Debut 7"by FAILURE contains the best 7 minutes of jump in the air + kick in the face audio violence I have heard in a while. The sound combined with tasty, serious imagery would make you think these guys cannot be messed with. However I was lucky to meet them in real life, play a few shows together and I have quickly learned they are just the sweetest people in the world. Ladies and gents, it's a great honor to present you this short but straight to the point conversation with the one and only - FAILURE from Italy!
Hi Marco! What is up? How is jerking off and getting high in quarantine going for you guys?
That was good to me. I enjoy being by myself at my place. Just in the end of quarantine I was starting to crave having fun with my friends again.
FAILURE is a great band name, even though there is some grunge rock or whatever band with the same name on Spotify already. I consider it to be the same case like AC/DC and ACxDC. Is there any story behind the band name that we should know?
Nothing to do with that. We just didnt know that this band existed. Steve and me chose this name because of the bad time we were living when we decided to form the band.
I am really impressed with the visual side of your band. I must say it is very sexy. Who is doing the design for shirts, covers, who did the logo etc?
Oh thanks my friend! I made the logo and we choose our covers and artworks all together. We wanted to use b/w pictures like most powerviolence bands. Steve and I play in Ape Unit too and we write lots of weird stuff with them. With Failure we wanted to play more "standard" stuff.
What were your main influences that made you make FAILURE?
Sadness, depression, frustration and Lack Of Interest.
Do you see yourselfes as a serious PV band? Or is it more like SPAZZ school PV in your eyes? To me is sounds more serious than DESPISE YOU at some parts lol
I dont know. We started writing lyrics about personal struggles but sometimes we write about more easy and ironic stuff. Sincerely, I don't care about that.
What are you currently listening to the most that you would like to recommend? (does not have to be heavy)
In these days i am listening mostly to Flamingosis, Viagraboys, The Chats, Pendulum, Vulfpeck and Kokoko.
Why no bass? Works better this way or you like the "sharper" sound?
When we started playing Steve originally wanted to play bass but we couldn't find a proper drummer. Now we don't want to look for a bassplayer and wait for him or her to learn all the songs. We are on a tight schedule and we want to be more comfortable and easy with composing and playing so...less people, less problems. You have a very unique sweet high hardcore voice pitch which is heaven for my ears (reminds me of RAISED FIST a bit). Are you able to do "normal" clean singing and are there any examples online?
Thank you buddy! I am not a pro screamer so I tried to learn the vocal style I like the most on fast music and that's what I came put with. Usually after 2 or 3 gigs in a row I lose my voice because I am not able to do that right (that's shite). I played with some friends on a NOFX cover band to play a couple of parties here in Cuneo but I can not sing properly there too. We recorded a punk rock version of "Ritornerai" by Bruno Lauzi (an italian songwriter from the 60's/70's) and you can find it in the latest Tanto Di Cappelo Records compilation here https://tadcarecords.bandcamp.com/album/vicious-circle as well as a Spazz cover with Failure.
Your dream band to make a split with?
Ona Snop was my previous choice but that dream already came true. Now I would say Sheeva Yoga.
How are you related with APE UNIT and what is going on with that band?
Yes in Ape Unit I play guitar and Steve drums. We are completing the new album composition. We are almost done with that but it's more weird and strange stuff and it requires us a lot of time more than the Failure punky tunes.
Can we expect a 30 min full length from FAILURE in the next 2 years or something?
We would prefer to release a good 7" all killer no filler more than a full length.
You are very fun people to be around. What is the funniest memory you would like to share from the bands history?
Oh man. Too many fun times to remember. One of my favourite situations took place in Milan when we played with Ona Snop and Afternoon Gentlemen in Villa Vegan. We started dancing to some electronic stuff staying in circle with people from bands and audience and I still don't know how all that began but a smile always appears on my face when I think about that.
Choose one alcoholic drink. The rest are gone from existence. Which one would you keep?
Beer.
Who's mama makes the best lasagna?
I would say mine, but I want to be clear this is not a competition: it's a war.
Will you come play Lithuania when we have a vaccine? Can't wait to get drunk with you again
I dream about that every night and in that dream we are dancing in circle with you.
Thank you for answering my dumb questions kind sir, wish you the best of luck working in those fields!
It's not everyday that I hear something new and go "wow" straight away and I can see it's not even the most recent record by this band, but this is what Laurynas showed me by saying "just stop whatever you are doing and listen to this now" and this is what I want to talk about. It's an odd coincidence I started driving when I played this and few songs later I drive past a tall building in the neighborhood I grew up in. I can see the ambulance, police and firefighter cars with their lights on. The balcony on level 15th collapsed and fell down destroying levels 3, 2 and 1. I was glad to learn no one was harmed in the incident, but it was a powerful sight especially with Wound Man blasting in the background.
Opening track "Dive" starts with a creepy-ass sample (or synth?) that sounds something like an old school horror soundtrack and a very heavy, slow sludge riff begins your descent into this short, but effective punch in the face of an album. Slow part does not last too long to get boring and we start hearing short, quick blastbeat+barking vocals attacks. They almost sound like a trick that you never expect, but at the same time feel like a classic element of the powerviolence genre and you know it's just right. Same formula ripples throghout the album and we get tricked over and over again by going really fast, then slow, then super slow and then super fast again all of the sudden. I guess the effect is achieved by slow parts being really slow, as in sludge doom slow and many fast bands fail at this by making their slow parts too fast.
We reach "Hate flag" which sounds like a hardcore hit you'd like to make a cover of in 15 years. Mid tempo violence that makes me think of something a person I know said about PV genre: "how is it that powerviolence somehow sounds more HC than HC"?
Title track "Prehistory" is a slow riff worship with vocals joining and catching up some speed only in the second half and the rest is just threatening hardcore that makes you feel like you're about to be beat up in a bad part of the city. "Evolution" ends with some more speed changes, angry vocals shouting over each other and a short sample talking about man VS god. Must say the vocals never sound silly during the record as it's sometimes the case with PV.
It's not a fast album, but it sure is fucking heavy and I am immediately hooked on this band. I see quite a few releases on their Bandcamp, gonna go check em out now, but if you have not heard of this pissed Massachusetts gang- Prehistory is sure a good one to start with. The whole thing is over in like 12 minutes, but that's just about enough as you constantly feel like being hit with a brick and I would not like to have this emotion for 40 minutes in an album like that. If you are a fan of Weeekend Nachos or Sex Prisoner do not hesitate for another second of this dumb review.
This week we have a fresh and sincere interview with a very busy man from a sunny state of California - the mastermind behind the super productive DIY label - No Time Records Tommy Smith!
So which is it -
"No time" or "no time for fun"?
Hahahaha, so the
label is called No Time Records, the bandcamp link is in reference to the other
founder of the label’s old band called High Tension, in one of their songs, he
says the phrase “I’ve got No Time For Fun, my old self is dead to me”.
Seriously - how do
you have the time to do everything you do?
I don’t, a lot of
late nights and energy drinks. With the whole covid lockdown and lack of shows,
I’ve had more time to focus on JUST the release label side of things, but under
normal circumstances, we’re throwing nearly bi-weekly shows, 3 to 5 releases a
month, playing in a few bands and touring.
What was your first
exposure to grindcore and what made you fall in love with this genre? What made
you go "I'm gonna do all of this shit!"?
I had been a fan of
powerviolence since high school, I mainly listened to like, 4 bands, all local
to Orange County. There is video of like, 15 year old me scared shitless at an
ACxDC show. My current partner started getting me more interested in this
stuff, plus going out to more shows in Los Angeles and linking up with more
bands from the area.
You are this keen guy
who just wants to do all this cool stuff, but there is a lot of negativity and
cynicism in the world and I know sarcasm can be demotivating. How do you deal
with all the smartasses that just know everything?
I grew up being
bullied relentlessly in elementary and middle school for my weight and overall
weird behaviors, punk was the first thing that I ever felt like I belonged.
After building a core group of people wanting me to succeed at what I do, I
really just brush of negativity.
I see you are a big
fan of Tony Hawks Pro Skater lol (me too!). What other inspirations could you
mention? Games? Movies? Books? People?
Outside of the Tony
Hawk games, for sure the Guitar Hero franchise is what also perked my interest
into “rock” music, I always enjoyed the punk songs more than the oldie classic
rock and metal. Dance Dance Revolution is actually how I found ska music, I
remember hearing “Little Bitch” by The Specials on one of the machines and
found that music so infectious.
I guess for movies like, maybe SLC Punk? I saw
that one once, thought it was ok, there was this dude I went to high school
with who swore that movie was like the bible. Not much of a book guy, never
really read many like “zines”, mainly spent my youth playing videogames.
I would really like
to learn more about your personality. Could you give us some background on who
you are besides your love for music? How old are you? Where u from? Family?
Work? Relationships? Any funny tattoos? Any unfulfiled dreams you might have?
So I am 24, born and
raised in Orange County, California. I just graduated college with a BS in
Computer Science, currently looking for my like “real” job, I have a part-time
gig which is the reason I was able to fund early No Time shit. I am happily
taken to my lovely and supportive partner of over 4 years, I plan on marrying
her but I wanna move out of my moms house before doing that. My mom is more or
less supportive of my label, my dad absolutely despises it.
I have 4 shit stick
n poke tattoos, a coffee mug from a piece of The Stupid Stupid Henchmen
artwork, my absolute favorite band. The phrase “FIGHT LIKE HELL”, the Wu-Tang
Clan logo but with the band name WADEYE in it instead, the bassist of that band
has a No Time tattoo so I thought it was only fair I got one of his band, and a
cassette tape that reads “TAPE LIFE OR HATE LIFE”, I gotta go back over it tho.
https://notimeforfun.bandcamp.com
what an impressive catalog. What 5 releases should one start with if they know
nothing about your label? Which ones are you most proud of?
You do all kinds of physical
releases (CDs/LPs/MCs) and you release A LOT of music. I am not going to ask
why you think physical is superior to digital these days, because I get it and
I hate this kind of question. However, - how did you find a crowd that thinks
the same and how do you sell most of the stuff without going bankrupt? If I
would do everything you do here in Europe I'd need to have very rich parents to
support me lmao
Oh I’ve been
bankrupt quite a few times hahaha, making most everything myself to start,
about 95% of my tapes releases I make myself and in small runs, I also don’t
pay myself for ANYTHING. I think people like having physical versions of stuff,
more and more people understand that buying physical items is the best way to
directly support artists they like.
California is fucking
huge and it's history is very rich with all kinds of music. Do you think it
makes it harder or easier to run a DIY label / have a band / make shows etc.
compared to a remote place where not much is happening?
There is a lot of
competition for sure, there’s no doubt about that, there’s nights were there
can be anywhere from 5 to 20 shows all happening within 50 miles of each other.
Super common for people to cruise like a DIY show at the beginning of the night
then hit a club show later. It’s harder to stand out for sure, so many people
to try and compete with, but you are also surrounded with so many people,
something like 18ish million between LA, Orange County, San Diego, and
Riverside, you are bound to have somebody listen.
I have been to Los
Angeles and I know it's a big, dirty mf and can be a bit scary at some points,
as opposed to this ridiculous, sparkling, fancy hollywood image of this city
most europeans have in their skulls. Do you feel safe there doing shows etc and
do you find the extreme social inequality as an inspiration to what you do?
What are the other big problems you see in the US? Would you call yourself a
patriot?
We had a band on
tour we were hosting a show for, park their van, and shit you not even 40
minutes later, they come back and all of their gear had been stolen, shit
fucking luck. LA gets a bad rap for theft and violence outside of shows, a few
infamous spots here and there.
I don’t really feel sketched out knowing that
the super majority of people just want to have a good time and get home.
There’s bad shit for sure that you gotta keep your ears and eyes up for. I’m
not from super poor roots, I never have claimed to be, I’m not rich by any
means, but a lower middle class. I always felt punk was for the voiceless and
if I can use my privilege coming from somewhat well-off background to devote my
time into a DIY label then that’s what I will do.
One of the biggest problems
that is facing the US is racial discrimination and abuse of police power, I’ve
been having those uncomfortable conversation with family, roommates and
coworkers, some understand, some still think ANTI-FA is a terrorist group so,
take what you can get, can’t waste your energy on those you can’t reach. Orange
County is super republican that I am not surprised people like my father and
99% of my coworkers don’t really understand why the country is so fucked.
Also
the heroin epidemic is something I care deeply about and take to heart, after
having multiple friends pass from ODing or be in and out of rehab and have
their whole lives ruined, it breaks my heart. We try to push for harm reduction
in the lyrics I write for my band, I want to start handing out clean needles
and NARCAN at my shows but I really don’t know the legality or a efficient way
of doing that, maybe that will be the first thing I push for when shows can
happen again.
Do you find it easier
to work with US bands rather than European bands? Or is there no difference for
you?
So I went through
high school being a HUGE fan of a bunch of UK bands, like Rash Decision,
Private Gain, The Domestics, JAKAL, From The Cradle To The Rave etc so I hold
European bands like super high above States bands in this weird, almost like
they are so much more better than US bands because they are from Europe
mentality, maybe because I can’t go see these bands live unless there is the
off-chance one of them tours. So I love working with international bands from
all over, and I can be more forgiving of any of the little issues that come up
with releasing. Although international co-releases fucking suck, dealing with
multiple currencies and shipping units ALL OVER is a fucking expensive
nightmare.
So besides label,
making shows etc you are also in a hardcore punk band Corrupt Vision. Can you
tell us a bit about your band? Are (were) you in any other bands?
Corrupt Vision is a
crossover grindcore / crack rock steady (skacore) band that I do with the other
founder of No Time Records. The members of Corrupt Vision also play as the
harsh noise band TIMExCUBE as sort of a joke. Me and Fern (label partner) also
play in our folk punk band called The Insomniac Collective. I am starting a
power violence band called NO MOTIVE with my friend Josh from a band called The
Bimbos and hope to have a demo out for that before years end.
Do ya'll really hate
SKA or is it like an ongoing joke? I'll be honest I'm not a fan of the genre,
but I can recognize a lot of SKA-like riffs in your music 😃
Corrupt Vision dubs our music as “Anti-Ska”, we are sort-of a direct response to the super shitty, copy/paste, sickly sweet poppy party ska that’s prevalent in the Orange County scene here. We hate that most current ska bands are just riding off the sounds of the 90’s and not really adding much to it, lack of diversity in the sound, empty lyrics and overall cringy presence, we really aren’t fans.
We also like being too grind for ska and too ska or grind that we sorta piss off the elitists of both genres, I have people from both scenes say we would sound better if we dropped either the ska or the grind.
Any chance you guys
would tour europe sometime when covid19 is under control? What places would you
like to visit the most and what are your favorite european bands?
We (tentatively)
have plans to tour the UK in April of 2021 with a band called Rash Decision,
billed around a festival called Manchester Punk Festival, however, with the god
awful Covid Response of both the UK and the US, I don’t see that happening. We
would LOVE to come and play the rest of Europe at some point as well, I
understand the UK is not necessarily the same as the rest of Europe, but with
the Brexit shit, we don’t wanna risk being sent home hopping from country to
country.
I dont think I have
heard a spotify podcast about grindcore before! How did that
happen and do you get many listeners? Any competition out there?
Its not so much a
grindcore podcast as it is just about me and Fern talk about the label and all
that we do, I think we are at like, 30 – 40 listeners so far which is dope, I
think, wouldn’t mind more but talking with my buddy weekly and making each
other laugh has been a great thing for my mental health.
Thank you so much for super fast, but also thoughtful and honest answers man! Next time I'm in on the west coast we must get drunk from a brown paper bag by the skatepark at the beach!
Make sure to check out and support everything Tommy has been up to!
