Basics first. Who are you and what do you do?
My name is Nathan. I am the supreme ruler and overlord over all that is xTRUEx (record label, distro, show promotion) as well as a dad. I was also in a buttload of bands from the late 90's into the mid-2000's, but nobody outside of Alberta cares about any of them or which ones they were anyway.
How did xTRUEx come about?
I had just moved from Calgary to Edmonton, and I didn't really "know" enough people to start a band yet. I still wanted to be a part of the scene in some way, shape, or form, and I noticed that the only other dude running a distro in town basically just had Facedown bands and a few other random Christian things, so I decided I'd try my hand at it. Eventually the distro sort of evolved and took on a mind of its own, and I started to think "Geez... I should make my own records so that other people can have them in THEIR distros!" Those were the famous last words. January 2006 we put out our first record, and have been sporadically releasing things ever since.
Any upcoming releases the people of the internet should know about?
There's a bunch of stuff just over the horizon, including a Cope/St. Gilles collaborative 10" (maybe 12"... depends on how long the tracks end up being), a sort of "discography" for Kali (whom I still maintain are Red Deer's only good band), a Cope/Brain Fever split some time in the future, a theoretical Cope/Goose split that may or may not ever see the light of day, as well as a tentative split between Unrestrained and Unrestrained (PDX and VT, respectively). Other things are sort of "in the works" as they say, and may or may not pan out so I'll bite my tongue on those ones for now.
Vegan and straight edge. How long have you been and have any of your viewpoints on the two changed over the years?
I've been vegan for around 14 years now, and I just had my ten year edgiversary this most recent December. From what I can tell, I don't think my viewpoints have really changed. At least not as they pertain to me, personally. Maybe at some point I may have adjusted how I treat other people in regards to these things, but the reasons I adopted both of them in the first place are still valid. At some point I think I realized that I didn't have to shove it down other peoples' throats, that I could just live my life by example and hope that other people caught on. I still have very vocal standpoints on many issues (veganism and straight edge not being the least of them) but they're presented more in a fashion of "these are the facts I have, this is how I interpret them, I think it would be really cool if you re-examined your values and made your own decisions now that you have this new information" rather than "IF YOU'RE NOT LIKE ME, THEN FUCK! YOU!" I do have a soft spot in my heart for over-the-top political commentary and near-zealous fervor, but I'd be lying to myself if I said that I wanted to confront everyone all the time. I'd rather take an intellectual standpoint and have a casual conversation than shove things down peoples' throats....Usually.
What is it like being a hardcore dad?
It's friggin' tiring. Hahahahaha. You always hear about how much energy kids have, but you never really know until you see it in front of you all day long. They're not just like that at the park or when they're out playing, it's ALL THE TIME. Between a full-time job during the day and taking care of my son during the evening so my wife can work or go to school (depending on the day) I'm surprised I accomplish ANYthing music-related. So if you're out there and reading this and I sent your mailorder stuff out a week late, please accept my apologies. I probably fell asleep writing your address label.
Favorite Propagandhi album?
It's funny, my wife and I were talking about this just the other day. There will always be a soft spot in my heart for How To Clean Everything, since it was when I first heard them... oh, and it also has Who Will Help Me Bake This Bread, which makes me simultaneously happier, sadder, angrier, more at peace, and more anxious than any other song in the world... but I acknowledge from a technical/lyrical/conceptual/musical standpoint that everything else they did after that was far superior. I dunno, man... it's like... they're one of the ONLY bands out there that consistently get better with age. Each record tops the last somehow. I don't understand it. I LOVE IT, but I don't understand it.
I know a few years ago Edmonton was considered to have a more violent scene (by some peoples standards) than the rest of Western Canada? Do you have any comment about violence in the hardcore scene?
I'm pretty sure I know exactly what incident (out of two possibles - both of which, coincidentally, did not occur *in* Edmonton) has caused people to think that, and I can honestly say that outside of those two instances, Edmonton is not a "violent scene" in any way, shape, or form. In the 7'ish years or so that I've lived here, I have not seen a single fight at an all-ages show. Not even so much as a scuffle.
With that being said...
That is exactly how I like it. Fighting is fucking stupid. Flat out. Period. While hardcore is obviously aggressive music, there is a colossal difference between channeling that aggression positively and letting it out negatively. I've put a lot of thought into what I would do if I ever actually did see a fight break out at one of my shows, and it can be broken down "play-by-play" if you will.
1) Obviously, break it up.
2) If the combatants are unwilling to settle their differences in a mature, non-violent manner, they will be made an example of.
3) I will actually get on the mic, and proclaim to everyone that "EVERYone should be able to feel safe in our scene. Under NO circumstances should anyone have to fear being attacked, and this behaviour is unacceptable. You have ONE chance to make up - and that is right now. In front of everyone. You don't have to like eachother, but you have to respect eachother and treat eachother with dignity. If anyone -- and I mean ANYONE, I don't care who you are, what band you're in, how long you've been around -- continues this fight, you will be unwelcome at any of my shows. I will not sell you any records. You will be refused entry to any event I'm involved in. I will never book any of your bands. Not only that, but I will encourage other promoters to do the same. As far as I am concerned, this is zero tolerance. I want nothing to do with small-minded petty bickering. You have a choice to make, so make it wisely and make it now."
Now, I know it sounds rather silly and grandiose, and I don't claim to be the end-all, be-all of hardcore, but I think it is a great example of letting people know that their actions have consequences, which is one of the most important lessons anyone can learn.
What's good in 2010 hardcore?
Sooooooooo many good things. Obviously, all the bands I'm working with are great, so I'll try and weed out my nepotistic tendencies by just saying check out ALL the bands I'm putting stuff out for.
But man... MAUS... they are set to destroy everything and everyone in 2010. If you haven't checked them out yet, go do it now. http://www.myspace.com/mausedmonton
Voices seem to be (excuse the pun) finding their own voice and starting to make some really interesting new stuff. http://www.myspace.com/voiceshc
Todos Caeran used to be called two or three different other things and morphed from being a more-or-less youth crew band into something of a more Revolution-Summer'y/DC emo'ish sort of band. It's neat watching kids grow up. http://www.myspace.com/radicallyadvanced
Jeff x Spicoli are just fucking fast. And then more fast. And even more fast. ...And then some surf for some reason? But then even more fast. http://www.myspace.com/jeffxspicoli
No Problem is some of the dudes from Wednesday Night Heroes and High Jinks doing an LA punk kinda Germs'esque deal and it fucking rules. http://www.myspace.com/noproblempunx
Getting a bit further outside of my backyard, there are SO many good new bands right now... honestly the best thing in 2010 hardcore is whatever's going on in your own scene, in your own town. Nurture it. Love it. Help it grow. ...And then send them out our way so we can finally have more bands touring through here. Hahaha.
Your ultimate burrito. Name it, what's in it?
I was reading your older blog interviews and hoping that you'd ask me this...
Anyone who knows me knows my love for burritos, but also my insatiable hunger for Mediterranean food. I've created a hybrid cuisine that I call "Mediterexican", where you combine foods from both cultures. The premier star of this concept is the burafel -- 50% burrito, 50% falafel, 200% delicious.
Basically, it's black beans with crushed up falafel patties, tomatoes, olives, and hummus (and tahini, if you happen to have some on-hand, which I never seem to at the right time). It can either exist in a pita or a tortilla, but my favourites are the curry-flavoured masala tortillas that add a little bit of extra zing, and yet another aspect to the flavour.
I know... right now you're reading out there either saying "He's a madman... A MADMAN!!" or "That sounds friggin' delicious! I'm gonna make me one of those!"
Hopefully more of the latter than the former.
Any last words?
What? Am I being executed or something?
But no, in all seriousness, thanks so much for the interview. Usually nobody cares what I have to say about anything. I wish I could do more of these. Hahaha.
Oh... and: Remember kids, use your voices, not your fists.
