Jason Schreurs - Freelance Monkey

MILEMARKER - OCTOBER 2005

2009-12-27T15:25:00.000-08:00

MILEMARKER
The more things change…

By Jason Schreurs

They’ve often been called The Milemarker Collective due to the revolving nature of their band lineup and constantly evolving sound. But one thing that’s remained constant with Chicago-based post-hardcore band Milemarker over the years is the close friendship and collaborative dedication of original members Dave Laney and Al Burian.

“We’ve been friends for a very long time. And we’ve been stuck in a van together for a very long time,” explains Laney. “Sometimes the proximity of a lot of years spent together let’s you be a little more critical… because it’s almost like part of the family. It gives you a thicker skin, until the knife cuts in too deep.”

Laney is only joking about the knife part. He and Burian (also known for his Burn Collector writings) have found endless ways to inspire and motivate each other over the years.

Formed in 1997 by Laney and Burian, along with drummer Ben Davis, Milemarker has gone through many players in the course of five albums and a couple of EPs. The member shuffling became so chronic Laney and Burian eventually decided to implement an open door policy allowing people to leave and return at their will.

This was handy for Davis, who recently came back to the band to help write their new album, Ominosity, after an extended hiatus while he and his partner had a baby. Davis will not be touring for Ominosity but, as mentioned, there’s always someone from the ranks of past (or future) Milemarker members to take his place.

“Something that we’ve always tried to do is keep it a little bit looser with the potential to mold it around whatever’s happening,” says Laney. “Whoever’s in the band is whoever’s playing with the band at that moment.”

One noticeable shift on Ominosity is its epic collection of seven or eight-minute dark epics; Laney is clear the band was trying to move away from the “synth-poppy” material of previous albums. Even more evident is the absence of vocalist/synth player Roby Newton. The lack of her piercing wail and sultry lilt could have been insurmountable voids, but with the help of three guest female vocalists and the many different textures Ominosity offers, it’s not a growing concern.

“She definitely was a big element of the band, and a lot of people have said, ‘Where the hell’s Roby?’” says Laney. “But her leaving was just something that happened. She was in and out of the band since the band started. She is missed, you know, and definitely having a female element to the band is important to us.”

Milemarker are perhaps best remembered for being staunch critics of the fashion-conscious hardcore scene of the late ‘90s, using their Frigid Forms Sell album motif to comment on just how silly the style over substance trend had become. Oddly, only a few years later, the band’s worst fears have been realized.

“[Frigid] looked like a lot of record covers actually look now,” marvels Laney. “They do promo photos where someone comes in for $500 to do a photo shoot… It’s all so slimy, the whole industry of it.”

And while countless bands today are content being cogs in a larger machine, Milemarker measures success on their own meter of happiness.

“I feel good about the music that we’re making right now. I feel good about the live show and it’s pretty exciting to me,” says Laney. “But I think everyone that makes music feels like their thing is important. They either think they are the best band in the world or they think they’re the worst band. Either you’re self-hating or you are a Superman-complex person.”

And which one are they? “Probably more towards the self-hating. I’m not gonna call up Rolling Stone and say, ‘Hey, you guys gotta put us on the cover. Do you know what you’re missing?! Here’s our press package. Check it out. Get back with me,’ he laughs. “I never understood it like that.”

Milemarker’s secret of uncompromising success is the consistency and longtime devotion of Laney and Burian to a project they obviously hold dear to their hearts. They even formed another project called Challenger, releasing and album and an EP in the past two years during an off-time for Milemarker. But this begs the question of whether Milemarker would continue if one of them ever left the band.

“Yeah, I don’t think it could go on. That would be pretty weird…” imagines Laney, “but, whatever, bands do weird stuff. There’s a festival coming up in Chicago and the bands are The Misfits, The Germs, and, what is the other band… Black Flag…”

“No, wait,” he interjects with another imposter band, “it’s The Dead Kennedys.”
“I don’t think we’ll ever be in that position…” chuckles Laney. “That’s not gonna happen with Milemarker.”

DESTROYING THE AIRWAVES - ROLLINS BAND 1992

2009-12-23T12:11:00.000-08:00

Can't believe I found this little ditty; it often haunts me to this day. Rollins Band in their prime, playing live in Toronto at the MuchMusic studios. Some seriously weird shit goes down here, first in the "you talkin' to me" ode to Taxi Driver, then in the extendo-jam "bad, bad monkey" section. Scary and thrilling, all at once. Ah, Rollins...

AKRON/FAMILY - NOVEMBER 2006

2009-12-21T11:53:00.000-08:00

Originally published: Monday Magazine

Random thoughts: I really can't believe I missed their live show in town. One of those write-about-them-but-get-sick-before-show dealies. I've heard they are one of the best live bands, as the YouTube clip below will attest.

The Anti-Cool
Akron/Family avoid rock trappings for a whole lot of love and joy

By Jason Schreurs

Let’s face it; rock shows are a bummer sometimes. Some greased-up fools on stage, sweating and spitting, while the cooler-than-thous in the crowd stand sneering with their arms crossed. But a select few bands, such as Brooklyn’s folk/noise troupe Akron/Family, are interested in a live show that transcends the bad vibes.
“Our approach is trying to have a sense of community as opposed to a lot of rock shows where you’ll go and the band will just sort of play at the crowd,” explains multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Dana Janssen. “We like to entice the crowd to sing along, clap their hands, and really join in on the show and be part of the experience.”
And with their feel-good reputation preceding them, Akron/Family excel in their alternately mellow and jarring hopped-up-hymns in a more improv-friendly live setting. The foursome’s recorded output is free-form and inventive enough as it is, but the band must get downright giddy at the thought of jamming out more on stage.
“Oh, totally,” gushes Janssen. “I’m sure I could be happy doing the same show every night, but it would definitely get old. With this band, it’s a blessing, man. Totally a blessing...”
Um, blessing? Janssen likes to throw that word around, furthering the theory that Akron/Family is some kind of beardo religious cult disguised as a folk/noise/improv band. Let’s test the theory on Janssen: “No, no…” he lets out a high-pitched laugh. “That’s a myth. People take things and they just run with it. Some of the guys practice Buddhism, but besides that there’s no cult or formed religion.”
Okay, maybe not, but there’s certainly a strong mantra going on here. One listen to sing-along numbers like the gonzo-gospel “Blessing Force” and the phenomenally uplifting “The Rider (Dolphin Song)” and it’s clear the band has a message in mind.
“Joy, love… love, joy. That’s the message,” confirms Janssen. “I don’t know if people don’t have time for those two things, or people just fail to recognize them in every day life. Our message is to wake that up in people and make them recognize that joy and love can be found everywhere.”
Okay, got it, an Akron/Family live show is the polar opposite to the typical sex, drugs, and rock and roll. “A lot of bands want to be too cool, and kind of standoffish, and that doesn’t make any sense,” says Janssen.
So Akron/Family is the anti-cool? Does that work? “Totally man,” beams Janssen. “I like it!”

SNUFF - APRIL 2005

2009-12-18T20:10:00.000-08:00

Originally published in: The Nerve (Vancouver, BC)

Random thoughts: I don't usually do Q&A style interviews, but when I do I always thoroughly enjoy them. This one was with a vastly underrated punk band from the UK called Snuff. I love reading these old Q&As; they are always a blast (even when they are done by email and aren't particularly thrilling). I plan to hunt around for some more Q&As I've done to prove that I can deliver some really thought-provoking ones. That's my 2010 challenge.

SNUFF

Q&A

The Nerve recently caught up with Duncan from Snuff. We found him in Japan. What the bloke was doing there, well, no one really knows. Duncan was patient enough to answer my prodding, fan-boy-like questions about the new Snuff double CD on Fat Wreck Chords.

Nerve: Are you happy with how the double CD turned out?
Duncan: Yes I am happy but, to be honest, the running order I would have used would have been slightly different. This isn’t really a problem, it’s just that everyone had a different idea and this list reflects the songs that got the most votes.

Nerve: Disc two is a bit of a mish-mash. More of a collector's thing, innit?
Duncan: Yes, really this is for collectors and for fans that may not have certain songs released in different parts of the world.

Nerve: What's your vote for best ever Snuff song?
Duncan: Sorry, but I really can’t answer that one. There have been so many songs over the years I have really enjoyed playing that I can’t really pick just one.

Nerve: Snuff was known for your obscenely loud live shows (I'm still deaf from a show in the early '90s). How did you guys manage to play so bloody loud?
Duncan: It’s good to play loud live as it feels good onstage, but what the audience hears is down to the soundman, so I guess you should blame him for your deafness.

Nerve: You guys always seemed happier than pigs in shit when playing in Snuff. You ever miss those days?
Duncan: Yes, I have always enjoyed playing live and I don’t miss it so much as I am currently playing live with my side project, Billy No Mates.

Nerve: Any plans for a Snuff reunion? Fuckin' please?
Duncan: Right now Snuff is sleeping and there are no plans to tour or record right now, but I`m sure one of these mornings the alarm bell will ring and we will be off again.

-Jason Schreurs

THESE ARMS ARE SNAKES - AUGUST 2006

2009-12-13T11:02:00.000-08:00

Originally published in: Chord Magazine

Random thoughts: A really good band who I remember being excited to interview, just on the basis that their music was so interesting and it wasn't another Warped Tour interview (this was around the same time I was interviewing multiple Warped Tour bands for Chord.... uggh).

These Arms Are Snakes
A different kind of Easter

By Jason Schreurs

One of the most noticeable things on Easter, the latest from Seattle art-noise rockers These Arms Are Snakes, is the expansive guitar work of Ryan Frederiksen. He’s a bit of a guitar god on this, their second album, with an impressive array of solos, crazy noise sections, and melodic interludes.
“Um,” chuckles Frederiksen, “thanks… I think. I made a conscious effort to not do the exact same things I did last time. It was important for all of us not to rewrite [2004’s] Oxeneers. We got to demo a lot of this record and it enabled us to take a step back and decide what worked and what didn’t. As a result I got to think about my guitar parts a lot more.”
Another big difference on Easter is the variation among the 12 songs. Oxeneers felt a little samey, but this one is all over the place in sonic experimentation.
“It was way more thought out,” explains Frederiksen. “We made a conscious effort to slow some parts down here and there, and we tried to make it as varied as possible, whereas Oxeneers was all go, all the time.”
It helped that the band had a new recruit within their ranks. Drummer Chris Common joined Frederiksen, vocalist Steve Snere (ex-Killsadie), and bassist Brian Cook (ex-Botch), bringing more than just his drum sticks into the studio. Turns out the band not only landed a new member, but also a worthy producer. Common and his new band teamed up to record the album in Seattle at Red Room Recording.
“We had a lot more time with this record and actually having a real drummer this time around, when we didn’t before, we were able to say, ‘Well, this record seems to be lacking this sort of song… maybe a little breather here. We should consciously explore that and write something.’ It was just a little more prepared when we went into the studio to actually record it.”
While past fill-in drummers included Minus the Bear’s Erin Tate and ex-Harkonen dude Ben Verellen, These Arms Are Snakes are excited to finally have a permanent skin-beater, especially one of Common’s caliber.
“He’s a phenomenal fucking drummer,” gushes Frederiksen. “He has insane technical ability and he’s able to really wrap his head around a part. He brings tons of ideas to the table without being too over the top. It’s a perfect fit.”
Despite the changes, fans of These Arms Are Snakes can still expect angular, challenging arrangements and piercing Snere screams. Another thing intact is that eerie feeling given off by the classic albums by Chicago noise rock purveyors The Jesus Lizard. We’re not talking copycat at all; just a similar sound and vibe.
“I loooove The Jesus Lizard and that definitely comes through in my playing,” confirms Frederiksen. “Yeah, I’ve always loved that band, and continue to love that band.”
A deep admiration of such a monumental band is one thing, but it must be a little difficult being constantly compared to other bands, especially considering These Arms Are Snakes are still creating a sound very much their own.
“It’s an honor, but we do have our own thing going on, so I don’t think about it too much. Obviously The Jesus Lizard have a big place in my heart musically, but I also have a huge hole in my heart for bands like Doves, who I try to take a similar approach to. It’s not like we sit there and figure out how to play their songs and then say, ‘Alright, let’s change one note and then it won’t be us ripping it off,’” laughs Frederiksen. “We just try to take similar approaches and ideas to songs, and then apply our own ideas to them.”
Being part of the Seattle scene is something the band relishes, with many great bands currently coming out of a town notorious for its music over the years.
“It’s definitely a great place right now for music. It’s flourishing,” says Frederiksen. “It became dormant there for awhile, no bands were really doing much of anything, and it sucks that we lost bands like Botch and Murder City Devils. But so many bands just popped up out of those ashes, and more and more people started moving to Seattle.”
One band in particular has always shared a kinship with These Arms Are Snakes, and that’s Minus the Bear. Members of the two bands are the best of friends.
“We’ve all shared bands with them in the past. It’s good to be lumped in with those guys. It’s an honor because those guys are all awesome.”
But are the feelings mutual?
“Um,” laughs Frederiksen, “well, you’d have to ask them…”

PAINT IT BLACK - JANUARY 2005

2009-11-20T16:41:00.000-08:00

Originally published in: Chord Magazine, Caustic Truths, ??

Random thoughts: I had a complete obsession with this Philadelphia hardcore band for a few months after Paradise came out (okay, the obsession never really stopped) and ended up writing about them three times in a very short span. For the life of me, I can't remember which of these stories printed where, but I do remember a long, intense conversation with Dan Yemin in my laundry room as I fumbled with my backup tape recorder because we played phone tag and I had to the interview from home instead of my office. Still, despite the tech difficulties, it was rad to talk to the dude!

PAINT IT BLACK
Momma Yemin knows best

By Jason Schreurs

Paradise, the second album by Philadelphia hardcore band Paint It Black, is pretty much the polar opposite of their 2003 debut, CVA. Featuring lead vocals by ex-Kid Dynamite/Lifetime guitarist Dan Yemin, not only are Paint It Black’s new songs more developed and memorable, the messages are more hopeful, refining Yemin’s blistering condemnations on CVA into powerful rallying anthems on Paradise. And, according to the 30-something Yemin, the change is due in part to his mom.

“When my mom got the last record she was really upset. She said, ‘Do you really feel that everything is this dismal? Where’s the hope?’ And I hadn’t realized that the last record sounded so hopeless until she pointed it out. That shook me up a little bit. If you ask me on any given day, ‘Do you feel hopeless?’ the answer would be no. And I certainly didn’t mean to impart that on the first record, I feel like it was an accidental thing.”

So it took Yemin’s mom to set him straight on the lyrical path to Paradise?

“Absolutely, it took mom to remind me that there had to be room for hope, and it had to be somewhat more explicit. Just because you are hopeful doesn’t mean it’s coming across in the music.”

Explicit hope (for a seemingly hopeless world) is actually a perfect way to describe the ironically titled Paradise, which is a return to the positive energy perfected by the classic DC-punk bands (Faith, Minor Threat, Embrace, Rites of Spring, etc.), but also the kind of hardcore record that definitely isn’t generic or useless in 2005. In other words, although it is a personal and political record, this ain’t no “stabbed me in the back,” “fuck the world” batch of songs.

“I feel like it’s really self-indulgent to just wallow in darkness and negativity,” explains Yemin. “Yeah, things are fucked up, but then to embrace despair and use that as a way to justify nihilism is a cop-out.”

When Yemin’s previous band, the dynamic and vastly popular Philly act Kid Dynamite, fell apart in their positive hardcore prime in 1999, Yemin stepped away from the scene to pursue a career in psychology.

He was living a normal, 9-5 type life when, out of nowhere, he suffered a severe stroke and admitted himself to the hospital. After a full recovery, Yemin realized how much he missed being in a hardcore band and how important it was to his life.

He quickly grabbed a microphone and notepad and Paint It Black was born. So, nearly four years after a near-death experience, how’s he feeling?

“I got really lucky,” says Yemin. “I had no permanent damage from the stroke. I take blood thinners so I don’t have any more clots but, in terms of my activity, I still work out five days a week, I ride my bike everywhere, and I lift weights. And obviously I run around screaming at the top of my lungs [at live shows], and running into the walls, and running into other people, and that sort of thing. I’m pretty active, pretty hyperactive in a lot of ways, and I didn’t have to sacrifice anything.”

These days Yemin carefully balances his career and band, something he was never able to do while on extensive tours with Lifetime and Kid Dynamite. So does he consider Paint It Black a project that he can just put as much time as he can spare into?

“I don’t want to call it a project,” insists Yemin, “because we definitely tour, but we just have to do it in short bursts. I work for myself, so I can leave when I want to leave, but I can’t leave for long periods of time.”

Which kinda works out well for the other members of the band –- drummer David Wagenschutz (who also drummed in Kid Dynamite), bassist Andy Nelson, and new guitarist Colin McGinniss (ex-guitarist Dave Hause left to form Hot Water Music clones The Loved Ones) --- especially Wagenschutz who is also busy keeping the beat in Good Riddance and None More Black. Coincidentally, None More Black was formed by another ex-Kid Dynamite member, singer Jason Shevchuck.

But back to Paint It Black and Yemin’s rejuvenated love for writing and playing music. It’s a hard one to ask, but one last, important question looms. If he didn’t have that stroke, would he even be singing in a hardcore band right now?

“Who knows what would have happened if I didn’t have the stroke,” he answers. “It puts things in perspective and the awareness of your mortality is always kind of there in your peripheral vision.”

Paradise drops Mar. 8 on Jade Tree Records and, if they know what’s good for them, hardcore fans best line up for a copy of this one. Check http://www.paintitblack.org/ for mp3 samples, gig info, and more.

Paint It Black
Finding Paradise

By Jason Schreurs

It’s already being heralded as the best hardcore CD in recent memory (and not just by me), so how was Paint It Black singer Dan Yemin feeling when he put the amazing new album, Paradise, to bed?

“You’re kind of filled with doubt,” remembers Yemin. “I felt great about the songs, but we took a lot of risks and it wasn’t obvious how it was going to come together until it was all mixed. But when we started mixing, I knew it was golden. I haven’t been this excited about something I’ve worked on since Lifetime’s Hello Bastards.”

The ex-member of Lifetime and Kid Dynamite has always been involved in uncompromising hardcore bands, and his latest mixes old school sensibilities with a post-hardcore melody and vibrancy. CVA, Paint It Black’s 2003 debut, stuck to the tried and true, but Paradise is “a whole different animal,” says Yemin, with a sound that sticks out in today’s watered-down hardcore scene.

“To be honest, I’m almost considering just giving up on that word hardcore altogether, because it’s come to be associated with so many things I find limiting and disgusting,” says Yemin.

“Maybe let the fashion police and the metal people have the word hardcore and we can think of something else to call it. It’s aggressive, interesting, and political music, and there’s no place for that in what people are calling hardcore these days.”

When Kid Dynamite broke up in 1999, Yemin decided to leave music and pursue his medical career. But, after a severe stroke, he realized how important being in a band was to him and Paint It Black was born. So, with all that flip-flopping, does Yemin ever second guess his decision to return?

“Not for a minute, no. I think about what my life was missing when I wasn’t playing music and I don’t second guess it at all. Sometimes I second guess how the hell I allowed myself to slip out of it.”

THE BLACK HEART PROCESSION - APRIL 2006

2009-11-12T23:07:00.000-08:00

Originally published in: Chord Magazine

Random thoughts: I barely remember this interview, but I do remember Pall Jenkins being a nice fellow to chat with.

THE BLACK HEART PROCESSION
A sad and beautiful world

By Jason Schreurs

One thing you can always count on from Pall Jenkins, leader of The Black Heart Procession, is a detailed explanation of his records. The San Diego collective’s fifth album, The Spell, takes listeners on another desperate yet hopeful journey, one that Jenkins is quick to divulge.
“The common thread is love and war,” begins Jenkins, “the idea of being captivated or feeling like you’re in a spell. You can read this record as a political record, or a love record. The spell is the concept of being helpless and feeling controlled. That’s why The Spell is a very appropriate title for the record; being tangled in things and not being able to move.”
If that sounds like aural punishment, it’s not. Really. The essence of The Black Heart Procession’s sound may be morose, dark, downtrodden… even haunting, but it’s hopefulness that always finds a way to peek through the despair, if only momentarily.
“I think we throw those elements into each one of our records. We look at our music as a journey where you go through a series of emotions and ideas,” explains Jenkins. “With each one of our records it gets really dark—it gets light as well…”
Jenkins hesitates, then adds, “Traditionally we’re not very light, we’re always on the darker side of things.”
The group, which began as the side project of Jenkins and guitarist/piano player Tobias Nathaniel after their other band, Three Mile Pilot, went on an extended hiatus, has swelled into a five-piece with the additions of drummer Joe Plummer (Modest Mouse), bassist Jimmy LaValle, and violinist Matt Resovich (both of The Album Leaf).
Although the songs on The Spell might create the impression that Jenkins and Nathaniel are coming full circle and returning to the style of their previous band, nothing is ever as it seems in the disturbed world of The Black Heart Procession.
In fact, it’s more likely their next album will see more lineup shuffling and a return to the bare minimum sounds of their trilogy of albums, appropriately titled One, Two, and Three, which were probably best known for using the melancholy sounds of a manipulated saw and pieces of sheet metal.
“I think our next record will probably be even more different. This one we wrote on purpose as a full band. I’m curious to see what our next record will be,” muses Jenkins. “Who knows, it might just be back to a two-piece and really eerie. This record we didn’t put the saw on very much because it just didn’t need it, and now I’m kind of itching to go back in this other direction where it’s the saw and all the spooky stuff.”
In the meantime, we have The Spell, an album that once again illustrates how this band’s music seems to come together in a séance of spirits from the musical netherworld. With melodies lurching and stumbling and piano keys echoing, it’s Jenkin’s pensive lyrics that complete the sordid lullabies.
“I try not to fight too hard against my words. I avoid really having to struggle hard to have the perfect lyrics. I just let the song start dictating itself and I’m there as a medium to the song,” says Jenkins.
As songs develop, Jenkins says the lyrics are added at different times, but only when he feels the mood is right. The analogy he makes is to a key unlocking a door, and he extends that analogy to its brink while explaining his unique writing process.
“A lot of it is about being patient and waiting for that time when it dawns on you. With every album and every song there’s a key, and you’re searching for that key and waiting to open the door to the song. Sometimes you have a bunch of keys on a key-ring and you’re trying different things, just to find the right vibe, or mood, or idea. Eventually it starts unfolding and you start opening all the doors and everything comes together.”
The analogies don’t end there. Jenkins also likens the band’s creative process to the making of an elaborate puzzle. “We don’t have a lot of preconceived notions and it’s kind of like making a puzzle. It’s not my fault; we’re just putting the puzzle pieces together,” he laughs. “We just opened this box from Toys R Us and this is the puzzle. Let’s put it together. That’s how I look at it.”
Ask most bands to describe their sound to potential listeners and genre names are usually thrown around, but describing The Black Heart Procession is nearly impossible, even for Jenkins. Luckily, he pulls out the perfect answer.
“I don’t like to think of us as one style of music. I like to look at our music as world music; it’s for the world and made by the world with elements of the world.”

FISHBONE - JUNE 2005

2009-10-13T20:41:00.000-07:00

Originally published in: Monday Magazine

Random thoughts: I was talking to a fellow freelancer from Australia today and I realized I've been neglecting ye ole blog. And I've also been mentioning some of my favourite articles at work lately, and this Fishbone one kept coming up. Then I realized, "Wait, I never posted that one to the blog!" So here it is, in all of it's random glory. I love how this piece turned into a recap of Angelo Moore's shitty cell phone reception.

Phonin’ in the Phoneyard

Playing cellular tag with Fishbone’s Angelo Moore

Cell phones: The bane of a music journalist’s existence. It’s not uncommon for cell phone interviews to break up or cut off, but talking to Fishbone singer/superfreak Angelo Moore as he winds through the streets of LA is like trying to converse with an angry wasp circling its nest.
“Hold on, maybe I’ll drive over to the other side of the hills so we won’t get cut off…” yells Moore as our connection is lost for the first time. Notice I said the first time.
Without going into extreme detail, let’s just say I was working the phone lines like a maniac trying to get enough information strung together from Moore to find out about their upcoming headlining gig at Victoria’s annual SkaFest. Like, for one, do the longtime genre-busters consider themselves a ska band?
“No, we got a lot more than ska, but people know us for our ska,” says Moore. “But people will see high energy, well-oiled, badass musicians… lots of funk, lots of soul, lots of rock, some gospel overtones, you’re gonna hear some punk rock, too. And of course you’re gonna hear a lot of ska.”
Formed in 1979, Fishbone became notorious in the ‘80s for their spastic fusion (even scoring a minor hit with “Bonin’ in the Boneyard”), but the ‘90s found them oddballs out with a sound entirely too challenging for its own good. By the time the new millennium rolled around, Moore and bassist Norwood Fisher were the only two original members left, and they struggled to keep the band afloat with an influx of new players.
“Those guys don’t want to do it no more, too bad for them,” stings Moore about his ex-bandmates. “We’ve got new guys that are happy to be here and they want to see Fishbone carry on, so that’s what makes us want to carry it on, too.”
One of the new guys Moore refers to is none other than guitar hero Rocky George, who joined the Fishbone ranks in 2003, and is best known for his finger-licking work in the legendary metal/punk group Suicidal Tendencies. I grew up on this guy’s raging, non-stop guitar solos, so I gotta ask what it’s like working with one of my boyhood idols.
“You say something about Rocky George?” shouts Moore, obviously unable to hear my crucial question. Then the phone dies again. Frantically, I scramble to get Moore back on the line but, as soon as I do, it immediately starts breaking up.
“Hold on, man, I got something else to say,” bellows Moore for the last time, over perpetual static. “I’ve got this new solo project. It’s called…” The line goes dead again.
Don’t you just love technology?

-Jason Schreurs

JASON AND VOIVOD

2009-08-11T14:47:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone --

Sorry about my lack of postings lately. I've been really busy writing news items for Exclaim http://exclaim.ca/ and web and print reviews and stories for Alternative Press http://altpress.com/

I hope to post more of my archived articles soon, but in the meantime, just to tide you over, here's a photo from last night of me with legendary Voivod drummer Away at the Commodore Ballroom in Vancouver. Voivod totally ruled, as did headliners Down.

Bye for now, JS

FANTOMAS - March 2005

2009-06-21T21:24:00.000-07:00

Originally published in: Chord Magazine

Random thoughts: In celebration of Faith No More's recent reformation and killer set at the Download Festival, here's one of my all-time favorite articles--an interview with Mike Patton about Fantomas. Truth is, I was on cloud nine talking to Patton, but, like all of my "heroes," he was genuine and easy to talk to.

Fantomas
The mad genius strikes again

By Jason Schreurs

Fantomas leader Mike Patton has been in some great bands over the years. Need a list? Okay, Faith No More, Mr. Bungle, Tomahawk, collaborations with The Dillinger Escape Plan, John Zorn, Merzbow, not to mention a variety of solo projects. But none of these could possibly be as entertaining as Fantomas, featuring King Buzzo (Melvins), Dave Lombardo (Slayer), and Trevor Dunn (ex-Mr. Bungle). Stretching the ever-extendable boundaries of Patton’s overactive imagination must be a bundle of fun.
“It’s…,” pauses Patton, “ya, I would say that Fantomas is pretty fun. It’s also very disciplined, but I think the fun in it, for me, is watching these guys pull this stuff off. Writing something that is acrobatic, and insane, and full of twists and turns, and watching them pull it off, is very satisfying. Also knowing whatever I write, these guys can rise to the challenge and spit it right back at me; that is rewarding and makes me feel invincible. It makes me want to write a concerto or something for them.”
A fourth Fantomas album, Suspended Animation, on Patton’s own Ipecac imprint, is the latest entry in a sonic journal of the truly weird. Of course, the man has worked with some jaw-dropping musicians, but he must just look around at Fantomas rehearsals, astounded, and think, “This is the drummer for Slayer and the guitar player from Melvins!”
“I still have those moments, yeah,” admits Patton. “Especially on stage sometimes. The way we set up, I face directly across the stage at Dave [Lombardo], so I get to ooh and aaah at him…”
The myth surrounding Patton and his handpicked Fantomas crew is he is a slave-driver, constantly challenging them to the brink. Judging by their chaotic fury, in all of its experimental, strange glory, the demented ringleader image certainly fits. But Patton is quick to laugh off any dictator-like scenarios.
“Put it this way, I’ve got the Angel of Death on drums. Who’s going to slave-drive that guy? We’re talking about a guy who sold his soul to the devil. How can I compete with that?”
The truth is Patton did mastermind this bizarre group, and albums like 2001’s Director’s Cut (an homage to film) and last year’s Delirium Cordia {a 74-minute, one-song nightmare) were written entirely by him, so it’s pretty obvious who’s in control here.
“The only reason people might paint that portrait is because it’s my music and I know the way it should sound and…,” Patton pauses again, “I don’t have to crack any whips, really. I just explain to them what I want and we hammer it out.”
Make no mistake; this is not easy stuff to play. Even with perhaps the most loose-limbed drummer around (Lombardo), an amazing guitar player (Buzzo), and a workhorse bassist (Dunn), things can get a little complicated.
“Unfortunately, there’s no easy way of learning it. The only way we end up getting it down is by going over and over and over, through repetition in the rehearsal room. And we all make little cheat notes and have our own little tricks that we play in our minds to actually remember this stuff. It’s a real pain in the ass to play. Not that it’s technically difficult, but more-so it’s hard to remember what’s coming next.”
Themed around the wacky month of April, Suspended Animation also expresses an outright fascination with cartoons and children’s playthings. Samples of possessed toys and warped Saturday morning sound-effects are intermingled with Patton’s genius hardcore herky-jerk. If Barney the Dinosaur, Bugs Bunny, and Elmo got in league with Satan for some death metal action, this is what they would sound like.
For such a bizarre choice of sounds, packaging for this release was going to be a difficult task. The solution? None other than Japanese pop art icon Yoshitomo Nara.
“I contacted [Nara] and told him what kind of a record I was going to make,” begins Patton. “I had no idea if he knew me from… Eddie Vedder, or anybody else. I just kind of wrote him out of the blue and said, ‘I think your artwork would be great for this record and I would love if you would create some original stuff for it. Whatever you want.’”
“And he wrote me back saying it sounded great. I sent him some of our records and he loved them. He gave me 30 drawings,” he marvels, “most of which are original to use on this thing. So I was overwhelmed. I thought I would get two or three.”
Patton took the Nara originals and worked them into a calendar for April, the month with the silliest holidays (“That Sucks Day,” believe it or not, is April 15). A limited-edition of the CD is a full-on calendar, ready to hang on the wall. One last thing though, how is Ipecac going to afford to ship those things out?
“Ya,” chuckles Patton wildly, “don’t ask!”

______________________________

NOTE - And another piece from the same interview for Caustic Truths Magazine.

Fantomas
Mike Patton invents another genre: Kiddie-core

By Jason Schreurs

I wish Mike Patton could witness my kids’ reaction when I crank up the latest Fantomas CD, Suspended Animation. I think he’d get a kick out of seeing them do this weird sort of interpretative dance while they make bizarre faces; perhaps the ideal reaction to Patton’s latest creation, a truly strange ode to cartoons and the wacky month of April. I’ll explain what this all means in a bit, but first Patton’s reaction to putting joy into the lives of slightly off-kilter children.
“Oh man, see,” laughs Patton, “these are the people I want to play for! Fuck all of these middle-aged hipsters; these are the real fans, man!”
For those living on planet Zyborg, Patton is the guy who once fronted Faith No More and Mr. Bungle, and now Tomahawk and Fantomas, as well as constantly creating solo CDs around his chronically experimental vocal chords. So with all of the musical genres Patton has invented (and often destroyed in the process), he must have ventured into the territory of children’s music before, right?
“Well, I sort of flirted with some elements like that,” he explains. “Mr. Bungle did a lot of fooling around with that kind of a thing, but I’ve never explored it deeply like I did on this record. I never incorporated it into a musical language, so to speak.”
Suspended Animation, a 30-track theme album on Patton’s own Ipecac Records, is built around each day in the month of April, extravagantly packaged and artistically rendered by Japanese pop art icon Yoshitomo Nara.
The songs are a sonic maelstrom of sampled kids playthings, like scrambled messages from the toy graveyard, egged on by the drumming insanity of Slayer’s Dave Lombardo, bass-work of Trevor Dunn (longtime Patton collaborator in Mr. Bungle), and King Buzzo, guitar god from The Melvins. Basically, the songs on this CD are like a gruesomely entertaining version of what parents have to listen to on a day-to-day basis.
“Dave [Lombardo] said that too, at a certain point when we were recording,” laughs Patton. “Because he’s the kind of guy that wakes up early, deals with his kids, and then he’d come out and rehearse for eight hours, or something ridiculous like that, and he’d say, ‘Jesus, I can’t escape! This is the soundtrack to my life. Every morning, now it’s in my rehearsal!’”
“It was driving him nuts,” says Patton with a demented cackle.
The new album was actually recorded during the same session as Fantomas’ last CD, Delirium Corda, a single, 74-minute track of challenging darkness and precision. With that particular piece of Fantomas weirdness being so moody and intense, it must have been nice to blow off some steam with the decidedly more wacky and way out there Suspended Animation.
“Well, it didn’t really work out like that,” laments Patton. “In fact, I think we recorded the cartoony, fun Suspended Animation stuff first. So it’s like we ate our dessert before the main meal.”
Back to the kiddies. I’ve gotta thank Patton, again, for doing one that the kids can enjoy. In fact, they adore it. They literally freak out when they hear any of the 30 tracks on Suspended Animation. And my kids don’t often like dad’s music, so it’s nice to be able to put on a CD and say, “Here’s one for you, kids. Go for it!”
“Very good,” says Patton with a sparkle. “I was telling the guys that maybe this time instead of playing sweaty, stinky rock clubs we should play daycare centres and comedy clubs [laughs]… Detention halls!”
Then Patton lets out a bellow: “Grown-ups suck! That’s the theme of this record.”

For more info, go to www.myspace.com/fantomasband

BATTLES - March 2007

2009-06-15T14:17:00.000-07:00

Originally published in: Chord Magazine

_______________________________________

Random thoughts: Talking to John Stanier from Battles was awesome. Mostly because he used to drum in Helmet, but also because he was a smart, funny guy. Love his quote about the hard times in his previous band.

____________________________________

BATTLES

By Jason Schreurs

Describing New York quartet Battles to an unsuspecting fan of “average” music is almost impossible. Between the blips and bleeps, syncopated poly-rhythms, and high crescendo vocal emissions, this sentence might as well be written in Swahili. Listening to Battles’ latest, Mirrored, it’s hard not to wonder what the hell is going on. One thing’s for certain, they aren’t an “average” band.
“In a nutshell, we’re trying to have fun and do something new,” explains drummer John Stanier. “The cool thing about Battles is it literally was started with a 100 percent genuine blank slate. There were no preconceptions on what was going to happen or what we wanted to do. It was truly something from the absolute bottom up.”
Battles were formed by guitarist Ian Williams (ex-Don Caballero) and Tyondai Braxton (an avant-jazz solo musician who has worked with Prefuse 73), and were joined by bassist Dave Konopka (ex-Lynx), and Stanier (ex-Helmet, currently in Tomahawk).
Within a few years, Battles have astounded with heralded EPs and an undisputed live show. When Prefuse took them on tour recently they had already turned enough heads to get signed to the same record label—Warp Records—and it’s been a great pairing.
“Warp is the absolute perfect match for us,” says Stanier. “I could not be happier; it just makes so much sense. As a label they totally stick to their guns, even if it’s obviously, blatantly non-commercial stuff.”
As for the band’s evolution, it’s from a noteworthy recipe. “It was four different people from different backgrounds and age groups, and from different parts of the country, getting together and throwing all their ideas into this big pot,” says Stanier. “I use the words ‘musical economy’ a lot. It’s almost as hard to arrange the songs as it is to write them. We exercise control very well and we all realized it early on.”
Musical economy? The next stage of math rock? Like, taking mathematical musical ideas and instead of trying to punch them into constricted formulas, looking at the production, distribution, and consumption of those musical ideas? Or perhaps Stanier has a more straightforward explanation.
“Economy is just knowing what to play, when, and when not to play something,” he obliges. “Like when to stop painting, you know? That whole theory. Think about all the bands with four really good players, but it just sounds like a total wank-fest jam band. We all respect each other so much, so we’re all more interested in the end result, and every song has a life of its own. We all understood those credos from day one.”
Mirrored is their first full-length and they sound in perfect synch on its 11 tracks. But they weren’t always a well-honed machine. According to Stanier, when Williams and Braxton approached him, Battles were “very loose and unfocused.”
“It took weeks to even start tossing ideas back and forth, and then slowly and surely it started to gel. At first it didn’t seem like a real band, then the next thing you know we’re touring and releasing records,” recalls Stanier.
Hard to believe such a self-indulgent band could garner such adoration. Wait, back up… self-indulgent? “You seriously think it’s self-indulgent?” asks Stanier, leaving an awkward silence to hang in the balance. Well, these guys are out to please themselves first, and that’s what they set out to do. Just saying…
“Yeah, no, I know. You’re kind of right,” says Stanier. “I don’t know if it’s self-indulgence, but you can’t be concerned with who’s going to like your stuff. Luckily, we have elements of so many different kinds of music that we’ve been able to reach out to a wide array of people, and you can’t ask for anything better than that. That’s the ultimate goal, right there.”
A desire to create something interesting, new, and, let’s say, self-rewarding was the impetus for Battles, and Mirrored marks the apex of their work to date. After Stanier’s time in Helmet and Williams’ in Don Caballero, a collaborative and rewarding band was a necessity.
“To be honest, both Ian and I had pretty bad experiences in our past bands and I certainly don’t want to dwell on that, but everyone really wanted to do something totally new,” says Stanier.
For now Battles are stepping back to really look at the album they’ve created, and how they’ve progressed into something Stanier says “constantly amazes him every day.”
“And it’s not in a pretentious way, at all,” he’s quick to point out. “We’re not trying to do this new kind of music, or make it ‘progressive rock.’ We’re just doing what we do, we’re having fun doing it, and we hope people like it… And I know that’s a vague, stupid comment to make, but it’s true.”

_______________________________

For more info, go to: www.bttls.com

LUNGFISH - April 2003

2009-06-04T10:59:00.000-07:00

Originally published in: Monday Magazine

Random thoughts: I remember being exceptionally excited about this one, a rare interview with one of the Dischord Records bands.

Stickin’ to their Lungs
No giving out, or giving up, or giving in…

By Jason Schreurs

Music without compromise. For most bands slogging away under the music industry umbrella, this isn’t just a dream; it’s an unattainable fantasy. But for Baltimore’s Lungfish, the past 15 years have been spent making music own their own terms, completely outside the mainstream spectrum.
“It's really just in a different orbit,” says bass player Sean Meadows. “Our music isn't about other things, we aren't selling it at the same markets… so we don't have to compromise it in any way because we aren't trying to trade our music for something else.”
Must be nice. In an industry where most groups feel compelled to take blind leaps of faith into the music machine, Lungfish is content to remain underground. Since 1988 they’ve created nine albums of compelling, authentic, emotional indie rock. Their fans, as varied as the band’s nine albums (2000’s Necrophones is the latest), are eagerly awaiting a recently completed tenth record.
“There are certain people who hear Lungfish music and find a connection,” notes Meadows. “Other people have heard the same music and hear static and make no connection. Usually people who find the music are searching for it, since the records are put out on a small scale without all this media explosiveness that seems to be so pervasive in every aspect of our culture.”
Meadows logs time in other indie notables Everlasting the Way and Red House Blues, and was a member of the sadly missed June of ’44. He recently made his return to Lungfish (after an initial stint in ‘95-’96); a reunion he couldn’t be more thrilled about.
“I always felt like I was in the band and that we would make music together again. I was so delighted when they asked me to help them with the new record,” he beams. “It was a really amazing dream come true, and it came true twice…”
Behind every truly independent band is a supportive record label, and Lungfish have one of the best. Dischord Records exist to document the Washington, DC underground music scene and their relationship with Lungfish has been like family, says Meadows.
“There is a ton of respect in the Lungfish camp for Dischord; the way they operate, the individual people that they are, and the collective ideal within music that they represent. It's all been said before, but there really aren't enough good things you can say about Dischord. It's been amazing for me to have an opportunity to work with them making records...”

For more info, go to: www.myspace.com/lungfishmusic

GOD FORBID - July 2005

2009-05-27T22:13:00.000-07:00

Originally published in: Chord Magazine

Album: IV: Constitution of Treason (Century Media)

Random thoughts: Geez, I barely remember this interview.

God Forbid
All Eyes to the Future

By Jason Schreurs

Hands up those who like epic thrash metal like Metallica’s Ride the Lightning. For the shy few who’ve never heard one of metal’s classics, imagine six-minute thundering songs with cool intros/outros that stick until the wee hours. Or, better yet, get the latest from New Jersey metallers God Forbid, IV: Constitution of Treason, out September 20 on Century Media.
“We’re really about being dynamic, building things up, bringing things down, and trying to create that negative space,” says guitarist Doc Coyle. “We could write a three-minute thrash metal song but, for us, it would lack depth.”
On their fourth album, God Forbid raise the ante and deliver a dark, dramatic album that strengthens the foundation of their upper-tier metalcore/thrash. Often they get lumped in with fellow American metalheads like Shadows Fall, but with IV they are hoping to break out of the shadows.
“We’ve created more of a sonic environment as opposed to just, ‘Here are these metal songs,’ which is more of what our last album [Gone Forever] was; just raw, to the point, no intros, no outros, here’s nine thrash metal songs, which is great, but we wanted to do something that required a little more thought this time.”
The epic thrash is enhanced by a lyrical concept that includes a Coyle-penned short story in the CD booklet. Although it wasn’t preconceived as a theme album, the title of IV was decided early on and set the tone for a post-apocalyptic tale of morality and hope.
“The story starts in current times and, through the vicious cycle of war, eventually our society is destroyed,” explains Coyle. “It takes you through the journey of one man who tries to help rebuild things with the ideals of how humanity should be, about freedom, about choice, about living your life and not being greedy, and not all of this bullshit that’s going on now.”
Definitely reflective of the state of our world, and how near to complete annihilation our existence seems, Coyle uses the familiar setting of post-apocalypse to prove the moral of his story.
“It’s about how we keep making the same mistakes over and over again, now matter how bad shit gets. It’s about not repeating those same mistakes, and at some point people just putting their foot down.”
Sure, it shares startling similarities with well-known stories like Stephen King’s The Stand and the Mad Max movies, but Coyle’s not claiming to reinvent the wheel.
“It’s not the most original story in the world, but I definitely think it’s something different in our genre of bands, so hopefully it’s something that will set us apart and give the album another layer of depth.”
Those looking for depth need look no further than God Forbid’s triple vocal attack. While Coyle and his brother, Dallas, scream and sing away in the background, one of the best lead vocalists in metal, Byron Davis, grabs listeners by the face and forces them to listen. Davis spent many hours in the studio raising his performance level through the roof, including his first forays into clean singing, with tremendous results.
“Byron definitely is very emotional,” relates Coyle. “When he writes lyrics and goes in there and performs them, he’s very into it. It’s not, just scream here, growl low here; there’s just a lot of raw emotion. I think the biggest improvement on this album from our last is in the vocals.”
With the two brothers in God Forbid as principle songwriters, Coyle’s quick to admit a sibling rivalry has carried into the band.
“We have become more individual in our songwriting styles so we butt heads a lot, and we argue a lot,” he stresses. “It’s definitely a power struggle, so it’s bittersweet because there’s certain ways that we connect because we’re brothers, but then again there’s also a big battle going on between what he sees and what I see. Hopefully, the place in the middle is where we end up.”
And what about the issue most articles on God Forbid tend to skirt? Not many metal bands feature predominately black members.
“I think it’s become less and less of an issue, because we’ve been around, we’re established. Now it’s either the music is good, or it’s not good… In a way, it does set us apart, and if anything I hope we can just destroy conventional stereotypes of what people think.”
Coyle admits he doesn’t see a lot of black fans at the band’s shows. But there are always some, and that’s encouraging for the band.
“There’s not a lot, but at least for those kids who are African-American who are into it, it can make them not feel so isolated.”
“If we could end up being one of the biggest bands doing this that would be crazy, because, you know,” and Coyle’s sense of humor kicks in, “we took over basketball, football, you know what I’m sayin’… we took over golf! Now we’re coming after heavy metal!”

For more info, go to: www.godforbid1.com

D.R.I. - December 2004

2009-05-24T22:54:00.000-07:00

Originally appeared at: www.flexyourhead.net

Random thoughts: Unfortunately, this was an e-mail interview. Still, quite a thrill to be interviewing one of the bands who introduced me to punk, hardcore, and metal. Back then they called it Crossover!

D.R.I.

Anyone who grew up on the uncompromising hardcore/punk/metal of D.R.I. (a.k.a. Dirty Rotten Imbeciles) understands how, in 1987, they came to coin a new genre called “crossover.” Today, with punk/hardcore and metal meshing together into phenomenal new sub-genres (okay, and some not-so-phenomenal), a lot of credit needs to be given to D.R.I. Although they aren’t as prolific these days, with band members living across the sea from each other, fans still clamor for their series of re-releases (2004 brought D.R.I. and Dealing with It, while Live at CBGB’s and Crossover are due in 2005). And I’m sure every D.R.I. fan is hanging on the possibility of some new material from the band. Their new label, Beer City Records, is doing their best to make that happen. So here’s hoping.

Jason Schreurs interviewed D.R.I. singer Kurt Brecht by email from his home in Italy in early December, 2004, on the same night that Dimebag Darrell (ex-Pantera) was shot in Columbus, Ohio.

I know you get this a lot, but when can fans expect some new material from D.R.I.?
Not sure, we are busy re-releasing our old stuff as enhanced CDs on Beer City right now.

Which of your old CDs are still be worked on for re-release?
Crossover and everything after that.

You guys must look back fondly at your past. Can you tell me a little bit about how you feel about D.R.I.'s history?
It's been like a dream come true! Very rough in the beginning, though. It's still so much fun and I feel really lucky to have a job I like, and one with which I can travel the world, making people happy. It's still a real privilege!

Do you guys ever feel the pressure to put new stuff out? I know the D.R.I. fans are pretty demanding sometimes. Does it make you panic a little, or are you able to take your time with your music without feeling that pressure?
We keep busy touring, and playing live is more important to us than studio work.

Yes, but you must feel a bit of pressure from the fans for new stuff. Even your website commented on "tons of emails asking us about new songs." Does that drive you to write new stuff?
With bands who have been around as long as we have, most people are happy just hearing the old stuff.

It must be hard for you guys to get together to write songs though, eh? I'm assuming all of the members are busy with other things?
I live in Italy, drummer [Rob Rampy] lives in Florida and the others [guitarist and other founding member Spike Cassidy, and new bassist Harald Oimoen] live in California. We don't even practice together anymore.

What about these four new songs you mentioned on the website. Any further plans to release them?
Beer City wants to get us in the studio as soon as possible, but first we have to get the Live at CBGB’s CD and DVD out and the re-release of Crossover.

Some hints on what the new stuff will sound like?
Not really, we'll have to wait and see! But I would say more hardcore than metal.

That's interesting. So do you guys consider yourselves a hardcore band or a metal band? Or somewhere in between? Does the term crossover still describe you these days?
We are in between. I've seen us mentioned lately in books about metal, and other books about hardcore. Yes, crossover still fits us pretty well.

What do you think of the current trend of metalcore? Is that today's version of crossover?
Many of those bands might list D.R.I. as an influence.

How did you feel about the re-release CDs that came out last year? Were you happy with the final products?
Yes! Beer City kicks ass as a record company!

Obviously D.R.I. is a very political band, and has had some very important things to say over the years. How do you feel your messages have changed and adapted since the "Reaganomics" days? Or have you stayed pretty much the same in your outlook?
My outlook is the same, but D.R.I. is four very different guys, so you'd have to get all of our opinions.

Your opinions on the re-election of Bush?
A sad, sad situation.

What can a politically aware American do now that they have another four years of Bush to look forward to (besides moving to Canada, ha ha)?
I don't have any answers on that subject. I watch the news and try to make sense of it all. It all scares me.

What was it like working on the Probot project with Dave Grohl? Were you happy with the way the song “Silent Spring" turned out?
It was nice to get back in the studio and the first time I'd ever written a song with anyone outside of D.R.I. Made me want to get back in the studio with my guys! Yes, I'm happy with how it turned out. The whole album kicks ass.

The lyrics to “Silent Spring” on the Probot CD are awesome. Tell me about the inspiration behind them.
I knew a lot of people would read the lyrics, so I wanted to say something worthwhile. The title is from a book by Rachel Carlson about the damage the human race has inflicted on our earth in the last hundred years or so.

What was your reaction to the shooting of Dimebag Darrell?
What can I say? This makes no sense. Sad, sad...

For more info, go to: www.dirtyrottenimbeciles.com

NOMEANSNO - May 2004

2009-05-15T16:02:00.000-07:00

Originally published in: Monday Magazine

Album: The People's Choice (Ipecac)

Random thoughts: One of my all-time favourite bands, this was a thrill and a half. And Tom Holliston was a really genuine, funny guy.

The Beginning of the End (as such)?
Not if Nomeansno can help it

By Jason Schreurs

Like countless fanatics around the world, I dread the day Nomeansno calls it quits. But, more than 25 years is a damn long life span for any band, so the unavoidable question arises: Is the end near?
“Well, I don’t know, would you ask the same question to John Lee Hooker?” quips guitarist Tom Holliston. “A big mistake for bands is to announce to the world, ‘Oh, we’re breaking up!’ It’s just so brazen in the first place and it’s also really silly. Nobody has to break up, ever. Maybe you stop doing stuff for awhile and just have an option open. But why would anybody just get rid of their options?”
Despite keeping the porch light burning, the masters of prog-punk (the middle ground between The Ramones and Yes) are slowing down. Touring relentlessly around the world, and juggling the band with family life has taken its toll on Holliston and brothers John and Rob Wright (who formed the band here in Victoria in the late ‘70s). So much so that their last of many jaunts to Europe had them contemplating early retirement options.
“On that tour everybody was sort of only half-joking, asking each other how much money we had in our pension funds and what we were going to do if we were looking for steady work,” chuckles Holliston.
And while Holliston believes the band is “going to take a break for awhile” after a tour through Western Canada (including a stop here Saturday night), another handful in Europe this year, and a new studio album, he says interest in the band has never been more fervent.
Remember those fanatics I was talking about earlier? They aren’t letting up, and they’re getting younger and hipper by the day. “None of us keep up with our fans. None of us at all make any effort whatsoever to keep up on what’s new in music,” says Holliston. “Basically, it doesn’t mean shit because five percent of what’s released in a year is good and 95 percent is crap. It’s a waste of time trying to keep up. Like somebody comes along and puts out a good record and then by the end of the week there’s 50 other bands just like them. Case in point is bands like The Hellacopters and The Hives and The Strokes, and then there’s suddenly thousands of pieces of spaghetti that are being thrown at the wall. I mean, who wants to keep track of that?”
Not even their fans, it seems, who are too busy delving through the massive Nomeansno back catalog (currently being re-released through Southern Records in Europe as well as select titles in North America by Mike Patton’s label, Ipecac). Those who follow the band just can’t get enough of their dark, twisted, sarcastic, socially relevant… uh, party rock?
“The band goes out to play as well as possible, to have fun and to rock, and get out some of the kinks that are the result of sitting in a van for a long period of time everyday, driving,” explains Holliston. “I don’t think we protest any more than anybody else. Everybody out there is kicking and screaming against something and so are we. I don’t think the message of Nomeansno, if there is a message, is any more important than just… sometimes things aren’t very good. I mean, we don’t have a solution and neither do you.”
So, do they consider themselves a political band? Well, definitely not in the traditional punk rock protest song sense.
“Anybody can walk on the stage and say clear-cutting is bad or Bush is an asshole. Ya?” he says, making it sound like “Duh?” “But do you really want to be in a room with a whole bunch of people who feel exactly like you do? Do you really want to pat yourself on the back and say, ‘Boy, I really preached to the converted really loudly and strongly tonight.’ So, who cares? You haven’t done anything.”
Okay, they’re getting on in years and they’re slowing things down a little, but the best thing about Nomeansno is their undying ability to push themselves forward with their patented sound and poke fun at themselves at the same time.
Case in point is their latest release, a greatest hits set entitled The People’s Choice, adorned with some band room graffiti from a 1994 show in Austria. “Give it up Grand-dads. How fucken old are Nomeansno?” it says. Ten years later, they’re that much older.
“Ya, I know,” Holliston says, giving a belly laugh, “that makes it even funnier!”

For more info, go to: www.nomeanswhatever.com

HOT WATER MUSIC - July 2004

2009-05-12T17:54:00.000-07:00

Originally published in: Caustic Truths

Album: The New What Next (Epitaph)

Random thoughts: A couple of Hot Water Music pieces here, inexplicably they were written on the same day. Talk about a quick flipover. Was great talking to this dude though.

Hot Water Music
Learning to love The New What Next

By Jason Schreurs

So what do you do when one of your favorite bands releases a new album and you just can’t seem to get into it? Well, for starters you listen to that damn thing non-stop and force yourself to appreciate it. And, if you have the opportunity to talk to someone in the band about it, as I did with Jason Black of Hot Water Music about their latest, The New What Next, maybe you can even push for an explanation.
“We just wanted to do some different stuff and break it up a little bit more,” explains Black. “Everyone was really happy with Caution [their previous release] but it kinda got to the point where we were starting to do the same thing on every record and we didn’t really want to fall into that trap. It might be selfish of us, but it gets really boring.”
Out of the 12 songs on Hot Water Music’s new album, only about four or five stick with me after countless listens, but each time I put on this record, another tune starts to seep into my psyche. So, I’m starting to think The New What Next might be a real grower.
“It might be… It might be,” ponders Black. “It’s hard for me because I’m just so surrounded by the damn thing by the time we get it done, that it’s just like, ‘I like it or I wouldn’t have put it out,’ you know what I mean?”
Formed in Gainesville, Florida more than decade ago, with a handful of releases on the No Idea label, they were one of the bands who epitomized the emo scene in the mid-to-late ‘90s. With The New What Next, their third album for Epitaph, the band is almost coming full circle with their sound, although in much more mature way.
“We haven’t done any songs this slow or mellow in a few records, we haven’t done anything this slow and heavy in a few records either,” claims Black. “On the older records, there are a lot of different grooves on all the songs. We just wanted to try to make a record where there’s one of every type of song we can do on there, and it’s the best one we’ve got.”
At this point in their lifespan, Hot Water Music are so established in the punk/emo scene they don’t need to pander to their audience as much anymore. But considering how varied this record is, and how different it sounds than their previous two, exactly how much did the band keep their audience in mind while writing it?
“Kinda not at all,” states Black. “Only to the point where we’d call bullshit on ourselves, where we would never play anything like that, you know? But mostly we’ll try anything and it just has to feel good and work, and still sound like us.”
With the amount of experimentation and creative juices flowing with longtime producer Brian McTernan (Cave In, Snapcase, Thrice, etc.), it’s obvious this album was the result of a positive creative process for the band.
“This record was a lot of fun to make,” confirms Black. “We rewrote a lot of it in pre-production and, working with McTernan again, we kinda let go of everything once we went in this time and said, ‘Alright dude, here’s our songs. What should we do with them?’”
Okay, so they had fun making it and they think it’s one of their best albums, so that should be enough to make me sit down with this thing and learn to love it, right? Hey, anything’s possible over time, I guess.
“I think it will come,” reaffirms Black. “I think it will come.”

Originally published in: Chord Magazine

Getting Political With…
Hot Water Music?

By Jason Schreurs

When normally apolitical bands like Hot Water Music decide to spout off against the government, you know one hell of an awful President is running the country.
“This is probably one of the only things we’ve ever released that actually has some very vague political commentary on it,” says bassist Jason Black of The New What Next, their third album for Epitaph (out Sept. 21). “We try not to get political because that’s not the kind of band we are. Not that we aren’t as people, but we’ve never really wanted to be pigeonholed in any category, especially that one.”
With a nutcase like Dubya running the show, is it a necessity for bands of all genres, including hirsute emo bands from the state of Florida (where this big mess all began), to step up and make a stand?
“I think it is,” admits Black. “To us, it’s more just common sense than politics. I don’t think we are being political by saying things are pretty fucked right now. That’s just the truth.”
With every punk, hardcore, and metal release these days including at least one song about Bush and his maladjusted version of US foreign policy (heck, some bands, like Philly’s Anti-Flag write whole albums about it), it’s not a surprise to see Hot Water Music getting into the act a bit.
“I think it’s probably the first thing politically since we’ve been a band that’s pissed anybody in the band off enough to actually write about,” says Black.
“We’ve only been a band during Clinton and Bush. Clinton, I thought he was just kinda funny, for the most part,” he chuckles. “But it’s a sad state of things going on right now and traveling worldwide, which we’re privileged enough to be able to do, it’s really fucking things up everywhere. Things are fucked and it’s mostly his fault. It’s pretty insane.”
The New What Next, in addition to including some politics, also makes a brief jump into a music genre once defined by political action: reggae.
“We’ve always wanted to do a reggae song, but we’ve just never really had the balls to do it,” admits Black. “You listen to The Clash or you hear NOFX doing it… and I know we’re not really in the same world as either of one of those bands, but we were like, ‘Fuck it, let’s give it a shot.’”
“We were just fooling around and came up with that chord progression and it kinda worked,” he says with glee. “It didn’t feel too reggae, like, ‘Jesus Christ, Hot Water’s playing a reggae song?!’ But it just had a good groove to it when we got cooking on it, so we’re all pretty happy with that one.”
The album, again helmed by producer Brian McTernan (Cave In, Thrice) also found the band in perfect synch this time around. “I think everybody’s actually in a good place, for once. I think this is the first record we’ve made where we’re all in the same space, and it’s a pretty good one.”
So, politics and that dummy-head Bush aside, is The New What Next Hot Water’s happy record then? “This is our happy record,” he beams, “Ya, it is.”

For more info, go to: http://www.hotwatermusic.com/

KOOL KEITH - March 2004

2009-05-06T17:05:00.000-07:00

Originally published in: Monday Magazine

Random thoughts: One of my all-time weirdest and favorite interviews. But words could never convey what's it's truly like to talk to Kool Keith. This one still makes me laugh when I think about it.

Keith Encounters…
An early morning conversation with hip hop’s king of Kool

By Jason Schreurs

We’ve all heard about these megalomaniacal rappers, claiming they’re the best there was, the best there is, and the best there ever will be. And then there’s Kool Keith, the delusional, truly bizarre rapper who is utterly convinced he is the king of hip hop.
I gotta tell you, this was a weird interview. Not that I expected anything different after hearing about Keith’s notoriously odd behavior. So it all begins when I call Keith at 9 a.m. at a Motel 6 in Hollywood and he answers the phone with, “You ready?” He wants to hook up with me for lunch as I scramble to explain to him that I’m actually in a different country.
What follows is a series of scattered, cryptic answers to my increasingly prodding questions. I’m trying my best to get something out of this guy, but all I get are self-congratulatory quips and very random thoughts.
Does the future of rap look bright? “With me around, of course it does.” What makes you the best rapper? “Because I’m one of the most diverse artists in the music industry.” What about the new generation of rap? “I’m gonna leave ‘em a torch, a powerful torch.” And what if they don’t carry it? “Everyone’s just gonna listen to Kool Keith, forever.” And so on…
After countless years in the rap scene, including ground-ripping work with New York’s UltraMagnetic MCs and a plethora of albums under aliases such as Dr. Octagon, Dr. Dooom and The Black Elvis, Keith was recently inducted into the Hip Hop Hall of Fame. Only problem is he doesn’t seem to remember anything about it. (“I don’t know, was I? I think I was… I guess I’m more famous than ever.”)
Then I notice Keith keeps making these deep, snorting sounds. I figure the guy’s got a cold, or allergies, so I mention it. “Aw, nah… just sniffing cocaine, you know,” he laughs, and quickly adds, “Just joking.” (Remember, it’s now 9:15 a.m.)
So I try to steer him towards the topic of new school rap, something he has been very outspoken about. According to Keith, the old school of rap (of which he belongs) is made of legends and the new rappers are fresh out of ideas.
“They don’t have any knowledge,” he’s quick to point out. “They’re just trying to do something similar to what everyone else is doing. It’s manufactured rap.”
I could go on, but you get the idea. King of hip hop? Sure, what the heck; let him have the title.

EAGLES OF DEATH METAL - December 2004

2009-04-30T00:07:00.000-07:00

Originally published in: Chord Magazine

Album: Death by Sexy

Random thoughts: This was a really fun interview. And that Vader story? Talk about an exclusive!

EAGLES OF DEATH METAL

Gabbing with “The Devil”

By Jason Schreurs

Heralded as the “greatest rock and roll album ever,” at least by the band members, Peace Love Death Metal, from the hilariously named Eagles of Death Metal, is defined perfectly by one word: Rock! Combining dual fuzz guitars, trashcan sounding drums (courtesy of Queens of the Stone Age frontman Josh Homme, who also produced the CD), and a bona fide crooner and swooner up front in Jesse “The Devil” Hughes, the Eagles definitely have that boogie woogie thing down pat. As they relentlessly tour a frantic live show with a swinging door of musicians from bands like the aforementioned Queens of the Stone Age, Ween, and earthlings?, Eagles of Death Metal are planning to unleash a sophomore album (tentatively titled Death by Sexy) of what they believe to be unfathomably epic proportions. Sure guys, just keep rocking, okay?

I recently nabbed Eagles frontman Hughes (a.k.a. “The Devil,” a.k.a. J Devil Huge, a.k.a. Mr. Boogie Man) in the middle of a busy US tour. We had a quick chat via his cell phone before a show at The Empty Bottle in Chicago, IL.

I got a kick out of that guy who posted to your website that the news section should just read: "Our super gay lead singer is just going to get gayer and gayer..." I thought that was really funny.
Ya, we found that and we posted it. We look for anything that’s really negative to kind of contrast how amazingly positive my moustache truly is.

But Eagles of Death Metal are obviously a very homoerotic band, right?
Well, sometimes the confusion lies in the fact that we… I love the ladies, man, that’s all there is to it, baby.

And the ladies love you back, don’t they?
I haven’t been having trouble with the ladies, I will not lie (laughs). I’m getting action. After all of these years, I’m finally getting laid.

Nice. I was at one of your shows recently and women were dancing up on the stage riser. Does that happen a lot?
It’s a phenomenon. It happens everywhere we go now.

Why do think that is?
Because we’re an unholy behemoth of sexual ferocity.

Do you ever get sick of people talking about the line-up of the band? Every time I hear about Eagles of Death Metal, it always seems to focus on [Queens of the Stone Age leader] Josh Homme playing drums.
Hell no, those are the coziest coattails a boy could ever ride.

Is your line-up going to continue to be a revolving door of musicians, or are you looking at getting a permanent line-up?
It’s a permanent line-up right now [for recording]. Um, the touring Eagles, it looks like are going to be [drummer] Claude Coleman Jr. from Ween and [guitarist] David Catching from earthlings? [also a contributor to QotSA]. It’s basically evolved into a super-group, you know what I mean? Which I’m all completely fine with. I’m more than happy to be involved in a rock band that involves the word “super.”

You do some pretty rippin' classic rock covers in your set and on your recordings too. Is that the kinda music you grew up on?
Ya, I love those bands, man. Actually, I steal from some of the greatest classic rock tunes of all time. But technically, Peace Love Death Metal is the greatest rock album ever written because I’ve taken every song from the greatest classic rock tunes ever. It’s an unholy cavalcade of sex rock.

Who's the best rock and roll band ever, well, besides you, I guess? And why?
Well, let’s see… Queens of the Stone Age are one of the best rock and roll bands ever because… they are. Um, The Stooges, which is a cliché, but it’s easy to say because it’s true. I love The Jacksons, I love James Brown, P-Funk… I kinda wanna be the white Morris Day [The Time leader] of rock and roll, so obviously the whole Minneapolis trip is a big rocker for me.

What would be your ideal band to tour with?
Any band I could tour with? Holy cow… I would tour with Prince because he’s rock. He’s the sexiest motherfucker next to my moustache.

Tell me the story of how you got your name again. That's a funny one.
Well, there’s the myth and then there’s the truth. The truth is that God came down from on high… no, I’m just kidding. What happened was Josh and I were in the backseat of our VW van getting stoned and our friend Cole Lou… this is an alternate version. I’m telling you something top secret now. So Cole Lou, who was Lou Balls from The Desert Sessions, was trying to convince us that each death metal band he played for us was really tough. He put on one band, I think it was Vader, and we were, like, “Dude, this is lame! This isn’t death metal, this is the fucking Eagles of death metal.”

Okay, so that’s a variation on the story I heard about some dude in a bar saying Poison was metal, and then you saying, “No, this is the Eagles of metal.”
That was earlier in the evening, and he did say that, and I did say that to him. But it wasn’t until we were stoned in the van and I said, “Dude, this is like the Eagles of death metal” about Vader, and it was a funny reference to just two hours previous. The reason I don’t tell that is I just never wanted Vader fans to think that they were on par with Poison’s.

What about your nickname, Jesse? “The Devil…” What does that mean?
It’s because I’m such a sweetheart. It’s ironic (laughs).

What's next for Eagles of Death Metal?
Just getting ready to record a new record at Sound City [Studios], as soon as we get back from tour. And then we’re going to take over the world.

For more info, go to www.eaglesofdeathmetal.net

GREEN DAY - October 2004

2009-04-19T19:09:00.000-07:00

Originally published in: Chord Magazine

Album: American Idiot (Warner)

Random thoughts: Talking to Mike from Green Day was a blast. Totally down to earth dude, furthering my theory that the biggest rock stars are always so, um, normal, or something. I really enjoyed writing this one. Oh, and my predictions about this album were right, one of the biggest selling albums of all time.

GREEN DAY

On the making of a masterpiece

By Jason Schreurs

Months before its release, when an advance copy of Green Day’s American Idiot landed on my desk, I began ranting and raving about it. This is a landmark album, I told anyone who would listen. It’s a true masterpiece that will go down in history alongside the musical greats, I screamed from the rooftops. As their new record continues to consume me, the first thing I wanted to do when I got bassist Mike Dirnt on the horn at their studio was thank him for some life-affirming music.
“Whoo, let me take all of that in,” he says modestly with a chuckle, as the hustle-bustle of Green Day tour preparation swirls around him in the background. “It’s really a genuine honor that people are identifying with this record. I feel like it’s a sign of the times also. It’s nice to… I don’t want to say climb out from the shadow of Dookie, but it’s always nice to be recognized for your work.”
Obviously, Dookie was a record that helped a lot of us through some angsty times, but with American Idiot the band has created something far more poignant in an exceedingly uncertain political climate.
“Dookie was a huge thing and we could never hope to hit that homerun again, and we’ve always been proud of every record we’ve done, but with this one we truly left no stone unturned and we scraped every fucking idea we could get off of every wall,” says Dirnt.
“We just created such an awesome environment to make this record that we obviously know deep down that we could never repeat it. I wouldn’t want to.”
When it came time to begin recording what would become their masterpiece, Dirnt and his two partners in Green Day (singer/guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong and kit-man Tre Cool) realized they had a lot of internal struggles that had been building for years and needed sorting out. In a nutshell, bad habits were bringing the band down.
“We got to a point where we said, ‘What are we doing? Let’s work on each other as individuals. Without a fucking counselor, this isn’t some fucking AA meeting,’” says Dirnt. “We decided just to tell each other, ‘You know what? I don’t like it when you say that. And you know what? You! You fucking drink too much.’ Let’s fucking call ourselves out on our bullshit.”
Luckily, for the sake of a career-defining batch of songs, the band was able to move forward, and the option of packing it in after almost 20 years of punk rock never came to the forefront. But it came close.
“Billy at one point asked me, ‘Are you even having fun with this anymore?’ I said, ‘Well lately it’s been a lot of stress, let’s get back to having fun.’ And we got back to it serendipitously, really. We finally said, ‘Alright, you guys are the most important people in my life, let’s get to work.’ And we just started recording,” enthuses Dirnt.
And record they did, compiling dozens upon dozens of song ideas and skeletons for what was supposed be the new album. One day when the band came into the studio, they went to pull ideas from their batch of unfinished songs and their computer files were gone. In what seemed like a meant-to-be moment, Armstrong had just finished writing a song called ‘American Idiot,’ so they decided to plow forward in that direction.
“Billy wrote ‘American Idiot’ and it raised the bar so high lyrically over the rest of the stuff that we had been doing, and it was just so much more meaningful for where we’re at right now. So we thought, ‘Fuck, this is where we should be going.’”
But what about the songs that went missing? Were they any good? And without their mysterious disappearance, would we still have something as formidable as American Idiot on our hands?
“Those songs were good, but they were what you would expect Green Day to come out with next,” assures Dirnt. “And where we ended up going was exciting and had this energy, maybe the same energy that Nimrod or Dookie had, that you couldn’t put a finger on it. It made you want to play air drums and air guitar.”
As Dirnt says himself, the band will have trouble matching American Idiot, but something tells me Green Day have a lot of gas left in the tank, especially now that they are riding on such a high.
“The bands I love have great careers. And the ones I truly look up to had these monumental albums and moments in their careers that we really want to emulate.”
“When I was a kid, I felt like with Dookie we created a monster. I feel like now we are the monsters, that’s the difference. And I think people won’t say. ‘This album’s a monster,’ they’re gonna say, ‘You know what? Green Day’s a fucking monster, because they did it again.’”
Hey, see this smile on my face? It’s there because American Idiot will definitely not be Green Day’s swan song.

For info, go to: www.greenday.com

NAZARETH- JUNE 2007

2009-04-10T18:20:00.000-07:00

Originally published in: Monday Magazine

Random thoughts: Okay, alright, this was bound to happen sooner or later... My love for classic rock and old school "heavy metal" was bound to creep onto this blog at some point. Here's my recent piece on Nazareth, musical auteurs of quite frankly one of the most kick-ass hard rock tunes of all time, "Hair of the Dog."

LORDY, LORDY, LOOK WHO’S FORTY

After nearly four decades, Nazareth put the ‘class’ back in classic rock

By Jason Schreurs

Forty years. That’s a long time to be doing anything, never mind playing in a famous rock and roll band. As Scotland hard rockers Nazareth gear up to celebrate their 40th anniversary next year, they are happy to reveal some of the secrets to rock and roll longevity.
“You have to like what you’re doing first,” obliges gravel-voiced lead singer Dan McCafferty. “There’s lots of traveling, and hotels, and tour buses, but you do get to play every night, and that’s the price you have to pay.”
Reaching their commercial pinnacle in the early ‘70s with songs like “Razamanaz,” “Holy Roller,” and “Love Hurts” (once the wedding song for a failed Axl Rose marriage), Nazareth have kept their bluesy brand of hard rock alive through decades of relative obscurity. With two original members still in the band—bassist Pete Agnew’s son, Lee, replaced deceased original drummer Darrell Sweet in 1999—they’ve remained great friends over the years.
“To get on with the other guys in the band is pretty handy,” advises McCafferty. “Give each other space. Don’t go around thinking you must be buddies 24 hours a day. That doesn’t work in a marriage and it certainly isn’t going to work in a band.”
A new album will coincide with Nazareth’s big anniversary next year, but it’s coming along slowly due to their busy tour schedule, including a cross-Canada festival run which lands them in Victoria for a one-off gig on Thursday. Not content to rest on their past hits, the band has always insisted on moving forward with every album.
“I can’t imagine we’ll ever change that, because we didn’t want to do ‘Son of Razamanaz’ or ‘Great Grandson of Razamanaz.’ It becomes…,” McCafferty pauses, then chuckles, “you become Kiss. No offense to the boys in Kiss, you know.”
But classic rock fans can be a tough bunch as the quest for nostalgia often overshadows their need to hear new material. “Obviously we have a half a dozen favorites that we have to play every night out, and that’s fine, but we can do other stuff in there as well. It only becomes ‘classic’ when you play it for long enough,” jokes McCafferty. “And some bands stop believing, of course, so that doesn’t help. We have no shame in playing the old stuff because it still stands up and we’re still enjoying it.”
Every hard rock fan remembers the first time they heard the infamous “Hair of the Dog,” Nazareth’s most memorable (and banned) slab of rock. After all these years, McCafferty’s “now you’re messing with a son of a bitch” chorus scream still makes the hair stand up on the back of your neck. “We didn’t think it was a bad thing to say…” he remembers, “we weren’t trying to offend anyone; we just thought it was kind of funny.”
Of course, 40 years later, the lyrics are pretty tame by today’s standards. “Yeah,” agrees McCafferty with a hearty chuckle, “now it’s just kind of wussy, actually.”

ONLY CRIME - FEBRUARY 2007

2009-04-01T21:16:00.000-07:00

Originally published in: Chord Magazine

Album: Virulence (Fat Wreck Chords)

Random thoughts: For some reason, it's always a thrill to talk to the pop-punk legends. I remember being somewhat giddy before interviewing Russ Rankin, mostly due to my youthful days listening to his other band, Good Riddance.

ONLY CRIME
Punk rock on their own terms

By Jason Schreurs

How many punk bands can afford themselves the luxury of making music exactly how they want to? Groups of teenagers looking for a spot on the Warped Tour don’t stand a chance, but veterans of the punk scene like the members of Only Crime have paid their dues. Now’s it time to do things their own way.
“We wanted to create something that’s different and at least we feel it’s important, even if no one else does,” says lead singer Russ Rankin, “and, at the end of the day, we can sleep at night. And we won’t need to compromise anything.”
Rankin, best known for his longtime vocal duties in Good Riddance, has elected to do interviews while the rest of Only Crime—drummer Bill Stevenson (Descendents/All), Aaron Dalbec (ex-Bane/Converge), and brothers Zach and Doni Blair (both ex-Hagfish)—take in a movie before a touring gig. That’s just the kind of guy Rankin is; completely amped about the band’s second record, Virulence, and progression made towards the band’s musical goal.
“A lot of first album [To the Nines, 2004], even though it’s a really good record, has parts that are a little bit derivative of our other bands,” explains Rankin. “Virulence sounds very much like Only Crime and that’s really a result of us getting to know each other musically and setting our sights on something that is much different than all of the separate things that we bring in.”
The band’s goal, it seems, is to combine the fury of Black Flag with the melodic tendencies of early ‘80s melodic punk like The Adolescents and The Descendents. Splice in some Black Sabbath and jazz worship and the result is darker, groove-oriented punk, “but with no metal,” stresses Rankin.
With the members’ other bands on temporary or permanent hiatus, it was time for Only Crime to hit the studio and then the road again. In Rankin’s case, his other band, Good Riddance, just isn’t a priority anymore. It’s a combo of the other members not having as much time for the band and the climate of punk rock shifting to younger and trendier bands.
“Musical styles have changed and kids are listening to something much different now, so kids aren’t interested in Good Riddance anymore,” explains Rankin.
Sure, punk rock doesn’t mean what it meant before. What’s being called punk these days would probably send the ‘80s hardcore bands into a violent rage. But, just as kids have lost interest in melodic hardcore, they’re not exactly interested in the obtuse, ambitious hardcore Only Crime is cranking out either, are they?
“No,” agrees Rankin, “but we don’t care. It’s definitely an interesting time to be around punk. It really makes me check my motives for what I’m doing and be realistic. With Only Crime everyone just builds what they want out of the band experience because all of us have done this for so long. We’ve made every mistake you could make. It’s a chance to have a band to create music organically in an environment that fits all of our various ideals.”
This included taking some time to preconceive the band’s motives and create an environment that would foster the goals they had in mind. Most importantly, making music for themselves and no one else.
“With Good Riddance, we got thrown into a huge meat-grinder for 10 years where we never really had time to stop and think. With Only Crime it was a matter of stopping to decide what we wanted to do,” says Rankin. “We spent a lot of time talking about how to get along and avoiding all of the pitfalls that all of us have had in previous bands. Making sure at our age, and what’s going on in the industry, if we’re gonna take the time to do this, let’s make it a really good experience.”
One of the most obvious things about Only Crime is their likeness to Black Flag. The fact that Stevenson drummed for the LA hardcore legends for many years is only one reason for the similarities. On Virulence, the band actually scoured old tapes for riffs Stevenson made in the mid-‘80s when he was in Black Flag. The result is authentic hardcore, with a modern, kinda fucked up twist.
“I’ve never written anything like that before. It was really challenging for me writing lyrics and melody over music that complicated. The stuff on Virulence is head and shoulders for ambitious than the stuff on To the Nines.”
The Black Flag comparisons have also been the band’s biggest criticism, but it’s something they’ve embraced from the outset.
“We’ve never been shy about it, but at the same time we don’t want to be just a Black Flag knock-off,” says Rankin. “We take some of what Black Flag was doing into another place, and we take what a lot of bands were doing to another place.”
He also cites many punk bands from the ‘70s and ‘80s, such as The Germs, X, and the vastly underrated Boston band, Articles of Faith. Throw in jazz legends Charlie Parker and John Coltrane, and then heaps of Black Sabbath (“Big time!” enthuses Rankin) and the formula ain’t so simple.
“To just narrow it down to Black Flag is really short-changing what we are trying to do, although it’s a popular critique of our band,” admits Rankin.
Ultimately the band hopes to appeal to older punk fans who may be tired of the same clichés, as well as younger fans who are looking for something a little different.
“With our music, as heavy and groove-oriented and dark and crazy as the arrangements are, the oblong phrasings, the discordant guitars… every song has a vocal hook where someone can leave the show and say, ‘I don’t know what the fuck that band was going, but that chorus was pretty good.’”

For more info, go to: http://www.onlycrime.com/

HELMET - SEPTEMBER 2004

2009-03-22T22:22:00.000-07:00

Originally published in: Chord Magazine

Album: Size Matters (Interscope)

Random thoughts: If there was ever a time when I was nervous for an interview, this was one of those times. I mean, it was Page Hamilton of fucking Helmet. One of my all-time favorite bands. I quickly realized, however, that Hamilton had a lot of dirt to spill and seemed quite full of himself. Still, one of my all-time favorite interviews and stories. I just absolutely love the part where he starts singing a Helmet riff. Watch for it.

Helmet
Page Hamilton thickens his skin, again

By Jason Schreurs

For every Helmet fan teeming with ecstasy at the news of Page Hamilton’s groundbreaking riff-rock band making their return, handfuls more are complaining about the band’s new incarnation. Message boards are littered with diatribes about the new album being too wimpy (it rocks!), Hamilton not including the original members (they declined!), and even some shots at the recycled material on Size Matters, the product of a six-year Helmet hiatus.
In 1991, the then New York-based Helmet revolutionized heavy music with their jaw-dropping debut, Strap It On, and have since been met with constant criticism, their albums only being heralded years later. Just as everyone was disappointed in 1992’s Meantime (and Betty in ’94, and Aftertaste in ’96…), the new album is currently taking a lot of heat. So as the band’s founder, principal songwriter, and only remaining original member, what is Hamilton doing to deflect all of this negative energy?
“You just wake up and sort of naively write your songs and play the guitar and do what you love to do,” says Hamilton from his home in Los Angeles. “So you have to kind of take it with a grain of salt. If I sat around and thought about what everyone else thought about all of the albums, I would never make albums. It’s not why I do music.”
His almost round-the-clock topic of defense is the band’s new lineup, which includes Hamilton and mid-era Helmet guitarist Chris Traynor, as well as ex-Anthrax bassist Frank Bello and skin-basher John Tempesta (White Zombie, Testament), but none of the other original members. Ex-Helmet drummer John Stanier (Tomahawk, Battles) and bassist Henry Bogdan were approached to make the record but declined. Hamilton was then forced to borrow money from Interscope to buy rights to the Helmet name. Despite the new-look lineup, Size Matters is undeniably Helmet.
“Helmet is arrangement-based music. Meaning I’m not going in with a G and C chord and a melody and saying, ‘Here guys, I got this song. Let’s arrange it.’ It was arranged when I came in,” insists Hamilton about the early years. “Obviously, you know, [singing] ba-da, ba-da, ba-da, ba-da, ba-da-da, ba-da-da, ba-da. We didn’t jam that! I came in with it. So it’s my prerogative. No one’s going to tell me whether or not I can have my band.”
Another little tidbit that has Helmet fans in a tizzy is some songs on Size Matters were recorded in Hamilton’s former project, Gandhi, a gathering of New York buddies that, according to him, was never a serious band.
“Gandhi was a group of four dear friends of mine and they’re great musicians. So I was like, ‘Let’s go play some shows.’ We recorded a couple of songs together. We didn’t have a band,” he says incredulously. “I just knew I was putting an album together. I didn’t know if it was going to be Helmet or what it was going to be. I feel like I should be able to play any song I write at any time.”
Luckily, Hamilton is used to criticism and takes it in stride. Like all groundbreaking musicians, he has learned to ignore outside influences and focus on writing good songs. Judging by Size Matters, he’s not forgetting the importance of concentration.
“To be a writer of music you have to be kind of thick-skinned. It’s something I’ve been through from day one. We had been underground New York darlings for two years, we could do no wrong. We signed to a major label and then we kind of opened ourselves up to a wider audience and greater criticism. So if everyone thinks you’re wonderful, they’re just waiting for an opportunity to break your kneecaps.”

For more info, go to: www.helmetmusic.com

PROPAGANDHI - SEPTEMBER 2005

2009-03-16T18:57:00.001-07:00

Originally published in: Chord Magazine

Album: Potemkin City Limits (Fat Wreck Chords/G7 Welcoming Committee)

Random thoughts: This was a quickie interview with their bassist, Todd, and it felt like a chat with an old buddy, down by the river, while listening to Immolation...

Catching Up with…
PROPAGANDHI

Considering the enormous wait for Potemkin City Limits, the latest album by Winnipeg political punkers Propagandhi, it’s no wonder the band has half-joked about having suicidal thoughts during its recording.

Maybe it was the stress of finishing their first album in four years, or them just being sarcastic and overly dramatic (remember, their website bio reads “Propagandhi is a band, unfortunately”). By the sounds of it though, the suicidal tendencies weren’t too far from the truth.

“It was a bit dramatic, but barely,” chuckles bassist Todd Kowalski nervously. “We took a month just to bail on the whole thing and then come back fresh. The suicide thing wasn’t too much of a stretch, at all, actually…”

A particular struggle for Kowalski was trying to get song ideas he had in his head to emit properly from his hands and throat. He battled with it on an ongoing basis, even shelving a song about the Rwandan genocide he had been writing for over two years.

“I think that was my biggest problem, not having the skills or talent to get what was in my head into reality, and to fall short.” But they managed to deliver such a ripping album. How? “Just more hard work, I guess.”

Another major setback was when Kowalski realized he wasn’t happy with his vocals, and decided to re-record them. Forcing himself to actually sing gave the songs “more juice,” he says, but his ragged scream is also intact.
“I was trying to learn to sing just so I had another option if I shredded my voice any more. Then I thought, ‘Oh, screw it! I’ll just give ‘er again!’”

Propagandhi is known for being outspoken and has always been a shining beacon for the un-co-opted facet of punk rock. Even in today’s sterile punk scene, it’s hard to imagine the band will ever stop caring.

“That can’t be an option,” asserts Kowalski. “I would rather just end it all than join that sad little world.”

Equal parts raging punk and amped-up metal, it’s hard to decide if Potemkin… is a metal album, a punk album, or something else entirely.

“We kinda think of ourselves as a punk band,” explains Kowalski, “but to get the darkness we want you’ve gotta bite the strings with heaviness, you know? Not to mention I listen to [classic Quebec metal band] Voivod every single day, as opposed to listening to Rancid not one day of the year.”

For more info, go to www.propagandhi.com

NAPALM DEATH - JUNE 2005

2009-03-15T18:04:00.000-07:00

Originally published in: Modern Fix Magazine

www.modernfix.com

Album: The Code Is Red... Long Live the Code (Century Media Records)

Random thoughts: The weird thing is, if anyone had asked me, "Did you ever interview Napalm Death?" I'd probably say no. And the scary thing is, I don't even remember doing this interview. An emailer perhaps?

NAPALM DEATH
Long live the grind

By Jason Schreurs

Our collective jaw continues to hang agape at the latest album by grindcore legends Napalm Death, The Code Is Red… Long Live the Code.
I mean, how does a band who has been pounding stone into dust now for 20 years manage to capture such pure rage and madness on tape after all of this time? Their new one, and first on Century Media, is 15 songs of the best metal going today.
Fuck all those bands 20 years their junior, these old Brits have more youthful exuberance and need for speed coursing through their aging veins than the whole Ozzfest roster combined.
The machine that is Napalm Death -– drummer Danny Herrera, guitarist Mitch Harris, bassist Shane Emery, and vokillist Barney Greenway -– doesn’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon, and three cheers to that. Forget death metal automation, this unionized grind factory ain’t gonna do no downsizing. Sure, the US has been sold short to a scab, but if Napalm Death has anything to say about it, the scabs ain’t taking over the old country.
Greenway recently took time out of his hectic schedule to chat about the new album and what’s kept Napalm Death grinding for so long.

Congrats on the new album. It’s a real return to form for you guys.
The thing is, of course this is our opinion, but we believe we’ve always made really good albums, you know? This is just the latest in a long line of them. We do believe that in the wider spectrum we’ve been somewhat overlooked, when you consider some of the other bands that have come out, you know. I’m not saying that from any kind of perspective of bitterness or anything like that, it’s just merely an observation. So it was just a case of going back in the studio again and doing our best. I know that sounds very obvious, but that was literally the case.

It must feel good having a label like Century Media behind you?
It feels fucking great. It feels invigorating, actually. In turn, when you know you’ve got that behind you, you will try even harder to make what you do special and to reach out to a lot of people, both musically and ethically.

What do you think about the state of extreme metal these days?
It’s a mixed bag, really. There are positives and negatives to everything. There’s a little bit of a negative to the tough guy elements to it, which is certainly not the idea of the whole thing when we were doing gruff vocals when very few people were doing it. There’s that side of it, but that’s been inherent in the metal side of things for many years anyway, so it’s nothing new. There’s some great bands out there, for sure.

What’s kept Napalm Death going for so long?
It comes down to very simple things. We’ve been with the band for so long now, it’s just become part of the family. Sometimes that’s used in a very corny context, but it is literally the case. We’ve kept on going when a lot of other bands would have split. Shane said something very worthwhile to me the other day, he said, “You know, as long as we’ve got good albums in the locker and it continues to be fun, what’s stopping us?” He pretty much hit the nail squarely on the head when he said that.

How much longer can you keep it up? Do you feel like you’re getting old?
You know, that’s a pretty common question. I understand why, but it’s something I can’t necessarily answer… Everyone gets tired. But you know what? There’s a big tie-in with physical and mental state when you’re out on the road, because if things are bugging you when you’re out on the road, it’s going to affect you physically because it brings your mood down. It’s very simple psychology. You’re going to be more tired more quickly because you’re wondering what the fuck you’re doing there, so you’re not going to have the motivation to pepped up. So you have to deal with the road in a certain way… You have to be open-minded when you go out on the road, you have to try and stimulate yourself as much as you can. And that’s not meant to be a double entendre. When I say stimulate, I mean with books and stuff like that. Keep your mind active. When you turn up at the gig, don’t just sit at the parking lot all day. Granted, there might not be a lot of stuff around, but go for a walk and get some air in your lungs. Get out, walk, and enjoy yourself. That’s something that I’ve definitely learned over the years. When you’re on the road, you gotta get out.

A couple of experimental tracks show up near the end of the new CD. Tell me about how those evolved?
If you listen back to some of the albums you will notice [it]. For example, “Evolved as One,” which is one From Enslavement, “Cold Forgiveness,” and “Self Betrayal,” which is on Diatribes, I think, or something around that era. We’ve always had those songs… Yes, we’re influenced massively by fast hardcore and the quality death metal from the mid-‘80s and stuff, but Napalm had always had other influences and branched off.

What are some of your favorite albums lately?
There’s definitely some great albums that came out this year, I’d really have to sit and think about that one. It’s tough, man. Nothing totally jumps out at me. I guess, and I hate to sound jaded or anything, but as time goes on I’m finding less and less amazing albums per year. I was spoiled, you know? In my formative years, I had “Ace of Spades,” I had Discharge. I had Leather, Bristles, Studs and Acne by GBH, I had Scream Bloody Gore by Death. I had Celtic Frost, To Mega Therion. I had the early Swans albums… Can you really top those classics? It’d be pretty hard. [The] Septic Death album, Now That I Have Their Attention, What Do I Do with It? Don’t Be Swindled by S.O.B. I mean, it’s very difficult to come up extreme albums that would come anywhere near those.

What about bands like The Dillinger Escape Plan?
Yeah, Dillinger and Botch make great albums. There’s a whole number of bands that you could think of. I am kind of disappointed in the death metal scene. There is a couple of really fucking good albums out there, but I don’t think people are hitting the heights they used to. I mean, going back to the first couple of Entombed albums… fuck me, they were intense.

Again, congrats on the new one. It’s killer, and after so many albums, not a lot of bands can say that.
That’s cool, man. We always try our best when we’re in the studio, we always try to focus… I don’t think a lot of bands who go into the studio appreciate that it’s about capturing the moment. What you have those days that you’re in there, you’ll never get back again. Once it’s done and you get through an album and you’re on a budget… Because not every band is Metallica, you can’t afford to fuck about in a studio for a year on end. You gotta capture the moment. You have to fucking focus when you’re in the studio. A lot of bands make the mistake of not doing that. They might go in there and fucking drink like crazy and feel like shit, and they can’t do what they need to do.

For more info, go to http://www.enemyofthemusicbusiness.com/

NATHAN GRAY of BOYSETSFIRE - FEBRUARY 2006

2009-03-12T22:31:00.000-07:00

Originally published in: Wonka Vision Magazine
www.wonkavisionmagazine.com

Album: The Misery Index: Notes from the Plague Years (Equal Vision Records)

Random thoughts: One of my all-time favourite interviews. Read on...

NATHAN GRAY OF BOYSETSFIRE
Misery and Triumph: Notes from the Gray Years

By Jason Schreurs

Those who have followed Boysetsfire over the years are well aware of their enigmatic singer, Nathan Gray. But how many know his story? Gray’s modest upbringing in Delaware and Florida shaped him, and a tragic case of abuse almost broke him, but he remains the leader of one of the world’s most integral hardcore bands despite having lived 10 dangerous years that almost cost him his life. Gray has inspired so many people in the past decade with his heartfelt lyrics and impassioned singing (and, yes, screaming), something that is only magnified in light of what he’s gone through.

Where were you born and where did you grow up?
I was born in 1972 in Wilmington, Delaware. I grew in Newark until I was 13, and I grew up pretty fucking poor for most of my life. My parents struggled pretty hard. My mom worked in a diner and my dad worked in a factory for awhile and, at the same time, started thinking about becoming a minister. We moved when I was 13 from Newark to Pensacola, Florida so my dad could go to theological school. We struggled so hard but my parents always made sure I was fed, I never worried about getting hit, I never worried about them beating on each other, or getting loaded and leaving me abandoned somewhere. I had an awesome childhood because when you’re that poor, you don’t know it. That’s just how it is.

So when did you move back to Delaware?
Things weren’t working out in Florida and [my parents] wanted to move back. When I was 19, we moved to Maryland, which is right outside Delaware. We jumped from church to church for jobs for him.

How much was religion a part of your life when you were a kid?
Through no fault of my parents other than they didn’t notice, the one church in Pensacola really fucked me up. They were horrible, horrible people. And I have so many issues that I still deal with today. If you listen to the song “With Cold Eyes” [on Boysetsfire’s latest, The Misery Index: Notes from the Plague Years], it’s about that. I was abused by them in every shape, form, and idea. Up until I was 17, I was horrified of listening to rock music, drinking, smoking, having sex, or anything like that, and it wasn’t until I was 19 that I started becoming more comfortable with rock music—go figure, I’m in a band now. It wasn’t until 19 when I had my first drink. And I went fucking ballistic from there. That’s one of the most horrible things religion can do to kids. They repress you for so long and then you get to a certain point and you explode! I had 10 years of a near-death experience because of it. I was doing everything, trying everything, to the point where, seriously, it’s a miracle I’m not dead.
.
Why do we always hear rumors about you being gay?
[Laughs] I think it’s partially my fault and partially other people’s fault. During those 10 years, I was definitely a confused person. I was experimenting. Some things were good experiments. Some things were bad experiments. Coming from a repressed background, I did a lot of things I’m either proud of or not proud of, but they are a part of me. But I’m not gay, and I found that out pretty quickly.

Would you consider yourself bisexual?
No. And I went through both phases. Thinking I was bi, thinking I was gay, to the point I was convinced of both at one point or the other. And then it just wasn’t me. It just wasn’t. I went through a lot of soul-searching and realizing what I want out of life, out of a partner, sexually, emotionally, and it just doesn’t appeal to me. And I may be one of the only people that can say, “Yeah, I guess it was just a phase” [laughs].

Did some good come out of it because you were a positive role model for some kids in the hardcore scene?
Oh, absolutely. And even though I was confused, I’m glad I put that out there because I’m sure there were other people struggling with their sexuality, and that was probably a big help for them, either to think I was gay, or to realize I was struggling with my own sexuality and my own feelings, and to realize they’re not alone.

Does it get annoying having to answer the “gay” question all the time?
Only to the extent I don’t always care to talk about it because people make up their minds quick. They don’t know me. They don’t have any idea what I’m into. I am really glad I went through those years of experimenting and almost dying to find out who I was. Because now I’m so stable in who I am. I went through the homosexuality phase, I also went through a phase where I blew a good deal of money on coke and ended up in the hospital a couple of times before I realized, “This is stupid.” And I haven’t touched that stuff in years. This wasn’t that long ago, my experimenting with drugs probably ended around 2002 when Tomorrow Come Today came out, so I’ve been clean over three years. It was a rough time. That shit will fuck you. Cocaine is one of those drugs that you think is going to be fun, and it feels like a good time, but honestly it turns you into an asshole. There’s just nothing positive about that shit. It’s destroyed so many of my friends, it destroyed me, it almost killed me… yeah, I won’t get too preachy, but I’m glad I went through all of that. I know who I am now.

Do you feel like that phase of your life was a reaction to some of things that happened in your childhood?
It completely was. When I look back and think of some horrific things that happened to me as a child, especially with the church, it really shaped some of the dumb things I did sexually and with drugs. But I can look back at my childhood and not feel fear anymore. I can look back at almost any horrific incident in my past and say, “Hey, that taught me something. It’s for the better. Fuck it.”

How did you continue to be a spiritual person after what happened with the church?
The fact that I had one positive role model in my parents for my spirituality is probably what saved me from turning my back on it altogether. I’m not too stoked on it, and I’d say I’m more agnostic than anything, but I do still have a belief that there’s a God somewhere, and there’s something to it... But I’m not angry. I’m not angry at God. I’m not angry at my parents. I’m not even angry at people that have done me wrong in the past, because they’re gone; they’re part of my past.

Did you ever go through any therapy?
No. I’ve gotten to the point where I’ve almost lost my mind and I think I’m too stubborn to let it happen. There’s one part of my brain that says, “You’re talking crazy. Step back a minute…” Even when I’m having panic attacks, I know I’m having them and I can rationalize it and get through it really quickly.

Now that I’ve heard your story it makes a lot more sense that you’re up there screaming in a band like Boysetsfire.
It definitely makes a lot more sense when you get to know us; who we are and what we’ve been through. We’ve all been through some weird shit and it’s why the band is so schizophrenic, and why we’re so angry. The band is almost like our psychiatric couch where we just put everything out there. I think that’s what keeps us alive. I can tell you if it wasn’t for this band, that 10 years of near-death experience would have turned out to be five years until I died. It would have been over… We give to the band by giving our neuroses to the band, and the band gives to us by taking those same neuroses.

For more info, go to: http://www.boysetsfire.org/

Destroying the Airwaves: AT THE DRIVE-IN -- 2006

2009-03-06T09:43:00.000-08:00

Any time these guys went on TV, it was a flurry of afros and hilarious herky-jerk dance moves. This appearance on David Letterman is no exception. I can only imagine what Paul Schaeffer must have been thinking about this one.

Thought that appearance was chaotic? Check out this version from Live in Jools Holland, a British TV show.

RINGWORM - OCTOBER 2005

2009-02-27T09:11:00.000-08:00

Originally published in: Chord Magazine

Album: Justice Replaced by Revenge (Victory Records)

Random thoughts: I dunno, I just really like the fact that this guy was named The Human Furnace.

RINGWORM

By Jason Schreurs

It hasn’t been said enough, so let’s say it again: A hardcore band is nothing without a pissed-off vocalist. And not that faux-angst of pimply metalcore dweebs; we’re talking about a singer who can live up to a name like The Human Furnace.
Singer James Bulloch of Cleveland-based hardcore band Ringworm is The Human Furnace. With a mouth that spits fire and lyrics ablaze, his longtime moniker makes perfect sense. But as for the full story behind the origin of Bulloch’s alter-ego, well, he ain’t gonna spill it for us.
“I never really talk about that,” taunts the man known as The Human Furnace. “There’s a story behind it, but I imagine at this point, with everybody asking, it could never live up to anybody’s expectations about how exciting or interesting the story behind the name could be. So that’s why I just never answer that question at this point. Just to keep an allure about it.”
And it’s not just Bulloch’s name that’s left open to interpretation. Ringworm’s latest and first in four years, Justice Replaced by Revenge (on longtime label Victory), is a batch of venom and bile with messages listeners can glean themselves. Although more overtly political than anything he’s written before, Bulloch is reluctant to define the songs from his own standpoint.
“I like people to be able to find their own message in whatever I write,” he explains. “There’s a little more poetic justice to it when you don’t spell everything out for everybody. It’s almost boring to listen to that way. I don’t like to write words that are that simplistic. I like to add a little poetry to it.”
Bulloch is also known for his career in the tattooing industry, and he opened a tattoo shop in the Cleveland, OH area when Ringworm went on an extended hiatus in the mid-‘90s (some of the members then defected to fellow Cleveland hardcore/metallers Integrity). Bulloch’s tattooing empire has since swollen to three well-established shops (check out http://www.252tattoo.com/ for a peek at his amazing ink-work).
While Ringworm is Bulloch’s first love (“My anger management,” he jokes), tattooing is his ongoing career. “I have a great love for tattooing. For me, that’s where it’s at. I can’t see myself singing in a hardcore band when I’m 50 years old. When I’m doing music it’s a completely different animal. It’s totally a different type of release.”

For more info, go to: www.myspace.com/ringworm13

CONVERGE - OCTOBER 2006

2009-02-24T21:01:00.000-08:00

Originally published in: Chord Magazine (www.chordmagazine.com)

Album: No Heroes (Epitaph Records)

Random thoughts: One of my all-time favorite stories, it was perfect to catch Jacob Bannon in the middle of his home renovations. The setting of power tools and blaring saws was the perfect backdrop to a chat with a dude in one of the noisiest bands around.

CONVERGE
The heroics of the everyman

By Jason Schreurs

Not surprisingly, Converge vocalist Jacob Bannon is spending the afternoon making some noise. But the day before the release of his band’s latest, No Heroes, Bannon’s not screaming his head off to viciously uncompromising punk/hardcore/metal with bandmates Kurt Ballou (guitars), Nate Newton (bass), and Ben Koller (drums).
Instead, he’s working on a porch for his recently purchased and gutted 1,100 square foot home, a former crack house in Beverly, MA he’s been fixing up with a carpenter friend. Living in a construction zone since August, Bannon is looking forward to settling in with his girlfriend and two dogs but, first, much more hammering, sawing, and smashing.
“When I bought the place last year we were still finding crack pipes in the walls and needles in the yard…” says Bannon, an air compressor drowning him out (“Don’t worry,” he yells, “it just needs to get up to 120 pounds of pressure then it’ll turn off”). Having also spent the past few months creating the thrashing loudness that is No Heroes, a monumental fifth album for Converge, the air compressor doesn’t even phase him.
Bannon’s composure while everything around him pounds and throttles in a flurry of chaos is exactly how Converge, now 15 years ripe, has handled their place in extreme music. Aimed at a singular vision of substance over style, the Boston four-piece’s focus is admirable and, well, more than just a little frightening.
No Heroes (their second for Epitaph) is a monster, every bit as pummeling as its most recent predecessors, 2004’s You Fail Me and 2001’s Jane Doe, but somehow, someway, a tad more fucking brutal. Accessibility just isn’t something these guys care about, and it’s endearing as hell.
“Well, there’s two ways to look at it,” explains Bannon. “Kurt and I were talking about this the other day. Our kind of volume and approach gets an immediate emotional reaction. It’s a reaction from us, as well as the listener and audience. It’s both a positive and a negative.”
Immediate emotional reaction is right. While You Fail Me began with a melodic primer before tearing faces off, No Heroes offers no leeway. Instead, the first four tracks go for the jugular. By the time the minute-and-a-half instrumental breather, “Weight of the World,” lets us regain composure and, let’s face it, balance and sanity (and, um, consciousness?), the horrible and fascinating title track spends the next four minutes brutalizing us back into the ground.
Whether it’s “face-rippers” (Bannon throws that term around, and it’s oh so fitting) like “Versus” and “Bare My Teeth,” or slower, darker, and more monumental dirges like “Grim Heart/Black Rose” (all 9:34 of it), it’s clear Converge has a duality that can please a wide range of musically masochistic maniacs.
“Some people who listen to our slower songs get bored because they want the ‘face-rippers.’ But there’s other listeners who enjoy that mellower stuff more than they enjoy the stuff that goes full speed.”
These “face-rippers” are hard to get a handle on. They require repeated listeners to comprehend what’s happening at maximum overdrive (and perhaps to head-shake while wondering if Converge really pulled off what we think they just did), but the intricate tangle of emotions is also difficult to gauge. Like, are these mad songs? Sad songs? And what’s with that optimism peeking ever so slightly around the frayed edges?
“There should always be a positive aura to even the most negative music,” confirms Bannon. “I’m not a fan of music that just perpetuates negativity. With us, even our angriest songs hopefully have some sort of positive light at the end. At least someone can take something away from them that is much more than pure anger.”
A skill saw screams behind Bannon and his dogs start barking, but now he’s locked in, prepared to explain the concept of No Heroes, a record that incorporates a more universal message. This time, Bannon uses “we” and “us” a lot more than “I,” detailing the ethical and moral struggles everyone goes through.
“’No Heroes,’ the song, talks about overall political and ethical awareness, and whatever you do as a person will be a ripple effect and be felt emotionally for your entire life,” explains Bannon. “It’s a song about the idea of the everyman; the fact that I’m sitting here today working on a decimated house with a friend who is a carpenter, who I have more in common with than most hardcore kids. He literally has no ties to that underground movement and he’s gone through a great deal of ups and downs and life struggles. To me, that kind of person would be a hero; what they do and what they accomplish in their lives with the cards they are dealt.”
Another meaning to No Heroes has to do with Bannon and the band’s growing discomfort with being role models for those who dig their band. Instead of being looked up to, they’d prefer to be at the same level as their listeners, something that’s served them well since their DIY beginnings in the hardcore scene.
“People can dig our band but it doesn’t change who I am when I wake up in the morning,” says Bannon. “We don’t believe in being separate from our audience. That’s something that’s fairly new to punk rock and hardcore, and it shouldn’t be like that… I just turned 30 years old. If I was doing this to serve some egotistical purpose, I’d be sad to find out that was the person I was. I’m trying to give back to this music community that gave me a place in life when I was 13 or 14 years old. I’ve spent half of my life in this band.”
After a decade and a half of creating untainted art and brilliant noise, Converge are in a somewhat solitary place where bands like them are a dying breed. Converge-wannabes can peer at their Soundscan numbers through awkwardly cropped bangs, but four Boston guys continue working on the framework for a house they’ve built themselves.
“We come from a very different world. I don’t really see ourselves as being true peers of the bands that we’re friends with, like the Killswitch Engage/Shadows Fall bands of the world,” explains Bannon. “We have more of a lineage to Starkweather and Rorschach, bands like Merel and Iconoclast; those are bands that we still listen to. People now have never heard of bands like Honeywell or Groundwork; so they don’t really understand where we’re coming from and our world doesn’t really exist anymore.”
As the construction noises behind him go momentarily quiet, he adds, “We’re sort of this lone animal, at this point, which is totally fine by us.”

A Heroes' pallet

No Converge record would be complete without the artwork of vocalist Jacob Bannon, noted graphic designer and owner of Deathwish Inc., a punk/hardcore record label featuring his packaging, art, and design. The booklet and cover for No Heroes revolves around a silhouetted dove, known as a symbol of peace in popular culture but, as Bannon explains, originally the visual metaphor for a higher purpose.

On the dove imagery:
“We’re simply saying, ‘Hey, this is a selfless approach to music.’ These songs are about a personal progression and evolution and we wanted something that represented that. So the dove is being born out of the mouths of two ominous figures beside it in the booklet.”

On those ominous figures:
“When you open up the booklet there’s another ominous figure with the Converge symbol oozing from its mouth, and it’s holding two shards of glass. It’s a visual metaphor for words not being said the softest; not having the softest approach to what we do. Essentially, the truth hurts. It shows a wound, but it also shows a life and energy.”

On creating artwork for Converge versus designing for other bands:
“It’s a very different process. It’s tough to do stuff for other people because you get pigeonholed. The Converge stuff is very different. It’s a much more personal thing. I tend to use stencils and silhouettes when I’m doing my own stuff. I’ll very rarely do that style for someone else.”

CARCASS - MAY 2004

2009-02-21T20:46:00.000-08:00

Originally published in: Chord Magazine

www.chordmagazine.com

Album: Choice Cuts (Earache Records)

Random thoughts: It was a thrill to interview the drummer from Carcass, but I had mixed emotions going into this one knowing I'd have to talk to Ken Owen about his pain and suffering after a brain aneurysm. Still, it worked out good, and Owen was in good spirits throughout the conversation.

CARCASS
Keep on rotting in the free world

By Jason Schreurs

The best news for Ken Owen (and Carcass fans everywhere) is he is on his feet again. Owen, ex-drummer of the gore grind purveyors who broke up in the mid-‘90s, developed a sudden brain hemorrhage in early 1999 and was in a coma for the next 10 months. He’s been in recuperation ever since, able to walk again last year, and even back behind the drum kit in the past few months.
“I literally bent over to scratch the cat and passed out,” says Owen of the hemorrhage. “It’s been a long, uphill struggle, but I’m getting there now. I’m drumming again. I’ve got a real big drum kit and I’m going to start my double bass drumming again, so it’s coming.”
The burning question on every Carcass fan’s mind, especially with Earache Records releasing a CD collection called “Choice Cuts,” is whether a reunion might be in the cards somewhere down the road. Owen loves the idea, but he’s realistic about his slow recovery and the other members’ current situations.
“I’d love to get back playing with the other guys but they’re fairly busy doing their own things these days [Bill Steer is in Firebird, Michael Amott doubles in Arch Enemy and Spiritual Beggars, and Jeff Walker’s somewhere in hiding]. So I don’t think it’s ever going to happen. I wouldn’t want to start any rumors that way. But at some point I would like to jam out with them, perhaps, to see whether I can still do it,” says Owen.
Originally shelved in 1999, “Choice Cuts” was resurrected after a spark was ignited in Owen to take on the project. The disc includes material from Carcass’ four albums, as well as Peel Sessions from 1989-1990. Putting the CD together ended up being therapeutic, says Owen. “Helping out with the CD has been great because it’s good to be immersed in all of the things that I used to love.”
It’s also been a form of closure, with Owen providing extensive liner notes, archive materials, and interviews on the disc. “This is the final nail in the coffin, so to speak.” A small but significant change was made by Owen to the original CD’s track listing. “This Is Your Life,” a chunky, melodic piece of metal that became the staple of the latter Carcass sound needed to be on there, he says. “I’m really proud of the drumming in that song.”
One of the first bands in the gore-grind genre, Carcass used medical terminology and body part-littered album art to create a visually disturbing and often thought-provoking package. It’s a style copied to a tee by modern gore bands, which is fine and dandy with Owen.
“It’s complete flattery, basically. At the time we were at the top of our league and if bands want to continue that vein, as long as they cite us as being their influence, that’s brilliant,” he says.
Surprisingly, Owen’s favorite metal these days is of the “nu” variety; he cites Slipknot as his personal fave. He’s also taken a keen interest in Detroit techno and hopes to start a one-man project that would be quite a departure from his skin-bashing days in the mighty Carcass. “I’d like to make contemporary electronic dance music, but with a live element so I’m actually drumming it as well.”
Over the years, ex-members of Carcass have stayed good friends with Owen, providing much-needed moral support during his recovery. “They’ve been absolutely fabulous to me, especially when I was in the hospital. They used to come and see me. They’re good friends, you know, especially when I needed it most.”
So, if they decided to start jamming again, would he be in? “If I’m fit enough to play it, yes!” Keep hoping, Carcass fans.

For more info, go to: www.myspace.com/carcass

Destroying the Airwaves: THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN -- 2008

2009-02-18T16:52:00.000-08:00

Not many bands have been ripping shit up on live TV lately, but this appearance by The Dillinger Escape Plan on Conan O'Brien late last year was pretty badass. I love the part where singer Greg Puciato runs into the audience, and then the freakout session near the end. (I wonder what the crowd was thinking about this ridiculous display of spazz-core?)

Unfortunately, there's no YouTube embedded link for this particular little nasty, but here's a web link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=noqIcKfI0Ms

ZEKE - OCTOBER 2004

2009-02-16T11:47:00.000-08:00

Originally published in: Monday Magazine

www.mondaymag.com

Album: 'Til the Livin' End (Relapse Records)

Random thoughts: I just remember how incredibly fast and tight they were when they played here. It was the kind of thing that, had I known how good they were live, I probably would have blathered on about it in the story. Alas, the preview story, how bittersweet it can be sometimes.

Zeke ‘n’ Roll

Seattle speed-meisters in it for the long haul

By Jason Schreurs

Okay, the dudes in Motorhead are obviously getting on in years. So the burning question on my mind when I got Zeke skin-basher Donny Paycheck on the line was, if Lemmy and crew ever decide to pass the torch to a younger band, will they be there to take it?

“Certainly,” laughs Paycheck. “Definitely, I’d love to carry on the torch for that guy. Wow, what a fucking legend that cat is.”

Since the early ‘90s, the unabashedly Motorhead-influenced Seattle trio have been cranking out the tunes hard and fast, becoming known as one of the fastest bands in the land. Incredibly, Zeke’s new album and first for extreme music label Relapse, ‘Til the Livin’ End, picks up the clip even more. According to Paycheck, the secret to playing no-frills punk rock is really no secret at all.

“I dunno, I guess it’s just not having any frills,” he deadpans. “That’s just the way we are. We’re just into the bands we’re into, you know, Motorhead, The Dwarves, The Ramones, and Black Sabbath. We just wanted to be the hardest, fastest rock that we could possibly be. It’s not a plan. We dress and act like this every day. If I wear a fucking flannel and baseball cap, that’s me.”

Despite the band now calling a label mostly known for heavier bands their home, Zeke feel they are promoted a lot better than in the years they spent on punk biggie Epitaph.

“Relapse does extreme music and Zeke is extreme,” says Paycheck in a stoner dude sort of drawl. “They put out a defining band in each genre of music that they like, and that’s what they consider us: A defining punk band. With Relapse it comes so fucking natural and easy in comparison to having to call up Epitaph and say, ‘Hey, listen, our buddies Pearl Jam want to put us on a couple of shows. Do you think ya’ll should advertise for it?’ And they’re like, ‘Ah well, you know, grumble, mumble.’ Well, fuck, man!”

It was Zeke’s all-pistons-firing live show that caught the attention of Pearl Jam, with Eddie Vedder even collaborating with the Zeke-sters at one point. So what can we expect from their upcoming Victoria gig and first trip to BC?

“It’s gonna be probably the fastest, most intense rock show you’ve seen in a long time,” says Paycheck, daring us by adding, “Probably it rivals seeing a Slayer show. I don’t know if the crowds will know what to do.”

TOP 25 HEAVY METAL ALBUMS AND SONGS

2009-02-13T16:40:00.001-08:00

For those who don't want to slog through my lengthy 2003/2004 metal columns post from a couple of days ago, here are my top 25 all-time best heavy metal albums and songs. Haven't changed my mind since 2003? Well, one never really changes their minds about these kinds of things, do they? I mean, it's heavy metal. It's timeless!

And be sure to scroll down to the longer post below to see a picture of me with Chuck Billy of Testament!

Top 25 Heavy Metal Albums of All Time

1. Black Sabbath - Paranoid

2. Slayer - Reign in Blood

3. Metallica - Master of Puppets

4. Black Sabbath - Black Sabbath

5. Slayer - Seasons in the Abyss

6. Metallica – Ride the Lightning

7. Neurosis - Souls at Zero

8. The Accused - Grinning Like an Undertaker

9. Megadeth - Rust in Peace

10. Celtic Frost - Into the Pandemonium

11. Voivod - Dimension Hatross

12. Kreator - Extreme Aggression

13. Helmet - Meantime

14. Anthrax - Among the Living

15. Death Angel - The Ultra-Violence

16. Rage Against the Machine - Rage Against the Machine

17. Slayer – South of Heaven

18. Carcass - Heartwork

19. Sacrifice - Soldiers of Misfortune

20. Dirty Rotten Imbeciles - Dealing with It

21. Sepultura - Arise

22. Pestilence – Consuming Impulse

23. Black Sabbath - Mob Rules

24. AC/DC - Back in Black

25. Iron Maiden – Powerslave

TOP 25 METAL SONGS OF ALL TIME

1. Black Sabbath - "War Pigs" (from: Paranoid)

2. Slayer - "Angel of Death" (from: Reign in Blood)

3. Metallica - "Damage Inc." (from: Master of Puppets)

4. Black Sabbath - "Black Sabbath" (from: Black Sabbath)

5. Celtic Frost - "Circle of the Tyrants" (from: To Mega Therion)

6. Slayer - "South of Heaven" (from: South of Heaven)7. Megadeth - "Hangar 18" (from: Rust in Peace)

8. Voivod - "Tribal Convictions" (from: Dimension Hatross)

9. Neurosis - "To Crawl Under One's Skin" (from: Souls at Zero)

10. Judas Priest - "You've Got Another Thing Coming" (from: Screaming for Vengeance)

11. Saxon - "Denim and Leather" (from: Denim and Leather)

12. Nuclear Assault - "Brainwashed" (from: Survive)

13. Megadeth - "Peace Sells…" (from: Peace Sells… But Who’s Buying?)

14. Carcass - "Heartwork" (from: Heartwork)

15. Annihilator - "Alison Hell" (from: Alice in Hell)

16. The Accused - "Bullet Ridden Bodies" (from: Grinning Like an Undertaker)

17. Razor - "Evil Invaders" (from: Evil Invaders)

18. Sacrifice - "Soldiers of Misfortune" (from: Soldiers of Misfortune)

19. Black Sabbath - "Paranoid" (from: Paranoid)

20. Black Sabbath - "The Sign of the Southern Cross" (from: The Mob Rules)

21. Metallica - "For Whom the Bell Tolls" (from: Ride the Lightning)

22. Dio - "Rainbow in the Dark" (from: Holy Diver)

23. Kreator - "One of Us" (from: Terrible Certainty)

24. Helmet – “In the Meantime” (from: Meantime)

25. Suicidal Tendencies - "You Can’t Bring Me Down” (from: Lights… Camera… Revolution)

METAL UP YOUR BUM - Metal Column 2003/2004

2009-02-11T20:45:00.000-08:00

(Me and Chuck Billy of Testament, spring 2007)

Originally published in: Jersey Beat Magazine
www.jerseybeat.com

Random thoughts: Pretty much a way to wrap around a bunch of reviews of metal CDs sitting on my desk at the time, I quite enjoyed writing this heavy metal reviews column for Jersey Beat.

METAL UP YOUR BUM

by Jason Schreurs

I’ve been a heavy metal nerd since I was in Grade 5. Whether it was pure happenstance or some kind of devil-horned fate, I’ll never know, but I vividly remember staring at the cover of Black Sabbath’s Heaven and Hell as the evil elf himself, Ronnie James Dio, whispered dark somethings into my ear for the first time. I was at a friend’s house and his older brother, back from a stint in juvenile detention for beating up his mom (lovely guy, and with a mullet too), was showing us his Judas Priest and Ozzy memorabilia, and spinning Sad Wings of Destiny and Speak of the Devil. Being a geeky kind of dude with thick, way-too-big glasses, metal seemed like the coolest, most bad-ass thing in the world, what with all that evil imagery and chest hair staring up at us from the album artwork, and the speaker-busting heaviness that would damage our eardrums from that day on. Fast forward to the end of the next year; it’s the Grade 6 year-end party and our school’s first ever air-band contest. Me and said friend get together a couple of other fledgling bangers, practice some choreographed metal stage moves, and then proceed to send the teachers and students into a state of shock by lip-synching the quintessential metal tune, Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs.” Did we win? Well, no, actually; we were suspended because of the song’s reference to Satan… they gave the honors to some preppies doing Twisted Sister (posers!). From that day forward, we were outcasts. Fast forward. It’s the summer before Grade 9 and I’m shopping for school clothes. Instead of perusing designer clothes stores at the mall, I’m at the rock shop picking out metal t-shirts; 15 shirts should do me for the whole year. I also pick up a Metallica Kill ‘Em All full-size back-patch to cover the vulnerable side of my black acid-washed jean jacket. I spend the rest of my academic years in Slayer, Kreator, DRI, COC and, yes, Metallica t-shirts (later it would be The Exploited, Suicidal Tendencies, Anthrax, Celtic Frost and Misfits tees) and wear my jean jacket until it sheds off my back in tatters. My haircut is an under-shaved Kentucky waterfall and my glasses are now unreasonably proportioned to my face. No one tells me, and I spend the next five years holed up in my room listening to death metal cassettes, only going outside to skateboard. Luckily, I had built a 12-foot half-pipe right outside my bedroom window, so I didn’t have to go far. Fast forward. I’m 30 years old, with a wife, two kids (and baby on the way), living in a house of our own. I host a radio show that plays metal, write CD reviews (see my batch of metal reviews below) and obsessively collect metal cassettes… Sometimes, when I can get out with the boys, we play a heavy metal trivia game called Metal Mental Meltdown, and obsess over how bad the first Scorpions or Pantera records were, or debate about which Anthrax singer is more annoying. No matter how extreme heavy metal has gotten over the years, and how goofy it can be sometimes, I think metal reminds me of simpler times, and of my youth. I may not have been popular or cool, and people definitely scoffed at my morbid t-shirts and fervor for skeletons, but I was proud to be an outcast, and it’s something that’s stuck with me through all of these years. Sure, there’s always more productive things to go against the grain about, but heavy metal has always been the one thing that can make you bang your head, laugh like a maniac, and scare the hell out of the establishment at the same time. Punk and hardcore are similar, but without the chest hair.

(Here’s some of the recent metal releases that have found their way across my desk and left a lasting impression.)

AS I LAY DAYING Frail Worlds Collapse (Metal Blade Records - 2828 Cochran St., PMB 302, Simi Valley, CA, 93065-2793, http://www.metalblade.com/) - Metalcore by way of Swedish thrash, except, like a lot of hardcore bands now doing the Gothenberg thing, these guys are from US shores. And they are doing the Swede thing well; the rapid-fire double bass drums propel As I Lay Dying’s twin guitar attack and full-sounding vocal screams. Recorded by some dude who usually chills with POD and Blindside (ick), Frail Worlds Collapse sounds great, and bands playing this kind of hardcore/metal need an expensive, large, full production sound. What stands out the most is the high-octane drumming of Jordan Mancino; although at times his kit sounds like a mousetrap of triggers. “Collision” is probably the most anxious track on this album, with its gallopy riffs and raging guitar licks. More metal than hardcore, and fans of both will appreciate the fury of As I Lay Dying. -JS

THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER Unhallowed (Metal Blade Records, http://www.metalblade.com/) - Another US band heavily influenced by the Swedish thrash sound, as well as a little Florida death and Carcass gore-grind added in for good measure. Too bad they’re from Detroit… Anyway, it’s hard to tell if these guys were hardcore kids at one time (as a lot of these “metal” bands nowadays were); this is unabashedly metal, from the growly death/high shriek combo vocals to the hyper-speed guitar crankery. Listening to a song like “Funeral Thirst,” it’s almost impossible not to think of Carcass (that main riff is very familiar), and the same with a track like “Thy Horror Cosmic,” which is total At the Gates/Gothenberg thrash, but that doesn’t stop Unhallowed from being an ass-kicking metal album. It will be nice to see them fully develop their own sound, but for now it’s horns up and head banging. –JS

BLINDED BY FAITH – Under an Occult Sun (Galy Records – 5100 De Verdun, PO Box 28544, Verdun, QC, H4G 3L7, http://www.galyrecords.com/) – I missed the boat on the whole black metal phenomenon. By the time bands like Mayhem, Burzum and Cradle of Filth were starting up, I was immersed in the punk/hardcore scene and wasn’t too interested in listening to a bunch of face-painted trolls sing about Norse gods. Truth be told, I’m still not fond of the genre; something about that treble-heavy production sound and rapid-bpm drone. Quebec’s Blinded by Faith are pretty cool though, combining that trademark black sound with some power metal and classic thrash elements. Even the keyboards work here (I’m decidedly anti-keyboard when it comes to metal, unless it’s in a Dio song), adding an excellent melodic quality to thrash greatness like “A Perfect Imperfection.” Maybe it’s time to pay more attention to black metal. Anyone got some fake elf ears they can part with? –JS

BLOOD RED THRONE - Monument of Death (Martyr Music Group - PO Box 42323, Pittsburgh, PA, 15203, http://www.martyrmusicgroup.com/) - A lot of the current death metal stuff goes in one orifice and out the other for me; and it might just been the mood I am in, but this CD is pretty killer. Once you get past the blood-splattered layout, pictures of band members in various states of dismemberment and the fact that these guys are named Dod, Erlend C, Mr. Hustler and Freddy B (what is this –- extreme metal or gangsta rap?), Monument of Death is a damn fine solid death metal album. The lyrics are typical end of the world, devil-may-care pseudo-Satanism and violent fantasy style ditties that don’t add much to the music and tread over the line of good taste more than once, but we’re here to thrash, right? Or in this case bang our heads repeatedly against a large rock. -JS

CHINCHILLA - Madtropolis (Metal Blade Records, www.metalblade.com) - German power metal, like Manowar without the overt machismo. In some ways the lack of testosterone is welcome, as Chinchilla elect to tackle social issues and pump out unity/world peace-type fist shakers, instead of grimy songs about breaking in nubile virgins and lopping off warriors’ heads with battle axes. With a lack of balls, however, comes a void in the songwriting punch, causing the band to lose a lot of steam about halfway through this album. By the time the goofy five-minute power ballad "Satellite" comes to a painful close, it’s pretty much impossible for Madtropolis to redeem itself. Still, for a real kick in the ass, crank "Heavy Metal" (a song about, you guessed it, listening to heavy metal) at 11 and crack open some German stout. Or, in my case, ginger ale! –JS

CIRCLE OF DEAD CHILDREN - Human Harvest (Martyr Music Group, http://www.martyrmusicgroup.com/) - Now here’s a real kick to the head. It’s a gore-grind band that steer clear of the blood and guts lyrics and imagery in favor of a more global vision of decimation and destruction. Angry as fuck about the state of the world, Pittsburgh’s Circle of Dead Children give us 19 songs in 35 minutes and tackle political, social and personal topics in their 90-second blasts. A lot of the trappings of the grind genre remain, from the unreadable band logo (they actually print their name below it for clarity’s sake) to the evil gnome in a wind tunnel vocals, but it’s always nice to see a band at least trying something different. Like vegan grinders Cattle Decapitation, this band should be commended for turning a tiring style into something all the more meaningful. Plus, they grind away faster and heavier than most of their gory counterparts. –JS

GORGUTS - …And Then Comes Lividity/Demo Anthology (Galy Records, http://www.galyrecords.com/) – Anyone who followed the death metal scene in the ‘90s should remember Quebec’s Gorguts. Starting as a straight death metal band, they later warped into a more progressive animal, influenced by the space time continuum of Quebec metal forefathers like Voivod and DBC (Dead Brain Cells). This recent re-release treads on both eras of the band, including demos from 1990-95 and a live song from 1993. Songs are tracked from the earliest material to the latest, and they show the band maturing and transforming from a generic by-the-numbers death band into one of death metal’s most ambitious deities. This particular CD has that “fans only” kind of feel, but there’s no reason why metal fans unfamiliar with Gorguts couldn’t get a nice skull-pounding here. –JS

IN FLAMES - Trigger EP (Nuclear Blast Records - 2323 West El Segundo Blvd., Hawthorne, CA, 90250, http://www.nuclearblastusa.com/) - Anyone who was thrown by the new direction of Reroute to Remain, the latest by Swedish thrash biggies In Flames, will be doubly confused by this new EP. Combining the excellent “Trigger” single with one new song (“Watch Them Feed”), a cover song and two remixes, this band seems to be following the same career path that Fear Factory took before they imploded in a combustible personality crisis. And while Fear Factory modernized and did only good things to Gary Numan’s “Cars,” In Flames absolutely brutalize “Land of Confusion” by Genesis. Ouch. A “club connected” remix of “Cloud Connected,” one of the better thrash metal anthems of this year, might have seemed like a good idea in the studio, but the result is alienating and confusing. Perhaps this is a sign of much alienation and confusion to come? -JS

INIQUITY – Iniquity Bloody Iniquity (Mighty Music – Skelmosen 1, 2670 Greve, Denmark) – Totally insane death metal with a bad-ass sense of humor that only peeks out of the musical grind, but overwhelms the collage-heavy disc booklet. Iniquity Bloody Iniquity (great title!) is a sort of greatest hits for this Danish band who’ve been thrashing like mad since the early ‘90s. The collection includes previous album standouts, compilation songs, some unreleased stuff and other hard to find tracks. Most notable for fans is the inclusion of the two songs from their Revel in Cremation 7”. An oddly placed Pestilence cover (“Extreme Unction”) hits us over the head three tracks in, but also sets the tone for the remainder of the punishing originals. Iniquity’s deal is a quick-paced flurry of double bass blasts, growl/shriek combo vocals, and a thick guitar/bass sound to die for. And, strangely enough, the production values remain pretty constant throughout different recording sessions, so some effort was put into re-mastering this puppy. Throw in some mid-song audio clips that (for once) actually work and this death metal collection is a nightmare of precision and annihilation. In other words, ‘tis excellent! -JS

KING’S X – Black Like Sunday (Metal Blade Records, http://www.metalblade.com/) – The bad hair day Christian rockers are back for another full length of inspirational, funkified metal. Perpetually ignored by the mainstream rock set that should have fully embraced them years ago, King’s X keep slogging away in hopes of some kind of recognition. For those who can only vaguely remember their passing MTV hit “Over My Head,” this Texas-based three-piece have spent the better part of 25 (fricking) years crafting original, groove-laden and hummable songs. Black Like Sunday doesn’t offer anything exceptionally visionary or new from the band; instead opting to stick to the King’s X formula of hard rock positivity. Laughing these guys off as washed-up holy rockers would be the easy thing to do -– hell, I’ve done it myself with their few albums –- but this album shows King’s X deserve a fairer shake than that. Or at least another 15 minutes of fame. –JS

KREATOR – Live Kreation Revisioned Glory DVD (Steamhammer/SPV Records, www.spvusa.com) – When one of the all-time best thrash metal bands puts out a DVD, it’s hard to remain calm. When this showed up in the mailbox, it went straight into the DVD player with shaky hands and a pumping heart. German metal-ers Kreator have gone all out with this DVD which features a live set from last year’s Violent Revolution tour, an impressively complete history of the band since their early ‘80s demo days as Tormentor, and tons of extras. While the history of the band is a real blast and includes all of their music videos and some ultra-rare footage, it’s the live show that pushes this way over the edge. With remarkable sound quality, many different camera angles and the set list of my dreams, this is the kind of top-notch concert film to be expected from thrash royalty like Kreator. –JS

LYNCH MOB – REvolution (Deadline Music – PMB 251, 13428 Maxella Ave., Marina Del Ray, CA, 90202, deadlinerecords.com) – Oh, now this is sad. Former Dokken guitarist George Lynch is still flogging the ‘80s glam metal horse, sinking to new lows by releasing this greatest hits package of Lynch Mob material (his post-Dokken mediocrity) and, ahem, classic Dokken songs. And while singer Robert Mason ain’t no Don D. (who is?), his whiskey sour screech ain’t half bad on bluesy rock versions of Dokken staples like “Tooth and Nail” and “Breaking the Chains.” But the idea of reworking and “revolutionizing” (ya right!) these songs now, coupled with the hilariously egotistical liner notes, will only get these aged rockers pangs of embarrassed sympathy. Also, Mr. Lynch, if you’re trying to hide your gray hairs, bleaching just isn’t gonna cut it anymore! Try some Grecian Formula. –JS

MALEFACTION Where There Is Power There Is Always Resistance (G7 Welcoming Committee Records - PO Box 27006, 360 Main Street Concourse, Winnipeg, MB, R3C 4T3, http://www.g7welcomingcommittee.com/) - Holy motherfucker of god! Winnipeg’s Malefaction are back with their unparalleled grindcore damage. This time we get a stripped-down, no-frills basement recording done by Propagandhi/G7 guy Chris Hannah, and it works wonders for this uncompromising band. While their last record, Crush the Dream, was probably the heaviest/fastest thing on the planet since it came out in 2001, this new record actually lays the old one to waste. More cohesive and head-shakingly dynamic and powerful, Malefaction’s new songs really have to be heard to be believed. Singer Travis is in his zone on this one, with the kind of bang-on delivery that most metal/hardcore vocalists could only dream of. And it can’t be easy to be so in synch with the insane chaos pummeled out by the other three spazz-maniacs in this band. It’s just one jaw-dropping song after the next for 25 minutes (we even get an awesome grind version of Death Sentence’s “R.C.M.P.” as a bonus track). I could gush on and on, but it would be better if just you track this down immediately and play the fuck out of it. -JS

MEATLOCKER SEVEN – The Biological Mechanism of Hate (http://www.meatlockerseven.com/) – Every city has that one metal band they can be proud of. For my hometown of Victoria, that band is Meatlocker Seven. They’ve been around for a good 10 years, so to say the release of their second album, The Biological Mechanism of Hate, was a long time coming would be a vast understatement. Definitely worth the wait though, this nine-song album has a precision thrash stomp about it that should take this band beyond regional status. A hot production sound emphasizes this band’s love of thrash, Swedish death and grind metal, and the resulting combo is a new hybrid of extreme sounds. At times it sounds a little mish-moshed and clunky, but on tracks like “Systemic,” where the band are able to lock into a steady groove, they become a precision machine. I can only hope that every city has a local metal band as good as Meatlocker Seven. -JS

METALLICA - St. Anger (Elektra Records) - It’s not thrash metal and, despite reports to the contrary, this is not a continuation of where Master of Puppets left off. What we get instead is a jaw-dropping new breed of proto-nu-thrash; kinda like the album Load should have been if these guy’s weren’t so bloody eager to plunge themselves into the boogie rock cesspool. On first listen, after getting past the ridiculous Bob Rock production sound, the seemingly nu metal production sounds (tin can snare drum, anyone?) and song structures (was that just a wackity wack?) on St. Anger almost made me shrug this off as the old dogs trying to learn some new bad habits. After repeated listens, it actually sounds more like the old dogs are teaching the young pups a thing or two, and I don’t mean how to play dead. Fans of Korn, Slipknot, System of a Down and their ilk will instantly recognize some of these down-tuned bass lines (again, the butchery of session player Mr. Rock) and quirky, circus arrangements. Give St. Anger some time though, and Metallica’s history and long-lost integrity shine through with songs that elevate beyond any current music trends. It makes sense, I guess, for them to embrace the now sounds, but it’s a fucking relief they only dabble in nu and stick to their own, new brand of heaviness, occasionally borrowing from more respectable pups like Meshuggah. I mean, how depressing would it have been if James, Kirk, new bass player Robert Trujillo (who appears in the included DVD) and Lars (eeew) showed up in face paint and fake dreadlocks? Songs like the ball-busting opener “Frantic,” the title track and “Purify” may not sound like the Metallica that forever remains in our thrash metal hearts, but that doesn’t make St. Anger any less intense in 2003. -JS

NUCLEAR ASSAULT - Alive Again (Screaming Ferret Wreckords - PO Box 56, Hillsboro, NH, 03244, http://www.screamingferret.com/) - I’d like to think that anyone who was tapped into the late ‘80s thrash metal/crossover scene holds a special place in their hearts for Nuclear Assault. I know I do. Their anti-mainstream media anthem “Brainwashed,” from 1988’s Survive, is number 12 on my list of all-time favorite metal songs. (We’ll have to save the others for next column, but see my list of fave albums below…) So when all of us Nuclear heads found out the band was back together and putting out this live album (with a studio effort to follow), well, let’s just say it was a happy day. Political in that late ‘80s Reagan-era kinda way, Nuclear Assault were always very outspoken on topics such as (you guessed it) nuclear war, environmental destruction, organized religion and other serious (if not obvious) enemies of a productive world. Combining the thrash metal of Anthrax (with whom bassist Danny Lilker began his thrash stomp) and the hardcore of bands like early D.R.I., Nuclear Assault were one of the forefathers of crossover thrash metal. This live album shows the now aged bashers owning up to all of their classics (including “Brainwashed”) with pretty impressive results, although some of the song tempos are slowed down just a touch to accommodate for years passed, or maybe a bit of rustiness from the band. Singer/guitarist John Connelly still sounds as haggard as ever with what remains one of the weirdest sounding voices in metal. It’s just good to see these guys back, hammering away, and let’s all hope that new studio album pounds skulls. -JS

SAXON – The Saxon Chronicles: Live 2003 DVD (Steamhammer/SPV Records, www.spvusa.com) – One of metal’s oldest group of dinosaurs have proven that they are not planning on becoming extinct anytime soon. England’s Saxon have bled 20-plus years into heavy metal, but watching their live double DVD you’d think they were just youngsters full of energy and aspirations. The Saxon Chronicles features two-discs of pure heavy metal mastery. Disc one is a live show from 2001 and interview with singer Biff Byford, and disc two has some footage of Saxon on tour in the late ‘90s, all of Saxon’s music videos (hilarious cheese!) and some TV interviews. It’s hard to tell where the parody begins with bands like Saxon, especially after all of these years slogging away with the power chords, but when the classic metal song “Denim and Leather” kicks in and the band do that choreographed headbang we all know and love, everything is all right in the world for five minutes. –JS

SINISTER – Savage or Grace (Nuclear Blast Records, http://www.nuclearblastusa.com/) – I guess the most significant thing about Dutch metal veterans Sinister is that they are one of the very few bands in metal who have a female in their ranks. It’s not surprising that metal is male-dominated, what with all the testosterone coursing through metal’s fiber, so it’s always very cool to see women taking proactive roles in the genre. In the case of Sinister vocalist Rachel, it’s a hellish death growl performance that doesn’t really show off her feminine side (she basically sounds like any male death growler). The band behind her storm through a fairly by-the-numbers death metal blur with ripping guitar solos and solid drumming. As far as expanding the scope of death metal, well, Rachel and Sinister fail, but if you’re looking for a competent death metal band, here ya go. Hail to women in metal, but what’s the point if they just try to sound exactly like the men? -JS

SOILWORK Figure Number Five (Nuclear Blast Records, http://www.nuclearblastusa.com/) - If last year’s Natural Born Chaos was this Swedish thrash band’s breakthrough album, then this new set is their solidification in the upper echelon of the thrash metal world. Soilwork pull grooves, riffs and unforgettable choruses out a seemingly endless pool of talent. And, unlike labelmates In Flames, experimentation fits well with this band; the interspersed electronics and lockdown neo-nu grooves only make Figure Number Five a stronger, longer lasting beast. Of course, the wide girth of Bjorn “Speed” Strid’s vocal range gives Soilwork the extra push over the majority of great metal bands with no-so-great singers. Actually, weak points are pretty hard to find with this band; full sounding guitar action, rollicking bass lines and rock solid drumming. Some thrash fans might find parts of this album a little too (how shall we say?) modern, but anyone who’s willing to give this one the time of day will be hooked. –JS

VOIVOD – self-titled (Chophouse, http://www.chophouserecords.com/) - Forget all that hype about this being a return to the Quebec prog-thrash masters’ glory days of stomping heads with the likes of Dimension Hatross and Nothingface. Flat out, this is another chug-heavy rock and roll record from Voivod. Much like 1993’s The Outer Limits, their last record with original singer Snake (making his triumphant, in-your-face return here), this rather lengthy, self-titled opus plays on chunky riffs and almost-too-catchy vocal lines. Add to the mix a high profile bass player in ex-Metallica thumb-basher Jason Newsted, who finally gets his formidable low-end work in an audible mix under the pseudonym Jasonic, and mature Voivod fans should be thrilled with the results. Guitarist Piggy and drummer Away just won’t release their grasp on tech-prog and sci-fi weirdness, and dog bless ‘em for it, but the trickery doesn’t get in the way of a deep, pulsing groove. Diehards who are endlessly awaiting another Killing Technology will be disappointed in the arena rock vibe here, but it’s time to step out of the past and embrace this modernized metal album. –JS

WEHRWOLFE – Godless We Stand (Magick Records, wehrwolfe.com) – Ah, you just have to love metal. The silly band names, hilarious song titles (“MIA2 Battalion of Hate,” “Stainless Steel Lycanthropy” and “Masked Jackal” are the highlights here) and that need for speed and pain that always seems to mask a self-mocking tone. On first listen, this sounds like face value extreme metal, combining death, thrash and black metal into an unholy trinity of chaotic noise and destruction. Taking into account the humor laced deep within Godless We Stand (some of these lyrics could rival MANOWAR for warrior machismo), this becomes a way more fun, sometimes guffaw-inducing listen. Maybe these guys take themselves more seriously than that (judging by the band photos, probably yes), but it gave me a few laughs, and the tunes ripped ass, so cheers to them! -JS

Okay, as promised in the Nuclear Assault review, here’s my top 25 metal albums for you. It should give you some background on the metal albums that have stuck with me through the years. Notice there’s not a lot of new titles on this list, further proving my theory that metal is mostly about the memories.

Top 25 Heavy Metal Albums of All Time

1. Black Sabbath - Paranoid
2. Slayer - Reign in Blood
3. Metallica - Master of Puppets
4. Black Sabbath - Black Sabbath
5. Slayer - Seasons in the Abyss
6. Metallica – Ride the Lightning
7. Neurosis - Souls at Zero
8. The Accused - Grinning Like an Undertaker
9. Megadeth - Rust in Peace
10. Celtic Frost - Into the Pandemonium
11. Voivod - Dimension Hatross
12. Kreator - Extreme Aggression
13. Helmet - Meantime
14. Anthrax - Among the Living
15. Death Angel - The Ultra-Violence
16. Rage Against the Machine - Rage Against the Machine
17. Slayer – South of Heaven
18. Carcass - Heartwork
19. Sacrifice - Soldiers of Misfortune
20. Dirty Rotten Imbeciles - Dealing with It
21. Sepultura - Arise
22. Pestilence – Consuming Impulse
23. Black Sabbath - Mob Rules
24. AC/DC - Back in Black
25. Iron Maiden - Powerslave

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METAL UP YOUR BUM

by Jason Schreurs

I can thank my friend Greg for showing me that my love for heavy metal didn’t have to be a dirty little secret hidden away in the dungeon. Greg taught me that by recognizing the silly, fun and sometimes ignorant aspects of metal, listening to it could be a guilt-free pleasure (and, heck, sometimes even a learning experience). During my whole inception into the punk/hardcore world I was constantly being told metal was the arch-nemesis of punk. I argued that metal and punk were brothers in arms; both employing a sound that scared parents, took potshots at the establishment and sounded fucking excellent when cranked to maximum volumes. Sure, a lot of metal was sexist, pro-war, homophobic and just generally uneducated, as my punk friends were always quick to point out. Still, I found a lot of similarities between not only punk and metal bands, but their fans. A lot of overlap could be found between punk and metal (isn’t that how crossover, hardcore and metalcore came to be?) and the two scenes always shared a certain kinship. As for the “isms” in metal, as long as we recognize them as such and don’t support those bands over the intelligent ones (of which they were and are still many), it wouldn’t hurt us to listen to a little W.A.S.P. now and then. Funny story: I actually interviewed Blackie Lawless from W.A.S.P. on live radio a couple years back and he turned out to be a very intelligent dude (other than the war-mongering bullshit his last album spouted). See, it’s all about being an informed listener, and that’s what Greg taught me. Look for the good things in life; if listening to Guns ‘N’ Roses makes you feel good, who cares if Axl makes a few donkey remarks and questionable decisions? It’s all about context. Besides, metal is pretty damn funny when you think about it. All that hairspray, attitude and posturing; it’s gotta be the most entertaining form of music around. Thanks Greg.

Without further ado, here are some of the heavy metal releases that have crossed my desk since the last issue.

Andrew W.K. The Wolf (Island – http://www.islandrecords.com/) Sometimes it’s just nice to throw on a CD and forget about the trials and tribulations of life. There’s something to be said about a little stupid music now and again. Enter posi-rocker Andrew W.K. and his sophomore blast The Wolf, featuring choice cuts like “Long Live the Party,” “Totally Stupid” and “I Love Music.” Like a metalized Toni Basil, Andrew proceeds to bushwack through 12 more ‘80s inspired party rockers; rolling with the momentum of that John Hughes-brand of unity that made his debut record such a hit (I’m sure everyone in The Breakfast Club could find some common ground in these songs). Anyone who has seen Andrew and his band play live knows this guy exudes more positive vibes than any other rocker, and that sense of fun and energy sweats from the speakers here. Yes, it’s rudimentary. Yes, it’s just plain rude. But it’s a heck of a lot of fun, and at the end of the day, sometimes that’s all that matters.

EIDOLON Apostles of Defiance (Skyscraper Music – 53512-1135 Decarie Blvd., Montreal PQ H4L 5J9 Canada) Missing that old style Bay Area thrash like Testament, Exodus and Forbidden? Okay, none of us actually miss Forbidden, but those into late ‘80s thrash will go fucking apeshit over Toronto’s Eidolon. Apostles shows the long-running Canuck band perfecting their thrash with a crystal clear production and some amazing chops. It’s like the glory days of Testament, just with killer sound quality. Oh, and why, by the way, did so many of those classic thrash albums sound like utter crap? Has sound recording technology really progressed that much in 15 years? Was Alex Perialas partly to blame? Anyway, it’s nice to be out of the dark ages and actually able to hear the bass and drums on this kind of melodic thrash metal. One storming attack after another (and a bonus video of “Coma Nation”), this album should put Eidolon up there among the best bands doing the retro thrash thing.

Khanate Things Viral (Southern Lord Recordings - PO Box 291967, Los Angeles CA 90029 – http://www.southernlord.com/) Anytime a CD runs 59 minutes long and only has four songs on it, you know it’s time for some aural torture. Khanate (pronounced Con-Eight) pick up where their equally depressing debut left off on Things Viral, an unadulterated endurance test of doom and gloom. This really has to be heard to be believed, but essentially what we have here are four very strange dudes testing our patience with a single note of doom every 10 seconds whilst an evil gnome whispers, whimpers, shrieks and heckles at us. The pure resilience of the three players and their utmost control as they constantly hold back mindblowing deathgasm is duly impressive, but the true star here is “singer” Alan Dubin whose full-on pigmy scream (when we finally get to hear it) is matched only by The Accused’s legendary Blaine Cook. Getting to full climax is the battle though, and what a total mindfuck the ride is! Doom/gloom fans need look no further than this insane epic of noise from the freaks who collectively brought you such similarly strange bands as OLD, Scorn, Phantomsmasher, and Blind Idiot God. What’s wrong with these people, anyway?

KING DIAMOND The Puppet Master (Metal Blade Records, 2828 Cochran St., PMB 302, Simi Valley CA 93065-9385, http://www.metalblade.com/) The man who started the whole face paint metal trend is back with another complicated, eerie concept album. This time the story centers around a gruesome tale of a puppet show gone terribly wrong in 18th century Budapest (I mean, really, where does the King come up with this shit?). As is the case with most Diamond albums, the tale is more interesting than the tunes, although the band seems more amped-up than they have been on the last couple studio albums. King’s vocals are still in top form, with those high-pitched, glass breaking wails that transform into the more standard metal growl. When it comes to range, this guy is among the best. By about song six, the epic of “The Ritual,” things start to take on a humdrum tone, but then the best song on the album, “Blood To Walk” kicks in and everything is alright in the world again. Horror buffs and fans of humorously dramatic metal will be stoked on The Puppet Master, but if you’re not into songs about marionettes, stay the hell away!

PANTERA The Best Of: Far Beyond the Great Southern Cowboys’ Vulgar Hits (Elektra/Rhino) Now that the band is in a swirl of break-up rumors, it’s time for their label to initiate the Pantera cash grab. So comes forth their new greatest hits album/bonus DVD with the horrible title. I mean, check out that long, awkward thing, because there’s no way in hell that anyone in this band would ever green light that shit. Okay, maybe Rex. Bad names and cash register games aside, it’s nice to have all of the Pantera classics on one disc and without all the incessant banter that made their live album such a write-off. Phil Anselmo is a great metal singer but he’s also a loose cannon mouthpiece who can easily ruin a live set. So, ya, we get studio skullduggery like “Cowboys from Hell,” “Mouth for War,” “This Love” (the best thrash metal ballad ever?), “5 Minutes Alone,” “Drag the Waters” and “Revolution Is My Name,” plus a rarer ditty from the Detroit Rock City soundtrack in the form of Nugents’s “Cat Scratch Fever” (what, but not their killer, sneakily non-credited version of Poison Idea’s “The Badge” from The Crow?). Pretty much the two or three best songs from each studio album are on here, although we only get one track from …Trendkill, but is that really much of a surprise? The bonus DVD highlights the many Pantera videos that have spewed forth onto the banger viewing audience over the years, 100 percent of which feature more scenes of the band members grimacing than any kind of pseudo-storyline. Cool enough, as these guys are always a traveling freak show to look at, what with Anselmo’s gradual metamorphosis into the Swamp Thing and Dimebag’s rainbow of goatee dye jobs. Don’t even get me started on the drummer and those silly shaved slits on his beard (shudder). All in all, a greatest hits Pantera set is welcome in this home, but they went and left off my personal fave (“Shedding Skin”) and, as far as I’m concerned, the most complete Pantera song ever. Stick that on here and take off their post-glam era cheese like “Cemetery Gates” and I am one happy cowboy banger.

PREMONITIONS OF WAR Left in Kowloon (Victory Records - 346 N. Justice St. Suite 504, Chicago IL 60607, http://www.victoryrecords.com/) Doing fireside war dances around their previous EP on Goodfellow Records, the debut CD from Toledo’s Premonitions of War is on the scene and ready to break spines. Yes, I predicted their full length may damage some important vertebrae and here we are, heads thrashing and some severe cases of whiplash forthcoming. Another winner release from the much-diversified Victory Records (good riddance to tough guy hardcore), Left in Kowloon sounds like the release that slipped through the fingers of heavy label giants Relapse and Hydra Head. Premonitions of War somehow manage to combine grind, metalcore and a southern fried Soilent Green sort of swagger without making it sound too derivative or copycat. Originality is deeply ingrained in their sound despite having aspects that bring to mind other bands, and it’s nice to see bands using their influences as a launching pad instead of a landing pad. Check out the ramming riff that dominates the second half of “Black Den” (and the unreal drum work) and it’s quite obvious this band is ready to dominate the heavy music scene.

PROBOT self-titled (Southern Lord Records - PO Box 291967, Los Angeles, CA 90029, http://www.southernlord.com/) Here we go! The long-awaited Dave Grohl metal album is here and it rages. On the first couple listens, this sounded too much like a novelty act (Grohl playing all instruments with guest vocals from metal’s elite), but now that I’ve spent some time with this album, it may just stay with me as one of my all-time fave metal slabs. “Whoah, slow down brother banger,” you say, but, shit man, this is the real deal. Grohl’s been a closet metaller for ages (as anyone who’s seen the Foo Fighters live can attest) and it’s refreshing to hear him completely immerse himself in his roots, with some of his heroes in tow. Want a who’s who? Well, we’ve got Cronos (Venom), Max Cavalera (Sepultura), Lemmy (Motorhead), Mike Dean (COC), Kurt Brecht (DRI), Lee Dorrian (Cathedral), Wino (king stoner rock), Tom G. Warrior (Celtic Frost), Snake (Voivod), Eric Wagner (Trouble) and, last but not least, King Diamond. Sorry to dump that all on you, but it’s a pretty stellar line-up and Grohl is in fine form with chunky metal riffs, sea monster squid drumming (you know, octopus arms, but really fucking big ones), and a uncanny ability to create songs that match perfectly with the chosen vocalist (i.e. – the Lemmy song sounds like Motorhead to a tee, the Snake song is all proggy and tech like Voivod, the Max Cavelera song could have been straight off Roots, etc.). Supposedly the songs were not written with certain vocalists in mind, but I find that hard to believe considering the final results. Maybe Grohl’s subconscious got the better of him because all you have to do is listen to crossover classic like “Silent Spring” with DRI’s Kurt Brecht singing and it’s obvious it was meant for him since the get-go (it’s also one of the CD’s best songs). All 11 tracks are primo, with just enough infusion of Grohl’s gift for melody, and there’s also a continuity to this beast that you wouldn’t expect with the amount of guests and styles of metal represented. Well worth the wait and exceeding all expectations, I’ll be wearing out more than one copy of this Probot disc before all is said and done.

PYREXIA Cruelty Beyond Submission (http://www.pyrexia.us/) The orgy in Hell cover art matches the insane death grind of Pyrexia perfectly. Carnage, chaos, lust, sodomy, mutilation and much more… It’s too comical to be offensive; this complete load-blowing psychosis of gang bang yells, flying-off-the-handle guitar solos and thick-neck rhythm snap. About two or three songs in, we get the idea; hammer, repeat, hammer, repeat, but not before they thrown in some pretty killer Reign in Blood era guitar riffing and early ‘90s death metal grooves. Again, the cover art is way over the top (I had to hide this one away from the kiddies) and the lyrics are questionable at best, but when taken in stride this is some pretty impressive, heavy shit. I wouldn’t be surprised if these guys have a cult-like following in the New York area.

RUE self-titled (Shifty Records - PO Box 13056, Akron OH 44334, http://www.shiftyrecords.com/) Next in a long line of monosyllabic, three-letter name bands playing oppressively heavy stoner rock is Rue. Where do all of these bands come from, and how come their names always sound like caveman grunts? Well, what we do know is Rue features ex-members of such forgotten heavies as Hate Theory, Pillow Humpers (huh?) and the still active Fistula. Jeff Fahl belches out the same tough guy howls as he did in Hate Theory, although there’s a certain mellowness added to his usual one-note attack. Then again, this new band does require he smoke bales upon bales of reefer, so that might account for the newfound attempts at singing. Actually, the tunes end up sounding more like Unsane than one of those fuzz-drenched Sabbath bands; Rue try really hard to get that stoner sound throughout but always end up in noise rock territory. It’s an odd combination of sounds that somehow works, but doesn’t exactly blow minds.

SWARM OF THE LOTUS When White Becomes Black (At a Loss Recordings - PO Box 582, Eastlake CO 80614-0582, http://www.atalossrecordings.com/) It’s been quite sometime since I heard a record this ugly, this punishing, maybe even since Neurosis’ 1992 opus Souls at Zero. If you know me at all, you know that’s about the highest praise I could give. The trick here is Swarm of the Lotus take the Neurosis and Isis sound and stick it into overdrive (somewhat similar to what Mastodon has done), adding hectic, speed-jerk riffery to their repertoire of mammoth sludge riffs. And, unlike a lot of bands trying to cop this noisey sound, SotL know how to write a complete album with peaks and valleys (not to mention bottomless pits) that make it an essential start-to-finish listen. There’s no playing just a couple of songs or picking a choice track on this album, once the disc starts spinning you’re in for the 51-minute long haul. Rewards will be reaped, oh yes, in a headache-inducing adrenalin bash that is surprisingly listenable considering what a racket it is. Fans of Neurosis will be all over this; as will anyone with affections towards the extreme.

VADER Blood/Reign Forever World (Metal Blade) From the barren land of Poland comes death metal masters Vader. The scary dudes carry on the fine tradition of bands like Obituary, Death and Pestilence as one of the last remaining bands with integrity doing the straight death metal thing. The true test of this sound in 2004 is can a band create death metal just as urgent as it was back in the early ‘90s when it gave your parents shitfits whenever they heard such noise blasting from your room. Open the windows and crank up Vader and I assure you the neighbors will be calling the cops before the end of the first song. Blood/Reign in Forever is a collection of two studio sessions, one recorded before and one recorded after their essential 2002 CD Revelations. It’s furious, lightning speed death metal with Cookie Monster vocals that (for once) don’t sound tired after two songs, jaw-droppingly fast guitar riffery, and that awesome “stomping through the graveyard at night” bass and drum sound. When it comes to death metal, Vader are the kings.

YOB Catharsis (Abstract - PO Box 707, Plymouth Meeting PA 19462, http://www.abstract.com/) Holy shite, what a test this one is. A Catharsis it most definitely is; three songs span over almost 50 minutes of drawn out and surprisingly rocking sludge/stoner metal. The incessantly repetitive riff of lead-off epic “Aeons” is a 17-minute-plus endurance contest (with notable pay-off), only topped in excess by closer “Catharsis,” a 23-minuter that takes about five just to get going and then hammers us silly with another gargantuan riff that would make the likes of Sleep and Neurosis proud (although the banshee vocals may not). Sandwiched in the middle of this Armageddon purgatory is an 8-minute breeze called “Ether” that, by comparison, is a quick little sludge metal ditty that just kind of had me shaking my head. Like what’s the point of a normal song when the band can just bludgeon their stringy-haired noggins against the nearest hard, vertical surface for 40-odd minutes. Everyone associated with this band is going to be staring at boxes of Yob CDs under their beds for an eternity.

ZAO Legendary (Solid State Records - PO Box 12698, Seattle, WA 98111, http://www.solidstaterecords.com/) If this was any other band calling their best-of record Legendary, it would come across as pure ego. With the Christian metal beast known as Zao, however, it merely garners a knowing nod of approval. This band has been sitting in the clouds now for a number of years, looking down on all of the other hardcore/metal bands on the Solid State and setting the levels of complication, heaviness and pure impact. Unlike most bands doing this sound, all of the genre elements work; the change-ups stick, the fury is memorable, the vocals endlessly grate (but in a good way), and the melodic breakdowns come across organic rather than forced. I’ve never been able to figure out if these guys were preachy or not (the singer sounds like a possessed troll and you can rarely make out a word), but the music is just so damn good, it’s hard to care. A couple of the included cuts from earlier albums don’t measure up to newer material (like the amazing Parade of Chaos CD from 2002), but any misfortunes of the past are more than amended by the inclusion of three new, unreleased demos. There’s some doubt whether they will continue as a band, but this CD is proof Zao is what legends are made of.

Sound of the Beast: The Complete Headbanging History of Heavy Metal by Ian Christe (HarperEntertainment - www.harpercollins.com) Heavy metal nerds will give holiday hails to Ian Christe and his new book, “Sound of the Beast.” This 400-page look at a tragically misunderstood form of music proves that metalheads are not just brainless bangers. Christe starts at metal’s inception, some 30 years ago, in the dark, damp streets of Birmingham, with the birth of Black Sabbath. He then painstakingly details the evolution of metal. What makes it more than a history lesson is Christe’s analysis throughout. Those things blindly attached to metal -- perversity, violence, satanism, drugs -- are tackled by Christe with a clear composure that blows all anti-metal arguments out of the stratosphere. Even the church-burning Norwegian black metal scene is traced back to the shattered roots of disturbed individuals, instead of simply labeling the whole genre as violent. All of the big names are interviewed (Ozzy, Halford, Dickinson, Ulrich, Mustaine, etc.) and some rare live photos are visual compliment to Christe’s beneath-the-surface reflections. The book also includes helpful chapter summaries and trivia-style lists, something banger nerds are known to obsess over. When it comes to books about metal, “Sound of the Beast” is the perfect book to dive into over the holidays and will have headbangers exclaiming, “Yes, someone finally gets it!”

TALES FROM THE PIT #5 VHS (Metallian Productions - 1926 Contra Costa Blvd. Suite 158, Pleasant Hill CA 94523, http://www.talesfromthepit.com/)
Eighties thrash heads will be popping out of their seats when they see the line-up on this latest metal video magazine, released by husband and wife banger team Jerry and Ingrid Allen. Hosted by Death Angel’s Mark Osegueda and Vio-lence’s Sean Killian (more on him later), this latest installment of metal mayhem, for the fans and by the fans, features such lead-weight luminaries as Iron Maiden, Dio, SOD, Halford, Destruction, Kreator, Nuclear Assault, Morbid Angel, Cannibal Corpse, Deicide, In Flames, Motorhead, and The Haunted. Oh ya… and there’s more! Much, much more, actually. Other highlights include a tribute to original Exodus singer Paul Baloff, a truly one-of-a-kind and sadly missed metal spirit; as well as bits on horror maven Tom Savini; some S&M website dudette; and the hosts of “Brawlin’ Broads,” a new video series that has trailer park gals beating the shit out of each other for no other apparent reason than to be on camera half-naked and kicking ass. The cool thing about this video is the producers’ impressive grasp of all things metal (the culture as well as the music), and their tendency to ask bands the hard questions and dive headlong into controversy instead of just pandering to their heavy metal icon fantasies. We get the sense that, for once, metal fans are equal to the band members, and many of the previously unattainable metal stars come across as being candid and surprisingly down to earth. A few, like co-host Killian, just come across as stupid, spouting their needlessly mainstream right-wing views in awkward moments of ego-driven machismo. I pretty much never want to hear Vio-lence again after having to put up with Killian’s “shut up and play” intros to massively superior bands like Kreator and Destruction, whose common sense grasp of right and wrong will never bow to warmongering bullshit like “Fuck Peace” (coming soon on the new Vio-lence album). But, enough of that, this video is a ripper and will have metal nuts simultaneously hunting down old issues and anticipating the next installment.

Last issue I gave you my favorite metal albums of all time, this issue I’m divulging my 25 all-time favorite metal songs. Consider this essential heavy metal listening and the best mixed metal CDR you could ever dream of burning. Crank it up!

TOP 25 METAL SONGS OF ALL TIME

1. Black Sabbath - "War Pigs" (from: Paranoid)
2. Slayer - "Angel of Death" (from: Reign in Blood)
3. Metallica - "Damage Inc." (from: Master of Puppets)
4. Black Sabbath - "Black Sabbath" (from: Black Sabbath)
5. Celtic Frost - "Circle of the Tyrants" (from: To Mega Therion)
6. Slayer - "South of Heaven" (from: South of Heaven)7. Megadeth - "Hangar 18" (from: Rust in Peace)
8. Voivod - "Tribal Convictions" (from: Dimension Hatross)
9. Neurosis - "To Crawl Under One's Skin" (from: Souls at Zero)
10. Judas Priest - "You've Got Another Thing Coming" (from: Screaming for Vengeance)
11. Saxon - "Denim and Leather" (from: Denim and Leather)
12. Nuclear Assault - "Brainwashed" (from: Survive)
13. Megadeth - "Peace Sells…" (from: Peace Sells… But Who’s Buying?)
14. Carcass - "Heartwork" (from: Heartwork)
15. Annihilator - "Alison Hell" (from: Alice in Hell)
16. The Accused - "Bullet Ridden Bodies" (from: Grinning Like an Undertaker)
17. Razor - "Evil Invaders" (from: Evil Invaders)
18. Sacrifice - "Soldiers of Misfortune" (from: Soldiers of Misfortune)
19. Black Sabbath - "Paranoid" (from: Paranoid)
20. Black Sabbath - "The Sign of the Southern Cross" (from: The Mob Rules)
21. Metallica - "For Whom the Bell Tolls" (from: Ride the Lightning)
22. Dio - "Rainbow in the Dark" (from: Holy Diver)
23. Kreator - "One of Us" (from: Terrible Certainty)
24. Helmet – “In the Meantime” (from: Meantime)
25. Suicidal Tendencies - "You Can’t Bring Me Down” (from: Lights… Camera… Revolution)

BLACKLISTED - JUNE 2005

2009-02-10T23:29:00.001-08:00

Originally published in: Monday Magazine
www.mondaymag.com

Album: We're Unstoppable
Deathwish Inc. (www.deathwishinc.com)

Random thoughts: Too bad this band broke up last year. They were one of the few hardcore bands that mattered any more.

They’re Unstoppable
Blacklisted know true meaning of hardcore

By Jason Schreurs

I’ve written about lots of hardcore/punk bands trying to capture the essence of the hardcore scene, and how it has the ability to bring people together under the common desire to scream out against the injustices of the world. But explaining hardcore to someone who doesn’t understand it is a tough one, especially to older generations who look down upon kids who listen to loud, screaming music and complain about the anger and negativity of the lyrics. If only we could get George Hirsch, singer for Philadelphia’s Blacklisted, to set them all straight.
“Positivity lies in the person…” begins Hirsch, “but anger is a natural emotion, everyone feels angry, or just aggressive at some points in their lives. I don’t write much about the positive sides of things, mostly because I really just don’t feel positive about the state of things in my life. I’m pessimistic and I’ve grown to realize and understand it is OK to feel like that.”
Blacklisted’s latest CD, a collection of their earlier material previously available on the rapidly disappearing vinyl format, has the rather bold title of We’re Unstoppable. And while that kind of title may rub some people the wrong way, this one actually has a message of perseverance and dedication.
"Hardcore is unstoppable,” explains Hirsh, “no one person is above or below it, anyone can be into it, anyone can hate it, you have a choice, and we just chose to love it, I guess… [The album title] does have a bit of ego involved though, because it is like a laugh in the face of people that tell me or any of us we can’t do something. We can do whatever we want…”
Even with mainstream acceptance of bands slogging what is being passed off as a hardcore sound (Ontario’s Alexisonfire immediately comes to mind), true hardcore bands like Blacklisted, inspired by underground hardcore scenes in places like their hometown of Philly, aren’t as interested in mass appeal. Instead, they focus on reaching out to those who are already questioning authority, and creating an abrasive sound that forces people to perk up and take notice.
“As long as you are doing what you are feeling, someone out there will understand,” explains Hirsch, “and if 100 people hate it, but five really felt what you were saying and feel as though they can relate, then you’ve done justice to hardcore in my eyes.”

For more info, go to: myspace.com/blacklisted

Destroying the Airwaves: FAITH NO MORE -- 1992

2009-02-09T21:09:00.000-08:00

Okay, we all know that live TV appearances by bands are usually cop-outs. Either the band will play their hit song, dumb down their lyrics, or just generally put in a blah performance. I'll never forget the time I got all excited about Rage Against the Machine being on Saturday Night Live, imagining them overthrowing the system in one fell swoop, but instead being generally disappointed that the extent of their muckracking involved an upside down flag on Tom Morello's guitar amp. Huh? What? But sometimes, yes, sometimes, bands will actually try something a little different with their airtime. Dog bless 'em for it. First on our roll call; none other than the kings of awkward/thrilling live television moments, Faith No More. Watch what happens with around 1:20 left in this video. Hilarious!

GRAF ORLOCK - JULY 2007

2009-02-08T16:13:00.000-08:00

Originally published in: Monday Magazine
www.mondaymag.com

Album: Destination Time Tomorrow (Level-Plane Records)

Random thoughts: This interview was odd, especially when Justin Smith started talking about Mark Wahlberg. Still, a great band, and not your run-of-the-mill hardcore band story.

A DIFFERENT KIND OF GRINDHOUSE
GRAF ORLOCK BRING CINEMA-GRIND TO AN ALL-AGES VENUE NEAR YOU

By Jason Schreurs

Graf Orlock, one of the rare breed of hardcore/metal bands playing “cinema-grind,” originally decided to write songs about ‘80s/’90s action movies because they were “just tired of people writing terrible lyrics,” according to guitarist and vocalist Justin Smith.
“The action movie thing is just an excuse to exploit the pop culture of our childhoods,” explains Smith, “or, actually, it became interesting to take out different parts of them and focus on them, through either samples or lyrics, and highlight some of the ridiculous popular preoccupations in the US in the 1980s.”

Smith (known in Graf Orlock as “Jason Schmidt”) also handles the hilarious pre, mid, and post-song samples from movies such as The Terminator and Total Recall on the band’s latest release, Destination Time Tomorrow, eight songs of spastic, screaming grind/hardcore in well under 20 minutes.
Smith doesn’t hesitate on his favorite movie ever (the Die Hard Trilogy, featuring “one of the best action characters ever created”), and also doesn’t mince words about which bloated Hollywood actor he’d like to see accidentally saunter into one of their local Studio City, CA shows.
“Recently, Mark Wahlberg, or Marky Mark,” says Smith. “The reasons: Three Kings, Four Brothers, and, mostly, Shooter.”

It would be a lesson in bludgeoning Marky wouldn’t soon forget; these guys are known for an out of control live set that rivals any show of the golden era of late-‘90s SoCal spazz-core (think Jenny Piccolo and The Locust or, if that’s French, think unhinged mania set to ear-piercing chaos in 20 minutes or less).
“It’s kind of a pain in the ass, but always brutal in some aspect,” says Smith of their live show. “Super fun though, for us, and we always try to play on the floor so that we can be as close to people as possible, and things can happen…”

And we can’t talk about Graf Orlock without mentioning the packaging on their latest release. Quite possibly the sickest thing ever, rivaling any grindcore or death metal release, the CD comes wrapped in Alien-like face-hugger tentacles and is hiding a particularly nasty piece of female genitalia underneath.
Geez, wonder if they’ll have troubles getting that one across the border when they come to town on Sunday? “I don’t know,” says Smith, “do your border cops care about that stuff?”

Well, let’s hope Canadian customs is too confused by the concept of “cinema-grind” to inspect the band’s merchandise too closely.

For more info, go to: graforlock.com

COLISEUM - OCTOBER 2004

2009-02-06T10:39:00.000-08:00

Originally published in: Chord Magazine
www.chordmagazine.com

Album: Self-titled
(Level-Plane Records)

Random thoughts: If memory serves, this was an e-mail interview, but you sure couldn't tell. Not like you need to be told, but Coliseum are a powerhouse band. If you haven't already, check out their new one, No Salvation, on Relapse Records. Also below the Chord article are the Q&A leftovers that got posted on the Flex Your Head website.

COLISEUM
By Jason Schreurs

Here’s the dilemma: Most crusty hardcore bands seriously lack in the melody department. When was the last time anyone found themselves humming a Discharge tune in the shower? (Then again, when was the last time any Discharge listeners took a shower?)
So it was a real treat to hear Coliseum, the new band from Ryan Patterson (Black Cross, Initial Records), reviving the crust hardcore sound and adding some emo-serated edges on their self-titled debut for Level-Plane Records. Here’s some angry shit you’ll never hear in a shampoo commercial, but should.
“I wanted to do some D-beat type elements, have dirty rock elements, classic punk, catchy choruses that weren't cheesy...,” begins Patterson. “Just write songs that built upon my influences. Some of my absolute favorite bands are The Replacements, Seaweed, Gray Matter, so melody is always a part of what I do, even if it's unintentional. Actually, for me, writing heavy music is more challenging than writing melodic music.”
Patterson, who can perpetually be found slogging away 12-hour days at Initial and carrying a lot of the weight of the Louisville hardcore scene on his shoulders, was waiting for the right moment to inject his everyday angst into another band. When his main gig, riffing and back-vocalizing in Black Cross, found some downtime, the impetus to start Coliseum became quite clear to him.
“I was slipping into Travis Bickle mode and realized I needed an outlet,” explains Patterson. “I wanted to play in a fucking pissed-off punk band.”
And I’m to assume the chance to release those pent-up emotions and anxieties about a world gone totally mad has been somewhat therapeutic?
“Sometimes getting onstage and opening up gets really hard, sometimes I freak out and freak the audience out, and sometimes everything clicks and it's beautiful... It's been a really intense ride so far, and I know there's even more on the way.”
*******************************************************************

Originally published in: Flex Your Head
www.flexyourhead.net

COLISEUM

Anyone familiar with the Louisville, KY hardcore scene instantly recognizes the name Ryan Patterson from his work with Initial Records, Black Cross, The National Acrobat, and many other excellent bands. So make sure his new band, Coliseum, doesn’t slip under your radar due to a slightly generic sounding name. A damn impressive combo of crusty hardcore and melodic punk, this band is the perfect melt of Discharge-style noise with Patterson’s love of melody shining through. And those amazing, rusty pipes should make him top candidate to carry the torch of the quickly withering Lemmy in the raunchy vocals department. Patterson needed another outlet and found it with this amazing band. But damn, I’m getting ahead of myself. I’ll let him explain…

Jason Schreurs interviewed vocalist/guitarist Ryan Patterson in late September, 2004.

I know you play in another band (Black Cross) and keep busy with Initial Records. What was the motivation and impetus to form another band, Coliseum?
Emotional turmoil? Social disgust? Too much time at home alone? I sang for the very first bands I did back in high school and I guess in the back of my mind was that desire to get up and have the chance to rant and rave again. Black Cross was becoming less and less active due to [his brother] Evan [Patterson] being busy with Breather Resist and Rob being busy with family and career life... I was really busy with work at Initial, freelance design stuff, and setting up shows in Louisville... But I was feeling like my dreams were slipping away from me as I worked harder and harder to facilitate the dreams and enjoyment of others via doing a ton of local shows and working 12-hour days at Initial. Around this time I was also feeling more emotional upheaval than I had in a long time, I was lonely and angry and getting really sick with the world around me... I wrote my cousin Matt to see if he knew any drummers, he said he'd like to try it out (he'd never played drums in a band before). So he went and bought a kit, I called Tony and Keith, we convened in the garage and I got aggro. I really felt like I had to either start this band or slam my head into a brick wall...

Who are the other guys you are playing with and how does playing with them differ from your other bands?
Well, Matt Jaha is the drummer, he's my cousin. I remember when he was born, I used to babysit him and his siblings (I'm six years older). In many ways we grew up together and shared many family experiences together. I introduced him to a lot of music, he saw our bands play before he'd ever started his own. So being in the band with him has been really great, to get to know him as a person and not just an extended family member has been wonderful. This is the first band he's played drums for and he fucking rages. He's also recently taken over drums for Black Cross. Tony Ash plays guitar. Tony has been in many cool Louisville bands that never quite took off. I knew he was into DC bands and Marshall amps, so I'd had my eye on him for years. He also was a big fan of The National Acrobat, so I knew he was down with the program. Tony's the man of a zillion riffs. Keith Bryant plays bass. Keith has been one of my absolute best friends since we were 13 years old. We played in our first bands together and we've grown up together. He's one of the most important people in my life, so it made sense to get him along on this adventure.

You have nailed the perfect mix of crust hardcore and emo-serated edges. Was it difficult to combine the heavy with the melodic, and how did you find the experience of writing this album?
Writing a first record is always infinitely easier than writing subsequent releases... There are no expectations, just new ideas, just you in your room playing guitar or in the garage hashing it out with some other people. There wasn't a specific game plan... I wanted to do some D-beat type elements, have dirty rock elements, classic punk, catchy choruses that weren't cheesy... Just write songs that built upon my influences. Some of my absolute favorite bands are The Replacements, Seaweed, Gray Matter, so melody is always a part of what I do, even if it's unintentional. Actually, for me, writing heavy music is more challenging than writing melodic music. I want to have vocals and music that stick in your head, but not in a bullshit pop way -- in the way that Ramones or Stooges or even Black Flag songs will become instantly memorable. Those bands didn't force it, but their songs grabbed you by the throat. But, this is actually all more of an afterthought. In the beginning I wrote a few songs, taught them to the guys, we all wrote a bunch more songs together, I wrote some words and sang 'em. We set up and recorded at my house and the record was done. Simple.

What's it like living in Louisville and how does the scene there influence your music?
Louisville is very, very mellow. People are nice, life is simple, it's cool. When I'm home I often don't even need to leave more than a 10-mile radius, just about everything I need is contained in one area -- guitar shops, health food stores, record stores, mechanic, my office, theatres, etc. There's an amazing sense of community here that extends beyond just the people in the music scene, but on into local businesses and even local government (except some of Louisville's police force which is completely fucked). I think for the most part I've drawn my greatest musical inspiration from outside of Louisville, but it's the people in the scene that really inspire me. There are really wonderful people involved here from the young punks on up to the eldest rockers. I mean, how cool is it that I put out a record for Peter from Squirrel Bait, I'm in a band with Rob from Endpoint, I rent videos at Todd from Slint's store, Jason from Sebadoh recorded our album, we record sometimes at Chris from Lords' studio, Evan from Black Cross/Breather Resist prints our shirts, etc, etc. That's fucking cool -- that's community! Louisville rules.

So, you finally got a band where you sing, play guitar, and write the songs. Must be a blast, eh?
Fuck yeah. The other guys are absolutely a huge part of the band, but I knew that if the band sucked it would fall completely on my shoulders. But, with the amazing positive reaction and support we've gotten so far, it makes me feel wonderful. Sometimes getting onstage and opening up gets really hard, sometimes I freak out and freak the audience out, and sometimes everything clicks and it's beautiful... It certainly is a fucking blast.

For more info, go to: www.coliseumsoundsystem.com

THRICE - AUGUST 2008

2009-02-04T19:36:00.000-08:00

Originally published in: Wonka Vision Magazine
www.wonkavisionmagazine.com

Album: The Alchemy Index
(Vagrant Records)

Random thoughts: This long piece was originally intended to be a cover story for Chord Magazine, but Chord went on hiatus right when that issue was supposed to come out. There I was left with a cover story and no magazine. I was working for Wonka Vision at the time as Managing Editor and Justin, the publisher, agreed to print this as their cover story. Needless to say, J-Dog saved the day. This story was a theme piece on Thrice's charity work and was definitely a labor of love.

THRICE
CHARITY AND ALCHEMY

By Jason Schreurs

It didn’t take long for the members of Thrice to see the impact their charity work was having on the communities and world around them.
When the Orange County melodic hardcore band sold 100,000 copies of their second album, The Illusion of Safety, their label at the time, Sub-City, wanted to do something special. So they planned a Thrice show at A Place Called Home, the boys and girls club in South Central LA that the band had chosen to donate partial proceeds of that album’s sales to.
Louis Posen, owner of Sub-City, made “fool’s gold” records to give to the band as a lark, but the presentation that really mattered that night was to the kids at A Place Called Home. A music scholarship was created in Thrice’s name and given to some of the kids in the center’s music program.
“It was one of the times when I knew for sure we were doing the right thing,” remembers bass player Ed Breckenridge, as he collects his thoughts. “I mean, I know it is the right thing anyway, but I could actually see it in action… and it was awesome.”
Five years, three albums, and two record labels later, the band—Breckenridge, his older brother Riley on drums, vocalist/guitarist Dustin Kensrue, and guitarist Teppei Teranishi—continue to donate to a carefully chosen charity with each of their releases. But all four members fondly remember that night at A Place Called Home where they felt that, in some small way, they had made a difference.
“It was really cool to see these kids that, who knows what they would have been doing if they didn’t have a place to go and get involved in music,” remembers Riley. “The kids were so excited about playing music and being in a band, and that took me back to when we started our band.”
As a young punk/hardcore group, it was Sub-City’s Posen that opened Thrice’s eyes to using the band as an instrument for social change. When Posen told them they could either sign to Hopeless Records, his main label, or the Sub-City imprint, which donates a small portion of each CD sold to a charity of the band’s picking, the choice seemed obvious. The individual members of Thrice had always been involved in charity work, but may not have followed the same path with the band if it weren’t for Posen’s influence.
“I don’t think we would have understood that it was possible as a band,” explains Ed. “When he gave us the choice, it seemed right. He created the model and we’ve been able to continue that. I’m very glad he did it and I’m proud of Louis for creating that.”
Since then, Thrice have continued to select a charity for each release, even after leaving Sub-City (the label recently celebrated $1 million in money raised through CD sales, many of which were Thrice records). Thrice has made significant donations to many different charities while following their path to Island Records for two albums, and their recent signing to Vagrant Records for a pair of double EP releases, The Alchemy Index.
“It was definitely Louis that opened our eyes to how easy it is to get involved. You don’t have to be Bono or sitting on piles of money and donate millions of dollars to charity to make a difference. You can donate a small amount, or your time, or your skills,” says Riley.
The band have held benefit shows, sold exclusive merchandise for charity, and done everything else in their power to try to effect change in the lives of others. Still, they don’t consider themselves a political band. The band’s lyrics do address social issues, but they hope everyone will ultimately make their own decisions. And all the better if fans get exposed to some of the causes the band supports.
“We’re not a preachy band,” says Ed. “Maybe indirectly we’d like to help a movement or get bands to give more, but mostly it’s just our way of giving back on a personal level.”
Thrice’s members came from fairly stable backgrounds and feel fortunate to be able to help the needy. The process of choosing a charity for their next release isn’t too tough, since there’s an abundance of worthwhile organizations that could use help. Donating part of their album sales has become, as guitarist Teranishi puts it, a “no-brainer.”
“We’re very grateful for being in the kind of situation we’re in,” adds Riley, “and it’s definitely not something we take for granted, so when we are presented with the opportunity to help someone who is less fortunate, it’s an easy choice to get involved.”
After the success of their Island Records debut, The Artist in the Ambulance, Thrice had enough clout to headline summer punk festivals and bring a strong following along with them. When their Island follow-up, Vheissu, hit in 2005, the band’s fan-base became more fervent, but they never quite hit it big. And without extra money coming in (all four members use the band as a primary income), donating part of their profits is a selfless act, and a somewhat questionable one financially.
“It’s definitely a sacrifice. I think any giving is. But we started doing this before we had any money,” chuckles Kensrue, “so I think we’ve gotten used to it. We’re not rich in comparison to other musicians, but we’re making ends meet.”
Teranishi puts it more bluntly: “We are giving away our personal money, but compared to 90 percent of the world, and living the way I do, I don’t feel like I have the right to complain about that.”
Island used to match Thrice’s donations to a certain amount, but they decided not to pursue this arrangement with their new label, Vagrant. Instead, the band is taking control of their charity work and leaving the label out of it.
“We’re taking the charity thing into our own hands. It always ended up getting really complicated, especially when we were dealing with a major label,” explains Riley. “Since we’re the ones who want to make the donation, it’s going to come entirely from our pocket and it’s not going to involve the label at all. It’s nothing to do with them being reluctant or anything. We didn’t even bring it up.”
The concept of do-it-yourself not only applies to the band’s charity work, but also the creation of their latest endeavor, the ultra-ambitious four-EP set, The Alchemy Index. Featuring six songs on each of the four discs (released in two installments), and representing the elements of earth, air, water, and fire, the project was recorded and produced solely by the band.
“The idea was to make something more aesthetic, and it cuts down on profits a little,” chuckles Kensrue nervously, “but it’s important to us to have the product and the package presented in the way we wanted to.”
Uncompromising in their vision, the band made the decision to stagger the two double EPs by six months so listeners could absorb the material slowly. “In the end we decided it would be an overload of music to release 24 songs at once,” says Kensrue.
Thrice also obsessed over what would be on each record, how the theme or mood would play out, and how strictly they would stick to the elements, lyrically and musically. The first two EPs, Fire and Water, sound appropriate to their moods; Fire is a heavy, riff-laden disc, and Water is flowing and electronic-sounding. All four discs represent different aspects of the band’s sound, which has progressed over the years.
“Because we split it up like that in four parts, we were really able to push further in each direction, and really extend into different styles of music,” explains Teranishi.
For the first two volumes of The Alchemy Index, the band chose the Blood:Water Mission as its charity. The group does work in Africa to help communities with clean water and AIDS relief.
Other than promoting the organizations they raise money for and trying to spread awareness, Thrice aren’t interested in tooting their own horns when it comes to their charity work.
“I always have mixed feelings about publicizing any of this,” says Kensrue, “but the reason I keep making it public is because I want to get the word out about these different charities. My hope is that it inspires other bands and just people in general.”
Donating to charity has become a big part of Thrice over the years; and it’s something they aren’t interested in changing any time soon.
“People are sometimes discouraged to give because they don’t have that much money and they are just trying to make ends meet," says Kensrue, who pauses, then adds, “but if you are consistently giving, it changes the way you view money, and it changes the way you view other people.”

For more info, go to: www.thrice.net

Thrice: The Donation Index

Since they started in 1996, Thrice—vocalist/guitarist Dustin Kensrue, guitarist Teppei Teranishi, drummer Riley Breckenridge, and bassist Ed Breckenridge—have donated to many charities. On their first album, Identity Crisis, the band was asked by their label at the time, Sub-City, to pick a charity to donate to. Since then, Thrice have continued to pick one to accompany each release.

Album: Identity Crisis
Charity: Crittenton Services for Women and Children
Helping children and young adults through abuse and neglect, Crittenton Services in Fullerton, CA was an organization the band could easily get behind. Harbor Campus, a division of Crittenton, gives children access to many programs, such as art, music, and sports. “We did a little acoustic show for the kids that were staying there. They were just excited to see some live music and to talk to us, and that was actually a lot of fun,” remembers Kensrue.
More info: kidsmatter.org

Album: Illusion of Safety
Charity: A Place Called Home
A Place Called Home is a center for at-risk and impoverished youth in South Central LA which includes a music program with instruments and a recording studio. The centre created a youth music scholarship in Thrice’s name. “The contribution we made was so small, but we were able to do something to make those kids so happy,” says Riley.
More info: apch.org

Album: The Artist in the Ambulance
Charity: The Syrentha J. Savio Endowment (SSE)
Run by Mark Beemer, a close friend of the band, SSE provides financial assistant to low income women fighting breast cancer. SSE raises funds through a variety of different projects, such as the Shirts for a Cure Project (go to merchnow.com/shirtsforacure for exclusive t-shirt designs from Thrice and other bands). “One of the most memorable things we’ve done with them is the Race for a Cure. We’ve participated in [the race] as a band twice, and it was an amazing experience,” says Teranishi.
More info: syrentha.org

Album: Vheissu
Charity: 826 Valencia
Founded by Bay Area writer Dave Eggers, who also did the cover art for Vheissu, 826 Valencia helps students in San Francisco with their writing skills. “It made sense that we were working together with [Eggers] on the artwork, and he had a cool charity, so we decided to support it,” says Teranishi.
More info: 826valencia.com

Album: Vheissu
Charity: Invisible Children
Thrice also did a number of benefit shows supporting Vheissu to raise funds for the documentary film Invisible Children, a behind-the-scenes look at the exploitation of Ugandan children. “We were out on tour and Tim from Underoath knew the filmmakers,” explains Riley. “He passed along the DVD to us, and I just remember watching it on the bus and being blown away. It was so moving.”
More info: invisiblechildren.com

Album: The Alchemy Index, Vol. 1 and 2
Charity: Blood: Water Mission
Founded by Christian band Jars of Clay, this organizations helps African villages with clean water and AIDS relief. “It’s about making sustainable progress in those communities,” explains Kensrue, “and not go in and be all Western, like, ‘Here’s this big, new thing,’ but about empowering communities to take ownership of the wells they are building and things like that. It’s actually creating a better environment for the communities’ future.” The band is currently deciding on a charity for the second part of The Alchemy Index, out this Spring.
More info: bloodwatermission.com

THE CONSTANTINES - MAY 2006

2009-02-03T16:20:00.000-08:00

Originally published in: Monday Magazine

www.mondaymag.com

Album: Tournament of Hearts

(Sub-Pop)

Random thoughts: Interviewed them before I ever saw them live. Liked their stuff, but wasn't a big fan. Everything changed once I saw their show.

The Constantines

Getting ready for the make out

By Jason Schreurs

Good news and bad news for fans of Toronto’s indie rock powerhouse The Constantines. First, the bad: The band has not started writing a follow-up to 2005’s pulsating Tournament of Hearts. Now, the good: They have talked about which direction their next record will go. Quick, grab your partner, sounds like they will be setting the mood for a little romance.

“We’ll probably just try to make a really good make out record,” says guitarist/vocalist Bryan Webb. “But it depends on what you like to make out to, so it will have to have that dynamic arc that making out has in the best of situations.”

Sort of makes you wonder where this delicious little make out record idea came from, and how much of it is based on personal experience.

“Yeah, yeah… sure,” Webb pauses, laughs nervously, then clears his throat, “it’s based a fair amount of personal experience.”

Between personal make out sessions, the Ontario quintet have taken a workhorse approach to writing kinetic, angular indie rock inspired by DC post-hardcore bands like Hoover and Nation of Ulysses, but also by rock and soul classics like Rolling Stones and James Brown. Throw in a lifelong obsession with Neil Young’s Crazy Horse (members play in a tribute band called Horsey Craze) and the result is one of Canada’s best rock bands. A rock band whose fans can’t wait for what comes next.

“I think [the new one will be] the next logical step. People called Tournament of Hearts a bit of a burnout record. From there, you want to go romantic, maybe, so…” he pauses again and laughs. “I don’t know; that’s my thinking on it.”

Until then, the band will continue to impress with their live shows; usually a mélange of improvisation that helps them maintain freshness with material they have played many, many times.

“It’s a means of keeping things interesting for us and it’s also something a lot of the bands we love do,” explains Webb. “Things are drawn out and the songs have a different life every time they are performed; it’s just so much more interesting than playing the same structure every night. Sometimes things just go in terrible directions; which is kind of funny, but still interesting.”

As for their show at Lucky Bar next Wednesday, Webb says their set will be “interesting” and a “revue” of their discography (he humbly hesitates to say “greatest hits”). But more importantly, will it include any making out?

“Yeah, well, hopefully,” chuckles Webb. “We’ll see. We’ll try and make it romantic for the people of Victoria. It will probably be pretty sweaty, if you’re into that kind of thing.”

For more info, go to: myspace.com/constantines

WARBRINGER - AUGUST 2008

2009-02-03T09:58:00.000-08:00

Originally published in: Monday Magazine

www.mondaymag.com

Album: War without End

(Century Media)

Random thoughts: Yeah, it's always a blast interviewing the metal dudes, especially when they start talking about German thrash legends Kreator unprovoked. Now that's my kind of interview!

The Psychology of Thrash

Warbringer bang heads and take no prisoners

By Jason Schreurs

Let’s face it, thrash metal isn’t for everyone. And John Kevill, vocalist for California thrash maniacs Warbringer, is quick to agree.

“The average Joe isn’t into blazing thrash metal or anything,” explains Kevill. “The whole idea behind thrash is it’s supposed to be a riff-driven rollercoaster ride. And most thrash is all about war, death, violence, and evil. But if you’re watching Predator you don’t want to see a love scene with Arnold Schwarzenegger. Fuck no; you want to see him kicking as much ass as possible, all the time. And that’s what thrash does in music form.”

The Ventura, CA five-piece has effortlessly scaled the heap of bands leading a thrash metal resurgence. Although these guys are still young (Kevill is 21), they face the same stereotypes that thrash forefathers like Metallica, Slayer, and Testament battled in their early years. That thrash is just a phase; that it’s mindless noise played by talentless rejects.

“I think that’s bullshit, because thrash is like metal’s equivalent of the blues,” argues Kevill. “There’s a specific set of parameters to still be a full-on thrash band. But within that mold there’s endless variations, and the art is getting the tempo changes just right, getting the right riffs to go off each other in the right way… at the very least, thrash musicians have to be able to play at consistently high tempos, and it’s not something that just anybody can do.”

The key, according to Kevill, is to look past the extreme imagery (the band’s debut album title, War without End, says it all) and see thrash for what it is—the musical equivalent of a well-crafted action movie put to tape.

“And if you say, ‘Oh, this is just kid’s stuff.’ No, a lot of it is carefully arranged and thought out from a musical standpoint,” he says.

In fact, thrash metal is so respected in indie rock and hardcore/punk circles that a disturbing trend of “ironic metal” bands has littered the metal arena the past few years, causing severe annoyance to diehards like Kevill.

“A lot of times I’ll hear some indie rock kid say, ‘Oh yeah, that’s cool, that’s cool. Ha ha.’ And a lot of these guys probably couldn’t play one song off any Kreator album. Not even close. And let alone a whole set of it. It’s like, ‘You think it’s easy. Okay, now do it tight. And keep it double-timed because doing it half-timed is for wimps!’”

For more info, go to: myspace.com/warbringer

QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE - MARCH 2005

2009-02-03T00:35:00.000-08:00

Album: Lullabies to Paralyze

(Interscope)

Random thoughts: Here's one of the many times I've "flipped" an interview to more than one magazine. The key here is deciding on a slightly different angle and not overlapping the quotes. The first piece was for Chord, the second for Caustic Truths, a horrible rag of a glossy that seems to have called it quits, thankfully. Notice the second article delves more into the whole Nick Oliveri fiasco. As for Josh Homme, well, he was actually a real hoot to interview. I've heard countless stories about him being a big dick, but he was humble, funny, and charming to yours truly. Unless he was just putting me on...

Originally published in: Chord Magazine

Queens of the Stone Age
Lullabies for the deaf, from the desert

By Jason Schreurs

If it was up to Josh Homme, leader of Queens of the Stone Age, he’d probably never leave the desert.

“I’ve actually been at home for the longest I’ve been in 14 years. I’ve been at home for a year or so,” says Homme from his home-base in Joshua Tree, CA.

Homme has been working hard on a new Queens album, Lullabies to Paralyze, in the legendary Rancho de la Luna studio. He’s also been trying to relax since coming off a whirlwind of touring, the firing of longtime bassist Nick Oliveri, and going into a self-imposed cultural vacuum.

As the touring machine rumbles back to life to promote an album sans-Oliveri, Homme may not be happy about leaving his comfortable surroundings, but is content he’s made the music he wanted to make.

“You’re supposed to make your favorite music,” he insists. “It seems like people are running from their music and they are making it for someone else, and I just didn’t learn it that way.”

Homme grew up in Palm Desert, CA, forming stoner rock purveyors Kyuss with Oliveri in the early ‘90s when they were teenagers. Homme speaks affectionately for what has become know as the “desert scene,” one he’s nurtured with the popular Desert Sessions series. It’s a scene that has always preached individuality.

“The whole desert scene is like that,” says Homme. “Man, when we were kids, if you didn’t play your favorite music and, on top of that, if it sounded like anyone else, you were fucked. I mean, you’d basically get ostracized.”
After the runaway success of their last album, Songs for the Deaf, and the subsequent ejection of Oliveri, high pressure surrounded the release of the new Queens album. Homme, however, doesn’t seem phased with the lofty anticipation of Lullabies to Paralyze.

“Well, I want people to like it, but how many people like it, those are the things I just don’t have any control over,” states Homme calmly. “I’m also okay with people that don’t dig it. I know that I love this record and so it’s already a success for me; and the rest is not shit that I should be worried about.”

Queens are currently a three-piece -– Homme, drummer Joey Castillo (ex-Danzig), and guitarist Troy Van Leeuwen (ex-A Perfect Circle) -- with Desert Sessions member Alain Johannes playing bass on the new album and guitar tech “Dan Druff” handling bass on their current tour. There’s been no rush to find a permanent bassist to replace Oliveri.

A loose cannon on and off stage, Oliveri frustrated and angered the mellower Homme with his violent and erratic behavior. According to Homme, recording the calmer Lullabies without the presence of Oliveri became a liberating experience.

“There was a part of me that felt free,” he confides, “but, at the same time, we never really talked about Nick. And not because it was a taboo subject, it wasn’t that big of a deal when we were making the record.”

It seems unlikely, but rumors have Oliveri returning to the band. Either way, the two have patched things up, Homme recently contributing to Oliveri’s longtime project Mondo Generator. But when Oliveri was turfed, a media circus ensued when all Homme wanted to do was focus on recording new songs. It was at this point Homme decided to hole the band away and get down to business.

“Too much attention was put on the fact Nick and I weren’t understanding each other,” he explains. “So I said a few times, ‘We’re not going to make a record for a couple of months,’ but we were already in the studio. It just felt like we needed to do this without being under the watchful eye of anybody.”

The result is the most listenable Queens album yet, Homme’s smooth voice commanding attention for 14 lengthy but varied songs. It’s a departure from previous efforts, especially Songs for the Deaf, but Homme is all about moving forward. “The first three records were learning certain things, and this is almost the exorcizing of everything that got learned.”

In a defining moment, guitar legend Billy Gibbons (ZZ Top) showed up at the studio to play guitar on one song from Lullabies to Paralyze. Now that must have been a thrill.

“Man, as we would say down here, ‘It was tits!’ I learned more shit in one day than I have in years,” beams Homme.

But the days of hanging out in the desert with the likes of Gibbons have been put on hold until the touring machine settles back down and the road-dogs in Queens decide it’s time for another break. Before leaving for a US tour, Homme is having trouble getting psyched up, settled in to a comfortable life in the desert.

“I’m hoping I’ll be excited once it starts,” he grasps. “I think I learned a subtle, different way to live down here and I’m totally digging it.”

Originally published in: Caustic Truths

(Defunct? God, I hope so.)

Queens of the Stone Age
Finding solace in the desert

By Jason Schreurs

The first thing Queens of the Stone Age frontman Josh Homme needed to do in order to focus on the band’s latest album, Lullabies to Paralyze, was to hole himself up in his desert ranch recording studio, and just get away from the rest of the world. So who was he trying to distance himself from?

Was it eager fans urgently awaiting the first Queens album after the parting of longtime bassist Nick Oliveri, record labels rubbing their hands together for the next “No One Knows” to slog to rock radio, or the watchful eyes of Oliveri himself?

“Just anybody else, you know,” shrugs Homme, deflecting the question. “We’ve made records for ourselves for a long time and now’s the wrong time to change that. It just doesn’t make sense to now do it for another reason.”

Despite having a mission to produce the record he wanted to make without any outside influence, recording in the infamous Rancho de la Luna studio, home to Homme’s popular Desert Session series, must have been a bit strange without the overbearing presence of notorious wildman Oliveri. So, was it weird not having Nick there during the recording process?

“I’ve made records without Nick before,” states Homme. “So, if the question is: Was it weird? Not really. If the question is: Was it hard? The answer is no.”

Despite a nasty break-up of the two Queens mainstays, Homme and Oliveri (who also played together in stoner rock purveyors Kyuss) have since patched things up. In fact, rumors have been swirling about a possible return of Oliveri to the Queens fold. For now though, Homme isn’t letting on, although he does confirm the two are again on a friendly basis. In fact, he’s gonna record four tracks on the new album by Oliveri’s longtime Mondo Generator project.

“I was at his house four days ago,” quips Homme, “so I think it’s more about what other people don’t understand, than it is about what Nick and I understand.”

One thing that is clear is the latest album by Queens of the Stone Age is not an attempt to recreate the elements left behind when Oliveri exited the band. This album is very much Homme; stacked with his falsetto vocals, mellow meanderings, and some of the most pleasing riffs from the band to date. And, sorry Oliveri fans, not a shred of screaming.

When all is said and done, Lullabies to Paralyze hasn’t rewritten the book on rock, but it’s got amazing subtleties to add to the rock and roll formula. According to Homme, his goal wasn’t to make revolutionary rock, but to find a way to add his magic touch to an already established sound.

“I think people are always like, ‘I’m a snowflake,’” he says, “and, well, not really, you know? You have to articulate the very few things about you that are different.”

Since the previous Queens album, Songs for the Deaf, got so damn huge, it’s interesting to hear Homme’s perspective on the runaway success of the album, and the strange turn of events that had “No One Knows” cranking out of every monster truck and muscle car in North America. So, did he have an inkling that song would break as big as it did?

“I thought that song was special,” he says, “but I think I got accustomed to thinking, ‘This song is special, but people aren’t going to realize that, because they never have before.’ You get a sort of weird, squishy comfort in failure, especially when failure is determined by a record label.”

And was it strange for a dude who built his career on self-indulgence and music for art’s sake to be pulled into the swirling hype machine that had his band pandered to the mainstream?

“I let go of my punk rock guilt when I started Queens,” he insists. “Because that shit… is not up to me, man. I’m not necessarily playing this game under those rules, if shit’s gotta blow up, it’s gotta blow up, but my goal isn’t to be in U2.”

While the new album doesn’t have an immediate hit single like “No One Knows” on it (radio has grabbed the simplistic “Little Sister” as its choice), it is chock full of songs that Homme holds near and dear to his heart. Out of the 14 tracks, album closer “Long Slow Goodbye” gives him the same special feeling as “No One Knows” from the last record, despite being a

completely different kind of song.

“’Long Slow Goodbye’ is a song that I’m probably most proud of out of all the songs I’ve written,” he claims. “It’s honest and for real, and just a tight little song. I don’t know if the kids are going to buy, buy, buy, but it means a lot to me and I’m proud of it.”

Now that Queens of the Stone Age have entered a new chapter without Oliveri, Homme is not focusing on the past. But, you gotta wonder, does he ever miss his formative musical years, like when he was finding his path through the groundbreaking sounds of Kyuss?

“I appreciate the days of being in that band, but I don’t sit at home and go, ‘God, I wish, man…’” says Homme. “Because I loved every minute of those days while it was going on, so it doesn’t make me have any regrets or think the past is better than the present. I’m much more about now than I am about future and past.”

Rock on, Mr. Homme.

For more info, go to www.qotsa.com

CURSED - APRIL 2005

2009-02-02T11:36:00.000-08:00

Originally published in: Monday Magazine

www.mondaymag.com

Album: Two

(Goodfellow Records)

Random thoughts: Cursed broke up last year. Shitty deal. And all that stuff about them being really loud when they played live? Not an exaggeration. At all.

Throat lozenge, anyone?

Damaged vocal chords and busted eardrums with Cursed

By Jason Schreurs

Cursed screamer Chris Colohan is sounding like he blew a gasket or two on the Toronto metal/hardcore band’s recent jaunt through Europe and the US. And as long as he hasn’t completely annihilated his throat, he should be good to go for their upcoming batch of shows heading back across Canada.

“I don’t want to have to go to the doctor, but I’m sure I’ll find out one day,” says Colohan. “But it’s our hearing that’s probably going to go first.”

True enough. Cursed, featuring longtime members of the Toronto hardcore scene and bands like Left for Dead and The Swarm, has become known for being one of Canada’s loudest bands, often bringing with them more guitar and bass cabinets than most eardrums can handle. But it’s Colohan’s raging vocals that sound the most inhuman.

“I kind of have to wreck my voice to make it work. I have to fuck it up and then it’s okay,” says Colohan about his unique technique and corresponding devil scream. “I don’t think I ever knew what the hell I was doing and I don’t really think I do now. I just kind of scream my fucking head off and the chips fall where they do.”

Complimenting the band’s Motorhead meets Black Flag mayhem this time out is a nasty, dirty, raw (and completely analog, to boot) production sound for their second full-length, aptly titled Two, on Goodfellow Records out of Hamilton.

The throbbing racket comes courtesy of one Ian Blurton, best known for his production work with The Weakerthans, and the latest in a long line of his own bands, C’mon. Who, incidentally, Colohan has roadied for in the past. Cosmic Cursed connections, indeed.

“[Blurton] just has a really good grip on what we’re already trying to do and helped us focus into something a little more… I can’t say polished, because nothing we’re ever gonna do will come out that polished, but we’re all really happy with the way it turned out,” he says.

When Cursed hits town Tuesday, one thing avid record collector Colohan looks forward to, besides a soothing cup of tea, is a visit to Turntable, Victoria’s most authentic vinyl emporium. But better make that a short visit.

“That place is dangerous,” he laughs. “I’ve got to be careful with my money when I go in there.”

For more info, go to yourfuckingfuneral.blogspot.com

THURSDAY - MAY 2006

2009-02-02T10:18:00.000-08:00

Originally published in: Chord Magazine

chordmagazine.com

Album: A City by the Light Divided

(Island)

Random thoughts: Chord Magazine is now defunct (or on permanent hiatus), but this was part of one of their Warped Tour issues. Geoff Rickly was a pleasant chap, and really, really wanted to talk about his "grindcore" project, United Nations, which didn't end up coming out for another two-and-a-half years. That, my friends, is why you never let an artist push your story angle.

THURSDAY

A tale of two cities merged as one

By Jason Schreurs

Back with a monumental new album called A City by the Light Divided, Thursday will be one of the main draws at this year’s Warped Tour. After spending a year and a half away from the limelight, the New Jersey quintet has emerged with an album that challenges their anxious listeners. And while it might not dispel their “depressing-core” tag, A City by the Light Divided will definitely reward those who invest in it.

“I was reading this book called I Hate Myself and I Want to Die in the bookstore the other day, and it was listing the most depressing songs ever,” says a surprisingly cheery Geoff Rickly, “and in the last chapter it listed who was going to carry the torch or whatever, and it said, ‘There are a few bands who are very depressing, especially Bright Eyes and Thursday.’ That just made me laugh. I felt like I was in good company.”

The singer spent the past two years warding off breakup rumors, but claims the band’s future was never in question. Touring for five years straight before, during, and after the release of the stalwart War All the Time took its toll on the members, but picking up after an extended break to start work on their new album came naturally, especially after locking in with noted producer Dave Friddman (The Flaming Lips, Sleater-Kinney). The choice of Friddman came in small part from Rickly’s love of Sleater-Kinney’s most recent album, The Woods.

“I loved the production on that album because it was so daring to be that crazy sounding,” explains Rickly. “And when I heard the live version of [Sleater-Kinney’s] ‘The Fox’ I realized it was the noise that made the song so rocking. Without it, it seemed very anemic… Now our record actually has a lot of the characteristics of the stuff I love and listen to all of the time.”

Fridmann and the members of Thursday hammered out A City by the Light Divided in six weeks “instead of the seven months it took to record War All the Time,” stresses Rickly. The band came away with a record that should make a natural transition this summer at Warped.

“The noisiness of the record is more like we are live, so it’s more suited to us playing it live,” says Rickly.

The new album was actually planned as a double album, reflective of the duality of human nature. Each disc was going to represent a different side of humanity. But plans to pursue the double album were scrapped when Rickly had an important revelation.

“We were working on the record and I remembered listening to Smashing Pumpkins’ Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness when I was a kid and thinking, ‘This song kind of sucks. I’m not into this part and I really want to hear the song that comes three after this.’ I mean, I’d love to have all of the extra songs as b-sides, but I remember thinking if they had made just one record, it would have been their best record. It would have killed Siamese Dream. But because it was a double, it didn’t.”

After selecting the key songs from each record the band was pleased to discover the theme of duality remained; a tale of two very different cities fueled by human nature. They also had a slew of b-sides to release later.

“Even though we condensed it down to one really good record, there were five songs from the first disc and five songs from the second disc. So it was still very much a record about duality. After we realized that, Dave Fridmann had us record an instrumental in the middle. So it turned out, in a really cool way, to be the record we had originally intended to make, just shorter… and better,” laughs Rickly.

The question is will longtime fans latch onto a record so textured and noisy? There’s already been backlash from those who prefer the band’s cleaner production sound and simpler songwriting on earlier albums like Full Collapse.

“People’s expectations are colored with nostalgia for something they already love. But I think we’re getting better. I think Full Collapse almost sounds like a cartoon compared to how vivid the new record is. Maybe people will only accept our new records once they become nostalgic for them. So, eventually we’ll have records that people like,” he jokes.

As for playing this year’s Warped, Rickly is excited to get back on the mainstage of a festival he believes is stronger than ever.

“If you’d asked me last year, I probably would have said I didn’t know how vital [Warped] is. But this year I feel like the lineup is so strong and so good, and kinda classy, so I’m really impressed with them for putting this one together.”

For more info, go to thursday.net

PROPAGANDHI - JUNE 2004

2009-02-02T00:06:00.000-08:00

Originally published in: Flex Your Head

flexyourhead.net

Album: Today's Empires, Tomorrow's Ashes

(Fat Wreck Chords/G7 Welcoming Committee)

Random thoughts: Flex Your Head was a great hardcore website to post longer Q&As from interviews I did for print mags. They have since changed to a simple playlist blog for the radio show of the same name. In the case of this interview, I specifically bent Chris Hannah from Propagandhi's ear for an extra half hour about metal, just because it was awesome to talk to another skid about old thrash, and because I knew Hannah would be more than willing.

PROPAGANDHI

By Jason Schreurs

When I recently got asked to write about Propagandhi for a metal magazine, I decided to use the opportunity to chat with singer/guitarist Chris Hannah about growing up on metal and the ‘80s thrash that helped shape our formative years. Hannah and I both spent our ‘80s youth huddled around the stereo, decked out in hilarious looking metal t-shirts, listening to Slayer, D.R.I., Venom, and the likes. Unfortunately, metal has taken a turn for the worse since then, especially in the past few years when everything classic has become trendy. The result? To be cool these days you have to pay $30 for a retro Iron Maiden t-shirt and play in some shitty metalcore band that’s a mess of classic thrash, hardcore, straight edge, and whatever else you can find to throw in the blender. Luckily, some of us older metal fans are happy with keeping things simple, and, as Propagandhi prepare for a new album, we can expect them to deliver something that should be the anti-thesis of my most hated genre, the aforementioned blender-core.

I spoke with Hannah by phone in late June, 2004 from his home in Winnipeg.

When did you first get into metal and how did it affect your teenage years?
I lived in a very small community outside of a small town in Manitoba. At the time, it was like 1982, everybody was into Def Leppard and Priest and stuff, so I was aware and kind of interested in that, but I didn’t really like the people who liked it because they were a bunch of fucking bullies. Then I went to a record store and I looked at this one record, it was Venom’s Welcome to Hell and I couldn’t believe the song titles. There was a quote on the back about “we spit on your God” and I was like, “How can they sell this? Is it legal?” I picked it up, paid for it, took it home, hid it, then listened to it later. I couldn’t believe the recording and I thought there was something wrong with the record. But then I was like, “This is unbelievable. This is what I’ve been waiting for all my short life.” That’s how it started. At the time I would shop for anything black with a pentagram on it, that’s how I would shop for records. So it was like Slayer, Bathory, and that kind of stuff.

You might have even ended up with Motley Crue’s Shout at the Devil by mistake.
Luckily every kid had that before I did. I liked a couple of songs on it but, I dunno, it wasn’t my thing. It wasn’t evil enough for me.

To me, metal seemed so untainted back then. There’s a line in one of your songs [“Back to the Motor League”] off the last album about “riding a 10-speed with feathered hair” or something. Everybody was so nerdy when they were into metal and it was so fun. But now metal is just another trend for the cool kids.
For me, Venom and Slayer and the two Metallica records were super underground. Not everybody liked Metallica back in 1984.

Nobody liked Metallica back then. You got beat up for liking them.
Ya, and it was super exciting. Then there was the sub-level of metal that I discovered through Metallion Magazine. They had an address for a band from Windsor, ON called Wicked Angel and I was like, “You can write to a band and they’ll answer you and give you a tape?!” So I discovered tape-trading and started writing to bands overseas like Necrodeath and Tankard and they’d write me back and I couldn’t believe it. And, like you were saying, it just felt pure and like it was real people making the craziest music they could.

I’ve always seen a lot of parallels between the D.I.Y. punk/hardcore scene and that metal tape-trading scene and I try to explain to people that they are very close. That metal and punk/hardcore are from the same kind of mindset. But it’s hard, especially for the more politically correct people, to convince them of that.
Absolutely. And I think there are lessons to be drawn about the trajectory that both the scenes followed. In the late ‘80s, metal started getting popular and all the majors started swooping in, buying it up, and putting out crappy records. And the same with the punk scene; it was vibrant, political, and underground, and then in the ‘90s along came the majors and bought it up and watered it down. It was all gone and the good stuff was underground again.

Propagandhi have always been high purveyors of metal and trying to turn punk kids on to the good metal bands like Venom and whatnot. In today’s scene, metal is very trendy. You’ve got pretty much every pop-punk that band has gone and changed into a metalcore or Iron Maiden influenced band. What do you think of that, and do you want to sort of shy away from metal because of it?
I don’t know… I know exactly what you are talking about. To me all of this cheap, digital shit that’s coming out doesn’t even sound like bands making real music. It’s like parts of music kind of taped together. Old metal seemed like it came straight from the heart. When you listened to Gary Holt in Exodus playing a riff, he was trying to figure out the most crazy riff that would make him go fucking wild. Now it just seems like it’s the paint-by-numbers approach. Now it’s more about getting a sound than getting a feeling. But there’s exceptions to that and I’d even include the last couple of Tragedy records in that. They have an excellent metal feel but it’s a total hardcore band. But it seems like it’s real. To me, Tragedy is more of a good metal band than a lot of this processed California metalcore stuff.

Ya, or a band like From Ashes Rise, or bands like that who sound like they are coming from the heart and they’re not just trying to throw as many things together as possible. What really bugs me is the blender-core where everything is thrown in and there’s all these bits and pieces but it just doesn’t make any sense. There’s no songs, there’s no verse or chorus… I’ve gotten to the point now where if I see these young SoCal bands wearing Iron Maiden t-shirts I just want to choke them.
Ya, like they went to the boutique and fuckin’ picked out their outfits and it’s the same philosophy for their music. It’s music from a boutique instead of from their heart.

I actually saw a picture of this metalcore band called The Procedure, who I know nothing about, and the guy was wearing a Blasphemy t-shirt and I thought, “Hey, that’s pretty cool.” If you’re going to wear a metal shirt in your band photo, it might as well be a Blasphemy t-shirt, you know?
Wow.

So what’s your prized t-shirt that’s sitting in your closet all ratty from your childhood? Do you have any left?
I’ve found pictures of shirts that my mom had thrown out over the years. I had a hilarious white Death sweater at one time. It was the most ridiculous sweater I’ve ever seen.

Like a sweatshirt or…?
Ya, like a sweatshirt your mom would wear. It had a Death logo on it and the spelling was wrong on the back and stuff.

Nice
That and I had a very sweet Venom metal shirt when I was a kid. My mom threw that out when I wasn’t looking.

Ever go back through the old high school annuals and look for the bangers wearing the metal shirts? There’s actually a guy wearing a Venom shirt in my Grade 8 annual.
That’s pretty wicked. In my school pictures my mom wouldn’t let me wear metal shirts, but all the ones at home are just me sitting there in a fuckin’ Razor shirt when I’m 14 and my fuckin’ tiny, skinny legs are sticking out from the bottom of the shirt.

[Chuckles] So you guys had a run-in with Paul Baloff [ex-singer of Exodus – R.I.P.] a few years back, eh? Was it you and [bassist] Todd?
Ya, we got to meet him. Actually, we were in San Francisco and there was a Warped Tour, that horrible, horrible, horrible event that occurs every summer and travels around the earth destroying music, and we knew one of the bands playing and they let us come in and check it out. The band, uh… Papa Roach was playing and we were backstage, like, “Who are these guys?” Then I look and there’s this little guy standing in front of me in an Exodus jacket and I’m, like, “Fuck, that guy looks like Baloff!” And I said, “Todd, this is Paul Baloff, man. I’m pretty sure,” and he says, “No, it’s not… no, it’s not.” Then our friend walks by who lives in San Francisco and he’s a metal fan and he says, “You know who that is? That’s Baloff.” And I’m like, “I knew it!” We went up and talked to him and he was super stoked when we were telling him where we were from and that we listened to him when we were kids. It was pretty neat. And then he died like a year after that.

It must have been quite a thrill to meet someone like that. I don’t think I’ve met any of the big metal icons from my youth. I met Danzig once [nervous laugh] but that wasn’t too much to talk about.
Ya, Baloff was cool. We got to meet Joe Rico from Sacrifice. He actually came to one of our shows and we were over the fucking top on that one because that was our favorite band growing up.

Ya, they were one of my faves too… still are, you know? You can still put on Forward to Termination or Soldiers of Misfortune and it’s just great. So that must have been pretty cool, meeting him.
Ya, that was the best. I’d emailed the Sacrifice website or something and he actually emailed me back and I couldn’t believe it. I told him we were playing and after the show he came up and I was like, “No way!” And now I’m waiting for the Sacrifice reunion show.

Me too. I’ve heard you say a couple of times that you couldn’t believe when they emailed you back or that you saw them. Why do think it is in the metal scene that we’ve always got this icon vision of these guys, even though we’ve talked about the fact that they are just regular guys. We could tape trade with them, they write us letters, but there’s always that higher kind of vision of them, whereas with punk, especially with DIY bands, they are more approachable. Is that a necessary part of metal, do you think?
I guess it depends on the band and where you’re from. Probably for people who lived in Toronto it wasn’t such a big deal to see Joe Rico or Rob Urbinati from Sacrifice hanging out at a show. But when you’re from Winnipeg and it was one of the bands you didn’t even dare write because you loved them so much, and in so many years the guy just became this mythical figure in our minds, when he actually emailed back it seemed like the circle is complete. A part of my life has come to fruition. I don’t know, I’m making a bigger deal out of it than I should.

And you realize there’s kids out there that say the same thing about you guys. If you were to write a letter back to some kid that was a Propagandhi nut it would be the same kind of thing, right? How does that make you feel?
That would make me feel weird, I guess.

Do you run into that sort of attitude from fans?
Uh, I think there’s so much exposure to punk bands these days and the bands tour so much, and the bands generally aren’t acting like rock stars, that people are more acclimatized to meeting people in bands. I think, I don’t know. We don’t really come across like that.

But then again, neither do a lot of the metal bands either. We’ve just built them up as being these mythical creatures, but you talk to the guys in Razor and I’m sure they’re just as down to earth as the guys in Propagandhi.
Ya.

You guys do a little take on Priest in the “Cointelpro” song. Did you hear anything back about that from their people at all?
Oh no, never. I don’t know if a lot of people really noticed it. You were talking earlier about lots of pop punk bands doing metal and after we finished the song we were like, “Fuck, are we just lumping ourselves in with this retro punk movement, or whatever the fuck, this kitsch stuff,” but…

Ya, I guess it’s whether you want to do it because it feels right or are you worried about what the reaction might be. As a fellow guy who grew up on metal, it just brought a smile to my face.
Ya, it felt right to us. But, no, Rob Halford never came over or anything.

That reminds me, when Halford came out of the closet a few years back I kind of assumed metal people were going to be homophobic and really brutal about it. But the reaction he got was really good, and I was wondering if maybe metal dudes aren’t as stupid as people make them out to be. There’s a lot of intelligent people out there.
Ya sure, there was always the thinking contingent of the metal scene. But every scene’s got the goons and I think the general imagery that metal was giving off was more of a macho, warrior imagery, and it’s not rocket science to connect the dots that it might be a little less open to new ideas. It was predictable that Halford would keep it in the closet. I think it would have damaged him, especially in the ‘80s metal scene, where in my mind as a 15-year-old I would have said, “What! He’s gay!”

Ya, times were different back then. It wasn’t the time for it. But at the same time, you say metal is really macho but it’s also very homoerotic. A band like MANOWAR, I mean, that’s some pretty sexy stuff if you’re into guys.
They would kill you for saying that.

Ya, MANOWAR are pretty hardcore, for sure. Have you seen any of their videos.
Ya, their fucking DVDs.

Oh man, those are bad. I couldn’t even watch them, they’re just too intense. Okay, Christian metal and Satanic metal. Are they same thing or the polar opposite?
Well, it depends. The black metal of the early ‘80s was brilliant and it changed my world view just that people could have such a radically unacceptable opinion and still survive and do things they love. That was an epiphany for me. At the same time, the early ‘80s black metal was largely Van Halen-esque, you know. It was just, “This is fun. We’re acting as crazy as possible.” Compared to some of the stuff that was coming out in the ‘90s that was more ideologically motivated, and I’m not saying it was bad music or anything, it just lost the sense of wildness and sense of humor that I really loved about the black metal of the ‘80s.

And bands like Venom and Slayer weren’t really Satanic. They were just doing it to get a rise out of people, which is great. Then bands like the Scandinavian church-burning bands obviously were a bit more serious about their Satanism.
My personal experience was what Venom was doing with the Satanic imagery was very liberating for me at an important time in my life, and I can imagine the same for young people who were introduced to the black metal of the ‘90s. But maybe the ‘90s stuff didn’t resonate with me so much because it was so serious and ideologically motivated. It seemed more rigid.

Plus, we were older too. It’s not like when you’re young and you think, “Satan is cool!” You’re a bit past that. To me, Christian metal is so safe and so mainstream and status quo that it’s the polar opposite to the Satanic stuff. Especially when you compare a band like Venom with a band like Stryper, it was the opposite end of the spectrum.
For sure, and even back then I had the impression that the Christian culture finds out what is cool and tries to inject Christianity into it. They adopt the trappings of a subculture and try to create converts that way and I find it super cheap. It’s not for the love of the culture, it’s for the love of Christ.

You’ve done some covers over the years. You’ve done Venom, you’ve done Cro-Mags… Have you done any others or do you plan on doing any more?
I don’t know if we would ever record them or play them, but sometimes by ourselves we’ve been doing “Sprit of Radio” by Rush. It’s fucking fun to play. Um, Raw Power’s “You Are the Victim” from Screams from the Gutter. It’s just fun to rip those out once in a while. “Technocracy,” [by C.O.C.], of course, which is one our favorites to play. We play that one live sometimes. We were actually going to compile a record of covers and then Jord was like, “Fuck, this is a stupid idea, man. All these bands that do covers records, it’s fucking disgusting.” And I was, like, “Ya, I guess you’re right.”

It is pretty lame. Obviously, if Propagandhi did one, I’d be stoked because I like the band, but I’ve gotten some that have just been horrible.
Just that cheap kind of… I don’t know, there’s something almost insidious about cover records now, so Jord put the kibosh on that idea and in retrospective I thank him for it.

Let’s talk about Propagandhi for a bit. You’re working on a new album?
We’re working on about 10 songs now, so it’s coming along. Apparently it will be out the first Tuesday or second Tuesday in February. It will be on G7 [Welcoming Committee Records] in Canada and Fat [Wreck Chords] will do it everywhere else.

But you’re not in the recording stage yet, right?
No, we gotta figure out how the fuck that’s gonna unfold. There’s a guy in Vancouver you probably know, Blair Calibaba, who we’ve been talking about doing it, but we’ve gotta pin down a time and a place, so…

You can’t do it yourself? Because I know you’ve been really involved with all the records you put out.
I’d be into trying that, but I don’t think Jord and Todd would have as much confidence in that yet. I haven’t really proven myself to them, and I guess it would be nice just to have somebody doing it for us who was confident and we’d just worry about playing the tunes.

Will there be some hints at metal on the new one at all? With the last record, some of the songs reminded me of old Megadeth or something, like Peace Sells-era Megadeth, especially that last song on the last record.
How sweet of you to say Megadeth.

Was that a conscious thing?
No, they were just tunes and riffs. We’re a little better at our instruments than when we first started, you know. The first record was literally the first songs we ever wrote and it was around the time we discovered Bad Religion and stuff. Things are getting more towards the goal we always hoped to get towards. We want to put out a record in the spirit of Motorhead where they don’t consider themselves a metal band, they’re not a punk band, they’re just a rock band. We just want to put out a record that you can’t really stick into those categories but it’s fuckin’ heavy and fast. Sort of in the spirit of the Zeke records where it’s not necessarily hardcore or metal, but it’s fuckin’ raunchy. I don’t want to paint it to be this speedfest, I mean, most of my songs are, but the depth and dimension of Todd’s songs is gonna give the record a good feel. He’s got some different stuff going on this time, so…

I love his stuff. “Natural Disasters” is one of my favorite songs.
Ya, me too. I love that one.

You mentioned Bad Religion. When you guys first started out, and even now, a lot of your songs were very poppy. People could still say they are pop-punk or whatever. So did that come from listening to Bad Religion and NOFX and all the SoCal bands back in the day, or...?
It was mostly Bad Religion and maybe a bit of NOFX. When me and Jord started we wanted to sound like Sacrifice, C.O.C., and Kreator mixed together, and a bit of D.R.I., and then I heard a Bad Religion record and was like, “Holy shit, this is cool.” So we did what we thought was an approximation of that.

Do you feel now that you are realizing that sort of sound, or is it just Propagandhi and warped into its own thing?
I’d like to think it’s just more of its own thing. Melodic elements still really appeal to me, but I think the pop-punk scene is dead. No one should listen to that. No one should encourage that music to continue to be made anymore because it’s been done and overdone. I’m not really aware of too much originality in that department anymore. Maybe there is, I just don’t have my ear to the ground, but it’s very painful for me to hear most of the stuff that came out after the big pop-punk explosion of the early ‘90s. It just doesn’t have the same feel for me anymore.

The same could be said for all the metal that’s coming out these days. All the metalcore and the cheesy “Swedish” stuff. I think what you’re looking for is the spirit of coming from the heart and being aware of what got you where you are, but creating something new too.
That’s the bottom line. Any music is good if it’s from the heart. If it’s not from the heart, it’s going to be apparent to people at some point or another.

What’s the secret to playing from the heart?
It’s a process of self-realization. Reflecting on why you’re in the band and what you really want to do. Is this really how you want to express yourself? People are in bands for so many different reasons and it’s not up to me, of course, to tell people not to make music because they have different motivations than I do. I just think better music is made when people do it with integrity and do it for very pure reasons.

You guys only do an album every few years, so I guess you’re feeling the pressure that Metallica felt back in the day after Justice or whatever. Do you feel that pressure?
No, not really. We’ve really never understood or bought into the idea that you’re supposed to put out records every year or two years. Music isn’t the only thing in our lives, there’s lots of other things going on. We never really think about it too much. After four years, we usually have a bunch of songs together and there we go. If after four years, no one is interested anymore, so be it. I read an interview with Rob Urbinati from Sacrifice the other day and the guy was asking him, “What happened after your last album? Why did you guys kinda just disappear?” And he was like, “Well, I guess our music just wasn’t in time or in tune with what people wanted to hear. People wanted to hear death metal and we didn’t want to change to death metal.” He was so matter-of-fact about it, and that’s how I feel. So be it. If people don’t like what you’re doing, or don’t like the time-frame that you put records out, fuck, what can you do? If you do anything else, you’re not being honest.

For more info on Propagandhi and G7 Welcoming Committee Records, the record label they help run, check out www.g7welcomingcommittee.com