COLUMNS On any given weekday morning, I wake up at 7 AM. I turn on the coffee pot and take a shower. I drink my coffee and listen to a small pile of records. I wake up at 7 so that I have enough time to listen to some music before going to work. Then I put on a shirt and tie, stupid fucking slacks, and dress shoes, and go out the door to work. There was a time in my life just a few years ago that I didn’t even own a tie, and I swore I’d never wear one to work. Then I stumbled across what I believe to be my life’s calling, as dumb as that sounds. Having received a bachelor’s degree in Sociology, I found myself working at restaurants and unloading freight trucks, and generally being fucking miserable. It wasn’t really the pay that I cared about, but I hated going to work and doing shit that didn’t matter or improve anyone’s lives, I was just enabling consumption. At the restaurant, I worked with a bunch of Mexican dudes, and we only spoke Spanish at work. I saw the impact that English had on their lives, so one day between one job and the other, I stopped by the Adult Education school in the town I was living in, told them that I spoke Spanish and asked if they needed volunteers. They told me to get a teaching certification that I was eligible for, and that they could pay me! So I plunged headfirst into the world of teaching ESL: English as a Second Language. Every day, I go to work and teach English to immigrants. It is the most rewarding occupation that I’ve ever had. Not only are these people my students, but I consider them my friends. I get to help them get the most out of what they came here for, by helping them learn the language, and they help
me by telling me about their lives, and sharing their successes and cultures with me. I learn about new awesome food, I hear about their happiness in things like gaining employment for the first time (which means they can take care of their kids better), or earning citizenship (which they’re usually very proud of ). I don’t tell them that I have friends that I correspond with in their countries because I like their band, or that I spent my summer without showering, riding in a van with 8 other dudes playing loud music in basements that most people wouldn’t understand. Until the tape deck in my car broke, I’d drive to and from work listening to grind, but now I listen to NPR. In between lessons I check text messages and voicemails from so and so from this band, or from the pressing plant that my order is ready to ship, or I check message boards. When I play shows, no one is the wiser that I masquerade as a regular dude during daylight hours. Some people know about my double life. It gets ridiculous at times, but I rather like it. I don’t feel like I’m selling out. My motivation for my involvement with both my career and with punk stem from the same place, a desire to change the world in a positive way. Punk is the only music that I’ve come across that spoke to me about social change in a way that I could relate to or care about, and my job does the same. I never thought I’d become a teacher, and I think if I taught children instead of adults, I’d hate my life. Instead, I love what I do, and it is not just bearable during the week, but enjoyable. Sometimes shows are on weeknights, and I drag ass the next day, but it’s always been worth it.
Hey! Hey! Hey! Nick Sick
Well, I am happy with the 1st issue of Paul’s zine, it looks good and it finally
came out. All things take some time I guess but yeah I was wondering how the hell it would come out and it looks perfect. I won’t ramble about how I got into punk this time but rather explain a few things about theft and my opinions on it. Now 1st I’ll mention how it was hard to drop the habit, I used to be a chronic kleptomaniac and incase you don’t know its a nasty habit to get. But I’ll explain that in a bit here the history of that with me and how it affected my life. I don’t care much for Myspace really to be honest. Yeah, I got a profile and I also got one for the label but at the same time I hate it when kids might just check out a band on it and say they like a band and just know those songs or download those solely and thats it, same with soulseek users. I know I might get some flack for saying that but its one thing if the record is super rare and you can’t hear it otherwise possibly but if its some band on tour by your town and you just download it I feel thats empty and you’re not a fan. You support stealing their music instead and would rather be some cheap asshole. I always pick up vinyl, I don’t use soulseek so even rarer records I hope a friend has so I can see what the hullabaloo is all about or I see a new record in a distro box or online that seems up my alley I’ll buy it even if I’ve not heard it yet, its part of the wonder of buying records-the element of surprise seems to have alluded most new/modern kids and they need to know things then and now without any patience. And I guess I should take into consideration that some kids might be broke and just have a computer and if thats true then yeah maybe some leeway should be provided to said person but it seems people with money are the ones most guilty of this. Perhaps because I am from a different time period that my opinions are so strong-I liked punk before the internet was a huge resource for it-so that maybe why, but I’ll be damned if I feel this free everything to kids approach to being into hardcore should be tolerated, and thats my whine on that matter and I re-
COLUMNS
ally don’t want criticisms for it. Theft, such a shitty thing and I used to get a rush off of it. It started in 1987 at a neighbors house of my famiy. We were invited over for dinner and my little brother played with their son-who was my age but we didn’t get along-so I was left alone to do whatever and got bored watching videos so I wandered into the toy box and came across a Transformer (which I am a diehard fan of G1) and it was Wheelie. Granted yes it is an annoying character and a not too awesome toy at that but a Transfomer none the less, I just pocketed the toy and was nervous but took it home with me no one the wiser. The next morning my mom searched my coat for mittens and came across the toy knowing well it wasn’t mine and scolded me. A few weeks later they were invited and my parents gave the buy back the toy with me saying sorry of course per my parents wishes. This feeling would be buried for a good 4-5 more years but when my longing for taking whats mine would come back, it would come back hard and not escape from me for another 6 years. I speak of it like being possessed or having a disease because thats what it was like for me-it had a hold of me and I was addicted to stealing, and it would have severe consequences in many different ways. So back to basics-I was 11 years old and getting way into collecting cards I mean most kids did then so I don’t know if kids do this day and age but whether it was comic or sports related I had them. I was trading with a kid in my class which we had in trailers on the outside 2nd parking lot of the school-no they weren’t white trash these were professional and high quality sorts of trailers, but yeah so I trade cards w/ Jon and he has a Frank Thomas I want but won’t give it up (and he was a Cub fan too the asshole) and so class begins and I think about why he wouldn’t. So then a little while later class ends and recess begins. Now as soon as class was done the teacher left with the kids not really giving it a thought if a kid
stayed behind, as I was actually getting my books in my bag on the hook in the wall as I was to need to get my stuff together to get into the school now for another class not held in the trailers. So as I was in there recess was in and no one came to look for me-so 1st thing I do is race over to the desk Jon sat in and took the card I wanted. Class came back I went to the bathroom during the interlude so no one suspected me and of course Jon cried but I was never caught. I was so happy after that I started staying in recess all the time taking numerous thing be it money, gum or other cards, I even got a knife off of one of the more troublesome kids,,, how he had that I don’t know but I later disposed of it in the woods fearing being caught with said knife-it was a butterfly knife. Throughout the remainder of 5th-6th grade I would do stupid things such as this, and even from my neighbors I did this, just ‘use the restroom’ and wander into a bedroom on the way up nice and fast. This story gets worse I’ll try and keep it brief as possible. By the end of 6th grade I made a ‘friend’ who also was into theft and I of course would do stupid things with him, he taught me how to shoplift candy bars at 1st and then made my way onto comics and cards which were my sweet tooth. The grocery store had the cards and was run by a married older couple who lived their whole lives in this town and knew my parents through church and the mom and pop place had the comics, the comics I did once and that was it I wasn’t smooth enough to get away with that. But cards, that was the thing that got me into the most trouble at 1st. The grocery store of course like I said the owners knew my parents and that made it hard for me to do this at 1st but I realized to get what I want I do whatever it takes so I pocketed them. Next time at church a few weeks later the couple came up to me after mass and asked if I knew anything about anyone taking cards and I lied of course and went back a few days later to do it again but this
COLUMNS time I took 6 packs rather than the 2 I was doing. I kept on doing this until I noticed the 5th time I went there to do so the husband was looking at me after I put the pack in my pocket. I got scared of course as he did make eye contact with me and kept his eyes on me then, I sweated a bunch making it so obvious it was me and made my way for the door. They didn’t call the cops as far as I know but I ran like fucking hell to get home then and they never said anything to my parents either but also didn’t speak to my parents ever again which always confused them but of course I knew. I would stop stealing cards from stores and then move into new terrotory-toys. I would open GI Joe’s and Z Bots in the stores in the back away from cameras-before they were all over the store-and I would walk out nervous but with a pocket full of about 2 toys each time I did this, later on I would briefly grow out of liking toys and that quickly ended that. So then a calm and non sketchy summer later I would start 7th grade. Now my best friend I had at the time named Hank who was the oldest of 2 lived with very hillbilly parents and they were huge cat lovers as well as Trekkies,, why I said this I don’t know. Anyways though I went to his new house he just moved into after living in the house 3 blocks down from me since he was born so going to his new house I found exciting. The place was huge and blew my mind and he wound up having to clean the basement which led me to watch TV in his room upstairs. Now this was a mistake as I thought I was under enough control to not take from my friends but well that was thrown out the window that day and would also be the start down a darker and more nerve wrecking path of theft. I open his dresser and find a few small toys I liked and 5 bucks which I immeadiately take, he never did find out as he might have forgotten he had those things but I also think he did know, as his mom was never a big fan of me I think since I always liked to talk and we once talked about sci fi movies and I had to say I saw
a movie which I actually didn’t and the bitch actually asked me to recite a line from it and what the plot was. I mean yeah I lied but be mature enough to not embarass me even further than need be! So yeah being in 7th grade would also lead to my very brief experience with trying to pick purses and that was a 1 for 2 rate I had with that. After class let out in choir-it was a required course!-I slowly made my way down the stairs and into the music teachers purse where she had 3 dollar bills which I yanked. I would then try this again on my last day at this school before moving to Pennsylvania on the art teacher but a kid in the class ratted me out (his family was very close with hers as they were both Native American) and I was pulled into the hall. She wanted none of what I did and made threats but I smiled and laughed as I told her I was out of there for good after that class. She was so mad but she also made mention if ever came back to the school I’d be sorry. Well, granted yes I would come back to IL but to a different town. So I had a bitter sweet going away as the kids in class knew what I did and looked at me in shame but I didn’t care I hated them so it was all good. So I move to PA and would then make friends in the neighborhood and of course start stealing from them. Sad thing is I stole from EVERY friend I had out there because I wanted what they had since they were all richer than I was, my parents were middle class I guess but I reaped no benefits from their income so I was to make a very minimal allowance-which I didn’t save my money too often when I was young-which then led me to take so much, plus like I said when I was 6 it felt good it was a weird combo of those 2 things I think which led me to do this. One friend of mine I had in PA named Joe I used,,, I never used anybody before but I did to him and my parents never liked him which made it even more funny in a weird way but he knew I took from him and he was rather calm about it. Apart from the 1 time my parents caught me stealing when I was a little
COLUMNS boy I’d not been caught and talked to about it. He of course would slowly stop coming over and I wasn’t shocked but I got what I needed to meet my fix. I also stole a ton from a kid’s dad who had a TON of cards and he was one of Michael Jordan’s college coaches at UNC of all things, I always thougnt that was so weird but in this basement was nothing but UNC and Bulls merch and photos of the 2 of them, but yeah I realized then moving back to IL a year later how serious my problem had become and my parents knew this too-as I started going into my mom’s purse, my brother and sister’s banks and my dad’s wallet-my dad caught me and threatened to break my hand when he did and squeezed it rather hard, twisting and pulling my fingers and I did cry in pain but I couldn’t be stopped I would continue to then take from my family, then leek into other relatives and then continue with my other friends when the oppurtunity arose. I also would begin hanging out with a friend of mine named Mike who lived in the 1st town I lived in IL before moving to PA and of course we already kept in touch via phone and letter but yeah I went over there one day in December of 1996 and was suddenly urged to steal so I started with whatever caught my fancy which ended up being the usual things. Well for some reason his mom thought I took money from them when I lived in town the 1st time and she always had this weird watchful eye on me- it wound up the brother of his misplaced his money but I never did get an apology for that. But anyways, she checks my bag while I was in the shower and finds all this stuff and of course they drive me home a few things are said and well she talked with my mom for about an hour about it and I did have to pay him back for something I didn’t get caught taking and I had the guts to say sorry and lets still be friends, ooof. Never do that! So yeah I lost my best friend of 3 years over something as stupid as theft and still it doesn’t even phase me I got over him fast and
focussed all my energy onto what I could possibly take next and from where. Funny thing I’d run into the family at the mall a year later and I just ran out of the store in complete embarassment,, my dad wondered why I was out so quick I just said I saw nothing there. But the worst would come when I had made a guy a year older than me named Brad who was an only child of a rather dim witted father and a very sarcastic but witty mother who was very much like an oompa loompa-she looked like one to the letter. The thing was Brad also loved the same toys as me and we became friends later in high school. Well sometime in winter of 1999 we were upstairs and wanted to go downstairs so we watched Hollywood Squares. I got bored watching it and said lets go upstairs to look at his comics and he said no I want to watch TV and said I could go up but I knew if he left me alone to his stuff up there what would happen and I asked him again, almost pleading him to come up but he felt weird that I did prob thinking it was something gay on my end and I went up and made myself at home to some of his toys, which at 1st I had kept for me but then decided some months later to sell them to a toy store who bought these in particular toys to help pay my car repair bills I had accumulated thanks to my stupid ass driving my car on black ice in a snowstorm to try and buy used cd’s and records! I thought I was in the clear as it was my senior year of high school but then comes an email and a written letter to me which I deleted and threw away thinking I’d avoid it. Well, the same would come back but addressed to my parents and I was indeed caught again and my parents threatened to kick me out if I didn’t solve my kleptomania and my problem I had with Brad as they threatened to press charges this time. So I instead of selling a bunch of my stuff to give him his money back I then decide on giving him back what I couldn’t sell by putting that on his doorstep, ringing the bell and then running away. I was a coward and I felt
COLUMNS
ashamed for once that I had done this, and for the 1st time I actually realized the severity of what I had done and vowed to never do it again which I have not. I also took from many other people, way too many to count and I lost another friend we’ll call Bob towards the end of my wrath which still bothers me to this day. He was a weird guy but shit so am I and it has always been tough for me to just have friends in general and he liked a lot of the same movies as me, same comics and definitely he and I grew up into punk and HC, he would like punk a bit more than me as I kept on the HC path for sometime but he knew what was up and he even collected and liked toys too like me, a true kindered spirit if I ever saw one and I even kind of hoped we’d have been friends even past high school but I fucked it up because I had to take from his mom and his brother, be caught (even though they knew the whole time when I was still friends with him) over greed and some weird ass rush I got from doing so, even if I got caught it was the whole adrenaline you get then from arguing with someone over something stupid you just did. From my bad exmaple I set for myself and a bunch of trust I’d have to build back with my family I learned how horrible stealing is. I am disgusted in the fact I ever did it and for so long especially, I know this is pretty basic in explanation and not too amusing but well I feel better getting this off my chest and I know this reaks of somethings are best left unsaid but well I felt I should say this as warning to anyone whoever has contemplated taking what isn’t theirs. Bottom line here is if you never stole before, don’t even try it or start its more trouble than its worth. Oh yeah so I at least have something apart from a dumbass past to bring up here, check out the Blood Farmers if you can-really awesome and obscure Midwestern hardcore from the mid 80’s, their record is rare as hell but its totally worth hearing and tracking down. www.cowabungarecords.com
COLUMNS Welcome welcome. Growing older is the weirdest sensation. I have gone to see bands play in beaten down venues and houses for more than a decade and I have never once felt too old for a crowd of people until the other day. There is a really interesting rift in Raleigh, where instead of having one age of kids into hardcore music like I am used to, there is now the new class like in Saved by the Bell. Two Saturdays ago this became evident as the two different groups stratified between two places that have shows. I felt a bit uneasy around the younger kids but it is refreshing to see some new faces at the same time. I should have left everything I have known and moved to Portland. That was the plan a year ago. I sunk down and took a deep root in the town I have spent a good deal of my life in, I bought a house. An amazing glorious home in a place where its a chore to find good vegan eats, where great friends constantly talk about or move away, and where there are often weekends full of nothing to do. Although there is something romantic in living in a town with so little stimuli. There is a lot of free time to develop oneself and also a lot of room to make your favorite things happen yourself. There always seems to be enough friends to bike downtown and check out art on first Friday’s or to make a roadtrip to Richdmond to see some bands play (although I think I’m dead out of luck for the IN DISGUST / COKE BUST show tomorrow night). I want to travel more. I have never been
overseas. Funny thing is, my first mortgage statement just came in the mail today and is staring me in the face and that just screams ‘save money’. I’m really luck that I’m going to make it up to MDF for the first time ever this year. I’m also going up to Auditory Assault the weekend before with my friend’s band MWDH. I have never been to New York City ever so I’m super excited about that. Thats life currently. I would have written about bands but TIFY kind of made everything else pretty lackluster. Lots of great friends, good bands, and good eats. We did have an amazing show for MEHKAGO NT since then, and some local bands are sprouting up out of nowhere, notably PLAGUE. Current interests: making kombucha/water kefir, WORLDS, DEATH RATS, INTOTHEGORE (RIP - Greece), TORCHE, house stuff, artwork, looking for better jobs, hermit crabs, NPR, and apparently growing up.
Time to get the zine to the printer again! I am sitting here finishing up all of the loose ends with the zine, on my day off. I have a pretty good weekend coming up, which is good to thnk about – The Kids Of Carnage are getting back after 8 months of not playing shows to start playing a few local shows again. The Cape Cod scene has spurts and we have a good one coming up, so that is something to really start looking forward too. The younger generation of kids that go to shows gets bigger and bigger every
COLUMNS
local show, and the Kids of Carnage return shows should attract a lot of attention. Also more and more local Cape punk bands are starting to get out more and start playing a ton more shows. The Revilers, Steve VS. The Volcano, and a few more. The warmer weather really brings bands and people out of their safe home environments. Also, another good thing for the Cape scene is that the Punk Rock Senior Center is starting to have house shows so that is something to get excited about.
This column is more positive then the last just because we are getting into the warmer weather and more shows and more parties around the Cape. Take care! - Paul
COKE BUST
Interview by Will Toftness.
Give us a brief run-down of members, releases, etc for the readers that aren’t familiar with Coke Bust. Jeremy - coke bust is myself... I play guitar. Nicktape sings, Chris plays drums, and Jubert is our new bass player. So far we have released a demo which was also pressed onto vinyl. The fuck bar culture 7inch on third party, and the self released cycle of violence demo. We are also on the sick of fun and punx don’t drink comps, among others. Nick – don’t forget the “Lines in the Sand” CD/LP that will be out on six weeks records by the time you read this!
You have a new LP coming out. I always wished your Fuck Bar Culture EP was a little longer, can we expect more material in the same vein as the EP, or have things changed since then? Jeremy- I think the lp is pretty much a natural progression from fuck bar culture. the songs are still short and fast and loud and to the point. if anything they are faster, louder, and more to the point. There are a few “surprises” on the record but nothing totally against what we have done in the past. I definitely have a style of writing for coke bust so no matter what we do the songs are going to come out sounding like us. I guess maybe we have taken the more “mosh parts” from the demo and melded them perfectly with the speed and aggression of fuck bar culture. Jubert - Look forward to our shortest release to date. Our material is the same in the fact that it’s music. We’ve taken on more of a mellow, ska feel. Imagine a lazy day at the beach. Nick – haha, the 7” in third party wasn’t supposed to be so short. We wrote 6 songs and then jammed on
them for a long time. As the practices went on the songs just got faster and faster. That’s just how it happens with us, I guess. Like Jeremy said, I too think that the LP is a natural progression from the 7”. But it definitely isn’t just an LP of songs that are exactly like the ones on that EP. What made you want to play so fast? Your style is different that most of what’s out there now, in that you have a classic hardcore sound (for lack of a better description), but at unrelenting speeds. There is a new crop of bands in the last few years that try to emulate Infest of Spazz, but Coke Bust seems to be on a different wavelength than that. jeremy- i have always wanted to be in a band that plays this fast. i have always been drawn to the faster bands in hardcore and punk. as for sounding like any one band, i have
influences and bands i draw inspiration from when i write but i have never tried to ape another band’s style. that’s a lazy way out in my book. as for our sound of classic hardcore played at blazing speeds, that’s what i go for when writing. think negative approach sped up to hellnation speed. that’s it. Nick – A lot of the time Jeremy will write a riff that is pretty fast and has some youth crew swang to it. Then we’ll jam it out and then Chris will just piledrive the speed meter. That’s kind of how it works for us, haha. Jubert - No one really ever wanted to play fast. Chris had just begun to learn drums, and Jeremy doesn’t really take the time to practice guitar. Playing fast was our only choice since if we played any slower, everyone would know that no one really knows how to play instruments. Our wavelength is unprofessional. When you recorded your demo,
Katie Dance
did you think that it would see a 7” release, or was that an unexpected surprise? Jeremy- the demo 7inch was unexpected. we originally put it out on tape and cd and made about 100 total and that was going to be it. but our friends at headcount records asked if they could put it one vinyl. i wasn’t going to say no. it came in handy when we did our first east coast tour that’s for sure. Nick – No way. If we knew that the demo would be pressed onto 1000 7”s I think we would have spent a little more time recording those songs! Jubert - Suprised in a way like finding out you’re adopted. What is the biggest influence on Coke Bust? Jeremy- I can’t speak for everyone but i would have to say negative approach and ripcord. those are my two big influences. Nick – for the lyrics... annoying pretentious kids in the DC scene, the general suckery of life, awesome US politics, etc. Jubert - Biggest influence: all the Six Weeks money and free shoes. How did you think of the name Coke Bust? Jeremy- Nick? how did that name come about? Nick – UGH. Ok. this guy who we aren’t really friends with any more thought of it and suggested it. We try to keep this on the DL and we are not proud of it. If you were from DC you would understand why. Jubert - I was just bored so i thought of it. Nick – you weren’t born yet, jubert!
You’re going on a US tour soon, is there anything you’d like to mention about that? Pardon me for not having checked the dates, but I hope you’re coming to New England. Jeremy- yeah we’re doing a good sized us tour with sick fix this summer. kicking off july 2nd and heading up new england way first. boston, Connecticut, vermont, that’s you guys, get ready! Jubert - U.S. tour cancelled Nick – The tour is not cancelled. It will be so awesome. I can’t wait. We are definitely playing New England too. Boston on the 4th of July. ok, that’s about it. Thanks!
Katie Dance
How long has Bloody Phoenix been around? You had an EP on 625 in the early 00’s, a split with system shit, and then your full length in 2007, is that all correct? I want to start off first by just saying what a pleasure it was to meet you a couple of summers ago Will. Very refreshing to meet someone with such a great attitude. OK on to BP BS. We’ve been around since October of 2001. Yes that’s all correct. Are things the same now as they were in the beginning of the band? Oh no, things are quite different from how they were in the beginning. I’m not so frustrated these days. Mike (our drummer ) was very green when we started. He was young and very inexperienced. He had not been playing long. I had to be patient while he grew as a drummer, it was very frustrating at first. I being like our music, am very impatient. It’s paid off though as he’s become very capable. Aside from Mike, everyone else that was in the band back then has been replaced numerous times. I think we are finally coming into our own. Finally have the right line up. It seems you’ve had quite a few member changes throughout the history of the band, do you think it’s hard to keep a good band together? Yeah, it’s very hard to keep a good band together. Almost impossible,
it’s human nature I think, but then you add LA into the mix and it just makes it that much harder. LA, is the land of the flakes. We’ve had so many band members it’s ridiculous. It’s been such a pain. It always ends up with Mike and I alone in my dirty garage. We are the only consistent members. We are 100% commited. Not including fill ins, we’re on our 3rd bass player and I think 8th & 9th vocalist (could be 10 & 11th, I don’t remember). Again, very frustrating. Our new members are very refreshing though, I think this new line-up will be together for quite a while. We are all on the same page for once. It’s fucking nice not having to yell at anyone. We all get along great. They aren’t from LA so that might be the reason haha. You’re about to go on a European tour next month. Will this be your first time in Europe with Bloody Phoenix? Are you psyched? This will be my first time in Europe period! Totally psyched! I can’t wait to get over there and meet some pen pals that I’ve had since jr. high school. It’s been a long time coming. Oh and a shit load of good beer too. Along with the European tour, you have a split 10” coming out really soon on TVG records that I’m really looking forward to. This has been in the works for quite some time, and the flip side of the record changed at least twice by my count. Has it been hectic?
Yeah, I could write a book on everything that has or was suppose to happen with this release. Set back after set back. The other side of the record has changed 4-5 times I think. I thought it might be cursed. BUT FINALLY, it seems to have come together. Thanks to Axel from TVG for all his work and patience. Really looking forward to hearing the other half of the record. Black Hole of Calcutta is a really good band. You were originally supposed to tour Europe last summer, but Mike had some hand problems, is everything cool now? Mike is well enough to play now, he doesn’t have much feeling if any in his thumb yet, he has to wait for his nerve to grow back. He’s had to learn how to play with his drum stick between his index and middle fingers as his thumb can’t grip enough to hold on to the stick. He tends to drop his sticks more often now but he’s experimenting with different grip tapes and bandaids for the blisters he’s getting. But he’s good to go. He’s super human. What other future plans are there for Bloody Phoenix in regards to tours and releases? As far as Releases go, after we get
back from Europe we will concentrate on our 2nd LP and also a split with Question out of Minneapolis, they are like the best band going today. Hope to record those sometime towards the end of the year and/or early next year. Don’t know for sure as far as tours go. We want to go to Japan and definitely want to tour the US again. Realistically probably not til’ Spring of 2010 though. We’ll see when we get back what will be possible. What’s the meaning behind the name Bloody Phoenix? Violence. I named the band after 2 things,.... 1st, the Phoenix Program which was an assassination program ran by the CIA during the Vietnam War. 2nd, The Bloody, who was one of my favorite wrestlers. She actually started her career known as The Bloody Phoenix. She was very violent. To me the name is violent and I think/hope it represents what the band sounds like. What do you think your biggest influences are, musical or otherwise? Musically. Speedcore, like Righteous Pigs, Cryptic Slaughter, etc. ENT. Early Napalm Death, Seige. Life is my biggest influence, a big part of it is bullshit. It’s all man made though. I’m a very angry frustrated person.
Music is a great outlet. It seems like there are a ton of grind bands from California, not to mention tons of powerviolence and other fast shit. Do you think the scene is strong in CA? It depends. CA is a big state. So it depends on what year and what area. The Bay area has always been strong. LA goes up and down, at times it’s awesome, at others it’s lame, you never know what you’re going to get here.. You did a fest last year in LA, how did it go? Will it be an anual event? The fest was fun, all the bands were great and everyone had a good time, the turn out was very very bad though. Maybe about 25% of
what I was expecting. Just bad luck as there ended up being too many other shows going on in the same area. A lot of people out of town for the holiday weekend. I learned my lesson, I won’t be booking shows on labor day weekend anymore. I would like it to be an annual thing. Not sure I’m going to do it this year. Looking for a decent new venue to do it at as the place I did it at last year has been shut down. Thanks for your time, good luck on tour, hope to see you around New England again in the future! cheers Jerry Thanks Will, my pleasure. We’ll be back in New England before you know it. Cheers! Interview by Will Toftness.
Lets start this off by saying I actually did one of these 2 yrs ago for my friend Matt’s Mindless Mutant zine for the lovely state of California already (before I moved there no less), but a lot has changed in 2 years and the scene within this state is always changing in many ways. A lot of bands have come and gone since I last typed that and I again will probably miss some things to mention or some bands here and there, but its hard to get it down to the letter seeing how diverse the scene is here and how many different bands there are at the sametime, so give me a break I tried! Ok to start the state of affairs in CA as a whole I would personally say is not so great. Sure, the Bay has its numerous venues and here in Southern Cali (or SoCal as its called) there are more than enough bands to satisfy one’s interests there are pros and cons for either scene. Just the beginning of 2009 alone saw the end of a few Bay Area bands-Second Opinion and Nightstick Justice to name a few-and down here we have NO venues pretty much. Yeah there are shows still but it seems people will work for a venue when its solely a big name act, not just some rather newish band from Colorado or even some killer bands from up in NorCal. I will try and get into this in deep detail later. Venues though in the Bay remain constant always prob due to the fact there is so much industrial space in the Oakland/ Richmond area but it is as dangerous as people say so never wander around solo or at least very far. The Hazmat warehouse in Oakland still has shows from time to time, Gilman in Berkeley still remains a fave of the Bay (and everywhere) and house shows otherwise round out the rest it seems of Bay Area shows. A place I have yet to see a show at or go to in general is the Migraine house aka Ace’s in Concord-they treat the bands right and have fun times so I hear. Burnt Ramen again I do believe is shutdown until its
safe to rear its head again-my vote for best place for shows in the Bay goes to this venue ran by Jon the Baker. The Balazo Gallery I haven’t seen a show for in some time and the seems to cater to only larger bands from what I hear but its not uncommon to see a band like Limp Wrist or say a Government Warning size band play there-I saw Social Unrest there and it seemed like a cool place to me, but NOFX also have played there so maybe something isn’t right!? Also the random bar is also had for shows but I only saw a show at the Eagles Inn (I think thats what it was called it was a gay bar) and I know some saloon in Oakland has shows sometimes but its name escapes me. Even a few times a year there are shows in a town inbetween San Francisco and Portland OR called Arcata but there seems to be the more crusty bands that play there in Arcata but still a show is a show. Venues in Southern California remain to be the nagging issue at hand. It was a problem before I moved here and it still remains. There is literally no stable venue this way-1 place will have a show or 2 and then its done for. The Etnies Skate Park in Lake Forest rarely has shows but it at times will have a decent shows for the kids-and low door prices to keep the place free to skate in, which is nice. Of course for the bigger bands the Knitting Factory in Hollywood or the Chain Reaction in Anaheim remain open but for a band like say Dark Ages (of Kansas City MO) were to come through it’d not be at a place like that. Some newer places that hopefully will still be open by the time this sees print are the Blvd in LA and a warehouse in Santa Ana. There was a cool venue called the Clinic in Santa Ana before but it met its demise about a year ago due to some local gang involvement after a show, it was a fun place to be (if fun can be had when a band isn’t playing) and a pretty relaxed atmosphere was usually had. The Mexican Cultural Center in Santa
Ana seems to be on and off for shows, same w a semi new place called Motion LA in, take a guess, but there deal is fire marshalls came by and shut them down and have a capacity of 50. House shows are rare in the city areas but out in the suburbs of towns like West Covina or Montibello they seem to be more frequent and usually run and had by the teens of the area making their own seperate scene almost. I can’t vouch for the San Diego area as those bands rarely make the trek up to our neck of the woods but their scene is thriving still. Long Beach occasionally will hold a show in or outside of a house and there’s also a pizza joint that has shows there from time to time off the Pacific Coast Highway. The Inland Empire also remains a decent area for shows-from time to time a show will be had in Pomona (at a pizza place in downtown that has shows for semi larger bands or a VFW) or Riverside, sometimes in Rancho or Fontana but that really remains about the only towns they’ll be had in. The town I lived in 1st had shows at a pizza place before but after what people said constantly about the place being a ripoff they seemed to be stopped being used as a venue. And the high desert never has shows, maybe 1 or 2 a year will happen up there but nothing within the underground/DIY way of things. I don’t eat out so I can’t say what are the good vegan/vegi/ meat places to eat at and I don’t have the time to do a lot of record shopping so apart from recommending either Amoeba and Rasputin’s in the Bay and Amoeba, Vinyl Sollution, Radiation and TKO in SoCal I would say to ask someone else, sorry! Bands-well
there
is
a
large
number
of
bands
in
this
state I reside in, so lets get the ball rolling here. Northern Cali-The mecca of punk in the state still pretty much resides in the Bay Area-home to many labels you know and love, as well as the home to many record stores, semi famous punk venues and of course the orig punk zine itself, MRR. A lot is different in the Bay as of recent-many popular young bands have broken up within the last 6 months or so, and its constanntly changing but the amount of kids and new bands always keep things interesting and fresh. Funeral Shock was already a more every now and then sort of band but now esp as of the last couple months the band is now a once/twice a year play out sort of band as Tom left his home state and moved to the less expensive Pennsylvania, putting the band on the back burner but when he comes home to visit its guaranteed they will play a show or 2 of their violent, angry and gruff hardcore punk. Follow Blindly after a killer EP on Negative Tom’s Loud Fat Rules seem to be another band that does stuff ever so seldomly whetther that be live or recording but they aparently have enough material for a 2nd record so lets hope someone steps up to put it out and the band is ex Rotten Fux and they play pretty mid paced hardcore punk thats def retro sounding and more in the Bay Area sound of lore and def reminds me of the Fuck Ups meets the Faith-thats me so don’t hold me to it, they also did a killer demo before this EP totally worth searching for. Jump off a Building who did a killer EP on Lengua Armada kicked the bucket in early 2008, find that record is all I can say. Limp Wrist where not really a CA band but Martin does live in this state did a few west coast shows this last summer and recorded a 12’’ which I am not certain if it got repressed but was a press of 300 before for a Japanese tour they had done as well as to sell some copies while on the west c o a s t
mini tour they had done, the new material is very much along the lines of the EP they had done prior in 2006. Look Back and Laugh I am not certain of really but they did come out a new record early last year and show wise I never see anything from them so who knows what they are up to if anything. Speaking of, other bands from that camp Needles, California Love and Never Healed are all active in some way or another and Never Healed-pretty much LBAL if you ask me-has a new EP due out on Painkiller sometime this year. Needles also features Martin of Limp Wrist/Crudos and he sings in this band as well-I think they broke up but I’m not sure, its also LBAL members I think all of them and they play that same style of HC but more beefy and pissed off if you can believe that. Martin also has another band called NN but I know nothing about them, they too have a new EP out?! A band that came from members of Second Opinion and Shanghai Surprise (who also broke up and did a smoking EP-go find that!) is Face the Rail, who are one of the BEST in the Bay right now. They play killer surf punk and Andrew puts it all in this band as well as the rest of those guys. They are due out with an LP sometime this year and an EP or 2, but really hit them up and try and get a demo they are the best surf punk band since the Bleach Boys and Skate Korpse, and I think even better than either of those bands and I love them both. Ecoli famous for their very short and to the point sets (also boasting half of ‘local legends’ Warkrime) are still playing live from time to time and killing it every time they play, they are due out with a new release or 2 finally sometime this year after almost 2 years going by with the band having their demo pressed to wax in early 2007 on Stress Domain records and in the last year have had songs on 2 comps and thats about it post demo thats available from them-seek their music ASAP they are a band that can actually sound old and new at once but be very fresh to their approach at hardcore. In the wake of of the demise of Warkrime, Brace now writes for MRR as a columnist and also has a new band Wild THing, which I have yet to hear but hope its nothing like the absurd song of the same name. Desolation which was a Bay Area supergroup seems to be back now, they rarely ever played out since all the guys in that band had or still have obligations to their main act but they played a show or 2 in 2008 and are writing new materialthey play Japanese style hardcore of the Burning Spirits variety but with a modern crustcore sort of edge since its pretty brutal and have an essential demo EP out there as well as an LP on Prank which is also good but I’ve always been partial to the demo EP. A band to have sprung from the ashes of the amazing and always underrated Scurvy Dogs is Fix My Head which is pretty much the Scurvy sound but
its a little bit faster and if the name didn’t give it away already, Black Flag influenced-they got a demo on wax out now and I am not sure if they got anything else down the road but this demo EP is a rager. Crucial Cause after a killer EP at the end of 2007 came out with a split w Sacramento’s Rat Damage (another good old style hardcore act) in later 2008 now have come out with a 2nd EP that to me is the best material yet from these guys. They play a style of east coast hardcore like 83 meets 88 but this go around there’s a little metal riffage of the vintage variety to keep things interesting, its loud and greatlive they are awesome to watch so check them out some way, some how. From Concord come the amazing Migraine-they did a killer demo and in my opinion are like a quirky take on Infest, to me! I love this band and they have the potential to blow minds-they are members of Brutal Death and Warkrime. Voetsek is still chugging along, they’ve been a band for 8 damn years! Wow thats still crazy to me. They came out with a split with Mind of Asian from Japan, a 1 sided 2 song tour EP and their 2nd LP last year, they are a little less fast than they used to be and also not as crossover/speed metal but they still rage live, they are active when Scotty is not busy with Tank Crimes or merch goon for the Waste. Speaking of Scotty, Deadfall is a once/twice a year band too-they were supposed to have new material out but its uncertain if that will ever come to be, but still one of the best live bands to see is Deadfall. Capitalist Casualties finally came out with new material near the end of last year and that also was one of the best splits of 2008, the split LP w Hellnation, a monster of a record like I was saying. The band is playing out again this year after a brief time away from it since Haraldo lives in Denver and all and they got some shows happening and done by the time this comes to print, band is so good live its not funny and remain even after 20 some years the best in west coast powerviolence. Annihilation Time still reside in Oakland (minus Jimmy of course) and came out with what I think at least their best LP last year titled ‘3’ Tales of the Ancient Age which came outon awesome stoner metal label, Tee Pee and to say 3 is that good is hard to say actually
since 2 was such an amazing album. They again toured Europe last year in early summer as well as most of the USA and remain one the best acts that has come out in punk from the last 10 years, live, recorded or otherwise. They this year are playing the infamous Chaos in Tejas festival in Austin TX and did a week and a half/2 week jaunt w TX own ANS, prob some more shows in the works as well I am sure. Godstomper the infamous bass and drums act still perform from time to time and still have a record or 2 come out a year, they’ve slowed down as far as output but still rage fast and loud live. From San Jose hails the best grindcore band I think in the west coast In Disgust, w h i c h comprises of members of Outraged, H o s t i l e Takeover and Uzi Suicide and they play unrelenting p u r e grindcore but they might not think so but I think they’re punk as fuck at the same time, they came out with a split w Sidetracked and a 10” in 2007 and last year came out with a mini discography cd and a split EP w Mass Grave, a live tape recently came out and they are due with a split LP with the USA’s other best grindcore band P.L.F sometime this summer on RSR, that will be the grind record of the year easily,, just pure noisy,angry, tuneless bliss-and I hate grind for the most part but these guys do it RIGHT. Another Bay Area band people into the Ebullition style are into are Acts of Sedition, I can’t say much about them but they are a legit DIY band and if you like that sort of stuff check them out. Love Songs pretty much broke up when Seth moved to Chicago but they may or may not come out with’ the final material on record sometime this year, likewise with This is My Fist-when Annie moved back to Chicago that band too kind of went with it. Young Offenders still play pout from time to time and came out with 2 killer catchy power pop EP’s last ‘year, they are such a good live band. They just came out with a split LP with the now defunct Giant Haystacks, which was that band’s last material ever and
they played a quirky style of post hardcore like the Minutemen. Born Dead are still kicking as well, not too active nowadays but they tour like mad men when they hit the road. Conquest for Death is also still active the band did some massive international touring again last year and had a new release come out-not really an LP’s worth but at the sametime not an EP either, don’t know them? Take Max Ward out and put in a 2nd guitar player and another drummer and its a continuation of all of What Happens Next-musically its almost the same but a bit more metal and crossover but not in a mosh/goofy way. Punch from San Fran did a whole USA tour last year and plan on doing so again this year, the band plaus modern thrashcore like a blend of youth crew and the faster elements of RAMBO but not with silly lyrics, they are vegan and edge and def have a PC/political slant to them. They came out with an EP last year split between the band and 625 and are coming out with an LP this year being released the same way. There is too much in the Bay and thats a good thing but I just don’t have the time or capability to mention it all!
Compiled by Nick Sick
REVIEWS For Reviews send over your records/cds/etc. to
.
one of the contacts on the cotact page
Virgins - MiSCarriage LP Well this debut release by these Orlando Florida boys has been best desribed as the Stooges meets the Adolescents but I def would go with that by a longshot, ha! When I played this LP I hear maybe some Stooges influence in this but this is definitely more Screeching Weasel-esp in the vocal dept-and a lot of the No Idea records sound too, but there is this slight proto punk thing to it which brings to mind the Stooges in a way, you know this still rock n roll sound but still can tell thats what helped lead the way for punk. This is what New Mexican Disaster Squad turned into, and where not as good as NMDS ever was, this is a 1st release and there is definite promise. (Kiss of Death) Nick Sick Dustheads - Little Pieces LP Very good 12’’ from these guys. Not so much an LP but just like a 12’’ and not an EP either, I hate that about these sorts of records! Very noisy intro not unlike Sunn(O) but then it gets into this Black Flag meets Bl’ast sort of hardcore punk and it kind of reminds me of Career Suicide a little bit too, I can’t put my finger on why it does but it does, maybe the vocals but even musically it does too. Sorry its not a good review I am giving this, I can’t give it justice like it deserves but if Black Flag is a band up your alley you’ll love this. Another of my top 10 of 2008. (Don Giovanni Records) Nick Sick Dillinger Four - C I V I L W A R To those who don’t know them they are what the perfect pop punk band is-they aren’t sugary but real in their lyrics, no girl songs, they are very catchy and melodic but got the beats and hooks to keep you interested and most of all these guys are punkseven with some of them being in decent
financial situations due to jobs they have they remain a very down to earth, real and honest bunch of midwest folk. D4 has been my fave band the last 10 years now and it was a little over 6 years for them to even come out with a new release so the diehard fans such as myself have been salivating over this for some time now. On this their 4th full length sees the band with its cleanest recording to date, there is really no distortion whatsoever in the bands’ sound on this record which is a bit of a change for anyone who’s heard them before and it took some getting used to but it came out to be one of their best records to date, and one of 2008’s best. It lyrically follows the same topics and subject material as past records of a social and political nature and very tongue in cheek but still very funny and smart as usual. I could go on and on about some of the lines from this album but I’ll refrain to simply state that again this Twin Cities 4 piece goes above the call of duty to deliver one of punk’s best records yet again amidst a sea of shitty bands that are supposed to trick us to pass as punk. (Fat Wreck Chords) Nick Sick Video Disease - ST From the ashes of Critical Picnic come the great Video Disease! Boasting the main half of CP and the Lesso brothers of the Timebombs comes this awesome band. Where Critical Picnic was a band just to ruffle feathers and make some noise, these guys drop the jokes at the door and just spew out the angry lyrics and have some great hardcore to back up Branden’s words. Really though, there is nothing remotely funny about this record its sheer hatred and anger and its what makes hardcore so good. No comparisons can be made here its just straight up raw hardcore done well and right, and there’s no way you can’t even be somewhat into this if you have any clue about good hardcore. A very killer EP and fairly hard to track down. (Square Wave Records) Nick Sick Hatred Surge - Isolated Human EP LONG awaited 2nd EP from Alex’s
HS. Starts and ends with noise ourtesy of Breathing Problem which is some project Total Abuse has, they’re way into that sort of thing as the LP shows if you’re familiar with that. But about Hatred Surge, this one is def pretty well recorded and its still in that Despise You meets Assuck camp but the early 90’s crustcore influence is also rearing its head even more on this record, some real Destroy/Disrupt kind of moments on this EP and it rounds out a bit to keep it from just being another fast and brutal as hell record. I still prefer the earlier stuff but the route the band is going is keeping things interesting, still well worth tracking down and picking up. Check out the collab record with Iron Lung too if you (the reader) can, also worth your time and money. (Painkiller) Nick Sick RunnAmuckS - Clawing Back The nasty attitude Florida boys that are the RunnAmuckS return with their now 4th full length to their credit. For those not in the know and still continue to let what they know about this band is the name, these Florida boys started out as a very fast hardcore band not unlike Jerry’s Kids meets Gang Green and by the time they did a 2nd LP they slowed it down just enough to make some fast songs and some mid tempo songs to make a monster LP and by the time they did their 3rd they had turned into a rock and roll punk machine like a bastard mix of the Stooges, Slip it In era Black FLAG,AC/DC and 3rd LP ERA F.U.’s.They up the rock quotient again on this their 4th LP and at the same time its still just as punk as the other ones. I mean I don’t know if the typical reader of this can relate to the rocking and nasty punk of the RunnAmuckS but I would hope one is open minded enough and so inclined to check it out.They really take the musicianship up a notch on this one and incorporate what is experimental to punk at least thudertubes, keyboard and organ to some songs, even a damn 12 string guitar and I cannot help but think of Rick Nielsen of Cheap Trick with that! Its corny I think, but oh well. Don’t let the rock part scare you
though this is above all a PUNK record, some songs are a bit more rock than others but a good 80% of this is just solid goo punk with a dirty yet catchy beat. This band has proven themselves to never fail and still prove that here. One of 2008’s very few good LP’s. (Six Weeks) Nick Sick Blank Stare - S/T 12” After releasing a few EP’s over the years the band cracked down on a 12’’ record. Its not an LP since it actually just 8 songs (9 on the Euro press, which is a hidden cover tune) and on 45RPM but this is a monster of a record. They have incorporated a little more of the vintage hardcore sound thats been prevailing in the last couple years even more so on this record and it works quite well for them as they have now combined that with the straight edge hardcore sound they built up in time, I personally feel this band sounds like no one else (even though Socialcide and elements of Coke Bust were tossed around here and there about it) and I can play a bunch of edge records and still come back to BS and know thats who it is and thats cool with me because its rare this day and age to not have a feeling of familiarity when you play a record since so much stuff is copying someone else or it just isn’t all that original, no bands make a sound their own or their own way. But yeah I can’t really compare it to any other band, its just hardcore punk and its straight edge and if you are at all in the know of Blank Stare they write good songs and their lyrics are a BIG step up from the B9/overdone youth crew sort of lyrics that have plagued straight edge HC for too long. (Third Party-USA pressing/Refuse Records-Euro Pressing) Nick Sick
ws around summer time i’d say august, we were like, whaaat what is this ? hahaha cuz we had no clue but all i knew it was at the gilman and i was just excited about that but when we got there it was the best place to play everything sounded great in there.... touring we’re actually planning a tour in summer time 09 we might tour with terrorism goin up north we’re gonna start here in LA then go all the way up towards washington ...
Okay, first off basics - Name, age, and instrument of destruction, to rid the world of people with...? jon i play guitar chainsaw of death/ screams , rolo beats of doom, and carlos bass sword of destruction/ growls ..... You were once a duo of speedy onslaughts, what made you add the third member? well it first started off with me ‘’jon on drums and vox, and chris (old guitarist/ vox) then he decided to get out of the band so then thats when i was looking for another drummer for i can play guitar then thats when i thought i should get my old drummer from my old band ‘’driven by madness’’ and when i got him i knew it was a perfect fit for us .. and then after words we decided to get a bassist so we ask one of our close friends carlos to play bass for us .... theres way more to the story and other members but this is the short version haha You are slated to play the Speed Trials at Gilman, how do you think your chances are? - Also any plans on touring and taking over? well when we first heard the new it
How is the LA scene right now, what are some of the hot bands we should be watching out for? the LA scene is pretty good right now it kinda died out a couple years ago but its slowly building back up, there are some good bands in the mist that are coming out, like us and goner, cutthroat, lies nailed down, gallery, final draft, fatal squal ... a couple more bands just can’t remember all right now ..... How did you get into playing this style of punk/hardcore/grind/etc. Have you guys always been fans of this style of music? well actually all of us in the band like different types of music like im very open minded i like crust,grind, some punk,powerviolence, some metal, but rolo (drummer) he likes grind, metal, death metal, classic rock, any kinda rock or metal you can think of haha, carlos (bassist) he likes kinda the same as me grind,metal, death metal, punk,classic rock, hardcore muisc ... so all of us pretty much put what we like into our music and mix it up thats pretty much how we got into it. How did you end up working with RSR? RSR, well we were looking for some label to release our stuff, so we hit up
name it after the actor to great of an actor haha .. also right when we decided to make the band the first day we had our first gig hahaha it was fun but horrible hahaha
some of our friends that are in bands and one band said to hit up rsr and we did and they were very excited to help us out so we also had kevin fetus from fetus eaters he did our art work for us and then soon as we knew it we had a legit cd out... we’re looking to release a couple 7’’ soon. What day-to-day activities keep the members of BruceXCampbell occupied? hahaha ... the bum life hahaha no but just practicing what we love to do i (jon) have two other bands called ‘”cutthroat and gallery’’ and rolo has another band terrorism ... but right now what were currently gonna do is try to make more songs for our 7’’ and our split 7’’ inch ... What is your favorite Bruce Campbell movie, and why did you decide to go with that as your band name? haha evil dead nothing else !! haha well when me and my friend chris first started the band we were in high school and we had other bands before this one ... but we decided to make a band together so we jammed out at first then we started talking serious about names so he was like how about bruce campbell and i was like who and he’s like whaaaat fucking EVIL DEAD !! then he showed me the movie and thats when we decided to
What are your future plans as far as recording goes... are you going to stick with the three man onslaught or ever go back to two? well like i said in other questions, we looking into recording soon maybe next month if we have the chance to .. were gonna record 20 songs or more .. and split those songs up put some in a 7’’ and some in a split 7’’ we might add another guitarist to the mix but its not for sure Any last requests and/or dedications? thanks to all our friends that help’s us out at shows.