Friday, February 17, 2012

Vaast Interview


1. Can you tell us a little bit about the band for those that have never heard of you before?
 
we're three old punk/metal dudes (tim, jeff, and mike)from portsmouth nh who've been playing music together for about six years. 

2. How would you describe your musical sound?
 
prog crust, perhaps? we have pretty eclectic tastes, and write a lot of music, so our sound can vary greatly and often. 

3. What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?
 
the overall lyrical theme is that of hopelessly watching the world fall apart around you. our main lyricist mike is a teacher who works with special needs kids from broken homes. it's a constant reminder of the effects of alcoholism, hard drugs, and media brainwashing.  

4. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the bands name?
 
we thought we had made the word up, and chose it strictly for visual reasons (originally  vaast had three a's and three umlauts). apparently it was also the name of a monk who ascended to heaven via spontaneous human combustion. 

5. What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and how would you describe your stage performance?
 
our favorite shows thus far have been with bands such as thou, backstabbers inc., the body, howl, and a ton of others. our shows are fueled by copious amounts of caffeine and marajuana. 

6. Do you have any touring plans for the future?
 
we're planning on a two to three week east coast tour this summer, most likely with another gnarly nh band such as kyoty or ultra/negative, so if you're reading this and  have a basement/art space/show space send us an email. 

7. Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a label and if so what kind of label do you feel that would be a perfect fit for the music?
 
our last ep was put out by a small hip hop label which we absolutely appreciate, but wasn't necessarily the best pairing. although we aren't actively looking for a label we can see the benefit of both larger and smaller independent labels, and would probably jump at either opportunity. at the end of the day, i'm content giving my music away on the internet. 

8. Are there any other projects besides this band or is this a full time line up?
 
vaast is definitely everyone's first priority, but we always have things going on on the side. currently jeff plays drums in the grunge band ellen page, and a yet-to-be-named black metal band with members of backstabbers inc. mike and i played in a power violence band called godbuzzard for a number of years. it's not uncommon for us to play back to back sets with different bands. 

9. What direction do you see your music heading into on future releases?
 
the next batch of songs will be lengthy, self indulgent instrumentals most likely followed by a slew of simple d beat or grind songs. we constantly write new music, and enjoy jumping from style to style as our mood sees fit. the goal for the coming year is to record as often as we create. 

10. What are some bands or musical styles that have influenced your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
 
our biggest influences are nineties hardcore and metal bands such as his hero is gone, catharsis, today is the day, neurosis, combat wounded veteran, carcass etc... as well as latter day black flag, voivod, black metal, doom, prog rock, and fusion jazz. current stuff we're into includes masakari, victims, stormcrow, hellshock, negura bunget, baroness, and all things southern lord. 

11.Outside of music what are some of your interests?
 
we're all avid hikers and outdoorsmen. i've spent a good portion of this winter snowshoeing through the white mountains. most of us also fancy ourselves  artists/painters, and usually have several showings throughout the year. jeff is also very active in the theater. 

12. Any final words or thoughts before we wrap up this interview?
 
 it's been really cool watching this music go from complete obscurity to being readily available at my local music store. we're very thankful you can be in your mid thirties in this scene and still not only be relevant, but often revered. punk is alive and well, and i can't wait to still play it when i'm fucking fifty. 


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