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Donny Brook
They're lions in the game...
Interview with Martin (Guitar) made on 14/03/05
Leo: Hello guys.
Please introduce yourself and the band to our readers:
Martin: Well there's me Martin on guitar. My brother Dre is on vocals. Pat on second guitar. Art plays drums and his brother Danny who is our newest member plays bass. This is definitely the final and most solid line up. We went through a couple of bass players in the past, but we really feel that this is it. No one rages harder and has more fun than us.
Leo: What have you been up to lately? I see that your debut full length on Hand of Hope is due to come out in April-May, right? Have you already finished the recording process or you're still working on that? What can we expect from this debut record?
Martin: Touring and partying as much as possible. We just finished up a tour with 25 ta Life and the travelling flea market. It was off the hook. The record release date got pushed back a little bit into June. We finished up our end of the recording. Now the whole thing has been sent of for mixing/mastering and all that jazz. There's 12 songs total on the record. 1 song from the EP, 1 song from the split and 2 from our demo were re-recorded and put on the record so there's 7 brand new songs and 1 cover song from the NYHC band District 9. Expect lots of hardcore and lot's of rage on this record.
Leo: I‘ve listened to all the material you've released so far. Seems to me your sound is a mix between Terror, Madball and some more metallic stuff. Tell me if, according to you, I'm on the right track or not. Give me a definition of Donny Brook's sound.
Martin: We don't necessarily go for a certain other bands sound. We just play hardcore music how we know it. Our influences come from every band that we listen to. Just don't expect us to be playing pop or country anytime soon. We're sticking to hardcore.
Leo: How did you guys get together and think about forming the band?
Martin: Me, my brother and Pat are the founding members of the band. Me and my brother have been in bands together since high school but none of those bands ever went farther than playing backyard parties. After not having a band for a while, we just decided it was time to try again. We started as a band who would be there to be able to play local shows and keep the scene in the area going. After months of that we got together with our good friend Riley who had been talking about starting a record label and decided to put out a 4 song EP on what is now 1917 Records. Ever since that we started taking things to the next level with touring and stuff.
Leo: You guys hail from Los Angeles, right? Seems to me the HC scene is going kinda strong there. Lots of good bands (Terror , Piece by Piece) are coming out from L.A these days.
Is that true?
Martin: Most definitely true. There's tons of bands in Los Angeles and surrounding area. There's local shows just about every week and anywhere from 150 – 300 people show up. Things are great right now.
Leo: I've also heard you're part of that crew (FSU). Now, I'm not in a crew, I don't have anything against them, but I'm not too convinced HC is about crews. Especially in the U.S. HC is often connected with crews and sometimes troubles and violences gets created (look the Boston Beatdown thing for instance). Tell me the reason for that and also explain me why you've chosen to be part of a crew.
Martin: Hardcore may not be “about crews” but that definitely doesn't mean there's no place for them here. Violence does and will happen regardless of letters that a person carries with them. Boston Beatdown is a documentary about BOSTON HARDCORE. A large part of Boston Hardcore's history deals with FSU which is why they are mentioned so much in the DVD. MOST of the fights shown on the DVD aren't even FSU related like the Moby attack and the old man being thrown down the stairs which are the 2 main incidences people are getting so upset about. I have chosen to be a part of FSU and will stand by that decision no matter what. We've chosen this because we all have a common idea of that we are willing to do what ever is necessary to keep hardcore alive and well and help out our friends. People will automatically assume that saying that means “violence”, but that's not what I'm talking about at all. It goes far beyond that. It's starting bands, booking bands, putting together local shows, doing zines, having benefit shows for those in need and anything else that goes along with it. Sometimes situations come down to violence, but that's not the basis of FSU and that's not what it stands for. It's all about friendship and hardcore.
Leo: Why have you chosen this name for the band? Who's Donny Brook?
Martin: Well it's not “Donny Brook” as two words. It's Donnybrook…one single word. It's a word used to describe a large fight. It's usually used in hockey when during a game both benches clear and both teams are all fighting on the ice at once. We chose it because it's cool.
Leo: I think your sound also incorporates some Hip Hop influences. (due to the dual vocals which sometimes get rapped or close to that) Is that right? Are you guys into hip hop?
Martin: We don't have dual vocals anymore but there's still definitely a hip-hop influence. It comes from me and my brother mainly. We both love hip hop. I listen to just about as much hip hop as I do hardcore music.
Leo: Which is the average age in the band? Anybody is sXe, vegan or vegetarian?
Martin: The age range is from 23 to 28. We're some grown ass men. None of us neither straight edge, vegan or vegetarian. We're all raging meat eaters…but I most definitely hold respect for those who choose those lifestyles which a lot of my close friends do.
Leo: About your music: Do you get inspiration from any bands? Is there one in particular you look forward to as model?
Martin: Like I said earlier…we don't model ourselves after any one band. Just hardcore as a whole. Hard and aggressive music. I definitely find inspiration in those bands who are out there doing their part, touring hard, keeping hardcore moving forward and just sharing the same love for this as I and my band do.
Leo: I don't know if you care about politics, but still I'm asking you: Are you happy Bush got re elected?
Martin: I am by no means and ignorant person although I don't divulge myself into politics. I'm not necessarily happy that Bush was re-elected, but I will make the best of the situation since it is a reality and it is what is happening right now.
Leo: I've heard that you guys are going to tour Europe in September October with Hoods, is that true? Got any expectations for this European tour?
Martin: Yea man. Most definitely true. I've never looked forward to something so much in my life. Being able to come to Europe simply because I play in a hardcore band is no joke a dream come true. I'm expecting tons of raging (of course), countless good times and life experiences that my never be matched. The tour starts in August, with much, much, MUCH thanks to Avocado Booking, and will end in September. I can't wait.
Leo: Any last thing you wanna say to our readers and to hc kids all around the world?
Martin: “Lions In This Game” dropping in June on Hand of Hope Records. Check out our website!
We hope to play someday for everyone who supports us around the world no matter where it is. Thank you so much for taking time to interview us…it really means a lot. Stay up.
Please introduce yourself and the band to our readers:
Martin: Well there's me Martin on guitar. My brother Dre is on vocals. Pat on second guitar. Art plays drums and his brother Danny who is our newest member plays bass. This is definitely the final and most solid line up. We went through a couple of bass players in the past, but we really feel that this is it. No one rages harder and has more fun than us.
Leo: What have you been up to lately? I see that your debut full length on Hand of Hope is due to come out in April-May, right? Have you already finished the recording process or you're still working on that? What can we expect from this debut record?
Martin: Touring and partying as much as possible. We just finished up a tour with 25 ta Life and the travelling flea market. It was off the hook. The record release date got pushed back a little bit into June. We finished up our end of the recording. Now the whole thing has been sent of for mixing/mastering and all that jazz. There's 12 songs total on the record. 1 song from the EP, 1 song from the split and 2 from our demo were re-recorded and put on the record so there's 7 brand new songs and 1 cover song from the NYHC band District 9. Expect lots of hardcore and lot's of rage on this record.
Leo: I‘ve listened to all the material you've released so far. Seems to me your sound is a mix between Terror, Madball and some more metallic stuff. Tell me if, according to you, I'm on the right track or not. Give me a definition of Donny Brook's sound.
Martin: We don't necessarily go for a certain other bands sound. We just play hardcore music how we know it. Our influences come from every band that we listen to. Just don't expect us to be playing pop or country anytime soon. We're sticking to hardcore.
Leo: How did you guys get together and think about forming the band?
Martin: Me, my brother and Pat are the founding members of the band. Me and my brother have been in bands together since high school but none of those bands ever went farther than playing backyard parties. After not having a band for a while, we just decided it was time to try again. We started as a band who would be there to be able to play local shows and keep the scene in the area going. After months of that we got together with our good friend Riley who had been talking about starting a record label and decided to put out a 4 song EP on what is now 1917 Records. Ever since that we started taking things to the next level with touring and stuff.
Leo: You guys hail from Los Angeles, right? Seems to me the HC scene is going kinda strong there. Lots of good bands (Terror , Piece by Piece) are coming out from L.A these days.
Is that true?
Martin: Most definitely true. There's tons of bands in Los Angeles and surrounding area. There's local shows just about every week and anywhere from 150 – 300 people show up. Things are great right now.
Leo: I've also heard you're part of that crew (FSU). Now, I'm not in a crew, I don't have anything against them, but I'm not too convinced HC is about crews. Especially in the U.S. HC is often connected with crews and sometimes troubles and violences gets created (look the Boston Beatdown thing for instance). Tell me the reason for that and also explain me why you've chosen to be part of a crew.
Martin: Hardcore may not be “about crews” but that definitely doesn't mean there's no place for them here. Violence does and will happen regardless of letters that a person carries with them. Boston Beatdown is a documentary about BOSTON HARDCORE. A large part of Boston Hardcore's history deals with FSU which is why they are mentioned so much in the DVD. MOST of the fights shown on the DVD aren't even FSU related like the Moby attack and the old man being thrown down the stairs which are the 2 main incidences people are getting so upset about. I have chosen to be a part of FSU and will stand by that decision no matter what. We've chosen this because we all have a common idea of that we are willing to do what ever is necessary to keep hardcore alive and well and help out our friends. People will automatically assume that saying that means “violence”, but that's not what I'm talking about at all. It goes far beyond that. It's starting bands, booking bands, putting together local shows, doing zines, having benefit shows for those in need and anything else that goes along with it. Sometimes situations come down to violence, but that's not the basis of FSU and that's not what it stands for. It's all about friendship and hardcore.
Leo: Why have you chosen this name for the band? Who's Donny Brook?
Martin: Well it's not “Donny Brook” as two words. It's Donnybrook…one single word. It's a word used to describe a large fight. It's usually used in hockey when during a game both benches clear and both teams are all fighting on the ice at once. We chose it because it's cool.
Leo: I think your sound also incorporates some Hip Hop influences. (due to the dual vocals which sometimes get rapped or close to that) Is that right? Are you guys into hip hop?
Martin: We don't have dual vocals anymore but there's still definitely a hip-hop influence. It comes from me and my brother mainly. We both love hip hop. I listen to just about as much hip hop as I do hardcore music.
Leo: Which is the average age in the band? Anybody is sXe, vegan or vegetarian?
Martin: The age range is from 23 to 28. We're some grown ass men. None of us neither straight edge, vegan or vegetarian. We're all raging meat eaters…but I most definitely hold respect for those who choose those lifestyles which a lot of my close friends do.
Leo: About your music: Do you get inspiration from any bands? Is there one in particular you look forward to as model?
Martin: Like I said earlier…we don't model ourselves after any one band. Just hardcore as a whole. Hard and aggressive music. I definitely find inspiration in those bands who are out there doing their part, touring hard, keeping hardcore moving forward and just sharing the same love for this as I and my band do.
Leo: I don't know if you care about politics, but still I'm asking you: Are you happy Bush got re elected?
Martin: I am by no means and ignorant person although I don't divulge myself into politics. I'm not necessarily happy that Bush was re-elected, but I will make the best of the situation since it is a reality and it is what is happening right now.
Leo: I've heard that you guys are going to tour Europe in September October with Hoods, is that true? Got any expectations for this European tour?
Martin: Yea man. Most definitely true. I've never looked forward to something so much in my life. Being able to come to Europe simply because I play in a hardcore band is no joke a dream come true. I'm expecting tons of raging (of course), countless good times and life experiences that my never be matched. The tour starts in August, with much, much, MUCH thanks to Avocado Booking, and will end in September. I can't wait.
Leo: Any last thing you wanna say to our readers and to hc kids all around the world?
Martin: “Lions In This Game” dropping in June on Hand of Hope Records. Check out our website!
We hope to play someday for everyone who supports us around the world no matter where it is. Thank you so much for taking time to interview us…it really means a lot. Stay up.
What do you think about it?
Posted by EDDIE // IP Address: 69.231.28.246
DONNYBROOK IS ILL NUFF SAID
