Hi Exploders!
Here you are the interview with this super band Only
Crime, formed by Russ Rankin (Good Riddance), Bill Stevenson
(Black Flag, All, Descendents), the bros Zach &
Donivan Blair (Hagfish, Gwar) and Aaron Dalbec (Bane,
Converge). The band has just come out with the first
release entitled "To The Nines" (Fat Wreck
Chords), a true and brave celebration of old hardcore
mixed up with much more modern atmospheres! Here're
Bill and Russ ready to answer our questions. Check it
out!
When, how and why did you form
Only Crime? Why did you choose this monicker? Does it
hide some particular meaning?
Russ: I had been considering
a new band since 2001, but it wasn't until Good Riddance
and Bane toured together in the summer of 2002 that
I took some action. I approached Aaron and then Zach.
From there it was a process of about a year where the
3 of us stayed in touch by phone and email until Bill
signed on to play drums in January 2003. We named the
band sometime in the fall/winter of 2003 after a long
debate where literally hundreds of names were thrown
out and Pete (from Bane) actually thought of the name
Only Crime. No "hidden" meaning, as far as
I know.
We have to consider Only Crime
just as a side project or does it have the same priority
of Good Riddance, Descendents and All?
Bill: Descendents doesn't
do much touring these days, and lately all hasn't been
doing a lot either, so this is a perfect time to really
focus on Only Crime.
Russ: I think Only Crime
is a much higher priority for me than Good Riddance.
Good Riddance will still play but, due to a lot of different
factors, it is no longer a priority for any of us, although
we'll still play and function as a band albeit at a
much more casual level.
Which bands of the past did influence
you deeply, since the beginning of your career?
Russ: Sex Pistols, Sham
69, Black Flag, Adolescents, Dead Kennedys.
Let's introduce to our readers
your fist work entitled "To The Nines":
Russ: We wanted to create
a body of material which had some (if not all) of the
elements to heavy music (punk before MTV) which we all
found compelling when we were younger. We wanted to
play music that was menacing and huge; like creating
a monster that we could barely control. Lyrically, "To
The Nines" is real interpretive. The listener can
take several things away from each song, I think depending
on their mood, musical background etc.
What can you tell us about the
songwriting process that you use the most?
Russ: One of the cool things
about this band is that, although most of this material
was brought in (at least in its formative stages) by
Zach and myself, there is no reason to think this will
be the status quo in the future. We have 5 songwriters
and we all have the same musical backgrounds more or
less so I am looking forward to an even more collaborative
thing in the future.
Now is time to question about
life on the road and the emotions linked to the live
shows. Could you already tell us some anecdotes, or
something particularly memorable of your experience
till now?
Russ: Well, Only Crime
have only played a handful of shows so far... stay tuned
for stories and anecdotes. Mostly we just take turns
laughing at Bill's take on the world and covering our
noses 'cuz he stinks.
Bill what would you like to tell
us about your experience in Black Flag?
Bill: I was very young,
and really just happy to be there. I learned a lot from
Greg and Chuck, and had a lot of great times.
Which are, in your opinion, the
main differences between the early 80's American hardcore
scene and today's one?
Bill: Back then everything
was very underground, so, without the media behind it
all, things were a lot more creatively driven, without
people worrying about the idea of becoming popular.
Many old punk bands join together
again; what do you think about it? In particular what's
your idea about the reunions of Stooges, MC5 and New
York Dolls?
Bill: I saw the MC5 and
it was real cool. The Stooges seemed a little weak to
me. The Dolls I have not seen. To me it really depends
on what their motives are, and even more importantly,
how well they pull it all off.
Many people say that nu-metal
is the modern hardcore music, I don't agree with their
opinion. And you? What do you think about it?
Russ: I don't know what
nu-metal is. I don't care. We won't be wearing any make
up or dressing in black anytime soon. I have never been
a fan of metal except for some Slayer and Metallica
and Killing Time.
In August you'll play at Warped
Tour, I know that's an important festival. What can
you tell our readers about it?
Bill: Warped Tour is a
lot of fun. I enjoy the festival atmosphere quite a
bit.
Russ: Warped Tour will
help us immensely as far as name recognition and we'll
be able to network and hang out with other bands.
Ok we've already finished. Thank
you for this interview. Would you like to say something
else to our Exploders?
Russ: Thanks for the support
and we hope to be getting to Europe sometime this year!
Intervista realizzata da Bruno
Rossi
Traduzione e supervisione di Margherita
Realmonte
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