Don't Be Swindle

DBS 07 - Show #7

Tue, 21 Jan 2020 20:14:00 GMT

https://archive.org/download/DontBeSwindle-Episode7/DontBeSwindle-Episode7.mp3 Vile Intent - Muzzle Archagathus - Real Fancy Artimus Pyle - Bloodless War Liberate - Amigo Imaginario GAZA - Am I Mad Gyga - Butcher Mukeka Di Rato - Moldar Malpractice Insurance - Surgical Sabotage Worlds - Nomadic Exile Bastard Noise - Seeing The Same Fate Exit Wounds - Concrete Childhood Water Torture - Syntheic Waste Lost Tribe - The Laughter Mellakka - Tuhoon Tuomittu Heresy - Dedication From Inspiration DeathToll - Prophecy Of Death God Harvest - Crucifacial Last Words - Human Trainwreck Permanent Ruin - White Wash N.E.K. - O Lema E Mau Maus - Unforogtten Pull Out An Eye - Olympic Village Psychic Limb - Track 3 No Statik - Surrogate Beyond Pink - I-Landssproblem Sea Of Shit - Worst Enemey

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DBS 06 - Show #6

Tue, 21 Jan 2020 20:14:00 GMT

https://archive.org/download/DontBeSwindle-Episode6Podcast/DontBeSwindle-Episode6Podcast.mp3 Sixth episode is a To Live A Lie Records-centric episode, in fact all songs are from TLAL. Self promotion to inspire me to do more podcasts. 1. Sex Prisoner - Piss When I Cum (0:50) 2. Sick/Tired - Last Stand for a Deadman (1:21) 3. Shitstorm - Nevernding Genocide (0:15) 4. XBRAINIAX - Fuck the Swindlers (0:32) 5. Magnum Force - Distort (0:34) 6. Backslider - Some Kind of Moron (0:29) 7. Disciples Of Christ - 12 (0:56) 8. Dos Amigos - Snitch Bitch Eyesore (0:24) 9. Sissy Spacek - Look Alive (0:35) 10. Assholeparade - Bury You (1:01) 11. Beartrap - Nailed Shut (0:22) 12. Suffering Luna - Go Ask Alice (4:12) 13. Archagathus - Intoxicating Aroma (1:33) 14. Sidetracked - Runaway (0:23) 15. Mehkago N.T. - Crustfund Youth (1:55) 16. Capitalist Casualties - Atomic Energy Commission (Live) (0:48) 17. Sakatat - Bu DÃÂ¼zen Hepimizi Bir Gecede Harcayabilir + KayÃÂ±p (1:18) 18. Deathrats - Please (1:09) 19. Get Destroyed! - Shut In (0:31) 20. ACxDC - Milk Was A Bad Choice (0:48) 21. Lapse - Trend (0:46) 22. Eddie Brock - Pointer Thumb Pinky (1:56) 23. PLF - Veteran Of Looserhood (1:04) 24. Fatal Nunchaku - Track 11 (0:33) 25. Curmudgeon - Infallible (0:54) 26. Osk - Knowingly Ignorant (0:45) 27. Mind As Prison - Ramifications (2:43)

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DBS 05 - Show #5

Tue, 21 Jan 2020 20:13:00 GMT

https://archive.org/download/DontBeSwindle-Episode5Podcast/dbs5.mp3 1. Lapse - Posthumous 2. Curmudgeon - Gran Machismo 3. What Life Is - Street Lights 4. FCH - Japanese Wisdom I 5. Parlamentarisk Sodomi - Introduksjonell Mistillit 6. Sakatat - Unknown Title 7. Beach Babes - Cold Pizza 8. Bloody Phoenix - Isolated 9. The Kill - We Want Blood 10. Violent Children - Culture Sucks 11. Zero Boys - Splish Splash 12. Uniform Choice - My Own Mind 13. Ratos De Porao - Caos 14. Sairaat Mielet - Tippa Tappaa 15. Civil Victim - Coptown 16. Bastard - Flash Out 17. Punch - Been Here Before 18. Creepy Crawlie - Chicken Leg 19. I Accuse! - Can't Stop 20. Inzest - Human 21. D-Clone - What Color The Sky? 22. Nasikuzusi - Japanese Title

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DBS 04 - Show #4

Tue, 21 Jan 2020 20:12:00 GMT

https://archive.org/download/DontBeSwindle-Episode4Podcast/dbs4.mp3 1. Suffer – Numbered 2. Pissed Happy Children – Ready to Fight 3. Pandemonium – No More Talk 4. Cthulhu Youth – S.O.S.D 5. Female Snake – Adulthood 6. Kieltolaki – Maailma Menee Helvettiin 7. Blank Stare – Fuck Drugs. Fuck You. 8. Crippled Youth – Positive Scene 9. Stripmines – Failsafe 10. ¡LIBÉRATE! – Hispano? NO! 11. Attitude Adjustment – Endless Sight 12. No For An Answer – Domino Principle 13. Vile Intent – Front 14. Mondo Gecko – Unknown Track 15. Punch – Get Back 16. Un Quarto Morto – Idiocrazia 17. Curmudgeon – Gran Machismo 18. Raw Power – I Hate The System 19. Riistetyt – Ei Hoitokeinoa 20. Youth Korpse – Disappear + Cop song

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DBS 03 - Show #3

Tue, 21 Jan 2020 20:00:00 GMT

https://archive.org/download/DontBeSwindle-Episode3Podcast/DontBeSwindle-Episode3.mp3 1. Doom- Circles 2. Sore Throat- Hang Norman Tebbit 3. Sore Throat- Filthchain 4. Gore Beyond Necropsy- Leavin' Here 5. Iron Butter- Willieburger 6. Final Exit- May 7. Asocial Terror Fabrication- Under the Dark Force 8. GoFuckYourself- Mormons Can Fuck Off pt. 2 9. Herpes- Seguimiento Falso 10. Electro Hippies- Gas Joe Pearce 11. Concrete Sox- Your Turn Next 12. Heresy- Despair 13. Attitude Adjustment- Warfear 14. Ulster- Morte Aos Velhos 15. Excruciating Terror- Human Error 16. Extreme Noise Terror- Cage Paralysis/ Think Outside the Box 17. Phobia- Infant Suffering 18. G-Anx- Life 19. Prophecy of Doom- title unknown 20. Napalm Death- Your Achievement 21. Masskontroll- Epilogue

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DBS 02 - Show #2

Tue, 21 Jan 2020 20:00:00 GMT

https://archive.org/download/DontBeSwindle-Episode1Podcast_907/DBS2.mp3 Second episode of Don't Be Swidle Podcast with Will Butler as your host with a guest block by Jace Kuhn and shoutout by Patrick Forrest and Logan Neubauer of Backslider. Weekend Nachos - Dog Torture Mihoen - Geinstitutionaliseerde Ideale Vorhees - Feed The Poor Neos - Destruct Malicious Grind - Hardcore Wall Flower DYS - Brotherhood Bathtub Shitter - Fuck Hip Raper Framtid - We Must Impart Slight Slappers - Normal Life Toast - Plastic Kill Order Sea Of Shit - Mindless Mindless - Diseased Matka Teresa - Dirty Hands Mind As Prison - Comp Song Napalm Death - Unchallenged Hate Magrudergrind -Stagnant Bathory - Holocaust Backslider - Predictable Epitaph Dead Language - Short Straw Low Threat Profile - Southern Hospitality Brain Killer - Tranquilizer Pull Out An Eye - Paper Soldier State Violence - Song 2 Surroundings - Gluttony Of God Coke Bust - Deathbed

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DBS 01 - Show #1

Tue, 21 Jan 2020 19:58:00 GMT

https://archive.org/download/DontBeSwindle-Episode1Podcast/episode1.mp3 1) Antidote - Real Deal 2) Lärm - Hippies 3) Satanic Malfunctions - Dealing Out Death 4) Electro Hippies - Run Ronald 5) Hummingbird Of Death - Where's The Fun 6) Quattro Stagioni - How Will I Live Tomorrow 7) Knuckle Scraper - The Thing 8) Hatred Surge - Society Sucker 9) Worlds - Imonc 10) Ruidosa Inmundicia - Ello Son 11) Culo - Neighborhood Watch 12) Warhead - You In Corruption 13) Citizens Arrest - Serve And Protect 14) Ripcord - Aim To Please

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Infest - Live Show Review 3/1/2014

Tue, 04 Mar 2014 02:02:00 GMT

Powerfulviolence: Infest Live Review

Infest/Iron Lung/Gehenna/Warcry/Gag

at El Corazon — Saturday, March1st, 2014

by Jim Walkley

At the outset, Don't Be Swindle readers, I regret to inform you that vegetarian nachos are no longer being served at El Corazon. Sad but true! Instead, you may now choose between tater tots, a hot dog, a "Seattle style" hot dog, or a quesadilla. Naturally, despite bumming out (hard) over this piece of dreadful news, I soldiered on. I refuse to allow an absence of "weekend nachos", as it were, ruin the natural high of this historic show! Hey, punk rock has never been easy. (And truth be told, I didn't want a belly full of artificial cheese, anyway.)

So there's this band called Gag. They're from Olympia. Did you read the interview with them in Maximumrocknroll? I did. I thought it was great. However, I suspect that Gag as a collective may not care what supposed "journalists" (is that a thing?) write about them in "magazines" (do those still exist?) … because Gag can rest comfortably in the knowledge that when they're asked to, they can bring it. It's hardcore for the hardcore, as the phrase goes, and resulted in the first circle pit of the evening. The vocalist threw himself around the stage in finest rag doll fashion; guitarist Jose (who also handles vocals in the equally excellent White Wards) never failed to summon a sturdy rhythmic backbone; the second guitarist didn't muddy up the sound; drums pounded, the bass throbbed … sonic catharsis achieved! Gag received quite a bit of hype in the punk scene last year — thankfully, it's deserved. As you can tell from the artwork gracing their vinyl releases, this band has a highly developed artistic sense, which seemingly flows on tap in Olympia and nourishes its many sacred denizens! (After all, "It's The Water", as the slogan for Olympia beer once had it; scores of incisive, thoughtful bands have called Olympia home over the years.) Gag's t-shirts also demonstrate an eye for artistic detail. Interestingly, in a strictly musical sense, you might not expect that to be the case, given that Gag's punk rock resembles a seeming patchwork of early '80's hardcore as it collides with the elusive "mysterious" element of a modern throwback outfit such as Hoax. Despite the relative simplicity and even tradition of their pounding caveman roar, Gag can't help but reveal a deeper, more advanced shade of creativity in equal measure. Go see them if they play near you!

Warcry hail from nearby Portland, Oregon. Todd Burdette, their frontman and vocalist, has been active in music for decades — most notably, perhaps, in His Hero Is Gone, followed by the now-cult Tragedy; he's also mixed it up (in his apparent spare time) with occasional forays into "side projects" such as Severed Head Of State and Trauma. In those bands, Todd usually plays guitar, but at least on this evening with Warcry, he brought his full menacing presence to bear on vocals alone. I kept wondering if someone in the crowd would receive a glancing blow from the microphone, because when Todd wasn't howling into it, he twirled it like he was about to lasso something, or he'd wrap it around his neck, then loosen it, only to throw it around and seize it out of the air. Todd also pumped his fists relentlessly and flipped off the crowd at every opportunity. Fittingly for me, they played "B.S.B.S.F.B.S.", with its rousing chorus of "Bullshit/bullshit/fuckin' bullshit!" As Bruce Roehrs might quip: "YES!" That's my favorite Warcry song, but standout "When Comes The End" sounded incredibly tight and forceful as well, particularly with reverb and delay drenching the vocals. If you attach negative sentiments to punk rockers who attain "lifer" status, and you look down your nose at Warcry as a result of that … well, it's your loss. Warcry are a great band; I felt honored to see them live. (And yes, I bought the t-shirt!)

None other than The Infamous Gehenna took the stage next. Prior to the start of the show, I'd been sitting on a couch in the back of a side bar at El Corazon, which was conveniently close to one end of the stage, while their guitarist and bassist warmed up unplugged on a couch right across from me. The guitarist had sprayed some sort of lubricant on the neck of his guitar (an apple-red colored guitar which featured one of those crazy triangle/geometrically-shaped bodies, a sort of variation on the Randy Rhodes-esque "Flying V.") I hadn't seen anybody spray oil on a guitar neck like that in years — usually, that's what you do when you want what's known as a "fast neck", so you can play a lot of hyper-fast riffs on it without causing your fingers to bleed. ("What band are these dudes in!?", I wondered. "They look like hardcore kids, but that riffing, it almost sounds like death metal …") Come to find out, it's Gehenna — band of myth and lore; band with "notorious" vocalist Mike Cheese (who actually seems like a really nice guy … but keep that a secret); band of devious intelligence; overall feral, and long-lived, practitioners of Holy Terror. Try the following experiment, if you will. Take a Gehenna LP off the shelf, let the creeping darkness of the cover art filter into your senses, then flip it over and read through the song titles. It's quite a daunting experience. A few of these song titles stick with you for years: "Mescalinpsychosis"; "Spiraling Into My Demise"; "The Choking Sands"; "Covet Thy Crown" (which the band played tonight!), and many others. With the looming, starkly intimidating shadow that Gehenna's art casts sonically, I half-expected to choke in fright as Cheese stormed the stage in an (imagined) destructive, suicidal rampage — a true disciple of G.G. Allin, perhaps? Such was not the case. Gehenna's set seemed almost murderously, methodically controlled; in a manner of speaking, they didn't have to be overly demonstrative as they slowly twisted the proverbial shiv in your side. The band brought tight, professional drumming (unconfirmed rumor: Gehenna's drummer that evening also played on Infest's No Man's Slave), with brutally fast and efficient guitar that somehow never descended into pure metal; fluid bass playing that kept everything grounded; finally, and most importantly, Mike's vocals sounded as strong as if the band were playing in 1995, not 2014. An all-around impressive set for a deservedly legendary band. Gehenna closed with a Discharge cover, and the crowd went appropriately nuts.

Iron Lung followed — what an incredible force this band was, is, and likely always will be … they had me from the very first moments of opening song "Sexless//No Sex," which was just as heavy and raging in real life as in its recorded version. The sound was jaw-dropping; literally staggering. I immediately rushed forward to be a little closer, personal safety be damned. Iron Lung drummer/co-vocalist Jensen Ward wore a genuinely scary Von longsleeve emblazoned with skulls, pentagrams, and assorted homages to Satan, in the general spirit of what I'd expected previous band Gehenna to summon musically. Yet the old cliché that "appearances are deceiving" holds true, because Jensen is in fact humble, approachable, and just plain nice in person, regardless of the "evil" vibe he might send off to a square. He also has a rare sense of humor. Jensen's between-song banter lightened the mood considerably and made many in the crowd chuckle. "Well, now … here we have a bunch of students, just learnin' the game … yeah … all except one" — to paraphrase one of his comments, followed by: "Spending mommy's money — because community college doesn't pay for itself!" That might not read as funny as it sounded in the moment, but Jensen had me laughing constantly — and it was welcome! Not to mention, he's also an absolutely fantastic drummer, dead-on accurate, hitting with furious power while simultaneously screaming bloody murder into a mic by the drums … who knows how old he is, but Jensen's ceaseless energy could put a 21-year old to shame. Iron Lung guitarist Jon Kortland occasionally joined Jensen on vocal duties, but mainly focused on that surgically accurate guitar playing, his hands a blur, with an enviably meaty, thick, heavysound that can also be found on any of the band's many records. I have to see Iron Lung again! You should do the same (they tour a lot, so you'll probably get the chance.)

Finally … at long last … it was time for Infest. A heartfelt thanks to Mike Crow of Inimical Records, Jensen Ward, John Pettibone of El Corazon, and all those who helped to realize a Seattle show for one of hardcore's modern classic bands. As the members took the stage, I noticed that Matt Domino, Infest's guitarist, had some of the thickest forearms that I'd ever seen … he looks like he could bench-press a car, then pick it up and throw it half a mile! Well, I suppose that's all the better for playing those riffs (yes, those riffs! — you know the ones), in his offhand, effortless fashion. Domino spent their set positioned next to his guitar cabinets, an immovable object amidst a churning sea of stage-divers. Yes, of course the crowd went totally ape — it's Infest! You have to laugh at that admonishing sign on the wall at El Corazon: um, does that white stencil actually read "No Stage Diving"? Haha, indeed! Vocalist Joe Denunzio was just as curiously tan as he appears in photos, and equally as expressive, contorting his face into pantomimes of anger, hatred, and that certain joyous feeling that arises in converting all of that negative energy into passionate performance. Bassist Chris Dodge deftly avoided dozens of stage divers; when the band would crawl through that sludgy, feedback-drenched flipside to their lightning-fast powerviolence, Gag guitarist Jose could be seen doing his best "creeper" dance, arms dragging near his feet as he lurched about the stage, only to fling himself at the mercy of the front row. Infest drummer Bob Kasitz proved (as if any proof was needed) that he's one of hardcore's best musicians — man, this guy can play! Dodge often turned to face Bob's kit, intent on keeping the rhythmic grounding of the band in place despite the absolute chaos roiling throughout the club. Musically, Infest's set was a revelation, with each successive song somehow topping its devastating, mind-melting predecessor. Believe it or not, but the Infest live experience is just as awesome as this review would have it — and that's no hyperbole. You have to see them for yourself!

After a triumph like this evening, one's mind begins to wander to the next challenge: convincing Lack Of Interest to play Seattle again. However, let's not get greedy. As it is, the sheer power of this Infest show might just be enough to carry Seattle for months to come. Who needs the Super Bowl when you have hardcore punk on such a peerless level?

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Weekend Nachos Interview with John Hoffman

Thu, 23 Jan 2014 23:46:00 GMT

Questions by Jim Walkley of Don't Be Swindle

Weekend Nachos recently released Still, their fourth full-length LP as a band. It's somewhat rare for a "powerviolence" band — if you could limit the Weekend Nachos sound to just that — to release full-length LPs; a band such as Sidetracked, for example, is mainly an EP and split-EP band, and genre titans Lack Of Interest (with whom Weekend Nachos shared a soon-to-be-classic split) have released only two stand-alone LPs in their storied existence.

Despite being a "love them/hate them" band for some in the hardcore scene, Weekend Nachos are back — and with a wrecking ball of a new LP. Still is slightly more metallic in places, displaying their continued integration of razor-sharp powerviolence speed with a surfeit of crushing breakdowns (causing everyone to go nuts live). Haters beware — even if you dislike the Weekend Nachos aesthetic, you can't really argue with the music. Repeated listens yield repeat results!

I conducted this interview with John Hoffman by email … at the gates of winter, which is a bitter season for Chicagoland dwellers, and produced the "I Live In Frozen Hell" t-shirt that's been a favorite on the Weekend Nachos merch stand.

1). Congratulations on Still, John. Weirdly, the first time that I heard it, I gathered the impression that it might alienate some fans. It's musically heavier (perhaps more metal-leaning), but doesn't seem at first to be as raw, punky, or loud as previous recordings. On subsequent listens, however, Still starts sounding more natural in the Weekend Nachos discography. And, not to mention, the band has always alienated music listeners in a kind of love them/hate them dichotomy. Let me ask you directly: Are you happy with the way that your new LP turned out, both songwriting-wise as well as recording-wise?

We’re deliriously happy with the way that “STILL” turned out! I hope this doesn’t come across as cocky or snide, but honestly we would never release an album unless we were happy with it — we have actually scrapped recordings before because we didn’t think they met our own standards. It’s always uncertain whether the public is going to be as happy with our new albums as we are … but that’s because you can’t predict how people are going to react to anything. But once it’s good enough for us, that’s when we know it’s ready for release. We also record our own music in Andy’s studio so we always have control over how that turns out, too.

2). Weekend Nachos have played a lot of shows over the years and have also toured quite heavily. I don't know if your "live shows played" number is up into Converge territory yet, but you and your fellow band members are hardly slackers. As for you personally, you played drums for Pit Of Spikes on the 2011 Demo and you're also a member of Cyborg, although you've terminated your bass duties in Harms Way. Are those aforementioned bands still active? Is splitting time between touring and multiple band commitments difficult, or have you just become extremely efficient at getting things done?

I’m pretty active, but I also don’t feel like I do this nearly as much as I wish I could. I have a full-time job and a relationship which take up most of my time. That’s all well and good, but if it could be 50/50 instead of 60/40, that’d be ideal. That being said, everything that I do besides Weekend Nachos, in a music sense, takes a back seat. I practice with Pit Of Spikes when I can, but my time is always devote first and foremost to the Nachos and the other band I play drums in, SPINE. Spine is actually becoming a lot more active lately, which is exciting to me. Spine and Weekend Nachos are my babies.

3). Speaking of live shows, I'd encourage those reading this to see Weekend Nachos live — even if you're not really a fan of the recorded material. In particular, you yourself manifest a much more positive, downright "happy" energy live, which totally doesn't come across on the records. The presence of that "hardcore energy", for lack of a better term, is why Weekend Nachos live will change the way you listen to the EPs and LPs. It seems somehow more complete. What do you think about all that, and how can such a seemingly cheerful dude create such negative, mean hardcore, both lyrically and musically?

We all have different sides to our personalities. The hatred and the anger is something I can’t hide … so I choose to show it through music. I consider recordings and albums to be a window into the side of yourself that you don’t necessarily want to show to the world physically, so you’re giving them an opportunity to see it on their own. When we play live, I kinda consider that to be the grey area between your recorded output and your social interaction. It’s like the world in-between that connects the two together … the live show. So I like to allow more of my social personality to seep into the WN live show. I want to express my inner rage while at the same time being an enjoyable person to be around. This is a foreign concept to some people … that’s fine, whatever works for them. I don’t feel comfortable being a tough, negative nancy on stage. I can be energetic and perhaps even a little violent while still maintaining a welcoming, positive vibe on stage.

4). The lyrics on Stillseem to be a bit more direct and judiciously chosen than on Worthless, your prior LP. Overall, instead of trying an approach where you're breathlessly screaming paragraphs of lyrics (which, to be fair, has never been your vocal style), it sounded to me as if you're focusing on fewer words — but voicing them a bit deeper and more forcefully. As for your lyrical themes specifically, what are the messages/thoughts/ideas behind the lyrics in new songs such as "S.C.A.B.", "Satan Sucker", and "Late Night Walks"?

Every song is different, really. All of those songs you listed are coming from a completely different part of my brain … "S.C.A.B." is sociopolitical, "Satan Sucker" is about image and "Late Night Walks" is a personal song I wrote about relationship drama. So, unfortunately, I’m not exactly sure how to answer your question. However, I will say that the lyrics on Still are the most developed and crafted that they have ever been on a Weekend Nachos album. If there was a such thing as a “matured” Weekend Nachos lyrical style, then it has been achieved on this latest album for sure.

5). I understand that Weekend Nachos contributed a song to the forthcoming To Live A Lie 100 Various Artists Compilation that Will Butler is releasing (hopefully soon!). Is it a new track that's exclusive to that release, a cover of a classic band's song, an experiment of some kind, or something else altogether? If pressed, I'd say that I anticipate your song on the TLAL Comp.to be short, choppy powerviolence akin to something in that brief/biting style of your awesome "Torture" EP, the band's debut recording. What can you tell readers about this soon-to-be-released Weekend Nachos song?

The song we contributed to that comp (which I’m very excited about, by the way…GO WILL!!!) was actually a song we recorded in the same session as the split with Lack of Interest. It didn’t really fit with the other material we did for the LOI split so we decided to scrap it from that recording…but we were still pretty happy with the song on its own, therefore it was a perfect selection for Will’s comp! It’s very much reminiscent of the classic WN style that you heard on “Torture” and “Punish and Destroy”, which is going to be weird for people to hear considering this comp is coming out AFTER our latest album Still, which sounds very different from our earliest albums. I also forgot a lot of the lyrics to the comp. song, for some reason I lost the ones I had written down when we recorded it … thus, for the first time in WN history, no lyrics will be included with its release. The song is about tattoos, though.

6). In fact, that "Torture" EP came out on Tooth Decay, a record label that you ran at the time. You're currently doing a new label with a similar name: Bad Teeth. What caused the demise of Tooth Decay and the subsequent rise of Bad Teeth, and what's it like to run a label in these times of financial austerity and declining sales of physical records? Personally, I'm looking forward to the upcoming Spine/The Repos Split EP on Bad Teeth; please feel free to talk about that 7-inch, because it sounds rad …

Originally, I stopped doing Tooth Decay because I didn’t really have a lot of money and I needed to focus on my future a little bit instead of pouring cent after cent into a side project. Fast forward around 7 years and I was definitely in a better position to start doing a label again, so there you have it. As long as you have no ambition to make money doing it, and as long as you expect to lose a little or a lot here and there, then doing a label in these times is really no problem. You just need to set realistic expectations for yourself and understand that there is very little money to be made in the record industry these days, especially when you don’t really set it up like a business in the first place. At the time that I am doing this interview now, the Spine/Repos split has actually been released and the first press has sold out! It only took about a month, too … which is a record for Bad Teeth. Stoked on that! A repress of 300 copies is coming soon, so it will be readily available again.

7). John … how about a Weekend Nachos/Sidetracked split EP!? Or — yes! … a Weekend Nachos/Fever Split EP. I could go on, but what I'm asking is: show Tacoma some love! I mean, Weekend Nachos/Lack Of Interest was great, but what about Weekend Nachos/Hummingbird Of Death!? (Well … they're actually from Boise, ID, not Tacoma, WA — but I'm on a roll here, man). Seriously, though, will Weekend Nachos be sharing split EPs or LPs with any bands in 2014 or beyond? So far, your band seems to primarily release stand-alone recordings, which you've done throughout a good-sized discography of EPs and LPs. Do you think you'll ever have any desire to change that and become more of a "split" band? Critically, I think the solo Weekend Nachos material is strong enough by itself without a band on the flip side — but would like to hear your thoughts on the subject.

You seem to have a pretty good inkling of what we’re about … honestly, we don’t appear on a lot of splits. We’ve only ever done 2 during our whole existence … Chronic Bleeding Syndrome in 2005 and Lack Of Interest in 2012. It’s hard to say whether or not we’ll ever do a split again … I can see it happening but I can also see it never happening again. The only reason we did the LOI split is because we really couldn’t say no. Bob puts out all of our records and we were honored to do it. Sidetracked is an incredible band and so is Fever … to be honest, I didn’t even know Fever still played. Sidetracked is one of the very criminally underrated fastcore bands of our generation. Jay Tichy is a musical genius and should be recognized as such.

8). People may not realize this, but Weekend Nachos definitely have a sense of humor. That's something that I think the band's "haters" miss. For instance, your drummer was wearing buttless chaps and a Discharge-like, spike-encrusted jacket with "Nachos" crudely scrawled on a back patch at your Rain Fest 2012 aftershow at the Black Lodge space in Seattle. Man, that image was hilarious, gnarly, and intense, kinda similar in a way to that John Lennon/Yoko Ono-inspired photo of two Weekend Nachos members cuddling that graced the inside of the WorthlessLP. You're obviously not a guy who takes himself way too seriously. Do you think that the average Joe music fan out there still misses your band's sense of humor?

I think we are fun-loving dudes amongst a sea of try-hard clones out there, unfortunately. The extreme music scene places an unrealistic expectation on its musicians to be “brutal” and “hateful” all the time. That’s just not what WN is about, in fact we tend to laugh in the face of anybody who thinks that’s what it takes to succeed in these parts. Give me a fuckin' break. The hard stare and constant snarl on these death metal bands is something to laugh at. Come to a Weekend Nachos show and get your nose broken by a dude in a Hawaiian shirt, see how tough you look then!! We just like to mix it up a bit. You can have songs about slitting throats and still find time to get naked or dance like a goddamn retard every now and then. Why not?!

9). I purchased a download of Still from iTunes — and I realize that mp3 fidelity isn't great — but as I mentioned earlier, the recording seemed a bit quieter than previous Weekend Nachos efforts. In actuality, did you intend it to be less loud than previous LPs, or am I just totally wrong and need to crank the volume? Did Andy Nelson handle recording duties again? Please discuss recording and artwork details for Still. The cover art, for instance, looks a good deal like the image on your "I Live In Frozen Hell" Weekend Nachos shirts.

The image on the front of Still is definitely very similar to the "Frozen Hell" t-shirt design … I don’t think that was intentional, it just sorta looked right. They are definitely different images that I just happened to stumble upon at different times. As far as the recording is concerned … I don’t think the recording is much lower in volume than the others, if at all. You may be right but I’ve just never noticed. Andy recorded this as he does all of our albums, and it was mastered by Trevor Sadler. If it’s quieter, it was definitely not intentional, we would never willingly choose to make our album LESS loud than its predecessor, haha.

10). Okay … Freddy Krueger or Jason from Halloween!? Is it "Merry Christmas", or Happy Holidays!? To elaborate, I know that Dom at A389 produced a Nightmare On Elm Street shirt for you guys; in addition, I've seen a Weekend Nachos shirt with a Gingerbread Man below the words "Merry Christmas". Do you celebrate Christmas and are sick of trendily referring to it as "The Holidays"? And who had the idea for the Nightmare On Elm Street-themed band photos and layout? Do you take care of that aspect of the band — designing or planning official merchandise — as well?

I am definitely the Freddy Krueger fan of the band, the other guys just kinda accept and go along with it. We all celebrate Christmas … there is no reason not to. Gingerbread cookies are amazing. Family is great if you have a good one. Presents are nice, personally I like giving them more than I like receiving them. People also feel the desire to cook around the holiday season so I enjoy that as well, give me a warm home cooked meal and I’ll stay a while, you know? I definitely prefer Freddy over Jason or Michael Myers. But they are all pretty legit spooks.

9). In closing, please talk about upcoming plans for 2014, whether that relates to any of your bands or various other projects (such as your record label). For instance, any exciting releases planned for Bad Teeth in 2014 that you'd care to disclose? As for Weekend Nachos, will the band be playing any big Fests next summer, or at some other time in the upcoming year? I'd also like to thank you for the interview, John … the Still LP is excellent and has been dominating my listening time for days on end! Thanks man!

No, dude … thank YOU. It means a lot. Anyways, 2014 is going to be a chilled-out year for all of my projects; however, I do have some cool things planned. At the very beginning of the year, BTR will release a 7” by DRAIZE, an unbelievable Boston hardcore band that everybody should definitely check out, they’ve been around for years but are releasing their first new material in a long time in January. Other than that, BTR will be laying low due to some other financial shit I have going on, but depending on when they’re ready, I may be doing a 7” single for FULL OF HELL … one of the greatest current bands right now, so that should be sweetness. As for Weekend Nachos and Spine, well WN will probably chill out until summertime when we return to the UK/Europe for our fourth tour overseas … obviously we are pumped for that. SPINE is working on our first full-length as we speak and we will hopefully record/release that in early 2014 on Youth Attack Records. Keep an eye out and once again, thank you for the interview!

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Archagathus/ Nak'ay split 10"

Wed, 30 Oct 2013 00:39:00 GMT

What was probably a few months ago now, I had the pleasure of seeing Nak'ay live. When I first heard them a few years ago (split with Unholy Grave) I didn't know shit about them, other than that they came out of the ruins of Daisycutter. That particular split (the 5" with Unholy Grave) is literally blast beats start to finish. Their contribution to this 10" go a little bit beyond that, but not by much. That's a good thing. Live, they smoked so hard. Their drummer is a rare exception. They played with full stacks. It was awesome.

The Archagathus side of this record is no let-down either. Maybe you think this disc is non-essential, especially if the A section of your 7" box is filling up, and you already have Canadian Horse. Think again! Prince of Mince and the dukes have done something a little different this time around- something that I wasn't expecting. It's like they've only been listening to death metal and had a few beers with Bill Steer. There are some monster riffs on here, and on top of that, the dive bombs and leads will leave grill marks on your face. This record is a must-hear, must-have. Why don't you have this record already? Go go go go now and get it!

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Gowl- Buzzbox EP

Mon, 26 Aug 2013 19:33:00 GMT

This record, fuck... is brilliant. Gowl manages to do so much with so little. The riffs, drumming, and song structures are primitive, yet unique. The tones and recording production are ugly. The lyrics are disguised in murk and sleaze. The whole ordeal is uncomfortable. The layout looks like it was rescued from the trash. There also certainly isn't any street cred, hype, or bandwagoning.

This record has something for everyone- there are riffs if you want them, and if not, sit back and enjoy the BBBRRRZZZZZZZZZZZ. There is as much focus on rhythms and textures as there is on the riffs. It works, even if you don't think that sounds like a good idea. There is very little in the way of fills, intros, or breaks. The blast beats are super fast at times, and occasionally insultingly choppy. Amidst all this, on the B side, there is one distinct stand-out, and that's Bastard Song, with it's clean guitar section that in turn pounds so hard when the bass and drums kick back in.

The lyrics, are the lyrics printed inside? I've seen them, but I don't think they're in there. You can basically get a feel for them from the song titles. That feeling is uncomfortable. Gowl doesn't care what you think. Is this grindcore? Is it noisecore? Is it something else entirely? Whatever it is, it's good.

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Interview with the Oily Menace

Tue, 19 Mar 2013 22:12:00 GMT

The Oily Menace come oozing out of Michigan eating kale, borrowing lyrics, and grinding your mind. Interview by Will T. and answered by Kevin and Dylan of The Oily Menace. They can be found online at http://theoilymenace.13bels.net/ and theoilymenace.bandcamp.com and facebook.

How did you get started?

Dylan: Well Kevin has a soft spot in his heart for things that are smelly and cold and I was both of those things. But really I was homeless in the midwest in early november so he let me stay on his couch which turned into us building a loft over the kegerator in his dinning room. Also Travis already lived there, it just so happens that we got along. Anyways we all love grindcore and D.I.Y. Music so I guess it just made sense.

Kevin: Well I own a house in Lansing, and I was renting a room to my buddy Travis. Our friend Dylan found himself homeless so I let him stay on my couch and he stayed for almost two years. Dylan plays drums could practice on my kit so I strong-armed both the dudes into starting a band to force them to have fun. So to recap: save Dylan from life of crime, and forcibly entertain Travis. Pretty much zero success rate. And its going to end the same way but in reverse. Travis and Dylan will move away but I will be stuck with this fucking house forever because its in the god damn buckle of the rust belt. Fuck you Wall St. Sorry, this is how I open every interview, even job interviews.

What are your thoughts on the demo? It got a pretty terrible review in Short, Fast, and Loud if I remember correctly. What's changed since then?

Kevin: Demo has some awesome greasy atmosphere, lyrics against Facebook, selling out to Scion, and drinking corporate beer, but man its sloooow. Dylan has practiced so much since then, and is a one-foot blasting monster. Its a good mix of fast hardcore, grind, and death metal with nasty production. Short Fast and Loud named checked a bunch of bands and then called our music nu-metal with blast beats, stating that it had "weird 2010 pro-tools grind" production. If that is what the reviewer heard then so be it, but the exact same text was printed for another review as well so it may have been a misprint. Anyway SFL rules but I doubt they would read this because I'm pretty sure they didn't listen to the demo. We did get some strange criticism for putting the original song explanation text that Heresy used along with our cover of Make The Connection. Lyrics, song explanations, and the ideas behind the music are super important to me so I wanted to include that too. I get so bummed when I get a ripping demo and there is just a facebook address for the band, and then you find out they have stupid homophobic lyrics and you are forced to get real and take it to the next level by posting about it on an internet messageboard. Yeah thats right! Put the lyrics in your shit or you are gonna get the 2013 version of an angry letter to MRR...a brutal keyboard lashing from me on the To Live A Lie message board with a straight up DEVISTATING use of emoticons. (V) (;,,;) (V) THE MUSIC IS BAD AND YOU SHOULD FEEL BAD!

Dylan: Nothing changed really, I know I got better at my instrument but I mean... not that much better. I dont ever really pay attention to that kind of stuff. I really appreciate it when people have kind things to say but at the end of the day you got to be real about this shit, we are playing grindcore and its not for everyone. Also just for the record were not a pro tools grind band, kevin use logic pro so snuts to you S.F.L!!!!

Are you all really into folk music, or you just find the lyrical themes appropriate? It's certainly a refreshing take on an old tradition of reworking folk tunes to your own style, and a far cry better than doing the same old grindcore covers.

Dylan: I really like the artist's we choose to “cover”, but Its hard to say, I don’t think I heard a lot of these songs or artist until Kevin brought them to my attention, does that make me a poseur? I kind of hope so. Anyways, these folk songs have some of the most brutal lyrics around, just check out “Ludlow Massacre” by woody Guthrie.

Kevin: Yes we are all legitimately into folk music to varying degrees. My grandmother collected folk art, and some folk music, and my grandfather on the other side of the family played it professionally. So I grew up listening to folk and bluegrass alongside pop music but never really knew it by those names and didn't really understand the distinctions. I didn't get into the protest folk that we use as a source of lyrics and ideas until much later. Dylan wrote most of the lyrics for the demo because I'm not very comfortable with that aspect of music, never have been. So when it came time to write more music after that I thought that using the lyrics to the Tom Paxton spoken word piece “Mr. Blue” would be sweet. It worked well enough and we got some of the only positive feedback we have ever received to we decided to make it our gimmick. Some ideas are taken from the music of the originals, but mostly its just fitting the lyrics to our own grind songs. Why not utilize these lyrics and ideas? No one needs to hear another middle-class white man grunting about how much he just don't give a fuck over alternating fast and slow riffs. By using these lyrics we are standing on the shoulders of giants, but unfortunately I think we are pissing into the wind instead of lofting the words to unrealized heights. I had a band before this that wrote all the lyrics from the point of view of bears that were killing hunters so this has to be an improvement.

How did you decide on the name The Oily Menace? What's the meaning behind it?

Dylan: I hated the name at first but it made Kevin really happy, now I'm pretty indifferent. I think Kevin better explain this one.

Kevin: There is no good answer to this so I will just make some shit up: The Oily Menace conjures a mental image of some low-level Lovecraftian minion doesn't? Like some kind of shitty dime store shoggoth or perhaps a sick or injured mi-go covered in its own secretions, kinda of laughable yet at least a little dangerous. Or perhaps a drunken Turkish oil wrestler who was wandered into a gift shop, ruining everything he touches, smearing all the cards, knocking over the figurines. Really I needed a name for this band, and I had just looked at a poster for the old kung-fu movie The Oily Maniac. I have terrible, terrible handwriting, so by the time this made it out of the wash in whatever pair of pants I was wearing I was like “The Oily Menace, Totally.”

On the 3-way split you did with Cloud Rat and Wolbachia, I loved the idea of each band having their own section on each side of the record. That's the best way to do a 3-way split I've ever seen.

Dylan: Thank you.

Kevin: Perhaps no one else will remember it this way, but I'd like to take FULL FUCKEN CREDIT on this one. Cloud Rat asked us to do a split 7”, and we also wanted to do one with Kursk who became Wolbachia. I am a lazy man, and do not like to get up and flip a 45 every few minutes. Most people who are into grindcore have a huge 7” collection, but I have totally lost out on releases because I have the irrational idea that maybe just maybe all those will be collected on an LP someday with sweet liner notes, an 80s thrash style collage of pictures, and maybe even sweet anecdotes about that one time with Matt Damon. So I asked everyone involved if it would be cool to do a 3-way like that, and no one said no. I think really it just caught everyone off guard and then enough time went by that no one was willing to say no at that point. One person told me it was a bad idea and that no one would buy it because Cloud Rat was too emo, but now they are touring Europe and that dude is living with his mom.

I have Kevin to thank for turning me on to hugelkultur. Around the same time, I saw it in a Sepp Holtzer book. I'm working on implementing it in my garden. Are all of you into gardening?

Kevin: Hell yes gardening fuck yeah! We are all very into it! Especially permaculture methods like no-till, hugelkultur, rain gardens, and global buckets. I actually got into the rotting-wood-in-a-berm via permies.com, which is a forum I highly recommend! Only later did I get a copy of Sepp's book from a buddy out in California. Sup Travis! The gardens were fucking sweet in Rockford, IL when Dom Del Pan set us up with a show last summer. I can only imagine how cool the Connecticut garden scene is. Well, food is the most important decision you make every day. It determines the health of yourself, your community, and the planet. So many sick people in this world and it all relates to shitty western diets. So many farmers being crushed by Mansanto. Food riots, modern dustbowl situations, food deserts in Detroit. Food security or local food and not relying on industrial mechanisms for food production is at the heart of this. GM crops have saved how many lives in Africa? Well they have also fundamentally transformed those people via diet and the techniques of the green revolution that the food system is broken. END CORN SUBSIDIES! REVOKE SEED PATENTS! BOMB MONSANTO!

Yes I like to garden.

Dylan: Food is so important, three times a day we are making choices that literally have a global impact. I think food independence is really important to all of us. I've worked on a couple of vegetable farms over the past four years and I helped Kevin with the garden while I lived with him. But summer 2012 was my most concerted effort at gardening with varying degrees of success. Eating food from your front yard is so rewarding its unbelievable!! as I'm sure you can relate will, but I can't think of a better way to spend a day then rolling around in the dirt!! (grinding is a close second!)

The kale seeds in the 3-way LP was a great idea. I had the same one, but you beat me to it. My kale seeds didn't germinate, though. What the fuck? Is there a reason you favor the Lacinato type over the curled scotch varieties?

Kevin: I'm sorry for your loss, I saved some of those black petaled sunflower seeds you wanted so I will send those to make up for it? Lacinato has a higher germination rate for the seeds I bought (sorry, didn't collect those ourselves) than curly kale. I also think its easier to chiffonade, and generally work with in the kitchen. One of my friends told me that people are always asking her which green “has more nutrients”. Technically Lacinato is darker, which as a rule of thumb means it has more chlorophyl but we of science know that is bullshit. I know Dylan has some very strong views on this subject.

Dylan: All kale rules hard, but lately I've been favoring vates collards, this has been a huge debate within “da menace” camp and if anything is going to break up the band it will probably end in a fist fight over kale VS. Collards. Fucking seriously. Collard leaves are just SO FUCKING BIG!!!!

I'm really excited about your split with Infanticide. How did that come about?

Dylan: Infanticide makes the grind sound good, but I've never actually had any contact with those dudes so I think kevin is better equipped to answer that question.

Kevin: Johan from Infanticide wrote me about it. I've been a fan since he posted on the old Relapse board about his band so it was an honor to be contacted kind of out of the blue about it. He got in touch with Jesse from End Theory (turns out I know Jesse's roommate since forever ago) and made that happen! Thanks dudes! We also have a split with Cogs and Sprockets due out soon. Our side is a bit of a collaboration with Derek Fucken Jones, a Muskegon, MI artist of the highest caliber.
(EDIT: PUMPED ABOUT THE COGS AND SPROCKETS SPLIT, TOO!)

You seem to be relatively inactive as a band. What's the hold-up?

Dylan: Kale VS. Collards... FIGHT!!!

Kevin: We are very passionate about the ideas and music of this band, and love playing live but speaking for myself I don't need that to complete myself, boost my ego, or to define who I am...So I am the primary impediment to the band. Touring and traveling is so expensive not just in dollars, but in burned fossil fuel, and time spent away from my cats. Like I said, I do love playing live, but I don't think the world will stop spinning if we don't go out and play. Polar bears that are drowning from lack of ice due to anthropocentric climate change aren't like “At least the drummer doesn't cheat with two feet and you can hear the snare during the blasts.” We stacked our last tour with visits to family, and a summer vacation to see Michigan's upper peninsula to maximize fun and we tour in a tiny station wagon to minimize impact.

Do you have any plans or intentions of touring out to the Northeast again? I didn't have any clue about you when you came this way the last time.

Kevin: I'd love to at least once again. It would be great to grind some of the sleepier towns instead of the usual Brooklyn shows where people send a lot of texts and tweets and sexts instead of participating in the show.

Dylan: I sure hope so! But can't rightly say when. Just keep on eye out for the kale signal in your town, or if I have my way the collard signal.

Travis, our bassist, abstained from this interview because he was on an ice-climbing expedition in Canada. He did send this picture:

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Cynarae Interview

Tue, 19 Feb 2013 20:49:00 GMT

Cynarae

Interview with Kyle Oels (Vocals)

Introduction/Questions by Jim Walkley of Don't Be Swindle zine
Live photos by Will Butler

Seattle, Washington's Cynarae fuse the grueling, crust-endebted aural wreckage of bands such as Mörser or Systral with a weighty nod to '90's metallic hardcore as outlined by Catharsis and Unruh. Unlike vast numbers of modern "crust"-inspired acts, however, Cynarae are passionately political, outspoken in their ties to activist causes, and refreshingly D.I.Y. In short, don't confuse them with "trend crust"; thankfully, Cynarae an actual hardcore band who are equally at home playing a word-of-mouth basement show or a more traditional, over-21 venue. Cynarae were selected to play New Directions Fest 2012 this past August in Olympia; the band also participated in a successful benefit for Queers Fucking Queers at legendary Seattle D.I.Y. venue The Morgue. Not to mention that they also had the great honor of playing the secret, second-to-last Undertow show at rad Seattle D.I.Y. space The Black Lodge. Cynarae opened for a reactivated Kiss It Goodbye here in Seattle this past June, and vocalist Kyle Oels generously took the better part of an hour for this interview, which follows in full.

Jim: Your Bandcamp page says that Cynarae are "____violence". What would you put in that blank?

Kyle: I think that our drummer wrote that, and it was a play on all the separate genres; it's "over-genre classification" … everyone wants to be "emo-violence", or "grindcore-violence" …

Jim: "Powerviolence" …

Kyle: Everybody wants to be some sect of hardcore; so it was just, "fill in the blanks" — tell us what we are … we are whatever you say! We've been called so many different types of things.

Jim: It's interesting, because when I saw you guys live … I know Dom Romeo (A389 Records label owner) wrote up that blurb about you guys, in which he likened Cynarae to "Mörser/Acme/Systral" with a "His Hero Is Gone/The Swarm" aspect to your sound. That seems to come out more on the demo … Acme and Systral were a bit more chaotic, but they were almost more "tech-y", in a way … whereas Cynarae, especially live, sound much more like "metallic hardcore" of a sort, or even powerviolence. Do you think that's a legit interpretation, or are you guys in fact going for a crustier, but more technical sound?

Kyle: I know that when we started out, we had a few bands in mind that we wanted to be in the same realm as, but I can definitely see a lot of what people compare us to — although that wasn't our intention. In terms of Acme and Systral, yeah, the Systral Black Smoker record is awesome, and that's a really crusty, heavy, destructive record. And Acme, of course, I grew up loving that, too; same kind of deal, really chaotic and destructive. However, from my viewpoint, we always wanted to be a bit more straightforward. In some of the newer stuff, there are some trickier riffs … but it still makes sense; it's "accented", in a sense …

Jim: That was the thing about that Black SmokerLP. The first few times I heard it — and it's only recently that I've gotten beyond this — it almost sounded like different bands playing at once! Some riff will come in out of nowhere … I can't remember how many guitarists they had in that band —

Kyle: — I know that Mörser had at least three. I don't know how many Systral had, though. And Morser had … two bass players? It seems like it was something weird like that!

Jim: I can hear the Systral/Mörser influence in Cynarae's guitar tone, and how you would be comparable to those bands, but at the same time … every time somebody compares something to "'90's metallic hardcore", it's a loaded comparison —

Kyle: — Totally …

Jim: — because your band doesn't sound like that, in a sense, but I can see the band growing out of that in an organic way.

Kyle: We were talking about this earlier — the two bands that I wanted to capture the "feel" of were Unruh and Catharsis. Those are two bands that we all love. We thought those two bands had a really intelligent approach, but Unruh sonically is just destruction, at least to me. It just sounds like pure hatred! (Laughter) Hatred, for lack of a better term — because Unruh were so over-the-top, and angry. And that's what I want. When we started this band … I wanted us to be the angriest that we could be; I wanted the slow parts to be crushing, and the fast parts to be blistering. I wanted to be every extreme that we possibly could be … that's what we're going for, in a sense. Catharsis and Unruh make sense from that point of view, but what you were saying about "metallic hardcore" — that can mean anything, you know? That can be Integrity, or that can be, you know … (Laughter)

Jim: … Kiss It Goodbye …

Kyle: Exactly. It can mean anything.

Jim: Fall Silent comes to mind, as well …

Kyle: And Fall Silent are the perfect example of a band that defies comparison, because they had so much punk influence, so much metal influence, and so much hardcore influence —

Jim: — And even a slight rap influence!

Kyle: Yeah — there was that "weird" element, too … I guess you could say that they were all over the map. And seeing them live, in the '90's, in Reno … those shows were insane, because everybody would come — punk kids, metal kids, hardcore kids …

Jim: Levi Watson (vocals) of Fall Silent described those shows to me. Were they ever dangerous, or fraught with tension?

Kyle: Always!

Jim: I guess what was going on then was that there was some sort of feud between Fall Silent and some of the more "negative edge" members of the community.

Kyle: There was always tension.

Jim: Unconquered were always giving them trouble, for instance …

Kyle: It was mutual trouble, I would say! They probably gave Unconquered as much trouble as Unconquered gave them! (Laughter) That's why it was always sort of funny for me, because I was stuck in the middle — I loved Fall Silent as a band, and I wasn't a "fighter" … but I've been straight edge since I was about fifteen; I identified more with Fall Silent, but I was sort of in the middle. And I was never involved in any of that stuff; however, it was definitely around … and everybody knew about it.

Jim: And Fall Silent provoked it; for instance, the song where Levi says, "fuck your movement" and that "negative edge won't last" … (Laughter)

Kyle: One of my favorite songs of all time! (Laughter) You know what I mean!? I love that song! But in talking to Levi in years past, I feel like he could have worded that sentiment a lot better … if he just hadn't said that statement, or worded it in a different way, I felt that it would have been more successful. And wouldn't have led to all the trouble that it created. However … he was probably 19 when he wrote that, or whatever. It's simplistic: "fuck your movement", I'm drawing a line …

Jim: Apparently, Levi had been one of those kids as well … calling people out, just saying shit to cause trouble.

Kyle: That's really common in Reno, in general. Outside of straight edge, or even outside of the hardcore movement … it's common in Reno for people to fight — all the time; there are always people "crewing up", or starting drama and issues, in every sub-sect that you can think of, whether it's skateboarding kids, or punk kids, or jocks. Those are typical classifications, but overall, it's common in Reno. To get back to Levi … he was in a band called New Blood —

Jim: — Yeah …

Kyle: I don't know if you've ever heard them, but they were a straight edge band, and Glenn from Unconquered was in that band. When New Blood broke up, they split into two camps: Fall Silent and Unconquered … there was always tension, always drama, always fights …

Jim: … because Fall Silent had non-straight edge members, as well …

Kyle: They were just about different stuff. Those two bands wanted to write about different things; Fall Silent didn't want to be limited, which I always respected …

Jim: And Levi's lyrics were awesome.

Kyle: Best lyrics! I loved his lyrics, as well as his approach, and his delivery … no one else could front that band! People sometimes said, "Ugh … I hate the sound of his voice", and at first, I could see how people could say that … but to me, no one else could front that band. It's also true that he could never front another band.

Jim: That's an interesting concept, because according to some of the other members of Fall Silent, they hated Levi's vocals in the band. They didn't like his lyrics; didn't like his vocals … for instance, Danny was more into death metal —

Kyle: — Danny became a really good friend of mine … but that's what was so great about them, because they could seamlessly blend … some of Danny's riffs could be off of an early Deicide record, or Morbid Angel record —

Jim: — And all of that palm-muting in the guitar riffs …

Kyle: Yeah, those half-step breakdowns … they were so flawless, but they could have been from an early Deicide record, whereas Levi's vocals could have been from an early 7 Seconds record. But it just worked! Everything came together — hardcore kids loved them, metal kids loved them, punk kids loved them … and that's why I felt like they were a band beyond definition.

(Deleted conversation about the band Gehenna, removed at the request of Kyle.)

Kyle: … I don't know if it was just because I was younger, but shows in the '90's, in a broad sense, were scary. There was a sense of uneasiness. Never knowing what's going to happen. Especially Reno, as compared to Seattle … a much different vibe.

(A further deleted conversation about Gehenna vocalist Mike Cheese.)

Kyle: I recently talked to Mike about playing some shows. I've known those guys for a very long time.

Jim: Gehenna played Gilman Street recently, I believe.

Kyle: Yes … they're also playing a fest in Southern California; they're very active, they definitely play more shows now. Anyway … a trip down memory lane …

Jim: Yeah, sorry … kind of a giant diversion there …

Kyle: Yeah.

Jim: There's another statement on your Bandcamp page: "See you in the dollar bin". It seems that you could interpret that in a couple of different ways. First of all, it's almost as if it's a statement claiming, "We'll see your band in the dollar bin" … but the more common interpretation would be that so much of this entire heavy music/aggressive music scene, as much cult status as it achieves … so much of it is ultimately forgotten. Years later, you're looking for a Fall Silent CD, or whatever it is you're looking for — and you find it in the dollar bin.

Kyle: Totally! This form of music that we do, this "niche" of music that we all do, is never going to be super-popular — which is good, in a lot of ways, at least coming from a punk mentality. I don't want this stuff to be popular, because then it would become watered down … it would become stupid, in my opinion! The simple answer about that Bandcamp statement is that Jeffrey (drums) wrote that because he thought it was funny! (Laughter)

Jim: And it is funny! (Laughter)

Kyle: It is, and what I like about it is that it's a recognition: we're never going to be popular; this music itself will never be popular. I'd rather have it be genuine. Genuine anger; something that's a threat to the status quo. People can draw any conclusions as to what that means, but I don't want this music to ever be safe. I don't want it to be something that's approved by everybody. The reason that I'm angry is because of the society that we live in, and the things that I see and observe. That observation is where all of my lyrics come from. None of it is personal, in that sense; it's an observation of the way things are around us. To me, punk and hardcore were meant to be a reaction to that society … I'm not saying, "If you have a job, then you're not punk" — nothing like that, because there are ways that we have to assimilate into common society, but at the same time, this is how I deal with living in this society.

Jim: It's your reaction to it.

Kyle: It's what keeps me functioning, in a way. (Laughter) I don't know what I would do without it.

Jim: Cynarae are now signed to A389, and that label does a lot of stuff with Scion-sponsored events. I happened to talk to your bassist at that Black Lodge show, and he was saying that he didn't like Scion-related events … would your band ever play a show like that?

Kyle: I mean … I don't know. I can't say definitively; there's not a stance that we have about that … whereas some of the other ideologies that we have, we have a very specific stance on it. We'd really rather play all ages shows, if we can; obviously, tonight's show with Kiss It Goodbye is an exception, but it's an exception we made because this is a really good opportunity. In general, however, we'd rather play all ages shows. We definitely would not play a show if there were certain ideologies that we disagree with — for instance, if there was any sort of racism/sexism/homophobia, we wouldn't do it. Those problems are insidious, though, so there's no real way to track that. But if it was something that was obvious, we wouldn't do it. To get back to Scion, it's not something that we've really talked about, but it's also something that … I guess I don't really care about it, personally. Scion puts on shows for free. Granted, you could make the argument that they're leeching off of the punk and hardcore community, to a degree … but I doubt that hardcore kids are going out and buying Scion cars because of these shows! I don't really understand what their "angle" is. If they're trying to "market" to hardcore kids, I think it's a lost cause … because hardcore kids are not going to run out and buy things like that.

Jim: What I've heard is that someone at Scion is supposedly a genuine fan of punk/hardcore/metal, and they've worked with a bunch of different bands — Bastard Noise, Integrity, Ringworm …

Kyle: Yeah, and that's the thing: it would be really hard to say "no" to an Integrity and Ringworm show. You know? That was the last Scion thing, and those are two bands that I've loved forever … I don't "get" why Scion's involved, but at the same time, personally, I don't care. I can't speak for the band, though. If Ryan (bassist) had a huge problem with it, we wouldn't play. To me, it doesn't really matter — if they were charging tons of money and then keeping all that money, and bands weren't being paid, then that would be a problem. Or something along those lines. But I don't really see how it's harmful. In general, people have such narrow definitions of what punk and hardcore should be. To me, I don't care about that (narrow definitions). If it was Jagermeister, or an animal testing company, then I would have a real fuckin' problem with that … (Laughter)

Jim: (Laughter) I agree. On your newer material — such as your upcoming split with Ancient Shores — does any of that material feature something like the "breakdown" section of your song "Peasants" from the demo? In the newer stuff that Cynarae's doing, are you still working that element into the band? I thought that was a really awesome opening musical statement. The rest of the demo doesn't quite sound like that, in a way, but one thing that I enjoyed about that demo so much was that each song shows a different side of the band. There's that slower, more song-based track; the opening song has that breakdown part; other songs are more chaotic … is the newer material in the vein of "Peasants"? Or are you expanding on a different element of your sound?

Kyle: I don't know … we never sit down and talk about what we want to sound like —

Jim: — I'm just asking about songs that you might have already recorded that haven't been released yet.

Kyle: Right; there are definitely elements of "Peasants" (in the newer songs), and to get back to the demo, there's even what I would consider a full-on breakdown on "Prostrate In Obeisance", which occurs later on in the demo. That has a full breakdown … it's actually moshable, if you wanted to! (Laughter) I don't really see that happening at our shows, though. That element pops up here and there, but we're probably not ever going to be a band that kids go out and mosh for —

Jim: — You're not a "breakdown hardcore band" —

Kyle: — but I love heavy parts, whatever those end up being. And I'm a hardcore kid, so I love breakdowns … at least to a degree. But that's not our goal. We just write what sounds good to us. Anyway, I'm kind of dancing around the question. As far as that breakdown element, there are a couple songs that are faster and more straight-forward, with a heavy aspect, and then we have … in the new stuff, we kind of experimented a little bit with what we were doing, to check out different aspects of our sound. For instance, there's a new song that's very long, with a clean guitar intro for a full minute or minute-and-a-half …

Jim: Which is something that Cynarae hadn't done before.

Kyle: Yeah, we hadn't done anything like that before. To me, experiments like that are fun, although it's probably not a song we'd play live. But it's interesting. We actually started working on that "clean intro" song as a collaboration track with Ancient Shores; we were going to write our parts, and then we were going to have them write parts on top of that, then have two drummers, four guitar players …

Jim: That would have been awesome.

Kyle: It would have been really cool, but when I envisioned it and we started writing for it, Geoff (one of Cynarae's guitarists) had sort of a slower song … because, obviously, the song couldn't be really fast; it would be really hard to keep it all together to do that. Geoff started writing that slower song, and he showed it to me, and I said, "This'd be perfect for that collaboration", but ultimately, the logistical side of it didn't work. They live in West Virginia and we live out here in the Seattle area, so in order to really effectively accomplish it, all ten of us would probably have to practice together —

Jim: — And that's just not possible.

Kyle: It's just not. We tried different things, such as posting stuff online and asking them to write parts for it, but it ended up … especially since we were recording at two different studios, the tones would have been all over the map, and it wouldn't have sounded good. We've shelved that idea for awhile. Eventually, we'd like to see if Ancient Shores would do a whole record with us like that. We've talked about it … but I don't know how likely it is. Who knows; it might come together organically.

Jim: That upcoming split is an interesting pairing of bands, because Ancient Shores have a much more "controlled" aspect to their sound; I don't want to say "produced", but they have a much more "together" sound, whereas your band is more grueling and chaotic. It makes for an interesting pairing of bands; why have two bands that are exactly the same?

Kyle: From the outset, we've talked about doing splits — and we have a couple other splits in the future that may or may not happen — but from the beginning, we wanted it to be … I don't want to flip a record over and be like, "Which band is this again!?" The pairing with Ancient Shores came in particular because Geoff, one of our guitar players, is from West Virginia, and he grew up with those guys and has known them for a long time. It just so happened that we were going to be on A389, and they were already on that label; their side of the split was going to be with somebody else, but then they were like, "Hey, can we do this instead with Cynarae?" We said "yes" and it came together organically, because I really like doing things with friends, more than I care about "people will buy this record because such-and-such band is on the other side of the split"; I don't really care about that. I want to put out a record with people that we're somehow related to … I always thought Ancient Shores had a cool Botch or Coalesce "chaotic hardcore" element —

Jim: — And they do!

Kyle: Yeah, and even the newer stuff is heavy, and aggressive, but still has that feel to it. I love that style of hardcore. It just sort of "worked"; it just sort of happened. And, again, we could do a split with a band that sounds closer to us … but I don't find that interesting. I would rather do a split with a punk band, or a noise band, or a band that sounds like, I don't know, My Bloody Valentine, or something! (Laughter) I loved playing mixed bills, even though that doesn't really happen anymore, but I grew up going to mixed bills. In fact, one of the first hardcore shows I saw was an accident. I went and saw Voodoo Glow Skulls, because I had a sort of ill-advised flirtation with ska when I was about 13 … but I went to see Voodoo Glow Skulls, and Strife was playing! And Strife in Reno, in the '90's, was insane, as you can imagine. It was like, "Oh my God — these giant men are killing each other; what is this band!?" And, of course, that was in the heyday of straight edge in Reno. It was blowing my mind! But that's how I got into hardcore. And the first time that I saw Fall Silent, it was because I was going to see a Reno ska band called Suckapunch; then I saw Fall Silent, and it was similar to Strife. I didn't see Fall Silent on purpose until I saw them play with Catharsis, Gehenna, and Unruh.

Jim: That would have been an amazing show.

Kyle: I didn't even know what I was seeing, then. Now, I'm like, "Oh my God … that's insane!" That was the first purposeful hardcore show that I ever went to … I also saw Fall Silent on the Times Of Grace tour that Neurosis did — which was around the same time as the show Fall Silent played with Converge and Today Is The Day.

Jim: We just talked about the Ancient Shores split. When will that be out?

Kyle: We're not really sure. We're finishing up mixing. We got what will probably be the final mix just today. We're not working on layout and cover art this time. I've outsourced that now — thank God, because the last one took so long to get the finished product out; I did it myself, but I don't really have any skill in that field, so … (Laughter)

Jim: You did the cover art on the demo?

Kyle: I designed it; Jeffrey (drums) did the brown painting that's on the cover, then scratched our name into it with a pencil! The logo itself came from us taking a photo; he had another sheet on the pad, and it was rubbed in a little bit, so he traced over it and took a picture … and that's the logo that we're using now.

Jim: Sounds pretty punk!

Kyle: It's pretty D.I.Y.! Which I love, of course … Jeffrey painted the cover on the demo; we used a couple of stock photos that I found, and then we used a photo from Jeff's tattoo artist for the back cover. You'll see it later tonight on the LP (which is the demo pressed to vinyl). It's the photo of the smokestacks, which used to be on the inside of the cassette demo tape. The theme for the artwork on this LP is, basically, civilization crumbling or falling apart, a sort of urban decay … which I find really interesting. We had the idea that capitalism — and the way things are going in this country — that it's pushing everything through the roof …

(Ryan, bassist of Cynarae, walks up to the table).

Ryan: Oh … is this a business meeting!?

Jim and Kyle: (Laughter)

Kyle: Yeah, we're doing an interview! Talk to you in a minute, buddy! So, anyway, it's the idea that capitalism and the "American way" is infallible, and will keep growing … and yet, time and time again, we see cities like Detroit, or other areas, that are falling apart and crumbling. It's obvious that this American system is failing — in a lot of ways … at least in my opinion. To me, I find it a fascinating idea that it's not definitive that we'll keep progressing, or that progress will even be able to still happen …

Jim: On the subject of that, and politics in general, I personally find it so disappointing that — and without offending anyone who feels differently — but I find it so depressing that Mitt Romney and the Republicans have such a good chance of winning in November, because I feel like we just got over the Bush years … and that memory is still way too fresh to go down that road again! I'm not saying that Obama has been this perfect President — because, obviously, that's not true — but at the same time … come on!

Kyle: Yes, I lost faith a long time ago in the political process … and I have to say that I don't know what to do with all of that information, to be fair; I can't say, "Don't vote; it's a waste of time" — I mean, it is, but it's at least good to vote with local politics. There are people now in Seattle who could hopefully get married, and that makes a lot of difference; it's a big deal. And there's a lot of social justice issues, civil rights stuff, that's being pushed through, as well as the opposite, such as the war on women that's happening. For instance, North Carolina voting down gay marriage. It goes both ways …

Jim: I agree, though: how much can one person in Washington state really influence the entire national spectrum —

Kyle: — Exactly! It's really easy to say, "Fuck that — don't vote; it's stupid". And, I mean, in a lot of ways, I would agree with that! Yet, at the same time, people's lives are being changed by local politics, or statewide politics; perhaps the electoral college is a joke — and I agree … maybe it is! (Laughter) And whoever becomes our President is a figurehead. The President is just enacting legislation being driven by giant corporations; that's what he's putting in …

Jim: Regardless of the party he's in.

Kyle: Political party doesn't matter anymore. It's money. It's class structure. It has nothing to do with "Democrats", or any of that; I mean, Ron Paul is sketchy. All of it's sketchy!

Jim: (Laughter) He is sketchy …

Kyle: He is extremely sketchy! I'm sorry, but if somebody was editing a journal with my name on it, I would check to make sure that none of it was racist! (Laughter)

Jim: It's so head-scratching …

Kyle: One of the quotes that I heard about that whole Ron Paul thing was, "How come every time we pick up a white supremacist rock, Ron Paul's under it!?"

Jim: (Laughter)

Kyle: (Laughter) There's something to that! There's something to that … but, personally, I've lost a lot of faith in the way things are going. And I don't what the answer is. That's a lot of what I interpret in my lyrics.

Jim: And your lyrics are political, in that sense?

Kyle: They are. But they're not political in the sense of, "vote for this party", or "do this", or whatever. Basically, to me, my lyrics are a documentation of horrible things that happen.

Jim: Is it at all related to that idea that the hardcore zine HeartattaCk put forth in the '90's, that "the personal is political"? Or is your conception different than that?

Kyle: I think one thing that I've had some trepidation with, or an issue with, or something that I've been fighting about, is that issue of being political in a personal way. The lyrics are political in the strict sense that I'm writing about a political topic. For instance, "Peasants", the first track on the demo, is a song about "dead peasant insurance policies", which is something that many people aren't aware of, but those are insurance policies that big companies take out on people, on rank-and-file workers, without their knowledge. In effect, those companies are gambling on someone's life. It's a life insurance policy, so if that worker dies, the company is named as the beneficiary. For example, Wal-Mart would go in and take out a policy on a rank-and-file employee, and if or when that person dies, Wal-Mart's named as the beneficiary.

Jim: And the employee's family is not?

Kyle: The family is not. Yeah. It's really, horribly evil.

Jim: That is incredibly bad …

Kyle: Horribly evil! But because of the confidentiality policies that insurance companies have, it's nearly impossible to find out who took out an insurance policy — on you, on me, or whoever. You can't even really say … they have examples of companies who've done it in the past, but it's hard to say who's doing it now.

Jim: Do you believe that Wal-Mart would be up to something like that?

Kyle: Totally!

Jim: They are a non-union store …

Kyle: Oh yeah; they hate unions —

Jim: — They've had some issues with properly paying overtime, for instance.

Kyle: And, of course, slave labor … child labor, and all of these horrific things that have been going on for many years. No, they haven't cleaned up their act. I'd say that none of those corporations have. They'll put on the pretense of cleaning up their act, but in reality, how can a major corporation ever have any good intentions … you know what I'm saying? Like, why would they ever? Because it costs them money to have good intentions — and, ultimately, the bottom line is what matters to them. But "Peasants" is an example of a political topic, or a sociological topic … but it's more of an interest in, "How are these people able to do these things!? And sleep at night?" How they justify it. On the new record, there's a song that deals with "the war on women" — which is a catch-all term — but dealing with the fact that it's 2012, and women are still fighting for control over their bodies. It's insane! This has been going on for so long … why shouldn't women be able to decide what happens to their bodies? And that's something that we as men will never have to deal with, or worry about —

Jim: — But men have to deal with issues such as whether they can get married in a same-sex relationship —

Kyle: — That's true —

Jim: — But you're right: those two things are totally different, in a way …

Kyle: Yes, and it goes into "straight male privilege" … which I could go on about for months!

Jim: We do experience that privilege …

Kyle: I'll never know what it's like to walk down the street and be afraid that there's going to be an assault of some kind on me; I'll never know what it's like to be yelled at and made to feel that I'm less than somebody, just because I got hollered at on the street … These are things that women deal with on a day-to-day basis, that I'll never have to deal with — just because I'm a man … It's fucked up to think about. You know, you feel that your life is hard, and you're pushing a rock up a hill; you're fighting against whatever it is that's keeping you down. And then imagine all that as a woman of color. Or a trans woman of color. I mean, people are still dying for the color of their fucking skin — that shit still happens, and it happens regularly … Things really haven't gotten any better. Actually, part of me feels that things are becoming a lot worse … there's a pretense of things getting better, but they don't.

Jim: And the Conservative Right is still just as rabid on their side, and it seems that they're impeding that progress —

Kyle: And I feel like they're winning — because they're able to fight dirty, whereas the left side won't fight dirty, which I think is kind of a problem. (Laughter) You know? We need to attack them on their grounds! If there was ever a left-wing protest, and someone brought a gun, that person would still be in indefinite detention. Yet the Tea Party can have a protest — and everyone there can have a gun. And that's fine?

Jim: A double standard.

Kyle: Totally! Anyway … I'm getting off-topic a little bit …

Jim: To bring it back to the music: you try to work that aspect into it, but not in a preachy way, or totally being obvious … a relation, without being spelled out. I guess it's like you were saying earlier with Fall Silent, and how if Levi had been older, he might have phrased those words differently. And that's what you're attempting.

Kyle: You know, Levi is one of the best lyricists of all time … I love his lyrics, but at the same time, I want to be very careful about my words — because it lives on. Especially now that our demo has been pressed to vinyl, people will be able to pick it up and read it years from now — so I have to be careful about that. The thing, to me, that's really interesting about it, is that anything I write comes from a personal perspective. Ultimately, you see the world through your own little keyhole. It's your own impression — whatever you have to deal with is viewed through your own perspective. In that sense, everything I write is inherently personal — I would never say, "Do this", or "Think this way" … I'm saying: Here's something that's happening … and this is my wish to understand what's happening. Here's my desire to see "why".

Jim: On the LP — the demo pressed to vinyl — do you have song explanations?

Kyle: Yes. That's a big thing.

Jim: So if people pick up that LP, a lot of this may become clearer to them …

Kyle: Totally, and that's something that I hope to make part of every release; it's something I'd really like to try to do … again, in the '90's, when I was just starting to go to shows, it was like, "Here's what we're singing about. Here's why we're pissed". And I love that! That's what I want. After all, you can't understand what I'm saying when we're playing; it's loud, and nobody knows what the words are about … I sometimes try to clarify between songs. Even at that Black Lodge show, I was trying to talk a little bit about some issues … but the sound was kinda off, and I don't think anybody could really hear what I was trying to say.

Jim: The sound really was off that night. I think it might have something to do with the concrete floors in that venue. There was a lot of feedback, as well …

Kyle: Yeah, there was a lot of feedback … I don't know why it sounded like that on that night; in general, our sound at live shows is pretty good. At the same time, we play a lot at D.I.Y. venues. And they're not always able to buy new sound systems.

Jim: And it was still a rad show.

Kyle: And to me, it's more about that — how it feels, rather than whether you can understand what I'm saying. Because, to be honest, you can't understand what I'm saying when I'm singing, anyway.

(Someone stops by the table to chat for a moment).

Jim: So is Cynarae going to play New Direction Fest this year?

Kyle: We are! We played last year, too. It was a cool experience. I love the idea of where the New Direction Fest is coming from, because I think it's something that's been divorced from hardcore and punk for so long — the reason why we do this: the political aspect … It's not that every band has to be political, or anything like that, but I like bands that say something. Even if it's something I disagree with, I would rather hear it …

Jim: For people who may not know about that fest, it's more in the '90's sense — at least some of the better aspects of those '90's fests — where they're going to have tabling, workshops … and the phrase of the fest is, "From Anger To Action". It seems like a really cool thing to be involved with, so I'm glad you guys are doing that.

Kyle: And again, it's our second time in a row — it's been going on for two years, and we've played both years, which is great. A big part of what New Direction wants is people who are doing activism; rather than bands just singing about stuff, it's about bands that actually go out and try to do stuff. And that's the connection with us, because I've done a lot of activism, as well as the other members. Even something as simple as working at or helping to run a D.I.Y. venue; our drummer, Jeffrey, helps out at Fusion Cafe, which is a downtown D.I.Y. space …

Jim: And he's also doing a zine, which ties into D.I.Y.

Kyle: Right, which is another aspect. I'm really interested to see it. He has a really cool perspective on things. He never likes doing inherently political things in hardcore — which is something that I love; but, honestly, both approaches are cool, and important. For me, I just feel that if I have a microphone, and I'm saying something … I have an obligation to write about something that fucking matters. At least, something that matters to me. I should say something that I find important.

Jim: To make the experience count for something.

Kyle: Yeah! Those are the bands that stuck out for me, the bands that said something — and it changed me. For instance, I'm vegan because I picked up a pamphlet at an Earth Crisis show. Those things made an impact on me. And not that I'm under any illusion that we're in the same realm as a lot of those bands — as far as how hugely popular they were …

Jim: But you have the opportunity …

Kyle: You can talk about things, and trigger something in somebody. That's great! Hardcore is what got me into radical politics; it's what got me interested in animal rights activism, or something like the May Day Protests, and the West Coast Port Shutdowns … all of that comes out of (my being interested in) hardcore; that base point of hardcore. I think these things are important.

Jim: Do you feel like that aspect of hardcore is making a comeback, in a sense?

Kyle: I hope so. I'm hopeful about that.

Jim: I mean, look at the New Direction Fest; it's only existed for two years, but just the fact that NDF could exist now … whereas things like that hadn't been happening since the '90's.

Kyle: Like the More Than Music Fest; that was along similar lines … stuff like that was happening then. And I remember going to shows, and everyone had a table with literature — which is something that we try to do; every time we have a show, we try to have lit. Not everyone in the band agrees on everything, but we definitely agree on some things — such as consent, or sexual assault, that we can talk about (at shows) … we can all agree on feminism, to a degree, even though that term can have negative connotations. But we can all agree: Why are people still being sexually assaulted, and why do we still perpetuate the rape culture?

Jim: I saw another aspect of the band, too, that relates more to the physical aspect of hardcore — something that's always existed in aggressive music … when you played at The Black Lodge, and that one guy tried to do a backflip — but hit his head on the concrete instead. And you guys stopped, and you asked him, specifically, "Are you okay?" Like, "Do you need medical attention?" Instead of barreling through: "just keep playing", and the guy is going to die, or something! But you guys did make sure he was okay, and I thought it was really cool that you did that, because it kept it at a human level of concern.

Kyle: I don't know that guy from Adam — he's … "whatever" — but there are a lot of reasons why I didn't want him to be injured. A). I just don't want him to be injured. B). I don't want him to be injured at The Black Lodge, which is an underground D.I.Y. space where if someone brought a lawsuit, they are finished. But, it's dubious. A lot of people go so far to protect people that they insist that no one run around, or no one move, and everyone stays in their bubble … I think that's taking it a little far. I don't agree with that. I think there's a way that we can go off, and have fun, bump into each other, and run around …

Jim: At every show I've been to at The Black Lodge, people are going off.

Kyle: And that's a release! That's a physical release; that's why I do this, at least to some degree. Sometimes you just need to go off, and run around — and be pissed!

Jim: … in a relatively safe way.

Kyle: Sure. Yeah, I'm not saying …

Jim: — that you're just going to beat on somebody, or something like that …

Kyle: Yeah, behavior like that doesn't make any sense — but I also don't like it when people are watching a band, standing there like this (crosses arms in front of his chest). Like, it's angry music. You know, let's see a little animation here! You can go off and be aggressive without being violent. There can be physical running into each other and physical contact without violence.

Jim: And that's always existed in hardcore.

Kyle: I feel like people take it really far on the other side … and, to be fair, pretty far on both sides. There are definitely meatheads who go out and just want to fight people — and that's bullshit, too. I think there's a medium to be found … and I know that, actually, I smashed into you at that show … (Laughter)

Jim: (Laughter) Yeah, that's right! That was fine, though; I even joked with your bassist, and said, "In a contest between Kyle and somebody else … Kyle is going to win!" (Laughter) What can I do!?

Kyle: (Laughter) And I didn't even know who I ran into! To me, running into the crowd like that is a sort of physical manifestation of the anger going on.

Jim: The very first hardcore show I went to was like that … and the very last one I go to will probably be like that.

Kyle: It's always been an element, but it's about, like, doing it together … and if somebody doesn't want to be involved in that, then recognizing that, and not going after them.

Jim: Right. There have always been people who've done it in sort of a conscious way; when I saw Narrows play at The Comet Tavern, Dave Verellen (vocals) made a speech, like, "For those people who don't know, here are the rules of the pit. Somebody falls down, you help them up. And tie your shoes!" (Laughter). "Be careful out there — but have fun." And Dave was in the crowd for basically the entire show.

Kyle: And I love that! I want that.

Jim: It makes for an awesome show.

Kyle: Yeah! And to get back to that Black Lodge show, people were getting me just as good as I was getting them … and, actually, even worse — some dude ran into me while my back was turned, and I sprained my ankle really bad. It's still not doing well. But, you know … it's just what happens. That's what goes into it — and you know that going in. I've been to a million punk and hardcore shows, and every time, there's that chance. I don't know … it is what it is. (Laughter)

Jim: (Laughter) So … the Ancient Shores split will be out soon; you just have to finalize the artwork, and things like that …

Kyle: I imagine it'll be out by mid-to-late Summer.

Jim: The LP is out now …

Kyle: Yeah, we just picked that up last Friday.

Jim: And you guys are going to be touring in the U.S. coming up soon?

Kyle: Yeah, we have plans for an East Coast tour in October. We're going to do that. I really want to work in a West Coast tour "soon-ish" — I don't really know what that means, because we all have jobs, or school … so we'll have to figure it out. Definitely, touring is an aspect that I like about being in a band. We want to play to people who haven't seen us before. Our first tour was really great; it was a great experience, and we met a lot of really cool people. To me, hardcore is a live experience. Not something you listen to on computer speakers! (Laughter)

Jim: And D.I.Y. touring seems like it's never been stronger, in a sense. You can find shows and play with rad bands almost anywhere in the country — and you can do it almost instantly, with the Internet being what it is.

Kyle: Which I like — but there's also a trade-off, too. At certain times, bands go out that shouldn't be touring; they're simply not ready yet … things have been over-saturated to the point where, if there's a show in your town every night … and I hate to keep going back to this, but the way things were in the '90's, you wrote good songs first. (Laughter) You know what I mean!? You wrote good songs, you had something to say — and then you went out and brought it to people. I see a lot of bands that tour. I booked shows for a number of years in Reno — probably the better part of a decade — and so many people would hit me up for a show, and it was just like, "Why? I don't understand. What are you bringing to the table? What are you offering here?" Like, you want people to show up and pay the cover … but, why? What are you saying in your songs … (shakes head) I don't know. (Laughter)

Jim: It might be a brutal way to look at it, but at the same time, it's reality. If you're not ready to play live, or go on tour — don't do it. You'll leave a bad impression with everyone who sees you.

Kyle: Not only that — it over-saturates shows to the point that people don't want to go out anymore. If five shows are happening in your town, and one of them is really good, it'll be overshadowed by all the other ones.

Jim: And someone doesn't really know which one will be the best, ahead of time.

Kyle: I guess that people think that touring is super-cool, which it is … but it's a trade-off — it is a sacrifice, you know? However, I think that this over-saturation has died down a little bit … maybe four or five years ago, it was way worse. Every band was trying to tour, all the time. Now, very few bands are touring, which I think is kind of a good thing. And I don't mean "package tours" and "big venues", but D.I.Y. touring. Anyway, we're doing the East Coast tour, and we're talking about the West Coast, and possibly going to Europe — which I hope comes through in the next six months or so.

Jim: Now, Cynarae possibly have some splits lined up — and you don't have to tell me who those bands are, because it's theoretical — but would those come before a debut full-length that you guys would write? As in, you'd put out a full LP and do the splits later …

Kyle: I'm not really sure. I know that we have songs ready for a 7-inch, so that will probably happen first — before any splits. After that, we've been talking about three releases that we have down, so who the hell knows where we're going to be at that point … I suppose someone could combine all those in a stand-alone release that would be an LP …

Jim: Like a discography LP.

Kyle: Yeah. I like the idea of an LP, but at the same time, it's not really on my radar to do that right now. I would rather do splits and 7-inches.

Jim: That's interesting; it would work well, because the 7-inch format is so brief and biting, and explosive … and if you could put that sort of energy into that format, then why do an LP? You'd just be diluting the effect of it.

Kyle: Totally — and I can see doing a live LP; that would be fun! I don't know. I like different formats and different experiences. I'm not saying that we'll never do an LP, because we probably will … but it's a matter of figuring out the right time for that. We just got done getting this last split together, and as that was happening, I was re-formatting the design for the self-titled LP that we have out now … so, to me, talk about a full-length is a little ways out. I'd love to see it happen, but we'll see when we get there.

Jim: Do you have any thoughts in closing? Anything to add? I think we definitely covered almost everything! (Laughter)

Kyle: Yeah, definitely! In closing, I'm just really excited to be in a band with people who are very capable musicians — but who are also really cool people. Our relationship with A389 has been great so far; they're like a "musician's label" — they get it, they've been great to work with. I feel good about what Cynarae has done … and I want to do more! I'm just excited about it.

Jim: Awesome! Thanks a lot for your time!

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Water Torture Interview

Tue, 22 Jan 2013 18:37:00 GMT

Interview by Eric Beasley

So what's the background on Water Torture (band member names, how did you form, etc...)?

Moezes - drums

Matt - bass

Ian - bass

It started off as me and Moezes around the fall of 2011. Ian joined as 2nd bass probably 6 months after that. Moezes and I have been playing together for a while now. We wanted to start a band that we knew would be able to go on tour. We have tried with other bands we had been in and there was one reason or another why we could not do it. We just Water Torture as the two of us so we did not have to worry about anyone else other then the two of us.

You guys recently finished up a tour with The Downgoing from Australia. How was it?

It was the best tour we have done so far. It was our first time outside of the northeast. We met a lot of awesome people, played with some great bands and got to see some of our old friends as well. We really did not know the boys in The Downgoing other then the emails between me and the guitarist. When we picked them up from the bus station the week before we left for tour, we would have a good old time with them.

You guys are super heavy live. Do you always tour with two bassists?

The only tour that we have done with one bass was the first. Ian was in another band with us and was the only other person we had played with that wanted to go on tour so I asked him if he wanted to play with us. I mean, we have one bass, why not add one more?

What brought about the decision to not have a guitarist?

One of the bands Moezes and I were in prior to Inerds was also just bass and drums. We are comfortable with working like that. As for water torture, we wanted it to be just the two of us at first and i dont play guitar anyway. Truly i cant. The strings are to small. I need a big old bass for my power chords haha. That's kind of how it had to be even if we did not want to. Honestly, I love bass and drums bands. However, I feel some of them just are not full sounding, so i decided I am going to play my bass kind of like a guitar.

What made you want to play grind/powerviolence?

When i first got into punk, I came from listening to stuff like Deicide, Cannibal Corpse and stuff like that. I really liked the fast parts way more then the metal parts. Then i moved out of my home town and started going to shows and doing shows in my basement. From there, I found out about so many bands. Also, the main band that got me into PV was Man is the Bastard. Who would have thought that lol. After that, every band I heard that was just bass that brutal but weird and noisey, I was hooked.

How is the song writing process for you?

There really is not much to it. We dont really jam or anything like that. We like to come to practice with a whole song already written. sometime we tweak it a bit at we practice, but all i do is smoke weed, start writing, and see what comes out of it. Mostly in the early morning, when i get home from my overnights is when i want to work on writing songs.

What/who has influenced your playing style the most?

It was mostly local bands that i looked up too and always wanted to be like lol. The biggest would have to be Running For Cover from Buffalo. Go check them out right now and listen to the sickest riffs with the best basslines ever!

This is a techy/nerd question, but what set up do you use for noise?

Oh man, there are so many different ways i set up stuff. It depends on what kind of sound we want. If i want HNW, I have a soothing sounds machine that has different setting like rain, waterfall, etc. White noise stuff for helping you sleep. I put that into a few distortions and you have a wall of harsh noise for days. For the last track on the sea of shit split I used a synth program on my ipad and programmed a loop into it and bit crushed it a little bit. The wacky ossilation in the mix is Moezes messing with Trogotronic noise makers. Actually, all the weird sounds in between songs on that albums are make from Moezes Trogotronic gear.

Do you guys split time in other bands or projects?

Moezes does not really do anything other then Water Torture. He does solo noise stuff every once in a while. Also does, Pacing, with me which is the two of us doing noise. As for me, I do a million other projects. I do breached hull which is a loop heavy kind of industrial sound. All of the sounds i get to make the noise are from scifi movies. The first release we did was all based on the movie Event Horizon. I also do solo stuff under the name Deceiver which is mostly HNW. I also do some noisecore stuff under Deceiver. I also do a noisecore thing called Sifting Through Dropping for Nuitrients. There are also a few other verious collaberations and whatnot. I like to keep busy haha.

How important is the DIY scene and what does it mean to Water Torture?

We would not be able to go on tour if it was not for the DIY scene. We have met so many people and promoters from all over the world because of the DIY scene. There is nothing better then playing someone's house or a sweet DIY run venue. When you work with people that are not trying help out out of town band instead of making tons of money, there is nothing better than that. The people are just way more real and down to earth.

What do you think are the pros and cons of digital media in independant music?

PROS: the internet is a great way to get your music out to people without going on tour. When we put up our stuff on Grindcore Karaoke, it helped us so much. We made a bunch of new contacts and we have people come up to us at shows telling us that they saw our stuff on Grindcore Karaoke. It doesn't hurt us on our record sales. If anything, it helps.

CONS: Ss for the cons you get so many people uploading their music that it over saturates everything with crap. If you do some searching, you can find the good stuff within the garbage.

What's next for you guys?

We have so much stuff coming up right now:

7in split with SIXBREWBANTHA

5in split with Suffering Mind

5in split with Witchcult

7in split with HIRS

7in split with God's America

lp on Nerve Alter

lp later in the year with To Live A Lie

We are also going on tour with Pizzahifive from Lima, OH in March. We also have a few sweet fests coming up in early 2013.

Seriously, how awesome is that Eagle Lift on you tour van? We were insanely jealous of it.

We love that thing so much. It makes my life so much easier when I am loading the gear after a show by myself. Everyone can bring all the stuff out to me and I can just load it in the back by myself. Also, if someone ever runs into the back of us, we will be fine.

Anything you would like to add?

Thanks for asking us to do this interveiw and thanks to everyone that have helped us out. Also, thanks to everyone that have supported us by going to a show, buying stuff from us, or just giving our music a listen.

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Integrity Interview

Sun, 30 Dec 2012 16:33:00 GMT

Interview with Dwid Hellion (Vocals), Rob Orr (Guitarist), and Jon Gates (Second Guitarist)

Questions by Jim Walkley

(Interview conducted in a basement dressing room at the Neumo's venue in Seattle, the site of the last-ever Undertow show on June 30th, 2012, which featured Integrity as a supporting band).

Jim: What's cool about that S.O.B. album is that it's a classic example of a Japanese band that doesn't really speak English that well! One of their songs is called "Let's Go Beach". We could have called the zine that … but we decided to go with another song title: "Don't Be Swindle". (Laughter)

Dwid: That's what I like about a lot of the Japanese stuff. G.I.S.M. have a lot of that going on, too — that "mixed-up talk" … I like that! Zouo does, too, with all of their recordings. Do you like those groups as well, or do you mainly like the more thrashy stuff?

Jim: I do! And I liked your cover of "No Power" by Zouo.

Dwid: That was a pain in the ass, to get the lyrics for that. (Laughter)

Rob: It's true!

Jim: (Laughter) Musically, I suppose it wasn't much of a problem …

Rob: I played all of the instruments on that, so I did it the same way that they did it — just one microphone on the drum set; all of that good stuff …

Dwid: I didn't have the right echo for "No Power", I think … I I used my C.B. radio microphone for that.

Rob: I saw that Shure now makes a trucker mic.

Dwid: They do!? See, they're trying to steal ideas from me … (Laughter)

Rob: I saw it at a Mexican restaurant that I was at, that Shure makes that …

Dwid: I wonder what that costs? Probably cheaper than my C.B. radio! But, they probably have a better mic on it, though.

Rob: Probably. It's like a 57, probably.

Dwid: You see, I bought this C.B. radio — you know, exactly as the truck drivers use … and I modified the tip on it, so it wasn't a C.B. tip — not an XLR; still a trucker format … well, actually, I think I did re-solder on an XLR …

Jim: Do you remember that movie Convoy? And all the C.B.-related talk in that?

Dwid: Yeah! "Come on mighty convoy" … but this one is special C.B., because now the C.B. truckers are trying to get experimental with those rigs. And I have a dial on it for echo. It sounds just like Zouo does!

Jim: And that's how you recorded the vocals for "No Power"?

Dwid and Rob: Yeah!

Dwid: … Zouo uses a "special" kind of echo — I suppose you could say, "wrong" echo … I don't know how to explain it. The only way I could find to duplicate it was with that C.B. echo. That worked, because it is that echo — it sounded similar … I was using an old-style one. I had an old rack, at one point, that had that feature on it — but that was a long time ago, so I had to try and duplicate it; make it work …

Jim: Do you know if there's much of a C.B. radio network still out there? (Laughter)

Dwid: Well, I bought it on eBay, and I guess truckers still use it … maybe that's why they do it, to spice it up — so they throw echo on there. Like the "Monster Truckers" … but I don't have that particular one …

Jon (Second Guitarist): After 9/11, the FCC really cut down on the bandwidth, so there's now a lot of noise on all of the channels. It's really hard to get through. Truckers now don't use C.B. radio primarily, either.

Dwid: What do they use now?

Jon: Cellphones …

Dwid: Yeah, I guess C.B. radio was more for telling you that the cops were coming.

Jon: That's Channel 9. Channel 9 was the emergency channel. I used to get on there with a handheld —

Dwid: Channel 19 was the emergency channel …

Jon: That's right — Channel 19; I'm sorry. I used to get on there, just singing, drum rolls …

Everyone: (Laughter)

Dwid: See, that's the one they use with mine — all of that echo …

Jon: Right. If you get the right kind of signal, it sounds like there's echo on it.

Dwid: When I was a kid, and they had college radio on, they allowed anyone to call the station during a certain program, and then they'd run your call through all of these effects … and then they'd put two or three callers with those effects on there, to make it noisy and weird — it was cool! Take acid and call that up! (Laughter) If you recorded it and listened to it the next day, it'd be sweet! I wish I still had that tape. Maybe my son still has it.

Jon: I had a handheld C.B., and in my car — for awhile — I had a rotary dial that had thirty channels. Instead of digital, you would just turn the dial. I had a pretty powerful antenna, too. It was loud.

Dwid: You had it at your house?

Jon: I had it in my car; it was like a radio unit that I had in my car.

Jim: I always wanted to learn some of the lingo that they had. It's like in that movie, Convoy — the "bear in the air"; that was when there was a police helicopter in the air. There were a bunch of them, though. There were a whole ton of them.

Jon: I had this record called something like C.B. Radio Talk, and it had all these old country songs that were about C.B. radio. On the insert, it had the different codes; for instance, 73, 86 — what all of those different codes mean. When you'd see "bear", it meant "cop" —

Dwid: — a "bear in the air" is a helicopter?

Jim: Yeah.

Jon: Yeah, this record had all the different numbers and corresponding lingo …

Jim: "Steak on the grill" was when you'd hit a cow with your semi …

Dwid: I've never heard of that one!

(A conversation takes place regarding merch).

Jim: So, you guys played here — different line-up, obviously — in 1993? I believe it was at Ground Zero.

Dwid: I think we played at this guy Big Jon's house. Ground Zero … (attempts to recall) … perhaps we stayed at Big John's house after we played there. And the Snappers played there. [A reference to the band Snapcase].

Jim: I talked to one of the guitarists in Heiress, Wes Reed, and he told me that he'd seen Integrity at Ground Zero in about 1993 with Botch — in their demo period … last night I went to The Black Lodge and saw the Undertow secret performance there, which was where Wes told me that he'd seen Integrity play in Bellevue back in '93. Do you remember that at all?

Dwid: No!

Jim: He also told me that Integrity had never played Seattle proper before, ever, in the history of the band.

Dwid: We did … it was something to do with a guy named Big John — he was the promoter — and we either played at his house, or stayed at his house; in his backyard, he had a stage …

Jim: Do you remember when that was?

Dwid: Snapcase also played …

Jim: Weird that they were out here, because weren't they from Syracuse? [Correction: Snapcase were actually from Buffalo].

Dwid: The tours just happened to cross up. Snapcase happened to be around here at the same time. Same record company, too — but we don't talk about them! And Snapcase were more of an "emo" band … you know, maybe that all-girl band played with us as well … [A reference to the all-female hardcore band The Doughnuts].

Jim: The Doughnuts played that show as well?

Dwid: I think so … They were touring with Snapcase …

Jim: It's funny … I did a zine in the '90's, and one of the bands that I interviewed was Fall Silent, who were from Reno, and their vocalist, Levi Watson, disparaged Victory Records in the interview. I never sent it to him, but somehow, Tony Brummel got ahold of that, and wrote Levi a personal letter through the mail, asking him why he had all those negative things to say … And I thought, "Who the hell is this guy, to write some letter like this!?" [Tony Brummel is the founder and owner of Victory Records, who at one point released Integrity recordings].

Dwid: He's a crazy guy. He thinks it's okay to not pay bands.

Jim: I was really surprised by that letter.

Dwid: He's a goddamn pirate — that motherfucker. You know …. when iTunes asked Victory to be on there, and he accused them of stealing — that is the pot callin' the fuckin' kettle black, right there! (Laughter)

Jim: All of your records from that era are available for free download on Holy Terror.

Dwid: Yeah, because he was effectively stealing those records from us, and putting them up on iTunes —

Jim: Did he try to stop you from putting those up for download on Holy Terror?

Dwid: He can't, because he doesn't own the rights to those songs. But, you know, it was like he was tryin' to pull an O.J. on us — he had the lawyers, so he could fight against us … and still refuse to pay us!

Jim: Let's talk about the new Integrity song. I've heard a digital version of your new track from the Gehenna split, and I really, really liked it. I don't yet own a physical copy —

Dwid: — We have the limited ones upstairs …

Jim: Cool! I'll have to pick one up! I heard that the 7-inch sold out at Holy Terror in about, what, two days?

Dwid: That was the pre-order …

Jim: On red?

Dwid: It was on pink. Somehow, the labels were messed up on the regular ones. At that same time, we went on a European tour — which we recently completed, just this past Sunday …

Jim: How did that go?

Dwid: It went great! We had a great time. What was it, three weeks? Yeah, I believe it was three weeks over there …

Jim: Playing shows pretty constantly throughout that time?

Dwid: Every day!

Jim: Every day!? Awesome!

Dwid: It was a lot of fun.

Jim: That was one question that I had for you, Rob. There's so much talk with Integrity that revolves around "the classic line-up" — I seem to find it whenever I read something about the band, whether it's the Melnick brothers, or Frank Novinec … and I guess the typical response to a question like that is: Well, we don't really pay attention to what people say about that. At the same time, is it ever frustrating — or annoying — that people focus so intently on that "classic" era of the band, when the band is in fact still going, and when your contributions to it, judging from that Gehenna split —

Dwid: — Well, we're all still friends with those guys. In fact, Rob gave Aaron a guitar a little while back, because Aaron broke his guitar —

Jim: So, then, it doesn't frustrate you?

Rob: No, it doesn't frustrate me. Like, here's the thing about it —

Dwid: — In fact, we partied with Frank about a month ago …

Rob: Yeah … down in Florida …

Dwid: — Yeah, we were down in Florida, playing there …

Rob: — I've been listening to Integrity since I was, like, thirteen years old! And those former members don't care about that issue. Which is more important than someone outside of the band, commenting on it. It's like, if someone doesn't want to listen to something that I'm doing because of a pre-conceived notion of … "whatever" … you know? That's not going to upset me. We do it because we want to, not because someone …

Dwid: That's not to take anything away from the Melnicks. Great guitarist, great bassist — and great songwriters … at a very important time for the band. It was awesome to have them in the band.

Jim: But didn't they create that template, that the band has somewhat followed ever since? You know — I don't know how to describe it, but that combination of mournful lead melodies with almost Japanese-sounding chord progressions. The "Integrity sound". Is it fair to say that they had a role in creating that?

Dwid: — Well, yeah… some of it, definitely. But, it's hard to say. For instance, the song "Judgment Day" was written by our friend Scott Stearns, from the band that Aaron and I had before Integrity, called Die Hard — that was the first Integrity song that we ever wrote … but Scott wrote that. We then played as Integrity later. And the song "Jagged Visions Of My True Destiny," our friend Bill McKinney wrote that.

Rob: He was in the band for three shows?

Dwid: Yeah … that was when we played with Pantera, and … fuck, I don't remember …

Jim: Didn't you tour Europe early on with Neurosis and Into Another?

Dwid: Yeah. Those were our first European shows …

Jim: I bet those were good shows …

Dwid: Yeah! All of those guys — they were a great bunch of guys, and it was an incredible tour …

Jim: So, it doesn't really affect you at all? Just to compare it to something from my own life, it would be as if I was constantly judged as a creative person — or as an individual — against something that had occurred fifteen years ago … what about everything that's happened since that time?

Rob: Yes … if I were looking at it through that lens, then — sure. But if you knew anything about the band, or cared about the band, you would know that it's a collaboration — beyond two people who haven't even been in the band for some twenty-odd years.

Jim: But what about people who claim that the "classic" line-up defines the band, and that today's Integrity just can't measure up against that?

Rob: Well … what I'd say is this: for me to try and sway someone's opinion — it would just be so … — well, something I don't want to do.

Dwid: We don't give a fuck what anybody thinks.

Rob: Yeah — to flail around and be, like, "Please pay attention!"

Dwid: Yeah — we can't get up there on stage and say, like, "Hey, www.check this out" — and, "Find us on Facebook" … (Laughter) We play the songs we like to play. We have a good time. We sing about the things that mean something to us.

Jim: It is what it is.

Dwid: Everyone else can fuck off!

Rob: Yes — it might be said: "that answer is the veil we hide behind" … but it's the honest truth.

Dwid: Yes! "1993" … or "2003" — it is always the same; people hated us then, people hate us now — they always hated us! And to hear old people say, "Oh yes … back then, we loved Integrity" — but everybody hated us back then! Always the same.

Jim: "Hated" you!?

Dwid: Yes, every record we've come out with … they hated it. And people always try to lie and say they loved it back then — but they didn't like it.

Rob: Systems Overload was voted Worst Record Of 1995 by HeartattaCk!

Jim: (Laughter)

Rob: That's what I mean! It's funny to go back and look at that stuff …

Jim: Well, how do you think the material has changed over the years? Listening to the current records, it seems that the production is the main difference — since all of those past records were mainly done at the Mars Compound, with Bill Korecky. What I think is so cool about the records today, is that it's sort of the ultimate punk rock vision — you're producing it yourself, you're recording it yourselves, and you're putting it out there yourselves … all at a cost that is fractional. And it seems like the ultimate realization of the D.I.Y. ethic.

Dwid: Yeah. The only thing that we did was have someone master it — to louden it up a bit. That CD was a little too quiet.

Jim: I guess another influence that's come into the records is black metal.

Dwid: Probably. But not, like, "arena black metal" —

Rob: — Much more obscure than that stuff …

Jim: More of a black metal "feeling", I guess I would say ...

Rob: Yeah.

Dwid: Yeah. And, of course, "black metal" is too vague of a concept, anyway. You have these groups that are "black metal", but they sound very polished, produced with just that screechy voice … And I'm not into that style. But I do like the weirder, more obscure groups out of that genre. Bands making tapes out in the woods; things like that … some of the French black metal groups, the modern Portugal scene, Australia as well and some bands of that raw nature …

Jim: Are you talking about records like that one by Ulver that was recorded in a forest? [A reference to the Nattens MadrigalLP by Ulver, a black metal-inspired band from Norway; the album was released in 1997].

Dwid: No — well, I think Rob might like Ulver; I don't like Ulver, so much … what I mean is more like that band Black Legions, from France …

Jim: Did you like Deathspell Omega? [A progressive black metal band from France].

Dwid: I like some of it. Other parts of it I just found to be too … experimental, I guess? Maybe too "psychedelic" — at times. I do like some of their records. However, my friend Tyler Davis put out some of their records. He does Ajna Offensive. I grew up with him. As a child, he lived next to my mother's house. And he was selling records back then, even when we were fifteen years old! haha And listening to Charles Manson music!

Jim: He lives in Oregon now? I always found it sort of funny that he released so many obscure French bands, and things like that — yet he lives in Oregon.

Dwid: Yeah! Even back then, he sought out wild stuff. Different stuff. I guess you could say: stuff that people wouldn't have known about … of course, back then, he was more into hardcore. I remember, he had a distro back then with the Project X 7-inch that came with that magazine … Wishing Well records; stuff like that … this was around the time period of the later '80's …

Jim: So, like you, he came from more of a hardcore background, but graduated into listening to more —

Dwid: — Well, we were punk. And metal. Because, back then … you see, punk and metal: that is hardcore, the fusion of that. Today, hardcore has become something of its own. Back then, though, it was a blend of those two genres. It's like this … punk became popular. Metal became popular. If you combined those, then both of those groups hated you — it became fashionable later on … but back in the late '80's, it was definitely not popular.

Jim: And speaking of more obscure hardcore, I heard that one of the first metallic hardcore bands you ever heard was G.I.S.M.

Dwid: First band I heard —

Jim: And so, if that's your first band —

Dwid: Right — I was lucky! Septic Death was the other one. I was lucky.

Jim: And that was a band without boundaries, in a sense, because they played a form of hardcore, but dressed up like …

Dwid: Yeah! Like Motley Crüe.

Jim: G.I.S.M. are just fascinating, in that way. The first metallic hardcore you heard was the V/A Peace/War double album?

Dwid: Yes, that was the first — but I had some metal stuff before that, and I had some punk stuff on tape … but, I went to buy a record with my allowance — I was thirteen years old? … This was the time that Dead Kennedys had released Frankenchrist, and the cops were cutting out — they were opening up the records and destroying that poster that H.R. Giger had made for them … I was going to buy Frankenchrist — really, only because the cops didn't want you to buy it … but, the record clerk said I couldn't have it with the poster included, so I thought, "Well, I'll buy something else" … The clerk suggested the Peace/Waralbum. And it came with a big book — it was roughly the size of Maximumrocknroll, with the same printing style … and it had G.I.S.M., and Septic Death — as well as all of the Pushead drawings … and all of the bands on that comp, it was just an eye-opener …

Jim: Pushead was a big influence as well, would you say? [Pushead, whose real name is Brian Schroeder, was the vocalist of the legendary '80's hardcore band Septic Death. He is also an acclaimed artist who has created many well-known album covers and contributed art for skate decks, among other things.]

Dwid: Of course! I think Pushead had a big influence on everybody. People have never given him enough credit. In fact, Pushead was the reason that G.I.S.M. was on that comp! He helped push G.I.S.M. to people who never would have heard them, otherwise —

Rob: — Pushead was a reviewer for Thrasher?

Dwid: Yes, Pushead wrote for Thrasher… he had a section in that magazine called Puszone; he promoted G.I.S.M. there — the only downside was, it was impossible to get those records. That was the only downside. And, you know, there was the second G.I.S.M. record, M.A.N., which came with a special poster insert that you could only get at certain stores in Tokyo — Pushead drew that poster. [G.I.S.M.'s Militaly Affairs NeuroticLP from 1987 is sometimes abbreviated as M.A.N.].

Jim: And speaking of Septic Death — they always sounded Japanese to me, even though they were from America.

Dwid: Yeah. Septic Death released a lot of stuff, just them alone — but then it's compounded by the fact that Pushead is a great fuckin' artist … those guys had a lot of creativity flowing.

Jim: And Pushead's record label, as well … Would you say that his example of record labels was an influence on what you've done with your own record labels?

Dwid: Yes, I would say so — the attention to details; not following what's necessarily the "selling angle" … just doing what you like. But, you see, also … not to take credit away from him, but that had something to do with the '80's — in a way, that was how everyone had to think … you know, I "only" like this, or I "only" like that … no, you liked a lot of different things. At least, most people did. And there were spectrums of things you liked. As I've said before: the metal people hated the punks, the punk people hated the metal people — so, if you liked them both, then everyone hated you! There was that element to it — although, maybe that was more true in the place where I grew up … because, obviously, Pushead liked metal — he worked with the Metallica guys …

Jim: That was a little bit later, though, I guess.

Dwid: Well … it was in the '80's …

Jim: Later '80's —

Dwid: — Well, there are Septic Death records that the Metallica guys are playing on! Did you know that!? Where Metallica is his band, and he's singing!

Rob: "Kichigai"?

Dwid: Yes — the "Kichigai" EP … which means "crazy boy"! (Laughter) ["Kichigai" is a Septic Death 7-inch from 1988 that was released on Pushead's own Pusmort Records].

Rob: Yeah, there's a Thrasherinterview I read where Pushead is interviewing Metallica before they did Master Of Puppets —

Dwid: Yeah —

Rob: — And I believe he was the one who got them that Zorlac sponsorship deal.

Dwid: I don't know that for an absolute fact … but, yeah, it would seem like it … at that time, I believe both Pushead and Metallica were living in the same area of San Francisco …

Jim: About the U.S.: do you think you'll ever move back to the United States? Or do you like Belgium too much to ever want to move back?

Dwid: It's hard to say — I mean, the beer here sucks! (Laughter)

Jim: (Gesturing to the table and feigning surprise) You mean you don't like Pabst!? (Laughter)

Dwid: (Laughter) I drink Duvel, Leffe … but, I have a house in Belgium, so …

Jim: And your wife is from there …

Dwid: Yeah. She's from Belgium; however, it's much cheaper to live over here in the USA …

Jim: Yes, but I remember what you said about the landscape over there, and how it's so much more inspiring than something you would see in, say, Cleveland …

Dwid: It's always great to see a fuckin' castle! …

Jim: But, you think you'll be there for the time being.

Dwid: Yeah; I'm not going to move. I built a house over there.

Jim: On a different subject, I always wondered who that was, who's talking throughout "Drowning In Envy" — ["Drowning In Envy" is a track from Humanity Is The Devil, a lauded mini-album by Integrity originally released in 1995 by Victory Records. The "song" features a long sample of conversation from a disgruntled former member of Integrity].

Dwid: Oh yeah — (Laughter)

Jim: I don't know if you can reveal that, but I've always wondered that.

Dwid: It was our ex-drummer — and he is a jealous, spiteful guy, but … we had fired him for stealing, and he did an interview with a friend of ours, who did a zine —

Jim: — Was it an interview with Brian Dingledine? [Frontman of the '90's anarchist metallic hardcore band Catharsis and former editor of the now-defunct Inside Frontmagazine].

Dwid: No, it wasn't him — it was another guy … he interviewed him with good intentions, but he ended up saying, "You know, I can't print this. You just talk shit about all these bands; that's stupid." So, he called me up and described how this former member had been talking shit, and I was like, "Let me hear it!" And me and Aaron just laughed at that interview. We then took it and put it on my computer; chopped it up, and added sounds of, like, toilets flushing (Laughter) — and different stuff …

Jim: And you put that into a loop at the end: "People don't wanna know …"

Dwid: Yeah.

Jim: You did a zine yourself in the '90's, didn't you? Blood Book?

Dwid: Yes: a "comedy" zine …

Jim: A comedy zine!?

Dwid: Yeah! … like a National Lampoon, or a Mad Magazine …

Everyone: (Laughter)

Jim: Honestly!?

Rob: Yeah — seriously! Did you ever read it!?

Jim: I was researching the band Gehenna, and there was a Gehenna interview in Blood Book. It was a really good interview.

Dwid: Thanks!

Jim: Yeah, you were talking to Mike Cheese, and saying, "You seem rather composed today. Is something wrong!?"

Everyone: (Laughter)

Dwid: If you know the Gehenna guys … that would ring true! (Laughter)

Rob: Yeah … that's always remarkable … (Laughter)

Jim: How many issues of Blood Book did you do?

Dwid: Oh … maybe … six?

Jim: Wow. When did you stop?

Dwid: I just kinda ran out of steam on it …

(Lori LeFavor, the owner of Infinite Productions, appears at the dressing room door along with her adorably cute pet dog. Infinite was the promoter of this show, which — once again — was the final performance by Undertow that also featured Integrity as a supporting band).

Dwid: Let's pause the interview for a second. I think that's Lori. I'd like to say "hi" —

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Krupskaya Interview

Tue, 11 Dec 2012 20:23:00 GMT

by Eric Beasley

When thinking of Stoke-on-Trent, UK, a grindcore band with a Russian name is the last thing that will come to mind. But trust me, they are there. I was able to catch up with them via e-mail over the last week and after a three year hiatus, Krupskaya are looking to pick up where they left off: Playing fast, writing interesting songs, touring, and Ed laughing at Alex...

First off, could you introduce the band and it's members? How did you guys form?

Tim - Ok well the current line up for 2013 is Alex - vocals, Tim - guitar, Matt - bass & Ed - drums. Ed is our original drummer and founding member who quit the band late '08 to work on a shark conservation project in South Africa and for various reasons is now returning to the UK. Matt has been playing guitar in After The Last Sky for 15 years, they just split the band up so we got him in on bass straight away, (he did actually play half a gig with us a few years ago!) he was also playing bass in a band called Fuck Hate Propaganda with Alex some years ago. Also Skulda from Sheeva Yoga and about 9 other bands out in the Czech Rebublic, who was with us on bass for '09 is still kind of in the band and might do some more touring with us someday.

As for how we formed, I moved back to the Stoke area early '05 with 2 other musicians as all we were doing in London was working and it is expensive to rehearse there, that project folded after about a month of being up here - nothing was really happening for me at all, I knew Matt from college in '96 after I left school, After The Last Sky had a track on the Terrorizer magazine CD. I recognised Matt on the picture so I looked him up for old times sake. He was doing ATLS and also FHP with Alex - we met up and jammed with a few other local guys, one song led to another. We made a power violence band called Kzzch for a bit and that folded. Alex knew Ed from playing locally and we all just wanted to play and were a bit tired of flakey musicians, so we got together and took it from there.

How excited are you guys to be back at it?

Alex - Looking forward to it, we'll see when we start practicing, I can't wait for a taunting off Ed, not exactly back at it yet, i've only seen Tim 3 times in the last 3 years haha.

Matt - Real exited that Krupskaya is getting back together, and looking forward to playing fast.

Tim - I'm exited to be making some noise again and be playing my guitar loud, will be nice to jam with these guys again and the line up this time round is overall, the strongest ever.

Was it beneficial to take a break?

Alex - Not really no, it was for a little bit but 3 years is a bit excessive, closer to splitting up then taking a break.

Tim - I agree really, we needed a little break, financially we were all broke after a lot of touring in '09 and owed each other money, things were all over the place. Six months probably would have been sufficient to rest. We had a lot of problems, our rehersal space & Alex's studio was wiped out by a flood while we were away, and due to that and shit going on in peoples lifes the band just ground to halt by default we never really chose a hiatus or fell out and split up, just it was impossible to really make anything else happen at that point.

How has the process of reforming been for each member?

Alex - Arduos, hard to say, nothing has really happened, we have all kept in touch with each other as we always did.

Tim - Painful, I have been working in London for most of the time apart - I did try to get Krupskaya material learnt and rehearsed with some good players I knew from down there but nothing came of it, a waste of energy really, we had a few things booked but we had to cancel which was a real bummer, it became clear to me that if I didn't base myself in the Stoke area again with Alex around, the band would finish for good - we both knew if we were still into it something would happen, so it has been a long road.

December 15th is the day you have announced Krupskaya are coming back. What's in store for us?

Alex - Death! Some touring, lots of recording, more song based craziness - I don't know we haven't played a note yet, we have quite a lot of splits lined up, probably a new album, maybe some lyrics, maybe not! Musical direction wise probably a combination of all the releases we have out so far.

Matt - Me hopefully being able to learn the songs, some world class bass playing.

Tim - Some strong Krupskaya material I hope, playing some new places and re-visiting some of the cool towns & cities we made it to before. Ed landing on a fucking plane in the UK on the 15th as planned!

The band seemed to have moved toward a more techy approach in later releases. What brought that out in your music?

Alex - Using the technology that was available to us, writing in the studio as opposed to writing as band, writing the songs on the drums to make them sound interesting however finding them hard to learn together and play, it ended up being a lot more straight because we started using a metronome as opposed to the earlier stuff.

Tim - Just the development of us as a band and doing a lot of gigs made us more able, we learnt to communicate with each other in a productive, fun way well fun for us not fun for Ed haha - Alex is a good engineer with his own studio set up so it meant we had time to work on the stuff, although as he was involved with each recording in a blow by blow kind of way I think by the end of each one he had had enough! The metronome really helped pull it together on the last 12" less punk more metal approach perhaps.

Matt - I was involved in putting out the early stuff, I was really suprised how quickly things moved on for them and developed but I loved all of it for different reasons.

It seems like you guys touch on some pretty dark topics lyrically. What do you think causes people to view the world this way?

Alex - I dunno why people see the world that way, for us it was never really about seeing anything in a dark way it was looking at more obscure historical events. It was more about being aware of the way our supposed civilised society treats human beings and for that same society to stop it ever happening again. It was also a bit about culpabilty and being responsible for your actions, that was what Clouds Over Pripyat was about - human beings created nuclear power and as whole race we should be responsible for the product we create, and if what we create is a nuclear disaster poisining children for the next 50 years the the human race should take responsibilty not just the Ukrainian government. We covered a very wide subject matter, the three tracks on the Teriak Records compilation were more about breaking programming, the split with Trendy Bastard was more about war or the self imposed boundaries between nations. We are all human at the end of it. Symbisois Through Decay was about environmental issues - sort of. What happens when big industry moves out of an area - partly. The split with Kill A Celebrity was loosely based on the Gulags in Russia, it' all very difficult to explain - mostly going back to what human beings will actually do to each other. The split with Sandokan was much more on the covert & overt chemical weapon testing theme.. It's getting to be 4 years ago since any of this stuff was written so it's hard to remember it all!

Matt - Some people will see the world like that because of the way it is presented by the media, others who look into it deeper past that presentation - will see the world at large probably even darker and more fucked up as they discover corruption, contol etc - it is to some degree a choice.

Alex - Maybe people see the world that way because it is, dark and fucked up.

Tim - I couldn't comment too much on peoples own perception I guess that depends on your past and present life experience, and geographical location on the planet. As for the bands topics Alex led the way so his words are the most precise on that, we never dramatised anything with emotive lyrics or attempted to put ourselves in the shoes of anyone, I'm proud of the subjects we have covered, it is up to the listener - enjoy the music for what it is or isn't, or if you are intrigued by the subject matter, type the song titles into a search engine and perhaps you will find something that interests you and lead to further thought. In some ways I think it is also an alternative to punk politics, acab, witches and wizards, demons, the night, serial killers, hate, murder and some of the usual topics. Not that there is anything wrong with any of that stuff, there is just plenty of it.

Do you think music can bring these issues to the forefront so they can be addressed?

Alex - Music is not a forum to bring these issues to the front is it? Not if you want to seriously talk about something or try and instigate change, it's a difficult one. I think as a band or a musician your songs are at most a medium for introducing subjects - not a medium for seriously discussing subjects If people get involved in stuff because they found out the basic information from a band then thats cool, but I dont think any band is about serious political activism, if you want to get into that it's not really going to be through music. You can be introduced to it - as far as i'm concerned I dont stand on stage sermonizing, I present what we say. We are all responsible enough of our own lives to take things further if we choose to. Having said that, through music we have seen and met some inspirational people, seen some amzaing places and experienced things beyond certainly what I would have ever considered achievable.

Tim - I agree more or less, serious political or social activists, who achieve results, resist attempts to be silenced and dedicate their life to a cause at a local or international level are rarely active musicians, I cannot see how you would have time to do both. I grew up feeling inspired mostly by the bands that had something to say other than songs about girls and partying, or the common subjects I mentioned earlier, I was interested by social comment and still am. There is something to be said for artisic license and a good musician, band or songwriter may be able to use their talents in a respectful way to throw light on something they care strongly about, and in turn raise awareness to a larger audience, but you need to have a larger audience in the first place to do that and would be risking commercial suicide by touching on anything too contraversial or provocative, so few bother, and I am sceptical of those that do, Bono for example. Other than that I would refer to the point Alex makes.

Matt - It's kind of down to the individual as to whether they are going to be receptive to what a band is saying, if a person is interested in what a band has to say it could open a door to more exploration on the subject.

What bands influenced you to play?

Alex - The reason I ever wanted to be in a band was because of my VHS copies of 'Another State Of Mind' (social distortion & youth brigade touring) and 'Decline Of Western Civilisation', before that when I was just into metal being in a band was something that seemed unattainable but when I heard Minor Threat, Void, Articles Of Faith, Agnostic Front etc - all those hardcore bands, it became achievable by yourself. Krupskaya was the four of us without any agenda at all, four guys into totally different stuff, what came out came out.

Matt - No specific bands influenced me to play, I just wanted to be able write my own songs really, a little bit later on the whole DIY thing inspired me to take it into doing gigs and tours and doing records and stuff. When i was 13,14 i just wanted to do songs like Carcass, My Dying Bride, Obituary and all the other bands I was into. I didn't know there was death metal or black metal or grindcore or whatever, it was all just metal!

Tim - Iron Maiden changed my ears totally, probably for the worse haha when I heard that at 11 or 12 years old and thats why I started playing the guitar. I was a diehard metalhead as a kid, really into Pantera, Sepultura, Fear Factory, Slayer, Anthrax, Carcass, Entombed, Napalm Death, I liked the black metal that bands that were around then, that was pretty exciting for me. I was into some more obscure stuff - Fudge Tunnel really opened up an alternative world for me and I loved the guitar playing on that. As for Krupskaya at that time I was really into death metal and the more metal end of grindcore and hardcore - Alex as I got to know him, suprised me by saying most of that stuff was 'too slow' - I thought that what I was into was the pinnacle of speed and brutality, he played me some fucking awesome records all night a few times while I sat in his living room chair smoking joints to myself taking it all in. After that I just wanted to do something fast by those standards. We never once name checked bands we wanted to sound like with each other or drew up a plan, we just wanted to play and started throwing things together.

What have you guys been listening to lately?

Alex - Gamma Ray, Helloween, Running Wild, Human Error, Paradox, Death, Proletar, Die Kruzen, Nile, Ackercoke, Active Minds, Sheeva Yoga, Sete Star Sept, Despise You, Hiatus. Loads of Russian stuff - Turbolax, Bagna, Iknow, E123, Third World Planet.

Matt - Column of Heaven (Endless Blockade guys new thing), Swans, Corrupted, Hellnation, Leonard Cohen (first album) Fubar, Crass, Despise you.

Tim - A general mix of metal, thrash, death metal & grindcore from across the board, loads of black metal lately, some hip hop and techno stuff - some artists like Bryan Ferry, Nick Lowe and Adam Ant plus loads of pop & rock stuff from the 70's and 80's, some prog - could go on forever, too much!

Top 5 albums of all time for each member. GO!

Alex

1. Naked City - Grand Guignol

2. Lajko Felix - Vox Naturalis

3. Catharsis - Passion

4. Gamma Ray - No World Order

5. Articles Of Faith - Any/all albums.

Matt

1. Black Sabbath - Black Sabbath

2. Neurosis - Anything really depends what day it is.

3. Nasum - Human 2.0

4. Darkthrone - A Blaze in the Northern Sky

5. Crass - Penis Envy

Tim

Iron Maiden - Iron Maiden

Judas Priest - Sad Wings of Destiny

Quicksand - Slip

Nas - Illmatic

Ozric Tentalces - Erpland

What is the DIY scene like in England?

Alex - We used to have a good scene in Stoke but it's kind of died a death.

Matt - When ATLS played in Leeds the other week it was based on the european model i.e. we got fed, the gig was great and packed with people, Manchester the other week was really good but it was more on the metal end of things, but still DIY, there are pockets of very enthusiastic and well organised people here, but overall not as strong as on the continent. There is some cool places in Leeds, Brighton/London and Nottingham. It would be nice to see more cities available for DIY gigs and touring bands, there are lots of cool labels and distros here.

Tim - I'm a bit out of touch really, over the years we have played some good DIY shows in the places Matt mentioned for sure, also in Sheffield, Leicester, Newcastle, Scotland was always cool, Dublin, Liverpool and more I can't remember. There is a network here that is worth checking out and any bands from abroad getting in touch with for gigs here.

You've played many places outside England. Which was your favorite?

Alex - All of them, it's not possible to answer, it wouldn't be fair to have any favourites or to pick one place over the other because of all the effort people have put in to support us. Playing Borneo was way beyond anything I could ever imagine.

Tim - Yeh I could not pick one favourite, I enjoyed different places for different reasons and value them all equally really. We have played a gig where only 4 people turned up but those 4 people travelled 150-200km to see us play and whose attendance made the gig possible - and then we sat together after, talked and became friends, that is just as awesome an experience for me as when the gig is packed with crazy people and it is super high energy with lots of pits and moshing. Touring S.E. Asia was pretty mind blowing.

Any funny stories?

Alex - We could write a book on it, the problem is after the event and the beers gone flat it is not always as funny to recall - it depends how you tell them, if you try and write them down they are not funny, so we won't!

Tim - Yeh I won't attempt any comedy - the usual highs and lows of DIY touring - border guards and their brilliant humour, numerous stories from our revolving door bass player saga, Alex hurting himself always gave Ed hours of side splitting laughter, things that were not so funny at the time but looking back... you name it really!

What was your favorite band you played with on tour?

Alex - Od Vratot Nadolu, Wojczech, Idiots Parade, Vocatio Interna, Mumakil, Keitzer, Flesh Disgorged, Nashgul, Hydro Acid, Hantamrata, Proletar, Human Error

Tim - Along with the above bands - Daighila, PLF, Infinite Delay, Wormrot, Blood I Bleed, Lycanthropy, To Die

What's the future look like for Krupskaya?

Matt - Bleak.

Alex - It looks more or less the same as the past, but in reverse, 1000's of miles playing to hardly anyone, same shit, another bass player!

Tim - Yeh same shitty clubs and long drives, no more 3 year breaks, it's till death this time!

Lastly, anything you would like to say?

Alex - Thanks for the interview.

Matt - Yeh, thanks for the interview.

Tim - Thanks for the interest and support Eric, was cool getting to know you a little with the communication around this and talking about noise music. Cheers!

Fake meat & blast beats - Krupskaya 2013

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Warsaw Scene Report 2012

Fri, 30 Nov 2012 20:39:00 GMT

Hello

My name is Karol and I am running a facebook Warsaw Grindcore fanpage. I was asked to write a Warsaw scene report for Don't Be Swindle so I thought "why not?". In the following article You will find some information on a bunch of bands from the capital city of Poland and hopefully that is going to make You curious enough to listen to their tracks, follow the links, buy their music or possibly go to their gigs.

Obviously there is only one band such a report should start from and this is the one and only:

Antigama

Do I really have to introduce these guys to anyone? After their Relapse releases their latest "Stop the Chaos" EP was released by Poland-based SelfMadeGod Records (enjoy it via their label's bandcamp). As far as I know they are supposed to hit the studio in the beginning of 2013 to again record that world class grindcore of their own unique kind. The last time I saw them live was when they were supporting Nasum during the recent Swedes' farewell tour. The first time I saw them seems ages ago: with a half different line-up, right after they released their first Sweet Little Single, in a little club located in one of Warsaw's former fortresses. If somehow You still do not know Antigama it means You lived under a stone in Siberia for the past ten years – crawl out and catch up! My favourite band.

https://www.facebook.com/Antigama
http://antigamablog.blogspot.com/

http://selfmadegod.bandcamp.com/album/stop-the-chaos

Łeb Prosiaka

Legendary and most obscene Warsaw unit delivering heavy grindcore crust madness (Łeb Prosiaka means Piglet's Head). Their charismatic vocalist makes every gig a show of its own kind using his special skills at achieving extremely hilarious levels of vulgarity combined with crushing grinding sounds performed by the rest of the masked-up orchestra. I fell in love with Łeb Prosiaka the first time I saw them. Everyone does. They do have some difficult to get releases and even more difficult to get T-shirts. Obviously the recordings do not express the sheer insanity of the experience called Łeb Prosiaka live on stage but they are absolutely worth checking out. Definitely my favorite band.

https://www.facebook.com/lebprosiaka

http://youtu.be/k--043p-yew

http://youtu.be/G-2KucJYsE0

Anus Magulo

Formed in 2007 and representing the gore side of grind Anus Magulo lets You taste their vomit on 2011 "Chain Erection" CD containing 19 fast and heavy tunes (incl. 3 covers and a remix). Currently recording their soon to be released EP but also focusing on playing live as much as they can so slowly but surely they get more and more attention and recognition they deserve. My favorite Warsaw grindcore band as they have lots of good energy and a female bass player.

https://www.facebook.com/AnusMagulo

Hesbollah

While not being really 100% grind band Hesbollah definitely fits in the grindcore scene. Formed by an ex-Antigama drummer this three piece, instrumental band delivers music that is quite difficult to label while at the same time it definitely can be called "extreme". Existing for about a year now somewhere between grind, jazz and math core Hesbollah keeps rehearsing and recording new tracks. I am pretty sure You can expect some new tunes from them soon. Insane drumming and the freshness they bring makes them my favourite band.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Hesbollah/253587334744677

Lues

Silly to say: Lues has just suspended their activity. They were more of a hardcore/punk/grind band than pure grindcore squad but anyway it quite sucks that the decision was made just three days before they were supposed to play a concert really close to where I live. Hopefully they will overcome their problems and will be back even more powerful quite soon. They would be my favourite Grind band if they still existed.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/LUES/149608415106430

http://www.lues.pl/

Grossmember

While we are at bands that exist no more we absolutely must speak of Grossmember. Since death of their leader Jerzy in december 2002 (which makes it 10 fucking years now, wow!) the band ceased to continue. There are numerous split 7inch records to be found here and there - in various distros and internet auctions - their full length 2002 "Leave Us Alone" CD and a Tribute to Grossmember CD as well. One of the basic bands when it comes to Warsaw grindcore and underground scene in general, well known at the peak of their active period not only in the rest of Poland but abroad as well. My favourite grindcore band of those days. Jerzy was also writing a grindcore zine called Analphabetic Journal and some of the issues were available in English so I am pretty sure older grinders may remember this guy.

http://www.discogs.com/artist/Grossmember

http://youtu.be/SeiJu0xadh4

http://youtu.be/t0XuanEbQmY

Herman Rarebell
Another quality band that I do not think will record anything anymore – Herman Rarebell was a bonecrushing side project of Antigama and Third Degree musicians. Find them on a 3 way split with the mentioned bands called "The world will fall soon and we all will die" or on their own MCD called "Too late for peace...". Very good, intense grindcore. Herman Rarebell was a great project, my favourite I must admit.

http://youtu.be/JOhZH86Vlb0

http://youtu.be/SXcSt0jDMsQ
http://youtu.be/oDxT-OKuijA

Obviously while we speak of grindcore it will be nice to mention some more bands that are quite close when it somes to style, sound, attitude or even band members. From one side grindcore influences those involved more in Punk/HC scene on the other hand many Death Metal fans listen to grindcore on a regular basis. I personaly believe the following guys definitely deserve some of Your attention as they also create and influence Warsaw Grindcore scene in more or less direct way:

Drip of Lies

Heavy, crusty, metallic hardcore. I am afraid they are one of these bands that are better known outside Poland than in their motherland as they regularly tour Europe. They have recently released an album called "Failure" and had a number of records before. Drip of Lies is killer live band – playing hypnotic and intense tracks filled with heaviness that's very difficult to capture on studio recordings. As their drummer is a friend of mine and I really enjoy their live sound I must say they are my favorite band.

http://dripoflies.bandcamp.com/

https://www.facebook.com/DripOfLies

Wóda i Pety

Meaning "Booze and cigarette butts" as anyone can guess this band is a d-beat/crust unit. They haven't been around for too long although they have a really good demo (with maybe a little too long intro) released already and I am pretty sure that there is more great stuff to come from them. The members are former musicians of a number of Warsaw bands.

http://youtu.be/86gztUJlFXw

https://www.facebook.com/pages/W%C3%B3da-i-Pety/376809049053279

Government Flu

Fast, simple and noisy Hardcore that reminds of classic old-school Hardcore bands, Government Flu have released a few 7" EP's, a CD/LP and a 12" vinyl with their singles collected. Their drummer used to play in Vitamin X (if that may be any kind of a reference) and other members are/were in various HC/Punk bands from Warsaw. They remind me of what's best in good old fashined hardcore therefore they're my favourite.

http://governmentflu.pl/
https://www.facebook.com/governmentflu

Violent Action

Powerviolence? Yes, please! Violent Action delivers their tracks of definitely heavier than Government Flu's hardcore with additional power violence flavoring to it. I totally dig it. It sounds angry and raw and loud and that's the way it should be! They are my favorite since I have discovered them recently so their latest 7" EP (the one with a terrorist on the cover) gets a lot of spins.

http://violentaction.bandcamp.com/

https://www.facebook.com/violentaction

Refuse Records

Hitting 20th birthday mark in 2013 Refuse Records is a DIY Straight Edge label. Robert, who's the main force behind it is also organizing gigs and does not limit himself (as one might have thought) to pure hardcore bands only. For example last summer I went to an absolutely insane show of Vaccine supported by Suffering Mind. As some of You might realize Refuse has recently released ass kicking Vaccine / Coke Bust split 7" EP. Generally speaking: Refuse's impressive catalogue and Robert's concerts are well worth checking out as he is really dedicated and hardworking dude.

http://refuserecords.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Refuse-Records/183267901719633

When it comes to grind influenced metal these two immediately come to my mind:

Cicatrix

Not really from Warsaw but from the nearby town of Puławy. Formed in 1994/1995, released a couple of demos to finally greet the world with their 2010 "Beloved in Killing" full-length. As a metal band they mention Terrorizer, Carcass and Napalm Death among their influences which makes them worth a listen for every grind freak. They are my favourite band as their brutal death metal sounds really heavy and contains enough grind references to keep me enthustastic about them.

http://www.myspace.com/cicatrix666

https://www.facebook.com/cicatrix666

Centurion

Death metal band playing it quite fast and brutal. Musically Centurion would perfectly fit any grindcore show although as far as I know they usually perform with metal bands that are slower and softer than these guys (which on the other hand is nothing difficult to achieve as they are heavy as fuck). Having been around since 1998 they really know how to put things together. Yes, they do sometimes slow down or play some melodic parts but generally one should expect fast and brutal tracks. My favorite death metal band of all mentioned here.

http://www.myspace.com/centuriondeathmetal

https://www.facebook.com/centuriondeathmetal

These were the bands I wanted to introduce to You in this report dear reader. I really hope You are interested enough to listen to them at least once. Obviously anyone who is interested can and will look further and find more, that's how it works.

No report would be complete without some final words. Local scene in Warsaw, Poland is really wide and strong so anyone can find something for themselves from stoner/doom, through hardcore punk to death metal and grindcore. There is a huge variety of bands and some of them are absolutely great (reggae and hip hop underground are also very strong!).

The only thing that I complain about is not the highest number of live shows as many bands who tour Europe simply do not come to Warsaw. Travelling here from abroad (especially if You have no other gigs planned in Poland and You drive) is usually pain in the ass. Of course sometimes we are lucky to see some bands live on stage. I must admit that it happens more and more often and once they build these damn roads I hope there will be even more people coming here so we could hear and see them delivering their tunes. Recently except for the already mentioned Vaccine, we had for example Iskra or Full of Hell giving absolutely great shows. I also was told Terror's concert was very succesful too but I had no chance of going there. Each of the gigs I am mentioning now took place in a different venue, which simply means there are clubs or squats where underground bands can perform.

Obviously if You happen to be in Warsaw or simply wish to follow what's going on here, check facebook.com/warsawgrindcore for updates on music, concerts, releases or any other grindcore-related information (that includes screenings of independent, psychedelic films or B-class horror movies delivered by one of the Warsaw crews whose aim is to present these underground classics to people).
To make everything even more interesting we are planning on releasing some of the world's coolest grindcore-themed t-shirts pretty soon so feel free to keep an eye on that too.

I hope You found this report useful and not boring.

Enjoy Warsaw Grindcore!

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Don’t Be Swindle – Episode #7 Podcast

Mon, 19 Nov 2012 14:04:00 GMT

An ill prepared podcast for your listening pleasure. Hope you enjoy.

1. Vile Intent - Muzzle
2. Archagathus - Real Fancy
3. Artimus Pyle - Bloodless War
4. Liberate - Amigo Imaginario
5. GAZA - Am I Mad
6. Gyga - Butcher
7. Mukeka Di Rato - Moldar
8. Malpractice Insurance - Surgical Sabotage
9. Worlds - Nomadic Exile
10. Bastard Noise - Seeing The Same Fate
11. Exit Wounds - Concrete Childhood
12. Water Torture - Syntheic Waste
13. Lost Tribe - The Laughter
14. Mellakka - Tuhoon Tuomittu
15. Heresy - Dedication From Inspiration
16. DeathToll - Prophecy Of Death
17. God Harvest - Crucifacial
18. Last Words - Human Trainwreck
19. Permanent Ruin - White Wash
20. N.E.K. - O Lema E
21. Mau Maus - Unforogtten
22. Pull Out An Eye - Olympic Village
23. Psychic Limb - Track 3
24. No Statik - Surrogate
25. Beyond Pink - I-Landssproblem
26. Sea Of Shit - Worst Enemey

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Your Top 5 Active Bands

Fri, 16 Nov 2012 12:27:00 GMT

I asked this question last night on the DBS Facebook page. Here are the responses, with mine first:

Juan Butts

- Death Toll 80k, War Master, Misanthropic Noise, Gowl, (my two local faves) and Ilsa.

Connor Donegan

- No Tolerance, The Rival Mob, Coke Bust, Double Negative, and No Tomorrow.

Bartholomew Howitzer

- Curmudgeon, Iron Lung, Iselia, Dogbite, Grudges.

Jacob Bennett
Iron Lung, Water Torture, Cogs And Sprockets, Ordstro, and +HIRS+

Halli Doe

Water Torture, Magrudergrind, Nihil Baxter, Despise You, Vitamin X

Ern Chaosound

Swamp Gas, Slough, Pig Chicken Suicide, Rottred, The Kill

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Sore Throat vs. S.O.B. vs. Disrupt vs. Septic Death

Thu, 15 Nov 2012 22:16:00 GMT

I personally have listened to Disrupt the most out of these bands because their music is easier to come by. I love their politics. S.O.B. has an obvious special place in my heart, see the name of this blog. Septic Death I love and had the luck to find some of their stuff on Discogs for a decent price. Sore Throat has always been a bit hard to come by, and their blurred out noisecore stuff is a bit on the strange side but when they do it up, they do it uppp!

Which band just does it for you? All four are noisy/grindy/and began in the early to late nineties. Decide for yourself and let us know!

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TTT - Top Three Tapes - Fun for all ages

Wed, 14 Nov 2012 21:14:00 GMT

Aaron Screwface, 30
Napalm Raid/System Shit - Split
Obacha - Demo
any Archagathus

John Alberty, 17
Triangulum/Tzalemoth - Split
Black Murder - Promo '94
Bologna Gang - Demo

Nick Keller, 16
V/A - There's No Way Out Vol.3
Wehrmacht - Shark Attack
Siege - Drop Dead

Robert Avery, 33
St. Vitus - Heavier Than Thou
Fudge Tunnel - Hate Songs In E Minor
Dismember - Pieces

Halli, 25
Dahmer - Demo 1 '96
Warvictims - Until Man Exists No More
Shitstorm - Paranoid Existence 2004-2008

Aaron Hovey, 17
ACxDC - The Second Coming
Youth of Today - Break Down the Walls
Darkthrone - Under A Funeral Moon

Chris Layhee, 17
Skuff - Demo
Sordo - Collection
Obacha/Chestwrecker - Split

Frank Mendez, 43
Archagathus/Goner - Split
Bone Sickness - 2010 Demo
Endless Demise - Demo

Vicky Morales, 23
Cryptic Slaughter - Money Talks
In Disgust - Reality Choke
Exhumed - Horrific Expulsion Of Gore Demo 94

George Moore, 31

+HIRS+ - Nunmilk
Priapus - Air Loom
Gripe - Pig Servant

Justin Abare, 32
Assholeparade - 1st Demo
Three Wheel Motion - Full Length
V/A - Ham Slapppin' Hits - ”Christmas Compilation/1998” (ltd. Slap A Ham comp)

Comment and leave me your top three!

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2012 and Beyond!

Wed, 14 Nov 2012 03:21:00 GMT

After about a year long hiatus of posting and gathering print material for issue #2, DBS has been reawakened. Dontbeswindle.com is the new location and now contributors to issue #1 have access rights to post here. I'd like to welcome James Walkley, Ralph Haunted Hotel, Vii Caos, and hopefully soon Paul Praise and Pat Backslider. Anyone with exclusive guest columns, scene reports, band recordings, etc... can be emailed to tolivealie@gmail.com, just put DBS in the subject.

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Don't Be Swindle - Issue #1 digital edition

Thu, 22 Dec 2011 23:36:00 GMT

Or download: http://www.archive.org/details/DontBeSwindle-Issue1

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Don't Be Swindle - Issue #1

Wed, 23 Nov 2011 03:02:00 GMT

Debut issue of this new half-sized zine compiled by Will Butler himself (To Live A Lie Records). Issue #1 features interviews that highlight a variety of heavy music genres, from the devastating grind of Looking For An Answer, to Idaho's fastcore maniacs Hummingbird Of Death, up-and-coming powerviolence wrecking crew ACxDC, and the legendary Eric Wood of The Bastard Noise. Among the columnists for this debut issue are Ralph Ferrara of Haunted Hotel Records, Will Toftness of the grind-violence band Hip Cops, and To Live A Lie label artist Matt Gauck, as well as Will Butler's own musings on life as a label head juggling a full-time job. Don't Be Swindle is chock full of record reviews that are refreshingly in-depth (when you need them to be) and nicely concise at other times (so you don't get bored!) There's even some non-typical show reviews that you'll have to read yourself to believe. Picking up on his previous zine endeavor in Fastcore Photos, Will displays some of your favorite grinders (hello, Disciples Of Christ) in a fancy spread of photos he took himself at shows. All in all, issue #1 of Don't Be Swindle is pretty sweet, and definitely recommended for anyone who enjoys fastcore, grind, and powerviolence, and appreciates an MRR-style approach to a music zine.

Available from (updated with links as soon as I verify):
To Live A Lie Records - eBay
Haunted Hotel Records
BSP Records
Blastcat Records
Karasu Killer Records (Japan)
Bastard Noise
ACxDC
Hummingbird of Death
Looking For An Answer
Total Hipster Crusher
Jim Walkley
Vii Caso
Jace Kuhn

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Don’t Be Swindle – Episode #6 Podcast

Tue, 15 Nov 2011 01:36:00 GMT

Sixth episode is a To Live A Lie Records-centric episode, in fact all songs are from TLAL. Self promotion to inspire me to do more podcasts.

1. Sex Prisoner - Piss When I Cum (0:50)
2. Sick/Tired - Last Stand for a Deadman (1:21)
3. Shitstorm - Nevernding Genocide (0:15)
4. XBRAINIAX - Fuck the Swindlers (0:32)
5. Magnum Force - Distort (0:34)
6. Backslider - Some Kind of Moron (0:29)
7. Disciples Of Christ - 12 (0:56)
8. Dos Amigos - Snitch Bitch Eyesore (0:24)
9. Sissy Spacek - Look Alive (0:35)
10. Assholeparade - Bury You (1:01)
11. Beartrap - Nailed Shut (0:22)
12. Suffering Luna - Go Ask Alice (4:12)
13. Archagathus - Intoxicating Aroma (1:33)
14. Sidetracked - Runaway (0:23)
15. Mehkago N.T. - Crustfund Youth (1:55)
16. Capitalist Casualties - Atomic Energy Commission (Live) (0:48)
17. Sakatat - Bu DÃÂ¼zen Hepimizi Bir Gecede Harcayabilir + KayÃÂ±p (1:18)
18. Deathrats - Please (1:09)
19. Get Destroyed! - Shut In (0:31)
20. ACxDC - Milk Was A Bad Choice (0:48)
21. Lapse - Trend (0:46)
22. Eddie Brock - Pointer Thumb Pinky (1:56)
23. PLF - Veteran Of Looserhood (1:04)
24. Fatal Nunchaku - Track 11 (0:33)
25. Curmudgeon - Infallible (0:54)
26. Osk - Knowingly Ignorant (0:45)
27. Mind As Prison - Ramifications (2:43)

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