Mondo Barbara

I WAS SPEECHLESS, MATE. I COULDN'T SPEAK.

2010-07-26T05:48:00.000-07:00

Would you believe it? I'm just always writin' shit. This life of mine is just CRAZY! It's fucking intense. I'm just so unpredictable. Everyone at the office agrees.

Brats ''1980'' LP/ The lost tapes LP

Before King Diamond started paintin' his face and slammin' his eggs in the car door, the dudes from Merciful fate had a different singer, different songs and a different band name- BRATS! Sometime in '79, these mad bastards recorded a pretty decent, albeit pretty unremarkable punk rock demo. Over the cruel Danish winter, they locked themselves in their jam room. They stared with admiration and awe at the Ramones, Judas Priest and AC/DC posters on the walls. They ignored their girlfriends. They ate the finest Turkish Kebabs. They didn't clean their bedrooms, do their study or take out the rubbish. Damnit, these Danish cream-puffs practiced hard until they were literally the best band in the world! ''1980'' boasts hard rock songs that render 99% of the genre obsolete. Not content to plod, prick in hand through their tunes, Brats brung a new level of energy, tenacity and annihilation to the table. ''OY905'' is the long lost theme song to some Danish frat movie. ''Complex (Don't Destroy Me)'' see's old Yenz pour his heart out, before kicking into a rhythmic propulsion that would have Motorhead and Bad Religion fans falling to their knees and screaming uncle. ''Punk Sunglasses'' is from the demo, but it's given a steroid injection that puffs it's chest out so far, the little bugger just clucks headfirst through the walls and out the gates of the Ingham Chicken factory. ''Sense My boy'', well, that's just an incredible Danish mistranslation.

Puerto Rico Flowers- 4
True men's music. ''Not My Idea'' hurts. It hurts 'cos it's bloody good. ''Let's Make Friends'' made me shave off my fringe. PRF made me a skinhead. ''This is Murder'' left me crying into my laced hankerchief. Rumour has it, the emotional outpour of this record was channelled during the Blue's semi final thrashing at the hands of Brisbane in 09. With a voice four octives lower than Sticks Kernahan, bass as big as Justin Madden, drums as simple as Anthony Koutoufides and synth as futuristic as Peter Dean's bionic bandage work, PRF creates one hell of a mournful anger sound. ''4'' is a good old fashioned punch in the head record. I can't believe how weak you are if you don't like it.

Low Threat Profile- ep
Two of these songs appeared on complication releases a few ears back, and bugger me with a pitchfork if those versions didn't sound slightly superior. More push-ups, sit-ups and chin-ups in the low-end production values. But remember, when it comes to Deep Six, Infest and SoCal middle-aged men, you've just gotta expect everything to be completely ass-backwards. You see, these old-timers are completely oblivious and 100% uninterested in the mythological status they've earned via their previous endeavors. They've got real lives. Their songs, well, they have a strange, hyperactive lazyness. Maybe it's Matt Domino's guitar slouching? Even at it's most frantic, his playing has an undeniably comfortable lean. MD's casual riffage is offset by A. Beatie's unmatched vocal delivery. This guy is out there. The first thing he said when we met him was, ''Sorry, I'm mentally ill.'' The lapse in time between recording and releasing this record was not an effort to create any additional demand or mystique, it was simply because Bob (drummer) temporarily misplaced the master! This is A-grade material played by people who don't give a fuck. Study your textbooks.

Sacrelige- demos lp
The first thing that stands out is the incredible discipline and restraint that this drummer shows. He's got more burn than a fat man's fairway after a walk down the shops on a hot day, but he's saving it all for the band he's starting with his girlfriend's brother. His straight up and down performance is the hinge that allows the enormous door to slam in the depths of hell. The guitarist's ability to coil and recoil is remarkable. Dude is prairie-doggin'! I'd like to see the vocals on a polygraph. She'd be flat linin'! I get the feeling these guys were a little bit above sleeping on floors with glue-sniffers and mangy dogs. I'm sure one of them still works in a music store, one of them is a social worker and one went on to a successful career in biological science.

I AM AN OLD MAN

2010-06-17T22:58:00.000-07:00

Oh my days! Here is some more garbage to read! There was some other stuff too, of course, but they were more promo/fluff pieces to fill in gaps. Are we still mates?

BRAIN CHILDREN

Brain Children are a fascinating musical proposition.

Brain Children is the brain child of Michael Mate and Maxwell Crumb, two Melbourne music veterans who’ve completely ruined their lives by relentlessly peddling their musical wares across the globe.

Indeed, these young men have spent the majority of their youths and adulthoods on tour, cutting their teeth on bad roads, sticky floors and ramshackle stages. These years of extended poverty have created a degree of musical knowhow and a lack of pretense that certainly sets them apart from their bovine contemporaries.

No doubt, Brain Children is a dramatic musical departure from M & M’s previous output (ECSR, AxOxAx, FLL, TOTAL BRO’S, O.B’S, CALT-X AQUARIANS…). Already well versed in all facets of aural overload, sensory battery and crash after burn musical extremity, these good old boys have entered completely foreign sonic territory and have proceeded to make 99% of modern electronic releases obsolete.

So, I can hear you asking, ”What do these sick mother-fucks sound like, bro?”

Well, take healthy slivers of 70’s disco cheese, generous helpings of contemporary electronica, the futuristic Krautrock-isms of Kraftwork and a boot full of scud mags, then slam it at 120 k’s down the Eastern Freeway in a Brown Datsun with an all-shag interior and you’re somewhat close to the Brain Children experience.

Brain Children play dance music with a difference. The difference being, Brain Children are actually good.

12” out now on Stained Circles.

http://www.myspace.com/brainchildrenmusic

EMERGING WRITERS FESTIVAL

Attention all aspiring wordsmiths! The Emerging Writers Festival is on now!

Running from the 21st to the 30th of May, the festival exists to promote the interests of emerging writers – to improve their opportunities for professional development and their engagement with the broader public.

Taking place at a multitude of cosy, book-friendly venues around Melbourne, the festival has a little something for all you cerebral individuals out there.

Wordstock is an unlikely literary tribute to AC/DC. Taking place in Fed Square, Wordstock gathers Melbourne’s bohemian fraternity for a collection of poems, performance pieces and stand-up comedy dedicated to Australia’s greatest export since Iron Ore and Vegemite.

The Zine Bus is exactly what it says on the tin. A bus chock full of contemporary zines and zine writers that drives to various locations around town to espouse the value of these humble publications. Have your glue stick and safety scissors ready, as the bus’ final destination is Fed Square, where a massive fanzine workshop is taking place.

Speaking of workshops, if you’re one of those weird people who actually enjoys learning shit, there are a number of classes on getting started, structuring your work, peddling your wares and surviving as a freelance writer. In fact, anything you need to know about becoming a full time writer and the crushing levels of abject poverty that comes with this lifestyle choice will be available this week.

http://www.emergingwritersfestival.org.au/

PUERTO RICO FLOWERS

Misanthropes the world over can breath a sigh of relief. Goth is back.

That’s right, in high-rent, high-density areas of urban civilisation, young men and women are dropping everything to jump on the goth steam-train before it splutters out of the station. Most artists attempting this style fail miserably. You see, they have family and friends that understand them. They receive healthy amounts of natural sunlight. They brim with self-confidence. They possess all the characteristics one would not normally associate with the genre…

For the majority of Goth/Cold Wave/Dark Wave/Wave Wave bands in 2010, self-loathing and misery are nothing more than aesthetic platforms. They’re simply trying to recreate a style.

Through virtue of sharing a marginally similar trajectory, Puerto Rico Flowers have been lumped in with the pathetic offerings of this neo-goth revival. The fundamental difference between PRF and ”the new wave of no mates” is the songs.

Puerto Rico Flowers have great songs.

Puerto Rico Flowers is one man, John Sharkey III. More astute readers may remember John as the chap behind Clockclean ER, the American skinhead group that soiled Australian shores in 2008 with a series of poorly attended, hit-and-miss live performances.

Well, fast forward a few years and Sharkey is a married man with a young’un on the way. Sorry ladies! These days, he divides his time between Lamaze Breathing classes, pancake making and cot shopping in the hustle and bustle of suburban Canberra.

Somewhere in between his multitude of domestic duties, John found the time to write and record a new PRF ep in Melbourne.

”2” is the sophomore release from Puerto Rico Flowers. It’s due to be released through Fan Death Records on Anzac Day, 2010. ”Voice of Love” is the A-side. It’s similar to the songs on PRF’s debut release, ”4.” It’s got that prominent bass, washy synth and rudimentary drum beat that’s not unlike frisbeeing your Bauhaus records in a pool of Molasses. Flip the disc and Sharkey tries his hand a Neil Young tune.

”2” is a strong record. It’s a great record to put on when you feel like curling up into a ball and crying yourself to sleep. Don’t take it too seriously, though. PRF don’t.

BORED IDIOTS

Zephyr Pavey’s Psyched to Die blog and fanzine presents photographs of unruly, maladjusted sociopaths in varying states of consciousness, dress and undress.

Viewing this blog, it becomes quite clear that you wont find any pictures of Pavey’s pet Chiwaua wearing a white gold tiara and sequin booties. Nor will you find any photos from the Pavey family Christmas BBQ; unless of course there are any snapshots floating around of old uncle Barry with his fly at half mast, tomato sauce down his singlet and a rollie stuffed in his toothless gob.

Yessir, P2D is a high brow nod to the glory days of ”youth culture” where mental instability, extreme idiocy and all manner of anti-social behaviours were De rigueur. Watch in awe as Pavey’s subjects participate in productive, community-minded pursuits like pushing shopping trolleys into river estuaries, breaking into abandoned buildings and blackout-inducing binges of alcohol consumption.

The sporadic updates in P2D-world indicate that Pavey’s focus is primarily directed towards the print version of his ouvre. So, where do you find a copy? Well, Pavey’s advanced printing techniques, nonchalant approach and all-roads-lead-to-oblivion artistic vision suggest the dumpsters behind 711, or the floor of his budgie cage would be a good place to start.

http://psyched-to-die.blogspot.com/

waddaya do for a quid, mate?

2010-06-17T22:22:00.000-07:00

Part of my fuckern job is to coordinate web content for a clothing brand. I wont tell you which one, cos I don't fuckern need to. It's not important. What is important, is that when my writers don't submit nothin', I have to pick up their slack and fill in the blanks. Shit, it don't really matter as the guys canned this shit anyway!!!! Luckily for me (the only person that reads this blodge), I got heaps more of these to post. Keep your eyes peeled!I got other wickedness that will be fuck good.

WINTER SOLSTICE BONFIRE

Get in touch with your medieval roots this weekend at the Collingwood Children's Farm Winter Solstice.

That's right, astronomy comes to Collingwood this saturday. Now, you may argue that the nice folks in Collingwood are already well versed in astronomy. You see, about this time every year, they fall to their knees, they look to the sky and they pray to god, just hoping that they can win that ever elusive premiership, sometime soon. These prayers inevitably go unanswered. And while celebrating the distance of the earth's axial tilt from the sun wont make up for a lack of silverware in the trophy cabinet, surely its proof that there's a higher power out there?

Now, I don't expect many Collingwood magpies supporters to turn up to the Children's Farm this weekend. This is primarily due to the fact that these days, Collingwood is populated by 18-26 year old students and slightly left of centre young professionals who believe football is a barbaric pursuit for base-minded rabble who lack the tertiary qualifications to pull themselves from the quagmire of their own banal existence.

But I digress...

The Winter Solstice at Collingwood Children's farm is all about having a real good time in front of a gigantic fire. Hey, even if you don't know nothing about the weather and think Cumulonimbus Cloud was the name of this really sick Belgian House DJ what you seen one time, there's a bar, dudes playing drums, a bar, fire twirlers, a bar and a bar to keep you occupied.

Oh, and before you ask, NO, you ARE NOT allowed to sacrifice any of the animals to the gods! I cant stress how important that is! You'll lower the tone and the property prices. After all, the is bourgeois Collingwood. Entry: $16 family,

$8 adult, $4 Children

Farm Pass holders at concession rates if pre-purchased.

Vice verses

2009-06-07T18:50:00.000-07:00

I've been writing a few things here and there for Vice Australia. These are my reviews from the last two issues. A few of these did not make it into the Technology issue, but I have decided to include them anyway. Writing for Vice is an interesting experience. All critiques are written according to the Vice style guide. There is also a Tough Troubles Interview, but you'll have to source a copy for that.

King Creosote 1/10
‘’Flick the Vs’’
Domino Records UK.

A puppy freaks out when it sees it’s own reflection for the first time. It growls, gnaws it’s teeth and lunges back and forth, but on the inside, it’s scared. King Creosote felt similar when they first heard their new record. They cheered, slapped high-fives and jumped up and down, but on the inside, the lads were petrified. A puppy soon learns to chase cats and catch Frisbees. King Creosote seldom leaves the kennel.

RHYS DAVIES

Jenny Wilson 9/10
‘’Hardships!’’
Universal Music Australia

Swedes can be boring when you actually meet them. Their sense of humour revolves around the lighter side of furniture malfunction, the irony of poor design, and the tragedy of regressive social-politics. I’m sure Jenny Wilson chuckled when she accidentally rolled the tape back too far for an overdub. Oh how she laughed (in a reserved manner) when she sang slightly off-key in a two-part harmony. In her open-plan, practically furnished recording studio, Jenny Wilson has produced high-quality, accessible and mature product.
RHYS DAVIES

Peaches 5/10
‘’I Feel Cream’’
Remote Control Records Australia

Peaches’ relevance is waning, fast! This particular offering could appeal to the roaming packs of weekend warriors, crawling the Brunzo Street tiles this Saturday night. They’re wearing the same shirts. They’re sporting stubbie holders on their wrists. They’re drinking Bundy Rum. They don’t care much for the hairy-armpit brigade singing, but chicks hell froth over this shit so whatever.
RHYS DAVIES

Iron Lung/Hatred Surge collaboration 10/10
‘’Broken’’
Iron Lung Records USA

Neanderthal man cowered in fear the moment he first put his hand into naked flame. Upon second and third attempts, he quickly learned to approach with trepidation, curiosity and above all else, respect. Following this, the constructive and destructive properties of fire became an integral part of his day-to-day existence. In 2009, ‘’Broken’’ is the closest possible case study we have towards gaining an empathetic understanding of early man’s initial journey of discovery.
RHYS DAVIES

Spoonbill 6/10
‘’Zoomorphic’’
Omelette Records Australia

After reading the words ‘’quirk funk’’ in the promo sheet, I was certain this was file-13 material. However, truth be told, these guys actually make me laugh, ALOT! Spoonbill sounds like a group of mischievous kids snooping around a stainless steel kitchen at night. Every song could have been used as the introduction to the ABC children’s television show- ‘’Lift Off.’’ Indeed, Mark Mitchell could definitely perform a grotesque striptease to this album!
RHYS DAVIES

The Night Terrors 10
Back to Zero
Exo Records

Exo Records is good records. Night Terrors music is good music. TNT has a serious Goblin-vibe happening here. They could easily score a horror film set in American Apparel. I could picture tram-loads of Gentlewomen with the same body shape, clothes, opinions and haircuts walking around the racks in a zombie like state, just tripping on all the offensive colours and price tags.
MARGRET CUNLIFFE

Madder Lake 10
Butterfly Farm
Aztec Records

The Australian psychedelic bands of the 70s were an unruly mob of farm boys, surfers and factory hands, completely armed to the teeth with amplification! They got into communal living for the drugs and the loose sheilas. They didn’t give a shit for peace, love and understanding. They were real men, with real problems, who would punch your head in if you looked at them funny. Along with contemporaries Coloured Balls and Black Feather, Madder Lake played the hostile suburban pub circuit every night of the week. They’re offerings were of an astonishingly high standard, but due to who they were, and where they were from, they never received much international recognition. Maybe this release will see these acid-eaters finally get their dues? Vinyl reissue please.
TOMMY LIDGET-SMITH

Dirty York 5
Waiting on St George
Whisky Mama Records

Australian career musicians, aye? I prefer to call them call centre employees. Listen, it didn’t work for Daryl Braithwait, James Reyne or the Tin Lids, so what makes you think it’ll work for you? You live in Melbourne, not New York. This came on when I was watching TV. It caught my attention immediately. So much so, I had to crank the volume on the TV just so I could hear the show I was watching. Eventually, I got up and turned the stereo off and was much happier.
MR MARCUS

Heirs 9
Alchera
Exo Records

Drums are unreal aren’t they? You smash the fuck out em’ and it feels good. The drummer from Heirs approaches the drums with anger and frustration. Whether he’s setting them up, playing them, throwing them into the car, or liaising with drum shop employees, this guy is not happy, and it shows. Heirs are fingering the pulse, hard! Now they just gotta leave the melody at home and make the ugliness, uglier.
LYLE GEORGE CHELMSFORD III

DM Smith 7
Heavy Ghost
Spunk Records

Ignorence breeds the best music. Robert Johnson didn’t sell his sole to do good at calculus. He done it so he could play guitar like Satan. You shouldent have to be a rocket surgeon to understand music. I wish these guys done a instruction book so I have understand it gooder. Not that I can read or nothin’, but still...
MARIO DODONEA

Bellini 3
The Precious Prize of Gravity
Temporary Resident records

If Bellini had distorted guitar, double kicks and screaming, they would be a technical heavy metal band and you would hate them. Their fans would be from outside the city fringe and you would hate them too. Their pants would be too loose and you would refuse to be friends with them. As it stands though, Bellini are non-threatening and angular enough for you and mates to like them. Ladies and Gentlemen, this is the sound of progressive minds at work. This is the sound of strong musical ability. This is the sound of paint drying.

MR MARCUS

2009-02-23T16:20:00.000-08:00

I have written Music reviews for a number of publications. Some reviews are better than others. I'll try to post more at some point.

These offerings appeared in Stained Sheets issue #2. Stained Sheets is a fanzine edited by Dan from Straight Jacket Race. The zine features some talented writers from Melbourne. 2009 may become the year of the Sheet.

CLOCKCLEANER- BABYLON RULES

Clockcleaner play unpleasant music. ‘’Babylon Rules’’ is a revenge fantasy orientated, misogynistic kick up your guts. Their delivery comes across as completely genuine, thus making proceedings even more unsettling. Lead antagonist John Sharkey’s reverb-soaked guitar brings THE CRAMPS to mind, whilst his vocal musings represent more the thought patterns of Lux and co’s audience at Napa State mental hospital back in the halcyon days of ‘78. The ominous low end meandering is not unlike Australian underachievers KING SNAKE ROOST and LUBRICATED GOAT, the latter of which being a comparison the band vehemently refute. The drums are completely unremarkable. Their ability to create a mood via their ‘’skull music’’ phenomena is almost as strong as their ability to write exceptional songs. It makes you wonder, what if the lyrical content were more diluted? What if the band’s on-stage and off-stage persona were less confrontational? Could this band be a world-beater? We may never know? Nevertheless, ‘’Babylon Rules’’ is a tremendous effort, and perhaps the best release of last year. This is a band that deserves everything, both good and bad, that is coming to them.

GENTLEMAN’S PISTOLS- ST

You see the problem with the Brits is that they’re just so fucking lazy. Noone cares- ‘’I can’t go outside, I’ll catch a chill. I can’t go outside, I’ve not got any sun oil on. I’m dead broke, me.’’ All familiar phrases from our wooden-toothed, pasty skinned, dumpy brethren. To be honest (tbh), you can’t really blame them: The weather sucks, the people are dog-ugly and 99 percent of their bands in recent years have been flaccid. That’s why GENTLEMAN’S PISTOLS are such an anomaly. What we have here are four pretty right-on Northern lads playing hooky trad-rock in the vein of Leaf Hound, Blue Cheer and Lucifer’s Friend. The cheeky lyrical content and energetic playing allows anyone from the 60 year old, bitter R’N’R purist, to the 18-year old girl fucked up on meth at the Big Day Out to get down to The Gents. ‘’The Lady’’ throws you down stair with a sleazy, lounge vibe. ‘’Creamy Lid’’ is hardly about Ski Double-Ups or Yoplait Petit Miam if you get me? The Gents have banged out a well-written, fun record that should help our friends in the mother country to stop complaining about the weather, the muggings and the weather. Bigger and better things for ‘’these’’.

PATHETIC HUMAN- EP

These four young blokes play early 90’s Californian power violence, replete with fast parts, slow parts and some general weirdness. These guys smoke bongs, roll their own darts, work shitty jobs and have occasional bouts of mental instability, possibly caused by excessive marijuana consumption. The hardcore sections don’t really bring anything new to the table, but these days, 99% of this style is like the cat on the chopping block to these ears. Mate, I’ll tell ya, PATHETIC HUMAN are at their best when they drop it down 400 BPM and plummet into a painful dirge. Ugly, ugly stuff. Hopefully subsequent releases will see them experiment with more downers and sedatives. Repeat after me, ‘’Grim reaper’’, not ‘’Cold War’’.

WITCH HATS- CELLULITE SOUL

In 1977, the rope that joined Australia and Tasmania was severed in a terrible boating accident. This unfortunate mishap forever plunged most Tasmanians into a life of solitude, servitude and extreme ignorance… Not the four chaps from WITCH HATS though. Never content to waste their lives away in Hobart’s salt mines, cotton fields and chain gangs, the Hats set about procuring as many floatation devices they could, and made the testicle-ingesting journey across Bass Strait, bringing with them their neo-swamp rock. Yep, you can bet that these Melbourne-based sister-fuckers are members of the order of Gordon, dig the sermon of Salmon and live by the gospel of Gracelands. Like their deities, it’s often the Hat’s rhythm section that keeps them afloat, especially through some particularly mundane verses. However, the verses provide appropriate ramp-ups to soaring crescendos and inventive changes. The Hats could delve deeper into the tom-based tribal crawl, but the real pots of gold lay in their clever pop-hooks and catchy choruses. ‘’Cellulite Soul’’ is the maiden voyage, for these fish out of water sailing mightily towards the horizon.

DEAF WISH- DEAF WISH

The editor of this publication has been pulling himself silly about this band, and rightly so. DEAF WISH have knocked out a superb local release in the great tradition of the Aussie post-punk sound that everyone is so eager to recreate these days. However, few contemporary artists attempting this style have the ‘’wild men of rock’’ vibe of Ian Rillen or Stu Spasm that appears totally removed from the arty, cerebral, less-threatening sounds coming from old blighty, or the continent at the time. DEAF WISH sit somewhere between the two schools. DEAF WISH are very Melbourne. DEAF WISH sound dirty, violent, and unfriendly at times. How could they not? Their sound is part Flag, part Venom P… yet there is a slight good-time vibe to what they do. Perhaps it’s the samples of rehearsal room tomfoolery that loosens up some of the assault? Perhaps it’s the jerky Minutemen moments? Perhaps it’s the unconventional melodies buried under a mass of drums, guitars and vocals? Perhaps DEAF WISH are onto something, and it’s working well. Perhaps other bands in this one horse town should pay attention?

2008-11-10T16:29:00.000-08:00

MIKE WILLIAMS INTERVIEW IX

I interviewed Mike Williams IX via-email for UNBELIEVABLY BAD magazine. I like this exchange. Mike has a very captivating writing style-short sentences, effective descriptions and that distinct southern drawl. This is an example of an email interview that actually works.

Where to begin with a band like Eyehategod? They are perhaps one ofthe few bands left on the planet that truly live their music and lyrics. Infact, it would be almost too easy to detail the decade plus of riffs, fights, substance abuse, misanthropy, failure, despair,alcohol, alcohol, alcohol. So rather than endless babble regarding the band's importance in today's limp musical climate, we'll let this recent communication from vocalist Mike Williams IX inadvertently do it for us, ''hey man--just got outta jail AGAIN.long story,but im free--so all is good''. Case closed.

1 - NOLA seems to be a major load star in the existence of EHG. Not just the band's home, but an underlying influence on the band's sound, aesthetic (etc). Is there equal parts love and hate in your relationship with the city?

Oh of course, New Orleans has been inspirational to us in a number of ways, musically, (un)hygienically, artistically, historically,chemically…We are a product of the streets, the people, and the culture of this city's gloriously hedonistic and debauched lifestyle.On the same coin, NOLA's inept local government corruption, police manipulation and brutality, urban blight (especially after Katrina)and general apathy and malaise can infuriate someone to their boiling point, but then again, that is stimulating on its own. So as well as 'love/hate' I'd rather say 'passive/aggressive'. I like to talk to our sprawling, mentally disturbed metropolis and say stuff like; "Oh, you look great today! You finally got those rotten teeth fixed, huh? What?Oh, you got a few still giving you trouble? Well that's O.K., you still look kind of good for your age."

2 - How much did growing up in New Orleans contribute to you embracing punk and metal?

Which bands "fed the fire" so to speak and do they still hold as much weight after all these years?

I'm from a small town in North Carolina. A long line of backwoods redneck farmer types. Moving to NOLA in 1977 played a major part in my musical education. I was into Kiss, Sabbath, and Alice Cooper back then. Living in a big town definitely opened my eyes to a whole nuvva level. The early N'awlins punk scene completely tarnished me forever around '79 or so. My brother worked in a bar and would sneak me in to see bands like The Normals, Contenders, Hostages, The Cold, Men In Black, Wayward Youth, Savage Saints, Legionnaire's Disease etc… Lateron, I broke away (literally!) and ran off from home, I was eventually put into a boys home for the next 3 or so odd years. We'd sneak out in the middle of the night and walk miles to stand out side of clubs and peek in through the opened doors. During this time and later, I saw the second wave of the more Hardcore local New Orleans acts such as Red Rockers, Goners, Sluts, Shell Shock, along with tons of out-of-town acts such as Black Flag, Die Kreuzen, Misfits, Circle Jerks, Dicks, Minor Threat, Gun Club, Bad Brains, et al, I lost my mind. That was the sound I'd hear in my head when I closed my eyes. I started my 1st group around that time, called Teenage Waste, with some school buddies. I was 15 years old. Years passed and metal & punk melded and became thrash. Then local groups Exhorder, Blatant Frustration, Flagrantz, and Graveyard Rodeo set a new standard. I had a formed a new band by then, called Suffocation By Filth, taking influences from Discharge, Exodus, D.R.I, Sodom, Bathory, M.D.C. etc…Those were the fuckin days, and almost all of these bands I'm still into to this day.

3 - The band has such a distinctive sound. You cannot confuse an EHG record with any other band. Has having this degree of continuity always been an objective of the band?

Not necessarily an objective, but we're for sure NOT one of those bands where you'd use the word "eclectic" in a magazine review, I tellyou that. We sound like we sound and we've never thought much about varying it to any degree. AC/DC , Ramones, Motorhead… All these groups never much cared about variation to any certain level, they kept itreal. We ain't looking to change the world through technical masturbation, it's all the basics of rock and blues baby….

4 - Explain the writing process. Are a lot of the riffs plucked from various jams and then pieced together, or do one or two band members take care of most of the song writing?

Both. Hopefully, you can't tell when a song is pieced together, but that's how it happens sometimes. Everybody writes riffs though, not so much myself but Brian, Jimmy and Gary have all written fully constructed songs. Even Joey, our drummer, wrote some of the faster guitar tracks on Dopesick. I come in later, pass out in the practice room, and forget all the lyrics that I've written.

5 - Your lyrics are conceptually similar to perhaps some of the sleazier works of the Beat generation. Pieces of that era were based just as much in the realms of life experience as they were literary entertainment. Could the same be said for your lyrics?

I take that as a compliment of the highest degree. My reading tastes vary, but reading the Beat era stuff was probably where I realized that I could take everyday experiences, throw in some Marvel Comics references, cut 'em up, and I had writ me a poem, dammit. Obviously those nights spent soaking in Kerouac, Bukowski, Burroughs, Kesey,etc… played a subliminal part in my life and that's a good thing Ithink. Later on it was literature like Lovecraft, Vollman, Vandermeer,Sartre, Poe, and Clive Barker that would prove to be influential on mylife. But yeah, life and the sidewalk outside my windows gives me an unlimited source of material. Then as you watch everything around you crumble, the words never stop coming.

6 - I'm sure it's frequently stated, however drugs seem to have played a significant role in the world of EHG. In a band situation, when do they cease to be a source of inspiration/stimulation and just become counter-productive? Has this been a contributing factor to the on/off nature of the band? When did you begin dabbling in illegals?

I've been drinking alcohol and eating pharmaceuticals since I was 15 years old. Mostly speed tabs back then, though. Everybody has their own vices in EHG, some more illegal than others to this day, but that's life. Anyway, it really depends on the drug and the person in regards to the counter-productivity part of the question. Truth be told, it actually overlaps. Even when its non-productive, it can stillbe inspiring and stimulating, albeit in a completely negative fucked-up way. Maybe that's just me. I think that misery can bebeautiful. We've cancelled shows, tours, records, broke up, got into fights, fuck all. So what. We don't care. We're just this. This is what we are, one of a billion other groups on this planet. I know fora fact that this band would sound like we do, substance abuse or not.Black holes, string theory, worm holes, narco-terrorism, and alchemy all contribute to our sound in one way or another.

7 - The government's lax reaction to Katrina has become a serious bone of contention in world politics. What are your thoughts on the whole situation after literally being in the eye of the storm?

I could write a fucking book about how I feel on this subject, and I will one day, but for now… well, it should be a thorn in the Bush Administration's side, as it was really just jaw dropping how long it took for them to respond to the disaster, and the level of violence that occurred with the looting and subsequent house invasions,burnings, shootings, car thefts, etc.. You probably don't hear much about all that in the media, though. You could call the local emergency hotline, 911, and would get a busy signal, and believe me, I called it more than a few times. One of my main beefs with the entire fiasco is the sheer confusion and playing of the race card by certain people, civilian and government alike. Some folks are saying "it's cos they're black, that's why they didn't respond." Hmmm, I'm white, and so are a lot of people that I know that were screwed by Katrina. Why can't they see that it's a class issue, not a race issue? Poverty was why we all stayed. That and the chance to rob drugstores. But seriously kids, the other side is saying things like "All the whitepeople in NOLA got new houses and cars from the government after the storm," which is what I heard this racist redneck say the other day,and is complete Bullshit. Nobody got shit, black or white. We all gota little bit of "ass kissing" money from FEMA to placate us, shut us up, and provide them with photo ops thru media spin-doctoring. Look man, I saw scenes that looked like stuff outta the movies. Bodies floating, "hurricane zombies", people rioting, wanderers dazed and bleeding, out of their minds, people pulling poker machines and ATM cash machines behind their cars, fighting, guns (more than usual),burning cars and buildings, soldiers marching thru the street, mass hysteria, attempted rapes, and on and on and on, all happening while the cops stood by smoking cigarettes and, in some cases, joining in the madness as well. If I hadn't gone to jail in the days following August 29, I probably wouldn't be alive now.

8 - After such a tumultuous few years, it would be almost criminal for the band not to come out with it's ugliest, most misanthropic material yet. Anything in the works?

Yeah, it's gonna happen. Members have been scattered to and fro since the storm. I just did another two months in Orleans Parish Prison fora previous probation violation, our drummer is in rehab, our bassplayer is awaiting a trial date, Jimmy is doing Down, Brian is inSoilent Green, etcetera etcetera. 2008 is our 20th anniversary, so me& Bower have been talking about doing shows, recording a new LP, etc…It's all a matter of timing right now. There's a lot of other shit happening as well: Down LP in September, Arson Anthem LP in January,Soilent Green and Hawg Jaw as always working, Outlaw Order looking torecord an LP, I'm doing an art only book silk screen project, a spoken word 7 inch, plus my 2nd book is coming together. The 1st one, "CancerAs A Social Activity," is almost sold out and a few are still available from southernrootspub.com and emeticrecords.com.

9 - You play in Arson Anthem with Phil Anselmo. How has the reaction to that band been? Phil being in the band must have garnered you some serious attention by now?

A little. We've been laying low as of late, so when the LP is released, things should blow up quite a bit. Hank III will be coming down in October, so hopefully we'll be able to record some more songs.

10 - Your book has received good reviews. Have you any intention to pursue that further? Explain a typical Southern Greyhound bus journey/station to the uninitiated reader.

Hell yeah, I wanna pursue my writing career as far as I can. Like I said, I have a second book written and I just need a publisher. Also,we'll be re-printing the "Cancer …" book for Europe and Japan eventually. Publishers, get in touch at Southernnihilismfront@hotmail.com. I like to get cheap Greyhound bus tickets and just head out in the wild. I use to do it to escape people, places, things, but now the urge to just travel to nowhere in a hot, sweaty bus full of losers just appeals to me for some reason. Iguess I like the uncertainty of it all. I'm especially fond ofchecking out the older bus stations down south and out west where nothing has changed in 40 or 50 years. It's really enlightening and amazing to see this side of Americana. The people you meet, too, are a whole sidebar unto themselves. Drifters, runaways, pregnant daughters,scared sons, wishful moms, defeated dads, immigrants, thieves, god-fearers, god-lovers, god-damners, ex-cons, self proclaimed preachers, old ladies, young gentlemen, dirt dogs, Mexican nationals,highway patrolmen, drug abusers, militant cowboys, liberal rednecks,the homeless, house niggas, horse breeders, stick figures and silver-tongued devils. To hop on a Greyhound, holding your one-way ticket, a knapsack, and a pocketful of change, is to be in heaven.Reality in capsule form.

Thanks to Rhys and Unbelievably Bad for this interview.Peace through Addiction

Myspace.com/MikeDWilliams

Myspace.com/EyeHateGod
Myspace.com/OutlawOrder
Myspace.com/ArsonAnthem
SouthernNihilismFront.com

2008-11-09T17:36:00.000-08:00

KEVIN SHARP INTERVIEW

I have written for a number of publications. Matt Reekie asked me to interview Kevin Sharp from BRUTAL TRUTH for BLUNT MAGAZINE earlier this year. I called Kev at 5:30 AM and had a good chat. What follows is the article as it appeared in BLUNT.

It was the year 1999 when a grieving longhaired public witnessed revered New York rulers BRUTAL TRUTH smoke, grind and sleep for the last time. Disappearing into the ether at what was arguably the apex of their career, it seemed an enormous door had been left open in the depths of hell.

Years dragged on, band members surfaced in new outfits THE RAVENOUS and TOTAL FUCKING DESTRUCTION- neither could hold a bong to the power of BRUTAL TRUTH at their peak.

However it was 2004 when word circulated of a new outfit featuring members of NAPALM DEATH, MELVINS and BRUTAL TRUTH. The band of course, was VENOMOUS CONCEPT! But you already knew that.

Their debut LP ‘’Retroactive Abortion’’ was promptly released on Mike Patton’s Ipecac Records- A unlikely label for a band so straight forward in its intentions. However, as lead howler Kevin Sharp states ‘’It was sort of the point you know. I’ve known Mike for a while. I knew him back when he was in FAITH NO MORE. I’ve known him since he was a kid. It freaked some people out, but whatever?’’ Such is the almost nonchalant attitude Sharp has towards his band, the scene, and you. ‘’ That’s the only good part of getting old. You become more comfortable with who you are. We get together, we have a good time and don’t really sweat the details.’’

Blast forward four years, and VENOMOUS CONCEPT have kindly delivered a most- belated new head kicker, ‘’Poisoned Apple’’. Released on Century Media records, it’s a raucous channelling of the collective member’s hardcore origins. The riffs scream the lurching intensity of DISCHARGE, SIEGE, ANTI-CIMEX, POISON IDEA and DRI. ‘’It’s like the sort of shit we used to listen to as kids. It’s like when you go to a friend’s house and you crack open a slab of beer and what not.‘’

Taking these primary influences and pushing beyond the often limiting barriers of hardcore, these trans-thrashionals have melded ‘’extreme music’’ know-how and unrelenting energy through Shane Embury’s muscular sounding riffs, the epileptic bass runs of newest recruit Danny Lilker (BRUTAL TRUTH, NUCLEAR ASSUALT, ANTHRAX), the jackhammer pace of Danny Herrera and Mr Sharp’s completely unhinged vocal overload. The latter of which provides much of the disorientating chaos emanating from the stinking grooves of this disc. ‘’It’s something I’ve refined over the years. I think the best vocal performances are letting your voice do what it naturally does; well mine naturally sounds like a garbage disposal’’ says Sharp emphatically.

The songs appear far more aggressive and livelier than on their debut effort. A more realised version of the band. ‘’Well the objective in a certain way is to stick two fingers in your ass and whatever’’ says Sharp completely deadpan. ‘’It’s that whole RAMONES concept of capturing a sound and an attitude. It may not be perfect, but sometimes it’s the imperfections that make a record like that crazy. The whole idea was to accent the imperfections’’

Unhindered by geographic barriers, the band is spread across two continents. Amazingly, Sharp takes it in his stride. Something we’ve come to expect from the man. ‘’I’ve never really thought about it. Most of the people I’m closest too live in different parts of the world anyway. Sometimes it makes it easier financially and headache wise. 2 of them are over in England and two of us are here, so if we wanted to do shows over there or over here, it won’t cost too much to make it happen’’ says Sharp, who actually lived in Melbourne for a year after the demise of BRUATL TRUTH. This of course makes him an honorary VB sipper and should surely suggest that a saunter to Terra Nullius would have to be on the cards for the band? ‘’ I’ve got alot of friends there. It seems we’ve got alot of people that write us from down there. I love it down there. It could be worse. It’s not unlikely that you will see us at some point in your summer.’’

So it would seem the enormous door is no longer left open. In fact, it’s been slammed shut. Repeatedly. Really fucking hard.

2008-10-22T21:15:00.000-07:00

-JAY REATARD PHONE CONVERSATION-

The folks at STAINED STRATUMS asked me to interview JAY REATARD for VOGUE magazine. I was told that i wouldn't need to write any questions beforehand. They were wrong. I didn't really have anything to say to the guy. It was about 6:00 in the morning, my phone cut out, and I had to had to get to work. This stunted conversation was heavily edited and paraphrased so it would be fit for publication in VOGUE.

r- hi jay, this is RILEY TITMANNUS FLEMMINGTON III calling from australia. I’m doing the VOGUE interview.

j- Oh hi, yeah yeah…

r- How you doing?

j- good man, just working on some recordings.

r- What are you up to?

j- I’m recording a record for this band The Barbaras right now.

r- Okay cool, your engineering…I guess.

j- yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Taking a little break here from things.

r- nice man. Nice. So you don’t get very much time to do that sort of stuff (recording other bands) anymore?

J- Umm no. Yeah, yeah it’s like I usually I don’t have much time to spend on other people’s projects, but umm, these guys kind of play as my back up band so, just making some time to help them make their record for in the red before we leave to come to Australia, so…

r- so you have a completely different back up band now?

j- Umm, no they used to be in this band called the Boston Chinks, but that band kind of split up now so they play in this band The Barbaras now which I think is a little better anyway.

r- Cool, cool cool. so how do you feel about the up coming tour?

j- I’m pretty excited. I’ve never been there so I don’t know what to expect. But I think it’ll be a good time. I dunno, I’m not looking forward to fucking flying on a plane for twenty something hours, but…

r- You don’t enjoy flying?

j- Umm, I don’t mind it, but like eight hours and fucking ready to kill somebody so… (laughter)

r- Oh well man, you’ve got some flight to look forward to there.

j- Yeah.

r- Yeah, your going to want to knock yourself out beforehand.

j- It’s a good day of flying.

r- Yeah, it’s a pretty negative experience.

j- man I don’t know if it’s going to be autumn or what?

r- Dude, it’s going to be really hot, so y’know bring some shorts.

j- Oh really, it’s going to be summertime there right?

r- It’s going to be oppressive. I don’t know what your used to, but yeah, it’ll be pretty disgusting. Nice and humid…

j- (laughter) Yeah, that sounds like memphis, like fucking umm, like maybe 105 degrees and really humid.

r- So you obviously still live in Memphis then?

j- Well when I’m home from tour I have a house here. So I come home to unwind, work on recordings and things…

r- I guess the side projects you had prior to this album doing as well as it has, are they still going? Or do you find that when your not on tour with this record, you want to unwind by not playing music at all?

j- It’s like when I get home, I have time to do nothing but concentrate on doing more solo stuff. But every band I just had to quit. So band I was playing in I felt like I was holding them back if I kept playing with them. So I quit so they could get other members. Some of the other bands I was more involved in, you know like the song writing process and everything; I just ended the band. There was just no reason to carry on, you know? (Jay can be heard coughing up phlegm).

r- Right. So is there a new album coming out soon? I know you did Terror Visions and that was a bit of a departure for you. Musically you know? What was the reasoning behind that. Or is Terror Visions a completely separate entity?

j- Yeah, it was a completely separate thing. You know, just a really shitty electronic punk band with a couple of friends that was just fun to do. I don’t know, I just kind of have this motivation to put out as much stuff as I can as fast as I can before people stop caring.

r- Yeah.

J- I’m not worried about the quality of things. I just try to put it out there you know.

r- It sounds like it’s worked so far. You know, you are highly prolific. But how do you feel about this last record (blood visions), above all the other records you’ve done, attracting the most interest?

j- well…

r- I mean do you think the lost sounds could have perhaps reached this level?

j- (jay can be heard coughing up phlegm) Well I guess I always kind of felt like I was creatively being held back by having to compromise what I wanted to do by playing with other people. So it made sense to me that I got around that problem. Now I can fully realise what I want to do and people are paying attention so….

r- Well it sounds like your onto something there. It sounds like your onto something.

j- You know I always wanted to have more pop influences in all the bands I was in, but some people I think were very uncomfortable with jumping out of whatever genre we were involved in and pop music was just not something they were interested in. So I finally felt that I could write 4 chord songs that aren’t too pretentious and I guess it kind of makes sense to people when its like that. I dunno, I guess it’s kind of hard to listen to 15 minute prog keyboard jams, so..

r- Yeah, but dare I say blood visions still has some of those influences. You know, influences from previous bands.

j- Well it’s impossible not to sound like yourself.

The phone started cutting out here. Here was the last word from jay that should make the interview somewhere.

j- You know man, I’m at home 24/7, working on music and drinking soda.

2008-10-22T18:40:00.000-07:00

'Survive the Future'' - Extortion tour diary. January 2008.

This was supposed to appear in DISTORT flakezine 15 years ago. The editor of said publication decided that the band had ''too many clean pauses'', and ''simply not enogh feedback'' for it to fall within his spheer of interest. So here it is, complete with all spelling/punctuation erros.

Please note: ( Some attempts were made by outside forces to expurgate certain words and passages from this text. )

Wednesday night:
I walked from my office, across the Horseshoe Bridge and through that other street to get to Roman's place of work. Roman works at a shop called ''Death Metal Supermarket''. Perched on a bench, some Victoria Beckhams kept me company until Roman clocked off.

Dan came around to Roman's a bit later on, and that's when the real fun began. Noxious gasmasks, nasal push ups, Emu Bitter Dinner, sleeping pills, hard spirits and indeed, high spirits got us to Perth domestic airport in time.

As a fellow consumer and concerned citizen, I feel it is my responsibility to warn you of the ineptitude of Perth Airport and its staff. Ever since this great state of ours blossomed with weapons, brothels, drug trafficking, domestic crimes, pollution (etc), the sheer influx of people into this wretched place has increased ten fold. Rather than expanding the terminal, building new runways, hiring additional staff and constructing a larger baggage collection, they have opted to downsize the whole operation. This has resulted in absolute pandemonium during check-in, take off, landing, arrival and baggage claim. I believe a frightening new dawn is upon us. I predict dark days are ahead. My friends, I believe the lunatics have truly taken over the asylum.

The flight was a non-entity, except for a stunningly display of aeroplane slumber by Jay Grind. This mid-air maverick performed what came to be affectionately known as ''The Brown Slouch''. It was as if someone had turned old Jay off at the mains, and let him recoil to some sort of default sitting position. Picture if you will, a twenty something man, sitting with his back in a semi-upright upright position, arms by his sides like a young and eager to impress Myer customer service operative, head tilted forward, chin almost touching chest, and mouth in a prone position, as if he were a Crocodile waiting to pounce on an unsuspecting Springbok or Water Buffalo.

Thursday:
It pains me to say, but as a band, we have very little time for each other. So in an attempt to limit the possibility of others being embroiled in our inner-band tensions, each of us stayed in separate lodgings. Nothing personal, just simple logistics.

Now I don't want to sound like I'm superficial or anything, and I usually don't believe in black cats, walking under ladders, smashed mirrors and all that nonsense, but I simply refuse to play a show without getting a decent buzz on beforehand. So it goes without saying that we had a great time getting half-wankered in Welshpool, sorry Osborne Park, I mean, Marrickville. The gig was fun. Some good outfits played. CRUX in particular impressed us with their heavy guitar sound. The crowd turned themselves inside out in response to our live gig phenomena.

At the bar later on, Roman performed a clinical execution of the reverse slouch. Absolutely spot on! Afterwards, our friend and spiritual leader A-dawg got our fucking heads right into the early hours of the morning. Thanks A-train.

Friday:
I woke up in the morning with an arm wrapped around me. It was the arm of Daniel Maynard. The whole situation was made more uncomfortable by the fact that Rohan Harrison was already awake and pretending to read a book. He was clearly watching the madness that was unfolding, and it was obvious that he had been doing so for some time. Furthermore, he was liking it.

We watched cricket and smoked can bongs all day. Some would argue that this is a waste of a holiday. I beg to differ. In my opinion, this is the ultimate realisation of leisure and relaxation. To do what you would normally do on any given day, in a different state, for free...well that speaks for itself.

The show was great. All the bands were good. EXTORTION has a good following in Sydney. Some wild characters turned up when we played. A cripple managed to find his way up onto the stage. Now in a perfect world, these people would not be allowed into events of this nature, nor would they be allowed in the public eye full stop. But alas, we are living in a post- 1945 world, and there are certain concessions one has to make in order to keep up appearances. Not Rohan Harrison though. He proceeded to strangle and repeatedly strike this wheelchair bound individual until he quailed in fear and subsequently wheeled himself off the stage. Chris Onton did not catch the gentleman as he was at the I KILLED THE PROM QUEEN show that night, and didn't want to get his shoes dirty.

We lumbered on until the wee hours with Reek of Purification, the fabulous Elissa, and some others. We got a comprehension of a different dimension with some strong rail slides. It be the will of Jah that we went straight from Newtown to the Airport early that morning. We yelled ''Rasta Far I'' when we saw the beckoning lights of Sydney Airport's finest eatery, Crics Affamés.

Saturday:
We arrived in Melbourne and were greeted by James Vinciguerra. James was wearing a fantastic ''Canterbury, Canterbury, CANTERBURY!'' rugby jumper. He looked like a cross between Where Is Wally, Andrew Ettinghausen and James Vinciguerra. He drove us to town in 1.1 seconds, and thoroughly enjoyed our banter, double entendre and witticisms along the way. We got to Dan Stewart's house. Dan Maynard found some silly plants in his pocket that he thought he had given to a homeless man in Sydney a few hours prior. Dan let out his patented, quaint little laugh, and the collective giggles resumed.

We got to the show which was at a community hall in a park. Now I usually don't go to community halls. I find the whole idea of a community in itself quite stifling and compartmentalising. Community equals conformity to this wandering soul. Conformity is another mechanism that the powers that be use to keep us sedate. Conformity is death. Death is life. And so the cycle perpetuates itself like the birth cycle of an African Hyena.

I came in to see STRAIGHT JACKET NATION tearing it up, and tearing it off (the singer's shirt). Now, I know being the singer of a band is a flagrant display of shake appeal and machismo, but did the singer of SJN really feel the need to take off his shirt and show us his MADBALL, BIOHAZARD and other traditional tattoos? THE KILL followed. They were absolutely great! Jaw dropping guitar and drum etiquette. Yobbo grind! The best Australian band in recent memory!

During the EXTORTION set, a fight broke out between a guy dressed in a police uniform and another guy in Navaho Indian garb. I was so engrossed by the dance floor justice that was transpiring between these two aspiring pugilists, that I made an absolute hack of the outro. But as the great Fred Astaire once said, ''The higher you go, the more mistakes you are allowed. Right at the top, if you make enough of them, it's considered to be your style.'' Right said Fred.

Trial and Error records paid for our ride to the Arthouse for our early sound check. Triple J's short fast loud radio show had some nice cold cuts and light refreshments waiting for us when we got there. JB HIFI hired some ex-Foreign Legion and Hell's Angels toughs to control the masses of fans that had already converged outside the venue. Other fans were said to be in the process of paving a path of destruction in the surrounding areas. Common Bond Records hired some local session musicians to sound check to our specifications sheet so we didn't have to do it ourselves. We spent most of our time in the plush backstage area sitting on rare furs; strumming vintage Gretsch guitars and drinking our collective body weight in the finest French champagne. We could have made a complaint at the time about the lack of Crispy Creme doughnuts on the rider, but we'll leave the complaining to the Brisbane hardcore scene, as we clearly make far too much money off our tours, records, practices, transport costs, flights, merchandise, phone calls and through virtue of living thousands of kilometres away to worry about something as trivial as sweets.

The show was tense. People got turned away at the door. It was far too packed. Folk were hopping the roofs of adjacent buildings to get in. AOA had the sound of the night. The CRO-MAGS cover was a little uncharacteristic for these big softies, but their bespectacled lead singer Grunt held it down by showing his muscles and intimidating the audience both on and off stage. SJN were great again. 731 had a great bass sound- They play grinding grind.. JAWS fumbled through a raucous final fling. MINDSNARE sounded heavy, but were too hard to watch given the claustrophobic environment. Dean went into overdrive for the EXTORTION set. Jay was drunk. The show ended and we went our separate ways.

Some would argue that writing a tour diary for four gigs is a little audacious. Some would even argue that four gigs is not actually a real tour. Both of which are probably true.

Commendation:
James, Elissa, Brendan Oath, Kim your own dog, Chris Onton, Anna, Eamon, Billy, Benny, Clint, Emillie, Lloyd, Mattalwaysgreenalwaysobscene, Black Metal Nick, Ester, Nigel, Dan Stewart, Dan Maynard, Anne, Alex, Meatdog, all Perth people present, Maison, A-train, Matt Reekie, Neil Cuthbertson, Missing Link Records staff, Straight Jacket Nation, Adrian 731, Jay Kill, Crux, Gordon, AVO, Thrush, Jungle Fever and all other equipment trustees, the wonderful young lady at the Old Fire Station Café in Preston and many other folk.

2007-04-02T05:35:00.000-07:00

EDDY CURRENT SUPPRESSION RING INTERVIEW

1- Your influences are reasonably obvious. Do you think the spontaneous formation of the band allowed you to channel the vibes of X, The Saints (etc) without falling into the dreaded contrived, forced retro-trap?

Yeah, maybe. To sound the way we do wasn't a preconceived idea. It just quickly came apparent that it was the best sound we could make when the four of us got together. We all listen to lots of other stuff besides punk and garage, this is just what we can do best.

2- What are your collective musical backgrounds? I understand some of you played in hardcore/metal bands?

Danny started in hardcore and thrash bands when he was a teenager. Up until recently he was still in grindcore band, Demonother. Brad started out as a long haired thrash singer . My first ever jam with other people was when i was 14 with Brad and Danny and we all have played in numerous different things over the years together and apart. This just the first one that's stuck.Brendan has no musical background which I think is probably the reason for his untainted but charming singing style.

3- Please explain your recording technique. Do you overdub at all, or is it strictly live? How much set up is involved? Would you ever consider going for a slick studio sound?

I try not to overdub unless it really sounds like it needs it, although i do have a tambourine fetish. Bugger all set up is involved. I just chuck some mics in front of instruments and press record. I'll probably spend a bit more time setting up next time as I could hear things when I mixed the album that I probably could have done better. But basically , I just want to capture the sound of a band playing in a room as well as i can. I would go for a big studio production if the thats what a certain song needed but so far we haven't had to worry about that.

4- Industry bigwigs are started to exalt the band. The band is getting air-play. The band is playing some larger shows. Even though you've stated that you feel more comfortable playing smaller gigs, all the attention and admiration surrounding the band must be pretty exciting?

Yeah, i guess so. I'm amazed that we have got this far. i'm sure attention will eventually shift but it has been a pretty nice feeling receiving all the positive response for the album and getting to play some larger festival type shows. Its just that I think our type of music suits small venues and the further we get from that, the less sense it seems to make sometimes.

5- Please explain what it was like to play at the big day out? Any after party lunacy?

Nah, not at all. I played and pretty much left. Watched a couple of local bands but had no intention to hang around 30,000 people just to watch Tool, Muse etc.Still, was fun playing and we went down prett well.

5- How much room for experimentation is there within a band like ecsr? Have you ever felt confined by the sound you've chosen?

No. I dont feel confined. I'm happy to try anything as long as it works. The only limitation is what sounds good when we play together. We've only done one album so I'm sure things will naturally evolve in different directions without needing to be pushed.

6- I understand a number of band members are working in the ''biz''? How do you muster up the drive to play/write music when you are constantly surrounded by/immersed it?

It's only me that works in the "biz" and even that's probably a stretch of the term. I run a vinyl pressing plant. Great job but not very "biz" like.

7- What is your demographic? Have your shows brought any old heads out of the woodwork? It's hard to imagine tight jeans, fringed, members only jacket, casio-synth bands/fans being into your band.

We get a lot of 40 year old men that havent been to gigs in 15 years and a heap of younger trendier people. We play a lot of different shows with a lot of different bands so it depends on the lineup. For some reason,we seem to get away with playing hardcore shows and trendy synth shows and most people seem to like it.

8- Your sound is unashamedly Australian. Have you found it difficult to be taken seriously on a world stage? I find the upper echelon of Australian bands often have sense of humour and stylistic foundation that is often far superior to contemporaries from the USA , UK (etc), yet they seldom garner the attention they deserve.

We havent tried to take it to the world stage stage so its not really a problem. I am getting nice emails now from Europe and America from people that have bought the record. A lot of people from other countries appreciate its Australian-ness, but i dont think that appreciation will happen on a larger scale. I dont think what we are doing is really chart threatening material.

9- On a similar topic, Australian culture is so often lampooned by the international community. Neighbors and Steve Irwin(RIP) aside, do you think this is a valid criticism? What are the most cringe worthy aspects of Australian culture in your eyes? Houseboat Horror?

hmm. tough one. zany romantic comedies? a pretty bad track record with sitcoms and sketch shows? I'm not sure . I think we are no more cringeworthy than the next country , its just that we are naturally more self conscious of it. At least we have a rock n roll history and culture that we can proud of.

10- Have you started writing new material? What is coming up next for the band?

Yeah, we have enough songs for another album so hopefully ew record that this year and put it out as soon as we can.

2007-03-24T07:18:00.000-07:00

IRON LUNG INTERVIEW

1- Why did you decide to drop your stand-alone singer? Were you listening to alot of White Stripes and Death From Above Summer of '69 at the time? Or were you finding it difficult to coordinate 3 people as opposed to 2?

JW- Iron Lung has always been a two-peice. Shit, we never had a permanent stand-alone singer. We had a couple friends sing at shows here and there. Mike Cheese was the first and then August Alston. That's it really. Also, how dare you compare us to the white stripes! At least I can play the drums the way they are meant to be played...TOTAL DESTRUCTION.

2- One of the pitfalls of 2 piece bands is the inability to replicate studio sound in a live setting. Was this an initial concern of the band? What amp set-up/volume trickery to you employ to overcome such problems?

JW- We will never divulge the secret weapon's contents. You think we want all the other two-mans to have our sound. The real answer seekers will just have to look at pictures and try to guess.

3- Due to the catalogue of novelty two-piece bands that have clogged the underground in years past I, and many other avid listeners of the musical form approach two piece bands with a certain degree of trepidation. While I doubt IL has ever been viewed a novelty band, was it difficult to convey the legitimacy of IL to people (haters) in the infantile stages of the band?

JW- I can understand the trepidation whole-heartedly. I have it too. There is a lot of crap out there. A lot of crap. You know, we never had a problem being taken seriously. Even when I talked a lot on stage, the music was never light. People just know that this is real anger sound. We never tried to sell a gimmick.

4- What has shaped your sound over the years? The difference between the first ep and the last record is pretty significant. I hear alot of swans creeping in? Or maybe that is because i was born next to lake?

JW- There has always been the classic US hardcore/Rudimentary Peni/Swans influence in our songs. We are playing what seems natural given the times and music we listen to. Life has been a little rough lately so naturally the Swans aspect has crept in a bit more. Or maybe you were born next to a lake, who knows?

5- What provided the impetus for the exploration of medicine, illness (etc)? The detailed lyrics lead me to believe that one of you studies, or at the very least has some interest in the topic? Or are you guys just real big carcass fans?

JW- Who doesn't like Carcass? C'mon. Medicine and illness, particularly old practice, tools and machines, has always keenly interested me. It is tisted what people used to do to each other because they didn't know any better. Bleeding to cure a toothache at the barbershop is a good example. If you really think about it we haven't progressed that far in these 100's of years. When more conventional methods fail, we still perform trepanation to soothe pressure inside the skull. WOW.

6- The prison-related lyrics on the split with shank are very interesting. Is it a ‘’subtle’’ comment on the prison system, or a mere observation? Or both? Have you guys ever spent time in the cooler? Or is it merely hyperbole, like Tupac or something?

JW- Subtle comment. I spent some time in jail in my younger years but nothing serious.

7- What are your thoughts on what appears to be the re-bastardisation of power violence? Do you see the sudden influx of half-arsed, play fast bands as a blight upon the ''genre'' that you have populated for a number of years? Or do you simply believe that ''re-bastardisation of power violence'' is going to be the name of the next band that puts out a 7'' on 625?

JW- I think this re-bastardization you talk about is the same hogwash that is happening to all music these days. You really have to dig and think to come up with a band that has a wholly original sound and idea. Try it. Hurts, doesn't it? Got one? Nope, they sound like Yes playing No Comment. Got another? Nope, they are Negative Approach 2. Also, let's not talk shit on Max. He has always supported us. You are warned.

8- What was the catalyst for moving to seattle?

JW- Good people, record stores and vegan food.

9- I know you play in a number of bands. I'd image this affords you the opportunity to tour alot more than say, a band from war-torn bosnia? Are you able to live a frugal existence whilst touring constantly, or are you forced into jobs you hate to facilitate such exercises?

JW- I have two jobs right now. One that I hate and one that isn't so bad. Both give me time off to tour so I keep on working at these places. And yes, I live very frugally.

10- American touring bands are often quite well rehearsed. How much do you think the ability to tour endlessly, play countless shows per-week and having your own practice space influences this? With the vast-array of bands in the states, do you think competition and one-upmanship plays a big part in the quality of US touring bands?

JW- I think there is always competition here. If you are not the best then you have to be the coolest. If you aren't the coolest then you have to be the fastest etc... I really wish that touring and playing shows wasn't so easy here. Most of the new-comers don't even care about live shows any more. It is getting increasingly harder to be noticed and enjoyed because the fog of mediocrity is much thicker these days. Not to say that there isn't still a great show here and there, we just have to be more selective.

11- Alphabetical inconsistencies aside, do you file your godstomper records between your agothocles and unholy grave records? Please elaborate.

JW- I file my Donovan records between my Buffalo and Flower Travellin' Band records to be more precise.

2007-02-07T05:47:00.000-08:00

Lebenden Toten - State Laughter (Feral Ward)

It is sux when you spill half of your cider all over your 4-track. It's bad enough when your mate Tix falls asleep with a smoke in his fingers and almost burns down your goddamn brown sofa, your copy of Swankys-control and them Nuclear Addicts back patches what vez done; but lubricating your 4-track, shit, how are you going to record your piss-raw, sub-demo quality records?Lebenden Toten seems to have mastered the above on their “State Laughter” record. A collection of releases by these PDX filf-kickers; it has all the characteristics of confuse and disorder, albeit, without a fraction of the hooks that made those bands stand out from the plethora of the rararas, the murmur murmur murmurs, and the rattatatats of similar outfits. The atonal nature of the guitars provides some truly grating moments that even rival watching your grandmother trying to operate a VCR in ‘’get me the fuck outta here’’ levels. The Oscar the Grouch drum sound is more akin to a piece of sheet metal being continuously dropped in a factory environment than an actual Moon the Loon swift-one. A decapitated Yardbird with bound feet provides the vocal delivery whilst trying to navigate an ice skating rink. The bass rumbles out some chaotic, shitstorm lines, however, nothing of the rhythmic devastation of say ‘’No War No Nukes’’.Ultimately, this has a pretty decent taste. Perhaps if one owned the records themselves, one could properly digest these chunks in generous, yet chewable portions. However, this is a bloody Hungry jacks upgrade, minus the meat, with a thirty cent cone and a side of onion rings! And whilst I enjoy a Bacon Deluxe now and then, I can’t quite iron guts an upgrade like I used to be able to. Oh and by the way, Tix is alright, he just burnt his home-made knuckle tatts a bit.

Rupture Interview

2007-02-06T06:57:00.000-08:00

INTERVIEW WITH ZOMBO FROM RUPTURE.

29/11/2006.

1-Firstly, Im curious as to how a lad in the suburbs of perth discovered punk rock? Why not Chisel?

I was at a Barnesy concert mate, when I heard working Class Man and suddenly got inspired to start writing songs for Rupture. Also I didn't discover punk rock - I invented it. My first real band was Zitbastard which was basically a hate band directed at one individual. their "music" was inspired by the likes of SOD, Wehrmacht, Septic Death and Mental Abuse, among others. Andrew/Gus from Rupture was also in that band, which is where we first met, and we also recruited Stumbles some years later. Ancient history!

2- How did the band meet and at what age did you all become friends/decide to form a band? What were you listening to at the time? I hear alot of Napalm, righteous pigs (etc) in the ''Forceps'' sound?

Well you'd be pretty on the money there - we loved Napalm and Righteous Pig's first albums - a huge inspiration at the time. Unfortunately we decided to record that ep while the singer was off partying in Sydney, what a pile of horse shit it turned out to be. Righteous Fuck was the first "real" Rupture record for me.

3- It's well documented that early rupture was alot more politically motivated at the time than lets say, ''Gamma 693'', ''The Golden Showers Of Sinbad '' or ''Brotherhood Of Sea Cucumbers''. At which point did you decide to drop the faux-politics and opt for what appears to be, a more honest and indentifiably rupture-esque approach.

All the political stuff was written by the singer. I guess he just had no other ideas at the time. When we did Righteous Fuck we started to encourage some more honesty and intelligence from his lyric writing, and that's when he started to blossom, and when me and Stumbles became involved. By the time we were ready to do Corrupture we'd pretty much found our mojo. I don't knock that early shit - it's a bunch of kids without a direction, but with a bit of a clue.

4- What are some of your favorite rupture songs, song titles and lyrics? Please explain the meaning behind some of the more bizzare, hillarious, ambiguous and obscure numbers?

I'll explain the ones you mentioned - Gamma 693 was my baby which was inspired by the film Night of the Zombies. I callled it Gamma 693 which turned out to be another zombie type movie. The song was written in fun. Golden Showers of Sinbad was me and Gus having a laugh over a bottle of bourbon and throwing lines in here and there. It means nothing - it made us laugh then, and makes people laugh now. Not sure about Brotherhood - Gus or Stumbles wrote that. Once again it means very little. Obscure in-jokes were our way of communicating most of the time, and thats what you see in the songs. Outsiders simply can't grasp a lot of it.

5- Explain your artwork. Your process, inspiration, favorite artists...

Er, well that's a tough question because I don't have many favourite artists, I love most of what I see at galleries etc. I'm no expert. I started drawing as a child, I used to draw the best dinosaurs in my school. In high school I drew gore and monsters. At 17 I decided to start making murals. I'm 34 now and on my 15th mural, so it takes a long time. It's a lifelong oddessey(did I spell that write?). I make art for myself, not for any market or to please anybody else. The obsession with horror and stuff has pretty much run it's course and now I'm just making purely abstract images. My medium is pens and pencils.

6- What drugs were you guys into at the time? Obviously pot played a big part in the earl;y, ''smoke weed, play fast'' rupture years. Any good drug/alcohol related stories?

Uh, well we smoked a lot of dope when we were hanging around in Zitbastard, then when we formed Rupture we discovered all sort of things like magic mushrooms, acid trips, esctasy, and speed which became my drug of choice. And alcohol. (Lots of it.)I've never touched heroin. Now, I'm pretty much not doing any of that hard shit, just drink and smoke the occasional weed when I'm in the rehearsal room with my boys. Most of the people who keep doing it end up dead by 30. I have a long, long list of people my age who arn't here any more.

7- Despite the backlash to what was percieved to be the ''moronic'' lyrical content of the band, you guys seemed to grow in popularity and notoriety (albiet:outside of perth). You must have recieved alot of interesting letters at the time. Anything of note come to mind?

I've never read much letters and correspondence because most of that was handled by the other guys. I"ve always been aware that we were pissing people off, and it's always tickled me pink. I don't know why exactly - I guess I've always got this weird kick out of fucking with people's heads.

8- Due to the reputation the band had, it is obvious that it was diffeicult for the band to play live in perth at this time. Was this the catalyst for moving east, or were there other reasons?

We moved because we were trying to escape each other mainly. But we ended up back together. It's odd isn't it? All Gus needed was a good stay in rehab, and perhaps what we all could have done with is some psychological help! Some relationships are like that, and so are some bands - you drive each other up the wall.

9- The band eventually moved towards a more Killed by Death, Bloodstains sound. What are your favorite KBD records?

I don't have any.

10- Around this time, the band appeared to become alot more confrontational and deliberatly antagonistic as far as ''right-wing undertones'', racism, nazi-imagery (etc) on the records. Please explain the reasoning behind this? It seemed to alienate a large portion of your audience, however, the band still remained prolific.

The Soapfarm material was purely for shock value, it's simple really. This may disappoint but I'm liberal minded. I don't dig fascism, nazi or otherwise. Race? Couldn't care less (unless your from Perth). Everyone's a fuckhead right(except me). It's OK to blow up a church, a mosque, a synagogue etc, if for fun, not for a cause or any serious "issue". Anarchy foreva! Free love too. We all die - why not do it in style? The suicide bombers have totally got it wrong, I pity them. Suicide is way too personal to waste on a "cause". The same with murder. The same with music!

11- Why did you leave rupture? What was it like to be an outsider looking in on a band that you had been a part of for so many years?

It was the only thing left for me to do - the band had totally gone to shit. We should have split a good 3,4 years earlier. I just didn't have the confidence that I'd be able to start something worthwhile with other people.

12- Obviously the band came to an end with Andrew's passing. This must have come as a great shock.

Yes it sucked. For me, it wasn't totally unexpected. But it's a waste. He was a pretty fuckin funny dude,when he wasn't being a cunt.

13- What have you been doing since the band? What are your future plans? Do you hold any great hope for humanity? Will you eventually join a commune?

I've been playing music. It's what I wanna do until the planet burns up.