Born To Hate Volume 3 DVD Review

by Sean WWTO

To start i have to say by far this is best volume yet sound and picture quality is amazing with almost 3 hours of footage and dedicating this volume to Carlos C-Loc shows the utmost respect
and is one of the best ways to remember him for those who met and were able to hang out with C-Loc will know that even if he looked scary once you were able to sit down and talk with him you would find out that he was the kindest individual you could have ever met.

BTH Volume 3's lineup is packed with some of the newer upcoming hxc bands and also filled with some bands that have been in the scene for over a decade to pick out one bands set off this comp is literally impossible as i Sean of WWTO have had the opportunity to meet and hangout
with many of the bands on this volume as well as on the previous 2 volumes that have been released.

xDEATHSTARx - amazing set full of kids dancing singalong and going off


Since The Flood - great live set with chuck singing i have not had an opportunity to see this band since getting a new singer but again another band that feeds off of the crowd participation.

Killing Kings - holy shit what a show from the infamous Sox Place this band is one band that totally destroys when playing tons of pile ons kids dancing this is one band to definitely be on the lookout for if you have not yet picked up there cd or had a chance to see this band live you will be totally blown away.

Sudden Death - from San Antonio Texas start off the set with a Biohazard intro this band will blow you away especially in a small club or house show they also feed off the crowd and all there songs have singalongs and if you are at a sudden death show they want pile ons and kids dancing there asses off.

Strength For A Reason - this band has been around for over a decade and give there heart and souls out at every show this band has toured the USA and Europe numerous times and the more kids go off for this band the harder they play this band would play for 10 kids or 5000 and when playing to an empty room or a packed house they give 110 percent this band deserves the utmost respect for sticking it out for more than a decade

Pride Kills - what can i say about this set except Gabe Wells singing and moshing in a jockstrap all the while firecrackers going off on and offstage the only real way to experience this band is to see them live and for the newer kids who may have heard oh this band promotes violence and hard dancing and draws there friends who are going to beat up and hurt the new kids BULLSHIT I REPEAT BULLSHIT go to see this band have fun yes there might be older guys there dancing if you see them coming at you while dancing just move or get off the floor Pride Kills shows are fun go and have fun support the band.

Flawless Victory - from Laredo Texas Great live set in a small venue with kids going off
dancing there asses off singing along circle pits having a great time this band also feeds off the crowd as George Hood singer of Flawless Victory is usually always in the crowd handing the mic off to kids to sing along always a fun time when this band plays and the nicest bunch of guys you would ever want to meet and to the newer kids if you go to see this band after there set is done don't be afraid to walk up to them and tell them you enjoyed the set they want to hear that tell them how much fun you had and what songs you want them to play and maybe the next time they are coming thru your town they will remember so and so wanted to here us play this song and they will play it.

No Turning Back - from the Netherlands this band has been around for awhile and there live set is totally amazing kids singing along dancing unbelievable sound quality whenever this band has the chance to play in the USA to the newer kids reading this go and see them live they play there hearts out and feed off the crowd.

DTD- from Texas this bands set was great tons of pile ons kids going off circle pits singalongs
the way hxc shows should be this is one band to be on the watch for they are going to exploding so be on the lookout for DTD.

There are so many great bands on this volumes set that the above bands are the ones that stood out the most to me nothing against any of the other bands but if i were to have to choose one band out of the whole volume i would not be able to.

The last message i have to stress on which has nothing to do with this DVD volume but i am sure that the guys from Born To Hate as well as all of the bands would agree with me on is this.

To all the kids that want to come to shows and start fights for no reason FUCK YOU DON'T COME THIS IS THE REASON THAT IT IS SO DIFFICULT TO GET VENUES AND HAVE SHOWS IF YOU WANT TO COME TO A SHOW JUST TO BEAT THE SHIT OUT A KID SMALLER THAN YOU DON'T FUCKING COME CAUSE YOU ARE RUINING THE SHOW FOR EVERYONE ELSE AND THE BANDS THAT TRAVELED TO PLAY THAT SHOW ALSO TO THE KIDS THAT BITCH AND MOAN ON THE MESSAGES BOARDS ABOUT GETTING HIT AT A SHOW REMEMBER THIS IS A FUCKING HARDCORE SHOW KIDS DANCE HARD YOU PROBABLY GOT HIT BECAUSE YOU WEREN'T PAYING ATTENTION OR WATCHING AROUND YOU AND IF YOU DO GET HIT DON'T CRY ABOUT IT JUST REMEMBER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO GET HIT YOU CAN ALWAYS STAND IN THE BACK OR AGAINST THE WALL YES YOU STILL MAY GET HIT BUT IF YOU DO SO WHAT THIS IS A HARDCORE SHOW AND IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT GO LISTEN TO EMO AND CRY ALONG WITH THEM

www.myspace.com/borntohatehxc

Interview with Human Demise

Interview by Russ Attitude, Questions answered by Maurice except where stated different.

How and when was Human Demise formed?
Maurice, Paul (E) and Ivo (our former) started to write songs in February 2004 in the vein of Ringworm, Integrity and Ringworm because we all wanted to be in a sick metalcore band that plays songs in the vein of above mentioned bands. In May our bass player Jasper joined us and later we came up with the name Human Demise and recorded our first demo.

Who is in the band and what do they play?
The current line up is:
Maurice: vocals
Paul E: Guitars
Paul K: Drums
Jasper: Bass
Willem: Guitars

However Willem decided to quit the band so we are currently in search of a new second guitarist.

Is this the original line-up?
No only Maurice, Paul E en Jasper are left from the original line up.

What do your lyrics deal with?
Mostly the lyrics deal with how we look on modern society or how people behave in modern society. They deal mostly with the negative aspects of it. However on our MCD Whitechapel Demise we chose to make a trilogy about the Whitechapel murders so those lyrics described the atmosphere around those killings back in the 19th century.

For an upcoming split 7 inch our singer Maurice made lyrics about the situation of his Father's disease. How the disease came up (Agony), the feeling of gonna loose someone or not (Anxiety) and the acceptance of the disease after a years of struggling (Acceptance).

What do you love/hate about being on the road?
Love: Playing awesome shows, feeling you become better and tighter every night playing the same songs. Also drinking beers, partying and meeting new people is awesome.
Hate: Driving long distances in the van, waiting to get up on stage and for me personally sleeping on dirty floors or in a house where a dog is because I am allergic to dogs and have a mild form of bronchitis.

How do you create new material?
Mostly one of our guitar players come up with a riff and than start to jam with our drummer. With adding new riffs and breaks a new song will be created. The rest of the bands helps with arrange the song by telling the song writers how to change/add parts to make a song awesome and sick. Sometimes the lyrics are already written, other times the lyrics will be written afterwards. When rehearsing the new song a lot of times the vocals find its place into the music till it's shaped to play it live. Or stay in the rehearsal room/record forever ;).

How would you describe the music scene in The Netherlands?
Personally I think it's very divided. You have the old school hardcore show, the mosh shows, the 'difficult' hardcore shows but it's never mixed together so that means you are stuck with the same type of bands on one night. That means you don't see the old school people at the mosh shows and vice versa. Personally I am a big fan of diverse line up although than you'll have the risk that a part of crowd stays outside when a certain band is playing.

Also in the Netherlands we are very spoiled with hardcore shows. Every day in the weekend we can choose to go to about eight to ten shows, that means sometimes a poor turnout for a venue. On the other hand all cool bands will tour the Netherlands so you get the chance to see a lot of cool bands.

Any plans on coming state side for a tour?
We wished we could come over because we get awesome reactions in the States. Nothing has been planned up till now but we are hungry to come over.

Favorite country to tour?
Personally for me Finland. Awesome people, beautiful country and lots of people that went nuts on our show.

Favorite show so far?
The prefest of the Ieper Festival in 2006 and this year Ieper. On both shows we got a lot of reactions. On the first show we headlined that night and the whole crowd went nuts and sang the songs with us. After the show we found out the there were people from Spain and Finland there, countries we had toured before we ever did a lot of shows in Belgium.

This year we played second on the Ieper Festival but although it was pretty early the reactions where great.

Describe Kill Human Demise music style?
In the beginning we were a true adept of the Ringworm/Integrity style but with our new songs (that have a different twist) we have created an own face by introducing other influences from hardcore and other styles. One important thing however is that it must sound sick.

How would you describe your sound to someone who hasn't ever heard you?
Sick, anger-spitting lyrics with heavy guitar parts and bone crushing drum parts make the band one heavy experience you must see live on stage. Human Demise brings you crushing, bile spitting hardcore with dark metallic twists. Their singer has got one hell of a throat; his downright spine-chilling screams fit the ominous atmosphere perfectly.

What bands would you name as influences for Human Demise?
Ringworm, Integrity, Earth Crisis, Strife, old Sworn Enemy, One Life Crew, Earthmover.

For my vocals black metal like Leviathan, Xasthur, Mayhem or Shining is also a huge influence.

Five CD's that got you into hardcore?
Maurice:
Strife - One Truth
Sick of it All - Live in a world full of hate
Merauder - Master Killer
Madball - Set it Off
Tech 9 - Scars from the Inside

What bands are you currently into now?
Hardcore: Living Hell, Palehorse, Iron Age, Meltdown, Shipwreck, Guns Up
Other: Xasthur, Neurosis, Isis, Torche etc

How often is Human Demise playing shows?
Roughly 60 shows a year, that means every weekend one show.

Is anyone in the band in any side projects?
No we don't have the time for that. Maurice and Willem only did two special shows as an All Out War coverband together with two ex-members and a bassplayer recently.

Tell us about the Heavy Hitters comp coming out, Lot of sick bands on
it (Hoods, Alcatraz, Lionheart, Taken Under, CDC etc)?
Jasper:

We are very glad we got the opportunity to contribute to the Heavy Hitters compilation. One day we got talking to Noodle from CFTF Records on myspace and were offered a slot on this compilation. We had just recorded some new stuff so this was something we had to do.

Not many bands had been confirmed round that time but it turned out to be a cool list of bands. We are looking forward to hear what the other bands have contributed. I am especially curious for the songs by Alcatraz and CDC. I love Alcatraz and I did a show for the guys in CDC, they are amazing people and a cool band.

We don't know all the bands on this compilation but we like the idea. This is a perfect way for people to check out new bands. Can't wait for it to come out.

Also check out our friends from Strength Above All, we've know these guys for quite some time now, people should get into it, its hard!!

Now is Human Demise on Envy Records and if so how is that going for you?
Carlos and Amaya (who are running the label) are awesome people who did a great job in Spain, France and US for us with releasing the Whitechapel Demise MCD. It's almost sold out now and they also helped us a lot by doing three times Spain and one time France.

Due to the distance it's hard for them to push the boundaries further for us in the rest of Europe so we are busy to find a label in our region to release our upcoming full length.

Is Human Demise a straight Edge band?
Hell no, we all like to drink lots of beers!

Any bands from your area you wanna tell us about?
Strength Above All: They only have demo out but check them out if you like Kickback. They are in the progress of writing new stuff at the moment.

Blade: A new band from Belgium spreading music in the vein of Integrity but with more mosh in it.

What is your definition of Hardcore?
Difficult to tell in a few words. Hardcore for us is the do it yourself spirit (how cool is it to travel around the world by putting on your stuff by your self and with help of others that share the same ideal) and to show you can make a difference in these days. Musicallywise for me personally I must hear the anger, frustration, energy and intensity in a band (on a record or live) to call it hardcore.

When the band isn't touring/playing shows what do you guys do on the off time?
Besides the band we all have full time jobs. In our spare time we like to visit shows, going to the pub or chilling with girlfriends or friends.

How can the readers get in contact with Human Demise?
Dropping a message on our myspace (www.myspace.com/humandemise) or sending an email to humandemise@gmail.com

Any last words?
We have twelve new songs ready and we are busy recording them right now. The album will come out in the first months of 2008. We are still searching for a record label. Also we are in search of a band that wanted to join us on a split 7 inch we already recorded a year ago.

Thanks for your interest in the band and we hope we will meet you in the future on a possible US trip.

Interview with Coty of My Life In Black and White

interview by Dan-o

How long has the band been together?
We have been a band for about 3 years.

Where are you guys from?
Portland, OR.....the Tigard area....

What is the current line up?
Coty(me) on drums
Dylan on acoustic and lead vocals
Ben on lead/rhythm guitar and back up vocals
Andrew on lead/rhythm guitar and back up vocals
Andy on bass and backup vocals

To someone who has never heard you guys, describe your sound....
If Flogging Molly, Dropkick Murphy’s, and Against Me were to have sex, we would be what they gave birth to...

Who are some of the bands main influences?
We all have pretty different influences so that would be really hard, so just to name a few... Against Me, The Pogues, Sepultura....... see it’s weird.

How did you guys come up with the name My Life In Black And White and what does it mean?
Dylan thought of the name one night in a cabin before I was in the band. I think the way he came up with it was him sitting outside at night and looking out at the lake and getting all "emo" about the look of the lake and said "my life in black and white", I know it was something cute like that.

Now that were at the tail end of 2007, how was it for you guys?
It was awesome, we went on a few tours, met a lot of really cool people, played with a lot of really cool bands and we put out a pretty good record called "Bottles, Our Breakdowns". it did pretty well.

I see that original bass player Andy Langridge is back in the line up. How did that come about?
We had a lot of mixed feelings about the other bass player that was playing with us when Andy was gone. Honestly, I just didn't get along with him. He had other ideas that we just didn't really agree with. We really think that a band should stay with the original members as log as you can. While Andy was away at school in Arizona we called each other a whole bunch and decided it would be the best idea, it is rad having him back in the line-up.

You guys have released 2 amazing albums on your own by means of DIY ethics, what are some of the hurdles and rewards by taking the DIY approach?
DIY is the way to do it if you have the time and money, which is really hard when you're in the studio and also trying to play shows at the same time. But you get to work more with each other and the engineer, you don't have to deal with more than one person and it’s more personal.

Are you guys currently seeking any label support?
Yeah, we have become friends with Side One Dummy, those guys are rad. They help us out with what they can for now, we will see what happens in the future. I'm not sure what they are thinking, but you never know. www.myspace.com/sideonedummy

What is the recording process like for you guys?
Its pretty simple, just like the DIY thing, we get to work close with each other and the engineer, so we get the recording done pretty swift and fast. We do the live recording and then use the guitar and bass for scratch tracks.

So what is this "Rock Fest", how did that come about, and how was it?
101KUFO is a local radio station here in Portland, Rock Fest is their annual summer concert. They have two stages, a main stage and a second stage, we played the second stage. One of the ladies that work for 101KUFO just asked us one day if we wanted to do it and we said yes. I think we played in front of 20,000 people or something like that, it was awesome.

Any endorsements or sponsorship?
We are working on that now, we are sponsored by a clothing company called antic, and he is a DIY type of guy so it’s pretty sweet. www.myspace.com/anticclothing


With elements of punk, country, hardcore, rock, and metal , it’s hard to categorize you guys in any one style of music. This melting pot of sounds must open the door for a wide range of different crowds for you guys weather it’s at home in the Portland area or on the road. Tell us about your crowd response and are out of town shows different for you guys than playing local shows in your home town?
The crowds are definitely diverse. Here in Portland we get a lot more drinkers that come to our shows, I think just to get us drunk, just kidding, we have a pretty big crowd in Portland. When on the road, we get way more different people at our shows. At one show there was a whole crowd of kids hardcore dancing, it was weird.

How is the local scene of Portland, OR?
Its weird now, sometimes it seems like all the kids care about are there clothes and how much more hardcore one person is than the other, but its pretty good when you can get so many different people at our shows. The way it always has been in Portland, you know how it is.

Do you prefer to play bars or all age venues?
We like both, but our style is really hard to book at all ages shows because there are not as many all ages places here in Portland and we tend to bring the drinking vibe to our shows.

What is the worst thing that has ever happened to you on stage?
Probably cutting my hand open on a broken beer bottle and playing through the night. Then, taking a drink of a beer while playing and cutting my lip open on the ring of the bottle. Somebody earlier that night did that thing when they hit the top of your beer. These both happened with different beer bottles, same night, same show, same stage....I was bleeding all over the place.

Are any members in any other bands?
Me, Dylan and Ben started a joke band called Aborted Fetus. It’s just for fun.

Lets find out a little more about you.....how long have you been playing the drums?
20 years.....

How did you get started?
My dad played drums when I was like 5 and then he started singing and my uncle played drums and I loved it so I built my first drum set out of coffee cans.

Have you played in other bands besides My Life In Black And White?
I've played in:
Scouts Honor
truckdriversuicide
When You Die
A Taste For Murder

Any advice for people who are just starting out on the drums?
Don't ever give up, if you can’t figure something out don't just say screw it, keep trying, it will come.

So where would the band like to be in a 5 years?
Touring, doing everything band related and being able to afford taking my wife Irene and my son Cyrus with me.

Are there any bands we should know about?
Two Cow Garage, Emmure, Samsara, Lucero, SID AND FANCY

Since 2008 eight is just around the corner, what can we expect from you guys?
RECORD, RECORD, RECORD, tour,tour,tour!!!

What is the best way to contact you guys?
www.myspace.com/mylifeinblackandwhite
www.mylifeinblackandwhite.com

Interview with Panda and all of Dejected

Interview by Sean WWTO

How long has the band been together
We’re together since the end of 2002.

How did the band come to be known as Dejected and who thought up the name as well?
It comes from some WASTE lyrics "dejected/injected" which actually was L’indien's band.

Are any of the members in side projects other than Dejected?
There are a lot of other projects.Actually DEJECTED is a side project with members from RUN OF LAVA,RISING PURGE and STUPIDITY’S NEW LEVEL.

Is this the original lineup and if not what is the current lineup?
Panda and L’Indien – vocals
Gritche – guitar
M1ro – bass
Rooky – drums

Is there a large and thriving scene in the Besançon area as well as throughout France?
There’s a huge, certainly one of the most prolific scene here.It goes from classic rock n’ roll to death and grind bands and the whole « metal/hardcore family » is represented

In only one sentence describe your bands sound to someone who has never heard you before?
CRAZY HARDCORE PUNK

When the band is on tour in the van what is usually playing in the cd player?
We all have have very different influences, it can be 60’s-70’s rock, hip-hop, old death metal, funk, NYHC and many more .

What base your lyrics on when writing new material?
Flushing the toilet, getting drunk and some environmental and social consciousness

You first exposed to the scene and what made you say i want to be in an band?
We are all listening to metal and hardcore for more than 15 years, we all had other band experiences before and when we all met in Besançon we decided to create something which would mix all our personal tastes and be full of energy.

When tour and driving from city to city and country to country what is some of the weirdest shit you have seen happen or pass by ?
That was when we broke the accelerator after just 20 km…

Who are some of the bands main musical influences?
SUICIDAL TENDENCIES, BAL SAGOTH (i just can’t understand Gritche hé hé ), MOTLEY CRUE, FAITH NO MORE, SKARHEAD …

How many cds eps 7 inches split cds and demos has the band currently released?
We have our first full lenght "SHEER BULLSHIT INCORPORATED" and we appear on some compilations such as "ON CASSES LE SON VOL2" and "TIME BOMB" on PUNK-REBEL RECORDS, a malaysian comp from CHAOS RECORDS and soon more to come !!!

Who are some of the up and coming bands from the Besançon area as well throughout France that we should be on the lookout for?
I have to say : BLOCKHEADS , RUN OF LAVA, WRENSH, THE RONNIE ROCKETS, KOMPOST, LEAD ORPHANS, GANG CHAIN .

The term hardcore has become so overused that any band putting a breakdown into a song is considered hardcore but explain to the readers what hardcore means to you?
It’s mainly the energy and a positive state of mind more than just the music .But bands like AGNOSTIC FRONT or MADBALL are the sound of pure hardcore music.

Where do you see this band in 3 years from now?
We will release some new shit and hopefully play as many shows as possible.

Does the band have any plans for a possible USA tour in either 2008 or 2009 ?
We would love that but for now it’s more a dream than close reality.If someone is interested in helping us for a US tour we could really work on it.

How can the readers from around the world contact you about ordering merchandise?
We are currently working on new t-shirts. You can find all the news and info either on www.dejected.fr or www.myspace.com/dejectedmusic

What is your most memorable show and why?
It was last winter when we played in Macon.There was a huge perfect scene and the people were just crazy without even knowing us ! That was great , but as I’ve said before we’re here for the energy so it’s always somehow crazy.

What is your favorite city and country to play shows in and also your least favorite and why?
Good sound and some free beers is all we ask for,the rest is just bonus.

What advice can you give to some of the newer bands starting out that maybe having a tough time and thinking about giving up?
We are not an old band that can give good advices but always do it for the pleasure.

Who are some of the bands that you enjoy touring with?
WRENSH , KOMPOST, GANG CHAIN, 25 TA LIFE, THE HOLY MOUNTAIN , THE LEGACY and THE CRANKCOUNTY DAREDEVILS .That’s good music and very cool people.

Where else other than myspace can the readers go to find out about upcoming shows and other band related information?
www.dejected.fr

Where do you think you would be right now had you not been exposed to the hxc metal scene?
Depressed, maybe not alive because it’s a daily mental help.

What is the most embarrassing thing that has happened to the band when playing a set?
When Rooky our drummer broke the whole drumkit after 3 songs and we were playing first.

If the band could have anyone do guest vocals on the next cd with you who would it be and why? Any of our friends who’d like to.For the first one we were 11 in the same room to record the backing vocals, hopefully we’ll be more for the next one.

What is the worst injury that any of the band has had happen when playing show?
We must be lucky because we never really have to face those kind of problems.It’s not the same concerning the material...hehe

For someone who has never seen Dejected live what can they expect to see especially if attending a show in France?
Pure energy always and eventually our guitarist dressed like a viking warrior or santa claus(only on x-mas time !)

Do you have any upcoming shows that you would like to tell the readers about?
We’re currently planning new shows.And right now as we are doing this interview, we’re in Dijon a squat called "Les Tanneries" waiting to play in a few hours.

Is there anything else that you would like to add that i may have forgotten to ask that the readers should know about?
First of all we want to thank you Sean for giving us the chance to tell a little more about DEJECTED .Right now our Canadian label PUNK-REBEL RECORDS is dead so we’re looking for a new label who may be interested in releasing our next cd…

Once again many thanks to WORLDWIDE TAKEOVER ZINE and to anyone reading this interview.

KEEP UP THE GOOD ENERGY !!!

TRC - Destroy And Rebuild review

Reviewed by: Rob (Davio)


TRC - Destroy And Rebuild (RUCK030)
Rucktion Records

1. Guess Who's Back???
2. Home Is Where The Art Is...
3. Beefeater
4. Destroy And Rebuild
5. Dark Days
6. Backlash
7. Sad. Fat. Desperate.
8. Vip (bouncer)
9. ...define Cocky...
10. Homegrown 2007

TRC is:
Anthony Carroll- Vocals
Andrew Christos - Vocals
Azim Nobeebaccus - Vocals
Chris Robson - Vocals
Jamie West - Guitar
Charlie Wilson - Guitar
Thomas Preston - Bass
Dave Regan - Drums

8 piece hardcore act from the London area UK goes in new direction with the relase of their first full length. One of the top releases I've heard in the second half of 2007. Ten tracks of fast, angry, heavy hardcore. Also wit a rap son mixed in. This cd delivers punishing guitar riffs along with brutal drum beats and 4 vocalists which i think this band really pulls off well.
Things will be looking up for this band in 2008.

www.myspace.com/trchardcore
www.myspace.com/rucktion

Interview with Jamie Romance of Passenger

Who is in the band and what is there position?
Joe Flowers - Lead Guitar
Ben C - Rhythm Guitar and backup vocals
Kyle Shock - Drums
D Ray - Bass Player and the guy with the tattoos
Jamie Romance – vocals

How long has Passenger been around?
We got together in April of 2007 as a result of two bands that broke up at the same time. Passenger just started out as a jam session just to find out if there was any chemistry between us. We werent sure we wanted to be a band yet but we wrote two songs our first session together and by the end of the month we had eight songs so we decided to form Passenger and start playing shows.

What is the meaning behind Passenger?
During that first month of writing sessions it felt like we had no control of what music we were making it just flowed out of all of us. It was like magic how all the songs came together so quickly and it seemed like a good representation of the process was naming our band Passenger, because we are all just along for the ride.

Describe your style/sound?
The five-headed bastard child of Breaking Benjamin, Killswitch Engage, and Tool

For a band that hasn’t been around long your fan base in your area has grown quickly, As a new band of course that is a great thing. What advice would you give other bands?
1. Practice! Practice! Practice! - Build chemistry with each other and get your songs tight. There's nothing worse than forgeting your own songs on stage.
2. Don't be afraid to experiment with new sounds and challenge yourself musically.
3. Bands are hard to maintain so set goals for your band and have everyone participate in reaching those goals. Don't be the guy or girl who just shows up to practice like its a part-time job.
4. Don't be afraid to speak your mind to your other bandmates. If you are serious about being a band you might want to get to know the guys around you because you could end spending a lot of time together.
4. Don't take everything so seriously, keep everything in perspective, and try to have fun with what you do.

So what was it that made you go Hey I wanna be in a band?
Music videos. How can you watch Motley Crue's "Girls, Girls, Girls" video and not want that? Women, partying, motorcycles, being a crazy badass. Or it could've been the first time I heard Guns n' Roses. Most the rock videos in the late 80's all the bands looked like they had so much fun with what they were doing so I picked up a guitar and started learning how to play.
The feeling of writing a song is incredible when you seemingly create something out of nothing and its is really satisfying when people hear your songs and it affects them somehow. I think the best part about music is when you hear a song for the first time and it sends a shiver up your spine and it captivates you. You become addicted to listening to it over and over. Those are the best types of songs no matter what genre it is.

What influences your lyrics?
Most of my lyrics are influenced by my life experiences. Situations, my friends, heartbreak, hope, the future. I try not to get too specific when writing about my personal life so when I write a song I try to keep my viewpoint open on how it will be heard by an audience while still getting my point across. By doing that I think it is easier for people to relate to the song. As a songwriter is feels good when someone comes up to you and says that your song is stuck in their head.
I like lyrics that capture the feeling of the music like Maynard does in Tool and A Perfect Circle or Mike Patton's work in Faith No More. When those guys sing the words they do you feel it in your soul. Those are the types of songwriters I look up to.

5 bands/CD’s that influenced you?
Rage Against the Machine - any album
Tool - Aenima - that album is their masterpiece
Foo Fighters - The Colour and the Shape
Killswitch Engage - Alive or Just Breathing, The End of Heartache
Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon, The Wall, Animals, Meddle

You just recently finished your current demo in Oct. Who and where did your record at?
We recorded at NME Studios in Nashville, TN. It was an experience.

Any plans on shopping it around to labels?
We just wanted to record a demo to sell to fans and give to venues to play more shows. We probably wont shop the demo until we get it mastered. We are recording 3 new songs in December with Eric Reason Productions and we will shop those songs to some labels at the beginning of the year.

Noticed you had just played with Adema, How was that show?
That was the best show we've played so far. It was the biggest crowd any of us have played in front of. The show that night was amazing and it is so much more fun to play for a big, interactive crowd. We had a blast!

We interviewed some other bands from Tennessee and there are a lot of good bands coming up right now there. You got Gorilla Warfare, Hollywood, Taken Under just to name a few. How do you feel about the scene and bands in Tennessee?
I think there are a lot of great bands in TN and the support of local bands is growing all the time. All the local bands have to stick together and keep supporting each other playing shows and networking. Im sure there are dozens of other bands in the area I have yet to discover. As long as all these bands can keep growing and progressing im sure some of the bands in the area will be ready to break wide open.

What’s in the future for Passenger?
We are going to keep working hard, write more music, play more shows, and see how far this ride can take us. We are in the process of working with a management group who will help us in booking shows the south and eastern part of the US. So we hope to tour sometime this summer.

Your able to go on a world tour what bands would you bring?
A few of the TN bands I would like to bring out are
Joan Red - Memphis , TN
Deadsun - Nashville, TN
Seven Cycle Theory - Nashville, TN
The Jersey Sky - Nashville, TN
I think all these bands sound great so i would tour with these guys.

What would be your dream tour (current or past)?
Going on tour with the Foo Fighters would probably be ultimate dream just because Dave Grohl KICKS ASS! There's probably so much we could all learn from that band if we got to hang with them on tour.
Other bands I wouldn't mind a dream tour with are Nine Inch Nails, Pantera, Killswitch Engage, Alice in Chains, and Black Sabbath

What bands are you currently into now?
Right now i am really into Parkway Drive and Every Time I Die. Those bands really impress the hell out of me with their music. Keith Buckley is awesome and unique writer/singer for ETID and Parkway Drive's new album Horizons is just killer.

Any of those bands have any influence on your writing?
Not really in the way I write but Im very much influenced by their vocal patterns and how they present the lyrics with the music. Our music is influenced by all sorts of things and any particular group of bands but if we hear something we really like we might try to put our spin on it.

Anyone in any side projects?
As of right now, no. Passenger is all we are focusing on and until we reach a certain point its good to have the band looking at the ultimate goal.

How can readers get a hold of Passenger merch?
Just come to one of our shows!
But if you cant do that im sure we can work something out.
Our band website will be up soon and you can always send us a message on myspace page. www.myspace.com/psngr

Any bands in that area you’d like to plug?
Taken Under, Erebus, Seven Cycle Theory, and Gorilla Warfare.
These bands are friends of ours and everyone should check them out.

Best way to contact the band?
www.myspace.com/psngr
Send us a message we will be happy to respond.

Any last words?
We are really hoping 2008 will be a big year for Passenger so keep in touch, keep listening, and we hope to keep expanding our horizons.
Support local music, go to shows, checkout your local bands!
Thanks!