ONE ON ONE: AN INTERVIEW WITH XWEAPONX!

WE’RE HERE TODAY WITH DAVE FROM XWEAPONX – YOU’VE JUST PERFORMED FOR THE FIRST TIME IN THE UK, AMAZING SET, HOW DO YOU THINK THE UK CROWD HELD UP FOR WHAT YOU EXPECTED?

Dave: So we haven’t played over here before and I don’t know how much stuff from where I’m from would translate overseas, and I am shocked, it was awesome. It was very dope.

IT WAS DEFINITELY A SET THAT’S BEEN HYPED UP FOR THE WEEKEND YOU’RE LIKE THE STRAIGHT EDGE BAND OF THE WEEKEND, I KNOW WE’VE GOT CONTENTION THAT ARE PLAYING –

Dave: I think it’s Contention, they’re one of the sets I’m most excited for, I can’t wait. They’re being interviewed to my left here and the singer is very bald and he looks like me.

LIKE YOU? WELL, IT’S A LOOK FOR STRAIGHT EDGE – YOU MENTIONED ON STAGE THAT WE’RE CURRENTLY IN AN ERA OF HARDCORE WHERE BANDS FROM HERE, AUSTRALIA, ASIA, ARE FINALLY GETTING THEIR RECOGNITION. ARE THERE ANY BANDS YOU FEEL SHOULD GET MORE THAN WHAT THEY’RE GETTING?

Dave: So I’m going to talk about a band from my home, my city. There’s a band called Two Witnesses. Isaac actually plays guitar for that band when he’s not on tour, as well one of my childhood best friends that I went to highschool with sings for them. They’re a very Connecticut Death Threat, 100 Demons, and I think.. You know, I’m biased they’re my friends, but they’re one of the most criminally underrated bands in hardcore at the moment. So I think they’re one of the ones.

GREAT! ARE THERE ANY UK ONES?

Dave: There’s a lot of UK ones! I’ve had this conversation a couple of times the last couple of days. I grew up listening to all of the [?] bands, like when I was a kid my old heads were showing me Knuckledust, Ninebar, Bun Dem Out, like all that. And I have always thought that those bands, I mean there’s a bunch of new bands from the UK as well, but like I’ve always thought that set of bands should have gotten way more play, they should have been way bigger in the US than they are. It’s insane that they’ve been going for as long as they have and they don’t get the recognition they deserve.

YOU MENTIONED THE FIRST BAND FROM YOUR LOCAL SCENE, DO YOU FEEL THAT WITH TOURING AND DOING THESE SHOWS ALL OVER THE WORLD, YOU’VE STILL GOT A CONNECTION TO YOUR LOCAL SCENE –

Dave: A thousand percent. A thousand percent because like, well I don’t tour that much, I travel a decent amount for WeaponX but like.. I’m home a good amount, particularly right now because I’m unemployed, I go to any show that I can at home even ones that I don’t really care about because, I don’t know, I’m just a guy and I’ve been going to shows for twenty one years of my life at this point and there’s a reason I’ve stuck around so long and I don’t ever want to not do that. And I don’t ever want to not feel like I am not connected or not representing where I’m from, it’s really important to me. Otherwise there’s no point in me being here.

WITH THE HARDCORE SCENES ESPECIALLY YOU’VE GOT THE VENUES, THE BOOKERS, OLDER BANDS THAT ARE BRINGING THE BANDS UP AND THROUGH – DO YOU FEEL LIKE NOW WITH WEAPONX BEING THE THING IT IS, THAT YOU’RE IN A POSITION TO DO THAT FOR THE NEW GENERATION?

Dave: I hope so, I mean that’s what I want to do and that’s what I’m trying to do. I feel like if I was to say “yeah, we’re doing that”, that’s a little big headed, but I’m doing my best to.. You know, Louisville where I’m from is a pretty small city and for a pretty long time before LDB really popped off back when it used to be called Midwest Blood, the midwest in the US is a very like.. Growing up I always had to travel for shows. We had to drive hours for shows. We had our own bands and did our own thing, but we didn’t get a bunch of big tours through my city and my friends who were booking shows had to bust their asses to make things happen, and now we’re on the map. Now we’ve got Knocked Loose, we’ve got these bands that people know about from where I’m from even over here or in other parts of Europe. It’s important for me to always do what I’m doing with the perspective of, my city was one that was looked at as a shitty place for hardcore, my city used to get made fun of, maybe it still does I don’t really care but.. We’re on the map, we’re doing cool shit so, it’s important to me.

AND THAT’S ALL THAT MATTERS. THERE ARE ALWAYS BANDS THAT PEOPLE THINK OF WHEN IT COMES TO STRAIGHT EDGE, BACK IN THE DAY IT WAS EARTH CRISIS, LATER ON YOU’VE GOT FOUNDATION AND HAVE HEART. I’M SEEING OVER HERE A LOT OF THE YOUTH ARE FEELING THAT WAY ABOUT WEAPONX – DO YOU THINK THAT WHEN YOU’RE DOING THE SHOWS AND DELIVERING THE MESSAGES THAT YOU ARE, DO YOU FEEL YOU HAVE TO HOLD YOURSELF TO A HIGHER STANDARD?

Dave: Yeah, I mean I’ve had a handful of people tell me after we’ve played, they’ve come up to me after our sets when I’m selling merch or whatever, and saying “your band is the reason I’m straight edge”, and.. The band could break up right now and that alone makes it worth it. And if anybody likes our stupid guitar riffs and stuff enough that it means something to them, that’s pretty important to me and I feel like I owe it to myself, I owe it to my scene and I owe it to these people who give a shit to do that to hold myself a certain standard of how I live, how I conduct myself, how I approach my place in the world. So longer answer short, yes. Absolutely.

NOW YOU’VE PERFORMED, YOU’VE GOT THE REST OF THE DAY.. WHO ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO?

Dave: Easy answer is Knocked Loose, I saw them on Friday I’ve seen them ten billion times, they’re the fucking best. The sets that I might dance to.. Really looking forward to Contention, I’m really looking forward to Pain of Truth, I caught the last half of Big Boy they were awesome, God’s Hate will be obscene to watch. Impunity will be fucking awesome, I still haven’t listened to the split that came out two days ago.. I keep thinking when I have some down time I need to sit and listen to this and I haven’t yet, but I’m super excited for that set. They’re not playing this weekend but Dynamite is playing Sound and Fury in a few weeks and I’m really excited to see them, also, one of the guys in Dynamite is a Louisville guy who has lived in the UK for a while.. So.. the boys.

SO REPRESENTING YOUR LOCAL SCENE!

Dave: Yeah! Logan from Dynamite grew up in Kentucky and has lived in the UK for I think a pretty long time now. But Friday was the first time I’ve seen him in.. a decade?

THEY’RE A REALLY GREAT BAND LIVE.

Dave: They’re awesome, they’re dope. I can’t wait to see them at Sound and Fury. I’ll probably dive and mosh.. So.

AS YOU SHOULD! – WELL THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR TAKING THE TIME TO SPEAK TO ME TODAY. I HOPE YOU ENJOY THE REST OF THE FESTIVAL.

Dave: It’s going to be awesome, thank you!

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