[ WATCH ME BURN ]

Ist euch eigentlich schon mal aufgefallen, dass es im CFMD bisher noch keine
Interviews mit Amibands gab? Damit ist jetzt Schluss! Ladies & Gentlemen, hier sind WATCH ME BURN aus dem sonnigen Kalifornien. Sie zocken alles niedermähenden Psychogrind mit Sludgekante und ultraextremen female Vocals. Kevin Fetus beantwortete meine Fragen in Rekordzeit, thanks man! Gerste

1.: Hi Kevin! Welcome to issue # 13 of the CAMPAIGN FOR MUSICAL DESTRUCTION-fanzine. How are you and what record you're listening to while answering my stupid questions?

Hey buckaroo, what's happening, I am doing alright, and the sun is blazing fireball today, it melted my hash ball into infinity....other than that, I am doing alright.... I just woke up, it's a Sunday morning, and so I decided to put on a Mogwai cd I just bough t the other day.

2.: At first, for those unfamiliar with WATCH ME BURN, please introduce yourself and the other band members and give a brief history of the band. What was the inspiration to form a band which unleashes musical destruction that can be described as "Dirty-Sludgy Thrash-Grind" with some of the most extreme female vocals I've ever heard, sounding like "Linda Blair having her exorcism with Jason Voorhees, Freddy Krueger and Michael Meyers smoking crack and jamming along with her!"? What can you tell us about your musical influences? I mean a lot of musicians play one style of music and listen to other kinds of music completely different. What's you favourite music style?

(Kevin sips his coffee) - WATCH ME BURN formed in ....late 2000, comprised of SAWA vocals, Rusty Reens Drums, Russ Herpich Bass Kevin Fetus guitar....When we started, I think I was writing more sludgy doom kinda of stuff, but I knew I wanted to play fast stuff as well, but I wanted to it to have a flavour all it's own, not the typical blast beat over a buzz saw riff, don't get me wrong, I love that stuff too, but we wanted to explore a more experimental approach to our songs....growing up on Slayer and John Zorn's Naked City will do that kind of thing to you......also, at the time, I was doing some vocal tracks for another band I play with (Fetus Eaters) and SAWA wanted to contribute to some vocal lines, so I handed her the microphone, she sounded great, at that point we started joking about starting a band...,,so I let that thought marinate in my skull for a few weeks and tried to figure out who I could get to round out the band...it took me a while to track down Rusty, (whom I had known in high school) and once I got a hold of him, I told him the idea of doing some really fast wacky shit, as well as some doomy sludgy stuff, inner mixed with my A.D.D.....hahaha, we jammed a few times to get a feel for each other, Rusty then asked if we were going to get a bass player, I had one guy in mind..... Russ walked into the studio, and immediately locked into our vibe, he loved it form the beginning, and off we went. My favourite style of music will always be metal, I grew up on it, it helped define who I was and who I became, it was always there for me, if my mother was yelling at me,(which was most of the time) I turned to music as my outlet, constantly listening to metal, listening to the guitar riffs and the energy that poured off the speakers, I tried to emulate that with my guitar growing up......but it took me a long time to understand that the guitar was just an extension of me instead of just apiece of wood with strings. As for the musical influences for WATCH ME BURN, that would be Slayer, Brutal Truth, High On Fire, Nasum, Sleep, Neurosis, Melt Banana, Buzzoven, Fantomas, the Melvins, and copious amounts of weed......

3.: Why did you ultimately go with the WATCH ME BURN moniker? What were some of the other band names you tossed around before settling on this one?

We had one other name..Muddsille, which I found in a book about slavery, and it basically meant someone who was beneath you, the worst kind of person, just a pathetic soul, and I liked that idea of being this dreaded thing that people looked down upon, total human slime, but it just didn't gel with us, so in practice one night, I blurted out WATCH ME BURN, everyone else out liked it, so it stuck.

4.: Let's talk about the WATCH ME BURN releases. From circa 2002 until now I collected the following stuff: 3 song sampler CD, self titled 15 song CD, split EP´s with FETUS EATERS and GODSTOMPER, 3 way split CD with SETE STAR SEPT and DOT[.], "The Wolf That Ate The Sun" 4 song sampler CD and the split CD with SPERMBLAST. What else have you released so far? Please give a personal critique of each release. What´s your favourite WATCH ME BURN release?

Unholy shit, you have all that, wow, that's pretty much everything we have put out so far, other than being on several tape, 7" and CD compilations. My favourite release so far....hmmmm, I really like the 3 way split with Sete Star Sept, although I hate the way our tracks sound because they are mixed so low, we sound like midgets compared to the noise grind of SSS and D.O.T. - who are amazing, I love that EYEHATEGOD sound they have....We are hoping to have our new record out shortly, were just waiting for the artwork and final mix/mastering process, then it's off to the pressing plant.

5.: If you were offered a split with a band of your choice, who would it be and why?

I'd have to say Melt Banana, I love that band, I love the Agata attacks his guitar, he doesn't even play it traditionally, Agata has taken the guitar to a new level....

6.: How were the reactions of the underground scene to your releases? What did you do to promote your music? I think the internet helped and of course still helps a lot. How do you see the role of the internet in the underground?

Well, everyone seems to love SAWA's voice, she defiantly gets the most attention from the underground. As for promotion techniques, We self financed everyone of our releases, copies, recorded, manufactured all the artwork and cd replication, cutting, packaging, you name it, we did it, we made sure we had some kind of bio, pictured etc, put them in a presentation, and then sent out tons of packages and flyers trying to get some exposure, hanging out at gigs handing out free 3 songs promo discs, sending our stuff to radio stations, magazines, anything to get the underground to notice us, I learned all that from being in other bands, doing all that same stuff, but this time I had a plan of attack, and it worked out very well for us... Russ is also a great resource, he knows all that computer crap, and has been able to get videos of us posted up all over the place, so that has brought in a new element, as well a whole new fan base. The internet is a great promotional tool, if you use it wisely, you can't just put up a webpage and hope people check you out, you still need to do a lot of footwork, passing out flyers through the mail while tape trading, helping out friends in other bands in other countries, you have to immerse yourself in the underground network, start writing to labels, start writing for magazines, I did all that stuff, doing reviews, helping out friends with their gigs, flyering, you have to live-eat-breathe- your music/art, you can't half ass it and hope people notice you. Hardwork pays off.

7.: What are WATCH ME BURN´s lyrics dealing with? What inspires you and what about the relationship between the music and the lyrics? Speaking of other bands lyrical content, are you inclined to ignore a band's music on the basis of their lyrics/imagery? Do any particular bands offend you with their viewpoint?

Well, SAWA writes all the lyrics, and if you ask her, she'll just tell you her lyrics are about life. (relationships-Hookworm, bad drivers-Roadkill) ...it's kind of a general statement, but it's also the truth.

8.: Beside the band´s music, I also really like the artwork of the stuff you released. My faves are the cover artworks from the split EP with GODSTOMPER, the split EP with FETUS EATERS and the "Wolf That Ate The Sun" sampler CD. Can you tell me who did this excellent and crazy stuff?

The split with Godstomper, Sawa put that together in Photoshop, the Fetus Eaters split was done by this incredible artist Nancy Lai, and the Wold sampler was done by a guy Russ knows named Rat-Bone, who is hopefully going to contribute some art for the next record, but he is very hard to get a hold of.

9.: Does your band regularly play gigs and are there many venues supporting extreme music in the area you're coming from? What can the crowd expect from a typical WATCH ME BURN gig? What's your opinion about so called "violent dancing"? Is violence a serious problem at gigs?

Yea, we play out allot, you have to, you have to keep you bands name in the public's eye so you can get more fans, more fans =s a better show... Venues are always sprouting up and then closing. Thanks to a few friends of mine who are always doing shows, (Dan Dismal and The Church Of The Eighth Day Gathering Campaign, and Chris and his brother have Benighted Entity) - those guys are always promoting shows, bring bands together, providing a place for bands to play and putting together shows that bring in a lot of people. A typical WATCH ME BURN gig has a lot of energy on stage, you have SAWA - who has the sexuality, and the rest of the band is just a sweaty mess of energy and VOMITCORE. I hate going to see shows where the bands doesn't even look like they enjoy playing their own music, you are up there to entertain people, they paid money to see a show, and WATCH ME BURN always gives 1000% when we are up there. As for the violent dancing, I love it, slam dancing, moshing, whatever you wanna call it, it's just an extension of what we are doing on stage, we provide the music that make people want to get crazy, and when they get crazy, we play better, the whole show becomes a better overall experience for everyone.

10.: Do you see the underground scene in the area you live in as a particularly strong one? Any bands/labels/distros/zines you'd care to recommend? What's your opinion about the US grind/crust/hc... scene in general?

Yes, as of late, the Los Angeles Underground Scene, the Vomitcore scene, the Black Metal scene, the Death Metal scene has gotten a lot stronger, allot great bands are starting to emerge, Gatekeeper, Intestinal Strangulation, the Dolemite Project, Fetus Eaters, Enthraller, Intronaut, Eat The Living, Exhausted Prayer, all those bands have really started to become a force to be reckoned with.. The U.S. grind/crust scene is cool, there is so much happening everywhere, and the genre's of music are crossing so much, that it's just become this huge wealth of influence that you can't escape.
Labels I recommend, Agromosh, Vomitcore Music, Nuclear BB-Q, Regurgitated Semen Records, Vulgar Records, Cesspool, Chilli Pie, Southern Lord, Grind mind Records, Grindethic, Haunted Hotel Records.

11.: When and how you got involved in the underground scene? Can you remember how everything started? What was the first record you ever bought and the first show you ever visited? Would you say that your interest for extreme music changed your life? If so, why?

Back in Jr. High, reading magazines, writing to bands trying to get their demos, that was back in 1986/87, going to shows, or backyard parties watching bands play.
The first record I ever bought was a fucking Disney record of Pete's Dragon, which I still have, and it is scratched up FUBAR style. as for a my first metal record, man, it started with Motley Crue and Shout at the Devil, that was like 1983, from then on I kept searching for heavier stuff, finally Possessed came along, Slayer, Dark Angel, Metallica, Wargasm, Carnivore, then Obituary, Deicide, then I started getting into Naked City, and John Coltrane, and then I just started to try and listen to a ton of everything, to draw influences from, to help further my aural expression.

12.: You also run a label called named VOMITCORE MUSIC. Please tell us about it. What have you released so far and what releases are planned in the near future?

We've release Fetus Eaters, WATCH ME BURN, Chewable Cyst, which is some wacky drum machine grind stuff, BooHiss, which is like a noisy sound track - but not really. Deadfood, which was influenced allot by metal and Mr. Bungle, you never knew what you were going to get when you heard their music or saw them play live. Haughtlez Bow Action, kind of experimental electronic stuff, Spacey Cakes -which is electronic vomit, not metal in any way shape pr form, but very cool to smoke a joint to and drift off into some fucked up room in your head. HFATTM (HOTFUCKACTIONTOTHEMAXXX) - which is harsh noise kind of stuff, like Merzbow meets SUNNO)))....or at least influenced by them. Rice Cracker, which is like a droning noise kind of thing, actually it's Nancy Lai, that girl who has painted the Fetus Eaters - WATCH ME BURN split release, it's her noise band. I also did a Cephalic Carnage 3" CD remix for them, it was limited to 100 copies and is ling gone, but you can hear one of those songs on their Myspace page.
I was also part of the recent East West Blast Test in Ipecac Records. Chris Dodge asked me to contribute to the album, which was quite the honour.

13.: Beside of your activities with WATCH ME BURN and VOMITCORE MUSIC you're involved in a band called FETUS EATERS. Please introduce the band and its sound to our readers. What part of the WATCH ME BURN/FETUS EATERS/VOMITCORE-thing is the most important one for you? How and where do you find the time, energy and inspiration to do all these things? The costs of living are high in the USA and to be honest, I don't think that you can live from the money you earn with your label and the bands you're involved. So do you also have a "regular" job?

Fetus Eaters has been around since April of 1996, I do vocals and all the noise (saxophone, train whistle, squeaks etc) - it was the birth of Vomitcore with that band....it's like one part Anal Cunt, one part Brutal Truth, one part Assuck, and an infant form of Naked City rolled into short songs. It's about getting in and getting out of song quickly, nothing more than 2 minutes, other wise you get very bored with that sound. It's about attacking the audience and pulling them into our world of sarcasm and brutality. Neither band is more important for me, I have so much fun playing in both bands, and for me, they are 2 completely different entities' - they don't really sound the same, other than being loud, fast and tons of screaming.
I can't seem to sit still for along time, I get bored, and when I get bored, I get depressed, and when I get depressed I want to die, so for me, the music is my outlet, taking care of my bands has become a job for me, a job that doesn't pay me at all, but I love it, it's like my art project for the world, and I am trying to get my art exposed to everyone I can.
Yea, I have a regular job that helps pay the bills, it also helps me with my label, not to mention all the other L.A. bands I mentioned earlier, I have special ninja like tactics that I utilize that I am not at liberty to divulge for fear of going to the popo.

14.: What's your opinion about today's political and social situation in the USA? What do you think about the US government, President George W. Bush and his re-election? Do you think that the public/average citizens are still behind Bush and his politics? What is the worst shit going on in the USA today?

Fuck George Bush and Dick Cheney, they have really fucked this country up in the last 6 years, they have fucked up relationships with other countries, they are liars, thieves and should be locked up for eternity for crimes against humanity, they have done nothing good for the world AT ALL.. I think Bush stole the first election, and the second one was just a scam on the American public...... all the polls say Bush is losing fans, which is good.
The worst shit going on in the USA is Bush administration, he is a fucking puppet with no moral judgement, that fucked is leading this country to poverty, the world hates the USA because of him, I just hope people don't hate Americans, because I tell you, IU I don't vote. voting doesn't work in America, I voted for the legalization of medical marihuana, and the it was unanimous, California wanted to legalize it, but the fucking government came in and said Nope, you don't know what you are talking about, well to me, the government is telling me that my vote does not count, so why should I vote for anything. I know that's a bad way to look at it, but what choice do I have. I play in Vomitcore style bands, I don't care about politics, I am going to do what I want to do no matter what the government says, the more they tighten the grips around our freedoms, the more we find other ways around it, it's a pointless act of regulation on their part, it's just make is more creative in finding ways around their pathetic Christian idealism, which is just a disguise for their Nazi ethics

15.: Talking about WATCH ME BURN, do you feel that all involved individuals share similar political beliefs/opinions?

I think we are all pretty apathetic when it comes to politics.

16.: Do you have some ideas about a tour within the next time? Will you ever come to Europe? If you could choose a band for a tour, which one would you take and why?

At the moment we don't have any plans for extensive touring, we just can't afford it. I know we all would like to, but my van died, so that's out of the question. As for going to Europe, we would love to, if you know of anyone who can helps us set up shows and do a decent 2-4 week tour that would be great. We'd love to tour with High On Fire, or Cephalic Carnage, I think touring with them would be a fucking blast. Those guys are friends of mine, and we all love to smoke weed, so that's a happy marriage right there.


17.: What can we expect from WATCH ME BURN in the next time? Also any future plans with FETUS EATERS and VOMITCORE MUSIC?

WATCH ME BURN has a new record coming out called At The Stake, Fetus Eaters just had Softcore issued out as a split 12" with Borstels Rastche, as well as Fetus Eaters is working on another record for Grindmind Records which will be a split cd with Diorreah, and WATCH ME BURN is entertaining though of doing split with Flattbush, where we do some cover songs. Vomitcore Music will be releasing the USA version of the Fetus Eaters cd, I am sure Rice Cracker will be doing another release by Dec, HFATTM will be doing more noise, as well as a project that Chris Dodge ex-Spazz, -Slap-A-Ham, myself and another friend will be doing a noise band together, we already have over an hours worth of material, and a gig or 2 lines up, so Vomitcore will be very busy for the rest of the year.

18.: Ok Kevin, that's all. Thanx a lot for your interest and for taking the time to answer all these questions! All the best for you, WATCH ME BURN, FETUS EATERS and VOMITCORE MUSIC. Do you have any last comments and last words for our readers?

Thanks allot for the interview, thanks to all the people who have supported us throughout the years. IF anyone wants to send us music to me for the label, or wants to approach us about doing a split, or anything else, please contact me at kevinfetus@hotmail.com or write me at
Vomitcore Records, P.O. Box 6488, Burbank CA 91510-6488

www.watchmeburn.com