Rip Off ... only 60 Shirts made!
Make sure to pick one up at the Merch on our upcoming "Berlin Angst" Tour with our friends in War From A Harlots Mouth.
See you in the Pit ... Oi!
Donnerstag, 23. Dezember 2010
limited Shirt for the upcoming "Berlin Angst" Tour
Rip Off ... only 60 Shirts made!
Make sure to pick one up at the Merch on our upcoming "Berlin Angst" Tour with our friends in War From A Harlots Mouth.
See you in the Pit ... Oi!
Dienstag, 14. Dezember 2010
BMX meets FP...
Great BMX video by our friends at Pitcam. Soundtrack by the one and only FP. Check it here.
Montag, 13. Dezember 2010
From Berlin To Boston and back again
As some of you might know, I (Felix) spend 2010 in a lovely city called Boston on the East Coast of the United States. I will fly back to Berlin in less than three days and will re-join Final Prayer immediately for the "Berlin Angst" Winter Tour. I missed playing in a band, and more importantly hanging out with my band mates, a lot - nonetheless this of course didn't stop me from going to gigs and meeting people in and around Boston. Now that my time in Boston is coming to an end, I wanna use this blog to point out some cool bands from Boston you, dear reader of this blog, might have not heard of yet.
First and foremost there is Death Before Dishonor, but every HC-kid in Europe has probably seen them a dozen times, so I do not really point these dudes out to you. Second there is The Rival Mob, probably the most hyped HC-Band (and HC meaning HC not Metalcore, Mathcore, Deathcore, duh!) in the States right now. Plain and in your face HC, if you like 1980s NYHC you will dig these guys a 100%. Undark and the Radium Girls might be one of the weirdest band names ever, but these guys play great (post)modern HC with a twist. Sadly enough they've recently called it quits. Think Again are from north of Boston and play heavy Hardcore with some Clevo influences thrown in here and there. Then there's Word for Word, who are actually not from Boston but from New Hampshire. But hey, hardly any of the bands who label themselves as "Boston Hardcore" live in Boston, because it's just too expensive to live in the city unless you earn tons of money. They play HC in the vein of old AF and Warzone. No Tolerance is great fast and pissed off SXE Harcore. Get their demo here. People from No Tolerance also play in Mind Eraser, also featuring the drummer of Rival Mob (who also paid his dues in Mental and other Boston bands). They are more on the darker, crustier side of things. Great stuff. More info on Boston's scene later.
First and foremost there is Death Before Dishonor, but every HC-kid in Europe has probably seen them a dozen times, so I do not really point these dudes out to you. Second there is The Rival Mob, probably the most hyped HC-Band (and HC meaning HC not Metalcore, Mathcore, Deathcore, duh!) in the States right now. Plain and in your face HC, if you like 1980s NYHC you will dig these guys a 100%. Undark and the Radium Girls might be one of the weirdest band names ever, but these guys play great (post)modern HC with a twist. Sadly enough they've recently called it quits. Think Again are from north of Boston and play heavy Hardcore with some Clevo influences thrown in here and there. Then there's Word for Word, who are actually not from Boston but from New Hampshire. But hey, hardly any of the bands who label themselves as "Boston Hardcore" live in Boston, because it's just too expensive to live in the city unless you earn tons of money. They play HC in the vein of old AF and Warzone. No Tolerance is great fast and pissed off SXE Harcore. Get their demo here. People from No Tolerance also play in Mind Eraser, also featuring the drummer of Rival Mob (who also paid his dues in Mental and other Boston bands). They are more on the darker, crustier side of things. Great stuff. More info on Boston's scene later.
Sonntag, 28. November 2010
Samstag, 27. November 2010
Project Print zine (FP interview...) out now!
Zines are cool. We love zines. Get off your ass and start one, or at least buy a copy of Project Print zines first issue through our friends at Farewell records.
Here's the direct link to their store. The zine features interviews with Something Inside, Out of step, Demons Run Amok rec. and ourselves.
While you're at it, pick up the last Something Inside LP through Farewell records, too. Good band, nice people!
Mittwoch, 24. November 2010
check out some of our friends bands...
When we played in Hannover in 2008 or 2009 - I can't remember exactly - our good friend Raoul hooked us up with sleeping places and drinks, and told us crazy stories from when his old band toured with Biohazard in the early 00's. He just started a new band called Salad Days; a great mix of punk and hardcore. Go check 'em out here.
Also another good friend of ours happens to sing for a band called The Platoon. They will release a new 7" soon, check out some of their new stuff here.
And then there's Empowerment. If you haven't heard about them, you must be either listening to Deathcore (too bad...), reside outside of Germany (good for you, check these guys out nonetheless), or under a rock! Great NYHC-influenced stuff, listen to some songs here.
Also another good friend of ours happens to sing for a band called The Platoon. They will release a new 7" soon, check out some of their new stuff here.
And then there's Empowerment. If you haven't heard about them, you must be either listening to Deathcore (too bad...), reside outside of Germany (good for you, check these guys out nonetheless), or under a rock! Great NYHC-influenced stuff, listen to some songs here.
Freitag, 19. November 2010
Interview: Rene/ Punchline Productions, part 2
No long introduction needed, here's part 2 of the interview with Rene/ Puchline Productions, where he talks about his experiences with working for a big Metal-label and the differences and similarities between the HC- and the Metal-scene.
Not too many people know, that you made your passion for heavy music your job and work for Nuclear Blast rec these days? How did that come along? And tell us something about your daily work at NB, because not many people know how it is working for a record label?
As usual with me it was pure coincidence. I surfed the Nuclear Blast homepage to order the new Slayer LP (I can’t remember which one it was, possibly Diabolus in Musica – horrible record!) and saw a post saying that they were looking for people to work part-time in their warehouse. During that time I had another part-time job going from wednesdays til fridays, so I emailed them and told them I could work mondays and tuesdays. After about six months working part-time at NB they offered me a full-time position at their warehouse. Since I wasn’t too happy with my other job, I took it right away. After working at the warehouse for some time, I moved to the customer service department – and that’s where I still work today. In addition to that I am the deputy warehouse manager as well. Working for NB generally is a lot of fun, the atmosphere is very nice and there aren’t too many hierarchies. But at the end of the day it is still work, and a lot of work it is. If you think we all just hang out, drink beer and listen to music all day while getting paid for it, you are definitely wrong. I sometimes work 12 or 13 hours a day, if it’’s really business I even work on weekends or put in a night-shift – while getting up at 7am the next morning to do it all again. During the summer festival season I travel to all the big metal festivals to sell merchandise, which involves working for 18 hours a day, sleeping on a shitty mattress behind the merchandise tent, and eating mainly junk-food. Yet still I hold that our Christmas parties beat those of other companies big time. So much fun...
Some say Metal and HC are very much alike right now. Do you notice any major differences between the Metal world and the Hardcore world these days? Attitude-wise - politically or else?
I would agree that HC and Metal have become more and more similar, especially with regard to stuff that’s labeled „Metalcore“. Different people have different opinions on it, to each his own I’d say. In my opinion there’s good and shitty bands in all genres and forms of music, but currently it seems to me that there is hardly anything good coming out the „Metalcore“ camp. There are hardly any honest and authentic bands popping up, most new bands seem to want to jump on a trend rather than doing their own thing.
The big different between Metal and HC lies still in the fact that Metal is thoroughly commercialized. There are hardly any small, diy shows, hardly any small labels, distributions etc., while all these things still exist in the HC-scene. Antifascism, a critical attitude towards society, ecology, straight edge, vegetarianism etc. are rather irrevelant issues for Metalheads, but for HC-kids they are dominant issues – even if you are not straight edge or vegetarian you still learn something about these issues listening to HC.
Another example: it is usually tolerated if you wear a Nazi-shirt at a Metalgig as long as you don’t cause any troubel, while you will certainly get into trouble wearing such a shirt going to a HC-gig – and rightly so! Metalheads can travel to Wacken Festival, behave like neanderthals throughout the whole weekend, and work as a cop the next day... I don’t know what to say about something like that.
Yet, to come back to what I said at the beginning of this rather long answer, both scenes are becoming more and more similar. On the one hand the Metal scene is changing: people become more politically conscious and are less and less likely to tolerate fascism/ racism in their scene. Metalbands aren’t exclusively singing about dungeons and dragons anymore. On the other hand the HC-scene is becoming more and more mainstream and apolitical, and therefore reflect less on social and political issues. Because HC on its various subgenres have grown so rapidly in the last years, HC’s political state of mind and its emphasis on „being different“ and „making a change“ is changing. „Make a difference“ is not a slogan the whole scene subscribes to anymore, which is sad in my opinion.
Not too many people know, that you made your passion for heavy music your job and work for Nuclear Blast rec these days? How did that come along? And tell us something about your daily work at NB, because not many people know how it is working for a record label?
As usual with me it was pure coincidence. I surfed the Nuclear Blast homepage to order the new Slayer LP (I can’t remember which one it was, possibly Diabolus in Musica – horrible record!) and saw a post saying that they were looking for people to work part-time in their warehouse. During that time I had another part-time job going from wednesdays til fridays, so I emailed them and told them I could work mondays and tuesdays. After about six months working part-time at NB they offered me a full-time position at their warehouse. Since I wasn’t too happy with my other job, I took it right away. After working at the warehouse for some time, I moved to the customer service department – and that’s where I still work today. In addition to that I am the deputy warehouse manager as well. Working for NB generally is a lot of fun, the atmosphere is very nice and there aren’t too many hierarchies. But at the end of the day it is still work, and a lot of work it is. If you think we all just hang out, drink beer and listen to music all day while getting paid for it, you are definitely wrong. I sometimes work 12 or 13 hours a day, if it’’s really business I even work on weekends or put in a night-shift – while getting up at 7am the next morning to do it all again. During the summer festival season I travel to all the big metal festivals to sell merchandise, which involves working for 18 hours a day, sleeping on a shitty mattress behind the merchandise tent, and eating mainly junk-food. Yet still I hold that our Christmas parties beat those of other companies big time. So much fun...
Some say Metal and HC are very much alike right now. Do you notice any major differences between the Metal world and the Hardcore world these days? Attitude-wise - politically or else?
I would agree that HC and Metal have become more and more similar, especially with regard to stuff that’s labeled „Metalcore“. Different people have different opinions on it, to each his own I’d say. In my opinion there’s good and shitty bands in all genres and forms of music, but currently it seems to me that there is hardly anything good coming out the „Metalcore“ camp. There are hardly any honest and authentic bands popping up, most new bands seem to want to jump on a trend rather than doing their own thing.
The big different between Metal and HC lies still in the fact that Metal is thoroughly commercialized. There are hardly any small, diy shows, hardly any small labels, distributions etc., while all these things still exist in the HC-scene. Antifascism, a critical attitude towards society, ecology, straight edge, vegetarianism etc. are rather irrevelant issues for Metalheads, but for HC-kids they are dominant issues – even if you are not straight edge or vegetarian you still learn something about these issues listening to HC.
Another example: it is usually tolerated if you wear a Nazi-shirt at a Metalgig as long as you don’t cause any troubel, while you will certainly get into trouble wearing such a shirt going to a HC-gig – and rightly so! Metalheads can travel to Wacken Festival, behave like neanderthals throughout the whole weekend, and work as a cop the next day... I don’t know what to say about something like that.
Yet, to come back to what I said at the beginning of this rather long answer, both scenes are becoming more and more similar. On the one hand the Metal scene is changing: people become more politically conscious and are less and less likely to tolerate fascism/ racism in their scene. Metalbands aren’t exclusively singing about dungeons and dragons anymore. On the other hand the HC-scene is becoming more and more mainstream and apolitical, and therefore reflect less on social and political issues. Because HC on its various subgenres have grown so rapidly in the last years, HC’s political state of mind and its emphasis on „being different“ and „making a change“ is changing. „Make a difference“ is not a slogan the whole scene subscribes to anymore, which is sad in my opinion.
Donnerstag, 21. Oktober 2010
Interview: Rene/ Punchline Productions
Here comes our next installment in our series of interviews with people connected to the past and the present of Final Prayer. This time we asked Rene, former co-owner of Punchline Production and currently involved with Demons Run Amok records, a few questions about the "hows" and "whys" regarding the release of our first record, running a DIY record label. Rene furthermore has been a long-time scenester of the Stuttgart HC- and Punk-scene booking shows, driving bands, and stealing beers out of all sorts of backstage rooms. Great guy all around, so check out what he has to say.
As early as 2004, and without having ever listened to a single song FP had written, you offered to release the first FP songs. Why did you do that? The songs could have been total crap, or worse: emo-screamo stuff, haha.
Hey Felix, what can I say? I’ve been knowing you and Pascal (drums) from your time in Disrespect and Pascal from drumming for Shortage. Both were great bands. Furthermore we had been friends for a while, so for me the whole thing was a no-brainer from the beginning. You guys were up for it and so was I, simple as that. I can still remember the first time we talked about your new band and you said „it sounds a bit like Death Threat“, haha – that was a long time ago. And it’s true: I had never heard anything of FP before the demo came out, but I knew given the guys who were in the band that it couldn’t be anything but good stuff. Besides that there is the whole Berlin-Stuttgart bortherhood/ sisterhood thing going out for years now. The bonds of friendship between the two cities and their scenes are so strong, and that’s such a great thing, that we had to do a split CD with one band from Berlin and one from Stuttgart. I have no clue how it all started, all I know is that I found myself in the middle of it all. These fiendships hold true til today, that’s real HC spirit. That being said, even if you guys had written some emo-songs, it wouldn’t have mattered – I would have released the record anyway. Hardcore is hardocre if it comes from the heart, right?
Where you satisfied after you received the recordings in the mail?
Of course, dude. I still am today.
How did Crisis Never Ends into play? Who had the idea for the split CD?
CNE had a new vocalist, Heiko took over the microphone, and nobody in Stuttgart knew what to expect and if CNE were actually still a band. But in my opinion getting Heiko to sing for CNE and doing the split CD with FP was the best thing that could have happened to the band at the time. And I actually know Heiko for more than 15 years, he is one of my oldest and best friends. So when CNE approached me to release some of their new songs to introduce their singer to their audience, I did not hesitate to get involved. To be honest I don’t remember who acutallly had the idea to release the split CD, but whoever came up with it – it was a great idea.
Where you annoyed that FP went to Let it Burn rec for the first album?
Haha, why would I? I am totally satisfied with what I did with FP. FP had a release out, introduced themselves to new people and CNE got to introduce their new singer through the release as well. We sold loads of copies of split the CD. And most importantly the split CD forged new and long-lasting friendships – I couldn’t ask for more. My aim with the record label was never to make money or sell a million records – fuck it! I had fun putting out records and that’s all I wanted. In addition to that, I think Let it burn records did a great job with the first album!
Punchline Productions ceased to exist shortly afterwards. Give us an overview on the labels history, the motivation behind it, and what you think about it in retrospective?
Where to start? Punchline was run by two friends - me and my good old friend Boris. We started with a little record distro at shows, which consisted of maybe 5 CD’s and a couple of fanzines that we sold at local shows. The little money we made we put back into the distro buying new records – the usual thing, you know. At one point a friend asked us to distribute the demo-tape of his band, 711 Mayhem. We said yes and started the whole thing. We got the master-tape from him and made 250 copies with a simple tape deck, haha. Old school as fuck. In the meantime the distro grew and grew and we also started booking shows and getting more and more involved in the scene. It was only a logical consequence to finally start releasing records. All in all we did five releases with Punchline Productions:
Behind the Sun – targeting my greatest weakness CD
Physical Challenge – I quit LP (CD on Rival Rec.)
One Million Thoughts – still MCD
Final Prayer/CNE – Split CD
Agents of Man – count your blessings LP (CD on Century Media)
Sadly during the Agents of Man LP Boris felt that he had not enough time to continue with the label and I didn’t wanna do it on my own, so we decided to stop the label. We were actually supposed to release the Sidekick farewell DVD, but that thing never materialized, haha. This is how it sometimes goes here in Stuttgart....
All in all I had a great time doing the label. I learned a lot, actually mainly positive things in retrospective, because we drew positive lessons from negative experiences. I personally also forged many friendships through the label that go far beyond the usual HC/ subculture thing. We did everything completely DIY, how it should be! HC should never become something to be exploited by big bussines!
Would you do something like Punchline again in 2010?
No, it was too much of a thing based around a certain period of time. For that it was a very unique experience that I simply couldn’t repeat that easily. These were different times back then and HC-Punk has changed quite a bit since then – for better and for worse. We were just two kids starting to run a label without a “business-plan“ or something like that. Yet it was a success. If I’d ever do a label again is a whole different question. I’ve asked myself this question many times and I think I could imagine myself putting out records again in the future. What’s important for me about it, is that it should be done for the right reasons – no big attitudes, no business-plans, but DIY with a lot of heart put into it. And I certainly wouldn’t sacrifice so much of my leisure time for the label. Sadly enough for the time being I do lack the time and money to do it. I have a wonderful family that I love a lot, and I try to spend as much time as possible together with my family. I also work way too much... But who knows what the future holds – if a band totall blows me away musically and consists of great people, I might start a new label.
Part 2 of the interview will be up on this blog next week, so check back soon!
As early as 2004, and without having ever listened to a single song FP had written, you offered to release the first FP songs. Why did you do that? The songs could have been total crap, or worse: emo-screamo stuff, haha.
Hey Felix, what can I say? I’ve been knowing you and Pascal (drums) from your time in Disrespect and Pascal from drumming for Shortage. Both were great bands. Furthermore we had been friends for a while, so for me the whole thing was a no-brainer from the beginning. You guys were up for it and so was I, simple as that. I can still remember the first time we talked about your new band and you said „it sounds a bit like Death Threat“, haha – that was a long time ago. And it’s true: I had never heard anything of FP before the demo came out, but I knew given the guys who were in the band that it couldn’t be anything but good stuff. Besides that there is the whole Berlin-Stuttgart bortherhood/ sisterhood thing going out for years now. The bonds of friendship between the two cities and their scenes are so strong, and that’s such a great thing, that we had to do a split CD with one band from Berlin and one from Stuttgart. I have no clue how it all started, all I know is that I found myself in the middle of it all. These fiendships hold true til today, that’s real HC spirit. That being said, even if you guys had written some emo-songs, it wouldn’t have mattered – I would have released the record anyway. Hardcore is hardocre if it comes from the heart, right?
Where you satisfied after you received the recordings in the mail?
Of course, dude. I still am today.
How did Crisis Never Ends into play? Who had the idea for the split CD?
CNE had a new vocalist, Heiko took over the microphone, and nobody in Stuttgart knew what to expect and if CNE were actually still a band. But in my opinion getting Heiko to sing for CNE and doing the split CD with FP was the best thing that could have happened to the band at the time. And I actually know Heiko for more than 15 years, he is one of my oldest and best friends. So when CNE approached me to release some of their new songs to introduce their singer to their audience, I did not hesitate to get involved. To be honest I don’t remember who acutallly had the idea to release the split CD, but whoever came up with it – it was a great idea.
Where you annoyed that FP went to Let it Burn rec for the first album?
Haha, why would I? I am totally satisfied with what I did with FP. FP had a release out, introduced themselves to new people and CNE got to introduce their new singer through the release as well. We sold loads of copies of split the CD. And most importantly the split CD forged new and long-lasting friendships – I couldn’t ask for more. My aim with the record label was never to make money or sell a million records – fuck it! I had fun putting out records and that’s all I wanted. In addition to that, I think Let it burn records did a great job with the first album!
Punchline Productions ceased to exist shortly afterwards. Give us an overview on the labels history, the motivation behind it, and what you think about it in retrospective?
Where to start? Punchline was run by two friends - me and my good old friend Boris. We started with a little record distro at shows, which consisted of maybe 5 CD’s and a couple of fanzines that we sold at local shows. The little money we made we put back into the distro buying new records – the usual thing, you know. At one point a friend asked us to distribute the demo-tape of his band, 711 Mayhem. We said yes and started the whole thing. We got the master-tape from him and made 250 copies with a simple tape deck, haha. Old school as fuck. In the meantime the distro grew and grew and we also started booking shows and getting more and more involved in the scene. It was only a logical consequence to finally start releasing records. All in all we did five releases with Punchline Productions:
Behind the Sun – targeting my greatest weakness CD
Physical Challenge – I quit LP (CD on Rival Rec.)
One Million Thoughts – still MCD
Final Prayer/CNE – Split CD
Agents of Man – count your blessings LP (CD on Century Media)
Sadly during the Agents of Man LP Boris felt that he had not enough time to continue with the label and I didn’t wanna do it on my own, so we decided to stop the label. We were actually supposed to release the Sidekick farewell DVD, but that thing never materialized, haha. This is how it sometimes goes here in Stuttgart....
All in all I had a great time doing the label. I learned a lot, actually mainly positive things in retrospective, because we drew positive lessons from negative experiences. I personally also forged many friendships through the label that go far beyond the usual HC/ subculture thing. We did everything completely DIY, how it should be! HC should never become something to be exploited by big bussines!
Would you do something like Punchline again in 2010?
No, it was too much of a thing based around a certain period of time. For that it was a very unique experience that I simply couldn’t repeat that easily. These were different times back then and HC-Punk has changed quite a bit since then – for better and for worse. We were just two kids starting to run a label without a “business-plan“ or something like that. Yet it was a success. If I’d ever do a label again is a whole different question. I’ve asked myself this question many times and I think I could imagine myself putting out records again in the future. What’s important for me about it, is that it should be done for the right reasons – no big attitudes, no business-plans, but DIY with a lot of heart put into it. And I certainly wouldn’t sacrifice so much of my leisure time for the label. Sadly enough for the time being I do lack the time and money to do it. I have a wonderful family that I love a lot, and I try to spend as much time as possible together with my family. I also work way too much... But who knows what the future holds – if a band totall blows me away musically and consists of great people, I might start a new label.
Part 2 of the interview will be up on this blog next week, so check back soon!
Mittwoch, 6. Oktober 2010
Punk in Duisburg
Just read this blog (via the German daily newspaper taz) about an old documentary on 'Punk in Duisburg' from 1981. It's on youtube, check it out here!
Up the punks!
Up the punks!
Donnerstag, 16. September 2010
Video Interview from 2009...
Not too many news from the FP camp. Nonetheless I found this interview we did for Vice magazine in 2009 on the web. Enjoy or thick German accents!
Sonntag, 22. August 2010
Interview: Nico, War from a harlots mouth
What follows is an interview with another guy, that once tried out for the singer position in Final Prayer before Stephan took the job for good. His name is Nico and he screams his heart out to the dissonant riffs of War from a harlots mouth from Berlin. We asked him a few questions about FP, 90s hardcore, and why his bands never manage to have 'proper' breakdowns... haha. There you go.
You are singing for Wfahm, but before joining Wfahm you actually did try out for the position of the vocalist in Final Prayer. Not too many people know that, I guess. How did it happen?
Well I actually started singing for The Ocean as their second vocalists around the same time, but wanted to do something different besides The Ocean. Friends of mine told me that a new band was being formed, and seeing that I've known both Pascal and Felix for a long time I was willing to give it a try. I practiced twice with FP, but then the main vocalists of The Ocean quit and I became their main singer, we left for tour kinda immediately afterwards and I had zero time for FP. Later on I left The Ocean and started singing for Wfahm but that's another story.
What was your first impression? Has your impression about FP changed over the years?
I connected to the songs they had written really easily, they had good hook-lines and great riffs. That is still the case and I really like to watch FP live, because of the energy they have – then and now.
What do you think about the development of FP over the years, and how would you compare it to your own band? Where do you see differences, and where similarities?
I'd say attitude-wise both bands are very similar, but they operate in different contexts. FP plays heavy HC, Wfahm plays very a very dissonant and wicked sound. But like I said we have very similar attitudes.
Being in Wfahm you've done quite some shows that also featured FP on the bill: what has been the most memorable show Wfahm did with FP and why?
One show comes to mind immediately and that's the last show of the Berlin Angst tour we did with FP and Make it Count in 2008. The whole tourcrew left the venue to drive to my mum's house to sing her some songs for her birthday. That made my mum nearly cry. Awesome night!
The latest release of Wfahm moved away from the deathcore/ mathcore style you guys are famous for into more of a straightforward Hardcore direction. Is it because you've been jealous of the fact that FP songs have all these simple riffs and breakdowns and Wfahm doesn't? Was it a conscious decision?
Haha, of course playing loads of shows together with FP has influenced as a lot, but we'll never manage to write such simple songs – we simply think too much :-)!
You are known for loving Morning Again, Culture and other Florida SXE Bands from the 1990s – any chance of Wfahm doing a Morning Again cover? And what do you think about the 90s vegan SXE bands and the scene at that time these days? Do you still listen to that stuff now and then? Has it aged well in your opinion?
Haha, great question. I was definitely really into all that Florida SXE stuff, but I really loved bands like Chokehold even more I have to say. I do actually listen to some of the old stuff from the 1990s, actually I just listened to 'burning bridges' from Chokehold and 'as tradition dies slowly' from Morning Again. It's sad to see that there is barely anything left from these days – that became very clear to me when we did a tour in 2009 with Earth Crisis and nobody cared about them anymore. It obviously wasn't much more than a short-lived hype, that died at the end of the 1990s. But then again, I always bump into people that were Vegan SXE back then and still are today. What I find really sad is that underground music scenes, be it Hardcore, Metalcore, Mathcore, Deathcore or whatever, have become so materialistic. In that regard I do miss the old days, when HC shows were still some kind of refuge, where people could actually be themselves without following any kind of “dresscodes”.
You are still vegan and SXE after all these years. Is your edge still strong? What keeps you going?
I actually tend not to think about it, it has become a part of me and I do not miss anything. I am also not a very uptight person, I love partying! But I do not need drugs or alcohol to party.
You guys are on tour all the time, how do you survive on tour as a vegan SXE kid? What's the best way to eat? How to stay healthy etc.?
First of all: Touring isn´t healthy! =) It's best to check the internet for vegan restaurants or ask local kids about it. Also in Europe usually promoters will prepare some vegan food for me to eat. But I am aware of the fact that it is not that easy everywhere else in the world to get vegan food. I hope this will change in the future though.
You are singing for Wfahm, but before joining Wfahm you actually did try out for the position of the vocalist in Final Prayer. Not too many people know that, I guess. How did it happen?
Well I actually started singing for The Ocean as their second vocalists around the same time, but wanted to do something different besides The Ocean. Friends of mine told me that a new band was being formed, and seeing that I've known both Pascal and Felix for a long time I was willing to give it a try. I practiced twice with FP, but then the main vocalists of The Ocean quit and I became their main singer, we left for tour kinda immediately afterwards and I had zero time for FP. Later on I left The Ocean and started singing for Wfahm but that's another story.
What was your first impression? Has your impression about FP changed over the years?
I connected to the songs they had written really easily, they had good hook-lines and great riffs. That is still the case and I really like to watch FP live, because of the energy they have – then and now.
What do you think about the development of FP over the years, and how would you compare it to your own band? Where do you see differences, and where similarities?
I'd say attitude-wise both bands are very similar, but they operate in different contexts. FP plays heavy HC, Wfahm plays very a very dissonant and wicked sound. But like I said we have very similar attitudes.
Being in Wfahm you've done quite some shows that also featured FP on the bill: what has been the most memorable show Wfahm did with FP and why?
One show comes to mind immediately and that's the last show of the Berlin Angst tour we did with FP and Make it Count in 2008. The whole tourcrew left the venue to drive to my mum's house to sing her some songs for her birthday. That made my mum nearly cry. Awesome night!
The latest release of Wfahm moved away from the deathcore/ mathcore style you guys are famous for into more of a straightforward Hardcore direction. Is it because you've been jealous of the fact that FP songs have all these simple riffs and breakdowns and Wfahm doesn't? Was it a conscious decision?
Haha, of course playing loads of shows together with FP has influenced as a lot, but we'll never manage to write such simple songs – we simply think too much :-)!
You are known for loving Morning Again, Culture and other Florida SXE Bands from the 1990s – any chance of Wfahm doing a Morning Again cover? And what do you think about the 90s vegan SXE bands and the scene at that time these days? Do you still listen to that stuff now and then? Has it aged well in your opinion?
Haha, great question. I was definitely really into all that Florida SXE stuff, but I really loved bands like Chokehold even more I have to say. I do actually listen to some of the old stuff from the 1990s, actually I just listened to 'burning bridges' from Chokehold and 'as tradition dies slowly' from Morning Again. It's sad to see that there is barely anything left from these days – that became very clear to me when we did a tour in 2009 with Earth Crisis and nobody cared about them anymore. It obviously wasn't much more than a short-lived hype, that died at the end of the 1990s. But then again, I always bump into people that were Vegan SXE back then and still are today. What I find really sad is that underground music scenes, be it Hardcore, Metalcore, Mathcore, Deathcore or whatever, have become so materialistic. In that regard I do miss the old days, when HC shows were still some kind of refuge, where people could actually be themselves without following any kind of “dresscodes”.
You are still vegan and SXE after all these years. Is your edge still strong? What keeps you going?
I actually tend not to think about it, it has become a part of me and I do not miss anything. I am also not a very uptight person, I love partying! But I do not need drugs or alcohol to party.
You guys are on tour all the time, how do you survive on tour as a vegan SXE kid? What's the best way to eat? How to stay healthy etc.?
First of all: Touring isn´t healthy! =) It's best to check the internet for vegan restaurants or ask local kids about it. Also in Europe usually promoters will prepare some vegan food for me to eat. But I am aware of the fact that it is not that easy everywhere else in the world to get vegan food. I hope this will change in the future though.
Samstag, 21. August 2010
Video!!! Wartime live in Magnet Club Berlin
The sing-a-long right before the moshpart at the end caught us all by surprise ... it was insane!!!
ThanxXx to Max von Lacher for catching this moment!
ThanxXx to Max von Lacher for catching this moment!
Donnerstag, 12. August 2010
Picture of the day.
Yep, that's right. Don't need to give a 90 minute lecture on reasons why homophobia sucks (balls, haha). Sometimes I love the simple, in-your-face messages that are so ever-present in HC-Punk subculture...
Mittwoch, 11. August 2010
Interview: Rainer, Merch Guy extraordinaire
Ok, this interview #2 in our brand new series of interviews. What follows is a conversation with Rainer, Final Prayer merch guy and road dog extraordinaire. A man of many beers and cigarettes, and of few words. Rainer's also got one of the driest, most sarcastic sense of humors going on, which makes us laugh all the time. Hope you enjoy reading the interview as much as I did conducting it!
Your first contact with FP actually happened even before the demo came out. You did try out as a potential vocalist, but obviously didn't get the job. What happened?
Yup, that's true i happen to be one of the dozen vocalists they tried out. So here's the story behind it. I ran into felix at a show while he was still doing this band 'battle royale'. He told me that he just started a band with flo and that it was supposed to have more of a traditional nyhc, hatebreedish sound. He asked me if I wanted to try out as a singer. They might have thought 'lets pick this guy he`s always singing along to all those clevo bands like a maniac', lets give him a try. So I showed up at 3 rehearsals and to cut a long story short:I SUCKED! I`m glad they didn’t pick me.
The first couple of tours where done with different merchandisers. How did you come into play and what sets you apart from other merchandisers/ road dogs?
It all started about 3 or 4 years ago when I did merch at a couple of weekend shows for them. Soon after that they were offered to do support Comeback Kid for a short european tour. I was unemployed at that time so I had nothing else to do anyway. So I joined them and from there on I kinda stuck with it. I really don’t think there's something special which sets me apart from other merch dudes/dudettes. Well, maybe the fact that I got myself a case built, in which I can put my wineglasses, corkscrew, cigarettes and the shortest fairy tale in the world and bring it with me to all the shows. That means I got more equipment with me than the singer, because he brings nothing with him at all.
What made you stick around the FP camp for so long now? Are you never getting tired of sitting in the van for hours on end, hearing the same old jokes, smelling the same disgusting farts etc.?
I don’t mind the driving except the long drives back home after the last show. Don’t mind the farting either. On tour every one is on a coleslaw, baked beans and white bread diet (if you don’t fart from it, somethings wrong with you). Well except for Stephan, who every now and then eats big pink lumps of grilled meat. The jokes change by the way. Every weekend, every tour always is different stupid stuff to laugh about. Driving to a show and being served cold noodles with ketchup as veggie dinner and drunk fuck ups asking for free shirts because they`ve spent all their money at the bar really annoy me. Apart from that it`s really cool because you get the chance to see lots of cities/countries and meet a lot of new people. Playing shows/festivals were some of your favourite bands are playing is nice as well.
What has been the best city/ place/ location you've been to so far with FP?
I really enjoyed going to southern europe and eastern europe last year. Lots of cool people there and surprisingly modern venues. Way better than expected and sometimes better than the ones we´re used to in germany. It was cool talking to the locals about the problems they have to cope with and the core in general. East and south germany is always fun and Vienna is a special treat (ask Mac). In general I like going to places i/we`ve never been before. I don’t like going to France, barely someone is speaking english and half the kids ask if they can pay with credit card or if I have a plastic bag. Do I look like a salesman at a carrefour supermarket? I don’t think so.
You have a reputation for being behind the wheel for hours without ever getting tired; what's your secret?
That is a myth that was created while I was on tour with the Scott Vogel experience aka Terror. We had really long drives and drove 26000km in 32 days. So I got my reputation from that tour. As for FP, I do lots of driving, but the others enjoy a drive every now and then. Especially since Mac is a proud owner of a driving license and Stephan overcame his fears of driving. If it happens that it is a long drive I try not think about it, enjoy the countryside if there is one to look at, and listen to Iron Maiden or Stephan's black metal collection because it keeps you going fast.
You are usually seen at gigs sporting old Death-/ Blackmetal shirts or Old School Clevo HC designs. As such your shirts happen to represent a very different style compared to those sold by FP. Would you ever consider wearing the stuff you sell for FP? If so, would you ever trade one of your Ringworm shirts against a Final Prayer shirt?
To begin with your last question the answer would be NO! I might buy one, just put your band's name in some obscure, cryptic font on it. Add a couple of skulls, witches on acid, pentagrams, upside down crosses, goats or dead bodies and I´ll definitely buy one. Important: no crazy colours, black should do. I mean a first step is made because they did a Darkthrone-Transilvanian Hunger rip off shirt.
On a similar note: what has been the dumbest merchandise article you've ever seen?
I don’t get the idea behind bands making “band” beverages. It's just free booze where the band put some stickers on. Same goes with underwear. What do want me to say when you have born from pain or blood for blood written on your panties. Maybe that you have given birth to child and that it was painful? Nowadays it seems that you don’t have to go to a department store anymore to buy some clothes, just go to a show. On the other hand if the kids wanna buy this stuff, fine with me. Its just not for me. By the way coolest thing I`ve ever bought at a show: a Hot Water Music beer cooler. Good looking and very practical in the summer, cause it keeps your beer (coke for the edge kids) cold. Cheers.
Your first contact with FP actually happened even before the demo came out. You did try out as a potential vocalist, but obviously didn't get the job. What happened?
Yup, that's true i happen to be one of the dozen vocalists they tried out. So here's the story behind it. I ran into felix at a show while he was still doing this band 'battle royale'. He told me that he just started a band with flo and that it was supposed to have more of a traditional nyhc, hatebreedish sound. He asked me if I wanted to try out as a singer. They might have thought 'lets pick this guy he`s always singing along to all those clevo bands like a maniac', lets give him a try. So I showed up at 3 rehearsals and to cut a long story short:I SUCKED! I`m glad they didn’t pick me.
The first couple of tours where done with different merchandisers. How did you come into play and what sets you apart from other merchandisers/ road dogs?
It all started about 3 or 4 years ago when I did merch at a couple of weekend shows for them. Soon after that they were offered to do support Comeback Kid for a short european tour. I was unemployed at that time so I had nothing else to do anyway. So I joined them and from there on I kinda stuck with it. I really don’t think there's something special which sets me apart from other merch dudes/dudettes. Well, maybe the fact that I got myself a case built, in which I can put my wineglasses, corkscrew, cigarettes and the shortest fairy tale in the world and bring it with me to all the shows. That means I got more equipment with me than the singer, because he brings nothing with him at all.
What made you stick around the FP camp for so long now? Are you never getting tired of sitting in the van for hours on end, hearing the same old jokes, smelling the same disgusting farts etc.?
I don’t mind the driving except the long drives back home after the last show. Don’t mind the farting either. On tour every one is on a coleslaw, baked beans and white bread diet (if you don’t fart from it, somethings wrong with you). Well except for Stephan, who every now and then eats big pink lumps of grilled meat. The jokes change by the way. Every weekend, every tour always is different stupid stuff to laugh about. Driving to a show and being served cold noodles with ketchup as veggie dinner and drunk fuck ups asking for free shirts because they`ve spent all their money at the bar really annoy me. Apart from that it`s really cool because you get the chance to see lots of cities/countries and meet a lot of new people. Playing shows/festivals were some of your favourite bands are playing is nice as well.
What has been the best city/ place/ location you've been to so far with FP?
I really enjoyed going to southern europe and eastern europe last year. Lots of cool people there and surprisingly modern venues. Way better than expected and sometimes better than the ones we´re used to in germany. It was cool talking to the locals about the problems they have to cope with and the core in general. East and south germany is always fun and Vienna is a special treat (ask Mac). In general I like going to places i/we`ve never been before. I don’t like going to France, barely someone is speaking english and half the kids ask if they can pay with credit card or if I have a plastic bag. Do I look like a salesman at a carrefour supermarket? I don’t think so.
You have a reputation for being behind the wheel for hours without ever getting tired; what's your secret?
That is a myth that was created while I was on tour with the Scott Vogel experience aka Terror. We had really long drives and drove 26000km in 32 days. So I got my reputation from that tour. As for FP, I do lots of driving, but the others enjoy a drive every now and then. Especially since Mac is a proud owner of a driving license and Stephan overcame his fears of driving. If it happens that it is a long drive I try not think about it, enjoy the countryside if there is one to look at, and listen to Iron Maiden or Stephan's black metal collection because it keeps you going fast.
You are usually seen at gigs sporting old Death-/ Blackmetal shirts or Old School Clevo HC designs. As such your shirts happen to represent a very different style compared to those sold by FP. Would you ever consider wearing the stuff you sell for FP? If so, would you ever trade one of your Ringworm shirts against a Final Prayer shirt?
To begin with your last question the answer would be NO! I might buy one, just put your band's name in some obscure, cryptic font on it. Add a couple of skulls, witches on acid, pentagrams, upside down crosses, goats or dead bodies and I´ll definitely buy one. Important: no crazy colours, black should do. I mean a first step is made because they did a Darkthrone-Transilvanian Hunger rip off shirt.
On a similar note: what has been the dumbest merchandise article you've ever seen?
I don’t get the idea behind bands making “band” beverages. It's just free booze where the band put some stickers on. Same goes with underwear. What do want me to say when you have born from pain or blood for blood written on your panties. Maybe that you have given birth to child and that it was painful? Nowadays it seems that you don’t have to go to a department store anymore to buy some clothes, just go to a show. On the other hand if the kids wanna buy this stuff, fine with me. Its just not for me. By the way coolest thing I`ve ever bought at a show: a Hot Water Music beer cooler. Good looking and very practical in the summer, cause it keeps your beer (coke for the edge kids) cold. Cheers.
Sonntag, 8. August 2010
Switzerland calling ... impressions of a swiss-style-festival
Welcome to Open Air Graenichen...
Our Trucks arrived on time ...
Baywatch ...
Looking good with the NEW drumkit ...
The wannabe twins ...
After the show ... and Stephan is missing!
ThaxXx for that amazing show!!!
Our Trucks arrived on time ...
Baywatch ...
Looking good with the NEW drumkit ...
The wannabe twins ...
After the show ... and Stephan is missing!
ThaxXx for that amazing show!!!
Interview: Chris, Let it Burn rec. (part 2)
Here comes the second part of the interview. More stuff on how the 'business' of putting out records has changed over the years and how labels like LIB try to cope with it... expect more interviews soon. If you are interested in what other owners of small independent HC-label owners have to say about selling records in the age of the internet, please check this column of Felix/ Havoc records and this interview with the guy who runs Magic Bullet records.
If labels need to 're-organize' as you say, in what way do they need to re-organize? Are digital releases the future? Likewise: can Cd's considered to be an outdated medium? Or should a hardcore label like LIB go back to the roots and only do vinyl releases?
The cd IS an outdated medium, that's out of the question. It is bulky, slow, has only 70 minutes of playtime, does not support multimedia and is way to expensive. Of course we do not have to automatically deny everything that is outdated but compared to vinyl (which has been outdated for decades now) the cd hardly has any nostalgic value. It's a little bit comparable to VHS-videocassettes. No one would shed a tear, cramming out their old VHS-tapes and thinking of the good old days. Vinyl has a big advantage compared to the cd when it comes down to nostalgia and "emotional value": it is not a "passage media", as I would call it. The cd was crucial and necessary for the shift from the analog music-world to the digital, but this process has been completed years ago. To come to the point: Vinyl is old, it is vintage, it is a technological chapter of its own. The cd was only a means to an end. That's why I believe the cd will sooner or later disappear completely. When that will be depends on the "next sound carrier" that comes along. Do you remember when the DVD came up? It took only a couple of month and all VHS-cassettes were completely banned from the stores. That's a great example to see how quick such "shifts" can happen. However, since there's no "next sound carrier" yet (at least no system that is mass-suitable enough) we will live with the compact disc as main sound-carrier for another couple of years, I guess.
Coming back to the question: Yes, I believe that labels should start preparing for the digital age. Digital record sales have increased constantly over the past years and if you look over the big sea to the US, they alredy have a good 40% of all record sales being bought digitally. That's a good indicator where we're gonna end up sooner or later, too. The other way to go is vinyl. Sounds weird, I know, but the nostalgia this media carries is deeply rooted within the hardcore-/punk-scene. Vinyl has a great standing among collectors and music-fans all over the world and the combination with free digital downloads of the music simply leaves not many arguments left why one should not buy vinyl. However vinyl still is a niche-thing. You can only reach a "hard core" of listeners which might be cool for a hardcore-hardcore band but any band that is willing and wanting to also address listeners outside of the scene will have to look for a label which also releases other formats.
This question might sound a bit rude, but why should 'the kids' actually care about all this? I suppose HC has been around before the crisis of the 'music industry' and will be around afterwards...
No worries, I am already used to "rude questions" when it comes down debating with Final Prayer over this topic ;-) Well, even though that hardcore-scene has moved quite a bit away from what I got to know back in the early 90s, I still believe that there is a great awareness for ecological, social and political procedures among hardcore kids, these days. So why should they care about the "music industry" at all? Because they can either become/stay a cue ball of the music industry or they can start making their own decisions. The time is perfect to tell labels, promoters, bands, etc. what YOU want instead of simply taking what they offer you. It's a little bit like breaking into Troya with a great plan and then not giving a fuck about what's gonna happen next. The fans and listeners have contributed a big part to the crisis of the music industry by using the internet as some kind of "everything for free"-store, which was a good and important thing in the beginning. But now is the time to sort out how we all want to handle the process of creating, releasing, promoting and selling music in the future. The chance for codetermination has never been as high as now, within the hardcore AND outside of it. Say how you want to access music, scream out if you think pricing-policies are ridiculous, laugh out loud a promo-campaigns and ads that would never make you buy a record and most of all: decide consciously how you purchase your music. Labels, bands and bookers will listen to you and go into it.
Isn't it a bit far-fetched to assume that big corporations like Sony or Warner will all of sudden "care" about their customers. I mean companies always "care" about their customers insofar as they want them to buy their products in order to make money. But this does in no way necessarily mean that they'll create products according to the demands of their customers. I mean now that vinyl is coming back, Sony and Warner start selling Lp's for 20 Euros (instead of Cd's) - that's ridiculous from my point of view...
Well, you said it yourself, the do care about making money (or at least surviving) and thus their customers play a key role. Even though I agree with your sample (major label's vinyl pricing is ridiculous) I am quite sure that the time of heedlessly exploiting customers are over. For 5-7 years there's grown too much consciousness among fans and buyers. The "illegal download disaster" has shown both, the labels and the customers, who really is in power. Sure, labels (especially multi-million-dollar corporations like Sony or Warner) will always try to maximize their profits but the times of constantly overstepping the mark are over. The labels' role has become less important - due to the social web there's a way stronger direct link between the artist (by the way: it is the ARTIST who creates the product. The label just throws it into wrapping paper and puts a price sticker on it) and the fan than ever before and the labels know that.
It's tough for me to speak "for" those big major labels since I do not have enough information of what's really going on in these companies. In addition to that it is not my point to defend their marketing- and pricing-strategies. I rather focus on mid-range and smaller labels since I have a deeper view and that's also the environment of Let it Burn Records. I see a lot of labels searching for "things that work" and if it is adding digital booklets to iTunes downloads: they do it. If it's offering pre-order deals (shirt + cd) for 15,00 euro instead of 25,00: they do it. If it's focusing on a nice and meaningful artwork: they do it. So, to pick up my previous point, I see way more effort and willingness among labels to step towards their "customers" than ever before.
And don't you overestimate the 'rationality' of us customers in the first place. If you'd ask me what I want, I'd say make music free for all. Put everything up for free download. Art should be for everybody to enjoy, not only for those with enough money to buy it. How are you gonna turn this attitude into a new marketing strategy for independent labels?
One thing that hasn't changed during the constant decline of CD sales is the average amount of money each customer spends on music in general. It's easy math: If someone saves 12,00 Euro for not having to buy an album he/she will surely spend this money on a concert ticket and/or merchandise item The general purchasing power has not decreased at all, it's simply channelled into a different direction. If independent labels now thoughtfully reorganize their marketing- and pricing-strategies they will surely regain their core business: selling music. By the way, I agree with you that art should be accessible for everybody to enjoy but I totally disagree that it should be offered for free, no matter what. Artistic value might not be something you can fully compensate with solely money but to a certain degree "paying" for art (especially when the production-process - studio, artwork, pressing, etc. - has caused expenses) is just a reasonable thing. So if people claim to get things, they impute a certain value to, "for free", it's highly contradictory, if you ask me.
Do you think it's possible that through the demise of the record industry possibilities to get your hands on independent records will actually become more narrow, because only a few big players will survive, themselves ending up with some sort of quasi-monopoly over the market? Or I am not taking the multiple channels of the internet enough into consideration here?
Nope, I don't see any risk like this. There will always be bands wanting to present their art/music and they will surely find ways to do that. If everything fails and record labels just don't get it, things might break down to a more diy-level again, making the bands doing it themselves. As you indicated, the internet has a lot of potential in this context. A risk that I do see, though, is a limited amount of major labels holding the monopoly on a certain sound carrier or transmission path for music. an example: Just image Sony or Warner (or Microsoft, or Apple, or Google, etc.) develop a new and easy way to buy and consume music that EVERYBODY follows. They'd surely have a dangerous monopoly on that. It's a bit like the combination "Apple iTunes + Apple iPod" which nowadays is the most common way of consuming music. Even though this "system" is the most successful these days, it is far away from being a monopoly. You can add your own mp3s to your iTunes library (you don't have to buy all your music from iTunes) and there's dozens of other audio-players and media libraries you can use. However such things change quickly these days and the risk of a big corporation abusing their advantage definitely is high.
If labels need to 're-organize' as you say, in what way do they need to re-organize? Are digital releases the future? Likewise: can Cd's considered to be an outdated medium? Or should a hardcore label like LIB go back to the roots and only do vinyl releases?
The cd IS an outdated medium, that's out of the question. It is bulky, slow, has only 70 minutes of playtime, does not support multimedia and is way to expensive. Of course we do not have to automatically deny everything that is outdated but compared to vinyl (which has been outdated for decades now) the cd hardly has any nostalgic value. It's a little bit comparable to VHS-videocassettes. No one would shed a tear, cramming out their old VHS-tapes and thinking of the good old days. Vinyl has a big advantage compared to the cd when it comes down to nostalgia and "emotional value": it is not a "passage media", as I would call it. The cd was crucial and necessary for the shift from the analog music-world to the digital, but this process has been completed years ago. To come to the point: Vinyl is old, it is vintage, it is a technological chapter of its own. The cd was only a means to an end. That's why I believe the cd will sooner or later disappear completely. When that will be depends on the "next sound carrier" that comes along. Do you remember when the DVD came up? It took only a couple of month and all VHS-cassettes were completely banned from the stores. That's a great example to see how quick such "shifts" can happen. However, since there's no "next sound carrier" yet (at least no system that is mass-suitable enough) we will live with the compact disc as main sound-carrier for another couple of years, I guess.
Coming back to the question: Yes, I believe that labels should start preparing for the digital age. Digital record sales have increased constantly over the past years and if you look over the big sea to the US, they alredy have a good 40% of all record sales being bought digitally. That's a good indicator where we're gonna end up sooner or later, too. The other way to go is vinyl. Sounds weird, I know, but the nostalgia this media carries is deeply rooted within the hardcore-/punk-scene. Vinyl has a great standing among collectors and music-fans all over the world and the combination with free digital downloads of the music simply leaves not many arguments left why one should not buy vinyl. However vinyl still is a niche-thing. You can only reach a "hard core" of listeners which might be cool for a hardcore-hardcore band but any band that is willing and wanting to also address listeners outside of the scene will have to look for a label which also releases other formats.
This question might sound a bit rude, but why should 'the kids' actually care about all this? I suppose HC has been around before the crisis of the 'music industry' and will be around afterwards...
No worries, I am already used to "rude questions" when it comes down debating with Final Prayer over this topic ;-) Well, even though that hardcore-scene has moved quite a bit away from what I got to know back in the early 90s, I still believe that there is a great awareness for ecological, social and political procedures among hardcore kids, these days. So why should they care about the "music industry" at all? Because they can either become/stay a cue ball of the music industry or they can start making their own decisions. The time is perfect to tell labels, promoters, bands, etc. what YOU want instead of simply taking what they offer you. It's a little bit like breaking into Troya with a great plan and then not giving a fuck about what's gonna happen next. The fans and listeners have contributed a big part to the crisis of the music industry by using the internet as some kind of "everything for free"-store, which was a good and important thing in the beginning. But now is the time to sort out how we all want to handle the process of creating, releasing, promoting and selling music in the future. The chance for codetermination has never been as high as now, within the hardcore AND outside of it. Say how you want to access music, scream out if you think pricing-policies are ridiculous, laugh out loud a promo-campaigns and ads that would never make you buy a record and most of all: decide consciously how you purchase your music. Labels, bands and bookers will listen to you and go into it.
Isn't it a bit far-fetched to assume that big corporations like Sony or Warner will all of sudden "care" about their customers. I mean companies always "care" about their customers insofar as they want them to buy their products in order to make money. But this does in no way necessarily mean that they'll create products according to the demands of their customers. I mean now that vinyl is coming back, Sony and Warner start selling Lp's for 20 Euros (instead of Cd's) - that's ridiculous from my point of view...
Well, you said it yourself, the do care about making money (or at least surviving) and thus their customers play a key role. Even though I agree with your sample (major label's vinyl pricing is ridiculous) I am quite sure that the time of heedlessly exploiting customers are over. For 5-7 years there's grown too much consciousness among fans and buyers. The "illegal download disaster" has shown both, the labels and the customers, who really is in power. Sure, labels (especially multi-million-dollar corporations like Sony or Warner) will always try to maximize their profits but the times of constantly overstepping the mark are over. The labels' role has become less important - due to the social web there's a way stronger direct link between the artist (by the way: it is the ARTIST who creates the product. The label just throws it into wrapping paper and puts a price sticker on it) and the fan than ever before and the labels know that.
It's tough for me to speak "for" those big major labels since I do not have enough information of what's really going on in these companies. In addition to that it is not my point to defend their marketing- and pricing-strategies. I rather focus on mid-range and smaller labels since I have a deeper view and that's also the environment of Let it Burn Records. I see a lot of labels searching for "things that work" and if it is adding digital booklets to iTunes downloads: they do it. If it's offering pre-order deals (shirt + cd) for 15,00 euro instead of 25,00: they do it. If it's focusing on a nice and meaningful artwork: they do it. So, to pick up my previous point, I see way more effort and willingness among labels to step towards their "customers" than ever before.
And don't you overestimate the 'rationality' of us customers in the first place. If you'd ask me what I want, I'd say make music free for all. Put everything up for free download. Art should be for everybody to enjoy, not only for those with enough money to buy it. How are you gonna turn this attitude into a new marketing strategy for independent labels?
One thing that hasn't changed during the constant decline of CD sales is the average amount of money each customer spends on music in general. It's easy math: If someone saves 12,00 Euro for not having to buy an album he/she will surely spend this money on a concert ticket and/or merchandise item The general purchasing power has not decreased at all, it's simply channelled into a different direction. If independent labels now thoughtfully reorganize their marketing- and pricing-strategies they will surely regain their core business: selling music. By the way, I agree with you that art should be accessible for everybody to enjoy but I totally disagree that it should be offered for free, no matter what. Artistic value might not be something you can fully compensate with solely money but to a certain degree "paying" for art (especially when the production-process - studio, artwork, pressing, etc. - has caused expenses) is just a reasonable thing. So if people claim to get things, they impute a certain value to, "for free", it's highly contradictory, if you ask me.
Do you think it's possible that through the demise of the record industry possibilities to get your hands on independent records will actually become more narrow, because only a few big players will survive, themselves ending up with some sort of quasi-monopoly over the market? Or I am not taking the multiple channels of the internet enough into consideration here?
Nope, I don't see any risk like this. There will always be bands wanting to present their art/music and they will surely find ways to do that. If everything fails and record labels just don't get it, things might break down to a more diy-level again, making the bands doing it themselves. As you indicated, the internet has a lot of potential in this context. A risk that I do see, though, is a limited amount of major labels holding the monopoly on a certain sound carrier or transmission path for music. an example: Just image Sony or Warner (or Microsoft, or Apple, or Google, etc.) develop a new and easy way to buy and consume music that EVERYBODY follows. They'd surely have a dangerous monopoly on that. It's a bit like the combination "Apple iTunes + Apple iPod" which nowadays is the most common way of consuming music. Even though this "system" is the most successful these days, it is far away from being a monopoly. You can add your own mp3s to your iTunes library (you don't have to buy all your music from iTunes) and there's dozens of other audio-players and media libraries you can use. However such things change quickly these days and the risk of a big corporation abusing their advantage definitely is high.
Samstag, 7. August 2010
Mittwoch, 4. August 2010
DJ Adam Port supports FP
This is DJ Adam Port sporting probably the best selling merchandise article FP has ever made. Classic white shirt with a black skull on it. Can't go wrong with that.
Adam is kinda old school so he knows what suits a Punk best. Actually he's not so famous for singing along at shows to Integrity, 108 or Shelter anymore as he's gotten himself quite some fame for spinning Techno and House records for fancy people at even fancier locations. He'll still wear Punk and Hardcore Shirts amidst a hipster crowd tho.
Dude is 100% legit and his edge is still straight like an arrow, so check is blog and download one of his mix-tapes.
Sonntag, 1. August 2010
Pub shows rule!
Video from a gig at a great Berlin punk n roll pub called 'Feuermelder'. They celebrated their five year anniversary if I remember correctly. It was a free show and way too many people tried to squeeze into the pub. Nonetheless it was great fun and hot as hell. If you ever plan on visiting Berlin, go to Feuermelder to have a drink or two.
Samstag, 31. Juli 2010
Interview: Chris, Let it Burn Records
Alright folks,
this is our first post in a new series of interviews with people close to Final Prayer. The interviews will revolve around different sets of questions related to the background of the person interviewed. What follows is an interview conducted with Chris of Let it Burn records fame. Chris has not only been part of the scene for easily more than a decade by playing in bands, most notably in The Blackout Argument, but he has released some damn good records. Chris also put out our first album, "right here, right now" some years ago, which he recently re-released with a ton of bonus tracks as some sort of early FP discography under the title "best of times". Whenever we meet with Chris, we all tend to have really interesting, and sometimes controversial, conversations, so this Q and A should make for a good read. Enjoy!
When was the first time you heard about FP and what was the occasion?
I heard about FP the first time, when their bassist Felix told me that he had started a new band. I've known him for ages, dating back to his first band DISRESPECT, and remember being kinda surprised that hey decided to play in a "tough" band again. His former project "Battle Royal" went in a completely different direction. I never got a hold of the 1st demotape Final Prayer released so I guess the first actual song I heard was "Every Man My Enemy" from their split with CRISIS NEVER ENDS. I remember that I didn't like the vocals too much in the beginning but was blown away by the plain heaviness this song carried and still does.
Why did you 'sign' FP and what were your expectations concerning the release?
For years I had a policy with Let it Burn Records of only working with people I personally know and trust. So I guess what gained my interest in the first place was, that I knew Felix was a reliable and dedicated person it would be great to work with. However it's easy to figure out that I cannot sign every friend's band simply because I like them (well, some labels do, Let it Burn doesn't). So it was a 4-song demo-CDR with pre-recordings of "Right Here Right Now" that made the decision very easy. This was by far the best european "heavy hardcore" I had heard in ages. I also liked their approach of adding socio-political lyrics since at that time the only topics tough bands sang about were friendship, loyalty and trust (Today it's more about Booze, Bitches and Pimpcars, which is even worse hahaha!). I didn't have too many expectations right form the start, in fact I never do when putting out a "first album" by a band. I just released it and did my best to let everyone know about it.
Sometimes bands make huge steps between their demo and their first album which can be perceived as a change of style, break with their past etc. Did you think about anything like that before FP entered the studio? Is there something concerning 'right here, right now' that you would have done differently if you would have been in the band at that time?
I know exactly what you are talking about and to be honest, I already had some hard times with bands changing their style drastically between every release. However, in the case of Final Prayer I didn't have any concerns like this. On the one hand because of their music-style. If you play tough, metallic hardcore there's not too much room for experiments. Sure, you can become a little more metal or write a bunch of faster, more hardcore-like tracks but the core of the music stays the same. On the other hand I quickly found out that everyone in FP loves what they were doing. They were (and surely are) 100% into it and I never saw any signs of "Oh, let's try to be real musicians and do something totally crazy like... jazz!!!" or anything like that.
As far as their debut album "Right Here Right Now" is concerned: No, I would not have done anything differently. This is the perfect hardcore album and I love everything about it. I love the songs, the sound, the artwork, the length, the spirit, simply everything. There are not too many records I would say the same about, so this means a lot. Definitely among the top3 albums I ever released on Let it Burn. I would have had a few "suggestions" for their follow-up album "Filling The Void" but "fortunately" I was not the one to release it, hahaha ;-)
If I remember correctly you signed FP without having the chance to see the band live first. Would you do something like that again? Did you feel like you were being thrown in at the deep end?
Usually we do not sign bands without having seen them live. It's simply an insurance that the band has a future at all. If a band sucks on stage they have exactly 1 year to improve, if they do not manage to do so, they are basically dead. Hardcore music lives from raw energy and power, something you can only experience to 100% at a show. However I had a good feeling about Final Prayer's live abilities. DISRESPECT was an amazing live band, the same with LIFEFORCE. It was kind of a risk signing them without having checked them out live, but not a big one and in the end Final Prayer proved to be among the best live acts in our roster.
'Right here,right now' has been release some time ago now. From a label perspective what has changed since then? Would you release the record to the same conditions again?
I guess me and Felix could spend nights and nights discussing this topic, hahaha! You can actually get an impression at www.blog.letitburn.de. Well, to cut it short: A LOT of things have changed since then and today it's simply not possible anymore to release a record to the same conditions. I always try to make the best offers possible but the financial risk has grown constantly mainly due to the fact that record sales (except for the ones at bands' merch-tables) have constantly decreased. You can easily tell from the amount of labels who quit over the last years, it has become almost impossible to break even with a record, not to speak of earning some money to cover the costs of an album that did not break even. I alway try not to sound winy over this topic so I won't go into more details. I just hope that bands, promoters, fans, bookers, agencies AND labels become more aware of the fact that strategies, prognosises, prices, offers, deals, conditions, etc. that worked perfectly a couple of years ago do not work anymore these days. It's time to rethink and reorganize.
Why the re-release of 'right here, right now'? Simply to make some money without having to invest in studio budget, artwork etc.?
First of all: we DID invest in a beautiful new artwork hahaha ;-) The idea came up once the original "Right Here Right Now" album was sold out and it was about time to do a repress. Usually a repress below 1000 copies does not make much sense and my prognosis for selling another 1000 copies of "Right Here Right Now" was pretty bad. So we thought about making it a completely new release, with a new artwork and, most of all, with a new "value" for the fan, listener, buyer. We added some rare and unreleased demos, split-songs and compilation tracks, called it "Best of Times" and thus created an "early discography" that documented what Final Prayer had recorded up to "Filling the Void". For the band it is a precious "time stamp", for the kids it is "value for money". We sell the CD for a really fair price and so far the feedback has been great!
How do you envisage the future of LIB rec.? It seems that some diy labels continue to operate rather well despite the 'crisis' that hit the music industry during the last decade, while others cease to exist. Where do you see the future of diy labels in the HC-Punk sector?
Well one of the basic ideas of a subculture is to stay functional far off what the mainstream does. So when the "music industry" suffers from a severe crisis it is still possible to run a small diy-record label, maybe even easier. However, as soon as you're among the - let's call it - 'semi-professional' labels you're kinda "playing with the big ones" and also suffer among the same preconditions as they do. It's easy to say: "well, why not break everything down to DIY-level then" but the things that "semi-professional" bands (same prescription here) such as Final Prayer, Teamkiller, Zero Mentality, To Kill, etc. expect from their label, may it be concerning promotion, distribution, reliability or simply general label-business, is far off DIY-level. And to be quite honest: I love the "level" Let it Burn Records is on. It is something that can be taken seriously but at the same time it is not something that can financially break my neck since I also have a "real" job.
So coming back to the question where I see the future of diy-labels: I think the process we have witnessed over the past 5-6 years will continue, maybe even accelerate. That means the smaller labels will focus even more on low-level, diehard-DIY bands/releases (limited vinyl pressings, etc.) and the big labels will continue trying to find out how to finally squeeze more money out of kids and bands. And Let it Burn Records? Well, we just do OUR thing.
Chris / Let it Burn Records (July 30, 2010)
A second part of the interview will be posted here next week, so stay tuned.
this is our first post in a new series of interviews with people close to Final Prayer. The interviews will revolve around different sets of questions related to the background of the person interviewed. What follows is an interview conducted with Chris of Let it Burn records fame. Chris has not only been part of the scene for easily more than a decade by playing in bands, most notably in The Blackout Argument, but he has released some damn good records. Chris also put out our first album, "right here, right now" some years ago, which he recently re-released with a ton of bonus tracks as some sort of early FP discography under the title "best of times". Whenever we meet with Chris, we all tend to have really interesting, and sometimes controversial, conversations, so this Q and A should make for a good read. Enjoy!
When was the first time you heard about FP and what was the occasion?
I heard about FP the first time, when their bassist Felix told me that he had started a new band. I've known him for ages, dating back to his first band DISRESPECT, and remember being kinda surprised that hey decided to play in a "tough" band again. His former project "Battle Royal" went in a completely different direction. I never got a hold of the 1st demotape Final Prayer released so I guess the first actual song I heard was "Every Man My Enemy" from their split with CRISIS NEVER ENDS. I remember that I didn't like the vocals too much in the beginning but was blown away by the plain heaviness this song carried and still does.
Why did you 'sign' FP and what were your expectations concerning the release?
For years I had a policy with Let it Burn Records of only working with people I personally know and trust. So I guess what gained my interest in the first place was, that I knew Felix was a reliable and dedicated person it would be great to work with. However it's easy to figure out that I cannot sign every friend's band simply because I like them (well, some labels do, Let it Burn doesn't). So it was a 4-song demo-CDR with pre-recordings of "Right Here Right Now" that made the decision very easy. This was by far the best european "heavy hardcore" I had heard in ages. I also liked their approach of adding socio-political lyrics since at that time the only topics tough bands sang about were friendship, loyalty and trust (Today it's more about Booze, Bitches and Pimpcars, which is even worse hahaha!). I didn't have too many expectations right form the start, in fact I never do when putting out a "first album" by a band. I just released it and did my best to let everyone know about it.
Sometimes bands make huge steps between their demo and their first album which can be perceived as a change of style, break with their past etc. Did you think about anything like that before FP entered the studio? Is there something concerning 'right here, right now' that you would have done differently if you would have been in the band at that time?
I know exactly what you are talking about and to be honest, I already had some hard times with bands changing their style drastically between every release. However, in the case of Final Prayer I didn't have any concerns like this. On the one hand because of their music-style. If you play tough, metallic hardcore there's not too much room for experiments. Sure, you can become a little more metal or write a bunch of faster, more hardcore-like tracks but the core of the music stays the same. On the other hand I quickly found out that everyone in FP loves what they were doing. They were (and surely are) 100% into it and I never saw any signs of "Oh, let's try to be real musicians and do something totally crazy like... jazz!!!" or anything like that.
As far as their debut album "Right Here Right Now" is concerned: No, I would not have done anything differently. This is the perfect hardcore album and I love everything about it. I love the songs, the sound, the artwork, the length, the spirit, simply everything. There are not too many records I would say the same about, so this means a lot. Definitely among the top3 albums I ever released on Let it Burn. I would have had a few "suggestions" for their follow-up album "Filling The Void" but "fortunately" I was not the one to release it, hahaha ;-)
If I remember correctly you signed FP without having the chance to see the band live first. Would you do something like that again? Did you feel like you were being thrown in at the deep end?
Usually we do not sign bands without having seen them live. It's simply an insurance that the band has a future at all. If a band sucks on stage they have exactly 1 year to improve, if they do not manage to do so, they are basically dead. Hardcore music lives from raw energy and power, something you can only experience to 100% at a show. However I had a good feeling about Final Prayer's live abilities. DISRESPECT was an amazing live band, the same with LIFEFORCE. It was kind of a risk signing them without having checked them out live, but not a big one and in the end Final Prayer proved to be among the best live acts in our roster.
'Right here,right now' has been release some time ago now. From a label perspective what has changed since then? Would you release the record to the same conditions again?
I guess me and Felix could spend nights and nights discussing this topic, hahaha! You can actually get an impression at www.blog.letitburn.de. Well, to cut it short: A LOT of things have changed since then and today it's simply not possible anymore to release a record to the same conditions. I always try to make the best offers possible but the financial risk has grown constantly mainly due to the fact that record sales (except for the ones at bands' merch-tables) have constantly decreased. You can easily tell from the amount of labels who quit over the last years, it has become almost impossible to break even with a record, not to speak of earning some money to cover the costs of an album that did not break even. I alway try not to sound winy over this topic so I won't go into more details. I just hope that bands, promoters, fans, bookers, agencies AND labels become more aware of the fact that strategies, prognosises, prices, offers, deals, conditions, etc. that worked perfectly a couple of years ago do not work anymore these days. It's time to rethink and reorganize.
Why the re-release of 'right here, right now'? Simply to make some money without having to invest in studio budget, artwork etc.?
First of all: we DID invest in a beautiful new artwork hahaha ;-) The idea came up once the original "Right Here Right Now" album was sold out and it was about time to do a repress. Usually a repress below 1000 copies does not make much sense and my prognosis for selling another 1000 copies of "Right Here Right Now" was pretty bad. So we thought about making it a completely new release, with a new artwork and, most of all, with a new "value" for the fan, listener, buyer. We added some rare and unreleased demos, split-songs and compilation tracks, called it "Best of Times" and thus created an "early discography" that documented what Final Prayer had recorded up to "Filling the Void". For the band it is a precious "time stamp", for the kids it is "value for money". We sell the CD for a really fair price and so far the feedback has been great!
How do you envisage the future of LIB rec.? It seems that some diy labels continue to operate rather well despite the 'crisis' that hit the music industry during the last decade, while others cease to exist. Where do you see the future of diy labels in the HC-Punk sector?
Well one of the basic ideas of a subculture is to stay functional far off what the mainstream does. So when the "music industry" suffers from a severe crisis it is still possible to run a small diy-record label, maybe even easier. However, as soon as you're among the - let's call it - 'semi-professional' labels you're kinda "playing with the big ones" and also suffer among the same preconditions as they do. It's easy to say: "well, why not break everything down to DIY-level then" but the things that "semi-professional" bands (same prescription here) such as Final Prayer, Teamkiller, Zero Mentality, To Kill, etc. expect from their label, may it be concerning promotion, distribution, reliability or simply general label-business, is far off DIY-level. And to be quite honest: I love the "level" Let it Burn Records is on. It is something that can be taken seriously but at the same time it is not something that can financially break my neck since I also have a "real" job.
So coming back to the question where I see the future of diy-labels: I think the process we have witnessed over the past 5-6 years will continue, maybe even accelerate. That means the smaller labels will focus even more on low-level, diehard-DIY bands/releases (limited vinyl pressings, etc.) and the big labels will continue trying to find out how to finally squeeze more money out of kids and bands. And Let it Burn Records? Well, we just do OUR thing.
Chris / Let it Burn Records (July 30, 2010)
A second part of the interview will be posted here next week, so stay tuned.
Montag, 26. Juli 2010
Dienstag, 20. Juli 2010
Sonntag, 18. Juli 2010
Samstag, 17. Juli 2010
Propaganda
Just one week left to our RECORD RELEASE SHOW for our "... Best Of Times" record.
So we started to prepare the posters for the "Propaganda-Overload"!!!
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