Band: Carrying The Fire
Location: Bel Air, Maryland
Musical Style:  Straight Up Hardcore
Links: Myspace Facebook last.fm

Q: Carrying The Fire includes several ex members of XLooking ForwardX, how did CTF get it’s start?

A: While there are members of XLFX in the band, CTF actually wasn’t born from XLFX at all. Originally it was Matt, Auggie, Dan and another friend named Brandon in the group under a different name and they asked me to do vocals after they had already started writing. I never thought I would do another project after XLFX, but what they were playing was more melodic (think Good Riddance or Comeback Kid) and I liked the idea of doing something new vocally. Only problem is that I can’t sing so the melodic thing didn’t really stick so we started writing heavier stuff which didn’t really interest Brandon (the old bassist). That’s when we asked my cousin Kevin (who plays bass for XLFX) to join and that solidified the current lineup.

Q: I assume that the name Carrying The Fire comes from the Cormac McCarthy book “The Road,” is that the case, and if so, what is the significance of the name?

A: Yeah, I love McCarthy and “The Road” is a really cool book. Pretty much the name “Carrying The Fire” is all about a message of hope. It’s like, the “fire” is what’s good and right about humanity and while the world may be falling apart around us, we want to try to hold onto our hope, hold onto what’s good, share it with the world and pass it on to the next generation. Some people may debate me on whether or not that’s what the author is saying in the book (and if you’ve read any of his other work you can make a strong case that it isn’t), but that’s what I took away from it.

“The Road” Movie Trailer – At Least Rent the Movie!

Click here to view the embedded video.

Q: Is XLooking ForwardX officially defunct?

A: XLFX is what we like to call “inactive”. If a show comes up that’s interesting enough we’ll practice a couple of times (usually three times is enough to prevent a total disaster) and play it…but that’s really it. We have some material that we wrote after “path” [The Path We Tread] and we’ve kicked around writing some new stuff to try to put together another record, but who knows if that will ever really happen. If that ever worked out the most we would do is just play locally once and while and maybe do some fests, but our touring days and hustling days are over.

Q: So what is the purpose of Carrying The Fire?  Do you consider the band a Christian hardcore band, or Christians in a hardcore band?  Many of the lyrics are clearly inspired by your walk with Christ correct?

A: That’s a funny question since the song that we submitted for the compilation your site is releasing deals directly with this issue. You see, I just consider CTF and even XLFX to be straight up hardcore bands – not Christian bands or Christians in a band, just hardcore bands. What I mean is hardcore is supposed to be about real life and that’s what I like to write about – my life and the way I see the world. Now since being a Christian is the most important aspect of my life, most of what I write about deals with Christianity, but I don’t look at the band as evangelistic, necessarily. When I’m doing what I’m supposed to be doing, my whole life should be evangelistic, whether it be through music, being a barber, raising my family, etc. I’m hoping people see Christ in me. I hope that makes sense, I think the song actually says it better.

Q: It seems like Carrying The Fire started out as a side project, like you guys just wanted to play some hardcore, has it evolved and become more a focus for everyone?

A: Nah, it’s still really just for fun. Like I said, this project wasn’t born from any other band so it’s not a side project, but it’s a very casual setup. We practice once a week and we really only play Fridays or Saturdays and we don’t really travel much. So yeah, it’s just a fun outlet for five guys who love music and hanging out to get to do what we enjoy and hopefully, maybe say something that makes an impact on someone.

Q: Carrying The Fire has a demo out (which is fantastic), and you are writing new material, are you guys trying to get signed, or just writing and playing for fun this time?

A: Thanks, yeah we are always in the writing process but since we only practice once a week it’s kind of slow going. Considering that we aren’t going to be a touring band and we don’t really play that much, I’m not sure how appealing we would be to a record label, but that’s a direction we could go if we found someone who is into what we do and who is cool with our limitations.

Q: So if we want to catch a Carrying The Fire show then we need to haul our butts up to Maryland?  How is the scene these days up there?

A: That’s about right. We’ll play the surrounding areas, but we don’t have a van or anything so making those 5+ hour drives in multiple vehicles just isn’t in the cards for us. If I’m being honest, I’m still a little out of touch so it’s hard to access the scene up here. Seems good, although the show turnouts are maybe a bit lower than they used to be when I was really involved, but I’ve heard that’s pretty much everywhere.

Q: I saw that you guys played a show after Thanksgiving with Debtor and Killing Years.  How was that show?

A: Good show. Played in a barn with no heat in late November so it was cold (first time in about 10 years that I played a show in jeans), but it was a good time and a nice turnout. I have a lot of love for the Blood and Ink Record’s guys so I’m pulling for Debtor to blow up. If I’m remembering right, I think Killing Years had a good message so hopefully they’ll have a chance to spread that around some.

Carrying The Fire Live – “Repentance”

Click here to view the embedded video.

Q: A lot you guys in the band have families and children (as do I), how has the changed your perspective on being in hardcore bands (if at all).  How has being a father changed your perspective on being in the hardcore scene?

A: The main thing is this, having children completely sapped my desire to tour in any capacity. Just can’t do it. It’s not a matter of money or responsibility, I’m just a homebody now and I don’t like being away from home longer than I need to be. Sometimes I feel like a visitor in the hardcore scene these days, but I think that has more to do with being 30 than being a father, ya know? I do want my girls to grow up loving music the way that I did (and still do) so I’m sure they’ll be exposed to hardcore/punk shows here and there during their childhood. Hopefully the scene will remain a place (at least some of the time like it is now) that I can feel comfortable bringing them.

Q: What music are you guys listening to?  What hardcore bands (or other bands) should we all check out?

A: Matt and Dan are really the only guys in the group that are in the loop with what’s going on in hardcore right now. The rest of us are pretty much a few years behind, but hopefully as we play out some and get more involved in what’s going on we’ll find new bands to get excited about. Here are a few records that I think everyone should check out, though: All Out War – ‘For Those Who Were Crucified’, Downset – ‘Do We Speak a Dead Language’, Bloody Sunday ‘They Attack at Dawn’, Symphony in Peril ‘The Whores Trophy’, Bane – ‘Give Blood’, anything by The Deal, Dogwood – ‘Through Thick and Thin’, Our Corpse Destroyed – ‘Strength to Strength’ and Flatfoot 56 – ‘Knuckles Up’. This isn’t a comprehensive list of my favorites or anything, but any or all of those records will make your life better. I’m my honest opinion, I think Our Corpse Destroyed is the most underrated band in punk/hardcore on the planet right now and Dogwood may be the most underrated punk/hardcore band in history.

Q: What message to you want to give the hardcore scene as a whole?

A: If you have any musical talent at all, start a band. Once you start it, learn to tune properly and practice. Once you practice, write lyrics that mean something to you, not necessarily what you think people will be in to.  After that, just play. Get involved and make friends – you’ll be amazed at the friends you can make and how much they can enrich your life.

Q: Feel free to share anything else, shout-outs, other bands, links, etc.  Thanks for the interview and look forward to catching you guys live soon!

A: Thanks for the opportunity to spout off for a while. The only thing I can think to say to the kids is this – get into music.  Don’t just get into what’s going on today, check out the history of hardcore and punk music – you’ll be glad you did. The records that I listed above aren’t just things that I’m into right now or bands that I know or want people to know that I like – all of them have had some sort of lasting impact on my life. Give them a listen and share them with your friends. Take it easy!

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!

NEW RELEASES AND UPCOMING RELEASES

The Red Baron – A 5 piece hardcore band out of Ft. Lauderdale, Florida has announced that they are now taking preorders for their upcoming EP called “My First Love.” From what we know here at HXCChristian.com, this is the bands first full length album. The album is being released on Blood & Ink Records. The official release date is April 7th. Here is what the band says about the album “We’re really excited about this album. A lot went to each song, spiritually speaking. We’re really proud of how honest and real this album is.” You can go reserve your copy here. They have a pretty cool package deal (which seems to be the new thing) where you can get a Tshirt or tank top as part of your order. If you want to learn more about the band, we did an interview with Phil and Chase, you can read it here. You can go to The Red Baron’s myspace page and listen to one of their new tracks called “Grace is for Falling.” I am sure that we will see these guys on tour soon, they have some dates up in the Southeast on the their myspace page, go and check them out if they are coming to your town.

Josh from XLooking ForwardX posted a bulletin on myspace a while back saying that he wanted to put together a new project. It sounds like the project is starting to get some legs. Safe to say that a lot of people are really excited to see what Josh puts together. The name of the band is “Back to the Garden.” Here is the blog post from the XLooking ForwardX page from Josh:

“My new project is officially named Back To The Garden. All of us in this new band felt it was appropriate, since this band reflects a bit of a spiritual regrouping for those involved. We want to focus on a message of love and grace, and at the same time, create something that we really enjoy.

Kevin and I are just starting the lyrics, but we have the music for four songs laid out. It’s coming together quickly, but we’re not trying to rush anything. Everyone is still getting used to each other yet, but the confidence is clearly building with each practice.

The vocals are the next big project. I know that it’s really going to shape the way the band is perceived, but I want to try to stick to the script of no screaming. We have toyed with the idea of some Orange 9mm or Downset-style vocal delivery in parts, but we’ll likely stop short of anything beyond that level of aggression in the vocals.

The level of aggression in the music is another story. The music is super heavy, but has some subtle melodic elements. There are definitely some breakdowns in there, and I’m real happy with how we were able to work them into the plan. As to whether it will be something hardcore kids can get into, well, I can’t say for sure, but I can say that there will be no shortage of dance opportunities.

I’ll probably set up a myspace for the band soon. It will still be a while yet before we post any material up, though. As I’ve said before, I want to make the first impression count.

I’ll keep posting updates every now and then. Thanks for reading! Take care.”

Josh

Venia – A 5 piece hardcore band from Minnesota says that it has completed recording of its new album to be relased at a future date on Blood & Ink Records. We are bigs fans of Venia here and really like their music, plus, ask anyone in the hardcore scene that knows the band and they will tell you that they are the hardest working band out there. They are ALWAYS on tour, I call it “eternal tour.” They have a clip of one of their new songs within the “Sideburns Tim” update (whom is missing his sideburns oddly enough). It sounds phenominal.

Click here to view the embedded video.

The Great Commission – A 6 piece hardcore band out of Redlands/Grand Terrace, California, released their first full length on Strike First Records. The name of the album is “And Every Knee Shall Bow.” If you picked up their demo they had for sale, then you are in for a real treat. I personally thought the demo was really rough, but still a great set of songs. From what I understand, it was recorded in a church santuary with all members playing at the same time. Well, the new album with it is production value is incredible. You can go and check out some of their new tracks on their myspace page the name of the tracks are “Let Your Kingdom Come,” (featuring JR from Sleeping Giant) and “I Dub City” (featuring Eric from XDeathStarX). Both great tracks. You can go and purchase their album on the Strike First website.

Irish styled punk/Oi! band Flatfoot 56 is working on putting out another album. I have heard through sources that they are playing some of their new songs at their shows. I hear that their new material is awesome. No word on when their new album will be out, but I am sure I will post something on it when it drops. You care read about the upcoming album here.

I am sure there is a lot more that I have missed, if so, please email me info at Josh @ HXCChristian. com and I can post it in the next batch of news.

ON TOUR

Strongarm – Classic Christian hardcore band from Florida is not really on tour, but I thought this was news worthy.  Jason Berggren (former lead singer of Strongarm) will be playing a Strongarm tribute show at the Cornerstone Festival this year in Illinois.  The band Life In Your Way will be performing back up as the band.  Jason and Life In Your Way will be performing songs off of both Strongarm albums.  Jason also recently published a book called “10 Things I Hate About Christianity; Walking Through the Frustrations of Faith.”  To learn more about Jason’s new book, he setup a blog called http://www.10thingsihate.com/.  I look forward to reading the book and posting a review.

Call to Preserve is playing with Reign Supreme & Madball. I got to hang with the guys in Call To Preserve all afternoon and treated them to dinner at the BBQ Lodge here in Raleigh. Great guys with great stories and a lot of fun to hang out with. I think the most fun was hanging in the parking lot with Call To Preserve, the guys from Reign Supreme, and watching Freddy Madball play soccer with all the guys. Never thought I would go to a hardcore show and see Freddy Madball playing soccer. The show was great, but the crowd was small, which doesn’t surprise me because the hardcore scene in general here in North Carolina is slowly growing. You can check out Call To Preserve’s myspace page for tour dates, and let they guys crash at your house if you can, they would love it! See the pics below.

Venia is STILL on tour (do these guys ever quit?). These guys are machines. They are doing another tour that will cover most of North America again. I asked them if they ever stop touring, their answer….”nope we never stop touring. We hate being home.” (they were kidding of course). To check and see if Venia is coming to a town near you, go to the Venia myspace page.

All Or Nothing – A hardcore band out of Hollister, California is gearing up for a nationwide tour starting in the next couple of days. They have a pretty beefy schedule. They also just released their new album available on Ethos Records. Go and check them out if you like your hardcore mixed with a little metal. These guys are brutal, but love Jesus. If you want to give them a try, visit the All Or Nothing myspace page.

The Red Baron has dates posted outside of Florida. Looks like mainly the Southeast at this point, but we would bet they probably tour with the release of the new album. You can check their tour dates on their myspace page.

Christian punk band Fight Before Surrender is headed to Europe (well the UK at least), so if you are in the UK, then go and support these guys. Their tour starts April 1st and wraps up on April 9th (at least that is what is on their myspace page). They are also recording a new album as well, no word on it yet though. Go to FBS’ myspace page to check dates.

CALLING IT QUITS

XSolidarityX from Sacramento is calling it quits – great guys, great music, they will be missed. Go and check out their myspace page and pick up their full length it is worth it. Here is the link to the XSolidarityX myspace page.

Take care and God bless – Keep it HARDCORE!