Many thanks to Rob T for the following Reaching Forward/Downslide interview.
Ok firstly introduce yourself and tell us what you did in Reaching Forward and when you joined?
Hey! I’m Johnny and i’m 29 years old. I used to sing in Reaching Forward for 3 years. I joined them after their old singer got kicked out. A few weeks later we recorded our first 7” and i had no idea what i was doing.
Ok firstly tell us when and where the last Reaching Forward show ever was and who played etc? Was it good time? Final show chocolate, who came up with that?
Ha! Our drummer was a chocolate designer so he thought it was a good idea to make a bunch of final chow chocolate bars. They had our logo, an X’d up fist and the date of the last show. Let’s see, that was november 22, 2002 at the Goudvishal in Arnhem. Other bands playing were No denial, Running Like Thieves, Strip The Threads and No Turning Back.
Why did Reaching Forward decide to break up, and how long exactly had you guys been going? Had you achieved what you wanted in the band?
The band was around for like 5 years. I wanted to do one more tour in the states and keep the band going for another year but most of the other members were too busy with other projects and i guess they didn’t want to play fast and solid hardcore anymore. We achieved most of our goals although me personally I would’ve liked to go to Japan and South America.
What was the first band you ever played in and what were you like?
My first band was called Surefire. We wanted to sound like Worlds Collide and Chokehold but the other dudes went emo and we started to sound like Endpoint. One of these dudes is still my best friend and i see the others from time to time. None of them are into hardcore anymore.
How where RF received in America and what friends did you make over there, and what bands where you glad you got to play with?
We played with Mental in Boston but they weren’t really tight back then. In New Jersey Charge did a 15 minute set which was impressive. Other bands we played with are x files x, r ‘n r, Think I Care, Jesus Eater, Strike Anywhere, Violent Society and lots of local band. We played an emo show in NY with one one dude windmilling for all the bands. We almost didn’t get paid because apparently this was a benefit for a sick reptile. Hanging out at the B9 office was cool and our roadie was pretty fucked up which is always a plus. We met some crazy people in New Jersey and a lot of cool people everywhere else. Aaron from The First Step took care of us in Washington where we went on our day off to see the Cro Mags with No Warning.
How did the scene in America seem different to how it is here in Europe?
Shows are badly organised. There is no food for the bands and they don’t get paid enough. Kids are really young and they only care about the mosh-parts. There are no youth centres and barely any all ages clubs. Bands are motivated and willing to sacrifice.
Throughout the Reaching Forward releases i can definitely see a different writing style coming through, with the later releases seeming more positive, lyrically, than some of the earlier tracks. How did your personal life effect the way you expressed yourself through Reaching Forward / Hardcore, and do you think your still as posi now as you were back then?
Haha I’m still a posi-kid but with Downslide there is more room to express my bitterness and anger. Mainly because the music has more aggression and is a little bit heavier. Reaching Forward was more about spreading a message and I pretty much wrote about all the subjects i care about. There was a positive vibe within the band and my own personal life so i guess this made an impact on the lyrics.
What’s your favourite song you ever did in Reaching Forward and which one means the most to you? Do you ever listen to the old RF records?
I like some of the songs on For The Cause because they are aggressive but overall i like the Burning The Lies record a lot more. That really was the sound we were looking for. Nice, clean positive hardcore without sounding weak.
My personal favourites are The New Direction, Your Downfall, Torn Apart, I Won’t Deny, Days Turn Into Years, Day By Day and Cage. I listen to these records from time to time.
Reaching Forward did a few split releases/7”’s, tell us which your favourite was, and is there any bands you talked to about doing a split or would have really liked to, and why?
We did 2 split 7”s and we were supposed to do a split with No Turning Back but that never happened because we broke up. Our side became a one sided 7” and they did a split with The Deal from Belgium instead. My favourite split is probably the Ensign split because I like both of our songs and the Ensign dudes were all really nice.
Tell us about the worst thing that ever happened at a Reaching Forward show?
When we covered the song Straight Edge on the Ieper Fest i had a blackout and forgot the lyrics. I made a fool out of myself on numerous other locations.
What was the hardcore scene like in the Netherlands when Reaching Forward started? Are you into older Dutch bands like BGK and Larm?
Yo, BGK and Larm are both awesome. Together with Discharge they are probably my favourite old European hardcore bands. When Reaching Forward started out there was a huge Youth Crew scene in Holland. Every show you would see pile-ons, tons of stagedives and singalongs. Towards the end we played with a lot of shitty metal bands and real hardcore was pretty much dead over here.
You got to tour all over the world with Reaching Forward, where are the places you’re glad you got to go to and where is the furthest you travelled? Also, any funny tour stories?
We went to the states and we played pretty much everywhere in Europe. I was exited to go to Portugal, Scandinavia and Poland. There’s lots of crazy stories. the first tour i booked i had no clue what i was doing, we had some 40-hourdrives and lost money but still had a good time. The tour with American Nightmare was out of control... good times.
How did you hook up with Bridge 9 records?
We did a tour with American Nightmare and Chris was their roadie. I guess he liked us and wanted to release our record in the states. He was good friends with Reflections Records so there weren’t any problems.
What is the weirdest thing you ever heard/saw written about Reaching Forward? Rumours, weird musical comparisons etc.
There were always rumours about members selling out. Some people hated us because we were always goofing around and they talked some shit on us... I can’t remember anything in particular.
Do you ever use Ebay? Whats your record collection like, do you like record collecting? How much would you spend on a record, and what’s your favourite you own?
I’ve been buying records off Ebay for the last 2 years. It’s the easiest way to find old hardcore. The most i spend is about 50 bucks. My favourite record I own is Crippled youth – Join The Fight. Not because it’s worth a lot but i just love that record! Besides hardcore and punk i buy metal, wave, industrial, noise, gabber & idm. My 7”s is what i care about the most, it’s my favourite format. The most expensive record i own is a Come 12” (pre Whitehouse).
Your onstage-banter at shows with Reaching Forward is legendary, did you ever get any shit from people about it, or people not liking what you were saying? Any stigma towards the band for being straight edge?
I got a lot of shit after our show on the Ieper-fest. Some people still hate me for that one. I guess my speeches never made any sense. I was always too pumped to get my point across haha.. people that weren’t edge usually hated us and they started calling us Preaching Forward.
What do you think is more important to hardcore, the lyrics or the music? Would you like a band just as much if their lyrics didn’t really make sense (eg a lot of arty emo-core bands etc) or even if you didn’t agree with the message (eg some more right wing Oi! music etc)?
The music is the most important for me but i would never join a band with shitty lyrics or morals i don’t agree with.
Bit of a random question but If you could change one thing about the Nederlands, what would it be?
Less idiots.
How did being in Reaching Forward compare to being in Mainstrike and now Downslide?
Mainstrike and Reaching Forward were bands where all members were close friends. With Reaching Forward everybody was 100% into hardcore and it was all we cared about. With Mainstrike most of the members were older and had responsibilities... I feel that we never reached our full potential because not everybody could enough time. Playing in these bands was one of the best times in my life. Both bands released at least one record I’m really proud of. Downslide feels more like a project sometimes (esp. Right now) but it’s still a lot of fun and all these dudes are cool.
What bands have members of Downslide been in before, and how did you all hook up?
The other members played in Striving Higher, Line Of Defense and Act Of Ignorance. Daan, our drummer was a good friend of mine and after Reaching Forward broke up we started talking about this new band. We asked Heins Revival to play bass. Emiel from Reaching Forward and Marc from Know Your Enemy filled in on guitar. Later they were replaced by Joseph and Ghost, friends of Heins. Basically, they were the only straight edge kids playing guitar in our era. Things clicked and we recorded a demo. That’s how things got started..
What releases have you done so far and tell us about the split with Know Your Enemy.
We have a demo out on The Decline and a 7”/mcd on Crucial Response called Nowhere To Hide. Recently we did a split with Know your Enemy and Not Just Words will release our final record called Unwired. It will be recorded next week and hit the streets early 2005.
I read that Downslide are breaking up in 2005, could you tell us how come? When will the last show be? Have you achieved what you wanted to with Downslide?
Yes, most of the other members are too busy with other projects and Downslide kinda fell apart. There were a lot of things i wanted to do but some of the others just weren’t motivated enough. We’re all still friends but I felt the we just couldn’t continue the band anymore. Daan joined Razor Crusade a few months ago and they have big plans and Joseph aka J. Restless is rocking out with Restless Youth, the best new European band so they are both on a tight schedule.
What can we expect in the future from yourself and the other Downslide members?
Heins and me are joining forces with Jonas from Mainstrike and Dorus from Act Of Ignorance. Our new band will most likely be called Violent Majority. Our inspiration is early west coast hardcore / punk like the Adolescents, Circle Jerks and Wasted Youth.
Who thought of the name Downslide and what’s it about?
I took it from the Chorus Of Disapproval song. I was the only one who liked the name but we kept it anyway haha
Obviously most people know you where in Reaching Forward, do you like the comparisons you naturally get?
I don’t mind, I’d do the same.
I hear a lot more Boston-style hardcore bands influence in Downslide than Reaching Forward. Where are the main influences in Downslide coming from? How underrated are Jerry’s Kids!
I love old Boston hardcore... DYS is the shit! Bands we all love are Bad Brains, Minor Threat, Youth Of Today and Cro Mags (no surprises). Jerry’s Kids are great, their tracks on the This Is Boston Not LA record are insane!
When and Why did you decide to become straight edge and what where the first straight edge bands you got into?
The first straight edge band i got into was Insted. Other bands that inspired me in the beginning were Uniform Choice, Side By Side and Gorilla Biscuits. A few years later I quit drinking and became straight edge. That was about 11 years ago.
Tell us about your love of Side By Side.
Yo, one of the best bands ever. When i bought that Lost and Found bootleg CD I played it every day after school diving on my bed and pretending i was Jules. It’s still one of my favourite records ever and Jules is probably the 3 coolest front men in hardcore ever!
How has hardcore changed over the years in your eyes, thus how are Downslide deceived compared to how Reaching Forward where received? I can imagine RF had to play with a lot more metalcore bands than Downslide do?
Like I said, the last 2 years of Reaching Forward we barely played with real hardcore bands. This is one of the reasons some members started to get less motivated. When Downslide started things weren’t any better. The only good things were Dead stop from Belgium and No Turning back / No Denial. A few months later Justice started and now we have awesome bands like Abusive Action, Restless Youth and new bands Like A Step Apart and Turn The Screw from Belgium. Thanks to Dead Stop kids are learning about their roots and they get exited again. Lot’s of fanzines and new bands are popping up out of nowhere. The shows are fun again with kids going crazy... i love it!
What do you think has caused the recent change in hardcore at Europe in the moment, with all the more old-school and straight forward hardcore bands appearing and the Earth Crisis style bands disappearing?
I really like the first 2 Earth Crisis 7’s and a few other mid 90s new school bands but metalcore and beatdown are the worst things ever in my book. I love the fact that people right now are finally starting to realise hardcore is punk rock and not 2nd rate metal.
Downslide toured some of Europe including here (the UK) not so long ago, how did that go? How did you get hooked up with Justice? Any cool/funny tour stories from this tour?
Well, the Justice dudes are good friends so they asked us to join them on that trip. They arranged everything so all we had to do is be there in time to hop on the van. I was disappointed by the lack of youth crew tapes in their van but luckily Hinkey Pinkey stepped in with a bunch of Youth Of Today tapes. The house show in London will become legendary and the atmosphere in general was great. Every night we talked about euro-core, cover songs and when it was time to sleep Heins cracked out another ultra-boring sex-story.
What do you do outside of hardcore to pay the rent?
I’m an artist and i’m studying to become a part-time teacher.
What current bands do you listen to, or are impressed with live? Give us a top 5
Hardcore bands:
1. Violent Minds
2. Justice
3. Restless Youth
4. Dead Stop
5. Our Turn
What’s your top 3 bands in general? Most overrated hardcore band ever, and most underrated hardcore band ever?
Favourite bands ever:
1. Gorilla Biscuits
2. Tindersticks
3. Nurse With Wound
Overrated hardcore band ever:
Madball after the Ball Of Destruction 7”, Terror, Comeback Kid, etc.
Underrater hardcore band:
Vision (esp. In The Blink Of An Eye), Majority Of One, No Denial
What are you favourite 3 movies and why? Are you into horror/zombie movies at all?
1. Taxi Driver
2. The Godfather
3. Eraserhead
Thanks so much for the interview, any last words?
Thanks for the support and your patience.