Our introduction to Bring Me Solace came as part of the showcase of local talent at Savage Fest earlier this year. While Bring Me Solace is fairly new to launch upon the Portland area melodic/progressive metal scene, it doesn’t take long for fans to recognize the degree to which these gentlemen are dedicated to developing their sound. Blending technical savvy with dynamic metal and lyrics pregnant with philosophical pursuits, these Portland based musicians are preparing to release their debut EP “Nomadic Refuge.” Bring Me Solace provides tunes for fans who enjoy hardcore that utilizes the mids, as opposed to dwelling solely in the lowest regions of tone, a baseline that walks further in a single set than you probably did for the entire year, pace setting double bass and thought provoking lyrics.

The Bring Me Solace approach to music and lyrics comes across as very thoughtful and precise, what does the typical writing process look like for you dudes?
Josh (Vocals) & Garrett (Drums) As far as the music writing process, we write our songs starting with Cory, Brandon and Adam, combining riffs and bass lines, but always using a drum machine and laying down a foundation of how we think the drums may sound while we write. Everything comes together almost simultaneously, and Brandon and Cory have a HUGE part in the drum writing process. Garret looks over the drums, learns parts, and changes things that he may want to do differently, though usually we have a pretty good idea how they will be while we write guitars and bass. When it comes to vocals Josh and Brandon generally are the ones who write the lyrics. Some songs we literally write to the song and others we may use pre-existing lyrics and fit them to a song, fully finished or not. After lyrics have been written and we feel that they flow with the song we will revise them together and change certain vocal patterns, if needed. The writing process for us is very much “democratic” in the sense that we all have our say and encourage each other to come forth any creative ideas or concerns.

What is in a label? You are listed as progressive hardcore, how much emphasis do you place on that designation and what does it mean for your sound?
J&G Ya know, we chose those because out of the options given, they seem to fit us best. We are definitely metal, we are definitely progressive, and we always try to make things melodic and dynamic. We can get a bit technical at times, but we try not to overdo it. We don’t really care how people classify us really, we compose music we solely enjoy and hope that others will be able to feel it and enjoy it as much as we do. We don’t follow necessarily what the trend may be at the time or judge our direction or what we should do according to what is going on out there. Though, we would never want to continue writing music that may get old, or become unpopular, we feel our music is fairly well-rounded and diverse enough to hopefully be able to just be heard and appreciated no matter what direction the metal/hardcore scene takes.

A band that skates together stays together, right?! How has your friendship developed and been tested as you embark upon this journey as a band?
J&G Man, I sure would think, but I guess that’s not always the case. Four of us come from heavy skating backgrounds, and two of us love to ride motocross, so it all works out well. We are fortunate to be grouped together because we get along so incredibly well. We have all grown to be straight up best friends and basically brothers, and as hard as it can be with bands, we are pretty confident disagreement or conflict won’t be a factor if/when this group disbands. So far we haven’t done much touring at all, so I guess we could say the real fun, or testing hasn’t even taken place yet, but just from all our personalities and how well we get along in general, we don’t expect too many rough roads when it comes to that, but then again we understand being a band can be rough at times and that we are nothing close to immune those situations.

You are hard are work recording your debut EP, how is this going and who are you working with?
J&G We are in the process of writing and recording our first official release. This release is going to be a six-song EP titled “Nomadic Refuge” and if things go smoothly we plan to have this released by late October. We are self-recording this EP with our guitarist Cory Smith. All of our recordings have been self-recorded by Cory.

Your song “Of Solitude” seems to touch on Pantheistic-esque perspectives, do you identify with a specific belief in this regard?
J&G I’m really glad you caught that underlining theme within the lyrics. The song is basically realizing that nothing is external to you and finding peace in that concept. I cant speak for the rest of the guys but as far believing in a higher power, the pantheistic view of God makes more sense to me, personally, than the Judeo-christian or any other incarnation.

Christian bands often have the battle whether they are a Christian band or Christian in a band – are you a Buddhist band? Are you reppin’ Buddha-core?
J&G Haha, great question. Were definitely not a “Buddhist band”, nor are we a “Christian band” or anything of that sort. A few of us are quite interested and practice Buddhism, and a couple of us are technically not engaged in any religion whatsoever, though we all are very much interested in religion and science, and all that good stuff. Many of us read about that kind of stuff, and really just like to think of the “wonders” of the world, culture, and all the crazy mysteries and whatnot that lie “out there”. …And on that note, we tend to end up discussing those topics quite frequently amongst ourselves, and quite often ha ha. …I wouldn’t say were reppin’ Buddha-core, but dang if you know anyone that is, hook us up with a show with them!

The chorus for Nomadic Refuge declares, “Our salvation is in the bare essentials. They can’t hold me down. I won’t ever submit. I will always prevail.” Salvation has become a broad term, for the purposes of this song what do you mean by “salvation” (from what)?
J&G Basically Nomadic Refuge is about the purest form of freedom which is without government and authority. Living outside of the lines of society and the cookie-cutter way of life. In the song, salvation means to live as a nomad, which means to migrate from place to place and live off the land. In this way we could create an equilibrium for all living beings which in turn leads to our ultimate salvation of peace amongst this universe. Of course I use the term nomadic as an artistic term rather than literal. Its basically a metaphor for living life the way life was meant to be lived, in harmony.

Bring Me Solace is a 5 piece Progressive Metal band from Portland, Oregon whose current roster includes: Garret/Drums, Cory/Guitar, Josh/Vocals, Brandon/Bass and Adam/Guitar. Listen to the music and keep up to date via the BMS Myspace. See them live at The Satyricon 10/8/10 w/ Across The Sun, Regiment 26 and Chin Up Rocky and keep an eye out for their debut EP “Nomadic Refuge” to release soon. Read our review of the BMS performance @ Savage Fest from earlier in 2010.

Hurdcore.com is open to new partnerships to promote local music. Contact us to discuss opportunities for album reviews, event promotion or content management – hurdcore@gmail.com (be specific in subject line). Keep rocking local, friend us on myspace and join us facebook.

I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. – Jesus

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

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

In a mosh pit there are no two people more annoying than angry dude who thinks mosh is an excuse to beat up on the little guys or “I-can-do-it-better-than-them-guy” who has a running commentary on how much better he can sing or play than every band from As I Lay Dying to Justin Beiber. Thankfully there is a welcome contrast to these pleasure sapping abberations, those dutiful fans in cities all around the world who are putting their skills to the test and transforming themselves from bystanders to performers. City of God is a five piece collaboration of aspiring musicians rising from within the local Portland, Oregon music scene to pursue their dreams of global hardcore dominance. Imagine the ecstasy of suiting up for a show to share the stage with a personal icon, on July 12, 2010 the fine gentlemen of City of God will get such a chance when they open at the Hawthorne Theatre for hardcore innovators and longtime scene favorites, Norma Jean. Take a moment to share with hurdcore.com as we take an exclusive and intimate few moments with COG bassist Josh via the wonders of social networking.

July 12th City of God is opening for Norma Jean and In This Moment at Hawthorne Theatre in Portland, Oregon, how stoked are you for this show and how did you land this opportunity?
Josh (bass/vocals) Well for me Norma Jean was my fav band in high school. I always listened to them through class, and never thought I would get to play a show with them. As far as getting the show, Mike Thrasher asked if we would play.

Currently your songs on Myspace are only titled by Roman Numericals with the most popular being “IV”. Where do you draw inspiration for the content in your songs?
Josh Well to be honest, we just try to write how we feel, which is loud and in your face. Another factor would be that we have a message to send, in our opinion, there’s no better way to do so than by yelling at kids about it.

You have stated, “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. Our desire is to tell the world about this Savior, and will continue to do so until the end of our days.” How did you decide on the name City of God for your band?
Josh We find that in man’s society we’ve been attempting to create life as a utopia or perfect place. There’s no other way for that to be possible without God. The City of God is what we long for, what we work for, and what we delay. There’s a sense of irony that we are named City of God, while we live in such a godless city. So with that being said, we like to eat meat.

Do you believe that the City of God (heaven) is a literal place? If so how does anyone enter the City of God?
Josh Yes, heaven is a physical place. The only way to enter the gates of heaven would be to accept that you are flawed and totally depend on Christ as your Savior.

City of God is preparing for a tour this July with Seattle based To The Wind, how did you get hooked up with these guys and where are you planning to play along the way?
Josh Due to family issues To The Wind has dropped the tour. We have picked up a tour in mid August with Make it Reign and The Waiting Ends, both from Reno.

Are you still planning to hit Eugene?
Josh Yes we’re trying to hit up Eugene or Salem so come out and get buck nasty. (seriously)

As a band, you have been upfront about your Christian beliefs through everything from your name, lyrics and how you present yourselves, what brought you to faith in Christ?
Josh We each have our stories/testimony. The cool thing about it is that every member has different experiences both with Christ and without. Come talk to us at shows and we’re more than willing to share our stories.

From what you have seen as a fan and performer, does music have any power to change things for good?
Josh Heck yeah! It’s what god gave us to keep on going in life.

You’ve played shows with a list of who’s-who amongst local Portland area bands such as Proven and Fallstar as well as hurdcore.com alumni like And The Sirens Sang, Regiment 26 and All She Wrote. Who/what is the best advice you have received from your contemporaries in the local scene?
Josh We run the show. Ask us for advice. Hahahaha, we’re kidding. Fallstar are rad dudes, we love how blunt they are on stage about their faith. Proven is another band of dudes who’ve been in the scene longer than we have who don’t care about trends, they stick to what they believe.

The Priest fighting a Werewolf t-shirt [for City of God] designed by Joshua Andrew Belanger is about as sic as they come, what is the story behind this design?
Josh That good vs. evil ain’t pretty. It’s a brutal fight for eternity.

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.

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.

Earlier in May hurdcore.com introduced readers to Portland, Oregon hardcore/screamo band …And The Sirens Sang (ATSS Interview), as they prepare for their West Coast Get Downz Tour to kick off June 19th in Camas, Washington we wanted to to reset your appetite for local rock.

Is there a song that gives you the most trouble live?
Will Breitner (Guitar/Vocals) Definitely “Life Through The Eyes Of A Drowning Man” because it is the most technical.
Will Terada (Guitar/Vocals) I’m gonna have to go with Will B on this one. “Life Through The Eyes Of A Drowning Man” is by far our most technical song, but it’s also one of the most fun to play, for me personally.
Patrick Shannon (Vocals) “Au revoir, My Love” for me because, it has a large variety of vocal ranges, and is a pretty decent length song.
Brady Johns (Keys) All of them because I still don’t know all of the songs, Its all improv for the most part for me. I know chunks of songs but not all of it.

If I had an extra $1000, the first piece of equipment that I would purchase for the band is…?
WB Recording of a new demo with Neil Engle (we’re doing this in September) and then either more merch or the big light boxes we’re gonna make for the stage!
WT Well if he’s got the merch, I’d say a new P.A. system of our own.
PS Being a vocalist, I would say get everyone Shure Beta 58′s and pay the audio technician at Hawthorne to work magic on them for better sound.

Trend that you have noticed that you will never join?
WB Crunk-core. Nuff said.
WT Anything that sounds like 3OH!3, or Kesha…
PS Well the Wills pretty much stole the words from my mouth
BJ Emocore.

Currently reading ____, listening to ____ and/or watching ____?
WB Reading – The Lost Symbol (Dan Brown), Listening to – Dimmu Borgir’s “The Sacreligious Scorn”, Watching – Eastbound And Down.
WT Reading – Harry Potter (all of them, over and over again.); Listening to – As I Lay Dying’s new cd “The Powerless Rise”; Watching – The Office: Season 5.
PS Reading – World of Warcraft: Rise of the Lich King, Listening to – City and Colour’s “Sometimes”, Watching – The Office (ALL SEASONS.)

Best book you’ve ever read, why?
WT In my opinion, the Harry Potter series. It has an amazing story line that was able to be built upon for 7 books, it has amazing character development where you can actually watch them mature as you read through the series in everything they do, it has action, drama, suspense, comedy, love stories, etc. I think it’s just a very well rounded series in all aspects. And it’s good for people of all ages.
WB I think Will T said it perfectly. I’m either gonna go with the Harry Potter series or the Angels & Demons, The DaVinci Code and The Lost Symbol series by Dan Brown which is simply phenomenal.
PS I’m not a big reader. Two books i have greatly enjoyed are, The Outsiders By SE Hinton, and Marilyn Mansons autobiography, “The Long Hard Road out of Hell”
BJ The Bible because it’s all real.

Any crazy pre-performance rituals?
WB Changing my clothes ten times hahaha
WT Smoke lots of cigarettes. For some reason, I always get compliments that my voice sounds great after a set when I smoke about 3 cigs right before we go on. haha I don’t quite get it.
PS I jump around, try and exercise to relieve stress.

When you are a diva/rockstar the three things that you will demand be in your dressing room are?
WB Jagermeister & Guiness, steak & baked potatoes for after the show and a lady hahaha
WT A 16 oz, medium-rare steak for after we play, 2 six packs of Dead Guy Ale, and an xbox 360 set up with Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.
PS Vast amount of Laffy Taffy, Dead Guy Ale or Rockstar Energy Drink, and The Office on TV.
BJ A warm silk robe, dimmed lighting, and Usher blaring so loud that it vibrates the walls.

Band you have shared the stage with that blew you away?
WB For me I would have to say either Whitechapel, Through The Eyes Of The Dead or Rose Funeral.
WT I would have to say Abigail Williams. Being able to play with them was a huge honor as a fan, and it was awesome to play my set, and then get off stage and be blasted with such a sonic, American Black Metal assault as theirs. hah
PS So far, Keeping Secrets for sure. Love those guys!
BJ Jack Devore.

Top 5 songs in your personal ipod right now?
WB AFI- “Synesthesia”, The Black Dahlia Murder- “A Vulgar Picture”, Emarosa- “Head Or Tails, Real Or Not?”, Matt Kennon- “The Call” and Rose Funeral- “Left To Rot”.
WT The Black Dahlia Murder- “Climactic Degredation”, As I Lay Dying- “Parallels”, Travie McCoy- “Billionaire”, Veil Of Maya- “Unbreakable” and The Devil Wears Prada- “Louder Than Thunder”.
PS Our Last Night- “ELEPHANTS”, Alexisonfire- “To a Friend”, City and Colour- “Casey’s Song”, Dance Gavin Dance- “Open Your Eyes and Look North” and Whitechapel- “Possession”.
BJ Justin Bieber- “One Less Lonely Girl”, Usher- “Moving Mountains”, Matisyahu- “King Without a Crown”, A Tale Through Audio- “The Touch” and Job For A Cowboy- “Entombment of a Machine”.

Best and worst experience at a show?
WB My best experience was seeing AFI and being right in front of my idol, guitarist Jade Puget. It was the most amazing thing to see the band that made me want to play music live. I’m not really sure what my worst experience was at a show. Probably something to do with a dumb kid starting some bullshit over something dumb.
WT My best was defintitely being able to meet Trevor Strnad (vocalist) and Brian Eschbach (rhythm guitarist) of The Black Dahlia Murder before seeing them at the Hawthorne Theater, and then screaming every word along with Trevor, Brian, and Bart Williams (bassist). I was as giddy as a 12 year old girl when they told me after the show that they appreciated seeing me scream every word, and they loved hangin out with me after the show. As one of my absolute favorite bands, they’ve changed my life and my views on music. For the worst, I’d have to say it was in Redding, CA when I was on tour with my last band, Bedlam Massacre. It was the last show of tour with PDX Hardcore band “Proven,” and we just wanted to get home. The venue didn’t book a P.A. system and told us we had to get our own; the locals tried to make us, the touring bands, open the show; the locals decided to get a P.A. from their friends, who brought it an hour late (which turned into us being an hour late, somehow), and on top of all that, we’re all a bunch of very tired, worn out metalheads, who really didn’t want to deal with any more crap on the road aftet dealing with multiple breakdowns, and money issues. Long story short, what should’ve been a decent last show almost turned into a giant street fight. It was terrible.
PS Best for me was standing right in front of Dallas Green as he performed in Alexisonfire at the Roseland. He is one of my favorite musicians and a big insipiration, and seeing him live was very big for me. Worst expirience thus far is, playing a show at Pop Culture recently with a cold. My voice was pretty bad from the cold to start and the PA had so much running through i couldn’t be heard. I screamed my lungs out and messed up my throat for about three days.

Read the full Interview w/ …And The Sirens Sang from May 2010 HERE

…And The Sirens Sang > Hardcore/Screamo > Portland, Oregon > is Will Breitner (Guitar/Vocals); Will Terada (Guitar/Vocals); Patrick Shannon (Vocals); Brady Johns (Keyboards); Sam Okutsu (Bass) and Joey Luna (Drums). Keep an eye out for their Sirens EP and full length to be releasing SOON – catch them on the West Coast GET DOWNZ TOUR kicking off June 19, 2010 at The Revolution Room in Camas, Washington. Updates and info at ATSS Myspace.

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.

Red and blue flashing lights often cause as stimulating an effect as the eardrum shattering screams that interrupt the regular murmur of everyday life. While the sensory alarm often drives us to quickly attempt to identify where the blitz is coming from as well as where it is going, the sight and sound of sirens clearly communicate that something is going on. Music can similarly serve as a beckoning to recognize and engage the opportunities within our lives. If we fail to participate music can become absorbed into the backdrop of life rather than ringing out as a soundtrack to accent our lives. Music is not life but it sure helps to make life more interesting and in special cases can even inspire. If you identify with pain and have a consuming drive for an expanding depth in sound then you may have no closer musical avatar than Portland, Oregon based melodic hardcore band …And The Sirens Sang. Combining screaming vocal harmonies, breakdowns from dueling guitars, layers of emotive keys and an ingenuity that filters through every aspect of their collective expression through music …And The Sirens Sang is hard at work in the studio and on a stage near you.

You mention in your bio, “We’ve gone through some member changes, genre changes, and we’ve gone through more hardships than any band should and more than most bands have.” Would you care to elaborate on what you’ve gone through as a band and where you are at now?
Will Breitner (Guitar/Vocals) Well, we’ve gone through a total of about 15 members to finally find the right lineup which we currently have. A lot of bands have the luxury of only having to change 1 or 2 members, but we have had two different full lineups so it is very difficult in that sense. Also, we went down to California to play a single show last December because we were told that a Record Label A&R was going to be there to check out our music and hopefully work with us. Unfortunately, this was a lie and he really just wanted to steal all of our equipment, clothes, laptops, etc. after our van exploded and left us stranded in Southern Oregon with no money or transportation. After that happened, we had to buy all new equipment, a new van, and a new trailer so that set us back incredibly far.

What is the significance behind the name …And The Sirens Sang?
WB I came up with the name to tie into the first full length album where a girl dies. The name refers to ambulance sirens on this first full length. Possibly after our second full length (which will be a continuation and conclusion of the concept on the first full length), we are thinking about having it refer to the ancient sirens that lure sailors with their beautiful voices and features. That way, our name will have more than just one meaning.

Is there something other than the common drive to create music that musically and lyrically wrestles beneath the surface of And The Sirens Sang?
WB Our music deals deeply with heartbreak, both lyrically and musically. Our music is very melodic and we have a lot of really big parts that are meant to be very heart-felt. We write about sorrow and the music is very emotionally driven.

We’ve seen, or more aptly, heard the use and misuse of keys within the hardcore genre where there are bands who accent their sound with synth, And The Sirens Sang has really brought out and made keys a consistent layer within your sound. Did you purposely set out to push the limits of key-core or how did your sound in that sense evolve?
WB Well when I started the project, I wanted to make it very big and dense sounding and I wanted it to be as melodic as homanly possible. I love it when bands have parts with strings and piano under the other parts in the song, those are always my favorite parts! That said, I wanted to be in a band that had that kind of sound the whole way through the album. Our keyboardist Brady is a phenominal pianist and has a great mind for writing keyboard parts into metal music, and because of that, we definitely do try to make the keys a main focus in the music.
Patrick Shannon (Vocals) I actually remember Will saying how he at one point wanted an orchestra in the band. Kind like an Apocalyptica sound.
Brady Johns (Keys) I would love to have at least a string quartet involved in our music along with my piano parts. It would be epic!

With as much work as you all do within And The Sirens Sang and your projects outside of the band (IE Siren Studios and King Arthur Booking), what seems to be the key to getting local fans engaged in the music?
WB Constant promotion and playing shows as much as humanly possible! We’re really working hard on building up a local fanbase, but honestly it’s difficult to get kids around here interested in anything that isn’t deathcore or hardcore. Kids around here just don’t show up and represent for melodic music with heart in it like they used to, so it’s really difficult right now.
Will Terada (Guitar/Vocals) Also, being in multiple bands/projects is a great way to get your other musical ventures heard. So if people go to the ATSS myspace, they will see our other projects on our top friends, and hopefully want to check those out as well.

Do you ever take it personally when a crowd is slow to interact?
WB Not at all. Like I said above, I don’t see a huge appreciation anymore around here for melodic music so when kids aren’t throwing down to us I’m not really worried about it. We just try to mix it up and throw breakdowns and two steps in here and there to get the kids pumped up.
WT I sometimes get a little bummed, but I realize that not everyone is going to like our music. We have a lot of pretty parts in our music, and not all the people in the crowd are going to want to hear it. However, I think we do have a well rounded set since we do have the pretty, melodic parts but we also incorporate breakdowns, some metalcore riffage, and even a few slight elements of thrash.
PS Not at all. As the vocalist, I try and be as active as possible to bring energy to the crowd, as does the rest of the band. I’ll tell people to move around and actually have some fun! When we do have kids moving it definitely gets us all pumped!
BJ I could really care less how the crowd reacts. I personally prefer it more if the audiance just watches, but if they throw down thats cool too.

In assessing the scene, do you think that hardcore has become too cool for its own good?
WT Yes and no. Because on one hand it is music. And while I believe that all music should be respected whether I personally like it or not, it can get overplayed to the point of it losing it’s flavor. I am a fan of the hardcore scene. I wouldn’t consider myself to be one of the “Hardcore Kids,” but I do like the music. I just think that it’s at the point where it’s cool to be in a hardcore band, and most just do the same thing over and over again.
PS Yes I believe so. The only thing that grinds my gears about this, is at Will T said, ‘It’s at the point where it’s cool to be in a hardcore band…’ therefore there are too many bands out there with the same sound! No originality or talent.

As fans of music, as people and performers, how do you combat the pressure to be a certain something for the purpose of attaining success as opposed to doing what comes naturally or creating what you truly want to express?
WT Well as fans of music, we listen to what has already been done to attain success and feed off of it, instead of just copying every other band out there. For example, some of our main influences are As I lay Dying (AILD HC:Interview), The Devil Wears Prada, and Emarosa. We try to take influence from all those bands and throw it in a blender to create our own style and sound. That way it truly does come out as how we want to express it lyrically and instrumentally.

You’ve recorded an EP and are currently working on a full length album. How soon do you expect to have this work released upon the nation?
WB Well we are working as hard as possible to get it released extremely soon! It all boils down to money really. We’re poor and we’re doing our best to get our EP printed, but I don’t think it’s going to happen until July or so. As for the full length, as soon as we get the EP in print we will be saving up to record our full length at Interlace Audio (Emarosa, Dance Gavin Dance) in Portland, OR with engineer Neil Engle. It is going to cost us over $4,000 to record the album, so realistically we are aiming to do it around February of 2011. We will be setting up benefit shows after we get home from our summer tours to save up for the recording of the album and we would really appreciate it if everyone would come out and show us some support so we can get this thing out as soon as possible! We also have shirts and demos in stock at all times, so PLEASE pick one up so we can order our EPs, new merch and begin saving!

You’ve mentioned that this album is almost a split of reworking several previous songs as well as adding new ones, what are the sound dynamics and lyrical themes of this album?
WB Well it is basically the first EP and 6 new songs. We are re-working all of the songs on the EP to make them more mature sounding and the full band will be working on re-writing bass and piano parts as well as some of the lead guitar parts and vocals so it will be much more full sounding. There will also be a TON of vocal harmonies on it, which I am very excited about. As far as the new stuff goes, it is faster, more technical and the breakdowns are a lot heavier. Lyrically, it is a continuation of the “Sirens” EP and it completes the first half of the concept that we have written out. I don’t want to give away the concept, but we will be posting a full story that spans this part of the concept when the album is released!

With so many members and musical influences, what does the typical writing process for And The Sirens Sang look like?
WB Well for the whole first EP, I wrote and recorded everything (minus screams) so it was just me sitting down and writing music. It has since changed since it has turned from a solo project to a full band. Now, I will sit down and write basically a skeleton for a song and then our other guitarist Will Terada will come in and change guitar parts here and there where he has a better idea. After the guitar parts are re-worked and we are both satisfied enough to show the songs to the band, we will sit down and learn the songs with our bassist Sam Okutsu so we can all start jamming it out at practice and our drummer Joey Luna can get a feel for it. Then, me and our keyboardist Brady Johns will sit down and jam on the stuff just the two of us so he can write out keyboard parts to the songs and not have a million things going on while he’s trying different parts. That’s basically how our music is written now.
WT And while all of that is going on, our vocalist Patrick Shannon listens and gets ideas down for all of his vocal patterns and lyrics.
PS Haha yeah, I pretty much just spit out nonsense in different vocal patterns until I build a good sounding structure.

How do you work the play between the guitars and divide the vocal responsibilities?
WB Well me and Will T switch off on the leads in certain parts so that there is a pretty equal balance. I play a little bit more of the lead parts, but we like it to be balanced so at live shows it’s not just one dude in the spotlight. As far as vocals go, I do the lead singing for the most part but Will T and Sam sing backup harmonies and in certain spots the leads also.
WT It’s really easy for Will B and myself to switch off on leads and rhythms because there are parts where I want to play the leads and parts where I want to play the rhythms and it’s the same for Will B. I can remember numerous times where we’ve fought over who gets to play the rhythm parts instead of the leads. haha

You are preparing to do some touring this summer, is this your first tour of this magnitude?
WB Yeah, and we couldn’t be more excited! Well.. Unless it was longer :] haha
WT Not for me. I toured once before this last summer with my old death/thrash/black metal band Bedlam Massacre. We went out for the same period of time, and the route this time is gonna be exactly the same actually, except in reverse order.

How did you get hooked up with the bands on this tour?
WB We are really good friends with Upon Departure (UD HC:Interview) and we all love the dudes in that band so it was an obvious choice to take them out with us. Brady knew We Move Mountains (WMM HC:Interview) and we all listened to them and really dug their music so we decided to ask them to tag along too! They are both really professional bands and just fun dudes to
hang out with and we wanted to get the best lineup possible but also have a ton of fun on the road so it worked out perfectly!

Who else are you looking forward to playing with in 2010?
WB Well we just played a show with We Came As Romans, From First To Last and Asking Alexandria and I think I speak for everyone in saying that these are bands that we look up to and in the case of FFTL, have grown up with musically. It’s a great honor personally to have shared the stage with FFTL, because I remember being 16 and seeing them live and dreaming about playing on the same stage as them so I’m incredibly stoked that I was actually able to do that! I also love playing with the dudes in Upon Departure, Aleen, We Move Mountains, Mourning For Memories and other great bands from around here.

Who have been some of the biggest assistants to your development as musicians and as a band?
WB Definitely my mom. Me and Will T live with her full time and then the rest of the band ends up staying over and practicing around 5 nights per week. She lets us practice whenever we want to and she also lets me run a studio out of her house so that we can make some money to help fund the band. We definitely wouldn’t be a band without her :] Other than that, Dylan Ireland who runs our lights & merch, Greg Northcutt who comes to a bunch of shows and helps with merch and tech work, and Brittini Christian who helps with merch are all HUGE parts of the band. Kendall Johns has helped us on numerous occasions with lights and getting us on sweet shows. The guys at The Standing Ovation in Longview are AMAZING- without them we definitely wouldn’t be where we are at because they are such awesome people to work with and the Standing Ovation shows are the best!!! And just anyone who listens to our music. We love the people who come out to our shows seriously more than anything and we don’t have a huge fanbase or anything, but we are more appreciative than we can ever begin to tell you for the people who listen to our music and come to our shows.
WT Yeah, definitely Mama Breitner for constantly putting up with at least 7 guys in her house at all times, my girlfriend Brittini Christian for always being willing to take pictures, sell merch, and promote us at her school, Dylan Ireland for being a great friend and lights/merch guy, and Greg Northcutt who always is out in the crowd getting them stoked on us. And everyone at The Standing Ovation for putting us on great shows and just being great people for the scene in general.
PS: Will’s mom is one of the greatest supporters I have ever seen. She acts like a mom to everyone in the band and trys to help us as much as possible seeing that this is our job, and passion and we all really appreciate that.

…And The Sirens Sang > Hardcore/Screamo > Portland, Oregon > is Will Breitner (Guitar/Vocals); Will Terada (Guitar/Vocals); Patrick Shannon (Vocals); Brady Johns (Keyboards); Sam Okutsu (Bass) and Joey Luna (Drums). Keep an eye out for their Sirens EP and full length to be releasing SOON – catch them on the West Coast GET DOWNZ TOUR summer 2010. Updates and info at ATSS Myspace.

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.

Hurdcore.com – Midwest discovers River Music Experience’s Redstone Room >> RME Article

Interview with A Hope For Home
> Portland, Oregon based Progressive/Hardcore band recently released their 3rd full length album “Realis” on Facedown Records. >> AHFH Interview

Interview with Ivan de Prume of Metalopolis
> Former drummer of White Zombie now working with Portland, Oregon alternative rock radio 101.1 FM KUFO broadcasting Metalopolis every Saturday night from 10PM to 12AM. >> IDP Interview

Interview with Legionnairre Apparel
> Creative collaboration with Joe Moxely and Mike Hererra (of MxPx and Tumbledown) producing men and women’s clothing out of Medford, Oregon. >> JM Interview

Hurdcore.com – Midwest experiences When Bears Attack (thank you for the shirts!), Renae, Eagle Scout, Kidnap The Sun and Sleeper Wakes Society @ Mixtapes in Moline, Illinois >> Mix Article and Mix Videos

Interview with Will Breitner
> Perhaps the hardest working local music grassroots mogul, spear heading bands And The Sirens Sang and Legion of Lepers, pioneering Siren Studios to help local musicians record and organizing Savage Fest (4/24/10), an all metal festival showcasing some of the best of Washington and Oregon metal. >> WB Interview

Interview with Hopecore.com
Feedback from Jameson Ketchum and Jeremy Seick on their work with online entertainment magazine and online radio, hopecore.com works with some of the finest artists in the Christian/positive music scene. >> HC Interview

See some live videos of Oregon metal (We Move Mountains, Almost Is Nothing, And The Sirens Sang) and hip-hop (Suganuts, Pynt Syze) on our [hurdcore.com] – Northwest Myspace VIDEO PAGE as well as Illinois screamo/hardcore on our YOUTUBE PAGE – this month includes the hilarious “drunk guy” giving rock advice to touring bands as they wait for the show to start at Mixtapes (Moline, Illinois).

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.

At hurdcore.com we have the privilege of meeting and introducing our fellow fans to the hardworking bands throughout our great nation. Whether these bands will remain as local treasures or others will find/make their break and forge a deep run though the several layers of entertainment success. Will Breitner has distinguished himself as one of the hardest working musicians at the local level in the Portland area, spearheading several bands, each with their own unique identity, collaborating with like minded musicians to promote local shows and pioneering his own effort to enable grassroots artists to begin the recording process. On Saturday, April 24th, 2010 Mr. Breitner will be organizing and performing with several other local artists in an all day metal extravaganza for the first Savage Fest to be hosted at the Camas Courthouse in Washougal, Washington. This event will showcase some of Washington and Oregon’s finest metal bands while simultaneously demonstrating what hard work and local collaboration can produce. Join the hurd and come get your metal on!

Is the Camas Courthouse an actual functioning courthouse?
WB Yes it is. It sometimes makes shows difficult actually because on Fridays you can only rent it out after 5pm.

Will SAVAGE FEST be indoors or outdoors?
WB It will be indoors

What can you tell us about the venue, why did you choose this site?
WB I chose the venue because the room is a little smaller, perfect for getting in around 150 kids and having a really intimate atmosphere where the bands can be directly interacting with the fans and friends who are at the show. There is an actual stage in the venue, but it is only about a foot off the ground, so like I said, the bands are right up in your face which is awesome as a listener.

For those, like myself, who are unfamiliar with Camas, WA – what types of food selections are there and how nearby to the show will they be?
WB Well there are a few options. Right next to the venue, there is a Burger King, Subway, Starbucks & Chevron and then if you go about a mile into the actual town of Camas you have Burgerville, Dairy Queen, Top Burger & more gas stations.

Even though this is an all day metal extravaganza, there is quite a range of sub-genres within that metal umbrella which will be on display, tell us some about the music and performers we will be seeing?
WB Well I like my shows to be diverse so you aren’t seeing the same band 18 times in one day and kids don’t get burnt out after the third band and decide to leave or something. I have two acoustic acts, a couple of rock acts, some metalcore, some straight up thrash metal, and then of course some death metal thrown in the mix. I think that diversity makes for an awesome show.

How did you select the bands and the lineup, are these all bands you know personally?
WB I selected the bands because they are pretty much all close friends of mine and great people. There isn’t a single band on the show that I haven’t worked with before and haven’t performed with before.

You are an impressive young man who wears several hats within the local music scene. You perform, promote, record and what else are you involved in?
WB Haha well thank you very much! I just try to do everything possible to put the fire back in our scene basically. I try to help my friends’ bands with getting endorsements and bigger shows and out of town shows and whatnot because I love music more than anything in the world. Me and my best friends that compose my main band …And The Sirens Sang are working on making a more professional studio, then I will be starting my own label to help smaller bands be heard and get merch and tour and stuff. We also will be doing management, local show booking, tour booking, and someday screen printing and professional CD printing. All local, all cheap. I believe that every band deserves a chance to show the world what they’ve got, but unfortunately for bands, the industry is a cash cow and everything costs so much that most bands can barely make it out of their home town, let alone put out a professional CD and merch and whatnot. I want to call it “Siren Industries” hahaha

You are currently involved with at least 3 bands that I know of, but you had mentioned maybe as many as 6? What bands are you actively playing with now and in what capacity?
WB Well my main band is called “…And The Sirens Sang”.
We are working extremely hard right now preparing for 2 summer tours as well as about 20 shows around Washington & Oregon in the next couple of months and that band takes up most of my time. Me and three of the guys from that band are working on a side project called The Leper Legion, which sounds like The Black Dahlia Murder, but with everything that Sirens is doing in preparation for tours and to make our band as professional as possible we just don’t really have time right now. Another thing I’m working on is a project that sounds like AFI because they are the reason I started playing music. I’m doing it with Brady Johns, who is also in Sirens. Just a fun project that is a tribute to them. I have an internet based two member band called “The Assyrian Sonata“, which is on a stand-still because the other member is going into the National Guard so we have to wait about a year before we can do anything more with that but we have a full length written and demos on our myspace page currently. I have a rap project that’s for fun called “Slug Stompaz” with my brother and the guitarist Will Terada of Sirens. And I have my solo project.

Your also have a music studio (Siren Studios), is this your daytime job? From your comments the main purpose of your studio is to help grow young artists, how do you go about recording?
WB It is indeed my daytime job but I see it as more of a hobby because of how much fun I have doing it! I just wanted to try my hardest to create a place where bands could come to record an EP without spending a thousand dollars that still turned out well. First, we lay out all of the click tracks for every song so that the album will be perfectly on time and not fluctuating or anything. Then we record a scratch guitar track for the drummer to play to. Then drums, then bass, then guitars, then vocals. If there are any additional instruments such as piano or something we do those also before the vocals.

With your diverse efforts, are you at a point where you are able to “live” off of music?
WB In a sense, yes. I make pretty good money recording bands, playing in my band, and booking shows. I make enough to pay rent and have just barely enough to live off of and that to me is living the dream. It’s more than I could ever ask for and I am incredibly grateful for all of the support from my family and friends that make it possible for me to pursue this versus forcing me to go to college or whatever.

From whence came the idea for an all day metal festival?
WB Well I love metal. All kinds. I love all kinds of music actually haha I just wanted an awesome event where great bands could hang out and party with like-minded musicians and just have an awesome time. It’s somewhat of a “I know how hard you work to be in a band, so I want you to play my awesome show and have a great time” festival haha

Who are you partnering/working with to make the Savage Fest happen? Who is there to help you run the show especially when you are performing
WB My good friend Brady Johns who plays keys for Sirens runs a booking agency called “King Arthur Booking” and he has also done a TON of awesome shows, so I’m bringing him in to help run sound as well as oversee everything. While we are playing we have a few friends who will be handling the door and everything else.

What got you into metal, who were some of the most inspiring bands for you growing up?
WB As far as metal goes, it was always bands like Slipknot, Metallica, Ozzy, Megadeth and Pantera back in 7th grade. My favorite band, however, has always been AFI and I don’t think that will ever change. “Sing The Sorrow” inspires me every single day to get better as an instrumentalist, composer and singer.

Who are you listening to now, what is in your top 5 on your ipod?
WB AFI, Emarosa, The Black Dahlia Murder, Isles & Glaciers, and Rose Funeral.

How did you get into playing and performing? How do you keep your skills sharp and continue to grow in your craft when you are busy with so many things?
WB Honestly, the first time I heard “Miseria Cantare” by AFI I knew that I belonged playing guitar on a stage. I just love performing music that I have worked countless hours on and having people react to it, for the most part, in a good way. And it’s all about staying busy! I practice playing songs on guitar that I can’t play so that eventually I will get them down and better myself as a musician and I am always working on writing music in genres such as hip/hop, country, pop and rock that I normally wouldn’t play in so that I don’t get stuck in a box so to speak and I am able to progress versus write the same song every time. Me and the dudes in my band are also always working on our vocal harmonies with an acoustic guitar to keep our voices strong and fresh.

What do you enjoy most about music – writing/performing?
WB DEFINITELY performing. Don’t get me wrong, I love writing. But the feeling of actually playing a song that you’ve spent months fine-tuning is what being a musician is all about. It’s truly the best feeling in the world.

Do you just like music for itself or would you say that there is a meaning in or through or even beyond the music that inspires you to press forward in what you are doing?
WB As far as meaning goes, I write our albums about heartbreak, loneliness, abandonment and other human issues that are very close to home with me but I write them in story form so it kind of plays out as a whole big story as the album progresses. So yes, the material is very heart-felt by me and it is very touching for me to play the songs live because I write them in times where I am the weakest and it is a great release to sing it in front of a crowd and have them singing back, possibly even going through the same things that I was.

SAVAGE FEST
Sat 4/24/2010
Camas Courthouse
89 C Street
Washougal, WA 98607
18 Bands // $10
11AM – 11PM

Band Lineup – order subject to change:
1. Jack Devore (Blues, Seattle)
2. If All Else Fails ( )
3. Mourning For Memories (Thrash – Washougal, WA)
4. Edessa (Hardcore – Camas, WA)
5. Daematta (Death Metal, PDX)
6. Apsis (Progressive, PDX)
7. Ashlynn (Hardcore – Kelso, WA)
8. We Move Mountains (Metal – Maple Valley, WA)
9. Upon Departure (Metal – Longview, WA)
10. Almost Is Nothing (Thrash, PDX)
11. Chin Up Rocky (Happy Hardcore, PDX)
12. Bring Me Solace (Progressive, PDX)
13. And The Sirens Sang (Screamo, OR)
14. Aleen (Screamo, WA)
15. The Leper Legion (Death Metal, OR)
16. Idols (Death Metal, Seattle)
17. Proven (Metal, PDX)

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.

Clothing and music go hand-in-hand, as the common spirit of creative innovation is well expressed through music and print design. Bands love seeing their logos and designs rumbling through a crowd on the backs of loyal fans, while simultaneously these fans are proud to identify themselves with an artist who has connected with them through beat or lyric. Legionnaire Apparel stands in a prime position to optimize these relationships as its founders Joe Moxley and Mike Herrera (of MxPx and Tumbledown) have a wealth of experience between them and as a company they have already been active in sponsoring bands both nationally and locally. If you live outside of Oregon, you may have seen their feminine line in Zumiez stores or any number of their stellar designs on several of their faithful friends such as nationally known bands as Kutless or local rising stars like Tallboy. Join Rob Van Winkle (aka Vanilla Ice) and the rest of the Legionnairre Army as they continue to spread the Legionnairre goodness one torso at a time. A hearty hurdcore thanks to Joe for taking the time to share about his journey and vision for Legionnairre Apparel.

How does Joe of Medford, OR hook up with Mike of Bremerton, WA? How long have you known each other and what was the process/discussion like when you ventured into making apparel together?
JM Jason Hanlin of Guru Screen Printing introduced Mike and I about 4 years ago. Mike was on tour with MxPx and Jason and I were going on Taste of Chaos Tour with my older clothing line Meddy Clothing. I hooked up Mike with shirts and stayed in contact with him. Over time we talked and put our heads together and Legionnaire was born!

Legionnaire was recently picked up by Zumiez and being distributed in their stores up and down the West Coast (apparently not in Oregon?!), what does this deal mean for you and how did this come about?
JM Ha, yea. Zumiez did a test buy with the gals shirts nationwide. Not in Oregon because they wanted to see how it will sell outside of people we know. So far so good! We are super stoked that larger stores are starting to hear the buzz about Legionnaire so this is a huge step for us.

When did you and Mike make their official start as Legionnairre Apparel?
JM The launch of Legionnaire was in January 2007.

From your initial start, what has the journey into the fashion world been like for Legionnairre? What have been some of the biggest challenges along the way and what have you learned as you continue to build your empire?
JM Right away we had a great response because of all the loyal Herrera fans! I believe the biggest challenges are that Mike and I both have other jobs! Its tough to run a business on a few hours a night. We have learned if you take care of your customers that they will take care of you. Legionnaire fans are Legionnaire! Without them we would not be where we are now.

Who have been some of the key supporters from the beginning for Legionnaire?
JM Friends and family! Legionnaire has such a strong friends and family base that that is really how we spread the word on Legionnaire. So many bands to thank for showing Legionnaire Love and really supporting us by wearing out designs! Tumbledown, MxPx, S.A.T.O.R.I., YouHangUp, TallBoy, Kutless, Amber Pacific and even the great Vanilla Ice just to name a few.

What artists are you working with now as promotors/sponsors?
JM We are working with YouHangUp on a shirt design that will be a Legionnaire/youHangUp shirt that will only be found on our site. They are a newer band that is starting to blow up and sitting on drums is Frankie Muniz. We also are always working with the band S.A.T.O.R.I. This band has been with us before we had a clothing line. Great guys plus I manage the band so ha I guess I better sponsor them right?

Other than Joe and Mike, who is Legionairre? Where do you get your designs, are they all in-house?
JM For the last 3 to 4 years mike, Jason Hanlin (Guru Screen Printing) and I were pretty much the only ones designing. Now we have branched out just a little…ha Jeremy Hanlin has done a few of the new designs (ArrowHead, Love with Tear us Apart) Great Artist! We also just started working with Kay Boak. She is a super talented tattoo artist here in Ashland Oregon! You will see her designs real soon on our site and in many tattoo magazine.

What is the most difficult part of the printing process?
JM Printing is easy, it’s coming up with designs that we believe in and want on our site that takes time.

If I had an extra $50,000, the first piece of equipment that I would purchase for the business is A store front – time to open another store where we can also book bands!

Is there a current fashion trend that you have noticed that you will never join?
JM Skinny Jeans! I just don’t have the legs for it.

Currently reading Facebook for dummies, listening to Tyler DeVoll and watching Modern Family.

How about the best book you’ve ever read, what makes it stick out to you?
Who Moved My Cheese. Ha sounds lame but I really did get a lot out of it! Makes you want to be a go getter.

What are the top 5 songs in your personal ipod right now?
JM 1) Tumbledown – Butcher of San Antone; 2) S.A.T.O.R.I. – Hey; 3) Digital Underground – Humpty Dance; 4) Tumledown – Drink to Forget; 5) When we Were kings – What a Beautiful Fight We’ve Had

What are some of your best and worst experiences hawking apparel?
JM [BEST] Meeting the great people that support Legionnaire. [WORST] Seeing other clothing company steal your designs!

CHECK out all the Legionnairre Apparel designs for men and women’s clothing on their WEBSITE or MYSPACE

For more information, interviews and updates for live local music concert tours. Local bands, artists, concerts, venues, tours and events from rock, hip-hop, metal, pop, punk, hardcore, alternative, acoustic, thrash, indie, heavy metal, organic, progressive, funk, death metal, 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.