not that anyone gives a shit what my opinion is,but here is my obligatory year end list..not a whole lot that is a surprise on this so lets get to it.
10) The Second Coming-ACxDC
the return of the socal powerviolence legends was highly anticipated and buzzed about around the community as soon as it was revealed they were writing.this shit is an absolute banger.6 tracks of PV done the way only these guys can.all tthe songs on here are sick,but my personal favorite was "fuck it dood...lets go bowling".good shit. http://acxdc.bandcamp.com/album/second-coming-ep
9)No Reces-Beatriz Carnicero
Coming from Uruguay,this band reeks of everything that is 1st wave powerviolence.fast,cavemen,grooves.its all there.my homie tim from Opaqus Rex put out the tape for this and its even rawer than on here.good shit. http://beatrizcarnicero.bandcamp.com/
8) Red Hands-Bridge
my homies from orange county,highly underated and maddogged by haters always.but the fact remains their one of the best fucking bands to come out of this shithole.the blasts are tight,the songs strong and heavy and the lyrics extremely personal.definently my favorite out of orange county this year. red hands mediafire linkage.
7)New Recordings-Cancer Patient
another bunch of homies,this time coming from the grind haven that is south central LA.bass and drum PV to the maximum.no bullshit.no filler tracks.every song is an absolute banger.these guys are gonna blow up any day now.if youve already slept on this,you fucking suck.smoke hash and play powerviolence. http://cancerpatient.bandcamp.com/
6)S/T-Fissure
again,a highly underated and hated on band by lamewads,this band is coming up fast,violently and effectively.
this album shows a taste of what fissure is like live.thrashy powerviolence at its best out of long beach and coachella.this band is looking at great things in their future.dont sleep on this. http://fissurehcpv.bandcamp.com/
5)S/T-SixBrewBantha
Canada's where its at right now,grindcore wise.SixBrew are on the top of their game with their debut s/t album.17 tracks of brutality.start/stop transitions.blasting with bpms faster than a train.vocals that sound like snuff film recordings.shits dank,as they say in california.definently one of my favorite bands and homies. http://sixbrewbantha.bandcamp.com/album/s-t-lp
4)Pizza HI Five/Archagathus split 7"
another opaqus masterpiece,this shit was actually supposed to come out way earlier than it did.none the less,this is some of my favorite tracks from both bands.the songs are raw as fuck and great to blast loud.
archagathus keeps it real with their mincecore perfection while pizza keeps up their 2 man debauchery in full effect.great record. mediafire download linkage
3)God's America/Human Junk Split
truly the heaviest record of the year.human junk from england pillage and rape with high speed powervioelnce with screeched vocals.like extortion on meth.God's America's side is one of the heaviest ive ever heard.this is how powerviolence is supposed to sound.if not for the next two,this wouldve been the record of the year for me.http://grindcorekaraoke.com/album/gods-junk
2)-Tatical Precision Violence-Sordo
from my homies eduado(DIY NOISE) and gerry carrillo from oxnard,this bass/drum pv band is already a legendary band in california.their form of powerviolence is groovy,catchy and fucking pummelling when its fast.this shit gets spun twice a day in the chamber when we get done jamming.so fucking righteous,well done gentlemen.http://primeeggsamplerecords.bandcamp.com/album/tactical-precision-violence
1) Obacha/Chetwrecker-split tape
i got this tape from the homies in obacha when they came through socal.when i got home and poped it in,i was blown away by it.fast,catchy and fucking pissed,the obacha side is everything about the band i fucking lovein 10 songs.from fast jams to groovy breaks.the chetwreker side is just as dope,the oakland band showcases their powerful two piece destruction in 6 violent songs.both bands are gnarly live and deserve more recognition.best track?:toyota has nothing to do with hardcore. obacha side downloadlisten to the whole thing here.
thanks for reading.look forward to more bullshit and lagging next year on the site.hope to get some records out soon as well on 36th chamber of thrash.stay frosty,my friends.
Obacha are canada's finest in fastcore.fast,pissed and unrelenting.they are my good homies and i even got to play a few shows with them on their southern californian tour.if youre sleeping on this shit,youre fucking up hard.i sat down in the bunker with them to discuss star wars,mincecore,border patrol and wrecking chets.
36th:how did obacha come to form? Tommy: Collin called me up one day and was like "hey wanna come start a fastcore band? i have 2 songs written". So of course I drive up to his house to jam them, Collin was playing guitar and I was playing drums and we learned the songs. Then we were jamming a week later and Graham showed up so we showed him the songs and he just grabbed a mic and said "I'm fucking in this band". Shortly after that we asked my cousin Evan to play drums so I moved to guitar and Collin moved to bass. Evan quit in January after playing with us for a year and a half so Graham moved to drums and that's the lineup we're at now. We played our first show as a 3 piece in March 2012 and started in May 2010.
you can see lil ol' me in this video! such a gnarly show.
where did the name originate? Collin was the first one to say it. It was like "you betcha" but spelled all fucked. We would get beers after jam and have endless discussions on how we should spell it, like hours long, every time, and never reached a conclusion so when our first show came I was making the flyer and just spelled it OBACHA. We figured it was a shitty enough name that it couldn't possibly be taken but sure enough it actually is by some techno hip hop guy from I don't fucking know where. Props to ORDSTRO for also having a name that's not even a proper word.
what are some of your most memroble moments in the band?
So many. Evan puking all over my dads van on a trip to Alberta, getting super duper drunk with TOTES BRUTE first night into tour (Richie KILLS at van jumps), meeting Jim Layhee on the ferry to GRINDLANDIA, Collin taking us to the wrong venue through a blizzard, hanging out with Bubb Rubb in Oakland, "I smoked it on accident fool", cramming us and SKUFF into my small ass truck for 4 days, our first Vancouver show where people were smashing each other really badly, playing with STILLBIRTH in Squamish and I got bashed in the face. Tons more. Touring fucking rules cause you get to see dumb shit you would never see otherwise. Plus you're almost always playing in the sketchiest part of any town so that's where all the real characters are.
what do you have planned next release wise? We have a split ep with CHETWRECKER from Oakland at the plant, we had cassettes of it for tour but we sold out of them in like 5 shows. Pretty quick here we're recording for a split cassette with SLAVE from Alabama (who rule really hard) and then after that we're recording for a split ep with ORDSTRO from San Fransisco(who also rule hard) that we've had planned for a really long time. Then sometime we're doing a 4 way split 7' called "FAST FRIENDS" with ARCHAGATHUS, VIOLENT GORGE and SHOOTING SPREE. 9 dumbasses, 4 bands. Some of my friends keep bugging me to write an LP, but I don't really see that happening any time soon as a "long song" clocks in at about 35 seconds these days.
how did cali treat you on your tour? Very well, those we're some of the best shows I've ever played and we met so many rad as fuck people. Also, we smoked weed with TWO guys that used to play in LACK OF INTEREST so I was really happy about that one. Everyone just smokes weed there nonstop it rules and we played with tons of great bands. The scene in Canada is good for fastcore and powerviolence but SO many more people go to shows there, especially in southern California where all the shows are at least 9 bands and cost $2. THANKS CALI!
when you coming back!? haha As soon as we can. Graham has to get another passport cause he lost his on the first night of tour drunk as fuck in Seattle (we're real winners) and I should probably do some maintenance to the $400 van so, after that we're good to go. Hopefully the spring with CHETWRECKER, we're working on the where/when/how thing for that right now. I wish the border didn't suck so bad getting into America looking like a greasy piece of shit grinder at 7a.m. on a monday sleep deprived and hungover with a very poorly planned stupid story that you're camping in California and aren't sure where yet. If it weren't for that we'd come down and play all the time.
finally,you're favorite chewbacca scene in star wars. Any scene where he's freaking out and shouting off jibberish as loud as he can. That dude is CLEARLY down with powerviolence.
got some goodies coming around with the new year,hopefully going to get the store envy with the distro shit online!
TENSION/Faith In Failure split tape
-ltd to 50 copies
BxDxP-Stupid Fucks Playing Fast Vol.1
-ltd to 35 copies.
ArnoldXPalmer-Club Swingin' Power Violence
-ltd to 35 copies
TBA:
MEAT-s/t tape
TENSION/PxBxS SPLIT
BDP-STILL STUPID,EVEN FASTER-Vol.2
MORE TBA!!!
the homie matt ants,the drummer for crutch and anthrot,put out this righteous underground rap alum earlier this year under the name PARADISE. true and clean flow with mellow beats to match.i dont usually post rap to this page,but fuck,this shit is good enough to be on the chamber.and he named it after arnold palmer,whats not to love?
Iron lung are one of those bands few others can match nor get close to.they label themselves powerviolence while their sound has very little characteristics in common with first wave powerviolence other than speed and frantic start/stop nuances.this interview made me extremely nervous to send in based on i've never seen or read an interview with the men behind the chaos.when i sent these questions to iron lung records,i was surprised by how friendly and open their drummer,Jensen Ward,was to questions and such.what you are about to read was our conversations of life,iron lung and death.
-how long have you been playing drums for?when did you first start playing?
I bought a pair of drumsticks in 1996 and beat the fuck out of my steering wheel trying to learn every fill and nuance of Rudimentary Peni's "Death Church". I used to drive my mom to school in the mountains and I'd have to wait for hours. It snowed a lot up there so skateboarding was out. Gotta do something, man.
-how did you and Jon Kortland meet?
He worked as a paralegal at the lawyer's office I was using for my trial defence. I thought he looked like an interesting person and he was always listening to Steely Dan very quietly so I knew he liked to rock. We talked a lot while I was in the waiting room and got to be really good friends. Then he told me he played guitar in a punk band.
-how did Iron Lung come to form?
Jon's band Gob was looking for a fill in drummer so I joined up for a couple shows. We really clicked. The bass player in Gob was a real nut so we cut her loose and started up a Dune tribute band for fun. The singer of that band was a real nut so we cut him loose too. Then there was only two...
-where did the name originate from?
We both like antique medical practices and gear so what better poster child for that interest is there besides an IRON LUNG? That's a trick question, there isn't.
-what influences,as a lyricist,do you draw from?
I listen to a lot of Weird Al.
-you guys have been alot of different places,where are some of your favorite places to play throughout the world?
In alphabetical order by continent: Asia, Australia, Europe, North America.
-how did you contact Nick Blinko for the artwork on the cover of sexless/no sex?
I will not tell anyone that secret. He is a sensitive man and doesn't like to be bothered. I'm glad he is feeling better.
-i love your many different collaborations with bands like Hatred Surge,David Bailey,Pig Heart Transplant and your other band Walls.Is it hard to collaborate with other bands?what is your process of writing when with other bands?
All of the people we pick to play with are the best at what they do so writing and arranging is easy. We all show up to the sessions with ideas. We try a few different combinations of ideas and see what we can do. It usually works out nicely.
-how did Iron Lung Records come about?
Lords Of Light were one of the best live bands we have ever had the pleasure to play with. They did their 2nd recording session and ended up with the song "Dividing Up" left over. It was way too good to just let go so we had them go into the studio again and record a b-side and made a great (and completely misunderstood) single out of it. To this day that is one of my favorite releases.
-what are some of your favorite groups on the label?
All of them. We only put out stuff we like.
-what are your plans for the future as a band?
Eventually, probably on the "White Glove Test" world tour, we will hit some black ice in Sweden and decapitate ourselves. Then the understudies will continue on in our place for at least another 25 years. It never ends...
-finally,what are some unsigned groups in the powerviolence circuit that have caught your attention?
Porch Trash, Pillcrusher, The Death, Sarin Gas X and Human Meat are just a couple of the bands we are looking at right now. We don't want to give away too much more than that right now for fear that they will get scooped up before we can afford their demands. Damn you Relapse Records!!!
-thank you for the interview and all the sweet recordings,mr.ward.
You're welcome. Stop by any time.
This split is some of the strongest music released this year.Human Junk is a ravaging UK speedviolence group and their 7 tracks are fucking quick and furious.Not one song on their side of the split is longer than a minute.definently one of my favorite bands to emerge from the UK. God's America is a Las Vegas native powerviolence band of the heaviest variety.the sheer intensity of the songs is where the intensity comes.definently one of my favorite splits of the year.
Drum and Bass Violence at maximum speed and groove.havent yet heard the calafia puta side yet,but if i do i will put it up! give it up for Texas powerviolence and check it out.
I first found gripe through a blog,whose name i can't remember now.It linked too their demo The Future Dosen't Need You and i was immediately pleased with what i heard.blasting,buzzsaw guitars,snarling vocals talking of killing cops and such.i immediately began following the group as they've become bigger and bigger in the grindcore circuit.they released pig servant in oct 2011 and it became very popular at the blog grindcore karaoke and was put out by DIY noise and sold out in a matter of days of being released.their newest split with Diseksa,Indefinite Detention,is tight as fuck and sold out quickly.Pig servant is being repressed now as well as the excellent split with Chulo from DIY NOISE rex. I interviewed brandon and dj about the band,their infulences and the politics behind their noise.
38th Chamber Of Thrash: How did gripe come to form?
Brandon: Gripe formed out of boredom and necessity in Athens GA some time in very late 2010. Dj and me were playing in our d beat band wolf charge. But we really wanted to play faster at the time. Tom had just moved to Athens from MI and did not have many friends and wanted to be in a punk band. Wolfcharge was on its last leg Dj and myself had no plans other than to start the fastest band in Athens. Tom and me started jamming at the local charity music space called Nucis. It sort of went from there. Bu6t thats just Athens we dont play ATl as much as we should really.
DJ:like brandon said it was after wolfcharge, we always knew we where destined to be in the worlds fastest band but needed to kill time until we met tom, i remember we would argue with our old drummer (in wolfcharge) so much brandon said"we should just call our next band gripe"
36th: what reaction did you garner from the Atlanta music circuit as you started? Brandon: Positive actually for the most part. We pretty much let it be known that we would play with anyone, anywhere, and anytime under any circumstance. We just showed no fear and no pretension I think that went a long way with people.We started with every intention of full on alienating eveyone so it was cool to see kids just be like fuck yes! We formed an odd couple alliance with a local pop punk band called The Fuzzlers and started wrecking houses. American Cheese Burger was still around for a lil bit when we just started as well. I think were just happy to see another fast pissed band in Athens so we got to play some cool shows with those guys before they broke up as well. We have had allot of fun.
Dj:we played one of our first shows in atl and as soon as we got done playing people wanted merch, we where like what? this is our second show. we still have no idea whats going on!
36th: what is some good grindcore from Georgia?
Brandon: In a word Grinchfinger! Also God's Balls are pretty insane as well. Dj: Grinchfinger
36th: under what conditions was 'The Future Dosen't Need You' recorded?
Brandon: The Future Doesnt Need You was kinda neat because we really kind of did not know what we were doing at the time and I think it kind of shows. haha The dudes who recorded it Joel and Mike(who fucking rule) kind of walked us through it because it was the first time Dj and me had ever done anything that could be considered a "real" recording but Joel and Mike had never done a grind recording before so we were all figuring it out as we went along.. I was using a Busted ass Laney head 50 watt pro tube at the time it had been dropped literally like 3 times at house shows going into the recording that same week and already sounded like shit in the best way possible of course. It was just feeding back uncontrollable in the "studio" so they had to throw a ton of compression on it to try to make it sound close to a "real" guitar sound. haha Dj did everything in one take.Refused to do any do overs. Partially because He was extremely hung over and dehydrated but I also think its because he felt good about it. Tom was a pro and was an old hand at recording really. But I think we were all shocked at how well it came out overall. Dare I say even proud haha. When I first hear it I remember thinking this is going to be un listenable to most people and I kind of got a kick out of that. Ya know I like a kind of either you get it or you fucking don't kind of thing. Of course the on line reaction also came as a complete shock it seemed very unlikely and kind of surreal. haha We were not even able to tour because of finances but people were still finding our music and responding to it. Now I go back and listen to it and the recording just sounds so weird and out of phase or something, but still incredible pissed haha I came up with the title because I was reading an article on Ray Kurzwell and futurism. It just struck me weird, the whole thing was about immortality and nano bot technology. So I was just like here human's are arrogant as ever using robots to cure fucking cancer and shit but on the other hand as a species we are still just as ugly, dumb and barbaric as ever in how we treat each other. So I came up with the title just sort of playing off the age old fear of technology evolving faster than man and eventually replacing him.
Dj: well on my part i was still pretty drunk from the night before and pissed i had to wake up early, thats why my vocals sound like shit. but the guys are fucking amazing (joel and mike) and just let us do our thing. i wanted to do all my parts in one take just like a live show. in repeating yourself you lose intensity
what are some of your main infulences when writing lyrics? Dj: robots, booze and pure fucking hatred for humanity
Brandon: I would say Dystopia for starters. I help out with the lyric writing process. I dont know I will just be doing my shitty job or in class doing a shitty assignment and I just sort of daydream up grind song titles. I have been doing this since I was a kid so it is sort of second nature really. I like our lyrics allot I feel like Jordan (our current singer) does a great job.I think right now in the world of grind and pv it's all about riffs and compositions and lyrics are an after thought really. I don't like that, We as a band don't like that. We still think what a band says is important once again, another outdated notion our band subscribes to. Jordan bust's his ass and works real hard and I think he says what he means and I think he draws from a wide variety of punk and even some black metal because religion is a pet peeve topic of his. DJ is pure nihilism.
how did you come into contact with diseksa? Dj:that's all brandon Brandon: Diseksa rule and they are just a rugged ass band who's always down for a split. They actually found us because I think a part of their thing is just seeking out the grossest sounding grind they can find and cranking out quality splits relentlessly. So they actually contacted us. I met the drummer of the band Seluar Jeans Koyak online and he was a really nice super down to earth dude and we started talking about the idea of doing a split and it sort of went from there. I think they first heard us through the Operation Grindcore vol 1 comp(one of the best underground comp releases of last year) I love the SE Asia grind scene right now for my money one of the best active grind scenes in the world! Kids over there are all about anything fast, dirty, and blasty. Also I just feel like they are coming from a more sincere place musically than some of the bands in the good ol US of A. Where it is always scene this and scene that where everybody is competing with each other in the worse ways possible be it to get on the "right" label or just trying to make a name for their selves. They just dont come across like that in certain other parts of the world. So in a way there is just a more fuck you attitude to it and allot of bands we like come out of Asia.
where did the inspiration to call the split "indefinite detention" come from? Brandon: There was recently an extremely fascist law passed by our government and it kind of went under the radar in mainstream media but for the most part it allows people to be arrested or detained if you will under "terrorist" charges without a fair trial and for an indefinite amount of time the law is written and constructed vaguely. This is intentionally so that the powers that be can dictate what qualifies as terrorism at any given point to suit their own interest.. I thought it would make a good album title apart from just not only being relevant but also because it catches your ear. I mean the law itself when spoken sounds creep, vague and threatening and I feel like it is designed that way. Also there is a tradition of grindcore and punk rock/hardcore songs addressing and calling out fascism for what it really is when they see it occur. But I feel like people have gradually gotten away from that maybe its to old fashioned or maybe its just apathy.I don't know. But anyway to me that has always been a big part of the roots of grindcore music it has direct ties to crust punk and the early anarcho punk movement and it has of course evolved into many different things and its own genre, but it was originally a sort of kill all extremity used as a vehicle for rebellion and to capture the sounds of oppression and human suffering and there is not a more capable genre of music than grindcore, crust and allot of the early fastcore that inspired it, for doing this in my opinion. I dunno I mean I like records like Misery Index and FETO just the way the lyrics add to the atmosphere, where lyrically they are coming from this sort of dark reality sort of place if not a reality than something that could easily become your reality. They always sounded like prophets of doom to me and it always had a sort of crushing desperation to it. I guess Just trying to channel that in our own way really.
I love the Man vs. Cop split w/ Chulo you just recently released,how did you guys come into contact with
those guys?
Dj: Thats also all Brandon.
Brandon: I heard Chulo on GK a while back. I was really into them it was a sort of blown out lo fi kind of sound that was real bass and groove heavy. I dig that kind of sound its always so painful when bands can do that right. Water Torture is another band right now who comes to mind. But yeah Sebastian the guitar player of Chulo was aware of us I guess and he contacted me on line and we started nerding out on grind and crust and pv and all this shit we were into.He runs a blog that covers South American punk rock and hard core so I was finding out about all these awesome bands and one day he pitched the idea of doing a split on floppy disk since you could fit literally only 1 minute of music on a floppy disk as a grind band we were capable of doing a two song single kind of thing and I thought it was genius! I told every one else and the fellas were just like naw he must mean flexi and I was like floppy no shit! haha I think its funny cause physical formats are such a dying animal. Its just like okay people just download music and put it on their ipods anyway if they get a tape or vinyl they regard as a sort of a "collector" item now anyway. But I just like the idea which was all Chulo! Oscar their vocalist hooked up the art work and it came out sick. The Man Vs Cop floppy disk split release is one of the coolest things I think we have done as a band so far.
What are your plans for the future as a band?
Brandon: Just keep writing music. Still trying to capture that sense of urgency like the first time you hear Minor Threat or Scum when u are a kid. I want to write something that floors me like that. I liked The future and I liked Pig Servant even more I feel like our next record is gonna be even better hopefully, if not go back to the drawing board. Dont want to repeat myself or regress. So yeah I think this is going to be our first official full length and expect dual vocals or maybe even three vocalist this time out who knows?
Finally,What are your top 5 anti police songs? Dj: acab, fuck the police,officer down, 911 is a joke, anything by r kelley Brandon: ACAB, Fuck the police, cop killer, Police story, and revenge. Gotta have at least two black flag songs in there.
I love J. Randalls grindcore karaoke records.so much good,free and unique music comes from it.When i found water torture's excellent 2011 self titled masterpiece,i was on the labels very enthralling bandcamp.What makes me really notice water torture is not only the blistering speed, nor the crushing and cold bass tone,but the sheer anger of the music.They don't sound as if they're trying to replicate a sound or emulate some 90's PV band,they sound genuinely angry.It sounds fresh.Bass and Drum powerviolence is an easy thing to make noisy and shitty.many stop short of bad godstomper imitation.water torture is definently far beyond that.i was very curious to get a chance to converse with the gentlemen behind the dissonance.i got in contact with the Buffalo,NY grinders and asked some questions about the band and their beginings.
> How did you guys come to form? Moezes and I have been in bands together for 3 or 4 years now and we wanted to start a band that was just the 2 of us. We also wanted to have a band that would be able to go on tour.
> Under what circumstances did J. Randall (Agoraphobic Nosebleed) come to sign you guys to his label Grindcore Kareoke? He got ahold of our other band Inerds and asked if we would be cool with putting our music up on his website for free download. From there he has put up our other bands as well. So when we were working on water torture he told him about it and he put it up on the site. He has been a huge help for us.
> What is the powerviolence/grindcore scene in buffalo NY like? Not really that big. There are a few really sick fast bands like gas chamber,resist control,human touch. But all in all the buffalo scene is sweet there are a lot of venues and lots of sweet bands of all different genres.
> what was your first receptions from the buffalo music community? Everyone in buffalo already knows moezes and I we have had band within the scene for awhile now. All of our bands have the same kinda feel to them so everyone kinda knew what was coming. There is always
shows happening so we deff always have sweet shows we get asked to play.
> are there many other drum/bass groups on the east coast you guys enjoy? There are a few sick ones. Dirt eyes from Buffalo rule. They are super good stoner stuff. dirteyes.bandcamp.com Bible thumper from New Brunswick NJ is some sweet dbeat http://biblethumper.bandcamp.com/ Happy birthday from Lima OH they are from the Midwest And have 2 bassist but there are on of my favorites right now. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=76pSec0uKUs
> what are your plans as a band for the future? We have a lot of stuff coming up. We have a Midwest tour at the beginning of may. We are bringing out friend from France along with us. We are also recording for 5 new records in April. We have splits with Witch cult from the UK http://witchcultpv.bandcamp.com/ Anthophobic from Pittsburgh Ultra negative from Massachusetts Also we have a tape coming out with our friend from from joining us for the upcoming tour. And working on a 7in with diseased audio from Chicago. Once we get everything out we will be doing a bunch more touring as well.
> can you reccommend any unsigned bands you feel need more recognition? +hirs+ - 2 piece drum machine grind that is so tight and loud and everything about this band rules. Go check them out all of there stuff is on the Internet for free. On the last tour there set was the best of the whole tour. Super nice dudes and they are just killing it.
> Thanks again for the interview guys! hope you come out west soon!
We deff want to head to the west coast at some point maybe next year
My first experience of the Weekend Nachos was when i was 14 years old and had just picked up This Comp Kills Fascists vol. 1.When i had finished listening to their four tracks on the comp (which were just remixed versions of their debut 7') i had felt the true anger of the singer of the group and without a doubt was a fan.Over the last few years,I've watched WN mature and become an entity of brutal negative hardcore.On their latest output "Worthless",it seems the nachos have produced some the most aggressive and angry songs of their whole run as a band.I was extremely nervous to ask john for an interview,due to how i interpreted him through his singing,but he was one of the nicest guys i've ever interviewed.Without further adieu,the 36th chamber of thrash interview with John Hoffman of the weekend nachos.-Chris
36th:Hey John,thanks for the interview! How did the nachos east coast tour go?
John Hoffman:The tour was fantastic, dude, we had a blast.
This was easily one of the best tours we've ever had...things seem to
get better every time, which is a great sign. I'm hoping the west coast
is just as great in april.
36th:How was the A389 Festival for you? see any memorable performances?
The
A389 fest was a highlight of the tour, for sure. When we played,
somehow everybody was in there watching us and getting into it, which I
wasn't sure was going to happen or not. When we were about to start and I
looked out into the crowd, I instantly had this feeling that it was
gonna be one of our greatest sets ever, and that ended up being exactly
the case. Pulling Teeth, Full of Hell and Homewrecker also had really
great sets..those were probably the ones that I enjoyed the most all
day. Sadly, we missed Eyehategod because I was very sick and we ended up
leaving early due to my illness. I just couldn't handle being at the
show anymore, I felt like complete garbage.
36th:How and when did WN come to form?
WN
formed sometime in 2004. All 4 of us were living in Dekalb, Illinois,
which is a college town way out in the cornfields and was also home to
Chicago legends Charles Bronson and The Mushuganas. Just a bunch of
bored students that also had brutality and rage coursing through their
veins, combined with a shared musical talent. Which is ironic because I
truly believe we were not very good in the early days...in fact, I think
we really sucked. But those early days were very important because if
we hadn't stuck it out, we never would've made it this far. There were a
lot of factors that could've killed the band very quickly back
then...mainly horrible live shows and an almost non-existent fan base.
Everybody hated us. For whatever reason though, we thought we were doing
something awesome and almost 8 years later, I'd like to think we were
right.
36th:What reaction did the chicago music scene have to you guys when you first started?
Coincidentally,
I'm pretty sure I just answered that. People really did not like
Weekend Nachos at first...we were obnoxious. The focus was more on
breaking shit and insulting audience members than playing good music or
raging hard, although I do think we raged pretty fucking hard
regardless. But people weren't really down with the whole
schtick...honestly, at my age now I don't think I would've been either.
When I go to see a band, I like for them to be funny but if they're not
any good, I'm not interested. Over time, we got a lot better at playing
live and started to turn some heads. We also grew up a little, which
definitely helped, haha.
36th:What are some of your infulences as a band?
We
really bring a lot of influences to the table, I think. All of us
listen to all kinds of music, but when it comes to the songs we write
for WN, it's a lot of metal and hardcore. Lots of classic metal bands
like Eyehategod, Carcass, Obituary, Terrorizer, Earth, Corrupted, both
slow and fast but all heavy shit. Hardcore like Infest, Youth of Today,
Bastard, Madball, Merauder, Hatebreed, you know, some of the crustier
stuff and also some of the tough guy stuff. If you think you can hear
any certain influence when you listen to WN, chances are you're correct.
36th:You're lyrics are very angry,yet some of the most sincere ive ever read.What are some of your infulences when you write lyrics?
Aside
from my own negative thoughts that I can't ignore, I think vocalists
like Jeff G. from Cold As Life and White Trash Rob from Blood For Blood
influenced me to really dig deep and find the most hateful feelings I
could express. Sometimes when you're reading lyrics and you're trying to
find bands to relate to, you have to find the most honest and
unapologetic vocalists to inspire you. I don't try to write about what
they write about or anything, but until I listened to those bands I
don't know if I ever even knew a person had the ability to express such
hatred through music. It really made me confident that I, too, could be
that honest with how I feel about myself and the world.
36th:How did you guys come to be signed by Deep 6?
Well,
it's more of a friendship/trust relationship, I'd say. There are no
contracts involved, I just knew Bob would probably be down to release
our albums and one day I just asked him. He instantly was down to do it,
and honestly I kinda thought he would be, just because we had played
California a bunch of times and he was always at the shows. I'm proud to
work with such a friendly, supportive dude who has been involved in
hardcore for so long.
36th:How did you get onto this comp kills fascists vol.1? Your tracks on that comp really helped me at a low point in my life.
I'm
happy to hear that, it makes me feel good when someone can relate.
Thanks, dude. As for getting on the comp, Scott Hull of Pig
Destroyer/Agoraphobic Nosebleed fame was already a fan of WN and he hit
me up one day. He said he was putting together a compilation of
lesser-known grindcore/powerviolence bands and really wanted WN to be a
part of it. I thought to myself "Why not?", it seemed like a pretty
good-natured idea. Scott Hull's a cool dude, he's in a huge grind band
but is also knowledgeable in unknown hardcore and punk. I can appreciate
that!
36th:Your lyrics are very real and
relateable for alot of people.do you ever get approached by fans who
have changed their life or been helped by you're lyrics?
More and more every tour, man. At first it was just few and far between,
but now it seems like every show on tour 1 or more kids come up to me
and say something along those lines. It makes me unbelievably stoked to
know that something I wrote actually helped someone in any way. It
strengthens every reason I already had for doing what I do. It's one of
the greatest feelings I've ever had.
36th:I noticed you guys changed the song Scars into Unholy Victory.why did you decide to change it?
I
liked the song a lot and decided to re-use the music, there's not
really any better explanation than that, haha. I figured instead of just
re-recording the song with the same lyrics, I could add new lyrics and
create a whole new version. It's the only time I'll ever do that,
probably. I don't want people accusing us of cheating when we release
new shit.
36th:What are your plans as a band for the future?
We
just wanna keep doing what we're doing. It seems like every year, more
and more people support us and talk about our records, which is an
awesome feeling. I think we all agree that we're just gonna keep going
and see if we can do more with it. 2012 is a really busy year for us,
we've got a lot of touring in the works, as well as a few new records.
36th:and finally,What is the story behind your bandname? it is one of the most unique and righteous names ive ever come across.
Haha,
I'm glad you feel that way...I think it's a pretty great band name too.
Initially, the whole intention was to just throw everybody off. I
guess in 2012, people are still confused by it. That's fine, I just
want to teach people not to rely on image to express themselves. If
you've got something to say, say it. But don't expect to just slap a bad
ass band name on the front of a record and expect people to be
impressed. Music and art in general should be a lot more challenging
than that.
New Archagathus.Out on To Live A Lie records.fucking righteous album on all fronts.all the tracks on this are just ripping canadian mince at its finest.From "Mincecore Fabio" to "Sexy Grinder" to "Hey Metallica!",only one of the songs on this are longer than 1:30,that being only the 2:30 closer. the upgraded prodiction really shines the distortion of live archagathus.overall i give it a 5/5.18 songs in 25 minutes. guest vocals on some songs by seb of dahmer!
Thrash Metal Local's MADROST are releasing their first full length album on march 2nd and asked me to throw them a party.heres all the info ABOUT that party.gonna be fucking radical.$7.00,3/2/12,1150 e.Valencia dr. fullerton CA,92831.Get at it.
36th CHAMBER OF THRASH PRESENTS:
MADROST CD RELEASE SHOW
SETLIST May Change At Any Given Time: Doors:7:00 PM MANIFEST:7:20-7:45 PM MONOLITH:7:55-8:20 PM FIAR:8:30-8:55 PM XANTHOCHROID:9:05-9:35 PM MUTANTS OF WAR:9:45-10:15 PM MADROST:10:30 PM-END.
PRICE:$7
NO BOOZE, NO DRUGS, NO BULLSHIT! Keep Your Racial or Political opinions at home!!!
I reviewed Six Brew Bantha's excellent split w/ Archagathus not too long ago and decided to take it upon myself to get an interview from the hateful grinders.when i emailed them about it,they were more than happy to be interviewed and even offered me hard drugs! we discussed victoria BC,Archagathus,No comment and even salvia.enjoy:)
36th: When and why did Sixbrewbantha form?
Mark: Hi Chris, sixbrewbantha started with Tyler and I learning our
instruments together in my parents basement sometime in 2004 or 5 i
think... we were in high school and made short bursts of noise and would
scream and smash things after a few years we learned to play somewhat
and became aware of extreme music. (Hearing downsided by no comment
being quite a definitive moment for the three of us.) We began playing
local shows and with the help of other bands and the birth of black
raven records a very healthy scene has been developing here in Victoria.
As for why we exist I'm not sure, why do we do anything?
36th: What is the story behind your band name?
Mark: When we began we were a 2 piece and Tyler wanted to call
the band six brews and i wanted to call it dead bantha, we combined the 2
names and decided to roll with it until we came up with something
better. This name was formulated a long time ago.
36th: What subject matter do you cover in your songs?
Mark:We cover a variety of shit in our songs from Current
events, to philosophical questions to self evident facts. I feel
Bryan's lyrics tap into world issues with an open mind and does a good
job of exposing things for what they really are behind the candy
coating. I'm sure Bryan could elaborate much more. My lyrics tend to
touch on the subject of the self mentality that contributes to the
structure of the world and society around us which i feel is the root of
everything, ourselves.
36th: What reception has the victoria scene given you?
Mark: Victoria is a wonderful place to live, it has it's
flaws (excessive security and police force for instance) but it's
gorgeous and home to me, the scene as i mentioned has been very good to
us and we wish to bring as many touring d.i.y. bands through as we can.
since the opening of black raven records (record store/label/promotion)
the scene has expanded and got out to a lot of people and I am very
thankful for everything
Wolf and Danni have done. (including helping put
out our records.)
36th: How'd you hook up the split with archagathus?
Mark: The archx split first came up the second time we
played arson fest in Winnipeg with archagathus on our way home from our
cross Canada tour. had a wicked night smashing down beers and somewhere
the idea for the split was suggested and we acted on it a few months
later, cheers Dan / bachelor weekend!
36th: What are some of your infulence's?
Mark: We listen to lots of different music definitly been
influenced greatly by no less, man is the bastard, assuck, discordance
axis, gasp, crossed out, excruciating terror, napalm death, plutocracy,
carcass, no comment, humangreed, final exit, enemy soil, shitfit and a
huge array of noisecore.
36th: What are some of your favorite unsigned or local bands?
Mark: Some current d.i.y. bands i've been fiending lately
are shooting spree (really check these guys out, INSANE live) soil of
ignorance, iskra, obacha, pizzahifive, cooked and eaten, tu sufres,
archagathus, wolbachia, violent gorge and all of Winnipeg really, no
eulogy (reece toye you smoke too much pot) death toll 80k, goner,
agitate, Lt.dan, total hipster crusher, godstomper, sidetracked,
hummingbird of death, powercup, sakatat, osk, the afternoon gentlemen,
massgrave, mind as prison, camphora monobromata, g.o.d., parliamentarisk
sodomi, cokskar, cloud rat, the oily menace, ethical drinking, worlds,
rape revenge and a
fuckload of others.
36th: What are your plans as a group for the future?
Mark: Currently we have
our upcoming LP at the plant and are booking a 2 month u.s. tour stoked
as shit to grind with many kill, kill, kill bands. Guess we will be
getting drunk with you in L.A. bring some salvia to smoke!
Backslider is Philidelphia's finest in fastcore.established in 2009,they've quickly become a mainstay in the east coast grindcore scene.With only two members Patrick on Drums and Logan on Vocals/Guitar,they are an exciting live act.they just finished recording their new 7" "Maladapted" on to live a lie and are about to embark on a west coast tour.i was definently stoked to interview these guys.enjoy!
-chris
36th:hows the recording for your new 7" on to live a lie coming?
Patrick:
recording is done! we recorded with Kevin Bernsten at Developing
Nations in Baltimore. I think it's definitely our best stuff and best
sounding.
Logan: Recording with Kevin was a really great experience,
definitely the least tumultuous session we've done. He's into alot of
the same shit as us, so we had several points of reference that made for
easy communication.
36th: how did you come to be signed by to live a lie?
Patrick:
Ha. I wouldn't say we were "signed", but Will has been a friend for a
while now. Iv'e worked on other stuff with him and he said he was down.
Logan: Don't forget the blood pact.
36th: how did backslider come to form?
Patrick:
I knew Logan before he moved to Philly. My band I Hate This, who Logan
would play in later when he moved out here, did a split 7" with his band
Raw Sewage. I was jamming with some other dudes, and Logan suggested we
try and start something. He had a bunch of stuff written already. We
started jamming here and there after the other project would practice,
and it just took off from there.
Logan: I was a big fan of I Hate This long before Pat and I
even met, we had corresponded quite a bit before I moved to Philly so
it seemed natural to start jamming. We started practicing in the summer
of 2008, and our demo came out in the winter of 2009.
36th: how did the PA music scene recieve you when you first started?
Patrick:
Good I guess? We just kind of hit the ground running regardless of what
people were doing. We were both in I Hate This and playing a U.S. tour
in 09 and we hopped on after only being a band a few months. Kind of
ambitious looking back, but it worked out for the best.
Logan: Our first show was with In Disgust, Nothing is
Over, and Chainsaw to the Face so we were in good company. At the time,
there wasn't much of a scene for this kind of shit but there are alot
more people and bands involved now.
36th: What are some of your infulences as a band?
Patrick:
Logan is the lyric writer so he can tell you more I think. For me I
think there are obvious band influences but its more of an aggression
outlet. Stupid people, everyday aggression are main influences. Also,
being able to play with lots of other awesome bands and travel.
Logan: Musically- lots of 80s hardcore (early Boston and
NY shit), 90s sludge and powerviolence, some 70s rock and old death
metal...whatever we're listening to at the time we're writing, really.
Lyrically- things I read about in the newspaper, some
medical/psychological ailments, particularly annoying people or
relationships in my life, some political/sociological issues.
36th: i love the fact you guys are just guitar drums and vocals.have you ever tried playing with a bassist?
Patrick:
Actually, we did ha! Lets say it didn't go to well. We juggled the idea
early on. In the end I think its best we are a 2 piece. We are both
pretty committed and know what we want to accomplish and do. Being a 2
piece unit simplifies that. Sometimes we will inevitably bump heads with
no third party around, but its bound to happen. I also think having
only a guitar and drums forces us, and challenges us to write a certain
way, which is good.
Logan: Ultimately, he was just too lazy to put forth the
necessary effort. Everyone wants to be in a band, but nobody wants to be
in a band, you know.
36th: what are your plans as a band for the future?
Patrick: Well, the "Maladapted" 7inch will be out soon on
To Live A Lie here, and Psychocontrol Records in Europe. We have a short
West Coast tour coming up soon. In May we are playing Maryland
Deathfest, then in July we are doing a European tour with The Afternoon
Gentlemen, to Play Fast or Don't Fest. Big thanks to Smith and the Gents
for booking that for us. In the middle of all this we are slowing
piecing together a 10" for Six Weeks, playing a bunch of other random
shows and planning other records and a million comps that will never
come out.
Logan: We have some sick local shows lined-up, playing
with Negative Approach, Catheter, Laughing Dog, Nasum, Dropdead. After
the 10" we're doing a split 5" with Roskopp (CO), then after that...who
knows. Wait for the aliens to return I guess.
"Idiot Hymns " off of Maladapted 7" on To Live A Lie
36th: who are some of your favorite PV/fastcore bands just coming out?
Patrick:
I dont know if these all fall under that genre... but DOC, Mind as
Prison, Triac, Nimbus Terrifix, Scaphe off the top of my head.
Logan: Scaphe, Fuzzkill, Cokskar, DOC, Mind as Prison,
Triac, Amputee, Nothing is Over, Congenital Death, No Thought, Human
Waste, Lie Still, PHF, and No Qualms are all holding it down for the bad
guys. Pat is in a new band called Callous that are sick, kind of like a
cross between Su19b and Melvins, or early Nirvana. I'm also in Gash and
Attitude Era. Check out Ilsa from DC for the low-end destruction!
36th: thanks for the interview dude! cant wait to see ya at the spot in LA!
Patrick: Thank you. Yea, will be a banger.
Logan: Shit's gonna pop off, I heard Kat Von D. will be in attendance.
Triac is a maryland based grindcore band who've been playing in the extreme music circuit for over 10 years.They've released two albums,a split and were a main highlight included in Scott Hull's masterpiece compilation This Comp Kills Fascists Vol.2.still going in 2012,the band has become a three piece,signed to Forcefield and are working on a new split with DOC.this shit is raw heavy and fast.definently check it out.
36:how and when did TRIAC form?
JAKE: That is a good question. Possibly 2003 or 4 or 5, but the band has really evolved in so many ways and has almost folded many times before stabilizing as it has recently. It has changed a ton over the years but it has always been fulfilling and fun the whole time with the goal of at first just putting out fast music. As the new people joined, things got faster, and different personnel made it less death metal influenced and it got slowly more primitive and now I think it is far more interesting personally because its just music for mongoloids, but it has always been fun. If we didn’t enjoy the process we wouldn’t still be crawling into the practice space every week.
CHADD: I personally like to say we started in 2007. We had just lost an original member and the writing shifted. Jake and I wanted our sound on the more punk side of grindcore as opposed to the more death/grind sound that was going on prior to that. That's when we started writing songs that would be on "The Blue Room" e.p.
To me, that's when TRIAC formed.
how did the baltimore music scene treat you guys when you first started?
JAKE: I think at the time there was just a good crew of bands that were very supportive of each other. There weren't tons of bands but the bands that were active were very into being out there for the other bands. We were received well i suppose but I think it was regarded as “Those triac dudes are doing that and its cool” but there other bands doing different things and the different bands were like fingers on a hand. It all composed a general scene as opposed to us really jumping out as being particularly bad ass because that was not the case.
Where do you draw infulences from?
JAKE: We draw from so many sources and force it all into what we do. Triac is like a big smelly jambalaya made up of a large amount of fast grind or thrashy bands like 324, Assuck, Mortalized and Cryptic Slaughter; classic punk bands like Black Flag, Bad Brains, The Dicks, and The Stooges. Then there is a big part of it that comes from noise rock bands like Unsane, Cherubs, The Jesus Lizard. as well as bands like Godflesh and Slowworm. Weird rhythmic rock stuff really creates a great vibe with our sound too. With all of that slopped together I generally regard Triac as just a fast traditional punk band. The goal is to make it ugly and driving forward with little regard for doing it “correctly” as long as the energy is present.
What subject matter do you cover in your songs?
CHADD: . Kevin and I very recently took over on vocals, so there are only a handful of new songs that we've written lyrics for.
They range from being fairly abstract to pretty straight forward. We'll get inspired by movies, books, things we see going on around the world and around us.
"Tick" is about how crazy I think all religions are.
"Engine Kopf" is an anti-bullying song about how at some point those people being bullied may lose all hope and pull a Columbine like massacre and how you can't really blame them.
"Hellbreaker" is about the huge amount of people overdosing on heroin and oxycoden and the like as of late. Over the past Summer there were quite a few friends and acquaintances of ours in Baltimore who died from them as well as all over.
how did you guys get on "this comp kills facists vol.2" ?
JAKE: It was very basic. We’ve known Scott for years and have played shows with him and he just sent me an text asking if we wanted to do the comp. Even though the cultural context is so different from when the old now iconic comps came out, thanks to the Internet changing how people encounter new music, it seemed like a laudable effort on his behalf and we sent some tracks. Wam bam thank you Scott.
how was the a389 fest?see any great performances?
JAKE: The fest was really solid. A389 attracts a good blend of people and the fest turned out really well for us. I think a good chunk of people saw us for the first time and hopefully dug it. The fest functioned far smoother than I thought it would thanks to Dom’s planning and it was an all around good time. I like hot dogs and fast music so it worked out well for me. Weekend Nachos was a highlight because they were such a honed machine that knows exactly what they are doing and it was good to see a band just walk on stage and casually bulldoze a packed room of flannel shirts.
what are youre plans as a band for the future?
JAKE: We’ve got a split lp with DOC that RSR is putting out. We need to write some tunes for a split with Amputee and are talking about splits with a few other bands we dig and are pals with. Other than that we’ll do what has become the norm over the past few years which is just keep our heads down, play loud music on huge gear and use our chipotle app when we go out of town.
what are some of your favorite up and coming grindcore groups?
JAKE: As far as current groups, we really dig and want to support the bands we have played with and gotten along with really well that rip like DOC, Backslider, Amputee, Callous, Mind As Prison, Defeatist, Lie Still, etc... I’m sure there are a few bands that I should mention that we have really dug playing with but as far as other cool grind bands I’m currently digging The Kill, P.L.F., Sete-Star-Sept, Psudoku and Parlamentarisk Sodomi, Gride, Low Threat Profile, Shitstorm, Noisear, Sulaco and a ton more.
sixbrewbantha is a badass grindcore group from Victoria BC.they are fast,tight and random in their acts of musical violence.i loved archagathus side just as much,but six brew was my favorite.this is some of canadas fastest music.check this out forsuresies. sixbrewbantha-Split 7" w/Archagathus linkage. More sixbrew linkage
Its a known and stated satanic fact:Australia has the best Grindcore.Captain Cleanoff,Ether Rag,ARSEHOLOCAUST,Nice Guys and such.this comp has all those legendary bands and even more.
Newcomers Battle Pope sound like metallica mixed with infest.i was pretty stoked on this group.
Fat Guy Wearing Mystic Wolf shirt were fast as fuck and very original.jazz infulenced grind.
Mclovin is fucking tight.definently a highlight of this comp is their track white livers.
NowyourfuckeD is tight grind in the style of texas grind.ex.hatred surge,insect warfare.good shit.
Micheal Jacksons doctor is pretty sick as well.eyehategod playing grind.so sweet.
overall i give this shit an A+ on the compilation chart.not a single band on here is shitty and it is well worth the download
Chris Dodge is one of those who dosent need an introduction.Having played in so many amazing and infulential groups (Spazz, Low Threat Profile,Lack Of Interest,Despise You,Stikky, among others) and being the founder of Slap A Ham records and a contributor to Short,Fast and Loud! magazine,he is already a legend in the extreme music community.I was so nervous and nerdy when i first met him (i probably came off as a tool haha) but he still was super cool and answered all my questions and put up with my nerdy fanboyness.well,without further adieu,my uncut interview with Chris Dodge.
36: First off how was Despise You's east coast tour with Magrudergrind?
Chris: Friggin' amazing. Off the hook. I have complete & utter respect
for the Magrudergrind guys. Awesome band, awesome guys. They're the
real deal. Couldn't have asked for a better band to tour with. They
treated us very well & every show was great.
36: Speaking of Magrudergrind,what are your thoughts on the recent surge of promotion of extreme music by the car company Scion?
Chris: I think it's weird, but I don't have any issues with it. I know a lot
of people get bent outta shape about the whole "corporate" thing, and I
understand, but I honestly couldn't give a shit. There's actual REAL
problems in this world. A company is hooking up my friends, and there's
no real downside, aside from people who complain about it. It's
hilarious that people get pissed off at Magrudergrind for putting out a
free record and playing free shows, all on some company's dime. I'm not
on the Scion payroll, but all of my friends who have played their
events have had nothing but positive experiences, and that's good enough
for me.
36: How did the recording of DxY's split with Agoraphobic Nosebleed go? Love the Fear cover.
Chris: Thanks. The recording was tedious. I think it took too long, only
because we weren't exactly as prepared as we should have been. We took
forever to record, but then I didn't feel bad because once we finally
got our shit together, it took ANb another year to record, and then
Relapse another 9 months to put it out. The finished product came out
nice. I'm glad we did the Fear cover, only because it breaks up the
"brutality", although Fear's sensibility brings its own level of
"brutality" in their approach.
36: Any Upcoming plans with Lack Of Interest? the this comp kills fascists tracks are amazing.
Chris: Bob & Kevin recorded a ton of new shit over the summer. I still
need to go in & lay down bass tracks & Rick needs to do vox.
Not sure what it'll come out as. Probably a few different releases.
The comp tracks did come out surprisingly good. That was another
dysfunctional recording, but that's a much longer story better left
untold.
36: So I gotta ask,whats up with Low Threat Profile?Ive heard some rumors of a possible reunion?
Chris: Well LTP never really went away. We're actually working on a ton of
new stuff now. There is a new 7" on the way with Matt on vox, and me
doing a few backing vocal lines. Joe from Infest is out of the slammer,
and word on the street is he's going to lay down some vocals on our
upcoming recordings, but you didn't hear it from me...
36: Back to DxY,what are the bands upcoming plans? any new recordings in the works?
Chris: DxYx is actually laying low for a while. No plans for anything. The
East Coast tour was a big deal. Most of us are working stiffs with
spouses & kids, so the tour was a real rarity for us, and a true
labor of love. I imagine next Spring we'll probably talk about doing
something else. Probably a few shows for next summer. There's been
talk of a weekend in Canada. No recording plans yet.
36: what is your favorite release of all the records you did on Slap A Ham?
Chris: Lots of favorites, which is why I put them out in the first place, but
the #1 spot has always been held by the No Comment "Downsided" 7". From
the moment I first heard it on a rough cassette, I've considered it a
classic. The DRI 22 song record has always been one of my all time
favorites, and I consider the No Comment record the natural progression,
the next step in the evolution of high speed hardcore that's pissed
off, with guts and honesty behind it.
36: What are your thoughts on the recent resurgence of Powerviolence groups forming?Any new bands coming out you enjoy?
Chris: It's cool, and strange. I didn't really know PV was "back" until I
signed up for MySpace 5 or 6 years ago. I got a deluge of
correspondence from 18 year old kids who were huge fans of Spazz,
Capitalist Casualties, MITB, etc. It's flattering, humbling. Really
cool. I'm really bad about keeping up with newer bands. Backslider is
friggin awesome live, I can tell you that. So is Coke Bust.
36: How is it being in 2 of the most well known PV bands around at the same
time? Is it hard juggling touring and recording with both?
Chris: I'm
pretty lucky to be in the bands I'm in. All good guys, and old friends
with common goals, or lack thereof. Not much of a conflict most of the
time, because none of the bands are that active. DY plays out maybe 3
times a year on average. Lack moreso. LTP has only played 2 live shows
ever... we just rehearse new material, drink beer, talk for hours, and
that's about it.
36: So Final Question,just because im a huge nerd
for Spazz,any plans of reunion in the future? do you still ever talk to
Max or Dan anymore?
Chris: Max & Dan & I have been in touch a lot
lately because we've been working on reissues of the Spazz LPs. "La
Revancha" should be coming out soon. "Dwarf Jester Rising" isn't too
far behind it. We've received a lot of offers to play fests, and a lot
of them sound fun. I'm not sure we'll ever do it. We all live too far
apart, and I don't feel like the motivation is really there. Most
likely it'll never happen, but you never know...
36: Thank you so much chris! cheers and happy new year!
