Ron Grimaldi – vocals, Rick Lopez - guitar, Anthony Corallo -
drums, Tom Clavin - bass.
The first time I heard the name Ron Grimaldi was on Kill
Your Idols’ release, Fur is For Fucks.
He showed up again on “Miserable and Satisfied”, sealing my attention to
this screaming bitter dude. When KYI disbanded, Paul Delaney and Gary Bennet
formed Deathcycle appropriately with Grimaldi screaming. Deathcycle released
two sinister full lengths and few splits. They broke up, and musically,
Grimaldi had stayed quiet. Until Now.
Enter current Sheer Terror drummer,
Anthony Corallo and Rick Lopez of The Casualties to sling six strings and Tom
Clavin on bass, the New York punk Rock/hardcore resume is stacked. Their first
release here is four tracks of chaotic destruction.
Steeped in punk and DIY ethos, these four tracks hammer out
rage and rebellion in the usual short fast loud fashion. It’s glorious. The
synergy, from Tom and Anthony playing in Concrete Cross and Disnihil together,
and everyone’s experience is a tight machine of anger. Production is on point,
raw but focused. Each instrument is discernible, with low rumbles balanced with
the galloping bass and clanging cymbals. Corallo produced this himself in the
band’s space.
Grimaldi’s honed spewing is aimed at social and political
imbalance in a suffocating society in “Mass Surveillance”. Then with the
opener, “Will It Ever End?” and the sequential “Another Day of Misery”,
Grimaldi spits vocals of depression and jaded memories. KYI fans will rejoice
in the malaise. The latter boasts a dope breakdown that will arms swinging and
feet two-stepping to a hardcore beat meant to incite.
Round out this release with artwork from Chad Lawson (Rude
Awakening, Expire, Backtrack, etc) and this EP is a must have. Influences are
there, but Sonic Poison emulates no one directly. Similarities to Kill Your
Idols are there, and will be noted. But that’s a huge bonus in my book. This EP
is crushing. It rips out of the gate and is unrelenting to your speakers, ears,
and guts. Inciting your emotions and sense of justice, this music will trigger
all of punk’s attractive qualities.
RIYL: KYI, Discharge, Conflict, ENT, Negative Approach,
Violent Arrest, Direct Control, Strung Up, Government Warning, Dead Stop, Tear
It Up.
Bitter End Illusions of Dominance
Deathwish Inc
New Noise Interview with Jacob Henderson by hutch
This is an email interview with guitarist Jacob Henderson of Bitter Mind. It was answered around the second week of May 2015, right before BNB Bowl. Solid, down to earth dude. I have been into these dudes since they started. They stick to their guns and make kick ass metal tinted hardcore. The lyrics - and the artwork - represent views on a chaotic world. I am used to more general replies responding politics. I tossed an umbrella softball question re: Middle East and this intelligent man called me out on it. If this was a phone interview, we could have elaborated. Great to see smart people wwriting relevant, informed lyrics. I got this digital promo. After a few spins, i ordered the vinyl from DW inc. Had to support this band. I suggest you do the same.\
I have been listening to you guys since Mind in Chains. I think Guilty as Charged was your best,
carrying the momentum of prior releases and years. And then… What happened?
Where have you guys been?
We have been right here! It is so awesome that you have been listening to
us since Mind in Chains. We have
consistently been playing shows, fests, touring, and writing a new LP. It has
been five years since our last release, which in hardcore, or music in general,
can be the equivalent of a lifetime. So many bands have formed in that five
year time frame. It is only natural that attention will be focused on the newer
breed of bands. In music, you have to constantly be putting out new material
and promoting in order to keep that momentum. Also, the everyday demands of
life often get in the way of our ability to tour as much as we would like. We
might not have the same hype or attention as we did when we first started. But
for over a decade, we still write music, we still play shows, and we still
doing it.
Can
I have a present line-up? How does it differ from Guilty?
Currently we have Daniel on vocals, Shane on guitar,
Sammy Pain on bass, Ethan Mania on drums, and me (Jacob) on guitar. It is
different than the line-up for Guilty as
Charged. However, this for the most part, has been the main touring line up
for the last few years.
This
album is heavy… tell me about the songwriting. Does the metal to hardcore ratio
have a formula? *like “oh shit – we haven’t done a fast part
in a few…”
Everyone in the band loves all different styles of
music. We incorporated all the different genres, bands, and styles that we
listen to in this record. Bitter End is above all else a hardcore band. There
might be some parts on the record that deviate from a traditional hardcore
sound, but I think that just makes the record sound more interesting. I think
we created a great blend of different sounds for this record. We have some fast
parts, mid-tempo upbeats, heavy parts, musical parts, mellow acoustic parts…we
have a good combination of just about everything.
Not
super technical Revocation; but you are not shying away from guitar solos…but
it feels woven into the songs – not the metal showcase of: “oh that was the
second chorus, solo insert here.”
I’m so happy that you said it feels woven into the
songs! Ethan, Nick Jett, and I took a lot of thought in the structure of these
songs. I didn’t want any of the leads or guitar solos to seem forced or
unnecessary. My intention with the guitar solos was not “hey look at me shred
like an asshole.” With every track I wanted the flow of the song to be the
focus. I think all the guitar leads that are on this record just add to the
song structure. Inserting leads are a good way to break up vocal lines and move
songs along to the next verse or chorus. After we demoed our songs, I would
record guitar leads at my house on my iPhone using garage band. I wanted to be
sure all the leads were dialed in before I went to record with Nick. I am not
much of a “guitar shredder” and I tend to favor simpler guitar leads. I wanted
the leads to sound catchy, almost as if they were a chorus. Some of my
influences were leads on Integrity – For Those
Who FearTomorrow and even Tom
Petty. Simple, memorable, effective, and catchy.
Tell me about the recording of this
record? How was working with Nick Jett? How long did it take?
Working with Nick was such a great experience. The
whole experience was really a dream come true for me. I flew out to Los Angeles
to record an album with a person who has been a huge influence on Bitter End
and to me as a fan of hardcore. We had been writing these songs for a quite
some time. Some of the riffs and ideas I had for this album started a several
years ago. Nothing is more infecting or aggravating than an idea. Finishing
this record had become an obsession for me. And like any obsession, it had
started to make me a little crazy. I would be driving on the highway thinking
about different song structures, riffs, or drum beats and would go off in a
sort of daze. The next thing I knew, I would be miles away from where I was
going. My experience of being lost on a road due to my obsession became a
metaphor of my life for the few months leading up to finally meeting with Nick.
All the songs and parts were there, but he really helped clear my head. We did
a few rehearsals before recording and he helped with the song structure and
validated parts that I had doubts about. Once we started recording everything
started clicking. There was a creative atmosphere and everyone was throwing
around some great ideas. It was very rewarding being able to finally hear the
finished products of all the songs I was obsessing over. Even though it made me
slightly crazy, I had a lot of fun writing and recording all the music. Hopefully
everyone has fun listening to it.
What
is up for 2015? Tours? Fests?
This weekend we are playing the Black and Blue Fest
in New York City which I am very excited about. We have plans for some fests in
early Fall and we are trying to make plans to tour Europe again and hopefully
(fingers crossed) Japan.
Not that you guys were singing about
sunshine and rainbows before, but the lyrics feel starker and deeper on this
album. What has been going on in your lives that created these lyrics?
Older, Colder, Crazier. I think that kind of sums up
everyone in the band. I’ll answer this question by telling you about how I feel
in my life at this moment. Keep in mind, my experiences and thoughts might be
different than someone else’s When I was in high school I remember reading an
interview with the singer of Good Riddance. He said that being a punk at 29 was
a lot different than being a punk at 19. I wasn’t really sure what he meant by
that at the time, but now that I am older I think I’m beginning to understand. With
each phase of your life you start to see the world different and you start to
see yourself different. Being in a band or even just listening to hardcore is
incredibly rewarding but it can also be painfully lonely. Everyone in the band
has normal “average joe” lives outside the band. It is very difficult to relate
and interact with people who haven’t experienced what it is like being in a
band, or never traveled to go see a show. When co-workers or just ordinary
people find out we are in a band they will call us something generic like “rock
star” and then laugh. How can you explain to them what it is like seeing the
Cro-Mags in Germany in front of 1000 people? You can’t. How can you tell them
what it’s like to drive 20 hours to play a 20 minute set? You can’t. It is a
balancing act trying to juggle the reality of growing up, with the desire of
doing what you love. I think these feelings of frustration combined with our
tendencies to over-think, over-analyze, and over-obsess contributed to the
starker feeling of the lyrics on this album.
Any thoughts on the continuous wars – Syria, Iraq III, etc…
I have a lot of thoughts. This question is difficult
to answer because you didn’t ask anything specific and these conflicts are very
complicated. I’ll try to answer the best I can though. The Arab Spring gave
hope that there would be positive changes and reforms to countries that have
been ruled by dictators. However, the end result has been violence and
conflict. There seems to be no real solutions, answers, or end to the
conflicts. Any sort of intervention by the West has had negative consequences. The
West intervened in Libya to get rid of Gadhafi and now militias are battling
for control of that country. As a result of the breakdown of authority in Libya,
smugglers are taking advantage of Eritreans, Somalis, and Syrians trying to
make their way by boat to Europe. The U.S attacks ISIL in Syria which benefits
Al-Nusra. The U.S condemns Iran for backing Assad but then attacks ISIL targets
in Syria which helps Iran. Iran and Saudi Arabia are fighting a proxy war in
Yemen. Foreign fighters joining ISIL and supplies make it to Syria through
Turkey, even though Turkey is a United States ally. Turkey is very vocal about
removing Assad. It is all just a complicated mess. With all these struggles of
power for territory and influence the civilians are the ones getting caught in
the cross fire. Hundreds of thousands have been killed or displaced in Syria
alone. This has led to the overcrowding of refugee camps in small countries
such as Lebanon and Jordan. It is also the reason why civilians are so
desperate to escape that they will risk drowning at sea in overcrowded boats
just to make it to Italy. There is going to be an entire generation that will
be uneducated because schools have closed due to conflict. It will also be a
generation suffering from emotional and mental issues due to the stress of
witnessing extreme violence.
Watching Baltimore explode the past few
days – care to comment?
Explode might be the wrong definition to use. Inequality, poverty, policing
practices, extensive prison sentences, and discrimination are all contributing
factors to what we have seen in places like South Carolina, Ferguson, and now
Baltimore. These issues have been occurring for a long time and there needs to
be a national dialogue on how correct these problems. I don’t claim to have all
the answers and I only know what I am talking about around 20% of the time, but
this practice of revenue policing, to me, is completely un-American. This
notion of increasing a cities’ revenue by issuing out tickets and warrants to
people in a low-income area only creates a cycle of poverty. This revenue
policing practice occurred in Ferguson and certainly occurs in other areas of
the country as well. It makes me sad that the United States has the largest prison population in
the world, a disproportionate number of which are black or Hispanic. I do have
some hope for the future since there are discussions about reducing prison
sentences for drug offences or even decriminalizing drug possession. However
change can move slow, and there are lots of changes that need to be made.
If
not yet – breakdown the themes of Illusions of Dominance?
“An epidemic of violence, men born into chaos,
intoxicated with illusions of dominance.”
What
do you want an audience to get from a BE show? What do you want to see?
I want them to have fun. I have been going to shows
since I was 12, and I still go to shows at 28. Shows and concerts have been
such a big part of my life and I feel blessed I am able to play music that
people enjoy. I want to see people having a good time and I want them to drive
home safe. Thanks for having us do this interview, I really enjoyed it.
When I call Dr Know he is picking up Mackie and John Joseph.
Mackie Jayson is most known as the drummer as the Cro-Mags and a part of the
crucial Age of Quarrel album. He also recorded with the Bad Brains on Quickness
and Rise; among other touring stints. He played in Fun Lovin’ Criminals, NYHC
treasure The Icemen, Hazen St, and even came into Madball when Riggs stepped
down. Doc and Mackie have been brothers for many years. John Joseph is
returning from a Cro Mags’ gig in Sao Paolo, Brazil. The Ironman contender,
outspoken vegan Krishna, NYHC retro tour guide, aka Bloodclot, will jump
directly into the singers’ slot at Black N Blue Bowl.
Dr Know is the guitarist of Bad Brains. There are never
sufficient words to describe Bad Brains quickly and their spiritual connection
with their fans. Along with his partner in bass, Darryl Jennifer, Doc will
be headlining day one of the BNB Bowl, with Mackie and John Joseph, as The
Regulators. They will be performing an hour long set of classic Bad Brains’
material. Dr. Know (Gary Miller) describes the reunion as “an old-time
special”.
“The show is at Webster Hall, which is the old Ritz. I
haven’t played there in twenty years. It will be special. We are headlining,
like the old days.” The energy will be indescribable. As much as Bad Brains
came from DC, they can still be considered a NYHC band from the beginning. And
JJ and Mackie were there to see and learn from their peers as the Cro-Mags were
growing. “They’re family. We are all brothers. We did this line-up back in the
winter, some smaller spot in the city. It was thirty minutes and it was great.”
John Joseph will bring a fervent intensity. He does Ironman
competitions. “He is more fit than ever,” Doc notes. The four will practice all
week. Black N Blue Bowl is having a one off Burn reunion to top day two. The
varied array will push all the styles that make up NYHC. Other bands appearing
are Crumbsuckers, Sick Of It All, Madball, Earth Crisis, and Candiria. Among
100 Demons, Booze and Glory, EGH, Wisdom In Chains, King Nine, Rival Mob, Rude
Awakening and even more, the vibe will be electric. Doc wants to give the
people a crazy show, as many family and friends will be there. And The
Regulators are, well as Doc says, “It’s the OG’s”.
At the end of May, Bad Brains will be recording a five song
EP in Woodstock, NY where Dr. Know lives. The recording will be with Jesse
Royal. The special aspect to this recording will be that the public can buy a
ticket to attend the memorable event at Applehead studios. A series called Woodstock
Sessions is hosting the Bad Brains recording with sixty to seventy people in
attendance. “We are going to write the album that day. Make it up, revamp it,
and record it.”
Jess Royal is a “hot new Jamaican. We met him at the
Afro-Punk fest. We had a special set with rotating vocalists; Corey (Glover of
Living Colour; John Joseph, Jesse Royal and two others.” While Doc is excited
to record new material with a young vocalist, the addition of the fans is a
unique experience. “People will get to know us as we record. It will be
straight up spontaneity. Some of the songs we are working on, we have already
in process. We need to jam them out. It all happen there. We wrote a lot of
records in the studio.” Applehead is comfortable for Doc. He reports having done
much work there. The idea came up between him and the studio.
“It’s cool. People are going to get to hang out all day.”
The event boasts fans being treated to an open space studio, stocked with a
Caribbean feast. When they leave the fans will receive a commemorative t-shirt
of the day, a limited edition poster and reservation for a 180-gm vinyl of the
recording. Doc is very excited to share this event. “The vibe will be
incredible, laid back. It’s going to be fun. We are going to play some reggae,
maybe a rock joint. We can’t get too wild, though,” Doc laughs.
