Blame Game Interview

1. Tell us when did your band start playing, who formed the band and why?
Band: Spring 1998, Alex (drums) and Ian (guitar) were in a previous band
called Birthday Girl but our bass player Junior left, so Matt joined on bass
and we wanted to play different kinda stuff. We formed the band because we
wanted to take a more loving approach to punk and confront things that aren't
being confronted in punk.

2. Bands line up, and since early beginnings did you change line up, and if you did why?
Matt (Guitar) Chris (Bass) Alex (Drums) Ian (Guitar) everyone sings. Matt
played bass but wanted to play second guitar so we asked Chris to play bass.

3. Who gave the name to the band, and did you change your name since early beginnings?
Alex named the band; yes we changed our name a lot,
Alex: I made the name in hopes that we would not contribute to the same old
blame game that most punk bands use as their (own) form of expression.
Matt: yeah such as blaming everyone else for all your problems, when you
realize it's your mind and you have to yourself because your just as guilty as
everyone else.

4. Can you describe your music; can you compare it to some similar bands?
Ian: dissonant punk.
Matt: I guess I could say that it's fast discordant "hardcore" punk, I
personally take influence from older bands such as Rorschach, angel hair, and
other random bands like Born Against, I love sad melodic stuff.
Chris:I would agree with Matt, maybe a more discordant His Hero Is Gone or
From Ashes Rise.
Alex: I agree w/ Chris and Matt

5.What is your favorite band?
Ian: It's hard to name one band but my favorites are definitely Kiss It
Goodbye and Napalm Death, but I like a lot of jazz too.
Matt: I have recently been listening to Discordance Axis, but I really like a
lot of older goth bands such as Joy Division and Christian Death, but my
favorite band would be Angel Hair.
Chris: I've been influenced mostly by bands like Fugazi and Countdown To
Putsch that have really insightful lyrics, recently I've been into a lot of
jazz like Mingus.
Alex: For punk I'm mostly influenced by In/humanity, Damad, & His Hero Is
Gone, but I don't listen to much punk anymore and jazz stays on my stereo w/
Miles Davis, Coltrane and old local (Atlanta) jazz.

6. Are you religious, do you believe in god, Satan or something else or are you atheist?
Ian: I don't believe in god, I used to be into LaVey Satanism but it doesn't
really interest me anymore, I believe in reincarnation and some buddhist
philosophies.
Chris: I'm probably kinda a Deist, I believe there had to be some higher force
to create the earth but I don't think it's here anymore. Spirituality doesn't
play a role in my life very often.
Matt: I was raised up in the "bible belt", which is a term given to extremely
religious "fanatical" people in the south. So when I started to form ideas I
started to hate organized religion, but now I think there's a universal force
that makes things move & operate and I try to respect that and do what I feel
is right.
Alex: I believe humans are experiencing an illusion of separation from each
other and the world. This illusion is perpetuated by our egos and is the root
of all suffering which is all thought created and anti-reality. We'll live and
die many lives until we come to the complete realization of our oneness with
everything and nothing.

6. Describe to us your local underground metal and core scene, is there any bands that you want to mention, are there many fans of this kind of music?
Band: We don't know too much about the metal scene here, there are a lot of
expensive metal shows at big clubs and tons of neo-rap metal bands. The
hardcore scene around here consists of many rock bands (indie, emo stuff) but
there are always shows goin on, We have house shows at Matt and my house (Ian)
involving lots of different kinds of bands, most (bands) are DIY that play
here, all types of genres play here, we even had a country band play here.
Good bands from here (Atlanta) are the Drama, Electrosleep Intl', Social
Infestation, Otophobia, Arms Race, Some Soviet Station, Downpour, STD,
Portrait.

7. Who writes your lyrics and what are they about?
Band: Everyone writes the lyrics, the majority of our lyrics talk about social
and personal issues such as racism within the punk scene & sexism and how we
as 4 men who don't know what the fuck they're talking about need to band w/
feminists and smash patriarchy w/ the hammer of patriarchy, ha ha.
Ian: sexism is a really big issue with me, my whole life I lived as a
"typical" guy, staring at wimmins breasts when they talked to me, calling them
"bitches", and calling them sluts if they were into sex as much as guys,
always talking over wimmin, not going to them for advice cos I thought they
were mentally inferior, and tons of other shit that men do and think is normal
behavior and its so fucked up. Then I met this person and they changed my life
and opened me up to feminism and all the bullshit male double standards I was
living out, and how they caused me to be really depressed cos I could never
attain the "tough guy" role. But obviously I realized it was bullshit. I still
have habits that are kinda sexist like interrupting wimmin, but the fact that
I know about these things helps me strike them out.

8. Do you have problems with music equipment?
Matt: Often
Chris: our crap breaks all the time
Alex: our shit breaks a lot and I 'm the only one who fixes it cos it's mine
Matt: I bought an amp a year ago, I hope it doesn't break soon, I broke my
guitar, I'm buying a new one

9. Is it hard to find musicians in your country that want to play that kind of music?
Matt: Not really because there's a large percentage of kids who like punk rock
(here in Atlanta).
Alex: It's hard to find anyone to play the style we play in this city

10. What is you opinion about black metal music?
Matt: I think a lot of it involves good musical qualities but I've never been
a big fan at all, especially of the crappy racist, sexist black metal.
AlexI have no interest in it whatsoever.
Chris: no comment.
Ian: after I went to California I got into a lot but then I realized most of
it was mega- racist so I said fuck it.

11. How many concerts did you play and by your opinion what was the best, do you have some special act when you are one stage?
Band: probably about 20 shows
Matt: When we played in Auburn, Alabama
Chris: Auburn or when we played with Catharsis
Ian: I liked the Catharsis show and our first show with Force Fed Glass was
really fun
Matt: Sometimes we dress up if we feel like it to get reactions out of
people.

12. Do you like most horror movies and what is your best one?
Alex: I hate most horror movies except for this one called Dead Evil or
something
Matt: I really like the British adaptation of Murders In The Rue Morgue but
it's not really a horror movie, it's more suspense, I really like the Evil
Dead movies
Chris: I don't like most but Strangeland with Dee Snider is fuckin weird.
Ian: Day Of The Dead and Dawn Of The Dead

13. 3 favorite songs?
Chris: In the mood by Glen Miller, Cumbia and Jazz-Fusion by Charles Mingus,
Fables for Faubus by Charles Mingus
Matt: Heart Of The Sunrise by Yes, In Ruins by Rorschach, Any Song by Joy
Division
Alex: Society by Subhumans, Free Jazz by Ornette Coleman, A particular song by
Gold Sparkle Band
Ian: Watching Hellraiser by Kiss It Goodbye, Ascension by John Coltrane, The
Missing Link by Napalm Death

14. Did any of you play before in some other band or do you still play in some other band?
Alex: I played in a band called Heretical Response and other stuff that never
went anywhere.
Matt: I played in a band called Days Of Chaos and Enemy Of Man, and I'm
currently in a project called Uncle Slappy and the Knuckle Draggers
Chris: nothing serious
Ian: same as Chris

15. Plans for the future?
Band: We're recording in a month for our 7" and they should be out maybe March
next year or something, then we're gonna tour the East Coast and some middle
America in the summer of next year.

16. Say something for the end.
Alex: Be here now
Matt: Always wipe front to back
Chris: I can't top that
Ian: You are no longer of any use to me, I'm giving Kent the Darlington Job!

17. Contact info?
PO Box 17591
Atlanta, GA 30312 U$A
blamegame@care2.com   
www.crosswinds.net/~blamegame    
Mattmc9@hotmale.com