Hamartia
2) How did it get that name?
The meaning of Hamartia is a "tragic flaw" which we thought was cool. This reflects that as
human beings we are not a perfect race, that we are prone to error, and for us music is an
outlet to express ourselves in a productive way.
3) How would you describe your music?
I would we are a melodic hardcore band, cuz thats what we all listen to and thats the audience
we play for. Some of us are influenced by metal though, which i think you can hear in our
music.
4) Who is in the band and what do they play?
Well, we recently went thru some lineup changes. The band currently is Vin, 24 vocals, Jeff, 20
on guitar, John 19 on bass, Chris 17 on drums and me Jay, I'm 23 and play guitar.
5) What is the scene like in your community
We're a CT based band. The scene here has seen its ups and downs, I think lately it has been
down because a few of the major venues here like the Hanover House have closed down.
About 5 years ago it was real strong, we had packed shows for bands like Hatebreed,
Fastbreak, and lots of great other bands. The scene is starting to pickup again though, there
are a lot more kids getting into the music and there are a few people working hard to make
sure this happens.
6) Who are the bands influences?
I think we are all influenced by different things. Speaking for myself, some of the bands that
always inspired me are Shai Hulud, The Hope Conspiracy, Soilwork, In Flames, In My Eyes, and
even old school stuff like Earth Crisis. We are all heavily rooted in hardcore, but have some
metal influences as well.
8) How many groupies does the band have?
Not sure, but I think our bass player John has more than we all do combined even though he
hasnt played a show with us yet.
9) Have any members of the band had problems with heroin?
I know i haven't, but some of the others I'm not so sure about.......
10) How many pills do you take with your alcohol?
As many as will fit in my mouth at once, then I swallow.
11) What is your favorite drink?
Sprite
12) Do you smoke weed?
I have in the past, but not anymore. Me, Jeff, and John are the straight edge members of the
band, Vin and Chris you'll hafta ask.
13) Do you skateboard?
I can ride around on a board but thats about it. Jeff used to be pretty good at it, I think Chris
may ride too.
14) What do you think of skating these days?
.I think skating has seen alot of media exposure, which i guess is good from Tony Hawk for
playstation haha. I'm sure this has inspired alot of people to take up skating, I remember back
in the day Jeff used to have one of those big oldskool boards like 10 years ago.
15) How many tours have you been on?
We've played alot of out of state shows, and did a Southern US tour last summer from CT to
FL. This summer we plan on flying to Belgium to play the Dour fest and Summer Fest for a
brief European tour, as well as several more around the US.
16) Have you played with any big acts?
We've played with a ton of great bands, some of the most memorable were Shai Hulud, Poison
the Well, Catharsis, In My Eyes, Prayer for Cleansing, Codeseven, Killswitch Engage....
17) Will you ever sell out?
H/c or straight edge? I hope to never sell out either, I know it gets harder when you get older
and eventually get a family and everything, but its something thats in my heart and hopefully
will always be a part of me.
18) How old are you?
23
19) Any advice on how to pick up on chicks?
All i hafta say is if your single and on tour, check ID's!!!!
20) Do you like Kid Rock?
not particularly, but i guess i dont hate him either
21) Do you have any questions you’d like to ask yourself?
Yeah, will I ever geta job again? I recently left my job and have been looking for another
one. If Hamartia could be a career i'd be set...
22) Are there any up and coming bands you’d like to
mention?
Definitely, there are alot of great bands coming up that I think will be huge like 7 angels 7
plagues, hopesfall, first aid kit, as the sun sets and destro.
23) Have you ever been to Cheyenne, WY?
not yet
24) Have you ever heard of a band called FELT?
not yet
25) How many people usually attend your shows?
It varies, we've had some awesome shows and some not so great. Some of the best have been
w/ a couple hundred kids. I guess it depends on where the show's at.
26) What did you think of the magazine?
From what I've read so far its cool, I thought the Hopeless records thing was hilarious.
27) What song would you like to have played at your funeral?
Anything by Soilwork
28) Have you ever been in any fights?
Not really physical, but a few verbal
29) Have you shows ever caused a riot?
Not yet, but hopefully soon.
30) Have any kids been killed at your shows? What is the closest that has
come to happening?
I think there has been a few fights at our shows, but we're not really what you'd consider a
tough-guy band. We have one video where this kid is dancing real hard and punches this other
guy right in the face. One time I swung my guitar at a show and clocked one of my friends in
the head. His head was bleeding afterwards. That was a shitty feeling.
31) Famous Last Words? How would you recommend people get a
hold of you?
Yeah look out for the 'America's Hardcore' compilation out on Goodlife which will be released
Mar. 18th w/ Waking Kills the Dream (ex Morning Again), Horse the Band and more. We also
have a track on the upcoming East Coast Assault III which will be out soon, and a full length out
on Goodlife early summer.
E-mail address? Web Page?
[email protected]. We have a webpage up at www.hamartia.cjb.net. Thanks for the
interview.
XjayX