Not Sorry - John

This interview originally ran in Future Breed Zine Rainfest 2011 Edition
nn
How have you and the band in general been lately?n

JOHN: The answer to that could be kind of long, but overall, pretty good. The new 7\" is finally out, and we already have 4 new songs written for another record.

nn
I'll get to that new stuff later, but you had a release show for that 7\" not too long ago. Did that go well?n

It was cool. It was an all locals show: ON, SOJOURNER, FOUGHT ALONE (from Portland), and a new Seattle band called DEAD WEIGHT played. We did a whole weekend in the Northwest with DEAD WEIGHT and FOUGHT ALONE. It was a lot of fun.

nn
How have the local shows for you been lately. Does it seem like the Seattle area is on an upturn or downturn?n

Local shows are ok, some better than others, but nothing mind blowing. The first couple of years out here shows were pretty small, but overall it seems as if shows are picking up a bit in the Seattle area. The south end (like Tacoma) has killer shows quite often. Even after losing the Viaduct, they got a new space going that's much smaller and intimate called The Red Room. The shows I've been to and played down there have been great!

nn
I'm glad the loss of the Viaduct didn't affect Rainfest's future. Have you been to Neumos before?n

I have. It's a cool spot. I saw THE BREEDERS there right after moving to Seattle. It's also where TRIAL played their first reunion shows a few years back. I'm very much looking forward to Rain Fest being in Seattle this year.

nn
You guys played an after-show last year if I remember right. Do you have any plans to do anything like that again this year?n

Nah. Last year we did it 'cause a bunch of friends from the East Coast were all going to be here. Us and BLACK SS were going to do a West Coast tour after Rain Fest, and it didn't happen so we put together a little after party one night with us, them, SOUL CONTROL, and LIKE WOLVES, much to the frustration of our friend Matt, who's one of the main dudes behind Rain Fest. We kept all the bands a \"secret\" until the day of and then handed out fliers at Rain Fest. Now this year, the dudes doing the fest have booked after parties every night of the fest *laugh*. They clearly stole my idea.

nn
This is a pretty loaded question, but you guys have gotten the chance to play around with some fests and showcases. What makes Rainfest special or unique to you?n

It gives us the opportunity to play in front of way more people than we normally would for sure. We're not, nor will we ever be, road dogs. We're just not a months at a time touring kind of band. Fests like this one, right in our hometown, gives us the chance to play in front of people from all over who may never see us otherwise. There are lots of bands to pick through, nationally and locally, so the fact that we've gotten to play the last few years is very cool and much appreciated. Matt, Brian, and Zack do a ton of work putting it together. We really can't thank them enough.

nn
What are you looking forward to the most for this particular Rainfest?n

Cafe Vita being right next door for the most part *laugh*. Vivace Cafe being about 8 blocks away. I can get really good coffee. I don't have to settle for Starbucks this year!

nn
I need to take notes on this so I can experience the local flavor this year.n

Oh man, we can do a little coffee tour if you want. So many good options in that area! Anyway, back to the question. As for bands, I'm psyched to see ANOTHER BREATH. They're real good friends of mine from back home and seeing as I won't get to see their last shows in August, I'm real glad they're playing this year. Otherwise, I'm most psyched to see 7 SECONDS!

nn
There are a ton of bands from the Northwest playing. Who do you think is the #1 young Northwest band out-of-towners need to check out?n

BULLY (who I think is breaking up soon after unfortunately), WRECK, LOSING SKIN, and ENVISION (though arguably NOT young).

nn
I saw online that you guys are playing a new song. What is the song about?n

The song is called \"Just One More Day.\" It's about losing my father 7 years ago and realizing far too late all the stuff I should've paid attention to when I was younger when he was around. Kind of a heavy vibe to bring to such a laid back fun weekend, but that's how it goes.

nn
Do you often write inward like that, or has that been a thing with your more recent lyrics?n

Sort of depends really. Half the time I have no clue what I'm doing when writing lyrics and am overly critical of how they sound. With the first EP, it was my first attempt at really writing lyrics so I feel like I was just getting my feet wet and figuring stuff out.

nn
Have you become more comfortable with writing now?n

*laugh* Not really. I struggle with every song I write honestly, but I'm pretty happy with my track record so far, so for myself I feel like I'm doing ok.

nn
Does the instrumental part of NOT SORRY come together with that same level of attention to it all around?n

There is that same level of attention, but we've got 4 people working on songs rather than just me working on lyrics so as a group we're far more productive.

nn
I'm going to switch things up a bit. How did you first come across hardcore punk, and what drew you to it?n

Skateboarding honestly. Watching skateboard videos got me into BLACK FLAG, DINOSAUR JR, FIREHOUSE, SONIC YOUTH... Lots of SST stuff. Then I'd get Session Mail Order catalogs and just pick up records of bands I saw from that catalog. I got in the DEAD KENNEDYS because of that, simply because I thought the name was cool. I grew up in a small town so having music that separated me from everyone else really appealed to me.

nn
What is a fond memory you have of an early show you went to?n

A fond memory... I don't know about fond, but I remember going to the 2nd to last CHOKEHOLD show in Buffalo, NY with some older HC dudes who I'd just met. I got in the van, and the windshield wipers stopped working so we drive an hour and a half through pouring rain with no wipers. Once on the highway, the van was going fast enough that the falling rain just made a fairly clear sheet of water over the window. Then we got there and I saw some cool bands play. ABNEGATION (militant metal vegan edge band from PA, profoundly pro-life) followed by CHOKEHOLD (also vegan edge, but very much pro-choice). Needless to say these two bands didn't get along. Nothing bad happened other than some shit-talking, my friend Jim yelling \"Pizza by the slice\" when ABNEGATION played \"the fetus is a life,\" and the bass player from CHOKEHOLD wearing a dress. I guess that is a fond memory *laugh*.

nn
What is your general feeling on the 'reunion wave' happening?n

It's fucking annoying. I'm so over it... what little I was into it to begin with. It's now just how hardcore is, and that's truly sad. Everyone wants to live in the past or re-live the past instead of making the most of what they have right now. There are awesome bands, made up of younger kids and adults with mortgages, that exist right now. They're not reliving their past; they're doing something new, even if what's new sounds old. I don't care about HARVEST being back together or DYS playing shows. If anyone wants to take one thing away from this interview, it's this: BE HERE NOW!

nn
I think the most compelling thing for me coming over last year for Rainfest was... I knew a handful of bands coming to it. I left loving almost every Northwest band, all which are active, local bands. I wish more \"fests\" took that kind of approach.n

I agree. I mean, every fest does the \"reunion\" band thing. It's almost par for the course and something you have to do to get kids to come. That's truly pathetic. Don't get me wrong, there are certain bands I'd love to see. I went to the GORILLA BISCUITS reunion show at CB's in '05. But when they did the full US tour the following summer, it really bummed me out. Now it's almost a joke . . . outside of someone resurrecting a dead front man, there is very little that would surprise me. And let's be real, dead members don't even stop some bands from getting back together.

nn
Do you think that would be the greatest overall \"flaw\" of the hardcore scene right now, the obsession on reunions?n

To some extent. Hardcore and punk is about living in the moment. Enjoying what you have right now because it's not coming back again. What's the point, now you can stand around local shows bored because your favorite band from 25 years ago is playing the following week. Real vibe killer.

nn
Do you have a good feeling though for how things are moving? I mean, it seems zines, whether as a novelty or not, are on a resurgence. Myspace is dead so people are getting a little better about getting their music out there. Hell, cassettes are making a resurgence at least over here. Seems like kids are taking a more DIY approach.n

Oh yeah. There are some definite cool things happening right now. All the bullshit is not sustainable. Why fix what isn't broken? Some of the stuff I love most about hardcore punk is the consistency. Things don't have to be new and shiny all the time. I'm psyched on people doing zines, making tape demos, getting away from their computers more. All that shit is good.

nn
One thing I've noticed lately in the Boston area is that a lot of bands here consider it preachy to even discuss politics a little bit at shows. Have you been seeing this around here too?n

Having come from out there, I definitely think there are pockets that function that way. But honestly it's that way in little spots all over. The east coast definitely has bands that talk about issues, even if frowned upon by the populous. Hardcore, in my opinion, should be equal parts fun and equal parts reality. Talking about issues is what makes hardcore and punk, hardcore and punk! Otherwise it ends up like many other styles of music, purely background noise. That said, it doesn't have to be ALL that gets talked about. Sometimes I just want to see people get wild and see the band have fun with no pretenses. Unfortunately, I think we end up on one end of that spectrum or the other; we struggle finding that middle ground.

nn
Much like the attitudes I see regarding straight edge. Do you consider straight edge as more of a obsession-free lifestyle? Anything can be as toxic as drugs if obsessed over. n

Oh I fully agree. I have addiction in my family, which is why I live the way I do. Unfortunately I struggle with addictions of other kinds daily. That is a constant struggle for me, luckily the label of straight edge just covers drugs and alcohol, for the time being *laugh*.

nn
To close things off, are you happy with how things have gone with Not Sorry so far and with what things you have coming up?n

Hell yes. Living in the Northwest rules. I love playing the music we do, and the dudes in the band are great people. I tend to be an opinionated person so having a soundtrack to my ramblings is awesome!

nn
Awesome, thank you for doing the interview. I'm really looking forward to coming out there in a few days.n

For sure. We'll make a point to kick it when you're here. We can get some delicious coffee! Stay well, thanks for the interview. Big ups to Wyld Punx worldwide!