One King Down

10 Q&A WITH ONE KING DOWN

One King Down is not only one of my favorite 90s hardcore bands, but also some of the best guys in the scene ever, hands down. I had the chance to tour manage them in their EU / UK tour in 2019 and I can 100% say that it was definitely my best tour ever. I am in touch regularly with Bill Scoville (guitarist) since then and we were talking of doing a feature in the last issue of the zine, that actually never happened. So, I thought it was a good idea to send him a Q&A session to forward to the guys and make this feature a little bit more interesting and, why not, funny. So, here you are, 10 questions that OKD members answer in one breath!

Photos by Danielle Dombrowski.

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Top 3 of OKD euro shows

- January 2 1998 - Leipzig, Germany (with Ten Yard Fight, One King Down and Hands Tied). Our first show ever on European soil and it was a fucking ripper.

- April 27 2019 - London, England (Backtrack, One King Down, King Nine, Life Betrays Us and Candy) Just an amazing show. Great bands up and down the bill. It was 2019 and it felt like 1997 again.

- January 17 1998 - As, Belgium (with Commin’ Correct, One King Down, Hands Tied, Ten Yard Fight, Krutch, Spirit of Youth, Driven, Eyeball and Distract). What a day, look at that line up!

Honorable mention:

- February 09 2001 - Venue unknown in Katowice, Poland - Everything about this show terrified us: The drive, the neighborhood, the venue. But people absolutely lost their minds while we played. After the last song someone yelled, “Play more or die!” So, we kept playing.

Top 3 of OKD US shows

- September 10 1999 - Albany, NY - A completely insane and, most likely, very illegal amount of people crammed into one small, sweaty space.

- January 1 1997 - Syracuse, NY - The Path Of Resistance’s first show - Being able to play in Syracuse on New Year’s Day was an honor. Being able to play The Path’s first show in Syracuse on New Year’s Day took it to another level.

- July 28 2018 - Philadelphia, PA - This Is Hardcore - To be able to play those songs again after 17 years was a day we will never forget.

Honorable mention:

- February 7 1998 - Northampton, MA – Vision Of Disorder, OKD, Crown Of Thornz, Milhouse

- This one was WILD! We always loved playing with VOD.

God Loves, Man Kills vs Gravity Wins Again

We are very proud of the songwriting on both recordings. GLMK displayed some pretty lengthy and elaborate compositions, whereas GWA felt a bit more up-tempo and straightforward. Obviously, two very different eras of the band on display. They’re both special for different reasons. I can’t really compare them. Apples to oranges. Bloodlust Revenge.

Favorite current hardcore label

Flatspot Records. I like what Ricky is doing right now.

Favorite NYHC demo of the 90s

Tough one! There are so many great demos from the 90s.

- New York City - Merauder 1993 Demo - New York State - Snapcase ‘Break The Silence’ Demo

Honorable Mention:

- Stigmata 1990 Demo

Favorite Cro-Mags year

This has always been an area of intense debate within the band. Some say 1986 when the band was all of the people that made it a powerhouse. Others lean more toward 1989. You really can’t go wrong with either.

Best 25 Ta Life song

I’ve always been a Short Fuse kind of guy. But Keepin’ It Real is a top contender. Any song you can play twice in the same set immediately vaults it into legend status.

Name 3 bands that were named after an Earth Crisis song

Are there 3 bands who got their name from Earth Crisis songs? Born From Pain? Is Ecostrike Earth Crisis inspired? You got me…no idea!

Best hardcore toy figure ever released (this is for Derrick – the drummer!)

The Gorilla Biscuits gorilla from Super 7 is the best for me. The Agnostic Front - Eliminator figure from Super 7 is a strong second.

Favorite Jerky Boys episode

Another hot issue within the band. Hucklebuck “Juggy Gayles”, “Testing for Jeopardy” (Alex Trebek RIP). The matrix etching on the 20th anniversary of Bloodlust Revenge says “Nelson?” on side A and “How you doin Booster?” on side B which is from “The Need To Dance” episode. So many classics!