LIMITED READERSHIP issue #2 out now - MILK MUSIC, CONDOMINIUM, SPIKE IN VAIN, POLLUTION

Visit here

BUY THE NASA SPACE UNIVERSE LP

http://shogunrecordings.pagesperso-orange.fr/

That is all.

Reality 86'd - Black Flag documentary

Rare post just to share this. Been wanting to see this for years.

EDIT: Video is gone, real gone.

REALITY 86'D LINK

MOB RULES - THE DONOR LP out now

MOB RULES - THE DONOR LP is out now.

Best British hardcore record in years.

Download 'White Bar' here, or listen to 2 more songs here.

Order now from Zandor Records: teamxzandor at yahoo dot co dot uk

Single copies postpaid £10 UK / £12 Europe / £15 World

Ltd red vinyl and regular black vinyl available.

BLACK FLAG UNRELEASED INSTRUMENTAL SONG ON VIDEO

This emerged on Youtube recently:

Incredible stuff. Who knew Emil was still playing drums at this point (June 82). Dukowski was unstoppable. I believe there's a video of this whole set, does anyone have it to upload? Would love to see it.

Greetings

I might start posting more often with new content, let's see how things go. It's been a busy year, writing on here just fell to the wayside...

Anyway, here's some thoughts on 2009, the year in which we all got a bit older and a bit fatter.

RECORDS

2009 wasn't too bad. I'm not sure if this all came out this year, but I've really enjoyed:

SEX VID - Communal Living 12".
VEE DEE - Public Mental Health System 2xLP (probably my favourite album of '09).
HOMOSTUPIDS - The Load LP.
FLYIN' TRICHECOS 7" and the Cuts And Cigarette Burns 7" comp they're on.
CRUDE - Just Go Go Ahead 7".
PAINTBOX - Trip, Trance and Travelling 2xLP.
DRY ROT taster 7" for LP, which I can't wait for.
OBLITERATION 2nd 7".
SLICES 7"s.
DESTINO FINAL LP.
NASA SPACE UNIVERSE 7".
DINOSAUR JR - Farm 2xLP.
EXTORTION - Terminal Cancer 7".
LOW THREAT PROFILE 7" (finally!)
FY FAN latest 7".

As for records not from '09, since I know everyone loves dull inpenetrable lists here's what I've spent the last half a year listening to a lot of:

LAUGHING HYENAS - You Can't Pray A Lie LP, loads of CRUNKY KIDS, BGK - Nothing Can Go Wrogn LP, POISON IDEA's entire discography, SONIC YOUTH - Evol LP, BATTALION OF SAINTS - Second Coming LP, INMATES - s/t 7". WOLFDOWNERS - Wolf It Down LP, SACCHARINE TRUST discography, SWA - XCIII LP, MINUTEMEN - Punch Line LP, What Makes A Man Start Fires? LP, Buzz Or Howl Under The Influence of Heat 12", & the Paranoid Time 7", WASTE MANAGEMENT: Get Your Mind Right 7", BUZZCOCKS - Singles Going Steady LP, REBEL TRUTH s/t 7", BREATHING FIRE - Years of Lead LP, INSANE YOUTH 7"s, GROUNDHOGS - Split LP, CAPTAIN BEYOND s/t LP, DARVOCETS discography, loads of BLACK FLAG naturally, MAU MAUS - Society's Rejects 7", early BLITZ 7"s, loads of SAINT VITUS, STOOGES - Funhouse 2xLP version with great outtakes, PERE UBU - Modern Dance LP, NO PEACE? 7", loads of DISCHARGE, loads of MAN IS THE BASTARD & NEANDERTHAL, CROW - Bloody Tear LP, loads of DINOSAUR JR, loads of NICO, CALE and REED solo stuff, FUNKADELIC various LPs, RUDIMENTARY PENI - Death Church LP and Archaic 10" especially, FIT FOR ABUSE - Mindless Violence 7", MOSS ICON - Lyburnum LP, WIRE - Chairs Missing LP, HUNCHES: Yes. No. Shut It LP, THE FIX discography, MEAT PUPPETS - In A Car 7", THE SAINTS: Eternally Yours LP, MOTORHEAD - various LPs including the underrated Just Another Day LP, ENGLISH DOGS - To The Ends of The Earth 12", THE SCAM - It All Ends in Rot 7", MIND ERASER - Glacial Reign LP, MOUNTAIN - Nantucket Sleighride LP, 13TH FLOOR ELEVATORS both LPs, THE DICTATORS - Go Girl Crazy LP, STIFF LITTLE FINGERS - Inflammable Material LP, RUINERS - Blank Your Life 7", THE BYRDS early singles and Notorious Byrd Brothers LP, BLASTING CONCEPT II comp LP, THRASH TIL DEATH comp LP, early to mid period HAWKWIND, DRY ROT 7"s, FRANK ZAPPA - Hot Rats LP, LIFE'S BLOOD - Defiance 7" atleast once a week...etc etc etc.

It's also been a year for giving much of the mid-to-late period SST discography a listen with fresh ears, discovering some real gems while still recognising that some music is best left behind (Zoogz Rift!)

SHOWS

I saw ANNIHILATION TIME on their last European tour. I missed them the last couple of times, for various economic and distance related reasons, so was glad to finally get the chance to see all the classics from the 'II' LP played live (their best record undoubtedly). Plus they covered TED NUGENT (was it Stranglehold or Stormtroopin'? I forget! It takes some balls to cover any song of that record and cover it well. AT succeeded though.)

I saw a band I thought I'd never get the chance to see twice this year - DINOSAUR JR. They were everything I'd hoped they would be, pretty amazing. They also did 'Chunks'.

I broke my MOTORHEAD hymen too, having seen them last month with THE DAMNED (who were also great) and GIRLSCHOOL (who were embarrassing, despite the early singles being great). MOTORHEAD predictably dominated and my ears hurt for days. The audience was an incredible mix too, a cesspool of the lowest rungs of humanity, MOTORHEAD lifers.

I saw SEX VID a few weeks ago. See a great flyer below for the show (by Stroid). They were the best hardcore band I've seen live this year, and probably the best current USHC band full stop.

I'm seeing LEATHERFACE in a week or so - I saw them years ago and they were good then, I'm sure they''ll be good now.

THAT'S ALL FOR NOW. STILL NEED THAT DXA DEMO MATERIAL, STILL NEED A COPY OF PICK YOUR KING.

Not a real new post...

Just a note to tell everyone to check out the new BRAIN KILLER 7" on Deranged and the new DESTINO FINAL (previously INVASIÓN) LP on La Vida Es Un Mus Discos.

AMERICAN CHEESEBURGER interview...

Here is an interview I did a few months ago with the US band AMERICAN CHEESEBURGER. They sent their answers in the post, hand-written and all, and it's taken my a good while to get round to typing them up. I apologise. If you haven't heard AC, check out their 'Modern Advice' 7", great stuff. The 9 Shocks comparison gives you some idea of what to expect. Meat and potatoes energetic hardcore punk.

Answering the questions are James (singer), Jason (drums) and Steve (guitar). Photos stolen from their myspace.

As a sidenote, the interview was originally sent just to Jason the drummer, hence the last question solely being about drumming.

1. When did American Cheeseburger form? Are you all from the Georgia area? What was the scene like at the time you started playing?

James: We started in 2006. Only Jason is from Georgia. When we started playing, there weren't many fast bands. And there still aren't.

Steve: We started in 2006, we're from all over the place. Athens is a twee-pop orientated town, so it's not like there were any other bands doing the same thing as us in town. Every now and again another hardcore band would pop us, play, and then dissolve.

Jason: 2006. We have been playing about 2 years. No we are from all over, Georgia, Connecticut, Ohio and North Carolina.

2. When you started out what bands were key influences? Was there any band you were emulating or wanted to sound like, or did you just play and it came out how it sounded?

Jason: We have a million influences not all punk or hardcore, we just knew we wanted to play fast!

Jason and I started jamming out on pretty much anything. Classic rock tunes, Negative FX etc. My influences have been Japanese hardcore, some of the old Huntington Beach bands, old fast shit. We really just wanted to start a fun, fast band and not worry about what we were going to sound like.

James: I don't think we had any key influences except wanting to play fast. As we wrote songs, we noticed elements of Japanese hardcore and older Cleveland hardcore. We have never emulated any band.

3. Does being from the South alienate you perhaps from more 'active' scenes, on the coasts? (I am being presumptive there, since I have no idea what it's like in Georgia!)

Steve: It's never been an issue.

Jason: No, we tour constantly, so we are with it, we bring lots of awesome bands to Georgia. It rules, I hate overcrowded "scenes".

James: We aren't alienated because we tour so much. We don't play in town often, and when we do, it's usually with a band from somewhere else.

4. Do you think the internet has aided the growth of good hardcore bands or impeded it? With the downloadability of old bands, and the knowledge easily accessible at the touch of a button, do you think the imagination has gone? A band can just choose a band and say "yes let's play like this"... Ofcourse there's a reverse side to that, which is that more people get into good bands who may have been forgotten.

Steve: Exchange of information is how we learn.

Jason: I think the internet is weird but helpful. Yes, you don't have to work for it like in the old days but it makes things like touring a lot easier.

James: You seem to have answered the question for yourself. In my opinion the internet has helped hardcore bands tour successfuly AND i have seen a lot of worthless bands emerge from everywhere and attempt to gain publicity through myspace etc...

5. Where did the name AMERICAN CHEESEBURGER come from?

Jason: I thought up "cheeseburger" and James added "American" because we heard of another cheesburger. I was sick of every name like "Death System", "Bush Sucks" etc.

James: Jason was sick of all of the long-sinded band names emerging at the time. "As my sun Sets Dying" and shit like that. He said the next band he was in would be called Cheeseburger. Simplicity. We found out that there was some shitty band from New York called Cheeseburger, so I told Jason we should be audacious and call it American Cheeseburger. The epitome of stupidity.

6. When did you first get into hardcore? Can you remember the first band you EVER heard described as 'hardcore', and what was your first show?

Steve: I first got into hardcore around 15. I guess the Bad Brains were the first band I'd ever heard of refered to as hardcore. My first show was seeing the Ramones, and then a month later I saw Bikini Kill at a club in Connecticut called Studio 158.

Jason: When I was 12. 1986, I ordered Warzone, Final Conflict and Crucifucks from sk8 mags. My first show was in '88, I saw C.O.C., Wwwax, and Final Offering. It was great.

James: I saw the Ramones when I was 15. They are still the loudest band I've ever seen, I got bruises on my ribcage. Fought skinheads. That was hardcore.

8. What did your family/parents think? Also, was it via the metal route or punk route?

Steve: My parents hated punk to begin with, but one I started dying my hair and shit they REALLY didn't like it. I started out listening to death metal, and this girl on my street let me borrow the "apathy? never" compilation and "never mind the bollocks". I got into it.

Jason: My mom didn't like it but my dad was supportive, he took me to shows, the punk route for sure.

James: My parent's didn't like it. I was a metalhead before I was a punk.

9. List everything AC has released so far, and what's coming up...

Jason: We have a demo 7" on Tsunami, Modern Advice 7" on Rockbottom, split 7" with Canadian Rifle on Rockbottom and upcoming split LP with Religious As Fuck.

10. You recently toured, correct? How far did you go? How did the scene vary from city to city (or town to town)?

Jason: We went as far as Toronto. The whole thing was great in my opinion, one bad show ain't bad.

11. What was the worst thing to happen on tour (van breakdown, prostitute death, band fights etc?)

Steve: A few tours ago we wree on our way to play in Memphis and our van broke down in Mississippi. It was doing some scary shit. We ended up staying in this motel advertising "love tubs". The motel was attached to a dance club and all these eh "white boys" were hanging out outside of our room being creeps. We had to miss the show and cancel the Nashville date and drive all the way home in a vehicle that was falling apart.

Jason: Wost thing in 6 or 7 tours is missing 2 shows due to the van. Not bad.

12. Are you at all influenced by old Georgia bands, like NEON CHRIST or DDT? Are there any older folks around who saw any of those bands or were around in the earlier scene?

Jason: Yes, I love Neon Christ. I am older and saw their hybrid band with C.O.C. members called Final Offering. I saw the Neon Christ reunion. I was bummed.

13. Are you into classic Italian hardcore? Early NEGAZIONE, DECLINO, CHEETAH CHROME MOTHERFUCKERS etc? If so, what do you love about it? (personally I feel those bands are among the best. High in energy, manic vocally and completely twisted riffing)...

Steve: Me and Jason love the Indigesti, Wretched is really cool too. I like Cheetah Chrome Motherfuckers and Eu's Arse also, they're pretty off the wall, energy wise.

Jason: Of course, Negazione, Indigesti, Raw Power, it's all essential!

James: You have answered your question again. All of those bands rule.

14. What are some of your favourite current hardcore bands going right now? Do you have a 'brother band' of sorts, who you play with a lot?

Steve: I dig: Godfodder, We Need To Talk, Double Negative, Iron Lung, Brutal Knights. Van Halen is our brother band.

Jason: Double Negative, Brutal Knights, Religious As Fuck, Iron Lung, Sex Vid, Conversions, Straightjacket Nation, Chronic Seizure, there are a lot of good ones.

15. You've often been compared to 9 SHOCKS TERROR - are you into those Clevo bands? PUNCTURE WOUND!

Steve: I love the H-100s, Cider, Darvocets etc and Jason Griffin is an honorary Clevelander, having played drums for 9 Shocks.

Jason: Yes my old badn Goat Shanty played with Puncture Wound. We love playing CLeveland. I actually played drums for a month long tour in 2001 with 9 Shocks. Wedge was getting married so I drove up and learned the set and filled in. Tour was great and so are those guys.

James: Yes.

16. Name your favourite Japanese hardcore bands ever, and explain why.

Steve: 1. GISM - Randy Uchida is godlike. 2. Systematic Death - You can't stop that shit. 3. Asbestos - the vocals are silly, like GISM, but they rule.

Jason: Lip Cream, Gauze.

James: Systematic Death, Jellyroll Rockheads.

17. Can we expect more saxaphone on the next records?

Steve: The Oboe is barely breathing.

Jason: No, I wish I liked it.

James: Yes. Steve just bought a sax.

18. Do you think bands have a responsibility to their 'fans' to stay reasonably consistent in sound? For example, a band can progress successfully (ala Flag, United Mutation etc) or unsuccessfully (Bad Religion: Into The Unknown)... Do you think you'd change your name before you start heavily using keyboards and having Avril Lavigne as a guest on your album?

Steve: I think bands should expand their options and get creative. I know we're not the most experimental band in the realm of hardcore, but if bands want to expand their horizons and create something challenging, they should. There's always going to be some people out there who won't get it.

Jason: No, I don't but I think when they change dramatically, they should expect that most times, fans will be mad.

19. Where did the photos on the back and insert to the Modern Advice EP come from?

Steve: We had this idea of a room full of people dressed like weirdos, so we had a party and crammed our friends into the bathroom of Jason's house and got some photos from up on top of the sink. It's kinda based off of this dream James had, and me and him kinda riffed on it.

20. How important do you think a DIY network is to hardcore punk, and how have you seen it change since you first got into it? Do you think there are more up-and-coming people who expect to start a band and become popular in a matter of weeks, not considering DIY etc...OR does it even matter?

Steve: I'm glad pogo punk is dead.

James: Bands will form and disperse, blossom and decay, play and quit. DIY means as many different things to people as punk meant to people 20 years ago. At this point, DIY and punk are empty labels. For every 20 worthless bands that surface, there are 3 bands you MIGHT hear that are genuine and the people in those bands are sincere, and if you see them that affects you as strongly as that first hardcore shwo you saw. It is an adventure to find good hardcore bands these days, and when you find them, it is extremely rewarding. I credit those rewards to an everlasting underground DIY scene.

Jason: Very important, that's what punk started and for real punks still is, doing things yourself: records, zines, shows. Everything grows but if you aren't involved on a personal level, it shows.

21. What's your dream 5 band line up for a show, bands from any time and place?

Steve: Black Flag w/ Keith, Scott Walker, The Stains, Mark Mallman, The Electric Eels

Jason: Geez that's tough. Black Flag, Minutemen, Stravinsky's Rite Of Spring premiere that caused all the riots, The Smiths and the Dead Kennedys. How about that.

22. Since you play drums, what drummers have influenced your playing style (if any)? Favourite hardcore drumming? (DEEP WOUND 7" is up there!)

Jason: Yes, the drumming by J. on the Deep Wound 7" is amazing. I would have to say Neil Peart from Rush, Lucky from Circle Jerks, George Hurley from Minutemen.

Steve: Lucky Lehrer and Jason Griffin fight it out with bowie knives!

Their myspace.

DEATH SENTENCE: Death And Pure Distruction EP (1982) upload...

Here's the first post for awhile, and a salute to much neglected early British hardcore.


The original MRR review of this 7" said:

An interracial punk band that currently sounds too much like the EXPLOITED for its own good. DEATH SENTENCE are fast, loud, and a little rough around the edges, so they could come on strong if they develop more of an individual style - Jeff Bale.

While this does sound quite like the good Exploited singles, there's a heavy dose of Discharge to this. Overall it's an archetype UK82 record, leaning more towards the speed and aesthetics (WAAAAR) of the Clay Records bands than the Oi! influenced sound of contemporaries. It's primitive and simple, which is part of its appeal. Just look at that front cover - you can judge right then if you'll like this record or not.

The mid-paced song 'Victims Of War' reminds me of the Disorder classic 'Victimized', or Discharge's 'Aint No Feeble Bastard'. I'm a big fan of these early 80s UK dirgey and repetitive anthems, 'State Violence State Control' being the ultimate example. They obviously had a huge influence on the emerging Boston bands, who nearly all included a Discharge-esque dirge on their records.

I know very little about this band other than that they were on the same label as similar bands External Menace and Uproar, and were apparently from Leeds. If anyone knows any more (bands that followed for example), leave a comment.

Also, I wonder if the mis-spelling in the title was an 'accident', or rather a reference to their blatant worship at the church of Discharge. If the latter, it would surely be one of the earliest examples of a conscious Dis prefix (run into the ground by a million D-beat bands).

Download here.

DYS live at Love Hall, Philly '83 MP3 upload...

Welcome to 2009 everyone. In celebration, let's all time travel back to 1983. Here's a really good DYS live-bootleg set that is apparently from a show on 28th May that year at the Love Hall in Philadelphia. It sounds like a soundboard recording. Although they're not my number 1 favourite early Boston band, in their prime DYS were so good - the speed and rage of songs like Brotherhood and Circle Storm, the moshy neanderthal beats of City To City and Wolfpack, the youthful enthusiasm of More Than Fashion... Even if you don't agree with their lyrics, it's hard to deny the POWER to their music. Staggering really. As a sidenote, I think the DYS LP has some of the best production on any hardcore record. Radiobeat was probably the best studio for early hardcore (listen to DEEP WOUND for further proof, or any of those early Boston records infact).

As you can see above, this show had an AMAZING line-up - SS Decontrol, DYS, The FU's, Jerry's Kids AND Antidote - with a ridiculous flyer to top it all off. With a line-up that solid you would have had no time to get food during any dud bands. As someone who "wasn't there and so doesn't know what they're talking about" I can imagine that even if each band played their at their worst - with half of SSD and DYS off secretely getting wasted backstage before playing their sloppiest and most embarassing sets ever - to an even worse crowd who only came because they saw the flyer and thought Manowar were playing, this would still have been an amazing show. Judging from this bootleg it probably was. I much prefer this DYS live set to the CBGBs one, where Dave Smalley's voice is much lower and sounds more forced/strained. On this set it's hardly any different than on the record, cracking all over the place. Also it includes an interesting live version of Escape, the dirgey Sabbath-heavy closer from their LP. I'm a big fan of the slow dirge tracks that all the Boston bands seemed to do, and it's cool to hear a good live version of this one.

Does anyone know if recordings of the other bands sets exist? It's also interesting that no local Philadelphia bands were on the bill. YDI?

If for nothing else, it's worth it for stage banter before 'Insurance Risk': "Brothers and sisters, you do not have to turn to drink. Coca Cola offers a viable alternative. Beer is the evil tool of communists, homosexuals and the devil".

DOWNLOAD HERE (I'm sorry that the tracklisting is messed up, I couldn't re-tag them with the correct titles)

Here's a video from Love Hall, Philly, not the same show though. See more in the user's related videos.

YD-I interview (new)...

I recently interviewed YD-I, the great and intense hardcore band who put out the classic 'A Place In The Sun' 7" in 1983, and are currently active again. Such a primal sounding band, just watch the video at the bottom to hear just how brutal they were live compared to many of their contemporaries, a guitar led wall of noise. OUT FOR BLOOD!

As a sidenote, listen to Corrosion Of Conformity - Animosity.

Q 1. How and why did YD-I form? Were you all friends?

A. Neil (Jackal) vocals and Brian (Rev Big B) guitar formed Philly's first HardCore band,"The Legion of Decency"which quickly self destructed. Brian then moved to New Jersey where he played guitar in other bands for a while. Neil hooked up with Howard, drums, fresh out of "Pure Hell", Mike Cole on guitar and Chuck on bass. This was the original "Y-Di".Chuck soon left and Brian came back to Philly and took over on bass. This was the main line up through most of the 80's. Eventually,other projects became more important and the band split. About 5 years ago Neil, Brian (now on guitar) and Howard were convinced to do a one shot reunion with Chris Frascella on bass. The show was killer and the band was approached by management to keep going. Mike now lives in Arizona but has input in all we do. We bounce between 3 bass now, Chris Angelino, Chris F, and the sexy Joi Lacour.

Q 2. What was the scene in Pennsyvania like around the time YD-I started playing?

A. The scene in Philly was second to none. All the west coast bands came through (Black Flag, Circle Jerks, DK's etc) and we all became friends. We became tight with most DC and NY bands as well. Harley from NY, Tesco V, and Sab from Iron Cross continue to be good friends.



Q 3. How did you all get into hardcore punk in the first place? What was it that appealed? Can you remember the first band you heard described as 'hardcore'?

A. We were all into and continue to be into old school punk as well as HEAVY heavy metal like Motorhead and Venom. We loved hardcore because it was so over the fuckin' top but especially because it was OUR SCENE. WE MADE IT! RIGHT HERE IN THE GOOD OL USA. We didn't follow anybody else's rules and there weren't any rules to follow. We all just had the same ideas.The first bands were Black Flag,The Circle Jerks,and the Germs!

Q 4. What did your parents/families think of you getting into hardcore? How differently do you think it was seen, to be a punk, in the early 80s compared to today? Did you constantly get hassled?

A. Our families didn't give a shit. Were we hassled? No fucking way! Normal people would cross the street to keep away from us. Back then we all wore spurs on our boots so they could hear us coming a block away. Today nothings new. It's all been seen before. Nobody's shocked, nobody even notices.

Q 5. Was there a defining band of the time you all admired, or were impressed with? What bands were intense and ALWAYS put on a good show?

A. Black Flag, Minor Threat, Iron Cross, GBH, Discharge, Y-Di , the MeatMen, Flipper, Negative Approach etc. We were all always intense. We were all hardcore but we all had a little something special that made us a little different. Most of us were zipping at the time as well. The only bad shows were when someones van broke down and they didn't show up.

Q 6. In sound YDI had more in common with the more aggressive bands from DC and Boston or the Midwest, than other more melodic Philly bands. Did you often play with out-of-town bands, and did bands like SSD, Minor Threat, Negative Approach etc influence you? Also, were any of the band straight-edge?

A. See the other answer for most of that. I don't think we were influenced by other bands but a similar train of thought and playing style did make us sound more like many of the DC bands especially. We were all friends and always playing together so maybe something was in the food... No, nobody in Y-Di was straight edge. In fact we lost a drummer Eric (played drums on the Black Dust LP) to drugs. RIP bro.


Q 8. YD-I had/have 2 members who are black. Did you ever come across much ignorance or racism within the scene? Is the song CATEGORIZED addressing this?

A. Yeah, 2 blacks/American Indians and the Rev. Big B who is a Jew. No, we never saw any racism from anyone but we always give each other shit. But we are a tight motherfucking family. Categorized is more of a finacial/social status thing.

Q 9. You appear on the GET OFF MY BACK Philly comp LP, the regions version of 'Flex Your Head' or 'This Is Boston Not LA'... Can you say a bit about who put this out, and the other bands?

A: I don't really remember much about it other then we all hated the cover.

Q 10. What about Blood Bubble Records?

A: It's our own little unsuccessfull label. Yeah, other then music we're very much into horror movies! Especially Neil.

Q 11. While many dismissed the 'Black Dust' LP as being heavy metal, with fresh ears today it is a lot more punk than people give it credit for. What's your take on this? Were you trying to branch out?

A: At the time we were a little bummed. It was like "they just don't get it". Did we care? NO! Did it sell? YES! So we guess there were enough people out there who liked it. Do I see it on E-Bay? YES! People still ask for it and they got it on the "OUT FOR BLOOD"CD. We weren't trying to "branch out" as such. We still played and still do play the old stuff. It's just that when we got together to write songs that's what came out. There is still alot of KILLER SHIT we recorded but never released that you all might see very soon (hint hint). Psycho Bitch, Six White Horses, and Dirty Dog Day for those who might know.

Q 12. Do you have any funny stories regarding YDI, like an incident at a show? Also, of what show do you have the fondest memories?

A. There are tons of funny/scary stories that are all good but maybe best kept to ourselves. Lots of great memories as well but the one that comes to mind the quickest was only a few months back when Sab from Iron Cross jumped on stage with us to sing their killer song, Crucified. THAT was the shit brother!

Q 13. Why did you decide to start playing shows again, and how has it been so far?

A. See the above answer for why we got back together. It's been a blast so far and we'll keep doing as long as it's fun. Nothing blows our minds more then looking into a crowd and seeing the REALLY YOUNG KIDS singing along. The fact that they know the words tingles our balls.

Q 14. Were you approached about the YD-I footage being included on the American Hardcore movie? Did you see/like the film in the end?

A. Yes we were approached. I guess mainly because they were good enough to ask if they could use the footage as well as pay us. Of course we saw it and we loved it. We were honoured to be part of it. Our hats go off to those guys, GREAT JOB!

Q 15. Where do you think early 80s American hardcore punk fits in to the history of music, and are you proud of what YD-I achieved?

A. We are very proud of what we, the other bands, promoters, and everyone who contributed did. I think it's a huge part of music history. Has there been anything new that's better? Green Day and their likes can blow me. The only good stuff today is the new kids and their idea of what hardcore means to them. The rest is crap.

Q 16. How did you feel when Brutal Truth covered 'I Killed My Family'? Does it ever surprise you that there's still constant interest in YD-I?

A. Yeah, it's cool they did it. But did they give us writing credit? Did they give us a cut of the money they made? Ask them for those anwers. I don't mean to sound like it's about the money cause it's not (Rev.Big B is a Jew though). But in these times we all gotta eat and if we deserve to be paid we should be. Yes, it always surprises us that people still want to see us and listen to our music.

Q 17. Do you have a nice record collection that would pay off all your debts if you were to sell it on Ebay?

A. I don't have any debts right now so I'll hold on them for now. Yeah,I bought everything back then and I've saved it all!

Q 18. How important do you see having some kind of message, whether it be political or social or whatever, to playing in a hardcore band? Where did YDI fit in with the whole MRR peace punk scene versus the more apolitical tougher hardcore bands?

A. Except for a few songs we were not very political. We NEVER preached. We were more about survival and fighting back. Because we are usually armed and dangerous peace is not for us. We don't believe in fighting other peoples battles though. If you're a friend, we'll help you out but learn to take care of yourself! But because we're nuts we love to have fun as well. If you want to party with us, cool. If you want to fuck with us, don't. We've been at this a long time,it's what we do.

Q 19. Any last words?

A. For a bunch of old fucks we're alright aren't we?

CRO-MAGS 1984 demo songs...

Here's a treat, 2 previously unreleased 1984 CRO-MAGS demo songs released as bonus tracks on the remastered CD of 'Age Of Quarrel':

1. You'd Be The Death Of Me.
2. Hard Times (early version).

There's 3 demo songs on the CD, but I didn't want to upload them all since I have no idea if this CD has even officially been released yet. Anyway, if anyone has any info (i.e. the line-up on this demo, when the CD is being released properly etc) please leave a comment.

Note how the riff 1 minute 23 seconds in on 'You'd Be The Death Of Me' was later re-used in the song 'Face The Facts'.

BILL BONDSMEN interview...

A nice surprise for me was picking up the 'Swallowed By The World' LP by the Midwestern hardcore band BILL BONDSMEN earlier this year. I hadn't heard much by them before but this is a really good record: high energy classic Midwest style hardcore punk, taking cues from LP-era NEGATIVE APPROACH, POISON IDEA and NECROS (check out the guitar intro to 'Answer Me'), with a keen straight up rock n roll sensibility too. The fact that they did a (great) split 7" with OUT COLD should tell you something about what this band is all about. Anyway I interviewed them via email a little while ago, without realising Dan from Mad At The World Records had done a good one on his blog! Oh well, enjoy it anyway.

Q 1. Why did Bill Bondsmen start, and what bands had any of you been in previously (if you want to answer that question...)? Also, where did the name come from?

Tony : First show was Mother's Day 2004 with Nick Chunks on the drums. Supporting Damage Deposit if I recall right... I was in a grind/power violence band that went on for a while, recorded a pretty well recieved demo and then shit the bed. I think someone else already addressed who Bill Bonds is. If not, just google him or watch him on Youtube. Bill Bonds + Bail Bondsmen (dude who pays to get you out of jail til your court date) = Bill Bondsmen.

Mark: I don't mind talking about other bands I've been in. There's not much to talk about because this band is the only one that actually released anything, except my first band when i was 13- The Clown Butchers "Eat Shit and Die" tape, limited to 25 copies.

Q 2. How does it feel being from Detroit, not only the home of classic hardcore (Negative Approach, Angry Red Planet etc) but of classic music in general (Stooges, MC5 etc)...Have most of these bands influenced Bill Bondsmen in some form or another?

T : Ummm... I dunno what to say to that really. I mean, Detroit is a whole different state of mind really. All the things you've heard are probably true. I guess I feel stoked on it because when you tell people from other places in the world that you're from the D they seem to connect to it in both good (music, cars, etc) and bad (crime, death, fear, etc)ways. I guess being from here kinda takes some of the edge off of it. Once you've talked to the "legends" the mystery is gone and they're just folks. I'm sure it's had an influence though. And you also forgot the incredible boom of soul, blues, rock, etc that our city has enjoyed for many a year.

Mark: I can't say any of those bands influenced me, indirectly they did I'm sure. I grew up in Lansing which is 70 miles away so by the time I heard most of those bands, I already had a style of creating music. But supposedly we have a Detroit/Midwest sound, maybe the bad weather and rusty cars are the secret ingredients.

Amando: It's hard to tell how I feel about being from Detroit, since I don't know any other way. I tell you what, some people in other towns still take a step back when I say I'm from here. All of those bands you mention have spent alot of time on my stereo.

Q 3. How did you end up releasing on ACME Records? Are Out Cold like your brother-band in a sense?

T : John Evicci (Acme Records/Out Cold/Bad Chopper/etc etc) is a friend of mine. That's really all there is to it. Just a good dude who hooked it up for us. No real crazy backstory. Believe it or not, we've still never played with Out Cold. Something happens every time we even talk about it. Great band though. Probably one of my all time faves.

Amando: Tony hooked up the Out Cold/ACME flavor. He's known Evicci for quite a few years. I wouldn't say that we're quite at brother band status with Out Cold. They've been around alot longer. They're more of an uncle band to us. The cool uncle who'd buy for you and give you his old tapes.

Q 4. Like Out Cold, Bill Bondsmen seem to play stripped down fast rock n roll rather than a uniform version of another hardcore band, and there are clear non-hardcore influences at play...what are you thoughts on this?

T : Ummm... Listening to other music beyond hardcore helps. That's all I can think of. We all listen to a lot of different stuff and i'm sure it's had an effect on how things come out. And this isn't dogging on hardcore. Just that expanding your horizons music wise helps you come up with something more than just the same stuff I guess...

Mark: We all listen to different stuff, not just hardcore punk so it comes across when we make up the songs. Good, real music doesn't only exist in punk rock land.

Amando: My thought? Of course there's some non-hardcore touches here and there. Who wants to sound just like another band? (apparently a lot of bands, judging from what I've heard in recent years).

Q 5. What are your 3 favourite 80s Midwest hardcore bands, and why? I hear a bit of Die Kreuzen to Bill Bondsmen's sound...

T : Ahh the music nerd question. Tough one... Hmmm... Die Kreuzen, NA, S.B.L.C. DK for just being weird. That lp is just all over the place. Like Void after a steady diet of dark wave and 70's arena rock. Very cool. NA because their "Fucking NA maaaaaaan!" and SBLC because I grew up being deafened by them, Feisty Cadavers, etc. Good memories.

Mark: Tough question. Today i'll go with N.A., Zero Boys, and Crucifucks because they're from my hometown and I saw them play a basement show back in the day.

Amando: My 3 favorites off the top of my head....of course NA, lets just get that one out of the way. Effigies were good especially some of their more Gang of Four sounding jams (Security). Zero Boys are in there too, cause they had hooks and I like hooks.

Q 6. When did you first get in to hardcore? Can you remember the first record you heard, and band you saw live? What was the scene like in Destroit in the 90s?

T : Ummm... I was really lucky and had a way cool mom so I actually had the Suicidal Tendencies LP when I was about 9. I was all into metal like Venom, Celtic Frost, etc and read about Suicidal and was lucky enough to have a high school radio station that played all that stuff and then played punk rock on the program afterwards. I think the first punk related stuff I heard was Devo as a little kid. Hardcore would probably be Dead Kennedys on the radio station I mentioned. First band I saw was 7 Seconds with Token Entry on the Soulforce Revolution tour. Sucked balls. But I got an invite to a better show later and it snowballed. Ummm.... A lot more fighting back then, nazis, weirdos etc. It was a lot scarier to go to gigs for sure. Lots of great bands though.

Mark: I first got into hardcore because SST used to have ads in a heavy metal magazine and they offered a free sampler tape. I was drawn to the artwork of the Black Flag covers and then once I got the tape in the mail, the sound of it was 180 degrees different than what I was listening to. Even though I already had my punk band and wrote the songs, the stuff on that tape sounded so raw and intense. I didn't know anyone who was into punk or hardcore, but I knew other people did somewhere. The first show or "concert" I went to was Billy Idol on the Rebel Yell tour. 3000 people there so it wasn't really a "show."

Amando: Detroit in the 90's: Early 90's: Lots of beards, oversized t shirts, patches, corny breakdowns, t-shirt sleeves as headbands etc.

Q 7. What is one of your favourite underrated bands (from the past) you want to spread the love for?

T : SBLC and Feisty Cadavers. Look em up. I would say Swell Maps but that's probably a bit out of place. So yeah.... Original answer.

Amando: I'm gonna give love to some of the unsung Detroit bands. Cinecyde (quite possibly the first Detroit punk band) S.B.L.C. (rough hardcore punk from the roughest part of town. Flesh & Blood still blows away half of the stuff that's considered hardcore today). Feisty Cadavers (my all time favorite Detroit band! Dying Art gets played all the time!!).

Q 8. The recent LP is great and a real achievement considering it can often be hard for hardcore bands to translate from 7" on to full length format...Do you think punk often works better on a short urgent format (i.e. a 7")?

T : Probably the shorter format. But, if you put the effort in it can translate. I think it depends on the song writing more than anything. Anyone can hash out 10 songs that all sound the same. Taking the time to write a bunch that are similar but different enough is another story...

Q 9. On a related note, what are your 5 favourite hardcore LPs EVER and why? Tough question I'm sure...

T : Germs (GI) because side one is flawless. Poison Idea "Kings Of Punk" because they were. GISM "Detestation" because it's so weird. Black Flag "Damaged" because i wore it out more than once. Batallion Of Saints "Second Coming" because it rules. This is all I can think of right now.

Mark: My favorites are ones that I heard early on; Bad Brains s/t tape,Descendents - Milo Goes To College, All - Trailblazer live,Gorilla Biscuits - Start Today, Circle Jerks - Group Sex, and all of Minor Threat's records. That's more than 5 but so what.

Amando: Poison Idea - Feel the Darkness. To me (and alot others) that is the definitve PI album. So burly and fierce sounding!!! Dwarves - Blood, Guts & Pussy. The sound they got off a 4 track is amazing. Nihilistic, trashy and over in 14 minutes!! Fear - the Album. When I was a teenager. I got into Fear and made a homemade stencil. I wanted to put it all over my skateboard (which had bright green grip tape). There was no black spray paint in the house, and you couldn't buy it if you were under 18. So rather than ask my friends if they had black spray paint, I proceeded to use what I found in the house (shit brown spray paint) and paint the stencil all over my bright green grip tape. Every time I hear any song from that album, I think of that skateboard. Negative Approach - Tied Down. Not as good as their 7" but I gotta put it in there. It's a Detroit thing. N.W.A. - Straight Outta Compton. To me this was as hardcore as any Flag, Bad Brains or Minor Threat record. This record scared the shit out of many parents and even the FBI!

Q 10. What's the worst show you've ever played, and why? What's been the best?

T : Second show maybe? I dunno. Bunny (second drummer) had just joined that day. We practiced for hours. I drank way too much. etc. Probably the best was Limoges, France. We played my friend's birthday party and people went apeshit.

Mark: The worst show for me was some fest in Europe where it was all crust bands except for Idiot's Rule. 99% of the crowd walked out half way through our first song. We don't sound like watered down metal so they didn't want to hear us. People are so locked into whatever style, they can't appreciate anything else. Very lame. The best show for me was maybe at Kopi in Berlin last year.

Amando: I don't really know what would constitute being the worst show, at least in recent memory. I would probably have to say last March @ the 2500 club. It wasn't the worst, lets just say it was the least best. There was a pretty heavy snowstorm (which kept the out of town band from showing up) and we basically played to the bar. The best one to me is probably when we played at the same club in December 06 to a crowd of drunken Santas (there's an annual pub crawl in Detroit called Santarchy where the crawlers dress as Santa Claus and who happened to show up just as we were starting our set). It was just such an ridiculous sight and Tony was antagonizing the whole lot as well. Good Times. Sharing the stage for a week last year with the Cola Freaks was a close second.

Q 11. Dream 5 band line up for a show, any bands past and present, go for it. Also, what venue...

T : Nolan Strong, Feisty Cadavers, Germs, Swell Maps, "Space Ritual" era Hawkwind. In a basement.

Mark: Stooges,New York Dolls,Descendents,Slayer,and the Plasmatics in my basement.

Amando: Ramones/Black Flag (chavo era)/ Prince and the Revolution/SBLC/Doggy Style @ The Falcon Club in Hamtramck.

Q 12. Have Bill Bondsmen ever played any cover songs and if so, what songs?

T : Alan Milman Sect, Big Boys, Zero Boys, Descendents, Naked Raygun, NA, Feisty Cadavers. Some of this is recorded. Most is not.

Amando: In the past we did Fun Fun Fun by the Big Boys, Amphetamine Addiction by Zero Boys, Stitches/I Wanna Kill Somebody by Allan Milman Sect and most recently Live Like Vampires by Feisty Cadavers. On the Euro tour we did Can't Tell No One by NA (I know...we're reaching pretty deep, huh) and Kabuki Girl by the Descendents.

Q 13. What's your favourite Japanese hardcore band of all time, and why?

T : GISM because SKV is friggin awesome.

Mark: Teengenerate! oh wait they're not hardcore...Vivisick because we played with them.

Q 14. Tell us about how the song 'Comfortably Dumb' came about, and what it was about?

T : A stupid nazi that came to a show who had something like white pride or white power or whatever tattooed on his head and had all these other dodgy tats. My friend and I were debating asking him how the job hunt's been since getting out of jail. The thing about Pink Floyd is about the crossed hammers from "The Wall" and the fact that the hammerskins wear them and probably don't realize it makes as much sense as them wearing a tie dyed shirt.

Mark: That was one of the first songs we wrote together after I joined the band and kind of showed the direction we were going in, not lyrically but musically.

Q 15. How important are lyrics to Bill Bondsmen, and to hardcore in general in your opinion? What one hardcore vocalist from the past impresses you the most lyrically? (Jerry A is a personal favourite).

T : Depends on my mood I guess. I try to write something more than just "_________ SUCKS!" stuff because it's too easy. Jerry is a great writer but for my money gimme Darby Crash as far as punk rock goes.

Mark: I think the lyrics are important and I think it's one of our strengths.

Q 16. How important do you see political or social issues to hardcore? Do you think bands need to have some sort of 'message' or not? How have you seen politics within hardcore change over the years...

T : That's a loaded question. I'm not really into being preached to. But, I don't want a buncha gooney GG wannabes around either. I'll take six of one, half dozen of the other for 100 Alex. The evolution as I recall it : Nazis, Care Bears, fighters, Care Bears, drunks/druggies, Care Bears, ad nausem.

Mark: There's room for every style of lyrics and messages. People should be pissed off about what's going on today, so there's plenty to scream about.

Amando: It seems the scene in general is a little less uptight, a little less PC than it was when I was younger. Of course, the uptightness/pc vibe was a reaction to the super macho/violent vibe that preceded it. I think now it's at a happy medium.

Q 17. You are all older than the average hardcore kid, am I correct? Do you think it's reconsilable to be in o hardcore punk but also have a so called "real life" (career, perhaps a family, home etc)? Isn't it the kind of music that's just "for the kids"?

T : Ehh... Yeah. I think i'm a hair younger than Amado and we're both 32 right now. I dunno. It's just always been there. Like eating and breathing or something... I don't really think about it until we play a gig on a weeknight.

Mark: For a lot of people it is "just for the kids," a phase they go through. Obviously for us it's not a passing fad. It's a good thing there's lifers out there. My record collection would suck if there weren't.

Amando: I'm in my early 30's. I don't give a fuck. I do what I want. And if doing what I want includes having a family (which I do) as well as playing the kind of music I love with my best friends, then I'm for it. As far as this music being strictly "For the Kids?"... fuck it, I'm an old kid!

Q 18. Last words?

T : Thanks.

Mark: Bush is a war criminal.

Amando: Thanks for the questions! Live every week like its Shark Week!

All photos from the band's myspace.

Finally, an update. New SONS OF ISHMAEL interview...

Updates won't be quite so regular I'm afraid, but to kick things off again here's a detailed interview with some members of SONS OF ISHMAEL I did recently, and it is infact one of my favourite interviews I've done.

If you're not familiar, SONS OF ISHMAEL were a great hardcore band from around Ontario, Canada, that existed from 1985 to 1991. They played a fast thrashy style akin to classic DRI, early JERRYS KIDS or VERBAL ABUSE, high energy and manic hardcore that was best captured on their debut 7" from 1985, 'Hayseed Hardcore'. Listen to some tracks on their myspace here ('Break Free' is a classic!). GREAT STUFF.

Participants:
Myke Canzi – guitar
Paul Morris – guitar
Daragh Hayes – bass
Chris Black - drums

Q 1. How did you first get into hardcore? Did you get into the old Canadian bands (DOA, Neos etc) first? Can you remember the first band you heard described as 'hardcore' punk rather than just punk?

Myke: I heard the DOA song "Fuck You" on the local college radio station and was hooked. The shock value of the cussing had a lot to do with it. DOA in turn was the gateway band to louderharderfaster stuff like MDC.

Chris: I’d sort of heard punk and HC in the background at house parties, but then a friend gave me a cassette tape with Black Flag’s My War on one side, and Dead Kennedy’s “A Skateboard Party” on the other. I listened to that tape every fucking night while I delivered ribs in my Datsun 510. I then found “Brave New Waves” on CBC Radio.

Paul: My introduction was in December 1982 when we saw a Dead Kennedys album at the Sam The Record Man store and bought it. I was introduced to more of it by listening to fuzzy broadcasts from Carleton University radio in Ottawa when it was audible over the static. As I heard more of it I was introduced to NEOS, PORCELAIN FOREHEAD, STRETCH MARKS etc. but no more or less than the English or American stuff of the time. DOA were already more well known than the rest at the time as even they got records into Sam The Record Man too. At the time hardcore in rural areas was pretty much a well kept secret and few knew of it. Apart from DOA or DK's, you couldn't buy the records any place but the big cities.

Daragh: I also grew up in a fairly small town and information about punk and hardcore wasn't so easy to come by at the time. My parents are from Ireland and Germany and I have very distinct memories of visiting family and having the BOOMTOWN RATS make a big impression on me when I saw them on Irish TV, which led to me getting my first LP. Later I was interested in finding something more aggressive than the "new wave" I was listening to at the time but what I considered to be "old" British punk like the Sex Pistols wasn't all that appealing to me. From time to time I would find the odd used LP in my small hometown and buy it based on the cover and as Chris mentioned, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation radio program Brave New Waves helped introduce those of us living away from the big city centers to music we wouldn't have heard otherwise. Two bands that finally provided the "A-ha!!!!" moment I was waiting for were the DEAD KENNEDYS and BLACK FLAG and fairly soon tape trading and fanzines helped fill in more of the gaps.

Q 2. What was the first hardcore band you saw live, if you remember? What attracted you to the music in the first place (the energy, the anger, the haircuts?...)...

Myke: My first hardcore show was DOA at Assumption Hall on the University of Windsor campus in February 1984. I was really worried for my safety before I went. I didn't know what to expect from "punk rockers." In the end, they were very forgiving of my mullet.

Chris: I went to see Youth Brigade at the Latvian House in Toronto in ’84 or ‘85, but they didn’t show up so I saw the Bunchofuckingoofs. I thought they played soooo fast! What attracted me was the swearing and anger. That and it was so different from everything else you could hear on the radio at that time. It sounded dangerous.

Myke: That's it exactly. It sounded dangerous.

Paul: I remember it very well. In fact it was July 1983 and the band was MDC at the Ottawa Boys and Girls Club. There were 4 bands, it was hotter than Hades and I was hooked. First and foremost I was attracted by the music and it's frenetic pace but I cannot really pinpoint what else made it so great.

Daragh: Well, technically the first real band I ever saw was JOHNNY CASH. However, since I was in Grade 3 at the time it wasn't all that interesting and running outside to play "cops and robbers" with my brother took precedence. Later I saw some "new wave" stuff like CABARET VOLTAIRE and some reggae like Toronto's 20th CENTURY REBELS but as I lived about two hours from Toronto it seemed like it took forever before I was finally able to catch a HC band live. I couldn't drive and only one or two of my friends in my hometown were really into the same music at the time. Also, I didn't know anyone in Toronto so the extent of my exposure to things happening there was taking a bus ride to the city to buy records, zines and to collect flyers. On a few occasions I bought tickets for shows and would get turned away from the club for being too young and just take the bus back home. In the summer of 86 I finally saw a flyer for an all ages show with some local bands and a band called NO SYSTEM from Boston. I took the bus up to Toronto knowing that I was finally going to get in! Circle pits, fast music, buying fanzines, it all seemed pretty fantastic.

Q 3. What was the scene like around Meaford, Ontario like before SONS OF ISHMAEL started? Was it an active scene, or did you travel to other cities (ie Toronto) in order to play shows?

Paul: I joined the band after they left Meaford and went to Toronto, so I cannot comment much. However, being from a tiny town of 1000 in eastern Ontario I had a parallel existence to the guys from Meaford so I will fill you in on hardcore in rural Ontario. There was NO "scene" outside of large cities in the early 80's. The entire Leeds County probably had less than 10 people actively listening to the music. It is nothing like it was 15 or so years after that. If you wanted records or wanted to see shows you had to go to Ottawa, Montreal or Toronto. Having said that I managed to find two others in my town who liked the music and played the right instruments to form a band. See next question.

Daragh: I joined the band much later (in 1990) but growing up and trying to be into punk in a small town in the 80s was not a great deal of fun. I remember a school friend getting beat up by other students in 1983 and having his mohawk cut off while our school principle laughed. Events like that helped solidify my determination to not "give in" and be like "them". As strange as it sounds in retrospect, it really felt like something as superficial as a haircut or a t-shirt was making a strong statement and was enough to invite harassment at the time.

Q 4. What other bands had you guys been in before (tell us about ANGRY THALIDOMIDE BABIES, what a name)...

Myke: My first band was Sanitary Napkins, which was a band on paper mostly. My second band was a duo called Butt Plugz. We did covers of Ramones and Killing Joke songs, as I recall. I played my guitar directly into one channel of my cassette deck. Matt played his bass directly into the other channel. Eventually we joined up with Paul A (later of One Blood, now of Legion) and starting writing our own songs. That band was called Burning Rectal Itch... See any patterns?

Chris: My first band was Charlie Brown’s Wang. We practised a lot, but I never played a show with them. After I got kicked out, I joined up with the Sons at a D.O.A. show sometime in ’86. (Paul remembers the exact date, I’m sure… Paul?)

Paul: I appreciate your confidence in my memory, Chris, but I have no idea! I was a in a band in Athens, Ontario from 1984-85 before moving to Toronto. We were called DISORDERLY FASHION but never really got out of our town.

Daragh: Nothing notable or interesting before or since! Still, I reckon the temptation to "make some noise" never fully goes away. On that note, while punk bands reforming can be a contentious issue in some parts, I have to say that I have a great deal of respect for bands like GAUZE from Japan or SEEIN RED from Holland who keep going year after year and still sound as vital as ever.

Q 5. What one band had the biggest impact on SONS OF ISHMAEL? In sound, and in attitude (who made you think "YES, I want to do a band too")? What bands influenced the manic thrash sound? Also, were you influenced by bands from overseas (Europe, Japan etc)?

Myke: To me, the early Sons of Ishmael stuff sounds like it was inspired by Jerry's Kids, which was a good band to be inspired by. If we'd been able to snare Brian Betzger as our drummer ... we'd have been deprived of Chris's friendship. The Crucifucks would have been one influence that led the band away from its manic thrash sound.

Chris: I think going to shows and seeing people that looked like me getting up on stage and playing was the biggest “I can do that!” moment for me. They weren’t “rock star” looking – just regular guys in jeans and t-shirts. Probably seeing S.O.I. before I joined them was inspiring. I remember thinking I’d like to be in that band.

Paul: MDC

Daragh: Again, I was the "late comer" to the band but I have very fond memories of getting the Hayseed Hardcore 7" in the mail and catching SOI live in Toronto. At the time I never would have guessed that I would end up playing in the band one day.

Q 6. How did you see the hardcore scene change from 1985 onwards? How do you respond to the argument that hardcore punk "died" in 1986? How was it different than before?

Myke: Hardcore is young people's music. It appeals particularly to young musicians that are just learning how to play their instrument(s) because it's a style that's fairly easy to play. As they improve, these budding, young prodigies continue to play with and for the same people they always have... Then at some point some authority decides it's not hardcore anymore and the world ends.

Chris: It got more serious and less humorous (with exceptions). Metal started to permeate in a big way (Crossover). Songs got longer, and equipment got better. By the early 90s the musicianship started to really improve (although, not necessarily the music). Today, it’s rare to hear a HC band that sounds like 80s HC. Hatebreed, Terror (which I listen to and like a lot) etc. are called hardcore today, but in the 80’s they would have been been called metal.

Paul: I think in the summer of '86 in Toronto things were more alive than ever. With a reliable venue and reliable promoters it seemed there were tons of bands coming through town that summer and it was a blast. By summer of 1987 things seemed dead despite a few large shows. I think by this time things were starting to sound the same and it was not fresh anymore and that's why you get the "death notices" from various punks. It seemed that there was a complete turnover of participants every few years.

Daragh: As I said, I spent a couple years visiting Toronto to buy records but age and a lack of contacts in the city meant that while I was collecting flyers for what looked like incredible shows (Articles of Faith, Battalion of Saints, even Einsturzende Neubaten around '85) I was missing a lot of it. A little while later I was fortunate to have lived in Germany in '87 and I was able to see and take inspiration from a lot of what was happening there at the time. Catching touring bands like Concrete Sox, Chaos UK, Heresy, Larm, Negazione or even Chumbawamba ensured that punk felt very much "alive" to me at the time. I had a similar experience while living in Japan between 1998 and 2007. Seeing bands like Gauze, Bastard, Gism, Corrupted, Forward and countless others was further proof that there are still a great deal of incredibly vital and powerful bands out there.

Q 7. Do you think the fact that your debut, 'Hayseed Hardcore', came out in 1985 as opposed to say 1983 impeded the band's popularity? (since by 1985 so many bands were playing metal/crossover, or had "progressed", while SONS OF ISHMAEL were still playing straight forward hardcore not unlike early DRI/VERBAL ABUSE)

Myke: The band broke up repeatedly so that its various members could pursue other opportunities. As a result, it was never able to build much of what you'd call momentum.

Chris: I don’t think so. There was still a sizeable audience for what we were doing in ’86 to ‘91 – they just didn’t come to our shows. Also, you have to compare North America to Europe. We had much bigger crowds and enthusiasm in Europe than in North America, for sure. Lots of girls too! But, we never had sex with them.

Q 8. Also, do you think being from Canada, rather than the US, meant you perhaps went more un-noticed than some of your peers from larger US cities?

Myke: A little bit maybe.

Chris: I’m sure things would have been very different had we lived in S.F.

Paul: No, it seemed of no concern of whether you were from USA or Canada but if you were from Washington, DC you could walk on water. Back then word spreads by way of trading of mix tapes and word of mouth.

Daragh: Agreed. Despite the lack of the internet at the time, tape trading and fanzines like MRR helped negate the distance and borders that separated people from bands from different parts of the world.

Q 9. What are your three favourite Canadian hardcore bands of all time, and why? Who was always really good live?

Myke: The Andy Kerr-era version of Nomeansno was magic, both live and on record. There were always good local bands, too: No Mind and Guilt Parade, for example. As far as live shows go, SNFU was always fun.

Chris: I’d have to say Nomeansno, along with SCUM and Fair Warning, both from Montreal. Montreal bands were always really good. Countdown Zero, Genetic Control, Asexuals among many. I loved early Sudden Impact as well.

Paul: It is hard to identify the "best bands" because most of them did not last that long or have a prolific output. If they did, they likely changed for the worse or put out bad records. SNFU was one of the best live bands. I'd say my 3 favourites are The Spores, Asexuals and Subhumans. I can't remember who really stood out as there were many.

Daragh: I never saw them live but I think the YOUTH YOUTH YOUTH record from Toronto still sounds great. They had a pretty unique sound and I would say that they were a band that perhaps went underappreciated internationally at the time. As far as a "top three" list of Canadian bands of all time goes, it's too difficult! It's pretty subjective depending on what someone has been exposed to and when. I'd agree with Myke and Chris that NOMEANSNO and SNFU both seemed pretty impeccable at a certain point in time but to someone catching those bands in their present form and comparing them with more recent Canadian bands (Career Suicide, Endless Blockade, Inepsy or Cursed, for example) that statement might make very little sense. Seriously, I have a hard time answering this one and in the end what I have to say about it just isn't all that important.

Myke: I agree with Daragh on the Youth Youth Youth record. A big influence on me at the time.

Q 10. When did you first tour Europe? I heard something about you getting stranded in a European squat? How did you find Europe different to Canada/US, in terms of the hardcore scene and how things were done?

Myke: Our first tour of Europe was during the summer of 1990. And yes, we were stranded behind the barbed-wire walls of a squat for about nine weeks. It was a pretty big squat that spanned several countries. But seriously, folks, Europe was very, very kind to Sons of Ishmael.

Chris: I arranged both tours with a phone and a fax machine. It must be soooo much easier now with email and Skype, but we didn’t have that back in the olden days.

I loved Europe. It looked different, and felt different. There was art, architecture, and urban landscapes that are so different from over here. The people may be been dirtier and smellier, but they more than made up for it in organization, competence, and enthusiasm for what we were doing. But, we never had sex with them.

Daragh: Yep, Europe was fantastic! Um, I don't remember being stranded but I remember spending the first part of a tour at a squat in London with no running water. After about a week I felt compelled to strip down to my underwear and jump in a water fountain outside of a posh hotel in the city in a feeble attempt to bathe. Or if by stranded you mean almost having to sit through hours of Poll Tax Riot videos while in London, well, you'll have to get someone else to comment on that one.

Q 11. I've heard various funny stories about SONS OF ISHMAEL shows; can you tell 3 stories of some of the funniest things that ever happened?

Myke: Wow, so many funny stories, so many of which involved ruining someone else's day... I laughed really hard the night we spent trying to encourage a large dog to hump a pal sleeping on the floor. I also laughed really hard the day our van got towed in Barcelona and was driven into a wall on the way back from the pound. Some cretin stealing my chorus from the stage in Derry while I was out in the van fetching merchandise ... that was a highlight, too.

Chris: I don’t think I ever laughed so much than the time Tim got on his hands and knees and serenaded us for an hour so with his farts.

Myke: That was funny.

Paul: We had to pay to play our own show in San Angelo, Texas.

Daragh: Being in a band with Tim as a vocalist pretty much ensured that every gig was entertaining in one way or another. He was a pretty incredible front man to say the least.

Q 12. SONS OF ISHMAEL displayed a strong element of cynicism and sarcasm, especially towards the hardcore scene in general. What was it about hardcore that, in the mid-80s, left a bad taste in your mouth (so to speak)?

Myke: The inability of some people in the HC scene to think for themselves and make their own decisions made their company very oppressive after a while. I had no respect for authority at the time, regardless of what kind of haircut it had. I still don't.

Of course, "group think" is not unique to the hardcore scene. It happens any time individuals try to work together. To be accepted as part of the team, you have to turn a blind eye to dishonesty, inconsistency and all that other shit.

Daragh: I think part of the band dynamic involved confounding people's expectations, something that became increasingly apparent as time went on and the band attempted to sing less "generic crap". I'm not sure how well some of the ideas translated but writing about rock formations (Paul) and incorporating polka elements into the music (Paul) was, if nothing else, doing something different.

Q 13. Tell us about when rednecks chased you out of Sault St. Marie...

Myke: It was about midnight when we decided to stop for breakfast at a roadside diner in the Soo. As we walked back to our van, a longhair in the parking lot made a comment about Paul's haircut. Safely inside the van, I rolled down the passenger side window and asked him to elucidate, but before he could, Chris put the pedal to the metal and we were on our way. The longhair tried to catch up to us in his pick-up and enlisted the support of two friends on a motorcycle, but our paths never crossed again, which is my single greatest disappointment. Tim was even brushing his teeth in anticipation of the meating.

Chris: Myke, you forgot to mention my excellent driving as we raced through the streets, running redlights and stops signs. At one point I made a quick left and the pick up truck when straight through. Watching Starsky and Hutch really paid off. Since then, I've heard stories from other bands who had things go down in the Soo. But, we never had sex with them.

Q 14. During your long tour of the US in 1987, how do think the hardcore scene differed from state to state? What bands are you glad to have played with on this tour?

Myke: All of them, really, but particularly Porn Orchard in Myrtle Beach and Penfold's Revenge in Chicago.

Chris: Playing in California was pretty amazing. Our show in San Diego with the Adolescents, and a bunch of other bigger bands really showed how ingrained the scene was down there. It was still underground, but really big. San Fran was great too. Gilman Street and MRR house: Wow. So much media – radio, zines, photography, and scenesters everywhere. I’m proud to say we played with Nomeansno, Government Issue, C.O.C., and Youth of Today on that tour. I like to speculate that little kids like Billie Joe Armstrong and Kurt Cobain might have seen us play in SF and Tacoma!

Myke: I've always wondered if Kurt Cobain was at our Tacoma show, too. Might explain why Nirvana did so many Sons of Ishmael covers.

Paul: Chris never had sex with him.

Q 15. Regarding the 'Pariah Martyr Demands a Sacrifice' LP, why is the production so bad? I have heard before that it is because the band couldn't be bothered to hire decent equipment?

Myke: By mistake, we booked time in a studio that didn't usually record guitar music. Its name was similar to the name of the studio we really wanted, but it wasn't the one we had in mind. We fucked up. That was mistake number one. Mistake number two was that our equipment was utter shiite: Paul was playing a $100 guitar through a keyboard amplifier, for example. Mistake number three was when the rest of the band ignored my pleas for more bass in the mix. Actually, now that I think about it, mistake number one was accepting money from a record label to record a bunch of songs that weren't very good to start with. This should serve as a lesson to all young people: money has a way of influencing decisions for the worse, in music and elsewhere.

Chris: That was my first recording studio experience and I have to admit I was completely unprepared. We agonized over the release of that record for months. Remixing it at huge expense ($200??) before finally sending it off to Over the Top. Seeing it in vinyl for the first time was a thrill, but that was soon replaced with mortification at the quality of the thing. I like the cover...?

Q 16. Why did you end up splitting up in 1991? How had you seen things change over the 6 years of your existence? Did the advent of grunge move things along? Is it true your last show was opening for Hole as you stated on the band's bio?

Myke: Paul and Daragh had girlfriends and didn't want to go on tour again. Tim chose not to continue playing with Chris and I and whomever we might find to "replace" Paul and Daragh. It was very disappointing, as I thought our newest songs, and we had a lot of them, were among our best.

Chris: Our last show in Toronto was opening for Hole, at the Rivoli, a very small room. But, our last show was actually in Ottawa in early ’92 (Paul, date?). I wore the same DOA shirt I wore at my very first show in Guelph in ’86!

Paul: Chris, I think you wore that stinky yellow Beethoven shirt in Guelph. It is true that our last show was in the Blue Room at U of O in Ottawa but I cannot remember the date. Daragh could not make the gig (hangnail? ) so either I or Myke played bass and I am sure it was an underwhelming way to end. It was not a girlfriend that kept me from touring for that would never happen. It was road burnout mostly.

Myke: I did not know that.

Chris: It was my DOA shirt, and I have the pics to prove it.

Daragh: My recollection was that not everyone was interested in doing more DIY-type touring and that some people were interested in trying something else musically. My "plan" after SOI broke up was to get another band going but the reality was that I spent a few summers as a roadie and driver for friends' bands going across North America, promoting diy shows for a while, and running a telephone "hotline" that listed upcoming punk shows and events in Toronto. Hangnail rumours aside, as for missing the final show in Ottawa, I was informed pretty late that the show was happening and had just started a new job and a weekend shift. I couldn't get anyone to cover for me and as great as it was to work in a photocopy shop for the next five years it was a shame to miss the last show. Regardless, despite the band breaking up everyone stayed active in some capacity; whether playing in other bands (everyone at one point or another), running a label (Chris), putting out the odd 7" record (me), or releasing a pretty awesome cassette of parodies of popular punk songs (Paul); so while the band ended, our interest and involvement in music did not.

Q 17. Was the band never tempted to go down the crossover/thrash route, in an attempt to ride the wave of METALLICA's success in order to become rich?

Myke: Uh, no. Personally, I was tempted to going down the college rock route blazed by Dinosaur Jr and the Jesus Lizard--not for the sake of money, mind you, but just because the music and its fans were more interesting. I got to a point, fairly early on, where I thought that an occasional loudhardfast song would be a great thing to leaven a set, but it wasn't something I wanted to play song after song of.

Q 18. Similarly were you never tempted to start playing in the style of the youth crew bands that was becoming so popular coast to coast? I heard you shared a stage with YOUTH OF TODAY once, how was that?

Myke: I wasn't interesting in playing by anyone else's rules. As for sharing a stage with Youth of Today, I have no recollection of this. I remember hangin' out with dem shits in SF for a cupola days. They seemed to be very interested in sports and muscles and stuff, which doesn't do it for me, but they were nice.

Chris: Yep, we played with them at Gilman. I broke my snare mid-way through our set and Mike Judge lent me his. I still have their Nerf football. It has “Youth Tour ‘87” written on it. But, we never had sex with them.

Daragh: E-bay.

Paul: They, in fact, opened for us at that show. I believe they had a 20 hour drive to Mormonia and had to play earlier.

Q 19. How important do you think having a message was to playing in a hardcore punk band? Did you often encounter people who just wanted to dance hard but didn't care what anyone had to say? On the other hand, how did SONS OF ISHMAEL feel about very politicised or anarcho hardcore/peace punk bands of the time?

Myke: I think the most important things are passion and creativity. Whether your lyrics are about man's inhumanity to man or a parakeet drowning in a toilet, if the song ain't got that swing, it don't mean a thing, yo.

Chris: We had those people (Harry Hardcore types) at pretty much every show and they’d be the first people to the bar or out the door after we finished. It was the folks who came up to us after or to our merch table who seemed the most enlightened to what we were saying. We met lots of really great people and had some real quality discussions. But, we never had sex with them.

I remember my moment of disconnect with anarcho/political types. It was in London UK and we were visiting some lefty collective. They were situated in a 15 storey apartment block that had one elevator (no light). As we sat around watching video from the Trafalgar Square poll tax riots, they took great pleasure in repeatedly watching a policeman get a metal sign planted into the side of his head as he was driving by. I remember thinking, wow, I’ve got nothing in common with these dolts.

Daragh: If anything, one thing I took away from my involvement in the scene is how easy it is for someone to write progressive and politically aware lyrics and still be a wretch of a human being. As for how this relates to SOI, I believe it's far better to be in a band with sometimes fairly opaque or cynical lyrics performed by fundamentally decent people than to simply wave the nearest banner while treating the people you deal with on a day-to-day basis poorly.

Q 20. Anything else to add? Say whatever you feel.

Myke: Thanks for showing an interest. I haven't had to answer questions like these in about fifteen years and I really enjoyed doing it. One other thing... There's a lot of good music being made today, too. Give Pissed Jeans a try, or Black Lips. If you're a little more adventurous, a listen to Califone, Deerhoof or Old Time Relijin might be worth your while.

Daragh: Agreed, I cringe at any suggestion that punk or hardcore died in '85 or '86 and really feel that the people who make those claims are being somewhat presumptuous if not downright disingenuous (not to mention the fact that some of these people attempt to draw a pay cheque from something they now claim to be "dead"). There's still a great deal of fun and fantastic music to be had by anyone willing to look for it.

More importantly perhaps, I'd like to commend the other SOI guys on remaining true to themselves and staying creative. Paul turned his hobby and interest in hockey into a successful business, Myke has been working for environmental organizations for many years, Chris has kept progressing in computer work, Tim is a University Professor, I teach at a college, etc. As with punk, life is what you make it and it's never time time to think you've seen or done it all.

Paul: I suggest you try Irish Rovers or Grandpa Jones.

Chris: There's talk of a Hayseed Hardcore re-release on 12" vinyl, that will include additional tracks that were used on comps. We'll post any info on the website (which is, for now, our MySpace page) at http://www.sonsofishmael.com/.

Also, if anybody has video, pics, or recordings of us, we'd love to see them! We're putting together a website and it'd be cool to include whatever we can get (that's good). You can contact us at thesons@sonsofishmael.com.