Since by Man
Since by Man, Milwaukee’s finest new-new-school-nutjob-hardcore! heroes, have a new album out now on Revelation. Their resident comedian (and guitarist) Brad, kindly answered our questions.
Give us a little history on the band for those out there that don’t know you yet.
The dashing entity known as Since By Man started about six years ago. There have been a handful of bass players, and one guitar player, who are now in the band graveyard, but the lineup as it stands has been in tact for two years and change now. We’ve put out some demo stuff, 7inches, splits, and 3 ‘formal’ releases for Revelation.
The album (Pictures from the Hotel Apocalypse) artwork is simplistic and plain (compared to your other relaises and website). Any particular reason for this approach? I actually thought it was a demo CD before I clocked it was you!
We’re not very content with ‘just doing what we know. We’ve always had design-oriented layouts in the past, and this time we decided that we wanted to nurse the love for photography and try our hands at a layout based on that. We wanted a very simple, iconic outside, and a very lush and intensely photographed inside. And we wanted it to look like a demo CD.
How much touring of the new album have you done so far? How are the new songs going down?
We just got off a month or so on the road, and the release of our cd was in the middle of it. We’ve been chilling out and enjoying winter so far, but in February we’ll be gone for like 3 months straight. Full US/Canada with the Bled, then over to Europe with Bear Vs Shark right after. The new songs are going down well. It’s nice to be able to play more new stuff live, and we all love the songs, so playing what we love is fun. Plus we have this one new song where have this choreographed part where we all jump at the same time, it’s really awesome. And I’m really lying.
What do the lyrics on PFTHA deal with?
Life and everything within it. Things to think about. There’s a song about how when the world ends it’s going to be all our fault for being careless with it… a song about teenage pregnancy and irresponsible sexual relations, a song about questioning whether or not you want to create art considering you may just be contributing to flood of bad art that’s out there already… lots of stuff.
Are SBM a political band? Whats your views on Iraq; the current items in the news about CIA “rendition” flights, and the secret torture bases they have in some places in Europe? Do you think it will be Hillary Clinton V Jeb Bush in the next election?!
Dear god, if a Hillary / Jeb election went down I’d seriously have to move. Our country is really kind of embarrassing a lot of the time. It’s hard to get people in other countries to realize that not everyone in the U.S. is like George Bush, and not everyone is corrupt and full of shit and supporting absurd missions and ‘war’s that don’t need to be happening. We definitely need a change of leadership and we need swift change in a lot of areas.
You’ve worked Kurt Ballou (Converge) and Paul Miner (Death By Stereo), why did you choose Dave Gardner for PFTHA? Did his work on someone else album attract your attention?
Matt Bayles was set up to record us, but he had to bail late in the game, so we scrambled for someone else to man the helm. Davey G was recommended to us by a friend, and we liked him and the stuff he’d recorded before, so we just went balls deep on it. He’s a pretty punk guy, he knows some tricks, but he helped us get some really interesting tones for the record, and kept it gritty. It doesn’t sound like everyone else, and it doesn’t sound like an overproduced moneygrab record.
Any weird, scary or funny tour/show stories? Where was your first show and how did it go…what’s been your best show… and your worst?!
Oh man…. ummmm… come on, that’s like picking between your children! The first show, well I don’t really know where the first show because I wasn’t in the band then, but some of the best shows we’ve played have been in Milwaukee, L.A./OC, and Germany. People in all those places rule extra hard. Worst show…. I’m sure everyone in the band would say a different show from everyone else. We played one in Graz, Austria that we did a bad job at, but then we snuck into the best swimming pool in the entire world after the show and avenged the day.
Whats your earliest hardcore memory…! What music did you grow up on? If I were to look thru your CD collection would I find any embarrassing albums?!!
I didn’t really grow up on hardcore, I mostly grew up on metal. I hung out with and was in bands with kids who listened to the core, so got into it through that. My first ‘hardcore’ experience was probably Converge and Sons of Abraham at the Fireside Bowl in Chicago and it was pretty fucking sweet. I don’t know about embarrassing stuff in my cd collection… I don’t embarrass very easily. But yeah I’m sure I listen to some pretty shitty stuff by most peoples standards. Probably some sketchy pop-punk that I like and can’t figure out why really.
Tell me something about Milwaukee’s music scene. Any bands you’d like to recommend?
Milwaukee wins. Temper Temper is one of my favorite bands, so everyone should listen to them. Call Me Lightning and Red Knife Lottery are pretty fucking sweet too. Listen to them and go see them play and get naked and dance around because there’s nothing better/worse than sweaty naked people dancing up on everyone.
Do you find a European crowd different to the crowds back home?
We were actually kind of surprised, a lot of the shows were about the same size. Having never been there before, it was awesome to see people show up even though they’d never seen us before. Hospitality in mainland Europe was WAY above what we expected though. Places for you to stay and ample food and help with anything you need… it’s unreal. Even the most punk shows totally took care of us.
Is there any bands you’d like to take out on tour, or tour with?
Metallica. Circa 1985. They’d have to grow back the hair, get back the thrash, and stop being pussies, and then take us on tour.
So what do you guys do and work at away from the band? (Is Brad also a comedian?!!)
We all work jobs when we’re home as much as possible. Most of them are pretty shitty. We all have our little hobbies outside of that… I do as much graphic design stuff for bands as I can, and random music things. I actually DO have a comedy thing I do on the side, but I don’t use my real name for it. I use the name “Dave Chapelle.” It’s cool to do on the side, it helps pay the bills and everything, so I can’t complain. Plus I get to be black. Which is
fucking awesome.
Will you be shopping around for a new label now you’ve done your Rev contract?
Yes. Labels come to us and tell us “Hey Since By Motherfuckin Man! We’ll pay you ten million dollars to let you write songs that won’t be played on the radio because you’re too hesh for radio. Do whatever you want and we’ll pay for it out the nose.” Go ahead, do it.
Describe the difference between metal and hardcore!
Mentality and image. Seriously so many ‘hardcore’ bands sound straight-up metal, and vice versa. If you have long hair, wear dress in black XL shirts and cargo pants, people are going to call you a metal band basically regardless of what you sound like. But a band can have short hair, wear tight shirts, and shorts, and sound exactly like At The Gates, and they’re going to be a ‘hardcore’ band. It’s tricky but hilarious.
Are SBM just playing music, or do you have a message/goal?
We’re definitely about more than music. If I had to pick just one message or goal, it would be to open eyes to choices around them. You don’t have to be a part of the 9-5 drone. Fuck your finances up and take the risk and do whatever you want with your life. Nurse your dreams as far as you can, don’t die with the art inside you.
What are Since By Man’s plans for 2006?
Starting the year with lots and lots of touring, and then taking it from there. I’m probably going to eat a lot of muffins and drink a lot of Powerade Arctic Chill aka “murky white,” and get hilarious haircuts. But other than that, touring. Oh yeah, and more black comedy work.
Thanks for the interview, the last words are yours…
Thanks for the time and for reading my ramblings… uhhh…. come see us on tour and we’ll entertain the fuck out of you. I’m not sure where the fuck is, but we’ll find it and get it out. Promise.
Upcoming Shows:
December 17th – Milwaukee, WI @ Bucketworks
w/ 7Angels 7Plagues, Amora Savant
January 2nd – Minneapolis, MN @ The Quest Ascot Room
w/ Four Letter Lie, The Lifestyle, A Red Carpet, For Your Eyes Only
U.S. / Canada tour w/ The Bled, As Cities Burn (more dates added soon)
February 24th – Seattle, WA @ El Corazon
February 25th – Portland, OR @ Hawthorne Theater
February 26th – San Francisco, CA @ Bottom of the Hill
February 28th – Fresno, CA @ The Belmont
March 1st – Los Angeles, CA @ Troubador
March 2nd -Anaheim, CA @ Chain Reaction
March 3rd – San Diego, CA @ Soma
March 4th – Tempe, AZ @ The Clubhouse
March 5th – El Paso, TX @ T Lounge
March 6th – Dallas, TX @ The Door
March 8th – Spring, TX @ Java Jazz
March 10th – Tampa, FL @ The Orpheum
March 11th – West Palm Beach, FL @ Ray’s Downtown
March 14th – Atlanta, GA @Masquerade
March 15th – Charlotte, NC @ Tremont Music Hall
March 16th – Baltimore, MD @ Ottobar
March 17th- Randolph, NJ @ Obsessions
March 18th – Worchester, MA @ Palladium
March 19th – New York City, NY @ Knitting Factory
March 21st – Philadelphia, PA @ Nor Star
March 23rd – Montreal, QC @ El Salon
March 24th – Toronto, ON @ Opera House
March 25th – Rochester, NY @ Steel City Music Hall
March 26th – Cleveland, OH @ Grog Shop
March 28th – Detroit, MI @ Alvin’s
March 30th – Chicago, IL @ Beat Kitchen
March 31st – Minneapolis, MN @ Triple Rock Social Club
April 5th – Spokane, WA @ Fat Tuesdays
April 6th – Boise, ID @ The Venue
April 7th – Salt Lake City, UT @ Lo-Fi Cafe
April 8th – Las Vegas, NV @ Jillian’s
April 9th – Tucson, AZ @ Rialto Theater
April 20 – May 20th – Europe / UK tour w/ Bear Vs Shark – dates coming soon