Interview
with Protestant
1.
Who's
in the band, and what do they do? How did you come up with the name? Are you anti-Catholicism?
Brian - drums / vocals; Chris -
guitar / vocals; Cory - vocals / guitar; Jesse - bass / vocals.
We needed a simple, one word name. We
like Rorschach. Protestants built (ruined) this country. Whatever that implies, no, we don’t, though
it’s one of the sillier versions of western religion/ Christianity.
2.
You've
put out CDs, cassettes, and vinyl records. What's your preferred medium and why?
Yep- vinyl. Though we all probably listen to music
digitally the most, we all grew up on records, and buy them first and foremost.
Vinyl is by far the best physical
format, hands down. Artwork, tactile
experience involved, etc.
3.
What's
Milwaukee (and Wisconsin as a whole) like, scene-wise? Community-wise? Is Wisconsin as plagued with cheese and Scott Walker as the media makes it seem?
It’s pretty active for how few
people we have; I mean, Milwaukee has 600,000 people or less and there are countless bands, and in
the summer, like a show every day.
The 'scenes' are pretty split up to some extent, but overall, everyone seems to
find people to play to. The other
big(ish) cities do their own thing for the most part, but Appleton and Madison
have their slew of bands/ shows and such as well and people make the rounds,
especially in the summer.
Plagued by cheese? I like cheese! (The
vegans in my band don’t). Are we a mostly
rural/ suburban republican state? Yes. The difference in a few miles ideologically
once you leave the cities is pretty insane. Scott Walker is a weasel. So much of the state only cares about how high
their taxes are while kids in Milwaukee can barely read and have nothing to
eat. People who support him and the rest
of his union busting cronies the nation over are garbage, pure and simple.
4.
What are
some of your influences? You play a newer style of hardcore that's a lot darker and moodier than most punk; was this deliberate or a result of unplanned evolution?
Hmm- we like stuff from all over
the place, to be honest. We all agree on
a basic genre of hardcore/ punk, I suppose, though again we probably each hate the
other guys’ favorite band.
Nothing is deliberate per se. We just
write what we do, I guess. If it’s 'too Pennywise'
it gets tossed, but you'll find weird melodies beneath the stuff we do if you
listen close.
5.
How
often do touring acts hit Milwaukee? Have you opened for anyone notable?
If you did, do you have any special stories about your encounter(s), good or
bad? If so, please divulge them.
All the time; I mean, some big
tours and some awesome bands alike skip us, but we (see above) have shows all
the time here. Bands from everywhere
play here, as the multitude of bands from here have connections the country/ world
over, since many tour or have.
Hmm… notable? You’d have to be more precise, but I guess
TRAGEDY, MODERN LIFE IS WAR, THOU, WITCHCRAFT are notable. We’ve played a lot of shows over the years,
and we've liked most of the bands we've met/played with, I guess. There have been assholes, sure, but mostly
due to the fact that they were playing with us, a hardcore punk band, and we
had nothing in common with them. Then
again, lots of punks are shitheads too. AMAROK
from California are the nicest people on earth. There ya go.
6.
What is
it like running a label (Halo of Flies)? Does it aid in promoting your music, or is it more of a drag on the band than it is a benefit? What's your favorite record that you've pressed, and why?
It’s insanely time consuming and
non-stop. I work on the label about 35hrs a week; still, it’s fun and I love
it.
Yes, of course. I’m already talking to people about bands/ records all the time,
so promoting Protestant comes with the territory, as it does any band/any
release. Though of course, I do all the same stuff for the band as well, so it’s
hard to separate them sometimes, as far as telling people to get stoked on it. A drag? Not sure what you mean, but I think the label benefits
the band for the most part.
God, I have no idea. I really like a lot of them, even after a few years. Recent stuff has been especially rewarding, but
I don’t have a hands down favorite.
7.
How is
the Midwest different from the rest of the United States, from your observations and experiences, in punk and in regular life? Why should a touring group play around here?
It’s better. More open minded to some degree, a bit more
lost and desperate. I like certain
pockets of the coasts I have seen, but I like it here. Look, America is a vacant wasteland for the
most part. Gas stations and bullshit as
far as the eye can see. At least here we
have a little space and actual seasons.
Why? Kids are usually into shit; they’re
less jaded, or so it seems.
8. What local bands are your favorites?
Have you played with any of them? What are a few places to play in the greater Milwaukee area for
bands in need of a place to play in Wisconsin?
NORTHLESS, GET RAD, ENABLER, HOLY
SHIT!, NO BRAINER, MOON CURSE, IRON CAGES, CALL ME LIGHTNING, the list really
goes on. Yes, we've played with all of
them.
Houses: (Ground Zero, the Paper Trail, etc), the Borg Ward, Quarters (21+), the
CCC, etc.
9.
How do
you feel Protestant fits into this Milwaukee scene?
Well, I guess we fit in; we play
somewhat rarely here, maybe every month or two.
But we are friends with most everyone to some degree. On the other hand, we are all older and make
fewer shows than we used to due to jobs, houses, etc. We’re kinda grumpy old men to some here, I
would imagine.
10. Anything you wish to add?
We have records and shit.
www.protestantmilwaukee.com.
We have a split 6" coming out in like 2 weeks
(with SUFFERING MIND from Poland), and plan on touring this fall.
New LP out in 2013, I guess.
10.5. Come to Detroit/ MI soon! You'd be most
welcome!
Ok, maybe in October. ;)
