Interview Holy Shit

Holy Shit! are a hardcore punk band from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. One part thrash, one part Jolt Cola (or maybe Tab), several parts Whiskey, shaken and stirred will lead to one hell of a Holy Shit! hangover.
Holy Shit are from Wisconsin. We have them in our studio here, our basement studio so let’s just do the round. Let’s start with Andy. Say “Hi” into the mic and tell us what you play in the band.
Andy (A): Hi. My name is Andy Junk. I play guitar, I do backing vocals and trumpet.
Eric (E): I’m Eric Apnea and I play drums.
Tabman (Tab): I’m Tabman and I sing.
Tony (T): I’m Tony Schwader and I play the bass guitar.
Do you guys play in any other bands outside of HOLY SHIT ?
A: Lots of them.

And what would they be ?
Tab: Lets start with Tony this time.
T: My name is Tony Schwader (bursts out into laughter). I’m in a band called FULL HOUSE with my father and my uncle. We play songs like “Sweet Home Alabama” and “Freebird” for people up in Gillet Wisconsin. It’s like hicks and rednecks. It is a total cover band.
A: Name a song, they probably play it.
So you do “Don’t Fear the Reaper”.
T: No. I am sorry to disappoint you.
A: It’s with his dad and stuff.
T: Yeah, it’s good shit. Oh, I’m in the ORANGE CUBES, too.
Tab: I’m in the FUN TIME GUYS with Andy, TOTAL BORING with Eric, and SLUDGIE McSTONER PANTS AND THE BONG RIDERS and Eric’s in that too. There is more and I am having trouble trying to think.
Do you need some whiskey...
E: COIN SHIP.
Tab: I’m not going to mention COIN SHIP.
E: You just did.
Tab: I’m not in COIN SHIP. I quit.

Hot Dog! The Hot Dog is here.
Simon: No Worcestershire sauce. I got the hickory Bar-B-Que sauce instead. And they don’t have purple ketchup which is a drag.
T: We love hot dogs.
Ladies and gentlemen, do not go to the street vendor at Harbord and St. George. There is no purple ketchup.
E: And there is no cheese. What is the deal with no cheese ?
T: I know, eh.
Tab: Yeah, I just started a new band with the guys from TAB and a member with BLACK WALL HITCH. It doesn’t really have a name. That is all I can think of right now.

That is good enough.
E: Okay. Let’s see. I’m in the CATHOLIC BOYS, HOLY SHIT, SLUDGIE McSTONER PANTS AND THE BONGRIDERS, TOTAL BORING, we’re all in the BLUE BALLS sometimes. ORANGE CUBES was mentioned. There’s more. I’M LOVED. We’re both in I’M LOVED. Tabman is in that too. Is there more ?
T: I’m in HOLY SHIT. I’m in the FUN TIME GUYS with Tabman over here mentioned previously. I’m in this band called the OPEN SORES, but we’re changing our name so for what it’s worth. That’s a pop band. And really that is currently the only bands. Three. I was in the FRAGMENTS. Eric and I were both in the FRAGMENTS.
So how did HOLY SHIT come together ? How did you guys form ? I’m assuming its because you guys are in a million other bands together.
E: It was back in Green Bay still.
T: I remember bothering Andy about starting a hardcore band. Tim was actually supposed to be in it at one point and I don’t know … I had bothered him and he said “Yeah” and Eric said “Yeah”…
E: Actually a funny story is that TOTAL BORING had a show with TAB two weeks before we started practicing so we both each wrote three songs. We did covers. We wrote songs that actually got used like “Drink Tab, Dropout”, “We’re Poor, Fuck You”, “Church vs. Alcohol”, those are all TOTAL BORING songs.
Tab: And a SIFFLIN HOLLY cover.
E: Yeah, that’s important. That was pre-HOLY SHIT.

How did HOLY SHIT happen from there? Accidentally?
T: Internet.
A: We have nothing to do with the internet.
T: Dude I am the internet.
E: You’re the internet? Well Paul is TV so you can be the internet.
A: Can I have liquor ? Do we have any big story behind HOLY SHIT ? Nope.
E: I can’t think of any.
A: No mysteries.
No stories ? Then where did you get the name ?
A: I had this working list of band names going, like a mile long. I actually have it here if you want to hear a bunch more. I thought of the name HOLY SHIT. I was like “Godamn it, I need to start a band named HOLY SHIT”, and every song is based around our name.

Who writes the lyrics ?
A: We all do, but Tabman does mainly I’d say.
And what are most of the songs about ?
Tab: My songs are emo. They all degrade myself.
E: Crybaby.
Tab: Rejection of life
E: Mostly about poseurs. That’s what it’s about. We hate them.
A: Poseurs are sissies.
Are there a lot of poseurs in Milwaukee ?
E: No not really. There is some.
T: There is this one guy. I won’t get into it.
Tab: He’s got a blue mohawk.
E: I have a mohawk right now.
Tab: That’s our agenda.
Awww let’s see, I am just skipping the questions….
A: Oh no, don’t skip questions. We’re ready for them
I don’t think you are. Tell us about the split cassette with TAB and how that came about?
A: Tabman I think you should take this one.
Tab: The split with TAB ? I don’t really know why that happened.
A: You probably know more about how the band TAB came about in general.
E: You are there manager.
Tab: I didn’t really have anything to do with it. I was Tabman, I talked to Nick of TAB on-line a few times and he thought I was Tabman because I collected guitar tabs or something like that …. (loads of laughter)…. He thought I was some guy who had the tabs to every song ever written.
T: Tabman has never actually played a guitar tab in his life.
Tab: I still had never met this guy and I was talking to him and he never asked me about it.

And what guitar tabs was he searching for ?
Tab: Apparently I must have brought up soda one night and he freaked out and said that he had been drinking Tab all of his life. Which I guess I believe.
E: Does he have cancer ? (they start making ralphing noises).
A: So this tape came about because we were both hardcore bands within a certain scene in Wisconsin that didn’t have a lot of hardcore bands….
E: …and all the other hardcore bands were total shit.
A: Well, yeah.
E: They are terrible. It’s like scream-o. It’s garbage.
A: It’s totally different. SELDON CRISIS had broken up at that point and so it was like us and TAB and so we figured “Godamn, we should just pull together a recording.”
And it was put out on a local tape label ?
A: Yeah, called Blank Tapes. It was started in Green Bay when we lived at the Blank House and there is a lot of releases on it at this point.
E: There is about 14 and it is all local except for one band and that’s the POTENTIAL JOHNS and that is one of the guy’s from THE REDS solo shit.
Tab: We have a lot of them with us so if you want to drive to Montreal….

This might not air for another month.
E: You can order it from….
T: The show in Toronto was fun. I got drunk. We could not find any weed.
E: We didn’t really look either.
T: We don’t do that.
E: No, Never.
Are there any other releases since the split cassette ?
Tab: We have a 7”, do you want one ?
E: We put it out ourselves.
T: It came out the day we left for tour.
Tab: Check it out. It’s yellow.
E: It’s called “What the Fuck ?”
T: Holy Shit! What the Fuck!
Tab: It’s got inserts. Not too much swearing.
T: We can’t do that.
Tab: No we can, but
E: We can swear the shit out of it….
Tab: … but not like fuckity fuck.
So this is brand new. What label is it on ?
Tab: It’s not on a label. It’s on HOLY SHIT.
There you go. How can people get a hold of
it ?
E: Use your address.
A: You can order it for $3.00 or $4.00 Canadian
T: Two toonies.
What about post paid ?
A: That’s fine. Well actually it’s $4.00 American post paid, but since we love Canadians so godamn much we will allow it to be $4.00 Canadian post paid.
(Simon starts saying something about how American dollars are easy to come, but we can’t really make out what he is saying because he has hot dog stuffed in his mouth)
A: Simon Harvey gave us a little tip here that you should send us U.S. cash please. $4.00 to 2658 North Booth Street / Milwaukee, WI / 53212 / USA.
And do you have an e-mail address ?
T: Yes it’ holysheeyit@yahoo.com
Tab: A question I have been meaning to ask for some time now is why all the extra letters.
T: Tabman ?
Tab: What ?
T: Do you realize how hard it is to get Holy Shit for a fuckin’ e-mail address ?
E: Won’t they let you have a swear word ?
T: Of course they will let you have a swear word, it is just taken by porn people, I mean not that we are not porn people, but you just can’t get a….that’s why our website is holyshitexclamationpoint.com
Tab: That’s all spelled out.
T: Yeah. Exclamation point is two words but no spaces.
A: That’s right all one word.
E: Holy Shit is also two words no spaces.
T: Together it is four words. You know what, you can’t do an exclamation point on a URL thing-y.
(busts out to an incomprehensible back and forth about exclamation points)
T: Why ? because. Why ? because. The CATHOLIC BOYS have a website too and it is really great. You should look for it. (this degenrates into some kind of laughing fits about swastikas)
Is there anything else you guys want to say after all this wonderful informative information?
E: Ah no.
A: Informative information. Information of the informative variety in Canada. I love Canada.
T: I really do. Hot Dogs for two Canadian dollars.
E: It’s one coin. Stick to your script, godman it.
A: The Jamieson’s cheaper.
E: Yeah by about a dollar.
T: We are drinking really shitty Canadian whiskey and it is really good in the U.S.
A: we actually dumped a quarter of a pint of Corbey’s Canadian right before we crossed the border.
E: But then they just asked us if we were all in the same family and the driver said “yes” and they didn’t even I.D. us.
A: Ha ha, we’re not a family. “Here’s the story of a band named Holy Shit” (to the Brady Bunch theme).
I think we are done. Thanks everybody. We posted up a photo album's worth opf pictrues on our myspace site.

Flyer - Friday, May 7th, 2004

Zine - EXD, VOLUME 4, ISSUE 3

This issue came out in May 2004. The issue starts off with an interview of Rammer. Hands Down were also interviewed for this issue. Daragh Hayes and Nate Smith interview Vivisick. I also got to interview Rodrigo about Intensity from Malmo, Sweden. We spoke to Colin Geddes about his Kung Fu Fridays screenings. There are columns, reviews, gossip, show listings and a movie review of the Revolution Will Not be Televised.

Radio - Sunday, April 25, 2004

THE ENDLESS BLOCKADE - Timebomb (CIUT)
THE ENDLESS BLOCKADE - Uprise (CIUT)THE ENDLESS BLOCKADE - Therapy through Violence (CIUT)
THE ENDLESS BLOCKADE - Haymaker vs Manowar (CIUT)
THE ENDLESS BLOCKADE - Barely Legal (CIUT)
THE ENDLESS BLOCKADE - Demographics / Dead Ends / Black Economy (CIUT)
THE ENDLESS BLOCKADE - Fuck the 51st (CIUT)
THE ENDLESS BLOCKADE - I Don't Give a Fuck About You (CIUT)
THE ENDLESS BLOCKADE - Cyber Stabbed in the Virtual Back / Face the Yawnbringer (CIUT)
THE ENDLESS BLOCKADE - Mothra (CIUT)
THE ENDLESS BLOCKADE - The Endless Blockade (CIUT)
THE ENDLESS BLOCKADE - Interview (CIUT)

Interview: Behind Enemy Lines

We spoke to Dave Trenga, the singer for BEHIND ENEMY LINES, on the April 18^t, 2004. He spoke to us from Pittsburgh.

Can you tell us about the song “Behind Enemy Lines”. Is that where the name for the band come from ?

Actually we came up with the name of the band first and wrote a song about the meaning behind the band name, which was basically just living in this country and having the kind of political views that we have and definitely being in the minority, not just within American society but also within the punk scene here which has moved away from the politics and just the fact that people feel like they have a choice of whether they want to acknowledge the kind of oppressive system we live under, like if they turn their back on it they are immune to it, which isn’t the case. We are just pointing out that we are behind enemy lines and whether we want to deal with these problems or not they are still there. By ignoring them we are still just as oppressed as anybody else we might as well face up to it.

I want to talk a bit about some of the things you are writing about but first I want to ask you about how BEHIND ENEMY LINES came together ? How did the band form ?

We formed from the ashes of AUS ROTTEN. AUS ROTTEN kind of split into two at the end. Me and the drummer we decided to still work together. We were working well and were good friends and we just wanted to do something else along the same lines so we started BEHIND ENEMY LINES and a couple of friends of ours from Connecticut had moved to Pittsburgh. We started working with them and formed BEHIND ENEMY LINES.

And where did the other members go ?

The other members are doing a band called CAUSTIC CHRIST.

How long have you been together for now ?

Over three years. I think it’s coming up on four years.

The first CD entitled “Know Your Enemy” came out on Tribal War. How did that come about ? I guess AUS ROTTEN had released some material on Tribal War. Was it sort of a continuation of that ?

Yeah we worked with Tribal War for years. Neil

is an old friend of ours and he supported what AUS ROTTEN was about. The politics he was always really into and we had a good relationship with Neil so he offered to do the first BEHIND ENEMY LINES and so we went with him for that.

Is this the second CD - “The Global Cannibal”. That’s the second CD ?

Yeah.

It is on a label called Antagony Media. I have never heard of the label before.

Right well we are the first release on this label.

So who is behind the label and how did the release come about ?

It is started by a friend down here in Pittsburgh named Jorge and he worked with different labels for years and wanted to start one up of his own and really was into what BEHIND ENEMY LINES was about –  thepolitics and especially with the timing with what has been going on in this country. He was really supportive of what we are doing. He offered to put this out. He is obviously close to Pittsburgh here and he has been really good about letting us pretty much have a lot of hands on with the label. I work really closely with him with the label right now.

What is the idea behind “The Global Cannibal” ? From the cover it looks like a grim reaper like serpent spilling blood out of an oil tank. Is it a comment on the U.S.’s insatiable thirst for oil ?

Yeah, definitely. It is a drawing that our drummer, Matt, had done. He had made a few drawings for this album and the song the “Global Cannibal”. We focused a lot on this album with just what has been going on in this country since the Bush administration took office and obviously it has been a big concern for the world. The administration has gotten away with so many things since they came to power here.

I guess you guys started right about when they came in ?

Yeah, it was around then. One of the songs on the first album was about Bush and how little did we know how bad things were going to get here. The country has moved backwards 50 years in almost every aspect of American life…

That’s the song “Setting Things Right Again”.

Yeah, from the first one. With the “Global Cannibal” we focused a lot with what has been happening in this country since then with the so called “War on Terrorism” and the War on Iraq and everything that has been going on here with the Patriot Act.

It’s a war on civilians. What are some of the things you sing about ? When I was looking through the lyrics I was trying to figure out some of the things you cover. There is i) Right Wing Politics with “Setting Things Right Again”, ii) Foreign Policy with “American Made Death Squad”, and “Out of Sight, Out of Mind”, iii) Domestic Assault with “Why Does She Stay ?”, iv) the gap between rich and poor with “Growing Wealth Gap”, v) Religion with “Hooked on Christ”, “Army of God”, and “The Cure”; vi) War with “The Global Cannibal”, and “Devastated”, vii) Pro- Choice with “Her Body, Her Decision ?”, viii) World Hunger with “The Politics of Hunger”, ix) Globalization with “Non-Lethal Weapons”, and x) just general Activism with “Light It Up”, “Murder at G8 Summit”, “Voice of Dissent”, and “Dogmatic Slumber”. What are some of the things that you are trying to get out there message-wise ?

Well in this country here, there is definitely a huge absence of what is really happening in the world. The American media is obviously very corporate owned and it’s a big problem for people to know what is happening in the world and how the rest of the world perceives this country. And have any shred of how this administration has been conducting themselves. So we focused a lot on just covering the issues as we see them happening and trying to shed some light on the things that have been happening here instead of just going along with everything that we seem to do.

Are you the principle lyric writer ?

Yeah.

In terms of lyrics I noticed that you either write about specific topics or sometimes you get into some overall condemning passages like the song “Advancing the Cause”. I was trying to figure out what that song is about and it just seems to be like you are venting spleen, you know. You are just rife with anger and you are just letting it all out. Which style do you prefer ?

This album was a big reaction to what was going on around me fuelled by my anger. That song specifically I wrote about everything I saw going on after September 11th here and the fact that the people who were yelling about it the loudest were supposedly most effected by it have just been exploiting it for their own political gain. People like Jerry Falwell, who I mention in the song specifically made outrageous comments immediately after September 11th, just blaming abortion doctors and the gay and lesbian movement in this country saying that it’s all those kind of things that brought god’s wrath to bear down and cause September 11th . We have the Bush administration rushing the “Patriot Act” through congress without anybody knowing what the hell was in it. Things like that just make this tragedy allow them to pass things that they have been working on for years.

I am going to ask you to highlight one of your songs from a lyrical standpoint that might be your favourite or one that you think that you really expressed well.

On the new album. “Her Body, Her Decision”. That song is really important now because it’s also a big fight that is going on here with Bush getting into office and this country is very close to losing reproductive freedom for women.

The Roe vs. Wade case.

Since Bush has come in he has been appointing the most ridiculous people to appellate court judgeship. People who have the mentality of cavemen. It is unreal the type of statements these people make and they are giving them lifetime judgeships into these important courts.

The Supreme Courts?

He hasn’t appointed anyone into the Supreme Court yet, but into the appellate court. Some people, like I said who have the mentality of cavemen. These judges that have made these outrageous statements like this one judge who claimed that women who are having menstrual cramps should quote scripture.

Oh yeah.

Yeah. There was another judge who said abortion shouldn’t be legal because….and here specifically talking about instances with rape and how he made a comparison saying that women become pregnant as a result of rape about as often as it snows in Florida, which is obviously a ludicrous statement. These are the types of people they are pushing through and stacking the courts with, in an attempt to …. The Supreme Court here only sees so many cases per year, so if they can stack the appellate court with these types of people they can restrict a lot of abortion laws and ….

…that sets precedent for common law, which is what becomes law. Is there an underlying philosophy that motivates a message for BEHIND ENEMY LINES ?

I don’t know if there is an underlying philosophy, it’s just the lyrics are written about what I see going on around me. Mostly things that upset me or anger me with the world, mostly now with this country because there has been so much going on.

Okay I want to ask you a bit about Pittsburgh. What is the scene like there ?

The punk scene is really good here. There are a lot of great people here. It’s a young scene.

What bands do you play with ?

A couple of my favourites are this band called KROOKED GRIND and APHASIA. There is tons of bands right now and the scene is so big to the point where there is a lot of sub-scenes, you know. There is a really great place – a DIY venue that has been here for 4 or 5 years now called the Mr. Roboto Project and it’s the place where most bands that tour through Pittsburgh, like DIY punk bands will play. When it did open up it was the first time Pittsburgh had a DIY punk collectively run space.

That’s awesome.

Yeah definitely good. Created some great things in Pittsburgh and it’s a good space because people will just go there and they have fun and people get along. I have never been to a show there where there has ever been a problem.

That sounds cool. How can people get in touch with the band ?

We have a web page right now. It has been worked on and somebody else is going to finish it up for us. Just bare with it because there is not much up there right now. It’s www.wearebehindenemylines.com. You could write to us, too. It’s P.O. Box 42341 / Pittsburgh, PA / 15203 / USA.

Motherfuckers "Classless Society" CD

The Motherfuckers were a 5-piece for this release as well. Rich Williams (RIP) played lead guitar and Jay Misery joined on bass. There were 500 CDs made and the songs on here are:

1. Classless Society

2. God Pissed in my Beer

3. She's the Only One

4. Nervous Wreck

5. Punk Like Skabby

6. Ordinary People

7. Enduring Freedom

8. Old No. 7

9. Pass By Me

10. What About My Needs?

Flyer - Friday, April 9th, 2004