Interview . Strike Anywhere . w/ Thomas Barnett (vocals).

Interviewer: Marc . 24/04/2010 .Groezrock Festival . Meerhout .

Punk76: You've been here on the Groezrock for a several times now, is there something special when you think about the festival?

Thomas: It seems to get better every year. It's like seeing bands that you always want to see your whole life, like Bad Religion for example. It's also like seeing bands of your friends that you see hundreds of times but you always enjoy their shows and it feels like it's your first show of them, like the Bouncing Souls. And you see new bands like our label mates Defeater or This is Hell. So I saw the Aggrolites right before talking to you right now and seeing this incredible band who are masters of their craft in an extremely different genre of music but something that we all love very much like revolutionary rock steady, dub and reggae. And I think there's a connection as different as we sound from them and I think punk bands listen so much to reggae music, soul music or rock music. I think it's all one for us. So the Groezrock has got the opportunity for all of this. And it's got these European maniacs that making us laugh all the time. People coming at 10 am with their shirts off and are so drunk already. So how do you even get up early enough to get that drunk before you got in to the show? So I just love it.

Punk76: Would you compare Groezrock with the Warped Tour?

Thomas: It doesn't seem to be as wild as the Warped Tour. There is more attention between the people and the fact that they all want to have fun. So there are events in my country, where the people are so cool, too. But the Warped Tour is not anywhere near as cool as this festival here. I think the Warped Tour used to be like that ten years ago but the way of commercial influence in American music ruined the shows in a kind of way. In Europe there is more taste somehow you know? It's weird, in the States the shows are small, we play to punk and hardcore kids and no one outside of that world knows our band. In Europe it seems like people involved in a scene and there is also like hundreds of other just likes 'Yeah, we're having fun!'. They actually give a shit about it. So that is a way of an idea we don't have very often in our country.

Punk76: You're on tour with Pennywise in Europe, so how is it to play with a legendary band like that?

Thomas: With a legendary new singer on Zoli? We did a tour with them in Europe in 2004, it was the 'Deconstruction Tour' and it was brilliant. They are an awesome band. We also toured with Ignite before, so we knew Zoli very well. But I don't know what it's going to be like when they come together and I'm sure a lot of people are interested.

Punk76: I saw a video on YouTube a couple of days ago of their new formation with him and it seems to be very cool.

Thomas: Yeah, he's got an amazing unique voice and it's going to be great no matter what happens.

Punk76: Your new record was released in Europe last October and it's called 'Iron Front'. So would you tell us something about it and what it means to you?

Thomas: I guess it kind of feels like it's the most directly title and it's so directly political and it's about our position in the world. So with 'our' I don't mean our band but I mean this movement. It's really direct and in your face, so when we started writing it we knew it has to be more aggressive and heavier. It also has to be darker, not like emo of course but we want it very personal and so it is in this way. It seems like the more we go into something like political activity it brings out this very personal biographical feeling and so I think we're all happy with it.

Punk76: Do you think your message will be understood outside the English speaking countries? I knew you had strong messages on several records.

Thomas: We recently going to Korea and Costa Rica and the people outside the English speaking countries conceive it much if not more. Isn't that weird? We don't know why yet but it seems like they study it very well and we just love it. It's very amazing to play in places like Korea and have people talking about our messages.

Punk76: The new record is released on Bridge Nine Records. May you tell us something about this collaboration and how it comes to it?

Thomas: We were in the Czech Republic before the Rise Against Tour like over a year ago and writing songs. You know we're all fans of this label and we think they did a really great job as a hardcore label. So we spoke with them and then we played a show with Bane in Washington DC where the people of Bridge Nine came down from Boston and we meet them. So within a half an hour we knew we're going to be on the label, there is just the chemistry and they had enthusiasm for us. I think they understood what we're about and what we want to do. It feels like that this is just the beginning with us and Bridge Nine. And all the bands on Bridge Nine we love, it's so exciting to think of Defeater, Ruiner, H2O, Death Before Dishonor and bands like that. It's kind of back to the east coast for us you know, we're from Virginia which is near Washington DC. That label is just amazing to work with and there is a little difference between the California punk and what we build up on the east coast. So being around Washington DC there is a little more intensity. We all like to laugh but to us hardcore punk is about like hidden truth in the world and to speak them to power and not being afraid of that. So Bridge Nine is the right label for it.

Punk76: You're interested into animal rights and supporting organizations like Peta2. What does it mean to you?

Thomas: I've been vegan for ten years and I've been rescuing and resocializing abused dogs and Garth, our bass player, is rescuing and finding new homes for abused and forgotten pit bull dogs. It comes from our love to animal companions and it moves beyond that. It's a question about the philosophy, the idea that like if it's good enough for our pets isn't it good for every other living being? And of course it's overwhelming because our whole culture is turned on like humans priority. We eat meat and don't think about it, it's our birthright. No, it's not! Our birthright is actually having a consciousness that connects with animal because we are only animals and that's brilliant, that's what we are. For me it's almost religious at this point because they all talk about humanity being in god's image and all the animals are like tools basically. And I think that is the reason why we are retarded as a species because we believe in this homocentric idea. It makes us barbaric and stops our evolution. It's more than just like compassion, it's something else too. We conformists ourselves every day by eating the flesh of creatures wrapped in plastic. So we move from killing and move from all this industrialization of cruelty and for me it's a part of our world philosophy about how to get our species over the rest. We have a lot of capabilities like our minds but all we do is like reinforce this like brutality which we do to each other, too. And I believe it's all based on the way we look at animals.

Punk76: Ok Thomas, thank you for your time. I really appreciate it. Do you have some concluding words for our readers?

Thomas: Thank you very much for your time and thanks for listening.

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