Santa Cruz's hardcore pioneers BL'AST! have experienced something of a resurgence in the past year, with two of their iconic albums, It's In My Blood! and The Power Of Expression given new life via new mixes by Dave Grohl, and deluxe vinyl reissues via Southern Lord as Blood! and The Expression Of Power, respectively. Plenty has been written about the vitality of those records, and the story behind them, but what's really exciting is that soon we'll actually have the chance to hear those tracks live.
Original vocalist Clifford Dinsmore and guitarist Mike Neider, along with a new rhythm section featuring the manic energy of bassist Nick Oliveri and ridiculously hard-hitting drummer Joey Castillo, BL'AST! will hit European shores for the first time this summer. Ahead of those shows, I was lucky enough to get to ask Mike some questions.
(((o))): I've read in a couple of interviews since your reformation that you guys were actually meant to tour Europe back in the day, but things just didn't work out. Are you excited for it to finally happen, even if it is 25 years later? Anywhere in particular you're looking forward to playing?
Mike: I’m very excited to be finally going to Europe to play with BL'AST! and share the experience. It’s all new to us man so it all gonna be killa!
(((o))): Almost every band mentions that there's a huge difference between touring in America and touring in Europe, but what about the difference between touring back in the '80s and touring now? Back then the DIY circuit over in America was just being set up by the generation of bands you guys come from, do you think things have gotten easier for underground bands since?
Mike: Haha, yes it seems bizarre actually not to have phones back then and to depend on the club to promote the show and so on. Haha and actually use a map that’s been soiled through the tour. It’s like night and day with the modern accessibility. We need to find out for ourselves what the difference is between touring Europe and the US.
(((o))): You're bringing a killer rhythm section over for this tour; Nick Oliveri and Joey Castillo, two guys who have played in a couple of pretty high profile bands in their time. How did you hook up with them? Are they excited to be playing more intimate club shows?
Mike: The timing was great, Cliff watched Nick play a Mondo Generator show and told him what was going on and asked if he wanted to do it and he was into it and now is killing it in BL'AST! Same with Joey, Nick told him at a Danzig show what was going on and he was into it as we played together back in the day when he played in Wasted Youth. It sounds incredible and we are all looking forward to bringing it over to Europe and bring it live and creating a new record that will be punishing.
(((o))): From the two incarnations of 'Black Flag', Keith Morris going back to his roots with OFF!, and reformations by the likes of Negative Approach and the Descendents, why is it that the original hardcore bands are still able to draw a crowd these days?
Mike: Why not? People still go to the Stones. What’s the difference? It`s not a relic makeshift fad. People are into what they are into. I’ve never stopped listening to great bands and I hope I can still see them play in 20 years and then some. You don't just stop, it will slay forever.
(((o))): Do you feel any sort of connection between the two time periods that makes old-school hardcore more relevant than ever?
Mike: It’s just nice to see heavy hardcore get shown to the kids today.
(((o))): What other bands from back in the day would you love to see playing shows
again?
Mike: I would like to see Bill Ward back in the band [Black Sabbath]. It’s rock and if he sketches out a bit who fucking cares. That's personality.
(((o))): What about newer bands that get you excited, are there any young bands you'd
love to play a show with?
Mike: We have been, there are bands like The Shrine and Lecherous Gaze, The Obliterations, Nails, Trash Talk, OFF!, man there are some great bands happening and we hope to continue playing with them and more to come and who I have not mentioned. It’s great!
(((o))): For years it was pretty hard to actually get a hold of your records, even in the internet age, which may have a lot to do with Greg Ginn's reluctance to reissue anything on SST. Other than it being something of a passion project for both Dave Grohl and Greg Anderson, and yourselves of course, was remixing the albums and giving them alternative titles a way for you to get around that?
Mike: Well we really appreciate the fact that we were on SST Records. It was amazing at the time and we were at its tail end of the 3 partners separating. So a lot of the attention went internally and we kinda fell to the waste side and couldn't do much about it. I mean we watched a lot of things go down there and we were last in line with no intentions to try to get our records from SST. But with bands such as Meat Puppets, Sonic Youth, Bad Brains, I mean the roster is incredible. So that is one reason why BL'AST! never had become substantial. To our peers we have a mutual respect and it’s partly why Greg and Dave did what they did besides of being fans ya know. They knew we had been forgotten and never complained. So to see this respect from our friends prominent in the industry or not is nothing short of amazing. The record titles were changed because the records are not the same. Plus SST continues to sell their versions.
(((o))): The new mix heard on Blood! features onetime guitarist William Duvall, who these days is pretty well known for fronting the new incarnation of Alice In Chains. I don't suppose there any plans for him to play with BL'AST again, but would you guys be open to that if he was into it? Do you know what he thinks of the remix, if he's heard it?
Mike: He was stoked and backed it 100% and I am stoked for him. It’s an amazing record and story. He is busy guy now but we have already talked about that. It would be great if he could play with us again. You never know with these shows and all the bands playing together maybe it could happen. It’s always welcome.
(((o))): You've managed to re-release almost everything you guys recorded during your original time together, are there any plans to follow up Blood! and The Expression Of Power with a re-release of Take The Manic Ride?
Mike: Well unfortunately, our tapes to Take The Manic Ride were thrown out by Ex’s. It’s
kind of a situation. We want to put that record out and it is an amazing record that we dig but to just re-master it wouldn't be sufficient and to re-record it wouldn't capture that time. So, it is unfortunate that it will probably not happen. Myself with Nick, Joey and Cliff agree to focus on our new record. Then eventually re-record some of the Manic songs for some kind of EP or sound track or something.
(((o))): What about new material? Do you have plans to take the band forward as if you'd never broken up?
Mike: Definitely, this band right now is sounding unreal. The BL'AST! hang times and big intros etc... are more magnified now than ever before. Every time we play something new happens that stokes us out and the pocket the music is in right now is unreal. We have the energy and excitement with this group to make a very heavy record and we want to start recording this fall.
(((o))): Thanks for taking the time guys, looking forward to catching the show in Glasgow!
Mike: Right on! See ya there.
European tour dates:
