Mittwoch, 26. Januar 2011

NINEBAR Interview


Ninebar (UK) – another pissed off and dirty Beatdown Hardcore-band from RUCKTION RECORDS.


First we wanna thank you for spending time in this interview!

NINEBAR started in 1997. Please tell us something about the beginning of NINEBAR.

The original nucleus of the band is four friends who grew up together in South London, got into hardcore in the mid to late 90s through seeing bands such as MADBALL, SICK OF IT ALL and later WARZONE. Became more involved in the underground / DIY aspect through all the old BACK TA BASICS releases, the early UKHC scene bands such as KNUCKLEDUST, UP AGAINST IT, PUBLIC DISTURBANCE, STAMPING GROUND etc.
Another important source of information back then was TIME FOR SOME ACTION, a newsletter Pierre from KNUCKLEDUST used to hand out at shows which exposed us to plenty of new music from the UK and overseas.
All this and more inspired us to start the band and we played quite a few shows with various lineups, but this stabilised around 1999/2000 and since then we've only changed bassist and added a second guitarist.


How long does the actual line-up exist?

Since the early 00's, I forget exactly when Chris joined but our line-up has remained unchanged since then.
As well as the normal lineup we have friends like Ian from DICTION and Pieman from HELLBENT DIEHARD who can fill in for Nicky when necessary, as he has had heavy work commitments recently.

Are any members in side projects beyond 9bar?

Matty also plays guitar for KARTEL and INJURY TIME, Nicky is of course in the legendary KNUCKLEDUST, and Chris also plays guitar in DICTION, as well as singing for HELLBENT DIEHARD who unfortunately are inactive these days.
I just started on vocals in a new project, but there’s not too much to say at this stage as we've only practiced a few times.


Who of you write the lyrics?

Lyric writing is split evenly between me and TB the other singer.
We generally write them separately and then nearer recording we discuss, adapt to each others vocal style and suggest alterations, additions and improvements.


And what are the songs about?

Loss, pride, alienation, destruction, persistence, dedication, hatred for fakes, users and bullshitters and love for our friends, crew and home town.


What made you say “I want to be in a band”?

Getting to know the guys in KNUCKLEDUST, who we already recognised from shows.
Their early encouragement and the fact that they were down to earth people like us, rather than some unaproachable rockstars that didn't want to know you, spurred us on to start playing.


Is RUCKTION RECORDS the one and only label for you?

Without a doubt. Theres just so much UK history and quality there, from sadly defunct legends such as DIVIDE and TAKING NAMES, consistant favourites like SPECIAL MOVE through to newer releases such as CHAINS OF HATE.
Run by guys our age who grew up alongside us in the scene, and are in it for the right reasons rather than being swayed by money or trends.
And of course it doesn't hurt that a couple of the guys in NINE BAR are involved in one way or another ha ha.


A few months ago we interviewed the guys of PROWLER. We asked about the general collaboration with another RUCKTION bands. They gave us a positive feedback. What would you say?

Not sure I understand, maybe I answered it in the previous question? I fucking love PROWLER, they were like Londons secret weapon for ages with not much recorded but some crazy reactions when they did play.
Good fun hanging out and playing with those guys, they can write a MEAN tune and I'm glad to see them finally have something released and get out there.


If you could have anyone do guest vocals on your next recording – besides the guys of RUCKTION RECORDS - who would it be and why?

I can’t think of anyone I’d rather have as guest vocalists than the two guys we’ve got on the upcoming CD – Pierre from KNUCKLEDUST/BUN DEM OUT and DBS from KARTEL/INJURY TIME. Both have been good friends of ours for over 10 years and are still to be found dancing and singing along at our shows, as well as being a constant inspiration with their encouraging words and the creativity they put into their bands.
If it really has to be someone unrelated to RUCKTION, I’m gonna go with Alain from OUT FOR BLOOD, one of my all-time favourite European bands. Never get tired of ‘Strive to Survive’ and it was really good to see them in 2010.


At the start of 2010 you guys recorded 12 brand new songs for an upcoming full length release. It`ll be released on RUCKTION RECORDS. Please tell us something about this cd.

We’ve been writing it for the last couple of years, I think it gives a good impression of what we’re about with its mix of shorter, faster songs and longer heavier ones, a touch of melody and groove and maybe a wider variety of influences, also more guitar solos this time around.


Could you give us an exact date?

Not just yet, we just got the recording mastered and later on in February 2011 we will get together and take the inlay photos.


On MySpace fans are allowed to hear fresh new stuff. Is this the only one or will you upload some other track(s)?

At the time of writing this we have just put a couple of mastered songs up on our Facebook and Myspace pages.


And what about your previous releases? Are all the cds / Tapes with NINEBAR on it still available? Or are they sold out?

Yeah, the remastered version of our debut MCD (which features an earlier live set from 1999), our SOUTHBOUND split with our brothers in KARTEL and DICTION and the RAISING THE BAR full length are all still available.


Fans of NINEBAR know the video “Read These Boks”. Are there any plans for another video?

That video came about because our friend Khaled was doing a college project, and knew that we’d have some good ideas and would be able to get it together at short notice. It was fun to do, I like how it came out, and it captured a moment in time for us, with some people in it that aren’t around as much these days.
However, this isn’t really what I want to concentrate on as a priority with NINE BAR. My favourite aspects of being in the band are playing live, writing new music and designing our shirts, so miming to our recordings on film doesn’t really do it for me.
That said, its 2011 and I recognise the current importance of such things to promote our music, so maybe I will look at selecting a song from the new CD to make a video for.


Let`s talk about live shows. Do you guys know how many times you hit Germany?

We've played Germany a couple of times. Once way back in the earlier part of the decade, with KNUCKLEDUST, SETTLE THE SCORE, CLOBBERIN TIME, HARSH TRUTH and maybe some others. I forget where exactly.
And in Summer 2009 we played JZE Papestrasse in Essen, it was a 2 day fest and bands I recall from the day we played are SPECIAL MOVE, XREPRESENTX and SHATTERED REALM.
We're also playing BRINGING BACK THE GLORY fest in March 2011. I'm looking forward to that a lot as I travelled to last years with my good friends in INJURY TIME, great day with a well chosen mix of bands.


What was your best show in UK?

DAMAGE CONTROL 2009 (yearly London fest organised by Pierre from KNUCKLEDUST) was pretty crazy.
Any show at the 12bar in London is nuts, just because the place is the size of my living room. You have to really watch yourself in there, I generally end up squashed against the stage or sitting on it, with my free hand in front of me to avoid getting kicked in the face ha ha. I love that place, definitely the home of London HC for the last few years.
Too many others over the years to remember really, one that I was thinking about the other day that stuck out was when we played with THROWDOWN years ago, not our type of crowd at all but a bunch of our friends turned up and went nuts.


And in Germany?

I guess out of the two times we played there I prefer the first, even though we drove all the way from the UK, watched a couple of bands, played and then drove back ha ha. I remember being cooped up in the KNUCKLEDUST van for 10 hours or so each way, so it felt really good to go off when we played, and I think that was actually the first time in mainland Europe with what went on to become our permanent lineup.
Second time in Essen was ok, nice big stage but there were crazy thunderstorms that day and so the venue was hot as fuck, wasn’t feeling the sound much either.


What were your favorite places to play?

Well any London show is an obvious one. We got to play 3 US dates in 2009 and Baltimore in particular was so fucking good, although everywhere we went people were really friendly and receptive. A definite high point in our history to play MD, PA and NJ, where so many influential bands past and present come from.
Another standout for us has to be Tournai in Belgium where we’ve played maybe 5 or 6 shows, always a good drunken time there with Baptiste and Bloodclaat Crew.


Are their any funny tour stories you wanna betray us?

The best time in recent years has been going to other parts of the UK or the mainland, usually Belgium, in a 50 seater coach organised by Pierre.
Too much funny shit went on there to know where to begin, people passing out in toilets, getting back onto the wrong coach and generally living up to the British abroad stereotype ha ha.


Are there any bands you would like to play with?

We’ve been fortunate enough to play with many of the bigger bands that originally inspired us, as well as some current favourites.
But we’ve never shared a stage with HARD TARGET or HORRORSTRUCK, two of my favourite UK bands from the last couple of years.
Dark and viciously heavy hardcore from both, check them out on Myspace and HARD TARGET has a CD coming soon on RUCKTION RECORDS.


Do you see some changes in the scene? Positive ones or negative?

Well an obvious one would be the rise in importance of the internet, and I guess the positive and negative impacts of that stack up evenly against eachother.
Back in the 90s flyering was a big part of keeping yourself in the loop. You would always make sure to grab whatever you saw being handed out, and if we were putting on a show we always made the effort to flyer other shows and try and bring some new people over.
I think thats the kind of thing thats been lost to the net these days, physically putting yourelf out there rather than doing it from home, as well the whole mystique of finding records in shops you'd never seen before, randomly finding out bands were playing and so on.
But I don't wanna sound like TOO much of a jaded old bastard, 15 years on I still love checking out new bands and going to as many shows as I can, the net has helped out a lot with that too.


Please, tell us, what means hardcore for you?

Good friends, a place to be myself when I sometimes feel i don't belong anywhere, somewhere to create while also unleashing anger, agression and frustration.
And too much else to really put into words...


In our interviews it`s usual, so: BRAINSTORMING:

The new SFD CD?
Haven't heard it yet

Fruits or vegetables?
Vegetables

DIY or “big” label?
DIY DIY DIY DIY DIY

The weather in UK?
I love it

For further information check
http://www.myspace.com/ninebar
http://www.rucktion.com
or add them on Facebook!

Montag, 10. Januar 2011

NASTY Interview




On every hardcore show you see not less than one kid with their merchandise. You see amazing stagedives, electrifying sing-a-longs, violent dancing. The crowd looses his mind and turns the dancefloor into a warzone. We`re talking about THE beatdown band. THE Terror beatdown band. We`re talking about NASTY (BE, GER).

Thank you, Matthi, for spending your time!

Thx for your interest...


We think that everybody should know you, but please introduce NASTY in a few sentences.

Nasty are Ludo (bass), Nash (Drums) Chris on Guitar and me (vocs). The band was founded in late 2005 and is based in Belgium and Germany. Till now we released a Demo and 3 full Lenght CDs.


Before NASTY there was a band called VAN DAMME. Some of the guys who are more than 2 years in Beatdown-hardcore should know this band. Tell us something about it, the namedropping and stuff like this.

Van Damme was started around 2001 and was more like a sideproject cause everyone involved had other Bands running.
We wanted to play a harder style cause this was what we grew up with. Im not sure about the namedropping... we played some local shows and spread a selmade demo (around 5 copies) on a show we didn't even play. After lots of lineupchanges we split up and restarted some month later with Nasty.


On the demo of VAN DAMME there is the classic track called „Cunthunt“. In the past NASTY played this song live. But actually fewer. Why?

Our Drummer swore by his mother never to play that song again.


You guys are from Germany and Belgium. How often do you rehearse and how does that work?

Normally we rehearse once a week. At the moment we practice in Aachen (Ger). Its like 20 km away from the place Ludo lives.


In the end of 2004 NASTY started their career. In 2005 the demo “The Beginning” crushed the scene. It´s sold out, isn’t it?

Yes it's sold out.


This brutal demo made an impact and in 2006 your first album was released. It is called “Declaring War” and the cover shows what the listener can expect. Two years later you released another version of this album. “Declaring Ware Redux” includes the songs of the demo, too. Why this re-release?

The Demo had a real good sound and Declaring War was sold out so we put it together.


One of the tracks of this album is called "Famebitch Holocaust". Are their many people who think that you are racists or crap like that,because of the word "Holocaust"?

We had a lot of issues cause we used the word Holocaust.


In the same year your next album “Aggression” hit the scene. There was handnumbered limited special edition (100 copies) of your album “Aggression”. This CD came out with a special HOLLY D. booklet with all new photos. Furthermore each CD was dedicated and signed by HOLLY herself. For the ones who don`t know HOLLY D. check google – if you`re old enough ;-)
Whom idea was it and do you wanna release a special CD like this again?

It was Goodlifes idea. We've been pretty fucked up cause of this spezial bullshit release. We even did not know about it until it was released. For us the music we do is something very serious and a way to communicate and express ourselves. We are not against porn but a pornactrice to present what we do is simply fail.


Since a few months the album “Give a shit” is out. Some words to your 3rd album?

Its shorter faster and rougher than the 2 before.


Amongst other things on your CD`s are features by SIX FT. DITCH, SURGE OF FURY. You gave your voice to bands like CIRCLE OF DEATH, SIX FT. DITCH… So, whom do you want on a next CD or with which band do you wanna work together?

Would be awesome to work with R-Kelly and Akon.


Most of your tracks are full of hate. They are dealing about our society, the hardcore scene, this fucked up world. Do you think it is important to have a message in a song , in your lyrics, on the stage?

I think that's what this music is about. Too many Bands don't care anymore... too many Kids too.


Do you know how many shows NASTY played yet?

2010 we played about 60 shows... not shure how much we played in the whole...


Aside from local shows in small locations and stuff like this you played on big festivals around the world, too. Where does NASTY prefer to play?

Its cool to play on big Festivals to reach some new people with our shit, but we enjoy more to play shows where there are no barriers between the Band and the audience...


In autumn 2010 NASTY toured through Europe with the dudes of FALLBRAWL. On Facebook – for example – you can find pictures of this tour. It looks like you guys had a lot of fun. What were the funniest and what the most unlovely moments?

The tour was a blast, nearly every show was great, we always had sleepingplaces, food... thx again to everybody involved makin it possible. There were no real unlovely moments during the tour that I can mention. There were some extremely funny ones but I cant talk about them :)


Topic FALLBRAWL: Matthi, you helped them out for a while, because they were searching for a new singer. How was this experience and would you do something like this again?

It was a great experience and an honour to me. I would always do this again!


If you could arrange a festival of your dreams – which bands would play?

R-Kelly, Michael Jackson, Akon, Kanye West, Bodycount, Steel Panther...


Do you think that there is a big difference between the german and the european hardcore-scene? What do you think about unity?

The German scene is the most fashin addicted... but it alway depends on where you are.
Unity is great but nowadays people are too cool to make it happen...


Not everybody likes beatdown like NASTY. How do you handle negative feedback and internet shittalk?

Its a good sign. Nasty has a clear message. So there have to be people that don't like what we say and do. If someone does not like the music we don't care. this is a matter of taste.


And what about bands who try to copy your style?

Selber Schuld !


Furthermore you surely know the german beatdown band CUNTHUNT 777. Their name is a dependence on the track of VAN DAMME. This band dedicated one song to you. Do you feel proud for this or do you think “nooo …. what the fuck?!”?

Doppelselberschuld !


What advice can you give to some of the newer (beatdown-) bands starting?

I dont feel in the position to give advices, everybody should do it his way... just be careful when labels offer you a contract..


In the world wide web you can find tons of NASTY videos. Ever deliberated about a NASTY DVD or something like that?

Already thought about it... but no actual plans...


Are there any bigger NASTY news for us in 2011?

After a short break we gonna play our first shows in march again. We recorded the new song "Look at me and Fuck you" for a compilation. we will put this song
online soon...


Thank you very much for this interview and we`ll see you on stage in 2011!

thank you too.


But wait… BRAINSTORMING!!!!

This Blog?
good

Fashion in hardcore?
awesome

Coffee or tea?
tea

German Soccer?
jo

Books or tv?
tv

Snow?
cold

sXe Lifestyle?
ist ok

.. and dropping it?
ist ok


For more info check:
myspace.com/getnasty
Nasty on Facebook or
http://nastyofficial.bandcamp.com/