ARTICLE JUMP
Withdrawal (Adam)
What are your top five albums that were released in 2009? (In order 1-5)
- Tegan And Sara - Sainthood
- Depeche Mode - Sounds Of The Universe
- Coalesce - Ox
- Pulling Teeth - Paradise Illusions, paranoid Delusions
- Sixes - Sixes
What band did you discover in 2009 (can be a brand new band or an older band) that had an impact on your life? What made them significant?
I had listened to some Catharsis before, and picked up a record or two based on some close friends testimonial, but while I enjoyed it, it didn't captivate me until I started to read more and more into the history and life of the band. The music made more sense, and I started to reflect it against a lot of the same feelings I had about the world we live in, and life in general. I'm not going to grow dreadlocks and live in a forest or anything, but they definitely made me more conscious about the general misery we sell ourselves into. As for current bands, the gentlemen in Creatures and Downpresser had a profound effect on me this year by being courteous and generous enough to invite us to tour the northeastern United States with them. Being from Winnipeg, we couldn't possibly be any more removed from the North American touring circuit, so for them to play here and help bring us through the states was amazing of them.
How will you remember 2009? (In terms of music)
Bittersweet really. I've sacrificed and given more of myself to music than I ever have before in my life, the downside to this is that I could only really afford to buy a handful of records for myself. Overall, it's a pretty hostile environment for a serious musician to be in right now, but there is promise. The majority of hardcore kids nowadays; all they want is merch mosh, hype bands with no substance. Part timers and lightweights see themselves as having more to do with hardcore than they do. That sucks. But a lot of the bands that attract that kind of crowd seem to have started to fall off, and the few bands out there that are genuine are making their voices heard. I think if you absolutely love hardcore then you hate most of it, and I guess that's how I am nowadays. As far as more "civilian" music, Bat For Lashes put out "Two Suns", and while it serves as music for indie dance party mutants to do cocaine to, for the most part I found it to be a well-crafted pop album. Perfect music for Withdrawal's staunch "no core after the show" van rules.
2009 was a huge year for reunions. What reunion excited you the most? What band that has not reunited would you love to see play/record most in 2010?
Well I was lucky enough to make the 18-hour trek from Winnipeg to Chicago this past May to see Burning Fight, which as most of the astute readers of SPB should know was a "Who's who" of "That will never happen." I guess I'd have to say I was most excited to see Unbroken play. Trial was insane too, even though I'm not the biggest fan of theirs. The Rorschach reunion didn't get much hype, but I love that band so that would have been cool to see. Also, Godflesh is apparently reuniting and that is certainly going to be exciting. And of course, Faith No more... it really was the year of reunions. As far as reunions that haven't happened? There is the rumored Chain of Strength reunion, which should be hilarious. I can't wait for the Have Heart reunion. Boy golly.
What can we look forward to from you in 2010?
We'll be on a cassette comp in the UK with some familiar friends. Split 10" with Rot In Hell after that on Escapist. We'll be running away from our lives and going on tour for about a month in May, finally hitting the west coast with our friends in Crucified and more so after that. After that, we'll concentrate on an LP "Left On Mission, And Revenge". Also, you can all look forward to a few narrow misses on suicide attempts and an ever-bleakening emotional landscape all from yours truly.
What three records are you looking forward to most in 2010?
Crucified's full-length. I can't wait for that. The Pulling Teeth / Irons split should be interesting. And should it finally arrive, Integrity's The Blackest Curse.
Website Link (Website/Myspace/Blog/Etc.): http://www.myspace.com/withdrawal13
