BDx13
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Finally... Deathwish Inc. signs Starkweather
Official press release:
Deathwish Inc. has added seminal Philadelphia outfit Starkweather to their roster. According to the label, "We are proud to announce that Deathwish
Inc. is now the label home to Philadelphia's legendary Starkweather. Arguably one of the most important and influential bands in heavy music, we are
truly honored to be working with Starkweather on a variety of upcoming releases."
Meanwhile, the band has provided the following details:
"It's been a long four years since our last release. In that time we've been to Europe, played some spectacular and not so spectacular shows in the
States, and have written over two albums worth of new material in the bunker. After fulfilling a contractual obligation, we're finally ready to
announce that we've signed with Jacob Bannon's Deathwish Inc. With a nearly two decade relationship, this union seemed like the next logical step for
the sometimes difficult and idiosyncratic guys in Starkweather. Having known us for as long as he has, Jake is well aware of how obstinate, eccentric,
and protective we are of what we do.
"Our first release on Deathwish will be a split release with the colossal Overmars from France. Our contributions to the album are 'Armed Memory,' a
seven and a half minute long jagged and aggressive song in the vein of 'Machine Rhythm Confessional' from Croatoan and the second song 'Nightmare
Factory,' a Black Sabbath by way of Fear Of God meeting Ved Buens Ende dirge that courses nearly 14 minutes. 'Nightmare' was planned to appear on
Croatoan but the version we recorded was subpar and thusly shelved. Both songs for the split were recorded October 11-13 at DeadVerse Studio in Union
City, New Jersey under the unflinching eye of Alap Momin. Both songs are dense, claustrophobic, and evoke the paranoia that fueled their writing;
containing layer upon layer of guitar, vocals that ebb and flow with the twisting rhythmic passages, and the near telekinetic foundation of the Rosa
brothers backline. As a nerdy side note, there was no click track, no beat detective, and no vocal tuning; the drum tracks are one continuous take
with us playing together in the live room. A release date and other specifics will be announced soon.
"Our next release on Deathwish, This Sheltering Night, was actually recorded before the split with Overmars at various sessions throughout 2007-2008
at DeadVerse Studios. This is six Starkweather songs ('Bustuari,' 'Epiphany,' 'All Creatures Damned And Divine,' 'Broken From Inside,' 'Martyring,'
and 'One Among Vermin') and features soundscape interludes created by artist and musician Elizabeth Jacobs, under her guise as Sophia Perennis, and
Oktopus from Dalek. The entire album can be played as one continuous 73:41 piece or as separate tracks. A release date and other specifics will also
be announced soon. In the pipeline: Split CD with Singapore's Little Girl Terrorist (featuring the 30+ minute long Drug Holiday) that will be
available on Swarm of Nails Records. (Artwork for the Little Girl Terrorist split will be provided by Alex Eckman-Lawn); A split CD with Cali
grindcore mavens thousandswilldie that will showcase a slightly different dimension in sound. Featuring a song that carries a spacious Pink Floyd
aesthetic crossing angular dissonances of Deathspell Omega and Ved Buens Endes/Virus. This clocks in at about 15 minutes. Both songs will be recorded
at DeadVerse Studio in October; Another full length that we have 3 full songs written for and an overwhelming amount of other material to pull from."
www.myspace.com/starkweather666
If I fail math, there goes my chance at a good job and a happy life full of hard work.
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SHAKO KEN
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i hope this will work out better for them, they seemed to have problems with their previous label almost from the start.
i'm very curious about the new songs.
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moron
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Im excited. I want to hear some new Starkweather!
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morgan
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| Quote: | Originally posted by moron
Im excited. I want to hear some new Starkweather! |
Support the arts, shoot a rapper.
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SHAKO KEN
Member
Posts: 272
Registered: 6-2-2005
Location: lowlands
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Mood: cynic
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for shits and giggles, here's jake bannon interviewing todd back in '92:
| Quote: | Originally published in Yesterday's News #2 - 1992
interview by Jacob Bannon
Let's start off on past members. The last time people around here heard from you, Starkweather had a second guitarist, and your old drummer…
Todd: Well, the lineup right now is Todd on guitar, Rennie on vocals, Harry on drums, and Michelle on bass. We did have a second guitarist… it was the
second time we tried it… it just doesn't work. For one thing the four of us get along so well that anyone else in the band seems like kind of an
outsider. We changed drummers because our old drummer was a fucking crybaby.
He played on the demo right?
Todd: He also played four songs on the record… Harry's a much better drummer than Glenn was an also we just hate anything that reminds us of that
asshole.
How have shows been lately, the scene in Philly, etc.?
Todd: Philly's completely dead. It's a shame because a lot of bands from out of state help us out and we have nothing to offer. All we have down here
is straightedge and hare Krishna because Shelter lives down here. They dance down the middle of Philly every Saturday, that's all bullshit. Fuck them.
Actually I shouldn't wreck straightedge and that scene, we seem to go over okay with them.
I see Starkweather on lots of straightedge playlists next to Lifetime and Strife all the time.
Todd: That's weird… we played a show in Syracuse NY… for one thing I was like 12 or 13 years older than almost everyone in the club, it was the
straightedge vegan type of crowd. At that show we felt more like outsiders than we ever felt at a show before… we just go to the show to play and
these people like all dressed up in their straightedge uniforms, their baggy pants, etc. We just felt like total outsiders. It's kind of weird feeling
like an outsider in a scene that I was part of when it started.
Who did you play with in Syracuse?
Todd: We played with Prema, Resurrection… Conviction, who were cool guys. It was a really happy scene, real young and everything. It seems that when
we play in places that aren't as depressed, or shut down, the people aren't into us as much. The night before that we played in Troy, NY and it seemed
like a pretty tough town, real dark looking… and we seemed to go over pretty well. People could relate to us more, but in Syracuse people just stared
at us, like they've never seen something like us before. I don't know if that's good or bad.
One thing I've noticed around here is that at "old school" shows people are trying to be better than the other guy but at "new school" shows kids just
go off to have a good time… all that kind of seesaws now with shit talking, etc.
Todd: When we play live I think we are a lot like you guys (Converge), I'm not really aware of what's going on in the crowd, I just focus on playing
or whatever. I can tell if they're into it or not but as far as specific things… I can't see what is going on in the crowd.
What are the best places for Starkweather to play?
Todd: It seems like we are liked more in places that do not have as much opportunity. Places like Brooklyn, Troy was pretty good. We've also played
out on Long Island… people will sit outside for hours rather than watching the show. It was like 15 degrees outside last time we were there. They will
pay like nine or 10 bucks to see like three unknown bands. Artie does shows a lot out there… everybody went off and we also got paid pretty well. The
only place that really doesn't respect us as a band is Philly. I guess it's the same for a lot of bands and where they are from. Out of state is
better for us.
All that travel comes down to money…
Todd: We play just for gas money, that's it. When we went up to Troy, NY I ended up driving like 700 miles, but we played for people that we never
played to before. Those are the places that matter, the little places. It's cool to be known in NYC but it's in those little towns where the people
are dedicated. They are less likely to go for what's popular at the moment.
They aren't the ones waiting for the next Biohazard show to roll through, they couldn't give a shit. Since you guys are almost considered a Brooklyn
band, because you're so well accepted there, what bands are good out of there?
Todd: I love Confusion, every song they write is so catchy, they stay in your head. I like Darkside a lot, they're just a better version of Sheer
Terror, ha, ha. Merauder… you know who is really good is Prospect, they are kind of like Quicksand in a way. They are all so cool to us. We wouldn't
have gotten anywhere without the support of the Brooklyn bands and people. I still like Boston, we haven't been up there in a while. We still love
playing there. We were sloppy as shit last time we played out there.
No you weren't, I have the video from it, just one fuck up.
Todd: We were a fucking mess… that was a long drive home, that's for sure, ha, ha. You can't understand how pissed off I was, though. I felt bad about
leaving but you can't even understand how pissed I was. Usually driving back from a show isn't that bad, but if you think you fucking bombed, six or
seven hours is horrible on the way home… especially when you know you have to go to work the next day.
What bands influence you now?
Todd: This will sound like I'm fucking with you, but the new Converge tape is fucking awesome, Rennie's still taping it for people… it's got to be
getting around. The God Machine, they are a really interesting band, I can't even begin to describe them. Really heavy, but not in a metal kind of
way. All the Brooklyn bands, I like this band Tiamat a lot. They are kind of like Mercyful Fate.
I've noticed that metal has gotten better, it's broken off from cheesier shit and… it has a lot more hardcore influence in it too.
Todd: Like the greatest band on the fucking earth, Fear of God. That came out a couple of years ago at least and I still listen to it all the time.
Rennie and I listen to a lot of the same stuff… some strange stuff like Sade and Swerve driver. Michelle listens to Sonic Youth and that type of stuff
a lot. Harry listens to a lot of technical metal. Harry's still in his other band Netherworld, they're that type of band.
What releases does Starkweather have out?
Todd: We have an 11-song CD coming out, it will have two songs that aren't on the LP plus a song from the demo, and remakes of "Tumult" and "Rest the
Soul". It has a 16-page booklet, etc. It will be out soon, hopefully. We're going to be on the "East Coast Assault" compilation. That should be out by
the time this interview is out. Jim from Reform fanzine is doing a comp too, he said he has like 13 bands so far. We have a 7" coming out in France.
Also we are going to be on a 7" comp put out by this German newspaper/fanzine called The Ox.
What do you think about all these anti-major label bands, etc.?
Todd: Well, it seems to me that it was started by people that don't work 40 hours a week and have no idea how expensive it is being in a band. Today,
in fact, I added up what I spent on the band out of my own pocket. It came out to be around $7300 between buying equipment, fixing equipment, paying
for rentals, you name it. It seems to me that the people that are the most comfortable are the ones that have the most time to sit around and yell
about shit. All I can say is try working 40 hours and practicing a few days a week, and driving 700 miles on a weekend to play your hearts out and
then try telling me it's not worth something. No one has the right to call me a sellout, all I want to do is break even for a change. I'm doing what
the fuck I love.
What are your feelings on straightedge and vegetarianism in hardcore compared to when it first started?
Todd: I think it's ridiculous, it's like a little male bonding club or something. I think if you really mean it, and you really want to do it, you
just shut the fuck up and do it, period. I've been straightedge for like 12 years, and do I wear X's on my hands or yell at people for what they do?
No, I just shut my fucking mouth. If it means that much to you then keep it inside, and live your life that way. Most of these hardline fuckers are
that way until they're old enough to drink. Or they go away to college and become fucking burnouts because it's the thing to do. South Jersey is
famous for that. If straightedge means that much to you then keep it in your heart, not on the backs of your hands. Just think about how many burnouts
out there are walking around with an X tattooed somewhere on their body.
I agree with you, I think I'm the only person around here with a straightedge tattoo that is still straightedge.
Todd: I'm not part of any scene, you know, so I don't give a fuck about it dividing up a scene or something like that. I'll be damned if some fucking
14-year-old is going to preach to me about all that. I was vegetarian for a really long time, then I ended up having no place to live, so I ended up
living on the streets of Philly. Then when I finally got a place to stay again, I still had no money, so I ate what was offered to me. When you have
to deal with everyday life in that way you have to reassess your values. If it's a choice of either going hungry or eating a hamburger, eat the
fucking hamburger. It becomes a matter of survival.
That really pisses me off when someone says you're "not supposed to eat an animal" when in fact we have natural characteristics that show that we are
made to. It's more of a moral or humane decision, not a natural food chain right and wrong…
Todd: I don't have really anything bad to say about being a vegetarian. If you can live that way, that's great. People that preach should just let me
live my own life. I hate bands that preach, I fucking hate them. It's always these people that have these empty lives that have to latch onto
something so they can feel like part of something. They scream and they scream, with no heart behind it. Because you always see them a couple years
down the road into something else. I kind of feel bad now because I'm older than most of these people that listen to hardcore, and I hate to say it,
but I just don't have the patience to deal with most of them anymore. Just do what you do… to me if you want to be powerful in something, there's
nothing more powerful than what comes form your heart.
What about religion?
Todd: That's a subject that I really don't have anything to do with. My parents never forced me to go to church or anything, it just doesn't affect my
day to day life. If people want to believe in god that's fine, but I believe in myself, that's it. I believe that when you die you rot in the fucking
mud. I can't say that I know for a fact that's what's going to happen, but I'm worrying about what I do day to day. I try to live my life as clean as
possible… fuck over as little people as possible, do what I think is right. I don't give a fuck, you know, this is y life and I'm not going to live it
for anyone else. Oh, Jesus, that sounds like some young straightedge kid. As far as religion goes I like some of the imagery, like what Rennie uses in
his lyrics. Michelle, the bass player, is my girlfriend, I've gone out with her for like seven years, and I don't need church to tell me not to cheat
on her or beat her up. That's common sense. I know what's right and wrong, and I don't need to e told what I already know.
I believe that religion is just a scapegoat for people that are weak.
Todd: I agree. People should stand up for themselves and live life for yourself. Those straightedge people really get me wound up, same goes for the
people that call us metal. God forgive Starkweather for sounding metal… Starkweather is four people…
Starkweather is just music. There's hardcore, there's metal, there's this and that, but somewhere in the mix is Starkweather. It's a sound all in its
own and it's going to influence tons of people. If someone doesn't get into Starkweather after hearing them they just aren't alive. It just dug
something up form inside of me…
Todd: It's so fucking cool hearing that. We did this interview in this fanzine in California called Curious Goods and he asked us what it felt like
playing our songs live, because he said every time he listens to the record it affects him emotionally. I told him that playing is like a fucking
exorcism…
That's completely true. That record got me through the worst time in my life. It was all I listened to, it was like a therapy session. The record
influenced me in such a way that it's strange. It just carves away at all the shit inside of you, you don't even need the lyrics to feel this, just
listen to it. It is such a fucking trip and it just takes you somewhere in your head.
Todd: There are certain songs we play where my mind will start playing almost like a movie, in my head. When we play "Rest the Soul", like, I know
what that song is about. It's about Rennie's grandfather, after the death of his grandfather his whole family went haywire… I guess his ashes were
scattered over the ocean, and I just get this image of being out on Cape Cod standing up on these dunes, it's really gray and really windy. I get the
same image in my head every time we play the song. Something just short circuits and I'm not even thinking anymore about what I'm doing. I just can't
even put it into words.
The Starkweather following right now is just so sincere, and is so into it if you look out one time while you're playing you would see people just
screaming at the top of their lungs. It brings out all the darkness inside of you. All the fucked up things you've thought of, all the times you
thought you were going insane are brought out in the open, whether they like it or not.
Something happens to me mentally when I listen to Starkweather.
Todd: That's one impression that I want to make… I want to skip right past rational thought and go right to people's hearts so they're not reacting in
a way everybody thinks they should react. They're just having a pure reaction. Every once in awhile I think we hit that and it's just the most
powerful feeling…
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