As Friends Rust has had some recent line-up changes. How is the sound? Has it changed substantially due to the input of the new members? How is it working out overall?
So far there don't seem to be any significant changes to the style or sound of As Friends Rust, though any changes (that would occur naturally) are welcome, especially if they are the result of new members' different influences and perspectives. Overall, it's working out wonderfully, though we haven't quite completed our new line-up.
How would u describe the new members of As Friends Rust?
Floyd, our new guitarist, is completely laid-back and carefree. He is almost done with massage school, and calls everyone "Buddy". Floyd was in Culture with me and Joe, as well as just being a good friend of ours, so we are both very familiar with working with him in this setting. Gui is our new bassist, and I still don't really know much about him. I do know he's one hell of a bassist, and a really nice guy. He works at The Bistro 1245 with Joe, and he's a cook there. He's also in a band called 'Army of Ponch', and I believe they have a CD coming out soon on No Idea Records.
Why did you switch from Goodlife to Doghouse?
Doghouse bands get more chicks. No, Goodlife's distribution in Europe was great, but was (and is) seriously lacking in the US. We figured we were doing well enough over there, and it was time to focus on The States. Conveniently, Doghouse contacted us at that time, and it all fell into place.
Why did u decide to reissue “Fists of Time” with Doghouse?
We wanted to get all of the material that had already been available in Europe for some time to be available in The States as well, and as we were in the process of signing exclusively to Doghouse, it just made sense to give them the old material. Plus, the artwork is much nicer on the reissue.
Are As Friends Rust planning any new releases or recording anything? Do you have any new songs?
Yeah, actually we just recorded demo versions of two of the songs from the upcoming album. The songs are called "Morningleaver" and "This Is Me Hating You", and they'll be out on a 7" in early April, as part of Doghouse's new Fan Series, which features rare and neato tracks from a variety of DH bands. The new album (our first full-length) will be called 'WON', and should be out by late August.
Any national or international touring (Australia!!) on the cards for As Friends Rust?
Just the East coast here in September, and Europe in November. We are trying for Japan and Australia around February of 2002.
What are As Friends Rust lyrics about? Who influences you?
They're mainly just about everyday interactions. A lot of times in HardCore, we tend to focus on very broad and expansive issues, and most of them are so far removed from our personal issues. Our inclination is to focus almost only on those issues that are within arm's distance. Family interactions, friends detaching, one-night stands. I don't know who influences me. I guess just the people around me.
What’s currently in your cd player? Do you read many books/writings? If so.. what?
Planet Asia, Mos Def, and A Tribe Called Quest are in the CD player currently. On the turntable is Led Zeppelin's "Houses of the Holy", and in the cassette decks are Stevie Wonder's "Inner Visions" and "Fundamental" by Bonnie Raitt. I read whenever time allows. The last book I read was "The Shipping News" by Anne Proulx.
Do you have any political/social/personal messages that you want to communicate when writing songs, or do you focus predominantly on the music?
There's always a point. I love the music, and I definitely focus on it quite a bit, but I'm in this to make my points. Even if my points change, I make them as I feel them.
Give us a brief overview of what’s been happening with As Friends Rust in the past year?
Basically, we had a few members that decided that they were too cool for HardCore. They felt that they had outgrown it, and Joe and I thought that was pretty stupid. So they quit, and we live on.
When you first formed As Friends Rust, what did you want to achieve? Why did you choose the name As Friends Rust?
Nothing at all. The band just started because it was fun. And now it's finally fun again. We chose that name because they do.
What are your views on vegan/straight edge?
I try not to have any. The last time I expressed my views on those topics I was held to every word for the next eight years of my life. I really don't give a shit. When I first "dropped" the edge, I still had a lot of fond feelings for it and great memories. I still viewed it as a wonderful and positive thing, though I simply felt that I needed something else. Since then, the majority of the people that are a part of this wonderful and positive movement have instead done nothing but perpetuate every negative stereotype that exists about sxe, and I can't help but wonder if maybe the whole thing is a sham.
So tell us a bit about the Florida hc scene? You have lots of good bands, is it something in the water? How big is the Florida scene and the U.S scene for that matter? From here it seems that hc is increasing in popularity, is that an accurate perception or is it still fairly underground?
HardCore is still fairly underground in the US, though the scene is pretty big. I can't really say why there are so many good bands from Florida. Maybe there are no more good bands here than anywhere else, we just happened to get the in the spotlight for a while. It's been New York at times, California’s Bay Area at others. Maybe this is just Florida's little 15 minutes of fame.
What is your stance on playing all ages shows? Are there a lot of all ages shows in Florida?
We only play to senior citizens, because we feel that they have been neglected and oppressed by the HardCore scene. There are some really good zines coming out of some of our local retirement homes, and West Palm Beach is a have for this new wave of HardCore.
Thanks to Damien for doing the interview!
back to interviews
back to main
