when I was 40...it was a very good year...

SLAYER

SLAYER
An interview with Dave Lombardo
by Jason Walsh
Photos by Charlie Hatfield

SLAYER is still reigning high from their 2009 release, “World Painted Blood,” and spent the majority of this year getting this new music and decades of classics to every corner of the globe. This summer saw the undisputed lords of death metal join forces with ANTHRAX, MEGADETH, and METALLICA for the Sonisphere Festival tour throughout Europe, which had all of the “Big 4” on tour for the first time ever. During their stop in Sofia, Bulgaria, the concert was streamed live to theatres worldwide and metalheads everywhere had a glimpse of the biggest concert of the year. During METALLICA’s set, members of ANTHRAX and MEGADETH took the stage as well for a rendition of DIAMOND HEAD’s “Am I Evil?” SLAYER drummer Dave Lombardo grabbed some sticks and jammed out alongside METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich, Shawn Drover of MEGADETH, and ANTHRAX’s percussionist Charlie Benante, while chaos erupted in Sofia.

Following the Sonisphere dates, SLAYER returned to the States to headline the Jägermeister Music Tour, with MEGADETH and ANTHRAX rounding out the bill. I had a chance to catch up with Lombardo as the tour wound its way to Hampton, Virginia. We had a chance to recap the Sonisphere shows, the future for SLAYER, and his new side project, PHILM.



JW: Tell me about this tour. You guys just started off, how are you guys doing?

LOMBARDO: Great. Everything is going really smooth. Everybody gets along. Shows are going well. Big crowds. It’s good.

JW: How does it feel to be on the road with all these guys? You just did the Sonisphere tours in Europe and now you’re back in the States with the three bands touring together. Does it feel pretty comfortable?

LOMBARDO: Yeah. Yeah, there’s nothing that would be different than any other tour with any other band that we would be with, so it’s, you know, not really much difference, but I mean of course we’ve known these guys for a long time so…

JW: And there’s something kind of special about keeping that metal legacy alive and having these three big bands come out and doing this.

LOMBARDO: Yeah, apparently so. It’s making a big impact so it’s good

JW: Tell me about the Sonisphere Festival. That was a pretty cool thing and all of us that were back here in the States, we obviously didn’t get to go over and see all that but we saw the video.

LOMBARDO: It was amazing. That day we flew in, I think we had about a half-hour drive to the venue and there was this helicopter doing tricks aside of the stage. I don’t know if you saw any of the pictures.

JW: Some of the video, yeah…

LOMBARDO: 81,000 people. It was amazing. It was exciting. The Poland show I think was bigger. That was the one that was 81,000. But that Sofia, Bulgaria, I think that was a little less.

JW: It still looked amazing on video.

LOMBARDO: Yeah. Phenomenal. It was really cool.

JW: So how did the Diamond Head song, “Am I Evil?” come about. I saw you out there banging on some drums with them.

LOMBARDO: Yeah. I think James (Hetfield of METALLICA) had an idea in the middle of the night. Yeah, he came up with some kind of idea, he called everybody up to see if they were into doing it. He thought it was a really good idea and I thought it was a great idea. So that’s why you saw me out there.

JW: Did you have fun out there?

LOMBARDO: Hell yeah.

JW: Looking around, seeing all these guys running around the stage.

LOMBARDO: Yeah. Beating on Lars’ drumset. It was great fun. Yeah.

JW: It looked like a good time. So, you are doing this tour. Where do you go from here? What happens next?

LOMBARDO: After this tour, I think we rest for about three months, well SLAYER rests for about three months, and then we go back out in early February to Australia. We do Soundwave with IRON MAIDEN, and I think we’re doing India as well, and probably do the Pacific Rim, which will probably be Singapore, hopefully Hong Kong and North Korea.

JW: Does all the traveling this far in your career, is it still fun for you or does in wear on you, or is it a combination of the two?

LOMBARDO: Well, after you do it for a long period of time, it does wear on you. You know, you get tired, little things get under your skin, but we’re at a point right now where we’re not feeling like that yet. We were feeling like that at the end of the European run. We were feeling a little burned out because we were flying a lot and doing international gigs and international gigs, you have to go through borders, customs, which delays the whole process (of) getting to your hotel and relaxing. It’s a bit stressful.

JW: So coming home sometimes, is a good thing.

LOMBARDO: Yeah, yeah. It’s good. You have to recharge. You have to have somewhere where you can recharge.

JW: Now next year are you guys looking to record, are you trying to figure out what’s going on?

LOMBARDO: Next year, well we do the Soundwave Festival in Australia, the Pacific Rim. I know we’re doing South America, so we still have…

JW: I mean that might take the whole year?

LOMBARDO: It could very well go a whole year and then, you know, BIG 4 might be coming, so that’s the summer right there in the U.S. Maybe we’ll do some festivals in Europe. You never know, but it’s all very promising, it’s all very positive. We’re very grateful to be in this position, you know, that we still got momentum in our career, because a lot of bands don’t.

JW: And at the end of the day, it’s still got to be fun.

LOMBARDO: Yes. That hour, hour and ten minutes, that I play on stage is worth every bit of hardship, if you want to call it hardship, because nothing compares to other things that people go through, but in our own little world, it does get a little rough.

JW: So has there been any talk about recording in the future? Is that something that you guys will see when you get there?

LOMBARDO: No…yeah, we’re not there yet. Jeff (Hanneman) fiddles around with the guitar and comes up with some things every now and then. I don’t know if there’s actually anything in the works. I haven’t heard a single thing yet.

JW: Very cool. So do you still have any side projects going on?

LOMBARDO: Yeah. I have Fantômas, I mean where obviously Fantômas is still just on a hiatus, but I have this band, PHILM, which I’m going to be putting out, hopefully something, by the end of this year. It’s a trio. I’m kind of trying to bring back the kinda-the-sixties-kinda vibe. You know like Led Zeppelin was a trio, of course let’s say the music part of it: bass, drums, guitar, and Jim Hendrix, same thing: bass drums, guitar. There wasn’t that second guitar player, there wasn’t that keyboard…well, there was in Deep Purple…but also Black Sabbath. All these bands were really big influences on me so I scaled down my drum set, brought it down to four pieces, and brought a powerful bass player which is Pancho Tomaselli, he plays in the band WAR with Lonnie Jordan, you know all those famous songs, “Spill the Wine,” “Cisco Kid,” all that. He’s only 35. I know the band’s a lot older, but he’s been playing with them for the past six or seven years. And, Gerry Nestler, from a band called CIVIL DEFIANCE from like the late 90s. He was signed to Atlantic and I always thought he was a very unique musician and has very interesting sounds on his guitar. It’s very ambient, kind of groovy. It’s not metal. I don’t need to make another metal band. I’m totally going somewhere else.

JW: That’s the thing, and I’d read some of this, some of the side projects that you’ve done you had said that it makes you a better musician because you are doing different kinds of things. It’s not just metal, it’s not SLAYER, it’s just all these kinds of elements that make you a better musician all around.

LOMBARDO: Yeah, it does, because you learn the different methods of operation of other musicians, how they work, their process, and that only enlightens you and makes you just a better musician and you can’t buy that knowledge. It’s only knowledge that you gain from experience and so I absorb it, and try to seek it as much as I can because it’s really good.

JW: Now when you come back and you do this, SLAYER, does it help you out or sometimes can it be distracting?

LOMBARDO: No, not at all. It’s all inspiring. You know, this band inspires me in a certain way where another band will inspire me, and they will cross-inspire each other, or cross-pollinate or something like that(laughs). It does do that, but in ways that maybe nobody will notice. Just I do, that I notice that I’ve kind of enhanced, let’s say, a part of my playing because of that. But people really wouldn’t notice, they would probably just take it as that’s normal.

JW: But you do…and it makes you better.

LOMBARDO: I do. Yeah, I know it does.

JW: I think that’s all I got, man.

LOMBARDO: Awesome.

PHILM opened for HALLFORD with dates in December and will be releasing something in the not-so-distant future. As for a new release from SLAYER, well, as you heard in this interview, only SLAYER knows.



HAILS & HORNS article ONLINE

ANTHRAX

ANTHRAX
by Jason Walsh
Photos by Charlie Hatfield

Over their three decades of bringing the noise, ANTHRAX has gone through an astounding number of lineup changes, especially in the vocalist slot. The announcement came this past summer that Joey Belladonna, frontman from the classic “Among the Living” era, was returning for the Sonisphere Festival Tour in Europe. Dubbed the “BIG 4,” ANTHRAX shared the stage with MEGADTEH, SLAYER, and METALLICA, the first time all four thrash metal bands would tour together. The experience was broadcast live by a high-definition, multi-camera shoot on one of the stops in Sofia, Bulgaria, which allowed fans around the world to see the show. One of the highlights of the night was a performance of Diamond Head’s “Am I Evil?” which saw members of all the bands on stage at once, most significantly the first-time reunion of MEGADETH’s Dave Mustaine with his former bandmates in METALLICA and replacement, lead guitarist Kirk Hammett.

The Sonisphere shows began a buzz throughout the metal community worldwide, with video clips from Sofia running rampant virally, and instilled some hope for the future of thrash. Following the European dates, ANTHRAX returned to the States and once again toured alongside SLAYER and MEGADETH for the Jägermeister Music Tour this past fall. On the road, the guys worked on some new songs with Belladonna and following the onslaught across the nation, ANTHRAX released that the band would be dropping an album of new material in 2011 featuring Belladonna on vocals, the first time since 1991’s “Persistence of Time.”

The question now is will the record happen. Belladonna was fired from the band in 1992, as many others before him and since. ANTHRAX reunited in 2005 with the “classic” lineup as well, with hopes of releasing a record of new material with Belladonna, but that never came to be. Founded in 1981 by guitarist Scott Ian and fellow Stormtrooper of Death, Danny Liker, who was also fired from the band and later went on to form NUCLEAR ASSAULT, ANTHRAX really hit the mark in the era of Belladonna. “Among the Living” was their crucial release, marking the beginning of the wave of crossover, which saw the fusion of metal and hardcore in the latter part of the 80s. They were also pioneers in bridging the gap between heavy music and hip-hop with their PUBLIC ENEMY collaboration, “Bring the Noise.”

Since Belladonna’s departure in ‘92, ANTHRAX continued onward in the age of grunge with former ARMORED SAINT frontman John Bush for over a decade, and later DEVILSIZE vocalist Dan Nelson. Bush would return to the band briefly and ironically, on the 2009 Sonisphere Festival Tour, but that would be short lived and brings us to now.

I had a chance to catch up with Belladonna on the phone as the Jägermeister Music Tour began. We talked about the reunion, the excitement of Sonisphere, their current tour, the future of ANTHRAX, and of course, important points of interest such as hurricanes.

JW: So Joey, how are you doing?

JOEY BELLADONNA: Ah great. Where are you guys?

JW: I’m in Norfolk, Virginia.

JOEY BELLADONNA: Ah, ok. How’s everything? How’s the weather down there?

JW: Not too bad. We’ve got a hurricane spinning off the coast right now but hopefully it won’t hit us too bad.

JOEY BELLADONNA: Still that same one or is there another one coming?

JW: Another one. Yeah, they just keep coming. They don’t seem to stop this time of year. This one is Igor and he’s out pretty deep so hopefully he won’t bring anybody behind him. So where you at right now?

JOEY BELLADONNA: I’m upstate New York right now.

JW: Oh, ok. So man, how are you doing right now? Are you pretty excited?

JOEY BELLADONNA: Yes, it’s a good time for metal, you know.

JW: You’re getting ready to start that U.S. tour. Tell me a little about that and how your looking forward to doing this with MEGADETH and SLAYER.

JOEY BELLADONNA: Yeah, you know, that’s a great lineup. We’ve been all familiar with each other quite a long time. There’s a lot of history involved with us, so we’re just happy to be together and play, and everybody got along on the BIG 4 when we did the METALLICA thing, so you know we never really had a problem. We’re easy. It’s all about the music for us, you know.

JW: So let’s talk about SONISPHERE. That festival tour was incredible and a lot of us back in the States got to see some of the video. I mean how was that? You guys go over there and play for some gigantic audiences.

JOEY BELLADONNA: Yeah, it’s something when you get a crowd like that. Most of the crowds are pretty big anyhow, you know you’re talking on average about 30-35,000, maybe as high as over a hundred. On average, you’re getting 30-50,000. It’s just a sea of people but most people are just so excited for the whole package and to see all the lineups the way they were presented and everything.

JW: Now a lot of us back here also saw when you guys took the stage and did “Am I Evil” with METALLICA, MEGADETH, and Dave Lombardo from SLAYER. Tell me what that was like?

JOEY BELLADONNA: Wow, you know I never thought I’d be asked to go up and sing in that setting with them, you know maybe on some other place, but even to do a song that I’ve never done before was kind of challenging. It was fun. I remember getting the email late at night, we’re riding in the bus, saying we’re going to do a song together, so learn a section, and there we went, you know. It was really very cool, you know. I’m glad to be a part of it. I hope we can do it again maybe.

JW: Was it kind of amazing to be on stage and looking at all these guys from all these other bands that you’ve known all these years, and you’re like, “Wow, we’re all up here together doing this song? How cool is this?”

JOEY BELLADONNA: Yeah, it was a great idea, you know, bringing all the extra amps up for everybody to play, and just taking every step to do it correct, and METALLICA ran a great set up. Everything was just spectacular.

JW: So now 2010, you’re back in ANTHRAX. What made you decide this was something you wanted to do at this point?

JOEY BELLADONNA: You know what, as far as I was concerned, I mean we could have just stayed, continued. I know it’s “old hat” talk. For me, I never really wanted to make a change. It was something they were looking for vocally, I guess, that wasn’t there which still to this day is kind of puzzling for me, but I know people have their own different styles that they’re looking and what direction they were looking into. But I got a call from management to rejoin, and it’s a business, and we try to put this thing together and make it right and it sounded like for them, for me to join was the right thing to do on their part to ask me. If they were welcoming me in to the band at a right way, I’m all for it. I’m there. I’ve been doing the songs for a while. I played just last night, you know, doing my own group and just working on new music here, and we do ANTHRAX stuff, working on a new record, just keeping busy musically so it’s not like I…hell, I even play in a cover band on the weekends. I’m working all the time, singing, performing, so it’s just…ANTHRAX is a great band and there’s no reason for it to not be together because we really…when we do it, we do it really, quite good, you know. It’s a great chemistry. You can’t really recreate that.

JW: And that was kind of my next question. Now, after doing all these shows over in Europe, how does that chemistry feel? Does it take you back to the old days?

JOEY BELLADONNA: Yeah, I guess it’s like the old days, and if anything, it’s even more fresh because we’re all matured, everybody’s musicianship and talent, all the achievements and the growth of being a musician has gotten way better.

JW: That’s awesome. Now I read here in this release that following the U.S. Tour you guys are planning on recording a new record of new material for 2011. Tell me a little about that.

JOEY BELLADONNA: Well, I got one song together right now at this point. I’ve heard quite a few songs. I haven’t really got to all of them yet. It sounds really good and hopefully, you know we’ve been so busy but, I mean there’s music that’s already been laid out that I could probably start hitting vocally and then we have to revisit everything again that they’ve worked down and recorded. Just do some vocals, maybe rewrite some stuff, restructure some stuff, remix stuff. You know, all the above, and hopefully we can get to it. Hopefully, we do some stuff on the road too, you know, just to get an idea, you know, with some down time and we have some extra equipment with us to roll through those sections and maybe get an idea better on the songs. It would be pretty exciting to be able to do something like that without being distracted in any way, being busy on the tour.

JW: Now Joey, my last question, do you think this is something you think you’re going to be doing for a while? Do you see some longevity with this, staying with the band for a while?

JOEY BELLADONNA: I sure hope so. I mean I don’t like jumping around anyway. Even my own band, I don’t like, you know, “God, I don’t want this one dude. You gotta get somebody else.” Every time you do something different, everything just changes. I mean like should stay the same, for everybody that’s up for it, and there’s no glitches, there’s no, you know, misunderstanding as far as we make the band function right, business-wise. Got a great management now and I hope everybody is willing to take it there and I think they are, you know, I really do. Without any complications, we should and hopefully we will.

MADBALL - EMPIRE

An interview with Freddy Cricien
by Jason Walsh
photos by Helena BXL



The guys from NYC are back with a new collection of hardcore anthems sure to set off circle pits worldwide. “Empire” is the latest offering from Madball, one of the five-boroughs tightest and heaviest outfits, who continue to set the bar high for all contenders for the underground throne. More than two decades later, the undisputed kings of the NYHC scene have brought out new material, which is fresh, relevant, and sonically aggressive.

MADBALL formed in 1988, as a side project for Freddy “Madball” Cricien by his brother, Roger Miret of AGNOSTIC FRONT, along with fellow band member Vinnie Stigma. This gave Cricien a chance to find his own voice and with the journey underway, Miret and Stigma stepped aside so MADBALL could develop on its own. There have been numerous lineup changes, several studio releases, and countless tours across the globe for the second generation of the Lower East Side Crew. The constant for MADBALL is that they have stayed true to their hardcore roots and never showed signs of compromise nor slowing down.

I had a chance to talk with Cricien, as they began their tour of Canada, about the getting “Empire” together and where the road will take them for the rest of the year.

JW: So you guys just got back from Europe and you’re already up in Canada?

FREDDY CRICIEN: Yup (laughs). That’s right, that’s right.

JW: That’s a pretty quick turnaround.

FREDDY CRICIEN: Well, yeah, y’know, we had that scheduled for a while so it was just part of our schedule. We had the Europe tour set up, the Canada tour set up, and right behind it another Europe tour set up. Kind of all part of the game plan.

JW: So how was Europe? Did you guys have fun over there?

FREDDY CRICIEN: Yeah, yeah, it was cool. Definitely a very good time. It’s always good shows…it’s a good scene there in general. It went good, it went good.

JW: Very cool. So, let’s talk about the new record.

FREDDY CRICIEN: Yeah, for sure.

JW: I got a copy of it like a week or two ago. Man, it’s awesome. It’s just flat out awesome. It’s a great record. So tell me, where did this record come from for you guys?

FREDDY CRICIEN: Where did it come from? It came out of nowhere (laughs). I don’t know, I guess we work well under pressure. We knew we had to do an album or y’know, it was that time to do another album and we just needed to fit it in between our tour scheduling and our personal lives and all that. We kind of said “we got to make it happen” and we were under the gun from the jump, y’know, to make it happen and there were moments there where we were a little concerned actually that we might not be giving ourselves enough time to put out something good. In the end, I think it ended up being one of the best records we’ve put out in a long time. Like I said, it didn’t come out of nowhere but under pressure we came out with something that I feel good about, that we all feel good about.

JW: It’s kind of amazing sometimes, when you get in that situation where you have a little bit of pressure or any kind of outside forces kind of messing with you, it all seems to kind of gel together a little easier.

FREDDY CRICIEN: Sometimes man, yeah, sometimes. There was a lack of inspiration on my part for a quick moment but the minute I wrote a song about it then everything else started coming out. Actually one of the first songs I wrote on the record was about trying to find the inspiration to write and after that there was obviously other things going on in our lives that gave us some fuel to come out with, y’know, what we did.

JW: Where did you guys record this one at?

FREDDY CRICIEN: This one was done with Erik Rutan in the St. Petersburg area in Florida.

JW: Tell me about going down there and doing that in Florida. Was it a good session?

FREDDY CRICIEN: Yeah, it was cool. He’s got a cool studio set up, he’s a cool dude. Originally we were going to go with Zeuss (producer Chris Harris) and then Zeuss’s schedule was crazy, lining up with our schedule, and so we were looking for an alternative and Eric came highly recommended to us by some close friends. I got on the phone with him, he’s a MADBALL fan, and all I needed to hear was that he understood what we were, what our music was about, and where we were coming from. And then that was it, y’know, we clicked. We had a few phone conversations and then once we walked in the studio it was like a cool vibe, real comfortable place. Everything else just fell into place. Soundwise, you heard it yourself, so I’m happy with it.

JW: Very cool. The title, man, tell me a little about the title. Are there a couple meanings behind that, because I know obviously you guys are from New York, the Empire State, but it’s about more than that isn’t it?

FREDDY CRICIEN: Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. I mean that’s one way to contribute to the place that inspired this band, but that’s just one part of it. It’s also what we’ve built and what we’re continuing to build with our band, with our brand, with different things we’re doing, different endeavors that we’re doing. It’s also family related, you know what I mean. It’s all those things. It’s an empowerment theme. It’s all those things in one.

JW: And the other thing I noticed about it, listening to it, fresh off the heels of “Infiltrate the System,” this almost feels like the sequel. I mean definitely a followup, but like a sequel to that record.

FREDDY CRICIEN: It could be in some ways a sequel. It is kind of, y’know (laughs). And then, in other ways, it just kind of does its own thing. But definitely, with some of the vibe there, it could be perceived as a sequel to “Infiltrate,” you know what I mean. And even the title, y’know, we’ve infiltrated the system and now we’re building our empire, you know, that kind of vibe. But it’s got its own unique stuff to it as well.

JW: For sure. So what are some of the highlights on that record for you? What are some of the songs that stand out that you can’t wait, if you haven’t already, can’t wait to get out there and start throwing them out at people?

FREDDY CRICIEN: Man, there’s a few of them. There’s a few of them there I can’t wait to play live to be honest with you. It would hard to pick just one or two. Definitely the one that’s out, “R.A.H.C.,” the one that we’ve been playing live, that’s fun to do live because that’s like a short, in-your-face, you know, it has a lot to say. It’s kind of a throw-back style in a way. I don’t know, that’s a fun one to do live. I can’t wait to start doing “All or Nothing” live. That’s one I’m looking forward to. Really, just all of them (laughs) because we’ve been doing our set for a long time now so anytime we have new material, it’s always fun to bring it out and especially with this record, as you know, we feel really good about it and the vibe overall from people listening to it is a good vibe, people are really hailing it so. I think the whole record, front to back, is good.

JW: I agree. It’s a complete record from top to bottom. It’s a great record.

FREDDY CRICIEN: Thank you. I really appreciate that.

JW: Now you did a song (“Shatterproof”) with your brother Roger (Miret of AGNOSTIC FRONT). Tell me about how that came about. Did he actually come down there or did you guys use the magic of Pro Tools?

FREDDY CRICIEN: Unfortunately, with our schedules he couldn’t be there. He had to record it wherever he was at and send the track over, but he was vibing on it, you know what I mean. The second I heard the song, I knew he had to be on it. I basically just sent him everything, you know, the lyrics, everything. All he had to do was put his voice on there and it was a theme that he totally was all about. It was about me, him, us…he loved it. I sent it to him and he was all about it, recorded it, and sent it right back and I’m just glad we got him on there. I mean it’s been like years overdue. We’ve never had a guest vocalist on our record ever, and if it was going to be anyone it makes sense it would be Roger, you know.

JW: Of course, and it’s got to feel good collaborating with your brother who pretty much inspired you to get where you are today.

FREDDY CRICIEN: Yeah. He got me started. He’s the dude that put me on. He’s the dude that put me on with hardcore. I do what I do now because of him, and you know, a few other people. So absolutely…like I said, it’s overdue. He definitely needed to get on a MADBALL record. You know, he was a huge part of why MADBALL exists.

JW: So the record comes out in October and I see it’s on GOOD FIGHT RECORDS. Is this the first time with these guys?

FREDDY CRICIEN: Well, you know, GOOD FIGHT is actually formerly FERRET RECORDS.

JW: Oh, I see. A name change?

FREDDY CRICIEN: It’s not really the first time with these guys. It’s all the same crew, they had some legal issues, had to change their name, but yeah it’s all the same guys and they’re like total supporters of what we do so, I didn’t want to go anywhere else. They’re doing a good job with it, and it’s NUCLEAR BLAST in Europe.

JW: You also have a 7-inch that you put out on the side to go along with this. What made you decide to do that?

FREDDY CRICIEN: You know, it seems like 7-inches are starting to make a comeback, a lot of people are digging on that these days, it’s kind of what people are doing. It really is where we got our start, you know what I’m saying. To us, that’s like the first thing we ever put out as a band was a 7-inch. It’s cool to be able to do that again for ourselves but also for the dudes, for the people, for the guys and girls out there that like vinyl and just are into that. But there are definitely people nowadays that are really into that and it was fun to do, we kind of did the art a little different, and it was cool.. Just something cool to do.

JW: So you guys are up in Canada, just back from Europe. You have this new record coming out. It’s going to be a busy rest of the year for you guys for sure.

FREDDY CRICIEN: Yeah man. You know, we stay busy regardless. We’re fortunate in that way, that we can stay busy, with or without a record, but yeah, obviously with this new record we’re going to be out and about, but you know, we’re going at it at our own pace, pace that we feel comfortable doing, but we’ll get around to everyone, you know, that’s what I always say. We don’t do big extensive two-month tours without any breaks, but we break it up throughout the year, but we end up reaching, you know, we get around to at least the people that care about us (laughs). You know, the markets that support us. We try to hit everywhere, man, we try to hit new places. We’ll see what comes.

JW: You’ve got to cover as much ground as you can.

FREDDY CRICIEN: Yeah, we cover as much ground as we can, but we do it at our pace, man, and we’re excited to do it. Especially with this new album.

“Empire” was released October 10 on Good Fight Records and is in stores now. Following their Canadian run, they return to Europe for some dates, but watch for them in the States at a venue near you.

http://www.goodfightmusic.com/artists/madball.php

HAILS & HORNS article online

FLATFOOT 56 : BLACK THORN

FLATFOOT 56 : BLACK THORN
by Jason Walsh
photos by Jez Beasley



The brothers Bawinkel from Chicago’s South Side are celebrating the tenth anniversary of FLATFOOT 56 and this year has surely proven that they are continuing to progress forward. Tobin, Justin, and Kyle are spreading their blend of Celtic street-punk to every corner of the planet with a new record, “Black Thorn,” and maddening touring schedules, which has included the WARPED TOUR, a current run in Europe, and dates set with STREET DOGS and SICK OF IT ALL at the end of the year. Vocalist and guitarist Tobin Bawinkel said that the landmark year has been a whirlwind.

“It's hard to believe we're already in the last part of 2010,” said Tobin. “It's been an incredible year for us and we haven't really stopped to take a breath, and it doesn't look like we'll be doing that anytime soon.”

FLATFOOT 56 capped off the summer with some dates abroad after covering the U.S. extensively during the early part of the year. After countless shows, Tobin expressed that the experience overseas is unlike that in the Americas.

“We're only in Europe for a short run of Germany and The Netherlands right now, but we're having a blast,” he said. “Living in a van and touring the U.S., you kind of see the same sights over and over, but going to Europe is great because we see so may amazing countries and people and cultures. The countryside is beautiful and the people are very fun to be around. I guess what makes it special too is that we don't do it often enough. Coming to Europe is a nice break and a bit of a cultural injection for us. We love it. The fans here are almost as crazy as back home in the States.”

This past March, FLATFOOT 56 released their third label-backed studio offering, “Black Thorn.” This collection of new songs truly represent the band’s development since their previous albums, “Knuckles Up” and “Jungle of the Midwest Sea.”

“We really worked hard on that record and poured our heart and soul into it,” Tobin said. “We wanted to write a record that kept the flavor of FLATFOOT 56, but also focused on topics and subject matter that were more relevant to us culminating in our ten years as a band, and showed maturity. We owe a lot to our producer, Johnny Rioux, for helping guide us and pushing us to shape these songs into what you hear on the record.”

STREET DOGS bassist Johnny Rioux took the helm on “Black Thorn” as the album’s producer. Rioux had become familiar with the guys from FLATFOOT 56 after hitting the road with them in 2009.

“I was really excited to work with Flatfoot 56 for a number of reasons,” Rioux said. “Mainly because they are such great guys and have a lot of energy and ambition. Street Dogs had them on tour and we had the best time. But, it was a challenge I am all too familiar with.”

In modern times, Irish-influenced music in America has been defined by its two most recognized interpreters, DROPKICK MURPHYS and FLOGGING MOLLY. Not only Rioux’s challenge, but the challenge of every Celtic band is to find a unique voice and definitive sound that doesn’t come off like a carbon copy of their predecessors. Rioux knew what he was up against when he took on the project.

“The comparisons of being Dropkick Murphys’ ‘red-headed stepchild’ or ‘little brothers’ obviously struck a chord with me and gave me a ton of ideas to help steer them in their own direction. I wanted it to sound like a finely-oiled machine of a Chicago punk rock and Celtic band making a driving record in Texas. I'm really happy that people seem to get that. They are also a very spiritual band, where I am not so much, so I wanted to help them deliver the messages they were trying to convey in a way that a guy like me could relate with.”

Where many punk-rooted bands have come from negative upbringings and hostile environments, the Bawinkel boys grew up in a positive Christian family, with their father, Pastor Dan Bawinkel, serving as a spiritual leader and role model. The roots of FLATFOOT 56 stem back to early rehearsals in their church’s empty sanctuary at the Risen Savior Assembly in God in Chicago‘s South Side. Though working with a Christian influenced outfit was not familiar territory for Rioux, he agreed it was an enjoyable experience collaborating with a determined and focused group.

“It was alot of fun,” Rioux said. “I'm used to working with guys you have to pull out of the bar, or make sure they have the right combination of rest, caffeine, and THC (laughs), but with these guys it was a month of dedicated work. When they wanted a break, they'd search out Blackhawks games anywhere, pizza parties, and Justin even spent an afternoon whittling a heart from a piece of wood for his wife at Valentine’s Day. Totally different experience and really cool. They were completely open to new musical ideas and would try just about anything you threw at 'em.”

“Johnny is a super awesome dude,” Drummer Justin Bawinkel said. “He’s a really good friend of ours and it was really nice to able to spend a whole month down there at his place in Houston and just work with him. He had a lot of insight for us about different stuff, different writing styles, and just some wisdom on writing. We really trusted his opinion a lot and so we felt this kind of outsider perspective and fresh set of ears on our music. It was super helpful and he really brought a lot of the good stuff out of us, so that was really cool.”

Brother Tobin echoed Justin’s feelings about working with the veteran Rioux in the studio. His background in the underground scene and their connection musically paved the way for a positive experience.

“Johnny was great to work with,“ Tobin said. “When it was time to record our record, we turned to him for advice, because we respected him as a friend and musician, and he showed interest in wanting to work with us. Johnny has been in so many great bands that we love that we thought it was a natural thing to work together. We're glad we did and he definitely pushed us to make the best record we could. His input was invaluable and his great family opened their doors to us for a month during the recording of ‘Black Thorn.’ Great people. It was a very long and hot month recording it in Houston, Texas, and we're very proud of the result.”

Rioux started his producing path in the 90s, working with some of the great bands and engineers in New England. When former DROPKICK MURPHYS frontman Mike McColgan started STREET DOGS, Rioux jumped on board and eventually relocated to the Houston area so his wife could be close to family while he was on tour. There he met Troy Warner Jr., owner of the Absolute Sound studio, who has been a valuable source of knowledge and has provided a great facility for him to continue his work as a producer. Future Rioux projects include releases for Houston’s THIS YEARS TIGER and BLACKMARKET syndicate, as well as an experimental endeavor with progressive and traditional Celtic artist Hugh Morrison. The “Black Thorn” sessions saw Rioux really challenge the Chicago guys on finding their own voice.

“I think I worked them a lot harder than they thought I would,” he said. “I would say the biggest items would be focusing on a rock-solid rhythm section that would be a foundation for any great record. This is also something I really picked up from the jedi-master Ted Hutt, who had done STREET DOGS two previous records. I worked Justin and Kyle relentlessly in my shed for a solid week straight. Also, when you record punk rock and vocals the singer is usually overdoing the ‘throaty, tough guy’ thing. I really let them know that a happy balance is tougher and shows a broader musical range. The lyrics and message are super important too certainly, so I really pushed Tobin in that department as well. ‘Can it be said better? Can it be more universal?’ All of these components make for a great record.”

There is a darker spirit on this latest collection of tracks that show the band’s progression since those early days in the family church. It kicks off like a charge and never loses speed, proving these guys from the frigid northlands of the Midwest have improved upon their mastery of weaving Gaelic and street punk styles together, cementing their own unique battle cry.

“I think the fact that we pushed ourselves out of our comfort zones on some songs like ‘Shiny Eyes’ and ‘The Hourglass’ really made us look at our music in a different way,” Tobin said. “It was also great to be able to have my (then fiancee) wife, Jane sing on ‘Shiny Eyes’ with me. There are different flavors of style on the record from punk rock to hardcore to American folk to Celtic folk. We tried to mix it up and push ourselves musically on this one. Hopefully, there is something for everyone to enjoy on it. Just being able to continue to put records out after ten years as a band is a huge blessing for us and the fact that our fans love it, well that's awesome beyond words.”

From musicianship to songwriting and arrangement, the kids from Chi-town are all grown up now and “Black Thorn” is the evidence. FLATFOOT 56’s resident percussionist said the new sound comes from the passage of time.

“I would say it sounds a lot more mature,” Justin said. “And, it’s a little more like, not as happy, but still not a depressing sounding record, but not as goofy I’d say. It sounds like we kind of grew up, and I guess we did, but it doesn’t sound like we’re little kids anymore, which I’m happy to say we are not (laughs). I think that would be one of the first noticeable differences. We also tried to just really step out of ourselves, ourselves as far as our normal writing styles, and do stuff we were even thinking was different, you know, in order to get not-the-same record again. I’m really excited to put out something that’s different from our other ones but I don’t know if it is too far off to be like, ‘well, this doesn’t sound like Flatfoot at all,’ you know.”

“Black Thorn” hit the shelves on March 30, finding FLATFOOT 56 on a new home with OLD SHOE RECORDS. Tobin said the move to a new label was an easy decision for the band.

“Our commitment with our old label was over and we were contemplating releasing the new record independently by ourselves, when our manager decided to try and see if there was any other label interest. OLD SHOE was interested right away. They are great guys that run it and the label is shaping up to be a great American punk rock label. We really liked their philosophy and when we met them they seemed like great people who really loved our band. We gave it a shot and we're glad we did. They've stood by us every step of the way and have given us nothing but love.”

The lineup has changed since the album finished, seeing the departure of original bagpipe and mandolin player Josh Robieson, who decided to spend more time with his family rather than pursue a rigorous touring commitment.

“Brandon Good joined us as our crazy new mandolin player this year, as well as Eric McMahon as our bagpiper,” Tobin said. “Both guys have been friends of the band and fans for a long time, so it was a natural move for us. We're very happy with the new lineup. Both guys are part of our family and they work their butts off.”

Prior to and following the release of “Black Thorn,” the band had been on the road a great deal promoting the new music. This year also saw another landmark for the band, in that they were added to the roster of the WARPED TOUR.

“Yeah, it was our first time and it was great,” Tobin said. “We had so much fun on it and played to some great crowds. We're very grateful to all the fans, bands, WARPED TOUR crew we became friends with on the tour. We did twenty dates and it was grueling, but well worth it. It was a very fun experience. We especially loved waking everyone up every morning with the bagpipes and kettle drum. Brandon and Eric would go play for the line of people waiting to get in. It was a ton of fun and we hope to do it again next year.”

However, this summer was far more brutal than many in the past, with nonstop heat waves across the country. The demanding tour schedule set by the WARPED TOUR coupled with extreme temperatures could have been disastrous, however Tobin said they made preparations and found a way to endure.

“Before the tour, we installed a window unit air conditioner in the van so that we could keep cool without running our engine, but it went out after only a few dates. We got lucky towards the end of the tour and got some decent days, but for the most part it was scorching. But we've toured in worse conditions so it wasn't unbearable.”

When FLATFOOT 56 returns from Europe, they have some stretches with NYHC legends SICK OF IT ALL as well as their allies in STREET DOGS. Tobin said the “fans” in the band are excited about the tour alongside Queens’ Alleyway Crew.

“We're so excited to be going out with SICK OF IT ALL , STREET DOGS, DEVIL’S BRIGADE, and CONTINENTAL. We love SICK OF IT ALL , and especially so do Kyle and Brandon, and we can't wait to get into their pit and tear it up side by side with them on stage as well. Bands like SICK OF IT ALL transcend time and continue to make amazing music and it's our honor to be hitting the road with them. We always love it when we can introduce our fans to great bands we tour with too, and hopefully vice versa.”

Rioux, now back in touring mode again, looks forward to seeing his friends from Chicago hitting the road with his band once more. However, as wild as FLATFOOT 56 is on the stage, he says they are really good, down-to-earth guys.

“These guys are totally not crazy and that is a great contrast to my lunacy,“ he said. “Very grounded, very family orientated, and I really respect them as people, friends, and musicians. Can't wait to tour with them again this year. I would love to work with them again for sure. On this latest effort, I had to engineer, produce, and mix. Maybe next time we can hire an engineer to help out.”

And if you haven’t had a chance to check out the proud sons of the South Side, you still have an opportunity as 2010 winds to a close. There are many dates ahead and plans for another record next year. Brother Tobin assures as insane as the performances can get, there is always a guarantee for a good time.

“Our shows are always a blast and very unpredictable as to what we may do next. We've had people come up to us and say ‘hey, I broke my collarbone at your last show and I can't wait to get in the pit again.’ Our fans are amazing and we give them everything we've got for our live performances. It's a big party. You're all invited. Especially, you, Jason. Will we see you in the pit anytime soon?”


(your faithful journalist, fist raised in the pit)

AMP article online

ON TAP music picks for December 2010 in DC and Baltimore

I write music picks monthly for ON TAP Magazine in Washington, DC

These are this months concert previews that I wrote...

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 1
Peter Hook Presents “Unknown Pleasures” at the 9:30 Club
One of Joy Division's founding members is revisiting the old songs from "Unknown Pleasures" on a modern tour that comes to DC this December. Bassist Peter Hook, who later went on to help form New Order following the death of Joy Division's lead singer Ian Curtis, has hit the road for a US tour with his band, The Light, to play all the songs from the 1979 album. "Unknown Pleasures" was Joy Division's first record and one of the most influential releases of the "post punk" era, as the 70s wound to a close. "She's Lost Control" is one of the many classic tracks from the LP and it will be interesting to hear this current interpretation of the haunting soundtrack.
Starts at 9:30 p.m. $25. - Jason Walsh
9:30 Club: 815 V. St. NW, D.C.; 202-265-0930; www.930.com

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 4
Scythian and Enter the Haggis at the 9:30 Club
It will be a night of Celtic mayhem in the Capitol. Toronto's Enter the Haggis joins forces with local Irish rockers, Scythian, to get fans warmed up as seasonal yuletide temperatures begin to drop. Enter the Haggis has dropped three records in the past five years, touring incessantly across the countryside, bringing their eclectic brand of Celtic sounds to whatever stage they can find. Hometown heroes Scythian, a regular favorite at DC's Shamrockfest, promise to provide a high-energy performance that will leave fans gasping for oxygen and Guiness. For your double dose of traditional Irish sounds flavored with punk, jazz, and more, don't miss the Haggis or Scythian at the 9:30 Club this month.
Starts at 9:30 p.m. $15. - Jason Walsh
9:30 Club: 815 V. St. NW, D.C.; 202-265-0930; www.930.com

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 4
Warpaint, Rewards, and Family Band at the Rock
Hailing from Los Angeles, the all-girl four piece Warpaint bridges genres with trippy and unpredictable post-punk stylings that are mystical and enchanting. Having self-released their own debut, “Exquisite Corpse,” an E.P. mixed by Red Hot Chili Peppers John Frusciante, they have continued to hone their unique magical melodies and are now on the road with Rewards and Family Band, both rooted in Brooklyn, New York. This bill boasts three very individualistic acts that rely on experiment and creativity.
Starts at 8:30 p.m. $14. - Jason Walsh
Rock N Roll Hotel: 1353 H St. NE, D.C.; 202-388-ROCK; www.rockandrollhoteldc.com

MONDAY, DECEMBER 6
The Sword, Karma to Burn, and Mount Carmel at the 9:30 Club
Austin, Texas has become the modern Nashville, producing countless bands and artists of all different shapes and styles. The Sword is one of these hard-working bands that is a throwback to the heavy, classic-rock riffs of the 70s while stirring in a strong dose of metal doom. Now supporting their third studio release, “Warp Riders,” the guys who once supported Metalllica, Trivium, and Lamb of God, are striking out on their own. Opening for The Sword are Karma to Burn, an instrumental combo from Hicksville, West Virginia, and Mount Carmel, a three-piece from Columbus, Ohio.
Starts at 9:30 p.m. $20. - Jason Walsh
9:30 Club: 815 V. St. NW, D.C.; 202-265-0930; www.930.com

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 10
The Misfits and Juicehead at the Quarter at Bourbon Street
The Fiend Club has loaded the hearse and hit the highways of the nation, rolling to a ghoulish halt in Baltimore. The Misfits, risen from the dead…or was it the 80s?…are back once more. Led by Jerry Only, with Black Flag’s Dez Cadena on guitars, and original Misfit drummer Robo pounding the “Horror Business,” the classic music that lay dormant for far too long is back in this classic threesome lineup that promises to revisit those glorious, dark days of yesteryear. Though never a reconciliation with former lead vocalist Glenn Danzig, the Misfits have proven that they are quite capable of throwing down those classic horror tracks without him.

"Its been over 30 years and 30 years from now, people will still be playing our albums because we will never water down what we do,” Only says. “Our goal is to keep perspective on who we are and always stay true to ourselves. Our next album will only reinforce how potent the band has become with time. We plan to continue as always, to eclipse the past, block the sun and drag humanity by the throat into a world of darkness filled with ghouls, goblins and creatures of the night, where we are king."

On board for the ghastly pilgrimage of the Crimson Ghost is Juicehead, signed to the Misfits Records label, who will be soon dropping their new release, “How to Sail a Sinking Ship.” It will most definitely be a night that lives up to the expectations of fans and as the band states, “one thing is certain, The Misfits are here to stay and once again, every day is Halloween.”
Starts at 7 p.m. $15 advance/$18 day of show. - Jason Walsh
The Quarter at Bourbon Street: 316 Guilford Ave. Baltimore, MD; 410-528-8377; www.bourbonstreetbaltimore.com

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 11
George Clinton and the Parliament Funkadelic at the 9:30 Club
They’re gonna bring the funk. You know that’s a given when George Clinton and the Parliament Funkadelic arrive anywhere in the Mothership. With their roots rolling back to the late 50s when they were first dubbed, The Parliaments, the “funk masters” have gone through decades of evolution and this current stacked lineup of capable musicians will always have the party rocking long past dawn. However, this year saw the loss of one of their family. Longtime guitarist and vocalist Garry Shider passed this summer and the band release a statement that reflected their shared sadness.

“Aside from being the core of the group, the main conduit between George and the band, as well as one of the greatest guitarists, vocalists, and songwriters to have ever lived, Garry was the heart of the group, a perpetual family man, with a propensity for laughter, love, and happiness everywhere he went. No creature on this world or any other can replace Garry Shider. He is virtually un-clone-able. We will all miss Garry more than any words or songs can say, and we wish his incredible, undeniable soul all our love as he passes into the next world.”

The current tour is a tribute to a man that meant so much to the band, and a celebration of his life. If you’re down with the funk, then the P-funk gots what you need this December.
Starts at 8 p.m. $40. - Jason Walsh
9:30 Club: 815 V. St. NW, D.C.; 202-265-0930; www.930.com

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 12
“WRECK THE HALLS 2010” with Street Dogs, Flatfoot 56, The Have-Nots, Mason Summers, and Key Figures at the Ottobar
The 6th Annual “Wreck the Halls” tour started by the Street Dogs draws a close to yet another season. However this year saw the release of their self-titled record, “Street Dogs,” the band’s fifth studio offering. Led by former Dropkick Murphys frontman Mike McColgan, Street Dogs have continued the urban punk legacy that started long ago in the alleys of Boston, the city where this tour winds to a screeching halt. Supporting them on this festive event are Celtic upstarts Flatfoot 56 from Chicago’s South Side, Boston’s The Have-Nots, Mason Summers from Maryland, and Key Figures rounding out the bill. For a night of working-class anthems with traditional influences and gritty inspiration, the “Wreck the Halls” tour is a must for the holidays.
Starts at 7 p.m. $13. - Jason Walsh
Ottobar: 2549 N. Howard St. Baltimore, MD; 410-662-0069; www.theottobar.com

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 16
A John Waters Christmas at the Birchmere
The quirky Baltimore filmmaker is again revisiting some yuletide cheer with a performance of his interpretation of holiday classics that were released on the 2004 album, “A John Waters Christmas.” The show will see Waters arrangements of non-traditional standards and covers, such as Tiny Tim’s “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” Alvin and the Chipmunks “Sleigh Ride,” and the ever-classic, “Santa Claus is A Black Man.” It won’t be your typical night of Christmas carols, but for those that appreciate the warped sense of humor of John Waters, it will likely live up to those expectations.
Starts at 7:30 p.m. $45. - Jason Walsh
The Birchmere: 3701 Mt. Vernon Ave., Alexandria, VA; 703-549-7500;www.birchmere.com

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 28
Government Mule at the Warner Theatre
Warren Haynes and his band, Government Mule, are coming to the Warner Theatre this December with their Southern stylings that will rock the rafters. Supporting their new release, “By A Thread,” which the band recorded at Willie Nelson’s Pedernales Studio in the Texas Hill Country, Government Mule continue the journey started long ago. “It feels like we’re moving forward and backward at the same time,” Haynes said. “Hardcore fans tend to not want us to move too far away from where we started, but the band never wants to stay in one place for very long.” This will be a chance to see where the band has arrived before the start of a new year.
Starts at p.m. $35. - Jason Walsh
Warner Theatre: 13th and E St. NW, D.C.; 202-347-4707; www.livenation.com


WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 29
GWAR, Infernaeon, The Casualties, and Mobile Deathcamp at the 9:30 Club
“Eons ago, there existed an elite group of chaos warriors who ravaged the galaxy with a boundless hatred of all things alive.” Yes, GWAR is returning to DC for what might be the most insane performance ever to explode on stage. The notorious shock metal creatures released their twelfth studio album, “Bloody Pit of Horror,” on Metal Blade Records this year following up 2009’s “Lust in Space.” GWAR is not a band for the weak of heart, as you have to expect the unexpected from one of the craziest stage shows ever executed. Be prepared to duck or run, as you just never know what may come flying into the audience. Formed by musician film students from Richmond, Virginia in 1984, GWAR has continued their campaign of filth, decadence, and destruction for the past three decades proving the immortality of the outfit. Adorned in nightmarish armored costumes as sacrifices performed by slaves regularly share the stage, a night with GWAR will never be forgotten, but be sure not to wear your best Sunday clothes. Oderus Urungus, Balsac the Jaws of Death, Flattus Maximus, Jizmak Da Gusha, and Beefcake the Mighty want everyone on the planet to witness “The Bloody Tour of Horror Live.” Tasked with supporting the self-proclaimed gods will be Infernaeon from Tampa, Florida, The Casualties from New York City, and Mobile Deathcamp from Ohio, so you better go see these guys, because I don’t think they’ll survive the tour.
Starts at 6 p.m. $22. - Jason Walsh
9:30 Club: 815 V. St. NW, D.C.; 202-265-0930; www.930.com

from November:

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 12
Suicidal Tendencies and Underdog at the 9:30 Club
Venice’s Suicidal Tendencies have continued to hit the road hard for the past two years, this time in support of their newest release “No Mercy Fool!/The Suicidal Family,” which sees Mike Muir and Mike Clark revisiting songs from ST’s 1987 sophomore record, “Join the Army,” and one of their early Venice side projects, No Mercy. Clark and Muir did the No Mercy band before fusing it into the Suicidal family for the third record, “How Will I Laugh Tomorrow…” in 1988. Muir said they wanted to go back and do these songs proper and have them recorded better than they were on the original releases.

“It kind of goes back, but without being kind of sounding dated or something like that,” Muir said. “So for the recording with this, what we wanted to do was basically not try to just go massive distortion or something like that. We wanted to really make sure that it was played, it was played tight, and really heavy, and without having the distortion being played and you know, we think it sounds killer.”

Aside from his ST gig, Mike Muir runs Suicidal Records, and continues to tour and record with his other two projects, Infectious Grooves and Cyco Miko. This year, Suicidal Records has also released a Suicidal Tendencies DVD, “Live at Olympic Auditorium,” as well as a live 2-CD split from a 1995 Paris show of both Cyco Miko and the Grooves. Opening for the West Coast hardcore pioneers on the “Join the Army/Déjà Vu” 2010 tour are the 80s skate core legends, Underdog.
Starts at 6 p.m. $25. - Jason Walsh
9:30 Club: 815 V. St. NW, D.C.; 202-265-0930; www.930.com

DROPKICK MURPHYS Live on Lansdowne

LIVE ON LANSDOWNE
by Jason K. Walsh

All roads led to Boston as DROPKICK MURPHYS tore their way through yet another St. Patty’s warm-up tour, with its conclusion exploding in their hometown. The St. Patrick’s Day week-long celebration has become a staple for the band, playing several back-to-back engagements once the tour arrives in their city, and 2010 marks a complete decade that they have been doing this. As time went on, the number of shows they would do in Boston grew, some times at multiple locations concluded with the highly anticipated “after-party,” now held at the Ken Casey’s pub, McGreevy’s, out at Fenway.

This year’s backyard shows were held at the House of Blues, with seven performances over six nights. Supporting acts for these included SICK OF IT ALL, SWINGIN’ UTTERS, FILTHY THIEVING BASTARDS, THE CREEPSHOW, LARRY AND HIS FLASK, COCKED ‘N LOADED, SHARKS COME CRUISIN, THE OLD BRIGADE, THE HAVE NOTS, and BRYAN MCPHERSON. It was LARRY AND HIS FLASK, along with STRUNG OUT, that were on the road with the “Boys on the Docks” for the tour that got them ready for the chaotic Boston nights.

In celebration of their “10 Years of Service” as the city’s holiday ambassadors, they are releasing a new DVD/CD featuring footage from last year’s shows. “Live on Lansdowne, Boston MA” is the long-awaited live-performance sequel to 2002’s “Live on Patrick’s Day,” which was released on Hellcat Records. This new offering is out on the band’s own label, Born & Bred Records, and contains a more professionally shot, recorded, and mixed movie than its predecessor. The handpicked 20 tracks concludes with “I’m Shipping Up to Boston,” featuring their friends and neighbors, THE MIGHTY MIGHTY BOSSTONES.

I had the opportunity to talk to frontman Al Barr right before the New England crew hit the road, about their favorite time of year, as well as the new DVD/CD, their plans following the festivities, and the one thing that troubles touring musicians who are parents: being away from their children.

JW: You guys are getting ready to kick off a big run that’s going to lead to Boston once again. Tell me about gearing up for all these shows that you have coming up.

AL BARR: Well, you know, it’s kind of like the rehearsal before the performance. This is our tenth year doing the St. Patty’s in Boston so it’s special. I mean every year is a special one but this is kind of hitting our milestone having it being the tenth year anniversary of the shows. We used to in the beginning when we started doing the multiple nights, we would kind of screw ourselves and just not do any playing aside from practicing, into the shows, and by the third or fourth night we were ready to call it, to kill ourselves. We find that when we tour into the shows, we’re all kind of machines, oiled up and ready to go, so once we get to the Boston shows, we’re home, y’know, even though I’m in New Hampshire, but it’s close enough. It’s just like it’s the home stretch and we’re a well-tuned machine by the time we get there. It’s going to be a good time. We’re doing 7 in six days again this year and it’s going to be, y’know, residency at the House of Blues (laughs) so it’s going to be a good time.

JW: Definitely sounds like a good time and that’s kind of a cool touring strategy. You head out and then you kind of wind your way back home. That’s perfect.

AL BARR: Yeah, I know. It is. It’s worked out the last few years that we decided to do it. I want to say we were in Europe or something and we came back and the we had the St. Patty’s Day shows in Boston and we were like “WHOAH…is it me or was that just so much easier than it’s been in the past?” and everybody’s like “yeah.” It’s just an extension of the tour and so we just kind of programmed that into the machine and said “you know what for now on we just got to tour into St. Patty’s.” We usually play pretty much consecutive nights when we’re on the road. If there is a day off, it’s because we got to drive from like Colorado to San Francisco, or something like that, you know what I mean? There aren’t a lot of days off, so we play every night, so we’re used to that kind of schedule. And it’s like I said, it’s a residency, it’s like we’re the house band for a week at The House of Blues (laughs). We’re Murph and the Murph-tones…Don’t you go changing!!

JW: That’s very cool. So you’ve got Strung Out and Larry and His Flask…I’m not really sure I know who that is, so uh…

AL BARR: Yeah, I don’t either (laughs). No, just kidding. I want to say they played on one or two of the shows we did on a past tour and everybody seemed to like them. They’re very likable guys and there a good band, you know what I mean? So it’s kind of like we just figured, y’know, it’s all about giving the newer bands a shot anyways. That’s how we got to where we are, y’know. Bands like the Bosstones said “let’s give this band a shot.” Those are the kinds of things that I think go a long way with the band. If there going to be in there for the long haul, you don’t know unless you try it, but you’ve got to start somewhere.

JW: Playing this time of year, is this special for you guys because you definitely have the Irish and Celtic influence going on and it’s all leading up to St. Patrick’s Day in Boston. Does that make the shows that much more special for you guys?

AL BARR: Yeah, I think it was one of the things where it wasn’t something where we set out to like, y’know. I mean there is a definite, obviously an Irish influence in the band and there is definitely that heritage lurking about in ninety percent of the members in the band. It’s one of those things where we used to not be able to do Boston on St. Patty’s because we couldn’t get an all-ages venue and we weren’t going to just do shows that were 18 plus. It was all like we got to have at least one all-ages show, there’s got to be something for all ages. Now, we’re able to do at least one or two of those in the mix. It’s special because we’re there in the hometown. Our family is there. Our friends are there. It’s something about Boston. I’ve heard a saying that “maybe it’s in the water.” It’s definitely a special time to be there. People come from everywhere for these shows now. I mean not just across the country, but all over the world. People fly in from Belgium and Germany and we’ve had people come from as far as Japan and Australia. It’s pretty crazy, you know what I mean? And, just being a band and to have people care enough to come and see you anyway, let alone the people that are going to get on a plane and fly here. That’s pretty special.

JW: Very cool. Now tell me about the new CD/DVD you guys have got out. It’s “Live on Lansdowne.” This was recorded in the home town. When was this recorded?

AL BARR: This was recorded last year at the St. Patty’s Day shows. We put one out 2002 and there’s been three records since then and the band’s completely different now. It’s just a whole new animal. It’s still Dropkick Murphys obviously. We’ve gotten a little bit better, hopefully and there’s just a lot of music that we weren’t able to include in the first one and obviously with three records having come out since then, there’s a lot of other songs that we wanted to include, so it was time to do another one. The first one was very popular with the fans so we didn’t think it would be a bad thing to do.

JW: Have you gotten a chance to check it out from beginning to end?

AL BARR: Oh yeah. You better believe it.

JW: What did you think when you saw it? What went through your head?

AL BARR: I cant stand, I mean I can’t stand watching myself. It’s just one of those things that I’ve never been really comfortable with, the videos or live stuff, because I think we’re all kind of our own worst critics. It was just one of those things where I was like, you know what, this isn’t something that I want to watch so I was actually really relieved when I put it on that it looked really good. And I’m not saying we look good, I’m saying the actual footage and everything, it was like, I held my head up and said “this is fucking cool.” It sounds good, y’know, I think for a live record. We tried to do a live record for years, I remember, and we recorded a live record I think three different times in three different locations. This is when we did the first St. Patty’s Day album. So, I think that’s another thing. We’ve learned a lot since then in terms of recording and how things need to be recorded and where we need to put mics in terms of audience and that kind of thing. Also, picking the best songs from the best nights and continuity and all that jazz. We learned a little since then so I think it’s a better product in the long run.

JW: Very cool.

AL BARR: You know what. That’s just my opinion, who the fuck am I? In the long run, the people will decide. Someone like you yourself will listen to it and go “hey, he’s full of shit…this sucks.” (laughs)

JW: No, I haven’t gotten a chance to see it yet or hear it yet, but I’m looking forward to it. So after all this is over with, you’ve got a little bit of a break, then heading over to England, Scotland, and Ireland. Then what’s the rest of the year hold for you guys? Are you going to start working on a new record or what?

AL BARR: Yeah man, we kind of had a lot of time off, from the fall to last Christmas. We took some time off. The band hadn’t really taken any time off since I can remember, you know what I mean? Not that much time. Whenever we had taken time off, we were always working on records or recording or playing some kind of a benefit, or doing “Tessie, Tessie,” singing stuff for the Red Sox. There was always something that we would do under the moniker of “oh, this is time off.” It was never really pure time off. We just kind of all reclused from the band and spent time with our families and really just kind of hunkered down there, so we didn’t get anything done. So yeah, we’ve got to write a whole new record and in the meantime we’ve booked ourselves through August. That time between St. Patty’s and England, we’re going to be working on a new record and anytime that we have in between. We’ve got our sites set on trying to get something done for fall, and hopefully for a late fall, early winter release. So, we’ve got our work cut out for us.

JW: No doubt. But you’ve got to do the family thing. It’s good to take a break. You can’t live on the road for sure.

AL BARR: And that’s the thing. We’ve been living on the road and it’s one of those things where yeah, y’know, like you said, you’ve got to do the family thing. Three of us have children in the band. Everybody in the band is married. People start to get weary. Bands tend to go off the deep end in that situation.

JW: I got one more question for you. Is this still fun for you, man? You talk about going on the road for long periods of time, long stretches, at the end of the day, are you still having a lot of fun doing this?

AL BARR: You know, I gotta tell you, as a band we’re really lucky to be able to do this for a living and I feel like it’s the best job that anyone could have ever given me, but at the same time, having said, I’ve got kids and all that stuff. I don’t enjoy, y’know, like when I’ve got to get on a plane and go to Australia or Japan, even though it’s great to go to Australia or Japan, I don’t enjoy leaving my family. You know what I mean, it sucks, so it’s a double-edged sword. I get to go play music all over the world, that’s awesome, so anybody reading this interview is going to be like “what an asshole, he’s complaining,” but at the same time, y’know, it sure beats any other job. So, I mean I can’t complain, I do still enjoy it. I think there’s certain aspects about it that become harder and when my six-year-old grabbed me around the waist before I left for this last European thing and pleading with me not to leave. Those are the kinds of moments…they don’t ever get easy. But the nice thing is that when Daddy’s home, he’s home 24-7. Again, I can’t complain. I’ve got to really be grateful for where I am right now and just enjoy every moment of it, because you know, it could all be over tomorrow (laughs).

http://www.dropkickmurphys.com/

SUICIDAL - NO MERCY FOOL!

SUICIDAL TENDENCIES
Interview with Mike Muir
by Jason Walsh

They’re back! The Suicidal Maniacs! Venice’s ST crew have revisited some old classics from their early, formative years with new style and flavor, sure to be appreciated by not only diehard fans but the next generation of Cycos as well. SUICIDAL TENDENCIES founding father Mike Muir along with partner-in-crime, guitarist Mike Clark, took some time in the studio to re-record songs from Suicidal’s second LP, “Join the Army,” as well as tracks from their 80’s Venice side project, NO MERCY. According to Muir, this was a chance for them to get the songs down tighter and cleaner than the classic releases from the old days. “No Mercy Fool!/The Suicidal Family” is not a nostalgic walk to the past, but moreover an upgrade of the original material.

Muir, like on stage, is constantly in motion. Aside from his duties with SUICIDAL TENDENCIES, he runs his own label, SUICIDAL RECORDS, which started in 1996, as well as his side projects, INFECTIOUS GROOVES and CYCO MIKO. Muir is also a father, with one on the way in the new year, and somehow finds time to balance all of these things.

I had a chance to talk with Muir before the band hit the road on the “JOIN THE ARMY / DÉJÀ VU 2010 US TOUR” about coming back to these classic hardcore anthems as well as the future for hardcore’s most insane ambassador.

JW: Hey Mike. How things going for you right now?

MIKE MUIR: Good, good. A little hectic. A little more hectic than usual but that’s life sometimes.

JW: You got this new record coming out and you’re getting ready to hit the road for a couple months. Tell me about that.

MIKE MUIR: First, there’s a festival in L.A. that we’re doing. It’s called EPICENTER, two days, bunch of bands, and just a really, really efficient machine, that you get twenty emails a day just requesting all kinds of stuff. It’s crazy. So, we’re getting all that sorted out and then we do the show. Then, we’re sorting out our visas for Brazil. INFECTIOUS GROOVES is going to South America for the first time and then S.T. is playing two days later at a festival in Chile, so we do that, fly that, get picked up at the airport, head on tour with Suicidal in the States. Got a lot of stuff we’re trying to take care of before we leave.

JW: That’s cool though. I just saw you announced that you had those two festivals down there in South America. Are those good times for you guys down there because I mean they get some big crowds down there?

MIKE MUIR: Yeah, they’re real big festivals…I think they’re both three days and all the press we’re doing down there, it’s like a lot of really big TV shows, things like that, that normally we wouldn’t do and like I said, Infectious has never been down there. People are real excited about that. Suicidal has been down there a couple times recently, so I think people are excited about Infectious. Then, going to Chile and doing the Suicidal festival is good and I know a lot of people from South America are going to both of those or traveling to see it. You know you get the emails, “before I buy my tickets are you going? Are you sure?” Yeah, we’re excited about that.

JW: Very cool. So tell me about this new record. You took some songs from “Join the Army” and some of the NO MERCY songs and re-recorded them. What made you decide that’s what you guys wanted to do?

MIKE MUIR: Well. You got to go back I guess to ‘87 and in early ‘87 that’s when the NO MERCY album came out and that was Mike Clark, who’s in Suicidal now, before he was in Suicidal on guitar and I sing on it. Later on the “Join the Army” record came out and, jumping ahead real quick, a lot of the songs that are on “How Will I Laugh…” were songs that me and Mike were writing for the second NO MERCY record. I think what happened is when the NO MERCY came out, I realized that there’s a lot of things with the Suicidal record that was missing, as far as playing, and that was Mike Clark and stuff, and didn’t want NO MERCY to become competition with Suicidal. You know originally, “How Will I Laugh..” and “Trip at the Brain” and some of these songs, should be Suicidal. So, I talked to the guys, you know, and was like, “hey, we should really get Mike Clark in Suicidal,” you know, add that element and make the band, I think, a lot better and there was some resistance, there was some persistence on my part, and so then Mike got into Suicidal, and the “How Will I Laugh…” record came out and all that, so the NO MERCY kind of disbanded. And then ‘89, we got offered an ANTHRAX tour in Europe, a lot of big places, and “Lights, Camera, Revolution” wasn’t ready yet, so we went in and did an E.P. for Europe, “Feel Like Shit…Déjà Vu ,” and we recorded a bunch of the old NO MERCY songs. We recorded them and played them, and that was when Robert (Trujillio, now in METALLICA) first got in the band in ‘89. So, we went there and got a lot excitement because of having Robert in the band, having Mike. Mike was excited playing the NO MERCY, and you know, it’s one of those ones, you always go back and I always listen to “Join the Army” and go it would have been way better if Mike was on it, and when Robert was in, would have been way better if Robert was on it and stuff. Then when “Lights, Camera, Revolution” came out, that cut that tour short. Going back now to where it was, we kind of basically going back, we re-recorded some of the NO MERCY songs because we always told Mike, “hey, we’ll do another tour one day playing the NO MERCY songs” and that’s when we kind of put it all together. We did some of the “Join the Army” songs and called it the “Feel Like Shit…Déjà Vu ” E.P. It kind of goes back, but without being kind of sounding dated or something like that, so for the recording with this, what we wanted to do was basically not try to just go massive distortion or something like that. We wanted to really make sure that it was played, it was played tight, and really heavy, and without having the distortion being played and you know, we think it sounds killer.

JW: And that’s the thing I was going to say is it sounds definitely a lot cleaner, a lot tighter, and I mean, like the bass and the guitar stand out in all the mixes that I heard.

MIKE MUIR: Well I think what we wanted to do is, previously a lot of quote-unquote metal is just guitars straight ahead, drums straight ahead, bass straight ahead, and when we got Robert in the band, that kind of changed things and tripped people out a bit. I thought it was great. For us, what we did was we got Clark sitting there going, “You know, we’re not going to have it distorted so you can cheat. You can get a little kid and put the amp on and massively distort it and have him hit a power chord and goes “WHOOAAA,” you know…didn’t want to do that…“You know what, maybe I have to play it. Not do the little cheating thing. Not a pedal. This and that. Go in there and make your arm sore and actually play it, so there’s no shortcuts and then keep that real tight so that it made room that the drums don’t have to be straight ahead, the bass doesn’t have to be straight ahead.” So it’s more of a musical and a powerful thing, and that’s where we can even play it faster and I think more aggressively.

JW: It sounded great. The speed on the guitars, from beginning to end, it’s a really great record. What was it like for you and Mike going back and revisiting these songs in the studio. Was it kind of nostalgic or what?

MIKE MUIR: Well, we have our own studio so we’ve recorded a lot of stuff over the years and originally we didn’t know we’d be putting the two together. What we did, the “Join the Army” stuff, first time Mike started playing it, I was like, “Dude, it’s not good enough.” And I think that he went…and when you do something for a long time, you go in and you just do what you do. Doing what you do is not what it should be. You got to go in there and really, really work. So that’s what I was saying, we take the distortion off, none of those things. I know a lot of times, people like to have the screaming and the distortion and have everything mastered real loud and all that. It’s like I go, “you know what, I want this to be for someone that is young and wants to play an instrument to listen to this and go ‘oh wow, I got to sit down and do my homework,’” rather than, you know, those ones that you can just get out there and start playing around because it’s real simple. I think on “Join the Army” original, someone that was young back then, they could get there and play it and go ahead and play it right away and stuff. So, we wanted to make it, like you know what, if it inspires someone to do music, they’re going to sit there and try not to be the total generic. And I think also when you re-record things, you realize there’s going to be x-amount of people that don’t like you, that are going to say they hate it, before they even hear it, you know, to begin with and that’s good, you know what I mean, because it just eliminates people that you don’t want anyhow and stuff. But when you go in there, you realize it can’t be five times better, it’s got to be ten times better and stuff. So for us, that’s what it is, it’s ten times better, and it gives us a chance to play a lot of songs that we haven’t played in a long time, that we wouldn’t play in a long time, and we definitely probably won’t be playing when we get our new record out, because then we’ll be playing a lot of that stuff, so it’s even harder to fit in any of the old songs.

JW: When you heard it finished, all put together and done, and you listened to it back, were you pretty happy with the results?

MIKE MUIR: Yeah, like I said because they recorded it two different times and when you put it together, I think it’s a great record, and like I said, the common denominator is, you know, the 1987 NO MERCY and “Join the Army,” and you know like I said, we try not to be the nostalgic thing but, as we’ve toured recently, the last couple years, you get a lot of people that happens with the little kid that you know, you see the parent push their kid up and they go, “thank you” (laughs) and you’re like, “for what?” and he goes, “cuz I wouldn’t be born if it wasn’t for you” and then you got the parents there and they said, “ahhh, we met at a Suicidal show 12 years ago.” But, I think that when you go backwards, you worry about the nostalgia stuff, but I think what it is is a chance for a lot of people that maybe mention the tour, have kids now, they can bring their kids, you know, check it out. Show them what’s up and stuff and also to rediscover music and be able to hear it for probably one last time.

JW: On this tour, are you going to play a lot of this stuff that you re-recorded on this album.

MIKE MUIR: Yeah, so it’s basically going to be the stuff on there and the “Feel Like Shit” E.P.. A few other ones.

JW: You were talking about another record. Come into next year, are you working on a new record of new material?

MIKE MUIR: Well, we basically have two other records done, but originally we were going to put that out in Fall, but one of the things that we really wanted to do before we put out a new record was to tour around and we’ve been doing that the last few years. But, I’ve also just had a son that just turned one and I’m having another baby in January, so it’s like, we don’t want to put out a record and not be able to do a full-on tour. Even with this tour, they start booking it and we get requests from all over the world and we’re not a band that wants to go out there and tour ten months out of the year and be away from our families and all that. I think we’ve done that before and then it gets to the point, you’re just trying to survive the tour, You know (laughs) and I think what we try to do now is like, everything that we do, there’s a reason for it and we want to make sure that we’re in a position that we can do every show to the best of our ability and make sure that the people that are there are going to remember it for the rest of their life, like the shows before we were in a band that really made an impression on us and stuff. You know we’ve always said, going back to the first interview, we don’t want it to be a job and that’s what we try to keep it from. On the same side, you know, when you have new stuff that you think it’s like, “wow this is great,” and I think for us because some of the stuff on the new record we did here several years ago and you sit there and you go, “no one’s doing what we did” and it’s going to come out sounding very new, and where I think sometimes if people did a record and held it, some of the songs, for three or five or seven years, it would end up sounding very dated. We’ve never done a record kind of for the time, that’ll fit into the time, and I think that’s what we try to do with a record, that ten years from now, people when they hear it for the first time, that are 5-years old now, when they’re twenty and they hear it or whatever, they’ll go, “wow, that was bad ass.”

“No Mercy Fool!/The Suicidal Family” was released on September 7 on Suicidal Tendencies. Muir has also released a SUICIDAL TENDENCIES “Live at the Olympic Auditorium” DVD as well as a live-split from Cyco Miko/Infectious Grooves dubbed, “Funk It Up & Punk It Up: Live in France ’95.” On top of this, the ST “Possessed to Skate” deck, originally dropped in the 80’s on brother Jim Muir’s skate company, DOGTOWN, will be hitting stores once again.

AGNOSTIC FRONT : 25 years of Victim in Pain

AGNOSTIC FRONT
by Jason Walsh

In this second decade of the 21st century, the godfathers of New York Hardcore celebrate their 25th anniversary milestone. AGNOSTIC FRONT, who have continued to remain an inspirational and driving force in the underground hardcore scene, in tribute to their amazing longevity, have re-released their first album and EP, “Victim in Pain/United Blood.” These groundbreaking hardcore classics feature the two distinct original lineups, both of which feature frontman Roger Miret and guitarist Vinnie Stigma, while “United Blood” is backed by the late Ray “Raybeez” Barbieri of WARZONE notoriety and Adam Moochie and the rhythm section of the “Victim in Pain” consists of Rob Kabula and Dave Jones.

In February, following the release on Bridge 9 Records, the “classic” AF lineup from “Victim in Pain” played for the first time together since 1984 at the Bell House in Brooklyn. Old school veteran Roger Miret took the time to talk about the current reissue, reunion, and future of AGNOSTIC FRONT, one of NYHC’s most important institutions

Tell me about re-releasing “Victim in Pain/United Blood” on Bridge 9 Records. Why did you guys decide to do this now?
Well, it was about time. It was 25 years later once we release it and I couldn’t think of a better place to do it than with Bridge 9. They’ve been really cool and we do a lot of underground singles and stuff with them and they really cater to the underground hardcore so we thought that would be the appropriate home for it.

So when you decided to do this, did that idea of going back to the original lineup, did that have anything to do with it? Which came first?

No, the album came first and to be honest with you, I haven’t had any contact with Dave Jones, the drummer, since 1984 or around then. So I thought just do the album and that was it, then I decided to do a show and I decided to try and find all the original members and that’s how it came across.

What was it like reconnecting with Rob (Kabula) and Dave and asking them if they would be interested in doing this? How did that go over?

It was great, man, because Rob, we played together with Rob in Epitaph years, in that lineup we had Rob. In the beginning, Rob and even Adam Moochie, the original bass player from “United Blood,” we were in contact with them. The only person I didn’t know if I was going to be able to get was Dave Jones. Miraculously, Dave Jones contacted the label and then it all fell into place.

Where has Dave been all these years? What’s he been up to?

Well, he unfortunately went through a terrible accident and which left him out of doing things for many, many years, but he’s recovered from that and he’s doing much better, thank god. But that’s pretty much where he was at, recovering from a horrible accident, a wreck with a tractor trailer.

Wow…that’s horrible.

Yeah.

So were you guys looking to take this lineup and tour. I see you have some dates in Europe coming up.

No, no. We just wanted to do one show with that lineup.

Oh, that was just a one-off. I see.

Yeah, that was a one shot original lineup show. We’re doing the whole “Victim in Pain” set and most of “United Blood.” We’ve incorporated it into our set list so when we play, we’ll most likely most of the times, we just start with “Victim in Pain,” we’ll play the whole album front to back, and we continue on with the rest of our set, so we’re incorporating it. We did a 25-year anniversary set list, with the original lineup, with the original guys playing it. That was a one-off show that just happened.

Gotcha. So when you guys are heading over to Europe, this will be you, Vinnie Stigma, Joseph James, Pokey Mo, Mike Gallo, the guys you’ve been toruing with in recent times.

Absoultely, absolutely.

So tell me about heading over to Europe. I looked at the list of dates and I thought that’s a long time to be over there and a lot of shows. Are you excited about it or do you look at that like “that’s a lot of shows.”

Yeah, and well, it is a lot of shows but we love Europe. It’s been a second home…it’s always been great. What we do is like what we do here in America, we separate parts. In the olden days, we would tour for anywhere from eight to twelve weeks, in America and in Europe. It just gets really hard doing the eight-to-twelve-week straight tour, so we break it into parts. We do two weeks, two weeks, two weeks, two weeks in America in four parts and we’ll go home, because we’re family men too, you know, we have children so we have to keep that in mind too. Then we’re doing the same thing with Europe, we’ll do four weeks here and then we’ll come back and do two weeks here, come back, and do another two weeks here, y’know, instead of going all out for the whole 8, 10, to 12 weeks, which is kind of hard when you’re raising a family.

And that’s the important thing. A lot of bands when they hit the road, they don’t have families. You guys have been doing this for a long time, so going and doing a big tour and to take that time to go back and hang out and chill with the family, that’s important.

Absolutely, you know. Like I said, we have family, we care about them, we love our family. It may seem like we’re doing a lot of crazy tours is only because we can just split it up in certain ways, because we are family men.

That’s cool and it’s good management of your time it sounds like.

Yeah.

So after the European tour, what’s going on for the rest of the year? You guys going to record? I mean how do you follow up “Warriors?” That was like the greatest record of all time.

You know that’s something we have to deal with. You always got to try to deal with following up what we’ve done, but I’ll tell you what though, we’ve got about a good solid eight, nine songs right now for our new record and it’s going to give “Warriors” a run for its money.

Nice.

And I’ll tell you, there are a lot more sing-a-longs on the new record. I think “Warriors” is the perfect record for us because there was a true representation of AGNOSTIC FRONT today and how we are together as a group and how we write together, because that was the first time we let everybody write. Ever since “Warriors,” I’ve given the confidence to the rest of the guys to go ahead and write, not only musically but lyrically. I thought they did a great job. They came to the plate with some good stuff that you know, if it’s good it’s good. We feel the same…they’re on my team so I gave them a little more freedom and I think with “Warriors” they really proved themselves and now we have a different way of writing, you know.

Does it feel better at this stage in your career and with the band to collaborate on that kind of level?

Oh, absolutely. I think this is the best the band has collaborated in its history, I think, to be honest with you. During “One Voice,” we had really good collaboration with Matt Henderson, Craig Setari, and Will Shepler. We had some really good, solid collaborations, but then it’s been a little chaotic before then and after then. It’s been a little wild, but I think this is the first time when these guys have been able to collage all our entire history together.

My last question for you, Roger. 25 years later. Is this still fun for you? When you have a show are you still genuinely excited about the entire experience?

Yes. It’s still fun. If it wasn’t fun, I wouldn’t do it. It keeps me alive, it keeps me young, keeps me motivated. I mean look, this has been my life, it’s been my…pretty much it. It’s been my life and something I have a passion for and I adore and I can’t see my life without it. It’s kind of hard to look and think if I don’t have this music around me, where would I be. I’m blessed and lucky enough to have taken it this far, but I hope I can take it further. As long as there is a demand for AGNOSTIC FRONT, I’ll always be here. You know, I’ll always be involved with music somehow, someway, ‘til the end like I say.

UNDERDOG

UNDERDOG
by Jason Walsh

Skateboarding and hardcore were practically synonymous in the early days of the 80s underground scene. Bands took the aggressive shredding attitude of board riding, coping grinding, and aerial flying and put it into their music. Many band members during this era could easily be found tearing into a half pipe when they weren’t on stage. As the decade wound to an end, hardcore continued to branch out, finding its way, and developing into a multitude of sub-genres defined by style, influence, and what particular hometown you claimed as your own. One of the innovative skatecore champions during this time was New Yorks’s UNDERDOG.

Born in the vibrant and emerging NYHC scene, UNDERDOG had a different take on what music from the five boroughs was all about. Infusing their “agro” upbringings with elements of punk, hardcore, and reggae, they wrote some classic old-school songs that stand the test of time today. After releasing some demos and 7-inches, they put out “The Vanishing Point,” one of the classic full-length staples in any 80s hardcore collection. Following this initial LP, UNDERDOG toured in support of the album, took a break, and that was pretty much the end of it.

In recent times, the band has become a little more active, playing out somewhat over the past few years and a few tours abroad. 2010 sees the release of their complete discography, dubbed “Matchless” on Bridge 9 Records, and finds the guys from NYC with a record to promote with the possibility of new material in the future. So there is no need to fear (sorry…had to) as I had a chance to catch up with vocalist Richie Birkenhead to talk about the future of UNDERDOG.

How are you doing today, man?

I’m doing well. How about you?

Not bad, not bad. It’s Sunday and too bad Monday is coming soon.

Yeah. We have beautiful weather here in New York. Where are you?

Virginia. Pretty nice down here as well. So, tell me about re-releasing all the UNDERDOG stuff on Bridge 9. How did that come about?

Well, it’s something Russ (Iglay) and I wanted to do for a long time, just kind of put everything on one disc, whether it be vinyl or CD and get it out there because it seems that there’s been so many sort of versions of “The Vanishing Point” and then there was “The Demos” and the 7-inch. We actually have a pretty tiny discography but we still wanted to get it all in one place. We’d just been talking to a couple of labels and it just felt right with Bridge 9. Actually, Russ kind of took thee helm with talking to them and it just seemed like a great vibe all the way around. It just seemed like they made to most sense.

So are you guys playing right now? Are you guys doing anything as far as the band goes?

Oh sure. We play shows fairly few and far between but we play shows, travel…we played Japan a couple years ago. We did Europe and we do a few New York shows a year. Once this disc is out I’m sure we’ll be playing much more often because we’ll have a release to support.

You have this whole generation of kids that are going to shows now that might have heard of you guys, maybe never saw you, maybe never even heard you. Now they get an opportunity to go back a decade or so and hear some of the old original stuff that came out of New York.

Absolutely. It’s great both ways because we get to sort of have all those feelings back again, being on stage together, and playing shows, and it’s amazing to know that there are kids in the audience who are hearing this stuff for the first time. It’s a really, really good feeling.

When did you guys start playing again together?

It kind of happens sporadically. We did briefly in 1998, we started playing together very briefly and then went back on a semi-permanent indefinite hiatus and then it was 2005 when we heard CBGB’s was going to close down. We were asked to play what we were then told was one of the very last shows. It turned out not to be and the place lived for a while longer and then we did in fact play one of the very last shows at CBGB’s in 2006. We played with THE BAD BRAINS and THE STIMULATORS. But, yeah, it all started again in ‘05 and we’ve played a handful of shows a year since then.

Now when you do this, you play together and then you have these breaks, and then you come back together, what kind of feeling is it for you to be back doing it again. Is it positive for you? Is it motivational for you? Do you still enjoy doing it?

Oh absolutely. It’s like anything your passionate about. The minute it all starts, I mean even if it’s a rehearsal, the minute we hear those guitar chords again, the minute I start singing or screaming and yelling, yeah, I feels exactly the same. Absolutely.

When you take the break, I mean is that tough on you? This is this thing that you’ve done that you love to do and then when you have these long stretches of not doing it, do you almost kind of like go through withdrawls?

In a way it is. I mean I have a lot of other stuff in my life that makes me very happy. I have a little daughter that makes me very happy. I have a lot of other things, but yeah sure, I love making music and I’ve made music in various forms and I still make music even if I’m sitting alone in my house, so I have that, but sure, I definitely miss being on stage when I’m not. It makes it that much more special when we get the opportunity to do it again.

Now I’m a kid of the 80s and I grew up riding skateboards and listening to hardcore bands on the East Coast. I remember when “The Vanishing Point” came out, it was one of those defining records that was kind of unlike the other bands that were coming out of New York. You guys did a tour following that and took a break and that was pretty much it for the band. What happened? It seemed like you guys were at the top of your game and all of a sudden decided to not keep doing it.

Yeah, I mean at the time, you know, it’s hard to even remember all the reasons why, but we were kind of like the Barry Sanders of hardcore. We were at the top our game and retired. I think that we were just a little road weary at the time. I think band members were maybe sort of drifting apart personally for whatever reasons. Those dynamics are always so complex but for some reason back then being together for what was only four or five years, seemed like a good run and we kind of just bagged it. We called it a day. It also felt at that time, like in 1989, it felt like hardcore had sort of plateaued and started to wither a little bit in certain ways. And of course, that was just our narrow perspective from where we saw it. We didn’t realize it was still thriving and growing and, you know, for the same reason that people get divorced or bands break up inexplicably, we just kind of stopped. We didn’t even know we were breaking up. We just kind of finished the tour in San Francisco and drove back to New York and just didn’t rehearse or play again. It just kind of happened. And yeah, it was difficult, and we all moved on and did other stuff musically, but ultimately we were drawn back together.

Now the discography is called “Matchless.” Have you and the guys in the band had a chance to listen to it from beginning to end.

I have just by assembling all the songs in sequence in my Itunes library, just listening to it at home but it’s a real trip for me just to hear the progression from the very first demos going through “The Vanishing Point.” It’s pretty cool to listen to them chronologically, but I’ve only done it that way.

So, is this going to be all the songs as they were originally released? They haven’t been remastered or anything like that.

Yeah, yeah. There’s no adding backup vocals or any of that stuff. It’s as they were originally recorded and mixed, the same exact versions.

So no Pro-Tools magic on this one at all?

No…no (laughs). And it’s funny, I’ve definitely heard on hardcore records where that has happened and it’s always really bizarre. I won’t name any bands that have done it but I’ve definitely listened to recordings of hardcore bands where all of a sudden you hear backup vocals you didn’t hear before or a guitar that you didn’t hear before. It’s a little weird.

Now my last question, being together and playing with the guys again, you’ve got this release coming out and you’re probably getting geared up to do a bunch of shows this new year, is there any chance that you guys might get together, hit the studio, and put out some new stuff?

Yes. There is a very, very good chance of that. In fact, we have it in mind to, at the very least, record a couple of covers and a couple of originals and do a sort of EP but it could easily turn into a full-fledged album.

Just kind of see where the day takes you and if it’s still fun I guess?

Yeah. We don’t want it to be disingenuous so we don’t want to force it. If it happens and it feels right, then absolutely, and I think there is a very good chance of it happening.