DEATH BEFORE DISHONOR

DEATH BEFORE DISHONOR
by Jason Walsh

With the economy still flattened and showing no sign of growth in the immediate future and summer on its way, a tour approaches that will allow hardcore fans to see ten great bands for a mere ten dollars. The folks at INDIEMERCH.COM are reviving the old NYHC spirit of the “Sunday Matinee” with the Ten for $10 Tour which will feature headliners POISON THE WELL, MADBALL, VISION OF DISORDER, and BANE, with the likes of TERROR, DEATH BEFORE DISHONOR, CRIME IN STEREO, VISION, WAR OF AGES, TRAPPED UNDER ICE, THE GHOST INSIDE, THE MONGOLOIDS, and THIS IS HELL on some of the selected dates.

The guys from Boston’s DEATH BEFORE DISHONOR will be on point for most of the tour which kicks off this July, having just returned from Europe and with plans to head back abroad in August. With a new full-length release on Bridge Nine Records, Bryan Harris and crew will be fronting some new material for the awaiting masses as well as some of their classics which have cemented their name as a formidable hardcore outfit. “Better Ways To Die” is a further step forward and evolution for the band from the Northeast who continue to carry the torch that was lit by Boston bands like BLOOD FOR BLOOD in the 90s and SLAPSHOT in the 80s.

I had a chance to talk with front man Harris, just home from overseas, about the new record, the upcoming tour as well as a quick turnaround back to Europe for some big festivals in the Old Country.

JW: So what’s going on with you guys this year? You have a lot going on?

BRYAN HARRIS: Yeah, we basically just got back from Europe. Right before that, we did this recording at the Outpost with Jim Siegel. So right now, we’re taking a little time off, just getting the album all set to come out and gearing up for our summer tour, the 10 for $10 tour with POISON THE WELL, MADBALL, TRAPPED UNDER ICE, TERROR, you know, a bunch of bands. Things are looking good.

JW: Some pretty exciting stuff. I just got the new record (BETTER WAYS TO DIE) yesterday and I listened to it. It’s very good and there kind of is a difference between that and some of the older stuff you guys have put out. Tell me about that.

BRYAN HARRIS: Our musical influences really range from hardcore, punk rock to metal and I think we really tried to touch on all the bases with it. It’s got a little more punk rock feel, a little more catchiness to it. We had a lot more time to write the record, record the record, so we got to expand a little bit and do stuff that we always wanted to try a little more than the straightforward straight-up hardcore.

JW: So you pretty happy with how it came out?

BRYAN HARRIS: Yeah. We’re very excited. I’m sure every band says it but for us it’s definitely the record we’re most proud of and most psyched on.

JW: Very cool. So tell me about this 10 for $10 Tour. This is the coolest thing for the summer going on. This is a great lineup and ten dollars to get in the show and you guys are hitting a lot of places. Tell me about it.

BRYAN HARRIS: I agree. When I first heard about it, I know it was in the talks for a while and I kind of heard through the grapevine that this was going to happen and once it became kind of official and we landed it we were pretty psyched. Every summer there’s big tours and small tours and you know, you never get to see a ticket price for ten dollars, especially with ten bands ranging from bands like I said, POISON THE WELL, MADBALL, kind of some of the bigger names and some of the smaller names, up-and-coming bands, like CRIME IN STEREO, TRAPPED UNDER ICE, ourselves. You know, the way the economy is going and everything like that, I mean it’s a great way to expose bands from all genres of hardcore for ten bucks.

JW: And the big thing, like you said, people are struggling right now and a lot of these big summer concerts that are going on are just ridiculous as far as ticket prices. You’ll go see three bands for five times as much as this tour and you’re getting ten bands, quality hardcore bands for ten bucks.

BRYAN HARRIS: Yeah. It’s the coolest thing I ever heard. I’m sure every band is taking a little bit of a cut as far as pay-wise, but I mean in the greater scheme of things, I think it’s great. Everybody’s struggling, between bands, hard-working people, kids, you know, kids that want to go see a show. I think it’s a great way to just expose what’s going on. It’s affordable and it’s just a great thing overall.

JW: The cool thing is, the way the music industry is now, it’s pretty tough for bands, especially for hardcore and underground bands, and this gets all you guys out on the road exposing you to a lot of people that might otherwise have seen some or all of you before.

BRYAN HARRIS: I agree. I think when you have a ticket price like ten dollars it makes it a lot more attractive to people, whether they’re hardcore or not, to go see an event for ten bucks. Exposure alone is great, the bands we get to tour with is going to be fun, and it does hit just about every market. We only do up to August 4 on that and there’s another week of it. It’s just great for the underground hardcore, metal core community. We’re heading to Europe right after that.

JW: Let’s talk about that. You got some big festivals in Europe this summer and you know the festivals there in Europe are nothing like anything in the States. You show up there and there’s like hundreds of thousands of people. And you got some big ones like the Pressure Fest with AGNOSTIC FRONT and MADBALL. Tell me a little about this August in Europe.

BRYAN HARRIS: It’s very exciting. We actually just got back from Europe probably about a week ago and that tour started with a big festival called Groezrock over in Europe. Last summer was the first summer experience so, just going over there and playing with legendary hardcore bands and bands that, you know, I would never have thought to ever play with. Like last year we played with BIOHAZARD with the original lineup, LIFE OF AGONY, AVENGE SEVENFOLD. On some of these festivals there’s some really big names and in Europe it’s real different. It’s real cool the way they do it and a lot of kids come out to the shows. It’s thousands and thousands of people. It’s cool and unlike anything I’ve ever seen, but it’s a great way for exposure and stuff like that. I’m very excited, Sucks N Summer Festival, the Pressure Fest, all types of festivals. I swear like in Europe, everything in the summer time has a festival named to it, but it’s great, lots of kids out there, and just a real fun time, it’s a great atmosphere, and great exposure.

JW: So my last question to you. Coming into like three decades later, what is it about hardcore, the resilience of it and so many years past that it still speaks to people in 2009?

BRYAN HARRIS: I think one of the things that never changes, especially with the bands that stick with it and have been with it forever is that hardcore is a real music. The kids are real, the lyrics are real, and it should always be alive. I think that is always something that will stand the test of time. What had started in the early 80s is in 2009. It’s there, it’s real, the kids are into it, they have the love for it, and I think that goes farther than the material things and it’s something that’s going to keep it going forever. You know, I mean it’s something that from the day I got into hardcore in the early 90s, it’s something I’ve had a love for and now I’m doing a band for it. If we’re not out there touring, I still have a love for it. I still love when I go to a show or am playing a show. It’s something I think kids will always carry.

JW: And at this point in your life, can you see yourself doing anything else?

BRYAN HARRIS: Definitely not. We come off from tour for a little bit and you’re like “wow, this is cool” and as soon as you get back on the road, you just remember how much you love it. Even when I’m home, I’m still going to shows. It’s the only thing I really know (laughs). You know what I mean? People talk about, “Oh, I live this life…blah blah blah,” and that type of stuff, but it’s kind of true. If I’m not playing a show, I’m at a show and if I’m not at a show, I’m online looking at the interviews or something like that. You know it’s something that I love, and I love living.

INHUMAN

INHUMAN
interview by Jason Walsh

JW: So how are things going Mike? What does INHUMAN have going on this year?

MIKE INHUMAN: We are playing currently around the Northeast right now, looking to get down South before the Fall. Inhuman is playing the Built to Last Festival in Rhode Island in May and we are really looking forward to that. It's with Madball, Skarhead, Breakdown, and many other good bands, so it should be insane. Were also doing our first show in a long time with one of our biggest influences, Sick Of It All. That show is in New York City in June and should be awesome. And, we are slowly coming up with ideas for new material for the next record.

JW: So the show with Sick of it All. These are guys you grew up listening to and now, you get to do shows with them, and as we saw last year, Lou Koller (SICK OF IT ALL vocalist) jumped on stage during your set and did some songs with you guys. How great a feeling is that, and what does that say about the power and unity of hardcore?

MIKE INHUMAN: It is a cool feeling to be friends with someone who you look up to, and in my case, still see as a huge influence in my life and on the band. I feel fortunate that I know many of my hardcore influences on a personal level. When I was growing up, listening to nearly all of the NYHC bands of the late 80s got me through some hard times and now as an adult, to call many of these people my friend is a great feeling indeed.

JW: Tell me about how the band got started and what led you to forming it after playing in other projects.

MIKE INHUMAN: The band started in the late spring of 1995 and the first Inhuman show ever was in October of 95. We are hitting fourteen years as a band this year. Inhuman is the first and only band I have ever sung in; I was a bass player for seven years prior. I wanted to front a band, but never got up the nerve to do it. Here it is fourteen years later and I'm still having fun and still making music.

JW: What is about doing Inhuman that keeps it fun for you?

MIKE INHUMAN: A lot of reasons really. Performing on stage, having a voice and a way to get not only my frustrations out, but also to have an impact on people through something I helped to create along with my friends. I love the energy and intensity of the music and seeing kids sing along or dance in the pit. I also love meeting new people as a result of the band and the friendships I have made through Inhuman and hardcore in general over the years.

JW: "Last Rites" was a tremendous step forward for the band. Tell me about what went into creating that record and what you guys brought different to the studio when you started laying it down.
MIKE INHUMAN: The whole band is very proud of "Last Rites," and we all feel it is the best representation of the band as a whole. There is something for all types of heavy music fans on it and that wasn't intentional; it was just how it turned out. Most of the songs on the record were written in 2005 and 2006 with one or two in 2007, so we knew the songs inside and out before going in. We used Dean Baltulonis again as our engineer and co-producer, just like we did for "The New Nightmare" in 2003, and he did a great job. I think as a band we were more focused and took it very seriously when we were in the studio. Joe, Hank and Steve are all top notch musicians, so that helps too of course.

JW: Is there a plan for a follow up to "Last Rites" in the future?

MIKE INHUMAN: Although we are still promoting "Last Rites", a lot of my thoughts lately have been on the next record and new lyric ideas. In 2009, I'm hoping to write not just lyrics, but music for the next Inhuman record as well, something I haven't done in a long time. Joseph James (INHUMAN guitarist) writes about 90% of the music for the band usually, but the next record will be more of a group effort I think, which is great. If all goes to plan, you will surely see a new Inhuman CD in 2010.

JW: You have a couple guys from AGNOSTIC FRONT in INHUMAN as well. Does their schedule present difficulties when it comes to touring, recording, or even practicing?

MIKE INHUMAN: Yes and no. Thankfully, we know ahead of time as far as tours go, but sometimes things come up that can't be avoided. We practice more often than not for a band that doesn't tour all that much, and if you see us live, I think our tightness is a reflection of that.

JW: You have always been a fan of the horror genre. What elements from this have found their way into your music?

MIKE INHUMAN: Aside from music and comic books, horror in my biggest passion in life. Actually, films in general, but mostly horror I would say. I find inspiration for lyrics in horror films sometimes, which some may say is more for death metal bands, but Inhuman has never been one for following the rulebook, you know? I really do enjoy writing about a movie that moved me or inspired me. On "Last Rites,” the song "Grindhouse" was written in 2005, two years before the movie of the same name. On the "New Nightmare" CD, we have a song called "Bloodlust," which was inspired by the movie “Deep Red” by Dario Argento. We also have a sample from the movie "The Prophecy" on that record as well. I have about 500 DVDs and the collection is growing. Aside from horror and exploitation, I also like Italian Crime films, movies from the 70s and 80s and anything offbeat or disturbing really.

JW: Let's talk about your other obsession...comics.

MIKE INHUMAN: I have been a collector and reader on a serious level since about 1986 or so. I'd say I have about 10,000 books. My favorite characters are Batman, Daredevil, The Punisher, Iron Man, Wolverine, and The New Avengers. As for non-superhero books, I'm a big fan of the Preacher series, the Sandman series, Y The Last Man, and a book called Optic Nerve as well. I also like a lot of horror comics and ones that are either disturbing or violent.

JW: So how did you come to be a comic fan? Did this start at a young age?

MIKE INHUMAN: I think I got my first comics at like seven or eight-years-old, but I became a rabid fan at around eleven or twelve. Growing up in Brooklyn wasn’t always easy and I think I saw comic books, superheroes, as a way to escape. Who wouldn’t want to fly or be invincible? I think a young kid can find things in characters like Spiderman that they can really relate to, or find strength in a character like Wolverine or Superman. I grew up in the 80s, before the internet and before the really good video games, so comic books were “the shit” for kids my age. I don’t think enough young people are reading like they should be and the evidence is that most of the customers at the Brooklyn Monster Factory are 25 to 45 years old.

JW: So yes, let’s turn to the shop. When did you start the Brooklyn Monster Factory and how has that been going?

MIKE INHUMAN: The Brooklyn Monster Factory opened on April 1, 2006 and we are hanging in there. My brother Jon and I are the owners. We are a comic book, graphic novel, t-shirts, toys, and DVD store. It was a dream come true to open a store like this, but it's not easy. Both my brother and I also have full time jobs on top of the store as well, so we are busy guys. We do not sell CDs or music, but we are about to start selling band t-shirts which is new for us.

JW: Why do you not sell music at the shop, being so involved in the scene?

MIKE INHUMAN: My brother Jon and I are both really involved in music and when we opened the store we felt that adding music along with the comics, toys, et cetera, would just be overkill and take away from the focus of the shop: the comics. The store isn’t very big spacewise and there is a decent record store like four blocks down from us. Also, it is getting harder and harder to sell a CD, but it’s not so hard to sell a t-shirt, so we are now going to do hardcore and metal band shirts as well now.

JW: Lastly, the current economic atmosphere has been challenging for independent business folks like yourself. Things have been tough at the shop?

MIKE INHUMAN: The first few months of 2009 almost killed us they were so bad, but thankfully as the weather got better, the business has gotten a bit better, but were still not where we should be. In 2007 and 2008, the winter months were great for the shop, but with the recession, buying food and paying bills wins over buying comic books for most people. We are very glad to have the customers that we do have who come in every week and get their books from us. Without them we would have closed this winter for sure.

TWELVE GAUGE RECORDS

by Jason Walsh


“Jack Osborne had a label and I figured if that asswipe could have one, so could I.”

This is the driving inspiration that led Jihad Rabah to start up his label, Twelve Gauge Records back in 2004. A few months after inception, Rabah released the fledgling company’s debut, the “heavy Heavy Low Low/Courtside Seats” EP. The journey continued from there. A Cypress native who relocated to the States discovered his passion for hard and heavy musicat a young age.

“When I was about ten years old my brother brought home a mix tape that had tracks from Metallica‘s ‘...And Justice For All’ on one side and Iron Maiden’s ‘Fear Of The Dark’ on the other,“ Rabah said. “This tape was played over and over and lead to my interest in aggressive music and as a kid, I began downloading so much cheesy metal albums. When I moved to the States my brothers friend had given me a bunch of MP3 links to bands like Poison The Well, Crestfallen, Pg. 99, which led to my interest in taking things a step further.”

Based out of San Jose, Twelve Gauge Records has dropped twenty releases, on both CD and vinyl format, building an impressive roster of not only California bands, but a few from other locales in the country. One such example is Black Teeth from Peoria, Illinois.

“Jihad from Twelve Gauge got a hold of us after hearing some tracks,” guitarist Nate Woiwode said. “I have no idea how he noticed us or anything because for the most part he only puts out California bands. He's doing a 7" for this band Hell & Reason from the Northwest right now too. Justin (Closed Casket) and Jihad (Twelve Gauge) are behind us 100%. They're both completely legit guys. I can't stand people that are straight to business, those types come across as total fucking boners. Justin and Jihad have both become friends. I'll call almost daily just to shoot the shit with and exchange stupid stories and stuff. Jihad and Justin totally get behind us when we need records or shirts or whatever when we're out on the road.”

Hell & Reason are an aggressive, hard-hitting fusion of hardcore and metal from the Portland and Seattle areas of the Northwest. Their guitarist Jason said coming to Twelve Gauge Records was just the natural option.

“My friend Ben Paulsen played in Set it Straight and so I was always hearing about Jihad and stuff at the label,” he said. “They had a great experience and success on Twelve Gauge, so when it came time to find a label, Twelve Gauge was an immediate option in my head. Jihad is easily the best person I could imagine working with. He constantly asks us ‘what we need’ and is always on the same page as us. Luckily, when our van broke down on tour, we had enough money to pay the bill. But Jihad was there asking us if it was going to be cool and asking what he could do. He doesn't just put out records. He befriends you and constantly gives you as many resources as you need to function beyond selling records.”

This personal commitment to the label’s bands is a reoccurring sentiment echoed by many of the groups under Twelve Gauge. Guitarist Jay McNeilly from Sabretooth Zombie felt lucky to be working with a guy who has such a passion for not only the music but the musicians as well.

“Jihad is one of the good dudes out there,” he said. “And its been like he is more of a 6th member of the band, rather then the head of a label. We had always heard good things from bands he had worked with, and what’s really amazing about Jihad is that he puts out what he loves: genuine people trying to make good music.”

Now coming into his fifth year of operation, Rabah continues to search out new groups to join the Twelve Gauge crew. He said that the deciding factor for putting bands on the label is pretty easy.

“The most important thing for me is to find bands that have good attitudes, are hardworking, and can get along well with me. When it comes to the genre, my past twenty releases have all been hardcore, metal, or punk, but this can easily change as my taste in music broadens. Twelve Gauge Records is a mix tape that will never be finished. My bands keep me going with this. They are some of the best people I've ever worked with and are some of my best friends. They drive me to keep up my label and keep putting out their records. It works out for the both of us. I am very inspired by my bands and have a great deal of respect for them.”

This diversity in styles has kept Twelve Gauge’s soundtrack fresh and new. The current lineup of active artists includes Sabertooth Zombie, Purple Mercy, Heavy Heavy Low Low, Black Teeth and Hell & Reason. Past releases has included joints from Set it Straight, Where Eagles Dare, Hoods, Molotov Soulution, and Countdown. Rabah says his approach with each outfit varies.

“Each one brings something new to the table which keeps me excited to be putting records out. I love the diversity on the label and between all the bands. Sabertooth Zombie is a non-stop, music-making machine, and are some of the funnest dudes to hang out with. Purple Mercy and I relate on a different level, a much higher level (ha). Heavy Heavy Low Low are my best friends and have been controversial since day one which excites me. Black Teeth and Hell and Reason are my two newest and youngest bands, both with tons of motivation and drive. Check them all out.”

Lastly, when asked why should people check out Twelve Gauge Records: “You don't have to listen to any of the bands on my label, but if you don't, you are missing out.”