howsyouredge.com

Toby Morse – H2O, Hazen St, SEOG, NYHC, Youth Crew …

Toby H2O, Toby Hazen St, Toby1, Toby SEOG ... He goes by many names, but his message is universally themed: true till death, don't forget your roots, drug free youth, young til I die, ... Cliche phrases to some, but for Toby, hardcore is a way of life. Check this interview for a snapshot into Toby's life. Pics borrowed from MySpace and NikeTalk.

HYE? - Yo Toby, how's your edge?

Toby1 - My edge is great! 36 yrs going strong!

HYE? - Let's start with the basics. How did it all begin for you? How were you introduced to punk and hardcore? Similarly, how were you introduced to straight edge?

Toby1 - My older brothers would take me to shows when I was 12 (1982), my mom was always working trying raise 3 boys alone. So my bros would take me out to shows in providence, ri (prolatarit, idle rich, vicious circle, descendents, impact unit, the FUs etc) were some of my 1st shows. I heard of minor threat when they came out, and I had never tried anything as far as drugs, alcohol etc before them anyway, I just sk8ed everyday and read thrasher mag. But when I heard this amazing hxc band and the fact that they didn't party like me, I was like holy shit! I'm not the only person who doesn't want to drink and fit in.

HYE? - It's obvious that Straight Edge is important to you. Can you picture where you would be today if you had never considered a drug free lifestyle?

Toby1 - I have an ocd personality. So my friends always say if I drank I'd be a alcoholic! I'd be fucked up for sure!

HYE? - You started a company in 2006 called Straight Edge OG. For those who don't know, break it down for them, and tell us the current status of the brand. Check this pic someone posted up on the WDYWT thread on NikeTalk.

Toby1 - SXEOG (means sxe original guy or old guys hahah) Basically besides porcell, civ, steve ready, sweet pete and a couple other old youth crew cats, NO one is sxe anymore. We are the OGs from the Youth Crew 80s days! And its just fun mock designs some original too.

HYE? - A lot of older dudes in the scene are bummed on streetwear's emergence in a lot of the current hardcore merch. Most long for simple schism styled shirts. You however have gone the opposite direction and have embraced the street wear scene. Can you describe your feelings on the merging styles and how you came to be hooked up with The Hundreds?

Toby1 - Man, people starting their own clothing companies is like people starting their own record labels and fanzines back in the day, it's the way people are expressing themselves and being DIY (believe it or not) most of these small comp are starting with a couple people that have passion, vision, artistic skills and some good connections. Its dope! I back it 100% anything to go against the 9 to 5 life! That's hardcore to me.

HYE? - What's the current status of Hazen St and how did it come about? How did you get all those hardcore dudes to sign onto such a project, and what was the intent of the band (blow up, chill with Kurt Loeder or was it just playing music)?

Toby1 - Me and chad just were talking about writing some songs together and I asked him to think of some people that he'd love to have play with us (like a wish list) and he did and I did and we made some calls, some demos and everyone was down. Just for fun, nothing more. Everyone started flying out to l.a and wed fly to ny and we started writing and rehearsing etc. Made a demo that got into the hands for GC twins and the rest is history (I guess) making that record with everyone was one of the best times and experiences of my whole music career. I love and I'm very proud of that record and everyone in HS, everyone worked hard on it. We did some crazy tours GC, Warped, SOTY, Japan (NFG & Yellowcard) and P.O.D. Real fun diverse crowds.

Current status is that we played 2 shows in 2006 and they were fun. Hopefully we'll record something new in 2007.

HYE? - As H2O blew up on an international level and Hazen St went big time, do you think you ever lost focus on Little Johnny Straight Edge and 14 year old Sue Hardcore? Did becoming a huge sensation cause a disconnect between you and "the scene?"

Toby1 - When h20 started touring 200 shows a year and never being home, I think we had our own scene whatever town we were in that night. We always repped nyc where we went and when we played at home we our h20 scene. You gotta remember h20 started in nyc, but none of us were born there, like a lot of the nyhc bands actually.

But we always went to shows when we were home supported younger band and still to this day, I have every piece of fan mail I have ever gotten and I have responded to every person. We were and still are about the kids (not fans) and that to me was more important than the scene (which came and went every summer)

HYE? - Here's a deep one. On the first H2O lp, there is a skit about how hardcore is more than music, "it's a way of life." I'll agree to a certain extent. Punk is definitely a lifestyle, but in my opinion, hardcore has always been "an experience." Go to a show, listen to a record in your bedroom, hang out with friends and discuss hardcore ... Hardcore to me is experience first, music second. The music takes a back seat to the feeling of stage diving or just screaming along at the top of your lungs while you bedroom mosh. Would you say you agree with that?

Toby1 - I agree, but being in a band for 11 yrs is different then going to the shows and getting that experience until the next show. We lived & breathed it every night in japan, europe, south america, usa, canada etc playing 20 shows in a row and having h20 become our life, missing peoples weddings, funerals and peoples relationships ending cos of a tour, its was our lives and still is now. We never went to college. I started going on the road with bands in 89, GB, SOIA, Killing Time.

Fuck yeah, the smell of a sunday matinee, diving, singing, creepy crawling made us feel more alive and when I saw GB last summer, I felt like I was 17 yrs old. You can't get that feeling from anything else. For me that's the closest I've prob come to feeling high! I always say hxc ruined my life joking with my boys, but in reality I met my wife at a hxc show, I traveled the world, people have h20 tats worldwide, a kids parent put my lyrics on there sons grave stone (that's fucking nuts) I get the most sad and inspiring emails and messages everyday from kids. Since h20 started there hasn't been one day that hxc hasn't been a part of me and my life.

HYE? - Time to back off the serious tip. Here's a few of "which would you rather" questions. If you feel strongly about your answer, go ahead and elaborate.

Which would you rather?

a) Get a Boston red sox tattoo on your neck that will ensure the Yankees win the next 10 years of World Series?
b) Get no tattoo and ensure the yankees lose the next 10 years, while the Sox win them all?

Toby1 - B. Hoya would kill me!

a) Mosh with Michael Rappaport at a Slipknot (not Rev) show?
b) Hook up my unemployed actor friends with Michael Rappaport's contact info with the phrase, "Tell him Toby sent you?"

Toby1 - A. We'd wear masks for sure

a) Play to a packed venue in Spain?
b) Play to a half packed venue in NYC?

Toby1 - A. I love spain (not as much as NY of course)

a) Have a SEOG shirt spotted in a very infrequently played Heroes (NBC) commercial?
b) Have a SEOG shirt spotted on Nicole Ritchie as covered by every blog and trashy newsstand journal?

Toby1 - B. Except we don't make infant size in our t shirts

HYE? - 2006 seemed like the year of year for reunions. What is your take on old bands reuniting? What were you feeling when the Gorilla Biscuits took the stage at CBs?

Toby1 - GB never toured on Start Today, so it was about time even if it was 20 years later (you know I sang back ups on the whole record). I lived in the GB house in jackson heights, queens in 88 (best times). I got goose bumps when the horns started! Felt like I was 17 again. They were incredible man, best reunion ever!

HYE? - There is a very short list of people who have been "straight edge" for 20+ years. How come so few people actually hit that milestone? I'm sure you are the opposite of "Hardline" but what's your take on edge breaking?

Toby1 - I always have said the ones that preached and pointed their fingers and judged others and were so militant fell the hardest! They usually go from the most sxe to the most heroin addicts! Pretty sad. I'm drug free for me! Never gave a fuck what people thought. I grew up with people who drank, smoked weed & did coke and I still do. To each his own!

HYE? - Any final thoughts or parting shots?

Toby1 - Check out myspace.com/straightedgeog.

HYE? - [Editor's note: This last comment wasn't part of the interview, but it's amusing so I'll include it.] ps. Thanks for kicking me off of the loft spot at CBs during the last GB reunion show. hahah. That would have been a prime spot to see HR do his thing. And of course, GB.

Toby1 - Sorry man, civ only wanted friends and fam on the stage. Hope you got a good spot off stage.

Or you were diving all night!

Aram Arslanian – Champion, Betrayed, Edgeman, Swatch Guard Wearer …

What can be said about Aram that hasn't already been said? Plenty, I'm sure, but none of it would be true. This dude is just down. Down for the core, down for the edge. What else could you ask for? All right, here's a story.

Back in 1999, Aram was playing with a band called Face Tomorrow. Now, I recall at the time, that was a little controversial because one of my good friends, Joey C, had a zine called Face Tomorrow. Regardless, I saw these guys play one hot night at the Palladium in Worcester. After the show, they needed some place to crash out for the night. I lived 5 blocks from the Palladium so offered up my apartment.

Leaving the club that night, Aram tells me, "Ok, we don't have any headlights, but since you live so close, it won't be a problem." We stuff way too many people into a van with way too few seatbelts and head off. Literally a block from the palladium, I see a cop aiming right for us. I tell the band to take a turn in hopes of avoiding them a ticket. Doesn't work, the cop goes right for us. Flashing lights, the whole works. And still, only a block from the Palladium. I'm sure kids were thinking, "jesus, those canadians are a rowdy bunch ..."

The cop checks out the van, sees the people sitting on the floor, and hears the sob story about their headlight situation. I tell him they are going to my house which is right up the road. He thinks it all over, and then does the unthinkable. He offers us a police escort back to my house. Off we go, like foreign diplomats of high importance.

They crash out at my house, kick back and watch movies (Aram will later claim that they found mad sketchy porn at my house, but he is confused. No such sketchy porn existed). I tell them I have to break out early the next day, and to just lock the door on their way out. Seems real hardcore of me to invite complete strangers into my home with valuable records, stereo shit, a million shirts, computers, ... But that's what you have to do for a touring band.

I break out the next day and when I get home, I'm convinced they had stolen one of my super rare Swarm shirts. I was furious, I was heated, I was pissed. I was thinking, "Canadians love canadian bands. Of course, they are going to steal my rare canadian merch. Those assholes." For months, I stewed over Aram and his band. Waiting for retribution.

When I moved out of the apartment at the end of the summer, I found the shirt wedged into a trunk that it didn't belong in. No idea how it got there, but I suddenly became ashamed of my malice towards Aram and Face Tomorrow. Fear not, I immediately discarded the voodoo dolls, and called off all curses.

Yeah, that's Aram to me. One of the best dudes around.

1. Dude, how's your edge?

- My edge is hard and sharp. I just turned 32 been sXe for over 10 years and I've never felt better about The Straight Edge

2. How about a little background? How'd it all begin for you: metal, skating, ...?

- I grew up in Calgary Alberta which is right above Montana; its pretty isolated so growing up there wasn't a ton of bands coming through and not a lot of great record shops so you really hard to work for it if you wanted to learn about bands. I was a skater and read Thrasher religiously so I'd always check out the bands they'd interview or review and whenever they put out one of their Skaterock tapes I'd make sure to get it and that's where it really started; it was through the whole skate scene that I started to listen to bands like Minor Threat, COC, DRI, SNFU, The Accused, and then later start to discover bands like Uniform Choice, 7 Seconds and YOT. I did a lot of tape trading back then and was always looking out for new bands and trying to spread the word about bands I was into. Back then it seemed like every week I was discovering another great band.... that was a great time of my life. One crucial band for me was a local called Beyond Possession, they had a self-released EP called "Tell Tale Heart" and a full length on Metal Blade called, ".... Is Beyond Possession" all of which is now on one CD called, "Repossessed"... this one of the first bands that really made an impact on my life.

3. What about the edge? When and where did you decide that it was the right way for you?

- Well back home there wasn't a Straight Edge scene, at points there was a really huge thrash scene, but nothing that had anything to do with sober living. All we did was skate, listen to music, get into fights with head bangers of jocks, and get wasted all of which was great at the time until we started to get a bit older. In our late teens/ early 20's it all took a turn for the worse and we started spending a lot less time on skating and music and a lot more on drugs and alcohol until we wouldn't do any activity unless some kind of substance was involved. At that point things started to really spin out of control in my life, I had a lot of anger about my family and my childhood, a lifestyle that revolved around getting wasted, a dead end job, and a shitty relationship and I didn't feel that there was anyway out so I started to drink really heavily just to be able to deal with my life.

I was still really involved in HC during this period but because the local scene had died down so I had to travel pretty far to get to see bands so I did a lot of flying out to Vancouver and road trips down to Seattle. In those trips I got to know a lot of people who were involved in Straight Edge and they gave me a whole new perspective on the lifestyle; up until that point the very few people I'd interacted with who were Straight Edge were pretty in your face about it, but dudes like Greg Bennick and Dave Larson were just down to earth guys that believed in the ideals and were down to talk about it without being judgmental. The time I spent with those guys was pretty pivotal in my life because for the first time I realized I had a CHOICE... I didn't have to be this person, I didn't have to use a bottle to deal with my life, and I didn't have to live a life that I hated. I know it sounds weird to say that I didn't realize that I had a choice, but growing up in Calgary drinking and drugs... that's just what you do, so to NOT do it was something that was almost alien to me. I gave it a lot of thought and after a few more months of really struggling to get a grip of my drinking I just decided to give it up entirely. It was the hardest thing I've ever done, but it was the thing that allowed me to actually take control of my life and live it to the fullest.

4. Are you Canadian or just a Northwestern US man? What's up with Canada anyway? Speaking of Canada, what current Canadian core should I be spinning?

- I'm indeed Canadian and what's "Up" with Canada is that we're literally "up" above the US and holding it down for the core. There are some great bands in Canada right now like:

Final Word (or if you're like me and enjoy swearing then Final Fuckin' Word) from Montreal are awesome, have a NYHC vibe to them, and provide a good mosh... they have a killer EP on Indecision Records so check it out

Risky Business, a Lockin Out style band from the Halifax and have a record on Rock Vegas Records that's great

Go It Alone, fast HC in the vein of Count Me Out and Battery... some of the best dudes around and have an LP and an EP out on Rivalry Records that people should check out.

Get the Most, this Vancouver unit my new Canadian favorite and they provide some crucial Youth Crew core in the vein of Insted and have a great new EP coming out on Crucial Response Records

In Stride, Vancouver band that rocks a mix between early American Nightmare and Right Brigade. They have a brand new record coming out on Bottled Up Records which is Jeff from Start Today Fanzine so you need to order it!

Comeback Kid, love them or hate them, but you can't deny that this Winnipeg band has left an impact in the core that time will not erase. Great guys, great band

Fucked Up, I've never heard a Fucked Up record but everyone loves this Toronto band, they're on one of my favorite labels (Jade Tree), and have been at it for a quite a few years

Keep It Up, another Ontario band that rules, fast HC with great breakdowns... I know that's the worst description ever but this band is GREAT

About to Snap, new EP out on Specimen 32 Records.... Negative Approach style hardcore with great lyrics.

Recently we saw the end of Vancouver's Blue Monday who was one of the great bands of our time and I'll miss the hell out of them but you know that great new bands will rise up from the break up and that Canada will rep the core to the fullest.

5. I read the Champion 1998-2006 article in At Both Ends. That turned out real well. Were you all psyched on it? Also, should I know the dude who writes that zine? He keeps going on tours with Bane, but I have no idea who he is (and after all, I am Mr. Bane*)

* Trademark Dylan Press

- Yo, Mr. Bane you're slipping.... The 411 is that ABE is done by Steve Fallas, an all around solid dude and current tour manager for BANE... get your shit together man! Yeah I was psyched on that article, I really felt that Champion ended on the best terms and I'm super happy that our friends cared enough to be involved in that article... its definitely a time we'll remember

6. Have you seen Tre's beard lately? What the hell is up with that?

- Tre is gross

7. What's up with the sudden end of Betrayed?

- Todd and I have been friends for a long time and the band was just an extension of that. It got to a point where we wanted to do different things and it was just better to end the band rather than let it cause stress between us. I'm happy with what we did and I think we made a difference.

8. What do you think about the merger of the WB and UPN into the CW? Do you think they'll really bring back 7th Heaven?? Let's pray they don't.

- I back that... in fact lets get together with Sweet Pete and Pike and have a prayer circle

9. Are people ever intimidated by your baldness? What band were you playing in when you last had an unshaved head?

- My head causes a glare when I'm sweating and there are lights on the stage so maybe people taking photos are bummed out, but no one in the crowd has recoiled in horror yet. For about a year I was in denial that I was going bald so although my head had been shaved since I was 17 I decided to grow it out... this was about 4 years ago when I was playing in Champion and there are definitely some shots that reveal a) how fucking stupid I look with hair and b) how fucking stupid I look with shaggy dyed black hair with a bald spot in the back. True story.

10. Champion was a hard working, ever touring band. Of all the places you have seen, what was your favorite? Likewise, what place left a sour taste in your mouth?

- Japan was definitely my favorite with Korea being a very close 2nd. As for least fav... sorry Denmark but I won't be rushing back into your cold awkward embrace any time soon.

11. Along those lines, how did you manage to keep Champion together for 7 long years and maintain a position at the top of the pile? It couldn't have been easy as a full time touring, straight edge hardcore band. What were the high points? What were the low points?

- The thing about Champion is that we really believed in our band and our message so there was never a time when we wanted to do things half-assed. Putting out a record meant touring hard, and touring hard meant giving it 100% every night... there was no middle ground and I think that intensity and conviction is what made us be able to carry on for so long because we were always striving to take it further. High point would be going to Korea because I felt like we were actually really making an impact in those kid's lives. Low point.... Getting "milked" by the Prebosk... you'll have to get Steve TFS to fill you in on that one

12. One time I went to California and hung out with Todd Jones. Every restaurant he took us to was a chain restaurant (California Pizza Kitchen, Baja Fresh, Baskin Robbins,...). I'm curious, have you ever eaten a meal with Todd that didn't involve a chain restaurant?

- No I never have, TJ actually has an inked agreement with the multinationals that own chain restaurants so he legally can't eat anywhere else. Again, true story.

13. Speaking of Todd Jones, how is he to work with him as an "artist?" Yeah, that comes of sounding super douchey. How about this instead? What's a funny Todd Jones story? How did you meet this fine fellow?

- Todd and I met in 1999 in CA when my band Face Tomorrow was on tour. Carry On had just recorded "Roll with the Punches" and my mind was instantly blown; those guys didn't try to fit in with anything that was happening on the West Coast at the time and were arrogant as hell.... So I instantly decided that they were my favorite band and throughout the years became really tight with him and Corey. We'd been kicking around the idea of doing a band forever and it finally came together in the form of Betrayed; working with Todd musically can be the most amazing thing of all time because he has vision. He understands how to make a song work from front to back. Working Todd can also be non-amazing if your ideas of how a song should work conflict with his ideas... either way it's an interesting ride.

A funny Todd Jones story is when we were recording Substance in January in MA. It was freezing cold and for some reason all he brought out from CA was a hoodie. It was cold as hell but he didn't want to buy a coat so he borrowed a ¾ length tan leather trench coat from Kurt Ballou and had to wear it where ever he when for the next two weeks.... He looked like an arctic pimp.

14. How much do you love Starbuck's? Any funny, possibly foreign Starbuck's stories? What are your thoughts on Dunkin Donuts? Is it too blue collar for you?

- Starbuck's is so fucking good, but I'm trying to stop supporting them.... As a result Dunkin' Donuts has moved up in the ranks for my coffee fix. A non-funny Starbucks story is how gross soy milk is anywhere except North America and how it ruined my Starbuck's experience all over the world... screw you non-North American soy milk, get lost with your non-deliciousness and non-frothiness

15. You know who loves Dunkin Donuts? Matt Pike. That guy was the tour manager for Champion for many years. How did that all get set up? How'd you meet him? Do you have any funny Matt Pike stories?

- Matt loves to yell and has given me headaches but I still love him. We met through AIM when he first asked Champion to do some shows with Bane, and then we became "internet buddies" before we became friends in real life. Pike was actually our booking agent [Editor's note: fuck, that's right. I always get Pike's job confused. I can never keep it straight. Sorry, dawg.] although SKOH did do some tours with Champion. That came together because he loves the Edge and supported Champion and his effort was one of the most important things for our band. It was through him that we were able to get on bigger tours like SOIA and Agnostic Front.

16. People break edge all the time. What are your thoughts on the outspoken edgeman to blatant drunker transformation? How do you feel about edge breaking in general?

- People do what they're going to do. I'd rather be someone that makes people feel good about who and what they are rather than bad about what they're not or who they used to be. As for the actual act of the edge break.... Meh, I just don't see what's attractive about that lifestyle so generally just feel bad to see people enter that world, but such is life

17. What are your plans now that Betrayed is ending?

Work at a job I love, buy a shitload of record, hang out, drink coffee, and get married next year. Just live life and enjoy The Straight Edge

18. One time I guilted Greg Bacon into letting me eat dinner at the table he was sharing with Steb add Aaron TFS. They had an open seat, and I was by myself. Do you think this was a faux pas on my part? How's Greg doing anyway?

No that was a great thing to do, Greg needs to be taught some manners. He's as rude as a German. He's pretty good I think, he just had a birthday and got showered with myspace comments so who wouldn't be stoked?

19. Time for the top 5s.

a) LPs
- Minor Threat, Out of Step
- Cro Mags, Age of Quarrel
- Judge, Bringin' it Down
- Gorilla Biscuits, Start Today
- Youth of Today, Break Down the Walls

b) EPs
- Minor Threat, s/t
- Minor Threat, In My Eyes
- Youth of Today, s/t
- Chain of Strength, True Till Death
- Chain of Strength, What Holds Us Apart

c) Current bands
- Have Heart
- Common Cause
- No Turning Back
- Internal Affairs
- Ceremony

d) Crucial t-shirts
- Chain of Strength, navy blue TTD shirt
- Judge, original white hammers shirt
- Floorpunch, Raw Deal rip off
- Agnostic Front, boots shirt
- Cro Mags, Best Wishes shirt

e) moz or ray cappo

Moz for sure

20. Tomorrow Sweet Pete and I are going to grab some Jordan VIIs. Well, Sweet Pete is. I can't hang with Mist/yellow Jordan VIIs. But Sweet Pete is a better man than me when it comes to things like Jordans. How do you feel about Sweet Pete?

- I love Sweet Pete, if he lived in Canada we'd be best friends and talk about Straight Edge all day long. He's a vegan you know... that's tight. He is one of the true pillars of the Straight Edge community but he has some backwards ideas about Swatch guards.

21. You just joined The First Step a few months ago and you seem to like being in a lot of bands at once so what other current bands would you like to join?

- Have Heart or No Turning Back. I plan on joining about 10 more bands this year.

22. The cover art for the Betrayed LP sure has a lot of x-rated swatches pictured. What's your opinion on the 1987 X-Rated Swatch? How do you feel when you see edge breakers selling them for tons of loot on ebay? Also, don't you think there should be a pact among edge dudes? If you break the edge, you are forced to give your swatch to an up and coming edgeman. I think that should be instated as hardcore law.

- The X Rated Swatch is one of the greatest things that I own... my lovely girlfriend got me one for Christmas and I wear it every day. As for the rest of your question..... THE INSTITUTE FOR X-SWATCH RECOVERY, this is going to happen even if you resist.

23. Ok, let's wrap this interview up. Do you have any final thoughts or shout outs? Thanks for the interview, dude.

- Listen to Resist... that's Wrench's new band and they are awesome. Listen to Guns Up! and mosh hard in your bedroom or at a show... mosh people on the streets. Listen to Have Heart and then think about the lyrics... and then mosh. Even if you are an awful stage diver like myself and B.Murph never stop doing it... fuck style, if you love it then do it. Xing up is amazing, Straight Edge is amazing, and Hardcore is amazing. Meltdown rule. I love Chris Wrenn, and I love Converge. Next time you see Tre mosh him.

Joey C & Righteous Jams

HYE - Yo, how's your edge?

JC - Good. It says hi!!

HYE - When did you fully realize what straight edge was? And what does it mean to you now? What role has your big brother Jesse played in this? Finally, how does it feel to be the last NASE (North Andover Straight Edge) dude?

JC - I dont really think there is a set definition of straight edge, and I dont think there should be. I do my own thing and I always X up at RJs shows because I want people to know I'm still proud to be edge. A lot of its just visual, like when I go to the gym and I'm curling 60 lb dumbells I like what it does but more than anything I just like the way it looks!! I just never thought drinking looked good ya know? I mean no diss, I lived in a frat house for a year and I loved those guys... But that's just my edge, I dont care about anybody else's or anybody else's definition. Yeah, and over the years Jesse, Elgin Gains, and I have put our own spin on things and what it is to be edge for us, ya know, we like to lift weights a lot and stay ripped and just take really good care of ourselves. I just gotta stay young man, that's just who I am. If I started drinking I'd feel like a banker.

HYE - What's the history of Righteous Jams. Start with Right Brigade and ending up at current time. Feel free to bring up any funny stories from your recent EU tour.

JC - Hm. Well jesse me CC and mullet started Invasion. Then me and CC got bummed that Jesse didnt want to play out more so we started RJ's with Jimmy Carrol, DFJ and Cooch. Nathan joined the band when it became obvious that Jimmy was too busy with his other bands to put any time into RJs. And then CC got super busy with school so Paul joined the band. When Paul joined I think Righteous Jams really came into its own. Him, Nathan and DFJ were unstoppable! We went to the gym every day of tour, we went tanning every day, we spent some serious hours in Tijuana, we played a show here and there. Paul and DFJ were like twins separated at birth. Some of the shit that those guys are into man...I cant discuss it publicly, lets just say I was uncomfortable a lot of the time!

HYE - Elaborate on Paul RJ and why he's not in the band.

JC - Well there's not much to elaborate on. He just cant commit now that he's married. We all respect his choice. So Derek is playing bass and cooch is on guitar. Who knows what the lineup will be a year from now. I'm hoping Scace is down for good though because he's my favorite person to be on tour with and he's a great stage presence.

HYE - Whats up with RJ having a manager and a booking agent now? Who are you guys Seven Mary Three?

JC - Hahahaha. At first RJs was my baby and I really wanted to have total control over everything we did. But it got to a point where the band started to develop its own energy and I had the choice of sacrificing some of that control or halting the band's momentum. Sometimes having total control over your own band is more hassle and responsibility than its worth. When band members were late for shows 2 years ago, I'd be on the verge of a nervous breakdown, pacing around clubs, calling everybody. Now that's all Mark's responsibility. I'm really easy going on tour now, I just get on stage and sing. I don't organize a thing. It's a lot of stress off my back, and it allows me to focus on my job which is singing and writing songs. Nathan, DFJ and I are ambitious but we're in our own worlds. We need an uptight guy like Mark to stay on us like a nagging mother. As far as a booking agent goes...I know that decision is going to rub some people the wrong way. But we decided to do it because we want to play to more people and we want to step up our game and stop doing everything by the seat of our pants. But for everyone who has booked us in the past, our bookiing agent is super chill, her name's Angie and her compnay is called lucky artist booking. Shes totally down to earth. Shes not snobby or arrogant or anything. And yeah our new stuff sounds like 7 mary 3!

HYE - You have a new album coming out someday, Business As Usual. What can we expect from this full length? What label is it going to be on?

JC - The record is going to be on Kung FU. We put a lot more effort into this record and I like it a lot better than ROD. I wrote the record so that kids would have an entire album to lift to. I put more thought into the lyrics this time around and tried to express who I actually was rather than trying to sound cool or angry or something. Nathan and my friend Buckley helped me edit all the lyrics and they just kept on urging me to come out of my shell more and be honest.

HYE - What happened at the "no moshing" TYF/The Trust show in Lawrence? And what about the autographed hat?

JC - What happened? The kids had their say that's what happened!! everyone moshed anyway and the show got shut down! Then the Trust signed my hat!

HYE - When is the next issue of Face Tomorrow coming out? What was your favorite interview/piece of that zine?

JC - I am not gonna do another issue. My favorite part of that zine was probably the Jesse interview. I love Jesse. I've seen some great front men and no one has shit on Jesse.

HYE - What bands get you psyched these days? Psyched on the edge and psyched on the core?

JC - Iron Boots, Down to Nothing, Rampage, Bane. Most of the music I listen to isn't hardcore, but all those bands I just mentioned are rad as shit. We've played with all those bands and they impressed me every single time.

HYE - Describe your perfect day. Does it involve sleeping until 4pm then nerding it up, or does it involve waking up early, lifting and then perfecting your mosh? As many details as possible, please.

JC - Hahahaha wow! perfecting the mosh! No, I am not a good mosher. A perfect day would involve working out and doing something unexpected. The last perfect day I had was in Cali when we were on tour. We played a sick show, went out to eat, and then went back to my friend's hot tub. I was having so much fun that I couldn't sleep so I went to 24 hour fitness for 2 hours, did chest, got back, ate, went in the hot tub again and then we all went to TJ, ate, and then played a show that night.

HYE - How have you gone through hardcore as a guitarist and now a lead singer without one tattoo or even a piercing?

JC - You don't put bumper stickers on a Mercedes.

HYE - How did you get so into weightlifting and bodybuilding?

JC - When I was in college I was hanging out with this girl all the time. I knew nothing about girls because I'd gone to an all guys prep school. So yeah let's be honest this girl was my friend and flirted with me or whatever and I just totally fell for her. Hey I was just a beb. People that know me know I'm a really nice guy and that doesn't fare to well when you're trying to nail a superficial college girl. Yeah so I fell for her and went for it and I totally got shot right down. I internalized the whole thing and just asked myself "what's wrong with me?" and it just so happened that right as I was having this internal dialogue I was walking by the cafeteria - and there was my answer. I looked over and saw these three juice heads with orange skin wolfing down food like they'd just returned from Somalia. Their arms looked like beach balls. They had these huge things popping out of their necks (which I later found out were called traps). They had these really blank looks on their faces and didn't say anything, they just kept on eating while their girlfriends shared a cup of cheerios. So I just said "fuck it!" Totally illogical. I knew at the time how ignorant my mindset was but I didn't really care. Teen angst, some kids had Morrissey, I had Gold's Gym. So I started hanging out with these guys. They were just like hardcore kids, you know, extreme, always talked about the same thing. But instead of youth of today and the cro mags it was test and creatine. So they taught me how to lift and eat so that my muscles would grow. I had moderate success. To the people that knew me when I was 150lbs I look huge, but as far as gym culture goes I will always be skinny. I'm ok with that. But for anyone who was as into it as I was for the past four years, it always stems from some sort of internal complex. It's not just about discipline. Yeah, if you can really transform your body you have discipline, but you also have issues, and they need to be worked out with a shrink not a dumbell!

HYE - How much tuna would you say you eat a week? What's the current weight lifting schedule look like? Can you elaborate on "anabolica" and "muscle sports?"

JC - I dont eat that much tuna. maybe a can a week. i dont have a set schedule I just work out every muscle group as hard as possible at least once a week. Anabolica! Thats what our German friend Marcel said to us when we stayed at his house. There was a lot lost in translation. We were trying to communicate to him that we wanted to go to the gym. And after a minute he finally realized what we were saying and got this really excited look on his face and said "Anabolica!!! Muscle Sports!" We were like, "YES!!!!"

HYE - Who is your favorite edgeman of all time? And why? Think in terms of inspiration or influence.

JC - This is a tough one but honestly I think it might be Aaron Bedard. Because he's got nothing to prove ya know, he's just himself. Everybody who is like super straight edge and super righteous, you know they are kinda funny at first but after a while you realize it's just a big front you know what I mean? Aaron's my favorite because you can tell he is just doing his own thing and isn't trying to impress anyone or whatever. Plus he's a good friend which makes him cooler to me than any HC hero that I've never met.

HYE - How did RJ get hooked up with Chad from NFG?

JC - Nathans good friends with him. He loved RJ from the beginning though, before Nathan was in RJ. I love Chad. His band is awesome too and their new record is the best.

HYE - Which would you have rather seen: the Alone In A Crowd show, the Last Rights show or the Steve Reddy singing for YOT show?

JC - Steve Reddy. Obviously. I love all the YOT songs but when their singer told me to sit down at the reunion it really rubbed me the wrong way and ruined that band for me. I cant listen to them now, the only thing that could redeem them is if Steve Reddy sang.

HYE - It seems as though hardcore bands now more than ever have a reputation of being "players" on tour and living like rock stars. What are your thoughts on this and what is your role in it?

JC - That's cool I support them. Not my thing never will be. But I mean let's be honest most of those kids are posers. I mean, I walk into greg's room and I'm flexing my arms for all my friends, but if Ronnie Coleman walked into the room do you think he'd have to flex for anyone?

HYE - What was your favorite show, and why?

JC - The first FP show at the first and second church. I was still just a beb and I didn't care about anything. I just wanted to see FP and get all my teen angst out on the dancefloor. HC was the only thing in my life that I actually enjoyed. It was before I discovered working out or girls. FP was the best. Mark Porter was a great frontman. Billpunch was incredible. That was when all the older kids still were into HC, before I became one of the older kids. As goofy as we all were, it was a glorious time.

HYE - What music have you been giving a lot of play lately? How (if it does) does it get shifted when you are chilling with a special lady?

JC - I listen to music that has a good hard beat. You can't lift to music that doesn't get your heart pumping. When I lift I listen to Madonna, Life of Agony, Larry Ransom's Bust it, Wrong Side, Annie, because those bands are hard. When I hang with my girlfriend we listen to a lot of cool shit but do you honestly think I'd give away the keys to the candy store that easily?

HYE - List your top 5 shirts/records you
a) owned and gave away
b) never owned but wanted badly
c) currently own

JC - I gave away an AF shirt with a nazi on it and people hanging from fish hooks. I always wanted a warzone superbowl of HC shirt. The top 5 coolest HC things I own are 1. SSD "Kids" 2. DYS "brotherhood 3. SSD "get it away" 4. the cro mags shirt Jesse gave me when I graduated 5. the life of agony shirt Buckley lent me!

HYE - Set the record straight. Who is the better stage diver: Ed Healy, Mothy, Jay Bill or someone else who surpasses all of them?

JC - My favorite stage diver is Greg's roomate Zac because he has no idea what a stage dive is hes just losing his mind ya know? All those guys you mentioned are awesome as well.

HYE - Better 7": Hardcore Pride or Division One Champs?

JC - PORTER.

HYE - Now personally, would you say you have better moves when holding a mic or when rocking a guitar?

JC - I get embarrassed watching either.

HYE - Any closing thoughts, shout outs or positive mental attitude statements?

JC - Thanks a lot to you, bmurph for the interview. You've always been a great friend. Thanks to everybody who goes to RJ's shows. Check out Larryransom.com. Wanna send a shout out to Bob Shedd, Mike Twambly and Louden Swain. Also a shout out to my friend Tim McMahon. I interviewed that guy when i was 16 and he was as chill and down to earth to me then as he was last week when we played with Triple Threat. You can't say that about everyone.

Rob Fish – Release, Ressurection, 108, Judas Factor, …

HYE - Yo, how's your edge?

RF - I'd say it is doing very well.

HYE - How did it all start for you? Where did you first learn about hardcore?

RF - Well I didn't really have much interest in music until I was 8 or 9 (80-81) at which time I started to listen to early hip hop music. Basically a kid moved to the neighborhood from Spanish Harlem and we became friends. He and his older brother turned me onto rap. In 1984 I started to lose some interest in the music and became interested in skateboarding and the music was a sort of sidebar. On my first day of High School I walked into woodshop class and took a seat next to the resident metal head. Turned out to be someone I knew from fourth grade. We started to talk about music and he handed me a tape of Black Flag. From that point I became obsessed with punk music. Within weeks I was primarily hooked on West Coast Punk (i.e. Black Flag, Dead Kennedy's, Circle Jerks, etc.) but also took a liking to Minor Threat. Due to some family experiences I took to the straight edge thing. That was it. At the same time I identified myself as a punk kid and didn't take to the straight edge scene until 1986.

HYE - Going along with the last question, when did you fully realize what straight edge was? And what does it mean to you now?

RF - I realized what straight edge was with Minor Threat but didn't become involved in the Straight Edge scene until 1986. In other words where I lived there was just a small scene and no difference between the normal punk kids and the straight edge kid except we didn't drink, do drugs or smoke. So I was Straight Edge but it wasn't as a significant part of the punk experience until late 1986 as the number of Straight Edge kids in our area started to increase and we starting going to CBGB's where straight edge was becoming it's own subculture within the music. At that point we started to identify ourselves as Straight Edge kids as opposed to punk kids who were straight edge.

HYE - You've had a pretty illustrious career as a "band guy." Break down what bands you have been in and what some of your favorite RELEASEs have been (oh, I kill myself).

RF - I sang for Release (1988-1990), Ressurection (1991-1994), 108 (1993-1996) and The Judas Factor (1998-2000). Of those bands I would say my favorite releases would be Ballads in Blue China (The Judas Factor), Threefold Misery (108) and I Refuse (Ressurection). I really like the Ressurection lp, and songs for that matter, but the recordings are painful. In hindsight $600 and a day isn't enough to record and mix an album. I can listen to Songs of Separation (108) and Kiss Suicide (The Judas Factor). The rest of it I don't care for.

HYE - You forgot something pretty important for the first Ressurection show. What was this item, and who eventually let you borrow theirs?

RF - Depends if you are talking about the first show we were booked to play or the first one we played. The answer could range from sneakers to most instruments. I believe you are talking about shoes but they weren't forgotten rather lost on the way to the show.

HYE - Currently, you are a manager for a large company that specializes in any tasks that are perfect for DIY zine making. How many zines do you think your managerial region is currently producing? Any we should be looking to pick up?

RF - To be honest I don't think there are any fanzines coming out of my District. There is a stark difference between the scene from my period and today. Today everyone puts out records and does a fanzine because it is extremely easy. Most of the fanzines these days seem to be webzines or blogs verse the paper fanzines of yore. I would have to say I prefer it that way because back in the day kids produced the fanzines because they didn't pay for them and, well, it would be a shame to see someone get caught doing that in my District! If there is anyone producing a fanzine in my District I have yet to see it. I have received cd's of some of their bands and things of that nature which is pretty cool. I don't know that I have found one that I am into but I appreciate it.

HYE - Besides the job, what else is going on with 2k6 Rob Fish? Any current projects or notable happenings?

RF - Well I have two amazing boys. Ras (8) and Chaitan (3) and I currently live in Northern California. I still write a lot but between my children, work and where I live I haven't done much with what I have written. Due to several different circumstances it seems that my family and I will relocate to the Gainesville, FL area this summer. If that is the case I will most likely begin recording and playing new music since I have some friends in the area who I have worked with before and whom I would like to work with in the future.

HYE - How in touch are you with the current hardcore scene? What bands are currently twisting your screw?

RF - I would say I am on the outside. First and foremost I simply don't relate with much of what I see and hear today. I don't maintain that there is anything wrong or less pure about what is out there today but it doesn't particular interest me. Still I travel a lot, which means a lot of times in hotels, so I tend to look around on the web to check out what is going on in the punk scene. Of the bands that are around and playing today I dig Lords, These Arms are Snakes, The (International) Noise Conspiracy, Champion, Charge, Kill the Messenger, Paint it Black and Accidental Gun Death.

HYE - What is getting lots of play on your stereo these days (core or not)?

RF - Oasis, Drive Like Jehu, Black Flag, Absolution, Desaparecidos, Rollins (Hot Animal Sex Machine), Manic Street Preachers and Cap'n Jazz are the most popular.

HYE - Over the years, you have become more and more spiritual. Does hardcore and spirituality have an intrinsic connection, or are they totally disconnected?

RF - I would say so. Mind you I am speaking in terms of personal spirituality rather than institutional/theological dogma. To me punk/hardcore was always about finding yourself, asserting your values and questioning oneself and those around you; spirituality is a part of that. For those that knew me institutional thought was never my thing although I associated with and was associated with an institution I never really fit or tried to fit in.

HYE - Along the lines of spirituality, I have heard that you were famous for littering. Do you think you have a lot of bad karma to overcome from that?

RF - I think I moved on from that phase before I hit 18. Of all of my youthful misdeeds littering is probably pretty low in terms of the magnitude. Based on my life I am pretty sure I have received my fair share of karma for my missteps.

HYE - What was your favorite show that you didn't have to perform at and why? What about the best show you played (if you want to break it down per band, fine by me)?

RF - There are a bunch of shows that remain in my head and I really doubt I could claim one to be the best. Corrosion of Conformity at Middlesex County College (Edison, NJ) in 1996 was very cool. I loved COC and that was the first time I got the chance to see them live which was amazing. I remember the envy I had for Ari because he had money to buy COC Boxer Shorts. Fucker. Years later a friend Kevin Nash gave me a old COC Banner which I still have till this day.

Absolutions first show at CBGB's (was also Raw Deals first show). Absolution opened the show and they played it like it was their show and the rest of the bands didn't exist. I loved the attitude.

Bl'ast in 2002. Kent McClard put on a Ressurection, Lifetime and Downcast show on our first tour in the upstairs of some club. After the show we are loading out and we hear a band in the main area of the club tuning up. We walk in and there is 1 person there. I remember standing their in disbelief to see Bl'ast, minus Clifford, getting ready to play. They played as a three piece in front of 1 paying person and the members of Lifetime and Ressurection and were amazing. Personally I was never very into Clifford so it was even better.

As far as shows I played a few come to mind from each band:

Ressurection: Lifetime, No Escape and Worlds Collide in Atlantic City. It was towards the beginning of the band and I remember how enjoyable it was to watch the horror on people's faces when we played. Needless to say we didn't sound like what they were expecting.

Ressurection, Gorilla Biscuits and NoFX at City Gardens (Trenton, NJ). We received 50 test presses of our ep the day of the show. Chris Daly and I made the covers (attached) and wrote personal messages on each copy. Coincidentally most of the personal messages were to GB making fun of them for their disconnect with Straight Edge. I remember when we played looking over and the GB guys were all watching us and enjoying it. Afterwards we are upstairs in the band room and the GB guys come in and tell us how much they liked us and Walter, whom I didn't know well at the time, asked for a copy of our record. We snickered and gave it to him. I don't think he found the message too amusing.

I also remember a show in the Allentown area with Lifetime, Mouthpiece and Concerned I believe. I remember as we finished setting up and turning around to see canisters of mace sitting atop all of the amplifiers and next to the drums. I think we made it half way through the set before the skinhead thing was out of control and lots of mace was sprayed and pool sticks broken. There is a photo from this show that was on the cover of the It's For Life Comp where I have lots of messages written all over my body for our skinhead friends. I remember that period of Ressurection because literally half of the shows ended in mini riots and violence resulting in tensions with skinheads and bouncers.

108: Too many to name really. Our first show at the Unisound. We had recorded a record and then I quit the band. The band played 3 shows with Vic singing which didn't work out so 108 broke up. After six months we decided to give it a go and had a 5 month US Tour booked with Shelter. By the time of our first show on May 15, 2003 the record was already out. I just remember setting up there was a lot of excitement and when we hit our first chord everyone went ballistic. The show was out of control because of the pent up energy we had as well as a crowd of 700 or so kids excited to see us and by that time they knew most of the songs. Needless to say it wasn't a typical first show.

108, Snapcase and Earth Crisis at the Wetlands. I always loved playing this club. Great staff, great sound and fun club. This show was way oversold. I remember seeing a video of it once and literally you couldn't see the band because of how many people were on stage. I remember a distinct moment when I was practically on top of the drums and Chris, Vic and I all looked at one another and it was just this feeling. Every kid, singing every word and just a great atmosphere.

108 and Refused in Umea, Sweden. This was on 108's first European tour and Refused were our support band. The shows leading up were amazing. 108 had 2 records out at that point and all of the shows were amazing. I remember before the show in Umea, Refuses hometown, I was standing on the roof of the school we were playing at with Dennis, the singer of Refused, and watching all of the kids coming to the shows on their bikes. I think the average age of the kids was 12. When Doughnuts was playing I was standing on the side of the stage with Kate (108 Guitarist) and Lenny (Roadie) and watching these little kids going nuts. I remember between songs I looked at Kate and Lenny and remarked how damn cute these kids were. we all burst into laughter because it was rare to watch kids at a show and remark at how cute they were. When we played I kept reminding myself, no stage diving, because I would literally kill these kids because they were so small.

The Judas Factor and Bread and Circuits somewhere in the Midwest. I remember when we pulled up to the show and wondering if any kids would be there. The little town looked like a ghost town and it was eerie. Literally it was four blocks and every store was closed but this coffee shop. By the time doors opened it was a really good crowd. It was cool to play with B&C because I liked them and they were a bit older so it was easier to relate to them and just hang out and talk. That was one thing that was really strange for me when I did the tour with The Judas Factor. I felt, and probably was, so much older than most of the kids and felt sort of estranged from the scene. Still the kids were totally amazing and the show was one of my all time favorites.

HYE - In that last question, you give a run down of your favorite shows your bands played at. However, you list the first as Ressurection. You didn't mention anything Release related. Was this on purpose, or did it just slip your mind?

RF - I tried to remember some specific things from Release but really couldn't remember anything; at least not a complete story. To be honest I don;t remember a tremendous amount pre 1993... probably a defense mechanism due to all of the shit I went through.

HYE - It has been said that you were various generous with your hardcore gear. What is the best thing you ever gave to someone for buying you lunch?

RF - If you are hungry enough a Release varsity jacket is a very small price to pay.

HYE - List your top 5 shirts/records that you

I was never one to collect records or shirts. I would generally buy them and when I wasn't interested anymore I would sell them or give them away. Sorry for the bad answer but I never really got into it. If there was a record I wanted and could find it I was more than happy with a tape of it.

HYE - Any final thoughts or closing shout outs?

RF - The past is never as great, or probably in my case not as bad, as we remember it and today and the future are what we make it and how we choose to see it. To me this is especially relevant in terms of how we view the punk/hardcore scene. Since this is a site pertaining to those that were involved with the Straight edge scene I am happy to be one of those who still realizes the value in being drug and alcohol free. At least the two straight edge tattoos and 17 combined X's don't require a cover up or witty reasoning.

HYE - Thanks. Also, pics and flyers courtesy of Rob Fish. If you know who took the original shots, please let me know.

Steve Reddy – Wolfpack

Here it is folks. Possibly the only NY Wolfpack interview ever recorded. This interview literally needs no introduction, but I should get some editor notes in there just so I can look professional. If you've never heard of Steve Reddy or EVR, you should hang up your boots immediately. Even if you know the Steve Reddy story, sit back and (rot) prepare yourself for a full course on NY Wolfpack, NYHC politics and one or two fight stories. Thanks go out to Steve and all the dudes who compiled the questions. One last note: this interview was originally supposed to appear edited in Owen and Sami's zine. There was some bad timing or something equally as goofy, and it never happened. Here's the complete, unedited interview. Enjoy.

Interview by Pete Lynch

Questions by: Sami, Owen, Pete, Cooch, Mir Ali, Joey C (RJ loves the wolfpack!) & Jeff Hess.

Non core pics courtesy of Zusi with a helping hand from Brett Beach. Core pic courtesy of the book "Making a Scene" by Brian Hurley. Also, please note that every pic is a side profile. How that worked out, we'll never know.

-Those who own the record know absolutely nothing about this band from the LP; can you give a history of the band from start to finish?

I didn't start the band, my best friend Don Sullivan did. He was in a band called Fit for Abuse and I loved them, Don was awesome and we were like brothers. Well some of the dudes from Fit For Abuse were older and married and it's not like money was ever a possibility back then so they could do it so much, so don and the original guitar player from Fit For Abuse, Drew, got together with these 3 young metal kids who were coming to shows and could actually play their instruments, and formed wolfpack. Drew was the mastermind, he was into Boston hardcore and he came up with the name and he wrote all the songs. Well one day Don up and joined he marines. Blew all our minds. Out of the blue him and Steve Schneider (the other dude in the cb's picture with me), just came in and told everyone they had joined the marines. I was like what the fuck. Well they left and they asked me to sing and I said no so they got this other guy and they played a show at 288 Lark St. and the new guy sucked. I was embarrassed for myself, Don and Drew. So they gave him the boot and I came aboard. The Bomp hook up was from this girl Betsie, who was in this band the Raunchettes. They had played some shows in Albany so we got to know them and Don loved one of the chicks in the band so we had been to Rochester to hang with them. Well Betsie ended up marrying Greg (RIP) from Bomp and she turned him on to the demo tape that we had. He wanted to get his label more into hardcore and he wanted to do it with Wolfpack. So we went in the studio and did the record for like $500. We weren't ready for a full length. Before the record was out Drew had quit the band and we got this poser kid Shane to take his place. Shane's the graffiti bomber who did the great wolfpack that we are in front of on the back of the album. Shane only lasted one show but he got his picture on the album. Sucks.

We went on one tour. Dave stein set the whole thing up; it was up and down the east coast. I think it only ended up being like 5 shows but it was the end of the band for me. The difference between a hardcore kid and a metal kid was just too much for me to take. We brought along this other metal kid as a roadie, a few months later I ended up beating the shit out of that kid for making a Breakdown flyer for a show that I was doing and it was a drawing of a girl smoking a cig from her heynanunanu. The flyer had my phone number and everything on it so I freaked and I put word out that the kid shouldn't come to the show. Well he did and I pounded him.

Back to the tour. We played in a small club in West Virginia and some other band must have used the place as a practice space and the metal kid stole a bunch of their equipment. I didn't find out about it until we got back from tour and were unloading the van. I freaked and said if they didn't send the shit back to the club in WV. I was out of the band. They kept the stuff and I quit.

-(The only other piece of info I have was when cooch told me you weren't the first singer and they played some shows in the early 90s with the old singer.... is he correct on that?)

Drew wanted to do the band again and I loved Drew but I wasn't into it. They ended up replacing me and playing some shows including the Roger Miret benefit at cb's.

-Unlike virtually every other obscure NYHC record, the LP has pretty much never been booted, do any exist and have you ever thought about releasing it or having someone else release it?

It was probably never booted because it's not very good. If you check your local record store one may show up in the .99-cent bin.

-Outside of the LP does any other recorded material exist?

Dave Stein and I started Combined Effort Records and our first release was the Albany style 7" that had four Albany bands on it and wolfpack had either 1 or 2 songs on it, I can't remember.

-Because the LP never came with an insert, can you finally put an end to the long running confusion of what the lyrics are? Your vocals are some of the most ferocious sounding ever especially on side one and I have wanted to know them forever...

I made an insert for the record. Laid it out in my living room with a typewriter and ruler. I first saw the finished record while I was on tour with YOT. We were at maximum rock and roll house and they had it I was surprised to find no lyric sheet in there but I was in no position to call Greg out on it because the band was already broken up.

-The LP seems to have many themes: the wolfpack, being proud, standing hard and being strong: what led you to write about these themes?

Like I said Drew wrote most of the songs and lyrics. He was a real hardcore kid and those are things that you felt back then just being a hardcore kid. It was kind a merge of looking out for your friends, being tough, and being strong.

-What's the deal with "Chipmunk in the Road"? The song is listed on the LP but does not appear on the record. Is it just the noise at the end of the song until the needle hits the matrix?

I hated that song. I don't know if I even sent it off to Bomp. The bass player Doug wrote it and it was just a silly song. I'm glad it never made it on the record.

-Does the black book of hell have a foreword?

I wrote that one. I bought a used car and I financed it and they gave me this little black plastic cover to keep the payment book in and I ended up making most of the payments while the car sat broken down in the parking lot. It was just about getting into something that you don't really think through but because you signed a paper now you're fucked. I bought a car, I took college loans, my friends joined the marines, etc.

-What kind of reaction would the wolfpack get, on the dancefloor and on the street?

It was about the same everywhere. No reaction what so ever. Does the expression big in Albany mean anything to you?

-Outside of Ray, you are the only person to ever sing a whole show with Youth Of Today.... what was that like, and do you have any stories from being the roadie on the Break Down The Walls tour? I heard about you and Porcell taking out nazi skins in Houston Texas….care to elaborate?

We were in Walla Walla Washington. One of my favorite all time tour places. Well we were staying with these Mormon kids, love moron kids, and they had a skate ramp. Ray and Porcell are pretty awesome skaters and they were skating. They talked Walter into trying to drop in when he could barely tic-tac back and forth. Well he ended up breaking his ankle and couldn't go on. That's a funny story because just that day he and Ray had given themselves funny haircuts. Ray just shaved all these bald patches in his head and then he gave Walter a Mohawk and I think they died it purple. Walter couldn't leave Walla Walla for a few days and we had to go to Seattle and Portland and then we were coming back to pick him up. Well it was over a weekend and Walter had to go to church. Well I guess Mormon Church is like 3 hours long and the priest or whoever came down of the altar with a microphone and started asking Walter questions. Unreal.

They tried to teach me the songs on bass but I'm no musician. So it was either cancel the shows or I sing and Ray play bass. Portland sucked because someone heckled "let the bass player sing." Seattle was cool because all the Brotherhood kids made it cool. I feel sorry for any kids who only saw YOT with me singing.

-What about the Shelter riot? Can you give me a recount from your point of view? What exactly happened in front of you? Who started it all? What was the deal with the guy who brought back all the thugs back to the club?

You mean the Boston Shelter riot? Some dudes were out in front of the club drinking all night and when John Lacriox stopped working the door they all came in and started to fuck shit up. They were big and all the kids at the show were small. Ray called from he stage for me to come up and throw them out. Well I don't think he knew how many of them there were or how big they were. So I went up to this fat kid that was causing most of the trouble and asked him to chill out and he was like FU, and I didn't want to start with him because there was like this other guy with them that was like 6'6 250lb and wearing a track suit. So Ray had everyone sit down and everyone sat down except them. Well the giant kid smacked some little kid and I sucker punched him. He fell down more because kids were sitting down all around his feet and I landed on him and just kept swinging. Well his friends ratpacked me in like 2 seconds and they got me by the arms and legs and were trying to carry me outside and the big guy was saying get this mofo outside so I can shoot him. Well it was a riot and I managed to get free and get back into the club but I had gotten pounded pretty well and the next weekend Project Kate and I got married so I have a shiner in my wedding photos. Classic white trash style.

-What inspired you to become pride of the pack and when did this idea of becoming the pride of the pack happen upon you?

Drew wrote it. And we use to quote it but there's a big difference between being tough at a hardcore show and being tough on the street at least back then there was. I'm sure I've lost 3/4 of the fights that I've been in.

-I understand you are very much into weightlifting...what's your diet like and what is your normal routine like? Do you believe that ideally, straight edge and weightlifting should go hand in hand?

I was into weight lifting. I'm not in very good shape now even though I have a gym at my house. (lame). EVR and my family keep me pretty busy plus I'm 40 years old now and officially washed up.

-What was the most you ever benched? What year was that?

I remember being able to do around 285.. But I was never really one of those max out kinda guys. Porcell and Richie always wanted to max out I wasn't into it. My peak year was 1987. I remember working out twice a day.

I believe straight edge goes with everything. Intoxication is insane.

-What is the average day like for you, food wise? Be as specific as necessary. Do you stay away from soy or embrace it? If so, why?

I like tofu.

-What are 3 main factors to running a successful screen printing operation?

I'll tell you when mine becomes successful.

-What do you remember about the NYHC Puerto Rican twins? They seem to have had an impact as being some of the best moshers ever but they were only around for one summer? Did you know them or what became of them?

After the YOT tour in the summer of 88 was over I dropped out of the scene. I lived on the Krsna farm for the next four years. I kinda missed that whole bad guy smashing people with hammers in the pit thing. When I came back around all those dudes were starting bands so they didn't want to see shows getting messed up.

-Favorite Cro-Mags mosh part?

That's a tough one. There's so much to choose from. The beginning of we gotta know, seekers of the truth, I was a bad mosher so probably my favorite song to dance for was it's the limit. I think I had a little better flow for the faster songs. I was at the krsna farm when best wishes came out but when I heard the beginning of death camps I was like this shit is awesome. I would have loved to mosh to that. I hope I don't loose any cred for admitting that.

-What's the craziest thing you've seen in a mosh at cb's?

I don't know about craziest but if you want to change the question I'll tell you some of the best pits I've ever seen at cb's. 7 seconds played with the mob. I was there to see 7 seconds but the mob was awesome and everyone was in the pit dancing for them; JJ, John Watson, Krsna Mike, Karl Mosh, Vinny Stigma, Harley, etc. and I don't mean the celebrity stage dive I'm talking in the pit thrashing from beginning to end. It was awesome. Plus when WarZone got back together and covered young til I die that was pretty cool.

-Who is your favorite frontman?

Of bands I've seen maybe JJ or Kevin seconds. Of bands I didn't see probably Dave Smalley in DYS. I use to play that record and stare at that picture of him for hours, it that gay? I'll tell a side story I was on tour with into another and Richie, Gus SXE, and I walked into a health food store and this hot chick from behind the cash register walked up to us and asked if we were in a band and Richie said yes and then she asked me if I was Dave Smalley. High point of my life right there.

-Do you know Elliot Spitzer? Did you ever run into him at the grocery store or anything?

What?

-Any west coast bands you liked?

Sure. But there was a time when you literally had to deny that you liked anything other than nyhc. Suicidal was my first hardcore show. I loved them. Black Flag, lots of stuff.

-Are there any members of any of the bands currently on Equal Vision who can beat you in an arm wrestling match?

I don't do it too often but I think I'm a pretty good arm wrestler. There's probably a drummer that can beat me maybe Bob from bane. I don't know but I've got a few bands on the roster now that the guys are so skinny I think if I arm wrestled them I could break their arms in half.

-Did you like the Rollins band?

Shit yea at least the first couple of records. Great show YOT, dag nasty and Rollins in Chicago. Porcell and Sammy got Rollins to go in this photo booth with them.

-Can you tell me about the Sam Mac story? Describe the street fight you were in before you ran into him.

My friend Chris Daily from Smorgasbord use to visit me at the krsna farm when he lived close by and when he showed me that born against 7" I was kinda shocked. Not because Sam had the balls to do it but by the fact that he thought that we were good friends. I knew him and I hung out in crowds with him but I never hung with the dude alone or talked to him on the phone. Plus I probably saw him 3 or 4 times at cb's before I moved to the krsna farm but everyone knew I was going and he never came up and said one word to me. They just hated Cappo and wanted to try and one up him. I wrote him a letter from the farm to tell him that I was still the same Steve Wolfpack and that I'd be into writing to him if he wanted. He never wrote back and then Chris Daily showed me some zine where someone asked him about me and he was like I got a letter from that dude whatever. That pissed me off. So I stopped by my friend's house while I was on my way home from the krsna farm to visit my parents and they told me that Sam's band was playing in town. They all wanted me to pound him. I was standing in a crowd and he walked by I reached out and grabbed his arm and he was like oh no I knew this day would come please don't hit me. I couldn't hit him he's so small. But while I was talking things out with him and his guitar player Adam, some neighborhood kids came and started fucking kids up outside the show with baseball bats. I went to tackle one kid and some little kid hits me in the mouth with a little piece of pipe. I reached up and my mouth was bleeding pretty well but I felt all my teeth. The dude threw down the pipe and said come on big guy. I wanted to pound him but this other kid came up from behind him and he had a box razor and said he was gonna cut my face so I backed off. Some dude hit Steve Schneider in the head with numbchucks and sent him to the hospital. It was a bad scene but I felt really bad because I felt like I had backed down to that little punk. The next time I came to town I wanted to go hang out near there and get some revenge but my friends told me that he had pressed charges against the kids but he dropped them because the weekend after the fight those same dudes raped and stabbed some girl. Great world we live in.

-Do you like the 2nd DYS LP? Any favorite songs off that record?

I think I may have liked it if I had given it more time but the tide had turned on them and I just kind a went with the flow.

-Was there ever a girl in the Albany HC scene called Helen of Troy? Was she hot?

Steve Schneider married some hardcore girl named Helen and she's cool. I don't know if that's her. I hardly went after hardcore chicks. I work at this place that had tons of metal chicks working there. I usually went for that if you know what I mean.

Afterword:

It's almost 20 years after wolfpack broke up and I think this is the first wolfpack interview I've ever done, thanks it's been fun.

I like RJ.

Rock on

xstevex

James Ritter – LOJ / Collector / Skater

What you are about to read, I will attempt to pass off as an interview. In reality, it's just me asking Ritter a bunch of random questions, us going off on a skateboarding tangent for quite some time and a serious lack of interest worthy reading material. Despite all of that, I think this interview was pretty interesting. Also, if you don't know who Ritter is, get ready. He's coming for your crucial t-shirts and old decks. You won't see him coming, and you won't see him leave, but your closets and garage will be a little emptier afterwards.

b. murphy: Ok, let's do this.

b. murphy: How's your edge, dude?

j. ritter: Dull as fuck man...i sold out when i was 19...bad move, but theres nothing really i can do about it now..i drank and got high for a little while and then realized you know this isn't really my scene...i don't believe in round two edge really and i hate to take away from people that have stuck by it so i don't call myself edge...although i cant imagine ill ever go back to those things again

j. ritter: The interview is done.

b. murphy: Haha, perfect. Best interview ever.

j. ritter: You think?

b. murphy: Haha, nah, let's keep going.

b. murphy: Dude, if it wasn't for crucial shirts (ie green hi-impact turning point shirts), would you still be involved in hardcore?

j. ritter: yeah obviously...i mean this is what i know and love..i got into hardcore/punk when i was 13...i mean this is what i do...i skateboard and i love hardcore...i mean there have been periods where i have kind of been bored with hardcore but there is always something that reminds me why i love it...shirts are fun to collect and trade but they aren't the essence of punk to me...they're like pokemon cards....and i don't have a green tp hi impact...i do have three blue ones that i would be willing to trade for a green one though.

b. murphy: Why not records? What do you have against vinyl?

b. murphy: What makes shirts cooler?

j. ritter: i was into vinyl when i was a young buck just like every hardcore dude...but i lived in a basement and it flooded...came down stairs and saw my start today float past my feet...kinda bummed me out...plus its hard to rock an lp in a car

j. ritter: shirts you can wear...i like that

j. ritter: plus i'm real visual

b. murphy: That could explain some of the fantastic images that LOJ uses. Who's the mastermind behind the graphics?

j. ritter: well i usually come up with ideas that are just to stupid and gene has to bring me back down to earth...ie tell me i'm stupid...but we all have input on the ideas...then i call up my friend and he paints em for us...hes a cool dude...and has nothing else to do when he's smoking pot

b. murphy: So the same dude did the demo cover as the Soul Power cover?

j. ritter: yeah

j. ritter: he's a tattoo artist in frederick maryland...i've known him since i was probably 14...used to go to a lot of shows with him and stuff...just an all around cool dude

b. murphy: Kids take note. When it becomes time to hang from LOJ's nuts, go to this guy for all your LOJ related tattoos.

j. ritter: hah

j. ritter: yeah if he isn't to high

j. ritter: nah he's an amazing dude and always does stuff for us on short notice...we really appreciate everything hes done for us

b. murphy: Makes sense. Speaking of LOJ. Does the band have some goals in mind, or is it just "rip until it is ripped?"

j. ritter: well we def have plans to do a full length on youngblood this winter probably...and we are def recording at inner ear again...we'd also like to do a week in the UK this winter...maybe do a little touring around home...we just wanna make music we love and have as much fun as we can until it has run its course

b. murphy: True, true. Any reason why you want to hit up the UK?

j. ritter: well we sell a lot of merchandise to the UK...so i guess they like us over there or they are playing a trick on us...like the ultimate prank...but a lot of bands don't get to go overseas and play and its something we really want to do...gene and i are going to be finishing school soon and we'll be able to put a lot more into the band

b. murphy: So who gives you more love? The UK scene or your home town crowd?

j. ritter: well we have only played "DC' once and Baltimore once... our last show on tour was in the outskirts of DC and it wasn't the best show, but I had fun and it was cool...we played with Fired Up an awesome band and totally awesome dudes...I don't think the UK gives us more love or anything..but none of us have ever been to Europe with a band..so why not go now...just seems like something fun to do...i mean these dudes are some of my closest friends so if i'm gonna go with anyone id want it to be them

b. murphy: Posi Numbers is this weekend. Do you or the band have any expectations for it?

j. ritter: Yeah i expect to have a lot of fun and to see people i haven't seen in a while...that is all

j. ritter: oh and to see awesome bands

b. murphy: No expectations on the posi number reaction to LOJ?

j. ritter: Man, i have no idea...i hope its awesome..there is nothing better than knowing people are into what you are doing...but we do tend to get a mixed reaction...sometimes people stare at us and sometimes people go crazy...you never know... i mean we play early friday so i don't even know if everyone will be there yet...id hope so since every band playing this year is amazing...if i had it my way people would just groove when we play and do weird things that they don't quit understand...you know weird dances and shit...and jump up and down a lot

b. murphy: That sounds like the mid 90s.

j. ritter: yeah i wish

j. ritter: i mean no kickboxing

j. ritter: nothing like that

j. ritter: but just let the music move you man

b. murphy: But grooving with giant stussy striped shirts.

j. ritter: dude

j. ritter: stussy rules

j. ritter: but yeah i mean sounds alright to me

j. ritter: i expect you front and center with jncos and beads

b. murphy: [note: despite wanting jnco's, I could never afford them. I pose. I've never worn JNCOs]

j. ritter: yeah i never owned jncos either...i had some Sears knock offs..and they weren't even that baggy...i guess i was a poser

b. murphy: dude, I never rocked Sears knockoffs. I didn't even know such things existed. One time I tried for 4 summers to skate. At the end of the 4th summer, my ollie was all of an inch and a half. Please tell me you are better than that.

b. murphy: All right. So you are all about skating too. How's the skateboard collection looking these days?

j. ritter: i mean its good...i'm working a deal for a jason lee burger...i need one of those for my collection...and i just landed a jason lee cat in the hat mini a while back...so its looking good...i'm trying but the scene is blowing up its hard to land stuff these days...but i'm at it and hopefully i turn up some stuff i need...on a side note i will trade any hardcore related stuffs for skateboards, etc....

j. ritter: yeah i was shop sponsored for a while...one of my best friends rode for airwalk...another kid i came up with rode for some good companies and still does...to be honest i had potential but i fell off when i did the whole college thing...i mean i still skate but there aren't as many people to do it with and the spots are dwindling where i live...sometimes i wish i had never gone to college and just skated everyday all day

b. murphy: haha, that's a positive message for all your high school aged fans.

j. ritter: yeah really it is

b. murphy: Dude, if your friend has pics of the black/cement/neon green airwalk vic, hook me up

j. ritter: man i haven't talked to that dude in years

j. ritter: cool dude kinda weird though

j. ritter: i miss those days

j. ritter: hah

j. ritter: yeah if you are any good at skateboarding and college is a thought...don't do it

j. ritter: skateboarding is way more fun and if your old you can go to college for free..if you end up sucking at skating and all

b. murphy: But becoming a pro skateboarder seems to be getting harder and harder. Especially with the scene being blown up on ESPN2 daily.

j. ritter: yeah agreed

j. ritter: but who cares about going pro

j. ritter: i wasted prime years i could of been pushing around on wood

j. ritter: i mean i wasted my first two years at college anyway

b. murphy: Yeah, but you still have to pay the bills

j. ritter: i could of been skating instead of getting shitty grades

j. ritter: yeah i know

j. ritter: wishful thinking i guess

b. murphy: Coming out of school, do you think it would have been more worth your time to skate, or are you just waiting for that cushy, white collar job?

j. ritter: i dunno...i'm a confused dude when it comes to that stuff...id rather skate all day and not care...but that isn't the real world...and i dunno if i'm the kinda guy that could swing a desk job...id go crazy

b. murphy: yeah, you don't really seem like a 9 to 5 dude. So how you going to swing a professional life? Or are you getting a degree in something like philosophy where there is no real world use? haha

j. ritter: hah i have an AA in philosophy

j. ritter: nah my bachelors is in marketing with a minor in merchandising

j. ritter: i dunno

j. ritter: maybe ill win the lottery

b. murphy: Dude, that is my goal too

j. ritter: hmmm

j. ritter: maybe we'll have to work a deal

b. murphy: How about this? I'll work on a LOJ website to spread your word and you can hook me up with half your winnings. Everyone wins.

j. ritter: makes sense

j. ritter: but you already did our site

b. murphy: Damn it.

j. ritter: i know and i haven't won anything

j. ritter: are you gonna rip the skatepark at posi numbers? do some inch and a half ollies everywhere

b. murphy: Dude, I don't even have a setup anymore.

j. ritter: i got an old h street in my trunk

b. murphy: Dude, you'd be impressed. I've been doing a little sewing lately. A little project for Pike that involves celtic lows, stuffing and custom tags.

j. ritter: i mean shoes are whatever...but sewing is where its at

b. murphy: Wait a minute, "shoes are whatever??". I've seen you rocking some Nikes that have been gaining mucho hype lately. You got them under the radar before they were cool, but in a way, you must be partly sneaker head.

j. ritter: what nikes?

j. ritter: the nike converse?

b. murphy: Didn't I see you rocking the Futura SB at last years posi numbers?

j. ritter: yeah

j. ritter: i bought em at a skateshop by my house

b. murphy: So there is no sneaker head in you? Just a guy who wants to wear skateboarding shoes while he skates? Makes sense.

j. ritter: hah

j. ritter: i mean like i was into jordans and stuff when i was younger...i bought a lot of the retros when they came out a few years back....but i sold em...and i'm not above buying a pair of nikes i know i can sell on ebay for a lot more...i mean i gotta fly to mexico some how...and i gotta have money for when a jason lee pops up

b. murphy: Mexico? What the hell is in mexico besides "dank bud?"

b. murphy: Ok time for lists: top 5 eps/lps, top 5 boards, top 5 shirts.

j. ritter: whats an ep?

j. ritter: ok top five lps

j. ritter: Bad Brains- Rock for Light, Bad Brains Quickness, Four Walls Falling Culture Shock...now it gets hard..do i put Buzzcocks Times Up or TSOL Dance...or The first Christian Death LP...Actually fuck it...Number four Alice In Chains Dirt, five every misfits record ever (can i do that?)

j. ritter: eps

j. ritter: in no order: 108 curse of instinct, bad brains pay to cum, gut instinct disturbing the peace, burn, quicksand, and a lot of dc bands

j. ritter: shirts

j. ritter: oh and any misfits record

j. ritter: shirts

j. ritter: grey tp hi impact, green tp hi impact, bold join the fight, this white samhain initium shirt my boy has, any schism design, any wishingwell design

j. ritter: boards

j. ritter: 101 Gabriel Rodrigeuz Jesus H Christ, World Industries Mike Vallely Barnyard (the board that changed it all), H Street Matt Hensley Vista (such a classic)/Rays of Light..I cant decide both graphics rule, Blind Jason Lee American Icons (I love it American flags and guns whats better), Real Jim Thiebaud Hangman (amazing graphic of a klansman hanging from a tree, does it get any better and natas kaupus drew the original concept)

b. murphy: TSOL? Christian Death? What about Bringin It Down or Out of Step? Shouldn't you be supporting your DC boys by saying "Can I Say?"

j. ritter: can i say is good

b. murphy: But TSOL is better?

j. ritter: ok

j. ritter: the dead boys

j. ritter: no

j. ritter: iggy and the stooges

j. ritter: fuck i'm confused

b. murphy: Power (by the Stooges) is top notch

j. ritter: were not in this alone

b. murphy: Good choice. Not the first YOT album most people would pick, though.

j. ritter: are you kidding me?

j. ritter: no wait, the last 7"

b. murphy: Dude, your average core man would say, "Break Down the Walls" in a heart beat. Actually, they'd probably say "BDTW" to get it out faster.

j. ritter: idiots

b. murphy: Well, BDTW was a very straight edge album, where We're Not In This Alone and the last 7" are usually considered after their edge hay day. Personally, I love We're Not In This Alone. And the photos in the insert are priceless.

j. ritter: dude much better record

j. ritter: way better

j. ritter: best sxe of all time

b. murphy: So for the uninitiated, how did the Vallely Barnyard board "change everything?"

j. ritter: it was the first board to have an "even" nose and tail

j. ritter: it was designed by rodney mullen and was extremely innovative

j. ritter: vallely was making insane amounts off of royalties for that board

b. murphy: So it was the board shape not the graphic that you are referring to ...

j. ritter: the graphic is amazing

j. ritter: plus he left powell

j. ritter: that was unheard of

j. ritter: especially to ride for world industries

b. murphy: A virtual no one at that point

j. ritter: exactly

b. murphy: How much would one of those boards run in DS condition? Never mounted, possibly still in the wrapping?

j. ritter: which one?

j. ritter: the vallely

b. murphy: yeah

j. ritter: at least 2gs

j. ritter: id say safely upwards of 3 depending on the day and whatnot

b. murphy: Hot shit. But certainly not the most valuable board going. Do you have any decks that are on par with that?

j. ritter: i mean the first hawk brought 6 gs

j. ritter: hmmm

j. ritter: i have a cat in the hat mini that would bring around 2 at least

j. ritter: my thiebaud hangman i got offered 1700 for

b. murphy: Oh word.

j. ritter: my lee schiffer brought 1300 last time

j. ritter: my gonz elephant people i'm working a deal for and valuing it at around a grand

b. murphy: So you actually own some of your top 5? That's always nice. Any grails out there still?

j. ritter: yeah

j. ritter: the 101 jesus

j. ritter: which ill never get

b. murphy: haha

j. ritter: a natas devilworshipper

j. ritter: jason lee cat in the hat full size and grinch

j. ritter: i'm getting the burger so that is done

b. murphy: One more skateboarding question before I change the subject. Who has the best part in Blind's Video Days?

j. ritter: hah

j. ritter: who doesn't?

j. ritter: why don't you ask an easier one?

j. ritter: yeah i'd agree shiloh greathouse does have the best part in world industries new world order

b. murphy: I only ask hard (or stupid) questions. You should know me

b. murphy: Good answer, good answer.

j. ritter: and it is a shame he served time and lost his skills

j. ritter: i'm impressed you brought that up

b. murphy: You know me dude. I have to keep up my skateboard rep. I don't want people coming down on my tremendous ollie skills

j. ritter: makes sense

b. murphy: Now for the "which would you rather portion ..."

j. ritter: ok shoot

b. murphy: a) be a 12 year old mariano gonz for the rest of your life or b) be a 45 year old Danzig for the rest of your life?

j. ritter: dude 12 year old guy mariano.

j. ritter: easily

j. ritter: man hold on peeps this video of reese forbes (dc native)
j. ritter: http://www.slapmagazine.com/million/vortex2.mov

j. ritter: i used to skate with this cat

b. murphy: Tell your boy to hook me up with some wheat forbes.

b. murphy: Size 12

j. ritter: no not him

j. ritter: the vortex

j. ritter: watch the clip dude, this dude rules

j. ritter: skates in a mexican wrestling outfit

j. ritter: he's from baltimore

b. murphy: Awesome. What's the difference between a mexican and other nationality wrestling outfits? a) 6 week LOJ tour of northern canada to 4 unappreciative audience members a night or b) 6 week 9-5 white collar office job?

j. ritter: 6 week tour

j. ritter: work sucks man

j. ritter: i can't get with that program

b. murphy: I hear that

j. ritter: no you don't your a slave to the man

b. murphy: Yeah, but I like my job. But feel free to take me as a roadie on your UK tour. I'd love to hit up London, et al. a) lose a mcgill nos deck on ebay by $1 or b) lose a hand screened misfits shirt by $1?

j. ritter: which mcgill?

b. murphy: skull and snake ...

j. ritter: you mean like that time casali outbid me on that samhain shirt so he could trade it to me?

b. murphy: yes, just like that

j. ritter: well i'm not to pressed on the skull and snake i mean if it was the jet fighter i'd go crazy

j. ritter: the skull and snake is nice though

b. murphy: What would you trade Casali if he beat you on it by $1? haha

j. ritter: he did beat me

j. ritter: and i had to trade him a four sided blast shirt

j. ritter: ww

j. ritter: i hate casali

b. murphy: If there was zero chance of retribution who's collection would you ransack first a) pusheads or b) skatemuseum.com guy.

j. ritter: skateboardingmuseum.com obviously...oh and for you nerds he works for nike

b. murphy: So if you could only smuggle out what you could hold in your hands would you grab decks or weird sneaker samples?

j. ritter: decks i'm not an idiot

j. ritter: dude the 7 ply mcgill jet fighter in gold is sick

b. murphy: Yeah, true, true. Even with the recent insane price of sneakers, those decks still fetch way more.

j. ritter: and are cooler

j. ritter: what do you do with a shoe?

j. ritter: wear it and throw it away

j. ritter: art is timeless man

b. murphy: Some would put the shoe in a special glass case with four hundred silica packets and call it art ...

j. ritter: hmmm

j. ritter: i guess it is subjective

j. ritter: they are both functional

j. ritter: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7170361826&category=16263&rd=1

j. ritter: look at that though

j. ritter: would you rather have that...or a player edition jordan 10 with the 23 sewn in the back

b. murphy: I prefer my Jordans to be 7 or less.

j. ritter: obviously, just saying

j. ritter: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7168152748&category=16263&rd=1

j. ritter: thats the one i'm trading for

b. murphy: that's a quality deck

j. ritter: id like to think that was a shot at vallely over the barnyard since it was a pro veg board

j. ritter: you know "please don't eat my friends" and all

b. murphy: "Dude, I'll give you a hundred bucks and take you out to benihana's if you slide that 75 foot long handrail. I'll give you 600 tries"

b. murphy: "I'll be back next week"

j. ritter: hahaha

j. ritter: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7170519600&category=16263&rd=1

j. ritter: i wanted that

j. ritter: it is destroyed

b. murphy: That board is busted. You just want those DTS rails.

j. ritter: dude its NATAS

b. murphy: Wow. All right man. I'm going to change the subject back to hardcore. How was touring the country with Lights Out, Justice, all those bands?

b. murphy: Embarrassing stories?

j. ritter: it was cool

j. ritter: um big mosh got high a lot

b. murphy: Haha, that's not really an embarrassing story though

j. ritter: we just chilled in the sun

b. murphy: Yo any other embarrassing stories you can drop on us?

j. ritter: hmmm i'm trying to think

b. murphy: take your time

j. ritter: a woman threw an egg at us at a chinese restaurant

b. murphy: hard boiled, poached, scrambled, ...? Why?

j. ritter: hard boiled i think

j. ritter: well we went there to eat

j. ritter: and i ordered and never got my food

j. ritter: well it turns out they gave mine to someone else that was with us...he ordered something different

j. ritter: and she said that we always come in there and try and pull this trick

j. ritter: well even if he ate my food that means he never got his food

j. ritter: so i never ate

j. ritter: and i argued with them for like 10 minutes to get my money

j. ritter: and they kept screaming at us that we always come in there and do this

j. ritter: mind you its california and we're from the east coast

b. murphy: Dude, I heard "you were ALWAYS in there doing that shit."

b. murphy: haha

j. ritter: so as we leave she says something to someone and then hits big mosh with an egg

b. murphy: HAHA

j. ritter: yeah it ruled

j. ritter: i dunno if i am supposed to leak embarrassing stories

j. ritter: i mean i fall off the stage a lot

j. ritter: but that isn't to funny

b. murphy: Funny for us, not so funny for you.

b. murphy: Yo, let's wrap this up. Anybody you need to shout out? Any merch/band/stuff you push? ...

j. ritter: um

j. ritter: i need to shout out lockin out, youngblood, lights out (for taking us on tour), justice, mental, dennis, 85, big mosh, travis, Big Rick Dawg, and i'm sure i'm supposed to shout out others but whatever..oh yeah you dudes for helping us out all the time...everyone ever

j. ritter: set to explode, 86 mentality, fucked with a knife, dude love

j. ritter: some others

b. murphy: who is Set to Explode?

j. ritter: dave byrds new band with tad and jon m

b. murphy: Jon? Was that the dude from For The Living?

j. ritter: nope he was in the Aftermath

j. ritter: great band

j. ritter: and no justice for a while

b. murphy: gotcha

j. ritter: yeah

b. murphy: Ok, well, thanks dude. That's it.

j. ritter: tight

Archived Interviews

Over here at HYE, we are getting with the times. I am now updating how we store our interviews. All archived interviews can be found here. All new archives will appear in this blog format. Thanks.