Very Cool & Very Core 7″ compilaton
In the works: Book on Agnostic Front '85 -' 86 era
Gordon Ancis (former NYC Mayhem guitarist and AF guitarist for ‘86 tour), Peter Steele, Sean Taggert (artist, creator of the cover of Cause For Alarm), Paul Bearer,
Scott Ian, Dan Lilker,Evan Seinfeld, Eddie Sutton, Tommy Rat, Wendy Eager (Guillotine Zine) and many more!
Kidnapped streams Planet Earth album
No Zodiac merch by Holy Mountain Printing
Will To Live posted new song
Steel Nation merch on sale. New music in the works
Tramwreck Interview
Tramwreck brings that sweet combination of thrash and hardcore. It’s fast and groovy, aggressive but laid back, apocalyptic but party-ready. Plus, you get all the nuclear and satanic war shit in the lyrics. Basically, it’s like Toxic Avenger starting a band with Mad Max while all the punks from Return of the Living Dead do the back vocals. The band’s latest artistic output is called Power Vomit, but as far as I know they should be working on some new music already. Check out the interview.
Tramwreck brings that sweet combination of thrash and hardcore. It’s fast and groovy, aggressive but laid back, apocalyptic but party-ready. Plus, you get all the nuclear and satanic war shit in the lyrics. Basically, it’s like Toxic Avenger starting a band with Mad Max while all the punks from Return of the Living Dead do the back vocals. The band’s latest artistic output is called Power Vomit, but as far as I know they should be working on some new music already. Check out the interview.The one thing that bums me out every time I think about Swedish hardcore scene is why the hell nobody stopped Refused before they recorder plenty of bad music? And worse, why did nobody do nothing to prevent them from doing reunion show? Are they still influential band in Sweden?
It’s hard to say why nobody stopped Refused from reuniting or if someone even should have. Our guess is they reunited because they like money and wanted more of it. We like money too so that’s okay with us. None of us are huge Refused fans, half of us had never heard of them until a couple of months ago when their reunion started getting hyped so they’re not an influential band for us. They’re probably influential to some bands but most new hardcore acts that appear in Sweden are either very old school oriented or total hipsters and you can’t hear much of Refused in their music. Also, some of Refuseds music is very experimental and that doesn’t reflect in other Swedish hardcore bands.
Before we started playing together as Tramwreck Skrevet who plays base used to play with a punk band called Sista Skriket, Björn who plays drums played with a metal band and Jocke who screams and Robert who plays guitar both played in the same horror-punk band. While celebrating midsummer (which is a very important hedonistic ritual in Sweden) in 2010 Skrevet and Björn started talking about jamming together since they both longed for playing faster and harder music. Jocke and Robert immediately wanted in and Tramwreck was formed. Sista Skriket had recently broken up so Skrevet had lots of time and enthusiasm that got us going. With time the rest of us either got kicked out of or quit our other bands so we’re now all about Tramwreck. Robert was even forced to quit his job at NASA where he experimented with shredding riffs in zero gravity in order to devote all his time to the band. As for our goals we haven’t given it much thought. We just want to play kickass music.
You released Power Vomit on tape. Why releasing music on a format that nobody uses anymore?
Tapes are awesome, that’s the first and foremost reason. Of course we’d have loved to release Power Vomit on vinyl but it’s expensive as hell and the release was a DIY effort. So when the option was a CD-r demo releasing a tape was by far the cooler option. And that is of utter importance.
Any plans for vinyl version?
Power Vomit won’t be released on any other format than tape. However, later this spring or this summer we’re going to record new material. If we can find a record label that would back us in releasing a 7 inch that’d be great. If not we’ll just release another tape.
Why people should give Power Vomit a try?
It’s tricky promoting yourself without sounding like a pompous asshole but we really do think people should give Power Vomit a try simply because it’s awesome thrashing hardcore. If you don’t like good music you can still enjoy it for it’s packaging. It’s on a cool green cassette with a cover by Blasting Dead Artwork. Truly beautiful!
Favorite type of Beer?
We are all big fans of Risingsbo and Tingsryd, which is a Swedish phenomenon, called “folköl” which for some reason roughly translates to peoples beer.
This question led to some heavy debate within the band but we finally managed to settle on five albums, as following, in no specific order:
Municipal Waste – Waste ‘Em All
Metallica – Ride the Lightning
Nuclear Assault – Game Over
Toxic Holocaust – An Overdose of Death…
Sodom – In the Sign of Evil
What are some bands from Sweden that people should be listening to instead of Refused?
There are a lot of great Swedish acts that people should be listening to. Some that we are fans of are Håll Käften Vad, Vad Vill Du!?, Fredag den 13:e, Passiv Dödsjälp and Näääk. People should definitely check out The Dahmers, an awesome garage-punk-rock band that opened for us at the Power Vomit release party.
Hardcore scene is quite diversified nowadays, with styles of music running from beatdown to thrash, from punk rock to NYHC worship. How it is in Sweden? Is there any tension between people into different styles of hardcore?
The straight edgers are pretty much running the scene when it comes to booking bands and arranging shows but there’s not much tension within the scene. The hardcore scene is pretty unified in the sense that it doesn’t have much connection to its subgenres or to similar genres. For instance, it’s not common to see a thrash band play together with hardcore bands. The Swedish hardcore scene however is too small to support tension within itself. Most of the people active in the scene seem to be pulling in the same direction.
When and how did you get into hardcore?
That’s a hard question. We all got into hardcore through other music genres, such as punk and thrash metal. However we all yearn for faster, angrier and harder music. And our very short attention span only allows us to listen to, and play, very short songs so hardcore is perfect.
From Viking warriors to gender neutrality, Sweden seems to be interesting country to live in. What are your thoughts about the life in Sweden 2012?
Life in Sweden includes listening to everybody whining about how terrible life in Sweden is. But it’s all right, we don’t have much to complain about. Of course, there’s political bullshit in all countries but as far as everyday life goes Sweden is pretty good, and probably will be all through 2012. It’s awful cold though. And these days it’s a little too much emphasis on gender neutrality and too little on Viking warriors.
Line Of Scrimmage posted new track
World Vs Cometh to release new BottomFeeder 7" for Europe
World War 4 - Demo 2012
Swamps releases dobule 7", 'Seven Sides'
Organized Crime to reissue System Overload on vinyl
Olde York to release new album, Shallow World
Take It Back Records update
TAke It Back has updated BigCartel store with records that were sold out to raise money for our next release: an EP by Stuttgart's Reality Returns.
Drowning and World In Decline join BadAss Recs
Optimist - MMXII
Hard Resistance - Despised & Destroyed
Official Video Clip Hard Resistance 'Despised & Destroyed', taken from the album Lawless & Disorder, 2012.
FWH to release new album by Whatever It Takes
Old Punks Should Die
Backtrack streams new track ‘Boiled In My Blood’
Look My Way working on first full length
New Blood: Ante Up
Things seem to be going good for Ante Up in 2012. After couple of years of hiatus, the band got their shit together, started playing shows and released 3 song demo called ‘Prelude To Hell’ which sets the bar high when it comes to that heavy, streetwise Detroit hardcore. The new full length ‘See You In Hell’ is planned to drop this year, and judging by the three songs already available, it’s gonna be hell of a record. Here’s an interview with Matt C who handles guitar duties for the band.
Ready To Die - Demo 2012
The Last Charge to release new full length, Straight Outta Nowhere
Hometown Hate posted new track
Strength For A Reason & HHF t-shirt collaboration
Stout to drop new album, 'Tales from the Marked Side'
Sworn Vengeance to play Berkeley, Ca in August
Coldburn to drop new album via Cobra Records
Listen to the entire Consumed 7" by Retribution
Hoods working on new album!
Strictly Business: Darin from Westcoast Worldwide Records
If you have been into hardcore longer since last week you probably know Westcoast Worldwide Records. The label has been responsible for bringing you albums by likes of Hoods, Out For Revenge, Brawl or Hammerfist and they worked with classic acts, just to name Folsom, Lionheart or Above This World among others. None hardcore kid who respects themselves can deny these are some dope bands that know (or knew) how to deliver that hardest edge of this music. This is interview with Darin, who in charge of this lucrative enterprise when he’s not fronting Out For Revenge.
If you have been into hardcore longer since last week you probably know Westcoast Worldwide Records. The label has been responsible for bringing you albums by likes of Hoods, Out For Revenge, Brawl or Hammerfist and they worked with classic acts, just to name Folsom, Lionheart or Above This World among others. None hardcore kid who respects themselves can deny these are some dope bands that know (or knew) how to deliver that hardest edge of this music. This is interview with Darin, who in charge of this lucrative enterprise when he’s not fronting Out For Revenge.Let’s start from the beginning. How did Westcoast Worldwide come to be? Where did the first idea come from to start a record label and what were the goals back then?
Westcoast Worldwide was started in the late 90's by Mikey Hood, who we all know as singer/guitarist/general rad guy of the legendary band Hoods. The original purpose of the label hasn’t really changed much since then. It’s all about getting quality bands that are staffed with quality people heard, and that song pretty much remains the same today. We do things with ethics, and integrity, and we feel that that is something really important that we not only owe the scene, but to ourselves and our bands in return. We exist more like a family then anything, and that’s an element that remains very important to us. We believe our roster is stocked with some really talented people, who above and beyond all else are personally great people that can do great things for the world.
What do you feel is the driving influence behind the label nowadays?
I’d say what keeps us going is more or less the guys that were there before us, that paved the way, and trying to live up to what they created, while at the same time watching the new kids make and create things that continually keep us inspired.
Can you tell us how WestCoast Worldwide operates? Who is behind the label? It was started by Mike Hood, but with him being on tour so much time, it’s you who runs the business?
Well, Mike owns the label, and he gets involved whenever he can. Right now he is in the process of opening a barber shop in Sacramento, California called True Blue Barber and Shave Parlor, and that keeps him very busy in addition to Hoods. I basically run the day to day shit, and recently Brandon Wells (Vocalist from Havenside) joined the team, and he handles a lot of the web based promotion stuff.
What has been the hardest thing as an independent hardcore record label?
You have to make a lot of personal sacrifices. It’s basically a full time job that you don’t really get paid to do. Doing something like this is huge hours, and its hours that we don’t get to spend with our friends and families. I’m lucky that I have a home office that’s pretty comfortable, so me and my wife (who by the way is cool as shit, and extremely patient) spend a lot of time chilling out in here, but it’s tough when the phone is ringing off the hook at 4:00 in the morning, and a band is having van trouble, there was drama somewhere, or a show got cancelled or something, and you have to deal with it right then and there. My phone rings pretty much 24 hours day 7 days a week and that gets a little trying sometimes. I also don’t get to go to as many shows as I’d like to anymore because of the time this takes up too, but the way I look at it is that if I have to miss a show I wanna see so that thousands of kids all over the country can see their favorite WCWW bands play in their town, it’s worth it. I’ve been to probably a good 3500 shows in the last 12 years or so, so I’ll survive. I wanna make sure kids have the options available to have experiences like that for themselves too. I really do love doing this label, and was a huge fan of it before I got involved with it, and I’m lucky enough to be surrounded by awesome people so that makes it even better. I feel very honored that I get to do this most of the time.
Everyone throughout the music industry says that the record sales are dying in the modern digital age. How are labels like yours addressing this challenge?
It’s totally the truth. Record sales will never be a real financially stable means of revenue ever again. The standard has been set, and it will most likely never be broken. Right now it really breaks down to an album being nothing more than just a really expensive business card for your live show, or your clothing line. That’s really what it’s about right now. You have to sell a tangible product in order to get there now, and as backwards as it sounds, in most cases music has now become somewhat of an intangible. However one of the things that’s great about the hardcore scene (and seems to have died out in most other genres) is the fact that kids will support you financially if they like you and/or what you do. Sure they might steal your album off the internet, but if it’s something they connect with they will turn around and buy things from you, and they will support you in whatever way they can, which is a true testament to what the hardcore scene is really about. This also places major importance on artwork. Artwork and the lure of holding something tangible in your hard is one of the only factors left in somebodies decision either to buy something, or just steal it. Having a complete product that has obvious quality has never been more important than it is today.
How do you see modern technology, like Facebook, mp3s, youtube etc., affecting the way you run the label?
The internet really has two sides to it for a label like us. On one hand it allows your artists to be exposed to a much larger audience much more quickly, which is awesome. However on the other end, it pretty much ensures that you are never going to make any real money for your efforts as a label if you do things honestly. The second part of that is sort of irrelevant to us though. WCWW isn’t about making money. It’s about the bands, and the kids, and doing something right and honorable for the scene. It seems like lately that a lot of people are flooding the scene looking for a paycheck, and I think a lot of good bands and good people get fucked over in the process of people like that figuring out that theres no real money in hardcore. Sure we like to see our bands make as much money as they possibly can. It keeps them on the road, and making merch, and generally doing their thing, but I think for anybody that’s actually doing it for the right reasons, getting your message or opinion out, and letting your music be heard is the most important thing. From a label standpoint that doesn’t do much for us, but it’s good for the bands. We always want to see them get paid before we do, and things like bigcartel, and bandcamp have provided them with ways to accomplish that with more convenience, and it’s easy for us to help them by driving traffic to those types of sites. We as a label basically lose money 100% of the time, but we really don’t care. This is a labor of love for us, and the internet really helps with that end of things. So yeah, it has affected us a lot, but the bottom line is for a label like us, we see it as being a very useful resource.
From Hoods to Give Em Hell to Brawl, your rooster is quite diversified stylistically. How do you choose artists to work with?
Hardcore is a very diverse form of music, and we like WCWW to reflect that. We all love a lot of different styles of hardcore, and we know most people who are into this music do to, so we just try and represent all sides of the genre, and try and offer something for everybody. As for how we choose artists, they need to meet three basic sets of criteria. First, they need to be great at what they do musically. Second, they need to share the same passion for hardcore that we do and demonstrate a work ethic that we can respect. Third, (and in some respects the most important part) they need to be quality people. This means if you wanna run around and start shit everywhere you go, we aren’t the label for your band. If you have some giant shitty attitude, we aren’t the label for your band. If you wanna half ass everything, and let your fans down either musically or personally, we aren’t the label for your band. Character is a major thing for us. We put a tremendous amount of work into the bands on this label, and we don’t have time to waste on assholes or drama queens.
You often mention that a band has signed to Westcoast Records. What does signing to Westcoast Records entail?
It means you are member of our family. We work with you to make a better product, we hype you, we help you with shows, and stuff on the road, and we push your music world wide. Same thing any other label does I guess. haha
Any words of advice to bands trying to contact you and submit a demo?
Not really other than the standard stuff. Make a quality demo, go play shows, make somewhat of a name for yourself, and then hit us up on www.westcoastworldwiderecords.com I guess. Nine times out of ten we don’t sign bands from demos. We do a lot of research and generally we know what’s out there most of the time. we usually directly contact bands were interested in. however I don’t want to discourage anybody from hitting us up though. If you got something great, we for sure want to hear it!
What’s your standpoint on artwork for releases? I am asking cause I really do like the visual aspect of your albums. From cover art to photos on your website, everything looks professional and with a keen attention to details.
If you really break it down music is art, and so we feel those things kinda go hand in hand with each other. Ultimately a huge part of your product is visual appeal, and most times that is the first thing that the listener is going to be exposed to with a complete package like a cd/mp3/website/etc. We basically want to set the right initial tone for the listener, and make it a more complete experience for them. That’s something we really try and push on our artists too. Don’t just write a bunch of songs and glue them together. Try and make a complete experience for anybody that’s going to fork over their hard earned money for what you have made. Listening to one of our bands we feel should be an all-encompassing type of thing that you not only see and hear, but also feel. One of our biggest goals as a label is to make sure that a listener is gonna feel like they got more than their monies worth when it’s all said and done, and we don’t feel like we have done our jobs until that goal is achieved 100%.
What are your goals and plans for 2012? Have you got any forthcoming releases on your label? Anything else major on the horizon?
We have all kinds of stuff going on in 2012. We just put out new albums from Havenside and Brawl recently, and we just signed a great band from Washington called Cowardice. We also got a bunch of new shit coming out from other artists already on WCWW this year too. We do have some additional things in the works, but you all are gonna have to wait and see on that stuff. Keep an eye on www.westcoastworldwiderecords.com. We’re pretty good about keeping people up to date on there.
Anything else you’d like to mention? Any shout outs? Message to haters?
Wed like to give a shout out and a thank you to anybody that not only supports us, but hardcore in general everywhere in the world. This kinda music can be somewhat thankless a lot of the time, but that is sort of irrelevant in the grand scheme. We do this for the kids, the bands, and the friendships, and experiences that we get out of this. This wouldn’t be possible if it weren’t for all the great people around the world that love this music like we do, and that’s why we do it. It’s for all those people. As for the haters? We have no time for haters. We don’t even see em.
Westcoast Worldwide: Website; Facebook
Vulgar Display - Demo 2012
Guns Up! - ‘All This Was’ Documentary
Guns Up! is streaming the entire ‘All This Was’ DVD online, which includes goodies like live shots from their last and final show, interview with the band members and other footage from their tours. Especially the live set is incredible, with great sound quality and crazy stuff going with all the stagedives and sing-alongs. The band has not been around for some time already but they obviously left their mark on the scene. Not to mention the music that still sounds powerful and honest.
Get 50% discount at Strikedown webstore this Thursday
Rise After Defeat - Unknown
Song taken from the Pragmatica EP, available in streaming and as a free digital dowload and in a limited CD edition.
Knuckledust - Bluffs Lies Alibis
Great song, great video, great band! Knuckledust proves once again they're in the league of their own when it comes to that gritty ruff hardcore sound. New album Bluffs, Lies, Alibis is out on GSR Music!!!
