Interviews: CLUSTERFUX

On this new occasion, we have had the opportunity to interview the Crossover/Thrashcore/Hardcore band, CLUSTERFUX from the USA. Check out the interview and follow the band on their FACEBOOK PAGE.

1. Where did you get the idea for the band name, you plan it or come out just like that?

Justin named the band almost 30 years ago.  It's from military jargon…”C, F”.  Charlie Foxtrot; a Clusterfuck.  We used to an “X” to make it more punk and you cant really get anywhere with the word “fuck” in your name.  

2. Why did you want to play this genre? 

It just comes out of us this way.  We aren’t a band that said “let's play this style of music and shun any ideas that don't fit”.  We were too young for the first wave of US Hardcore but we were the right age for the wave of metallic hardcore, crossover, and thrash that was strong from like 86 through the end of the ’80s.  We were into DRI, COC, the Exploited, Final Conflict, the Accused, Excel…all that shit.  Slayer, Megadeth, and Metallica were all right there in the mix too.  I had a dubbed cassette I made that had Black Flag on one side and Metallica on the other.  It's who we are, it's what flows out of us naturally.  

3. Did you know each other before the band was formed? 

Justin and I are brothers, I remember Van at school when he was like 6.  We became friends when he was in junior high and into high school through skateboarding and music.  Joe M I met in high school, he was from the next town over and played in one of the only hardcore bands in the western half of the state of Colorado, EOS (End of Story).  It was only a couple years before he moved to Carbondale and 4 of us were playing in a band called FIA.  Joe P. was from the same town as Joe M, he was a little younger and came up a few years behind us.  His band was Doomed Youth, I think we played a couple of gigs with them.  So he too was a friend long before he joined the band.  The long history between all of us makes this lineup of the band extra special to me.

4. Each band member's favorite band?

 

Van - DRI, Discharge, early Metallica, Slayer, Nausea, UK 82 punk

Justin - Siouxsie and the Banshees, Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, Rudimentary Peni, KISS, Concrete Sox, War Victims, Killing Joke  

Joe M - Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Van Halen, SNFU

Joe P - Judas Priest Demolition Hammer, Nuclear Assault, Dismember, Overkill, Accept 

Josh - Black Sabbath and early Ozzy, Judas Priest, Metallica, DRI, KISS, Agnostic Front, Nausea…   This is always the toughest question in any interview.  Different bands for different moods.  Extinction of Mankind, Final Conflict, Neurosis, Social Distortion, Kreator, 80’s COC…  Dag Nasty, the Rolling Stones, Circle Jerks. 

 

5. Who or what inspires you to write songs? 

I read a lot and drew a lot of inspiration from there.  The ideas behind two of the songs on the album came directly from books, ‘East of Eden’ and ‘Rawhead Rex’.  A few of the other songs are filtered through ideas and concepts written about in books like the Bhagavad Gita and the Dhammapada.  But really our songs are about life, some of it on a more personal level while others entertain themes from social and political issues.  You get everything from harnessing the power of the universe to “war is bad” with us!  Haha!  

6. Where was your last gig? 

Our last show was in Grand Junction Colorado.  Dayglo Abortions were supposed to be the headliners with the Brothels in the direct support spot, us under them, and a local opener.  Dayglo got ripped off by a dude out of Denver, he took all the money he was supposed to be getting the visas with and he blew it on drugs and shit.  He was setting up the entire US tour for DA.  Days before the tour was supposed to commence he posted on Facebook that he didn't get the visas and blew all the money.  The Brothels wanted to carry on the tour and without DA I think some shows were getting canceled.  We were supposed to do 3 dates and we ended up just doing the Grand Junction show.  The promoter over there knew we had a strong following on that side of the state so they bumped us up to headliner.  We were skeptical but… shit!  The Western Slope showed up in force!  It ended up being one of the best shows we’ve played in a long time.  It was amazing to see so many people there and so many familiar faces, people we grew up with.  It was like a really big reunion.  The crowd kept the pit going for our entire set and we sold more merch than we had ever sold a show.  It was wild!

7. Where would you like to act?

We’ve never played on the East Coast or been to Europe.  It would be cool to do either of those or both.   

8. Whom would you like to feature with? 

We had a few dates with the Cro-Mags scheduled for earlier this year but they canceled that to do the Helmet tour.  Going out with the Cro-Mags, with Harley would be cool.  We’ve done a few 2-3-day stints with DRI, and it would be cool to go out with them for a week or so.  Doing something with Agnostic Front or the Exploited would be cool.  Maybe some Midwest dates with War//Plague...  I'm always honored to play with the bands we grew up listening to and getting out with friends' bands is always rewarding as well.  We’re a pretty diverse band, the whole crossover thing ya’ know.  We’ve played with Verbal Assault and with Napalm Death, we can connect with people in either of those crowds and everywhere in between.  It would be really cool to go out with a more thrash metal oriented band, Overkill would be killer.  Havok!  We played with Sacred Reich and it totally worked. 

9. Whom not? 

Pop-Punk bands.  I like a lot of music but can't stand that whiny pop-punk stuff.  I'm also not a fan of these newer, corporate, hardcore bands.  

10. Have any of you ever suffered from stage fright? Any tips for beginners on how to beat that? 

For sure, not as much anymore but in the early days I did.  I’d try to compensate with a few beers but a few too many meant a sloppy performance.  As for tips and advice…  Know your stuff.  Practice.  Practice alone if you have to.  Having your stuff recorded, even rough demos, really helps with that.  I’ll listen to Clusterfux when I go out for a walk, I listen to the lyrics, queues, timing, etc.  For those things it's more beneficial to me than live practice.  I use live practice to work out where the breaks in the set are and how I want to move around to the songs.  Where to breathe. Where am I going to jump?  Listen to your own band and dial that shit in.  Sometimes I still feel a wave of anxiety and address that with pre-show meditation, maybe doing some jumping jacks or push-ups.  

11. What bands have inspired you the most? 

Inspiration can mean different things.  To want to get in front of people and pound out some music?  Man, that probably goes back to being a kid and pretending to be in KISS.  To keep doing this for 30 years?  Ha!  That inspiration comes from seeing what other people my age are doing.  Music is the fountain of youth.  On a personal level, I draw inspiration from members of bands.  Some of these folks have written books and shared their amazing lives with us.  From there I've certainly drawn inspiration from Ray Cappo, Roger Miret, Harley Flanagan, and Rob Halford amongst others.  All of these people have had lives and tell stories that I can relate to.  I can't relate to Paul Stanley, great book but not as inspirational as some of these others.  Of course, Halford is a big rockstar too but he seems so much more real, and human, he’s very open and I am so blown away by how down-to-earth and compassionate he seems.  He’s number one on my list of “If I could meet anyone who would it be?”.  But as for bands?  The Accused AD, Misery, and Extinction of Mankind come to mind.  They keep doing it even though they aren't at the level where they can do this for a living.  It's just who they are and there is no stopping.   

12. What's the weirdest thing a fan has ever asked you for?

In the old days there might have been an offer to roll around in the hay!  Haha!  This dude asked if he could propose on the stage between songs.  We went forward with it, the whole thing was weird.  Let’s just say…  Ahh… never mind.  Haha!    

13. What do you think of your fans? 

They blow me away!  There are a lot of bands with a lot of merch out there.  Every time I see a sale come through or if I'm at a show slinging merch it just floors me that they decided to spend their money on our band, that they spent their time with us at that show.  I can't say “thank you” enough times.  I'm always looking for better ways to express my gratitude.  

14. What do you think of our site?

I love the level of detail you go to with the sub-genres.  It's an impressive site, so much is represented there and in a very clean fashion.  You can tell that a lot of care goes into curating that site.

15. Something to add?

Similar to how I am always thankful to the fans I also have immense gratitude for people like you and sites like this, the underground music press in general.  This is how people find bands, I appreciate your efforts and helping us spread the name CLUSTERFUX.  We don't golf.  We thrash!