Sound & Fury Fest is back and this year it brings a major powerhouse of supporting acts. Starting July 23rd – 25th at the Earl Warren Showgrounds in Santa Barbara, S&F will kick off with some of the best alternative-punk and hardcore bands the scene has to offer.  Some of the bands in attendance include: Sick of it All, Strife, Earth Crisis, Terror, Bane, Cold World, Down To Nothing, and more.

Come support punk & hardcore music at its best this summer!

Tickets: http://soundandfuryfestival.bigcartel.com/

Twitter: www.twitter.com/sound_and_fury

Facebook: www.facebook.com/soundandfuryfest

MySpace: www.myspace.com/soundandfuryfestival

Freddy Madball & Catholic Guilt

Words by: Tyler Ross

Let’s start, how did you ultimately end up getting into the hardcore music scene?

I got into the hardcore music scene due to my oldest brother, who happens to be Roger Miret from Agnostic Front.  That’s my direct connection to the hardcore scene.  He introduced me to the whole lifestyle and culture at a very young age.  That is what planted the seed with me.  I started performing with him and that eventually turned into Madball and so the story goes.

What really stood out to you about the hardcore music scene that pushed you to really want to be a part of it?

I don’t know.  I was a little kid, so of course I was impressionable.  It was something my brother was involved in.  You sort of gravitate toward what your older siblings do and what not, but I guess I could have not been into it.  There was something about it.  The rebellious aspect of it drew me to it, and it was something my oldest brother was doing.  It was cool, because he was involved in it and then, I just embraced every aspect that went along with it.

Can you pinpoint where you started to take off musically?

Musically, it started for me early on.  I started going up and singing a song with Agnostic Front, and they encouraged me to do it.  They thought it was kind of cool.  The people got a kick out of it.  It became whenever I was with them on the road, or where ever I could come up and do my song.  That inspired the idea for them to put me on a 7” inch to do a little EP.  It just grew from there man.

How long have you been making hip-hop records?

Right around the same time I would say.  I was listening to hip-hop as long as I could remember.  My household was filled with all different types of music.  My parents listened to rap music, and Roger was obviously into hardcore and punk.  I have two older siblings, and they were into all sorts of different music as well.   I remember early on having hip-hop records in my house.  You know – Sugar Hill, Curtis Blow, and some of the other older stuff.  I would always listen to a little bit of everything.  I would put on vinyl records in my house, and I would be listening to all the different songs from the different genres.  That was me.  I guess that was my taste.

Obviously more directly through my brother, I gravitated a lot toward the hardcore stuff, but something about the hip-hop music that stood out to me.  It was something I favored as far back as I could remember.  I was pretty much into both.  At one point, I would be poppin’ and lockin’ and break dancing with my friends in the neighborhood.   Got into the whole B-boy thing, tagging, and graffiti too.  The whole culture of it, I took it on from a young age and it has always stuck with me.

You seem to do a lot of traveling.  How much of that influences your art of making music?

Yeah of course, you become more cultured.  You grow and pick up a lot by traveling as well.  Traveling is definitely been one of the perks of doing music.  Some of the stuff you get to see and experience is really priceless.  It’s going to ultimately inspire you.  As far as Madball goes, it has inspired songs as well.  It’s always going to inspire me as a person in general.

Why did it take so long to finally create a hip-hop record?

I think the idea of doing it was there for a long, long time.  It has been a couple years in the making.  When I first met my DJ, Stress, who actually is the guy that produced a good portion of this record and the beats till the release of the album, it definitely took a couple of years in change to actually make it happen because of my schedule.  The idea to do it has always been in the back of my mind.  Never really got around to do it until I met Stress, and then we started to buckle down.  He helped me do that.  He had the desire, the facility, and the motivation to do it with me.

How much of your Madball influence comes out on this record?

I use it from time to time.  One thing I didn’t want to do was try to make it a Madball rap crossover or like a rock, hip-hop type thing.  That wasn’t what I was going for.  I wanted to do straight up hip-hop just because I know that people would expect it to be guitar heavy or something like that.  That’s not to say I didn’t use guitar samples, but for the most part it plays and sounds like a hip-hop record.  Hopefully, it will be something unique with this record and all the other elements that make it me.  I definitely reference important people, bands in my life, and hardcore stuff that’s a part of who I am.  I’m proud.  I feel like I accomplished what I wanted to accomplish.  I wanted to make a unique sounding hip-hop record, but still very much hip-hop and not like a rap-rock thing.

Do you find your writing style or storytelling any different?

Definitely!  I learned writing for hardcore.  I also did a project called Hazen Street.  I learned even more, because I was writing for stuff that wasn’t hardcore.  It was a hybrid of a lot of things.  It was something different.  That was a learning process there.  I could see myself evolving as a writer.  Hip-hop is the same thing.  It’s a learning process and it’s exciting, because I want to become a better songwriter.  For me, it’s cool.  I get approached with certain topics from different angles, and I get to play with words a lot more with hip-hop.  I think I’m getting the hang of it, and hopefully the people who listen to the album will agree, that I did it justice for the first chapter of it.  Now, I move on from here and keep growing as a writer doing more creative stuff.

Any major plans to tour this record and if so, what kind of artists do you plan to have on the bill?

I have a show with Ill Bill.  He’s definitely a respected guy in the underground hip-hop world.  I have a show with him in New York at the Knitting Factory, February 14^th and that’s going to be my first New York City show.  I’m looking forward to that.  After that, I’m going to take it from there by seeing what comes my way.  I’ll do as much as I can do.  I definitely plan on doing at the very least major cities, where people can peep it out if they want to peep it out.

You’re extremely well known for being the ‘front man’ of Madball and you are an icon throughout the hardcore community.  What are some of your major influences and why?

Like I’ve said, I appreciate all music.  I have a wide range of genres, and there might be different people from different styles of music that I could say I respect what they do.  There are so many.  Anyone from Agnostic Front to Ice Cube, you know.  Ice Cube kills it live.  I respect Jay Z as a businessman and as a rapper.  Even a lot of the classics I’ve bought, like Slick Rick.

For hip-hop though, it’s hard sometimes.  The energy in hip-hop doesn’t translate like hardcore live.  Although, there are certain artists in hip-hop, that can transfer their energy and make it fun and cool.  Hopefully, I can end up being one of the dudes in the hip-hop world that can sort of bring some of the energy from my hardcore experience through to the hip-hop community.  I think I wouldn’t know how to do it any other way.

What do you want people to know about your hip-hop record?

Listen to the music, the lyrics, and take it all in.  I am taking you on another ride.  Catholic Guilt is the album title.  Conceptually the album isn’t just about religion.  It’s not just a story; it’s a ride, so take what you will from it.  It’s more about life, my life, but things that I think other people can relate to as well.  It’s about struggle, but also about trying to better you.  There are definitely a lot of religious overtones.  It’s a different perspective.  It’s my angle of it and hopefully people like the content.  There are a lot of different things to this record.  There’s the spiritual aspect to it too.   It doesn’t matter if you are Catholic, Jewish or whatever, that’s irrelevant.  You’ve got to see beyond that.

How do you feel about the production of the album?

From the artwork, production, down to the music, it all fell into place.  Stress and I worked really hard.  We locked ourselves in.  Stress killed it production wise.  My sister in-law Liz Bromley stepped in with the artwork and the whole layout.  She even did the layout for the last Madball record.  She is incredibly talented.  I think for the most part, we feel really proud of it.

Will there be a follow-up to this record?

Without a doubt! (Laughs) I’m already writing it.  This one took so long to come out, that I’ve already been on the second record for a while now.  It was a matter of this one being fine-tuned and like I said, it was a matter of scheduling too.  This record should have been out last year, but it is what it is.  It’s here now.  I feel strongly about getting this out and showing people this side of me.  I can only wait and see.

Words by: Tyler Ross
Photos by: Johnny Milano & Atrossity

Once Upon An Idea Came A Hardcore Weekend

Long lines and sauna-like temperatures highlighted the fourth annual Sound and Fury Festival.  Entering the parking lot overflowing with fans, band vans with trailers and license plates from all over the country, I took a minute in my car to prepare for one hell of a weekend.  The El Rodeo Community Center of Oxnard, California presented a vintage roller-rink appearance from the outside.  The three-day weekend unleashed a high-energy feeling into the atmosphere.

With digital camera in hand, a backpack full of snacks, and a digital recorder in my back pocket, I trekked beyond the path of fans toward the entrance of the venue.  There stood a security guard, who I flagged down for my press pass and preceded on through the double metal doors.

The inside of the venue was spacious, but not the usual festival setting.  While scanning the two large rooms for superior vantage points and daydreaming about the festivities, a nonchalant Sean Riley presented himself.  Riley, as most like to call him, walked around quickly, for his time was valuable.  Like the big man on campus, he was the go-to guy for all questions that needed answered.

Band members, roadies, photographers, promoters, clothing companies, a tattoo booth, and security filled the inside of the community center.  Two large rooms were divided; the main stage took up most of the space, with a curtain separating the main stage and side stage.  The refreshment area acted as an extra extension for additional merchandise tables and the tattoo booth.

There’s a tight knit brotherhood throughout the hardcore and punk scene.  For most old generation supporters and newcomers to the scene, you can find an interaction comparable to a traditional family gathering.  There’s a no tolerance attitude toward egos and non-realistic notions of thinking away from reality.  Everyone is essentially viewed as an equal, no matter status or background or language spoken.  There are no barriers.

About an hour into setup and finalizing the adjustments to the stages, the fans started filling up the venue.  The eagerness began instantaneously upon arrival, but the bond being displayed by the bands and fans is always a warming visual to experience.

As more equipment entered the side door of the El Rodeo Community Center, the scratching distortion of a guitar pounded from the main stage.  Immediately, the front of the stage become an opening outlet for a few moshers, who began their lively preparations.  Due to the crush of people trying to get in through one ticket booth, the first few acts had a limited audience.  However, those inside gave their full support and reciprocated with a genuine amount of feedback.

By the middle of the afternoon, the crowd multiplied by the hundreds and more people continued to pour into the main stage area.  No matter how hard you looked, an unhappy face was impossible to find.  Water was being tossed around from bands to fans throughout the entire festival.

Hardcore music is a very give-and-take oriented scene.  The shared ideas between the bands and their fans connect in a revolving circle.  As Bob Shedd, one of the founders of Sound and Fury stated, “The passion of the people and the reality hardcore can portray how heartfelt it is.  It starts with the passion and follows with the people behind that passion.  You meet so many unique individuals through that.  It starts with music and grows beyond that.”

It all started in late July of 2006, when Sound and Fury launched its first annual festival to hundreds of hardcore-ready fans at the Alpine Theater in Ventura, California.  “We are dudes who have been going to hardcore shows for a really long time.  We booked our own shows and we just really wanted to book a fest for the bands we really loved, says Shedd.

“Best advice we could give anyone is, if there’s something you really want to do, go do it,” he added.  For Sean Riley, Bob Shedd, and Todd Jones, S&F is a representation of selflessness and accomplishment within the hardcore music community.  They have continued each summer for four years running in obtaining some of the best bands in hardcore solely for the fans.  “The kids make Sound and Fury.  If nobody came, it wouldn’t be cool.  It’s what everybody brings to it,” says Riley.

He adjusts his black-rimmed glasses and continues.  “If everyone came with a negative, shitty attitude, S&F would be negative and shitty.  That’s the difference in hardcore, where as in a big rock concert, you can get a bunch of shitty people there and it’s not really going to ruin your time.  You can sit there in your seat and watch it and it’s your experience.”

In between bands, the air became musty, merch was purchased quickly, stage equipment switched out, and the bonding of fans continued.  There were fans helping with the distribution and the setup of instruments as well. Hardcore music is a lifestyle, an attitude, and an expression of art, raised from the punk rock scene.  “Hardcore is its own element.  I think people can find their own intrinsic value in any kind of music, but hardcore gives a more personal touch to it,” says Riley.

“You mentioned Bruce Springsteen; your main connection to him is if he comes to town maybe once every few years or your purchase of one of his CD’s.  You might go see him, but so much of the experience in hardcore is the live experience, and the recorded music is just the exact opposite. The live experience of a hardcore show can’t be captured typically on a recorded disc,” he elaborated more extensively.

Like the 10 for $10 Tour, which also stood apart as a priceless and selfless festival with a music over money operation, Riley, Shedd, and Jones dedicate their time to the hardcore music movement created especially for this particular event.  “At a hardcore show, so much of it is the people next to you, the band, and how they are vibing.  I think that’s why people have such a strong connection to hardcore music,” Riley enlightened me in between helping a fan with a ticket.

In the late summer of 2009, S&F brought its progressive music scene to Oxnard, California.  Three coordinators gathered their ideas beforehand and meet in the middle by suggesting bands they are interested in adding to the lineup.

By the end, S&F will exhibit 50-plus bands, and send hundreds of hardcore devoteès home with memories from incredible sets.  Some may even start bands of their own or use the experience to learn from their major influences.

This year, S&F brought back some of hardcore’s favorite heavy hitters; some bands returned for the third or fourth time.  To name a few, bands including, Ceremony, Blacklisted, Floorpunch, Cold World, Trapped Under Ice, Guns Up! and Betrayed, performed in front of wall-to-wall crowds, engaged in full-scale participation.

Around 4pm each day, bands on either stage would erupt into multiple stage rushes throughout almost every set.  Dedicated fans catapulted themselves toward the front of the stage in attempts to contribute to belting out the band lyrics.  Numerous band sets would have the stage full of ceiling high dog piles, along with waves of crowd surfing at intervals of two to four seconds.  Occasionally, you’d find a few bloody faces or shirts from the highly aggressive fun, which is considered the norm for any hardcore or punk show.  At the end of the day, the majority in attendance looks out for one another.

The originators of S&F not only were the overseers for the distribution of the tickets, and the handlers of random venue concerns, but could also be seen participating in the action.  Interaction is an essential ingredient to their recipe in having an incredible experience.  In between shooting photos, I caught Bob crouched down before jolting onto the tops of the chanting heads for a stage dive.  “There is no barrier between band and fan, in the ideal that they are both one and the same. You watch any band’s set and you look in the crowd, and you’ll see other band members joining in on the fun. There isn’t this ‘air of well, I’m in band and I can’t participate in another manner. I’m above that.’ There’s none of that.”

Upon returning to the stage, bathed in sweat, and wearing a joyous smile, Bob continued.  “S&F has taught me that small dreams can become big realities, and all it takes is effort to make it happen.  The fact we had the chance to help make a couple kid’s lives a little cooler, and give them something fun to do in the summer, means the world to us.  We love seeing people enjoy this.”

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Passion Exceeds Price
Words & photos by: Tyler Ross

Discovering a solid music event isn’t difficult to do, but when it comes to the cost of admission, it could be a challenging task finding a fair price.  For the underground music scene, a ticket can range from $8 to $30 at most.  The original cost always includes surcharges and extra fees.

A standard ticket price can be a drain on the average wallet.  It’s extremely rare to find a show with a low price and where the talent cares more about the passion of the music and performing for their audience more than the financial gain.  “The tour is very hardcore oriented ideally.  The show and the people coming to see the bands are way more important, than the money people are making.  Being in a hardcore band is hard enough to make ends meet because the money is not really there in the first place.  There are no rock star mentalities.  So, for the bands that are worth a lot more, they are doing it for the ideal and love for music.” (Rick Jimenez of This Is Hell)

The 10 for $10 Tour jets across the states for the months of July through August and showcases some of the finest bands in the hardcore metal scene in one event.  “I love the whole idea behind this tour.  I keep hearing it everyday; 10 bands for $10.  The whole concept really gets drilled into you.  It sounds like a wild idea and you think, how is this all going to work out?  I was definitely skeptical in the beginning, but from day one, this tour has brought in tons of kids, who show they really appreciate the bands taking a cut to come out and putting on a great show.  It’s a diverse bill and there’s something for everybody.” (Justice Tripp of Trapped Under Ice)

For the House of Blues in Los Angeles, this tour in general was exactly what the music community needed.  There was an eager, impatient feeling circulating, as I weaved through the masses.  The expressions on all the faces represented a geared up attitude and a readiness in kicking off the show.  “I think about it everyday.  You can go to a show nowadays and see five bands, sometimes it’s $15 to $20; ten at the least.  It’s not like you are watching Slayer, where you expect to pay that much.  It’s not dissing anybody; it’s just the way it has to work.  As shitty as it may seem, money has to be there, if you want to go across the country.  If I wasn’t playing on this tour, and this was coming through, I’d be blown away and so thankful.  I get to see ten of these bands and I’m sure 95% of the people like all ten of these bands together.  So, it’s a great deal for everyone.  I love this tour so much.” (Martin Stewart of Terror)

On the inside, music vibrated throughout the sweaty, stale air.  Dozens of fans rushed toward the stage in attempts to sing into the microphone, while numerous others, crowd-surfed over the tops of heads.  “When we play a show and right away the kids are catching on to the energy and they are just as excited as we are, all that energy exchange that goes back and forth, is the epitome of a good show.   To me, that’s the epitome of hardcore, the energy exchange, the give and take, not the look at me on stage, I’m important.” (Rick Jimenez of This Is Hell)

Lines continued to form, one after the other, starting in the late afternoon and continuing on into the night.  Never was there a static moment or a bitter fuss about any of the bands on the bill.  Each individual appeared to be in bright spirits, entering and exiting the venue with a sense of greater hunger for more. “As much as a lot of these bands are similar, there are a lot of differences too. Age, influence, etc.  Being backstage with nine other bands, kind of on top of each other, I think there’s a really good vibe going on.  There are no attitudes from any headliners or opening bands.  No one is acting like they should be the headliners.  That’s not always such an easy thing to accomplish.  The upside of it, it’s for a cause.  Underground music in any form should be about something.  The turnout has been great.” (Scott Vogel of Terror)

Most of those in attendance expressed and displayed why they felt they needed to be at such a diverse show.  The steady balance between the bands and their audience demonstrated a common relationship and reason as to why; they continue to be in attendance.  “The common thread that runs through everybody on this tour is that they grew up with this level of a down-to-earth and straight thinking mind-state.” (Ryan Primack of Poison the Well)

From the vantage point of peering out into the crowd, you’d notice the hundreds of fists thrusting toward the ceiling and could also find the various members of other bands interacting as fans themselves.  There was a full-fledged support from all the other bands.  Many were found on the side of the stage as well.  Others were found below staring up with enthusiasm.  “I hate bands that don’t support other bands.  They just expect everyone to support their band.  That doesn’t fly with me.  I’d rather support a band full of kids that really care about music and hardcore, that doesn’t sound good, than a bunch of dudes, who can play perfect hardcore, but don’t have the heart.  I’d rather support the people that care.  You don’t find that on this tour.” (Scott Vogel of Terror)

As I entered the tail end of the night, the air was still, but the buzz continued.  The magnetic bond between friends, and fans showed their appreciation for one hell of a tour.

Merchandise sold like water for exhausted and dehydrated bodies in need of thirst.  Besides the few unnecessary police calls and minuscule dramas, the 10 for $10 Tour’s self-sacrificing effort ended as a major success among all who partook in this extraordinary and treasured, music event.

“The biggest thing about this tour is getting to reach out to the kids, that maybe wouldn’t have checked us out before.  Kids that are into Poison The Well, War of Ages, or Death Before Dishonor, who would have had us pigeonholed as a certain kind of band, and would be interested in us, they are finding maybe, they’re wrong.  Maybe, they actually can connect with us.” (Aaron Bedard of Bane)

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