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| Monukka Fajardo photo |
L.A. Forever!
The split male/female vocals tag team some of the most intensely bleak lyrics to bleed out into a to a confrontation of words. “It's all personal stuff from around where I grew up and still live. I don't talk about the 'politics' of any of it in any detail says skater, vocalist. Inglewood California's power violence band, Despise You had built a following putting out vinyl anonymously in the 90s.
“We just did a bunch of 7-inch records, most of that stuff was put together to make the West Side Horizons record since all that stuff was hard to get,” says Dodge. The West Side Horizons LP and CD has been repressed in both USA and Europe. Despise You recently released a split EP with Agoraphobic Nosebleed which is out on Relapse. “A couple of those guys started talking and wanted to play again [and]everyone was into it. When we first got back together we wrote a couple new songs we thought were good so we decided to do a new record,” he says and “we've had different people at different times. The current lineup is the same as the people who recorded the newest album, except Adam is playing bass instead of Chris.”
The list of bands that current and former members of DY have played in starts to read like an evolution of California grindcore and power violence. They have been have been part of Excruciating Terror (grind), Spazz (pv), Stapled Shut (pv), Crom (grind/metal), Gasp (pv), Bloody Phoenix (grind) and Lack Of Interest (pv). For a new listener, this hybrid punk which evolved in the 90's can get involved fast. “I guess it's hardcore? I don't know. Punk ethics, has some metal here and there. I think since we came out in '94 and when all the MITB[Man Is the Bastard], Spazz, Crossed Out etc. was going on and we were associated with Slap A Ham and Pessimiser, we were put into that group of 'powerviolence' bands. That word gets hung on everything now that's fast and non-musical,” he explains. Incidentally, two of the DY band members are behind those labels. Chris Elder (vocalist) is Pessimiser Records, a Los Angeles/Inglewood label. Chris Dodge (bass player) is Slap A Ham a label outta the Bay Area.
The duo vocals over the distorted instrumentation and mixed timings stands out, immediately. “I guess the guy/girl vocals are different than a lot of bands. I know Hatred Surge does that and it sounds good. We have an L.A. sound (on purpose),” says Dodge. This is a rare night and this visit to Canada is a first. A few tickets are still available at the Zoo Zhop.
DESPISE YOU play Thursday February 7th at The Russian Hall, 600 Campbell Avenue with OBACHA, AHNA, OSK, VIOLENT RESTITUTION, SKUFF - 8PM sharp!
- More Betty
- More Betty