Minus9

Posted on January 3, 2014 by elsalvador1990 Standard Respond

For those of you looking for a punk band refusing to play by the rules, look no further than Ypsilanti’s drum and fuzz bass duo, Minus9. The band’s 2013 release, Drown, sounds like the bastard child of Napalm Death and Flipper, and evokes the noisy, exploratory spirit of such punk rock mavericks as Unsane, Big Black, and Nomeansno while still being able to rock out the same way Extreme Noise Terror did back in the day.

“Think Megadeth playing Rites of Spring. Gene Krupa drums for Pig Destroyer. We’re really all over the map.”
photo: Josh Chamberlain

How did Minus9 first form?

Andy: George W. Bush getting reelected drove me to want to play super hard and fast music. My band, that I played guitar in, was winding down about the same time my wife bought me a bass. I told a friend I was looking for a drummer to play grindcore. He said, “isn’t there a drummer a few houses down the street from you?”– that happened to be Steve. I had no clue. Once you take out the guitar, guttural vocal, and add a drummer who is coming from a jazz and metal back ground, it’s no longer going to sound like grindcore. We played for about a year for fun with no real plans to play out but it was sounding good and that was that.

Steve: The band I had been in for years was on what was threatening to be a permanent hiatus, and I was doing a lot of playing and recording with pretty much anyone who would have me at that time. Andy approached me to do a “grindcore thing”. I liked the idea because I had no idea what grindcore was, so it was new to me. He had to make me a mix CD just so I would have some idea.

How would you describe the music of Minus9?

Steve: Metal, Right? I’m sure it’s metal.

Andy: I’d say metal too. Fast, hard, and compressed.

Who are some of the not so aggressive influences of Minus9?

Andy: That’s an interesting question. We are more into speed than aggression. Melt-Banana is fast but not aggressive, and there’s a lot of salsa music faster than most hardcore and that’s also not aggressive. I don’t listen to bands like the Cro-Mags or ’90s hardcore mainly because it is so testosterone aggressive. For influences, we lift from everywhere. This one is going to be a fox trot. Let’s rework a Link Wray song. This one should sound like Ministry playing latin music. This one is a techno song with Pussy Galore style hard changes. Think Megadeth playing Rites of Spring. Gene Krupa drums for Pig Destroyer. We’re really all over the map.

“If it can’t be played with just drum and bass, then it’s not a Minus9 song.”
photo: Josh Chamberlain

Steve: Yeah, we pull from all over. I’m not sure anyone can tell after we put it through the Minus9 treatment though.

What inspired you guys to stick to just a drummer and bassist?

Andy: Bass is a great instrument that so many bands under utilize. Even when I played guitar I always started with a bass line. A bass can sound like a guitar but a guitar can never sound like a bass, so let’s go with the bass.

Steve: Would you ask The Strokes why they don’t have a didgeridoo player?

What are some of the advantages of only having a bassist and drummer? What are some of the set backs?

Steve: It’s not about advantage vs. disadvantage. We sound how we sound based on our instrumentation, and we write, and arrange for that instrumentation. The challenge is to make it sound full and interesting, but that’s a challenge with every band. Mostly it’s about moving as a unit while staying out of each other’s way. It’s like moving a couch down stairs. Would you rather have three or four weak guys or two strong guys?

Andy: Being just drum and bass is very restricting, and playing within restrictions pushes us to be more creative. Same goes for travel. We travel in a pretty small car so if it doesn’t fit, it doesn’t go. The goal is to do the most possible with what we have. If it can’t be played with just drum and bass, then it’s not a Minus9 song.

What’s the songwriting process like for Minus9?

Andy: First comes the concept. Usually I come up with ideas for song structures and what the feel is. I’ll tell Steve things like this one needs to sound frantic and panicky, Or this should come in like a punch in the face then turn murky and sludgy for the chorus. These are usually decided by what the song is about. Most songs are written in my head while walking my dogs. They’re usually written before I touch an instrument.

Steve: When Andy brings a song in it’s 99.999% complete, my job is to get the drum part out of his head in a way that makes sense and add a little bit of drummer stuff to make it a full part. At the same time, I will often suggest small lyrical alterations, just a word or two to help the flow, or to make it funnier.

“Would you ask The Strokes why they don’t have a didgeridoo player?”

Andy: Sometimes Steve will comment on one line of lyrics and that will cause the song to go a completely new direction. Once Steve works out the drum part I usually have to rework the bass part. Nothing is off the table from change either. There are plenty of songs from five years ago that get modified musically and lyrically.

Who are some of Minus9′s favorite bands to play with?

Steve: Girth, For sure. Brain Tumors, Touch, S.N.A.F.U., BerT, Choose Your Poison.

Andy: So many bands came and went so fast since we’ve started, it’s kind of hard to keep up. There was a great band from Brighton, MI called Maxx Rebo a few years back. Medic Medic from Pittsburg. Plague Years from Lansing. I’m pretty lucky to get a CD from most of these bands before they disappeared. As for current bands, I’d add Marrow and Nurse Ratchet to Steve’s list.

What are some of the past bands you’ve played in? What did they sound like?

Andy: My last band was a spazzy punk power trio called MHz. Minus9 was gonna be the MHz side project since our bass player went to grad school in New York. Once I met Steve, he ended up in MHz too. It’s been lots of bands before that dating way back. We both have been at it for a long time.

Steve: Well MHz obviously. Before that was a shoegaze band. I’ve been in gigging bands since I was 14 though, so I’ve played a lot of styles with a lot of great people. I don’t like to repeat myself. If a band dissolves I usually look for something completely different.

“I don’t listen to bands like the Cro-Mags or ’90s hardcore mainly because it is so testosterone aggressive.”

How did you guys hook up with Jim Diamond? How did you like recording with him?

Detroit music producer, Jim Diamond

Andy: I’ve been recording with Jim Diamond since he set up shop in Detroit. My wife and I had a record label in the mid-nineties and Jim was our go to guy. He has a great room. We just set up and play everything live. Drums, vocals, and bass all at the same time. Both our records were recorded in one day. I sometimes will redo a vocal when we mix down but that’s about it. Jim is real good at listening to you and capturing it without putting any spin on it.

On your band bio it says you guys write songs about hate, war, death, corruption, ignorance, torture, kidnapping, genocide, religion, and death. Which one of those is you favorite and why?

Steve: Ignorance is the linchpin, isn’t it? It’s at the root of all the others.

Andy: That bio was originally written for our myspace page that went up on 6/6/06. Back then I’d say death, but today I’d agree with Steve and say ignorance. Our first record was mostly about the Iraq war and a few about religion. Lots of death there. We thought most of those songs would all be obsolete after the 2008 election but things seemed to only escalate. With Drown we tried to blur the lines between us against them focusing more on ignorance. For our latest songs we’ve moved away from observation to point of view. Step into a character and you now can give off extreme points of view. The art on our first release was the world going to Hell. The second is the human race drowning in the tar pits. They both graphically sum up what the records are about. Our dislike of humanity is an endless well to draw from.

Is there anything you’d like to plug?

Steve: If you like music, support music. We do this because we like doing it, but gas in the tank is nice too.

Andy: Totally. Gear cost money, gas cost money, and recording cost money. If you’re paying twice as much for beer then for the music, you’re doing it wrong. Bands, watch other bands because there is always something to learn even if it’s what not to do. Last of all, spay and neuter your animals and please use birth control. There are more than enough people already.

Minus9 Bandcamp

Minus9 Facebook

Colleen Caffeine of Choking Susan

Posted on December 29, 2013 by elsalvador1990 Standard Respond

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?

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

Louie Badalament of Axe Ripper & Rawdogs

Posted on December 15, 2013 by elsalvador1990 Standard Respond

‘Welcome To Detroit Destruction’ by Axe Ripper

Don’t let the cloud of pot smoke hovering around these guys’ head fool you, there’s nothing slow or sluggish about about the music of Axe Ripper; lightning fast thrash with a strong skate punk back bone. Imagine King Diamond hi-jacking NOFX’s skateboard for a tour of Detroit’s urban decay, and you have a pretty good idea of the type of racket these guys make.

Their inaugural album, Welcome To Detroit Destruction, is a snot nosed and street smart chunk of metallic punk rock that owes just as much to Kreator, Sodom, and Judas Priest as it does to ’90s Epitaph. Lyrics to songs like “Detroit Destruction” and “Motor City Stench” paint the bands hometown of Detroit as a combination of gangsta rap nightmare and post-apocalyptic sc-fi (a la Mad Max, Escape From New York, etc.), a perfect backdrop for the album’s antagonistic attitude.

How did you guys hook up with Aunty Social to release Welcome To Detroit Destruction?

Well, we were looking around for some financial help locally, and I had been reading Criminal Behavior magazine and had absolutely no clue who was working on it. My girlfriend happened to just kind of bring him up and said she knew him, and then found his phone number and gave it to me. From there, we brainstormed and got this record released. Aunty Social in the past had released some compilation CD’s of local bands, but this was his first release he ever put out for just one band. His label, Pirated Records, released the first pressing of 300. After we sold out of those, Axe Ripper went ahead and self released the second batch of copies for the full length, and that time we pressed 1,000 copies.

Brian Thuringer is an amazing artist. Could you tell us more about Axe Ripper’s relationship with Brian and if he’s done any more work for you guys?

Ed Repka’s cover art for ‘Rust In Peace’ by Megadeth

Well, I’ve known Brian Thuringer since I was 14. We had a Home Economics class together. He used to draw sweet pictures and was a good artist. About a year later, I started taking him around to punk shows in squats. He’s done artwork for my other project, Serpent Men, when I was in high school also, and has helped me with flyers from time to time just using some of his sketches that he didn’t know what to do with. He ended up moving to Rochester, NY to get his degree in Graphic Arts. We’ve kept in contact this whole time, and always have been really good friends. I really like his art. He can do just about anything you ask him to do. Specifically for our album and EP, I wanted him to go for the Ed Repka style art. The next album, will be something totally different. I’m excited to see what he’ll come up with.

Seems like a lot of punk kids are rediscovering bands like King Diamond and Kreator. How did you guys get into metal, and why do you think there has been such a renewed interest in ’80s thrash?

Metallica’s ‘Ride The Lightning’

Well, I got into metal in the 2nd grade when I had a subscription to Guitar World that my parents got me for my birthday. Metallica were always in that magazine, and at the time Load was their current album. Not knowing any better, I went to Harmony House to buy that CD just to find out they were sold out. I ended up picking up Ride the Lightning instead, because I thought the front cover looked awesome. I never looked back on that decision. Shortly thereafter, I got into a couple similar artists (Megadeth, Pantera, Motorhead) but I didn’t really start getting into metal until high school. That’s when I discovered most of my favorites…Judas Priest, Manowar, Anal Cunt, Hellbastard, etc. The rest of the members of Axe Ripper have also been listening to metal since they were young.

My opinion on why there has been a renewed interest in ’80s thrash is simply because it was really good music. The apocalyptic theme and the razor sharp sound is still relevant in today’s time. Also, bands like Municipal Waste, Toxic Holocaust, and Skeletonwitch have also paved the way for a new generation of thrash metal music.

Axe Ripper has an obvious old school thrash vibe, but I also hear some NOFX and Bad Religion. Are those influences of Axe Ripper?

Ed Repka’s cover art for NOFX’s ‘S&M Airlines’

NOFX has been one of my favorite bands since the 3rd grade. I’ve seen them live multiple times. We even met them on our first tour and gave a copy of our full length to Eric Melvin! We’re also big fans of Bad Religion. The first full length had a lot of that influence to it, because we were listening to mostly NWOBHM (new wave of british heavy metal) and ’90s pop-punk at the time when we were writing the songs. Funny, because they were mostly bands we grew up listening to when we were young.

But, I wouldn’t say that most of the punk rock we listen to is ’90s pop punk. Especially lately. This next record we’re gearing up to record has punk rock influence, but from more of a crust and hardcore range. Bands like Amebix, Dystopia, Hellshock, Tragedy, Discharge are more prevalent in the newer material.

Although, I do have to say I’m happy that you noticed this, because no one else who has reviewed the record or have interviewed us noticed the heavy NOFX and Bad Religion influence on Welcome to Detroit Destruction.

You guys also recently did a split with Lockgnar. What are those guys all about?

Lockgnar are our friends from Minneapolis, MN. Any time we play the twin cities we play with Lockgnar and Plagued Insanity. We have also brought them to play Detroit a couple times. They’re a thrash metal band that we have a lot of fun playing with and share similar interests.

Ever since we played with them in Minnesota, we’ve remained close with them. I knew from the first time I saw them that they were the band I wanted Axe Ripper to do our first split with. The music is just phenomenal. Old school vibe, great riffs, amazing bass playing, drumming, and Dylan is a kick ass vocalist.

What’s the story on the new bass player?

Well, we’ve gone through quite a few bass players. Since we’ve started touring the US, Longhair (Matt Dahlberg) was playing bass. We prefer to have two guitar players, because we feel it helps the songs sound better and adds depth. We’ve hung out with Rob Barker at a lot of shows, especially at our’s. I knew he played bass and was looking to join a band so I asked him if he’d be interested. He joined in July, and Longhair moved to rhythm guitar. It’s been going great, and he’s helped add a lot of the extra pushing that we needed that Whitefoot and I weren’t already covering. My favorite qualities of Rob being in this band is he has a can-do attitude, he learns songs fast, he’s always reliable for anything we need to do as a band, and overall he’s easy to get along with. Adding him to our lineup has been a total success and I’m very happy we did so.

I’m always amazed at singing drummers. How the hell do you do that? It looks like some kinda magic trick or something.

Well, actually I don’t really enjoy doing it, however backup vocals or leads on a song here and there can be fun. I’ve been playing drums since I was four, and have been able to sing and play on the guitar for years. So, playing drums and singing kind of came natural to me.

photo by: Zachary Hooligan

When we started the band in 2010, Whitefoot didn’t want to sing and play, and since I was just doing drums and lead vocals in my previous band, Stabbed in the Face, I got the position to be lead vocalist, and he did backups. When it came time to record our first album, he went in and did half of the lead vocals, and I did the other half. Since then, Kenny Kiser, who used to be our hype man/backup vocalist has switched to lead vocals. This in my opinion has been one of the best decisions this band has ever made. I like what Kenny does, and so do the rest of the guys. He’s got a great heavy sounding voice, he knows how to move on stage, his presence is great. Plus, I feel like having him up in front being the front man does the band a lot more justice. Let’s face it, drummers as lead singers can be hard to watch. Also, Whitefoot as our lead guitar player does better when that’s his main focus.

Weren’t you guys originally known as Hash Blazer? Why the name change?

Yes we were. Hash Blazer, at least to me and all my pot smoking buddies, is a cool name for a party band. But it’s extremely limiting. People who don’t smoke pot are usually thrown off, and half of the time people think you’re a stoner rock/doom metal band based on that name.

Also, we tour a lot and always planned to change the name. We didn’t want to deal with authorities in this country, or in any country really by telling them our band name was Hash Blazer. So we changed it to Axe Ripper to kind of shed light that the band is more serious, and not just about partying but more about powerful playing. Another decision I’m glad we made, because I don’t think we would’ve accomplished what we have, especially things like our two page Metro Times spread with the old band name. Axe Ripper just fits.

You’re also the bassist in the band Rawdogs. How did you get involved in that project?

Rawdogs ‘Never Say Die’ EP

My friend Timm was the original bassist, and he kept quitting so they eventually got sick of that and started asking around for bass players. Being a big fan of party punk and classic rock, I jumped at the opportunity. Kyle Davis, the frontman/lead guitar player taught me the songs on an acoustic guitar in the woods as we smoked a few joints and I learned everything within 2-3 times of hanging out with him.

I later ended up using my position as bass player/backup vocalist to do things I’ve always wanted to do in a band. Meaning, I got to dress up like Nikki Sixx, smash basses, wear a big long purple wig with barely any clothes on.

But more recently, this fall we had to kick out our old drummer over some issues we’ve had with him. I ended up moving to drums, and now Rob Barker plays bass for Rawdogs.

Where can we find the music and more info on Axe Ripper?

We just recently added the complete first full length onto Bandcamp for free streaming and digital download (at a cheap price). Before it was just 4 songs from the record for free streaming. We also have our side of the split EP with Lockgnar on our bandcamp up for free streaming and digital download as well. Any time we have an upcoming show or anything band related, check our band Facebook. You can also find our Bandcamp page on there. Very soon we’ll also be selling our merch online via Bandcamp.

Bradley Turner of When Autumn Calls

Posted on December 10, 2013 by elsalvador1990 Standard Respond

Kentucky fried pop-punkers When Autumn Calls bash out heart broken punk rock similar to the earlier works of Blink-182, Brand New, and All-American Rejects.

When Autumn Call’s debut EP, ‘Songs About 2012′

Their two song EP, Songs About 2012, finds these earnest three chorders safety pinning their hearts on their sleeves for six minutes and six seconds of love gone sour and teenage yearning.

The opening track, “Backdrop Stories”, is raw piece of emoish punk with an addictive hook and kicking chord progression, and could even be mistaken for one of the Tom Delonge tracks off Cheshire Cat.

While the second and closing track, “Welcome To The Crowd”, is a bittersweet ode adolescent agony and yet another ravaged relationship that channels Your Favorite Weapon.

Overall, the two tracks on Songs About 2012 are pretty damn impressive, and should really be wetting the appetite of any one who loves their punk rock to be a bit more on the sensitive side. Keep your eye on When Autumn Calls, as this band has a ton of potential and should be doing some pretty cool things in the future.

Could you give us a brief history of When Autumn Calls?

The band started with just myself on vocals and my cousin, Zacc Lynn, on bass. At the time, it was just us two and we played acoustic. We played a few shows, released some music, and got a small fan base of hometown friends and such.

“It’s actually really crazy to see how fast music can get around and how quickly you can begin to gather a fan base.”

We always had plans to have a full band because we previously had a lot of failed attempts with some of our friends. We were recording with our friend Matt Kerfoot, who is the brother of our current guitarist Jacob. We had been friends with Jacob for years, and when the idea for a full band came into talks he just started playing with us. Him and Matt were previously in another local band called Every Color with their brother, Aaron, and a friend, Nick Noel. So, at this time we had three members.

Our drummer, David, went to school with me. We had never talked but I saw him one night at a Senses Fail show in Newport and a few days after the show I discovered that David drummed. So, eventually we just started talking and playing music together, thus leading to him joining the band.

Aaron Lewis plays guitar and we have known him for about five years. We had also been in a band with him prior to When Autumn Calls. We went and saw his other band, Mighty Mantis, at a local Hub show and then decided to ask him to play for us. Obviously he agreed to play with us.

What was the first song When Autumn Calls ever played together?

Zacc and I used to just mess around and write funny music together, then we started writing serious music together. As a full band, I think the first song that we learned fully together was “Home For Fall” by Real Friends.

What’s the punk scene like in Kentucky?

“No big bands have really come around for local shows, so it’s mostly all underground shows.”

There’s actually not that great of a music scene in Kentucky, at least not where we’re from. There use to be a heavy hardcore scene around our city and the surrounding cities, but that has kind of died down in the last few years. Some of our favorite bands from around here and that we have played with are Mighty Mantis, For September, Faith In The Unseen, and we have some friends in a cool pop-punk band called Boxwine. Also, our friend Matthew Woodside is a very talented musician.

When Autumn Calls has a pretty strong internet presence. How has the internet and social media helped When Autumn Calls?

The internet is a very helpful resource in becoming a successful band or musician. We recently started getting a large following on Tumblr, which is actually very strange to us, but a great strange. The people who enjoy our music on Tumblr are from scattered areas, so I would say it has helped get our music out there a lot. Our drummer, David, is from California, which also gives us some support from around that area.

As far as new fans actually showing up to support us in person, we haven’t played our first show as a full band yet, so it’s hard to say if it’s helping in that aspect. It’s actually really crazy to see how fast music can get around and how quickly you can begin to gather a fan base. We’re very thankful for the people who take the time to show us support; it’s a great feeling for someone to enjoy music that you’ve written for enjoyment with a few friends.

What’s the songwriting process like for When Autumn Calls?

Songwriting for us really differs for each song that we write. A lot of our songs at the moment are songs that we’ve converted from when Zacc and I played acoustic.

However, we do have some songs that aren’t converted and have been freshly written. The process that’s gone into them so far has been, basically, me writing a guitar riff of some sort and then putting a harmony to it and then writing lyrics to the harmony. Sometimes one of us will think of a random line of lyrics or something of the sort and it will spark an entire song. It really just differs because there’s so many different ways of approaching song writing.

How did you first get into punk rock?

Green Day

I myself got into punk rock when I was around the age of 8 or 9. This is when I discovered Green Day from some of my cousins and I have been listening to them ever since. They are why I started playing music. Throughout the first year of playing guitar, I only learned Green Day songs.

Zacc and I got into the new age of pop-punk sometime last year. We discovered Real Friends on a liking ladder on Facebook; we found “Living Room Song” by The Wonder Years on Youtube; and we found “Tracking Time” by Citizen. This really sparked the whole band. We got really into the style and Jacob began listening to these same bands because of us.

David has been into the genre for awhile, we were just lucky that he was when we found out he drums. He’s literally one of the only other people I know around town that listen to the style.

As far as Aaron goes, he’s just now getting into pop-punk. His other band is an anti-folk band, and he’s more into Indie music, but he’s in a pop-punk band, so he’s learning to love the genre.

Who are some of your pop-punk idols?

The Wonder Years

Some of our pop punk idols, or just favorites in the scene, are Kyle Fasel (Real Friends), the guy has genius and very relatable lyrics, as well as Tony Geravesh (Stickup Kid), Soupy from The Wonder Years is also a master lyricist

Which pop-punk bands do you think have the best melodies?

As far as best melodies go for pop punk bands, I think Stickup Kid definitely have some of the best. They just have superb harmonies and melodies in all of their songs. Real Friends has great guitar melodies and very catchy vocal harmonies, as well.

What were some of the best local shows you’ve been to?

No big bands have really come around for local shows, so it’s mostly all underground shows. The Plot In You came to Lexington a few years back, and that was a great show. The Real Friends show was in Newport so I guess that’s somewhat close enough to be considered. It was probably my favorite show. Although, we did see Real Friends, Stickup Kid, Modern Baseball, and Candy Hearts in Cincinnati which was an amazing show. Modern Baseball is one of my favorite bands.

Anything you wanna plug?

For anyone that’s interested in what we’ll be doing in the coming weeks we have a show on December 21st in Louisville, Kentucky with Giants At Large and We Still Dream at Spinelli’s pizza. We also have a house show in Danville, Kentucky with Mighty Mantis and Hunter Eaves on December 27th.

As far as music coming out, we will be releasing a new acoustic Christmas song relatively soon that you can expect to hear at the shows, and we will be recording a few more songs in the next few weeks! Thanks to everyone who has supported us so far, and to everyone who supports us now and will in the future. It means a lot to every single one of us that you all care about our music.

When Autumn Calls Bandcamp

When Autumn Calls Facebook

When Autumn Calls Tumblr

Working Man’s Blues: Pete Berwick

Posted on December 6, 2013 by elsalvador1990 Standard Respond

Pete Berwick is a grizzled rock n roll veteran who has been delivering his whiskey soaked punk rock from bar to bar since the early eighties.

Guys like Pete are the last of a dying breed–a rock n roll troubadour playing his songs and telling his stories to anyone who will listen. It doesn’t get more authentic than this.

Imagine Bob Dylan’s blues mingling with the safety pinned urgency of Social Distortion and The Clash, and you just might have an idea of what Mr. Berwick is all about.

Tell us a bit about yourself and your music, where are you from?

“I don’t think it’s fair for me to say writing a novel is harder than writing an album, because for me, personally, some of the songs which ended up on my albums were years in the making..”

I was born in Marion, Indiana, same town as James Dean, but lived most of my life in Northern Illinois, and don’t ask me why considering I hate winter. As far as telling you or anyone else about myself, best bet concerning all that would be to read my 450 page novel The Bar Singer.

I really don’t know where to begin telling about myself in an interview, other than I began my career around the time the goddamn pyramids were being built. Currently, I am merely continuing on being Pete Berwick, a blessing and equally a curse I was born with, a job which entails writing novels, touring the country performing in shithole dives, cranking out albums and trying to build on the name I have worked tirelessly on for almost four decades as I try to hack out a living in a business where one is often times given the same regard as a migrant worker.

What inspired you to pick up a guitar and become a rock n roller?

Two words. Bob fucking Dylan. Wait, that’s three words. Well, you get the point.

What was the first song you ever wrote and what was it about?

I was living in Florida as a teenager and sat by some lake with a beater guitar I would keep in my car. I was around 16 or so. Hammered out this song about never giving up, a real positive song. I think it was the only positive song I had ever written, except for one or two others on my albums. Most of my songs are about “fuck it.”

Do you play with a backing band, who is in the band?

Last ten years I have been touring solo for economic reasons. Hard to make it on the road with a band. I have had several various band line-ups through the years. I am reuniting my band from ten years ago, Pete Berwick & The Renegades, for some select shows in the new year. That would be Rick DeVries on guitar, Nick Verbic on bass, and Rob Sury on drums.

You were in a band called The Generics, what did they sound like, and what was the controversy surrounding your song “There She Goes Again”?

“It’s the average five to seven hours a day of TV gazing that keeps people from fulfilling and living their dreams”

We were an all-original act. There weren’t many punk bands at the time in the Chicago area, and I was one of the few who had the balls to go into these fucking sports bars and biker bars and hammer this shit out. We would be told to leave after our first set some times. Our sound was a cross between The Ramones, Cheap Trick, Iggy Pop, and Pete Berwick. To this day, my neck of the woods prefer the sound of Loverboy and Bon Jovi over anything that resembles original art. We truly inhabit a Pavlov’s Dog planet.

As far as my song “There She Goes Again”, yes, blatantly stolen from me and became a commercial smash hit. It’s too long a story, but I almost drove off the road in Nashville around 1992 or so when I heard it on the radio on the way to a meeting with my record label.

For the next twenty fucking years I couldn’t walk into a mall or retail store without hearing the song. I attempted a lawsuit, but being that I was only 22 and stupid at the time that I wrote it, I had never bothered to copyright it. I had mailed the song to countless music industry entities in California and England, and it was on regular rotation on several college radio stations.

What they did, was take this song, blueprint the music and change the words, all but the chorus. It became “There She Goes” by a band called The Boo Radleys. I suppose they dropped the word “again” in the title to remain inconspicuous, though it is “there she goes..AGAIN” in the chorus, which is note for note my song. Two other bands recorded it, and it ended up in several movies. I don’t even think about this thing anymore until someone brings it up, like you just did, and then I get pissed all over again. But I always win in the end, and even when I’m dead I still win.

Have you had any other songs ripped off from you?

I think I have, but not as obviously as “There She Goes Again”. Nashville is full of snakes and thieves. I had written a song titled “When I’m Gone” which is on my Aint No Train Outta Nashville album, recorded in 1992

While living in Nashville, I had performed the song at a show and this guy approached me. Told me he was working with Billy Ray Cyrus, and he liked the song. We chatted and he told me he would be in touch. Not much later Cyrus recorded a song titled “When I’m Gone”. Not the same musically, but that’s what they do. They steal your idea and change it enough so you can’t sue their ass.

After The Generics disbanded, you joined The End and scored opening slots for Husker Du and The Minutemen. What did The End sound like?

The End was an all-original punk-metal band. We had a shot lifespan and we broke up right before a West Coast tour because the bass player and drummer got in a fight over a microphone. The name of the band was prophetic, and that’s about all I have to say about that one.

What other big name bands have you had the opportunity to play with over the last 30 years?

Not a hell of a lot. Charlie Daniels, Tommy Cash, David Allan Coe, some has-been Opry stars and country one-hit wonders when I was living in Nashville.

Is it true you have two novels out? Could you tell us more about your venture into the literary world?

“But I always win in the end, and even when I’m dead I still win.”

Yes, I have written two novels, The Bar Singer and The Writer, and currently working on a third one, The Man Who Killed God. It was natural for me to finally release the writer’s muse in me. As a kid, I devoured books. I’d go to the library and walk home with a stack of books towering over my head. I had this little school desk in the corner of my bedroom and I would destroy reams of paper cranking out short stories and attempted books, which of course I never finished. I read books as if they were going out of style. My parents seriously rationed my TV consumption so I was left to entertain myself by creating and producing, which was hardly punishment to me.

Once, I got older and discovered drugs and began my rock and roll journey that all died, not the reading, but the writing, and decades later I am back in that saddle. My novels thus far tend to mix fiction, biography, drama, horror, comedy, and irony. As far as what they are about, reading them will answer that question.

The best songwriters are also considered pretty great story tellers. Did writing lyrics prepare you for writing a novel?

I believe my addiction to reading books is to credit much more than my songwriting experience. Two different creatures in many ways. I don’t think it’s fair for me to say writing a novel is harder than writing an album, because for me, personally, some of the songs which ended up on my albums were years in the making before I got them right.

Still, what I lacked in formal writing training I more than made up for by devouring books. I learned proper punctuation and plot development from merely observing hundreds of thousands of pages of the written word. It is a fact, that if a person were to put a bullet hole into their TV screen and merely read one hour a day on their topic of choice, after seven years they will be an expert on that topic. It’s the average five to seven hours a day of TV gazing that keeps people from fulfilling and living their dreams, and of this I am convinced.

Tell about us about your appearance on ABC’s Wife Swap, how did that come about?

The producers called me, I didn’t call them. I had never watched a reality show in my life. Hell, I hardly watch television that much. They had asked me if I was familiar with the show and I lied and told them yes, when in fact I had never watched it once. I needed the money. My kid needed braces and I had taken a hit with the economy. I also looked at it as a way to showcase my music, which was a smart move considering the royalty checks keep on coming. I’ve had plenty of experience in front of a camera so it was natural to me.

Many people think that reality shows are all fixed. Well, maybe some are, but this one wasn’t. No one ever told me what to say. I had to do shit around the house and keep on making a living doing what I do on a daily basis to get the bills paid, and all that was going on with a camera in my face and the new wife screaming at me to “get a real job.” It was surreal as hell.

Were you afraid of how they’d make you look and what did you think of the final outcome?

I had no problem with the outcome. I thought I had kept my cool as much as possible considering the entire episode was her locking up my guitars and insisting I stay home instead of going to the next gig. They edited out some of the better stuff, such as me working in the studio on an album and writing a song for the episode, but I couldn’t control any of that.

You were also in a Monday Night Football commercial with Hank JR., how did you land that gig?

Just an audition my agent at the time landed me. They wanted a guy who was as close to Bob Dylan as they could get without having to pay Bob Dylan and I met the challenge. What most people don’t know about Nashville besides the music business is that there are countless auditioning opportunities for commercials and movies and videos there. Tennessee is a right to work state so lots of things are filmed there using actors who are willing to work on the cheap.

Speaking of TV, your music has also been featured in quite a bit of TV shows. What television programs has the music of Peter Berwick been featured in?

My entire discography pertaining to that is on my website at http://www.peteberwick.net.

A song I wrote thirty years ago titled “Nuclear Boy” Is a balls-out punk song and will be on a major network show called the Carrie Diaries. My song “Renegade” was recently featured in a movie called Detention Of The Dead, and “One Last Shot” was in a series called The Good Guys, on FOX, which lasted only one season.

Also, my song “Ain’t No Train Outta Nashville” was in Paramount Picture’s The Thing Called Love which was the last movie River Phoenix starred in before he let the drugs take him away.

There’s many more, all listed on my website. I average about two movie and TV placements a year, but am working on increasing those numbers. I have no pension or retirement plan. I look at my songs as some might look at stocks and bonds.

Anything you wanna plug?

My two novels, third on the way, and five albums can be purchased at http://www.peteberwick.net. My novels are also available at amazon.com, but those aren’t shipped by me so I won’t be able to autograph them.

As far as my CDs, they are all available at a gazillion online sites, but much cheaper at my personal website. My first four are currently priced at only five dollars each, and my latest CD, The Essential Peter Berwick, a twenty song compilation, is only eight dollars.

The Boyz Are Back In Town: The Plastic Boyz Reunion Show–December 7th, 2013 at The Painted Lady In Hamtramck, Michigan

Posted on December 1, 2013 by elsalvador1990 Standard Respond

After three whole years of taking a break from Michigan’s punk rock scene, The Plastic Boyz are back in the swing of things and ready to make a little noise again with a one off reunion show co-starring fellow noise makers Fake Surfers and The Eroders.

From the squeaky clean suburbs of Chesterfield, Michigan, the shaggy haired foursome consisting of guitarist Mike Frazier, vocalist Kelly Walquist, bassist Muskrat, and drummer Kyle Schanta (later replaced by Mike’s brother, Dylan Frazier) executed a bratty brand of punk drenched in psychedelic slime from July of 2009 to November of 2010 and were known for their confrontational live shows.

Although The Boyz only lasted a short period of time before calling it quits, they were able to leave behind a handful of home recordings and even managed a whole mini tour outside of Michigan.

Guitarist Mike Frazier stepped into the ring with the ALD and talked about his big date in Hamtramck and even filled us in on what he’s been doing since The Plastic Boyz hung it up in the fall of 2010.

How would you describe the music of The Plastic Boyz?

Fun. All energy. We wanted to say what was on our minds as viciously and quickly as possible.

Where did the psychedelic influences in your music come from?

A combination of all the weird drugs we did and being pretty off the deep end mentally.

We were also all huge fans of Floyd, The Soft Machine, and Beefheart as well.

Why did you guys originally break up?

Lack of organization.

It started so fast and ended so hard.

After The Plastic Boyz, I didn’t touch a guitar for well over a year. I was dazed over at what had happened.

We were all over the place.

I was sick of Michigan and saw a way to escape and split. Muskrat soon followed suit and left Michigan about a month later.

Also, a lot of the people who liked us were too young to even get into our shows.

Plus, we wore out our welcome in Michigan fast by playing too many shows.

Now, when we play once every two years or so we actually get a turnout.

Wasn’t there another drummer in the band, what happend to that kid?

Yeah, that was Kyle Schanta!

After Schanta parted, my little brother, Dylan, took over on drums.

Dylan’s an excellent musician and even has his own group now, not sure what they’re called, though.

Schanta is back on the skins now and Dylan is our bass man since Muskrat departed.

What have you guys been doing since the break up?

I’m living in New Jersey and playing with a band named Nervous Rex.

Kelly has been learning guitar and has had a few groups going, most recently with a local musician named Robin Parent.

Schanta has toured the world as a member of The Sights, and last I’ve heard Muskrat was trying to form an Egyptian punk band in Pennsylvania.

Led Zeppelin were paid a couple hundred million dollars to reunite, was this the same case with The Plastic Boyz?

Well, I got paid time off from work..does that count?

Otherwise, we’ll just take the money from the show and go out to IHOP after like we always do.

Is this a one time reunion gig or are The Boyz back for good?

Well, I’ll never live in again Michigan as long as I live, but we would really like to do another show with Muskrat. We will never write new material without him.

Who knows though, maybe we’ll play Warped Tour 2025.

Do kids make “mosh pits” at your shows? You know that’s dangerous, you could get hurt! I hope there’s gonna some kind of adult supervision at this thing?

Kelly came close to dying at our show once. He fell on a glass and lacerated the arteries of his wrist before we played.

We also ritually fight outside after every show and have also cut ourselves, pissed, puked and got naked at many shows.

It’s not for everyone but its all in the name of good fun…well, for us at least.

If you hate that type of stuff at least you’ll talk about us more than some mediocre band with a not so clever name that just stands still and plays.

Anything you wanna plug?

We have a soundcloud with our discography free to the people.

https://soundcloud.com/plastic-boyz

Aaron Whitfield of Great Reversals

Posted on November 30, 2013 by elsalvador1990 Standard Respond

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.

‘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.

“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.

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?

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!

“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!

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.

“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!

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

Chris July of The Revelry

Posted on November 28, 2013 by elsalvador1990 Standard Respond

Energetic and melodic punk jam packed with plenty of metal riffage and rocker dude wails.

The Revelry are an incredibly talented group of musicians with a pretty unique sound, managing somehow to superglue the classic rock of The Cult and Iron Maiden to Avail’s melodic hardcore.

On paper, it’s a combination that sounds like it shouldn’t work at all, but The Revelry somehow how pull it off and make the the classic rock/pop-punk combo go down smooth.

How did The Revelry first get together?

We first got together after Nic and I had been friends for a few years, and had both become developed enough on guitar to put together a band. We had actually talked about doing it for a while. And eventually one day, we went to jam with our friend Lucas, and we had a blast. He became our drummer, and so began the downfall of ambitions for the future that our parents had always intended for us.

For a long time we had rotating members on bass, all of whom were friends from school, and we actually played under the name “Vagabond” until about the last year or so.

Who is in the band?

Nic Bradley plays guitar and does lead vocals, I play lead guitar, Tyler Loshe is the man on the bass, and Lucas Nichols plays drums.

I love all the Maiden type noodling that The Revelry throw in their songs, are there any Metal heads in The Revelry?

First off, thanks! It’s funny that you ask that, a lot of the band are true metal freaks. Lucas and Tyler’s musical background comes from a lot of legitimate classic thrash/death metal.

We’re also very into the hardcore punk sound of the 80′s as well.

Although flashy solos aren’t always necessarily the cool thing in punk, I just like to write my guitar solos with some extra noodles on the side, so to speak.

There is definitely a Rock N Roll influence to The Revelry’s music, who are some of the more straight up rock influences you guys have?

Totally! Very much of what we listened to as really young kids, and eventually bands that became formative influences on us fall under straight-up rock/rock n roll. We’re pretty big Led Zeppelin fans, and Nic used to be obsessed with Kiss.

“We’re pretty big Led Zeppelin fans, and Nic used to be obsessed with Kiss.”

Eventually we grew into falling in love with 90′s alternative music that owes a lot to classic rock, like the Smashing Pumpkins, and hard rock bands such as the Foo Fighters.

Among other things, some of those influences are reflective in our stuff, I think.

There is some really incredible punk rock coming out of Flint, Michigan, what do you think it is about Flint that has been producing so many great bands?

True! There’s always been a long, somewhat unrecognized history of punk music in Flint, and I think that it has a lot to do with the culture and society that Flint has had for a really long time. It’s one of those places that would totally make sense for there to be lots of kids cranking out pissed-off, fast songs on cheap equipment in a basement. The re-developing collection of those bands finding a haven and outlet in Flint has a whole lot to do with it. It’s rewarding for us to be a small part of it!

I’ve never really been to Flint, all I really know about it is that ‘Roger & Me’ made it look like a total bummer. What’s it like up there, and what are the people like, how supportive are they of local music and arts?

Haha, yeah, a lot of media makes it out to be a total bumber.

‘Roger & Me’

The music scene in Flint that we’ve come to experience is a really tightly woven, supportive group that has a lot of potential in becoming something really special. There are a large amount of super talented artists from across the spectrum of genres that have come from the surrounding area in literally just the past year or two.

The Flint Local 432, an all ages venue located right downtown is like the Mecca of it, essentially. It’s our favorite place in the world, and in a lot of ways has been part of the backbone of Flint music for years and years.

The musical chops of The Revelry were praised by Tony from Save Your Generation Records. How long have you guys been playing?

As a band, Nic, Lucas and I have been playing together for something like three years. A really good portion of that has been just slamming covers in my garage and learning how to play together.

But individually, Nic and I have been playing guitar for about 5 years, Lucas has been drumming for about 10 years I believe, and Tyler has been playing guitar/bass for years as well.

How did you guys end up meeting Tony?

Well, Tony started working with the Standouts, a band we’ve been really close friends with since day one, and Tyler Rigdon, their singer, recommended us to him at some point I believe..

Eventually Tony heard our EP, Surrender Your Medicine, and really liked it. We came into contact after that and basically began working with each other! He’s a great dude, and it’s such a kickass independent label. GO CHECK THEM OUT.

What was it like working with Nick Diener of The Swellers and what did he contribute to the recording sessions?

Nick Diener of The Swellers

It was a blast. Shit, we got to use his amps and awesome guitars. Even The Swellers’ drum kit. At some points it was hard for us not to fan-girl a little bit, but we played it cool.

Seriously though, it was a great experience! He provided a lot of advice as to what little bits and pieces should be kept and left out, basically what worked best for the songs. But he didnt step on our ambitions, and he made sure we were getting what we wanted though. A talented dude.

Is ‘Mr. Green’ about Tom Green? That guy’s awesome!

No, it’s not. Funny guy though. Nice guess!

Remember that time Tom Green put all the doody on the microphone and made people talk into it? I’m telling you, that was genius! What’s The Revelry’s favorite Tom Green bit?

The Slutmobile

I remember the ”Slutmobile” skit! When he pays $400 dollars to get a painting of two women having sex on the hood of his parents’ car. What a douche. It’s great, though.

Anything you wanna plug?

Sure, we’ve got a new song coming out on a compilation from Save Your Generation Records here in the future, check that shit out! And feel free to listen to our EP, at www.therevelry810.bandcamp.com

Also, check out some of the great bands on the label! (Really, some of the best music in Flint is right here.)

www.saveyourgenerationrecords.bandcamp.com

Interview with S.F.W, A.K.A Samuel Fraser Windmill

Posted on November 26, 2013 by elsalvador1990 Standard Respond

Samuel Fraser Windmill–or SFW for short, is more than just a bored kid messing around with with guitar in his room. One listen to his wealth of songs on his Bandcamp page, and you’ll hear a one kid Black Flag.

“I thought that just crediting it to “Samuel Fraser Windmill” was kinda boring, and that the name “SFW” made it sound..(like).. an early ’80s hardcore band like D.O.A. or D.R.I.”

A lo-fi blast of punk rock that recalls The Germs, Adolescents, and The Wipers. But don’t mistake SFW for a one trick pony, as his musical vocabulary runs deep, and finds him whipping out the occasional folk tune and Neil Young cover.

How would you describe your music to someone who hasn’t heard it?

I usually don’t know what exactly to call it myself. Most of the music on what you guys heard from my Bandcamp page is of course punk/hardcore, but that’s only one part of my vocabulary.

I can’t really ascribe any one catch-all description to my music as a whole because it’s so wide-ranging. The best stuff I’ve written has yet to be properly recorded.

Where are you from, and what is the music scene like there?

I currently live in Coralville, Iowa, but the music scene I consider myself a part of is centered in Iowa City, the so-called City of Literature, which is pretty much connected directly to Coralville.

The scene is relatively small, but quite healthy, and very diverse due in large part to it being a liberal college town. There’s a few distinct segments of the music community as far as I can ascertain, including a bevy of pop-punk bands, post-hardcore groups, lots of indie rock, and folk acts, and a lot of experimental noise music.

Not all of it is worth a shit to go out and listen to, but there’s a handful of really great bands that have gotten recognition from the wider underground community. Many of the best artists in town are also friends of mine personally, and are incredibly smart, funny, talented individuals offstage as well as on.

“The Ills are another fucking great band…Every punk fan on the goddamn planet needs to see them live..”

What are some of the cool venues and cool bands there?

Gabe’s (330 E. Washington St.), a long-standing bar located in downtown Iowa City that has previously been known as Gabe’s Oasis and the Picador, is one of the central venues among my musical friends and associated scene people.

Just as important is Public Space One (PS1), or Public Space Z (PSZ), a well-established music and art collective located a few blocks away from Gabe’s that has gone through a number of buildings over the years and is currently housed in the basement of the Wesley Center (120 N. Dubuque St.), which is a part of the University of Iowa’s United Methodist Campus Ministry. It’s a strictly all-ages venue where alcohol consumption inside of it is prohibited, at least as far as I’m aware. This allows it to get around the flawed, back-asswards bullshit liquor laws in Iowa City.

Lipstick Homicide

The most successful local band that I know would probably be Lipstick Homicide, a long-running pop-punk trio featuring bassist/vocalist Rachel Feldmann, her girlfriend guitarist/vocalist Kate Kane, and drummer Luke Ferguson. They’ve been touring nonstop lately and even opened for Green Day when they played at New York City’s Irving Plaza last fall. I might add, they’re also fabulously kind and unpretentious human beings who I’m proud to call good friends.

The Ills are another fucking great band with a sound that’s equal parts Bikini Kill, X, Bags, Germs, Stooges, and Misfits. Every punk fan on the goddamn planet needs to see them live, and they don’t play out all that often. At the very least, they need to get their hands on one of their excellent records, like the “Get It!” seven-inch or their album “Tuning Out” which are available on various formats.

Who plays on your recordings–is it just you, or do you have a backing band?

“As far as Chuck Berry goes….He stands as the real and still-reigning king of rock & roll..”

Okay, first of all, SFW was never a band. I’ve actually never really had a stable band. I never actually hid the fact that I played all instruments on the “Annie’s Fed Up” and “So Sick of You” extended plays except for the drums, but I thought that just crediting it to “Samuel Fraser Windmill” was kinda boring, and that the name “SFW” made it sound more along the lines of a record by an early ’80s hardcore band like D.O.A. or D.R.I.

The drums were played by a dude by the name of Stu Mullins, who is the engineer for pretty much all recordings produced at Iowa City’s United Action for Youth center, which is where everything on my Bandcamp page was recorded free of charge and where I was hanging out as often as possible at the time I made them.

For the record, I don’t really hold any of those recordings dear to me anymore. The EP’s sound like shit for the most part to me now.

What about when you play live, who plays with you then?

Of the sporadic live gigs I have played over the past year, I’ve been solo every time save for one time that I played on my 18th birthday earlier this year where I played with a female drummer.

We called ourselves Suck It, anticipating that we’d actually have something of a future as a band, but it ended up being a one-shot thing because she was pretty much never able to rehearse. We were pretty shitty the one time that we played anyway.

Tell us about your previous bands, and what did they sound like?

My first band with lead guitarist Detrell Smith and drummer Max Bills (later joined by a bass player named Martin Herrera) was horrible and never really did anything in its three or so months of existence, aside from two ill-advised recording sessions.

Honestly, I would call it more an attempt at forming a band far more than a real one. It was called The Tea Party Fascists first, then renamed The No. We hardly rehearsed and never played a gig.

“(John Lennon’s) “Working Class Hero”…is actually more nihilistic than a lot of the punk music that came later.

My next attempt at forming a band, about a year later, was even worse and rehearsed even less. It was called The Percolaters and the only guy I really liked personally that was in it was a guy named Dylan, who played guitar at first and then switched to bass.

The original bass player wasn’t very proficient at his instrument and was into some awful fucking music, not to mention being kind of a dumbass all around.

The drummer was even more of a dumb, dumb, dumbass motherfucker whose hip-hop derived style did not fit the songs at all, and he was talking some silly-ass bullshit about knowing record people in L.A. or some other such garbage at all times.

One of the first things we attempted to do in our very loose four month or so existence was cover The Beatles’ “Nowhere Man”, which we couldn’t even really play all the way through and got so horribly wrong that John Lennon probably spun in his grave about ten times in succession if he overheard it. Thankfully the planned recording of it fell through.

I’ve still never really had an actual band aside from those two dreadful failures which hardly count as far as I’m concerned, oh and I guess that Suck It thing that I mentioned earlier counts sort of.

What is it that’s so liberating about playing a three-chord Punk song?

Well there sure as hell ain’t a science to it, but I mean punk rock was founded on among other things the principle of throwing out the rulebook and just doing whatever the fuck you want no matter what anyone else thinks of it, and in a post-Bush, post-9/11 world this mentality is as liberating to so many people as it was 20 or 30 years ago.

It seems like society is progressing at a snail’s pace in this country, not to mention for the most part around the world. This is without a doubt a very big part of the reason punk has had such a surprisingly long lifespan. The ghastly, bloated ghost of itself that the music industry has become in the last 10 or 20 years is reason enough to rise up and crank up your guitar, or bang your drums, or whatever else.

‘You Grew Up Listening’ is a collection of covers by Neil Young, John Lennon, Lou Reed, and one Chuck Berry song, how important are these song-writers to you?

As far as Chuck Berry goes, there’s nothing I could say about him that hasn’t been said before. He stands as the real and still-reigning king of rock & roll as far as I’m concerned, and is unquestionably the supreme architect of the music.

Neil Young

Neil Young is one of the most amazing and influential talents that popular music has ever known, and his album Tonight’s the Night is to me one of the great rock albums of all time. It’s also definitely one of the darkest and least compromising.

John Lennon’s Plastic Ono Band, his first real rock solo album, is even darker and quite confrontationally so, and nowhere is that more in evidence than in “Working Class Hero”, which is actually more nihilistic than a lot of the punk music that came later.

Lou Reed stands as one of the very biggest influences on my writing and singing, and was without a doubt one of the greatest and most influential songwriters that ever lived even though he could be very hit-or-miss in that long solo career of his. He also appears to have been at least at one time in his life kind of an asshole, but who really gives a shit ?

It’s a titanic shame that I’ll never get to meet old Mr. Reed, and told him all this stuff. I never knew him personally of course, or saw him live or listened to his more recent music, but I know I miss him.

Could you tell us about ‘The Worst Album Ever Recorded’?

Nothing much to say. It contains most of the stuff from the two hideously awful attempts at recording embarked upon by The Tea Party Fascists/The No. The second one was particularly bad. We were fucking clueless. That “album” need only be listened to for its comedic properties.

What do you mean when you say that you were a song-writer in one form or another since you were a toddler?

Well, I came up with the first thing resembling a song of mine before I could actually write it, at the age of maybe three, which was about a neighbor’s Jack-O-Lantern that I could see from my bedroom window.

Disney’s Halloween town, an early musical influence

Because I had recently seen Disney Channel’s Halloweentown, I was obsessed with those things. So I came up with this thing called “I Saw a Pumpkin Outside”. The title is also the only lyric in the ‘song’. There were also no real chords to it of course, although I attempted to play my toy acoustic guitar along with it. I used to think that you plucked the strings with both hands.

It wasn’t until I was a young teenager that I became a full-time music man, and really knew anything about music, but even as a younger kid, music wasn’t far from my life in some form or another.

It probably has something to do with the fact that my maternal grandparents, who both died this year, were Iowa Rock & Roll Hall of Fame members as part of a group they played in called Freedom Road in the 1960′s and early 70′s.

My grandfather gave me a lot of practical advice on music and the music business, and I’ll never forget it.

You also described yourself as an author, filmmaker, and artist, could you tell us about that?

I occasionally write album reviews among other things on a Blogspot site called The World’s First Internet Baby.

I also write fiction from time to time, although the only full-length fictional work I’ve really finished so far is an experimental work called Send Your Curse Words to Hell.

“It’s a titanic shame that I’ll never get to meet old Mr. Reed..”

As far as film-making goes, I made a documentary for the teeny punk scene/social group I was involved in about a year and a half ago in the form of the essentially no-budget Kill Your Sons, which can be found on YouTube either in its full form or just in the form of the individual live performance sections from the four bands featured in it. The footage is quite awful at times and all the performance footage was filmed on my cell phone so the audio is absolutely shit, but it’s an interesting bit of amateur film.

Besides music, what other projects are you working on?

Right now? None, really. I’m always writing music. Fiction, not so much. It just doesn’t come as naturally to me.

And I probably made a mistake by labeling myself as a film-maker. It’s not something I normally do. I’ve had a few film projects in the past, and I’m very interested in such projects in the future, but it’s not really something I’m doing right now, especially because I don’t own a proper camera.

Is there anything you wanna plug, where can we hear your music, and see your other projects?

Well I’m going to be playing another one of my few and far-between solo gigs at Gabe’s in Iowa City November 26, with two other singers. Anyone who is able to come is encouraged to do so, since more people out there need to hear me play. Don’t expect to hear anything from the recordings that I’ve made though, except for a rendition of old man Mr. Reed’s “Satellite of Love”.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sam-Windmill/231641720212079?directed_target_id=0

http://samwindmill.bandcamp.com/

http://theworldsfirstinternetbaby.blogspot.com/

Chris Hembrough of Rational Anthem

Posted on November 21, 2013 by elsalvador1990 Standard Respond

“Six years later we are all still confused as to why we are doing this…I mean, it is fun…I guess.”

Rational Anthem are sure to please the bonehead teenager in all of us!

Playing raw bubblegummy Pop-Punk played at a breakneck pace.

The Sarasota trio clobber out smart-ass anthems of puppy-love and teenage boredom that reference all the major cornerstone’s of mid-’90s Pop-Punk (Kerplunk!, My Brain Hurts, Cheshire Cat – you get the picture).

In the words of the ultimate teenage boneheads, Beavis and Butt-head, “This rules!”.

Where are Rational Anthem from?

Rational Anthem started in Wisconsin in, like, 2007?

Noelle and the prior guitarist Alex moved to Florida and found me (Noelle and I were childhood friends). They suckered me in to playing bass, and our long time friend Josh was already playing drums.

“The Punk scene in Sarasota is nonexistent.”

Alex left after one tour because he wasn’t down with that shit. Josh eventually left to grow “herbs” in California, and Noelle’s brother Pete stepped in on drums.

Basically, Noelle and I got left with the bag. Next thing you know we started taking charge, booking tours, and writing songs.

Six years later we are all still confused as to why we are doing this…I mean, it is fun…I guess.

Who is in the band and what do they play?

Noelle Stolp plays wonky guitar, Pete Stolp plays wicked drums, and Chris Hembrough maintains zero rhythm on the bass.

What’s the Punk scene like over there, what other cool bands are there, and what are the best venues for Punk shows?

The Punk scene in Sarasota is nonexistent. We are the closest thing to a punk band here, and people don’t seem incredibly thrilled about it.

Bands in Sarasota sound like some art students rented out their parents garage and bought too many guitar pedals and black lights. That being said, Orlando and Tampa Florida are okay for Punk music. We play there a few times a year and we’ve made some really good friends and fans by doing so.

Rational Anthem’s 2013 release, ‘Whatevermind’

Wet Nurse are a band from Orlando and they rule. The Areolas are our good buds too, and help us book quite a few shows.

Venues always go back and forth, but nothing beats a house show…huhuhuh amirite?!

What was the first record you ever bought?

The first record I ever bought was a Master P tape in, like, 4th grade. That, Trick Daddy, and Limp Bizkit. Shit was super tight.

I found Punk in middle school and things have just never really gotten better.

Before Rational Anthem, did you play in any other bands–if so, what did they sound like?

Before Rational I played in a band called Extra Day For Riots in high school. My buddy, Sam North, who used to run Traffic Street records, was the singer. We just played basic simple Pop-Punk. Really jumpy Blink-182 esque stuff.

We won a talent show and did lots of drugs. The band broke up after we almost killed each other at band practice, and Sam smashed out everyone’s windows.

“Noelle can’t listen to anything that is slower than 140 beats per minute because she has zero patience and drinks too much soda..”

What non-Punk Rock bands are Rational Anthem influenced by?

It’s hard to say. I can speak personally and say that I love Tom Petty, Fleetood Mac, The Cars and older shit like that.

I know that Pete really loves the Beatles and Led Zeppelin, which influence the shit out of his drumming.

Iowa’s Lipstick Homicide

Noelle can’t listen to anything that is slower than 140 beats per minute because she has zero patience and drinks too much soda. So I’m pretty sure she likes Lipstick Homicide, and that about covers it.

Is the “LH” mentioned in “Imaginary Girlfriend”, Lipstick Homicide? What’s the relationship between Rational Anthem and Lipstick Homicide?

Ah! yes it is! Rational and Lipstick met a few years back on tour. We had heard their split with Billy Raygun, and had been playing it ad nauseam in the van while touring, and were excited to play with them in the upcoming weeks.

We met them, not really knowing what to expect, except that there were a couple of girlfriends leading the band, and this dude, “Cool Hand” Luke, shreddin drums.

Well, apparently they knew our songs and were singing them, and the same went for us. Next thing you know we’re getting high under a bridge, and bam we became close buds.

Rational Anthem’s 2012 release, ‘Sensitivity Training’

Now, we try to tour with them as much as we can (because they’re rich and have Green Day-money) during the summers, and we’re actually moving to Iowa early next year so we can continue our shitty little Pop- Punk road trips with these kids.

You guys have a song named after Wendy Peffercorn from Sandlot, are there any other fictitious babes Rational Anthem are crushing on?

Um, not necessarily fictitious babes, but probably T-Swift, because she’s the one and only babe awhoaoh!

I’m way in to Natalie Portman, and I’m pretty positive we’re dating, but she’s just been really busy with work or whatever she does. Things are totally going to work out.

Pete owns a turtle, so that’s his love life.

Noelle liked a girl, but the girl got a girlfriend, so she just wrote a song about it, and went to Taco Bell.

What was the first Punk band you got into?

I remember my brother playing Green Day and Nirvana when I was really young, like 8 or 9. I liked it, but didn’t get it, probably because I was 8.

“We love Blink. We grew up on Blink…They wrote some tight fucking songs back in the day..”

Later, when a friend of mine bought me Dude Ranch, I really started to fall in love with Punk, especially of the Pop variety.

Later on, I was introduced to Dillinger Four and some other shit. Since then, everything’s been coming up Milhouse!

Did any of you go through an embarrassing “Punk” phase as a teenager?

I don’t think any of us really did. I mean, being a “Punk Rocker” in middle or high school is inherently embarrassing when you look back at photos

I think the only thing I did that was embarrassing was become sort of a jock for a couple years.

I had fallen out of music and totally lost track of things I love, so I thought it would be a good idea to start wearing track jackets and treat people like shit. God, I’m glad that’s over.

I remember Pete went through a “Screamo-Emo” phase, the bands he liked were shit, and kids still listen to them! He had a spock haircut, and silly bracelets, and tiny t-shirts. It was adorable!

We’re all happy it’s behind us now.

I think Noelle has been wearing the same outfit for a decade or so. She stopped wearing a hat 24 hours a day and moved on to a beanie, so progress is being made.

Many of your song’s titles are homages to Blink-182, any reason behind this?

We love Blink. We grew up on Blink, and that’s about it.

They wrote some tight fucking songs back in the day (we won’t discuss whatever the fuck they think they’re doing now) and have some of the best stage banter ever. And that’s really what Punk is about…stage banter. Everything else is just filler and fluff.

“And that’s really what Punk is about…stage banter. Everything else is just filler and fluff. “

Does Rational Anthem have a favorite piece of in-between song banter off The Mark, Tom, And Travis Show?

There’s too much! I’d say…..

“You have giant boobs and I doubt you’re eighteen…do you have a note from your mom?…If I wanted to see 13 year old boobs, I’d hangout by the junior high like my dad does“

and

“Mark’s middle name is Rebecca…my dad wanted a girl…he treats me like one”

What do you wanna plug, where do we buy your music, and how do we get in contact with Rational Anthem?

Our new record Whatevermind just got released on vinyl, so we’re trying to get those out to people.

We put out a full length called Sensitivity Training last year and it’s on our bandcamp and label’s websites.

Hit us up on facebook (just google it, we’re from Florida), and buy music (mp3 vinyl etc.) from our bandcamp at rationalanthem.bandcamp.com.

Also, Rad Girlfriend, Bloated Kat, John Wilkes Booth, and Kiss of Death records put out our records too. They run distros and would be happy to sell off some of our shit.

You can email us at rational_anthem@hotmail.com too, or just shoot us a message, or something. Chikachikayeahhhhhhh.

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Tag Archives: Punk

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Interview with S.F.W, A.K.A Samuel Fraser Windmill

Chris Hembrough of Rational Anthem

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