FIRST OF ALL, CAN YOU INTRODUCE YOURSELF AND OTHER PEOPLE
INVOLVED IN STORY CALLED NEVER SURRENDER?
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My name is Porcell, I sing for the band, the others are Donny on guitar,
Daniel on bass, and Alex on drums. I've played in hardcore bands for a long time, so has Al, we both played in Shelter
together before starting this band. The others are new kids from upstate NY, where I live now.
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HOW LONG DOES EXIST THIS BAND
AND WHERE DID IDEA TO FORM NEW BAND COME FROM?
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The band's been together since last year. After quitting Shelter I just
found myself writing poems and lyrics in a journal that I carried around
with me 24 hours a day. Writing has always been a way to let my emotions
out, so a lot of the stuff I was writing down was very personal and
heartfelt, and somehow it just snowballed into a band. So live it's a
very emotional experience for me to sing the lyrics.
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SO, DOES IT MEAN THAT YOU`RE
(PORCELL) NOT A PART OF SHELTER ANYMORE? CAN YOU TELL
US WHAT REASONS LED YOU TO CALL IT QUITS PLAYING IN SHELTER
AND WORKING WITH RAY CAPPO?
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No, I haven't been in Shelter in years. I just wasn't inspired by the
band anymore. I had loved playing in Shelter during the 90's, but somehow
over the years I just wasn't feeling the spark anymore, and it turned into
more of a "job," which is never why I did music in the first place. The
stuff between me and Ray is personal, so I'll just leave it at that.
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CORRECT ME IF I AM WRONG, BUT
IT SEEMS TO ME THAT THIS IS THE FIRST BAND IN WHICH YOU
ARE LEADING VOCAL? SO, HOW DOES IT FEEL TO BE THE "FRONTMAN"
OF THE BAND?
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I actually sang for the short lived ultra straight edge band Project X,
which is what got me into the idea of singing in the first place. I
actually love singing, playing guitar is hard because you have to
concentrate on playing correctly and keeping the song together, but
when you sing you're freed up to just let the music take you over and let everything
out.
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WHERE DOES COME FROM COOPERATION
WITH GUYS FROM AMERICAN NIGHTMARE?
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I lived in Boston for years so I knew those guys from around town, and
when we were recording in DC they played a show and came to the studio
afterwards to check it out, so they sang the backups. Wes's voice is sick, you
can definitely hear him on those gang vocals.
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CAN YOU TELL US MORE ABOUT LYRICS?
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The lyrics are a reflection of what's going on in my head and in my
life. The songs are definitely inspired by my spiritual path, but they're
filtered through my emotions and realizations so they come across more personal
than preachy.
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AFTER SO MANY GOOD SONGS THAT YOU WROTE IN PAST
FIFTEEN YEARS, WHERE DO YOU FIND INSPIRATION FOR
WRITING NEW SONGS?
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I've always been a pretty introspective guy, and I probably think way
too much about everything! Seriously, I could easily write a song a day,
there's always something to wonder about if you're thoughtful.
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SO, AT THE MOMENT WHAT ARE YOU DOING? DID YOU PLAN
TO COME OVER HERE IN EUROPE AND PLAY SOME TOURS?
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I would love to, I really want to get a tour organized with Face the
Enemy, I'm sure at some point we'll be playing Europe, and I'm psyched up for
it!
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I WAS JUST THINKING HOW, MORE OR LESS, ALL BANDS
YOU WERE PLAYING IN INFLUENCED NOT ONLY MUSICALLY SO
MANY OLD AND NEW BANDS, BUT ALSO SO MANY PEOPLE`S
LIVES AND THEIR ATTITUDES. HOW DOES IT FEEL TO BE THE
PERSON WHO BROUGHT NEW SHAPE OF HC AND NEW WAY OF
THINKING ON HC SCENE? HOW DOES IT LOOK TO YOU NOW
AFTER ALL THOSE YEARS?
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Honestly, I don't like to take credit for the impact that the bands
had, I think the message was bigger than all of us. Really I just think that
straight edge, vegetarianism and positive, spiritual living was just an
idea who's time had come, and we were just the instruments of that idea. It
was the right place at the right time.
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OK, LET`S GO BACK TO WHERE IT ALL BEGAN. YOU SEEM
TO BE THE RIGTH PERSON TO MAKE PARALLEL BETWEEN THE
EIGHTIES AND NEW MILLENIUM. DO YOU SEE SOME
DIFFERENCIES ON MUSICAL SCENE BETWEEN WHEN YOU FIRST
STARTED PLAYING HC AND NOW?
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Well, punk in general is way way bigger now than when I was a teenager.
Due to the huge influence of bands like Green Day, Blink 182 and the
Offspring, punk is a household word now, it's practically mainstream. When I
showed up to junior high school with bleached hair and a skateboard, I was
practically run out of the school for being a freak! Now every kid has dyed hair,
skates and listens to Sum 41, go figure!
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SO, WHERE DO YOU SEE HC IN FUTURE?
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Hardcore will never get that mainstream because it's just too damn
brutal and honest. Most people want to escape reality instead of face it, and
hardcore flies in the face of that, which is what I like about it.
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AND WHAT ABOUT S.E. IF WE ALL LOOK AT SO MANY
DIFFERENT BANDS IN THE PAST, IT SEEMS TO ME THAT IT
WAS MORE OR LESS JUST A PHASE INTO SO MANY PEOPLE`S
LIVES, WHAT ABOUT YOU? ARE YOU STILL INTO HARE KRISHNA
PHILOSOPHY?
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I'm still straight edge, vegetarian and a Krishna devotee. True till
death...
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OK, LET`S GO ON SOMETHING THAT IS VERY ACTUAL?
YOUR ATTITUDE ABOUT WAR ON IRAQ AND "TERRORISM"?
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I don't think there's a political solution to anything. Basically
people treat each other horribly in this world because they are spiritually
bankrupt and don't realize that what they do to others, they do to
themselves. So the solution is ultimately spiritual, not political.
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THAT WOULD BE ALL FOR THIS TIME. THANX VERY MUCH FOR
YOUR TIME.ANY CLOSING WORDS OR MESSAGE FOR BREAKING
THE SILENCE RADIO SHOW`S LISTENERS?
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Check out the new straight edge website
I'm doing, www.truetilldeath.com,
it will be up and running in about 2 weeks. Take care!
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