Mike MDC: How would you describe your band to a kid on the street?
Evan: Skate punk influenced hardcore with viking metal lyrics
MMDC: I'm gonna change it up a bit: Favorite non-california based hardcore bands?
Evan: New Lows, Off With Their Heads, and Sleepwall. The last two aren't really hardcore but have been on steady rotation lately
MMDC: I know you have a few things to say about this, least favorite trend in hardcore?
Evan: Kids talking shit on the internet, the weird ass Liferuiner style of straight edge kids. I mean there's always going to be people selling out or whatever and that's cool for them but that whole trend/crowd is just fucking stupid to me and it pisses me off that those shows fucking sell out venues but when a show like Internal Affairs comes through there's 15 people.
MMDC: What is the most appealing aspect of having a band for you?
Evan: Meeting friends that I wouldn't have met is what does it for me. Tour, records, merch, that shit's whatever, don't get me wrong that's fun too, but meeting friends is the biggest thing hardcore's given me. That and playing shows and a kid you don't know is singing along to words you wrote in your fucking dive apartment or something. That means the world to me.
MMDC: How many band names did you go through before PAGAN?
Evan: Ummm for Pagan we were pretty set. However I was in Raging Bull, Too Legit, and Dead End. Dead End went through a couple names at the end but we never played under them.
MMDC: Let's say a kid just starts his first day of middle school and you want to get him on the right track to good music. If you could intervene into his life and hand him one album what would it be?
Evan: The first album I got. Misfits - Earth A.D. / Wolfsblood. That and the Never Healed 12"
MMDC: Lars or Tim Armstrong?
Evan: Lars for sure. I still listen to the Bastards albums at least once a week.
MMDC: What's up with kids that act like they never liked embarrassing metalcore bands 2 years ago?
MMDC: I don't know man. Hardcore's really judgemental, espicially with the internet, it makes it really easy to be faceless and sling shit on people. Everyone has embarrassing bands they liked or still like. Be open about that shit. I think it's far better to like shitty bands than pretend to jock the fuck out of Integrity then when Pressure covers them no one knows what the fucks going on.
MMDC: Favorite moshing shoes?
MMDC: Ummm I don't really know what that means. My friend works at Vans so I usually just wear those. Or 14 holes.
MMDC: Hardcore girls?
Evan: Oh man. I'm not even trying to see who I can piss off by answering that.
MMDC: Who is your favorite Christian?
Evan: Satan
Big thanks to Michael Del Campo for throwing this together. Check out his art blog here.
Pagan Myspace
Download the Pagan Demo
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Friday, February 13, 2009
Interview with Albert from Don't Trip
Mike: Please state you name, band role, and your favorite kind of m&m's?
Albert: Albert or beast whatever you like. Loud speaker and crispy m&m’s. Bring those back now.
M: Sorry man, those things were disgusting. Peanut butter all day everyday. So who else is in Don’t Trip?
A: That statement is untrue. Well we have Jack who plays guitar. Ed plays the other banjo, Frank slaps the skins and Justin hits the low tones.
M: Different strokes for different folks. So for the uninitiated give us a little rundown of your history including releases?
A: Hmmm, so we been a band for almost 2 years now, we just started as a 4 piece and just came together to have fun, record some music, play shows and see where it goes. Frank and Jack wrote the tunes, then brought in Ed and myself and it really just went from there. We started off with a demo in June of 2007. We recorded a full length in winter of 2007 and released it in the spring of 2008. Our split with What Life Is was put on tape in the summer of 2008, so we have been keeping ourselves busy and will be having more new things to come.
M: From my understanding Frank and Jack are also in Sick and Tired. Are you or your other band members in any other projects?
A: Yes they are. Ed plays bass in Grace Alley. Jack and I will be starting a side project in next few weeks called River Bed. It’s a harder, more fast paced vibe but you can still party hard to the tunes.
M: Speaking of partying hard, some of your lyrics convey that you like to do so. Would you like to make statement on the subject?
A: Yea, you only live once so live life to the fullest. No regrets.
M: Sick. The bay area seems to be a breeding ground for awesome music. Bands like Comadre, Sabertooth Zombie, Ceremony, Skin Like Iron, and Annihilation Time have put the bay area hardcore/punk scene under a microscope. Has this put any pressure on you or you’re band members to create something great (which in my opinion and many others you have already done)?
A: You know, not really. All those bands are amazing and I respect them. But for us, were just dudes playing music and the fact we have even made it this far is awesome for us. I won’t lie, you always want to write something great and it puts some pressure on you but if the pressure was immense it wouldn’t be fun and not worth pursuing. I feel whatever we write is something that we all came together and put effort into, so no matter what it is, it’s important to us as a band.
M: Sounds awesome in theory and practice. Well, while I’m on the subject of bay area hardcore, what’s your favorite hometown venue?
A: For our hometown shows, it has to be the Oddstad or the Jungle. Both don’t do shows anymore, rather lame. As in all time venue, I wish the Pound was still around. Miss that place.
M: Okay, last question about bay area hardcore. Well, actually not a question. More of an opinion. You’re vocals sound a lot like Connor’s of Lights Out (rip). I know this cant be the first time someone has told you this.
A: No it has not been the first time, and I have no problems with it. My goal was never to sound like him, but it just came out that way and you really cant be bummed off people comparing you to one of the best bay area hardcore bands.
M: Truth. You hinted at new material earlier and I’ve spoken to you before about a possible 7" release. Any details?
A: All I can say is late spring or summer. Keep an eye out for Don’t Trip in 2009.
M: Super secret 7” I see. Can a Lights Out cover be expected? hah.
A: Haha, nah. Just not much info yet, just expect it to be some good tunes. We have a unreleased Nofx and Descendants cover. We will be departing on a full us tour in may. Our 7” will come out on DTC.
M: Nofx? Seriously my all time favorite band. First CD that was given to me was "Ribbed". I didn’t even have a CD player and I had to beg my mom to buy me one. Which song is it and who's the Nofx fan in Don’t Trip? On a similar note, what album got you into the whole punk thing?
A: “Stranger than Fishing“. The whole band is into Nofx, there one of my biggest influences. We also cover “I’m Telling Tim“. What album got me into punk, hmmm I’m gonna have to say (Nofx‘s)“Public in Drublic” or “The Decline” when I was in 7th or 8th grade. Pretty much changed how I feel about society. I went to a catholic school and never really felt like I believed in god in the 7th and 8th grade. Listening to punk made me realize there are other people out there like me that choose to think otherwise.
M: It’s pretty ridiculous that I’m listening to “So Long and Thanks for All the Shoes” in my car while I read that. Don’t trip just got a lot more awesome in my book.
A: My favorites, shits hard. So next time we are in Fresno I think the party needs to rage dawg.
M: For sure. You guys should play Visalia instead. Its about 30 minutes south and there’s a pretty decent pizza place/venue here. I think Full Blown Chaos is playing this month or next. I’ve seen the flyers for shows their and they usually say “buy beer” so you know it would be a rager. This is pretty much turning into a conversation so I got a few last questions for you. What would you like to see more/less of in the California hardcore scene?
A: Lol yea... just not giving a fuck dude. Everyone should just accept each other no matter who they are. That’s it really. Bands need to keep playing, kids need to keep chilling hard and live life.
M: Awesome words. What up and coming bands (besides you guys) should we be on the lookout for?
A: Oh man so many.... Farley Overdose, Skin Like Iron, Grace Alley, Creatures, Downpresser, Plank Walk, Street Walkers, so many more...
M: Fuck yeah, all those bands are doing their thing right now. Final words?
A: Stay up.
Myspace
Download the full length - "Root of All Evil"
Download Split w/ What Life Is
Albert: Albert or beast whatever you like. Loud speaker and crispy m&m’s. Bring those back now.
M: Sorry man, those things were disgusting. Peanut butter all day everyday. So who else is in Don’t Trip?
A: That statement is untrue. Well we have Jack who plays guitar. Ed plays the other banjo, Frank slaps the skins and Justin hits the low tones.
M: Different strokes for different folks. So for the uninitiated give us a little rundown of your history including releases?
A: Hmmm, so we been a band for almost 2 years now, we just started as a 4 piece and just came together to have fun, record some music, play shows and see where it goes. Frank and Jack wrote the tunes, then brought in Ed and myself and it really just went from there. We started off with a demo in June of 2007. We recorded a full length in winter of 2007 and released it in the spring of 2008. Our split with What Life Is was put on tape in the summer of 2008, so we have been keeping ourselves busy and will be having more new things to come.
M: From my understanding Frank and Jack are also in Sick and Tired. Are you or your other band members in any other projects?
A: Yes they are. Ed plays bass in Grace Alley. Jack and I will be starting a side project in next few weeks called River Bed. It’s a harder, more fast paced vibe but you can still party hard to the tunes.
M: Speaking of partying hard, some of your lyrics convey that you like to do so. Would you like to make statement on the subject?
A: Yea, you only live once so live life to the fullest. No regrets.
M: Sick. The bay area seems to be a breeding ground for awesome music. Bands like Comadre, Sabertooth Zombie, Ceremony, Skin Like Iron, and Annihilation Time have put the bay area hardcore/punk scene under a microscope. Has this put any pressure on you or you’re band members to create something great (which in my opinion and many others you have already done)?
A: You know, not really. All those bands are amazing and I respect them. But for us, were just dudes playing music and the fact we have even made it this far is awesome for us. I won’t lie, you always want to write something great and it puts some pressure on you but if the pressure was immense it wouldn’t be fun and not worth pursuing. I feel whatever we write is something that we all came together and put effort into, so no matter what it is, it’s important to us as a band.
M: Sounds awesome in theory and practice. Well, while I’m on the subject of bay area hardcore, what’s your favorite hometown venue?
A: For our hometown shows, it has to be the Oddstad or the Jungle. Both don’t do shows anymore, rather lame. As in all time venue, I wish the Pound was still around. Miss that place.
M: Okay, last question about bay area hardcore. Well, actually not a question. More of an opinion. You’re vocals sound a lot like Connor’s of Lights Out (rip). I know this cant be the first time someone has told you this.
A: No it has not been the first time, and I have no problems with it. My goal was never to sound like him, but it just came out that way and you really cant be bummed off people comparing you to one of the best bay area hardcore bands.
M: Truth. You hinted at new material earlier and I’ve spoken to you before about a possible 7" release. Any details?
A: All I can say is late spring or summer. Keep an eye out for Don’t Trip in 2009.
M: Super secret 7” I see. Can a Lights Out cover be expected? hah.
A: Haha, nah. Just not much info yet, just expect it to be some good tunes. We have a unreleased Nofx and Descendants cover. We will be departing on a full us tour in may. Our 7” will come out on DTC.
M: Nofx? Seriously my all time favorite band. First CD that was given to me was "Ribbed". I didn’t even have a CD player and I had to beg my mom to buy me one. Which song is it and who's the Nofx fan in Don’t Trip? On a similar note, what album got you into the whole punk thing?
A: “Stranger than Fishing“. The whole band is into Nofx, there one of my biggest influences. We also cover “I’m Telling Tim“. What album got me into punk, hmmm I’m gonna have to say (Nofx‘s)“Public in Drublic” or “The Decline” when I was in 7th or 8th grade. Pretty much changed how I feel about society. I went to a catholic school and never really felt like I believed in god in the 7th and 8th grade. Listening to punk made me realize there are other people out there like me that choose to think otherwise.
M: It’s pretty ridiculous that I’m listening to “So Long and Thanks for All the Shoes” in my car while I read that. Don’t trip just got a lot more awesome in my book.
A: My favorites, shits hard. So next time we are in Fresno I think the party needs to rage dawg.
M: For sure. You guys should play Visalia instead. Its about 30 minutes south and there’s a pretty decent pizza place/venue here. I think Full Blown Chaos is playing this month or next. I’ve seen the flyers for shows their and they usually say “buy beer” so you know it would be a rager. This is pretty much turning into a conversation so I got a few last questions for you. What would you like to see more/less of in the California hardcore scene?
A: Lol yea... just not giving a fuck dude. Everyone should just accept each other no matter who they are. That’s it really. Bands need to keep playing, kids need to keep chilling hard and live life.
M: Awesome words. What up and coming bands (besides you guys) should we be on the lookout for?
A: Oh man so many.... Farley Overdose, Skin Like Iron, Grace Alley, Creatures, Downpresser, Plank Walk, Street Walkers, so many more...
M: Fuck yeah, all those bands are doing their thing right now. Final words?
A: Stay up.
Myspace
Download the full length - "Root of All Evil"
Download Split w/ What Life Is
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Interview with Dan from Downpresser
Devan: Who are you and what do you do in the band?
Dan: I'm Dan, I do the vocals and write the lyrics.
Devan: First off, Perverted Justice is an awesome ep. What would you say was your biggest influence for this record?
Dan: Hey thanks a lot man, I'm glad you enjoyed it. I can only speak for myself as far as influences go, I didn't write any of the music.. Definitely No Warning, Biohazard, Stigmata, Pittbull, Madball, and Pantera (to name a few) were strong influences at the time and still are today.
Devan: I've heard of you guys being compared more than once to the NY hardcore sound. Were bands such as Cro-Mags and other NY hardcore bands influences to your sound?
Dan: NYHC is clearly a huge influence on me as you can tell by some of those bands listed above. I know some of the other guys in the band are getting sick of that comparison, because we draw influence from all sorts of heavy music. As far as hardcore bands that we're influenced by, it's usually the ones with that NY vibe.. But yeah, Cro-Mags are a huge influence on us. Me and Sean used to be in a 'mags cover band several years back called Do Unto Others, we played a few local shows around SB and shit. Strictly AoQ jams. I think I ruined it for myself though because I can't play that record as much as the other ones anymore.
Devan: The first time I saw you guys was about a year ago in Fresno. The show featured about 60 people squeezed into 10' by 15' garage/bedroom lined with mattresses and tons more outside. Needless to say it was pretty fucking intense. Which do you prefer, the larger venue-backed shows or the smaller, more personal shows?
Dan: Man, we still talk about that show! So much fun. Well it depends on the show I guess, I mean, we definitely love playing in garages and houses and that sort of thing, because it's such a personal setting, as you mentioned. There's no room for people to move away so they have to stand up close. But if you have a big venue show that is packed the same way, it's not quite as personal but it has the same intensity. I remember growing up shows at venues would be completely packed up front. Nowadays there's usually a huge hole in the middle of the crowd cause people are too cool or shook to stand up front and take a couple hits.
Devan: How was it being included on the California Uber Alles compilation?
Dan: The CUA comp. was an awesome deal, put together by our friend Josh from Pressvre. I'll admit I was pretty surprised when we first got the tapes in and we were the first song on side A, but that's cool I guess. Several good friends of ours are on it, and it's cool to be considered an integral part of the current CA scene because we have such a long history of punk and hardcore in this state.
Devan: What has been the highlight of your band's progressing?
Dan: Highlights? Too many. I guess going from like, drunken backyard shows to Sound & Fury would be a serious highlight. Or this little tour we did to TX, we headlined a few shows on our first time out and kids were sticking around for us, singing along, moshing.. Stuff we never thought would happen. We were thinking before most of the shows like, "Oh these kids don't know who we are, nobody is going to stick around." And most of the time it would turn out amazing, or decent at the worst. We've been a band since like '05-'06 and honestly I thought we'd be broken up by now, so every show and every practice is a highlight for me.
Devan: What's your current state of mind on whats going on right now? The band, politics, anything? What's going on?
Dan: Haha man, I always have so much shit on my mind it's not even funny. If you ask the people I hang around, they'll tell you I have a lot of strange theories on the world and shit.. It depends on what I'm reading, going through, etc. I guess what's going through my mind lately has mostly to do with people's definitions of truth. If something is real and has real effects for an individual then how can it not be true? It depends on people's definition of the word "truth" as being a singular idealistic notion, and not something that can be defined by the individual. Like, outsiders to the scene will think like "oh those kids are just living a lie, it's a fantasy, they're avoiding the real world etc." But punk and hardcore has made me happier than probably anything in the world, and it's been a part of my life for 12 or 13 years now, so this is my subjective truth that I'm living. It's a reality to me, a fantasy to you; it's the real world to me and a waste of time to you. When I'm fifty, maybe I'll need to accept a different truth to make myself happy. Who knows. I think people would be a lot happier if they stopped thrusting their world views onto other people and people could agree to disagree. Sorry, reading this over it seems a little long-winded and metaphysical but hey, you asked.
Devan: Haha. Any plans for the future?
Dan: I have plenty of plans for the future, hopefully one day I'll make them happen.
Links to purchase music online can be found at the Downpresser Myspace page
Interview with Nick from Final Fight
Devan: Who are you/what do you do in the band?
Nick: Nick, I play guitar
D: Everyone I've talked to is super stoked on your new lp, "Half Head, Full Shred". What do you think are some of your influences on this new record?
N: Its awesome to hear that people are stoked on our new album, we put a ton of work into making it. Personally, a major influence for me was the desire to put out another album. When we started writing new songs we all began to see that we were taking a different path than from Under Attack, or even the split with Life Long Tragedy. We didn't intentionally change the overall sound of our songs, but it was more the way in which they started coming out. We gave ourselves a little more freedom when it came to writing, and we opened our minds more to different possibilities. I expect whatever we release next will take another step to being more progressive, whether people like it or not.
D: How was it making this record?
N: Incredible, and terrible at the same time. Every time we wrote a new song, we essentially developed a new favorite final fight song. I can remember several times leaving practice just being stoked on a new song we wrote, especially considering it was a major piece in the upcoming album. On the other hand, we put a lot of pressure on ourselves to make sure the songs were as good as we felt they could be. We have never been a band that writes songs quickly; we like to be perfectionists. When our recording session was booked, we still hadn't finished every song on the album, so that really put us in a tough spot.
D: Its been a few since your first full length and the split with life long tragedy. What have you guys been up to since then?
N: Well we started final fight when I was barely 18 years old. I'm 23 now, so of course there are going to be a lot more responsibilities in life other than the band. Last year David and James both graduated college, and I'll be joining them in June. We have all had full time commitments, whether it be jobs, school, or both, so it takes time away from what we can do for the band. I don't want to say that the band was a secondary priority, we all still love playing shows, meeting new people, and traveling. But sometimes you have to put the band aside to straighten out other shit that's going on in your life. Its a tough thing to balance, but so far I think we have done a pretty good job of doing it.
D: What do you think has changed since your first full length, as far as sounds or influences?
N: Probably everything. Shaun, the other guitar player, and I both agreed that the old songs just aren't that much fun to play on guitar outside of a show. We wanted to change that, and we wanted to challenge ourselves a bit more. It may not sound like it, but a lot of our new songs are pretty tough to play, especially considering the way in which we have strayed away from using just standard power chords. We have all gotten a lot better at our instruments, and now we have luxuries that other bands may not have. We have a really good drummer, a really good bass player that actually writes song, and has a major input on the writing of songs, and a singer that has constantly gotten better not only in how he sounds, but the lyrics he writes. Also, we party a lot more. Way more.
D: How's your home scene?
N: Our home scene has always been awesome. It started out as a tight group of friends that went to every single final fight show, regardless of how far it was. Now we see a lot of new faces at our shows, as well as some of the old familiar faces that have been there the whole time.
D: Do you still stay active in it?
N: Not as much as I used to. I still love hardcore, and listen to it just about everyday, but we all started to explore life outside of shows. When we started out, we were playing shows just about every weekend, so after a while I got kind of burned out on going to shows.
D: What kinda of music have you been into lately?
N: Pygmy Lush, Pink Floyd,
D: Are there any bands you think show potential? Any we should look out for in the future?
N: Xiabalba and Run with the Hunted are the first two to come to mind. Both bands are full of awesome dudes, and they are doing shit that most bands aren't. Considering how many bands start out attempting to sound like an already established band, its nice to hear bands coming up with new styles of music. Add Let Live, Purple Mercy, and The Sunset Limited to that list as well.
D: Anything planned for the future? Anymore tours or projects we can look forward to?d
N: We have had talks about writing an ep and trying to release it sometime in the future, but nothing is set in stone yet. Were also looking to try to tour more in 2009. Were planning an east coast weekend in Spring, as well as a European tour sometime this summer.
D: Last but not least, spits or swallows?
N: Those two aren't mutually exclusive. I think I speak for everyone when I say Snowball is the only acceptable answer.
Myspace
Pick up the new CD!
Or pick it up on vinyl!
Nick: Nick, I play guitar
D: Everyone I've talked to is super stoked on your new lp, "Half Head, Full Shred". What do you think are some of your influences on this new record?
N: Its awesome to hear that people are stoked on our new album, we put a ton of work into making it. Personally, a major influence for me was the desire to put out another album. When we started writing new songs we all began to see that we were taking a different path than from Under Attack, or even the split with Life Long Tragedy. We didn't intentionally change the overall sound of our songs, but it was more the way in which they started coming out. We gave ourselves a little more freedom when it came to writing, and we opened our minds more to different possibilities. I expect whatever we release next will take another step to being more progressive, whether people like it or not.
D: How was it making this record?
N: Incredible, and terrible at the same time. Every time we wrote a new song, we essentially developed a new favorite final fight song. I can remember several times leaving practice just being stoked on a new song we wrote, especially considering it was a major piece in the upcoming album. On the other hand, we put a lot of pressure on ourselves to make sure the songs were as good as we felt they could be. We have never been a band that writes songs quickly; we like to be perfectionists. When our recording session was booked, we still hadn't finished every song on the album, so that really put us in a tough spot.
D: Its been a few since your first full length and the split with life long tragedy. What have you guys been up to since then?
N: Well we started final fight when I was barely 18 years old. I'm 23 now, so of course there are going to be a lot more responsibilities in life other than the band. Last year David and James both graduated college, and I'll be joining them in June. We have all had full time commitments, whether it be jobs, school, or both, so it takes time away from what we can do for the band. I don't want to say that the band was a secondary priority, we all still love playing shows, meeting new people, and traveling. But sometimes you have to put the band aside to straighten out other shit that's going on in your life. Its a tough thing to balance, but so far I think we have done a pretty good job of doing it.
D: What do you think has changed since your first full length, as far as sounds or influences?
N: Probably everything. Shaun, the other guitar player, and I both agreed that the old songs just aren't that much fun to play on guitar outside of a show. We wanted to change that, and we wanted to challenge ourselves a bit more. It may not sound like it, but a lot of our new songs are pretty tough to play, especially considering the way in which we have strayed away from using just standard power chords. We have all gotten a lot better at our instruments, and now we have luxuries that other bands may not have. We have a really good drummer, a really good bass player that actually writes song, and has a major input on the writing of songs, and a singer that has constantly gotten better not only in how he sounds, but the lyrics he writes. Also, we party a lot more. Way more.
D: How's your home scene?
N: Our home scene has always been awesome. It started out as a tight group of friends that went to every single final fight show, regardless of how far it was. Now we see a lot of new faces at our shows, as well as some of the old familiar faces that have been there the whole time.
D: Do you still stay active in it?
N: Not as much as I used to. I still love hardcore, and listen to it just about everyday, but we all started to explore life outside of shows. When we started out, we were playing shows just about every weekend, so after a while I got kind of burned out on going to shows.
D: What kinda of music have you been into lately?
N: Pygmy Lush, Pink Floyd,
D: Are there any bands you think show potential? Any we should look out for in the future?
N: Xiabalba and Run with the Hunted are the first two to come to mind. Both bands are full of awesome dudes, and they are doing shit that most bands aren't. Considering how many bands start out attempting to sound like an already established band, its nice to hear bands coming up with new styles of music. Add Let Live, Purple Mercy, and The Sunset Limited to that list as well.
D: Anything planned for the future? Anymore tours or projects we can look forward to?d
N: We have had talks about writing an ep and trying to release it sometime in the future, but nothing is set in stone yet. Were also looking to try to tour more in 2009. Were planning an east coast weekend in Spring, as well as a European tour sometime this summer.
D: Last but not least, spits or swallows?
N: Those two aren't mutually exclusive. I think I speak for everyone when I say Snowball is the only acceptable answer.
Myspace
Pick up the new CD!
Or pick it up on vinyl!
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