Friday, May 29, 2009
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Scott Vogel - interview
This Scott Vogel interview was stolen from the Lifers blog... enjoy!
-I'm good, Terror is good, tour is long but good... 5 more days and its over. I'm feeling a little old. I feel like I need to stop drinking.
Can you tell us how it was growing up in Buffalo? Any good or bad memories that you'd like to share?
-I lived way out in no man's land with my mom and two sisters 'till like 6th grade. Those were care free days. No bills, no worries, just sports and causing trouble. We were pretty broke and shit but I didn't know or care as long as I was having fun. I moved in with my dad cause my mom moved to Houston and that's where real life started. In 8th grade I found Hardcore and weed and forgot about sports. Buffalo is pretty dirty, a working class type city. I had some good friends and some good times. I did a lot of dumb things I regret, dumb drugs, not taking my future seriously, mistreating people, and I had a lot of shit thrown my way too. I guess I'd also say what doesn't kill you makes you strong. A lot of snow, might taco, shitty jobs like washing dishes, driving a cab, telemarketing, shows all over. Buffalo, Erie, Syracuse, Clevo…
How did you get into hardcore music? How was the scene in Buffalo at that time? Best shows that you've seen there? Any fucked up things that you saw at shows that you can share with us?
-I lived way out in no man's land with my mom and two sisters 'till like 6th grade. Those were care free days. No bills, no worries, just sports and causing trouble. We were pretty broke and shit but I didn't know or care as long as I was having fun. I moved in with my dad cause my mom moved to Houston and that's where real life started. In 8th grade I found Hardcore and weed and forgot about sports. Buffalo is pretty dirty, a working class type city. I had some good friends and some good times. I did a lot of dumb things I regret, dumb drugs, not taking my future seriously, mistreating people, and I had a lot of shit thrown my way too. I guess I'd also say what doesn't kill you makes you strong. A lot of snow, might taco, shitty jobs like washing dishes, driving a cab, telemarketing, shows all over. Buffalo, Erie, Syracuse, Clevo…
How did you get into hardcore music? How was the scene in Buffalo at that time? Best shows that you've seen there? Any fucked up things that you saw at shows that you can share with us?
-My brother was into a lot of punk stuff. I wasn't into the look or attitude but I felt the aggression. I would go to some shows. I saw "Another State Of Mind" on Night Flight. Seeing Minor Threat playing in that basement, talking about their way of thinking, their shaved heads, and their live footage totally grabbed me. Next a friend gave me a tape with Don't Forget The Struggle on one side, Victim In Pain on the other, and that was it. I was addicted. Later I bought GB, No For An Answer, Side By Side and SOIA 7 inches in one day.
Fucking amazing day. My first show was DRI, and next week was 7 Seconds with Zero Tolerance. Buffalo at that time was amazing, man. We had it all… Raw Deal, Chain of Strength, Brotherhood, Eye For An Eye… man, I could go on forever. There was a great death metal scene also. I miss those days. I didn't know anyone or any band members or any bullshit. It was just the music and the vibe. Lots of crazy shit went on. Slapshot shows were militant sxe kids, Nazis, punks metal heads. You can image that… Shelter got beaten into the hospital by local thugs, Dwid slapped Darryl Snapcase… man, I love Hardcore.
Why did you move to the West Coast?
-After traveling all over North America and beyond, coming back to Buffalo got depressing. I was in my late 20's, Buried Alive was dying. It was the time for change.
Top 5 bands out of Cali at the moment?
-Best CA shit right now: Donnybrook, IA, Piece By Piece, Wings, Beer and Sports, and Violation.
Fucking amazing day. My first show was DRI, and next week was 7 Seconds with Zero Tolerance. Buffalo at that time was amazing, man. We had it all… Raw Deal, Chain of Strength, Brotherhood, Eye For An Eye… man, I could go on forever. There was a great death metal scene also. I miss those days. I didn't know anyone or any band members or any bullshit. It was just the music and the vibe. Lots of crazy shit went on. Slapshot shows were militant sxe kids, Nazis, punks metal heads. You can image that… Shelter got beaten into the hospital by local thugs, Dwid slapped Darryl Snapcase… man, I love Hardcore.
Why did you move to the West Coast?
-After traveling all over North America and beyond, coming back to Buffalo got depressing. I was in my late 20's, Buried Alive was dying. It was the time for change.
Top 5 bands out of Cali at the moment?
-Best CA shit right now: Donnybrook, IA, Piece By Piece, Wings, Beer and Sports, and Violation.
Who was in Slugfest when you guys started the band? What were your influences back then? Did you guys always play Judge and SOIA covers? How was the reaction? Did you go on tour at some point? What have you guys released? How did Slugfest come to an end?
-Slugfest started in like 1990, with me and my brother. We had a lot of members. The first drummer owned the River Rock Café, so our first show was with Judge. Dope!!!!! We put out a few demos and 7 inch. Later, after we broke up, we recorded some songs that never got recorded before and put out a CD. Reaper Records will most likely do a discography cause the CD is out of press and PK loves the band.We played Buffalo, Syracuse, Albany, up in Canada, Detroit, Erie... that's about it. It was all just fun, always drunk and high while playing. No worries about big bands or big shows.We had a lot of energy then, and covered all sorts of bands: Alone In A Crowd, Turning Point... mad covers. We broke up 'cause Snapcase stole our drummer. Weak, man… Chokehold and Chris were always a part of Slugfest. They were good dudes.
Who formed Despair? Who was writing the music? How was the collaboration with Initial Records? How were Trustkill Records back then? What happened with the band after that Hatebreed tour?
-Despair was the result of a bunch of Buffalo bands ending. All Hardcore kids started it. Band was fun, we got to play a lot and tour and go to Europe. Initial were great, for real. Trustkill was cool but in Europe, he told me I had to pay him for two tour shirts. Wack. I said no more records with you kid, but I guess I never learned my lesson. After the Hatebreed tour we went to Europe, came home and then bass player quit. We called it a day.
Born To Expire or Desperate Measures? What do you think about the later stuff? How was it to have Eddie in the studio? How was the Reunion at CB's?
-Born To Expire. But both are great. I like a lot of the latter songs, but many I don't. Having Eddie record vocals was an honor. He's pretty intense, and strange. Good stories. His voice in unreal, so was the CB's reunion. I felt great that night, what a fucking awesome band, they smoke everyone. How do you get that recording in '86 or whatever? Fuck!!!!!
You've done a lot of shows with just the Six Month Face 7" under your belt. Did you release it on your own? Did you go on tour at some point or were you just playing weekends? How was the reaction to Buried Alive when the lp came out? How was it, dealing with Victory Records? You released a split with Reach The Sky, how did you guys get the idea for the artwork? Best/Worst shows? Why did you release the Last Rites CD after you broke up? Why did you guys break up?
-Buried Alive was pretty strong right away. We got shows easy, we were older and could travel. I said no to being in the band like 5 times, but finally joined. The drummer quit Despair a year before so I didn't want to do it, and yes, he quit Buried Alive a month after the lp dropped. I wanted to kill him. Dudes that quit Hardcore for girls suck. We toured a lot, weekends always. RTS and All Out War were our super friends to play with. Tony was crazy but I respect his insanity and work ethic. We also had a lot of bad shows, but Hellfest was always amazing. Chicago was good too.
Born To Expire or Desperate Measures? What do you think about the later stuff? How was it to have Eddie in the studio? How was the Reunion at CB's?
-Born To Expire. But both are great. I like a lot of the latter songs, but many I don't. Having Eddie record vocals was an honor. He's pretty intense, and strange. Good stories. His voice in unreal, so was the CB's reunion. I felt great that night, what a fucking awesome band, they smoke everyone. How do you get that recording in '86 or whatever? Fuck!!!!!
You've done a lot of shows with just the Six Month Face 7" under your belt. Did you release it on your own? Did you go on tour at some point or were you just playing weekends? How was the reaction to Buried Alive when the lp came out? How was it, dealing with Victory Records? You released a split with Reach The Sky, how did you guys get the idea for the artwork? Best/Worst shows? Why did you release the Last Rites CD after you broke up? Why did you guys break up?
-Buried Alive was pretty strong right away. We got shows easy, we were older and could travel. I said no to being in the band like 5 times, but finally joined. The drummer quit Despair a year before so I didn't want to do it, and yes, he quit Buried Alive a month after the lp dropped. I wanted to kill him. Dudes that quit Hardcore for girls suck. We toured a lot, weekends always. RTS and All Out War were our super friends to play with. Tony was crazy but I respect his insanity and work ethic. We also had a lot of bad shows, but Hellfest was always amazing. Chicago was good too.
The split artwork was RTS's idea. It's a real truck company, so they just took photos. Dave Mandel rules.Last Rites is a joke. It was demo songs that were never supposed to come out. Look at that layout Victory threw together. The recordings were a joke. There are a few cool songs from the first demo session, and the second one was at the end of the band. The songs were getting weak. The band told me to stop talking about Hardcore 'cause they didn't care. They loved Nothingface. Those songs sucked. I did the lyrics a day before cause my heart was not in it. I quit.
Are you still vegetarian?
-No.
What's good/bad in Hardcore right now?
Good:
Bitter End
Iron Age
Will to Live
Mind Piece
Madball
AF
Shattered Realm
Meltdown
DBD
Bracewar
lots more…
traveling the world, making real music, overseas scenes…
Bad:
Downloading and not getting a lyric sheet or layout, Hardcore bands that don't even know what Hardcore is… close minded kids that follow trends…
What's good with Terror? What's coming up? Can you tell us about the line up changes that you've had with the band through the years? What have you guys released so far? How's working with Trustkill right now? What do you think about the shows here in Canada, especially in Quebec ''Stage Dive'' city? Best tour that you've done so far? How's Europe & Autralia treating Terror? How were the shows with Necro? How did you guys get Jedi Mind Tricks to sing on the new ep?
-Holy shit, that's like 100000 questions…
Terror is good. We just put out the new EP. TK wouldn't let us before, so as soon as we fulfilled the contract, we did it. We just demo'd 4 new songs to send to labels. New record will not be on TK.We had the same dudes for like 3 years… Carl quit cause we are insane and he's normal, Frank quit to do Hatebreed… all is good though. I'm happy both are well. Terror is stronger then ever. Martin and Buske rule. We're doing the Earth Crisis reunion in March. First, though, is Japan, Korea and a new album recording in Feb, and then April is Europe with Ignite, so that my life 'till May. Fuck!!!!! It never ends.
-No.
What's good/bad in Hardcore right now?
Good:
Bitter End
Iron Age
Will to Live
Mind Piece
Madball
AF
Shattered Realm
Meltdown
DBD
Bracewar
lots more…
traveling the world, making real music, overseas scenes…
Bad:
Downloading and not getting a lyric sheet or layout, Hardcore bands that don't even know what Hardcore is… close minded kids that follow trends…
What's good with Terror? What's coming up? Can you tell us about the line up changes that you've had with the band through the years? What have you guys released so far? How's working with Trustkill right now? What do you think about the shows here in Canada, especially in Quebec ''Stage Dive'' city? Best tour that you've done so far? How's Europe & Autralia treating Terror? How were the shows with Necro? How did you guys get Jedi Mind Tricks to sing on the new ep?
-Holy shit, that's like 100000 questions…
Terror is good. We just put out the new EP. TK wouldn't let us before, so as soon as we fulfilled the contract, we did it. We just demo'd 4 new songs to send to labels. New record will not be on TK.We had the same dudes for like 3 years… Carl quit cause we are insane and he's normal, Frank quit to do Hatebreed… all is good though. I'm happy both are well. Terror is stronger then ever. Martin and Buske rule. We're doing the Earth Crisis reunion in March. First, though, is Japan, Korea and a new album recording in Feb, and then April is Europe with Ignite, so that my life 'till May. Fuck!!!!! It never ends.
Canada is always good to us, Calgary was the best show on this tour. We love Quebec… fucking love it. Best tour was Europe. SOIA, Madball, Terror, Comeback Kid, Walls of Jericho, The Distance… we are lucky to be able to travel all over the world and get love. Australia is the best. The Necro show was cool but a mess for us. We flew to London, got there late, played earlier than we thought. It was a rushed mess.Slaine from Boston was with Ill Bill, he ripped.Vinnie is my friend, he loves Terror. Hit us up to remix one of their songs 2 years ago. We chill whenever we can. He sounds so dope on the ep. We might do a band. He's a drunk madman with a smart head on his shoulders, I love that dude.Looks like that is the last question about all my dumb bands, thank god
Top 5 NYHC bands? Why?
-Madball, Warzone, Leeway, Merauder and Judge, all for the lyrics, music, style, live shows, attitude, and their energy. I want to mention AF and Alone In A Crowd also.
Favorite Bands in the US & Europe right now?
USA:
Bitter End
Iron Age
The Draft
Down to Nothing
Europe:
Born From Pain
No Turning Back
Rise and Fall
There are great bands in Australia and all over the world, I fucking love it.
Stigmata: Hymns For The Unkown God era or Do Unto Others era? Why?
-All their shit rules. What a great band, so underrated. My fav is the 7 inch with Mike Ski artwork on Victory. Buddy is a great guy, I miss him.
-Madball, Warzone, Leeway, Merauder and Judge, all for the lyrics, music, style, live shows, attitude, and their energy. I want to mention AF and Alone In A Crowd also.
Favorite Bands in the US & Europe right now?
USA:
Bitter End
Iron Age
The Draft
Down to Nothing
Europe:
Born From Pain
No Turning Back
Rise and Fall
There are great bands in Australia and all over the world, I fucking love it.
Stigmata: Hymns For The Unkown God era or Do Unto Others era? Why?
-All their shit rules. What a great band, so underrated. My fav is the 7 inch with Mike Ski artwork on Victory. Buddy is a great guy, I miss him.
Best Gang Starr album? Why? What do you think about Guru's solo project? Favorite Mobb Deep songs? East coast or West coast? Best era?
-Hard To Earn. I love it all. I love the owners. Premo called my phone the other day, it was amazing. They have the greatest vibe man, lyrics, beats, cuts…Not into the new Guru shit much, it's not the same, though I respect his effort. Got to move on. And I'm glad he quit drinking, that's hard to do. Mobb Deep, that new Prodigy solo record is great. Need to get the Havoc one. I love the g unit album, they rip. I'm putting them on after I get threw the longest interview I ever typed. I like both coasts and in between. TI is not the king of the south, Scarface is.
I don't like Outcast, Slaine is dope, Obie Trice is dope, DITC is dope, AG is dope… I gave up on Mos Def and Talib and all that happy weak shit. As a friend of mine once put it, I don't want to listen to hip hop songs about granola bars…
What's the Craziest thing that you've done because of your bad temper?
-Aw man, lots… bad things, not good. I started meeting with a Buddhist monk to learn to mediate and find a better way to get through this fucked up world. That started two years ago and has really helped. I would have lost this band and a lot our friends if I didn't change. I'm still a fucking mess though.
I don't like Outcast, Slaine is dope, Obie Trice is dope, DITC is dope, AG is dope… I gave up on Mos Def and Talib and all that happy weak shit. As a friend of mine once put it, I don't want to listen to hip hop songs about granola bars…
What's the Craziest thing that you've done because of your bad temper?
-Aw man, lots… bad things, not good. I started meeting with a Buddhist monk to learn to mediate and find a better way to get through this fucked up world. That started two years ago and has really helped. I would have lost this band and a lot our friends if I didn't change. I'm still a fucking mess though.
Favorite Metal band?
-Slayer
Any shout-outs or last words?
-Rest in piece SOB.. you were a cool cat.
-Slayer
Any shout-outs or last words?
-Rest in piece SOB.. you were a cool cat.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Friday, May 8, 2009
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