Photo Credit: Augie Ruiz
- I first heard Axis on the Weight of the World split 7" you put out a few years ago, and from the live videos I've seen of Axis recently, it seems like you still play "Irreversible" at most of your shows. Do you feel like that song still represents Axis' spirit and sound?
For a lot of people in Florida, especially since the album isn't out, it's
the AXIS song. I love that split and that song but it was with our first vocalist and it was before I feel like we really found our sound. It's more of an attempted emulation of the nineties metalcore sound rather than our own thing. We try to get away from playing it except for special occasions and it'll be hung up in the rafters soon.
- I hear the term "90's hardcore" thrown around a lot when describing your sound. How do you feel about being described that way? Is Axis heavily influenced by any specific bands from the 1990's?
I don't mind the term at all, it's definitely one of my favorite eras of any music genre. We try to capture what those bands did with a lot of what we do but I don't think that's all we're limited to. We draw influence from a multitude of places but the core of our inspiration nowadays would be bands like Turmoil, Kiss It Goodbye, All Else Failed and late 90's Converge.
- Axis has gained a great deal of recognition in a relatively short span of time, and it is encouraging to see what was a smaller regional band become a noteworthy name on any showbill in the Southeast. Do you feel that Axis has risen to that level because of your hard work, touring, networking, or good fortune, or...?
I think it's sort of a mix of all of that. We've just passed the 5 year mark as a band so I'm sure being at it for a bit has helped. We've just tried to tour as much as possible and really tried to hone our craft these past couple of years. We've had some good luck and some bad luck but I think that was the main benefit to whatever success we've had.
Axis / Self Defense Family split: "The Least Violent Time In Human History"
- How was the connection made between Axis and Self Defense Family that led to the split 7" last year on Deathwish?
Our drummer Tommy is a big fan and threw the idea at them on a whim. They were into the idea and it all fell together. I really love that split because it's basically two bands from opposite ends of the spectrum, not giving a shit and just doing something cool together. It reminds me of the Get Up Kids/Coalesce split.
- It seems like the split garnered attention from a spectrum of fans who wouldn't normally have listened to you. Have you been approached by anyone who first heard you through Self Defense Family?
There's some run over between the fanbases of both bands for sure. But I've definitely had people tell me they've discovered us through the split and probably wouldn't have otherwise. It's cool to have people checking you out beyond their scope of familiarity.
- Do you think you will continue to pursue connections with bands outside your genre?
I think it's likely in some capacity. All of us are into so many different things and as we get older we care less about being par for the course.
- I read in the notes for The Least Violent Time in Human History that "both Mikes quit and Jesse came back." Has Axis had to go through significant lineup changes to keep going as a band?
As of the past couple of years, I'm the only original guy from the first incarnation of the band. It's difficult to find people that all get along, have real musical chemistry and are down to hit the road as much as we do. Our main songwriting core (Tommy, Dylan and I) have been together since 2012, so considering that we've just kept adapting and I think we're a pretty solid unit at this point.
- For myself and others that play in hardcore bands, what advice can you give for being successful as a band? And on that note, how do you feel that Axis defines "success"?
Learn from your peers, write good riffs, find an aesthetic, find band members who are truly compatible together, don't be afraid to be a little different, tour a lot and put all of yourself into every aspect of what you create. Some of those things took me a long time to discover.
Personally, is if it makes you happy and there's others who honestly enjoy what you do, you're there. I get to keep pushing myself creatively and travel the world with my best friends. So in that respect, I feel really successful.
Photo Credit: Davey Burns
- I've wanted to ask this for a year now; I have a copy of Rites of Passage that has a different cover than the normal one, and I can't find it anywhere online. Even the label on the record doesn't look like the normal labels. Is it a tour press, or...?
If it's the Botch rip with the gun or the water panel cover, it's a tour press from between 2013-2014. We ended up with a stack of those 7"s without covers so we had a few different ones done.
- So you just announced that this August, you're touring with Old Wounds. I saw them for the first time a few months ago and it was like walking into a hardcore show in 1998. How does it feel to be able to tour with another current band who has chosen to forego the current hardcore trends in favor of the spirit and zeal of what many consider a bygone era?
It's pretty cool, they're all really awesome (and handsome) guys who take what they do seriously. Old wounds definitely has some 18v and Martyr A.D. feel to them. I think our bands compliment each other really well and if you are into metalcore pre-2003 this tour is right up your alley.
- This blog is based out of Augusta, GA and it looks like 9/4/2015, Axis will be at the New Brookland Tavern in Columbia, SC. Expect to see some Augusta kids there!
Awesome, thanks for the interview. I really enjoyed answering some of these. See you then!
