H A R D COR E M AGAZI N E 1/09
INTERVIEWS Still X Strong – xBishopx – H2O
BANDS Amber Pacific – The Chariot
SPECIAL
mouthpiece
Eine neue Zeitrechnung Die erste und irgendwie doch nicht erste Ausgabe Richtiger sollte man sagen, dass es die erste Ausgabe ist, die es geschafft hat auf Papier zu erscheinen. Weitere drei Ausgaben sind bereits online erhältlich und glücklicher Weise hat Euer Interesse Fanzines durchzublättern, überall hin mitzunehmen und zu sammeln nicht nachgelassen. Also entschieden wir uns das Outspoken ab jetzt auch in gedruckter Form anzubieten. Wie gewohnt erwarten Euch spannende Interviews für die wir uns z.B. mit Toby (H2O), Sam (Bishop) und Athos (Still Strong) zusammengesetzt haben. Ein ganz besonderes Special haben wir mit einer unserer persönlichen Lieblingsbands ausgesucht: MOUTHPIECE. Immer wieder gibt es Personen, die die Entwicklung einer Musikszene in ganz besonderem Maße mitbestimmen und gestalten, so wie es Tim McMahon im Hardcore getan hat. Mein besonderer Dank gilt Michael, der mit Tim auf fünf Seiten alles zur Sprache bringt, was sich seit der 91er 7“ an Fragen angesammelt hat. Neben unseren Bandvorstellungen, diesmal mit THE CHARIOT und AMBER PACIFIC, möchte ich Euch die Rubrik „Literatur“ präsentieren, da uns neben den vielen Audioreleases auch immer mehr Buchveröffentlichungen auffallen. Wir werden Euch hier Bücher vorstellen, die entweder ihre Wurzeln im Hardcore haben oder von denen wir glauben, dass es einfach keinen Weg an ihnen vorbei gibt. Ebenfalls neu sind unsere „Reflections“: Politische, ethische oder moralisch relevante Themen werden hier regelmäßig ihr zu Hause finden. Zum Auftakt konnte ich Shannon Keith, Anwältin und Filmproduzentin, ein paar Fragen zu ihrem neuen Film stellen. Ich hoffe Ihr habt ebenso viel Spaß beim Lesen, wie es uns Freude gemacht hat diese Ausgabe zusammenzustellen. Bedanken möchte ich mich auch bei unseren Redakteuren und Layoutern, die bei dieser Ausgabe wieder einmal Großartiges geleistet haben. Wir alle arbeiten in unserer wenigen Freizeit an diesem Magazin und es ist einfach herrlich dabei zu sein und zu sehen, wie viel Herzblut jede/r Einzelne investiert. Weitere Interviews, Video Interviews, aktuelle News, Showphotos und Plattenreviews findet Ihr auf www.outspoken-magazine.com.
INDEX Interviews
xBishopx 04
H2O 06
My First Failure 07
Still X Strong 08
Mouthpiece 10
Reflections
Shannon Keith 15
Literatur
Straight Edge: Subkultur, Ideologie, Lebensstil? 16
Cumshots 16
Bands
The Chariot 17 Amber Pacific 17
Shows
Henning Jäger henning.jaeger@outspoken-magazine.com
IMPRESSUM Redaktion Susanne Breithaupt, Sara Deeken, Christian Drueg, Helena Lauinger, Henning Jäger, Julia Rath, Markus Schnorrenberg, Robin Siegert Logo Erwin Pauls Grafik&Layout Steffi Fuchs, Michel Michiels-Corsten, Erwin Pauls, Tim Struwe Freie Mitarbeiter Kim Klausing, Lyra Nanerendij Coverfoto Julia Rath Fotografie facetheshow.com, planb-photography.com Druck flyeralarm Herstellung Tim Struwe Herausgeber & V.i.S.d.P. Henning Jäger Kontakt & Anzeigenschaltung Henning Jäger, Ferdinandstr. 17, 40599 Düsseldorf, 0177 / 6121802 www.outspoken-magazine.com info@outspoken-magazine.com Supported by
Charitycore 18
Filled with Hate 19
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[Interviews]
Interview mit Sam von xBishopx How was xbx founded and what were the reasons? Bishop was founded in roughly may of 2004 bye Pete, Aldo (our original bass player and bass player from Remembering Never), and originally had Danny from Remembering Never filling in on drums until a replacement drummer of his caliber was found to tour, etc. Aldo approached me with the idea of playing guitar for the band soon after they‘d already written a handful of songs. The idea of the band, the reason behind it, was for a group of friends to play music together, have fun and to tour. For what other reason should anyone start a band?
What kind of people do you address to in your songs? Speaking for Pete, since I don‘t write the lyrics, on our new record, the subject for the entire album is a lot more personal than on our first record. There‘s lots of anger and bitterness, frustration and confusion. It‘s real life basically. Real life struggles and issues. Dealing with the loss of friends, and the gaining of your true friends. I‘d say something along those lines. The lyrics pretty much speak for themselves. Do you show any development in your music?
Yes. We‘ve come a long way since our first record as far as development in song writing goes, as well as lyrical content and vocal delivery. I myself only wrote a handful of parts on our first record, since it was more of Pete‘s musical vision that time around upon his departure from Until the End, but on „Drugs“, I wrote 95% of the album myself. What I tried to accomplish was not to write just another hardcore record that kids would hear, go „hey i just got the new bishop!“, listen to it a couple of times that week, set it aside, and then go on to another band the following week. I don‘t ever want that to be the case with anything I write for any band I‘m in or for any Bishop album at all. I take much too great influence from the bands that got me here and I just hope I can be somewhat of an influence musically myself. Writing another crappy cd with a million breakdowns and no song structure what so ever isn‘t going to get me where I want to be.
What are your favorite songs? I‘ll narrow it down to 3, since I‘m proud of every song on the entire record. Drama Head - Short, to the point, heavy, but not typical heavy, more like „pissed“. I can‘t stress that enough.
Rat in Your System - I think it‘s the most different sounding song on the whole album. Has kind of an old style feel, and I‘m surprised I accomplished writing a song like this. Edge of the World - First of all, this is the only song on the entire cd in which I play a solo. But besides that, I think I just enjoy playing this song the most, because it‘s very creative, because there were some ideas written into this song that we‘ve never experimented with, and I‘m glad with the way it came out.
Would you point Straight Edge as the central topic in your songs? What are the main topics in your lyrics? I wouldn‘t point it as the central topic in our songs. We are straight edge people in a band, not just another straight edge band with Xs on their name and a million Xs on their t-shirts, ya know, we‘re not set out to be a money making tool and to shove straight edge ideals down people‘s throats. The lyrics on our new cd are about real life issues and struggles. It‘s just life in general. Real life.
There were rumours that you wanted to come to Pressurefest 08 in Germany. Are they true and if, why didn‘t you come over?
It just so turned out that it all conflicted with our work schedules at the time, and it sucks that we didn‘t get to play, because we definitely wanted to.
Who was your favourite tour-mate? There have been lots....Let it die was a great band, The Red Baron always, especially since they are some of my best friends, Barriers Now Bridges were one of the best bands we toured with, just unfortunate they broke up right when they found their niche, we did some dates on a couple different tours with Choices Made, and Thick as Blood, all close friends of ours who we shared a lot of great memories with.
Are you planning to come to Europe/Germany? We actually are in early January with a band called Kingdom on Eulogy Recordings.
Can you remember the best/ funniest/worst experience you ever had on tour? Best experiences...touring with the Red Baron usually was the best, since they are some of my closest friends, playing the Earth Crisis reunion show in Baltimore, meeting all the amazing people and gaining great friendships with so many peo-
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ple in the country. And every night for me, playing music for people who love music as much as I do, watching people have a good time and enjoy themselves, made it all worth it for me. Worst... when complications arise... like gas prices rising, shows falling through, money being lost, not finding a place to stay a couple times, quarrels and such here and there, you know how it goes, but none of these outweigh the positive experiences.
What do you think bout bands like Earth Crisis who sign on major labels like Century Media? Would you also do so? Earth Crisis being one of my main influences not only into straight edge, but to quality
song writing, will never be one of those bands who I think „sold out“ upon signing to a major label. That just makes me think that they did well enough on their own for enough time and wrote great enough music that a bigger label actually noticed their hard work. Who knows what could happen for us. Thanx a lot for the interview! Helena Lauinger Photos: Burkhard Müller, Julia Rath
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What if your son will ask for a beer some day?
Accusation to Flatness- Interview with Toby Morse, Singer of H20 Wenn eine Band sieben Jahre lang nichts von sich hören lässt und plötzlich mit einer Hammer-Scheibe aus dem FF erscheint, dann ist das schon mal ein klärendes Gespräch wert. Toby Morse über das Erwachsenwerden und was er so von Eyelinern hält.
What has happened during the last 7 years ??
Let‘s see... I have had a baby - I became a dad so that was a huge thing and I wanted to take some time-out - about a year or two. And then my brother joined Juliette Lewis‘ band. Some of us moved to California, some stayed in New York. And then we thought about making a new record, but we didn‘t want to make the same old songs. And we had other jobs and I don‘t know...7 years passed and then we finally said: „Let‘s make a new record!“ Then it just happened to be that my brother split from Juliette‘s band in January and we said: „this is the moment, so let‘s fucking do it!“ So we did! It happened fast! It took about two weeks. With our last albums it was the same. But this time there was no pressure. It just happened.
What does Straight Edge and Hardcore and being tattooed mean to you now you‘re grown and a father? Did the meaning change over the years?
It still means everything to me. It‘s my whole life!! It‘s what I am. I have been Straight Edge my whole life. My son is vegetarian. He grew up on music. My wife was with us on tour when she was pregnant. I met my wife through hardcore in 1991. Hardcore means fucking everything to me.
I have been Straight Edge since I was born. I learned by bad examples. So I‘m gonna talk to my son when he wants to drink that is the way he could end up wrecked. But in the end it‘s his decision. On the one hand in your bio it‘s written, that „the new record comes to a scene not unlike the scene they originally entered“ and on the other hand the lyrics of „What happened“ sound like an accusation to change. Yeah it‘s basically saying that we came from a scene that does not exist any longer. And the scene now is so young. It‘s no longer like in 1995. „What Happened“ expresses the respect to the past, an honour to something that was great. On the other hand it is an accusation to every kind of scene. It‘s not the hardcore-scene in particular!
What do you accuse?
Everything is so image-conscious. Everybody looks totally perfect, has got the same haircut, the same style. And our question is „what happened to the passion?“ The young people in the scenes have no heart anymore. They don‘t know what the lyrics are about. Everything is a fad.
Why shouldn‘t people like to look good nowadays?
I am not dissing anyone for wearing eyeliner. Everybody has got his own style. Everybody wants to look good. Me and the other guys of H2O don‘t go to the wardrobe in the dark, either. There‘s nothing bad about this. But it‘s kind of sad when fashion is everything. The question is: „where is your heart for the music and the message?“
But how you can not know if people get the message? I don‘t wanna be rude, but this sounds very conservative...
Maybe I am sad that this big New York Hardcore thing is over. This is where we come from. But I am not judging anybody. Things change. We get older. I am sad that kids don‘t care about the roots. They listen to what is on TV and on the radio and that is cool for them. They don‘t check where it comes from. There wouldn‘t be Blink 182 without
the Ramones. Kids do not make research. When I was young I wanted to know everything about the bands I listened to. I bought fanzines and stuff and was interested. Nowadays kids in the US just consume. I think in Europe it‘s different.
What is the difference between the scene in Europe and in the US?
People over here appreciate it more. The HC-Shows in America are not big. The kids come to see Good Charlotte and this kind of stuff. I think, that people in Europe are more open for the message. You know what I mean?
What will H2O be in the future ? Is it a comeback?
After 7 years it is something that you can call a comeback. We will go on tour with the new album and then we will see what happens. We don‘t plan on it.
What does the artwork mean on „Nothing to Prove“?
All our albums had gambling symbols on it. Now we look at the full deck. It is a „full out“. We have nothing to prove and we are in a win-win-situation.
I think these are good final words. Thank you very much for the interview. Lyra Nanerendij Photo: Burkhard Müller
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My First Failure Interview mit Niko
Sue: Erzähl uns doch mal was über eure Was hebt euch( in deinen Augen) von Bandkonstellation und wie ihr überdem Rest der momentan aus dem haupt zueinander gefunden habt? Boden sprießenden Vielheit von Bands Niko: Also unser Drummer, ich und der ab und wo seht ihr Potential die Szene andere Gitarrist Patrick machen seit 4 zu bereichern? Jahren zusammen Musik und haben uns im Laufe der Zeit persönlich und musikalisch in Richtung Hardcore entwickelt, dabei sind jedoch viele Bandmitglieder dazu gekommen und wieder gegangen. Ende 2006 haben wir uns schließlich in der jetzigen Besetzung zusammengefunden. Das mit Alexa und dem ganzen „female-fronted-Ding“ war eher zufällig als genau geplant. Sie ist nach dem Ausstieg unseres alten Sängers Benny (vielleicht bekannt von „A Way Back Home“) ziemlich spontan eingestiegen.
Wie unterstützt ihr das immer wachsende Aufkommen von Frauen, in einer von Männern dominierten Musikszene? Naja wir lassen eine Frau bei uns Schreien. Haha! Nein mal ernsthaft; Wir machen grundsätzlich eigentlich nichts Besonderes, außer eben vor allem auf Shows immer wieder Frauen dazu aufzufordern mitzumachen, nicht nur während des Konzerts, sondern sich auch an der ganzen Szene zu beteiligen. Sei es in Bands, auf Shows oder sonst irgendwas!
Empfindet ihr, im nachhinein betrachtet, die Wahl eine Frau ans Mikro zu holen als vorteilhaft? Naja, es ist wohl so, dass zu Beginn das Mädel vornedran schon ein Vorteil war, aber das ist ja nicht alles. Also es gibt auch ne Menge andere „femalefronted“ Bands, die dadurch auch nicht gleich die Größten sind. Die Band an sich muss trotzdem gut sein und an sich arbeiten! Außerdem gibt es, vor allem bei Leuten die häufig auf Shows gehen und seit vielen Jahren mit der Szene vertraut sind, auch ne große Skepsis, weil man gleich denkt „Die spielen doch eh nur weil da en Mädel schreit.“ Also wir haben die Erfahrung gemacht, dass man die Leute, genau wie andere Bands auch, erst überzeugen muss!
Shows geht und generell Teil der Szene ist, diese mehr in Schwung hält, als die Leute die sich eine Trend anpassen oder das selbe Band- Shirt tragen! Vielfältigkeit führt zu Fortschritt!
Schwere Frage! Was uns von anderen Bands abhebt, weiß ich ehrlich gesagt nicht. Ich denke vielleicht, dass wir immer zu 100% da sind und alles geben, dass wir mit totaler Leidenschaft spielen und trotzdem den Spaß an der Sache nicht vergessen. Aber im Großen und Ganzen sind wir doch nur ein Teil der riesen Masse an Bands. Die Szene wollen wir in sofern bereichern, dass wir versuchen, Hardcore zu mehr als Merchstand und Moshpit zu machen und natürlich die Szene um eine gute Band zu erweitern; Ganz klar!
Ist schon ein neues Album in Planung und inwiefern wird es sich vom ersten unterscheiden?
Meint ihr, dass ihr euch in dem Genre des Hardcores am besten ausdrücken und identifizieren könnt oder würden euch prinzipiell auch andere Musikrichtungen als Kommunikationsorgan ansprechen?
Wo seht ihr euch in Zukunft?
Naja, Hardcore ist wohl die Musikrichtung, die den größten Einfluss auf unser Leben hatte! Klar hört jeder noch andere Sachen, aber Hardcore ist für uns einfach der beste Weg uns auszudrücken. Generell würde jeder von uns bestimmt auch andere Musik machen, oder wäre dazu fähig, aber Hardcore macht halt einfach am meisten Spaß und eine so große Verbundenheit mit dem Publikum findet man sonst auch definitiv nicht!
Wo blüht ihr mehr auf? Im Studio oder auf der Bühne? Ganz klar auf der Bühne! Die Songs im Studio aufzunehmen und daran rumzubasteln macht natürlich auch Spaß, aber spielen ist definitiv geiler! Aufnehmen ist wohl eher ein kleines Übel, damit man gute Shows spielen kann!
Welche Intension steht hinter dem Albumname „ The Color“? „The Color” ist aus der Textzeile : „You are the Color. You are the Movement“ rausgenommen, deshalb sollte ich wohl eher auf die Textzeile eingehen, um den Titel zu erklären! Wir wollen damit einfach klarmachen, dass jeder der auf
Also in Planung ist auf jeden Fall was, wir schreiben momentan neue Songs! Es wird sich einmal vom Sound von der „The Color“ unterscheiden und außerdem werden in den Songs stärkere Akzente gesetzt. Textlich wird das ganze auch tiefer und persönlicher werden als die erste Scheibe. Noch sind aber nicht alle Songs geschrieben! Einfach überraschen lassen!
Wir wollen auf jeden Fall wieder Touren, so viel es geht! Wir sehen uns an keinem bestimmten Punkt. Einfach spielen, Spaß haben, viele Leute kennenlernen und das ganze mit am Laufen halten!
Wie würdest du die Musikszene in eurer Heimat Aschaffenburg beschreiben? Also bei uns steht das ganze eigentlich noch in den Startlöchern, das Durchschnittsalter ist hier auf Shows relativ niedrig, was aber kein Problem ist. Die Szene entwickelt sich nicht nur im Hardcore super! Konzerte sind, verglichen mit anderen Städten, immer super besucht! Man kann auf die Leute hier einfach zählen und es macht immer wieder Spaß zu Hause zu spielen. Da wächst auf jeden Fall was heran!
Danke für deine Zeit. Möchtest du noch ein paar abschließende Worte an die Leser wenden? Ich kann nur immer wieder sagen: Werdet aktiv! Beteiligt euch an Shows, die bei euch gemacht werden, oder bei Zines wie diesem hier und seht nicht alles als gegeben und selbstverständlich an! Im Endeffekt ist die Szene nur so gut, wie sich jeder daran beteiligt! Und vor allem: Habt Spaß! Susanne Breithaupt http://www.myspace.com/ myfirstfailure
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interview with x ATHOSx „We are „Still X Strong“, a Vegan Straight Edge band from São Paulo, Brazil. We began our activities on April, 2007 with the simple purpose of disseminating the Straight Edge lifestyle, the Animal Liberation and the third world survivors‘ tough everyday.“ Nach meiner Meinung einer der vielversprechendsten aufgehende Sterne am Hardcore-Himmel sind Still X Strong. Das sind noch Jungs mit Zielen, Power und einer Message, die nicht nur in den Songs behandelt wird, sondern die jedes Bandmitglied lebt. Um euch auch zu überzeugen gibt es hier ein kleines Interview über ihre Musik, Heimat und Motivation: Vegan Straight Edge What differs your band from other vegan straight edge bands? Athos: A lot of vegan straight edge bands are quite closeminded. We try to show our every day life in our lyrics. We are open-minded because our music is also made for people who aren’t vegan or straight edge. We think that hardcore can be used as a weapon to make people who have never listened to it, hear what you have to say. That’s why we have very mixed listeners, so we are able to show different people our opinions about certain things and maybe (in a short time) make them see the world as we do.
“A lifetime commitment”...What does vegan straight edge mean in your lives, although you are very young? Athos: We don’t know what the European youth is like, but since we are kids we can see the effect that drugs and alcohol cause in many families, friendships, or any other kind of groups, because it’s really common in Brazil. We see 6-yearold kids using drugs in São Paulo every day. Since we were very young we could see that it wasn’t the kind of life we would like to have. Every member of the band is conscious about their choices. Three members have been involved in vegan straight edge for about 5 years, but we have two members who have been involved in it for 13 years. In our opinion when you choose something like that, you have to be strict; you have to be true with that till the end of your life. We don’t see vegan straight edge as a simple lifestyle, but as a protest against every kind of degradation, humiliation and animal/human exploration.
Are the most lyrics about your lifestyle or do you also work on other topics? Athos: Most lyrics are about our lifestyle, always showing our every day life, every kind of experience we made, even when it is bad. In our lyrics we talk about the third world’s lifestyle, because we can’t just close our eyes and forget about our country, our difficulties and the conditions that we have to live.
Which people do you address to with your music? Athos: Our public is most formed by people involved with the straight edge/ hardcore/ veganism, but we also hope to hit people that don’t know our way of life. We believe that if we want to hit the total animal liberation we have to unite
ourselves, not just with the people who are involved with the hardcore scene, but everyone. It’s good for us when we play in different places, with people that have never heard about us before. The message will be delivered! And even if just one person listens to our music and thinks about the things we said, that’s worth it, it is worth our sweat. We hope that after our show, people realize that what we do is deliver a positive message and maybe they can change and talk about other people about how’s the life without cruelty and drugs.
Please describe the Hardcore Scene in Brazil and tell us why you guys started a band? Athos: Here in Brazil, we have a large hardcore scene, but at the same time, it’s little. It’s because there is a lot of division in the hardcore styles. We have the punk scene, the thrash scene, the old school scene, the metal scene, the mosh scene. We try to unite ourselves, but it’s hard most of the time, we don’t have any pre-concept in or out the
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hardcore scene. We do our best to be involved with every kind of scene. We want all these guys to realize that we have a message to deliver and with that maybe we could be accepted in all this scenes. We stared the band because we wish to show the vegan and drug free way of life. The style we play and the message we have to show is not usual here, we play this because we think that it’s what our public likes, and also is what we in the band like. We want to hit this public with our message.
Are there any plans of touring through Europe? Athos: We have plans for a tour in Europe next year. We don’t have a band that will come with us, but we think that it will be pretty good with any European band. One of the things that could help us is to have a label to divulgate any material of our band, but we don’t have any it at the moment. We plan to do our tour through Europe in June 2009! We wish to play in Europe, great bands of our friends, like “Point Of No Return”, “Discarga”, “Confronto” and “I Shot Cyrus” did a tour through Europe, and they say it was the best experience with a band they have ever had. It would be pretty good if we had the possibility to do this because with that we should show you that we have a powerful scene here.
What are the main influences in your style? Athos: At first, the vegan straight edge, but musically speaking, we are influenced by bands we like, such as “Path Of Resistance”, “Earth Crisis”, “Terror”, “Sick Of It All” and “Point Of No Return”.
How does it feel to be on tour with such a great and popular band like “Have Heart”? Athos: It was very good for us, it’s cool to share the stage with a band that is popular in and out the scene that you live in, but playing with “108” was awesome, too. A legendary
band that we didn’t know when we could see them playing, and we had the honour to do much more than that! It’s good for us, because we could change information and ideas. We talked about things like the scene they are from and asked what they thought about our scene. The result was pretty good for us.
How do you see your band and its development in the future? Athos: We are in a very fine stage talking about the band and musically we can say the best until now. In a short time we had a great public. We hope we can grow musically and mentally, too. Always making friendships and knowing all scenes over the world! Supporting the vegan straight edge scene over the world, without segregation. Helena Lauinger Photos by Mauricio Santana
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Interview With Tim McMahon (Mouthpiece) All right, here we go. This interview is the bomb. I thought about doing this for ages. I was, I am so down with Mouthpiece and I got so many questions that were unanswered all over the years. Now, that it is down I am so happy with every line Tim wrote and believe me, you will, too. In every line you can read how much this man is dedicated to Straight Edge, to hardcore music, to his family, to this interview. Read!!
To make it short ... first, the standard: Who are you? Your bands, -ex bands. Tim McMahon, 34 years old, born, raised and still living in New Jersey. Married and father of two, one boy, one girl. Work as a Graphic Designer. Band wise I've done Mouthpiece, Hands Tied, Face The Enemy and I'm currently doing a band called Triple Threat.
Back in time when Mouthpiece was scheduled to come over to Europe with Slapshot‌. everything broke down. Tell me why, what happened and tell me how you felt about this and if you got some reactions from Europe. Mouthpiece did have an opportunity to tour Europe with Slapshot, I believe it was sometime around 1994. I remember being contacted by MAD booking and going back and forth with Mike Hartsfield at New Age Records and trying to make it happen. We got very close to confirming, then our guitarist Chris, backed out and said he wouldn't be able to take the time off from work. At the time I recall being bummed that we couldn't swing it, but assumed that we'd get another opportunity before the band ended. Obviously touring with Slapshot would have been incredible. I've loved Slapshot forever, "Back On The Map" and "Step On It" are still personal favorites of mine. What can you do though? We had the perfect opportunity and we just couldn't make it happen.
I will say, at the time it didn't seem like a big deal that we dropped off the tour. I can't recall a whole lot of talk or controversy over it. It wasn't until I toured Europe with my second band, Hands Tied, that I was to realize how much people really wanted Mouthpiece to come to Europe.
To clear the table: Is there a chance for a Mouthpiece reunion in Europe? It's funny that you mention that. We've been working on this Mouthpiece discography for Revelation over the past 6 months very heavily. As a matter of fact, I just sent all the finished layouts and re-mixed / mastered re-cordings this past week. Word has started to slowly get out about the release of the discography on Revelation and with that, people have been asking if Mouthpiece will do any shows in support of the discography. Initially I felt that we've already done two sets of reunion shows and the last thing I'd like to do is over stay our welcome and ruin our legacy. With that being said, all of this discography work and submersion in Mouthpiece has reminded me just how much this band has meant to me. Another thought that's surfaced is how compared to other bands, we've generally stayed the same. From the last line up of Mouthpiece, all of us are still straight edge and are either still involved in making hardcore music today or at least still respect it. For those reasons, there's always a chance of Mouthpiece playing again. The way that I look at it, as long as we're all still straight edge and not doing anything that would be the opposite of what Mouthpiece was about, the opportunity to play again is out there. Not that there are any plans to play right now or tour Europe , but like I said, as long as we're all still straight edge, anything is possible. We'll just have to see how things play out, what's going on in our lives and what kind of opportunities arise.
[Interviews]
What do you think about re-unions. I remember that Strife reunion. Playin 'One Truth' and the drummer was drinking and stuff... that was sort of strange. What about Gorilla Biscuits, Lifetime, Chain? I'm not one to knock bands for doing reunions, unless I know for sure that what they are doing is not sincere and coming from their hearts. I know all the guys from Strife, some of the guys from GB, Lifetime and Chain and I believe that those bands have all reunited for the rights reasons and have validated to themselves why they wanted to reunite. Whether it was their love of playing the music that they've written, the love of playing together or for the fun of it, in their minds they've done it for the right reasons. For me, personally, the message of straight edge was just too heavy to ignore when it came to Mouthpiece. I know what it meant to me and what it still means to me today. Doing a Mouthpiece show with members who aren't straight edge anymore just wouldn't make sense. My message wasn't just about being straight edge, but about being let down by those that moved away from it. To brush off those thoughts for the sake of playing together again would be a direct contradiction to what I believed and still believe today. If others can make sense of it and do it with their bands, that's on them and I'm not one to tell them what something should or shouldn't mean to them. For me though, I'm either going to keep it legitimate on all levels or I'm not going to do it at all.
Tell me about your best and your worst memories about Mouthpiece. My best memories would have to revolve around our best shows. There are a number of incredible shows that we played that I still think back to. Our first show in California at the Roxy in 1991 with Ressurection, Strife, Chorus Of Disapproval and Outspoken, the first More Than Music fest in Dayton Ohio, all of our Middlesex County College shows, a show in Boston with Outspoken, our many shows in Washington DC at the Safari Club, playing with Ignite, Texas Is The Reason and Snapcase in Chatham New Jersey, playing with Floorpunch at a New Jersey club called Obessions, playing CBGB's, our last Middlesex show with Floorpunch and Earth Crisis. All of those shows were great and bring back all kinds of emotions and good memories. For me it was always about the crowd reaction. If people are stage diving and singing along and there's a big crowd packed up front, I'm seriously as happy as I can be. One other memory that is worth noting was our 1995 summer tour. That tour was seriously one of the greatest times of my life. Packing in a van with six of my best friends, driving from city to city, playing on different stages and meeting new people, it was a very fulfilling and memorable experience. As for worst memories, there's been a couple of bad ones. Our first trip to California with Ressurection ended on a real sour note. Lots of disagreements and fights that lead to a temporarily break up of the band. Eventually we overcame our problems and moved on, but at the time that was a pretty rough situation to deal with. Another bad memory was from playing a show in Connecticut at a club called The Tune Inn. Some friends that came with us to the show got on stage and made some disparaging remarks about the crowd being weak and the reaction being poor, which in turn infuriated some of the locals and influenced them to leave the club and destroy the first car they found with New Jersey license plates. The car they destroyed happened to be Chris's, our guitarist. They smashed in his front wind shield, broke off his side view mirrors, kicked dents in his hood and doors and cut holes into his vinyl roof.
[Outspoken]  11 He ended up driving home with electrical tape keeping his wind shield in place and spending a lot of money on the repairs once we got home. One last bad memory was when I found out that our bass player, Dave from the "What Was Said" LP, had started drinking. Dave was a great kid and I really enjoyed his presence in the band. He was an awesome bass player and probably the best technically talented one that we ever had. I remember feeling so let down and disappointed in the fact that some-one who was playing with me in this band became a direct contradiction to what we were about. Dave and I have managed to stay friendly with each other and did back then, but there was no way I was going to play in a straight edge band with someone who was no longer straight edge.
You had a lot of line up changes, was it more personal or from the music side? Are you still in contact with you exband mates? Honestly I don't recall any of our line up changes happening due to musical changes. If someone was to leave the band, it was either because they were no longer straight edge, were going away to school or just didn't have the time, more than likely because they were playing in another band. Dan Hornecker from Ressurection and Scott St. Hillare from Lifetime both played with us for a little while and both left because they were doing the other bands first and time became an issue. Actually yes, to some extent I am still in touch with pretty much everyone that has played with us. With doing this discography, contractually we needed every ex-member who recorded with us to sign off. Some of the guys I hadn't talked to in many years, but it was fairly easy to track them down. This day in age, with the internet, email, myspace and facebook, it's pretty easy to stay in contact with people with very little effort. Back in the day, when it was pretty much using a telephone to stay in touch, it was a lot harder to keep in contact. Even if I don't talk to some of the guys regularly, it's cool to check in and see what they're are up to once in a while.
As being a band from New Jersey how strong was the connection to the New York Hardcore scene? I'd say that the connection to New York has always been pretty strong. The New York City Hardcore scene was such a strong and influential scene and being that New Jersey and New York are state neighbours, it was almost impossible for that scene not to rub off on ours. Just looking at a couple of New Jersey's most popular bands, Turning Point and Release, both have an obvious NYHC sound. Kids from New Jersey were always going to shows in NYC and kids from NYC were often coming out to Jersey for shows. You had band members from some substantial NYC rooted bands that were actually from New Jersey. Guys like Mike Judge who lived and still lives in Montville, NJ, Jules from Side By Side who lived in Weehawken, NJ, Mark Ryan from Supertouch who was from New Jersey, Russ and Dean from Underdog are from Belmar, NJ, the list goes on and on.
Other question: Do you know what Mike Judge is doing? Last thing I heard is that he is a truck driver. Like I said in the previous question, Mike still lives in Montville, New Jersey. I believe last I heard he is a truck driver. Maybe married, I think I heard that his wife has a couple of kids from a previous marriage. He's still writing music from what I understand, Mike Judge Old Smoke style stuff. I think he's even still recording some of his material as well. He's a very low key, homebody type of guy from what I'm told. Personally I've never met Mike, but I have talked to a few people that
12 [Outspoken]
[Interviews]
are friends with him and have some contact with him. Honestly I can't confirm any of what I've told you, because like I said, it's all second hand information, but it has come from reliable sources. I have talked to him through email a couple of times, but no real deep or substantial conversations. One thing I hear from everyone is that he's a very sincere and genuinely nice guy.
try and get back to that sound that we were trying to fine tune with that later Hands Tied material. So far I've only gotten together with a couple of friends and jammed, but we've got future practices scheduled, so things will be coming together. Where this project will go, I have no idea, it's way too early to say. Hopefully it will produce some of the best and most powerful hardcore I've been a part of so far.
Alright. Let's check out the man behind the bands , Hands Tied, Face The Enemy, Triple Threat: Tim McMahon. What's your typical day like? New musical projects and stuff?
How important is the Edge after all these years? I mean, to me – I’m half of my life edge and I can truly say that I am still proud of it, but I also see that times are changing, people changing. But I know where my heart belongs to so....what about you?
I wake up during the week at 7AM every morning. My wife is out of the house for work by 6AM, so I'm usually the one in charge of getting the kids ready for school or for the grandparents house. Shower, get dressed, do what I need to do with my son and daughter. Get to work by 8AM, work until 4:30PM, pick up my son from school by 5:00PM, meet up with one of the grandparents to get my daughter, then head home. For the next couple of hours I'm watching after my kids, trying to keep them entertained until my wife gets home from work, which is usually around 8PM. Once she gets home, we eat dinner and I'm then free to do what ever house work needs to be done, cleaning, laundry, garbage, lawn, etc. Really the only TV I watch is sports. Lately, because it's baseball season, I'm watching as much of a Phillies game as I can. When it's basketball season, I'll be watching the Sixers as often as possible. Then of course come football season, it's the Eagles every Sunday or Monday night if that's the case. Aside from all of that, I manage to get online every night, check my email, check my usual sites. Usually from 10PM until about midnight I work on Double Cross, which is my hardcore webzine/blog that I do with amy friend Gordo. Double Cross is actually more of a fanzine than a blog. We do updates Monday through Friday. Content wise it's lots of interviews, photos, show stories, videos, collection highlights, polls, anecdotes, etc. usually relating to late 80's straight edge hardcore, but not exclusively that. Eventually I get to bed around 1AM and then do it all over again. Music wise I've been doing Triple Threat over the past 4 years. Up until this past year, Triple Threat had been keeping me pretty busy in it's self. We were playing re-gularly , at least once a month if not more. As of recently though, our guitarist Ed had gone through a few job changes, our drummer Jason and his wife are having a baby and our bass player Tim is planning a move to North Carolina. With all of that happening, it's been real tough to schedule practice and get time to play shows. As a band, once you've sort of fallen out of the loop with playing out consistently, people stop asking you to play. So right now we're at this stage where we all seem to have so much going on in our personal and family lives that keeping Triple Threat consistent has become a bit of problem. Right now there are no plans to break the band up, but we'll have to see how things go once our bass player moves away. Living in North Carolina is at least a 9 hour drive from New Jersey, so it's not going to be easy and or convenient to practice or get together. Triple Threat has never been this touring powerhouse, so it's possible that we can still make it work, we'll just have to see. As for new projects, I am in the very early stages of putting something together. With Triple Threat slowing down, I've been itching to get back in the practice space and work on new material. Triple Threat has been an outlet for my love of a more mid tempo, BL'AST! style of hardcore. With that being said, I have not lost my love of playing fast, traditional style straight edge hardcore. Hands Tied, specifically towards the end, I felt like we were writing some really good Youth Of Today, New York Hardcore style material. I want to
Straight Edge is just as important to me today in 2008 as it was to me in 1988. 20 years of straight edge has only strengthened my beliefs and carved my identity in stone. I've said this before and I'll say it again, the basics of straight edge, don't drink, don't smoke, don't do drugs, is just common sense. If you care about yourself and those around you, abstaining from all of those vices will do nothing but help you in life. Of course there are those that believe in moderation and maybe that works for some people, but to me there's no reason to dabble in something that ultimately can and will bring you down. When I listen to "Fed Up" and "In my Way" by Judge, or "We Just Might" and "Thinking Straight" by Youth Of Today or "Clear" by Bold, I can't help but get fired up. To me, Straight Edge is more than just not drinking, smoking and doing drugs, it's my way of life.
When I think of you and especially Mouthpiece, I think of some great feelings. It is midnight in Germany. A 16 year old kid sitting on the edge of his bed, listens to your first 7" and got this feeling inside. A feeling of power, commitment, that feeling of a voice that spoke out what's in his mind. And at the same moment it is like this songs are changing and saving a live. So many years later I still like the songs, I still got the 'Face Tomorrow' 7" in my room and now I got the chance to talk to you and speak out what happened to a lot so many people. How does this feel to you? Did you know, how many impact your music and your words had/have to so many people in every age? Hearing that is incredible and mind blowing to know that I've had that kind of impact on people. What really psyches me up and impresses me is when I meet someone that will say these type of things and has been around for a long time and continues to be around. When I hear from someone that tells me that I've had an affect on them and that my band and lyrics have changed their life, but they've they are no longer straight edge, I don't get it. My whole deal has always been about sticking to these commitments through thick and thin, so if you've moved on from it, what kind of impact have I really left on you? I can relate to the idea of bands having an impact on you. There's no way that I'd be who I am today without the direction, influence and inspiration from bands like Youth Of Today, Bold, Judge, Chain Of Strength, Gorilla Biscuits and many many others. A guy like Ray Cappo has left a mark on me that's set my life in a direction that will never be altered. To hear that I've had the same affect on others is a direct compliment to those that came before me.
[Interviews]
Tell me how do you see yourself in the next 5 years. Your plans with music and with your life. My hopes for the next 5 years are to see myself make some sort of moves career wise to be able to increase my income and bring more comfort to my family. I see myself supporting my children as they being their education. I hope to have a stable and active band. I'd like to have the option to tour places like Europe, South America, Japan, Australia and of course America. These are all places I'd love to play and with my current situation in Triple Threat, it's been pretty much impossible. It's tough though, for all I know, in 5 years I might not even be able to do those type of things because of my job. We'll see though, I'll be keeping my fingers crossed.
[Outspoken]  13
Last time you ripped anybody off? I honestly can't recall deliberately ripping anyone off.
Last book you read? The Evolution Of A Cro-Magnon.
Last movie you saw? Get Smart
Last movie you bought? The entire Star Wars collection I-VI on DVD
Let’s try to find out more about you. The band is the reason Last song you listened to? number one why you are here. But your music and your lyrics Judge - "Where It Went" are just one part. The man behind the sound is the real deal: Last time you did a interview? Last album you bought? The last time I did an interview was probably a month or two ago. Interviews come in batches for some reason. I could go 6 months and not get one single interview, then I could get 6 in one month. The biggest bum out with doing interviews is never seeing them materialize after I've put my time and effort into doing them. Please don't let that happen with this one!!!
Last time you felt misunderstood? Yesterday, talking to my wife about Double Cross, the blog that I do.
Last time you felt ripped off? Probably my last review that I had at work. The one before that was good, this one definitely could have been better.
Foo Fighters - "Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace"
Last piece of clothes you bought? A pair of cargo shorts from an Army Navy store.
Last meal you had? Corn on the cob, mashed potatoes, and vegetarian stir fry strips.
Last time you thought about leaving everything behind you? I honestly never think about leaving "everything" behind. I will occasionally think about leaving the band behind, or leaving my job behind, but that's about it. Never have I thought about leaving my family behind.
14  [Outspoken]
[Interviews]
Last time you felt hate?
Last time you had a fight?
Hate is a very strong word that I take seriously and very seldom use. Occasionally I'll feel a light hearted hatred towards an opposing team that may be playing one of my favorite teams, but other than that, it just doesn't come into my head that much.
Haven't had a fist fight since junior high school, so that's going back close to 23 years ago. Arguments happen regularly, nothing serious, but come on... I am married.
Last good advice your heard?
Today, sitting down watching a baseball game on TV with my daughter in my arms and my son sitting down next to me.
A guy I work with gave me advice on a specific brand on wax to use on my car. I followed his advice and it worked perfectly. Wish I had something more profound for you, but I'm just being honest.
Last time you felt comfortable? Last time you where in jail? Never.
Last time you felt like a rock star?
Last time you felt completely happy?
Triple Threat played the Anti-Matter book release show back in November of 2007 in Brooklyn NY. Snapcase reunited for the show, 108 played, Supertouch played a short surprise set and Soul Control opened. It was very professionally organized and promoted show. There were back stage passes, dressing rooms, food, showers, the whole deal. I admittedly felt a tad rock starish in that setting.
This past weekend, being at the Jersey shore with my family and playing on the beach with my son. Ok, that‘s it, what was said, was all so from the heart. Tim, thank you so much for taking the time and be so opened to everything and stuff. It is an honor.... Thank you for everything....
Last dream you had?
Last words?
I dreamt I was driving by some ones house that was throwing out a box full of the original 1960's/1970's era GI Joe 12" action figures. I remember pulling over and going through the box and being ecstatic over the find, then waking up empty handed and wanting to go back to the dream.
Last time you felt like your heart was broken? Getting rid of two of my dogs.
Thank you for being patient and persistent with this interview. It was a fun one to do and I look forward to seeing it published. Stay straight, go vegetarian! Interview by Michael Change of Echomaker, for outspoken magazine
[Reflections] RESPONSIBILITY – ethics and politics in the spotlight
Interview with Shannon Keith We are very proud to introduce a new section within the outspoken magazine. We will try to cover more political topics here. Topics we, within the hardcore scene are already connected to or that we should start to focus on. For this opening we decided to turn to a dear friend in the United States: Shannon Keith. Shannon produced „Behind the mask“ at „Uncaged Films“ and just started working on a new documentary this year. Hey Shannon, you brought „Uncaged Films“ to life. Could you explain your involvement in this and how/why it all started in the first place? „Uncaged Films“ grew out of my non-profit organization, ARME (Animal Rescue, Media & Education). I wanted to do more than save one animal at a time. While it is great and fulfilling, and especially wonderful for that individual animal, the struggle goes much deeper. And, without stopping the abuse, neglect and exploitation at its core, I realized I was just a Band-Aid, cleaning up a mess. I wanted to stop it at its roots. So, „Uncaged Films“ was born to produce education documentaries about animal exploitation and those who fight for animals‘ lives. I was lucky to be able to meet you in person at a screening in Hamburg in 2006. Which other countries despite Germany did you travel to for screenings? Yes! It was such a pleasure to meet you! I travelled to several states throughout the United States of course. I also travelled to England, Sweden and Canada. After watching „Behind the Mask“ many people came back to me with the urge to get active themselves, to do their part in ending this suffering. What would you tell them where to start? What is the most effective way to participate these days in your opinion? That‘s so great to hear! That‘s the response I wanted when making „Behind the Mask.“ Everyone has his own strengths in different areas - that‘s what makes the animal rights movement so powerful and diverse. People need to focus on how their talents can promote the rights of animals. For example, some people have great computer skills, but may not necessarily want to go outside and protest. That person can use their skills to build anti-animal abuse websites, promote the protests, and more. For those new to these issues, I suggest first purchasing cruelty-free household items and cosmetics. That‘s a great and easy way to start. Once you begin the process, going vegetarian and vegan is just a natural progression. Once you‘re there, it‘s important to do more. Like I said, think about your skills. If you‘re a good writer, write letters to your legislators and try to change unjust laws. There‘s always something you can do. I don‘t believe that there is one most effective way to participate. We are all a part of this movement, and we all have skills that are critical to the progression of our movement and animal abuse awareness.
Being vegan yourself and also being in between so many non-vegan people while fighting for your causes how do you feel about people „only“ being vegetarian or not even being vegetarian at all? I have to be sensitive to these people because I haven’t always been vegan; I haven’t always been vegetarian either. I know that attacking people for not being vegetarian is not the way to make positive change. I try to plant little seeds by making people aware of what happens to animals on factory farms. I realize that sometimes we forget that people actually are very ignorant. Some people really have no idea! I taught an Animal Law class this past summer in law school and I showed the students some video of animals on factory farms. Many of them were mortified. They told me that they did not know animals were treated that way. This made a huge impact on the students and many went vegetarian and even vegan. But, I did not shove it in their faces. I showed the footage in a classroom setting, teaching them about out lack of laws to protect animals. That way, they did not feel like I was attacking their lifestyle and they made their own decision not to partake in the suffering. On the other hand, there are those who are vegetarian already, but who haven‘t made the full realization about veganism. I like to applaud those people and give them praise because they are least part of the change. I always suggest going to vegan restaurants or when I see these people, bring them something vegan that‘s tasty, or show them a cool website with fashionable vegan clothes and shoes. It‘s so easy to make the step from vegetarianism to veganism, but some people don‘t have the support to know how. I know that for me it took a long time. I had been vegetarian for 8 years before I went vegan. That seems ridiculous now, but at the time, I had no friends who were vegan. In fact, I only had one vegetarian friend. I thought it would be so hard to do, so I took my time. I read a lot, and by the time I met other vegans, it was easy. I just needed to learn and be encouraged from others. So what about this new release of yours? Give us a quick introduction! What will it be about and why did you feel the necessity for its topic these days? I am so excited to share with you and your readers the progress of my new documentary! It is called „Skin Trade“ and is about the fur trade. This documentary goes where no other film or PSA has gone before. We delve deep into the history of fur and the roots of fashion. It‘s been quite the learning experience! I felt
the need to make a film about fur because, despite animal rights activists different passions about varying topics, activists all tend to agree that FUR is the „easiest“ issue; meaning, it should be the easiest campaign to win because there is no logical argument for using or wearing fur. Yet, we continue to see new seasons of fur being the trend in fashion. Fur seems to be on the up-swing instead of the downfall. Even though there are some great PSA‘s put out by PETA and other groups, they aren‘t working. I knew we needed a different angle; a twist if you will, on this issue. I don‘t want to give it all away, but it‘s very different than what people have seen in the past. You will learn, you will get angry and the fur trade will end! You spend so much time on your projects, with changing the world for the better. Is there still time for a normal life? For a family, loved ones? It all sounds really time consuming ;-) Haha. That are great questions. Lately, I have had no social life per se. When I‘m not filming and producing, I am working on my legal cases as well as saving animals from death row. Right now I have an office full of kittens I got from a dumpster - someone just threw them away! I also have a huge dog that was on death row, not to mention all „my“ dogs. So, yes, animals consume my life. But I wouldn‘t have it any other way. It‘s just the way I am. I don‘t know that I will ever have a „normal“ life because animal rights are my number 1 priority. My personal human relationships take a back-seat to the animals. From all that I got to know about you, I cannot help myself but thinking you have definitely not been done yet! I am very anxious to see the new film being released. Hopefully there will be some screenings over here and maybe you will find some time just to make holidays in Germany? I definitely will! We are hoping to do another world „tour“ next summer and visit some new countries. I look forward to see you!
Interview by Henning Jäger
16 [Outspoken]
[Literatur]
Straight Edge: Subkultur, Ideologie, Lebensstil? Merle Mulder
Jeder, der sich für Straight Edge interessiert und Bock auf wissenschaftliche Aspekte hat, wird dieses Buch lieben. Wie der Titel schon sagt, ist das Buch der Versuch, Straight Edge in eine bestimmte Richtung einzuordnen. Um diesen Vergleich anstellen zu können, geht Merle Mulder sehr strukturiert vor: Das erste und zweite Kapitel drehen sich besonders um die Grundprinzipien, soziostrukturelle Merkmale, Enstehungsund Entwicklungsgeschichte, Gruppierungen innerhalb von Straight Edge und die Definitionsproblematik. Klingt alles ziemlich trocken oder? Ist aber echt interessant, viele Aussagen werden mit zB Ian MacKaye‘s Aussagen über das Thema untermalt. Ein bisschen lästig sind allerdings die ständigen Quellenangaben, was aber durch den wissenschaftlichen Aspekt ein bisschen gerechtfertigt werden kann. Hier ein kleiner Ausschnitt aus dem Teil „ Net-Edger“, der für mich persönlich nen echtes Highlight war: „ Sie verfolgen eine breitere Auslegung des Straight-EdgeBegriffes und sind der Meinung [...], eine aktive Teilnahme an lokalen Gruppierungen und insbesondere der Besuch von Hardcorekonzerten nicht notwendig sei. Dieser Meinung stimmen jedoch nicht alle Straight-Edger zu. Sie vertreten die Ansicht, dass die aktive Partizipation in einer Gruppe essentiell für Straight Edge und gerade die Musik ein verbindender Faktor sei: „You take away the music, you take away the subculture, and all you have left is a bunch of drugfree kids“. [...], ist also auch immer eine Frage des <being> versus <doing>.“ Nach der „groben“ Begriffserklärung, die locker 44 Seiten füllt, beginnt die wirklich wissenschaftliche Herangehensweise an den Vergleich verschiedener bekannter Definitionen von Ideologie, Subkultur und Lebensweise Straight Edge. Es mag blöde klingen, aber für viele wird gerade hier, im Kern des Buches, der langweiligere Teil beginnen. Die Au-
torin führt nun alle Definitionen an, das heißt erstmal geht am Anfang jedes Kapitels das Augenmerk weg von Straight Edge. Für jeden, der auf eine recht unkonventionelle Art etwas über Straight Edge erfahren will, wird das Buch vielleicht eher ein „Griff ins Klo“ sein. Hier würde alleine das Lesen der Einleitung und des Fazits genügen. Aber es ist das erste Werk, das die ganze Sache von einem wissenschaftlichen Standpunkt aus betrachtet und analysiert. Das macht es doch wieder ziemlich interessant. Um einen von Vorurteilen befreiten Stand in unserer Gesellschaft zu erlangen und auch Anerkennung von der ein oder anderen intellektuellen Seite zu bekommen war ein solches Werk einfach notwendig. Es eröffnet einer völlig neuen Klientel den Zugang zu dieser Ideologie und zeichnet einen weiteren Schritt in der Evolution von Straight Edge ab. Alles in allem ist das Buch für die breite Masse mit Vorsicht zu genießen, wer aber keine „leichte Kost“ erwartet, wird vollkommen zufrieden sein. Helena Lauinger
CUMSHOTS
Höhepunkte der deutschen Pornofilme Gut, Marcel Reich-Ranicki ist wahrscheinlich hier ebenso schwer zu begeistern wie vom deutschen Fernsehen, aber der Unterhaltungsfaktor dieses Werkes ist wirklich nicht zu unterschätzen. Einigen ist es vielleicht durch den Besuch der Autoren in TV TOTAL bekannt, doch ist eben dieser schon eine Weile her und da Weihnachten naht, sollten auch die etwas älteren Geschenkideen wieder in Erinnerung gerufen werden. Zum Buch selber: im Endeffekt haben Manuel Grebing und Stephan Scheler das getan, was doch fast jeder beim Besuch einer Videothek regelmäßig tut: die lustigsten Pornofilmtitel suchen. Diese inklusive der Cover wurden auf knapp 300 Seiten zusammengefasst. Da der Entstehungsort eine Werbeagentur ist, kommt natürlich auch die Optik nicht zu kurz. Das Buch selber sieht aus wie eine Videokassette und wird entsprechend in einer Videokassettenhülle geliefert. Sieht übrigens super im Bücherregal aus! Nach all dem Umschreibungen dürfen zum Schluß natürlich die Beispiele nicht fehlen.
Also: American Booty, Shaving Private Ryan, Musik für Melonen, Geil im Mittelfeld, Rammel der Hase und Reinstecke Fuchs oder ganz neu: Tokio Bordell. Die Titel machen echt Spaß, wenn auch die Cover zum Teil wirklich grenzwertig sind. Porno halt. Für Interessierte: www.cumshots-buch.de Sara Deeken
[Bands]
[Outspoken] 17
The Chariot
Die „neue“ Band vom alten Norma Jean Sänger Wer sich wie ich gefragt hat, was aus dem alten Shouter der Truppe von Norma Jean geworden ist, der findet hier die Antwort. In 2003 gründete Josh Scogin nachdem sich die Wege mit den Jungs von Norma Jean trennten „The Chariot“ und es klingt, als habe er Norma Jean das Chaos geklaut. Die Band wird zwar allgemein im Metalcore-Bereich einsortiert. Wird diesem aber eigentlich nicht gerecht. Die Songs klingen gewaltig und voll. Keiner gleicht dem anderen. Josh hat mit seinem neuen Projekt an die wohl beste Scheibe von Norma Jean „Bless the Martyr und kiss the Child“ nahtlos angeschlossen. Ihr aktuelles Album „the Fiancée“ ist wie 2 der 3 Vorgänger auf Solid State Records erschienen. Die erste Scheibe der 5 Herren aus Atlanta war noch eine Eigenveröffentlichung bis sie in 2004 auf Solid State Records unterschrieben. Der Name „The Chariot“ spiegelt ihren christlichen Glauben wieder, denn der Name entspringt tatsächlich der Bibel. Wer sich mit dem wirren Sound der Jungs auseinander setzt, den wundert nichts mehr. Das aktuelle Album ist gespickt von Merkwürdigkeiten, die den Hörer zunächst eher verwirren als begeistern. Man weiß buchstäblich nicht, was auf einen zukommt. Für Freunde von sortierten Klängen ist diese Band wohl ein rotes Tuch. Wer allerdings die etwas arhythmischen und besonderen Dinge mag, der ist hier genau richtig.
The Chariot haben Rhythmik und Struktur so sehr verstanden, dass es fast wirkt, als könnten sie sie neu erklären und definieren. Dazu die gewaltige Stimme von einem der überzeugendsten Shouter der Musikwelt und die Mahlzeit ist perfekt. Zwar zäh und schwer zu verdauen, aber genau das, was es braucht um sich vom Rest zu differenzieren und zu zeigen, dass man anders ist. The Chariot sind mutig und machen was anderes. Auch nach 4 Platten fehlt es nicht an Tempo oder droht im Einheitsbrei zu versinken. Man hört in jedem Song, dass sie machen wonach ihnen ist und nicht was sich besser verkaufen lässt, tanzbarer ist, oder zum mitsingen anregt. Sie bauen Chöre ein, Breaks oder Stellen in denen Josh einen Shout so sehr in die Länge zieht, dass es klingt wie ein Brummen und die Instrumente aussetzen. Sie spielen mal schnell, mal fast schwerfällig, mal instrumental völlig überladen, mal aufs wesentliche reduziert. Also eine sehr überzeugende Band und sehr gelungene Platten die buchstäblich vor Bewegung platzen. Abschließend ist nur zu sagen: Reinhören und den Scheiben ruhig zwei Durchgänge genehmigen. So schwere Kost braucht ein wenig um richtig aufgenommen und verstanden zu werden. Kim Klausing
Amber Pacific Im Mai 2008 veröffentlichten Amber Pacific ihr 3. Studioalbum ‚Truth in Sincerity‘. Die Platte erschien auf Hopeless Records und ist für diejenigen unter uns, die nicht zufällig auf einen der beiden Vorgänger ‚Fading Days‘ (EP aus 2004) oder ‚The Possibility & the Promise‘ (LP aus 2005) gestoßen sind, ein Grund die eigenen Ohren mit dem treibenden Sound der 4 Jungs aus Seattle zu verwöhnen. Musikalisch reihen sie sich nicht nahtlos in die Pop-PunkWelle ein. Ihr Sound ist lauter, derber und voller und gerade deshalb macht es Spaß ihren Songs zu lauschen. In Amerika bereits zu den ‚größeren Fischen‘ gehörend, begeisterten sie ihre Anhänger schon in den Jahren von 2004 bis 2007 auf der Warped Tour und spielten sie sich mit drumlastigen Hymnen in die Herzen der Zuschauer denn trotzdem wir es hier wieder mit einer Band zu tun haben, die dem Kochtopf ‚Emo‘ entsprungen ist, haben ihre Songs etwas hoffnungsvolles und fast ausschließlich positives. Kaum Rumgejammere, wenig Herzschmerz, eher etwas wachrüttelndes ist die Botschaft der Band um Sänger Matt Young. Songs wie ‚Allways you (good times)‘ (The Possibility & The Promise) oder ‚If you fall back into my life‘ (Truth in Sincerity) erzwingen ein Lächeln aufs Gesicht und ermuntern die Masse zum mit singen. Im Gegensatz hierzu bietet The Possibility & the Promise mit ‚If I fall‘ ein wunderschönes, ausschließlich vom Klavier begleitetes Stück dass die MädchenAugen ein wenig feuchter werden lässt. Es lohnt sich also definitiv sich diese Band einmal genauer anzuhören, denn für jene Freunde der seichteren Musik ist diese Band durchaus eine Alternative zu den meis-
ten bisher da gewesenen. Und für solche, die die Platten der Jungs schon seit längerer Zeit ihr eigen nennen, ‚Truth in Sincerity‘ lässt wenige Wünsche offen. Die Jungs haben kaum an Geschwindigkeit verloren, allerdings scheinen sie lyrisch ein wenig nachgelassen zu haben, was sie aber durch ihre musikalische Untermalung kaum merken lassen. Kim Klausing
18 [Outspoken]
[Shows]
Charitycore ... Blut und Schweiß für eine gute Sache Beatdown und Violent Dancing ... „Das hat bestimmt nichts mit ner Sache, die einem guten Zweck dienen könnte, zu tun!“, könnte man denken. VON WEGEN! Beatdown+Charity= Charitycore. Das ist etwas Neues. Hier geht es um mehr als um Spaß an der Musik, sondern um Hilfe für bedürftige Kids: "Charitycore ist ein Spendenprojekt von Hardcore Kids für Hardcore Kids, dessen Erlös zu 100% für einen guten Zweck verwendet werden soll." Das bedeutet, dass alle Bands ohne irgendwelche Geldansprüche gespielt haben, was für dieses Hammer-Line-Up bestimmt nicht selbstverständlich ist. Größen in der Szene wie Nasty, Reduction, Circle of Death und Fallbrawl gaben sich die Klinke in die Hand und machten die Show für jeden "Beatdown-Atzen" unvergesslich. Hinter diesem Projekt stecken ganz normale Typen wie jeder von uns. Sie kümmerten sich um eine einwandfreie Location (die Musikbox in Minden), die geilen Bands und um Sponsoren, ohne die leider nichts geht. Einer dieser Jungs ist Robin. Hier ein kleines Summary von ihm selbt: "Die Idee ist irgendwo zwischen Wald und Wiesen auf einer unserer ellenlangen Diskussionen über Hc-Musik und Konzerte entstanden. Erst war alles nur so dahergesagt und ich habe weiter nix gemacht, bis "Rest in Blood" ins Spiel kamen und die Sache in die Hand genommen haben. Als ich merkte, dass es ernst um Charity wurde, hab ich mich reingehangen und ich wurde nach und nach von Bombennachrichten wie "Nasty spielen", "Vans, BDHW, Edeka, etc. unterstützen uns" und zu guter letzt, dass die Box sich dafür bereit erklärt hat, die Show dort stattfinden zu lassen. Eins kam zum anderen, die Sache wurde ernst und alles verstrickte sich mehr und mehr. Silke (Managerin von Nasty) band sich immer mehr mit ins Thema ein und ist ein fester Bestandteil des Teams geworden. Sie übernahm einen Großteil der Promo und Kommunikation zu Nasty etc. Die Frau ist superklasse drauf und mit Herz bei der Sache gewesen. Hab ich noch nie erlebt sowas. Total engagiert. Unser Motto war "Alle für Alle!". Egal wer was bei Charitycore gemacht hat, ob du Fan warst und nur die Show besucht hast oder ob es Leute wie die Mischer, die Musikbox, die Bands oder wer auch immer war, jeder hat seinen Teil beigetragen. Im Grunde sind also alle irgendwie Mitorganisatoren. Denn die beste Orga bringt nix, wenn keiner Unity gezeigt hätte und später niemand da gewesen wäre. Als es dann so weit war bekam ich Herzrasen, besonders als ich um 10 Uhr morgens schon knapp 100 Leute vor der Box rumlaufen gesehen hab. Die Hütte wurde voller und voller und nach letzten überstandenen Schwierigkeiten konnte der Soundcheck dann losgehen. Als "Never turn back" ihren Soundcheck beendet hatten, ist mir klar geworden was der Spruch "Ein Stein vom Herzen fallen" bedeutet. Alles war in trockenen Tüchern! Wir hätten nie, auch nur im geringsten, gedacht, dass es so krass werden würde. Die Stimmung hat mich persönlich vom Hocker gehauen, genauso die Security und die Musikbox. Alle waren mehr als zufrieden und hatten ihren Stress, der sich aber richtig für den Spaß gelohnt hat.
Die Musikbox hat uns übrigens einen großen Teil unter die Arme gegriffen, nicht nur was die Location angeht, sondern auch bei so Sachen wie Securitykosten, etc. Klasse Abend. Die Fans, die bei der Show waren überrumpeln uns mit Comments. Das sind wir nicht gewohnt. Wir scheißen auf die Gerüchte im Internet, es gibt wichtigere Dinge auf der Welt, wie zum Beispiel das Leid anderer Menschen. Daran wollen wir weiter festhalten. Auch wenn wir nur ein kleines Rad am Wagen sind, wir geben es nicht auf uns zu drehen. Uns treibt es fast schon die Freudentränen ins Gesicht die Leute feiern zu sehen; die Fans haben Mordsspaß, die Bands machen sich ein gutes Image und ich hoffe wir können den Kids helfen. Für mich persönlich die geilste Show, auf der ich je in meinem Leben war und ich hab schon etliche besucht. Hab noch nie so eine Stimmung erlebt. Kaum zu glauben. Das motiviert uns für noch mehr Einsatz! Charitycore-MySpace-Seite aufrufen und für Updates checken. Es laufen neue Blogs, Bulletins, Fotos, etc.!" Ich denke, auch wenn wir alle wie Robin sagt "nur ein kleines Rad sind", kann man viel ändern. So fängt es an. Ich hoffe das war nicht das Letzte, was wir vom Charitycore gehört haben. Helena Lauinger
[Shows]
[Outspoken] 19
Filled with Hate
Wie jedes Jahr steigt am 2. Mai wieder die Riesensause in Essen: Das „Filled with Hate Fest“. Das bomben Line-Up reicht von „Arkangel“ über „Copykill“ bis hin zu „Embraced by Hatred“. Falls ihr noch zweifelt, ob es sich wirklich lohnt euren Allerwertesten ins JZE in der Papestraße zu bewegen, gibt es hier nen Eindruck vom letzten Jahr. Stop, Halt! Fangt gar nicht an diesen Text wie einen dieser langweiligen Show-Reviews zu überfliegen. Dieses Mal habe ich mir gedacht den Spieß einfach umzudrehen und nicht dieses ewige „diese Band war super“ und „die andere war scheiße“ selbst zu schreiben. Also schrieb ich jede Band an, bekam jedoch nur von der Minderheit etwas zurück....Warum? Die Frage kann sich glaube ich jeder selbst beantworten. Nur so viel von mir: Das Filled with Hate Fest machte seinem Ruf alle Ehre und jede Band wusste auf ihre Art und Weise zu überzeugen. Die Organisation war einwandfrei, auch wenn so viele Bands abgesagt haben. Danke an Axel, Niels, Rico....und natürlich die Bands, die sich nicht zu fein waren um nen paar Zeilen zu schreiben.
Circle of Death (Andree)
„Das FWH Fest war eine super Gelegenheit unsere neue Platte zu promoten. Hardcorekids aus ganz Europa haben sich dort blicken lassen, da sie sich genau wie wir diesen Geburtstag nicht entgehen lassen wollten. Auch wenn einige Bands absagen mussten war das Fest, so fanden wir, ein voller Erfolg. Schon BIC haben einen super Start mit ihren neuen Songs von dem bald erscheinenden Album hingelegt. Super Songs, auch wenn bei der ersten Hälfte des Sets noch nicht so viele Leute im Raum waren. Auch die Reunions waren sehr überzeugend, wie Retaliate und Crawlspace. Die my Demon hat mich persönlich am meisten überrascht. Platoon sind für EBH eingesprungen, was einerseits schade war, anderer seits haben diese auch ein geniales Set hingelegt und einen alten Drift Klassiker ausgepackt. In Blood We Trust...solide wie immer, spitzen Liveband. Es war echt ne Bombe die Bühne mit allen Bands teilen zu dürfen. Danke an Axel, Niels, Rico und alle die noch mitgeholfen habe um dieses Fest steigen zu lassen. Auf weitere 10 Jahre FWH.
Out for the count
Surge of Fury: They always set the stage on fire..... A great fuckin band
Brothers in Crime (Niels)
Brothers in Crime: Denke gut,von uns aus ja... 2 wochen, dann kommt unsere Platte, bitte kaufen!!! Circle of Death: Sehr gute Band und gute Show gespielt!!!Und sehr gute Tischnachbarn beim Merchverkauf!! Surge of
Fury: Hammer. The Platoon: In meinen Augen mit einer der besten Bands am Abend! 50 Caliber, Retaliate, Out for the count, In Blood we Trust: ok. Lionheart: Sehr fett. Cheap Thrills: Auch eine der besten Bands am Abend! Whatever it takes: Gute Show Nasty: Immerwieder hammer Folsom: Auch eine der besten Bands Die my Demon: Sehr gut Crawlspace: Gute Show,war gut sie mal wieder zu sehen,trotzdem auf den Shows vor 7-8 Jahren war mehr Party!!! Six Ft. Ditch: Wie immer − Sehr geiles Festival, großes Lob an Rico ,Nils und Axel und natürlich an alle Helfer und Bands!! Auf weitere 10 Jahre!
Cheap Thrills
Brothers in Crime: BIC sind Freunde von uns!Kevin und Nils sind hammer typen!leider verpasst Surge of Fury: Sind schon eine lange Zeit am Start! Respetkable Typen! Hab mich bis vor kurzem nie sonderlich für sie interessiert,obwol sie gerade mal 50km von uns entfernt wohnen! BULLDOZE cover! The Platoon: Großartige Band! Ihre Mcd kommt demnächst auf FWH records raus! Fängt da an wo DRIFT aufgehört haben! Bester sänger in Deutschland! In Blood We Trust: Freunde von uns,entspannte Typen,neue Cd find ist ganz gut Nasty: Sind mit den Jungs damals quasi aufgewachsen! Musikalisch nicht mein Ding,aber sie stehen verdient da wo sie jetzt sind Folsom: Absolut geile Band! Labemates von uns! Hab die Jungs auf dem FWH kennengelernt! Die my Demons: Super Show! Abriss,CLUBBER LANG Coversong! Crawlspace: War ok,aber nicht mehr Six Ft. Ditch: Waren schon auf dem Heimweg Alles in allem war es ein cooler Tag,wir haben viele alte Freunde getroffen und einge Neue kennengelernt.Danke FWH records und danke RICO 7 STITCHES!
In Blood We Trust
50 Caliber: Overhammer Cheap Thrills: Sexieste deutsche Band zur Zeit
Out for the count
Surge of fury: Was a blast, as always, Belgium‘s hardestShout out to the Platoon and Cheap thrills, those are the real deal Helena Lauinger/Text Burkhard Müller/Bild