Interview

LIFE AT THESE SPEEDS

Jeudi 28 juillet 2005

1.Who are the people behind LATS? What are you doing when you're not playing music? What motivates you?

We are Alan (guitar), Chris (drums), Asa (bass), and Luke (guitar). Asa works for a coffee roastery. Luke is a bike messenger. Chris and I are both students.
Chris is working toward a Masters degree in Japanese history; I'm an undergraduate student in the Publishing program at the same university.
Just looking around at all of the great things my friends are accomplishing at so many different levels motivates me. I find Portland has a real sense of community that is supportive of creative activities. There is so much happening in the way of musical and artistic endeavors; it can almost be overwhelming.
Most importantly, it's all accessible. People are friendly and down to earth, for the most part. It's this kind of environment that fosters creative growth
and motivation.

2.I was astonished by your first album which was released by The Perpetual Motion Machine, Owsla and Grey Sky Records. So I would like to know what gives you that passion to create such music? What inspire you? And which bands inspired you to play music like this!?

Personally, music has always been a major influence on my life. Whatever the changes in taste I have gone through, I have always had a deep love for music,
which is something I'm sure a lot of people can relate to. Listening to an amazing song can evoke an emotional response akin to euphoria. Nothing can make
you feel as alive as when you are playing something you've created with a group of friends. It puts things into perspective-I am playing these songs in this band at 31 years old, and there is nothing else I would rather be doing. That is what inspires me.
We all come from diverse musical backgrounds that have undoubtedly influenced us as musicians. Additionally, bands like Takaru (RIP), Funeral Diner, Sinaloa, Stop It!! (RIP), Skeleton Coast (again, RIP), Science of Yabra (lots of "S" bands... Hmm.), and so many more provide/provided great support and friendship that definitely has had some impact on us as a whole.

3.Who's writing the lyrics? Is a single person, or everyone? I do love a lot the way it is written. Kind of poetical while being political and yet personal. That's the way i love it! Is writing an outlet for emotions and/or frustrations? What inspire you to write such lyrics?

We have all contributed lyrics on the new recordings. Chris and I sing a bit more, too. Everyone writes their own words for the most part. Lyrical content is a vehicle for expression, and it's all emotional. Whether or not these emotions are born of frustration depends upon the individual and subject matter. I believe there is no difference between the personal and political; how you choose to live your life is a statement in itself. That said, I like to think that the majority of what we write focuses on more positive attitudes toward life.

4.Everyone knows that the hardcore punk scene couldn't change the world. But maybe we could think we try to build an alternative community which is different from mainstream society and business interest? Do we really challenge and question society? Whats' your point of view.

I think there are instances where punk and/or hardcore has made a difference. I know that it has had a huge impact on my life and affects the way I interact with others and the stances that I take on various subjects. Hardcore provided another path for me to take with a different way of looking at the world. If
it were to affect everyone involved in the scene in this way, then I could foresee it as a vehicle for real change. Being as diverse and exclusive as it is (meaning it's not very accessible to everyone), the greatest impact is made locally within each community, both socially and economically. From there, these core values can grow beyond our local communities.

5.What's your feelings now that you're under a second turn with that big asshole called Bush as « Mr President of the world ». What's your feeling about the international politic of the USA?

Personally, I was devastated when the election results came back. I had been sure that Bush would be defeated. It angers me that he is the face of America,
that he represents what others in the world equate with the American public. I don't agree with anything he has said or done and have no respect for him. I'm
counting down the days until the next election. Many people I talk to that have been abroad-coworkers, friends, and relatives-half-jokingly tell me to claim
I'm from Canada, but I don't agree with that stance. I want people to know that I'm an American and that not every US citizen is a blind follower of the Bush
regime.

6.Do you consider LATS as a political band? You kind of have lyrics that could be considered as political...So for you, do you think hardcore punk should be political, if not in the lyrics then on the way to work?

Again, as much as I consider personal choices to be political, I consider our band to be so. While we don't have an overt political agenda, I feel that we
all have core beliefs that we value and share, and perhaps that comes across in our music.

7.You're from USA, and you have a hardcore history that last for longer than ours... So what's your opinion on the evolution of the hardcore punk community since years?

The hardcore scene is continually evolving, incorporating new elements and revisiting old themes. It has grown exponentially since I first became involved, 14 or so years ago. There are so many more bands and labels now, as well as a much larger and (arguably) more efficient network of people to work
with.
Although some negative components have found a place within the community (clique-ish tendencies, sexist/racist/homophobic 'irony', etc), this continued
growth has proven to be positive, in my opinion. More kids are aware of the social climate that surrounds them, political discourse is welcomed, the scene
overall is more inclusive (despite the cliques that might exist from place to place)... More people are getting involved in their communities, continuing
programs developed by their predecessors (like Food Not Bombs) and building their own legacies (see any number of collective venues, galleries, community
spaces). Some would argue that the music has become bland and watered-down, but I would have to counter that by pointing out the fact that there are a lot of
bands breaking new ground or refining an existing sound.
In terms of race, age, sexual orientation, gender, etc: I'm not sure if it is any more or less diverse when comparing the presence of such factors and the
current scene population to those of the past. I do think that the positive and negative aspects of each has been amplified by the increase in participation,
however.

8.Back on some related music stuff, you have released an awesome album untill now. So what are the next stuff that LATS will gonna release...and with who? Can we expect to see LATS in Europe soon?

We have a split 7" coming out later this summer with Sinaloa on Waking Records. Following that is a split 12" with Science of Yabra on Grey Sky Records/Accident Prone to correspond with our European tour together this September. For info on those dates, check http://www.trapdoor-tourz.de

9.Still about music, what do you think of copyrights and author rights? Do you know things like « copy left attitude » or « creative commons » that works like Open Source software like GNU/Linux?

I totally support the sharing of music. I found out about a lot of bands through mixtapes that friends made me when I was younger, and I think this type of sharing benefits everyone. I am only vaguely familiar with Copyleft Attitude and Creative Commons, but I find these to be positive things based on the little that I do know. I would say that I am against the appropriation of creative works for personal financial gain by those not involved.

10.Is LATS working like a collective where everyone do everything? Or is it someone that brings the music line, someone else the lyrics, then another take care of the show schedule, etc, etc...?

We all pitch in to help with the various tasks that come with being a band, though we each seem to have areas that we're better suited to handle. It's no one person's responsibility to make sure any particular project is taken care of.

11.What do you know about the European scene now? Which bands do you know and you like here...it seems American people are more into European bands than before (at least into the emo-screamo scene).

I definitely don't know enough about the European scene; I plan to learn a bit this September, though! Contemporary bands I like include Belle Epoque (I
think you may have heard of them), Catena Collapse, The Death of Anna Karina, La Quiete, What Price, Wonderland?, and more I'm forgetting... Some past
bands: Vanilla, Les Thugs, Bob Tilton, Ivich (thanks to my friend Ralph), Baby Harp Seal, Leatherface, tons more!

12.Anything else to add to close this small interview? Thanxxx to you to have taken some time of your life to talk about your band to European people. ;-)

I just want to say thank you, Julien, for being so supportive of our band! See you in September!

TU AS AIME ? PARTAGE !