Maximum Rocknroll #410, the July 2017 issue, has arrived! We hang out with Mexico City’s RIÑA and talk art and politics with Iceland’s hardcore punks DAUÐYFLIN and their US tourmates, Olympia’s XYLITOL. We have interviews with Berlin supergroup LIFE FUCKER, the creator of Exotic, a documentary covering sex work in Guam, and Hiro the Aggression from the legendary DISCLOSE. Garage punkers REPTILIANS FROM ANDROMEDA tell us about the scene in Istanbul, in fair Verona we meet LOS FASTIDIOS, no wave femme-punk heroines Y PANTS reflect on the occasion of their recently reissued back catalogue, IN FLUX mix powerviolence and D-beat in Portland, and MYDOLLS are still at it playing feminist punk in Houston and recording new music nearly 40 years into their life as a band. All of this plus photo spreads from Waynze World III in Kansas City and Olympia’s Book Your Own Fest, as well as an interview with collective members organizing Chicago’s queercore Fed Up Fest. And that’s not all — we’ve also got the biggest record, zine, demo and film review section in punk. What are you waiting for?
You can also order this issue by mail by sending $4.99 in the US, $7 Canada, $9 Mexico, or $11 worldwide to: MRR • PO Box 460760 • San Francisco, CA 94146 • USA …or just SUBSCRIBE!
“New Blood” is our weekly feature spotlighting new bands from around the world! See below for info on how to submit. Now, check out some killer new shit…
Band name:
DIASPORA
This isn’t a name you pull out of a punk hat. Is there a story to it? Azriel: In my last visit to the Philippines, I purchased a book there called “In The Country” that prefaced itself as “tales from the Filipino diaspora.” A lot of the stories struck a chord in me, so I took a lot of my influence from that.
Tell me when and how Diaspora formed: Azriel: It started around February this year after I came back from visiting my family in the Philippines. My Lolo who was living there had just passed away and I had a lot of stuff going through my mind that I really wanted to let out, so I decided to write and record a demo to do it. I wanted to play with people whom I’ve felt comfortable with musically and personally, so I got Daniel from Pure Disgust and Connor from Red Death to join me. I feel pretty lucky to have this kind of outlet.
There’s a line your song “In Place”: “Traded my body for the right (white) mind, body, and soul.” In your words, what are your lyrics about? Azriel: That song’s about how I use to disassociate myself from my background because of how different it made me feel from the people I surrounded myself with for a long time. I harbored a lot of feelings of resentment towards myself and others when I was younger because of that. Most of the lyrics are about those kinds of self realizations that made me question my self-worth, and trying to overcome those mental hurdles and connect with the people who’ll appreciate who I am and where I came from.
How would you describe your sound? Azriel: Articles of Faith meets the video of Harley Flanagan explaining how incredible the rhythm section for Age Of Quarrel is.
What’s in the future for you all? Azriel: Hopefully have a 7″ ready by the end of the year. Play outside D.C. Do a couple of weekends. Maybe more.
Tell me about yourselves:
We are all queer latinx punks from Los Angeles.
Your lyrics are powerful and empowering. Tell me about them:
Our lyrics are based on our collective queer experience and struggles. They stem off of a place of frustration, desiring social change, and anger. We are inspired by the lack of representation in punk.
What’s in the future for CAUSA?
Touring, recording, releasing more music in different formats, and continuing to connect with bands and people who are down to support the cause…
Band name:
LAISKAT SILMÄT (means lazy eyes in Finnish).
When and where did Laiskat Silmät begin?
We originally formed in summer 2014 in Bar Breezer, Helsinki, but our new group formed in May 2017.
Reason for forming:
Like most bands I guess. Laiskat Silmät was created due to the boredom of everyday life. Karkki and Annabel had always wanted play in a band, so they went for a beer and called their friend who used to have a drum kit on sale in her vintage store. In the beginning there was four of us, but later this year our former singer and bass player found out they didn’t have time for the band anymore. Tero joined the band officially in May and took over the lead guitar. He had played for some of our life sets earlier, so it was quite natural to keep the same name even we started to do music with a whole different energy.
What are your lyrics about?
The lyrics are usually statements to current social issues. Anti-facism and feminism are close to our hearts!
Laiskat Silmät (photo by Emilia Pennanen)
How would you describe your sound?
When Karkki and Annabel started to play, they were listening a lot of Finnish punk music and got influenced by bands like Kivesveto Go Go and Pertti Kurikan Nimipäivät. When Tero joined the band we decided to get rid of the bass completely and play with two guitars instead. This way we added some new sound to the older songs and took them to the next level.
What’s in the future for this band?
Right now we are making new songs for our future LP and playing as much gigs as we can. We have also plans to do a small release with our earlier songs later this year.
SEX SCENES was featured last December, and since then they’ve been up to some exciting new shit. We invited them back to tell us a little about about it.
What have you all been up to since we last connected?
We recorded a record that is coming out June 20th on Gloss Records. We just started tour and We are working on a full length that should come out later this year.
What are you up to outside of Sex Scenes?
Hangin and bangin… kicking it and sticking it.
I wanted to ask you this last time- it could be my head wishing for more glam shit, but has anyone compared Zach’s voice to David Johansen? Zach: David Johansen is my goddamn hero. All I have ever wanted since I was a kid was to be David Johansen.
Tell me about your lyrics. Last time we featured you, Zach mentioned that writing is a therapeutic practice. Care to elaborate? Zach: I used to have a lot of problems with drugs. But being in this band has helped me deal with a lot of it. A lot of the new EP has helped me work through that shit. Like depression, drugs, alcohol…
Tell us about the EP your’e about to release:
We recorded it ourselves. Its called Swallow and it comes out on silver cassette through Gloss Records on June 20th.
Do you have or know of an awesome new band*? It’s easy to submit to be in MRR’s New Blood feature — just email us the following info, and keep keeping’ it real…
1) Band name:
2) Date & location formed:
3) Reason for forming:
4) What are your lyrics about?
5) How would you describe your sound?
6) What’s in the future for this band?
7) Links and contact info:
Along with the answers please send a band photo at least 600px on the longest side (with photo credits), and a logo if you have one, to:
*By “new band” we mean a band that formed within the past year or year and a half.
Catchier than a cold
THE #1S – Sharon Shouldn’t
KLEENEX – Hitchhike
THE YOUNGER LOVERS – Get Up Get Up
THE WORLD – In Pieces
Better than a Q-Tip
QUANGO – Fatality
TOZIBABE – Dezuje
IN SCHOOL – Cement Fucker
LIL BUNNIES – Carrot Juice Stomp
LUMPY AND THE DUMPERS – Flush ‘em
HYGIENE – Hygiene
Zone out, forget about it
UVTV – Only Matters When
HELEN – Violett
KREMLYN – The Girl Is Mine
WATERY LOVE – Ned’s Dreamcatcher
Infectious cleansing
PLASTIC EP & THE RECORDS – So You Want To Make a Record
TERRY – Talk About Terry
MARK WYNN – Baby Baby
DOGMATICS – Thayer St
Outro song:
CHRON GEN – Living Next Door To Alice
Maximum Rocknroll Radio is a weekly radio show and podcast featuring DIY punk, garage rock, hardcore, and more from around the world. Our rotating cast of DJs picks the best of the best from MRR magazine’s astounding, ever-growing vinyl archive. You can find MRR Radio archives, specials, and more at radio.maximumrocknroll.com. Thanks for listening!
Layla has numerous radio related technical disasters that make her question the reality of continued existence, however there’s a soundtrack from the recently reviewed in MRR bins and the archives of our minds to soothe all humans back to and from the brink
What is a Mozart
MOZART – Broad Daylight
EXOTICA – Pesadilla
RIÑA – Olivida
TAIWAN HOUSING PROJECT – What It’s All About
VIXENS – Absolute Complacency
GARY WRONG GROUP – Pollen Christ
What is an Art
MORDECAI – What Is Art
Y PANTS – The Fly
LOUIS LOUIS – Do It (In Your Mind)
PLASTIC TONES – More Trouble
RIK AND THE PIGS – Gimme Mick
What is a Sentimental
MIDNIGHT MINES – Artificial Light
BEATNIKS – Egg Song
PIERRE ET BASTIEN – Secret
MARBLED EYE – Dirt
POLICE CONTROL – Sentimental
BLACK ABBA – Lost Dog
What is a Scab
SCABS – Leave Me Alone
WASP WOMEN – Kill Me / I Don’t Need Your Attitude
DAMAGE – Fight or Die
Outro songs:
TONE BENDERS – Little Black Egg
VU – Can’t Take It Anymore
Maximum Rocknroll Radio is a weekly radio show and podcast featuring DIY punk, garage rock, hardcore, and more from around the world. Our rotating cast of DJs picks the best of the best from MRR magazine’s astounding, ever-growing vinyl archive. You can find MRR Radio archives, specials, and more at radio.maximumrocknroll.com. Thanks for listening!
“New Blood” is our weekly feature spotlighting new bands from around the world! See below for info on how to submit. Now, check out some killer new shit…
Band name: NEKRA
Date & location formed:
October 2K16 in London, England.
Reason for forming:
We need some more girls in here, too many man too many many man.
What are your lyrics about? Kai: The one song I wrote lyrics for on our demo is “Sisters of the Yam,”
which was inspired by a chapter in bell hooks’ book of the same name. It’s
about the frustration of withholding emotions at the
expense of avoiding conflict,
trying to overcome feeling guilty for
having those desires, and recognizing that they’re essential for personal
liberation & wellbeing. 🙏🏾
Spooky: Gringos, people sucking the life out of you, Terry Richardson… you, know the usual stuff that brings a brown girl down.
How would you describe your sound?
New worldie wave of British hardcore.
What’s in the future for this band?
Tape on La Vida Es Un Mus, gigs, and world domination.
Date & location formed:
Established October 2016 in Kansas City, MO.
Artwork by Nicky Rat
Reason for forming:
We formed because Ricardo moved to Kansas City, MO and was the funnest guy in town. He writes all the lyrics and some of the melodies. Also, Tony and Josh had never met before but needed to. Dakota is the person whose house we practiced at. Josh also lived there and writes the other half of the melodies.
What are your lyrics about?
The lyrics come from the perception of the everyday life of a Mexican who is trying to adjust to living in the Midwest; general alienation and the struggle of the middle class.
How would you describe your sound?
We sound like the only Japanese hardcore band in Kansas City, MO.
What’s in the future for this band?
We would like to put out a record anytime, all the time.
It’s a reference to the individual’s quest to deconstruct all the values and behaviors imposed by patriarchy.
Date & location formed:
FORTALEZA Braz-ill. We are cosmopolitan and nomadic, so we don’t really belong anywhere.
Reason for forming:
Firstly, we formed this project first so as not to die from boredom during the most difficult times on our journey through northeastern Brazil.
Secondly, we believe that anti-music is a sincere way to show our hatred and discontent, to protest, to scream, to kick.
Thirdly, we believe we have something to say.
Disindividu (photo by Grilo)
What are your lyrics about?
We sing against the state, humanity, heteronormativity.
Our lyrics are about our indignation, and dark feelings that guide us, like hatred and contempt.
But we mainly sing about the possibilities of re-establishing ourselves within a dystopian slave world, inventing new ways of life, animal liberation, the destruction of binaries instilled by authoritarian systems which make life even more ordinary and machine-ike.
How would you describe your sound?
Hardcore punk noise queer anarcho punk anti-Oi! and anti-skins.
What’s in the future for this band?
We’re recording a new EP, going on another bike tour through Latin America, and taking our noise strength wherever we go.
Date & location formed:
October, 2016 in Phoenix, Arizona.
Reason for forming:
Tired of seeing police sympathy, capitalist sympathy, hypermasculinity, and apolitical bands within AZ’s hardcore community.
What are your lyrics about?
Strong themes of anti-capitalism and anti-fascism as well as a general call for people to take up an ideology of total liberation. This band is heavily influenced by Marxist and anarchist politics despite the butting of heads that often occurs between the two ideologies.
Pig City (photo by Delivan Oswood)
How would you describe your sound?
Hardcore and crust with sprinkles of powerviolence on top.
What’s in the future for this band?
We’ll keep playing locally, tour, and we’ll be releasing a full length within the next year.
Date & location formed:
We began around late April, 26-28th in my bandmate Marvin’s garage in Korea Town, Los Angeles.
Reason for forming:
Cult Decay is Porky, Ethan, and Marvin AKA Burnouts.
We started this band as a side project while playing in our main band Perplexions, but as time went by our drummer for our main band wasn’t really showing up for practice so instead of heading home and calling it a day. We stuck around our bandmate’s garage and kept jamming our so called side project but as time went by and finally called quits on our main band decided to focus on Cult Decay.
What are your lyrics about?
Mostly on politics. The struggle of living the hood and personal issues depression and shit.
But mostly unjust politics.
Cult Decay (photo by )
How would you describe your sound? Porky: I believe our sound is quite hardcore that has been infested by noise.
Ethan: We have a lot of influences, noisy punk and noise being the biggest… We are Punk.
Marvin: Well, describing our sound has two answers I believe: One: when we are sober and on top of our game, and… Two:when we are drunk and stoned out of our mind but yeah.. what Ethan said.
What’s in the future for this band?
We are planning on releasing a 4-5 track EP late June or Mid July
before heading up the West Coast for a tour we have been planning with
our friends from SOMA.
Do you have or know of an awesome new band*? It’s easy to submit to be in MRR’s New Blood feature — just email us the following info, and keep keeping’ it real…
1) Band name:
2) Date & location formed:
3) Reason for forming:
4) What are your lyrics about?
5) How would you describe your sound?
6) What’s in the future for this band?
7) Links and contact info:
Along with the answers please send a band photo at least 600px on the longest side (with photo credits), and a logo if you have one, to:
*By “new band” we mean a band that formed within the past year or year and a half.
You can SUBSCRIBE to MRR for as little as $26 and have over 120 pages of punk sent to you every month! Hundreds of record reviews, exclusive features and interviews, all your favorite columnists and much, much more.
Out now! MRR #410 • July 2017
Mexico City’s RIÑA, Iceland’s DAUÐYFLIN, Olympia’s XYLITOL, LIFE FUCKER from Berlin, Exotic documentary (Guam), Hiro the Aggression from Japan's DISCLOSE, REPTILIANS FROM ANDROMEDA from Istanbul, Italy's LOS FASTIDIOS, Y PANTS, IN FLUX from Portland, MYDOLLS, Chicago’s Fed Up Fest, photo spreads from KC's Waynze World III fest and Olympia’s Book Your Own Fest.
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