MM - Would you like to introduce the band members to
us all and where do you all call home?
Vic - drums, Ryan - guitar, Tom - bass, Adam - vocals, out of Jersey City
and Rockland County.
MM - Can you give us a little bit of
background on the band and how you all came together?
We all pretty much grew up together. Ryan and I (Adam) have been friends
since we were like three. We met Vic and Tom later on in school and formed
one of those “rockin” cover bands doing things like Nirvana and Weezer
songs.
MM - In a nutshell, what makes you different
from all the other bands that are coming out at present? Will Randall Flagg change the face of Hardcore Rock as we know it?
We moved away from the generic hardcore breakdowns and tried to add a
little more harmony and speed. We don’t really look at it as changing the
face of hardcore; it’s more like evolving with new influences.
MM - What made you decide to use the name
Randall Flagg as the band's name? What was the thinking behind that?
Ralph Furley was taken. We tried to call ourselves “Rolling In Feces”, but
we just didn’t have the heart to tell our moms. But seriously we ripped it
out of the mind of Steven King. Randall Flagg is a kinda of reoccurring
character in a couple of his novels (The Stand, Eyes of the Dragon, etc.)
MM - What can your fans expect from a Randall Flagg live show? What sort of
feedback do you get after a live performance from the fans and music
press?
Absolute mayhem, a virile infection, hateful bliss and a Filipino Drummer,
you gotta see it to believe it, seriously he’s fucking nuts. We get a lot
of support; familiar faces drive us to insane levels.
MM - Do you face any problems with the police
due to your image and lifestyle?
No, well nothing because of the band.
MM - How can people keep in touch with what
the band is up to? Would you like to tell all the readers what your
website address is?
You can contact our manager Brandon at bcalore@randallflagg.ws or check
out our contact information at
www.randallflagg.ws.
MM - What bands are you currently listening
to and are there any underground bands you think we should watch out for? Ryan: No Knife, Up up down down left right left right b a b a select
start, hopesfall, Sparta, Drowningman. Vic: from autumn to ashes, Poison The Well, Methodman, Redman, Portishead,
Zigbin. Tom: skycamefalling, Kilswitch Engage, Nora, Primus, Dillinger Escape
Plan, diecast, Burnt By The Sun. Adam: Neck, Jimmy Smash, Sigur Ros, Killbox, Sicks Deep, Henry Rollins,
Burnt By The Sun, Botch.
MM - Which Randall Flagg song is your
personal favourite and why?
Walter is our newest favourite. Probably ‘cause we just finished it. You
can actually hear a rough live copy on http://www.randallflagg.ws/discography.html
MM - For anyone that isn't familiar with the
band and its music, how would you describe your sound? Who would you
compare yourselves musically to?
It’s speed metalcore with some harmonic stylings. We just like to play
maniacal psychotic music. It’s always hard to compare original music to
original music; we constantly strive to create our own sounds.
MM - What's the best and worst thing about being in a band from New Jersey?
The worst thing is the smell, but the best is said in within the shows we
can bring to you. Jersey’s got Burnt By The Sun, Nora, Thursday, Dillinger
Escape Plan and hundreds more. Along with New York this is the best place
to be for this scene.
MM - Tell us one thing about yourself that
not many people know.
Well, Tom was raised by wild gophers in the Ozark Mountains of Orange
County. He still chews woodchips before every show. Ryan fronts as a
Dallas Cowboy’s cheerleader (D-Cups) during his Sunday’s off. Vic actually
only weighs 43 1/2 lbs and that’s wet! He usually avoids the towel dry
and farts himself water-free. Adam repairs salad shooters, sells Garden
Weasels door to door, and stalks Ron Popiel on a regular basis. He’ll get
his…
MM - If and when you hit the big time, how
will you ensure that success doesn't go to your head?
Keep close with family and always respect the fans. Without them we’d lose
touch of what everything is all about.
MM - If you were given only one choice from
the following options, which one would you choose?
(A) A short-lived music career that will earn you fame and fortune. Or (B)
The opportunity to make music for the next 20 years but without any real
recognition.
Ryan: I’d rather play for 20 years, because if we were
in this to make money we’d be making 3 minute pop hits and guitar solo
shit. Adam: Although I kinda want to go all over the place and play with tons of
bands and “hit-it-big”, I want to do it through respect of our shows and
music not because of one chance encounter, gotta go with. Tom: All the fun in playing comes from the crowd, I’d rather see that for
20 years then just 2. Vic: Choice (b) because I don’t really give a shit about being famous, and
I’d rather play music I want to play then mainstream rock.
MM - What has been your proudest moment to date, either with the band or
personally?
Our first demo. That shit was great. None of us had ever done anything
that serious.
MM - Have you had a chance to amass a cult
following at your shows yet? Do you spot the same familiar faces turning
up at your gigs now?
We’ve got a couple of friends who help us out at shows, and are starting
to see a lot of the same dancing maniacs.
MM - How do you think Randall Flagg fits into today's overall music scene?
XXL.
MM - Tell us about the best gig you have
ever performed and what made that stand out from the others.
Our best show to date was probably this gig we did with diecast and a
whole bunch of others. It was at L’Amours in Brooklyn, NY. The pit was
sick, the sound was great and we all just had fun.
MM - Have you ever stopped what you were
doing and thought … we're totally losing the plot here?
No. We usually stay pretty focused at least until the 4th round of beer.
MM - What bands/artists have inspired you
over the years, who were your childhood heroes? Adam: Heroes? Probably my original influences would be Trent Reznor, Henry
Rollins, Les Claypool, Will Haven Tom: Nirvana and Primus. Vic: Nirvana
Ryan: Nirvana, Drowningman, Dillinger Escape Plan
MM - What would be your dream festival? What
bands would you most like to appear on the same bill with?
Dillinger Escape Plan, Botch, Neck, Burnt By The Sun, .hopesfall., The
Hope Conspiracy, Nora, Poison The Well, Candiria
MM - What qualities do you love/hate the
most in other people?
I hate people who talk shit about bands that are just trying to have fun
and play a good show. Support should be equal and unbiased. And that’s
exactly what we love, strong support for everyone.
MM - One of you has drank way too much at a
party, will the others take him home or would they leave him there and
laugh?
We’d never leave them, we’d stay and point and laugh. Put mayo on their
lips and take pictures.
MM - Are any of you regular cyber surfers
and if so do you tend to hunt around the net for different sites, or do
you tend to check out the same old favourites?
The Inter…what, what the hell is that thing. Do people really look up
stuff over a virtual space on the interweb’s WWW.htpurl?
MM - Lastly, is there anything you would
like to say to all your fans out there?
Thanks for the support and we hope to see you guys at more shows. We’ll be
coming out with another EP early in 2003. Probably 6 or 7 songs, it’ll be
sick.
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