Sex Prisoner Interview 2012

It's finally done. here it is! Down To Nothing will be posted next. Interview with Kevin. the sex prisoner / hoax show was fucking nuts.

How did SP start?

Sex Prisoner was started by Kyle and Gilbert about a year before I joined. Honestly, I’m not too sure on the details, but we all went to the same high and played music with each other before, so I’m sure Sex Prisoner was spawned out of our mutual love for hardcore and punk. Nothing too crazy…

How did you guys get into hardcore/punk?

My brother Kyle and I got into hardcore through our cousins when we were still in elementary school. They had given us a Minor threat and a Youth of Today CD, after that it was all downhill from there. As for Gilbert and Matt they got into punk through skateboarding and that scene, other than that I’m not too sure.

Hows the Arizona scene?

The Arizona scene is very hit or miss. Some shows draw large crowds and are out of control, while other shows only a handful of kids will show up. It depends on who’s playing that night which is a shame because some really sweet bands get overlooked. That being said, there is nowhere else I would rather be then Tucson.

Any bands we should check out?

Defiantly check out our buddies in Magnum Force. They’re heavy, fast, and pissed, basically everything we love as Sex Prisoner. They have a 7” out on To Live a Lie… GO BUY IT!! Also check out our buddies in Territory. They’re super heavy metalcore in vain of bands like Ringworm and All out War. They have an LP out called Sic Semper Tyrannis which is also A MUST BUY!

How did to live a lie contact you guys about the 7"


Actually it was the other way around haha. After we had just finished recording the material we used for our s/t 7” we had no one to put it out. So as a last resort, before just putting it out ourselves, we sent it to Will from To Live a Lie and he agreed to put it out for us. We were all so shocked/stoked that we were actually putting out a record on a label, especially To Live a Lie. We hands down owe all our success to Will.

Any more releases in the works?

We are currently working on a three way split with Magnum Force and ACXDC which To Live a Lie is putting out. It should be out by the beginning of next year if all goes well. We are also going to be featured on a 7” comp called Wake up Dead that John form Weekend Nachos is putting out on Bad Teeth Recordings. The comp is going to feature some really sweet bands, The Ropes, Curmudgeon, Sucked Dry, To the Point and Thick Skin. Keep your eyes out for that too!

When can we expect you guys an cali/LA again?

Very soon… we are planning on coming out in January. We will most likely post a date on facebook within the next couple of weeks.

Did you guys enjoy your recent cali date with Hoax?

We had an AWESOME time with that show! Probably the most fun/ best show we’ve played so far. Can’t wait to come back out!

Bands you support?

This is going to sound cheesy as hell, but I don’t give a fuck… I support any hardcore or punk band that’s in it for the friends and music. It doesn’t matter to me if they’re some hyped up touring band or a local band, just as long as they’re having fun and not taking hardcore too seriously.

Last Words? 

Thanks to family, friends, and anyone who supports us… you make this worthwhile.

To The Point Interview 2012

As you should already know TO THE POINT is a los angeles power house of hardcore. sharing members of Lack Of Interest, Spazz, Despise You and Now Infest. this interview is with Mr. Burns. shout out to all the people who went to the first TTP show @ the smell with Bastard Noise and Retox. Finally got the sex prisoner Q's back and on top of that TERROR, Down To Nothing and Like It Or Not (LION Crew) interviews are all done.
when did TTP start and why?
 
TO THE POINT STARTED IN THE SUMMER OF 2011. ROPES (GUITAR) AND RED 40 (DRUMS) WANTED TO START SOMETHING FRESH AND STARTED CHURNING OUT SONGS. CAVEMAN AND I GOT WIND OF IT, LIKED WHAT WE HEARD, AND WANTED IN. THE REST IS HISTORY.
 
why did you go with the fast hardcore sound?
 
IS THERE ANY OTHER WAY TO GO? THAT'S PRETTY MUCH THE CORE OF WHAT WE ENJOY ALTHOUGH WE ALL COME FR

OM PRETTY DIVERSE SONIC BACKGROUNDS. WE DIG THE HIGH ENERGY STUFF. THE DEVILS IN THE DETAILS THOUGH, AND A LOT OF OUR NEWER STUFF HAS LITTLE INFLECTIONS IN IT THAT PULL FROM THE AFOREMENTIONED MUSICAL BACKGROUND, BUT WITHOUT STRAYING FROM WHAT WE ENJOY MOST. SHITS CRAZIER THAN A SACK FULL OF RABID WEASELS.....

what did you guys think of your first show?

WE FUCKING LOVED IT. WE WEREN'T EXPECTING MUCH SEEING AS THOUGH MOST FOLKS HAVEN'T HEARD OF US, BUT WE WERE BLOWN AWAY BY THE SHOW OF LOVE AND SUPPORT THAT CAME OUT. PEOPLE GOT INTO IT, AND WE FED OFF THAT ENERGY, AND STEAMROLLED THROUGH OUR SET PLAYING AS FAST AND HARD AS WE COULD........TWAS GOOD SHIT, COULDN'T HAVE ASKED FOR MORE!

what other shows do you guys have line up besides the Nov 17 date with vitamin x?

THAT'S IT FOR NOW.......IF THE WORLD MAKES IT TO 2013, YOU CAN BE SURE OUR UGLY MUGS WILL SHOW UP SOMEWHERE.

any more releases in the works and hows the split with yacopsae ?

OH HELLSYEAH..........DON'T KNOW WHAT THE STATUS OF THE SPLIT WITH YACOPSE IS.........WRITE THE FUCKING KILL RECORDS AND DEMAND JUSTICE! HA! IT SHOULD BE OUT SOON, THAT'S ALL I KNOW. WE HAVE ANOTHER ONE-SIDED 7" COMING OUT NOW ON DEEP SIX RECORDS CALLED "SUCCESS IN FAILURE". WE ARE ALSO WORKING ON SPLITS WITH PICK YOUR SIDE AND EXTORTION............

any other projects you guys are in?

YES.......IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER: ACTUARY, BACTERIA CULT, FETUS EATERS, INFEST, LACK OF INTEREST, MARION BARRY, MURDER CONSTRUCT, AND SUFFERING LUNA..........JUST TO NAME A FEW.

bands you support?

TOO MANY TO NAME...........BASICALLY EVERYONES WHO'S REAL AND PUT THEIR HEART INTO WHAT THEY DO.

last words?

DON'T SWEAT THE PETTY SHIT, JUST PET THE SWEATY SHIT.
-MR. BURNS

Veins

Demo

Step Forward

S/T

Deathrats

S/T
Give Up

Weekend Nachos Interview 2012

Happy Halloween Everybody! here's a Weekend Nachos/Spine Update w/ snyder. interviews with to the point, mindset and sex prisoner are up next/in the works.

How's the spine tour coming along?
 
the Spine tour actually just ended last night...it was fucking great! it was our 1st real tour besides just a weekend so we weren't sure what to expect but it turned out awesome. some of the "bigger" shows were D.C. and Boston, lots of people were there and we got a great response, i couldn't believe it. for Spine to be able to visit those cities for the first time ever and be received so well is almost unheard of when a band is first starting out, we felt lucky as shit to be able to experience such a thing.

Are you guys happy on how the to the spine 7" came out?

Definitely, it came out great. the layout looks good, the covers were printed well, the record sounds really good too, our friend Mike/Mark recorded it. I put it out on my new label Bad Teeth Recordings so I'm still getting used to distribution and webstores and all that nonsense.

Is bad teeth releasing anything else?

I hope to!!! right now money is tight, i am still trying to break even with the Spine record and that takes a verrrry long time when a band is new and not hyped or anything. but things will be okay, i plan on doing my label for the rest of my life if i can! i'll never make any money doing it, at least i don't think, but whenever the funds present themselves, i'll put out more records for sure!

Why did you decide to release the spine 7" on bad teeth instead of tooth decay?

well, Tooth Decay was a label i did with my friend Nick and we decided years ago not to use that name any more. he has his own label now Cowabunga Records and now i have my own again...working together was cool but i am glad to do my own thing. i like knowing that the label is 100% mine and no one else's, it's just the way i am.

Lets get to the nitty gritty, the new weekend nachos single "watch you suffer" when can we expect a song to drop?

it's undecided, because we have the 2 songs recorded for the single but we do not know when we should let everybody hear it, haha. we are thinking Dec. 1st is when everybody will get to hear the new jam. it's going to appear on our full-length in 2013 so we're really hoping that this 7" single on A389 will hype that up a little bit and give people a small taste of what's to come. i'm ridiculously fucking excited about this new LP, it's our best work for sure.

When will you guys be writing the new lp?

we are in the process of writing it now...we got about 4 songs that we're pretty happy with, it just takes time. i can't give a definite answer as to when we'll be finished and ready to record, but that's a good thing, it means we're really working hard and not rushing anything. the WN supporters will have to just wait and see.

Are you excited to be playing with INFEST at maryland death fest?

to be honest, i'm more excited to play with CARCASS, does that make me a true hardcore poseur? obviously if it does, i don't care. Carcass is one of my favorite bands of all time, i really am just looking forward to seeing them without clearing my entire bank account to make it happen. i am very lucky to be able to travel with my band to go to this show and see a bunch of bands that i like.

Rumors about playing with INFEST down here in LA in the spring, confirm/deny?

how the fuck did you hear about that? my answer to this question is that Rocky V is very underrated and should be appreciated more as a legitimate part of the series. i think a lot of people feel that the 5th one isn't good and they're incorrect about that.

Last words?

yeah, everybody stay true to what they believe hardcore is about because only you can decide what that may be... the fashions, the records, the shows, the zines, the drama, the messageboards, etc. are all just filler. let the hardcore community help you understand yourself before you try to understand the hardcore community cuz that's all that really matters in the end. look out for "WATCH YOU SUFFER" in January on A389. don't fight at shows.

Cold World Interview 2012

Interview with Nic Woj. "Here’s a brand new COLD WORLD interview. Pretty in-depth w/info on our new LP and all other types of ill shit." -CW, SEX PRISONER up next.

How did CW start?

Dan, Alex and I were in a band together called Magnus years ago and
after that Alex was in Frostbite for a little. Since then, none of use have
done a real band so we had the itch. We recruited Dave Foster, who also was
in Frostbite towards the end, and figured out how we wanted to sound and
went from there. At the time, Alex and I lived in Philly while Dave and Dan
lived in Wilkes-Barre. We'd practice pretty much every week, usually in Philly.

What influenced you guys?

While the hardcore scene was definitely fun at the time, there certainly
wasn't anything that really sounded like what we wanted to do. I think that void inspired us mostly. We loved bands like Life of Agony, Leeway and Biohazard and no one was really doing that at the time. Not that we wanted to sound exactly like those bands but we liked the crossover vibe. We wanted to appeal to all the different walks of life within the scene. In the end I'm not sure it worked out that way but it was definitely a goal of ours. I remember Alex only wanted to make XL and XXL shirts at first! But less specifically, I'd say coming up in the Wilkes-Barre hardcore scene was the biggest influence on CW. It was the kind of scene where people were always trying to do something different (for better or worse) and that probably has a lot to do with why we thought nothing of incorporating hip-hop elements into our sound.

Whats the background on the ice grillz 7"?

Ice Grillz was our second 7". Our first was a self-titled on Walk All Night Records. I think it was a solid release but I don't think we really discovered our whole sound until Ice Grillz. I remember writing a lot of Ice Grillz in Alex's basement and being really psyched on what we were coming up with. I specifically remember writing "Copernicus" one day. At the time, we thought that intro was so long and ignorant. It doesn't really seem that way now. Anyways, Greg asked us to do the record on Lockin Out and it was a no-brainer. We recorded the first 7" with Don Fury and we were pretty much happy with how it came out so we went back to do "Ice Grillz" with him. He said he wasn't happy with how the first record came out so he went harder and paid more attention to things on this go round and I think it really shows when you play the records back to back.

What got you into hc and hip hop?

Hip-hop was my first musical love and that was very early on. Like 6-7 years old. I stuck with it even through getting into metal, punk and other kinds of music. I didn't really get into hardcore until probably 94-95. My first punk show was when I was in 6th grade and lived in FL. A friend took me to see Ill Repute. Soon after, there was a death in my family and I had to move back to Wilkes-Barre so that stunted my getting into going to shows. Where I lived wasn't very cultured. There were no skaters, punkers or anything of the sort in my high school. I've never realized it until right now but my friend Jarrod and I were literally the first kids in our high school to get into punk and skateboarding. Bobb Mac from Walk All Night Records was the first wagger of our high school, but that was a couple grades ahead of us and he had transferred to a Catholic School uptown by the time we were there. He was there for my first year actually and I remember him handing me down a really ill Tommy Hilfiger lumberjack coat and his sketchy friend Gary Moore showing me the "weed plant" he had growing in his locker (it was literally one tiny sprout in a dixie cup). Anyways, after becoming full-fledged "skaters", Jarrod and I got into going to local punk/hc shows soon after. We would get dropped off in Wilkes-Barre on weekends and skate with our friends, hang out at the mall and go to shows. One of the first good shows I remember going to was Both Worlds at Sea Seas. I also remember seeing local bands like Burial Ground and Bedford at various fire halls and places like the Mantis Green and Cafe Metropolis. Northwest High School's notorious first wigger soon found his way into hardcore and we started rolling with him. Bobb was older and drove, so we were partaking in all the 90s hardcore/wigger activities like writing graffiti, skating all night and other mischief. There was also an older dude from my high school named Len who drove us to shows a lot but he wasn't that into hardcore, he was more into punk stuff like Bad Religion and Propaghandi. He was pretty into the Wilkes-Barre political straight-edge scene stuff though so he'd take us to any of those shows. i remember him giving me a SOIA tape and an Insted cd saying he tried to get into them but he couldn't get past the cheesy lyrics. I played drums from an early age so I ended up starting a band with my friends Gary, Nate and Eric from high school. We were mostly influenced by 90s Victory stuff but I was into "old school" stuff and Nate was really into death metal so we put those influences in as well.

How did you enjoy your tour with backtrack, dead end path and expire?

It was chill I guess. I dunno.

What did you guys think of your west coast shows?

They were really slammin. I specifically remember the show at Alladdin Jr's because it was packed with tons of kids and people really went ham and the show in Oakland cause of this cute chick with half red and half black hair in a Giants tee. I used to not really fuck with Cali but I've recently made some friends out there (shouts to Soul Seach & Julian) and have been seeing it in a different light.

When can we expect you guys back in cali/los angeles?

I'm not sure man. Unfortunately not soon enough. Dan lives in England now so it's hard for us to do shows unless it's a big tour or fest, which kills us because we used to love just doing our own thing. Fests are cool I guess but you lose that sense of intimacy that comes with regular-sized hc shows. We have a new album coming out early next year so hopefully we'll be able to do a tour to support it and we'd definitely come out for that.

Did you spit your game at that cute girl?

Man, I have no game to spit. 

Speaking of the new lp when is it coming out and what label is releasing it?

Hopefully it's coming out early 2013 and Deathwish is putting it out. I really like how it's coming out and I think it may end up being the Cold World record that I'm most proud of. We did a decent amount of exploring how far we can take our sound and we have guest spots from Kool G Rap and Meyhem Lauren. 

Any more chelsea girl jams coming out soon?

Parts Unknown is putting out a tape of the material I have so far. I think it's 7 songs and it's getting made in the next month or so. I'm not sure what I'm doing next with the project but there will definitely be more material in the future because I really enjoy making those songs. It's cool doing something that's all you and the material reflects my feelings and personality way more than and hardcore band could. I'm a major creative contributor in Cold World but when it comes down to it I'm just the drummer. Even though I write all the lyrics, I write them to be delivered through Dan so the material has to be something that makes sense and something he's comfortable with.

How do you get into DJ mode? and how did you come up with the reign supreme DJ song for their DEFIANT single?

i was in dj mode since high school. My friend Jeff and I just got into it and would spin records and learn scratches, mixing and different techniques every day after school. We eventually got into making beats and just kind of learned together. I already knew how to spin and make beats a

little so I taught him what I knew and we both learned from there on. Robby Redcheeks is a friend of mine and he put that RS record out. He wanted to make it look like a DJ 12" single and have a hip-hop intro so he hit me up. It was a beat I had laying around and i threw some cuts that said "Reign Supreme" on it.

whats "can it be so simple" about?

It's basically just about living and dying and looking at what you did in your life. It's pretty basic lyrically and definitely has an existential side to it as far as questioning if there's a spiritual side to life and if you're going to get judged for what you've done. Personally, I don't think so but that's something everyone thinks about.

favorite hip hop artist?

That's really tough! My favorite rapper is probably Kool G Rap, but as far as records go, Eric B & Rakim have probably had the most impact on me from a young age. I'd have to mention Mobb Deep and Raekwon as well. I don't really have a straight-up favorite anything besides The Smiths/Morrissey.

what do you think of this song? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KsFGZkgWO-Y

It's pretty good. Khrysis is a name I know for sure. I think he's connected to the whole Little Brother/NC scene right? He's cool but the whole 9th wonder style gets a little repetitive for me. That drum pattern they always use gets kind of boring.  But yeah, it's alright haha

What about big L and ghost face killa? hahaha (i mentioned GFK cause of Raekwon and big L cause hes fucking tight)

I obviously love Ghost and Big L and that's why I said it's so hard to pick a "favorite". I also try to seperate best from favorite. Certain rappers can "outrap" other rappers but that doesn't mean I enjoy their music more. East coast 90's hip-hop is the illest. Nothing can touch it and there's so many artists with classic albums that it gets rough to put them against one another.

Hows was your japan tour?

Japan is amazing and I can't wait to go back. I think about it all the time. It was cool to go record shopping and be able to get GISM and Death Side records and stuff like that. I got some Robotech and Gundam shit as well as some ill sneakers. It's the mecca of cool shit. We made a lot of great friends there as well. Tome from Bowlhead Records, Senta, everyone in Numb, Fight It Out, Sand, Creepout & my homie Katsu who does a great clothing company called Winiche & CO.

What current hardcore bands do you support?

Honestly hardcore is pretty wack to me right now but I think it's just because I'm getting older. My favorite bands now are Soul Search and Stick Together. I support all my friends bands like Beware, Build and Destroy, Free Spirit, Dead End Path, World War 4 etc. There's not too much getting me excited though. I can't really relate to much of the lyrics. Every other band has lyrics like "be yourself!" or whatever and that's cool but how many times can bands say that shit and why the fuck do I wanna be myself? I hate myself. The last thing people want me to be is myself, believe me. I've been myself for a while and it still hasn't done much for me. It seems like the only bands that have interesting lyrics and stuff aren't included in the regular hardcore scene, it's always some left field shit which is cool for them but that's not really what I'm into. Regular hardcore is going to suck probably forever now because kids get into it through either pop punk or Alternative Press shit. With that said, my opinion means nothing. The shit I thought was so great when I was young was probably shitty too, it's just that hardcore is such a time and a place thing. It's also extremely subjective considering in the grand scheme of music there's not much difference between one hardcore band and the next. So don't take my criticism (or anyone else's) too serious.

Ok nic last words?

Thanks for the interview, Alex. Our new album will be out sooner or later and in the mean time please check out the stuff we're doing on the side. Build and Destroy, Gypsy, Pegasus, RZL DZL etc. Also check www.coldworldhardcore.tumblr and the CW myspace for all the dj mixes I put up. I put them up frequently and I do a range of different mixes from hip-hop to grime to house to uk garage. Hopefully something for everyone.

Rape Revenge Interview 2012

First Off i would like to say that RxR is a fucking awesome band and most of all, awesome people. i got to talk with Samantha, Jessey and the rest of the dudes at one of their L.A shows a couple of months ago and it was a blast. everyone should most definitely check them out. cool tunes cooler people. if you get a chance to check them out grab the 7" and have a nice chat with them. you can listen to the "PAPER CAGE" EP on their bandcamp  Rape Revenge Bandcamp
Interview with Samantha.

Hi Alex,

We did get home alright! It was actually a shock to me that our van made it.  Tour was amazing! Thanks for the rad chats we had.  Here are my answers:

How did rape revenge start and why?

Rape Revenge started with me and Matt almost 3 years ago.  We wanted to make a band that was aggressive, in your face, and feminist as fuck.

First show and how did it go?

Oh man... our first show was at this weird all ages venue called The New Black with a bunch of bands I don't even remember.  Our drummer at the time showed up super late, had to borrow a ton of gear and was just generally a total jerk.  We kicked him out shortly after the show becuase he kept cancelling practice to go drink wtih friends.  This was before we decided to form a straight edge member'd band.  I think we did ok though, for a first show.  It was just exciting to be screaming in people's faces.

What bands influenced you guys musically? and what influences you lyrically?

Personally I am really inspired by any other women identified singers.  The band Hysterics blows my fucking mind, same with Deathrats when they were around.  I really love Limp Wrist too, and am a huge fan of Thou.  I like doomy hardcore and a lot of sludge bands, so I am always trying to bring that into the mix.  Lyrically my roots are in krust because that is where I first started and where I read the most politically inspiring stuff, like with Crass or Poison Girls or Initial State. 

What happened to the other female members of RR?

The other women in Rape Revenge lost interest, didn't want to be as dedicated (ie. practice regularly, play shows, go on more tours), and just weren't feeling the music anymore.  It was mutually agreed that they would no longer be in the band.  They both are incredibly talented musicians, both of them play in this awesome band called The Shrapnelles, Arielle is in The Throwaways who are one of the best bands in Calgary and Gwen is always starting new fun bands.  It is really unfortunate it didn't work out with them, but I think it was the right choice for everyone involved. 

Matt and I struggled for a long time, trying to find women identified members to join Rape Revenge.  We live in Calgary AB, we play a really specific underground type of music, we wanted women who were stoked on not just what this band is about but in for all the places we wanted to take this project.  It became a choice between adding man identified members who were everything we were looking for besides the gender we wanted, or not playing shows anymore.  I know Matt is still pretty upset about the fact that there are no other women.  After a tour with 3 men I am also feeling it's time to start playing music with women again.  That said, I am still really grateful for Jesse and Ethan's contributions to this band and am very glad they joined Rape Revenge because they really believe in this project.

How did you get asked to do a 7" by will from to live a lie?

We asked him! He ordered a tape and our original 7" and I was stoked because he has released some of my favorite records.  We are really lucky to have had a few labels contact us and offer to do a release, so we got to really make our own choice.  We also were burned pretty hard by our past label and so we wanted someone to put out our record who had a few releases under their belt, who would really have our backs and be open and fair with us, and Will seemed to be all of that.  It's been totally awesome working with Will.  I am still kind of blown away that someone will pay to put out a record I make!

Paper Cage is out, so how has the reception been like?

Really great! We are super grateful for all the support.   I personally think this record is more aggressive, more full, and still raw and furious, so it is great to hear similar reactions and know we are creating the effect we intended.

Any new materiel in the works?

Yes! We wrote a few new songs before leaving for tour.  One is called Safe and Soundless and it's about women's experience of agoraphobia.  I am really proud of this song.  It was our FIRST song that just arose out of a free jam.  Most of our songs have bee written in this sort of cold and calculated way, like Jesse will bring a riff and we will be like "ok, play it faster, take away all the major notes, and don't let it groove at all.  Oh and play it once instead of 8 times".  But then one jam Ethan was just busting out a riff and Jesse did all this cool noise over it and we went with it.   We also wrote a few other songs, one about how being straight edge isn't about protecting myself from rape.  It's not a women's fault she is drunk when she is raped, it's the man who raped her's fault for raping someone.  Women have a right to choose to use drugs or alcohol and still be safe.  Anyway, we will be writing a new album in the next few months and already have a few songs in the works!

What did you guys think of your L.A. shows? and California? oh and meeting us haha

Our show at Corazon Del Pueblo got shut down by the cops, which fucking sucked.  But it was amazing before then.  The band that opened, Agowilt, blew my fucking mind.  Yay primitivist punks!!!  The space itself was very inspiring.

The LA House show was really awesome, super intimate and like the house shows we play here.  La Bella is such an incredible band and it was so nice to play a show with them again (we played with them at New Directions Fest in Olympia). 

Meeting you was really great!

What did you guys think of the entire west coast tour? and how did you guys spend it while not playing shows?

The tour was so fun! It is really nice to see new places and learn from different communities.  In Calgary, our shows are like 99% white straight dudes, and so it was really exciting and awesome to be at shows with tons of people of color, more women and queers, and just feel... at home.  People were incredibly kind and welcoming to us, which was very nice.

When we weren't playing shows, we were stuffing our faces with vegan food.  We don't get much of that in Calgary, so we hit up a lot of awesome restaurants.  We were also at some record stores, books stores, doing stupid buying related shit.  We also went for lots of swims in lakes and rivers and had really awesome hang outs with people! In Redding I jumped off this old abandoned car bridge into the coldest river of my life.  It was so scary and awesome!

When can we see you guys down here again?

Hopefully soon!

Bands you support?

Local bands from Calgary:
Brain Fever
Lab Rat
Tel Fyr
Apologist
Gummers

Non-Local:
La Bella
Hysterics
Agatha
Ahna
Violent Restitution
Vile Intent
Stress Relief

Last words?

Thank you very much for doing the interview with us! We really appreciate the support.  If people want to get in touch they can email us at raperevengeband@riseup.net or they can check out our tumblr at raperevengeband.tumblr.com

Homewrecker

Portrait Of Nothing
The Love Below / Homewrecker Split
Worms And Dirt

Mind Eraser

Demo
Cave
Teenagers
Glacial Reign
Conscious Unconscious
The Prodigal Son Brings Death
Mind Eraser / Slang Split

Rival Mob

Bitter Rivals Demo
Hardcore For Hardcore
Raw Life
Mob Justice Tape

Thug x Life Interview 2012

Interview with Siwy, guitarist of thug x life. Straight edge from poland homies. you can check out their curent releases on the TxL band camp.
Thug x Life Bandcamp

How did thug life start? and who is in it so far?

The band started in April 2010. We knew each other before (from shows etc.) and after talking about it for some time one thing led to another, we started playing together and it all worked out well. For me the funniest thing about it all is that it took me „only” ten years to come across the right people who also wanted to start an old school band but I managed to do it. So here you have a real proof that you should never abandon your dreams. As for the people involved, we started with Wilk on vocals, Jerry on bass, Rumcajs on drums and me on guitar, but after our original drummer moved to London he got replaced by Kuba and we're playing with him now.

And one more thing, the name's THUG X LIFE...always withe the „X” in the middle : )

Now that the 7'' droped whats next for you guys?

At the begining of September our new song is going to see the light of day. It's included on the „Very Cool, Very Core” compilation by Ratel Records ( you can get it here  www.ratelrecords.com). Our EP "All eyez on you" will be re-released on xMore than inkx Records on tape! We are very excited about that too.

We already have some new songs that we want to record and then maybe put them out as a split with someone, but will see how it goes.

Apart from that we're preparing ourselves four a couple of shows outside Poland at the end of September. Pretty excited about this as it will be our first time to ever play abroad so it should be fun. So as you can see things are looking good.

How did you guys come up with the name thugxlife?

Our vocalist Wilk came up with it during one of our rehearsals. If you'd ask him now he would probably disagree, but we all remember well that it was him. We had a vote and I was the only one against it. So as you can presume I'm not the biggest fan of it, though I grew into liking that name in a strange way through those 2 years, since one thing is sure...it really stands out from the more „standard” ones that you can come across. And when you take under consideration that we're all against though guy, macho mentality, and try to speak about positive things, and how using your mind can lead to positive changes in life, then it adds a little controversy to it all. So I guess it's punk all right.

What bands influences you guys?

Ok here's the deal, I always wanted to say this but no one except my girlfriend seems to believe me...I honestly believe that when it comes to influences one of the biggest ones for me is JAWBREAKER! It might sound strange at the beginning but it all makes perfect sense after you get to know me. However, when it comes to more direct and contemporary (I won't mention the 70's and 80's bands as it's too obvious that they do inspire me) influences then it's just all about good bands: Carry On, Floorpunch, Mindset, Get the most I could listen to those bands for hours and they always get me pumped up. Although, I don't stick to one genre in particular, I'm into ska as much as I'm into 90's hardore so the list could be endless I guess.

How did you guys start getting into hardcore/punk and straight edge?

I can only speak for myself, and the answer is really simple: skateboarding. Pretty trivial but still that's how it was. Started skating when I was 14, grew up music-wise watching a lot of 90's skate vids at that time, heard Minor Threat, Black Flag and Fugazi and I was hooked. As for straight edge it happened quite simultaneously. I grew up with a bunch of junkie friends who went from smoking pot to getting morphine injections in their asses and eventually got in trouble with mafia guys because of drug dealing. Such things get you thinking pretty quick and develop a certain way in which you perceive the world. That's why even when I was younger I wasn't into drugs, drinking etc. so after hearing about sxe I just embraced it since that was already what I more or less believed in. Fifteen years later I still have a huge smile every time that I x-up so I guess I've made the right choice. Guess that with that sort of experience I do have some arguments when coming across people who claim that I should keep my mouth shut just because I was never drunk in my life and therefore don't know shit.

Hows the scene in poland?

It is very much alive and kicking. After a little slow down at the beginning of the 00's (at least from my point of view) it looks amazing right now. There's a lot of awesome new bands. One of the best shows that I've been to the past few years where those played by polish bands. I have a feeling that almost every month there's a new zine being made. New records are being put out all the time some DIY and some by small record labels. Kids at the shows don't have that “try and impress me” type of look in their eyes that you sometimes can see elsewhere and instead just sing along and mosh to the music that they like. But the best way to experience how's it like here is just coming and checking it out for yourself.

Any plans on touring the U.S.?

Honestly we would love to do so, but without getting much into politics, the U.S. policy towards polish people who want to travel to the States is so fucked up that I doubt that it could be possible at the moment. We'd have to get visas, which you don't necessary get after a really humiliating visa interview in the embassy, which looks more like a cop interrogation if you ask me. And even if you get a positive review and get one it's still not uncommon to be denied entry after you land at an American airport. You don't even have to be given a reason. So with all that I doubt that we'll ever come to the US as a band. The funny fact is that I guess it would be easier for us to play a gig somewhere in Cuba than for instance New York.

What was your favorite show thugxlife ever had?

We played a lot of great shows so far but two stand out from the rest as far as I'm concerned. Our recent show at Straight Edge fest in Warsaw was a blast, first time that that many people actually sang and moshed to our songs. Simply if someone starts to move around with your first chord and stops only after the last one, you know that it had to be something special. What makes it even more special is the fact that it was the first edge fest in our country since 1997 so it makes it even bigger for us. The other show that's one of my favourite is the one  we played in a sort of a garden shed, next to our friend's house in Czestochowa. Literally no place to stand, people diving of each other, I spent the whole set with my back leaning against our vocalist so that we didn't all crash into drums and to top it all off a lot of our friends also got to be there. Definitely a time we'll remember.

Bands you support?

Since the polish scene seems to be a little underrated I'll mention only polish bands. Last Dayz, Government Flu, Outbound, Iron To Gold, Calm The Fire, We are idols...these are definitely worth checking out. Each one plays a different style of hc/punk so I guess everyone can be satisfied with this pick. Although there are many more good bands over here, so I encourage anyone to do some research on his own.

Last words?

Dare to dream. If you want to do something than just do it and don't look back. If you're 30 and always wanted to skateboard then just go for it since it's never too late to pursue your goals, even the smallest ones. Starting your own band, making a zine, whatever else. Anything that comes from your heart and is all about passion is always worth doing!

Thanks a lot for the interview. Honestly it's not a thing that you expect to get when you first start a band and every time that someone supports us in anyway and is interested with what we do I really appreciate it and feel truly amazed.

Skate straight!

Take xxx care.

Godstomper Interview 2012

No introduction here. you already know who they are, so ill just cut to the chase! this interview is with Mr Paul barfo vocalist/bassist. you can still get some records and other goodies straight from him. so shoot him an email!

paulbarfo@aol.com

What year did GS get together and how?

GS got together in 1991 . I  was always kicked out or not welcomed to play in any local high school bands at the time because oh many reasons probably the main one was I wasn't trying to play what was considered cool at the time.  I was into death metal and grindcore punk and everyone was covering Misfits and Metallica.  So I told my brother Danny who was the drummer in a few local bands to start a two man bass  drum  grind band influenced by Napalm Death , Doom , and Ruins.

When did you guy have your first release and first show?

Our first release was the Cathy Ames split 7inch in 1996 . Our first show was at the Cupertino library  if I remember it was a riot grrl show that we crashed around May of 1996.

That's awesome! whats been your favorite show that you guys played?

hard to say , we enjoy basement and house shows than venue gigs any day.

Background story on the Saturday morning powerviolence 7"?

Background story on SMPV.  It was recorded in one day at House of Faith studios in Oakland. We got followed by the cops for couple of miles before we got to the studio . All the songs were recorded on one take and made up on the spot .  It was our first studio recording which I was never really happy with ( we recorded in two seperate sound rooms so it was really hard to get the timing right). We had some strict guidelines to follow regarding the cover art for Slap a ham records ie. no dead bodies , really gory bad stuff etc.. so it was a real challenge to find something to use as artwork or even a name for the record. So one day I saw a photo of Puff n stuff ( old 70's British kids show) and decided that look really harmless , stupid and silly and a complete antithesis to all the really ultra violent power violence sleeve covers out there. And saw a old article about Saturday morning cartoon violence being really violent for kids  so I just put power in between Saturday morning and violence and presto - a really dumb looking cover that isn't extreme looking but fits Slap a ham guidelines for art sleeves.

Can you tell us younger punks how it was in the 90's in terms of bands, networking, shows and fiesta grande?!

In the 90's you had to travel to the city  to find a underground punk record store that sold grind or powerviolence records or even a MRR to find ad's to order the records from since the net was still in its infancy , only few people had computers much less internet access.  We had Book your own fucking life which was the annual book released by MRR to help bands , record labels , zines etc.. establish a network and it really created a community of friends to help each other. Getting shows in Knights of Columbus halls, library basements , bowling alleys etc. was easy but then the kids fucked it up .People ask me from watching the old powerviolence band videos on youtube why no one moshed or pitted, well you have to understand the underground DIY punk scene  in the 90's was really PC. It was frowned upon to slam dance , mosh , say certain words , drink , do drugs , etc...  Fiesta grande was fun ,  imagine a fest that by a label that specializes in a form of hardcore that is fast , noisy and aggressive and all the bands on the label or not traveled from everywhere to play . It was a festive atmosphere and Fiesta grande really symbolized a era of DIY hardcore that had nothing to do with tough guy shit.

On the inside of Saturday morning powerviolence 7" it said you wanted to piss off people that hated the term powerviolence.what happened there?

Nothing really. No one cared.

How did you get asked to work with Chris and slap a ham? how was it like?

Well Chris Dodge contacted us about doing the ep.  I sent him a The Barfos  demo tape about  1995  to see if he liked to put out a noisecore anti shit record which never happended . But he heard  either the Cathy Ames or Misanthropist or 625 prod. 7inch  and  liked what he heard  so he offered us a record release which I was very honored and happy to receive  because I never thought we'd ever be on Slap a ham because I dunno ,  I thought we weren't Slap a ham sounding enough to be on the label but still  I wasn't sure to do it . Ya I was hesistant at first because we wanted to do zero studio recordings  since all the early stuff was just raw  DIY recorded in my bedroom  and was comfortable that way but Max Ward nudged me a bit saying that we should accept this  paid studio  time  and 20 percent cut offer from Chris so we did.

Whats GS working on now?

right now we are writing new songs , just being aware , supporting touring bands just helping our friends out. We have shit load of splits to release but you know things occur in life that we have no control over and those occurances  become priorities so you just take one thing at a time.

How did the radio battle / split with in disgust come about?

Well I used to be a staff member at KFJC  89.7 fm radio  at my Ala mater Foothill college and I brought  it up to In Disgust that we should do a live mic on air just for fun and brought it up to the Station programmer and it was cool .  It wasn't really a radio battle  we just call it versus because it sounds like a battle but we just thought it be a fun live mic  to do and from there Jose  wanted to release the recording as a split. Its not really a split its more a live radio show transfered to vinyl.

Do you see any differences in the hc/punk scene from the 90s to now?

Well ya the differences are now kids  are more receptive to heavy sounding music than in the 90's  when the scene was mixed yet very fragmented  and narrow minded because of cliques and scene politics  plus the soft pop emo stuff crowd attitude was very popular so that crept into the DIY heavy extreme scene as well which did affect the crowds attitude because they realized the other stepping stone to success in their musical  careers  was mixing soft stuff with extreme stuff  , the bookers  and labels decision to release or book certain bands due to popularity  , money,  which in hindsight did  affect the  attitude of what  punk  was being  defined  at the time  . Its still very clique now but it seems kids have been more open to new sounds or even bringing back band sounds that are obscure but thats on a DIY  level .  Its always  changing , progressing or regressing.  I mean you have the social networking  on the internet which has changed how the punk scene is as well when before it was all word of mouth and  the kids looked high and low for info on bands , shows  and records.

Any los angeles shows in the future?

Not really sure at this moment. We are skeptical about playing L.A.  since last year when that hillside house show in East LA. was crashed early by the pigs.That was the third show to not happen for us in L.A.  so we are burnt on getting fucked over by promoters who don't have their shit together or rip bands off.

Any other projects you guys are in?

well I was doing Plague hoarder which was a experimental folk doom noise band  with Phil who was in Tolteca extra and that ended pretty quickly  with only a demo cd and two shows. Theres songs on youtube .  Then there was Failed Species AKA MAD AS HELL AKA DOG  with James of Human waste and Dos Amigos which is on hiatus after one show and one crude demo recording. Danny's too busy for musical projects right now

Current and past bands you support?

we support  ACXDC , In Disgust , Uzi suicide , Hostile takeover , Bizarre X, Scaphe, Burning Monk, Lie Still , The Misanthropists , Uttered Bastard , Cathy Ames , Magrudergrind , Sete star sept , Wake the machines , Your enemy , Thousands will die , Noothgrush , Calm ,Brain oil , Daybreak , Spazz , Agents of Satan , Slobber , Sockeye, He who corrupts, Tersunjung 13 , Vile intent , Iron lung , Dhoom , Blue sabbath Black cheer ,  I'm just trying to remember names off the top of my head.

I think that's it Paul, thank you. last words?

Thanks Alex . Ya man support DIY punk thrash , friends before profits ,  keeping it real with all the homies  all over the globe , they all know who they are. 

Focusedxminds Interview 2012

This took a while but FxM finally wrote back to me and here it is! interview with drew. can you dig it?

Hows everything with you guys?

Good, just very chill. We've been home from tour for a few weeks now, except our drummer, who is out doing merch for Oblivion. Just been back to working full time and enjoying being home.

That stay focused EP was sick any other releases in the works?

Thanks! We just released a three way split with two other Midwest bands Out of Time and Another Mistake called "Scene of the Crime" on 6131 Records. As for future releases, we are currently working on a full length that will be coming out on 6131 Records as well. Hoping to finish it in the coming weeks and record this fall.

What do you guys think of the southern California scene?

We absolutely love it. Some of our wildest, best shows have been in Southern California. Great weather, awesome friends, sick bands, it's one of the best places in the world.

Can we expect you guys in L.A. / California any time soon besides sound
and fury in a couple of weeks?

Honestly, not sure. As of right now we have zero tour plans. Due to our rough financial situation, we kinda have to lay low for a while and work towards a new van and stuff. I know we'll be around there whenever we record our LP this fall, since we'll be doing it with someone in that area. So hopefully then!

Has it been difficult  being a vegetarian/straight edge band?

Well we've never been a 100% vegan or vegetarian band. At certain points we all have been, and we have an old song addressing John's views on animal cruelty. However, our current bass player is neither, and that's fine. It was never a big part of the band, just a big part of a few of our individual views. But as far as touring and stuff, it's way easier than people think. It's not hard to eat cheap and vegan. I resort to lots of PB&J's, nuts, and all sorts of veggie burritos.

Any great vegetarian vegan places in Milwaukee ?

There's a lot actually, which is awesome, because most people would never think of a place in Wisconsin being vegan friendly. The place I work, Comet Cafe, serves a bunch of vegan stuff like veg meat loaf, vegan gyros, etc. There's an amazing place called the Riverwest Co-Op Cafe which is by my house. Lots of great Indian and Thai food. And the famous shithole Chinese place Chop Stix for when you're wanting some amazing, heart killing tofu.

Pros and cons in hardcore?

I'll try to keep this simple.
PROS: Community, friendship, passion, intensity, traveling, pitting. I have friends nationwide because of this music, and I get to chance to travel and see places I wouldn't get to otherwise, and that's amazing.

CONS: The unfortunately large number of people that forget about the things I listed above. Too many people focused on acting hard, their cliques (wasn't that shit supposed to stop in highschool?), and their internet personas. The lack of real people, and the lack of bands that have anything real to say is disheartening. Then I hear bands like Rotting Out, Mindset, or Expire, all very lyrically different, yet all saying very real things, and I remember hardcore is still in a very good place.

Bands you support?

Expire, Bent Life, Another Mistake, Out of Time, Black Ice, No Regrets, Smashed In, Written Off...Midwest Blood.

Elsewhere: Rotting Out, The Beautiful Ones, Wreck, Oblivion, Power, Sleepwalkers, Ivy league, Naysayer, Break Away, Tough Luck.

Any last words?

Support your scene, support the bands you love, and id you don't like something or wish things were better, change them. Over the last two years I have been doing my part to help our scene grow through booking my own shows, or helping my friend Anthony that has taken over most booking here. Slowly but surely, more bands have been coming through, more kids have been showing up, and our scene has grown.

Start a band, book shows, make a zine, do something, anything besides complain on the internet.

Aside from that, educate yourself, explore your world, and above all things, DO YOU.

Thanks for the interview!

Deep Shit

Coke Speed Demo
Deep Shit / Have Fun Split
Creepin' While You Sleepin'

Beautiful Ones Interview 2012

Interview with Tevita, enjoy! check out the "BIRTH OF DESIRE" 7'' out now on 6131 Records.
best last words xCMx has ever had haha

OK so how did TBO get together?

Me and Spencer were in a band and Anthony was playing in another band. Me and Spence wanted to start something new and that hadn't been done in AZ. We asked Anthony and he already had some riffs. We jammed an d' the rest is history.

How did you guys get picked up by 6131?

Some friends of ours were telling Joey about us and we had just played Sound & Fury for ou

r first time. We were playing a fest here in AZ that Joey attended and after our set, later on in the day, he asked us if we wanted to put some records out on 6131 and we said yeah.

Hows it been working with joey?

It's been awesome. He's given us so much opportunity and also room to grow as musicians. He's a great dude and we love working with him.

What made you write "true to me"?

There's times that I'm just thinking to myself, "Man, my mom is amazing and I really love her" But I never tell her. She's given me and my sister so much love and worked her ass off for us. We work our asses off with this band and I wanted to recognize her and have her be in a song that's forever.

Can you tell us whats "down" about?

Down is about a couple failed relationships and why they failed. I was young and these were just unhealthy to the point where we never wanted to be around anybody. Ever. I grew out of that and they didn't. I didn't want to be a crutch for people's insecurities and fall apart with them.

Now that the 7" is out anything new in the works?

So far, just ideas and the birth of young riffs haha.

Did you guys enjoy s&f this year?

Oh yes. It was so much fun not being a nervous wreck this year. We were still nervous, dont get me wrong. Just super excited I guess. It's awesome being at a fest in what seems like paradise. Perfect weather, friends from all over the country. There really isn't a more FUN fest.

Can we expect any los angeles/cali dates soon?

Nothing is for sure right now but I'm sure we'll be put there. Southern California has become our second home so there's no doubt, we'll be back soon.

Bands you support?

Bent Life, Wreck, Overlooked, The whole Cali Crew, all the midwest bands, Born Low, Hardside, Fire and Ice, Friend or Foe, Tough Luck.

Last words?

Listen to more Prince.

Spine Interview 2012

Do you like youth crew and powerviolence? Then Spine is right up your alley!  Intervew by xMORRISx

How did you get involved with hardcore/sxe?

(assuming you are asking about Straight Edge and no Sorry Excuse, my other band haha)

Antonio- I've been involved in hardcore for about 10 years now. I started out with my dad dropping me off at shows, to doing a local zine, and eventually fronting a band (Sorry Excuse). When I was younger I was really into any type of extreme music and things just built from there until I found what I thought was the reason for what I liked, which was punk. As far as straight edge, I honestly don't know when I officially "claimed". I've never been into drugs or drinking at all. I've never been drunk or done drugs before and straight edge was something to call what I actually was.

Snyder- In 1997 my main goal entering high school was to try and hang out with skateboarders because that was my main priority at the time. Through a local clique, I found punk rock music and I loved it. I just ended up at a garage show one day when I thought we were just going skateboarding. I always had musicianship in my blood so when I discovered this fast, angry noise with seemingly no limits, I immediately got behind a drum set and started raging. As for straight edge, well I've never been high or drunk in my life. Just never had any desire to do that shit...maybe I can chalk that up to me never really having trust issues with my parents when they told me that it was a bad idea to do that shit, haha. Spine is not a straight edge band.

What made made you guys play your style of hc? how did SPINE come to together?

Antonio- Well, I had talked to the drummer for a long time (sings in Weekend Nachos and played in Harms Way) and the original guitarist (who played in Harms Way) about playing stuff similar to Imprisoned (first Harms Way 7 inch) with a Boston edge to it. The og guitarist was totally into it but couldn't get on the same page with the drummer (keep in mind this is all happening in Chicago and I live in Kansas City). I couldn't really push anything since I was 9 hours away, so I just let it be. I feel like the we did a great job of capturing that on the demo. It's got a powerviolence feel to it with some youth crew-ish parts peppered into it.

Snyder- Antonio and Hofacker were starting a band, and Hofacker and I had once played in Harms Way together but we both quit at the same time for unrelated reasons. This sparked my interest when I found out we were going to jam again. Naturally, we wrote some hard ass shit. I think Spine is a lot more punk influenced than Harms Way ever was though. It's got a real SSD/Impact Unit feel to it, but mixed with faster shit like Infest and Youth of Today.


Did you guys enjoy your tour with weekend nachos and dead in the dirt?

Antonio- The tour with WN and DITD was amazing. First of all, I haven't toured Cali before (the other guys in SPINE hadn't either and the first time I was there was last August for 3 days in SF) so this was an experience for sure. We had some great shows out there which really made us feel at home. Seeing WN and DITD every night was a huge plus as well. We really appreciated the fact that they brought us along for a few days, and for that, we will forever be grateful. Playing shows out of town is awesome, but it takes a back seat to visiting new places and meeting to people.

Snyder- Those shows were a blast...I had more fun playing in Spine than I did with the Nachos because I love playing drums. Being a frontman is cool sometimes but it's nice to just sit in the back every once in a while. Honestly, the best part about the whole trip was getting chicken and waffles with some of my best friends...and going to Galco's Soda Pop Stop.

When are you guys coming back to cali?

Antonio- I hope we come back very soon. The next opportunity we have, we will be back!

Snyder- Who knows, man. All of us are busy with other things like raking leaves and delivering bottles of milk to suburban homes.

What did you think about the show in la @ the mime?

Antonio- The show in LA was one of my favorites on the tour. Seeing Lack Of Interest was definitely an experience for sure. ACxDC and DNF were great. And Disapproval was on point (one of my favorite new SoCal bands). Our set was also really fun at this. People went off, which is always great to see. The only downfall was the reentry issue. That was the hottest show I think I've ever played before. I get why they couldn't let people out (for fear the show would be shut down) but with that said, it was a sauna!

Snyder- It was a great show and there were like 300 people there...but honestly the whole experience was just stressful and uncomfortable for me. I was stuck in the back doing merch and there was almost no room to do it all night. On top of that, I passed out twice (not once) from the intense heat. That's no fun. But as always, playing drums for Spine was the highlight because I am most relaxed when I'm on the drums.

Anything in the works for spine?

Antonio- Yes, we have a 7 inch coming out at the end of the summer, be sure to check it. 6 new songs.

Snyder- Yep, that 7" is something we're all really excited about. We might be planning a short tour in September too. This is probably when the 7" will come out, too. Keep your eyes peeled for the SUBHUMAN E.P.

 How do you feel about being a hispanic/latino in a mostly white scene?

Antonio- It most definitely makes things interesting at times. Being Cuban it can make it extra awkward when a lot people are embracing communist symbols or wearing shirts of Che. Aside from the political stigmas, I hardly notice it. In KC, I'm one of the few latinos involved in hardcore so there isn't much room to flex mis raices.

Snyder- I'm a Jew so no comprende, hermano. Los Crudos are one of the most important hardcore bands of all time.

How did the name el bello come about?

Antonio- Ah, El Bello was the nick name for my late grandfather. He was always known as "El Bello" or "Nene". I was super close with him and before he died he had said that when he passes that I would take the title of "El Bello". So since then I've just decided to add that into different things (we did a Sorry Excuse, El Bello edition of the last 7 inch) just to keep his spirit alive.

Snyder- Antonio's got spiders in his hair, for sure.

Positives and negatives in hc?

Antonio- There are many positives in hardcore. One that I touched on earlier is the traveling aspect. Hardcore goes two ways for me: what you can do for hardcore (booking shows, doing labels, zines, doing bands, etc...) and what hardcore can do for you (take you to new places, meet new people, experience new things, mature and grow). Those things listed are important for any scene to keep thriving. At the end of the day, it's amazing to say that your hardcore band took you to states you've never been before and experience things you never thought you would. That's one of the best things about it

As most people know, there are many negatives to hardcore. One thing that gets under my skin the most is flipping merch. Going to a show just to buy merch just to sell it online to turn a profit isn't punk at all. Waiting in line to buy someone a record/tape/or shirt because they couldn't attend is. The whole merch thing is a beast in it's own right and I don't think it will ever die out. It's all about supply and demand and I get that. It would just be nice to hear kids helping out each other with stuff like that, than trying to turn a profit off each other. 100$ for a shirt you just paid 10$ for is insane! Plus, you have more luck just contacting the band.

Snyder- Hardcore is something I love because of the energy and the awareness. The main thing hardcore has given me is a sense of self-worth in a world that would otherwise see me as fucking nothing. I am able to do my own thing here and it's not about how it's received by other people...it's about me feeling good about myself. The world of hardcore has provided me with an isolated place to understand and cherish. If this little world didn't exist I would be out there in the real world going insane. As for negatives, well one of the main problems in hardcore are the people who expect hardcore to be a perfect place and therefore they dwell on things like cliques, bullying and violence. Just stay positive and treat others the way you want to be treated and your influence will rub off. Always remember that you're not involved in hardcore for other human beings, you're involved in hardcore for your own connection and understanding of yourself.

Bands you support?

Antonio- I support a bunch of bands. I'm not going to go through the whole listing out process, just because I don't want to leave anyone out. But I will say there are a ton of great bands from Kansas City that are worth checking out. Not to mention that the Midwest has one of the best scenes that many seem to forget!

Snyder- I support any band or individual who doesn't feel the need to follow OR lead...they just live. If you're out there living and expressing yourself in the most respectful way towards others that you possibly can, we are on the same page.

Last words?

Antonio- Just be yourself. Too many kids get wrapped up in what shirt they just bought or the Nike's they have on. It's cool if you like that stuff, but you don't have to. Most people write me off as a jock/meathead when they first see me. Then they see one of my bands or meet me and everything changes. Be yourself, like what you like, and don't make any apologies. Life is too short to not.

Snyder- Yeah...merch is not as important as barbeque is. If hardcore isn't your #1 priority, I get that...just make sure it's barbeque instead.