This was meant to go into the second edition of Every Word Zine. However, due to the lack of people interested in zines or hardcore in general lately, I decided to turn it into a blog entry.
-Kelly Pepperman
Interview with Daniel of Die Young
K: How is the scene in Houston?
D: We're not in Houston too often. We are usually on tour. But I'd say that Houston, unfortunately, has been in a slump for the past few years. For a while I think the meathead/crew mentality took over and ruined things. For a good couple of years it was clear that NO new kids were coming out to the shows. And it's weird because Houston has some great bands, and up until very recently I think that people around the country always associated Houston as having THE scene in Texas because that's where most of the newer/touring bands were coming out of, and it was the main Texas stop for touring bands for a while. These days I actually figure it will be better for touring bands to play anywhere but Houston when they come to Texas, unless of course they can just get on some kind of perfect show with popular touring act. Otherwise there's not going to be more than 30 people there, and those 30 people will likely act unimpressed. It's a bummer to see the flux of turnouts and enthusiasm over the past 10 years. When I got involved in Hardcore back then, I think Houston was the ideal of what a scene should be like.K: "The Dying Atheist" talks about how the fear of God can take over even strong minds. Was there a specific incident that drove you to write this song?
D: I think "The Dying Atheist" is one of the most lyrically-accomplished songs I've written in the past couple of years. I remember being on tour in Asia and writing and re-writing some of those verses and choruses in my little notebook. The song actually draws from my own personal experiences as well as witnessing some friends of mine, all atheists, deteriorate emotionally from the stress of just living in the world we live in--the world where almost anything can seem pointless and hopeless. I actually adpated the title from the stupid old saying "There is no atheist in a fox hole. " Haha. Actually, I think there are atheists in foxholes, and those are people with real backbones. And the foxhole is life haha. There are definitely some of us here in this fucking foxhole of human existence, in this decaying civilization defying gods, authorities, and everything that needs to be defied. In the song, I aimed to explore what reason us atheists might be able to uphold to get up and try to still make the world a better place on a daily basis and not just give in to the rampant and destructive nihilism of our culture. Sometimes the despair that stems from my belief that there is no god, and ultimately no cosmic justice in this world really gets to me, and at the time of writing the song I was watching a good friend of mine (who actually played in the band at the time) go through that deep inner-struggle too. You know, I wish I could believe in god, or some kind of higher power. I wish there was some relief, and some kind of promise of justice in our world. But the reality remains to me that there is no justice unless we fight for it and put it there ourselves. Realizing that that struggle may last our entire lifetimes and even into the times long after our departure from the Earth can be a little overwhelming to say the least. I wrote that song for myself, to reconcile my determination to do what I feel is right, and to have the bravery to sometimes be selfless in a godless world where no right or wrong comes as given from a higher power. I also wrote that song for my friends who were waning between saying "Fuck everything! I'm through with the struggle" and choosing the path of most resistance. I hope that song can be of some inspiration to anyone out there who sometimes feels broken and unable to fight the ever-strengthening current of our culture's destruction. It's okay to admit that this world breaks us and defeats us, but let's not give up the fight, because we simply can't rely on anyone else (any deity included) to fix the problems at hand.K: How and why did you tour in obscure places like Alaska and Southeast Asia?
D: I recommend that you go to those places. You will understand completely why we went there! haha. We have been very lucky in Die Young to have been invited to play in so many random parts of the world where bands have rarely have ever gone before. We like to make a point to go to places out of the way because it is a great honor to us to be able to take part in a budding hardcore scene anywhere. Those kinds of experiences always see to re-instill our conviction that hardcore music and the hardcore community can make such a powerful impact in the lives of those who discover it. We hope to introduce our brand of hardcore to young minds anywhere and everywhere in hopes that we can perhaps keep socially conscious and intelligent hardcore alive and kicking, especially because most of that scene has died out in the US (in most parts anyway). Also, we just like to be tourists in places we don't know how we would have been able to afford to visit if it were not for the band being the vehicle to take us there.
K: In "Survival Instinct", it talks about how once man realizes he has lost control, the main intention is to survive. What motivated you to write that song?
D: Well that song in many ways is a critique of our civilization that is falling apart. It is a song about the mass suffering of our age, being that we're all trapped in the belly of a beast that is trodding inevitably faster towards its demise. yet we keep upholding this destructive system because we all need paychecks. We all need all uphold this very shortsighted vision of life that we have to do whatever it is that we need to survive for now even if it destroys our species, our planet, and all other species along with us. That's the predicament that I think we're all in as modern human beings from here on out--until nuclear annihilation wipes most of us out, or until the oil economy collapses and we're all at each other's throats in the streets, killing for scraps of food because cities are dead zones that yield no food, and once there is not enough oil to keep the trucks bringing the food from the countrysides we're all trapped and fucked. In that song I just wanted to put my two cents about how fucked we are (even though it likely won't change a goddamn thing haha). We are fucked because we think of human cultures as being different--as being "Eastern" or "Western" or "Capitalist" or "Communist" or "Christian" or "Muslim" or "Buddhist" and so on. The fact is that all but the few indigenous human cultures left on the planet live in a system that exploits the Earth, and sees the life that it yields as things to be made into profit or something expendable for human gain. This is evident through widespread deforestation, through commercial fishing which is stripping the ocean of all life, through industries of all kinds which poison the water supply and the landbase. We're fucked because we depnd on these industries for paychecks, and we think there is no other way to co-exist with life on this planet. The list goes on forever. And for some reason we, as human race, think we are entitled to treat the Earth, our home, this way. Also that way of thought is completely reinforced by the world's major religions, especially the monotheistic religions which claim there is one answer and one god, and that our purpose as human beings is to populate the Earth and hold dominion over it. Likewise that mentality transforms itself into civilization, which is the upheld belief that there in one way for humans to live. It is such crazy thinking it makes my head explode. So basically, in a nutshell, that song is about how our will to survive in this day and age is nothing more than trying to bail water out of the sinking ship of civilization. We're destined to sink and soon, especially with the population booming as it is. The world can't support us living in this manner forever, especially when so many more are coming out of the womb at such an alarming rate. It's our will to save civilization that is killing the Earth and us with it.Interview with Mikey of Years From Now (Interview From Their Last Show)
K: What's with this breaking up business?
M: Well, when we started, as with most hardcore and punk rock bands we didn't have any lofty aspirations. We wanted to write some good songs and play good shows and we did that. All the other bands I'd been in never really got past the demo and one t-shirt design stage, but with Years From Now, we got to put out a 7", an actual full-length, and do a tour. So we accomplished all the shit I thought it'd be impossible to accomplish. And now Meantime's going through the same cycle, but it looks like we might actually have a few more opportunities than Years From Now. Go figure. We never thought this band would last forever. I mean, I've begun to realize that it's ridiculous how long some bands stick around and just keep beating the same dead horse. The only band that I hope never goes away is Ringworm. And the Bouncing Souls. We, quite obviously, are neither. But, on the other hand, I don't think we got to realize our full potential as a band. I think we could've written another album that blew all our shit out of the water. We've all got "life stuff" to do. Shane's a daddy. I'm trying to figure out how to support myself and do other bands. Alex is a firefighter and is doing our other band. Mike's probably getting married. We could never devote the time that Years From Now deserved. And the songs on "Enough Already" are the best songs we've ever written. So, I think we should go out on a good note, cliche or not.K: How has Daytona hardcore changed over the past few years?
M: Billy had been doing shows here since, I guess, the early to mid-'90s. He's done shows for thousands of bands. A lot of his shows have attained an almost legendary status - a lot of them before my time. Like when Trial and New Found Glory played Daytona together. Or the billions of times Kill Your Idols came down. I remember one show where Mental and Crunch Time played with Majority Rule. He always mixed it up and got awesome bands, kept the prices low, and kept everything legit and D.I.Y. No ticket sales or 18 and up promoter crap. There was never any bullshit with kids really because they just got tossed out if something stupid happened. Over the years there have been several cycles of kids, but not until recently has it ever seemed to die out all together. Everyone used to come out and have an awesome time. Billy did shows all the way up until about a year or two ago. He's said he doesn't like providing an "extended lunch hour" for kids who just don't care, which is something I completely understand. Now he just concentrates on This Is For You Fest every year. It's a shame because no one really knows how to pick up the slack and keep everything like it was. We were used to having two and three shows a month, maybe more in the summer time. And there was always pool-hopping and hijinx afterwards. Another Breath came down on one of their first tours and a group of about 30 of us almost got arrested for circle pitting stopped cars down in Ponce Inlet Park. We always had fun and it was always a somewhat positive vibe. I miss it a lot.
K: What's next for you guys after Years From Now?
M: Alex and I play in another band called Meantime. We've got a 7" coming out on Double Or Nothing Records sometime this summer. For anybody who doesn't know, it's a lot different than Years From Now. Alex screeches his muscles off and I play guitar. It's heavy hardcore in the vein of Strife and Integrity. We're having a lot of fun with that. As for everybody else, I believe Justin's old band, The Other Side of the Sky, may be reforming. Shane will continue to raise his daughter, Riley, and he and I will forever kick around the idea of starting a band that sounds like Samiam. We've both been writing songs, so maybe it will happen. Mike just graduated college and I guess he's going to get married or some shit. Hopefully married life will wean him off fucking World of Warcraft.K: What is the best place you played on the last tour?
M: Jack's house in Tallahassee. The first night, not even out of our own state and we peaked. A few highlights: it was New Year's Eve, Bro Tom was in the house and moshing, and a bunch of drunks staggered into the show and went nuts. I yelled at some dumb girls texting on their Sidekicks that were watching through the window. Closed the blinds on them. BAM. Two mangy, trailor trashbag ho-mas started making out during "Richie Cunningham." Lot of love during that song. We got asked to play an encore. There was hard pitting in the living room. We played one of the tightest sets of our entire career as a band. And Jack's a great guy. Go check out his new band, DEA. And don't pass up playing a show at his house.K: What would you say was the worst thing that happened on tour? (I heard Charles had to sing one night...)?
M: Well, I got strep throat and no one believed me. I went to the ER in Clifton, NJ and was like, "Yo, there is glass and hell in my throat. I want to die." I'm prone to throat abcesses and really intense sore throats, so I knew it wasn't just a cold. They fucked me around for about five hours and gave me a perscription that didn't work. I got back to Daytona and went straight to the doctor and he said, "Oh well you've got strep." Fuckers. Charles sang for us that night and didn't remember any of the words. Apparently he sounded terrible, but I wasn't there so I don't know. The ER in Jersey was fucking insane. Some junkie was running around and a girl came in throwing up blood. The doctors had no idea what the fuck was going on. Four different nurses came in and didn't know there had been another nurse in there before them. Ironically, with all the checking, they forgot about me at one point. Their shitty meds managed to dull the pain and I felt alright for Connecticut the next day. Eddie from Trample gave me whiskey to numb my throat, which it surprisingly did. When we got to NYC and Long Island I could hardly swallow and I just said fuck it. I slept in No Harm Done's extremely filthy, smelly, disease-ridden van, popped painkillers, and threw up out of the window all the way home. We had to go 65 mph from New York to Florida so the van wouldn't overheat. I've never actually wished I was dead until that trip. I literally wanted us to wreck and die. I'm not joking.
K: Would you change anything?
M: I guess I wish we'd done more with the band tour and record-wise. I'd rerecord some of my vocals. I'd have liked to do a split with a good band and another full-length. I wish we'd kept better track of our merch. I wish I hadn't gotten sick on tour and I definitely wish I hadn't ridden back with No Harm Done. No offense to those guys. They're a great band, but their van smelled like unwashed foreskin and it took us literally 24 hours of constant driving to get home. Trample got back about 10 hours before us and we'd left at the same time. Fuck.Interview with Tom Stevens of Significant Records and Gator Bait
K: Why does Monster Energy Drink sponsor a hardcore show?
T: I have no problem with having brands help sponsor hardcore shows, the reason being is that they will give you money which you can use to help offset some of the costs incurred with doing shows. No one really makes alot at shows, and often times you lose money. SO having someone offer you money is a good thing.K: How do you juggle two jobs, a band and a family at the same time?
T: It is really hard to juggle all of the things I am involved in. My wife and daughters come first. I love playing music and being involved in hardcore/punk rock. I have been for over 26 years-I'll be 38 in May. Sometimes, I miss a show because I have a family thing to do (I coach both my daughters soccer teams) and sometimes I miss out on a family night because I am playing in Gator Bait or doing a show. K: Do your children and wife support your involvement in hardcore?
T:Both my wife and kids have been to a handful of shows when Gator Bait has played. My daughters think of their dad as some big rock star. They get a kick out of wearing Gator Bait shirts because their dad is on the shirt. My wife has a love/hate relationship with Significant Records/Gator Bait/shows. She loves that I am so passionate about those things, but she hates the music. The first time she ever came to a show was when I was promoting an Earth Crisis/Ignite show in NC in 94. She was shocked to say the least.
K: How has being over the hill but not the edge affected your life?
T: That is actually something I deal w/everyday. I have my Hardcore friends who know about sxe and get it, and then my wife and I have friends through various things-daughters school/soccer, our work lives, who totally have no clue that the hardcore/punk world exists. Recently my wife sent a few of our close friends pics of me playing w/Gator Bait as they had a hard time believing that I fronted a sxe hardcore band.
Interview with Mikey and Alexx of Meantime
K: Is it mean-time or "current" time?
A: Haha, I get asked this question alot, I actually didn't come up with the name but it's current time like the Helmet record, not as in time to be mean.K: How has the band changed from the beginning to putting out a record on Double Or Nothing?
M: We've definitely improved. We had no idea what we were going for when Jesse and I were just jamming in his bedroom. We had songs that sounded like Madball, songs that sounded like Life of Agony, and songs that sounded like Merauder. Not that any of them were as good as any o those bands, just similar. Tharp was our original bassist and he wanted us to sound like Cold World. When Years From Now was still a band, none of us were really taking Meantime seriously. But now that YFN is calling it quits next month and DON is doing a record for us, we're concentrating a lot more. Our demo was halfway decent, but inconsistent so I'm excited for everyone to hear the DON 7". We redid our two best songs and wrote two new ones. We're much more focused now. We've tried to keep the Merauder influence ("Five Deadly Venoms"-era) and we mix it up with "Angermeans"-era Strife and a slight mid-90's feel. At least that's what we're ideally going for, but we're happy as long as it's heavy and dark. A: When we started, Jesse could hardly play drums and our bass player chris was in the same boat. Since then jesse has become a damn good drummer and we've added a 2nd guitarist and new bass player who are both really good. If you can find a copy of our first demo that we recorded in a storage unit you can tell we weren't really sure what direction our sound was going in, I think we had some conflicting ideas at the time, within the past 6 months though we've really fell into our groove and started writing some really heavy shit and everything is coming together really well. You can look for our 7" on Double Or Nothing records to be released in August.K: What are some funny or entertaining on the road trips?
M: We rented a van to ride up to Atlanta this past month to play with Reign Supreme. Apparently, this particular rental company doesn't make it a habit to clean out their vehicles. Some unbelievably retarded kid had scribbled all over the interior and a window with crayons. What he wrote was this: "HAT B HIAT BLUE A: " He didn't even write the word "BLUE" in blue crayon. It's become a motto of sorts. Best trip quote, courtesy of Jesse: "Alex, I dunno if the rental company will take the van back with all these burn marks on the inside. " Jesse. What a cocksucker.
K: Who are your favorite labelmates?
M: Know the Score, Steel Nation, Unreal City, and KLU. K: What is like being in two bands with Mikey?
A: Well, Mikey is a really talented song writer, he is also however just as neurotic and insane as he is talented. I'd have to say nothing beats going on the road and making him outrageously angry at me 80% of the time though.K: So you do vocals in a hardcore band AND put out fires. How do you manage the long waiting list of women you undoubtedly have?
A: I'd have to say that the list you speak of is nonexistent as far as I'm aware. I'm not much of a lady killer, if people still use that expression.
K: What is the best show you've ever played?
A: Best show Meantime has ever played... I'd have to say This Is For You Fest 2007. Why is more a combination of things. I always have a good time at this is for you fest. There is always a great atmosphere, really diverse crowd and we get the chance to share the stage with some of the best bands in hardcore and all of our friends from out of town traveling in. We were really surprised by the reaction we got from the people there considering most hadn't even heard of us yet and we were the first band to play that day which is usually a tough act.Interview with Larry of Think Fast! Records
K: Why do you think ring tones belong in hardcore?
L: Why are cell phones allowed at hardcore shows? Kids spend most of the time at shows on their cell phones and text messaging friends so why not offer this to them? If they like hardcore music, then this gives them an option instead of them being confined to only using Jay Z or Dave Matthews Band ring tones. Which would you rather have? A band like that or "Scum" by Outbreak?K: What’s your favorite TF! release and why?
L: This is a hard question because, like Ryan and I say all the time, we only put out bands that we love and support. So, pretty much every release is a reflection of our tastes. That being said, I'd go back to one of the earliest TF! releases which was the Not A Chance "Demo" 7" which I feel was a collection of songs done perfectly, in the style of hardcore that I love, and done by a band that had so much potential. Also, I love The Geeks records we've done, along with Youth Attack, Expired Youth, and Far From Finished. Also, having a chance to work on releases for Turning Point, Sick Of It All, and Ignite has been an incredible experience as these were bands who were big influences on me growing up in the hardcore scene.K: How do you stand living in Naples and how is the scene there?
L: First of all, I've never lived in Naples. Yes, that used to be the closest "scene" that I was a part of, promoted shows in, and played shows in. However, it's been almost a couple of years since there was a show worth going to there. So, I really won't know much about if there are newer kids and newer bands because I am almost positive that it's the same shit that made it's way into the scene several years ago which was the complete opposite of a hardcore scene. I wish it wasn't that way. The Naples scene that pretty much used to be is often criticized by a lot of people coming from different areas in FL. But, what a lot of you don't realize is that before a lot of people who are around today in the Orlando scene, Tampa scene, etc. is that kids from our area traveled to shows and we were the ones loading up all the cars and who were at all the shows in these scenes supporting hardcore for the most part between '97 through like 2003. What you also don't realize is that the Naples scene had great shows for a long time. Kill Your Idols were regulars down here as well as Good Clean Fun and Reach The Sky. We had Trial play Naples. We've had bands like Where Fear And Weapons Meet, Fastbreak, and Shelter play Naples. Shows were absolutely packed and kids would come from Miami area and sometimes from Tampa area for these shows. It was also cool to see the same kids we would see in Daytona Beach when we'd go to shows there that would travel to Naples for shows too! Bands would come so far out of their way to play down here because the shows were packed, kids bought merch, supported whatever band took the time to play here, and, for the most part, everyone was cool to one another at the shows. However, things did change and I think it had a lot to do with a few douchebags in this area and their friends around the state who were not sincere about hardcore and were all about their cliques they had to bury themselves in for social acceptance. By the way, I live in a town called Estero and it rules. There is hockey and pizza.K: Having Ryan of Outbreak co-operate TF! seems like it would have its
advantages. Has Outbreak's international tours helped Think Fast! get more
recognition throughout the country or in the international community?
L: Having Ryan co-operate TF! with me is a huge advantage period. Ryan works really hard to build up TF! and has done so even prior to Outbreak traveling the world so extensively. But yea, the fact that Outbreak is on the road a ton and doing international tours definetely helps out a lot. He is like an ambassador for the label too! ha...He oftens brings TF! merch to sell on the road which creates an opportunity for kids in all parts of the world to get our releases since there are some areas that, with shipping fees to their particular countries, it's really hard toorder a lot from us or even other American labels. It also gives us a chance to find out what areas of the world or country we are reaching and where we are not. Also, the fact that Ryan is in a band like Outbreak thathas been one of the most hardworking bands for quite some time in hardcore, we are able to understand the needs and situations our bands are in from their standpoint, which we feel makes our label more artist-friendly.
K: So still straight edge after all these years, care to elaborate?
L: Absolutely, always down to talk about the edge. I'm still straight edge after all these years and vegetarian after all these years because these were not decisions I made lightly and it's all or nothing. I see so many people grow older and make excuses that they've "grown" out of being straight edge. That is bullshit. You are supposed to grow older and wiser and staying clean is the only path to truly reach your potential as a person. I claimed the edge in high school and made it through the ridicule of trying to live a positive lifestyle which was even worse during college. So now, being married and almost 30, if I didn't give a fuck about what people thought about my lifestyle back then, then this point in my life is even easier. I've always known that the right things or good things to do or be a part of are sometimes the hardest things because often people try to knock you down. But, if you stay true to yourself and what you believe, then you actually become someone who you are proud to be.
