Ashylus which is an acronym for Ambition | Strength | Heart | Youth | Love | Understanding | Sacrifice which doubles as their motto while they continue to establish themselves as a presence in the hardcore/metal circles throughout Washington and Oregon. Teaming with local musical rising powers such as AAP Management and Monumental Booking, Ashylus endears themselves to local fans through their lyrical sincerity and tonal brutality. Read the full length interview with Ashylus frontman Anthony Badziong in its entirety HERE

If I had an extra $1000, the first piece of equipment I would purchase for the band is…A new PA. Current trend in music/scene that bugs you? Negativity. Current trend in music/scene that has challenged you? The fact that there are so many bands now a days, it really challenges us as musicians to write music that separates us from the rest of the bands. Currently reading…Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. Currently watching…Bill Cosby. Top 5 songs in your personal iPod right now? The Conflict (The Ghost inside), Axe to Fall (Converge), Where the sun never sleeps (Stick to Your Guns), Living Proof (Molotov Solution), Misanthropy Pure (Shai Hulud). Any crazy pre-performance rituals? The Shimmy… Best memory that comes to mind from a show/tour? Crazy Crowd reaction to our lyrics and music on our EP release show. Worst memory that comes to mind from a show/tour? Having our set cut in the middle of our third song due to lack of time. When it’s all said and done, I hope I am remembered for…Putting on a great show

Ashylus is: Anthony Badziong – Vocals; Bijan Davari – Guitar; Aaron McKinney – Guitar; Kevin Ubiadas – Bass; Andrew Badziong – Drums. Ashylus will be on a 2010 West Coast Summer Tour from July 18th through August 2nd. Debut EP “Enslaved By False Belief” now recording. Keep up to date with recording and tour information at the Ashylus Myspace Page

Local and national band interviews and reviews provided weekly, typically fresh interview posted every Sunday with additional content posted throughout the week fresh from hurdcore.com and our friends. From Seattle to Portland, Spokane to Eugene and Davenport through Chicago, we are expanding local outposts to cover local hardcore, metal and hip-hop bands from Washington, Oregon, California, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa and beyond. Stay tuned to hurdcore.com, friend us on myspace and join us facebook. Hurdcore is open to partnerships to promote local arts, music and entertainment as well as advertising opportunities – hurdcore@gmail.com – be specific in “subject” line.

There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death. Proverbs 14:12

Amdist much speculation of late as to the Presidents religion and practice, one of the subjects in the discussion thread that caught my attention were those surrounding the definition and practice of prayer. These discussions haven’t brought out any serious revelatory depth even though the President has been definitive in stating that he is a Christian but doesn’t wear his faith on his sleeve. I happened to catch a few minutes of the Glenn Beck show on FOX radio last Friday where he had found some earlier quotes from Obama related to faith (If the mention of “Glenn Beck” causes you to tune out, I can assure you I am not a Beck-head, though like Stephen King* have a growing admiration for the sincerity he communicates for his convictions, and have only recently even become casually acquainted with his medium). Beck cited a 2004 interview with Cathleen Falsani, when the President was asked if he prayed, Obama responded with some detail by saying, “Yes, I guess I do. It’s not formal, me getting on my knees. I think I have an ongoing conversation with God. I think throughout the day. I’m constantly asking myself questions about what am I doing and why am I doing it.**”

While many “pray”, finding a general consensus definition can be a little like nailing jello to the wall. In the popular culture of cut-and-paste spirituality, we are often tempted to string together fragments of perspectives from various reservoirs. From the aforementioned snippet from the President it almost sounds as though Obama considers his own thoughts or internal self-speak as a form of prayer or as Beck speculates, could Mr. Hope even be understood to hint that he is god? Prayer is surely an activity, we grant it a designation apart from thought and something distinct from conversation as well, yet prayer incorporates elements of reflection and discussion. Some have compared it to calling, emailing or conversing with God, and even Biblically there are several words that are utilized to describe the practice of prayer. Perhaps though, the simplest piece is also the most relevant one, the definition and the practice of prayer depends primarily on whom it is the pray-er is trying to connect to.

If one seeks solace to reflect or center oneself, than its not as important whom you are connecting to as where you are – a quiet place. You can talk to yourself or entertain a spirit guide in any form and find some precipice of improvement to conquer within whatever time frame of mental solitude you grant yourself. The practice becomes more important than the result or the medium. Yet, if the Biblical concepts for prayer are understood, then the practice and the medium are directed by the connection. To connect with the historic God is not nor can it be based upon personal merit, for we have none when evaluated against the perfect nature of a holy God. Neither can connection be based upon a color-by-numbers religious prescription as there is no incantation of magically religious words that will summon the heavenly unicorn which ushers all earnest supplicants to the end of the treasure filled prayer rainbow. While there are hundreds of verses that speak on the subject of prayer, there is a moment in the Old Testament (one of many) where God declares, “When you cry out for help, let your collection [of idols] save you! The wind will carry all of them off, a mere breath will blow them away. But the man who makes me his refuge will inherit the land and possess my holy mountain.” (Isaiah 57:13) In case the meaning escapes you, in frankness God calls to account the people who have placed their trust in everything but God and yet blame God and complain that He doesn’t save them, both figuratively and literally. God throws it back at them – let everything else that you have worshipped and trusted in save you. Yet, God continues to be merciful, even when we spit at and squander His blessings, declaring that if we trust in Him He will give to us Himself and His promises.

Again, the primary question in clarifying the definition and practice of prayer is simpler than we often make it – whom are you attempting to connect with? I was pleasantly surprised to discover a fresh wind of precision from the artist turned actor formerly known as Marky-Mark. In a question selected from various fans touching on what he has learned from being a father, Mark Wahlberg notes, “What I do every day is pray for the strength to be a good servant, father and husband. I ask for the ability to raise my kids, to teach and protect them, and to be disciplined and firm and loving and nurturing. It can be a fine line, so I ask God for the strength no to lose my patience with my children***. ” Wahlberg is definitively connecting with a source that empowers him to carry out a purpose that is whole and good. Mark notes his personal inability and need for direction in this specific pursuit and the emphasis is on whom he connects with in his practice of prayer. Without making too much out of small fragments, these selections from Obama and Wahlberg give some perspective as to the nature of prayer by whom they are connecting with.

Obama is accurate in the sentiment that we can carry an on-going discussion with God and Wahlberg exemplifies a relationship of humility before a holy God. Whether one believes in quiet reflection or supernatural connection, the reality is that even the devout fail in any real consistency or depth in either. Christ for His part regularly practiced solitude with God. Finding a solitary place to pray and spending time connecting with God was essential to the life of Christ, His ministry and the accomplishment of His purpose. Where Christ is consistent in this simplicity, He ultimately is the only bridge over which any man can approach or connect to God. “No man comes to the Father except through Me,” is certainly a difficult bridge to cross – recognizing that connecting to God is neither based on personal merit or religious prescription means that we cannot be right enough or do it right enough to make the connection on our own. Christ becomes the means and the medium through which a real and meaningful connection is made with a personal (never trivial) God.

FOOTNOTES:
*See “Rush to Judgement” from Stephen King’s regular periodical in Entertainment Weekly #114 August 6, 2010
**Transcripts from Falsani’s interview which originated from her series of articles in The Sun Times as “The God Factor” – http://blog.beliefnet.com/stevenwaldman/2008/11/obamas-interview-with-cathleen.html
***Interview in People Magazine August 16, 2010

The hurdcore.com format provides a new interview with local and national bands at least once weekly with additional content related to reviews, releases or other music information throughout the week. Local bands throughout the West Coast and Mid West – Seattle, Spokane, Vancouver, Portland, Salem, Albany, Eugene, Medford, Moline, Davenport. Stay tuned to hurdcore.com, friend us on myspace and join us facebook. To request album reviews, band bios, interviews or to discuss advertising opportunities email us – hurdcore@gmail.com – be specific in “subject” line.

“At last the time has come!” he [Jesus] announced. “The Kingdom of God is near! Turn from your sins and believe this Good News!” Mark 1:15

In it’s seventh year of showcasing some of the best hip-hop from Portland to Eugene, SummerJam 2010 gave the WOW Hall in the heart of Eugene, Oregon a full menu with flavors from Northwest’s old and new schools of rap. With premiere acts the likes of Cool Nutz, Endr Won, Maniac Lok, Mackdub and Todd G as well as rising local talent such as Absoloot, J Will, Drops, Philosophy and J Philly, to name a few. Willy Mays aka Mackdub, has been pushing Oregon’s hip-hop scene for over 20 years and has been working with local rappers to elevate the Northwest.

Caught the last song of the night for Drama, the sound live was laid back. There must have been a lot of performers that had places to go because many of their backups were wearing various backpacks – “Hey dude, thanks for having me in the show but I gotta jet.” I got away with one of Drama’s CDs and there is a characteristically low key vibe with just enough flavor to keep things interesting. DJ Shimmy and Crisis hit the ground running, introducing the first Hispanic flavor of the night, spicing his rhymes hot like habanera with some rapid fire cholo-chops. Crisis began to awaken the crowd, getting the people moving but also drawing out one tactless detractor eager only to hear his favorite rapper which didn’t happen to be the act at hand.

Arriving with a posse both on the stage and in the crowd, Absoloot animated the stage with enthusiasm and a smooth delivery of some heavily street influenced lyrics. Sporting the signature “Got Guap”, Absoloot spins a tale of the darker side of life in Eugene. If the depictions of E-town life presented by Absoloot and other artists are correct, party-goers in Eugene might be henceforth be warned – B.Y.O.B.B (Bring Your Own Body Bag) as the local atmosphere in the Southern Willamette Valley is pretty heavy through their street tinted glasses. Keno’s sound progressed with heft as his performance warmed through the set. SummerJam was happily broadcast as an international gathering of local talent, the African native now rapping as Young If (pronounced eef) mixed in some multicultural elements but otherwise fit into the backdrop of American hip-hop quite snuggly.

While there was diversity in sound from the artists who performed prior to the arrival of Philosophy, it seems the college graduate was unique in his attempts to elevate the room by delivering something other than the sex-money-drugs formula so often repeated in much of mainstream music. Philosophy was also the first to bring his own accompaniment and appeared to have produced the beats for many of his own tracks. Through innovation, showmanship and energy Philosophy got a majority of the crowd moving, shouting along with his Northwest inspired lyrics while bodies were bouncing up and down. The chorus line for Kent B’s homage to the ladies in the crowd, “You Don’t Know How You Make Me Feel” was perhaps the most sing-along-friendly hook of the night. Drops and the Green State crew had a fluid blend of styles with Mackdub and proud uncle Dustin Fuller contributing on several tracks.

Eugene’s reformed and born again pimp Todd G brought some old school flavor with his Gorilla Gospel. Fresh on local soil after having recently returned from touring Europe with the premiere of Northwest hip-hop, Todd G has built his own celebrity with features in publications like The Source and Vibe, you can dig more into his personal story of streets-to-redemption at www.toddgministries.com. Todd G shared the stage with a cameo from Rated X who flawlessly delivered the only freestyle rhyme of the night. Rapper J Philly and Sasquatch have joined forces to create the hip-hop super group The Cavedwellers, and the crowd was responsive to their unique take on old school spits. In addition to his role as the organizer and MC of SummerJam 2010, Mackdub kept the party rolling by inciting the crowd with a few raps of his own. J Will was constant in his role of CEO of beats for the night and stepped from behind the turntables to kill the crowd by raising his own mic.

Northwest A-List Rap Celbrity Cool Nutz took the stage like a pro with Maniac Lok and DJ Fatboy tearing things up. For whatever reason, either Eugenian hip-hop heads are all on 11:30PM curfew or just don’t have a lot of respect for those who are really pushing the Oregon scene at the highest levels, but the crowd thinned out during one of the best performances of the night. Just in case the reader is unaware, Cool Nutz aka Terrance Scott, helms The Northwest Radio Breakout Show, Oregon Hip-Hop Festival and founded Jus Family Records with business partner Bosco Kante. Cool Nutz and the crew will be returning to E-Town on October 3, 2010 at the McDonald Theatre when Tech N9ne comes to town. Taking center stage in his hometown, Eugene’s own internationally known son of swag, Endr Won torched the stage with blends from his earlier and admittedly darker themes as well as the lighter, while still not cuddly, side of his more recent music. Endr Won was all pro even amidst the flippancy of Eugene’s too good for what’s good magically evaporating crowd.

SummerJam 2010 was a fun and full bodied blend of some of the best old and new school Northwest hip-hop available. Mackdub and the WOW Hall were enthusiastic hosts and our introduction to the venue left us hungry for more. Keep tabs here at hurdcore.com as we follow up with artists from SummerJam and prepare for more live performances here in the Willamette Valley.

Interviews with the best of local artists and national acts, hurdcore.com is – “fans supporting local music.” Posts interviews every Sunday with local artists from hip-hop to metal as well as additional content throughout the week. Covering local bands, concerts and venues from Seattle to Portland, Medford to Spokane, Eugene to Idaho and as well as the Midwest and California. Hurdcore.com supports local music ranging from hip-hop, metal, pop, punk, hardcore, indie and more. Stay tuned to hurdcore.com, friend us on myspace and join us facebook. To request album reviews, band bios, content management, interviews or to discuss advertising opportunities email us – hurdcore@gmail.com – be specific in “subject” line.

There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death. Proverbs 14:12

We’re late to the party but just discovered this Northwest treat from Portland-by-way-of-Eugene, Oregon hip-hop artist Lafa Taylor and his concept driven play on words. The lyrics, delivery and video are fun as well as engaging as you listen for the double meanings. WARNING: Some Explicit Lyrics.

For more information on local music, band interviews, concert updates and promotional content. Local bands, artists, concerts, venues, tours and events from rock, hip-hop, metal, pop, punk, hardcore, acoustic, indie, organic, progressive, funk, rap and more. Stay tuned to hurdcore.com, friend us on myspace and join us facebook. Hurdcore is open to partnerships to promote local arts, music and entertainment as well as advertising opportunities – hurdcore@gmail.com – be specific in “subject” line.

Jesus answered them, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor — sick people do. I have come to call sinners to turn from their sins, not to spend my time with those who think they are already good enough. Luke 5:31,32

Local and national stories within the entertainment industry abound with many of the upcoming artists of today operating without class, conducting themselves with little respect for fans or for those who have come before them. The young men of We Move Mountains, through hard work and an uniquely deepening intimacy with their fans, have carved for themselves a blossoming legacy of invigorating melodic hardcore. With a blistering blend of beauty and brutality, We Move Mountains besets their fans with bowel rumbling breakdowns, blood curdling bellows and get-your-booty-moving melodically interwoven beats. Their message is sincere and overall positive as their music continues to mature with the members of the band. We Move Mountains is keeping Maple Valley classy as they build upon a solid foundation of friendship and a dragon slayers commitment to musical innovation. Hurdcore.com is glad to re-introduce We Move Mountains as they prepare to release their debut album “Brought Up In A Hurricane.”

You were selected to play the Vans Warped Tour Ernie Ball Battle of the Bands in Boise in 09 – how cool of an experience was that?
Zesty Sams (vocals) As cool as it sounds and more. Growing up (which is something we’re still doing a lot of), it was our dream to play Warped Tour. Conquering such a titan of a goal so young felt phenomenal. It’s honestly still hitting us from time to time. We’d still love to play the whole thing year after year and hope we get the opportunity!

The video for Dan Nettekoven Snakes The Win turned out all pro, what was the process and who did you work with to shoot this video?
ZS So glad you guys liked it! It was actually a project for Keller’s [Guitar/Vocals] Video Production class. Him and our good friend, Mark worked the camera. It was filmed down in South Bend at this warehouse called Terra Firma, owned by a family friend. Speaking of family, the boy and ballerinas in the video were Keller’s cousins! Then after a long day of filming, Keller spent a couple weeks editing it all and ended up with the final product! We were pretty proud of him for making a high school project look so professional.

So, I did a little digging – there is a young man by the name of Dan Nettekoven who happens to live in Maple Valley with y’all, does the song have anything to do with Dan?
ZS Oh man Jon, we were rolling on the floor for this one. Here’s the ridiculous story of Dan Nettekoven. Dan was a buddy of ours, nothing too special. Until he started getting away with all these things he definitely shouldn’t have been getting away with. In other words, this kid was snaking the win. Then we met another guy who looked just like Dan Nettekoven, who happened to be snaking the win as well. One day, working on the song (still untitled at the time), Dan was the topic of our conversation. After laughing deliriously at how silly we were, Dan Nettekoven Snakes The Win snaked the win for best song title. So I guess the point is, no, he has absolutely nothing to do with us! But now people see him at the local grocery store and are like “OMG DAN NETTEKOVEN”. He’s become quite the celebrity.

The chorus for this song belts, “Life has taught me, friends you’ll never know – and we’re all kinds of ****ed up differents” What does this mean for you personally?
ZS Well for the most part, it means exactly what it says. The lyrics in that song aren’t about one specific thing. It was one of the best rants I’ve had, a huge group of somethings I needed to get of my back. One of those things I just had to tell myself was “you’ve had a great run so far and all along the way, you’ve had people supporting you and dragging you down, but most importantly, making you who you are. Be thankful”. I am thankful, especially thankful to be friends with the guys in the band. It’s for everyone I’ve ever shared up and downs with, or even just a walk to the local market. Friends have always been there for me, and i know the best ones always will be.

Zesty handles the screaming and Keller works the sexy vox, your songs are very fluid in the transitions from breakdowns to harmonies, is the writing process for you like a blacksmith banging out a piece of metal or are you guys at such a point that once the core idea is formed everyone pretty much falls in like a 24 piece Elmo puzzle from the dollar store?
ZS People are going to enjoy the questions more than the answers for sure! haha. I wish we could say we were all blacksmiths, but the Elmo puzzle seems more fitting…no pun intended? Our songs come together as if we bought a piece at a time. Riff by riff, they slowly come together, then drums are worked in, and vocals/lyrics last. We currently have two in the works! One is untitled, and the other that is near completion is called “There She Blows…And Boy, Does She!”.

“I’m normal. I’m normal. I swear to God, I’m normal.” First of all, this song is a lie, the dudes of WMM are anything but normal – ha ha, and secondly that is what makes you great! Does this song touch on your own journey to find your spot in the game of life or more reaching out to those who are trying so hard to “fit in” (or both or neither, ha ha)?
ZS Kind of both. At school, we were always kind of the misfits/floaters, but that was okay with us. We were true to ourselves, and more than content with that. A large number of our peers, however, were sacrificing so much happiness just to fit this silly mold of “normal”. They were always working for someone else’s satisfaction. All the while, we, the people happy with our lives and who we were growing up to be, were the ones being ridiculed for being “weird/freaks”. So in the end, the line turned out to be us mocking them, i guess. Everyone does strange things, so why can’t we just accept that and have that be the norm.

Last we talked you were preparing to enter phase 2 of recording your full length, Did you complete recording for Brought Up In A Hurricane?
ZS Tracking is finished! The CD is going through it’s final phases of mixing/mastering/printing. We had the album art redone with our buddy, Christopher Moore of ZeroART, and it was a fantastic decision. His final product shattered our expectations and will be released with a layout and a new song, “Pterodactyls” very soon!

Is there a theme/message to this album?
ZS Yes there is! It’s how the album came to be renamed (used to be Violence, Violence, Violins) now that you mention it. The only thing in common with all of the songs is that each one dealt with a hardship faced by either me(zesty) or Keller. It’s not like I grew up poverty stricken and dying of hunger in war torn Africa or anything, but I did my fair share of growing up in a very small amount of time, that put me through all sorts of emotions and thoughts. I came out the other end with all of these songs, so we think the title fits perfectly!

Where can fans get a copy?
ZS BUIAH will be $10 at shows! As of right now, mail orders are looking like they’ll be possible with an extra $5 for shipping and we’ll be doing our best to get it onto iTunes!

Who did you work with on this recording and what was the experience like as you cut your first full length?
ZS Sean Green of Gun Ho Productions! He used to be in Sanctity In Silence and is a wonderful friend of ours. Listening to our songs come out in such clear quality was awesome, and there was plenty of smiling at the finished product. We can’t wait to have the shrink-wrapped copy in our hands!

How has your view of music changed (good or bad) since you started WMM?
ZS I’m pretty sure for most of us, it’s stayed the same. If anything has changed it would be that all of these bands we’re looking up to were and might still be just like us. People who love playing music and having a good time! But at the same time, we’ve become more aware of the bands that don’t really care, and play music for gold, wenches, or fame. We slay dragons because we enjoy the copper scent, the crimson shower, and the deafening roar of a freshly slain dragon!

We Move Mountains is Maple Valley, Washington hardcore from: Zesty Sams – Vocals; Keller Doom – Guitar/Vocals; Bones de Leon – Drums; Ethan Gibbons – Guitar; Nate Arthur – Bass. Join We Move Mountains and keep up to date through their social networking sites: WMM Facebook and WMM Myspace. Read hurdcore.com previous interview with We Move Mountains WMM 2009.

Partnering with local bands, artists, venues and promoters to support local music, hurdcore.com posts fresh band interviews every Sunday as well as additional content throughout the week. Covering local bands, concerts and venues from Seattle to Portland, Medford to Spokane, Eugene to Idaho and as well as the Midwest and California. Hurdcore.com supports local music ranging from hip-hop, metal, pop, punk, hardcore, indie and more. Stay tuned to hurdcore.com, friend us on myspace and join us facebook. To request album reviews, band bios, interviews or to discuss advertising opportunities email us – hurdcore@gmail.com – be specific in “subject” line.

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6

As a follow up to our full length interview with Josh of City of God, we offer this encore which continues to peel back the layers of this Portland based hardcore band. To read our hurdcore.com exclusive interview with bass and vocalist Josh link HERE. City Of God is carving their musical message upon the concrete canvases and scene savvy fans of their local scene. In their own words, “We look to the coming of the city of God as a day in which the old pains and the old struggles will melt away. We are ordinary men who love Jesus, and we all have stories to tell about His goodness.”

Song that personally means a lot to me… Can’t be tamed (Miley Cyrus). If I had an extra $1000, the first piece of equipment I would purchase for the band is… a cat or two. Current trend in music/scene that bugs me… closed minds. Current trend in music/scene that is positive… hardcore will never die! Currently reading… your [hurdcore.com] questions. Currently watching… The Hills (Team Spencer). Top 5 songs in my personal iPod right now… Serpant Servant by Impending Doom (Micheal); Song for the broken by Close Your Eyes (Zack); Casey Jones by Grateful Dead (Josh); A Manditory Sacrifice by Oceano (James); Bruticus by Shockwave (Andrew). Any crazy pre-performance rituals? We sacrifice a goat and pour the blood on our instruments. It’s called prayer. Best memory that comes to mind from a show/tour… There was a Christmas show with Fallstar at Noisebox. There was an awesome turnout and James was praying in the back room way before we got on to do our set. Once we rang out for the first song the entire room went nuts, we don’t recall anyone sitting still. It was so rad to worship with all those kids. Worst memory that comes to mind from a show/tour… There was one show where everyone stood in a circle like 30 feet away from us, nobody moved and it was awkward. They were probably uncomfortable with all the cameras filming us for a documentary.

City of God > Hardcore/Christian > Gresham, Oregon is:
James – Vocals; Steve – Guitar/Vocals; Zackk – Guitar/Vocals; Josh – Bass/Vocals; Mike – Drums. Check out their music and tours on the COG Myspace.

Local and national band interviews and reviews provided weekly, typically fresh interview posted every Sunday with additional content posted throughout the week fresh from hurdcore.com and our friends. From Seattle to Portland, Spokane to Eugene and Davenport through Chicago, we are expanding local outposts to cover local hardcore, metal and hip-hop bands from Washington, Oregon, California, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa and beyond. Stay tuned to hurdcore.com, friend us on myspace and join us facebook. Hurdcore is open to partnerships to promote local arts, music and entertainment as well as advertising opportunities – hurdcore@gmail.com – be specific in “subject” line.

There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death. Proverbs 14:12

Whenever a band shows any scantily of ingenuity it vapidly becomes a chalk mark in the hyphen-core ad infinitum for the heavy music genre. Mourning For Memories is making their mark with their music and a distinct collection of guitars. One pink guitar in particular has spawned Kitty-Core, or more specifically Hello-Kitty-Core (read on to uncover the entire story). We’ve had the privilege of experiencing Mourning For Memories live when they opened the festivities at Savage Fest earlier this year. Gladly we were able to catch up with this Washougal, Washington based thrash/hardcore band via the wonders of internet based social networking for an exclusive hurdcore interview. This local band is bringing a positive message in a heavy package and is preparing to play in a venue near you.

Mourning For Memories enters the Portland area hardcore/metal scene, what is the meaning behind your name?
MFM The meaning of our name falls from a belief that once you live a moment it becomes a memory. That and we thought it just sounded cool.

How would you define your sound and what makes Mourning For Memories unique
MFM We’ve been called a number of things from thrash to hardcore but with our new songs we’ve been trying to incorporate a style of our own to further our bands individuality.

MFM has launched with a duet of vocal brutality, what directed you to take this tactic in dividing vocal responsibilities?
MFM As for the dual vocal approach we feel our live performance can be far more entertaining when a singer/screamer isn’t constantly out of breath and panting for his life.

In your song, “Sometimes Dead Is Better” you have the very pointed lyric, “You’ll soon be choking on your guilt or is that emotion there?” Is this a break up song or is there another story behind it?
MFM The song “Sometimes Dead Is Better” could be called a break up song but i think it goes much further then that. It also has some underlying concepts of self realization and redemption.

Speaking of guilt, it often seems that people either feel guilty for things that aren’t their responsibility or there are those who feel no guilt when they should be accountable. The aforementioned song seems to address the sort of person that falls into the later category, how do people convince themselves that they bear no guilt?
MFM Life is a lot about who you surround yourself with and choices you make along that path. For someone to go through life with a mentality of no remorse seems like that would be caused by something far deeper then one could tell. And because we don’t feel we think that way, we just don’t know…

Other than you love for music, what is the bond that fuels Mourning for Memories?
MFM We just want to have people listen to our music and be the forerunners of a new sounds we wish to create through our music. We are also all Christians and believe that music is a great and passionate way to show our love for Christ through our live performance and energy. Despite our somewhat aggressive style and appearance we really enjoy our fans and love seeing new faces at shows. That being said we are Christians in a band not a Christian band.

What do you hope Mourning For Memories is known and remembered for?
MFM Hopefully people are remembering us for our live performance and the passion we feel for the music we play.

You are fairly new as a band yet you’ve played with some well known names and some of the biggest venues in and around the Portland area.
How receptive are fans to new bands like MFM?
MFM Some shows have gone a lot better then others. It seems that sometimes crowds can be very genre driven and the softer side of our music seems to burn out on some people before we can get into our set. However some shows turn out great and everyone seems alive and moving. We are a new band so hopefully as time goes on we can continue to get better and branch out to a larger fan base.

Do you remember how your first show went?
MFM Our first show was at the Pop Culture in Vancouver [Washington]. Our friends Aleen got us on that show and we are still thankful today. We were supposed to play 1st but showed up late and went up second. So the stress from it being our first show got worse since we were up after what would have been the second band. Our band just kept our cool and got on stage called everyone to the front with Dustin’s (Aleen) help. We played 4 of our songs because that was all we had written at that point in time. It was one of our favorite shows and we had a great time playing it, the crowd responded really great to our sound and live performance.

How have you grown as individual performers and as a band in the time that you have been together?
MFM We’ve all progressed in the instruments we play as well as the vocals which used to be a huge concern for us. We feel that everytime we make a song it should be better then the others previously written without sacrificing our sound.

What is the story behind the Hello Kitty guitar?
MFM The story behind the Hello Kitty guitar…ok, we have a friend who has helped us out a lot, his name is Victor Perez and he gave us some guitars to use and we thought that it would just be really funny to have one of us playing a pink Hello Kitty Strat. Not only was it funny but it started a revolution hahaha KITTY CORE woot woot. But sadly we have stopped using it lately but tell you what any show that hurdcore attends we will bust out the Kitty Core.

Mourning For Memories is: Tyler Duff – VOKILLZ; Steven Murphy – GEETARS; Dylan Pollard – GEETARS; Kyle Van Zitteren – SLAPPIN DA BASS; Mike Towell – PERCUSSION. Keep up to date with songs, releases and tour info at the MFM Myspace

The hurdcore.com format provides a new interview with local and national bands at least once weekly with additional content related to reviews, releases or other music information throughout the week. Local bands throughout the West Coast and Mid West – Seattle, Spokane, Vancouver, Portland, Salem, Albany, Eugene, Medford, Moline, Davenport. Stay tuned to hurdcore.com, friend us on myspace and join us facebook. To request album reviews, band bios, interviews or to discuss advertising opportunities email us – hurdcore@gmail.com – be specific in “subject” line.

“At last the time has come!” he [Jesus] announced. “The Kingdom of God is near! Turn from your sins and believe this Good News!” Mark 1:15