Words with Gwynn Ten Boske

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Hi Gwynn, first, what's up with NRA ?

NRA is on "Sabatical", since our last show, with Bad Brains, which was also goodbye show from our drummer Tjeerd. He decided to move on, and is now emerging with COSTANZA, great band, check it out ! Us, we're really busy with our jobs (IndependentOutlet, Videostore,etc), family life, and all that. On top of that, we're in the process of realizing a recording studio. This is serious stuff, but need to be done in sparetime...It's progressing with the basics NRA always been about: D.I.Y. You WILL take notice, when done. As for the band, we want to record NEW material, in our OWN studio. NRA will come up with new stuff, but not as a the HC touring band, digesting on stuff, done 10 years ago, we were NEVER a sell-out band, touring on songs that the public likes, and be satisfied with that...although we could, like so many others...

Why did you choose the name NRA back in the days ?

To piss people off !

Which bands motivated you to form the band in the beginning ?

Really Old '80 HC, We ALL liked that, been there, and also of course the european D.I.Y. bands/principle, which meant for us; bands that put their soul in what they're doing, talkin' the talk, walkin the walk (or genius people, who don't know what they're doing, but just sound brilliant !)

What are your greatest memories with the band ?

There's loadsa; Bill Stevenson (BlackFlag/Descendents) recording our 1st album in 2 afternoons ! Share stage with the likes of DOA, Joe Strummer, IceT, and so much more great bands/people-being able to support/help upcomming bands, supportgroups, squats,etc. The whole Punk/HC scene in general; we've been touring/communicating WORLDWIDE since late '80, just look how much things changed since then ! (it's easy now, but y'know, there were those who had to break the ground... in '91 you could not believe to see a punk band on tv or magazine).

What is your favorite NRA release ?

They are all different, which makes it great ! We still can't play, but all our stuff don't sound the same ! It means we've been working. There's so much bands who play technical so much better, but sound so lame.

What punk/hardcore meant for you ?

Do It Yourself, put your heart in. The beauty is in 2 chords...depends how you play them...!

Who are the "fake bands" today ?

Put your local music station on. Of course bands will learn/capitalize on what the underground gives them, but those who think "commercial strategy" AND come up with BAD songs...

What are your views on the music world in general and the punk/hardcore scene in particular today ?

INTERNET

Do you still feel "out of step with the world" today ?

Oh yeah: doesn't matter ; Highschool is never far behind you, we all take our history, knowledge, social network, etc... with us as we grow... it's about to recognize that knowledge, and focus on the positive sides of growing-up, and sharing...

Do you still get in touch with the Burning Heads ?

Yeah, BH are cool. Y'know, they were out there, touring outside of France, when most french kids were only focused if people could speak their language...there was really a border, 15 years ago, not many kids spoke english, or did even understand that in holland you speak Dutch, and we took english as 2nd, france as 3rd language...That really changed !! in 10 years ! And about BH, they helped us out Big time! (sometimes Thomas comes to smoke in Amsterdam) And the Tour with HighTone, BH, NRA (2001) is also a landmark memory; great initiative, great response, great interaction from all (audiance & bands) involved !

Do you remember this show in a little club in Clermont-Ferrand (97 or 98 maybe) ?

The big fight with the Hell's Angels?!

Words with Scott Winegard

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Hi Scott, first, can you remember a bit your time in Fountainhead ?


I can remember the whole time. We played some cool shows, there were a lot of fights at shows back then, our first show there was a big fight between nazi skinheads and straight edge kids. We were the first band to play the first more than music festival in ohio, i met so many people at that show that i am still friends with today. The record is cool, we were way broken up when it came out. There is a few songs up on myspace.


How did you end up in the hardcore scene ?


I found hardcore through skateboarding and a friend's older brother, but I found out about the Misfits, Suicidal Tendencies, Adolescents, then Minor Threat, Bad Brains. But then an older skater friend said hey there are bands like the Cro-Mags, Agnostic Front and Youth of Today that play at CBGB, so we started going to shows at CB's and all the other spots as far as we could get.


Let's continue with Texas is the Reason. What were your biggest influences when you started this band ?

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We were into a lot of different stuff : early rock'n roll, Dischord Records, Creation Records bands, other bands in NYC that we were friends with...Texas is the Reason's biggest influence was Chris Daly's amazing parents and the east village of NYC.

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Why did you choose Revelation for a label ?


We talked to a few labels and we thought Revelation was the label that would be best for us at the time. I think we were right.


Did you feel a connection with the other Rev bands at that time ?


I think we felt a connection because we knew exactly what Revelation was, we all were such big fans of the early records they put out.


Did you feel part of an emo scene or a whatever scene ?


There was no "emo scene", there were friends who were friends with in NYC from other bands we were in, friends we had in the neighbourhood, people we worked with, etc...I guess I felt like a part of something, the East Village then and coming from the hardcore scene and my work at the time, I felt like everything was part of a community of some sort.


What was the best thing during the Sense Field / Texas is the Reason tour ?


Getting to see Scott McPherson play drums every night.





Do you feel comfortable about being remembered as an emo band ?


I love it.
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Do you consider Texas is the Reason as a hardcore band in some way ?
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Besides the mosh parts in our songs, no we never said we were a hardcore band.


What is your favorite Texas is the Reason song ?
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Honestly, they all are.


How do you feel about the reunion show in 2006 ?


It was shocking and beautiful.





Can you talk a bit about this label you created "grapeOS" ?


GrapeOS was a label my friend David and I did, we put out a few cds, mostly singles of our friend's bands, I really like the stuff we put out. The Sergio Vega EP was so fun to make as was the first New Rising Sons EP. Too bad we never got to the Greyhouse discography, I guess it's coming out.


How did you make the connection with Jonah Matranga for New End Original since he didn't really come from the hardcore scene ?


Jonah was friend with Norman and Charlie, I met him when he was in Far but never knew him really.


What was it like to play in New End Original ?


The shows were fun, everything else was a headache.





What about House and Parish ?


I love H+P, we are all best friends. That's funny, we always talk about playing and when we try, we play for 10 minutes and hang out and talk for the rest. Last time we just met at the practice space we didn't even play. Maybe when we get some more time?


Do you have a musical project right now ?


I always like to think I have a musical project happening, I am always playing music. A band? There is always talk of a band.


What is the most important band you played in for you ?


I learned so much from every musical situation I have been a part of. I wish some of the projects came more to fruition but I feel honored to be able to play with some of the musicians I have played with.


I would like to go on with more personnal ones. What hardcore meant for you besides a particular music style ?
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When I went to a show, I knew I would be around friends and I knew I would be with people that were into for the most part similar things, there was an open invitation to speak your mind and be yourself. It was a great agent to expose some people to some things they would never think about. I am glad I learned what I learned from it.


What playing music means to you ?


The energy music brings out in me can't be described, it's the happiest and the saddest, the most satisfying and frustrating thing I ever been a part of.


Were you straight-edge and what is your view on it ?


Yes I was straight-edge. My view on it ? I never really thought about it. I wasn't a part of the militant world, I never even put X's on my hands. I don't get the whole obsession with the time period it came from and became most popular. Overall it is one of the greatest things I did for myself. I fully believe in a clean healthy lifestyle.


Are you still excited about music today ?


When I hear something I like, I get just as excited, I'll tell you that most of the stuff I thought was great then is not so good now. Althought i do still love some old stuff.


Do you still feel out of step with world today ?


Not according to the lyrics of the Minor Threat's song, but yes.


How about 9/11 tragedy ?


I am lucky to not lose any close family or friends to 9-11, I also am lucky to not be in New-York when it happened or I might have a lot of different feelings.


What do you think of your new president Obama ?


Let's get into some change. Hopefully, he will keep his promises but I really don't trust politicians.


How about France ?


I love Europe, I haven't spent much time in France but really loved it when I was there.

Words with Cache Tolman

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Hi Cache, how did you end up in Iceburn ?


I ended up in Iceburn because I was most qualified musician around that was in the hardcore scene.


Is there a specific reason for you to play bass ?


I play bass because as a child I liked Sid Vicous and Family Man ( Bob Marley).


What is your favorite Iceburn release ?


My fav Iceburn is Poetry of Fire.





What are your greatest memories with them ?


My greatest memories with them was our first tour in 1992, I was 15 years old.

How did you end up in Rival Schools ?


I ended up with Rival Schools because I played in CIV for their last few tours and Sammy and I had lots of fun playing music together and it just seemed like a natural thing to keep playing together.

 

What about Institute ?

Institute made one album and now Gavin does solo albums. I loved playing in that band.

Were you straight-edge and what is your point of view about it now ?

I was never called myself straight edge even though I have spent many years "abiding by their rules".

What was hardcore for you ? Is there a special meaning or just another kind of music ?
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Hardcore still means a lot, it's a special music that allowed me to start playing music.

What does playing music mean for you ?

Playing music for me means, expressing feelings and emotions that can't be expressed in words.

How do you feel about France ?
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As far as France is concerned, I like it, we played Paris last summer and it was great.

 

 

Words with Jeremy Chatelain

 

 

 

Hi Jeremy, how did you end up in the hardcore scene at first ?

 

I was searching for something exciting like most 14 year-old kids and it appeared in the form of punk rock. From there, I met other people around my town with the same interests and before we knew it we had a little scene.

 

Can you talk a bit about Insight ?

 

Insight was the first band I did that actually accomplished anything . We wrote a lot of songs, toured the country and released a record on Victory! And, during the process, the band became friends for life.

How Insight evolved into Iceburn ?

 

A few of us were in a band concurrently with Insight called Brainstorm. It was a little less hardcore and a little more involved on the songwriting end of things. Both bands decided to split up around the same time, and a few of us ended up in Iceburn which ended up sounding like a good combination of the two previous bands.

 

Why are you only on the first Iceburn record ?

 

I was a confused 19 year old guy trying to go to college and be in a band. I chose college because I thought there was not much room for me to grow as a singer with Iceburn. But, really it was a matter of me not taking the time to develop my musical chops as fast as that band was growing. I ended up being sad that I left the band after the first 7".

What did you do between Iceburn and Handsome ?

 

I did a band called Ratchet with some ex-Iceburn guys and ended up singing in a band called Lumberjack. I would call that my musical searching period, it wasn't very productive or satisfying. And then, I quit school, packed up and moved to Brooklyn.

 

Who started Handsome ?


Handsome was started by Peter Mengede after he was "let go" from Helmet. It was his baby pretty much from the beginning. I think they had about 5 singers before me.

 

Did you write the lyrics ?


I wrote all the lyrics that were on the recordings, yes.


What are your greatest memories with them ?


There are so many good moments to choose from. I had my first opportunity to travel around Europe with Handsome. I lit a fire in our tour manager's hotel room in Chicago. Pete lit Peter's newspaper on fire in the van. We signed a record deal with Michael Goldstone. We recorded at Bad Animals studio in Seattle for 2 months. It was a crazy time in my life. I really cut my musical teeth with Handsome. It was an experience that kicked my 23 year-old ass!

 

How did you end up in Jets To Brazil ?

 

I reached a breaking point with Handsome and decided to quit the band and save my sanity. Soon after, I was introduced to Blake through a mutual friend and we began playing music together with a drum machine in his rehearsal space in Brooklyn. It was a good musical departure for both of us. After a few months we acquired Daly as a drummer and the name Jets To Brazil. It was a whirlwind. It had a mind of it's own at times.

 

 

What about Cub Country ?

 

I started Cub Country as an outlet for songs that I began to write on my own. Blake was a good inspiration to me as a songwriter. He was really prolific. I started to write songs and came up with a name for the project, and here I am 9 years, 4 records and 50 band members later.

I just read you played with Helmet. What about that ?


That was a really cool experience that came my way via my musical friendship with Chris Traynor. I played bass in the band for about a year and a half. We played in Europe and did the Warped Tour in 06. It was great.

 

What was the most important band you played in for you ?

 

It's definitely been Cub Country. The band has travelled with me over the years, introduced me to a slew of great musicians, taught me life lessons and made me a better songwriter. It's my baby.

 

Art by Leia Bell

What kind of relation do you see between growing in SLC and the music you played ?


Hardcore was huge in Salt Lake in the 80s and 90s. I grew up playing in hardcore bands from that scene and went straight into a hardcore-ish band in NYC. It seemed to make a lot of sense. But, I always listened to a pretty wide variety of music and eventually wanted to try other things musically.

 

 

How hardcore influenced your life ? Do you still feel "out of step with the world" today ?

 

I loved growing up and collecting punk-rock and hardcore records. The whole movement really spoke to me in a language that felt fresh and exciting. Sometimes I feel a little "out of step". It's usually when I'm talking with people who are my age and I see what radically different paths our lives have taken. But, I'm not much of a punk these days. Maybe only in my mind. Ha!

 

Were you straight-edge and what is your view on it now ?

 

 

I was straight-edge, yes. I was really into the views and the scene surrounding it during my time in Insight. It was a really exciting time in hardcore. But my interest in that scene eventually waned and I followed my passion for music. I don't think anything of straight-edge now.
 

 

What was the meaning of hardcore for you ?
 

 

Hardcore was all about scene unity, really exciting shows, good bands and friends. Oh yeah, and record collecting, that was the best aspect.

Who are the most inspiring people or bands you met in your life ?


That would be a huge list, but right now the short list would be: Gentry Densley, Chris Traynor, Blake Schwarzenbach, Craig Schoen, Jeff Clarke, Brian Paulson....I could go on forever really.

Iceburn first incarnation : Jeremy on the center and Gentry on the right.

 

Have you got other passions besides music ?

 

I have many passions. I love to cook. I love to build things. I love my family. I love my bicycle. The list could go on and on really.

 

What is the most important thing in your life right now ?

 

How about things ? My wife Kathryne, my son Oscar, my guitars and my bike.

Do you remember playing in a little club in Clermont Ferrand (France) with Jets To Brazil ?


Of course. I remember it very clearly actually. It was the first time I tried pastis. We were served a really great meal at the promoter's house and we were offered pastis as an apertif. We also listened to Fela Kuti records and had some lively discussion. Later on in the evening I saw Mormon missionaries outside of the club and it made me laugh a little to myself. It was a beautiful town.


Do you still drink pastis ?


Quite often. Evidently the stuff we get here in the US doesn't hold a candle to the real French pastis. I need to come and visit!

Words with Sammy Siegler

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Hi Sammy, how did you end up playing drums ?
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My Father and Grandfather both played, they got me into it, when I started playing in bands I just wanted to get better so I could keep up, so I practiced a bunch.

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.How did you end up in the hardcore scene ?
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One of my best friends was Walter from Gorilla Biscuits younger brother, he told me about the band and that they needed a drummer so we hooked up, that was 1985. Before that my sister introduced me to some older kids that had a band, we covered Agnostic Fronts "Power", maybe that was my first introduction.

How was it to be in HC bands at such a young age ?

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It was awesome, they were all like my big brothers, I started at a very young age, it was a special time, definitely more appealing then what was going on in school.

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 Photo F.Pessaro.

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What was the meaning of hardcore for you ?
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I think back then we were all such good friends, and we were being creative with music, that's what really stood out. As I got older I realized a bit more how rare and special it was that we were all spreading a positive word.

.

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How this music influenced your life ?

..

Hmmm, that's a bit complex, I made some great friendships through the scene, Hardcore turned me onto vegetarianism, straight edge, I saw the world because of it, played some great music, it goes on and on, I think it will continue to impact me till I check out.

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What do you think about the hardcore scene now ?

..

 

I don't follow it too closely, but I'm sure somewhere there is a kid who is as stoked as we were, I'm sure there are good shows going on and dudes are moshing at band practices the way we did.

..

You played with "unknown" HC bands and with some "big bands" like Limp Biskit or Glassjaw. Do you see a difference between those two worlds ?

..

Sure, different people, different music at different parts of my life. I'm into keeping things different and not repeating myself as much as I can help it. The hardcore scene between say, 85' and 90' for me was totally special and in a place all by itself, everything outside of that was great and just as special but different, make sense ?

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Were you straight-edge and what is your point of view now ?

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I was straight edge for awhile, I had a year or two before I was straight edge where I was into punk and experimented a bit with drugs, I was 11 and 12, smoking cigarettes, trying to be a bad ass. Then I met some of the HC dudes I played music with and they turned me on to straight edge. I'm not these days, however I have a lot of respect for anyone taking that path, especially when in high school when it's not the most popular choice.

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.Do you still feel out of step in the world today ?
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Mmmmm, not really, I live in NY, there are many different steps to get down with in this city. I'm not sure the world is in step with itself.

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How do you feel in the music scene today ?
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The music scene these days seems to be lacking a bit, at least in NY, the venues aren't that exciting, and currently there isn't much of a feeling of any sort of movement, although these things go in cycles, so who knows. It's hard because that scene that I came up with was pretty special, I've gotten off since then, but as far as a "scene" it's really hard to compete with NYC in say 88'.

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What is the most important band you played in for you ?
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I think Youth Of Today, Ray Cappo was an amazing front man, tons of energy, it really felt like we were making a difference, being a straight edge band and touring Europe for two months in 1989 was an adventure.

.

.

 

 

What are your favorite releases you played on ?

 

Glassjaw "Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Silence", and CIV "Set Your Goals" probably.

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Who are the people or bands that had the biggest impact in your life ?
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John Porcell and Walter Schreifels as far as people I've played with, we've seen a lot of the world together, made a lot of music together. Daryl Palumbo from Glassjaw as well, I'm playing in Head Autamatica with him now, he's a special dude. Outside of people I've played with? Hmmm, H.R. maybe, Stewart Copeland, Peter Tosh, Coltrane, there are many.

 

What playing music represents to you ?

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Again, the answer is pretty complex, but in short, it's kind of my favorite way to express myself, it always changes, there are always surprises and at the same time it's a very warm and familiar place for me.

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What kind of music do you listen to today ?
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Everything, my wife turns me on to a lot of new music, I love old hip hop and reggae, ummmm, it's tricky, there are so many different formats these days, ipods, CD's, I still have a lot of vinyl, I'm a bit overwhelmed.

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What are the news with Rival Schools ?
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We just did a tour called Soundwaves in Australia, we're recording a new album, should be done in May and out in August or September, we have a lot of material.

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How was the tour in Australia ?

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It was awesome, played music and went to the beach, great people there, they were into the band.

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What is the meaning of the name "Rival Schools" anyway?

 

It's from the video game "Rival Schools United By Fate", maybe it has something to do with the fact that we all came from different bands and came together to do this ? Not sure actually.
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Photo Ryan Muir.

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What do you think of France ?
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I really like it, my sister use to live in Paris and in Avignon, I miss it, it's got a strong culture obviously, that you can only find there, I hope to get back soon.

..

What did your sister here ?.

 

She was married to a French guy for a bit, she always loved France, went there often. She actually went on to teach French back in NY.

 

 

Words with John Porcelly

 

Hi John, let's go :

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Young Republicans :

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My first attempt at a band, little did I know that being in punk bands would be my full time occupation for the next 15 years!

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Youth Of Today :

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Still love this band and am very proud and humbled with everything we accomplished.

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Project X :

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We wrote and recorded that EP in about two days, not even thinking that anyone outside of NYC would ever hear it. Funny to think that 20 years later kids are still into the band, I guess Straight Edge Revenge hit some sort of chord with people.

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Bold :

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My friends, it's always great to play music with those guys.

Photo Mike Brooklyn.

Judge :

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Judge was a great band that kind of self-destructed way before our time. One big regret of mine is not putting out a 2nd Judge LP because it would've been awesome.
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Shelter :

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Punk monks on a mission, one of the greatest times of my life, Hare Krishna.

 

 

Never Surrender :

We only played 5 shows but they were fun.

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Last Of The Famous :

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I remember Carson Daley from MTV shaking my hand and telling me "You guys are gonna be the biggest band in the world".

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War On Illusion :

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My attempt to preach Krishna Consciousness in a way that a hardcore kid could understand.
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Schism :

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I wish I kept it going, who knows, we might've been a huge label by now.
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Fight Fire With Fire :
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I loved doing record labels because it's a way to give back to a scene that gave me so much. The Bones Brigade CD "I Hate Myself When I'm Not Skateboarding" was incredible.
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True Till Death :

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Where my love of graphic design and straight edge meet.
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Henry Rollins :
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Last time I was in NY backstage at one of his shows, he came up to me and Harley from the Cro Mags and said "Hey Harley and Porcell, good to see you guys again." I was flattered that he even remembered who I was. A huge influence on me, musically and personally.

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.

 

 

Ian McKaye :
 

Besides the Evens, never put out a bad record. .

Ray Cappo :
 

Now a yoga instructor in NYC.
 

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Walter Schreifels :
 

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A good guy. Youth of Today really started taking off when he joined the band.
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Morrissey :
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Best lyricist ever.

Krishna :

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The Supreme Personality of Godhead.
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Bad Religion :

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Great band, love all their records.
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Revelation Records :

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They were a great label, I hope they become relevant again.
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Out of step :

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I'll always be.

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Flame still burns :


Always feeling it.


Vegetarian :


In this day and age with Global Warming and devastation to the environment, becoming vegetarian is the best single most thing you can do to help save the planet. Avoid karmic destruction!

Skateboarding :


I used to love it, I just gave my son a Danny Way board.


France :


Freedom fries dude! (just kidding, I love France, George Bush sucks)


Yoga :


Do it every day, great for the body inside and out.


Straight-edge :


True Till Death.

Attaining the supreme :


My ultimate aspiration.

Obama :


Hope.


Porcell :


A servant of the servant.

Words with Gentry Densley

 

Hi Gentry, why the name Iceburn ?


 

I liked the extremes it represents and the seeming contradiction. It also reflects our environment, being from Utah, a mountainous desert where we get tons of snow in winter and it can get up to sorching hot temps in the summer.

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Have you got a favorite release ?

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Hepheastus - I don't necessarily think its the best recording but it has a whole concept and we put a lot in to it.

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Why did you choose to be on Revelation Records ?

They chose us, just over here you have who knows who and then there's favoritism.

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What are you greatest memories with that band ?

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Rolling the van into a ditch on our way to Florida... the reunion show we did a couple years ago was a great time as well.

Have you ever played in Europe ?

Yeah we (Iceburn) toured Germany England Austria Czech maybe more in 2001 with a German band called Zann. Crazy times, sleeping in the clubs, eating vegan feasts every night.

Have you ever been straight-edge ?

Yeah, but I distanced myself from it before it all went crazy violent around here. It was more about music for me. I'm still vegetarian though.

Can you talk a bit about this release with ZU ?

It was recorded right before we toured Europe. It was going to be a 7" for Southern Lord but it didn't come out for a few reasons, the label stopped doing them because 7"s are expensive to make and so aren't very economically viable. Anyway ZU dudes were friends of the drummer for Iceburn Chad Popple and he gave them a copy. A few years down the line it still hadn't come out so they proposed a split 10".

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What is your current musical project ?

Eagle Twin - a new album will be out this summer (2009) on Southern Lord Records.

Ascend - is another project on the same label with Greg from Sunn 0))) the first record is doing well and we've started a second one.

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What is the meaning of music for you ?

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Music is all meaning, its a deep part of me and is something that is always there in my brain.

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What are your views about the world we live in ?

Its a nice planet, very diverse, very resilient. It will be here long after we kill each other off.

Who are the people or bands that have the biggest impact in your life ?

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These days anything from Wino or Daniel Higgs...

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Words with Jordan Cooper

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Hi Jordan, how and why did you end up in the hardcore scene ?

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My friends growing up in Putnam County, NY were all punks. They watched Eraserhead, First Blood, Clockwork Orange, read Soldier of Fortune, wore biker jackets, got kicked out of school for having the Anarchist Cookbook etc. I hung out with them all the time, but I didn't really like much of the punk music that I'd heard. My friend Chris Guiguler (not sure about the spelling) and I were talking about it one time and he told me about this kind of punk called "hardcore" that he'd heard on a college radio station from Connecticut and this one band that he thought was great. I don't remember the name of the band he mentioned, but that summer my family moved thirty miles west across the border to Danbury, Connecticut and I soon found out what he was talking about. The radio station was WXCI and there was a hardcore show on there that played local bands as well as more well known punk and hc. It was 1983, I was in a new school and had absolutely no friends. Ray Cappo was in English class and was in one of the bands that got played on WXCI and was friends with the guy who did the radio show (Darryl from No Milk On Tuesday). Ray noticed a weird mix of AC/DC, Yes, punk and Pink Floyd scribblings on my notebook (a notebook "covered in anarchy signs" as he remembers it I think) and started talking to me about music. After that I was pretty much indoctrinated into the CT hardcore scene by Ray and his friends.

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What did hardcore mean to you at that time ?

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At first hardcore seemed like a weird urban tribe with loud fast heavy music, aggressive dance, ripped up clothes etc. Then it slowly took over my life and became one of the most important things to me. To look back and describe what I liked about it is difficult because it's all been said before. The hardcore scene in CT was a free, hidden subculture where people had a different view of the world and a lot of the social norms and opinions of the larger culture didn't matter. It was a new tribe with no leader, centered around music that made you a part of it.

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How do you feel about this era of your life more than 20 years later ?

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Like anyone, I see different things in the past the further I get from it. It was a lot of fun, it shaped my life.

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What were the most important 80's bands for you ?

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I'm not a good historian because I've got a terrible memory and only started going to hardcore shows in 1983. I believe the early bands were the most important because they defined the whole thing. My knowledge isn't terribly deep, for example, if you asked me to name the people who were in Teen Idles besides Ian, I'd have to guess or check the record. In my mind people like Ian, Tesco Vee, Harley, Roger, Brian Baker, Jello, Henry, and hundreds of other people were the ones who created hardcore in the beginning. Hopefully someone will document how it all started at some point.

Why did you choose to create a music label ? Why not another job ?

I didn't want to start a label, I just wanted to do something and be a part of the scene. I tried out for a couple of bands, I started a band, I wrote for a zine, but nothing really worked out. I didn't even really understand what a label was at first, I just wanted to put out a record. Then Ray had more and more ideas about what to do and it became a label.

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Ray and Jordan, 2011. Photo Larry Ransom.

There's more information about how we picked the name in my interview in "All Ages", but here's something I wrote in an interview for Tim from Awake zine (but I think the interview might have been for something called 3 chords). I came up with the name Schism. Ray was hung up on the idea of things being "positive". He was actually a little religious too (I was an atheist) and I always suspected that had something to do why he prefered the name Revelation to Schism. The reason I didn't mind the name was because I thought the idea of revelation coming from experiences was coll. Despite that, I insisted on Schism and even got as far as having labels for the Warzone 7'' designed using that name. In the end Ray told me (still haven't gotten around to asking Matt if this is true or not) that Bold would do their album-that was supposed to come out on Wishing Well, but was taking forever- with us, but only if we used the name Revelation. I said "ok" and that was it.

How about the logo ?

Here's a fun fact I wrote up about the logo. We haven't used it yet, but we probably will at some point so you might want to pull some info out of it and edit it down to what you need. We used stars on the first few releases as a background which was Ray's idea. He liked how Dangerhouse had black and yellow bars as their background on the labels so he wanted us to have something to identify Rev with like that. We got a Letraset sheet of stars and used it on the first three records we put out. The fourth record was going to be the Gorilla Biscuits 7" and their friend (who would later join the band as a second guitar player), Alex Brown offered to do the layout for them. Alex took the star concept and put the letter "r" in a star and had the label name under it inside a box. Ray, Alex and Porcell all lived together in Brooklyn at the time so Ray saw the artwork before I did. He really liked the idea and called me to tell me about it. From his description over the phone I re-created it. That was the logo we ended up using because we had already used it on a few things (probably flyers, catalogs and ads). We used it on the GB 7" and the Side By Side and No For An Answer records and repressings of the Sick of it all 7" too. Then we were working with Dave Bett at our main distributor Important on the layout for the New York City Hardcore-The Way It Is compilation and he offered to clean it up for us. He did and that's basically the logo we've been using ever since.

Did you see straight-edge as a sort of "revelation", I mean like you found your way ?

These are great in depth questions. Most people don't ask this kind of stuff for some reason. I personally didn't see straight-edge as a revelation, but I tried to imagine that it was for some people. I wasn't straight-edge; to me revelations were always psychological shifts in the way I saw the world. Drugs sometimes helped in opening my eyes to things, sometimes talking to people or reading something did, so to me revelation didn't have to do with straight-edge at all. I did keep in mind that it might be a huge revelation for other people so I tried not to be critical.

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Were you influenced by some philosophy or was it something you just did and created on your own ?

I'm not sure if you were asking what philosophy influenced me with respect to straight-edge, but as I said, i wasn't so I can't answer that. I was not well educated or well read, but there were a few people who influenced my philosophy then, most were friends, but some books and bands lyrics helped shape my thinking of course.

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Who decided to sign the bands at first ?

I wanted to release a 7" for Warzone and after that I think Ray picked most of the bands for the 7" compilation and the next few releases (with some input from me). Then on the LP version of the NYHC compilation "The Way It Is" we both decided on the bands. After Ray got into Krishna, I ended up taking over the label and had to start making the decisions on who to sign on my own. I relied on friends like Porcell and Dylan (Schreifels) and the bands themselves (for example Alan Cage from Quicksand was also in Burn and told me that Burn should be on Rev) for a while and then by the time I got to Huntington Beach I was pretty used to it.

What about the 90's bands ?

The group of people that the label had worked with in the late 80's was large enough to provide the label with new bands and input on other bands through the early 90's. Every band has a different story so I can't take credit for signing any of them purely on my own. Walter (Schreifels) was friend with Farside so they ended up on Revelation. Someone told me to get the Sense Field demo from Zeds which I did. By the time I got to listening to it, it was months later and they were already pretty popular, but luckily they agreed to work with us. Iceburn had a friend, Stormy Shepherd, who really tried to get me to listen to them, which I finally did and ended up working with them. They were friends with Engine Kid and that's how they ended up on the label. Similar stories behind Texas Is The Reason and Elliott.

Did you feel the same "revelation" for these bands ?

Most music takes time to really get to me so it would be wrong to apply that word. My favorite bands have all been ones that I listened to once, put away and then for some reason came back to and played it constantly until I had the entire record memorized. That's what happened with Farside. Walter decided to have Crisis put their 7" out and I heard it a few times but when it came out I listened to it non-stop. The same thing happened with Sense Field. Someone told me to listen to their demo, so I bought one at Zed Records and played it a couple of times. Then a few months later I started playing it everyday and wrote them a postcard asking if we could put them out.

.Sense Field

Which bands were your favorite at this time ?

I love all the bands of those years and the time I spent with them. Sometimes even now those records are played I realize that there are things I didn't even appreciate about them back when that was pretty much all I was listening to. The word "revelation" didn't really apply during that time. At that point I wasn't in a flexible state of mind and was just focused on putting out records and running the label. Farside, Engine Kid, Texas Is The Reason, Sense Field, Shades Apart, Into Another, Quicksand, and probably a few other bands that I'm forgetting (and who may or may not have been on Rev) were my favorite bands at the time. I was lucky to work with them and grateful to have them as friends. I don't know that any of those bands had a cohesive philosophy. They definitely didn't write as if they did. Slow John from Sense Field laughed about it to me when I asked him if they had any sort of central idea behind the band. As I recall it, he said something like "there's nothing that really sums".

Why did you create Crisis Records ? Because of the crisis of the straight-edge philosophy ?

Hardcore was my religion and my life from 1983 through the late 1980's. After going to Europe with GB in 1989 I was getting into different music (mostly Swans and Coil) as were a lot of people who were "hardcore kids". I saw it as an identity crisis where you had a very clear idea of who you were and all of a sudden it wasn't enough anymore. The name was supposed to be half serious, no clear mission, just something different.

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.Crisis Records #1, 1990.

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How do you see hardcore towards music in general ?

I loved it. I'd always loved music and hardcore eclipsed everything else for years of my life.

Do you see hardcore dead or alive today ?

It seems like it's still going. I'm not really listening to a lot of new stuff, but there seem to be just as many bands now as ever. The funny thing to me is that in 1982, hardcore was really new and Led Zeppelin seemed like ancient history, but more time has passed between 1982 and now than had passed between the time Led Zeppelin put out their first record and 1982. Somehow hardcore is not yet a dinosaur probably because it never really got that big.

How do you see Revelation in music history ?

Not sure what you mean here. I think Revelation's place in hardcore is pretty clear. It came from the scene that Ray and Porcell helped form around Youth Of Today when they moved to NY that included some really amazing people who formed some really great bands. From there the connections continued and evolved as those people's music changed and evolved. In the 90s when Rev moved to California there were new people involved and that brought in some different bands.

What are your favorite Rev releases ?

That's too hard to answer.

Why did you stop putting out hardcore bands in the early 90's ?

That's a funny question because I never thought that we stopped putting out hardcore. When Quicksand and Into Another and Farside and some other records started coming out, I guess people thought that wasn't hardcore anymore and I guess in a way that's true. My standard answer for this question is that my friends started making different music, I (like a lot of people) liked that music and either asked to put the records out or said "yes" when the bands asked if I wanted to put the records out. Also, my tastes and other people at Rev's tastes changed over time (just as everyone's tends to) and that led to some different releases too.

 

What is the future for Rev ?

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We're putting out a few discography records (Mouthpiece, Verbal Assault, Underdog) and a compilation of covers of early Rev bands' songs. Brian Peterson is doing a book about 90's hardcore. Tony Rettman is writing a book covering midwest hardcore and how it influenced hardcore all over. That's about it.

 

Who are the most important people you met in your life ?

What kind of question is that ? To keep the list short, here are only a few of the people who changed the way I think: Tim Yohannon, Stacey Murray, Syd from CCM, Ray Cappo, Vern and Gavin Young, Christy Colcord, Richie Birkenhead, Porcell.

What are your greatest memories until now ?

I'm pretty old so that list is long. I'll just mention a few of the best Rev-related memories: The Youth Of Today tour in 1985 with 7 Seconds, and again in 1989, the GB tour in 1989.

What kind of music catch you today ?

I mostly listen to older music. I'm playing Mouthpiece right now, but mainly I've been listening to Rush, Grand Funk and Yes for the past few weeks.

Do you still feel "out of step with the world" ?

I never really thought of that term applying to me. I usually think of myself as an outcast even among outcasts. But to answer your question; more than ever.

How do you feel being an american today ?

Better than I felt four (or eight) years ago, but shit, what a mess.