Craig: Can
you please give us a brief history of the band and members
previous bands?
Spitalfield started playing together in
early 1998, with the original four members all being freshman
in high school. The band was started as a side project to
the current hardcore bands that we all played in. Mark (vocals/guitar)
and Blake (guitar) were both in the three piece Landmine,
and JD (drummer) was in Strength In Numbers. A few line-up
changed occurred over the years, and now we have Daniel on
second guitar, who played bass for Dont Worry About
It, and TJ on bass, who has played in many bands, including
Kill The Slavemaster and Knockout.
Craig: What
have you released?
We just recently released "The Cloak
& Dagger Club EP" on Sinister Label in October. Before
that we did a split label release for our first full length
"Faster Crashes Harder" on Walk In Cold Records
/ Sinister Label. Previous to that, we had our first release,
a split 12" record with our pals Dont Worry About
It on Walk In Cold Records. Before that, we only released
a few demo cds.
Craig: You
guys have a new bass player, can you talk about that and how
TJ came to be in the band.
Through the release of "The Cloak &
Dagger Club EP" at the Metro this past September, our
bass player had always been Terry Hahin. He was with us for
over five years. The change from Terry to TJ came about slowly
but surely over the previous spring and summer. Terry studies
film at Columbia College in Chicago, and found himself out
with the band every weekend playing shows, both near and far
from home, and practicing with us a couple times a week, and
not dedicating any time to his dream of film making at school
(which was fine for a while, but an expensive dream to be
studying). So we mutually decided that after the summer touring
& the release of the last record we worked on together,
that Terry would leave the band. This is when TJ stepped up
to bat. We had seen TJ play a few times when we played with
Knockout. He was a super nice guy, and we seemed to share
many musical interests and views. When we heard about him
leaving Knockout, we all got a little more serious about finding
out more about him. And since he rules, it didnt take
much before we asked him to fill the shoes of Terry. And everything
has been going super well thus far, and I can only see it
getting better.
Being in a band is like a relationship.
The band becomes one person with many different working parts.
Everyone can have their own opinions, needs, beliefs, desires,
and habits, while everyone needs to be on the same page in
the grand scheme of things. I think were a very close
band.
Craig: With
only two original members in the band, how do you see this
line up as opposed to others?
The difference between the current line
up we have, and any other combination of line ups we have
had is the over all level of heart were putting in to
what were doing. The commitment is there in full form
from everybody. We had never had full force from every angle
of the band. Also, with the addition of TJ came the addition
of another voice at the microphone, which takes some pressure
off of Mark, and adds some cool harmonies that we couldnt
otherwise do live. We all feel very positively about the direction
things are heading.
Craig: You
guys could potentially fit into the whole pop/blink 182/Atticus
debacle. What do you think of this consumerist phenomenon?
I dont know what debacle means. Haha.
But I can assume where youre coming from with this
I think, like anything else, it has pros
and cons. We just like to make music that we love playing
live and recording. We have influences all across the board,
and if kids tap into that, and like what were doing,
who cares who they are? Sure, there is something creepy about
the complete commercialization of punk rock, but it will come
and go. The music, and the scene in Chicago, will always be
around, and will always be evolving. We plan to stick this
out, and push as hard as we can to see where this can take
us.
As long as we continue to make music that
is fresh to us, well let the cards fall where they will.
Classification isnt important and only limits your growth
as a band as musicians and people. We just want to have fun
and rock out.
Craig: On
that same note, 5 years ago some of the bands around today
would be considered sellouts, the Lawrence Arms having a Video
on M2 while the singer once sang a song called "fuck
you alternative radio". Do you think it is a progression
of openness to commercial success or that bands are conditioning
their fans to accept the fact that it is ok to do things that
were totally unacceptable 5 years ago.
Its kind of a tough thing to reach
a complete conclusion on. In one aspect, I think it is super
cool and exciting for bands from the scene to gain so much
speed and support that they can even do something like M2
and be on commercial radio. But then there is the obvious
down sides, where somebody in an office thinks they can make
a lot of money, and the music becomes the 2nd most important
thing. I could care less how big a band gets if they write
good music. I dont think its about "selling
out" anymore, its about "quality as a band"
and "making a living", which can mostly be based
on live show and the records put the band puts out.
Craig: Some
punk bands glorify drug abuse and that sort of lifestyle,
how does Spitalfield as a band feel about that type of aesthetic
that is actively installed into bands messages and meaning.
Since Mark writes the majority of the lyrics,
he generally has the control over the message being sent out
through our music. Of course, the live show is the four of
us together, where we can all make impressions and send out
vibes. In general, our lyrics are personal, about relationships
with friends, family, and of course significant others, and
while we dont often tackle anything political, the lyrics
are usually universal enough that the listeners can relate
in some way to the message and thoughts of the songs. There
examples that lean other directions as well, but that is just
an overall outlook. Having fun is he most important thing
to us, and putting on a fun live show is equally important
to all of us. When kids take the time to drive out and see
us play, we want to make it worth there while. Thats
what we all look for when we go to see bands play, so why
wouldnt we carry that same standard to our own band
when we perform?
Craig: Fireside
Bowl now has rules and policies and regularly charges more,
being a staple in punk rock for so long how does a band that
plays there feel about these changes?
The benefit to the Fireside becoming more
strict and serious is that the shows seem to run more smoothly,
and bands have more of a commitment when playing there to
try and be there on time, and keep there sets to a set time.
It just seems more organized. But on the flipside, there was
something to be said for $5 shows that started whenever they
started, with little to zero consequences for anything happening.
Because the Fireside was the slightly more punk rock alternative
to the Metro, where touring bands good play with a stage,
sound system, and a crowd (if the show was promoted well or
at all). But even still, it is still one of our favorite places
to play, and especially lately, we have found ourselves on
some excellent bills there, including The Exit, The Casket
Lottery, and The Stereo. And its almost scary to think
that over the years, we have all been there hundreds of times
to see hundreds of bands. The Fireside will always be the
Fireside.
Craig: Most
memorable show, biggest show, worst show?
I think as a whole, our most memorable show
was a toss up between the first time we played the Metro,
which is an experience in that of itself, and our release
show for "Faster Crashes Harder" at a small venue
(that is now gone) called the Velvet our in the suburbs.
Our biggest show would be the insane show
that we got to play at in St. Louis at Washington Universitys
Spring Wild put on by the school. We shared the stage with
Jurassic 5 and The Black Eyed Peas, as well as a local punk
band from out there which we have now become friends with,
Form Follows Failure. There were 30 kegs, and over 9,000 people
spread out on the crowd. That was big. That was crazy. There
was also a tornado, and a beer riot in the middle of the field
the show was in. JD also lived out Motley Crue-esque fantasys
in the fake back stage area of the Black Eyes Peas room (which
was way better than the mini-room they gave us with the big
picture of Mark McGwire.
The worst show ever goes to Lincoln, Nebraska
this past summer while we were on tour with Fall Out Boy.
We played to the sound guy, and three girlfriends from the
local band. We couldnt hear anything in the monitors,
the bass amp was exploding, we had our roadie play drums,
and terrys pants ended up around his ankles. Oh yeah,
there was also the "slayer intro" given to us by
our roadie who had been drinking since noon at a local bar,
the show started at 9pm. Then we had a 9 hour drive to Fort
Collins, CO straight the night.
There was also a non-existent show in a
big field in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where we were paid $.85 cents
to take us to take us to our next stop Houston, Texas. In
between Tulsa and Houston = tattoos, a land locked hurricane,
and a broken trailer. But it also involved 100 hot wings from
Hooters and a pregnant Hooters waitress.
Craig: Aspirations
for the future?
The one thing we can all agree on is that
we want to tour full time. The support weve been receiving
around and about Chicago-land has been wonderful. And after
touring this past summer, we would love to take it to the
next level, and forget about other commitments, and just go
out and do it.
Craig: How
is it working with the Sinister Label? I hear Craig is this
alcoholic cut throat power monger, is this true?
Sinister Label is like putting out records
with your best friends label, who just happen to be
really good at what they do. We got lucky with them, because
they havent just put out the records, they have helped
promote them all over the place, from record stores across
the country, to zines and distros. Not only that, but they
are always looking out for us, and helping us to get shows,
and interviews, and all that sort of stuff. And the best part
is that they still come out to see us play, even though they
have to be extremely sick of us by now.
Craig isnt as much a power monger
as he is a power lifter.
The thing about Craig is he has this attitude
of "Dont be fooled by the rocks that Ive
got, Im still Jenny from the blocks".
And have you heard about the Ben Affleck
thing? Its all the rage!
Craig: Who
would win in a grudge match Mike Alfini of the 4 Squares/Quincy
Shanks or Mike Bachta of Sinister Label?
Mark: I think
Alfini would win solely due to the help he would receive from
Kirk Cameron. Sure, Bachta has bigger weapons and more coffee,
but Kirk Cameron has the entire cast from Growing Pains to
back him up. However, the more I think about this, the more
even of a match is becomes. Bachta has the Cobra on his side.
The Cobra! I dont think Alfini would be able to handle
to many Cobra chops. Ill think about this some more
next time I am in the shower.
Daniel: I
think Alfini would just groan, and it would be at such a low
frequency of pitch, like whales communicate, it would simply
explode Bachtas head. However Bachta could fight back
by drinking numerous pots of coffee eating at least sixty
98% fat free blueberry muffins.
Craig:
How would you feel if one of your fans told you that you and
the Blue Meanies changed his life from being a gothic kid
that made jewelry to a crusty punk that makes his own punk
rock patches?
I would feel great, and then go to Hooters
for some hot wings.
Craig: What
bands would each of you want to play with for the awesomest
show ever?
Weve thought about this before
it goes like this
.
We open for the following bill:
The Who
Dismemberment Plan
Braid/Hey Mercedes
This list combines that we can all agree
that we love from the past and present. It would be the awesomest
show ever.
Craig: Local
bands you enjoy playing with? Local bands that most impress
you?
Marks favorite local band at the moment
is The Moped Band out of Naperville. Dans favorite is
Chicagos very own Owls. JDs favorite local band
is White Castle, and TJ is from Canada, so he likes Avril
Lavigne.
Craig: Top
five records currently listening to for each member.
Mark:
1) The Stryder "Jungle City Twitch"
2) Hey Mercedes "Everynight Fireworks"
3) Motion City Soundtrack "I am the movie"
4) AFI "the art of drowning"
5) Glassjaw "worship and tribute"
JD:
1) The Used
2) Brand New "your favorite weapon"
3) Glassjaw "worship and tribute"
4) Lawrence Arms "Apethy and Exhaustion"
5) Hey Mercedes "Everynight Fireworks"
Daniel:
1) Pele mix cd
2) Interpol "turn on the bright lights"
3) Pavement "wowee zowee"
4) Owen "no good for nobody now"
5) The Supertones - ALL
for more info on Spitalfield please visit:
www.spitalfield.net
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