Through creativity and drive, Lafa Taylor has put his energetic stamp on a variety of ventures from solo hip-hop artist, DJ FreakFunk, Vibration Clothing and experimentation in a variety of musical styles. Hurdcore.com first became aware of the name Lafa Taylor after being introduced to the video for “Rollin’ Dough”, where Lafa challenges himself to take words that sound the same and use them with different meanings to create a very intriguing rhyme with seamless flow. Lafa is preparing to return to his home turf in Eugene, bringing the party once again to the WOW Hall as he continues to focus his efforts this summer in his solo music. We stole a few minutes with Lafa for this hurdcore.com interview.

How would you describe what you are about and what you are trying to accomplish with your music?
Lafa Taylor: I am about life experience… the good, the bad, the beautiful, the ugly.. and about communicating that through usually danceable music..
I usually focus on the beautiful and sometimes comical but its all there…
music unites.. music saves.. music educates, music excites

Lafa has evolved into many projects, which ones are you focusing the bulk of your current energies in?
LT: Right now I am in full focus on the return of Lafa Taylor.. the singer the emcee, the producer

As a young hip-hop head in Eugene, how/when did you go from spectator to creator?
LT: I played my first real show towards the end of my high school years… First show was as “DNLT” with my homie Dan Millar.

How has moving to California expanded and/or changed your approach to music?
LT: Well, the bass music scene in the bay area has definitely influenced my music, as well as the sunshine, and active artist community in the bay.. and beyond..

Mixed Emotions is the latest EP, available for FREE download, is quite a bit more low key than previous Lafa offerings, what is the essence of this album?
LT: I wanted to explore some new sides of my musical self as well as some new sounds.. I wanted to experiment w more bass music as well as some more minimal rnb style production.. the content is about life and love..

We are excited to see you back in Eugene at the WOW Hall on 4/28/11, what else is on the agenda for Lafa in 2012?
LT: Excited to be playing lots of festivals this summer (10 or so).. and continue to release more new music…!! I will be releasing my summer schedule in a few days in my Facebook music page Here: http://www.facebook.com/LafaTaylorMusic
also I will be releasing a new original song when I reach 2,222 likes, to like if you like!

Lafa Taylor is a solo experimental hip-hop artist based out of Eugene, OR and now working out of San Bruno, CA. Keep up to date with via the Lafa Website or the Lafa FB.

Bring out the casket, this is the official announcement for the death of When Bears Attack! As the members amicably depart, Defender will arise to fill the void in the Southern Illinois hardcore scene. After a moment of silence for the passing of WBA, catch this hurdcore.com exclusive interview with vocalist Travis Lambert. Defender will continue to work with the team at We Are Triumphant Records, taking the lessons of the last few years to re-brand and rebuild as they keep grinding through the Midwest.

Who/how did Defender come about?
Travis Lambert (Vocals): In talking with our management we decided it would be for the best to re-brand and start fresh with a new style we all loved.

Is this a side project?
TL: No sir/mam, this is the beginning of something different for WBA! [When Bears Attack] After the 27th of April WBA will be no more!

Was there a separation/split from When Bears Attack?
TL: After some thought we figured it best for our sample/synth player Aaron to step away from the band musically and just be our best bud all the time. Which was a great thing for him but it created a lot of downtime for us and as well we had time to think it over and go with what we feel is in the best interest of the band.

What is the vision for this evolution of the band?
TL: The vision is to spread more than anything positivity through our songs and through talking to people because in the current state of the genre hate is a widespread disease and love needs to find a way back in it.

How about the name, what is the story behind the selection of Defender?
TL: The name was chosen after we had about 3 including that one to choose from. It sounded the coolest!

What are some of the biggest lessons you have learned this far into your music career and how do you plan to apply those to Defender?
TL: Never stop! Continuously book, play, promote, interact at all times! That’s what we’re going to put in to practice this time around. And it doesn’t hurt to have an awesome label backing you like We Are Triumphant! Check out the Defender page Facebook.com/dfndrofficial and get a free download of our new song “Hypocrite”!

Defender (Hardcore / Illinois) is: Travis Lambert – Vocals; Luke Johnson – Guitar/Vocals; Tyler Lambert – Drums. Part of the We Are Triumphant family, keep up to date at the Defender FB.

We love good food. We love good music. With a clean perspective and a desire to build upon the lessons learned the hard way, Rock The Dish founder Rhett Davison is pairing the hulking personality of Chef Jonathan Keith with upcoming local Northwest musicians to create tasty audio/visual morsels. Keep you eyes, ears and noses alert as Rock The Dish continues to add entrees to their musical interview buffet, expanding our palate for local rock and rolls.

For Rhett this is the second incarnation of this concept, what were the biggest lessons you learned from Heavy Metal Chef?
Rhett Davison (Founder): Clarity and production are essential when it comes to doing something innovative in the music scene today. I was doing a lot of drugs and basically burned out. The HMC was all about sex, drugs and rockn’ roll, not about being healthy, organized and monogamous. If there was a lesson to take from the HMC, it would be to work with new bands on the rise and not on the fall. People want to hear something that is fresh and crazy, kinda like, and excuse me Jack Black while I steal a line from The P.O.D., “Electric Dynamite!”

How did the two of you meet?
RD: I am assuming you are talking about Chef Jonathan Keith, whom I met whilst slaving away at Bon Apetit’ at the Amazon campus in Seattle. If you’ve ever met Chef Jonathan, you would first notice his monolithic size – as he wears a size 16 shoe, tips the scales around 350, and stands a mere 6’4″. I will reference a Bible story once…I’m David and he is Goliath.

When/how did it become clear to the both of you that this was something you wanted to take a run at?
RD: Coming from California, I got used to nice weather. That being said, I was going crazy just working everyday and sitting on the couch watching my life pass me by. I had noticed Jonathan’s outgoing personality with patrons at work and that he had just graduated from Cordon Bleu’s Culinary Academy and the light just went off to try the idea one more time with a cleaner head and approached him with the idea.

For those that haven’t seen your work yet, what is the concept?
RD: Let me say it in a poetic way – bands are like freshly baked Focacia, we are here to butter them up and serve whilst they are still warm.

Where can fans see both your finished work and find out how to catch you live?
RD: Rock The Dish is on YouTube right now and fine tuning our edits, but if you go to YouTube and type in “Rock The Dish” you’ll find some episodes there. We will be filming LIVE Super Geek League April 20th at the Showbox in Seattle and working with the guys from BIGTOP and MACE to do some fire blowing HOW TO episodes which will be all shot outside (obviously) at the KANE FESTIVAL.

Who have you worked with so far?
RD: Big Eyes, SmokeJumper, Prophets of Addiction, Jeffertitti’s Nile, Piston Ready, KoozBane, Chadwick Stokes and the Pintos, Shoot the Hostage, Me Talk Pretty, Witchburn, The Hoot Hoots, Fox and the Law.

What have been some of the highlights for you so far?
RD: It would have to be the interview we did with the two guys from Jefferetitti’s Nile, Jeff Ramuno and Ignacio Gonzalez, with Lisa Dank in the back of their tour Van. Oh and I took Koozbane crabbing off the pier in Edmonds. We caught two HUGE sunfish (No we didn’t eat them).

You recently worked out a deal with a beverage company, how did this come about?
RD: I was thirsty. Um, Patrick with Cooper and Sons was flirting with my girlfriend and gave her his card at Trader Joes and she gave me his card so I called him. Chef Jonathan and I met him at Uptown Espresso. The rest is history. Goto our Youtube and checkout the Absynthe Commercial we did, super nifty.

What are the next steps for the Rock The Dish crew?
RD: Chef Jonathan Keith is growing his fro out to become the Bob Ross of cooking. We are always looking for the next big “THANG” so if you are in a band and you think you got what it takes, we want to cook with you.

Rock The Dish is Rhett Davison (Founder/Production) and Chef Jonathan Keith. Catching them cooking and jamming with local bands in throughout the Seattle area, as well as at the RTD Website, RTD Facebook and RTD YouTube.

When we heard that Savage Fest was returning, we knew it was time to catch up with local artist and producer Riley Rose to get the skinny on what fans of heavy music can expect from the re-emergence of this spectra of local talent. With a wealth of experience attacking the music scene from several vantage points, our thanks to Riley for taking the time to share once again with hurdcore.com on the eave of Savage Fest 2.

Who have you been working with in producing and recording at Siren Studios?
Riley Rose: As of right now, I am working on a 5 song EP for a band called Show Your Strength out of Camas, WA. They are a kind of metal/hardcore crossbreed band and their music is fun to work on because it’s not my typical genre. I am also working on recording a full length for my band …And The Sirens Sang which has a metalcore feel to the music but is very driven by symphonic elements such as orchestra and piano parts.

You have worked in recording as a musician and as a producer, what have you learned as some of the keys to capturing passion in a recording?
RR: Well to be honest, basically every project that I record nowadays doesn’t really call for passion or different feels instrumentally speaking. 99% of the music is just like metalcore or hardcore and bands want everything to sound perfectly tight and choppy, so there really isn’t much room to work with specific feels or moods. Vocals though are a different story. I like screaming to sound big and passionate and so that sometimes takes vocalists a little while to really tap into the emotional aspect to bring that out. I try to push them to really feel what they are screaming and not just kind of blandly record the vocals. Singing is the same story. I just try to make everyone lay everything out on the line and not hold back at all. At the end of the day, it makes for much more powerful sounding songs.

For bands looking to record, what will you get when you work with Siren Studios?
RR: At Siren Studios, you will get the best recordings that I can possibly give you at a cost lower than 99% of local studios, as well as an audio engineer who puts in easily twice the amount of work than most to ensure that you leave satisfied. You’ll get someone who isn’t going to work any less hard than they would work on their own music. I can name several audio engineers around this area who won’t try as hard for bands that they don’t like or whatever and that’s not my thing. I want every band that comes in to record with me to leave happy and I can’t achieve that by bullsh–ting my way through a project. I ensure that the proper amount of time is taken in every stage of the project. Pre-production, where we sit down and write out the songs and make sure that all of the transitions work well together is the most critical in my opinion, and most people who you record with don’t want to take the time to do it, but I make sure it happens. This way, at the end of the project you don’t hear something and wish you would have transitioned it better or dropped tempo on it or whatever and end up not completely satisfied.

So, you are bringing Savage Fest back after a hiatus last year. For those who missed this conglomeration of local heavy music artists, what can you tell us about this years line up?
RR: I definitely am! I had a ton of fun with it two years ago, and after seeing nothing but lame local shows (minus a few exceptions obviously), I decided that it was time to bring something like this back – a showcase of some of the best that this area can offer in the metal/hardcore genre. This year’s lineup features one of the very best metalcore bands in the area, “We Rise The Tides” as headliners. Beside them will be my band “Asleep At Last”, as well as 11 other amazing bands from the area. The bill includes metalcore bands, hardcore bands, pop punk bands, old school metal bands, and death metal bands so the lineup is much more diverse. I also wanted this year’s Savage Fest to give the bands an opportunity to determine their own time slots, so I gave each band tickets and the lineup will be determined by who sells the most tickets. It is also at a much bigger venue, so I believe that this show will be better in every aspect than the previous Savage Fest 2010. Oh, and of course, this show is all about the Macho Man Randy Savage being the best wrestler ever!

When is Savage Fest II – where and how do people get tickets?
RR: Savage Fest II is on March 31, 2012 in Camas, WA at the Fern Prairie Grange. Tickets can be purchased from any band that is playing the show for $8, and you can get a full list of the lineup on Savage Fest II Facebook by searching the event. Tickets will also be available at the door for $10.

What is the status of And The Sirens Sang?
RR: Currently, …And The Sirens Sang is just my solo project instead of a full live band. I am just working on recording my first full length “II: In Death And Dreams” and I have begun writing an EP titled “I: Amore”, a second full length titled “III: Of Sin And Salvation”, a second EP, and a third full length (to be released in that order with “II: In Death And Dreams” being the first release). Every album will have a different sound than the last, and I am really excited about how everything is coming together!

There are so many bands that get through EP and even cutting their first LP, do some touring and then seem to fade away or break up, what have you learned in the last few years about the keys to staying power as a band?
RR: Well, it depends on how you’re going about the band. If you just want to play the music that you love without caring about following popular trends or anything to get big (as I feel with …And The Sirens Sang), then that part of it doesn’t really matter. If you are looking to be the next big band on Rise Records for a week, then go buy five releases from their label that are getting a lot of plays currently, spend two weeks writing a full length that rips off all of those bands’ music, autotune the s–t out of your vocals, and then make a t-shirt that says f–k on it and you should get there in no time. I think that the most important part though in creating a band that will last is doing something that isn’t the same as everything else in the genre and something with heart. You also have to build a band that is strong both as musicians, as well as individuals. You have to be able to be on the road with the people in your band without b–ching constantly or fighting every day. If that’s going on, you won’t make it because you won’t be able to play music together after a short time. You also need to have something visually appealing for an audience as far as your performance goes so that they remember you. Lastly, it is extremely important in my opinion to continually change up your sound and look. That’s how you stay big I think; by reinventing yourselves as artists.

2011 had its share of personal and professional challenges for you, what were some of the biggest lessons in life and/or music?
RR: I learned that I have to do what’s good for me. I have tried a lot to appease other people at the cost of my own feelings or whatever, and by the end of last year I just decided to not do that anymore. I’ve changed a lot in the past couple of years, and I’ve learned to just be happy with myself. I am also more determined than ever to get where I want to be in life as a musician, and I just decided that this was go time and I am going to go full speed ahead and run over anything that gets in my way. Also, I learned not to expect things of people. After doing a certain band a huge favor by filling in for them on an almost full United States tour and getting treated like s–t by them after killing myself every night and spending a lot of money out of pocket on food and s–t (which I was told I wouldn’t have to), I just said f–k that.

Top 5 songs in your personal iPod right now?
RR: AFI – “Synesthesia”, Anorexia Nervosa – “Sister September”, Mayday Parade – “Stay”, Pierce The Veil – “Besitos”, Those Who Lie Beneath – “Antichrist”, We Rise The Tides – “Rests At Sea”

Riley Rose is the owner and operator of Siren Studios and the creator of Savage Fest, currently working with several bands including his solo project …And The Sirens Sang.

Similar to sports, music requires a complete team to get your product to gain and build upon momentum. AAP Booking & Management has been fighting in the trenches with local bands for years and is on the cusp of pushing into additional layers within the national scene through aggressive grassroots efforts mixed with the kind business acumen that comes only through experience. Prepare to see their ads in respected zines such as AP as the AAP team and their cadre of talent continue to tear down the boundaries of what it means to be a local enterprise. Thanks to CEO and AAP mastermind, William Quintana, for taking the time to share with hurdcore.com

There are some new faces on the AAP Management Team since we last talked, how did this current group come together?
William Quintana (CEO): Just through time in the business. I’ve known Johnny for a few years and he’s currently booking his own band on our roster. Same thing with Matt, he’s booking for his band Nothing Til Blood. Brandon is our main designer at this point and he’s doing an incredible job! I met him through a band I’ve worked with in the past and he’s been one of the best things AAP has had happen to us.

Tell us a little about your current roster of bands.
WQ: Our current roster of bands is amazing. We have a great amount of diversity and won’t focus on just one genre/scale of music. We have signed and unsigned artist, full time/part time touring artists and everything in between. Some bands that you should DEFINITELY watch out for in 2012 are Havenside, Altars, Projections and Capture The Flag. Although, our whole roster is incredible.

As you have contiuned to grow with the business of managing artists, what have you established as some of the key things you look for when interviewing a prospective band?
WQ: The first thing I look at is a solid sound. I want good recordings and well written songs. From there I like to talk to the band and feel them out. See what they’re going to bring to our roster and vice versa. We offer a ton of different ideas and programs to our bands and I try to tailor a game plan for each band specifically.

Now that you have several years of shows and tours under your belt, what do you look for in creating a successful event?
WQ: Good bands. hahaha. That’s ultimately the core of everything we do!

They say in business that when you start out you are grasping for any sort of revenue/traction, but as you build momentum you start to develop a stronger base of quality relationships. What have been the biggest hurdles and lessons that have come out of 2011?
WQ: Expect the unexpected and learn to keep your cool. People sometimes aren’t on the same page as you and you need to do everything you can to stay calm and get your point across in the best manner possible.

What are the tactical plans for AAP growth in 2012?
WQ: More tours and more advertising. We’re purchasing advertising in issues of Alternative Press Magazine every month as of late and plan on doing so for a while.

For music fans that may be cruising iTunes for jams, what are some of the tops songs from your artists that you would recommend they take a look at?
WQ: I’d definitely recommend checking out Havenside’s new record (coming out April 3rd)! Just check out all of our bands on Facebook and keep up with what they’re doing. All of our bands are releasing new music regularly!

Best advice you can give to bands that have put the time in on the “garage sessions” and are ready to start doing work?
WQ: Be prepared to lose a lot of money, make a lot of new friends and experience a ton of stress/hardships. Everyone isn’t made for touring. If you are, you’ll know after your first few tours. If it doesn’t feel right, get out before you’re too deep.

What do you see as the most significant change(s) in music since you started AAP in 2008?
WQ: The lack of brotherhood in a lot of scenes and venues are closing down more and more regularly. We need to stick together and make sure that this community is around 20 years from now and even further.

AAP (Artist Agency & Promotions) is a full service artist development company with services ranging from booking to artist management to graphic design and much, much more. Check out AAP Web or AAP FB.

Powered by Tolli Sour Brite Crawlers and a passion to create music that challenges the ears as well as the soul, When Bears Attack continues to carve their niche in the Midwest heavy music scene. Hot off the release of their first full length album, Elisha, and their new partnership with We Are Triumphant, WBA is prepared to continue their marathon run into 2012 and beyond. Our thanks to vocalist Travis Lambert for taking the time to share in this interview with hurdcore.com

Elisha has finally been birthed and released into the world, with the long labor period that went into writing, demolishing and reworking this album what do you see as the key lesson that you learned from the process?
Travis Lambert (Vocals): A huge lesson is to never wait for anyone, get it done the way you know best and put it out! When it comes to albums you should never take a chance, especially when your release date was already planned.

The WBA sound is ever evolving, do you have an set process for how you hammer out a song or does each song take on a personality of its own?
TL: Usually includes Luke and Myself (Travis) hammering out the song with just guitar and lyrics, then we have a full band practice and start meshing everyone’s ideas together and start forming the song to our liking.

Are you conscious of pressures on your efforts to be a certain something – whether from OG fans who want you to be what WBA was, from the industry to fit into this-or-that style or even from yourselves to reach a certain sound that you are after?
TL: We are very conscious of those pressures, but not to the point that it effects our writing or our views of what we want to sound like as a band.

For 2012, who is WBA working with and what events do you plan to attack?
TL: In early 2011 we teamed up with management/label We Are Triumphant. They have been really great in pushing us forward and keeping us from staying idle for too long! We plan on doing 2 or 3 tours this summer and plan on playing Ichthus and Cornerstone festival this summer.

Now that you have been at WBA several years, what have you learned about the business side to music that are keys to “success”?
TL: Staying active, getting involved with the few great people that are in this so called “industry” and getting your name out by any means possible!

When Bears Attack! is: Aaron Nosbisch (Synth/Keys); Lucas Johnson (Lead Guitar); Tyler Lambert (Drums); Travis Lambert (Lead Vocals); Dylan Stanek (Bass/Vocals). Melodic hardcore from Collinsville, IL. Connect – WBA FB or @WhenBearsAttack. Check out their latest EP Elisha

What do you do when you aren’t invited to play The Mayhem Festival? You could complain or give up like the rest or you can take your music to the people in the fashion of The Athiarchists by renting a generator and playing the nearby parking lot. Having stepped their game up from generators in parking lots to literally playing music on the road, there may be no band with more raw initiative than this thrash duo from Eugene, Oregon. The Athiarchists’ drive has brought them further into the limelight as they have appeared on shows such as Rob Dyrdek’s Fantasy Factory, through which their Mobile Adventure Stage received a first class pimping, as well as playing the 2011 Mayhem Festival at the ramp of The Metal Mulisha Jump Show. Fresh of the self release of their second album, A Verbal Lashing, we are thankful to vocalist Aaron Tunnell for taking the time to share with hurdcore.com

You started your journey by playing Mayhem Festival parking lots, wWhat were the best experiences that came out of your now trademark DIY approach to getting your music heard?
Aaron Tunnell – Vocals/Guitar: That’s basically how it all started, we just took some generators out into the parking lot and started raging it. The first generator show we did was outside The Grove in Anaheim, CA for a Hatebreed / Type O Negative / 3IOB show and we had 2 – 2000 watt Honda generators. The police showed up in a helicopter, then sent in cars, they let us finish playing our last song, asked us if we were done, and left, it was pretty cool not getting a ticket.

After that show we had seen that The Mayhem Festival was starting up for its first year (2008) on the west coast, so we hooked into a trailer, set the drums up inside, and headed to the first Mayhem show. We ended up doing 4 of the shows that year (Seattle, San
Francisco(shut down by police), Fresno, and San Diego and they were all pretty epic, people were stoked, the tour never shut us down (the police did in San Francisco), and a few of the bands came out and talked to us. Throughout the next year (2009) we took our generators to a few random locations and played random shows in the middle of town, we always had our generators and a PA with us, and were constantly on tour.

We only went to the Seattle Mayhem show in 2009, one of the Livenation people got really pissed off at us and told us we had to leave or they would impound all of our s—. It was then that we realized we needed to mobilize our operation, so we could drive up and rage, close a door, and drive off. It’s hard to leave in a hurry when you have to pack up equipment for 15 minutes.

Around April of 2010 I went down to the local lawn mower repair shop/U-haul dealership in Eugene and bought a 24 foot U-Haul for $2700 with 224,000 miles on it. Took it to Overhead Door and they installed a 16 foot roll up door on the side, cut a hole in the floor and mounted a 12,500 watt Onan generator to the frame. We literally built
everything else in 2 weeks, the 2 weeks before mayhem that year. Our plan was to go out and follow the tour for as long as we could and see what happens.

The generator was not working when we left, and it was summer time so every Onan dealership was booked out for 2 weeks. We didn’t make it to the first two shows, after driving to 4 Onan dealerships on the way to San Bernadino, forced to turn around, driving 20 hours for no reason at all. With a lot of help from the internet, I ended up
becoming a professional Onan generator mechanic in a little under 48 hours. The problem was an $800 control card, and to replace it, you had to remove almost every part from the generator. So outside The Roseland Theatre in Portland at a Hatebreed show, in about 5 hours I put the card in, hit the start button, and it finally started.

That first show was probably one of the most epic shows we have ever done with it, we were playing 10 feet away from a concrete wall, right as 2,000 people got out of a Hatebreed show, it was f—ing nuts. The story just goes on and on from here, if you go to http://mobilestage.wordpress.com I wrote a blog entry almost every day of the crazy f—ing music adventure.

I would say some of the best experiences we have had on this approach was this last summer on Mayhem Tour. We were playing 3-4 times a day under The Metal Mulisha jump show, then on the last 10 shows we were getting to play on the Revolver or Jagermeister stage because In flames unfortunately had to leave the tour. Also the whole Fantasy Factory thing was really amazing. Really the most amazing thing is just accomplishing all of this ourselves and not relying on a record label or manager, just doing it because we love to play music, it shows through, and is why we have been able to do any of this.

Obviously the idea grew as you took your show on the road with The Music Adventure stage, which received a serious pimping after your rocked out in front of Rob Dyrdek’s Fantasy Factory, do you plan any Bleeding Frogs reunion shows or tour?
AT: One can always hope for a Bleeding Frogs reunion show, but everyone in that band is so busy, it was awesome and we would of course be down to do a tour, but for now the closest you get is us covering it as a two piece

Where did the idea come from to hit the road playing music 365 days a year anywhere and everywhere?
AT: Just the pure love and passion for music, its like an addiction. I
really don’t care if I make any money playing music, just being able to do it is worth more to me than anything. Nothing is better than the feeling of breaking even while you are on the road, and that is all I have ever hoped for.

For bands that may think they want to attempt The Athiarchist Traveling-Band-Plan, what were the hurdles and/or lumps that came with this degree of touring?
AT: It definitely takes the right people, it is a lot harder to keep 5
people together in a band than it is to keep 2 or 3 people together in a band. You never know how someone is on the road though until you are out with them on the road. A lot of bands wonder why they can only tour once a year, they say it is so expensive, but they are also eating 3-4 times a day, and buying drinks at bars. The less money you spend on pointless s—, the more time you can be out on the road.

It is also a lot harder to fit a 5 piece band into a 24 foot mobile stage. If you want to build a mobile stage, I would recommend not buying a gas powered one that gets 3 miles per gallon. I would also recommend getting a good generator first and doing parking lot shows for awhile, wherever, and whenever. There is a lot of knowledge that went into the design of the mobile stage, that you can only learn from experience and how your band operates.

Don’t ever feel like you deserve to get paid. So many f—ing bands wonder why they can’t play as many shows as we have, and they are the same band that was talking s— about the sound guy last night, or demanding extra drinks from the bartender for free, or demanding they get paid $200 because they are from out of town even though they brought no one. I’m not saying bands don’t deserve to get paid, but when you are in a bar, 300 miles away from your home town, and there are 3 people in it, and you know they didn’t even make enough money to pay the staff, let alone the sound guy, let alone the band…Just let it go, bite the bullet, take it as a loss, with a smile on your face. Don’t talk s— about the promoter, don’t burn any bridges. I guarantee you the next time you come through, they will remember how nice you were, and do their best to get you on a “good” show, where you will get paid, and sell merch.

As a two piece band, what are the biggest challenges to making your music work?
AT: None whatsoever, in fact it makes everything easier. We can write an entire new album on stage live at a show and no one would ever know the difference. Less brains having to interact with each other. At the beginning, before I started playing through a bass amp and a guitar amp, the bass was definitely missing, but now with the bass/guitar and us both doing vocals, the sound is really full.

What does Athiarchist mean? How does that hash out in the way you approach life and music?
AT: Athiarchist came to me about 7 years ago while I was driving down the freeway, trying to run a construction business, getting f—ed over by flag waving christians. I wasn’t into music when I came up with it either, it just sort of described my way of thinking, f— the government, and f— religion. I thought maybe I would make shirts of the logo and give them to people that felt the same way. Then I did
acid and started playing the guitar, decided f— trying to make it in the real world, play music, it is the only thing no one can take away from you. They can take your instruments, but they can’t take away your musical ability, it is more reliable than any retirement plan.

You have made your whole career up to this point fighting against the machine, are there any pieces to your unfolding plan that involve the standard metrics for band (ie getting signed, recording, distribution, etc)?
AT: I would never say never, but as far as the current record label and distribution model goes, its just too f—ed up. If anything it would be nice to have a booking person, I hate having to call places, and definitely wouldn’t mind paying someone to do that. It is just so nice not having to deal with a record label, and it is why we have been able to do everything we have done, DIY is a good way to be, you
don’t need someone scraping money off your intellectual property.

Your latest album is entitled A Verbal Lashing, do you record on the road as well or where/who did you work with to get this album tracked?
AT: The plan for the mobile stage this year was to have live recordings of every show. we got a Presonus Firestudio mixer, it was bad ass, but it only lasted for 2 shows before blowing up. So that is the eventual goal, but not the current plan. All of our recordings have been done by our good friend Mike Lavin, he also was a huge part in building the mobile stage, designed all the electrical and audio. A Verbal Lashing was recorded live at The Black Forest in Eugene, OR with 3 Presonus Firepods. We have found the best way to capture the aggression of our music, is to do it live.

For those who may not be familiar with The Athiarchists, which track would give someone the best picture of who you are as a band?
AT: I would say “Please Pardon Your Belief In God” would give someone the best picture of who we are, it covers most of the styles we do, musically and lyrically. As far as the definition for the word Athiarchist, the song “Athiarchist” would be the best one for that. Then the latest song we have recorded was “Say It Again B—-” and it was done at The Metal Mulisha Sound Playground, it ended up on the
Hatewear compilation CD this summer on Mayhem.

Top 5 songs currently in your personal iPod?
AT: Pink Floyd – Echoes; Meatloaf – Bat Out Of Hell (entire CD); Oingo Boingo – Dead Man’s Party; The Haunted – The Dead Eye (entire CD); The Mentors – Donkey Dick.

The Athiarchists are a two piece Thrash band from Eugene, Oregon – Aaron Tunnell (Guitar/Vocals) and Dano (Drummer). Check them out at AA FB or follow their Music Adventure Tour.

Beside The Abyss is a band that appreciates the roots of metal, having grown up with the classics they are continuing to fuse some of the spirit of classic rock into their approach to metal. Working from their base in Battle Ground, Washington, this 5 piece metal-meets-metalcore band is preparing to record, tour and further their reach beyond their local scene. Our thanks to founding member and vocal/guitarist Austin Paprska for taking time for this hurdcore.com interview. Fans can catch Beside The Abyss live as part of the deep roster of local heavy music at Savage Fest 2 in Camas, WA on Saturday, March 31, 2012.

In November you announced that you were firing up your own Kickstarter project – how has the effort been and what do you plan to do with the resources?
Austin Paprska (Guitar/Vocals): As of November we haven’t raised much money from our Kickstarter program that which were initially hoping would do somewhat well. Our apprehension was that we wanted to gain funds towards our tour this summer. We are still saving and investing our own personal finances, but if we could get any support that would help us immensely.

Beside The Abyss is a fairly young band but you have already had some key turnover, who are the new faces?
AP: Beside The Abyss has had two member changes in the last 2 years of us being a band. The first was Andrew Shaner who had originally helped us start the band (Kyle Smith, the drummer, and myself). He helped write some of the riffs, which we still use today from our first set that we had ever written. Nathan McCammon is our new vocalist, since October. He has been a huge blessing to us in the sense of his lyric writing, his stage presence and the positive vibes that he brings this band.

While many modern bands are moving towards “post hardcore” your music hails from a classic rock foundation with old school ghutteral vocals, what has the reception been for your style?
AP: The reception for our style has been pretty great actually. We try to go for a combination of old school heavy metal influences, with a blend of traditional Metalcore, as well as some post-hardcore influences. People dig our sound, as we do too.

Being that you all cite classic bands as your biggest influences, what are the top 5 songs currently in your personal iPod?
AP: In my personal ipod, I actually play more of the modern Metalcore stuff. I love Metallica though! That is my all time biggest influence in music. For the most part I listen to a lot of The Devil Wears Prada, August Burns Red, As I Lay Dying, and Killswitch Engage. I love all of their songs so it’d be hard to choose just one from each.

You have an EP with the working title of, ‘In Shadows Lie Demons”, who did you work with to record?
AP: We are keeping the title of the EP tentative simply because we haven’t released it in a physical form yet. However, the songs that we have up on our Facebook page were recorded by a man named Rich Recker, who has a band called “Recker”. He is fairly local to us. We are also currently in the process of wrapping up our two latest tracks that we wrote in late Spring of 2011. This is our newly refined sound being that we wrote it after Andrew Shaner was dis-banded. We recorded these two latest tracks with a man named Jesse Portukalian who is also fairly local to us.

If you were forced to choose a single for promotional purposes, which song do you feel best represents BTA?
AP: In my honest opinion, our “Single” would have to be our latest song which is not up on our page yet, but will be soon entitled “Thor”. Again this title of this song is very tentative being that we wrote it with our ex-vocalist Joshua Johnson. We wrote and composed new lyrics thus leading towards a soon to be title change. This song has traditional “As I Lay Dying” type riffs in it, as well as solos, breakdowns, and thrashy riffs.

As a fairly new band, what have been the biggest hurdles and lessons you have learned at this stage in your pursuit of rock?
AP: As a fairly new band, our biggest hurdles that we have faced would have to be playing shows with people that we don’t necessary share the same beliefs with. We love all people, but sometimes it is hard to be around people of separate morals and values. We tend to get along with nearly everyone that we cross paths with though. Also we have dealt with crappy promoters, and people that we have spent hours and months of time with that didn’t even help us out to compensate us to some extent, via gas, food money etc.

Has anyone given you some recent advice that was really helpful and/or changed the way you thought about things?
AP: We played a pretty big show back in September called “Project Independent” which was a tour that hosts Metal bands of all sub-genres. We played the show and at the end of our set we received some pretty good critiques. Some of which we chose to incorporate and others not as much. We usually just give each other advice and discuss what can potentially help us not only grow closer as a band, but to further our musical cause.

Beside The Abyss (Metal – Battle Ground, WA) is: Nathan (Tongan) McCammon – Vocals; Austin (PAPZ) Paprska – Vocals/Guitars; Kenney (Kenyon) Elliott – Guitars; Kyle (Kjl) Smith – Drums; Wes (King Gunger) Ovall – Bass. Stay connected at BTA FB

The DIY drive of Trevor McNevan has grown from the local Ontario underground scene, which launched his music career some 16 years ago, and has matured into a double headed monster making huge impressions in the diverse worlds of both heavy music as well as pop-punk genres. 2012 will bring the next evolution of sound for Thousand Foot Krutch as well as the return to their self production roots with the release of their latest album, The End Is Where We Begin, which will be dropping April 17th. Special thanks to Josh Eldridge of The Musebox for setting up this hurdcore.com interview with Thousand Foot Krtuch songwriter and singer, Trevor McNevan.

Every start up band is fighting to get signed, yet with recent developments and trends in the music world the tools are available to take the DIY approach. What did you enjoy most about your time with Tooth & Nail?
Trevor McNevan (Vocals): Tooth is a great label family. Our experience together was deeper than music, we built great relationships and friendships with the staff there over time, and it’s a great home for any band. I think what we liked best about the label itself, was that they allowed us to have full creative control, that’s something a lot of labels don’t allow their artists to have. I could write about whatever I was inspired to write about and move wherever we felt we needed to move, and that was a key factor in TFK being who we are and growing where we’ve grown, and where we’re growing now.

What all went into your decision to release this latest album on your own?
TM: We took a lot of time to do our homework and pray about the right decision for this band here. We had some very generous deals on the table from a lot of labels, but in the end, we felt confident that this was the right move for us. It was definitely a faith step we had to follow our hearts on. What most people don’t know, is we were independent for a LONG time before signing with Tooth and Nail/EMI, we used to manage ourselves, book ourselves, drive ourselves (I’ve spent more time in a van with the band than probably anywhere else in my life!), hire our own radio/video, and everything in between. After a while, we picked up distribution through the Diamante Group and ended up selling 80,000+ records out of our van. It’s always been about the connection for us, so this allows us to make more of that direct connection and do it on our terms.

Even as you prepare to release this album yourselves, who are the members of your larger team that are helping you assemble all the pieces?
TM: We’ve been working hand in hand with our manager Tony Patoto and his Fuel Music team as our core group, and have brought on radio and publicity in both markets, as well as a film/tv team to continue our strong ties there. Things have been moving quickly on both radio fronts and across the board, so we’re busy getting things ready for the April 17th release!

Die-hard fans often have a difficult time when a band significantly changes their sound, as a band did you intentionally set out to alter your tone or was it more of a natural progression?
TM: We’ve always been a moving target that way, variety has always played a big part in my musical tastes/influences. We’ve always been a rock band first and foremost, but have enjoyed following inspiration through the years and keeping the music honest to what we feel best paints that picture at the time. I’m not a fan of bandwagons, we’ve always stuck to what we wanted to do and followed inspiration when it comes to our records.

If you were to take your knowledge of the business side of music and package it into a summary, what are some of the essential components and/or people your need on your team to make a realistic run at being successful in the industry?
TM: Wow, that’s a long conversation haha, but if I had to nail down a few quickly, I’d say:
a) Make sure you have a passionate team, who understands what you’re trying to do and shares the vision, a team that believes in you and will fight for you in the areas you can’t.
b) Make sure you believe in what you’re doing, because if you don’t, no one will. Don’t make decisions based on money. Follow your heart and inspiration, because that is the one thing you can control, your own songs/records, they’re your voice to the world. If you follow someone else’s plan for you, against your will, and it fails, you’ll regret it, if you follow your heart and fail, you’ll know you tried your best, get up and keep fighting.

How have you worked to keep yourselves focused on what is important to you as you continue to grow in popularity as a band?
TM: Staying true to who you are and what you believe is a daily refocus sometimes. Life gets busy, things get complicated and lines get blurred sometimes. Our faith is a our lifestyle, it’s who we are, not our genre, so it keeps us focused and grounded on what’s important and keeps things in perspective. We try to keep each other accountable on the road, and have incredible wives who are a very big part of keeping life balanced. The same things that were important to us then, are important to us now. To make an impact in our world, through making the best music we can, in the most honest fashion we can.

What is the story/meaning behind the name, “The End Is Where We Begin”?
TM: The title track “The End Is Where We Begin” was actually written before the album title was chosen. This title summarizes everything we’ve been through as a band, and where we are now, the closing of one chapter and the beginning of another. We’ve been through every transition you could face as a band in the past year (aside from the band line up), and our entire team couldn’t be more excited. Against all odds (not to mention some pretty lucrative record contracts), we’re following what we feel the right thing for us to do is, and at the end of the day, that’s our responsibility. We’re very blessed to have the support/trust we do with our audience, they’re as much a part of our team, as anyone else. We wanted to do this together. I can’t thank everyone who’s already supported us in this enough, we’re growing together, and look forward to each new step we take together.

With years under your belt performing with TFK (and noteable side projects such as FM Static) how has your vision and passion for music evolved from the days when you were breaking into the local Ontario scene?
TM: Our vision and passion are still the same, we’re just as excited to write a great song, get out and play shows, and connect with people, as we’ve ever have been. God’s so good man.

Do you remember the first piece of dream gear that you purchased?
TM: YES! I was 12 years old and saved up (with a little help from my P’s) for 2 turntables, a mixer, and a sampler. I think I locked myself in my room the next 2 years having them slide food under the door.

Read anything interesting lately that has your wheels spinning?
TM: “Best Practices Are Stupid: 40 ways to out-innovate the competition” by Stephen Shapiro

Last song you heard that blew you way (what about it grabbed your attention)?
TM: Everything by Ed Sheeran. “Lego House” and “The A Team” were the songs that grabbed me, but I can’t get enough of his stuff right now. I love the songs, it sounds great and he reminds me of just sitting on the bed with a guitar, writing a song. My favorite thing to do. Also, Ross Copperman -”Holding On And Letting Go.” Great song. I heard it on a TV show and had to find it.

Top 5 Songs currently on your iPod?
TM: Ed Sheeran “The A Team”, Gary Jules “Mad World”, The Parlor Mob “Into The Sun”, Rival Sons “Gypsy Heart”, ” Carrie Underwood “Good Girl”.

Thousand Foot Krutch is: Trevor “Teerawk” McNevan, Steve Augustine, Joel Bruyere and Ty Dietzler. Self-releasing their 8th studio album, The End Is Where We Begin 4/17/2012. Connect via the TFK Site or TFK FB.

Hurdcore.com has been a long standing fan of the rise of When Bears Attack! Hailing from the mean streets of Collinsville, Illinois and getting their initial start in the mean scene of local church youth groups, WBA has propelled themselves from the high school talent show ranks and into the underground Midwest. Combining their talents in design and innovation, these young men bear (pun) a message and a burden for the hardcore scene. We found this article from early 2011 that had not made it to publishing, hurdcore.com is glad to release the lost interview with Aaron Nosbisch of When Bears Attack!

At the end of 2010 there was a gap in news from WBA, but there has been a lot more activity as of late. Where is WBA heading in 2011 and beyond?
Aaron Nosbisch – Synth/Keys We had a little bit of a brief-break period to reorganize, and figure out where we wanted to go with WBA. Now that we got everything worked out we are back better than ever! 2011 is going to be a huge year for WBA!

Any juicy reasons for the postponement of momentum from 2010?
AN: Nothing to juicy. One of the bigger issues we had though was that our bassist Dylan Stanek decided that God was leading him to attend Cornerstone Christian Academy in Michigan to get his education.

The tools for making music have made production much more accessible, but monetizing the art is still elusive for the bulk of the bands that are in the mix. Have you discovered any new mediums or venues for living from your art?
AN: Not necessarily, we’ve always just done our own thing & hoped it turned out as good as we felt it was. Our producers are great though, and we’d be nothing without them!

Your most recent posts mention heading to the studio, is this to complete the long awaited EP? (or are you evolving into an LP…?)
AN: This is to finish the long awaited EP. We actually trashed almost all of our old work and started fresh. Our new EP “Elisha” will be much more promising, and will be released…

WBA music is electric and at times eclectic, with an audacious blend of styles and a high level of energy, how has your live show evolved since your origins?
AN: WBA live show is at a whole new level! Nothing you can explain though something you just have to see!

Choices was a bit heavier then earlier offerings, was this just for the song or a peek at the WBA to come?
AN: Definitely! We have become a bit heavier, but very melodic at the same time! There will still be singing though including guest vocals from Tyler “Telle” Smith of The Word Alive!

Is ‘Choices’ about choices? What choices inspired the choices addressed in ‘Choices’?
AN: In everything anyone does you always have a choice. That was the main point or objective to get across in the song.

WBA is a blend of influences, styles and personalities, does this mish-mash ever become a heated or challenging when you go to produce a song?
AN: Never a challenge just a blessing! We have some amazing producers that take care of the hard work.

How often do people associate your name with the Biblical account that inspired it (2 Kings 2:23-25)?
AN: Quite a lot actually, since that is where our name derived from it’s something we try to associate with the band a lot.

As you have carried the name and encountered questions, what do you see as the meat (pun intended) of the message from the story?
AN:

This is a sad story. But it is a very useful and instructive one. Like everything else in the Bible, it was written for your good. It teaches lessons which people should never forget. A few of those that could be learned are listed below!

First, that God takes notice of what you do. He took notice of the “little children” at Bethel, and punished them for their wickedness. Remember, I beg of you, that God has not changed. He is still the same. He is every day taking notice of you.

Second, that it is wrong to mock godly people and despise God’s Word. The little children of Bethel mocked at Elisha, and called him “bald-head.” For so doing they were terribly punished.

Third, that sin is sure to bring sorrow at last. It brought wounds and death on the little children of Bethel. It brought weeping and crying to the homes of their parents. If these wicked boys and girls had not displeased God—they would not have been torn apart by the bears.

We as a band see it as an important lesson and another way to share God’s Word when we are asked where we came up with the unique bands name.

Is it true you’ve never played a show with out Tolli Sour Brite Crawlers?
AN: This is a fact!

When Bears Attack! is: Aaron Nosbisch (Synth/Keys); Lucas Johnson (Lead Guitar); Tyler Lambert (Drums); Travis Lambert (Lead Vocals); Dylan Stanek (Bass/Vocals). Melodic hardcore from Collinsville, IL. Connect – WBA on FB or @WhenBearsAttack. Check out their latest EP Elisha