Roya Butler got a chance to sit down with singer Aaron Martyr and chat about politics, the straight-edge ideology, and what Stand Firm is doing to make a difference.

How long have you been playing?
Aaron Martyr: The band has been together since fall of 2004, but I joined the band more recently in winter / spring of 2006.
How did you start out?
Aaron Martyr:  It started out as something small and fun for a few kids to do from time to time, while spreading the message of straight edge.  In time, as this nation and the world has been changing, the band realized there’s more issues out there to bring to light. We’ve had a few line-up changes, but what we have now is pretty solid and I’m looking forward to the sound to come.
How do you find the hardcore scene in Erie, and PA in general?
Aaron Martyr: As with every scene, it has its ups and downs. We’ll have our shows that are packed out, with no room to move, and we’ll have our shows that will be 20 close friends getting down to the locals and smaller touring bands. I gotta say though, I’ve been a lot of places, I have even moved away for a time… No hardcore scene feels more like family than Erie–Just something about it. PA as a whole, honestly has great hardcore bands, great times.  Everyone respects each other, everyone has a blast.
Being a straight-edge band how does that carry into your songs?
Aaron Martyr: We believe that a big part of bettering society as a whole starts with you. Keeping a clean body and mind can only strengthen your will in the long-run. We hope that in time, by keeping people aware of their responsibility to themselves and to those around them, we won’t have problems with substance abuse the way we do today.
Your lyrics seem deeply political; tell us about your stance.
Aaron Martyr: The 5 of us vary in our own personal political stances, but we all do agree that our basic freedoms and constitutional rights are slowly being infringed upon. Regardless of which “”political party”" you represent, Every civilian has the right and duty to stand up for what is best for the home in which they live.
Tell us a little about what your song ‘Justice Prevails’ means to you?

Aaron Martyr: This song is a spotlight for hypocrites around the world. Don’t get me wrong, we all have our faults… But this song, primarily, deals with Religious hypocrisy. I can’t think of a country in the world today that hasn’t had to deal with it in one form or another. People preach one thing and do the other. The specific example in Justice Prevails deals with homosexuality, and the Christian church. It talks about how the church preaches a message of acceptance and loving the sinner, hating the sin… Yet more often than not are the same people who cast out and hate upon homosexuals rather than loving them as they instruct to do. It speaks of the absolute justice that I hope awaits these judgmental individuals someday, whatever that may be.
What’s your song ‘No Right to Breathe’ about?
Aaron Martyr: No Right to Breathe is specifically about rape and domestic abuse. We show no mercy for someone who would commit such heinous acts. In the description beneath our lyrics I speak of certain actions that can lead up to rape and abuse, primarily society’s naivety in the area of objectification of women. People see it all as commonplace and forget to see what is really taking place. Our ignorance and apathy only feeds the problem.
Can you tell your fans a little more about what it means to you to be a Pennsylvania Hardcore band?
Aaron Martyr: As I mentioned before, there’s just something about it here. We’re very proud of where we live. PA has a long history if great hardcore bands that have made huge contributions to the scene in this area. PA is definitely distinguished in the states. We love this area and everything it represents. We’re just happy to be a part of it.
I know you’ve just started out, but what venues have you played so far, and which one is your favorite to play?
Aaron Martyr: Well, due to work and school, we’ve not really played out all that much. The majority of our shows, of course, are local, but we have played a couple shows through New York State, as well as in Ohio. We hope this summer will be a chance to spread our message a bit further, primarily to the East Coast and Midwest areas of the states, and in time the whole country, and eventually Europe.
What’s your favorite part of playing on stage?
Aaron Martyr: The raw energy. I love the sound and feelings we put forth when we’re up there putting our hearts into it and just getting down to the music. There is so much passion up there, it feels incredible. Especially when I see the kids in the crowd take part in singing along and getting into it, I feel like I’m sharing some of my best qualities with them, and honestly… it’s magical.
Anything you’d like to add?

Interview with Nashville, Tennesse’s SKA/punk band Murdock, by Roya Butler and Hannah Wagner

Roya: Tell us how you met.
Devin: I’ve known Josh (bassist) for a few years and we have always wanted to play music together. He was good friends with FX and we all hooked up and got Wes in on it, and here we are. I would also like to point out that they were all three in another band that broke up and that’s how we decided to form Murdock.
Roya: How is the punk scene in Nashville, and in Tennessee as a whole?
Devin: Unfortunately, not very good; this sucks because there are some really great bands around. Kids here just aren’t into good shit. They like trendy commercialism I guess. (Suckers…). We tour a lot though, so the scene here doesn’t really bother us too much. We still get good draws at shows (and t-shirt orders…)
Roya: What bands have inspired your music?
Devin: I can’t speak for everyone but personally I admire The Germs, The Descendents, Screeching Weasel, The Addicts…just punk rock period…and reggae.
Roya: What inspires your lyrics?
Devin: For awhile, I was absorbed with writing political stuff, but I began to see myself getting too serious and emotional about the lyrics. I was singing, and it really affected my attitude live (going on political rants in between songs). Now I only write songs about silly things or girls and stuff because I want Murdock to be fun… not serious.
Hannah: What’s ‘Flight 216’?
Devin: Flight 216 is a song about breaking up with a girl because of having too much on your plate, if you will. It’s about “”getting on a plane”" and leaving her forever.
Hannah: What’s Murdoc named after?
Devin: Our drummer FX got high and dove into a bonfire.
Roya: How long have you been playing?
Devin: Only a year, but with all that we have accomplished it seems like much longer.
Roya: Can you tell your fans a little about your album and where they can pick it up?
Devin: Well, our album will be available this summer. Its 15 songs and it will be available internationally through Interpunk.com, as well as through indie distributors and at our shows. It’s in the mastering stage so we’re still developing it 6 months down the road. We plan to release an EP immediately after that.
Roya: Any tours planed, National or International?
Devin: Murdock will be doing 4 U.S. tours (covering 4 different regions) this year and possibly a European tour, but that isn’t set in stone.
Hannah: Tell us about the super Nintendo tour.
Devin: It’s the spring tour we’re going on. It should be fun, and we hope to see a lot of kids there. It’s actually called the super ninTRENDo tour, a play on words.
Hannah: One of your show venues says ‘a house maybe’ are most of your shows like that?
Devin: No, not ever hardly. We typically only play venues. All ages I would like to point out. I’m really big on All Ages shows. It’s important to me that younger kids come out to shows because they have the most energy, but to answer your question fully, Murdock doesn’t see very many house shows.
Hannah: Have you heard of the halfway house in Philadelphia? You should play there when you come to Philly on March 3.
Devin: I actually haven’t heard of it. We have some great contacts up there and some bands looking to help us out so we’ll see what happens.
Roya: Anything you’d like to add?
Devin: Thanks for interviewing us… check out http://www.myspace.com/officialmurdock  and check us out on tours in the future.

Interview with Singer Kilian Appleby, by Roya Butler 

How long have you been playing?
Kilian: We’ve been around for only about six months now, but We’ve released an eight-song EP already that can be downloaded for free off our MySpace and after only a couple of months in existence we were noticed and signed my Refusal Records.

Give us some background info on the band.
Kilian: Well, although Crackin hasn’t been around for too long, we’ve all been in bands for years, and we have a pretty good grasp of how things go on in the music business. I’m the vocalist, JP Modderno is our guitarist, Mike Rivkees plays bass and Chris Mala is our drummer. We all love hardcore, and plan on playing it for as long as we can possibly go on. We play as many shows as we can, and we leave on tour in mid-February. We’re really dedicated to what we do, and we love it.

How long have you been playing?
Kilian: We’ve been around for only about six months now, but We’ve released an eight-song EP already that can be downloaded for free off our Myspace, and after only a couple of months in existence we were noticed and signed my Refusal Records.

How is the hardcore scene in South Central, CT and in CT as a whole? How does it compare with the NYC hardcore scene?
Kilian: There’s a ton of really great, dedicated bands that play in CT, it’s a really tight-knit scene, and we’re really grateful to be a part of it. I think the biggest difference between the CT scene and any others is that in CT most of the bands are more old-school and punk-based. In other states the hardcore shows I’ve been to have been more about who can play the most brutal breakdown, and we’re not about that, all of us here in Connecticut try to stick to the roots of hardcore as much as possible, while still staying modern.

What bands have inspired your music?
Kilian: Oddly, we all love Converge, but we sound nothing like them. Gorilla Biscuits are a huge influence of ours, probably moreso than anyone else. We also love Bracewar and can’t get enough of them. Some of our more old-school influences incule Minor Threat, 7Seconds, Black Flag and others.

What inspires your lyrics?
Kilian: My main influence when writing my lyrics is my pride for where I live. Connecticut is a small place, but the people here are amazing and the shows are always a good time, and I try to highlight the positive things in my life, but sometimes I’ll have a bad day and just can’t help but write a negative song.

Tell us a little about what your song ‘Suck It Up’ means to you?
Kilian: People seem to enjoy bitching about the little things in life. When it comes down to it, you have to be happy with what you have and live with it. You have to be happy with who you are to get anywhere in life, that’s the most important thing that people seem to forget.

What’s your song ‘Crackin Skulls’ about?
Kilian: This is what I mean when I say sometimes you can’t help but write a negative song. I wrote this song about kids who are assholes for the sake of looking cool. That just pisses me off so much that I can’t help but want to stomp their heads in.

Can you tell your fans a little about your new 7″” and where they can pick it up?
Kilian: It’s called “”Stand Tall”", and it’s coming out on Refusal Records sometime in February. We’re really excited about it. It has 3 songs from our first CD, and 4 new songs which we recorded just for this 7″”. The best place to order it is our MySpace, our Refusal Records’ MySpace at http://www.myspace.com/refusalrecords.

Tell us about your tour?
Kilian: It’s our first tour of hopefully many. We’ve got some dates on it that we’re really excited about. A couple of them are with our friends Outnumbered, a great band and great dudes. We’re also doing a couple with a band from Germanycalled Sheisse Minelli, which we’re really stoked about. The tour is relatively small, the first date is in Maine, and we’ll be going down to Virginia and then back up again. We’ll be doing a much bigger tour this summer.

What’s your favorite part of being on tour?
Kilian: It’s actually our first, so I’m not quite sure yet. But I’m really excited to make some new friends, stay at fans’ houses, and play to people who have never seen or heard of us before.

Anything you’d like to add?
Kilian: I think that’s about it. If you’re into us, definitely check out some other CT Hardcore bands like Hostage Calm and Boiling Point. Great dudes with great messages. Thanks for giving us the opportunity for this interview.

Ask Kurt Ballou from veteran Massachusetts bruisers Converge about the band’s early days and you can almost feel the wince of embarrassment down the phone line. Forming the group as a teenager in the early 90s with vocalist Jake Bannon, they performed Minor Threat and Suicidal Tendencies covers before eventually mustering enough gumption to pen their own material, songs perhaps better left unwritten, according to Ballou.

“We started writing our own songs which were God-awful,” laughs the guitarist-producer, convalescing at his home in Salem having just completed a US amphitheatre tour with The Bronx. “We went through a lot of different styles and if anyone out there ever gets hold of our first 7″, it’s the worst piece of shit ever made! Haha!

“We spent a long time trying find ourselves and we went through a lot of different members. There wasn’t really much of a sense of purpose to the band back then other than just beating the crap out of our instruments after school. We were angry at stuff but we weren’t sure what, haha, so it was born out of a lot of teen angst.

“I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that the first 7 or 8 years of the band we were God-awful. I wasn’t really proud of our records until Jane Doe in 2001. I think there were some good songs and ideas prior to that but it was the one record I’m totally proud of. Having the new drummer helped a lot in giving the band some focus and there are other factors as well.”

In the days before metal-core became a buzz word for today’s disaffected youth, Converge’s pioneering hardcore on indie label Equal Vision carved itself a lasting niche now revered by the band’s cult fan base and beyond. Not a bad effort for a bunch of mid-teen misfits who never could quite perfect those Slayer riffs.

“We’ve kind of always done everything by ourselves and figured out everything on our own which is great because we’ve developed our own identity,” says Ballou on behalf of Bannon, bassist Nate Newton and drummer Ben Koller. “But everything takes a lot longer that way and you don’t benefit from learning from the mistakes of others, you just make all those mistakes yourself.”

“I think we developed pretty independently. Even the other bands that do influence us, I think it’s hard to get a direct influence from them because I’ve always been really bad at mimicking things. Like when we do covers, I’m bad at nailing the vibe of a cover. I sort of have to do my own thing, which is a blessing.”

Not surprisingly, a hallmark of Converge’s latest album No Heroes, the quartet’s second release for Californian label Epitaph, is an original blend of high-adrenalin metal and pre-dawn hardcore.

“When I set out to make a record I don’t set out to achieve anything in particular other than something that satisfies me musically and artistically,” says Ballou, who produced the album at his own God City studios using a mix of Pro Tools and an old school desk console. “On this record I was just trying to continue the path of writing songs that are both aggressive and innovative and trying to keep it within the confines of Converge. I wanted it to sound like a Converge record but it also needed to be new and exciting and that’s really what I’m in music for - to be excited.”

“We recorded it pretty quickly in a professional recording studio and there wasn’t much of a differentiation between the writing of the songs and the recording of them. We didn’t really practice them, we just wrote them and recorded them. There was no extended period of time of getting to know the songs or play them out. We just went for it and that’s what we’ve always aspired to be - a raw honest band.”

It pays to read the fine print. Just ask Unwritten Law, the veteran Californian rockers whose 16-year, six-album career make them ideal candidates for a greatest hits package. But having weathered four line-up changes and tenures on as many record labels, the / San Diego quartet found organising a ‘best-of’ collection more complicated than they anticipated.

Stymied in previous attempts by various former labels - notably Interscope who own the master tapes to the group’s most successful albums, 1998’s Unwritten Law and 2002’s Elva - singer Scott Russo says the band decided to carefully re-examine their legal contracts and were pleasantly surprised by what they found.

INTERVIEW WITH UNWRITTEN LAW By Steve Tauschke

So why the decision to re-record your own best-of material … did you feel it was justified given the line-up has changed so much since the early days?
“Well obviously everyone gets paid the same for each song but the reason we re-tracked it and wanted to put out a best-of record was to connect the dots for people who knew the songs but didn’t know who the band was. And this is our fourth label and because we couldn’t get OK’s from all the old record companies to release it we looked into our contract and we found there were no re-recording clauses on two of the labels. So rather than try to battle and get our songs back off them, it was a lot easier to just re-record them.”
 
What did you think of Interscope’s ‘unauthorized’ greatest hits?
“The funny thing is, when we were going to these labels asking if we could use the songs, Interscope said a compilation was a really great idea and that they’d love to put it out. So they made us an offer which just wasn’t feasible for us so they said we couldn’t use the songs. So we re-recorded them and now we own these new masters. They own the old masters and they put out their own best-of.”
 
You’ve slimmed down to a four piece now … can you shed some light on guitarist Rob Brewer’s departure?
“Well, we really don’t like bringing that stuff up. We’re over that whole thing, it was two years ago. So I’m really sorry but we don’t talk about it.”
 
You’re still friends with him though?
“We haven’t spoken in a while but you know I’ve known the guy for more than half my life so he’s still like family to me. He’s like a brother I don’t talk to anymore. I’ve briefly talked to him on the internet and that’s about it. It’s a totally sad thing on all sides to all members.”
 
You co-wrote some of the lyrics to Here’s To The Mourning with your partner Aimee .. tell us about how you came to collaborate with her?
“Well, we write together all the time. We have a band together as you probably know, Scott & Aimee, and we just released a record called Sitting In A Tree. She’s a dope lyricist and when we got together we started writing songs for that band and we write really quickly and really well together so we just sat down and banged out the lyrics. She’s been a singer-songwriter her whole life .. and she’s actually recording another solo record right now. So, between me and Aimee things come really quickly and easy – we finish each other’s sentences.”
 
How would you contrast writing with her and with Unwritten Law?
“Well the band doesn’t really collaborate a lot on songs. I write all the lyrics and then a majority of the music but we never come together and write songs. Steve or PK might come up with a song musically and then I write to that or I’ll write them on my own, that’s just kind of how it works.”
 
You’ve included two new songs on The Hit List, are they indicative of your next studio album?
“We’ve gotten a lot of feedback from Oblivion and a lot of people are saying it sounds like classic Unwritten Law, like from the black record. And Shoulda Known Better sounds just like music should be, just fun and entertaining. But I don’ think those two songs will necessarily sound like the new record. They’re just two songs we happened to write and put on the compilation. I think for the next record we’ll jump to a different place. I really want to create something is really fun and true entertainment. Something out of the norm that is a true piece of art, I’m not sure if we’ll take it in an electronic kind of way or more of a Violent Femmes kind of thing, I’m just not sure … I just want to create something I’m proud of and I don’t want to write the same thing twice.”
 
So, is the SoCal punk thing as meaningful to you as it used to be?
“Well, I grew up on that music and I still love it but obviously the kids are into all kinds of shit now. For a while there in the late 90s that kind of music ruled the rock world but now you have hardcore bands and dance bands like the Killers and all kinds of shit, so music, like anything else, must evolve. As an artist and as fan of music I can’t do the same thing over and over again. Pennywise and bands of that nature can do that and that’s good for them and the fans love it and we’d probably do a lot better if we did that too but I can’t sacrifice my art for anyone. I wouldn’t be satisfied. If you’re a painter, you’re not going to paint the same fucking thing 20 times, you know what I’m saying?”

UK punk gov’nors Snuff discuss disposable income, hangover cures and “rocking like little donkeys on a footpath”.

Interview by Steve Tauschke with vocalist-drummer Duncan Redmonds.

You’ve just toured Japan… any interesting stories to share with us?
“We’ve eaten rotten squid in its own guts, pig colon, fish testicles. Lee impersonated the WALK signal nearly killing the promoter who stepped out thinking it was the real thing and Jerry heard the doorbell and answered the phone.”

Are the Club Quattro’s uniform throughout Japan?
“Not really, they have different capacities and layouts.”

Last year, you covered the Pirates of The Caribbean jingle from the famous ride at Disneyland for a Japanese compilation. Have you noticed more adults than children at Disneyland?
“I’ve never been to Disneyland so I can`t really say. But grown-ups do like to revisit their childhood.”

Can you recall the most pathetic lyric you’ve ever written?
“Rhyming ‘pray with day’. And many, many more that never made it because they were written at the end of a drinking session and were complete drunken nonsense.”

What’s your favorite Snuff record and why?
“The next one, because the process of writing is the most rewarding.”

You’ve called the new album Disposable Income .. what’s the silliest thing you’ve
ever wasted money on?
“A wind-up plastic SUMO on a skateboard.”

The album is distributed in the through Canada’s Union Label Group. What
happened with Fat?
“Fat are a great label and were interested in picking up the next record, but we wanted to do it ourselves. There is no bad blood and the door is open for future projects should we change our minds.”
”
So will your side project Guns n’ Wankers be resurfacing considering Axl Rose’s reappearance?
“The truth is that we only got our name because the drummer refused to be known as Cunts and Wankers. It was an accident; we never meant to parody Guns & Roses. It`s unlikely we will get together but it`s not impossible.”

What are fellow Englishmen Consumed up to?
“We just did a tour with them, and they`re still bloody great if not a bit smelly. And fuck me, do they whinge - and they can`t play cricket. But their record rocks like little donkeys on the footpath!”

Does Snuff have anything in common with the 80s cult film Withnail & I?
“Not really but Lee will happily recite the script when asked.”

What’s your most effective hangover cure?
“Cup of tea and a wank.”

Did you weep when Joe Strummer died?
“Yes, it is a sad loss. The Clash were a great band and a big influence. R.I.P JOE.”

Out of Wilmington, North Carolina, The Speed Kings shout a rebel yell which combines punk and rock-n-roll, drawing from old influences. The current line-up is Axl- Vocals and Guitar, Spike-Vocals and Guitar, Will- Bass and Backing Vocals, and Jeff- Drums. You can check out their music at http://www.myspace.com/thespeedkings. I got a chance to ask Will about their music and inspirations.”,”Axl- Vocals and Guitar.

The Speed Kings interview by Roya Butler

You call yourselves a rock and roll punk band. Explain that further.
Will: well, really all punk is a stripped down form of rock-n-roll, with a little more edge and rebellion thrown in for good measure. We’ve got some songs that are straight up punk rock, and then others that have more of a 50’s rock-n-roll feel to them.

What made you decide on making a band in this genre of music?
Will: basically, it’s just what came out when we started playing. We like to draw on old influences because we want to make music that will stand the test of time and not fade away like most trends in music today.

What are your musical inspirations?
Will: The Clash, Stiff Little Fingers, Johnny Cash, Ramones, Link Wray, Social Distortion, just to name a few. We all draw from a lot of different artists, in a lot of different genres.

What inspires your lyrics?
Will: Cheap Booze, Expensive Women, Fast Cars, Loud Motorcycles, & Dirty Rock n Roll!!

What’s your song ‘hold fast’ about?
Will: I don’t know…you can probably get different messages from it. For me, I think it’s about living your life day by day because the worlds a fucked up place. You should live each day like it’s your last

How’s the rock-n-roll/punk scene in North Carolina?
Will: the North Carolina scene has never been at a loss for great bands, but like any other scene it kind of comes in waves. 2008 is looking like a great year so far. We just played a show in our home town Wilmington with the US Bombs and Far From Finished. That show was on a Tuesday night and the place was fuckin packed. It just showed me that the scene is definitely alive and well.

How did you meet your band mates?
Will: we’ll Jeff and I started jamming with some other dudes about 3 years ago. I had been seeing Jeff around town and at shows for years but never really knew him. I had been introduced to Axl a few years back by a mutual friend. Axl had just moved to Wilmington from Miami where he was playing in a punk band called The Hangovers. I thought that they had a great sound and immediately thought of him when we were looking for a new singer and guitarist. Spike just recently joined the band, but has been a friend of all of ours for years. He’s been in a ton of great bands over the years. We’re all into the same shit like old hotrods and choppers so we all get along great.

What are your favorite venues to play?
Will: in Wilmington, we love playing at The Soapbox. Their sound is the best in town. Also, for pure dirty rock n roll vibe you can’t beat the 42nd St Tavern. As far as outside of Wilmington, I think the best place that we have played has been Abbey Lounge in Boston. They all greeted us southern boys with open arms!