"You remember that character in Mortal Kombat that when it said “FINISH HIM” they grabbed the person by the neck and ripped their spine out of their body? Well, that really isn’t comparable to our music but if we could do that in real life I have a feeling that spineless, headless corpses would be all over the place."
Name: Never In Life
Location: Peidmond Triad, North Carolina
Active since: February 2008
Special Move:You remember that character in Mortal Kombat that when it said “FINISH HIM” they grabbed the person by the neck and ripped their spine out of their body? Well, that really isn’t comparable to our music but if we could do that in real life I have a feeling that spineless, headless corpses would be all over the place. We just try to write music that we like and we try to write lyrics that have a purpose and a meaning that is relevant to the way we live life, the way we treat ourselves and others, and the way we treat this world.
What did you record so far?
We have recorded two small demos. A 3 song titled Waiting for Input. With Joe musten from Advent/The Almost doing guest vocals on the track “On the Boats.” Also Paul Genet from Deathblow/Aria/Azazel, did guest vocals on the track “The Drains.” We then recorded a 4 song demo in the middle of 2009 that we aren’t really content with. We put a couple songs on our myspace but we didn’t really push to have a lot of people hear these songs like we did the others.
What's the history behind Never In Life? How did you all get together?
Lots of history believe it or not. Lots of member changes. I’ll spare you the long version and just say that Aaron and another kid Justin, (who now plays in a band called Designer, (www.myspace.com/designer336), got to talking one day and decided that we wanted to start a band. We both had been in bands prior that we weren’t happy with. We scoured the metropolis of the Archdale/Trinity area and found a ragtag group of musicians to back what we considered was going to either be the thorn in the side of what was now considered the NC Music Scene or we were going to flip everyone on their heads and people were going to go ape for what we were trying to do. Seems like we hit the music scene not like the Mack truck we thought we were but more like a handful of grape jelly being thrown up against a brick wall. Decipher that how you see fit. So Justin decided to leave, the first drummer decided to leave, the first bassist decided that he wanted to play disc golf more than anything else in the world ever…I’m not joking about that either. Then the 2nd drummer realized that what we were playing was a little too much for him and he took the 2nd bass player with him. Now we have what we jokingly call “Never In Life v3.0.” We feel pretty happy about where the band sits now. We are talking about trying to get together the skrill to do a full length, and just trying to book as many shows as possible.
What is the main drive behind the band?
It may seem silly but there was a time in the late 90’s where every band you heard had a message. They stood for something. They cared, and were compassionate towards one another. We as a band realize that kids are missing out on an opportunity to experience that. To be able to rally behind a cause with every fiber of your being and stand up saying this is what we believe and we will not be moved. I know it seems cheesy and cliché but brotherhood, loyalty to one another, compassion, and respect still hold sway in all of our lives and we would like to see that relayed through our music.
Who would you say are some of your musical influences?
This could go on forever…haha. I’ll say, Buried Alive, Until the End, Hope Conspiracy, Indecision, Converge, Earth Crisis, Boy Sets Fire and many, many others.
In you guys’ opinion, what are some of the biggest problems or obstacles when starting a hardcore band today?
I would say the biggest problems are finding dependable, like-minded musicians that have the same commitment and drive that you do. At least that seemed to be our problem. No offense to the past members of Never In Life. They all did a great job and served their purpose while they were in the band. But they eventually realized that this wasn’t what they wanted to do. We have always had a couple big rules in this band. 1. If you don’t like it, speak up. You shouldn’ t have to play music you don’t like. 2. If you aren’t having fun then quit. We aren’t in this for money, or fame. We are doing this because it is fun.
How did you get into hardcore music?
That is a story for each one of us to tell because we are all different ages and got into hardcore at different times. I would say a lot of us got into hardcore through other styles of music though. We are forever telling stories about either listening to NOFX, or for others it was sevendust, or pantera, or even Korn haha.
What’s your favorite hardcore fashion?
Vans. We love em. Most comfortable shoe ever made. If you don’t own a pair of classics then you are missing out. Suicide Machines knew what was up when they wrote that song.
What’s the worst hardcore fashion you’ve ever witnessed at the show?
Recently I saw a girl wearing shorts so short that they disappeared into her vagina with ugg boots. I don’t think I need to elaborate on that.
What are some good hardcore bands from North Carolina?
You are asking for hardcore bands which there are few and far between as far as I’m concerned. Now the music scene in general here is wonderful. A wide array of styles are represented just in the area that we are from. We are fans of Advent, Torchrunner, Braveyoung, xhonorx, The Reaping, Designer, Between the Buried and Me, Resistor, Young and in the Way, Ill Will, and many others.
So what can we expect to see from Never In Life in the future?
I wouldn’t expect anything to be honest. Nothing is guaranteed. We would like to see a full length recorded soon. We would like to see a small tour up the coast. Other than that, we are doing what we love to do right now. We don’t want for anything. Seems depressing when I re-read that but it’s honest. Haha.
Any additional comments or shout-outs?
Thank you for your patience with us. We aren’t the best communicators sometimes and things tend to get a little muddy when it comes to stuff like this. For that I apologize. Other than that,… Go start a band. Start a zine, book shows, start a label, put a touring band up at your house for the night. There are so many things that you could do that seem so small and miniscule to you and mean to the world to others. Be respectful of every venue you walk into. Decent venues are few and far between and it is heartbreaking to hear about one of them shutting down. Be respectful to one another when you are at a show. The absolute last place to go fisticuffs is at a show. A show is a place where you should feel the most comfortable, where everyone is safe and accepted. We hate to see kids these days try to throw weight around and act tough when in reality they have to get up and go to school the next morning for a pop quiz in algebra. Just because everyone is accepted doesn’t mean that everyone is tolerated. Kids need to respect their scene and at the same time protect it. It is ours just as much as it is yours. It is up to us to take care of it.
Thank you,
NIL.
Check out Never In Life at Myspace.
