Endless
Interview with E.Corbin-Singer of Endless
How and when did Endless form?
I think it was the spring of 1993. At least that’s when I joined the group. Dan (Krajewski-guitarist) and Ken (Seeman-bassist) were together a few months prior jamming with our first drummer Ken Wolf. I think that’s when we decided on the name and started to write music as a band.
Whats the name Endless mean?
Well, it has always seemed that there is a black cloud over the band. We don’t play the style of hardcore that is "in" right now. Every time we go on the road we are plagued with bad weather or something. When we first started the band I had a production company called Infinity Productions. We did shows at Metropol, etc. and our drummer at the time thought it would be cool to play off that and call the band Endless. Who knew that it would come to fit so well.
What style of hardcore would you classify Endless?
I like to think of us as high energy, old school crossover hardcore, but a lot of kids don’t really understand what that means. I guess if you like bands like Sick Of It All, The Spudmonsters and The Cro-mags, then you will probably did us. Many of today’s "hardcore" bands are actually metal bands. It hasn’t been until recently that the old school style has started to creep back into the scene with bands like Reach The Sky and In My Eyes.
What are some of your main influences and inspirations(doesnt necessarely have to be music)
I’m definitely into the old school hardcore punk sound of bands like H20 etc. I love the new Shelter record, Backfire from Belgium, Reach The Sky, The Descendents, All. Our guitarist Dan is into new metal like Slipnot, Machine Head, Slayer, etc.. Our bassist digs old power metal like Manowar. Our drummer listens to everything from pop punk to death metal. We really listen to a lot of different styles of music, but we always come together on bands like Sick Of It All, The Spudmonsters, Pro-Pain and bands like that. As far as lyrical inspirations, I can only blame life itself. I write about what ever is on my mind at the time the song is being put together.
So whats new with Endless, how is your new guitarist working out?
Well we don’t have him anymore. After that show we played with him, he never showed up for practice again. He was into metal anyway. He’s a solo maniac and that’s not what we’re about. That might have had something to do with it. I don’t know. We are definitely in need of another guitarist though. I like the thicker sound and the idea that we can go on the road at anytime and not have to worry about Dan’s work schedule.
The new cd is great! how do you think it differs from the self titled endless cd?
Oh my god, its night and day. I’m actually embarrased to listen to the first one. There are songs on there that we will never play again. The new record is recorded better, the songs are structured better. It definitely shows our growth as a band.
Where was it recorded at?
We recorded it with Bill Korecky at Mars Studio outside of Cleveland. He has worked with Earth Crisis, Integrity, In Cold Blood, Incantation. He specializes in hardcore and metal. Which is one of the reason we wanted ot work with him. We’ve been to just about every "big" studio in Pittsburgh and we hated everything we did there. They just don’t know how to record heavy bands here. The studio was out in the middle of no where. It looks like a barn or something that he had converted. Its very relaxed. You pay by the day, so you’re not watching the clock the whole time.
On the cd is a cover of Twisted Sister's "where not gonna take it"done Endless style, How did that come about?
Well, it’s cool, but not really how I had invisioned it. We did for the "Loudest Times: A Tribute To ‘80s Metal" compilation. I had to drag the rest of my band kicking and screaming to get them to do it. I just don’t think the feeling is there.
Out of all the endless songs, do you have a favorite?
I think your favorite song is always the last one you wrote. I really like "I Will Stand Up" which is on Steel City Aggression, Vol. 4. Its fast, energetic and hard. As far as the record, my favorite song is "Grey Is The Color Of Greed" which is the single. It will be the one hitting college radio in March.
What do you like best about being in Endless?
The only thing I love about this band are the songs we write. I’ve always said that even if I wasn’t in this band, I would still dig the music. The rest of it pure crap.
What do you like most about playing live?
The energy. Definitely. We don’t have beat downs in our music. So the kids really don’t know how to dance to us. They don’t know the old dances anymore. All they know how to do is jump in the pit and through fists and kicks and shit. That’s not what our music does to people. We are faster and have punk backbeat. I love it when people like Gary Meskul from Pro-Pain and Onno Cro-mag tell me that we have an energy that has been lacking in hardcore for a while. When you have the respect of people like that, I think the kids will come around.
Im curious, what was your first show like?
I hardly even remember it. I think it was at The Spotlight Lounge out in Glassport, PA. It was an old suburban metal club. I can remember Dan’s guitar kept coming unpluggled. We might have played four or five songs at the most and there might have been maybe thirty people there. I actually kind of wish that place was still open. It had a decent PA system and was the only place to see heavy music in that area.
How do you feel before and after a show?
I don’t remember during that particular show, nowadays I’m always excited when we go on. I’m always like, "let’s go, let’s go I wanna play." While we are playing I just go to a different level. Nothing else matters. It’s us on stage playing our music and I don’t care if there’s ten people there or 500, we go all out just the same. After the show, I usually feel like passing out and need to get away from everyone to pull myself together. If we have enough people to help the rest of the band take there stuff off the stage, I sneek away, towel off, put on some dry clothes and try to sell some merchandise.
Do you have a favorite show that you've played, if so why?
I don’t really have a favorite show. I’ve actually had more memorable experiences after the shows. Things like that stick in your mind more than the individual show does. I really enjoy playing with our friends NDE in Cleveland. They always give us great shows. The last time we played with them the club was sold out by 8pm and there was a line around the corner of people trying to get in. It was awesome. I just wish we had that kind of scene in Pittsburgh so I could return the favor to all the cool bands that have helped us out over the years.
Who writes the lyrics?
I do. Like I said, most of the stuff I write is about what is going through my head at the time the song is being written. I’m two songs behind right now. We have the music and just need to sit down and write the words. I’m not like some singer who can just scribble a bunch of words down as the music is being written. I like to have the music on tape and be able to listen to it over and over again to come up with a melody before I write the words. I like to write when I have nothing else going on to disturb me. Those moments come few and far between, that’s probably why I’m two songs behind right now.
How do you think the scene is doing?
Pittsburgh’s scene is struggling for sure. The band’s don’t work together like they should. The clubs could care less about hardcore in Pittsburgh right now. That’s why we don’t play here that often.
whats new with your label da'core?
We just signed 200 North from Maryland who are completely awesome! I really excited about that. I will probably have them in the studio this summer. They are young, full of energy, have an old school flavor. I think they will do really well. I’ve already talked to some people in Europe about distributing the new record over there.
What are your all time favorite bands?
I really don’t know if I have an all time favorite band. There isn’t one band that I listen to over and over again. I loved everything that Life Of Agony put out. Even though they completely changed with every album, I still loved it. I like most of Pro-Pain’s stuff, The Spudmonsters, Sick Of It All… Its hard for me to pin point one band. If I had to pick, I’d have to say Skid Row. Sabastian Bach can really wail.
what hobbies/activities do you enjoy besides music?
Sleeping and drinking.
If their was an hour left till the end of the world what would you do?
I really don’t know. I guess hang out with my friends and drink as much as possible in that hour.
Any final comments or shout outs?
Yeah, I want to say what’s up to all of Da’ Core’s bands. A big thanks to everyone who has ever come to see us play, bought a CD or T-shirt, gave us a show out of town or let us sleep on their floor. Also thanx to Chris at Kingfisher records for putting out our CD in Europe. Thanx to Steve at Concrete Marketing for pushing the CD to the radio for us. And thanx to all the distributors and magazines who are helping us get the CD out there. And a special thanx to you DJ for helping us out in our own hometown. We hope to see everyone at our upcoming shows. Come out and have some fun with us.
Here are some upcoming Endless shows…
Tuesday, February 20th @ Nick’s Fat City
1605 E. Carson St. (South Side) Pittsburgh
(4120 481-6880
w/ Submachine and Social Outcast
21+ with $1 Rolling Rock special
Friday, February 23rd @ Millvale Industrial Theater
Rt. 28 North of Pittsburgh between the 31st and 40th St. bridges
W/ No Retreat, Forced Reality, Steel Town Pubsters & The Bureau
All ages - BYOB
Saturday, February 24th
The Superbowl Before The Superbow of Hardcore @ Club Homebase
320 S. Pennsylvania Blvd., Wilkes Barre, PA
(570) 829-1111
w/ Murpy’s Law, E-Town Concrete, Stutdown, Death Threat, Sworn Enemy, Forced Reality, Crusade and others TBA.
Show starts @ 4pm, $10 Admission and we’re assuming its all ages.
Wednesday, March 28 @ Millvale Industrial Theatre
Rt. 28 North of Pittsburgh between the 31st and 40th St. bridges
W/ Shutdown, Diecast and Godforbid
All ages - BYOB
