MODERN GUILT - Ethic & Integrity (SxE Hardcore - Interview with Peter Bader - Vocals)
How did it all begin ?
We’ve all been involved in HC and in bands since our early teens and tried various directions of music from Metallic HC through different types of punk and fast HC, on to to post HC and alternative related genres. You can easily say that this is a lifetime commitment for all of us.
Thomas and I were in Eyes Shut, Subject to Change, and The Change. Thomas was also in Another Reason. Per is in Division of Laura Lee and Pablo Matisse; he was in several outfits in the '90s like Ultimate Concern and Outstand. The three of us had Out of Vogue a few years back. Mattias and I are in Sharp Tongues, and he’s currently in Obstruktion, Disavow, and was in Anchor. There’s a bunch more, but I guess this is already more than enough to mention, haha!
In recent years, I've had an on-and-off yearning to do a straightforward edge band. I got some of my best straight edge friends, Thomas and Mattias, on board and got it going. We needed a guitarist; Per is our oldest friend with the biggest straight edge tattoo and an okay guitarist (we don’t tell him he’s actually great). Plus, he needed to get back on the Edge-train, so we took him in as a SXE prospect.
Describe your sound and explain why I should listen to YOUR band at all costs ?
Our sound is very '80s style HC, mixing West Coast OC HC sounds like Uniform Choice with East Coast '88 youth crew and throwing in some late '80s Cali punk melodic vibes. One of my favorite albums ever is Bad Religion "No Control", so drawing some influences from that album here and there. I think the style and the mix become quite unique in its own kind of generic way, and we’re not trying to blend in with the raw sound of today, even if I love that. We’re doing our own thing, trying to get people excited by our energy and the Straight Edge topic !
Lyrical and musical inspirations/influences ? How important are the lyrics for you ? Are there any specific messages or thoughts you try to develop and share through your lyrics ?
Lyrics are important ! More so the message and sing-along parts than trying to be too poetic. We explore a range of topics, with straight edge being the main standpoint. We are all vegetarians and still think that’s an important topic. But it’s also impossible to avoid touching on global matters since the world is messed up in so many ways.
About your latest release ? Future plans ?
We just released our demo "1000 Miles," and we have two songs coming out on the "Greetings from Sweden" compilation on Quarantined Rec. We recorded different parts in different places, mainly my home studio, "Mortgage Studios," and Welfare Sounds Studios, where Per spent most of his time recording bands. We did a limited release of our demo featuring Peanuts and friends that was sold as a bundle with a tee on the same topic. That was fun, it sold out in a couple of hours! There’s still a couple of regular cassettes left that can be ordered via our Bandcamp, also streams on the usual places.
We are currently writing and about to record for a 7” EP that will come out in September. Still working on the record label details, so can’t really go deeper into that until all is confirmed.
Your most insane dream with the band would be ?
To get Ian McKaye for a guest vocal feature ! (How awesome it would be ! Ed.)
Your BEST & WORST concert and why ? Next live-appearance(s) ?
Well, we’ve only done 1/3 of a show so far when we crashed my other band Sharp Tongues' set for a few songs. We have a bunch of shows booked this summer and fall - So raincheck on that one.
Some words on your local scene - bands you're friends with and you'd like to name ?
Check out the "Greetings from Sweden" comp, it has some great Swedish bands on there. There are a lot of awesome Swedish bands at the moment - The scene is crazy at the moment. But to name a couple of my favs: Bulls Shitt & Sidestep from Gothenburg are rad! Existence, Feels like heaven, Speedway, Give today and Nowheres are all top notch outfits that everyone should check out!
Last word is yours..
It’s nice to be important, but it’s important to be nice! Keep it real, Straight Edge rules and thanks for the interview.
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