Interview Mitts Madball

6/19/05 Email Interview Interviewer: Karma E. Omowale

Lineup: Freddy Cricien - Vocals Hoya - Bass Mitts - Guitar Will Shepler - Drums

Interview completed by MITTS of Madball

Thanks for doing the interview!

How do you think you will fair with the Sounds Of The Underground? What are your projections for it?
We're looking forward to the tour. We have a very different sound compared to most of the bands on that tour, so I think we'll do well. We want to get the attention of people who haven't seen, or heard of the band before, and Sounds Of The Underground is a great tour to do that on.

How do think SOTU will differ from previous tours?
We've never done anything this big in the US before. In Europe, Madball has been playing open air festivals for many years, with crowds as big as 100,000. But in the U.S., we've done only clubs and small theatres, so the crowds will definitely be bigger than what we're used to in America.

What do you think about the current status of hardcore? Do you think is has gone in a new direction with current bands trying to put a new spin on it: Unearth, Remembering Never, Most Precious Blood? What are thoughts on this?
Hardcore is like any form of music, it's constantly changing and evolving. Bands like Madball sounded crazy and different when you compared us to earlier hardcore from the mid 80's. Today's sound is a lot more metal than ever before, but it's all part of the progression of the music.

Who in the new rash of hardcore bands come closest to representing the true sound of hardcore?
It's hard to say what the true sound of hardcore is. When you do that, it becomes a little elitist, and that's bullshit. Hardcore is more of a way of life than it is one specific sound. If you play aggressive music, and you stay aware of the bands who came before you, who paved the way for you, then you represent the true spirit of hardcore, no
matter how you sound.

When you guys were forced to disband in 2001, I hear that it surrounded legal issues. Please expound.
There were legal reasons and personal reasons behind the breakup of the band. At the time it was the result of frustration. After a few years off, we decided that we had more to offer, and that it would be better to go out on our own terms, instead of leaving off the way the breakup would have.

In 2004, you released the N.Y.H.C. EP as a taste of what's to come. What can the fan of Madball expect from your new album, Legacy, that scheduled to drop on August 9th?
The EP was recorded as a way to let people know that we were back for good, and that the shows we had been playing weren't just a reunion, or whatever. We wanted to get some new music out to give people a little
taste, to hold over until the full length was done.

How did you get hooked up with Ferret for Legacy?
Ferret is a good upcoming label that was very enthusiastic about the band, and where we wanted to go. They've been great to work with, and they're really behind us. In order to stay relevant as a band, you have to keep in touch with the younger generation, and a label like Ferret is the perfect place to do that.

Are you satisfied with the end product?
We're very proud of the way this record has come out. When we started writing, we set out to make the best Madball record to date, and now that it's done, we can honestly say that we feel it is. Legacy has everything that the past records had, and more. There's nothing missing.

What's your favorite Madball song?
My favorite song right now is off of our new record, it's a song called "Behind These Walls".

How does Legacy differ from previous releases?
It was by far the most prepared the band has ever been going into the studio. In the past, a lot of music was written in the recording studio, kind of on the spot. This time, we had all the songs finished, and well rehearsed. It makes for a much more natural sounding album, and it's closer to how you would hear us play live.

In an interview with us, the band Misery Signals cites you as an influence, who are some of your current influences?
We all listen to a wide range of different music, from rock, to hip hop, to oldies, to hard music, etc. As a musician, you have to open your mind to different forms of music, in order to stay fresh. You'll almost never hear us listening to hardcore, unless it's a new record of someone we're friends with, or if we're going back to what we grew up with.

Since you have been doing this for about 20 years, what advice to do you have for the newbie?
If you're a musician and you wanna get your band going, the most important thing is to play as many shows as possible. You can practice your instrument for months, and you won't get the same experience as you will by playing just one show in front of an audience. A lot of musicians put too much emphasis on practicing alone, or learning from books. The most important thing is to become a complete musician, by playing with other people, trying different styles, and becoming as versatile as you can.

Speaking of legacies, what would you like Madball to be remembered as?
We would hope Madball would be remembered as a band who never strayed from their roots, and never changed with the trends. Madball has been a New York hardcore band since day one, and will remain that until the
day we call it quits for good.

If you could commission your favorite band to do Madball cover, which song would it be and who would do it?
I wanna hear James Brown do a Madball cover. When we're writing, we have a lot of phrases and riffs that take influence from him, so someday it would be cool to hear that.

Any final words?
Just a word to check us out on Sounds Of The Underground this summer, and pick up the new record when it comes out on August 2^nd. You won't be disappointed.

Again, thank you for doing the interview!!!

Thanks to Jensen Lee at Adrenaline PR for making this interview a possibility.