Interview with Generichrist (Ironically Ungeneric)
Interviews always take forever. In particular because bands/musicians usually take forever to respond to simple questions. Further, when they do, it’s either a trite answer or they completely ignored certain important details. In this case that certainly didn’t happen, blame the editor (me) for the lack of speediness, but hey, we just had a baby three weeks ago so deal with it peeps. Anyway, thankfully during that time I got a chance to sit down with Tony Anderson, vocalist of Generichrist, whose latest album Taste of Death we just reviewed a few weeks ago. Tony was really great to talk with and again, let’s say this, the following is how you should answer interview questions. Provide as much information as you can! It’s only better for your own promotion in the end. Anyway, we sat down with this sicko to learn about the band and their future. Lots of great stuff here, so read on through.
Deaf Sparrow – Let’s start it ‘basic’, as the kiddies say these days. That’s how we usually do it, it’s always interesting. How did you guys get together and start Generichrist? Any prior experience with music or other bands?
Tony Anderson – Thanks for giving our band some love we appreciate it. The band was first given life in early 2004 with a guitar player and good friend of mine named Jim Ross. We used to jam in a fireworks warehouse that he worked at in the day time and he would sleep there at night. We both had other projects going on and I was booking Metal and Punk shows every night at this club named, “Venom” in St. Petersburg and writing for a local Metal print-zine so I was always busy as fuck. So the band really did not get productive until 2008 after the demise of another band that guitarist Guy Loucks Jr and I had been jamming in on and off for years.
As far as other bands, I have been in and out of bands since I was in high school. I grew up in New Jersey and I was obsessed with Metal and Punk and just Rock music in general. I was an angry kid and the only thing I cared about was music, it was the only thing that kept my interest. I think I was lucky to grow up in the time period I did, when many bands where in their prime in my opinion. I try to keep busy now with Generichrist and the other bands I actively play in called, Fleshreaper and Doomsilla.
DS – So for these two other bands you mentioned, how much time do you dedicate to them? More of a hobby? Just curious if you consider Generichrist to be your main focus or not.
TA – With Fleshreaper I have been giving just as much time as Generichrist, I would say. I formed the band last year with Marc Ciccosanti who was a former drummer for Generichrist. At first it was just going to be one album and the idea was short punk and death influenced songs with no fluff. I had wanted to just get a bunch of friends and fellow musicians to play on it but it wound up becoming a active band. We added bassist Scott Fagersten who played with Human Sufferage and The Crucifucks back in the day and we also added guitar players Don Queen and Ed Webb to the Reaper family. We are actually working on the second album now titled “Casketastrophe” so we are keeping busy until we get bored or tired of each other. I think when it becomes not fun anymore then it will be time to stop but we are all having a great time and I’m really excited about the new record so it seems to be going well. We also just announced we are putting out a vinyl 7″ split with Benicia, California’s Violation Wound, the punk band fronted by Chris Reifert so it is a busy 2015 .
For Doomsilla we just released a album titled, “Worshipped by Flies“. This is my version of a musical horror movie. I formed this band with guitarist Jim Ross who is a one of the most talented guys I have played with he is a wizard when it comes to writing. Jim was actually the first guitar player to actually play with Generichrist so as you can see we have history playing together. One of the songs off the new Doomsilla album titled, “Red Light Executioner” was a originally a Generichrist song that Jim wrote years ago. We recorded a lot of the Doomsilla record at Jim’s place in Jacksonville, the vibe was perfect for recording and that helped us catch the vibe we wanted in the music. The bassist Mike Poggione did his parts near his home and Daniel Sandvoss did his parts in Germany. We also got former Dwarves drummer and occult author Vadge Moore involved with Doomsilla, as he reads some of his writings and some material I wrote on the album. Vadge was a perfect addition to the music and just a cool guy to work with and we will work with him again. We also had violinist Rebbeca Zapen play on the album. She is a amazing musician and we were fortunate to have her involved. I think Doomsilla may not be for everyone but the people who take the time to experience it will appreciate it.
DS – Man, you’re quite busy in the scene, which is always a good sign, and your music shows it. We’ll focus primarily on Generichrist, of course, so let’s move on to the name, because we’re interested. Where did you get the idea or where did it come from?
TA – Generichrist was the title of a song I wrote one night and it just made sense to the way I saw, and still see , the world. We live in a time of generic idols and role models from Hollywood superstars and crooked politicians to hypocritical religious leaders. I watch the news sometimes and think what a fucking joke it is. They make super stars out of scumbags but I guess it works for the ratings. If I sit and watch channels like CNN or Fox News it will just suck the life out of me. In reality who needs horror when you’ve got the nightly news ?
DS – Yeah, totally feel you on the news thing. I generally avoid it, for the most part, and spend most of my time watching old weirdo B-movies I find on VHS. So you say you’re an angry guy, any personal tragedy go into the workings of Generichrist to use it as an outlet, if you don’t mind talking about such things?
TA – Well I think just like many others who writes whether it is songs, books or anything, your life experiences influence the content. Unless your a pop artist who is being handed material from a third party, I think most of the time we are a product of our past emotions no matter if it is hate, love or happiness. I don’t think I’m a 24-7 ”Angry Guy”, I am just at a age and mind set where I do not have time for peoples bullshit. We all have experienced it, you trust people and let them in your lives and they just wind up being pieces of shit. I think as times passes in life you just have to cut those people from your life and say fuck it. I keep my personal life just that – personal, and I think it’s the way to live and is a key to happiness in my opinion. Too many people put their business out there and this entertains others and this is something I have zero interest in.
DS – Ha, yeah, though I sadly feel it’s probably been that way for anyone in any generation who “gets it” and sees the stupidity of the world. Anyway, you guys have a pretty clear, thrash sound, but it has this crusty, almost punk ring to it that moves away from that whole “retro” movement into something, well, more interesting. Deliberate or do you guys just play what you like?
TA – We just do what we want truthfully. We answer to no one , I mean who sells records anymore. One thing from day one we never wanted to be stuck to a particular genre , we just wanted to make heavy records that allowed us to do what ever we want. Everyone involved in the band has different influences that bleed over and it works most of the time.
DS – So you guys have been kicking it for awhile now, with a number of sick splits. Out of curiosity, what do you consider to be your favorite release after your current one?
TA – The last two, “House Of Ill Repute” and “Taste Of Death ” are the best records we have put out so far. I really do not listen to the old ones to be honest , we have grown so much as a band in my opinion. I know it is the cliche answer, but it’s hard for me to listen to the old albums. I will say when I do hear anything off the old demos I just wish I could do them over and we have done that with a few of the older tracks.
DS – So let’s move on to Taste of Death since it’s the most recent and you mentioned it. What was the process in creating it? Any differences in approach in comparison to other work you’ve done? Themes? I sense a take on the “retro” thing, but yet in a modern way. Deliberate or am I simply reading into it too much?
TA – It was our first time working with engineer and producer , Mark Prator and the guy is a pro with a great ear and now someone I consider a good friend. I had wanted to work with him for sometime as he has worked on some great records that I grew up listening to. We spent a lot of time with him during the ”House Of Ill Repute” and “Taste Of Death ” albums , it was honestly the best recording experience I have ever had. We recorded the two albums during the same sessions and split the material into two albums at the end of the day. We really felt comfortable in the studio during the recording , not to mention there is a brewery attached to the back of the studio so that was always a plus.
Material wise I think “Taste Of Death ” is our heaviest record to date as we were just basically pissed off dudes. I know my personal life was all fucked up during the creation of that album the band was the only thing that chilled me out. The themes have been pretty consistent from day one of the band it focuses on the shallow side of humanity and society.
DS – So you did Taste of Death as a CD, but yet it’s clear you’re aware of the collapse of the music industry. 2014 saw not a single album going gold for major labels, and that’s a big sign of what’s coming. However, in the underground you see lots of focus on “forgotten” formats, primarily vinyl and cassette though you get weirdos doing everything from cylinder to floppy discs. Any thoughts on the current vinyl and cassette revivals?
TA – It kind of sucks for me, I always dug vinyl and I got it for better prices when no one cared. Every trend comes back around whether it be from the punk to the metal scene. I mean look at the kids with the denim jackets and high tops this is shit that we did 20 plus years ago but it resurfaces. When it comes to the labels they are a joke most of the time, as is the music industry in general. I will say I would never consider just putting out a “download ” album, that is so lame if you ask me but when I was a kid it was the music and the artwork were part of the same package. One cool thing about many metal fans is they still care about the artwork and the tradition.
DS – How about the artwork on Taste of Death? What was the process in putting that one together?
TA – I wanted the cover to be colorful and sleazy and I think the artist Mark Cooper certainly did a great job portraying that. I basically put together a list of ideas for the artwork that included Hexx, who is the mascot we use on many of our covers, and he ran with it. Mark has done a lot of artwork for me and he is amazing at what he does, the dude will be a legend one day I have no doubt about that. Also speaking of legends, of course we had horror actor Bill Moseley return as the voice of Hexx on the new record and he did a killer job as always.
DS – That FL scene, always been curious about it, it’s spawned some of the more interesting metal acts, some of which are sadly still pretty obscure to most fans today, like Killing Addiction. What’s Tampa like today, in particular and how do you feel you guys fit in there?
TA – The Tampa / St. Petersburg scene is a busy scene I will say that. There are a lot of bands here , and there are many show options each week so it is active. Like any scene it’s a popularity contest of who knows who and all that bullshit, something we try to stay out of. We do like to play with the Punk bands here as we just seem to fit into their underground family, even though we are not exactly doing the same thing as them. It’s nice to mix it up with bands from different genres. Who the fuck wants to do the same shit everyday? I think the bands who only want to play with bands like themselves are usually bands we do not have an interest in playing with anyway. You have to remember that when you are a Metal band in the Tampa area the crowd always has a few guys at the show who at one time played in or still play in bands that influenced you. You look out from the stage and there are dudes from Deicide, Cannibal Corpse, and Obituary hanging at the bar, it’s a trip.
I do think when we first started playing gigs we confused many of the bands around us during that time in the local scene. They could not really put their finger on what we were exactly trying to do, they just knew we would not go away. The funny thing is Generichrist is still around and many of those bands are not.
DS – Sounds like you guys have a pretty cool scene still going on there, I was also curious about how the tourist-like atmosphere of Tampa and surrounding areas of FL might affect the scene. For example, if you go to VA Beach near where I live the strip is entirely a tourist trap, but you have at least one or two venues there that have shows. However, you’ll always see the locals and traveling bands hanging out there, and rarely any tourists going for it. What’s that sort of thing like in Tampa? Might be a stupid question.
TA – Florida sees a lot of tourists as you know but they have no effect on anything when it comes to the scene. If anything, you may see some of them at the shows especially European metal heads. That is one thing I will say about the Metal and Punk scene in St Pete/Tampa you can except almost anyone to show up. Have you been to Tampa? We have some killer bands here!
DS – What is your new work like? Any new theme your working on or an extension of what you already are as a band? How about a comparison between Taste of Death and the new work you’re finalizing right now?
TA – We take the same stance when it comes to writing as we did on the last two records “House Of Ill Repute” and “Taste Of Death”. We never sit there and say “ok we need to write a Death Metal album or a Thrash Album” we just want to make a Metal album. The Punk influences that I grew up with bleed into the music naturally as do the other dudes’ influences. Our Guitarist Joe Hujbar or Guy Loucks Jr. will just bring some riffs in the room and we mold until we feel like it is what we want it to be. If a song takes too long to write we throw it away and personally I hate to force things. We actually are working with two drummers at this time our long time drummer Chris Maraman and his wife just had a son named Tom and he wants to take some time to be a father and how could you ever blame a guy for that .We have about six or seven songs we will record with Chris in the next few months so he is still involved and part of the Generichrist family. We recruited a twenty year old kid named Brandon Thrift who has been working hard getting the material down and we are writing songs with him also. We are going to keep Brandon busy so the remainder of 2015 should be fun.
DS – Touring. Any plans on branching out across the US or hitting Europe, where metal bands have a much easier time?
TA – The farthest we have been is Puerto Rico but we are interested of course in playing in Europe. We have been contacted by a few promoters the last few months but it did not go anywhere so we will see. I think like every American band who has never played in Europe there have dreams of it but at this time no one in the band except our bassist Ed Webb had toured in Europe so we have to live through him. So I’ll put this out there to who ever maybe reading this bring Generichrist or Fleshreaper to Europe you will not be sorry but it also has to make sense for everyone.
DS – Thanks again for the taking the time to do this interview, lots of thoughtful, lengthy responses. Any last words?
TA – Thank you for the interview and helping spreading the word of Generichrist and the other bands I’m involved in. I always like to keep busy and have no plans on that changing anytime soon. You can contact us at Generichrist@aol.com or at our Facebook page and again thanks for giving us space in your zine.
Interview Conducted by Stanley Stepanic
