Photo by Meline Gharibyan @ United Blood 2015
OK, lets kick it off with the mandatory question, Who are you and what do you do in Freedom?
My name is Denis and I am the frontman in the band
How did you get into hardcore and how did the formation of Freedom come about?
I first heard of hardcore through a skaters friend in middle school. The song "straight edge" by Minor Threat. I thought it was so powerful and I read a lot about the movement and became straight edge. I didn't really know there were still hardcore bands playing until a couple years later, that's when I started going to shows. Freedom started with only me and our guitarist Nick. He then was in a youth crew band called Face Reality but we wanted to do a more early NYHC/AF influenced band. So we wrote a demo, got members and went from there.
Freedom are a straight edge band, correct? What does straight edge mean to you?
We always have and always will be a straight edge band. Can't speak for the other guys but to me straight edge means that I can enjoy my life and feel comfortable in any situation without an outside influence like alcohol or drugs. I've seen those substances ruin the lives of many of my family members.
Freedom are very reminiscent of mid/late 80s NYHC. Who were your influences when starting Freedom?
When we started we wanted to draw influence mainly from bands like Agnostic Front and the Abused. As time has passed we have also begun incorporating some influence from later bands like Madball and the like. We stick pretty close to the script but we try to mix it up here and there.
Freedom are from Detroit, whats it like growing up there? (The 2 things that come to mind for me when I think of Detroit is Eminem and Freaks & Geeks haha)
The time I've spent living in the city was not bad. Yes I've had shit stolen, heard gunshots and such, but it was never a really hostile environment as it's often perceived as. Speaking of Freaks and Geeks- the entire show takes place in the high school I went to. There's a place they go to called the Rusty Nail, which is about 15 minutes away from where I live now.
You've got your debut LP dropping shortly, what can you tell me about it?
The LP is coming very soon on Triple B records. Our NYHC influence continues in the new material. We chose the name USA Hardcore because the current hardcore and punk scenes in the US are as strong as we've ever seen them and this is our contribution to the scene that we love.
Plans to tour off the back of it?
We plan to do a one week tour at the very beginning of the year. We have more plans coming up a well that have yet to be finalized. We have so many friends in so many areas, we hope to be able to play the new songs in all the places we love.
I was able to catch you guys play when I was over for United Blood earlier in the year and as expected it was wild! Where are your favourite places to play? Memorable gigs?
United Blood has always been great for us. We love playing there in Richmond, and also in places like Boston, Florida, Atlanta, and all the shows we've played in California have been great.
You recently did a tour with Agnostic Front, how'd that go?
Agnostic Front is my favorite hardcore band, so it was a dream come true. Roger and Vinny have such a great dynamic-- it's very funny to watch them interact. Becoming friends with all those guys is the highest honor for me. I also got the pleasure of singing "Power" for them a couple times. Very surreal.
Are you guys in any other bands?
Our guitar player Alec is in a band called True Love. Our drummer Jake is in a band called Citizen. Everyone except Alec, with the addition of our friend James, are in a band called Spiked Collar. We have a couple more bands in the works that have not yet seen the light of day.
Have you had any negative experiences or comments thrown your way for being a skinhead?
There's always people who have pre-conceived notions on subcultures they do not understand, handing out judgment without the knowledge to back it up. There's also always insecure people who try to "call out" people involved in subcultures, mostly for not being into them long enough by their standards. I'm sure both types of those people have targeted me or my friends, but I don't pay attention to that type of shit. Opinions of people that do not know me are very low on my list of concerns.
You've done quite a bit of artwork for some great bands (Fury / Title Fight / King Nine to name a few). Is this something you do as job/career or more as a hobby / for friends?
The artwork I do is a creative outlet for me. I have the privilege of having friends in great bands that find value in what I create and want to use it for their bands. Generally I only do artwork for my friends because my schedule leaves very little time for drawing as it is. If I could draw for a career I definitely would.
What artists influence you? Got that Sean Taggart / Kevin Crowley vibe going on
I definitely draw a lot of inspiration from artists that did NYHC band shirts, records, flyers. I also draw a lot of influence from old military imagery. Wartime propaganda, patches, special forces imagery and those sorts of things. As of late I've tried to switch things up in my style and methods. Working with simplification mostly. It's challenging doing things differently but the end result is rewarding.
Pick One:
United Blood, Cause For Alarm, Victim in Pain?
VICTIM IN PAIN
Ball of Destruction, Droppin Many Suckers, Set it Off
SET IT OFF
Lower East Side Crew, DFTS DFTS, Open Your Eyes
LOWER EAST SIDE CREW
Thats about all I can think of at the moment. If you've got anything you'd like to add, let me know. Otherwise, any final words / shout outs
One day I will go to Australia and I will say "stone the flamin' crows" at least once
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