silt no. 2 summer ‘10
Finally our second serving, we've decided to put out music that interested us for the past few months, with bands like Northless (sludge) and Bangsat (crust grind) both from half ends of the earth, and Call Them Quits (local) with their own blend of skramz the interview section wouldn't be conceived without such artistry from these artist. Well I guess zines are less meaningful if it doesn't have the usual interview, it was like a picture with no background to compliment the scenery.
silt #2 march 10
Compared to our first issue we haven't been lazing the metro lately so we decided to cut some pages off our columns section (A Slice of Manila) and instead we asked some articles from friends (Sean who's in Indonesia right now and M.K. whose whereabouts is unknown) to fill the gap of the missing link. Anyways things change, we get stuck up for a while and most of our time is wasted on daydreaming and finding ways to better up our living(or should I say lifestyle), we'd even thought of doing a freelance job but it takes tons of adjustments and time (which we're quite scarce). We're the sort of people who crams on things and goes forward without having double judgment. It was worth the try, so here it is flip through the pages and wonder what we're ranting. Thank you goes out to Eric (Northless), Agus & Toan (Bangsat), Darwin & Ellie (Call them Quits), Sean (patlati@poivron.org), to Lenlen (my partner in crime), Kristen Dinzon (for the front cover) to the guys to made this second serving possible. (fatnul@yahoo.com)
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t was a bliss to see them play for the first time, well some reactions from people are p r e d i c t a b l e a n d inevitable, still I admire them despite the thought that Urdaneta was in ruins when it comes to the underground scene either music or the radical side (argh). They reminded me of the Get Get Go without the sync faded drumbeats and silly lyrics. A slower screaming vocal capacity with two microphones on the front lines blended with post rock rhythms sometimes going mellow with a synthesizer fused in between, these guys are breaking the norms in Pangasinan. Back then we thought of starting up a Former Members of Alfonsin outfit screaming from start to finish with punk rawk riffs but it didn’t work out, well that’s how we did it then. We always start but we didn’t finish it and then came these guys out of nowhere, its nice that they invite us to every show they put out. The interview was written by Darwin let’s read what he has in mind.
Who are the members?
Darwin: There's Ace on drum duty, Cho on guitar, Ellie on keyboard and D.A. on bass. The there's Sim and me both contributing on vocals. It's interesting to note, though, that we all came from different towns within Pangasinan. When did you guys started to play and why? Darwin: We started this band at around the summer of 2009 but it was already in the planning stages since late 2008. Cho, Ace and me were in a jam band back in high school and after a few years of just slacking around, we decided to make serious music. I initially had the idea of playing modern chaotic skramz in the vein of Raein or Ampere. But because we can't find a decent drummer, Ace learned to play the drums (he was a bassist before), and then we got another high school buddy Ellie on keyboards. The four of us go a long way back, so that sort of makes the writing process easier. Not too long after that, Ace brought in D.A. and Sim into the fold and with lineup completed, we came up with the sound we have now, some sort of crappy mid-tempo skramz with some hints of an attempt at post-rock. Fortunately, we clicked and so we stuck with it.
call them quits
What’s with the name, tell u s t h e s t o r y ? Darwin: We just picked the name out of a long list of possible names that I wrote down. I came up with the name as a tribute to the short-lived bands who played the same type of music as ours back in the early to mid-90s, usually churning out only a few demo tracks or a few releases and then calling it a day. Funny thing is (not that funny, quite sad really), most of the interest on these bands came only after their premature deaths.
call them quits
What/who made you write songs? Darwin: I was always a very reserved kid, the kid who always shy away at crowds, the kid who wasn't really able open up to anybody, so I resorted to putting down my thoughts onto paper. I've always treated music as a strong vehicle for self-expression and in a way, writing these songs and eventually singing them at shows has become some sort of an emotional release for me. What do you guys sing about? Darwin: Lyrics-wise, most of our songs we derive from personal experiences. Whether it's about failures, goodbyes, taking control of your life or just something that we believe in, they're all laid out on a very personal level and they're all real. I guess that's where all the energy and the emotions on our live shows come from.
call them quits
Some are sXe in your band, what’s the deal with it? Darwin: As far the term goes, I guess I'm the only dude in the band whom you can call sXe, although over time I've grown uncomfortable with all the labeling going on. The others enjoy a good drink once in a while. Alright, maybe not once in a while, more like every time, but that's beside the point. As for me, I made the conscious decision to adhere to the ideals of the straight-edge lifestyle because it struck a chord with me and I felt that it spoke to me as an individual. I've never smoked, and I really didn't like the taste of alcohol and its after-effects and I just basically identified with all the other kids who were having fun without getting
wasted. Do you have any other bands or projects in your area? We dabbled with some little projects, although they tend to be quite limited because of the aforementioned time constraints due to school. I do vocals in a Manila-based skramz band, Birds In Formation, and help out in a DIY collective called Asterisk. Also, putting out my own zine is in the plans, although I haven't gotten around to starting anything yet. I heard that Ellie is helping out with some of Exhume's tracks, and the other guys with the exception of Cho also have their little musical endeavors back up in Baguio.
call them quits
Tell us about your local scene in Orgyneta? Darwin: The local scene back in Urdaneta is still very young, but it's growing. Good thing the local bands are all nothing short of awesome, and the local kids are showing a lot of dedication to the scene. More and more kids are becoming aware of its existence, and we're starting to branch and reach out to the nearby towns and provinces. At the rate things are going on right now, I dare say that the next few months (and years) hold a lot of promise for the local scene, and we're damn proud to be a part of it.
Any future plans? Darwin: We're always looking forward to writing new songs and playing more shows, that much we can say. We're planning to record another demo though, because honestly, the first one sounded like crap. There are also talks about a possible split with an Australian band, but nothing's really final at this point. I guess we'll just figure it out when we manage to take time off our busy schedules and finally get t o g e t h e r . Last words? Darwin: Thanks a lot for the support, this is actually our first interview. All the best to you and your zine. Everyone can check us out at www.myspace.com/callthemquitter s you drop us a line at callthemquits@gmail.com.
25th of September 09. It was a Friday night, my friends stopped by to hang around waste my time and I did the same, drink a couple of beers, goof around then pass out. At these moments we guys are partying hard and talking about our ill fated band, it felt like a regular Friday evening partying and getting wasted.
At around 7am, my girlfriend started to wake me up and asked me to help out and put all of our stuff upstairs, flood water was all over our place it was something new to me. I told my girlfriend not to panic and calm down, we were both convinced that water
Art by: Jesse Engelbrecht(http://monomerics.com/theborgward)
26th of September 09.Morning came, around 6:11am, awaken by a ruckus from our neighboring apartment rushing in asking for help to move in their stuff at our place, I wondered at this time why the rain still pours like waterfall, my head was spinning and a hangover is imminent in me I could smell my alcohol infused breath which made me nauseous. I didn't mind the guys coming in with their bags and stuff, unmindful of what's happening I went back to bed and thought of coming to work upon waking up. I was unaware at that moment that the house in front of ours was already flooded ankle level.
would subside after an hour and things will go back to normal. The first thing that came to me was to move all my records upstairs, I grab my turntable and put it on a dry place same with the records it was easy coz I only have a few. We decided to put the fridge on top of two chairs, having to do this our good neighbors came in to help. I think it was around this time that power was cut off. Hours passed and it hits 8:26am. It was this time that I think water was at knee level. It was the first time I get to see Manila gets flooded this way, my experiences with floods like this takes me way back in college. I live in the province up northern Philippines. Flood water would be like knee deep and it doesn't look dark and murky compared to Manila's flood water. You see unknown remnants of what it was in plastic bags floating along your side while you struggle to move for higher ground and take note of the possibility of containing skin disease. It was no fun seeing things floating from everywhere. I could sense that our new neighbors are more neophytes compared to me with these kind of incidents. They were from the southern part of the Philippines which typhoons are scarce. I think they only get lots of rain during the last quarter of the year and I could see them faces that something's holding them back to charge these bloody waves of garbage. Well I know the feeling I'm sure you know which to prefer to dip your ass unto, from a muddy water or a murky black (Manila) flood water.
Around 9 am. Flood water has almost reached our fridge (which was on top of two chairs) so we've decided to carry it all the way up our second floor. It was a struggle literally, we have to check every side to prevent the back part from tangling it was a nightmare I was starting to feel the horrid scenes. I went out the house to check outside and the water was almost at waist level. People from our area are already packing things up and getting their things to higher level. We were privileged to have a second level. We stuffed all of our electronics, appliances and other things upstairs it's a bit déjà vu at these time our house looked like we just moved in. I suddenly had a surreal scene with them neighbors hauling their belongings while I stand next to them holding a placard with a big arrow saying “these people are fellow victims of unpreparedness”, after an adrenalin rush I could still feel the hangover crawling through me. My head is cracking and the awful smell of alcohol flows out of my nose and mouth. EA nr gt eb ly b: rJ ee cs hs te ( h t t p : / / m o n o m e r i c s . c o m / t h e b o r g w a r d )
Around 10am. Having the feeling that water would get even higher (I got scared coz I'm not a good swimmer) I asked our neighbors to go up the apartment building and check the empty rooms upstairs to settle in unfortunately the only empty room was locked. We rushed to the garbage infested flood water and went to the next building, at this time the 3rd level of the building was packed with other neighbors. The rain was getting worst at these moments. It was nothing compared earlier that day. So we went down the building walked through the muddy waters off we went to our landlord's mansion and asked permission to open up the empty room, instead he asked us to stay. I then asked my girlfriend to settle in and I decided to go back to our apartment and scrape any food that we had specially the ones inside the fridge, I had sausages and some canned ones, pulled out the rice box and carry it at my back. Also I checked our closets for spare clothes and towels to dry ourselves. I rushed back to our landlord's house. The house was almost flooded then, water has entered the gate, the house was elevated like two or three feet so inside the flood was at knee level.
Two days after the flood, salvaging whatever we can.
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t noon Manila was declared under state of calamity. Reports of dead people and families evacuated, flock as rumors from people inside the house. We were able to get news from a little walkman radio where the landlord holds it like our lives depend on it, I couldn't help but look at the whole village gets submerge. The only picture that's
running in my head was how mom and dad watches the television and wonder how their little punker is doing right now. I was worried that they were worried about me, I know how my folks would react at these difficult times, specially mom you could sense that something's wrong upon her face. My dad was trying to reach us on either phones, mine and my girlfriend's, unluckily our phones went on diving in the floods so we were left with thoughts of people thinking of us or worrying about us.
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here were like five families (inside) mostly were from the neighborhood, we were lucky coz we're friends with the land lord's daughters. Now our fellow evacuee couples cringed themselves in one of the rooms. The (land lord's) wife was so kind enough to let us dry ourselves and use t h e i r bathroom and give us food. I opened the window and stared at the other side of the house, the house was situated at the end of the village so you could see on the other side o f t h e village. It was one of those real estate executive villas, I felt that I was at par with those people with tall mansions, floods like these doesn't chose no one either you're rich or not and it felt funny in a sense to see them in the same situation. Honestly it wasn't funny at all, it was already afternoon when water level still rises enormously. You could perfectly tell by looking from afar, parked motorcycles are invisible and only the top part of cars are visible.
Night fall. Completely immobile and helpless, we kept ourselves comfy by goofing around with our landlord's daughters. How stupid of me to still think about work during this time. It was almost 9pm when I heard the rain stopped but it kept coming back from time to time it wasn't that heavy compared in the morning and noon. I didn't sleep the whole night I listened to mosquitoes buzzing on my ear and looked at the candles gets dimmer all through the night. There were times I would wake up which means I slept for a few minutes then stayed alert for the rest of the evening. Morning. The 27th of September 09. Everyone's almost up in the house. I felt crappy coz I didn't sleep well the eagerness to go back our apartment was dragging my ass. I went out of the house to check our apartment, water has quite subsided but still high. There was mud everywhere splattered on the walls of every buildings and houses I passed. I told myself that it would still take another day before water would go down totally so I went back to our landlord's house and spent the whole day wondering. Depression creeps me in but instead I've thought of the next day, as a new day with the sun shining. 28th of September 2009. Sunday. We got up early and checked the window, water has cleared. Now what was left was rubbish from you don't know where it came from. I went to our apartment right away, I didn't know what to expect. Anxious, I guess I was with no other thoughts to think all we could do was look at our mud soaked crib and salvage what we could. The whole day was spent in cleaning whatever was left anyways we were grateful that we survived compared to families who lost their love ones. I was glad that my girlfriend and I were both okay same with our neighbors. This tragic event has scared me with tons of questions, I wasn't pointing my fingers to no one I see that I wasn't part of the solution or either way I was a part of the whole mess. Now two months has passed and almost things are back to normal again, I guess the flood has taught us lessons and warned us to do something for the coming seasons. Giving solutions and pointing out ideas is not my cup of tea, I don't preach I'm not that sort of person. Instead I would start doing what I think is right, or should I start from the outside? 27th September 2009
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his is our s e c o n d serving, I haven't been cooking that much lately but I have a few tricks off my sleeve I don't call this my own well let's just say it's my blend and rendition. Soy Spring rolls (lumpia). 4blocks of tofu (mashed), 2 carrots (grated), 1 big onion (chopped), 1 celery stalk (chopped), 40 pcs. Spring roll, 2 tblespn of cornstarch, garlic (crushed). SautĂŠ onions and garlic add your mashed tofu, avoid scorching the tofu it would give you a different texture (you can also add beaten eggs to give it a thicker base). Add in the rest of the ingredient and season with salt, set aside and cool. Wrap it with spring rolls (it would be good to have two spoonful per wrapping) and deep fry or pan fry how you ever want it. Just a note when frying, keep your fire to a minimum. Papaya soup. 1 unripe papaya (cut in smalls parts), a bunch of moringa (malunggay) leaves, 1 small ginger root (pounded), 3 cups rice washings (you know what this is), garlic and onions. SautĂŠ garlic and onion. Add your sliced papaya and wait until tender. Put in your moringa, season with salt and pepper. You could do variations with this recipe add in chunks of gluten or fried TVP. Voila that's instant veggie tinola! Pakora(fritters). Pakora basically is the Indian version of fritters. Well it's really quite tricky coz of those masala that you need to add. I once saw this when I came
by the Hare Krishna center up north. The mixes of masala made it too spicy on my pinoy taste so I had to blend my own sort of batter. What you'll need is: curry powder (around two spoonfuls for two cups of flour it depends on you if you like more spicy), turmeric (a quarter of teaspoon), around two cups of flour, broccoli or cauliflower (a whole bunch of it), salt for seasoning. Cut the vegetables at an inch size. Mix all the spices and add water enough to make the batter thicker to coat each slices of your veggie. Don't add too much water the trick is to coat the veggies making it look like a tempura; you could also roll it on bread crumbs upon frying. Deep fry or fry your pakora anyway you want it, best served with ketchup on the side. You can also do variations you can use eggplant or green beans any veggies will do as long as it suits your palate. So far this is all I have send us any suggestions through this fanzine. Cheers!
hidupbiasa.blogspot.com RABU, 09 DESEMBER 2009 37 years fighting to farm - oil palm conflicts get hot in Indonesia
Oil Palm: the ill-famed monoculture converts the islands of South East Asia into one big plantation, as commodity capitalism continues its troublesome advance over Indonesia and Malaysia's rural areas. The rainforests fall, to be replaced by oil-fields, as in distant capitals politicians with their eyes shut proclaim a new green biofuel, and the trees keep falling. Yet the effects of the industry are not limited to ecology. Where there is oil there is conflict, and that is true for the oil that grows on the ground just as much as for the oil that is mined from under it. In the Indonesian Province of North Sumatra, nearly every oil palm plantation is a zone of friction. The palm trees are all planted on stolen land, and farmers are desperately fighting to get their land back. Sunday, November 22 2009: Around 20 people are in the bamboo shelter they built, at the entrance to the oil palm plantation, at the edge of the land which they are trying to reclaim. This 525 hectares of land belongs to these people. They own the land title, and a Supreme Court ruling confirmed that the land does indeed belongs to them. Nevertheless, the discussion this afternoon is about the best way to continue with the occupation of the land. There is no time to waste. Tomorrow will have to be action day. It's a serious discussion because there are deadly dangers: over the last months the company has employed many armed thugs to work on their behalf, as well as police and military and any occupation could quickly become a bloodbath. And numbers are low in the week since the first phase of occupation started, not all affected farmers have been active in their support. Since the last attempt to regain the land ended in eviction, it has taken a long time to build up motivation again. Where is everyone? Do they no longer believe it is possible to win? Already it has been ever such a long battle. It started back in 1972, in the grim early days of the Suharto dictatorship, when 525 hectares of land was stolen from the farmers who worked it and given over to one of the state-owned plantation companies, PTPN II.
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heir crops were destroyed, their homes burnt to the ground.The people complained, demanded compensation from PTPN II. They were offered a tiny amount, and then only if they would surrender to the company the right to work the land; otherwise they would be labeled as communists. They refused, of course, but that was effectively the end of the matter, because at that point in history there was nowhere to run once such a label had been conferred. General Suharto had come to power seven years before supported by the US and UK, and (apparently with the consent of those two western powers), proceeded directly to slaughter at least half a million members of the Indonesian Communist Party. His military government kept the population living in terror for the next few decades, that massacre an enduring threat looming over any who should contemplate resistance.Then in 1998 the economy collapsed, and the rebellion which had been itching to break out for a few years was finally ignited. The uprising quickly spread across the archipelago, and by and by Suharto had to go. In the wake of his fall from power new movements blossomed throughout Indonesia, as people everywhere seized the opportunity to readdress past injustices and ride the euphoric wave toward a different future. In North Sumatra, the many different communities that had been dispossessed from their land started trying to get them back. Twenty-eight years working for someone else in a factory or a plantation, or eking out a living selling things on the streets, had not diminished the desire to be a farmer once more. One of these communities was the rightful owners of the 525 hectares that had become known as Persil IV, in Deli Serdang regency.For the first several years the battle took place in the courts, but it got nowhere. Or more properly put, nowhere concrete, for despite winning a technical victory, the farmers did not get access to freely farm their land. It is true, the decision of the Indonesian Supreme Court did uphold the farmers' claim to land ownership. But when PTPN II appealed, the court also conceded the plants that they had sown on that land belonged to the company. By that point the whole area was under oil palm, the emerging new wonder crop that promised to transform the Indonesian economy. If the people own the land but the company owns the trees – who gets to farm the land? The answer will not surprise many: whoever can wield the most force. The company simply made a deal with the police, military and local mafia to work together and the farmers were denied access to their land once more. The crops they sowed between the palm trees, clearly within their legal rights according to the court's decisions, were ripped out of the ground.The cold war ended and new wars started, but the pattern of repression didn't change. Indonesia has not yet gone through a process of addressing the massacres and genocides of the Suharto New Order Regime – too many politicians and generals in power today were too deeply involved back then. So Indonesian state companies can continue with impunity to reap a profit from land stolen under the threat of mass murder. The violence of the present draws its authority from the violence of the past. In 2006 the farmers of Persil IV asked for support from students from nearby universities, and together with them made the decision to shift their focus away from the false hopes of the courtroom, where justice is handed out to those with money and power, and towards direct action instead.
Land occupations had also taken place during the legal battle, but now it became the main strategy to recover the land. A new, less hierarchical organisation was formed, GerakanTani Persil IV Deli Serdang (Persil IV Farmers' Movement) and eight students opted to live in the community and on the occupied land, to support the struggle and as an attempt to deter aggression from authority.In 2007, people employed by PTPN II destroyed the crops that farmers had planted between the palm trees. A few months later their field office was also burnt down, in a moment when it was empty. Through such events the farmers began to lose patience and there were several instances of open confrontation.But it was this momentum allowed for a longer lasting occupation to take place towards the end of 2007 lasting into 2008. A wide range of crops were planted: cocoa, chilli, corn, cassava and rubber, and some oil palm trees were destroyed making a chaotically fertile liberated zone amidst the sterile rows of oil palm monoculture. In moments of occupation there is a temporary freedom when the company cannot operate, and the people have to decide how best to use that freedom. There was some disagreement on what to do with the oil palm fruit. Part of the community were in favour of harvesting the company's fruit, and selling it themselves. But another part of the community resisted this tendency. They fervently believed that stealing this fruit would only lead to dependency on the oil palm trees, and would therefore weaken the militancy of the resistance. There have been several violent incidents in the course of the Persil IV struggle. In 2003 Pak Jali was severely injured on both arms in a clash. He had to remain in hospital for a month while his arms were filled with metal and even now his movement is limited. In 2006 there was another incident where police drove a tractor into a group of women who were trying to defend their land.These incidents are serious, but other villages fare even worse. In 2008, in the neighbouring village of Bintang Bulan, Adi Surianto was killed while being tortured by a policeman and company guard. PTPN II also controls the land there. Just a few months ago in Kecamatan Salapian, just the other side of Medan, a man was stabbed to death by a sword during a clash on a land occupation. I asked the local human rights NGO about other cases, they said that there were so many conflicts that it would be almost impossible to track all the cases of violence, but there were many. It is a war to be able to live as a farmer. Everybody k n o w s t h e r i s k s a n d s t i l l t h e y f i g h t .
After more than a year without being able to maintain an occupation, spirits had been starting to dwindle. Many of the students had to return and finish their courses, and the level of repression on the land was continuously high. Those who still had energy had to struggle to convince the others that it was still worth fighting, but in the end people stuck with it. The day of the occupation phase II over 100 people showed up to take the land, and the company stayed away. But people now are not in the mood for prolonged struggle any more. This time they have to win, and people unanimously agree, the only way to do that is by militancy and killing the oil palm as fast as possible. There have been so many well-meaning attempts at advocacy, at courtroom battles, at peaceful occupations, but the only case nearby where farmers have successfully got their land back was when they went for all out war: faced the company down with long swords whilst cutting down the palm trees. It is a dangerous path to take, but the people of Persil IV see no other. They take the land, defend themselves with bows and arrows and destroy the trees as fast as possible. According to someone who works on land conflicts in a Medan-based NGO, in nearly every oil palm plantation in North Sumatra there is a community that has been dispossessed and in nearly every case that community is still struggling to get the land back again. Several land occupations are ongoing at any one time and there are heavily armed police, military and private thugs that defend the company's investments. Some of the problems associated with the rapid spread of oil palm are becoming increasingly well known outside of South East Asia, largely due to the actions of some large international NGOs which draw attention to the rapid destruction of the forests. They do also draw attention to human rights abuses, but what sometimes escapes attention by the time the story travels around the world is that these human rights abuses are in the context of popular struggles for land. People across North Sumatra decided back in 1998 to rise up and reclaim their land, and with much bravery and resilience are resisting to the present day. They run great risks, but consider it worthwhile in order to return to the relative security and autonomy of a farmer's life. DIPOSKAN OLEH KASSAN DI 09:38 .
Why the name Northless? Eric: Northless was a name I (Erik) came up with kinda out of nowhere, really. I was trying to think of something that sounded desperate, but could also be interpreted in different ways. To me, Northless means "lost". The name conjures up imagery of someone who is lost in some way, be it physically or metaphorically.
I saw you guys as a duo act from one of the Borg Ward videos in YouTube, who are the members? Eric: Actually, Northless is a 4 piece band now, with me on guitar and vocals. In the videos, the other member was this guy Dan that I basically grew up with. He is/was an amazing drummer, but it simply didn't work out. He actually moved to Los Angeles, California to go to the Musicians Institute for drumming. A total prodigy.! Now, I am playing with my friends Nick and John G. #1 on guitar and bass, respectively. They also play in a band called This S p e c i f i c D r e a m (myspace.com/thisspecificdream) who are fantastic. The new drummer is John G. #2. He plays and has played in a ton of projects, mostly on a local level. But, he is one of the most solid and creative drummers I know. Milwaukee is small, so a lot of likeminded bands tend to share members. Nick and I also have an ambient guitar duo called Captivity (myspace.com/captivitymusic), which is all improv, dark ambient type stuff. That's how we decided to play together. Our styles mesh really well.
Playing as duo, what are the ups and downs, technically? Eric: Well, we're a 4 piece now, so all the bases are covered. :) Playing as a 2 piece was difficult because you only had 2 instruments to work with to fill space sonically. It was a constant battle between a full, loud, heavy sound, and a sound that captures subtlety, dynamics, etc. The big up of being in a 2 piece band was being able to control craft really minimalist, dark, heavy music. It also made recording really easy. The downside was that loss of dynamics and clarity. Also, having to craft songs that sounded like a full band but was really only 2 dudes.
silt’s 2nd serving with Northless
Tell us about the album, the packaging was really amazing especially the CD and the artwork on the insert how did you guys and Cory come up with such craft? Eric: I have to hand it to Cory and Chris from Protestant. They pretty much conceptualized the whole thing, including the art. I mean, I gave them a general idea of what I wanted, but they took it to another level. I am so proud of this record. It is really a culmination of probably the best music I have ever written, and one of the best layouts I've ever seen for a record. I don't think it's possible to thank Cory and Chris
The title of the album was one of the songs which I think reflects too much hate, what/who do you sing it for? Eric: When I write lyrics, the hate is directed usually at myself, on a personal level. I don't want to sound like a total weirdo, but I've lived most of my life with constant animosity towards myself. It's unhealthy as can be, but I have never felt the need to express it in any way other than through music. On the same token, I try to leave the hatred open-ended. I definitely harbor a lot of ill sentiment towards humanity and those who seek to exploit the weak minded for their own ends. That's pretty much what "No Quarter..." is about. Some people coast through life, never experiencing tragedy, heartbreak, or real pain, and always landing on their feet. These people are shallow, and take everything for granted. Often, these are the kind of people who don't understand how and why people suffer. But there are so many others out there who have experienced such bullshit in their lives, so much pain and hurt, who have suffered so much that the memories and the pain never really go away. It's always there, even in their best moments, and it makes those "good" moments seem absolutely meaningless in light of the horror these people have to live with. I call it "existential misery", the kind of misery that permeates the deepest parts of our being, which you can never get rid of, only hide or sublimate in different ways.
silt’s second serving with Northless
What drives you guys to write such songs? Well, I've been pretty hatefilled for as long as I can remember. A lot of things I experienced growing up, and to this current day have basically left me feeling pretty empty and angry most of the time. Not to name drop, but Jeff
Hanneman from Slayer once said in an interview, "I'm more pissed at 35 than I was at 25". I think that's so true. With each passing year, I just see and experience so many things that make me either want to be dead, or want to make others be dead.
The song “Anti-Life�, what was it all about was it something personal? Eric: "Anti Life" is a song that is basically about people destroying themselves and in turn each other. That song was inspired by someone I used to be
close with that was a drug addict for almost the entire time I knew them. They fucked themselves up so bad, to the point where they couldn't even function on a level like most people do. Their addictions hurt everyone around them for a long time, and really fucked themselves and these other people up. When I think about it, it makes me wonder what drives these people to hate life so much. I can relate to an extent, because the world is shit, but I don't agree with destroying people just for the sake of it, and definitely not just to feed an addiction. I don't want to get preachy, but I've been drug and alcohol free for going on 13 years, since I was 16. I think when people can't control themselves, and they harm themselves to harm others around them, they are pretty much murderers to me. They murder the innocence and love and the good things in people's hearts and minds. There is so little in this world that I would call "good", so to encounter people like this, with no regard for anything but themselves, really pisses me off. People have a right not to be destroyed like that by the vices of others. Do what you want, but don't hurt people like that.
How do you write your songs, do you make the riff first or the lyrics? Eric: Generally, the riffs come first. Once I write a riff, I usually piece songs together really fast. With the new band, I have three other people offering input, including arrangement and riff ideas, so it's really cool to be able to play around with different rhythms and song structures. In our earlier material, I wrote a lot of lyrics first, and then just fit them with the songs. But on "No Quarter...", all the lyrics came last. We literally wrote the record in like 6 practices. It just came out of nowhere! On a Northless set I'm picturing a head banging set, who are your audience are they p u n k o r metalhead? Eric: I would say there's a pretty diverse crowd at most of the shows. We of course get the metalheads to some extent, but I would say most of our fans are punk/hardcore people, and people into like indie rock
and stuff like that. It's weird, we get some of the strangest comparisons that really vary from person to person. Someone told us once at a show that we sounded like Sonic Youth, which I don't hear at all, haha. Then, others say Swans, or Cavity, or Burning Witch...all over the map. I love all those bands, but when I write music, it's just whatever is happening at the moment. "Anti Life", for example, almost has some kinda black metal stuff going on, and at the end I totally ripped off a Metallica riff, haha.
Let's talk about your local scene, from the Borg Ward videos the bands are pretty much diverse; tell us something about Wisconsin or your city's underground music scene? Eric: Wisconsin is FULL of great musicians, and FULL of bands. We live in the biggest city in the state, so we get to play with and see all kinds of bands, which is great. I've toured a fair number of other places, and I have to say that I still think Wisconsin is the best and most diverse. There are so many good bands, in so many different genres. The scene is kinda split up to some extent. Generally, death metal bands aren't playing with punk bands, and hardcore bands don't play with this or that band...it's kinda silly. I've always been a fan of diverse-genre shows, and whenever I book a show, I try not to have it be all the same kind of music. This sometimes keeps some people away, but fuck 'em. If they don't want to expand their horizons a bit and step outside the usual shit they listen to, then that's their loss. There is too much good shit out there to limit oneself to only one sound.
silt’s second serving with Northless
Besides the band, what other things are you into, do you guys work or what? Eric: Yeah, we all work to varying degrees. Two of us are older and have adult-ish type jobs, and the other half of us just work part time, easy-going, menial labor sort of jobs. All of us go to shows whenever we can, and have passion for music in all capacities. A couple of us are really into video games, haha. We're 0 for sure. A couple of us are married, and so that plays into shit. I am really into animals, and have been thinking about getting a different job working with them someday, or maybe even just volunteering.
Do you have squats in your city? Eric: I don't want to sound ignorant, but I'm not really sure about this. Milwaukee is very eviction-happy, and full of people who really don't tolerate a lot of bullshit. I know this because of the line of work I am in. I see people get evicted from their homes for almost nothing, all of the time. I know there are collectives here, and likeminded people who live and operate together in very close proximity. But, I would say that in the true sense of the word, there are no squats here. However, I could be very wrong, so if another Milwaukeean reads this, correct me if I am!
How often do you play in your Besides the band, what other area, do you have like a regular things are you into, do you club or spot in your city where guys work or what? every local gig happens? Eric: Yeah, we all work to varying Eric: We degrees. generally Two of us try to are older play DIY and have s h o w s adult-ish whenever type jobs, possible. and the This means o t h e r w e half of generally us just don't play work part c l u b s , t i m e , though if e a s y the show going, is good, menial we're not l a b o r opposed to sort of it at all. jobs. All The best of us go DIY spot to shows in town is whenever the Borg we can, W a r d . and have Coincident passion ally, it's for music the best venue this city has ever in all capacities. A couple of us are seen. It's basically an art really into video games, haha. We're gallery/collective, where people nerds for sure. A couple of us are live and run shows. The people that married, and so that plays into run it are awesome and diverse, and shit. I am really into animals, and have the truest passion for all have been thinking about getting a kinds of music. The Borg has hosted different job working with them some of the most diverse acts I have someday, or maybe even just ever seen. We play here in town volunteering. usually 1-2 times per month at most. We don't want to overload people. We might even scale it back, because there is no need to see us 24 times in silt’s second serving with Northless one year, haha.
One more thing, what is Northless all about rather than writing songs and playing at shows? Eric: Northless is basically an embodiment of absolute negativity. I love the idea of someone listening to our music and just imagining all the negative shit going on around them, and taking a second to reflect and say "Is what I'm doing worth anything to anyone, including me?" I ask myself that question every day, and I don't always like the answer. But, I'm still here and I'm still pissed about everything.
A n y s h o u t outs?!
Any plans of touring Asia, we'd love to see you guys play?! Eric: Man, I would LOVE to! The only other country Northless has played is Canada, and it was an awesome experience. I would to play overseas someday, and one day I want to make this happen! We'll see how things go!
Eric: I'd like to say thanks to you for the interview, Nul! I am very honored that you would choose to ask me these questions, and give me a venue to speak about the band! I would also like to say thanks to Cory and Halo of Flies, everyone in Protestant, my good friends Jason and Ben (who play with me in the band Half Gorilla, myspace.com/halfgorilla, and who have offered the utmost support), say hi and thanks to Dan (former drummer) and Scott (former bass player)...this band wouldn't be possible with you guys. And, of course, I want to say thanks to anyone who has checked out our music. It is truly humbling to get appreciation for the art we create.
Peace!
silt’s second serving with Northless
Bangsat is one of the most active grind crust band to come out of Indonesia lately, recent releases include a split with Archagathus from Bullshit Propaganda Records, another is from Rotten To The Core records with a 7� split w i t h Dehumanize d Earth. Silt was lucky to caught up with Agus (frontman) after constant email exchange. This was quite short for an interview anyways hope you enjoy reading’. silt: How are you guys lately? We`re fine here. For persons we`re busy with our jobs and daily life activities and try to making new songs for upcoming project. silt: Okay first thing, who are the members and how long you've been together? We`ve been together since year 2000 and
now it`s been almost 9 years this band still exist. At this moment the members is only Agus: vocals a n d To a n : guitars. We try to use d r u m sampling for the next recording to m a k e i t easier. silt:What does the band name mean? Bangsat is Indonesian words, and in English it's the same meaning like bastard. silt: Tell us about your local scene, are there tons of grind buffs out there? There's another band off BSP named GATT are you friends with them? Local scene in here is good and got many people support that. As for the bands, in here also got many good grind bands from DIY to Major bands:) GATT? My guitar man had ever helped them for mixing their recordings and also I did some of their vocal tracks.
silt: How about your audience in Indonesia, are they mostly metalheads or punk?
maybe about 30 pieces for us. We`re DIY band but to be honest we need money to continue this small band. Cause We` re j u st poor people here and only get paid 130 USD every month from our work:(So we need about 100 USD from the labels to pay for our rehearsals and next recordings. silt: Did you have any local releases?
We have much audience in here from Metalheads,Hard core and punks. Scene in here is big, unite and going strong day by day.
Long time ago we have two local releases tape and CDR as you can see on our MySpace profile page.
silt: Let's talk about your record, the split with Archagathus and Dehumanized Earth, how did it came to be?
silt: How often do you guys play and where? Did you get to play all over Indonesia?
For that splits, we are friends of that 2 bands and both of us like our musics so we decided to make split. Also For split with Archagathus we got helped from Will of Bullshit Propaganda recs who released this split and for split with Dehumanized Earth, we also got helped from Rob of Rotten To The Core recs.
Since we`re very busy with our daily life, we`re not often to play even in our town. We would love to choose making more new songs then playing often in gigs just to show people that we are a grind band:D
silt: How does it work when somebody asks you to appear on someone's label, do you get commissions or what? Usually for split, I'm asking labels to give me about 100 USD and some Cds or vinyls
silt: Your songs, your lyrics are political what influences you to write your songs? I`m not saying it`s political, I would love to say it`s a social awareness. My influences are my daily life and the fucked up situations in this country and around the world.
silt: Your song Gears of Death I think it talks about consumerism, tell us more about it? Consumerism is like a cancer in human life. In this Modern world that we live, consumerism is already be a part of human daily life, status and trends. Sometimes people don`t realize that they becomes a capitalism slave by being a consumerism. silt: When you write songs which comes first lyrics or riff? I do all the lyrics for Bangsat songs and Toan do all the riffs for Bangsat songs:)
silt: Any troubles with having no bass player? We never feel that way:) silt: Future plans for Bangsat? We have plan to make some split and mini album around 2010,hope there will be some labels interest to release or cooperate. silt: Any shout outs or last words? Hey Nul,thanks for your kindness support to this small band. Keep supporting DIY and stay healthy:)
REVIEWS Cervelli Stanki - 15 Years Old Tunes New Blood CD Hailing from Savona, Italy playing punk rock, their music actually borders from rock and roll to punk at times going fast tempo like hardcore, and its fun listening to them. All songs are written in Italian while the lyrics are translated in English. My first CD from this band of which is their final one, now 15 years and new renditions of old lullabies. Out of this record, you'll feel the experience, the intensity (of the songs) its edgy and catchy swell. Compared to an open wound that if you poke it, it still swells, which means that out of experience they still have the angst. Listening to this CD puts me back in time, it suddenly gave a feeling of not wanting to grow old instead I want to get back to the same spirit that beats inside me 10 years ago. I like this record especially it's sung in Italian which gave it more attitudes. “Saremo pronti!!” http://www.myspace.com/cervellistanki http://www.myspace.com/sliptrickrecords
End of All – Places 7” Blessed I was to have been sanctified with the ever sounding devastation of End of All, think of Wolfbrigade, Wolfpack or Blacken The Skies getting too much melodies served on each side of your plate, tinges of metal crust slides like thick sauce on this 3 song EP. A grey splatter vinyl with two songs on one side, one song on the other, and a purple sleeve is not too bad, pretty much worth it. What do you get is an End of All metal crust serving of hardcore.(Halo of Flies) Fatal Nunchaku/Bob Barker CD This is my first record of these two blast mofus consolidated through Teriak off Indonesia. The primer (FatalNunchaku) hails from France fueled with 45 seconds
bordering to a minute of upfront sarcasm in the tradition of Pretentious Asshole meets Despise You . A full throttle madness starting from first to last, all of which are plain fastcore think of a Bruce Lee nunchaku attack in yer face, fast and hits the spot. The latter (BobBarker of which I think is history) were from the US playing fastcore like Ruido mixed with a little Dropdead sometimes hitting a heavier slower pace. The writing is quite diverse with songs like “Cruelty Free”vegan stuff and “Pound your Fist”-macho moshers. I couldn't say more about these release two bands from the ends of the world together in a pack of full mind grinding and blowing disc, play it loud to absorb the fuel! (Teriak Records) H.I.V. – Vengeance CD I didn't know how long these guys are playing, though by the ,pictures alone it shows that age has made them an icon in the Italian hardcore punk rock scene. Their brand of punk is not too hard to distinguish, think of a crossover of Cock Sparer getting too cocky and had some Mob47 ingredients, or should I say just plain Italian h a rd c o r e p u n k , r e s e m b l a n c e o n mellowness is imminent with songs like “The Snobbed Wolf” from a Cervelli Stanki bashings. (self-released) Ninja Hatorry – s/t CD Twenty effing minutes and a total of 20 short songs well I think this would be one of my fave fastcore bands to emerge from Indonesia. Songs are written in their language except for a handful some are in English. It borders from a Kung Fu Rick influence then going fast snotty thrash like Bronson sometimes opens up with chugga riff then touches oblivion of fast promising assault.
REVIEWS The songs talked about HC politics, freedom and the rest are vernacular of which I have no idea but don't take me wrong I know somehow they're making sense. Enfold with glossy sleeve while pictures of the band were cut and pasted making a collage of maybe their friends and all, worth the price $4 a piece, fucking swell! (Teriak Records) Northless – No Quarter for the Damaged LP A lot would say that this release could be intertwined to an Isis or Swan dashings, well I thought so. The whole output was a combination of doom/sludge/post rock and a few mixes of hardcore, opens up with "to the lions" ,a rambling outburst going ambient comparable to Isis' From Sinking song. "Scum of the earth" didn't fail to add in that epic pluck until it plunges to a more matured heavy atmosphere thickness. Most of Northless' songs are unpredictable like the third track sounding more of a faster Kylesa. Now these is what you get with two dudes and a bunch of ideas, I know these guys are ready for a heavier dynamics for a higher soar now that they reformed to a quartet, and pretty sure that they are up for big changes. Fits people who loves sludge or the stoner rock genre. (Halo of Flies) Obsesif Kompulsif/Elastic Death - Thrash Complex CD Two bands, one label, each from the other ends of the world, with a CD that brought them together. The former hands out 11 tracks of fastcore ranging from a Lack of Interest to somewhat Infest touch downs. The intros are crazy, gangsta groove mixed with movie samples. The latter were from Brazil, more of like a Spazz reincarnation three-piece set with similar gruff and
nasally grunt driven vocals with the Spazzy riff stop and go then slow touch downs. It's surprising that these guys have a Hoy Pinoy cover “Where is Jollibee?” at the last part of the CD, PV buffs should check this. (Teriak Records) Paganfire/Sacrosanct – Winasak ng Apoy CD-R This was released sometime in the 3rd quarter this year, two of the Philippines' metal premier. Having Paganfire opening the tracks and known for their cutthroat lyrical sarcasm with fast 80's thrash metal assault and on the other hand Sacrosanct of which I've come to grow up with (Tarlac, Philippines) plays a certain strand of black/thrash metal think of a faster and dirtier Hellhammer . The first part includes four Paganfire rarities taken from their pre-released EP with the fourth song recorded live from Center for Arts. The Sacrosanct side consists of four pieces of black metal mayhem recorded live from a club up north Philippines. The whole product is a fermented blend of metal with increments of the 1st wave to a whole concept of DIY fused to make it slicker. Protestant – The Hate, The Hollow CD Released around the end of 2008 and a follow up to their Antagonist 7”, offering a pile of melody fused crust and epic touchdown lullabies on the sides on or before the intro and after chorus parts, a little thicker riff compared to Schifosi, spewed vocal parts on every guitar stroke making it more aggressive, well there's more to the adjective upon reading the lyrics and listening to this CD. It takes you further with every songs, like Obituary and Disgrace, the patterns are unpredictable I'd say these two songs are more on the post hardcore going to a faster pace.
The rest of the tracks are plain blissful hardcore poured with passion making it a keeper. Check them out! (Halo of Flies) Toxic Youth/Calibronove – split CD Toxic Youth opens up with a groovy salvo and suddenly beats up to a heavy DMS hardcore that transitions to sing alongs on every end of the verse. Think of Blood for Blood or Madball with thick gruff vocals having heavier chugga chuggas and heavy pounding drums. A lot of these sounds used to thrive up north Baguio, Philippines which I made friends with damn how I missed those drunken asses. Calibronove also hails from Italy playing groovy hardcore then switches to a part where it'll pick up fast pace like a Warzone beat. Fans of Agnostic Front could dig this. (www.bloodytearscoll ective.com) Worthless – 17100 Riot CD I first listened to this CD when I was at work , one of my co-workers came to me and asked what was I listening to he said that it sounded like those Japanese pop rock played on anime openings. Well I get what he thinks it's pretty catchy listening to Worthless, but not too popish like those opening songs for Japanese cartoons, I would say that they're a regular street punk outfit with a regular pogo beat that makes you stomp on your feet and dance. Some songs have the “stop and go” fill then it would have a reggae section added on the middle then going fast again with the “Oi! Oi!” shouted again and again, it's predictable
but it's fun listening to it. Went to ask a friend as well to read the lyrics for me, it says that most of it is personal , like the songs “Modernista” and “Un attimo di..”, having it translated, it tells something about their stand on being modernist on some ways, well this album still is a keeper. Try to check them out and see what you think about them. http://www.myspace.com/worthlesspunk http://www.myspace.com/lacarboneria
Fall of Efrafa – Inle CD Too bad these guys had to call it quits, after the 2nd installment of Elil comes the last saga of FOE's “re-imaging” of Watership Down. All of fictional angst were driven on these last piece (while writing this The Burial 12” just got sold out and a box set of all FOE material is off for pre-ordering) I couldn't say more, this band is a killer from the conception of the first “warren” up to now, the only difference is maturity I should say ripeness on the technical side. This I think was picked up where they left off on the 2nd “warren” you could see the resemblance from “Dominion Theology” and the undying epic of “Republic of Heaven”(without the acoustic intro). So much for the wait to have this, I wanted to have the DLP but I was broke anyways moving on so much said and done how I wish they were here to stay and put out more records, it's a nice present for the end of the year but it's quite a loss to see them go. Cheers!! (Halo of Flies)
reviews
Bangsat/Archagathus 7” One of my first records from both bands, Bangsat plays crust/grind by means of chunky bits palm muted riff fused with rough growls in between, also never missed out in toting up politics to their songs, singing about war to poverty. While Archagathus is a mince outfit from Canada having filthy vocals patterned with fast beats and gnarly splatters start to finish. A perfect set of scales for this seven inch, very catchy sets on both sides, BSP won my heart when it comes to such release you have two interesting sides of the vinyl. ( B u l l s h i t Propaganda Records) ROBOTOSAURUS – Manhater cassette C o n v e r g e , Snapcase, Dillinger Escape Plan touched my memories with this sort of genre, passionate construction, often blast beating to slow downs from the drum part to a post metal infused guitar pattern, pretty heavy and most of the time screaming this is a perfect coffee match in the morning to get you all pumped up. The sleeve itself is a winner, glossy artsy evoking pictures of crushing and brutality which gives you a taste how the sound and the band would be on stage. There are 13 tracks all together spreading around half an hour of mayhem, just think how these guys are brainy and arty, it's pretty tough for an artist to figure up two
or three different styles in all one artistry. Go check them out, and I bet you wished Sauna never broke up I'm sure they're ready to crush each other's head. (Utarid Tapes) THOU/MOHORAM ATTA – Degradation of Human Life LP THOU gives a taste of their smart approach to punk by covering Minor Threat's Screaming At A Wall and having compared to the Peasant album the tracks offered here are more upbeat, well the doom/sludgy part is still imminent despite having considered as more into the metal genre. I admire bands like them w h o embraces the punk antics with all of the political thoughts squeezed in their songs. Mohoram A t t a evokes instinct of b l a c k metal and c r u s t arrangement, from the first to the closing track fans of His Hero Is Gone could dig this. I would recommend this record to people who are into the dark and ambient region of punk who embraces a mood swing with positive attitude.(Halo)
reviews
Infernal Stronghold/Gatt-Pest 7" One of the most impressive packaging ever. You have a clear orange vinyl with a folded sleeve printed with gold ink and two patches included with the same pattern. So far so good, Infernal Stronghold is a blackened hardcore act think of black metal with a crusty experience fueled with vicious cutthroat vocal sense. GATT are members of Bangsat doing a side project. The difference would be the vocal approach still with a crusty grind riff sounding like Bangsat. These two records are included from three little babies from BSP for 20 fing dollars pretty affordable ships from the states to Manila check them out and support them. (BSP) PARTY BY THE SLICE/MALPARIDO-split 7” I've been eyeing for this record for quite some time now. PBTS were members of Protestant and o t h e r Milwaukee bands (not too sure which one though) playing their own merge of chaotic thrash adding touches of cynicism. The opening track spoils it “Let's just text each other like good Americans do” w h i c h ta l ke d about losing the s e n s e o f message with having text as a medium, I almost died out laughing with the first track thinking that we Pinoys being number one who's fond of text
messages. Malparido squeezed in nine songs of fast hardcore sounding like a jarring Coche Bomba without the mellow touches on this side of the 7” inch having beautiful grayish marble color. check them out you wont lose a thing its pretty worth it if you like thrash or any sort of fastness these is a start! (xTruex Records) Suffering Mind/ Lycanthropy split 7" Cycle of Extinction/Too late to Survive Two of Europe's promising grind acts. Suffering Mind (Cycle of Extinction) hails from Poland offers six new songs of fast growling raw grind having a raw r e c o r d i n g m a d e i t c a t c h i e r. Lycanthropy(Too late to survive) bites back with full blast two switching vocal assault. I thought Lycanthropy was techno grind I'm wrong they really have a drummer w h i c h speeds like sonic shit. SM's songs are all sang in their language e x c e p t Lycanthrop y's mostly is politics f r o m prejudice to plastic s u r g e r y. Comes in grey plastic with folded sleeve, capable and promising, these bands are something to watch one for in the next coming months or years. (Bullshit Propaganda )
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