React! Records is proud to have so many amazing international bands- Clearsight, Common Cause, Remission, etc. One of our newest bands, Rearranged, hails from Russia, and our friend Caitlin got a chance to talk with Vic from the band about growing up in Moscow and their new self titled EP on React!
Caitlin currently lives in Minneapolis (probably about as cold as Russia!), books shows, travels the country to see good bands play and holds down the edge!

Growing up in Russia, how were you able to find out about hardcore?

Born in Moscow, I spent almost all my childhood and adolescence traveling around the world, moving from one place to another due to my dad’s work. As any other teenager I was exposed to mainstream music, including some heavier stuff. My interest for punk music was sparked by the more mainstream bands. Sex Pistols and Ramones were easy to find and definitely got some heavy rotation, so did NOFX and Lagwagon. I found out about hardcore/punk while living in Santiago de Chile. There was this punk store where I would usually go once every month to buy some CD’s. One day I realized I no longer knew the bands and records they had and asked the guy behind the desk for some recommendations. He told me to check out this Argentinean band Vieja Escuela who he described as a faster and more aggressive version of the music I was into. ‘La Mejor Eleccion’ ended up being a bit different to what I first imagined but after the first listen I was hooked. Soon after, thanks to a guy I knew who just came back from a US trip where he bought a lot of music, I was able to get my hands on stuff like Minor Threat, Shelter, Cause for Alarm, Strife and Warzone.

For me personally, I hear a lot of Uniform Choice/Insted influences. Do you feel your message and lyrics are in line with that era? Or, do you prefer writing lyrics that are more personal rather than overtly political? I see little of both in your lyrics because some of the songs deal with the corruption in your country, etc.

As far as lyrics go, I like lyrics with substance. I don’t necessary have to agree with the idea or concept behind a song to actually think it’s meaningful. If the lyrics can provoke thought they’ll get my seal of approval. Talking about our band, I’ve never been interested in recreating, emulating or being in line with a certain band, era or period of time as, they way I see it, it would kill the sincerity of what’s written. I don’t want people to read the feelings and thoughts I put into words on paper and say, hey, this sounds pretty much like what Insted or Uniform Choice or any other band were doing. If there’s a topic I feel like dealing with, I’ll do it. So yeah, you’ll find personal songs, songs about the quest of that internal balance and peace and songs with a politically-charged message too, just songs about things we deal with in our everyday life, you know?
For the new record there were no deadlines. It was actually nice to have the time to think and take it slow. I didn’t feel any pressure that forced me to write. When we were recording the demo I just sat and wrote all of the songs in less than a week. We had our studio time booked and things had to be done. It wasn’t that hard though since I’ve had some ideas going in my head for a while and it felt natural to materialize them in the songs. In the end I liked how these turned out. Maybe now, looking back, I would change a thing or two, but it’s interesting to re-read what was in my mind then and how I felt about certain things.
I would also like to state that we are a hardcore/punk band. I can definitely understand why people say there’s a youth-crew vibe in our music, but I hate it when we get tilted as a youth crew band or a posi band. Don’t get me wrong, I like a lot of bands playing this style and we did take our influences from some bands of that era and scene. And I feel that these had the same impact on Rearranged as the message and music of such bands as Embrace, Dag Nasty, Inside Out or Four Walls Falling had. We’re not a youth crew band. We’re not a straight edge band either. And it’s not like there’s something wrong with being straight edge or claiming to be in a youth crew band, it’s just that we’re not and we never claimed such a thing. We’re just five folks that share a similar vision on how things ‘should’ be done. A group of people that want to spread a thought-provoking message and enjoy playing loud music.

When I think of Russia, I think of hockey, which brings me to my next question… Team Canada and Team USA battled it out during the 2010 Olympic Winter Games held in Vancouver (home of React! Records) where Team USA narrowly won. Do you think Team Russia will be able to hold their own on their home turf during the 2014 Olympic Winter Games being held in Sochi, Russia?

By no means am I an expert in the field so I doubt I can give you a qualified answer on this one. I can safely say that the performance of Team Russia on the recent World Championship held in Slovakia left a sour taste in the mouths of many. It was pretty clear that we weren’t playing our game; you could see the lack of confidence in the actions of the players. Teamwork was missing too. The fact that we were able to defeat Team Canada was a stroke of luck in my opinion as we barely held on against our rival during the first two periods. The two games after that one were pretty embarrassing. What will happen in three years? I don’t have the answer. I’m assuming that we will be playing with a renewed team with plenty of young players. Not sure if the big stars of the current team will hold their game at that point either. Actually we were discussing the future of the Russian hockey with a friend and we agreed it doesn’t look that bright as not enough attention is given to the development of this sport in our country.

Thanks to labels like React!, do you feel that Russian bands now have a better chance of being heard in America and possibly even to tour here?

I hope so; there are a lot of awesome bands from here not many people abroad know of. As far as I know Russian hardcore/punk bands have never toured US soil. I mean, I kind of have this idea in my head that a lot of interesting bands from places like Eastern Europe are being overlooked in the States. So the fact that bands from here are being released on more recognizable labels such as REACT! for example, is a great chance to spread both music and message to a wider audience. I think what Aram is doing with the label is great. I can only imagine what a pain in the ass can be dealing with running a busy DIY label.

Does being from Russia challenge your band to work harder in order to put your country’s scene in the rest of the world’s mind?

Not really. I don’t think that the geographical location of a band will make them work harder in order to do anything. I don’t wanna think that what makes this band moving is the desire to put us or the scene that we’re involved in into someone else’s mind either because that’s not how we operate as a band. We’re not doing this band to please anyone, but because this is what we wanna do and the way we want to express our feelings and thoughts.

How do you feel about Moscow having more billionaires than New York City?

I couldn’t care less.

In American hardcore lately, I think the majority of bands do not have a message or even passion for what they are doing. Most people seem to be concerned with just existing in their own world with their friends and don’t care about much else. Do you see this in your area and how does it make you feel?

Sure, I guess it happens to any scene and place where the whole thing gets bigger. As soon as there’s more people involved the faster the whole underground vibe is gone. At the same time I can’t really evaluate the level of passion or sincerity of bands compromised by people I don’t know or bands I have only listened a few songs of since it would be a merely subjective opinion. I can say I like it or that it feels like something honest to me.
As you correctly pointed out it seems that a lot of kids are way too concerned to fit in, adopt a manner or image. Everything seems too superficial, hollow and dull. Seriously, even here in Moscow it all just feels so different compared to just 5-6 years ago. The approach, the message, the reasons why people get involved and stay, the way shows are being put on, just everything. I have mixed feelings on the matter.

My version of punk/hardcore is doing something that involves change and progression. I look around and see people into punk/hardcore that are no different than indie rockers or mainstream concert go-ers. Going forward, what would you like to see more of when it comes to the future of hardcore?

Change and progression is essential. We talk a lot about change and I know most of us clearly understand that changing in one way or another is an inevitable moment in any person’s life yet so often we fear what steps outside our comfort zone. The hardcore scene has become a very safe place to be in, where most seem content with the role they’re playing and the status they have. A place where attempts to create something that would break the established ways of thinking and doing things are not always welcomed. In perspective I would like to hear more constructive criticism and less unproductive bitching. More analysis and critical thought on the things we say and do. It would be great if we could learn to value more what we have here and now instead of idolatrizing something we’ve never been part of. We should learn to think beyond our own interpretations of the concepts of the right and the wrong, the good and the bad. It is necessary to comprehend that it’s cool to care and that being indifferent and apathetic is on the contrary a way to lose.

In closing, I’d really like to know where you guys get all of your sweet core shirts?

Over the years I’ve bought a lot of shirts at shows. Some really cool stuff was given to me as gifts. eBay and messageboards sales and trades too, of course, haha.

We are sad to announce the first band we ever released a record for is breaking up. Get the Most has had a great 6 year run, and we wish them all the best! We are also extremely proud that their last show will be our showcase at Gilman St. in Berkeley CA on Sept 23/24. (Tickets for that will be up for pre-order soon!)

Just in case you’ve been sleeping on the band, you can grab their LP “Together” (RXR-010) now at our store, and we’ll be shipping out their self-titled LP (RXR-020) any day now! Their and our first release, “Core Values” (RXR-001) is out of print.

My good friend Mark, who books some of the best shows in Denver, talked with Kyle from Get The Most about the break-up. Mark sang for the recently broken-up Crooked Ways and is taking a break to finish up his degree in Human Services/High Risk Youth studies.

1. When Get the Most got started did you guys have a plan for the band or
was it more of a “lets see where this goes” situation?

Yeah the plan for the group was it to be a side project while we
had more full time groups. We never intended to do any touring, buy a
van, or anything like that. It’s always been just a fun thing we do
when we can. It’s also been a great way to meet people in similar
circles and to enjoy the style of music we grew up loving.

You guys have decided to call it quits later this year. Was
this in the works for awhile or was it more of a sudden decision?

I wouldn’t say it’s been a sudden decision. The group started
about 6 years ago and while most of us are still in the northwest, we
have just been too busy to really devote any real time to playing on
working on new material. I would hate to see a band linger on way past
their prime so why not wrap up things now and be able to look back on
our stint as a great time.

You’re making the React! Showcase at Gilman your last show. Why not
have your last show closer to home?

We could have the show in Seattle or Vancouver however it seems
more fitting to have the show at the event that brings people who love
share the same love of this kind of hardcore. Naturally we are all
going to the showcase anyways and to make it even more special by
having it be our final performance couldn’t be better. Aram has been
super supportive of the group since we started and he decided to
start his record label JUST to put out our record.

Is there anything you guys wanted to do as a band that you
didn’t accomplish, such as places you wish you would have toured or
bands you wanted to play with?

We got to do quite a lot considering we never really did any
“tours” other than a trip down to California and 2 weeks in Europe.
One place I wish we could play one more time is southern California.
They always showed us love and have been really friendly to us so we
feel like LA area has been our 2nd home away from home. One of my
dreams was to play with the First Step and it turned out that we ended
becoming great friends with them and got to play with them several
times. It’s unfortunate that their guitarist got sent to that Buddhist
prison.

You’ve been involved in hardcore for a pretty long time, played in a
few bands and done some touring. As an experienced core man how do you
feel about the current state of hardcore and what mistakes if any do
you feel that younger kids and bands are making? What do you think
they’re doing right?

The current state of hardcore is alright. There might be too many
bands at this point. So I vote half the bands off the island.

I don’t think a demo should be some Internet file you upload. If there
isn’t a physical cassette being made available, a breakup is
warranted.

The bands who are willing to tour and get out of their town get props
from me. When you are in your early 20′s there is nothing better than
experiencing the world through music.

Do you have any favorite tour moments or crazy stories you
want to share?

One time while driving from Connecticut to NYC in the middle of
the night, Today’s man alerted me that there was a ghost driving a car
on the expressway. I couldn’t believe my eyes, car moving, no driver.
Also one night in Boston after getting food we were about to drive to
where we were staying and our man Andy started heckling some bro from
shotgun in the van. They exchanged insults until the bro ran out of
anything clever to say and resorted to homophobic slurs in which we
booed him. Andy then asked the bro if he wanted to see Andy’s muscles
in which the bro was dumbfounded and didn’t know what to do. Classic.

Which React! release is your personal favorite?

I would have to say my favourite REACT! releases are Common Cause
“Statement of Purpose” LP, On “Double Vision” LP and Mindset “Time and
Pressure” EP. I would say every release is cool and even the upcoming
releases are top notch but those 3 are standouts for me.

I hear there might be a sequel to Edge Of Quarrel in the works. Will
they be giving Canadians speaking roles in this one? Have you been
asked to play a role? The wise insightful hardcore barber perhaps?

I never saw that movie other than the few minutes before I turned
it off. If they feature some Canadians that would be cool, and
hopefully somewhat funny.

Will the Canucks win the Cup and what will you do to celebrate if they do?

I will most likely drive up to Canada and go buck wild in the
streets. I will be hugging strangers on the street and shouting until
I am hoarse. If it happens it will be surreal.

We’re starting a new series on our blog for our friends and fans to interview or bands.
First up, we asked our good friend Jimmie from Arkansas to interview Andy from Praise, since he is a huge fan. Jimmie supports all of the React bands, and you’ve probably seen him at any hardcore fest in the US, because he goes to all of them!
A big thanks for Jimmie and Andy for kicking this off!

Praise has quickly become one of my favorite bands, even though they have only been around for a short time. I believe they will be a lasting band that people will remember, and are really bringing something special to hardcore.

Jimmie

1.    Praise has been an outlet for you to express your feelings about some pretty serious issues. How has sharing your experiences with complete strangers been able to help those people with some of the issues you have had to deal with?

I can’t really speak about how or if I have even been able to help anyone who has dealt with the similar experiences that I have dealt with. I have had a couple people email me or come up to me at a show and say that they somehow connected with what I wrote and it’s something really special. I actually had a young girl come up to me at our show in San Diego a couple weeks ago and say she really connected with what I wrote in the Healing column that came with the record. She said having just lost a brother it really hit home with her and was really able to relate. It’s different from anything I have ever experienced and very special. I am always very skeptical about writing certain things that are very personal but if I weren’t writing about what I am feeling or dealing with, then it just wouldn’t be honest and worth doing to begin with. As hard as it is for me to write about a lot of that stuff, I know it’s important that I do. I obviously hope that it connects with people, but it’s just as therapeutic for me to get those thought out of my head and on to paper.

2. The Growing . Changing . Healing record has really taken off and the response has been great , did you expect this at all?

I can’t really say I expected the response it’s received. It’s something I am very proud of and special to me but I honestly thought it would be something I shared with my friends and that’s about it. I knew that it was something I had to do for myself and the fact that people get something from it and like it is an added bonus. I never thought we would have the opportunities we have had and be able to do the things we have done. I thought it would just be a band that played some shows here and there but it has definitely turned into something else.

Andy

3. What are a few things you guys have planned for this year?

Well, we did 10 days back in January and just did the Cali weekend so we don’t really have anything set in stone. The new single should be out any time now. Preorders are up and everything is in gear so it’s just a matter of time. We have a couple local shows in May and the record release will probably be the show with Title Fight on May 20th. We are planning some weekends this summer. Definitely the Northeast and Canada. I’d love to also get back to Atlanta and Chicago sometime soon too! I think most of the summer is going to be spent working on the LP though. Right now that’s our top priority.

4. How was the weekend of shows with Betrayed out in Cali?

The weekend with Betrayed was great. Fell To Low played all the shows and are definitely a band everyone should check out. Playing with Betrayed was great because those dudes are some of my closest friends, so getting to play more then one show with them is a great thing. I shared a lot of awesome experiences with them and it’s always great to get in a van and talk about the past and present with them. The shows were great as well, I’ve always been a big fan of Cali and the vibe there. It’s always a treat to get out there eat good food and hang.

5.  If you could take one thing out of your band that you want the listener to understand what would it be?

This is one that I really had to think about and honestly I think it may change on any given day. I just want people to understand its OK to be honest with yourself and the world around you. I think its still deep rooted in our culture that there is something wrong with showing emotion and being a compassionate person. So many people in this world are just looking out for number one and over time it’s going to be the death of us. It’s OK to care and is OK to want to better yourself and the world around you. I feel like a lot of people around me who aren’t close try to sway me from that idea. I just hope that what we write as a band is a reminder to people that it’s OK to care.