- How did Curmudgeon form?
Krystina: Ryan B and I were in another powerviolence band called Unperson, who disbanded when our drummer moved to Canada. Ryan S had been wanting to play more guitar in general, so decided to try out the idea of bass-less PV band.
Ryan Berry: Yeah, that. Specifically, I think almost everyone wanted to call that band Curmudgeon, so when Unperson ended we decided to finally start that band before really knowing what we wanted it to sound like.
- What was your favorite part of your tour from Boston to Augusta?
K: Every show was very different and very cool in its own way. We played houses, bars and even had a day off to go to the movies and go record shopping, all before getting to Augusta!
RB: Finding two Neil Young records I look for on ebay every day!
- Are there any bands that influence you all? Did bands like Earth Crisis inspire you to start such a message-driven band?
K: I actually have heard Earth Crisis maybe twice in my life...but I’m definitely influenced by political punk bands like Crass. Punk music has shaped a lot of my political identity and exposed me to all sorts of radical ideas, so I basically have a hard time separating punk/hardcore from socio-political thought - hence, my lyrics are the way they are.
- What was your motivation for "Amygdala"?
K: I was trying to come up with a sort of “concept” for the album that would provide some ideas for artwork and also express the general tone of the record. The amygdala is the part of the brain linked to fear and panic. A lot of the songs on this record have to do with critiquing peoples reactions to things they are afraid of: powerful people who don’t identify as cis-men, one’s own privilege, problems in our own punk subculture, questions ourselves and our actions.
RB: Lyrics aside, writing for Amygdala was definitely a lot of ‘hey, we gotta have enough for an LP!’. I think the last song we wrote before any of those was Dysmorphic, which was the first to break two minutes, and we figured we may as well try to write more intentionally long (for us) songs if we don’t have a time limit, which I think gives it a pretty different sound overall from our previous stuff. I definitely remember erring on the side of as few repetitions of a riff as possible like it was a powerviolence rule or something, which wouldn’t have allowed for songs like Possess, Severed, or Unchain. I guess we just didn’t care about writing a powerviolence record.
- Each band member put a lyrical explanation to different songs. Does this coincide with who wrote them?
K: When we share lyrics writing duties, we explain the songs that we write - because even though we all agree with the general messages behind our songs, it’s important to get that direct perspective and individual’s take on a certain idea.
- How do you feel about the representation of women in the punk/hardcore scene?
K: I have to say that things are getting a lot better for women in the Northeast. Each year I see more and more bands featuring women playing pissed off, awesome, aggressive music and it's amazing. I almost feel that the issue of “women in punk” is hardly an issue where we come from, at this point. I realize that's a hugely privileged perspective, too. Where we’re from, I’d like to see this line of conversation drift more to the representation of people of colors and transfolk in the punk and hardcore community.
- Have you ever had issues in the scene based on your gender?
K: I have been remarkably lucky to encounter relatively few pigs in my time, at least in relation to doing bands. I honestly think the overt political content of our lyrics/presentation sort of weeds out the shitheads. There are always going to be mildly ignorant people who start a compliment with “I don’t normally like girl frontmen, but…” - but I’ll always welcome an opportunity to start a conversation that way and turn it into a constructive discussion.
- Have you ever had people react negatively to the messages conveyed in your songs?
K: Not really! Which is pretty surprising, honestly.
RB: Once in a great while there will be meatheads at a show who look over our records or whatever on the merch table, get put off, and don’t talk to us. I know that sounds pretty sick, but I guess you could call it a negative.
- Are there any bands local to you that you think our readers should know about?
K: Everyone should listen to Ancient Filth and No Sir I Won’t, who are two of my favorite Boston bands at the moment. Completely great music with thoughtful lyrics about things that actually matter - this seems to be rarity in 2014!
RB: No Sir, I Won’t is the best punk band in Massachusetts. Draize is the best hardcore band.
- What do we have to look forward to from Curmudgeon? Any upcoming projects?
K: We are hoping to tour Eastern Canada and possibly Europe or at least the SW of the US this year, any/all of which would be great and exciting.
RB: And hopefully a new record!
-Sammy
