INTERVIEW: Sheena Ozzella (Lemuria)

Lemuria recently wrapped up recordings for its second album for Bridge 9 Records, The Distance Is So Big. How was the recording process for the album?

J Robbins is a magical master of recording! He recorded Pebble' and the Cannonballs To Hurt 7'' for us so we knew we wanted to go back to him for the new LP because we love how natural he is with his recordings. We did ask him to take on more of a 'producer' role for The Distance Is So Big because we felt like he started to really get what Lemuria's sound is and could put us in a good direction with what we wanted this record to be. He had a lot of great ideas, and all in all, let us do our thing, but gave us confidence that this album was/is going to be something really special for us. The album is much more poppy than most of the stuff we have done. The mood is much brighter. It’s for sure showcasing a different period of time for Lemuria.

Judging from Spin’s stream of the new track “Brilliant Dancer”, it seems like you and the band are trying some new things in regards to vocal melodies and instrumentation. How will the new album compare to older Lemuria material, specifically the last LP, Pebble?

The album, again, is much brighter than both previous albums. The Distance Is So Big is a really energetic album. We really wanted to record something that was going to transfer well live. Something that wasn't over-produced and too thick with layers. We did some added percussion and instrumentation that we haven't tried before and wanted to create a lot more vocal melodies and back up vocal parts that we could do live. Honestly, the vocal melodies for this new album are so hard for me to sing, but challenging in a good way. We put a lot of time into the vocal melodies for this record. Alex wrote most of the lyrics for the album, just like Pebble. He's got such a unique way of saying shit that most of us have trouble getting out, and his lyrics are totally relatable. I think this album has some of the best lyrics he has ever written. I am super proud to sing ‘em!

While Bridge 9 has been known as a predominately hardcore label, they have released more pop-oriented albums from Lemuria, Polar Bear Club and New Found Glory. What is the relationship like between the band and Bridge 9?

Bridge 9 has been really amazing to work with. They do so much for the bands that are on their label and really care about your bands opinions and values. We are so happy that we have had the opportunity to work with them and hope we can in the future as well.

The band has a short northeast run planned for May. What else is in store for Lemuria in 2013?

Ohhhh! So much good stuff is in store for Lemuria! Our album comes out on June 18th and around then we will be doing release shows in each of our home cities. (Washington D.C., Buffalo, and Austin, TX) Then we will head to the UK for a few weeks in July. A full US tour in August/September. The Fest in Gainesville, FL in October. So excited about all of it!

INTERVIEW: Blake Connally (Dead In The Dirt)

Dead In The Dirt just completed tracking for your first full length, The Blind Hole, with Andy Nelson from Weekend Nachos. How was the recording experience?

We had a great time. A residency studio experience was exactly what we needed to focus and complete the record. We were able to immerse ourselves in the process instead of being surrounded by the distractions of being at home. Andy has been a close friend for a few years now, and so he was in tune with our live performance and our previous records before we entered the studio. This gave him an edge and personal stake in helping us create an aggressive and harsh record.

How will the songs on The Blind Hole compare to the Fear and Vold EPs?

The new LP is much different in a lot of ways from our previous material. The Blind Hole is an extremely personal record lyrically. We wanted to create something that not many people are doing in extreme music, which is right songs about reality, not some fake nihilistic world view. So many bands want to make loud aggressive music, but have nothing to say. Musically, I feel like there are many different atmospheres and a lot of our influences come through. Fear and Vold have their place in our history, but The Blind Hole is a step in much more painful direction.

You mentioned the lyrical content of the new record as more personal. What topics do you touch on, and are there any specific recurring themes?

There are many recurring themes: the fear of death, wasting what little time we have, losing loved ones, being vulnerable. We wanted to make a record that people can connect with, and write about our reality as it is. We have no interest in making music that is emotionless or superficial.

This LP will be your second release through Southern Lord. What is the relationship like between DITD and SL?

Southern Lord is a great label to work with. We have a good working relationship. We are pleased they will be putting out our new LP.

The band also completed a decent amount of touring with Sunn O))) last year. Was it an interesting experience playing to a more chilled out metal crowd than a rowdy hardcore crowd?

It was definitely a once in a life time experience. We really didn't know what to expect. The entire touring experience was much different than what we were used to, and spending time with people we look up to was a very surreal experience. It was really nice to play places where shows are taken seriously, where people actually watched us instead of being more concerned with beating the shit out of each other. Playing a 15 minute set, I think we were on and off the stage so fast most people didn't know what was going on until it was over. Sunn O))) were very supportive and great to hang with, hopefully one day we can do it again.

What are the band's plans for the rest of 2013 and beyond?

We are doing a short two week run of the midwest starting in the beginning of May, and we may be doing a west coast run in late July, but we are most excited for our month long European tour starting in October.

INTERVIEW: Dylan Walker (Full Of Hell)

Full Of Hell is gearing up to release its second full-length album for A389, Rudiments Of Mutilation. How was the recording process for this album in contrast to Roots Of Earth Are Consuming My Home?

Going into record this second record, we definitely had a much clearer vision for how we wanted it to sound on all levels. We recorded with the same engineer and took about the same amount of time (3 days). The main difference this time was the confidence going on. We had a much clearer vision for the record, and thankfully it fell into place like we wanted it to. The band has always seemed to be busy in regards to releases.

In between your LPs you've released splits with Code Orange Kids, The Guilt Of and Calm The Fire as well as volumes two and three in the FOH Noise series. Where does the band's desire to release so much content come from?

The musicians and bands that we have grown up admiring have always been prolific. That isn't the main reason for doing a myriad of releases, but it's definitely the inspiration behind it. We release material when we have ideas formed. We just do a lot of writing, and we enjoy putting it out. I don't think we would release as much if we didn't enjoy what we were creating.

After looking at the track listing for Rudiments Of Mutilation, I noticed the band re-recorded a track from the Goldust split, "Vessel Deserted", while the other tracks will be new. How does the new material stand up against your old material?

I don't think it stands up very well. I was on the fence about including "Vessel Deserted" at certain points before going in to record, but I was really into it when it was finished.. Lyrically, I think that song in particular is still okay. It's not great, but it has a very personal meaning, and fit very well with the theme of the record. There is a large part of the back catalog that I feel does not stand up to this material. That's normal though, isn't it? A band always says the newest record is their best.

The band mentioned FOH Noise vol. 4 coming soon, and I've always felt these noise tapes are your most experimental and genre-challenging releases. The first three have been drastically different than the prior volumes. How will volume 4 measure up against the first three?

Volume 4 has been honed much further than the previous 3. It's the longest entry yet, and definitely the most interesting, in my opinion. We have been able to experiment with new textures, due to some new equipment. This is being released through Arctic Night Records in late spring. A small amount will be available online, mostly only available on tour, as with the others.

I also saw you were involved with a three-piece group called Gerald Fletcher Memorial Grindcore Explosion. How did that idea come about?

We met a drummer named Balazs Pandi in Brooklyn last year at a show we played. He was super friendly and interested in the band and we kept in touch through email. It turned out that he was a pretty prolific musician, and is currently a huge collaborator with Merzbow, playing drums live and on record. We kept in touch. This year, Balazs asked me to come up to NYC with him to make an album with jazz legend Jamie Saft. I couldn't refuse. We worked on a very strange and bleak sounding LP while I was up in New York and we played a set in NYC. I'm hoping more comes of this project. The name is changing though.

Full Of Hell has announced US touring plans with Seven Sisters Of Sleep and Gehenna, as well as another European trek with Circle Takes The Square and Code Orange Kids. What else is in store for Full Of Hell in 2013 and beyond?

We've got a pretty full plate until the end of the summer. I don't think we could have anything better lined up for ourselves and I'm really excited. We are just starting to look into the fall, but it should be really cool. Nothing set yet. I only know that we will be playing a lot, in as many places as we can.

INTERVIEW: John Hoffman (Weekend Nachos)

Weekend Nachos just announced plans to record its fourth full length album, "No Idols & No Heroes" at the end of May with a late summer release by Deep Six and Relapse Records. Where is the band planning on recording the new album and who will be at the helm?

We'll be recording with our main man Andy Nelson at Bricktop Studios as always. Andy has recorded pretty much everything the band has EVER released from the original demo tape to the "Watch You Suffer" single. He keeps improving his skills over time and since he's also the guitarist of WN, he knows our sound real well and is a vital human in regards to our recordings. Couldn't be better!

I actually had no idea Andy does all the WN recordings, and you're right about him getting better and better with each release (I also can't wait to see what he did with the Dead In The Dirt LP). Do you think that if you guys recorded with someone that wasn't involved with the band you would get a different (possibly worse) final product with a record?

Dude, the Dead In The Dirt LP is seriously fucking excellent. I heard a rough mix the other day (I know people) and it is going to STUN people. So fucking solid and exciting. And to answer your question, yes, I definitely think that a recording of ours could suffer if it wasn't recorded with Andy...it's just become our comfort zone at this point. Then again, GREAT things can happen when you step outside your comfort zone so i'm not denying the possibility of recording a great record somewhere else....Kurt Ballou would probably "get" us, i think. Dude knows a thing or two about capturing offensive riffage.

How will the songs from the new record compare to the band's older material, especially the newest output from Worthless and the Lack Of Interest split?

Well that's the thing...our sound is always developing into something else. It's always got that Weekend Nachos vibe to it, but we like to have fun and get creative with our songwriting, always. I usually don't say too much about where we're headed but I will say that everything you may or may not love about Worthless and Unforgivable will be present on this recording. However, I will also say that "No Idols & No Heroes" will not remind you of Worthless or the LOI split at all. Every listener will have to decide on whether or not they can hang with where we've traveled, for sure.

Weekend Nachos is no stranger at working with Deep Six and Relapse. What is the relationship like between the band and those labels?

Both are great in different ways. I will say we have a more intimate relationship with Bob/Deep Six (meaning, we have sexual intercourse at times) but the Relapse dudes have always been very supportive as well. They handle an area of marketing the band that we really have no feel for, the metal community is awesome but i'd be lying if i said I didn't kinda rely on Relapse to sorta keep the metalheads "in the know" about what Weekend Nachos is up to. Bob and Deep Six Records are more on our level community-wise so we obviously love working with them too. Really, we just release music with friends that we trust, no more no less. That goes for every label we've ever worked with including A389 Recordings, Cowabunga Records and the sketchy dickwads at Tooth Decay Records. Probably the only label we will NOT miss working with.

You just started a new label yourself, Bad Teeth Recordings, with the first few releases already out or planned. What made you decide to undertake a label and how have you been picking out bands to work with?

Well honestly, I have always been about releasing my own music. Sometimes that happens with friends but I always have a hand in it, so i consider it all the same. I have experience with this sort of thing in the past so I finally decided it was time for Spine to have a debut 7". Honestly there is no better feeling than releasing your own shit. You owe nobody a damn thing that way and you control your own destiny. It's very similar to the idea based around the first Mortal Kombat movie. Shang Tsung will never put out your record so don't even ask him.

In regards to BTR, the Wake Up Dead compilation was a solid release. I know you touched a bit on this in the insert, but how did you go about choosing what bands to put on it?

Thanks, man. The comp got a really solid reaction...I was not sure what to expect but it set out to do exactly what I hoped...get people into good bands that I think are genuine about what they're doing. So that sorta answers your question right there. When I go on tour i pretty much watch every set of every band. That's not to say I deserve some sort of pat on the back because I think that should be pretty standard when it comes to "going to shows", but my point is that that I am exposed to LOTS of bands. Some are alright, some are not so alright, but some of them actually assault me. The bands I chose to put on my comp are bands who I either saw live for the first time in the last year or so or have been friends with for many years and/or have already seen live a bunch of times. I carefully choose who i work with based on integrity, genuinity and morality. And riffs.

I know you've announced releases for Sex Prisoner, a Spine/Repos split, and Wake Up Dead Volume 2. Are there any other releases you're brainstorming just yet?

I've got a few potential ideas in the works...my latest band THE NUKES have recorded a single and i will probably be releasing that as a 45. Also, SIDE FX from Indianapolis are breaking up at the end of the year and I have plans to release a very limited quantity of their final 7", which is being recorded right now! Should be great, that band was fantastic and will be missed by 5-6 people.

After the recording of the new Weekend Nachos album, what does the band have planned?

That's up in the air now...we've kinda slowed down with our touring schedule. 2014 will probably mean us continuing to do more weekend trips, trying to cover as much ground as possible on the East and West Coasts. But really, it's hard to promise anybody an appearance, we're all very busy with our clothing lines.