MAYHEM TOUR for AZ Weekly

The Mayhem Festival Tour
by Jason Walsh

Summer is the season when legions of trucks hit the roads bringing dozens and dozens of bands in touring festivals to every major city across the country. This year’s biggest metal smorgasbord is the Rockstar Mayhem Festival, with co-headliner’s Marilyn Manson and Slayer leading the pack with some of the world’s most heavy-hitting outfits in tow. The madness comes to the Phoenix this summer as the carnival of brutality descends on the Cricket Wireless Pavilion on July 17.

“I have good news and bad news to announce,” Manson said. “The good news is that I am completely aware now that our music and our Mayhem tour will have a negative, destructive influence on America. The bad news is that I don’t give a fuck.”

Brian Warner, a..k.a. Marilyn Manson, formed the band back in 1989 as Marilyn Manson and the Spooky Kids with founding member and bassist Jeordie White, a.k.a. Twiggy Ramirez. Ramirez left the band in 2002 and recently rejoined to collaborate on Manson’s 7th studio release, “The High End of Low,” which hit the shelves this past May.

“I think my life definitely ended and began,” Manson said. “The record sounds very final, but it's almost optimistic, though that feels like a strange word to use. It's a phoenix from the fire and a redemption resurrection."

Sharing the marquee with Manson on this year’s tour are the undisputed masters of thrash metal, Slayer, who have spent the past quarter century defining the true nature of the genre of which hundreds of bands have followed in their wake. Guitarist Kerry King said he was excited about being on the bill with Manson for a second year in a row.

“We co-headlined with Manson once before, a couple years ago,” King said. “So, we all know what we’re getting into. Manson and I probably drank a little too much absinthe on that tour, but we had a really good time hanging out and playing good music. We’re looking forward to doing the same this summer on Mayhem.”

Slayer frontman and bassist Tom Araya also expressed his enthusiasm about the festival tour and for him it was a chance to make the Mayhem a family affair.

“Yeah, actually that’s going to be good,” Araya said. “You know, it’s going to be a fun summer tour. I’m going to have my family out with me so it’s going to be fun. You know, we play an hour, which really doesn’t allow for too much, you know what I mean, so we have to seriously decide what songs to play. It doesn’t give you a lot to do as far as stage time. But you know, summer run, it’s going to be a fun festival. The bands that are playing are really good bands. It’s a good show and I think people are going to get their money’s worth.”

Slayer has also been in the studio this past year working on their eleventh studio offering which is currently untitled, but according to the Araya will be released some time before year’s end. “Psychopathy Red” was a preview single of the new album which was released earlier this year and flew off the rack on its debut day. Araya expresses great satisfaction with the new material, which takes the band back to the earlier, heavier, lightning-fast moments of which the band made their bones.

“I got nine songs that are mixed and sound amazing,” Araya said. “It’s going to be awesome. It’s really, really good. It’s Slayer. It’s everything you want to hear Slayer do.”

After twenty-five years of touring the world countless times, millions upon millions of sold records, and nods from the industry with two Grammy wins, Araya says that performing for the fans is still the most rewarding part of continuing the Slayer legacy

“The stage time is the best time,” Araya said. “And, the fact that people want to come and listen to your music which is a phenomenon in itself. You know what I mean? That people actually want to come and listen to music that you created and play it. It’s amazing sometimes.”

Returning to Phoenix, like many cities across the country, brings out the diehard fans who never miss a Slayer event. These dedicated disciples make the shows whenever the band hits town and Araya said it’s amazing how he recognizes the same people in each city.

“It is crazy,“ he said. “We’d done in-stores and stuff and a few were where you get a proud father with a baby and then the next time you see him, the baby’s grown, with their own baby. Yeah, it is crazy and pretty neat to see and you can see it out in the audience too. Faces. And then the fans are so loyal that whenever you play any certain cities you recognize faces. You know you’ve been seeing the same faces for the past twenty-five years, so it’s kind of neat when you’re like looking at the audience and you’re like, ‘Dude! I recognize you!’ and they know you recognize them. It’s kind of cool.”

The Rockstar Mayhem Festival Tour swings into the city this August with an impressive lineup of supporting acts: Killswitch Engage, Bullet For My Valentine, Cannibal Corpse, Trivium, God Forbid, Behemoth, All That Remains, Job For A Cowboy, The Black Dahlia Murder, Whitechapel, and Mushroomhead. Araya said with a lineup like this, fans should not miss the spectacle.

“The bands are really good,” he said. “The bands on this bill are really good. It’ll be exciting. And, then they should come see us because we’re Slayer (laughs). That’s about it.”

ROCKSTAR MAYHEM FESTIVAL TOUR
Cricket Wireless Pavilion
Phoenix, AZ
Friday, July 17
2 p.m.
Tickets available at www.livenation.com
For more information about the tour, log on to mayhemfest.com

SLAPSHOT: Chip On My Shoulder

CHIP ON MY SHOULDER
An interview with SLAPSHOT’s notorious frontman, Jack Kelly
by Jason Walsh

Rising out of the ashes of Boston’s first wave of hardcore, which included straight-edge pioneers SS Decontrol, Negative FX, and DYS, came the controversial and iconic Slapshot, who through thick and thin, would continue the legacy of aggressive underground music throughout the better part of three decades. Jack Kelly was one of those early voices, with his early bands Negative FX and Last Rights, and joined forces with Steve Risteen and Mark McKay from the local outfit, Terminally Ill, who would later bring in bassist Jonathan Anastas from DYS and Decadence notoriety. The band was originally contemplating Straight Satan, based on the motorcycle gang that protected Charles Manson, but later took their name from the hockey term which involves the most violent yet inaccurate motion in the sport, however the hardest hitting shot in the game. A significantly appropriate title to lend to the music the band would later produce and from the land of the Bruins came one of hardcore’s most recognized groups in its lineage.

Slapshot was renown for their energetic and chaotic live shows and became quick staples in the American hardcore scene, releasing the classic records “Back on the Map” and “Step On It,” as well as anthems like “What’s at Stake,” “Firewalker,” “Straight Edge in Your Face,“ and “No Friend of Mine.” Over the band’s tumultuous and unpredictable career of “Old Tyme Hardcore,” there have been numerous lineup changes and hiatuses and as they approach the quarter century mark, the emphasis on the band is not nearly what is was in those early days. People start families, separate lives, other careers, and it can become difficult to concentrate on the band when there are so many outside factors in life pulling. However, Kelly continues to hold the torch up high and strives to record an album of new material in the near future.

Recently, filmmakers Ian McFarland of Blood for Blood fame and Anthony “Wrench” Moreschi, who fronted Ten Yard Fight, Stand & Fight, and Resist, released a film about the band, “Chip on My Shoulder: The History of Slapshot.” More of a documentary about the relationship between Kelly and drummer McKay, as well as other former members from the group, than a fan DVD with live concert footage and videos, the film shows the human side of the guys from Slapshot. More about the people involved than the music, “Chip on My Shoulder” shows the true nature of the characters involved in one of Boston’s most memorable hardcore outfits to date.

I had a chance to talk with Jack “Choke” Kelly about the new film and his thoughts about it, as well as the current direction the band is taking, with some touring and possible recording of a new album this year, as well as the departure of one of the band’s founding members.

JW: So Jack, kind of tell me what you guys got going on this year.

JACK KELLY: Ah, well, we really don’t have much going on at all. Just plans to go down for a show in Florida but we’re not going to do that now. We’re trying to streamline things. Mark (McKay) has decided to move on and do other things with his life, so right now it’s just me and Chris (Lauria) and I’m not sure about Mike Bowser yet, he lives in New Jersey. We’re still planning on going to Europe in August for like ten or eleven days. That’s really it. I’ve been writing a ton of stuff. Hopefully, we’ll be able to get together and write enough and eventually get in the studio and do something new. You know, I always kind of just play it by ear. If things happen, things happen. If things don’t happen…the band now is such kind of like a side thing in my life. It’s not something that I actively go out and do all the time or count on.

JW: It’s got to be a lot different now being a lot older, you have a family now, and it’s got to be tough to do this as a full-time thing.

JACK KELLY: Oh, it’s not a full-time thing at all. It hasn’t been a full-time thing for a whole long time. You back in the late 90s, early 2000s, it wasn’t a thing at all. I kind of like had given up for about three years, nothing was going on, we didn’t play in Europe. Then I got a call from the people over in Europe and they said, “Hey, you want to come over?” and that’s kind of how we’ve done things. Actually, we’ve done more in the past say two years than we had in the years previously. We’d been over several times, of course the last time we went, we kind of decided that we really can’t milk this thing without putting something new out, so that’s kind of been our focus. Actually, it’s kind of been funny, it’s been one of the most prolific writing spells over the past eight months that I’ve had in years and years. Man, I’ve got a ton of stuff, kind of like jot it down, lyrically and musically in my head.

JW: What kind of stuff have you been working on right now? What kind of stuff have you been writing?

JACK KELLY: Well mostly, I kind of went back to personal politics, that kind of thing, girlfriends, you know that kind of thing, you know just whatever. I’ve never really been into singing about like politics or anything like that, like politics per say. I’ve touched on it here and there, but I always kind of felt that kind of stuff is better left to bands…people that know a little bit more of what they’re talking about, follow news and stuff like that., It’s never kind of affected me enough to really go and write about it. But as far as anything else goes, I mean the movie is sort of the focus of things at the moment.

JW: Tell me about that.

JACK KELLY: Well, I mean it’s honestly…the tentative title is “Chip on My Shoulder: The History of Slapshot.” I mean it really has not a whole lot to do necessarily with the history of the band, but there are historical elements in it. It’s really more about a bunch of friends and you know say twenty years of sort of living with each other and comings and goings of band members, you know, how they feel about things. It’s less about a band necessarily than it is about friends, and I think a lot of people can relate to it. People looking for like the definitive Slapshot video or your typical band video, where you’re going to see like “Chip on My Shoulder” played eight different times in different cities, will probably want to look elsewhere because that’s not what this is. There’s actually very little live footage in it. It’s much more personal than that.

JW: Is it finished now?

JACK KELLY: I think there’s just a few more things to finish up with it. Ian (McFarland) and Wrench (Anthony Moreschi), and all those guys did a fantastic job on it. It’s amazing. While I don’t like everything in it, or the way I’m portrayed or other people may be portrayed in it, it’s there movie. You know, my original degree when I went to college was Film, so I totally respect their…I’m not asking them to change anything. There’s some things I would love to change. I’m not going to go there and ask for them to change it. This is their movie and it’s fantastic as it is.

JW: So you’ve seen a great deal of it, or the final cut?

JACK KELLY: I saw the whole thing. There was a premiere in Boston a few weeks ago, two or three weeks ago. Actually, it sold out the theater the fastest any film has ever sold out for a film festival. So, I think those guys should be really proud of what they did because it’s a pretty cool movie.

JW: When you walked out of the theater, even though there were a couple things you didn’t like about it, you still though it was pretty well done at the end of the day?

JACK KELLY: It’s definitely not a feel-good project. Anyone going to it isn’t going to be like, you know, leave going “wow…that’s fantastic!” You’re definitely not going to leave the movie like feeling good about…whatever. It’s not one of those kind of things. But, it’s really amazing. It’s a fantastic film.

JW: How did this come about? How did the whole idea for doing a film come about? Was this an idea of Ian’s or what?

JACK KELLY: Ahhh…no. Honestly, it’s been so long now, I can’t remember where it came about. We had, for years and years and years, we used to go on tour with a video camera…just 99 percent of it, of what we got was just absolute ridiculous, like “Jackass” way before “Jackass” was ever what they are. You know, it’s just us doing stupid shit on tour. So originally my idea was we were going to put something together, you know just get somebody in an editing room, we were going to put all this stuff together. You know, I envisioned it having very little live footage but just sort of us being just jerk-offs all the time. Which honestly I think is really what the band is more about. Playing live for us is sort of the ends to the means, where in order to go over to Europe or go on tour, we had to be in this band. So, it’s sort of like my vacations have been with the guys and how bad is it tour around Europe with five or six of your best friends. People pay you to get on stage…and at the end of the day, you know you go home, you got all the money in your pocket, and you had a good time. Those have been my vacations really. Not a lot of people get to do that. We kind of created this, like 23 hours out of the day, it’s fun and then “alright, we got to play a show now,” and we’ve always been like, sometimes that’s the worst part of our day. The rest of the day was mostly just such a blast to hang out.

JW: You’re having more fun enjoying where you’re at and then it’s like, “oh wow…we’ve got to go to work now.”

JACK KELLY: Yeah, exactly. Honestly, I think that’s the way a lot of bands feel. I never understood a lot of these bands that “made it.” Sometimes, I hear interviews with them and they’re bitching and moaning about being on the road when they’ve got, say, their own tour bus and they’re getting paid a lot more money than we ever got paid, and they’re still doing the same thing, you know, they got their friends and everything. I never understood the whining. I’m not necessarily talking about the Metallica movie, but Jesus Christ, give me a fucking break. You guys are enormously huge, you make a ton of money doing what you love to do. Give me a break. Stop complaining. I’ll never get to that point. We had, say, an opportunity and it just passed us by like it does many bands, but we got some measure of success and some measure of renown, but we never got to do what a lot of say big bands go to do and it kills me when I hear big bands whining and complaining about their life on the road. Give me a break.

JW: When it’s all said and done, this many years later, this is still fun for you?

JACK KELLY: Yeah…yeah, oh sure. It’s become less fun, but, yeah sure, it’s still a blast. I mean I’m not going to complain. I get to go over to Europe, like I made a lot of friends, a lot of friends over in Europe, a lot of friends all over the country, people that are in other bands and whatever, and I would never complain about it. There’s some shitty times, like this last trip in December was awful. The shows weren’t so good, it was freezing cold and dark every single day, Mark and I got sick about a week into it and spent the last ten days of it absolutely miserable with fevers and sick. I cam home, I told my wife, you know, if this had been my first tour it would have been my last. It was so miserable. But, even at the end of it, it beats working. It beats having like a regular job. What the hell, you know, an hour of getting on stage, yelling at the top of my lungs and sweating my balls off is better than sitting at a desk all day long working nine hours a day or commuting an hour to work and an hour home, and then spending eight hours behind a desk. Just about anything is better than that.

JW: Where was this tour in December? Where were you at?

JACK KELLY: It was back in Europe. We did Italy, a couple off-shows, like one in Poland, mostly as usual, like Germany and Holland.

JW: And just wasn’t a good time to be there?

JACK KELLY: (laughs) Yeah, yeah, we kind of agreed that if we ever went back, we’d go from say like April to October. I don’t think I ever want to go back there after November ever again. In the eighteen days there, we saw the sun once and I’m not much of a sun person, I don’t really care, but in eighteen days when you only see the sun for two hours in Poland as it’s setting, it gets to be pretty rough.

JW: So, without a doubt, when that was over with, it was good to get back home?

JACK KELLY: Sure. And being sick, on top of it all, really sucked. It was nice to be home after that one.

JW: Are you looking to bring somebody else into the band to do some of this recording and do something towards the end of the year? Is that what you’re looking at now?

JACK KELLY: Yeah, we’ll see what happens. Obviously, there are people around that we know, so I’d like to get together with a couple people. The way I write songs, I usually have like a voice recorder and I hum into it and that’s how I jot down all my stuff. I don’t really play an instrument. I can pluck things out on a bass a little bit but I don’t really play. So what I do is I just kind of hum into a voice recorder and then I’ll get to practice and I hum it to the guitarist or the bass player and then they can transcribe it and we refine it from there. Basically, until I take some of these ideas and sit down with the other guys in the band and we start hashing them out, sometimes it sounds great in my head but the thing is I hear it recorded, you know, full on with drums and vocals and guitar and when you get it with a band and the way people play things and everything, sometimes it ends up, “OK, well, that wasn’t so good after all.” Sometimes I dump them, there’s been tons and tons of songs over the years that just aren’t going to work. And, with certain people playing it, it might sound completely different. We’ll just have to see what happens once we sit down and start writing them out.

JW: And that’s the thing about collaboration, it’s getting together with a bunch of people and just saying, “this is my idea,” and turning it into something else and seeing what works and what doesn’t work.

JACK KELLY: Sure. Right, and I mean at this point I’m so used to working with sort of like hardcore people that I’m sure if I actually got like real musicians (laughs). I’d almost be embarrassed to hum out some of this stuff to real musicians because, you know, it’s up in my head but I’ve never worked with, you know, real accomplished musicians in my life, so we’ll have to see what happens.

SLAYER : WORLD PAINTED BLOOD

Slayer
by Jason Walsh

It has been nearly thirty years since four young guys crossed paths in the Huntington Beach region of California, playing Iron Maiden and Judas Priest covers in small venues to unsuspecting patrons who had no idea that the musicians before them would go on to create the most brutal and aggressive music of all time. Never as well would have any of the members of the band expected that this chance meeting would lead them to forming one of the most influential metal bands in the annals of music history. After a chance meeting with Brian Slagel, who was just starting up his independent label, Metal Blade Records, the band would drop their first published track, “Aggressor Perfector,” on the first “Metal Massacre” compilation. This would later lead to the label putting out their first full-length album, “Show No Mercy.” Upon its release, the metal community would never be the same again.

Slayer is just the standard in fast, relentless, and unyielding metal. Period. Thousands and thousands of bands who have followed in their wake have emulated their sound, style, and technique, but at the end of the day, they still reign supreme as the undisputed lords of sonic destruction. Their controversial lyrics and sinister composition has always put them on the “hitlist” with the conservative brigades since the band’s inception, but their legions of loyal fans have continued to keep them the most sought out metal act ever. Albums like “Reign in Blood” and “South of Heaven” remain at the top of the list as inspiration for the thrash metal, black metal, and new metal bands that have come and gone over the years, but when the dust has settled, Slayer continues to rule the wastelands as the signature soundtrack of Hell.




Drummer Dave Lombardo left the band in 1992, which for many, seemed to be the beginning of the end. Slayer continued on with drummer Paul Bostaph, and Jon Dette for a short stint, through the remainder of the nineties, but many fans felt the band was not the same anymore and lacked the initial spark that had hooked so many over the years. During this period, “Divine Intervention,” “Undisputed Attitude,” and “Diabolus in Musica” were released with the new lineup and were not received well by critics and fans alike. On September 11, 2001, Slayer released the follow-up album, “God Hates Us All,” which was overshadowed by the tragic events of that fateful day. With touring problems arising due to national security issues and flight restrictions, the band struggled getting to the stages to play for the fans. Prior to the end of the U.S. tour, Bostaph left the band again and the fates aligned, bringing Lombardo back into the fold. Ever since, the band has remained in its original, “classic” lineup and in 2006, “Christ Illusion” was released, which became one of the band’s highest charting records ever, debuting at #5 on Billboard’s 200 Albums Chart.

Now almost three decades into their journey, they have released ten studio albums, a number of EPs and live records, done countless world tours, been awarded two Grammys, and are currently finishing up on their eleventh studio offering. This summer sees them hitting some festival dates in Canada with Megadeth on the “Canadian Carnage Tour” before starting the “Mayhem Festival Tour” with Marilyn Manson, and the new record’s release looms somewhere over the horizon. A promotional release of “Psychopathy Red” flew off the shelves, leaving the salivating Slayer masses anxiously awaiting the new album‘s debut.

I had a chance to talk with Slayer bassist and frontman Tom Araya about the new record and upcoming tours, as well as the loyalty of the band’s supporters, and yes, even the National Day of Slayer.



JW: So, how are things going for you today?

TOM ARAYA: They’re going good. They’re going good. Actually, I’m in the studio talking to Greg (Fidelman -producer) right now.

JW: Tell me what you got going on this year. You guys got a busy summer ahead of you.

TOM ARAYA: We’ve got a busy summer coming up. We’re going to be doing six shows actually, five Canadian shows, starting June 21. Then we do the Mayhem Festival Tour with Manson and that’s going to go from July through August. Hopefully, we’ll have a record somewhere coming out around that time.

JW: Tell me a little bit about this Canadian Carnage Tour you’re doing with MEGADETH, MACHINE HEAD, and SUICIDE SILENCE. It’s just a couple shows before you start the Mayhem Festival.

TOM ARAYA: It’s five shows. Five festival shows we’re doing with them. I’m assuming there’s something else in the works that’s like a precursor to something that will happen a little later.

JW: So there’s something else in between the two?

TOM ARAYA: Yeah, something’s going on…(laughs). You know, people aren’t just nice to be nice. There’s a reason why people are nice.

JW: Ok…so talk to me about the new record you guys are working on. I heard a couple tracks off of it and a lot olf the fans got to hear “Psychopathy Red.” Tell me about the new record. How are you feeling about it?

TOM ARAYA: Awesome. I got nine songs that are mixed and sound amazing. It’s going to be awesome. It’s really, really good. Really, really good. It’s Slayer. It’s everything you want to hear Slayer do.

JW: The thing I got from listening to them, a lot of it reminds me of the older sound and a lot of the heavier, more aggressive stuff from the older days. It just takes me back.

TOM ARAYA: Yes, I have to agree with you. Wait ‘til you hear the rest of it (laughs). Seriously, it sounds really, really good. Real, real good. Amazing. Won’t toot my own horn…hahaha.

JW: Has it been fun being back in the studio recording again?

TOM ARAYA: No, it’s never fun being in the studio (laughs) but the end result is always, you know, that’s the winner. When you hear the final mixes of stuff, it makes it come together and you’re like, “WOW!!!” But yes, studio time is not the best time.

JW: But it is the means to the end.

TOM ARAYA: Oh yeah. Like I said, in the end what you hear is like, you know, put a lot of work into this. Sounds really, really great. Sounds really good. Greg is doing a really good job.

JW: Tell me about the Mayhem Tour you’re doing this summer. You excited about hitting the road to go do that?

TOM ARAYA: Yeah, actually that’s going to be good. You know, it’s going to be a fun summer tour. I’m going to have my family out with me so it’s going to be fun. You know, we play an hour, which really doesn’t allow for too much, you know what I mean, so we have to seriously decide what songs to play. I t doesn’t give you a lot to do as far as stage time. But you know, summer run, it’s going to be a fun festival. The bands that are playing are really good bands. It’s a good show and I think people are going to get their money’s worth.

JW: And the lineup is great.

TOM ARAYA: Yeah. The bands are really good. The bands on this bill are really good. It’ll be exciting.

JW: So with the record, do you guys have a title for that yet?

TOM ARAYA: No we don’t. Actually, there’s still a few songs that don’t have titles yet (laughs). But, we plan to get them soon.

JW: So, where do you guys go from here. You’re doing these tours over the summer and you’re going to do this record and put it out some time this summer. Is this something you guys are going to keep doing?

TOM ARAYA: This album, once it comes out, we’re probably going to do some fall stuff and then we’ll probably do a U.S. tour starting in January and into the summer. We’ll probably do festivals in the summer over in Europe. But you know, we got a tour for this album cycle that usually lasts about a year-and-a-half to two years. So we’ll be touring. We’ll be touring and playing. And the after that, while we’re touring and playing, we’ll figure out what to do afterwards. Right now, we’re focusing on making sure we do these shows (laughs).

JW: Are you going to take a hiatus from recording and mixing down the record or are you trying to finish up before you start hitting the road.

TOM ARAYA: No, no. We’re still trying to finish up some stuff, recording-wise. From here, we’re rehearsing for the shows that we’re going to in Canada and the Mayhem tour. So, we’re rehearsing right now so there’s no hiatus going on. We’re rehearsing and as soon as we’re done rehearsing here, we’re going to go and start the tour. Then we break for about a week and we start the Mayhem tour. After that, like I said, I’m sure we’ll do some other dates. Probably Japan, Australia, and South America. We’ll be busy for the next year and half or so (laughs).

JW: Now did you think when you started this up almost thirty years ago that you would still be doing this now and on the level that you’re doing it now?

TOM ARAYA: No, I never would have thought that. Ten albums, eleven albums later down the road, you know what I mean? Countless tours. No, I never would have thought it. I was just happy that we were on “Metal Massacre.” (laughs) You know what I mean. When we had one single on that album, that was fine with me. I was happy.

JW: What was that like when you were young, you guys were out playing shows and doing cover songs and all of a sudden you had that song “Aggressor Perfector” on a compilation. What was that feeling like, being a young guy and going “oh my god, we’re on this record?”

TOM ARAYA: It was awesome, dude. That’s what you want. You know what I mean? You want to get a song on a record. That’s what I wanted, you know what I mean? And then (Brian) Slagel (Metal Blade Records) says, “why don’t we do an album?” Like what?!? “Give me an album and I’ll put it out.” That song, when we wrote that song, we went back and rewrote a lot of music and came up with a lot of material for “Show No Mercy.” So that was a very inspiring song and we just took it from there, you know what I mean?

JW: And like I said, thirty years later, is this still fun for you? Do you still dig doing this?

TOM ARAYA: Oh, yeah. Yeah, the stage time is the best time. And the fact that people want to come and listen to your music which is a phenomenon in itself (laughs). You know what I mean? That people actually want to come and listen to music that you created and play it. It’s amazing sometimes.

JW: That’s got to be a really amazing feeling. And literally, Slayer has a legion of hardcore, loyal fans. There is a buzz in the air when Slayer comes to town. There’s a feeling and people know when you’re coming. It’s got to be a great feeling to hit that stage and just see all those people out there and know they are totally digging what you guys are doing.

TOM ARAYA: And it is. It’s a very good feeling. Very good feeling, man. Very good feeling. I can’t really describe it. But it is. It’s a good one (laughs).

JW: So, I have to ask you about something. Someone passed this one along to me and told me to ask you about the “National Day of Slayer.” Tell me about that?

TOM ARAYA: That was something that was done by some kids, I can’t recall from where, and they started doing it one year and they’ve been doing it for the past four years now. I’m not sure. On June 6, they wanted to do a “National Day of Slayer,” which is my birthday. They’ve been doing it and this year our publicist thought it would be cool, since they’ve been doing this for three or four years now, that it would be kind of neat to put a little plug together. It’s really cool and kind of neat that they are continuing the Slayer legacy (laughs).

JW: And that’s got to be a good feeling.

TOM ARAYA: It is. It’s great. It’s cool. They’ve been doing this for four years now and I guess they have a nationwide gathering, you know what I mean? People write in and type in what they did that day and what they plan to do that day. Listen to Slayer all day or do something they consider would be a Slayer type of mentality.

JW: That’s awesome.

TOM ARAYA: It’s kind of neat. You know what I mean? It’s kind of cool and that it was celebrated in country of Chile, where I’m from, so the whole country celebrates my birthday. I think it’s a trip.

JW: That’s pretty awesome. And that’s the thing, with your fans you are getting into several generations of fans. You have the fans that are the young kids or the older guys that saw you back in the day and now some of those people are grandparents now.

TOM ARAYA: Yeah. Yeah (laughs).

JW: And now their kids and grandkids are coming out to see Slayer. I mean, that’s got to be crazy.

TOM ARAYA: Yeah, it is crazy. It is crazy. We’d done in-stores and stuff and a few were where you get a proud father with a baby and then the next time you see him, the baby’s grown, with their own baby, like you said. Yeah, it is crazy and pretty neat to see. And you can see it out in the audience too. Faces. And then the fans are so loyal that whenever you play any certain cities you recognize faces. You know you’ve been seeing the same faces for the past twenty-five years, so it’s kind of neat when you’re like looking at the audience and you’re like, “Dude! I recognize you!” and they know you recognize them. It’s kind of cool (laughs).

JW: That’s awesome. So my last question for you, what you say to people that might read this about checking out the new record and why they should hit the show when Slayer comes to town?

TOM ARAYA: They should check out the new album because it’s fucking awesome. That’s why.

JW: Fair enough.

TOM ARAYA: That’s why they should check out the new album, because it’s fucking awesome. Seriously. It is amazing. And then they should come see us because we’re Slayer (laughs). That’s about it.

10 for $10 Tour

10 for $10 Tour
by Jason Walsh

The change in season sees the end of the school year and folks deciding on their vacation destinations and fun-filled activities before the arrival of Labor Day. Summer has traditionally been the time for thrill and adventure and one of the mainstays of this time of year has been live music, namely the colossal festival tours that seem to relentlessly invade cities across the nation. And as the cavalry of merchandise stands, overpriced food and beverage slingers, and self-absorbed rockstars prepare to invade communities in every major market, the question most American music fans start asking themselves is “which show can I afford?” Ticket prices and their attached service charges have gone through the roof and during the summer inflate even more, coupled with insane parking fees and the little bit of scratch needed to get you a $8 hot dog, $10 drink, and the $25 t-shirt that says you were there. In the greater scheme of things, choices have to be made on what big-time festival to hit and how much of a loan will be needed to get through it.

And though the media says times are getting better, the country is still in a recession and in the last year more than a half million Americans were laid off. Times are bad and for many, there isn’t extra money for entertainment when you can’t pay the bills. However, some forward-thinking members within the hardcore community have banded together to stack a tour that’s not only affordable, but enjoyable. The 10 for $10 Tour will feature ten quality bands, from old school staples to the new school upstarts, that will be hitting 32 cities between July and August for a mere ten bucks. It will be a long, hard-hitting day of hardcore in which fans won’t have to break the bank.

“The 10 for $10 Tour came about as an idea from our friend Tim (Borror),” said Poison the Well guitarist Ryan Primack. “He had an idea of a really cool summer tour with some cool bands. It was an idea of a cheap show to sort of address the current ‘everyone is broke’ situation. There are only a couple of summer tours and they are all really big festivals, so to speak. So, he asked if us and a couple other bands might want to do something different. It was the idea of a really great club show.”

The metalcore South Florida unit Poison the Well has been together since 1997 and latest record, “The Tropic Rot,” hits shelves this summer. The band is one of the headliners on the road that will be playing every venue along the way and Primack believes that a tour of this caliber is great for all the bands involved as far as getting their music out there to the people.

“It’s gotta be cool,” he said. “We’re a band a little over a decade old. In hardcore years that makes us a brontosaurus. I think for us the exposure is even cool. I don’t know how it’s good for the hardcore scene. I think for me, I focus on a different picture. It’s good for music. Sometimes people try to separate the two so that it’s one scene and another scene and whatnot. For me, I’ve always just focused on music. I like personally like music that isn’t worried about any scene. My favorite hardcore band is Bad Brains. How much of a simply defined hardcore band is that. They played dub songs. I think it’s good for a scene of people that want to hear music that comes from the most important place and that’s from the heart and mind. It comes from those places without consideration for the wallet.”

New York hardcore mainstays Madball will also be co-headlining the tour, bringing their blend of breakdown five-borough mayhem. Frontman Freddy Cricien was on board when the idea was in its early stages.

“The tour concept was thought up by my friends Tim Borror (Agency group) and Paul Conroy (Channel Zero Entertainment). They’ve been long time supporters of the hardcore scene. I became involved pretty early on. I think they had Madball in mind from the beginning.

Cricien believes this event will have a positive impact in rejuvenating the underground movement which sees its fair share of peaks and valleys.

“The hardcore scene is a funny thing,” Cricien said. “It’s amazing yet fickle. I’m being brutally honest here because I’ve been part of this scene on many levels for a very long time. So, I’m obviously passionate about it among other things. For me, it’s a scene that people look to for inspiration. It’s unique, rebellious, street credible, diverse, et cetera. Still, it’s somewhat under appreciated. Mainly, right here at home in the U.S., the birthplace of the genre. Don’t ask me why but it’s volatile in that way. On the worldwide scale, I believe it’s more respected. Here, everyone knows about it, wants to be affiliated with it in some way, but the support is not always there. I think this tour may spark a new and well deserved interest and appreciation for this scene.”

Terror from Los Angeles were also one of the first acts in consideration for the roster. Frontman Scott Vogel said the bands involvement came easily because he knew the key organizers setting it up were doing it for all the right reasons.

“The people putting the tour together are a huge part of the Terror team,” Vogel said. “Tim books us and Paul helps manage us. I know when they put the tour concept together they had Terror in mind on all angles. Since I’m kind of crazy and can’t sleep at night, those two have gotten lots of emails with questions and ideas of mine for the tour. For better or worse, but at least this kept me on the ‘up and up’ as the tour came together.”

Vogel agreed with Cricien that the 10 for $10 Tour is a way to help bring back the original spirit that hardcore is all about in a time when the community could use some rebuilding.

“A tour like this actually shows that the scene is worth something. Mostly all you hear about is fights and violence, bands that left the scene for bigger and better things, bands that sold out or ate their words. You know, all the bullshit. This is positive stuff. Real shit. Fighting back against the system. Things that drew me to hardcore many years ago and never let go of me.”

One of the biggest advantages of the event is that many of the lesser known bands along for the ride will get in front of some new faces for the first time. This is an opportunity to bring their aural assaults to fresh ears and hopefully gain some fans along the way.

“I’m super excited Trapped Under Ice got put on this bill,” Vogel said. “They are one of the youngest bands on the fest but also one of the best. Their new record comes out during the tour. It’s perfectly timed for them. But on the other hand, for a band like Terror, we do some ‘out-of-the-box’ type tours like Chimaira or Emmure, which is always fun and we always love playing to people who have never heard of us. But, it will be great for us to play with bands that influence and inspire us everyday.”

Baltimore’s Trapped Under Ice will be releasing that new record, “Secrets of the World” in August on Reaper Records. Vocalist Justin Tripp said the band was excited when their participation in the “10 for $10” came to be.

“Initially, we heard from Scott of Terror,” Tripp said. “We got more details of the tour when Tim Borror hit us up to play. Obviously, we jumped at the chance. It’s definitely true that this tour is a good opportunity to open the eyes of new people to the hardcore scene and to a lot of the smaller bands that people might not necessarily have heard of.”

The 10 for $10 Tour kicks off at the Trocadero in Philadelphia on July 9, winding through the nation to nearly three dozen destinations before the final show at Xtreme Wheels Skatepark in Buffalo. Through the course of the run, some bands will drop off and jump on, and fans should check their local venue to see what lineup they can expect in their respective cities. All said, the roster of performers involved is pretty impressive: POISON THE WELL, MADBALL, TERROR, DEATH BEFORE DISHONOR, BANE, VISION OF DISORDER, TRAPPED UNDER ICE, VISION, THE MONGOLOIDS, THE GHOST INSIDE, CRIME IN STEREO, VISION, WAR OF AGES, THIS IS HELL. Vocalist Leroy Hamp from War of Ages is a believer.

“Amazing,” Hamp said. “Sharing the stage with great national acts like Poison the Well, Madball, Bane, Terror, Death Before Dishonor, Vision, VOD, and more for ten bucks. A lot of these bands I grew up listening to and now playing alongside them on a tour that’s geared around the fans. If this doesn’t capture the true meaning of hardcore, I don’t know what would. Since War of Ages started touring five years ago, we’ve been touring with hardcore bands. Though we lean toward the metal side musically, we’ve always respected the hardcore scene. Hardcore bands were the only bands that would give us the time of day in the beginning of War of Ages. We’re doing this tour and encouraging our entire fan base to come out as a big thank you to every hardcore band or kid.”

Bryan Harris of Death Before Dishonor from Boston has always been a strong advocate for the hardcore community. According to him, the truth in the music is what has always set it apart.

“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,” Harris said. “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.”

The boys from Boston have just released their latest offering, “Better Ways to Die,” on Bridge 9 Records, and having just returned from Europe, were excited to jump at the chance to join the 10 for $10 Tour.

“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 official and we landed it, we were pretty psyched,” Harris said. “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 Poison the Well and Madball. 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.”

Los Angeles based The Ghost Inside also have a new CD out, “Fury and the Fallen Ones,“ and have packed up their gear to take the countryside with their hardcore brethren. Vocalist Jonathan Vigil from echoed this sentiment that the upcoming summer’s campaign is just what is needed for the scene.

“This is exactly the kind of tour hardcore needs right now,” Vigil said. “Lots of diversity, lots of really, really amazing bands both well renowned and up-and-coming, all for a price that most everybody can afford. I really honestly can’t think of any other tour we’d want to be a part of right now.”

New Jersey’s Vision will be hitting some select dates through the course of the summer. Guitarist Pete Tabbot also agrees it is a much needed infusion to stimulate the hardcore family across the country in a time when good times are not abundant.

“Hopefully this tour will be a great kick in the pants for the scene in various cities across the country,” Tabbot said. “Whether people come out for a headliner like Poison the Well or VOD, shows like this can only fortify local scenes, bringing lots of kids together and hopefully inspiring more DIY shows and low-cost opportunities.”

Long Island’s Crime in Stereo has seen the affects that the economic downfall has had not only on music lovers but touring acts as well. Guitarist Gary Cioni agreed that though this is a great opportunity for bands to get their music out to the masses, the fans are really the ones who benefit the most.

“Well, it’s no secret that everyone is cutting back on spending lately,” Cioni said. “Many people may choose not to attend a show they might have gone to int the past because they would rather keep whatever money the show might have cost them, between tickets, gas, transport, whatever. I think that anyone would agree that with the 10 for $10 Tour, what you get for only ten dollars is more than a good deal. So many people will hopefully choose to come leave the house when they may have otherwise stayed home.”

www.myspace.com/10for10tour

10 for $10 Tour - AMP Magazine

10 for $10 Tour
by Jason Walsh

Summer brings the biggest tours of the year: tons of festivals, monstrous lineups, masses of people on pilgrimages for good music. Along with this however are exorbitant ticket prices coupled with outrageous service charges, unreasonable parking fees, refreshments that are priced ten times normal rates, and the almighty t-shirt souvenir from said events that are marked up to such an insane level that makes the mall “punk” store cost seem reasonable. And let’s face it folks, we’re in a recession and a lot of people lost jobs this year, took pay cuts, or are barely scraping by to survive. However, there is an alternative this summer that some of the fine folks in the hardcore community have gotten together to help alleviate financial distress in a time when recreational spending is becoming nonexistent. The 10 for $10 Tour will feature ten quality hardcore bands for ten bucks at 32 venues across the United States between July and August, so all you hard-working folks out there can get a chance to relieve your troubles and woes without breaking the bank.

“With the state of everything right now, we don’t just need a ‘financial break,’ we also need a genuine release and outlet,” said Freddy Cricien of Madball. “An escape from all the bullshit. Music in general has always provided that for people, through good and bad times. Our music in particular, I think, truly captures the frustration and emotions out there. It always has.”

Through the course of the tour, some bands will jump on and jump off, but every show will feature 10 bands for the mere ten dollar admission. On the list for this tour: MADBALL, POISON THE WELL, TERROR, BANE, DEATH BEFORE DISHONOR, VISION OF DISORDER, THIS IS HELL, TRAPPED UNDER ICE, THE GHOST INSIDE, VISION, THE MONGOLOIDS, CRIME IN STEREO, WAR OF AGES.

“The 10 for $10 Tour came about because of a few key industry people taking notice of the failing economy,” said vocalist Leroy Hamp of War of Ages. “One of the industry’s most well known booking agents, Tim Borror, noticed the economy woes and felt it would be a great opportunity for music to yet again aid in comfort during troubling times. All Tim needed to do next was ask and we were more than happy to be a part of it, putting the focus back on the fans and not in our pockets.”

Boston’s Death Before Dishonor had heard about the tour in its development stage. Frontman Bryan Harris has been a voice to the working class since the band’s beginnings and was “psyched” when they landed a spot.

“It’s the coolest thing I ever heard,” Harris said. “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.”

South Florida’s Poison the Well will be one of the headliners along the way and will be playing every show on the tour. Their involvement was cemented when Borror proposed the idea about an affordable event that was for the fans. Guitarist Ryan Primack stated they were down from the beginning.

“It’s rad,” Primack said. “It’s what I love about music in general. It’s quite obvious that none of the bands on this tour have ever cared about getting famous or being followed on TWITTER. We all just like playing music and we just like playing it for people. So as you might go to the Warped Tour or whatever summer fest tour you may go to, there is another summer tour. It’s cheap and it’s inside, so it’s even hotter than the outside summer fest tours, so our tour will help you lose those unwanted water retention pounds more than any other tour. That’s why this tour kicks ass, as well as it being rad bands.”

The idea was dubbed “bringing back the Sunday matinee,” a nod to the 80s New York Hardcore shows at CBGB’s, where you would have a packed lineup for little cost. Those days have sadly disappeared over time. Scott Vogel from Terror grew up listening to those New York bands on the West Coast and though he is in one of the top hardcore bands today with a strong following, he is still one of the scene’s biggest fans.

“If I was not on this tour and could see Madball, Bane, Trapped Under Ice, and This is Hell for ten bucks and also a bunch of other bands with different styles but still in the true hardcore realm, I’d be super excited,” Vogel said. “Fests can be a headache, but I know this one is going to be done right. Hardcore needs new ideas and people actually using their head for a cause. That’s what this shit is all about.”

The heavy-hitting Trapped Under Ice from Baltimore are also onboard for the entire duration of the tour. Frontman Justice Tripp believes to miss this show would be a shame.

“I have a lot of cheap friends who always ask to be guest listed or suck in to shows,” Tripp said. “Everyone has been guilty of that, but with this particular tour there is no excuse. What you have is ten awesome bands every night for the price you would normally pay to see three or four. You’re getting way more than your money’s worth. You’d be crazy or hate hardcore and punk rock music to stay at home instead of coming out.”

Bane were just returning from Europe when they got the call about the tour. The guys from Massachusetts were one of the last bands to confirm, which according to drummer Bob Mahoney, made their involvement easy.

“Every one of the bands that are involved are involved for the same reason,” Mahoney said. “This is a great way to get the music out and get some new fresh eyes and ears to see some of the bands they might not have ever seen before. I feel with bringing this unity vibe out, it reminds me of why I am still involved with this. This is my community. From my days in early high school to now, when shit sucked, I had a hardcore show to go to. Now, I get the best of both.”

Vision of Disorder from Long Island echoed the sentiment about their involvement as a positive direction for the scene. Vocalist Tim Williams grew up in the New York Hardcore community and has seen how the corporate intervention has tainted the industry.

“Music has become such a business now,” Williams said. “It’s almost depressing. I’m glad we can get involved with a bill that’s for the underground. It’s a rare thing these days and how cool is it for some of the hardcore bands as far as exposure. It’s always good to see something like this. I think it’s just a fun thing that was put together by some old schoolers that may miss shows like this.”

Fellow Long Island natives Crime in Stereo reflect the more progressive punk side of the roster. This factor, according to guitarist Gary Cioni, was a strong reason for their participation in the 10 for $10 Tour.

“What’s cool about this is that every band will have the opportunity every night to play to a lot of people who may be hearing them for the first time,” Cioni said. “A tour like this helps us out in ways that I would imagine helps out any of the bands on the tour. Each band has fans who will come out and end up seeing a few bands they did not previously listen to, so the opportunity for new fans is great for us, as well as anyone else playing.”

The Long Island contingent on the tour continues with This Is Hell, who have been together for five years now. Vocalist Travis Reilly agreed with the concept of bands being exposed to different fans that they would normally not see at a smaller show.

“Some of the bands on the bill are hardcore staples and have been playing for ten years,” Reilly said. “Some thirty-something-year olds might come to the show just to see Madball, but he’ll catch Trapped Under Ice and it’ll get him stoked on some current bands, and the same goes in reverse. Some younger kid might come stoked to see Trapped Under Ice and hasn’t heard Madball and he’ll see them and it’ll click where Trapped Under Ice is getting some influence from and he’ll check out Madball and find out about some of the older hardcore bands. I think all bands and the kids involved will benefit from this tour.”

Also attached to the bill is The Ghost Inside from Los Angeles. Jonathan Vigil, the band’s resident lyric growler, said this tour took him back to the old days when he was a kid.

“When I was growing up, I would go to shows every weekend,” Vigil said. “I would do chores throughout the week and get $25 from my Dad come Friday. I would take that money and spend $10 or less to get into the show, $10 for a shirt, $4 for a 7-inch record and $1 for a water or maybe a burrito after the show. Then because of rising gas prices, inflation, the economy and whatnot, the prices of shows rose drastically over the years. So to be in a band now and to be playing a tour that’s only $10 to get in and made affordable for kids to come out and have fun, feels amazing. Very nostalgic.”

The Christian metal core outfit War of Ages out of Erie, Pennsylvania agreed that the unity aspect of the tour is what drew them. Though they tend to lie more on the metal spectrum musically, Vocalist Leroy Hamp said that bringing together so many like minded bands under one roof is great for the fans.

“As everyone knows, not every band on this tour is a hardcore band, but that’s not the point,” Hamp said. “This tour is making a larger statement on what hardcore is really about. Think about it, 10 bands for $10, none of us getting paid very much for this, but that doesn’t matter. We’re showing that the hardcore scene is an army that won’t be silenced. Period.”

New Jersey’s Vision will be playing a few dates throughout the summer run. Guitarist Peter Tabbot said the guys from the Garden State were “thrilled” for the opportunity to participate in such a positive event.

“It’s a win-win-win for both the bands involved and the kids who come out to the shows,” Tabbot said. “Kids may come for one of the headliners and hopefully be surprised by some of the opening bands and maybe their curiosity will be piqued enough to go pick up an album. Since some of the venues are rather large, it’s a fantastic chance for unparalleled exposure.”

Greg Falchetto from the Mongoloids, another of the Jersey crew coming to select venues is among the majority involved that are completely excited with what the tour represents for the hardcore community. This was their way of giving back to the kids who come to the shows night after night.

“This is really the best tour we could have hoped for,” Falchetto said. “How often to you get to hang out and tour with your friends? We’re really happy to have a chance to meet new people and it’s great that bands that have been around for a long time will make sacrifices so bands like us can be seen by more people because without bands like Poison the Well willing to make sacrifices, we wouldn’t have this chance. But that’s what hardcore is all about. It’s always been about helping people and taking care of one another. Our hopes would be that the price will help people come out to this show and we would be able to do this as a yearly event.”



www.myspace.com/10for10tour

DEATH BEFORE DISHONOR

DEATH BEFORE DISHONOR
by Jason Walsh

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

INHUMAN

INHUMAN
interview by Jason Walsh

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

TWELVE GAUGE RECORDS

by Jason Walsh


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

First Blood

FIRST BLOOD
by Jason Walsh

The mutation of hardcore punk into metalcore has been a continous cycle since bands like Hatebreed paved the way so many years ago. Nowadays there are literally hundreds of bands that sound like them, look like them, and it has become hard to distinguish between them. However, the upstarts in FIRST BLOOD from the Bay Area have found their own unique voice and sound, and proven that they stand as one of the best of the lot when it comes to the brutal assault that is the fusion of metal and hardcore styles.

Founding member Carl Schwartz, former bass player of TERROR, fronts the outfit with a seasoned group of musicians who came from bands like SWORN VENGEANCE, ALCATRAZ, EMBRACE THE END, and SET YOUR GOALS. Started as an outlet for fun and good times, and now through several shifts in the lineup, the band has finally gelled into a lean, mean, destructive machine that will have kids flying, fists pumping, circle pits exploding, and throats strained after maddening choruses. Having toured Europe, and the States several times now, on their first Trustkill Records release, “Killafornia,” the guys from San Francisco are trying to complete their sophomore album, when they aren’t on the road, which according to Carl, is most of the time.

I had a chance to talk with him about the band and the new record, their unique opportunity touring Europe with AGNOSTIC FRONT, as well as the uncertain state of the world and how it unfortunately provides a source for material.

JW: How did First Blood come about? What made you decide to form this band?

CARL: Well, I moved to California probably about ten years ago and I met a bunch of dudes that were into hardcore music and metal, stuff like that. We had been playing in different bands at the time and each of our bands, they kind of split off and dudes went their own ways. It was basically just a bunch of friends from a whole bunch of bands and people we knew in the Bay area and we just got together and wanted to start a heavy band kind of like what we’re doing. That’s pretty much the gist of it, y’know, being in the same place at the same time.

JW: So a group of you guys who had been doing other things but decided you wanted to do something a little bit different?

CARL: Yeah, we’ve kind of been in bands where we were putting in a lot of time and nothing was really happening. We were kind of getting stressed out about it so we just wanted to start another band that was just fun. You know, we had no plans on touring or even playing outside of California really at all, at the time. Just to do a fun band that wasn’t really that much stress.

JW: Making that decision, looking back on it now, you think you made the right choice there?

CARL: Yeah, definitely. Definitely. I think putting it together and what’s happened over the past few years is definitely something we don’t regret. Totally worth it. We’ve been able to see a lot of things and go a bunch of places. Yeah, definitely worth it, y’know.

JW: So the direction the band is going, you guys are doing pretty good. You put out “Killafornia,” which was a great record, you got a new record coming out soon. The one thing I wanted to talk about was I saw you did a European tour with Agnostic Front. Man, what was that like?

CARL: Dude, that was awesome. I remember the day I got the email from the agency out there I knew that was booking tours. They had an opportunity and they were looking for a band and we had a record (“Killafornia”) coming out and the label was going to support the tour. When I got that call, it was like one of those things when you were a kid, and these New York hardcore legends, y’know these guys you look up to, and all of a sudden you get a chance to play with them and chill with them for a month and just basically play music with them every day. It was awesome. It was totally awesome.

JW: And that’s got to be one of the more incredible parts of the experience. Not only are you hitting the road with these guys that are old enough to be your parents in some cases, but to be able to travel to Europe and see all these places that probably most of you haven’t been to before.

CARL: Yeah, it’s a trip. You know these guys have been doing it forever. These guys have been a band for what, 25-30 years? One thing I’ll never forget about those guys, I mean, a lot of the bands we tour with are really good with us, but I mean they definitely stick out. All the dudes like Roger (Miret) and Vinnie (Stigma) and the Gallo brothers and Joey (James), all those dudes, y’know, you hear it a lot, like people being down to earth and stuff like that but they were always asking if we’re taken care of and everything’s alright, was there enough to eat at the club, and stuff like that. They always look out for you, man, it’s like the stuff we’ll never forget. Any chance we get to tour with them again, we pretty much jump on. It’s a good time and those dudes actually go out of their way and make sure everything is good with you, like every day. They take care of the band they bring out with them. That’s like a really bbig thing about them.

JW: Kind of reinstills that whole philosophy of the “hardcore family” and how they take care of their own.

CARL: Yeah, definitely. Definitely.

JW: And you guys just did a West Coast tour with those guys. How did that go? Was it fun seeing those guys again?

CARL: Yeah, yeah, it was awesome. It’s amazing to think how we hadn’t seen a lot of those guys since we did that first tour with them in 2006 in the summertime and here it is the wintertime in 2008. It made you realize like how fast the time went. It felt like we were in Europe again, basically, being with the same dudes, everybody knew each other again. It was just a trip and make you think how quick the time passed. Man, it was just like the first time. It was awesome to play with them again and to be able to do it in California, in some of the cities where we have a lot of friends. It was awesome. It was totally awesome.

JW: It was bringing them out to your neck of the woods to play a home game in your backyard.

CARL: Yeah, kind of I guess, you know, just like being in places you’re used to being around a lot, y’know, on the West Coast and all of a sudden you’re doing it with dudes that are not only from the East Coast but we were sharing a tour with them on the other side of the world. It makes you think no matter where you’re going, everything’s going to be good with those guys.

JW: What do have going on this year? I know you have a new record coming out. Are you going to be hitting the road?

CARL: Yeah, for sure, I mean right now, we’ve been kind of in and out sporadically, because we’re still trying to write this record, finish it up, and get it out pretty soon. We’re getting people hitting us up on different tours, so we’re doing shows here and there. You know once you’ve been on the road for a while, you get antsy when you’ve been sitting home for a while. It’s hard trying to balance it out and being able to sit down and write some music, get studio time, and take care of all that stuff. As soon as we get it done and recorded, we’re going to be out on the road again, trying to set up tours, and just get out and get back overseas again and do as much as we can. Sometimes you have to just get out of town and just do it and do what you love doing.

JW: Tell me about the new record. How do you like how it’s going so far?

CARL: It has its ups and downs. We started writing it actually right after we were touring with Agnostic Front the first time and that was like a couple years ago. From that time until now, we’ve seen a lot of ups and downs as far as wanting to challenge ourselves or wanting to just do stuff that’s fun. I feel we’ve put a lot of pressure on ourselves to try and just do what we normally do and maybe try to push it. It’s been a challenge but I think the songs we got together after all this time, we’re finally putting together material that we’re happy with and we’re going to be excited to play live. It gets to the point where you play the same songs over and over again, you got to bring something new to the table. You got to do something new that’s not only exciting for you but that kids will get into, say some more things and make an impression. You know, put an effort and you’re putting something into this music, might as well make a mark with it and say something meaningful and help kids turn their heads and maybe think about something new and change their mind a little bit and make them think about something they don’t normally think about every day. Things are going pretty good and we’re probably putting together stuff that’s gonna roll out pretty soon. We’re just waiting for all that stuff to come together. The label is still with us, Trustkill is still going to put it out, and they’ve been pushing us real good to get it done, get in the studio and buckle down. It’s good that after all this time we still got people pushing us and helping us along the way.

JW: With the way things are going right now, obviously there’s not a lack of content lyrically to write about. I mean there’s a lot going on in the world right now, things aren’t looking too bright, and I’m sure that’s really fed into what you’re doing as far as songwriting.

CARL: Oh yeah. Absolutely. You know when we started the band it was too have fun and go off and have energy, and you think about on a small dance floor, that’s really just a tiny fraction of what goes on in the world at all. Now, it’s all around you. You can’t avoid it. You keep thinking about the economy or you think about war, you think about inequality. You think about all that stuff. It’s kind of hard to shake it. At the same time, you got to find a balance between complaining about what’s wrong versus trying to come up with solutions, or highlighting what’s happening that you think is actually going in a positive direction. You know, because complaining about stuff that’s wrong gets you nowhere. That was the funk I got myself in, especially in the past year with all the stuff that goes through my head. When you’re in a hardcore band, it makes you just want to write music and be aggressive and complain about all the things that are going bad. But where do you get when you do that? Sure, it’s good to release it all but this time has helped me to sit back and think about, y’know, we acknowledge all the things that are going down and going wrong in our minds. What can we do or what do we see that is happening that gives you hope that things might be changing for the better. It’s a balance you’ve got to try and reach. I don’t want to give anyone the impression that everything’s all right, because it’s not, but you’ve got to find out what’s going good and roll with it. It’s tough. Everyone is feeling it somewhere, with the economy and jobs. You see it everywhere. Ghost town malls, people don’t come out to shop no more, small business owners, they’re struggling. People are just trying to make it and keep going by. Definitely not a shortage of anything to think about, so that’s where we’re going as far as writing.

Dirty Devil Apparel

DIRTY DEVIL APPAREL
by Jason Walsh

Sometimes just being in a band, or two bands isn’t enough. Sometimes artists search for other ways to channel their creative outlets; whether visual art, physical activity, writing, filmmaking, or tearing apart a V-8 engine.

In the case of Roger Miret, there are several outlets. The frontman of Agnostic Front for nearly three decades has his side project, The Disasters, as well as his car club, The Rumblers, which has helped feed his passion for classic cars and motorcycles. However, Miret hasn’t stopped there.

A few years ago, the seeds were planted for developing an apparel company that not only spoke to his hardcore history that began on the streets of the Lower East Side in New York City in the early 80s, but also to his passion for “old-school” vehicles. Dirty Devil Apparel was born. I had the chance to speak with Miret about his thriving new endeavor as a clothing line entrepreneur and also learned and exciting new development in the continuing legacy that is Agnostic Front.


JW: What got you inspired to do this?

MIRET: The sheer full inspiration behind Dirty Devil is my lifestyle. The actual line is a reflection of my whole career and everything with music, with cars, with bikes. I’ve been involved within the scene for many years, and in being involved within the scene, going out to shows, and checking out different apparels and stuff, I started thinking about what I would like to do apparel-wise and what I feel is missing. I have really cool new designs working with my partner, Todd Huber, on art and layout and stuff like that and then bringing it to the home of Lucky 13, everything fell into place.

JW: When did you first start doing this? When did this come to fruition?

MIRET: We’re two-and-a-half years into full operation. We’ve been going back and forth through ideas now for I think four years. The first year and six months it was just ideas and then we brought in this whole operation in 2007.

JW: As far as the designs and artwork, is it you and your partner Todd or do you have other people helping you out with that?

MIRET: Well Todd does some of the art. He does a lot of the layout and the concepts and ideas are solely mine, and I verify with Todd and he figures out which artist we’d like to work with for the actual concepts and ideas and then we pitch them at few different artists. We had Chris Martin working with us for a while and he also went on to work with Jesse James for a while, but now he’s not with Jesse James and he’s doing freelance again. We’ve had a couple different artists. We had Horace Palami from Spain working with us, Larry Garcia, and we had Craig Holloway do one piece. I have quite a few different artists and Todd has been doing some of the better selling pieces.

JW: And it’s not just t-shirts and sweatshirts? You’ve got a whole line of stuff outside of that?

MIRET: Yeah, it’s full out apparel. It’s t-shirts, and there is some hoodies, and then we have shorts, we have pants, belt buckles, wallets, belts. We have some baby stuff, we have women’s shirts. We have cardigans for girls and jackets for both boys and girls. It’s a full line. If you go to the website, you’ll be able to some of the stuff.

JW: Yeah, I was looking at the catalog and you even have “onesies” for little kids.

MIRET: Yeah. I have a little 22-month-old daughter right now and I’m expecting my first son, my little baby boy in about eight weeks, so I had to design some cool stuff for them to rock around when I go to shows (laughs).

JW: Yeah, you’re going to be needing a lot of those.

MIRET: Haha…yeah.

JW: So have you enjoyed doing this, you know being kind of outside of music, outside of your enthusiasm for cars and motorcycles. Has it kind of been a fun project?

MIRET: Yeah, it’s a fun project. Anything that involves that type of creativity or any kind of hands-on stuff, I love doing. You know, I love creating. I’ve been loving creating and inspiring people and stuff like that. That’s part of everything I love to do and I like to see a finished product and like you said, everything works hand in hand, you know, it works with my hardcore rock ‘n roll type of lifestyle and also with my Rumblers car club, which I founded twelve years ago. You know ever since I was a little boy, working in my dad’s garage, everything just comes hand in hand, you know. I’m a certified Harley Davidson technician too. I’ve worked alongside some of the great people like Indian Larry, Von Hines, English Don, you know the early Psycho Cycle and all that stuff crew. It’s all cool and everything’s coming together which is cool.

JW: What’s thee feedback you’ve been getting from people, not only from within the hardcore scene, but at car shows, bike shows, things of that nature?

MIRET: I’ve been getting positive feedback. The actual brand is doing well even in a declining, struggling market. We’re still hanging in there and above water which is great. The feedback is great, when I go to my own shows and I’m playing with Agnostic Front, I see people out there wearing Dirty Devil clothing of some sort. I also see it when I go to car shows and it feels good. I go to different stores, here a local store in Arizona called Go Cat Go, and they carry it. It’s pretty much in a lot of places and people are opening up to it, which is really cool. Hot Topic just took on an 800 piece trial order which is really cool and all I can do is hope for the best because it’s something I believe in and I feel good about.

JW: How does that make you feel knowing you can go to the mall and actually see some of your clothes in a store there?

MIRET: Well, um…I don’t know yet (laughs). I haven’t experienced that, you know. The way Hot Topic works is that they just put it in selected stores here and there. They’ve already done a run on the East Coast with Dirty Devil, but this is just a bigger run they’re doing now. But you know, I’ve had Agnostic Front shirts here and there, at different Hot Topics and stuff. You know the truth of the matter is that it feels good to see that and there’s a demand and people are searching and looking for it. The website has it. But it feels good. I feel like I’m accomplishing something.

JW: Very cool. I have one last, non-clothing related questions I wanted to ask you? I read you got a new drummer for Agnostic Front. Tell me about that.

MIRET: Well our new drummer is not anybody new to the scene. He’s a veteran and I don’t know if you’re familiar with band called Leeway.

JW: Oh yeah…

MIRET: Another great band from the 80s, having to do with the direct New York crossover hardcore type of stuff that was going on. So Pokey (Mo) is a veteran playing drums for us. I have yet to rehearse with him or even play with him because I don’t live in New York, and I will be on stage with him Wednesday (last April) and I expect nothing but the best from him. He’s a pro, a really great drummer, and the guys have been working with him, so I’m excited.

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