DEAD STUFF - Bayou City Sludge Mutilation

Dead Stuff sounds like everything from death metal to stoner rock. What are your influences and what goes into writing a song? 

Charles:  I like all types of music, but I gravitate to thrash.  I listen to a lot of pop too, because there’s nothing like a good, strong melody.  I like to say that my favorite songwriters are Dave Grohl, Robb Flynn, Butch Walker and Jason Bieler.  All four of those have such a strong sense of melody.  That may not be reflected in the bands that I’ve been in or the riffs that I write, but it’s in there in my DNA.

Derek: I grew up listening to all sorts of music and have played in some pretty diverse bands. We each have different sensibilities, and the combination has made for songs that wind up more interesting to us.
Cory:  I find influences in all kinds of music. Anything from Tori Amos to the almighty Slayer.

What I find really cool about your band is that you’re willing to play with any band regardless of style. Is that due to all the members being fans of multiple music genres?

Charles:  I’ve always found bills that have the same kind of band to be boring.  When we play a show, I’m there as a fan too.  I want to hear and discover new and cool bands.  I like variety and playing with bands of a different style also opens your music up to an audience that wouldn’t necessarily see you.  We’ve had some people come up and say that they dug what they heard, and that they normally don’t like heavy music. 
Derek: I get cranky watching copies of the same band all night. Diverse bills are more fun to see and to play.
Cory: That plays a part but we also love playing with our friends. I love playing shows with multiple "genres". It’s a great way to hear something new.

Your band sounds great as a power trio. However, are there any thoughts in adding a second guitarist?

Charles:  We’ve never really discussed this, but as much as I’m a fan of the guitar duo, I’m not really interested in having a second guitar player just double whatever I’m playing. Working out of a trio is something I’ve always loved, and having a strong rhythm section that can shine is something that I find inspiring.  Both Derek and Cory are such better musicians than I am, that it drives me to do better, to try and push my boundaries. 
Derek: I think Charles should get a multi-neck guitar and be his own second guitarist.
Cory: Nope. Charles is more than capable of getting the job done

Dead Stuff has been playing live pretty often. When can we expect some recordings? I am definitely ready to hear you in the studio.

Charles:  Hopefully soon! 
Derek: We're finishing up some DIY recordings at the moment. You'd be surprised how many tracks of vibraslap you can force into a song.
Cory: Working on a recording as we speak.

Do you feel the traditional rock band is a dying breed? This is especially alarming considering the kids that only know mainstream music are being force fed garbage.

Charles: As long as there’s convention, there will always be someone fighting to go against the grain.  So while there may be a proliferation of bands that have no identity, there will always those that stand out because of the conviction and honesty that rings through their music.
Derek: I think the whole environment is changing. Things aren't as straightforward as they used to be. I don't know if it's bad or good, but sincerity matters. I'll be playing music even if I have to do it alone in my room banging on pots and pans.
Cory: I feel it’s always been that way. There is good music you just need to know where to look.

What do your lyrics cover? Do you have an overall theme or do you just write about whatever is on your mind?

Derek: I don't know but there's a lot of yelling.
Cory: A wide variety of themes from death to being lame. Not really a theme. We write about a bunch of things.

Final thoughts.
Charles:  I’d like to thank you Jeff for the interview, and giving us the opportunity to get our name out there.  I’m looking to writing more tunes with my brothers Cory and Derek, and sharing the stage with some killer bands, especially Khobretti!
Derek: Come see a show. Take your pants off. Buy a shirt for a handsome friend. Ask us why the fuck we're playing in B. Thanks Feral Noise!
Cory: I love playing with these two dudes talented and handsome!
https://www.facebook.com/deadstuff666/

TOKYO GAS ATTACK - Creating a whole new Earache in Houston

It’s refreshing here in Houston to see a newer band playing grindcore the right way. You definitely remind me of early Napalm Death mixed with some Agathocles and Meat Shits. Give us your influences and explain how the band came together.

Well Nick, Max, Zach And myself, are into all sorts of music. We’re not closed minded at all. But for Tokyo Gas Attack, we all dove into our grindcore/powerviolence/crossover thrash roots. Napalm Death being a major one for myself, but we all dig Wormrot, Graf Orlock, Sex prisoner, Brutal Truth, Iron Reagan, Spazz, G.G.Allin, Pavel Checkov. On the next batch of songs we have written you will hear a big Japanese/ black metal noise influence as well, from the likes of Endon, Friendship, Merzbow, and also Full of Hell. Well the way the band was formed happened like all bands, me and Max had been jamming and originally we where gonna start another hardcore band but we also wanted to mix blast beats and we where having a hard time finding members. Then Max came across a post on Craigslist and it was Nick looking for a band to start or join. He was moving from Virginia back to Texas I believe. Well we set up a practice and jammed and the rest is history. We all cliqued and decided we worked better as a three piece. So that’s how we stayed until most recently with the addition of Zach on guitar. Unfortunately, recently Max played his last show with us a week ago. He moved back to his home town of Detroit. He went back for school and a great job opportunity. We wish him the best of luck and he will be missed. Nick and Max brought the noise and samples.

I absolutely love your band name. If I had never heard your band before, the name itself would definitely grab my interest. What’s the story behind it?

Max came up with the name. It's surrounded around the Japanese cult Aum shinriku. They were responsible for the Sarin Gas attack in the subways in Tokyo back in 95.

I like how the lyric topics are definitely all over the place. My favorite is the conjoined twin story in the song Dead Weight. Is the lyric writing done by one person or is it collaboration?

Nick pretty much handles the lyric writing but we discuss the direction of the content and music writing as a whole. We all have a say in what we release. It's funny cause we use alot of movie clips and samples in our songs and alot of our stuff revolves around gangsta movies. Like Blood in Blood out, American Me, Shot Caller, Boyz n the Hood, also serial killers like Richard Kuklinski The Iceman. We don't dive into politics or take ourselves too serious. We just like to have fun and write crazy shit.

The noise elements you added are fantastic, especially in the song “Email Shemale”. Are you influenced by any noise bands?

Yea we dig the Japanese noise scene. Bands like Endon, Friendship, Merzbow, Boris we also dig stuff like Painkiller, and John Zorn's Naked city, Mick Harris' bands scorn and again Full of hell.

According to your bandcamp page, the EP was self produced. I think the production works perfectly with the music. Give us a breakdown of your recording process.

Yes the e.p. was recorded by Max and Nick. We decided fuck paying 100's of dollars for an over polished e.p. Since Max and Nick had all the mics and the programs and shit we said Fuck it. All our favorite bands’ releases where raw in sound and our favorites so we said Fuck it. We're gonna record all our own releases from now on. Plus there's no point in having over produced songs ranging from 2 seconds to a minute and twenty seconds.

You have an upcoming show in Louisiana. Will this be your first time playing there? Do you plan doing some out of state touring?

For Tokyo Gas attack it's a first and we do plan on touring soon. We will be booking our own shows with like minded bands be it skate punk, punk, d beat, powerviolence, grindcore, noise, crust, sludge etc. Locally too. Tokyo Gas Attack will be in a city near you. #preparefortheattack

Fill free to add anything additional here.

Thanks again for the interview.

https://www.facebook.com/tokyogasattack/
https://tokyogasattack.bandcamp.com/

Bayou Vimana - Putting the ROCK back into Rock & Roll

Bayou Vimana definitely brings the ROCK back into rock & roll. The songs are catchy, yet still dirty enough to sound legitimate. When forming the band, what was your main goal? We just wanted to hang out and play rock n roll man. 

When listening to your music, I hear a variety of rock influences. What rock gods do you pray to?  Is this a rigged question? Naw man, we just love the basics of good rock n roll.

Your group is definitely not short of veteran musicians. Being that all the members have been in various bands, I would assume the chemistry is probably great. Can you give us a fly on the wall view of how a normal rehearsal takes place, everything from the writing process to band decision making? Nothing out of the ordinary with us at rehearsal. We all have equal input, all carry gear, all pay rent, and all bring beer.

I have the fantastic free CD-R you were giving out, but do you have any plans of doing an official release?  We released “Origin Sound-Southwing Audio Masters EP” in 2017. It is a 6 song EP that we began at Craig Douglas’ Origin Sound Studios until he flooded out and then moved us over to Gus and Chris Kritikos’ place, Southwing Audio. We have sold several hundred copies locally, so we are pretty happy with our first recording. We are looking to get back into the studio with Craig late in 2018 to work on our first full length. 

What’s your favorite venue to play in Houston? Also, have you played in any other cities? Nothing will ever replace our old home, Emo’s man. These days are very different. We enjoy playing Rudyard’s, Dan Electro’s and Concert Pub North. We have played up in Austin a couple of times, but have kept things close to home so far. 2018 looks like it will change all of that.

I have to ask, what is the story behind the band name? Something spoke to Arnett and I when we unknowingly were watching an episode of Ancient Aliens at the same time on Vimanas. Some metal band from Denver already had that name. So, being from the Bayou City, we naturally slapped “Bayou” in front of Vimana and that seemed to stick.  

Last words. Last words will be on our tombstones.

https://www.facebook.com/bayouvimana/

LOOSE NUKES -Houston Hardcore's Worst Nightmare

Your band seemed to come out of nowhere and exploded on the scene. How did the group come together?

David: Perfect timing actually. Derek and I were still working on songs in the ashes of Landfill’s demise, and Mike and Matt were looking to form a hardcore band following some down time after Crime Wave had finished. I got a message from Mike one day asking if I was interested in doing a new hardcore band with him and Matt, and the rest of the story is on the demo tape.

I know your members are part of other bands. How do you balance the efforts in multiple bands?

David: Matt and I are the only ones juggling other projects right now (I think), although, Mike is a really prolific songwriter and releases his own stuff all the time via SoundCloud and cassette (Banbang! for instance – go buy it at Deep End, you won’t be sorry).

For me, it’s a balancing act of epic proportions to make being a dad, paying bills and also being in multiple bands work, but Loose Nukes is really important to me, so I will always make it a priority.

I’ll do my best impression of what Matt might say to this question: (clears throat) “Hold my beer.”

Your Fast Forward to Extinction cassette EP has gained lots of praise, mine included. Was that a self-released item? Are you also working with Agrowax?

Mike: Yes, it was self-released, and that was Agrowax’s last release. I'm done with that shit.

FN: Your sound is a fantastic homage to 80s hardcore. Besides the music, your artwork brings me back to the 80s Cold War era. Also, with recent events, the nuclear scare is a common thought. Do you feel the current world creates a ripe environment for writing angry songs?

Mike: Yes...and I think people should be pissed off. And afraid. There’s a lot of information and misinformation out there. The reality of getting obliterated in a nuclear war at this point seems very real. You can't help but feel a little helpless.

What are your thoughts about the digital direction the music scene has been sucked into?

David: The digital medium made it easy for us to release our demo while we waited for cassettes to be ready, so for us, the digital world has been awesome for us. Plus, Mike put some really cool videos together on YouTube for the demo, so go check ‘em out on the Agrowax channel.

When writing, what is your process?

Derek: Most of the time Mike and Matt write the songs, and then they record a rough idea and send them to the group SoundCloud.

 Is it a collective activity?

Derek: Occasionally we will jam on something spontaneous, and a couple songs have come about that way. We’ll practice and adjust a few things until we feel ok with the final result.

Are the lyrics usually written before or after the music is complete?

Mike: Yes.

What are your future goals?

David: This year, we are planning to release a series of 45’s with 2-3 songs per release, and we will continue to write and record. We have some upcoming gigs with Khobretti and Agent Orange that we are stoked about playing.

Do you plan on doing any regional touring?

Matt: We discussed doing a small or short Midwest kind of tour this summer, but nothing concrete has been planned yet. We talk a lot of shit, so it’s more of a “wait and see what we can do” approach to things like that.

David: It’d be awesome to do some Texas shows outside Houston -- not just the big cities either.

Last words.

David: Nah.
https://loosenukes1.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/loosenukes/

TAKEDOWN - Bringing Yesteryear Brutality into the Modern Day

I was impressed when first hearing your CD demo. However, I was even more absorbed when seeing you live. What is your mental approach when playing live?
Our overall approach when playing live is simple, have fun and entertain. Our perspective has been and will continue to be “we will play for 6 people or 60 people”. You can expect the same effort each time we show up. For the effort itself we have a band goal to not take ourselves too seriously, but there are two key elements we look for in our live shows, energy and tightness. We don’t always succeed but we will keep trying.

I see you have been gigging more frequently. So far, what has been your favorite show?

Our favorite show is the next one someone will let us play. Of the shows we’ve done it seems the next is always a little better.

Where did you record your demo? How was the process?

We recorded the two demos we have on FB in our practice space. It’s very rudimentary. We used my old MOTU 896 and didn’t spend much time on it. We just wanted to get something to hand out.

The music has a 90's metallic crossover sound with powerful vocals. Is that an accurate description? For those who have never heard Takedown, explain in your own words what they should expect.

As far as the overall sound, we try to take that late ‘80’s early 90’s hardcore punk rock style and make it relevant to today. There are definitely elements of metal there but the underlying element and foundation is straight up hardcore punk rock.

What are your long term goals and do you have any new recordings planned?

We don’t have any long term goals. We just take it as it comes. We have upgraded our recording gear and will hopefully have a legit full length by end of summer 2018.

All of your logos and t-shirt artwork have a military theme. Can you provide more details regarding that?

It’s not really a military theme at all, but we make no qualms about our beliefs. Yeah, we like guns. We believe in self help and being man enough to accept help when it’s needed. Hand up not hand out. Family and friends first. Do not fuck with my family or my friends and we’re cool.
https://www.facebook.com/TakedownHardcore/
https://takedownhardcore.bandcamp.com/

HRA - Fuck the Weak Shit

HRA has been around almost 10 years now. It seems that every 5 years the Houston music scene cycles in new people. How do you think the modern scene compares to shows of yesteryear?

I grew up going to shows at the Axiom, Vatican, etc so I've seen many shows. It's different nowadays for sure but not too different as some people may think. Not every show back then was packed as some may think. I went to plenty of shows with a minimal crowd in attendance. However there were many tour packages then that you don't really get now unless it's some big fest, which I don't care for fests. There are still some great shows these days. I don't try to compare times anymore. I book very few shows myself but when I do I try to make it a great time. That's how everyone should treat each show. A time to have fucking fun.

Besides HRA having a long history, the members have an impressive lineage of past musical ventures. For those who don’t know, can you give a history lesson?

We all have played in many bands dating back to mid 80's. Robert has been in THE IDIOT SOCIETY, DARK REIGN, GOAT, HASBEEN, OATH OF CRUELTY, KRULLUR, and others I 'm sure I forgot. Ed has been in VERBAL ABUSE, HUMUNGUS, UYUS, VATOS LOCOS, plus more. Billy has been in HYPO-CHRISTIANS, CHOCOLATE CRUCIFIX. I, Francisco, have been in KAKA, HYPO-CHRISTIANS, SACRELIGIOUS TORMENT, THY FEEBLE SAVIOUR, and have filled in live for LETHAL AGGRESSION, MORBOSIDAD, OATH OF CRUELTY.

You are recently returning from a year and a half break from playing live. What caused this absence?

Back in November 2014 we decided we were going to take a break for about 6 months since we all have very busy lives and responsibilities to take care of. Well, it turned into almost a 2 year break because of that reason. I still wrote lots of songs during that time period and would get together with Ed to arrange them. We just didn't play any shows. We have slowed down quite a bit even now but still are working on getting new stuff recorded plus a few shows a year.

It is fantastic that you are keeping that speeding 80s hardcore spirit alive. Can you elaborate on your life long love for this style?

I started writing songs for HRA after I filled in on guitar for Robert's band Hasbeen back in 07. I wanted to write fast shit like HERESY, UPS, A.F., SEPTIC DEATH, S.N.O.T. and more fast 80's hardcore stuff and have Robert sing on it. I remember watching some Heresy live videos and got on my guitar and started writing. The drummer is what inspired me the most. Steve from Heresy fucking rules!! We have all always liked the old hardcore sounds since we were kids.

So far you have put out some really solid releases. Of your two LPs, which is your personal favorite? Also, do you have anything planned for the future?

I like both of our LPs honestly. It's fun playing songs from both albums live as well. We are working on releasing a 7 inch entitled VIOLENT TIMES. Faster and more intense. Most bands get slower as they get older. We are going for faster, shorter songs. FUCK THE WEAK SHIT!!

HRA has been on some great gig line-ups. Which are your most memorable?

We've played so many damn shows and have been lucky to play with some of our favorites such as Raw Power, Lethal Aggression, Social Decay, Final Conflict, Dr. Know, The Accused, DRI, Negative Approach, Wehrmacht, and many more I can't even remember right now.

Would you like to add anything?

Thanks for the interview. Our two LP's are still available from the label, Torture Garden, so go buy them if you like the fast hardcore. We don't play often anymore but if you want to see a band fucking shit up and giving 666% on stage then come out to see us.
https://www.facebook.com/HRA-138553769537193/

IDIOT CITY - Street Rock'n'Roll Throwing Haymakers

Your band is a great mix of Oi/Street rock and punk. I am reminded of all the great releases on Vulture Rock Records. Is that the sound you originally aimed for?

Richard: Well, yes and no. Yes in that, admittedly, I love that stuff. My absolute favorite music in the world is all that early Oi and street rock that still had a heavy rock n roll influence, as well as the proto-punk stuff from the 60s and 70s that fed into it. And then, of course, we tried to throw in some early American hardcore, too. I love stuff like Rollins-era Black Flag, the Adolescents, and Flipper, but wanted a more overdriven guitar tone like the Stooges, Radio Birdman, or even the tone on All Skrewed Up.

Your lyrics seem to be a combination of sarcasm and nihilism. Please explain.

Richard: Sometimes I look at the civil unrest in the US right now, and think, "I'm not really encouraged to have an opinion on this unless it falls into this really narrow spectrum of thought." So my response at that point is to kind of throw my hands in the air and take a step back. It's not the most enlightened approach, but I think it allows me to write more freely. On top of that, sarcasm and satire are great artistic tools. To me, in wanting to start a punk band, I thought repeating the same talking points over and over would be boring and accomplish nothing.

Your logo and band name work perfectly together in creating a visual of what you are about. What triggered using that band name and who created the logo?

Richard: I harbor quite a bit of ire for both the "right" and the "left", especially the more extreme versions of both. I figured poking fun at both would get under people's skin enough to make playing this music more interesting, and to be honest it's worked. Gabe came up with the name Idiot City and it fit perfectly. *NOTE from GABE; Actually, I borrowed the name from Matt and Stu (Folsom/Spirit World) love you boys!

Your first release was the Identity cassette. Please give us some insight of the tape. Is Low Hanging Fruit your own label? Also, what is the meaning behind the outrageous Abbey Road cover?

Gabe: Low Hanging Fruit is my own label, the tape was my first release. We made 50 copies on green and then made 50 more on blue, copies are available at Vinyl Edge records and Deep End Records. These songs were some of the first songs written by Idiot City and have a pretty rough feel to them. We were trying to come up with the silliest thing we could think of for the cover and Richard doing cartwheels across Abby Road took the cake. Far too often Oi and punk bands take themselves too seriously; this is just a reminder that we are supposed to be having fun with all of this.

You recently re-released those songs on a 7”. Was it self released? Once again, here is a cover art question. Can you tell the story about how you had trouble pressing this record due to the cover concept?

Caleb: The cover was originally supposed to be Donald Trump riding a cockroach and waving an idiot city flag, but I couldn't get the sitting proportions right on Trump's weird, dumpy body, so I had to make him standing... for the most part the cover reflected on him in a really negative light and I didn't feel that was fair so I added a mustache so he could look cooler. The kids love mustaches these days, so I felt it was a good compromise.

Gabe: This was the second release for low hanging froot records. The issue was not with the cover art; it was with us using a screwed and chopped trump sample. United Pressing waited 3 months to make a test pressing and then let me know that they could not press the record, would not give me the test pressings, and would not refund my money for the test pressings or the making the mothers and masters, because they interpreted our use of trumps voice as a copyright violation. The lady explained that if could obtain permission from Trump to use his voice that they would proceed. I told her I would call him that evening and I'm sure that he'd be cool with it. She replied with, "Well I doubt that, he is a very busy man." Thats when I knew I was dealing was a grade A cunt from Appalachia. I told them to send me the metal parts and flipped them over to Mortimer Weiner and Rainbo Pressing; recieved prompt service with no issues. Moral of the story is this: Fuck United Pressing first and foremost. Secondly, there are two circles within the music world that overlap in the middle (think Venn Diagram). In the left circle you have people who love music and understand that live performances are a conduit between the band and the audience for ideas and emotion. In the right circle you have suits that use phrases like, "1 standard deviation", "fluid assets", and "synergy". Most successful artists can maintain within the overlapping area of the circles. I'm proud to stay in the far left wearing a barbie mask and a wig with two fingers jammed up my ass. You feel me?

For those who don’t know, every Saturday Gabe hosts the Hardcore Hour radio show. Please give a plug of what your show is all about.

Gabe: The show is called the Rock & Soul review, Chris Conflict and I host the hardcore hour which is on from 10-11 p.m. CST. We play a wide range of punk and hardcore and throw in other stuff for fun. I've interviewed Rob Lind of Blood for Blood, John Tole of OLC and Pitboss 2000, Aaron Bedard of Bane, and others. We facebook live most episodes. It's on the HD3 channel, so you can stream live from KPFT.com or from our webpage at www.radrichrocknsoulrevue.com . The website also has archives of our past shows. GET INTO IT.

https://www.facebook.com/idiotcitytx/
https://idiotcity.bandcamp.com/