CHANGES.entrevista..

Desde new jersy, bienen estos bichos, que forman parte de la escena hardcore desde los 90s, todos sus meiembros, han estado en buenas bandas y CHANGES no es la excepcion, nos contaron de como ven la sociedad de hoy por medio de sus canciones, de los moustros que la dividen y de los angels que la unen.

What is the origin of Changes?

Changes took a bit of time to get together. Basically after Overstand fell apart I did feel as if I was ready to throw in the towel with doing a band. Jon the drummer felt the same way. So we wanted to get a new band together. I had met Mike (Guitar player) through surfing our local break in Asbury Park and I had flipped him a CD with all the Charge and Overstand stuff on it cause he said he liked Hardcore. I didn't know at the time he played guitar-then the more we got to speaking he told me he had been playing guitar since we was a kid. So we eventually got to jamming and at first it wasn't really coming together. I was trying to push the guys to do something a bit mellower for lack of a better term. DC style shit. But it wasn't working and my vocals seemed to not really be suited for it. Once we started doing some heavier stuff we realized he might have something we could work with. Then we built the band from there. We were trying different bass players but it wasn't working out. Then my friend Tyler returned from school and he was a perfect fit for the band. Then most recently Dustin came in on guitar as well to fatten the sound. He had played in Seasick, The Banner and did guitar tech work for Madball so I knew he was professional with his approach to doing a band.

It took some time-but that is the short of how it all came together.

What is the name of each member and what instrument do they play? Mike on Guitar. Tyler on Bass. Jon on Drums. Dustin on Guitar and myself (Shawn) on Vocals.

What is the process of composing the songs?

For the most part Mike was writing all the songs for the demo/ep on Guitar and teaching the rest of the guys the songs. Then I would write my lyrics. Some songs I would have a vocal line or an idea for a chorus and Mike would write to that vocal line. Our drummer Jon also plays Guitar, bass, etc so he wrote a few riffs as well. Now with Dustin we are starting to write the new stuff and it's a bit more of a collective effort.

What are your influences?

I think everyone one would have a different answer to this question so to put make a blanket answer for everyone would seem unfair.

We played a show a few weeks ago and the promoter said we sounded like a mix between 108 and Sabbath. I took that as a major compliment. 108 certainly was an influence on me-especially as a kid. Everyone in the band likes Sabbath.

I would say the classic hardcore bands. Bands like Cro Mags, Bad Brains, Sick of it All, etc. Born Against for me is a big influence. More modern era bands like American Nightmare. The blues based heavy shit like Sabbath, Down, COC and Clutch.

What is the subject matter of the lyrics for the songs from CHANGES?

Well I guess we are dealing with the subject matter of modern life. There are observational lyrics. There are lyrics touching on personal growth. Then there are lyrics dealing with current socia-economic, political and religious situations of today.

How is Changes linked to the skate and surf culture?

Well personally I started skating in 1985 and surfing the summer of 1986. So both surfing and skating have been a part of my life for a long time. Now my son skates and that's a really cool experience as I get older to see it again thru fresh eyes.

Mike and I surf together all the time. He skates as well. So Mike has been surfing and skating since he was a kid.

Tyler surfs as well. All the other guys messed around a bit with skating. It's kind of a right of passage almost from where we are from with Hardcore/Punk. They all are somewhat connected.

How is the New Jersey Hardcore scene, is it different from when you first got into it?

I first listened to hardcore cause I was into skateboarding. They went hand in hand-So I first heard punk or hardcore in 1986. I didn't get to my first show till 1989 and that was Bad Brains and Leeway. That show is what got me hooked! Here are these people like me-young people who feel as if they are outcasts in modern society. Then here is this band Bad Brains-they were like fucking explosion of light in the dark. It was like I just saw God! Ha ha!

The spots back then in NJ were City Gardens in Trenton, Middlesex County College and Fastlanes in Asbury Park. Also we had local shows at Saint Peters Church in Point Beach. But for me City Gardens was really the place. A white concrete block building in the middle of the ghetto of Trenton. It had a dangerous appeal for a kid who grew up in a small town a mile or so from the beach.

There are so many things that are different now but we live in a totally different world. We had no internet back then, no cell phones, etc. You really had to get out there and see band. You really had to search things out. I can't say it's better or worse-it just is what it is. Times change, things change. Hence the name Changes.

NJ has a good little scene going. We are like the underdogs of the hardcore world I feel. We may not get as much exposure as other places. But you got people doing labels like Ride the Fury, Free Cake and other. You got people working hard on doing shows and we have a lot of good bands.

Namely 3 bands I have seen live that I really have dug in recent years have been Seasick, Black Kites and Torchbearer. I'm also sicked on Old Wounds which is a new band from our area.

But honestly I can't be one to really give a "scene" report. I'm a bit older and don't get out to shows like many people do. But I do think NJ has a lot of potential and hopefully we can get more exposure cause there are some really good bands here and people working hard.

What would be the difference between Changes and the other bands that you have played in?

Well I have been in Charge. Overstand and now Changes.

I played bass in Charge and that was a whole experience unto itself. That was the first band I played in. We started out with no expectation then a year later we were playing for executives from Warner Brothers/Sire records. Namely Micheal Goldstone who signed RATM and Pearl Jam to Epic. We were just hardcore band that wasn't even very popular in our own scene but somehow we were getting this interest from these big labels. It was a bit of a head trip and I think in the end it damaged the band and the initial intent. I think the band ended early and had a lot more to offer then we got to give. But I am happy with what we did and I'm glad I was able to be a part of it. Sonically Charge is totally different then either of the following bands. Charge had that early 90's post hardcore sounds mixed with that Quickness era Bad Brains feel etc.

I think Changes is closer to Overstand in sound but a lot tighter and a bit more straight forward. I think lyrically all the bands have shared pretty much the same elements. For the bands that always speak to me the most are bands that speak about relevant subject matter.

How do you see the local Straight Edge movement and the world?

I was into Straight Edge when I was younger and I am happy I was as I had friends from back in those dies get hooked on dope and even a few who died.

I think straight edge is a positive thing for the most part, I view it more as a personal choice instead of a movement. Personally I am not straight edge. I'm not a big drinker or anything. But if I want to have a beer one day-that's my choice. At the same time if I never drank again I wouldn't care. I would say overall staying clear of intoxicants is a wise choice. At the same time I'm into labeling myself or feeling guilty about choices I make that I feel are very "Minor". I'm never gonna try Coke, Dope, Acid or whatever. I think it's common sense. Care about yourself.

Is any one in the band Straight Edge?

We are not a Straight Edge band. No one is Straight Edge in the band.

Where they want to go with the band, what are your goals?

We want to write good songs, make music with lyrical content that speaks to the people of today, play as much as we can, put out records and do some touring. We def want to get out to Central America and Europe. But we'll see what happens. I try to just take the band one day at a time.

answers without thinking much:

Society: I think we have a lot of potential for change. To better our current social structure. At the same time I would say it is diseased. DIS-EASED!

Freedom: Doesn't come from someone else. Comes from within. What lives on the inside eventually manifest on the outside? I think where I am from (The States) we create for ourselves a lot of mental prisons we have to deal with. Mental Freedom is very important for us. In other countries people are living in conditions I could not imagine and just the stuggle for basic freedoms is a daily task. I would have to say I am fortunate but at the same time not naive to the fact that our so-called physical freedom here is based on the abuse of others. That's a tough one.

Religions:

I have learned a lot from religion but I also think they are also very damaging. I am all for religous tolerence. At the same time I am not a member of any religion as I have grown out of that phase. If there is a spiritual dimension-the only way to really find it is on our own. No book, no religion, no guru can give it to you. It must be based on true experience and not mental conceptions.

Vegan’s: I'm down!

Know something of the music of Central America and are thinking of her and her productions?

I know of your band and the CD you sent me Point Break. I was impressed with that CD, good production, the layout photos were very thought provoking but I can't read Spanish so I didn't know the lyrics. Ha ha!