Sorry folks, I've been on vacation.

What's up dudes. I haven't updated this shit in a long time. I had a couple of interviews that I was waiting on (Hostage Calm, Have Heart, a couple of others) that never really came back to me. But that's ok. I've been pretty busy with my band Slam as we are attempting to slowly take over the earth. www.reverbnation.com/slamrock - I'd appreciate if you'd download the new Rust EP (it'll cost ya about 4 or 5 bones, and it's also on iTunes and a bunch of other shit).

I honestly haven't felt much of a reason to update this thing recently. I love hardcore and punk music...but lately (and for a little while now, hence SLIGHTLY JADED) I've been very disinterested in all of it. I haven't really enjoyed a newer band in a while, there's a few out there that I like...but nothing that really blows me away. Also, and I'm sure this is speaking for a lot of my friends...when you're getting around my age and you notice that everyone involved in hardcore is generally 15-21 years old or so sometimes that makes you feel a bit weird. That's totally cool and all, I was that age too at one point. I dont hate these kids, I'm friends with a lot of them - I'm just not that age anymore. I feel different things than I did when I was younger. I am still straight edge, I do love hardcore and will always have certain punk ideals embedded in me...that's just how it is. But it does feel weird sometimes, and I feel like an asshole that's always talking about "old times" or something. I will still be going to hardcore shows, because it's kind of a world you just keep coming back to. Even if you dont really care about any of the current bands, like me.

I feel, maybe, like current hardcore is lacking a little in the creativity department. We'll always have bands that just want to write mosh parts and do stupid stage moves to look cool. But it's just the water down factor, I think. All these bands not really trying anything new, doing the same old thing again. Ripoffs that rip off other rip offs - and that's the water down factor. I know I sound like some dick who's saying "my era" of hardcore was better or something, and I dont know maybe the age thing is a part of it...but I definitely feel that way about most current hardcore bands. I'll be honest, some stuff has been so overdone that it even kinda kills bands that I like. I find it hard to listen to American Nightmare, Modern Life Is War, and stuff like No Warning sometimes. There's certain bands that will always rule no matter what, but shit like that has just been done over and over it makes me skip it on the iPod everytime. Every few years a band, or bands come around and change things. That will happen sooner or later, hardcore/punk will get it's long overdue overhaul. It just needs a little kick in the ass. But I digress...

Anyway, just wanted to explain why I wasn't updating this shit at all. I'm 99% positive noooobody cares at all but I was talking to my comrade Anthony tonight and decided I should finally update this fuckin thing, and since I have nothing interesting to say or interviews to give...this is what ya get folks. I guess what I'm trying to say here is that I'm still slightly jaded.

Check out Slam, you may not be seeing us on as many hardcore shows as you used to in the near future and the music may become something you might not recognize as hardore or punk. But we all love hardcore and punk music and always will, it's kind of a part of us that we couldn't shit out if we tried.

www.reverbnation.com/slamrock
http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/SLAM/380213822611
www.twitter.com/lettherebeslam

The Ramblings of Anthony Part 1

*This is sort of a new feature here on Slightly Jaded, although it kinda goes along with the articles/stories. Here I will share with you a few ramblings/poems from the curious and rather eccentric (and oh so jaded of course) mind of my ol buddy Anthony, read at your own discretion*

Little Lost Puppy
There once was a little lost puppy who wanted some ice cream. He went to the vendor and bought a large vanilla cone and smiled as he trotted away with it. His mouth watered at the idea of the sweet cream touching his tongue. Mr SUN was way too angry to let this union of tongue and cold ice cream marry in the holy presence of puppydom. He glared down upon the cone and drip drops of the once cold cream splashed upon the ground. Before he could even touch the sweetness with his cold little nose it had turned into a puddle on the ground. Now the puppy was lost, alone and ice creamless. But since he's a dog and is used to eating dog food, this was no problem and he quickly lapped up the cream. The moral of the story? Fuck the sun.


Emailien
Its not enough, I need to spend the whole day on it. If I cant think of a funny quip, a clever line or prose, I'll just sit here all night staring at the screen. Fighting sleep, i'm covered in blood. I dont believe in my computer God. He is abducting me throughout the night, taking me to new worlds of thought and feelings, slipping in his influence every few hours. BACKSPACE. DELETE. NOT GOOD ENOUGH.
What do you want? Why cant I just close the door, turn off the probes, and kill the curiousity of what sick thoughts lay within waiting to pour out when I have my head turned? I dont fight it anymore, Ive accepted the...WAIT! THATS PERFECT!


Ode To Coffee
Oh fuck, again i'm drinking you oh stupid crushed bean. Thy sinister plot for shut down of steril thought, thy will be done. The only button I push on the manual laid out in front of me was self destruct until You greased the wheels and cut the brakes on humanities muscle car; driving at full force into my knees.
Oh hyper extended knee, sing me your pain; "coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee"

*Renowned psycho-author Anthony Trapani currently resides in the peach-ridden countryside of Gilbert, South Carolina. When he's not writing, he enjoys twisting anything you can think of into a vast government conspiracy, and spending time with his cherished canine Wolfman. He first rose to fame as the author of several graphic comic strips in his high school days, as well as the short stories "THE NINE" and "ANDREA". To contact Anthony, you must venture into the sewers that run underneath the seventh sector of hell and speak directly to the Rat King. Only he can can relay your message to the one...Anthony*

REVIEW: Overlooked - Nothing Is Sacred

All you dickless mofos step outta the way, here comes Ian Geiger and company stampeding their way through watermelons and glass with a HARDcore release that's sure to crush even the hardest core. This is their latest 7 inch entitled "Nothing Is Sacred", and now I will tell you about it...

First song starts off all hard n shit with Ian screaming at me very angrily, which I normally wouldn't appreciate in a social setting but since it's him in a band I dont mind it. First impressions are that this is a pretty good recording and an overall good mix. Also the vocals are a bit of an improvement from the last Overlooked shit and are soundin' good here. I like this because it's not gay overdone melodic shit, it's not heavy wannabe nyhc shit played by kids with perfectly sculpted calvin klein bodies...it's pretty much straight up fast moshy hardcore ala early 2000's or somethin I'd say. 2nd tune is called "Degree" and if they're trying to get an endorsement from the deodorant company this is definitely a good step to take. This tune has a good DEGREE of guest vocals which as many of my dedicated readers may know, I'm not too into. So FUCK THESE GUYS FOR USING GUEST VOCALS...nah just kidding, love you Ian whats up dude!? Also this tune has some "borrowed" Smiths lyrics which I can get down with. Song #3 is called "Lie Awake" and it's another showing of Overlookeds fast blazin tune-age. This songs got a cool moshy part which would probably make GET WRECKED HATE CREW (see: myrtle beach krewz section) proud, but who knows. Next song SEVERED is the last song. It's yet another fast blazin tune, and let it be known that on this 7" the Overlooked psychos don't stray too far from the formula of fast pissed style tunes...and why would they? I mean Ian is from Myrtle Beach for fucks sake, if you're from there you're either gonna be way into henna tribal tattoos or you're gonna be super pissed off. Also just so everyone knows Ian always likes to reitorate that Overlooked is toootally a Wilmington, NC band. He has ZERO hometown pride, shits crazy. Even nerds from Florida think their state is the best thing ever...but MB always lets it slide. It's kinda sad really, I'm sure it all has something to do with the loss of their beloved pavilion or something. Anyway this is a review right? This record is pretty good, if you like the hardcore of today you probably would pretend that you like this but you dont really. If you are feelin the hardcore of the early 2000's era then you can probably find something you're into with this record for sure. I say go pick it up and give it a spin or 2 (3, 4, 5), or download it, but just "don't lick those sticky fingers just yet, these boys aint done cookin". Anthony wanted me to put that. Peer pressure. Seacrest out.

*www.myspace.com/overlookedhardcore - this particular 7 inch previously mentioned in the review above is available through Life to Live Records (lifetoliverecords.bigcartel.com) Do it!*

Interview with BEN PETE of IN TIME

*Yeah that's right goons, 2 Johnson City bands in a row. This one's called IN TIME. And this man is called BEN PETE. And just so you know I totally didn't make him mention Slam or Where It Ends, he's just trying to be nice...both those bands suck so hard, right? He's ruff, he's gruff, and he's answering my stupid questions...read on dorks*


SJ: What are your thoughts on the current state of hardcore?

I read the website, so I guess you can say I’ve been preparing for this question. So here it goes. Hardcore, just like anything else, is what you make out of it. There’s always gonna be good and bad things about hardcore and at certain times each will outweigh the other. I’m just going to start off by saying I still love hardcore and the hardcore community more than anything. I’m not jaded, but that doesn’t mean I don’t get frustrated about the stupid shit that I see…I’m not jaded, but that doesn’t mean I won’t express my distaste for the things I find moronic…which nowadays, is more than often. In all honesty, all I can really give a shit about is how the state of the East TN scene is going (JC, Chattanooga, Knoxville) and how the state of the scenes in SC and NC are going. That’s where my head’s at ya’ know? I include SC and NC because I have been obviously frequenting shows there for as long as I’ve been a part of hardcore and I have several friends in bands and friends involved in HC someway there that I love and respect. I really could give a shit less how the scene is in some town that I don’t give a fuck about. The Hardcore scene I involve myself in, is great. I love my town. We do our own thing, how we want it, and don’t really give a fuck about what is “cool” or “in” at the moment. Oh what, you are mad that no one knows who the fuck your band is in this area because you’ve only been a band for a month but you already have a 7” out on a hyped label? - fuck off. Not enough kids are moshing to your little band that just heard Merauder for the first time a week ago, but you got that hype because you are a “Members Of” band who is BFF’s with that other hyped band? -fuck off, hit the road! Hell, most of the kids/young kids that come to shows here aren’t even aware of dumb shit like that, and I love it because I know everyone that is at that show is there for the right reason. Everyone knows everyone, and it is still a brotherhood in my town. If we like a band, we like ‘em, if we don’t, we don’t. I wished more places were like that and wished more people knew it was OK not to like some bands who everyone knows is terrible and hasn’t worked for a damn thing. So many new touring bands now have this false sense of self-importance. I don’t owe you a damn thing asshole. I don’t give a fuck that you did this new 7” on so and so records. Show me somethin’. Give Respect, Get it Back!! I like that our scene is a reality check for some bands with big egos like that. I take so much pride in the fact that in our scene, bands like Advent, Hammer Bros, Death Before Dishonor, The Carrier, Fingers Crossed, In Remembrance of Me, Furious Styles, and Reign Supreme mean more to us than Fire and Ice, Dead End Path, Bad Seed, Title Fight or any other hyped fest band that gets big solely because the area they are from. We like who we like and that’s that. So I love the current state of hardcore in MY scene. Current state of HC around the country? - Not important to me. It pisses me off somewhat, but not directly relevant to me interests. And I’m not trying to say I only like bands that aren’t hyped or not big or any dumb “punx” shit like that…because that’s not the case. There are several of those bands who do well and I love. Backtrack is one of the biggest bands in hardcore today, and I love them. You know why? Because they are a great band, and have worked extremely hard to get where they are at now. I guarantee you that before a handful of people outside New York knew the name Backtrack, I was sitting on a stack of about 15 Cd demos that the band had sent me through the mail. I passed them out to friends, they had a small DIY tour through the area that hit Chattanooga. I drove 3 hours there solely for them and it was a great show. And they did well their first time here as well… you know, how things SHOULD work. But back to the BFF thing. How many full time touring bands can rotate traveling the country with an exclusive set of bands? It’s the same fucking bands coming through every 3 months. You suck, go build a fan base in your own town first please. But, I guess that’s not hard to do when you have Mr. Cool from this other band or record label (who thinks their word is gold for some reason) telling the sheep of the HC world that you have to like this band, and if you don’t, you are a fool! Right? I love hardcore and I love the brotherhood aspect of my scene that is still there. I love going to shows, and traveling insane distances for shows. But wolves in sheep’s clothing are definitely out there so be a student to the game and don’t give in to fakes no matter who tells you to. Don’t be afraid to have your own opinions and to not like a band if you think they are wack, because chances are they are posers anyway. I’ll end this question with a Set to Explode song= “I’d rather fight than fade away”


SJ: What's up with the fuckin' 2 names? BEN and PETE?

Haha. That goes back to the start of MySpace I suppose. When I first started college, there was another friend there that had the name Ben, so our friends all just started calling me “Pete” (short for my last name Peterson). Then upon the creation of my MySpace about 5 years ago, I chose my name on there to be “benXpete”. It just kinda stuck I guess, everyone started calling me that IRL immediately… new friends and old, and most still do. It has a ring to it I suppose. You could definitely call that a “sign of the times” with how MySpace was slowly going to start effecting our lives ha.


SJ: Tell me about IN TIME and why the band started and exists in the universe

In Time is a hardcore/punk band from Johnson City, Tennessee. We happen to be all straight edge, but not at all your typical “youth crew” band. We are just a hardcore band, period. We draw influences from a lot of bands…not just 1 or 2. I would say our main influences musically as a whole band though would be Agnostic Front, Judge, Youth of Today, and Inside Out. But like I said, we all listen to different bands and that shows in the music and shows in us personally. The band started almost exactly a year ago. I have been friends with the other guys in the band, Alex, Cory, and Derek, for a long time. We met through this hardcore scene years back and they are 3 of the best bandmates I could ask for, and even better friends. They love hardcore and this scene as much as me and I our chemistry as a band is awesome. They had been practicing for a while and were looking for a singer, and ask me, so I went to a practice, sang some hits, and a Youth of Today cover…and that’s that. We been going strong ever since. This band exists to help carry the name of hardcore around our area, express our thoughts, and to have fun while doing so. Its existence has helped me through life already in only a year, and the other guys feel the same.


SJ: You're a pretty ruff and gruff frontman, who do you think are the baddest assest frontman out there in hardcore history?

In Hardcore History, my favorite frontman of all time is Roger Miret of Agnostic Front. He still is my favorite. There’s no doubt and everyone I know, knows that he is my hardcore idol. His voice just spoke to me when I was first getting into hardcore and still does. His lyrics, stage presence, what he speaks about, everything. He’s the best. I love Lord Ezec aka Danny Diablo and to properly answer the question of who is the “baddest assest”, he IS the correct answer to that. I like Puerto Rican Mike from Skarhead/District 9 as well. Everyone poses to love NYHC these days but I have actually seen Skarhead with these 2 guys, unlike 9 outta 10 of these other posers so I can talk all the shit I want too!! Haha. Of course Freddy Madball, Mike Muir, Toby Morse and Rob Fish from 108 are big influences on me in many different ways. Zack de la Rocha was the absolute first person that made me want to sing for a band though. He was the first person that I learned from that music could be, and should be something more than just that. This was of course through Rage Against the Machine first, and then I got into Inside Out a little later on. I like a lot of frontmen throughout history. I study them, their moves, their charisma and what they brought to the table. As for hardcore frontmen today…I like Jay from Reign Supreme. He gets me pumped on hardcore and always has something to say. T from Product of Waste, Joe Advent, Brian from Death Before Dishonor, Vitalo from Backtrack, Jim from Hammer Bros (rip) and COA are all great. I like singers who have something to tell me other than just inside jokes between them and the bands they are on tour with who nobody knows what the fuck they are talking about or they are just up there trying to look cool. And singers who actually get excited to be on stage and not just all monotone and act like they don’t give a fuck about what they are doing. Daniel from Die Young, Dave Byrd from Set to Explode/Striking Distance, and Joey C from Righteous Jams were also some of my recent favorites. And there was this other dude named Paul, who sang for a band called Where it Ends, he was pretty cool too!


SJ: When do you think you will die?

I’ll answer this question the best way I know how ……. “My time of aging, wondering when I’ll die. But when my time does come, I’ll know the reason why” – Down = “Bury Me in Smoke”


SJ: When's the last time you kicked someones ass?

I got into a lot of fights growing up, when I was younger and in high school and stuff. Mostly being a hooligan in a town that had nothing more to offer. Playing baseball, watching Mike Tyson fights, and my Dad taught me it was OK to knock someone out whenever they pissed you off. I never did drugs or drank heavily, just caused trouble haha. It has been a couple years now since I physically kicked another person’s ass. I’ll just say what happened then, stays on the street it happened on. HA! It’s a great story though, but my friends seem to be able to tell it better than I do. In all honesty, I got into more trouble in my life over the past year for being violent than I ever have. I mean, I’m not a violent person at all. I’m not an asshole and I generally like people and I am always willing to meet people and give someone the benefit of a doubt. But, I guess I had certain things that triggered the absolute worst in me. But I got into a little scuffle a while back that resulted in me having to take an Anger Management class and be in the court system way more than I ever wanted to. All that shit is over with now and turned out good but it sucked ass and I was on pins and needles for a whole year not knowing exactly what my fate was. The Anger Mgmt. Therapy class really helped me realize I had a problem and I am thankful for that. I am no pacifist, but I am way more understanding of things now and realize you can really fuck yourself if you don’t think before you act. I was always an “act first-ask questions later” type, but I control myself now. The class was the whole “I can control myself and my actions, but not others” type of deal, ya know? I can get with that nowadays. With the help of gaining more and more spirituality over the last year, I am as non-violent now as I ever have been.


SJ:Vans or Nike?

Vans all the way. I have never been a big fan of Nike. As far as athletic footwear goes, I prefer Adidas…far superior shoe. I’m actually rockin’ the white turtle shell Adidas right now. I love Vans though, I have 2 pair right now that I wear on a consistent basis. High top black/gray and black traditionals. I also just ordered the Vans Special Edition Suicidal Tendencies shoe. They are tight, only for real cycos!


SJ:Tits or ass?

Very tough question…I’m not going to be one of those interviewees that say both. I am a staunch admirer of the female body. It is so cool. I do love both but I also respect women very much and their decisions to do with their bodies what they want. So, lets say I’m in a strip club and willing to pay for me and my friends a table dance or something of the like…I find the one who has the best tits, real talk. But really to me, it is all about the hair (on the head).


SJ: You have a tattoo that has my old band Where It Ends' symbol in the middle of the Alice In Chains symbol...why the fuuuuck?


It was my first tattoo ever that I got the day after I turned 18. I went to the tattoo shop and literally said "I want this in the middle of this". I showed them the Sepultura album cover "Against" (that features the same symbol as the WIE Resonate record) and a picture of the Alice in Chains sun. I still love both bands. I dont why in the hell I wanted those 2 particular bands fused together like that...but I didn't give a fuck, I just wanted a tattoo and thought that looked cool. A few years later it became known as the "Where it Ends" tattoo once you guys released "Resonate", and I was completely fine with that. It gave it a refreshed meaning I guess. That brings me to WIE. I was completely fine with that being known as a WIE tattoo because you guys were one of the first semi-local real hardcore bands that I would travel to see...and keep up with. Other than IROM which is a local here, there wasn't too much hardcore flying around this area. I saw you guys probably more times than any other band except IROM over a 2 year period. TN, SC, NC were always all great shows. WIE was playing the 90's style heavy hardcore WAY before it was popular and way before all these new bands are now...and getting big for. Way before Foundation, before any new band .... And so much better at it too. But it wasn't popular then, so we all know how that goes. Damn...I wanna see another Where it Ends show!


SJ: Whats the weirdest show you've ever attended? Weirdest you've ever played?


Weirdest show ever? Hmm…well if we’re talking any type of show, The Hideaway has had some weird shit over the years. Costes The French Sex Opera is hands down the weirdest shit I ever witnessed within the confines of a music venue. Just take 2 people (man, woman) who perform sex acts on each other (equipped with dildo-drills, pee pee, dog food etc) while singing an Industrial, Steam Punk-ish type Opera, while all over this running theme of Anti-American/Anti-Capitalism shtick. Totally weird. Also Emotron sets his dick on fire and weird shit like that. I aint down with that dude. And I’ve also seen GWAR like 4 times and they are still pretty fucking weird, but awesome. As far as weirdest we have played, not really anything too weird yet. Hardcore and punk shows at the Longbranch Saloon in Knoxville have been the weirdest I guess, but 2 of the best shows we have played. Weird is great sometimes. They were really only weird because of this gay, African American drunk/stoned street punker dude who goes by the name of “Black Suicide”. He was wearing a full Superman Costume with combat boots in February, and ballerina dancing and saying all kinds of crazy shit on the mic. He rules though, I support that guy 100 percent. He IS punk rock.


SJ: What's next in line for IN TIME?

We just finished recording 2 new songs and put them on MySpace and on a Cd demo packaged type deal that we’re going to start handing out at shows. They are better than anything we’ve done so far, and sound far superior as well. They are a little different, but not too much. Going back to the thing with our influences…One song is our basic Judge/AF-ish song with maybe some Floorpunch to be heard. The other song is heavier and way longer and sounds like Inside Out with some 108 “Songs of Separation” Era stuff thrown in. But within all those influences, I believe that both songs still sound like an In Time song… like we put our own touch on it ya dig. Also we are playing Columbia, SC September 27th with Rotting Out! So excited about that because R.O. rules and Columbia rules. We would have been at the show regardless so playing it is just icing on the cake. Other than that just keep writing better and better songs, keep playing shows and keep representing hardcore! We would love to do some small tours before the year is over and of course play more shows with SLAM!!


SJ: Whats the deal with DR. ENUF?

Just some weirdo sprite-like drink native to Johnson City I believe. I mean, it is an Ok drink and I will get one every now and then, but I don’t freak out about it. I’ve had better. I’m a Powerade/Sweet Tea/Water type guy, I don’t enjoy many carbonated beverages.

SJ: What sucks about hardcore to you? What rules?


Sucks = Too many record labels with too much money. Too many hardcore kids like Police…Not enough Hardcore kids hate police. My favorite bands and the best bands breaking up (Hammer Bros., Forfeit, Ignorance, Set to Explode, Have Heart, Internal Affairs, etc). The lack of a Shipwreck/Bitter End/COA show in my life. Fingers Crossed not being the biggest band in hardcore right now. More mixed bill tours please (but you can leave the “pop-punk” and pop-rock bands away please). Rules = The fact that I have friends in so many places of the country,Friendship in general, the fact that hardcore has allowed me to travel this land, Agnostic Front, Madball, Agnostic Front and Madball playing at The Hideaway, The Hideaway, Slam, Fingers Crossed, Dead End Records, Rotting Out, Wisdom in Chains, the Black N’ Blue Bowl/Superbowl of Hardcore, seeing Crown of Thornz AND Skarhead with PR Mike, Stigmata and Killing Time, Word for Word, Hardside, True Life MS Hardcore, Will 2 Die, the Death Threat show in JC, Breast Fest in NC, Bikers threatening bands over their MC rip-off tee’s, H20’s set in NYC almost bringing a tear to my eye, Stigma.


SJ: I'm tapped out. If you have any food or tv show recommendations place them here, peace ouuuuuut.


TV Shows – SONS OF ANARCHY Season 3 premier comes on tonight! Stoked on that. I’ve been watching that show for 3 years strong, never missed an episode. It is the only TV Drama that I have ever followed week to week. I used to not watch TV a lot, now I do. Also today Season 6 of THE OFFICE just came out on dvd. Will be picking that up… it’s the best comedy on TV ever. Better than Seinfeld, and I love Seinfeld. Dwight has ousted Kramer over the years as my favorite TV character of all time. It is simply the best written comedy show ever. South Park has really gone downhill but I still love it. You can’t beat the way they portray social and political aspects. On one hand it is so outlandish and childish, but on the other hand, it is so true and makes so much sense. True genius right there. As far as food recommendations, I wanna eat at that place in Columbia where you needed a parking sticker again, it ruled. NC Cookouts are always the best. Mid City Grill in JC always holdin’ it down with the Tofu Burgers and fries, and ever so attractive staff of ladies. But thanks SO much for the interview, 4real… it was a blast. It’s my first interview as a singer and for our band itself, so it has been real! See you Soon!

*This motherfuckers band can be heard over at myspace.com/intimehardcore - the new songs are pretty rockin'*

Interview w/ Wes of FINGERS CROSSED

*Yo true believers, this is an interview with a nice fellow named Wes from a band called Fingers Crossed out of Johnson City, TN. A few years back you might have never known about something called Johnson City Hardcore, but this is one of the bands thats puttin it on the map. Oooh yeah*

SJ:Yo Wes, what are your thoughts on the current state of hardcore?

There's a couple good bands. Overall, I think its stagnant and boring. Not enough bands doing their own thing. Not enough kids being themselves.


SJ: Gimme a brief history of Fingers Crossed and your reason for existing

We've been a band for a few years. Tim and I have been in the band a few less years. Derrick has been in the band for like a day. We exist to take over the world with riffs.


SJ: Tell me what you think you have to offer the wacky world of hardcore that all these other shitty bands dont

Cohesive song writing. Raw power.


SJ: Have you ever been playing live and had that kind of fart where a little bit of mucus-ey shit comes out?

No?


SJ: Do you stand by the saying "dont shit where you eat"?

Fully.


SJ: Overall, what do you hope to accomplish with FC?

My main goal is just writing songs we like. If other people dig it, great. If not, I don't really give a fuck. Touring is/would be pretty cool too.


SJ: What's the WEIRDEST show you've played thus far?

I guess the knoxville ten for ten show. It was definitely bizarre. Everyone was so pumped on the line up. 15 minutes into the show our sound gets cut and the gig gets shut down. Definitely an awkward moment.


SJ: What are some bands out there (besides your own) that you feel are kickin it hard and doing some good shit?

Every band from East TN. In Time, Bruteforce, Stand Your Ground, IROM, Late Nite Rage. Fuck it, Whitechapel. Jorge's rockin a WC shirt in the tray of the new Merauder record so you know that shits hard. Advent is the best current hc band. Worlds Below from San Antonio is one of the sickest band I've heard in years. Product of Waste is real shit, too.


SJ: What are some bands out there that you feel suck shit?

You really don't want me to answer the question.


SJ: How does the songwriting process go for FC? Is it all centered around your ultimo riffage, or is it more of a group effort?

Usually Sam or I will have an entire song written, and other will add something here or there. We aren't one of those bands that pays homage to an era, we just write whatever we're into. If we jam Buried Alive a lot, a song like "Ugly Truth" comes out. If we're spinning more Entombed, we get something like "Condemned." it's hard for us to sit down as a band and write because stretched out by about 5 hours, but I think it's good thing because rather than one decent song a week, we write one great song a month.


SJ: What is next for Fingers Crossed?

We just got home from the last Hammer Bros show at Anchors Up, that was incredible. We've got a lot of spot shows coming up in the South East, then in December we're working out details to do another short tour. We plan on working our way to Texas and back by the end of the year.


SJ: Scenario: you travel the country in your car breaking into houses and raping children and killing the family dog. You finally get caught. It's your last day, death penalty day...what will be your last meal?

Take me to the grease trucks in jersey and I'll just eat myself to death.


SJ: That's all I've got, place any further ramblings here. Thanks for the words.

See you in October.


*You can check out these freewheelin sons of bitches at myspace.com/fingerscrossedhc *

Interview w/ Myself

*Well, true believers I've had a lot of trouble getting interviews these days and just generally trying to think of shit to post here. Do bands just not want to do interviews anymore? Nah, I think bands just don't want to get back to me. That's one of the problems with the internet. So, I've decided to interview the one person that would be guaranteed to get back to me in a timely manner: myself*

SJ: So, me, what are your thoughts on the current state of hardcore?

Well, Paul...I'm glad you asked that. To put it simply I think the state of hardcore right now kinda sucks. I always try to think to myself that maybe i'm just getting uh...slightly jaded...but no, I think the lack of creativity is definitely there. From what I can remember shit started really going downhill in about 07 or so. I think this is due in part to the watering down factor. For example, a band comes along and rips off Integrity or something, and then another band comes along and rips off THAT band, and so on and so on. When you rip off a rip off things start to get a lot less creative and the whole thing just sounds watered down. Then you get the hardcore kids of the latter era 2000's. They're annoying sometimes, but really it's not their fault, they were just brought into it with shitty hardcore. Oooh well.

SJ: What do you think of all these super hyped up bands these days?

I literally have no clue where the hype level comes from. I'm pretty sure most of these bands have some sort of dick sucking agreement between them to hype each other up. What really sucks is that most of these overhyped bands are terrible. There are a lot of bands out there that get everything handed to them right from the beginning, just from knowing the right people. They get good tours, even tours booked for them. They get label deals just from the labels knowing that they're a hyped flavor of the month. There's a lot of bands out there that bust their asses and work very hard writing songs and touring, and some that can't even tour...because no one gives them the time of day and no one wants to help them. A lot of these bands rule, but they're just overlooked sadly. I was in one of those bands, we would get a tiny taste and then we'd just get shit on. We were the opposite of hyped yet were still ripped off (oh yeah, ripped off) by other bands I won't mention. I attribute a lot of that to being from wherever you're from. Obviously if you're from Boston or New York a lot of people are going to pay more attention to that for whatever reason.

SJ: So Me, why is this blogspot/webzine so seldom updated with new stuff?

Like I mentioned earlier bands just don't want to get back to me for the most part, it's sooo hard to do an interview. I would do more reviews but I just dislike so much stuff that it would be a lot of 2 word reviews: "THIS SUCKS".

SJ: What's changed about hardcore since you (I) first started going to shows?

Well there's plenty of shit in that category but lets talk about something really stupid: moshing. Why is moshing and singing along so gay now? Wow it looks weird. And what's with the singing along shit, what happened to the classic finger point or just fuckin going wacko? Now there's that weird thing where kids put out both of their arms in front of them and put their hands out invert their hands toward each other. Fuckin weirdos.

SJ: Sooo why do you still go to hardcore shows if you hate it so much?

Paul you fuckin asshole, it's a love/hate relationship. I still have a lot of buddies and pals at shows so that helps. And there are plenty of bands out there still going that I enjoy. I mostly go hoping that I'll see a new band I like that I get into, but usually I'm just in the corner pukin' my guts out.

SJ: Whats the weirdest thing you've ever seen?

Several years ago I was driving my Chevrolet Lumina through the un-thriving redneck town of South Congaree, SC. I come to a 4 way stop. As I begin to turn left I notice something across from me at another side of the stop. It is an elderly man driving a big lawnmower/tractor device. I can't fully recall. Connected to this vehicle was a huge wooden flat trailer. On this trailer was a chair. In this chair sat an enormous morbidly obese women. Apparently he was pulling his obese wife through town. And that is the weirdest thing I've ever seen.

SJ: Death row last meal?

Well it seems like everytime I ask this question someone picks one specific meal. If I'm on deathrow I'm going fuckin all out. I'll have one awesome slice of new york style cheese pizza, I might have some baked mac n cheese, I guess I'll have an ice cold coca cola as well, and a huge burrito filled with some sort of habanero salsa, black beans, grilled marinated tofu, cilantro lime rice and a little cheese. I might die of a heart attack before I get the chair.

SJ: Any last words, me?

In the immortal words of Rick Ta Life: "Hardcore rules, and hardcore rules, get in the van, travel around"

Interview w/ BACKTRACK

*Here's an interview I conducted via e-mail with one of the few good hardcore bands out there right now, Backtrack. I have no clue who I'm talking to here as they didnt really tell me, but I'll just assume it's the singer. The frontman always does that kinda work, ya feel me?*

SJ: What are your thought on the current state of hardcore?

I think it's in great shape right now. There's tons of good bands out that are touring there asses off and there's something for everyone. Lots of younger kids are coming out and I think that's awesome.

SJ: You dudes seem to play a brand of straight up nyhc that somehow manages to stay interesting without sounding like something rehashed, how do you keep the music and the songwriting process fresh?

Everyone in the band has a lot of different influences, we obviously are heavily influenced by nyhc but aren't limited to just that. I think we basically before anything want to make sure at the end of the day that we're happy with the music we're writing.

SJ: What is your favorite place to play? (Hometowns don't count)

I'd probably have to go with Richmond, VA and Southern California. With bands like Fire & Ice, Naysayer, Bracewar, Downpresser, Rotting Out, Minus, etc, they both have great scenes. We recently got to play Michigan on the tour we're on now and it was wild, definitely a spot I'm looking forward to hitting up again.

SJ: What's the best band to ever hail from the state of New York?

Can't just narrow it down to one sorry.

SJ: How far are you tryin to take Backtrack and what do you really hope to accomplish?

I just want to put out records that we all are proud of and tour as much as we can. I'd like to try touring some different countries too.

SJ: I asked this question to another fellow Long Islander in a previous interview, and I'm sure you can give me some insight as well. Being from Long Island, what are your thoughts on the whole "guido/hair gel/tanning" type and their huge popularization as of late?

Hahaha, well...I basically could care less. It doesn't really make sense to me but at the end of the day I don't really ever run into people like that. I feel like they only come out on thursday-saturday nights at shitty clubs. One of my roomates is a wannabe jersey shore character it's pretty funny. Sup Corey?

SJ: What would you like to see change in hardcore?

I'd like to see more older dudes supporting the younger kids that are coming out to shows. Also I think that if you aren't happy with how certain people are slowly ruining your scene you should police it and not sit behind a message board whining about shit.

SJ: Tell me a little about the WEIRDEST show you've ever played (thus far).

We played a show on LI once that was hosted by 2 of the dudes in VOD. It was 21+ and we had to sneak our friends in. There was a chick dancer dancing on the side of the stage and while we were playing one of the dudes from vod was just saying hell yeah into the sound dudes mic. I also fell off the stage. I'm sure that's not the weirdest but its the first one that came to mind.

SJ: What is up next for Backtrack?

We have a few days left on this tour with Foundation/Harms Way. Its been our best tour to date for sure. We get home and play long island fest, and then a week later we do a few days in Canada with Death Threat. Then we do some east coast dates with Terror. We'll be touring out to sound and fury and back with Dead End Path and Fire & Ice. We'll also be playing This Is Hardcore this summer. After all of this we'll be focusing on writing our full length which will come our on Reaper Records.

SJ: That's it. Place all band/movie/food suggestions here. Peace.

Shout outs to the DPN. Come see us on tour. Check out Minus from Santa Barbara. Chic-Fil-A rules. Watch Mrs.Doubtfire religiously, and pick up the new Terror record when it finally comes out.

*www.myspace.com/backtrackny*

A FEW MORE REVIEWS...

Dead End Path - Demo 2009
Alright, I saw these dudes @ the House of Hardcore not too long ago and I thought they were pretty decent. I had never heard of them before but apparently they have a slight hype thing going on. Seriously where does that come from? I dunno. This band features the CLASSIC overweight vocalist which is just so rare these days, awesome to see it come back in any way. First of all this recording is AWESOME for a demo, I'm glad some bands are putting some effort into their demos out there. This is heavy hardcore with a metal tinge, SLIGHTLY Integrity-ish. First track is a heavy little stomper. On the 2nd song the drummer decided he really wanted to try out his new hi-hats I guess. Another heavy one, duh. Next song starts with an incredibly simple riff that leads into the song. This one fades out...which is a little confusing. Last song on the demo starts out with the goddamn guest vocals. According to my tracklisting here it's Alex Russin, guitar player of Cold World among others. These vocals suck. The real singer comes in and the songs starts kickin in a little better. Ok so this is a pretty solid demo and it's really not that bad at all, I'd say check it out. Like I said these dudes are minorly hyped at the moment, so get into them now before they sign to *insert hc label here* and start touring and playing your town once every 2 months and you get tired of them.

Dominos NEW pizza
Is this some kinda joke? Dominos has a NEW pizza with new ingredients. No one really cares, sorry Dom's. It's a goddamn pizza chain, it's not Coca Cola. Drunk dudes and soccer moms order this shit when they cant think of anything else to eat. Overall this pizza is pretty generic, much like it's previous version. Go eat at a real pizzeria instead.

Blacklines/In Regret split
Ok, first of of all let me just say I have no physical copy of this nor do I have lyrics, so I'm dealin with what I got on this particular review. I usually can't really say how I truly feel about a record until I let it sit for a while after plenty of listens. But hey that's now how Slightly Jaded works, we're goin on first impressions! I literally know every single dude in both of these bands so if I shit talk it they might kick my ass or put their collective money in to hire someone to do so. First reaction to this...the cover art is pretty decent, especially for what i'm pretty sure is both bands first real release. I do however miss the days of splits with "VS." in them. So this should've been called BLACKLINES VS. IN REGRET. Lets see who wins! Charleston, SC's Blacklines starts out the split with track 1. It's called 'He Pushes Through', which sounds very christian hardcore to me, but I'm pretty sure it's not at all. The recording here is pretty standard with a tinny snare drum sound that takes me back to some memories of wacky 90's core. This song (and band overall really) are very Modern Life Is War-ish, so if you're into shit like that and The Carrier or whatever, you'd probably be into Blacklines. This is your slower, build-up-to-an-ending intro type of song. Maybe a little soft for my tastes? Well, track 2 'Black Gold' kicks in with a little more ferocity and speed and sort of reminds me of Bars or a band like that. The little build up to the mosh and ultimately the mosh itself ain't too bad, I'm sure the kiddies love it and will ya know...do their thing. The next and last song from Blacklines is called 'Impact' and no, it's not the Chain of Strength tune. Instead it's more along the lines of the previous song I just mentioned. Oh wow Brad from In Regret just came out of fuckin nowhere with some guest vocals on this song and scared the shit out of me. Lemme just say...sometimes guest vocals, although cool and all...they just don't fit. And not because of any other reason than the fact that the 2 vocalists voices are so different. You see Dennis from Blacklines here has more of a throaty gutteral tone to his voice, and Brad is more of a "I want to blow my voice out and pop one of my eyeballs" type of voice. Ya see? Totally different. Ok now In Regrets gonna jam. Luckily the recordings here seem pretty similar so that's always good for a split. This one starts out all beautiful and emo-ish. Guitarist Steve Zimovan must've been sitting in a flower garden with an acoustic when he thought that one up. This first In Regret song is similar to the first Blacklines song, ya know...slower intro type song. The next song is called 'Desert Skies'. It's the classic melodic hardcore we've come to know this past decade. It's got the mosh part in the middle so the kiddies pay attention, then it slows down a little so the spinkicking lunatic goons can get some time on the floor. Then I believe we have some more guest vocals, and you know how I feel about that...but I will say they seem to flow a little better here. You think this song is pulling off the epic melodic hardcore ending but then it instead goes right into the epic melodic hardcore singalong with some funky guitar work. Last song from In Regret is the hardest. Oh shit, now it's the angry mosh part thingy. Some more guest vocals here too. Maybe you're not ready for it yet, but your kids are gonna love it. Spinkickey part is at the end, featuring more funky guitar work. Yes, I realize I'm reviewing this like a douchebag. Anyways, that's about it. 2 pretty similar bands music-wise and a good effort. If you like melodic style hardcore then by all means go pick this record up. That's it. Oh yeah and one more thing, a message to In Regret: Please stop covering Charge The Mound or I will piss on you. check out downsiderecords.com and pick it up.

That's all I've got in me for right now. More shit comin soon.

The obscure defunct Southeast hardcore band upload thread PART ONE

*I figured I'd start uploading some demos and shit on here for people that may have never heard them. If any of these dont work or you are wanting lyrics for them just email me @ vanhalenizer2@aol.com - enjoy.*


IN FULL EFFECT - BOTH DEMOS (2000/2002)
This is one of my all time favorites from the Southeast. These dudes from Augusta, GA started back in 98 and played awesome heavy NY style hardcore in the vein of Madball or Killing Time. So fuckin awesome, if you dont download anything else in this thread...download this.
www.megaupload.com/?d=38EYVJFS


MAN AT ARMS - demo
Certain members of this band also went on to be in Where It Ends and to form the recently defunct Mainline. If you liked Mainline you will probably like this, it's a bit more punk and a bit more quirky...check it out. I believe this is from around 2004.
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=M3O64B9E


THE RISK - split w/ Walking Tall
This is my old band that I played guitar in called the Risk. We were playing the fast hardcore that we loved when there was literally no hardcore to be found in Columbia, SC. We talked a lot of shit and had lots of good times. This is our side of a split 7 inch that never got pressed (sketchy fellas dont put out records). I like this one. This is from about 2002 I believe.
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=3Y6C21CX


BRAINFREEZE - time to maim demo
The infamous BRAINFREEZE demo. These Augusta, GA psychopaths put out this badly recorded demo back in about 05. The lyrics on this one are quite violent and offensive. This little shitty demo led to a lot of fun shows for Brainfreeze. Members went on to work at Starbucks and smoke the ganja.
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=X08AY5JA


WALKING TALL split w/ the Risk
The other portion of the Risk/Walking Tall split. Walking Tall was from Greenville, SC. Members went on to Where It Ends, Hope Prevails...and more recently SLAM.
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=R0PFRMQW

PAID IN BLOOD - DEMO
Atlanta, Georgia heavy hardcore circa 2003-ish I believe. Awesome band all around, you may be familiar with the first song off this demo as it's been covered and recorded by fellow Atlant-ites Foundation. This is Atlanta hardcore at it's best.
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=I3OFNV6Y


That's it for now. I've got plenty more shit to toss up on here though so look out for that. Like I said, if you need lyrics to any of these or anything like that email me: vanhalenizer2@aol.com You can also hit me up with obscure southeast hardcore requests, there's a good chance I've got it. Peace.

Interview w/ Daniel Albaugh formerly of Die Young, now of Band of Mercy

*Daniel, or the Reverend White Devil as some may know him...is a cool fellow and a good pal. Here he shares some insight on some wacky topics in one of my favorite interviews for Slightly Jaded thus far, enjoy it*

SJ: What are your thoughts on the current state of hardcore?

No comment. It's best that way.


SJ: So Die Young is now obsolete, and as many may already know you usually toured 364 days a year and were used to regularly playing the whole USA, Europe, Mars, etc etc. Tell me how life has been without Die Young?


Well, for starters I have more money haha. I am still traveling a bunch for my job with PETA, and I am still doing things I care about doing for change in the world, and I am still doing music--but the music has taken a sideline to my job with PETA. What I miss the most about DY is just getting on stage and losing my mind for 30 minutes, and saying whatever I wanted. I find myself less stressed out these days since I am working with a lot of positive people all the time for justice for animals, but I will always be angry and bitter about things to some extent. Playing live shows really helped me let that frustration out. I think I spend more time working out now instead to make up for not being able to play shows. Sometimes I am out on the road with PETA and kids recognize me at an event, and that makes me miss playing even more. I don't see Jeff and Kayhan much anymore since they live in Alabama and we aren't in a van together every other month. I miss those dudes often. But overall, life is actually good without DY, just a different kind of good than when we were on the road, in random parts of the world, living like pauper kings.


SJ: What ultimately led to the end of Die Young?

It was actually well planned out since the end of 2007. That was when we started talking about "exit stategy" anyway. We never planned to make a career out of a political hardcore band. Anyone who would do such a thing is not only crazy, but also really stupid. From the start, I wanted to take the DY ride as long and as far as I could, and after Graven Images came out I started to see the end of the line coming up for us. Graven Images was our defining collective statement as a band. And we toured like crazy on that album--more than we ever had before. We got to a point where we realized we had done most of what we wanted to do as a band, and to a point where things didn't feel too much like fun anymore. We knew that we couldn't keep doing the DIY circuit, playing houses all the time without exhausting that DIY scene of seeing us. We knew we'd have to look into "playing the game" of management and booking more if we wanted to expand our audience and get out to new ears and faces. And that really wasn't an option we ever took seriously. We were a get-in-the-van-and-GO kind of band. We didn't want anyone else to have their hand in guiding our mission. So we started talking about breaking up at the end of 2007, to try and end things before they got too pathetic haha. We decided to do one last EP and to do a few more tours--one in North America, and atleast a couple international to check those things off our list of things that we'd be unhappy for not doing if we had opted to not do them. We didn't end up going back to Asia because of money issues, which still bums me out some, but we toured Europe twice more, and South America, and the last North American tour we did was really eventful and successful in terms of leaving on a good note.

SJ: So you do a little work with PETA, tell me a little about that and what you do exactly.

Basically, I am a tour manager for the peta2 division of PETA. That's the youth outreach division, so it focuses on reaching kids of high school and college age about animal rights issues. I get in a van with several other young people who want to get out in the world and promote veganism and animal rights, and we talk to kids on concert tours that peta2 sponsors, or we work at universities, often with student groups, to affect some kind of local issue concerning veganism or animal rights. We gather a lot of petition signatures, answer questions people have, and give them free media to check out concerning animal rights.


SJ: Have you yet to convert any Juggalos or nu-metal fans to vegetarianism or veganism? And do you feel like you're now a prophet of a cruelty free and meat free lifestyle, or more of a dude hanging out doing his job?

I will always be some sort of a dude hanging out haha, but it is important to impact and inspire people too. Most people care about issues concerning animals being abused on some level, whether they eat meat or not. It's important to approach people on whatever level they're at, and make them understand that animal rights isn't just something "hippies" and "gays" care about (or whatever fucking stupid steretype some people have). Most people just need to realize that they do actually care about animals, too. I've had some interesting conversations in the last year and a half with hunters, medical students, and animal agriculture students, (juggalos too!), and more, and I won't say I regularly convert these people to vegetarianism, but I think it is important to find the right dialogue to make these people--who are often in support of killing animals or animal testing--realize that they do care about animals in some way, and to make them make the connection about the injustices going on. To get anyone to take any step reduce animal suffering in their lives is important, because the animals in factory farms, breeding mills, fur farms, and laboratories,need whatever mercy they can get urgently. I don't think it would be possible for me to make those connections with people if my co-workers and I were coming at them from a holier than thou perspective.

SJ: You have a new band called Band of Mercy, what are your plans for this? Will relentless touring ever return to the list of priorities or are you tired of such things?

Relentless touring will not ensue. I think my work with PETA is far more important than any kind of DIY hardcore band I could do at this point, and I was lucky to have experienced a lifetime's worth of experiences in DY, and I am happy to leave that at that. But there will be some touring for Band of Mercy, hopefully in 2011. We won't be everywhere, but we will try to get around some for everyone's enjoyment. I think the songs we are writing are a lot of fun, and it would be great to share them in a live setting.


SJ: Lets say the entire hardcore scene was ONE dude. He embodied everything about todays hardcore: the music, the merch, everything. What advice would you give him?

I wouldn't give advice, just a list of orders. I'd tell him to quit buying stupid cliche merch with no creativity from bands who write cliche flavor of the week bullshit. I would be sure to tell him what bands too, haha. I'd tell him to stop wearing flat-brimmed hats and thinking he is hard, or pretending that he isn't white. I'd tell him to read more books, go vegan, and get involved with some sort of activism--human, environmental or animal related. I'd probably have to tell this douchebag he needs to stay away from cocaine and other hard drugs, unfortunately. It would be a lot of work on my end to reform this asshole.


SJ: Tell me of the oddest, wackiest show you have ever played.

I think one of the only times that we collectively looked at each other on stage and asked each other why the fuck we were playing this specific show was in May 2006 in Fairbanks, Alaska. Please have a look at a map to see exactly where Fairbanks is if you are reading this. It's in the middle of Alaska, and there is no hardcore scene there. Die Young played there. Don't ask why. Maybe we did it just to do it and say we did it. We were actually supposed to play two shows there, but the second got shut down by the cops before anyone played. Okay, so this first show was in a rustic looking bar. One band opened for us that played Avenged Sevenfold covers. Their families and girlfriends came to see them play, and needless to say, those people checked the fuck out of the bar when Die Young started playing haha. As if this wasn't bad enough--that we were playing to ten 30-40 year old people in the middle of nowhere, we had to play two sets because it was a bar and they wanted live music to keep the bar open. So we played the same set back to back with an hour intermission or something. There were some cougars there who kept yelling for us to take off our shirts. They were the only people that supported us for either set. That was probably the only 21+ show we ever played. Never again. We ended up staying at one of the cougar's apartments the next night haha.


SJ: Who do you think has the BEST veg eats in america?

New York City easily. There's too many good spots there to list. But I do have to say that The Veggie Grill in Los Angeles metro makes Southern California one of my favorite destinations for vegan fare. i could eat at The Veggie Grill every day.

SJ: Do you think that aliens...or should I say "other intelligent life"...exists out there in space, on earth, or in other dimensions all around us? Why or why not?

I think that aliens are already here--they are just viruses, airborne or otherwise. Those are some pesky intelligent lifeforms who adapt faster than we can eradicate them. The concept of aliens doesn't have to some weird green space guy with big eyes. It can be any form of life that we haven't encountered yet, or even the seemingly hard to understand forms of life already among us. If you think about viruses, they are pretty intelligent lifeforms, and they will likely wipe a lot of us out of existence in the next century because we can't see them, and we often don't suspect them. Plus, we increase our vulnerability to viruses by living in cities by the millions, and by having factory farms where we raise sick, tortured animals by the billions. Ever heard of avian flu or swine flu? Of course you have. Thank factory farms for that shit.

SJ: Recently a fuckin ton of oil was uh...accidentally spewed into the waters of the gulf coast. This is just one of the many reasons why humanity is a waste of space. What are your thoughts on the current state of humanity?

There's some good people in the world, but not nearly enough to make this a peaceful place to live among other consistently kind and rational people. There's a lot of people out there who mean well or have good intentions, but they just don't "get it," so they make me feel hopeless on some levels, for sure, because how far can we get with changing things if the people who care on some level are incapable of making simple changes in their lives? Then there's just some major assholes out there who don't give a fuck about anything but themselves, and a lot of them write policies that dictate our lives, or a lot of them just do whatever it takes to make the most money possible, no matter who or what it hurts...kinda like this BP situation. Let's just say I am "not too stoked" on people as a whole, and I don't foresee that changing...possibly ever. I am lucky though to have a good family, and be surrounded by a lot of dilligent and compassionate people where I work.


SJ: Will the aliens ever come down and help us, or are we doomed for all time?

The aliens, whatever form they come as, will most certainly be out to destroy us...probably just for fun...as they likely should.

SJ: Scenario: you murder and decapitate 50 men and mail all of their heads to 50 senators of 50 states. You end up on death row. It's your last day of life. What will be your final meal?

Mo Mong is a vietnamese/thai restaurant in Houston. They have the best tofu dish ever--Tofu Luc Lac. It's basically garlic tofu, but it's really indescribable how they make it. I will be having Tofu Luc Lac with brown rice, lemon pepper dipping sauce, and their tamarind soup with pineapples, okra, celery, and beansprouts. I'd be feeling pretty kick-ass and ready to die then.


SJ: That's all I've got, thanks for the words and feel free to include any recommended books or films here. Peace!

I'm going to call on the reader here to recommend these books to people they know who need to be more "in-the-know" about animal rights and veganism:

For the common person who likes a fun read: "Eating Animals" by Jonathan Safran Foer
For the christian or religious fanatic: "Dominion" by Matthew Scully
For the nerd, philosophy student, or science-loving vulcan: "Animal Liberation" by Peter Singer
For the people who think animal rights activists are terrorists: "Free the Animals" by Ingrid Newkirk
For the jock: "Meat is for Pussies" by John Joseph
For the soccer mom and/or her daughter: "Skinny Bitch" by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin

And of course, if you're not vegan yet, pick any or all of these books and get to reading. Thanks!

*You can download Daniels new bands demo here: http://rapidshare.com/files/342203238/Band_of_Mercy_DEMO_2009.zip They will be recording a 7 inch real soon so keep your ear to the ground. To hear his previous band Die Young go to myspace.com/dieyoungtxhc*

RONNIE JAMES DIO - REST IN PEACE

Yeah, so Dio is not hardcore...but nevertheless was a legendary rock and metal frontman whose influence no doubt carried over into all kinds of heavy music. A few days ago he died from cancer at the age of 67, a huge loss to music. If you aren't clued in, I suggest you check out Rainbow, Dio solo and Black Sabbath w/ Dio. Not to mention the first and final Heaven & Hell release 'The Devil You Know'...it's very heavy, and very awesome. Rest in peace Ronnie James Dio!

Interview w/ Stephen St. Germain of THE FIRST STEP

*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

A Day On The Job - a short story by Me.

This is a true story. No events or names were changed. Suck it.

Like a lot of my friends, I'm always searching for a simple job for some quick cash. Sometimes this will actually work, or sometimes you may find yourself in the middle of some weird fake pyramid scheme bullshit. Or you might have a day like I had a few years ago...

I found a job on the net or maybe the paper (can't recall) for "ADT Alarm Sales part time". I thought "ok, I'll check this out...maybe i'll do it for a couple weeks to grab some sweet cash". I called them up and they scheduled a little get together. Drove from my house across the dam to Irmo, SC and walked into a small building that housed a few even smaller offices. There I met Mark and Judy Savage, a married couple probably in their early to mid 60's. They seemed nice enough at first, told me a very VAGUE description of the "job" and then all of a sudden I'm hired out of nowhere and filling out all the necessary employment paperwork. They told me to come in the next day and we'd begin. I showed up the following morning to begin my, uh..."training". I got into their minivan with the both of them and we were off. What followed was several hours of door-to-door sales techniques trying to sell people alarm systems. It was the shittiest of the shit, not for me or any other self-respecting humanoids. They explained to me how it was a good idea to go to POOR real fucked up neighborhoods because those people tend to want the alarm systems more...yeah, great. A couple hours in I had already made the decision that I was done with this, I wasn't gonna show up the next day...no way, too shitty. They kept trying to convince me to try out the sales pitch myself but I assured them I wasn't ready and I needed to watch them do it all day.

We eventually found ourselves in the tiny redneck town of Gaston, South Carolina. We pull up to a small house where there were deer antlers/scalps sitting out on the porch. I'm sitting in the minivan with Mark Savage parked on the side of this small little road. A redneck gentleman on foot comes walking up to the minivan and starts telling us something, so Mark Savage rolls the window down. He starts to, rather politely even, tell us that we can't park there in the middle of that road like we were. I wasn't thinking much of this situation and was sitting there twiddling my thumbs waiting for the day to be over. Well apparently this gesture ENRAGED Mr. Savage as he said "what? what the fuck did you say!?" and flung open the minivan door and lunged at the man. The man seemed stunned and surprised, and then it happened: Mark Savage's 60-something year old white fist connected with this mans 40-something year old white face...and HARD. I was quite taken aback...this random old dude I don't know that was training me on the job just beat up some guy...wow. The man, bloodied and bashed, runs away while yelling something to the tune of "i'm callin the cops man!". Judy Savage hurries back into the minivan and we're off. I'm sitting there in silence as Judy and Mark argue about what just happened. Mark feels it's important to continue the work day, while Judy disagrees...she wants to go back now for her sake and mine. He starts to pull up to another house but Judy is adamant "I think we should just go back now, that's been enough" to which Mark replies in stern anger "GET OUT OF THE FUCKING CAR JUDY". Judy gets out of the car and attempts to make yet another sale while I still sit in stunned silence at this rather odd day. We continue our drive to another neighborhood while the old married couple in the front continues their bickering. I look to my left out of the window while we're going down the road and notice something. It's the guy from earlier, the man that was punched...he's pulling up beside us in a small red pickup truck with a video camera in hand and he is filming us. I'm the only one that noticed this and I decided to say nothing. The man speeds off in front of us and is out.

We pull up to yet another house, but before we have a chance to get out the fuzz shows up. The cop comes up to Mr. Savage in the minivan and issues him a citation for soliciting or something like that, and maybe something else too. Of course he also mentions the guy who got beat up. This enrages Mark Savage further as he berates the police officer and screams in his face, there were many "FUCK YOU!''s and "Im not paying it!"s. Well this finally convinces Mr. Savage that it's time to take me back and end the day. We drive off into the sunset. Judy and Mark make sure that I'm still down for the job and that I'm still showing up tomorrow, I say "oh yeah for sure" because I don't want this old man to kick my ass. Then Mark tells me "Sorry about that Paul...I'm an old fighter buddy". I'm not sure exactly how this makes his insane raging episode any better, but ok.

We get back to the office and I hop into my car and get the fuck out of there, knowing that I will never be back. And that was my day on the job.

Interview w/ Anthony Czerwinski

*This is an interview with our friend Anthony formerly of an EXTREMELY awesome band called Invade out of Long Island, he's a talker so it's a long one. Hope you enjoy psychos*

SJ: what are your thoughts on the current state of hardcore?

It's hard to say with absolution what the state of hardcore is right now. I say this because it means something different to everyone, and everyone has entirely different expectations of it. When I first found hardcore when I was 14, it filled a void, and continues to fill a void to this day. However, I notice that the difference between then and now is that back then I was listening to bands that were around at the time and today I find myself almost entirely uninterested with anything that's out now (with a few notable exceptions). Hardcore is absolutely changing, but change can be a good thing. However, without rattling off a bunch of names of bands that I think are tainting the potential of what it could be, I'll just say that I'm dissatisfied with the state of hardcore, but that's a severe understatement of how I really feel. Also, I can only speak for what I've seen, meaning, I can't possibly judge other scenes if I haven't experienced them firsthand. take great comfort in knowing that there are kids out there that will make it fresh again, however. These sort of things are somewhat cyclical if you think about it.

SJ: you were in a little band called Invade a few years ago. Invade was quite awesome. Tell us a little about that band and it's parting ways with you and ultimate demise if you can.

Thanks for the kind words about that. Invade originally started in August of 2005 when myself and Bryan Barash (Guitarist) had been exchanging e-mails through a local hardcore forum on Long Island. We both wanted to start a hardcore band, even though our tastes were somewhat different in what we wanted to start. I actually didn't know him at all, only knew of him because I was friends with his little brother Tym (singer of Divider, who are completely awesome and Invade played a lot with when we were around) so I was pretty down with getting together and seeing what he had to offer as a guitarist. It wasn't long after Bryan had gotten in touch with me that our drummer, and friend of mine Mike Cohen, said he'd been jamming on drums for awhile and wanted to do a band with us. All we needed now was a bassist. We'd gone through a couple of different people if I remember, but no one really substantial until Bryan had gotten in touch with Kevin Kalb. Now, a lot of people might not know this or even realize it, but Kevin was a HUGE musical part of that band. Dude completely kills bass and he actually wrote a good portion of Invade's music and drove us into that darker sound you find on the EP. Before that, we'd only been playing in E standard but after awhile we decided that we weren't going to get that intensity unless we dropped at least a full step. So at the core of Invade was myself, Bryan, Mike, and Kevin. We practiced our asses off during Fall/Winter of '05. We really didn't do much else besides play music. We practiced for hours at an average of 3 times a week. We also didn't want to play a show until we had music. In fact, we put off recording a demo and playing shows for so long that we had about 9 songs by the time we were ready to play so we decided to record 8 of them and a cover (the cover remained unmastered, so we never released it) and put it out as a self-released, free EP. I can't tell you how many of those fucking things we printed up and sent out, but it was awesome. There's something special about being in complete control of what happens to your music. So thus there were many shoplifting incidents from Office Max and Staples to meet our quota of free EPs. Hats off to Bryan and Mike though, they were workhorses when it came to producing the EPs. We started playing shows in February of 2006 in a string of basement shows. Honestly, those basement were some of the best shows we ever played and I know the guys will agree with me on that. At the same time, Bryan was sending out free EPs all over the world and not even asking for the cost of postage to do so. Granted, we did set up a PayPal donation and some people were cool enough to lend us a few bucks here and there and that actually ended up paying for the cost of postage. I never really check any big hardcore forums or anything, I only heard about what was going on through Bryan because he was constantly sending our music out and spreading the word. Sometime before summer of 2006 we were being checked out by a couple of small labels and they wanted to put out some records for us. I guess I'm kind of sheltered, but this completely blew me away. My goal with that band wasn't to spread any further than my home, and I guess in a sense this kind of freaked me out in a way. I didn't know how small labels, or labels in general worked and I got scared of the idea. I was naive, but I kept trying to convince the guys that we could do this on our own and that we didn't need any label's support to get our music out. What I failed to realize at the time was that it was actually becoming too expensive to do what we were doing, and that Mike and Bryan were both being overworked in terms of printing the EPs and shirts, sending them out, etc. I was apprehensive, but we decided to give the small label thing a shot. I also vividly remember being contacted by Dan from Die Young to do a split with them. My first reaction was "Holy fuck, a band from Texas cares enough about what we do to want to put a split out with us?" to this day it still gives me goosebumps to know what music can do in terms of literally connecting you to other people. So we decided to do two splits - one with our friends from Long Island: In Times of War, and the second one with Die Young. I unfortunately didn't get to be on either of these splits, here's how it all went down: A lot of people think that I left the band, but I was actually kicked out. I put those guys through a lot for the amount of effort they were putting into the band at the time. At the time I was severely depressed and had been struggling with an anxiety disorder since I was 18. From the outside, it definitely looked like I was being a prick by being late to practice, not showing up to practice, giving my band mixed signals, and saying some of the most overly-apologetic and awkwardly pieced together speeches during songs when we played. But there were definitely some deep problems there, and I knew that at that time, I was not functional enough to be fronting a band. After saying that I was going to leave the band multiple times, the rest of my band made the decision I couldn't make - they continued the band without me. Don't get the wrong impression by that though, they're all seriously some of the best guys ever and were really looking out for me in the end, and we're still very close friends today. I love those guys to death, I just got cold feet, I was an extremely sheltered kid and I wasn't ready for what that band was offering me. So around the time I left, they added Jon Ricco on guitar. An incredible guitarist, but when it came down to it was the complete antithesis of what Invade was all about but we didn't find out until it was too late. I still take great comfort in the fact in that piece of shit actually didn't write ANY of the songs we recorded for the two splits, our friend Greg Santoro (who was our first second guitarist) had actually written those songs with us beforehand. So Invade's final line-up was Mike on vocals, Kevin on bass, Bryan on guitar, Jon on guitar, and Kenny Zabielski on drums. I can't speak too much about how Invade actually ended, because I wasn't there to experience it, but from what I've heard it just sort of fell apart at the seams, lost momentum, and Mike admitted to me at a Diner shortly before they broke up that it just wasn't the same as it was, and he didn't like the direction it was going in. I still think those two splits they put out were great stuff though, and that they should have kept the band going in one form or another, but this is the way it goes. Invade officially ended in May of 2007.

SJ: You're from Long Island, NY. I'm sure you've come into contact with the types of people that may call themselves "guidos" and love hair gel. What are your thoughts on such a lifestyle and it's popularization as of late?

I assume you're referring to the clubbing types who frequent the bar scene. I'm not sure if you guys have that sort of thing bad down in South Carolina, but this sort of thing has been an epidemic on Long Island for YEARS, far before "Jersey Shore" even came out. In this respect, believe it or not, Long Island and New Jersey are afflicted with the same situation. I guess you could call it "The Situation". Alright, bad joke. But honestly, as absurd as the popularization is, and even though I have the guilty pleasure of watching the show almost religiously, I obviously don't take any of it seriously but realize that MTV's Jersey Shore is not that far off when it comes to individuals who frequent the bar and club scene. It's almost creepily dead-on. The only thing that irks me is the emphasis on this pseudo-Italian culture. I mean, it's actually quite racist and insulting. But hey, who am I kidding? I was raised by the Italian side of my family and I'd like to think we're not like that at all. I don't even have a thick NY accent, to be honest. In conclusion, a small town in Sicily is most certainly weeping.

SJ: Interesting. And no, SC's population is probably made up of about .09% guido. Taking their place are the rich redneck types and douchey frat boys with popped collars. Have you ever popped your collar?

That's unfortunate. We don't have much of a Frat Boy college scene over here, mainly because we have maybe 2 or 3 universities around here. And I only pop my collar when I'm trying to be Bela Lugosi from Dracula. That was the original popped-collar (or cape), I don't know if anyone realizes that!

SJ: It is good cape weather lately

It really is. I might have to indulge my inner-LARP nerd because of it

SJ: Lets get serious here. If you HAD to assassinate any or all members of one band who would it be?

It would have to be an assassination of a band that would make some sort of drastic impact, a band that a lot of kids would seriously be bummed about. I was going to say Madball, but I'm pretty confident that Freddy alone could choke me out with one arm tied behind his back. Let's focus on just one person then, shall we? I pick Wes Eisold. I'm all about individuals experimenting with new music, but WHAT HAPPENED to this dude?

SJ: Yeah he got a little too nancy boy for me. But do you think murdering him would mean anything to the hardcore kids of today?

Absolutely. I mean, have you seen how much some of AN's merch goes for these days? It's absurd. Dude's POETRY goes for just as much if not more. I enjoy my fair share of AN, The Sun Isn't Getting Any Brighter EP made High School interesting, but I guess I just never understood the hype overall. They're not exactly a band that stuck out for me in the long run.

SJ: How is Long Island hardcore doing these days? Any bands you think are rippin' it up? Who sucks?

It's a mix of good and shitty, I suppose like any scene. Unfortunately there's not a whole lot of diversity. There are a few shining gems in the rough though. I would kill to see some more bands with some raw urgency around here instead of the typical cut-and-paste hardcore formula. As far as LIHC bands go, Divider is putting out a full-length soon and I feel that they might be one of the best bands on Long Island right now, they were sort of a brother band (literally, too) to Invade and I'm glad to see that they're still around. I'm not sure how well Backtrack is received outside of NY, but they're also another budding band coming out of Long Island. They're actually on a European tour right now. I'm honestly not into this whole new trend of bands trying to sweat NYHC, but Backtrack pulls it off incredibly well even though I'm not necessarily into what they're doing. I'm happy for them regardless though, they're some of the nicest guys to come out of the Long Island Hardcore scene, and they absolutely deserve what they work hard for.

SJ: Do any of those crazy guidos ever make their way into any shows? Do they mosh hard?

Only when Hatebreed and Biohazard play Long Island. But I suppose that stands to reason. Christ, how do people take Biohazard seriously these days? Lots of respect to Hatebreed though, even though they do bring the serious juicehead mosh. But that was inevitable. Play more Satisfaction. And yes, they mosh hard. With tribals

SJ: When are you gonna start a new band?

I've spent a long time waiting on other people to start a band with me. Years, even. No such luck. So lately, I just go to work, come home, and am learning guitar day-by-day. I'm actually starting a solo-project called Maiden Name which will have songs in the very near future (already have a song written, writing a second one as we speak). Not sure if it's going to have anything to do with hardcore though, as I have absolutely no idea how to play drums, but if I could get a couple of friends to help me lay down some tracks for a demo, it will be a group effort and I will be spreading that around. I have to say though, I'm really psyched to be doing something on my own because I have complete control over everything and I don't have to compromise. So, in some shape or form, look forward to a new project in the future.

SJ: What are some bands that you think are doing something cool or new these days? They dont necessarily have to be hardcore...

Honestly, there has been so much good music coming out lately mostly outside of hardcore. But to start with hardcore - they just broke up a few months ago, but I have to say that Seven Generations is a band that hit me pretty hard and although they weren't necessarily doing anything new, it's that uncompromising leftist hardcore that I can really connect with and was somewhat refreshing in a scene that I feel is too middle-grounded and afraid to talk about real, visceral issues. Touche Amore is another band that I've been impressed with recently. Refreshing both lyrically and musically. Outside of hardcore, I would have to say that I've been listening to a lot of Fall of Efrafa, an epic crust band from the UK. Over the years they'd been writing a trilogy of records based on the political themes of Richard Adams' "Watership Down". They managed to make this one of the bleakest, darkest, but also most uplifting music I've heard in a really long time. They finished their trilogy of albums this past summer and only broke up this past December. Bummed on that, but I'm glad I got to see them. Baroness is another band that's been consistently putting out good music. Blue Record, their latest release just dropped last year. Nothing else is coming to mind at the moment, but there is plenty out there and it's absolutely worth everyone's time to check out different genres.

SJ:Lets say the entire hardcore scene was ONE dude. He embodied everything about todays hardcore: the music, the merch, everything. What advice would you give him?

If you're going to listen to Earth Crisis, you should lose the dunks

SJ: that's all I got. leave any food/movie recommendations here and have a lovely day

I am the worst vegetarian ever. I subsist entirely on organic pizza (trust me, pizza is never good for you, even organic) and hot sauce. Kevin knows good food though, perhaps you should interview him. Movies? Salo: The 120 Days of Sodom. You'll never look at feces or Italy the same again. Take care

*You can still find Invade immortalized on their myspace page. I recommend finding the link and downloading the 2006 EP. I think it's an extremely overlooked and underrated bunch of songs, check it out! www.myspace.com/invade*