Budd Dwyer - Interview 1/30/14 - Grind Down The Walls

When I die, I want to be cremated and have my ashes incorporated into a BBQ rub.  However, if I were to ever have the proverbial tombstone, I’d want it to say, “He Hated Children and Had An Ear For Grindcore”.  I do trust my ear for Grindcore, mostly because I’ve always been more metal than punk, despite having a love and respect for punk/hardcore music.  So when I heard a couple tracks from New Brunswick, New Jersey grinders, Budd Dwyer, I knew they were legit.   Metal intertwined with hardcore is definitely nothing new, however Budd Dwyer’s specific blend caters to everything fap worthy about both.  As a matter of fact, if you were to emulsify my entire music library, Budd Dwyer is what would ooze out.  So fortunately, I was able to catch up with Josh from Budd Dwyer who was cool enough to take the time to do this interview…

For those of us in the Midwest that may not be familiar, tell us about the band and walk us through your history.

Budd Dwyer had the humblest of beginnings, I was set up to book a show for Pizza Hi Five and Powercup on their tour to support the split they put out back in 2011 and I wanted to do the show as a six band all versus set show because I had done one the winter before that and 100+ people packed into my shitty basement in New Brunswick. Why not do it again? Only problem was that I only had  5 bands and the show was approaching rapidly so I said fuck it and wrote 7 short fast violent grind songs with my girlfriend’s younger brother playing drums instead of finding another band like a normal person. The sets were Budd Dwyer vs Violent Gorge, Pizza Hi Five vs Powercup and Misanthropic Noise vs Dead Womb (a really killer local noise/pv band that broke up a little while after).  Every band was a 2 piece. I recorded our demo with Justin but when time came to tour he couldn’t do it and Daniel Savoy took his place and has been the drummer ever since. We toured every winter and summer since then up until now. Every tour was better than the last one and I would like to think the same about our recordings.

`              The self titled full length went pretty unnoticed but we got great reactions on our Summer tour in 2012 with Salo from Brooklyn.  Smoking roughly 7 blunts of dirt weed a day and sweating our fucking nuts off in the back of Andrew’s van we toured for about 2 weeks through the Midwest and New England. I’d love to name drop all of the bands that we played with but I’m lazy and they know who they are and that we love them very much. Being a two piece has made touring incredibly easy for us and we take advantage of that as much as possible with weekend tours and we did another winter tour down south, playing in our second home in Baltimore twice( December 26^th and New Years with our friends in Spoilage). After that we came back home, wrote and recorded the Never Satisfied material and hit the road again in the summer of 2013 with Ubasute for the first leg of New England and Upstate NY and then the second leg starting with the Baltimore Punx Picnic followed by 2 weeks with Spoilage fueled by Twisted Tea and Bud Light Lime.  We are still going strong and planning to tour the whole US this august with Department of Corrections from France, we played 2 shows with them last year when they came to the states and they were fucking insane so I’m looking forward to spending so much time with them and exploring our bodies……ummm yeah, moving on.

You guys have a unique blend of what I label as grindcore.  There’s a definite thrash element, some fast hardcore, powerviolence, a bit of everything.  What’s your approach when writing your music?  Where do you draw some of your influences?

                I’m glad you picked up all the different genres that we try to blend together. The way I like to view extreme music is through the eyes of someone who knows nothing about it. To your average person who doesn’t search for music and just listens to what is crammed down their throats, all this shit sounds the same so I don’t bother trying to stick to the rules of one genre or another. I play whatever I like because it’s all just noise anyway. I want to see crowds mosh which is where the hardcore influence comes from but I grew up on death metal, thrash, grind and doom/sludge so I just do everything but try to make it sound cohesive enough that you know you are listening to the same band when you hear us again.

There seems to be a grindcore explosion happening.  Do you label your music as grindcore?  Is there a certain type of person who is into grindcore or are both metal and hardcore kids receptive to your music?

The Midwest has had some fucking great bands come out in the past 5 years and I think that bands like Weekend Nachos and Ceremony have upped the ante for hardcore bands to the point that its not rare to hear blast beats at a hardcore show today. I love grind so it’s never enough for me, keep it coming. We are a grind band at our core with a little powerviolence spice and a pinch of doom and hardcore. In my experience kids that are into grind are open minded and have tastes that are all over the map from extreme stuff to pop-punk and rap and anything else. We’ve had this problem from the beginning where we are too punk for the metal shows and too metal for the punk shows but when you got something for everyone so everyone leaves only a little disappointed.  I hate death metal and black metal dudes who only listen to one thing, can’t get more boring than that.

You have a demo, a full length, and an EP that dropped in 2013, all available online.  Are all of these self recorded and released?  Have you talked with any labels about getting them pressed and distributed?

Yup, we’ve done everything on our own so far but Never Satisfied is getting released by a couple small labels on tape in the near future. No Work Records from Miami, Riotous Outburst from Rhode Island and Cheeseburger Picnic from Delaware are all helping us out doing 100 copies each. Find them if you want to get something in the mail because we are going to sell our copies at the shows for the most part.

Along those same lines, with so many new bands popping up, how hard is it to get the attention of a label willing to put out a release?

Honestly we don’t spend any time searching for a label because with the internet it is possible to do it on your own. You’re not going to be Metallica but that’s not important to us, we’re just in it to meet cool people and play with cool bands all over the country and have a good time doing it. As long as we make enough money to get drunk and fed and then we got a place to sleep after the show then we’re doing a good job. Relentless touring gets your name out there slowly but surely and then people end up checking us out on the internet when they see that we are coming to town. We have hit a lot of places on the east coast multiple times and it seems like more people like us in Baltimore or VA Beach than in NJ but we’re looking forward to conquering the West Coast this summer.

  

Are there any specific topics or issues that you try to address lyrically?  Any particular stances you take within your personal lives, drug free, vegan, Obamacare support, necrophagia, etc?

                I feel like I take the Black Flag approach when it comes to writing lyrics, say what you mean and say it as if you are screaming it directly into the listeners face. I try to keep it personal and don’t talk about topics I’m not educated on. Songs about suicidal ideation, drugs, feelings of alienation, shitty friends and depression/disillusion with mainstream society are all things that I have gone through and I’m sure others have dealt with too. Occasionally when I’m short on ideas I’ll talk about something that has happened in the news like Karma’s a Bitch on Never Satisfied is about a cop in NYC that used his gun to threaten and rape a woman and how he’s gonna have no one to protect him when he goes to jail and hopefully gets what he deserves.

                As far as my own ideas about life, don’t fuck with me and I won’t fuck with you, simple as that. Appreciate your friends and family  and try to be a person worth respecting and trusting, we all got our weak moments but we’re not out to change the world, just share our thoughts with whoever is willing to listen. You can’t understand the words anyway haha. We eat meat. We fuck dead people. Boys and girls, no one is safe. I have a problem with anyone who tries to tell other people how to live their lives, no matter how positive your message is, shut the fuck up.

What’s the New Brunswick, NJ scene like?   Any rivalries between kids/bands/towns?  Any venues, zines, labels, or bands up your way that we need to know about?

                New Brunswick was the shit a couple of years ago, there was metal, hardcore, punk, noise, indie and rap shows all of the time and you had to pick which show you wanted to go to. At least 3 or 4 a week. Nowadays Brunswick has really fallen off, most of the people that were really making things happen in the scene have moved on but there is still the Meatlocker up in Montclair which is in North Jersey. I grew up going to shows there when I was 15-18 and it was tons of fun, got shut down for underage drinking and now it is making a comeback so that’s definitely a place to hit if anyone has a band touring through NJ. We try to keep the beef to a minimum but the hardcore scene has its fair share of that. I’m just gonna go ahead and plug a bunch of bands from our area; Bible Thumper, Ubasute, Dutchguts, Through Thorn and Briar, Ugly Parts, Razorheads, Loose Ends, Secret Police, Ides, Dethroned Emperor, Lowlife, Capacities, Organ Dealer, Dead Wurm, Emetic, The Misfits, Bruce….I’m sure I’m forgetting some but we got some good friends from PA (Coffin Dust, Angelcrust and Occult45) and NY (Mother Brain, Buckshot Facelift and The Communion) that deserve mentioning too. Not much in the way of zines or labels but we make shows happen. I feel like a lot of people will skip over Jersey between Philly and NY because the drive isn’t that long but it’s worth stopping for a show or two if you are in the area.

You guys played a show in Boston over the summer with Ira Graves, one of my favorite bands.  What are some other shows you’ve played that stand out?

                James from Ira Graves (the singer) is the goofiest dude but his vocals are so harsh that you forget he looks like a prepubescent 16 year old. We thought about kidnapping him and making him sing for Budd Dwyer last time we played with them. Ubasute is a really killer band too, they’re the most aggressive screamo band you’ve ever heard and their drummer blasts so much that he has probably gained 20 pounds of muscle since they started a year ago. Priapus and BrainxToilet from North Carolina are amazing grind bands and good friends of ours. Ancient Torture Techniques from VA Beach another sweet grind band. Midwest mincers are always fun to play with; Agitate, Na’kay, PHF, Lt Dan, Chronic Demise. Tombstalker and Reanimator from Lexington KY are killer, Coffin Dust is Exhumed’s radioactive clonebaby from PA. Nunhex and Devalued from Floridapunx as fuck, Days Of Hate from Brazil was a ton of fun to hang with because they stayed with us for 4 days and had never been to America before. Dopecopper, Burning Axe, Spoilage, Cold Inside, Old Lines and At the Graves all from Baltimore all kick ass. That list will be twice as long by next year because of this summer tour.

Some bigger bands we have gotten to play with are PLF, Weekend Nachos, ACxDC, DOC and in May 2014 I’m doing a show for Magrudergrind and one for Maruta (who share some members with Nunhex).

This zine is out of Kansas City and I think it’s always helpful to get an outside perspective.  What’s your knowledge of KC?  What’s the East Coast perception of the Midwest in regards to music?

                Never been there myself but I did get the chance to see Sucked Dry in St Louis when I was there on tour with Big Werm. The thing I like the most about the Midwest is the enthusiasm that the kids have compared to jaded crowds in NYC that get to see great bands all the time and don’t give a shit anymore. When everyone is excited to be at a show you can feel it and it makes playing that much better. Definitely a bunch of sick bands from the Midwest, you know like slipknot. They’re br00tal.

What are some of your goals for Budd Dwyer moving forward?  Any plans to tour or record new music?

We are recording 2 new tracks for a split with BrainxToilet from NC, hopefully that is out by our summer tour with Department of Corrections from France in August. I’ll be calling you for a show in KC on our way home from LA probably in early September!

Where can people go to listen to your stuff?  Who can people contact for tour/release/merch inquiries?

 Buddxdwyer.bandcamp.com ……We have everything that we have recorded up for free download, so if you want to waste your time listening to us, have at it. Email us at drudgerynj@gmail.com if you want merch or need help booking a show in NJ. If that don’t work just call me (Josh 973-896-9017) I am expecting prank calls.

I appreciate your time.  I’m a big fan of your style and appreciate your contributions to hardcore.  Take this opportunity to plug anything you want, say anything you want, or give a shout out to whomever.  Thanks, man.

                No…..Thank you! 

Cave State – s/t 7” – To Live A Lie Records

I hate hyperbole used for anything other than outrage.  You know that guy.  Every movie he sees is the most epic movie he’s ever watched.  According to him, that show you missed because you had to work, happened to be the most quintessential set from that band ever and you really missed out, man.  Every brisket sandwich he eats is the moistest BBQ he’s ever had.  It drives me insane, but here I am, trying to conceptualize this review without being that guy.

California powerviolence Cro-Magnons, Cave State, put out their demo tape in mid-2013, but I didn’t get a copy until December when my car got stolen.   The cops found it and the cd player was gone, so I had the original cassette player installed and decided to pick up some cassettes, a trend I’ve been vehemently against (hyperbole used for outrage).   I put the tape in, had to rewind it to the beginning, struggled trying to determine if I was listening to side A or side B; basically all the things everyone has always hated about cassettes since their first go around.  However, the first 13 seconds of opening track, “Dwell”, hit and I knew I was listening to a killer.  It happened that quickly.  So, fast forward to January and the s/t 7”, out on To Live A Lie, showed up at my door and I was pleased to see the 7 songs from the demo were included with 4 new tracks wrapped nicely in a bi-folded jacket with photo artwork and lyrics.

So, how can this be so good?  I mean, it’s just another powerviolence record, right?  Well, not every rack of ribs churned out in Kansas City is the same.  I mean, for the most part they’re all spare ribs, cut St. Louis style and sauced, but despite this proven formula, subtle differences exist due to cooking conditions, ingredients, quality of butcher, etc.  For me, what makes Cave State so good is their individual formula.  They check mark every criteria box that I have for this genre.  Their groove to speed ratio is in perfect balance.  They throw in just enough sludge to pop the fast parts, making for a cohesive record.  They bring the intros as well, I’d like the first 14 seconds of “Bludgeon” to play every time I walked into the room.  “Carving on the Wall” is another standout, trench digging intro that ruptures into controlled pissed off barks of disgust.  I even thought the Marsellus Wallace sound bite fit at the beginning of “Fossilized Machine.”  Another thing that separates this record from other recent powerviolence releases is its memorable moments.    The slow buildup in “Self Extinct” and “superior piece of shit!” from“Rival Tribe” are just a few.  This is an album that I continually think about playing as opposed to moving on to the next “sure to be best of ‘14” release.  For me, Cave State's s/t 7" comes across as a more West Coast sounding "State Property", which is about the highest praise I can give.

So, is this the best thing I ever heard?  Not quite, maybe, I’m not sure…yet, but it's damn good.  It is good enough that when blasting it in my car, I may as well be rolling in Grave Digger.  It’s good enough that when I’m jamming it at the gym, I don’t ever need a spotter.  It’s good enough that when I turn it up to 11 at home I have to wear gym shorts.   I mean, how else am I supposed to dance with this erection?

Antichrist Demoncore/To The Point – split 7” – Deep Six

ACxDC is a polarizing band.  Kicking off in the early 2000’s, the band broke up in 2005 and reformed in 2010 for some reunion shows and have been building momentum ever since.  In that time, their 2005 ep“He Had It Coming” has been re-released along with 2012’s “The Second Coming”, a 2013 3-way split with Magnum Force/Sex Prisoner and this split with To The Point.  ACxDChas always been a blend of metal and some really fast hardcore capped with a Spazz-like over-the-top vibe.  Say what you will about them though, these guys merch like a mofo and tour to wherever they can; they definitely put in work.  On this split, they come with 4 songs that sound much more “core” than their seizure in a phone booth brand of grind violence.  They kick off with a heavy bass, puffed chest, walk in that develops into a mid-tempo, chugging intro.  That “core” vibe continues into the next song with a Youth Crew-ish riff that is broken up by bursts of fastcore.  Their third song begins with some decent grindcore before coming to a complete stop then stomping out, elbows and knees flailing.    They end their side with a more traditional powerviolence track.  Up tempo riffing to blast to beatdown with tortured shouts accented with a death growl.  All in all, ACxDCshowcase their range.  They added some “core”, gave you their grind violence, and refined their PV.  It’s like watching a mixed martial artist wrestle, box, and then choke a fool out all in the same fight.  

Regarding the To The Point side of the split; I considered showcasing their members, as a good chunk of my record collection wouldn’t exist without them, but decided against it as there are no icons or heroes that exist in hardcore despite the enormous amounts of respect felt towards certain people in the scene that gave all and still found a way to come back and give some more.   As someone who still carries “Trapped Inside” with me to the gym on chest and back days (ok, I’m totally lying about the gym, but if I were to go to the gym to work chest and back I would take “Trapped Inside” with me), anything To The Point puts out seems like a bonus on life, although they do differ somewhat from Lack Of Interest(which share members).  Tormented by kids who post pictures of their food on the Internet, Caveman stomps back from Pangaea to deliver Paleozoic barks behind that patented Los Angeles powerviolence sound that has been making squatters scatter since the mid-80’s.  It’s fast, it’s raw, the drum timing is sick, and it’s pissed off like you would expect; although it’s not as dissonant sonically as Lack Of Interest or Infest. To The Point essentially walk into the scene, shove all these powerviolence trend biting bands out of the way and show them what they wished they could sound like.  An interesting note, there are only 6 songs from To The Pointon this, but there are 7 songs with lyrics listed from them in the jacket fold.  

At the end of the day, this is a solid split showcasing two heavy weights in the Los Angeles scene.  Without even being able to turn around without a new powerviolence band trying to emulate what once was, it’s nice to hear two of the best come together on this.  Props to both bands for putting together some shows for those lucky enough to attend.

 

Sex Prisoner – State Property e.p. – Bad Teeth Recordings

I admit to being late to the Sex Prisoner game.  I didn’t pick up their s/t 7” until last year, despite it coming out in late 2010.  That said, I’d be hard pressed to name an e.p. that gets more consistent spins on my player than that s/t 7”.  Also, I think it’s safe for me to say that while their s/t 7” was the hardest thing I heard last year, this year’s State Property e.p. might be the scariest thing I’ve heard all year.

The most cliché thing you read, in what seems like every review these days is, “these guys aren’t inventing the wheel, they play your typical throwback style of [insert one of the many hardcore subgenres]”.  Well, that definitely can’t be said for Sex Prisoner.  They aren’t inventing anything new, but they understand powerviolence and leave their unique mark on it.  Within a couple seconds you absolutely know you’re listening to a Sex Prisoner record.  For me, that definitive Sex Prisoner sound comes from their bass.  Especially on State Property, that bass is just stalking your ass down the entire e.p.   Imagine Jason Voorhees but replace his machete with a sledgehammer and you got the bass on State Property.  The songs develop and your ear tries to encapsulate the totality of their sound, but there’s that bass lurching over you looking to pancake your skull into sidewalk goulash. 

State Property picks up right where their s/t 7” left off.  The e.p. starts you off with this unsettling biomechanical noise (as much as I love some vintage, obscure movie sound bites, I appreciate this change up) as you enter that alien ship that landed in Arizona a dozen years ago.  The bass lifts you then slams you on your head as they riff in to “Judgement II”.  That biomechanical noise stays with you as a tour guide throughout this e.p.  Coffin nail hard, caveman barks, sprinkled in with strained shouts remain consistent with the Sex Prisoner brand of hardcore.  Tempo-wise, Sex Prisoner goes from fast, violent powerviolence, to thick bass rolls, to grooved out beat down moments.  They also have some of the sickest intros in the game; “Lost Everything” is a perfect example on this e.p.  Peacock chest walk-in, trench digging bass, a little chug, a little groove that transitions into total sonic destruction.  If it gets harder than “Hard Feelings”, then I need to hear it.  Quintessential Sex Prisoner track; pissed off, violent, and to the point.

Needless to say, State Property is a wild success.  It replaces their s/t 7” in my rotation and unlike a lot of other releases from similar bands, I actually feel like I’m hearing something new.  State Property is a hard as it gets, scary as fuck, slab of versatile powerviolence.  Big ups to John at BTR for streaming this online as well, and while I’m on the topic of BTR, their first four releases are Spine – Subhuman, the Wake Up Dead comp, Sex Prisoner – State Property, and the Spine/The Repos split coming out next month.  Very impressive.