If you like crowd surfing with 80 year old ladies and are scared of shred-master 10 year olds, this band may be the melodious incarnation of your troubled soul. This band combines their talent for skull rattling hardcore with a robust knowledge of out-of-date dance moves. Is this band the jilted stepchild of Richard Simmons? No, this band is I Am The Monster based out of Portland, Oregon and it’s time for you to get acquainted.

HC Is there any significance or story behind your name? What are the origins of IATM and how long have you been at it?

IATM We were in the middle of recording our EP Scream These Words and were having legal trouble with our name at the time (Hold Steady, Atlas) and actually ended up changing our singer during the process. Cody has a lyric saying ‘I am not a monster, I am a simple man’ in The Life We Never Led, we were in a hurry and landed on that one. I Am The Monster is only two months old but we have been playing since 2005 and really started taking the band seriously this year.

HC For those who are unfamiliar with your set, how would you describe yourself? What can
we expect from an IATM show?

IATM Brian: Interceptors, running mans, european carry-alls, and chopping blocks, are all ‘moves’ you can expect to see at any of our shows. But really its one rowdy, sweaty, loud good time.

Jacob: Lean-Backs, Hairnados, Thinking-Mans, Cranes

HC IATM is currently based out of Portlandia, are you all natives?

IATM Brian: Ya, I’d say more the Portland Metro area, we’ve got a guy in Clackamas, Vancouver, Hillsboro, and two in Portland, so really all over the place. I think I am the only one born out of the area, Hawaii.

HC What are some of your early influences that got you into music? Who were some of the influences that helped you launch IATM?

IATM Brian: Ah man I listened to a ton of horrible music growing up ranging from every pop boy band to rap, to alternative rock. But what really got me into what we are doing today would be bands like Haste the Day, I remember seeing a show of theirs before I knew who they were and was just blown away.

Jacob: Early influences include, Patsy Cline, Roy Orbison, Marty Robbins. Then Slipknot, Mudvayne etc., and for IATM Norma Jean, Haste the Day, ABR, etc.

HC Where are you currently grabbing inspiration from and how has this been affecting your music?

IATM Brian: I love how older Chiodos didn’t follow the traditional verse, chorus, verse and made every song like a story with a beginning, middle, and end. For the most part we try to do the same to challenge ourselves. August Burns Red, Oh, Sleeper and Underoath haven always been pushing the creative envelope with every album and push me to come up with something better.

Jacob: Currently I am all about August Burns Red. Their drummer is a huge inspiration. Like Brian said, Underoath, Oh, Sleeper, also play a big part in how I try to play. Listening to these bands has really pushed us to play better and smarter. We all have to improve as musicians outside of jamming and writing, and we always write stuff that pushes our abilities.

HC Where can those interested best connect with you to find out about news, releases and tours?

IATM Our myspace (myspace.com/iamthemonstermusic) is the best place to keep up with anything and everything IATM.

HC What do you enjoy most about the local music scene? Who have been some of the funnest bands and venues to play with?

IATM The local music scene tends to be a pretty tight knit group and everyone seems to get along for the most part. The kids that come out to shows just to see a show. I’ve meet several people that come out and don’t know a single band that’s playing. It’s a tough choice to pick between Club Satyricon and the Hawthorne Theatre but Aleen has always been one of our favorite bands to play with, those dudes are awesome.

HC What are the weapons (insturments) of choice IATM?

IATM Brian: Bryan and I both use a Gibson SG Special, mine is rockin a EMG 81 at the bridge. Nolan has a Ibanez Bass starter pack which proves that price doesn’t give you quality… And Jacob has a custom Truth drum kit currently in the works.

HC Favorite place to eat in Portland?

IATM Rock Bottom is always good when we are feeling like high rollers and Rogue Ale House too some goooooood brews.

HC What have been some of the most important lessons for you as an aspiring artist? Any words of wisdom for those wanting to pursue their dreams of music stardom?

IATM Brian: Biggest lesson is things never go the way you plan, whether it be recording or booking, or really anything that comes along with a being in a band. Word of wisdom would be to start playing young. At my age looking up youtube videos and watching 10 year olds shred way harder than you could possibly dream doesn’t do too much for the self-esteem…

Jacob: Make sure you are playing what you love to play.

HC Any funny and/or scary stories from recent shows or tours?

IATM Haha yeah actually, our last show on tour in Grants Pass we made a hugggeeee fan. Only catch is she was probably close to 80 years old. She was head banging with a fist in the air the whole show and when our set was finished she came on stage and gave us all hugs and said we were the most energetic band she has ever seen since Machine Head in 2000. She had us all autograph our EP and even gave us a tip, but ya I think its safe to say we wont meet anyone like her again.

HC You recently completed your first tour, venturing down even into Southern California, how was the tour and what are your plans for building upon this momentum?

IATM Ha well like I mentioned before NOTHING goes the way you planned. We originally planned on playing a straight week of shows but with a month or two of the booking process missing a singer in our lineup its made things a little tiny bit difficult. We played a couple shows on our tour/vacation and got awesome responses from the places we did play and made some really good connections. It was a huge learning experience for us and are planning a spring tour. But next for us is just working our ass off to get our name out there and make sure that everyone knows about IATM.

UPCOMING SHOWS:
10/31/2009 7:00 PM at Halloween Show @ The Barn
w/I Am The Monster, Roseway, 66 Lover Letters and All I Ask
2005 NW Cornelius Schefflin Rd,
Cornelius, Oregon 97113
Cost: FREE

Don’t call it a comeback…Abandon The Shore went cold but has returned stronger than ever with a renewed commitment to each other as friends and a drive to progress as a band. This relaunch of Abandon The Shore draws its members from Springfield to Coos Bay, combining creative powers to craft a unique brand of Oregon screamo. Whether you caught the first wave or are hearing of ATS for the first time, now is you chance to track them down live and local.

HC Is there any significance or story behind your name?
ATS There is! It’s symbolic of an individual standing on the shore looking out to the sea and wondering what else is out there. However this individual will never find out what else is out there until they “Abandon the Shore.” This can be directly related to our music; we want to see what were capable of but we’re never going to see what we can accomplish until we take that step into the water and explore. And we really needed to get away from Florence haha

HC So, the last I heard from ATS was that the band was breaking up and what was left was moving to LA?  Was this the “irreconcilable differences” or can you fill in some of the blanks for us?
ATS Well, long story short, things were moving along pretty quick and I think that we weren’t ready for a lot of what hit us. Things just kind of blew up on itself and we just kinda became enemies. It turns out there was far more boiling under the surface than I think any of us believed there was.

HC What even started the conversation to bring you all back together?  Did everyone from the original lineup return?
ATS To be honest, we just missed the hell out of it, and I think that time a part was really what we all needed. We were pushing ourselves pretty hard and forgot that we should be friends before being bandmates. So we all talked and decided that we want to give it another go and to just have fun with it. It’s really refreshing to have all of us back together.

HC You are back together, hitting the road (locally), what is different about this ATS?  Will our hearts be broken again?
ATS Musically, we’ve written songs that I believe are a natural progression for us. It’s more mature than our previous release. Socially, we’re just here to have fun and make the most out of what we got. That’s all you can really do in the end. If you’re not enjoying it, then you’re better off not being involved you know?

HC For those who are unfamiliar with your set, how would you describe yourself?  What can we expect from a ATS show?
ATS Shoot I’m not sure if anyone could really describe us haha. We do whatever it takes to keep the party goin’! It’s a constant frenzy of flailing limbs, seizure inducing lights, and straight forward intensity. We set the bar pretty high for our live performance.

HC ATS is currently based on the Oregon Coast, correct?  Are you all Oregon Coast natives?
ATS Well actually, Colt is from Springfield. So we’re based out of three different locations now. Brandon and Tyler and from Florence, I, (Craig,) reside in Coos Bay, and Colt lives, like I said, in Springfield.

HC What are some of your early influences that got you into screamo/hardcore?
ATS Underoath and Every Time I Die were huge influences for us. They’re Only Chasing Safety is what got me into screamo/hardcore/whatever you want to call it, without that record I wouldn’t be doing what I love doing. And Gutter Phenomenon was just a great record through and through. It was just so fluent and clever, it was always on repeat!

HC Where are you currently grabbing inspiration and/or frustration from and how has this been affecting your music?
ATS This has possibly been the worst year of my life. So a lot of those experiences are going to end up coming through in the lyrics for the new music. The theme behind it is basically moving on from your past. Let the chips fall where they may, and if you don’t like where they land, well hey it’s time to move on and give it another go. Dwelling on the past doesn’t do us any good. If you spend all your time worrying about the past you’re going to forget about the present and the future will just pass you by. Learn from it, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.

HC Where can those interested best connect with you to find out about news, releases and tours?
ATS Our myspace page is your best bet. We’ve got a new layout and promo’s on their way.

HC ATS just signed with 1987 Records and you are working on an EP?  How did you get signed to 1887 and how has that relationship improved ATS?
ATS I met the owner through a band we played with a year and a half ago called My Life in Red. He’s seen us grow from pretty much the beginning. He seemed pretty adamant about us signing with them and he’s been working pretty hard at promoting our re-release of Always Alive, Always Breathing.

HC What are the weapons (insturments) of choice ATS?
ATS Well as far as weapons go, I keep it simple: Shotgun, a shovel, and Lime haha. No but seriously, Brandon plays guitar, Colt rolls the bass, Tyler pounds the drums, and I handle vocals.

HC (Current Event) Team Kate? – or – Team Jon? Or way over it?
ATS Really didn’t care to begin with. They should just have their kids become the next Slipknot. I mean, they’re one child shy of it.

HC Big Mac or Whopper?  Favorite place to eat on the Oregon Coast?
ATS I worked at McDonalds for two years. So sick of Big Mac’s haha.  I’m real big on mexican food. I’d recommend La Herrudura in Coos Bay or Los Compadre’s in Florence. So good! I’d also recommend Jung’s Mongolian Grill in Eugene and the Pita Pit in downtown Eugene. Amazing.

HC What have been some of the most important lessons for you as an aspiring artist? Any words of wisdom for those wanting to pursue their dreams of glamor?
ATS The most important thing is this: Be friends before you’re bandmates. If you can’t function as friends you’ll never work as a band. And in the Words of the late great Charles Bukowski [German-American author/poet, 1920-1994],

As stated before, hurdcore.com is primarily geared towards fans supporting local bands, venues and events with an emphasis towards “all ages” offerings, so our recent foray into the Albany (Oregon) hip-hop community deviates some in the “all ages” aspect but is certainly well rooted in the local details. Just to be clear, our endorsement of local rap artists does come with the disclaimer that Albany’s local hip-hop talent isn’t PG (I know, shocking) in its content, but it cannot be denied as perhaps the local scene with the most traction and deepest support.

I was recently invited to travel with local artist Suganuts (interview link here) to attend a local show at Cantina in Corvallis (Oregon). As usual the show was well attended, and by several claims was by far the best attended live show to date at that venue. Local acts included: Suganuts, Poverty’s Posterboy (interview link here), Mr. 541, Treu, Markus Tha Great White (interview link here), Yung Royal, and so many more. I originally set out to review the show as a whole, but decided that as hip-hop isn’t a scene of origin here at hurdcore.com, I might be a small voice to share an outsiders view to what may be unknown about this brand of local rap.

So, whether you are unfamiliar and/or have passed on the local rap scene it because of pre-conceived notions of what hip-hop is all about there are a few things that stand out to me whenever I am around this group of artists that I think might cast a different light. This is a gathering of individuals who refuse to let their dream die. I don’t mean that to sound as though its a rag-tag bunch of has-beens that don’t know when to quit, but in the much respected sense of people who are punching the clock like the rest of us to take care of their families, bills and life-in-general but people unlike many, who maintain the resolve and discipline to carve out time to pursue their craft. These aren’t people trapped in a dream sequence of what could be, these are artists driven to act upon their passions and willing to put themselves to the fire.

More than a gathering of individual artists, this is a community of artists who have become incredibly tight knit in their support for each other while maintaining a distinction of uniqueness in their presentation of this music genre. Immediately apparent is an underlying respect for each other as artists, which comes with a celebration of individual accomplishments and an eagerness to collaborate on stage as well as in production. Even though they perform together, produce and appear on each others albums, individual artists maintain their uniqueness to such a degree that no act sounds alike. If you venture out to a local show, you will be witness to a community on the rise with a buffet of hip-hop offerings from real people who sing and share in real life.

So, if you’ve ever had a dream and wanted to be a part of a genuine community that creating momentum together, I think you would have a hard time finding that you don’t appreciate these characteristics on display wherever Albany (Oregon) hip-hop is performing. Rap may not be your thing, but perhaps you will think a little differently the next time you notice Albany (Oregon) Hip-Hop being promoted.

For UPCOMING EVENTS most of the artists mentioned in this article have Myspace pages that they update frequently, as a standard, Bogey’s Bar and Grill (Albany, Oregon) hosts Hip-Hop Night every Wednesday usually starting around 10PM.

SIDENOTE: The question that I have been asking both hardcore/rock and rap artists as well as fans, is how would a collaboration show work? I believe we can get local rock bands and hip hop artists together, several have said that they would do it, but where would we host it (primarily thinking it should be an all ages venue) and how best could we promote to generate a turn out? It seems Corvallis has a great diversity of rock offerings and Albany has to be one of the best rap communities that I observed to date, so what do WE say – at hurdcore.com we’d love your input on how to make this happen – YOU can make it happen! Taking suggestions for artists, venues and even a cause that might bring this all together.

What happens when a Polymer Chemist Lab Technician with a passion for music and a desire to live out his faith in a way that leaves the world a little better than he found it begins eating Track Town Pizza [Eugene, Oregon]? It’s a cliche formula right?! Of course the answer would be Redemption Rocks! Concerts, duh. Having interviewed some impressive start up venues and bands based in the Eugene (Oregon) area, it is a pleasure to introduce a grassroots organization fueled by a sincere passion for utilizing music as a vehicle for positive expression and community impact. Our thanks to David, the organizer of Redemption Rocks! Concerts, for completing this interview for us.

HC Is there any significance or story behind your name?
RR!C I’d screwed up and hurt some friend’s feelings. It was really my fault. I was thinking about the Christian concept of being redeemed. I did what I could and had to do in order to do right by my friends and also owned my fault. I also prayed for help in being a better human being. I thought “what rocks harder then the opportunity to turn things around and accept forgiveness.” Hence, the name. I bet Kanye would really like to know that his awards outburst could be forgiven and that he could make good on it right now. So, no really deep meaning, but a pleasant principle.

HC What are the origins of Redemption Rocks! Concerts?
RR!C I was in a band that played around Eugene. We did pretty well, had some fun and made some money. At one point, we played the County Fair and had to finish our set on a smaller stage 15 minutes before the Doobie Brothers started on the main stage, so I was able to tell people that we (kinda) opened for the Doobie Brothers and they were afraid to compete with us. It was fun and I’d picked up some sound, promotion and booking skills while managing the band. I’m of the Christian faith, but I honestly find church often doesn’t do a lot for me. Music does. (So do good books and dialogues with all sorts of people.) I really thought that a better way to express and our beliefs and start thoughtful, respectful dialogues was through concerts that were open to all sorts of people and covered a variety of excellent and hopefully thought provoking music. So, I asked to borrow the gym at a local Christian summer camp and set up a show. People were really excited and told me how much that meant to them and the interesting thoughts that had developed out of it. So, I was hooked. Sometimes organizing shows can be really frustrating, but every so often I hear from someone who got something that they really needed from a show, even if it was just “man that guitar was so excellent, I needed to hear that today.” That causes me to start planning the next one.

HC How long has RR!C been doing it’s thing?
RR!C We’ve been doing it for just under six years now.

HC You say, “We help promote any Christian concert in the Willamette Valley and help artists, venues, sound people, churches, groups and just people hook up with each other.” What bands, venues and churches have you worked with that have shared a special kinship with your vision for Redemption Rocks! Concerts?
RR!C When I think of artists, sound people and venues that we’ve worked with a lot and who really share some of our spirit and goals a few that come to mind are:

Scott VenDenElzen of Audio Idea sound. He’s got a day job, a family, amazing skills on the sound board and tens of thousands of dollars of equipment that he’s put together mostly to provide concerts for homeless folks while the Free People give them food and such. He really thinks through the sound, is incredibly easy going and is really behind the artists. Whenever he’s available, he’s one of my favorite sound guys to work with.

Free Reign is a venue/ concert series that has been located in a few different churches. The leader, Moses Bergstrom used to play lead guitar in a blues band I was in. Free Reign does these tiny little free concerts with free snacks (Currently in Junction City). Moses and Free Reign are all about two things. Giving musicians in any style a chance to hone their skills and creating a space where people can check out their spiritual beliefs. Moses has also been at it about six years now and even though he’s worked in funky spaces, has given artists with a variety of skill levels a chance and has had some very small audiences, he keeps plugging away at it.

Nik Fury, one of our local artists (hip hop mixed with punk, pop and worship) is really sympatico with what we’re up to. His lyrics are funny, intelligent, questioning and real. He’s got a song called “Simple Life” where he essentially says, “I’ve got a few fans that get what I’m saying, my girl loves me, I get to be creative and I’m making a bit more than minimum wage, I don’t need to drive a lexus or be a star.” That fits really well with what we’re doing. I’d love to do bigger and bigger and better shows and not have to worry about the day job, but we don’t really need that. Nik also whips out some amazing concert flyers and video images for us.

Jeff Weinkauff and his team at First Baptist (Where I am involved.) and the Lowell MacGregor group (A promotion company out of Portland.) have opened some tough doors for us.

Recently we got to do a hip hop show for the HIV Alliance. A really cool thing that happened was that I realized how much their director Jim Robinson got what we were doing. Of course I knew that he would appreciate the money to help them take care of peeps, but he also made it clear that even if the show didn’t bring in a dime, it was just great to have such a wide variety of people coming together to respectfully to share creativity and spirituality, have a good time and take care of each other.

Not everybody understands or is down with everything we are doing and a few people have literally tried to stop us, but there are a bunch of concert volunteers, musicians, churches, venues, fans and others who are with us. I wish I could give a shout out to all of them.

HC It’s always a good thing when we can reach beyond the norms and not only create through music but contribute. You’ve expressed, “We especially like to be involved in concerts that are either free to the public or are benefits for worthy causes, such as the HIV Alliance, Food for Lane County, etc. We do this because we love music and because we believe that we are put on this earth to care for people and to share what we believe.” How have you been able to team with others to facilitate supporting some of the causes that you listed?
RR!C We’ve done concerts for the HIV Alliance and Food for Lane County. Those were frankly some of the coolest things we’ve been able to do. The “Will Play for Food” concert series for Food for Lane County has meant a lot to me and has spawned some new artists and some ongoing efforts to take care of each other. We do about one of those a year. Right now we’ve got a show coming up that’s admission by a can of food. I’m looking to put together a “Heavier than Thou” show of hard core, gothic and heavier artists that would be admission by a can of food and we just nailed down a benefit with Paul Wright and RootDown for Hosea Youth Services. They help out homeless youth. I also really like to do free to the public shows. I honestly hope that we can inspire an ongoing revolution producing a lot of artists and a lot of people who make serving others a lifestyle.

By the way, another Redemption Rocks! goal is start a concert series that puts artists with simialar styles, but different faith or philosophies in the same concert, for instance Matisyahu (the Hasidic Jewish reggae/dub dude) in concert with RootDown and an African Muslim reggae artist I’ve heard. The idea would be not just to share how I see the world, but to encourage respect and understanding for each other.

HC Are you then serving as a voice to help promote activities/concerts that are in the works or you on the ground promoting and organizing shows?
RR!C I (and the rest of the Redemption Rocks! crew) do both. We actually organize, produce and promote several shows a year ourselves from the ground up. We’ve been averaging about one a month. But, we know that we can’t create a scene or do everything we’d like to do on our own. So, we have a standing offer, that anyone in the area who is doing a show featuring artists who are about Christian spirituality and would like help with promotion, finding artists, finding a gig/ venue/ sound man or whatever we can help with, can hit us up. We can’t always help everyone, but we try, particularly if the music really grabs us or they want to help with worthy causes. At the least we can always add their flyers to our promotion. Of course, we ask that they help spread the word about our shows too and send us any useful information they discover as well.
We can’t organize as many shows as we’d like or even help every artist that we want to as much as we’d like to. So, I also try to help artists learn to promote and book themselves. In November, I’m going to do another free all comers class on how to get the word out about what you are up to. All of your readers are welcome!

HC RR!C is the brainchild of David Evartsii, who is David?
RR!C Let’s see who am I. Well, by day I’m a polymer chemistry lab tech. I’m a musician and a person who loves to draw and paint every day. I’m a music lover and football fan with a sick and weird sense of humor. I’m a pretty good friend and family member. I’m someone who would like to become all of the things that I am created with potential to be. I’m someone who wants to leave the world a little better than I found it. I want to inject some musical soul into dead and vacant places. Essentially, I’m a fellow homo sapien with all of the propensity for good and evil that entails.

HC What are some of your early influences that got you into music?
RR!C I remember when I first heard U2’s “War” and the Talking Head’s “Speaking in Tongues.” They weren’t main stream, but they were odd, quirky and real. I remember thinking that these weren’t going to change the world, but that I was really glad they existed and maybe they could start us exploring and even talking about how things could be. And, I liked them. I’ve always thought that anytime people could find something that would inspire them to get off the couch and start exploring that’s good.

HC Who were some of the influences that helped you launch RRC?
RR!C I’ve got to give a lot of credit to my wife, Barb, she is always encouraging people (including me) to dive in and try things that they think someone should do. Please pardon the overt spirituality here, but my faith asks that people dig in and find the good things that they can do, so that’s really becoming more of my world view, making sure that I’m routinely creating and sharing and finding out who’s around me and what’s great about them. So, Redemption Rocks! is really an expression of that as well. Also, I’ve got to give cred to generations of amazing artists and do gooders that make me want to keep the ball rolling.

HC Where can those interested best connect with you to find out about events and/or getting involved?
RR!C Peeps can e-mail me at davidevartsii@yahoo.com or find me on facebook or myspace. We’ve got a Redemption Rocks! group on facebook from which I send out concert announcements and such, it’s at I also send out a concert calendar e-mail once a month. The address to get on that list is redeption.rocks@gmail.com

HC What do you enjoy most about the local music scene? Who have been some of the funnest bands and venues to play with?
RR!C I love Cozmic Pizza, not the pizza, the venue. Eugene Celebration can be more fun than a person can take. The crew at McDonald Theater are almost as cool as the Redemption Rocks! crew. Hawk Nelson are some seriously fun loving guys, but giving it up for the locals, Sons of Vindication and Returning Grace have been the most fun to hang with.

HC Pizza Hut or Dominos? Favorite place to eat in Eugene?
RR!C Track Town is the Eugene Pizza! But, the best road food is still anything Greek.

HC Any funny and/or scary stories from recent shows?
RR!C Hummm! Does the security volunteer who started stage diving count? We had a Veggie Tales Live concert last year. The place was filled with excited toddlers. When the bubbles started pouring down, there was a fearsome stage rush. An old concert hand I worked with, who’s worked everything from presidential campaign events to POD and Anthrax concerts went down under the toddler bubble stage rush. I saw his hand reaching up from the miniature people mob, before he disappeared. He later said, that was the scariest stage rush that had ever hit him.

For More Info on Redemption Rocks! refer to their article “What Redemption Rocks! Concerts are for” on their Myspace Blog.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

WHO: The David Crowder Band w/ SeaBird & Danyew
When: Thursday, October 15, 2009 – 7:00 PM to 11:00 PM PDT
Where: 1st Baptist Church of Eugene
3550 Fox Meadow Rd. – Eugene, OR 97405