BAND: With Increase
MUSIC STYLE: Melodic/Post Hardcore (done right fool)
HOME TOWN: Tampa, FL
FACEBOOK BANDCAMP BIGCARTEL

Q: With Increase has been around for a while, how far does the band go back and how did it get its start?

Travis - With Increase started in 2008 as a not very good tough guy mosh band that Paul, Justin and I started while we were in high school. We’ve been through several line up changes, stylistic changes, and a name change to get to what With Increase is now.

Justin - Doug our bassist joined early 2009 and our newest addition to the band is Will, our vocalist, who joined this past spring of 2011.

Will - Hi! I actually don’t know our bands history, haaa. I’m still the new kid.

Q: So I know that With Increase had a full length out a couple of years ago, and I think you guys went through some lineup changes, now you have an EP out. How has the band changed musically between albums?

Justin - Since we’ve had a cycle of members come and go, each new member brought a different flavor to the mix. The band’s sound has definitely matured over the past 2-3 years. Our biggest goal was to play melodic hardcore, which is something we feel like we’ve not only done but have been able to grow in our writing. We actually have never had a full length out, we do have 3 EPs under our belt and a split we put out with Strengthen What Remains, which was our first release ever (good luck trying to get a hold of one!). We only have 2-3 songs from the older EPs that we still play, and our recent EP, “Signs of the Time”, is brand new material.

Travis – Without a doubt, With Increase is not the same band as we were when we started, we began as kids starting to get into the scene, but with each release we’ve kind of honed in on the sound all of us have wanted, heavy, melodic, and sincere.

Q: Where did the name With Increase come from? What is the significance behind the name?

Travis - There are several reasons for the name “With Increase” the easiest to explain is rooted in John 3:30, when John speaks of Jesus, he says that he must decrease so that Christ may increase. No one in this band is perfect, and we all fall short in many ways, but our hope is that with every passing day, people see less and less of our band, and more and more of Jesus. So that with our decrease, He may increase.

Will – It’s a freaking catchy name.

Q: What does everyone in the band do when they are not playing?

Travis - Justin’s in high school and the rest of us are full time college students. Paul records many of the bands in the Tampa scene out of his home studio, Doug mostly works on being even better looking than he already is, Justin skates and eats pizza, Will patrols ebay for Shai Hulud and Mindset merch, and I worry about my weight and if it will keep me from finding a girlfriend.

Will - I just started my first year in community college, I hate it! ha it’s not that bad, but I’d rather be camping, touring, or eating Chipotle. I did the insanity 2 month workout plan in the summer that I want to get back on, need to look good for the ladies. I’ve started to take mad naps after school and am currently looking for a part time job to pay the bills.

Justin - Skate, eat pizza, chill out. I’m a senior in high school but its a complete joke, I do half online classes and the other half on campus. I get home from school every day at 11 am.

Q: With Increase played Cornerstone this year and it was awesome to see you guys play live, you also played some tour dates after Cornerstone, how was that experience for you guys?

Will - So rad! I’ve always wanted to go to C-stone, so it was a trip that my first time going was actually playing it. On top of that getting to know the dudes in cool bands like Jawbone, Ironwill, Divide the Sea, Debtor, Messengers, Gideon…just a great time overall. I just moved from Nashville and the dudes in Dependency and Friends are my best friends so it was great to hang with them too. Danny our merch guy pooped in the lake. I think. P.O.D. was spot on. The secret barn cover set was my absolute favorite of the week. Sean from B&I came out of mosh retirement for that and the Norma Jean gig, too. Wild. The all star mosh award goes to Jon Dalman from Dependency for accidentally knocking a kid out during These Hearts.

We did a few days up to C-stone and a week after on the road, and it was awesome. Each night held different scenes/different vibes. I love playing in new cities to crowds who have never heard of us, I don’t know, I just love the challenge of winning over the crowd I guess! The coolest show hands down was the house show in Brentwood, TN with Friends, motions, Dependency, and Debtor. So rad to play a gig to friends old and new. also had a tasteful slumber party with Dependency that night, too (sorry John Michael, I stole your blanket).

Justin - It was rad. Cornerstone was way too hot, not as humid as Florida which rules. The majority of what I heard at C-stone were really bad breakdowns, but a ton of awesome bands played. Messengers, Debtor, Thin Ice, Jawbone, CTP, Venia…basically the 2 Blood and Ink days ruled. P.O.D. was raaaad. Also big ups to the muddy pond/swimming hole, I hit that place up at least three times a day to cool off.

Travis - It was a great experience, Cornerstone was a lot of fun for us. We were able to meet up with bands like Debtor, who we have listened to for years, and meet a lot of new friends there as well. The tour dates were great too, lots of new faces, it’s always great to play to new scenes and new kids

Q: What bands have influenced With Increase, how do you describe the sound of the band?

Travis - All of us tend to listen to a good variety of music. I personally love old school emo bands like The Promise Ring, Sunny Day Real Estate, Knapsack, etc. Without a doubt though, my all time favorite band is Jimmy Eat World, I can’t think of another band who has consistently put out releases that seem to capture certain points in my life

Justin - Our influences that have always been with us from the get go is all things FLHC resembles: Kids Like Us, Know the Score, Shai Hulud, Strongarm, Make or Break, Barries Now Bridges, etc. Those bands span the past 10-ish years of the Florida scene but all share a certain vibe to them.

Will - Comeback Kid, Shai Hulud, and Converge were the bands that got me hooked into hardcore, Shai Hulud changed my life as far as hardcore goes. Tell me “That Within Blood Ill Tempered” by Shai Hulud isn’t a perfect record? I think With Increase’s sound is just good fast hardcore with a melody to it.

Q: Is With Increase a Christian band, or do you guys consider yourselves “Christians in a band?” Why?

Travis – With Increase is a Christian band, every member of this band has placed their faith in Jesus as the promised Messiah, and their only hope for salvation from their sins. Though it is not the theme of every song we write, because we are called to make much of Jesus, and to pursue Him all of our days, every song is written in light of the transforming power of the Gospel.

Will – Agreed. We’ll stop doing this once the focus isn’t on Christ. With that in mind and adding to what Travis said, I definitely do not write every song about Jesus. I think there are other opinions and topics that I need to address (such as our corrupt and dark government, corporate brainwashing, homophobia/racism in the hardcore scene), but everything is from the viewpoint of a sinner redeemed by Christ.

Q: Where do you guys draw your influence or inspiration from in the bible? Any verses or books that weigh heavy on your hearts you would like share?

Travis - As a band, we’re currently studying the gospel of Luke. I’ve been blessed to teach through the book of John this summer at the student ministry I work at, and the Lord has shown me a great deal through studying the life of his Son.

Will - 1 Corinthians 16:13-14 “Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. Do everything in love.” These two verses in my opinion perfectly lay out our calling as men of God, especially in the hardcore scene. It sucks seeing other Christians in the scene feeling the need to compromise their faith in order to be a real “hardcore kid”. Having faith in hardcore has never been the popular thing to have, so we gotta be able to encourage each other and have faith that God will use us.

Also, the story of Jonas is my all time favorite bible story. God literally loves the cat so much that he does every crazy thing possible in order for Jonas to realize that taking God’s path is always the right choice. This story really applies to my life right now because I just moved down to Tampa for the band and feel called to be in school right now, which is something I literally never thought I would do. I can think of a million other things I’d rather be doing, but I just gotta have faith that God’s called me to be in school for a reason only he knows.

Q: Any other bands or people at shows given you a hard time about being Christians in the hardcore scene?

Will - Eh…not at all recently. We try to just chill out with everyone and meet dudes where they are and because of that there hasn’t been too much commotion about our beliefs. One of the best shows on summer tour was this gig in Clarksville, TN where it was a bunch of skinheads and punks drinking miller high life’s and circle pitting. everyone went off during our set! no one cared about what we believed, which was a cool thing to be a part of. Also the Tampa scene is one of the most open minded scenes to be a part of. It’s rad that we can play shows and be best friends with bands that stand completely against our beliefs, but yet respect everyone. That type of unity is not everywhere and because of that we are so thankful.

Travis – Tampa has an incredible scene, so many of our best friends in and outside of the scene have beliefs that are nothing like ours, but all of us support each other, and play shows together. Our convictions have never really been an issue at shows, we try our best to respect everyone’s beliefs and have always been shown that respect in return.

Q: Seems like Florida is a hot-bed for hardcore music right now, with Call To Preserve calling it quits, there are some spots in the scene to be filled, what other bands do you guys recommend in and around Florida for us to check out?

Travis - I can’t even begin to explain my level of excitement for the Florida hardcore scene right now. As far as bands go, Traitors, Losin It, Suitcase City, Axis, Rescuer, Weight of the World, A Hope For Tomorrow, Von Wolfe, Vices, Cold Hearted, Hivemind, Truth Inside, Direct Effect, In Reference To A Sinking Ship, Gator Bait, Brain Bust, Headless Dogs, Hollow Leg, Super Mutant, Strengthen What Remains.

Will - I also gotta give a nod to the Nashville, TN hardcore scene since I just moved from there. Worker, Dependency, Friends, Motions, Veritas, Empathy, In Fidelity, Cove, Enough, Hysteria. So much good stuff is poppin’ up right and left. It’s also beyond cool to see Plea for Purging still going hard, I got into the local scene through that band back in the day. I remember my friends 9th grade birthday party was going to their “quick is the word” EP release show at the old Rocketown. We played a show with them in July and it was rad as crap to talk to Andy from a band-to-band standpoint, instead of a 8th grade fanboy with girl pants wanting to buy 5 tees and get them to autograph my CD. oof.

Q: From hanging with you guys at Cornerstone and watching the awesome videos you guys took of Cornerstone and post Cornerstone, I know you guys love to have fun and don’t take yourselves to seriously, you guys have some good tour stories to share?

Travis – Gosh…being trapped in a van with 5 other dudes for hours on end no doubt gives you plenty of time to think of something stupid to do. On our way home from our last GA date this last tour, we were lighting fireworks in the van…which was dumb, it was even worse when we put them in a glass jar on the arm rest…which fell over and spilled. There was at least 20 seconds of people diving over seats, screaming, and looking for cover while we waited for the firework to go off. What sucked was that I was driving, so I couldn’t hide, I just had to hope it didn’t kill me.

Will – Peeing in bottles always sucks, and I always pee on the floor of the van (sorry Sam!). The day we left Cornerstone we had an off day, so we decided to drive to Evansville, IN to stay the night at Clint and Heather Vaught’s house (Jawbone HQ). On the way there, we decided to go to a Starbucks to use some wifi and to chill out. This ended up being a 3 hour detour and turned into a day trip to the St. Louis Arch. We get there and a free Maroon 5 concert is going on, too.

Also, Luke from Friends/Worker bought a thirty dollar slab of fish and put it under our tent at Cornerstone, thinking that we’d notice after like one day. Welp we didn’t notice at all! Travis actually used the fish as a pillow one night on accident without knowing. The day we packed up we smelled this horrific scent, which turned out to be the fish. So in rebellion we sliced a bit off and put it under Divide The Sea’s tent, and the rest we left for the Cornerstone crew to clean up.

With Increase at Cornerstone 2011 – Part 1

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With Increase at Cornerstone 2011 – Part 2

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Q: Will we see With Increase on tour any time in the near future?

Will – Right now we can only hit the road hard during school breaks. We’re about to start booking our winter East Coast tour which is gonna be a blast, we’re rolling with our friends in Losin’ It. If your a fan of stop and think, lockin out records bands, etc, definitelly check them out. Also spring and summer tour will for sure commence. Our goal is to get to California!

Q: Are their any record label deals in the future for With Increase? How can folks get a hold of your newest EP “Signs of the Time?”

Will – You’ll just have to wait and see…. and you can get a hold of the new EP at withincreasefl.bandcamp.com or snag a limited cassette at withincreasefl.bigcartel.com.

Q: What are some of the most embarrassing albums we would find on the band members iPods/MP3 players?

Travis – Life House was my favorite band until I found Jimmy Eat World, and that band still rules. I don’t care if that all but destroys my hardcore credibility.

Will - I jam out to He Is We really hard when I’m in my car. It’s a chick singer and a dude jammin’ on the acoustics. I get so much crap from everyone when I play it but they’re so catchy! I dare you to listen to “blame it on the rain” and not dig that chorus. I like Waka Flocka Flame. Some other honorable mentions are lmfao, Relient k, Plus One, and From First to Last. Doug listens to As I Lay Dying, but we all jammed the heck out of them at some point or another. Justin listens to Rick Ross. Paul likes obscure grind which I think for the most part sucks, but Magrudergrind and Despise You played Tampa last week and they brought the house down.

Q: Feel free to give shout-outs, parting message to the hardcore scene, names of bands we should check out, etc. Thanks for the interview guys, hope to see you live again in the near future!

Travis - Shout out to Tampa Hardcore, The Straight Edge, Real Dude Nation, GVC 2011, Urban Turban Wrecking Crew, Stoop Crew, Dependency, Friends, Traitors, Losin It, Rescuer, Of Heroes, Hollow Leg, Jim Adkins for writing to the soundtrack to last august, and all of my stickam friends

Will - Everyone needs to listen to Shai Hulud, Losin’ It, and Mindset. Drink Cheerwine and Ale8 soda. Go cliff diving. Pray for local, national, and international missionaries! The Straight Edge. Seahaven is the best band out right now. Taco Bell’s chicken bacon ranch flatbreads are the jam. Shoutout to the Nashville hardcore, youth with a mission Los Angeles, gvc/tsg/real dude nation. Danny Edge, Real Dude Luke, and Evan “hard” Miller.

There were so many great bands playing this year, in particular, Blood & Ink records did a B&I family and friends day at the Solace Stage (which spanned two different days).  What was cool about this show is that it included such great B&I bands as Venia, Jawbone, Friends, Dependency, Thin Ice, Ironwill, Thirtyseven, Divide The Sea, and Debtor, but also bands including Cool Cough (side project of the guys from Call To Preserve), Strengthen What Remains, Beggars, Call to Preserve, Messengers, Dynasty, and Gideon (whom are not on the B&I label).  What makes the fact that this was going on extra cool is the fact that our tent was wedged in between Solace Stage and Legacy Stage where all of these great shows were taking place.

Some of the highlights of the week were the following:

1.  Meeting so many of you that visit our site and post on the forum, and finally meeting many of the bands we interview in person and getting to know everyone better.

2.  Catching a few Dynasty sets.  I (Josh) really like this band and I think they are solid, their testimony is also very moving.  I think I almost broke my hand and wrist when I was dancing and clobbered some poor kid right over the head.  Turns out my hand is OK, if the kid I hit is reading this, sorry, hope you are OK!

3.  Getting Officer Negative to play the Legacy Stage on Thursday may have been a highlight of the week as well.  I knew of the band, but have never really listened to many of their songs.  Hanging with Chad (the singer) and Justin, Casey, and Rick (who was filling in on drums) was great, awesome bunch of guys, strong in the Lord.  It was awesome to watch everyone getting into their set, singing along, and dancing like a bunch of maniacs.  Plus, I am sporting my new Officer Negative shirt today!

Officer Negative – “JCHC” on Legacy Stage

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4.  Final Call To Preserve sets at Cornerstone, while everyone is bummed that these guys are breaking up, it was cool to catch their last shows at Cornerstone.  I picked up their 7″ “Validation” as well, which I highly recommend everyone go and pick up.  These guys have grown musically over the years.  It was also fun to see Cool Cough, their side band with Harbor singing, and John playing guitar.  Good stuff.

5.  Debtor’s new material is awesome, nuff said.  The guys in the band are super cool, easy to talk with, and they blew up every set with their new songs.  Go and buy their new album Bloodseeds and Blood & Ink Records.

6.  Catching a full Graverobber set.  If you have not seen these guys live, then you are missing out.  They are like the Misfits of the Christian punk world, their music is tight, and their stage show is extremely entertaining.  Just a word of advice, if they are singing any song that includes the word “blood” in the title, run for cover.  Catch their midnight shows, way more fun then their daytime shows.

7.  True Liberty and FBS – again, both of these bands just keep getting better, and they are both tons of fun to hang with.  Make sure to catch them live if they happen to be coming through your town.

8.  Branching out – I checked out A Hill To Die Upon, I am not normally a metal fan, but these guys are actually really really decent, and when I listen to their stuff, there is a heavy undertone of hardcore in it.  Go and check them out.

9.  Strengthen What Remains and Clear Convictions – their split set was probably one of the most fun sets at Cornerstone.  Strengthen What Remains is out of Florida and the guys in the band are among some of the coolest you will meet.  Their music just keeps getting better and better.  Clear Convictions came all the way from Puerto Rico to play Cornerstone.  I was pissed that so many people slept on the this band during their set on Texas Stage, but I was glad that I was able to tape the set (check out video page).  Both of these bands are signed to On The Attack Records run by our friend Sammy.  Love you guys!  Make sure that you pick up both of their albums from On The Attack, worth every penny, and how often do you see the record label owner in the pit???  Now that is support for your bands!

Clear Convictions Set from Texas Stage

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10.  Discovering new bands that everyone needs to check out.  Beggars, With Increase, Blackhole.

And number 11.  The super secret show at the barn.  WOW, Debtor and Beggars both played a set, and then there were three cover sets including songs by Minor Threat, Advent, Seventh Star, and Shockwave.  This was by far THE best show, held in the storage shed by the skate park.  There where probably two hundred people that showed up and only enough room for 50 in the venue.  I was lucky enough to get up in the storage rafters to tape some of the show.  It was insane.  And as one of the guys from Debtor told me, “I just had a huge smile on face the whole time cause it was so awesome.”  I agree that it was awesome and I think there should be more intimate shows at Cornerstone like this.  Check the video page for coverage of the event.  Sorry you missed it!
Over all, the event was great, seemed fewer people were there this year, actually seemed kind of empty this year.  Rumors are floating around that they may not have Cornerstone next year because they did not sell enough tickets this year.  I say, don’t listen to rumors and sit tight, they may change the look and feel of Cornerstone next year, but I find it hard to believe they will altogether cancel the event, it touches so many people’s lives.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Thanks for all your support and for everyone that stopped in to say hello, your kind words and blessing edify what we do and why we do it. Until next year, God bless and be safe!

Check out our video page for more videos, you can find our youtube channel here, and make sure to “like” us on Facebook!

Josh and the HXCChristian.com crew (John, RJ, Katie, Seann, Doug and special helpers like Mike!)

And one more fun video of the “best of” Cornerstone!

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Doug (one of the contributors at HXCChristian.com) did a pre-show in Campbellsville, KY the Sunday before Cornerstone.  I drove 9 hours to get to Campbellsville, it was an easy trip.  The show was awesome.  Doug is working with the University to put on show for all the kids and peeps in the area.  Apparently, like most small towns, there isn’t a whole lot to do there, so putting on shows is a great way to blow off steam and stay out of trouble.  The lineup was Restore the Roar (Doug’s band), Debtor (Philly hardcore), Worker (Tennessee hardcore), Dead Icons (Lexington hardcore), and The Showdown (Metal).  I was really impressed with Debtor and Worker (Debtor is a Christian band, Worker is not although their message is positive, and the dudes in the band are really cool).  It was a fun show, and I was glad that HXCChristian.com could be part of it.  After the show, RJ (HXCChristian.com contributor) thought it would best to drive straight through the night to Cornerstone.  I think Doug and I could have strangled RJ when we got to Cornerstone at 6:30 AM and the gates weren’t open, but we forgive RJ (just kidding RJ).  When we got in, we immediately found our tent and started to setup.  We made homemade Gatorade (DIY hardcore style baby) and were a place to just come and hang.  We later became known as the place that made good food and usually had leftovers.

General Mayhem and Trouble from the HXCChristian.com at Cornerstone 2010

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The first couple of days were a blur, meeting people and going to shows, sleep deprivation.  In the first couple of days, I saw Debtor, Call To Preserve, Send out the Scuds, True Liberty, The Meek Estate, and probably one of my favorite shows The Great Commission (where I decided to throw my old butt off the stage).  My man Micah at The Legacy Stage really put on a lot of the best shows, he kept the stage limited to traditional hardcore for the most part.  Good job Micah!  Look for good stuff from this stage next year.  Thin Ice and Dependency (new to Blood & Ink records) both played multiple shows and were fantastic.  I highly recommend picking up their albums from Blood & Ink, well worth it.  I was fortunate to catch the Grave Robber show at midnight at the Sanctuary stage which was right next to us.  It was hard to miss it actually, quite and interesting band, if you like The Misfits and other type horror punk, then these guys will make you happy, plus their stage act is really unique.

Check out the Cornerstone 2010 Video Page

The second half the week I started to get used to the confusion and get my wits about me.  I was tired from getting into the pit, and I proved to myself that a 35 year old dude can still throw down in the pit and handle himself.  I think I even out danced some of the younger kids!  The Sleeping Giant show was awesome, I had a run in with the Holy Spirit, I am sure people thought I was crazy, but I was moved, and God touched me.  Their set was great as usual, and they played a new song, and honestly, I was not that crazy about it.  However, sometimes playing new material live is tough because you cannot get a feel for what a clean recording of it sounds like. Look for new stuff from Thom Green and the gang soon.   Also, the Great Commission rocked another show on the Undergound Stage, it was awesome, they also played a new song, it was decent.  I think there is some big stuff coming down the pike from these guys, I think they have been working on new material.  The last day was the craziest, I went from show to show to show.  Mason Summers (my punk friends), to Thin Ice, to Sovereign Strength, to All Or Nothing (what up Laz?), to Call To Preserve, back to back to back.  Then, it seemed as soon as we got there, we were gone.  Doug and I traveled together from Kentucky.  Doug is a cool dude, and we laughed the whole way home and told stories about shows and the people we met.

I think that the best stuff of the week was some of the punk bands, True Liberty, Desiring Dead Flesh, The Meek Estate, The Last Hope, Flatfoot 56, Mason Summers.  The only ska band there, Send Out The Scuds (I love these guys, and girl!)  had to get my skanking in, and I miss good ska! In the hardcore world, I don’t think I saw one bad band.  Thin Ice, Dependency, The Great Commission, Call To Preserve, Wild at Heart, Strengthen What Remains, Strength Within, Sovereign Strength, Debtor, Venia, All Or Nothing, Take It Back.  All bands that you need to check out.  One band in particular from Pittsburg, Those Who Fear.  I was happy to hear a band that is still playing old style beatdown hardcore.  These guys are awesome, and the dudes in the band are cool guys, so check them out.  Plus they had a turtle named XSteveX.  They kept me entertained.

We were lucky to have meet and greets with some of the bands, Andy from A Plea For Purging came by in the morning to discuss the band and life in general, it was cool.  Leroy the singer from War Of Ages also came out and did a meet and greet, great guy with a great story.  On Wednesday night we decided to do a spaghetti dinner, I think we cooked 30 pounds of spaghetti and made about 10 gallons of sauce.  I think everyone enjoyed the meal and fellowship.  I think we fed about 200 people.  On Thursday morning we did a meet and greet with Harbor from Call to Preserve and a pancake breakfast. Again, we had a huge turnout, more people that pancakes, but again, it was a huge success.  I am glad that we could be a blessing to the people and bands.  That was our mission, and I am glad that we accomplished it.

We had to leave a day early.  My family was sick at home.  Funny how Satan can attacks your weak spots when you are closest to God, he was attacking my family, coward.  The ride home was long, but gave me a lot of time to decompress and think about the experience.  I realized that Cornerstone is not really about the music, but about the people.  The people are what makes it worthwhile.  I met a lot of great people and even talked to people who were not Christians about Christ.  On the long trip back after I dropped off Doug in Kentucky,  I cried, half tears of happiness that I would be seeing my wife and two beautiful sons, the other half for the all the new friends that I would not see perhaps until next year.

Take a Look at the HXCChristian.com Cornerstone 2010 Photos

Takeaways – Lots of cool people, finding out that different genres of people still have the same core beliefs, that Christ is King.  Great shows, I can still throwdown in the pit.  People love free food, especially Eastern style BBQ (NC BBQ).  The bands are really cool and fun to hang out with, if there is a band coming to your area, go hang with them.  They usually hang in the parking lot behind the venue, go introduce yourself.  Bring them some goodies, food, baby wipes, stuff they might need, let them crash at your place, have a shower, do laundry, etc. help them load and unload their gear.  Metalcore and screamo still suck.  Ska needs to make a comeback.  Punk is alive and well.  Don’t use megaphones at Cornerstone or security will come and cart you away (see below). Have fun and fellowship with you future neighbors in heaven, after all, we will all be together in heaven forever!

God bless and thanks for everyone who came out and visited us.  See you next year.  Join the forum.

Josh

There was a last minute venue change.  The show will be held at the Campbellsville Community Center located at:
1425 OLD HODGENVILLE RD
Campbellsville, KY 42718

Everything else is the same!

Check it out!  In conjunction with HXCChristian.com there is a Pre Cornerstone Boogie Down in Campbellsville, Kentucky on Sunday the 27th of June.  If you are driving to Cornerstone from anywhere on the East Coast, then we want you to stop in Campbellsville, Kentucky, at Campbellsville University to celebrate Cornerstone 2010 with some great bands.  On the bill are Restore the Roar, To Seize and Surrender, In Shepherds Arms, Debtor (Blood & Ink Records), Worker, Dead Icons, and head lining The Showdown (Solid State Records).  This show is going to be a mix of hardcore, hardcore punk, pop punk, metalcore, and good old metal, something for everyone! We hope to see you there.  If you need more information, contact Doug at his email doug @ HXCChristian.com.  Here are the details, spread the word!

What: Pre Cornerstone Boogie Down
When: Sunday, June 27th, 5:30 PM (doors open)
Where: Campbellsville University – Campbellsville, KY – Badgett Academic Support Center
Cost: $7
Info: No Drugs, No Alcohol, No Fighting, No Drama
Visit our sister site for more info on shows in Campbellsville:  www.Campbellsvilleshows.com

Repost the flyer on your myspace, facebook, on your desk, on your car, in your town….you get the point.

In other news East Coast Christian hardcore band TEN33 unofficially officially announced (to me at least) that they are doing a reunion show in the near future.  If you know anything about these guys, then you know that they put on a great live show.  I caught up with Stephen who sings for the band and asked him about the upcoming reunion.  He didn’t have many details (he is currently working on setting up dates).  He said that they are working on some shows for a weekend in the fall.  It sounds like they may have a couple of shows.  Interestingly enough, they are not going to be playing their hometown of Richmond, Virginia.  They are trying to pick somewhere neutral to play because there is another well known band that is also reuniting to play some shows with them.  Stephen would not reveal the details of who that other band is, but I have my guess (although he would not confirm it).  I guess we will have to wait and see.   So check back with Ten33 on the their Facebook page, that seems to be the best place to catch up with them and to find out more about the reunion show.  I also asked him if they might be laying donw some new tracks “We may release a song, we may not. depending on recording studio time,” according to Stephen.

New Call To Preserve album is dropping on June 8th on Facedown Records.  The name of the album is Life In Defiance.  I was lucky to get an advance copy of the album the other day and have been listening to it non stop.  There are so many great songs on this album and it is sure to please Call To Preserve fans and hardcore fans in general.  Again, the band fuses together many styles of hardcore music and even slows things down a bit for one of their songs (still hardcore, just a bit more dark).  The lyrics are spot on.  The album was recorded at Warrior Sound here in North Carolina (the folks that did the last Advent album) and the production quality is fantastic.  I won’t give away to much about it, but I can tell you that you will not be disappointed.  If you want to hear a few of their songs, check out their myspace page.

Overcome is back together and has new material.  According to the Facedown Records website, this was the first band that signed with Facedown.  They disbanded a while back, but wanted to put out new material.  They are also playing Cornerstone Festival this year.  I am looking forward to catching the band live.   If you want to check out their new stuff, go visit their myspace page.

Blood & Ink Records released two albums the week of April 24th.  Two great hardcore bands have albums that are a must have.  The first is Thin Ice, we did an interview with them you can check out HERE.  Thin Ice’s new album is called “Revelation Through Tribulation.”  I really like these guys, they are a young band and I think that this is great starting point for them.  The album is traditional style hardcore, they compare their sound to bands like Figure Four and Advent.  The other band that put out their album was Dependency, the name of the album is “Convicted.”  I confess that I don’t know a lot about these guys, however, their album is really growing on me.  I don’t really know how to categorize these guys musically, but their base sound is definitely hardcore influenced, the vocals are pretty solid too.  I highly recommend going to the B&I website and downloading both albums (they are both available for digital download, and for only $5.99 each, it is a steal).

Ever wonder what happened to the dudes in xLooking Forwardx?  Well, look no further.  Justin is leading up the band Carrying the Fire out of Maryland.  Matt from the band posted on the forum about the band.  Justin delivers his vocals in classic xLooking Forwardx fashion and the band is fantastic.  I have listened to their free demo (which you can download from their myspace page) over and over.  While the band doesn’t really claim to be “Christian” it is hard for Justin’s belief in God to know boil over into the bands songs.   Matt also informed me that the band is looking to do shows out of state in the next couple of months, probably East Coast shows since most of the dudes in the band have families and kids.  Go and get their demo, you will love it, plus it is free!  Can’t beat that!

Band Name: All In
Music Style: Hardcore
Location (Home Base): Clay/Trussville/Pinson, Alabama

Q: How long has All In been playing together, how did you get together?

A: We’ve been a band for just over 3 years now. We have the same old story that every other band has as far as how we got together. We were all in other local bands. We wanted to do something else. We were friends. We had a practice. We played a show. We pretend to be a real band.

Q: Where did the name All In come from?

A: Honestly, we were just sitting around playing poker one night when the idea kind of hit me that All In would be a sweet name for a band. Everybody else really liked it too and praised me for coming up with it, so it stuck.

Q: What does everyone in the band do when they are not playing?

A: I’m a high school teacher. Scott delivers pizzas. Kyle delivers pizzas and goes to school and tries to meet that proverbial next girl to run away with. Clayton and Chris live down in Tuscaloosa. Clayton works out a lot…and so does Chris.

Q: What are some of the bands that influence All In?

A: Um…that’s a hard one. I really don’t listen to much heavy music at all, so when I’m usually influenced to write by the great song writers of the world like Oasis, Rocky Votolato, etc. But I think we just try to capitalize on stuff that No Warning, Carry On, Guns Up, and people like that have already done. We all really admire stuff like Life In Your Way and Killing The Dream and stuff like that…we tried to incorporate a little bit of everything like that on the new album.

Q: If someone asked you to describe the sound of All In that was not in the hardcore scene, how would you do that?

A: I would probably say that we sound like Mudvayne or something. Generally just something heavy that people didn’t understand, but didn’t fear either. Also, there’s no scientific way that the joke I just made will translate into a type-written interview.

Q: Congrats on recently signing with Blood & Ink Records, what does this mean for the band?

A: It means we are happy. They’re awesome. It means that we’ve got a label who’s going to work hard for us, and we’re gonna work hard to reciprocate that. It means that we just pumped a syringe full of patriotism into the recording industry.

Q: You have a new album called “Team U.S.A.” due out on September 23rd on Blood & Ink, can you explain the name “Team U.S.A.” and why each song is named after a professional basketball player?

A: Well, we’re all massively patriotic, so we wanted to theme all the art to reflect the rich history of the greatest nation ever formed in the long history of this world. So that lead to the title. We’re pretty much the new Team USA since it’s no longer cool to be patriotic for some stupid reason. People, for some reason, hate to talk about all the good things that this country’s given them so that they can harp on the bad things that are going on. So anyway, that’s stupid, and we’re here to praise the USA and pledge our allegiance. Also, we love basketball…especially me.

Q: How do you think the sound of All In has matured since the first album “Nothing To Lose” to the new album “Team U.S.A.?”

A: The difference between these two albums really can’t be put into words. I really hope that people will give this new stuff a chance, because we’re so, so proud of the way it came out. It’s drastically more mature than the last album. We incorporated more of what we really listen to with more melodic stuff, etc. “Nothing To Lose” is a pretty terrible CD to us…I personally wouldn’t advise anybody to buy it, but I love the new CD and I hope people give it a fair chance.

Q: I noticed that you guys used to have a big Republican elephant on your myspace page, are you guys Republicans/Conservatives?

A: Yeah, we’re as right as right comes. And not really for religious reasons, either. Just for common sense, economic reasons. People love to assume that if you’re both a Christian and a Conservative, then you’re a Conservative because you’re a Christian and Christian’s can’t be for abortion, etc. But it’s really got nothing to do with that. Democrats are running the country off a cliff with their economic policies. But the truth is, when we’re on tour, we always try and approach venues from the northwest so that we only have to make right turns in our van. Also, we all just wear 2 right shoes. Anyway, yeah…we’re conservatives.

“Self Proclaimed Ugliest Guys In Hardcore.” Although We Have Seen A Lot Worse!

Q: Do you consider All In a Christian hardcore band? If so, where from the bible does All In derive most of its influence?

A: We’re definitely fully, 100% a Christian hardcore band. We have no agenda but really just to love people and have fun with friends at shows. Lyrically, I don’t draw all that much influence from the Bible. I draw most of the lyrical influence from real life situations that everybody, Christian or not, can relate to. I write a lot about regret and wasting away years of my life, etc.

Q: Anyone ever give the band a hard time for being Christian and supporting America?

A: No, not really. I mean, maybe they have indirectly. Like, I know that a lot of people hate “Christian hardcore” altogether so they probably would just write us off without giving us a fair chance. And really, I don’t blame them for that. I honestly hate it when people preach and give sermons and crap like that at shows too, so they’ve been turned off by all the preaching just like I have. We don’t preach at all, though. You may not know we’re a Christian band until you sit down and really read our lyrics, so I hope that’s helped us relate to the crowd of people who are turned off by Christian hardcore.

Q: What messages do you convey through your music as it relates to Christ?

A: Oh, all kinds really. Again, we’re not preaching to anybody. We just sing about what we believe in, just like every other band weather they’re singing about how they believe in straight edge or atheism or whatever else. Like I said, I talk a lot about regret. But also, doing stupid things, letting go of your past, forgiving people who hurt you, etc. etc.

Q: Do people ever come up to you guys after a show to discuss Christ or your views?

A: Sometimes. We definitely welcome that, but mostly people just come talk to us to hang out or chill or whatever.

Q: What are some of the other bands that All In has played with? Who were the most memorable and why?

A: Tons of people, but I guess the most memorable are the ones we’ve toured with. We love the guys in Call To Preserve, The Neon Hookers, The Red Baron, xThick As Bloodx, In Irons. It’s always fun to play shows where tons of friends are hanging out.

Q: There seems to be two hot spots for Christian hardcore music right now, Southern California and the South, why do you think the South has so many great Christian hardcore bands?

A: Oh, actually I didn’t know that we did. That’s cool though, I guess.

Q: Will All In be touring with the new album release?

A: Absolutely. We’re playing weekends around the southeast in the coming months. Then, starting in mid December and January, we’re going on the road non-stop for 8 months or so. So, if you want to book us, message us at myspace.com/allinhxc

Q: What are future plans for the band?

A: Chill. Get this album out. Tour. Chill. Watch basketball. Love America. Chill. Eat as much KFC as possible.

Q: If you could give the hardcore scene one message, what would it be?

A: Don’t take yourself so seriously.
Don’t fight at shows.
Do not fear what you do not understand.

Q: Anything you want to add that I forget, or random thoughts, go ahead and add it below!

A: Check out myspace.com/allinhxc – We’ll have pre-orders up really soon!
Buy our new CD.
Support Blood And Ink Records.
Support HXCChristian.com.
Check out our other bands, Nations, Year One, and Patriot.
Check out vacationterminal.com
Don’t believe what slick politicians try to tell you.
We’re back in the saddle.
5 idots who sings and plays and instruments good.
Ugliest band in hardcore.
Pimpin 07 tour.
08.

PREORDER THE ALBUM “TEAM USA” NOW AND GET A FREE ALL IN T-SHIRT FOR $15, CLICK HERE TO PREORDER YOUR COPY!

NEWS:

Arizona based Christian hardcore band Braveheart has a 4 song split CD out with Sovereign Strength from California. I am a huge fan of Braveheart. The production value on their material on the split CD is phenomenal. I highly suggest getting in touch with the band through their myspace page and paying them $5 (post paid) for a copy of the CD. Even though it is only 4 songs it is well worth it. Brandon from the band tells me that they are working on getting a full length CD out, no release date as of yet, but when they do, you can be sure I will let everyone know.

Christian hardcore act All In from Alabama is releasing their second full length album on Blood & Ink Records The album is due out September 23rd. The name of the album is “Team USA.” They have one of the new songs “Charles Barkley” up on their myspace page that you can go and check out. You will want to pick up their new album when it drops. I hope they they tour after they release “Team USA.”

Call to Preserve art work has been leaked on the internet (along with track listings) See below. Don’t forget you can listen to two new songs on their myspace page They also have an awesome blog (For All Who Seek the Truth The XCTPX Blog) for the band where you can watch their three video blogs they made while recording the new album “From Isolation.”

From Isolation Track Listings:
1. Sinking Sun
2. So Low
3. Vices
4. Dear Galatia
5. From Isolation
6. Hindsight
7. Shameless
8. Lincoln Street
9. Waiting for Dawn
10. First Light
11. Hope for the Fallen
12. Open Your Eyes

The album cover is by Dave Quiggle who was one of members of No Innocent Victim, and is currently in the band Jesus Wept. He also works for Facedown Records and does tattoo work on the side (Dave is a busy dude!)

Here are some mini-views with some bands that you have got to check out. Befriend them on myspace and top friend them!

Band: Mankind
Music Style: Hardcore
Location: Nashville, TN

Someone posted about Mankind on the www.HXCChristian.com Forums. We had a debate as to whether these guys were a Christian hardcore band or not. Their lyrics are definitely Christian. I decided to email the band to find out first hand if they are a Christian hardcore band. Greg from the bands sent me this response:

” Thanks for the kind words! I am speaking on the behalf of myself to say that I have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. It has never been easy and I’ve gone through a lot of changes, but my faith has always remained. Jesse and I started this band with the intention of experiencing new places and sharing our lives and perspectives with the world; well, that’s where my optimism kicks in. At the center of my life is my faith. My strongest desire has been the undying search for the truth. We, Mankind, are not necessarily about labeling, seeing as how it tends to put ideas into a box, or oversimplifies something as complex as one’s faith. However, we are all believers in Christ, and we all crave to understand him more. We just have different ways of getting there.

With my heart on my sleeve,
-Greg”

You have got to go and check these guys out on Myspace, here is a link to their Myspace page You can listen to a bunch of their songs and you can download their EP for $5. If these guys come to your town, check them out!

Band Name: Debtor
Music Style: Hardcore
Location: North Wales, PA (outside Philly whoohoo!)

Alan who sings for Debtor also posts on the HXCChristian.com forum and keeps us up to date on the band and what they are up to. Having grown up in the hardcore scene in the Philly area, I know how hostile the scene can be towards Christian bands, but I think Debtor does an awesome job with their music and message. Alan posted the other day that Debtor posted a couple of new songs on their myspace page. Alan informs us that Debtor is working on a new full-length album that is due to be released very soon. The name of the album will be “Deliverance.” If you are looking for a great Christian hardcore band, these guys are it, their influences include Strongarm and Verse.

SUPPORT YOUR UNDERGROUND CHRISTIAN HARDCORE BANDS!!!

As Always, go to the HXC Christian forum and post away. We are growing and more and more people are finding us. Take care and may the God of Israel bless you!