A Static Lullaby Interview (December 2008)

A STATIC LULLABY
By Rei Nishimoto

Bite Club
Heavy hardcore act say fangs for the memories

Perseverance is a common story for any band’s survival. This is a familiar story for A Static Lullaby, as the band had been through as many ups and downs during their seven-plus-year history. But, they managed to worked through their troubles to make their most recent release, Rattlesnake! .

The new record introduces new members, bassist Dane Poppin and drummer Tyler Mahurin. Unlike past records recording with five members, they found that working as a four piece brought out more of the band.

“Less personality, less conflict,” says vocalist Joe Brown. “Let [guitarist] Dan [Arnold] write the songs he wants to write without anybody telling him any other way; Dan having the freedom to write both guitar parts. And Dane wrote a lot of songs on the album too. That’s another thing we never had before — somebody who was a full contributor writing-wise. I always write lyrics and work on melodies, but as far as musicianship, Dane contributing on that was phenomenal.”

Since the band started, A Static Lullaby forged a sound that brought together their aggressive side with melodic overtones. They shuffled through various lineups over the years (and a brief stint on a major label for 2005’s Fasso Latido). But now they have found a unit that best represents the band on Rattlesnake! .

“We released the last album [2006’s A Static Lullaby] and made the record we wanted to make, music that fans were familiar with that we originally started making and got back to the roots,” Brown explains. “On this last album, I’ve gone through some personal traumas. I was going through a divorce and dealing with alcoholism. We’ve got new members and finally have a band that was solid.”

With four full-lengths and an EP under their belts, A Static Lullaby made major strides in growing as a band.

“It’s about having an idea of who you are and where you came from,” says Brown. “To say we were part of forming a style of music that is way overplayed today, watered down, so many different fashions that you can’t see what it is any more.”

“But I’ve grown up,” he continues. “My tastes in music have changed. I want everything to be heavy as f·ck. That’s what I do.”


On the web: myspace.com/astaticlullaby

The Bronx Interview (Mean Street, December 2008)

THE BRONX
By Rei Nishimoto

Three the Hard Way
L.A.’s hardcore hooligans get in touch with their inner mariachi
There aren’t many bands that work as hard as The Bronx. Staying true to who they are isn’t always hip, but they have no regrets doing things this way. They recently completed a short tour with Every Time I Die and Stick to Your Guns across the East Coast.

“It’s a good little hardcore tour,” says frontman Matt Caughtthran, calling from Toronto, Canada. “It’s always interesting when you’re hanging out with Every Time I Die. They’re good friends of ours. We get into a lot of trouble together. I think when we get back into the States, that’s when the trouble’s gonna start.”

They spent this past summer on the Vans Warped Tour, getting acquainted with fans under the scorching sun.

“It was great man,” the singer continues. “It was surprisingly a lot of fun. It was a good chance to play in front of people who have never seen our band, and hang out with some friends we haven’t seen in a while. It was a really good time. It’s always fun going across the U.S. in the summertime. It’s always a fun thing to do.”

The Bronx last month released their long-awaited full-length record entitled III. This is the first of two full-length albums they recorded under their own White Drugs label and using their own studio.

“It’s our first time recording with Ken [Horne], who is our additional guitar player, and our bass player Brad [Magers],” Caughtthran says. “They’ve been in the band for a while now and it cemented us together, going through the recording process. I think it’s the best [the band’s] been. I think the band’s relaxed and loose, and also confident. Recording in our own studio was cool. It was frustrating at times, since we had to work out the kinks when it came to studio gear.”

The songs on III have evolved and sound stronger than ever. Fans got an early taste of the record with “Knifeman” which was met with strong reaction. Plus Dave Schiffman (System of a Down, Audioslave) produced and engineered the record, giving the band that added punch in their sound.

“He brought a guru-type attitude,” Caughtthran says. “He wasn’t hands-on, as far as sculpting songs. The songs were pretty much there. He was the guy we could bounce ideas off of. He was the medicine ball in the middle of the room. When we needed that extra input, he was there. He’s a great engineer and he’ll get some great sounds on the record as well.”

While the band will be focused on III, they also have a second record coming out in March.

“It’s called Mariachi El Bronx,” Caughtthran explains. “It’s a mariachi record we did. It’s the next step of the band. It’s not rock ‘n’ roll mariachi — it’s really traditional and old school.”

Having the band name The Bronx has drawn many misconceptions about what they are truly about. The band has heard a variety of them, and some simply fall way off the mark. To add to the confusion, on the video for “They Will Kill Us All (Without Mercy),” the band used a rapper friend to lip-sync the song’s lyrics.

“If you watch it with no sound on, it looked like a hip-hop video,” Caughtthran explains. “For a long time, people thought I was black. So it worked rather well. Whenever we would do interviews, people would be like, ‘You’re not black!?’ ‘Yeah, I know.”

ON THE STAGE: Dec. 5— The Echo (L.A.)

On the web: thebronxxx.com

Too Pure To Die - Confess (Mean Street, December 2008)

TOO PURE TO DIE
Confess
(Trustkill)

Release date: Jan. 13

Iowa may have spawned another act that is not connected to Slipknot and is making some noise of their own. Too Pure To Die have all of the elements of modern metal — even amounts of raw and melodic vocals and plenty of memorable, chunky guitar riffs. But unlike most aggro-metal out there, Too Pure To Die isn’t entirely a wall of riffs and does sneak in some harmonies. Their sound has the heaviness of Pantera and Machine Head, with the melodic parts of Sevendust and Black Label Society. While they aren’t exactly the most groundbreaking band sound-wise, they make up for that with their energy. These guys show promise and could be something to look out for in the coming years.

Grade: B
REI NISHIMOTO