Straight out of South Jersey, Man Overboard is jumping into the music scene with their catchy lyrics and fun-loving attitudes. Newly signed to Rise Records, these guys are proving that they are more than just a small-town band. Don’t worry though, these guys are still down-to-earth Jersey boys. Check out this interview with Justin Collier and Nik Bruzzese from Man Overboard as they discuss heartbreak, touring around the world, and Beyoncé.
Photo by: Shelby Jacobson
By now, everyone has heard of the hardcore/punk band Shook Ones from Seattle, Washington. With their unique lyrics and addicting melodies, most of us dream of seeing them play live, and lie in anticipation of new songs. So with that in mind, check out this interview with guitarist Kelly as he discusses the current state of the band, the reason for their lack of touring, and what the future holds for the Shook Ones! Continue reading
Washington, D.C. podcast Monumental Tracks recently posted another interview, featuring Ohio’s Mixtapes and Wisconsin’s Direct Hit! Read more for the playlist and check out the link for more info the streaming podcast!
Touché Amoré’s popularity has ascended considerably since the release of …To the Beat of a Dead Horse, and with good reason. The band’s debut full-length strips hardcore down to its abrasive roots, while intelligently introspective lyrics provide a relatable outlet to increasingly dedicated fans. They’ve also been quite busy this year, touring repeatedly and still finding the time to write at any given opportunity, which has resulted in two successive EPs and a new full-length in the works. Following a stressful drive from New York (characterized by unbearable traffic, a loss of t-shirts, and Trash Talk’s cancellation as a result of a leg injury), vocalist Jeremy Bolm graciously sat down with me in New Haven, Connecticut. Continue reading
Despite the challenges of long-distance relationships, school, and other responsibilities, Defiance, Ohio somehow finds the time to tour relentlessly. What else would one expect from a band who can attest firsthand that 2,600 miles is a forty-five-hour drive? Opening for the Bouncing Souls, the band recently played Brooklyn’s Music Hall of Williamsburg, a noteworthy change. Fans can rest assured, however, that Defiance, Ohio has not lost their passion for intimate venues, as evidenced by the addition of a free show at a college campus in Purchase, New York. Geoff Hing kindly agreed to an interview at the following show in New Haven, Connecticut, where Theo Hilton and Will Staler accompanied him in answering my questions. Continue reading
On the heels of an east coast tour for their sophomore release Of Misery and Toil, Young Livers stopped in Wallingford, Connecticut, to play a somewhat-secret basement show at Redscroll Records. Despite an unfamiliar crowd of fewer than fifty people, the band’s powerful energy swept through the room with vehemency. After the show, after lugging equipment back into their van, we discussed touring, writing, and the new record. Continue reading
Young Livers was a band I came across a few years ago and completely fell in love with. Their MySpace “Sounds Like” section read “thrash at rock tempo” for years and it’s just about dead on. If you need to get all nerdy with terms…maybe it’s this groove heavy, dark, scream-laden, metallic rock with post-punk sensibilities chock full of starts, stops and rhythm changes. Above and beyond all the clever term crafting, it just grabbed me right away, which is to say that even a jaded old punk rocker like myself could find something fresh and new in this quartet of 20-somethings. It’s funny that I always thought they sounded sort of like Glass & Ashes…only later to find out they had in fact shared a member in guitarist Dave Hall.
Their first EP didn’t exactly make waves, but their first full-length on No Idea Records’ The New Drop Era was a breath of fresh air in the Gainesville, FL music scene. Young Livers had quickly made a name and a unique sound for themselves, both of which are harder to do than most people would imagine. But, the final twist came after Glass & Ashes disbanded when bassist/vocalist Michael Carter became a commuting member of Young Livers, flying in from California whenever YL gets together. So for the past two years, the evidence of Michael Carter’s influence on the band has been trickling out via live performances and 7″ splits. The band’s natural progression was accelerated with more layers of vocal opportunity, a heavier, more dynamic low end and another collaborator into the song writing process.
In 1986, Canadian punk rock pioneers Propagandhi started crafting their own blend of (what was known at the time as) metal and skate punk and above all, telling it like it is. At the Harvest of Hope Fest in St. Augustine, FL back in March, we had the opportunity to talk to Chris Hannah, frontman and guitarist, about a list of topics from their new release to who he was interested in seeing play. With an unintentional soundtrack by Bridge & Tunnel, it’s a pretty cool candid conversation…pretty funny that he’s a Bad Brains fan considering that just over an hour after Bad Brains played, Propagandhi played “Haillie Sallasse, Up Your Ass” (listen on last.fm to see why that’s funny).
National Underground doesn’t pay the bills, but it has some awesome perks. One of which was to find out about the HWM reunion months before it was announced. The idea had been to record as many of the HWM shows as possible, but HOB wanted tons of money to even let us in…it’s a Disney thing. So, we recorded the unannounced pre-reunion show at Common Grounds in Gainesville the night before the big announced reunion in Orlando.
This also marked the first attempt for NU to do interviews. We had our buddies in Dirty Money (Colin and Ryan) and Cam Taylor (Southern Lovin mainstay but at the time a Clemson student) take a stab at it. They did a pretty good job for their first try at interview work and got the guys to let them in on some old school HWM points of view.
So, to give you some perspective, they hadn’t played together in years and were two hours out from taking the stage at home to a crowd of friends and family (seriously it didn’t even sell out while the announced shows had been soldout for months). They’d kind of gotten over any issues and were remembering why they were friends and bandmates in the first place.
National Underground 