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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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