I Question Not Me #4.5 Out Now

4.5 5/6 is in the mix: I Question Not Me #4.5 is available now and is technically 5/6 of a regular issue. What’s the attraction to the fraction faction? Like Eddie Gaedel, number 1/8, this zine was executive produced by the ghost of Bill Veeck. There is an 11 page Darkside NYC interview containing at least 1 Icemen story that will tide you over til I ever finish transcribing my CTM interview, an M.O.P. crossword puzzle, and an exploration of the Philip Roth of NYHC (and beyond.) It may befuddle you like Big Skillet contemplating Blacula and/or make you run to the Bronxville Library to brush up on your Roth tomes, or at least acquire something more sensible than IQNM!

$3 domestic, $5 international. Check the mailorder page for full order details and available back issues. Also available soon from discerning distros in your area.

I Question Not Me Issue 4 Available Now

Coming from the printer so hard to get ahead: I Question Not Me #4 is finished and ready for mail order! Featuring a Biohazard crossword puzzle, a guest spot by Chris Wynne of In Effect, the Yonkers Bodega Tour, Kool Keith vs. Biohazard, and more.

See the Mailorder page for full pricing and back issue availability, but basic pricing is:

$2 in person
$3 by mail, US and Canada
$4.50 by mail, international

Paypal to: bmize at iquestionnotmedia dot com.

Also check out the review on In Effect.

 

None Of This Adds Up to You

Wrapped up in this cult that I started on my website – or wrapped up in this website that I started on my cult? Vote here in the official survey for the back cover of I Question Not Me # 4. It’s a tight race between Set it Off vs. Demonstrating My Style, plus I’m still trying to get an accurate assessment of my readership’s vitriol for Hypno Jam with Dan.

And most important – is “Satisfaction is the Death of Desire” the heaviest record of 1998? I have since received intel that this was actually released in 1997, but I’m going with what the poster states.

Deadline is Friday, May 19.

https://goo.gl/forms/itQdDpb4Dx2mnXQ73

 

Warzone – Judgement Day II (aka your Valentine’s Day) Gift Guide

Some essential WZ items for the SGW in your life:

Gratitude Zine #2

Image 1 - Gratitude Ellie
Anyone should be grateful to receive a gift of Gratitude #2, especially if your partner is a fan of Hard Response … or the Warzone s/t, which I have covered in detail, aka argued for its legitimacy. Most definitely worth $5 (golden rings, as much as it pains me to make a 2nd album reference).

Available at gratitude.storenvy.com.

Listen to Warzone Shirt

Image 2 - Warzone Shirts

In the midst of the current chaotic world events, Jesse Caldwell decided to do something positive and print Listen to Warzone shirts, from which 100% of the proceeds will benefit the Ali Forney Center. This badass design is available in XXS through 3X for all sizes of WZ aficionados. Don’t sleep, as these are only available for a few more days: orders end Friday, February 3.

Get one at listentowarzone.bigcartel.com.

I Question Not Me #3

Image 3 - IQNM Warzone content
Issue 3, aka On Three, is appropriate not only for the Supertouch fan in your life to be grabbing hold of, but also for that special someone who you’d let copy your homework. While there’s always a bit of something WZ-related in my zines (my old one was called Double Rabies), IQNM #3 features a one-page digression on the excellence of Back to School Again.

Warzone aside, this is also an appropriate gift for a New Breed Comp fan, as it features a map of all the addresses of the bands on the comp, in case your sig other wants to drag you around on a walk in freezing temperatures, as I have been known to do.

These are still available for order – check the Mailorder page for domestic and international pricing.

Next year: appropriate gifts for your Biohazard valentine…

New Breed Documentary in Yonkers

We are less than two weeks away from the New Breed Documentary screening at Alamo Drafthouse Yonkers, aka the most exciting Westchester hardcore event since Killing Time at the Haunt in 2008. Speaking of which, Carl Porcaro will be cohosting the Q&A following the documentary, along with myself and Mike McAuley.

Tickets are available on the Aalamo Drafthouse website.

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In the 30 days leading up to the documentary, I am also posting New Breed content on instagram.com/iquestionnotmedia with the hashtag #dailybreed. Tune in for Bad Trip Fun Crew Fridays etc.

With all this New Breed stuff, there hasn’t been much time for Serve ‘Em a Sentence, but check back soon for the debut of the Eat Side Story series, one of the first of the recurring features named after Maximum Penalty songs.

Confusion interview with Mike Scondotto, 2006

Below is a Confusion interview that was originally slated for my first zine Double Rabies. Thank you Mike Scondotto for doing this interview in 2006, and apologies it never made it into one of my paper zines. Mike currently plays in The Last Stand and is featured in the New Breed Documentary. This interview was conducted before I did successfully see Confusion at Popeye’s in 2007.

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First off, I’m not sure if all Double Rabies readers are familiar with the history of Confusion, so if you could provide a little history and a timeline of the band.

Confusion started in the summer of 1990 in Brooklyn NY. The band had actually played a total of one show without me on bass, the very first one, which was in a backyard in New Jersey. It was August of 1990 and the lineup was Lament, Merauder, Patterns, Social Decay, Dmize and Confusion opened up!  I think (not totally sure) Sub Zero played too, but I could be wrong on that one. I was at the show, because all of my friends were playing and went down with my brother and the guys in Lament. Brooklyn formed its own scene in 1990 with all of the bands mentioned as well as Nobody’s Perfect, Life Of Agony, Judgment Day NYC, Darkside NYC and Social Disorder. By the fall of 1990, CB’s had stopped doing hardcore and Brooklyn got things rolling. Confusion’s last show was in December of 1994 @ Lamour in Brooklyn opening up for Deicide, who we had already played with the year before, we were big fans to say the least.

I know that Confusion was supposed to play a reunion show last May, but the date was given to Hatebreed or something. What happened with that situation?

Yeah, unfortunately, I myself had nothing to do with the booking of that show and as you can see it fell apart and CB’s gave the date away. It was an odd show for Confusion, it was with a lot of traditional HC bands and I don’t think it would have been a good fit.

Are you guys planning to reschedule the reunion any time soon?

Yes, but it may not happen until 2007. Me and Mike Fried (vocalist) have decided to finally get the ball rolling on the long overdue Confusion discography and we will be putting it out on Satan Wears Suspenders Records, a label recently started by Rich from Everyday Dollars/Darkside NYC. Confusion and Darkside played a lot of shows together and had a similar style mixing Hardcore and Death Metal, although in the end, Confusion went 100% Metal by the time we broke up.

I read that Confusion played one show in 2003 as a benefit for late member Frank Collins. Did you decide to reunite in 2006 for a similar situation, or were you going to play just for fun?

That show in Jan. 2003 at CBGB’s was amazing, Rich Darkside and myself booked all of the bands and the show was sold out. We raised a lot of money for Frank’s Mom, she was there and so was everyone from the old Brooklyn scene, you would have loved it Becky!  The reason to do it in 2006 was pretty much for fun and also to let newer fans see the band at least for one time. Actually, I was only going to play bass on a song or two and sing a song or two at the 2006 show, as there was going to be a real bassist playing… I haven’t played in years and I remember my fingers killing me after the CB’s show.

Would you consider Confusion to be more of a hardcore band or a metal band? What do you think about those whiny purists who think that hardcore should only sound like it did in 1982 and that there is no place for metal in hardcore?

Confusion started as a hardcore band, went on to mix death metal with hardcore and then went full death metal. The ultimate “crossover” kind of bands in a way, we even had a big thrash element on our 7″ as well. I see nothing wrong with a metallic sound in a hardcore band, as long as it’s done right. The problem is that there are now full-on METAL bands claiming hardcore merely because they have tattoos and short hair and that’s not cool at all. I love hardcore and I love metal, yet I hate almost all of today’s “metalcore” bands. If I want to hear hardcore I put on Negative Approach, Ignite, Gorilla Biscuits, Youth of Today, Sick of it All etc. When I want to hear metal my tastes are for bands like Darkthrone, Absu, Slayer, Satyricon, Enslaved and Dismember.

I really like the version of Taste of Hate that is currently on your Myspace page, from your set on WNYU. Was that song originally on one of the demos?

Yes, the song “Taste of Hate” is on the first demo from 1990 called “Four the Force.” Why we went on to name our 7” “Taste of Hate” in 1992 … I have no idea anymore! Ha! That’s one of Confusion’s first songs ever actually. I had to learn it when I auditioned.

Since the 7” was released on a label out of France and is pretty hard to find these days, would you guys consider re-releasing it, or releasing a Confusion discography?

Only 1000 of the “Taste of Hate” 7″s were made in 1992 by the singer of Kickback on his label in France so yes, it is very hard to find. However there will be a CD discography in 2007 like I mentioned. It will have the two demos, the 7″ and rare live stuff like the WNYU set etc.

I have always been intrigued by some of the lyrics to Distorted Visions, but I could never figure out all the words. What is the song about, and would you mind posting the full lyrics?

Mike Fried wrote all of Confusion’s lyrics and to be honest I had no clue where he got some of his phrasings and ideas from. I asked him back then and his specific answer was “all of my lyrics are abstract”. While I can’t give you all of the DV lyrics I can give you some phrasings “… zeros lined up to the right, blinded by too many points of light… many times you’ve tried to break away damned in hell is what they’ll say. Don’t judge its cover by the book, it’s time for you to take another look…” “you cannot run around with this view of society”.  Bizarre huh?

How did Distorted Visions end up on the East Coast Assault comp? Considering that many comps are vehicles to promote newer bands, what was idea behind a comp like East Coast Assault that featured a bunch of already established bands?

In fall 1992, Confusion and Darkside NYC took a little road trip to Philly to play with Dare to Defy and Starkweather in a basement, where the owner of Too Damn Hype Records lived. His name was Met and he was the drummer of Dare to Defy. We were asked to be on the impending comp that night, along with Darkside.  The comp came out in the Spring/Summer of 1993 and the only “established” bands on that entire thing at the point were Life of Agony who were already signed to Roadrunner and Only Living Witness who were signed to Century Media. None of the bands on that comp were big outside of their own areas before that comp came out. Merauder, Overcast and Converge were all small bands still at that time.

While I’ve got you in an interview, can I ask a little bit about Direct Approach … I love those two Direct Approach songs on the New Breed Comp, so I was very sad to find out that DR did not record anything else. Was Direct Approach more of a side project type deal, and did you guys play any shows? How did you end up on the New Breed Comp?

Wow, I think it is amazing that Direct Approach is even in your vocabulary! Let’s see I had just turned 15 and was in the small band in Sheepshead Bay Brooklyn called Direct Approach. We would practice in our drummer James’s basement on East 12th Street and Ave Z. The rest of the band had Ray on vocals (a skinhead) and “Karate” Chris Bozeth on guitar, (another skinhead). Me and James were the 2 straightedge kids. Ray knew Chaka (Burn) and this other dude Freddy Alva pretty well and they were putting a cassette comp. together and somehow, Direct Approach, a bunch of 15-17 year olds from Brooklyn who never played ONE SHOW live, got on this landmark compilation! Ha! I never even got a copy of the damn thing, but I did get the European bootleg CD version that came out 10 years ago and that was pretty sweet. After we broke up in Sept 88′, I started Close Call with John from Candiria. The guitarist Chris started a band called Merauder, later moved away to upstate NY in 1991/1992 and then formed a band called All Out War. You can definitely hear a similar sound in early Merauder and early AOW and Chris is that connection. Crazy huh??? 100% true.

I know that you now play in Inhuman, but did the other members of Confusion go on to other bands as well?

The first thing I did post Confusion was play bass in a short lived Grindcore band called Hiroshima 22 from Brooklyn. They actually did a 7″ after I had quit. By the spring of 1995 I had started Inhuman. As far as the other members of Confusion go, I was the only one who seriously did music after the band broke up. Now however, Mike Freid is doing a new band with Dennis on drums, Dennis played for Confusion for the 2003 reunion show. The original and only Confusion drummer Ralph is MIA. We think he is living in the Midwest somewhere. Guitarist Mike Price (91-93) plays in bands in NJ, but not hardcore or death metal. Guitarist Pete Mellucci (93-94) moved to Arizona years ago and is good friends with the guys in North Side Kings and I think played on one of their recordings.

Anything else you would like to discuss?

I’d just like to thank you Becky for the interest in the band. Although the band is dead and gone, there will be at least one show and a CD for the Confusion fans to look forward to. I’d also like to plus my band Inhuman, we will have a new CD out in 2007 as well. Check us out here: www.myspace.com/inhuman if you like hardcore with a dark edge. Cheers!

 

March 30 – April 14: An Exciting Few Weeks for New York Hardcore

The next few weeks are a historic time for NYHC, with both Borrowed Time and the Abductors coming to the city for the first time, plus the premiere of the New Breed Documentary. I’ve been waiting for Borrowed Time to make their way down here for 10 years, and the Abductors for half as long. And all things New Breed – well, you know how I feel about that if you read IQNM #3. Details below on all three events:

Wednesday, March 30: New Breed Documentary screening

nbposterThe first showing this Wednesday at Nitehawk is sold out, but tickets just went up for the April 2 screening, and the Philly showing has been announced for April 10. For more information, check their site. I also highly recommend following Freddy Alva on Instagram at @freddyalva_nyc.

If you too are an enthusiast of all things New Breed, there are still limited copies of I Question Not Me #3 for sale, which contains both a New Breed map and crossword puzzle. I’ll have a few copies with me on Wednesday, and a possible reprint coming soon.

Sunday, April 3: Borrowed Time at the Grand Victory

The Grand Victory is one of my favorite hardcore venues right now, though often it’s a bit too small for the shows being booked there. I think I’ve been to five shows there and two of them were sold out. I am kind of curious what is going to happen during a Borrowed Time set there since there’s not a lot of room to dance, but it should be a good opportunity for NYC to check them out up close.
Borrowed Time plays well-constructed, metal-influenced hardcore in the vein of Stigmata, Merauder and Ringworm, and although they’ve undergone some lineup changes over the past few years, they’ve stayed close to the sound that immediately grabbed me on 2006’s No Escape from This Life. It seems like a million years ago that I was doing a phone interview with Brendan from my parents’ speakerphone in summer 2006 and we were discussing a possible New York show, like them getting added to Merauder/Outburst at CB’s (which was already one of the greatest lineups start to finish that I’ve ever seen, even without BT.) They’ve gradually been making their way further south, and I met them halfway in Albany when they opened for Biohazard last March, but this Sunday will be their first show in NYC. It’s a 2 PM show and it looks like BT is in the middle of the lineup.

Sunday, April 3 – Sunday Matinee at the Grand Victory

2 PM, all ages btflyer

Examine
Truth in Needles
Borrowed Time
Spanish People in Custody
Close to the Edge
Held Hostage

I did my first interview with Borrowed Time for Double Rabies #6, which is sold out, but 7 years later I did another one for SWNK.

Thursday, April 14: The Abductors at Lucky 13

The Abductors are another band I’ve been waiting to see in NYC or lower Westchester, though in this case only since 2010, and I’m psyched that they are coming to town without me having to book them myself! When the Abductors started playing in 2010, their combined age was approximately 150. For a few years they played catchy punk rock in relative obscurity, but some lineup changes and a slightly harder shift in sound are finally getting them their due. (My favorite tune, Spontaneous Combustion, reminds me of 88-93 era Cold as Life.) Check them out on Bandcamp.

A Thursday night show in South Brooklyn would ordinarily be a tough sell, but I wouldn’t miss the Abductors in NYC, and it will also be my first visit to the new Lucky 13. Local stalwarts Carnage Krew headline a lineup that also features Truth in Needles, Pus (touring with the Abductors), the Wurst and Reefer Buddha.

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