DEAD BLOG

This blog has come to an end.Thats all,really. I decided to move away from too much shit recently and i just cant hold a grin thinkin about how my life has been fucked up in these times - serious ill shit,i assure you.Broken relationships and all that stuff that can drive a man insane.
I decided to break away from my vicious and destructive circles and that somehow has put a tombstone on some of my dearest,loved and hated,ones.Im cutting away a big part of myself to rise from my own ashes.One of the most painful process i have to do - but thats a part of the "growing" thing aint it?

Its not easy to put it into words but im not in the appropriate mental state to do so.Thats that.

I decided that if im not going to put my 100% energy in this little thing im not going to waste a single drop of my sweat onto it.Obliviously its not about the following.I dont care if anyone is going to read this little thing.Time has come and the blog will be freezed for a long long time.

Anyway my blogging activity will go on other ways.Im tryng to creat a new blog consistening about politics,landscapes as well and rantings about many social things.It'll be called Savage Freedom,so if you pass and want to share some opinions,i'll listen and answer when time and space will allow me to do so.You're all welcomed.

In the meantime - Thank you to all the followers and the bands that have spent their times writing back to me.Huge handshakes to everyone and good luck to everyone

See Ya

Oh HELL YES!!

Crowd's active partecipation is what makes hardcore different from most of other shit outta here! No barriers between the bands & the kids,stand AS ONE!!

ZERO PROGRESS interview.

Ok it been quite a while since the last post.My apologies to Z.P. guys,i was pretty much occupied between school & work in the last couple of weeks...shit life is boring if you haven't band!
Anyway,back to the interview.ZERO PROGRESS hails from Denville,California.Just for that in my eyes the band should get "extra points" ...you kow wadda mean uh?? C'mon.CALIFORNIA...the homebase of most of the greatest hardcore & punk bands back then...and NOW if you ask me...

ANYWAY anyway anyway : ZERO PROGRESS have got a demo out there which R-I-P-S,and is also downlodable in their own blog.Fast,aggressive hardcore,the way it should be done.Thugs will roll in their beds wonderig what the hell is going on listen to this.Crusties probably will shower themselves and cut their hair after listening to this , old and young punks will have a grin on their faces ...and probably even a boner in their pants.I hope they'll put out something else.QUICKLY.Damn i cant stop listening to this demo....

And here's the interview!!


Give a short introduction of the band.. past & present mambers!

Ed: ZERO PROGRESS is me on bass, Josh on drums, Matt on vocals and Collin on guitar. We formed in the summer of 2009 after Skull Stomp and Negative Choice broke up. All members besides me were in N.C. . Myself, Collin and Matt were in Skull Stomp.

1) The first thing i thought after listening to your demo was : Hell,they got THAT nihilistic attitude that have made hardcore a force to recon even back then...So,what makes you guys so pissed at the world and life in general?

Ed: We’re from an upper middle class California town. For myself personally, there are very few people I can relate to here. The culture of this little “bubble” that we live in is pitiful. Never fit in at school, blah blah blah. These are some of the reasons I was attracted to punk rock, playing in fast angry bands is very cathartic for me.

Matt: I'm not that pissed off, im generally a happy guy. My music is a way for me to fight back against the the hipsters.

2) What about politics ? Do you think that hardcore punk shol deal with everyday problems but avoid the political aspects of it? (personally,i though its just impossible to keep divided the twos, by the way...)

Ed: If you can find four or five people that all our passionate about the same politics, then that’s great, go for it and sing about it. In our case we all have differing opinions on political matters, although I think we’re all left leaning, I know Collin is a socialist. For this band we keep it on a day to day level. Our lyrics, all written by Matt, are reactions to the immediate world that we live in.

Matt: Fuck politics, whatever rules are in place im gunna break em!

3) Up to yours,its more about the message behind it or its just hardcore music that keeps the kids of today away from it? Most of em seems unable or unwilling to listen to the words and just go nuts with the music whic is kinda sad compared to what was back then.

Ed: Music is a subjective thing, if you don’t get it you don’t get it.

Matt: I dunno man. I think its cause they are busy listening to rap music, smoking weed, pretending to be gangsters, working out, being insecure, crying alone at night, treating women poorly, beating their chests, pretending like they are tough, talking shit on the internet, and a whole bunch of other crap.

4) What keeps the band alive?

Ed: Well, we just started like five months ago so that hasn’t been an issue yet. But, I know that the last band I was in died because a person changed. I think ZERO PROGRESS has the right group of people to stick together for the long haul. Matt, Collin and I have been doing this for a long time now, and none of us are quitting anytime soon. And, Josh is Collins little brother and cut from the same mold that the rest us are.

Matt: Courage. Dedication. Pride. (Rick Ta Life is nodding ...until NOW) No, i dunno, boredom and us sucking at life?

5) Why do you consider yourselves as punks?

Ed: What else would I be? I listen to punk music, I play in a punk band, I go to punk shows, read punk magazines. Punk is something that I’ve been attracted to since a young age, and has affected my life greatly, it’s going to be a part of me until I die.

Matt: Funny story. I was eating in SF the other day and a really awkward kid came up to me and said "hey man, hey, i dont wanna be like, you know like, stereotypical or anything [holds his hands out in a "im innocent" type of way] but like, i see you and your friends, i dunno, always wearing these punk, uh um, punk rocker shirts. So i was wondering like, i dunno, are you guys punk rockers?" I said in return. "Yeah man! Im a punk rocker, and Im not going to be a part of THIS system!" True story.

6) How do you guys found out about hardcore and its lifestyle? First record ever listen to? Any favorites?

Ed: The first hardcore bands I heard were Minor Threat and DRI when I was about 12 or 13. I just knew I liked punk and tried to get my hands on as much of it as I could. I had a Minor Threat “Out of Step” tape and DRI “Dealing With It” cd. As far as favorite bands, I have a lot; Poison Idea,Infest, The Repos, Failures, Cheeta Chrome Motherfuckers , Wasted Time you get the idea.

Matt: Ed showed me hardcore. Then in turn I became more hardcore than he could ever be. This my friends, is the circle of life.

7) What hardcore should be more (or less) about up to you?

Ed: Young kids playing fast angry music. I think everyone should be invited to hardcore, too many people want to make it something elite. ZERO PROGRESS welcomes you into the international hardcore punk scene, let’s do it!

Matt: More about the music, fun, people. Less about fashion, drama, and whats hip.

8) Hows the writing process of your songs? Its like a "spun of the moment" or do you plan everything before/after writing the lyrics? who writes em?

Ed: Collin and I both write music. Usually we write the riffs at home, maybe think up some structure, then we put it all together at practice. Matt writes the lyrics before or at practice and fits them into whatever song we happen to be writing at the time.

Matt: My lyrics come to me throughout the day. Sometimes i'll be sitting in class and all of a sudden some angry phrase comes into my head, then i make it rhyme, then i change it so that it is less straight edge, then I bring it to practice.

9) Name you influences! I would bet my old mom ass MDC...am i right?

Ed: The bands I just listed as my favorites. We all listen to a lot of music and are influenced by it all in one way or another. I think a lot of Poison Idea and The F.U.s comes out in our songs, I don’t know, that’s just my perspective on it. And actually MDC is one band I never got in. Howlin'Wolf.

Matt: I listen to hella fucking Oi!, Hardcore, some rock n roll, and some ska. Also some soul.

10) Time for...THE RANDOM QUESTION!! - If Chuck Norris plays into Agnostic Front,Charles Bronson plays in.....??

Ed: I guess the easy answer is Charles Bronson would play in Charles Bronson.

Matt: Newsense....dont look them up, its a joke cause hella punks kicked their ass one time, ha!




11) PUT OUT A 7"!!! ever heard about TankCrimes Records?? check em and maybe you'll find out a deal !

Ed: We’re going to be self releasing a 7inch on our own PILEDRIVER RECORDS. Scotty from TANKCRIMES traded with me for Skull Stomp 7inches and never sent me my records, what’s up with that?

Matt: thanks for the inspiration. We're on it! We will get one out too you as soon as possible!

12) Explain to the younger punkers out there the DIY ethic!

Ed: DIY is when you wish you could have someone do everything for your band, but no one will because no one cares about your stupid little punk rock band so you have to do all the work yourself. See: PILEDRIVER RECORDS.

Matt: See son, when a bird likes a bee, but doesn't want to support the Bees capitalist death machine, he makes the honey himself. Sure maybe his home made honey comes out of his ass and tastes like shit, but its DIY, and that my little punk rockers, is a good thing.

13)Anything you want to share? Crazy stage divings gone bad or sorts? Delirium Tremends moments?

Ed: Matt is a mad man when we play. People will be spit on, mikes will be slammed into heads, bass drums will have heads slammed into them, mike chords will double their duty as nooses, and if he says, ‘Come on move up closer, it’s safe” he is lying, and you be immediately stage dove on. It’s all really stupid and uncalled for, I love hardcore.

Matt: Ed is lying. Trust whatever I say into the mic. And also its not uncalled for, its necessary!

14)Shout outs?

Ed: Everyone listen to Cocksnot. But, before you do throw all your records away because they will instantly be made obsolete. Cocksnot is the second coming of whatever you think was the most awesome thing that ever was. Stop reading this garbage and listen to Cocksnot right now. Also, the singer from Prmal Minds stole my girlfriend, fuck you! And a big what’s up to Sugu Hull !

Matt: I would like to shout out to the following bands t. 1) Choys Sonic Water Closet, 2) Choys, 3) The Dismay, 4) I Am Spite, 5) Dark Days, 6) Empire Legs.




END!

WASTED TIME interview

1) Ok who's in WASTED TIME right now?

Earlier in the year, before we recorded the "Futility"LP, we added Alex D to bass and moved Zach to 2nd guitar. Mick's still on other guitar, Brandon's still on drums, and I'm (Mark) still singing. Right.

2) Lemme say im always shocked to find out bands like WASTED TIME coz its hard to listen ,especially todayin America , a band that sounds so "american" since everyone except fews in the States are trying to copy whats come out from the abroad hardcore punk scenes.. im i correct?

Different folks, different strokes really. It's just the style we were trying to play when we started due to digging it and there being a lack of it in our area at the time. We were in Europe this past summer and I thought it sucked that a large amount of the bands over there were biting off the same sound so many bands in America do; that early 80's California sound which is neat and all but it kind of weirded me out. I guess I had too high of hopes going over there expecting to hear bands sound like Inferno (Germany), Indigesti (Italy), or Moderat Livkdation (Sweden) or something. Oh well, again, different folks and different strokes.

3) Whats happening right now in America? I do see there's alot of divisions between the kids but not just from a city to another , its more fragmented - its from to scene to another!. You know "FUCK! if you listen to Casualties you are not allowed there,we listen to Terror!!" or " Man we cant go along,we listen to Doom,you listen to Minor Threat they sucks!!" and stuff..shit by the way

While I cannot speak for all of America, I can see it somewhat in Richmond. You never really see a band like Government Warning play with Down to Nothing. It is what it is, I have friends that are strongly set and into both sides of the spectrum and just like their shit. I listen to what I dig and it's cool, yo.

4) Still i do see ALOT of bands coming out with sponsors for their instruments , sponsors from their label,sponsors even for every shit they do...Fuck em all,who need that kind of promotion if they sound all the same,aint i right? You can see this thing just clicking on their myspace - just ads for a product to sell but no substance for what concerns the music and,more important, the message! What do you think about em?

I bet getting free shit is cool, otherwise I can't really relate nor would I personally wanna put forth the effort to whore myself out into such a thing. We are not career-core, nah mean?

5) Name you personal top five of best bands you ever listen to - not only americans and not only hardcore and punk bands!

My list changes daily, but I'd say Poison Idea, Leatherface , The Wedding Present, Cause For Alarm, and Meatbrick and The Jailbirds.

6) Do you think the internet have "damaged" someway the creative edge of the bands? I mean,its extremly hard to find a band able to be personal and at the sime time record music also aable to inspire their contemporaries.Right now,i highly doubt someone else will ever record another "The Kids Wll Have Their Say" (SSD of course) or another "Age Of Quarrel" just to name a monolith for what concerns american hardcore punk.The high freedom that the web had to offer seems to have bizzarly,limited the creativity of lots of musicians - the more is the choice of tastes you get,the more generic sound the mixing of it all togheter... (fucking long question,i do know,hahaha hope to have been clear enough!)

Personally, and as for the rest of the members of WT, we got into hardcore before the internet really took such a strong hold on things so it isn't too big of a deal to us. Everything is easier now for sure, which is cool but it also takes the personality out of it all I guess. It's a double edged sword, but I'm not too worried about it. It has definitely led to way too many bands existing though. I'd prefer quality over quantity any day. I'll take good bands that write good records over some retards with recording gadgets on their computers and songs they wrote in 2 minutes any day.


7) Time for the --- RANDOM QUESTION ! : Why hardcore kids shouldn't be rich scumbags with nothing to do?

"Do what you want, but just don't do it to me" -Choke. Or something like that, I think I'm high?

8) How do you guys find out to be part of hardcore? life changing LPs or 7"s?

Fight, fuck, cokedust. And "Epic" by Faith No More. And Misfits - all.

9) Anything you want to add?

Thanks for the interview. I notice you're from NYC, or at least that's what the Myspace thing says. Just heard about Angry Stuart, RIP. It will be different going to a show up there and not seeing him again. Rest in Power. Ian Dickson, love you.

POWER interview

I was in a state of shock the first time i've heard POWER through myspace (dont twist your nose fucknuts,this is how it goes if ya can't go to the shows - i do know Eurpe sucks but who cares! hahah)...not much because of their shirts ala "I survived Jurassic Park" & stuff - nor for the fact that two of them seems to be like the classic all american redheads you'd met at school BUT full of tattoos...As aslways it was the music : thunderous,raging,pumping HARDcore ,a far away formula from the standard "chug-chug" macho sound.And that's a rare quality ,if you ask me..
Check them out - they deserve your support.




1) Please introduce the band! Who's in POWER currently?

currently in power is Griffin on guitar. Ricky on Bass.Benn on Drums.Dirty on guitar and I sing my names Evan.

2) what about the influences?

influences for me personally well there's tons of bands but some of the ones I really feel that mean a lot are Metallica , Danzig , No Warning(Canada) , Bad Brains and Life Of Agony (their demos i wonder ? XGIXX)

3) Are the singer & the guitarist brothers or what?

Me and Dirty are not brothers wish we were but were not.

4) Whats the current deal for a record? No chance to see it soon? (i have to ask because well....i need it!! who cares if its just a 7" ... put something out goddamit!!

Our 7 inch is finally out and we have tons to sell so definitely pick one up.

5)What do you think of the current state of the hardcore punk scene today? it sucks hard ? how to develop it in a good way?

I feel like our scene is lazy and I am just as guilty.People I think just are like "that shows not gonna be wild so there's not point" so shows then are poorly attended.I feel like what sux is bigger hardcore bands come on these stacked tours,which are fun and cool, But makes it feel like a concert not some personal chow which is the reason so many people are drawn to it i fell like. Everyone involved in this scene needs to start making more of a effort to go to more local shows no just 10 for 10's and last show tours.




6)Whos straight edge in the band? what do you think about it?

Theres a few of us who are Straight Edge and its definetly important to me and i think that its awesome when people dedicate themselves to it but its a thing you do for you not anybody else





7)Any crazy gig situation ? how many gigs you have played until now?

The wildest show we have played I think is we played somewhere in the midwest and it was in this huge like punk squat mansion that had this recording studio in the basement that was made to look like a legit batcave and was super dark and gloomy everything was damp. So were playing and we did a Suicidal Tendencies cover on tour and we started it and this dude started getting real stoked. Moshing super hard and he was punching in the air and hit a light bulb into my face and i was bleeding all over and i didnt realize it at all so everyone was looking at me all crazy for the rest of the set.



8) Best music do you listen to aside of hardcore? lemme say The Mummies rules!

Non-hardcore would be The Alligators a local indie rock band from bremerton shits good

9) A remarkable thing about POWER is that no one in the band seems to care a fucking fuck about the whole "thug" image which seems to dominate in the current generation of hardcore...what do you think about those gangastas? why they want to seems so retarded?

Its just how they role I feel like its not a huge part of it but it happens sometimes when they act like dicks but you gotta deal sometimes


10) Its widley acknowledged that hardcore is associated with outcasts ,misfits,weirdos,freaks,drunkhards & junkies ... so what does lead you guys there?

I like being apart of it cause its an outlet from this schedule of life like work money responsibilities.I can just cut loose with my friends to music i love to be apart of.

11) THE RANDOM QUESTION !! : God is broke? why christiancore still exist?

It exists because people are goofy.God is goofy.

12) If violence would be a solution...

Violence is not something i would suggest first off but sometimes u have to be more forceful then talking.

13) Why POWER?

Me and Dirty were at a show and this goofy guy we know was like"why werent you guys at the First Blood show last night" or something like that and we like to trick people so I said our new band played last night so we couldnt make it but we really just didnt care to go. He asked the name and Dirty just said POWER so when we actually started the band thats what we went with.

14) Favorites/life changin records ?

Life changing records... Meatloaf "Bat Out Of Hell",Metallica "Master Of Puppets" and Danzig-1 thru 3.

15) Anythingto add?

Were gonna be doing a full US in the spring so come see us rock out.Listen to Ill Intent( www.myspace.com/illintent206 )all day everyday



www.myspace.com/powersilima

OFF BALANCE interview....(Pt.1)

1)Who are the current members? did you spend time with other band before OFF BALANCE?

Right now, the lineup is: Justin The Cook - vocals, Big Bri and/or Cole - drums, Travis - bass, Raybok - guitar. Big Bri was in Mental Floss(w/ Dave Jones, drummer of A.F. and Mental Abuse - his first drumset is the set of drums you see on the picture in the gatefold of the "Victim In Pain" LP, haha), Broken Heroes (NJ Oi!), A Moment's Peace (w/ Dr. Tom), Phanatic (w/ some dude from Breakdown), Squiggy (NJ Oi!), and most importantly, Bitter Quarrel(myspace.com/bitterquarrel). Travis was in a band in KC called Cause Of Retribution. This is me and Ray and Cole's first band. Our original guitarist (Jeremiah) was in a band called Last Chance Ta Dance

2)I found a serious Neglect/Breakdown worship here & there, but i think OFF BALANCE have their own heavy & hateful sound : who/what inspired you the most? best 7''s & LPs? Life changin shows?

haha You got that right!! I don't hide the fact that we are a Breakdown and Neglect worship band!! Though I'd say Killing Time/Raw Deal and Sheer Terror are also bands we emulate. I've always really liked the lyrical content of the aforementioned bands. It's shit I can relate to..... no politics or emo shit or tough guy posturing. I'm also influenced (lyrically) by a lot of old country artists. And of course, Jerry A of Poison Idea is a poetic genius (word! by XGIXX). As far as life changing shows.... can't think of one particular off the top of my head. Maybe DRI or Life Sentence in 1988? Big Bri saw all the classic NYHC bands (and played some shows with them) in the late 80s and early 90s, so he has a million stories. As far as favorite LP and 7"? There's quite a few.... all the classics. You know what I'm talking about.

3)Anyone's straight edge there? Just askin!

Our original bassist Sean was (and still is) straight edge. He played on our original demo and our first 15 or so shows. We're still friends and he still comes to our shows, as do a good number of sXe kids in Louisville (xHard Lifex).

Still here!

The blog ain't dead,is just my computer that actually is BROKEN,falling "accidentally" out of the window...yep, i killed the fucker!
Anyway - - - since i've lost my job probably i'll gain some time to adjust the bloggggg....its math man!

As you can see the Rabia interview has been posted...more soon,probably with the likes of Rudo (hope they can answer!!) Razors In The Night,Ill Intent ,Conquest For Death ,Off Balance ,Sick Of Society.........& others!

so stay tuned...
enough? ENOUGH.

XGIXX