It’s nice to find some get-down hardcore so close to home. I was spoiled living in Southern California and even closer to Portland where metal abounds, but thankfully Of Saints and Shadows brings a special edge to the Albany/Corvallis area. SAS is a friendly and fun sort of brutal, a band that will send you home smiling as you nurse your bruises. To date they have produced the best Lady Gaga cover that I have been party to with their redux of “Poker Face” presented at the Oregon State University Battle of the Bands earlier this year (2009). If you hear of a SAS show, you will want to get yourself to it because they are being pretty selective about their pursuits and may only be a temporary fixture during these OSU years. Our thanks to Evan for taking the time to share with hurdcore via Myspace.

HC What inspired the name of your band? How did your band come together?
SAS The band came together back in the spring of 2007, towards the end of freshman year of college for most of us, as Ben was starting up a metal project at the time. He was gathering up friends who could play or would learn to play the instruments and we started jamming out some material. Our original name, Dark Angelic, was taken from one of our early song titles. About a year and a half later we decided to change to Of Saints And Shadows to go along with some lineup changes. We found the name after perusing a book store and seeing it on a random book about vampires or something. We all liked how it sound, so it stuck.

HC It would appear that you have gone through some significant line-up changes even in your name transitioning from Dark Angelic to Of Saints and Shadows. How much of Dark Angelic is still a part of Of Saints and Shadows?
SAS Haha, yeah, we have had several line-up changes, to the point where Ben and myself (Evan) have pretty much been the only constant members since the beginning. We have had one previous drummer, two previous guitarists, and one change-up on vocals. Right now Ben, Craig, Dylan, and I have all been around since the DA days, while Nate was added only a month before the Battle of the Bands. That was a fun little scramble to get him caught up in time, but he’s a savage so it wasn’t a problem.

HC How would you describe your musical style?
SAS We tend to take our favorite parts of melodic metal, hardcore, thrash, and some random chill music that we like and form songs that are heavy but diverse. Basically, something that we would want to listen to that incorporates all those elements. We even shook up some of our old songs with a little groove metal feel, that was fun.

HC What is unique about your band? What makes your band/sound different from other offerings?
SAS Well, along with being on the heavier side of the music scene here in Corvallis, we try to create songs that are heavy and catchy. We like to incorporate clean parts that catch the listener off guard before launching back into the heavy stuff. We’re also not afraid to have fun with a live performance and dress totally out of character, if the battle is any indicator. We never want to take things too seriously, and in doing that we can go out and have a good time giving the crowd a show that is not only a treat for the ears, if you catch my drift.

HC You are currently based out of Corvallis, OR, are you all natives? All students at OSU? What do you enjoy most about the local scene?
SAS We are all students at OSU, having come from different parts of the state and met through the school in one way or another. The local scene has been great over the last few years and we have made a lot of good friends in the other bands. Unfortunately the scene was a bit devoid of heavy music when we started, but that has given us a great goal and niche to fill.

HC I had the pleasure of seeing you live at the 2009 OSU: Battle of the Bands, congrats on 2nd place. How did you get involved with the OSU:BOB? What do you plan to do with the momentum from this event?
SAS Thanks, the battle was a blast. Everybody already knew about the BOTB when we started, as freshmen it was the coolest event we saw on campus all year. It was just a matter of getting solid enough as a band to where we felt we would have a chance at it. We actually tried out in 2008 and didn’t make the cut for several reasons, but that really showed us what we needed to do to make sure things were different in 2009. We were extremely happy just to make it in this year, and after a lot of practice we were really proud of our performance. We were as surprised as anybody when we took 2nd place, given our style and the crowd we were playing for. The funny thing is we didn’t really plan a lot past the battle, so doing as well as we did was an interesting twist. As soon as everyone is back in town I’m sure we will be back to the grind and getting some new material hammered out, not to mention picking back up on our long overdue recording.

HC Is there a driving force behind the composition of your band and your method to writing music? Would you describe yourselves as a political, religious or any other central cause/theme?
SAS Nothing we write is overtly political or religious, and we come from a variety of backgrounds, it just so happens we share an affinity for metal in one way or another. Craig usually writes lyrics based on poetry or some other form of media that has influenced him, he is an English major after all. Ben has always been the primary riff creator and self-proclaimed boss, but so far it has worked out pretty well.

HC Where can those interested best connect with you to find out about news, releases and tours?
SAS I would say our myspace is the best way to get a hold of us as a group, but then again we might not even be checking that much right now. You could always try finding us on Facebook too, as individuals, but no promises.

HC Where are you at currently in terms of releasing anything and/or gearing up for a tour?
SAS We were on the recording path this time last year but for several reasons we sort of fell out of that after only one and a half songs were complete. We hope to resume where we left off and get some more songs recorded sooner than later. As far as touring, that is a little more of a stretch, as we are all typical starving college students. We’ll see what the coming months hold.

HC Where are you currently grabbing inspiration and/or frustration from and how has this been affecting your music?
SAS Most of the time we will start writing a song if some other song, artist, or anything really touches a nerve and inspiration strikes. I wouldn’t say we ever really write out of frustration for life, we’re not quite that pessimistic.

HC What have been some of the most important lessons for you as aspiring-artists?
SAS At first we were amazed at scoring gigs outside of Corvallis, until we realized that would mean a lot of travel on our own time and gas money to play small venues for even smaller crowds. The reality struck that this was really a tough pursuit if one wants to make it big, so we definitely killed our delusions of grandeur early on. We like to keep it something that is fun and an experience, instead of where we staked all our hopes and dreams.

HC Are there any favorite/funny/scary memories from recent tours or shows that you’d like to share? Have you done much touring?
SAS We have played shows pretty much all throughout Oregon, from Portland down to Roseburg, but never in one solid tour. After one show in Portland we split up so that Dylan, Ben, and our old guitarist Zach could drive home while I stayed in Portland to visit a friend. Come to find out, Dylan’s van ran out of gas on the highway in the middle of the night in just about the darkest, creepiest spot by the Enchanted Forest. My friend and I had to jet out of Portland and find somewhere to buy a gas can and gas while they waited over an hour in the dark for us to come rescue them. That was pretty amusing. That and the time we played a show in Roseburg, it was only our third show ever or something, all the other bands were really heavy grindcore types, and I was borrowing an amp from another band’s bassist. Needless to say, we got a terrible reception, and Craig was going so crazy he threw water all around the electronic equipment and on my loaner amp. We had to have a talk with him about that one.

If you are not a fan of hardcore because “it all sounds the same”, then you are primed for indefensible captivation at the hands of Portland based Roseway. Roseway is definitively heavy but the descriptor basically ends there as they skillfully blend screaming with singing, riffs with breakdowns, and beauty with brutality. Be prepared as you may not know whether to karate chop your mosh pit friend or just give him a hug – and why should you have to decide between the two? Roseway is working hard to produce a quality sound that by nature is undefined but will serve to gather all to their feet, I am enjoying their efforts and look forward to seeing them live soon. Our thanks to Nick of Roseway for taking the time to conduct a Myspace interview.

See Roseway @ Treehouse (Eugene, OR) on July 18th before they set out in late July and into August on the Don’t Stop Until You Get Enough Tour – launching in Vancouver on July 30th venturing South into California and back up through Vegas, Utah, Idaho and back into Oregon. See them also with Hurdcore favorites 66 Love Letters on July 22nd @ Satyricon (Portland, OR) and September 4th @ Life Church (Aloha, OR).

HC What inspired the name of your band? How did your band come together?
RW The name is inspired by where we live, Portland. Our current lineup has only been together a few months, but the band originally started on New Year’s Day of 2008, with Eric (vocals) and Andrew (guitar) as the remaining members from the original lineup. Nick (bass) and Jared (drums) joined the band in September/October 2008, and Johnie (guitar) shortly thereafter in March 2009.

HC How would you describe your musical style?
RW Since we started, Roseway’s style has always been about tastefully and effectively combining contrasting musical styles. We all come from various musical backgrounds, and we have all contributed to making our sound as versatile as it is. Our sound can be loosely described as a mix of catchy hooks/choruses, heavy breakdowns, atmospheric effects, and intense, inspiring vocals.

HC What is unique about your band? What makes your band/sound different from other offerings?
RW We have always taken a sense of esteem in our sound/style combining hard and soft guitars, slow and fast beats, singing, screaming, chanting and yelling vocals, and the hooks that are our flagship sounds. We feel that, with our versatility and unique ability to combine sounds, we can effectively bring together the hardcore kids, the indie kids, the metal kids, the straight-up rockers, and everyone in between.

HC You are currently based out of Portland, Oregon, are you all natives? What do you enjoy most about the local scene?
RW We are all natives of Portland, OR…except for Johnie — he’s originally from Monmouth (Salem area). The Portland scene is ripe with musicians striving to make the next step in bringing music to bigger markets and showing that Portland still has some hardcore in them! Also, the Portland area teems with kids thirsty for more music filled with God’s Word.

HC Being a Christian hardcore band, have you found local churches to be supportive of your efforts? Do you view yourselves as missionaries? What has been the overall response to the relationship between your talents and the sharing of your message?
RW Surprisingly, there are more and more churches who are supporting the small-time Christian bands who have a heavier sound. Since our end of the musical spectrum used to be contained in the underground, yet has been emerging to the surface and the mainstream over the past several years, we have found that the support from churches and Christian organizations has been very much on the rise.

HC Where can those interested best connect with you to find out about news, releases and tours?
RW Myspace, of course!!! myspace.com/rosewaymusic

HC Where are you currently grabbing inspiration and/or frustration from and how has this been affecting your music?
RW Struggles come and go, as with everyone, and we draw our inspiration from many different sources. Often times, the hardships we experience in our personal lives greatly affect the writing process. Everything from relationships gone sour to friendships ending in betrayal to the hope and joy God’s mercy and grace gives us after going through those things — are what makes our lyrics so inspiring and heartfelt.

HC What have been some of the most important lessons for you as aspiring-artists?
RW There have definitely been some ups and downs for us as an aspiring band moving forward in the music industry — and one of the biggest ups is how greatly the power of prayer and faithfulness in our daily lives can affect how God blesses us as a band.

HC Are there any favorite/funny/scary memories from recent tours that you’d like to share?
RW During our short tour through northern Washington in between Christmas ’08 and New Year’s Day ’09, we stopped in Bremerton, WA for a show on the day after Christmas. It was a half-bar, half-all-ages venue, and someone had pulled a prank on one of the members in one of the other bands we played with that night — Eric went into the bathroom after we played our set, just to stumble into a big, sticky pool of fake blood. He freaked out, ran out of the bathroom, and was like “oh my gosh, there’s a huge pool of blood in the men’s room!” He was so flustered, he nearly locked the keys to our van inside the van…but luckily, we found them in Nick’s pocket!

HC Any words of encouragement for aspiring bands?
RW If you make God the center of everything you do and say as a band, He will continue to bless you and look after you!

You may have never heard of Maple Valley, Washington (I had to look it up) but you will soon be hearing a lot from their young and expanding talent. I was first introduced to We Move Mountains when I was doing some research on Rock For Reason, a local youth led group that seeks to raise awareness and support to bring clean water to Africa. While the music of WMM is definitely hard, it is far from defined by the hardcore tag alone, this is an eclectic blend of emotion, creativity and sheer brutality. Thanks to WMM for taking the time to conduct this Myspace interview…

HC What inspired the name of your band? How did your band come together?
WMM Well Bones(drummer) and I(Zesty/screamer) both picked up new instruments after the last band had fallen apart. We were tired of fooling around and not having any fun. In order to have a solid band name that we both enjoyed, time and a lot of poor names came up. We Move Mountains ended up sticking. We found it unique, fitting, and just badass! Then we picked up Keller and Barret from another fallen local band, The Wi-fi Brothers. Eventually, Barret parted ways to Afterwords, and we got Nate. Nate was a no-brainer choice, as he is amazing at every Zelda game. He ended up picking up the bass for us, and surpassed the expectations we had tenfold. Our most recent lineup change was Ethan. We knew him from a local Death Metal band, Aschemia. He had showed interest in joining before, and so when we felt I needed to choose between guitar and vocals, Ethan was another first choice. The current WMM is the best it has ever been. And here we are!

HC How would you describe your musical style?
WMM Oh man, this question is tough for us. We honestly just write until it sounds good. I’m not going to compare us to anything, because I feel have our own sound, but we’ve heard things like ” a cross between Fear Before The March of Flames/Heavy Heavy Low Low”. I’d say our music is catchy and all over the board. You never know what you’re going to get from us!

HC What is unique about your band? What makes your band/sound different from other offerings?
WMM We put our hearts into our music. That puts a band out of the crowd instantly and is the most important thing to us. Our influences have contributed a lot as well. Though there’s the number of bands we all listen to, our core influences are very diverse. Mine being The Mars Volta, Bones’ being Metallica, Keller’s being Blink-182 and so on. At a glance, I’m sure we’re just another band following the “core” fad, but if you really give us a listen, it’s much more than that.

HC You are currently based out of Maple Valley, WA, are you all natives? What do you enjoy most about the local scene?
WMM We are actually! I moved out of state for a while, but ended up coming back after a few years just in time for High School to start up. Maple Valley’s music scene isn’t there. Sure, there’s a few bands, but the supporters are limited to that and a few others. We like to head out to Tacoma to the Viaduct and Club Impact. We feel very at home at both places, and the environments of both are very family oriented, and more importantly, all about the music and helping the local scene!

HC Is there a driving force behind the composition of your band and your method to writing music? Would you describe yourselves as a political, religious or any other central cause/theme?
WMM As I said earlier, it comes from our hearts. I’ll start churning out lyrics like it’s nothing if I’m going through a rough time in my life. As for the instruments, once someone sparks, we all explode and will crank out a great song in a day or two. We like to write the guitar parts first, then add drums and vocals. None of our stuff is political, religious or any of that. Our stuff deals with hardships that everyone goes through, and looking at the flaws of ourselves and how we can better them.

HC Where can those interested best connect with you to find out about news, releases and tours?
WMM I don’t think we’ll ever jump onto the Twitterwagon. Twitter creeps us out. Texting and myspace is enough information as it is. Hourly updates on millions of people? Just creepy. Myspace is the best way to get in touch with us, whether it be on the bands page or one of our personals. We’re very friendly guys and love interacting with the fans we have, and letting them know how much they mean to us.

HC Where are you at currently in terms of releasing anything and/or gearing up for a tour?
WMM At this very moment, we’re recording round two of our full length. We had been planning a tour for this Summer, but it was way tougher than we expected and things fell through. We’re hoping to get out there sometime before the year’s over though. WMM is still young, being between 15-17, and although we’re trying to take big steps, sometimes we take a step back and realize how young we really are.

HC Where are you currently grabbing inspiration and/or frustration from and how has this been affecting your music?
WMM I don’t think we could narrow it down to any one thing. Every passing day affects our music. I wish I could answer this better…

HC What have been some of the most important lessons for you as aspiring-artists? WMM Give respect, get respect. That’s a huge one for us. And get a trailer as soon as you can!

HC Are there any favorite/funny/scary memories from recent tours or shows that you’d like to share? Have you done much touring?
WMM We still haven’t toured yet and haven’t experienced many shenanigans either. Bummer, eh?

HC We’ve recently become aware of the efforts of Rock For Reason and noticed that you’ve been playing at several their concerts, how did you get involved with RFR?
WMM Rock for Reason! Woowoo! Yeah, actually Keller and I are on the RFR Team. The whole thing is lead by our buddy, Cameron. We’ve been helping out since the very first show, and We Move Mountains was lucky enough to play it too! As part of the staff, and one of the local bands, we are lucky enough to get on most of the bills and play those AMAZING shows! I encourage everyone to check out RFR’s myspace, get informed, and help out any way you can!

*All pictures courtesy of We Move Mountains via Myspace profile

Hard at work in the studio to get a full release ready for the public, the online release of their latest track You Had Me @ Hello and fresh off their first local show, 66 Love Letters is declaring their intent to dominate the Portland (Oregon) hardcore scene. 66LL should be ready to impress the chicks, they’ve been practicing in a barn from day one! (ha ha…see notes below) If you like energetic, brutal licks and live in the Northwest, you are going to want to keep an eye on 66 Love Letters. Our thanks to Mike of 66LL for taking the time to interact with hurdcore.com via Myspace.

HC What inspired the name of your band? How did your band come together?
66LL Our band name came to be from the 66 Books of the Bible which are commonly know as Love letters.

HC How would you describe your musical style?
66LL Our musical style is definitely on the heavier side of rock, but we stay in the Hardcore/Alternative genre.

HC What is unique about your band? What makes your band/sound different from other offerings?
66LL We feel that our faith and our commitment to the reason for our band sets us apart from other bands that are similar to us. We strive to put our all into our musical sound, but also believe that the overall few of us as a band is important as well.

HC You are currently based out of Portland, Oregon, are you all natives? What do you enjoy most about the local scene?
66LL We are all from the Portland area, yet some of us have spent years of our lives out of Oregon, such as Indiana and Montana. Portland’s music scene is like a roller-coaster, but we really enjoy what Portland has to offer through its venues and fans.

HC Being a Christian hardcore band, have you found local churches to be supportive of your efforts? Do you view yourselves as missionaries? What has been the overall response to the relationship between your talents and the sharing of your message?
66LL We have been accepted as a Christian / Hardcore band by many churches and have been given the oppurtunity to perform, and then some churches are the opposite and don’t want anything to do with what we are about. We believe that what we are doing is to glorify God and not ourselves, and it means a lot to us when people realize that instead of just listening to our sound and assuming we are like everyone else.

HC On your recent video, it appears that you are practicing in an incredibly clean barn, or more specifically in the haymow, is this where you typically practice?
66LL Our barn has been our permanent practice pad for awhile now, and we try to keep it as clean as possible.

HC Your posts from this spring mention recording and a drummer change. Are you working towards a release for this year? Have you found a new drummer, how is that working out?
66LL We have been working with a drummer for a couple months now, and he is working out great. As far as a release for more music, we are really hopeing by the end of the year to have a good EP recorded for our fans.

HC Where can those interested best connect with you to find out about news, releases and tours?
66LL Our myspace is a great place to interact with us and to find out the latest news and info about our band. There are also sites like twitter.com/66loveletters and purevolume.com/66loveletters where you can find updates about us as well.

HC Where are you currently grabbing inspiration and/or frustration from and how has this been affecting your music?
66LL We all struggle with daily struggles and glorifying moments as well and we try to put those moments into every song. But when it comes down to it, we are all in this to glorify God and not ourselves, so we give Him all the credit.

HC What have been some of the most important lessons for you as aspiring-artists?
66LL Important lessons…well we know that recording without a drummer is harder than it sounds, and costs a lot more too. But we are a new band and have a lot more to learn and a lot more room to grow, but we feel we are all in this for the right reason and this band is going to take us very far.

HC Are there any favorite/funny/scary memories from recent tours that you’d like to share?
66LL Actually no, because we have not even had our first show.

HC Any words of encouragement for aspiring bands?
66LL Encouraging words… Don’t give up on your dreams, realize what you are doing and why you are doing it, and put your band in the hands of someone who can mold it and make it everything it’s supposed to be.

*All pictures courtesy of 66 Love Letters via Myspace profile

Of Saints and Shadows is high energy and enthralling metal that will give you a swift punch to the mouth, leaving a permanent (though toothless) smile. This is a band that clearly likes to have fun – note matching tie dye boxer shorts, a captivating spastic front man and guest appearances by none other than Lady Gaga – but is unmistakeably deep and blistering metal.

SAS came to the Oregon State University Battle of the Bands ready to rock and for as early as they played they elicited a hearty response from the crowd; enough to win them 2nd Place for 2009. This is a young band that has played some of the largest venues in Oregon and understands how to wail. As SAS continues to grow together as musicians and showmen this will be a band that will rock Corvallis (and beyond) well into the future.

Elenora out of Roseburg, Oregon has described themselves in a most eloquent narrative, “If Edward Scissorhands had a love child with Judy Garland, with John Candy as his right hand man.” So if you’re ready for some Poe inspired Southern Oregon grown hardcore that is breakdown laden while combining elements of melodic, screamo and a crafty use of the keys, you just might find your place pounding the stage with Elenora. Our thanks to the band for taking time while recording to entertain a MySpace interview with us, their EP is set to hit the public July of this year (which is 2009).

HC What inspired the name of your band?
EL We actually got the name from the Edgar Allen Poe poem named Eleonora. We are fans of his work so we changed the name a little to make it more our own.

Yet the promises of Eleonora were not forgotten; for I heard the sounds of the swinging of the censers of the angels; and streams of a holy perfume floated ever and ever about the valley; and at lone hours, when my heart beat heavily, the winds that bathed my brow came unto me laden with soft sighs; and indistinct murmurs filled often the night air, and once — oh, but once only! I was awakened from a slumber, like the slumber of death, by the pressing of spiritual lips upon my own. -Eleonora (excerpt) by Edgar Allan Poe, 1850

HC When did your band go from the dream stage to actually putting tracks down and going on the road?
EL We are actually in the process of getting out on the road. We have played shows all over Oregon but we are waiting till the release of our debut EP to set up a west coast tour.

HC How would you describe your musical style?
EL I would describe us as heavy and melodic hardcore. Instrumentaly we play hardcore music with a lot of breakdowns but then we added some epic keys to give our music more emotion and depth.

HC I noticed that you are gearing up to record an EP this summer with the release set for July 2009, how excited are you to be getting this phase completed? How many tracks are you hoping to nail down? Have you decided on a name for the EP yet?
EL We are all getting very excited as it gets closer and closer to being time to head up to Portland. To be recording up at Interlace Studios with Kris Crummett is like a dream come true for us being that he has recorded so many bands that have been influential in our music careers. The EP, which is still untitled, will have 6 tracks consisting of 5 full length songs and an intro track.

HC Where can those interested best connect with you to find out about news, releases and tours?
EL The best place to contact us at is our band myspace, we are constantly on there to answer questions, talk to fans, and put up updates for everyone. www.myspace.com/elenora

HC From the concept of your band, the makeup of its members and the lyrics of your songs, would you say that there is a prominent theme (i.e. religious, political, philosophical, etc)?
EL We really don’t have a theme that we go by we tend to write songs about past experiences that we think other people can relate to. We love to write songs this way because we like to think it puts more pure emotions into our music.

HC Where are you currently grabbing inspiration and/or frustration from and how has this been affecting your music?
EL As we said in the question before we get inspiration from past experiences that we have all had or current things going on in our lives. We try to take the emotions that we are feeling and put it right into our music.

HC What have been some of the most important lessons for you as struggling/emerging-artists?
EL Not having enough money has been a key struggle for us starting out. Also finding a solid place to practice has proved to be pretty hard for us too. We have been kicked out of two of our practice locations due to disgruntled neighbors.

HC Are there any favorite/funny/scary memories from your recent shows that you’d like to share?
EL A couple months ago we were opening for Carnifex in Roseburg, OR and the last song we played during our final breakdown we had fans get up on the stage with us and were headbanging with us and slamming their fists pretty hard into the stage ground. That was awesome for us we love when the crowd into our music.

HC What has been your favorite tour stop so far? What new foods have you discovered (scary or good)?
EL Definitely Coos Bay, Or we played at Waxers Broadway theater. We played with Abandon The Shore, Boy Named Sue, and My Life In Red. Amazing turnout, great show, and the people who ran the venue were great to us! Afterwards we went out to eat with a couple of other bands at a great 24 hour restaurant named the Cozy Kitchen. Not only did they have great food but somehow they managed to put up with all of us which had to be quite a task lol

HC What has been the most challenging part of taking your band public?
EL Umm probably building a fan base. It’s hard to build a big fan base outside of where you live unless you tour a lot which we have not had a chance of doing so far.

HC Any words of encouragement for aspiring bands?
EL Make sure to be financially sound!!!! That is huge for any serious bands we have found out the hard way haha

Solid State Records, the special forces wing of parent label Tooth & Nail Records, based out of Seattle, Washington, has long been a prominent force in the production and distribution of quality hardcore/metal. If you are hungry for some metal that is ever progressive in it’s development and deeply rooted in a Christ-centered worldview, you will not want to miss Becoming The Archetype. Our thanks to Count Seth for taking the time to discuss music, faith and the relationship between the two.

HC As a band, you obviously put a lot of time into your compositions, lyrics and even titles. Can you tell us a little bit of the meaning behind Dichotomy?
BTA Dichotomy explores human nature in terms of biological vs. spiritual, natural vs. technological and mental vs physical. We believe man is very complex and an understanding of who you are is the foundation of knowing anything about the universe in which we live and breathe.

HC Where are you currently grabbing your inspiration from as far as writing music and lyrics?
BTA Lyrically, there are a lot of ideas drawn from C.S. Lewis’s space trilogy and Stephen King’s Dark Tower Series. Musically these days, we’re drawing from Opeth, Mastodon, In Flames, Dark Tranquility, Extol and Pink Floyd the most heavily. Everything one experiences goes into the mix of making that person who he/she is. I’d like to think that the love we experience from our families and churches influenced our writing as well as the aggression we feel toward sin and its effects on human life.

HC From a fans perspective, each album seems to get progressively better, it is apparent that you guys put a lot of time into perfecting your craft and working to push the envelope of metal rather than finding a comfortable niche and milking it. Where does this drive to push and reconstruct come from, has it been a conscious decision on your part?
BTA Well, I’ll tell you, I’m a bit of a Beatles enthusiast. Any student of The Beatles knows that after the stopped touring, their songwriting amped up in a huge way and allowed them to do things no band has done since in terms of melody and experiment. In only eight years, the Beatles released 13 albums and over 220 songs which most people can’t find much negative to say about. This shows that touring constantly, as bands are pressed to do now, cuts down on the time spent honing the craft of songwriting. If I had to point at any one thing lacking in the current heavy music world, it’d be good songwriting. There’s no lack of amazing guitarists or vocalists. No lack of great production or heaviness. But people seem to have forgotten that a song needs to be constructed and thought out well. We are seeking to do that the best we can. So yes, it has been a conscious decision on our part. We are spending inordinate amounts of time shaping and refining songs so that they aren’t a hodge podge thrown together in a few practices: they are the product of hours of intelligent thought with multiple songwriters shaping them into something we all feel is very powerful.

HC Your albums have a clear Christian message and I’ve witnessed myself the sincere faith that you carry with you on the road. How would you describe your efforts in this regard as a band? Would you describe yourselves as missionaries?
BTA We are certainly missionaries. The Great Commission, as Christ gave it just before His ascension, left no room to not take the good news of the gospel with us as we go everywhere. We do that in a multitude of ways, but one unique way on this last album was to set the lyrics of “How Great Thou Art” to our music. That was exhilarating.

HC For those who are praying for you and encouraging you efforts to share truth, what have you observed as far as the receptiveness to your message amongst other bands and fans who come to your shows?
BTA Receptiveness isn’t the problem. No one wants to call anyone out or judge in this climate, so we’re never hated for our message. It mainly just falls on passive ears. We want people to know the truth that we are sinners, but as willing as we are to sin, Christ is more willing to forgive. The continual spring of sin in us may be deep, but the spring of Christ’s love and forgiveness is greater. That is an urgent message, because without that truth in your life, existence is harsh. Not many treat it that way. We have a prayer team set up and that has become a great community of believers praying for us and each other. Anyone that wants to join it can email btaprayerteam@gmail.com or add us as a friend at myspace.com/btaprayerteam

HC For those who have a desire to see the “scene” kids e
experience the love and truth that is only found in Christ, what have you learned as key factors in understanding and reaching out to youth within this field?
BTA I believe there is no key factor in showing love and grace to the world. If the gospel were that easy, Christ would’ve said, here’s what you need to do when you tell people about me: say “blah, blah, blah” or whatever. But He didn’t because there is no secret. There is only living a life of truth and love and community. Patience is a virtue and those who follow it will find it strengthening their ability to connect with people who need the gospel of grace.

HC You’ve been around now for a few years, have an impressive discography for fans to enjoy, would you say that you are still in the struggling-artist camp or have you reached some area of comfort in being able to support yourselves solely as musicians?
BTA Well, we are in a decent spot right now, mainly because we’re not killing ourselves on the road, having vans break down every month. When those things happen, they put so much of a strain on the band that the band runs a serious risk of being pulled apart. My advice to younger bands: get a job and fund your band instead of relying on it. Ian MacKaye says the same thing. Stop hoping your band will make you money. There is an over-saturation of bands out there eating up the profit that can be made. This is good for the scene because it weeds out bands who aren’t made of tough stuff.

HC What have been some of the most important lessons that you have learned through your journey as musicians?
BTA Mainly that music is a portal to something deep within yourself. Other things can take you to those places, but for many people, music is the strongest connection to that place in their heart where the mind can’t enter. When you hear a certain riff, your heart feel like it gets pushed over two inches in your chest and there is no explaining it. That is what you try to do with a song. If your music doesn’t have that effect on a substantial amount of people, you’re doing something wrong.

HC When you first arrived on the scene, or when you first were introduced via Solid State Records, there seemed to be a unique relationship with Ryan Clark of Demon Hunter that apparently continues to this day. How has Ryan been a part of your band and what has that relationship meant to you?
BTA Very observant! You’re either a great fan or you’ve done your homework. Kudos! Ryan Clark has been somewhat of a father figure to us in the music industry. He discovered us at Cornerstone ’04 and signed us to Solid State. He gives us advice on everything from artwork to producers to touring seasons. If it weren’t for him, we’d probably have been the Remnant for a couple more years then broken up and pursued other things in life. We still have a great relationship with him and I’m always talking to him and we’re kindred spirits on different coasts.

HC Are there any favorite/funny/scary memories from your current (or past) tour(s) that you’d like to share?
BTA Haha, well, some of them aren’t appropriate to be printed, but one time is still fresh. While recording our last album, a bear crawled into Devin Townsend’s truck cab, trying to get at the trash he had piled in the back. None of us knew it and when we walked out the front door, there is the black bear peering out at us over the dash. Devin started to shout and try to get him out and the thing just shimmied and pushed it’s way through the two foot slit where the window was rolled down. There’s something transcendental about watching a bear squeeze through a truck window as fast as he can. Of course, we sat in bear hair on that trip to the store and Devin still has that slice of his steering wheel missing from the bear’s claw.

HC What have been some of your favorite tour stops so far? What new foods have you discovered (scary or good)?
BTA Birmingham, AL is always great. There are so many good promoters we’ve developed relationships with over the years. Clinton, NJ has become another favorite as well as Palm Bay, FL. I eat anything and sometimes that does bite me in the rear end. I once tried some kind of strange curry at a friend’s house and I soon realized the joke was on me. The curry was made with anything hot that can be imagined and as soon as I closed my lips around the curry, I almost threw up. Amazingly, I swallowed the stuff, but that was a mistake. My throat instantly felt like gravel, I couldn’t see because my eyes flooded all their tears at once and my body about went limp. Man, that was rough. I wasn’t right again for almost an hour!

HC Any words of encouragement for aspiring bands?
BTA Quit. Haha, kinda joking but seriously, there are more fulfilling things to do with your life. Why do you think so many bands break up after just a couple years on the road? It takes a certain sort of person to be content touring all the time and I don’t mean a necessarily good sort of person. We are still playing 50-80 shows a year, so we get a decent break. But for up and coming bands, that’s not an option. Another thing if I may: we’re writing a song called “Necrotizing Fasciitis” which we’re shooting to get out this summer. Keep your ears and eyes peeled for it because it’ll be something different than what we normally do.

Becoming The Archetype‘s latest album Dichotomy was just released, check the BTA Myspace for songs, show and news. See also our review/introduction to Dichotomy HERE as posted earlier this year.

Having trouble finding a good local band or venue that will allow you to do more than bob up and down like a buoy?! Hurdcore.com is bringing the music to the people, we offer a glimpse into the background and mind of Graham, Washington based hardcore band Swinglow. Our thanks to Trevor of Swinglow for taking the time to share with us.

HC What inspired the name of your band?
SL i kinda just picked it out of a list of names our drummer made and i really liked it so we kept it haha.

HC When did your band go from the dream stage to actually putting tracks down and going on the road?
SL well we started jamming and making music back in april of last year but didn’t really start playing shows till October and since we’ve been playing shows off and on and recorded an ep.

HC How would you describe your musical style?
SL i personally would call us hardcore with a mix of melodic and metal influences.

HC Where are you at currently in terms of writing and/or releasing an album?
SL well we just released an ep about a month ago and we will start recording another short demo in june as for a full length we would like to starting writing for that by the end of summer as for releasing i honestly have no idea.

HC Where can those interested best connect with you to find out about news, releases and tours?
SL um definitely www.myspace.com/swinglowsucks

HC From the concept of your band, the makeup of its members and the lyrics of your songs, would you say that there is a prominent theme (i.e. religious, political, philosophical, etc)?
SL yes i guess would say the theme is simply music that is glorifying to god and nothing less.

HC Where are you currently grabbing inspiration and/or frustration from and how has this been affecting your music?
SL from worship songs, sermons at my church and personal experiences.

HC What have been some of the most important lessons for you as struggling-artists?
SL i guess we’ve learned lately not to rush things especially when it comes to getting new songs ready its better to go at your own pace and see how things play out.

HC Are there any favorite/funny/scary memories from your current tour that you’d like to share?
SL so far we’ve played only one out of state show in waldport oregon and it was interesting but no great stories to tell yet.

HC What has been your favorite tour stop so far? What new foods have you discovered (scary or good)?
SL since we havn’t had a tour yet i wouldn’t know haha

HC What has been the most challenging part of taking your band public?
SL i guess just finding time to fit show’s,practices,ect into all of our busy schedule for the last 6 months this has been our main problem.

HC Any words of encouragement for aspiring bands?
SL i would just stick with it as long as possible you never know what could come of it!

UPCOMING SHOWS:

:: 05/15/09
@ Studio 7 – Seattle, WA
5PM, $8adv/$10doors
Aschemia CD Release Show w/ As For The Dead, Sanctity In Silence, SWINGLOW, more TBA

:: 06/14/09
@ The Viaduct – Tacoma, WA
5412 South Tacoma Way, Tacoma, 98409
w/ Swinglow, Earth From Above & Dear Life

The Chariot (Solid State Records) has been working to bring back the grit to hardcore music, removing so many of the layers of the make-up that has been building up even on some of the genre’s hardest acts. Often recording their tracks in single takes, as opposed to piecing them together in the musical lab, their music offers brutal sincerity in every aspect, from lyrics to production. Perhaps initially known for the popularity of their lead singer, Josh Scogin, original member and singer for Norma Jean (Luit-Kriss), The Chariot has quickly and definitively etched their own mark upon the hardcore scene. If you are ready to shake off the nursery sets of hardcore and dance with the big boys, The Chariot is ready to send you home with bruises of bliss.

Those who have experienced The Chariot know that they lay everything on the line, so in that same vein they have pre-released their entire album on their MySpace page. The album is to be released on May 5, 2009 but you can go to their page to get your face rocked off before it comes out in hard copy.