Interview

COMADRE

Mardi 13 mars 2007

1.Hey, can you present us the band, through its history and actual
discography?

- Comadre started in March of 2004. Steven and Jack (who are brothers) were in a band together called One’s Own Ruin that often played shows with Juan and Kenny’s (who are also brothers) band called Heart Cross Love. Coincidentally, One’s Own Ruin and Heart Cross Love broke up around the same time and Steven and Jack thought it would be a cool idea to start a band with Juan and Kenny. Wes had been Steven’s best friend for years and was pretty much the only kid in the area who played drums that was not already in another band, so Steven called up Wes and asked him if he wanted to jam with all of us. And he did...and Comadre was born. After playing a few shows around the area and having our “coffin” demo CD available, we self-released a full length called “the Youth” in October of 2004. That following winter we did a small West Coast tour. After that, and playing more local shows, our friends in Coldbringer Records released our 7inch EP called “Songs About the Man” in May of 2005. That following summer, we did a full USA tour by ourselves and also partially with friends Light this City and Countdown to Life. We played more shows, did small weekend trips, did a small West Coast tour with Japanese hardcore band Endzweck...and it all ruled. Then that Winter, we did a longer West Coast tour with new friends Graf Orlock. Us and Graf fell in love and never looked back. In March of 2006, our newest full length “Burn Your Bones” was released in Japan on our friend’s label: Cosmic Note Records. We then followed that up with a 10-day tour in Japan with Endzweck, which was amazing. When we got home from that, we self-released “Burn Your Bones” in the USA under our label “Bloodtown Records” and did a longer USA tour, this time with buddies Graf Orlock. After that, we managed to pull off a small West Coast tour with amazing friends from Germany, Zann, in the fall of 2006. And then in the winter, we did another West Coast tour by ourselves. And now...we just wait anxiously until we reach Europe with our soul mates, Graf Orlock.

2.How was your tour in Japan? what were the main differences you
experienced there?

- Our Japanese tour is easily one of the most amazing things I have ever done in my entire life. It was just impossible to believe that we were on the other side of the world playing music, making friends, seeing awesome bands, experiencing and seeing a beautiful country and culture, and have it all be a part of a “punk vacation”. The whole trip was AMAZING. The guys in Endzweck and Cosmic Note Records (which is run by the drummer in Endzweck) took VERY good care of us while we were in Japan. We owe it all to them. The shows were all really fun; the kids there were very nice and very grateful and appreciative; and everyone was so energetic and just proud to be a part of the punk/hardcore culture. And that was the best part: there were really no differences in playing shows there than it is to play shows here in the USA. It took us a few days to realize it while in Japan, but we realized that these kids who were coming to see us in Japan were the same exact people who come to see us in the USA. We are all living the same lives with the same ideas and same love for punk/hardcore. Everyone was there for the same reason: to have fun and enjoy themselves.

3.What do you expect for this Euro tour? You'll soon be leaving, is
everything ok? Or still you have to plan some stuff when arrived in Europe? Who's preparing the tour and driving you?

- To tell you the truth, I really do not know what to expect about this European tour. I just know I am going to have an amazing and beautiful time with 8 of my best friends. I am just going to be VERY excited to be traveling around Europe for a whole month! But so far, I have been in contact through the internet with many kids who are coming to see us and/or are setting up a show and/or are in a band that is playing with us in Europe, and so far, these people have been all VERY nice and exciting to talk to. I can not wait to meet them all and make new friends. I have heard many amazing things about the people there and how genuine everyone in the punk/hardcore scene is there. I can’t wait to hang out with these people! Heh. Also, I can’t wait to play with Trainwreck and see our friends in Zann again!!! And we are all pretty much ready to leave. We have everything done I believe. Robert from Zann and Adagio830 Records is setting up our whole tour and getting all of our stuff ready (and we LOVE him for it! That sexy man). And I believe our driver is Lars, who I also can’t wait to meet.

4.You also did tour with Endzweck? How is the band? They're supposed to
tour Europe in September 2007.

- Like I said above, Endzweck are some AMAZING guys. They are very nice and very funny. We spent some time in the USA and in Japan with them; and it was awesome both times. Their newest full length, “the Grapes of Wrath” is fucking amazing too. That CD is really good and their live show is UNBELIEVABLE. They have so much energy! You guys will have a great time with them in Europe! I only wish that they would come back here to the USA and do a longer tour with us!

5.What's your opinion of the wall USA is building between your country
and Mexico? I think that's a pretty racist idea doing such thing. And i
guess it won't solve the problem.

- I also think it is an absolutely racist and stupid idea. At this point, they are no longer trying to keep “illegal immigrants” out of “their” country, it is now turned into a “tough guy competition” where the USA thinks that we need to show the rest of the world how “tough” we are and how no one can or should never try to confront us. It absolutely will not solve any problems. Many people who come from Mexico “illegally” come here to the USA to work for a fraction of what is expected in “real American jobs”, and those people do not complain about their shitty wages and rights and work environments; they make whatever money they can here to send back to their families to help support them and help them survive the pain and suffering that they are going through in other countries. There is ABSOLUTLY no wrong in ANY of that. The idea of the USA trying to build another “Berlin Wall” is clearly a fucked up plan that is full of arrogance and ignorance and I really hope it never sees the light of day.

6.Is there a special meaning behind your name Comadre? Any link with
the mexicanos in USA?

- “Comadre” is a Latin term that can mean something like “god-mother”. It is a term that is used to identify a good friend or like a “family friend”. The thing is, someone can be someone’s “comadre” and not technically be related by blood...so it is like a “family that is not related by blood”...which is what we think this band is (although some of us are truly related by blood. Heh).

7.I saw you have actually a couple of live video on Internet. How is it
to see yourself on stage on a video after the show is over?

- Well first of all...I actually put up most of those videos on youtube myself. Hah! I bring my video camera EVERYWHERE, so I sometimes post up really rad shows that we play for people to check out. But I mean, when we play a really awesome show where the kids are really into it and are having fun with us, and we happen to have got it on tape, there are times when we must see that video like hours after the show is done just because its cool to see kids getting into our music and be a part of this band.

8.Releasing yourself the CD version in USA of your “burn your bones” album was a decision you took, or just a fact because nobody wanted to
release it? For Europe you got the chance that Adagio830 Records is doing the LP version for the euro tour! So is it important to make it all by yourself? A normal thing, or just no luck?

- We actually had a few dudes wanting to help us out with the “Burn Your Bones” release here in the USA. And although we really do appreciate and thank them for their offer and support, at the end, we just thought that it would be better for us to just release it ourselves. At that point, we had already self-released: our first full length, repressed our EP, and did a split live DVD. So yeah, we just wanted to go all out on this second full length that we were all very excited about and thought we could pull it off ourselves and make it just like we wanted...and it worked out just fine! As for Robert wanting to help us out with the Euro version of the release, that was AMAZING. We had never thought that something like that could happen, so when he asked us, we pretty much instantly said “yes!” I had heard of Robert and Adagio830 through my friend’s band and I heard that he was a very awesome guy to work with, so yeah, it was amazing that he wanted to get our music heard in other parts of the world. And that is the thing: we do not have the best distribution through our own label here, so when we got asked to get this released internationally, we definitely did not have to second-think the decision.

9.What is the driving force that keep you touring all the time. Don't
you get onto each others nerve while being in a small van for so much time? You surely discover each other special habits!?

- We all just love to be on the road and playing shows and meeting new people! We believe that we are all very lucky to have found this amazing culture called “DIY punk/hardcore”...and to be able to travel around the world, play music, and make friends that believe the same ideas and morals as you is very life-fulfilling. So as long as there are people out there that are into supporting the DIY punk/hardcore scene, then we will want to continue touring. And also, we are all involved in either school or jobs, so it is always refreshing to get away from all of that and just be stuck in a van together with 4-7 of your best friends, having the most fun times of your life. And we do not actually get on our nerves at all...believe it or not, we have two sets of brothers in the band, so we are used to being around each other all the time and we know how to handle ourselves and it works out! I love it!

10.We can hear different influences into your music... So what are the
bands of the past and today that influence you and the band?

- We all listen to a vast variety of music. Seriously, it is very hard to pinpoint just a certain genre of music/bands that we can say influences us. But I can say that a lot of our influences are the bands that we do covers of, which consist of: Refused, Kid Dynamite, Suicide File, Botch, and Rites of Spring. Overall, we just love punk.

11.How did you got that idea to put some chorus parts without
instruments or just a few into the songs? Is it just for letting the chance for people to singalong? In some way it can give great energy to the band when all the kids singalong with you on those tracks? Your opinion...

- We definitely love it when the crowd gets involved in our live shows. There is nothing more fulfilling in a show than seeing the kids around you looking like they too are having a good time and have smiles on their faces and are moving around. And yes, that is why we write chants in our songs; we want our live show to be more of a “hands-on” experience than just a “watching” experience. Why should we have all the fun? All the kids in the room have the same right to have as much (if not more) fun that the band they are watching...and with being able to sing along or scream at the top of your lungs with a band that you love and enjoy, then you can not ask for a better show experience.

12.So before closing that interview : what are the furture plans of the
band after that tour is over? New releases scheduled? Another tour?

- As for now, we have a few brand new songs that we have recorded. We are still not exactly sure what the songs are going to be used for, but we definitely have some ideas that are being tossed around. But either way, we are REALLY excited and proud of the new songs and can not wait to have them be out and get kids listening to them. Also, we have just started booking our summer tour for 2007. Again, it will be with our life-partners Graf Orlock (whom actually will have a brand new 10inch/cdep out!). We are also hoping to play a few shows here in the USA with German friends, Trainwreck...so hopefully that will all work out as well. And yeah, that is really all that we have planned so far. Before I finish, I just want to thank EVERY single person that I have talked to online, through messages/myspace/e-mail/whatever, about our upcoming European tour. It really does mean the WORLD to us that you are all very interested in our music and I can not wait to meet you all and make some new friends. I promise it will be good times when we are there. And also, thanks SO much to everyone who has already bought our records/CDs. We are very grateful for your support and dedication. Thanks for allowing us to bring our music all over the world. Thanks to Robert and Adagio830 Records and Zann for pretty much setting up this whole tour for us. And MUCH MUCH thanks to Julien of Heart On Fire Records for doing this interview. Take care. Stay posi...stay punk.