Local Spotlight #2 - Wasteoid Interview

Welcome to my second Local Spotlight installment at Crucial Changes. This spotlight is the first local band that I decided to interview. I wanted to include a band that I believe has been the longest running Nebraska hardcore band that still exemplifies the D.I.Y. mindset. Wasteoid from Lincoln, Nebraska was the band that came to mind. Wasteoid has been playing grinding powerviolence hardcore since their conception and even through a slight lineup change, the band never slowed down playing shows and never fell into the pit trap of changing to a trendy musical style. It's almost ironic that there has been a resurgence of powervoilence in the hardcore scenes in recent memory and Wasteoid has often been overlooked for many years, even with excellent reviews and shoutout's in great hardcore zines like Short Fast and Loud, a well received lp Total Pukeoid in 2001, and a split album on the well known hardcore label Six Weeks Records with Iowa's black metal/grind freaks Black Market Fetus back in 2004. Fast forward to today and Wasteoid have trimmed down from a trio to a drum/bass duo and currently have three songs on a new Relapse Records (lp on Deep Six Records) grind/powerviolence compilation titled This Comp Kills Fascist with other excellent underground grind/powerviolence bands both old and new. Be sure to check it out. Thanks to Wasteoid drummer Raws for taking the time to answer with good responses. Here's the interview:


Hey guys, can you give everyone a brief introduction of Wasteoid?

- As of January 2009, Wasteoid has been playing punishing, NO COAST POWER VIOLENCE, for 10 years! A slew of tours down, pounding bangovers, and only a couple vans later, we're still going strong for reasons beyond our hatred. Its been a year now since the lineup has changed to a two-piece mosh-trocity. Jeffmetal and I decided that we wanted to keep the band going after Cooter called it quits, and that only led us to be more crushing and brutal as ever.

Jeffmetal: cashed throats, low rumbles, noise clips, high life talls
Raws: power violent, single foot blasts, other larnyx, black metal 40's

What is the band currently up to these days?

- Lately we're working on all new material and pushing our limits. Being a bass and drum band requires a different writing style than before. We've gone back a bit to our old style of just driving punishment. Working on getting faster and harsher. We'll be recording a new demo and also other material for upcoming records like a split with Plack Blague on Hung Like A Horse?! and a box set of some sort for Torture Garden's second edition of the Violent Noise Party compilation. That being a split of some sort as well.

How did you get asked to be on the comp w/ Relapse Records?

- Somehow it just sort of fell in our hands. Luckily, those bastards from Agents Of Satan said they were going to be on this Relapse compilation (This Comp Kills Fascists) and told us, "dude, you guys should fucking be on that shit". It was kind of like a, well, put in a good word for us...wink, wink. I just said fuck it and emailed the honchos at Relapse and Scott Hull asked us to do it. It was finally one of those things that happened where we didn't have to promise to write chart topping hits and multi-platinum records.

Do you guys feel that it is about time that Wasteoid get the exposure you deserve?

- I think we have been around long enough and helped out with other bands and people that it all just kind of comes back to you. Now that we're famous and all, we can finally quit our jobs and pursue our careers in partying.

Any shows or tours coming up soon?

- We just have a couple shows in Lincoln coming up for now. March 26th at Ghost House with SFN and Hominoid. May 2nd at Box Awesome with Faggot. We probably won't be doing any major tours anytime soon. Most likely just a few weekend jaunts here and there. We're sort of out of a van right now. Poor us.

What are your thoughts on the current local Nebraska hardcore scene?

- I'm glad to see so many kids interested in going to shows. There's been times where I have showed up to see bands and surprised there are so many people out, especially during the week. Its nice to see kids doing house shows too. There's been too many times where punk houses become scarce, but every couple years or so, it always changes. Its cool seeing Nebraska kids releasing records and touring as well. I think its important to keep Nebraska on the map because you wouldn't believe how many people out there have no idea where Nebraska even is. Though, to be honest, I wish there were more fast bands/grind/thrash/heavy death metal bands in Lincoln and Omaha. It would be cool to have more shit like that playing around.

Any current local bands you know that we should know about/check out?

- Well, I'm sure most of the Nebraska kids reading this know about plenty of the local hardcore bands. I think there's a decent amount of "other" bands going on right now as well. One of my favorites being, Clean Plate Club, out of Lincoln. They (the one guy) hasn't been playing live much but just released a new cd called 'Accept Adapt Evolve'. Its sort of this weird industrial pop noise with loads of tape loops, samplings, and percussion. Sat In What is also a nice change for Nebraska. They're this dark kind of drone-goth rock. Mother Pile always kicks out the stoner jams. I think Recession is one of the best hardcore bands in Nebraska right now. Hercules is pretty sweet too. Oh yeah, and I can't go without mentioning Plack Blague and Ezra.

What is your current playlist?

- Right now on my record player is Debbie Deb....a lot of disco, early 90's booty rap, dirty electro, 70's synth punk....

- Suffering Bastard/Cock E.S.P. split 10"
- Weak Minds 7"
- Gorogonized Dorks/Xanax Feast split 7"
- Minny Pops - Drastic Movements for Drastic Pleasures
- Minch - discography
- Mondo New York soundtrack
- Question - Insanity 7"

What is your favorite hardcore release of all time?

- Germs (GI)


Any final rants/shoutouts?

- Kylie Minogue, call us! We have your remix finished.

www.myspace.com/nocoastpowerviolence

Buy Wasteoid's records HERE
And HERE

Download the Total Pukeoid lp HERE


Wasteoid live at 924 Gilman Speed Trials March 10th, 2007

Demo Upload - Void - Hit And Run

I'm sure most of you who frequent my blog are familiar with the excellent split lp Faith/Void on Dischord Records. These songs are the first official releases of both bands. The Faith, the more straightforward of the two bands holds their side of the split lp well with many of the songs being DC hardcore classics. Flip the lp over however, you hear something totally different on the Void side. Void's songs are way more chaotic, and dark with hints of metal, something unique for the time period. Truly a classic split lp that rates among one of my favorite hardcore records of all time. A few years before the release of the Faith/Void lp, Void went into the now legendary Inner Ear studio and recorded a 22(!) song demo with Don Z. and Ian Mackaye handling the production. Three of these songs would further be fleshed out and released on the split lp with The Faith. These demo recordings show Void at their most raw and straightforward. Of the 22 songs on the demo, only five get past the 1 minute mark, many of them under 30 seconds long. In 1992, Dischord Records would officially re-master and release 9 of the demo tracks to vinyl as the Condensed Flesh 7". The production values on the demo are balanced for a demo tape. There is obvious background hiss in the tape, probably from re-dubs from a non-original tape. However, the music is actually played quite well without any noticeable mess-up's or vocal cutouts and the songs benefit from the nice Inner Ear studio production and mixing of the songs. For a demo tape recorded in 1981-82, it sounds pretty good. Recommended listening for the DC hardcore completest.

Download the demo HERE






Complete Void live set, early 80's

Classic Hardcore Revisited: Skewbald/Grand Union - 2 Song 7"

Dischord Records - 1990

For the Minor Threat / DC hardcore completest I thought I'd upload the Skewbald/Grand Union 2 Song 7" released on Dischord Records. These songs were recorded during the brief breakup of Minor Threat in 1981 when Lyle Preslar moved away to college. Ian and Jeff pressed on writing new material and recruited locals to form Skewbald/Grand Union. They went into the studio and recorded a few songs that were never released officially until 1990 on a 1 sided, 2 song clear 7". The band did in fact record three songs total, however I have yet to locate the third song on any official releases. If you like Minor Threat as much as me, you are going to love these songs. They are a little bit sloppy and different style wise, but still maintain the power and urgency that Minor Threat were famous for.


I think the official Dischord Records website best describes how the record came to be:

"Lyle Preslar's decision to go to Northwestern University in September of 1981 broke up Minor Threat, so the other three members immediately started looking for other bands to form or join. Ian and Jeff started playing music with their Dischord housemate Eddie and another local punk, John Falls, who had done a short stint as guitarist with Youth Brigade. The band was one of many projects that practiced in the basement of Dischord House, and took its name from a nearby grocery store, Grand Union. Ian came across the word "skewbald" in a dictionary and thought it was a better band name, but Jeff stuck by Grand Union. Unable to reach a decision in the matter, the band ended up having two names. Skewbald would never play a show, and the only people who ever saw the band play may well have been Eric and Toni of Red C, who sat in at a practice one day. The band did end up recording three untitled songs at Inner Ear at the same session that yielded "Rozzyln Rangers", the theme song of Dischord House. After recording, the practices came to a halt, and John left the picture. Eventually Ian moved from vocals to bass, and Skewbald practiced as a three piece a few more times in early 1982, but the project was stopped cold by Minor Threat's decision to reform in April. The three songs Skewbald recorded ended up being traded around the country on tapes, and in some circles were mistakenly considered unreleased Minor Threat songs. Five years later, Dischord released the session to mark its 50th release." - http://www.dischord.com/band/skewbald-grand-union

Download the record HERE

Show Pics - JV Allstars, Hercules 2/6/09 Tour Kickoff

Show Pics - Hercules, Take Control, Old Men Dead Dogs, Wholehearted 1/25/09