Tag Archives: Hardcore punk

Colleen Caffeine of Choking Susan

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If the Ramones and X had mated, you would probably end up with something resembling Choking Susan; a high-speed, high-energy dosage of chewy pop-punk complete with the haunting croons of the flamboyant Colleen Caffeine. Like their leather jacketed forefathers, Choking Susan are not chintzy when it comes to catchy hooks, and be warned as tracks such as “The Return of Lemon & The Tramps” and “Dolly Parton” will be taking a permanent residence in your auditory cortex. They have also managed to build up not just loyal motor city fan base but a rabid U.K following after playing the annual Rebellion Fest seven years in a row where they shared the stage with bands such as Fucked Up, Face To Face, The Exploited, and The Adolescents.

What’s Choking Susan all about?

We are old school punk played the way new school should be played!

At what age did you realize you wanted to be in a punk band?

To me, there wasn’t anything else that looked like fun in life..and I was right!

You guys also got to tour the U.K, what did they think of Choking Susan overseas? 

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After taking over Detroit, Colleen and Choking Susan set their sights on the U.K in 2012.

It was fantastic! they all wanted to have our babies!

I hear a lot of Ramones in the sound of Choking Susan. What is it about the Ramones that makes them the perfect punk band?

The Ramones are pure unfiltered fun; sweet, smart, silly, catchy bursts of energetic tastieness– if you say I’m similar to the Ramones than it worked!

Which Ramones songs do you consider to be their most underrated?

It’s like saying, “which Ramones songs are bad?”– on a scale of 1 to Ramone, Ramone always comes out on top of everything else! so what is under rated? all of them!

Could you tell us about the song “I Hate Hardcore”? What was the inspiration behind it?

We had this jackass in our band and I wrote that song about him, he was a hardcore purist but nothing was good enough for him. He lasted about as long as the song is…

“Dolly Parton” will probably be stuck in our head all week, could you explain the subject matter of that song to the people who have not heard it?

It’s about being over looked and wanting to transform yourself into something memorable and perfect.

What’s the story on your other band, Loudmouth Baby?

That’s my all female Ramones cover band I play bass in.

How has playing in Choking Susan changed your life for the better?

It has shown me the world and the wonderful people in it, it has been my glasses.

Choking Susan Bandcamp

Choking Susan Facebook

Loudmouth Baby Facebook

A Hardcore Beat Down By Matt C. Of Ante Up

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Macho chest beating hardcore that will bring to mind the brutal mosh ready grooves of such bands as Hatebreed, Throwdown, and Lionheart.

Ante Up were formed in 2005, then took a brief hiatus, but are now back for good, and are ready to stomp a mud hole in your ear drums.

These boys are a barking hardcore beast snarling and scowling a street smart cadence, and are the perfect tag team partner for those of you who are looking for a straight up musical curb stomp.

There’s nothing frilly or flashy about these dudes, just down and dirty, meat and potatoes harcore that gets in your face, looks you in the eye, and knocks out all your teeth.

We emailed guitarist Matt C. and he threw down the good word on his heavy squad of noise mongers. Check it out!

How did Ante Up form?

We started in 2005, when two partially started bands teamed up.

Only a few members from each band were in the final product, and we played shows for a few years and had a good time.

How would you describe your music?

I guess that question is more for whoever listens to us, but if we were tossing a label, it would be “heavy beat down hardcore”.

We try to keep it heavy and pissed off, but not tuned super low.

How has the reaction been since you decided to reform?

We came back for a show for a friend that passed away, and decided to keep going.

The reaction has been good; We play, people mosh, sometimes kids sing along, and we usually sell a good amount of merch. Thats more than enough for us.

Are Ante Up big wrestling fans? 

I loved wrestling growing up, but havent watched since the “attitude” era.

I used to always watch wrestling and rent pay per views with my grandpa, It’s one of my favorite memories from growing up.

We tried to have a wrestling themed video for our song “Lifted”, but that was scrapped when we had a poor turn out for costumes.

My favorites include Hulk Hogan, Roddy Piper, The Big Boss Man, Papa Shango, Doink, The Undertaker, Taz, Sandman, RVD, Sabu, Cactus Jack, The Steiner Brothers, The Nasty Boys, La Parka, The Outsiders, and The Macho Man (rip). I have many more but those all came to mind right now.

What’s the song writing process like for Ante Up?

We usually all jam together and get things written, but lately we have been bringing ideas and guitar parts into practice.

What did your first band you ever play in sound like?

Herb and Justin are a little older than me, so I can only imagine their answers.

My first band was a nu-metal/rock band, we all had different bands we liked and just got instruments. So, it sounded terrible.

Critter’s first band was Ante Up, and Thomas’s first band was an indie singing kind of thing.

How did you get into hardcore?

I got a Victory records sampler years ago, and started researching the bands I didnt  already know on it.

Critter was into punk, but the way he got into hardcore was actually the same as mine with the samplers back when Victory were good and used to have actual hardcore/punk bands on their label.

What do you remember your first hardcore show being like?

Hatebreed with Agnostic Front, and Discipline. It was pretty wild and seemed like one giant fist fight.

Where did you guys get your name from?

From the game Cee-lo, it’s a dice game.

Who are some of your favorite bands to play with?

We will play with anyone anytime. We always like to play with friends: Objection (PA), Poison Tongues (MI), Lifeless (NJ), Bottomfeeder (PA), Menace (PA), Terrible Minds (PA), Represent (PA), CDC (PA), and Years Spent Cold (NJ).

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Anything you wanna plug?

We have a full length coming out sometime next year.

Also, Dec 7th were playing the Corktown Tavern with Poison Tongues, Tyrant, Represent, Hell Sent, and Counterfeit. The show is for Detroit Bully Corps, they are a pitbull rescue organization and the money goes to help them.

Aaron Whitfield of Great Reversals

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Metro Detroit’s Great Reversals have been churning out a relentless variation on the mid nineties hardcore formula perfected by bands like Snapcase, Judge, and Earth Crisis since 2006. But don’t mistake these five boys for originality challenged revivalists looking to rehash the dead sounds of a bygone era, as their Helmet-esque merger of chunky guitars and fierce screams are a breath of fresh air in a scene congested with flimsy three chorders and knuckle dragging thugs.

Rather than relying on the clumsy thrash of their peers, Great Reversals bring it home with concrete heavy riffs and crushing rhythms.

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‘To The Ends Of The Earth’

Their 2013 release, To The Ends Of The Earth, is an angst ridden and emotionally raw monument to all things that don’t suck, and should be prescribed to any one who likes their hardcore with an equal amount of brood, brains, and balls.

We were lucky enough to chat with the main man behind the microphone, Aaron, for discussion on his band and everything hardcore.

How did Great Reversals form? 

In 2006 our drummer, Eric, tried out for our guitarist, Steve’s, previous band through a serendipitous moment at a show.

Eric had thought to pass out flyers with his info, influences, and silly photo-booth pics saying “drummer looking to bang!”.

At that same show Steve had printed CDRs for his band entitled the “looking for a drummer” demo and lo and behold friends made sure they met.

While the try-out revealed it wasn’t a good fit, they both declared a band had to happen in the future.

They started clunking together in winter 2008, I came in shortly after, and Alex and Sam joined in the summer.

We played our first show just after Thanksgiving that year.

Who is in the band, and what do they play?

I’m Aaron, I sing. Alex and Steve play guitars. Sam plays bass. Eric drums.

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“Part of why we rely on slower riffs so much stems out of wanting to play tightly.”

Could You tell us about the lyrical content of To the Ends Of The Earth?

Sure, the record content is really the main impetus behind why Great Reversals exists in the first place.

Eric’s son, Elijah, is Autistic, deaf, and cognitively impaired.

When Steve and Eric started talking about the project Eric expressed that a some point he would like to explore his feelings around Elijah lyrically.

So after our demo and split 7″, we jumped into the task of trying to musically express some of the emotions Eric had written about.

To the Ends of the Earth is specifically about about Eric’s struggle fathering Elijah; the confusion, anger and depression that come with facing complications that seem impossible to grasp, but also the hope and joy found in restructuring ideas of progress and small victories.

Broadly, the record is about perseverance and resolution amidst life’s adversities.

You guys covered an Unbroken song, could you explain the importance of a band like Unbroken on both Great Reversals and hardcore in general? 

Well, their brooding, metallic sound is arguably our most direct influence. Oddly enough, none of us are natural super-fans of them. Even the three of us who were around to experience the ’90s scene directly missed the boat on Unbroken.

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Unbroken

But the road they laid for other bands is undeniable! A perfect example of this might be Razor, a straight up eery metal riff to open the song, a plodding transition, and a spazz-punky fast part all combined with political yet emotive lyrics.

I think they, and a few others, really propelled hardcore in a more metal-sounding direction and bridged the sound-gap between bands like Inside Out in the early ’90s and Day of Suffering in the later ’90s.

Unlike a lot of hardcore bands, Great Reversals rely on slower, heavy riffing, as opposed to fast three chord chugging. Why do you think so many hardcore bands confuse speed for heaviness?

Part of why we rely on slower riffs so much stems out of wanting to play tightly.

We found early on that playing overly fast seems to make us fall apart.

While we’ve made marked improvements over these years, we really started out as a novice-talented band. So we’ve had to capitalize on our strengths, one of which is writing riffs smothered in winterized molasses!

Bands like Quicksand and Helmet also take this approach to their music, are you guys influenced by them at all?

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Paige Hamilton of Helmet

Hell yeah! The fact that you even mentioned these two bands gets me pumped! While huge fans of both bands, I don’t know if we can say we’re directly influenced by either of them, but once every few songs Eric pulls out a Helmet drum beat that kicks my ass!

The musicianship and creative writing in Quicksand is well beyond us, but before they started touring again we considered covering them.

Though we threw away that idea because of it–I’m really glad I got to see them last year! They ruled–even with the rock-star-ish meanderings they indulged with some songs.

In your opinion, what hardcore bands do you think wrote the best riffs?

Oh man, that’s a tough one!

I have a strange brain when it comes to processing riffs. When I think ‘riffs’ my mind immediately jumps to non-core bands like Clutch, Rage Against the Machine, Helmet, and Orange 9mm.

My understanding of riffs became really clear when an old roomie started using the term “riffy” to describe bands. Up until that point I had so little musical terminology in my brain  that I didn’t even know what ‘riff’ meant!

So, getting back to your question, Sick of it All, Snapcase, early Agnostic Front, Most Precious Blood, Disembodied, Converge, Morning Again, and Arkangel all have riffs that have stuck in my head over time and still make me want to thrash unnaturally!

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“Our sound just comes from a few of us being products of the ’90s and wanting emulate now what we didn’t have the opportunity to emulate then.”

I also have to plug a band that basically nobody has ever heard of, Narcissus! Their EP …And Forthwith Came out Blood and Water has some of the best riffs I’ve ever heard!

Lyrically the record is on the ‘spirit-filled’ end, but the riffs and vocals (which are certainly love em’ or hate em’ style) are so solid!

Lastly, I gotta mention some current and active hardcore bands that are riffing it up…Run with the Hunted, Drug Church, Divider, and the new Hollow Earth jams I’ve heard are really great!

What hardcore band would give the title of “the best hardcore band ever” to?

This may come as a strange answer to many who know me from a distance, but I think I have to say Madball!

While I haven’t kept up with them in a few albums, I can almost sing their first 3 proper albums, Set it Off, Demonstrating My Style, and Look My Way in their entirety!

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Madball’s ‘Set It Off’

Madball/Vision of Disorder was my first HxC show in 1996 at the Shelter here in Detroit, and I think they embody “hardcore” in certain ways.

They’re not necessarily ways that I can relate to, i.e. the song ‘lockdown’ on SIO talking about being locked up while innocent for not ratting on someone.

But the ‘struggling in the streets’ identity that a lot of NYC bands represented has an honorable aspect to it, something I can’t really empathize with as a white, suburban, pastor’s kid.

But I certainly chuckle when I remember myself lipping “I’m not a fuckin’ rat…so just go, go fuck yourself!” between classes in high school!

Great Reversals sound harkens back to ’90s Hardcore, why do you think so many people consider this such a great era for hardcore?

I think generally it was just a very progressive era. The sound, as mentioned above was experimenting with some darker directions, and as lyricists considered issues outside themselves and had epiphanies about their lives the words expanded beyond the ‘struggle and the streets’ (unity, etc.) into more introspective and reactionary directions.

Hardcore was in no way part of the mainstream like you can find it now. It still existed in DIY venues not just because of availability but because of ethics that insisted upon it being its own entity that had to be sought out. Without the internet it was a world of human interaction, ideas when shared had to be discussed face to face.

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“I think the basis of hardcore is ‘screaming for change’, whether that be social issues or personal frustration, the point of yelling, if not to directly create change, is to remind us of the need for change.”

We started Great Rev not necessarily to be an idea-sharing band, a few of us had been in bands where that was the primary goal and I think we recoiled a bit from that style, but we do hope to at least explore life-issues/ideas that are genuine to us or current in our lives and present thoughtful explorations to those who read our records.

And our sound just comes from a few of us being products of the ’90s and wanting emulate now what we didn’t have the opportunity to emulate then.

Is being pissed off a key ingredient being in a hardcore band?

This may be semantic-bullshit, but ‘discontented’ might be more fitting.

I lean towards that description mostly because as a writer I don’t write specifically about things that piss me off per se’ and I don’t usually feel pissed off, but the things I try to reflect on revolve around areas of my life that I can’t quite wrap my head around.

All of this aside, I think the basis of hardcore is ‘screaming for change’, whether that be social issues or personal frustration, the point of yelling, if not to directly create change, is to remind us of the need for change.

You guys got to play with Agnostic Front, was that a big deal for GR?

It was! I don’t think the other guys cared about it as much as I did.

AF was one of the first HxC bands I heard. We’re talking accidentally buying the Raw Unleashed CD unaware it was basically 60 versions of the United Blood 7-inch songs in different settings, which was maybe the third CD I purchased. It felt like I was discovering the first recordings of the first band ever!

From there I found the Cause for Alarm/Victim in Pain CD and learned about ‘crossover.’ Talk about riffs! Toxic Shock alone hooked me on the band!

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Agnostic Front

After that, while I loved the music on Liberty and Justice For…I couldn’t get down with Roger’s vocal stylings and sort of lost interest for One Voice and everything after they reunited.

But yeah, the tour was the 25th anniversary of United Blood, so it was sweet hearing those songs even if they weren’t as vibrant as they once were.

Thanks to Chaz from Homelife for getting us on that show!

What local bands are exciting you the most?

It’s fitting I’m answering this question right now because tonight we’re playing the Left of the Dial record release show with 4 bands that would be on my list: Hollow Earth, Sunlight Ascending, Retribution, and Left of the Dial.

Our guitarist, Steve, sings for Hollow Earth and they are recording a full-length for Panic in February! We have a DIY split 7″ coming out in the next couple months with Sunlight Ascending, who blow us away every time we see them. Also on the list: Breaking Wheel, Not Ok, Dead Church, Tharsis They, and Cloud Rat.

Is Great Reversals influenced by any heavy metal bands at all?

Several of us dabble in metal, but I’d say Alex is the only viable metal-head in the band. 

We have some metal moments scattered here and there, but each one of them probably sound inspired by metallic hardcore band who was inspired by a metal band. Does that make sense? Like the influence is second generation or the ugly step-child of a sweet metal riff.

Anyways, we have some new songs which one could argue have a couple Crowbar-esque moments….but that’s debatable.

I’ll be pushing firmly in the future to move the Rev in a Dim Mak Knives of Ice era sound complete with the stolen chorus of “FROZEN! KNIVES OF ICE! KNIVES OF ICE!” Not sure quite how that will pan out, but I like to think myself pretty clever. Ha!

Anything you wanna plug?

As I mentioned above, we have a split 7″ with Sunlight Ascending coming out in the early new year, as well as a 3-song 7″ due out also in early 2014 via How Soon is Now records, both of which we’re very excited about! So keep an eye out for those!

Lastly, we have everything we’ve already released up for free download at:

http://gr8rev.bandcamp.com

Show updates and general ramblings can be found at:

http://www.facebook.com/great-reversals

“Bright & Gory Cartoons With A Lot Of Severed Heads And Bulging Eyeballs”:The Art Of Russell Taysom

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UK based illustrator Russell Taysom’s art is like starring into the nightmare of a schizophrenic TV addict; Russell re-imagines the trash culture of his youth as surreal, ultra-violent, neon colored hallucinations, think David Lynch’s Mad magazine, or a Hanna-Barbara directed splatter film.hulkteeshirt

Just one look at Russell’s work and you can tell he was a child of the late ’80s/early ’90s and grew up on a steady diet of VHS tapes, Madballs, pro-wrestling, Garbage Pail Kids, Ren & Stimpy, Double Dare, Z-grade action films, Punk Rock, Heavy Metal, Troma, comic books, and Saturday morning cartoons.

Russell Taysom’s work has appeared in issues of London based Eyeball Comix and Art Rocker magazine, as well on fliers, t-shirts, and 7″s for a whole slew of bands from his neck of the woods.

If you’re into Johnny Ryan, Mike Diana, Superjail!, Wonder Showzen, or are just a fan of having your mind blown, check out Russell’s art on his Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, or personal website where you can buy posters and prints. flufferhalloween4

Where are you from?

I’m from Hereford, which is a small farming town in the middle of England, but I live in London now.

How would you describe your artwork?

Bright and gory cartoons with a lot of severed heads and bulging eyeballs.

Who are some of your major influences? 

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“..As a kid, listening to Iron maiden was like entering a whole new world full of magic and danger.”

John Kricfalusi who did Ren and Stimpy, Mike Diana, Joe Coleman, Derrick Riggs who did all the Iron Maiden Covers up until Fear of the Dark.

Growing up, I was a massive Garfield fan and later Lobo, so maybe a bit of Jim Davis and Simon Bisley. I also love kid’s drawings in general.

Who are some of the bands you’ve had a chance to work with? 

Recently, I’ve been doing lots of artwork for a band called Love Buzzard. I’ve also done posters for Kill Yourself, Slaves, God Damn, Mean Bikini, Skaters, Bo Ningen, Slaves, Fever Fever, and The Vichy Government .

I loved the GG Allin pieces you did. Which one of GG Allin’s tattoos is your favorite and why?

I like the scum fuck one because of the way the last bit of the m from scum is extra long to  form the k from fuck. GG is the best to draw ‘cus he was such a great character. I’m doing a GG Chrsitmas card today with his shit spelling out Merry Christmas.

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“..I’m doing a GG Chrsitmas card today with his shit spelling out “Merry Christmas”…”

 Could you tell us about your love of Iron Maiden, when did you first get into them, and where did you first hear them?

I got into Iron Maiden when I was 11, I bought Seventh Son of a Seventh Son for the cover, but loved the music, and especially the lyrics. As a kid, listening to Iron maiden was like entering a whole new world full of magic and danger.  rt2

Next, I got Number of the Beast for Christmas, and “Hallowed be thy Name” is still one of my all time favorite songs.

After that, I spent the next ten years spending pretty much all my money on Iron Maiden stuff, even trying to like the two Blaze Bayley albums.

After Bruce came back, I was disappointed in Brave New World even though I loved his last solo album, A Chemical Wedding. So I kinda gave up on the stuff that came after that. I still listen to the old stuff and even listened to Steve Harris’ British Lion album, but I wasn’t that impressed.

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Bastion Booger

You made this awesome poster of wrestlers from the ’80s and ’90s, and even included our childhood favorite, Batstion Booger! Do you remember his theme song–it was just a bunch of burp and fart noises, or what about the time he took that kid’s ice cream bar, how awesome was that?

 Oh yeah, there was something special about all the guys that got their own name and a gimmick but didn’t get to win much. Bastion Booger, Repo Man, Skinner, and The Brooklyn Brawler were all super cool in my eyes.

The Berzerker never seemed to win a match…even though he looked amazing!

Who were some of your favorite wrestlers growing up?

There were so many awesome characters when I was a kid. I really think they should get back to giving wrestlers cool gimmicks, but I guess so does everyone our age.

My favorites in WWF were Demolition, The Undertaker, and The Nasty Boys.

Later on I liked The Hardy Boys and The Dudley Boyz. I really liked managers and Bobby the Brain was my favorite, and Jesse Ventura is my all time favorite commentator. In WCW, I was really into Harlem Heat.wrestlingposterwebsite

So many artists of our generation blend imagery from pop culture into their work, do you think it’s possible that our generation has just consumed so much television that it’s seeped it’s way into our subconscious and this is how it’s poured out?

Yeah, that’s great point. Coming from a small town with no art galleries, all my culture came out of the TV. I think we were the first generation to have TVs in our bedrooms, and a lot of how we talk about our own lives is by relating it to TV or old computer games.

You might explain a journey to work as being like Paperboy 2, or an awkward meal being like Eraserhead. I especially like it when people liken a difficult situation to being like an end of level boss.

I think it’s fun to put that imagery into artwork, and I like to see how other people use pop culture to talk about their own lives.

www.russelltaysom.com

www.twitter.com/deceitfulpie

www.facebook.com/russellTaysom

 

Interview With Alex of Little American Champ

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“Loud Guitars, straight forward riffs, and screaming.”

Passionate and emotional Punk Rock that you can’t help but wanna raise your fists and sing along to. Lansing, Michigan’s Little American Champ are cut from the same cloth as earnest Punk Rockers such as Latterman, O Pioneers, Joyce Manor, and The Gaslight Anthem. Melodic and intense Punk Rock that would provide a perfect soundtrack to any sweaty and drunken basement show.

How did Little American Champ first come together?

It was in the summer of 2010. My brother and I were in college at the time, and we needed something to do that didn’t involve drinking games and partying. At that time, Jonny’s band just broke up and it seemed like the next logical step in music for the both of us.

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Little American Champ’s ‘Nothing Forward, Nothing Backward’ (EP)

I love the fact that I could download all your music for free off Bandcamp. Do you think that’s an important part of trying to get LAC’s music out there?

There is no doubt it helps in terms of exposure, but even more fundamentally, we never really had an expectation of a return on the music we created. I’ve never felt compelled to put a price on our music, especially when delivered in a digital format.

Getting back to your question though, I do believe it’s good policy for upstart bands to put their stuff up for free. Even if you could charge and still distribute it somewhat effectively, it’s still important to remove as many barriers as possible.

Did you play in any other bands before Little American Champ?

I never played in a full time project before LAC, but Jonny was in A Big Crash before we started our band. A Big Crash was made up of some of our good friends who we are still close with today. ABC was straight up Pop- Punk. Lots of Blink 182 and NOFX.

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‘This Is A Public Place’ (EP)

Who are some of the non Punk Rock bands Little American Champ are influenced by?

I’m not sure how evident these particular influences are, but we’ve grown up listening to a lot of Classic Rock. I still get down to the Beatles, ELO, and Tom Petty for sure. Tom Petty is a rock titan that could easily crush up with merely his sight.

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‘”..A record that brinks on perfection for me….. that record changed my life.”

 How would you describe Little American Champ to someone who has never heard you guys?

I’ve never been skilled when describing my own band, but I would say it’s like Get Bent, Against Me!, and Joie De Vivre in a blender.

Or to a non-Punk Rock listener: Loud Guitars, straight forward riffs, and screaming.

UK- Music- Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers Concert in London

“Tom Petty is a rock titan that could easily crush up with merely his sight.”

 How did you first get into Punk Rock and Who were some of the first Punk bands you got into?

My middle school years were when I first delved into Punk. I remember going into a fucking ice cream shop of all places, seeing a punk, and thinking, “what the fuck is that?” The rest is history. The first Punk bands that I got into were mostly bands of the late ’70s and early ’80s hardcore. Dead Kennedys (a favorite of my youth), Ramones, Sex Pistols, The Clash, Minor Threat, and The Misfits were all bands that introduced me to Punk.

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“..I remember..seeing a punk (for the first time), and thinking, “what the fuck is that?”..”

How does the songwriting work in Little American Champ?

Typically, either myself or Jonny would write a song, bring it to the other, who would give their input and help polish it off. Although lately, song writing has been even more of a collaborative process, working together on a song during its infancy vs. just helping the other finish the song. Once we feel a song is the best it can be, we take it to Travis (drummer extraordinaire) and he does his thing. That’s our very fancy creative process!

What are some of your favorite venues to play?

I am personally a big fan of house shows. GTG House in Lansing is a great place for shows and it’s run by a bunch of really cool people. As far as actual venues go, maybe I’m saying this because we have played it nearing twenty million times, but Mac’s Bar in Lansing is one of my favorite venues to play. From the aesthetic of it, to the avenue it has provided for start up bands like us, it’s a huge part of our community in Lansing.

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“..I still get down to The Beatles..”

Did you grew up in a house with a lot of music playing and do you think it has shown up in any of LAC’s songwriting?

I’m unsure if we grew up in a house that had more music playing than your average family unit, but there were definitely some tasty jams being blasted. I have been revisiting a lot of the Classic Rock that my Dad would crank in the car like Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, and The Beatles. I think my mom helped Jonny and I develop a taste for Pop hooks because she was always very into Michael Jackson, Shania Twain, John Denver, and the like. I don’t think you can glean any overt influence on our music from the stuff listed above, but It was our first exposure to music and definitely molded us as kids.

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“…when it comes to having my brain matter melted, one band that definitely comes to mind is Restorations from Philadelphia..”

What bands have you played with live that completely blew you away?

That statement is so strong; it’s hard to have some band stand out like that. But when it comes to having my brain matter melted, one band that definitely comes to mind is Restorations from Philadelphia. Although, I just saw them when they came to Hamtramak last spring, and did not have the opportunity to play with them, that band fucked my ears by the end of their set. When some band your unfamiliar with, travels from far away, comes to your town, plugs in, fucking rocks in earnest, and then leaves you on your ass, it’s a really cool feeling.

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“Mac’s Bar in Lansing is one of my favorite venues to play.”

Do you have any friends who play in bands?

Well as I mentioned earlier, Jonny played in A Big Crash, which is now obviously long over. From that band, spawned Little American Champ and Small Parks. Small Parks is a band our friend, James Radick, started with Danny and Josh (the founders of A Big Crash). It’s ’90s style Emo featuring some really fast songs, really a great band. As far as other bands go, it’s honestly too many to name but Cain Marko, Low Cloud, Giraffe Attack, It’s a Secret, Secret Grief, Hawk & Son, This is the Year, and Between Brains are really awesome Michigan bands making sweet music.

If you could name one record as “Greatest Punk Record Ever Made” which one would you choose?

If I am forced to pick one, ‘As The Eternal Cowboy’ by Against Me! is a record that brinks on perfection for me. I really love everything about that album. From the tones to those incendiary lyrics to the album’s frantic pace, that record changed my life.

 Anything you wanna plug,where can we get your music?

You can find all of our music at littleamericanchamp.bandcamp.com. For free! Duh! In terms of new music, we just finished mixing two new tunes that will also be available in some capacity really soon! One of the tracks will be included on a 4-way split with some really awesome friends of ours.

Shat, Themselves

Posted on by Standard Respond
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Andrew: “The name is something of a double edged sword…”

Rhythmically complex and textured Post-Hardcore that brings to mind bands like Unwound, Drive Like Jehu, Pissed Jeans and Botch. Shat Shorts are a D.C band whose debut (which is up on bandcamp for “name your price”) is stellar set of dizzying and fractured punk rock that combines manic hardcore freak outs with shrieks of absurdist smart alec poetry. Perfect for anyone who doesn’t mind a little thinking with their “spazzing out like a mongaloid”.

How did Shat Shorts first come together?

Andrew(vocals):

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Andrew: “..We’ve had our fair share of playing to 1 or 2 friends in a tiny basement…”

Shat Shorts came together partially because I wanted to be in a band again after a couple years of not having any artistic outlet, at least that’s what prompted me to start it. Brandon (drummer) and I were at a Pissed Jeans concert sometime in 2010 and I told him it would be really funny to be in a band called Shat Shorts. From there we recruited Gabe, and our friend Anton decided he wanted to join and Shat Shorts was born. A couple months after we got together and put out our first tape (Seersucker and Sundresses), we added Al as second guitarist and we rounded out our sound.

Shat Shorts could be considered a side project of Monument since we share three members, but all of the members have been friends / playing music together for years, so deciding to be in a band happens from time to time.

Where are you guys from?

Andrew:

We’re from the Silver Spring/Takoma Park/Baltimore, MD. We mostly play shows in DC and Baltimore, occasionally in Philly.

Do you ever get sick of people asking the band about the band name?

Andrew:

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Andrew: “I don’t have any (post show) rituals, unless you call the post-show excruciating headache a ritual.”

Yes. I know this is my fault for deciding to be in a band called Shat Shorts. The name is something of a double edged sword. It gets us attention because it’s a stupid, ridiculous name, but it also makes people just think we’re a joke or aren’t worth any serious consideration.

Shat Short can be so raw and spazzy sounding but you guys have these really cool melodic parts thrown in. Who writes those parts? 

Andrew:

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Brandon on a Detroit gig: “We played to a few disabled veterans and a drunk guy who was really into us.”

When we write a new song, Anton, Al, Brandon, and Gabe jam on a couple parts and string them together to make it a full song. After that I’ll write lyrics to it, and I’ll either add small changes to fit the lyrics more, or just try to work with what they give me.

Al (guitar):

Gabe, Anton, and I have been in some really melodic bands previously, so we have a bit of a history with that. It all kinda comes out when we start playing around with different things at practice. We all enjoy pretty sounding things.

Who writes the lyrics for you guys?

Andrew:

I do!

I love the lyrics–weird, surreal, and funny all at the same time. Lyrically, who are some of Shat Shorts inspirations?

Andrew:

I listened to a lot of Dangers when we first started as a band. I really loved how the lyrics sync into the music. You could tell there was a lot of thought put into them whether it be references or lining up certain vocal parts with certain instrument parts. Other than that, I do what I usually have done when I write lyrics. I’ll come up with the general idea of the song and start forming couplets or some parts bit by bit until I’m good with the song. I tend to try to have some humor in my lyrics because it’s easier for me than to be sincere.

Did you guys realize you had lyrical gold when you wrote: 

“..He’s got a DJ gig at the end of the week

and he thinks he’s like the house he plays: real deep” (from “He’s So Modern”)

Andrew:

haha, No I did not, but I do like that line.

What is it about those type of guys and the DJing thing? Don’t they always seem like the same kinda guys who think all those graffiti scribbles are “art”? I don’t get it.

Andrew:

DJing can be cool, but there are a lot of people who are really bad at it. He’s so Modern is not really about one type of person, it was based on an amalgamation of different “cool” things I saw various people I knew doing.

Al:

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Al: “I’m no graffiti enthusiast, but I think it’s cool as a cultural thing. “

I think DJing got a lot easier over the years, so more people are doing it and so there is more room for really bad DJ’s. I’m no graffiti enthusiast, but I think it’s cool as a cultural thing.

Could you tell us a little bit about the bands  you guys played in before Shat Shorts?

Gabe, Brandon, and Anton are currently in a Braid cover band, Monument.

Andrew was in French Stewart. He and two others would dress up in Big Mac costumes and yell lyrics over fruity loop beats coming from an ipod.

Brandon, Anton, and Al used to play in Dawntreader, epic Screamo in the vein of City of Caterpillar,  etc.

Anton and Al used to play in an Emo band called Bezout’s Identity

Anton and Al used to play in The Summer We Went West, drunken American Football worship

Brandon and Al used to play in a Hardcore band, Hobis

Brandon and Al used to play in Mop Attack, our middle school Ska band that turned into a Ska / hardcore band.

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Shat Shorts have a song named after the Daffy Duck/Michael Jordan blockbuster ‘Space Jam’, how cool is that?

Andrew does some really amazing things with his voice. Just really raw sounding. How does some one scream like that with out tearing up his voice? Does he have any pre show or post show rituals to warm up his throat?

Andrew:

I don’t have any rituals, unless you call the post-show excruciating headache a ritual.

What is the punk rock scene like where you guys come from?

Al:

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Andrew on their song “Space Jam”: ..(I) was in the middle of watching the Battlestar Galatica reboot when I wrote it so I knew I needed to include Frak”

There are a lot of cool bands around right now (shout out to: The Fordists, Jail Solidarity, The Deads, Highway Cross, Buildings), and some really cool house venues to play (which historically is a little difficult to keep going in DC). It feels pretty vibrant around here.

Have you guys ever played a show in Michigan? If so, where was it and how did you like it?

Brandon: me and al played a dawntreader show show in Detroit in 2003.  I think the place was called Pinky’s or something, all I really remember was that it was an all women owned and possibly run bar.  We played to a few disabled veterans and a drunk guy who was really into us.  Also a fellow outside of the bar tried to sell us a shoe and a calculator that he kept in a pillowcase.

Al: I also remember the stage was like 5 feet tall but only like 3 feet off the wall so we all played on the floor (except you, brandon) and one of the vets thought I was trying to hustle our other bandmate in pool for some reason. Also, the guitarist from the band we were on tour with fell in love with the bartender and wanted us to leave him there.

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Gabe, Brandon, and Anton’s other band, Monument

What’s this I hear that you guys will play ANY basement?

Andrew:

Yes, as long as we can get to it. We’ve had our fair share of playing to 1 or 2 friends in a tiny basement.

What is the song “So I Hear The Faint Are Having A Reunion” about?

Andrew:

I’m kind of embarrassed for the way this turned out, but my original idea was to use dance punk references to relate to the iraq war. To me these two things are intertwined because I was listening to that kind of music around 2003 during the run up and start of the war. Ultimately I’m not really happy with the result, but tried to make it as good as I could. I think musically the song is great, but lyrically it’s lacking.

You guys reference Battlestar Galactica, David Bowie, and a movie about Michael Jordan playing basket ball with a buncha cartoons all in one song….uhhh…I don’t really have a question…I just think that’s cool.

Andrew:

Thanks! The idea for the song was punks setting up a show in space, and getting into trouble. It was called “Punx in Space” by us for a long time and then we started calling it “Space Jam” so we moved over. I tried to put a bunch of different things together for it because it’s a weird song and was in the middle of watching the Battlestar Galatica reboot when I wrote it so I knew I needed to include “Frak”.

Anything you guys wanna plug?

http://shatshorts.bandcamp.com has our entire discography for free (or pay whatever you want). You can also listen to our full length on spotify. As far as physical copies, you can get our split 7″ with Band Name by emailing us directly shatshorts@gmail.com. We’re also self releasing our full length onto a tape.