Through Hell and High Water is the first album I’ve heard in a long time that made me remember that “metal-core” didn’t used to be a bad word. It used to refer to bands like Unbroken, Converge, and even Pg 99, bands that pierced the barrier between heavy metal (and its marriage to hooks and melody) and joined it to the anger and dissonance of punk rock. The kids might be obsessed with tight jeans and neon colors, and might care more about their Facebook profiles than the only place in town where they can see shows, but there will always be bands who see far beyond that. One listener remarked: “I thought we were still listening to Coalesce covering Led Zeppelin.” These guys remind you that while hard-core may be a genre unto itself, it still manages to tip its hat to the blues-tinged hard rock of the last 40 years.

The Santa Cruz hardcore scene has changed a lot since i was a kid. It has had it’s ups and downs but now exists in this weird middle ground that i don’t really understand. Maybe I’m too old or maybe hardcore got a little too old for me. Either way i’m hoping my little brother, at the prime age of 18, can help me make sense of something i was so dedicated to when i was his age.

Hiram Coffee– You can sit down if you want.

Hugh Coffee– okay..

Hiram– So you’re in a band?

Hugh– yeah..

Hiram– it’s called HEROSHIMA

Hugh– yeah..

Hiram– So you guys are playing a show with Shai Hulud on Wednesday, how stoked are you?

Hugh– pretty stoked.

Hiram– i was surprised to hear that they are putting on the show at a roller rink in San Jose

Hugh– yeah……

Hiram– this is the part where we insert “awkward pause”

(awkward pause)

Hugh– yeah i have no idea why this is weird. Oh, on Wednesday we get to skate for free!

Hiram– So why do you think it is that a lot of the younger kids in Santa Cruz are drawn to hardcore music and start bands with funny names, like there’s your band and a couple other of high school hardcore bands

Hugh– yeah, i don’t really know any by name

Hiram– fair enough. i feel like you’re giving the scene a lot of support by playing shows at the 418, Do you think there is even much of a scene in town anymore?

Hugh– not really, just cause not that many shows are happening anymore.

Hiram– i hear a lot of kids talking about how bad the economy is and it surprises me that people are saying that the reason why they can’t form bands, go on tour or put on shows is that the economy is shit.

Hugh– that’s everyone’s excuse.

Hiram– i don’t feel like that’s true at all and definitely not in the spirit of hardcore music. i just feel like the scene has changed a lot in the last six years.

Hugh– yeah, i don’t know.

Hiram– you wanna play Dead Space?

Hugh– YEAH!

For this portion of the interview Hugh and i decided it would be a good idea to go inside not only because it was cold but also because that’s where the xbox lives.

Hiram– so you guys just finished recording a new CD?

Hugh– yeah

Hiram– How’s that going?

Hugh– We still haven’t put it out yet, we’re waiting on CD art

Hiram– Are you going to put it out on a label or just do it yourself?

Hugh– Well we sent our CD to a couple of record labels but we haven’t heard back yet so we’ll probably just put it out ourselves.

Hiram– I feel like that’s kind of the way to go anyway.

Hugh–yeah. Whoa. Sick! (Hugh just started playing Dead Space.)

Hiram– So awesome.

Hugh– what!? is that me?

Hiram– yeah it’s all in third person. okay, hang a left and there is a small med kit.

you have to wait for the door to open.

Hugh– Oh i get it.

what was that? oh my god. holy crap. What is that!? OH SHIT!!

Hiram– OTHER DOOR! OTHER DOOR!

Hugh– WHAT DOOR!?

Hiram– THE ONE ON YOUR LEFT! NO YOUR OTHER LEFT!!

Hugh– this is scary.. SHIT IT”S BACK! oh my god oh my god.

i am not into this dude.

Hiram– you have to cut off their limbs to kill them.

Hugh– Oh, alright i can do that.

Hiram– Hey so what does metalcore even mean?

Hugh– it’s pretty much, you know, a converging of metal and hardcore which creates this like, really bad music.

Hiram– those weird necromorph things come through the vents.

Hugh– Oh, that sucks. AHHH! FUCK! FUCK!

did you hear? i shot a gun.

Hiram– you shot a gun?

Hugh– yeah i shot a 12 gauge shotgun.

Hiram– that’s sooo metal! where?

Hugh– at Jordan’s (bassist for Heroshima) dad’s house.

Hiram– what were you shooting at? cars? squirrels?

Hugh– cans.

Hiram– you were out in Boulder Creek weren’t you?

Hugh– No, i was actually in Huntington Beach which happens to be in the middle of nowhere.

Hiram– awesome.

Hugh– it was during tour when we didn’t have any shows so we hung out with our parents.

Hiram– did you just bring the shotgun with you guys?

Hugh– no it was at his house.

Hiram– that would have been pretty hardcore.

Hugh– this one band we toured with did.

Hiram– what? brought a shot gun with them?

Hugh– yeah, they were kinda crazy though.

Hiram– well yeah.

Hugh and Hiram– Bye Cedric

Hiram– Oh yeah, how was summer tour ’08?

Hugh– Um… pretty shitty. We didn’t really play any good shows and a lot of shows got canceled.

Hiram– lame.

Hugh– we only made it to Utah and we were supposed to go across the country and back.

Hiram– that sucks.

Hugh– yeah we just ran out of money and all our shows fell through. i think this door is locked.

Hiram– use your key dude.

Hugh– i have a key?

CJ- i think you dropped it.

Hiram– no i think it’s still there yeah the storage key. Oh yeah GET THE POWER NODE!!

Hugh– Where is it? what the hell is a power node?

Hiram– just go left. i mean right. yeah right. power node.

Hugh– sick. power node, what do they do?

Hiram– now go to the bench.

Hugh– bench? Oh bench!

Hiram– now you can upgrade all your equipment with the power nodes. if you have one more you can upgrade your health meter.

Hugh– what should i do?

Hiram– go back and just put them in your plasma cutter.

Hugh– HELL YEAH!

AHHHHH!

Hiram– KILL IT!!

Hugh– I’M TRYING! WHY WON’T YOU DIE!

Hiram– grab the stasis pack.

Hugh– what?

Hiram– just grab it. get the med kit too.

Hugh– Oh shit, what happened?

Hiram– RUN!

Hugh– oh great. i’m on fire. oh god. did i lose?

Hiram– in a way, yes.

Hugh– really?

Hiram– no.

Hugh– oh fuck. oh fuck. oh my god. Hiram. Hiram!

CJ- RUN!!

Hiram– SHOOT IT! oh cool a store. if i were you i would get the level 2 suit. Oh wait. get the scorpion suit.

Hugh– whoa, i look so bad ass. I’m like indestructible now!

Hiram– not quite, but it looks pretty cool. and your inventory is huge.

Hugh– alright, i should go.

Hiram– thanks for coming over Hugh.

Hugh– no problem, thanks for cutting my hair.

Hiram– sure, anytime.

The last portion of the interview was done via text message.

Hiram– What’s with the whole bro-core that seems to be coming out more at shows and hardcore in general?

Hugh– Well i think it roots directly from hard line straightedge crews and the idea that they have that if you’re really tough you’re really cool. I actually went to a town in Utah when i was on tour with an actual documented straight edge killing.

Hiram– Whoa. So did a bunch of straightedge kids kill a junkie or what?

Hugh– You know i don’t really know the whole story but i imagine it was something like that.

Hiram– When i was a kid i felt like there was more of a sense of community and involvement in the scene. Do you think that holds true today?

Hugh– No, i feel like people really try to keep the scene alive, but there are to many assholes who go to shows and kinda ruin it for everyone.

End.

Hugh Coffee plays guitar for Heroshima and is one kick ass little brother. Keep your eye out for the new album “Through Hell and High Water” out soon. I already have a copy, it’s so good it makes me want to disown Hugh and never speak to him again.

Hiram Coffee