Interviews
Raffe Houston
Dyscord

Q. Does Dyscord have any recordings out or
coming out? Can you tell us about the name,
release, tour, expierience while recording it,
etc?

We are pretty much in the very early stages
of putting together our own demo/ep type
thing at the moment. James ( Herbert, vocals)
went out and bought a digital recorder which is pretty nifty and between that and various software we are finaly starting to get something together. The first song we have finnished 'Utilitarian' will be appearing on the 'New Blood Rising' compilation CD which is being released by Red Guard Records & Promotions. Its going to be kind of an alternative cd with a bunch of great local bands like SleeperX, Antistatic, Civilised & others.

Q. Can you tell us a little bit about the band and its history? Has the band changed since forming?

Technically the band started at the end of 2001 but to cut a long and boring story short we ended up with our current line up about midway through 2002. This is when Dyscord really came together because before finding Tim ( Madden, drums ) we were a different band, luckily Matto ( Herbert, guitar ) was making chicken with him at the time and as a result asked him to jam. After that we basicly set out writing originals straight away.

Q. What is the songwriting process for the band? Do you write the lyrics and music together or one first and then the other?

I think pretty much we work as a band really well so as a result its usually a colabrative thing with everyone doing their respective parts. One of us will bring in a riff or ideas for a song, usually Matto. Then we just kinda jam on it and work out all the music first then james gets it just kinda dropped in his lap. Though it I think a song can pretty much start anywhere, through a drum riff or a bass line, its the same with lyrics if anyone has any they like, ive given stuff to james before and he will work with it and adapts it to make something good. 

Q. When playing live shows, is it important to make every show a spectacle or does it just happen naturally. Do you feed off the crowd's reaction or do you try to create a reaction?

Absolutley when people go out to see a band theay are doing just that 'seeing' a band if they just wanted to listen they could just stay at home with a CD. I think people want to be entertained and I think we like to entertain so it kinda comes naturaly, as a result we view our stage presence as a huge part of the band. We want to get up there and we want to rock out!

Q. Is there a story behind the name Dyscord?

Yeah, basically we went through heaps of names trying to find one we could all agree on and it was getting to the point where I didnt even care anymore I just wanted name. For some reason I looked up 'disagrement' in the thesaurus and came up with Discord, ironically it was the name that meant to disagree that we all agreed on. Then we changed the spelling to make it a little more original.

Q. There is a lot of interest in Perth bands and Perth music at the moment, do you think there is a particular Perth sound and is it very different from bands from the Eastern States?

Basicaly i think there is potential but it is starting to seem like bands are more interested in following in the footsteps of the forerunners of western australian music.

I think a more direct spectrum of acts being exposed would be more benificial to the WA scene, we have shown the world what we have in one type of music, why not surprise them with what else we have.

Q. What bands have had the greatest influence on you and who are your favourite bands at the moment both from Perth and from elsewhere?

Hmmm i think we are all influenced by different things, though their are similaritys in the heavy music we like eg: killswitch engage, machine head etc. Though ive known James to chill out to Beck and i dig KISS but as a band i think its important not to focus on the bands you really like to much or you may end up sounding just like them.

Im also really getting into the perth scene more and more latley especially the likes of Head Filled Attraction they are brutal! Speaking of brutal Diablo are a great heavy act, also im really loving SleeperX at the moment they get better every time i see them! Antistatic are another ticket band who are definatley going somewhere fast and i would have to say last but certinaly not least is band from northam who have began giging in perth recently who go by the name Vile8, check them out as soon as you can!

Q. What is your favourite live music venue in Perth? Do you prefer small pub shows with a small audience or bigger shows with lots of people cheering you on?

I would have said Rosemount without hesitation not long ago, but we just played in the WAMI heavy showcase at the Amplifier Bar and i have to say its a pretty great place especially techincaly in both lighting and sound!

Q. Do you have any gigs coming up that you would like more people to come along to?

Yeah we do actualy we are playing the Coca Cola Band Comp semi final at the La Bog Inn (Freo) on the 8th of October, also on the 18th of October at the Kitchen (Nrthbrdge) for the Tafe Certificate 4 fund raiser.The 25th of Oct is a Red Guard showcase with SleeperX, Antistatic & more.

Dyscord are:

James: Vocals

Raffe: Bass

Matto: Guitar

Tim: Drums

You can contact Dyscord at: dyscordnoise@hotmail.com

Check out our website at: www.dyscord.rulestheweb.com

Interview by Justin