Interview w/ DFJ of Mind Eraser

How Did you get into punk/hardcore music?

from metallica "kill em all". i heard that and I was like holy shit, fast music is awesome
thats pretty much what made me want to hear more fast and extreme type shit

What do you think about the current state of the hardcore scene? any current bands you think people should check out.

I still think that boston has the best bands and the best scene...there are some cool bands from our area like waste management, scapegoat, Iron Age, Hatred Surge, rampage, blank stare, anxiety, and more I cant think of...sucsk that band force fed broke up, they were cool.and Sex Vid is awesome but we all know that.

Where do you get lyric inspiration?

i dont get much inspiration from the political climate or issues pertaining to the world..most of the stuff I write about is what is going on in my own head.

Top 3 records

victim in pain, age of quarrel and black sabbath vol. 4 but I dunno that kind of shit changes daily thast just what Im feeling at the time

Whats your favorite show you've played? with any band

wwhoa i never thought about that hold on. there was this one mind eraser show we played near ventura cali a couple of years ago...it was an outside show and it wasnt like "the craziest show ever" but there was something in the air that night which made me feel like i was on another planet
ask the other guys in the band and they would agree. it was still a cool show but for some reason thats the best gig ive ever played

How good is neanderthal?
if that is where you got mind eraser from

I was psyched when I heard eric wood wasnt into us

How good is the Grateful Dead?

I tried to get into the dead but its just not really my thing musically...but i think its cool that they were down to tour and play music
my old sociology teacher knew some groupie that fucked jerry garcia one time and right after they were done he rolled her off the bed and some bodyguard dude made her leave his hotel room hahaha...so much for a night with jerry

Someone said to ask you about a fight with Saves the Day?

oh its not really a fight but when they started out me and a few friends thought it would be funny to heckle them since we thought they were super corny
so we would jump and dance like teeny girls and tell them to "fuck off" and "die" and stuff. and we'd be doing this while standing like 10 feet away and I'll tell you what man, the joke was on us becuase they pretend we werent even there
and girls would just swoon and then they got semi-famous and I live at my parents house....but im still glad i wasnt in saves the day

sorry i had to piss

What bands influence Mind Eraser?
lets see
of course crossed out, no comment, the obvious choices...citizens arrest, repulsion, celtic frost, terrorizer, napalm death, siege
discharge, ent.black sabbath. eyehategod. oh by the way hatred surge rules.
im not trying to be cute, I really do think you can hear all of these bands when you listen to us...at least Id like to think so but maybe i just have delusions of granduer

Favorite Movie

terminator 1

Any last words/Shout outs

Jude, new mind eraser, rival mob, dead black, mens interest, and some other shit I cant think of
all coming out soon get in the pit.


Check Mind Eraser out at GlacialReign.blogspot.com or myspace.com/MindEraserhc

Interview w/ Larry of Aneurysm Rats

How did you get into punk/hardcore music? First Show? Best Show?
I got into punk in early middle school when I heard "Salvation" by Rancid. Then toward the end of middle school I was watching Headbanger's Ball and saw the video for "Step Down." I thought it was the coolest thing. Right around that time too, Set Your Goals came out too. I had also seen the video for "TV Party" and ran out and bought Damaged used at a local record store. So basically MTV got me into hardcore. My first concert was Helmet and Primus. The first hardcore band I saw was H2O. They opened up for the Mighty Mighty Bosstones. I've gotten to see so many great shows, but recently the best show I've seen is Killing Time, Have Heart and Verse at the Church.
Is it different now then when you first got into it?
There are a lot more shows. When I was younger it seemed like shows only came around during the summer or during school breaks. Now bands are touring all year round, so somebody is always playing. And there aren't hardcore shows at the Troc anymore. I'd much rather see Sick Of It All or H20 at the Church.
What Inspires you lyrically?
Just basic day to day life. A lot of Dying To Live is about coming to terms with adulthood. Working 70 hours a week and paying bills sucks. But at the same time it's the life I chose. The Crumbler lyrics were basically about the crazy shit that went through my head during the course of my day. Aneurysm Rats' lyrics are a lot more personal.
What do you think about the current state of the hardcore scene? Any current bands you think people should know about?
I don't think there is anything wrong with hardcore right now. There are shows going on constantly that I wish I could go to more often. I haven't seen a fight in a long time. As far as bands, I think there is a great mix of sounds out there. All the current bands I know about, everyone else probably knows about. The new Lighten Up record is amazing which should be out soon. Trappend Under Ice's "Stay Cold" is incredible. I still listen to "Heavier Than Heaven, Lonier Than God" daily. Not only is the new Have Heart amazing, but in my opinion the best live band out there.
Top 3 Records Ever? Hardcore/Non Hardcore
Hardcore
Lifetime- Jersey's Best Dancers(this week anyway, sometimes it's Hello Bastards)
Cro-Mags- Age Of Quarrel
Black Flag- Damaged
Non Hardcore
Rancid- And Out Come The Wolves
Belle and Sebastian- If You're Feeling Sinister
The Blacktop Cadence- Chemistry For Changing Times

What are your thoughts on the upcoming election?
I have no thoughts about the upcoming election. Lately, it seems like a dog and pony show. I am a democrat, so that's how I'll vote.

If you could see any band any line up past or present who would it be?
Christ and Ink and Dagger doing a Halloween show at the Stalag would be incredible.

Any last words?
Thanks a lot for the interview, Matt. Check the Rats out on myspace.com/aneurysmrats. Our record, Dying To Live, will be out November 11th on Flight Plan Records. Pick it up, download it illegally, whatever, just give it a listen.

Interview w/ Mike of Pulling Teeth

photo by joshsisk.com

How did you get into punk/hardcore music? First Show? Best Show?

The year was 1992...I met a kid who sat in front of me in a high school calculus class who saw me reading a snowboarding magazine. We got to talking and became friends and I started skateboarding with him and his friends who were all into hardcore of the time (Snapcase, Earth Crisis, Sick Of It All, Mouthpiece, 108, Shelter, etc.). I started going to shows with them and got hooked on the energy and the passion and the fact that the bands were made up of the same people that made up the audience. There was no rockstar bullshit about any of it. I've been hooked ever since. My first punk show was the Mighty Mighty Bosstones in '92 or '93 at City Gardens in Trenton, NJ. The best show I've ever seen would be nearly impossible to decide on...Snapcase, Earth Crisis, 108, Shift, Bloodlet, and Soulstice at Wetlands in NYC in '93 or '94 would definitely be up there.

Is it different now then when you first got into it?

Of course it is, but that's natural. When I was first getting into this stuff the internet didn't exist like it does now so you really had to work to find out about what was going on. There weren't as many stores that carry punk/hc stuff so you either got your records from a distro at a show or from a mailorder catalog that could take 3 - 4 weeks before you got your order. You learned about what was going on through print zines instead of message boards. You booked tours by making phone calls to numbers you got from other bands. It was a lot of work but I also feel like it was a bit more rewarding because of the effort involved. Today you have access to every legendary and every shitty band imaginable at the touch of your fingers if you have internet access. It was also more common to find bands that understood that to be a punk/hardcore band means to have some substance behind your band and be about more than just rocking out and getting kids to mosh or whatever.

What Inspires you lyrically?

Everything in the world that affects me: my friends, my family, the people that make the laws I'm supposed to live by, my workplace, the city I live in, the people I come in contact with. Ignorant assholes that feel some need to make others feel inferior because they are different from them. Selfish people that have no compassion for anyone or anything around them. Hypocrites. People that refuse to make the world a decent place to live in for all people. The usual stuff.

What do you think about the current state of the hardcore scene? Any current bands you think people should know about?

I wish hardcore/punk kids gave a shit about the world around them and cared more about making it a better place rather than collecting every version of every record and every t-shirt. I wish the ones from the US realized the happy bubble we've been living in as the world's greatest superpower is getting ready to burst any day now. I wish kids would get over the whole kickboxing/tough guy thing and just have fun at shows in a more original and interesting manner.
I love too many current bands...the Ergs, Dead Mechanical, Jay Reatard, Fucked Up, Government Warning, Idle Hands (Germany), Vogue, Ruiner, Sick Fix, Deep Sleep, Vivian Girls, Sleepwall, Double Dagger, Off With Their Heads, and Dear Landlord would be just a few I would recommend.

Top 3 Records Ever? Hardcore/Non Hardcore

Hmmm...this changes pretty often for me but right now I'd have to say Avail - 4AM Friday, the Ergs - Dorkrockcorkrod, and Gorilla Biscuits - Start Today.

Top3 Books?

Still Life With Woodpecker by Tom Robbins, Lies My Teacher Told Me by James Loewen, and Get In the Van by Henry Rollins.

What are your thoughts on the upcoming election?

I think it's pretty incredible that we could see the first non-white president. I honestly did not think that would happen in my lifetime. I think that our nation's politics are too wrapped up in big business and corporate agendas to see any real change happen in the way of nationalized health care, improvements to our education system, reducing our reliance on oil and other fossil fuels, or getting our occupying forces out of Iraq any time soon. I pretty much lost all faith in the citizen's of this country when Bush was reelected in 2004 so I don't really have high hopes for change anymore. I just get by as best as I can and try to let people know why the way things are going are only going to sink us into a greater recession and try my best to ride it out and hope people wake up and get angry and fight for real change.

If you could see any band any line up past or present who would it be?

The Beatles or Minor Threat.

If you werent in a band what would you be doing with your life?

I probably would have finished college and be working in the film/video industry in some capacity. Or I'd be a teacher. Both are still goals I have for when band stuff is all done with.

Any Last Words?

Educate yourself via avenues other than American media. Get angry. Stay active. Be heard. Thanks.



www.myspace.com/pullingteethmd