"My first experience with hardcore and punk music (it was one scene back then) dates back to 1981 when I was in 6th grade an had an older brother who was into skateboarding and was exposed to a lot of great bands. He used to bring home albums and 7"s by the Dead Kennedys and The Misfits. We even had the Sex Pistols "Never Mind The Bollocks" on 8-track tape. We ordered records from Black Flag, The Circle Jerks, and The Adolescents through Action Now magazine (which later became Thrasher). Different parts of the country had their own unique sound--Minor Threat, SOA, and Youth Brigade from Washington DC; Agnostic Front and Cause For Alarm from NYC; Gang Green, Jerry�s Kids, and The FU�s from Boston; and of course California with Bad Religion, Social Distortion, and some of the previously mentioned bands. I remember every week recording on a crappy radio with a clothes hangar antenna a half an hour hardcore punk radio show broadcast out of NYU called "Noise the Show" with dj Tim Sommer screaming and playing fast songs by bands from all over. It was all fresh, new, and real. It was completely underground and DIY and the individual scenes were small. It was a real kick in the ass to the plastic, technology driven, "me generation" the 1980�s were. It was what I needed because I was pretty much a miserable kid who hated everything I saw going on around me.
Hardcore and punk music has been a major part of my life ever since. My records became a source of strength when I felt weak, a friend when I felt lonely, motivation when I wanted to quit, and gave me the adrenaline rush to stand up without fear to anybody f*cking with me. There was no better feeling than riding our BMX bikes to the record store and buying a new piece of vinyl that would make me want to go nuts and see the world in a new light with thoughtful lyrics and powerful rhythms.
Many of my favorite bands have come and gone over the years and the scene has undergone changes both musically and philosophically. I�ve learned to not get upset by these changes because hardcore to me was always about individuality and what an individual does in his/her life to make a difference in this world for others and themselves. I try my best to live up to the values instilled in me through hardcore including caring for others at my current job as a social worker for mentally ill adults, valuing my relationships with family and friends over material pursuits, and striving to achieve my maximum potential towards the goals I set in life. The past songs I�ve grown up with, the new songs I will continue to grow with, the songs I�ve written and continue to write will always be there to give me strength, positive energy, and insight into a world that often seems cold and painful. Hardcore isn�t a trend or a clique I follow, it�s a source of inspiration that brings out the truest and best part of me."
Mark (IMPLODE) November 10,1999
From an online interview:
Introduce yourself:
I'm Mark and I sing and play guitar for IMPLODE. The other members of the
band are my brother Brian who plays drums, and Jay is our bassist.
What are you doing right now other than the obvious?
We released our first CD this year and have been promoting it through
playing several shows, building a website, and getting distributors. The CD
was recorded at Trax East in NJ which is a great studio where many hardcore
and punk bands have recorded. Our goal is to keep the cd affordable and we
are selling it for $7 postage paid to anywhere in the world from me at:
Mark Conforti
905 Broad Street, Apt B6
Bloomfield, NJ 07003
USA
Check out our website at:
http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Bistro/3394/IMPLODE.html
What is the hardest part about being in a band?
Overall, being in a band is a lot of fun and it's a great way to get
together with friends and release pent up energy. The hardest thing about
being in a band is finding the time to do all the promotions, bookings,
interviews, mailings, etc while trying to have a social life and a full time
job.
When did you and what propelled you to start a band?
IMPLODE began in 1996 but Brian and I had previously played in EMOTIVE DRIVE
which we started in 1988. I've been listening to hardcore and punk since I
was 12 years old. It has
been a major part of my life and the bands I grew up with helped me get
through hard times and gave me the courage to think for myself, stick up for
myself, and go against the grain. I like giving back the same feeling to
others' and hope to make a positive difference in their lives. Also, I feel
I need a way to express myself to keep my own sanity and I do that through
our music.
How serious are you about your band?
We are very serious about conveying a positive message through
our music but are not looking to quit our jobs to live off the band. Being
able to have a paycheck from working enables us to say or do whatever we
want through our music and not have to follow any standards set by the media
or music industry.
What have you learned from being in a band?
On the positive side I've met alot of nice people who truly care about
hardcore and doing something positive. On the down side I've found a lot of
people see this music as a business for them to profit off of and show
little interest in there being a message.
What is the message your band is trying to convey?
For the most part the goal of the music and lyrics is to take negative
feelings and transform them in a positive direction to motivate ourselves
and others to reach our individual potentials. We take a strong stance
against
bands that play music primarily for image and self gain lacking any heart or
depth.
What do you think your sound most resembles?
Most people say a late 1980's to early 1990's New York Hardcore style.
Do you have any best/worst experiences
playing live? Any advice/preferences?
Our worst experience playing live was when all of our equipment broke.
First Brian's bass drum beater flew off his foot pedal behind the stage.
One of our friends found it with a flashlight and it was bent real bad.
Then when I was running around during a song I stepped on my guitar cable
and it ripped apart leaving the metal jack stuck in the guitar. I switched
guitars and said it's Jay's turn to break something. On the next song, he
broke the thick "E" string on his bass and we couldn't finish the set. It
was pretty funny though. My best experience playing live was with my
previous band EMOTIVE DRIVE when we played the Anthrax club in Connecticut
in 1989 with SUPERTOUCH. The kids were extremely open to dancing and stage
diving to new bands and there were no fights; just an overall good time. My
advice to new bands is to stick it out because you're going to play shows to
only a few people and to a few hundred people, if you enjoy your music
you'll have a good time every time you play.
What were your primary influences? (This
can be a whole range of things)
We are very open minded about listening to all types of music, but our
sound is heavily influenced by the New York Hardcore bands as well as
hardcore and punk from the late 1970's to the present day (too many to
name).
What equipment do you use? Any
advice/preferences?
I play an Ibanez guitar through a Marshall JCM 900 halfstack, Jay plays
a Charvel bass through a Galean Kruegar amp and Crate cabinet, and Brian
plays a Pearl drum set. I think it's best to use the natural
distortion/overdrive of a tube amp for the guitar to cut through best
without sounding noisy.
Did you release an ep/lp/7"/demo? If so,
how did you go about distributing it? Any advice/preferences?
We released a five song demo in 1997 with our old singer Bobby and gave it
away free at shows and through the mail for anyone interested. We released
a full length CD this year and are distributing it ourselves and through DIY
distros. Our goal is to keep the price of the CD cheap by cutting out
corporate distributors.
Where are you from? Describe your 'scene.'
We are from Northern New Jersey in the USA. Hardcore is really big here but
it's divided into too many categories which is something I personally don't
like. There's the old style bands, metalcore, emo, punk, rap, etc. This
results in the scene not feeling "united." I feel optimistic that these
barriers will break down and people will appreciate the diversity and
support all the styles.
How hard is it for you to get gigs there?
It's not hard if you get involved in the scene and support other bands.
Also, we have rented halls and put on our own shows and helped other bands
out (and they have helped us as well).
What kind of sacrifices did you have to
make for this band? Any obstacles?
The two main sacrifices you have to make
are money and time, but when you enjoy what you're doing it's time and money
well spent and gives you memories and experiences no one can take away.
Also, you meet a lot of cool people who understand what you're saying in
your music and it makes you feel like you've made a difference in a t least
a few lives.
How are you making ends meet?
We all have decent jobs and are not expecting to make a career out of
playing hardcore. I work as a social worker with mentally ill adults,
Jay works for public works in Hudson County, NJ and Brian works for the
telephone company.
Random Question: What zines do you enjoy?
In Effect, Guillotine, and DIY.
Thank you for your time; it was
appreciated.
ARE YOU SICK OF?
Assholes starting fights at shows?
Bands and booking agents jacking up door prices?
Suburban kids trying to talk like they�re from Compton?
Feeling like an outcast at hardcore shows?
Bands that say �support the scene� but never attend smaller shows that
need it?
Hearing terms like �shout outs, & move this shit motherf*cker?�
�Crews?�
Seeing girls get felt up by angry, sexually challenged males at shows?
Close-minded people dissecting hardcore/punk into separate categories?
Seeing a 7� you bought for $2 being sold for $100?
People liking a band because they think they�re supposed to?
That one guy dancing to his friends� band and trying to kick you in the
head?
Getting yelled at for not moving up because you don�t want that guy to
kick you in the head?
Wanting to give the hardcore scene an enema because so many people
are full of shit?
Seeing more kids outside of a club than inside when bands are playing?
Hating hardcore kids just as much as you hate everyone else?
People that don�t speak their mind and take action towards a positive
change?
If so, you�ll probably like our 11 song cd which you can get for a
measly $7 postage paid to:
