Interview: False Light

False Light, if I way be so bold, is one of the most impressive new grind/powerviolence bands I've heard in the last couple years. Even when they put up half of their excellent self-titled EP on bandcamp, it was some of the best music I've heard this year. I've listened to their EP countless times, and it really is one of the most enjoyable releases of 2012. In my effort to spread the word and get every single person aware of the force of nature that is False Light, I bring you this interview, done via email, with their vocalist, Patrick(I never got his last name).

Operation Grindcore: Boring question first, how did the band start? 

Patrick: We were all in bands that either broke up or that we stopped playing in around the same time. Brian's old band was actually also called False Light which I almost did vocals for when I was still in my old band, but it never worked out. But I stayed in touch with him, and we finally were able to work on something together.  

OG: Your EP is one of the best things I've heard all year, How long did it take to write the whole thing?

Patrick: Thanks! We started jamming together as a band at the very end of 2011 and recorded in March. We had some songs come and go, but everything was done in that time. 

OG: The recording sounds absolutely disgusting and raw, in the best ways possible, of course. Did you guys intentionally go for a sound like that?

Patrick: Absolutely. Grind should sound disgusting. Our friend Cory who recorded us is a genius, and he nailed the sound we were trying to capture.

OG: My friend wants to know how you get your massive bass tone. Care to share the details? 

Patrick: For the recording we ran an Electric Volume Unit 120 through an Emperor 2x15 and used an HM-2 and a Peavey t-40. This gave us the tone we were 

looking for, but we also recorded a clean DI track that really pulled out a lot of clarity and punch. Nothing overly intricate.

OG: Do you guys generally prefer the rougher sounding recordings, or do you see False Light getting a more refined studio recording in the future? 

Patrick: We definitely appreciate quality studio recordings. We're not pretentious enough to act like that isn't something that is important. The trick is still keeping a gross sound but one that is clear at the same time and hits hard. 

OG: Where do your lyrical themes stem from? They's some pretty grotesque and negative things being described.  

Patrick: Like most aggressive bands, I tend to write about things that piss me off. Whether it involves politics, religion, animal rights, or human nature, it's easy for me to write about issues that trigger emotion. Which is why a lot of my lyrics also deal with really personal issues like anxiety and depression. 

OG: I'm happy to say that people and blogs all over the internet seem to love your EP as much as I do, What do you guys think about getting all this much praise, so soon after your EP is released? 

Patrick: I don't think any of us expected much attention at all, especially being from South Carolina. It's been humbling for sure. It's incredibly rewarding to see people into a project that you've put a lot of hard work into.  

OG: Do you guys even pay much attention to what people on the internet say, about new music in general? 

Patrick: Yeah, to an extent. We find about a lot of new bands on various blogs and websites. 

OG: Can we expect a physical release of the EP sometime soon? 

Patrick: Our friend Kyle who sings in my other band, Discourse, runs an awesome label called Downside that is putting out the EP on a tape for us.  

OG: I've heard that a new 7" and some splits are in the works, already. What can you tell us about those? 

Patrick: We've actually got a lot planned that we're excited about. We're contributing a couple songs to a To Live a Lie compilation, then working on our 7", and then have splits planned with a noise band called Rosy Palms and and awesome PV band from Birmingham called Slave. 

OG: With all this praise towards your EP, has it but any pressure on you guys regarding your next recordings? 

Patrick: From a musical perspective, there is always a desire to improve. So yes, I would say there is some sort of pressure from both those who may enjoy our music, as well as ourselves, to write better music with every release and find our niche.  

OG: What's the grindcore/powerviolence scene like in SC? I don't really hear of many bands from that state. 

Patrick: Yeah, there isn't much here, especially as far as that style goes. There was an awesome band called Loather from Greenville, but they don't really play anymore. Nailbiter from Rock Hill is awesome. Void Worship is incredible. In the screamo realm, our friends in Chinesedream and Apart are doing really cool things.  

OG: Are there any plans to tour sometime soon? 

Patrick: Touring is difficult right now. Brian manages a Guitar Center and has a family, and a couple of us are in school, so right now we're really just focusing on playing occasional regional shows, with some weekends here and there, and putting out releases fairly frequently. 

OG: If you were stuck on a desert island, what 3 albums would you bring with you? 

Patrick: Very difficult question...As a band we could all agree on The Smiths - "Self Titled", Hatred Surge - "Deconstruct", and Botch - "We are The Romans".  

OG: Any final thoughts? 

Patrick: It means a lot when people give us a chance as a new band. We truly Appreciate the support you've given us from the beginning.

~VII