This weeks interview is with James, singer of Times Together - one of my current favourite bands. I already thought about doing this interview when I was searching the field for my first interview. I thought it would be a great follow-up to have the next interview be with a member of one of Seb's new releases. Also I wanted to do this interview because even though the "question-structure" is similar to my last interview, I can relate to some of the questions personally here, being that I too live where no hardcore-scene lives!
Times Together is more or less holding down the Youth Crew fort in the UK all by themselves, here's what James had to say when I asked him a bunch of questions... He even managed to secretly dizz my blog in one of them, haha! ;-)
James, first of all let me congratulate you and the rest of the band on the release of The Changing Of The Leaves 7" - a killer debut if you ask me.
Could you give a quick summary of how Times Together came alive and what you wanted to do with the band?
Well, to start off with Gaz, Dave and Dex were all playing in a band called Affirmation (they were awesome, check out the CD on Courage To Care Records), but with Gaz on vocals and not an bass like in Times Together, and I was singing in a band called Marks Get Set GO! at the same time. Being that we were from the same area, ad pretty much the only bands in the country playing a "youth crew" style of hardcore, we played a few shows together. At one show both bands were playing together I arranged with the guys from Affirmation for us to do a few cover songs inbetween the sets, but with Gaz on bass, and me on vocals (this line-up later became Times Together). Not long after that MGSG! broke up, and I still wanted to do a so called "youth crew" or "traditional" style hardcore band so I asked those guys if they wanted to start something. Affirmation had always had problems finding a bass player (our good friend Hash played bass for them alot towards the end) so it only kinda made sense I suppose for Gaz to jump on bass and me on vocals, that way we had a solid line-up!
As far as what we wanted to do with the band, I suppose there were no set targets in the beginning, just to play hardcore the way we love it to be played, fast and sounding like all the bands we loved from the 80s and "97"-era, put out a demo and play some shows :-). Although I suppose we had always hoped that we would put out a 7" in the future :-).
I remember you saying that you've had these songs ready for quite some time, howcome they first saw a release now?
Yeah, the songs were recorded in July 2009, I suppose it has been a while until they saw the light of day, and some of those songs have been actually been finished a long time before that!
I suppose sometimes things just take a while to happen, I mean we really wanted to have that silver spot colour on the records which was probably the main hold up with the production of the record sleeves (the vinyl was actually ready a long time before the sleeves), but at the end of the day, it's worth it to get something you are happy with. I think Seb first asked us to do a record in October 2008 if my memory serves me right! But we didn't wanna rush anything, we wanted to let the song writing process take its own path , and then once the songs were finished we wanted to get them as tight as possible before recording them. Same goes with the artwork, we wanted to get every aspect perfect, so that in 10 years time you don't look back and think "I'd change that bit now if I could", so yeah a few extra months is nothing to get something you are 100% happy with.
The irony is, that because the record was finished and recorded in July, we have been working on new material since then, and are a good way into writing a follow up record, so after a long wait for our first record, the follow up might come around a lot quicker! :-)
How did you guys decide to let Just Another Day Records put it out?
Well like Seb mentioned in his interview previous, I knew him a little bit from the Thunder Lizard messageboard! The funny thing is , just as Seb asked us to do a record we were in the process of making these promo CD's to send out to different record labels that we liked, so they ended up never going out and just got given to a few select friends and people who had helped us out as a band.
But anyway, yeah Seb asked us if we wanted to do a 7" on his new record label he was starting up. At this point he hadn't released any records and bands like Overload and Debaser weren't on the label yet, but to be honest we didn't even need to think about it! I knew Seb was a huge record collector and loved all the little details in records, so I knew he would do an amazing job, and also he had told me he was going to put out the Freewill Discography, and the chance to be on the record label that put out a record by a band that we love, that influences our sound, we were never gonna up on that!
I had the great opportunity of listening to the 7" in mp3-form before it came out and I was blown away to say the least - what are your own thoughts on how the vinyl came out; from the musical aspect to the layout?
Yeah I'm really happy with how it came out :-). The print job, especially on the colour photo on the cover, is outstanding! I mean really something special! Everything looks amazing, the thick card for the sleeve, the labels on the record, everything. I think Seb did an amazing job, I also have to big up Chris who designed the record, and just did an overall awesomejob with every little detail, be it specifying the thickness of the card, or the layout! The whole idea was for it to look like a record that could have been on Wishingwell Records, and in my own personal opinion, I think we succeeded. As for the vinyl, it sounds really good. The thing is, the amount of music on each side is on the limit of what you can fit on a record, and if you take that into consideration, not to much quality has been lost really, although it will obviously not sound exactly the same as when you hear it on CD. But yeah the whole thing exceeded my expectations!
Your record release show is right around the corner, can we Europeans expect a tour anytime soon?... And what about the US?
Yeah, well, if we ever sort out the record release! ha ha. Nah, but seriously I will have to sort that out soon! As for tours, yeah you can expect to see us in Europe for sure. We've been saying it for a long time, but we will definitely come over! We plan to play some shows with our buddies in Birds Of A Feather, I think the initial plan was to play Belgium, Holland and Germany, but that got put on hold for a while, but hopefully it will get sorted out for this year. I know I wanna play Europe and see those guys again soon!
As for the US, I can't see that ever happening if I'm honest. It sucks, but that's just the way things are :-(. I'd love to do it, and would be there in a second, but I don't have as many responsibilities and commitments as the rest of the band do. So realistically, I can't see it happening, but never say never I suppose! (For instance if Uniform Choice did a reunion show and we all came over for a few days, we could play a show in there somewhere! ha ha).
My knowledge on UK-based Youth Crew bands doesn't reach far. I know that the UK doesn't have a well-breathing scene, right? Why do you think that is?
Yeah there is nothing to have knowledge on to be honest. There is a band called XcurraheeX from Manchester, they have just had a record come out on Commitment Records, and are really cool, so check them out.
Other than those guys and us, I can't really think of another band playing this style. There has been a few bands in the past, In The Clear, The Last Chance, Touchdown and then bands that the other guys in Times Together have been in, Step Back, Approach, Affirmation (yeah those guys are old! ha ha ha) and a few other bands I'm not thinking of, but not much. I think the UK has a scene, but just not the kind of hardcore I personally can relate to, bands that wanna sounds like No Warning, or Integrity or whatever other stuff people like in that vain seem to be everywhere, but "youth crew" hardcore just never took on here. I mean, you go to a show, and you don't see people wearing Bold shirts, that shit ain't right!
How do you see the hardcore scene in general today? In your time here, what has changed in a good way and what has changed in a less positive way?
I think it's hard to comment on really, as you can talk about so many different things. In a way things seem to be slowing down a bit, a lot of messageboards that used to be really active seem to be pretty dead nowadays (Thunderlizard RIP), and I think a lot of poeple seem to be losing interest in one way or another that I used to see around a lot. But then there are always a new wave of people coming through at the same time. I think it's great that there seems to be a new line of younger kids getting into good hardcore through things like React! Records and the React! Messageboard, and there a lot of cool new/newish record labels keep things alive like Just Another Day Records, Salad Days Records, Amendment Records etc, as well as the great lebsl still going strong like Crucial Response. I think in the UK there used to be a lot more people into the kind of hardcore that I can relate to than there is nowadays. I mean, you used to go to a show and see people in Bold or Chain Of Strength shirts, I'm not saying all the time, but it would happen, and that just doesn't seem to be the case anymore. I think a lot less "decent" bands tour over here as well, I mean, a lot more bands tour over here from The States, but they are mostly average, and that being polite in my opinion. Before when a band used to tour, at least they used to be a decent band, with more than a demo out.
I actually have a bit of a different opinion to a lot of people when you read interviews with people wbout these kind of topics, most people seem to say, start a band, do something to contribute to the scene. I actually think (well in the UK anyways) there are way too many mediocre bandsout there already, I mean, there are just so many bands that sound the same and don't wanna try something different, it's ridiculous. And when, on the very odd occasion, a band that you would love to play with like The First Step, the support is usually laughable. We would have loved to play with bands we love and respect like TFS. What the answer is to stuff like this I don't know though :-(, but that's just my opinion. There seems to be a lot less zines floating around now as well, which is a shame, but I suppose with the internet, and particularly "blogs" that was always going to be the case :-(, which is a bit of a shame, although The Effort Fanzine is making up for the lack of other quality zines at the moment.
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Hardcore sure is taking advantage of "modern day technology", that be messageboards, Myspace, Bigcartel, etc. etc. Do you think this "digital-unity" helps keep the scene alive more now than ever, given that in the UK and in Denmark the scene is... well subtle?
I think those can definitely be a good thing. I mean, as an example, from our perspective as a band, without Myspace and messageboards, we probably wouldn't have sold half the amount of records, demos, shirts etc. that we have, and people from places like Australia wouldn't have picked up our record, I know that for sure. I would imagine about 70-80% of the stuff we sell gets sent outside the UK if I'm being honest. While playing for people locally is really great, and people picking up your record at a show who might not necessarily be into the bands who influenced you is really awesome also, for me, I love it when people get the chance to hear us and like what we do, who also love the bands that influence us, people who actually see the little references and nod's to other bands in songs and fully get the sound you are going for. That's what I like the most anyway :-). I have joked before when we write a song, that if our friend "Will" likes it, than it's all good! (Especially if he plays "air-bass" at a show) :-).
I think also people can find out more about shows happening etc. which is good, but I'm really not into downloading. I mean, I don't want just the songs, the artwork/package is just as important to me. I remember waiting for that last Damage Control 7" to come out for what seemed like years! I must have passed on downloading those songs so many times, even though I wanted to hear them so bad, I knew it would be worth waiting for. I suppose it's how you get into things though. I think I got into hardcore just before stuff like the internet took off (or it was there and I didn't know about it!), so I bought most of my records because a bands' name was in another bands' thanks-list, or because the record had College font on the front, a picture of a guy X'ed up or wearing a Bold shirt. And I mean, some of the best records were discovered that way! That's probably why we wanted to make sure there was a bit of a Chain Of Strength shirt on the front of our record! ha ha.
Are you collecting records yourself? If so, what is the thrill of it to you? What is your most charished piece of vinyl?
Yeah I collect records. I don't really know what the thrill is to be honest, ha ha. It's just something you do. I think when it's a record you wanted for ages, and it turns up in the post, it's so exciting opening that package, and looking through it all and listening to it. I'm also really big on my shirts as well, there is something about an awesome shirt, that is just so special. Although it sucks the amount that don't fit me anymore.
Sadly though, I haven't picked up many shirts or records in the last year. It used to be the case I'd get one or two things a week, now it's probably once a month. I think while I've been waiting for our record to come out, my mind has really been on that, so hopefully I'll pick up where I left off now, although the more you get the things you want, the less there is left to get :-).
My most charished piece of vinyl? That's hard. I love my Insted - Bonds Of Friendship on red vinyl and on white vinyl. I mean, that's one of the greatest albums ever, no doubt, and it's Wishingwell coloured vinyl, which is always something special! I also love my Chain Of Strength records, again just a classic record. Another record I love, which I suppose isn't really that rare, or worth that much money in the scheme of things, is Uniform Choice - Staring Into The Sun gatefold-LP on red vinyl. I don't know why that one comes to mind, but I just love everything about it, the artwork, and the record is just amazing musically.
I suppose I should stop here, but there is so much stuff I could list, my Fastbreak collection, my Tiebreak test, Damage Control tests, Envy test, Eyeball test, those are all things that I was so happy to get.
To be fair, Gaz and Dave from Times Together both have records I think would blow all this stuff away, and would probably blow most other peoples best record away. Gaz has a really amazing shirt collection too, ha ha.
I've also asked Seb of Just Another Day Records the following question, I think it's great fun:
(Hardcore only)
Pick 1 band from the 80s era - I'd be tempted to say Uniform Choice or Unity, but since Seb has gone UC, I'll go Youth Of Today to keep it interesting.
Pick 1 band from the 90s era - Hands Tied
Pick 1 band from the 2000s era Desperate Measures (Our Turn and Damage Control rockin' up a close second)
Pick 1 currently playing - Remission
Pick 1 reunion show you'd kill to attend if it were to happen - Uniform Choice/Unity
Pick 1 record you'd kill to own - Unity - You Are One on blue vinyl (and the obviously Youth Of Today - Break Down The Walls on red and on blue vinyl!)
Any last comments?
Thanks for doing this interview Rune, sorry it took me a while to get back to you!
If anyone wants, you can get our stuff here timestogether.bigcartel.com
We should hopefully have some new 4-sided shirts coming in the next few weeks.
Also, check out Remission, Birds Of A Feather, Alert, Resolve, and Right Idea and the record labels / bands I've mentioned above. Last but not least, thanks to Seb for putting out the record and believing in us :-).
One Love!
Pressing info for Times Together - The Changing Of The Leaves 7":
Black vinyl Test Press /22
White mix vinyl /11
Record release version /??
Red vinyl /90
Purple vinyl /110
Green vinyl /120
White vinyl /180
Next up is my interview with Timm MacIntosh of Panic Records, and I've started to plan the next one as well. Stay tuned!
Yours truely,
Rune.
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