DEATH BEFORE DISHONOR

DEATH BEFORE DISHONOR
by Jason Walsh

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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