Black Clouds

The Voice Of A Symphony - Crime In Stereo, 2009

2009-06-23T20:04:00.000-07:00

A couple of years ago, Long Island, New York’s Crime In Stereo turned more than a few heads with their third full length album, the facetiously named Crime In Stereo Is Dead. The album saw, on a basic level, a drastic change to their ‘Nitro Records’ melodic punk style, however one that had been subtly working its way into their music since their previous, I, Stateside. On a deeper level, …Is Dead actually took what the band had already established as a unique take on melodic punk rock and hardcore and incorporated into it elements of grunge, shoegaze and experimentations in noise. April 26, 2009 they played a show in Brooklyn with hardcore giants Bane and Have Heart. The show itself was a true testament to the varying styles and generations operating in the hardcore scene today. I was lucky enough to have the chance to speak to Crime In Stereo’s vocalist, Christian about their retrospectives on …Is Dead and what he is looking forward to next for the band.

Their recent Selective Wreckage release of b-sides and unreleased material serves as a path between I, Stateside and …Is Dead, exhibiting the growing presence of grunge and shoegaze influences that have gradually, and consciously worked their way into the music. Christian elaborates on this growth. “We’ve grown a lot as musicians, but the music was growing faster than I was and I needed to step back. I took a bunch of vocal lessons and got myself up to par with where they were. The way I am singing now is how we always wanted to portray ourselves. We’re still carrying a deep message, being the band that we always were, just a little bit more melodic with a little bit better song structures. We’re stepping in the direction of being musicians as opposed to a bunch of dudes who like music. That’s the best way I can describe, we’re all dudes that love music, and this record we wanted to be musicians. I feel like we did that and the next record, which we start recording next week, is a progression of this. It’s the raw feeling of Stateside, it’s the experimentation and song structures of Dead, and then some. We make music for us, it’s all a learning experience.” The experimentation Christian speaks of is what has really put CIS in the spotlight recently. He continues; “We kind of stepped outside the box and said ‘Let’s not write a record for hardcore kids, let’s not write a record to get big, let’s just write a record we feel.’ Halfway through that recording we were like ‘Wow’, we were really proud of what we were doing, really psyched on it.”

I was interested to find out how they approach their live shows these days with the new songs they have written and the conscious inclusion of different musical elements. Especially with a lineup like that of tonight, playing alongside four or five bands that are loud, fast and aggressive, it starts to make CIS stand out more and more. What’s surprising,” says Christian in response, “is that some of the softer songs we have are the ones that the clichéd, super-hardcore dudes love most.” He makes it clear that they don’t get wrapped up in self-consciousness over such issues, and go about being a band and playing shows the same way they always have.

Specifically, bands such as Nirvana, Sonic Youth and My Bloody Valentine were brought up as ‘non-hardcore’ influences having a large impact on CIS’s musical future. Christian explains how he feels bands like these and hardcore share common ground, and where CIS fit into all of this. “We’ve always portrayed ourselves like a hardcore band. We’ve always put on our own shows in Long Island, we’ve always picked hardcore bands to play with us. I think when dealing with emotion, bands like that are on the same level as hardcore bands. It is just oozing out of the chords they’re playing, and that’s the connection. People will hear our band and be like ‘That’s not a fuckin’ hardcore band”, but it’s moreso in the message than in the melody of the chords. It’s moreso in how you carry yourself as a band. People will always take different things completely differently from how you want them to, but no matter what we do – the heart of our band is in hardcore and punk rock music.”

Their new album (which, mind you, isn’t even recorded at this point) looks to become one of the more anticipated records for the coming year, and already there is speculation over what to expect. Christian gives a little bit away about their writing process so far. “There’s a huge grunge influence in the newer songs. We’re putting the songs together as a band and then going into the studio, whereas we’ve used the studio in the past as the platform where we’re like ‘Okay this idea, then that idea.’ We’re going in there with structured songs so I feel like we already know how the record is going to be, and I’m so excited. We’ve always been a studio band, and this record I feel is a live record.”

Just as their musical direction is turning heads, so have their lyrics. Creating surrealist, dreamlike empires out of words, the depth and poetry that exists in CIS’s lyrics are endlessly engaging and again set this band apart. Christian sheds light on the writing process; “Alex is like the ‘blueprint-dude’. He writes the songs… I come up with a lot of the melodies, he writes a lot of the lyrics. He is an amazing writer, not just a lyricist – like stories, comics – he’s amazing. I feel like if you’re a band you want to portray yourselves as best as possible. I write,” he says flippantly, “I do all that stuff, but you want the best thing for a song. We’ve been doing it, me and him, for so long – once we start doing vocals it’s just me and him and our producer, and we live in a studio – and it’s gotten to the point where I know what he wants before he has to show it to me. Now, he just hands me something, I read it, I’m floored and I’m like ‘Okay, roll tape.’ We’ve gotten past that whole ‘thing’ and it’s just like what’s best for this band. A lot of people in other bands have egos and shit like that and they don’t want their egos trampled on. I’m not about that. I’m about this band being the best that it can possibly be, and if that means our guitarist has to write the lyrics then I am 100% fine with that. Songs that he writes – I look at them and I’m like ‘That’s my life!’ How the fuck does he do that? Sometimes I feel like he goes into it looking – like there are a few parts in songs that are spot on things I have gone through. Sometimes I almost feel like he knows my brain – he knows how I am and the things I have gone through. Those songs are just as much me as they are him.”

Coming from the punk rock hotbed that is Long Island has had and continues to affect the band as well. Home to two of the biggest punk/emo acts in recent years (Brand New and Taking Back Sunday) as well as countless local acts that have had impact on the Tri-State area’s various scenes, Long Island remains the band’s home and Christian has an ostensible sense of loyalty to it. “It’s a sense of pride when you have national bands from your home town – especially guys like Brand New. I’m super close and Alex is super close with those guys. They carry themselves, as big as they are, so humbly, and they’re so nice and they’re so into what they do. I was in England and I was at a dance club and they were playing Brand New and I just had this sense of pride, like, that’s Long Island. That’s our upbringing, what they’re singing. The experiences they had are how they’re able to write those songs and that’s our life. I feel nothing but a sense of pride for that shit.” With that, and their demonstrated ambition, it had to be asked if the band, and Christian personally longed for the same level of success to represent their home. “I want to see and do as much as I possibly can. If it comes to a time when we get to that level, I would not look back for one second.”

Speaking to Christian, although a brief conversation, has given me the impression of a band comprised of young individuals, largely unmatched in ambition. This ambition extends to both their music and their career view. Playing live tonight, they exhibited a prowess and confidence that seems to be matched in the way they approach each day as a band. Christian leaves me with this statement, and a sense of closure – for now; “I’ll tell you something right now; I’ll play in front of anyone, even if they don’t want to hear me. I’ll sing to anyone I possibly can, I want everyone to hear what we have to say.”

Most of these photos were taken from the band's myspace, the other few were taken by me.

Photo Entry - April 25, New York City

2009-06-23T08:47:00.000-07:00

Here is a series of photos of three bands that played a show together in New York a couple of months ago. Seeing 108 for the first time was a pretty big deal for me on a personal level, and I hope the photos manage to convey the mayhem that is their live show. As well as 108, we have Soul Control and I Rise, two bands who are taking their own style to '90s style hardcore and post-hardcore, both in very different ways. Basically, these are bands who I feel are doing something honest and progressive in hardcore, without discarding their roots. Take a look.

I Rise

Soul Control

108

Shooting The Messenger - Narrows, 2008

2009-06-23T08:10:00.000-07:00

Another article originally written for a magazine that never saw the light of day. Fortunately, this one isn't so much 'outdated' as just 'late off the mark' at this point. Narrows have just released their debut album, New Distances on Deathwish Inc., and they rule. So read this and check them out.

New Deathwish Inc. signing, Narrows, is kind of like the perfect Fantasy Football team of hardcore bands. Comprised of ex and current parts from Botch, Some Girls, These Arms Are Snakes and Unbroken as well as the indie-rock’n’roll elements of Makeout Boys, Bullet Union and Tropics. With these collected ingredients, Narrows is a concoction of cold, bleak desolation met with violent rythms and compulsively sculpted tone. Their debut 7” EP was released, girt by hype to many a hungry ear, and Deathwish Inc. have slated a full length for later this year. However, as bassist and Unbroken/Some Girls alumni Rob Moran explains, hype is overrated.

“I guess I understand Dave singing like this again is a big deal (as it is even for me), but I hope people don't place expectations on it. This band is not Botch, Unbroken or TAAS – the band is what it is.” As much sincerity as that statement holds, it seems Narrows may have a hard time escaping the ‘supergroup’ stigma, another clichéd notion Moran indignantly refuses. “I cannot stand that tagline. I went through that with Some Girls and people have so many expectations that if it does not sound like what they want to hear, they trash it. As I said, people should take it for what it is and enjoy it for what it is; a new band with people they may or may not have heard of.” The question then is, with members strewn across the west coast of USA, and one residing in the UK, how did these five people come together to become Narrows? The tight-nit nature of Seattle’s hardcore scene, and its exchange of members between bands lends an explanation to the connection between vocalist Dave Verellen and guitarist Ryan Frederiksen. Moran fills in the blanks; “I have always been a fan of Dave's voice and Ryan's guitar sound, so when I found out that Jodie was coming out to Seattle for holiday, I asked him if he wanted to record some songs while he was here. Sam I had known for a while living in California and I knew he could do a solid job playing drums. As to what drew us together, I really can't say. I guess five people that wanted to try something and see where it took us.” He continues, explaining the dynamics between the five; “We all had something to bring to the table when it came to making music. The goal was to make three songs that did not sound like they were written in two days. The best part about it is that it was done without anyone dictating or forcing their sound on anyone else. Ryan, Jodie and I play so differently that we were all able to play something that enhanced the song.”

Here’s the kicker; these three songs were written in that time frame. “We had two practices, wrote three songs and recorded it on the third day.” Moran explains. “It was that ‘We have no idea where this is going to go’ mentality that made it easy to write the music. None of us really had anything concrete written, just a few ideas traded via email. I think we influenced each other more than anything else. I would have a part, and Ryan would be inspired to write something, or Jodie would have a part and I would think of something. It was all written without anyone saying ‘I want to sound like this band’, or ‘This is popular, let's sound like this’. We knew we wanted it to be heavy, dark and current. Hopefully that will translate when people hear the EP.” None of their press so far has let on about just what Narrows are setting out to achieve stylistically, and according to Moran’s, that is just the point and wherein lies the validity of their music. “There weren't really any particular bands that influenced the EP, as it happened all too quick for influences to seep in.”

While the haphazard nature of the band’s conception was integral to their creative arc, Moran insists they have no intention to continue to operate under the same kind of conditions. “With the LP, we had a bit more time to write. Jodie, Sam and I traded songs via email for a few months in early 2008. All in we had close to 20 songs. Some of it was great, some of it terrible.” With the chance to put a bit more critical thought behind it, Moran is able to be somewhat more definitive with what is to come from Narrows. “We just picked the best parts and put them together. I know on some of my songs for the LP I was listening to a lot of Swiz. Some of that is in there for sure. Jodie and Ryan are really into Boris so massive effects and crazy tones are all over the album. We definitely had more time with the LP, and we wanted to put something out that Deathwish and we would be proud of.”

It may seem Deathwish Inc. have won some kind of competition in their signing of Narrows, considering the notoriety of the bands collected parts, and their connections to various other indie notables (the obvious being Hydra Head and Jade Tree). Moran explains their relationship with the label. “I kind of spearheaded that move to Deathwish. I just knew that with our sound, they would be the best fit for the band. What we play may not sound like everything they put out, but many of their releases are diverse and they are good people to work with. I sent them a copy of the EP and they liked it. Also, we didn't really think other labels that we are connected with would even like it. I was wrong, as Justin [Pearson (Swing Kids/Some Girls/The Locust)] from Three One G actually liked it a lot. Either way, I just knew Deathwish would be a good home for this band as they know our touring is limited and I have worked with them in the past. They are good people and I love them as friends and as a label.”

While the recent activities of the band have been very spontaneous, Moran reveals the formation and consolidation of Narrows’ lineup was actually over one year in the making. “The band started in 2006 with a different line up, but Dave was singing and Sam was still playing drums. We stopped playing due to health issues with one of the guitar players and put it on hold after about 4 practices. The band in its current formation started in Oct 2007.” While they are now technically an international band (guitarist Jodie Cox resides in London), a main chunk of the band (Rob, Dave and Ryan) is based in the musically rich hub of Seattle, Washington. Dave Verellen chimes in and shares his feelings on re-entering a scene he was once such a huge part of. “I haven't felt like a part of the Seattle hardcore, or music scene in general for a few years now. I guess it’s just because I had other stuff going on and haven't had time or desire to see new, up and coming bands. I know there is a lot of great music happening up here, I just haven't had my finger on the pulse. I'm sure Ryan has had more exposure to that, being in a more active band (TAAS). Starting out young like we did gave us a lot of time and energy to spend on being a part of the scene. With this band not having played a show yet we haven't introduced ourselves.”

There is no doubt that Narrows have a bright future as a band, for as long as they dictate it is necessary for them to be one. Moran makes it clear that he is not basing any expectations for his new band on the past or current projects of any of the members, but admits he still holds concerns about the external perception of Narrows. “Some people cannot just sit back and buy a record. Yes, it is nice that we were in previous bands, but that should just peak curiosity and not make people think that because of who is in the band, it will be the best band ever. I don't know if anything I do will ever overshadow anything else I've done or not.” Speaking from a wealth of experience, Moran finishes simply with this; “I'm here and it is now, not 13 years ago. I hope people buy the records with open minds. You will be much happier that way.”

NARROWS: GYPSY KIDS (2009) 872 x 480 from My Black Cat on Vimeo.

Photo Entry - Chicago 'Burning Fight' Weekend

2009-05-20T17:20:00.000-07:00

The weekend of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd of March, 2009, is one that will stay in my memory forever. While I don't consider myself a photographer, the pictures I post here document a few moments in a time that I found to be very important. This weekend in Chicago saw a convergence of people of all ages, locations and lifestyles to experience hardcore music in a context that really claimed back its true meaning. Hope Con did not play the Burning Fight fest, and those photos are from a benefit show they played the evening prior. The rest of these photos are from the fest, and while I didn't get shots of every band (due to opportunity/unwillingness on my part), what I have posted here are the ones I found to be worth a damn.

The Hope Conspiracy; May 1st, 2009, The Subterranean.

Damnation AD; Burning Fight, May 2nd 2009, The Metro

Betrayed; Burning Fight, May 2 2009, The Metro

(During) 108; Burning Fight, May 2nd 2009, The Metro

Life Is Hard Enough As It Is - Have Heart, 2008

2009-05-06T15:52:00.000-07:00

The interview this article was written from took place a long time ago now, on Have Heart's first tour of Australia with our own Parkway Drive. However, I feel that this article covers a lot of ground with vocalist Pat Flynn on a personal level that hasn't necessarily been touched in other interviews. Maybe. Either way, they are now gearing up for their second visit to our shores in late May, and in lieu of having any print media to publish this piece, I thought it was apt to post it here.

Since the release of their debut full length, The Things We Carry, Have Heart have been riding a wave as the forerunners of the new generation Boston hardcore scene. Have Heart are a band that wears their influences on their sleeves, and tries to keep alive those inherent elements that defined a genre in the late ‘80s and through the ‘90s, whilst ever breathing new life into the style. Their new album, Songs To Scream At The Sun is sure to further this view of the band as a progressive yet honest and always powerful force in hardcore. Frontman Pat Flynn’s lyrics are always relentless in their focus and tear through false preconceptions with their insight. For this reason, coupled with the fact I had just seen him play his part in one of the most energetic sets I had ever seen from a hardcore-punk band, I was very excited to speak to Flynn on the band’s first visit to Australia.

“Barriers are this huge disconnect, and it’s so off putting” Flynn leads off, commenting on the distance between the Tivoli’s stage and the crowd. “We started this band going against the barriers. We’re not a barrier band – we’re a basement band, a CBGB’s or Gilman Street band. We can work with it, but for someone like me, especially when I’m sick, it’s really aggravating because I sound like shit and I can’t get into the zone.” Out of breath and clearly worked up, Flynn still seems strangely energized for a set that he deemed as being sub-par. “It’s also mind-boggling - it’s kind of hard to get into the zone; to be in Australia and have kids sing along. It just doesn’t make sense. I started the band when I was 16 and I just wanted to play a couple of shows and we always just did what we wanted to do, and if we had an opportunity we’d take it.” Clearly overwhelmed, even after having toured the states and Europe multiple times, Flynn’s astonishment is the perfect example of the extent of his, and subsequently his band’s honest approach to shows and the music they make.

Having been involved in the band for nearly seven years, and in the past two starting to have visible impact worldwide, I ask Flynn if he can still see himself doing the band far into the future. “No” he replies, simply. “I love this, but I’m not gonna lie to myself and say I wanna do this for the rest of my life. This is my life right now and I love it, but there are other things in my life I wanna do that don’t necessarily consist of Have Heart. This is the greatest thing in my life right now and I am seizing the opportunity. I am really happy to be a part of creating this music, and it’s a great platform to express myself. I do wanna teach, that’s been a goal of mine since I was a kid. It’s a challenge to myself, and I want to accomplish that” He explains that while he sees many figures in hardcore still up on stage, giving it their all way into their mid-thirties, the 23 year old says he can’t see himself doing that, despite the respect he holds for those figures. However, he qualifies his statements; “We’re not done by any means, we’re not going to break up soon or anything... I feel like Have Heart started out as a band that I want to keep special and I feel like in my lifetime, the things that have been done for so long kind of lose their specialty. I wouldn’t want to ever – ever – take a chance at tainting what Have Heart was, because it is so unbelievably special.”

On the topic of older personalities of the hardcore scene, as well as that of what the band holds dear, Have Heart have been lucky enough to foster a career-long relationship with one of their musical role models, Pete Maher (or Sweet Pete) of the band In My Eyes. Maher was on tour with Have Heart in Australia, doing merch of all things. “Pete’s been such a great support” says Flynn, “especially in regards to the hardcore scene. He’s a genuine supporter of the hardcore community… He’s been around for a while – he started going to shows in ’83, but he can still be that guy who can see potential in younger bands. He’s not one of the millions of jaded, clichéd dudes who think hardcore died when they left the scene.” It’s clear that Flynn is not generalising, but speaking from actual experience. “I’ve been going to shows for almost 10 years now, I’ve been in a band and I’ve seen a lot of the ugly parts of our country’s hardcore scene. We’ve played with a lot of shitty bands that are just there to break things. It gets very easy to become disillusioned with the hardcore scene. It takes a lot of strength to be inspired and have a positive outlook. I sound like a cheesy posi guy.” He continues “[Pete’s] definitely someone who helps me keep the faith in the potential and the good that hardcore can bring to so many kids. In My Eyes was definitely one of the first hardcore bands I really got into. When we first started out he was genuinely interested in us, it was the coolest thing… He overheard that we needed help with money to get a van. Our parents weren’t going to help us, and we really needed a van ‘coz renting it was too expensive. He loaned us the money, and we just payed him back. We ended up paying him back relatively shortly, but it was a huge thing. He’s helped us out in a number of places. He’s just a big supporter of Have Heart.”

The current era of Have Heart is shaping up to be the most defining since those early beginnings. Songs To Scream At The Sun has been released to mixed reactions from fans and press alike, not to mention good-spirited practical jokes on the part of label mates Ceremony. “We’re good friends with Ceremony, we play jokes on each other” explains Flynn, exasperated. “Oh my god – he made that announcement so long ago and it’s just spread like wildfire. When you’re a Bridge Nine band you can log in, and you have special access to make announcements about your own band. Toast made the announcement that our album’s going to be 41 tracks. All these kids have been asking us, and it’s been bumming some kids out – like ‘I don’t want 41 songs!’ It’s just funny because I just made a bulletin on myspace today saying that our record is not 41 songs long.”

By the time of printing, the album will have been out for a while, but at the time this interview was conducted, the song Bostons was being flagshipped in promotion for the record. The song still stands out against the other nine, however, with it’s pointed yet vast lyrical dealings. “I took a second and I thought about my life and my father’s life and my grandfather’s life, so the song is really complex. It’s about three generations of Flynns.” Pat offers an explanation that seems to give back story to more than just this one song. “I wrote that song The Unbreakable [from The Things We Carry] about my Grandfather. When my uncle passed we had a Flynn family gathering and I was talking to my other uncles, asking them a little more about my grandfather, ‘coz I only had the stories my father had told me. My father always told me that my grandfather – his father – was this great man who worked a million jobs a day to help raise his family, and he always had this great sense of humour. These were my father’s memories of his father that he wanted to keep, and he kind of blocked out any other ones. My father left Boston to join the army and change his life around a bit. I talked to my uncles who stayed in Boston and they told me stories about my grandfather, who I wrote The Unbreakable about. Turns out, he was a hard working man, but he definitely suffered from the Irish tradition of getting drunk all the time, neglecting the wife and spending more time in bars than just ‘being there’ and that really affected my father. That’s something that always troubled me ‘coz I wrote this song about this great man before I found that out. I started saying it was about my own father, so I guess it works out. I just wanted to bring some closure to that.
“I grew up in the city right outside Boston, then I went to college when I was 17. I moved to Boston and have been living there since I was 17. My college is literally right across the street from the high school my father went to, which was a hard high school to get into when you were a kid from the ghettos of Boston. I’d walk down the street at night and I’d think about how I get to go to this school ‘coz my father, when he was a kid younger than I am worked his ass off to get into that school, so he could change his life and so I could have a different life and a different youth than he had. I thought about that and I felt really guilty. To me there was like two eras of Boston. That’s how I wrote that song and why I called it Bostons, ‘coz it’s like there are two Bostons. My father goes there, and we drive by Hyde Park and he sees it and has some bad memories of that place I go there and do my running at night and I walk around during the day and it’s such a beautiful place to be and I love it!
“The end part is actually from my friend, Leo, who grew up in the ghettos of Boston. He has a song with the line ‘You’re friends say Boston’s beautiful’, that’s the one line I borrowed. He’s actually a hip-hop dude. That line stuck to me, ‘coz I do think Boston’s beautiful, and that line is supposed to be my father speaking to me. It’s funny ‘coz people have been interpreting that song in a million ways, which is fine, they should find different meanings as much as they can.” The epic nature of this tale and this one song seems to act as a metaphor for the entire album, with the notions of family, displacement and belonging. It provides an obvious reason as to why this track was chosen as the lead in to the record’s release.

In terms of the stylistic shift on the new record, however, both press and fans have been meeting it with mixed reactions. Flynn readily acknowledges the band’s conscious decision to change their sound. “We started to change our sound on the last record, and kids like wrote us off and whatnot, and I think that’s a shame ‘coz they’re missing out on so many great styles of hardcore. That has always bothered me…” When one takes into account the attitude Have Heart take to making music, it doesn’t seem so hard to reconcile the obvious changes they have gone through on Songs To Scream… “I just want to be myself” Flynn explains. “That’s the number one aspect of this band, that we all try to do what we want to do, whether or not people like it. I think people catch that; we’re just doing what we want. I remember being a kid and I could always tell the bands that were doing what was ‘in’, and then the bands that were doing what they wanted to do. Like Modern Life Is War” he refers to the copies of the magazine on the table in front of him. “I remember when I first saw them forever ago, when they were starting out, and they were just dudes from Iowa. It was really inspiring to me, ‘coz the sound they were playing wasn’t ‘in’, and I saw them at Posi Numbers 2003 which is a really youth-crew oriented fest.”

He looks down somewhat self-consciously at his Youth Of Today t-shirt. “I feel like a doofus ‘coz I’m wearing this shirt,” he says. “I love Youth Of Today but they’re not the be all and end all of hardcore. There are so many other forms of hardcore that are just as inspiring. There are so many sectors of hardcore now – so many fucking genres. That youth-crew scene is so closed-minded. We felt that, ‘coz when we started out we were just a straight up youth crew band. It bugged me ‘coz everyone expected me to be this posi kid or something. I’m a pretty natural guy, I get real bad mood swings and I get pissed off very easily, I just try to control it and be as mature as I can.” Flynn offers some insight as to why the band felt the need to separate themselves from the current crop of positive hardcore bands. “The idea of ‘being positive’ has been so raped and lost it’s meaning over the years. I think bands like Bad Brains or Youth Of Today didn’t write songs to ‘be positive’, they just did it ‘coz there was an importance behind it, and there’s so many avenues of just being negative. I think a lot of bands have run it into the fucking ground, and it’s become a really bad parody or caricature of itself. It really bums me out, ‘coz it’s an important aspect of hardcore, to strive for better things. That’s why I’ve always kept an open mind, in terms of being holistic and being inclusive. That’s important, ‘coz I’ve seen things that I love about hardcore get run into the ground. It’s stupid ‘coz [hardcore] has such a great meaning and can do so much for people. At least I know it did for me.”

Flynn brings up another aspect of hardcore that he has found hard to reconcile, and that is the current assimilation of it into popular culture. “I don’t think hardcore should be confined only to ‘hardcore kids’. It’s hard enough, and if you do that it’s just gonna fade away. At the same time, I don’t think hardcore should become this big mainstream thing, I’ve always been against that. A big part of what made hardcore unique was the fact that it was run by the kids. That business aspect was never there, and that’s what I loved about it. You put the business aspect into it, and you have these fatcats at the door looking all professional, and these huge fests where a water is sold for $9. You lose the idea of some 15-year-old kid saying ‘I can do this myself’. That’s always driven me nuts, the fact that people try to capitalise on the money that can be made in a hardcore scene. It’s a fine line, because I don’t want it to become this big, mainstream, Warped Tour thing, but I don’t want it to stay in the hands of people who think it’s ‘just for them’.” However, large tours such as Warped, amongst many others these days, are a major meal-ticket for bands. Flynn considers this; “I wouldn’t play it ‘coz I don’t believe in it. I think Warped Tour ruined punk rock. I think it was the nail in the coffin. It was already really big after Nirvana got big, but then it just became this huge corporate thing – I guess it always was, but now it’s just silly. I went to Warped Tour when I was 12 and I saw 7 Seconds and Blink 182, and I loved those bands. I just wouldn’t want to see hardcore take that route.” He acknowledges another significant point, and that’s that this cultural shift has created a division between what is considered ‘punk’ and what is ‘hardcore’. “It’s weird” he says, “‘coz hardcore and punk for me has always been the same thing.”

Happily outspoken and opinionated, I was very interested to hear what Flynn had to say about the other side of Have Heart – that of the straight-edge lifestyle. With so much confusion about what is straight-edge and how it should be represented, not to mention social rifts even between straight-edge people who interpret it differently, Flynn showed some clarity by explaining how he and his band mates approach the philosophy. “I think a lot of people perceive us as a super-straight-edge band and that’s all we know about. We’re definitely very well rounded people, we have other interests in life. Straight-edge to us is just a part of us – it’s like my arm, just part of who I am, and I have accepted that.” Sensing the opportunity to vent, Flynn admits some of his feelings about interviews; “It’s become really alienating for me over the past 2 years because I’ve been downsized to being nothing more than a kid with an X on the back of his hand. I understand we’re a straight-edge band, but we don’t listen just to other straight-edge bands.” In admitting he doesn’t actively think about straight-edge all that much, Flynn still makes clear how he feels about it in relation to the band. “We’re a straight-edge band, and I still have ethics and ideals about that. If we broke up and our guitarist went and broke edge, I wouldn’t give a shit. We’re a straight-edge band now, so I have some type of idealism – even though I’m not militant or anything.”

This perspective on the straight-edge philosophy shows through on Have Heart’s recordings too, as Flynn explains. “We have one song that is literally about straight edge, and that’s Something More Than Ink [from The Things We Carry]. Straight-edge runs fluidly through me, and it affects the way I see things and how I deal with certain things. So totally, on the new record there are things that are products of me being straight-edge. There’s a song on the record about promiscuous sex, but it’s not like ‘That’s wrong.’ I talk about an experience I had and how it just left me feeling miserable and alone. That’s definitely a product of me being straight-edge. Even the song Something More Than Ink isn’t an outright straight-edge song. All my friends drink, and whenever we play a Boston show they’re all singing along ‘coz they’ve found meaning in it. That’s something I was really careful about, because for someone who doesn’t know about straight edge or loosely knows about it, they’re not going to read those lyrics and think ‘Oh that’s a straight edge song.’ I’ve never wanted to be in a band that says straight-edge is the be all and end all, but I don’t want to oppose that, it can be really fun, like Down To Nothing who are our best friends. It’s good to have bands like that who are promoting straight-edge and keeping that tradition alive. The thing I love about DTN is that they’re fun with they’re straight-edge, they’re not closed-minded and you can tell that when they play and in their lyrics.” The flipside of this, Flynn explains, also has much to do with Have Heart’s approach. “I can tell you straight up that that band Embrace Today really pissed me off. They were doing the militant edge thing. It was just retarded - it was like a joke. That’s half the reason Have Heart started, ‘coz I wanted to represent straight edge in a good way. Also, straight edge was turning into a joke in the Boston scene coz everyone was breaking edge and it had no meaning to it.”

It’s clear, in the way he speaks, that Flynn is as much a fan of music now as he ever has been. “People always just downsize me to this kid who only listens to the first 20 releases on Rev. It gets annoying coz people in the hardcore scene wanna talk about music, but no one wants to talk music with me ‘coz they think I’m this corny dude who doesn’t listen to the ‘right’ music. It just sucks, coz I love talking music with people.” His love for older bands like In My Eyes and Youth Of Today is clear, but he also refers to Dischord and the mid-nineties D.C. scene. “Soulside are one of my all time favourite bands. End Of A Year are really good too. I love a lot of the DC stuff, I feel a lot of music from that era was very forward thinking.” In terms of current hardcore scenes, Flynn cites fellow Bostonians Verse as one of his favourite bands. “It’s really weird to play with them, and now they’re like our brother band. We play with them so much, and I love everything they do. They’re like our best friends and we hang out all the time, I almost wish they weren’t my friends ‘coz it would be a different experience – we wouldn’t see them so much or tour with them all the time. I feel clichéd saying Verse are one of those bands – but they really are one of those bands. Shipwreck AD too, they’re also our friends, and we tour with them. It’s really fucked up, there are a lot of great bands that we’re just friends with – Ceremony as well. It’s like we play with these great bands and become friends with them, it’s not like being a 16-year-old kid and thinking a band is mind-blowing.” He pauses; “I actually think Modern Life Is War were one of the best bands in the world. They were always doing their own thing. That last record was mind-blowing, I think it was their best record – the music and the lyrics, it all just came together. That doesn’t take away from everything else they did either.” He goes on to explain that he is very picky about hardcore these days, but maintains that all the bands he has mentioned keep him excited about being involved in hardcore, regardless of whether they are personal friends or not.

Flynn also shows a lot of passion for music outside of the hardcore-bubble. “I listen to a lot of folk music and country. I have been listening to a lot of R.L. Burnside and Muddy Waters. I like old Bob Dylan, Woody Guthrie and Lead Belly.” This eclectic taste in music doesn’t really come as a surprise when considering the poetic nature of Flynn’s lyrics. He continues; “My sister has always loved Tom Waits, and she’s got every record and it’s always been in the background of my life. The past two years I started listening to him a lot more.”

The central theme and point Flynn seems to revolve around in this interview is that of honesty, in any situation. He applies this viewpoint once again “The whole New York hipster scene is so lame and cliché. Here’s what happens; kids in New York or Boston or LA or wherever in the country, usually they’ve left a hardcore scene, they get jaded on everything and think it’s a good idea to go live in a closet. They’ve raised the cost of rent in New York and kicked the other people out to other spots of NY that aren’t so under the microscope as part of the city. So these kids have their parents pay for this tiny little closet and their false reality. It was like that in Boston for a little while, around 2000, there were all these hipsters and every girl looked like Amelie. It was so annoying - I hated that. That time sucked, especially in Boston. Everyone was just so arrogant.”

It seems apt that our 50-minute conversation seemed to land where it took off – at Flynn’s hometown. With the seismic rumblings of Parkway Drive still beneath us, we wrap it up. Pat Flynn seems content and free of any stress regarding misunderstandings or pigeonholing. His hyper-consciousness and acute observations on the cultural worlds we live in are affecting, and represent why Have Heart are named as such. Just as they played this night, so has Pat Flynn spoken earnestly and energetically about those things close to his.

Check out the 2009 tour dates and go see this band, or kick yourself in the head;

May 20 - Perth, Rosemount Hotel
May 21 - Perth, YMCA HQ
May 22 - Adelaide, Underground
May 23 - Melbourne, The Arthouse
May 24 - Melbourne, The Castle
May 27 - Canberra, Tuggeranong Youth Centre
May 28 - Sydney, Annandale Hotel
May 29 - Sydney, The Fitz St Ives
May 30 - Brisbane, Princess Theatre
May 31 - Byron Bay High School

*All photos taken from band's Myspace, www.myspace.com/haveheart (with permission) and Bridge9.com

SXSW 2009 JOURNAL. PART TWO.

2009-04-10T15:51:00.000-07:00

Day Three. Give Them Enough Rope.

Ruiner, Red 7.
I know this photo is kind of shit, but for some reason I like it.

On day three, I planned to see a few more of the unofficial shows during the day, as by this stage they had proved to be where the gold was. Shirts For A Cure (a charity company involving punk and metal bands to raise money for cancer research) where holding a show with The Bouncing Souls headlining. I needed to get over to see M. Ward as well on this day, but I caught Ruiner and Darkest Hour. If I could only choose one word to describe Ruiner, it would be fast. If I had more, I would say sweaty, angry and intense. Their vocalist made his spiel about the woes of SXSW, and made some good points in terms of what this particular show was in aid of, and whether he had intended to or not pointed out some fundamental flaws in the way the music industry (or music industries operate). In the middle of this conference/festival was one little show with a dedicated focus and noble cause, all the while around it were people concerned with finding the next acts to build their business and make them money. Darkest Hour let their politically charged death-thrash speak for itself. With a new guitarist, they definitely haven’t lost any of their charisma onstage, however I can’t say they have drastically changed or improved since I saw them in Australia a few years ago.

M. Ward, La Zona Rosa.

Over on the other side of town (and this was when I realised just how much walking today was going to involve) I walked into something entirely different. The venue in which M. Ward was playing was nothing like how I had imagined seeing him play. It was a huge room, crowded with people whose intentions in being there I just couldn’t tell. It seemed like a huge corporate function, however the types there didn’t necessarily give off that same vibe. Either way, M. Ward’s intimate and incisive style didn’t seem to connect like it should and could in this venue. Without a doubt he played an amazing set, of mainly old songs, maybe to throw off a crowd that was expecting the bulk of songs to be from his latest album Hold Time. Sad Sad Song (from his debut) was most definitely a highlight. He left the stage earlier than planned and I honestly do not blame him.

Trash Talk, Club 1808.

After this it was on to my next trek – to the eastern neighborhood and a tiny club called 1808, about an hour’s (or so) walk from where I already was. The trip was definitely worth it, as I got to see Pygmylush (the remnants of ‘90s best hardcore bands such as P. 99 and Majority Rule) and Trash Talk (Sacramento’s greatest thrash-punk destroyers). Pygmylush were a band I never in my wildest dreams thought I would get to see, and they played an ambient set of country and folk with some experimentation in between, and it was, for lack of a better word, perfect. Trash Talk was also perfect, in a totally different and ugly-as-fuck way. A huge dustcloud was present for the duration of their set as kids essentially exploded as each song began. Their songs are short enough that they provided a good cross section of all their releases, including one song off their new East Of Eden EP. They shun the standard metal sound and go for a more lush, but still heavy sound based in tone rather than gain, with a spread of vintage and custom gear. Vocalist Lee was very rarely on the stage, making the spectators just as much a part of the band as the four official members. Trash Talk are a band that need to be seen live, and as I am from Australia, I am urging anyone who is also to go see them when they tour out there soon.

Cage, venue unknown.

The end of Trash Talk’s set was my cue to walk back downtown. On my way there, I realised that I was walking right past the venue where one of my all time favourite rappers was playing. Completely by chance I got to see Cage performing with his guitarist Sean Martin (ex-Hatebreed) and his DJ Big E (who I am only familiar with from the live version of Converge's Locust Reign and the Every Time I Die DVD). He played a set comprised of entirely new (and very exciting) material, which he had assured me prior to his set that was extremely different to what he played when he visited Brisbane a couple of years ago. This proved to be true, and it was fresh and original and still clung true, lyrically, to what Cage has always been known and loved for - aggressive, introspective and at times extremely vulnerable. The trio incorporated the punk/hardcore influence in an original way that didn't just seem like a bad hip-hop mash up. Any fans of Cage should be very excited about his new album.

Kylesa, Red 7.

After I had caught my breath, I continued on to the venue where two cult metal acts were scheduled to get real. The first was the epic and revered Kylesa. Two drummers and three sets of vocal chords and a whole lot of heavy, they took the stage as a viking army would take a castle, and the set was everything their records would suggest. Dirty, sweaty, crushing and at times hypnotising. The second band I was seeing here tonight was the far younger but no less accomplished Skeletonwitch, who take elements from a range of metallic styles (death, black, thrash) and make it something entirely their own, with a good sense of tongue in cheek humour to go along with it. Their set was complete with deer skulls adorning the guitar amps and leather wristbands with appropriately large chrome spikes. Their set brought the fun back into a genre that often becomes a little too serious and parodied, and man are they fast. The political concerns that had seemed to plague the minds of many artists during the week seemed to be absent here, making way for pure, unadulterated metal.

Skeletonwitch, Red 7.

Day Four. Sleep Is The Cousin Of Death.

Young Widows, Radio Room.

My final day of shows at SXSW dawned, and straight up I managed to catch a full set of Young Widows (survivors of noise-core staples Breather Resist). Their range of equipment was nearly as awe-inspiring as their performance, as both bassist and guitarist played throw two amps and three cabs each. As for the performance, they played mostly songs from their recent and second album Old Wounds, which made for an intense, droning and energetic set. They managed to maintain a solid charisma without having to address the crowd, and also seemed to engage every person there, letting their songs truly speak for themselves. At the same show I was also lucky enough to catch Pygmylush again, who played a similar set to the previous day, with maybe a few more upbeat country numbers thrown in. The indoors venue definitely suited them better, and they seemed more consolidated as a band at this show.

Pygmylush, Radio Room.

The main event of today however was a huge ‘party’ at Waterloo Park, where most artists who had showcased during the week were playing. I made my way over in order to see Cursive (who played an entire set of songs from The Ugly Organ - amazing), Trash Talk and The Bronx, all of whom were well worth seeing twice, and not just for the amount of blood lost by Lee from Trash Talk. As fun as the ‘Mess With Texas’ party was, my friends and I were getting a bit tired with the dust and the heat, so we headed over to a huge lounge-type area that had been built during the festival by Levi’s. I had to finagle my way in, but once in there, it was announced that Kanye West was to be playing a secret show at the stage (called the Levi’s Fader Fort). I stuck around as long as I could, and managed to catch the opening strains of Amazing as well as a sea of over-excited camera-phones, but I had to leave to catch the Strange Famous showcase.

Prolyphic, Scoot Inn.

Since I was a teenager, Sage Francis has played a large part in my musical and political ideals, and his label has grown from strength to strength, many of which were performing this evening. First up was relative newcomer Prolyphic (performing without his second half, Reanimator) who rapped on the floor, surrounded by those who knew well enough to get there early. The best thing about Prolyphic has been the earnestness of his lyrics, and the sense of responsibility he obviously accepts for anything he says on record. He matched this with his live persona, and while it was a fairly small crowd, it was still a special set. Next up was B. Dolan, of whom I had heard much, but never properly seeked out. His set was profound, hilarious and entertaining to say the least, equal parts hip-hop and poetry, with a dash of satirical performance art thrown in for good measure. As cynical as he is, it is obvious he approaches his art with a good humour, and just the right amount of self-deprecation as well. This can really be said for all the Strange Famous artists – the anti-elitist ethos ran strong throughout the night.

B. Dolan, Scoot Inn.

The great Buck 65 was up next. Acclaimed ‘avant-garde’ emcee and poet, the French-Canadian has been doing the rounds for years now, and seems to have found a suitable home with Strange Famous. His tales of sexual escapades and hobo adventures, all told in the true spirit of Kerouac was a sight to behold, however his monotonous tone did get tired after a while, especially since the entire show was without DJs to give that truly live aspect. Not all the artists suffered due this, however, least not the final two. Sleep was definitely the most anticipated act tonight, from speaking to various people in the crowd, and I felt somewhat ignorant having no idea who he was. When he entered the stage, the sight was nothing like I had expected – this stout, unassuming fellow in a cabbie’s hat proclaimed how sorry he was that he had lost his voice during the week and could only perform two songs. After he had finished, I could only imagine what it would be like if he was on top of his game. One of the fastest and at the same time most eloquent rappers I had ever heard, his laryngitis did little to contend with his amazing skill.

Sage Francis, Scoot Inn.

Finally, it was time for the coup de grace; Sage Francis. He took the stage wrapped in a Strange Famous Records flag, and ran through the crowd, trying to crash into as many people as possible. He leapt into a set that consisted of songs old, new and very new – some not even recorded yet. He performed remixes and collabs with B. Dolan, poetry in between all this, and laid waste to the ‘rumours’ that Kanye had signed to Strange Famous. Seeing and participating in songs like Bridle, Makeshift Patriot, Crack Pipes and Escape Artist, and many others was a truly amazing experience, and I can only hope to see this unmatched artist in a setting more suited to his personality. With a live DJ or band, I could only imagine Sage could rule the world for 30 minutes. His finale saw a large portion of the crowd join him onstage, along with all the other artists from the night, which may seem corny to read, but at the time seemed like the only logical conclusion to a fantastic show.

Sage Francis stage invasion.

To try and wrap up the entire four days at once seems like a bit of redundant task. That may be the fundamental flaw of SXSW, that people attending it view it as a whole rather than a large group of talented individuals. It, for the greater part is viewed as a market rather than a series of opportunities to experience many different types of music and performance. A sense of ‘hype’ is prevalent for a number of artists, as is shameless self-promotion from different companies, many of which have nothing to do with music whatsoever (I received more energy drinks than I care to remember). At this type of festival, however, the place of independent artists, or sub-genres and cultures that are maligned in the greater world seems to be clear. They can provide an oasis of sanity in the madness of business that too often overtakes the true effort and art of music.

Thanks Austin!

SXSW 2009 JOURNAL. PART ONE.

2009-04-09T09:24:00.000-07:00

It is currently the night of Sunday, March 22nd, and I am sitting in my hotel room just south of the Austin downtown area. The past five days can only be described as chaos. Hot, steamy, sweaty chaos. For about 12 hours every day since March 18th I have been running back and forth across a foreign city trying to see as many great bands as possible. So now I prepare to leave for a colder climate (Seattle) and nurse my sunburnt, hayfever ridden head, and recount my experience with one of the biggest artist and industry events in the music world.

I arrived in Austin from Los Angeles operating on literally one hour of sleep, and headed straight for the convention centre for the cluster fuck that is conference registration. After receiving my truckload of flyers and SXSW information, and having all of my possessions tagged as ‘press’ I was finally deemed as ‘ready’ to hit some shows. One thing that gradually became clear throughout the week – even in the first couple of days – was the general disdain (at least amongst the bands of more maligned sub-genres) for the industry focus of the week. Free day time shows that were not SXSW sponsored generally found these sentiments on the sleeves of a lot of the hardcore or punk bands playing, notably by The Bronx, Ruiner (who were not playing any official showcases) and Gallows. Concerns regarding the playing of all ages shows and supporting artists rather than the industry beaurocrats seemed to be at the forefront of the criticisms or at the butt of jokes.

Welcome to Texas, asshole.

Day One. These beads of sweat feel like a flood.
My very first stop was the famous Emo’s venue on Wednesday afternoon for a Solid PR party, (which is what they called the day time shows with no cover charge - something to do with licensing laws in Texas) which featured Trash Talk, The Bronx, Young Widows and Annihilation Time. Thanks to the infallible Austin traffic, I only got there in time to catch the last few songs of Young Widows and then the tornado that is The Bronx live. Despite missing a couple of amazing bands, The Bronx still made for a great start to my week, and played relentlessly in the stifling heat of the venue. By that night, the dichotomy between these free, unsponsored day shows and the ‘official’ showcases was clear, the biggest difference being the number of stage dives at each kind of show. I didn’t get to see another show in the Emo’s small room, however I can’t imagaine it ever looking quite as energised or chaotic as The Bronx had that afternoon. Later on I headed to the Suicide Squeeze showcase, where These Arms Are Snakes would later headline, and I would miss due to my extreme fatigue. At this early hour, however, I was lucky enough to catch hip-hop act Champagne Champagne. Their beats were equal parts analogue and digital, powered by various pedals, a mac, vocoder and melodica. Lyrically the song centred around girls and sex, but not with the usual braggadocio or misogyny usually found, at least in mainstream hip-hop (which this definitely was not). Technically, their verses weren’t noticeably skilful, but the overall sound was original enough to provide an engaging and energetic set.

After this I headed over to Emo’s main room, were my SXSW experience may have peaked a little early. My first night there, I had the fortune to see two punk rock legends. H.R. of Bad Brains playing a set of punk and reggae informed rock with his young band, followed by Circle Jerks. During CJ’s set, vocalist Keith Morris was another musician to question the true motives or priorities of the festival, and praised U.K. band Gallows for their non-bullshit attitude towards music. Whilst not being overly aggressive in his statements directed at any business minded individuals attending the conference, his implications were clear. H.R. on the other hand was much more blunted (obviously), and cruised through his set despite the cries of dissent from Bad Brains purists in the crowd. Both sets, whilst being unquestionably amazing, seemed to be a little lost in the context of a festival that seemed to be preoccupied with the ‘next big thing’, rather than the musical foundations that were built by living legends.

Day Two. The Truth Is Here.

Cursive, Radio Room.

Day two saw the true Austin heat bear its wrath on the town, and luckily I had chosen to go see These Arms Are Snakes and Cursive at a free show (or ‘party’) at Radio Room, meaning a 40 minute queue in the sunlight. This was also my second and final failed attempt at catching TAAS, sadly. On the other hand, Cursive provided a set completely proportionate to my anticipation about seeing them. Playing a solid combination of songs from their seminal album The Ugly Organ and their newest, Mama, I’m Swollen, with a few Happy Hollow tracks thrown in, it was definitely a brilliant and understated performance for them.

Gallows, Dirty Dog.

I accidentally stumbled into the Red 7 venue and caught someone I had only recently been introduced to, The Tallest Man On Earth, a solo artist from Sweden. Seeing his songs played live was a truly transcendent experience. I can only hope his understated performances and Dylan-esque songs did not get lost in the sea of new artists playing at the night time showcases. I had a bit of downtime on this day, and thus was able to wander around catching random sets here and there, and after TTMOE, I stumbled across the UK’s Gallows, who had set up on the floor of a bar with fans crowded around them in no particular order or frame. As I said, they had some unfavourable opinions on the industry-types doing the rounds at SXSW, which were zealously expressed at this non-SXSW day show. Their show was electric and organic, with the combination of their no bullshit, say-what-you-think attitude and all the sweat and blood (actual blood) that punk has been missing recently, and that often is completely non-existent at events like this.

Eyedea & Abilities, Habana.

Later on that night was the event I had been hanging out for on a very personal level. It was the Rhymesayers showcase, featuring such Midwestern acts as Brother Ali, POS, Eyedea and Abilities and a host of other fantastic, left of centre emcees. One such guy, who I had been aware of for years but never searched out was I Self Divine, whose set was as inspirational as it was seething with earnest anger. His energy was almost tangible in the air, and technically he was faultless. He was followed by a personal favourite of mine from a few years ago, the emcee-DJ duo Eyedea and Abilities. I hadn’t heard a thing of these guys for about four or five years until tonight, and things have certainly changed for them. While still remaining stooped in the art of DJing, there are obvious influences of soul and indie rock coming through in their newer material, and Eyedea’s verses are becoming more complex and poetic. Their set definitely planted the seeds of anticipation for their new album.

POS, Habana.

Soon after, Minneapolis’s POS busted the show wide-open. I have been speaking of a sense of energy a lot in this piece, but POS truly displayed a level unrivalled by any other act I saw during the week. He earnestly showed a concern with properly connecting with the audience, in between tirelessly bounding round the stage, spitting breathlessly and playing live guitar for a few songs. His new album has been critically lauded recently, and this night he showed he has the skills to back it up in a live setting. I think the only thing that prevented the night’s headliner from being upstaged was the pure anticipation of his set. Brother Ali carries around a certain charisma and respect from fans and peers alike that can’t quite be articulated, but there was tenseness in the air moments before he took the stage. He played many of the recent classics from his The Undisputed Truth album, as well as teasing us with a song and a verse or two from his upcoming release – one of the most anticipated new hip hop albums for the coming year. Overall, the Rhymesayers showcase could only be described as an event overflowing with success, and I wasn’t the only happy face walking away from the temporary stage that night.

Brother Ali, Habana.

Looking It In The Mouth - The Gifthorse

2008-10-08T19:59:00.000-07:00

This is the first published version of this article (essentially unedited - good or bad, I don't know). Look for it all nicely laid out and pretty in the next issue of Death Before Dishonour magazine! Wherever you are, make sure you check these guys out when you have the chance. They are definitely one of Australia's best bands!

Scottish expatriate and local tattooist Stevie Scott, guitarist and one fifth of The Gifthorse, Brisbane’s new saviours of melodic punk-rock is adamant about how his band is represented. A strong worded and strong willed individual, I first met with Stevie (on his fifth cup of coffee) for this article towards the beginning of this year. Due to various delays on this piece, we caught up again more recently so he could add to our already in depth conversation some specifics about their debut album, which is out now on Poison City records.

Moving to Australia in 2005 and taking up residence at Brisbane’s Wild At Heart Tattoo, Stevie proclaims a lifelong love of the genre that The Gifthorse happily fall into. “The first gig I ever went to was a Leatherface show, and I was 12 or something – my dad took me to see them. All my life I’ve been a huge fan of Leatherface and Frankie’s work.” Working with Wade Larkin (drummer), it wasn’t long before the two bonded musically. “Wade was the first guy I ever met in Brisbane, three days after I got here.” Stevie recounts. “I guess a year after being here I met Shane [Collins, vocals], ‘coz he came into the shop. He and Crispy [Chris Anning, guitar] were putting a band together, and we decided we were all into the same kinds of music, and we thought ‘Why not try it? Just have a go and see what comes of it.’ We didn’t expect anything from it, we just thought we’d do it for a laugh.” When bassist, Adam Brady joined the fold, the unit was complete. Stevie looks back on the band’s relatively short existence; “The type of music we’re playing isn’t revolutionary, it isn’t new ground at all. As things have progressed… it’s just gotten easier and better and we’ve become closer. I guess because it’s not popular, what we’re doing, we kind of have to stick together in a certain way.”

Despite not being ‘popular’ in the wider sense of the word, there has been a lot of underground murmurings and anticipation of The Gifthorse’s debut, not least by the band themselves. “We had a lot of fun recording this album,” says Stevie of the long, and at times arduous process of putting together their debut. “Jimmy [Balderstone (A Secret Death)], who tracked the album really encouraged us to try everything we could to get the best out of the songs, which was great. We used lots of instruments we hadn’t in the past, like slide guitar, violin, and glockenspiel.” Stevie explains how the band had a very solid idea of what they wanted the overall product to sound like. “Our friend Sam Johnson (Coué Method, Lead Sketch Union) mixed it for us. I flew down to Melbourne and started mixing with him at 11am and at 5:30am the next day it was finished! Without breaks! Sam’s a fucking machine! Seriously, he went above and beyond for us and we love what he’s done!” By the time this article goes to print (provided there aren’t any more hurdles for the album) you will be able to hear just what Stevie means. Always brutally honest, he acknowledges one of the questions musicians often ask of themselves with new releases; “I guess we could always do better. I think the minute you believe you’re ‘the shit’, you’re fucked.” It’s this type of positive spin on their experiences that continues to define The Gifthorse.

Of course, the other major defining aspect of the band is their live show, which has proven to be consistently fun and energetic, from the small local shows to big international support slots. “We have a good connection with people live because I think people can relate to five big drunk dudes spilling their guts! People trust our imperfections!” He says this with good humour. “It’s impossible to capture that kind of energy on record. In the past we have kept it simple and did exactly what we do live - mistakes and all! We realised this time we had to add more to make up for that lack of energy.” Stevie gives a little insight to what exactly people can expect on the new album, and how he feels the band has progressed from their early demos. “We have explored the types of chords we use more; one of the things that makes The Gifthorse sound a little different from other punk bands is our use of drone notes. Chris and I tend to hold on to a note and move the chords around it. As the guitars are never totally in tune, the note we are both holding pulses and becomes almost hypnotic allowing the listener to hear melody that isn’t really there! Haha, the secret’s out! That sounds a lot more pretentious than it actually is. Just as Stevie and Chris have mastered their own sound in the world of their chosen genre, so has The Gifthorse provided strong, honest and heartfelt lyrics – almost a prerequisite for this style of punk rock. Stevie offers to shed some light on what their vocalist, the infamous (or infamously good looking) Shane Collins has explored with his words on the album. “This is by no means a definitive answer but I feel he tends to point out what is wrong with the world by singing about his own shortcomings. He leaves them open enough so people can apply their own situation to the lyrics. I get the sense – from his lyrics – that life is hard but we can all do better.”

With this release, the band will finally be hitting the road on a formal tour, having up until now focused mainly on their hometown and Melbourne, flying between the two and fostering a camaraderie with many of the bands down there. “We are really excited about this tour because we are going out with our friends from Melbourne, Daysworth Fighting, who also have a new album coming out” Stevie explains. “Melbourne has been really good to us. The people there have shown us so much kindness. It feels like our second home! We were lucky enough to do a small east-coast tour with A Death in the Family, which was the drunkest – I think – any of us have ever been!” he laughs. “We kind of had to keep reminding ourselves it was really happening. They are one of our favourite bands and it was a real honour they even asked us to join them. We would come of stage feeling pretty good about how we had just played and then those guys would get up and blow our fucking minds! We would look at each other stunned and just mouth ‘fuck’. They are that good!”

Having played in bands for quite a few years now, in a very different cultural environment to what we have in Australia, Stevie offers an interesting perspective on what this country’s punk scene has to offer. “I guess being in Australia... there’s just not enough places to play, or that are not viable to go to. When I played in bands in Europe, we travelled. Say you went for a week, you’d go to 7 different countries.” This, however, isn’t necessarily a bad thing, and in fact is what gives our scene its unique strength. “In the UK, it’s taken more for granted” he says of the scene he grew up in. “Kids here, it seems like they want it more. There’s a real hunger for it here, because it doesn’t happen all the time. So there’s just a feeling of sheer excitement when something does happen, and it’s a joyous occasion. It just seems like more of a big deal when there’s a good show on. In the UK it happens every night, in every town, with big bands as well, so you don’t get the real want and hunger for it, that you do here.” This is especially true for Brisbane’s small scene, which, while enjoying some growth recently, often has revolved around recognisable groups of individuals who attend shows or play in bands. Stevie recognises this aspect as neither a positive nor a negative, rather, just another element of our own musical community. “Even in the eighties, in America, you’d have these scenes like Washington, Florida, LA – wherever - you’d have these scenes where there was nothing there, they couldn’t do anything else. No one else would put [their bands] on, they wouldn’t get big shows; they’d have to make something for themselves, which is where these DIY ethics come into it.” There is sense of worldly experience in his voice. “If you’re not given these things, you have to make it yourself and what you put into it is what you get out of it.”

This statement seems to represent well The Gifthorse’s work ethic – with the band working from a wealth of experience. Rather than let this experience jade their eyes or gestate into resentment towards a more youthful scene, the band, as Stevie explains, are ready to open themselves up to more possibilities or opportunities that they may have passed on in their formative years. “We didn’t set out to achieve anything, but at the same time, we want to achieve everything. If something comes our way then we won’t turn it down, we’ll just do it for the experience. There have been a lot of things we’ve done that a lot of people have questioned and a lot of people have made fun of us about, which is fair enough, I can understand that. I would have said the same things five years ago when I was an angry punk kid.” He speaks about the band with a level of confidence that speaks to the resolve the band has to be true to itself. “I think we’ve made a conscious effort to take ourselves out of our comfort zone, like playing with big bands. Most of the time we’ll look back on those shows and go ‘Why the hell did we do that?’ We don’t really gain anything from those shows, we’ve never made money from this band, we’ve never gained any extra fans or anything – it’s not like we’re that band. If anything we’ve had more bad experiences from these shows than anything else.” He explains all of this with no sense of bitterness towards what he is describing. “What we’re doing,” he continues, “isn’t popular, or it isn’t fashionable. When people start offering us these big shows or opportunities we’re going to take them to see what it’s like. We don’t really believe it can go huge or anything, but we just like to see where we can take it and the kind of situations we can put ourselves in.”

To give these allusions to experience some specificity, it’s important to note that the members of The Gifthorse have been involved in a multitude of bands that have been very significant to the Australian underground. These include Just Say Go!, Crimson Hellkite, From These Wounds, Asleep At The Scene, Razorhurst to name a few. “We know the past mistakes we’ve made with our bands” says Stevie. “I can only really speak for myself, but in Santo Caserio [Scotland], we’d turn down things and we would really be obnoxious about things and if it wasn’t suited to our politics, we wouldn’t do it. It got me nowhere. I was always playing to the same people. It was the same message every night to the same people who had already heard it a thousand times from a thousand other bands. This time I think we’re conscious of that, and we’re more open minded to try these things out. We’d never change anything about ourselves or anything about the type of music we play – we’ve still got that. That’s the best thing we could have taken from the DIY punk scene.”

With the contemporary preoccupation with aesthetic in hardcore and punk, Stevie’s comment regarding fashionableness, and conformity in its various disguises, is a significant one, especially at the grass roots level. “We’re very aware of the state of a lot of the hardcore bands here. There’s a lot of metal masquerading as hardcore. It’s like faux hardcore, that really irritates me – there seems to be a lot of that here. It’s something that I held dear for a lot of years, growing up, and to see it bastardised like that really upsets me. I guess we kind of do what we do as a response to that, by cutting the bullshit and just being regular dudes that play melodic rock music.” As a band that bases a lot of importance on honesty, and in correlation to this point of view, I asked Stevie if The Gifthorse held a conscious message. “I think our biggest message is that we don’t have a façade and there’s no bullshit with us. We don’t really want to have to try and fool anyone – we don’t want to buy into a type of fashion for kids to think we’re cool, or anything like that. I think the message is just that, really. There’s no bullshit.” Despite having the assumption that, at least immediately, the majority of kids would turn there noses up at bands holding the values that The Gifthorse does, there is a rising popularity in this style of punk rock (defined in part by bands like Leatherface and the No Idea label). Stevie weighs in on this too; “I think kids just need something to sing along to. Everything before this last couple of years has been really emphasising the screaming and the discordant music, which isn’t a bad thing. I don’t have a problem with that, I used to play in a band like that. I think kids just need something to sing along to and make them feel good about themselves sometimes.”

Throughout our conversation, Stevie has stressed the fact that the band carried no expectations in their conception, and still don’t, as well as their collective consciousness on the cultural and aesthetic obstacles their music faces. It is probably this consciousness that has made all that The Gifthorse has achieved that much sweeter, and what is communicated to those that have become their fans; the fact that, no, this isn’t what’s cool, but it is exactly what they want to do. Stevie tells me about their first show. “It was the first time I’d ever been able to have that outlet of doing something I really, really love. I’d never played in a band like this before. That goes for all of us, it was the first time we got to do that kind of band and do it live and have our friends there.” The Gifthorse manage to bring back a sense of community to the local punk scene, something that hasn’t been as present in the past couple of years. This is a testament to the power of honest music and a band refusing to operate on a different social tier to the people who come to watch them. Stevie leaves us with this simple, but often overlooked notion. “I think my favourite thing about The Gifthorse is probably how we’re kind of a unit. Like, no one would fuck with us, because there’s something else there. It’s not just a band, it’s a group of friends. I see it as not just being the five of us as well. There are so many other people that are involved in that, people who were there from the start.”

New Maps - Mere Theory (2007)

2008-08-27T05:54:00.000-07:00

This interview is quite old now, but when Catalan Atlas was released, it was one of my favourite albums for 2007. Likewise, Mere Theory, in my opinion, have always been at the top of the ladder when it comes to melodic emo-rock in Australia. Please visit their myspace: www.myspace.com/meretheory (this is where the photos came from too).

Sometimes things just don't work out like you thought they would. If everything fell into place in this world, Mere Theory would, by now, surely be one of the iconic bands of Australian independent music. Three years ago they released their second EP, Disengage, for the now defunct but perpetually revered Building Records. Since then, in the band's dormancy, time has seen many followers bloom, and many fail - however, not all of them are, plainly and simply, the genuine article. I got in touch with guitarist, Nigel Black soon after their new album, Catalan Atlas was released last year. Since then they have shot a music video and embarked on an extensive tour with Horsell Common and Trial Kennedy.

It's been 3 years since your last release, and you've been laying low for most of that time. Was the process of getting a new vocalist and dealing with that aspect of the band the main reason for the gap?

We wanted to take our time consolidating the lineup. There were a number of talented vocalists that we tried out, including our first singer! Between recordings we continued to play shows at home and across the country, and we used the slab of that time to write and record Catalan Atlas. The decision to take Chris into the MT line-up was a unanimous one, and he has lifted the band in terms of mateship, and of course playing and writing music. That said we’re a band that never stops songwriting or playing shows. We are currently writing for the second album.

At what point did Chris Mellow join Mere Theory?

Chris joined MT in January 2006. It was an interesting time for the band. Chris was the only singer I personally asked to have a shot. Years ago he approached the band to be our singer, but it wasn’t the right time, but he became a friend and he was also a die hard fan that would do anything to lead MT on stage. At the private acoustic audition I did with him he knew more of our songs than I did! We recorded the final three vocalists both on 4 track and video, and there was no comparison, he was our man.

How do his lyrical and vocal techniques and themes compare to what you were used to with your previous vocalist?

It is refreshing to have Chris's input, and he has a unique voice. As songwriter I may put the skeleton of a song structure and melody line down, then pass it over to him, I wait to hear it come back, and most often its surpasses my vision of how good it could sound. He gives me chills at times. Our talents and personalities mix well, I really enjoy creating for him and with him; he drives me to be the best I can for him and the band in regards to song-writing.
Chris and I will sit for many hours debating the meaning of words and concepts. It’s always different and always interesting, sometimes it takes months, and others times 2 hours. Chris may request a feeling or a sound and I will go at it to try and capture that mood or theme though guitar and other times I will have a melody for vocals in mind and he will try to capture that for me - in the end we meet in the same spot. Once agreed its the right part, we move on, then re-write again and again until its refined enough for demoing or recording.

Why did you decide to release Catalan Atlas on Boomtown Records? What were your other options for this release?

We were approached by a number of labels but we had built a friendship with the Boomtown guys through our relationship with Behind Crimson Eyes. Over a year or so it grew and developed into real interest, the guys backed what we were doing and we decided to release the album with them.

In your own words, how does Catalan Atlas compare to your two previous EPs? What do you want listeners, new and old, to get out of this album?

Catalan is a much more refined collection of songs, and the recording process was more advanced in terms of the studio we used (Sing Sing in Melbourne), the instruments we had access to, and our personnel. The band was at a new level of playing and writing, and we had a unity in the band that we had longed for, making for a strong performance on all fronts. I guess we were confident and we had our sights set and locked.
It was also the most enduring project I have ever worked on. There was a lot of blood and sweat. Our plan was to go in and record the album in eight days flat, like The Pixies. We ended up tracking over 10 or 12 days. After that I hopped in for the mix which usually involved a 12-16 hour day, with a couple of all nighters for good measure. I hope people enjoy the album. We had fun making Catalan Atlas and I think it shows in the listening. We feel happy it’s getting great reviews across the country.

You also handle the visual side of the band – why do you choose to handle your artwork internally?

I feel the music and the artwork go hand in hand. It’s a natural relationship to me. I am a graphic designer and a songwriter and I see direct parallels on many levels; structure, story, texture and so on. Music and design are my greatest passions and for me there could be no other way to do it. We have always been a DIY band and so of course it carries through to our artwork.

What was the idea or concept behind the Catalan Atlas art?

The artwork and name of the album were inspired by the Catalan Atlas of 1375; a marvel of medieval mapmaking. The atlas reflected the state of geographical knowledge of the time. I drew a parallel between this concept and the building of an album recording, compiling everything we know or feel we need to express at that time; so it is a captured time piece.

You seem to be equally influenced by both hardcore or post-hardcore music as well as emo and melodic rock. Why do you think your own music comes out closer to the latter, in terms of genre?

It always seems hard for people to describe our style. We maintain that we are a rock band and we have a range of influences, including the genres you mentioned, but we go well beyond those genres in our search for inspiration. I’m a big movie score buff, and Chris loves hip hop, so our influences vary greatly. I think what is most important to ask is what do you hear? How does the music make you feel? What does it make you think? For us, just to have people enjoy our music is the greatest gift of all.

You guys are pretty much at the forefront for Australian bands in terms of your chosen style of music. What other Australian bands are you currently getting excited about?

Always love the Gyroscope lads' music, and the Blueline Medic guys put out a great new album this year. Responder and My Disco are great Australian bands, and we got to play with A Death In The Family the other week. We’re looking forward to playing shows with Repeat Offender soon.

In your years as a band, no doubt you've seen a lot of other bands come and go, and various shifts in the Australian scene. What do you think have been some of the most important (positive and negative) changes for Australian punk/emo/hardcore etc?

As long as people keep making music and art and strive for a new sound or creation the scene will thrive. Our scene is a descendant of another scene and that was of another and it will continue like that. We’ll have a problem if we ever get stuck and stop the creative evolution. I think there are many great things about the interet, and also many bad things in terms of creativity. Some things are sped up and many things are stunted. I often think, would something like jazz be able to develop in the modern climate? I’m not so sure, nothing could stay underground for more than an hour now, which I think is sad, but I like to hope there will be a new jazz, a new punk, you know? Something that transcends classification. One thing is for certain though, with so much music in our modern world people are hungry for new sounds and that’s really exciting!

Many thanks,
Nigel.

Death Is More Perfect Than Life - Modern Life Is War

2008-08-12T07:09:00.000-07:00

Isolation may be the greatest adversity to creativity. By the same token, it can also be the greatest stimulus for those who recognise it, and obsess about how to overcome it. Enter Modern Life Is War, from Marshalltown, Iowa. Derived from their isolation (not solely their geographical isolation), the notions of obsession, frustration and a quest for the true meaning of ‘counter-culture’ have been the calling cards of this band over their few short years together, and now they have folded. Vocalist Jeffrey Eaton posted a blog on the band’s myspace calling for the final interviews he will ever do for Modern Life Is War, and with the gift of hindsight, provided an insightful, at times bleak, at times incredibly optimistic discussion of the band and its outlook on the creative cultures that shaped it and its individual members.

On the 19th of February, 2008, Modern Life Is War officially announced their break-up. To the dismay of many lost souls who had found a home within their desperate and intellectual music and words, the band stated that they would be doing their final U.S. tour over the months of March and April, playing their final show in their hometown on April 26. For many – at least for those of us here on the other side of the world - first word of MLIW came in the form of their Deathwish Inc. release, and second full length Witness, and the bursting emotion of the song D.E.A.D.R.A.M.O.N.E.S., pushed as the flagship for that album. Thankfully, with this came promotion for their earlier work, the My Love, My Way album, and also their self-titled 7”, all of which provides as much to punk music as the other. Their final album, Midnight In America was released late 2007 on Equal Vision Records, once home to many hardcore bands pushing for something more, but more recently focusing on what some might call the ‘safer’ world of emo-rock, especially after they hit oil with Coheed & Cambria. Despite that, EVR provided a home for MLIW and sent them out on the road with more support than ever before, and the new album showed no compromise on the part of the band, for any reason.

Midnight In America sums up the MLIW legacy in an appropriately abrasive and haphazard style, yet with a sense of class and humility that has engendered them as the genuine and outspoken representatives for a generation of young people searching for meaning and purpose in Western society. “To me, we hit our stride as a band with MIA” says Jeffrey, “I was happy with the way my vocals sounded for the first time. We had more fully incorporated influences of rock, punk, blues and folk. My lyrics for MIA are far wider in scope. We had a recording that sounded good for the first time.” The symbolic significance of this band often overshadows the plain fact that they are just that – a band – and Jeffrey is not shy about venting his frustration over how difficult it has been to successfully and clearly communicate the band’s message in the past. “Witness was an important record for us... no doubt. It was a pivotal time - do or die. The band was in shambles - everyone was miserable, no one got along. I did all my lyrics last minute. With all the bullshit it seemed there was barely any chance we could make a decent record, but we were so obsessed with making it that we just didn't let each other quit. We pulled it out by the skin of our teeth. MIA was more about having our heads on straight and making a really good record and having a good time doing it.”

Witness, indeed, was a very important record, as it was what truly broke MLIW into a greater audience, and it was the album that gave us the song D.E.A.D.R.A.M.O.N.E.S. Leading up to the album’s initial release, Deathwish Inc. used that song in particular, almost as a flagship for the band, and it became the catchcry for the herd of new MLIW fans worldwide. Jeffrey rejects the idea of this song being anymore important than any other, despite how iconic it has been made externally. “Nah” he says simply when asked if he did view this song to be as epic as it has been lauded. “I had the concept and title already in my head, and the guys played this song that sounded almost like a pop punk song and I knew it would be perfect for it.” He continues, thoughtfully; “To me, it was kind of a ridiculous song. I wrote all the lyrics in five minutes, final version. The other music they were writing for Witness was infuriating me because I thought it was too dramatic and too slow and strange. I thought it was really good and interesting music, but I was like ‘Hey fuckers, my voice sounds like shit and I cannot ‘scream’ like a metal dude and I can't ‘sing’ like an arena rock dude and you guys are writing these four to six minute melodic ballads and I can't do shit to this!’ They were all really stubborn about it. When they wrote the music that became D.E.A.D.R.A.M.O.N.E.S. I was like ‘Well at least I know how to do vocals to this one.’ So I threw the shit together and sang it the next day and didn't really pay it any mind because at that point I didn't think the record would ever actually be finished, recorded or released. I don't think of it as a song that defines what our band is about. But I do think we are the sum of all of our music. We were about trying to be the best band we can be – not writing hit singles.”

Jeffrey attributes part of this experience to the different dynamics in the band that came in the form of new guitarist and bassist, Sjarm 13 (formerly of Razor Crusade) and Tim Churchman, respectively. “They both brought something different to the record than Matt or Chris would have” details Jeffrey; “I finally had someone in Tim who could contribute to the vocals on a record, and I think he did a fucking killer job of it… I think his performance on bass and vocals on MIA is fucking killer… The way Sjarm worked with John was really good but very, very different than the way that Matt and John would have worked together. Sjarm is less technical but has a good ear and instincts - he is a rocker.” Jeffrey stresses, however, that these two new recruits affected Modern Life Is War more than ever just through their presence rather than their performances alone. “Around the time we were writing and recording MIA and those first couple of tours - things just seemed so much brighter than they had ever been before. Sjarm is just a really fun and positive guy to be around. He really lightened up the atmosphere within the band just by being himself and making us laugh and being such a character. Tim came in as a wild card. He has a lot of piss and vinegar in him. He is a great guy and brought some controversy and excitement and real aggressive power to Modern Life Is War.

Not only did MLIW’s sound progress on Midnight In America, but also their visual representation by way of the album’s artwork. Gone are the gritty and earthy colours and photographic motifs of their previous albums, replaced by a very basic and bold black and silver colour theme. “The cover is the Cornskull. A local artist named Darius came up with that and I like it a lot. To me it just represents Iowa and rebellion and the inevitability of death.” The inside spread exhibits a crowded scene of deer-headed men with art-nouveau floral ornamentation in an almost Victorian style – bringing the darkness of the music into a more tangible dimension, however, as Jeffrey explains, the band themselves had no part in directing this outcome. “The collage on the inside is pretty much just [Darius] digging the album and trying to represent it visually in some way. It's definitely an abstract representation. I wanted it to look very different visually than our old ones and it definitely does.” A reflection, perhaps, of the resolve the band had in making this particular record, and at the very least, just another aspect that sets MLIW apart in a genre that too often finds itself limited, and justifies it by way of ‘tradition’.

Jeffrey shows no doubt in his resolve that MIA is his band’s most triumphant moment – and he should know. “I was happy with the way my vocals sounded for the first time. We had more fully incorporated influences of rock, punk, blues, folk. My lyrics for MIA are far wider in scope. We had a recording that sounded good for the first time… It satisfied me in a way that none of our previous records had, and I think it's our best. It's the end of our journey. In my mind - we arrived.”

Behind the scenes on this crowning achievement was one of post-hardcore’s great personalities, producer J. Robbins. Not only has J. Robbins produced albums from some of punk rock’s modern heroes, including (but not limited to) Against Me!, Murder By Death and None More Black, as well as notable artists encompassing a wide variety of genres, but he has been involved in the music scene (see; Government Issue, Jawbox, Burning Airlines, etc), and consequentially the business for many years. There’s no doubt has experienced first hand many of the issues younger bands maybe facing when they come to him. It makes sense that MLIW found his studio an inviting and nourishing choice of environment for their swan song. Jeffrey elaborates; “J. is great. We went to him because he has helped make a bunch of killer records and there doesn't seem to be an expected "sound" from a J. Robbins recording. It is clear and punchy but not too polished or overproduced. I sent him a copy of Witness and then I talked to him on the phone when we were exploring our options for that record and he was really nice and personable and seemed to genuinely understand our band and had a big interest in working with us. It just seemed perfect for what we wanted to do - which was to sound like Modern Life Is War, and not record at a place or with a person who is doing a lot of bands that we get lumped in with.”

Also involved on the final record, and attributing even further to the band ‘not being lumped in with others’ is fellow Iowa native, Brooks Strause. A country and folk artist, Brooks Strause contributed to the album’s final and title track, bringing to a head (along with the band’s version of folk tale Stagger Lee) the subtle influences of blues, roots and country that has always been present, just under the surface of Modern Life Is War’s music. “[Brooks] is just a good friend of ours going back many years. We wanted to take him out on tour and I wanted him to sing on the record. We worked together on the lyrics for that song, spending a couple days together and just talking. So he came out and sang his part and helped us out with some other stuff on the record and then did a tour with us after the record had been made.” Of the band’s personal investment in American blues, roots and/or country music, Jeffrey says their incorporation of it stylistically definitely does not come from a conscious effort in their songwriting; “We really like Will Whitmore and Brooks Strause and The Beat Strings and Old Scratch Revival Singers and I think at some point that just found its way into our sound.” Stagger Lee is the song on Midnight In America that stands as the not-so-subconscious nod to MLIW’s folk influences, and has it’s own story, which Jeffrey is all to happy to delve into. “The first recorded version is by Mississippi John Hurt, but it dates back way further than that. Alan Lomax published it in 1910, but it's based on a true story that happened in the late 1800's and was probably first a prison ‘toast’ - which is like the first rap music. When that song came out some kids were like ‘What's with the shitty Nick Cave cover?’ Which is a classic example of someone who is not a student of music publicizing their moronic opinions. That song is an American tradition and we just wanted to be a part of that tradition. There are countless versions of it out there if you are interested. My friend Cam made me a mix of like 27 versions of the song and told me that we should do our own.”

The issue Jeffrey has hinted at in regards to the band being lumped into categories they may not be comfortable with is the tip of a whole other iceberg that the band felt the need to breakthrough in the between time of Witness and MIA. Jeffrey became very conscious of the issue at hand during the band’s time with Deathwish Inc. Some would say the band’s move to Equal Vision seemed like a very left-field choice with the direction the label had been taking in recent years. The band issued a statement, detailing that the support EVR could provide meant the band could stay on the road for longer, playing more shows in more places. While the validity of these statements remain as true as ever, Jeffrey’s perspective on their situation implies there was more fuelling the decision. “EVR has been so good to us. I really can't say enough good things about them. It was an improvement over Deathwish for us even though a lot of kids couldn't see that. When you are on a label like Deathwish or Bridge Nine you are ‘part of something’. We didn't really want to be part of a specific group like that, and it was reflecting upon our band way too much for my taste. We didn't want people to think of a label or a certain group of bands when they think of Modern Life Is War. We wanted them to think only of our music, lyrics, layouts or live show. I think Deathwish was something that seemed attractive to us and once we were in, didn't like it and wanted out. They helped in building our band through the Deathwish name and image, but I didn't really like that very much.” In so much as acknowledging this, Jeffrey emphasises the level of importance the band placed on self-expression and individuality once more, and the desire for which that could not be distracted.

It may seem that Jeffrey is being discriminate in his criticisms of Deathwish Inc. as a label, however he hastily disproves this theory with an attack on the business of music as a whole. “I learned a lot” Jeffrey says, of hitting the national touring circuit at such a young age. “The music business is ugly and vicious and shitty. I am by nature a very trusting person and I am still that way - but I am much more cautious now... and I am not only talking about big labels and booking agents and huge venues. The same goes for people. At one point I was forced to realize that even though I didn't see myself as someone ‘cool’ some people did, and I had to realize that sometimes people weren't being nice or generous just out of the kindness of their heart – they were doing it because I was the singer of this band. Sometimes it was with bad intentions – and sometimes not. And once I realized that I was seen as someone special or a ‘cool’ person, I also had to realize that exploiting that position is wrong. There's a lot of grey area in there, but I guess [it’s] basically just [me] being a naive and trusting kid from Iowa and then going out into the world in a serious way and realizing that not everyone is open and honest and shooting you straight. Anyways, I still maintain that I was never above anyone we played to in any way. I am a fan of so many bands; a lover of music and a student of music. That's the important thing – and I had my little chance to connect with people on that level. But this time instead of me being the one in the audience or me being the one in my room listening to a record, I became the one on the stage and the one making the records. It's a circle and that's what I tried to communicate in a lot of different ways through the band.”

MLIW has toured with a wide cross-section of bands that vaguely and not-so-vaguely fall under the vast umbrella of ‘hardcore’. So with the outlook Jeffrey has detailed, the question is raised about how the band dealt with being on tour with bands such as Trap Them or Outbreak compared to tour with He Is Legend and Maylene And The Sons Of Disaster. “That was a really fun tour,” says Jeffrey of the latter; “because it was totally outside of the back-patting circle that hardcore can often be. We came in there as the ugliest and meanest and most DIY band… and we had no one's respect at the start of the tour. A lot of the kids hated us because we offended them or they hated our music or my shaved head or just because they didn't know who we were - and that was just so fun to play against people and fuck with people. Hardcore bands should play where they don't belong more often. It's fun and more challenging than playing for a bunch of kids who already ‘know what’s up’. But it's also awesome to go on a tour with a bunch of like-minded kids like Outbreak or Spanish Bombs and just be a fucking pillaging gang of highway pirates.” In terms of which situation Jeffrey personally would prefer, his truly open-mindedness and ‘straight-shooter’ attitude shines through stronger than ever. “I think there are only two kinds of music: good and bad. In Iowa while I was growing up everything was mixed up. The first time I ever went to a ‘hardcore show’ was one I played in Modern Life Is War. Up until that point it was all mixed genres and that's all I knew. When we play in Iowa it's always mixed up and that's how I like it. Hardcore is a great network of bands and promoters and venues and labels and kids - so that makes touring very accessible and that's awesome and we took advantage of that network. I just love music and some of that music is hardcore. I think Trash Talk and Trap Them are kick ass bands in the same way I love other bands we played with like The Beat Strings, Brooks Strause, Old Scratch Revival Singers, Bouncing Souls, Sioux City Pete and the Beggars, The Explosion, Young Widows, Strike Anywhere, William Elliot Whitmore, etc. We have more in common with our friend’s bands from Iowa than any hardcore bands. Once we got going we made a conscious effort to play with all different types of bands at all different types of venues and settings.”

Anyone familiar with Jeffrey Eaton’s lyrics will know his non-musical influences are just as eclectic as his favourite bands, as outlined above. Many of MLIW’s songs have paid tribute to literature both contemporary and classic; Martin Atchet and Young Man On A Spree, and of course Jeffrey’s toast to the likes of Charles Bukowski and Hunter S. Thompson in These Mad Dogs Of Glory, amongst others. When asked if he sees literary influences just as or more important than other bands or singers, he replies; “I don't really see a difference in a lot of ways. An album full of good lyrics is just like a good book to me. It's all communication and connections between people. When I was 17 I didn't give a shit about reading a book and there was no way I could sit still long enough to do that – but I was definitely digging the words coming out of my speakers. When I started listening to music I keyed in on the lyrics and the words and vocals instinctively. Once I got a little patience and balance in my mind and happened across a couple of great books, I started on another journey with that.” Despite this, however, Jeffrey insists that he doesn’t “have two books to help people” and insists on any individual finding their own path in terms of gaining knowledge and different perspectives on the world. He elaborates; “I guess I just think that kids should try to get an understanding of what came before them. What is war really like? What was it like to live during the great depression? Try to conceive the suffering of the AIDS epidemic in Africa. People are just so sheltered. Media is sensationalized. Look into history and what is going on currently in the rest of the world. Find out how other people live… Talk to your grandmother, go to the library, travel to foreign countries, use your mind, watch documentaries – if you have a desire to know what's going on outside of your little bubble you will find a way.” The questions Jeffrey poses are obviously ones that have driven him to accumulate more knowledge and a greater understanding of the world, and it is this that has fuelled his own insightful, incisive and at times prolific lyrics.

This gives way to the broader vision of the band, and their inherent intensity – something that has defined them in both the critical press and their various label press-releases, and has been made obvious by now (if it was not already) that is a completely organic aesthetic brought on by the five individuals involved. When I brought the question of where these feelings come from and how they translate it into any one song to Jeffrey, his immediate response was that he didn’t like to answer that type of question. He then proceeded to give me the lengthiest response in the whole interview. “Speaking only for myself, I have always had this big urge to communicate the way I feel to people since i was a little kid. I went through some troubled times inside my mind and that happened to be the MLIW years and so I just made all my troubles and questions into song lyrics. The guys that play the music are all intensely individual and solitary to some extent. The only thing John wants to do is play his guitar loud – he never leaves that zone. He doesn't party. He doesn't drink. He isn't straight-edge. He isn't hardcore. He isn't punk. He is a quiet guitar man. He communicates through that thing. Our old bass player, Chris, I think injected a lot of that feeling into the band. He has one of the heaviest minds of anyone I have ever met and he played bass like that. Even if it was only two notes or one note, he played it like his mind.
“Matt, our old guitar player lives in the house with John, Tyler and me. He is in his room right now playing guitar. He must play guitar like 20 – 30 hours a week. He is actually doing the last tour with us since Sjarm is in Holland with his girlfriend.
“Tyler is the person in the band most like me. He has debates going on inside his head all day long. He spent his entire youth observing things and rarely taking part.” Just the fact that Jeffrey felt the need to profile each guy that has been involved in the band in order to answer this question shows yet again just how much MLIW not only praised but relied on individuality and expression. Jeffrey continues; “I think that's the thing that made our band a little different. We weren't the cool, fun-time dudes starting a sweet band so we could be a part of a social circle. It was very individual, very obsessive. We each did it because we felt like we had to, even if all of our reasons were different. None of us were casual about it. That's one thing I could say about hardcore punk music; it should never be casual – and you see a lot of bands that are casual. Like, the dudes are all tattooed and everything and they are on a cool record label or whatever – but you see them play and you can tell that they don't have to do what they are doing. They are doing it because it's fun or it makes them popular with a certain crowd or it helps with their self-image. They are playing it cool. Not taking chances – not saying too much that their words might be embarrassing, not taking chances musically for fear that they wouldn't be seen as a certain type of ‘HARD-CORE’ band. They got the clothes, the jumps, the friends, the chicks, the t-shirts – but they are casual and therefore completely full of shit and should immediately quit making music.”

In the fast-fading twilight of MLIW, I can’t help but muse romantically that this somewhat premature death of a band mirrors some of the personalities, both real and fictional, that Jeffrey himself addressed through his lyrics. For example, Hunter S. Thompson and Charles Bukowski were two of the harshest critics of contemporary society and popular culture, but through this criticism and scrutiny, they developed popularity themselves, fuelling self-destructive and self-sabotaging behaviours. Jeffrey, true to his style, is quick to quash such romantic comparisons, and not without valid justification. “We never really became that popular. We were playing to very small amounts of people in a lot of areas of the country right up until the end; 10, 15 kids at a show. Not all of them even necessarily giving a shit when we were playing. A huge turnout for us at a headlining show is 200 people. There were a few when we headlined and there were more than that, but they were isolated shows. 200 people would maybe be 5 nights out of a month-long headlining tour. The strength of our band name was always a lot stronger than our turnouts or record sales. Anyways, I think the only thing that fuelled the disintegration of the band was that we felt like we had done what Modern Life Is War needed to do. Once I got that feeling, going on would just be like taking a free ride just because I can - and that would really ruin a lot of the things that are sacred to me.”

By the same token, Jeffrey assures me that the break-up is not a way to avoid becoming ‘comfortable’ or to create struggle for himself, or any other member. I am more into creating something that I am into, rather than struggling against something I'm not. A lot of hardcore is ‘Fuck this, fuck that, I don't do this, I don't do that’. I've never understood the point of all that. It's like ‘Okay... so what do you do?’ And then people call it positive hardcore and they are singing about not drinking and getting stabbed in the back or how it sucks that things changed. What's so positive about that stuff? It's just positive cause they have sports haircuts and athletic shoes, or what?” Not losing the irony in his rant, Jeffrey returns to the main point; “The only thing I am really against is boredom and wasting time. I wanna skateboard, learn guitar, sing, dance, work, paint, read. I want to create and have fun and do productive things. Why the fuck is this generation glued to computers and scripted reality TV shows? They live vicariously through others on TV and invent a different personality and look for themselves on the computer. It's so fucking lame. Life is so short - I just want to live my life. I'm not going to live through somebody else and I'm not going to try to be anything I'm not. I just don't want to be a part of this shallow, spoiled generation. I'm a generation terrorist.” With all the things he maintains he wants to and will do, Jeffrey lets nothing slip of his, or anyone else’s future plans in music after MLIW, however he does make the reassuring statement that none of them are “done with music”.

It has been proven in the past that a band whose end is perceived by its wider audience as being premature can be elevated to an epic or legendary status post-humously. Cases in point being Botch, Orchid, Refused, or American Nightmare/Give Up The Ghost. With the tale laid out before you, one could potentially foresee the legacy of MLIW taking the same route. Rather than try to sum this idea, and thus the entire article up myself, I feel Jeffrey came up with a very cutting leaving statement, and one that should remain timeless. “I don't know if something like that will happen or if it's something that you can predict” he says, in regards to the above idea. “I addressed the way I feel about that kind of mentality in These Mad Dogs Of Glory. Bands are just bands. People are just people. There should be no mythical status. When you take away that idea, you are empowered! That idea keeps you from starting a band, writing a book, being an artist – you think you'll never be good enough. No one is good enough. It's just that some people are obsessed and are willing to work endlessly for their obsession and some people are not. I want our band to be remembered as normal kids who had an obsession, who worked hard and didn't follow anyone's rules. Modern Life Is War. It means that there are all kinds of things in this world trying to take the power away from you. This band was about making people realize that they have the power. If you look at us as heroes or idols or a myth you have missed the point.”

Since this interview took place, guitarist John Eich has been married, Jeffrey Eaton is writing for skate mag Juice in California, and bassist Tim Churchman has been more and more busy with his band Spanish Bombs (also feat. members of Ceremony - check it out!). All photos taken from www.myspace.com/modernlifeiswar.