1., Hi my Friends! In the past there were several changes in the band itself. Please introduce the current lineup!
Greetings!! The identity of our band members will remain a secret. However, all band members of the band are very skilled. This is the best full lineup that BED has ever played concerts with.
2., BED was not so active for several years after the release of the cd "...it ends". What was the reason for this?
To be in a band can be difficult. It can take a lot of time away from: families, jobs, relationships, hobbies, school, and other activities. As the title It Ends indicates, we expected that this could be our last BED recording. Ryan had left for Texas and Bob was interested in starting another less political band called Teardown. I am not a musician and I can not make music on my own. I am very fortunate that I have now found very expert band members who are interested in playing in BED and I appreciate both their skills and dedication to the band.
3., If we take a look on the cover of the "...it ends", we see that the drums were played by Ryan on the track 1-4., but the tracks 5-6. were played by Shawn. As Ryan was a founding member of BED, we'd to know why he left the band? Is this true that he left the movement too?
Ryan was a great drummer for the Blue Eyed Devils, he also played bass for Nordic Thunder and drums and bass for several other WP bands. He had an opportunity to move to Texas several years ago and he chose to take it. I can not comment on his views of the movement, I have not seen him for at least ten years.
4., As far as we know, another founding member, Bob, is not present in the current lineup anymore also. Is he still active musically? Are You still in touch with him? What happened to Final Stand Records?
I have not been in contact with Bob and I am not certain if he is active musically. Final Stand Records was started by Ryan. When he left for Texas, Bob took over Final Stand Records. It is my opinion that the record company was more productive when Ryan was in control of it.
5., Your vocalist Drew had several other musical activites beside BED in the past, mostly in the hardcore vein and we think that the most interesting of his projects was Sedition. Could you tell us some word about that band? Did You ever had plans to have live gigs with Sedition? Are there any future plans for Sedition?
For me, Drew, Sedition was an amazing project. Ryan played all instruments for this band and I only added the vocals after he had finished. This was Ryan’s project and I felt very lucky that he invited me to be a part of it. I have always wanted to play some Sedition songs live, some of these songs are very special for me both lyrically and musically. This was a studio band only and Ryan did all the lyrics and vocals himself on the last Sedition CD.
6., Another interesting project was the band "Blue Collared Saints" with Drew on guitars and Ryan on vocals. Could You tell us some words about that band? Why did You change the roles within the band?
I would like to pretend that I can play guitar, but I really can’t. This was not me in this band.
(Whoops, our mistake, sorry. – UGRev Redaction)
7., I think it would be very interesting to tell some words about the beginning of Blue Eyed Devils! Back in the 90's there were no real WP HC bands in the scene (except for some US bands, like No Alibi), however the American RAC scene always had a strong HC impact. Do You agree with this statement? Were there other WP HC bands in the US then? Why did You choose to play hardcore? How was the reaction within the WP scene in the first times? How did the "mainstream" HC scene reacted the fact that a WP hardcore band was born?
To clear everything up, The Blue Eyed Devils was originally started by Scott H. from Aggravated Assault, Jimmy Keating (now deceased) and myself (Drew) If you look at the Original Nordic Thunder CD, Born to Hate, in the credits it says, “thanks to Crazy Jimmy and The Blue Eyed Devils” The three of us had grown up as Atlantic City Skinheads going to metal and hardcore shows and beating people up was one of our favorite activities. WP shows were a lot more violent in the 80’s and 90’s then they are today. The true original goal of the band The Blue Eyed Devils was to produce White Power music that was great to beat people up when listing to it. After Joe Rowan’s death in 1994 (singer for Nordic Thunder) Bob and Ryan joined our bad and they contributed significantly to our musical talent. I have met WP guys that don’t like our music and mainstream hardcore kids that do.
8., In the begining BED was an East-Coast band, so we assume You had some contacts with the "mainstream" hardcore scene there. Did You ever got positive feedbacks from those hardcore bands?
I have been going to mainstream hardcore shows since I was 14 years old. Of course, many anti-racists like this music and it can often turn into a hostile environment. I will not discuss it in print but, yes I have gotten a lot of positive feedback from mainstream hardcore bands. A singer from one of the most popular ever hardcore bands in the USA and the world let me know that he is a big fan of our band. He invited me to his house and when I went there had more WP albums than I do.
9., The term "hatecore" was used Blue Eyed Devils within the WP scene first, however this title was used by older hc bands like Sheer Terror earlier. What was the purpose to the decision to call Your music "hatecore"?
I am a big fan of the band Sheer Terror. I am not sure if Ryan first used this term on a T-shirt or if it was used to promote a concert when we played. I did not create the term but it seems to fit.
10., What is hardcore for You? Is this more than music or just a musical style?
Well I have never been a “Hardcore Kid” although as a teenager I had some friends who were. I grew up as a skinhead going to Hardcore shows. I would say that it could be lifestyle as well as a musical style.
11., I saw on old BED shirts that the band is declared a straight edge band. Are you still sxe?
I did not drink when BED was formed. I grew up in a violent world and saw some close friends go to prison or die because of mistakes that they might have been able to avoid if they were not drinking or doing drugs. As I mentioned in question 7, things were much more violent in the 80’s and 90’s WP scene then they are today. When I was 19 years old I thought that it would be a great idea to quit drinking and I did. I believed, and I still do that by not drinking I made myself a better person, a more dangerous person, and also more helpful in situations when my friends were drunk and needed some help.
When Bob joined BED he drank alcohol although I did not. After Bob quit drinking he promoted “Straight Edge” in Blue Eyed Devils songs and on T-shirts. I have never identified with “Straight Edge Hardcore Kids” in fact these were a prime targets for beat-ups for me and my friends as teenagers. I wrote in a 1997 interview with Resistance Magazine, “I don’t drink but most of my friends do.” BED was never a “Straight Edge Band” and I have always been reluctant to describe myself as “straight edge” At this point in my life I drink beer and I like it. It honestly might be a good thing for the world that drinking makes me less dangerous.
12., Could You tell us about the current US scene? From our point of view the American scene is dead now; what is the reason for it? Are there any new NSHC bands which are worth attention?
I am not a good authority on new bands or scene activity. I grew up going to concerts long before BED existed. In 1992 I was still in High School and I traveled from the East Coast of the USA to the West Coast of California with Joe Rowan from Nordic Thunder, Warren from Aggravated Assault, and a few other friends just to go to a WP concert with No Remorse and Dirlewanger. We used to drive from Atlantic City to Detroit for WP concerts all the time and make into work the Monday after. A few years ago, we had a short tour in Europe with the band Hate Machine. We played together on Friday and Saturday one weekend, I flew back to the USA to work two jobs for one week, then I returned to Europe to continue the tour. You get from a scene what you put into it. I still work hard for this band like the other current members of the Blue Eyed Devils to make the best concerts that we can for our fans.
13., In the last years the sporting activites became very important in NSHC circles. Are you active in any sport?
I seriously into boxing as a teenager and into my 20’s. Unfortunately getting punched in the head frequently started to have a bad effect on my ears and hearing and brought an end to my potential boxing career. I love to get into bar fights still very much, unfortunately the threat of jail time or need for defense lawyer can make this activity very expensive. I still train at the gym and I am not in bad shape. I keep a boat in the ocean and I enjoy fishing if that counts a sport.
14., There are rumours about an upcoming new BED material. Could You tell us about those plans, what can we excpect from the Blue Eyed Devils in the near future? If there will be a new material, which label will realease it?
Top Secret.
15., In my opnion because the downloads the whole music scene is going slowly down; as I'm collecting CD's and vinyls, it hurts me a lot. You, as active musicians, are not influencd by this tendency? How do You see this issue?
We did not start this band to make money. It is more important to spread the music and message so downloads are ok for me. When I was young it was impossible to get records of a lot of the bands that I wanted to hear so my friends and I all made copies of each other’s music.
We put a lot of work into the design of some of out CDs and I am disappointed when I see bootlegs that a cheep reproductions that look like shit. I am disappointed by bootleggers selling our productions to make money for themselves, not by people who download songs.
16. Do You have any further musical projects currently besides BED?
I plan to start playing some Sedition songs live with a new band in August 2019 and I am excited for it.
17., Do You follow the worldwide NSHC musical scene? As the "godfthers of hatecore" 🙂 what is Your opinon on the fact the the Russian NSHC movement became a leading force within the scene?
I have traveled to Russia many times and I really like the country and people there. Many people from Russia have visited my home in the USA. I have heard some great music from there.
18., Do You support President Trump in any way? What is Your opinion on his regime?
I like Trump much better than Clinton, but Trump loves Israel.
19., What is Your opinion on the so-called "Alt-Right" movement?
I don’t know enough about the topic to have an opinion.
20., Do average American people know Your band? What do they think on the message of the band?
No, most Americans have never heard of the Blue Eyed Devils and I don’t think average Americans would like our songs. We appeal only to the elite.
21. I think it was enough for this time, thank You for Your time. If You have any comments, last words, fell free to write it down now!
We are available for concerts throughout Europe. Please contact us at Email: on.the.attack@gmx.ch or our BED Facebook side. (https://www.facebook.com/BED-2000739310233899/)
Thank you sincerely for the interview.
Nincsenek megjegyzések:
Megjegyzés küldése