Interviews

Interviews: Fall Silent

Fall Silent first made an impression nationwide when they released Six Years In the Desert through Revelation Records. The album was a collection of the band's earlier material, and first let fans have a chance to hear this spectacular group from Reno, NV. Smother had the chance to speak with group frontman Levi Watson around the time of it's release, and he made quite clear his intentions for the band, and the negative side of being involved with a scene that is rather limited when it came to promotion and creating a buzz.

As 2002 continues on, Fall Silent have once again made a profound statement on the hardcore community with their official full-length debut, Drunken Violence. The album finds the band exploring the metal spectrum a bit more than earlier efforts, and proves these men are not efficient at one method of audio brutality. Smother once again had the chance to speak with band frontman Levi Watson, and the interview that follows is even more relentless than our earlier conversation. Watson lets loose on the darker side of touring, as well as explaining in more depth the writing and recording process of Drunken Violence. There is no holding back, as you will find out as you read on:

Smother: Drunken Violence seems to point in a much more metal-influenced direction. Was this your idea when the band hit the studio, was push the heavier direction of the group over the more abstract hardcore of Six Years in the Desert?

Levi Watson: First of all, we are not the type of band that has a budget to go into the studio and write songs. It takes us about a year to come up with the writing for a whole record. With that in mind, we can't really say things like "let's make a more metal record" or "let's make a more hardcore album." It is such a long process of writing and living life that the songs just come out the way they come out and there is nothing we can do about it.I think that for the most part the direction of the album has to do with what we like to play at this time and what we have learned about song writing since Six Years in the Desert stuff has been released.

Smother: Also, Drunken Violence seems much more structured, with solid verse/chorus/verse formats. Did you want to make a clearer definition of each song with the stronger music backbone, as opposed to older material that was harder to pin down?

Levi: Yes for sure, that actually has a lot to do with me and the way that I structure my lyrics. I really wanted to have songs that moved the listener in a way to bring one up and down with the song. Not just trying to pummel the listener over and over with riff after riff. We thought more about set up riffs before really big or really fast riffs so that when that one comes it is way more powerful and effective then if it weren't set up correctly like on our older albums. I really tried to structure this time with a more traditional rock format for songs so as to make the songs more memorable and not such a mind fuck.

Smother: The last time I spoke with the band, you mentioned the rest of the band weren't too happy with the lyrical content of the older songs. Has the group warmed to the newer material?

Levi: Actually I get the gist from the band that they like these lyrics more than the ones I have written before. I know that Damon likes the new lyrics, but the other guys I have a hard time figuring out if they like it or not. I don't think they really care what I say. We don't have like band meetings on whether they like my lyrics or not. They are not in to this band for the message at all. They want to play music and they will play no matter what I am saying. I am really happy with the lyrics that I have down for Drunken Violence for sure. I just hope that I can do them better for the next abum.

Smother: You also mentioned strongly disliking playing shows in general, yet if anything Fall Silent seem to be performing more than ever in support of the new album. Have you grown to enjoy the live environment yet, or is it more of a necessary evil being in a band?

Levi: I still don't like playing shows. I only liked playing shows the first few years of being in the band. I dislike it even more now that I have the most perfect baby at home that misses me when I am gone. We are touring this album a lot because that is the only way to get the word out about our art in this style of music. There are no radio spots or TV ads for this type of shit. You have to get out there and do the touring if you want to get your music in kids ears. We lost a really negative element of our band in the last few months and that has made touring a little bit more bearable, but I still fucking hate it. What is worse is when you are touring this shit and you get disrespected. We had $1700+ stolen from us by these kids at our merch table in Reno on this last tour and all our tires slashed and windows broken in Fremont, CA. It is frustrating to be doing this and getting shit on continually by jealous cowards. But alas, it is the rock and roll lifestyle and we need to keep our heads up in order to keep this band going. I know we have more in us so we need to just keep moving until we can't move any more.

Smother: You'll be performing at Hellfest this year, which is a show that has gained a cult status in the past few years as being THE show to be at if you're a respectable hardcore fan. Are you looking forward to the show, and do you have anything special planned for the set, or is it just another show in your eyes?

Levi: I am not going to tailor our set for the kids at Hellfest. I will play just as hard and put on just as good a show for the 3000 kids at Hellfest as I would for the 20 plus kids at a rental spot in Trail, Canada. It doesn't matter to me. I have more respect for kids coming to basement shows and dive bar shows to see us play than a bunch of fucking sheep at a fest. But I am glad to be playing the fest because my friend Keith has been wanting us to play for years and now it will work out.

Smother: Revelation mentions a possible tour in Japan for you guys this Fall, is this going to happen? If not, is it something you'd like to do in the future?

Levi: We already have played 6 shows on the island of Japan in 2000 so it isn't something that we have not done. Due to the extensive touring of the states we are doing this year, I don't think that we will be going to Japan this summer, but I think that we will most likely go in 2003 at some time. I really want to get back there because it is the best hardcore scene in the whole world.

Smother: As you grow older, have you found your desire to perform wane in any way, or are you still just as pumped to make music now as you were when the group first began?

Levi: My desire to write music has grown since we have started this band and my desire to perform live has definitely waned. When we started the group in 1994, and when I started playing earlier than that, it was all about the live setting and I could give a fuck about albums or writing. I just wanted people to see me and look at me and interact with me on stage. Now I just want to sit in our practice spot and write and then record.Now that I have very limited knowledge of the songwriting process I think that writing songs and recording have become a bit of an obsession to me. I think about it all the time and some nights I can't sleep for the music playing in my head. It is a good feeling, and it grows stronger every day.

Smother: Drunken Violence has some incredible artwork packaging-wise. Is there any meaning behind the art, or was it more just wanting the album to be as visually stunning as it was musically?

Levi: The artwork was done by a local tattoo artist and friend Rob Roy Heistand III. He is an incredible artist and we told him the name of the album and gave him a CDR of the thing right after we recorded it and he came up with the concepts. We let him do whatever he wanted basically, as long as it was what he felt should happen. The artwork, in my opinion, matches the music and the theme of the album perfectly. It is beauty in ugliness. It is art in the grotesque. In my mind it is the perfect combination of color, humor, and talent. Each piece has violent tones and so does each piece of music we write. So with that, it is the perfect piece of art.

Smother: Reno is starting to earn a reputation for impressive groups, as you and December have both released amazing albums this year. What do you think it is about Reno that is beginning to spawn such talented music, is it the water?

Levi: I think that it is the isolation that creates such creative and unique bands. We don't have other bands rolling through town or other artist putting on shows in Reno because it is so out of the way and up high in the mountains. Because of this, we aren't looking towards others for inspiration. We pull from ourselves and our unique community for inspiration for our art and I think that is the difference. Plus, December and Fall Silent have been at this since the early nineties and we have not stopped and that is another reason why we have seen success. Some other bands that I think are on the verge of national attention are Stevedave, New School Year, and Crucial Attack. There are so many talented kids here in town and I wish all of them the best of luck.

Smother: You are touring the West Coast heavily, and your website mentions an East Coast tour from June-July. Are you looking forward to making the trek across country, and has there been any other bands firmed up for the tour?

Levi: We just finished a big 4 week west coast tour that included Canada and a little midwest USA. That is why you are getting this interview so late. We are most definitely looking forward to our next and fourth tour to the eastern side of this country. I think it is going to be our best tour out there yet. We are touring with an incredible band from California called Uphill Battle who just recently signed to Relapse Records. It is going to be a great tour and I owe a lot of that to our friend Karl Groves at Recoil Entertainment for booking this thing. Check out www.recoilentertainment.com or our web page for dates. We need help in a few areas, so if anyone can help us with shows then let us know.

Smother: Any final thoughts before this interview is finished?

Levi: I just wanted to thank you for the interview and add that if anyone wants to contact me then just call me at 775-828-3947.