Cruz? i.e. bands, venues, record stores, how shows usually go down...
Rich: This is San Jose NOT Houston.
What?
Rich: Exactly.
Jose: We all live in San Jose. San Jose - Drunk ass fuckers. We've been doing sick shows in our basement and there's MACLA. Don't get in touch. We won't do a show for your shitty band. Most shows involve complete drunkenness and breaking something. Mosh Hard.
I am in complete agreement that you should not book shitty bands, however, who are some bands outside of your community that you support?
Jose: WEAKend Nachos.
Rich: HAHAHAHAHA!
Jose: Tom Arley.
Rich: Only bands with legit dudes. No one out for scene fame.
Jose: Anyone we've ever raged with.
I spent a few days in California with ID this summer and you are a self-proclaimed racist band. I would say this is only half truth. Why do you propagate this type of nonsense?
Jose: Are you kidding? I'm Mexican, Rich half Mexican and half Black, and Matt is a Jew. I'm gonna have to play the race card here. We might make stupid ass jokes, but most "PC" people that get angry over that shit need to take a look at themselves.
I'm not kidding. In Oakland you told me with that drunk smile to "Fuck In Disgust. They're a racist band."
Jose: Me or Matt "Jew-Run Media" Gomes?
Rich: It doesn't really matter at all.
Rich, I'm getting the feeling that nothing matters to you. What does matter when it comes to being a punk/hardcore band?
Rich: Nothing. It doesn't matter at all. That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard. I enjoy fast and loud hardcore, supporting legit bands, breaking shit, and stage diving feet first.
I'm thinking of moving to San Jose. Do you support this idea? Who is your ideal new scene member?
Jose: Sure. We could use more hyper angry dudes that mosh hard. Gilman, SF, and Santa Cruz aren't too far. So there's always as how to go to at any time. Ideal scene member? Anyone punk and doesn't give a fuck.
Rich: Can you handle drunks, drugs, fights and shitty bands? Cuz that's all that's in San Jose.
Jose: Must love the Sharks.
Actually I want to move to Santa Cruz to live by the beach. Come to think of it, I want to live anywhere near Maniac. I recognize the fact that he is indeed a Maniac, but where and when did he get that name?
Rich: He was in some really shitty thrash band in SJ that no one liked. His number was on the website and I called him and asked if he wanted to hang. So I picked him up to hang with friends, and the moment he hung out, he arm wrestled two people, then bent the rim off this guy Luke's wheel in half. His dad wouldn't let him go out late, so we dropped him off at home and a half hour later he called us and snuck out of his house. We went to Safeway and he stole some food and we went to John's house, said he was too hot, pulled his pants down, and passed out in the living room. And dude was gone in the morning before we woke up.
I don't know what your songs are about so can you tell me at all what's going on with the lyrics? You don't have to give anything away, just a general overview.
Jose: Fuck man. I don't know. Hatred. Dismal shit. I couldn't tell you. They all come deep from Matty's heart. I know What Comes Around is about his homie that got shot in a home robbery.
Rich: They're not about sweatpants.
Jose: Or about pizza and skateboarding.
Rich: I'm pretty sure most songs are about somebody getting curbed.
Jose: Yeah. Cali Smile.
I agree that songs about skateboarding and pizza are lame, but you print no lyrics so how the fuck are we to know what you're singing about? How do we know you're not just as lame?
Jose: We are lame, but we rage hard so everyone wants to hang with us.
Rich: Just know that they're really hateful.
I heard some gossip about the split 7" artwork with Sidetracked, care to explain?
Jose: They didn't want to use the Virgin de Guadalupe with guns all around her head.
Rich: I think Jay might be Christian, but who cares that guy is legit. Beside I think Haymaker already used that art.
What [sic] does the typical In Disgust show go down?
Jose: Usually a house show.
Rich: Destruction and Mayhem.
Jose: Getting drunk in the van before and after we play.
Rich: Get Loud.
Jose: Do stupid shit.
I would consider myself completely new to the idea of grind, can you fill me in on what's that all about? What's with the anti-music note logo? I've seen that around before, but Matt has it tattooed on his neck, right?
Jose: Get into porno grind.
Rich: It's the international punks is noise symbol.
You played This Is For You Fest all the way over in Florida. How did that go? I wasn't there, so give me the ID play by play.
Jose: I was the fucking bomb!!!!
Rich: We didn't make it farther than the SF Airport.
Wait, you guys didn't even make it to the show? Do tell.
Jose: Denver was snowed out. So we couldn't catch our connecting flight. No drama, just bad weather.
This is from a zine called Slash and Burn: "IN DISGUST sound good but they seem to be trying for this bad ass bullshit gimmick like they are fucking thugs our [sic] something, and to me, it's just coming off as funny and making some killer hardcore sound weak. Either way you get some fast fucking hardcore." This is my point: you've made the band a mystery by not including lyrics and using artwork that our little minds can't comprehend. This might turn some people away from your band, so what do you say to that?
Rich: That's awesome. Who cares. I will not lose any sleep. You'll never see a poser at an In Disgust show.
How many 10"s are there?
Jose: Pressed? I don't know. 600?
Are you gonna record new material?
Jose: I don't think so. It's too much effort.
Rich: Maybe, man. Shit is moving slow at In Disgust headquarters.
Fuck offs?
Jose: Shout outs to all the homies! Gabe, Nick, Jeff, Maniac, Tour Manager Book, Substance Manager Tom Arley, George, Ronnie, Edwardo, Miguel, Weekend Nachos, Mass Grave, PLF, Sidetracked, Bastard Sons Of Apocalypse, Godstomper.
Rich: Terror's "lowest of the low" is the greatest D-Beat record of all time!
Jose: Fuck the Canadian Border Patrol.
Rich: Dear John Caution, Sorry I crushed your nachos.
UMMM - Decaying Youth #1 (August 2007)
Please say your names and what you play in UMMM
I'm Matt, I play guitar. I used to play drums in the beginning. Grant plays guitar too, right now John plays drums, and we have a sketchy singer type... We've had many line-up changes, Joshs, Keiths, Petes.
How did UMMM come together?
I don't think it ever really did. UMMM has been the band that exists between other bands. I've always wanted to be in an ultracore/powerviolence type band but it's hard to find kids listening to that stuff. So members start and quit often.
What has UMMM released thus far?
UMMM releases:
-Demo
-Self-titled cassette
-Split 7" with Hasrat
-7" EP, Not For Distribution To the Public
-Two tracks on The A.P.O.S.C. pt. 2 Comp
What does UMMM have planned for the future?
We are just finishing up writing the new 7" hopefully to come out before the end of this year. We're playing a show here in Calgary with Eye Gouger on May 5th. It will be fucking killer!!! We've been asked to play some out of town shows around Alberta but UMMM doesn't like touring or cars so I can't see that happening any time soon. In the distant future I see UMMM breaking up so we can all live in the woods free and at peace with our environment.
Do you care to tell me about your pro-gun vegan stance? Is this a stance for everyone in the band?
I take it upon myself to formulate and distribute all the official propaganda concerning the band. I've never had anyone in the band take an opposing side to positions stated, so I guess they're kinda neutral and let me go about my business.
About the ve-gun thing,...
I read Ward Churchill's Pacifism as Pathology and the views presented in this book guided all thought and action afterward. You'll have to read it because I wouldn't do it justice trying to sum it up here.
I'm NOT paraphrasing the book here, ... cops have weapons, the military have weapons, the politicians have the military, and most of the general population have weapons. If someone stands against the government, and/or police, how could they also ask them for protection and safety? It seems hypocritical.
-Humans (as well as many lifeforms) have demonstrated their ability to be violent and self-serving. Humans (as well as many lifeforms) can also display caring, empathy, and self-sacrifice. I guess the trick is to be empathetic and self-sacrificing in an environment full of self-serving violence.
I might be wrong, but, if one wants to combat or end oppression (if that is even possible) or at least end as much as possible, without inflicting some form of oppression to another, would be to make oneself un-oppressible? (If that is even possible). That whole self-empowerment thing.
A gun is a tool, like a hammer or a book. Neutral, to be manipulated by its user. It is an extension of the user. Life was extinguishing itself and the life around it long before guns, which means guns aren't the problem, the state of mind is the problem.
Veganism, for me, is an action and a state of mind. It displays understanding, empathy, and an independence of the common way of thinking. For me, being pro-gun ties into veganism well by seeing and understanding a tunnel vision used by individuals to justify their actions, and the independence to protect oneself from harm. Killing, imprisoning, raping, and torturing others is not acceptable behaviour, unfortunately most people do not share this mode of thought.
My life is mind to end.
What's the scene like in Calgary?
I've lived in Calgary for 5 years, and there has always been good things going on in the all-ages scene. In the last two years there has been a big influx of fast hardcore/grindcore type stuff. Like, I Die Screaming (Daughters' first LP meets metalcore), If I Look Strong You Look Strong (spastic indyrocky-grind), Act Fast (thrashcore), Think Don't Pray (pv/grindy, like Head Hits Concrete), Black Wednesdays (fast and rad, total posi), Cold Dead Hands (like His hero Is Gone only doomier).
The crowds are all pretty young, high-school kids or just out of high school. Most of the older kids come out to see touring bands and catch the locals as openers. One thing that happens a lot in Calgary is a band will play tons and tons of shows in Calgary, house shows, community centers, bars, like three or four a month, just in Calgary, and then burnout before they could record and release something, or release a CD and breakup.
It's boom time in Calgary, so for the next little while there will be mad shit I'm sure...
Last words?
Last words? I believe Karl Marx's last words were, "Last words are for fools who haven't said enough."
ummmviolence@hotmail.com
or
myspace.com/ummmviolence
I'm Matt, I play guitar. I used to play drums in the beginning. Grant plays guitar too, right now John plays drums, and we have a sketchy singer type... We've had many line-up changes, Joshs, Keiths, Petes.
How did UMMM come together?
I don't think it ever really did. UMMM has been the band that exists between other bands. I've always wanted to be in an ultracore/powerviolence type band but it's hard to find kids listening to that stuff. So members start and quit often.
What has UMMM released thus far?
UMMM releases:
-Demo
-Self-titled cassette
-Split 7" with Hasrat
-7" EP, Not For Distribution To the Public
-Two tracks on The A.P.O.S.C. pt. 2 Comp
What does UMMM have planned for the future?
We are just finishing up writing the new 7" hopefully to come out before the end of this year. We're playing a show here in Calgary with Eye Gouger on May 5th. It will be fucking killer!!! We've been asked to play some out of town shows around Alberta but UMMM doesn't like touring or cars so I can't see that happening any time soon. In the distant future I see UMMM breaking up so we can all live in the woods free and at peace with our environment.
Do you care to tell me about your pro-gun vegan stance? Is this a stance for everyone in the band?
I take it upon myself to formulate and distribute all the official propaganda concerning the band. I've never had anyone in the band take an opposing side to positions stated, so I guess they're kinda neutral and let me go about my business.
About the ve-gun thing,...
I read Ward Churchill's Pacifism as Pathology and the views presented in this book guided all thought and action afterward. You'll have to read it because I wouldn't do it justice trying to sum it up here.
I'm NOT paraphrasing the book here, ... cops have weapons, the military have weapons, the politicians have the military, and most of the general population have weapons. If someone stands against the government, and/or police, how could they also ask them for protection and safety? It seems hypocritical.
-Humans (as well as many lifeforms) have demonstrated their ability to be violent and self-serving. Humans (as well as many lifeforms) can also display caring, empathy, and self-sacrifice. I guess the trick is to be empathetic and self-sacrificing in an environment full of self-serving violence.
I might be wrong, but, if one wants to combat or end oppression (if that is even possible) or at least end as much as possible, without inflicting some form of oppression to another, would be to make oneself un-oppressible? (If that is even possible). That whole self-empowerment thing.
A gun is a tool, like a hammer or a book. Neutral, to be manipulated by its user. It is an extension of the user. Life was extinguishing itself and the life around it long before guns, which means guns aren't the problem, the state of mind is the problem.
Veganism, for me, is an action and a state of mind. It displays understanding, empathy, and an independence of the common way of thinking. For me, being pro-gun ties into veganism well by seeing and understanding a tunnel vision used by individuals to justify their actions, and the independence to protect oneself from harm. Killing, imprisoning, raping, and torturing others is not acceptable behaviour, unfortunately most people do not share this mode of thought.
My life is mind to end.
What's the scene like in Calgary?
I've lived in Calgary for 5 years, and there has always been good things going on in the all-ages scene. In the last two years there has been a big influx of fast hardcore/grindcore type stuff. Like, I Die Screaming (Daughters' first LP meets metalcore), If I Look Strong You Look Strong (spastic indyrocky-grind), Act Fast (thrashcore), Think Don't Pray (pv/grindy, like Head Hits Concrete), Black Wednesdays (fast and rad, total posi), Cold Dead Hands (like His hero Is Gone only doomier).
The crowds are all pretty young, high-school kids or just out of high school. Most of the older kids come out to see touring bands and catch the locals as openers. One thing that happens a lot in Calgary is a band will play tons and tons of shows in Calgary, house shows, community centers, bars, like three or four a month, just in Calgary, and then burnout before they could record and release something, or release a CD and breakup.
It's boom time in Calgary, so for the next little while there will be mad shit I'm sure...
Last words?
Last words? I believe Karl Marx's last words were, "Last words are for fools who haven't said enough."
ummmviolence@hotmail.com
or
myspace.com/ummmviolence
MASS GRAVE - Hornswoggled #3 (April 2008)
Mass Grave has been blasting away since 2001, pummeling Vancouver and beyond with their brutally grinding crust. Their drummer, Hesher, was kind enough to answer some questions. The questions are bold, his responses ain't.
You used to play with Fort Nelson / Vancouver grinders NeckBeerd, whom I got to see once when I was 16, opening for the Dayglos to a tiny audience at the local youth centre. That was one of my first exposures to grind, and was a pretty big turning point in my interest in more extreme music. How long was NeckBeerd together, and are there any recordings still available?
I remember that show. The best part was the promoter of that show cut the Dayglos a check for like 15 bucks or something. I think it was a benefit so that's cool but that's some funny shit. We also played the Royal too and I remember all these hippies skanking around to the Dayglos and it was really weird. Neckbeerd was around for quite a while. We started in 1997 and I think we played our last show in 2003. My good friend Braden and I were the 2 constants in that band. We had a few different bass players. We just wanted to emulate all the Slap-A-Ham Records type bands. Spazz, Hellnation and all that stuff. You know power violence or whatever. Looking back it is kind of amazing that we found out about that shit coming from such a small town. One of our friends went crazy and gave all his records to Braden. In the collection we had all of the Bllleeeeaaauuurrrgghhh 7"s. They were old Slap-A-Ham comps with like 70 bands we liked. That's how we heard about Assuck and Man Is The Bastard and all that kind of shit. We used to call all the numbers too. I remember calling the guy from Black Army Jacket and just shooting the shit. We also called the drummer from Eyehategod's house at like 4 in the morning and talked to his mom. We were just dumb ass 16 year olds. Neckbeerd released a few CDs and split 7" with Suckcess. There are still a few copies of the record kicking around.
Mass Grave has a bunch of releases on tons of DIY labels, including several on Unrest Records. How did you guys first hook up with Mikey and Unrest?
Goat has been friends with Mikey for a long time. Mikey has always been really cool to us and when it was time to do a record he offered to help us out. He has a lot of bad ass bands on his label and a killer record store in Edmonton called Octopus Ink. People should check that shit out. Another label that we are working with right now is Mangled Ankle Records out of Calgary. Todd is going to be putting out our new split 7" with In Disgust and the split LP with Stormcrow. He has a killer distro and is an all around solid dude for sure.
Lots of Mass Grave reviews cite Disrupt as a major influence (largely because of the dual vocalist format). Do you see Disrupt as a major influence? Who are some of the drummers that have influenced your playing?
Disrupt is definitely a major influence. We even took our name from one of their songs. We don't mind getting compared to them. That's how music is- you start off emulating a style or a band and then expand on it. Some of my favourite drummers are Dave Lombardo from Slayer, Anders Jakobson from Nasum and John Bonham of course. You can't fuck with that dude.
You did a major tour with Catheter this summer. Are there any highlights from it that stick out? Are there any touring plans in the works?
That tour was so much fun. I think for all of us playing the Bay was a highlight. It was just such a rad day. We hung out with the dudes from Stormcrow and they took us to this huge cemetery in Oakland that overlooked the whole Bay Area. We got blazed up and took a bunch of pictures and shit, then went and played Gilman with Diskonto, Catheter, and Stormcrow. It was killer playing that venue and having everyone get into it. Also playing with Bloody Phoenix in L.A. was sick as fuck. Our set got shut down at the original show spot and got moved to the Bloody Phoenix jam garage. It was a really bad ass night. It ended up turning into a raging party and man Bloody Phoenix played and just fucking killed it.
Touring with Catheter was awesome. We got along really good and grinded our asses of for about 2 weeks together.
Mass Grave's lyrics tackle issues like war, deforestation, pollution, and apathy. Do you see music as a legitimate social tool, or are you more one for rocking out and having a good time (or possibly a combination of the two)?
I don't write the lyrics so I can't really elaborate too much. The guys basically write about what pisses them off. We take our music and lyrics seriously but we try to keep it fun. I do think lyrics can change things for sure. Maybe not society as a whole but I know I have been affected by bands' lyrics in positive and negative ways. I personally get into music first and if it has cool lyrics to go along with it then that's great. Birdflesh is one of my favourite bands right now and their lyrics are absolutely ridiculous and funny as hell. For me music is fun and when bands take themselves too seriously it kind of makes it not fun. I guess if you want to get into the lyrics would should talk to Woody or Goat.
Thanks for answering my questions. Do you have any final words for the bored suburbanites that might read this?
Start bands that are influenced by Black Flag, Black Sabbath, and Discharge. Oh yeah, and fuck hard drugs. Thanks for the interview and for the interest in Mass Grave.
You used to play with Fort Nelson / Vancouver grinders NeckBeerd, whom I got to see once when I was 16, opening for the Dayglos to a tiny audience at the local youth centre. That was one of my first exposures to grind, and was a pretty big turning point in my interest in more extreme music. How long was NeckBeerd together, and are there any recordings still available?
I remember that show. The best part was the promoter of that show cut the Dayglos a check for like 15 bucks or something. I think it was a benefit so that's cool but that's some funny shit. We also played the Royal too and I remember all these hippies skanking around to the Dayglos and it was really weird. Neckbeerd was around for quite a while. We started in 1997 and I think we played our last show in 2003. My good friend Braden and I were the 2 constants in that band. We had a few different bass players. We just wanted to emulate all the Slap-A-Ham Records type bands. Spazz, Hellnation and all that stuff. You know power violence or whatever. Looking back it is kind of amazing that we found out about that shit coming from such a small town. One of our friends went crazy and gave all his records to Braden. In the collection we had all of the Bllleeeeaaauuurrrgghhh 7"s. They were old Slap-A-Ham comps with like 70 bands we liked. That's how we heard about Assuck and Man Is The Bastard and all that kind of shit. We used to call all the numbers too. I remember calling the guy from Black Army Jacket and just shooting the shit. We also called the drummer from Eyehategod's house at like 4 in the morning and talked to his mom. We were just dumb ass 16 year olds. Neckbeerd released a few CDs and split 7" with Suckcess. There are still a few copies of the record kicking around.
Mass Grave has a bunch of releases on tons of DIY labels, including several on Unrest Records. How did you guys first hook up with Mikey and Unrest?
Goat has been friends with Mikey for a long time. Mikey has always been really cool to us and when it was time to do a record he offered to help us out. He has a lot of bad ass bands on his label and a killer record store in Edmonton called Octopus Ink. People should check that shit out. Another label that we are working with right now is Mangled Ankle Records out of Calgary. Todd is going to be putting out our new split 7" with In Disgust and the split LP with Stormcrow. He has a killer distro and is an all around solid dude for sure.
Lots of Mass Grave reviews cite Disrupt as a major influence (largely because of the dual vocalist format). Do you see Disrupt as a major influence? Who are some of the drummers that have influenced your playing?
Disrupt is definitely a major influence. We even took our name from one of their songs. We don't mind getting compared to them. That's how music is- you start off emulating a style or a band and then expand on it. Some of my favourite drummers are Dave Lombardo from Slayer, Anders Jakobson from Nasum and John Bonham of course. You can't fuck with that dude.
You did a major tour with Catheter this summer. Are there any highlights from it that stick out? Are there any touring plans in the works?
That tour was so much fun. I think for all of us playing the Bay was a highlight. It was just such a rad day. We hung out with the dudes from Stormcrow and they took us to this huge cemetery in Oakland that overlooked the whole Bay Area. We got blazed up and took a bunch of pictures and shit, then went and played Gilman with Diskonto, Catheter, and Stormcrow. It was killer playing that venue and having everyone get into it. Also playing with Bloody Phoenix in L.A. was sick as fuck. Our set got shut down at the original show spot and got moved to the Bloody Phoenix jam garage. It was a really bad ass night. It ended up turning into a raging party and man Bloody Phoenix played and just fucking killed it.
Touring with Catheter was awesome. We got along really good and grinded our asses of for about 2 weeks together.
Mass Grave's lyrics tackle issues like war, deforestation, pollution, and apathy. Do you see music as a legitimate social tool, or are you more one for rocking out and having a good time (or possibly a combination of the two)?
I don't write the lyrics so I can't really elaborate too much. The guys basically write about what pisses them off. We take our music and lyrics seriously but we try to keep it fun. I do think lyrics can change things for sure. Maybe not society as a whole but I know I have been affected by bands' lyrics in positive and negative ways. I personally get into music first and if it has cool lyrics to go along with it then that's great. Birdflesh is one of my favourite bands right now and their lyrics are absolutely ridiculous and funny as hell. For me music is fun and when bands take themselves too seriously it kind of makes it not fun. I guess if you want to get into the lyrics would should talk to Woody or Goat.
Thanks for answering my questions. Do you have any final words for the bored suburbanites that might read this?
Start bands that are influenced by Black Flag, Black Sabbath, and Discharge. Oh yeah, and fuck hard drugs. Thanks for the interview and for the interest in Mass Grave.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
SLICES - MRR #319 (December 2009)
Collectively SLICES are the cacophonous mouthpiece of four nightmare men: a sick combination of mid-paced, murky repetition and life's less savory moments. As an ugly parallel of humanity, SLICES has steadily evolved from their embryonic stages of two-piece noise to their full-grown adult life as a full band. Consisting of two brothers and two unrelated men, SLICES has become one of the mainstays of the Pittsburgh independent music scene. At the current times, SLICES has 7"s released on 16OH and Home Invasion Records and have just finished recording for their debut 12".
Introduction by Intense Andy. Interview conducted by Ed Steck. Questions answered by SLICES.
MRR: Slices was originally an experimental noise project between the teenaged Kasunic brothers. What lead to the eventual more structured sound of Slices? What inspired the addition of a drummer and vocalist and the switch to more traditional instrumentation?
Mike: I would say boredom with what we were doing and we were getting more into guitar-based stuff. It was at the Athletic Automaton show where we first did the first guitar and drums show.
John: I felt we had been doing more rock-based thing between the two of us for about a year with me on guitar and him on drums. We took a little break and started a few years later but felt pretty limited with what we could do so we added Ovens and then Greg.
Mike: To get more of a rock song. More rock influenced music. Rock influenced music, am I right? Would you say?
All: Yes.
Ovens: Yeah. I say it is trending towards rock music.
John: Almost there.
Mantooth: The first time I heard Slices was at Joe Hammer. I was upstairs and I didn't watch you guys. I was afraid of you because I didn't know you. You were making noise.
Mike: Really?
(A general uneasiness is in the air followed by silence.)
Ovens: Next question.
MRR: Most of the Slices members hold ranks in other bands that would be packed in the same ranch. John is in the loser punk group, Rot Shit. Mike controls Tusk Lord, once an experimental one-man project that is now evolving into more straightforward pop presentations. Mike Ovens is in the hardcore punk band, Brain Handle. Mantooth is a turtle enthusiast. Can you address why Slices is the group for each of you that emits a pulsating noise rock discordance? Could Slices be anything else than what it is now?
All: Laughing.
Mantooth: This question is going to make me fucking cry. This makes me feel bad about myself. Why can't we be anything better than that?
MRR: I didn't say that.
Ovens: I'm not answering that.
Mantooth: That makes me feel bad. Give us a minute.
Mike: We are almost a rock band and we will be there soon.
John: All I know is that Slices is not only the best band that I'm in but it is also the best band.
All: That is a good point.
MRR: Mantooth, in reading your lyrics, I catch a strong conflict between urban and rural landscapes. Severing of legs. Human insides spill grotesquely in your lyrics. No excitement. There is a mundane boredom of mutilation and gore in the lyrics, but the delivery is excitable and anger-driven. Could you speak to these conflicts?
Mantooth: When I first started writing lyrics for Slices, I tried to write different lyrics from Warzone Womyn, which were very angst-driven. I wrote those when I was a teenager; I had to be a bit more introspective with the approach now that I'm mature and in my twenties. I read books sometimes. But in terms of the gore, I mean yeah, when I first started writing lyrics I tried to write more to landscapes instead of topics that were in my brain. Violence and gore are generally mundane topics, I am aware, so when you read them in lyrics, books, or newspapers, they remain mundane until you are actually propelled into a sensation upon hearing it. So when you are singing it and projecting it, there is an obvious disconnect between the presentation and the content. I'm not really enunciating. I'm screaming. I'm in a punk band so I'm not softly whispering it.
Ovens: I read books.
Mike: These guys are well read.
MRR: Tonight, Slices is playing with two experimental noise groups, Wether and Pink Desert. In November, a gig with Iron Lung is scheduled. Are there bands or performers that Slices feels most comfortable playing with? Is there ever any alienation? If so, how does the group react to this?
Mike: I think we fit in a lot of hardcore shows but that is all we get asked to play. We aren't sick of playing with hardcore bands but it is nice to play with some noise groups tonight. The Iron Lung show will be cool.
Ovens: We don't have a kind of show we prefer to play.
John: We just like to play with good bands. I;m not concerned with genre. I just like to play with musicians I'm interested in.
(Someone burps.)
All: Yeah.
MRR: Who are some of the local bands or performers that you enjoy playing with the most? Who do you detest?
(All laugh and groan.)
Mike: Virgin Birth, Trogpite, and most of the breakcore scene.
John: Dark Lingo. I like Brain Handle but if we shared members I don't know what I would think about you guys.
Ovens: Do Crimes. I enjoy Tusk Lord when he practices. I like Abysme.
(A phone rings. Wether and Pink Desert are on the line with Mike.)
Mantooth: I generally hate bands that Greg Kolls is involved with.
Mike: Fuck Massdippah. Fuck Baby Dino.
Ovens: Bar bands play too long. I hate that.
Mike: If you like them then that is good.
MRR: Slices have two seven inch records released, one on Home Invasion and other on 16OH. The 16OH release is illustrated with a turtle shell buried or surrounded by leaves forming the shape of the once living turtle. The Home Invasion release is illustrated with a curious depiction of Pavaratti with big, red puckered lips. What relation do these images hold to the band and the particular releases? If there is no exact relation between the artwork and the records, then why were these images chosen or depicted?
Mike: I think it is pretty arbitrary. At this point, we haven't done anything conceptual. We basically have just drawn things we like. With the LP, I think we will take a more conceptual approach. Maybe a more conceptual approach to the artwork, I think? More of a consistent aesthetic, maybe? More thought out.
John: Not as much a conceptual approach related ot the music itself, but I feel that it will be less directly tied to the music itself and not so representative of the type of vibe we are going for. More confused. More representative of us as people and not the band itself.
Mike: We aren't dark people.
Ovens: The music generally suggests one visual idea.
John: I feel that many people will see the artwork and think we are some distressed group of angst-driven people who have really gone to dark places but we are just trying to have a good time.
Ovens: I think you would be surprised about how social we are.
Mantooth: Mike, you have friends waiting for you down the street.
(Greg pours wax from my spell candle in Mike Kasunic's hands. Mike burns the bike lock and wax.)
MRR: Bottles breaking around violent communal behavioral exhibitions. Boredom and apathy confronted by wild headbangers. Slam pits and slam dancing. People crashing through equipment. Upset humans leave the room. This is a Slices gig. There is always an interesting dynamic between the audience and the band at Slices performances. Are there any specific moments during a liev show that you remember the most? Why?
Ovens: We played at Romeo Street, a basement in town, and the only amplifier for vocals was a small practice amp. Mantooth was carrying it and jangling it in front of his face. Screaming into it.
John: We aren't fun to watch except for Mantooth. He spits on himself.
Mantooth: I get a lot of mucous. I don't want it on the floor so I spit on myself.
Mike: Mantooth choke slammed someone once.
Ovens: Manhood is stupid. Fuck you.
Mantooth: Don't throw beer on me. Don't fuck with us.
John: Last time we played New York, our friend, Urban John, was slam-dancing and dipping in the pit. This one guy was wearing a stupid shirt with broken hearts all over it. He fucked with Urban John. Ovens was going to fuck that guy up for messing with Urban John in New York City.
All: Everyone in New York sucks.
Mantooth: It was great to see Infest Nick but he had bad breath.
John: Everyone in New York is afraid of us.
Ovens: I like looking around when I'm drumming. It is really fun to scan the audience. I can't really do anything because I'm the drummer. I just like to look at people when we play.
MRR: Would you say there is a high level camaraderie in the group? When do conflicts arise? Don't be bashful in your responses.
Mike: It is really easy being in this band. I don't really hang out with these guys that much.
John: I spent a lot of time with my brother for eighteen years or so. This is the most comfortable I've ever been in a band. We've never had any major difficulties with writing songs or where we were headed with the music.
Mike: Songs are usually written in about twenty minutes/
John: Or a few minutes actually...
Mantooth: Those are really good songs, too.
MRR: I've heard masked talk from loose lips that the members of Slices have "changed". Some naysayer has even said that the members of Slices were never even who they said they were, that "like hot water set out to cool, Slices turned their backs on sentimentality and have left me with only a cold nostalgia." Now confront the people that speak ill of your group.
Mantooth: Did fucking F. Scott Fitzgerald write this question?
Ovens: As a group, we are more sentimental and more in-tuned with emotions than ever before. Before I joined the band, they were more intellectual but now the group is more emotional.
Mantooth: We are pretty well adjusted guys. We deal with our emotions pretty well.
Mike: Also, we don't have a MySpace or a Facebook.
Ovens: Don't try to put our videos on YouTube. We will take it down. Don't try it. They will be removed.
Mantooth: Just don't. Seriously.
Mike: Don't bootleg our shit.
Ovens: Don't even dub it for a friend.
Mike: Don't even download it.
MRR: Please, closing comments from the band.
Mike: We have some MP3s on some blogs you should definitely download.
Mantooth: If you are interested what our band sounds like look up "Slices Pittsburgh" on Google.
Ovens: Look up "Nub City" on Google.
Mike: We have 650 viewers on last.fm.
Ovens: That would be a pretty good show if they all showed up. We are going to try to get it together so they all show up. We are excited about the new album on Iron Lung Records. Thanks to Iron Lung Records.
Mantooth: You should e-mail us about releasing our radio set. We will tell you no thanks.
Introduction by Intense Andy. Interview conducted by Ed Steck. Questions answered by SLICES.
MRR: Slices was originally an experimental noise project between the teenaged Kasunic brothers. What lead to the eventual more structured sound of Slices? What inspired the addition of a drummer and vocalist and the switch to more traditional instrumentation?
Mike: I would say boredom with what we were doing and we were getting more into guitar-based stuff. It was at the Athletic Automaton show where we first did the first guitar and drums show.
John: I felt we had been doing more rock-based thing between the two of us for about a year with me on guitar and him on drums. We took a little break and started a few years later but felt pretty limited with what we could do so we added Ovens and then Greg.
Mike: To get more of a rock song. More rock influenced music. Rock influenced music, am I right? Would you say?
All: Yes.
Ovens: Yeah. I say it is trending towards rock music.
John: Almost there.
Mantooth: The first time I heard Slices was at Joe Hammer. I was upstairs and I didn't watch you guys. I was afraid of you because I didn't know you. You were making noise.
Mike: Really?
(A general uneasiness is in the air followed by silence.)
Ovens: Next question.
MRR: Most of the Slices members hold ranks in other bands that would be packed in the same ranch. John is in the loser punk group, Rot Shit. Mike controls Tusk Lord, once an experimental one-man project that is now evolving into more straightforward pop presentations. Mike Ovens is in the hardcore punk band, Brain Handle. Mantooth is a turtle enthusiast. Can you address why Slices is the group for each of you that emits a pulsating noise rock discordance? Could Slices be anything else than what it is now?
All: Laughing.
Mantooth: This question is going to make me fucking cry. This makes me feel bad about myself. Why can't we be anything better than that?
MRR: I didn't say that.
Ovens: I'm not answering that.
Mantooth: That makes me feel bad. Give us a minute.
Mike: We are almost a rock band and we will be there soon.
John: All I know is that Slices is not only the best band that I'm in but it is also the best band.
All: That is a good point.
MRR: Mantooth, in reading your lyrics, I catch a strong conflict between urban and rural landscapes. Severing of legs. Human insides spill grotesquely in your lyrics. No excitement. There is a mundane boredom of mutilation and gore in the lyrics, but the delivery is excitable and anger-driven. Could you speak to these conflicts?
Mantooth: When I first started writing lyrics for Slices, I tried to write different lyrics from Warzone Womyn, which were very angst-driven. I wrote those when I was a teenager; I had to be a bit more introspective with the approach now that I'm mature and in my twenties. I read books sometimes. But in terms of the gore, I mean yeah, when I first started writing lyrics I tried to write more to landscapes instead of topics that were in my brain. Violence and gore are generally mundane topics, I am aware, so when you read them in lyrics, books, or newspapers, they remain mundane until you are actually propelled into a sensation upon hearing it. So when you are singing it and projecting it, there is an obvious disconnect between the presentation and the content. I'm not really enunciating. I'm screaming. I'm in a punk band so I'm not softly whispering it.
Ovens: I read books.
Mike: These guys are well read.
MRR: Tonight, Slices is playing with two experimental noise groups, Wether and Pink Desert. In November, a gig with Iron Lung is scheduled. Are there bands or performers that Slices feels most comfortable playing with? Is there ever any alienation? If so, how does the group react to this?
Mike: I think we fit in a lot of hardcore shows but that is all we get asked to play. We aren't sick of playing with hardcore bands but it is nice to play with some noise groups tonight. The Iron Lung show will be cool.
Ovens: We don't have a kind of show we prefer to play.
John: We just like to play with good bands. I;m not concerned with genre. I just like to play with musicians I'm interested in.
(Someone burps.)
All: Yeah.
MRR: Who are some of the local bands or performers that you enjoy playing with the most? Who do you detest?
(All laugh and groan.)
Mike: Virgin Birth, Trogpite, and most of the breakcore scene.
John: Dark Lingo. I like Brain Handle but if we shared members I don't know what I would think about you guys.
Ovens: Do Crimes. I enjoy Tusk Lord when he practices. I like Abysme.
(A phone rings. Wether and Pink Desert are on the line with Mike.)
Mantooth: I generally hate bands that Greg Kolls is involved with.
Mike: Fuck Massdippah. Fuck Baby Dino.
Ovens: Bar bands play too long. I hate that.
Mike: If you like them then that is good.
MRR: Slices have two seven inch records released, one on Home Invasion and other on 16OH. The 16OH release is illustrated with a turtle shell buried or surrounded by leaves forming the shape of the once living turtle. The Home Invasion release is illustrated with a curious depiction of Pavaratti with big, red puckered lips. What relation do these images hold to the band and the particular releases? If there is no exact relation between the artwork and the records, then why were these images chosen or depicted?
Mike: I think it is pretty arbitrary. At this point, we haven't done anything conceptual. We basically have just drawn things we like. With the LP, I think we will take a more conceptual approach. Maybe a more conceptual approach to the artwork, I think? More of a consistent aesthetic, maybe? More thought out.
John: Not as much a conceptual approach related ot the music itself, but I feel that it will be less directly tied to the music itself and not so representative of the type of vibe we are going for. More confused. More representative of us as people and not the band itself.
Mike: We aren't dark people.
Ovens: The music generally suggests one visual idea.
John: I feel that many people will see the artwork and think we are some distressed group of angst-driven people who have really gone to dark places but we are just trying to have a good time.
Ovens: I think you would be surprised about how social we are.
Mantooth: Mike, you have friends waiting for you down the street.
(Greg pours wax from my spell candle in Mike Kasunic's hands. Mike burns the bike lock and wax.)
MRR: Bottles breaking around violent communal behavioral exhibitions. Boredom and apathy confronted by wild headbangers. Slam pits and slam dancing. People crashing through equipment. Upset humans leave the room. This is a Slices gig. There is always an interesting dynamic between the audience and the band at Slices performances. Are there any specific moments during a liev show that you remember the most? Why?
Ovens: We played at Romeo Street, a basement in town, and the only amplifier for vocals was a small practice amp. Mantooth was carrying it and jangling it in front of his face. Screaming into it.
John: We aren't fun to watch except for Mantooth. He spits on himself.
Mantooth: I get a lot of mucous. I don't want it on the floor so I spit on myself.
Mike: Mantooth choke slammed someone once.
Ovens: Manhood is stupid. Fuck you.
Mantooth: Don't throw beer on me. Don't fuck with us.
John: Last time we played New York, our friend, Urban John, was slam-dancing and dipping in the pit. This one guy was wearing a stupid shirt with broken hearts all over it. He fucked with Urban John. Ovens was going to fuck that guy up for messing with Urban John in New York City.
All: Everyone in New York sucks.
Mantooth: It was great to see Infest Nick but he had bad breath.
John: Everyone in New York is afraid of us.
Ovens: I like looking around when I'm drumming. It is really fun to scan the audience. I can't really do anything because I'm the drummer. I just like to look at people when we play.
MRR: Would you say there is a high level camaraderie in the group? When do conflicts arise? Don't be bashful in your responses.
Mike: It is really easy being in this band. I don't really hang out with these guys that much.
John: I spent a lot of time with my brother for eighteen years or so. This is the most comfortable I've ever been in a band. We've never had any major difficulties with writing songs or where we were headed with the music.
Mike: Songs are usually written in about twenty minutes/
John: Or a few minutes actually...
Mantooth: Those are really good songs, too.
MRR: I've heard masked talk from loose lips that the members of Slices have "changed". Some naysayer has even said that the members of Slices were never even who they said they were, that "like hot water set out to cool, Slices turned their backs on sentimentality and have left me with only a cold nostalgia." Now confront the people that speak ill of your group.
Mantooth: Did fucking F. Scott Fitzgerald write this question?
Ovens: As a group, we are more sentimental and more in-tuned with emotions than ever before. Before I joined the band, they were more intellectual but now the group is more emotional.
Mantooth: We are pretty well adjusted guys. We deal with our emotions pretty well.
Mike: Also, we don't have a MySpace or a Facebook.
Ovens: Don't try to put our videos on YouTube. We will take it down. Don't try it. They will be removed.
Mantooth: Just don't. Seriously.
Mike: Don't bootleg our shit.
Ovens: Don't even dub it for a friend.
Mike: Don't even download it.
MRR: Please, closing comments from the band.
Mike: We have some MP3s on some blogs you should definitely download.
Mantooth: If you are interested what our band sounds like look up "Slices Pittsburgh" on Google.
Ovens: Look up "Nub City" on Google.
Mike: We have 650 viewers on last.fm.
Ovens: That would be a pretty good show if they all showed up. We are going to try to get it together so they all show up. We are excited about the new album on Iron Lung Records. Thanks to Iron Lung Records.
Mantooth: You should e-mail us about releasing our radio set. We will tell you no thanks.
Monday, July 19, 2010
THE ENDLESS BLOCKADE - Ritual #2 (March 2010)
INTERVIEW MED ANDREW NOLAN FRA THE ENDLESS BLOCKADE.
Could you introduce yourself and your projects:
2010 Line up is Bloomer, Carroll, Edgar, King, Nolan
Related Blockade projects:
Slaughter Strike
Brutal Knights
Sahkalin
Ride at Dawn
Piss Horn
Joshua Norton Cabal
Death Agonies
Windscale
Gack
Black Paintings
Probably some other noise projects that I've either forgotten about or don't know about.
How did the journey of the Endless Blockade begin and where is it taking the band now:
We formed in 2003, changed drummers in 2004 and added a fifth member for live purposes in 2010.
What were your intentions for the band to begin with, was there a concept, genre or something alike decided from the beginning:
To be honest any band that I'm the main song writer in is going to sound kind of like this band, I can't really play any other way for the most part.
To me there's a clear change in execution at the point when we recorded the Hatred Surge split when I changed my focus slightly, whether anyone else hears it or cares is debatable.
Are you still influenced by the same music you listened to when you started?
We're probably influenced by less music than when we first started, but nothing new.
Many hardcore listeners seem to have placed The Endless Blockade along with Hatred Surge and Iron Lung as the front men of the new wave of "true" powerviolence. Is this a position you can see yourself in?
I haven't heard us referred to as True Power Violence; it strikes me as faintly ridiculous. We're influenced by power violence, nothing more.
The noise incorporation in the music of Endless Blockade seems to me like a perfect choice for making the music more intense and brutal. Was it a choice from the beginning? And what are your thoughts on the two genres working together?
The noise was there on the first demo and the split LP with Warzone Womyn, it was just buried in the mix a lot more.
Noise is something natural for us and we don't spend that much time over thinking its role in Blockade; it's not something exotic or out of the ordinary for us.
I've been making noise recordings for around 20 years now and finally bothered to put my two musical currents together with this band having always had some degree of resistance in most of the bands I've played in before this point.
Everyone in Blockade has some noise related project on the go concurrently with our main focus.
What equipment and amplification do you use live and in the studio; is there a difference, and how important is it for the "blockade" sound?
It's important that we have half decent gear for volume and frequency response.
Noise wise the live setting is more stripped than in the studio, we travel light, Matthew will use a feedback loop, I'll use either a noise generator, a small synth of some contact mics and metal and an A/B switch into my amp.
We now have an extra member playing noise with us live so it can be integrated into the songs more now and not just used to fill the silence between blocks of songs or at the start and finish of our performance.
You played in Shank before the Endless Blockade. Shank were stationed in Glasgow which one probably can imagine is a lot different than Canada. How differs Europe from Canada in a musical perspective?
Well, it's hard for me to talk about Canada as it's pretty big and there's not much going on in most of the country.
But I think North Americans on the whole are more serious about their bands and Europeans are more serious about the cultural aspect of punk.
I think there's generally a better quality of bands over here (sorry but it's true), but the scene is very transient; there's barely anyone over the age of 21 involved and the infrastructures that are in place could all come crashing down at any moment.
And of course there are good and band bands everywhere in the world..
Songs like "Don't Voice Your Opinion" have what you could call an anti-punk message (say what you want to say seems to be a punk mantra). Could you explain the words behind the song?
It's less anti-punk and more anti-modernist I guess.
Society is over saturated with information and the seemingly meaningless exchange of that information. I think that telling people that everyone is a special individual and we should all be given equal attention is as damaging as constantly telling people they'll never amount to anything.
Quiet contemplating is apparently out of style. Almost everyone has an opinion on absolutely everything and by God they're going to tell you what they think whether you care or not and being unable to string together of coherent thought isn't going to be in anyone's way.
Most of us, and I certainly include myself here, are not nearly as smart, important and indispensable as we'd sometimes like to think we are.
Everywhere there's this incessant cultural noise and it's so tediously 'interactive'. Some people just seem to make as much noise as possible for fear that they'll disappear if they stop broadcasting their bullshit.
I'd like to hope that whilst others are shouting every half baked thought that enters their head that at the quiet periphery others are evolving into something better.
In general The Endless Blockade seems not to be a fifteen shows a month kind of band unlike a lot of "hardcore" bands. How do you feel about playing live?
Well, geography and age play a large role here.
If we were to play 15 shows a month we'd have to tour a lot more and touring regularly in Canada is largely a waste of time for a band that sounds like us so we need to go to the US (which is less distance for us to travel than to play pretty much anywhere else in Canada).
The problem with going to the US is that we have to sneak our equipment over the border which is always a stressful situation. Not to mention the fact that I'm not a Canadian citizen so there's always an added layer of bullshit for me to deal with.
I like playing shows occasionally, but not all the time. I find that I'm usually at least 15 years older than most of the people that come to our shows so it's often a little weird for me.
And let's not forget the financial cost is becoming more and more prohibitive for a lot of people to tour. Punk barely even breaks even these days.
The music of Endless Blockade seems to vary from release to release. You have recently released a split with noise/powerviolence mentors Bastard Noise where you contributed the fourteen minute long track Deuteronomy. Does this musical evolution come intentionally or is it a development on a more subconscious level?
I think our sound varies form release to release primarily because I write music for specific releases now. I haven't written a batch of songs with no purpose in mind since the earliest days now.
I find that if I set clear parameters at the start then I'm able to get a better end result and Deuteronomy was a clear example of this process.
The lyrics and imagery of The Endless Blockade often deal withe esoteric and occult themes on a profound basis. A line that stuck with me is "Man understands divinity / like a dog understands electricity". How is the occult an inspiration for your music?
I think of all the lines I've ever written that's one of the few that encapsulates exactly what I wanted to say succinctly and clearly.
Esoteric and occult ideas are an influence on The Endless Blockade in as much as they're an influence on my life and sometimes leak through.
I'm not setting about casting runes before I can make a move; I prefer to see esoteric traditions and ideas as being part of a living and permanently evolving worldview that adds another level of experience to this painfully meaningless existence that most of us lead.
There is a tendency in musical cultures to treat esoteric ideas as somehow naturally evil and blasphemous and in general this betrays a complete lack of understanding. I can appreciate the validity of playing the role of adversary but a lot of musical acts with occult images seem to be as confused as the drunkest of the drunk punk crusties.
In another interview, you described your approach to playing live as having the same elements as a magick ritual (as Crowley taught it). In my opinion, playing live is always some kind of ritual, be it social, psychological, or spiritual, and "errors" (like feedback) can never fully be controlled. Can you explain your view on this?
That sounds like the interview with Sleeping Shaman webzine where I likened aspects of the noise at the start and end of our sets being like a banishing ritual and helping me get in and out of the 'right' state when playing live.
Playing live can certainly be like some sort of ritual but sometimes people seem to confuse rituals with routines. Obviously it all boils down to intent and deliberately setting out to effect some form of change. Very few bands have those goals when performing live, I generally don't have those goals; mostly it's just about playing live with little greater importance than throwing yourself into the void for a short period of time.
Sometimes people who are really into ritual and ceremony just have a form of religious Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Lesser Banishing Rituals of the Pentagram get turned into psychic equivalents of washing your hands fifty eight times after touching a door knob...
How does 2010 look for The Endless Blockade
We played the other side of Canada a few weeks ago, our split with Bastard Noise just came, we're playing a week of shows with Hatred Surge in a few weeks, we're mixing our split LP with Unearthly Trance this month and then that's about it for a while I think.
In summary; busy at the start of the year, pretty low key for the rest.
Last but not least, what are you reading and listening to at the present time? Is there any underrated bands or books you want people to know about?
The best books I've read recently are Maldoror - Comte de Lautremont and Turning Back the Clock - Umberto Eco. Musically, well, this could last forever, but today I've listened to:
Ramleh - The Hand of Glory
Sockeye - Retards Hiss Past My Window
Witch Tomb - Crippled Messiah
Todd - Comes to Your House
Claws - Absorbed in the Nethervoid
Fall of Because - Life is Easy
Pink Turds in Space - discography
I've been listening to Geriatric Unit and Haters (UK not US) a lot lately.
Could you introduce yourself and your projects:
2010 Line up is Bloomer, Carroll, Edgar, King, Nolan
Related Blockade projects:
Slaughter Strike
Brutal Knights
Sahkalin
Ride at Dawn
Piss Horn
Joshua Norton Cabal
Death Agonies
Windscale
Gack
Black Paintings
Probably some other noise projects that I've either forgotten about or don't know about.
How did the journey of the Endless Blockade begin and where is it taking the band now:
We formed in 2003, changed drummers in 2004 and added a fifth member for live purposes in 2010.
What were your intentions for the band to begin with, was there a concept, genre or something alike decided from the beginning:
To be honest any band that I'm the main song writer in is going to sound kind of like this band, I can't really play any other way for the most part.
To me there's a clear change in execution at the point when we recorded the Hatred Surge split when I changed my focus slightly, whether anyone else hears it or cares is debatable.
Are you still influenced by the same music you listened to when you started?
We're probably influenced by less music than when we first started, but nothing new.
Many hardcore listeners seem to have placed The Endless Blockade along with Hatred Surge and Iron Lung as the front men of the new wave of "true" powerviolence. Is this a position you can see yourself in?
I haven't heard us referred to as True Power Violence; it strikes me as faintly ridiculous. We're influenced by power violence, nothing more.
The noise incorporation in the music of Endless Blockade seems to me like a perfect choice for making the music more intense and brutal. Was it a choice from the beginning? And what are your thoughts on the two genres working together?
The noise was there on the first demo and the split LP with Warzone Womyn, it was just buried in the mix a lot more.
Noise is something natural for us and we don't spend that much time over thinking its role in Blockade; it's not something exotic or out of the ordinary for us.
I've been making noise recordings for around 20 years now and finally bothered to put my two musical currents together with this band having always had some degree of resistance in most of the bands I've played in before this point.
Everyone in Blockade has some noise related project on the go concurrently with our main focus.
What equipment and amplification do you use live and in the studio; is there a difference, and how important is it for the "blockade" sound?
It's important that we have half decent gear for volume and frequency response.
Noise wise the live setting is more stripped than in the studio, we travel light, Matthew will use a feedback loop, I'll use either a noise generator, a small synth of some contact mics and metal and an A/B switch into my amp.
We now have an extra member playing noise with us live so it can be integrated into the songs more now and not just used to fill the silence between blocks of songs or at the start and finish of our performance.
You played in Shank before the Endless Blockade. Shank were stationed in Glasgow which one probably can imagine is a lot different than Canada. How differs Europe from Canada in a musical perspective?
Well, it's hard for me to talk about Canada as it's pretty big and there's not much going on in most of the country.
But I think North Americans on the whole are more serious about their bands and Europeans are more serious about the cultural aspect of punk.
I think there's generally a better quality of bands over here (sorry but it's true), but the scene is very transient; there's barely anyone over the age of 21 involved and the infrastructures that are in place could all come crashing down at any moment.
And of course there are good and band bands everywhere in the world..
Songs like "Don't Voice Your Opinion" have what you could call an anti-punk message (say what you want to say seems to be a punk mantra). Could you explain the words behind the song?
It's less anti-punk and more anti-modernist I guess.
Society is over saturated with information and the seemingly meaningless exchange of that information. I think that telling people that everyone is a special individual and we should all be given equal attention is as damaging as constantly telling people they'll never amount to anything.
Quiet contemplating is apparently out of style. Almost everyone has an opinion on absolutely everything and by God they're going to tell you what they think whether you care or not and being unable to string together of coherent thought isn't going to be in anyone's way.
Most of us, and I certainly include myself here, are not nearly as smart, important and indispensable as we'd sometimes like to think we are.
Everywhere there's this incessant cultural noise and it's so tediously 'interactive'. Some people just seem to make as much noise as possible for fear that they'll disappear if they stop broadcasting their bullshit.
I'd like to hope that whilst others are shouting every half baked thought that enters their head that at the quiet periphery others are evolving into something better.
In general The Endless Blockade seems not to be a fifteen shows a month kind of band unlike a lot of "hardcore" bands. How do you feel about playing live?
Well, geography and age play a large role here.
If we were to play 15 shows a month we'd have to tour a lot more and touring regularly in Canada is largely a waste of time for a band that sounds like us so we need to go to the US (which is less distance for us to travel than to play pretty much anywhere else in Canada).
The problem with going to the US is that we have to sneak our equipment over the border which is always a stressful situation. Not to mention the fact that I'm not a Canadian citizen so there's always an added layer of bullshit for me to deal with.
I like playing shows occasionally, but not all the time. I find that I'm usually at least 15 years older than most of the people that come to our shows so it's often a little weird for me.
And let's not forget the financial cost is becoming more and more prohibitive for a lot of people to tour. Punk barely even breaks even these days.
The music of Endless Blockade seems to vary from release to release. You have recently released a split with noise/powerviolence mentors Bastard Noise where you contributed the fourteen minute long track Deuteronomy. Does this musical evolution come intentionally or is it a development on a more subconscious level?
I think our sound varies form release to release primarily because I write music for specific releases now. I haven't written a batch of songs with no purpose in mind since the earliest days now.
I find that if I set clear parameters at the start then I'm able to get a better end result and Deuteronomy was a clear example of this process.
The lyrics and imagery of The Endless Blockade often deal withe esoteric and occult themes on a profound basis. A line that stuck with me is "Man understands divinity / like a dog understands electricity". How is the occult an inspiration for your music?
I think of all the lines I've ever written that's one of the few that encapsulates exactly what I wanted to say succinctly and clearly.
Esoteric and occult ideas are an influence on The Endless Blockade in as much as they're an influence on my life and sometimes leak through.
I'm not setting about casting runes before I can make a move; I prefer to see esoteric traditions and ideas as being part of a living and permanently evolving worldview that adds another level of experience to this painfully meaningless existence that most of us lead.
There is a tendency in musical cultures to treat esoteric ideas as somehow naturally evil and blasphemous and in general this betrays a complete lack of understanding. I can appreciate the validity of playing the role of adversary but a lot of musical acts with occult images seem to be as confused as the drunkest of the drunk punk crusties.
In another interview, you described your approach to playing live as having the same elements as a magick ritual (as Crowley taught it). In my opinion, playing live is always some kind of ritual, be it social, psychological, or spiritual, and "errors" (like feedback) can never fully be controlled. Can you explain your view on this?
That sounds like the interview with Sleeping Shaman webzine where I likened aspects of the noise at the start and end of our sets being like a banishing ritual and helping me get in and out of the 'right' state when playing live.
Playing live can certainly be like some sort of ritual but sometimes people seem to confuse rituals with routines. Obviously it all boils down to intent and deliberately setting out to effect some form of change. Very few bands have those goals when performing live, I generally don't have those goals; mostly it's just about playing live with little greater importance than throwing yourself into the void for a short period of time.
Sometimes people who are really into ritual and ceremony just have a form of religious Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Lesser Banishing Rituals of the Pentagram get turned into psychic equivalents of washing your hands fifty eight times after touching a door knob...
How does 2010 look for The Endless Blockade
We played the other side of Canada a few weeks ago, our split with Bastard Noise just came, we're playing a week of shows with Hatred Surge in a few weeks, we're mixing our split LP with Unearthly Trance this month and then that's about it for a while I think.
In summary; busy at the start of the year, pretty low key for the rest.
Last but not least, what are you reading and listening to at the present time? Is there any underrated bands or books you want people to know about?
The best books I've read recently are Maldoror - Comte de Lautremont and Turning Back the Clock - Umberto Eco. Musically, well, this could last forever, but today I've listened to:
Ramleh - The Hand of Glory
Sockeye - Retards Hiss Past My Window
Witch Tomb - Crippled Messiah
Todd - Comes to Your House
Claws - Absorbed in the Nethervoid
Fall of Because - Life is Easy
Pink Turds in Space - discography
I've been listening to Geriatric Unit and Haters (UK not US) a lot lately.
Sunday, July 18, 2010
16oh Records - Inverted Forest #1 (May 2010)
16oh Records is run by Jeffry Hesse out of the O.C. Jeffry has released consistently great records and 16oh is one of those rare labels that I feel confident in buying records of bands that I haven't even heard. Seriously, check out 16oh.com and just buy anything he has released.
I asked Jeffry a few questions about what it is like releasing records and whether it is worth all the hard work and pain that goes along with it.
How long has 16oh existed and how many releases have you done so far?
16oh started as a brain fart in the head of Jason and I in 2004? We wanted to put out records together for some bands we didn't think were getting exposure, and eventually got started later in that year with a 7" for a band called Sidetracked.
We actually split release this 7" with these two dudes named Chris and Fes who ran a small label that eventually died. Funny story about those guys, wrote a song called "Vegan's Worst Nightmare" and now both of them are vegan! Oh, the irony! Anyways we split release that record and everything that could go wrong did in fact go wrong. Test presses showed up with the records themselves, UPS misplaced a few of the boxes, and wrecked a few that did get to us. All in all it was a great time though and kept us marching forward to do more records that people would give less than a shit about. I think at this point I'm 20 or so releases deep? I honestly don't remember anymore what I have released and it isn't because of complexity, it's because my personal life/work life has hit a ridiculously stupid fervor compared to the label.
What was the impetus behind the creation of the label? Was it something that you'd wanted to do for a while, or more of a spur of the moment thing?
Like I said, Jason and I just wanted to release music for under appreciated bands. It was a long running thing for both of us, as we'd been involved in bands or the scene in various ways, yet, we'd both hit a point where we could only really contribute anymore through documenting various aspects. We both had pretty decent jobs and figured we could use the ample allowance from those to do something positive instead of drinking ourselves to oblivion or just becoming a new cog in the wheel for American consumerism.
What about the name? How many different ways have you heard it pronounced? Do many punks get the reference?
Hah, love this question. The name for those not in the know is a hybrid mix of a 16 (the band) reference and a Wu Tang reference. Jason and I both obsessively love(d) 16, and we also loved the Wu Tang. Protect ya neck son. It's officially pronounced One Six Oh, but I've heard everything. Sixteen oh. 16 oh h. One sixty h. Heard it all.
How did you get into punk music? Was there one pivotal band or was it a longer process?
BLACK FLAG. Seriously, first band I ever heard. I was probably 12 or so? I'm 27 now. When I was like 13 a buddy of mine traded me a Minor Threat CD in exchange for a Strife - One Truth CD (no joke) and that set into motion some more love for early punk and hardcore sounds. A bunch of my friends were into some Riverside punk bands, and I went to a lot of shows at the Showcase. Salad days and all that. Skateboarding was a big piece of this for me as well. In my teens I got involved in building websites for people, and got a job working for a skate shop in Riverside. The older guys there exposed me to a lot of awesome shit and expanded my horizons. I heard Spazz, Infest and a bunch of other really influential music through those guys and I can't thank them enough.
What is the funniest email or quest that you have received relating to the label? Do you get exposed to terrible demos constantly?
Not really. I get some demos and I will always listen to them but I generally release things with friends now. Sometimes you get irate emails (and I have gotten a lot more recently due to being homeless and harder to get ahold of) but nothing really mind bending. I've had a few bands get over the top about their egos and perhaps what they felt entitled to, but to drag that out into the open court would be foul play and probably inappropriate. I wish no one ill harm and hope the same for others who interact with me.
What do you think of record collectors?
They are pretentious assholes. In all seriousness though, I still avidly collect (I just won some Black Flag test presses off Chuck Dukowski, I believe that makes me scum), I like some aspects of collecting, but hate others. It's silly to see kids buy a ton of different records and then just listen to the mp3s, but that's the way of the world now. I have a stack of records at my Dad's place right now about 150 LPs deep and twice as many 7"s just to motor through. Right now I am currently homeless, which puts a weird spin on collecting, but I can't wait to get a house and make my way through those records and the rest of my collection. I feel like I chopped off my left arm (the good one).
I think my favourite 16oh release so far might be the Bookburner 7". Is there a record that stands out in your mind? This could relate to the music itself or the process.
I will ALWAYS love the Bookburner 7" because it was just so involved to actually release it. That record went through a lot of iterations with the band and I, and just was forced to perfection in my eyes as a result of that. My favorite release however is probably the SLICES 7" I did. The band was really un to work with and I had been a huge fan of their other bands prior to doing this record. I did a lot of the calls on how that record ended up looking, which is usually something I don't do (I tend to let the bands call all the shots) but it was really refreshing to work together with those guys to put out what I feel is my most representative release in terms of how I feel about music. The music on that record is scathing in a way I still can't wrap my head around and I love it.
What is the 'scene' like in California at the moment? Any bands we should know about?
Well where I live it is mostly lame. I like a few local bands but not many. The scene I love as far as the bands is San Diego. Life's A Rape is 100% my favorite label going, and all those bands are great. If you don't listen to Crime Desire, Waco Fuck, Take Offense, Ok?, Lewd Acts, Cold Stare, or any of the other bands in San Diego you are missing out. Best acts going to the United States for my money. Back to the scene, Orange County sucks. I only live here because it is close to my work, and because I love the actual surroundings (it is beautiful here). Hopefully this year once I get a house I will be starting a band and maybe I can help to build the scene up a little bit, but it seems like all that will ever be popular around here is doing coke in the Detroit bathroom.
How much of a money pit is the label? Can small independent labels operate at a profit? It is fabled that New Order's 'Blue Monday' 12" actually lost money for every single sold, anything to that extreme?
An extreme one. Every now and then you get a release that does well, but 7"s for one cost a ton to make anymore, and surprise surprise, most release I've done have been 7"s. To make matters worse I have a sick feeling on selling things for much more than they cost to make. I'm not out to profit off the label at all, I have a good job and stay fed, so I try and pass on the music for as close to cost as possible. I am sure there are ways to make a profit but it has never been a concern of mine. Sure I get depressed every now and then when I dig deep into the pockets to release something, but that's part of what I decided to do, no sense in really letting it affect you.
Do you ever get the urge to give it all up? What keeps you going?
EVERY FUCKING DAY. Lately it has been a drag. I'm consulting and doing a lot of work at my real job, as well as going to school full time. My days routinely turn into 14-16 hour days of real work, and then at the end of the day I'm generally dealing with unhappy people who "hate" me because of the labels sluggishness. I don't blame them at all, but it does put a damper on the entire thing. The only thing that keeps me going to be honest is a man by the name of Jay Tichy. He inspires me to keep 16oh going, and I will keep doing it probably as long as he and I are friends (read: the rest of my life). Him and all the other Tacoma dudes always lift me up and make me feel like I'm doing something worthwhile.
What do you have coming out? What's new for the 16oh?
Right now I am putting the finishing touches on an LP for Sojourner. Repressing the Lewd Acts 7", and then hopefully the following:
- Split 6" for Sidetracked and Hummingbird Of Death
- 7" for Fever that is just Skiffington playing piano and yelling
- LP for this INCREDIBLE Steamweird band called THE SCAM.
- Maybe something else for SLICES or Tusk Lord? I always hit them up and would love to do more. I'm also always barking up the Brain Handle tree but nothing has come of it yet.
- Potentially a Bookburner LP. Jay and Adam have talked about it, I am hopeful it will happen.
- I'd also love to do a record for Waco Fuck, Crime Desire, or Ok? All three of those bands are killing it, maybe someday I will get lucky and do one.
Any last comments?
I'd write something witty but I'm at a loss. I'd say, thanks to anyone who actually digs what I do and can deal with my general incompetence lately at running a label. Your silent support is something I really appreciate.
www.16oh.com
I asked Jeffry a few questions about what it is like releasing records and whether it is worth all the hard work and pain that goes along with it.
How long has 16oh existed and how many releases have you done so far?
16oh started as a brain fart in the head of Jason and I in 2004? We wanted to put out records together for some bands we didn't think were getting exposure, and eventually got started later in that year with a 7" for a band called Sidetracked.
We actually split release this 7" with these two dudes named Chris and Fes who ran a small label that eventually died. Funny story about those guys, wrote a song called "Vegan's Worst Nightmare" and now both of them are vegan! Oh, the irony! Anyways we split release that record and everything that could go wrong did in fact go wrong. Test presses showed up with the records themselves, UPS misplaced a few of the boxes, and wrecked a few that did get to us. All in all it was a great time though and kept us marching forward to do more records that people would give less than a shit about. I think at this point I'm 20 or so releases deep? I honestly don't remember anymore what I have released and it isn't because of complexity, it's because my personal life/work life has hit a ridiculously stupid fervor compared to the label.
What was the impetus behind the creation of the label? Was it something that you'd wanted to do for a while, or more of a spur of the moment thing?
Like I said, Jason and I just wanted to release music for under appreciated bands. It was a long running thing for both of us, as we'd been involved in bands or the scene in various ways, yet, we'd both hit a point where we could only really contribute anymore through documenting various aspects. We both had pretty decent jobs and figured we could use the ample allowance from those to do something positive instead of drinking ourselves to oblivion or just becoming a new cog in the wheel for American consumerism.
What about the name? How many different ways have you heard it pronounced? Do many punks get the reference?
Hah, love this question. The name for those not in the know is a hybrid mix of a 16 (the band) reference and a Wu Tang reference. Jason and I both obsessively love(d) 16, and we also loved the Wu Tang. Protect ya neck son. It's officially pronounced One Six Oh, but I've heard everything. Sixteen oh. 16 oh h. One sixty h. Heard it all.
How did you get into punk music? Was there one pivotal band or was it a longer process?
BLACK FLAG. Seriously, first band I ever heard. I was probably 12 or so? I'm 27 now. When I was like 13 a buddy of mine traded me a Minor Threat CD in exchange for a Strife - One Truth CD (no joke) and that set into motion some more love for early punk and hardcore sounds. A bunch of my friends were into some Riverside punk bands, and I went to a lot of shows at the Showcase. Salad days and all that. Skateboarding was a big piece of this for me as well. In my teens I got involved in building websites for people, and got a job working for a skate shop in Riverside. The older guys there exposed me to a lot of awesome shit and expanded my horizons. I heard Spazz, Infest and a bunch of other really influential music through those guys and I can't thank them enough.
What is the funniest email or quest that you have received relating to the label? Do you get exposed to terrible demos constantly?
Not really. I get some demos and I will always listen to them but I generally release things with friends now. Sometimes you get irate emails (and I have gotten a lot more recently due to being homeless and harder to get ahold of) but nothing really mind bending. I've had a few bands get over the top about their egos and perhaps what they felt entitled to, but to drag that out into the open court would be foul play and probably inappropriate. I wish no one ill harm and hope the same for others who interact with me.
What do you think of record collectors?
They are pretentious assholes. In all seriousness though, I still avidly collect (I just won some Black Flag test presses off Chuck Dukowski, I believe that makes me scum), I like some aspects of collecting, but hate others. It's silly to see kids buy a ton of different records and then just listen to the mp3s, but that's the way of the world now. I have a stack of records at my Dad's place right now about 150 LPs deep and twice as many 7"s just to motor through. Right now I am currently homeless, which puts a weird spin on collecting, but I can't wait to get a house and make my way through those records and the rest of my collection. I feel like I chopped off my left arm (the good one).
I think my favourite 16oh release so far might be the Bookburner 7". Is there a record that stands out in your mind? This could relate to the music itself or the process.
I will ALWAYS love the Bookburner 7" because it was just so involved to actually release it. That record went through a lot of iterations with the band and I, and just was forced to perfection in my eyes as a result of that. My favorite release however is probably the SLICES 7" I did. The band was really un to work with and I had been a huge fan of their other bands prior to doing this record. I did a lot of the calls on how that record ended up looking, which is usually something I don't do (I tend to let the bands call all the shots) but it was really refreshing to work together with those guys to put out what I feel is my most representative release in terms of how I feel about music. The music on that record is scathing in a way I still can't wrap my head around and I love it.
What is the 'scene' like in California at the moment? Any bands we should know about?
Well where I live it is mostly lame. I like a few local bands but not many. The scene I love as far as the bands is San Diego. Life's A Rape is 100% my favorite label going, and all those bands are great. If you don't listen to Crime Desire, Waco Fuck, Take Offense, Ok?, Lewd Acts, Cold Stare, or any of the other bands in San Diego you are missing out. Best acts going to the United States for my money. Back to the scene, Orange County sucks. I only live here because it is close to my work, and because I love the actual surroundings (it is beautiful here). Hopefully this year once I get a house I will be starting a band and maybe I can help to build the scene up a little bit, but it seems like all that will ever be popular around here is doing coke in the Detroit bathroom.
How much of a money pit is the label? Can small independent labels operate at a profit? It is fabled that New Order's 'Blue Monday' 12" actually lost money for every single sold, anything to that extreme?
An extreme one. Every now and then you get a release that does well, but 7"s for one cost a ton to make anymore, and surprise surprise, most release I've done have been 7"s. To make matters worse I have a sick feeling on selling things for much more than they cost to make. I'm not out to profit off the label at all, I have a good job and stay fed, so I try and pass on the music for as close to cost as possible. I am sure there are ways to make a profit but it has never been a concern of mine. Sure I get depressed every now and then when I dig deep into the pockets to release something, but that's part of what I decided to do, no sense in really letting it affect you.
Do you ever get the urge to give it all up? What keeps you going?
EVERY FUCKING DAY. Lately it has been a drag. I'm consulting and doing a lot of work at my real job, as well as going to school full time. My days routinely turn into 14-16 hour days of real work, and then at the end of the day I'm generally dealing with unhappy people who "hate" me because of the labels sluggishness. I don't blame them at all, but it does put a damper on the entire thing. The only thing that keeps me going to be honest is a man by the name of Jay Tichy. He inspires me to keep 16oh going, and I will keep doing it probably as long as he and I are friends (read: the rest of my life). Him and all the other Tacoma dudes always lift me up and make me feel like I'm doing something worthwhile.
What do you have coming out? What's new for the 16oh?
Right now I am putting the finishing touches on an LP for Sojourner. Repressing the Lewd Acts 7", and then hopefully the following:
- Split 6" for Sidetracked and Hummingbird Of Death
- 7" for Fever that is just Skiffington playing piano and yelling
- LP for this INCREDIBLE Steamweird band called THE SCAM.
- Maybe something else for SLICES or Tusk Lord? I always hit them up and would love to do more. I'm also always barking up the Brain Handle tree but nothing has come of it yet.
- Potentially a Bookburner LP. Jay and Adam have talked about it, I am hopeful it will happen.
- I'd also love to do a record for Waco Fuck, Crime Desire, or Ok? All three of those bands are killing it, maybe someday I will get lucky and do one.
Any last comments?
I'd write something witty but I'm at a loss. I'd say, thanks to anyone who actually digs what I do and can deal with my general incompetence lately at running a label. Your silent support is something I really appreciate.
www.16oh.com
THE ENDLESS BLOCKADE - Inverted Forest #1 (May 2010)
Toronto's Endless Blockade have continually exceeded all (high) expectations with their releases, with each more powerful and virulent as the last. The latest Bastard Noise split is clear evidence of that and should be picked up immediately.
Andrew Nolan is a very interesting and insightful person and shows that in this interview.
Could we please get the perfunctory introductions out of the way? Who are the members of the band and how long have you been around?
Formed in 2003, current line up: Bloomer, Carroll, Edgar, King, Nolan
What were the original intentions of the band? Do you think that these have been fulfilled? I have seen that the 3rd LP is slated to be the last; will this mean the end of the band?
I was perhaps a little rash in proclaiming our third LP would be our last, but it will probably still be the case. A band can only last for so long and remain vital and relevant to its members.
Given the self imposed restrictions we put on our music there's only really so much we can do with it until it becomes stale to us. We'll see what happens; I think there's life in the beast yet, but when it's time to stop we'll kill it without a second though.
How much time do you spend on your lyrics? Do you think that within hardcore punk there is an acceptance of weaker lyrics simply because they are not always easily decipherable in the context of the music? How important is lyrical content to you?
I'll have ideas of what I want to put across in a song and think about several of those ideas for a while before just getting everything out in one sitting if possible. I don't spend a lot of time trying to get them 'right', I'll figure out the key parts that need to be in the song and go from there.
I think there's acceptance of weak everything in our world and punk is generally no different. I only really notice lyrics when someone points out to me how utterly appalling they are, by and large I can live with them and pay only scant attention to most bands' lyrics.
Very few people (and I most certainly include myself in this statement) have much to say that the whole world needs to hear.
I've seen that you have commented that the recent split with Bastard Noise was something of a laborious process. Care to elaborate? Are you happy with the finished product?
We're all very happy with the end product and yes it was a long and laborious process at almost every level imaginable and everyone in Blockade lost their mind and interest at some point of its long and painful birthing process.
Anyone familiar with your work will be aware that there is significant discourse relating to religion and its faults within the lyrics. Freud suggested that religion will exists as long as fear is present within human nature. The implication being that we will never be rid of organised religion. Do you think that humanity will ever see a time where religion does not exist? Do human beings even deserve that freedom?
I think saying the reason that religion exists is based entirely on fear is the kind of useless bullshit you can hear from any armchair atheist with no real understanding of the role religion has played in the world either historically or presently.
People will also go on at great lengths to tell you that religion is the casue of all wars. Religion is present in lots of wars but it's not the cause, if anything it's more like the Twinkie Defence in a murder trial.
Religion appears in two forms; an individual form and a mass form.
Religion as an aspect of society was born out of a need for another racial/tribal identifier. People who worshiped different gods than you did were not your kin and thus both easily identifiable and easy to wage a war with.
It also served/serves as simple moral instruction and allegory. This is something the fundamentalists get horrifically wrong almost every single time. It's also something the atheists get confused with; as if they're confusing myth with fairytale (the two are very different.)
As a personal need it's generally just a way of acknowledging you don't know how the universe works.
The idea of a religion that crosses racial boundaries is a relatively new one. Any good practicing Christian can enter the kingdom of heaven; they just have to accept Christ as their redeemer. Same with Islam, those crazy militant fundamentalists that we're lead to believe are in our midst waiting to slit our children's throats will actually take a short break when everyone converts. The Jews are different though, you can't decide to be one of God's chosen people, you have to be born into it. Sure, people do convert to Judaism but in my experience those people are treated as curiosities and not taken seriously without the matrilineal heritage.
So religion has changed over the years as being a way of keeping the bloodline intact (kill non believers) to a way of keeping an idea alive (convert non believers). And I realise I'm skipping over things like supersessionism, but this is a punk zine and not a theological tome (unless I've been horribly misinformed).
Without a religious imperative wars would have still occurred, they would have just had to find another excuse for coming into being. People would have probably gone to war over what kind of local flora and fauna another land had without the God angle.
Saying things like 'No Gods No Masters' is cute but ultimately addresses a whole lot of nothing and to my mind is like trying to convert gay people to heterosexuality. A personal religious need is perfectly acceptable and often a deep seated human need that goes far beyond our modern understanding.
I think that modern atheism is generally nothing more than Victorian parlour games; witty intellectual conundrums and little else. I see the most useless aspects of religion (in particular fundamentalism, easily the dumbest and most modern thing about religious thought) and modern scientific atheism as being exactly the same stupid things; both want to make the universe a smaller and more explainable place. This is something I have no interest in; I want the universe to be incomprehensibly huge and daunting. I don't need answers to every single thing.
Religion will tell you that things are the way they are "because God deemed it so, hey, no talking in the back, this is God's chosen representative on earth talking to you here." And scientific atheism will tell you things like stimulating a certain part of the brain will induce a feeling of divine presence and being in love is just a mere chemical reaction that ultimately means nothing.
I don't need science to tell me that I'm a bag of meat and bones with some weird chemical reactions going on to make me move. I accept that I am, but life is something I still find myself experiencing and it can't be explained so neatly.
I also don't need a religion to tell me that there are mysteries in the world and that trees and flowers grow for magical/divine reasons. I accept that my knowledge and experience is crushingly limited and I will never really understand even the tiniest fraction of how the universe works. And let's not forget that a wasp experiences the world in a far different way than a dog. Which one experiences the world 'correctly' and which one is deluded?
The term God encapsulates everything we don't know about the world. God is the idea of an idea. God is the idea of perfection, and as flawed human beings we have no idea of what perfection even looks like. So when someone tells you God speaks to them how do they even understand what's being said?
Even when people talk about God being a 'force' they humanise what God is. I take the stance that God is something I will never know or understand or be able to experience and for that reason is largely irrelevant in my life.
Neither religion nor atheism are able to speak to what God actually is (or is the absence of) so I reject them both as irrelevant to my life and sphere of understanding.
Do you believe that there is an anti-intellectual streak in punk music or punks in general?
I think modern life certainly doesn't encourage an inner life or quiet introspection, which could be conceived of as being anti-intellectual I guess.
I haven't noticed a specific anti-intellectual streak in punk though. If punk isn't visceral then I'm not really interested in it so I'm ok with it being perceived as dumb.
If you watch any documentary on the development of hardcore in the US the same talking heads will tell you punk was something wonderfully liberating and artistic until all the violent yobs came along in the 1980s and ruined it for everyone. Clearly those pesky working class oiks just had to ruin everyone's fun and good for them. I'd rather listen to Agnostic Front than X any day.
The Endless Blockade is building up quite a sizeable back catalogue now, is there any release that stands out in your mind or one that you are most proud of?
Probably Primitive, though I like the Bastard Noise split a lot.
What do you think of the use of descriptors like power violence these days? Do you think that settings such as internet message boards have created an environment where more emphasis is placed on genres rather than the actual output of a band? I guess what I'm trying to say is, do genres matter in hardcore punk?
It's generally only important if a band is good or not, however you choose to define good. If a band doesn't have some sense of internal logic and consistency then they'll almost always fail. Being aware of the minutiae and subtleties of genre above and beyond a "recommend me some power violence like Apathetic Ronald McDonal" level goes part way to accomplishing this.
I think message boards have created and environment where it's important to be seen as legitimate as quickly as possibly and it's fairly tedious to behold.
Trash Talk and Ceremony were the buzz bands for a while and now they seem to be written off as farts at a funeral; quite what happened is beyond me, perhaps people want to prove they have better taste than everyone else?
With black metal over the last few years there's been a rush to proclaim Blasphemy, Von and Beherit as the only bands worth listening to, which is great, I love those three bands and people should pay attention to them, but if it's only lip service in the quest for self legitimisation what's the point?
You can see it already with the new Burzum LP, many people are desperate to be the first to write it off as either garbage or the second coming of black metal based on listening to half of a sub-par download on laptop speakers.
Punk is no different; I heard Fucked Up jumped the shark because they have too many guitar tracks on their recordings or something.
I miss the days when you'd spend a year listening to an album before moving on to the next one.
But regarding your questions of genre, it's hard to say how important it is. There'll always be be people that will call Melt Banana noise, Morbid Angel thrash, Siege power violence, Slayer death metal and you get the picture...
From what I can gather your live shows incorporate a lot of noise elements. What is the usual crowd reception to this? Have you head any fan response regarding the Noah Creshevsky or The Rita remixes that are included with the new split with Bastard Noise?
We definitely use a lot more noise live now and have added a fifth live member to assist with this and integrate it more. Some people are into the noise live, some don't like it at all, some understand the noise on the recordings better when they hear it live at loud volume.
The reception to the tracks by Noah Creshevsky and The Rita have been largely predictable, some people dislike them, some people love them, some people want to try and understand it and ask questions. The Rita is certainly not what I would call entry level noise so that's definitely a tough one to get your head around if you've no real prior experience with noise as a genre.
I think people who were familiar with Noah Creshevsky's work before are amazed we got him to work with us and genuinely excited about the track.
Have you always been interested in the occult and the use of symbols and codes? How important are these to the identity of the band?
Possibly more than any other band I've been in previously I consider this band to be a large part of 'me' and consequently a lot of my interests break through the surface.
The occult is just a word than can signify a lot of different ideas of various merits. To me it represents another selection of ways of understanding and interacting with the universe. It's also a way of coding larger pieces of information into much smaller formats for other people to either decipher or not. The Unearthly Trance split LP came about largely because of shared aesthetics and language.
My interest in more esoteric matters has been an ebb and flow since I was a child. My first academic (i.e. an awareness of formulised systems by other people who didn't merely experience 'weird shit' as I had been for a number of years) interest came in my early teens after reading books (and practicing their examples) by Sylvan Muldoon and Oliver Fox and listening to several tapes obtained from my Sorcerers' Apprentice in Leeds. In my late teems it was Robert Anton Wilson, Peter Carroll, Phil Hine, Ramsey Dukes, Discordianism and others and from my 20s and onwards its been a strange mix of doomsday cults, post-Golden Dawn thinkers/practitioners, hermetic Qabalah, anti-modernist/anti-enlightenment ideals, antinomianism, Perrenialism and a lot of dysfunctional thought occasionally labeled as 'transgressive'.
And I view it all as being important and equally ridiculous. "It's" both the most important thing informing my worldview and complete and utter nonsense at the same time. "Nothing is true, everything is permitted" as Hassan-i Sabbah probably never actually said (but it makes for a nice anecdote).
What do you think about record collecting? What about record collectors?
I have an extensive and great record collection, what can I say? I've gone through significant periods in my life where money went on records or postage for trades at the expensive of rent or food.
The "Primitive" LP contains guest vocals from Jello Biafra; how did that eventuate?
Dave Adelson (20 Buck Spin guy) used to be the label manager at Alternative Tentacles and pulled the favour.
I have a fifteen minute CD of Jello saying "Endless Blockade" in more and more ridiculous voices including George W Bush and Elmer Fudd impersonations.
What do you have in mind for the future of the band? Any thoughts of an Australian or SE Asia tour?
I played some shows in Australia ten years ago and had a great time. If someone will pay for our flights upfront then we'll consider it carefully.
The future of the band is anyone's guess, we'll see when we get there.
Andrew Nolan is a very interesting and insightful person and shows that in this interview.
Could we please get the perfunctory introductions out of the way? Who are the members of the band and how long have you been around?
Formed in 2003, current line up: Bloomer, Carroll, Edgar, King, Nolan
What were the original intentions of the band? Do you think that these have been fulfilled? I have seen that the 3rd LP is slated to be the last; will this mean the end of the band?
I was perhaps a little rash in proclaiming our third LP would be our last, but it will probably still be the case. A band can only last for so long and remain vital and relevant to its members.
Given the self imposed restrictions we put on our music there's only really so much we can do with it until it becomes stale to us. We'll see what happens; I think there's life in the beast yet, but when it's time to stop we'll kill it without a second though.
How much time do you spend on your lyrics? Do you think that within hardcore punk there is an acceptance of weaker lyrics simply because they are not always easily decipherable in the context of the music? How important is lyrical content to you?
I'll have ideas of what I want to put across in a song and think about several of those ideas for a while before just getting everything out in one sitting if possible. I don't spend a lot of time trying to get them 'right', I'll figure out the key parts that need to be in the song and go from there.
I think there's acceptance of weak everything in our world and punk is generally no different. I only really notice lyrics when someone points out to me how utterly appalling they are, by and large I can live with them and pay only scant attention to most bands' lyrics.
Very few people (and I most certainly include myself in this statement) have much to say that the whole world needs to hear.
I've seen that you have commented that the recent split with Bastard Noise was something of a laborious process. Care to elaborate? Are you happy with the finished product?
We're all very happy with the end product and yes it was a long and laborious process at almost every level imaginable and everyone in Blockade lost their mind and interest at some point of its long and painful birthing process.
Anyone familiar with your work will be aware that there is significant discourse relating to religion and its faults within the lyrics. Freud suggested that religion will exists as long as fear is present within human nature. The implication being that we will never be rid of organised religion. Do you think that humanity will ever see a time where religion does not exist? Do human beings even deserve that freedom?
I think saying the reason that religion exists is based entirely on fear is the kind of useless bullshit you can hear from any armchair atheist with no real understanding of the role religion has played in the world either historically or presently.
People will also go on at great lengths to tell you that religion is the casue of all wars. Religion is present in lots of wars but it's not the cause, if anything it's more like the Twinkie Defence in a murder trial.
Religion appears in two forms; an individual form and a mass form.
Religion as an aspect of society was born out of a need for another racial/tribal identifier. People who worshiped different gods than you did were not your kin and thus both easily identifiable and easy to wage a war with.
It also served/serves as simple moral instruction and allegory. This is something the fundamentalists get horrifically wrong almost every single time. It's also something the atheists get confused with; as if they're confusing myth with fairytale (the two are very different.)
As a personal need it's generally just a way of acknowledging you don't know how the universe works.
The idea of a religion that crosses racial boundaries is a relatively new one. Any good practicing Christian can enter the kingdom of heaven; they just have to accept Christ as their redeemer. Same with Islam, those crazy militant fundamentalists that we're lead to believe are in our midst waiting to slit our children's throats will actually take a short break when everyone converts. The Jews are different though, you can't decide to be one of God's chosen people, you have to be born into it. Sure, people do convert to Judaism but in my experience those people are treated as curiosities and not taken seriously without the matrilineal heritage.
So religion has changed over the years as being a way of keeping the bloodline intact (kill non believers) to a way of keeping an idea alive (convert non believers). And I realise I'm skipping over things like supersessionism, but this is a punk zine and not a theological tome (unless I've been horribly misinformed).
Without a religious imperative wars would have still occurred, they would have just had to find another excuse for coming into being. People would have probably gone to war over what kind of local flora and fauna another land had without the God angle.
Saying things like 'No Gods No Masters' is cute but ultimately addresses a whole lot of nothing and to my mind is like trying to convert gay people to heterosexuality. A personal religious need is perfectly acceptable and often a deep seated human need that goes far beyond our modern understanding.
I think that modern atheism is generally nothing more than Victorian parlour games; witty intellectual conundrums and little else. I see the most useless aspects of religion (in particular fundamentalism, easily the dumbest and most modern thing about religious thought) and modern scientific atheism as being exactly the same stupid things; both want to make the universe a smaller and more explainable place. This is something I have no interest in; I want the universe to be incomprehensibly huge and daunting. I don't need answers to every single thing.
Religion will tell you that things are the way they are "because God deemed it so, hey, no talking in the back, this is God's chosen representative on earth talking to you here." And scientific atheism will tell you things like stimulating a certain part of the brain will induce a feeling of divine presence and being in love is just a mere chemical reaction that ultimately means nothing.
I don't need science to tell me that I'm a bag of meat and bones with some weird chemical reactions going on to make me move. I accept that I am, but life is something I still find myself experiencing and it can't be explained so neatly.
I also don't need a religion to tell me that there are mysteries in the world and that trees and flowers grow for magical/divine reasons. I accept that my knowledge and experience is crushingly limited and I will never really understand even the tiniest fraction of how the universe works. And let's not forget that a wasp experiences the world in a far different way than a dog. Which one experiences the world 'correctly' and which one is deluded?
The term God encapsulates everything we don't know about the world. God is the idea of an idea. God is the idea of perfection, and as flawed human beings we have no idea of what perfection even looks like. So when someone tells you God speaks to them how do they even understand what's being said?
Even when people talk about God being a 'force' they humanise what God is. I take the stance that God is something I will never know or understand or be able to experience and for that reason is largely irrelevant in my life.
Neither religion nor atheism are able to speak to what God actually is (or is the absence of) so I reject them both as irrelevant to my life and sphere of understanding.
Do you believe that there is an anti-intellectual streak in punk music or punks in general?
I think modern life certainly doesn't encourage an inner life or quiet introspection, which could be conceived of as being anti-intellectual I guess.
I haven't noticed a specific anti-intellectual streak in punk though. If punk isn't visceral then I'm not really interested in it so I'm ok with it being perceived as dumb.
If you watch any documentary on the development of hardcore in the US the same talking heads will tell you punk was something wonderfully liberating and artistic until all the violent yobs came along in the 1980s and ruined it for everyone. Clearly those pesky working class oiks just had to ruin everyone's fun and good for them. I'd rather listen to Agnostic Front than X any day.
The Endless Blockade is building up quite a sizeable back catalogue now, is there any release that stands out in your mind or one that you are most proud of?
Probably Primitive, though I like the Bastard Noise split a lot.
What do you think of the use of descriptors like power violence these days? Do you think that settings such as internet message boards have created an environment where more emphasis is placed on genres rather than the actual output of a band? I guess what I'm trying to say is, do genres matter in hardcore punk?
It's generally only important if a band is good or not, however you choose to define good. If a band doesn't have some sense of internal logic and consistency then they'll almost always fail. Being aware of the minutiae and subtleties of genre above and beyond a "recommend me some power violence like Apathetic Ronald McDonal" level goes part way to accomplishing this.
I think message boards have created and environment where it's important to be seen as legitimate as quickly as possibly and it's fairly tedious to behold.
Trash Talk and Ceremony were the buzz bands for a while and now they seem to be written off as farts at a funeral; quite what happened is beyond me, perhaps people want to prove they have better taste than everyone else?
With black metal over the last few years there's been a rush to proclaim Blasphemy, Von and Beherit as the only bands worth listening to, which is great, I love those three bands and people should pay attention to them, but if it's only lip service in the quest for self legitimisation what's the point?
You can see it already with the new Burzum LP, many people are desperate to be the first to write it off as either garbage or the second coming of black metal based on listening to half of a sub-par download on laptop speakers.
Punk is no different; I heard Fucked Up jumped the shark because they have too many guitar tracks on their recordings or something.
I miss the days when you'd spend a year listening to an album before moving on to the next one.
But regarding your questions of genre, it's hard to say how important it is. There'll always be be people that will call Melt Banana noise, Morbid Angel thrash, Siege power violence, Slayer death metal and you get the picture...
From what I can gather your live shows incorporate a lot of noise elements. What is the usual crowd reception to this? Have you head any fan response regarding the Noah Creshevsky or The Rita remixes that are included with the new split with Bastard Noise?
We definitely use a lot more noise live now and have added a fifth live member to assist with this and integrate it more. Some people are into the noise live, some don't like it at all, some understand the noise on the recordings better when they hear it live at loud volume.
The reception to the tracks by Noah Creshevsky and The Rita have been largely predictable, some people dislike them, some people love them, some people want to try and understand it and ask questions. The Rita is certainly not what I would call entry level noise so that's definitely a tough one to get your head around if you've no real prior experience with noise as a genre.
I think people who were familiar with Noah Creshevsky's work before are amazed we got him to work with us and genuinely excited about the track.
Have you always been interested in the occult and the use of symbols and codes? How important are these to the identity of the band?
Possibly more than any other band I've been in previously I consider this band to be a large part of 'me' and consequently a lot of my interests break through the surface.
The occult is just a word than can signify a lot of different ideas of various merits. To me it represents another selection of ways of understanding and interacting with the universe. It's also a way of coding larger pieces of information into much smaller formats for other people to either decipher or not. The Unearthly Trance split LP came about largely because of shared aesthetics and language.
My interest in more esoteric matters has been an ebb and flow since I was a child. My first academic (i.e. an awareness of formulised systems by other people who didn't merely experience 'weird shit' as I had been for a number of years) interest came in my early teens after reading books (and practicing their examples) by Sylvan Muldoon and Oliver Fox and listening to several tapes obtained from my Sorcerers' Apprentice in Leeds. In my late teems it was Robert Anton Wilson, Peter Carroll, Phil Hine, Ramsey Dukes, Discordianism and others and from my 20s and onwards its been a strange mix of doomsday cults, post-Golden Dawn thinkers/practitioners, hermetic Qabalah, anti-modernist/anti-enlightenment ideals, antinomianism, Perrenialism and a lot of dysfunctional thought occasionally labeled as 'transgressive'.
And I view it all as being important and equally ridiculous. "It's" both the most important thing informing my worldview and complete and utter nonsense at the same time. "Nothing is true, everything is permitted" as Hassan-i Sabbah probably never actually said (but it makes for a nice anecdote).
What do you think about record collecting? What about record collectors?
I have an extensive and great record collection, what can I say? I've gone through significant periods in my life where money went on records or postage for trades at the expensive of rent or food.
The "Primitive" LP contains guest vocals from Jello Biafra; how did that eventuate?
Dave Adelson (20 Buck Spin guy) used to be the label manager at Alternative Tentacles and pulled the favour.
I have a fifteen minute CD of Jello saying "Endless Blockade" in more and more ridiculous voices including George W Bush and Elmer Fudd impersonations.
What do you have in mind for the future of the band? Any thoughts of an Australian or SE Asia tour?
I played some shows in Australia ten years ago and had a great time. If someone will pay for our flights upfront then we'll consider it carefully.
The future of the band is anyone's guess, we'll see when we get there.
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