A New York State of Mind

It's tough enough keeping a band going playing original, uncompromising music without ever mellowing out or a writing a dud tune. For 20 years, Unsane has had amazing consistency, even after lineup changes, a dance with the major label devils, a vicious attack on frontman Chris Spencer in Austria and the band's subsequent breaking up for several years. Unsane got back together a couple of years ago, and not only do they still put on one of the most intense live shows, their last album 'Visqueen' ranks among their best work. Chris answered a few of my questions about the new record, the Cutthroats 9, the band he did during Unsane's downtime and what he thinks of Unsane becoming a toy.

Your last album Visqueen stays true to the sound that you've developed over the last 20 years but there's a definite sense of progression, I think it's your best work! What were some of the goals you had going into recording? How successful do you think you were in achieving them?

When we were writing "Visqueen" there were some new ideas that we wanted to incorporate into the record without changing our basic "live" sound. Songs like "Only Pain" are a good example of this. We also wanted to use more recordings of things that we hear everyday in New York without completely overpowering the "live" sound. I think we were able to get exactly what we wanted with this record. The production had a lot to do with it too. Andrew Schneider did a fantastic job.

How were things different from the time you broke up to when you started playing again and how is it doing Unsane now? And was there any difficulty getting back to touring after the time off?

The major difference was that we wanted to make being in a band fun again. We had been doing so much touring that we were burning ourselves out. It has been really great to be touring with that attitude.

What was the story behind Cutthroats 9? What differences were there in the way you approached that band and the approach to your work with Unsane?

The "Cutthroats 9" was a band that was formed out in California during Unsane's break. The people that I was playing with had a more "rock" sensibility. We really did it just to have fun. We started breaking equipment at the end of live shows just so that I would have something to do the next day repairing stuff. That made touring a lot more fun for me. I hate sitting around a club all day waiting to play.

How do you feel about the folding of Man's Ruin, the label that put out Cutthroats 9's records?

That was really too bad. Man's Ruin was a great label run by a friend (Frank Kozik). I think they made the mistake that a lot of indie labels make and over extended themselves.

I started playing harmonica because of how awesome it sounded on your song 'Alleged'. What made you decide to incorporate it into some of your songs? I was also stoked to hear more harmonica and slide guitar work on newer songs like 'This Stops at the River'. Are these things you would like to do more of in future?

I have been playing harmonica since I was a kid, but was never quite sure how to incorporate it into our music. I realized that keeping it simple was the best way to approach it. I would definitely like to use more of it in the future.

Much has been said about the scene that you came from, how it spawned bands like Helmet and Blues Explosion, did it feel like a particularly creative time for that scene? Did it even feel like a “scene” where the bands supported one another?

I think that that scene was a very creative time in New York. We would all see each other at shows, play shows together and share practice spaces. I didn't realize it at the time, but it was a very positive, fun, nurturing scene for all of us.

I remember a while back you expressed interest in collaborating with other artists or having other people work on Unsane material to put their own spin on the tracks. Can you elaborate on this and has there been any progress?

I am actually hoping to spend some time in Berlin this summer working on that project. I am not sure how many other people will be involved, but we'll see... more news later...

Unsane has been cited as a major influence by a lot of newer acts. What do you think the band brought that wasn't around before it? What do you think about bands that have been influenced by your music and what do you feel most of them have picked up from you?

I'm really not sure how to answer that. It's great if bands have been influenced by us, but I think that you would have to ask them what they thought we brought that no one else had. We are really just the product of our three musical styles.

What can we expect from the next Unsane record and when can we expect it?

To be honest, I'm not sure. I have been writing for the Berlin recordings lately and would like to get that done before beginning work on the next one.

What do you think about the Unsane toy figurine that Ipecac put out with UNKL?

I think it's amazing that Unsane have a toy out there! I would have like to have had more to do with the design so that it maybe could have been more like our visual stuff.

Unsane – 'Scattered, Smothered and Covered'
Sure, a band can be heavy by playing super fast, diming the distortion and having several layers of drums, bass and guitars diving in to a chugging, thugged-out groove. A power trio, the twang of a fender telecaster and harmonicas aren't the ingredients you would expect to move you if you like it loud and heavy. Unsane is one of the premier noise rock bands - influential but unparalleled, 'Scattered, Smothered and Covered' has plenty of volume, visceral grooves and anguished screams but throws in a few surprises such as the aforementioned harmonica, which makes an appearance on 'Alleged', parping over a sinister bassline before the band kicks in together. The opening track 'Scrape' was an unexpected MTV hit thanks to a low-budget video with live shots of the band spliced with gnarly skateboard wipeouts. Of course this album is killer from beginning to end, but then again, Unsane's work has been amazingly consistent for the last two decades.

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Dig Your Own Grehv

It's not unusual for bands, regardless of their genre, to have an eccentric, token metalhead among them. Dapose, holds that title among Omaha, Nebraska's the Faint, who have established themselves by reminding everyone that electronic music with synths can be intelligent, expansive, can cover a broad range of vibes and emotions but can still be fun. But while the Faint are working on a new album scheduled to be out at the end of summer, Dapose has signed with metal mainstays Relapse Records to put out his solo record under the moniker Vverevvolf Grehv. Although the record features the weird and wonderful electronic soundscapes that wouldn't be out of place on a record by Dapose's main band, 'Zombie Aesthetics' harkens back to days when extreme metal bands would strive to be technical and inventive.

What is your background with extreme metal? Is there much of a scene for it in Omaha? What drew you to it in the first place and when did Precious Metal become your new project Vverevvolf Grehv?

Well before I was in the Faint I played in a death metal band called Lead for five years. There is a good metal scene in Omaha. I'm not really a part of that scene to be honest. I just play with any bands I like, not just metal. It's not like I'm really part of any scene in town. I go to whatever show I think will be sweet. Metal shows tend to have six or 10 bands playing all the time and I'm usually there to see one. Precious Metal started in 2005. That just means I started writing this stuff when ever I had a chance. I'm not sure how, but an all girl heavy metal band from the '80s some how contacted people I know through saddle creek records and told me to stop using the name. Some of my friends still call it that, but I came up with Vverevvolf Grehv when I was finished recording. I got a really good feeling when I thought of this name. It really felt like the music to me.

The material on 'Zombie Aesthetics' definitely looks to the future but still has something the tech/death metalheads can appreciate. What new ground do you feel has to be broken in the genre that you hope to achieve with Vverevvolf Grehv?

I hope to go further into the electronic world a bit more. I know I just scratched the surface with this record. It's all been brewing in my head for years now. I do hope to explore concrete music more and just really open metal music up a bit. To me the inventiveness of early 90's death metal was very important. I hope to bring back that inventive chaotic spirit. I dream of making more improv style metal music as well.

I remember watching the documentary on Saddle Creek a while ago and hearing about the skepticism from other artists when they heard the Faint's material on 'Blank Wave Arcade' in the studio. What were some of the initial reactions from your peers when they heard Vverevvolf Grehv? What do the others in the Faint think about it?

Well, Joel (Petersen, the Faint's bassist) recorded and mixed the album with me. Everyone in the band has been very supportive. It is important to me to exist separately from the Faint. I've heard a lot of positive feedback here from my friends and out of town. Most people think it's rad and have always known i was a metalhead. But to hear a twist on the metal and that I'm just a one man band has kind of brought it back to that singer song writer thing a little.

Are you in tune with the underground black metal scene in the states which involves a lot of one-man bands like Xasthur and Leviathan recording their own material and using programmed drums? Have you connected with some of these artists and did any of them influence Vverevvolf Grehv in any way?

Well honestly I have not heard these bands. I do hope to get more familiar with the underground black metal scene. I am a black metal fan. but with most genres of music I am pretty picky with what I like. I do love early electronic music, noise, early death metal, classical, Indian tabla music. Jazz and improv music.

How did the deal with Relapse come about? How have they been as a label and aside from the artists on the roster, what are the differences between being on Relapse and being on Saddle Creek? Why didn't Zombie Aesthetics come out on Saddle Creek?

Relapse is a great independent record label. They really do a great job on a personal level and professional. For me being on Saddle Creek used to be awesome because all the bands ran it along with the staff. It was a very group-oriented label. And that has stopped over the years for various reasons. Relapse has been around longer and is a billion times more familiar with heavy weird music. It never really made much sense in my mind to put it out on Saddle Creek.

'Linking life to death in a continuous experience', 'over active appreciation' and 'specimen well' are clearly not the run-of-the-mill death metal song titles. What are the lyrical inspirations behind Vverevvolf Grehv's songs? Is there a common lyrical thread between the songs you sing on the album? And what are 'Zombie Aesthetics'?

I think the thread might be non-negativity. Not positivity so much but just don't try to make out like I'm pissed off at god, society, a girl, some group of people. I think negativity is interesting and I can relate to some bands that hate, but I do get bored of every band with screaming growling vocals whining at me. So I didn't want to whine at anyone. And I am into Paul Laffoly, Howard Zinn, Noam Chompsky, Morbid Angel, Satyricon, Gorguts, Tibetan Monks, Thelonious Monk. John Weise, Daniel Menche, Russel Hasswell, John Butcher, Franze Liszt, Dimirti Shosticovich, Sergi Rachmaninoff, Arnold Shoenberg, Aaron Dilloway, Black Dice, Autechre, and a million other people.

Do you plan on keeping Vverevvolf Grehv a one-man project or do you plan on getting other people involved in the future?

I am looking for someone who is an experienced musician and electronics expert to join my band. A creative collaborator. I don't care what instrument they play. I never wanted it to be a one man band but it's fine for now.

Who would you like most to collaborate with on material more in the vein of Vverevvolf Grehv? Have you gotten any offers or made any plans to work on other people?

I have not currently gotten any collaboration request. I did timidly ask John Wiese if he would be into doing something sometime. He didn't respond.

I understand the Faint is working on a new album, what can we expect from the new material? Any titles or tentative release dates? How do you think doing Vverevvolf Grehv will affect how you approach working on the Faint's material?

Well, we just finished recording! Yeah! I'm really happy about that. We worked really hard on it. Some titles are 'The Geeks Were Right', 'Folcrum' and 'Lever, A Battle Hymn for Children'. The album is called Fascination. It will be out in early August I think. I'm a reactionary person so if the Faint is doing one thing I tend to want to do something else, Not because I don't like it I just have a million ideas that I want to try. More than can fit in one band. Or in two for that matter.

If Vverevvolf Grehv took off, got offers to play Relapse's Contamination Fest, Ozzfest and the Unholy Alliance Tour but these clashed with touring and recording plans with the Faint, which would you choose to do?

The Faint!

Thanks again for taking the time to answer my questions!

Thank you and Peace!

Vverevvolf Grehv – 'Zombie Aesthetics'
A lot has been said about the Faint guitarist Michael 'Dapose' Dappen's background in death metal. His first solo outing is released on Relapse records, but don't expect Dap to have abandoned synths and drum machines altogether. Zombie Aesthetics plays more like an IDM record with Dapose showcasing his true shredding talents along side. Sure, in a way it is what you would expect from a guitarist's solo album – blindingly technical, the guitars are too crisp and clear to be straight up death metal and there's rarely anything that could be considered a chorus, although 'Eureka Ghost' packs a nice groove. As for Mr. Dappen's vocals, you know that growling “like a cat's shadow” on the Faint's 'Agenda Suicide'? Yeah that's him. Imagine album's worth of that, over a less geeky DFI, jamming to an autechre cd. This has its roots in the more inventive side of extreme metal – think Suffocation and Atheist, not Slayer and Cannibal Corpse.

A Few Scratches and Dents.

To me the Murder City Devils were the epitome of rock n' roll. It had nothing to do with having a greasy little pompadore, using a certain amp to get a retro vibe and twang or spending a shit ton of money on the right 'old' clothes. Their songs are stripped down but have the seamless melodic invention to keep them timeless classics, they have the boom and the swagger as well as poignant heartfelt moments lamenting loves lost. Spencer Moody's lyrics are laced with metaphors incorporating being a touring band with being a sailor at sea, drowning in excess and regret to forget the girl in the last state he was in, or the last stop for shore leave. Moody has lent his talents to more great projects since MCD called it a day in 2001, the latest being Triumph of Lethargy Skinned Alive to Death, which has been probably his most abstract and yet his most heartfelt output to date.

It's great to hear your voice still going after all these years and not be silenced, what's the MO for your latest project Triumph of Lethargy Skinned Alive to Death? And what a great name! What are the origins behind it?

Triumph of lethargy is taken from the Beautiful and the Damned by F.Scott Fitsgerald. Skinned alive to death was a band name Corey (Brewer, Chaostic Magic) had. So we stuck 'em together. A little silly i must say.

From what I understand, Triumph of Lethargy... has quite a few releases in the works, are there any tentative release dates? What can people expect from the new material? 'Chivalry is Dead' has been my favourite song for the past month. Are you involved in any other projects that we can expect to see any releases from in the near future?

The record Teenage Teardrops is putting out should be out in the next few months, you should be able to get it through their web site. There should also be a split release with Seattle band Hemingway coming out soon on broken press. We have other offers to release stuff, it's mostly a matter of getting the recording time. The new material is stuff we've been writing with Joel (Cuplin, Hideous Thieves) and Andrea (Zollo, Pretty Girls Make Graves) so it sounds a little more like a band than the older stuff.

You're probably most well known as the vocalist for the Murder City Devils, but after it ended you were involved with a string of other projects (Dead Low Tide, The John and Spencer Booze Explosion, Smoke and Smoke) for those not in the know, can you give a little background on each as well as on some I may have missed out!

The only one you missed was Rabbit Ears, we had one ep out on make break records. Rabbit ears was myself and Jeff Macissac. Electric drums and vocals. Dead low tide was Coady and Nate from MCD and our friend Mike Kunka from Godheadsilo and Enemymine. We put one record out but couldn't keep our shit together. Smoke and Smoke was me and Kunka and Dan on drums, Dan was also in Godheadsilo. I liked Smoke and Smoke a lot but fate was against us. Booze Explosion was something fun to do with John Atkins and some other folks, I'd like to more music with John some time.

After years and years of being a primarily a singer in different bands, what made you decide to pick up a guitar in Triumph of Lethargy as well?

I found people who would tolerate it. It's more fun than singing. I feel more like part of the band.

I get the impression there's a link between your antiques shop the Anne Bonny and the lo-fi junk shop orchestra vibe in a lot of the Triumph of Lethargy... stuff. Do you feel that working at your shop has influenced your music in a way? Do both reflect a love of things with an overall 'classic' feel?

I don't mind a few scratches and dents

Murder City Devils did some reunion shows recently. What made you want to play with that band again? How did these gigs go and are there any more shows planned?

The shows went well, I think we were always kind of a fucked up live band anyway. There is talk of more shows from time to time.

What is your approach to lyrics? How have they changed through the years and what are the inspirations behind them? Is there a different goal with each band you do and if so what do you try to achieve with lyrics for Triumph of Lethargy?

I used to try and sound honest now I try to actually be honest.

I've only just got a copy of the Rock n' Roll Won't Wait DVD though mail order. It's a great little road dog movie but unfortunately one I rarely heard about. With it having come out long before every band was putting out dvds do you feel that it was given the proper publicity and recognition it deserved?

I don't know never gave it much thought.

Do you think a band like the Murder City Devils could have gotten as far as it did had you started nowadays? Do you think it would have easier to start/be in the Murder City Devils in 2008 in any way?

Hard to say, I hate to think of the bands we would be lumped in with today.

With newer bands springing up from your area from people involved in bands like MCD, Blood Brothers and Pretty Girls Make Graves. How do you feel about the bands in your town in recent years? Where do you see the music from Seattle evolving lately? Do you still feel a kinship with these bands and the people in them?

I feel very much a kinship with these bands, everyone keeps getting better.

Thanks so much again for taking the time to respond to my questions!

Thank you and good luck with everything.

The Murder City Devils – RIP
By Moody's own admission, Murder City Devils were always “kind of a fucked up live band anyway” and this was true to the end, Their final show on Halloween 2001 saw mics, cutting out, out of tune guitars grating against one another and keyboardist Leslie Hardy conspicuous by her absence. But even on their studio albums there was a wild-eyed, reckless and a slightly inebriated abandon that kept the danger present in all the best rock n' roll present in the devils' sound. The band holds it together well enough to barrel through the classics from their final ep Thelema, all the way back to songs from their first record. The band went up, cut the self celebratory bs most bands this great would revel in for their swan songs and did what they had been doing for the previous five years. Probably the most interesting moments are in the two songs only played at this show. 'Waltz' and 'Grace That Saves' pick up where the material on Thelema left off and give a glimpse into the type of output that would be seen from Dead Low Tide, the post-MCD band most of devils would go on to form. Another highlight worth mentioning for the indie hipster boys out there is 'Boom, Swagger Boom', which features Pretty Girls Make Graves singer Andrea Zollo uh-huh-ing, moaning and purring like a cat. Rawr.

They're Not Giving Up on This One

You can't keep a good band down, heck, Coalesce is living proof that even a good band with well documented inter-personal instability and tension can't keep itself down. Which is good news for anyone familiar with their groundbreaking work on records like Functioning on Impatience and Revolution in Just Listening. Coalesce are back... with a new record in the works and to kick your dick into the dirt (sarcasm) and prove once and for all that they are NOT a tech metal band.

I was ecstatic to hear the band was active with Jes in the band again, more so when I heard the newer songs. But the big question is how far are you going to take this? Will we really see a new full length? If so when and what can we expect from it? Any tentative titles or release dates?

Nathan Ellis: The new record is happening, and we’re going at it pretty full speed right now. After the release we’ll be doing some touring, but not full time as we all have full time jobs, and families. (There are freaking ten kids between the four of us!)

Jes Steineger: Yeah, given all else that we’re doing, I’d say we’re nevertheless taking coalesce as far as we can; given the constraints of responsibilities elsewhere, we are still putting all that we have into it. You’ll definitely hear a new coalesce full-length, like Nellis just said, but when you’ll hear it is totally up in the air. Much has already been done, and our wells still haven’t dried up. We expect to have the longest coalesce release to date, and everything we’ve written up to this point we consider to be to our liking. This thing is the locus of so much of our creative energies right now; everyone is involved and I can feel an increase in depth because of that. Actually, I’m not sure what I can say about what people should “expect” from it. I hope you can expect us to give you something that in doing something for us (i.e., in its being something that isn’t forced or contrived) will do something for you too.

Nathan Ellis: You can expect to have your dick kicked into the dirt. [Disclaimer: this is sarcasm]

Are there any goals you're setting out to achieve that you didn't during the band's previous years?

Nathan Ellis: We have never gone to Europe or Japan, and I think everyone has that goal in mind for sometime in 2009. But other than that we’re just thinking about how to best release a record we’re all really excited about.

Jes Steineger: No goals for me other than making and going on to play some music that feels right: expansive and raw.

From things like the Jesus Lizard cover on the myspace page from a while back to Jes selling his old Ibanez guitar because of a newly acquired love of strats, does this signal an end to the more metal oriented grooves in the new material? Or do you feel that the wiry, more angular elements of your sound that were always present have been somewhat overlooked by people who view Coalesce as primarily THE tech-metal-hardcore band.

Nathan Ellis: I personally have never thought of coalesce as a metal band. We grew up in the Kansas City music scene with bands like Season to Risk, Iron Rite Mangle, Secular Theme, Rocket Fuel is the Key, etc, and I just always assumed we were the punker more aggressive version of that stuff. We certainly ARE NOT tech metal. That connotes a concern for perfection and Jes and I have never given a fuck about playing the right notes live. We don’t have any care for having some saturated guitar sound that would put us in a category with other hardcore/metal bands that we nevertheless seem to get lumped in with. What bothers us most is that we don’t like that kind of music to begin with.

Jes Steineger: I’ve often wondered who the first person was to call us “tech-metal,” “metalcore,” “mathcore,” “noisecore,” or some likewise gay-ass category. Ultimately, I see the impetus behind introducing a category that would specify what "kind" of metal or hardcore we are. What's silly, though, is that no one can provide any set criteria for what constitutes a band in one of those categories (much less the basic categories “metal” and “hardcore”); and whenever someone tries, those criteria (or criterion) are always so trivial that it's stupid to think they do anything to delimit coalesce (or any other band). What's worse is when one of those categorizations implies elements of the (illusory or trivial) label that I probably hate (e.g., as part of a genre defined by those banal riffs and sounds that one finds at the local Guitar Center). The worst of all, though, is when I feel like one these (illusory or trivial or offensive) categories is intended to exhaust all that coalesce is. This is the worst because it’s the least tenable: coalesce, like any other band, even the unbearable tech-metal-math-core band, e.g. No Good and the Terribles as a dear friend usually refers to them, is exhaustible by a category.

To get back on track, though, my point is that there was never a faultier categorization for what we do than “tech-metal.” When have we ever been or accomplished anything “technically” proficient in the least?! Moreover, what “metal” means today, after the corruption of the genre by post-Helmet hardcore bands, is totally different than what I took “metal” to mean when we started coalesce in 1994. If by “metal” you mean Sabbath, Motörhead, Master of Puppets-era Metallica, or even a newer band like High on Fire, then it’s definitely a moniker I can live with for coalesce. If you mean by the term post-Helmet bullshit like the acclaimed “nu-metal” bands, or even the “cooler” less-acclaimed bands that have clout in the underground but still have that same polished nu-metal sound, count us the hell out.

On a similar note, my love for Strats has nothing to do with my hatred for that techy sound; it has to do with my finding (finally) the guitar that feels best; one that has all the qualities that I prefer in the shape of a woman shrunk down and appropriated in an instrument: thin from the side, wide from the front, and heavy-n-smooth-n-curvy in all the right spots. Your asking about the guitar thing, though, is a good way to further emphasize how much technical proficiency has never been a concern for coalesce at all. I’ve only had two guitars in my life that weren’t $150 or less; both could have been conceived as “metal” guitars and both failed in living up to coalesce abuse. I have an entire harem of Strat hotties now; and they like it rough.

In conclusion…haha: coalesce, not tech-metal, and certainly not like Jesus Lizard or the countless other bands that we listen to. We are the band that we are and hate it when people try and tell us what “kind” (read: “brand”) of band that is. Or, as Nellis often remarks: Give me wounds and scars, not computer chip guitars. If there were ever a mantra motivating our next record, that’s it.

To me Coalesce has always come across as a very volatile band; from your sound as well as the road stories and insane live performances and thriving on uncertainty (or functioning on impatience?) helped shape your sound. Do these tensions still exist and was it ever an issue that having grown and matured, started families etc. might actually hinder any attempts in recapturing some of that same edge and intensity?

Sean Ingram: My take is that conflict will always exist; it’s just that where that conflict manifests evolves over time. No one cares about straight edge or veganism anymore (if ever), but commerce, and how our lives are ruled and dictated by it? That was a source of conflict then, and remains so now. There will always be conflict to fuel one's creativity; it's just a question of whether you are able to channel it effectively. We'll see how we do on that front as the year progresses.

Nathan Ellis: Growing old and settling into full time jobs can put you on edge quicker than when I was living in my parents’ basement at the age of 15. I think our motives and inspirations are all very different than when we were writing records like Functioning on Impatience, but the same thread connects our newer songs and those written a decade ago. We’re still pushing ourselves and looking to create something unexpected and catchy, no matter how ugly or harsh it might come across. We definitely don’t have the inner-band tension that we had in the past, but in all fairness, we’re not around each other enough these days to piss one another off either.

Jes Steineger: You want volatile? Tell us we’re a tech-metal band…haha.

With your previous drummer James Dewees touring with My Chemical Romance and Sean's appearance on the Used record a couple of years ago I was wondering if you felt a connection with newer acts coming out and getting big that years ago would have most likely not had a chance of cracking the mainstream the same way?

Nathan Ellis: None.

Jes Steineger: None.

Sean Ingram: I sang on the Used record simply because I was asked to do so. I got to hang out with the My Chem guys when I toured with Reggie. I have always done guest appearances on records due to the fact that I had no band of my own, and it was simply something to do. Maybe I would have had some arrogant underground deity attitude if I hadn’t been humbled so well by coalesce’s demise. But that’s all the thought I put into working with the Used. All those guys in all those bands are good peoples.

I was wondering if you could talk a bit about some of the other projects that were started by Coalesce's members (Able Baker Fox, Casket Lottery etc.) what is the status of these projects and are there any new ones in the works?

Nathan Ellis: The Casket Lottery is on an indefinite hiatus, and Able Baker Fox will be booking some dates in late 2008.

I remember growing up with bands like Coalesce and The Get Up Kids definitely setting a precedent and I feel this has had a significant influence on newer bands making their mark today. Do you feel this time was a high point for your local music community? Nowadays are there any bands from your area that could break out and have such an impact?

Sean Ingram: Yeah, I think you can look at that era as a high time for the Kansas City scene. Not only did you have The Get-Up Kids, but you had The Anniversary, and Appleseed Cast. It’s gnarly to look back at flyers for those shows back then; I would kill to go back in time and see some of those. I guess all places have bands that can break out at any time, but you know, the industry is so much different today, who knows what breaking out really means anymore. I used to think getting on a label was a sign of success. We all know that not to be true. I guess maybe I'm too far removed to answer this question properly.

There was a lot of controversy in the past regarding Sean's lyrics which I felt brought up really valid issues (dealing with “the scene” and so forth). Do any of the newer lyrics provide the same sort of commentary? What are some of the new themes and their inspirations?

Sean Ingram: None of the newer lyrics will be like what you have mentioned. I want to keep the newer lyrical themes under wraps until the record comes out, but I will say that they are more focused than in the past.

Do you plan to perform or record any more covers? The last release you guys did on Hydrahead was awesome and I've always admired the fact that a lot of the Coalesce covers were never what people would expect. Heck, I have a vcd of the Dillinger Escape Plan at Krazyfest with Sean singing and I remember thinking that Breed by Nirvana would be such an obvious cover in other situations but in these circumstances it was truly something else.

Sean Ingram: DEP decided to cover that song the day of the show. I wish there had been more time for me to prepare. I was barely able to memorize the 10 originals they gave me, which ended up being played live 3 times faster than what I had prepared for on the cd!

Jes Steineger: We love to play cover songs. It gives us the chance to put our own touch to songs that we like. We probably played too many covers last August during some shows, but that was only because we were so sick of playing the older songs. The next cover we do, most people will probably not be familiar with.

There's probably a ton of people over the moon that Coalesce is a band once again. In some cases, a band breaking up at their peak is the good way to go. But are there bands that you feel called it quits too soon and that you would like to see back together?

Nathan Ellis: I had someone tell me once that they thought every band should break up after the third full length and that if they kept going they would never make anyone happy again. I think that the second half of that theory is correct.

Sean Ingram: Oh, I don’t know; I think Quicksand could probably still be putting out amazing records.

Jes Steineger: Unfortunately, I hardly ever get out to see a band live. So even if I wished a band back into existence, I’d probably be swamped down with something or other that prevented me from seeing them. If I could bring Stevie Ray Vaughan back to life, however, I’d go into debt thrice over my school debt to see him. Same goes for Bill Monroe or 1950s-era Stanley Brothers.

Coalesce – There is Nothing New Under the Sun
This is actually a re-release of an old ep of Led Zeppelin covers with eight (!) bonus tracks. Alas this isn't the new album that the kids functioning on their impatience (I've milked that gag way too many times in this feature) have been waiting for. Yet it has got everything you could ask for in a coalesce record, grooves, riffs and a cathartic unhinged rawness that grabs your very soul by the throat and shakes it. It's an especially satisfying listen since most of their releases, I feel at least, haven't had nearly enough tracks. Aside from the Zeppelin covers there's quirkier choices such as a Get Up Kids cover (I'm Giving Up on This One) and two Boysetsfire covers which they make their own (I prefer Coalesce's version of Vehicle to the original). Even though they manage to out-Sabbath Black Sabbath on Supernaut, the highlight is still hearing Sean Ingram, who possesses one of music's most intense and downright frightening growls in music singing Hey, hey, mama, said the way you move Gonna make you sweat, gonna make you groove!

The Lame Old Snakepit of the Late 00's

Ben Snakepit may very well be one of my best friends in the world. I've seen him at countless parties in the last six years, I've seen him on top of the world when he joined one of our favourite bands, J Church and I've seen him at his most vulnerable when his romances haven't been at their best of times and when they ultimately end. I mean sure, I had only really spoken to him for the first time a couple of weeks ago to do this interview and had only become aware of his work as a comic book artist when I picked up his books last year. But these two books chronicle every day in six years of Ben's life in a crudely drawn three-panel comic, so it's hard not to feel like you know the guy. Since the next collection, Snakepit 2007 isn't out 'til August, I thought I'd drop Ben a line and see how my old friend is doing.

You have another collection of Snakepit comics released in August, what can people who have seen them develop over the past six years expect if they haven't kept up to date regularly?

Well, for one thing I've definitely started partying less. In 2007 I got a solid job, a solid girlfriend that I moved in with, and a dog. The wild, pants-shitting Snakepit of the early 00's has given way to the lame old Snakepit of the late 00's.

Even in a small city like Hong Kong, with a job on TV I have strange experiences of people coming up to me and acting like they know me on a first name basis. With people being able to summarise six years of your life by reading two books of three panel comics, do you often get total strangers coming up to you under the impression that they're old friends of yours?

Yes, but it doesn't bother me that much, especially if they've got a joint they want to share with me! The only time it ever gets to be annoying is when people ask about my personal life, but I guess that's what I get for publishing it.

Doing a warts n' all account of your life and the people in it, have you gotten into trouble from some of the things you write about other people in your comics?

Oh yes, yes indeed. I've ruined friendships, there are people who hate me and will never speak to me again. Lately I've been trying to still tell the truth, but maybe be a little more tactful about it.

Hypothetically, if there's ever a time where you might settle down and take things easy, not party and rock out so much, would you consider stopping Snakepit if the material wouldn't have the same dynamic anymore?

Ha ha, never! I have in fact settled down and the comics may not be as much puke and hangovers, but I think I still manage to keep it interesting. I've been drawing a lot more weird experimental stuff, like the party monsters everyone is so fond of. Back in 2001 I decided to make this a lifelong project, and as long as I can keep finding publishers, I'm gonna keep doing these comics for the rest of my life.

What other artwork are you involved with at the moment or do you plan on pursuing? I'd be all up on that No Idea shirt you did a while back if it was in black!

I still do a regular column in Razorcake every issue, I do a lot of t-shirts and record covers for bands. I just did a 7" cover for a band from New Mexico called Shang-A-Lang, I drew the back cover of the newest Japanther 12", I've done t-shirts for Tiltwheel, The Ergs, Let's Pretend Records, No Idea Records, Razorcake Magazine and some other stuff I can't remember right now.

What comics are you into personally? Past or present are there any other comic book artists, or even characters that inspire you to stick to doing them yourself?

Charles Schultz is absolutely my all-time favorite, I'm also a big fan of Jim's Journal by Scott Dikkers (which is where I got the idea for Snakepit), I always love comics by Charles Burns, Johnny Ryan, and Janelle Hessig. I'm really not a big comics guy, to tell you the truth.

Aside from your comics you're also an accomplished musician having played in J Church, been a touring drummer with The Soviettes etc. What's the MO behind the band you're doing now Party Garbage? Any new releases in the works? What's the status of Bloodbath and Beyond, which by the way has to be the best band name ever!

Ha ha thanks, we stole that name from the name of the gun store on the Simpsons. Bloodbath is a hard band to do because our members are spread out so far. Mike lives in Portland, Davey lives in San Diego, Paddy in Minneapolis and I'm in Austin. We get together when we can, but it's not that often. Party Garbage is just a lot of fun, we can't play that good but it's not really about playing good. We're about to tour the UK in May, and I'm really excited about that. We've got two 7"s out and hopefully a 12" by the fall.

Sticking with your music, how do you feel about your time in J Church, one of my all-time favourite bands? I felt the last releases after Lance relocated to Austin had some of the best material he'd ever done. Had the band been planning to do more around the time Lance passed away?

The last time I talked to Lance he told me he had a bunch of new songs he was excited about learning, we were planning to play the Fest 6 in Gainesville, Lance died a week before the show. Getting to play in J Church and be friends with Lance was maybe the awesomest thing I've ever done in my life, and I still miss him every day.

I was surprised to find out that you had written the lyrics to the song '210' on Society is a Carnivorous Flower and I thought you did a rad job singing the Misfits cover on the Japanese release J Church did. Are you involved in any projects as a singer and songwriter? Is this something you would be into doing? What kind of music would you be into doing in your ideal band?

I like singing but I've never been the lead singer for a serious band, I can't really write songs to save my life (the one on society I wrote back in 1997, I had always wanted it to be properly recorded, but I wasn't very happy with the way it turned out on the album. It's a shitty song, anyway), I feel like my place in a band is better as a rhythm player. I'm not a very good drummer but I love to do it, and I can play the bass & guitar pretty well, but I'm terrible at writing songs or playing solos.

Are you in a financial position to draw dogs dressed as pimps on the days you get paid?

Lately, yes. My rent is really cheap and I'm making a good wage at my job, so I'm doing pretty good.

Ben Snakepit – 'My Life in a Jugular Vein'

Back in the dark ages in the pre-internet days there was a time when the DIY community took the media into its own hands. Reviews, interviews, rants and raves were collected in zines – crudely xeroxed cut and paste pieces of literature that also spawned what would become blogging. These were heartfelt, recollections and scrawled down thoughts and poems that were way more in touch with the reality of being a teenager and youth culture than 'Party of Five' or 'My So-called Life'. In a sense, despite turning the big 3-0, Ben Snakepit captures the same spirit in the comics he draws to summarise each and every day of nearly the last decade of his life. In his second collection condensing the last three years we see our hero move to and from Canada, tour the world with J Church, hang out with the Sainte Catherines, meet Mike Watt, get caught in the throes of whirlwind romances and we're there to watch helplessly as he gets his heart broken. There's also more pants-shitting, Adderall tripping and days of doing absolutely nothing to keep the old school fans happy. Also keeping with tradition there's a song allocated to each day and this collection comes with a mix cd of some of those songs for the maximum Snakepit life experience.

The High Priest of Holy Terror

Revered... and sometimes reviled as purveyors of the 'metalcore' sound, Integrity's classic records combine the drive and intensity of hardcore and the heavier elements of the best metal. Behind it all is Dwid Hellion, the one man who has been the visionary behind Integrity through an insane number of lineup changes. But it's his unmistakable roar, cryptic and yet intriguing lyrical approach as well as his appreciation of a variety of art (he's a filmmaker, graphic artist and has ventured into abstract noise projects) and the occult that has led the band's sound into darker, uncharted territory; incorporating samples, industrial sounds and noise. He has also been a guest on a number of records recently (by the Hope Conspiracy, Pulling Teeth and the Ocean), is responsible for the equally amazing Roses Never Fade and is working on a new project, Irons, which features fellow visionaries Stephen Kasner and Jacob Bannon (Deathwish Records, Converge frontman). Dwid was kind enough the shed some light on his many projects and on the new Integrity record out in August.

What is the status of the different projects you're involved with such as Roses Never Fade, Irons, Psywarfare (and anything else I've missed out!) can people look forward to any releases from these projects any time soon?

Roses Never Fade has a long delayed ltd edition 7" that will hopefully become available soon from www.MissionMerch.com

Psywarfare has been on hiatus for the past decade.

Irons is currently in production with a tentative late 2008 release date scheduled, or at least a glimpse unveiling with that time frame.

Sticking with Irons, can you describe the concept behind it since no material been made available? I've heard it described as non-linear. Could any of it any of it be considered a continuation from your more abstract work with Lockweld and projects like Psywarfare?

It will comprise of many different elements and techniques that have been previously employed by the past work of myself, Mr Bannon and Mr Kasner.

With Roses Never Fade I was surprised by the song uploaded recently Rosa Italia which has heavier moments and you screaming/shouting. Do you plan to do this on more RNF songs in future?

We place no constraints upon RNF.

You've said the upcoming Integrity record 'The Blackest Curse' has similarities to your earlier work on 'Humanity is the Devil' and 'Seasons in the Size of Days' and is very metal sounding. Was it the plan to reference those two releases when you started working on it or is it just the way it took shape? How soon can we expect it?

There is no reference to either previous album. The Blackest Curse is its own album and concept. The release date is 18.08.08 available from www.DeathWishInc.com.

I've seen the upcoming dates on your myspace page with Converge and Coliseum, will you be playing new material on these dates? Do you plan on having any new releases available by the time these shows roll around?

A limited release 2 song 7" record will be available around the time of the summer tour

Despite the huge number of line-up changes through the years Integrity's output has had a certain consistency, vibe and feel that makes it Integrity. As a vocalist how do you communicate ideas with the band you're working with? Do you write guitar parts and much of the music on the other instruments?

The band has existed for 2 decades, and within that time previous members have moved on to different styles or abandoned music all together. Communication is sonic and visual.

I've heard you in earlier interviews talk about the different reactions to Integrity when you first started (something to the effect of it was too metal for hardcore kids and too punk and hardcore to be metal), what made you want to start a band that took hardcore and introduced the other elements into it? And then keep at it despite the less than enthusiastic responses at times?

I simply created a band that I wanted to hear.
It was a very selfish act.
I do not acknowledge the public response, whether it may be positive or negative. The music is our expression and our interests. The audience is more or less, eavesdropping on our own private entertainment.

My personal favourite Integrity record (and one of my all time favourite records period) is Closure which was a huge departure from the other stuff and overall sounded more industrial. What circumstances led to this and how do you view it in retrospect, do you like it? Hate it? Did you achieve what you wanted to with it?

Of course I enjoy many aspects of that album. Each album has moments that I still can relate to and enjoy. And each album has its own personality. None of the albums have been identical to eachother.

Integrity has definitely had an impact on shaping a lot of the hardcore, metal, and metalcore today. But what would you like people to take from the music you create and have created?

These creations are my/our expression.
The influence or reaction are not consequential to the music.

I thoroughly enjoyed the Halloween podcast you did last year. Has anyone ever approached you to do host any more radio shows? Do you plan on doing it again?

Thank you.
Yes, as time allows, I will post future media at www.HolyTerror.com

Integrity - 'Closure'
Despite the fact that no two Integrity albums are alike, To me Closure sticks out from the pack as it strayed the furthest from the metal-hardcore fusion that the band helped pioneer. It plays more like an Industrial record while losing none of the bite that made the band's other records so great. Samples and ambiance are incorporated more seamlessly than in their previous efforts and as always there were some surprises such as the Danzig-esque backing vocals on tracks like 'Mine' and one of my all time favourite songs 'No Time for Sudden Glances'. Some tracks also offers a glimpse into the work Mr. Hellion would later other pursue with other projects like Roses Never fade (the acoustic guitar and sample-driven 'The Martyr Inside') and the grating noise of 'Le Mmurb' - which by the way is 'Brummel' spelled backwards, as in Tony Brummel, owner of Integrity's label at the time Victory Records who the band had some well publicised problems with during their time on the label.