FREE June 18, 2011

The Hard-Rock'n Bi-Weekly Magazine

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CENTRAL PA.

PLUG’D IN

Check out our kick-ass full color version online

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Inside This Issue

On Tour: Billy Hamilton of Silverstein, Impact: Jared Gomes

(M.C.U.D.) of Hed P.E., This Is: Nick and Chris of Bayside, Dear Dear

Abby, Through Their Eyes: Exceptional Photography by the Plug‟d In

Photographers, and much more!

Silverstein shot live in concert by Liana Marie

Cyanide and Happiness Toon of the Week

www.explosm.net/comics

www.dineindie.com/bellybusters

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Wayne Lozinak

Interview by Vikki Sin

If you didn‟t already know, I, Vikki Sin,

happen to be a Juggalo, more technically a

Juggalette. (For those of you that are shak-

ing your heads like I‟m speaking another

language, please utilize Google and maybe

you‟ll find out that you are one too, who

knows?) So of course it was a huge deal

for me to be able to interview Jared Gomes,

a.k.a. MC Underdog a.k.a. M.C.U.D. from

the self described “G-Punk” group Hed PE

of the infamous underground label Suburban Noize. Hed PE is no-

where near new to the music scene, having been around since 1994,

but they are gaining more exposure with each new album, making

devoted fans out of Juggalos and mainstream listeners alike. Theirs is

a diverse sound, a kind of energetic mix of metal, funk, rap and punk

with a progressively more political undercurrent for those of us that

are always angry at the system (and this day in age that‟s a large

cross section), so it‟s no wonder that these guys seem to be at the top

of their game right now. I recently sat down with M.C.U.D. when the

group stopped at the Croc Rock in Allentown during the Hed 2 Head

tour with the monster metal band Mushroomhead. Here‟s what the

outspoken front man had to say about the Hed PE‟s political flavor

and why he‟s proud to call everyone family.

PI: Tell us a little bit about G-Punk, which is your style of music.

JG: Well, G-Punk is a word I came up with in the early „90‟s. It just says that we‟re putting together punk rock with

gangster rap type stuff.

PI: How did you come up with the band name? Tell us a little bit about the story behind that.

JG: We were always Hed before we got signed from one of the first songs I wrote called „Heavy Head‟ about being

depressed and then one of the guys was like “Let‟s just name the band Hed”. So then we were Hed until we got signed

and then the legal department was like „There‟s already a Hed, so you have to change your name‟. I was reading this

book about planetary evolution, so I just added the „PE‟ to it.

PI: What would you say that you‟re most proud of about your latest album „Truth Rising‟? Is there something that is

different about it than any others?

JG: It sounds better than all the other indie albums because I invested more money in my home studio, so definitely

audio-wise it sounds better.

PI: There‟s a song on the album called „White House‟ that‟s obviously very political: „Black in the white house, see

the color of change‟. Can you tell us a little about that? Was that completely about Obama? What was the message

behind that whole song?

JG: It‟s pretty self explanatory. I like Obama. There‟s sarcastic lines in there, from the point of view of someone that‟s

like „oh, run for the hills…nigger in the white house‟ type of thing. So, there‟s sarcasm in there but then there‟s also

the truth about how I feel about him getting in the white house. (PI) Which you were very happy about, apparently.

(JG) Yea.

Impact: Jared Gomes

(M.C.U.D.) of Hed P.E.

PI: So how did you get into the more po-

litical side of it? Seems like your albums

got progressively more political as time

went on.

JG: I‟d say around the fourth album,

which was when we went more indie, I

started just getting into more of the…I

think everyone started getting into the

Free Masons and this and that. After 9/11

when people started going „whoaaa‟ and

checking out secret societies, I was one

of those people and it‟s been taking over

my life and it‟s reflected in my music.

PI: Sometimes I‟ll explain your band to

people as a kind of underground Rage

Against the Machine but heavier. Was

Rage a big influence on you guys?

JG: I like Rage a lot, except you‟ll notice in Hed P.E., we‟re not as consistent with our sound the way Rage is. They‟re

like, and again, they‟re one of my favorite bands, but all of their music kind of goes along the same stylistic lines of

the guy rapping and the band playing groovy metal, where like Hed P.E., we don‟t do that, so we‟ll have really fast

punk songs and songs where I don‟t rap. (PI) It‟s a big variety. (JG) Yea, but certainly if anyone compares us to Rage,

I find it a compliment. I just talk about the differences.

PI: Who are some of the musical artists that influenced you?

JG: I think definitely Johnny Rotten, the guy from System of a Down, Mike Muir from Suicidal Tendencies, Minor

Threat, The Clash, and maybe Hatebreed…I have lots of influences. The band has so many different styles.

PI: I saw you guys playing once in Philly and there was these 2 guys that got into a fight and you stopped the whole

show and you yelled at them for fighting and you said „We‟re family”, and I was like „Whoa, I didn‟t know they em-

braced the whole Juggalo family thing that much‟. So, you‟re big into that, I take it?

JG: (laughs) Yea, I‟m a Juggalo, obviously, and I‟m definitely into that whole thing, into the whole scene or whatever.

(PI) The family aspect of it? (JG) Yea, and I‟m into the family aspect even beyond the clown family, but inclusive of

it. I‟m into the whole global family thing. I‟m into the whole galactic family thing, so I‟ll just keep taking it further

and further out.

PI: Speaking of which, any plans on going to the Gathering (of the Juggalos) this year?

JG: Well, we played two years in a row, and I don‟t see why we wouldn‟t play it again. It would be a surprise to me if

we didn‟t. We‟re friends with that whole organization, so I can‟t imagine that we wouldn‟t do it, unless there‟s like a

good reason. (PI) It‟s a good time, too. (JG) Yea. (laughs)

PI: Obviously, you‟re on Suburban Noize records, everyone knows Kottonmouth Kings, big pro-marijuana organiza-

tion. (JG) (laughs) (PI) You were arrested in 2000 for possession, is that true?

JG: I‟ve been arrested for possession a couple times, and I guess you‟re talking about the more well known time

where I got taken to jail while I was on the road. (PI) There‟s been a couple times then. Are you strongly pro-

legalization, seeing as how then you‟d probably stop getting arrested? (JG) Well, I‟m definitely pro-decriminalization.

I don‟t think people should go to prison and jail for weed. But, at the same time, I don‟t think kids should be smoking

weed. I don‟t even think people under 18 should be smoking weed, I‟m crazy like that, and a lot of my fans, most of

them, excuse me, are under 18 and smoke weed and drink and I did it too when I was a teenager, so I guess teens can

do it but it just scares me sometimes. (PI) How they go about it? (JG) Yea.

PI: Tell us a little bit about what you like to do when you‟re not touring, when you‟re not in the whole Hed P.E.

groove.

JG: Well, you know, I enjoy working out and running, big time. I read a lot. You see I watch the fights. (points to TV

screen) I watch too much television. Sometimes I

don‟t watch any television, but when I do watch it, I

watch too much, but I still find enough time to get a

lot done in terms of reading and music and whatever. I

could still always use my time more wisely.

PI: How did you guys get together in the first place?

JG: In the 90‟s? Here‟s the thing, Hed P.E. has seen

different...I‟d have to go through each member in the

band and tell you how I hooked up with them. It‟s not

the original lineup, but it‟s a stable lineup to where

this lineup‟s been together longer than the original

lineup, except for the drummer, but drummers‟s come

and go. Our new guy though has been around for 3

years.

PI: Do you guys enjoy being on tour?

JG: Well, I‟ve been touring for like 16 years, so it‟s

good and it is fun but a lot of the craziness of the 90‟s

and first touring and doing the drugs and all that is a thing of the past. It‟s definitely a blessing to make your living

doing this, and having a message that‟s worthwhile and traveling and being in touch with the family is a blessing for

sure.

PI: What do you have to say to people that might not understand the Juggalo family?

JG: It‟s like anything in life, when you‟re on the outside looking in it‟s like you don‟t get it, like so many things, I‟m

sure, like people who don‟t understand hip hop or punk rock or heavy metal, you know? There are lots of people like

that who are only into one thing. The most ignorant thing though is kind of the judgments that are cast on the Juggalo

family, which to me is just ignorant and funny and people always like to be negative about this or that. You‟re only

gonna see it on the Facebook anyway. And people will be like „oh, Juggalo‟s are this and that‟ when it‟s just like any

segment of society, where within the metal scene or the emo scene or the hip hop scene there‟s always troublemakers

and it‟s the same with Juggalos. It‟s no different than anything. (PI) We have a lot of fun. (JG) Yeah, yeah, that‟s what

first attracted me to the whole scene anyway is that it‟s fun. People ask me why I‟m into it that‟s my initial answer is

its fun and I don‟t even need more of a reason than that, dude. You know, if it‟s fun, that‟s it, that‟s enough.

PI: So, what can we expect from Hed P.E. in the future?

JG: I‟m trying to get another album out by next year, which is gonna be tough but I‟m sure I can do it by at least Octo-

ber of next year. (PI) Got a lot to say? (JG) Always. Always. I‟m never at a loss for words; I‟ve always got something

on my mind, which is good. That‟s how I make my money.

PI: Thank you so much for giving us a chance to get Plug‟d In!

JG: It‟s a pleasure!

www.myspace.com/hedpe

www.pennavemusic.com

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Dear Dead Abby Brought to you by It’s All The Hair Rage Designs

Submit your questions to: deardeadabby@centralpapluggedin.com

From The Grave Abby was born and raised in the coal regions of Northeastern Pennsylvania. The old-

est of eight, she constantly had her younger brothers and sisters asking her questions

about everything from how things work to why that boy threw dirt on her. She’d try to

steer them straight with her advice, though sometimes she could be a bit sarcastic.

Abby also had an uncanny ability to see the truth in people, despite what they tried to

portray with their lies. Unfortunately, this led the locals to believe that she was with

surrounded with dark forces. The summer before her final year of school, Abby was sentenced to death by hanging, without a proper trial, simply stating that she was a

witch. Abby can’t recognize the faces of her family through death, but she answers

questions, thinking it might be one of her siblings needing her guidance.

Q. Is the economy finally starting to make a turnaround? F.G.

A. Not in my opinion. Things look better than they were, but I think it

will get worse again. The economy is a very sticky subject, but presi-

dents and politics aside, I don't believe it will truly get better until the

US focuses on itself and its own resources and what is best for its own

people. The US needs to stop playing World Police and focus on solving

our own problems. If the US is trying to set an example, then they

should show how it's done.

Q. I'm raising my daughter not to lie, but I seem to lie all the time. I lie

to my boss, my co workers, and sometimes to my friends. It‟s never anything serious, just little lies like if I call off

work or don‟t want to do something. I can‟t help but feel like a hypocrite. Am I? B.L.

A. Whether you teach her not to lie or not, she will know how. It's human nature. Based on her age, you will know

what to tell her about little white lies, which are necessary, and not to lie in general, but there is no avoiding it. Chil-

dren lie. When it goes unpunished it becomes a bigger problem.

Q.I was one of those people who believed that the world was going to end. I feel mislead. I don‟t even feel like show-

ing my face outside. What can I do? D.D.

A. You should feel like an idiot. Why would you think that? What grounds of evidence did you have? Oh wait, none.

You're just one of those simple minds that cult leaders like Charles Manson can pick up on and use to their will. Too

many people in this society don't know how to think for themselves. They just go with the flow. Since you believe in

the Rapture, you believe in God, and in the Bible it clearly states that no one knows the day He will return. No one

knows, so whatever imaginary formulas and countdowns people are using should immediately be nixed. Believe what

you want to believe, but be prepared to defend it.

Q. I'm 30,000 in debt cause of student loans and misc purchases. How the hell do I climb up out of this hole? I‟m liv-

ing paycheck to paycheck now. S.B.

A. You need a budget. There is no easy way, but to scrape every penny together and get rid of all unnecessary pur-

chases. When you say miscellaneous, I am assuming there were things you could do without. You're going to have to

change that way of thinking. Do I really need this? Pick up a second job and put all that towards the debt.

Q. My son's mother is a horrible mother. What can I do? S.W.

A. If you feel she is a horrible mother, perhaps you should get more involved. It's easy to judge from another position.

Why do you feel that she's a horrible mother? People have many different views on parenting, but they make compro-

mises. If there are particular things, let her know, but make sure you give a reason as to why.

www.itsalltherage.biz

Interview by Liana Marie

It was my pleasure getting to sit

down with Silverstein for a sec-

ond time and get the inside

scoop. I had previously been

given the opportunity to meet

up with Shane during this past

Winterizer tour. Things went

great and I couldn‟t have been

more pumped to catch up with

the band during The Take Ac-

tion tour. This time I was able

to sit down with their bass

player, Billy. It was great get-

ting to know Billy as well as the

rest of his band on a more personal level. I‟ve been listening to

the band since the early 2000‟s, growing up. It was both a fun

and neat experience to be able to sing along and reminisce on the

days that I first began listening to Silverstein, years ago. And it‟s

always a pleasure speaking with them. Here‟s what Billy had to

share with us...L.M.

PI: Tell us a little about yourself...Where are you from?

B: I grew up in Burlington, Ontario Canada. I moved to Toronto

about 4 years ago, which is where I currently live.

PI: What instrument are you responsible for, within the band?

B: I play the bass guitar.

PI: What is your history with this instrument? How long have you played?

B: I kind of started pretending to play the bass about 11 years ago. Then, I heard Silverstein needed a bass player.

Having had their first Ep; demo, I was like “YEAH! I play the bass.” And they let me in the band somehow. So, I

probably learned to play the bass maybe a year or 2 into being in the band. I think I got away with the first little

while; just kind of knowing how to play the songs that I was taught. From then on, I just taught myself. So yeah, I‟ve

been play the bass for 11 years.

PI: Do you have any personal influences when it comes to your style or technique in terms of playing your instru-

ment?

B: I have a lot of favorite bass players that I‟ve looked up to. Guys like: Matt Freeman from Rancid, Carl from De-

scendants, and definitely Jason Black from Hot Water Music. Those guys are all really good and their songs are really

hard to play. So, I think that kind of inspired me to actually learn how to play the bass. Because I was like, “Wait a

minute, I can‟t play any of this stuff.” Then, I just started learning and continued to progress. And now I can play

some of their songs.

PI: What is your knowledge and thoughts on the cause this year‟s Take Action Tour is supporting?

B: The Take Action Tour is supporting the “Sex Etc.” cause. I just think it‟s a really great thing; the awareness and

On Tour: Billy Hamilton Of

Silverstein

the knowledge and knowing its okay to talk about sex and its okay to

learn things. I think the idea of scaring people away from sex is

really dysfunctional and it can really develop into deep-seeded issues

in people. There‟s obviously a lot of things that people aren‟t really

comfortable talking about so, having a website you can check out

and ask questions on the things your curabout I think is great. I think

that what we‟re trying to do with this tour, is let everyone know that

it‟s okay to have questions and its okay to have feelings, urges, and

anything of that sort. It‟s healthy to talk about it and it‟s healthy to

explore that in a safe and responsible way.

(PI) Right. And it‟s better to talk about it rather to find yourself in

some sort of predicament, unprepared. (B) Right of course, of

course. And to be scared of anything, i think is really negative.

Whether it be talking about it, doing it, or having to get yourself out

of a situation. If you put fear into that, it just makes everything

much more difficult and harder to deal with. So, I think that knowl-

edge and awareness is really the main goal.

PI: Has tour had a good turn-out so far? Have things been good?

B: What‟d I say before? “I‟m really excited about the tour it‟s been

really great.” No, no. I‟m extremely, extremely stoked for this tour.

Watching the show in Boston was really great. I think coming on

this tour there‟s really positive attitudes from everyone especially the

bands. There are a lot of new records coming out. Us and Texas In

July‟s record comes out on Tuesday. Bayside‟s record just came out

not too long ago. Polar Bear Club and Swellers just got out of the

studio... I think everyone‟s just really fresh and excited about the

next couple months and what‟s going to happen with their bands. This tour is just a really great way to tie it all to-

gether. We‟ve known Bayside for like 8 years and we met Polar Bear Club; well, I personally met them about a year

or 2 ago. We just did a tour together in Australia called “The Soundwave Tour.” So, we got to hang out with them a

bit there. And we‟ve just been really excited about the tour. Same thing with the Swellers, their bass player is from

our area in Canada and we‟ve been talking to those guys a little bit about getting them on the tour and just kind of an-

ticipating things. It‟s been really cool to meet everyone. Now can I get all together and roll with it? The show last

night was awesome. I watched all the bands, and everyone was really great. The crowd-response to all of the bands

was great, and I think it‟s going to be a really positive tour.

PI: Do you know how you guys actually got involved with the tour? Or how they choose the bands?

B: Yeah. I mean, we‟ve done The Take Action Tour in the past; either 2005 or 2006 I believe. It‟s actually run by

our record label; Hopeless Records. We also have a real strong passion for doing charity tours and events. With the

tour happening in the spring as well as our record coming out we really wanted to team up with the Take Action end

of Hopeless to do a tour around our record. We had also been talking with Bayside about doing a tour, since we‟ve

been friends for so long. I know that Bayside was interested in doing The Take Action Tour, and Take Action was in-

terested in having them etc. But it really came down to us being like, “Oh, it‟s been like 6 years since we‟ve toured

together. We should really do a tour.” Again, the bands like Texas In July and The Swellers as well as Polar Bear

Club, came up on a list of interested bands so us and Bayside kind of chipped away at that list and picked out some

really great bands that we all really like, and we‟re really stoked to have them on tour.

PI: I read somewhere that your band actually recorded a song with Ryan Key of Yellowcard...

B: Yeah. I think that‟s actually the first track on The Take Action Comp. We had written the song and it‟s about a

really fun night we had on tour in New York City and we really felt like the song needed a second vocalist on it, since

it kind of goes back and forth. There was really a fun vibe throughout. We wanted it to be a party song or like a

hanging out song. So having 2 vocals going back and forth was kind of the plan for it. We started to record it and felt

like it didn‟t really fit with the record because it really stood out. When the idea of it going on the Take Action comp.

came up, seeing as Yellowcard had just signed to Hopeless as well, we were like,” Oh man, it‟d be really great to get

Ryan from Yellowcard on it.” Ryan

was really stoked to do it and it turned

out really great. His voice fits the song

really well. And it‟s cool because Yel-

lowcard‟s a great band and we‟ve never

really done a tour with them or any-

thing but we‟ve known about them and

listened to their records for years. It‟s

definitely cool to be label mates with

them now, and it‟s especially cool they

were able to do a song with us.

PI: Where and when can we find The

Take Action Tour compilation?

B: It‟s actually out now. I think

they‟re actually selling them at the

show, so if anyone‟s planning on com-

ing out to any of the Take Action dates

they can get it. I‟m pretty sure it‟s in stores. It may have come out last Tuesday, it might come out this Tuesday as

well as our record. But it‟s definitely going to be out there by the time this tour is ending.

PI: You mentioned your record comes out on Tuesday..

B: Yeah, we‟ve actually been working on that record for about a year now; since we started writing, demoing, and

getting it all together. So, we‟ve really been anticipating the release leading up to now. The record‟s been done since

before Christmas. There‟s so much planning that goes along with it and I think in years passed without previous re-

cords we‟ve always kind of known when it was going to come out, before we recorded it. So, with this record there

was a lot more time involved. We finished everything and were like “Okay! It‟s done. Now when is a good time for it

to come out?” Rather than saying, “OH! We have to get the record out by this date...So, hurry up and finish it.”

Where this time is was a lot more like, we really focused on making this record the best it can be and now there‟s been

months of preparation and planning out the release, setting it up for reviews and getting all the little behind the scenes

stuff in place for it. So, we‟re really excited that it‟s finally coming out.

PI: Can you tell us a little about it? Anything significant about the title? How many songs?

B: Yeah. It‟s called, “Rescue.” It‟s got 12 songs. I think initially, the CD pressed also has some bonus stuff on it. We

feel like people always put out a record, and then 6 months later they put out another “Oh, here‟s the “Deluxe Edition,

now.” We didn‟t really want to do that. We weren‟t like “Oh, it‟s coming out as the “Deluxe Edition” either. We just

wanted to reward the people who bought it first, and not have to make those people buy it again. The people who buy

it first are the people who care about that extra stuff are the real fans. So, we wanted to reward those people. I think

it‟s the first amount of whatever the amount they pressed, comes with an additional 6 songs. Once, those sell out

they‟re just going to press the 12. There are demos and some acoustic stuff + some extra songs on there. And the re-

cord is called “Rescue” it consists of 12 songs and has a lot of different lyrical themes. Our last record was a concept

record where all of the songs kind of flowed together and fit a storyline. This time, we wanted to take every song for

what it is individually. So, each different song has its meaning. Shane‟s the lyricist so, I can‟t really speak on his be-

half on what they‟re about or anything but I know I‟m really happy with the songs and how they fit the record. I

think there‟s a lot of diversity within what we‟ve done in the past but as well as some growth; not necessarily com-

pletely new stuff but taking some of those elements we‟ve kind of messed with before and really went all out with it.

For example we‟ve incorporated, some faster drums beats, different structuring, and stuff along those lines.

PI: So, other than “Rescue” coming out on Tuesday, what else can we expect to see from Silverstein in the future?

B: We‟re just going to be touring pretty hard for the next little while. This tour goes into the end of May. We‟re go-

ing over to Europe and then we‟ll be back for some stuff in the summer as well. We actually also just did a 7-inch for

our Record Store Day, which was last Saturday. It‟s called, “Support Your Local Record Store” and Side A features a

song off of our new record called, “The Artist.” Side B features 3 cover songs from some punk and hardcore bands

that we grew up listening to. We really wanted to take the opportunity to participate in Record Store Day, which is set

Think About It: Insights

inspired by Jack Handey

It takes a big man to cry. It takes an even bigger man to laugh at that man.

I wish I had a kryptonite cross, because then you could keep Dracula and Superman away.

I was taking my little nephew to Disneyland, but I decided to play a mean trick. I pulled up next to an old, burned

down warehouse. "Oh no," I said. "Disneyland burned down." He started crying, and I was about to tell him it was all

a joke and drive to the real Disneyland, but it was getting kinda late.

Whether they ever find life there or not, I think Jupiter should be considered an enemy planet.

It's easy to sit there and say you'd like to have more money. And I guess that's what I like about it. It's easy. Just sitting

there, rocking back and forth, wanting that money

To me, it's always a good idea to always carry two sacks of something when you walk around. That way, if anybody

says, "Hey, can you give me a hand?" you can say, "Sorry, got these sacks."

If a kid asks where rain comes from, I think a cute thing to tell him is "God is crying." And if he asks why God is cry-

ing, another cute thing to tell him is "Probably because of something you did."

Too bad you can't just grab a tree by the very tip-top and bend it clear over the ground and then let her fly, because I

bet you'd be amazed at all the stuff that comes flying out.

If you ever fall off the Sears Tower, just go real limp, because maybe you'll look like a dummy and people will try to

catch you because, hey, free dummy.

up as a day where people have to go to an actual independent record store to find releases that are really only available

at those stores. They can‟t just buy it online or anything so it requires a lot more effort and it puts focus on those re-

cord stores. I think that part of the reason we wanted to do it is because we all kind of grew up with record stores

playing a big part in our lives, just as far as the discovery of music. Where I was 12 years old, going to the record

store saying “Hey yeah, I want the new Green Day record.” And they were like, “Okay, here‟s the new Green Day

record but have you heard the bands that Green Day likes? Check out Jawbreaker, check out The Replacements” etc.

That was where I learned about some of those older bands that I was too young to really find out about, myself. I

think we wanted to take Record Store Day as the opportunity to do that for fans of our bands that might not have heard

of some of the bands that we liked. We covered: Kid Dynamite, American Nightmare, and Propagandhi.

PI: Oh man. Which American Nightmare song?

B: We did “Hearts.” It turned out really good. And we actually made the cover of the record look like Kid Dynamite;

which is my personal favorite band from Philadelphia. I came down on my birthday in the summer to see them play at

“This is Hardcore” fest. So yeah, we just kind of wanted to have fun with that and do some songs we really liked.

Hopefully that will not only get kids to recognize the importance of the record store but also get to check out some

cool bands they may not have heard before.

PI: Thanks so much for your time and giving us a chance to get “Plug‟d In!”

B: Yeah, no problem!

www.silversteinmusic.com

www.1upcollectibles.com

Through Their Eyes: Exceptional Photography by The Plug‟d In Photographers

Photo by Liana Marie

Photo by Nicole Stella

www.gothamcitytattoos.com

*Looking for a Body Piercer. Some experience

needed. Call Dominick @ 610-898-1228

610-898-1228

This Is: Nick and Chris of

Bayside

Interview by Liana Marie

I was given the opportunity to sit down with both Nick and Chris of Bayside on

the second night of The Take Action Tour 2011. They were pretty laid back guys

and a lot of fun to talk to. The band plans to stick with who they are and have no

intention of transforming into any sort of cliche, especially Radio Rock. And for

that I have the upmost respect for them along with their insane musical talent as

musicians.

Although Nick isn‟t going to become an actor or play hockey for a living, Chris

will be running for president. So…Look out 2012! L.M.

PI: Tell us a little about the history of the band... When and where did it all begin?

N: The band‟s 10 years old now, and it started in Bayside, Queens; hence the

name. Over the years we all kind of joined the band, and Anthony‟s the only

original member.

I‟ve been in the band 6 years. (C) I‟ve been in the band for about 5. (N) We have

5 albums out and I think that‟s kind of cool. A lot of bands don‟t get to that point. (C) Think about it this way, if

you were to give the band a grade it school...We‟d be in second grade. (Laughter) Yeah, the band‟s in second grade.

No, we‟re third actually. (N) We have so much school left. (C) I know. Always learning.

PI: What instrument are both if you responsi-

ble for?

N: I play bass he plays...

C: I‟m the lead drummer. I play drums. (PI)

Oh. So you have 2 drummers? (Laughter) (C)

No. (N) It just sounds like we do because he‟s

so awesome.

PI: Personal influences... Who or what are

yours?

N: I didn‟t pick up a bass until I heard bands

like Green Day, Rancid, Bad Religion, and

Bouncing Souls. It made me want to play mu-

sic. My favorite bass player right now, is the

dude from The Foo Fighters, Nate. He‟s awe-

some; super classy bass player.

© I think my influences fall the most under bands like Rancid, Green Day, NoFX etc. My parents got me into The

Police and Madonna at a young age. So, I guess that‟s where I got my pop and my punk influences. (N) Madonna

was my first concert ever, literally.

PI: In your opinion, what has been your most successful record? Why?

N: Not judging by numbers… (C) The new one? (N) Yeah, not judging by numbers I think I would say this one.

We worked really hard and put a lot of time into it and I think all 4 of us are happy with every single part of it.

We‟re definitely the most proud of it. Hopefully it is the most successful with how you agree with the term success-

ful; selling to more kids and becoming more popular. I think that the whole process behind it and how it turned out

is definitely our greatest success. (PI) And this album‟s been released? (N) Yeah, yeah. February 22 it came out.

It‟s called, “Killing Time” and it‟s our first album on Wind-up Records.

PI: What is your favorite song to perform

live?

N: As of last night, I decided our song

“Wrong Way” on the new album is a beast.

It‟s awesome. Do you feel that way,

Chris? (C) I concur but I also like playing

“Seeing Sound,” also off the new album.

PI: How‟s Take Action going?

N: The first night was last night, and it

was one of my favorite shows I‟ve ever

played. (C) Yeah, that show was good.

(N) It was at Paradise Rock Club in Bos-

ton, and it was just super awesome. Every-

one was so into it and for us I think the

stage sounded good. It was fun to play and

then the crowd was just awesome. Every-

body in the room was singing and it was

real cool. (C)...Couldn‟t ask for more in a show. Especially for the first show of tour. We‟re gettin„ spoiled! (PI)

Well, that‟s great and it‟s for a good cause! (N) Yeah, it‟s actually our first tour that we get to do that has anything to

do with a charity.

PI: What are your thoughts on “Sex Etc”? How crucial do you believe sharing this knowledge with the teen population

is to society?

C: I‟m glad someone‟s taking a step to go out of their way and preach this to kids in our music scene. (N) I think it‟s

important to just be a responsible human being, whether it has to do with sexual activity or anything, really. You just

can‟t be a shit-head your whole life, you know? You have to be responsible. (C) People need to understand, that even

if you don‟t do much with your time etc your actions ABSOLUTELY affect other people‟s lives. And I think that‟s

something people need to be aware of even outside of sexual awareness. Your life absolutely affects other people‟s

lives, in more than one way, and I think everyone should really be aware of that. (N) That‟s why you just have to be

cool. (C) Yeah, Just be cool. (N) Just be cool and

positive people.

PI: Back to the album, “Killing Time.” Did you

go in any specific musical directions with the al-

bum?

C: When we write we never really sit down and

say “Let‟s go in this direction.” We just write and

we take whatever‟s best out of that batch. That‟s

pretty much what we do, and I‟m proud to say that.

This is the third record I‟ve done with this band

and I think the records have gotten better and I

think we‟ve grown as a band together; which is

cool. It‟s never really a “Let‟s do this or let‟s take

this that way” kind of thing. The only we con-

sciously do as a band is make sure the songs are

going to be good live and that kids are going to

like them. We absolutely consider what are fans

or people who like our band like and want to hear,

and we do what we can to cater to those people. (N) Yeah. And we probably wouldn‟t even write a song that was self

-serving; that we would just like. We certainly wouldn‟t put it on an album. We‟re pretty comfortable with the band,

and “Killing Time” being our 5th album. We sound like what we sound like and within that sound we just try to be-

come better song writers in terms of our individual instruments. At this point we are who we are. We have no inten-

tions in putting out some Radio Rock nor Ska or Metal. We have 5 albums and they all sound like us. And that‟s that.

PI: You mentioned crowd response and

playing what your fans like... What

song would you say you receive the

most crowd response from?

N: The song we close with is still

“Devotion And Desire”, which is on

our second album. We always close

with that and that‟s the reason we close

with it. We close with that song simply

because people flip out about it. Again,

when we play we play for the fans and

what most people want to hear. So,

songs like “The Walking Wounded”,

“Montauk”, our single right now, “Sick

Sick Sick” get a lot of crowd response

and participation. That‟s kind of like

what Chris was talking about; writing

songs while keeping our fans in mind.

Every song we play is for the fans. So,

we hope that they have fun with it and I

think they do. Almost no matter where

we‟re playing there‟s going to be a big

group of people having a really good

time and I think that‟s our goal. We

just want the groups to get bigger and bigger. There is more people tonight in Philly than there was in Boston, but

Boston was still really fun. So, if somehow we could even it all out; there would just be a lot of people everywhere.

(C) They got big shoes to fill tonight. They got big shoe to fill.

PI: Are you guys working on anything currently?

C: We‟re working on touring. (N) Yeah, just touring. We put a lot of time into that album. So, it‟s out now we just

have to work, get out there, and play music.

PI: Anything else coming up in the future for Bayside?

N: Chris is running for president. © Yeah, I‟m running for president. But besides another album in a few years and

touring for the next few years...I don‟t want to say no, because that it looks like we‟re not doing anything cool.

(Laughter) Expect something cool. (N) We‟ve got some cool stuff coming up but it all has to do with the records and

albums. I‟m probably not going to be an actor and I‟m probably not going to play hockey. Hopefully we do some late

night television sometime, that‟d be cool. That‟s also a little more realistic. (C) Maybe we‟ll do “Kids Bop.”

PI: Thanks so much for your time and giving us a chance to get “Plug‟d In!”

N & C: Yeah! Thank you!

www.baysidebayside.com

Interview by Liana Marie and Tyler Heckard

Tyler & I were able to meet up with Dance Gavin Dance before the

show. We weren‟t able to speak with Jonny Craig... However, we did

get the opportunity to join the man behind the band‟s formation; Will

Swan, on the DGD tour bus to ask a few questions. Here‟s what Will

had to share with us...L.M.

PI: If you could describe your personality in 3 words, what would

they be?

WS: Creative, irresponsible, and spontaneous.

PI: Tell us a little bit more about yourself. Where are you from, and is it the same area that you grew up in?

WS: I‟m from Sacramento, and I grew up in Modessa. I like Sacramento a lot better.

PI: How did you become a part of Dance Gavin Dance?

WS: I started the band.

PI: Can you tell us a little more about the forma-

tion? How you guys all got together?

WS: We were all just good friends, and we knew

Jonny from touring with him from previous

bands. We added him to the group we had and

started DGD.

PI: What genre of music would you consider

your band to be if you had to pick a genre?

WS: Rock-Funk-R&B.

PI: To my knowledge you‟ve actually released 4

full length albums and an EP. How does it feel

knowing you‟ve accomplished so much?

WS: I don‟t know. I guess it feels good but writ-

ing records and listening to them is my favorite part of the whole process. It kind of feels weird only having that much

material over such a long time. It‟s cool and I‟m glad that lots of people connect with our music.

PI: Did you have any idea when you first started the band that you guys would be where you are today?

WS: No, I don‟t think so. Not at all.

PI: If you weren‟t in a band, what would you be doing?

WS: Something very successful. I couldn‟t speculate. That‟s a completely alternate reality.

PI: So I read that in February, your vocalist, Jonny Craig, checked into a rehab facility for drug addiction, is that cor-

rect?

WS: Yes. (PI) How has this situation affected your band? (WS) We just kind of deal with it. Lots of people have to go

through stuff like that. He just needs support and a little bit of space, from being on tour, constantly being prodded at,

On Tour: Will Swan of

Dance Gavin Dance

he doesn‟t have much space. (PI) How does it

feel to have him back? (WS) It‟s good. We‟re

all really happy with the new record. We

couldn‟t be happier. (PI) I myself am pumped

that he‟s back, and I know quite a few people

are. (WS) You know at least 10 people?

(laughter) (PI) Maybe. No, come on, more

than that.

PI: There were rumors going around that you

were on the verge of a breakup. Why do you

think they came to that conclusion?

WS: I don‟t know. I mean, people on the

internet are from all walks of life and there

could be a lot of crazies out there just talking

shit. Who knows what‟s going through their

heads. I‟ve heard the craziest rumors about

our band, so I don‟t go on the internet that much, or care. (PI) How do you guys deal with that? (WS) There isn‟t

really any dealing with it. We just don‟t give a shit. (PI) On that note, anything you‟d like to clear up? (WS) No, I‟d

like them to keep speculating. It keeps it interesting.

PI: So fans are pretty pumped on this “Downtown Battle Mountain II” album, which was actually released this month.

For those who haven‟t heard it yet, how would you describe the album?

WS: If you‟re familiar with our band, it‟s kind of a throwback, vocally, to the earlier record, and musically, we tried to

push the bounds, so it is something new and the same. I also think it‟s the best record we‟ve done, because of the mix-

ture of the vocals and the sound that we‟ve kind of been progressing towards. I‟d just say to check it out and listen to

it with an open mind; not expecting some “DBM I” rehash. It‟s a new record and it‟s the best thing we‟ve ever done.

PI: Is there any major differences you can pinpoint between this album and your first album or just everything?

WS: I‟d say everything, because we didn‟t try to recreate anything, we just did something new. I can‟t say that I can

pinpoint things that are the same really. It makes it hard to the differences.

PI: I also noticed you guys will be playing Warped Tour this year. Are you stoked about it?

WS: Yea, Warped Tour is really fun. (PI) So, you guys have played before? (WS) Hell yea. We did Warped Tour like

2 years ago with another form of our lineup, so I‟m excited to do it with the original lineup.

PI: Any other new and exciting news you‟d like to share with us? Anything coming up?

WS: I‟m having a baby. No. (laughs) (PI) Anything with the band coming up?

WS: We‟ve got Warped Tour and we‟ve got a week and a half in Europe that we‟re doing before Warped Tour.

We‟ve got back to back shows in London where we‟ll be playing DBM1 and DBM2 the next day, so that‟s probably

the only time that‟s ever going to happen.

PI: What inspired the album artwork?

WS: We had wanted the sequel artwork and he had already done the sequel picture to the DBM artwork, which is

what we had we don‟t think it would be the same if we didn‟t have that artwork to be the cover.

PI: Out of all the places you‟ve toured or played shows, if you could pick one place to live, where would it be and

why?

WS: Sacramento, California. The weather, it‟s not too big, not too small, close to San Francisco, not too far away

from L.A., the beach and mountains and all terrain so you could do everything. It‟s pretty much the best place to live.

(PI) So, venue wise and crowd wise, what would be one of your favorite places to play a show? (WS) The crowds in

Texas are generally always amazing. The White Rabbit,

especially, the kids are insane every time we play there.

That‟s probably one of my favorite crowds.

PI: So, what can we expect from you guys in the future?

WS: Just hopefully more music and touring, good things

from the DGD camp.

PI: Thanks so much for your time and for giving us a

chance to get Plug‟d In!

WS: Thank you.

www.myspace.com/dancegavindance

Award-winning

work in a clean

environment www.reverbconcerts.com

Sat. July 1st – THEE SWANK BASTARDS + Friends

With Murder and more!

Sun July 10th – GLOOMINOUS DOOM – JUCIFER –

The Sinking Earth – The Pharaohs – Callous and more

Fri. July 15 – SIX O‟CLOCK SAINTS + LOVE AUTO-

MATIC (ex – Senses Fail/ Armor For Sleep) + The

MOXY

Sat. July 16th – BURNT BY THE SUN + I WANT TO

KILL YOU and more

Fri. July 22nd: HELL WITHIN and more.

Sat. August 6th: Special OUTDOOR SHOW – THE

REVERE – JOHNNY ACTION FIGURE and more

Fri. August 19th – An Evening With THE WALLACE

BROTHERS! Outdoor Stage!

Tues. August 23rd: BLACK GUARD + IN RUINS –

and more

Thurs. August 25th: PENTAGRAM – VALIENT

THORR – Just The Brotherhood

Sat. October 29th – WEDNESDAY 13 + Vampires Eve-

rywhere! + Polkadot Cadaver

1402 N. 9th Street

Reading, PA 19604

From The Throne of The Rock God Rants, Raves, Reviews, and News for the Minions

Special thanks to all the following for making this issue happen:

Without you...well, we just would have had to work a little harder.

The Reading Tattoo Co, Shoo, American Heroes, Belly Busters, 1Up Collectibles, Its All The rage

Hair Designs, Vertical Pole Fitness, Pottstown Tattoo Co, Gotham City Tattoo, The Last Level,

Pocket Aces Skate Shop, Crocodile Rock Café, Michael Demos, Liana Marie, David Barber, Mark

Kohl, Nicole Marie, Nicolle Stella, Vikki Sin, Tyler Heckard, Bandi Budwash, Mark Kohl, David

Barber, Justin Ernst, Estrella Torres, Designs By Your Arsonist, Roadrunner Records, Century Me-

dia, W.M.G., Victory Records, Facedown Records, Fearless Records, Metal Blade records, E1, Hol-

lywood Records, Disney, Adrenaline P.R., Solid State Records, DRP Records, Strike First, Rise Re-

cords, Tech Basement, The Children's Home of Reading, Bimbo Bakery, Pepsi, Smaltz‟s Harley

Davidson and all the amazing National and Local bands we‟ve had the privilege to work with.

www.centralpapluggedin.com

www.facebook.com/centralpa.plugdin

Whew…We needed a rest! J.X.M.X. was so consuming and such an amazing

event that we needed a week off. Its back to work now and boy do we have a

lot! We have all kinds of new features that we will be bringing you in the up-

coming weeks. We will also be rolling out some new features that we‟re

really excited about.

One of the new features will be called “Surfacing”. It will feature bands from

out of the area that are starting to make some noise and stopped by the Cen-

tral Pa. area for a show. Another new feature doesn‟t have a name yet, but

will strictly feature local bands on their way to the top. We will feature all of

the genres of hard rock and heavy metal and feature a new band each issue. I

can‟t begin to tell you how excited we are to be rolling out these new, exclusive features.

We have a whole lot more in the works, but my space here is limited, so we will keep you guessing

for a little while. Stay tuned…next issue we will have plenty more new, exclusive national inter-

views as well as our humongous J.X.M.X. review. Until next time….

Upcoming Shows

June 24th - HIEROSONIC, DIRTY

ROTTEN LIARS, JOHNNY ROCKIT,

AND MORE TBA! SHOW WILL BE

PROFESSIONALLY RECORDED FOR

INTERNATIONAL DISTRIBUTION!!

TICKETS $10 PRESALE AND $13 AT

THE DOOR! ALL AGES! DOORS AT

7:30!

July 8TH - PENNTERA (PENTERA

TRIBUTE BAND, SCHIZM (TOOL

TRIBUTE BAND) MIDNIGHT DECA-

DENCE, HEADSTONE 118, AND THE

LAST REMARK!!

July 15th - DREAM DEVICE, CIRCLE

OF SANITY, AND LOVEHATETHING,

ENGINE PRESS! ALL AGES!!

July 22nd - DREAMLAND PARK AND

MORE TBA!! ALL AGES!! $10 AT

THE DOOR, DOORS AT 6:30!!

July 29th - UNITED WE FALL AND

MORE TBA! $10 AT THE DOOR, ALL

AGES!! DOORS AT 6:30!

Aug. 26th - ALL STAR ROCK TOUR

2011!! ORLEANS, ROBBY DUPREE,

JOHN CAFFERTY, JOE LYNN

TURNER

www.drivingmetal.com

www.thesilorocks.com