The Athiarchists

And so does Dirt Communion.  2 Days in a row at The Tonic Lounge right in downtown Reno, NV and both shows were nothing less than total ragers.  The sound at The Tonic is fucking unbelievable, the staff is all fucking awesome, we had an awesome fucking time.  And the people here know how to fucking party, im the early passer outer, as im writing this in the van I can hear Dano and Pepper Piper partying on the front porch, the only way to party here in Reno.  Wake up in the morning to dozens of empty beer cans and boxes of beer.  Falling asleap to Huey Louis and the News bumping in the background, staring out the window at some bright neon lights that are some casino or strip club.  It really is the biggest little city in the world, everything we have ever done here has been within a one mile radius.  We are off tomorrow to rage the second week in a row in Vacaville at Cheers, possibly finding Psychostick somewhere in the woods along the drive over the mountain pass.  Once again, thank you Reno, we will be back in August!!

Aaron

So as Im sitting here in Pepper Pipers living room in Reno, NV with some consistent internet and tired of updating and synchronizing calendars and cel phones, I decided its time to use this website what it was made for in the first place, which is letting all you know about whats going on in our world.  The Fuck Yes Fuck Test Fuck Fest Tour wtih VX36 has kind of been broken up into 2 parts, the second half starting tomorrow in Vacaville.  So what better time to recap the first half of things right now.

Where do we start, there really is no beginning and no end.  The weekend before we left, we played 7 shows in 3 days, but that is its own story.  Well just start this with the first show we played with Psychostick:

5/26/2009 at The Space in Salem, OR 8:00PM

Our good friends at The Space in Salem hooked us up with this show, figured we would try and rage as many shows as possible with Psychostick since they fucking kick ass.  The thing about The Space is that across the street they just built some new apartments, and they all bitch about the noise, so shows have to start at 8PM and be over at 10PM.  We threw the fuck down like we always do, followed by Psychostick throwing the fuck down like they always do.  We had to depart as soon as the show was over though in order to make it down to our next show the same night:

5/26/2009 at The Samurai Duck in Eugene, OR 111:30PM

Zebulon Kostig, a one man experimental metal band from Bozeman, Montana was in town and striking out on finding any bands that were willing to play with him on a weeknight, so of course we stepped up to the plate and raged yet another show.   We hate missing other bands sets, but we arrived right as Zeb was finishing his set, so we promptly loaded in and raged it for another hour.  Then started getting shit ready for the massive hotdog bbq and Psychostick show the next day at:

5/27/2009 at The WOW Hall in Eugene, OR 8:00PM

Went to sleep late, woke up fucking early to go to Wal Mart and buy a new BBQ because the other one we have is fucking huge and I wanted something smaller.  Followed by a trip over to Cash N Carry to pick up a few cases of the best goddamn hotdogs you have ever tasted.  Ran down to the studio to finish up grabbing some things, building a bbq, getting the brakes fixes on the van, and repairing equipment.  Back up to Eugene to start setting shit up for the BBQ.

Psychostick showed up right about the time the first round of hot dogs was coming off the grill, having no idea that every time we rage the wow hall we make over 100 hot dogs and fucking hook everyone up.  Who do we thank for the hot dogs they ask, the motherfucking Athiarchists, it is our specialty, ask anyone that has been to one of our WOW Hall shows, all you have to do is show up early, and you get food!  No one was hungry about half way through the hot dogs, so we decided to save the other half for after the show.

Only Nightmares raged it to start the night off.  Followed by us tearing shit up as usual, followed by Psychostick showing Eugene just how they fucking throw the fuck down.  Thank you to everyone who came out on a weeknight to show Psychostick what Eugene is all about.  There were some fucking brutal motherfucking mosh pits that night, everyone had an awesome time, and I promise, we will have shirts/hoodies/hats soon, just not yet, becuase we spent all the money we made off our last round of shirts at Jack in the Box.

After the show, I finished grilling up the rest of the hot dogs, actually handed them to Psychostick as they came off the stage, and gave them to the first people to make it out of the show around to the back of the building.  We said our goodbyes to Psychostick, not thinking we were going to see them again for awhile, Dano headed over to The Samurai Duck to hang out with whoever wanted to go get wasted, and I went home to sleep and wake up to drive to the next show:

5/28/2009 at Cheers in Vacaville, CA

Cheers is damn near our home away from home, we have put in a lot of time at this fine establishment, and yes, everybody knows our name, but then again, everybody knows everybodys name at Cheers.  Believe it or not, both local bands no called/no showed this night which got us and soundman Matty talking about how we should make an example out of these bullshit local bands that do this shit.  Next time a local band no call/no shows on an out of town band in their home town, we are going to go to their house with baseball bats, knock on the door, and beat the living shit out of them until they are unable to ever play music again.  It is total bullshit, if you are going to say you are going to play a show, show up and play the fucking show!  Regardless Cheers fucking raged as it always does, Vacaville is a crazy motherfucking town, it is always poppin on Thursday nights, and it is where we are returning to tomorrow, 2 weeks in a row

5/29/2009 at Spanckys in Cotati, CA

Holy fucking shit, it has been a long long fucking time coming.  We have been wanting a show around Santa Rosa for so fucking long now its not even funny.  So many of our friends live in and around there, and it is where VX36 and Tornback is from so we were really looking forward to this one.  But once again, we had a local no call/no shower, WTF mate??  Doesnt fucking matter anyway, except for the fact that we had a shitload of people there to see us and had to cut our set early to make room for the last band that didnt even show up.  Oh well, fuck it, after we went on, VX36 threw the fuck down for the first day of the Fuck Yes Fuck Test Fuck Fest tour, followed by our bros Tornback damn near burning the building down with their insane set.  Come to find out the last band that was supposed to go on, was accross town watching another band play.   All in all, motherfucking rager, so awesome to see everyone all together that we hang out with up there all the time in the same local bar, it kicked ass.  This is where we were given our own personalized mini guitar hero guitars, apparently they make them and sell them in toy stores, and we didnt even know it, go to toys r us and pick yourself up one, they are fucking sick!!  BTW the tour shirts are sick, and we probably sold 30 of the 70 that we ordered on this first night, so get your hands on one, or you wont get one.

5/30/2009 at Chris Club in Vallejo, CA

And here is our other home away from home, we got on this one at the last minute thanks to Nate from VX, so we decided to go on first, especially after one of the bands playing, which I dont even remember their name showed up with the quote “oh you guys are on the show”.  It was funny because after we started, Brad the manager tried to stop us because as we started playing our first song “no call no show”, take a guess, one of the local bands no called and no showed, and he was trying to tell us to start later because we were missing a band.  But anyone that knows The Athiarchists knows that once we start, it is like a fuse on a stick of dynamite, we dont start, we only play longer.  So we played an extended set over an hour.  Followed by VX36 and our good friends Thread from Vallejo, and another band that I dont even remember what their name was, sorry.

We head out to our good good friends Brents(Better Left Unsaid) house to hang out for the night and bullshit about everything we always talk about.  One of the most hospitable people we know, and always has something interesting to talk about.  Hope we can make it by there again somewhere else along this tour, because we are loaded with way way way more ammunition and stories this time around, thank you for everything Brent and Emily!!!

5/31/2009 at The Octopus Lounge in Pacifica

Man was it great to see our San Jose bros 3 Lunas again, it has been soo fucking long since we have played together.  And it is great to get back to The Octopus Lounge, they always are cool as fuck.  When we got there, there was some Jager band on the stage, dont remember the name of their band, but whenever a Jager band is in the house there is all sorts of Jager shwag all over the place.  John(drums for VX) and I stacked 24 Jager cups for their Jager game and won Jager hats and shirts and necklaces and lighters and all sorts of shit.  The first band delayed enough on starting their set that 3 Lunas, VX and us were forced to play like 25 to 30 minute sets, but oh well, it was an EPIC evening, 3 Lunas kicks fucking ass, and they will be coming up north soon.  VX of course kicked some major ass as well, we closed out the night, and the bartender let us play until 20 minutes after the bar closed, which was fucking awesome considering everyones sets were cut short.

6/1/2009 at Johnny’s in Redding, CA

HOLY FUCKING MOTHERFUCKING GODDAMN WHAT THE FUCKING SHIT!!!  If only we could have recorded this night, it could have quite possibly been one of the greatest Athiarchists shows ever.  It was a total last minute show, and we did not know what to expect, but we were the only band, and it was our first time at this place.  We were right across the street from Bombays, another sick metal bar in Redding.  We were instructed to play 2 30 minute sets, but that is not really something we usually do.  Oh well, we decided to play an hour, then take a 15 minute break for poeples ear drums, followed by another hour long set.  The first set was insane, everyone was stoked, we stopped for a few, dano had some drinks, i had some water, and on to set number 2.

Everyone was appologizing for there not being a lot of people there, but anyone that knows us knows that there could be a negative ammount of people in the room and well still rage it the same.  As we neared the end of our second set, about 30 people came rolling in, fucking wasted.  One of them being our friend the owner of Bombays across the street, it was his birthday, as well as 2 other peoples birthdays.  So we made up the birthday song, followed by the tip your bartender song, followed by a few more made up songs, followed by one more song, one more song, one more song, one more song, one more song, one more song, one more song……….Next thing you know it is 1:30 in the morning and the bar was supposed to close at 1AM.  We played for over 3 1/2 hours total that night, and everyone cant wait for us to return there this Friday, and next Friday, Redding, you guys are fucking AWESOME!!!!!!  We will see you guys soon

6/2/2009 at The Tonic Lounge in Reno, NV with Psychostick

Ok so Pepper Piper sets up this show for us today, June 3rd at The Tonic in Reno, with his band Drit Communion, we see that our bros Psychostick are playing there the day before, so well just roll over to Reno and check out the Psychostick show.  It was a day off and we hate taking days off.  But we also like eating a shitload of food at Hometown Buffet, which is something we cant really do when we are playing a show because we puke it all up.  So we gorged ourselves at Hometown Buffet, stopped by Sacramento Guitar Center and cleaned them out of all 40 sets of GHS Heavy Weight strings that they had, then headed up the 80 to Reno.  Showed up at The Tonic and hung out with Psychostick for the afternoon.  They are like, hey, why arent you guys playing this show tonight?  We were like I dont know, lets ask someone here.  Turns out the sound guy is in Dirt Communion and is totally down with us raging the place 2 nights in a row.  So typical Athiarchists style we roll around back and open up the show that we were never on in the first place.  Psychostick fucking threw the fuck down and we all ended up at Pepper Pipers house afterwords talking about quite possibly some of the funniest shit ever discussed…..and I dont even remember what it was.

Woke up thismorning and said our goodbyes to Psychostick, they are off to go camping somewhere on their day off, and I hope wherever it is they went, it isnt raining or thunder/lightning as much as it is here right now.  I guess this is way better than it being 110 degrees and dry as fuck right?  Keep you posted on the rest of the shit, hopefully in a little shorter blog, just needed to do this to get caught back up on things, let everyone know whats going on in Athiarchists world.  Getting ready to go set up at The Tonic again tonight, then off to Cheers again tomrorow, thank you everyone, this tour has been nothing short of a RAGER!!!!

Aaron

THE ATHIARCHISTS

A Night of Fear and Loathing with The Athiarchists

By Ryer Star

Known for their aggressive music as well as the hysterical Athiarchists TV, the duo has just put out their first full-length CD Don’t Be another Part of the Herd, playing their release party at the WOW Hall in front of 400 kids. They have shared the stage with metal giants such as Devil Driver, Hatebreed, and Hemlock and their DIY attitude is legendary. For example, they recently followed the Rockfest Mayhem tour just to play the parking lot at the end of the show. They play hundreds of shows all over the U.S. every year and are probably one of the hardest working bands I’ve ever met. They roll around town in their huge green van with the “free candy” sign in the window, scaring people with their PA system. I had been trying to nail down an interview with them for awhile, and we finally decided to go to the coast and do it party style. We checked into our room at the beach and started grilling up for fajitas, and we were ten minutes into our photo shoot when suddenly, there came an ominous knock at the door. It’s the hotel manager and he wanted to know what that smell was. After assuring him that we were on assignment and not up to anything illegal, he finally left. There was only one word to describe that moment…BUZZKILL.

As we began the interview, guitarist and lead vocalist Aaron Tunnel was the only sober one. On stage you can often see him furiously punching himself in the head, angry and intense, and then suddenly his face lights up with a radiant smile as he looks across the crowd. That day at the beach he was intent, purposeful, and ready to share his story. His partner, drummer/vocalist Dano Lemm is an equally unique character, often hilarious, with a deep bass voice that can imitate almost anything. He is well known as the king of late night drunk dialing and the star of Myrmidon Sweaty Shorts, the most disgusting YouTube clip I’ve ever seen.

We started out at the beginning. The idea grew from the word Athiarchist, something Aaron came up with as a way to channel all his hate and aggression. “I was just a drunk construction worker. I didn’t care if I died; I was driven to that point in my life where I just didn’t give a fuck about anything.” Dano added, “He was like the die-hard that would get in the jump suit, take everything out of his pockets, and jump in the pit.” I asked Aaron when things finally started to change. “I started writing all the time. ‘Vent’ was written in four days on the back of an envelope. When I wrote ‘The Athiarchist,’ I sat in my living room with the fog machine on and wrote the first thing that came to my mind. I wasn’t even thinking about a song; it was more a poem or statement. I took that first version out and played it for my Dad, and when he heard it he cried.” We talked about major influences, and other than Social Distortion and Propane, Aaron was quick to list his dad as an inspiration. “He was in a band for ten years and I talk to him about everything. Even now we bring him up on stage to play with us.” Aaron’s arms are tattooed with the band’s most meaningful lyrics. Dano’s arms are covered with the inked signatures of those that have inspired him. With dozens of signatures already, I asked if he would ever stop. “I won’t be done until my inspirations are done, or until I run out of skin!”

The Athiarchist was singular at the time, with a seeming revolving door of flaky players until Aaron met Dano, then vocalist for Chainsaw Sex Vikings. It seemed like a fateful match, and as Dano’s band began to crumble and the players jamming with Aaron began to flake out, they both realized they were meant to play music together. “Dano and I were driving one day and I told him he should play drums. We both just knew.” That’s when the singular became plural, and The Athiarchists were born. Eventually, Aaron started messing around with a splitter and playing his guitar through a bass amp to create their signature sound. “We had a studio downtown and we would play music all night long. We would be smoking and drinking whisky and playing music until the sun came up.” Dano recounts, “Things were one big crazy party back then. We would get so messed up; we would be onstage and Aaron would literally pass out with his guitar still ringing. I would be behind my drum kit with my head on my snare, and we would still be there when the bar closed.” The band videoed every show they did for the first year, and that’s how Athiarchist TV got started.

With their growing success, there has been a lot of jealousy from other bands. Despite this, they still have a healthy respect for other musicians. “I go and watch bands and I don’t leave halfway through their set, even if I don’t like the band. It’s having the respect to stay around and watch their performance. That’s the same attitude we both have; we’re never gonna fail anyone, that’s why we absolutely hate canceling shows. If it comes down to driving to Seattle and not getting paid, we’ll do it.” Another solid example of their work ethic, “So many bands worry about where they are in the line-up, if they open they say no one will be there, and if they close they say everyone will leave. We never rely on that. When you go on first and last and people are there to see you, that’s your crowd, and that following is up to you, not the club, promoters, or other bands.”

I know they have taken a lot of criticism for how quickly they have risen in popularity in comparison to how long they have been playing their instruments. Aaron picked up the guitar and began singing only a few years ago, and Dano was a vocalist who only began beating the skins after the band’s old drummer became hooked on cocaine and had to be kicked out of the band. “We were not the best musicians; I’m still not a highly skilled musician. But we were doing the best we could with what we had, and it’s my belief that you don’t need to be the best guitar player in the world to write good music. You can be the worst player and write the most original song out there.” I asked Aaron about life on the road and I wasn’t surprised by the crazy stories that began to unfold, most of which I can’t even print here. “It was midnight, and I needed to get something out of my camera bag in the back of the van. I can’t wake Dano up so while I’m still driving I try to reach back and grab it and I fall over the center console. There I am, lying on the floor of the van, and it’s just Nick Cage-ing it down the middle of the road. I grab the camera bag, toss it in front like a grenade, get back in my seat and keep on driving.”

When I asked how things have changed since the early days Aaron tells me, “We are obviously doing this because we love music, but it has gone from a hobby to a career, and we can’t do things how we used to. We gave away all our first CD’s for free. We knew we had to build a following. We played all the time, everywhere and anywhere, pay to play, you name it.” Dano remembers, “We were writing all these new, heavier songs, and after we wrote ‘Deathwish’,” everything totally changed. That’s where we went from a punk metal band, to a metal punk band.” That brought me to what seemed like a hard task, describing the band’s overall sound. When asked, Aaron spits the words out like bullets, “Two-piece anti-governmental hardcore thrash metal band with elements of punk.” He followed up, “We have a balance to our music, where everything sounds different. A few songs, some of them share similar riffs, but the hook is all different. The music is a saga that keeps developing.”

They are known for their dedication as well as their epic set lengths; I have seen them play for over three hours in front of five people. “We’re stoked every time we get off stage, no matter what happens. One night I broke strings on my guitar and my back up guitar, and we never stopped. I ran backstage, changed my strings, and got right back into the vocal part after Dano finished. Not once did we stop. Dano pukes all the time, and just keeps on playing, never missing a beat. It takes commitment to do it, and it’s a feeling of pure accomplishment.” I asked him about preparing for a gig. “I’m so calm and quiet before shows. I don’t talk; I’m just focusing my mind and getting ready to rage.” Their live show is something of a phenomenon. “We don’t have a set list, and we don’t talk about what we’re going to play, we just go by feel. Before the show I think about everything that pisses me off, but I have a smile on my face while taking out that aggression on stage.” The band’s controversial lyrics have also caused them problems, including plenty of MySpace hate mail. “I have a way of writing that can make you feel like an idiot with just the brutal truth. Every one of those email wars ended up with that person putting us in their top friends.”

When I asked how he felt about recording the new album, Aaron said, “I cried when I listened to it, it’s that good.” Recorded at Gung Ho Studios, they recount the experience as a positive one. “There were no artificial effects or digital compression. My bass sound was mic’d with a vintage mic, going through 1970’s pre amps. It sounds like the most perfect live show ever, and that’s what we were going for. I did my bass at the same time as my guitar; there was no double tracking, no double takes. It was straight through to the end, sweating like crazy, and twenty minutes later come back and do our vocals, screaming in each others faces.” He says animatedly, “It was seriously the most fun I have ever had.” Dano tells me, “When we heard it, we said, that’s exactly how we wanted it to sound. It wasn’t anything short of spectacular to us.”

I asked the boys about their goals for the future, particularly their feelings on record deals. “It would be great if someone came around and believed in us, and wanted to help us tour and get our music distributed. But creative rights and the music itself, that is our heart we’re pouring out through our music, and no one is ever going to take that away from us.” Dano added, “The ideal goal for us is to be able to play shows and not have to worry about eating and paying rent. It’s never been about being a rockstar and drinking Cristal every night. It’s all about playing music.” I asked them what would change with success. “I think mostly I will just be a lot less stressed out. I’ve always hated tour buses, but now I see the necessity. If I didn’t have to drive and could just play shows every night and have a place to sleep, that would be ideal.”

With the interview over, it was late and as I tried to get everyone to be quiet before we got kicked out, I kept hearing noises coming out of the dark. Dano said, “The sheep are revolting!” And as I tell our friend Wade to be quiet and stop making wild Ork noises he says, “I’ll sleep when I’m dead!” Then finally, as we begin to drift off, I hear someone mutter, “Beer is my blankie.” What a long night, and memorable adventure, but that’s how it always is with them, every day is like an episode straight out of Fear and Loathing. This dynamic duo could be compared to the infamous Blues Brothers, if not in music, then in their spirit and attitude. To find out more check out www.myspace.com/theathiarchists.

Pro-Pain
Sworn Enemy
Mantic Ritual
The Athiarchists

Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Hawthorne Theatre 503-233-7100
1507 SE 39th Ave, Portland, OR (MapQuest)
9pm (doors open at 8pm). All Ages.
$13.00 advance tix from TicketsWest.
$15.00 at the door.

Sworn Enemy

New York is known as a sacred institution for heavy music. Shaped by ideals surrounding everyday life’s trials and tribulations with an honest desperation and urgency, metal and hardcore have been as much about attitude as about the music. Ushering in a new age of crossover, paved by acts such as Anthrax, Agnostic Front and other New York vets, you can now add Sworn Enemy to the list of bands forming a caustic hybridization of thrashy, intense metal with the thud, and grit of hardcore.

Formed in Queens, NY in late 1997, it didn’t take long for the music world to take notice of Sworn Enemy’s crushing sound and delivery. While the hardcore underground boiled with excitement over the band, Sworn Enemy recorded their debut EP, Negative Outlook, for Stillborn Records, the label of Jamey Jasta (Hatebreed), in 2001. With overwhelming positive reactions from fans and critics alike, the EP pushed Sworn Enemy to the frontlines of proud New York hardcore/metal acts. During this time, the band acquired the bass skills of Mike Couls of Detriot hardcore band Cold As Life, sharpening the band’s impact into the most hardworking and intense band around. With this incarnation of Sworn Enemy, they toured relentlessly with acts such as God Forbid, Hatebreed, Unearth, D.R.I., American Nightmare and many more.

As the band’s popularity grew, they signed to Elektra Records in early 2003 and released their debut full-length, As Real As It Gets; a lesson in brutal metal/hardcore crossover. The band earned a coveted spot on Ozzfest 2003, and continued to tour in support of the record. Parting ways with Elektra, but undeterred in their quest for delivering no frills, metallic hardcore, the band re-solidified their line-up with Ed Kilpatrick on bass to replace Mike Couls (who went on to join Agents Of Man) and Jamin Hunt on guitar. Now more dedicated than ever, the band have signed to Abacus Recordings and are prepared to drop their sophomore record, The Beginning Of The End, like a battering ram of violence.

Produced by Tim Lambesis (frontman for As I Lay Dying), engineered by Steve Russell and mixed by Zeus (The Red Chord, Shadows Fall), The Beginning Of The End pulverizes even the most calloused listener. Recorded at Big Fish studios in San Diego, CA, during June 2005, the new record takes the hostility and conviction of the band to a new level of destruction.

The band’s mission is simple, “To set the tone for the new age of metal,” says vocalist/frontman Sal Enemy. “This record signifies a new chapter for us as a band, a new style of music.” Revolving around topics of politics, religion and everyday life, the new album showcases the band in their element, delivering heavy-hitting music with themes anyone can relate to. Forget what you think you know about Sworn Enemy- they’re pushing their personal metallic assault way into the red without any care or regard to the current metalcore scene. “We don’t follow any trends. We do it from the heart.”

On Wednesday, May 27, U. of O. Campus Radio 88.1 FM KWVA proudly welcomes Psychostick along with Eugene’s own Athiarchists.

Psychostick is touring in support of their followup to We Couldn’t Think of a Title called Sandwich. A breath of fresh air for those who need a break from the standard angry rock or metal band, Psychostick has been ranked #1 in Indie Comedy music on Myspace and #1 in Comedy on Purevolumne.

Originating in Texas in 1998 and then moving to Phoenix in 2000, Psychostick has come from being a simple local band to a national hit. Psychostick’s notoriously entertaining and energetic live show, in conjunction with their full length album We Couldn’t Think Of a Title (originally released in 2003; rereleased in 2006 via Rock Ridge Music), quickly made Psychostick a Phoenix local legend. Many radio stations from all over the US picked up their “Beer” song, and as a result Psychostick has sold over 42,000 copies of We Couldn’t Think of a Title. In 2007 Psychostick released The Flesh Eating Rollerskate Holiday Joyridge EP, which debuted at #18 on Billboard’s Top Holiday Albums chart.

Psychostick has found a way to break the mold from a genre that often takes itself way too seriously. Combining well-written, heavy riffs and grooves with tongue-in-cheek slapstick-comedy song themes, Psychostick has created a style that will have crowds mosh-pitting one second and doubled over laughing in another. With songs being about anything from frustration with a bad car to faking their deaths in order to achieve fame, “the hook” lies not just in catchy choruses, but in hilarious and memorable moments sprinkled throughout every song.

Tickets are $8 in advance, $10 at the door. Doors open at 7:30 pm and showtime is 8:00.

SHOWTIME: 8:00 PM, PRICE: $8 Advance, $10 Door. BUY TICKETS NOW
http://www.psychostick.com http://www.myspace.com/psychostick