Pop-punk/Hardcore/Punk
WWW.MYSPACE.COM/LIGHTWAITE
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Interview with The Braces!
-Who are The Braces?
TB: The Braces are 4 dudes who love punk music of all types and love playing it, whether it's to 1000 people or 5 people.
-What would you say keeps you guys going? I read you've been a band for 4 years or so.
TB: We didnt really take ourselves seriously at first we just played for fun it's only been about two years that we've been taking things seriously because we feel that our music is finally at the point where people who have never heard punk music or of punk music can get into it and yet its still somewhat classifiable as punk that's something we wanted to accomplish
-Awesome, Who are your biggest influences?
TB: In terms of ideals and beliefs the clash and minor threat in terms of music nofx, the clash, bad religion and osker in terms of lyrics elvis costello and the lawrence arms
-What are some of the things you have learned from being part of the punk scene?
TB: People have ego's and opinions that aren't based on fact or logic in the punk/hardcore/pop punk scene punk kids pride themselves on being open minded but most are close minded not to alienate a bunch of kids by stating that but I've seen a terrible band throw out a kid dynamite cover and have the hardcore kids eat it up and then a band right after covers lifetime who most hardcore kids don't know of and the hardcore kids dont give two shits (lifetime is the band that dan yemin was in prior to kid dynamite) on the other hand,I love punk kids/hardcore kids/pop punk kids a lot of them are really great guys once you get to know them and get their respect it is just irrationally hard to earn it
-Hmm, what are some of the things that you have noticed changed 5-10 years ago in the music scene?
TB: I remember my first show ever was with TSOL, Death By Stereo and Audio Karate when I was 13 in 2000. You would never see a show like that these days an 80's hardcore classic with a metalcore band and pop punk band and thats even probably a step below what it was like before my time everything is getting sectioned off I'd rather play to a bunch of eager eared 15 year old's than a bunch of nose to the air arms crossed 17 year olds who won't give a shit about you if you don't have a breakdown
-Lets get back to the band haha, What do you have recorded/released?
TB: We recorded and released our first LP ourselves when we didn't really know how to play our instruments but we didn't care we decided to do our second album ourselves after offers from a few producers because we felt like we would be able to make it how we wanted, instead of paying an excessive amount of money to get something we didnt want plus we were broke
-Haha, How many shows do you think you guys have played? Tell me about the best and worst show you guys have had.
TB: I've lost count our best show was definitely our CD release show for our last album we got to play with some of our best friends and it was amazing to hear everyone singing along plus we were in charge of booking it and running it so we got to do it how we wanted the worst show we've had was on tour in riverside we were playing with a bunch of hardcore bands and we had to run the sound ourselves because the venue didnt know what they were doing and we had to provide our own mics and duct tape them to the stands it wasnt bad because of that though that would have been fine but we played and pretty much everyone cleared the room but these two dudes and so i basically spent the rest of the show pretending that these two guys were our biggest fans and when we got off stage one of the guys was like "youre a fucking dick onstage, I wanted to sock you"
-When writing songs, where do you get your inspiration for lyrics?
TB: It depends I know that our bassist Fern takes a lot of inspiration from things that are currently going on in his life I think it varies for me Some of the songs on our album were about things that happened to me a long time ago and others were written two weeks before we recorded I wrote the entire song "I'd Rather Be Hot" stuck in traffic on the 101 freeway on the way home from work then figured out the melody on ukulele because that's all I had at my apartment and then from there worked it into guitar.
-What would you describe your sound to someone who has never heard of you.
TB: haha thats so tough, Poppy Punk that isn't necessarily pop punk and isnt necessarily punk. I guess if I were to use bands... It's a mix between Blink 182, Bad Religion, Lifetime, and Jawbreaker.
-Are there any upcoming tours for The Braces?
TB: No tours planned, but we want to play as many tours this year as possible so if any band reads this and wants to go out on tour with us let us know and we'll start planning.
-Thats it for the interview, any last words?
TB: check out our friends in the sheds, blackout 101, the bogarts, lightwaite and check our friends' record label No Sleep Records!
check them out: myspace
TB: The Braces are 4 dudes who love punk music of all types and love playing it, whether it's to 1000 people or 5 people.
-What would you say keeps you guys going? I read you've been a band for 4 years or so.
TB: We didnt really take ourselves seriously at first we just played for fun it's only been about two years that we've been taking things seriously because we feel that our music is finally at the point where people who have never heard punk music or of punk music can get into it and yet its still somewhat classifiable as punk that's something we wanted to accomplish
-Awesome, Who are your biggest influences?
TB: In terms of ideals and beliefs the clash and minor threat in terms of music nofx, the clash, bad religion and osker in terms of lyrics elvis costello and the lawrence arms
-What are some of the things you have learned from being part of the punk scene?
TB: People have ego's and opinions that aren't based on fact or logic in the punk/hardcore/pop punk scene punk kids pride themselves on being open minded but most are close minded not to alienate a bunch of kids by stating that but I've seen a terrible band throw out a kid dynamite cover and have the hardcore kids eat it up and then a band right after covers lifetime who most hardcore kids don't know of and the hardcore kids dont give two shits (lifetime is the band that dan yemin was in prior to kid dynamite) on the other hand,I love punk kids/hardcore kids/pop punk kids a lot of them are really great guys once you get to know them and get their respect it is just irrationally hard to earn it
-Hmm, what are some of the things that you have noticed changed 5-10 years ago in the music scene?
TB: I remember my first show ever was with TSOL, Death By Stereo and Audio Karate when I was 13 in 2000. You would never see a show like that these days an 80's hardcore classic with a metalcore band and pop punk band and thats even probably a step below what it was like before my time everything is getting sectioned off I'd rather play to a bunch of eager eared 15 year old's than a bunch of nose to the air arms crossed 17 year olds who won't give a shit about you if you don't have a breakdown
-Lets get back to the band haha, What do you have recorded/released?
TB: We recorded and released our first LP ourselves when we didn't really know how to play our instruments but we didn't care we decided to do our second album ourselves after offers from a few producers because we felt like we would be able to make it how we wanted, instead of paying an excessive amount of money to get something we didnt want plus we were broke
-Haha, How many shows do you think you guys have played? Tell me about the best and worst show you guys have had.
TB: I've lost count our best show was definitely our CD release show for our last album we got to play with some of our best friends and it was amazing to hear everyone singing along plus we were in charge of booking it and running it so we got to do it how we wanted the worst show we've had was on tour in riverside we were playing with a bunch of hardcore bands and we had to run the sound ourselves because the venue didnt know what they were doing and we had to provide our own mics and duct tape them to the stands it wasnt bad because of that though that would have been fine but we played and pretty much everyone cleared the room but these two dudes and so i basically spent the rest of the show pretending that these two guys were our biggest fans and when we got off stage one of the guys was like "youre a fucking dick onstage, I wanted to sock you"
-When writing songs, where do you get your inspiration for lyrics?
TB: It depends I know that our bassist Fern takes a lot of inspiration from things that are currently going on in his life I think it varies for me Some of the songs on our album were about things that happened to me a long time ago and others were written two weeks before we recorded I wrote the entire song "I'd Rather Be Hot" stuck in traffic on the 101 freeway on the way home from work then figured out the melody on ukulele because that's all I had at my apartment and then from there worked it into guitar.
-What would you describe your sound to someone who has never heard of you.
TB: haha thats so tough, Poppy Punk that isn't necessarily pop punk and isnt necessarily punk. I guess if I were to use bands... It's a mix between Blink 182, Bad Religion, Lifetime, and Jawbreaker.
-Are there any upcoming tours for The Braces?
TB: No tours planned, but we want to play as many tours this year as possible so if any band reads this and wants to go out on tour with us let us know and we'll start planning.
-Thats it for the interview, any last words?
TB: check out our friends in the sheds, blackout 101, the bogarts, lightwaite and check our friends' record label No Sleep Records!
check them out: myspace
The Wonder Years "The Upsides" REVIEW
The Upsides
(The Wonder Years)
I’m not sad anymore, I just listened to The Wonder Years. Sophomore album The Upsides is a reluctantly positive, poppy and personal introspective of a last year at college and the circumstances surrounding the transition from idyllic adolescence to disillusioned but hopeful maturity. Starting off with the motto of the album (“I’m not sad anymore\I’m just tired of this place”), “My Last Semester” kicks off the new and improved style of the band. TWY has taken the best aspects of Get Stoked On It! and expanded on its foundation of pop punk spirit and intimate lyrics, developing the unique sound that sets TWY apart. While there are few standout tracks, the consistency of pace and variety of rhythm makes it easy to get addicted to the album as a whole, a story that one can read over and over again, finding new lines to laugh at and more parallels between the life of vocalist “Soupy” and your own. “Melrose Diner” reminds us of what “my friends all say,” and “It’s Never Sunny” says that “Most days are bad days\But we can’t just wait\For someone to pull me off of the concrete”, the little things that everyone relates to on some level. The charm and beauty of The Upsides is not just its catchy lyrics and guitar riffs, it’s the simple message embedded in the words of guys like you and me – a message we can all appreciate about the upside of life. And for pulling that off, The Wonder Years has something to be happy about.
-Brokedick
For Fans Of: New Found Glory, This Time Next Year, The Light Year, A Loss for Words
Favorite Songs: My Last Semester, Dynamite Shovel, Melrose Diner, Hey Thanks, All My Friends Are in Bar Bands
Rating: B+
(The Wonder Years)
I’m not sad anymore, I just listened to The Wonder Years. Sophomore album The Upsides is a reluctantly positive, poppy and personal introspective of a last year at college and the circumstances surrounding the transition from idyllic adolescence to disillusioned but hopeful maturity. Starting off with the motto of the album (“I’m not sad anymore\I’m just tired of this place”), “My Last Semester” kicks off the new and improved style of the band. TWY has taken the best aspects of Get Stoked On It! and expanded on its foundation of pop punk spirit and intimate lyrics, developing the unique sound that sets TWY apart. While there are few standout tracks, the consistency of pace and variety of rhythm makes it easy to get addicted to the album as a whole, a story that one can read over and over again, finding new lines to laugh at and more parallels between the life of vocalist “Soupy” and your own. “Melrose Diner” reminds us of what “my friends all say,” and “It’s Never Sunny” says that “Most days are bad days\But we can’t just wait\For someone to pull me off of the concrete”, the little things that everyone relates to on some level. The charm and beauty of The Upsides is not just its catchy lyrics and guitar riffs, it’s the simple message embedded in the words of guys like you and me – a message we can all appreciate about the upside of life. And for pulling that off, The Wonder Years has something to be happy about.
-Brokedick
For Fans Of: New Found Glory, This Time Next Year, The Light Year, A Loss for Words
Favorite Songs: My Last Semester, Dynamite Shovel, Melrose Diner, Hey Thanks, All My Friends Are in Bar Bands
Rating: B+
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Interview with Thieves!
-Who is Thieves? Where are you from? How did you all meet? Did you know each other before Thieves?
T:Thieves formed from a couple local bands and mutual friends in Austin, TX. Chris (guitar), Andy (drums), and Nathan (bass) played in a hardcore/metal band (The Cabaret) for about three years. Many years before that, Chris and I, Billy (guitar/vocals), played in a pop punkish band (Tomorrow’s Too Late). Nathan even came out to a lot of our shows when he was younger. Anyways, shortly after the break up of The Cabaret we were all hanging out one day listening to our buddies With The Punches (the vocalist is an ex Tomorrow’s Too Late member). We talked about how much fun it would be to combine the two styles of The Cabaret and Tomorrow's Too Late type stuff. After a few jam sessions, it just turned into something more serious.
-How would you describe your overall sound?
T: To us, Thieves sounds like a group of friends, who primarily listen to metal and hardcore, deciding to revert back to their pop punk roots. We really feel our music reflects the reasons we got into indie/underground music in the first place, mixed with the reasons why we listen to the music we do now.
-What does Thieves have under their belt?
T: We haven’t gone out on any huge tours. However, we have played a few 3-4 day (mini) tours around Texas, as well as some very big local shows. We have shared the stage with such acts as The Wonder Years, Therefore I Am, Man Overboard, Scary Kids Scaring Kids, Dance Gavin Dance, Alta Ave, With The Punches, Carridale and many other great bands/friends of ours.
-How many shows have you played so far? What was the most memorable one and is there any you consider to be a total wreck?
T: We've been together for about ayear, and have been playing shows constantly for about 8 or 9 months. I would say our most memorable show so far was a house show we played with our good friends Cities and Years (RIP). That was the first time we saw people singing along to our songs and having as much fun with them as we were. That was a great time. That house got destroyed during our set...our bad. The worst show we've ever played was definitely at Red7 with our buddies in Carridale. They came down from Alabama and played with us for a few days and we just played a bad show. They were great but we were just sloppy. No one was there, our equipment kept messing up and it just flat out sucked. We've never played like that since. Lesson learned.
-What are some best and worst memories connected with the band?
T: Worst memory is probably just that awful show I just described. The best memories are the shows where I'm not able to sing because people run on stage and steal the mic. It's a good feeling knowing someone wants to sing your stuff so bad they'll steal the mic from you. Also, on our first little Texas tour we played in Bryan, TX to hundreds of people who'd never seen us before and they went off the whole time. That whole trip was incredible. Basically if we can all travel together in the same car and pass the time by making fun of each other or coming up with new ideas for the band, we will have a blast.
-What’s your goal with this band?
T: The goal of this band since day one has been to have as much fun as possible while emphasizing how important friendship and meeting and forming relationships with kids has on us and the music we play. Of course we’d like to do this every single night.
-What is the toughest lesson you ever learned while being in the music scene?
T: Hard work pays off. Keep playing, keep practicing, keep writing, keep rewriting. Push yourself and never let anyone tell you how to make your music. People will only be into it if it's genuine.
-When it’s all said and done what do you want as a band to be remembered for the most?
T: I want people to have fun and find inspiration in our music.
-What do you guys love to eat? Any particular places you remember from being on tour that you'll never forget?
T: Shout out right here to Gourdough's and Torchy's Tacos in Austin, TX. Those people are doing it right with fresh ingredients. Also, shout out to Aranda’s for bringin the breakfast taco madness at all hours. Eat real food if you have the time and money to. We don't know many out-of-town places... when we're on the road it's drive-thru after drive-thru. Fast food is killing us.
-Thanks for the interview! Any Last words? Anything you would like to add?
T: Thanks to all the kids who dig our music and come out to the shows. Listen to all the bands on our top friends. Listen to good music. Support your local scene damnit (local before global!), and stop listening to Attack Attack and other kids who sing through synthesizers. Also, thanks to Jose for setting this up.
check them out: myspace
T:Thieves formed from a couple local bands and mutual friends in Austin, TX. Chris (guitar), Andy (drums), and Nathan (bass) played in a hardcore/metal band (The Cabaret) for about three years. Many years before that, Chris and I, Billy (guitar/vocals), played in a pop punkish band (Tomorrow’s Too Late). Nathan even came out to a lot of our shows when he was younger. Anyways, shortly after the break up of The Cabaret we were all hanging out one day listening to our buddies With The Punches (the vocalist is an ex Tomorrow’s Too Late member). We talked about how much fun it would be to combine the two styles of The Cabaret and Tomorrow's Too Late type stuff. After a few jam sessions, it just turned into something more serious.
-How would you describe your overall sound?
T: To us, Thieves sounds like a group of friends, who primarily listen to metal and hardcore, deciding to revert back to their pop punk roots. We really feel our music reflects the reasons we got into indie/underground music in the first place, mixed with the reasons why we listen to the music we do now.
-What does Thieves have under their belt?
T: We haven’t gone out on any huge tours. However, we have played a few 3-4 day (mini) tours around Texas, as well as some very big local shows. We have shared the stage with such acts as The Wonder Years, Therefore I Am, Man Overboard, Scary Kids Scaring Kids, Dance Gavin Dance, Alta Ave, With The Punches, Carridale and many other great bands/friends of ours.
-How many shows have you played so far? What was the most memorable one and is there any you consider to be a total wreck?
T: We've been together for about ayear, and have been playing shows constantly for about 8 or 9 months. I would say our most memorable show so far was a house show we played with our good friends Cities and Years (RIP). That was the first time we saw people singing along to our songs and having as much fun with them as we were. That was a great time. That house got destroyed during our set...our bad. The worst show we've ever played was definitely at Red7 with our buddies in Carridale. They came down from Alabama and played with us for a few days and we just played a bad show. They were great but we were just sloppy. No one was there, our equipment kept messing up and it just flat out sucked. We've never played like that since. Lesson learned.
-What are some best and worst memories connected with the band?
T: Worst memory is probably just that awful show I just described. The best memories are the shows where I'm not able to sing because people run on stage and steal the mic. It's a good feeling knowing someone wants to sing your stuff so bad they'll steal the mic from you. Also, on our first little Texas tour we played in Bryan, TX to hundreds of people who'd never seen us before and they went off the whole time. That whole trip was incredible. Basically if we can all travel together in the same car and pass the time by making fun of each other or coming up with new ideas for the band, we will have a blast.
-What’s your goal with this band?
T: The goal of this band since day one has been to have as much fun as possible while emphasizing how important friendship and meeting and forming relationships with kids has on us and the music we play. Of course we’d like to do this every single night.
-What is the toughest lesson you ever learned while being in the music scene?
T: Hard work pays off. Keep playing, keep practicing, keep writing, keep rewriting. Push yourself and never let anyone tell you how to make your music. People will only be into it if it's genuine.
-When it’s all said and done what do you want as a band to be remembered for the most?
T: I want people to have fun and find inspiration in our music.
-What do you guys love to eat? Any particular places you remember from being on tour that you'll never forget?
T: Shout out right here to Gourdough's and Torchy's Tacos in Austin, TX. Those people are doing it right with fresh ingredients. Also, shout out to Aranda’s for bringin the breakfast taco madness at all hours. Eat real food if you have the time and money to. We don't know many out-of-town places... when we're on the road it's drive-thru after drive-thru. Fast food is killing us.
-Thanks for the interview! Any Last words? Anything you would like to add?
T: Thanks to all the kids who dig our music and come out to the shows. Listen to all the bands on our top friends. Listen to good music. Support your local scene damnit (local before global!), and stop listening to Attack Attack and other kids who sing through synthesizers. Also, thanks to Jose for setting this up.
check them out: myspace
Interview with Away with You!
-Who is AWY? Where are you from? How did you all meet? Did you know each other before AWY?
AWY: AWY is Chris, jamie, Gooch, Jimmy and Eugene, We all knew each other
and were friends before AWY. Everyone one was in different bands
before awy. jamie, chris and eugene were in 1 band and gooch and jimmy
were each in other bands. After all our bands broke up we decided to
form awy.
-How would you describe your overall sound?
Our sound is based upon playing fun music. Catchy poppy fast and
energetic is what we strive for.
-What does AWY have under their belt? Time to brag fellas, aha.
AWY: In November we played with bayside in gainsville in front of 650 kids.
We also have played with The wonder years, Such Gold, I call Fives and
other known bands. Our song it's been educational was played on 103.1
the buzz a 100,000 watt radio station in west palm beach. We were also
featured on the front page of purevolume for the release of gametime.
-When you're writing new songs, where do you get your inspiration from?
We usually get our inspiration from experiences. Show your teeth was
written after a night where we played a crappy show and the song is
exactly how the night went.
-What are some best and worst memories connected with the band?
AWY: The best memories are all the great and fun shows we have played over the past year and a half. There are not really any bad memories, maybe bad shows.
-What’s your goal with this band?
AWY: Take it as far as we can.
-What do you want listeners to experience while listening to your songs?
AWY: Feeling of fun and enjoyment.
-How many shows have you played so far? What was the most memorable one and is there any you consider to be a total wreck?
AWY: The most memorable must have been our cd release show. It was the first time we played and most of the crowd knew our words and sang along. Its a god feeling.
-For people that never listened or heard of you guys out there. Give us a few reasons they should.
AWY: Its fun sing along catchy music that is even better live.
-What do you guys love to eat? Any particular places you remember from being on tour that you'll never forget?
AWY: Chicken wings are our favorite. We usually go to wing night at our
favorite wing joint. Mr. Manatees has the best chicken wings ever.
-Thanks for the interview! Any Last words? Anything you would like to add?
We are going to be recording a new album in march so look for it out
in early summer. We will also be on tour in the summer. So message us
if you want us to come to your city.
check them out: myspace
AWY: AWY is Chris, jamie, Gooch, Jimmy and Eugene, We all knew each other
and were friends before AWY. Everyone one was in different bands
before awy. jamie, chris and eugene were in 1 band and gooch and jimmy
were each in other bands. After all our bands broke up we decided to
form awy.
-How would you describe your overall sound?
Our sound is based upon playing fun music. Catchy poppy fast and
energetic is what we strive for.
-What does AWY have under their belt? Time to brag fellas, aha.
AWY: In November we played with bayside in gainsville in front of 650 kids.
We also have played with The wonder years, Such Gold, I call Fives and
other known bands. Our song it's been educational was played on 103.1
the buzz a 100,000 watt radio station in west palm beach. We were also
featured on the front page of purevolume for the release of gametime.
-When you're writing new songs, where do you get your inspiration from?
We usually get our inspiration from experiences. Show your teeth was
written after a night where we played a crappy show and the song is
exactly how the night went.
-What are some best and worst memories connected with the band?
AWY: The best memories are all the great and fun shows we have played over the past year and a half. There are not really any bad memories, maybe bad shows.
-What’s your goal with this band?
AWY: Take it as far as we can.
-What do you want listeners to experience while listening to your songs?
AWY: Feeling of fun and enjoyment.
-How many shows have you played so far? What was the most memorable one and is there any you consider to be a total wreck?
AWY: The most memorable must have been our cd release show. It was the first time we played and most of the crowd knew our words and sang along. Its a god feeling.
-For people that never listened or heard of you guys out there. Give us a few reasons they should.
AWY: Its fun sing along catchy music that is even better live.
-What do you guys love to eat? Any particular places you remember from being on tour that you'll never forget?
AWY: Chicken wings are our favorite. We usually go to wing night at our
favorite wing joint. Mr. Manatees has the best chicken wings ever.
-Thanks for the interview! Any Last words? Anything you would like to add?
We are going to be recording a new album in march so look for it out
in early summer. We will also be on tour in the summer. So message us
if you want us to come to your city.
check them out: myspace
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Interview with Minus!
-Whats up Minus?
M: Not much man. I'm at school at the moment in the library. Listening to Kickback, about to start socking computers. That's about it for now haha.
-Haha, Where did you guys come up with the name?
M: I'm trying to think of some interesting and deep story about how the name "MINUS" came into play, but... I got nothing. I guess half of it came from Breakdown's "Plus Minus" record, get it? All I know for sure is that once the name was discussed, Mr. Daniel Weinraub immediately went to work on designing our logo, which came out looking great.
-Haha What does Minus have under their belt?
M: I think we have only played 3 real shows to date, 2 of which were over last weekend. We played 1 show in Santa Barbara before that, and before that we hopped on before a Downpresser set and played 1 song at a show in SB with Forfeit and Backtrack. The 1 song show was hard, it might be my favorite Minus show to date. Aside from shows, all we have under our belt is a demo, which was recorded sometime in 2009. It took awhile to come out because we recorded with Nathan Zemke (Violation) who happens to be going to school in San Diego currently, so we would have to schedule our recording/mixing sessions around when he would be off of school and home. However, we do have a full 7 inch (at least!) written already. We might record this Spring, who knows. As for now, more shows, more shows, more shows.
-Do you guys have any upcoming tours planned? What do you all do when you're not with the band?
M: We don't have any definite tours coming up at the moment, but there are certainly a lot of ideas being thrown around. We might actually all be flying out east to this year's United Blood Festival in Richmond, VA, just to attend. But if that were to happen, we'd most likely hop on a show or 2 before or after the fest, we'll see what happens though. Other than that we're just looking to play as much as we can around the west coast. Outside of Minus, almost every member of the band plays in at least one other band, that's one thing that keeps us busy. Dan plays in Downpresser, Travi sings in a band called Fell to Low, Austin plays in both All is Fleeting and Fell to Low, and Butcher plays in Pressvre. As for me, all of the bands I was playing in died out, so I started Minus to fill that void. But aside from bands, several of us are full time students. Some of us work part time. Be sure to check out everyone else's bands if you haven't already.
-Out of the few shows you've played what we're your favorites? Why?
M: The first Minus show ever might be my favorite. It was at a place called Mike Jensen's Mainstage in Santa Barbara. The show was with Downpresser, Forfeit, Backtrack, and a few others. We hopped on unannounced right before Downpresser's set and played one song. It was wild. Noses were broken. Lots of friends were there, a good time was had.
-Ha, cool. What bands do each of you guys listen to on the regular? What are some of the bands that influenced Minus?
M: Well, I can't speak for everyone in the band but I know most of us are heavily influenced by NYHC. Bands like Outburst, Madball, Breakdown, Agnostic Front, Killing Time, etc. But then again I know we all listen to a lot of different music. A. Crane and myself might roll up to a show bumping Lady Gaga with everyone else in the van hating on us. But hey, it happens. As far as the music that influenced Minus, that's kind of a hard question. Most of the demo was written without any real direction. It's not like the band started with a definitive plan on trying to imitate a certain band's sound. I will say that my only real direction in Minus was that I wanted to make sure it didn't sound too much like any of our other bands. As much as I love bands like Merauder and 80's trash metal, I wanted Minus to sound entirely different than say Violation or Downpresser. The songwriting on the demo reflects that I think, in that the structures of the songs are rather simple when compared to our other bands. The newer material we have written shows a lot of growth from the demo though. Stay tuned.
-What is the toughest lesson you ever learned while being in music scene?
M: I guess my answer to that would be to always have your priorities straight. Whether they be family, friends, bands, school, whatever it may be, know your priorities and know your boundaries. I often have a problem saying no to things, especially if it's an offer to do something I love like playing music, so I found out the hard way what my limits and my priorities were. At one point I was playing for up to 4 bands all while attending school full time 5 days a week. Add friends and a girlfriend to that and life can get a little hectic, in which case some areas begin to diminish. Of course, my priorities have evolved and shifted over time, but music has always been something that's been very important to me. Here I am.
-What are some best and worst memories connected with the band? Or any other band.
M: That's an easy one to answer personally. Just last weekend we played our first weekend of shows outside of Santa Barbara. We played in Riverside one night and Chula Vista the next. All in all I think there were 9 of us in the van, since a couple of friends came along, so of course a good time was had. However, this also doubles as the worst, because on the second day I somehow came down with the flu. I woke up and threw up everywhere then had a fever the rest of the day. Being sick on the road sucks. But it was still an awesome time. We hit up some casinos, played some C-Lo, you know. We have a solid group of friends in and around Minus so I'm looking forward to future trips and shows.
-Haha, I was at the show in Riverside, loved it. When it’s all said and done what do you want as a band to be remembered for the most?
M: I don't have any real prolific goals for the band in general. Cheesy as it may be, this band started because the 5 of us were always together, going to shows, hanging out, etc. I guess you could say the lineup for the band just made sense. As far as what I would like to be remembered for, my only answer would be a solid hardcore band. So many bands these days have little niches that they fall into, like crossover merauder type, infest-worship band, Integrity-Clevo rip off band, etc. I wanted Minus to be just a solid hardcore band. Sure we have our influences, but I like the idea of being a straight up hardcore band, minus all the cliquey flare and bullshit. That last pun was unintended haha. This band wasn't started with the intention of becoming a hype band or using any experiences we've had in previous bands as a stepping stool, it started as the 5 of us doing what we love, and that's it really.
-Dream tour, now. Who would play with you guys? Where would you tour?
M: I've gotten this question before, and I'm going to stick by my answer. Rather than pick some insane tour of all of my favorite bands that never tour anymore, I'd much rather just do a solid tour with good friends. Minus, Backtrack, Cruel Hand, and Madball. The first two for good times and the solid hangout, and obviously Madball so I could pit with all of the aforementioned solid friends to Madball every night. Make that tour happen ANYWHERE and I'm down. But if I'm doing the routing, obviously it's a world tour, with some wild stops of course. I always thought it would be sweet to play Hawaii. I know a few hardcore bands have done it. I would just book like a week before and after the show to chill. Kauai is my favorite vacation spot. Tropical AMERICAN paradise, can't beat it.
-Haha sounds awesome man, well thanks for the interview it was tight. Any last words?
M: Thank you for the interview. This interview spanned over several days and I just noticed that it started and ended with me being on my laptop listening to Kickback. Book MINUS a show. We'll play it. Hardcore Lives!
Check them out: myspace
M: Not much man. I'm at school at the moment in the library. Listening to Kickback, about to start socking computers. That's about it for now haha.
-Haha, Where did you guys come up with the name?
M: I'm trying to think of some interesting and deep story about how the name "MINUS" came into play, but... I got nothing. I guess half of it came from Breakdown's "Plus Minus" record, get it? All I know for sure is that once the name was discussed, Mr. Daniel Weinraub immediately went to work on designing our logo, which came out looking great.
-Haha What does Minus have under their belt?
M: I think we have only played 3 real shows to date, 2 of which were over last weekend. We played 1 show in Santa Barbara before that, and before that we hopped on before a Downpresser set and played 1 song at a show in SB with Forfeit and Backtrack. The 1 song show was hard, it might be my favorite Minus show to date. Aside from shows, all we have under our belt is a demo, which was recorded sometime in 2009. It took awhile to come out because we recorded with Nathan Zemke (Violation) who happens to be going to school in San Diego currently, so we would have to schedule our recording/mixing sessions around when he would be off of school and home. However, we do have a full 7 inch (at least!) written already. We might record this Spring, who knows. As for now, more shows, more shows, more shows.
-Do you guys have any upcoming tours planned? What do you all do when you're not with the band?
M: We don't have any definite tours coming up at the moment, but there are certainly a lot of ideas being thrown around. We might actually all be flying out east to this year's United Blood Festival in Richmond, VA, just to attend. But if that were to happen, we'd most likely hop on a show or 2 before or after the fest, we'll see what happens though. Other than that we're just looking to play as much as we can around the west coast. Outside of Minus, almost every member of the band plays in at least one other band, that's one thing that keeps us busy. Dan plays in Downpresser, Travi sings in a band called Fell to Low, Austin plays in both All is Fleeting and Fell to Low, and Butcher plays in Pressvre. As for me, all of the bands I was playing in died out, so I started Minus to fill that void. But aside from bands, several of us are full time students. Some of us work part time. Be sure to check out everyone else's bands if you haven't already.
-Out of the few shows you've played what we're your favorites? Why?
M: The first Minus show ever might be my favorite. It was at a place called Mike Jensen's Mainstage in Santa Barbara. The show was with Downpresser, Forfeit, Backtrack, and a few others. We hopped on unannounced right before Downpresser's set and played one song. It was wild. Noses were broken. Lots of friends were there, a good time was had.
-Ha, cool. What bands do each of you guys listen to on the regular? What are some of the bands that influenced Minus?
M: Well, I can't speak for everyone in the band but I know most of us are heavily influenced by NYHC. Bands like Outburst, Madball, Breakdown, Agnostic Front, Killing Time, etc. But then again I know we all listen to a lot of different music. A. Crane and myself might roll up to a show bumping Lady Gaga with everyone else in the van hating on us. But hey, it happens. As far as the music that influenced Minus, that's kind of a hard question. Most of the demo was written without any real direction. It's not like the band started with a definitive plan on trying to imitate a certain band's sound. I will say that my only real direction in Minus was that I wanted to make sure it didn't sound too much like any of our other bands. As much as I love bands like Merauder and 80's trash metal, I wanted Minus to sound entirely different than say Violation or Downpresser. The songwriting on the demo reflects that I think, in that the structures of the songs are rather simple when compared to our other bands. The newer material we have written shows a lot of growth from the demo though. Stay tuned.
-What is the toughest lesson you ever learned while being in music scene?
M: I guess my answer to that would be to always have your priorities straight. Whether they be family, friends, bands, school, whatever it may be, know your priorities and know your boundaries. I often have a problem saying no to things, especially if it's an offer to do something I love like playing music, so I found out the hard way what my limits and my priorities were. At one point I was playing for up to 4 bands all while attending school full time 5 days a week. Add friends and a girlfriend to that and life can get a little hectic, in which case some areas begin to diminish. Of course, my priorities have evolved and shifted over time, but music has always been something that's been very important to me. Here I am.
-What are some best and worst memories connected with the band? Or any other band.
M: That's an easy one to answer personally. Just last weekend we played our first weekend of shows outside of Santa Barbara. We played in Riverside one night and Chula Vista the next. All in all I think there were 9 of us in the van, since a couple of friends came along, so of course a good time was had. However, this also doubles as the worst, because on the second day I somehow came down with the flu. I woke up and threw up everywhere then had a fever the rest of the day. Being sick on the road sucks. But it was still an awesome time. We hit up some casinos, played some C-Lo, you know. We have a solid group of friends in and around Minus so I'm looking forward to future trips and shows.
-Haha, I was at the show in Riverside, loved it. When it’s all said and done what do you want as a band to be remembered for the most?
M: I don't have any real prolific goals for the band in general. Cheesy as it may be, this band started because the 5 of us were always together, going to shows, hanging out, etc. I guess you could say the lineup for the band just made sense. As far as what I would like to be remembered for, my only answer would be a solid hardcore band. So many bands these days have little niches that they fall into, like crossover merauder type, infest-worship band, Integrity-Clevo rip off band, etc. I wanted Minus to be just a solid hardcore band. Sure we have our influences, but I like the idea of being a straight up hardcore band, minus all the cliquey flare and bullshit. That last pun was unintended haha. This band wasn't started with the intention of becoming a hype band or using any experiences we've had in previous bands as a stepping stool, it started as the 5 of us doing what we love, and that's it really.
-Dream tour, now. Who would play with you guys? Where would you tour?
M: I've gotten this question before, and I'm going to stick by my answer. Rather than pick some insane tour of all of my favorite bands that never tour anymore, I'd much rather just do a solid tour with good friends. Minus, Backtrack, Cruel Hand, and Madball. The first two for good times and the solid hangout, and obviously Madball so I could pit with all of the aforementioned solid friends to Madball every night. Make that tour happen ANYWHERE and I'm down. But if I'm doing the routing, obviously it's a world tour, with some wild stops of course. I always thought it would be sweet to play Hawaii. I know a few hardcore bands have done it. I would just book like a week before and after the show to chill. Kauai is my favorite vacation spot. Tropical AMERICAN paradise, can't beat it.
-Haha sounds awesome man, well thanks for the interview it was tight. Any last words?
M: Thank you for the interview. This interview spanned over several days and I just noticed that it started and ended with me being on my laptop listening to Kickback. Book MINUS a show. We'll play it. Hardcore Lives!
Check them out: myspace
Interview with Illustrations!
-So who is Illustrations? How did you come up with the name? Where are you from and how did you guys form? Previous bands?
I: Illustrations is Matt King (myself), Carlos Lopez, Cody Mauser, Raymond Linares and Matt Gonzalez. An old friend of mine from a band I was in a year back referenced me to the name not too long after he moved away. A big thank you to him for that. We're all from San Antonio, TX, the home of nothing. I formed this band alone months ago, after being sick of people slacking in the bands we used to be in. Eventually, I scooped up Cody and Matt after parting ways with the people I was jamming with before. Carlos and I were previously in a band called Hope Of Divine Mercy, and Raymond is also in a band called Delorean Recall. Check them out if you get a chance. It's good jams.
-What does Illustrations have under their belt?
I: Thus far, I'm proud to say that we're working with The Ghost Is Clear Records, a DIY label from Missouri. At this point in time, it's all promotion, but in time, good things are going to take place. We can feel this. We're also in talks with another label, who shall remain nameless until we sign, that is going to financially help us get to where we need to be, seeing as we're all broke losers. We've played a few shows in San Antonio, Austin and Corpus Christi, TX. Fun times, so far. I'm working on booking a summer tour with Sorrows (CA) right now, which is only about ten or so days long. I'm trying to stretch that out as far as Washington, IF possible. As far as releases go, we've released a DIY split with Bottle Rocket (MO), as well as an exclusive song on a The Ghost Is Clear Records compilation record. If anyone reads this, buy our split. I'm hungry. We're currently working on some insane music to release in the future, and I assure you it will blow your mind.
-Since you're hungry. What do you guys love to eat? Any particular places you remember from being on tour that you'll never forget?
I: Jesus, what do we love to eat? Well, whatever we can get our hands on. If you could eat beer and weed, it'd be that. By places, you mean food places, or places? I'll answer both. Best place I've eaten on tour in the past has to be the Whataburger in Corpus Christi, TX. It's the first one built, ever. I mean shit, it's two fucking stories high. Now, if I had to pick an actual place, or places, I'd say some house parties in Austin, TX that we went to after some shows. Good times. I just want to let everyone know that these answers are from my personal past experiences from being on tour. This band has yet to tour.
-What have you learned from bring in the music scene?
I: Well, brother. It takes a lot of time and effort to get anywhere in the scene. You just have to have that mentality, that you're not going to quit, no matter how shitty it gets. Every band should have some kind of uniqueness, ya dig?
-What are some best and worst memories connected with the band?
I: The only memorable moment at this point, was the time we played in Austin, TX. We were allowed a couple of free drinks, so by the time we played, we were all piss drunk, except our drummer. The place was packed. The show went great, except for the fact that our bassist kept hitting people in the crowd with his bass. I got hit in the face with the guitars that night pretty good, as well. Loved it. Love you, Austin.
-If you guys could have a 'DREAM' tour who would you play with and where would you tour?
I: Fuck, if we could play with anyone, I'd say Converge. I like a lot of bands, but Converge definitely sticks out to me, both live and on record. That, or The Dillinger Escape Plan. It would probably have to go through Europe, or some shit. I'm not sure exactly where, but it would be at the hot spot venues. I think I just came thinking about it.
-HA. What do you want listeners to experience while listening to your songs?
I: Well, I'm really into detoxing the mind, as well as other lame things like that. When I wrote these songs, I was probably in a weird state of mind. All of us are. We're not really trying to sound like anyone, but some of the stuff we add into our music is something that will hopefully give the listener a really good vibe. The new stuff we're working on is mellow in the right ways, and heavier in even better ways. It's really going to trip some people out. All in all, I want the people that listen to it to enjoy every second of it. Hopefully most of these listeners will be super hot women. Fuck it, I hope everyone listens to us.
-What does Illustrations stand for? What central theme do the lyrics revolve around?
I: I'm not entirely sure, since I didn't come up with the name myself, but I take it as the literal definition. One being, a comparison or an example intended for explanation or corroboration. The first release we came out with, was around the time my life was basically a shit hole, so I revolved my lyrics around how I was feeling at that time. Since that portion of my life is over, I write more about reality. Cool shit like that.
-For people that never listened or heard of you guys out there. Give us a few reasons they should.
I: Shit, I can't really give anyone a real reason to listen to us. If I was held at gunpoint, I'd probably say we're an actual "hard-working" band, and every thing that we've done as a band so far has been a struggle for us. It's not easy being broke, or being in a scene where our style of music isn't very big. You have to take a lot of time to spread the word about yourself, talk to people and get them to take you seriously. That's what we've done, and what we're working on. That's the only reason I have for anyone to at least listen to one of our songs. If they dig it, keep listening. Spread the word. Hopefully our name will get out there and it will get a little bit easier to make it out here.
-How many shows have you played so far? What was the most memorable one and is there any you consider to be a total wreck?
I: I think we've played around five or six shows, so far. The first few were just to see what we sounded like live, but it was worth it. The most memorable would definitely have to be Austin, TX. That, because we got free fucking alcohol and a huge crowd of stoked kids. That usually means we're about to have a great show.
-Where do you want to see this band in the near future, say 1 year.
I: Since we've accomplished so much in the past five months, I'd say in one year, we'll have a few tours, a couple more releases, merch and other shit under our belt. I'm hoping by then, we'll have a decent label and continue to grow, at a rapid rate. People would at least know who we are by then.
-Whats already planned for the next few months?
I: The next few months have a lot planned. We are going to be recording the three songs for our upcoming split release with Doubt. We're also looking for one other band to take part in this split, so if any bands read this and are interested, please let us know. We're going to have some new shirt designs made, as well as printed. Some miscellaneous merch will also be made, such as patches, pins, stickers, etc. The label we're starting to work with looks really legit. Definitely stoked out on everything that's coming to us, especially the shows we have. Tour is just around the corner, so we're preparing for that bitch, too.
-When you're writing new songs, where do you get your inspiration from?
I: When I write, I'm just looking for the most unknown kind of tone and chord. I like to keep it fast and heavy, but I want it to be heavy in a lighter kind of way. As if it could sound heavy acoustically. The inspiration is all in the mind. I like for the music to tell a story, before the lyrics.
-Thanks for the interview! Any last words?
I: No problem, man. Thank YOU. Hmm, last words? Listen to Sorrows, Canyons, Former Thieves, Doubt, Xerxes, Capsize, Sohns and support your local scene. Check us out on tour this summer, if we're in your area. AND, it's about fucking, not getting fucked up. Love you, dude.
Check them out: myspace
I: Illustrations is Matt King (myself), Carlos Lopez, Cody Mauser, Raymond Linares and Matt Gonzalez. An old friend of mine from a band I was in a year back referenced me to the name not too long after he moved away. A big thank you to him for that. We're all from San Antonio, TX, the home of nothing. I formed this band alone months ago, after being sick of people slacking in the bands we used to be in. Eventually, I scooped up Cody and Matt after parting ways with the people I was jamming with before. Carlos and I were previously in a band called Hope Of Divine Mercy, and Raymond is also in a band called Delorean Recall. Check them out if you get a chance. It's good jams.
-What does Illustrations have under their belt?
I: Thus far, I'm proud to say that we're working with The Ghost Is Clear Records, a DIY label from Missouri. At this point in time, it's all promotion, but in time, good things are going to take place. We can feel this. We're also in talks with another label, who shall remain nameless until we sign, that is going to financially help us get to where we need to be, seeing as we're all broke losers. We've played a few shows in San Antonio, Austin and Corpus Christi, TX. Fun times, so far. I'm working on booking a summer tour with Sorrows (CA) right now, which is only about ten or so days long. I'm trying to stretch that out as far as Washington, IF possible. As far as releases go, we've released a DIY split with Bottle Rocket (MO), as well as an exclusive song on a The Ghost Is Clear Records compilation record. If anyone reads this, buy our split. I'm hungry. We're currently working on some insane music to release in the future, and I assure you it will blow your mind.
-Since you're hungry. What do you guys love to eat? Any particular places you remember from being on tour that you'll never forget?
I: Jesus, what do we love to eat? Well, whatever we can get our hands on. If you could eat beer and weed, it'd be that. By places, you mean food places, or places? I'll answer both. Best place I've eaten on tour in the past has to be the Whataburger in Corpus Christi, TX. It's the first one built, ever. I mean shit, it's two fucking stories high. Now, if I had to pick an actual place, or places, I'd say some house parties in Austin, TX that we went to after some shows. Good times. I just want to let everyone know that these answers are from my personal past experiences from being on tour. This band has yet to tour.
-What have you learned from bring in the music scene?
I: Well, brother. It takes a lot of time and effort to get anywhere in the scene. You just have to have that mentality, that you're not going to quit, no matter how shitty it gets. Every band should have some kind of uniqueness, ya dig?
-What are some best and worst memories connected with the band?
I: The only memorable moment at this point, was the time we played in Austin, TX. We were allowed a couple of free drinks, so by the time we played, we were all piss drunk, except our drummer. The place was packed. The show went great, except for the fact that our bassist kept hitting people in the crowd with his bass. I got hit in the face with the guitars that night pretty good, as well. Loved it. Love you, Austin.
-If you guys could have a 'DREAM' tour who would you play with and where would you tour?
I: Fuck, if we could play with anyone, I'd say Converge. I like a lot of bands, but Converge definitely sticks out to me, both live and on record. That, or The Dillinger Escape Plan. It would probably have to go through Europe, or some shit. I'm not sure exactly where, but it would be at the hot spot venues. I think I just came thinking about it.
-HA. What do you want listeners to experience while listening to your songs?
I: Well, I'm really into detoxing the mind, as well as other lame things like that. When I wrote these songs, I was probably in a weird state of mind. All of us are. We're not really trying to sound like anyone, but some of the stuff we add into our music is something that will hopefully give the listener a really good vibe. The new stuff we're working on is mellow in the right ways, and heavier in even better ways. It's really going to trip some people out. All in all, I want the people that listen to it to enjoy every second of it. Hopefully most of these listeners will be super hot women. Fuck it, I hope everyone listens to us.
-What does Illustrations stand for? What central theme do the lyrics revolve around?
I: I'm not entirely sure, since I didn't come up with the name myself, but I take it as the literal definition. One being, a comparison or an example intended for explanation or corroboration. The first release we came out with, was around the time my life was basically a shit hole, so I revolved my lyrics around how I was feeling at that time. Since that portion of my life is over, I write more about reality. Cool shit like that.
-For people that never listened or heard of you guys out there. Give us a few reasons they should.
I: Shit, I can't really give anyone a real reason to listen to us. If I was held at gunpoint, I'd probably say we're an actual "hard-working" band, and every thing that we've done as a band so far has been a struggle for us. It's not easy being broke, or being in a scene where our style of music isn't very big. You have to take a lot of time to spread the word about yourself, talk to people and get them to take you seriously. That's what we've done, and what we're working on. That's the only reason I have for anyone to at least listen to one of our songs. If they dig it, keep listening. Spread the word. Hopefully our name will get out there and it will get a little bit easier to make it out here.
-How many shows have you played so far? What was the most memorable one and is there any you consider to be a total wreck?
I: I think we've played around five or six shows, so far. The first few were just to see what we sounded like live, but it was worth it. The most memorable would definitely have to be Austin, TX. That, because we got free fucking alcohol and a huge crowd of stoked kids. That usually means we're about to have a great show.
-Where do you want to see this band in the near future, say 1 year.
I: Since we've accomplished so much in the past five months, I'd say in one year, we'll have a few tours, a couple more releases, merch and other shit under our belt. I'm hoping by then, we'll have a decent label and continue to grow, at a rapid rate. People would at least know who we are by then.
-Whats already planned for the next few months?
I: The next few months have a lot planned. We are going to be recording the three songs for our upcoming split release with Doubt. We're also looking for one other band to take part in this split, so if any bands read this and are interested, please let us know. We're going to have some new shirt designs made, as well as printed. Some miscellaneous merch will also be made, such as patches, pins, stickers, etc. The label we're starting to work with looks really legit. Definitely stoked out on everything that's coming to us, especially the shows we have. Tour is just around the corner, so we're preparing for that bitch, too.
-When you're writing new songs, where do you get your inspiration from?
I: When I write, I'm just looking for the most unknown kind of tone and chord. I like to keep it fast and heavy, but I want it to be heavy in a lighter kind of way. As if it could sound heavy acoustically. The inspiration is all in the mind. I like for the music to tell a story, before the lyrics.
-Thanks for the interview! Any last words?
I: No problem, man. Thank YOU. Hmm, last words? Listen to Sorrows, Canyons, Former Thieves, Doubt, Xerxes, Capsize, Sohns and support your local scene. Check us out on tour this summer, if we're in your area. AND, it's about fucking, not getting fucked up. Love you, dude.
Check them out: myspace
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Interview with Get up! Get up!
-Who's Get Up Get UP?
GUGU: Get Up Get Up is Rico-Vox, Rudy-vox, Chris-Guitar, Big Rudy-Guitar, Bictor- Bass, and Baby Jesus-Drummer. 6 friends doing what we love.
-Have you guys been in previous bands? How did you meet up and decide to > start a Pop-punk band where its not really popular?
GUGU: I think its been since like April that we have been together. So almost a year! lol I listen to just about everything but on a regular basis I listen to Crime in Stereo, Blood for Blood, Lil Wayne, The Game, Set Your Goals and Blink-182. As for the other guys their taste in music is probably around the same area mine is but minus the lil wayne haha. I say our biggest influences as a band probably are: New Found Glory Set Your Goals Comeback Kid Four Years Strong.
-Hahaha, dope... How long have you guys been together? What do you guys listen to on a regular basis? Influences?
GUGUActually yes we have all been in different bands before. I was in some metalcore band when I was like 15. Cut Her Throat was the name and in the local scene it was alright. haha. Rudy was in a band called band called death proof. Both Big Rudy and Chris were in the band Admit Your Defeat as well as Chains of Olypus. Chris also played in the band The Prevalent Reaping. Bictor and Jesus were in a band called A Recovery By > Tomorrow. Im sure the list goes on but itll never end. haha. The band started with Big Rudy, Rudy and Cory(who is no longer in the band). They started jamming. They asked Jesus who was still in ARBT if he would jam with them and he liked the music and stayed with them. Then I offered to do vox as well it went good together so boom i was in! haha The music was going good then Chris came to check out > the band he liked it so he stayed in. Later down the line a problem was created with Cory and another member so Cory left the band. Then came in Bictor! Over all the main goal with this Pop-Punk band was to bring out a different sound outside of the hardcore, metalcore and cheap "deathcore" bands that the city is known for. I love hardcore dont get me wrong but we wanted something different and so far I think were doing a good job with mixing it up.
-What do you guys love to eat? Any particular places you went after a show?
GUGU: mmmm food is food. Haha but King Taco is pretty bomb.
-If you guys could have a 'DREAM' tour who would you play with and where would you tour?
GUGU: Wow that's a tough one mmmmmm New Found Glory, Story of the Year, Blink182, SetYourGoals and Lil Wayne. Haha. Id like to see Europe but I wouldn't mind seeing all of the U.S.
-How many shows have you played so far? What was the most memorable one and is there any you consider to be a total wreck?
GUGU: I think we have a total of like 7 shows under our belt. So far the best show we have played was our show in Inglewood. The crowd was feeling us and everyone seemed To love the nfg cover. Haha. The worst one ever is by far When me and BigRudy got completely shit faced. Like it was Horrible I forgot lyrics, could barely stand and Rudy was in The same place I was but with his guitar. It was a disaster but It was a learning experience. So to all u guys who wanna play Drunk...play drunk just not shit faced. Hahahah
-With the new songs you put on your myspace how do you think the band will grow?
GUGU: I hope for the new songs we have up it helps a lot. Cause there is a big difference from what we had on before And we do now. I'm loving the progression we have made as a band and the fact that it keeps getting better. Hopefully well Have a 5song demo up within the next 2weeks. We should be hitting the studio again this weekend. With 2 old tracks and Brand new one!
-What are some of the non musical things in the past year that have kept you inspired?
GUGU: Id say my friends and family. My mom is a big inspiration along with my oldest brother. Mmmm being able to see my nephew grow up is pretty cool too. Family and friends is where its at. Without them I wouldn't have much.
-What does GUGU stand for? What central theme do the lyrics revolve around?
GUGU: I don't have much of an answer for that. Haha Rudy just put a
Bunch a names on a paper and we picked the one we liked more. Hahaha.
-Haha, well that's it for the interview, you guys have anything you want to add?
GUGU: Yes id like to say thank you too anyone and everyone that ever attends our shows
even if its not just to see us. Id like to thank the local scene in general for allowing bands
like us to continue to perform atleast once a month. We hope you guys are enjoying
us as much as we are enjoying our days and nights that we work on the songs for
you. Keep it diy. Support your local scene. Support hardcore. Listen to my friends bands:
At The Edge
Society Ends
Lightwaite
Reality Check
Still Alive
Xibalba.
Go check out Devine Recordings in Duarte Ca. That kid gots good work.
Keep a look out for our new songs coming up.
Thanks.
Get Up! Get Up!
Check them out here: myspace
GUGU: Get Up Get Up is Rico-Vox, Rudy-vox, Chris-Guitar, Big Rudy-Guitar, Bictor- Bass, and Baby Jesus-Drummer. 6 friends doing what we love.
-Have you guys been in previous bands? How did you meet up and decide to > start a Pop-punk band where its not really popular?
GUGU: I think its been since like April that we have been together. So almost a year! lol I listen to just about everything but on a regular basis I listen to Crime in Stereo, Blood for Blood, Lil Wayne, The Game, Set Your Goals and Blink-182. As for the other guys their taste in music is probably around the same area mine is but minus the lil wayne haha. I say our biggest influences as a band probably are: New Found Glory Set Your Goals Comeback Kid Four Years Strong.
-Hahaha, dope... How long have you guys been together? What do you guys listen to on a regular basis? Influences?
GUGUActually yes we have all been in different bands before. I was in some metalcore band when I was like 15. Cut Her Throat was the name and in the local scene it was alright. haha. Rudy was in a band called band called death proof. Both Big Rudy and Chris were in the band Admit Your Defeat as well as Chains of Olypus. Chris also played in the band The Prevalent Reaping. Bictor and Jesus were in a band called A Recovery By > Tomorrow. Im sure the list goes on but itll never end. haha. The band started with Big Rudy, Rudy and Cory(who is no longer in the band). They started jamming. They asked Jesus who was still in ARBT if he would jam with them and he liked the music and stayed with them. Then I offered to do vox as well it went good together so boom i was in! haha The music was going good then Chris came to check out > the band he liked it so he stayed in. Later down the line a problem was created with Cory and another member so Cory left the band. Then came in Bictor! Over all the main goal with this Pop-Punk band was to bring out a different sound outside of the hardcore, metalcore and cheap "deathcore" bands that the city is known for. I love hardcore dont get me wrong but we wanted something different and so far I think were doing a good job with mixing it up.
-What do you guys love to eat? Any particular places you went after a show?
GUGU: mmmm food is food. Haha but King Taco is pretty bomb.
-If you guys could have a 'DREAM' tour who would you play with and where would you tour?
GUGU: Wow that's a tough one mmmmmm New Found Glory, Story of the Year, Blink182, SetYourGoals and Lil Wayne. Haha. Id like to see Europe but I wouldn't mind seeing all of the U.S.
-How many shows have you played so far? What was the most memorable one and is there any you consider to be a total wreck?
GUGU: I think we have a total of like 7 shows under our belt. So far the best show we have played was our show in Inglewood. The crowd was feeling us and everyone seemed To love the nfg cover. Haha. The worst one ever is by far When me and BigRudy got completely shit faced. Like it was Horrible I forgot lyrics, could barely stand and Rudy was in The same place I was but with his guitar. It was a disaster but It was a learning experience. So to all u guys who wanna play Drunk...play drunk just not shit faced. Hahahah
-With the new songs you put on your myspace how do you think the band will grow?
GUGU: I hope for the new songs we have up it helps a lot. Cause there is a big difference from what we had on before And we do now. I'm loving the progression we have made as a band and the fact that it keeps getting better. Hopefully well Have a 5song demo up within the next 2weeks. We should be hitting the studio again this weekend. With 2 old tracks and Brand new one!
-What are some of the non musical things in the past year that have kept you inspired?
GUGU: Id say my friends and family. My mom is a big inspiration along with my oldest brother. Mmmm being able to see my nephew grow up is pretty cool too. Family and friends is where its at. Without them I wouldn't have much.
-What does GUGU stand for? What central theme do the lyrics revolve around?
GUGU: I don't have much of an answer for that. Haha Rudy just put a
Bunch a names on a paper and we picked the one we liked more. Hahaha.
-Haha, well that's it for the interview, you guys have anything you want to add?
GUGU: Yes id like to say thank you too anyone and everyone that ever attends our shows
even if its not just to see us. Id like to thank the local scene in general for allowing bands
like us to continue to perform atleast once a month. We hope you guys are enjoying
us as much as we are enjoying our days and nights that we work on the songs for
you. Keep it diy. Support your local scene. Support hardcore. Listen to my friends bands:
At The Edge
Society Ends
Lightwaite
Reality Check
Still Alive
Xibalba.
Go check out Devine Recordings in Duarte Ca. That kid gots good work.
Keep a look out for our new songs coming up.
Thanks.
Get Up! Get Up!
Check them out here: myspace
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Youth Parade Magazine
They will be selling the magazines tomorrow for 2 dollars here:
Support DIY!
youthparademagazine.com
myspace.com/youthparademagazine
Support DIY!
youthparademagazine.com
myspace.com/youthparademagazine
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Interview with There's No Heroes!
-Who is TNH? Where are you from? How did you all meet? Did you know each other before TNH?
TNH: Alright I guess I'll start off with: Hi, my name's Vince and I play drums/sing in THERES NO HEROES. TNH is basically the final outcome of bands that our guitarist, Sean, and I have been in over the years. I met Sean in fifth grade and we've been in the same band ever since. We started TNH back in freshman year, but our lineup wasn't really solid until about the beginning of sophomore year. This lineup now is Fleming on vocals, Sean on guitar, Cory on guitar and vocals, Tim on bass and clean singing, Noe on keys/synth, and me on drums and clean singing. I met these dudes mainly through friends or music. As I said before, I met Sean back when we were in fifth grade. I met Noe at school and he's been in the band since the original lineup. Tim actually contacted us through our Myspace saying he wanted to fill in for a few shows back when we didn't have a bassist, and after a while he eventually joined the band. After parting ways with our original vocalist, we talked to Fleming about him doing vocals for us. We knew about him before through his old band, the Gospel. And finally Cory. Sean and I have known Cory since the summer going into freshman year and he's filled in for us at shows before. It wasn't until late last year that he joined full-time.
-How would you describe your overall sound?
TNH: It's hard to say really haha. I've tried to listen to our EP and put us in one genre, but it's gotten so hard now with all these subgenres. Some people have told us that we've made our own sound. I guess if I HAD to put us into some genres I'd say deathcore/metalcore/hardcore/progressive.
-What does TNH have under their belt? Time to brag fellas, aha.
TNH: Well, I don't really know what to brag about haha. We released our debut EP, "We Watched The World," in August last year and that's been getting some really good response, so I'm happy with that. Besides that we've played some really amazing shows with bands like After the Burial, ABACABB, Bury Your Dead, Carnifex, Circle of Contempt, Confide, Knights of the Abyss, Molotov Solution, Of Mice & Men, Oceano, Stick To Your Guns, The Ghost Inside, Throwdown, Veil of Maya, Winds of Plague, and many more.
-When you're writing new songs, where do you get your inspiration from?
TNH: We usually get inspiration from personal experiences whether they're from the past or present. The ones that inspire us most are the things happening now though. We also get inspiration from various jazz artists.
-What are some best and worst memories connected with the band?
TNH: I think some of the worst memories that the band has had are just all the hard times we've gone through. I remember in the summer of freshman year, we actually broke up for a bit. That had to be the saddest time the band's had yet. I was completely lost without the band haha. But we pulled through and now we're having the times of our lives. Every show we play is another best memory added to our book of best memories and we would've never been here if we didn't work hard.
-What’s your goal with this band?
TNH: I'd like to make it a full-time thing for me. We're working super hard to get signed and hopefully everything will take off from there!
-What do you want listeners to experience while listening to your songs?
TNH: Overall, I want the listeners to feel all the emotions we put into these songs. If we could do that, I'd feel a little bit more accomplished in life.
-How many shows have you played so far? What was the most memorable one and is there any you consider to be a total wreck?
TNH: I believe as TNH, we're somewhere around 50 or 60 shows right now. The most memorable one we've had yet has to be when we played December Decimation 2009 at the Glasshouse with Winds of Plague, Stick To Your Guns, Sleeping Giant, Oceano, Carnifex, Circle of Contempt, The Great Commission, Murder Death Kill, & more. The show sold out at over 1000 kids and our set went perfect, so we had a great time. Our worst show we've had was probably back when we first started out with our old guitarist and vocalist. It was at the Green Turtle in Whittier and we literally played to our parents. It was sick.
-For people that never listened or heard of you guys out there. Give us a few reasons they should.
TNH: I think we bring something new to the table when it comes to music. If you're tired of generic bands, give us a listen. Plus, we're just a bunch of frickin' sweet dudes playing some frickin' sweet music. If you catch my drift.
-What do you guys love to eat? Any particular places you remember from being on tour that you'll never forget?
TNH: I LOVE Chipotle. One time last year, I had Chipotle at least once a day for two weeks. It was the best and worst week ever haha. But as a band we definitely love In N Out as well. We haven't been on tour yet, but we're working on a southwest tour for our spring break so anyone reading this should keep on the look out!
-Thanks for the interview! Any Last words? Anything you would like to add?
TNH: No problem! And uhh, check us out and spread the word about us! Oh yeah and don't forget to pick up one of our shirts at theresnoheroesmerch.bigcartel.com and our EP at smartpunk.com!
Check them out here: myspace
TNH: Alright I guess I'll start off with: Hi, my name's Vince and I play drums/sing in THERES NO HEROES. TNH is basically the final outcome of bands that our guitarist, Sean, and I have been in over the years. I met Sean in fifth grade and we've been in the same band ever since. We started TNH back in freshman year, but our lineup wasn't really solid until about the beginning of sophomore year. This lineup now is Fleming on vocals, Sean on guitar, Cory on guitar and vocals, Tim on bass and clean singing, Noe on keys/synth, and me on drums and clean singing. I met these dudes mainly through friends or music. As I said before, I met Sean back when we were in fifth grade. I met Noe at school and he's been in the band since the original lineup. Tim actually contacted us through our Myspace saying he wanted to fill in for a few shows back when we didn't have a bassist, and after a while he eventually joined the band. After parting ways with our original vocalist, we talked to Fleming about him doing vocals for us. We knew about him before through his old band, the Gospel. And finally Cory. Sean and I have known Cory since the summer going into freshman year and he's filled in for us at shows before. It wasn't until late last year that he joined full-time.
-How would you describe your overall sound?
TNH: It's hard to say really haha. I've tried to listen to our EP and put us in one genre, but it's gotten so hard now with all these subgenres. Some people have told us that we've made our own sound. I guess if I HAD to put us into some genres I'd say deathcore/metalcore/hardcore/progressive.
-What does TNH have under their belt? Time to brag fellas, aha.
TNH: Well, I don't really know what to brag about haha. We released our debut EP, "We Watched The World," in August last year and that's been getting some really good response, so I'm happy with that. Besides that we've played some really amazing shows with bands like After the Burial, ABACABB, Bury Your Dead, Carnifex, Circle of Contempt, Confide, Knights of the Abyss, Molotov Solution, Of Mice & Men, Oceano, Stick To Your Guns, The Ghost Inside, Throwdown, Veil of Maya, Winds of Plague, and many more.
-When you're writing new songs, where do you get your inspiration from?
TNH: We usually get inspiration from personal experiences whether they're from the past or present. The ones that inspire us most are the things happening now though. We also get inspiration from various jazz artists.
-What are some best and worst memories connected with the band?
TNH: I think some of the worst memories that the band has had are just all the hard times we've gone through. I remember in the summer of freshman year, we actually broke up for a bit. That had to be the saddest time the band's had yet. I was completely lost without the band haha. But we pulled through and now we're having the times of our lives. Every show we play is another best memory added to our book of best memories and we would've never been here if we didn't work hard.
-What’s your goal with this band?
TNH: I'd like to make it a full-time thing for me. We're working super hard to get signed and hopefully everything will take off from there!
-What do you want listeners to experience while listening to your songs?
TNH: Overall, I want the listeners to feel all the emotions we put into these songs. If we could do that, I'd feel a little bit more accomplished in life.
-How many shows have you played so far? What was the most memorable one and is there any you consider to be a total wreck?
TNH: I believe as TNH, we're somewhere around 50 or 60 shows right now. The most memorable one we've had yet has to be when we played December Decimation 2009 at the Glasshouse with Winds of Plague, Stick To Your Guns, Sleeping Giant, Oceano, Carnifex, Circle of Contempt, The Great Commission, Murder Death Kill, & more. The show sold out at over 1000 kids and our set went perfect, so we had a great time. Our worst show we've had was probably back when we first started out with our old guitarist and vocalist. It was at the Green Turtle in Whittier and we literally played to our parents. It was sick.
-For people that never listened or heard of you guys out there. Give us a few reasons they should.
TNH: I think we bring something new to the table when it comes to music. If you're tired of generic bands, give us a listen. Plus, we're just a bunch of frickin' sweet dudes playing some frickin' sweet music. If you catch my drift.
-What do you guys love to eat? Any particular places you remember from being on tour that you'll never forget?
TNH: I LOVE Chipotle. One time last year, I had Chipotle at least once a day for two weeks. It was the best and worst week ever haha. But as a band we definitely love In N Out as well. We haven't been on tour yet, but we're working on a southwest tour for our spring break so anyone reading this should keep on the look out!
-Thanks for the interview! Any Last words? Anything you would like to add?
TNH: No problem! And uhh, check us out and spread the word about us! Oh yeah and don't forget to pick up one of our shirts at theresnoheroesmerch.bigcartel.com and our EP at smartpunk.com!
Check them out here: myspace
Interview with ColorChromatic!
-Who is CC? Where are you from? How did you all meet? Did you know each other before CC?
CC: ColorChromatic is Loki- guitar, voice. Tony- Bass. Ramy-Drums. we are inglewood/westchester area.
ramy- i used to play in a ska band called lenins landlords with tony, and i actually met loki at our first show. soon our singer called it quits, and by this time i was living with loki and we decided to ask loki to be in the band. it was called revival sound.. then our guitar player "quit" and we become ColorChromatic.
loki- I jammed with ramy at Lenins Landlords first show and met Tony formally at the last show. Skrimp and I had to talk Ramy into letting me sing in the band. Ramy finally caved and we eventaully phased out or mar vista base/demographic because it was no longer profitable.
-How would you describe your overall sound?
CC: ramy- weird, chaotic, funx and harmony. punx.
loki- Sonically, we are what happens when a unstoppable fork meets an immovable steak. a mixture of loud moments and quiet moments.
-What does CC stand for? What central theme do the lyrics revolve around?
CC: tony- names ColorChromatic... oneword two words thr eew ords
loki- ColorChromatic is an idea that came once while playing notes chromatically on a guitar and experiencing them as shapes, colors and tastes. Synesthesia, for you brainiacs. To transpose that moment into a musical movement was my goal in starting this band.Also, our constant evolution is what sets us apart. i personally do not wish to convey any message other than contradiction. Contradiction sheds light on all.
-What does CC have under their belt? Time to brag fellas, aha.
C: ramy- we are just finishing up writing our full length, and we are going to be putting out an LP via my label Olhar De Vidro Records (www.myspace.com/olhardevidro), as soon as we do that we just wanna tour and write some more. we have been talking about all the future releases we are going to do.. mostly split EPs with some friends.
tony- one EP, three tours
loki- what ramy said.
-What has been some of the most MEMORABLE shows up to date?
CC: ramy- for me best show out of LA was at the Garfield house on the "fuck the man tour 0-wine" with CDXX. so many of our friends were there.. it was just an amazing show. As far as LA id say december 30th. it was with all of our friends at hyde park half (www.hydeparkhalf.org). we played with ordstro, deers!, burn idols and matsuri. such an amazing show. obviously we are all about friends haha
tony- GINS' HOUSE last day of tour! and Costco parking lot as Revival Sound
ramy-OH! definetly gins house. shit was SIQ!
loki- every show had its moment
-If you guys could have a 'DREAM' tour who would you play with and where would you tour?
CC: ramy- MOLDAR reunion tour, we would tour the world.
tony- agreed
loki- Taylor Swift
-What are some of the most HILARIOUS moments for CC? Inside jokes?
CC: ramy- coasters 09, CHRIOOOOSSSS. craig=/. SANTA CRUST.
tony- rubber duckies...they give you boners. stick in pokes
ramy- Karnda never did get those back....
loki- Stealing Bras from unsuspecting rougues. Waking up and being uncomfortable in a van with the stinkiest people that matter. CoChro 08..in 09
-What should CC fans be excited for in the next couple months?
CC: ramy- full length and tour
loki- Different Tunings?
-What do you guys love to eat? Any particular places you remember from being on tour that you'll never forget?
CC: ramy- i love tofu. fucking SIAGON SANDWICHS in SF. thats all that matters.
tony- wing stop!
loki- SAIGONa and Dim Sum in SF. Simply Wholesome in inglewood. Wingstop..EVERYWHERE. FREE BIRDS in Santa BarBRAH!
ramy- yaaaa simply wholesome.
-Thanks for the interview! Any Last words?
CC: ramy- fuck craig, RAAAAAMMMMEZZZZZ!!! listen to matsuri, calculator, deers!, ordstro, SUMMER VACATION, burn idols. support local distro KYEO SPEAKS, and please check out www.hydeparkhalf.org. up the vegan punx?
tony- really up the vegan punx????
loki- Listen to yourself and make sure you arent lying. Dove Sta Memora.
ramy- JD salinger is fucking dead
CC: ColorChromatic is Loki- guitar, voice. Tony- Bass. Ramy-Drums. we are inglewood/westchester area.
ramy- i used to play in a ska band called lenins landlords with tony, and i actually met loki at our first show. soon our singer called it quits, and by this time i was living with loki and we decided to ask loki to be in the band. it was called revival sound.. then our guitar player "quit" and we become ColorChromatic.
loki- I jammed with ramy at Lenins Landlords first show and met Tony formally at the last show. Skrimp and I had to talk Ramy into letting me sing in the band. Ramy finally caved and we eventaully phased out or mar vista base/demographic because it was no longer profitable.
-How would you describe your overall sound?
CC: ramy- weird, chaotic, funx and harmony. punx.
loki- Sonically, we are what happens when a unstoppable fork meets an immovable steak. a mixture of loud moments and quiet moments.
-What does CC stand for? What central theme do the lyrics revolve around?
CC: tony- names ColorChromatic... oneword two words thr eew ords
loki- ColorChromatic is an idea that came once while playing notes chromatically on a guitar and experiencing them as shapes, colors and tastes. Synesthesia, for you brainiacs. To transpose that moment into a musical movement was my goal in starting this band.Also, our constant evolution is what sets us apart. i personally do not wish to convey any message other than contradiction. Contradiction sheds light on all.
-What does CC have under their belt? Time to brag fellas, aha.
C: ramy- we are just finishing up writing our full length, and we are going to be putting out an LP via my label Olhar De Vidro Records (www.myspace.com/olhardevidro), as soon as we do that we just wanna tour and write some more. we have been talking about all the future releases we are going to do.. mostly split EPs with some friends.
tony- one EP, three tours
loki- what ramy said.
-What has been some of the most MEMORABLE shows up to date?
CC: ramy- for me best show out of LA was at the Garfield house on the "fuck the man tour 0-wine" with CDXX. so many of our friends were there.. it was just an amazing show. As far as LA id say december 30th. it was with all of our friends at hyde park half (www.hydeparkhalf.org). we played with ordstro, deers!, burn idols and matsuri. such an amazing show. obviously we are all about friends haha
tony- GINS' HOUSE last day of tour! and Costco parking lot as Revival Sound
ramy-OH! definetly gins house. shit was SIQ!
loki- every show had its moment
-If you guys could have a 'DREAM' tour who would you play with and where would you tour?
CC: ramy- MOLDAR reunion tour, we would tour the world.
tony- agreed
loki- Taylor Swift
-What are some of the most HILARIOUS moments for CC? Inside jokes?
CC: ramy- coasters 09, CHRIOOOOSSSS. craig=/. SANTA CRUST.
tony- rubber duckies...they give you boners. stick in pokes
ramy- Karnda never did get those back....
loki- Stealing Bras from unsuspecting rougues. Waking up and being uncomfortable in a van with the stinkiest people that matter. CoChro 08..in 09
-What should CC fans be excited for in the next couple months?
CC: ramy- full length and tour
loki- Different Tunings?
-What do you guys love to eat? Any particular places you remember from being on tour that you'll never forget?
CC: ramy- i love tofu. fucking SIAGON SANDWICHS in SF. thats all that matters.
tony- wing stop!
loki- SAIGONa and Dim Sum in SF. Simply Wholesome in inglewood. Wingstop..EVERYWHERE. FREE BIRDS in Santa BarBRAH!
ramy- yaaaa simply wholesome.
-Thanks for the interview! Any Last words?
CC: ramy- fuck craig, RAAAAAMMMMEZZZZZ!!! listen to matsuri, calculator, deers!, ordstro, SUMMER VACATION, burn idols. support local distro KYEO SPEAKS, and please check out www.hydeparkhalf.org. up the vegan punx?
tony- really up the vegan punx????
loki- Listen to yourself and make sure you arent lying. Dove Sta Memora.
ramy- JD salinger is fucking dead
Interview with Capsize!
-So How did Capsize come together as a band? Any Other bands you guys were in before this?
C: Capsize came together when I (Daniel) saw that James left his previous band, Forever United. I hit him up and just asked what he was trying to do next. Based on what he told me, it seemed to be along the same lines as what I was looking for myself, so he came over to my house and jammed the next day. He had a hand full of songs done, and I liked a couple of them a lot. I told him I was down to do the band with him and that I'd figure out the other members shortly. That same night, I hit up Andrew who was the drummer of the last band I was in, The Life We Live, previously known as Ill Equipped. That band ended just due to the fact that we could not "find our sound". Every song sounded like a completely different band. Anyways, the 3 of us jammed together a week or so later and everyone was really happy with it, so we made the band official. I met Chris a few months ago when I played bass for a pop-punk band a while back that he was once in also and the members of that band were friends with him. I didn't know what he was into really, but I had heard him talk about Comeback Kid before so I asked him to come jam and he loved the songs. That was the forming of the members.
-Sounds legit what can you guys say about your overall sound?
C: Well, I don't want to to pull the whole "We are not a genre, we're a band" card, so I'll just tell it how it really is. We're a melodic hardcore band. James is personally influenced by bands like Life Long Tragedy, Comeback Kid, Dead Swans and I'm really into Defeater, and Killing The Dream. I can make up a rediculous sub-genre but I and everyone else knows who we sounds like, haha. For Andrew and Chris, I don't think they have any direct band influences as far as Capsize's music goes. They just play it and make it sound good as fuck, in my opinion.
-Yeah haha, What do you focus on when you write lyrics for Capsize?
C: Just shit that pisses me off, man. Our EP is 3 songs, and here is what's behind each of them. Nothing Changes is just about people that are always talking to their friends or fuckin' blogging about how unhappy they are with the economy, the environment, politicians, and are anti-anythingthatsoundstrendytodisagreewith but never do a fucking thing about it. It doesn't matter what you hope for. If you want something for yourself, go get it. If you want something done, do it yourself. Pretty much my "Shut the fuck up." to a lot of people. Sweat and Blood is about working class America. More directly, people in manual labor. More personally, my fathers life and all of my teen years. It's just about people that work their ass of just so than can have gas in the car to make it home, and have a plate of food at night. The Weather's Here, Wish You Were Beatuiful is just about a past relationship, and me being mad about a lot of lost time I dedicated to nothing that I will never get back. For the next rext recordings, I couldn't tel you what exactly the songs are going to be about, but they will have just as much emotion as the EP does.
-I like it dude. What are some of the most HILARIOUS moments for Capsize? Inside jokes?
C: Not any moments that I can think of really. At our very first show, at Vic's warehouse I kept slipping cause the floor was really slick, all the singers that night were, now that I think back. and at our 2nd show Chris's strap broke so he played with his bass on his knee the last two songs. We say a lot of stupid shit to eachother that only people in the band find funny, haha.
-Haha... What's coming for Capsize in the next couple of months? How were you able to make the progress you made in these few months you've been together?
C: We are recording 2 or 3 songs in early March. We are only releasing one of them online though, and are saving the rest for when we can record again. We are hoping to have a full length out by summer's end. Another release we are looking at is a potential split with an amazing band from San Antonio, TX, I Ignite. Both of these releases will eventually be out on 12" w/ dowload and or CD. We are also in the process of booking our west cost tour, spanning from New Mexico all the way up to Washington, that we do this summer. The dates are posted on our page. We can't tour as often as I'd like cause I am in college and James is in the navy, but when we get the time, we want to cover as much ground as possible. We have been able to move really fast in the last 2 month of being a band, strictly due to practicing often, staying motivated, and putting every extra dime we get into this band.
-What’s your goal with this band?
C: My main goal with this band is just to make music and put on performances that people will remember. Kids go to shows every single day. The lame part is, they don't remember 90% of what they saw 'cause it was the exact same thing as the night before and the night before. I just hope that people still jam our shit in 5 years, and we grow to the point that all of our shows are a very energetic, interactive, emotional experience.
-What is the toughest lesson you ever learned while being in music scene?
C: Don't think that everyone that shakes your hand at you at shows, or sings a long when your band plays is your friend. Just pay close attention and make sure that you define your own line between friends and hang arounds. If you don't, expect to be crossed at some point.
-Where do you see this band in 1 year?
C: In a year, I see us having a west coast tour and an a east coast tour under our belts. As well as the release of a full length and another EP or split. I'm hoping that our current line up does not change and we have music that people love to sing a long to at our shows!
-With your new album that is coming out, How do you see the growth of the band? What can your fans expect from it?
C: Well, until we release a full length, we only have 3 songs to share with the public. I feel as though with the release of a full length, once it's out for a bit, crowd interaction will grow a large amount, and people will just have more songs to jam out to at home. I just hope that when the album drops, and after our summer tour, we will get a lot more recognition. Fans can expect an album with more emotion in it than anything they have ever heard. Songs about struggle, overcoming, love, hate, loss, and gain. A well rounded album that will hopefully redefine everyones idea of hardcore from San Diego.
-What are some best and worst memories connected with the band?
C: Well, we have only been a band for just over 2 months now, so not too much shit has happened. I'd have to say our most memorable thing so far was just recording. Being cooped up in a house for 60 hours, sleeping on the floor for 15 or 20 minutes at a time and eating a shit load of taco bell. The best part of is all was coming out with 3 sick songs. Big shout out to Tyler Ross for recording us.
-Sick interview. Thank you for it. Any last words?
C: Thanks for your time, bro. To everyone who has supported us so far, thank you. Please help spread the word. Shout out to JDoll and Hellfish. Shout out to Vic & the warehouse. Listen to Illustrations, I Ignite, Shadows, Archetypes, Sorrows, In Despite, and any other band on our top. Buy our CD & merch. Come out to one of the shows. See everyone this summer.
Check them out here:myspace
C: Capsize came together when I (Daniel) saw that James left his previous band, Forever United. I hit him up and just asked what he was trying to do next. Based on what he told me, it seemed to be along the same lines as what I was looking for myself, so he came over to my house and jammed the next day. He had a hand full of songs done, and I liked a couple of them a lot. I told him I was down to do the band with him and that I'd figure out the other members shortly. That same night, I hit up Andrew who was the drummer of the last band I was in, The Life We Live, previously known as Ill Equipped. That band ended just due to the fact that we could not "find our sound". Every song sounded like a completely different band. Anyways, the 3 of us jammed together a week or so later and everyone was really happy with it, so we made the band official. I met Chris a few months ago when I played bass for a pop-punk band a while back that he was once in also and the members of that band were friends with him. I didn't know what he was into really, but I had heard him talk about Comeback Kid before so I asked him to come jam and he loved the songs. That was the forming of the members.
-Sounds legit what can you guys say about your overall sound?
C: Well, I don't want to to pull the whole "We are not a genre, we're a band" card, so I'll just tell it how it really is. We're a melodic hardcore band. James is personally influenced by bands like Life Long Tragedy, Comeback Kid, Dead Swans and I'm really into Defeater, and Killing The Dream. I can make up a rediculous sub-genre but I and everyone else knows who we sounds like, haha. For Andrew and Chris, I don't think they have any direct band influences as far as Capsize's music goes. They just play it and make it sound good as fuck, in my opinion.
-Yeah haha, What do you focus on when you write lyrics for Capsize?
C: Just shit that pisses me off, man. Our EP is 3 songs, and here is what's behind each of them. Nothing Changes is just about people that are always talking to their friends or fuckin' blogging about how unhappy they are with the economy, the environment, politicians, and are anti-anythingthatsoundstrendytodisagreewith but never do a fucking thing about it. It doesn't matter what you hope for. If you want something for yourself, go get it. If you want something done, do it yourself. Pretty much my "Shut the fuck up." to a lot of people. Sweat and Blood is about working class America. More directly, people in manual labor. More personally, my fathers life and all of my teen years. It's just about people that work their ass of just so than can have gas in the car to make it home, and have a plate of food at night. The Weather's Here, Wish You Were Beatuiful is just about a past relationship, and me being mad about a lot of lost time I dedicated to nothing that I will never get back. For the next rext recordings, I couldn't tel you what exactly the songs are going to be about, but they will have just as much emotion as the EP does.
-I like it dude. What are some of the most HILARIOUS moments for Capsize? Inside jokes?
C: Not any moments that I can think of really. At our very first show, at Vic's warehouse I kept slipping cause the floor was really slick, all the singers that night were, now that I think back. and at our 2nd show Chris's strap broke so he played with his bass on his knee the last two songs. We say a lot of stupid shit to eachother that only people in the band find funny, haha.
-Haha... What's coming for Capsize in the next couple of months? How were you able to make the progress you made in these few months you've been together?
C: We are recording 2 or 3 songs in early March. We are only releasing one of them online though, and are saving the rest for when we can record again. We are hoping to have a full length out by summer's end. Another release we are looking at is a potential split with an amazing band from San Antonio, TX, I Ignite. Both of these releases will eventually be out on 12" w/ dowload and or CD. We are also in the process of booking our west cost tour, spanning from New Mexico all the way up to Washington, that we do this summer. The dates are posted on our page. We can't tour as often as I'd like cause I am in college and James is in the navy, but when we get the time, we want to cover as much ground as possible. We have been able to move really fast in the last 2 month of being a band, strictly due to practicing often, staying motivated, and putting every extra dime we get into this band.
-What’s your goal with this band?
C: My main goal with this band is just to make music and put on performances that people will remember. Kids go to shows every single day. The lame part is, they don't remember 90% of what they saw 'cause it was the exact same thing as the night before and the night before. I just hope that people still jam our shit in 5 years, and we grow to the point that all of our shows are a very energetic, interactive, emotional experience.
-What is the toughest lesson you ever learned while being in music scene?
C: Don't think that everyone that shakes your hand at you at shows, or sings a long when your band plays is your friend. Just pay close attention and make sure that you define your own line between friends and hang arounds. If you don't, expect to be crossed at some point.
-Where do you see this band in 1 year?
C: In a year, I see us having a west coast tour and an a east coast tour under our belts. As well as the release of a full length and another EP or split. I'm hoping that our current line up does not change and we have music that people love to sing a long to at our shows!
-With your new album that is coming out, How do you see the growth of the band? What can your fans expect from it?
C: Well, until we release a full length, we only have 3 songs to share with the public. I feel as though with the release of a full length, once it's out for a bit, crowd interaction will grow a large amount, and people will just have more songs to jam out to at home. I just hope that when the album drops, and after our summer tour, we will get a lot more recognition. Fans can expect an album with more emotion in it than anything they have ever heard. Songs about struggle, overcoming, love, hate, loss, and gain. A well rounded album that will hopefully redefine everyones idea of hardcore from San Diego.
-What are some best and worst memories connected with the band?
C: Well, we have only been a band for just over 2 months now, so not too much shit has happened. I'd have to say our most memorable thing so far was just recording. Being cooped up in a house for 60 hours, sleeping on the floor for 15 or 20 minutes at a time and eating a shit load of taco bell. The best part of is all was coming out with 3 sick songs. Big shout out to Tyler Ross for recording us.
-Sick interview. Thank you for it. Any last words?
C: Thanks for your time, bro. To everyone who has supported us so far, thank you. Please help spread the word. Shout out to JDoll and Hellfish. Shout out to Vic & the warehouse. Listen to Illustrations, I Ignite, Shadows, Archetypes, Sorrows, In Despite, and any other band on our top. Buy our CD & merch. Come out to one of the shows. See everyone this summer.
Check them out here:myspace
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Interview with Wearedeparted!
-Who is wearedeparted? How did you form? Where are you from?
WD:Kevin,Oscar,Elvis,Ralph,Mike,Ness. Kevin met Oscar through basement shows from previous bands and through friends, Elvis and Ralph through bands,shows, and parties. Kevin met Mike while attempting to sell a Vox Head over the phone to each other. Kevin never sold the Vox and it is collecting dust in the basement. Kevin met Ness through a friend in NYC. They saw Zombieland together. West New York NJ Union City NJ, and Staten Island.
-How would you describe your overall sound?
WD:We're musicians from different backgrounds trying to make sense of the world. It's heavy, experimental, progressive (we've been told) and punk. You never know what to expect.
-How many shows have you played so far? What was the most memorable one and is there any you consider to be a total wreck?
WD:The most memorable was in Jersey City. We played to over 200 kids and the response was amazing. The worst was at this bar by Clifton NJ. There were barely any people, the sound guy was a dick, and the crowd was mostly lesbian girls hooking up.
-When it’s all said and done what do you want as a band to be remembered for the most?
WD: Our live shows and our message.
-If you guys could have a 'DREAM' tour who would you play with and where would you tour?
WD: Deftones, Saves the day, Thursday, Alexisonfire, Capsule, Prawn, Bubbles. Europe, we hear they treat Americans very well.
-When you're writing new songs, where do you get your inspiration from?
WD: Our fucked up environment, our fucked up minds, and hard times
-What is the toughest lesson you ever learned while being in music scene?
WD: No happy endings. Being broke.
-What are some best and worst memories connected with the band?
WD: Sharing the energy of the crowd on stage. Getting equipment stolen, hating each other, and freezing our asses off.
-So what do you want people to know about wearedeparted and your music or message that they may not know?
WD: We believe the future is uncertain and it is our job as humans, as the most powerful species on the planet, to take responsibility for damages we cause to it and the wellness of our planet and our species. We're nature attuned.
-Thanks for the interview!
Check them out at: myspace,last fm, twitter
WD:Kevin,Oscar,Elvis,Ralph,Mike,Ness. Kevin met Oscar through basement shows from previous bands and through friends, Elvis and Ralph through bands,shows, and parties. Kevin met Mike while attempting to sell a Vox Head over the phone to each other. Kevin never sold the Vox and it is collecting dust in the basement. Kevin met Ness through a friend in NYC. They saw Zombieland together. West New York NJ Union City NJ, and Staten Island.
-How would you describe your overall sound?
WD:We're musicians from different backgrounds trying to make sense of the world. It's heavy, experimental, progressive (we've been told) and punk. You never know what to expect.
-How many shows have you played so far? What was the most memorable one and is there any you consider to be a total wreck?
WD:The most memorable was in Jersey City. We played to over 200 kids and the response was amazing. The worst was at this bar by Clifton NJ. There were barely any people, the sound guy was a dick, and the crowd was mostly lesbian girls hooking up.
-When it’s all said and done what do you want as a band to be remembered for the most?
WD: Our live shows and our message.
-If you guys could have a 'DREAM' tour who would you play with and where would you tour?
WD: Deftones, Saves the day, Thursday, Alexisonfire, Capsule, Prawn, Bubbles. Europe, we hear they treat Americans very well.
-When you're writing new songs, where do you get your inspiration from?
WD: Our fucked up environment, our fucked up minds, and hard times
-What is the toughest lesson you ever learned while being in music scene?
WD: No happy endings. Being broke.
-What are some best and worst memories connected with the band?
WD: Sharing the energy of the crowd on stage. Getting equipment stolen, hating each other, and freezing our asses off.
-So what do you want people to know about wearedeparted and your music or message that they may not know?
WD: We believe the future is uncertain and it is our job as humans, as the most powerful species on the planet, to take responsibility for damages we cause to it and the wellness of our planet and our species. We're nature attuned.
-Thanks for the interview!
Check them out at: myspace,last fm, twitter
Interview with Gideon!
-So who is Gideon and whats the story behind the name?
G: Gideon is Jake, Timmy, Daniel, and Scooter. We're friends that love to hangout and play aggressive music. Gideon comes from the Bible (Judges chapter 6 and 7). He was a warrior, which felt well suited for our music.
-Are you guys a Christian band? How did you all meet? Any previous bands?
G: Yeah we're a "Christian" band. We're just very angry at the state of the current church. We're all about love. Gideon has actually been around for a while with me (Scooter) and Kris Gotlieb ( currently a memeber but is playing his last show satuday). We started Gideon with some other guys but they all quit. Daniel called me a week later and asked if we still wanted to play music and if he and Jake could join. We changed our sound a bit and I practically made Timmy join, it's been super fun since. As far as previous bands.... hahaha i'm sure they we're all terrible!
-What are your favorite bands to listen to? Influences?
G: Our influences are Advent, Between the Buried and Me, Have Heart, Thrice, Brand New, Terror, the Ghost Inside, Hundredth, Verse, Dream Theatre, In Irons, the list goes on. We're also heavily influenced by God, people we meet, and just things going on in the world. I think we all bring a different arsenal or influences and talents.
-What can you say you guys have "under your belt" as a band?
G: HA! Nothing. There's always more we could do and want to do. I will say we sucessfully played about 100 shows in 2009 with 2 members in high school both with jobs, and 3 members with fulltime jobs... we we're kinda busy lol.
-Haha thats down. What do you guys have coming up for your fans?
G: Well we're becoming a 4 piece in less than a week so we're changing our style up a tad. Less shred more aggression. We're also recording a new demo for 2010 so we're pretty happy about that. We'll also start touring fulltime in june.
-When forming this band what was your goal?
G: We just want to play everyday, meet people, and tell everyone that they're loved more than they could ever understand.
-Where do you see this band in 1 year?
G: On tour until we're dead or broke.
-What do you guys have recorded right now?
G: What do you guys have recorded right now?
-We have a 5 track demo recorded. You can download it for free on Purevolume, just go there and click the albulm cover.
-Dream tour. Who would you play with and where would you tour?
G:Advent, Beloved (rip), Animosity (rip), Lil Wayne, Brand New, and Sleeping Giant. It would be a long line-up but we'd be stoked. I wish it was everywhere including Japan, Australia, UK, Africa, and Mexico.
-What are some of the most HILARIOUS moments for Gideon? Inside jokes?
G: Daniel (our guitar player, still in high school) loses everything. He has lost a guitar, amp, wallets, shoes, shirts ect. So that always makes for fun. On summer tour we snuck into a water park to sleep during the day, possibly the best sleep ever. We've also stayed at the UN Ambassador to Afganistan's house and the guy that does the voice of Granny from Squidbillies.
-Haha, thats awesome. When it’s all said and done what do you want as a band to be remembered for the most?
G: To be remembered as people who wanted real change in individual people's lives.
-Thanks for the Interview! Last words?
G: Come out to a show, hang out, let us stay at your house, and ROLL TIDE.
Check them out here: myspace
G: Gideon is Jake, Timmy, Daniel, and Scooter. We're friends that love to hangout and play aggressive music. Gideon comes from the Bible (Judges chapter 6 and 7). He was a warrior, which felt well suited for our music.
-Are you guys a Christian band? How did you all meet? Any previous bands?
G: Yeah we're a "Christian" band. We're just very angry at the state of the current church. We're all about love. Gideon has actually been around for a while with me (Scooter) and Kris Gotlieb ( currently a memeber but is playing his last show satuday). We started Gideon with some other guys but they all quit. Daniel called me a week later and asked if we still wanted to play music and if he and Jake could join. We changed our sound a bit and I practically made Timmy join, it's been super fun since. As far as previous bands.... hahaha i'm sure they we're all terrible!
-What are your favorite bands to listen to? Influences?
G: Our influences are Advent, Between the Buried and Me, Have Heart, Thrice, Brand New, Terror, the Ghost Inside, Hundredth, Verse, Dream Theatre, In Irons, the list goes on. We're also heavily influenced by God, people we meet, and just things going on in the world. I think we all bring a different arsenal or influences and talents.
-What can you say you guys have "under your belt" as a band?
G: HA! Nothing. There's always more we could do and want to do. I will say we sucessfully played about 100 shows in 2009 with 2 members in high school both with jobs, and 3 members with fulltime jobs... we we're kinda busy lol.
-Haha thats down. What do you guys have coming up for your fans?
G: Well we're becoming a 4 piece in less than a week so we're changing our style up a tad. Less shred more aggression. We're also recording a new demo for 2010 so we're pretty happy about that. We'll also start touring fulltime in june.
-When forming this band what was your goal?
G: We just want to play everyday, meet people, and tell everyone that they're loved more than they could ever understand.
-Where do you see this band in 1 year?
G: On tour until we're dead or broke.
-What do you guys have recorded right now?
G: What do you guys have recorded right now?
-We have a 5 track demo recorded. You can download it for free on Purevolume, just go there and click the albulm cover.
-Dream tour. Who would you play with and where would you tour?
G:Advent, Beloved (rip), Animosity (rip), Lil Wayne, Brand New, and Sleeping Giant. It would be a long line-up but we'd be stoked. I wish it was everywhere including Japan, Australia, UK, Africa, and Mexico.
-What are some of the most HILARIOUS moments for Gideon? Inside jokes?
G: Daniel (our guitar player, still in high school) loses everything. He has lost a guitar, amp, wallets, shoes, shirts ect. So that always makes for fun. On summer tour we snuck into a water park to sleep during the day, possibly the best sleep ever. We've also stayed at the UN Ambassador to Afganistan's house and the guy that does the voice of Granny from Squidbillies.
-Haha, thats awesome. When it’s all said and done what do you want as a band to be remembered for the most?
G: To be remembered as people who wanted real change in individual people's lives.
-Thanks for the Interview! Last words?
G: Come out to a show, hang out, let us stay at your house, and ROLL TIDE.
Check them out here: myspace
Interview with Ordstro!
-Lets start. Who are you and what do you do for the band?
O: Henry- Guitar/vox Chris- drums/vox Carlos- vox that's it.
-How would you describe your overall sound?
O: We are really influenced by the wave of powerviolence that was around in the bay area in the 90's. we all really like Fugazi too. as far as our sound goes, we feel it should describe itself but those are definitely important pieces we drew inspiration from.
-What does ORDSTRO stand for? What central theme do the lyrics revolve around?
O: ORDSTRO is a meaningless word we came up with, we wanted the name to represent our sound too. I guess in a way when the name is pronounced it sounds like the way the music sounds. a lot of bands care too much about superficial things including names, we like to concentrate more on our music, i remember when we decided the name of the band it was done in a matter of seconds. now the lyrics, to be honest a lot of them are nonsense but we are still experimenting we don't think we have a central theme necessarily we just write about whatever we feel like, but i guess most of them come from dissatisfaction with things we see and experience in life.
-Haha, I like it. What do you want listeners to experience while listening to your songs?
O:listeners should experience.... raw power? i don't know.
-What are some best and worst memories connected with the band?
O: let's start with worst- there are a few of them to be quite honest the worse was on our way from San Diego to Phoenix. we decided to drive overnight on highway 10 after the show at the point loma music trader in san diego and this was our last date with koalacaust meaning, we were going to Arizona by ourselves. so we drove overnight which we didn't realize could be dangerous but the highway goes parallel to the mexican border after a few hours we stopped at this random rest stop and decided to watch a movie on our friends portable DVD player and this guy starts flashing his high beams on our van as if signaling someone so we got really freaked out and got ready to leave and he turns his car on and pulls over next to us so we ignore him and take off and he does too.... we get back on the freeway and we can see his car just following us its like 2 AM and we start speeding like mad, and in the distance we just see his lights it felt like a horror movie suddenly we passed one car pulled to the side of the road and after we pass it, it started following us too and then a car appeared in front of us going fairly slow we thought were gonna get boxed and then murdered or something. so we tried to get off the freeway and get back on going the opposite way luckily there was an exit nearby and a gas station so we went there and hung out for a couple of hours i think we were a few miles from the border in Arizona obviously we're fine, but that sucked. same night, we got stopped by a border patrol immigration check point and there were maybe 8 of them, four k-9's and they just straight up open our van's door and flash their flashlights at our faces asking if we were citizens so pretty much that whole night was shit the song.... "i hate traffic" is about that whole experience. best memories- anytime after a show hanging out with our friends.
-Any band inside jokes?
O: oh man, the freshest ones in my mind are the ones from our Winter tour with Deers a couple of months ago. we watched the movie Friday multiple times, and pretty much that whole screenplay became an inside joke Chris from deers was ridiculous the whole tour
he took on this persona of the ultimate white man and would speak in a country accent and mispronounce words in other languages purposely Casa De Fruta... got all the fruit... lol the first tour with Flat Out was fun too, James who played bass would scream out loud "i seeeeeeeee youuuu..." out of the car window so every time a band took a break from songs we'd just yell that out loud from the crowd. err i'm sure there's more.
-What are some of the non musical things in the past year that have kept you inspired?
O: how about... everytime a crustie pulls out an iphone from their ripped denim jean jacket and more positively, whenever a stranger lends a hand or lets us sleep at their house or lets us play at their house or feeds us for no reason, i think that human contact with people none of us would have ever imagined to meet or somehow interact with is what really keeps us going.
- How many shows have you played so far? What was the most memorable one and is there any you consider to be a total wreck?
O: shows, a lot of them.... i started making a show history on my computer just for fun using old fliers and stuff but i got tired but i mean we've also been a band for two years now so i'm sure in comparison with "bigger" bands, as far as percentage of shows played per any given period of time, we're pretty low-scale um, last show with Commissure in SF was a total fucking disaster we pretty much played a noise set because we kept fucking up and took forever to set up since, the mics wouldn't work and we had to go back and get more equipment from the van that we forgot about ....five blocks away... so yeah, we played a shitty set that night
-What is the toughest lesson you ever learned while being in music scene?
O: toughest lesson... a lot of people are full of shit and how you market yourself/money speaks and for some weird reason really matters aka, who you know, who your band is associated with stuff that shouldn't matter at all. also learned, we don't like "scenes."
- REAL, What have you guys recorded and hope to have out soon? Labels?
O: we recorded in the fall at thatonegarage aka now named Unholy Grounds in Olivehurst with this really nice guy Andy from wearethekids who broke up a couple of months ago... that "session" should be coming out soon as a 10-inch split with Commissure we've just had issues with the order we just wrote three songs and were polishing them before we started this interview and that should be coming out the soonest as a split cassette tape with this rad power-violence band from Indonesia and we just released a live split
with Deers! that we recorded on tour that one is a CD but we don't have any because Ryan wanted to add something else to the packaging after we got back so hopefully those will come soon in the mail and labels... we could talk about them forever thrashmouth is our friend Nick's distro/tape label he supports us and sometimes helps put stuff out but everything so far has been self-released Carlos is thinking about starting a tape label himself so that Ah-!!! split will probably be its first release we like having control over it and feel really rewarded when someone buys a tape that we spent weeks putting together so if any labels wants to help along the way we're more than down but i don't think being signed or anything will ever happen.
-Thats awesome guys. I wish Carlos luck with the Tape Label. That was an awesome interview. Thanks! Any last words?
O: thank you! no last words... we're not important enough to have "last words"
Check them out at:myspace
O: Henry- Guitar/vox Chris- drums/vox Carlos- vox that's it.
-How would you describe your overall sound?
O: We are really influenced by the wave of powerviolence that was around in the bay area in the 90's. we all really like Fugazi too. as far as our sound goes, we feel it should describe itself but those are definitely important pieces we drew inspiration from.
-What does ORDSTRO stand for? What central theme do the lyrics revolve around?
O: ORDSTRO is a meaningless word we came up with, we wanted the name to represent our sound too. I guess in a way when the name is pronounced it sounds like the way the music sounds. a lot of bands care too much about superficial things including names, we like to concentrate more on our music, i remember when we decided the name of the band it was done in a matter of seconds. now the lyrics, to be honest a lot of them are nonsense but we are still experimenting we don't think we have a central theme necessarily we just write about whatever we feel like, but i guess most of them come from dissatisfaction with things we see and experience in life.
-Haha, I like it. What do you want listeners to experience while listening to your songs?
O:listeners should experience.... raw power? i don't know.
-What are some best and worst memories connected with the band?
O: let's start with worst- there are a few of them to be quite honest the worse was on our way from San Diego to Phoenix. we decided to drive overnight on highway 10 after the show at the point loma music trader in san diego and this was our last date with koalacaust meaning, we were going to Arizona by ourselves. so we drove overnight which we didn't realize could be dangerous but the highway goes parallel to the mexican border after a few hours we stopped at this random rest stop and decided to watch a movie on our friends portable DVD player and this guy starts flashing his high beams on our van as if signaling someone so we got really freaked out and got ready to leave and he turns his car on and pulls over next to us so we ignore him and take off and he does too.... we get back on the freeway and we can see his car just following us its like 2 AM and we start speeding like mad, and in the distance we just see his lights it felt like a horror movie suddenly we passed one car pulled to the side of the road and after we pass it, it started following us too and then a car appeared in front of us going fairly slow we thought were gonna get boxed and then murdered or something. so we tried to get off the freeway and get back on going the opposite way luckily there was an exit nearby and a gas station so we went there and hung out for a couple of hours i think we were a few miles from the border in Arizona obviously we're fine, but that sucked. same night, we got stopped by a border patrol immigration check point and there were maybe 8 of them, four k-9's and they just straight up open our van's door and flash their flashlights at our faces asking if we were citizens so pretty much that whole night was shit the song.... "i hate traffic" is about that whole experience. best memories- anytime after a show hanging out with our friends.
-Any band inside jokes?
O: oh man, the freshest ones in my mind are the ones from our Winter tour with Deers a couple of months ago. we watched the movie Friday multiple times, and pretty much that whole screenplay became an inside joke Chris from deers was ridiculous the whole tour
he took on this persona of the ultimate white man and would speak in a country accent and mispronounce words in other languages purposely Casa De Fruta... got all the fruit... lol the first tour with Flat Out was fun too, James who played bass would scream out loud "i seeeeeeeee youuuu..." out of the car window so every time a band took a break from songs we'd just yell that out loud from the crowd. err i'm sure there's more.
-What are some of the non musical things in the past year that have kept you inspired?
O: how about... everytime a crustie pulls out an iphone from their ripped denim jean jacket and more positively, whenever a stranger lends a hand or lets us sleep at their house or lets us play at their house or feeds us for no reason, i think that human contact with people none of us would have ever imagined to meet or somehow interact with is what really keeps us going.
- How many shows have you played so far? What was the most memorable one and is there any you consider to be a total wreck?
O: shows, a lot of them.... i started making a show history on my computer just for fun using old fliers and stuff but i got tired but i mean we've also been a band for two years now so i'm sure in comparison with "bigger" bands, as far as percentage of shows played per any given period of time, we're pretty low-scale um, last show with Commissure in SF was a total fucking disaster we pretty much played a noise set because we kept fucking up and took forever to set up since, the mics wouldn't work and we had to go back and get more equipment from the van that we forgot about ....five blocks away... so yeah, we played a shitty set that night
-What is the toughest lesson you ever learned while being in music scene?
O: toughest lesson... a lot of people are full of shit and how you market yourself/money speaks and for some weird reason really matters aka, who you know, who your band is associated with stuff that shouldn't matter at all. also learned, we don't like "scenes."
- REAL, What have you guys recorded and hope to have out soon? Labels?
O: we recorded in the fall at thatonegarage aka now named Unholy Grounds in Olivehurst with this really nice guy Andy from wearethekids who broke up a couple of months ago... that "session" should be coming out soon as a 10-inch split with Commissure we've just had issues with the order we just wrote three songs and were polishing them before we started this interview and that should be coming out the soonest as a split cassette tape with this rad power-violence band from Indonesia and we just released a live split
with Deers! that we recorded on tour that one is a CD but we don't have any because Ryan wanted to add something else to the packaging after we got back so hopefully those will come soon in the mail and labels... we could talk about them forever thrashmouth is our friend Nick's distro/tape label he supports us and sometimes helps put stuff out but everything so far has been self-released Carlos is thinking about starting a tape label himself so that Ah-!!! split will probably be its first release we like having control over it and feel really rewarded when someone buys a tape that we spent weeks putting together so if any labels wants to help along the way we're more than down but i don't think being signed or anything will ever happen.
-Thats awesome guys. I wish Carlos luck with the Tape Label. That was an awesome interview. Thanks! Any last words?
O: thank you! no last words... we're not important enough to have "last words"
Check them out at:myspace
Interview with Hide the Details!
-Who is Hide The Details?
HTD: Freddy- vocals
Freddy-guitar/vocals
Andrew-drums
Brett-bass
Misa- New guitarist
-How many shows have you played so far? What was the most memorable one and is there any you consider to be a total wreck?
HTD: we played 7 shows so far and most memorable was probably was our first soma show cause we played with most of the bands were really cool with.. the total wrecked one was when we drove all the way to yuma arizona from chula vista and we showed up we found out it was canceled haha that sucked and it was like 100 degrees outside at night
-Lame! Well the one in Yuma haha,What are some best and worst memories connected with the band?
HTD: worst memory was when we went to spend the night at freddys house and his brother pulled out a m-16 on us and told us to get out lol best memories when we spend the night at eachother houses and get super hyper off candy and redlines and write songs and forget it the next day haha..
-Fuck spending the night at peoples house now right? haha... For people that never listened or heard of you guys out there. Give us a few reasons they should.
HTD: haha at least not his house anymore hahaha, because were gangster and write thuggish music that people like.. word
-Im down for that. What do you want listeners to experience while listening to your songs?
HTD: an orgasam haha to sing along and head bang
-If you guys could have a 'DREAM' tour who would you play with and where would you tour?
HTD: we would tour with blink 182 of course and tour the whole world till we die
-What are some of the most HILARIOUS moments for (Band)? Inside jokes?
HTD: idk we have to many
-HAHA, Hey thanks for the interview it was dope. Any last words?
HTD: thanks to all our fans and people that went to our shows haha and thanks for interviewing uss
Check them out at: myspace
HTD: Freddy- vocals
Freddy-guitar/vocals
Andrew-drums
Brett-bass
Misa- New guitarist
-How many shows have you played so far? What was the most memorable one and is there any you consider to be a total wreck?
HTD: we played 7 shows so far and most memorable was probably was our first soma show cause we played with most of the bands were really cool with.. the total wrecked one was when we drove all the way to yuma arizona from chula vista and we showed up we found out it was canceled haha that sucked and it was like 100 degrees outside at night
-Lame! Well the one in Yuma haha,What are some best and worst memories connected with the band?
HTD: worst memory was when we went to spend the night at freddys house and his brother pulled out a m-16 on us and told us to get out lol best memories when we spend the night at eachother houses and get super hyper off candy and redlines and write songs and forget it the next day haha..
-Fuck spending the night at peoples house now right? haha... For people that never listened or heard of you guys out there. Give us a few reasons they should.
HTD: haha at least not his house anymore hahaha, because were gangster and write thuggish music that people like.. word
-Im down for that. What do you want listeners to experience while listening to your songs?
HTD: an orgasam haha to sing along and head bang
-If you guys could have a 'DREAM' tour who would you play with and where would you tour?
HTD: we would tour with blink 182 of course and tour the whole world till we die
-What are some of the most HILARIOUS moments for (Band)? Inside jokes?
HTD: idk we have to many
-HAHA, Hey thanks for the interview it was dope. Any last words?
HTD: thanks to all our fans and people that went to our shows haha and thanks for interviewing uss
Check them out at: myspace
Interview with All Is Fleeting!
-Who is All is Fleeting? Where are you from? How did you all meet? Did you know each other before AIF?
AIF: All is Fleeting is Riley, John,Jaycen, Austin, and Tim(me). The majority of the band is originally from Ojai,Ca (john,riley,austin) but i am from Carpinteria (ten minutes south of Santa Barbara) and Jaycen is from Oxnard. I met the "Ojai crew" at sound and fury 2006 i think? we eventually started a band called Can I Say which eventually molded into All is Fleeting with the addition of Jaycen.
-How would you describe your overall sound?
AIF: i feel we are floating around somewhere in the space between melodic hardcore and pop punk. maybe alternative? i'm horrible with matching sounds to genres.
-What does AIF stand for? What central theme do the lyrics revolve around?
AIF: All is Fleeting was actually a band before I sang for it so the original meaning is unknown. Jaycen is the only original member but i doubt he knows either haha.
-What does AIF have under their belt? Time to brag fellas, aha.
AIF: oh well actually we once played a show with The Kids of Widney High (featured in the movie The Ringer) on the fourth of July at 11:00am. probably the best show we have ever played. oh and we did a weekend not too long ago with our friends in Title Fight. That was the most fun becuase it was just like 12 of us in an rv going wild.
-What has been some of the most MEMORABLE shows up to date?
maybe about a year ago at this venue called the lab in oxnard we accidentally headlined. Those two weekend shows with TF were great as well.
-If you guys could have a 'DREAM' tour who would you play with and where would you tour?
AIF: I've never been out of the U.S. but i hear its the best country so here it is.
full US tour featuring. downpresser/swamp thing/minus/nay sayer/title fight/backtrack/all is fleeting.
i was thinking about some crazy shit with like the foo fighters or something but a u.s. tour with all of my friends that are in bands would top anything. honestly if that ever happens this is my electronic signature to put me out to pasture after the tour. it wouldn't get any better than that.
i was thinking about some crazy shit with like the foo fighters or something but a u.s. tour with all of my friends that are in bands would top anything. honestly if that ever happens this is my electronic signature to put me out to pasture after the tour. it wouldn't get any better than that.
-ned russin-What are some of the most HILARIOUS moments for AIF? Inside jokes?
AIF: Dwarfs smuggling moose munch.
-Who are your favorite bands around your area?
AIF: Downpresser
-What should AIF fans be excited for in the next couple months?
AIF: We are playing a record release show for our seven inch called " Stay Awake" in Murrieta mid feb.
-What do you guys love to eat? Any particular places you remember from being on tour that you'll never forget?
AIF: tasty red
-Thanks for the interview! Any Last words?AIF: "never let anyone tell you how to pit"
Check them out: myspace
Interview with The Sheds!
-Alright, well The Sheds are a very unique band, first off, how did you guys come up with the name?
TS: When we first started about 4 years ago me and my brothers were stupid kids trying to be "punk rock" so we wanted to call ourselves "The Shitheads". Our parents wouldn't allow us to perform as that so we compressed it into "The Sheds".
-Haha, that sounds legit. So what do The Sheds have under their belt, what can you guys BRAG about? haha.
TS: Haha well I don't really like to brag much, but we were very privileged to play on a date of the Vans Warped Tour last summer. That was a dream come true for me since i've been attending Warped since '03. We've also gotten to play with some of my favorite bands (Comeback Kid, Defeater, Strung Out, The Aquabats) which has been amazing. We're currently working on a new 7" that will be our first label release (can't tell you who yet) and it's being produced by El Hefe (NOFX) and Jordan Burns (Strung Out). We've been super fortunate to have so many people who have been willing to help us out.
-That sounds great man! What do you think has been the best show for The Sheds?
TS: It's really hard to say what our best show has been and really define our "best show" but some of the most fun shows have been when we played with Comeback Kid, or when we played our holiday show this past December and we all wore costumes. This past week we played a really fun show with our friends The Wonder Years and Second to Last and that was also super fun.
-That sounds very impressive :] When someone asks "What does your band sound like?" What would be your response? I think you guys have a very unique sound and I'm sure you guys deserve a lot of respect for creating the kind of sound you guys make.
TS: Well thank you very much. We do our best to have our own sound and not rip anyone else off too much haha. For the most part we just fuse Ska and Hardcore together and try to do it fluidly. We just try to play music that makes us happy and keeps it interesting for us. I think we've developed a sound where you can definitely tell where our influences lie but there isn't really one band that covers our sound. You can listen to us and definitely hear the influence from 90's Ska acts like the Mighty Mighty Bosstones or The Suicide Machines, from modern Hardcore bands such as Have Heart and Verse, or even older punk bands like Bad Religion and NOFX but we don't actually sound like any of them.
-What do members of The Sheds love listening to in the car or when they're sitting at home?
TS: I personally love a wide variety of music. I love fast melodic hardcore like Go It Alone, Have Heart, Comeback Kid.. you know the type. I also love all the older punk and ska I grew up on. Lately i've been really into Folky, acoustic stuff and 90's emo and screamo. Niki, our drummer, is really into metal and darker, heavier hardcore and original screamo. Morgan, our guitarist, is all about Ska and punk. He's starting to get more into hardcore too. Evan, our bassist, is pretty much into all that into anything you'd associate neon colors with or that you could buy at Hot Topic. Stephen, our trumpet player, is into pretty much anything with synth and pop punk. He can get into pretty much anything though. As a whole we have a totally eclectic taste haha.
-That's insane haha, How do you guys go about writing material? Because it looks like you have a lot to work with.
TS: Usually Morgan will come up with a cool idea on guitar and i'll write a basic drum part for so that there is a basic form to the song. Then Niki will make the drum part much more complicated and groovier. Then in no particular order we'll have the others add bass and trumpet and eventually when i'm done being lazy i'll put the vocals to it
-Haha that sounds exactly how my band does it. Is there any big plans for you guys coming up? Summer tour? New record?
TS: We're currently recording a new 7" record which I mentioned before. There is no release date planned yet but it should be out by Summer. We'll be touring a ton to support it once it's out but our current priority is getting that done. We should have a label announcement in the next couple of months too.
-Nice. So of the Sheds who is the most funniest? shyest? tallest? shortest? laziest? Who is the chick magnet? Random member fun facts haha.
TS: Well we all as a whole can get pretty funny in my opinion but i think
Niki might be the funniest cause he's the most sarcastic and deadpan.
Evan is the shyest depending on the situation and who it's with. Me
and Niki are about tied for tallest i think. Morgan is about 3 feet
tall. I'm probably the laziest depending on the situation but Morgan
could easily tie me as well. As a band we're just one giant chick
magnet. Girls just can't keep their clothes on at our shows... it's
kinda weird.
-HAHA that sounds awesome! What do you mainly base your lyrics on?
TS: Lately I've been writing a ton about changes. It's kind of an ongoing
theme in my life right now, especially with the age i'm at. Growing up
really gets to me at times. Sometimes it kills to be stuck in the
bubble I live in. All my friends went away to college, while i'm here
pursuing my dreams. People change a lot and i'm realizing that. I'm
sure i've changed too but it's harder for me to notice it. I just
write honest lyrics about what i'm seeing/experiencing. Hopefully soon
the lyrics won't all sound so bummed haha.
-Thanks for the interview! Last words?
TS: Haha yeah it was fun! Yeah, I do: listen to The Braces, buy The Wonder Years' new record, and support California Hardcore, Punk, Ska, and Straight Edge.
Check them out at: myspace
TS: When we first started about 4 years ago me and my brothers were stupid kids trying to be "punk rock" so we wanted to call ourselves "The Shitheads". Our parents wouldn't allow us to perform as that so we compressed it into "The Sheds".
-Haha, that sounds legit. So what do The Sheds have under their belt, what can you guys BRAG about? haha.
TS: Haha well I don't really like to brag much, but we were very privileged to play on a date of the Vans Warped Tour last summer. That was a dream come true for me since i've been attending Warped since '03. We've also gotten to play with some of my favorite bands (Comeback Kid, Defeater, Strung Out, The Aquabats) which has been amazing. We're currently working on a new 7" that will be our first label release (can't tell you who yet) and it's being produced by El Hefe (NOFX) and Jordan Burns (Strung Out). We've been super fortunate to have so many people who have been willing to help us out.
-That sounds great man! What do you think has been the best show for The Sheds?
TS: It's really hard to say what our best show has been and really define our "best show" but some of the most fun shows have been when we played with Comeback Kid, or when we played our holiday show this past December and we all wore costumes. This past week we played a really fun show with our friends The Wonder Years and Second to Last and that was also super fun.
-That sounds very impressive :] When someone asks "What does your band sound like?" What would be your response? I think you guys have a very unique sound and I'm sure you guys deserve a lot of respect for creating the kind of sound you guys make.
TS: Well thank you very much. We do our best to have our own sound and not rip anyone else off too much haha. For the most part we just fuse Ska and Hardcore together and try to do it fluidly. We just try to play music that makes us happy and keeps it interesting for us. I think we've developed a sound where you can definitely tell where our influences lie but there isn't really one band that covers our sound. You can listen to us and definitely hear the influence from 90's Ska acts like the Mighty Mighty Bosstones or The Suicide Machines, from modern Hardcore bands such as Have Heart and Verse, or even older punk bands like Bad Religion and NOFX but we don't actually sound like any of them.
-What do members of The Sheds love listening to in the car or when they're sitting at home?
TS: I personally love a wide variety of music. I love fast melodic hardcore like Go It Alone, Have Heart, Comeback Kid.. you know the type. I also love all the older punk and ska I grew up on. Lately i've been really into Folky, acoustic stuff and 90's emo and screamo. Niki, our drummer, is really into metal and darker, heavier hardcore and original screamo. Morgan, our guitarist, is all about Ska and punk. He's starting to get more into hardcore too. Evan, our bassist, is pretty much into all that into anything you'd associate neon colors with or that you could buy at Hot Topic. Stephen, our trumpet player, is into pretty much anything with synth and pop punk. He can get into pretty much anything though. As a whole we have a totally eclectic taste haha.
-That's insane haha, How do you guys go about writing material? Because it looks like you have a lot to work with.
TS: Usually Morgan will come up with a cool idea on guitar and i'll write a basic drum part for so that there is a basic form to the song. Then Niki will make the drum part much more complicated and groovier. Then in no particular order we'll have the others add bass and trumpet and eventually when i'm done being lazy i'll put the vocals to it
-Haha that sounds exactly how my band does it. Is there any big plans for you guys coming up? Summer tour? New record?
TS: We're currently recording a new 7" record which I mentioned before. There is no release date planned yet but it should be out by Summer. We'll be touring a ton to support it once it's out but our current priority is getting that done. We should have a label announcement in the next couple of months too.
-Nice. So of the Sheds who is the most funniest? shyest? tallest? shortest? laziest? Who is the chick magnet? Random member fun facts haha.
TS: Well we all as a whole can get pretty funny in my opinion but i think
Niki might be the funniest cause he's the most sarcastic and deadpan.
Evan is the shyest depending on the situation and who it's with. Me
and Niki are about tied for tallest i think. Morgan is about 3 feet
tall. I'm probably the laziest depending on the situation but Morgan
could easily tie me as well. As a band we're just one giant chick
magnet. Girls just can't keep their clothes on at our shows... it's
kinda weird.
-HAHA that sounds awesome! What do you mainly base your lyrics on?
TS: Lately I've been writing a ton about changes. It's kind of an ongoing
theme in my life right now, especially with the age i'm at. Growing up
really gets to me at times. Sometimes it kills to be stuck in the
bubble I live in. All my friends went away to college, while i'm here
pursuing my dreams. People change a lot and i'm realizing that. I'm
sure i've changed too but it's harder for me to notice it. I just
write honest lyrics about what i'm seeing/experiencing. Hopefully soon
the lyrics won't all sound so bummed haha.
-Thanks for the interview! Last words?
TS: Haha yeah it was fun! Yeah, I do: listen to The Braces, buy The Wonder Years' new record, and support California Hardcore, Punk, Ska, and Straight Edge.
Check them out at: myspace
Interview with All We Know!
-Alright lets start. Who's All We Know? Where are you from?
AWK: All We Know is a positive hardcore band based out of the San Gabriel Valley but one of our members is currently living in Orange County.
The lineup is
Ryan Larimore-Guitar
Daniel Formano-Vocals
Seth Davalos-Bass
Lucas Gonzalez-Drums
-Yeah I respect that. Around here there's a lot of 'Negative' hardcore bands. Why'd you decide to be as positive as you are? Whats your drive? What would you say about your overall sound?
AWK: Well we see it like this. It's easy to be pissed off and angry all of the time. It's a natural feeling and in this world, you'd be fucking insane not to be pissed off about something. But being angry can only get you so far. Theres a lot of bands that talk about how they feel all of this blind hatred and anger for society, but they offer no solutions. We just decided to be real about our situation. Yeah we're pissed, but that isnt going to change the fact that we're young, energetic and full of promise. This band is about making a positive statement about life in all of its ups and downs.
As far as our overall sound, we try to incorporate a classic youth crew sound with more modern influences. We're all big fans of Youth of Today, Insted, GB, Slapshot and Burn as well as some other more recent bands like Count Me Out, Champion, and The First Step.
Whatever feels right we do it!
-What do you guys have out for the fans at this point?
AWK: We recorded a demo back in Xmas of 2008, which became known as the Faithless 2k9 Demo. We gave out a ton of those all of last year and then in the summer of 2009 went in to Divine Recordings in Duarte CA to record Desecration/Motivation our first proper full length. Its available on CD and you can get it from our bigcartel page or at the next show.
-What are some of your favorite bands to listen to?
AWK: Well, lets start with the basics: like i said Youth of Today, Burn and Gorilla Biscuits are always on constant rotation along with some Sick Of It All, Cro-Mags, Suicidal Tendencies, Warzone, and some old A.F.I. and NOFX thrown in for good measure.
Some newer stuff i've really been digging is basically anything off of the REACT! roster. I think that label is doing some amazing stuff not only musically but also by trying to inspire others to be more ethical to the planet and respectful to one another. I'm super stoked to hear the new Mindset 7-inch. I also havent been able to stop listening to "Unforgiveable" by Weekend Nachos. It's just so angry its the perfect shit to put on right before another day at work. We're also big fans of Defeater. I'm hoping to catch them this weekend for their West Coast tour.
Other than that, some Morrissey, Elliot Smith, Ice Cube and Damien Rice. Yeah...
-I'm going to catch Defeater this Friday 2/5 at Vic's Warehouse. What have you all learned from being in AWK? What sucks the most about it and what's the best part?
AWK: Sweet! I think i might go the next night in Inglewood.
We've learned a lot. One thing for sure is that no matter who you are, hardcore shows have a way of bringing people together. You might not necessarily know someone, but when you help them up after a failed stage dive attempt, none of that matters. I've also learned that being involved with straight edge, vegetarianism, and agressive music in general puts you at odds with the rest of the outside world. Even if you want to be accepted by society, it might not always want to accept you. You see this when your standing outside of a venue with 100 other kids wearing x's on their hands, tattoo's, piercings, shants, whatever... and you see people drive by and stare, yell shit out of the windows, ya know? We are all in this together. Beyond the factions and crews, hardcore is just a bunch of kids who see things differently from the rest of the world. That is something to be valued and shared.
We've met a ton of people, been to some cool places, and have made a lot of friends.
-What has been your most memorable show with AWK?
AWK: There's a few. We played with Ceremony and Life Long tragedy at the Hudson Theater in San Bernardino which was a small room that was Western themed and was attached to a huge night club. I just remember the vibe in the room was jacked and there were a lot of good friends and people who had yet to see us mixed in there. Ceremony killed it that night. So.Cal fest at the Granada Theater in Ontario was similarly rad. Another gig i recall was when our good friend Cameron Hughes through a going away show for a friend of ours going into the marines. Rotting Out and Creatures headlined and almost every band from the LA/SGV area played. Our set was fun and all of the bands were great. A ton of kids packed into a backyard in the scenic hills of San Dimas was quite a site.
-If you guys could have a 'DREAM' tour who would you play with and where would you tour?
AWK: This is tough...
Id have to put Sick Of It All at the top of the list. They're one of my all time favorite bands AND they still tour which is pretty amazing. Next I'd "dream" to have a Misfits/Samhain split set. The Misfits lineup would be the lineup on the Earth A.D. record and the Samhain lineup would be the lineup on the Initium record. Judge would also be put on the bill and would open every set with "Take Me Away". We'd hit up every major city in North America and play with awesome bands in that area. We'd play New York and Agnostic Front would be on the bill. We'd play Florida and Shai-Hulud and Morning Again would play. In Boston we'd have Slapshot play etc. Then we'd head on over to London and jam with the Stones hahaaha. No but really that would be the dream team tour.
-What do you guys love to eat as a band?
AWK: Well Lucas and I are vegetarians but we do eat dairy. I enjoy soy products(tofu, boca burgers, chick-un nuggets), cottage cheese, bagels, peanut butter, bananas, veggie lasagna and egg whites.I am really diggin Thai food right now also. Oh and Chipotle veggie burritos! As for the rest of the band, fast food is king. In N Out, McDonalds, and TACO BELL! After shows we usually hit up Denny's: Grand Slam all day! After the last show we hit up Sonics in Fullerton that shit was good. We used to go to McDonalds a lot before half of us stopped eating meat. Lucas was known to eat 5 double cheeseburgers in one sitting. Oh and $3.99 Pizza in West Covina. The best pizza for the cheapest price!
-Right on haha, What should an AWK fan expect in the next couple of months?
AWK:More shows!!! We're just trying to promote the fuck out of this record. Possibly some out of state shows this summer coupled with a few new songs we are going to record and put out on 7 inch.
-Sounds like a plan. Well thanks for the interview, it was real fun! Any Last Words?
AWK: Thanks for your very interesting questions.
I just wanted to say thanks to everyone who has supported us people who come out to the shows and to our friends in Society Ends, A Nation Sleeps, and On Point. Help each other out! Go vegetarian! See you soon.
Check them out at:
AWK: All We Know is a positive hardcore band based out of the San Gabriel Valley but one of our members is currently living in Orange County.
The lineup is
Ryan Larimore-Guitar
Daniel Formano-Vocals
Seth Davalos-Bass
Lucas Gonzalez-Drums
-Yeah I respect that. Around here there's a lot of 'Negative' hardcore bands. Why'd you decide to be as positive as you are? Whats your drive? What would you say about your overall sound?
AWK: Well we see it like this. It's easy to be pissed off and angry all of the time. It's a natural feeling and in this world, you'd be fucking insane not to be pissed off about something. But being angry can only get you so far. Theres a lot of bands that talk about how they feel all of this blind hatred and anger for society, but they offer no solutions. We just decided to be real about our situation. Yeah we're pissed, but that isnt going to change the fact that we're young, energetic and full of promise. This band is about making a positive statement about life in all of its ups and downs.
As far as our overall sound, we try to incorporate a classic youth crew sound with more modern influences. We're all big fans of Youth of Today, Insted, GB, Slapshot and Burn as well as some other more recent bands like Count Me Out, Champion, and The First Step.
Whatever feels right we do it!
-What do you guys have out for the fans at this point?
AWK: We recorded a demo back in Xmas of 2008, which became known as the Faithless 2k9 Demo. We gave out a ton of those all of last year and then in the summer of 2009 went in to Divine Recordings in Duarte CA to record Desecration/Motivation our first proper full length. Its available on CD and you can get it from our bigcartel page or at the next show.
-What are some of your favorite bands to listen to?
AWK: Well, lets start with the basics: like i said Youth of Today, Burn and Gorilla Biscuits are always on constant rotation along with some Sick Of It All, Cro-Mags, Suicidal Tendencies, Warzone, and some old A.F.I. and NOFX thrown in for good measure.
Some newer stuff i've really been digging is basically anything off of the REACT! roster. I think that label is doing some amazing stuff not only musically but also by trying to inspire others to be more ethical to the planet and respectful to one another. I'm super stoked to hear the new Mindset 7-inch. I also havent been able to stop listening to "Unforgiveable" by Weekend Nachos. It's just so angry its the perfect shit to put on right before another day at work. We're also big fans of Defeater. I'm hoping to catch them this weekend for their West Coast tour.
Other than that, some Morrissey, Elliot Smith, Ice Cube and Damien Rice. Yeah...
-I'm going to catch Defeater this Friday 2/5 at Vic's Warehouse. What have you all learned from being in AWK? What sucks the most about it and what's the best part?
AWK: Sweet! I think i might go the next night in Inglewood.
We've learned a lot. One thing for sure is that no matter who you are, hardcore shows have a way of bringing people together. You might not necessarily know someone, but when you help them up after a failed stage dive attempt, none of that matters. I've also learned that being involved with straight edge, vegetarianism, and agressive music in general puts you at odds with the rest of the outside world. Even if you want to be accepted by society, it might not always want to accept you. You see this when your standing outside of a venue with 100 other kids wearing x's on their hands, tattoo's, piercings, shants, whatever... and you see people drive by and stare, yell shit out of the windows, ya know? We are all in this together. Beyond the factions and crews, hardcore is just a bunch of kids who see things differently from the rest of the world. That is something to be valued and shared.
We've met a ton of people, been to some cool places, and have made a lot of friends.
-What has been your most memorable show with AWK?
AWK: There's a few. We played with Ceremony and Life Long tragedy at the Hudson Theater in San Bernardino which was a small room that was Western themed and was attached to a huge night club. I just remember the vibe in the room was jacked and there were a lot of good friends and people who had yet to see us mixed in there. Ceremony killed it that night. So.Cal fest at the Granada Theater in Ontario was similarly rad. Another gig i recall was when our good friend Cameron Hughes through a going away show for a friend of ours going into the marines. Rotting Out and Creatures headlined and almost every band from the LA/SGV area played. Our set was fun and all of the bands were great. A ton of kids packed into a backyard in the scenic hills of San Dimas was quite a site.
-If you guys could have a 'DREAM' tour who would you play with and where would you tour?
AWK: This is tough...
Id have to put Sick Of It All at the top of the list. They're one of my all time favorite bands AND they still tour which is pretty amazing. Next I'd "dream" to have a Misfits/Samhain split set. The Misfits lineup would be the lineup on the Earth A.D. record and the Samhain lineup would be the lineup on the Initium record. Judge would also be put on the bill and would open every set with "Take Me Away". We'd hit up every major city in North America and play with awesome bands in that area. We'd play New York and Agnostic Front would be on the bill. We'd play Florida and Shai-Hulud and Morning Again would play. In Boston we'd have Slapshot play etc. Then we'd head on over to London and jam with the Stones hahaaha. No but really that would be the dream team tour.
-What do you guys love to eat as a band?
AWK: Well Lucas and I are vegetarians but we do eat dairy. I enjoy soy products(tofu, boca burgers, chick-un nuggets), cottage cheese, bagels, peanut butter, bananas, veggie lasagna and egg whites.I am really diggin Thai food right now also. Oh and Chipotle veggie burritos! As for the rest of the band, fast food is king. In N Out, McDonalds, and TACO BELL! After shows we usually hit up Denny's: Grand Slam all day! After the last show we hit up Sonics in Fullerton that shit was good. We used to go to McDonalds a lot before half of us stopped eating meat. Lucas was known to eat 5 double cheeseburgers in one sitting. Oh and $3.99 Pizza in West Covina. The best pizza for the cheapest price!
-Right on haha, What should an AWK fan expect in the next couple of months?
AWK:More shows!!! We're just trying to promote the fuck out of this record. Possibly some out of state shows this summer coupled with a few new songs we are going to record and put out on 7 inch.
-Sounds like a plan. Well thanks for the interview, it was real fun! Any Last Words?
AWK: Thanks for your very interesting questions.
I just wanted to say thanks to everyone who has supported us people who come out to the shows and to our friends in Society Ends, A Nation Sleeps, and On Point. Help each other out! Go vegetarian! See you soon.
Check them out at:
Interview with Crooked Ways!
-Alright first off, Who is Crooked Ways? How did you meet and did you guys know each other before? Any previous or other current bands some of the members are in?
CW: We all met here in Denver. We all went to most of the same shows and had mutual friends in the Denver scene. Alvino was in a band called Killing Kings and I was in a band called Rally The Fray. Andrew was in a band called The Atrocities and Zach did a small stint in a band called In The Crosshairs. Rally The Fray broke up a little after Alvino left Killing Kings. Me and Vino had always talked about doing a band together so we started jamming with a few other dudes and Crooked Ways was born out of that. We had some other members previously that either didn't work out or weren't able to make the time commitment. Me and Alvino are basically the only 2 original members of the band at this point.
-Awesome, What does CW have out right now?
CW: In 2007 we put out a 3 song? demo that we recorded in this metal head kids basement. In 2008 we self release a 7" called How To Break Heart and this past year Last Anthem Record released another 7" for us called Crimes Of Passion. Later on this year Last Anthem is gonna be repressing both of those 7"s as a double 7" with new artwork. We also recorded a live radio set but haven't decided if we're gonna make it into a release yet.
-How many tours have you guys done? If you can have a 'dream' tour who would you play and where would you tour?
CW: Our first tour was with another Denver band called Bankrobber who at the time we shared some members with. That went up to the northwest and down the west coast. Then we did a south west tour with a band from Salt Lake called Reviver. Then we did a summer tour through the midwest and across the western half of Canada with Ill Intent then back down the west coast with Reviver. We just got back from a two week tour through the midwest up into the northeast and back across the south with a band from AZ called Ready Resist. We should be back out this summer with a band called Life Won't Wait from Fargo ND.
In 1996 h2o did a tour with Mighty Mighty Bosstones and The Pietasters. If we could go back in time and open that for even a couple nights I would be the happiest dude ever. Since time travel isn't possible I think the band we'd most like to tour with is Crime In Stereo. That's the one band we can all pretty much agree on.
-Sounds like you have guys have been on the road a lot! Any funny stories you can recall from being on tour?
CW: On this last tour we decided to play a little game called "Gas Station White Elephant." The way this game was played was each person in the van drew names out of a hat. Whoever got your name had to buy you something from a gas station (complying with any dietary restrictions) and you had to consume all of it or eat until you puked. So Alvino ended up almost an entire box of saltine crackers, Zach had to eat a jar of french onion dip, Andrew had to drink a jar of salsa and our roadie Bryson had to eat a huge bag of BBQ chips. The end result of this was everyone puking outside a rest stop somewhere between Dayton OH and Buffalo NY. I have the video on my phone. It'll be on youtube at some point. Andrew and Bryson were the only 2 that actually finished what they were given.
-Epic... What can you say about your overall sound?
CW: Uhhhh its different I guess. I don't know. We just write stuff we like. Our sound has changed a lot from recording to recording so I don't even know if we have a definitive sound yet. We've been compared to a ton of different sounding bands so I guess our sound is in the ear of the beholder.
-Whats the main goal for CW in the long run?
CW: Write a solid full length, go over seas, get Dicky from Mighty Mighty Bosstones to do a guest spot, get sponsored by Chipotle and Dunkin Donuts.
-Haha, What do each of the members do when your not with the band?
CW: Andrew and I are in college and work part time. Robby teaches martial arts. Alvino graduated college a couple years ago and manages a pizza shop that has the best vegan pizza in the world and Zach is a hipster.
-Lol. What are your lyrics mostly based on?
CW: Mostly personal experiences. I try and steer clear of political issues and scene commentary. I slip a little of that stuff in from time to time but its mostly me getting stuff off my chest.
-Yeah I gotcha. I'm going to end this interview, it was real fun doing it do you have any last words? Shout-outs?
CW: Big shout out to Midwest Hard style. Nothing to Nothing, Fare Thee Well, Expire, Thieves. Check out Move Along and Sin Vida from Denver. Thanks dude. The Golden Age...R.I.P
Check them out at: myspace
CW: We all met here in Denver. We all went to most of the same shows and had mutual friends in the Denver scene. Alvino was in a band called Killing Kings and I was in a band called Rally The Fray. Andrew was in a band called The Atrocities and Zach did a small stint in a band called In The Crosshairs. Rally The Fray broke up a little after Alvino left Killing Kings. Me and Vino had always talked about doing a band together so we started jamming with a few other dudes and Crooked Ways was born out of that. We had some other members previously that either didn't work out or weren't able to make the time commitment. Me and Alvino are basically the only 2 original members of the band at this point.
-Awesome, What does CW have out right now?
CW: In 2007 we put out a 3 song? demo that we recorded in this metal head kids basement. In 2008 we self release a 7" called How To Break Heart and this past year Last Anthem Record released another 7" for us called Crimes Of Passion. Later on this year Last Anthem is gonna be repressing both of those 7"s as a double 7" with new artwork. We also recorded a live radio set but haven't decided if we're gonna make it into a release yet.
-How many tours have you guys done? If you can have a 'dream' tour who would you play and where would you tour?
CW: Our first tour was with another Denver band called Bankrobber who at the time we shared some members with. That went up to the northwest and down the west coast. Then we did a south west tour with a band from Salt Lake called Reviver. Then we did a summer tour through the midwest and across the western half of Canada with Ill Intent then back down the west coast with Reviver. We just got back from a two week tour through the midwest up into the northeast and back across the south with a band from AZ called Ready Resist. We should be back out this summer with a band called Life Won't Wait from Fargo ND.
In 1996 h2o did a tour with Mighty Mighty Bosstones and The Pietasters. If we could go back in time and open that for even a couple nights I would be the happiest dude ever. Since time travel isn't possible I think the band we'd most like to tour with is Crime In Stereo. That's the one band we can all pretty much agree on.
-Sounds like you have guys have been on the road a lot! Any funny stories you can recall from being on tour?
CW: On this last tour we decided to play a little game called "Gas Station White Elephant." The way this game was played was each person in the van drew names out of a hat. Whoever got your name had to buy you something from a gas station (complying with any dietary restrictions) and you had to consume all of it or eat until you puked. So Alvino ended up almost an entire box of saltine crackers, Zach had to eat a jar of french onion dip, Andrew had to drink a jar of salsa and our roadie Bryson had to eat a huge bag of BBQ chips. The end result of this was everyone puking outside a rest stop somewhere between Dayton OH and Buffalo NY. I have the video on my phone. It'll be on youtube at some point. Andrew and Bryson were the only 2 that actually finished what they were given.
-Epic... What can you say about your overall sound?
CW: Uhhhh its different I guess. I don't know. We just write stuff we like. Our sound has changed a lot from recording to recording so I don't even know if we have a definitive sound yet. We've been compared to a ton of different sounding bands so I guess our sound is in the ear of the beholder.
-Whats the main goal for CW in the long run?
CW: Write a solid full length, go over seas, get Dicky from Mighty Mighty Bosstones to do a guest spot, get sponsored by Chipotle and Dunkin Donuts.
-Haha, What do each of the members do when your not with the band?
CW: Andrew and I are in college and work part time. Robby teaches martial arts. Alvino graduated college a couple years ago and manages a pizza shop that has the best vegan pizza in the world and Zach is a hipster.
-Lol. What are your lyrics mostly based on?
CW: Mostly personal experiences. I try and steer clear of political issues and scene commentary. I slip a little of that stuff in from time to time but its mostly me getting stuff off my chest.
-Yeah I gotcha. I'm going to end this interview, it was real fun doing it do you have any last words? Shout-outs?
CW: Big shout out to Midwest Hard style. Nothing to Nothing, Fare Thee Well, Expire, Thieves. Check out Move Along and Sin Vida from Denver. Thanks dude. The Golden Age...R.I.P
Check them out at: myspace
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