How 'bout an Interview, Dummy: Josh and Wolf of The Chariot

How 'bout an Interview, Dummy: Trap Them

Your own valiant Spleen Latifa tagged along with the lovable scamps at Metal Injection to help out with their coverage of the New England Metal and Hardcore Festival way out in Worcester, Mass. Though we were barred from shooting any live footage inside the festival (which really blew massively hard cuz Trap Them and Municipal Waste's sets were damn near incredible), we managed to corral together close to about 20+ interviews with some of the bands on the bill. Below you will find one such encounter between myself and two parts of the wall of chaotic sound that is the mighty Trap Them. Enjoy the vid, and head over to Metal Injection for more of them...

How 'bout an Interview, Dummy: Josh Scogin of The Chariot

So the nice gentlemen at Metal Injection allowed your friendly neighborhood Spleen Latifa to help out on another juicy little bit of awesometown. And this time it was in the form of an interview with Josh Scogin -- the man, the myth, and the legend behind the always-entertaining bruisers, The Chariot. Check out the video below for the interview the Spleen conducted for MI's site, and also click here for a handful of live clips of The Chariot and Poison the Well from the concert, as well as a shitty sound-quality interview with Chris from PTW. Oh, and don't be frightened... that is the mighty Spleen in the video, MI just made him come up with the fake commoner's name "Sean" to avoid confusion with the Bellicus Fulleron of Hellicus!

Spleen Latifa interviews Josh Scogin on Metal Injection

How 'bout an Interview, Dummy: Dark Touch (Easy E) of The American Black Lung

Today is your lucky day, Bellions. Why? Well shit, because we are throwing up an interview with one of the most sharkfuck bands to ever bring the rock; not to mention they are cool as hell. We managed to get a hold of Dark Touch (formally Easy E) of The American Black Lung and get an interview that has all the elements of a good time: gnarness, humor, and a touch of love. So saddle up and read on. This is how dreams are made!

Belly Full of Hell: Does ABL have any bands you think we here at the Belly should check out that may (almost) rock as hard as you? You know, like bands that have influenced you or you just think rock the shit right out of a new pair of pants?

Dark Touch (formerly Easy E): Funny you mentioned "rockin the shit out of pants", because one time while watching Tucson, AZ's very own BLUES, i literally shit myself. I was going for the whole "fart to make my stomach feel better" routine, and sharted my (luckily enough) VERY OLD pants. (myspace.com/lettherockfuckyou) (ok, i just completely made that story up... but Blues kills.)

BFoH: How did everyone end up with such bad-ass names (Dusty Rhodes, Diamond Rhino, etc)? We took a vote and feel they were not given at birth.

DT: Your vote was correct. The names were conceived by one particular rock god who, at the time of the names conception, was eating a Whopper. And by the way, for the rest of this interview I hereby am dropping the name "Easy E". I am now "DARK TOUCH".

BFoH: A little birdie told us that you guys have worked your keisters off. How tough was it to actually get out there and start to get recognized?

DT: I could've sworn i shot that damn birdie! We've been taking every tour we could get for the past 2 years, including the '06 Warped Tour which was the toughest thing we've ever done. In the process we met a few really great people who helped us out tremendously with getting the word out.

BFoH: How and why did you dudes lose your thunder-banger (aka drummer)?

DT: He left the band for one yoko-ono-esque disaster girlfriend. The loss paved the way for an even more thunder(er) banger(er), RUDE RUDY REEFER RIVERS!



BFoH: We noticed that you rely on people to help book you in certain towns. Does this usually work out, or do you ever end up stuck in some town with nothing to do except kills roaches in a HoJo's? Also, are the people that give a hand usually fans, friends, promoters, zombies?

DT: We mostly work with promoters/bands that we've worked with before, which leads to killer shows. IN the past, we've had the occasional permazoid book us, which leads to a outrageous drunken night in a walmart parking lot (whoop whoop!). Fortunately, that is happening less every tour.

BFoH: Although the Lung came out with a rippin' album fairly recently, we here at the Belly want more. Is there any music in the works, and if so, when will the sonic bombs be dropped?

DT: Yes yes yes yes. We are, in fact, planning on releasing a split with that particular shit inducing rocker from tucson, BLUES. Look out for it late spring.

BFoH: When you guys aren't shredding peoples' faces off, what do you guys do? What are your day jobs? Do you collect stamps or something to stay busy? Do you all hang out in a grocery store parking lot with your car hoods open listening to Motley Cure?

DT: Everyday we hustlin'. I (Dark Touch) cook, Dhusty drinks, Johnny jams (along with Rudy), and Diamond.. I don't really know what diamond does. We save bumpin Motley Crue in the parking lots for tour.

BFoH: Do you have any insanely weird stories from touring around? We like to believe that you fellas end up in ridiculously rock n' roll situations. If you really don't have any, make some up.

DT: Of course! Stopping at hundereds of truck stops, shady hotels and houses across the country pretty much guarantees you some ridiculous sights. Bums with broken legs make for great photo op's. You can steal anything in a walmart chicken bag (anything). A large group of deaf gay men are very intimidating, dont try to negotiate with your own "sign language". Absinthe in germany is much stronger than one might think. And p.s., when you run into us be sure to ask why Diamond is wanted dead by the German mafia.



BFoH: Will you write a song for us here at the Belly? We'll write one for you guys and sing it a cappella if you do.

DT: Absolutely. I've been working on one since i started this interview.

BFoH: Could we be honorary members of the band since we most definitely have real American black lungs in our chests right now?

DT: No lungs needed at all! YES, you can be honorary members of the Black Lung Crew. Initiation is quite brutal, but you seem like true ragers so you shouldn't have to much trouble.

BFoH: Who are some of the bands that you've toured with that you guys thought were the most fun?

DT: Holy smokes, every band thus far has been amazing to tour with. Our BFF's are the Jonbenet, This Is An Empire, Blues and all the other great bands in tucson. Those bloody brits Death Defying Life sure know how to drink.

BFoH: What's the coolest part about being in a band like ABL? The chicks? The rocking out? The fans? The bloody noses and bad-ass scars?

DT: Well, obviously all of the above. But other than that, the coolest part is while i'm working this shit dead end job, i have something to look forward to (because ANYTHING goes on tour). and yeah, the chicks are pretty bomb.



BFoH: Are you guys as tired of hearing about the Beckhams as we are?

DT: Yeah, until i heard they are 100% CGI - then i had mad respect.

BFoH: We know that The American Black Lung feels music today is way to corporate and boring. We completely agree. What do you think it's going to take to get people to realize that all this mainstream stuff is complete crap? We're pretty sure you guys can single-handedly stick it to man, so don't let us down.

DT: We haven't exactly figured out the exact formula for that, but right now we are living day to day with a positive mental attitude, with love and respect for all we come in contact with. We try to express that through our jams, so maybe that will catch on to the rest of the world and there will be some revolution. Until then, rage hard.

BFoH: What is the music scene like out in the southwest? Is it hot? Get it?

DT: It really depends who you are i suppose. For most, it's kinda luke-warm. The kids that come out to our shows are the most genuine people, and make us smile every time we play. So sure, hot as hell!

BFoH: Speaking of the southwest, we would like to start seeing you guys wearing those goofy ponchos with those wacky southwestern patterns on them. Can you make that happen?

DT: No way man, i've worn one of those before. They're itchy as hell and TOTALLY impractical.

[BFoH editor's note]: Mr. D. Touch is sooo right. Blues is totally fuckin' sick as all fuck. Expect a "Found You, Asshole" or "So Sick It Hurts" in the very near future.... Stay tuned... Same Belly time, same Belly channel.

How 'bout an Interview, Dummy: Greg Puciato of Dillinger Escape Plan

Gather 'round la computadora, numbskulls... It's an important damn day here at the Belly. Today's yack-session went down with the one and only bulldozer of a bruiser, and quite a witty gentleman to boot... Greg Puciato, the throatrazor of Dillinger Escape Plan. Seeing as he needs absolutely no introduction, I won't hold you up anymore from gettin' your fill... Read on, you jerks:

Belly Full of Hell: When did you first realize you were one of the raddest frontmen to ever throat-punch an audience's nervous system?

Greg Puciato: Hahaha are you sure this is the right person? I dunno man I just do what I do and if other people dig it, so be it. I try not to think too much onstage which usually ends up with me not having any idea what happened til I see a video on youtube and I'm like whoa I did that? That's pretty fucking scary haha. Usually when we play people either love me or wanna fight me so I must be doing something right.

BFoH: Can you clue us in to how the changing of the guard went down when Dimitri left and you stepped in to fulfill vicious mic duties?

GP: It was actually so fast that I didn't even have time to process it. I auditioned twice in August 2001, and then after the second time we played our first show two weeks later, and from then on pretty much toured endlessly for five years. I didn't even have time to digest anything until like January 2006 and by then my life was so completely different and I felt like I had gone through a time warp. Nothing happened for 5 years except for endless touring and writing and then when we stopped it was like slamming into a wall after being shot out of a cannon. Needless to say I had a mild meltdown of sorts over the year of 2006 but feel totally comfortable with everything in my life and in DEP now, which is a good thing.

BFoH: Your spin on 999's "Homicide" was quite a powerful track in itself... Is there any chance of future work with Error, or is that now a defunct project?

GP: We always talk about doing it but Atticus is pretty busy working with Trent on NIN music, so if it happens it happens but we aren't really pressing the issue either. As far as side project stuff goes, 90% of my time and energy goes into Dillinger but I have written a lot of other stuff I would like to get out, I will probably put out some side project stuff over the next couple of years, me and John from Candiria are definitely going to get an album out in 2008 under the moniker Spylacopa, we already have it recorded we're just sitting on it til the DEP wave from Ire Works passes.

BFoH: Any rhyme or reason to the choices of covers selected for the Plagiarism EP? Cuz they go pretty stunningly all the way across the board...

GP: Eh, three of them were songs we had played live at various points, and the soundgarden song we just did because we love that band and that song. I would actually love to construct a huge stone statue of Kim Thayil and just put it on stage the way Maiden has Eddie. Just a huge bearded wizard looking guy behind us onstage with walls of feedback coming out of his guitar in between songs. Kim Thayil, come be our mascot.

BFoH: We're pretty hereditarily emaciated-looking here at Belly Full of Hell... are there any tricks of the trade to get slightly as massively powerviolence as you? ... Sometimes we try push-ups... but only sometimes.

GP: Hahaha I am definitely referring to my appearance as "powerviolence" from now on. I dunno man. I try to act like I don't do anything but honestly I am pretty compulsive about working out, it really has nothing to do with trying to look a certain way, its just something that I do to release energy really, and it helps me channel a lot of weird discipline and energy into something.



BFoH: At the Every Time I Die/Poison the Well show two weeks ago, Keith called you on stage to split vocals with him (which was like a religious experience), stating "without Dillinger Escape Plan, our band would not exist" ... Can you let us know how you really (imagine 'really' in italics) feel about those Shitty Dudes in ETID?

GP: Those dudes are the shittiest dudes on earth. Honestly though we love them. They are all good friends of ours and have been for a long time. It was cool playing a song onstage with friends that wasn't a DEP song. Felt completely different than being onstage with DEP. Mindset was totally different.

BFoH: Are you able to divulge at all into Chris's parting ways with DEP to get his prog on? ... or is that all behind-closed-doors kinda stuff?

GP: I mean honestly that Chris situation was going on for a loooong time, it just reached a boiling point and the Coheed offer came along and kinda presented itself as a liferaft/escape vessel of sorts to him at the right time. Worked out for the best for everyone I think, thats sort of how things tend to go. We took a shit situation and reversed it and now we are definitely in the best place we've been in a long time.

BFoH: What was Dillinger's plan of attack by releasing Ire Works in its entirety on your myspace page so far in advance of the release date? ... We're you just itching to get it out there, or did you just know it was that incredible and didn't need to be hidden away 'til Nov. 13th?

GP: We are stupid. Thats the answer. I dunno, it wasn't my idea, I didn't wanna stream it at all. I just woke up one day and there it was. Really what it all comes down to is myspace wanted to put us on their front page thingy but wouldn't do it unless we streamed the record. So we sold our soul for about 2000 more "friends" haha.

BFoH: Some of the songs on Ire Works stray pretty far from the shit usually associated with you guys. Take Black Bubblegum and Sick on Sunday, for example. What influenced you all to take a different approach to some of the songwriting this time around? Did you just want to put a little more booty-shake into some of it?

GP: We listen to so much music and most of it isn't heavy at all in the traditional sense. Most of what I listen to is emotionally heavy in some regard to me personally whether it is considered "heavy" music or whatever. We really don't wanna have any confines or restraints in this band, and the only way we can ensure that people won't be able to do that to us is to exercise our ability to do whatever we want at any time to keep people on their toes.

BFoH: Milk Lizard is fucking awesome. I love how some of that sleazy rock swagger made it into some of the tracks. What were you guys listening to while writing the new record? Was whiskey involved?

GP: I was listening to a lot of shit like super old Aerosmith from when they were almost walking death from drugs, old Rolling Stones when Jagger was higher than a fucking kite barely breathing onstage, Melvins, Jesus Lizard, and that stuff definitely crept into my vocal approach and inflection at times.



BFoH: Whatcha jammin' lately?

GP: Really nothing cause we have been practicing constantly and when we aren't I have been trying to spend all my time with my girlfriend and friends and family because I won't see much of them for the next year.

BFoH: Can you shed a little light on a rumor we heard around the water cooler earlier: I see you guys are going to be having your album release party at Europa in Brooklyn next week... will there be any secret live performance by you fellas?

GP: Shit! I'm late! Guess this question is irrelevant now. I didn't go to that shit anyway haha.

BFoH: Is the band taking all precautions necessary to fight off MRSA?

GP: I've got it and I plan on spreading it across the US on our tour. Everytime somebody thinks its cool that they got the mic, they aren't gonna think so when they have the chills and the shits a few days later.

BFoH: If you could play one show with any band of your choosing, still around or long gone, and then hang out with them at a strip club all night, which band would you want by your side?

GP: Fuuuuuck. This question is insanely hard. Who would have the best time afterwards....Guns N Roses like 1988? Or like late 60's Stones or Mid 70's Aerosmith. You know those dudes went off. Maybe 1987 Metallica so I could try to warn them of the perils of Bob Rock. I dunno. But the real issue is who would go off the most at a strip club. Gotta be Steven Adler from like 1988 era Guns. I pick him actually any era. Even now post-stroke. There you go. Adler over anyone, anytime. That guy partied so hard he got kicked out of Guns at the height of their debauchery, that's some serious shit.

BFoH: Let's say you guys got trapped somewhere. Would YOU have an escape plan?

GP: Me and Ben got trapped in some psycho chick's apartment once and she literally got real psychotic and tried to lock us in while some other guy was in the living room beating his head into the wall over and over. When the chick went to the bathroom we had to climb out the window and run down the fire escape because the scene was so weird that we were actually scared haha.

BFoH: And last, but not least... The most important question... What does it feel like to run on peoples' faces?

GP: Like a lawsuit ready to happen. Then it does happen. And it sucks. They can't win because I'm broke but they just drag me through endless hours of court and paperwork 'til they realize that suing me is basically like trying to get a 95 year old woman's clam wet. Not happening. Haven't tried, but you can IMAGINE WHAT IT WOULD BE LIKE IF YOU DID. Dustbowl city.

Dispatches from Powerviolence: STD Grabag Switch Gears

It came as shocking news when this first trickled down the pipe to the Belly, but now after mulling it around I kinda see it as a noble thing... Chicago's acid-punk veterans, STD Grabag, have decided to take some drastic strides in their artistic direction. Straight out the gates, the Grabag boys have just incredibly seethed with biting, fuckin gnarblasts of political speed-rips that merges punk/metal/hiphop/experimental sentiments. Whether on their self titled disc or the EPs, the STD camp always went for the throat, and never disappointed.

I shot the shit with Obi J, the enigmatic vocalist for STD, and tried to pry away at some of the rumors I've heard going around about their current state. Adding even more to the allure, he prefaced answering the questions with making sure i understood he was speaking for himself, not the entire band... But as it stands right now, the band seems to be torn on changing their name or not with this new direction (which I myself am torn on, since I think STD Grabag is one of the greatest band names in rock n' roll... wickedness). But the argument stands now because the boys feel like leaving all their back catalogue behind as they continue to forge forward. Instead of just screaming through every ballistic ounce of powerviolence song after song, they really want to explore their experimental sides, and push farther into the psychedelic realms without losing their deep punk roots

So I do understand a bit... the name STD Grabag comes with a hard-slicing rep, and if they were to move in a different direction from all their releases up until now, should they still keep it? ... However, I am really interested in seeing what Obi J's singing pipes sound like, since I thought his screams fuckin ripped, in every sense of the word. But I guess only time will tell... The only thing that seems to be unwaivering in the STDs is the complete revolving door system they have on bassists. But Obi confides that they concreted down a new one, but he shall remain nameless until they are definite he is the one they're looking for on recording songs for the next full length and also on touring.

So kiddies, keep it damn in the Belly, and we'll keep you up to date if anything more comes our way... But as for what's for damn sure, the STDs will be holed up and cranking out new songs into the winter, and hope to be back on the road come January with this new style... But until then, lets bask in their old powerviolence glory:

STD Grabag - end of "Nation of Lies" and "Beautiful" (live)