This Interview was done A while back. around the time the BLEED E.P. so i guess this interview took place around 2010 early 2011? i took the time with this interview so i could know more about my favorite band. hopefully it shows. i hope you enjoy reading this as i enjoyed getting this interview together. here it is! I would also like to add that John/snyder/caution what ever he goes by these days is a really chill dude and helped me out a lot these past years so support them! go to their shows and grab some merch.
Usually when bands come up with names they make it sound generic especially hardcore bands,they try to come up with tough names. how did you come up with weekend nachos and was the name embraced by people right away or did people get turned off by it?
the name "Weekend Nachos" doesn't mean anything, and since the beginning i didn't care if anybody approved of it. a lot of times, people will judge a book by its cover and i think that's retarded. in the same manner, people will expect a band to be fucking awesome based on a cool band name. i also think this is retarded. when we first started, no one liked us specifically because of that name. in fact, a lot of people still don't listen to us because of that name. which is cool, i back it, those people can fuck off forever, i don't care. since day one i never cared if anybody liked our band. we've always been a great band. sometimes it's even funnier watching the people who "slept on this band and just recently came around". great, you're admitting you missed out on something that you could've been digging for over 5 years now...nice work, poser.
Can you tell me the history of tooth decay records from its birth and why it met its demise and will you release anything new or is tooth decay finished forever?
Are you guys planning any new material after the bleed ep?
Tooth Decay was started by my friend Nick and I, and our first release was the Weekend Nachos "torture e.p". it was a learning experience for both of us and to this day remains as the best selling Tooth Decay release. in some ways i think we just got lucky with it, but in other ways, it actually is a great record with a great recording and we worked hard to make it look good, too. Tooth Decay died because i eventually needed money so badly and i just took my half of the funds we had and the label was put on hold for a while. Nick was living in California for a while but he lives in the Midwest again so maybe we'll start it back up again, who knows. we're both in the same state again and my financial issues have been over for years, so i hope that happens some day.
We are, actually. We've been working on new songs lately, i'll keep things a bit "mysterious" here and refuse to comment on what they sound like, but as usual expect a record different than all the others. I am pretty sure this is going to end up being another full-length. We enjoy doing LP's.
When you guys played at the blvd cafe in california I asked you about sidewalk but we didn't get to finish our conversation. if its alright with you can you tell me about sidewalk and any other bands you are/were involved with?
Sidewalk was a bad band that i was in, i don't want to sound like a dick but there's not really much to say. i'm not ashamed of it, at all, but there's not a whole lot to say about it besides that fact that we sucked and i eventually realized that. i have good memories of that band but it really isn't something people should talk about anymore, haha. i'd like for it to fade into obscurity and never be mentioned again. there are way better bands to talk about that were around in 2003...American Nightmare, Carry On, Mental, Desperate Measures, No Warning, The First Step, etc
Are you the only one that is straight edge in WN? How did you get into straight edge?what made s.e. Apart of your life?do people give you shit for being straight edge and do you think there's always going to be assholes that talk shit to people for being driffrent?
again, i don't wanna sound like a dick but straight edge is something i don't enjoy talking about that much. however, i will give in and elaborate just to state that this is something i decided quite recently, actually. yes, i'm straight edge, and will be forever, Drew is too, but i am 26 years old now and it's just a small part of who i am. it doesn't need to be made into a big deal anymore. the older i've gotten, the less i've cared about straight edge one way or another. i don't drink, i don't do drugs, i don't smoke either, but these things don't need to define a person's existence. they are personal choices and that's it. straight edge is great if you're young and you need something to identify with...i know, i've been 17 before. but honestly, i'm too old to be putting this kind of label on myself. it doesn't mean anything to me anymore, it's a part of who i am but it's really not THAT big of a part of who i am. it's time to stop defining myself in this way. i'm totally over it. a lot of other straight edge friends of mine will probably be all bummed out and maybe even a little pissed off by that...and you know what, that's just another one of the problems i have with straight edge. it's bullshit to judge other people for a personal choice that doesn't affect you in any way at all. and if it's taken me over a decade to realize this, then so be it.
How did you get involved with hardcore?what are your influences and what are your favorite bands of all time?
hardcore is something i was always looking for...an angry, hateful subculture that basically belongs exclusively to those who understand it. i was never one to fit in or even WANT to fit in. there was always that level of seperation between myself and pretty much everyone else. my peers didn't really get me, my co-workers didn't really get me, often times my family didn't really get me either. hardcore is something i'm definitely glad i found, and it was bound to happen. i went to a few punk shows because the people i skateboarded with were into it, and i just found my place. it was all really natural and i was instantly hooked. i am influenced by a million different bands...it would take to long to go into it. basically if you listen to Weekend Nachos, whoever it sounds like to you is most likely a band that i am influenced by. WN is a big giant cesspool of our collective influences, we let it all out into this band.
When are you guys coming back to cali?
That's a good question! We are planning on possibly coming out there in the Spring of next year, I don't think anything will be set in stone for a while though because we really have to get ready for Europe in a few weeks...once we get back from Europe, we will begin figuring out the next U.S. tour. Hopefully we'll get to do some more shows with IN DISGUST this time!
Why aren't you in harms way anymore?
The straw that broke the camel's back was an argument that i got into with the singer, James, one night over some bullshit. I won't go into details because we are good friends and there's no need to, it's over, all friends go through shit like that. But really, my decision to quit was also based on general differences in ideas and agendas for the band. Those guys were sorta on the same page with where they wanted to take Harms Way and I was not on board with it...it's that simple. Those guys are still doing their thing and I'm stoked on anything that happens for them because they're all my good friends. I'm actually pretty excited that they seem to be turning a few heads these days. More people like them now than when i was ever in the band, haha.
Are you guys planning to start any new bands?
Well, since the first half of this interview took place almost 7 months ago...yes, Drew and I have actually started a new band very recently. It's called CYBORG and the demo just got recorded! if anybody wants to check it out, go to playfastordie.com, you can download the entire 9 song demo for free. For fans of Hellnation and Spazz.
Any funny tour stories?
Too many, but i definitely always tell the story of when our old bass player, Varg, almost got us killed by a bunch of gangbangers on a street corner in D.C. These dudes were legit thugs, not just a bunch of wiggers, and Varg started coming on to them in the gayest possible way. They were not into it to say the least, and i thought we were about to actually get shot, haha. I laugh about it now but at the time it was really not funny at all. Varg is nuts.
Has your fan base changed from early W.N. to now?
We have definitely turned a few heads over the years. I think in the beginning, we had a very cult following of maybe 2 or 3 kids in every major city, maybe even less depending on where we were. Now, i feel that number has grown and the name "Weekend Nachos" is definitely more well-known and widely respected by various scenes and crowds. I'm not saying we're a big band now, i still think we're one of the way smaller bands around, but i can definitely say that things have grown for us gradually since 2004. I have never been one to care one way or another, but i do enjoy playing to 50-100 kids every night as opposed to 15-20 people every night.
Can you tell us how the new LP is going to sound?
Nope, sorry! I will say that any fan of W.N. will not be disappointed at all. It will rage harder than ever.
Why did you make bleed a 2 song LP?
We wanted to do another E.P. but not just something that people would forget about like any random 7" of ours. We already did a 7" as our first release and it's the most preferred material of ours so we wanted to try and do another 7" that would have a different feel to it. Once we decided on doing some sludgier stuff, we realized we had too much material for a 7" and made it a 12" instead. It still has the feel of an E.P. though, cuz that's what it is.
What do you do when you don't play?
I work and hang out with my girlfriend, mostly. We like to go out to eat and watch movies, that's mainly what we do with our time. I am kind of a shut-in, actually. My purpose in life is to do Weekend Nachos, make money, and be in a relationship that lasts. The other guys in W.N. are different, i think they have a lot more going on, but you'd have to ask them.
Any bands you support?
There are some, but i know i would leave somebody out if i attempted to list them all. I have a lot of out of town friends who are in great bands, so i'll name drop a band that I'm not friends with at all...Trapped Under Ice. They are probably my favorite current hardcore band, i really hope they do a new record soon.
Any last words?
Yes, thanks for the interview and for caring about what I have to say! We will hopefully be in Cali again soon and keep a look out for a new 7" single on A389 Recordings followed up by a brand new full-length on Deep Six and Relapse.
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