Interviews With Chris

Joe Ayoub - Low Culture

Name: Joe Ayoub

Band: Low Culture

Duty in the band: Guitar, some singin’, some writin’

(I hate every picture of me, so put pictures of Ace Frehley and say its me)

I definitely can’t say that Joe Ayoub and I go way back being buds nor do we ever party, but his connection to El Paso /Las Cruces and various parts of Texas have been with me for a good while since I started playing music back in my freshman high school days. I’ve enjoyed hearing his bands on my record player years before I personally knew him, watching shows he’s played, and being able to play quite a good amount of shows alongside his bands. Joe’s been in a plethora of bands. Some you’ve probably heard about and if you haven’t heard of any then get to it. As someone who crosses the state line often to see/play shows, I know the trek from El Paso to Las Cruces and vice versa is a pain especially if you have early morning work/school, but I wish I saw more people go out because it’s a damn blast and there is always an abundance of touring acts to see.  And a good amount of partying  (if that’s your thing). Exciting things are happening for Joe’s band, Low Culture, so read ahead and check his band out.

Goofy:

Clam chowder or egg drop soup?

I like most soup so it’s a draw, but bad clam chowder is way worse than bad egg drop soup.

Puppies or kittens? 

Kittens!!!

If you had the power to bring back someone from the dead, who would it be? 

My friends.

Favorite smell? 

Pizza.

If you had your own Ben & Jerry’s flavor what would the ingredients consist of?

Caramel, chocolate, pretzels, Heath bar, Reese’s peanut butter cups, almonds, and bacon.

The presidential race of 2012 is _____?

DUMB

What cheers you up the most on a shitty day?

Booze and playing music.

Name some of your top guilty pleasures.

Lifehouse, 70’s pop hits, and current pop hits.

If you were chosen to be on MTV’s Real World reality show, what type of character would people perceive you as? 

The non-gay gay dude that’s really sensitive and girls just want to be friends with him. He’s always in the friend zone and is bitter.

Which career would look more promising for you: being a DJ or a rapper?  

A DJ, because they are mysterious.

If you were a vehicle what would you be?

A jet plane.

Personal:

Last book you read?

It was a graphic novel, the Alcoholic

I know you love Kiss so I have a couple questions dedicated to just that.

Favorite Kiss member?

Ace Frehley and Peter Criss -  tie!

How many times have you seen Kiss?

Only once in real life, many times in my dreams.

If you can purchase/attain any single piece of Kiss memorabilia, what would it be?

Peter Criss, ohhh burn!  I would love an Ace guitar.

What was the first instrument you learned to play and how old were you?

I was 12 or 13 when I started playing bass, and I am fully aware that it does not show now.

Your history in playing with bands is very extensive. Can you briefly go over all the bands you’ve been in? 

Briefly…..I think I was first in a band called Ground although we never called ourselves that for real, then Ellington Blue which was a band for a couple of shows that turned into another band called Sidkister, then Liz n’ Chuy.  Those were all in El Paso.  Then in Denton, I was in Whips and Furs, the Marked Men, Sugar Bears (one show), The Gash, Jojo and the Jetts, Swedish Teens, Potential John’s(toured with them), Vacation (Two Shows), Shang-a-lang, Rats and Birds, Pretty Kitty Committee  (that is my name, don’t steal it), a no name band for a show, Gypsy, Hot Times (never had a show), and Low Culture.

If I’m not mistaken you’ve had 3 main geographic bases where you have formed bands and wrote music. Those being El Paso, Denton, and Las Cruces. Can you say that you prefer any of the 3? How was each one different from one another?

I was 18 when I was in El Paso and I knew nothing about song writing. I loved it because of the innocence of it all.  Looking back I didn’t write very good songs, but  it was a great time for me though.  Denton was great in a lot of ways. I was in that area for 9 years.  I was able to grow a lot and I had great friends who influenced me and taught me how to write songs.  Las Cruces is like a mixture of El Paso and Denton. There is some innocence left but my song writing has improved a lot.  I think being in Las Cruces has helped me open up my song writing and willingness to try things out.  I think that makes sense.  I think in Cruces I have some people who are really like minded with what I want to do right now too.

If you weren’t living in Las Cruces, where would you see yourself at?

Somewhere with a beach, LA, who knows, El Paso

Over the years you’ve played a ton of shows but has there ever been a show where you have opened for a favorite band/a band you thought you’d never have the opportunity to play with?

I think when I started playing shows with Todd C.’s bands like URTC, Toys that Kill, etc.  That was a cool moment.  I always loved FYP so that was a big deal.  I have been lucky, I mostly have just played with friends bands that I think are amazing.  Shang-a-lang played Gilman one time and that was amazing to me, although the show wasn’t that good!  However doing that was awesome!  I have played shows with most of my favorite bands, and that is the best feeling in the world.

Are there any tours that stand out in your mind as the most fun, most horrific, most boring, most (whatever you can think of)?

My first tour was terrible.  I was in a street punk band called Whips and Furs. I actually loved the people who were in the band with me and our roadie, Drew.  Tour was so new to me and it was poorly set up and sort of a train wreck.  In hindsight it was still amazing that we did it though.  We played some really stupid shows in California - one was a backyard where the cops came, and then I think in San Diego where someone got stabbed?  Some tours stand out more than others, but that one will always stand out the most.

Has there ever been a point in your life where you wanted to call it quits in regards to playing music? 

No never, never ever, if anything I want to do it more.

Best/worst thing about being in a band?

Having a jobby job is both the best and worst. Best because I have money, worst because of the lack of time.

Favorite record label when you were growing up?

I didn’t really have one. I think I liked Fat Wreck Chords for a while, but no label really stuck out to me.

Any records you’re currently stoked on/you’re blasting nonstop? 

I was listening a lot to the first two songs on the Dead Dog Lp - Don’t Touch Me.  I have a short attention span so I go through phases.  I like hippie stuff as well as punk stuff and hardcore, now it is warm, so hardcore!

Last book you read?

I am trying to read more, but I mostly read graphic novels. I’m currently reading  Black Hole by Charles Burns. The last book I read was the Alcoholic.

Is there any part of the DIY scene that you can say ticks you off?

I am in my 30’s and I hate it all.  Joking of course, but mostly true.

Low Culture:

How did Low Culture get its name?

Ask Chris, I think it’s the opposite of High Culture.

How exactly did Low Culture come about?

I know it was during a time Shang-a-Lang was nearing the end.

Was Low Culture the new outlet for you and Chris to still play together?

I quit Shang-a-lang, and moved,. At the same time, Chris started a band called Total Jock with Cade, Sam, and James.  James moved, and Chris, Cade and Sam started practicing. I moved back and asked to be in the band….done.  Played our first show the same night Shang-a-lang played its last show, circle of life.

How would you describe the band musically? Internally?

I think we all have a vision, especially Chris and I.  We are pretty particular about things, and that is what is great about this band.  I think we are on the same page, and if we are not we can talk about it and figure some things out.  It is an easy band to be with -  great people , great musicians, everyone is pretty easy to please.

Do you resort to only seeing your band members during practice/shows or do you hang out with them on a regular basis? 

We hang out.  I probably hang out with Chris more, but if I played D and D (Dungeons and Dragons) I would probably hang out with Cade and Sam more.

Last time I spoke to you guys, you said you recorded in Phoenix, AZ. How did that go? Would you say you prefer recording in a studio or doing it yourself on a 4/8 track, tape recorder, etc? 

Recording was great. I like the studio thing actually, it sounds great.  I love the 4/8 track thing too though. Some things we have recorded sound great on the 4/8 track. We decided to go to the studio mostly because we wanted something  that sounded better for us.  In Shang-a-Lang especially, some of the songs suffered due to the recordings, which in some ways add to their charm, but for the Low Culture stuff we wanted to do things different and try something else out.  It was cool to go out of town and record as well. Recording is always different and I know very little about it.  It is not something I geek out about, but I am happy when the final product sounds good.

Are any of the songs that the band recorded the same ones on the demo?

Yeah 2 of them, Georgia and Travel Song.

What’s the music writing process like? Would you say that you all write collectively or is it segmented into members writing riffs and bringing them to practice? 

Chris at this point is the main song writer, but Cade and I also contribute.  It is a process, someone brings in a song, we learn it, and then try to make it better or change it up.  Very few songs are brought and not changed at all. I think we try to challenge ourselves at times with song writing.  I’m really picky about song writing. I just never want things to sound silly or generic.  I think we are all honest and try to add things to songs or switch things up at times.  I am notorious for bringing a song to practice, everyone learning it, then scrapping it because I hate it.

What’s next for Low Culture? Supposedly you guys are coming out with a 7” sometime soon?

We try to not play a lot, but we totally do.  We are playing different things and that’s awesome, we have played El Paso a few times now, we are playing Way out West fest in Tucson, an East Coast tour with Iron Chic that will end up in Ottawa for Ottawa Explosion Festival, recording hopefully in Fort Worth, and Awesome Fest in September…. A lot!

What’s your drunk/sober percentage when playing live?

I have to concentrate when playing guitar, but I am learning to play more drunk. That sounds terrible but I would rather play kind of drunk.

So Low Culture is doing some dates with Iron Chic up in Canada. Excited? Ever played in Canada?  

Marked Men played Toronto and Montreal before. I’m super excited for it all. I really cannot say enough great things about what is going on with that tour.  When Marked Men played Montreal it was weird because everyone spoke French and we felt really dumb.  We were super loud that night, and the cops came and gave the bar a ticket for the noise.  This guy that worked at the bar came up to me and was yelling at me for the noise and said we can’t be so loud.  I was super confused because we were done playing; I apologized and then told the guy we were done. He just looked at me then asked to buy a shirt.

If Low Culture had the opportunity to play overseas, where would you like to perform?

Anywhere

What bands would you like to tour with in the future? 

Any of Todd C.’s bands, the Bananas, Mind Spiders, our friends mostly.

I’m out of questions. If you have any questions for me/shoots, go for it.

What are you doing later?

end!

Check out the Low Culture tracks that will be on their new 7” via Dirt Cult Records  at http://dirtcultrecords.bandcamp.com/album/low-culture-s-t-7.

Chris

Eric Romero - Clarity

Name: Eric Romero

Band: Clarity

Duty in the band: Guitarist

Eric Romero is one of the guitarists of Clarity. Ironically, I chose to interview the member of the band I know the least. I’ve known Jacob, Jesse, and Rene since about 8 years ago when their grind days were in full effect and bulging girl pants and haircuts scooped to the side was the thing (hahaha). As for Chris, I’ve known him for a couple years through the scene and members of one of his old bands turned out to be members of a couple of my current bands. I guess I can say we’ve been a huge jolly family filled with music. While I know Eric the least, it’s rad to say we’ve become friends through playing shows together, having lunch dates on campus in between classes, talking about music, and him notifying me of vinyl clearances at the shop he works at! No bullshit, Eric is one of my favorite local guitarists. His riffs can go from screaming aggression, to being slow and sensual, to I don’t even know! I definitely respect musicians who have a varied taste in music and his musicianship parallels that. Since the birth of his band, I constantly see improvement and I’m always stoked to see what this band is coming up with. Their demo EP, Winter, was released about a year ago and if you are reading this….check it out. Clarity consists of a bunch of great dudes and great musicians that offer lots for the scene and are helping put El Paso on the map. Take a listen to their tunes and stay updated. Here is Eric.

Goofy

Would you rather gouge out one of your eyeballs with a blunt spoon or turn into Yogi bear…for life and no the sandwiches aren’t as amazing as you think?

Yogi Bear, easily!

Favorite authors?

Raymond Carver, Claudio Sanchez, and the great Roald Dahl

The Jedi or the Sith?

The Sith. Red lightsabers look like they hurt more.

Pocahontas or The Little Mermaid?

The Little Mermaid

Grape, strawberry, or orange marmalade?

Strawberry

If you joined Avenged Sevenfold would you rather be coined Eric Omen or ummmm Eric Crypt?

Eric Omen sounds so much smoother.

What do you normally eat for breakfast?

Gummy bears and gummy worms.

Gummy bears or Gummy worms?

Gummy bears. I bite their heads off first, then eat the rest.

Pet peeves?

Listening to other people eat.

Favorite video game as a child?

I had a couple, but Donkey Kong was up there. The SNES version, not the Mario/Donkey Kong game.

Dumbest prank you’ve ever pulled on anyone?

I suck at this question Chris!

What would your reaction  be if you pulled an all nighter from studying, you went to go shower, and Charles Manson was on your toilet reading the newspaper?

I’d probably shoot the shit with him. Pun intended.

Personal

What was your first instrument and when did you first start playing?

Trombone, in the 6th grade. I sometimes miss it, to be honest.

What made you want to play music?

At the time, I joined band because it was a requirement. It was either that, or Orchestra. I first started a band my Freshman year in high school, so my friends and I could pass the time.

5 albums you can say have changed your life until now?

Pollyanna, by Northstar

The Underground Is A Dying Breed, by Hot Rod Circuit

Building a Better _______ , by Park

Hell Is Empty, by RUINER

Fractures, by Killing the Dream

Each of these albums is extraordinarily important to me. It’s for every time I’ve picked up the guitar, and said to myself “I want to be in a band like this”, as awful as that may sound. They are consistently played from beginning to end, and I don’t ever see that changing.  I’m sure anyone would wish they could choose more than five, though. Narrowing down the number of albums that has changed my life is just too much of a challenge.

First album you can recall ever owning?

My dad gave me a bunch a long time ago. He gave me a Led Zeppelin boxset, and I remember playing the shit out of Physical Graffiti.

How many tattoos do you have and what are they?

Just two. Keywork “Heaven’s Fence” (Coheed and Cambria), and the Killing the Dream “Fractures” cover.

If you could improve any aspect of your musicianship, what would it be?

I wanna bring the shred. To this day, I can’t do a pinch harmonic to save my life. Seriously though, I think I would improve everything, always. There’s still so much to learn, and if ever I become satisfied with what I know so far, I know I’ll get bored.

Best band to listen to when you’re feeling down in the dumps?

Giants, Explosions in the Sky, Gifts from Enola, El Ten Eleven, etc. I like taking vocals out of the equation sometimes,  so I can focus more on what’s bothering me.

Name a couple guitarists that have influenced your style?

Dave Knudson of Minus the Bear

Matt Skiba of Alkaline Trio

Matthew Embree of RX Bandits

I know you said a couple, but I just couldn’t help myself. These were the dudes I looked up to while I was playing out of a Crate combo amp. They’re all phenomenal guitarists, in my opinion.

If you could be on any record label, what would it be?

Back then, Drive-Thru Records would have been sweet. Now, I have to say TopShelf. I know it’s a bit far fetched, but I love every band on their roster.

Where did we first meet? At the Naylair? I’m not saying I forgot or anything….I’d just like a little refresher.

It was at the Therefore I Am show the second time around. Don’t you remember we took a group picture?! THERE’S EVIDENCE CHRIS!

When are we going to improve our lunch date schedule?

Probably when we’re dead.

Your thoughts on the local music scene here in El Paso?

If you’re talking about the alternative country that has been cool for a while, or the quantum physics/algorithm metal or whatever, you would have to ask one of those guys, if you can catch them whenever they aren’t signing autographs.

If you’re talking about my friends, it’s one of the best things I’ve ever known. I’m so fortunate to have met and become buddies with so many awesome people because of it.

Bands you can’t stand?

Iron Maiden, Nirvana. There’s more. Oh is there more.

Toughest thing about being in a band?

Getting everyone together for practice. Shit’s tough.

Favorite show you’ve ever played?

The Mike Bird benefit show. Everyone coming together for someone they didn’t even know on a personal basis. Amazing.

Favorite show you’ve ever seen?

There are two. The first, RUINER, the second time around last spring. They played almost everything off Hell Is Empty. The second, Barbarian at their Heart Failure CD release show.

Clarity

How and when did Clarity exactly start?

Naynay hadn’t known I listened to post-hardcore, older emo bands, post-rock, and so on. I remember talking to him outside the Hideaway Lounge after a show, and he was telling me he wanted to jam with me. So the next time I went over, it was Nay, Jacob and I, and we wrote our first song (Untitled). A little later, we decided to pull Jesse in to play bass, since he was already in bands with Nay and Jake at the time. After that was set, Chris came in to one of our practices and started writing. That was last summer. Shit just worked from then on.

Had you ever played with any of the other members in Clarity in any previous bands?

Nope. I always talked to Hoover (one of our mutual friends) about joining Highways when Mark moved, but they probably hated me at the time.

When I first saw you guys, I instantly was reminded of a mash up between a meaner Jimmy Eat World and a more modern sounding Daylight. Kind of like a Jimmy Eat World, Daylight chunky smoothie with whip cream on the top. What other bands have you guys been compared to?

Daylight is one. I’ve heard B&C, Texas Is the Reason, and Title Fight too. We change our sound so much, though.

I remember when you all started, Rene (other guitarist) asked me what I thought about the band name, Clarity. I instantly thought of Jimmy Eat World’s third album and he said that’s where you all got it from. Why the name Clarity?

I think we all came to an agreement because it’s so simple. That’s what we wanted anyway. But yeah, that album rules.

Which Jimmy Eat World album is your favorite? I myself am a Static Prevails/Bleed American boy.

Clarity. Goodbye Sky Harbor, that’s all I have to say.

Were there any other band name options?

Wethought about continuing as Terminal. I’m sure we all dig Clarity a lot more.

Who do you argue with the most in the band!

I don’t really argue with anyone. I’ve gotten along with everyone since the start. Some of the other dudes have had their scraps, but I think we’ve all been pretty civilized about it and that’s what I like most. We can just all get together and talk about what the fuck is wrong with one another.

What’s the Clarity writing process like? Do you normally write riffs by yourself and bring them to the table, or do you all write together during practice?

I usually come to practice with an opening riff and then we all work from there. I don’t like writing out whole songs and spoon-feeding parts. Nay is a great guitarist. Chris, an amazing writer and Jacob was practically born with sticks in his hands. And then there’s Jesse. Just kidding, he rules too. The most important part of being in a band, to me, is being able to put so much of yourself into it, and when I get carried away with a song, Nay will tell me.

Why was the Clarity EP called “Winter”?

Because it was released in December, and we lacked the creativity to think of a name for a 4 song demo burned on Jacob’s computer with CD-Rs.

Do you have any favorite songs to play live?

Treading Water. I go nuts with delay at the end. For newer stuff, though, I think I like Chalk the most.

I’ve listened to the tracks that Joey Garibay did for you guys. They sound great! What’s next?

Our split with Barbarian. We’re gonna get crazeee.

Any future touring plans?

You know it! Summer of 2020.

What are Clarity’s upcoming plans for 2012?

Hopefully after the split, we can go on to a full length, and then tour the shit out of it for the rest of our lives.

Eric. It’s over. At least this interview is. Any questions you have / last statements?

You better love me down for this. It took so long, Chris!

Thanks dude!

end? kidding.

You can check out their demo at  http://www.mediafire.com/?9zkaa72z9sormf7. I know some people can have a biased opinion on a band when they are such good friends, but I’d like this band even if I hated all of their guts. Good job boys.

Michael Roeslein - Caravels

Name: Michael Roeslein

Band: Caravels

Duty in the band: Vocals

Caravels is a post-hardcore band from Henderson, NV. They’re about twenty minutes out of Las Vegas so I’ll just say they’re from America’s casino city. I’m sure there are other gambling cities, but you catch my drift. I’ve had the pleasure of playing with them twice. My first encounter with this band was when I played a show with them on June 26, 2010. I had to play in a suit because I remember it being my cousin’s wedding party that night. That was a first! After speeding to the other side of the city I only was able to catch the last few songs of their set, but from what I heard I instantly fell in love with their dynamic and unorthodox hardcore sound. By unorthodox I guess I’m trying to just say that the experimental groove accompanied with unexpected tempo changes and onslaught of heaviness is what got me hooked. Not only was the music poetic and soothing to me, but like with most hardcore it let me release the rage/pissed off emotions inside of me. The second time they came around was March 20, 2011 at The Naylair. I remember being super sleepy and sifting in and out of sleep on the couches at the house but also remembering Caravels killed it and that they were only getting tighter and tighter. I had already purchased their new S/T 7” and thought it was killer…so seeing them in the flesh again at my favorite house/place to play was a special treat. Unfortunately I was supposed to play with them another time here in El Paso on October 19, 2011 but their van busted on them in Gallup, NM. Anyone that knows what it’s like to break down in the middle of nowhere knows that it is no fun. While their van is fixed and I believe they just got done with the Fest if anyone wants to donate so that they can recover from their expenses you can send whatever you got at matthewfrantom@gmail.com. Or instead, just buy their albums and see them at a show because….well they rule. Anyways here is the interview I did with Mike of Caravels. I drafted it in May and it was answered in early October so the goofy questions are kind of similar to Matt’s of Joyce Manor. Whoooopsies. Enjoy.

Goofy  

Favorite holiday? 

Going to have to say Halloween. Always a blast. Who doesn’t look forward to Halloween? I also enjoy the weather shift that usually accompanies Halloween.

Best costume you’ve ever worn for Halloween?

My favorite will always be the detectives the Beastie Boys played in their music video for “Sabotage.” Classic. 

High school was ________ ?

…instrumental in preparing me for the transition into adulthood. Yeah, right. What a hoot. 

Las Vegas is pretty notorious for pawn shops. Ever had any sweet finds or traumatic experiences pawning anything?

One time Cory had his bass stolen from our practice space. That was a pretty big bummer. Fortunately though, it was recovered in a pawn shop a short time later. Two other guitars were stolen as well, and were never seen again. No fun. 

Favorite Sylvester Stallone movie?

Loved him in Demolition Man. Wait, Cliffhanger. 

Have you ever had a celebrity crush?

I’ve got a thing for Scarlett Johansson that just won’t stop.

While growing up, whose music did you relate to more: Nirvana or Metallica?

Can’t say Metallica ever struck a chord with me. Nirvana, on the other hand, was one of my favorite bands as kid, and remain so.

Legos or Hot Wheels?

Legos for sure! Still play with these at work all the time. I love to build the biggest cube I can using only the Lego blocks of one color. It’s literally the most boring thing you can do with Legos. A giant block of blocks. It’s hilarious because all of the kids I work with get so angry with me for taking all the blocks of one color and building something so boring. 

Based on the “Beer Pressure” patch, I’m assuming you guys enjoy drinking. Do you have any favorite types of beers?

Nary a night when we’re not having at least a few drinks together. You might commonly see us wielding something from New Belgium or Rogue. 

Would you rather run full speed into a cactus or get smacked in the face with a bag of heavy gold coins?

Going to have to say the bag of coins, at least I am making some sort of monetary gain out of this terrible, terrible predicament I find myself in. 

Pool or ping pong

Pool. We play this pretty frequently, as of late.

Mac or Windows

Windows personally, the rest of the band are pretty big fans of Apple.

Personal

What made you want to play music and pursue the life of a touring musician?

Music for me was always a means to hang out with my best friends and express myself creatively. It was a way of killing two birds with one stone, so to speak. 

If you weren’t playing music, what other passion would be conquering your life?

If I wasn’t pursuing music, I suspect I would be chasing some sort of teaching degree. 

What’s the sketchiest thing about living in Las Vegas?

I’m always a little wary of being on the road on any major holiday. A lot of folks vacation here and do stupid things like drive after consuming copious amounts of alcohol. 

What records are you currently blasting?

I have been jamming Follow The Rattle Of The Afghan Guitar from Weatherbox, Proper from Into It. Over It., Distal from Crash Of Rhinos, and the newly released split from The World Is A Beautiful Place and Deer Leap.

How is the scene in Las Vegas? Anything you would like to change about it? 

A few more places to play wouldn’t hurt. We’re extremely limited when it comes to spaces to host a show. I’d love to have a couple more reliable places to hold an all-ages show. 

Do you remember the first show you ever went to?  What was it?

I’m pretty sure it was an Incubus show. Also, coincidentally, probably the first time I ever smelled weed. I still love Morning View. That’s a great album.

When you aren’t touring, what do you occupy most of your time with? School, work, any other activities?

We’ve been getting together and riding our bikes a lot lately. When the sun goes down and there is a cool breeze, we love to pedal our way around the city. 

Do you or does anybody in the band enjoy gambling?

A few of us have probably lost a dollar or two or eighty-three on roulette. 

I remember I was talking to Matt about eating on the road and he said you guys had eaten at Whataburger (TX  Burger Chain – Triangular Roofs/Orange Buildings). I told him that the food had been recalled and that 5 people had recently died from consuming their food. He freaked out!! Haha. We also talked about Mexican food and how we have run down spots like Chico’s Tacos (Legendary El Paso tacos soaked in tomato water that have a love/hate reputation). He said that you guys have a place called Roberto’s in Vegas that’s similar. Do you have any preference for the type of food you eat on tour? How about at home? What would your ideal meal consist of?

We try to stop at grocery stores as much as possible. I love being able to bypass fast food, it’s such a drag. I feel terrible eating Taco Bell more than once a month, but sometimes when you’re in the middle of nowhere and aren’t afforded many options. Anyway, yeah, grocery stores are great. It’s always great to be able to pick up some pasta and sauce and frozen veggies and cook them up after a show. Tortillas are also another great option. They are like edible plates. 

Caravels

How did Caravels get its name?

I was in World History class and I think I stumbled upon it in a textbook. That’s about the most unexciting thing I can think of. Sorry!

How long has the band been around?

3 - 5 years, depending on who you ask. 

Which bands have influenced Caravels the most?

We all agree that At The Drive-In, Bear Vs Shark, and Fugazi have had important roles in shaping our music.

Has Caravels ever thought about relocating to another city?

We once fell in love with the idea of calling Portland home. Still would very much like to, one day, when the time is right. 

Any favorite cities/states when you guys are on tour?

When it comes to states, Texas has always been extremely kind to us. Also, Florida, aside from their god-awful humidity. As far as particular cities, I’m fairly partial to San Diego. The food there is unreal. It’s not uncommon for me to base my entire feelings toward a city on whether or not I have enjoyed an exceptional meal there. 

Is there any part of the United States that you haven’t played that you want to tour through?

I don’t think we’ve ever had the opportunity to play in the Northern (central) part of the country, around North Dakota, Montana, etc. From what I understand, not much goes on there, but we’d love to go pass through there if we could find some bands to get in touch with. I’d love to spend some more time in the Northeast and Northwest. Those are easily my two favorite regions of the country, and I wish we could spend a million billion years touring through each. 

Can you describe the worst Caravels show you’ve ever experienced?

Roseburg, Oregon comes to mind. Was one of our first shows on our first tour and was a pretty big buzzkill. I don’t really care for stages at all, and we played on a pretty formidable stage for a few people at like one o’clock in the afternoon. I think it was a festival? Who knows. Sorry Roseburg. 

I read an article on the Las Vegas Sun about when you guys were on a previous tour, your van broke down…..and well the band was on the verge of basically seizing to exist. I bet it’s something that you guys want to forget, but what exactly happened and how did you get over it?

We were a few days into a three-week tour when our brand new van suddenly refused to drive any further. It had been purchased with money that we had saved up for quite some time. So tour was cancelled, we were out a few thousand dollars, and we had to be rescued from the middle of nowhere. Man, that was bogus. We don’t like thinking about that. 

What would you say has been the biggest change for the band from the transition of Floorboards to the new S/T?

Nothing too drastic, just a refinement of our sound. I think we understand what we want to do as a band a tad more.

Random…like the majority of my other questions, but which buildings are on the cover of the S/T - 7”?

Unfortunately I couldn’t tell you their names precisely, but I can tell you the photograph was taken by Cory in Central Park while we had a day off in New York. 

In regards to the S/T release, what are the meaning behind the song titles “Dream Beaver” and “Girth Impression”?  With “Dream Beaver”, I sense a hint of a metaphor of using a beaver and perhaps relating it to rebuilding a home. As for “Girth Impression” all I could tie in were words likes “swollen”, “size and shape” haha. But really, are there any particular messages behind the titles?

Strangely enough, not too much meaning. Our song titles are almost always silly inside jokes among the members of the band. I’d be too embarrassed to divulge their origins.  

Can you talk a little about the lyrical content of the songs and perhaps what they mean? The way that I’ve interpreted the lyrics, I gather that the content derives from some sort of motivational direction. Lines such as, “It was a mess but it was ours.  It wasn’t emptiness. It was a mess but it was ours. It was ours to fix.” What I got from this was that people should be held accountable for their actions, and if it is their “mess” then he/she should step it up and resolve it themselves.

Dream Beaver is about my family and my parents deciding to separate after 25 years. It really shook the foundation of what I thought I knew about marriage. Because, ya know, growing up, parents have such a colossal influence on their children. I don’t think that’s news to anybody. Having a household that fosters those kind of values, it’s crucial and they were definitely instilled in me. I grew up hopeful, wanting to emulate what they had. But of course, it ended, and I no longer know what I am supposed to feel. I don’t know, I guess that song’s just about being confused. 

Girth Impression is about a few different things, mainly the ruts I tend to fall into, and I suppose a lot of other people as well. I get dragged down by petty things and have to remind myself that it’s temporary and entirely inconsequential in the long run. Also, the idea of a crisis of youth was always very interesting to me. The idea that we are all young and full of potential, there are so many different paths to take and how I sometimes feel like I’m being torn in ten different directions. It’s a struggle to figure out which path is the best one for me. And I guess the end of the song is about not forgetting to live in the here and now, to be thankful for the endless nights I spend with my friends, and that I should learn to not worry about things so much. It’s not healthy. 

In general, the lyrics are meant to be open-ended in a lot of ways. I’m not a fan of concrete lyrics, in the sense that I don’t like having something so specific and firm and narrow that it can only be interpreted in one way. I hate it when I listen to a band and feel alienated by the words. So I try and make a conscious effort to convey whatever it is I’m trying to say in a way that invites interpretation. I wrote what those songs mean to me, but if you had read the lyrics and felt something entirely different, then I would be thrilled. 

Also to pile on more questions about lyrics… when writing these lyrics did you have a predetermined direction or feel you were striving for when writing the lyrics? Or did you just write the lyrics after the vibe of the instrumental portions of the songs were completed?

The instrumental skeleton of the song is almost always arranged first and foremost. Once we feel comfortable with the song, we will record a demo of it, and I will loop the song over and over and write whatever comes to mind. The music definitely inspires the words. 

After the Naylair show in El Paso, I asked if you had any shows/tours lined up for the near future and you guys said you were going to take a break and start writing. Can you elaborate a little on that? Any plans for a full LP?

You are correct, sir. Currently a few songs into our first full-length. We hope to have it finished sometime next year. Very excited. 

As I understand, you guys are all fairly young individuals in your low 20’s. What would you suggest to bands that are in the same boat as you once were in and want to break through?

Start bands with your friends, play music that you love, commit to what you’re doing and the rest should follow.

That wraps it up! Thanks!  If you have any shout outs or questions feel free to spill your guts out.

Thank you for the interview Chris, it was my pleasure. And thank you to everyone who took the time to read this. 

end.

Support Caravels. Buy their merch. Drink a few beers with some close buddies and spin their records at the same time. Enjoy.

Chris

UPDATES

Caravels interview up in a couple of hours and I’m also going to make a facebook for this thing because well….well I just am.

Jason - Young Turks

Name: Jason 

Bands (Dead or Alive): Young Turks. Ex-hell&reason, Dance For Destruction

Duty in the Band: Guitar

Young Turks is a hardcore band from Portland, Oregon. I had the pleasure of having one of my bands open up for them on April 21, 2011. There are very few instances where I play a show with a touring band that I have no idea about. This was one of them. In fact, the only thing I knew was that the band had an ex-member of the pop-punk band, Broadway Calls. I remember I was kicking it with my band mates and we had found out that a band had to drop off the bill that night. Most of us were going to attend the show, so we ended up backlining some gear off our friend-bands and playing the show. Heck, the band is called Young Turks and I’m a Rod Stewart fan so there was no reason for me to not support the show. The show went well and after seeing the band perform, I can say that Young Turks is a solid band filled with solid dudes that put out a high energy show. So if you ever have the chance to see them live – DO IT.  I would recommend this band to fans of any bands that are similar/along the lines of Refused, American Nightmare, Defeater, Suicide File. Here’s the interview I did with Jason, the guitarist of Young Turks.

Goofy

Favorite Portland Blazers player?

Patty Mills heart, and LaMarcus Aldridge’s post game.

NBA team you despise the most?

Lakers. I’m originally from Sacramento, and I have NOT forgotten about the Kings/Lakers game 7 that those refs threw. 

Rambo or Rocky?

Rambo.

Favorite beverage?

Dr. Pepper.

If you could have two celebrity neighbors, who would they be?

I’d probably get Jackie Chan (congratulations to him for 100 years of entertainment). I wouldn’t want another neighbor, maybe just a clone of Jackie Chan.

Since Rod Stewart is probably your #1 English man, who would win the battle of Sting vs. Phil Collins?

PHIL COLLINS. Fuck that tantric asshole Sting.

Drive in reverse for a decade or carry a kite in your hand outdoors and indoors for life? Starting now. 

Kite. Definitely. 

Elliott Smith or Kurt Cobain?

Elliott Smith. 

Personal

Which musicians would you say have influenced you the most?

Tim Kossar, Chris Hannah, and Chuck Ragan.

Growing up, what was your favorite music label?

 I was really into Epitaph and Fat. And Nitro exclusively for my younger obsessions with AFI.

What are a few albums that you can say have changed your life? 

It’s hard to just name a few. 

American Nightmare/GUTG - “Background Music” and “We’re Down Til We’re Underground”

Refused - “The Shape Of Punk To Come”

Nerve Agents - “Butterfly Collection”

AFI - “Black Sails In The Sunset”

The Smiths - “Strangeways, Here We Come”

Hot Water Music - “Caution”

Propagandhi - “Today’s Empires, Tomorrow’s Ashes” 

Hope Con - “Death Knows Your Name”
Modern Life Is War - “Witness”

Converge - “YOUFAILME”

Cave In - “Until Your Heart Stops”

Brand New - “Your Favorite Weapon”

There’s countless others. I’m just going off the top of my head.

Do you have a favorite Rod Stewart Album?

“Every Picture Tells A Story”

What has been your most memorable show as a fan in the audience? 

The first time I saw Morrissey. Modern Life Is War at 924 Gilman. Set It Straight’s last show, and Rivalry 2006 (Both at The Phoenix in Petaluma, CA). 

Any bands you’re currently stoked on?

Fucked Up’s new record is great. I got to see them back in June and it was a great set. We just got done doing 3 days with Misery Signals and that band blew me away every night. They get lumped in with a lot of shitty metalcore bands, but they really set themselves apart. Plus nobody can fuck with ex-7A7P. I’m always stoked on Small Brown Bike.

If there was one thing you could change about the music scene in Portland, what would it be? 

Everyone in Portland assumes that “hardcore” means tough guy macho bullshit. I wish that it didn’t have that stigma because we couldn’t be further away from that. Other than that, I wouldn’t change anything. It’s strange for me to see someone at a Young Turks show that I don’t know, and I like it that way. 

Your favorite cities to tour? 

I think everyone in the band has their own favorite. Personally, I will never let go of my love for the Bay Area. And specifically playing 924 Gilman. 

Young Turks

Can you give a brief history of the band? (When did you guys start, have there been lineup changes - stuff like that):

We formed in the summer of 2010. My previous band hell&reason had broken up in May and I was looking to do something more straightforward. I was the one that sort of arranged the original lineup. I had gotten enough of a grip in Portland to feel confident in my “all star lineup”. Originally it was myself on guitar, Bryan (ex-More Than Heroes/Losing Skin) on guitar, Matt (ex-Broadway Calls) on vocals, and Curtis (ex-Scared To Death) on drums. Gareth (ex-Profits) didn’t come into the mix until closer to our first show. We entertained the idea of having Matt play bass and our friend Tristan singing, but schedules and PA never got together at the same time. Profits and hell&reason played together and I always envied Profits for having Gareth on bass so when we went with Matt on vocals, Gareth was my first choice for suggestions. It took a little convincing, but we strong-armed him into it. Our first show was December 2010. Our first tour was spring of 2011. Gareth (being split between Profits and YT) couldn’t make the new Profits record and touring fit together, so we asked Matt’s best friend Mason to fill in on bass. After that tour, Curtis decided to move home to Redding, CA. Mason from the spring tour is also a drummer, and with a little fine tuning, he replaced Curtis and we played our first show with him in August 2011. 

The band name Young Turks is obviously derived from Rod Stewart’s song “Young Turks”. What does this song mean to the band? Why was it chosen?

It was sort of a two birds with one stone kind of thing. For as long as I can remember I have been attached to that song, but also the Give Up The Ghost song “Viva Love (Young Hearts Be Free Tonight)” had something to do with it. The conversation of the name was me talking to Bryan. I wanted to call the band Young Blood and he suggested Young Turks (with a laugh following). It spiraled out of control from there.

What are a couple bands you would say have influenced Young Turks the most?

Collectively we can agree on Propagandhi, Kid Dynamite, and Refused.  

Matt Koenig (ex-Broadway Calls) is in the band. How exactly did this come about?

I’ve known Matt for years and it pretty much took one conversation of explaining what I wanted to write to convince him to join.  

Is the only recorded material available to listeners the Halfhearted 7”?

There are a couple a videos circulating of a cover and a new song called “Knife Club”. We plan on releasing some more live footage from the Misery Signals tour. As of this moment, we have 4 unrecorded songs. “(William Shatner and Priceline.com and the) Wrath of Bong”, “Leo(nardo DiCaprio in The Beach Giving Zero Fucks”, “Three Goggles”, and “Knife Club”. We plan on writing and recording about 10 total this winter. 

Sleep, Lost, Home, Choke, Control. Those are all the song titles on the 7”. They already seem to tell a story in the order that they’re in. Was there any set theme you were trying to achieve throughout the album when it came to writing lyrics?

Matt wrote the lyrics to everything except “Control” (which I wrote). I think Matt would be more qualified answering this than me, but I don’t think there was a specific theme or story in mind. “Control” was not a time pertinent song lyrically. It was a section of time that stands out as remarkably negative. I think that all of the songs on “Halfhearted” lyrically, were from remarkable times. 

On the album you guys put in the liner notes “No Thanks”, but if you actually were to thank anybody who would it be?

David Lindell for recording it. Jesse Ives for pressing it.  

In October you guys are going to be playing The Fest for the first time this year. Are you guys stoked to see any bands in particular?

There are way too many. But I think all of us are stoked for Hot Water Music, Small Brown Bike, None More Black, Lifetime, Paint It Black, and Tigers Jaw. 

Any plans for new-recorded material in the upcoming future?

Hopefully before the end of the winter we will have more material recorded, and hopefully pressed.

For fans of Young Turks, which online method would be the best to keep up with the band?

youngheartsbefreetonight.com 

That wraps it up! Any last words for the people?

Fuck you, hang loose. 

Whoo!

end.

Like I said in the beginning of this interview, Young Turks is rad. I bought their 7” at the show and I’m glad I did because I’m a sucker for limited pressing vinyl. I’m sure they’ve sold out of the 7”, but that’s alright because they have a bandcamp where you can stream all the tracks off that release. If you want any of their merch, go to a show or shoot them an email and I’m sure they can help you out with whatever needs you may have.

Catch a show, buy some merch to support touring bands, give the locals some love, and support DIY.  

Chris

Matt Ebert - Joyce Manor

Name: Matt Ebert

Band: Joyce Manor

Duties:Bass/Vocals

Ahhhhhh, Joyce Manor. I don’t even know where to begin! I honestly forgot where I may have first found out about this band. Having played/seen bands that were on the label 6131, I was honestly surprised to come across Joyce Manor.  In comparison to other bands on that label, they were a band whose material didn’t make you want to hardcore dance or destroy all humanity. I ordered their S/T and when I received it, I was honestly blown away. I’ve always said they’ve reminded me of Pixies/Jawbreaker/Big Kids….but hey that’s just me!  I think I had that LP on constant repeat for a month or so. Anyways, my personal encounter with this band started when I was looking up their tour dates and I saw they had an off date. I asked them if they would like to play a house show and they agreed.  On June 8, 2011, the band finally rolled into town. Matt texted me saying, “we’re at some shitty coffee shop using wifi. you know of any cool record stores in town before we go to the show?” – or something along those lines. I knew at that point we would have a rad time. I bought a 30 pack of PBR and zoomed off to the Naylair. Upon arriving, I introduced them to the dudes who make all Naylair shows possible and we didn’t waste any time in enjoying our company by watching Matilda (VHS) before the show and killing the beer haha. The show went great and everyone seemed to have a rad time. We later went to Taco Cabana (24 hr Mexican food chain for people who are usually not sober and hungry) and had some margaritas and burritos/tacos/etc. We bought more beer and headed back to the Naylair. Again we ended watching another 90’s classic - Baby’s Day Out (another VHS). When the movie ended, everyone pretty much had passed out. The journey began with watching a movie drinking beer and ended with a movie drinking beer haha.  If anything, me rambling on this little experience is just to show that Joyce Manor are just some down to earth/rad/humble dudes who are down to have a good time. Plus, that their partying habits take absolutely nothing away from the music. If anything, I would recommend you crack open your favorite beer with some of your best friends while listening to their stuff. Enough talking – here’s an interview I did with Matt Ebert/bassist+vocalist.

Goofy:

Best costume you’ve ever worn for Halloween? 

A couple years ago I dressed as a pedophile.  I had a really fucked up looking track suit and carried around a teddy bear.  There’s actually a picture of me wearing the costume on our record insert I believe.

High school was ___________

Where I met people who still mean a lot to me

Favorite Sylvester Stallone movie?

Over the Top

Have you ever had a celebrity crush?

The first one that comes to mind is Faye Dunaway in Bonnie and Clyde

Legos or Hot Wheels?

Driving hot wheels through lego tunnels

If you had to pick a favorite female vocalist, who would it be?

Of active musicians, I would say Aimee Argote (Des Ark).  Of all-time, I would say Nina Simone

Would you rather run full speed into a cactus or get smacked in the face with a bag of heavy gold coins? 

Gold Coins.  The pain would be more concentrated, but at least I wouldn’t have to spend the rest of the day picking needles out of my a$$

Favorite Dischord band? 

Probably Rites of Spring.

If you could wear only one sports jersey for the rest of your life (given that you enjoy sports), which team would it be?

LA Kings

CAKE. The food or the band?

Neither!

If you had a DJ name what would it be?

DJ Aunt Beru

Personal:

What got you into playing music?

I’ve been interested in music my entire life, but it may have been when I was around nine that I started playing piano.  My older sister had the sheet music for November Rain and I remember wanting to learn it really bad, haha.

What was the first song you learned on bass?

I think it may have been Stickin’ In My Eye by NOFX.  I was really into NOFX tabs.

What’s Long Beach’s music scene like? Any pro’s/con’s you’re willing to dish out? 

Since we don’t really play in Long Beach, I’ll give my thoughts on Los Angeles as a whole.  It’s tough.  Houses here don’t have basements, so living room shows often result in noise complaints and houses never do shows for long.  The city seems to really crack down on any places doing shows, so it’s really difficult for DIY venues to last in the area.  Also, because the city is so large, I think it often makes it hard for kids to find out about shows.  It’s sad, but I have a long term goal of making our city a place where bands actually want to come through.  I am working on a comprehensive show listings website that I hope will at least spread awareness about DIY shows in people’s respective areas.  All that said, we have some great shows here and through all the bullshit and red tape, kids here support touring bands and love to get stoked.

Name the last place you were at that would like to never return to. 

THE NAYLAIR.  (just kidding!) 

Based on our Matilda/Baby’s Big Day Out session at The Naylair, you know your movies well. What are some of your favorite movies?

Well, Matilda for one!  I like all the Coen brothers movies a lot.  I love the Wayne’s World, Back to the Future, and Vacation movies.  I love Miyazaki films, especially Spirited Away.  Other favorites include The Abyss, Children of Men, and This is England.  Tonight, however, I’ll be watching the Eddie Murphy/Martin Lawrence classic Life.

Do you have any favorite movie soundtracks? 

My favorite soundtrack is for Fantastic Planet.  It’s a really great French animated film from the ‘70s with this super funky avant-garde jazz soundtrack.

Music and literature go hand in hand for some musicians. Do you have any favorite authors?

Haruki Murakami is my favorite.  The way he writes about mundane life in modern-day Japan is beautiful.  His stories are always full of magical realism- animals coming to life and shit.  It’s great.

Reach into your pockets, what do you have in them? If you didn’t find anything, what do you usually never leave home without?

Keys, change, and a couple guitar picks in my left pocket, phone in my right.  Wallet in the back left pocket.  It’s a constant that never ever changes!

What are your top five albums of 2011?

Mannnn, I can’t remember what came out!  The new Des Ark is probably my number one.  The new DNF record might not get released until 2012, but I’ve been playing it since June and it’s incredible.  It’s going to come out on Chris Colohan’s label whenever its pressed, so watch for it!  The Touche Amore dudes did a great job.  Oh!  Also the new Four Eyes 7” is really great.  And the new Ampere!

What have you learned from playing music? Musicians usually talk about how it has given them some type of life-changing direction that a corporate job or another pastime usually could not offer, but what has it done for you as a person?

If nothing else, it’s given me something to do.  Playing music has given me the opportunity to travel a lot and meet a bunch of awesome people, some of whom have become good friends.  I’m not really a social person, so I can only imagine what kind of a boring dick I’d be right now if I wasn’t doing what I’m doing!

If you could be a merch guy for any band, who would it be? 

The Weakerthans

Joyce Manor

How did Joyce Manor get its name?

It’s an apartment in Long Beach.  Lame, huh?

When did the band start?

The band started in late 2008, but I didn’t join the band until late 2009.

How many different lineups have there been in the band, if any at all? 

The band started out with just Chase and Barry playing acoustically.  After a while they became full band and played a lot of house shows and were fueled by Joose.  Kurt and I joined the band at around the same time and our sound changed quite a bit after that.

On a scale of 1-10 how much does the band like to party? 

Somewhere in the neighborhood of an 8-8.5.  We don’t fuck around with cocaine because it’s for human scum.

Joyce Manor’s discography is composed of: Summer Vacation/Joyce Manor split, S/T, and the Big Kids/Joyce Manor split. Am I missing anything? 

We also have a demo called “Constant Headache”, which is our first release.  If you really wanna dig deep, there is an acoustic tape from before I joined the band.  The cover had pancakes on it.

What differences have you noticed in the way the band operates from when you guys first started and where you guys are at now? Is there anything that you guys mainly worry about now? 

We definitely have a better idea of what we are doing now.  We figured out how drunk we can get before we play without blowing it, and we have definitely become tighter.  In many ways we haven’t progressed a bit.  We still tour in a minivan and we still can barely keep our shit in tune.  It’s important to not worry too much.  Writing your second album is definitely scarier than writing your first, but at the end of the day you can’t worry about what people expect of you.  I know that WE like our next record, and that is what’s important to us.

Your debut LP on 6131 is such a fucking rad album. Back and forth: pure fun and smiles. When making this album was there any particular theme or concept? 

Thanks a lot, dude! Lyrically, I think there is definitely a unifying theme.  Musically, we were all listening to a lot of early Weezer and we definitely had Pinkerton in mind during the recording.  It sounds nothing like Pinkerton, but I think it came out alright!

All songs usually hold a place in a band member’s heart, but does any Joyce Manor song strike a chord internally/hits you hard when you listen to it or play it live? 

The song “Derailed” definitely has that effect on me.  I have been in bands with Barry for the last seven years, and that song has been around for about four or five of them.  Derailed has gone through so many different incarnations and has been played in various bands by so many good friends, it has become a really special song for me.

How did you guys link up with Big Kids on the split you did with them? Do both bands have any type of extensive history together? 

We are friends- I love those dudes and we play together every time they are down here and vice versa.  We first met them when they were down here for the first time last summer.  They r freex

On the BK/JM split you guys did a cover of the Murder City Devils “Midnight Service at the Mutter Museum”. How did you guys end up deciding on that song? 

Barry adapted the song and brought it to practice one day.  We are down with covers but we wanted it to sound like a Joyce Manor song at the same time.  A lot of people don’t even know its a cover and I like that.

Does the band have any other songs in mind that you all would like to cover in the future or was doing a cover just a one-time occurrence for the split? 

We have talked about cover songs many times, but we aren’t very good at covers.  They take a lot of work and aren’t that fun.  We have talked about covering The Promise by When in Rome, and Goodbye Horses by Q Lazzarus.  Thats the one from Silence of the Lambs.  but who knows?  We probably never will.

You guys recently signed with Asian Man Records. Congrats! I read that you guys are also going to hit up Jack Shirley at Atomic Garden to record some new songs. What are your thoughts on all of this? 

Thanks!  We are fucking STOKED!  Asian Man was my absolute favorite label when I was like 13, and to be able to work with Mike Park is a bit of a dream come true.  Jack has done some amazing work and I am very excited to see what he does with the record.  We have some cool ideas and while it’s a tiny departure from the last record, I think it sounds like a really logical 2nd Joyce Manor LP.

You guys are going to hit up Jack in November. While the news is recent, do you guys have any tentative idea by when you think the music will be done for everyone to hear?

I am guessing the record should probably be out by February or March.  You never really know how pressing plant stuff is gonna be, but I think three month is usually plenty.

Any plans to go overseas anytime soon? 

We are still trying to figure out next year’s tour plans, but we really want to get to Europe next year.  It’s all tentative, but hopefully!

I think I flooded you with enough questions. Thanks a bunch Matt. Any last words, shout outs, raps, goofy things, random questions….say them all. Thanks dude! 

Thanks dude!  Woulda been a real crappy Saturday night without ya.

end.

I’m not going to add much in this little ending segment. All I have to say is that at one point of my life during the summer of 11’, listening to their S/T got me pumped to make it through the day. Good dudes/good music. I can’t wait to hear the new album! Buy their goods and make sure to catch them at a show!

Booyah.

 Chris

Arty Trejo - Colonia

Name: Arty Trejo

Band: Colonia

Duties in the Band: Complain.

First off, Arty is my friend. Second, Arty is a musician I respect. Third, Arty may or may not severely piss you off (haha). All in all, Arty is an awesome dude and he plays in a noisy/heavy/screamo band called Colonia. Originally the band was just called Colony, but Arty decided to add some latino spice to the band name and has now coined the band, Colonia. When I first saw Colonia (Arty, Sergio, Jerry, Lalo), I immediately thought of Orchid and a little bit of Swing Kids. As I started to delve into older screamo akin to pg99 I could immediately sense the influences older generation screamo/post-hardcore bands had on the band. Arty now lives in San Antonio, and while I don’t personally know about his relocation in San Antonio…what I do know is that what he did in El Paso should not be dismissed. Having played a ton of shows with Arty (many that he booked himself) and playing in a couple bands with ex-members of Colonia, I’ve always had a tie to him and his heart and good intentions within the scene were always very obvious to me. Now that he’s in a different city in Texas, I doubt it’s any different so go check out his band and give him a high five for me.

Goofy

Worst job you’ve ever had?

Whataburger (Texas pride fast-food chain restaurant)

If you could rap alongside any hip-hop artist, who would it be?

Jean Grae, Fugees or Control Machete

Favorite ice cream?

Vegan

Describe your perfect vacation.

Away from Nature

Humanity is ______________________.

Garbage

You’ve lost your voice permanently and some high tech apparatus has given you the option of only two voices. Elmo or the Cookie Monster. Which would you choose?

This has its different advantages. If I were to choose the Elmo pitch, you would see me performing music ala The Locust, Melt Banana, Limp Wrist. If I were to be stuck with a Cookie Monster voice, I have the ability to present music in the vein of His Hero Is Gone, Thou, Fall Of Efrafa, Envy, and for the fun of it InxDisgust.

Instead of being coocoo for cocoa puffs, what or who can you say you are coocoo for?

Vegan power.

If you could go on a picnic with anyone (dead or alive), who would it be?

Che, Zapata, Davis, Assata, Huey, Magon, Goldman, Kropotkin, Bakunin, Marx, Engels, AIM, Wobblies, Zapatistas de la Selva Lancandona, Shakur, to name a few.  

As a teenager, what are 3 posters you can recall having on your bedroom walls?

Nirvana, Slipknot, Rage Against The Machine.

Skinny cut off jeans have been banned in America. Would you rather wear some baggy pink polka dot baseball pants or wear tight latex pants with Looney tunes on them.

I would be wild and be nude.

Personal

First band you ever played in & how old were you?

I was 18 and dumb.

Who are some guitarists that you consider your main influences?

None.

What records are you currently blasting in your stereo that you would recommend to me/the reader?

Guilty pleasure of mine, I buy too many records. This could take too long.

What are some albums that have shaped you as a musician/person?

Same answer as the previous question

What are some jawdropping shows you have seen? These shows would constitute some of the raddest memories and would be placed in like a “landmark” category of your life.

Los Crudos, Thou, Some Girls, Malady, Curl Up and Die, Ecocide, Iron Lung, InxDisgust, Neurosis, Circle Takes The Square, Coldplay.

Any hobbies not related to music?

Reading and hoarding vinyl.

Who can you say are some of your biggest influences in your life that have nothing to do with music?

Familia.

Which bands would you love to tour with? (Dead or Alive)

Pass.

What’s one touring nightmare that you would like to never relive?

Falling asleep while driving.

Colonia

When did the band first start?

Spring of 2009.

How did you get the band name?

Bands with the letter “C” are tight!

Any main reason for changing the band name from Colony to Colonia?

During a Texas tour, our friends La Grita (Bay Area Latino/Fastcore) suggested we should translate the name to Colonia seeing how at the time, 3 out of 4 members of the band have a Latino background.

Let’s say you’re the leader of a colony or una colonia…..what would you name it?

Anarchism.

No more goofy questions. Promise.

—I’m liking your questions so far—

When starting Colony (Colonia), did you have somewhat of a predetermined sound you were going for? Any bands that you can say helped mold your overall sound?

Did we aim for a particular sound for this project? No. Since the beginning, I’ve had the luck to share this project with several individuals who have shaped and continue to reshape this project in many forms. What I think, and for those whom have participated, Colony/Colonia has presented itself as an entity of creativity; the ability to transform and allocate from contemporary ends. We have always determined to be sincere with our product and share with our friends.

If I was some random dude on the street and asked you about your band, what would you tell me Colonia is all about?

The use of this band is to challenge, educate, transform; to express honesty and comfort. Or expect loud and heavy.

Having played many shows with your band, I know that it has undergone various phases, with you being the only constant. Can you briefly describe each phase?

You and I, with our own bands have shared several shows and other events, which have been great! With the obvious change the project has faced, I would say it has been layer after layer of maturity. I do not want to dismiss the endeavor to accomplish honesty with our music. I cherish every input each individual has made towards this project. I recognize our weaknesses as well, that being our own differences creatively. Mike, Jerry, Justin, Lalo, MJ, Serge, Bryan, and Alan, all bring something refreshing; it has been a long learning process with all of them.

But to answer your question…the band started in the Spring of 2009, it was created under the impression of being a carbon copy of His Hero Is Gone, From Ashes Rise and Pg.99. Jerry, Mike, Justin and myself, put together pieces of whatever we can get our hands in. Loud guitar chords, overdrive bass lines and sweaty drum patterns. Very driven by Nation Of Ulysses and Fugazi screams but with a twist of Orchid experimentation. 2010, we witnessed a change, Mike and Justin decided to step back, and we followed with Lalo and Serge. This attempt was a call to flirt with hardcore nostalgia; most of us have an excitement for Converge, Tragedy, American Nightmare, and recent act Punch. Things went smooth, then we rotated with a different comrade—that was MJ—he gave us the speed that we needed to be more solid and clean. Our plans were to continue with our sound of a more melodic approach to hardcore. It failed. My decision to go to school in a different city, called for relocation, since I was the one with the selfish behavior. 2011, we are down to Alan and Bryan, who I have played with back in a powerviolence band called Crotch On Fire. We now lust with nihilistic irreverence

You recently set off to San Antonio, TX. At the time of your relocation, did you ever think the band was going to end or was your intention to always keep it alive? What challenges did you encounter in the transition?

You always encounter obstacles.  I would be lying to you and myself if I wasn’t expecting any issues when relocating. Under certain circumstances I personally continued the project in a different environment.  My favorite challenge is to find someone to accommodate to my stubborn attitude. 

As far as I know, the band is currently a two-piece. Guitar/drums. You went from having a full band of four members in your band to only having two. Was there any reason behind this? Once finding a drummer, were you complacent with keeping it that way?

Yes, there has been a constant rotation in the line-up, but these issues I prefer to keep under the surface. The only complacent truth behind the band being a two-piece is due to meeting deadlines with live performances. Alan (drummer) has been a fellow musician I have known for years,  I asked him to jump on and he has cherished the opportunity—I am led to believe he is content with our current band relationship—we bond well, and work together favorably towards the project. Currently, the band is a three-piece, which I could not argue is my favorite line-up

On the subject of Colonia’s lyrical content, would you say that there is any main source or topic that you derive inspiration from?

Being the responsible one for the lyric writing, the content is simple; the discourse of myself and of that which is around me. Before, the lyrics where idealistic observations and solutions to our current social and political issues. Now, it’s about recognizing that you are growing up and that personal issues are conflicting, but you gotta do it all yourself.

How would you compare El Paso’s scene and San Antonio’s scene and how it pertains to Colonia’s integration in each one?

Adaptation.

You recently did a small tour with a band called Fruitpunch. You also released a split tape with them. What can you tell me about them?

Riot Grrl galore. Cute and fiery.

What are your plans for Colonia for the rest of this year and the beginning of 2012?

More dissonance and touring

If Colonia were to end tomorrow, what would you like your band to be remembered by?

Boredom.

That’s about it. Any shout outs or last words for me?

I would like to thank you Chris for taking time in allowing me to respond to this survey with good intentions. Shout-outs? There is simply too many; first off, big thanks for every individual who has shared every minute of their time to collaborate with me in Colony/Colonia. Others: Ecocide, Fruitpunch, La Grita, Buckeye, Communion Of Thieves, Sourpatch, For Want Of, Chestpain, Mindless, Caravels, Sin Orden, Gloam, Lisa Frank, Clinging To The Trees Of A Forest Fire, Unrest, Kim Champion, Dissent, PLF, Red//River, The Kruds, Eets Feets, Tentacles, Choirs, Illustrations, Sohns, Bloody Phoenix, Wormrot, Adam and the Ancient Gods & Dead Profit Records, etc. I miss you buddy!

Thanks Arty. I hope to see you soon. Miss ya.

end.

Colonia, like every other band on the planet, has some type of networking website with tunes/upcoming shows so finding information on them should not be difficult. They have some tapes out and usually have shirts at shows so if you want merch just hit them up. Hell, if you even wanted some Colonia paper sack bags, I’m sure Arty would stencil a Colonia design on them in his basement to make you the coolest kid on the playground (or wherever you eat your lunch). In all actuality, I don’t even know if Arty has a basement. Just listen to his band and catch them at a show if you have a chance.

YEAH!

Chris.

John Hoffman - Weekend Nachos

Name:

John Hoffman

Bands (dead or alive):

Weekend Nachos

Duty in the band:

Vocalist/pyrotechnics

Photo courtesy of Sarah Kate Tersinar

I had the pleasure of watching Chicago hardcore band, Weekend Nachos, on June 3, 2011 at The Naylair. At the time they were also touring with The Afternoon Gentleman, a grindcore band, from Leeds, UK. To be honest, it was damn refreshing to see a band with a good mix of sludgy breakdowns, an onslaught of blast beats, and smooth time signature changes. Overall, it was a good consistent balance of many sonic elements that could get any type of hardcore kid to feel the vibes Weekend Nachos was tossing at the audience. Their new album, Worthless, which was released on May 15, 2011 helps capture how Weekend Nachos can punish their listeners through pure pandemonium or through segments with an offsetting silence that keeps the listener wondering what will come next. In my honest opinion, Worthless, is a more mature release.  Like with any band, as numerous albums are released, their sound on a record is more honed/fine-tuned to how they sound live. What you hear on the record is what you will hear live…. excellence. Releases like the Torture EP and Bleed EP, have the same groove, but I feel that there are segments that are usually predictable and continuous if that makes any sense. To make a long story short….if you like fast, brutal, pissed off music than Weekend Nachos may interest you.  Besides being a sweet band, the dudes in the band are down to earth as well.  John, the vocalist of the band, was nice enough to answer my goofy question so go ahead and check out the interview I did with him.

Goofy

Favorite Chicago sports team?

Definitely the Chicago Bulls. Repeat the Threepeat.

How many languages do you speak?

Just English. I can understand a tiny amount of Spanish but not enough to get by.

What other languages would you like to learn?

Japanese so if I ever go there I can talk to people.

What’s your favorite snack?

I guess a bagel with cream cheese, but I’m a fan of many snacks.

Do you ever eat nachos?

Sometimes I do. Not as often as one might think!

Instead of Weekend Nachos…..it is now Weekend ______.

Dads

Growing up is ___________.

Painful but rewarding.

You have the ability to bring back one person from the dead. Who would it be?

I guess Selena. I would try to marry her.

If you could study one style of dance, what would it be?

I would enjoy knowing how to box.

Personal

When you were a little kid what did you want to be?

I always wanted to be an artist as a little kid. In my early high school days before I discovered hardcore I think I was determined to be a rock star.

What does your normal daily routine normally consist of?

I wake up, throw on some clothes and catch a bus to go to work. Then I come home, shower, eat, and watch tv for the rest of the night.

What/who inspired you to start playing music?

I guess Michael Jackson and Aerosmith. Those were the first two musical artists I ever got into. Nirvana too.

Who are some vocalists that have influenced you the most?

I guess I’m mainly influenced by anybody who sang for an energetic hardcore band in the early 2000’s. Originally I only played drums and bass in the bands I was in, but right around the time i turned 17 and started seeing bands like No Justice, What Happens Next, Life’s Halt, Carry On, No Warning, Terror, etc. I really started getting the desire to front a band because it looked like a lot of fun.

How has being the vocalist for Weekend Nachos affected your life? (for the good and for the bad)

It’s taught me to really do something personal and create something that other people can relate to whenever they see us. I think the intensity of Weekend Nachos has a lot to do with my antics on stage, at least in the beginning that was the main force behind it. I got a sense of accomplishment from being the frontman of a band people actually liked. As for the negative, I guess I sorta get hurt a lot. Nothing serious but I walk away with cuts and bruises and a sore throat pretty much every time we play. It’s a little rough.

Name a few bands that should cease to exist.

Hmm I used to pretty much hate every single band. Now that I’m becoming an adult I’ve mellowed out a little over the years and I don’t have as much negative shit to say. I guess U2 is a band I could always do without. Fuck them. Kanye West too. Total dog shit.

What are some of your hobbies?

I like to watch movies and occasionally write or paint. I like hardcore too, it’s still a pretty big part of my life. Other than that I’m pretty boring.

One thing you love about Chicago?

Food. We have a lot of great restaurants here. Deep dish pizza, hot dogs and burgers.

One thing you hate about Chicago?

Recently the hardcore scene has become watered down and cliquish. I don’t like that because it didn’t used to be that way. For a while it was totally kosher. Things will bounce back though.

What was the last album you listened to before doing this interview?

Hmm I guess it was the new Posies album. Most of the people reading this probably won’t know who that is. I guess you could call them an “alternative rock” band. They’ve been around since the very early 90’s i think. Maybe even the late 80’s. My dad likes them a lot and he was jamming it in the car when I was with him earlier today.

As an audience member, what are some of the raddest shows you’ve seen?

I went to the Slapstick reunion a few weeks ago. It was honestly the best concert I’ve ever been to in my life. Other than that, well I’ve seen a lot of great shows. The first Chicago Fest in 2000 was memorable because What Happens Next, Life’s Halt and No Justice played and I had never seen any bands play that fast before that day. I also saw almost every single Repos show and those were always the most intense 8 1/2 minutes of anybody’s life. Kungfu Rick is another band who were always really awesome to see live, and I probably saw them 100 times. Scary shit when you’re 14 years old and you’ve never seen a grindcore band or actual violence at a show before. Also when Bastard flew here to reunite for Chaos In Tejas two years ago…I went out to Austin for that and it was absolutely mind-blowing. I’ll never forget that performance.

What’s one band that you never saw live that you would kill to see reunite for a one-time performance?

Charles Bronson and Spazz. I never saw either of those bands and I had the chance to a few times when I was younger but just didn’t know any better. Also Gauze. I have a feeling they’ll play here once more at some point before I (or they) die.

Weekend Nachos

From what I’ve read/heard, the meaning behind the band name, Weekend Nachos, is just pure nonsense. True or False?

Very true.

How many different lineups has there been during Weekend Nacho’s life-span. Who is currently in the band?

Too many to count, man! Currently it’s me and Andy Nelson, 2 original members, on vocals and guitar. Then Brian Laude plays drums, he’s been in the band for probably 4-5 years now. Drew Brown plays bass, he’s been in the band for at least 3 years. Basically even though the lineup has changed, we’ve had THIS lineup for a really long time now. It’s been the longest surviving lineup so far.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but you seem to cover many social/political issues in your lyrics. Some of those issues cover homophobia, elitism, the educational system, religion, and humans just being shitty in general. Did where you grew up have anything to do with this or what exactly spurred on the hatred?

I think a lot of it stems from issues I dealt with growing up but a lot of the issues I address are more recent things you learn just from growing up and becoming more of an adult. I guess the problems I have with society stem from just growing up in a rich suburb and dealing with all of the social norms and bullshit like that. The others issues are things I’ve learned to focus on from just living life and witnessing things that are fucked up in the world. I don’t think most people are made aware of a lot of things until they start to see the world how it really is, not what they were shown as children. And some people grow up fast and witness this stuff even during their childhood. I didn’t, I was much more sheltered in my early years.

Would you say that there is a particular theme for the lyrics in Worthless?

Na, not really, that record kinda covers a wide span of issues. Some of them are strictly personal but a lot of them are things other people can directly recognize as issues in the world. Whether they agree with my points or not, they are still more recognizable song topics as opposed to just a vague song about hating people, haha.

I’m assuming that the songs, “4 Years” from the Torture E.P and “The Fine Art of Bullshit” on Worthless are songs about school. What was your personal experience in the educational system? How do you think education in America can be improved?

I don’t know how education in America can be improved…those songs are mainly about how much art school in particular is a waste of time and a hypocritical display of nonsense. No one can tell you how to express yourself. During my years at college, that’s exactly what they tried to do. It’s not the free world of artistic expression that everybody thinks it is. It’s just another system you have to either run with or fight against. I chose to fight against it and be the outcast once again. It was a constant battle for artistic freedom while I was there. No one liked me very much as a result. Which still baffles me, to think that ART SCHOOL isn’t even a place where you can be yourself without taking heat from some close-minded fucking asshole.

Was there any approach that Weekend Nachos took differently in recording Worthless versus all the other releases you have recorded in the past?

Na, we pretty much just go with the flow and start tracking and however it goes, that’s how it goes. Andy has his methods of getting all the tones and everything like that but we never really follow any plan. It’s a pretty wild ride every time. Thankfully we have lived up to our own expectations and recorded great sounding albums every time. We work well as a band and Andy’s always had his shit together in the studio.

Weekend Nacho’s has toured in Europe. What would you say are some of the main differences in touring and playing shows overseas as compared to those here in the states?

The shows in Europe are much more organized. You rarely run into a situation where some retarded 17 year old kid didn’t get a PA, the bands aren’t setting up fast enough, things are behind schedule, etc. Things are just taken more seriously there. Which is fucking awesome because I hate that about shows in America. There are plenty of people who know what they’re doing but I think other people feel like “punk rock” is just another way to say “half-assed”. And it’s not. There’s no shame in playing on time, setting up quickly, running an organized show, paying the bands fairly, etc. Also a difference about shows in Europe is 97% of the gigs all have meals and shelter for the bands. The hospitality there is unfathomable. They really treat you well. And it’s not in some creepy rock star kind of way either…they just respect what you’re doing and they want to make you comfortable.

What bands haven’t you toured with yet that you would like to go on a whole string of shows with?

Hmmm, hard to say. We meet a lot of great people but most of the time we are just used to touring by ourselves. If it ever makes sense to tour with another band, we will figure it out! for example a few months ago we invited The Afternoon Gentlemen from England and we went on that tour with them for 2 weeks. I guess we just don’t think about those things until the opportunity presents itself.

Any cities you haven’t played a show in that you would like to make out to on your next tour?

Hmm, not in the United States. We have toured this country so many times now that all we really want to do is branch out and start traveling to foreign countries. Actually…we’ve only played Miami once in our entire 7 years of being a band and that was a long time ago. The show was very well attended and fun so I would love to one day play Miami again.

You guys just came out with Worthless . What is next for Weekend Nachos?

We’re taking it easy for a while. We want to focus on touring every few months. We have plans to do 4-5 days on the East Coast in August and then we’re going back to Europe in October. After that…we’ll see. Maybe England in early 2012. Australia, Japan, South America, we have a LOT of places we want to eventually get to. No plans to write any new material for a long time though.

I’m out of questions. Any last words you would like to say?

Yeah…respect others, respect yourself, and respect Weekend Nachos. Respect.

end.

There you have it. If you want to buy some of their records hit up http://weekendnachos.bigcartel.com/ or if you want some merch (shirts) go to http://www.allinmerch.com/category/WN.html. Again, thanks to John for doing this interview. Sometimes I ask some ridiculous questions so it’s rad when people embrace my goofiness (or stupid) questions.  Go out and see this band live if you have the chance. It might be too brutal for the average joe, but I can assure you it’ll be something you’re not used to watching, especially since the drummer will probably be wearing only a jockstrap and a headband. Rock on.

Chris

Update

College, bands, trying to get a real job, odd jobs, and personal life make it hard to sometimes do these interviews as they actually do take some thought and a considerable amount of time, but I’ll try and put some new interviews in the upcoming weeks. Thanks for the support!