Thursday, March 15, 2012

Interview : Strain


1. Hello Jody. How are you doing? Can you give us a brief history on how Strain was formed?

Jody : Strain was conceived in the summer of 1992 by Sean and I in his bedroom. We wanted to start our own band and play music we loved. When we first started we asked our friends from the bands Sparkmarker and BNU if they would like to join and with the addition of Eric Strain was formed.

2. What does the word 'Strain' mean to you?

Jody : Strain to me will always be about great memories with my brothers in arms. To this day we are still great friends.

3. Do you still remember the first band rehearsal? How about Strain's first show? 

Jody : Yes, i still remember our first rehearsal. We practiced in a very small room in the basement of Seans parents house. The neighbours hated us! Our First show was in Bellingham, Washington in a barn. I was so nervous that i was hoping the rest of the band was detained at the border.

4. How old where you when you first started listening to hardcore-punk? Who or what influenced you to listen to this type of music genre?

Jody : I was 13 years old when i heard my first punk rock record. It was S.N.F.U. and the record was And No One Else Wanted To Play. To this day they are still one of my all time favourite bands. In 1986 skateboarding and punk rock went hand in hand so it was a combination of both that shaped my roots in punk rock.

Crosstown Traffic 1996 in My Photos by 5. What's your most memorable show? Why? 

Jody : In Vancouver my most memorable show was a large show at the New York Theatre with the Dayglo Abortions. It was amazing because the crowd was huge and we managed to get the punks dancing with the hardcore kids. Very fun show.

6. How's the current hardcore scene in Vancouver? 

Jody : I am very far removed from the scene today as i don't live in Vancouver anymore.

7. What's your day job? How does hardcore-punk affect your daily life? 

Jody : I work as a Certified Utility Arborist for the city of Vancouver. I help maintain all the trees that are on city property. I'm a punk at heart so my eyes are always open from the moment i wake until i sleep.

8. Top 5 hardcore-punk records of all time: 

Jody :  

SNFU- And No One Else Wanted To Play
Gorilla Biscuits - Start Today
The Accused - More Fun Than An Open Casket Funeral
Bad Brains - Rock For Light
Integrity - Those Who Fear Tomorrow

New York Theater 1995    Strain9. Strain will be playing in Rainfest 2012, what are your plans after that? Will you guys be playing shows on a regular basis? 

Jody : We really have no plans after Rainfest as we are all very busy in our lives and finding time to dedicate to Strain would be to hard. We would love to play Europe again but that is a pipe dream.

10. Thank you so much for your time and interest Jody. Keep safe man. 

Jody :  You are welcome! Cheers!

Sunday, March 04, 2012

The Vault : The Dark Horror Of Morella (Comic Book)


The Dark Horror of Morella was published in 1999 under Glenn Danzig's comic book company, Verotik, which was established in 1994. This comic book is aimed towards mature audiences, because of the Satanic imagery. The story revolves around a beautiful girl who was sacrificed to Dalkiel, the ruler of Sheol. She then becomes Morella, the princess of debauchery, lust, and torture. Wait, that's it? 24 pages of brimstone, gore, nudity, inverted crosses, and pentagrams. I guess it is safe to say that this comic book is godless, a devil's plaything, and it will leave your soul on fire. Nuff' said.

Friday, March 02, 2012

The Vault : Toy Collection

Besides collecting hardcore-punk CDs, vinyls, cassette tapes, posters, show fliers, and fanzines, I also collect anime/horror movie action figures. I have slasher icons like Jason Vorhees and Michael Myers, Clive Barker related toys like Hellraiser and Tortured Souls, the faithless hero Spawn, and the infamous Japanese movie monster, Godzilla. Here are some pictures of my toy collection:

      

Gig : Marky Ramones Blitzkrieg

Legendary punk rock icon, Marky Ramone (The Ramones), alongside Michael Graves (The Misfits) will be visiting the Philippine shores this coming April. The only downside of this show are the front acts, Slapshock and Sandwich? Lame.
 


"All the horror movies are real, real … real in my mind" - When We Were Angels