we’ve scrapped our july european tour with code orange kids.
after getting the boot off fluff fest it just kind of didn’t make sense to go during that time frame. fluff fest is the biggest hardcore festival in europe, so it was a big deal to lose the “cornerstone” of our tour. we (just us, not COK) still might be doing JUST the UK instead, but nothing is definite as of right now. this is the second time we’ve had “definite” plans to come overseas and the second time we’ve gotten screwed.
code orange kids has something else in the works. as predicted that band is taking over hardcore in 2012 so get the fuck on board if you haven’t yet.
for the record the reason we got the boot off fluff fest was because of some patriotic shirts we wore for a show we played on the 4th of july. this was about 3 years ago and was our 2nd or 3rd show. the shirts were some corny thrift store looking shit, much like you’d find at a rest stop in the middle of west virignia or something. they were worn for nothing but complete sarcastic value, as none of us hold any nationalism or absurdly overly-patriotic views. they also thought the zodiac killer was a klansman for some reason.
theres a million other things that we’d like to say on the subject but we’ll just leave it at that. another big thank you to niclas from no decline for trying to make this work for us.
fill up our box with some bullshit/see you when we see you
25th March 2012
Notes: 25
heres a video of us playing bangarangs in cincinnati. shot by george forste.
hey thank you for this question. first i want to say that i think its cool we’ve been kind of a gateway/transitional band for you to get into hardcore. even if a year from your now you change your mind about us at least we served as some sort of stepping stone for you to get your foot in the door. makes it seem like we’ve served a greater purpose.
as far as diseased goes, we haven’t played it live in almost a year and half and i can safely say we probably wont ever play it again.
not because we’re cowards and aim to adhere to the criticism of the faceless bowels of the internet, but because there is a legitimate issue of liability with the way it was worded. marty recognized that a long time ago.
in terms of addressing it, we’ve done it several times on most of the major hardcore “outlets”, including interviews that have been posted on this very blog. i just feel like at this point for a song thats 2 years old we shouldnt have to step out of our way to explain it anymore. the people that actually care about the issue should have the will talk to us about it in person, or at least shoot us an email. we’re not posers, we go to shows and we’re approachable people.
stepping up onto a virtual soapbox and casting down judgement upon a group of individuals you’ve never met (and directing it to everyone BUT them) speaks volumes to me about your true intentions. if an admittance of error and not playing the song isn’t a good enough resolution for you, than we’re sorry but its all we can offer.
and on top of this, in being completely honest with you, musically its not one of our finer efforts.
after our full length drops, any songs that aren’t on that and the “walls” 7inch probably wont get any playing time live.
as soon as we get back from tour all attention will be put into writing our first full length. it will be coming out on six feet under records hopefully around may 2012.
we’ll also be going to europe in july with code orange kids.
Here’s an interview we did for IT’S STILL OKAY NOT TO DRINK FANZINE, an Australia hardcore fanzine.
———————
Yo could you introduce who you are and what you do in band?
p: my names pat and i play guitar
m: I’m Marty and I sing
First off could give a history of the band and how the Agitator came about?
p:i had just moved back from boston after a failed relationship and my parents had moved from doylestown to pottstown. my car was on the fritz (as it always seems to be) and i knew there were these dudes up around this area that drove to hardcore shows so i started getting rides from them and we started hanging out. they all played instruments so eventually i showed them these songs i had written and the band took off from there.
You guys a very outspoken straight edge band, was this always the aim when you guys started out?
p:yeah, we all agreed if we were going to be a straight edge band we were going to do it right and keep it at the forefront of what the band was about. i think we’ve kept that sentiment true so far.
Personally what keeps you loyal to the grave?
p:its easy. being straight edge is easy. if you claim straight edge you shouldn’t have a problem staying that way. it just a logical way to live your life.
m: My dad was an alcoholic and killed himself. The same thing happened with a neighbor. Another neighbor overdosed on heroin. My uncle was a heroin addict. Growing up around this stuff made me see that it was something I never wanted anything to do with.
Continuing on how did you first get introduced to hardcore?
p:ive been through all sorts of phases; metalcore phase, token middle school punk phase (nofx, pennywise, bad religion), ska phase haha. all those things are interconnected so its only natural you discover hardcore through growing up listening to that kind of stuff.
m: I listened to Operation Ivy, Bad Religion, and NOFX a lot in junior high and then some people I knew went to local metalcore shows so I started going along and then got into metalcore. From that I started so see some hardcore bands and realized it was something awesome.
You guys just released a new 7” on Six Feet Under, how did you get hooked up with them? And how has the 7” been received?
p: six feet under is cool cause that is a label that has some of my favorite hardcore bands on it.its one of the best labels in hardcore without a doubt. bob wilson from let down/mother of mercy put in a word with dave sausage who runs sfu, so thats how that happened. we’ve seem to have gotten a really positive response to the record which is great. i consider that record to be our best effort yet, musically and lyrically.
How was playing TIHC? And what was it like to be able to give back to Joe by playing the benefit show alongside Floorpunch and The Wrongside among others?
p: playing this is hardcore is is always an honor. when you’re in a hardcore band, playing this is hardcore is usually the number one thing you aspire to do. playing his benefit show was great not only because of how awesome the lineup was, but like you said we were able to give back a bit to a guy who has helped out this band more than anyone.
There has been a lot of controversy around some of the lyrics especially >diseased< , how have you dealt with it? And what would you say to people who misinterpret your lyrics?
p:the way i interpreted the lyrics when i read them, was that the lines about date rape in that song were suppose to mean that putting yourself in compromising situations (like drinking in excess around strangers) could increase the risk of something like date rape happening. thats not saying its your fault for it happening, obviously its not and never would be. but at the end of the day you cant control others actions, you can only control your own. the ending lines about blaming yourself; well who else would you have to blame if you ended up pregnant or with a disease? take some responsibility for your actions. and thats not ‘slut shaming’ thats just common sense. dont get me wrong, i think people should fuck whoever they want, when they want, as many times as they want: live the life you want to live…just accept the terms and the risk that come with it (and that sentiment goes for drinking, drugs, ect).
m: I think sleeping around is dumb and the girl was making me mad with the stories she would tell about going to parties and then getting drunk and waking up not knowing where her underwear was. It’s unfortunate that people read the line about how a pill could be slipped in her drink and then reading the last line of the song and then thinking I blame the victim. I meant it as a warning of what could happen. When I say “I hope you know you only have yourself to blame” I’m trying to say that the only person she has to blame is herself for the shame she’ll feel when she realizes she was making bad decisions. A lot of people are claiming I’m a misogynist for writing this song, but I’m not singling out woman. I think it’s stupid for guys to do the same thing. If people are going to hate the song, I would at least like them to hate it for the right reason. I respect women, so when a girl doesn’t respect herself then it disappoints me.
On the new record you have a song called >Force Fed Lies< could you explain what inspiration for lyrics?
m: I picked that title because the song is about a band that was straight edge and forced it down people’s throats and then all but one of them broke edge, so they were essentially feeding everyone lies. The band was called Force Fed, so it’s also a literal title in the sense that everything they said turned out to be untrue. This band was important to me because it was a group of guys my age from my area that all believed the same things that I did about straight edge. I went to as many of their shows as I could and I put a lot of time and effort into supporting that band, so when they broke edge it was like a slap in the face.
What does the future hold for Agitator? Can we expect an Australian tour anytime soon?
p: a full length, some sort of new release in 2012. a euro tour at some point. no australia unfortunately…believe me theres nothing more id like to do than tour australia!
Any shout outs or thank yous?
p: six feet under records, harvcore records, john bowes and cold cuts merch.
m: Check out Beware and Black Feathers (http://blackfeatherspa.bandcamp.com/)
hitting canada before our tour with wrong answer, reblog if you’re a canadian!
please reblog
