The Inquisition - POLICE & THIEVES

My first exposure to Police & Thieves must have been back near the end of 2006. I stumbled across them on myspace of all places and liked what I heard. A few months later a band mate of mine at the time, John Riley, joined P&T and I started really paying attention to them. My old band and P&T played a show back in Jan of '08 with Cloak/Dagger as well. P&T are great live and absolutely the nicest guys in the world. They have played with pretty much any band worth playing in the HC community, and I personally have seen them play with Fucked Up, Disfear, and many more. Keep your eye on these dudes.
-Mr. Mogul

History in Their Words:

We began in Aug 2005, a few months after my old band Worn Thin broke up. Police & thieves was an idea I had as Worn Thin was winding down. A few months prior to our breakup I had seen our bassist Rich at a show and mentioned I wanted to start a side project that would be influenced by the "Revolution Summer" bands as well as Dag Nasty "Can I Say" era. I wanted it to be departure from my old band both lyrically and musically.



The Inquisition:

1. Why are you in a band?
Because making music and playing in a punk band is a lot of fun.
Growing up in DC it's something that has always been a huge influence
in my life.

2. Do you consider your band successful?
For me making music that I enjoy with good friends is what I consider
successful, so yes.

3. What are you currently listening to?
Ryan Adams, Mindset, Antony & The Johnsons, Control, Savageland, Obits
and the new Cloak/Dagger

4. Who are your primary musical influences and do you think they are obvious?
As a kid I grew up listening to the Beatles, U2 and Metallica and then
I discovered Dischord and that changed my life and how I looked at
music. Some of my favorite bands are Embrace, Rites of Spring, Minor
Threat and Dag Nasty.

5. What other band(s) are out there that we should be listening to?
There's so many good local DC area bands such as Give, Fine Lines,
Timber, Lost Again, The Mostly Dead, Archenion and the Scare.

6. As a band, what was your best show/experience yet?
Last spring we played at this house in Wheaton, MD called the Vermont
Hurler with Mindset and Timber, it was the perfect size for us and the
crowd was really energetic. There's a video of it on our MySpace page,
it was a good time.

7. What was your worst show/experience?
I would say the worst show experience was when we played Pittsburgh
several months ago. The kid who did the show was super cool but the
show was running behind schedule and it was a Sunday night and we had
a long drive ahead of us back to dc, as well as we all had to work
Monday morning. So it wasn't a bad show, because that was fun, it was
more the way the show was organized and run that could have been done
better.

8. What's your writing process like?
Well our original guitar player Michael just quit the band back in
December, so everything we wrote was with him. The way we wrote with
him was he and Rich our bassist would bring ideas for songs into
practice and then we would all build on it adding our individual
parts. Once Sean our new guitar player learns all the songs, we will
start writing for a new record that we hope will see the light of day
by the summer.

9. Do you see yourselves still doing this in 10 years? Why?
I could see myself still in a band, not sure what kind, but being in a
band is so much fun that I can't see why I would stop doing it.

10. Are there any shows or releases you want to pimp?
P&T Next show: Charm City Art Space, Baltimore MD. W/ Runier & Final Fight
POLICE & THIEVES on myspace

The Inquisition - RUMPLESTILTSKIN GRINDER

History Not in Their Words
"After forming from the ashes of earlier bands Solace in the Shadows, Evil Divine, and XXX Maniac, the members of Pennsylvania neo-thrashers Rumpelstiltskin Grinder dared to mix thrash metal and comedy lyrics on their 2005 Relapse Records debut, Buried in the Front Yard. This is usually a heavy metal no-no (just ask the members of original, ill-fated case study Scatterbrain), but it's unlikely Rumpelstiltskin Grinder singer Jason Sidote, guitarists Matt Moore and Ryan Moll, bassist Shawn Riley, and drummer Pat Battaglia would be perturbed by such statistics." Allmusic.com




The Inquisition:

1. Why are you in a band?
We all die. I careen towards my death by playing guitar, rocking, partying, driving, hanging out with dudes/chicks, screaming, walking around, sitting around, laughing, saying funny stuff, and drinking. I don’t understand why some people are “not” in bands.

2. Do you consider your band successful?
We are underground but those who know of us get into it and that’s 100% who I play for. We definitely think in the long term and only care about making metal that is timeless. We create and play a distinct and excellent expression of metal. Our albums and shows are what we mean them to be.


3. What are you currently listening to?
Here’s some stuff I’ve been listening to the past few weeks:
Satyricon – Nemesis Divina
Dead Can Dance – The Serpents Egg
Mercyful Fate – 9
Disfear – Live the Storm
Vinterland – Welcome My Last Chapter
Ministry – Psalm 69
Revenant – Prophecies of a Dying World
Naglfar – Vittra
Blind Guardian – Somewhere Far Beyond
King Diamond – Them

4. Who are your primary musical influences and do you think they are obvious?
I think we’ve been able to like the bands like and be inspired by their awesomeness while not lifting much from them. We do have a trilogy of songs on our new record “Living For Death, Destroying the Rest” which may have something to do with how much we love King Diamond, but lyrically it’s less of a horror story and more about an epic rebellion. I do view metal as a ritualistic thing. I don’t take it too seriously, but good metal makes you go insane…the same way a good tribal dance can make some shaman go literally crazy and access radical parts of the human mind. “Graveyard Vandalization” to me has a twist on a Morbid Angel “Chapel of Ghouls” feel. “Darkness Never Ending” is a conglomeration of Emperor, Satyricon, Immortal, Dark Funeral, and Mayhem attributed riffage. Lot’s of faster speed metal shit mixed with bone crunching parts. We can’t avoid blackening our riffs to the highest degree.

5. What other band(s) are out there that we should be listening to?
Gloominous Doom, Woe (I play here), Cardinal Sin (old Swedish ex-Dissection band), X-Cops, Dust is Everywhere, Revenant, Unsane, Vinterland…and Manowar….nonstop and at full volume.

6. As a band, what was your best show/experience yet?
We just played a Philly Thrash Fest that was fucking great. Philly has a ton of really good thrash bands. I put together a comp called “Philly Thrash Brigade” and there was an 8 band fest that brought Philly’s fastest out for a nonstop circle pit. The entire Philly scene is totally underground and a true party. This town has missed the mark musically for a long time but now there is some righteous hanging out going on.

7. What was your worst show/experience?
Walking onto a stage in Connecticut seconds before playing and realizing my Les Paul was in Boston. Still played with a backup …but Fuck. The night before in Boston we played with Deceased. We went with those dudes to a billiards bar, got more trashed, challenged those guys to a basketball game, and harassed the locals. Little did I know my guitar had run off somewhere.

8. What's your writing process like?
If someone plays or says an idea that makes the rest of us laugh insanely or frown in approval we will expertly forge and craft it into what will eventually become a song. If we are hanging out with instruments and someone presents a stupid idea we berate and humiliate the offending dude. We really anticipate what the other guys are going to like or hate and create stuff that is gonna be good to all of us.

9. Do you see yourselves still doing this in 10 years? Why?
I'm 27 and have been doing it full on for 15 years. If I happen to live 10 more then I’ll be playing.

10. Are there any shows or releases you want to pimp?
New record “Living For Death, Destroying The Rest”…basically we’ve completely nullified the thrash resurgence by making something that is actually “original”.
(Note: In real life I’m not actually an asshole)

The Inquisition - DEFEATER

I saw Defeater play in the basement of a show house in DC called the Girl Cave in January. They were quite clearly the biggest band I've seen play in a house, and I'm not talking about popularity or height(although truth be told Derick is pretty tall.) They controlled the floor like pros on a national stage. With blistering riffs, screamed vocals (despite the PA problems), and quite possibly the tightest, most proficient (and goddamn interesting) drummer I've seen in a punk or hardcore band for a long time. They have a large label sponsored tour coming up, but Mike still took the time to have his flesh torn to shreds under the rusty knives of the inquisition. - Mr. Mogul

History in Their Words:
We are a bunch of guys that have all played in a lot of bands. This is the band we play in now, I think most of us would say it's our favorite.








The Inquisition:

1. Why are you in a band?
To make art. To try and quell my creative yearning. To be able to share good experiences with the people closest to me. To leave a mark.

2. Do you consider your band successful?
Yes. We came up with a goal which was to make a record we are all very proud of and that's not an easy thing to do. We get emails from people saying they love the record, a kid at our last show said we were his favorite band. That kind of thing just never gets old, I can't think of a better way to define success.

3. What are you currently listening to?
Like right right now? I'm listening to Attack in Black hoping that third time is also a charm. In general I've been on a huge Jawbreaker and Jets to Brazil kick recently. I went to get a Jawbreaker tattoo last week, and I passed out in the middle of it and cracked my head on the floor. Probably should have mentioned that I am a touch needle phobic. That's life.

4. Who are your primary musical influences and do you think they are obvious?
At the Drive In, Botch, Converge, Fugazi, Rival Schools.

5. What other band(s) are out there that we should be listening to?
It's crazy, everyone in the band listens to some of the same core of bands but I don't think any of us share a favorite band. In the hardcore genre Blacklisted, Modern Life is War, Verse, and Narrows are all awesome bands. On tour it's a whole different story, I know we are all hooked on The Hold Steady, Radiohead, Russian Circles, Elliott, Rocky Votolato, The Exit, Cancer Conspiracy. I guess it's probably not all super obvious stuff. I just like honest music done well.

6. As a band, what was your best show/experience yet?
Our 2nd show was in Burlington Vt, It was with I Rise who are good friends of ours and there weren't tons of kids there so we didn't really know what to expect. But then we started playing and every kid there went mental.

7. What was your worst show/experience?
No Idea. Not every show is a winner, but I'm never going to shit on a show that would have us play even if it ended up sucking.

8. What's your writing process like?
Usually a song starts forming in my head and I try to write the whole thing in my mind before I touch my guitar. The finished product usually varies greatly from what originally conceptualized but it's a good way to know what you want out of the song before you just start hammering out random riffs and linking them together.

9. Do you see yourselves still doing this in 10 years? Why?
Yes and No. I assume I will be very involved with music 10 years from now. It would be awesome to think that Defeater will still be around, but that's to say we are all wanting the same things. Just like I try to see the end of a song before I write the beginning I feel the same way about the life of the band. I have really big things planned, but when it's time to go it's time to go.

10. Are there any shows or releases you want to pimp? Make Do And Mend's Bodies Of Water EP is awesome, and their drummer Matt is a decent podcast interviewer.

The Inquisition - TRIGGER EFFECT

The first time I heard about Trigger Effect, Kurt had mentioned them to me in passing. Next thing I know, we get a show offer with them. They thoroughly rocked the shit out of the place. They are gearing up for a tour of Europe in March. Nick sat down and spent some time seriously contemplating the whips and iron spikes of The Inquisition - Mr. Mogul

History in Their Words:
In keeping with their mystique, Trigger Effect have supplied no history. They just seem to exist. Very Zen.










The Inquisition:

1. Why are you in a band?
I'm in it for the chicks, cheese and crackers. also because its a good excuse to not work.

2. Do you consider your band successful?
Extremely successful. We're like moguls of audio real estate. I eat chicken dinner off a naked 10-year olds back every night.

3. What are you currently listening to?
The coasters. They are the best band ever. They knuckle your head before you count to fauwah.

4. Who are your primary musical influences and do you think they are obvious?

For me personally, bro, me I'm like a mix of the fashion sensibilities of Michael Jackson, the luck and charm of Gloria Ramirez and the vocal precision of tiny Tim. I think it shows. The rest of the guys are equally influenced by equal parts stupid and ugly. Duh.

5. What other band(s) are out there that we should be listening to?
The coasters, M.I.A., Dion and the Belmonts and megalomaniac by KMFDM. Make me a mashup. Oh, and Nazareth. Fucking Nazareth, man.

6. As a band, what was your best show/experience yet?
Maybe that time we circled the wagons with Death Virginia in Wasaga Beach, or that time we played 45 shows in 48 days and drank way more than 1000 beers between Quebec and California, or that time i farted at a waitress.

7. What was your worst show/experience?
Either that time i snapped my tooth in half at LBH, or that time we drove 24 hours straight home from thunder bay in the winter with no heat. Or all those times i ate too much rageohol and told everyone i hated them.

8. What's your writing process like?
Pat comes up with a bunch of parts like "chaggadagameedlooo..." and everyone's like shut up pat and then Sergio thinks up a bit like "brrrrrrrrrrogodogodogodogodogodo" and everyone's like what the fuck was that then i bring in a badangdang that's all like "raaaaahhhmanamanamanahooooeee" and everyone's like meuhhhhhhh then Jordan busts out a little "looodiloodidodilooo" and everyone's like who the fuck is Jordan and then mike makes a bunch of huffing sounds with his stupid fat mouth. At some point we do it all at the same time, and then other people call it music.

9. Do you see yourselves still doing this in 10 years? Why?
No way. Our innate talents will be so valuable and we ourselves will be so internationally influential by that time that we won't be permitted to even consider making music anymore. If we did there would be a nuclear holocaust over who gets the distro license and publishing. In ten years we will only be allowed to hang out in our very specifically shaped, very luxurious , and of course very technologically advanced Manoir Turbo. I'll be on the roof of wing Skinfried sipping whiskey sours with my various pet lemurs.

10. Are there any shows or releases you want to pimp?
yes. we're releasing a split vinyl EP real soon... like REAL SOON and we're going to commit savagery on like 10 european countries in march. blap. Booya.

The Inquisition - CLOAK/DAGGER

I heard about Cloak/Dagger, out of Richmond VA, after their 7"on Grave Mistake Records, and listened to a few of the tunes. Then "We Are" came out and I was hooked. And rightly so, it seemed that Album was on everyone's mind in '07. My old band had the opportunity to play with them in Jan of '07, and they killed. Seen them a few times in '08, most notably playing with one of our other favs, Fucked Up. Jason took the time out to get strapped in to the painful rack that is The Inquisition. -MR. Mogul

History in Their Words:
We started out with no goals and we wanted to do a band for fun and maybe play a show here and there. We recorded a demo and it went over well so we decided to play some shows. After that we recorded a 7" for Grave Mistake and did some weekend tours and some short tours on the east coast after our record came out with the help of Paint It Black, Government Warning and New Mexican Disaster Squad. We signed to Jade Tree and recorded our full length in Kentucky with Chris Owens of Lords who rules and has a dirty true punk studio with the best skate park I've ever been to or seen close by. Jade Tree put out our full length and we had the great idea of jumping right into touring at age 30 and we lost A LOT of money. We toured the US and no one knew about the tour, we toured Europe and some people knew about the tour, we toured Canada and some people knew about the tour and after more weekends and The Fest we flew to the UK and it was nice to see some people knew about the tour.


The Inquisition:

1. Why are you in a band?
I love to travel, to play shows and the process of writing and recording these songs. When we started I wanted to be in a band I thought was fun and that I thought was a challenge to be in and this definitely has been. I'm very proud of everything we've done so far.

2. Do you consider your band successful?
We have had a lot of positive feedback from people that we look up to and respect that like this band and what we've done and that means a lot to me. On the other hand we have lost a lot of money and not every show we play has people going crazy but I would still consider us a minor success. For this band to be "successful" monetary wise we would have to come back from tour with money for rent and that hasn't happened yet but that's not the goal.

3. What are you currently listening to?
Sonic Youth, The Shitty Limits, Taxi, The Saints.

4. Who are your primary musical influences and do you think they are obvious?
I would say Black Flag and Hot Snakes and they are pretty obvious. We don't directly sound like either of them but they are definitely an influence on us and people can usually tell. I dressed up like Henry on Halloween when we played Alabama and my costume ruled.

5. What other band(s) are out there that we should be listening to?
The Shitty Limits, Wasted Time, The Ladies, Marked Men.

6. As a band, what was your best show/experience yet?
We played Milan when we toured Europe and everyone knew the words and it was non stop crazy with stage dives, moshing, people dancing and not moshing dancing but really dancing and people breathing fire in the back of the room. That's all you can ask for.

7. What was your worst show/experience?
We played Berlin on that same tour and everyone got too drunk to play except me since I don't drink. Our bass player at the time Adam fell off the stage which was about 4 feet tall face first and it was bad. I was the only one that noticed. After that we argued on stage about stopping and then kept playing. There was about 300 people there and we sold one 7" before we played. After the bad show we got rushed out since there was going to be a dance party later and on the way back to the hostel Adam almost got jumped by three Germans. It just wasn't a good night.

8. What's your writing process like?
Collin our one and only guitarist writes all the songs and then he shows us at practice. Matt our bass player records them and sends me mp3's and then I obsess over every word when I write lyrics to them in my car. We really try to make it a point to not over analyze or spend too much time on songs but I can't help it. We all work out the kinks by playing the songs a lot. We have recorded a lot of songs that didn't work out but we like to try to give everything a fair chance.

9. Do you see yourselves still doing this in 10 years? Why?
Definitely not. I think that there's a time and a place for everything and that's what makes hardcore and punk a genuine thing. There's no reason for Minor Threat to be a band right now and I'll never see them as much as I would love to but maybe that's a good thing. When it's time for us to break up and when we run out of ideas or things stop being fun I'll be ready to call it a day.

10. Are there any shows or releases you want to pimp?
We are taking a break from playing shows to record another lp sometime soon. We have a two song 7" coming out on Jade Tree in the next month or so and our friend Dave Brown has a photo book called Adult Crash that comes with a 7" where we covered a Warzone song that is out now. Thanks for reading and thanks to you.

The Inquisition - U.S. CHRISTMAS

I first heard about U.S. Christmas midway through last year when my band got the chance to play with them. After listening to a few tunes and ultimately watching their set, I decided these dudes rule. Nate and Matt kindly took the time out of their busy schedules to undergo the watery hell that is The Inquisition. -Mr. Mogul


History in Their Words:
Been together going on seven years, all original members, no firings/dismissals or any such bullshit, only additions. Lineup is: Nate, Chad, Ben, Matt, Tim, and John. Put out three cds of our own, plus a bunch of live bootlegs. Russian Record label RAIG put out Salt The Wound for us a few years back, then we did a 4 song EP and full length album (Eat The Low Dogs) on Neurot last year. One of our guys, Chad Davis, has also done a lot of work in other bands. His metal band Hour of 13 put out a record that got named one of the top 25 albums of 2008 by Decibel Magazine. We're working on a lot of new stuff now.

The Inquisition:

1. Why are you in a band?
(Nate) So I can play guitar.
(Matt) To make music that I want to hear.

2. Do you consider your band successful?
(Nate) We exceeded everything we ever hoped to accomplish a long time ago, so yes, I think we have been successful. We have also been very fortunate to work with the labels that support us. In fact,I've already done pretty much everything I wanted to do with my life, and a lot of that was a result of being in this band.
(Matt) Yes we are very successful, in that what we do is for us and personally I love being in US Christmas, it lets me create, and has no limitations. And if anyone else happens to dig what we do then it's a bonus.

3. What are you currently listening to?
(Nate) Grateful Dead.
(Matt) At this moment Ray Charles Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music.

4. Who are your primary musical influences and do you think they are obvious?
(Nate) My primary influences are mostly classic rock from the 60s and 70s (Neil Young, Bob Dylan, Hendrix, SRV etc.) There is a band from Idaho called Caustic Resin that is more of a contemporary influence. I think Brett Netson, who plays guitar in that band, is one of the best guitar players alive right now. And Neurosis is a big influence, both musically and personally. However, I don't think these influences are obvious, because the knee-jerk critical reaction has always been: USX are Hawkwind/Monster Magnet clones. The truth is, John, Tim, Matt and I had never heard any Hawkwind until Chad Davis joined the band in 2004. The next critic who asserts (rather than opines) that we are Hawkwind clones is likely to get a visit from me. To be clear, it is fair enough to say we sound like Hawkwind or Monster Magnet, they are good bands and I take that as a compliment. And both of those bands are a big influence on our band member Chad Davis, who is a great musician and multi-instrumentalist. And we have recently recorded some Hawkwind tracks for a collaborative project. But I know the music that inspired me to contribute to this band, and I know for a fact it wasn't those two bands. As I told one peckerhead this summer, I know more about my band than any critic in the world.

(Matt) Hawkwind, no just kidding, I would have to say Ministry, the first time i heard them it changed my life, then the same thing happened to me the first time I saw Neurosis, completely mind bending, have never been the same since that day. I always was into stuff like Voivod and Faith No More, Suicidal Tendencies...just a bunch of stuff. There is always the standards Sabbath and Pink Floyd, really I just love music, if it's good I'm into it.

5. What other band(s) are out there that we should be listening to?
(Nate) Caustic Resin. Motorhead.
(Matt) Fucked Up, Grails, Across Tundras, Minsk.

6. As a band, what was your best show/experience yet?
(Nate) Hard to beat the Brooklyn Masonic Temple show with Neurosis and Mastodon. But we have had hundreds of really good, fun shows all over the place. House shows in Richmond Virginia are always fun, away from prying eyes you know.
(Matt) Two weeks ago in our practice space, A new song we have been working on came together perfectly, I actually had cold chills for about ten minutes, it's going to be a great song to hear live.

7. What was your worst show/experience?
(Nate) We had to literally scream and yell and fight so we could play this one festival years ago when the promoter tried to pull the plug. We were supposed to play at 4 a.m. and it went past that before we even got on stage, I guess the dude wanted to go home. But we had waited a long time to play and witnessed the worst beating I ever saw, and someone kept screaming "He's got a gun" half the night. Believe me, after some shit like that, we were going to play the show whether anyone liked it or not - as a matter of principle. But that was also pretty fun at the same time. There was also this one club in Hickory that kicked out and banned Matt, Chad, and myself on three separate occasions. But those times also ruled, because we went out swinging, or at least mouthing off pretty good. Funny how the suck times are also good times.
(Matt) I don't know about bad experiences at shows, they are all just part of it, some times are better than others, but none have been BAD. There has been bad sound, bad beer, bad attendance at shows, but every time we play live we win people over... it's just part of the live experience.

8. What's your writing process like?
(Nate) We used to put stuff together more randomly than we do now. But we have always been an album oriented band, even when we did self-released stuff. Now we tend to have a theme in mind, and a goal to work toward. I have always written the lyrics and a lot of the songs, but we seem to be collaborating more and more. Writing songs is no problem.
(Matt) Nate pretty much summed that one up.

9. Do you see yourselves still doing this in 10 years? Why?
(Nate) I hope so, it is a lot of fun.
(Matt)As long as I'm still on this Earth. How else are you going to get free shitty beer?

10. Are there any shows or releases you want to pimp?
(Nate) A three-way split with USX/Minsk/Harvestman-Steve Von Till; a 7 inch split with Across Tundras; Roadburn/Beyond the Pale in April, sandwiched with a European tour.
(Matt) I have a Red 1960A Marshall 4x12 I'm wanting to sell for plane ticket money....

The Inquisition - TOMBS

Mike from Brooklyn's own, Tombs (one of our new favs) took some time out to be the first to go under the red hot iron of the Inquisition. Enjoy! - Mr. Mogul

History in Their Words:
My old band Versoma had just broken up and I had a bunch of song fragments that didn't quite fit so I enlisted Justin Ennis from The Heuristic. I released a record by them a year prior and he was available so we started working together. Our first bassist was Domenic Seita. He recorded the first ep with us, but due to creative differences we split. He went on to form Storm of Light with Josh Graham. Our current bassist, Carson James was just this dude that liked the same music as us and wanted to be in the band. He's one of those "Natural Musicians" so so far everything has been smooth.

To make a long story short, let's just say that Justin was more interested in maintaining a party lifestyle than being part of a band; even signing to Relapse Records couldn't straighten him out. All of this came to a head right before our first European tour. He told us that he couldn't do the tour about nine days before we were supposed to board a plane so I turned to my long-time friend Andrew Hernandez who, at the time was playing in ASRA. Andrew learned our set and did the tour; he's been our full-time drummer ever since.

THE INQUISITION:

1. Why are you in a band?
Playing in a band is only thing that I've ever done with any consistency for my entire life. Jobs, relationships, etc all come and go but I've always played in bands and toured.

2. Do you consider your band successful?
That's an interesting question. I consider us successful in the spiritual sense that we are able to continue writing music that we all enjoy playing and are able to record and tour. That has to come first. Are we successful in the financial sense? No.

3. What are you currently listening to?
A lot of black metal: Leviathan, Gorgoroth, Aura Noir, Behexen, oldDarkthrone, Woe, Black Anvil. I've also been listening to the first Brujeria record quite a bit.

4. Who are your primary musical influences and do you think they are obvious?
My main influences are guys like Greg Ginn, Chuck Dukowski and the early SST crew. After that it's Joy Division, Swans, My Bloody Valentine and a lot of Black Metal. At different times it can be obvious. I think the SST/Black Flag influences are more obvious when we play live.

5. What other band(s) are out there that we should be listening to?
Ahh man; there are so many killer bands. Here are a few: Defeatist, The Wayward, ASRA, Black Anvil, Woe, Bastard Sapling, Engineer, Deathcycle. There's also the more obvious ones like Coliseum, Young Widows Genghis Tron...but if you're reading this site, you're probably in the know already.

6. As a band, what was your best show/experience yet?
Personally, I really loved playing Heart of Winter Fest down in Richmond. We played well, the show was run really well, all of the bands were killer and just being in Richmond is a good time. We have a lot of close friends down there. Also, the fest was totally run with a D.I.Y. vibe. everyone involved was a hardcore/metal/punk/black metal whatever enthusiast, there was a home-made vegan meal available and everyone was well taken care of.

7. What was your worst show/experience?
That would have to be getting shocked at the mic every night on the UK leg of our last tour. That was pretty much a drag.

8. What's your writing process like?
Well, typically, I come to practice with the the main riffs for the song. We run the parts and develop the rhythm sections. Usually, we write the bridges in rehearsal and hammer out the arrangements. The most painful part is the lyric writing which usually takes months to finalize. All the while we're playing the songs live and I try out different sets of lyrics. It's a real chore because whenever I feel like I'm making headway I read the lines and I get that really uncomfortable feeling that some people refer to as "douche chills."

9. Do you see yourselves still doing this in 10 years? Why?
Yes. It may not be the same band, but I can't imagine not playing music, I'm a "lifer."

10. Are there any shows or releases you want to pimp?
February 17, our LP "Winter Hours" is being released on Relapse Records. The repress of the TOMBS / PLANKS Split will be coming out in January on my label Black Box Recordings. We'll be hitting the road with Dysrhythmia in February and in May there's a US Tour with Intronaut, Bison B.C. and Giant. Also, if you're in the NYC are, we're playing a really cool set of shows on Saturday Feb. 21. First, we're playing a matinee at ABC NO RIO with Black Anvil, Woe and Bastard Sapling and then at night we're doing a show at Death By Audio in Brooklyn with Defeatist, Engineer and The Wayward. I'm really stoked about these shows because all of the bands are friends and we all go way back.