Nightmares For A Week and One Win Choice rounded out the bill hosted by Philly Hardcore Shows at The Fire in Philly’s Northern Liberties neighborhood. It’s not often fans get to see Grey Area in such an intimate setting and you could feel the excitement in the air even before the opening bands hit the stage.

Formed from the ashes of legendary NYC hardcore outfit Warzone following the untimely death of frontman Raymond “Raybeez” Barbieri, Grey Area‘s line-up reads like the Who’s Who of American Hardcore. Long-time Warzone drummer Vinnie Value would hook up with Ernie Parada (Black Train Jack, Token Entry, In Your Face) to infuse a intense hardcore underbelly with the melodic sensibilities of Black Train Jack to create the catchy and furious sound that would become Grey Area. The band would fill-out the remaining slots with Steve O‘brien, former bassist in New York‘s “Crown of Thornz”, who would eventually settle in to take over bass duties with Warzone‘s Jason “JSIN” Lehrhoff picking up second guitar. The band would go on to release several very-well received releases via Victory Records in early 2000s.

Saturday’s performance found Grey Area as sharp as ever, opening the night with “Canonball” before firing into “Insomnia,” which saw the crowd all but explode. We’ve included links and listening samples below for further investigation.

We know you are here for the pictures, so without further ado..

All Photos by the uber-talented Anne Spina of Anne Spina Photography
Words by Joshua T. Cohen

One Win Choice

Nightmares For A Week

The Reveling

Luther

Grey Area

Snake Road kicked off the evening with their blend of heavy-rock-meets-punk-backbone that quickly garnered the attention of those in attendance. Combining elements of metallic punk reminiscent of early From Ashes Rise, the band infuses this fundamental core with riff motifs from the Mastodon and Baroness end of the spectrum for a refreshing take on punk rock.

South Philly’s Cop Problem hit the floor next with their unique blend of punk-infused-metal that incorporates elements of d-beat, crust, and even glimpses of rock and grindcore for another intriguing spin on modern punk. Cop Problem guitarist Randon was also the show’s main organizer and fundraiser. The band has been very vocal about their support of Occupy Philadelphia since the beginning of the Occupy protests that occurred in over 1,500 cities worldwide in 2011 to address the growing inequalities and systemic issues that have seen the unprecedented consolidation of the world’s finances into the pockets of the top 1%. The Occupy movement has welcomed many facets of direction action to address a wide array of growing social issues.

Philly’s vegan straightedge juggernauts, Kingdom took the floor with a vengeance for this rare hometown appearance that marked the band’s only US show before taking off to Europe for six weeks with Wrong Answer the following morning. Kingdom played a hearty mix of fan favorites and classic covers that quickly saw the mosh open up and wide grins on the faces of those in attendance. Kingdom were in prime form and you could feel the excitement emanating from this four-piece as they prepare to embark on another European trek.

Reign Supreme has etched a name that will forever be synonymous with the most pulverizing hardcore music to emerge from Philadelphia. Following the departure from renowned act Blacklisted in the early 2000s, singer and founder Jay Pepito has built a hardcore machine with rabid fans that stretch across the far reaches of the globe. Wasting no time last Friday, Reign Supreme set the floor on fire, debuting a new song from their forthcoming release on Mediaskare Records to open their set. This forthcoming release marks the band’s first since departing from longtime label Deathwishinc last year and if this new song be a gauge for what’s to come, fans are in for a definite treat. The band is clearly stepping out of their trademark sound and beginning to incorporate elements of thrash and metal with their crushing hardcore tenacity. Definitely a band to keep an eye on in 2012. Both Reign Supreme and Cop problem are slated for a three-day weekend together starting February 9th in York, PA with stops in Baltimore and Long Island, NY.

Our incredibly talented photographer Anne Spina was on hand to capture another stellar gallery for your viewing pleasure. Without further ado..

All pictures by Anne Spina of Anne Spina Photography

Snake Road

Cop Problem

Kingdom

Reign Supreme

Stray From The Path released their latest music video for song “Bring It Back To The Streets” (featuring Comeback Kid‘s Andrew Neufeld) in December. The song is featured on the band’s current and third full-length album, Rising Sun which was released in the summer of 2011 via Sumerian Recordings. Rising Sun featured several big name guest appearances by members of Norma Jean, Comeback Kid, and The Ghost Inside. While the album received mixed reviews from critics, many who cited the notable similarities to the band’s sophomore release Make Your Own History, fans didn’t seemed to be swayed in the least, rapidly filling up The Barbary to near capacity during the opening acts and continued to grow and hit a zenith of intensity with Stray From The Path‘s set.

Cruel Hand are also also coming off of a big year in 2011 with many months of touring under their belts including European, Australian, and Malaysian runs with renowned acts Nails and Rise and Fall, a headlining US tour, all punctuated by appearances at the legendary This Is Hardcore Fest and New England Metal and Hardcore Festival. Cruel Hand‘s set was filled with pile-ons, stage dives, and plenty of mosh to give our very talented photographer Anne Spina a lot of great action to work with, as the band continues to support their latest release Lock & Key on Bridge 9 Records. This tour truly had no weak cogs and we have included links to all of the guilty parties for further investigation.

We know you are here for the pictures, so without further ado..

All pictures by Anne Spina of Anne Spina Photography.
Words by Joshua T. Cohen

Betrayal

Counterparts

Struc/tures

Cruel Hand

Stray From The Path

Stray From The Path – “Bring It Back To The Streets” OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO

Click here to view the embedded video.

Lamb of God are kicking it into overdrive this month with various endeavors throughout the music world. In celebration of Resolution, Sirius XM Liquid Metal Radio kicked off seven straight days of the band in their monster special appropriately titled Lamb of God’s Resolution Week. The special has been running since Jan 23rd and concludes tonight at midnight.

Guitarist Willie Adler was not to be left out of the mix, as he recently teamed up with online guitar community All Axess to launch the official Willie Adler website at www.willieadler.com. All Axess is known for its viewer lessons from professionals, rig rundowns and a consistent blog and news section. In a recent video about the site, Willie Adler said, “I’m going to be updating the site personally on a regular basis from the road, while recording or while I’m at home. I will be giving personal tours of my gear, specs on everything, anything new I might be coming out with, even just the music I’m currently listening to. This is the place for all things Willie.”

Lamb of God is also trying new delivery avenues with the release of Resolution allowing Jammit to distribute the album. Jammit delivers a unique user experience allowing fans to virtually practice and perform in the recording studio with participating artists, utilizing the actual multi-track masters from the original recording sessions. Jammit tracks are available for guitar, bass, drums, keyboard and vocals, allowing fans to isolate a specified instrument or vocal track from the rest of the band. The software provides note-for-note transcriptions, instant navigation to any part of the song, adjustable snap-to-grid looping and a slow playback mode (that doesn’t affect the pitch). Fans can even replace the original instrument recording with their own performance.

And to top it all off, Lamb of God have announced tour dates for Europe, Asia, India, Isreal and others that will carry them into the Fall with nothing short of an exhausting schedule. And if that weren’t enough HBO has selected the Lamb of God track ‘King Me’ to be the musical bed for the promos for the upcoming season of True Blood. ‘King Me’ closes Resolution and features the band accompanied by a full orchestra and opera singer Amanda Munton. True Blood enters its 5th season on HBO premiering in June 2012. Sheesh!

On a fun side note- The designer behind Blow The Scene, Larry West happens to be a huge Lamb of God fan. Larry is known for making band tour posters for his own personal enjoyment. When he heard about the Lamb of God‘s meet-and-greet prior to the Troc performance, he decided to bring his newly made poster down and chat with the guys. A good choice was made, as Larry had slept on tickets and was not able to acquire one before the show sold out show. Upon seeing this gnarly graphic that Larry had whipped up, singer Randy Blythe slapped Larry with a show pass. Let’s just say we’ve had to pull Larry down from the ceiling with a broom handle, as this lad has been floating around with sheer joy in his britches ever since.

Thursday’s supporting act, The Acacia Strain are coming off a very successful year in 2011 with ample touring by way of Van’s Warped Tour in support of the 2010 release of their fifth studio album Wormwood on Prosthetic Records. The album reached an impressive #67 on the Billboard Charts and will see the band head to Europe this March. The Acacia Strain were certainly able to convert some new fans during last Thursday’s support role for Lamb of God and brought a healthy gathering of their longtime supports into the mix. Another band to keep an eye on in 2012.

We know you are here for the pictures, so without further ado..

All pictures by the magnificently talented Dante Torrieri of Useless Rebel Imaging.
Words by Joshua T. Cohen

Too Late The Hero

The Acacia Strain

Lamb of God

Lamb of God – Ghost Walking

Today we are here to celebrate the visual representation of a show that will go down as one of the most emotional and energetic shows in Philadelphia Hardcore history. Hosted by Joe Hardcore and his Philly Hardcore Shows group, Philly once again found itself at the epicenter of hardcore music. We are beyond stoked to offer you an massive 100+ photo gallery from the perspective of two of Philadelphia’s most talented photographers, Anne Spina and Dante Torrieri.

Don’t forget to check back later this week for the definitive Horror Show interview, brought to you exclusively by Blow The Scene.

This bill was rounded out by Break Away, Bunk, and Philly’s Wrong Answer, who are currently on their way Europe with Kingdom for a 6-week tour.

All photos by Dante Torrieri of Useless Rebel Imaging and Anne Spina of Anne Spina Photography.
Words by Joshua T. Cohen

Break Away

Round 1 by Dante Torrieri

Round 2 by Anne Spina

Bunk

Round 1 by Dante Torrieri

Round 2 by Anne Spina

Wrong Answer

Round 1 by Dante Torrieri

Round 2 by Anne Spina

Horror Show

Round 2 by Anne Spina

Horror Show Full Set by our friend Sunny at Hate5six.com

Horror Show (Full Set) from hate5six on Vimeo.

For those of you just tuning in, Whiplash was formed in 1984 and reached considerable heights within the thrash and speed metal circuit. Members have gone on to work with legendary bands such as Kreator and Slayer. Whiplash has released seven full-length albums since 1985 and has seen their fair share of ups and downs. In 2002, founding bassist Tony Bono suffered a heart attack, which would claim his life. The band would reassemble in 2008 and release full-length album Unborn Again the following year, which correlated with appearances at Wacken Open Air in Germany, Jalometalli festival in Finland and shows in Italy, Norway and Mexico. Saturday’s performance found the band rippling with energy and excitement that a capacity crowd had no trouble feeding off of.

Co-headliners, Morbid Saint made the trek down from Wisconsin to join this raucous event hosted by Falloutzine. Morbid Saint originally made a splash in the mid 80s touring extensively with Florida’s death metal pioneers Death. The band released their Destruction Systemin in 1992 as a 33 minute demo for fans, which found playtime in the band’s set to the appreciation of many in attendance.

The bill was rounded out by Anvil Bitch, Condition Critical, and Midnite Hellion. We arrived a little late due to having traverse miles of icy roads by bicycle but Falloutzine’s Facebook is currently showcasing pictures of all guilty parties from last Saturday’s performance.

We know you are here for the pictures, so without further ado..

All pictures by Dante Torrieri of Useless Rebel Imaging.

Anvil Bitch

Morbid Saint

Whiplash

We are very excited to offer Blow The Scene readers around the world an in-depth interview with Bay Area’s Loma Prieta. This four-piece outfit has long been crafting and refining their own definition of modern hardcore music with an amalgamation of sounds that simply knows no boundaries. With musical segments that can pummel the listener with a barrage of blast beats and impenetrable distortion one moment, only to break wide open into a haunting segment of deep melody and emotion that embeds itself deep in the listener’s psyche. Many bands have long tried to emulate this fluid approach and combination of sounds, but most fall far short of the real thing. With years of experience playing shows, touring, and writing music, 2012 is shaping up to be Loma Prieta‘s year to step out in front of the herd as they support their latest release on the Deathwish label, I.V.

Guitarist and vocalist Brian Kanagaki was kind enough to sit down with us and discuss the writing and recording process behind the band’s latest record, influences, plans for 2012, daily life, history of the band, and much more in this feature interview. Without further ado, let’s here from Brian.

Interview by Joshua T. Cohen
Pictures by Dante Torrieri

Joshua BTS: Greetings. Thank you for taking a few moments with Blow The Scene readers from around the world. Let’s kick off this interview by having you introduce yourselves and declare your weapons of choice with the Bay area’s top practitioners of poignant melody and emotional hardcore, known as Loma Prieta.

Brian Kanagaki: Val plays drums, Brian plays guitar and does vocals, Sean plays guitar and does vocals, and Jake plays bass.

Joshua BTS: Your latest LP I.V., has just dropped via the Deathwish family in our neck of the woods. Awesome. Give us the 411 on this record. Where, when, and whom did you record with?

Brian Kanagaki: We recorded the record in East Palo Alto, Ca at The Atomic Garden with our good friend Jack Shirley back in early June of 2011.

Joshua BTS: I find one of the most compelling elements of Loma Prieta is your ability to execute emotional hardcore that draws from a vast range of influences. Everything from melodic-screamo to powerviolence can be heard in the DNA of your tracks..And that is oversimplifying to be sure. With such a broad spectrum of sound- Do you incorporate any odd or rare pieces of equipment to help you garner a sound you are happy with?

Brian Kanagaki: We are a pretty traditional band, just two guitars, bass and drums. We don’t use any weird pedals and Val only plays a single kick pedal. We do use a bunch of overdrive pedals to help our amps feed back. I think that feedback makes up for at least 50% of our live set, its a very controlled chaos. There are so many parts to our songs where the tunings and chords don’t even matter and I really like that. We break a lot of stuff live so we have learned to play our songs in different tunings and with fewer strings if need be. Its not preferred but we can do it.

Joshua BTS: How did you come to link up Deathwish for this current release?

Brian Kanagaki: Val and I (Brian) play in PUNCH as well and we had a pre-existing relationship with Tre (Deathwish) and it kinda slowly came together as our relationship with him grew. He has been a fan of the band for a while know and he didn’t even know that we were both in LOMA at first.

Joshua BTS: It has been said that I.V. was created and recorded during an “intense and emotional time” for Loma Prieta. What were some of the circumstances that played into this tumultuous period and how did this affect the music and lyrical composition?

Brian Kanagaki: The record was written at a time where there was a lot of transition for the three of us. Its kinda of hard to speak for the rest of the band, but for me this record was a response to me growing up and forcing myself to accept myself for who I am. We are all human, we are all the same, it wasn’t anything special. Everyone has gone through this transition or will at some point at least.

Joshua BTS: What does the actual writing process look like for Loma Prieta? Is there a captain of the ship that steers the direction of the music or is it more of a collective effort?

Brian Kanagaki: I love writing with LOMA because we are all equals, it’s a very democratic band. We all write individually all year, keeping track of ideas in our head and then come together when the time is right and then we start putting all the pieces together. I think that’s what makes us interesting as a band. We are all constantly pulling from different times of our lives and in turn we are influencing each other in this circular path. Nothing is forbidden or too abstract. We don’t see any rules that govern the band as a whole so we are free to write in any direction that we wish.

Joshua BTS: Have things smoothed over for band since recording I.V.?

Brian Kanagaki: In my opinion it is too early to tell. We are all so busy and we haven’t stopped working to let the dust settle and see what our surroundings actually look like.

Joshua BTS: What were the circumstances surrounding the band?s formation in 2005? And I?m sure you get this a lot, but for our readers just tuning in to Loma Prieta- Is your name based on the epic Earthquake on Loma Prieta Mountain in North Cali in 89?

Brian Kanagaki: Sean and Val met through their other bands playing shows together circa 2003. Sean liked the way Val played drums and asked him if he would start a band with him. From there the two of them recruited other members to join. And yes, the band is named after the earthquake.

Joshua BTS: You have released several works on your own label, Discos Huelga, since your inception. What are some of the pros and cons of releasing your own records? How much time do you dedicate to developing the label and working with new talent?

Brian Kanagaki: Val has been working on the label or I think almost 10 years and I have been working with him on art and layout/production stuff for almost that long as well. The cool thing about putting out your own record is having complete control of production and the timeline of the release. We have always taken the art side of the band very seriously and its nice to have complete freedom to do whatever we want with our releases. Working with Deathwish has pretty much been the same though, they have been really understanding and helpful all along the way. I wish that we had a lot more time to dedicate to working with other bands, but with our rigorous touring schedule right now we have to focus on putting out our own music first.

Joshua BTS: Do you have any tour plans in the works for 2012?

Brian Kanagaki: 2012 is going to be a crazy year, we have something like 180 shows planned… As I right this it is only the 20th of January and we have already been on tour for 2 weeks.

Joshua BTS: When not performing on tour- What do you do to pass the time?

Brian Kanagaki: All of us play in at least one other band and also have solo projects. I do a lot of art and design for other bands and labels. I have a art label and I also have a tee shirt line (hvmandvst.com). I also run a merch distribution company (hxcmerch.com) where I distro merch for LOMA, Punch and our friends bands, Comadre, Ceremony, etc.

Joshua BTS: Who would you say are some of your immediate influences?

Brian Kanagaki: I would say that modern pop music is what influences me the most. That stuff is crazy. Pop music is a never-ending well of inspiration.

Joshua BTS: Any new or current bands that are really exciting you right now?

Brian Kanagaki: Any time we are asked this question we mention Skin Like Iron. They are my favorite bay area band. They just self-released a split 7” with Nails and it rules. Check that out. Also been jamming Total Control a lot recently.

Joshua BTS: What do your daily lives look like when you are not active with Loma Prieta?

Brian Kanagaki: We are constantly working on new art/music/tours/promotion for the band. We don’t have a manager or booking agent or anything like that. Right now being a DIY band is still pretty much an everyday job.

Between all the bands I haven’t been home for more than 10 days at a time since July. The few days that I am home are spent packing up and sending merch orders. The only consistent thing that I do is go to the coffee shop. I normally head there first thing in the morning and then go home and pack orders until I am hungry and then take the rest of the day off.

Joshua BTS: The Bay Area seems to be a hotbed for exciting and unique bands. What are some aspects of the area that you find especially appealing? Any aspects of the Bay Area you could live without?

Brian Kanagaki: The bay area scene is incredibly tight-knit. I like that feeling of going to a show and knowing almost all of the people there. It’s really comforting and centering to come home after a long tour and see a ton of familiar faces.

Joshua BTS: Apart from shows / touring, what else is in the works for the band in 2012? Do you have other side projects you are working on as well?

Brian Kanagaki: In 2012 we are all putting our lives entirely on hold to do the band full time. It’s a big risk, but so far it has been equally fun and rewarding.

Joshua BTS: Thank you kindly for taking time with Blow The Scene readers. Any final thoughts?

Brian Kanagaki: Thank you.

More info at the Official Loma Prieta Facebook

Click here to view the embedded video.

Chicago practitioners of sludge-induced grindcore, Weekend Nachos just kicked off a two week East Coast tour that found the band playing a packed West Philly house show last Friday. Weekend Nachos are no strangers to Blow The Scene. With the release of their latest LP Worthless on Relapse Records, we reviewed and interviewed the band to share some insight on this unique four-piece outfit, who offer an intriguing take on modern hardcore.

Weekend Nachos are in the unique position of being able to draw admiration not only from music connoisseurs, but critics, and fellow bands all just can’t get enough of these guys. The music is stark and moody, combining elements of grindcore, metal, sludge, powerviolence, and even dashes of d-beat and hardcore. With live shows nothing short of small-scale riot zones, the band is just as comfortable playing a packed basement, as they are shredding through larger venues.

Friday’s performance found the band sharp and hungry with support from friends Homewrecker and locals Callous and Backslider. OH’s Homewrecker bring the thunder with a down-tuned barrage of hardcore riffs that find comfort easing into sludgy segues or revving up into some speedy thrash. West Philly house-marauding crazies ate this band up and came back for seconds.

Philly’s Backslider were recently confirmed for Maryland Death Fest 2012 and are currently supporting a forthcoming EP on To Live A Lie Records. This 2-piece grindcore machine is definitely a band to keep an eye on in 2012.

We know you are here for the pictures, so without further ado..

All pictures by Dante Torrieri of Useless Rebel Imaging.
Words by Joshua T. Cohen

Callous

Backslider

Click here to view the embedded video.

Homewrecker

Weekend Nachos

We are pleased to offer Blow The Scene readers around the world a new interview with Athens, OH’s kings of metal, Skeletonwitch, as bassist Evan Linger gives us the inside scoop along with a never-before-seen photo gallery of the band taken by Dante Torrieri of Useless Rebel Imaging. In this interview, Linger touches on the band’s latest full-length release, Forever Abomination on Prosthetic Records, upcoming tour plans with Black Dalhia Murder, equipment picks, daily life, and much more.

Joshua BTS: Greetings. Thank you for taking some time with Blow The Scene readers from around the world. Let’s kick off this interview by having you introduce yourselves and declare your weapon of choice with Ohio’s pummeling metal quintet, Skeletonwitch.

Evan Linger: My name is Evan Linger. I play bass in Skeletonwitch.

Joshua BTS: Your latest full-length, Forever Abomination, just hit streets in October via Prosthetic Records. Give us the 411 on the record. When, where and whom did you record with?

Evan Linger: We recorded the album in June of 2011 in L.A. We recorded with Matt Hyde who has worked with Slayer and Children of Bodom to name a few.

Joshua BTS: It appears you have been able to up the ante with a ripper of an LP that is dense with driving drums and speedy double-bass, intense melodic work on the strings, all complimented by a wide range of screams and guttural growls. What did the writing process look like for Forever Abomination? Do you have a captain of the ship that steers the direction of the writing or is it more of an organic process with all parties involved?

Evan Linger: Nate is the main songwriter and riff merchant in our band. Generally he has an idea for a song and he’ll program drum parts and record at least 2 guitar parts on top of that. We all get demos of the song from him and start adding things like lyrics and solos respectively. In my case that involves figuring out what the guitars are doing and writing bass parts to go with them. We all end up getting together rehearsing the material where we will throw out ideas and possible changes that can be made. It’s a pretty streamlined process at this point.

Joshua BTS: Who developed the gnarly artwork for Forever Abomination? Great piece of work! I understand the recurring horned figure is nicknamed “Skeleton Mitch?”

Evan Linger: The art was done by Andrei Bouzikov. He did the cover for our last record as well. We basically told him what we wanted and he did it. He sent sketches and we asked him to alter things and he’d send them back until we were happy. Yes, the evil dude is what we call “Skeleton Mitch.” He’s on every album cover the band has done. He’s like our Vic Rattlehead.

Joshua BTS: I always like to throw one in for the gear heads. Any pieces of weird or rare equipment that you incorporate in the studio and in live settings? Anything is fair game. Mics, heads, drums etc..

Evan Linger: Well Matt Hyde basically told us not to bring gear. When we arrived I saw why. Matt has tons of vintage and high-end gear. He has everything we use like Marshall JCM 2000s and Ampeg heads and that’s literally the cheapest gear he has. For guitars we ended up using some higher end amps that record really well. Some of them being Deizels and Bogners. Personally I didn’t use any of my own gear for recording. I used some vintage fender P-bass that was beat up as hell. For amps we set up 3 bass amps (I think it was an Orange, a vintage SVT and a Mesa) plus multiple DIs and kinda mixed them up to get a really thick tone that sits well with the guitars.

Joshua BTS: Forever Abomination showcases a wide-array of influences from various metal niches. Who are some of you immediate influences?

Evan Linger: We like lots of different stuff. Everything from death metal to classic rock. There is quite a bit of influence floating around. More specifically this album might have a more black metal vibe than previous ones, not that black metal hasn’t been an influence previously. We opened things up a little more made things a little more atmospheric and evil feeling on a lot of the riffs. There’s also just a few Rock n’ Roll parts in there too.

Joshua BTS: Any new bands or up-and-comers that have your attention?

Evan Linger: We’ve taken a lot of smaller bands out that are really killer. For example Withered, Landmine Marathon and Howl. We generally try to take bands we like out on the road. There’s a black metal band called Black September that recently got signed to our label who are really good.

Joshua BTS: Skeletonwitch spends a ton of time on the road. I would imagine those long drives can lead to some odd touring habits. Who amongst you has the oddest touring habits? Please don’t be shy, we love a good gross-out story.

Evan Linger: Well no one takes dumps in bags or any weird shit like that if that’s what you mean. The van smells all the time. When we get back in after a few weeks off you can really tell that it’s rather toxic in there.

Joshua BTS: Any particularly memorable moments or freak occurrences on your recent tour with Kvelertak and Zoroaster?

Evan Linger: Well… Kvekertak missed load in time everyday of the tour. I guess they don’t have watches or clocks in Norway. Seriously though those guys and Zoroaster are great. We had a blast with them. I saw the Kvelertak singer fall off stage more than once and I saw one of them have like a $2000 guitar broke onstage due to the singer’s antics. Those guys are wild.

Joshua BTS: When you are not busy with Skeletonwitch in the studio and on the road- What do your daily lives look like?

Evan Linger: A few of us have odd jobs like bar tending or desk dude at the local tattoo shop. Some of us don’t have jobs at all. It’s hard to find a job where someone will let you leave for months. I don’t have a job currently. I kinda play a house wife role and cook, clean and do yard work while my girlfriend is at her “adult” job. It also gives me time to practice before a tour.

Joshua BTS: I am sure you have noticed many of the protestors at the Occupy events throughout the US on your current tour. What is your take on the current protests that have spread to more than 1,500 cities throughout the World opposing the current financial and governmental structures?

Evan Linger: We’re not a political band and we don’t “do” politics. Heavy metal is an escape from daily bullshit like work and politics. When I go to a metal show I want to have fun and drink beer not worry about that type of stressful stuff. Come “occupy” a Skeletonwitch show and I’ll drink a beer with you.

Joshua BTS: What is on the agenda for Skeletonwitch as we head into 2012?

Evan Linger: We leave for a European tour in a few days with Black Dahlia Murder. Then we go to Norway to play a few shows with Aura Noir. Soon well be announcing some more US shows for spring. We also head back to Europe in the summer to play some festivals we missed last year. Also we will be doing a headliner in the US at some point.

Joshua BTS: Thank you kindly for taking time with Blow The Scene readers today as we look forward to keeping up with your future endeavors. Any final thoughts before we say goodbye?

Evan Linger: Thanks a lot! See you guys in 2012!

Interview by Joshua T. Cohen

Enjoy this never before seen photo gallery from Skeletonwitch’s Oct 11, 2011 Performance in Philadelphia
Pictures by Dante Torrieri

Additional tour dates are likely to be confirmed so stay tuned for further developments. For now check out the band’s full tour itinerary as it stands, including the monstrous twenty-seven city March Of Death this March when death metal legends Deicide will tour the entire continent with support from Abigail Williams, Jungle Rot and Lecherous Nocturne.

With Abigail Williams third album full-length venture, Becoming, confirmed for North American release on January 24th, Hails & Horns Magazine is hosting a full stream of the album at this link.

The organic style of Becoming offers stark contrast to previous Abigail Williams releases, bearing six vast tracks of their most expressive and complicated material to date. Becoming was recorded in various warehouses throughout Los Angeles, with the lineup for the album including returning guitarist Ian Jekelis, studio drummer Zach Gibson (ex-The Black Dahlia Murder) and as always, vocalist/guitarist Ken Sorceron, who handled all mixing, mastering, production and engineering duties.

ABIGAIL WILLIAMS headlining tour:

1/20/2012 Aruba – Las Vegas, NV
1/21/2012 Skrappy’s – Tucson, AZ
1/23/2012 Wreckers – Lubbock, TX
1/24/2012 Tomcats – Ft. Worth, TX
1/25/2012 The Muse – Nashville, TN
1/26/2012 Kingdom – Richmond, VA
1/27/2012 Café 611 – Frederick, MD
1/28/2012 Sonar – Baltimore, MD

1/29/2012 Kung Fu Necktie – Philadelphia, PA w/ Immolith, Burden

1/30/2012 Saint Vitus Bar – Brooklyn, NY w/ Woe, Immolith

1/31/2012 Ralph’s Diner – Worcester, MA

2/01/2012 Champs – Trenton, NJ w/ Woe

2/02/2012 Slim’s Downtown Distillery – Raleigh, NC

2/03/2012 Ground Zero – Spartanburg , SC

2/04/2012 Kopecs – Pittsburgh, PA

2/05/2012 Kobo – Columbus, OH w/ Dismemberment, Tryblith

2/06/2012 Peabody’s – Cleveland, OH

2/07/2012 Club Anything – Milwaukee, WI

2/09/2012 The Oasis Venue – Casper, WY

2/10/2012 Old Curtis St Bar – Denver, CO

2/11/2012 South Shore Bar and Grill – Salt Lake City, UT

March Of Death 2012

Deicide w/ Abigail Williams, Jungle Rot, Lecherous Nocturne

3/01/2012 Jaxx – Springfield, VA

3/02/2012 Reverb – Reading, PA

3/03/2012 Gramercy Theatre – New York, NY

3/04/2012 Foufoune’s – Montreal, QC

3/05/2012 Imperial de Quebec – Quebec City, QC

3/06/2012 Opera House – Toronto, ON

3/07/2012 Montage Music Hall – Rochester, NY

3/08/2012 Peabody’s – Cleveland, OH

3/09/2012 Blondie’s – Detroit, MI

3/10/2012 Reggie’s Rock Club – Chicago, IL

3/12/2012 Osbourne Village Inn – Winnipeg, MB

3/13/2012 The Exchange – Regina, SK

3/14/2012 Starlite Room – Edmonton, AB

3/15/2012 Dickens – Calgary, AB

3/16/2012 Rutland Centennial Hall – Kelowna, BC

3/17/2012 Rickshaw Theatre – Vancouver, BC

3/18/2012 El Corazon – Seattle, WA

3/19/2012 Hawthorne Theatre – Portland, OR

3/20/2012 Grand Ballroom – San Francisco, CA

3/21/2012 House of Blues – West Hollywood, CA

3/22/2012 The Clubhouse – Tempe, AZ

3/23/2012 The Complex – Salt Lake City, UT

3/24/2012 Bluebird Theatre – Denver, CO

3/25/2012 Trees – Dallas, TX

3/27/2012 Emo’s East – Austin, TX

3/28/2012 The Hangar – New Orleans, LA

3/29/2012 Club at Firestone – Orlando, FL

The last time we caught up with Philly’s leading hardcore show organizer and promoter Joe “Hardcore” McKay, we were just 72 hours away from the kickoff of This Is Hardcore Fest 2011. In our interview, we zipped back to the early 80s and discussed the foundation for what was to become the Philadelphia hardcore scene. We touched on the early days of American hardcore, life in Philadelphia, and brought it all the way up to the final preparations for one of the East Coast’s largest and most respected music festivals.

If you missed Part I of our Joe Hardcore Interview, be sure to check it out.

Our senior Staff Photographer Dante Torrieri was on hand for all four days of TIH 2011 and he was able to capture incredible photo sets of almost all of the performing bands, including From Ashes Rise, Bane, Strife, Terror, H20, Reign Supreme, Rival Mob, Victims, and Cruel Hand, to name just a few. Be sure to check his Day 1 & II, Day III, and Day IV galleries of TIH 2011.

Our last interview focused more on the written word, but today we have a 45-minute video interview with Joe in the intimacy of his newly settled house. We pick up right where we left off in August, as Joe reflects on This Is Hardcore Fest 2011 and discusses preparation and band selection for This Is Hardcore 2012. We touch on upcoming events for his Philly Hardcore Shows booking and promotion group, the launch of Philly-Shows.com, Joe’s recent brush with the law and subsequent benefit show, politics in general, and much more. We are very pleased to offer you this exclusive interview with one of Philadelphia’s most notable music scene figures. Enjoy.

Joe Hardcore Interview pt II

Click here to view the embedded video.

Words and video by Joshua T. Cohen

Often described as indie or emo, Daylight draw influences from a broad spectrum of musical niches, never more evident than on the band’s current release. In all fairness, these new offerings incorporate just as much rock flavor as they do indie or emo. Daylight’s current national tour wraps up in late February, giving the band just enough time to catch their breath before heading to Europe through March.

Guest headliners, Transit have remained one of the more prolific pop punk bands of the Northeast and have released scores of studio-works in the last 5 years. With consistent touring throughout the US and Europe with likes of Less Than Jake and other scene mainstays, the band continues to build its loyal fan base. In 2011, album Listen & Forgive reached #9 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart and #40 on the Independent Albums chart. Transit kick off a full US tour in March with The Wonder Years, Polar Bear Club, The Story So Far, and Into It. Over It., that will wrap up in mid April

Saturday’s bill, hosted by Philly hardcore Shows, was rounded out by Gypsy and Kingston, PA locals Trainwrecker. Gypsy features members of Cold World, Blacklisted, Bad Seed, and Let Down. This up-and-coming amalgamation of musicians has forged a new path with a current release on Six Feet Under Records. Leaving behind the heavy mosh with their respective prior projects, the newly assembled band is taking more influence from likes of Dinosaur Jr. and Jawbreaker.

We know you are here for the pictures. So without further ado..

All photos by the wonderfully talented Anne Spina of Anne Spina Photography.
Words by Joshua T. Cohen

Trainwrecker

Gypsy

Daylight

Transit

Wikipedia, along with several other major websites shutdown today in what many believe to be the largest online protest in history to combat proposed anti-piracy bills that could amount to censorship currently pending before the full Senate.

Instead of the normal Wiki search-bar that millions of visitors have come accustomed to using every single day, visitors to Wikipedia found a single stark message.

A poignant title in bold white letters on a sullen black background reads, “Imagine a World Without Free Knowledge.”

“For over a decade, we have spent millions of hours building the largest encyclopedia in human history. Right now, the U.S. Congress is considering legislation that could fatally damage the free and open Internet. For 24 hours, to raise awareness, we are blacking out Wikipedia.”

The protest page concludes with a “Learn More” link and search bar where visitors can enter a zip code to get direct links to contact US Representatives.

Even search engine behemoth and most popular website in the World, Google joined the protest by blacking out its famous logo, with statement and link “Tell Congress: Please don’t censor the web!”

Major search engines and Websites are not the only ones coming out agianst SOPA and PIPA. Many Musicians, artists, and everyday citizens are standing up to the proposed censhorsip.

Renowned musician, singer, and songwriter, Peter Gabriel joined the portest by blacking out his website and issuing the following statement:

“This year is going to be a very crucial year for the fate of digital rights and freedoms on the internet. We strongly support the campaign against both the Protect IP Act and the Stop Online Piracy Act. For that reason our websites will be down from 05.00 GMT for 24 hours in support of the campaign.

Please check out http://www.avaaz.org/en/save_the_internet/ if you want to read more/sign the petition.

Thank you.” – Peter Gabriel

There is a ton of information online and many ways to voice your opposition to these proposed censorship bills.

We at BTS found that the following video put together by americancensorship.org does a good job of summerizing the implications of these proposed bills that will be voted on by the Senate on Jan 24, 2012.

PROTECT IP / SOPA Breaks The Internet from Fight for the Future on Vimeo.

Comeback Kid is set to embark on their first headlining U.S. tour of 2012. With something in store for everyone, the line-up includes support from labelmates Close Your Eyes along with Foundation, Such Gold and Living With Lions.

Comeback Kid frontman Andrew Neufeld expresses his enthusiasm for the line-up , “We really enjoy playing with all different kinds of bands and mixing up bills. This tour is a great example of that.”

Neufeld goes on to say, “This tour covers the majority of the U.S. and we’re psyched to finally do a headlining tour in the U.S. for Symptoms + Cures.”

Comeback Kid concluded their packed year of touring in late 2011 through North America and abroad. The band was recently announced as a performer at this year’s South By So What?! Festival in March.

COMEBACK KID & CLOSE YOUR EYES On Tour

Click here to view the embedded video.

Comeback Kid “Do Yourself A Favor” Official Audio Stream

Click here to view the embedded video.

Symptoms + Cures Tour Dates

03/18/2012 – San Antonio, TX @ White Rabbit

03/19/2012 – Metairie, LA @ CYPRESS HALL

03/21/2012 – St. Petersburg, FL @ The Local 662

03/22/2012 – Lake Worth, FL @ The Speakeasy lounge

03/23/2012 – Jacksonville, FL @ The Pit

03/24/2012 – Douglasville, GA @ The 7 Venue

03/25/2012 – Richmond, VA @ Kingdom

03/26/2012 – Philadelphia, PA @ FIRST UNITARIAN CHURCH

03/28/2012 – Worcester, MA @ The Palladium

03/31/2012 – Cleveland, OH @ Peabody’s

04/01/2012 – Detroit, MI @ MAGIC STICK

04/03/2012 – Fort Wayne, IN @ Sunset Hall

04/05/2012 – Omaha, NE @ SOKOL UNDERGROUND

04/06/2012 – Denver, CO @ Marquis Theatre

04/07/2012 – Salt Lake City, UT @ In The Venue

04/08/2012 – Spokane, WA @ The A Club

04/09/2012 – Seattle, WA @ The Vera Project

04/11/2012 – Walnut Creek, CA @ Red House

04/12/2012 – Joliet, IL @ Mojoes

04/12/2012 – Lancaster, CA @ Industry Theater

04/13/2012 – W. Hollywood, CA @ KEY CLUB

04/14/2012 – San Diego, CA @ Soma

04/15/2012 – Tempe, AZ @ CLUBHOUSE

04/16/2012 – Farmington, NM @ Top Deck

04/18/2012 – Oklahoma City, OK @ The Conservatory

04/20/2012 – St. Louis, MO @ Fubar

04/21/2012 – Madison, WI @ THE LOFT

Titled Torture, the follow-up to 2009′s Evisceration Plague offers up 12 tracks of maniacally precise, soul-searing death metal. Torture was again produced by Hate Eternal‘s Erik Rutan at his own Mana Recording Studio in St. Petersburg, Florida as well as Sonic Ranch in Tornillo, Texas, and features the maniacal cover art by longtime Cannibal Corpse artist, Vincent Locke.

While Torture marks the latest progression in the band’s sound, it also witnesses a return to what drummer Paul Mazurkiewicz accurately terms “the frenzied attack of Butchered At Birth (1991) or Tomb Of The Mutilated (1992),” infusing the band’s advanced musicianship with the raw savagery that haunted their earlier releases, and in the process conceiving the definitive Cannibal Corpse record. Adds bassist Alex Webster on the outcome of the record: “We’re extremely happy with how Torture turned out. Erik Rutan did an amazing job with the production, and the songwriting and performances may be our strongest yet. We can’t wait until our fans get to hear the whole thing!”

Cannibal Corpse “Demented Aggression” by Metal Blade Records

Torture Track Listing:
01. Demented Aggression
02. Sarcophagic Frenzy
03. Scourge of Iron
04. Encased in Concrete
05. As Deep As the Knife Will Go
06. Intestinal Crank
07. Followed Home Then Killed
08. The Strangulation Chair
09. Caged…Contorted
10. Crucifier Avenged
11. Rabid
12. Torn Through

As a precursor to the release, Cannibal Corpse will perform a special one-off show at the Culture Room in West Palm Beach, Florida on January 22nd then head to the seas to take part in this year’s edition of the 70,000 Tons Of Metal Cruise. The band will get a short break before a near month-long march through Europe on the Full Of Hate 2012 tour with labelmates Behemoth.

Torture will be released in North America on March 13, 2012.

This is the second time we’ve featured Long Island’s Iron Chic in the past year and their crowd grows more energetic with each performance. Last Spring the band posted some new songs for pay-what-you-want download on their Bandcamp page. Two songs were taken from Iron Chic‘s split with Pacer while remaining tracks were released on the B-side of the Cosmic Future tour single. Today the band is playing a benefit show for LI promoter Mitch Kraeling, who is a 20 year old who has been active in the local scene for years. Mitch was recently diagnosed with a rare bone cancer called Ewing’s Sarcoma that effects only 200 people a year all whom are 20 and under. Currently, Mitch is going through chemotherapy at Stony Brook University Medical and the band is donating their time to help out this great cause today called Mitch-a-Palooza in Amityville, NY. Check it out if you are from the area!

Next up was Title Fight, who had quite the whirlwind year in 2011. After years of putting out teaser EPs, this Kingston, PA band dropped their debut full-length, Shed on Side One Dummy records to rave reviews from fans, critics and bands alike. They were mentioned several times throughout our Top Lists of 2011 by many renowned figures in the hardcore scene. The band was featured on numerous tours, including Alternative Press’s Fall Tour 2011 where our resident loveable giant, Andy McNeil caught up with band for a feature interview. 2012 is shaping up to be another stellar year for these up-and-comers.

New Jersey’s practitioners of progressive hardcore, Lifetime brought the thunder. No two ways about it. The band the been continually refining their emotional blend of melodic hardcore since the early 90s and it shows. With a live show that instigates one of the most passionate crowd responses of their time, Lifetime have outlived the vast majority of their musical peers. If you are new to this band, by all means, go do some homework- Chances are most of the modern melodic hardcore bands you’ve come to love were influenced by this band, or share one, if not more of their members. Lifetime also recently announced they will be playing the now legendary Groezrock Festival in Belgium in 2012. Get ready.

We know you are here for the pictures, so without further ado..

All pictures by Anne Spina of Anne Spina Photography
Words by Joshua T. Cohen.

Iron Chic

Title Fight
Music by titlefight

Lifetime
Yeems Song For Nothing

We recently caught up with New Jersey’s rising stars of progressive metal, East of the Wall. The band released their latest LP, The Apologist in October of 2011, which saw rave reviews from critics at NPR, MetalSucks, Decibel, and Metal Reviews, to name just a few. East of the Wall incorporate a dense 4-piece string section complete with three guitarist while simultaneously fusing tech-metal with elements of jazz, rock, progressive, and more niches of metal than you can shake a stick at. Through persistent touring combined with a prolific outpouring of material since their inception in 2007, East of the Wall has started a groundswell of notoriety over the past few years with 2012 shaping up to be one their biggest yet.

We recently caught up with guitarist/vocalist Kevin Conway, guitarist/vocalist Chris Alfano, and guitarist Matt Lupo, for an in-depth interview where we delve into the full-story behind The Apologist, including recording techniques, art, and equipment picks. We also discuss the history of the band, plans for 2012, and their many side-projects budding in the New Jersey area with members from varying prominent bands. This is certainly a band to keep an eye on in 2012 and we are excited to offer Blow The Scene readers this in-depth interview.

Without further ado..

Interview by Joshua T. Cohen.

Joshua BTS: Greetings. Thank you for taking time with Blow The Scene readers from around the world today. Let’s begin by having you introduce yourselves and declare your weapons of choice with New Jersey’s boundary expanding practitioners of progressive metal- East Of The Wall.

Kevin: I’m Kevin. I do guitar and vocals.

Chris: How’s it going? My name is Chris and I play guitar and do some vocalizing.

Matt: Weapon of choice would be drums, but since we already have a guy doing that, I play guitar.

Joshua BTS: You recently released your latest and full-length, The Apologist, on Translation Loss Records for the CD and digital release, and on Antithetic Records for the vinyl release. Give us the skinny on this record, I understand you recorded at Translator Audio in Brooklyn, New York with Andrew Schneider, renowned for his work with Cave In, Pelican, Keelhaul, Unsane, Rosetta.. What was it like working with Andrew?

Kevin: Working with Andrew was great because he pushed all of us outside of our comfort zones. I think when you spend as much time on crafting your music as we do, you tend to end up with your head pretty far up your own ass. It was important to have Andrew’s voice in the recording process to give us that outside perspective that we so desperately needed. He was active in every phase of the recording, but it still always felt like we were making “our” record with our vision.

Matt: Andrew is the best I’ve worked with. Within the first hour of working with him I knew that I trusted him…his ear, his instinct, and his judgment. And it wasn’t until that point that I realized how important that is. When someone is going to have so much influence over the end result, you need to be able to trust him like he’s a member of your band. Andrew consistently made suggestions and decisions that made the songs sound better.

Chris: Andrew was great. We knew we wanted to go for a more natural sound on The Apologist. Part of it was just that I wanted to buck the trend of very polished, processed albums. There’s nothing wrong with that but I’ve started to miss the sound of air, room tones, natural reverberation. So many records nowadays sound like you have your ear an inch away from every instrument, and you’re surrounded by blankets on all sides. So I just wanted to hear something different. Plus Andrew is the type of producer I like: he rides you hard and won’t accept a sloppy performance.

Joshua BTS: With such a far reaching amalgamation of sounds, I would imagine you guys incorporate some pretty gnarly rigs when recording and traveling. I always like to throw one in for the gear nerds. What are some of the pieces of equipment you are implementing with your setups that you feel are pivotal in capturing the overall sound of the band? Anything is fair game- pedals, mics, gits, strings, pre-amps, heads etc..

Kevin: I’m going to leave my pedal board out of the equation because I’m about to completely re-tool it anyway. But the basis of my sound is pretty simple. I play a Parker Nitefly Mojo into a Mesa Boogie Lonestar Head and a VHT Deliverance 4×12 cabinet.

Chris: Well we can’t capture every tone from the record: we used a lot of analog delay on our clean tones for example, but a lot of it is pretty stock as far as effects go. Really, I could get by with a delay and an octave pedal (plus distortion of course). My live rig is a Schecter USA Custom 7-string into a VHT Sig:X into a Mesa/Boogie Stiletto 412 cabinet (it’s very similar to the Rectifier cabinets but not quite as tall). My main effects are a Boss DD-20 delay and Electro-Harmonix Micro-Pog octave, which can be used on my clean or distortion channels, and an Electro Harmonix Holy Grail reverb and Tone Freak Abunai 2 overdrive which I only use on my clean channel (the Abunai is great for when I want a dirtier clean). I also have a phaser that I use occasional and a tremolo that I use rarely. That’s it for effects really besides utility pedals like a noise gate and tuner. My channel and pedal switching is handled by Liquid Foot Jr midi controller, Axess Electronics GRX4 router, and RJM Amp Gizmo channel switcher.

Matt: I had been using the Electro Harmonix HOG for a while. I mainly used it for pitch shifting, and employed the expression pedal for whammy-style bends and dives. The thing also had some great filter tones, and the expression pedal was great for turning those into really outrageous sweeps. Unfortunately it’s just too big to keep on a pedalboard (2 large pedals, only 6 presets), and when you have 4 dudes standing in front of the drummer, you need all the room you can get. EHX needs to make a smaller version. Filter, pitchshift, expression pedal, 10 presets please!

Joshua BTS: For our readers just tuning into East of the Wall- Please get us up to speed on the formation of the band. How did you all come to start making music together?

Kevin: The short answer to that is that most of the guys in the band started out playing together in a band called the Postman Syndrome. That band existed for a few years and put out a well-received record called Terraforming. All of the guys in that band spent several years quitting and joining a variety of similar bands until we all ended up back together in East of the Wall.

Chris: We’ve all been in various bands with the same people for years. I’ve been in bands with Brett and Matt since the mid 90′s, when everyone was still in high school. The New
Jersey music scene is pretty incestuous so everyone’s had a band with someone at one time or another. Except for the people we weren’t in bands with, but probably will be some day.

Matt: We try not to subject anyone to this overly complicated and ultimately boring history. The main things are that some of us have been playing together since 1995, and I can’t think of 4 musicians I’d rather shred with.

Joshua BTS: What does the actual writing process look like for the band? Are there any added challenges that you face because of the expanded string section with three guitarists? Do you have set roles within this context? Does one guitarist generally stick within a relative framework or do you all approach each new segment from scratch? Is there a captain on this ship steering the direction? Or is more of an anarchist framework?

Kevin: Our writing process is pretty exhaustive. We leave no stone unturned. Just when you think a song is finished, we’re back knee-deep in it making both macro and micro level changes. Having 3 guitars is especially challenging because we try to avoid having all 3 of us playing the same thing, but we want each individual part to contribute something and have room to breathe in the larger context of the song. The composition of every song ends up being a little bit different from the last. There really are no pre-determined roles. All 5 of us get equal say, and sometimes that can make the process painful. But the fact that there’s not one guy in the room dictating to the rest of the band is what ultimately makes our music what it is.

Chris: A big old anarchist free-for-all. Usually someone will come in with a couple riffs and then we’ll hash it out in the room, add a lot more stuff, take recordings home, work
on a little at home, then bring it back into the room and work on it some more.

Matt: Anything is fair game when it comes to writing. If you analyzed the songs enough (which I’m sure Chris does), maybe you’ll find that the guitars tend to fall into certain roles, but that’s not intentional. With 3 guitars there is a tremendous potential for muck and confusion. So we try to concentrate on the real focal point of a riff and build off of that, instead of running wild with all of the lovely possibilities running through our heads. Sometimes that means I’ll just double Kevin, Brett, or Chris instead of writing a counterpoint. That’s something we figure out as we write, not before-hand.

Joshua BTS: You just wrapped up an impressive month-long string of US dates in November. How did the tour treat the band? Any particular moments that stick out in your mind that range from the good, the bad, or the ugly?

Kevin: This was by far the best US tour we’ve done so far. It’s starting to feel like all the time we spent on the road in 2010 is paying off. We also brought the wonderful and talented Ray Suhy on tour with us for the first time to fill in for Matt. It was an absolute joy to have him on board. People are coming back to shows in cities we’ve been to already and we’re getting really positive responses in places we are hitting for the first time. Highlights for me were the times we spent with friends and family all across the country, getting to see the Oskar Blues Brewery finally and eating at their amazing restaurant, seeing Hull in L.A., the incredible food and hospitality at Marilyn’s Place in Shrevport, LA, and getting to share the stage with incredible bands like Tidal Arms, Iron Thrones, Baring Teeth, Meek Is Murder, Mr. Invisible and too many more to name.

Chris: In Waffle House a waitress laughed at me when I ordered cereal.

Joshua BTS: How does touring in the US compare to your European tours? Do you see a noticeable difference as to how progressive music is appreciated overseas?

Kevin: I think music is just valued differently in Europe. I’m pretty sure we have more fans in the US at this point, but there are typically more people at our shows in Europe. I think that’s because people just go to shows there because music is important to them. I met people on our European tour last fall that flew from Portugal to Germany to see us play. In the US, people don’t feel like driving to the opposite side of town to see a show. We’re very lucky because we have really great and dedicated fans, both in the US and other countries, but it’s not hard to see that Europeans treat live music a little differently than Americans do.

Chris: You’re certainly fed better. The hospitality is off the charts there. It’s not like in the US where a lot of club owners treat you like you’re lucky to be playing there. But
then again we play plenty of really cool spots in the US, especially the non-club/bar venues. But the difference is the free food and booze, really. After a US tour I usually lose a few pounds. I think I came back from Europe heavier. But that could just be that the conversion was off when I went back to standard from metric.

Joshua BTS: Who amongst you has the oddest touring habits? Any urine bottle collectors or adrenaline junkies to make those long drives a little more interesting?

Kevin: We all have our little quirks, but on the whole we’re a pretty unassuming group of dudes. I think most people would be bored to tears if they had to sit in a van with us for 10 hours a day for a month straight. But we somehow manage to enjoy ourselves. I wish I had a more fun answer, but we’re all old and boring.

Chris: I like to ask for cereal in Waffle House

Joshua BTS: Is there any political significance or other meanings behind the band name?

Kevin: There’s no direct political significance to the name, although it could certainly be construed that way and has been in the past. I think the name was originally a reference to the different ways people live their lives, or at least that’s how it was explained to me when I first joined the band. The real original meaning has probably been lost to the ether, so at this point it’s probably safe to just apply your own meaning to the name.

Joshua BTS: With so much happening in the World of political unrest both here and abroad- Are there any grassroots movements or current happenings that have your attention? Any grassroots movements that have your support?

Kevin: I do my best to keep abreast of what’s going on in the world, as overwhelming and upsetting as that can be at times. I don’t consider myself to be an activist by any stretch, and I also don’t pretend to always know what the right course of action is when it comes to these large scale debates that our country are constantly embroiled in. All that being said, I can’t help but shake my head at the level of discord we’re experiencing at the moment. I don’t believe politicians are going to save us. I don’t believe Occupy Wall Street is going to save us. Until we overcome our human nature and start interacting on a civilized level, I don’t believe anything noteworthy will be accomplished. I do, however, greatly anticipate the day when gay people in this country have the full complement of civil rights that they have been denied to this point. That’ll sure be a step in the right direction.

Chris: No one in the band is incredibly political. I tend to follow the battles for marriage rights in the various states (looks like Minnesota and North Carolina are the 2012 battlegrounds) and some of the major hot button issues but I’d be lying if I said I spent a lot of time actively campaigning for civil rights. That said, take a minute and write your congressperson if you don’t want SOPA to pass. Don’t sign an online petition: No one pays attention to those. Write an actual letter.

Matt: This whole SOPA thing is very interesting. I can’t say that I understand it well enough to enter a
statement into the record…

Joshua BTS: Can you share some insight behind the artwork and themes for The Apologist? Who was the artist responsible and how does this album cover relate to the music itself?

Kevin: The Apologist artwork, like all of our other albums, was done by the incomparable Eric Nyffeler of Doe Eyed Design. We’ve been working with Eric since the very beginnings of the band and he really is a kind of unofficial member. Every record we’ve done, we’ve given him a very vague concept and he’s taken it and brought to life in a way that was far beyond what we could have anticipated.

Matt: Nyffeler has been doing our designs since the beginning. He’s another guy that I trust completely. We basically send him the record and say “go”. I believe The Apologist artwork is a depiction of his dream home!

Chris: Mainly it deals with world views and how we express them: how it can be more like a battle than a conversation really. I’ve heard that the same part of your brain that’s excited when discussing politics is the same part that’s active for religion. It’s an emotional response, really. Not a logical one.

Joshua BTS: When you are not busy with East of The Wall- What do your daily lives look like?

Kevin: I work for my parents’ business. That keeps me pretty busy 9-5 and keeps enough money in my pocket to pay rent, which is pretty crucial since this band is a festering suckhole for money. I usually get about an hour or 2 between work and rehearsal to eat, watch whatever sports I can, read and talk to my girlfriend. That’s my life Monday through Thursday. I spend the weekend with the lady. I don’t get a whole lot of time to myself, but I get to spend my time doing things I’m passionate about and spending time with people who are important to me. There are sacrifices involved but it’s a worthwhile trade for me.

Chris: Work, band, significant other, food, beer, internet, video game, scratch ass, walk dog, can’t stand up because cat is on lap, fall asleep.

Matt: I’m sure you don’t want to hear about our dayjobs. I do as much writing and recording of my own stuff at home as possible. I am also probably the least involved in the business end of the band…I’ve never considered myself to be good at making business decisions. I think that requires a certain instinct, a feel for what moves are going to make the most sense and pay off. There’s no set way to do things in this industry, you need to forge your own path.

Joshua BTS: I know some of the members in East of The Wall have varying side projects. Anything in the works that you care to discuss and bring us up to speed on?

Kevin: Seth (EOTW drummer) and I have another band called El Drugstore. We’ll hopefully be recording our full length debut in 2012. I also have a new project I’m working on called Hush Money with members of A Fucking Elephant and Bangladeafy, as well as some guest musicians hopefully. That project should see the light of day next year as well. In addition to those projects, I run a small record label called Nefarious Industries. In 2011 we released music from El Drugstore, A Fucking Elephant and the DRX. We have 2012 releases lined up for So Is The Tongue and Mount Gomery, as well as a slew of other really exciting stuff that we’ll be announcing soon. So people should definitely get hip on that. Since he didn’t take part in this interview, it also warrants mentioning that Brett has a new band called Argonauts with members of Dillinger Escape Plan, Municipal Waste and Burnt By The Sun. They’re fucking awesome and you should be really excited to hear them.

Chris: I just started a new project where I’m playing bass in a band with a couple of the guys from Hot Cross, but it’ll be a while before anyone hears anything from us. We only have two songs so far.

Matt: I am working on a solo EP that deviates drastically from the EotW sound. Not sure when I will be able to complete it, but hopefully by spring. I also have a few songs that I’ve enlisted Chris and Seth to complete. We’ll see when those guys have a few spare minutes…life is busy.

Joshua BTS: With 2012 upon us in less than a week- What can we expect from East of the Wall in the New Year?

Kevin: We’ll be at South By Southwest in March and playing some shows to and from Austin as a result. We will hopefully have a pretty major US tour announcement for the spring coming soon. We’re planning on getting back to Europe before the end of the year. And if all that wasn’t enough, we have a fairly substantial chunk of the next record written already and I’m hoping we’ll be ready to record by the end of the year. Long story short, you’re all going to be very sick of us by the end of 2012.

Matt: Looks like 2012 is shaping up to be a big touring year. Additionally, we’ve already written our first song since The Apologist, and it clocks in at ten minutes. And there is a whole host of material that we are all dying to bring to the table for our next song. We are very excited for the new stuff.

Chris: We’ll be at least one year older. Perhaps two. I don’t know how the math works,but there’s leap years involved I think.

Joshua BTS: Thank you for taking time with Blow The Scene readers from around the world today as we look forward to keeping up with your future endeavors. Any final thoughts before we close the curtain?

Kevin: It’s our pleasure. Thanks for paying attention to our stupid band. My final thought is that as of this writing, Syracuse basketball is #1 in the nation. That is all.

Chris: Does a burger count as a sandwich? How about a hot dog? A gyro? You have to draw the line somewhere.

Matt: The Hobbit is gonna be sick…

More Info at Eastofthewall.com

East Of The Wall – “Whiskey Sipper” – Taken from the album The Apologist

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East of the Wall – “Fleshmaker” – Taken from the album Ressentiment

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East of the Wall – Meat Pendulum/Winter Breath 2010

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All Else Failed first appeared on the scene in the summer of 1995 and released their first self-titled 7″ in 1996 preceding the debut LP, A Most Bitter Season. The latter years saw lineup changes with major ebbs and flows in scene presence. In 2001, the band joined Now Or Never Records and enlisted the help of producer Ben Weinmen (The Dillinger Escape Plan) to release the full-length Archetype. Renowned drummer Chris Pennie (Dillinger Escape Plan, Coheed and Cambria) would record with the group for their 2004 LP, This Never Happened. Just prior to the band’s appearance at 2011′s TIH fest, they released a new EP entitled Wouldn’t Wish This On Anyone, via War Torn Records. Friday’s performance found the band sharp than ever, as they brought a healthy mix of new and old material for a plethora of starved fans.

There simply was not a week cog in this tour package that saw raucous crowd eruptions almost immediately to kick off the evening. Supporting band and fellow Philly-area natives, A Life Once Lost are currently testing the waters with new material following the recent announcement of their signing to Season of Mist with new LP slated for an early 2012 release date. Fans ate up their old material and came back for seconds, as the band broke out a few brand new tracks. This will be another band to keep an eye on in 2012.

Post hardcore legends, Boy Sets Fire put this bill over the top. Having formed in 1994, this Newark and West Chester-based band remained active with dozens of releases on varying labels including Magic Bullet, Conquer the World, Deathwish Inc, Initial, Hydra Head, Victory, Wind-Up, Equal Vision and Burning Heart. They have toured the US and Europe on numerous occasions with a impact that is felt throughout the worldwide hardcore community. Fans were delighted to find that the band reunited in 2011, which they punctuated with an appearance at the Reading and Leeds Festival in the UK with plans to release new material in 2012.

We were bummed we only got to catch the last few moments of Backwoods Payback‘s set, as traffic leaving Philly on this Friday afternoon was a bear to say the least. But we will be catching up with the band later in 2012 for sure.

We know you are here for the pictures, so without further ado..

All pictures by Dante Torrieri of Useless Rebel Imaging.
Words by Joshua T. Cohen.

A Life Once Lost

Boy Sets Fire

All Else Failed