*Here's a great little interview I conducted with my good friend Stephen formerly of the band The First Step (among others). He had a lot of cool shit to say, so read on goons!*
SJ: What are your thoughts on the current state of hardcore?
I am pretty excited about many things going on now honestly. There are many new (er) bands that i think are really creating something fresh and not just musically but lyrically and how they approach their bands. You take a band like Mindset for example. They have killer music, thought provoking lyrics and on stage they are unafraid to speak openly to the crowd. Bands like Give from DC are clearly walking their own path and again, doing it without fear. To me that's real fresh.
SJ: So, The First Step has been done for a little bit now...hows life been without the band in it? What have ya been up to?
It has been adjustment that's for sure. TFS was such an integral part of my creative life, social life and just a great chance to see people that i love. So having it gone, so to speak, leaves a bit of a hole. But it's actually been a great lesson for me in terms of accepting that all things are imperment and that i need to appreciate what i have when it's here. I am not saying that i didn't appreciate the moment with TFS but like anyone involved in music knows that feeling of excitement that comes with playing, going to shows, creating etc. can also make it so that you are always thinking of "what's next" and sometimes you miss what's going on right now. So i have kind of reflected on that since TFS ended. But life has been good. I have had more space to kind of develop different aspects of my life and friendships. It's been sweet going on tour with my friends bands and being a supporter rather than a front man. That's a nice change for now. Myself and some friends have a new band called Peace that should be recording this summer. I am pretty excited about singing again and approaching a band differently than i have in the past. It's sweet to feel like i am growing and progressing as a person and being able to express that in a new band.
SJ: TFS did just about everything a hardcore band can do, what are you most proud of?
There are many things actually but really the thing i am most proud of is the small community we helped create, the way we were able to bring some people together and seeing those people doing great stuff with their lives. I am not saying that that is thanks to TFS, i think it's more that we happened to be blessed with some creative, forward thinking, caring people. But at our last show it really hit me how many of our friends were friends with each other through TFS road trips, tours etc. I could really care less if in 10 years all those people who got something out of band still have our records or t-shirts. They could burn all that stuff, i mean that. What i really care about is that they are doing good things with their lives. That would make me much happier to see. We always just wanted to make our mark and that really has nothing to do with merch or the the physical side of doing a band it has to do with improving your own life and hopefully improving the lives of other people.
SJ: What has changed within hardcore from when you first started going to shows up to the present day?
I think one thing that has changed and had a profound effect on the way the scene operates is how bands tour and how much they tour. I think that 5-6 years ago you had bands that toured for their living like H20 or Madball. Clearly bigger bands. Then you had bands like In My Eyes, Floorpunch and others that did a few tours a year, played weekends and were huge but were clearly different than touring bands. I don't know how or why the switch happened but now you have bands that are smaller level and just tour constantly and treat their band and operate their band as though they are "pro". There is nothing wrong with taking what you do seriously but from my perspective the more smaller bands tour the less time they actually seem to develop who they are, their own identity and just kind of become a "McBand" like just another carbon copy of other bands. And as a result of touring all the time kids just seem to burn out faster probably cause they are doing it 24-7. I mean all hardcore kids, like myself, seem to think about hardcore 24-7 but you still have the space and time to develop who you are as a person and get some perspective on life which you can thereby bring into hardcore. By sticking around you have the chance to grow and mature and truly give back with a tiny bit of wisdom which has the potential to make things better for future generations of kids into this music. It's not my place to say what people can and can't do, so don't misunderstand me. I am nobody's parent. But it's something that I see and i think has had a pretty profound effect on the scene. On the other hand there does seem to be a decent amount of people that have grown and matured while involved in the scene and now are giving back with much more insight than their predecessors.
SJ: What's the WEIRDEST show you've ever played?
One of the weirdest was our first show. It was near Raleigh, NC but out in the woods at this squatter punk house. It was January so everyone was crammed into this little living room with a wood stove. The wood stove was running and one of the kid's dog was lying by the stove. He didn't move all night. Even when we played i was jumping over him be he was not phased in the least by me or the loud noises or anything. As the night went on it got even weirder. Towards the end of the show one of the girls told me to come to her car so she could pay us. When we got there she opened the trunk which was full of booze that they had apparently stolen from a local liquor store. She told me to take as much as we wanted haha. Then she handed me condoms saying "you will need this, i mean you ARE in one of the bands." About this time the kids who lived at the house had started a bonfire in the backyard. I don't mean like a little fire I mean like a full on 6 foot tall inferno. Kids were dancing around it, others were on the roof with little torches breathing fire. Aaron made the comment that it was like society outside the city gates in the Dark Ages. It had a real Mad Max sort of vibe. Our whole crew was just loving the whole thing!
SJ: You seem to be a firm supporter of shorts over pants when playing live. As it seems shorts are on the decline with live bands, tell me about your choice.
I mean come on Paul, you played for TFS a few times and you know as well as i do it's harder to get live wearing pants. Unless you are wearing cargos which give you some freedom of movement or you are HR, then shorts, to me, just make more sense. When i am playing I like to have things as simple and direct as possible in every way.
SJ: What are your thoughts on bands not really breaking up anymore even after "last" shows?
I can see the reasons for a band getting back together and playing again. I can respect people's choice to do that with their music. I do think that too many bands go way to fast in terms of playing/recording etc and never find that balance between playing music and being a succesful human being (i don't mean successful in terms of work either). As a result they burn out quick, have no shelf life and just get over hardcore, music or whatever too fast. Often last shows can seem to lack a bit of thought. After it's done people then start to questions "why did we break up". Those are just my thoughts.
SJ: Where does Bill and Teds Excellent Adventure stand on your list of top movies? Do you feel it contains a strong message for Americas musical youth?
I mean in all seriousness i love both Bill and Ted's movies. Easily in my top 10 of all time. I don't know if the movie intentionally holds any messages for the youth but in a way those guys have some simple wisdom yet are looked at by 99.9% of the population as idiots. There is something to be said for that sort of delineation in our society.
SJ: Lets say for kicks that you end up on death row and it's your final day. What will you choose as your last meal?
Man, i would want my mom's vegan apple pie.
SJ: What are some bands you're into lately, hardcore or not?
I love all kinds of music from folk to indie and everything in between but in a way I am pretty tired of hearing about old bands. There is inspiring music and ideas everywhere you look, not just from the past, and really bands that exist now are, in a way, far more relevant cause they exist now and can be experienced now. That said some bands now that i have been way into in terms of hardcore/punk are Mindset, Praise, Give, Hostage Calm, Devotion Sydney Ducks. Some other great stuff: Cold Cave, The Cardigans, Mirah and always Morrissey. Those are the ones that come to mind at the moment.
SJ: Take me through a normal day with Stephen St. Germain
I wake up go running before work. Lately i have been doing this jump rope work out which is pretty intense. I try to get things like exercise and meditation done before work so i can do whatever in the afternoon. I teach at a middle school. This year my classroom is an behavior classroom meaning the kids are all pretty tough characters. It can be tough but it's rewarding. In the afternoons I will run again, hang out, surf when there are waves, read and do stuff like that.
SJ: Will TFS ever return?
I can't say i haven't thought about it. There are times that i will think about how awesome TFS was and how much i enjoyed my time there. I think there is a degree of luck when starting a band and stumbling on the right chemistry for the right moment in time. We were really lucky. I am very thankful for all the time we had together as friends and the music we made. But really i just wouldn't feel right about getting back together as a band. To me, it wouldn't feel like us. It wouldn't feel like TFS to be "back". We had our time but now it's time to support the other vital things going on the scene or in our own lives. I am pretty sure dudes will start new projects but as for TFS getting back together I just wouldn't really feel right about it. I totally appriciate and am in awe of all the love and support from people but it's time to move ahead. Not move on, just ahead.
SJ: That's all I've got. Lets end with this: What would you like to be your last words on this earth? (Up to 3 words only).
Peace on Earth
No comments:
Post a Comment