holy fuck

I've been working on a zine for about a month now and I can honestly say this is the most work I have ever put into something besides homework or something in school.
I've had the chance to talk to some really rad people and learn a whole lot about the music scene and even myself. I'm super excited to put this out and hopefully people will like it.

Thanks to Eric and chris from Braindead, TomDom from forfeit and bob and everyone from letxdown.

Thanks for giving me the time.

Go to a show and I will put it out.

STOKED!

INterview with Eric and Chris of Braindead

I had the privilege to do the biggest interview I have done so far with a band that got me into melodic hardcore a couple years ago. Braindead, a band trying to mix up the formula for a hardcore band are a hard working bunch of guys out to make music and do what they love. They have gone through numerous lineup changes over the past three and a half years but never fail to pull through. So here is the interview with both Chris and Eric.

So who are you and what do you do?

Eric: My name is Eric and I play guitar and wear glasses

Chris: My name is Chris Lynch, and i just recently moved from playing guitar to vocals

How long have you been involved in Braindead for?

Eric: I started Braindead with my friend Joe (now in Reign Supreme) about a year or so before we actually played our first show, so I've been here since day 1

Chris: I joined Braindead on guitar shortly after they released their first Demo 7", so that was around late 2006 i believe.

What got you into the music that you write and the hardcore scene?

Eric: I got into punk rock back when I was in middle school and that eventually lead to hardcore and metal. I started going to local punk shows when I was 13 or so, and soon started going to hardcore shows in the area and then in Philadelphia shortly after. I've always felt a connection to the music and to mostly everyone involved in the scene. I did a zine and started booking shows in South Jersey and Philly, I played in some bands and always went to shows. Hardcore was pretty much my life for the majority of my teenage years. I would not be the person I am today without the hardcore scene.

Chris: Well i was first introduced into the hardcore scene by my friend scotto when i was just turning 14, he took me to a lot of shows in Philadelphia and Baltimore and the surrounding areas, so that was around 2000, i got to see a lot of awesome bands like count me out, damage, American nightmare, carry on, the ragmen, figure four, etc. so i guess you could say a lot of those bands have been a major influence on me and had got me into writing the music i do in one way or another.

Where do you get your inspiration for lyrics? When I listen to No Consequences and your demo, I can tell that there was a lot of thought used to write the lyrics.

Eric: Chris and I have recently taken over the writing of our lyrics since he has moved over to vocals. We draw inspiration from our past and present lives, just the things we deal with in life, both positive and negative.

Chris: At the time that the No Consequences ' lyrics were written we had our old singer still present. but as we are writing new songs and now that i have taken over as vocalist, i can tell you that i get my inspiration for my lyrics from all of the things that i should have done with the time i have had so far, or personal things that have to do with my family. As with all melodic hardcore bands, they always talk about regret, and all the choices they have made or didn't make in life, or where they have come from, so i guess you could say my lyrics are no different. i just know that if your a singer you should write about things know, not what you think people want to hear or relate to, because people are going to like your band or not like it, so might as well do it right.

I thought I heard Bob from Let Down on "an exercise for bad taste". How did that come along and what the thought behind the decision to have him on the record?

Eric: We toured with Let Down in 07 and we love those dudes. We asked Bob if he wanted to do a spot on our record. That was pretty much it haha

Chris: Yes that is Bob Wilson from letxdown (straightxedge). We asked him to be on the record awhile ago after going on tour with letxdown in the winter of 07', we became pretty good friends with all of them so we thought it was a good decision to have him on there, along with our other friends who did guest spots including Mike Riley, and LordXDom from pulling teeth, and John Louden from Jena Berin.

Do you think you have changed as a band, musically, since your first release?

Eric: We've gone through multiple line up changes in the last 3 years of being a band. Chris is mistaken because I wrote pretty much the whole demo haha. People have come and gone that have been involved in the writing process, but things really didn't start to take shape (in the direction I always wanted to go) until Chris joined the band. We aren't trying to reinvent the hardcore wheel, but we are feel that we are doing something a little different.

Chris: Yes, there is no doubt that we have. before i joined the band Justin our old bassist and Joe our old drummer wrote most of the songs on the demo and on our split. but once i started writing new material for the full length i started to incorporate more of the melodic tones, just because i think everyone at that point thought it would be a good idea to go in that direction. grant it i feel like we picked a medium that is much harder to pull off then your standard fast paced pissed off hardcore band, but i think what we have going will pay off in time.

What keeps the band going strong and doing what you guys are doing?

Eric: We love hardcore and writing and playing music. We've persevered over the years with line up changes and other set backs, but we are still a band, and I feel that now we are at our best in every aspect of the band. I

Chris: I think what really keeps all of us going is just our love for playing/going to shows and writing the music that we do, plain and simple. it's been hard at time with numerous, and i mean numerous line up changes over the past 3 1/2 years, but we all agree we want to do this more then anything right now.

Where do you see Braindead in the future?

Eric: We are planning on touring for most of 09, as well as writing a new record. It seems that every time we play there are more and more kids that know our songs and kids from places where we've never been that want us to come out. Hopefully we can get the chance to tour outside of the country. I just want to keep having fun and doing what I love.

Chris: I see us touring over seas, and releasing at least a few more LP's. this year we are definitely focusing on touring the US a lot more, now that some of our schedules have cleared up more, and once we get someone to release our record in Europe we hope to get over there if not later this year, then early next year.
Any Shoutouts?

Eric: Joe Hardcore. Without him, we would not be a band still. He took a chance on us and put us on This is Hardcore back in 06 and things just took off from there. The support he (and Philadelphia) has shown has over the years has been tremendous and we cannot thank him him enough. I'd also like to give a big shout out to everyone in the city of Baltimore. Baltimore is pretty much our second home and have done so much for us. Nick and Russ out in LA, Ashley and Justin in Tuscon, John Kapp out in Regina SK, Mike from Until Your Heart Stops, everyone from Michigan, we hope to see you all again this year. Oh, and Brian Cavanaugh's dad.

Chris: I would like to thank Joe Hardcore for giving us his undying support whether it be help us with contacts or getting us on great shows in philly, he has always been behind us since day one. and also like to thank Steve Smeal from Ruiner and Burn Bridges Records (www.burnbridges.net) for releasing our records as well as everyone in Ruiner for helping us out so much over the past few years, that also goes for everyone in Pulling Teeth, and our good friends in Blackbirds; Justin Steenbergh, his g/f Julia, Jesse Gongora (mi hermano), Brenden Schieman (bung, fuck you dale), Brandon Demarco and every band or any person who has helped us out in any way, thank you.

Forfeit Interview

I got the chance to interview Tomdom, the bassist from forfeit (basically my favorite band). I never realized how young he was and was completely surprised by his age. Anyways heres the interview.

So lets get down to brass tax. Who are you and what do you do?

I'm tomdom and I play bass In Forfeit from Syracuse, new York.


How did you get involved in hardcore and the music scene?
I met our drummer, Ben Shaw, in 7th grade in ecology and he was all decked out in gear and I went to go see what's up. From there he took me to my first show and we've been in bands ever since.


What are your biggest influences when writing and playing in Forfeit?
My biggest influences when writing in Forfeit is definitely Life Of Agony, Metallica, Pantera and Entombed. Honestly, One of the biggest influences besides music is anger and frustration. I usually lock myself in my room and write in my journal and pull out my guitar and just write.


What is your opinion on the direction of where hardcore is going presently?
I'm only 19 so I can't be one of those people who say hardcore is better or worse than it was ten years ago but I am very excited for hardcore. I like a lot of the current bands out now.


Where was the best show you have ever played? where did kids go off is what
I'm really asking?

That is a tough question. One of the best shows definitely has to be either our record release show at the Westcott Community Center or the Have Heart show we played at the Westcott; there is a video of it on the Internet.


Where do you see the band going in the future?

Well We are almost done writing our first lp that will be released on Reaper Records in late Spring and have plans of touring from May until late August. From there I can only see us wanting to play more and touring more- hopefully touring the rest of the world.


Shoutouts to Patrick Kitzel and Reaper Records, Paulyedge, The Brotherhood, Forfeit Crew, Foundation, Unholy, Polar Bear Club, Trapped Under Ice, Outbreak and The Mongoloids