After recording their new EP, This Is Hell decided to conquer Europe. Fast forward to the present...
Triumphantly standing above the wreckage of a splintered and destroyed Europe, Jeff Tiu, Dan Bourke, Rick Jimenez, Joe Osolin, and Travis John Reilly begin chuckling. In unison they walk towards their jet to return to the USA. What they, and every pillager, forgot was to watch out for the lone sniper. The lone sniper finishes his bologna sandwich and accidentally shoots himself. This Is Hell rejoice. Little do they do know that Travis John Reilly has an interview to do! Reilly tells the band he has to "drop a baby arm" and rounds the nearest corner. He immediately dives into basement and answers a flurry of questions posed by Zed...
Scene Point Blank: What's your name and what do you do in This Is Hell?
Travis John Reilly: Travis John Reilly and I sing.
Scene Point Blank: What does This Is Hell mean?
Travis John Reilly: Well I got the name from an Elvis Costello song, but the name could be about the world pretty much haha.
Scene Point Blank: How did you guys form?
Travis John Reilly: It was our destiny.
Scene Point Blank: What's it like living in an area surrounded by horrible Mexican food? (AKA no good burritos)
Travis John Reilly: Well luckily we are on tour a lot so we get to eat good burritos all over, my personal favorite is HUGOS in Prescott, Arizona.
Scene Point Blank: As a super powerful touring machine, what do you do with the time you have at home?
Travis John Reilly: Um, we use what little time we are home relaxing, having sex with our girlfriends and planning our next tour.
Scene Point Blank: Do you have any tips for bands that would like to tour a lot?
Travis John Reilly: Be very smart about routing tours, try not to stay in hotels, eat as cheap as possible and try and work while you are home so you can pay bills.
Scene Point Blank: You just came back from Europe, how was that?
Travis John Reilly: Really really awesome, we played like 28 shows in 30 days and they were great. Having a handful of kids in random countries singing along to our songs was mind-blowing. We also got to play with fellow Americans Outbreak and Modern Life Is War while in Europe.
Scene Point Blank: Which country was your favorite?
Travis John Reilly: Our best shows were in Germany. But all the countries were rad.
Scene Point Blank: How was European hardcore different than US? If at all...
Travis John Reilly: I feel like the kids were way more grateful to have bands playing their cities, they watched all the bands, no one left early, there was no fights. It seemed a lot less elitist than America.
Scene Point Blank: Were there any European bands you played with that were especially good and worth checking out?
Travis John Reilly: Yes. Off the top of my head.....Black Friday 29, Teamkiller, Another Year, O'hara, Malkovich, Rise And Fall, and Bridge To Solace.
Scene Point Blank: Why'd you go to State of Mind from Run For Cover?
Travis John Reilly: State of Mind is a Long Island based label run by dudes we've known for a while and they run a great label that is up and coming. For the amount of touring we are doing they will be able to support us better than Run For Cover could.
Scene Point Blank: Would you ever consider releasing something on a label with more or less than three words in their title?
Travis John Reilly: It would be very unlikely; we like to keep our labels in three's.
Scene Point Blank: What is the new album called?
Travis John Reilly: It doesn't have a title. But it has a gnarly mummy on the cover. So maybe Gnarly Mummy EP.
Scene Point Blank: Do you have access to "gnarly mummy" n00dz? And if so, will they ever be released?
Travis John Reilly: If I ever release them I'm going to have to make a phone call to her and let her know she got pwned big time.
Scene Point Blank: How did you get hooked up with the artist who drew the "gnarley mummy"? It's pretty fucking awesome.
Travis John Reilly: Haha, yeah the dude who did the artwork is Jeremy, he runs a design company called Monsters In Disguise. He did the art for the With Honor/Distance split. So I spoke to Jay from The Distance and he hooked me up with Jeremy's contact, and the rest is history.
Scene Point Blank: Where did you record the new album?
Travis John Reilly: Atomic Studios in Brooklyn, NY.
Scene Point Blank: How many songs did you record?
Travis John Reilly: We did 5 of our own, and a cover by a band called 108. So 6 total.
Scene Point Blank: Did you rerecord any songs from the demo, and if so, which ones?
Travis John Reilly: Yes, we re-recorded "Heaven Sent, Hell Bound."
Scene Point Blank: Why did you cover 108, and which 108 songs did you cover?
Travis John Reilly: We did "When Death Closes Your Eyes" off of Three Fold Misery, and I think 108 is super underrated and are one of the few bands that fuse metal and hardcore really well.
Scene Point Blank: Do you think the EP is different than the demo, and if so, how?
Travis John Reilly: Um, I think the songs and recording quality and lyrics as a whole are all way better then the demo.
Scene Point Blank: On the demo there's a song where the lyrics are taken from a WW2 letter. How did you come across this letter?
Travis John Reilly: I used to work at Kinko�s, and this old lady came in and asked me to copy it for her, so I was reading it as I copied it and I thought it was insane, so I made myself a copy.
Scene Point Blank: Was she an attractive woman?
Travis John Reilly: She may have been when she was my age, but she was well in her 70's and did nothing for me.
Scene Point Blank: Are you just saying this because you have a girlfriend?
Travis John Reilly: No, I actually point out girls that I find attractive to my girlfriend quite often, and she's pretty cool with it.
Scene Point Blank: How did you get hooked up with the dude from GlassJaw for the new album?
Travis John Reilly: I've known Daryl for many years, and told him that I wanted him to sing on our EP, and he said no problem as long as he wasn't on tour. Luckily for us he happened to be sick and couldn't go on tour for a few months. And he happened to be home when we recorded, so there you go.
Scene Point Blank: I've heard from top secret informants that you have an upcoming US tour...details?
Travis John Reilly: Haha, in July/Aug we will be doing a full US tour with our fellow Long Island buddies Crime In Stereo. And the West Coast part of the tour will also include Set Your Goals and Life Long Tragedy. We are super stoked.
Scene Point Blank: Where could a 70 year old woman go for more details?
Travis John Reilly: Our Myspace page.
Scene Point Blank: What's your favorite place to play in the US?
Travis John Reilly: Florida, Nashville, Cali, and Washington.
Scene Point Blank: What have you been listening to lately?
Travis John Reilly: Modern Life Is War, Nightmare Of You, Fine Print, The Warriors, and Old 97s.
Scene Point Blank: Will Scraps And Heart Attacks/The Backup Plan play anymore shows?
Travis John Reilly: Scraps no, BuP probably.
Scene Point Blank: Any last words?
Travis John Reilly: Come see us on tour and order our CD @ State of Mind Recordings
Scene Point Blank: SICK
Click here to read Scene Point Blank's review of the EP.
Interview conducted by Zed.
Photography by Zed.
Layout/Graphic Designs by Michael.
