Joe Hardcore has been a steadfast in the Philly and New Jersey scene, and now attempts to contribute even more to hardcore with his annual This Is Hardcore festivals. I had a short email interview with him.
Phil: My first question is just an ice breaker: How's life Joe? How's the family and how's the band?
Joe Hardcore: Life is what you make of it. Now that I am making instead of taking or complaining, I am enjoying it more and more. My family is as good as they can be and being a more involved father has enriched my life more then I could ever believe. The band is recording for a split CD /7" with Slapdown from Japan for a Japanese only release. We're gearing up to play some shows and go to do Pressure Fest in Germany.
Phil: This year's TIH has plenty of bands that at one time played a last show. Do you think the relevance of a last show has become something of the past and do you have any personal politics towards a band playing shows again after they announce they're breaking up?
Joe Hardcore: I think that to honestly believe a band to stay "dead" is nonsense. I can remember missing the Agnostic Front last show in NYC, and then years later going to the AF reunion at the Wetlands and then the Superbowl of HC in Asbury Park, NJ with AF headlining.
Bands break up prematurely or just need a break; what remains is the friends, the memories etc. As you're immersed deeper into our scene and the more time and effort you commit yourself to in it, you find it something that is hard to shake. There are those that move on to bigger things and others who fall flat on their face. Some taste a bit of success only to reach its limits and come crawling back. Others like Guns Up had the full pressure of being in a scene full of bands that tour 6 to 8 months a year. Its unprecedented and it was almost like an "arms race" between labels to have bands constantly touring the globe, putting out releases etc. It’s awesome for our world but very strenuous on the bands. I expect you'll see more bands break up in less then 5 years and come back in even a shorter period.
As a promoter I have a responsibility to do the shows, be it last show or reunion. I find some bands and their reasoning off and I won't book them. The bands I've selected in the past and worked with for This Is Hardcore have been great performers, amazing inspiration for the scene and overall, it was a delight to have those bands. This year's fest is no different. As regional fests pop up more each year, there are less bands who don't play fests, and the "fest" atmosphere has grown to a tired situation. I am trying to continue to push the best aesthetically pleasing hardcore fest full of the bands kids love and will go nuts for. If that means Floorpunch in 09, then so be it. I want This Is Hardcore to end up like a serial numbers 1- ???, and if you ended up going to all of them, I hope the list of bands you saw would make for a lifetime of variety and awesomeness in every year. Many of this year’s bands are excited to play at something like This Is Hardcore, so its humbling to do something you love and have bands you love look forward to and reach out for the opportunity to play.
Phil: What's worse: The smell of the bathroom after the first day at TIH or the majority of the stage diving during TIH?
Joe Hardcore: The bathroom is a warzone. At least with the dives there is an effort. The bathroom really ought to just be a latrine styled out of the Vietnam War era. The burning pots of poo may smell better.
Phil: How frustrating is it to have to set a door time of no re-entry to get kids to watch bands like Vision or Fahrenheit?
Joe Hardcore: It’s actually not frustrating. It has become commonplace to talk a big game about loving and/or respecting older bands but when they're on stage, the younger kids can't be bothered. There is also the position that I take as far as end of the show goes. If we get down to the last four bands, I don't want people hanging outside. If they weren't at the show for these four bands, then what are they still doing here at all? I understand the social scene but at the end of the day I want you either going off or going home at that point in the night.
Phil: What advice would you give to any younger person who's just beginning to book shows?
Joe Hardcore: Ask a lot of questions to promoters in your area and try not to step on people's toes. A good show is like a full course meal; depend on a mix of bands to create the right atmosphere. If you don't have the venue 100% for the date you're trying to book, don't book it. The rest comes from trial and error. Expect to make all the fakest friends in the world and lose some real ones when they still have to pay to get in. Don't expect to make money or have all the free time in the world anymore, so if you're super busy and you're broke; don't bother because you won't have the full resources to give one hundred percent. Start small, book local bands in small venues and never bite off more then you can chew. Learn from your mistakes by writing down everything that went wrong down so you can NOT do that next time.
Phil: If I gave you a button that could simultaneously destroy the b9board and Myspace, would you press it?
Joe Hardcore: I wouldn't push the button. The Internet has its ups and downs but ultimately; you should never choose to remove a piece of reality from the mix. Instead you just have to learn to use both sites appropriately and keep in mind that neither is the definitive word on hardcore today. I love both, and yet hate what its done with hardcore but I've adjusted myself accordingly and I try to let neither affect me too much.
Phil: I noticed bands like Madball were left out of the This is Hardcore DVD while you had, I think it was Poverty Bay Saints doing a Black Flag cover on it. What was the thought and reasoning process to decide who would and wouldn't be on the DVD?
Joe Hardcore: Some bands chose to not have their performance on the DVD. When it came down to picking and choosing, I had tried my best to get as much coverage as possible as far as lineup goes. At the end of the day the DVD must promote the bands, the fest and help show kids who didn't make it to the Fest what they were missing out. With the Poverty Bay Saints stuff, I just really dug the cover and originally an idea was to have a " covers" extra added to the DVD before we realized we had so much material that we weren't able to do it. Keeping that idea alive, I chose to have the Poverty Bay Saints Black Flag cover on the DVD. Covers are cool and kids always look forward to them and bands always seem to have a new cover in store for fests so it’s good to showcase that.
Phil: This is my last question. Being that you're a father, the common "dream" for a parent's children is that they would not have to relive some of the mistakes they had to experience throughout their lives. That being said, what are somethings that you had to go through in life that you hope your children will never have to?
Joe Hardcore: In my life, I can think of two things: First, I'd love nothing more then to die with my children grown, knowing I was a good father who earned the love and respect of his children. Having little interaction with my father as a child, I cherish being a part of their lives. I can only hope that each of them works hard and follows through with school. Having my first daughter at 16 abruptly ended my school days and I often think of "what if I finished out school.” I hope that I can see each of them going off to their prom and having to get all the plans together for their graduations. Overall to see my children more in touch with their father and to see them through their education is my two biggest goals with all three of them. I could have my last breath with ease.
Phil: Thank you so much Joe.
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